SD 05/08/04 - "Heavy Breathing" Great, just great. We just had to computer refitted and reformatted and it's going to peices already!
I got a firsthand experience after getting commed in the middle of my sleep by Lera. Getting the feeling I would be needed, I quickly got dressed while asking what was up. Sure enough, Lera wanted me to go to Medical for something. I was on my way out when I realized a little too late the door wasn't automotically opening, getting a headache and another reason to go to Medical. Then Lera ordered the computer to beam me over, and there I was. She must not have heard the transporter noise as she was still talking to me over the com! Not exactly the thing that enhances your reputation as the Science Officer.
I was then told that somehow, the air pressure in Lera's quarters had malfunctioned and was going down toward zero - total vaccum! Fortunetly the room with her kids was uneffected, and she had gotten Cosmo to beam her out in time. It did look a bit fishy as the computer code had somehow been changed, but where, when, and by who erased. However, similar malfunctions were occuring in other parts of the ship, including two other crew cabins, both unoccupied due to recent transfers out. The malfunctions were still occuring as witnessed by me and Cosmo & Lera when I ordered a cup of coffee from the replicator. At first I got coffee all right - coffee beans. Trying again, the machine started spewing out jello and wouldn't stop. When ordered to halt the jello, it just switched to whipped cream. Cosmo finally had the comuter cut the power to it.
I hope this doesn't mean our ship's history of frequent malfunctions is once again turning back to a period when we spent more time fixing things than researching. Since M'Rander's assuming command, her connections have allowed us to bypass some of the beaurucratic red tape and actually get the minumum supplies for a functioning ship. It was good to actually get some work done, and we quickly forgot the days when not only were we reguarly using replicator parts, but they had gotten so unreliable much of the tubing was mostly duct tape. I dread that we'd have to go back to those.
The alternative is even worse, sabotage. And with Lera's apartment the only occupied one targeted, she would likely be the target. Granted her recent actions, presumably due to medical issues, have made her quite unpopular, but surely no one among the crew would resort to this.