Balance at the Heart of the Ship

Posted on Wed Apr 8th, 2026 @ 4:09am by Petty Officer 1st Class Alexis Aenera & Lieutenant JG Tuhjer Mil

3,457 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Flight Of The Valkyries
Location: Main Engineering/Starboard Nacelle Junction

It was probably not the best idea, but her balance was always excellent and finding herself on the railing that was stretched out around the warp core was still a delicate balancing act if only because the edge was beveled away from the heart of the ship. Alexis contented herself with not doing anything that could disrupt the balance, but just reveled in the thrill of being on the very edge of falling off. It was the fact that she was here, alone, that she was even willing to do this. Her eyes kept flickering towards the main displays, always alert even now for the telltales that indicate something was going wrong.

Finally, she took a moment to evaluate the curve once more and did a back walkover, maintaining contact with the railing at all times and coming back up to her feet with a bit of a wobble, arms outstretched to regain it once more before bringing them up above her as soon as she had. There would be no dramatic dismount; that was for certain, she'd be far more likely to land on her head, but she could stay up here for now, and she exhaled deeply, debating what to do next.

Tuhjer was grateful that, for once, his shift didn’t involve crawling through yet another Jeffries tube. He slipped into Main Engineering through one of the side entrances, already mentally sorting through the tasks ahead. But as he rounded the corner, the sight that greeted him stopped him mid‑step.

A young woman stood balanced on the railing encircling the warp core, arms raised, one foot placed carefully before the other as though she were crossing a tightrope rather than a safety barrier above a several‑deck drop. The pulsing blue light of the core washed over her, turning the moment strangely serene.

Tuhjer approached slowly, mindful that a single startled movement could send her tumbling. When he was close enough, he cleared his throat with a gentle, deliberate cough, loud enough to announce his presence, soft enough not to shock her into losing her balance.

The clearing of the throat was enough to make her wobble slightly, but only very and she slowly turned her head to look at the person who was present and flashed him a smile, "Ah, good um.. morning? Lieutenant." Her toes gripped either side of the railing and she glanced at the railing before back to him, "I suppose you're wondering what I'm doing up here, aren't you, sir?"

"Well, this certainly wasn't a sight I expected to see in Main Engineering, that is for certain. What exactly are you doing? Other than the visually obvious?". Tuhjer asked.

"Keeping an eye on things until the daily assignments are made." Alexis tensed and turned on the balls of her feet to face the other direction, more towards him, reversing where her toes gripped, "One moment, sir." She made a forward walkover, showing her flexibility as she angled herself so that instead of remaining on the railing, her feet quested for the ground until they reached it, arms coming up and out before returning to her sides as she bounced once on the balls of her feet, now away from any precarious positioning. "No alerts have come in, so it looks like we're probably going to have a day of standard preventative maintenance."

"That's pretty much what I've been doing since I arrived onboard but sadly, I've spent most of my time in the Jefferies tubes." He paused, realizing he hadn't even introduced himself.

"I'm Lieutenant Junior Grade Tuhjer Mil. Nice to meet you."

"Petty Officer Alexis Aenera, Ave." She brought an open hand up to her chest and tilted her head down in the standard greeting of the Legions. She was never one to forget her heritage, "Well, sir, I'm of the belief that here in just about no time at all, we're going to all be far busier than we're ever going to want to be. I'm more of a power systems specialist myself, but I've got good general knowledge."

" Yes, I've heard that things are going to get somewhat hectic. I have a specialism in propulsion myself."

"Good, that means we'll come to know each other quite well." Alexis smiled broadly, then took a few steps to the console attached to the railing, sliding her feet back into the shoes that she'd left there for her acrobatic excursion, "You make the power, I get it where it needs to go." She gestured him over towards the main display, "I say that if The Lieutenant doesn't give us specific instructions that we make our own, wouldn't you think?"

" Hmm, I would think that would be our best option, thinking in our feet as it were. However, protocols and guidelines still should be adhered to." he paused a moment.

" Having met the Lieutenant, they seem to be the sort of person that would give clear instructions to avoid any misunderstanding." He added.

