Delegation, it's the name of the game.

Posted on 21 Oct 2016 @ 7:12pm by Commander Paul Toddman & Lieutenant JG Seras

Mission: Episode One: Back on the Highway to Hell
Location: Operations country, Deck 13
Timeline: MD 1: 10:30hrs

Paul entered the Operations complex he had dubbed Operations country. Due to the nature of the mission the Arizona was on, Captain Cowell had allowed him to annex a few adjacent rooms and create a more efficient Operations department HQ. The place was buzzing with activity as Toddman's crew worked on organising supplies, hardware and the cargo buffers. He spotted his target standing at a console and called out.

"Seras, I need your help with something here"

'Standing' might not have been the operative word as she was elbow deep in transporter console innards; though everything on this ship was still shiny and new, Seras considered it imperative that she knew the transporters inside and out given their importance and how sensitive they could be, so now that they had hit a bit of a lull with the cargo bays nicely organized, she was taking it upon herself to get to know her transporters, starting with the main cargo transporter. When she heard her name, her head popped up, her perky ponytail flopping down her back.

"Yes sir?" the Cairn's synthesized voice called out. She handed her tools off to a crewman to continue putting the console back together, then she strode over to Toddman.

Paul handed Seras the PADD Nathan had given him to Seras. "We need to make 5 or 6 probes to those specifications. You think you can handle a team and get it done in 36 hours?"

Seras took the PaDD and looked it over. "Probes are no problem," she started with a nod. The time constraint was a little tight, but she felt confident that such a task was doable. Although her brow furrowed when she read the detail that the probes should ultimately be set to explode. "But this is odd... why must they explode?" she asked curiously.

"Well, let's just say we want to minimise contact with some alien technology. Do you remember reading about the U.S.S. Yamato? Well, we want to avoid that, basically".

"Yamato..." Seras said, gazing past him in thought. "Oh.... Oh!" she said, finally understanding what it was that he was hinting at, Iconian technology. "Yes, I would like to avoid that fate as well," Seras said with a nod as she looked over the schematics of the probes. "I could slip in some charges on the power manifolds. Once the manifolds blow, the explosion should take the rest of the probe with it, and if we use mechanical timers on the charges then there's nothing for the invading programming to override."

"Excellent thinking. This comes directly from the Captain and he expects to have his probes before we reach out first destination. You think you are up to leading the team yourself?" Paul asked, confident in his subordinate.

"Yes, I think so," Seras replied with another nod, already trying to work out in her head how to trigger the timers while being fired from the torpedo tubes; perhaps they could rig a switch on the outside of the probes? "36 hours for 6 custom probes is not going to be easy, but we can do it. "I'll start pulling people together for this right away. Also, I cannot help but wonder from the way you brought up the 'alien technology' that it is to be kept a secret. Is this the case or may I tell my team?" she asked. Keeping the details of the Iconian tech under wraps would make the task more challenging, but not impossible, and she would follow orders either way, but it helped to know how much discretion was necessary when working with a team where she might need to get their feedback on the modifications.

"I think it best you don't mention anything. Anyone asks, point them in my direction if they don't take 'Classified' as an answer. I'm authorizing you to also grab anyone from Engineering to help you with component. I'm sure a certain Lieutenant Jurgen will be eager to lend a hand and make her mark."
Paul put his thumb on the PaDD Seras still had in her hand to authorize the use of other department personnel.

"Yes sir," Seras stated. "I'll get right on this." She took this as an opportunity to leave to start gathering her team, and she would be taking his suggestion to visit Lieutenant Jurgen, the first stop on her list.