Lagging LCARs

Posted on Friday September 23rd, 2022 @ 2:36pm by Lieutenant Commander Calvin Hirsch & Lieutenant Commander Paul Sharpe

2,744 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: S1-A1-Ep. 2: Our Foremost Virtues
Location: SCENE: Security Office, Deck 03
Timeline: 239908.17

[ON]

It was about 6:15 in the morning. Calvin Hirsch had just finished his morning workout and was in his office with a cup of coffee. Sitting in his grey sweatshirt, raglan tee underneath, and pair of khaki cargo shorts, he pulled out a PADD.

Taking a breather, he scrolled through the Security rounds from night watch, resting his sneakers on his desktop. Nothing happened overnight. This was consistent; ever since the whole Ensign incident of grade scheming, there were zero peeps out of the training vassals of the ship. Complaints were from Academy students being too rowdy for other students to study their positions in depth during crucial downtime hours. This was great! If it were not for the teamwork, sincere consultation, and information gathered from the brass session with Ensign Stewart as a cause de etre. Hirsch only figured.

The Poseidon was an ageing vessel; he was tasked with Security technology that had undergone countless upgrades throughout the ship’s history, including Security, inter ship sensors, arrays, and batteries. All worked flawlessly, yet there was an ever-creeping technology gap.

“Computer take note, Calvin Hirsch Star date 239908.17.” He ordered the Security Systems recordings updated. “Lieutenant Calvin Hirsch, Chief of Security, reporting day open log – “

It was at this exact moment that Hirsch’s central Security Computer froze. Analytics, coding, and back-ups all were working. However, the system lagged a moment.

“Log opened.” Returned the Security chirp from the mains.

“Uh.” Hirsch swallowed his coffee, sitting upright. He noticed that the screen informatics lag behind his main Security PADD and the computer.

Lags were not good. Something was up, and he was neither an engineer nor a computer specialist. There were good officers thankfully onboard the Poseidon Cal could call on. He looked at his Security Chronometer; the second was off now.

Checking his wrist Chronometer confirmed a suspicion that something was up with the LCAR’s unit in his office. Shaking his head at the issue, Hirsch wanted 100%.

“Computer is Engineering Day Shift transferred.” The early hours were hit and miss with the Chief onboard as they often, like Calvin, were getting into their morning department routine.

“Confirmed. Lieutenant Commander Paul Sharpe has logged in to Main Engineering at 0600 Hours.” The Main computer is confirmed. At least there were no issues on that part.

=/\= Chief of Security to Lt. Commander Sharpe. Are you there, Sir?=/\= Hirsch called the long-standing Engineering Chief.

Sharpe had not long arrived in engineering and had logged on what he still had on his mind was what he told to CO and XO about the lifespan of the ship when his Commbadge sounded startling him a little, he tapped it after the person contacting him announced who it was.

=/\= Go ahead Chief!=/\= Paul began, puzzled it was not like the Security Chief to call him this early in the morning

=/\=Hello, Chief. Good morning. I hope everything is running smoothly. I am only calling in to report. I am not sure yet. There is a lag in the Main LCAR’s Security computer. Simple tasks, it would seem now. Can I ask you to add it to your rounds today to have her checked?=/\= Hirsch didn’t know. The Chief quickly could check from his workstations, but it might also require a site check.

=/\= Interesting, hold one moment please =/\= Sharpe said as he checked the issue and sighed =/\= I will be right up Chief, it is more than what I could do from engineering, see you in five minutes, Sharpe out =/\= when he had logged off he sighed, yet another reason as to why this ship was on its last legs.

Calvin waited around in his office. =/\= Very well, Thank you Commander I will be here.=/\= Calvin paused and sighed outward. He began to take a drink of his morning coffee and scan the views of the ship through the main corridor's visuals. It was a standard morning commute to work stations as officers went to and from their quarters to the mess, to their duties.

Within five minutes of closing the link, Sharpe had arrived outside of the Security Chiefs' office and pressed the buzzer.

A moment later there was a chirp at the doorway to Calvin's Security Office. "Come on in." He stood from behind his chair and set down his mug of coffee. "Commander Sharpe, please come on in. Take a seat. I don't think this is an isolated incident on the Poseidon, is it?" He suspected that the ageing vessel was cropping up issues here and there.

"I agree it is not an isolated incident Lieutenant," Sharpe said as he entered and left the sensor range of the door which closed "time enough to sit Chief, so which console is it?" Sharpe asked.

