¶ The Bridge Between Engineer and Captain
Age: 28-29 years old
Rank: First Officer/XO aboard LXS Archigos
Status: Engineer forced into command, still resisting it
Recent History: Survived Archigos Experiment, year in Sooni space, just returned (2665)
- Post-Odysseus hyperspace breakthrough: The ship crashed, they survived, they made it home
- Archigos has returned and needs work: Getting her flight-ready is personal mission
- Owen is First Officer, not captain yet: Learning command while actively resisting it
- Ty'Sii is back in his life: She's no longer 15, now serving on Archigos (transferred 2665)
- McKenzie relationship is complicated: Working under the man whose jaw he broke
- Just processed a year of trauma: Crash, deaths, Sooni captivity, impossible journey home
¶ "Engineer Forced Into Command"
Owen's entire internal struggle is that he's a damn good engineer being pushed toward leadership he doesn't want. Every command decision feels like a betrayal of who he is.
Internal monologue style:
"I should be in Engineering fixing the damn gravity couplings, not sitting in the XO's chair pretending I know how to manage people."
The Ship Is Everything:
- The Archigos isn't just his assignment—it's his obsession
- "This ship would always have a corner of [his] heart"
- He knows every system, every quirk, every plate
- Getting her ready for service is deeply personal
- He designed some of these systems himself (worked with McKenzie on the class)
Post-Crash Recovery:
- The crutch is probably gone by 2666-2667
- Might favor one side occasionally
- Occasional pain that makes him short-tempered
- Has learned to push through physical discomfort (foreshadows his later toughness)
- "His stubborn will" kept him alive in the crash, now it's his defining trait
Physical Appearance:
- Early thirties wear (looks older than 28-29)
- Scars from the crash (not visible in uniform, but there)
- Perpetually tired (works too much)
- Carries tension in shoulders
- Hands often dirty/stained from working on systems
Body Language:
- Stylus twirling (already a habit, does it when thinking)
- Runs hand through hair when frustrated
- Closes eyes and sighs when dealing with stupidity
- Crosses arms defensively
- Leans against bulkheads—not standing at attention
- Moves like someone uncomfortable in officer's uniform
- More natural in maintenance tunnels than on bridge
Common Owen-isms:
- "Oh, fuck off" (as a greeting)
- "For Christ's sake..."
- "damn well," "goddamn," "helluva"
- "Get your ass to [location]"
- "What the hell were you thinking?"
- "Are you shitting me?"
Not Eloquent Under Pressure:
- Rambles when explaining
- Circles around his point
- Complains about three things before getting to what's actually bothering him
Compare Young vs. Later Owen:
Now (First Officer, rambling):
"There's this problem with the crew. They don't respect the chain of command, they're treating this like some academy project, and frankly half of them shouldn't even be on a ship this advanced. But the real issue is McKenzie keeps interfering with my duty roster."
Later (Captain, direct):
"McKenzie, stop fucking with my duty roster."
- Says what he thinks, immediately
- Hasn't learned to soften it for politics
- "I don't fucking like you" is a reasonable opener
- Apologizes rarely, and only when he's wrong on facts (never on feelings)
- Will tell you your idea is stupid to your face
- Expects others to do the same (respects it)
Examples:
- "That's the dumbest thing I've heard today, and I've been on the bridge for six hours."
- "No. Absolutely not. Find another solution."
- "You want my opinion? You're not going to like it."
