LtJg Lera Michaels - Why Would Anyone ...

[steve...@yahoo.com]

((Main Engineering, Deck 12, USS Khitomer, en route))

Michaels: Keeping our database accurate is essential. No one should make significant changes to any system without updating the database. Emergencies are the only exception. In non-emergency cases, no one should make significant changes to any critical system without Engineering being aware. And no, Mr. Matthews, I do not consider overhearing your report to the Captain as proper notification.

Amelia glanced at Matthews before returning her attention to Lera.

Semara: :: Softly :: Ensign Matthews. Report back to Lieutenant El’Heem in the lab. We need a chat, Lieutenant-to-Lieutenant. The only words I want to hear are “Yes ma'am.” Clear?

Ginny nodded to Lera in a way Lera interpreted as meaning, "Lieutenant-to-Lieutenant excludes me." Ginny withdrew deep into the Engineering compartment.

Matthews lingered only briefly before leaving. Lera tilted her head briefly and wondered why the Ensign had been sent off. Something was going wrong here and she did not understand what it was. All she had done was try to explain the importance of the Engineering records and suggest that better communications were important. How could that possibly anger anyone?

Michaels: One moment, everyone. We need to ensure that we are using the same words to mean the same thing.

Semara: :: Quietly :: Let us be sure of your meanin’, Lieutenant?

Michaels: Mr. Matthews said, and please correct me if necessary, that “Engineering is going through and replacing the bio neural gel packs we’ve already switched out.“

Semara: Continue.

Michaels: By that, do you mean that Science department members switched out the gel packs, or do you mean that the Science department had the DS33 staff switch them out? If the DS33 staff did the work incorrectly in some cases and failed to document their work, then we have one type of problem. If Science department staff did the work incorrectly in some cases and failed to document their work, then we have a different type of problem.

Semara: Continue.

Michaels: I see. I hope that you understand how this creates difficulties for Engineering. Those difficulties are maintenance problems that can quickly become safety issues for the ship. The safety and functionality of the ship are our primary concerns.

Semara's PADD beeped almost silently.

Semara: The safety and functionality of the ship is all of our concern.

Michaels: Very well. Engineering is going to continue to verify and, where necessary, correct the installation of all the switched-out gel packs. ::beat:: Now tell me exactly what you intend to do and convince me that you have thought through this revised design. It must, at a minimum, be both safe and functional.

Semara: I’ll do no such thing.

Michaels: I do not understand. I have agreed to replace everything done earlier. I wish to understand what was intended. Why not discuss this project?

Amelia continued to stare at Lera with her hands behind her back.

Semara: Let’s get this clear right now. You are presently speakin’ to a peer. You ain’t my superior officer, and you don’t discipline me or an officer under me. I shouldn’t have to explain this to you - like any active duty officer aboard, I am fully versed in Starfleet regulations, chain of command, basic engineerin’ procedure on this ship, and the limits of my qualifications. As is your boss, Commander Dewitt, with whom I coordinated. As is the Captain, who ordered the work. As is every station engineer who worked with us. Your claim that “Engineering” was unaware is faulty. It seems to me only you were unaware and only your system that ain’t got the right information. Why that might be, I’ll not speculate. I’ll leave that in your capable hands.

Amelia held out her PADD to Lera and Lera accepted it with only a glance at the PADD.

Semara: It appears your crewman’s “correction” just took local computer control offline in our lab. I don’t know why, I’m not there, but that circuit was workin’ fine when I last went over it - as you can see from the logs. Mercifully, the backup took over, or we’d have lost work. :: Beat :: Whatever your problem, Lieutenant, I suggest you fix it.

Semara pulled back the PADD she had handed Lera just moments earlier. Lera frowned. oO What is happening? Why give me a PADD if you are not going to let examine it? Oo

Michaels: Why give me a PADD if...

Semara: :: Interrupting :: I wasn’t done, Lieutenant. Lieutenant El’Heem’s orders were to assist. At present, it’s my estimation I can best assist by leavin’ you to it, and I believe he’ll agree. I won’t argue with someone who ain’t interested in listenin’, and it ain’t particularly fittin’ for two Lieutenants to be havin’ this conversation anyway. If you wish to continue in this manner at a later date after you've considered more carefully, I intend to request the company of Commanders Dewitt and Hobart, as well as Lieutenant El’Heem - just so all departments are perfectly clear. I’ll request that conversation myself if I have to explain why the lab computers are still runnin’ on backups in twenty minutes. All the repair notes are also available on the computer.

