[sb118-khitomer] Lieutenant Charles Matthews - Taking The Initiative
Shakeel Hussein
((Security Suite, Deck Eight, USS Khitomer))
With the journey to deck eight being a relatively short one, it wasn’t long before the three men had entered the Security Suite. Matthews hadn’t been here all too often yet, the timing of his transfer had meant that he just hadn’t had the chance to, and he found himself glancing around from person to person and from beep to beep as he took in the atmosphere of where he now found himself. It was smaller than the Security Complex on the Astraeus, which gave it a sense of it appearing to be busier, but it also had more functionality to it. There seemed to be a lot less wasted space.
As the trio of Officers entered the small Security Office, he planted himself next to the bulkhead, casting a glance from Zerva to Lieutenant El’Heem, waiting for either of them to speak. The situation felt a little bizarre to Charles. He was the more senior Officer, yes, but also the newcomer, the interloper, and when it came to the Lattice Alliance, he had next to nothing in terms of experience. He had a job to do though, and he was intent on carrying it out to the best of his ability.
El’Heem: It’s always business here, isn’t it? Security never gets any downtime, especially on a ship like ours.
Charlie felt himself letting out a chuckle.
C. Matthews: Downtime? What’s that?
Zerva: Response
The chuckle faded but a weak grin lingered on Matthews’ face before the Medical Officer turned to face the others and raised his PADD towards his face.
El’Heem: So, what’s the plan Lieutenant? I have a few preliminary suggestions, feel free to shoot them down. I’m just a doctor, after all.
C. Matthews: I have one or two thoughts but let’s hear what you have. I’m sure there will be no need to shoot anything down. ::smiles::
Zerva: Response
The solid gold Lieutenant watched as the member of the Kressari species began to pace.
El’Heem: Well for starters, we should jam all transporters on the ship. We won’t be needing them within the nebula and it’s a fail safe against Lattice-Alliance boarding if we are to encounter them. Fairly easy to implement and reverse after we’re in safe waters. Next, with Commander T’Dara deeming external probing a liability, I think we need to get creative with advanced detection. Typical sensors will not be able to see through the dense nebula clouds. Instead, we can use localized radiation disruptions as tripwires, so to speak. Utilizing the Astrometrics crew is going to be crucial in more ways than one out here.
Charles glanced toward Lieutenant Zerva, trying to display a look on his face that was an attempt to convey a question. That question being are you going to say it, or am I?
Zerva: Response
C. Matthews: Jamming our transporters, Lieutenant? It will be them coming to us. Jamming ours won’t make a difference. ::pause:: You mentioned improving detection methods within the nebula though?
El’Heem: We take initial scans of the immediate surroundings. Passive Radiation Mapping, Nebular Distortion Mapping, etc. The passive scans should allow for something akin to old sonar technology in say ::tapping his PADD, conducting a minor calculation:: a radius of one lightyear give or take. If there are delta changes to radiation signatures across the stated perimeter, we’ll know something is amiss. Astrometrics is going to push back, stating inaccuracies and slow detection rate, surely. It’s primitive at best but it gives us a leg up without active probing.
Zerva: Response
C. Matthews: A good idea, Mister El’Heem. We might not be able to detect them but we might be able to detect their effect on the region of space.
El’Heem: Indeed. Seeing without seeing. ::pausing:: Long range scanning is essentially a lost cause, I fear.
The last comment just ushered in a nod in response from Charles.
Zerva: Response
El’Heem: I can run permutations but the further we expand the detection radius, the more likely we’ll receive false positives or anomalous scans.
Zerva: Response
C. Matthews: ::nodding:: Is there anything else, Lieutenant?
El’Heem: That’s all I have for preemptive measures. I have some failsafe contingencies in the event we’re directly engaged, but I’ll save those for the end.
C. Matthews: Thank you. Your thoughts, Lieutenant Zerva?
Zerva: Response
Charles stood patiently, crossing his arms across his chest as Ezra was speaking and nodded every so often.
C. Matthews: You do raise some interesting ideas, Lieutenant El’Heem, I agree. ::pause:: As I mentioned in the turbolift though, we were asked for methods of combating the Lattice Alliance once on board, not stopping them. It’s good to see you take the initiative in preventing a fight altogether but if we return to Commander Hobart with no actual plans to combat intruders, I would suspect he would not be a happy man.
El’Heem / Zerva: Responses
C. Matthews: You said you had some failsafe contingencies, Doctor? What were those? Is there anything with either Tholian or Sheliak physiology that could help us incapacitate a boarding party?
El’Heem: Response
C. Matthews: Hmm. ::gestures:: And what do you think, Lieutenant Zerva? Any ideas?
Zerva: Response
C. Matthews: Right. Can I ask… have either of you engaged the Lattice Alliance before? At all?
El’Heem / Zerva: Responses
TAGS/TBC
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Tactical Officer
USS Khitomer NCC-62400
A240012CM1