"Initiative, however, should always be encouraged, wouldn't you think?" She glanced over the schematics and pursed her lips for a few seconds, "Diana... It's been too long since the Imperial Academy, I can't even remember what Legate Spinola said exactly, but he was always going on about having ideas in order, just in case you get asked a question or two. Being an NCO is different, overall, but I've definitely gotten a better overview of the ships as a whole."

" I would agree. Who is Diana? I heard you say their name just now." He asked. He was experiencing one of those moments where his thoughts were being somewhat overwhelmed by ideas and memories he wasn't sure were even his own. Being thrown into the Symbiont joining deep end certainly had issues.

"Goddess of the Hunt." Alexis said offhand, "Sorry, perhaps I should mention that I'm from the Imperial Republic of Roma Nueva, we follow the Old Gods of Rome, even if our star system doesn't have the planets they're primarily associated with." She glanced up at him briefly, "I know I should be a follower of Vulcan and we definitely need Mars right about now, but I've always been closer to Diana than to them."

"Ok, I think I will need to do some reading to understand further so please excuse my lack of understanding at this point. I have a somewhat basic understanding of Earth cultures past and present but clearly not enough to help me here. "

"There's no real need to study them, if I'm being honest. Back on Earth, there are a scattering of people who follow them, it's really just the Republic." Alexis shook her head, "So what do you think, if The Lieutenant doesn't have anything planned, I'm thinking about heading out to the starboard nacelle, run a few tests on the power flow distributor, make sure everything is functioning as planned and that the backups are doing the same."

"Sounds like a good place to start. Once done, we can repeat it on the port side and then work from there. I suggest we, perhaps, follow this with a general check of the EPS power taps on both sides of the warp core."

"That sounds like a plan, sir, maybe with a stop for lunch at some convenient point?" She gave him a quirk of a smile, her purple eyes brightening at the thought, "With comprehensive testing, it'll take most of the day. It'll be fun to have a maintenance buddy for the day! Getting to know new people is always something good to do."

"Of course we can. To keep the ship's power going, we also have to maintain our own fuel intake as it were. I have been on my own so far in the maintenance game, so having a `buddy` will be a refreshing change and welcome. You will have to bear with me, though, I am still getting used to myself at the moment. I am a joined Trill, but not one who has years of training and counselling before being joined. I was the only one available at the critical juncture and had to step in, however unprepared."

That took Alexis a few moments to process, having to delve into her memories of the last several years of acclimation to the Federation and Starfleet. Trills were one of those races that had a symbiotic relationship, some of them, with other sentient beings. "So you didn't train with the um... Commission." She couldn't recall the official name, "Have no fear with me, sir, I'm one of those with the patience of a priestess. I'm one of the ones they'll send new crewmen or wet-behind-the-ears Ensigns to follow around for a few days to get the lay of the ship. She glanced at her reflection in the display for a brief moment, "I know I look like I'm too young for my rank, but I've been in service to the Republic or Federation nearly half my life, since I was seventeen. If you ever need a few minutes to settle yourself, you don't even need to say it, or if you ever need someone to bounce thoughts off of, you can count on my discretion."

" Thank you. I do appreciate that. Shall we proceed to the starboard nacelle and begin. I am somewhat eager to get busy as that seems to keep me on an even keel and helps to focus my concentration. Care to lead the way?"

"Certainly, one moment." She took a quick glance towards the door, perhaps there wouldn't be different instructions this time. Oh well. Alexis keyed in the tasking with practiced ease and notated that she and Tuhjer were going to assign themselves to it. Sending it into the maintenance queue, she shut down the panel and gestured towards the main door, "If you'll follow me, sir." She deviated from the path to the door only long enough to pick up an over-the-shoulder satchel that held a general set of equipment, her step bouncy and energetic. They reached the turbolift and she ushered him in, "Deck Five." She told the computer, "So, Lieutenant, aside from the extended tour of the Jeffries Tubes, how is life on Tokyo? I only arrived a couple weeks ago, was transferred from Caligula in preparation for the assault on the Iconians."

