So you want to be the Big Chief

[themanthemyththelegend]

Well, you've been up watching the ship for 3 days. You have coffee, cigarettes and enough spare time to do anything but those damned reactors are always messing up after a deep space voyage and now we've stopped at our area of operation and the real fun starts.

So the mission has started, MTs are scattered around upper and lower engineering, marines are waking up from a fresh nap in their cryopods dreaming about god knows what and the MPs are walking around engineering like they own the place.

Getting started and Power
So what do we do first? No, not raid the officer's mess to score some sweet cheerwine, that comes 3 hours into the mission. First things first, radio into command and give them a heads up on your goals this mission. Next, radio into engineering and give them a hearty hello. They're not your friends but remember, you started out just like them. After your meet and greets with the fresh engineering staff, get on down to the reactor room and look at the mess the AI created by maxing out the engines for a prolonged period. Get em fixed, get em up and set those SMES. Personally, I set for 200k over 250k per the wiki but I have seen some MTs do the math for maximum power.
OOC- Personally, I went to school for a subject the exact opposite of mathematics so if they wanna do the math I'll cosign on it. Yeah, power in CiC may go out and it'll be my ass but what is being the Chief without a record of some sort.

Uniforms
Engineering is dangerous. Moving parts and slippery fingers may earn you a trip to the doctors. Like the synths, machines don't have feelings. They don't care if they just tore off your baby maker, machines are performing a function as designed and don't care if you're now part of the castrato class. Safety orange and hardhats are a requirement. They're there to protect you and make you seen. Also, the hardhats have a built in light to help you in dark maint tunnels. Try going onto a job site IRL without these things and you've just earned the day off, maybe even the year if you were lucky! If you run out of safety vests, well, blame the devs I guess in a nicely worded no less than 1,000 word ahelp that will surely help them understand OSHA regulations.

Tankers,
Got tankers inquiring about an MT to repair the tank? Well, be prepared to lose a staff member for the duration of the OP. Can't get anyone to go to the planet? Ask for a volunteer and the first person who asks for what, well congrats, they just learned how it works in the military when sarge asks for a volunteer. Assign the lucky MT to the tank repairs and then send that lucky SOB to the LZ to get it like Fort Knox. Personally, I send down 2 stacks of metal and 1 stack of plasteel, try to save some for the ship incase something breaks or if you're building that bar your friends keep asking you to invest in but you know will fail cause the demographics of your Bostonian neighborhood are changing from locals to yuppies. If the squad engies want the autolathe, wait until absolutely necessary. That shit is expensive and there are a limited number of autolathes on the ship, don't throw an industrial backpack full of autolathe parts at an Unga and expect it to make it beyond the DS. If you do, you should immediately be BE for incompetence.

Orbital Battery
So the reactors are up, the SMES are set, the tank is done. Time to laze around and repair the one broken window? WRONG. Get on that radio and tell the CO ship is at full power, tank is set and we're ready to burn lead. For bonus points, load the OB. Usually HE but I have had CO's ask for cluster. It's their call. It makes your job easier in the long run to do things without being told to, and makes it one less thing the CO has to tell you to do. Once it's loaded, watch comms and for the ship firing. Once it fires, make sure you're back up there in 6 minutes to reload. Less orders from the CO to you means more time to listen to that awesome playlist you've created.

ALRIGHT. Everything is set up, loaded, unloaded and flipped around every which way but tuesday. Can we please go and drink the officer's sweet sweet wine!?

Delegation
Whoa, slow down their Hemingway. We'll get there. Time for delegation. Like before, maybe inquire for a volunteer to clean the ship. By this point, your MTs are probably smart enough to figure out what "I need a volunteer means" so they'll volunteer. Send one to clean up the ship and look for damage to repair. Assign another to keep an eye on power, replacing anything less than 100% after the reactor is repaired. If you have a spare, drag them along with you while you look for shit to do.

Breaks
Now, this is where I have gotten in trouble with command who don't feel the military doesn't have breaks and decide to interfere with how you run your shop. Give your MTs breaks periodically, let them take a breather cause believe it or not we do get stressed during missions in a different way.
OOC- Shit, one time I formed a union for the rights of maintenance, cargo and the doctors, got them all on board with union cards with me as shop steward. Jack Knight ended up storming my office with Crimson as CO and arresting me. I'll never forget telling Weenie goodbye as they dragged me off to be executed. Good times.

