Lt. JG Natasha Cole - Partners in Preparation
Natasha Schell
((USS Artemis-A, deck 8, Chief Tactical Officer office))
She entered into the CTO’s office to see Lieutenant Storm was there as well. Offering both a smile she stopped short not wanting to interrupt either of them mid conversation.
Silveira: Nothing much, some things that are the side effects of the mission and a final surprise.
Storm: Hey, Nat! It’s good to see you all cleaned up.
Nat flashed a smile to Alex, she was glad to see she was doing better as well.
Cole: Reporting as requested.
Vitor gestured, offering Nat the seat next to Alex.
Silveira: Sorry to call you during shore leave, but I thought the three of us should have a sort of meeting. I want to run down a plan and I thank you both for volunteering to help. Also there were some things during the last mission I would like to discuss as well.
Storm: Oh, so we’ve been volunteered to help with a plan, huh?
Cole: Isn’t this more being volun-told? ::slight smirk::
Silveira: Let me start by saying that both of you did very well on this mission. We faced terrible challenges, but with hard work we managed to get back. ::He smiled at ALex and Cole before leaning back in his chair:: I have to say that I don’t like concealed weapons, and I prefer that we lose that habit, unless superiorly cleared by a senior officer. ::Vitor raised his hand:: I know they were helpful, I know that could make a difference. But from experience I know it can become a problem and it can end up, not only increasing the risk of injuries, doing more harm than help.
Natasha tilted her head ever so slightly as if trying to make sure she heard the Commander correct.
oO Are you [expletative redacted] kidding me? It’s our job to be prepaid when things go unexpectedly. Oo
Storm: That's … an interesting take on things, especially for a Tactical Officer.
She glanced at Alex out of the corner of her eye.
oO Sorry if that was too loud … if you're listening. Oo
Cole: I agree. ::slow exhale:: But if that is an order … ::smiles:: Just means we’ll have to get creative in the field.
Silveira: Second, I want both of you ::Turning to Alex:: as Tactical ::turning to Cole:: and as Security officers to work on a risk assessment course. Something that officers of both departments can attend and hopefully learn something. ::he raised his finger:: and that goes for me as well. Down on Callis I ended up fighting a squid, so I will be the first to attend.
Get in touch with medical and Operations to set it up.
Vitor paused and leaned forward. He opened his arms over his desk.
Silveira: I know risk is our business, but we need to start minimizing it. ::he rested his hand on his chest:: And that starts with me. I want us to get better in calculating risks and I trust that both of you can assemble this.
Vitor smiled and picked up a pair of PADDS.
Silveira: And finally… I want you both to plan a ship wide drill that I can propose to the Captain. Again comprising every element of the ship, something that can test us both in space and inside the ship. Preferably an anti boarding scenario. ::He tipped his head to them:: There isn’t exactly a deadline, but the risk assessment course I would like it ready as soon as possible. Questions about this homework?
Storm: So you want Tactical and Security to learn how to spot hazards, analyze the risks, and come up with ways to mitigate them before they bite us?
Cole: That tracks, ::glanced at Alex:: Kinda like how I kept an eye on Ensign Syn before things got … complicated.
As Natasha read over the PADD, she heard Alex tap her finger on the armrest of her chair. If she was reading this correctly it would be quite the undertaking. She caught Alex’s glance and nodded in silent agreement.
Storm: That’s … a lot. When you say that you want it ready as soon as possible, are we talking by the end of shoreleave - soon, or in the next couple of months - soon?
Cole: Yeah that would be helpful to know. What’s the timeline on when this is expected?
Silveira: Response
Storm: I’m sure if Cole and I put our heads together, we can come up with something for you. oO Eventually Oo Whatcha think Nat?
Cole: Oh absolutely. We’ve got this.
Silveira: Response
Storm: Funny thing is, Nat and I were already batting around a boarding drill idea. ::Turning to look at Cole:: Do you want to give him the broad strokes on it?
Cole: ::leaning forward:: How familiar are you with old Appalachian folklore, Sir?
Silveira: Response
Cole: There’s a recurring idea in some of those stories about things that look familiar enough to get close, but wrong enough to unsettle you once they do. Mimics, changelings, skinwalker-type entities… not a one-to-one mythological recreation, but the concept works.
Storm: Response
Cole: The exercise would start with the Artemis responding to a distress call. We recover what appear to be survivors and bring them aboard. Once they’re on the ship, it becomes clear they aren’t who they claim to be.
Taking a breath she leaned back in her chair.
Cole: The boarding entities that imitate crew well enough to sow distrust and hesitation. Their goal would be to partition the ship, isolate critical departments, and seize control of key systems … bridge, engineering, sickbay, security, maybe tactical depending on how we structure it.
Silveira/Storm: Response
Cole: What makes it useful is that it’s not just about firing on hostiles. It tests whether Security and Tactical can coordinate when the threat looks familiar, whether Operations can recover systems under pressure, whether Medical can manage casualties and verification, and whether the crew can function when they can’t fully trust what they’re seeing.
She crossed her legs as she set the PADD on lap.
Cole: Ideally, the scenario forces people to think before they react, but not so long they freeze. We’d want the crew split into sections, communications degraded or intermittent, and enough unknowns built in that they can’t solve it by memorizing the pattern.
Silveira/Storm: Response
Tags/TBC
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Lt. JG Natasha Cole
Security Officer
USS Artemis-A
Writer ID A240205NC4