07-21-2024, 06:23 AM
Cindy returned the FO's look with one of almost maternal disappointment, "Regulations, protocols and using the right tools for the right job are necessary, so that creative adaptation and improvisation are used when confronted by the unexpected. Flying by the seat of one's pants as a normal way of doing business is dangerous. The safety of our people will be entirely dependent upon our ability to beam them back. The communication lag and need to jepardize the potential safety of the entire ship based on a singlular capability shows the kind of planning from Star Fleet that reflects a reduced number of combat engagements over the years. I say this, not as a reflection on you or the Captain, but as a shift in the available options you're given to work with. Without the consideration of the more dramatic emergency options that might be employed in a combat environment, there is only one real choice to work with and all it takes to strand the entire team is the abillity to jam communications. I have redundant network links, but the ship itself does not."
It was now Alex's turn to clear his throat. At first, he simply gave a tiny shake of his head to Cindy, much like the one she had given him. It was easy to tell where she had picked it up from. He then said, "Forgive my grumbling. Cindy and I have both formed old habits related to certain potentially dangerous situations. We will simply have to adapt to the new ways of doing things. I'm sure that everything will be fine. It's the Caradassians, what could possibly go wrong?"
Cindy looked back and forth between Alex and the FO, clearly struggling with wanting to say something, but Alex calmly turened back to his station and resumed his work. Cindy opened her mouth as if to speak a couple of times, then gave just a tiniest of shrugs before saying to the FO, "Very well. Please disregard.
It was quite obvious that Alex was being sarcastic, but his manner and tone was so well delivered that it was almost Vulcan. There was no hint of emotion and sounded as if he were completely conceding that it was fine. In truth, the facts of the changes in equipment and acceptable processes reflected a dramatic reduction in the redundancies that once had been in place to contend with dangerous and hostile environments. What was left unsaid was something that the Chief would be quite familiar with. During times of war and conflict, it was easy to recognize the needs for such redundancies. It was the illusion of safety in times of relative peace and availability of the time to compensate for conditions that were quite contrary to what would be faced in crisis situations, those things could set people up for failure when things hit the fan. You trained how you would do business under combat conditions, so people were prepared. Not having redundant equipment for deployment was arrived at because most such dangerous activity happened within docking facilities now. They had redundant systems and observation Worker Bee units standing by. Dock Operations monitored the active vitals of each technician on EVA in real time. Marine units were no longer necessary. There were almost no Search and Rescue teams anymore and certainly only a very few (if any) that might still be trained for combat operations. Times had changed and it was reflected in how quickly The mentality had changed over the past decades. They were not going to change things. Even if they wanted to, there was no longer the equipment, and those procedures no longer existed.
Cindy leaned over and asked in a whisper, "Patches?"
Alex replied in an equally hushed tone, "Run silent, run deep."
For Cindy, that seemed to have signaled the end of the discussion and she became very intent on her monitor. Alex was still reading scrolling raw data and looking for more information about the ship that was in distress.
It was now Alex's turn to clear his throat. At first, he simply gave a tiny shake of his head to Cindy, much like the one she had given him. It was easy to tell where she had picked it up from. He then said, "Forgive my grumbling. Cindy and I have both formed old habits related to certain potentially dangerous situations. We will simply have to adapt to the new ways of doing things. I'm sure that everything will be fine. It's the Caradassians, what could possibly go wrong?"
Cindy looked back and forth between Alex and the FO, clearly struggling with wanting to say something, but Alex calmly turened back to his station and resumed his work. Cindy opened her mouth as if to speak a couple of times, then gave just a tiniest of shrugs before saying to the FO, "Very well. Please disregard.
It was quite obvious that Alex was being sarcastic, but his manner and tone was so well delivered that it was almost Vulcan. There was no hint of emotion and sounded as if he were completely conceding that it was fine. In truth, the facts of the changes in equipment and acceptable processes reflected a dramatic reduction in the redundancies that once had been in place to contend with dangerous and hostile environments. What was left unsaid was something that the Chief would be quite familiar with. During times of war and conflict, it was easy to recognize the needs for such redundancies. It was the illusion of safety in times of relative peace and availability of the time to compensate for conditions that were quite contrary to what would be faced in crisis situations, those things could set people up for failure when things hit the fan. You trained how you would do business under combat conditions, so people were prepared. Not having redundant equipment for deployment was arrived at because most such dangerous activity happened within docking facilities now. They had redundant systems and observation Worker Bee units standing by. Dock Operations monitored the active vitals of each technician on EVA in real time. Marine units were no longer necessary. There were almost no Search and Rescue teams anymore and certainly only a very few (if any) that might still be trained for combat operations. Times had changed and it was reflected in how quickly The mentality had changed over the past decades. They were not going to change things. Even if they wanted to, there was no longer the equipment, and those procedures no longer existed.
Cindy leaned over and asked in a whisper, "Patches?"
Alex replied in an equally hushed tone, "Run silent, run deep."
For Cindy, that seemed to have signaled the end of the discussion and she became very intent on her monitor. Alex was still reading scrolling raw data and looking for more information about the ship that was in distress.