¶ The Command Problem
His Perspective:
- "I'm no goddamn role model"
- "I should be in Engineering, not dealing with personnel issues"
- Treats command duties like punishment
- But does them competently because he's constitutionally incapable of half-assing anything
- Resents every meeting, every personnel decision, every political consideration
The Contradiction:
- Complains about command
- Does the job anyway
- Does it well
- Hates that he's good at it
¶ Learning Through Trial and Error
His Methods:
- Tests people (like the fake gun with Nèatha during the Experiment)
- Makes mistakes and gets angry about them
- Hasn't learned to read people instinctively yet—has to work at it
- Overcompensates: either too hands-off or too controlling
- Studies leadership like an engineering problem (doesn't work, frustrates him)
Still Processing the Experiment:
- Led survivors through impossible situation
- Made life-or-death decisions
- People lived because of him (some died too)
- Doesn't want that responsibility again
- Has it anyway
Why Crew Respects Him:
- He works harder than anyone
- He's the first into dangerous situations
- He doesn't bullshit them
- He fixes things himself instead of delegating
- He treats everyone the same (equally gruff)
- He proved himself during the Archigos Experiment
But He Doesn't See This:
- Thinks they're just tolerating him
- Assumes they're waiting for a "real" officer
- Doesn't understand why people come to him with problems
- Confused when crew follows his lead
- "I'm just the XO" (said constantly)
She's not 15 anymore, but they're not together. This makes everything worse.
Timeline of Their Relationship:
- Met when she was 15 (cadet), he was instructor at Academy
- He was interested, knew it was inappropriate, buried it
- They lost contact when he left for the Archigos Experiment (2664)
- She thought he was dead for a year (2664-2665)
- He returned, now they're serving together (2665-2667)
- She's in her early 80s (young adult for Lyndri), he's 28-29
- Both have unprocessed feelings neither will acknowledge
Status: Buried in "the deep, dark pit he'd banished them to long ago"
But:
- Newly buried (she just came back into his life)
- They keep escaping
- He shoves them back down
- Repeat cycle daily
Tells:
- Red-faced when she's mentioned
- Changes subject aggressively
- "She's annoying" is his default answer
- Overcompensates by being extra gruff around her
- Notices everything about her, pretends he doesn't
Professional Overcompensation:
- Hyper-formal: "Lieutenant Circean" even when others use "Ty"
- Volunteers for duty shifts that coincide with hers, then acts like it's coincidence
- Critiques her work more harshly than anyone else's (proving he's not playing favorites)
- Assigns her difficult tasks (she can handle it, and he knows she wants the challenge)
- Avoids being alone with her when possible
Protective Instincts (Badly Hidden):
- Positions himself between her and danger
- Reviews her mission assignments "for efficiency"
- Snaps at anyone who disrespects her
- Checks her equipment personally
- "Someone has to make sure she doesn't get killed" (his excuse)
When Control Slips:
- Uses her first name in emergencies
- Protective reactions he can't hide
- Looks for her first when something goes wrong
- Relaxes fractionally when she's safe
His Defensiveness:
- Still processing that he was interested when she was 15
- "Damn creepy Lyndri aging"
- Overexplains why he's not interested (doth protest too much)
- "She was a kid. It was inappropriate. End of story."
