USS Chawla
Security room, Charlie one

The three of them approached the room, hard to miss with the two security guards standing outside the door with phaser rifles, they all noticed the Benzite commander pacing the hallway in front of the door.

“Ahhh, there you are Captain. We have found no anomalies in any of the systems, nor have we found anything that shouldn’t be there. What we did find was added code in a couple of the subroutines dealing with the warp cores and the EPS conduit system. My team should have it cleared up in a few minutes.”

Aryanna looked at the commander and nodded. “Do you have this information on your PADD, commander?”

Taking in a deep breath through his apparatus and letting it out slowly.”Yes, Ma’am”

“Show me.”

He proceeded to show her the information on his PADD, trying to explain what it was as she looked at it, she held up a hand and gave him a sideways glance. “I can read, and I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t know a little about ship systems. You said he has done something like this in the past? Was it also on Sagan class ships?”

“Yes ma’am, twice before. However, we were able to find him before he was able to do anything. This is the first time that he was able to get on board and get into engineering.”

Aryanna read the report for another minute, “Tell your teams not to touch anything till I give the go-ahead, understood.”

The commander looked at her and grimaced, opening and closing his mouth several times as he thought about saying something in return.

Commander Altizer watched the conversation and then turned toward the two security officers, snapping his fingers. “His PADD?”
One of the officers bent over and picked it up off of the floor where it had been leaning against the wall by his feet.” Sir” as he handed it to the commander.

“Is that how we secure evidence, now?” as he looked at the two officers and shook his head.

“Standard issue PADD. “ he looked it over and then tried typing on it with no sign of activation. “Ya, of course, an engineer would have it locked, protected. Well, we have a way around that.” he pulled out his PADD, pulled a cable from its side, attached it to one of the ports on the other PADD, and typed something on his PADD.

The two security officers looked at each other wildly as they watched the commander.
“Privileges of my old line of work, ahh there we go. Let’s see what we have, shall we.” he started to walk into the room followed by the Captain and XO.

“Lieutenant Aidanson, Robert”

“Yes, sir.”

“Looks like you’ve gotten yourself in quite a pickle” he looked back at the captain and executive officer, raising an eyebrow as he watched the Benzite engineering commander follow them in.

“I’m sure you know or at least recognize the officers in the room with me, let me introduce Captain Rigras and Lieutenant Commander Bearsong the captain and executive officer of the USS Chawla “ he pointed at the two red tunic’d officers. “I’m sure you know the Lieutenant Commander and I’m Lieutenant Commander Altizer, as of about twenty-five minutes ago the Chief T.S.O on the Chawla.” as he took a seat at the table across from the lieutenant and placed two PADDS side by side each other on the tabletop.

“Now the captain here has asked me to answer one question for her.” he picked up one of the PADDS.

The lieutenant winced when he realized that the lieutenant commander was holding his PADD. “Please, “he stuttered “ be careful with that. If you would allow me, I would be more than happy to unlock it for you. It has a pretty serious encryption system programmed in it.”

Altizer turns the PADD toward the lieutenant, “No need, I’m already in.”
The lieutenant’s jaw dropped, “What, how? I created that encryption myself.”

Altizer chuckled “ Wasn’t too hard to crack. So as I was saying, I have one question to answer. So, where shall we start? ”

“What is the question they want you to answer? If I may ask.”

“Whether you’re a traitor, a spy, or just an idiot. My money is on the last one.”

“I’m not any of the three, I’ll have you know I…”

Altizer holds up a hand and then points at the other PADD. “I’m quite aware of who you are, lieutenant. Well, at least who you say you are?”

“What do you mean, who I say I am? You have my PADD and I’m sure you have run my DNA through the system.”

“Oh we have, but as you know we had a slight issue with changelings recently. I mean, I guess there is one way to find out. “ he turned toward Commander Bearsong “ Ma’am, could you ask one of them gentlemen outside to come in and shoot this lieutenant till I say stop.”

Commander Bearsong looked at Captain Rigras who gave her a nod, stepped out, and returned with one of the security officers, his phaser rifle unslung and pointing at the lieutenant as everyone else in the room looked on with dread.

“Officer, step right beside me and when I say fire, do not stop till I say so. Do you understand?”

The officer took a deep breath, looked at the other officers, and nodded.

“Good, one, two..” the room went into chaos as the lieutenant ducked under the table and Captain Rigras grabbed the rifle and pointed it toward the floor.

“Well, I guess that answered that question. You can step back outside, thank you.” Rigras said as she nodded at the security officer. “Balls back in your court Commander.” She went back to looking at her PADD with her executive officer.

“What the hell was that?” a very shaken lieutenant exclaimed as he climbed from under the table.

“Well, since you’re not a trail of slime trying to get out nor did you fight to defend yourself; it’s safe to say you passed that little test.” Altizer said with a chuckle.

“A test, a test… You could have killed me!”

“Naaaa, never would have let him shoot you. The captain just got to him before I did.” he looked back down at the PADD he was holding. “So where were we? Ahhh” he looked at the lieutenant who now stood across from him. “Seems the lieutenant has a thing for Orions and Klingons, says a lot. Interesting?” He saw a message come across his PADD, which he then picked up and showed the captain and executive officer.

“Commander,” she turned toward the Benzite commander, showing him her PADD “Is this possible? Yes or no”

“Well, um it’s possible I guess, though it’s not by the book and it would take some further testing to see what the ramifications would be on the ship’s various systems.”

“I don’t care about your damn book, I just want a yes or no.”

