The Morning after

Posted on Sat Oct 10th, 2026 @ 1:40pm by Captain Marc Steyn & Lieutenant JG Charlie Johnson

1,949 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Season 1 Episode 2: The Garden at the Edge of Night
Location: Lieutenant Johnson's quarters / Main Engineering
Timeline: The monrning after the incient

ON:

Peters had awoken early on purpose, and before heading to engineering, a feeling in the pit of his stomach told him he'd better make sure that the chief engineer was going to be in engineering. He pressed the door chime at her quarters.

"Come." came a rather dejected voice. Peters entered, and the first thing he noticed was that Lieutenant Johnson was not dressed in her uniform but rather still in her sleepwear. She looked like she had not slept. The table in the middle of her quarters was filled with little model ships and warp cores that she had obviously been building all night. PADDs with blueprints were stacked at one end. Charlie was currently assembling a model while drinking a cup of coffee.

Peters cleared his throat. "Morning, Lieutenant. Have you been up all night? What exactly are you doing?"

"Building these models helps me relax and calms my mind. Besides, it seems to be the only thing I'm good at," She replied without looking up.

Peters went on. "I hope you're feeling better today. Repairs are progressing, but the warp drive is going to need..."

"Why are you telling me?" She cut him off without looking up.

"Because you're the Chief engineer and we need your expertise." He replied.

"No one needs me in that engine room. I almost blew up the ship yesterday. You have everything in hand."

Peters shifted uncomfortably. This was definitely out of his area of expertise. He could tell she had lost all confidence in herself, but was damned if he knew how he could help her get it back right now. "Lietenant...."

She cut him off again. "Please, just leave me here. I followed the manual and... well... it seems like on this ship the rules don't apply. At least with my models, I know where I stand. I follow the instructions, and they work.

Peters sighed and turned to leave when something caught his eye. On a PADD was A ship of a design he'd never seen before. It looked like it had three warp cores. "What's this? Is this a new design?" he asked, trying to coax her out of her pit of self-loathing.

This time she actually looked up briefly. "After the battle of Wolf 359, Starfleet has been considering new starship designs. They asked us in the theoretical propulsion division at the Brahms Institute to work with the shipyard designers to develop more powerful engines and weapons to fight and defeat the Borg. While another team were working with Commander Sisko on his Defiant project, I was working with my own team on a different design for a new class of ship, the Prometheus class. When I get the chance, I'm still assisting with correspondence."

Peters picked up the PADD and let out a low, impressed whistle. "Impressive design. Ablative hull armour... regenerative shields. But why three warp cores?"

"The Enterprise used its saucer separation as a tactic against the Borg, but the saucer section was primarily used for a diversion; it had limited offensive capabilities and no warp drive on its own, so we got to thinking: what if, when a starship separated, both sections could be used for combat. And then one of the team suggested splitting into more than two sections, so..."

"This ship splits into three parts, all capable of being operated remotely or from command stations on board. All heavily armed, all with warp capabilities. That's some impressive work."

"She's still in the development stage at the moment," Charlie replied as she took the PADD from him.

A thought suddenly occurred to him, an opportunity. "But wait, you've been working on the power distribution systems for this new ship? How did you manage to come up with the EPS balance across the three sections? That would not have been in any manual."

"Well.....no..." She admitted quietly, as if it had been forbidden, "The manual got me so far, and then I had to...... adapt slightly to get the three sections working together without an overload. Look, it's all still theoretical and in the design phase."

Peters smiled to himself. So she could work without the manual, he thought to himself, good to know. He tried one more time. "Please, come to engineering with me. We need assistance rebuilding the warp drive. Plus the Captain will be coming down for a report this morning. He'll expect you to be there."

For a moment it looked like he had got through to her, but eventually, she let out a sigh. "No, you go. I... Can't. I just can't. She rose from her seat and headed into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her."

Peters was about to follow but then realised he better get to engineering himself. This was not going to be easy, but it looked like he was going to have to rebuild her along with the engines. He also realised he wasn't going to be able to do it alone. He was going to need assistance.

---

Main Engineering

---

Peters had arrived and picked up where he had left off the night before. Implus engines were now back online, as were weapons. Shields would be online shortly. The massive task of restoring warp power lay before them now.

Marc rounded the corner into Engineering only moments after Peters had arrived. The Captain looked as though he had already been through a battle. His uniform was filthy, grease and grime smeared across his cheek and staining the fabric in more than a few places. The engineering kit in his hand looked little better, bearing the unmistakable signs of several hours of hard use.

"Ensign, you won't need to worry about the gravity plating on Deck Three anymore," Marc said, stepping towards him. "And I've restored the optical data relays to Sickbay."

