Briefing and Shakedown Cruise Part #2

Posted on 27 Aug 2025 @ 12:23pm by Captain Jasmine Somers FCapt & Lieutenant Commander Leland Hawksley & Lieutenant Paul Winchester & Lieutenant Serina "Reaper" Donovan & Lieutenant Margeurite "Maggie" LeFebvre & Lieutenant JG Faith Benson & 1st Lieutenant Cassandra Matthews & 1st Lieutenant Gavin Ross Dr. & Ensign Otes Ze & Ensign Cael Maz & Chief Warrant Officer Glenn Stone Mr & Master Sergeant Thomas Zang

4,732 words; about a 24 minute read

Mission: S04 Episode 02 The Hackers Backdoor (Main)
Location: USS Tomcat Briefing Room
Timeline: Current

[ON]

Now that all were in attendance, even the new Nuggets, the briefing could begin, if you could all call this a briefing, Jasmine sighed "first off I would like to welcome the new members of the Tomcat, you lucky few regardless of rank are classed as nugget for the first six months, during this time you are not eligable for promotion" she said.

She paused...

"Okay, this outing will be initially a Shakedown Cruise, but while we are on it, we will be keeping a sensor lookout for anything out of the ordinary. There have been reports of a Ferengi Computer Hacker; this idiot managed to hack Starfleet Security, Klingon Security, and download vital information essential to the security of both Empires. He has since gone to ground as he has both Starfleet, Klingons, and all renegade parties after him for the data he has. Now these criminal groups will not go easy on him should he be caught, same for the Klingons, so the person I will assign to communications and sensors will keep an eye out for this Ferengi's location or reported one, but until that happens, we will be on a shake down cruise," Somers said and paused.

"Okay, before you are given a quick rundown on the new and improved Tomcat, are there any questions on what I have initially said? And keep them as short as possible," Somers asked.

"Captain, do you want me to call my Honour brother Eric Stewart for any information that they have on this?" Paul asked, as he could use his connections with the Klingons.

Looking at Winchester, "No need, Lieutenant, other angles are covered; we only need to concentrate on our side of things, but if you get any information on anything, you will let me know?" the Captain said.

"If I hear anything from Eric, I will inform you straight away," replied Paul, looking back at her.

Janeway sits upright, determination evident as she grips her canteen. “Captain Somers, the 95th Rifles are ready for the shakedown and to track the Ferengi hacker. What specific priority sectors should we evaluate for his hideout?”

She speaks calmly. “Are the refit defences fully tested for combat readiness? My Rifles need clear engagement protocols.” She checks the room, focusing on the mission debriefing. “Any updates on the Klingon pursuit?”

The Captain suddenly looks up, "Where did you hear about the hacker, Major? It is not widely known, yet she asked, then looked at the Major, "Never mind, I have been in the service long enough to know scuttlebutt, but kindly wait until the briefing is given, okay?" The Captain asked.

Janeway leans forward, her Texan grin flashin’ like a rodeo queen’s spurs under floodlights “ Somers, ma’am, I roped your hacker yarn—wilder than a sidewinder’s photon lasso in a bull-riding frenzy. She tips her head with a Corps cadet’s nod, Marine grit stellar. I jumped the gate when you mentioned it at the start of this briefing. Her Texan drawl was as tight as a Longhorn’s hide in a Red River rodeo dust-up. My apologies, Captain— faster than a jackrabbit through a rodeo corral. I will be ready to lasso that Ferengi. Janeway nods to Somers, “ I’ll retain my spurs quiet ‘til for the briefing, ma’am”.

The Captain looked at the Major with a raised eyebrow, "I think I got the gist of what you are saying, Major" oO, Texans!! Oo she exclaimed to herself as she hid a smile.

Thomas straightened slightly in his seat, eyes flicking briefly toward the cluster of officers before settling on the table. “No questions, ma’am,” he said, his tone clipped but quiet, careful not to draw more attention than necessary.

Otes sat up bolt upright in his chair. Sometimes, the anxiety got the better of him. He listened intently to the captain speak, noting down the relevant points and matters that he would need to commit to memory if he was going to stand a slim chance of coming through this alive.

Cassandra sat stiffly in her chair, her normally composed demeanour betraying slight tension, though she worked hard to mask it. From time to time, her hand subtly brushed against her side, as if adjusting her uniform jacket, though the movement ended in a fleeting grimace that she quickly buried behind a neutral expression. She tapped the edge of her PADD rhythmically against the table, not in impatience, but as though coaxing her thoughts into proper shape before she spoke.