- But she's clearly not a kid anymore, which makes it worse
The Problem:
- She was 15, he was 20s (inappropriate)
- Now she's 80s, he's still 20s (appropriate)
- His brain knows this
- His guilt doesn't care
- Also: she's serving under him (chain of command issue)
- Also: he's terrible at relationships
- Also: he buried those feelings and refuses to dig them up
Others' Perspective:
- Everyone sees it
- No one says anything (value their life)
- McKenzie probably knows, says nothing
- Crew makes bets on when they'll get together
- Owen is oblivious to how obvious he is
The Complicated History:
- They were roommates at Academy with Christia and Stephen
- Owen broke McKenzie's jaw in a fight (over Christia)
- They reconciled, formed lasting friendship
- Owen served under McKenzie for Archigos Experiment
- McKenzie married Nyana, had kids (Owen has opinions about this)
Current Dynamic (2666-2667):
- Working relationship is functional but tense
- Owen respects McKenzie professionally (brilliant ship designer, capable leader)
- But thinks McKenzie is making bad personal decisions
- "Old Man" is said with affection and exasperation
- Torn between loyalty and disappointment
- When McKenzie interferes with the Archigos, Owen bristles: "My ship, my problem"
The Friction:
- McKenzie is grooming Owen for command
- Owen resents this (wants to stay engineer)
- McKenzie overrides his decisions sometimes
- Owen takes it personally (it's his ship)
- They argue frequently
- But trust each other completely when it matters
What Owen Won't Admit:
- He learned everything from McKenzie
- McKenzie's faith in him matters
- He wants McKenzie's approval
- He's trying to live up to an impossible standard
The Leadership Problem:
- Doesn't know how to be friendly AND authoritative
- Either too familiar or too distant
- Swings between extremes
- Crew never knows which Owen they're getting
What He's Good At:
- Technical mentorship (showing how to fix something)
- Clear, direct orders in crisis
- Defending crew to superiors
- Working alongside them (not above them)
What He's Terrible At:
- Emotional support
- Small talk
- Personnel conflicts
- Praise (forgets to give it)
- "I'm an engineer, not a goddamn therapist"
The Result:
- Crew comes to him with problems anyway
- Because he's honest
- Because he actually fixes things
- Because he doesn't play politics
- He finds this baffling
Borderline Insubordinate:
- Says what he thinks, consequences be damned
- Doesn't soften criticism
- Questions orders if they're stupid
- Gets away with it because he's valuable
- Hasn't learned political games yet
His Attitude:
- "Whatever memo that was in, I didn't get it"
- "Sir, with respect, that's a terrible idea"
- "I'll follow orders, but I'm noting my objection"
- Doesn't care about career advancement
- This paradoxically helps his career
Complicated Feelings:
- Spent a year with them in Sooni space
- They saved his life
- He respects their competence
- But they're a constant reminder of trauma
- Nyana tested him (the fake gun), he's not sure he forgives her
- Finds their religion baffling
- But defends them against prejudice
Practical Cooperation:
- Works well with Sooni engineers
- Appreciates their technical knowledge
- Frustrated by their philosophical tangents
- "Can we focus on the ship and not the will of the universe?"
Every command decision takes him away from hands-on work:
The Cycle:
- Problem arises on ship
- Owen wants to fix it himself
- Has to delegate (XO duties)
- Delegates reluctantly
- Second-guesses the work
- Goes back and checks it anyway
- Crew finds this insulting
- Owen doesn't understand why
- Someone explains he doesn't trust them
- Owen argues he doesn't trust anyone (including himself)
The Conflict:
- Being XO means he can't be in Engineering
- But Engineering is who he is
- Command is just a role he's playing
- Except it's becoming real
- He hates this
His Arc During This Period:
- Has to trust others with "his" ship
- Has to make command decisions based on incomplete information
- Has to be responsible for others' mistakes
- Hates every second of it
- But slowly gets better
Key Moments:
- First time he doesn't double-check someone's work
- First time he makes a command call without consulting McKenzie
- First time someone calls him "Captain" by accident (he corrects them immediately)
- First time he realizes the crew is his responsibility
Everyone Knows Except Him:
- McKenzie is grooming him for command
- Crew already treats him like the captain
- He insists he's "just the XO"
- Someone (probably Ty) tells him he's already doing the job
- He responds with something eloquent like "fuck off"
The Resistance:
- "I don't want to be captain"
- "I'm an engineer"
- "Find someone else"
- But keeps doing captain things
- Because someone has to
- And he can't trust anyone else to do it right
The Realization (Coming):
One day, in a crisis, he'll make a command decision without thinking. It'll be the right call. People will execute it without question. Afterward, someone (McKenzie or Ty) will point out he just was the captain. He'll deflect, but he'll know it's true. He'll be terrified by it.
How He Sees the World:
- Solves people problems like mechanical problems
- "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" (about relationships)
- Sees crew dynamics as system inefficiencies
- Makes technical analogies no one understands
- Gets frustrated when people aren't logical
Examples:
- "Your relationship is like a misaligned power coupling. You're outputting energy at different frequencies."
