Jaruq Log -- 37907.16

[Thomas Jaruq 0]

Computer, begin recording duty log for Stardate 37907.16.

      I have arrived on the asteroid with Lieutenant Seiben and we have hooked up with Lieutenant Hawkins and Ensign Light.  The mission is fairly routine.  We are to check the colony's water reclamation plant for faults.  A mechanical problem is but one of many possible causes of the contamination of the colony's water supply.  Hopefully, this routine systems check won't turn into a repair job.

      As there are no natural water sources nearby, the reclamation system is the colony's only source of drinking water.  It's a very similar system to what we have on board Arcadia.  It receives wastewater from industrial conduits linked to the colony's homes and other establishments, filters out the waste materials, and transfers the cleaned-up product to the storage tanks.  From the tanks, the water runs back through a separate network of conduits to processing units in each building.

      The outgoing water supply could be tainted by punctures in the supply conduits, but that would only cause contamination in select areas of the colony.  This contamination is system-wide, which indicates that any mechanical errors, or even sabotage, would be with the actual reclamation plant, the heart of the water distribution network.  As Seiben suggested, the area we'll focus on will be the filtration system.  Anything from a malfunction in the software controlling the filters to erosion of the filters themselves could be to blame.  We'll need to check everything.

      If this isn't a mechanical problem, I can think of two ways that someone could contaminate the water supply.  One would be to introduce a harmful agent directly into the storage tanks.  We'll check them for any signs of intrusion.  Another would be to simply drop the agent down any sink or toilet in the colony, from where it would eventually reach the tanks, but this would require the agent's making it past the filtration system.  The perpetrator could achieve this by tampering with the control software, which we will also look into, or simply using an agent that can avoid conventional detection, a possibility which science and medical will need to investigate.

 

      I had a chance to talk to Seiben on the way here about heading up a new engineering subdepartment I have in mind.  Its goal will be to optimize, upgrade, and expand Arcadia's systems and facilities, and maybe even install some new ones.  It's the sort of thing that starship design teams frown upon, but I'm willing to take the heat when it comes.

      The principle is that Arcadia's a fine ship, but it can be improved.  It always can.  No ship can reach perfect, but we can make every effort possible to approach it.  When I look at Seiben, I see someone who's hard-working, determined to meet his goals, and, most importantly, creative.  He's perfect for this job, which, above all else, requires someone who can think outside the box.

      He and his colleagues would need to study ship schematics, receive reports and requests from other departments, and even personally inspect every corner of the ship that time allows to determine what sort of enhancements Arcadia could use.  If anything they come up with is cleared by the command staff and myself, they will then need to draft blueprints and construction manuals based on any spare materials we have on board.  Finally, of course, they would actually perform the construction or upgrade.

      I've always felt as if engineering could use a lounge, not only for recreational purposes, but for department conferences.  Too often we have to stand around the situation monitors discussing engineering issues.  I daresay that this is just one option Seiben's new department would be able to explore.  I'd leave the rest to him and his team.

      I'll send these plans along to the Captain to see if they meet with his approval.  It might be tough convincing him that our efforts wouldn't result in the ship's being wrecked, but I think I've got it covered.  I'll offer to have a holographic entertainment center installed in his ready room.

 

      We're just arriving at the reclamation plant now, so it's time to get to work.