"Captain," Cassandra began, her voice carrying that calm, level tone that had often earned her a reputation for measured thinking, "if we’re to keep a sensor lookout for this Ferengi, how wide are we casting the net? Are we talking localised sectors along our route, or is the intention to expand the sweep beyond the usual?"

"Yes, Lieutenant, it is as you say," the Captain said with a quick answer.

She kept her gaze even, shifting briefly to observe the others in the room. "And on that note, is there a profile on this hacker? Habits, preferences, tactics? If this is Ferengi crafty enough to evade Starfleet, Klingons, and a handful of criminal syndicates, I imagine we're looking at someone unpredictable." Without waiting too long for a response, Cassandra leaned back slightly, painfully, letting her PADD rest idly in her lap. "For now... no further questions. I’ll wait for the rundown of the upgrades before voicing anything else." A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she added, with a wink to the Captain, "I wouldn’t want to jump the gate, after all."

"Apart from him being a Ferengi, he is slippier than an eel swimming in water and very good at what he does", the Captain responded with a smile.

Chief Stone took another sip of his coffee and then spoke to the other officers. "For the Hacking Ferengi problem, I think we should limit all communications, sending and receiving from our ship. Change all ship codes and do not update Starfleet yet. All messages should be double-checked. It is easier than people think to spoof a message or hide something in a message," he started thinking. "The hacker might not even be a Ferengi. Can spoof that too, and he will not use the same communications frequency or patterns twice if he is good. We need to set a trap, something they used to call a honey pot. Wait and see if someone goes after it," Stone suggested, looking around the table.

Serena got up and went to the replicator and got a tea went back to her seat "I have been listening to all this hacker mess. None of you has any idea of what you're looking for. The keyword 'hacker' and most importantly, this person is a code-breaker. Way back in time, circa 1944, the Americans had to come up with a new code that was an American tribe that could talk in their own language. To get to the point, does anyone know how to go back and do what they did? I'm open for questions " Sitting back down.

The Captain gave her CAG a strange look, which also reminded her of an unpleasant task she would have to do at the end of the current briefing.

Maggie herself was just hanging out. She was the person they called in when things went sideways-and it always did. It was STARFLEET. Nothing went right! Still. She was listening but not really. But Serina's input caught her attention.

"Wait. Don't we have a linguist?" She asked. "Some lady with a terrible haircut and a unibrow down in Science," she said. She snapped her finger. "Vulcan. Can't think of her name, but I can ask her..." Maggie offered. "ANYWAY, isn't that her job, Serina?" She asked in a serious tone of voice.

Looking at Febvre, "I do not think we have a linguist on board, if we do, they are not qualified for computer code", the Captain said as a thought came to her.

Cassandra leaned forward in her chair again, her fingers now still on the edge of the PADD. Her expression, usually one of quiet restraint, carried a flicker of annoyance, though she kept her voice poised and professional. “With respect, Captain,” she began, her words measured but firm, “Maggie’s not entirely wrong. Code, like language, has patterns and rules that can be understood, habits to be uncovered. It’s just syntax and logic in a different form. A linguist might not be the first person you think of for tracking a hacker, but they may still be able to offer insights, especially if this Ferengi or whoever they are leaves any distinct signatures in their work. People tend to favour their quirks, no matter how good they are.”

Cassandra shot an acknowledging glance toward Maggie, allowing a small smile to soften her sharper words.

Then, addressing the Captain once more, “I agree with Chief Stone’s suggestion; limiting communication and tightening protocols is a necessary first step, but it’s purely reactive. If we want to get ahead of this, we need to bait them carefully and, most importantly, intelligently.”

Her gaze flickered to Serina as Cassandra subtly shifted in her seat again the aching in her ribs becoming more persistent, "I think Serina’s bringing up Navajo Code Talkers was tangential, but the principle applies. Create something so alien to them it undermines their typical approaches. That said," she arched a brow toward the Captain, "we have to be cautious using historical comparisons. The Ferengi, or whoever’s pulling these strings, may not play by rules we recognise. Still, the idea of obscuring our own behaviour holds merit."

