Sparrows Need Engineers

She plopped down in the seat next to him and looked around, then turning she found his glaring green eyes looking at her in questioning distaste. She pulled the plugs from her ears so she could hear fully in the safety of the shuttle, "Hi, I'm your new engineer, Tuegrin!" She said with a smile and hoping to start things out on the right foot.

"Sparrows don't need engineers, you should go back to personnel and let them know." He replied as he watched filter statuses come up on the screen.

Tuegrin tilted her head over the awkward greeting, "Um, I tried, they said I was slotted for here. So here I am."

"And I'm telling you again, you're in the wrong slot, Sparrows don't need engineers."

"Look, I wanted Oak, they said Oak is full."

"Well they lied, Oak has three openings that I know of, supposed to be two after yesterday."

Tuegrin twisted her lips as she could feel anger starting to rise in her, "Look, Jerec, I'm where I was told, they told me 214-"

"They were wrong."

Tuegrin winced at the interruption, "They told me I'd be with the pilot 'Jerec', that's you."

"They were wrong."

"So I'm the engineer for this ship, and you're the pilot."

"They were wrong."

Tuegrin flared with anger, "So YOU fly the fucking ship, and I will fix the fucking ship."

Jerec looked at her, his cigarette now hanging on his lips and almost down to the filter, he grabbed it between two fingers and exhaled. "Look, I'm not your pilot, so get off my fucking ship."

"Jerec, it's Janny!" the intercom on the dash said.

Jerec looked at the dash with glaring eyes for a moment, then back to Tuegrin.

"I can only imagine the wonderful conversation that's happening right now, so I will just guess what you're thinking and give you the answer. Yes, she's you're engineer, Sparrows do need engineers, and yes she's on the right ship."

There was a pause for a moment as they both looked at each other, then Jerec opened his mouth to speak. "Janny, she's supposed to be on an Oak class."

"Gotta go back to work, get along you two, byyyyyyyyyeeee!" The coms clicked off and they were both left in silence.

Tuegrin held his gaze as she watched him contemplate the information Janny just gave him over comms, she wondered for a moment about his comment. 'Oak class has three openings, supposed to be two after yesterday.' Was he telling the truth, or was he just feeding her false information to get her off the ship.

"Fucking. Dammit." Jerec mumbled as he hit the ignition button for the engines, just wanting to get off the flight deck and do the first run of the day as quick as possible.

"We gotta close the ramp before we go!" Tuegrin shouted as she watched him grab the flight stick.

Jerecs lips seemed to snarl for a moment, "This shuttle always closes its own door, it's in the programming."

Tuegrin shook her head, "The doors don't have programming for that, it could be a safety hazard!"

"Well this one does!" Jerec yelled back, "Some fucking engineer." He said with a condescending tone.

Tuegrin glared at him as she got out of her seat and hustled to the back, feeling the craft lift from the deck and seem to rock side to side. She hit the button and shuddered at feeling a cold spot in the air as she did so. Brushing it off she watched the ramp raise to close the rear and seal it shut, she turned and ensured the locks on the pallet were engaged. Thinking to herself about how irresponsible he was being by not closing the door and checking to make sure the load was secure. She headed for the front and felt the shuttle pitch hard, throwing her into the wall to her left. She grit her teeth and flared with anger as the shuttle bucked hard the other way and she slammed into the pallet of goods to be delivered. She braced herself as much as she could but still felt a slam of pain in her side as it met the corner of a box on the pallet. Then feeling her shoulder get heavy like someone was pushing down on them she got her balance back and began storming towards the front.

She bared her teeth as she stomped towards the flight pit, grabbing onto handles and bracing her palms on the wall as she did so. Entering the flight pit and seeing the man holding the controls, his eyes forward as he looked out the front windshield of the craft. She let her anger get the best of her, she stepped next to his chair, identifying the 'auto pilot' button on the dash she hit it with a balled up fist. Then with another fluid motion she used her other hand to hit the head rest retract button on the side of the seat. A system that was installed into every flight seat for safety in case emergency services needed to assist the pilots neck after a crash.

Jerec was stunned for a moment as he felt the head rest behind him sink quickly into the seat back, then Tuegrins hand grabbing a fist full of his hair. His eyes went wide as she yanked it, torquing his head back and glaring down at him as she did so.

