The Singing Engineer

Posted on Wed Jun 7th, 2017 @ 7:58am by Lieutenant Azusa Nakano
Edited on on Wed Jun 7th, 2017 @ 7:59am

1,303 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Taking Wing
Location: Main Engineering

Engineering was very quiet. The ship was having multiple problems with the engines. With Engineering being small and some could call it cramped, the moral was quite low. Azusa who was standing at the warp core control unit looked around the room. Several of the engineers were still very young and inexperienced.

She could see several of them were frowning at their consoles, or were simply getting stressed out. She hadn't being the chief engineer for long, so she didn't know how to manage this tense situation. Every now and again you could hear someone sigh as yet another problem cropped up. She had the entire staff working on the problems with the engines, but nothing seemed to be working well.

Azusa's inly knew one way to lighten the mood. After a building up the courage, she began to tap on the warp core control console. But this time in a little tune, one which was starting to get some people's attention. After a few seconds of tapping out a basic tune, she began to softly sing to herself. Afterall in her spare time she was a muscian, the console was no guitar that was for certain. But she remembered that for hundreds of years, engineers and sailors in Earth History always sang to boost moral. From old sea shanties to patriotic music. However, she had chosen something a little more lighter than Heart of Oak or Spanish ladies.

"Lets start at the very beginning... A very good place to start" she began to sing softly, with her being near the spacious warp core section the acoustics were pretty decent. When you read you begin with ABC. When you sing you begin with, Do-Re-Me" she paused as the heads of everyone began to turn.

She looked over at them. "Do-Re-Me" she sang again. "The first three notes just happen to be Do-Re-Me, Do-Re-Me" she paused again, now everyone was looking at her rather confused. "Do-Re-Me-Far-So-La-Tea".

Ensign Jenson opened his mouth to say something, but Azusa held up a hand to keep him quiet.
"Come on guys. I'll make this easier for you. Listen, and join in" she said with a slightly nervous smile. She began to tap again on the console, this time the tune a little more lively.

"Do a deer. A female deer. Ray a drop of golden sun. Me a name I call my self. Far a long long way to run. So a needle pulling thread. La a note to follow so. Tea a drink with Jam and Bread. That will bring us back to Do, Oh, Oh, Oh". Azusa's voice carried through the room and several of the engineers were beginning to understand and recognised the classical song from Earth's past.

She waved a finger like the conductor at an orchestra. As several of the engineers began to sing in with her.

"Do a deer. A female deer. Ray a drop of golden sun. Me a name I call my self. Far a long long way to run. So a needle pulling thread. La a note to follow so. Tea a drink with Jam and Bread. That will bring us back to..."

There was a minature pause before they continued with the same words.

"Do a deer. A female deer. Ray a drop of golden sun. Me a name I call my self. Far a long long way to run. So a needle pulling thread. La a note to follow so. Tea a drink with Jam and Bread.

That will bring us back to do" Azusa sang along holding the last note of 'do' out her voice pitch perfect and well in tune. Her musical side now beginning to show. "Do-Re-Me-Far-So-La-Tea-Do-So-Do" she sang quickly remembering the old songs words.

Several of the frowns and disappointed faces were now turned to smiles or smirkes. "Now, lets mix a few notes up" she said with a smile as she tapped slower on the console, bringing it to seem more smooth and controlled.

"So-Do-La-Far-Me-Do-Ray. So-Do-La-Tea-Do-Ray-Do!" she sang closing her eyes as she did so. "When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything" she sang. She indicated with her hand for the rest of the engineers to sing along with.

"When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything" the engineering staff sang in unison. The sound of their singing echoed down the corridors of deck eight. Anyone passing the doors into Engineering would surely get some musical vibes. The doors eventually swished open and several other crew members entered into engineering curious at why there was music coming from Engineering and why they were singing.

By now of course, the engineering staff and a few of the visitors from other departments who had investigated the singing were in full swing of singing together in unison.

"Do a deer. A female deer. Ray a drop of golden sun. Me a name I call my self. Far a long long way to run. So a needle pulling thread. La a note to follow so. Tea a drink with Jam and Bread. That will bring us back to Do!

Azusa took a little break from singing as she tapped out the tune on her console, and one by one directed different people around the room to mix up the notes.
"Do-Ray-Me-Far-So-La-Tea. Do-Do-Tea-La-Do-Far-Me-Ray. Do-Me-Me-Me-So-So-Ray. Far-Far-La-Tea-Tea". Every different note being added by a different person as Azusa pointed to them around the room to come up with the string of notes according to the old traditional song.

As they kept going around the room adding different notes. Azusa sang over them. "When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything". Her voice clear and beautiful, hitting every note. After singing it twice over them, she brought them all together again.

"Do a deer. A female deer. Ray a drop of golden sun. Me a name I call my self. Far a long long way to run. So a needle pulling thread. La a note to follow so. Tea a drink with Jam and Bread. That will bring us back to ... They all sang in unison this time the tempo becoming faster, and several people clapping along with the tune.

The singing became softer as they moved onto the final few notes of the song. "So-Do-La-Far-Me-So-Ray. So-Do-La-Far-Tea-Do-So. So-Far-So-Do" Azusa's fingers rapidly tapped on the console to bring the last fast tempo to a close.
"Do-Ray-Me-Far-So-La-Tea-Do!" the room sang quickly, before Azusa ended the song in her own little solo. "So-Do!" she sang out holding out the last note longer than everyone else.

The room burst into clapping and cheers as everyone smiled and laughed. Azusa looked around to see everyone much happier than they were. Several of them now talking to one another, smiling and being merry. The type of Engineering she liked to see.

"Thanks Chief" Ensign Jenson said with a grin. "I think we needed that"
"Yeah" Crewman Hamilton replied. She was grinning. "I think we felt the need to de-stress a little. Shall we crack on with getting these engines online?"

Azusa blushed. "No problem" she replied with a grin. "We should sing more, we'd make a good team us Engineers" she added as she turned back to her console. This was a day that no one on deck eight or in Engineering would forget. However, everyone now seemed to know Azusa as the 'Singing Engineer'....

Posting by

Lieutenant Azusa Nakano
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Aurora

Do-Re-Me is a song from The Sound of Music, originally peformed by Julie Andrews.

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