He held out the kit, handing it back to the young engineer before making a half-hearted attempt to brush the worst of the dirt from his own uniform. It did little to improve his appearance.

"I need to meet with the First Officer, but before I do, I was hoping to get a full report from Lieutenant Johnson."

Marc paused, his expression becoming more serious.

"Where will I find her?"

Pete shifted uncomfortably before answering, "She's in her quarters." He then added after a pause, "Permission to speak candidly, sir?"

Marc felt his anger flare, white-hot and immediate.

For a moment, he simply stared at him, scarcely able to believe what he was hearing. He had genuinely thought—perhaps foolishly—that yesterday's conversation had reached her. That beneath the frustration, exhaustion and self-doubt, she had understood what he had been trying to tell her.

Now, he wasn't so sure.

She had crossed a line.

Marc drew a slow breath through his nose, forcing his temper back under control before it could dictate his response. He wasn't going to lose his composure, but neither was he going to allow this to continue unchecked. Whatever sympathy he had for her situation, she was still a senior officer, and the ship still needed her.
"Granted, Ensign".

He lowered his voice so only the Captain would hear. "Sir, She's a fine officer and a damn good engineer. We overhauled the warp coils together before we left space dock. She's considerate and listens to her crew's input. She'll make an excellent chief engineer someday.
Right now, she's lost all confidence in her abilities. The incident yesterday has left her questioning everything she once held to be true. And yes, she didn't exactly deal with the problem in an appropriate manner, but sir, I believe she deserves a second chance. She relies too much on the manual, but she has the ability and the knowledge; she just needs to trust herself. That's only my opinion, Captain."

Marc lowered his voice, conscious of the engineers moving around them and unwilling to let the entire department overhear what was, ultimately, a private conversation. He waited until they had a moment of relative privacy before addressing Peters.

"This was her second chance, Ensign."

There was no anger in his voice now, only a tired frustration that had been building for some time.

"I had a very clear and very honest conversation with her yesterday. I told her then that the accident itself was not her fault. The systems were never designed to work together, and we knew there were risks when we put them aboard this ship."

Marc paused, choosing his next words carefully.

"The issue was her dereliction of duty. She was needed, and she wasn't there. Yesterday, I gave her an opportunity to put that right. The understanding was simple: she would be present today, she would take ownership of Engineering, and she would approach the problem with her own judgement rather than hiding behind the book."

His expression hardened.

"And now we're here again."

Marc glanced towards the surrounding engineers before lowering his voice once more.

"She's skating on ice so thin that I'm no longer certain there's anything left for me to do if she falls through."

He allowed the words to hang for a moment before straightening.

Then another engineer passed nearby, and Marc deliberately returned his voice to a level that could be heard clearly across the department.

"Until further notice, Ensign—or until Lieutenant Johnson is fit to return to duty—I am placing Engineering under your care."

His eyes settled firmly on Peters.

"I know you're not expecting this, but you've already demonstrated that you're capable of stepping up when this ship needs you. Keep the teams focused, keep them safe, and keep the repairs moving."

A beat passed.

"And if you need something, you come to me."

Peters nodded, then suddenly remembered something. "Captain. Please. If you should see the Chief, please give her this." He handed him a PADD. "This is the plan to restart the warp core. We need the power to replicate the materials to repair the warp coils. It's either this, or we mine them and refine them ourselves, and that could take months."

Marc accepted the offered PADD and gave the young man a small nod. Whatever else might be said about Ensign Peters, Marc had to commend his loyalty to his senior officer. That was something he could not fault. Peters had stood by Lieutenant Johnson, even while effectively carrying the department in her absence, and that kind of loyalty was not something Marc took lightly.

As for Lieutenant Johnson herself, however, she was now skating on perilously thin ice. Marc had already given her more latitude than he ordinarily would have, and he had no intention of permitting another opportunity beyond the final chance he was about to offer her.

He took one last look around Engineering, letting his gaze travel across the teams working together with a determination that was, frankly, impressive considering the absence of their department head. Consoles were alive with activity, engineers moved between stations, and the steady hum of repairs filled the space.

Was it loyalty to Johnson that kept them working so cohesively?

Or was Ensign Peters simply that good?

Marc wasn't entirely sure which possibility concerned him more.

With a final glance at the engineers, he turned and left Engineering, making his way to the nearest turbolift. Thankfully, the system had been restored sufficiently to allow him access to the upper decks. The doors opened with a familiar hiss, and Marc stepped inside, entering the deck where the Chief Engineer's quarters were located.

A moment later, he stood outside the door.

He raised his hand and pressed the chime.

Charlie had been dreading this moment. She took a breath and called out, "Come."

OFF:

 

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