Part II: Fault Lines
Posted on 01 Feb 2026 @ 7:13pm by Lieutenant Commander Elias Harlan & Captain Sabrina Corbin & Commander Suzanna Batenburg
1,371 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Lathira Shoreleave
Location: XO's Office
He paused, letting the room settle for half a heartbeat.
“Now I have something else that just dropped into my lap,” he said, voice low and even, the kind of calm that comes right before laying out a problem no one wants. “And since I’ve got both of you in the same room, may as well get it out of the way.”
He tapped the PADD awake, the screen’s glow catching the faint lines of fatigue still etched around his eyes.
“One of my transfers from Starbase 369—came aboard with me on the Intrepid—did a deep dive into the system logs. Specifically the tactical array. What he found is… troubling.”
Before either woman could ask, he leaned in slightly, voice dropping to that flat, matter-of-fact register he used when the news was bad but unavoidable.
“According to the official shakedown logs, every tactical system was powered up and tested per policy. Green across the board. But if you tab over to the component-level logs—the actual hardware records—you’ll see that aside from bench testing at the manufacturer, those systems were never activated once installed.”
He let that land for a second, then continued.
“The entire tactical suite—phaser banks, torpedo launchers, targeting sensors, every affiliated subsystem, backup, and power conduit—was signed off without a full calibration, without a stress test, without a single live-fire exercise to confirm they even function. Computer diagnostics read green in standby mode, but the moment we start channeling real power through them, that could change in a hurry.”
Elias handed the PADD to Captain Corbin—screen already open to the relevant cross-referenced logs, discrepancies highlighted in amber.
“This was brought to my attention this morning, right before I was summoned here,” he added.
“I’m drawing up plans now to crawl every meter of this array—deck by deck, component by component. Cold boot, full diagnostic sweep, then—if we’re lucky—scheduled range time for live-fire calibration. Because right now we might be able to fire the weapons… but who knows where they’d actually hit.”
He stepped back half a pace, hands loose at his sides again.
“I don’t like surprises in engineering, ma’am. Especially not in tactical systems. I’d rather find the cracks now than during the first red alert.”
He waited—quiet, steady, no defensiveness, no rush—just the calm certainty of a chief engineer who’d already accepted this was his problem and was ready to solve it.
No excuses. Just facts. And the unspoken question hanging in the air: How the hell did the yard miss this?
Suzanna had raised an eyebrow when Harlan had explained about the tactical systems, and realised how lucky the Arawyn had been.
Having read up on the reports of the Arawyn prior to her arrival, the Tavrik mission had almost needed tactical systems. It showed how rushed Starfleet Engineers had been, and how important the procedures were that had been put into place....
"I will add it to the schedules as appropriate, Captain," Suzanna said, "I recommend a check of all other logs too, to ensure we do not have another one of these issues. And that our back up systems are working as expected."
“I agree, and I’ll make it a priority once we’re done with the tactical array.” Elias added.
Corbin took the PADD without comment, eyes moving with deliberate precision as she reviewed the highlighted discrepancies. She remained silent while she read, the room settling around that quiet focus. When she finished, she handed the PADD to Batenburg for review.
“Engineers,” she said dryly. “You do have a talent for saying the most unsettling things in the calmest possible way.”
She let that hang for a beat before continuing, expression sobering. “We have a Chief Tactical Officer en route. I want them looped in the moment they step aboard.”
Her attention returned to Harlan. “I agree with your assessment. Trace the issue to ground, document everything, and coordinate with Tactical as soon as they arrive. Once you’re ready, we’ll find space to run a full live-fire diagnostic.”
A pause, measured and firm. “If there are cracks in this system, we find them now. Not during our first red alert.”
She glanced back to Harlan, one brow lifting just slightly. “Before we adjourn,” she added, tone wry, “are there any other bombs you’d like to drop during our first meeting, or may I assume that’s the worst of it?”
Elias watched Captain Corbin pass the PADD to Batenburg, then listened as she spoke. He kept his posture relaxed but attentive—hands loose at his sides, expression steady, the same calm he used when reading a bad diagnostic that wasn’t yet catastrophic.
When she finished, he gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.
“Engineers do have a habit of delivering bad news like it’s weather,” he replied, voice low and dry. “Comes with the job. You either say it straight or you waste time dancing around it. I prefer straight.”
He paused, letting her words settle—Chief Tactical en route, full live-fire when ready, find the cracks now. All sensible. All what he’d have asked for himself.
“Understood, Captain. I’ll start the array walk-through at 0800 tomorrow—cold boot, full sweep, deck by deck. I’ll coordinate with Tactical the moment they’re aboard and keep both of you copied on the prelims.”
He shifted his weight slightly, then met her eyes again when she asked about other bombs.
Elias let out a short, humorless huff—more exhale than laugh.
“That’s it,” he said, ticking off the mental list in his head. “Junior officers in custody—handled. Tactical array potentially dead on arrival—flagged. Department discipline plan submitted—and approved. Unless something falls out of the ceiling the second I step out of this room, I believe that covers the immediate disasters.”
He gave a small shrug, the corner of his mouth twitching in the faintest hint of a wry half-smile.
“But knowing my luck, I won’t count on the ceiling staying quiet.”
Corbin gave a measured nod as the recommendation landed. “Agreed. I want every department reviewing their logs. Not summaries. Not checkmarks. The actual testing that was conducted, and what passed for it.”
Her tone remained even, but there was steel beneath it. “We all know the tempo Starfleet pushed to get this ship out. Let’s make sure it doesn’t leave us blind or compromised when it matters.”
She turned her attention back to Harlan. “It was good to meet you, Commander. Proceed as discussed.”
A brief pause. “That’ll be all for now.”
“Likewise Captain,” Elias said as he nodded at Corbin, then looked to Batenburg. “Commander. I’ll take my leave then, and get started on what's next.”
Once he had departed, Corbin exhaled quietly and shifted her focus fully to her XO. “Well. No shortage of excitement now that I’m back.”
Her expression softened only slightly. “Epsilon’s been flooding us with new crew. Some long-missing gaps are finally being filled. The Chief Tactical Officer I mentioned is inbound, and we’re also receiving an Assistant Chief Medical Officer.”
A beat. “It’ll help. But it also means a ship that’s changing fast. I want to make sure we stay ahead of it.”
"Indeed, it will be good to have the full complement." Suzanna replied. She paused a moment, "Captain, I noticed you made some changes to security protocols, and shift patterns, what was the reason for that?"
Corbin considered the question for a moment before answering. “Honestly? I don’t know. Not in full.”
Her expression remained thoughtful. “I have no doubt you traced where the directive originated. Epsilon Command routed it directly to me.”
She paused briefly. “They want us more vigilant. No context yet, no stated trigger. I expect we’ll hear more soon.”
“Until then,” she added evenly, “I’d rather we err on the side of readiness.”
"Understood, Captain. I'll see to it." Suzanna replied.
--
Captain Sabrina June Corbin
Commanding Officer
USS Arawyn
Commander Suzanna Batenburg
Executive Officer
USS Arawyn
Lieutenant Commander Elias Harlan
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Arawyn
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