Checking Up
Posted on Thu Jul 16th, 2020 @ 4:11am by Makeba Brown & Lieutenant JG Mira Jayna
Edited on on Thu Jul 16th, 2020 @ 4:41am
1,745 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Episode 10 - New Home, Same Pioneers
Location: Main Mess Hall - Deck 2 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD005 1300 hrs
As soon as Jayna returned to the Pioneer she was deluged with work. It meant that she had little time for anything else, including talking to Makeba. She wondered how the other former Maquis was doing and how she was settling in.
When work slowed down, she sent a message to Brown to see if she wanted to meet for lunch in the mess and chat.
Makeba was surprised to see that she had gotten an invitation for lunch. However, she was not surprised by who sent it. It seemed O Flannagain had a plan for her, and that plan started with working with Jayna. Makeba was not one to socialize however, she thought it best to get to know Jayna and see where things lay. She made her way to the Mess Hall.
Upon arrival she walked in and the whole Mess Hall stopped. It seemed that the memo that she was free from her cell had not gotten around the whole ship. Makeba saw Jayna sitting by herself and walked over to the table without saying a word to anyone else. "So, here we are. This seat for me?" She said unceremoniously.
"It is." Jayna didn't care about the stares from the others. Even though she'd been on the Pioneer for nearly a year, she had no real friends, except for her sister and a casual friendship with one of the counselors. Her job didn't lead to close friendships. "Sorry I didn't do this sooner, I've had a lot of work lately." With the upcoming marriage, the department had been busier than ever handling the mundane work so Masters could have time for the details.
Makeba took the seat, well more accurately she mounted it. "You're telling me. It seems that I have been assigned to your department. The XO seems to think that I would make a good field officer. Although I can't see how, seeing as we are no longer going to be near the Maquis, and that they know that I am assisting you etc..." Although she wore plain clothes, those in the know would be informed that her commission in Starfleet had been reactivated with a diminished rank.
"You're in intel? Good." Jayna hadn't been informed of the placement. "Working in the field won't always involve the Maquis. And as far as I'm concerned, you've already proven that you are well-suited to the job."
"Originally I was trained for Security. However, I guess spending eight years infiltrating Starfleet and they may want to use that knowledge when they get the chance. So Intel seems to be where I am heading. How is this Masters, she a royal pain or a genuine human being?" Makeba had spent so much time being her own boss that she was unsure if she could go back to reporting to someone.
"She's mostly human." Jayna grinned. "I'll let you make up your own mind about her. She's a little distracted right now as she's getting married, but overall I have no complaints. It's a small department, which means you get to know everyone. I like that, too."
"mmmm..." Makeba began distractedly. "Things sure have changed since I was active in the fleet. The last time I served on a starship, you had no idea who worked in Intel. There was no such thing as a SCIF, and if you knew anything about anyone in Intel, you knew nothing. Now they even have a color uniform for pete's sake. You know sometimes I miss the good ole days of cowboy diplomacy. Very often I think I was born in the wrong time. Do you know what I mean?"
Jayna grinned. "Definitely. There are things I miss about the old Starfleet, and things I appreciate now. Sometimes I wonder if I've been in this business too long, but I'm not ready to give it up just yet."
"I can understand that. I often wonder if the fleet is in it for the right reasons. It is interesting times we live in. I left the fleet because they were going astray, then I go back because the Maquis went astray. Now that I am back I find out that the entire Federation wants to pull in on itself and wants nothing to do with the galaxy. Can you believe this madness?" Makeba said as she got herself a cup of racktijino and a bowl of tortilla chips with guacamole. She smiled at some of the dirty looks that she received as she sat back down.
"I saw it after the Dominion War," Jayna said. "I fought for Bajor, and then I couldn't live there anymore because of the way they were behaving. Same with the Maquis. That's why I joined Starfleet. There are good and bad people everywhere. I try to work with the ones I trust and who share my ideals. From what I've seen, the people here are the good guys."
