Engineering For Dummies

[squadgoals]

Who: Shepshep (squadgoals) & Tali (keelahselai)
When: Backdated to some time after arrival! So April 3rd or so, ongoing.
Where: the engines
What: Shepard was assigned to engineering for her job. Tali is her boss. The wackiest of hijinks will undoubtedly ensue.
Warnings: None, unless Shep knocks out your life support systems.


[Nobody had to be good at everything. People had specializations. Engineering, combat, biotics, support, medical — every piece added up to a well-oiled machine, running perfectly, the sum of its hard-working parts. That was the beauty of a balanced team, the ideal squad.

Shepard, for example, was a Vanguard. A front line, close-combat specialist with aggressive attacks, and a certain disregard for personal safety that had earned her the Star of Terra during the Skyllian Blitz.

But she knew her limits, and one of them was high-level technical expertise. Sure, she'd had comprehensive training for basic survival engineering, and weapon, hardsuit, and omni-tool repair — there'd even been a few classes on hacking that she'd taken to like a Hanar to religion. But anything past that, and she found herself looking towards people she trusted. Tali, Garrus, EDI, Legion, even Joker knew potentially more than her on this front.

So it was lucky, really, that here, in another universe, filled with unknown people and danger around every corner, that of everyone, her boss was the one person she would have trusted beyond compare to teach her about the nuts and bolts of engineering.]

So, anywhere you want me to start?

[Even an old Varren can be taught new tricks. How hard could it be for her?]

Comments

[squadgoals]

[There's a chuckle, but it's good-natured.] Truer words were never spoken. I'll try and keep up.

Got any gloves? I need every advantage I can get.

[keelahselai]

Ahh... Maybe. Tony probably used some when he was here. [Never has a man spent more time in cryo. There's a storage room off the engineering room she beckons Shepard towards instead - it's dim, quieter than the main engine room and mostly full of spare parts, but Tali beelines towards one of the shelves and starts rummaging.]

If you need any extra tools or parts, they're...probably in here somewhere. It's mostly...what do you call it - an organised mess?...in here, so ah... You'll get used to it?

[Pause.] Or maybe we should clean up properly.

[squadgoals]

Cleaning, I can do. I'm great at cleaning. Haven't you seen my room? [beat;] You haven't. Sorry — but it is clean! You can leave this part to me, at least.

[She moves towards one of the shelves, and stares at the contents. It's familiar, in its own kind of way, yet alien in another. Where would you even start to put some of this together? Tali would definitely know, and it's a kind of gnawing frustration that she can't be of more use on board this ship, sometimes. But she can learn.

Shifting aside a few boxes (empty, as it turns out) she uncovers a pile of gloves, matching pairs jumbled together in a pile. She picks out a matching pair that fits, and slips them on, holding them up for Tali, wiggling her fingers.] Ta-daah. Found 'em.

How about we pick metal today, and I can get cleaning in here when we're done? No supervision necessary for that. [Casting an eye across the "organised mess", she corrects:] Probably.