Joint Back Log l Captain Carpenter and Ensign Rhys l "Conversation"

Posted on 241403.30 @ 11:08am by Ensign Thee Rhys & Captain Eric Carpenter

Mission: Where no man has gone before.

It didn't take very long for Thee to get settled on the Enterprise. Whoever was in charge of logistics on the ship did an exemplary job, outfitting his quarters exactly to the specifications necessary for his species. Pahk-wa-thanh eschewed soft mattresses, preferring to sleep standing up. It was an evolved trait, designed to allow them to spring into action at a moments notice. And his quarters reflected that design need. He took some time to unpack after meeting with Commander th'Zarash, and the proceeded to the bridge to get acquainted with his station and the interface layout.

When he emerged from the turbolift, he relieved the junior officer at the console and began running diagnostics on the targeting scanners and weapons controls. The ship was in safe mode, so none of the weapons were currently armed and there was no danger of him accidentally blowing up drydock. He was so engrossed in his work that he failed to notice the turbolift doors opening again.

Eric Carpenter entered the bridge, reading a PADD. He didn't really pay all that much attention, since people tended to get out of his way - upon spotting the CO. He briefly looked around the bridge, to get a sense of what was going on, and then was extremely alarmed when he spotted something at Tactical.

"Is there a reason there's a dinosaur on my bridge?" Eric asked, rather loudly.

Rhys looked up, not having registered the newcomer's presence until now. He very quickly noticed the rank insignia on the man's collar, blinking in surprise. "Yes sir. This 'dinosaur' is your new Chief Tactical Officer. Ensign Thee Rhys reporting, sir. May I say, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Ahh, a Pahkwathanh. I've heard of your species. Please forgive me Ensign, I was incredibly rude and insensitive. Welcome aboard the Enterprise." Eric said, walking over to the tactical station.

Rhys waived a hand in dismissal. "Think nothing of it, sir. I was told to expect a certain...wariness from human crewmembers. I am well-informed of my species similarity with your ancient Earth reptiles. And thank you,sir. It is a pleasure to be aboard. I was just running a diagnostic on the targeting scanners and familiarizing myself with the work-station."

"We are using the most advanced ODN access terminals, Ensign." Eric said. "If you ask it to, it will reconfigure the console to any of our known species languages and visual profiles, all at a command. Some species see in different wavelengths, and Starfleet has tried to adapt to this somewhat, and also different languages. All you have to do is log on to a console, and it'll remember your settings."

Rhys blinked and then accessed the command console profile. With a few taps of his claws, the work-station shifted into Pahkwathanh characters. "That is absolutely fascinating, Captain. Though I am familiar with Federation Standard, it is easier to think and respond in my own language. The hardware and software on this vessel are clearly top of the line. I'm looking forward to really putting the weapons systems through their paces."

"If it gives us a tenth of a second advantage in a tactical situation that the display is in your native tongue than Federation Standard - that's a piece of kit I want on my ship." Eric said, firmly. "The weapons systems are all experimental, Ensign." He went on. "Frankly, they've never been fired outside of field trials. We have absolutely no idea what phased disruptor technology will do. You get to go into the history books as the first tactical officer to ever fire phased disruptors on a ship of the line."

Rhys bared his teeth into what was his best approximation of a smile. "There is a certain appeal to that prospect, Captain. From what I can tell from the weapons profile, they're quite a step up in firepower."

"Well, it should be." Eric said. "The Federation and Klingon Empire's have been working on this for the last five years. It has the combined firepower of standard Mark 12 phasers and Mark 12 Disruptors, fused together to form a concentrated beam of pure power." He said. "From my vague recollection of the glossy brochure anyway."

Rhys scratched a claw under his protruding snout in though. "Fascinating. An energy profile of this type would wreak havoc on standard energy shields, assuming it works as advertised. It could touch off quite the arms race, sir."

"It was inevitable that we'd start seeing hybrid technology." Eric lamented. "Its the only logical progression from pure energy focusing, and weapons technology has to evolve."

"Indeed, sir. Such a hybrid would, in its natural state, be unstable. I know that Commander Rhodes has been working to make sure the new technology is integrated seamlessly, but I'm worried about potential energy output and the potential for an overload of the EPS conduits. With your permission, sir, I'd like to explore the possibility of creating a monitoring system within the main computer that would allow me to directly monitor the weapon's energy output from the tactical station."

Eric nodded. "Make sure you liase with Lieutenant Sato-Pryce. Computer is Operations area, and I don't want her to get upset."

"Of course, sir. I wouldn't want to get on anyone's bad side."

"That's the style, Ensign." Eric nodded. "Carry on."

"Yes sir," replied the Pahkwathanh, before returing to his work.



Captain Eric Carpenter
Captain
USS Enterprise-F

&

Ensign Thee Rhys
Chief Tactical Officer
USS Enterprise-F