LtJg Lera Michaels - Inappropriate Assumptions?

[steve...@yahoo.com]

((Deck 1, Conference Room, USS Khitomer))

Shayne: We’re going back.

R. Matthews: Back to?

Lera, like Dewitt, instantly knew the answer to that question was the Lagoon Nebula. It was time, she decided, to be the emotionless Vulcan and not the anxious Human her gut told her to be.

Dewitt: Why?

Any: Response

Shayne: DS33’s deep space telescopes have detected trace emissions of Sencha radiation from the Lagoon Nebula. I have assured the admiralty that the probe that was launched was disabled thoroughly- ::he cast a wandering eye towards El’Heem:: -so the conclusion they’ve drawn is that it must be a new source, and given our experiences with the Lattice Alliance, it’s been made our top priority. ::beat :: I will refrain from putting too fine a point on it, but anyone aboard for the last mission has more experience with the perils of this nebula than I do. I will be relying on each of you for your expertise. Mr. Korras, you’ll set a course for the Lagoon Nebula, Warp 9.

There was a potentially inaccurate assumption behind the Captain's words. They knew the probe had been disabled but they did not know if the probe had been destroyed. If the torpedo had not done sufficient damage to the probe, then any party who managed to recover it and had the intelligence to reverse engineer it could design their own version of the Sencha wave weapon. Lera noted that the probability of that was exceedingly low. She decided to remain silent.

Korras: ::nodding:: Yes sir.

Lera glanced over at the Klingon. She shook her head slightly. oO That is one very large fellow. I do not want to be on the wrong side of a fight with him. Oo

Shayne: What progress have you made on insulating our gel packs from the phenomenon? And I know we just got off shore leave, so if the answer is “none”, I understand.

R. Matthews: So, about that. :: Richard glanced between Semara and Ras before turning back to the captain :: We actually found that the reason our gel packs were so susceptible to the radiation was because of foreign DNA introduced to them during production.

Semara / El’Heem / Shayne: Response

R. Matthews: Due to the nature of gel packs and how difficult they are to make. We had the full supply of the original packs still in storage. We’ve taken them out and used them to replace the damaged packs. And are currently working with the packs we saved and the new packs Starfleet provided us. There are problems with this, of course.

oO The gel packs were the key with the problem we encountered in the nebula. But the ship was hit by Sencha waves when we fought the Alliance at the Starbase. The gel packs were not a problem then. Ergo, the problem was some combination of the dispersion array, the nebula, the Sencha waves and the nebula. It would be nice to be able to consult with Miss T'Dara. Oo

Semara / El’Heem: Response

Shayne: Very well. I insisted on a, frankly, vast surplus of gel packs, so experimentation is authorized. And speaking of insulating- ::beat :: Most of the ship has been inoculated- would a double dose be beneficial in any way? Or should Mr. Korras and myself make our way to Sickbay for a hypo?

Ohnari: ::rubbing forehead in agitation:: I will need to get back to you Sir, the vast amounts we've already had exposure to and the effects of continued inoculation is going to take some time...but I will have an answer for you before we're in range.

Harford: Response

Shayne: Commander Dewitt, Lieutenant Michaels, Ensign Banks, I want this ship ready for anything. Sencha, fighting, hell, the Big Bang. I want to be able to get out of any situation we find ourselves in with speed, durability, and an embarrassing amount of firepower.

oO Our turn. Oo

Dewitt: Understood. We’ll begin a full diagnostic sweep of the propulsion systems immediately. We’ll also cycle through the secondary power matrix so we can standby for an emergency shield modulation if things go sideways. Engineering will be ready by the time we hit that nebula.

Lera took a deep breath. There was more to be done than that. There was the Sencha Dispersion Array and all of it's tie-ins with the normal systems. While the new systems were impressive. she had never been impressed with the interconnections between the SCE's new systems with the existing ones. If they were going into combat with an Alliance craft... You did not need to be a genius to know that if the situation was desperate, command would want that system available. Engineering would need to thoroughly check the Dispersion Array as well.

Michaels: I anticipate that we may need the Sencha Dispersion Array available. In addition, there were several devices, instruments and tools that were in short supply last time. I would recommend obtaining additional ones if we have time and opportunity.

Lera tilted her head. The captain had mentioned Juliet Banks with Connor and Lera. She was a helm and communications officer. Something had happened. Was Juliet an Engineer now?

Banks: ::nodding:: I’ll get Ops working on hardening our computing capability against the nebula’s conditions.

Michaels: :: To Banks :: It appears that you will be working with Engineering. If you need any assistance, you know you can ask me at any time. Ensign Lacy is also a good source.

Shayne: Mr. Zerva, Mr. Matthews, preparations aside, there’s been little to nothing to suggest concentrated Alliance movements in the nebula. Still. Schedule tactical simulations and security drills on all shifts until we get to our destination.

Zerva/Matthews: Response

Shayne: Mr. Hobart, you and Lieutenant Dewitt will review mission logs, recent Alliance movements, any information that might shed some light on what we’re heading towards.

Hobart/Ayemet: Response

Shayne: We’ve got a fair few hours before we get there, even at Warp 9. Let’s make every second count. Dismissed.

Connor appeared to be lingering. Lera signaled Juliet to wait for him before rising from the table. Dewitt shifted to talk to them.

Dewitt: Lera, I’ll be joining you in Engineering shortly. You and Ensign Banks go ahead and make sure power supply of all primary systems is working without instabilities. I want double redundancies for life support, shields and impulse systems. Increase warp core output by ten percent and use that energy to erect level 10 force fields around the main EPS conduits.

Banks: Yes sir. I’ll check in with the Science department on the way; Ensign Matthews’ comment about getting original gel packs out of storage gave me a couple of ideas and I’d like to check with Science about their feasibility before I waste anyone’s time with them.

Michaels:: The primary failure for most of the systems was in the gel packs. I have not seen a report concerning the failure mechanism but we need to check for cascade failures. It would be prudent to have additional redundancy in the systems that failed as well. In addition, I am not certain that the systems installed by the SCE did not contribute to the failure. To use the parlance, we should check those systems with a fine tooth comb.

Dewitt: Agreed. This time, we’ll be ready and make sure the ship, and everyone on it, comes out on the other side in one piece.

Banks: Absolutely, sir. At least we know what to expect this time.

Michaels: An admirable goal. :: beat :: Sir. I would like to point out that we may not have thoroughly disabled or destroyed the probe. We hit it or something in the immediate vicinity with a single micro-torpedo but we did not perform a post impact assessment. If the probe was recovered and analysed, it is not impossible that a similar device could be constructed by anyone. Admittedly, it is highly improbable but we may encounter someone other than the alliance with a Sencha Wave weapon.

Dewitt: Dismissed.

Michaels: Yes sir. Ensign Banks and I will get to work immediately. :: To Banks :: I hope you are ready. This will be a bit different from working on the Bridge.

Banks: ::a nod:: Sir. ::to Lera:: I’ll catch up with you after I speak with Ensign Matthews.

Michaels: Do not take too long. We have a great deal of work ahead of us.

——— ☼ ———

LtJg Lera Michaels

Engineering Officer
USS Khitomer
K240106LM2