First Impressions

Posted on 21 Jan 2026 @ 2:47am by Lieutenant Commander Elias Harlan & Lieutenant JG Ryan Collingway

1,805 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Lathira Shoreleave
Location: Engineering

///Engineering///

The entire ship had a moment of panic as the lntrepid arrived out of seemingly nowhere. It was enough to cause a yellow alert and for Engineering to go to emergency stations-not an easy task given that half of them were on shore leave. But then then explanations came in from the ship about the experiment, and the yellow alert deactivated. For the engineers that were left, including Ryan, what should have been an easy day turned into a morning of panic, and the Commander hadn't even arrived yet.

"Commander on Deck," an engineer stratigically placed to keep an eye out announced. All of them snapped to attention, as they would for an inspection by the higher ups.

Elias kept walking, slow and deliberate, letting his eyes take it all in.

“Computer,” he said, voice carrying clearly through the space. “Lieutenant Commander Elias Marcus Harlan reporting for duty as ordered.”

The computer beeped, processed for a second.

“Acknowledged. Duty status change accepted. Authorization codes enabled for Harlan, Lieutenant Commander Elias Marcus. Chief Engineering Officer.”

Elias set his duffel down at the base of the center console and looked around.

“Now can someone please tell me what all of you are doing in here?”

The engineers looked at each other, uncertain of what he was asking. "Sir?" Ryan was finally brave enough to ask.

Elias turned to look at the person who had the ability to speak. A Lieutenant Junior Grade, he noted as he took a few steps towards him. "I asked, what exactly are you all doing in here? The ship is supposed to be on reduced rotation for shore leave, and as far as I can see I've got a full compliment in this room. The original question still stands Lieutenant."

Everyone was looking at the two of them. Ryan's brain was thinking fast. "We were in an unknown area of temporal spacial distortion recently. It seemed prudent to check and double-check every system. We didn't want you to have a mess on your hands on the first day, sir," he said neutrally.

Elias stared at the assembled engineers for a long beat, letting the silence settle like a cold warp coil. Then he spoke, voice low at first, carrying that familiar gravel edge.

“I understand that, Lieutenant,” he said, nodding once to the nearest officer. “I was fully briefed in transit.”

He paused, letting the words hang, eyes flicking across the room—taking in the suddenly still hands, the averted gazes, the too-clean panels that had clearly been wiped down for the third time in an hour.

“I also know busy work when I see it.”

Another pause. He straightened slowly, shoulders rolling back just enough to remind everyone he wasn’t here to play nice.

“Listen up, all of you.”

The room went dead quiet. Even the core’s low hum seemed to dip in deference.

“I get the ‘new boss’ syndrome. I’ve been the new guy more times than I care to count. You clean, you look busy, you hope the incoming chief doesn’t notice the coffee stain you missed. But let me be crystal clear.”

He raised his voice just enough to carry to the upper levels without shouting—steady, unhurried, the tone of a man who’d seen too many engine rooms and not enough shore leave.

“I want every single one of you off this ship for at least sixteen hours. Minimum. Break it into two eight hour days if you want, I don't care. Leave doesn’t come around often, and when it does, it usually isn’t on a planet with beaches and actual atmosphere. Take it. Use it. Get drunk, swim, sleep, whatever. Because if I catch any of you back here before that clock runs out, I’ll make damn sure you regret it.”

He let a small, tired half-smile tug at the corner of his mouth—nothing warm, just the ghost of one.

“And trust me: you do not want to deal with me after I’ve only had four hours of sleep and no coffee yet. I’ve been told I get creative when I’m cranky.”

A few nervous laughs rippled through the room—relieved, uncertain.

“Sixteen hours. Clock starts now. Dismissed.”

Elias picked up his duffel again, slinging it over his shoulder.

"You," he said pointedly as he approached Ryan. "What's your name Lieutenant?"

"Lieutenant Collingway, sir." His tone was calm, but neutral, and his eyes met Elias evenly. It wasn't a challenge in the slightest. But it was the air of someone who wasn't afraid either. A Lieutenant who honestly expected this CEO to be gone in a month as well.

"And I bet behind those not-so-innocent eyes you’ve seen some shit you wish you could forget." His voice dropped lower, rougher, carrying the weight of too many engine rooms and too many captains. "Been there. Done that. So whatever expectation you’ve already built in your head about me—get rid of it. Right now. Because whatever it is, it’s wrong, and it’ll screw with your performance faster than a misaligned plasma relay."

He let the words sit, let the silence stretch just long enough to feel uncomfortable.

