Byron sat back at his desk and sighed. They were waiting for the USS Paso Robles to get there. His wife, Elsie, the Commodore in charge of OverWatch where his ship was serving out of had informed him that Captain Gutierrez and his crew would be escorting him and his crew there.

Byron was pretty certain they were probably not happy with being a baby sitting service but Elsie’s word was law. Byron was not about to say a word he would keep his opinions to himself.

He stood and was about to grab a cup of coffee from the replicator when his comm badge went off.

“Everything okay down there,” Byron said, hoping there wasn’t any issues, Lieutenant?” Last time he had spoken with Davies they had been good to go.”

“The engines are fine.” Lila replied, her voice thick with tension. “But if your second officer doesn’t stay out of my way, I cannot guarantee we will leave on time.”  There was the sound of raised voices.

“Lieutenant!” Byron said in a voice of authority. “I am on my way down there. Both of you stay out, do not speak to one another, that is an order!”  He left his office and paused on the bridge to speak with the bridge officer, letting them know he was headed to Engineering.

Byron shook his head as he walked onto the turbolift and waited for it to reach engineering. He had been meaning to speak with his second officer but had not had the time to. Things had been a bit hectic, he wanted to be ready to head out when the Paso Robles arrived. It would not do well to have them sit around waiting for them.

Byron headed right out when the doors to the turbolift opened and in to Engineering. It had expected to hear some arguing or at least heated discussion but instead he found his chief engineer and second officers staring each other down with their arms folded across their chests.

Byron walked up and looked from one to the other. He spoke to Andrew first. “What is going on.” He asked, keeping his voice calm and controlled.

“Lieutenant Davies will not comply to the blueprints on the placement of fire extinguishers.” Andrew said with confidence. “There needs to be one on that wall and instead she has placed it over there.”

“I tried explaining to him.” Lila said with a growl. “That the corp of engineers marked the blueprints wrong. You cannot put a fire extinguisher that close to the engines. It is a safety hazard!”

“So you’re saying they don’t know their jobs.” Andrew shot back. “This is what they do and…”

“This is my department.” Lila returned. “And it doesn’t surprise me that they filled the paperwork out incorrectly. It matches the same shoddy way they claimed to have done the repairs down here!”

“I…”

“Enough!” Byron raised his voice and put a level of command in his voice that had both of them stop arguing. He looked from one to the other. “Lieutenant Swanson, meet me in the captains dining room in twenty minutes.” His eyes met Andrew’s. “You’re dismissed.” He watched as his second officer left and turned to Lila.

“Lieutenant.” Byron said, keeping his voice calm and collected. “I understand your passion and concern for the crew and safety on the ship.”

“It isn’t safe, Captain.” Lila replied. “And he pushed my buttons.”

“I am certain he did.” The captain said quietly. “However, he is the second officer and your superior officer. I will speak with him about this issue but I warn you to give him the respect his position holds on this ship.”

“Yes Captain,” Lila replied. “I should not have let it get this far.”

“Neither of you should.” Byron corrected her. “In the future, follow his orders and then speak with Lieutenant Commander Robinson about your concerns. She will handle it.”

“I will, Captain.” Lila agreed. She paused then. “What do you want me to do about the extinguisher?” She waited for his orders.

“You are the chief engineer.” Byron informed her. “I trust you more than a group of engineers who won’t be serving here. Place it where you feel if the safest and useful in an emergency.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Lila did not dare smile. This was not about winning it was about what was right.

“One more thing.” Byron knew she was not going to like what he said next. “I want you to apologize to Lieutenant Swanson for the manner in which you spoke to him.” Crew had been working in the background, she needed to set the standard for them or Swanson would lose their respect.

“Yes Sir.” Lila said after a moment. It wasn’t easy to do but she knew the captain was right to give the order. “I will take care of it before the end of shift.”

“Give it a few hours.” Byron said, smiling slightly. “I want to speak with him as well.” He paused before he left and then looked to her. “We still on schedule to leave when Captain Gutierrez arrives?”

“Yes!” Lila nodded. “With all the help the crew has given us, we will be able to pull out when they get here.”

Byron sighed in relief. “I needed some good news.” He looked at Lila. “I will let you get back to work, Lieutenant. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” He turned and headed out of engineering and on his way to meet with Lieutenant Swanson.

Byron pressed his comm and asked Chef Eggerton to have two meals delivered to his dining room. He reminded himself to thank her for doing this. She knew it would create some extra work but he was hungry and he figured he would take this opportunity to get to know the second officer while they ate.

Byron entered his dining room and saw that Lieutenant Swanson had not arrived yet. He got something to drink and set it down just as Andrew arrived. Byron called for him to enter as the door chimed.

“Captain.” Andrew said, his voice a little nervous.

“Lieutenant.” Byron said. “Grab something to drink and have a seat on my right. The Chef is having dinner delivered to us.”

“Thank you, Sir.” The second officer replied. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

“We haven’t had a chance to talk.” Byron said as he took a seat and waited until Andrew sat down. “I want to speak on the incident in engineering before we eat.” He paused for a moment.

“Look, I know you are new to your duties and I get taking it seriously. I was in your shoes once.” Byron’s eyes met Andrew’s. “You can’t just go into her department and take over like that. Engineers are a funny breed, they treat their engines like they are their children.”

“I tried to talk to her.” Andrew said quietly. “To explain.”

“I spoke with her about the way she disrespected you and now I am speaking with you about Lieutenant Davies. Engineering is her department, let her run it. If there is a blatant issue that could cause danger for the crew or ship I would expect you to have Lieutenant Commander Robinson come immediately. I want you to concentrate in logistics and learning to be a good second officer. That means picking up shifts on the bridge, not inspecting departments.Understood?”

“Yes Captain.” Andrew nodded. He thought maybe he did go a bit overboard but he had wanted to impress the captain.

“Now.” Byron said with a smile. “Let’s forget that incident ever happened and enjoy the meal the chef has prepared for us. Byron wasn’t certain what it was, all he knew was he was hungry.