Page 8 of Alien Engineer's Mate

“Draanthic.”

With a final glare at his friend, Maax squared his shoulders and headed in to face his team. They'd understand about Emily. They always did.

They might think he’d gone soft and talk about him behind his back, but he didn’t care.

His daughter was worth it.

3

Maax stared at the requisition form on his datapad, his jaw clenching as another notification chimed. The documents bred like vermin, multiplying every time he looked away. Around him, the engineering bay was alive with people and the usual noises: the deep bass of the primary generators, the chatter of the engineers, and the sound of boots on metal decking. Usually, the low-level sounds kept him calm. Today, they grated on his nerves, his jaw tightening as his fingers drummed on the datapad. All they did was remind him how much remained undone before his afternoon meeting.

His fingers tightened on the datapad's edges. The device creaked in protest, and he forced himself to relax his grip.

“I need your authorization on the power coupling replacements, sir." Engineer R’akk approached his workstation, datapad extended.

"The specifications?" Maax prompted, though he already knew R’akk would have verified everything multiple times. After one memorable dressing down early in his posting, the junior engineer had learned that lesson thoroughly. R’akk’s mortification still made his chest twinge with guilt. But ithad been necessary. Mistakes in engineering often had fatal consequences, and they had precious human females aboard.

"All within acceptable parameters." R’akk's response was swift and sure, though his posture remained formal. "I've included the stress test results from last shift and the projected wear patterns based on current usage. The simulations show a thirteen percent improvement over the previous configuration."

Maax nodded as he reviewed the documentation. The numbers aligned perfectly with his own calculations. Better than perfectly, if he was honest. R’akk was developing into a fine engineer; he just needed to trust his own judgment more now.

Maax pressed his thumb to the authorization panel, watching the green confirmation light pulse.

His wrist bracer chimed at the same time, the sound cutting through the engineering bay's mechanical chorus. The time display made his chest constrict: three hours until the meeting. Three hours until he faced a challenge no amount of engineering expertise could solve. Emily was safe in the nursery, so he forced his attention back to the present. He had duties to complete before he could focus on securing her future.

"The installation team is standing by," R’akk continued, accepting the approved datapad. "They can begin work as soon as?—"

"Warrior Maax!" A technician burst into their conversation, breath coming in short gasps that suggested he'd run the length of the engineering deck. Another datapad was thrust into his field of vision. "Sir, we're getting some odd readings from the auxiliary power grid in section seven."

Maax frowned as he accepted the offered datapad, studying the fluctuation patterns. The variations weren't critical yet, but the irregular spikes suggested something that needed careful monitoring. He'd planned to oversee that diagnostic himself, but now...

He glanced at his bracer again. The meeting demanded preparation time he couldn't spare, but leaving potential power fluctuations unchecked wasn't an option either.

"R’akk." He turned to the junior engineer, who snapped to attention so quickly Maax heard his vertebrae click into place. "Take point on the power coupling replacement. I want hourly updates on the installation progress."

He transferred the new diagnostic data to R’akk's pad, watching the younger warrior's eyes widen at the additional responsibility. "And have someone track these power fluctuations. If the variance exceeds two percent, I want to know straight away."

"Yes, sir." R’akk's voice held steady, though surprise flickered across his features for a second before his professional mask slipped back into place. Good. The younger warrior needed to learn to handle multiple responsibilities and to hide his reactions better. He’d be no good on poker nights. The human game had become popular on the station and, warriors being warriors, had caused more than a few violent outbursts. It seemed every other day Maax had to head down to security to recover some of his engineers, and he knew the other station departments were the same.

He gathered his own datapads, mentally mapping the fastest route to the Chief Engineer's office. The mid-shift change would flood the corridors soon, but if he timed it right...

His bracer chimed again. This time the message wasn't another engineering update, but a reminder about Emily's upcoming medical assessment from the station’s Lead Healer. His heart clenched, the feeling so visceral he had to suppress a growl. Today's meeting could affect everything... her future, her safety, and their little family.

Focus. One task at a time. It was like repairing a complex system. Each component had to be addressed in the proper order.

He found the chief engineer in his office, surrounded by holographic displays that bathed the space in ghostly blue light. Power grid schematics danced in the air, their intricate patterns reflecting in Vaarn T’Kaan’s eyes as he looked up. His gaze narrowed at Maax’s formal stance.

“Problem?” he asked.

"The adoption meeting." He kept his voice neutral, professional, though his throat wanted to close around the words.

“Ahh,draanth, that’s today?”

He nodded.

"R’akk is overseeing the power coupling replacement in section four and monitoring some minor fluctuations in the auxiliary grid." The technical details steadied him, giving him something concrete to focus on besides the knot forming in his gut.

Vaarn’s fingers danced over his console, bringing up the relevant data streams. Blue light played across his features as he absorbed the information, his expression softening slightly.

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