Technical Surprise

Chapter 44

[DS7 Quarters]

Lieutenant Katlyn Zebot walked into her quarters looking around. With the exception of some cleaning the place was pretty much as she had left it a year ago. Heading straight for the bedroom, with setting her duffel on a chair, she unzipped it with the intentions of putting things away and grabbing a nice hot shower when he comm sounded.

Tapping her badge “Lieutenant Zebot, go ahead” she answered wondering who it could possibly be.

“This is Commodore Chi, I’m not catching you at a bad time I hope. Could you please stop by my office sometime today; there is something you should be made aware of” Rebecca explained.

Thinking for a brief moment “Could I swing by now before I get comfortable in my quarters” Katlyn inquired.

“That would be fine…..I’ll see you when you get here and no need to hurry. Chi out.”

Walking back into the living area Katlyn grabbed a quick water to rehydrate then secured her quarters and left for the Commodore’s Office. Walking along she thought “The last time I met Chi in her Office my whole world changed…..hopefully I didn’t screw up somehow.”

[Commodores Office]

Arriving at the Office Katlyn walked up to the reception desk “Good Morning…..Lieutenant Zebot to see the Commodore” she stated with a smile.

“Yes she’s been expecting you….if you’ll come right this way” the Receptionist replied then stood walking with Katlyn following. Entering the office “Commodore, Lieutenant Zebot to see you Ma’am.”

Turning from the viewport Rebecca smiled “Lieutenant please come in and have a seat at the table” then turning her attention “Commander thank you….that will be all” as her subordinate closed the door on his way out.

Looking at Katlyn with a smile “Can I get you anything before we get started” she inquired.

“No, I’m fine but thank you” Zebot replied still curious as to why the meeting.

Rebecca grabbed the coffee off her desk and sat at the table “First off  I’ve been hearing great things about you from Captain Lake so thank you for all your hard work” thinking that would put her mind at ease for the moment before continuing “The reason I wanted to meet you is to make you aware of what’s going to happen to the Vigilant this week. Let me preface what I’m about to tell you with I would like you to keep this to yourself…..it’s’s kind of a surprise for the Captain and the rest of the Crew….can you do that for me?”

“Absolutely…..my lips are sealed” Katlyn responded with a light chuckle.

“Excellent” as she slid the PaDD that was laying on the table over to Katlyn “This will give you all the technical specs you’ll need for what I’m about to share with you” as she paused a moment “Lieutenant you are one of the best Computer Specialists in Starfleet so this is the reason I wanted to equip your ship first.”

“Thank you Commodore, that means a lot coming from you” Katlyn responded with a smile.

“We are replacing the EMH on your ship with a brand new Ship’s Computer Interface or SCI as we like to call her. The computer system and software will be upgraded to LCARS (Library Computer Access/Retrieval System) 5.8 from 5.4 so you’ll need to get very friendly with the PaDD I’ve given you to facilitate maintenance on the new system. I know if anyone can make this work you can Lieutenant.”

Katlyn was a little stunned at the moment but managed to say “Thank you for your confidence in my abilities and I won’t let you down” as she paused moment “That’s quite a jump from 5.4 to 5.8 so yes I’ll need all the tech specs I can get my hands on” she replied as her mind was already hard at work.

“You’ve earned the accolades. The new Ship’s Computer Interface will have the new rank of SCI and wear the Command red since she is going to be part of the command team. Also with the software upgrade she will be able to take a solid form and will act very much as a sentient being….her name is Venus. When you need to summon her you’ll respond ‘SCI Venus to the Bridge’ or wherever she’s needed” Chi explained “So what do you think….will it be an advantage over the old EMH?”

“Absolutely and I can see where SCI Venus will be a real asset to the Crew……this is exciting stuff” Katlyn answered very much looking forward to the upgrade of the computer and software.

Rebecca couldn’t help but chuckle at the Lieutenants enthusiasm “But like I stated earlier please keep this under your hat, I really want to surprise the Captain as well as the rest of the crew. So looks like you have some reading to do but please also get some rest and have some fun while you’re on DS7.”

“I will but this will give me something to occupy my mind so I don’t get bored over the next week” Katlyn replied.

“One other thing if you could give me a progress report weekly on how things are going with the SCI for the first month just so I can have some practical data to share with Starfleet; I’d like to see this program continue to other Ship’s as well. Any questions.”

Thinking for a few moments “Yes I can give you weekly reports with no problem. As far as questions….not at the moment” Katlyn answered.

“Good. If you do have any questions this week please don’t hesitate to reach out to me” Rebecca replied “Good luck with your new adventure…..you are dismissed.”

With a respectful nod Katlyn stood and left the Commodore’s office very excited about the new Crew member being installed on the Vigilant.

[Quarters]

Arriving back at her temporary home Katlyn headed to the bathroom for a nice warm shower. As much as she was tempted to dive headlong into the PaDD Rebecca had given her, she knew it would be a waste of time as tired as she was. 

Waring a pair of shorts and T-shirt she crawled into bed and covered up “Computer wake me six hours from now” she stated before getting comfy in bed. The last thought before she fell fast asleep was “This is going to be fun.”

~Later That Day~

Now that Katlyn had some sleep she walked out into the living area and grabbed a mug of coffee from the replicator. Taking a few sips she went and sat on the couch trying to wake up. Shortly she grabbed the PaDD the Commodore had given her and fired it up.

Setting the coffee on a nearby table she began reading the information held within. Soon she was enveloped in the information as her ‘inner geek’ kicked in. A few hours passed by quickly as she continued on…..setting the device aside she finished her now cold coffee thinking “This new system is going to be awesome! Plus it should make everyone’s job just a little easier.” Katlyn was becoming to know the computer and SCI Venus on more of a personal level and couldn’t wait until the installation was complete and she was back on the Vigilant.