"Life is ok so far. Nothing really interesting to speak of as yet. I've settled in well I think. Still sorting out my quarters though. Not quite happy with how I've placed my belongings. I'm sure I will have things how I like them, eventually. Jefferies tubes, despite being cramped and dimly lit places, can actually places of peace and quiet. Yes, the hum of the Ship's internal power is a constant theme tune, but it's kind of rhythmically soothing to some extent. "

He wondered if that made him sound pretty strange.

"It absolutely is." Alexis agreed, "Computer, halt, power down." The turbolift stopped and all but the red emergency lights turned off, but there was still something there, that undefinable energy in the air. It ebbed and surged over and over almost imperceptibly. She closed her eyes and raised her arms, hands flickering at those ebbs and surges, "They say the warp core is the heartbeat of the ship, but the power conduits are the pulse." Her voice was a whisper, "You can tell what problem a ship is having just by her conduit systems."

"Yes, I often put my hand on the cold metal flooring of the Jeffries Tube and feel the distinctive pulsing of the ship. You can pick up the slightest variations and even feel when she's at full impulse or at warp. The legendary engineer, Montgomery Scott was claimed he could tell what speed the Enterprise was travelling at by the feel of the deck plates. "

He looked around in the darkened turbolift. "Shall we get going?" He asked.

“Right, sir.” Alexis agreed, “Computer, restore power and continue.” The systems hummed back to life and the minute thrum of the conduits was drowned out instantly. “Sorry about that, sir, it’s just soothing to me.. That’s why I requested quarters that are adjacent to the conduits, it helps me sleep a bit better for some reason.”

" Not a problem. I'm still sorting out my quarters. I might have brought slightly too many of my belongings. Just when I think I have my quarters arranged, I find another container with more items inside. It's getting a little problematic."

The turbolift doors opened and Alexis stepped out with a glance to either side and after the barest hesitation took a left, then turned around to go the opposite direction as she realized she’d chosen the wrong direction, “I’m luckier in that regard them, I basically brought the bare minimum with me, just a few mementoes from home without picking up a lot of extra things since I started here in Starfleet. I suppose you have essentially two whole sets of belongings? Yours and your symbionts, right?”

" Well, no, not really. Symbionts don't possess any belongings. What I have are my own things from before and after being joined. I don't believe I've added anything that was influenced by my being joined but it's possible. So, which way to the starboard nacelle? " He asked.

“Down this corridor, take a right, then we’ll have a vertical Jeffries Tube to get to the sub-control station. Thankfully it’s big enough, given the ship class, but if it were more than the two of us, it’d be getting pretty cramped in there.” She glanced over her shoulder at him, “Not the right place for a claustrophobic, I’d say.”

" Thankfully, I am not claustrophobic. I kind of like the solitude of the Jeffries tubes. Lead the way and let's get to work on the nacelles. "

“Actually, if you don’t mind, sir, may I ask you to lead the way?” She smoothed down the skirt she was wearing, which wasn’t readily apparent given the same shade of stockings she wore instead of uniform pants. “Especially since we’re not in a rush? Not that I doubt you’d be a gentleman about it, just..” She trailed off.

"Of course. I understand." He took the lead, heading down the corridor towards the right-hand turn. They eventually reached the bottom of the vertical Jeffries Tube and climbed to the sub-control station. "I'm not fearful of heights either." He commented as he started the climb up.

Alexis was only three rungs behind him on the climb, enough to stop in time if he stopped. Still, close enough to keep in easy talking distance, “Skydiving’s not too bad, but I’ll avoid orbital insertion skydiving if possible. Otherwise, same for me on heights.” She giggled, but cut herself off, “But then you already know that, don’t you? I was a gymnast when I was in school and in the Academy, never got the podium in the all-around, but was consistently there for balance beam and the vault.”

"Telena was a diplomat but fancied herself as a gymnast. She did have exceptional balance and a head for heights. Her apartment was only three floors from the top of one of the tallest buildings, at the time, on the Trill homeworld."

He paused as he reached the top of the access tube. He climbed out and into the Sub-Control station. He turned to offer his hand as Alexis reached the top.

She gratefully accepted the hand and between her strength and his, she was up and onto solid deck about a heartbeat later, “Telena?” She asked, wondering who the other woman was that he was talking about, but probably someone important to him. “Sister?” She asked him.