Telecomms
Personally, I don't mess with telecomms. So I won't go into detail but I have had MTs show me some basics on scripting but personally I am not ready to catch a ping from a mod cause I installed a script that replaces every word with bonk. I've included Telecomms for the brave.

Be the Big Chief
It's your ship, in your mind, but that doesn't change the fact that you should know the ship like the back of a bottle of sweet booze from the officer's mess. As the mission progresses I make my way around the ship, checking piping and maint tunnels for anything out of the ordinary. I've found my fair share of equipment in the trash compactor and I've come across random marines walking the tunnels. Why are they there? I don't know, just be amazed they can put one foot in front of the other. Repair anything and hey, build yourself a home away from home somewhere. If the MPs find it, inquire as to why they are being insubordinate to you for ruining a gift for the hardworking CO. Pesky MPs are engineering's worst nightmare. Half the time the MPs are too incompetent to understand time and grade in the military so don't expect them to understand they're the same grade as your Tech Sgts or that they think they outrank you. Laugh in their face and have them arrested for insubordination towards the Chief. It's your ship, they're just leasing it. So, congrats. You've now made the CMP your enemy. Watch the mindless horde of MPs check in on you incessantly for no real reason other than the fact that they've been ordered to monitor you until you fart the wrong direction and perma brig you.

Drills
This is something often overlooked in engineering. Xenos come up, break your ship and now you're running around in the dark. Did you train your shipside staff on how to fix the ship? YOU DIDN'T. Immediate BE, on the spot. You deserved it, don't bother making a player report. You're responsible for the safety of the ship and now the ship has fallen into disrepair. So, training is secondary to safety. Drill your MTs periodically. Learn what wires do what in doors and vendors, may just save your ass down the road. Have them build a wall, repair an APC and get the ships power flowing. Drill them in shipside defence building just incase the aliens come up. Just tell the CO so they don't freak out when you say ALL MTS TO ALPHA PREP, HULL BREACH!. Reaction times should be logged, and equipment checks after the drill are necessary. No point in repairing a breach without a compression suit. Not only does this break up the monotony of walking around the ship, it can create some great RP experiences.

Ground Operations
So everything is running smoothly and effectively. Your MTs aren't fully drunk yet, hopefully, and you've fixed everything. Time to drink. NO. Go down and check on the landing zone and MAYBE the FOB but stick to the LZ. You want to scope it out to see if you can add to it. Try to catch the same DS as you came down on, if you can't get your ass on the next one. As top engineer, you have the knowledge in how to improve shitty situations. Bring that autolathe down and talk with the planetside engies to see what they need. Remember, you're the Big Chief. This should be the last thing you should be doing, heading down to the planet while the ship is in pieces just earned you a medal on your chest. Sorry, I mean a metaba to your chest.

Shipside projects
From time to time, you may get someone asking for you to build it. Since they have nerfed your powers as CE, go and get the department heads approval as well as the COs and flex those engineering degrees. I have a plan to relocate an SMES from upper engineering to the CiC but am unsure if that will cause an issue. Worst case scenario that happens, catch brig time. Best case scenario, you just saved the CO and deserve a raise along some delicious booze.

Last stand at the OK Corral
You've drilled, you've trained and now they're here. Be it UPP, CLF, Xenos or that pizza delivery guy demanding you pay even though the ad said 30 months or less. Time to get building. Listen to the CO as to where they want defences. If they telling you to set up in the maint halls, explain the problem with that respectively as possible. You don't want that BE, you want that major marine victory.

In conclusion
Being the BIg Chief isn't the hardest jobs, but it does have it's difficulties. If you cannot control yourself, don't expect to control your MTs. If you can't repair an APC, why bother expecting your MTs to be able to. You have to earn respect of your crew, just because you have a fancy title doesn't give you respect, so get those insulated gloves dirty. And keep an eye out for Yuri.

[Vampmare]

Pretty decent guide. Matches up to what I do when I go CE.

If you're feeling really adventurous you can even ahelp about building that Rage Cage, DND club or whatever.

Oh and it ain't illegal until the MPs catch you.

[themanthemyththelegend]

I didn't even think of a rage cage. I will be trying this later tonight.

[Rarien]

This was one of the greatest guides I have ever read.