Securing Security

Posted on 14 Apr 2016 @ 3:43am by Lieutenant JG Randolf Eklund & Ensign Lia Circe
Edited on on 16 Apr 2016 @ 9:13pm

1,705 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 10 - Symposium
Location: USS Galileo - Security Office
Timeline: MD 93 - 1000 hrs

[ON]

Protecting the Admiral will require Lia to have access to several key systems to complete her mission; however several of those systems are actively monitored by the Security Department. Remembering her conversation with Captain Holliday and his distrust of her department...it wouldn't be a stretch to think others share that same thought.

As she approached the security office with a tool kit in hand, she took a deep breath and walked inside.

Randy was almost through his shift when the door swished open. An attractive woman with striking golden eyes entered. He recognized her from the personnel files he had reviewed. He was actually growing to love the fact that this ship was small enough for him to keep basic information about most of the crew right there in his head.

"Ensign Circe, yes?" Randy stood behind the desk he'd been using to update training schedules. "How can I help you?" He remembered that she was attached to Intelligence and wondered idly how well she knew Tyrion.

Lia's eyes glanced over at the gentlemen before her, eyes shift as if either checking him out or sizing him up. Once his thoughts on Tyrion she stepped forward. "Lieutenant Eklund, I'm just here to do a sweep on your security systems. This ship has had a history of systems being compromised and based on the reports of their run in with the Mirror Universe... it doesn't hurt to make sure there isn't any surprises left on the systems."

Randy was a bit confused. "I understand the concern, but Jupiter Station just finished a Level 1 diagnostic of most of the ship systems. And the Intelligence databases are kept sequestered, so there shouldn't be much interaction. What is it you're looking for? I'm sure I can help figure out if there's a problem. I'd hate to have any surprises, as well." He wasn't comfortable just handing over access to Security's systems; it was a violation of several directives.

Lia nodded, "I understand the confusion, and I'm not asking for simple access. You and I can work on the check together..." Her voice trialed off and she thought of her recent conversation with Holliday again. "There is intelligence of a potential threat aimed at the command staff. I can't elaborate but it's my job to either confirm there is a threat or if it's just mere rumor. There are things even a Level 1 diagnostic can miss."

"True," Randy was still a bit unsure, but Lia was making a good point. If there was a threat to the command staff that might have slipped through a diagnostic, it was his duty to at least investigate it. He would keep an eye on things, and would be careful to not expose any secure systems without command authorization, but a hand from Intelligence could be invaluable in something like this. "Alright, what sort of threat, and what did you have in mind?"

"Well first I'll need access to the main system...so is there a console we can work from?" She asked, with a smile.

Randy tapped a few commands into his console. He entered a few passwords there then sent the screen to the main one against the wall. "There is an access window we can work from," he headed over to it. "If that's not enough, I can open more as we need them." He was very much 'by the book' when it came to security.

Lia nodded and followed him towards the wall display, "This should be fine." She replied, as she tapped a few controls. "First way to discover any tampering of a subsystem...run a diagnostic of the diagnostic systems." She said as if teaching Randy a trick, "so we're running a level 2 diagnostic on all security system checks." As she activated the scan looked up at the tall man. "We both have the same job you know. Our number 1 duty is the protection of this ship and her crew. They only difference is the way we achieve our goal."

"True," Randy relaxed a bit. "Of course, you can't blame me for being cautious...unless you'd care to give me access to the Intelligence databases." He turned to smile disarmingly. He turned back to the screen to check the progress of the diagnostic. "So far, so good."

"Well I'll tell you, an attractive fella like yourself would go a long way in Intelligence." She smirked as she kept her attention on the screen.

"And you would go a long way as a con artist," Randy chuckled. "I think I like you. What would Security be without a few con artists to have as friendly arch-enemies, right?" His own smirk was quite clear as he pulled up the next system to analyze. "And, I thought intelligence was all about blending in rather than standing out. My devilish good looks definitely stand out." He tried very hard not to roll his eyes.

