=Main Engineering= =U.S.S. Chimera= Rick laid on his back as he looked up at the underside of a console that was to be his main link to the deflectors and shields. He was trying to get past the temporal anomalies with a little fine tuning. It was only a theory, at best, but if it worked, then his job would be that much easier. “How’s that?” Rick asked. “Still no change,” Jo Weathersby 2 said. After making a few more changes, Rick slid from underneath the console and hopped up next to where Weathersby, the one from three hours earlier, was sitting. Rick sat in a chair next to her as she moved out of the way. He then tapped in a few commands. “When I give you the word, press this,” Rick said, pointing at the screen. She nodded as Rick slid back under the console and went back to work. After a couple of minutes, Rick popped his head from under the console, “Now.” She tapped in the command and the screen activated. “It’s working, but it seems a little sluggish,” she said. “Sluggish isn’t good enough,” Rick said as he returned his attention to the underside of the console. “Sir, we’ve been at this for four hours straight,” she said. “You could probably use a break, even if it is only for a few minutes.” “I don’t have time to take a break,” Rick said. “We’re shorthanded the way it is.” “Five minutes,” she said. “A quick coffee then it’s back to work.” Rick slid out again and looked up at her, “If I recall, my mother is still back on Earth.” “Its just that I’ve been in starfleet long enough to witness good engineers break down after overworking. They refused to even eat, even though they were hungry. Like you said, we’re shorthanded. We can’t afford to loose any more engineers, especially acting chief engineers.” Rick rubbed his eyes and realized that he could use a break. “Alright,” he said as he stood and rubbed the back of his neck. “Lets get this over with.” They found the nearest replicator away from engineering and each ordered a coffee. They also got bagels to tide them over to their next meal ... whenever that was. It was when they finished and were headed back to engineering when they bumped into three crewmen from beta shift, including the other, including the other Jo Weathersby. They just stared at each other, only a couple of feet apart, with stunned looks on their faces. Lieutenant (j.g.) Rick Rodgers Assistant Security Officer U.S.S. Chimera