Red Alert

This condition is invoked during actual states of emergency in which the vehicle or crew are endangered, immediately impending emergencies, or combat situations. During Red Alert situations, crew and attached personnel from all three duty shifts are informed via alarm klaxons and annunciator lights. Key second shift personnel are ordered to report immediately to their primary duty stations, while other second shift personnel report to their secondary duty stations.

Key third shift personnel (who are presumably on their sleep cycle) are ordered to report to their secondary duty stations (or special assignment stations) in fifteen minutes. Specific systems preparations include:

* • Level 4 automatic diagnostic series run on all ship's primary and tactical systems at five-minute intervals. Bridge given immediate notification of any significant change in ship's readiness status.
* If presently off-line, warp power core to be brought to full operating condition and maintained at 75% power output. Level 3 diagnostics conducted on warp propulsion systems at initiation of Red Alert status, Level 4 series repeated at fiveminute intervals.
* Main impulse propulsion system is brought to full operating condition. All operational backup reactor units are brought to hot standby. In actual or potential combat situations, Saucer Module impulse propulsion system is brought to full operating status.
* All tactical and long-range sensor arrays are brought to full operational status. Secondary mission use of sensor elements is discontinued, except with approval of Ops. • Deflector systems are automatically brought to tactical configuration unless specifically overridden by the Tactical Officer. All available secondary and backup deflector generators are brought to hot standby.
* Phaser banks are energized to full standby. Power conduits are enabled, targeting scanners are activated. Level 3 diagnostics are performed to confirm operational status.
* Photon torpedo launchers are brought to full standby. One torpedo device in each launcher is energized to full launch readiness and primed with a standard antimatter charge of 1.5 kg.
* The shuttlebay is brought to launch readiness. Two shuttlecraft are brought to launch minus thirty seconds' readiness.
* Onboard sensors record the location of all personnel and alert Security of any anomalous activity. Location and activity information is recorded for postmission analysis.
* Level 4 automated diagnostics are performed to verify readiness of autonomous survival and recovery vehicle systems (lifeboats). Readiness of ejection initiator servos is verified through a partial Level 3 semiautomated check. Security officers are assigned to insure that all passageways to lifeboat accesses are clear.
* Isolation doors and forcefields are automatically closed between sections to contain the effects of possible emergencies, including fire and decompression of habitable volume.

Red Alert situations, by their very nature, frequently involve unforeseeable variables and unpredictable circumstances. For this reason, Red Alert (even more than other operating states) requires the Commanding Officer and all personnel to remain flexible. All Red Alert operating rules, therefore, are subject to adaptation based on specific situations.

Red Alert can be invoked by the Commanding Officer, Operations Manager, Chief Engineer, or the Tactical Officer. Additionally, the main computer can automatically invoke Red Alert status in some cases upon detection of certain types of unknown spacecraft, as well as upon detection of certain types of critical malfunctions or system failures. In such cases, the automatic declaration of Red Alert status is subject to review by the Commanding Officer.