" No, Telena was my second host, after Torbin but before Lerani. She was part of the Trill Diplomatic Core. She help facilitate many trade negotiations with other Federation worlds." He explained.

“Oh,” Alexis said, glancing at the ground for a moment, but bouncing back as she keyed the panel to life, pulling up the most recent diagnostic results before starting a new one out of habit just to get the freshest results, “How many hosts have you had? I couldn’t imagine living more than one life, even if I’m going to live an additional fifty years past the normal human lifespan, assuming I don’t get killed sooner than natural causes.”

"I'm the forth host." He replied. "My previous hosts all were fortunate enough to have been through the initiate programme before becoming a host. I wasn't as fortunate so I'm taking a little longer to adjust." He paused. " Anything interesting in the last diagnostic results? " He asked.

“Nothing dramatic that I see, a tiny flutter in the interface between the plasma injectors and the field generator, though it’s well within safety margins.” Alexis’s eyes danced across the readings, “We could tweak it to resolve that, but it won’t improve efficiency by more than a tiny fraction.”

"Hmm that doesn't feel like it's worth tweaking at all. We 'could' tweak it but it will be just for something to do now we're here. " He exclaimed.

He turned to another console and ran a brief diagnostic. As he did so, he began singing quietly. He wasn't even aware he was.

(Singing) Walk, you and I, through the gardens of old
(singing) Adorn thou, my love, in silver and gold
(singing) Drink of sweet wine, as brave tales are told,
(singing) Pray to the gods that we may
(singing) Love a thousand years in a day.

Alexis had been about to mention the range that the flutter was in, -0.08 to 0.13 millcochranes from base and how it was well within the the 0.48 to either side that was considered acceptable, but the words did as he began to sing softly, her ears questing to hear the words. As she read the results of the retest, she kept listening in case he continued on.

Tuhjer finished, noticing it was suddenly quiet. He turned to Alexis.

"What figures have we got for the flutter? " He asked.

“It’s umm…” She had to shake her head to break the listening trance she’d been put in, negative point oh eight to zero point thirteen, sir. Retest results are even less than that, but when we up the power it’ll increase a little, but not significantly.” She made herself busy for a moment before pausing again, “You've got a nice voice, sir.”

"Sounds good. I suggest we leave it as it is."

He looked at her strangely after he realised what she said.

"Nice voice? " He asked, looking puzzled.

“Yes, sir, you were singing a few moments ago.” Lexi gave him a curious look, “Pray to the gods that we may love a thousand years in a day.” She sang softly, but did a moderately successful job of recreating what he’d sung, though some of the notes were off.

"I was? Oh. Hmm. Ohhh Lerani. It's a song she once heard on a trip to Earth. I didn't realise I was singing. "

“One of those things that just happens?” Alexis grinned at him, “Traipsing on railings not included, sometimes I just can’t help with flourishes. Twirling when it isn’t needed, taking unorthodox shortcuts, they sort of thing. You can take the gymnast out of the competition, but trying to keep her from making odd motions: Unless you tie her down, that is.”

"Usually, Trill get years of training and counselling to help deal with the initial months after joining to be able process the memories and experiences of multiple lifetimes which you suddenly have. I didn't get any of that, as I was only Trill onboard when Mil was being taken home to Trill and their health changes meant a new host was urgent. I had to step in. Anyway, let's wrap up here and get something to eat."

“I’m surprised they didn’t take you off duty to get acquainted, then, even if it’s training after the fact?” Alexis shrugged and hit a series of keys to lock the station again, “But you have a willing minion for when you say food, sir! The downside to being constantly in motion is that the need for calories is always strong. Tell you what, I’ll even take the lead down the Tube.”


" Ok, lead on willing minion." He laughed as they left the control room to find something to eat.

Off

Lieutenant JG Tuhjer Mil.
Engineering Officer
USS Tokyo

Petty Officer 1st Class Alexis Aenera
Engineering NCO
USS Tokyo


Credits: Song Lyrics by Vic Mignogna - Star Trek Continues. With permission & With thanks.

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