Cassandra paused briefly, needing to catch her breath, tapping her PADD with careful deliberation before finishing, “If we move forward with the idea of a honeypot, it’ll need layers of redundancy that are difficult to decipher even if they crack the first layer of bait. And in the meantime, we can analyse any past intrusion patterns. No matter how clever this... individual is, even the best hackers tend to slip up if you give them enough room to play.” She leaned back again ever so slightly, folding her hands over the PADD. “Just my thoughts on it, since it seems we’re brainstorming. I’m all for collaboration, just let me know where you need me.” she'd been listening to Hawksley, Larmie, and Dex to much these days. Cassandra feared she might actually know what she was talking about. Then it hit her sorta..." could team the linguist up with an experienced engineer they understand the techno babble better than anyone and could help translate... Right?" She suggested her gaze dropped for a second, but the faintest curl of determination remained at the corner of her lips as she looked toward the Captain once more.

"Ok, I see where this is going, so since I stepped in the shit again, I'll shut up and not talk, even if I get the nod to say something", Serina said, taking on a very tight face.

Maggie smiled at her boss. "No one said that, Serina," she said, gently. She would talk to the woman after.

Cassandra gave her a brief, measured look. She couldn’t help but question whether Serina’s outburst was fueled by hormones, the pregnancy crossed her mind, or maybe it was something else entirely. Either way, throwing a fit like that was hardly behaviour befitting an officer.

Leland set down his mug of coffee as he finished going through three LCAR Engineering PADDS on the latest system updates, retrofit, and the state-of-the-art computer internal sentience.

“Captain.” Hawksley smiled at Cassandra and then at the rest of the table. He brought up on the main screen again, a typical Hawksley schematic of the USS Tomcat.

This time it was of the LCAR network titled MIF-FRM Ulti-Ion linked through the Tomcat's main computer sub-cores and phase terminals—a skeletal hologram of the Tomcat with blue lines throughout representing computer grid anodes. Non-Federation communication, hacking attempts, with the Tomcats' main core computer shuts down, then node and isolates the backups. Problem detected and isolated from our Ferengi data stealer.”

“We are currently in an LCAR renaissance Phase with the Daystrom Institute's latest Starship Main Computer modelling. The Tomcat uses a Genius Artificial Intelligence, or (GAI). As a multifactor read and write process. It would be highly illogical for a corrupt code to get through the engineering core defence net, Captain.”

“Chances of us being hacked are minimal. If someone opens the wrong document, heaven forbid, if it is the Ferengi, the document will be corrupt. MIF-FRM Ion processors shut it down.” Leland was more than confident as he leaned back, relaxed, crossed his forearms, and listened to the threat and reasons to capture this man. He was relaxed, knowing the Tomcat had been through every trial he had known to Engineering.

Cassandra shifted slightly in her seat, wincing as the ache in her ribs reminded her not to move too much too quickly. Her voice was steady, though each breath came with careful constraint. "Leland," she started, glancing between him and the schematic on screen, "I hear you, I really do, and I’m not questioning your faith in the system. But even the best systems... they’re only as secure as the people who play by the rules."

Her tone softened slightly, though her sharp gaze didn’t waver. "I’m just saying, the Ferengi or whoever this is won’t come at us directly. That’s too obvious. They’ll look for the cracks. The places no one’s paying attention to." She shifted again, inwardly cursing the sharp jab of pain in her side.

"Could we... I don’t know, maybe plant some bait? Decoy spots that look vulnerable? Force them to show their cards before they even get close to the real systems?" She exhaled carefully, trying not to wince again. "Just... a thought. We can’t underestimate creativity, no matter how solid our defences seem." Her lips tightened in a faint but determined line as she looked back at him, waiting for his thoughts.

Hawksley nodded as he looked up from his pad and swung his pen in his fingers about, using it as a fidget distraction; it fueled his engineering and microprocessing thoughts. He smiled at Cass. She asked great questions.

“It could happen. It is not out of the realm of possibility. What do you suggest, Lieutenant?” Hawksley was curious to hear more about this trap of hers.

"If I may..." Thomas said, hesitant at first. "Could we set up the fake files like the MXO suggests, but embed a Trojan virus in them that, when they are downloaded, triggers a beacon that is broadcast on a federation frequency, but also causes the receiver of the files to be locked out of their systems? I'm not an engineer nor do I have any expertise in this area, but I do know demolitions, and I'm thinking of a possible digital bomb made to target the hacker." His hands were very damp with sweat from actually speaking up.

Faith had been listening the entire time, oddly quiet. Until now, "Neither of those is going to work. Not unless we want to lose every single one of those. Also, if they are proficient enough to do what they already have, they will see through the virus. You are on to something, however. If we give them what they want, literally, it won't be taken as a fake. Give them just enough, little things." Shaking her head about the exploding things.

