Deceptions
by Setcheti
Date: Posted to EntSTSlash
Rating: FRT
Summary: A (late) response to Red's Lamo Challenge. Just little round of friendly deceptions between the boys.
Author's notes: As per the
challenge's request for pronunciation, say it like 'llama' only with a long 'o'
at the end.
Malcolm Reed scowled down at his distracted lover and folded his arms across his chest. “So you’re saying I can’t install the new phase cannons until you’re done with…whatever that is you’re working on, is that it?”
The engineer nodded, not looking up from the piece of equipment he was working on. “Yep, wouldn’t be safe. I’ll let you know when I’m done, but it’ll most likely be tomorrow before you can put those cannons in.”
“Tomorrow!” Reed ran a frustrated hand through his dark hair. “That is totally unacceptable, Commander.”
Tucker shrugged. “Sorry ‘bout that, but this can’t wait.”
Reed folded his arms across his chest and huffed, “And what exactly is that, then?”
Another shrug, the engineer glancing up briefly at the Engineering crewmen in the background before answering, “It’s a lamo.”
He said it as though it should be perfectly obvious, and after a moment’s thought Reed frowned. “A what?”
“A lamo, what did you think it was?” Tucker told him. “Now shut your yap, I don't want it to blow up because you distracted me - all the others would go off with it and then where would we be?”
Reed couldn’t come up with an answer to that one, although his mouth moved a few times in a futile attempt before he gave up on it. “Very well then, Commander, I shan’t bother you any more. But if you finish ahead of schedule please send someone to inform me.”
“Will do, Lieutenant.” Tucker slanted a brief look up at him, blue eyes meeting gray in the only touch they could indulge in on duty. “Sorry.”
“That’s all right,” Reed assured him with a slight smile. “Still meeting for supper, aren’t we? Or will your lamo problem require us to change our plans?”
“Nope, I’ll be done by then for sure.” Tucker winked and then went back to his work. “See ya tonight, Mal.”
“Tonight, Commander.” The armory officer left engineering preoccupied and almost ran into Captain Archer heading in the opposite direction. “I wouldn’t go in there, sir,” Reed warned him seriously. “Commander Tucker is working on one of the lamos.”
Archer gave him a very strange look. “He’s working on…one of the lamos? Really?”
The armory officer nodded. “It’s apparently very exacting work, they’re all interconnected.”
“Yeah, I’m guessing he doesn’t want to be disturbed right now.” Archer looked like he wanted to say something else and then decided against it, shaking his head. “Thanks for the warning, Mr. Reed, I appreciate it. Are you heading back to the armory?”
“Yes sir. Since it won’t be possible to test the new cannon today, I believe I’ll run a few more simulations on it, perhaps even try out some modifications to the design.” He frowned but held back another caution when it became plain to him that the captain was still planning on entering the engine room. “Commander Tucker said he should be able to commit the power resources I need for testing tomorrow – once the lamo problem is resolved.”
“Oh, he’ll have it solved by tomorrow, I guarantee it,” the captain said with certainty. He flashed Reed a quick smile. “I think extra testing on your new cannon sounds like a good idea, though – I know Starfleet has been kind of rushing you on it. Let me know if you come up with anything interesting.”
“Will do, sir.”
Reed headed back in the direction of his armory, and Archer waited until he was long gone before entering the engine room and approaching his chief engineer. Tucker was still bent over the partially-disassembled piece of equipment, but he did glance over his shoulder and nod politely before turning back to his work. “Cap’n, somethin’ I can do for you?”
One corner of Archer’s mouth quirked up in a grin. “Yes, Commander, you can confirm something for me: I seem to remember my father once setting you to find a broken lamo that was causing the power output in one of his test engines to fluctuate, do you remember that?”
Tucker chuckled but didn’t look up from his work. “Sure do – I damn near took that engine apart down to its component molecules tryin’ to find that busted lamo. Got the power output fixed along the way, though.”
“Yeah, I remember.” Archer strolled around the worktable, his grin taking on a wry tilt. “Don’t care for the new cannon, huh?”
“Needs tweakin’,” was the casual reply. “I pulled up some of the specs, got two iffy open circuits that could cause a plasma backflow.” He glanced up again, a twinkle in his eye. “I know if he runs a few more sims he’s bound to catch it.”
“I’m sure he will,” Archer agreed. “Our Mr. Reed is very thorough – I’m sure he wouldn’t even have missed it the first time if Starfleet wasn’t pushing him to put the new design into operation ASAP.”
“Knew that too,” Tucker said. He made a final adjustment on his project and put down the tool he’d been using. “Did you need somethin’, Cap’n? Other than havin’ me refresh your memory, that is?”
“No, I was just coming down to see about the new cannon,” Archer told him. He leaned against the bulkhead and folded his arms across his chest. “He’s going to kill you when he finds out, you know.”
“Nope.” The twinkle was back. “See, when he came in here wantin’ power for those tests there were a bunch of crewmen millin’ around, ain’t no way I was gonna tell him flat out that he’d missed somethin’. My people all know what a lamo is, they think I was just yankin’ his chain and that’s what they’ll tell everyone else.”
Archer nodded slowly; it was easy to forget, due to Tucker’s laid-back manner, just how smart the man actually was. “He’s still going to kill you.”
Trip grinned. “Guess we’ll just have to wait and see, Cap’n. If I don’t show up for tomorrow’s shift, you’ll know I was wrong and you were right.”
“You think he’ll figure it out that fast?”
The engineer snorted. “I think he’ll have it figured out within the next two hours, if it even takes him that long. Of course, I’ll be installin’ this baby by then and he’ll be right in the middle of his sims, so he won’t catch up to me until suppertime.” He held up another part of his ‘baby’, looking it over closely. “And we just so happen to be havin’ pineapple upside down cake tonight.”
Archer raised an eyebrow. “You arrange that too?”
“Yep – knew he’d be stressed over those cannons one way or the other. Asked Chef this mornin’ and he said anything that would keep Mal from bein’ a pill was well worth his time.” Trip glanced up again and winked. “I think he does it on purpose sometimes just to get people to react to him that way.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Archer laughed. He pushed himself away from the bulkhead and stretched. “What’s this you’re working on now, anyway?”
“Plasma backflow inhibitor.” A smirk teased at the corner of Trip’s mouth. “Just in case Starfleet wants us to put in anything else without givin’ us time to test it. I’d rather not blow the warp core up just because some desk-jockey back home is in a hurry.”
“Nope, I think I agree with you there.” Archer pushed aside his shudder at the thought of the warp core blowing up and patted his friend on the shoulder. “Malcolm’s lucky to have you, you know that?”
“Lucky?” Trip shook his head. “Nah. I’m just doin’ what I can to compensate him for puttin’ up with me.” There was a warm twinkle in his blue eyes, though. “And it’s not like he lets me do much for him, I gotta sneak it in wherever I can.”
“Our Mr. Reed isn’t exactly easy, is he?” Archer teased. “Well, I guess I’d better leave you to your lamo repairs, then – I’ve been told they’re very tricky.”
“Yep, that they are – but only the first time around, after that they’re like nothin’ at all.” Another wink. “I’ll see you later, Cap’n.”
“I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow, then.” Archer clapped him on the shoulder again and then took his leave, calling back over his shoulder, “If you live that long – hopefully Malcolm will find the pineapple upside down cake before he finds you.”
Trip chuckled quietly. “Since I’m takin’ it back to my quarters with me,” he murmured under his breath, “I’m thinkin’ he’ll find us both at the same time.”