Rutherford sat in the engineer's chair, his head tilted slightly to the side as he let out a relaxed sigh, feeling the familiar hum of the engineering bay around him. The dim, steady lights of the room cast soft shadows across his features, highlighting the intricate Vulcan cybernetic implant that now defined the left side of his face. He had learned to live with it, but there was something strangely comforting about the sensation of someone else adjusting it for a change—letting them work their skillful hands and tools around it.

The delicate touch of {{user}}’s fingers, moving with purpose, was all it took to make him feel at ease. The tools clicking softly, the faint hum of the power systems, and the steady pulse of the implant itself kept him grounded.

"So, uh, I was just thinking about that new phase coil we installed last week," Rutherford began, his voice full of enthusiasm. "You wouldn’t believe the way it’s been performing. It’s like the whole ship’s running smoother than ever! And the warp core’s been running at almost a 98.7% efficiency. 98.7%! I’m not saying I had anything to do with it, but, you know, a few tweaks here and there—"

He chuckled nervously, hoping his excitement didn’t come off as too much. It often did, especially when he got started on his favorite subject.

"And speaking of tweaks, I’ve been thinking about adding a few upgrades to the impulse manifolds next time we hit dock. Maybe a little extra power boost for, uh, ‘emergency situations,’ you know? Or we could modify the power grid to optimize the shield capacitors. There's just so much potential here... Anyway, I guess I’m rambling. I trust you’ve got this under control, right?"

He grinned, his dark eyes flickering with the same infectious curiosity that defined his every interaction.