[Dreamer128]

OOC: Note that each vessel only has one Chief Engineer

(The Bridge)

Jack regarded the Chief with pity. Here stood a man that was totally unfit for Command. Unfortunately, so was everyone else. ,,You might have noticed, Chief. But we're a few Command Officers short'', he said as he gestured at the various empty seats. ,,The Captain is as crazy as a Transcendant and the COO fancies herself the female Van Gogh.'' He wondered what would be worse. Having this hermit take charge, or taking the risk that his name would pop up next. He wasn't completely sure where the post of Senior Navigator was located inside the Command Structure. Presumably, it was somewhere at the bottom of the pyramid, since he had about the same security clearance as the cook.

,,All right, Chief. If you don't feel up to the task, you can ask the doctor to declare you unfit for Command. I'm sure the good man can work something out. After that, perhaps you can head over the Science Department and oversee the decoding of the signal.'' Jack smiled and glared at the Captains Chair. ,,Or you can take a seat and ensure I don't have to interview another dozen people for the post.''
Comm-Liason O' Hara threw the two men an inpatient look. ,,Sirs, the asteroid is about to move out of range. Your orders?''

Jack frowned. He had to admit that Messman had a point when it came to the asteroid. None of the scans indicated the thing was a man-made threat, but there were stranger things out there than cunningly disguised flying bombs, propaganda-devices or illegal radiostations. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what the hell a comm-unit was doing on an asteroid in the galactic outback.