Ficly

On Patrol: Engineering

I took off at a nod from Firus and dodged my way to the portside gunnery bay, bracing myself before opening the door. The bay was wreathed in a swirling miasma of gun-smoke and steam that poured out of the doorway, along with a deafening cacophony of operating machinery.

I tugged my scarf up to cover my face, then plunged in. Esmil – I assumed – waved at me from behind a stack of powder charges, motioning to a spot beside him. He started speaking before I was even close enough to hear him.

“… just in time – can you do any engineer work, sir?”
“Why? Is it the Sideline?”
“What? No! The big guns are working, mostly! No, there’s some problem with the autoloader for the No. 3 spinning smallgun! We’re having to load it by hand!”
“Isn’t there an engineer on duty here?”
“Just come and have a look for me, would you? We’re desperate!”

I pulled out my Krillman wrench and took in the crazy mess of pressure valves, dials and spinning gears that made up the autoloader.

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