"Well, I've experienced a data buffering lag between the central security computer and my PADD. At first, it was just a tiny issue. Now things seem to be... Well, have a look for yourself. My reports for the morning are seemingly intermixing, and I can't make sense of the entries. Fortunately, I am betting you can fix this mess before the afternoon so I can give lectures to the cadets. I intended decorum and fostering self-improvement from a collective experience."

"We shall see, Chief, we shall see," Sharpe said as he walked to the console and called up diagnostics "interesting!" he said to himself and crouched down and pulled off the front cover and tapped on a small keypad he deactivated the console, he scanned the outer circuit board and found it was okay, so disconnecting that he pulled the second away allowing for easier access to the inner working of the console.

Paul grumbled these areas could barely fit a grown man, but it is what was supplied, so making sure things were disconnected he shimmied into the close confines on his back and pulled out a small specialized engineering diagnostic tricorder he slowly moved it over the area, he had an engineers half tunic on with some tools in the top pockets, as he scanned the area he found the problem "okay old girl why you doing this to me?" he asked the ship, as he disconnected the power to the inner sections and the burnt out panel, he was glad he had a spare with him and that he had guessed right.

So with the damaged piece in hand, he shimmed out and when clear sat up and looked at Hirsch "well Chief it was what I thought it was" he said handing the part he removed to the Security Chief for him to have a look. "That is what caused the malfunction, sadly this ship is held together by duct tape and wishes, I am so not looking forward to reporting to the CO and XO about this" he added.

Regarding the burnt-out node handed to him, the Chief replied. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you don’t care too much for the current technology of the Poseidon, Lieutenant Commander Sharpe.” Hirsch eyed. He grinned a bit.

“I can understand your frustration. Training vessels always seem to be an oxymoron. They are neither advanced state-of-the-art operations nor available to train and represent the real-world workings of a Starship. Wonder what the Cadets think about the technology. Some of their parents serve on much more advanced ships in the fleet, yet here we are handed… Technology that could be put to pasture if not for its status.”

"Oh Lieutenant, you have no idea how close to the mark you are with the put out to pasture remark, it is all I can do to keep the old girl in one piece, take this console, for instance, it is literally held together with metaphorical chewing gum and duct tape, now if you will excuse me I have to replace the dead part," Sharpe said and with tools in hand and the replacement section he lays back down and shimmies back into the crevasse to do the job he was here to do.

"Last week at 0330 hours, I was awakened by an alarm. System spec movement sensors. The computer could not discern between a Caterian dust mite and an intruder in the storage bay on deck 05.” Hirsch shook his head.

Hirsch's response was a bit muffled from a lot of stuff in the way, but just as quietly Sharpe responded "Well, another example of a failing and ageing ship, I wonder if the Captain has any idea on what his next ship is going to be?" Sharpe asked and concentrated on removing the dead bit, re-directing the ODN relays and installing the new piece, then with one of his tools he began to merge them together.

“Thank you, Commander. You are doing a fantastic job. Despite being an older vessel, she shows her abilities and competencies well due to engineering maintenance.”

“My question is this; what do the maintenance crews say to you when the Poseidon eases into its berth for annual work?” He almost stifled a chuckle. Calvin stood up to one seat of the chair, taking a drink of coffee. He held it while looking at the schematic readouts of the ship’s security and sensitive areas.

Sharpe gave that a thought "the first time the ship returned to dock the maintenance crews not knowing who I was slandered the old girl and let's just say their replicators replicated nothing but Klingon and Cardassian food for a month, I reprogrammed their replicators with a time delayed and sensitive algorithm which had a time limit on it and as it was programmed to their codes they could not get rid of it" Sharpe paused as he chuckled.

"When next they saw me, they knew who I was and kept their mouths shut, but case point those crews are wondering how the ship is still flying and is in service, understandable really, this is one of the few remaining Miranda class ships still in service, those others that survived the Dominion War and were decommissioned ended up in security units among Federation member worlds as their personal security blanket, but those ships that did not are being stripped of all reusable tech and fitted with show lights and placed in a museum and the rest are being placed in a Federation decommissioning yard, the places where all ships eventually go to die" Sharpe responded and then fell silent.

