Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek: Ideas and Suggestions
Lael Rosek
((Starboard Observation Lounge, Deck 3, USS Chin’toka, In orbit of Earth))
{{Time Index: Day 29 of Shoreleave, Morning}}
Lael entered the lounge a few minutes early, a stack of PADDs in hand. She and Lephi had spent a good portion of yesterday working on the proposal for the christening party in Engineering, which they planned to present to Commander Serala, their acting CO, tomorrow morning.
In the meantime, she had another event to plan for her Engineers. She’d been meaning to do this aboard the Atlantis, but was glad she’d waited. It wouldn’t exactly have been wasted effort, but a lot of the parameters they’d have come up with would have been based on the Intrepid-class engine room rather than the Akira-class. There was a world of difference between the two.
Gradually, the others started arriving and she smiled, offering each a nod. At last, everyone was present and settled in. She started around the table, giving each person present a PADD containing the agenda for their little gathering and a separate PADD for notes.
Lephi: Good morning, everyone.
Logan:: Spreading his arms wide:: Good morning and start of the day salutations
Tal’Aura: Good morning, all.
When the last was passed out, she took her own two PADDs and laid them at the head of the table. She then moved toward the wall-mounted console and entered the series of commands that would pull up what was on the PADDs in a larger form.
She was nervous. This wasn’t her first rodeo as far as taking a lead in briefings, it was the first time she’d be presenting an idea before the Captain knew she was considering it. Part of her reasoning was that she didn’t want to trouble Serala if it didn’t seem like something that would gain any traction.
Rosek: ::turns to the others:: Thank you for coming. I realize this was a bit short notice and I appreciate each of you taking the time out of your busy schedules.
Raga: We’ve all had to make adjustments. Besides, you wouldn’t have called this meeting without due cause.
McKnight: Anything to get the crew focused.
Lephi: I'll take any distraction right now to keep my mind busy. I wouldn't even turn down an opportunity to scrub the carbon filters right now.
Tal’Aura: I am sure the weapons pod has some carbon filters that need scrubbing, if you are offering, Lieutenant. :: He said with a good humored grin. ::
She paused, tapping a few commands on the wall console.
Rosek: I’ve had the time to read the reports from the ship-wide drill you all had on the Atlantis several months ago and while the ship overall had a great response, there were certain vulnerable areas noted in Engineering. Of course, my original plan was for the Atlantis. But I feel it’s even more critical now that we are on a new ship.
She again tapped commands into the wall console and pulled up a schematic of the Akira-class Engineering.
Rosek: Though I haven’t had long to fully analyze the risks in the Chin’toka’s engine room, these are a few areas that could present as weak points in the event that the ship is boarded. ::points to areas on the schematic:: My goal with this meeting is for everyone present to contribute their expertise in designing a drill to test both my team’s response time to a boarding situation and to ascertain any weak points as well as how they can be dealt with efficiently.
Raga: This is good timing, Commander. I’ve been working on arranging drills for the whole crew. As everyone, at least on the senior staff will need to undergo the new SORT training. We can certainly help you with a drill.
McKnight: Without Marines, we'll be relying on security more. SORT will take action on things with high priority.
She nodded and smiled. That had been a contributing factor to involve the SOR team in this simulation. Not only would it solidify Toryn’s leadership in the department, it would give the crew a sense of the SOR team’s purpose beyond just standard Security tasks. These were highly trained individuals with particular skills that went beyond those of a typical Starfleet officer.
Lephi: I don't know this ship as well as I would like to yet, I think this drill is a good idea.
Rosek: ::pauses:: I believe that modifying weapons to be overall harmless while giving the impression of a very real threat would provide the best results. ::gaze flickers to Lephi:: Of the Engineering team, only myself and Lieutenant Lephi will be aware of what is really happening. This will provoke the most genuine response.
Raga: If I might offer a suggestion. Learn from our previous drill. Install holoprojectors throughout Engineering. They can simulate damage and proper weapons fire without endangering the ship or crew due to actual harm or collateral.
She hadn’t been aboard for that drill, but knew Toryn well enough to take him seriously. Grabbing the blank PADD from the table, she entered a quick note of the suggestion and then looked up at the others, scanning the room for any other opinions on the subject.
McKnight: I think the holodeck itself would be better for that. Won't want someone to accidentally hit a key system in the simulation.
Logan: That would make it a short drill.
Lephi: If we do use the holodeck, I could program the parameters that SORT wants. I did very well in holodeck programming at the Academy and I've been writing programs for years.
Tal’Aura: :: He nodded in agreement with Lephi.:: There would certainly be less risk to vital systems if the drill was confined to the holodeck.
