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HMSS Pangolin Prime Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The difference between a third technician and a second technician is like that of private to captain in the military, i'm not the highest technician, that titles goes to the executive technicians, but it’s a significant promotion never-the-less. My day-to-day roles have changed slightly, I now oversee the third rate technicians, and also get to work on the more advanced machinery. For example I no longer run maintenance on any quarters lower than Q2! I now get to work with the Primary Technicians in the power rooms, tweaking and fixing the giant StatBlocs, making sure the ship always has power. Today however, I was crawling through the stiflingly hot utility tunnels of the PR Residential block. It was actually quite relaxing, going through the tunnels by myself, I had somewhat gotten used to the heat and continued with the job at hand. The rooms here were smaller than mine, but the furnishings were improved, the beds a little bigger, fabrics a little softer, etc. In the tunnels, there were little windows every ten metres or so, looking into the rooms, designed for both safety and security. I looked in a few windows, I saw a pregnant PR-Mum lying down on her bed stroking her belly, further on I saw a PR-Dad on some exercise equipment, working up quite a sweat. Later I looked through the window and saw someone in the shower, their fine naked body glistening with the water. I quickly moved on and reminded myself that they were not my prerogative, I am a technician, nothing more, nothing less. After about an hour of crawling through the tunnels, I got to a junction where I could get out and have a break. I inserted my card into a slot on the hatch and it swung open with a hiss, and I dropped out into the area below, it was a small inset in a corridor wall, I sat down on the floor, and retrieved my water bottle from my belt. After downing the entire bottle I sat for a few minutes more reveling in the cool air. I got up and went in search of a Vendor. There was a small queue for the vendor when I found it, a couple of PR personnel waiting for their turn. I certainly got a few strange looks,  as it isn't too often either of us see anything of each other, and I expect the large sweat marks coming through my uniform weren't helping. Eventually it was my turn and I placed my empty bottle in the receptacle and requested another. The vendors were automatic food and drinks machines, of course personnel can cook their own, more advanced food, but the vendors are unrivalled in quick and easy meals. The vendor produced my bottle, still frosted from where it had been chilled, I clipped it back to my belt and slowly walked back to the vent. Reluctantly I inserted my card into the slot on this side and the cover opened once again. I could feel the heat blasting out of the vent, but climbed inside anyway. Forzy had left markers for me to check, I had sent him ahead in the tunnels to mark what I needed to fix, somehow he managed to find over 100 issues in this section alone. I didn’t want to update the figure on my visor, just in case he found any more. Regardless of the heat, and my growing tiredness, I pressed on, I had a job to do after all.
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