He needed his attention to reconnect the piece he just replaced "okay, this goes there, that there, initialize this OW! dammit" a loud exclamation filtered out to the Security Chiefs' room. "Okay, now that is fixed let's reconnect this ODN and then that one," he said talking to himself as he was so engrossed. Eventually, he repowered the section and he used her scanning tool and things seemed to be sorted, it was here he realised the Chief was saying something "Sorry Lieutenant, what was that? I was engrossed in my job for a moment" He asked.

Calvin raised a brow, amused yet concerned a bit. The Chief was under a lot of demanding work keeping up the Miranda Class vessel. "I did not say anything. You," Hirsch pointed, "you are working too hard, Lt. Commander. Let me know if you have any other issues I can help with Security wise, and I will try and fix them myself. I see how you disconnected, re-directed protocol, initiated a set point, executed a new circuit order, and then engaged the circuit once more. If I knew that was the cause, I should have fixed it myself. Lord knows what's going on in your daily scheduling." He shook his head in sympathy for him. "Have a drink, sit for a moment. Relax. Tea?" Calvin turned to his replicator. He felt bad.

Sealing the new connection Sharpe extricated himself from the tight space, sat up and paused a moment "dammit, I am expected to keep this old girl running, she is barely holding together!" he exclaimed as she changed to the kneeling position and replaced the outer section and reconnected the connections before replacing the cover and standing up.

Sharpe tapped something into the console and set up a diagnostic, then turned to Hirsch "I will have that drink now if you will Lieutenant!" he said "I have started a Level One through four diagnostics on the console and the surrounding systems, your computing capability will be slow for a couple of hours but still usable, just make sure whatever you do make the input light in information for that timeframe" he added as he sat down.

"Commander, thank you for your prompt and needed help. I would have been lost." He raised a brow and shook his head at the state of his security consoles.

Calvin turned back from the replicator with two teas. Each orange pekoe with some sugar and cream if needed on the side. "Please, have a seat. How are you doing, Paul? May I call you Paul?" Security always felt it reasonable to understand the various crewmates, their thoughts, and their activities onboard the ship. Also, general interest because Hirsch enjoyed the Lt. Commander's company. Hirsch himself needed a cup of tea just to collect his thoughts over the past few days with re-emerging issues among the Cadets onboard.

Taking a sip of tea, he swallowed and rested. "Have you had any good holodeck time?" Calvin thought he might ask.

"You may call me Paul, unless the Captain or First Officer is around or if we are on the bridge," he said as he took a sip of his drink "not had time, yet when not working I have been relaxing, always something needs fixing on this ship, always. You know I used to be security long ago and was even CoS for a short time, quite enjoyed it too, spent a lot of time on the bridge. But now I have moved over to engineering I am working more behind the scenes than in the front, just how I like it, missing my two kids and my wife, but my in-laws understand duty as one is a retired full Colonel and now a diplomat and the other is an Aide to a diplomat, so Lieutenant you had any good holodeck time to do?" Sharpe said as he ended with a question.

"Have I had holodeck time?" Calvin wishes he had holodeck time. "I've spent the past few weeks going through the Cadet rows and Ensigns and anyone with a link to Lieutenant Commander Perkins. He has had yet another bombing attempt on his life, and then there have been missing medications in the Sick Bay, again, perhaps linked to a Cadet operation. Have I had a chance to sit down, not in my life on this ship since I boarded." Calvin showed a bit of anxiousness. He breathed outward as he took a drink from the soothing tea. "I think I need to see a Counsellor. I am at a loss for all of this, and it is way over my head these Cadet issues." He shook his head, not something he shared lightly with another member of the crew.

"When I first got here the Cadets did something that almost destroyed the Science systems of this ship, I had to fix stuff in the Science lab after they had gotten to it one has to keep an eye on those Cadets," Sharpe said with some bitterness as he recalled his first task on this ship not long after he arrived on the ship, he sighed and took a sip of his beverage.

"I have not had a chance to meet friends on this ship. It is a great ship, but a bit of work." Cal took a sip from his calm tea. "Would you care to enjoy a relaxing program on the holodeck the first moment I get a suspect into the Brig?" Cal sounded infuriated deep down. "The first second. Would you care for a relaxation program to join me, Sharpe, Sir?"

"Give me a call when it is time, as long as it is not the type of relaxation program that my wife finds relaxing, she likes combat programs and programs that involve near-death missions" Sharpe responded.

Hirsch raised a brow. "Relaxation indeed."

[OFF]

Lt Commander Paul Sharpe
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Poseidon

&

Lieutenant Calvin Hirsch
Chief of Security
USS Poseidon

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