Lia blinked and turned to face him, "You may be attractive, but you're not that good looking." She replied seriously and then turned back to the console. "On second thought, perhaps you should stick with security; that sort of personality will get you killed out in the field."

"Alright, I'll stay in Security where it's nice and safe," Randy responded dryly. "Seriously, though. I think Intelligence work would drive me nuts. Give me a bad guy who's a bad guy any day over someone I might have to kill, but might have to work with, depending on the shifting political winds. I guess I'm just a little too simple for that life. I enjoy my black and white, good and bad, right and wrong situations." He added, hoping to placate, "I'm very happy to leave that sort of thing in your capable hands."

"Thank you." Lia replied as she panel chirped. "Good...nothing was found." she commented as she reviewed the diagnostic results. Her eyes skimmed through the report until something caught her eye. "now this is interesting..." she tapped it, "while the scan didn't show any issues, did you see how long it took for the initial ping when checking the comm array? About 20 milliseconds. Should have taken no more than three."

"True," Randy sat down at the console and started tapping out more commands. He knew that being as big as he was people often assumed he was not so bright. And while he might not be that bright when compared to the crew of a science vessel, he was very good at what he did. "But there could be a number of reasons for that. We just had a huge update at Jupiter station, so it could just be a re-indexing issue."

His hands flew over the screen. "That's not it. There are still innocent possibilities, but I don't like not knowing." Randy turned to Lia, "What sort of threat, exactly, are you investigating? I get that it's probably need-to-know, but if it could be effecting my department, I need to know."

"I can share that one aspect of the threat involves the communication systems." She lifted her toolkit and opened it up, pulling out a small device. "This device detects any tampering whether internally or externally of any system it's connected to." She handed it to Randy. "The ping could be nothing, but I'd feel safer if we attach that to the comm."

"That...sounds reasonable," Randy looked over the cryptic device. "But I can't authorize something like that without running it past the chief first. I'm the new guy. I've got to do it by the book." Being new had nothing to do with Randy's following protocol, but it usually made people feel more likely to relate to him if it sounded like he wanted to go along with their suggestions if not for those pesky regulations. He was more sympathetic that way. It tended to gather more info than just being belligerent.

Lia turned to him, "I wouldn't want you to violate protocols. It's a simple submicron scanner so once you get approval, please proceed to use it on the communication systems." She smiled as she closed the toolkit.

"Thanks," Randy placed the scanner on the main security desk in order to ask Lt. Benice about it later. "Are you expecting this threat to be coming from outside, or is it an internal issue? It might help security prepare. An inside job is an entirely different thing from and outside attack."

"If I knew where the threat was going to come from, I wouldn't be here checking to see if anything has been tampered with." Lia pointed out, "I assure you when I have anything concrete that I can share, I'll do so."

"Fair enough," Randy raised a hand in surrender. "So I'm assuming you want this scanning both the subspace comm system and the internal network. They're handled separately as intraship communication doesn't really need access to the subspace array."

"That is correct." Lia nodded, "You mind spearheading that for me, or would you rather I contact operations or engineer?"

"Security has all the access needed," Randy said. "And if there is the chance of an internal threat, it's best to limit the number of people involved. I still have to run this past my chief, but unless there is a reason to involve another department, I would suggest we didn't."

"Agreed." Lia nodded and then added, "All I ask is you be discreet with what you share with your chief. I don't want the whole ship to get wind of any potential threat. Like I said earlier it could be nothing."

"Of course." Randy slipped the scanner into one of the shielded holding compartments security used. "Other than you, me, and our bosses, I can't see anyone with a need to know at this point. Agreed?"

Lia smiled and nodded, "Agreed. Thank you for all your help, Randy."

"Not a problem," Randy smiled. "After all, the security of the ship and crew is pretty much my job description." He turned back to review the data they'd scanned before securing the terminal again.

[OFF]

Lt.jg Randolf Eklund
Asst. Chief Sec/Tac
USS Galileo

Ensign Lia Circe
Asst. Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

RSS Feed