Ganarvuss: Agreed.
She nodded, making further note of the considerations to address later once everyone had provided their input.
Rosek: With that said, I want to open the floor for everyone’s thoughts on aspects and angles we should consider in order to make this drill the most effective it can be.
Raga: With holoemitters we can ensure that any ‘invaders’. ::He gestured to himself, Logan and McKnight:: Not only look like, say Jem’Hadar, or Valcarians, and the like, but are also using holographic weapons.
McKnight: The last time we used holograms throughout the Atlantis, it was certainly a fun time, though confusing.
Lephi: Holo-emitters would be a great idea too. I could very carefully put them up without arousing suspicion since we're still settling in and routine checks aren't complete yet. Perhaps Tal'Aura could assist me on the matter. Many hands make light work after all.
Tal’Aura: Gladly. I have already identified some locations on the ship where our sensors have limited coverage. I am certain we could install them without arousing suspicion.
A grin turned up the corners of her lips. Though they seemed to be getting slightly off-topic, she was pleased with the enthusiasm. The level of cooperation and communication was also impressive, especially from and between the younger officers in the room. It only served to solidify her belief that she’d been very lucky to be placed with this crew.
Rosek: ::nods:: All very good points. I agree with the idea of the holoemitters. It would certainly cover Lieutenant McKnight’s concern about damages to key systems and key equipment. ::grins:: A projection of light, to my knowledge, hasn’t caused a console to explode.
Her gaze dropped to her notes and she looked up to meet Toryn’s gaze.
Rosek: Do you think there would be any difficulty with replacing the phasers without arousing suspicion?
Raga: ::He shook his head:: Easily enough, we can have all the weapons in the lockers in Engineering replaced with non-functional, or holographic copies. Doing so would also let us program a large number of assailants. Both real, our security or tactical officers in disguise, or purely holographic.
McKnight: I believe most phasers have a training setting that's easy enough to set but if you don't trust everyone to not make a mistake in the setting, dedicated training weapons could work.
She took note of the suggestion. It was a good one. They hadn’t even started the simulation and the SOR team perspective was already proving very useful at troubleshooting the list of concerns she’d drawn up to address at this meeting. Maybe she’d have a proposal for Commander Serala sooner than she thought.
Lephi: Commander Raga, can tell us why you feel that holo-emitters would be the best way to accomplish this?
Tal’Aura: I would be more comfortable with dedicated training weapons; though, given we are still in Earth orbit, there would not be too much of a risk in modifying the small arms to only fire with the training setting regardless of what setting personnel set it to.
Raga: I think it gives the best chance for versatility and safety, especially if there’s going to be an exchange of fire near a warp core. Some of us have already had to deal with being near one when it was shot at. ::He glanced at Logan::
Rosek: ::nods:: They’re all valid ideas. I personally feel that Lieutenant McKnight’s suggestion of dedicated training weapons is the simplest approach and carries the least risk of something going wrong. If a weapon is modified incorrectly, it has the potential to cause more harm than intended.
McKnight: Which is why I think a shootout in engineering, even with simulated weapons isn't a good idea. I think drills in key areas of the ship should be done in the holodeck where less can go wrong.
Lephi: I get that you're concerned about the shooting part, but if the weapons are harmless, there shouldn't be any concern there. I was worried about someone panicking and hitting a button on a panel by accident, but I think that's easy enough to cover by simply having the ::air quotes:: intruders ::air quotes:: lock out the system before they barge in. What do you think, Commander?
Raga: Response
Ganarvuss: Rule number one of gun safety, Lieutenant: Never, EVER point a gun at someone else, even if you think it’s unloaded and that the safety’s on. Rule number two is to keep your finger off the trigger, even if you think it's unloaded and that the safety's on. I should think that would apply to, say, controls for dumping the warp core too.
Lael arched an eyebrow at the harshness of the Security Chief’s tone. She was certain the woman wasn’t aware of it--or at the very least, she wanted to give the young Lieutenant the benefit of the doubt. Ganarvuss struck Lael as someone who took her duty very seriously, something that Lael could respect. Still, she’d have to keep a close watch on it so that it didn’t cause unnecessary tension.
Rosek: ::nods:: Of course. Weapons of any sort are not toys. My concern about how to safely simulate weapons’ fire if it came to that was part of why you were included in this meeting. I value your expertise on the matter.
Raga: Whichever avenue we decide on, we can work up an assignment of crew who’d be both in on the drill on either side and who will be posted in Engineering and unaware of the drill. To test the crew’s readiness.
