Liberty’s Mechanic Log

Day 1: Aftermath of the Escape

The Liberty is limping. We barely made it out of the Pittman system alive, and the ship’s systems show it. Every corridor reeks of burnt circuitry, and half the bulkheads remain sealed after the decompression alarms during our retreat. It’s a miracle we didn’t lose the engine core when the aft shields collapsed.

The crew is shaken, but there’s no time for that. My engineering team has been working without pause, patching breaches and rerouting power from auxiliary grids. The main reactor’s output is down to sixty percent, and we’re running on borrowed time. Captain Harper asked for an ETA on full restoration. I told him the truth: “Soon, if we don’t die first.” He didn’t laugh.

Day 3: Shield Emitters Fried

We stabilized the primary power grid today, but the shield emitters are destroyed. The alien weapons shredded our systems, overloading the generators with energy bursts unlike anything in Terran records. Their plasma rounds phase through shields as if they aren’t even there. It’s maddening.

I’ve got a team scavenging parts from wrecks we hauled in during the retreat. Two support craft were gutted for components. It’s crude, improvised work, but patchwork engineering is our new normal aboard a combat ship held together by luck and determination.

Day 7: Reactor Overload Scare

The reactor spiked today. For five terrifying minutes, I thought we were finished. A pressure surge in the plasma conduits triggered a cascade failure in the coolant network, and alarms blared across the engineering deck. We managed to stabilize it, but only by venting nearly a third of our reserves into space.

Now we’re short on coolant, and the reactor’s running hotter than I’d like. I sent a requisition to Fleet Command, though I doubt we’ll see a response soon. If another engagement comes before resupply, we’re done.

Day 10: The Alien Fragment

One of the science officers brought me a fragment of alien technology recovered from a projectile impact. It’s a shard of a kinetic round that somehow survived entry and impact. The material is smooth, almost liquid to the touch, yet harder than any alloy known to us.

The remarkable part is its reaction to energy. When exposed to a specific frequency, the structure seems to knit itself back together. If we can understand this process, it could revolutionize our defensive materials. I’ve turned it over to the materials lab, but plan to monitor the analysis closely.

Day 15: Repairing Morale

It’s not only the ship that’s breaking — the crew is fraying too. Weeks of tension and exhaustion have worn everyone thin. Wainwright snapped at Jacobs today over a misplaced wrench. No one here has forgiven themselves for leaving the Marines stranded on Pittman, even though deep down, we know it was the only way any of us would make it out alive.

After shift, I gathered the team in the engine bay and cracked open a stash of Jovian ale I’d been saving. The drink was awful, but the laughter was real. Sometimes, keeping a crew together matters more than any repair.

Day 20: Jury-Rigged Upgrades

Progress at last. We managed to rebuild one of the secondary shield emitters. The fix is fragile and barely stable, but response time has improved by twelve percent. The captain authorized us to apply the same upgrade across the array. It will take days, but for the first time since Pittman, I feel like we have a fighting chance.

Day 25: Quiet Moments

A strange calm has settled aboard. The alarms have stopped, and for the first time in weeks, I slept a full night. During my break, I sat in the observation deck, watching the stars drift past. It’s easy to forget how beautiful the void is when you spend every day knee-deep in ruptured conduits and melted hull plating.

The Liberty still carries her scars, but she feels alive again. Every weld, every sealed fracture, is a small act of defiance. She’s not the newest ship in the fleet, but she’s ours — and she’s still flying.

Day 30: Incoming Orders

Fleet Command finally transmitted new orders. We are to rendezvous with the Seventh Fleet at Space Base Vega for resupply and full overhaul. The thought of seeing another friendly ship feels almost unreal.

Until then, my team will keep doing what we do best — holding this vessel together with skill, sweat, and a little stubbornness. The Liberty may not shine, but she endures. As long as she keeps flying, so will we.

End of Log

Chief Mechanic’s Log: Chief Engineer Rylan Tormek, USS Liberty