09-06-2026, 06:49 AM
<< Observation Lounge.<<
Jez left the Observation Lounge and relieved the crewman at her station.
“Midshipman Kantu, return to the Security Complex and resume your normal duties,” instructed Jez.
“Yes, Chief,” replied Kantu.
Kantu turned to leave, but Jez watched him for a moment. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her security crewmen. She did. But there was a difference between trusting someone and putting them into a situation where they didn’t yet have enough experience to be useful.
The Bridge was not the place to learn how to stand around and look busy.
Still, she could almost hear Mike’s voice in her head.
Never waste a teaching moment.
Jez sighed quietly.
“Kantu, wait. Resume the Security Station.”
“Yes, Chief.”
Kantu looked slightly confused as he returned to his position.
Jez turned toward him.
“Kantu, when you get assigned to the Bridge, it’s important to observe everyone on the Bridge. Not just the Tactical station. Not just the doors. Everyone.”
Kantu listened carefully.
“Especially the Captain—or whoever is sitting in the big chair. Take Commander Talion, for example. Yes, he’s the epitome of a glacier. He looks calm, controlled, and almost completely unaffected by whatever is happening around him. But don’t mistake that for inactivity.”
Jez glanced toward Talion.
“Commander Talion is brilliant. With that mind of his, he’s probably running a million scenarios at once. What we know. What we don’t know. What the Cardassians might know. What they might do next. What we’ll do if our first plan fails, and what we’ll do if our second plan fails.”
Kantu looked toward Commander Talion. Outwardly, he appeared perfectly calm, but Kantu knew—and everyone else knew—that Commander Talion was an extraordinary intellect.
“Commander Talion is probably already formulating at least three plans, just in case the Cardassians figure out our initial plan. That’s what a good commander does. He thinks ahead.”
She paused.
“But here’s the part I want you to understand. A good Bridge officer doesn’t just watch the viewscreen. They watch the people.”
Kantu frowned slightly.
“People?”
“People,” Jez confirmed. “Watch their body language. Listen to their voices. Learn what they look like when they’re calm, when they’re worried, and when they’re overwhelmed. You spend enough time around someone, you start noticing the little things. A hand tightening around a console. Someone rereading the same sensor report three times. A voice becoming just a little too quiet. Someone staring at a display without actually seeing it.”
She pointed toward the various stations around the Bridge.
“Those things matter.”
Kantu nodded slowly.
“But,” Jez added, “there’s something else you need to understand. Being aware of what’s happening around you does not mean you stop doing your job.”
Kantu looked at her.
“If you’re assigned to Security, your primary responsibility is Security. You watch your station. You monitor your sensors. You know who is coming onto the Bridge and who is leaving. You keep track of your surroundings and you stay focused on your assigned duties.”
She tapped the Security console lightly.
“You don’t abandon your responsibilities because you’re watching someone at Science having a problem. You don’t start monitoring Navigation so closely that you miss someone trying to access a restricted system. Situational awareness means knowing what’s happening around you without losing focus on what you’re responsible for.”
Kantu nodded.
“Think of it like looking through a window,” Jez continued. “Your job is what’s directly in front of you, but you should still notice what’s happening in the reflection. You don’t stare at the reflection and forget to watch the window.”
Kantu seemed to consider that analogy.
“Your attention should move, but your priorities shouldn’t.”
Jez gave him a small nod.
“That’s the difference between being distracted and being aware.”
She continued.
“Because if you notice someone struggling, you step in. You don’t wait for someone to ask for help. You don’t assume somebody else will notice. And you don’t think, That’s not my station, so it’s not my problem.”
Jez’s expression became more serious.
“The Captain can’t be distracted by everything happening around him. Neither can the senior officers. Their job is to make the decisions that affect the entire ship. Sometimes the best thing you can do for them is solve a small problem before it becomes big enough to reach their attention.”
She paused for a moment.
“Think of it this way. If the Captain has to start worrying about a malfunctioning console, a confused crewman, or some other minor problem that someone else could handle, then his attention is being pulled away from where it matters most. That’s what the rest of us are here for. We handle the smaller problems so the Captain can concentrate on the big ones.”
Kantu considered that.
“So we’re supposed to anticipate problems?”
“Exactly.”
Jez smiled.
“Security isn’t just about responding to threats. The best security officers prevent problems from becoming threats in the first place. Sometimes that means watching a door. Sometimes it means watching a person. And sometimes it means noticing that someone on the Bridge hasn’t eaten in twelve hours and is about to make a stupid decision because they’re exhausted.”