McKnight: What does Commander Serala think about this?
She managed to conceal a grin behind the PADD, lifting it while she made a note on the device. Though she felt slightly guilty about not bringing the idea up with their acting CO first, she imagined Commander Serala would understand when (and if) she read Lael’s proposal. Lael was the sort who liked to have her ducks in a row, so to speak, before bothering superiors with ideas.
Logan: And why do I get the impression she’s not in on it.
Lephi: We'll make sure it's safe and that nobody gets hurt. I'm sure Doctor Snow wouldn't mind being on standby just in case. As the Assistant Chief for the department the drill is for, I'd be happy to make sure that safety net is in place.
Tal’Aura: As would I. If we know what decks the drill will be contained on, I can assist in adjusting the sensitivity of the internal sensors to immediately detect any injuries severe enough to warrant an emergency transport to sickbay.
Rosek: ::to Logan:: I haven’t mentioned this to her yet, no. I wanted to get everyone’s preliminary thoughts on this so that I would have something more substantial to persuade her why this drill was a good idea.
She then turned to Lephi and Tal’Aura.
Rosek: Valid points. Both of you. My intent was to restrict this to Engineering. As for Sickbay, once we have a better idea of what the possible repercussions and outcomes are, I would advise Doctor Snow to anticipate potential injuries. Though of course, we would do our best to prevent injuries in the first place.
Logan: If I may Ma'am but I second McKnight's suggestion of the Holodeck.
She had a couple of issues with the holodeck idea, primarily how to do a mass transport of the entire Engineering team to a holodeck without their knowledge and without alerting them as to what was going on. It would, in her opinion, take away from the genuineness she was going for in the situation.
Raga: Response
Lephi: Response
McKnight: Response
Logan::smiling:: The Holodeck would allow us to pause and rerun in real-time the same scenario while adjusting the responses and measures, without crew fatigue or any anticipation. It would also mitigate any safety concerns and the need for Engineering to install emitters all over the ship. The hours to do that could be better spent elsewhere, that and drills can be so noisy this way we can turn the volume down.
Ganarvuss: I’m with Commander Logan. On top of his points, if we make a habit of running drills with holographic emitters installed around the ship, keeping the crew in the dark like in our last drill, it will do the opposite of preparing them for quick response, because they might start to expect it. We’d be the boy who cried wolf.
The young Lieutenant presented a good point, one Lael herself was concerned with. But she’d considered the risks and felt that if there was any possible way to mitigate them, Engineering would best serve their purposes.
Rosek: ::pauses:: Under most circumstances, I would agree. However, the entire point of this drill is to assess the potential strengths and weaknesses of both our engine room and our people. Future drills could take place in the holodeck with the knowledge that it is a drill without disclosing the nature of the drill.
Lephi: Response
Rosek: ::to Raga:: I can appreciate the thought in using Jem’Hadar, perhaps something slightly less intimidating so we don’t cause panic rather than simply keeping people on their toes?
Raga / McKnight / Logan: Response
Rosek: Preferably a species from the Par’tha Expanse. Or even a species created specifically for this simulation.
The latter certainly appealed to Lael. It would give a bit of the unknown to the simulation and could provide another way to test the response of her team. They were perhaps familiar with Par’tha species by now and a curveball would be interesting.
Raga / McKnight / Logan: Response
Ganarvuss / Tal'Aura: Response
Lephi: Response
Rosek: ::nods:: Are there any other thoughts? Things we might be failing to consider?
Raga / McKnight / Logan: Response
Ganarvuss / Tal'Aura: Response
Lephi: Response
((OOC: Happy to continue on this. :) You all responded so well to this. Thank you. ))
Rosek: ::nods:: All right, then. ::turns to Raga:: Commander, if you could sit with your team and compile a list of concerns and considerations as well as potential solutions? I’d like you to focus in particular on the pros and cons of using dedicated training weapons versus non-functional weapons.
Raga: Response
McKnight / Logan: Response
Rosek: ::to Ganarvuss:: I’d like you and Ensign Tal’Aura to work with Lieutenant Lephi to compile a report regarding the potential installation of holo emitters in Engineering. If you would, please also include any thoughts you and Ensign Tal’Aura have about using the holodeck instead of holo emitters.
Ganarvuss / Tal’Aura / Lephi: Response
Rosek: ::grins and rubs her hands together:: All right, people. We’ll meet back here in two days to discuss what you all have come up with and will decide if it’s worth taking Commander Serala’s time. Dismissed.
Ganarvuss / Tal’Aura / Lephi: Response
Raga / McKnight / Logan: Response