- "This personnel conflict is a resource allocation problem."
- "If you'd just communicate clearly, like a properly formatted status report..."
The Problem:
- People aren't machines
- They don't respond to troubleshooting
- Owen knows this intellectually
- Still tries to fix them anyway
The Archigos Is His:
- Knows every system personally
- Helped design some of them (worked with McKenzie)
- Refers to the ship as "she"
- Takes damage to the ship personally
- Would rather skip sleep than leave work undone
- "She's fine, she just needs [incredibly difficult repair]"
Possessive:
- "My ship" (even though McKenzie is captain)
- Bristles when others criticize her
- Defensive about her quirks
- Explains her systems like a proud parent
- No one else understands her like he does
The Relationship:
- The Archigos is his first love
- Everything else comes second
- Including his own health
- Including relationships
- The ship won't betray him, won't leave, won't die
- (Except ships can be destroyed, and he knows this, and it terrifies him)
His Life:
- No interest in family or romance (lies to himself about the second part)
- "Ship is my life"
- Drinks with crew but maintains distance
- Values discretion above almost everything
- "What happens on the Archigos stays on the Archigos"
The Pattern:
- Work 16-hour days
- Sleep in quarters (barely decorated)
- Eat in mess (quickly)
- Back to work
- Repeat
- Everyone tells him this is unhealthy
- He ignores them
Defense Mechanism:
- If the ship is everything, he can't lose anything else
- Already lost crewmates in the crash
- Already thought he'd lost himself
- The ship is safe (safer than people)
- This logic is flawed
- He doesn't care
The Signature Prop:
- Twirls when thinking
- Chews on when frustrated
- Points when making arguments
- Throws at people occasionally (not hard)
- Has multiple backups
- Crew knows his mood by stylus behavior
What It Means:
- Twirling: working through a problem
- Chewing: annoyed but thinking
- Pointing: making a point (obviously)
- Stationary: uh oh, he's really angry
- Missing: he's in Engineering (using actual tools)
In His Element:
- Confident, focused, competent
- Explains things clearly (when talking about tech)
- Hands-on, gets dirty
- This is who he actually is
- Relaxed (as relaxed as Owen gets)
- Crew sees the difference immediately
Body Language:
- Shoulders drop
- Stops frowning (mostly)
- Moves with purpose
- Touches systems gently (knows exactly where to adjust)
- Talks to the ship (doesn't realize he's doing it)
Speech:
- Technical, precise
- Patient with questions (about engineering)
- Enthusiastic when solving problems
- "Now this is interesting..."
- "See, if you route the power through here..."
Out of His Element:
- Uncomfortable in the command chair
- Stands instead whenever possible
- Terse with communications
- Constantly checking systems himself (doesn't trust readouts)
- Delegating feels like failure
Body Language:
- Tense shoulders
- Arms crossed
- Frowning
- Stylus twirling increases
- Looks at engineering station longingly
Speech:
- Clipped, short
- "Status."
- "Do it."
- "Make it happen."
- Longer explanations when he forgets to be commanding
Confrontation Style:
- Goes straight to it
- "Let's handle this right now"
- No political maneuvering
- Says what he means
- Expects same in return
The Problem:
- Sometimes escalates when he should de-escalate
- Doesn't know when to back off
- Sees compromise as weakness
- Learning (slowly) when to push and when to retreat
In Physical Danger:
- First one in
- Protective of crew
- Calculated risks (he's not suicidal)
- Competent in a fight
- Survives through stubbornness
Maximum Professional Distance:
- Extra formal (overcompensating)
- Short responses that reveal nothing
- "Lieutenant" or "Circean," never "Ty"
- Looks at her as little as possible
- Briefs her on assignments precisely, coldly
But:
- Watches her more than anyone else (when he thinks no one's looking)
- Protective instincts he can't control
- Relaxes fractionally when she's safe
- Tension in every interaction
- "Always, Ty" is already true, he just won't say it yet
When Pressed:
- Deflects aggressively
- Leaves the room if possible
- Changes subject
- Gets angry (at himself, mostly)
- "Focus on your job"
Standard Responses:
- "Why do you care?"