"I’m not a mind reader, or a Vulcan. I’m just experienced. And experience has taught me that people like you—competent, watchful—usually make the best engineers once they stop waiting for the shoe to drop."

Another beat. Elias didn’t smile. He didn’t soften the edge. He just kept his gaze level, unflinching.

"I know this ship hasn’t been lucky with chief engineers. Just like I haven’t been lucky with postings. Give my service jacket a read—you’ll probably laugh. Or wince. Or both. But that pattern ends here. I’m not a dictator who runs everything by the book. I’m also not soft enough to let chaos run the department. You screw up, you’ll hear about it—straight, no sugar, no screaming. You do your job, you keep your head up with determination with your tools sharp, you’ll never hear my voice raised. Ever."

He stepped back half a pace, giving Ryan room to breathe.

"I don’t expect blind loyalty. I don’t expect you to like me. I expect you to be competent, honest, and willing to tell me when I’m about to make a stupid call, which trust me is almost never. In return, I’ll have your back when the brass comes looking for someone to blame. That’s the deal. Take it or don’t—but figure it out before we both waste time."

Elias let the silence land again, then gave a single, small nod.

"Now. You’ve got leave. Use it, and yes that's an order. When you come back, bring your A-game. I’m not here to babysit. I’m here to keep this ship flying. And I’m damn good at it when the people around me are too."

There was a slight crack in Ryan's armor. A slight hesitance as he suddenly realized that whatever he was expecting, it definitely wasn't this. He was in the presence of someone who was at least ten steps ahead, despite only being in the room for a few minutes. Someone who figured him out far more accurately than he would have liked in the same amount of time.

Someone who could potentially be on the ship longer than a month.

Ryan nodded, neutrality slipping back into his mask-but also respect. Or at least, the beginning signs of it. "Yes sir." With his dismissal, he also left engineering.

Elias gave the room one last slow sweep. The rest of the engineers were already moving—packing up tools, shutting down diagnostic panels that had been running pointless loops for hours, logging off stations with the kind of relieved efficiency that came when the boss finally gave them permission to breathe. No one lingered. No one dared ask if he was serious about the leave. They’d heard him the first time.

He stayed just long enough to hammer out a quick skeleton duty roster for the next forty-eight hours—minimal skeleton crew, rotating watches, nothing that couldn’t wait until people had slept off the shore leave haze. He sent short, professional messages to Captain Corbin and Commander Batenburg: arrival confirmed, taking initial shore leave as permitted, available for formalities upon return. Brief. To the point. No groveling, no excuses.

Then he logged off the main console, grabbed his duffel, and walked out.

The corridors were still quiet—most of the crew planetside, the ship breathing softly in standby mode. Elias didn’t rush. He let his boots echo against the deck plating, let the new-ship smell of fresh polymers and recycled air settle around him. His mind was already turning: the warp core’s idle hum had sounded steady when he’d passed through engineering, but he’d check it himself later. The junior engineers would need real assignments once leave ended—not busy work, actual tasks that mattered. And Ryan… that kid had potential. Watchful, competent, already braced for disappointment. Elias knew the type. He’d been the type once.

He reached the turbolift, stepped inside and gave the destination. The lift moved smoothly, quieter than the Intrepid’s. No rattles, no lag. New ship. New start.

The doors opened onto the residential deck. Elias found his assigned cabin halfway down the corridor—door already keyed to his biometrics. He palmed the lock, stepped inside.

The room was standard senior officer: compact, functional, viewport looking out over Lathira IV’s blue-green curve. His personal effects were already stacked neatly by the bed—Starfleet efficiency at work. He dropped the duffel beside them, exhaled, and let his shoulders drop for the first time since the transporter beam.

He crossed to the viewport, stared down at the planet. Beaches. Atmosphere. Actual sunlight. Leave.

For once, he wasn’t dreading the next posting. He wasn’t looking forward to it either—not quite. Hope was still a fragile thing, and he’d learned the hard way not to trust it too soon. But it was there. A small, stubborn spark.

He turned away from the window, kicked off his boots, and sat on the edge of the bed.

Forty-eight hours. He’d earned them.

And whatever came after—Jorik, Corbin, Ryan, the inevitable next crisis—he’d face it on his own terms. For now, though, he was going to sleep. Properly. No alerts. No emergencies.

Just quiet.

He lay back, stared at the ceiling, and—miraculously—let himself close his eyes without bracing for the next shoe to drop.


Lieutenant Commander Elias Harland
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Arawyn

&

Lieutenant JG Ryan Collingway
Engineering Officer
USS Arawyn

 

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