Chief Engineer's Log

Commander Brokkar, Chief Engineer.

Engineering Log, Stardate 78878.767.

The warp core is operational.

It is magnificent.

The cold start proceeded within projected tolerances.

Field stability remains excellent.

Power distribution metrics continue to exceed expectations.

Several months of planning, construction, calibration, testing, recalibration, and vigorous disagreement have finally produced the result they were intended to produce.

USS Kepler now possesses a functioning heart.

Unfortunately, everyone aboard the ship appears to have noticed.

Since activation, Engineering has received an uninterrupted stream of requests for additional power allocation.

Science wishes to expand sensor testing.

Operations wishes to expand systems testing.

Someone in the arboretum wishes to simulate a seasonal weather cycle for a species of tree that apparently becomes emotionally distressed without proper cloud cover.

The warp core did not come online to provide therapeutic weather patterns for vegetation.

The request remains under review.

The Andorian implementation specialists have completed their work on the shield emitter network.

I regret to report that they were largely correct.

The synchronization variance has been eliminated.

Shield performance now exceeds projected specifications.

The Andorians have been insufferably professional about the entire matter.

I would have preferred at least a brief period of gloating.

Instead they submitted comprehensive documentation, thanked the department for its cooperation, and departed.

It was deeply disappointing.

The passenger liner Meridian Star arrived three days ago.

My son is now aboard.

My mother-in-law is also aboard.

The latter development has already resulted in several containers of sleeper ship stew appearing throughout the vessel.

The mess hall staff have requested recipes.

My mother-in-law has refused.

Negotiations remain ongoing.

The stew has acquired a reputation.

I am informed this is how these things begin.

My son spent his first afternoon aboard in Main Engineering.

This was expected.

It has been some time since we occupied the same ship.

The arrangement appears agreeable.

I do not intend to elaborate further.

What was not expected was the number of questions.

He asked why plasma manifold inspections occur every forty-eight hours.

He asked why the procedure required eleven steps.

He asked why the procedure required eleven steps now when archived maintenance records indicated it required only nine steps six months ago.

This was an unfortunate observation.

I explained that the additional steps were added following revised operational guidance.

He asked whether the revisions had produced measurable improvements.

I explained that they had.

He requested the data.

I am increasingly convinced that fourteen-year-olds should not have access to engineering archives.

Yesterday he presented a proposal regarding diagnostic sequencing within a secondary maintenance routine.

The proposal was incorrect.

I explained why it was incorrect.

He disagreed.

I explained again.

He disagreed again.

Forty-three minutes later he remained unconvinced.

Further review revealed that one portion of his proposal possessed merit.

I have chosen not to discuss this discovery.

Certain precedents are dangerous.

The ship continues to come alive.

The corridors are busier than they were a month ago.

Departments have begun settling into routines.

The crew is learning one another’s habits.

Families are establishing homes.

The vessel increasingly resembles the starship it was designed to become.

The warp core is online.

The shields are operational.

My son is aboard.

My mother-in-law is aboard.

There is stew in the mess hall.

Engineering remains under my control.

At least three of those statements are still true.

End Log.