- "That's none of your damn business."
- "Focus on your job, not mine."
- "We're not having this conversation."
- "Don't you have something better to do?"
When Explaining Technical Issues:
"It's simple. The [technical jargon] connects to the [more jargon], which means if we don't fix it, [catastrophic outcome]. What part of that don't you understand?"
When Frustrated by Non-Engineers:
"Look, I'll say this slowly: the ship needs [thing]. We can either get [thing] or we can die. Those are the options."
¶ Command Decisions
Giving Orders:
"Here's what we're doing: [plan]. Anyone have a better idea? No? Then get to work."
When Questioned:
"Because I said so" / "You got a better plan, let's hear it" / "We don't have time for debate. Move."
Deflection Tactics:
- "She's competent. Leave it alone."
- "Why are we talking about this?"
- "She's... she's fine. Stop asking."
- "Lieutenant Circean is a capable officer. End of discussion."
- "Don't you have actual work to do?"
Common Outbursts:
"For fuck's sake, I could've fixed this myself in the time it took to explain it to you."
"This is why I work alone."
"Are you trying to kill us all, or is this just incompetence?"
¶ About Command
When Told He's Acting Like Captain:
"I'm the XO. There's a difference."
"Captain McKenzie is in command. I'm just doing my job."
"Someone has to keep this ship running."
Owen's thoughts are practical, self-deprecating, and engineering-focused:
Okay. Gravity coupling is shot, inertial dampeners are compensating, but that's pulling power from life support. Fix the coupling first, reroute dampener draw to auxiliary, recalibrate. Three hours if I do it myself. Six if I delegate. Do I have six hours?
¶ About Command
This is why I should be in Engineering. People are unpredictable. Systems follow rules. Give me a broken reactor over a personnel conflict any day.
Don't look. Don't look. Dammit, I looked. She's fine. Of course she's fine. She doesn't need me checking on her. Stop thinking about her. Focus on the ship.
McKenzie would know what to say. I'm just going to piss everyone off. Again. Why do they keep putting me in charge of people?
The Archigos is purring. That slight vibration in the deck means the starboard stabilizer is point-three degrees off optimal, but she's happy. I know this ship better than I know myself.
Identity:
- "I'm an engineer. Get me back to Engineering."
- Resents command duties
- Sees XO role as temporary
- Plans to go back to ship design eventually
Relationships:
- Recovering working relationship with McKenzie
- Distant with crew
- Avoiding Ty'Sii
- Closed off emotionally
Growing Competence:
- "Fine, I'll handle it, but I'm not happy about it."
- Makes command decisions more smoothly
- Crew trusts him
- Still fights it internally
Relationships:
- Easier partnership with McKenzie (still occasional friction)
- Crew respects him despite his gruffness
- Ty'Sii situation intensifying (neither acknowledges it)
- Forming actual friendships (won't call them that)
Reluctant Acceptance:
- "This is my ship. My crew. My responsibility." (Still won't admit he wants it)
- Eventually becomes Captain of Archigos after McKenzie
- Never stops being an engineer first
- Learns to balance both identities
The Realization:
One day, in a crisis, he makes a command decision without thinking. It's the right call. People execute it without question. Afterward, someone (McKenzie or Ty) points out he just was the captain. He deflects, but knows it's true. He's terrified by it.
