Tomcat Upgrades Part #2

Posted on 24 May 2024 @ 1:23pm by Lieutenant Commander Paul Sharpe & Lieutenant Leland Hawksley
Edited on on 24 May 2024 @ 1:24pm

1,730 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Out of Character Discussion
Location: Various
Timeline: During current Events

[ON]

- Starbase Holodeck #2 -

The two Engineers finally arrive at the holodeck and enter, they are greeted by the usual holodeck grid as they enter and the door is closed, "Computer activate planned holo warp core room for the USS Tomcat post-retrofit" Sharpe said and a section of the holodeck adjusted to this request.

What appeared was a 500x500 size room, that was essentially a mini, mini holodeck, with an empty middle and consoles that would monitor around the edges. "I know this has see-through walls, but this will not be the case when installed; let's go; if we are going to be working closely together, what name do you want me to use regarding you? I cannot keep saying Lieutenant all the time?" shape asked.

“No. I suppose not.” Leland agreed. “Call me Leland. To the point, it's my name. Most call me that.” He smiled slightly. “You want me to call you Paul?” He returned the query.

"Considering the task we have ahead of us, yes, please do, we have a long road ahead of us, but we can do it" Sharpe said with a smile.

Hawksley knew the simulation. Since he was tasked with the Retrofit, he had already entertained the holodeck simulation, replete with master system displays of the USS Tomcat, its current state of de-construction, and its cross-sectional collection of what was to be completed.

As each system was decommissioned, reports were generated within the central computer system of their Command Centre. “What are we going to call this? Not the lab since it is more than a lab. It is a project planning and centre showcase, simulation, and diagnostic control assembly. How about the Control Centre?” Hawksley asked.

*Paul thought a moment* "I will work on that, now we need to concentrate on the task at hand" Sharpe responded.

Leland then tapped in some commands into the LCAR system. He pulled up records of the modalized systems that have already been gutted and taken to the resource reclamation area of the star base. Already, the Tomcat was beginning to look like Swiss cheese.

Leland held a significant part of the Tomcat Retrofit and was proud of this. He would make his mark here. While most of the new structural frame assembly was completed by Utopia Planitia mercantile segments, the automated worker bees and drones phase plasma welded the new vehicle frame. Early on, Leland passed the report of the completed docking latch systems signed on to Paul for his review. The docking latches were among the first to be born for the new Tomcat since they would need to be held firm to the Space dock.

Hawksley already furthered the new Tomcat's testing of chosen hull materials. Leland, painstakingly, over days and weeks, would hold privy to the new vehicle design frames of conduits for structural integrity fields (SIF), the Internal Dampening Fields (IDF), and the deflector shield grid.

The updated, much-anticipated warp and impulse systems passed their new design review pre-arrival to the Starbase. The new Bio-Neural Gel Main Computer core for the Tomcat passed Leland’s design reviews 1 and 2 to be signed off by the Lt. Commander.

Taking things in stride at Stage Two of the retrofit, Lieutenant Hawksley requested a new redesign of the Transporter biofilter. The old biofilter systems had a below-average, sub-optimal latent drag on the EPS backups. This always bugged Leland; now was his chance to fix it, and he opened a planning session in the books ahead with Paul.

The Photon Torpedo casings Armitage upgrades were also to be brought up for review with Sharpe. The new superior launch and casing reamers were works of art in themselves. This was another file that Hawksley had pulled up on the LCAR system in sequence with his other reports/reviews/plans to be reviewed by Sharpe.

“If you will indulge me,” Hawksley glanced from the multiple files he was calling upon the central planning displays, “I just want to have everything I have been looking at, needing your input, Paul,” Hawksley commented before absently reaching for a silver mug of coffee, double cream, and double artificial sweetener. He took a drink and swallowed, his Adam's apple accepting the hefty caffeine surge.

Paul looked at him "I will look those over later, but for now here is what I have Computer activated Sharpe alpha gamma Fifty-One" he said and in the middle of the room a Sovereign-class style warp core appeared, it was downsized for use with the Akira Class, where all warp cores had arms branching out that linked to the Warp Nacelles, this one did not, it had a band around its middle with a user interface and at the top was an ODN line linking into a spot in a new section of holographic wall.