"Do some shit like that again, and I'll shove your face into the jet burner...Understand?" she said with clenched teeth and unblinking eyes.

Jerec gulped as he looked up to her, his inner being wanting to fight but feeling something deeper inside holding him back. He looked into her golden eyes as she held him, seeing the anger burning in them as she stood over him. He couldn't bare to be under them anymore, he turned his head away and pulled, feeling her release his hair and letting him look forward again.

Tuegrin hit the auto pilot button again and the ship bucked slightly as Jerec took control, she sat down in the seat and put her lap belt on, huffing as she calmed down. She glared at the console and used the screen in front of her to cycle through the ships systems and start ensuring it was running correctly. She tried to push it out, but couldn't help thinking about his green eyes looking up at her in shock, the way his throat seemed to roll as he gulped in what she presumed was fear. But she hated how she saw his cheeks blush as he rolled his head away, the look of flustered shock that she found she liked the sight of.

Hours passed and they approached the port where their load was to be dropped, Jerec orienting the craft so the rear bay door had enough room to open and the workers could easily enter. He hit the landing gear drop and the feet came out, coming into contact with the concrete pad shortly after. Hydraulics and air hissing as the craft leveled and balanced on the surface, computers clicking away as they did checks and ensured the hull was in stable condition. Jerec stood and walked to the back of the craft, hitting the door open button and letting the ramp go down.

"Hey, the engine on port side says it just passed 200 hours of run time and needs an oil test since it's still in thousand hour break in, do you have the oil sample kit so we can get it tested when we return?" Tuegrin shouted as she sat in the chair. She waited for a response but only heard clattering in the back, undoing her belt she got up and looked outside the flight pit and into the back. Seeing random men and women unloading the pallet and walking the supplies down the ramp. She snaked around them and made her way down, wondering where her pilot had gone and when he'd be back.

She stayed out of the workers way and when the pallet was empty she headed back up the ramp, not seeing heads or tails of Jerec and wondering when he'd be back. She decided to search through the cargo cabinets in the ship, searching for an oil sample kit and completing her engineer duties. After several minutes of searching she almost gave up, yelling "If I was a fucking asshole pilot, where would I hide the oil sample kits?!"

*BANG*

Spinning on her heels she looked to the bathroom, shocked from the loud noise that came from it. She walked towards it and leaned her head inside, seeing an oil sample kit on the floor and the cupboard under the sink open.

"...What dumbass would put these under the sink?" she mumbled.

She was worried as the engine series this ship used could have breakage at the beginning of its life span and at the end. So oil testing was required for the first 1000 hours, and closer to the end the engine would be replaced. She figured the starboard side was probably just past it's break-in, as normal engineer practice was to replace the two thrust engines in pairs.

'I need to remember to check starboard side hours later when I have a chance.' she thought to herself as she found a test kit.

Jerec walked back from the general store next to the landing port, holding a bag of food and taking a drag off of his cigarette. Looking at his ship he saw the new engineer on the port side wing, pulling an oil sample from the engine and placing it in the mail bag so it could be sent off for testing. He walked back up the ramp and through the hull, putting the bag of items he had bought in the bottom bunk. He finished his cigarette and flicked it out of the open door and hit the close button for the ramp.

Tuegrin heard the ramp closing and felt the shuttle vibrate as it did, she had her sample done and was ready to go back in. But wondered if Jerec knew that, or if he'd even wait for her before spooling up the engines and wanting to take off, she hustled back to the open hatch and climbed down the ladder. Reaching up and pulling the hatch closed, then descending the rest of the ladder and hopping down to the floor of the empty hull. She saw Jerec standing next to the bottom bunk and taking things out of a bag and placing them in cubbies and a small refrigerator by the bunks.

"Hey, Jerec, I think we got off on the wrong foot." Tuegrin said as she approached him. "I know this shuttle is probably like your baby, and I'm not coming in looking to change anything. I'm only here to do my job and make sure the shuttle doesn't fall out of the sky."

Jerec didn't seem to acknowledge her words, he finished sorting through his things and stood to head back into the flight pit. Passing her on the way then speaking as he crossed the threshold of the pit, "We don't take days off. We do as many flights as we can. If you don't like it, find another ship."