Kantu gave her a puzzled look.
Jez shrugged.
“Trust me. It happens.”
Kantu nodded as if he understood, although Jez could tell he was still putting the pieces together.
“But Chief, why is it our responsibility to watch everyone else? Don’t we have enough to worry about?”
Jez smiled.
“Because safety is everyone’s responsibility.”
She looked around the Bridge.
“These people aren’t just our fellow crew members, Kantu. They’re our family. You don’t protect your family because it’s written in a duty roster. You protect them because they’re yours.”
Kantu remained quiet.
“That’s also why I want you to learn more than just Security. Even though you’re a Midshipman, you should have a basic familiarity with every Bridge station. You don’t need to become an engineer, scientist, navigator, or doctor. But you should understand enough about what they do to recognize when something isn’t right.”
She gestured toward Tactical.
“You should know enough about Tactical to understand what the officer there is looking at. Enough Science to know what they’re telling the Captain. Enough about Navigation to recognize when the ship isn’t where it’s supposed to be. Enough Engineering to understand when someone tells you there’s a problem with the ship.”
Jez paused, then added with a faint smile.
“And I would even take an Advanced Medical class.”
“Medical?”
“Absolutely. Imagine you’re the only person standing next to someone when they collapse. You don’t need to be a doctor. But knowing what to do for the first thirty seconds could mean the difference between someone surviving long enough for the medical team to arrive—or not.”
She looked directly at Kantu.
“That’s the thing about being Starfleet. You never really know what you’ll be asked to do. One day you’re standing Security on the Bridge. The next, you’re the most experienced person in the room when something goes wrong.”
Kantu looked around the Bridge again, this time with a noticeably different expression.
Jez noticed.
“That’s why you observe, Kantu. Not because you’re looking for mistakes. You’re looking for opportunities to help.”
She gave him a small nod.
“Anyone can follow an order. A good officer understands why the order matters. A great officer understands what needs to happen before anyone has to give the order.”
Kantu stood a little straighter.
“Yes, Chief.”
Jez smiled.
“Now you’re learning.”
"Run an internal scan of the weapons systems." Ordered Jez.
"Aye." Replied Kantu.
== GM Input: Are there any problems with the ship's weapons systems that may affect our current mission?==
Jez left the Observation Lounge and relieved the crewman at her station.
“Midshipman Kantu, return to the Security Complex and resume your normal duties,” instructed Jez.
“Yes, Chief,” replied Kantu.
Kantu turned to leave, but Jez watched him for a moment. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her security crewmen. She did. But there was a difference between trusting someone and putting them into a situation where they didn’t yet have enough experience to be useful.
The Bridge was not the place to learn how to stand around and look busy.
Still, she could almost hear Mike’s voice in her head.
Never waste a teaching moment.
Jez sighed quietly.
“Kantu, wait. Resume the Security Station.”
“Yes, Chief.”
Kantu looked slightly confused as he returned to his position.
Jez turned toward him.
“Kantu, when you get assigned to the Bridge, it’s important to observe everyone on the Bridge. Not just the Tactical station. Not just the doors. Everyone.”
Kantu listened carefully.
“Especially the Captain—or whoever is sitting in the big chair. Take Commander Talion, for example. Yes, he’s the epitome of a glacier. He looks calm, controlled, and almost completely unaffected by whatever is happening around him. But don’t mistake that for inactivity.”
Jez glanced toward Talion.
“Commander Talion is brilliant. With that mind of his, he’s probably running a million scenarios at once. What we know. What we don’t know. What the Cardassians might know. What they might do next. What we’ll do if our first plan fails, and what we’ll do if our second plan fails.”
Kantu looked toward Commander Talion. Outwardly, he appeared perfectly calm, but Kantu knew—and everyone else knew—that Commander Talion was an extraordinary intellect.
“Commander Talion is probably already formulating at least three plans, just in case the Cardassians figure out our initial plan. That’s what a good commander does. He thinks ahead.”
She paused.
“But here’s the part I want you to understand. A good Bridge officer doesn’t just watch the viewscreen. They watch the people.”
Kantu frowned slightly.
“People?”
“People,” Jez confirmed. “Watch their body language. Listen to their voices. Learn what they look like when they’re calm, when they’re worried, and when they’re overwhelmed. You spend enough time around someone, you start noticing the little things. A hand tightening around a console. Someone rereading the same sensor report three times. A voice becoming just a little too quiet. Someone staring at a display without actually seeing it.”