“Theoretically. I would…”

“That’s good enough for me, you and your team are dismissed, commander.”

“But, but.. We have to fix what he did.” the commander said as he took several deep breaths.

“I said you are dismissed, do not have me call station security to escort you off my ship.”

“Yes, captain. What about him?” he asked as he started to leave the room nodding toward the lieutenant.

“I will handle the situation from here, commander. Goodbye.” as she watched him leave. Turning back to the table she placed both hands on the table, her PADD flat on the table with a hand on top and leaned forward. “Lieutenant, I’m tired, hungry, and short on time. Is what you theorize practical, meaning would it work?”

“Yes, ma’am. If you look at the Sagan class schematics it makes sense. What is this about?”

“I’m asking the questions here, lieutenant. Looking at your records it seems you have a knack for thinking outside the box. Looks like you have received two, no, three letters of reprimand in your file on unorthodox engineering.”

“Back home we would call that a little bit of Appalachia know-how, captain,” Altizer said as he got up from his seat.

“Well you see captain. “ the lieutenant started to quickly look between the three officers in front of him. “I can explain.”
Altizer looked at the lieutenant “Don’t think she was asking.”

“Right, you see lieutenant, we have a bit of a situation here. I now have two opinions that seem to lend credence to your theory. “ she looked back and forth between her PADD and the lieutenant for the next minute or two. “Ahh hell, why not?”

“Lieutenant Aidanson, listen to me and listen very carefully. You understand what happens the moment I call those two security officers in here?”

The lieutenant buried his head in his hands and nodded.

“Which I think would be a waste of your talents, don’t you? Don’t answer, just listen.”

“I’m going to tell you straight, You have piqued my interest and that is a hard thing for me, well us, to just forget. The only thing saving you from a lifetime in a penal colony is what is on that. “ she pointed at his PADD that Commander Altizer held. “Do you know what this is?” She showed him her PADD with a list of roughly fifteen names on it.

The lieutenant leaned forward, squinted, shook his head, and pulled out a pair of glasses from under his collar. “Looks like a list of engineers, ma’am” he then put the glasses back.

“Give the man a cookie. Yes, that is exactly what it is, or to be more exact it’s a list of engineers that the personnel office suggested to me for my chief engineer. Take note of who is on the top of the list and who is not on the list.”

The lieutenant took his glasses out again and leaned forward to read the PADD again and then shook his head as he sat back. “That would be a mistake, ma’am, the only thing he knows is what is in that damn book of his.”

“That doesn’t matter, to most captains, he has the rank and he has the experience even if it is all at fleet yards and starbases. However, I am not like most captains. While knowing the book is good, thinking outside of the box is just as important, from our experience the book doesn’t cover everything that could go wrong out there.” she closed her eyes let out a long breath, and then looked at him directly in the eyes. “ This is the part where you listen real close lieutenant. I don’t have time to play games or talk to fifteen officers that I know just by looking at their records and dossiers will not make the cut. So understand this, I am going to make sure that your department heads are hungry, they will either outrank you or be officers who think just like you do, I will make sure they smell the proverbial blood in the water. They will be waiting for that one slip, that one mistake.”

The lieutenant listened to the captain, mouth opening and closing, wanting to speak but couldn’t.

The captain chuckled as she watched him, then snapped her fingers.”That quick Lieutenant, that’s how quick I can replace you, one mistake, one slip and you’re gone. Understood?”

The lieutenant just kept mouthing something as he looked between the three officers on the other side of the table, eyes wide.

Meadow leaned into Commander Altizer, “You think he’s figured it out?”

Altizer chuckled in reply.

“Good. Now, how long will it take to make these updates?” pointing at the PADD as she slid it across the table.

Lieutenant Aidanson put on his glasses and picked up the PADD lips moving as he started to read.

“Lieutenant?”

He held his hand up as he continued to read. “It works, It works.” he started to laugh and wipe his mouth. “One week, Captain.”

Aryanna looked at the Lieutenant sitting across from her as he continued to read. “You have five days.” Meadow leaned in and whispered something in her ear “And Lieutenant it has come to my attention that you recently failed the bridge officer test, you will retake that test in those five days and I would heavily suggest you make sure you pass this time.”

Lieutenant Aidanson looked up from his PADD, “Captain, my place is in engineering not on the bridge. Therefore why bother?”

“Because I just said so for one for two you are correct your place is in engineering keeping my ship in one piece and the crew alive but my staff will be fully qualified which means you will be qualified to be on the bridge. Do we understand or should I call the commander back?”

Lieutenant Aidanson’s shoulders dropped as she spoke. “Understood.” As he got up and started to walk out of the room still reading his PADD aloud.

“Lieutenant, where are you going? I don’t remember saying that we are finished.”
“You just gave me five days, ma’am.” as he left the room.

“Meadow, find me my sharks.”

“Yes, captain.”

“Captain, if I may?” Altizer asked as he looked at his PADD.

“Yes”

“I may have one and she may be the one too…” as he showed the captain his PADD.

Aryanna broke out in a loud chuckle “I see what you mean, make her the offer. If you have to sweeten the deal then you have my permission.”

“Yes ma’am” as he quickly typed a message on his PADD.

“I have an interview with a possible Chief Flight Control Officer soon and I would like to have some breakfast before that meeting. Meadow, meeting in my ready room, let’s say noon to go over the crew roster.”
“Yes, ma’am.”

Aryanna got up from the seat at the table, looked around the room with a shake of her head, and walked toward the door, exiting as it slid open. The two commanders followed a few moments later.