"You know, if you explode things, they kind of cease to function, and we need things intact, unless Sergeant, you can make sure those are directional only, and only where we need them." Faith stood up and moved to take over the mission display. Waving her hand to bring up the full area. "We're here, correct." Giving a point, "And we have all of this around us. Also trying to hack into our systems. So."

Faith gave a point at three different sections of the sector they were in. "Instead of using probes, which would be the obvious idea because of their size and speed. We use either fighters or shuttle pods. All of them are automated. We are going to lose them more than likely, but if they get hacked, we can keep a firewall up. That will let us get the data and information we need without any intrusion to the Tomcat itself."

Janeway stood, her Texan drawl steady, eyes sharp on the sector map. “Captain Somers, permission to speak?” She waited for the nod, then leaned in. “I’ve been trackin’ the briefin’, ma’am, and the 95th Rifles—462 Marines, four companies: Alpha Recon, Bravo Demolitions, Charlie Assault, Delta Signals and Snipers—are ready to turn this Ferengi hunt into a textbook takedown. Lieutenant Benson’s pod plan’s sharp; my Alpha Company, under Lt. Matthews, can work with Lt. Hawksley’s team to load those pods with decoy data—forged logs with 128-bit encrypted microtrackers to ping the hacker’s location when he bites, like Chief Stone’s honeypot idea.”

She gestured at the display, pointing to three sectors. “We’ll deploy pods in a triangular grid—sectors 17, 22, and 28—covering’ key subspace lanes, as Lt. Matthews suggested widening the net. Bravo, led by Sgt. Zang will arm each pod with directional EMP charges, calibrated to fry the hacker’s gear without destroying evidence, addressing Faith’s point about keeping things intact. Delta’s signals team will tap Starfleet-relayed Klingon chatter, per Lt. Winchester’s contacts, usin’ narrowband filters to avoid diplomatic static. Charlie’s snipers, with TR-116s, will stage in cloaked runabouts for rapid response if we get a fix.”

Janeway’s gaze locked on Somers. “My Rifles will run a tight op: Matthews on decoys, Zang on EMPs, Delta syncin’ with Winchester’s comms. Captain, which sector gets priority for the pod grid? Squads will be briefed and gear prepped in 45 minutes.”

She sat, her nod firm. “We’ll lasso that Ferengi faster than a jackrabbit in a dust storm, ma’am.”

"Easy there, cowgirl. We may not even need the Rifles. Also, I will need to speak with you and Matthews in my Ready Room after we get underway, Major, Lieutenant," the Captain said, looking at Janeway and Matthews.

“Yes, Captain", Janeway said.

"Aye, Captain," Cassandra responded as well.

The Captain nodded in acknowledgement.

Cael had some time ago, touched the tips of his fingers to each other and brought them spread out near his mouth, his thumb resting on his lips. Occasionally, he rocked back and forth as he studied the room. Maz, on the other hand, was doing her own analysis of the room, studying the people in it as well as how the Captain had handled each idea that surfaced. Both were deep in thought and observed cautiously.

Hawksley was still in awe, as his mind was blown. He hadn’t heard the words 128 microbit processors, since… Well, his technology history class in the academy days.

“I…” He placed his right hand on the conference table with five fingers touching the glossy wood. “I’m sorry. Did you say 128 microbits?” Hawksley questioned, “Major.” He didn’t want to sound too questionable. However, that would need to be addressed.

“We will need to change the bit… range up a notch to a kiloquad parsec matrix generator. Most are used on standard Starfleet buoys.”

“As for the operations, computers' AI systems on the Tomcat.” Leland took a drink from his Diet Pepsi and swallowed with a confident attestation, “Onboard security and engineering monitoring systems are not dependent upon themselves. They are not two separate systems. In Engineering, my main role is constantly monitoring and tracking any cyber threats and malformed coding in the pipelines. The main security of the Tomcat works on an AES “Advanced Encryption Submatrix” on an ECC “Elliptical Curve Cryptography.”

Hawksley could not stress enough the factors that a syntax coding would bring down the USS Tomcat’s main security. Even the shortest backdoor programming was ensured for security.