Amelia gave a curtsy colder than a seawater glacier, yet one perhaps politer than ever.

Semara: Good day, Lieutenant.

With that, Amelia turned and left.

Lera scrunched her face and closed her eyes. oO What just happened? What is going on? Oo

Michaels: =/\= Michaels to Crewman van der Waals. Who is working the Science Lab area? =/\=

van der Waals: =/\= No one, Ma'am. At least none of our crew. We haven't gotten there yet. =/\=

Michaels: =/\= What was wrong with the gel packs you reported were incorrectly installed? =/\=

van der Waals: =/\= One had the locking mechanism improperly set. Another was not fully seated. The third one we just found was the worst. It had three missing contacts and two bent to the point they were unusable.=/\=

Michaels: =/\= Missing contacts? Elaborate. =/\=

van der Waals: =/\= That's it, Ma'am. The contacts aren't there. It's as though someone clipped them off. =/\=

Michaels: =/\= Bring me that gel pack. Michaels out. =/\=

Lera covered her mouth with her right hand. The conversation with Amelia had not gone well, and she did not understand why. Dewitt had said that some science types were coming to assist her in performing an emergency switch-out of the gel packs. She had started the work before Matthews or Semara had arrived. Matthews had insisted that what she was doing was wrong because that work had already been done. After some confusion, she had agreed to have her teams undo what she had started the engineering teams doing. She had pointed out that errors had been made without seeking to blame anyone in particular. She had emphasized the importance of the engineering records. She had sought to calm the rising tensions by asking for clarification of what Matthews had said. She had asked for details of the plan. And Amelia had gotten angry and left without being willing to continue the conversation. It was as though Amelia was angry, an emotion Lera had never seen in Amelia, and felt insulted that Lera had even entertained the thought that someone in Science had made a mistake.

None of this made sense to Lera. Yes, Lera had been angry at the discovery that there were errors in the database. She had been very angry, but she had stifled her anger. Perhaps if she were more thoroughly Vulcan, she would have done a better job of that. She had proceeded logically... though admittedly not as completely Vulcan as others might have, and, perhaps, exceptionally diplomatically.

Lera took a deep breath. Start from the beginning. What are the undeniable facts? Several gel packs do not match the entries in the database. Someone installed them without updating the database. An authorized, trained individual would have done that, so the individual who did the work was either untrained or neglected the update intentionally. There were, at least, two gel packs that were installed incorrectly. That must have been done by someone with minimal training or someone intentionally doing the job badly. But why would anyone do that? No one on the Engineering team was untrained, and Lera found the thought that one of her people would do it intentionally to be inconceivable. Lera explicitly trusted Amelia, so Amelia doing it was instantly discarded. Based on how the conversation had just gone, Lera had a difficult time believing anyone in the Science would intentionally do things wrong. The Station personnel? Lera did not know any of them well enough to make a judgment. Who did that leave?

The gel pack that had knocked out the Science local computer systems? If no one from Engineering had worked on those systems yet, then it was either someone else. Or it had been a bad gel pack. Or it had been damaged before it was installed. But why would anyone install a damaged gel pack? And if the computer systems, which have several integral gel packs, had defective or damaged gel packs, that might explain why some approved work authorizations were not showing up on all the appropriate PADDs.

Crewman van der Waals approached where Lera was standing and handed her a gel pack. Lera examined it and shook her head. It was exactly as the crewman had described it.

van der Waals: I have never seen one like this. Why would anyone install this?

Michaels: Indeed. No one would intentionally do this to a gel pack ... unless ...

Lera was silent as the implications of the gel packs' damage ran through her head. There was only one answer that came to mind.

van der Waals: Unless? Ma'am?

Michaels: ::nodding. Her expression was a grim reflection of her thoughts. :: That has to be it. :: Lera tapped her communicator. :: =/\= Michaels to Lieutenant Commander Dewitt. =/\=

Dewitt: =/\= Response =/\=

Michaels: =/\= I have something you need to see as soon as possible. It is important that you see it. If you can not come to me, then I will bring it to you. =/\=

Dewitt: =/\=Response =/\=

Michaels: =/\= Michaels Out. =/\= :: glancing at the crewman :: unless... unless they are trying to damage the ship.

Tags/TBC

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LtJg Lera Michaels

Engineering Officer
USS Khitomer
K240106LM2