I'd be happy to fill in if you want.<br/><br/>I don't want to come across as overly eager, but I don't see where it would would be unrealistic for my character to have some mechanical knowledge in his background.  He would by no means be a master mechanic or engineer.  He may not have been dirt poor, but he was definitely among the non-rich.  His upbringing on a non-core planet means having to be a jack of all trades to survive, and in a society where things were repaired rather than thrown away when they break.<br/><br/>I see him as more of a shade tree mechanic in his youth, combined with a science-rich education in preparation for medical school, with significant gaps in between.<br/><br/>"It's a catalyzer, Cap'n.  See, this thing here is a resister.  And the hydrogen atoms penetrate into the nickle, which is inside here, I think, and then they turn into ... well, I can't really explain the physics, but you got to have one to make the engine run.  If you got the manual, I'll put it on and see if it works."<br/><br/>Without the manual, it's a crapshoot.. but then, we're on the Gamble, right?<br/><br/>