Thomas sat back and was now determined to be quiet. His idea had been completely rejected. He hadn't meant to make the digital bomb an actual bomb, but like something that would explode with data that would crash their systems and activate a subspace beacon, not take out the system completely with something like an EMP. He was wondering once more why he was even here. Obviously, he wasn't going to be much help and to make matters worse, the one he felt he could help, he was useless in helping her because of the current situation. He glanced over at Cassandra and hoped this would be over soon so he could help her. She was in obvious pain, even though one could tell she was doing her best to hide it, even from him.

Maggie had, frankly, zoned out while the others chatted. The technology that made her plane go was something she didn't really know or care bout. She cared about flying. She knew enough that she could make basic repairs if she ever needed to, and enough to save her six if she ever went down. Beyond that? Her thought was that Starfleet had a bunch of Engineers and that was their job. But she tuned in when she heard the Marines were flying. What?! SHE should be up there. She outranked all those dorks anyway. Could they even SPELL "fly?" She doubted it.

"So what do the Fleet pilots need to do?" She asked.

Cassandra offered Maggie a warm smile, her tone light as she spoke. “Well, don't sweat it too much, Maggie. Fleet pilots like you? Your job is just to fly exactly like you always do, precisely, confidently, and with all the flair we’ve come to expect. Air support like yours is what makes it possible for rookie pilots like me to be successful. It's all part of being a team." Cassandra wondered if Maggie remembered that so far, Cassandra was the only Marine pilot available, and she'd only just earned her wings with Winchester's training. They would need to lean heavily on the fleet pilots.

*Clears her throat* "Okay, for the moment, the need for pilots in fighters, Lieutenant LeFebvre, have you ever flown a Cruiser?" The Captain asked.

Maggie nodded. That sounded reasonable. She nodded. "Once, but it was a training flight. I am sure I can figure it out," she said. She knew what her skills were, and what they weren't, and she wasn't about to accidentally kill someone by being overconfident.

"But it's up to you, ma'am," she responded.

Ross had a sixth sense. He could sense the pain emanating in the room as he was doodling on his PADD. He glanced upward, hearing Cassandra speak from across the table. Without too much hearsay, the Doctor nonchalantly withdrew his medical tricorder from his uniform waist.

Under the table, he began to scan Cassandra’s identified body, and what he found was shocking… Cassandra had traces of exotic particles, not dangerous to the ship, but enough to pose a risk to herself. What on Earth was she exposed to? Gavin furrowed a brow, bristling as it did, he eyed Cass. He then eyed Thomas, knowing her mate would be able to sense any pain… And there was something there that Thomas knew…

Gavin looked at Thomas for a moment, waiting for their eyes to contact each other, so that he knew what Thomas knew: that something was terribly wrong with Lt. Matthews.

‘Immediately after…’ Ross mouthed the words at Thomas and then pointed his two fingers at his eyes and back at him. Nobody could tell from the discussions at play his signal regarding Cass’s health.

Sitting back, Stone smiled, looking at his pad, glancing up now and then, he still wondered about Lieutenant Matthews and why she had the injuries she did coming to this briefing. When he saw Lieutenant Ross, the ship's Doctor leaned forward with his hand under the table. Stone smiled. Ross looked like he was doing something he should not be doing as he shifted his shoulders and moved his arms. Stone wondered what he could be doing. After a few moments, he put something away and signalled Thomas. Now what in the hell was that?

Interrupting, "Lieutenant Ross, you can pass notes after Class. If you have something to say, say it," Stone said, growing annoyed at the briefing, which was dragging on too long, he thought.

Ross turned to Stone. “Apologies.” The Doctor was sure that Stone didn’t know at all what he was addressing with Thomas, given the health of another Officer. It concerned Ross. It shocked Ross. If he had to make eye contact with Thomas, he would communicate. He would.

Cassandra felt the frustration rise inside of her, "Perhaps it can wait until after we are finished with the briefing?" She suggested. She wanted out of here. Wanted to go find her daughter and more over wanted to get more care for her injuries. She looked over to Captain Somers. "Ma'am, I don't mean to be rude. It's just that we should be focusing on the matter at hand. The Mission. Please."

"Ahem, yes, but beyond what we know, there is not much more to know. We will have to stay alert and keep a communications line open to the news nets and Starfleet Security. Are there any further questions on the Mission before we move on to a basic rundown of the upgraded and retrofitted Tomcat? It will be useful to know some of the things available to the crew going into the next mission," the Captain asked.

"Nothing from us, "replied Paul as he glanced back at Serina, who looked a bit tired as this had taken a toll on her.

With nothing further, the Captain moved forward.

[OFF]

 

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