From:		Jorith
Date:		27 November 1995 02:44
To:		U.S.S. Lafayette (BBS)
Subject:		RE: Main Engineering

<Lt. Cmdr. Kindle - Computer Core/Main Engineering>

Chandy tried to roll over. She couldn't. One eye came open. Darkness. If she had been able to sit up fast, she would have cracked her head on the top of the small crawl space. As it was, she could barely move.

"Computer, lights please." No response. It was then that the sudden realization occured to her about where she was. "I must have fallen asleep down here. Great, I wonder how long it's been."

"Computer, what time is . . . oh never mind." Mumbling to herself about the seeming illogic of computer cores with no computer interfaces in it, Chandy began the slow crawl back up to main engineering. When she got to the systems monitor room, she was able to get some lighting, stand and stretch, and put away the computer diagnostic tools she had used the previous night. She noted the sounds of activity coming from the hatch leading to the main engineering room. "Sounds like the day shift has already started. I better go get cleaned up. We should be reaching StarBase 336 soon, if we're not already there."

	*	*	*	*

Ensign Zahn was startled when he saw the chief engineer poke her head out of the computer core hatch. "Chief! I didn't know anyone was down there. I didn't even see you come in." He glanced past her towards the darkness of the computer core. "What were you doing down there in the dark, chief?"

Chandy rubbed an eye and replied, "Ensign, if you want to become a good engineer, you have to learn your way around your ship with your eyes closed." With that, she walked to the turbolift, grabbing her stuff (which she had left there the previous night) off the master systems display table. She turned around in the turbolift, "I'll be back. I have some things to take care of. Keep an eye on things for me while I'm gone, okay?"

"Uh, sure chief." As the doors to the turbolift closed in front of Chandy with her wrinkled uniform, messed up hair, wilted flowers, and a crooked smile on her face, Zahn leaned over to one of his co-workers. "She's doesn't exactly look her best in the morning, does she?"

<Lt. Cmdr Kindle's Personal Quarters>

Chandy looked around the small room. "Oh well, it could be worse. I hear a lot of the junior officers have to share a room with someone. Too bad I don't have anything to decorate it with."
As she moved around the room, she caught her reflection in the shiny panel of the small replicator. "I guess sleeping in a computer core doesn't do much for the appearance," she smiled to herself as she looked down at the wrinkled mess of her uniform.

Finding the shower, she was pleasantly surprised to find it was a water shower, not a sonic one like what they had back at the Academy. She stripped down, ordered a towel from the replicator and got in. The shower worked the same way as a replicator - water of the desired temperature was created at the shower head and was broken down into it's parts in the drain. Immensely refreshed by the feel of water on her skin, Chandy got out and dried herself off.

With her towel wrapped around her, she picked up her uniform and moved to the replicator. She removed her comm badge, and with no table nearby to place it, she temporarily stuck it on the towel. She laughed to herself when she saw her reflection, "I can see it now. This will be the new StarFleet uniform! I can think of a few folk who would just love that!" She put her old clothes into the replicator and had it absorbed. Then she ordered new, neatly pressed ones. Just as she was about to start getting dressed, her wet and tangled hair grabbed her attention.

"Yuk." She moved back to the replicator. "I need a brush."

"There are over fifty-three thousand types of brushes on record, please specify."

"I need a hair brush." Before the computer could even ask, Chandy added, "A hair brush for a human, Terran to be more specific."

After brushing out her long brown hair, she finished dressing, and ordered a small breakfast. While eating, she gazed out her window to the approaching StarBase. The Lafayette should be starting it's docking sequence any time now. It was time to head back to the main engineering room. Putting her dishes and towel into the replicator, she left her quarters - looking as sharp as any StarFleet officer should.

[OCC: I know, I know. Only a woman would spend this much time describing her clothes and hair. LOL! :D ]