But Also:
- Accepts he's good at this
- Accepts the crew is his
- Accepts he can't go back to just being an engineer
- Never forgives himself for wanting it
- He's already the captain in everything but rank—everyone knows it but him
- The ship is his identity—losing the Archigos would break him
- Ty'Sii is in his head—he can pretend otherwise, but everyone sees it
- He learned to lead by refusing to—competence forced him into command
- The engineer never leaves—even as captain, he'll always be an engineer first
- Trauma shaped him—the crash, the deaths, the impossible survival marked him permanently
- He's loyal to a fault—once you earn it, he'll die for you (just don't expect him to be nice about it)
- He's terrified of caring—because everything he cares about can be taken away
- Make him soft—he's gruff, even with people he likes
- Make him eloquent—he's blunt and sometimes rambles
- Make him politically savvy—he's learning, but he's not there yet
- Have him admit feelings easily—he'll die first
- Make him comfortable with command—he's always fighting it
- Forget his engineering background—it's core to how he thinks
- Make him stop swearing—profanity is natural to him
- Have him separate from the ship—the Archigos is part of him
- Show the effort behind leadership—it doesn't come naturally
- Let him be competent—he's good at his job(s)
- Show his protectiveness—especially toward crew and ship
- Let him fail socially—he's not smooth
- Show his work ethic—he pushes himself too hard
- Balance gruff exterior with hidden care—he does care, he just won't say it
- Use the stylus—it's his signature prop
- Show his relationship with the ship—he talks to her, touches her systems gently
McKenzie walked onto the bridge, and immediately Owen's shoulders tensed.
"Problem, XO?"
"No, sir," Owen said, not looking up from the engineering console. "Just recalibrating the inertial dampeners. Someone"—he shot a look at Ensign Martinez—"thought manual adjustments weren't necessary."
"Rees, we have engineers for that."
"Yeah, and they're working on the port thruster assembly. I've got this."
McKenzie sighed. "You're the First Officer. You need to—"
"I need to make sure this ship doesn't shake herself apart when we engage subspace. That's what I need to do." Owen straightened, stylus appearing from somewhere to punctuate his point. "Sir."
The silence stretched. Owen knew he'd crossed a line. Didn't care. The Old Man wanted him to be some kind of leader? Fine. But he'd do it his way, which meant knowing his ship better than anyone alive.
"Noted," McKenzie said finally. "When you're done, my office. We need to discuss the duty roster."
Owen waited until McKenzie left before muttering, "Fucking duty rosters."
Martinez wisely said nothing.
From across the bridge, Ty'Sii was watching him. Owen could feel it without looking. Made the back of his neck hot.
"Problem, Lieutenant?"
"No, sir." Was she smiling? He refused to check. "Just observing your command style."
"I'm the XO, not the commander. Observe someone else."
"Of course, sir."
He definitely heard amusement in her voice that time. Damn Lyndri. Damn McKenzie. Damn this whole situation.
The inertial dampener could've waited. He knew it. But if he was on the bridge, he was going to at least pretend he belonged in Engineering.
Because he did. That's where he belonged. The XO thing was temporary.
He told himself that every day. Believed it a little less each time.
Physically: Early thirties wear, perpetually tired, moves like he's uncomfortable in uniform, stylus always present
Professionally: Brilliant engineer, reluctant XO, learning command through trial and error, "just doing his job"
Personally: Gruff, loyal, closed off, workaholic, can't admit feelings to save his life
Emotionally: Buried everything in deep pit, pretends he's fine, crew knows he's not
Socially: Blunt to point of rudeness, terrible at small talk, accidentally inspiring
With Ty'Sii: Maximum avoidance, maximum awareness, everyone sees it but him
With the Ship: His true love, knows her better than himself, would die for her
The Core: An engineer who became a leader because someone had to, and he couldn't trust anyone else to do it right. He'll be an excellent captain someday. Right now, he's just pissed off about it.
Use this guide when writing Owen Rees in the Nostos stories (2666-2667 timeframe). Remember: he's competent, stubborn, and deeply uncomfortable with authority—especially his own.