LtJg Lera Michaels - A Day Late and A Dollar Short

[steve...@yahoo.com]

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

Lacy: The cavalry has arrived.

Michaels: I am endeavoring to avoid being trampled by the horses. :: to the newcomers :: Mr. Matthews. Miss Semara. Welcome to Engineering. We are happy to have someone visit and relieve the tedious boredom.

R. Matthews: Never say you’re bored, and never ever say it’s too quiet.

Oo Clearly Mr. Matthews' sarcasometer is malfunctioning. Oo

Semara: Response

Lacy: So… “emergency” gel pack replacement?

R. Matthews: Right :: He pointed at the officer, whose name he totally remembered :: What the Ensign said. How up to date are we all on this?

Lera glanced at Ginny with a half grin on the side of her face, hidden from the Science types as though to say, "See?"

Michaels :Beyond what you said in the briefing, we know only what we could logically conclude from our prior experience in the nebula. Some gel packs are more susceptible to the radiation than others. None of the gel packs involved in our battle at the space station were damaged. Ergo, the older gel packs are better suited for critical services. You mentioned "foreign DNA" at the briefing and that seems to be a plausible source for the susceptibility of the gel packs.

Even as she said it, the phrase "foreign DNA" caught her attention. All gel packs were manufactured using DNA from sentient beings. "Foreign" could only mean a non-standard DNA used rather than the standard DNA.

Lacy / Semara: Response

Richard nodded and glanced at those present, lingering for a moment on Lera before quickly shifting away to the others. Lera felt his evasion was writ large on his face. But why be evasive? There was something Science knew that Matthews was... hesitant to share with either this group in Engineering or the Officers in the briefing. What could it be? What or rather who was present here and in the briefing but not in the Science department? An answer popped into her head immediately after that last question. She was in the briefing and here but not in Science. Were there any Vulcans in Science. She could not think of any.

Lera allowed the faintest hint of a smile appear on her face. They were being evasive because she was Vulcan. The "foreign"... the "non-standard" DNA was Vulcan DNA.

R. Matthews: K, while docked, we were retrofitted with replacement gel packs. Unfortunately, the bulk of the new gel packs installed on the Khitomer have a flaw that makes them susceptible to Sencha radiation. We’ve traced the abnormality in packs through their batch numbers. :: He pulled out his tricorder :: I’ll send you the details, check your PADDs.

Michaels: I have the details.

Lera tapped her PADD and sent the information to Crewman van der Waals and Crewman V'Lak.

Lacy / Semara: Response

R. Matthews: The highlighted packs on decks 18, 15, and 9 are the only ones that are safe for use from what was installed on Deep Space 33. All the packs on Deck 6 were safe, and the highlighted packs on decks 12 and 15 are safe. Anything marked in blue is safe, don’t touch, the others we need to switch out with the packs we have in storage. That means the original gel packs the Khitomer had before its last big upgrade.

Lera ignored the condescension implicit in what Richard had said. An Ensign in the Science department telling the Engineers how to do their job. Lera smiled at the drollness of it. Lera added that information to what she had sent moments earlier along with the message that she was adding Crewmen Ren and Dug to the effort. She then issued the command to Ren and Dug to contact van der Waals immediately.

Lacy / Semara: Response

Michaels: I understand. :: Succinct. To the point. ::

R. Matthews: Any questions? If not, we should divide up the decks between us and get to work. Semara can take decks 18 through 15, I’ll grab 14 through 11, Michaels — 10 though 7 and you :: He pointed at the other ensign because he was still blanking on their name :: can get 6 through 3. I’ll message El’Heem to do 2 and 1 on his way back from sickbay.

Michaels: I have one comment and one question. My comment first. As my father might say, Richard, you are a day late and a dollar short. We have individuals already switching out gel-packs. Individuals who have the training and the experience to know what they are doing. Your information will save us some time. I thank you for that. And I am certain we will be able to find a place where your assistance will be helpful.

R. Matthews / Lacy / Semara: Response

Michaels: My questions. Are you suggesting that the gel pack manufacturer did not properly vett their source of the Vulcan DNA they used? And given that Mr. V'Lak is also a Vulcan, is it your recommendation that I pull him off the assignment?

R. Matthews / Semara: Response

Tags/TBC

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LtJg Lera Michaels

Engineering Officer
USS Khitomer
K240106LM2