Ensign Sera - Would a Colorful Metaphor be Appropriate in this Instance?

[Hope Forster]

((Main Deflector Control, Deck 4, USS Grace Hoppe)) 

 

Qinn: They’re reporting power fluctuations that are increasing in severity.  To start, get me a rundown of what’s damaged, and what it will take to fix it.  Once we have that we can triage the critical issues from the less important ones.  

  

Sera: ::pulling out her tricorder::  That is troubling.  If there is EPS involvement, then this repair will have just gotten much more complicated.  

  

Kalia’s engineering credentials were limited.  She excelled with computers, but once she left the realm of ODN relays and isolinear chips, her knowledge was much more limited.  

 

Qinn:  What do you mean? 

  

Sera:  If the plasma grid has been compromised, then it is possible that the warp core itself has been affected.  However, I am…getting in front of myself.  ::looking at the tricorder readings::  All of the EPS conduits feeding into main deflector control have been damaged, but that would not cause energy fluctuations…  

 

Ensign Sera got to work with a sigh, which Kalia was surprised to hear coming from a Vulcan, although not completely unpleasant.  A Vulcan who found a way to safely experience their emotions would be a wonderful thing to see.  She couldn’t stand the idea of denying herself access to her emotions.  Nearly every one of her favorite memories revolved around emotions. 

 

Kalia settled into checking the control systems to make sure the main computer was able to properly interface with systems in the room.  She was still checking continuity.   

  

Sera:  Commander.  It would appear that the entire plasma grid is unstable.  Whatever weapon was utilized to incapacitate Grace Hopper has caused a feedback loop of sorts, which is only exponentially increasing.    

  

Qinn: How do we fix it? 

  

Sera:  ::raises brow::  Definitively?  Shut the warp core down, replace all of the damaged EPS conduits and sub-systems and restart the core.  Generally, a repair that complex is done in space dock.  ::tricorder chirping showing a rather daunting list of damaged systems::  Whomever attacked Grace Hopper knew what they were doing.  Although only a few areas were physically attacked, the disruption of the electro-plasma distribution network provided a most comprehensive method of completely incapacitating this vessel.  I shall have to remember this if ever tasked with sabotaging an enemy craft.    

  

Qinn:  On the chance we don’t catch the people who did this, I’d be interested in your theories on what type of weapons could do something like this.  In the meantime, however, we don’t have an option of putting the Grace Hopper into dry dock.  How do we get this done with what we currently have at our disposal? 

  

Sera:  ::looking thoughtful::  Perhaps we could reconfigure the plasma conversion sensors to act as a type of governor to limit the increasing power surges?  It MAY stop the feedback loop but will undoubtedly burn out all the reconfigured sensors as we would be asking this equipment to function outside their operating parameters.  However, it is just a guess.  It could compromise the entire EPS relay…  

  

Qinn:  If we don’t do something we’re in the same situation.  It’s ok to take risks, if those risks are necessary.    

  

Sera:  ::nodding:: According to the initial diagnostic readings, the damage to the deflector must have caused the power surge that compromised the EPS grid.  The damage extends to numerous components and subsystems which can be repaired with the aid of Juneau’s industrial replicators as it would be unwise to overtax Grace Hopper’s already compromised electrical grid.    

  

Qinn:  Coordinate with Engineering, both ours and the Hopper’s.  The Juneau should be able to start manufacturing what we need without any delay. 

 

Kalia knew another shoe would drop eventually.  The Hopper was in rough shape, but it was fixable, the key ingredient, however, was time.  She knew the Captain was looking for the attackers, and would want to go after them.  The Hopper wasn’t in a position to follow the Juneau, and it needed the Juneau to help with repairs. 

 

Sera: Aye, Commander. 

 

It was something that Sera was already preparing to do, but to hear the order come from her XO was something of a…comfort.  It was a form of unsolicited validation that gave Sera feedback that her strategy on handling this large undertaking was appropriate. 

 

Qinn: Identify the key damaged systems.  Repair them first, and get the Hopper stable, or at least more stable than she is.  If the Juneau needs to move off, this ship needs to be able to survive on its own.  Non-essential systems should be reduced or disabled if you need them to be. 

 

Sera:  I will discuss my findings and the proposed fix with both teams now.  ::sending off the compiled data on the Hopper’s damage assessment and her idea on how to halt or at least throttle the energy fluctuations to both the Hopper’s engineering team and her team back on Juneau:: 

 

She welcomed any feedback but wasn’t expecting it.  All the staff was going to be busy with their own individual assignments. 

 

Kalia took a deep breath, the smell of carbon and ozone hung in the air from the burned-out circuits and plastics.  Federation ships all smelled the same once they’d been beaten and burned.   

 

Qinn: I’m going to work on getting the control systems reinstalled here.  If either of us find any evidence as to what the weapons the attackers used to do all of this damage, send that info to the Captain and Mr. Dekas on the bridge. 

 

Sera: Whatever weapon was used; it would take an in-depth understanding of Starfleet EPS configurations and power usage to obtain these results.  That this was done…serendipitously is simply…ludicrous.  This was a highly surgical strike in order to incapacitate this ship so thoroughly.  These repairs are going to require more than one person to carry them out effectively under this unspoken time constraint. 

 

Qinn: That makes sense.  If you need another pair of hands, just let me know or grab on of the Hopper engineers to help.   

 

Sera: Understood.  I will appropriate staff and supplies as required, Commander.  ::going back to her own assignment:: 

 

Kalia found a still working on the computer terminal in the room and pulled out her tricorder.  Ensuring the system was still mostly functional, she dragged over a portable power supply, then isolated the system from the ship's power.  It would take some time to make sure none of the control chips or bio-neural gel packs had been compromised.  The last thing they needed was to fix all of the power issues, turn on the deflector and have the controls short out and start the whole process all over again. 

 

Sera began pulling open access panels to expose the ‘guts’ of the main deflector.  It only made the carbonized ozone smell much stronger, and it took all of Sera’s internal controls to not grimace at the aroma.  So far, the only glaring issue was the overload damage, and Sera began a mental tally of how many of the coolant ducts that fed into main deflector would have to be purged.  However, as she removed the panel closest to the main navigational deflector, something became quite clear.  The main deflector had been sabotaged from this very access panel, and the complex looking object that had neural tendrils accessing the EPS grid and the deflector itself had a screen that showed a complex series of characters and numbers cycling in what a more emotive person would say was an ominous manner. 

 

Sera:  Commander. ::picking up her tricorder and scanning the object:: 

 

Qinn:  Response 

 

Sera:  I believe I can identify a priority assignment.  ::looking across the room directly into her XO’s unseeing eyes:: There appears to be a device not of Starfleet design integrated into the main conduit tubing feeding the deflector. ::presented in a bland manner only a Vulcan can successfully pull off:

 

Qinn:  Response

TAG/TBC

 

 

Ensign Sera 

Engineering Officer 

USS Juneau, NX-99801 

J239812S14