Getting Up To Speed (Part 3)

Posted on Fri Mar 21st, 2025 @ 11:56pm by Captain Patricia Cooke & Lieutenant Charlotte E. "Charlie" Yeager & Boso Gane & Oko Gane & Commander Katrina Chance & Lieutenant Commander Joseph Nixon & Lieutenant Commander Andrew Star & Lieutenant Akira Kogami & Lieutenant Pharos Ventari & Lieutenant Gabrielle 'Gabi' Shimoda
Edited on on Fri Mar 21st, 2025 @ 11:57pm

1,315 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Impending Midnight
Location: Officers' Briefing Room - Deck 1
Timeline: After 'Getting Up To Speed (Part 2)'

Previously, on Star Trek: Missouri:

"And indeed we shall:" Patricia declared, turning to Katrina. "The Icarus and Apollo are Vesta and Odyssey classes respectively, correct?"

"That is correct," Katrina affirmed in her monotonic drone. "The Apollo was recently refit, as well. While we can utilize their transporter rooms, we should also consider the possibility of using their cargo bays to increase evacuation capacity."

And now, the conclusion:

Patricia nodded.

"Then we'll have to take advantage of their greater transporter capabilities to move greater numbers of colonists than we can." Patricia explained. "On our first run, we'll need to get boots on the ground to assist in the evacuations, and deal with any I-400 units that might give us trouble. If the Icarus and Apollo can spare a team apiece, even better. Our main priority is to get the civilians out, and at the speeds we'd be performing these extractions at, a miscalculation could wind up accidentally beaming an I-400 drone on board and jeopardize the whole operation."

Patricia then gave Katrina a reassuring nod. Thirteen officers had come and gone from the Missouri, and most had been carrying out plans laid out by her. It was entirely possible that the reason why they were getting their asses handed to them each time (and why officers always wanted out) was because I-400 had become familiar with how Patricia thought and operated, and had "adapted," to borrow a Borg term. So, a fresh idea would be bound to catch the salmon bitch off guard.

"A solid plan." Gabi began. She was already impressed; having visualised the approach, the plan seemed crazy enough to work. "To your point, Captain, the presence of an I-400 drone represents an opportunity for the AI to compromise our ship's systems from within. It could disrupt fleet co-ordination and hijack the systems of other vessels. In other engagements, including with the Borg, we've seen digital warfare in addition to ship-to-ship combat. The last thing we need is I-400 turning our own ships against us. What countermeasures are in place to prevent system infiltration, both on the Missouri and fleetwide?"

Joe nodded, appreciating Gabi's foresight. "We've already taken precautions to minimize that risk," he replied. "All transporter operations will be conducted with quarantine protocols in place. Any lifeform detected will be subject to bio and cybernetic scans before materialization is completed. If an I-400 drone is detected mid-transport, the beam will be suspended, and the subject will be held in a pattern buffer until confirmed safe or rerouted into space."

He glanced toward Patricia. "On the Missouri specifically, all critical systems have been placed behind air-gapped redundancies, meaning no single system is networked directly to another without manual overrides in place. If an I-400 drone somehow makes it aboard, its ability to interface with our systems will be severely limited. And fleetwide, we've pushed out security protocols to isolate any unexpected data intrusions before they can spread."

"I like this guy's thinking," Akira remarked. "We effectively nip any invasive protocols in the bud before they have the chance to do any real damage."

"Prevention is always better than a cure," Gabi agreed. She turned to Cooke, "Captain, I would be happy to discuss or review any computer encryption and fleet communication protocols that are in place."

Pharos' antennae drooped visibly as he digested what was said. "With our system networking hobbled in this way, it's going to impact efficiency and response times of systems and personnel, and we need to be aware of that going in. Unfortunately, given the nature of what we're facing, I also have to agree that the steps are necessary. Since we won't be able to fully trust our own automation, every primary system onboard is going to need it's own babysitter. Everyone should be trained up on that, though we may need to dust off the protocols a bit."

"Great thinking, Lieutenant." Patricia responded. "While so far, we haven't recorded any instances of unauthorized backdoor access, it would be arrogant to assume this trend will continue."

Patricia then turned her attention to Gabi to address the Lieutenant's offer:

"I'd be happy to go over those protocols with you, Lieutenant." She said. "To get an idea of what we're working with, and to address any potential weak spots with them."

Gabi gave the Captain a nod, "Things seem to be under control thanks to this staff's forward thinking. However, it would be prudent to make sure we've covered as many details as possible. Are there any other areas of concern that should be highlighted?"

This was where things got slightly awkward for Katrina. The possibility of intrusion planted a thought in her head. She could be a security risk, if I-400 somehow found a way to "hack" her implant. "The automation may be the least of our concerns," she admitted. "My translation implant is virtually unprotected. I do not think I need to explain the dangers of I-400 hacking my brain."

"They could leverage our tactical data, access codes and fleet movements from within our own command structure, outmanoeuvring us before we're even aware that it's occurred." Gabi opined. She felt a pang of wariness as she continued, knowing that the discussion that was about to ensue would venture into very personal territory for the first officer. They were critical operational questions that could tread into the territory of indelicacy. She pressed on. "Is there any way we can safeguard ourselves against an intrusion?"

"I believe I can assist with that," Came from the officer, who sat in between the taller officers. "While our CMO is still reforming their department, I think a refitted Stabilizer Confinement Module should do just the trick." He knew he should have reviewed her medical file before putting ideas out in the open, but he had centuries of experience under his belt.

Katrina looked at the man thoughtfully for a moment, clasping her hands in front of her. "Perhaps," she droned. "I can provide the schematics for the device, but we will need to take care of this quickly."

"Quickly indeed." Patricia nodded. "I believe we all know what we need to do: Every worst case scenario we can think of needs to be considered seriously. Our opponent is an AI that has been several steps ahead of us from the off, meaning a highly advanced artificial intelligence. Absolutely nothing can be ruled out, because it could create a blind spot that I-400 could exploit. If anyone has further ideas on how we can safeguard against I-400, please do not hesitate to speak to myself, Commander Chance, or Lieutenant Kogami. It could mean the difference between life and death."

Patricia stood and scanned the faces gathered around the table: Only Kogami's had been the one constant through it all.

"We're in for the fight of our lives, but I believe we can win." Patricia said. "I-400 thinks we're going to give up and take our fate lying down, but everyone seated here at this table holds the power to change that. When you feel like giving up, remember your friends and loved ones back home, and the horrible fate you'll condemn them to if you do. And if you die... Walk it off."

"At this point, what have we got to lose but our existence?" Akira surmised. "You can count on us to get the job done, Captain; death notwithstanding."

"You all have your orders." Patricia nodded. "So, let's get to work."

Posting by

Captain Patricia Cooke
Commanding Officer

Commander Katrina Chance
Executive Officer

Lieutenant Akira Kogami
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
Second Officer

Lieutenant Commander Joseph Nixon
Chief Operations Officer

Lieutenant Commander Andrew Star
Chief Science Officer

Lieutenant Gabrielle "Gabi" Shimoda
Chief Intelligence Officer

Lieutenant Pharos Ventari
Chief Engineer

Lieutenant Charlotte E. "Charlie" Yeager
Assistant Chief Flight Control Officer

Boso Gane
Mission Advisor

Oko Gane
Mission Advisor

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