"They don't give you the looks. Because from the ones that they are giving me they do not seem to be the good guys." Keebs replied and munched on a few chips.
"I generally get ignored." She shrugged. "They'll get used to you. Right now you're a novelty. So, what have you done since we came back?"
"Nothing short of replicating some new uniforms and settle in to these quarters that they gave me. I have tried to look up some of my friends to see what happened to them. But, I guess O Flannagain does not trust me so much yet. I still do not have enough computer access. It's hard you know, you get used to doing things your self for so long, and then you have to start asking permission." Makeba replied and then shook her head. She was still unsure that she wanted to be here, however, at the moment she had no choice.
A waiter took their orders and walked away.
"I know. I had the same problem when I joined Starfleet. No one trusted me or my sister. They wouldn't even let us serve on the same ship." It had taken almost a year for Jayna to gain the trust of her fellow crew members. She hoped Makeba would fare better. "If you give me a list of names, I'll look them up. Or we can ask Masters for permission for you to do it."
Makeba smiled after she looked up from her chips. "You would do that for me?" She was unsure if Mira wanted a friend or was testing her, Makeba hoped that it was the former. "I will have to take you up on that offer. Hey, can you tell me do you honestly feel that this is the right side, or is it just the lesser of two evils?"
"Yes, I will honestly do that for you. I can't promise I'll find anything, but I'll look." She smiled, hoping the other woman would see it as the gesture of friendship it was. "The second question is a little less cut-and-dry. There are things Starfleet does I disagree with, and people I neither like nor trust. But overall, yes, I think it's the right side. I've always fought for the greater good. For a while it was on Bajor. Then I thought I'd found it with the Maquis, but that quickly fell apart. I was fortunate I joined Starfleet when I did. I've been here 22 years. Most people I've encountered are decent."
"I see your point. But the current rumors has Starfleet and the Federation pulling back from its core values and principles. Back from exploration and science. They are embracing a more militaristic approach as well as isolationist. Hell there are some rumors that say the Federation itself is falling apart. Everything just feels wrong." Makeba leaned in conspiratorially as she spoke. She knew that if she had a friend on this ship it was Mira.
Jayna nodded. "I've heard the rumors," she whispered back. "I hope it's not as bad as that. We can't lose the explorers. Even during times of war, there were still explorers. I like to think that if it starts to fall apart, there will be enough good people to pull it back together." At least she hoped so. There was always the option of finding a colony on the edge of known space to start up a business. So far she hadn't found anything she could consider home.
Makeba simply nodded in agreement with what her new friend had said. "What do you make of sending this ship all the way out to the Romulan border? The Romulans cannot be a threat, not after everything that they went through." Makeba sighed heavily through her nose, as if what she was about to say came difficult to her. "I know that your Captain and this crew go a little against the grain. Do you think that it is possible that Starfleet wants the Pioneer sidelined, and sent the ship way out here?"
Jayna thought on that for a moment while their lunch was served. When the waiter left, she replied, "Maybe. But if they are, they're in for a surprise. The Pioneer manages to find its way out of just about anything. Besides, I'm curious to discover what the Romulans have been up to lately." She smiled. "And what we'll be doing next."
Makeba stared off into the distance for a moment as her thoughts wandered. At the moment they dwelt on Leyton and how he was still out there. She would exact her revenge, and he would pay. Was it possible that he was somehow tied into the Romulans. Keebs believed in fate and it seemed that fate brought her here, so there must be a reason and that was as good a reason as any. She turned back toward her new friend and smiled. Makeba had fought side by side with this woman on Empok Nor. If there was nothing else that would be enough to respect her. However, Mira was also Maquis, the two women thought the same. "You know if I have to be stuck on this ship. I am glad that I at least have a friend."
Jayna smiled back. "Me, too."
A Joint Post By
Warrant Officer Mira Jayna
Infiltration Specialist, USS Pioneer
Makeba Brown
HUMINT Agent, USS Pioneer
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