Plugging the Holes (Part 1)

Posted on 22 Nov 2018 @ 9:28am by Lieutenant Commander Magdalena "Maggie" Doyl & Captain Gabriel Barron M.D. & Petty Officer 1st Class Lia McCarthy

1,363 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Empty Creche
Location: Security and Main Computer

ON

Maggie was finally done with the upgrades to her security system. Now, she wanted to get it tested. So she called PALLAS and Lia to help her.

PALLAS appeared and eyed the Commander. "You require my assistance Lieutenant Commander Doyl? Shall I assume you have completed the upgrades you've been working on?"

"I do and I have," Maggie said. "The last attack was more effective than I would have liked and I don't want them using the knowledge they have to get in again. So, I made some modifications and more dead ends in the maze. I've also made the buffer stronger so they're less likely to get through. But I need you and the petty officer to make sure."

PALLAS nodded "I understand, I'll begin my initial assessment of it and get my findings to you immediately." there was a pause as PALLAS thought "Would you like to brief the Petty Officer yourself, shall I have her summoned to your office?"

"Yes. And if the new Captain is interested, he's welcome to help out as well."

PALLAS nodded and shifted her thoughts, accessing a secondary set of subroutines that allowed her to open a communications line with anyone on the ship. She found the location of the two com badges she wished to speak to and tagged them each causing the corresponding communicators to chirp.

=/\="PALLAS to Petty Officer McCarthy.=/\=

Tag McCarthy

On a separate deck the communicator of Barron chirped. =/\=PALLAS to Captain Barron.=/\= The klingon slapped his chest almost as an afterthought.

=/\="Go for Barron."=/\=
=/\="Sir, Commander Doyle has asked me to inform you that the added security measures are about to be tested and wanted to inquire if you were interested in joining in the testing?"=/\= PALLAS asked.

=/\="Inform the Commander I''ll head to her office." he looked at the PADD he was reading and finished the last few sentences "With in the next ten minutes I'm curious as to what she's cooked up."=/\=

Maggie smiled at PALLAS. "Let's get set up."

Several minutes later Barron entered the security office and nodded to the Commander "So, what do we have Chief?"

"A maze," she replied. "We already had a buffer set up so that any attempts to get into the computer would hit the buffer. But with recent events, I decided to add a...maze of sorts. Anyone who tries to get into the computer without the proper authorization will end up going through a data maze and then end up in a virtual computer that will allow PALLAS to have some fun with them." Even though Marshall had no idea that his attack on PALLAS failed, she didn't want to take any chances that he would learn about it and adapt if he, or the Ee, tried again.

"Interesting, I take it that activation of the maze flags you and the senior command staff when its activated?" He asked looking at the Commander and contemplating her for the XOs position after his talk with Rhyan.

"Yes. You, the First Officer, PALLAS, and me," she said. "Unless you think anyone else needs to be informed." She grinned. "I also added a backdoor protocol that allows you to play with the mouse once he or she enters the maze. It gives the program more adaptability."

Barron nodded "Impressive Commander. I look forward to seeing what it will do. Are there any fail safes that will lockout computer control should the maze be breached?"

"Yes. It will require two people to override the computer, but that fail safe is there." She smiled apologetically to PALLAS.

"Very good. Include coded, time locked rotating terminals that two of the three with access will have to report to to lift the lockout and I'll be more happy. Do not include the captains chair terminal or my ready room as locations. As a matter of fact, have those terminals booby trapped as they are a little too obvious." He said thinking about the situation a little further.

"I can do that." Maggie raised an eyebrow. "Can I have the booby trap be that if someone tries to override these particular protocols it locks out the console until it is unlocked by this same protocol. That way, whoever tries will find that the console won't work at all. My other thought it it transports the person making the attempt to the brig."

He nodded "By all means. When medical and science finds a neutralizing agent for the hybrid virus I want canisters prepped for immediate saturation of the ship."

"Yes, sir." She hoped that wouldn't be long. "Is there anything else you would like added to security?" She glanced at both the Captain and PALLAS.

PALLAS stood in the corner of the office looking on, not speaking. Barron shook his head "As many devious and underhanded things that will stack the deck in our favor." he paused then said "I do want to set up a fail safe that will allow me to lock out the computer and all bridge functions and place PALLAS in temporary command of the ship should myself, the xo and the bridge crew become incapacitated. With provisos. I haven't quite gotten those worked out yet, but I do know she should be immune to the hybrids telekinetic/telepathic abilities which means she should stay clear headed if were all taken down."

Maggie looked at PALLAS, then back at the Captain. "She already has that ability, sir." Then she gave him an almost-cheeky grin. "But I'd be happy to hear any other devious ideas you may have."

The door chirped as Lia entered the room and looked to Commander Doyl. "My apologies commander, I was stuck on another task and couldn't get away." Lia saluted smoothly and awaited her briefing instructions.

Maggie turned to Lia. "Glad you could make it. PALLAS and I have made some modifications to the security systems and would like your help making sure we didn't leave any holes."

Lia nodded. "You want me to try and break your system, Commander?" She fidgeted with her neural attachment in her wrist, knowing full well she could likely break the system. However, she wondered what kind of nasty surprises waited in the net.

"Yes, I do. Because if you can break it, so can others." Maggie wasn't going to tell Lia that PALLAS had helped her with the system, and that there were, indeed, some nasties waiting for her.

"Yes, commander." She nodded and walked over to the neural interface and connected her attachment and accessed the base system. "Okay, M0nk3y. Let's start with Tier 1, and work form there. Commander, have medbay on standby please. M0nk3y and I are directly interfaced with each other." She began with the basics, poking at the system and getting familiar with where she could and couldn't wander.

As an afterthought, she nodded towards Commander Doyl. "Am I supposed to go after anything in particular, or am i just trying to gain access in general?" Lia hated going blind, but she felt that this was kind of the point of testing the system. She also had a sneaking suspicion that the others didn't trust her because of how she ended up here and perhaps it was more than just the security being tested as well.

"Just see if you can get in," Maggie said. "PALLAS and I will know if you succeed."

"I am monitoring, nothing more. We wish to see how well the programming holds up to... clandestine skulldugary while im not focused fully on it. Although I have modified the alarms and countermeasures, you should not require medical assistance. " PALLAS said simply.

Barron moved to a small couch in the office and say down then thought better of it. He moved to the replicator. "Popcorn, hot extra butter." He blinked "All the butter actually computer." A bag of buttery popcorn appeared and he took a handful "I didn't know this came with a show too."


(To be continued...)

Gabrial Bannon
Captain
Commanding Officer
USS Redemption

&

Lieutenant Commander Magdalena "Maggie" Doyl
Chief Security/Tactical officer
USS Redemption

&

Lia McCarthy
Petty Officer 1st Class
Encryption Specialist
USS Redemption

 

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