Tuegrin gave a cross look as she turned to look at him, then followed into the flight pit and sank into her own engineer chair. "You don't take any days off?"

Jerec shook his head, flipping switches and grabbing the flight sticks, he hit the ignition button and let the engines spool before pulling back on the sticks.

Tuegrin looked at the bags under his eyes then spoke, "You know we can take like a day off every now and then, the company can't punish you."

A few weeks passed and Tuegrin stood in the bathroom of the Sparrow as it careened through the sky, she looked at the black bags that had formed under her own eyes now. Her back ached from the seat, her joints seeming to pop at the slightest twist of her body. She stepped out of the bathroom, looking at the top bunk of the two that were right next to the flight pit. Her blankets messed up and strewn about as she had tried to sleep but was unable to when the craft was flying. She could feel the grime and sweat on her skin, body odor filling her coveralls and aggravating her nose with the terrible stench. She walked back into the flight pit, plopping down in the engineer chair and looking at the screen in front of her.

Her eyes ached as she tried to scroll through the information that was presented to her, a new warning flashing on the screen. She clicked it and read the information:

'Port side engine past due for 500 hour oil testing, please ensure test is completed so bearing failure can be identified before major engine malfunction.'

Tuegrin looked at the screen, having to reread the words so she could fully grasp them. Her head reeling with clouded confusion, 'I did the port side test at 200 hours, but its over 500 currently?' she clicked through the information as she tried to decide why this sounded wrong, then finally it hit her.

'I've been on this shuttle for 19 days and done over 300 hours of flight time.' she thought to herself as she read the date of the last oil test. 'That's over double what a normal person would be working in the same amount of time.' She turned her head and glared at the pilot next to her, 'With this fuck wit...why the fuck are we flying so much?'

"Why the fuck are we flying so much!?" Tuegrin said with a raised voice as she glared at Jerec.

Jerec just kept staring out the front window, making small adjustments to the engines as cross winds rustled the craft. "I told you that this is how we operate, Sparrows don't need engineers, so when we get back I can leave you at the hanger. Maybe you can get that spot on an Oak class like you wanted before."

Tuegrin glared at the man in the pilot seat, wondering why he was choosing to do this to himself and her. Was he trying to convince her to leave her spot in the ship, to go to the bigger and more heavily manned vessel, did he really not like her that much?

*WARNING: BALANCE SENSORS FOR STARBOARD SIDE ENGINE HAVE DETECTED ROLLER FAILURE IN TURBIN. IMMEDIATELY LAND CRAFT AND SEEK MAINTENANCE FOR MAJOR ENGINE REPAIR, FAILURE TO ABIDE WARNING COULD RESULT IN CRITICAL LOSS OF PROPULSION AND LIFT RESULTING IN INJURY AND OR DEATH!*

Tuegrins eyes widened and her stomach dropped as she read the warning on her screen and listened to sirens beginning to buzz. Snapping her head towards him she saw his screen said the same. Red lights illuminated the flight pit, signaling the crew that a major malfunction was occurring within the ships systems.

"Jerec, land the fucking shuttle!" she said in a calm tone.

"That warning is just the first of three, when we get to the third that means we have a major issue." Jerec said as he continued to fly. "I've seen these come on with the right gust of turbulence hitting the sensor through the engine cowlings."

*WARNING: BALANCE SENSORS-*

Tuegrin raised her voice to speak over the warning, "Ya well this looks like the second one, lets not get to three. I'm looking for a port to land right now!" she clicked the navigation map on her screen and found they were entering the air space of a small port in a transport town. She clicked it and set it as the destination, leaning forward she looked out the right side of the flight pit and saw the starboard engine beginning to shake. "Jerec, I've marked a port, drop it down and land!"

*WARNING: BALAN-"

Jerec pursed his lips and tipped the stick down and to the left. Dialing back the throttle and trying to ensure he didn't over exert the limping craft and send the impeller out the side of the engine and drop them out of the sky. He lined the ship up with the port as he heard Tuegrin calling the control tower, he saw an open portion of the ramp and aimed the shuttle for it. 'I know I've been mean to you, just a little more and I'll get you fixed up girl.' He said in his thoughts as he gripped the stick tighter.