She pointed toward the various stations around the Bridge.
“Those things matter.”
Kantu nodded slowly.
“But,” Jez added, “there’s something else you need to understand. Being aware of what’s happening around you does not mean you stop doing your job.”
Kantu looked at her.
“If you’re assigned to Security, your primary responsibility is Security. You watch your station. You monitor your sensors. You know who is coming onto the Bridge and who is leaving. You keep track of your surroundings and you stay focused on your assigned duties.”
She tapped the Security console lightly.
“You don’t abandon your responsibilities because you’re watching someone at Science having a problem. You don’t start monitoring Navigation so closely that you miss someone trying to access a restricted system. Situational awareness means knowing what’s happening around you without losing focus on what you’re responsible for.”
Kantu nodded.
“Think of it like looking through a window,” Jez continued. “Your job is what’s directly in front of you, but you should still notice what’s happening in the reflection. You don’t stare at the reflection and forget to watch the window.”
Kantu seemed to consider that analogy.
“Your attention should move, but your priorities shouldn’t.”
Jez gave him a small nod.
“That’s the difference between being distracted and being aware.”
She continued.
“Because if you notice someone struggling, you step in. You don’t wait for someone to ask for help. You don’t assume somebody else will notice. And you don’t think, That’s not my station, so it’s not my problem.”
Jez’s expression became more serious.
“The Captain can’t be distracted by everything happening around him. Neither can the senior officers. Their job is to make the decisions that affect the entire ship. Sometimes the best thing you can do for them is solve a small problem before it becomes big enough to reach their attention.”
She paused for a moment.
“Think of it this way. If the Captain has to start worrying about a malfunctioning console, a confused crewman, or some other minor problem that someone else could handle, then his attention is being pulled away from where it matters most. That’s what the rest of us are here for. We handle the smaller problems so the Captain can concentrate on the big ones.”
Kantu considered that.
“So we’re supposed to anticipate problems?”
“Exactly.”
Jez smiled.
“Security isn’t just about responding to threats. The best security officers prevent problems from becoming threats in the first place. Sometimes that means watching a door. Sometimes it means watching a person. And sometimes it means noticing that someone on the Bridge hasn’t eaten in twelve hours and is about to make a stupid decision because they’re exhausted.”
Kantu gave her a puzzled look.
Jez shrugged.
“Trust me. It happens.”
Kantu nodded as if he understood, although Jez could tell he was still putting the pieces together.
“But Chief, why is it our responsibility to watch everyone else? Don’t we have enough to worry about?”
Jez smiled.
“Because safety is everyone’s responsibility.”
She looked around the Bridge.
“These people aren’t just our fellow crew members, Kantu. They’re our family. You don’t protect your family because it’s written in a duty roster. You protect them because they’re yours.”
Kantu remained quiet.
“That’s also why I want you to learn more than just Security. Even though you’re a Midshipman, you should have a basic familiarity with every Bridge station. You don’t need to become an engineer, scientist, navigator, or doctor. But you should understand enough about what they do to recognize when something isn’t right.”
She gestured toward Tactical.
“You should know enough about Tactical to understand what the officer there is looking at. Enough Science to know what they’re telling the Captain. Enough about Navigation to recognize when the ship isn’t where it’s supposed to be. Enough Engineering to understand when someone tells you there’s a problem with the ship.”
Jez paused, then added with a faint smile.
“And I would even take an Advanced Medical class.”
“Medical?”
“Absolutely. Imagine you’re the only person standing next to someone when they collapse. You don’t need to be a doctor. But knowing what to do for the first thirty seconds could mean the difference between someone surviving long enough for the medical team to arrive—or not.”
She looked directly at Kantu.
“That’s the thing about being Starfleet. You never really know what you’ll be asked to do. One day you’re standing Security on the Bridge. The next, you’re the most experienced person in the room when something goes wrong.”
Kantu looked around the Bridge again, this time with a noticeably different expression.
Jez noticed.
“That’s why you observe, Kantu. Not because you’re looking for mistakes. You’re looking for opportunities to help.”
She gave him a small nod.
“Anyone can follow an order. A good officer understands why the order matters. A great officer understands what needs to happen before anyone has to give the order.”
Kantu stood a little straighter.
“Yes, Chief.”
Jez smiled.
“Now you’re learning.”
"Run an internal scan of the weapons systems." Ordered Jez.
"Aye." Replied Kantu.
== GM Input: Are there any problems with the ship's weapons systems that may affect our current mission?==