Will I Ever Get Some Time On The Bridge?
Posted on Sat Aug 28th, 2021 @ 5:42am by Ensign Vincent Parker
320 words; about a 2 minute read
Personal log.
Well....another two weeks has come and gone.....still no bridge duty. Starting to wonder if they forgot about me.
My work schedule varies everyday...whenever someone is sick or injured....last week, I was on the day shift, this week, the overnight shift.
My days consist of reporting to engineering, where a padd with that day's duties are listed. Could be anything from pre-scheduled of scheduled preventive maintenance, system upgrades and repairs to correct malfunctioning or damaged systems. I could be sent anywhere on the ship to repair faulty circuits or crawling through conduits to find damaged components and replace them.
When I'm done for the day, I head to one of the holodecks and program the computer with a series of bridge simulations focusing on the ops position, if I didn't do this, I might forget what my job actually is.
The simulations have varied problems for ops. Mostly the programs cover the control and dsitribution of power and resources around the ship. Ops deals with transporters and comunications as well as shuttlecraft and tractor beams; however, under combat conditions many of these systems will fall under the Tactical department's control. Operations also deals with damage control reports when they come in, as well as the coordination of damage control teams during the aftermath. Operarations officers are usually transferred between helm, enginering or tactical in an emergency.
Although thetransporter systems are Engineering Department assests, it's the Operations Department that puts them to use. With regards to special environmental conditions for alien crewmembers or visitors, the operations officer coordinates with the ship's chief medical officer. Operations Department is in charge of the recreation areas of the starship, such as the various recreation rooms, gymnasums and holodecks.
The holodeck programs run between 4 to 6 hours, at which time, I head to the lounge to get something to eat, then return to my quarters to await the next days assignments.