Tuegrin called the flight tower, "Emergency landing, Sparrow 214, we're losing an engine but still maintaining control!"

"Roger Sparrow 214 we have you on scope, fire and rescue in rout-"

Tuegrins attention was ripped away as she heard metal on metal grinding, a noise so loud it reverberated throughout the hull and caused her spine to tingle. The craft shimmied and she saw Jerec yank back the throttle, then heard a dull boom as something let go. Her breath seemed to hitch as she saw Jerecs eyes widened and a look of remorse came across him for a second.

She had never noticed how his face could look so soft even though he could be so callous with those around him. For some reason the thought stuck with her as she watched his hands dance across the controls, switches flipping and hydraulics working as they abided by his command. An eerie silence coming across as she wondered why his shoulders were tensing and his teeth were bared.

A loud crash tore through the hull of the ship, the turbine from the engine had let go, spinning at 20,000 rpm and escaping through the side of the engine like a weapon from hell. Crashing into the side of the hull and piercing its metal structure it slipped inside with the two of them. Loud explosions of metal followed as blades from the fan skewered the hull and dotted its wings with tears. As the turbine came into contact with the port side wall it had lost a great portion of its energy and couldn't escape, but instead started to skitter and jump around the rear hull.

Tuegrin slammed her hand down on the emergency lockdown button and heard the rear blast door of the flight pit cut through the air. Slamming down and sealing their portion away from the deadly top that was driving into the hull walls. She felt the craft pitch to the right as the engines thrust was gone and the balance was askew from the blast. She had learned about this scenario in school, 'The shuttle would begin to spin on its longitudinal axis, resulting in the inability to resume control.' she remembered her instructor telling the class. She had gotten goose bumps when he had spoken the follow up to the answer of what would happen with a failure like this:

'All passengers would be dead on impact.'

Jerec let his instincts take over, muscle memory and countless hours behind the stick slamming to the forefront of his mind. His adrenalin pumping and the primal will to survive coming to rescue him and take over as the craft tried to hold it together. His thoughts were clear, only focusing on the empty spot he had first seen on the landing pad, "Tuegrin, get ready for landing gear but don't hit it yet!" He pulled the sticks and dialed back the port side engine, trying to slow their horizontal speed but not let the craft drop out of the sky due to lack of thrust.

Jerec dialed back the thrust from the port side forward pushing engine, his hand slammed the lift jets for the starboard side and raised them to max. As the shuttle began to spin longitudinally it paused as the jets that were originally designed for landing roared and began to lift the right side of the craft. Pitching the shuttle into a barrel roll and cutting the longitudinal spin, the hull creaked and groaned as it obeyed its pilot.

Tuegrin gripped her seat as she felt the shuttle pitch, slowly watching the landscape in front of her shift and turn. The horizon starting to appear on the side as the shuttle spun in midair.

"Get ready!" Jerec yelled.

Tuegrin felt the shuttle dip and begin losing altitude, the ground coming up as she reached a shaking hand towards the landing gear lever. She fought inertia and her queasy stomach, now seeing the landscape in front of the shuttle inverted as the ground was up and the sky was down, the seatbelt cut hard into her hips as she grit her teeth. The spin began to gain momentum, the landscape now shifting faster and the craft getting close to proper orientation again.

Jerec worked the rutter and kept the thrusters on for as long as possible, only cutting them when his gut told him to. He chopped power to the final forward thrust engine, yelling at Tuegrin as he did so, "PULL!"

Tuegrin reached and yanked the stick to drop the landing gear, allowing the bottom doors to open and the legs to extend.

The shuttle was now almost level with the ground as it completed the roll, the landing gear extending and the jets cutting caused a massive drop in forward momentum. Sinking the ship in air and letting the landing gear touch down and begin to howl with pain as the forward speed and shifting weight was too much. The right-side gear came off the ground as the body of the craft still wanted to roll again, Jerec felt it and hit the emergency sink for the landing gear. Letting them give and drop the belly to the concrete as it skidded, the safety pucks of rubber leaving dark lines burned into the ground as they performed their job. Loud howls of screaming rubber shaking their eardrums as the craft sulked to a stop in a puking and sputtering mess.