Report on Project Relocation

[Cptn Elias Moore 0]

STARFLEET OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE

TO: Admiral Maxwell Forrest, NX Project Leader

Stationed at Starfleet HQ, San Francisco

FROM: Commander Elias Moore, Challenger Project Foreman

Stationed at Utopia Planitia, Mars

RE: Project Relocation Report: August 3, 2154

 

Admiral, you'll be pleased to know that, despite the enormous setback dealt by its total relocation, the Challenger project is now progressing smoothly in its new environment.

 

As I promised you, interest among the colonial population was high and the turnout of new labor was substantial. We lost many Earth-native workers who refused the transfer to Mars, not to mention all those who abandoned the project in the wake of the changes I initially implemented, but we more than made up for their numbers (if not their skills) with the addition of the Martian element. All told, almost 500 able-bodied men and women of the colony have been put to work in various areas of the project, mostly the manual labor and menial work, burdens which are now lifted from Starfleet's brightest. And those were only the first wave; interest will continue to spread among the colony, and there's plenty of room for extra hands.

 

When we arrived at Mars, all components of the Challenger project were hopelessly behind schedule. They were already behind schedule when we left Earth; the move only made matters worse. Now, however, with the Martian element successfully inserted, our projections are much brighter. Many components of the project are actually running ahead of schedule. The rest may come down to the wire when we reach the testing phase of the project... and our new projections do rely on a continued influx of Martian labor... but no one ever said a September launch was a rational possibility.

 

We just recently received your shipment of new atmospheric processors and they're being set up now. It's a good thing too. The spare processors the colony loaned us weren't exactly top notch; heck, the processors the colony is using aren't even up to Earth's standards. Many of the Earth-native workers weren't handling the thin atmosphere too well, and it was reaching a point where the construction efforts would begin to suffer. But now life in Utopia Planitia is much more tolerable for them.

 

You think, maybe, you could convince Earth to send the actual colony a few processors now?

 

Relations between the two workforces are... tense right now. There are a lot of people here on Mars who feel that they've been severely neglected by Earth all these years. And a lot of the Martians do appear a bit rough around the edges to the Earth-native workers. I've been trying to get across to them that this joint effort could pave the way to better relations between the two peoples. Many of them simply aren't willing to recognize the common goal that we're sharing here. A few days ago, for example, I was approached by a couple of Earth-natives who had no idea that I was Martian born. I neglected to tell them the truth... not so much to maintain their respect in me as a leader as to make sure I have a few folks on the other side of the fence who can entrust their opinions to me. The belief they expressed was that the Martians are only volunteering their efforts because they expect something in return--better atmospheric processors, for instance. Knowing the colonists better myself, I know that at least the majority of them have a far more exploratory attitude than that. Thinking like that can lead to trouble the longer these two elements are in proximity to one another. But I, as foreman, am confident that I will be able to hold the workforce together.

 

Have you begun assigning positions yet? How is the engineering department looking? You know me, I like to know who's got their hands on my engines. :mellow:

 

One issue on everyone's mind is security. The sabotage attempt last month, not to mention the rumors that our alien neighbours are taking an increased interest in us, has everyone on edge. The drydock is secured pretty tightly, but down here it's a different story. A few roaming security personnel are all we have to protect the yards. There's never been a need for the Martians to develop particularly rigid systems of security; a few petty criminal elements in the colony have been their only concern over the years. If we're going to get help on this one, it will have to come from Earth. We could use some advanced security equipment, not to mention the technicians to install it and the personnel to operate it. And a few extra pairs of eyes to just keep a lookout down here would be appreciated. I don't know what sort of political problems you've had to deal with lately, and I don't want to make the shipyards look like a fortress if you aren't willing to take the risk, but... if you could get the security division to send us a few MACO's, I'm sure the workers would feel a lot safer.

 

And while I'm on the topic, my resident medical chief is beginning to issue death threats to me. Would you mind assigning some more hands to his department?

 

Having reviewed the projections that I've gathered from all of my departments and revising some of the construction schedules, my best estimate is August 30th as the date that we begin the shipwide equipment testing phase. By that time, we'll have constructed... what should be able to pass as a spaceworthy vessel. I warn you now, Admiral, that while we should be able to meet your launch date, you may not have a 100% completed vessel at that time. You'll be able take the ship out of drydock, circle a couple of planets in the system, send some pictures back to Earth to appease the public... but realize that it's very likely that some phases of construction and testing will still need to be carried out by the ship's engineering crew after launch. You might have some holes in the interior hull, some minor or redundant equipment that still needs to be installed, some connections that need to be established and brought online. Even if I get the best turnout of Martian help that I'm hoping for, these gaps in the construction will be unavoidable. Consider also that we'll be accelerating the testing phase, and you should realize that some equipment failures are to be expected early on in Challenger's maiden voyage. I only hope you assign a chief engineer who's familiar enough with the ship to both continue my work and deal with those problems as they arise.

 

How's the weather in San Francisco?

 

-EM