"Computer run established simulation with last known parameters," Sharpe said and the core warned up with a hum and power pulsed into the section plugged into the wall, that part simulated a ship's power cable systems at a junction that normally supplies power to the rest of a ship, all was going fine for about three minutes when the core started to overload, Paul was calm about it and let it run, then when he was certain he made his point "Computer shut down simulated power core" he has a pained look about him as he looked at Leland.

"Well Leland, as you see a steady supply for around three minutes, before it becomes unstable in that junction *points to the Core/wall connection* is a converter that should easily convert photon power to actual energy that the ship can use, but somehow I am still having trouble. See my theory is the holodeck produces photons which are then shaped into an item or character and it is those fields that give the holograms solidity, the idea I came up with was in a time of emergency a sub-safety program would activate this core and add the extra but a separate power to a ships backup power which would be aimed at SIF, Shields and Environmental systems, the idea runs okay until it gets to the converter, but I have found instability in the holographic core, it supplies the power but can be erratic, I have been working on this on and off for over Sixteen years, the holo core runs smoothly until it is connected to the converter, so the main issue is there, but the errant power surges are troubling, I am trying to get a stable backup running and trying not to blow a ship up, so you have fresh eyes, have you any ideas on how to solve the power surges and to get their converter to accept the photon energy?" Sharpe said.

Leland listened to Paul describe the nature of the problem with the updated Sovereign Class Warp core, albeit a reduced capacity-sized core.

As described, Leland reviewed the LCAR data streamed from the holodeck simulation as the converter resulted in a substantial equipment failure. The Internal Dampeners Field backups also showed signs of instability.

Hawksley found the problem to be very technical and curious. This was why he enjoyed being an Engineer, the detective work, the nitty gritty of trial and failure.

“You say you have been working with this problem for over 16 years?” Hawksley turned to Paul. “Suffice to say I will have to sit down and look at everything longer.” He listened to Paul.

“There is a theorem backgrounding the holodeck engineering testing software. Hawksley, after a long while, took a sigh. “If I were a betting man.” Which he was. “I would follow the holodeck theorem progenitors of molecular matrix data. The static output of Matter Steam, molecular pattern data, and the Engineering computer communication pathways might present a lag in the theorem holodeck matrix.”

"Well this is Why I asked for your input, I have tried working with the converter, I adjusted it and modified it, but still got what I mentioned, but, I am taking up your off time, I will let you read through my notes, the work file I have on all my work is available to you, so go be with your family for a bit, enjoy some Shoreleave the Exocomps and work drones will continue to do their work, so by the time we return they should have finished changing the saucer section frame and the struts etc and hopefully have some inner hull and corridors as well as outer hull done," Paul said.

Leland paused and smiled. “Of course.” He then turned to leave and stopped short. Leland then thought it might be a good idea to have a sit-down, jovial chat for an hour with Lt. Commander Sharpe. He knew relatively little of the man off the record.

“This is just me throwing it out there. I don’t think the Misses would mind if I took an hour out for a drink at the Starbase Lounge. Would you care to sit down and have a drink? I believe the USS MCMASTER is arriving. That would be a sight to see in those panoramic windows.” Hawksley thought if he was working with Sharpe, he might as well find out something about him rather than the standard personnel profile.

Sharpe titled his head slightly to the left with a raised eyebrow "Agreed, I could use a drink" he responded straightening his head up again "Computer safe current configuration and adjustments, authorise Lieutenant Hawksley full access to production files and systems and give him full access when he requires it" he said

"WORKING" the computer replied.

Sharpe looked at Leland "Okay, now you have the same level of access I do, so if you get a brain flash you can test your idea out, just remember to make an updated save before you make any adjustments" he said to the Lieutenant.

“A brain flash. Yeah, that’s what I hope I have.” Hawksley cocked his head sideways. “I think I need a drink. You, me, the SB 51 lounge now.”

"You are buying the first round," Sharpe said as the pair left the holodeck.

[OFF]



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