Security Clearance

Posted on Wed Aug 26th, 2026 @ 4:59am by Lieutenant Daniel Ellis & Crewman Paul Randall

Mission: Retrobandonment
Location: Security
Timeline: Current

Paul was experiencing problems with his padd. He was sure he had the relevant security clearance for the files he needed for the Captain, but only some opened, not all. He decided to check with the Chief of Security.

On arriving in the main Security Office, he approached the Lieutenant sitting at a desk in the corner.

"Excuse me, sir?"

The Chief of Security was never one to rely on his office, especially when the ship was seeing an influx of new crew. It was handy for private conversations, but he didn't always need them. Using one of the hot desks in the security office allowed him to observe the comings and goings not just of his department but also of other new faces who had come aboard to validate security clearances and other certifications.

When the crewman approached, Daniel looked up from a padd he was reviewing. Instantly, the Chief of Security noted the red departmental colours and the crewman's rank slashes. "Lieutenant Daniel Ellis," he greeted the new face. "Chief of Security. What can I help you with, Crewman?"

"My padd is not letting me access files I need to assist the Captain. Some will open, some will not. It's not completely clear as to why not, or if there is any difference between them. I hoped you might be able to help. "

Dee raised an eyebrow, finding the question curious. "It could be as simple as a data access requirement," he supposed. "Can you share your authorisation code and examples of files you want to access?"

"Of course." he put the files he wanted on the screen of his padd and handed it over to Daniel. "My authorisation code is Randall Delta 1268 Charlie."

Dee had his padd's microphone active when the crewman shared the authorization code. "Ah, you're the Captain's new yeoman. You should have led with that." He accepted the padd from the crewman and began to take a look at its contents, limiting himself to the index level only.

"Oh, ok. I will remember that. "

"What can you tell me about these files?" Dee asked as he scrolled down the list. Several of them were standard departmental reports, some were communiques from command, and there was an assortment of others.

"The captain asked me to send some documents out, so there are some reports and replies to command communications. Things like that."

Dee thumbed through the padd, checking various files to see what the crewman's access level allowed. "Reports look fine," the lieutenant observed. "As do the command communications. I'm afraid you're going to have to be more specific as to what you're not able to get into." Dee turned the device around and handed it back to the crewman. It would be easy for the Chief of Security to guess and assume; however, that was not the best option in this scenario. Assumptions rarely ended well.

"I don't understand. Are you saying you can open the files? I couldn't open them earlier. Did I do something incorrectly? I don't believe I got an error message."

Dee’s right eyebrow arched in response. “That’s what I’m asking you for clarity on, Crewman. I’m not assigned to live in these files every day, you are. I need you to show me actual examples.”

He took the padd, scrolled through the files to find one he remembered having a problem with. Tapping a file, it opened but the following message appears on top. {This document can not be sent. Authorisation not available.}

He showed Dee the padd.

Dee accepted the padd and took a look at the file's redacted metadata. The security chief scratched his chin for a moment before catching the reason for the error. He pointed at the line and stated, "It doesn't look like it's an issue with your security clearance. The file itself is restricted even above my security level. Looks like only the Captain or XO can unlock that file, most likely an encrypted communique for Starfleet Command."

"Oh man I feel a bit stupid now. Of course it is. Maybe the captain needs to send that on themselves."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself," Dee replied. "You did the right thing coming down to verify."

"Thank you. I appreciate this. I will get there I'm sure but it's early days I suppose."

Dee reached for his own padd that contained the reports he'd been reviewing a few minutes ago. "Is there anything else I can help you with, Crewman?"

" Not that I can think of. You've really been helpful today. I appreciate it. "

The lieutenant offered a polite nod, then activated his own padd's screen. "Excellent. Have a good afternoon, Crewman Randall."

" Yes sir. Likewise." Randall left the security office.