Intelligence Confidential Part I
Posted on Fri Jul 15th, 2022 @ 1:35am by Lieutenant Commander Rowena McGowen & Lieutenant JG Mira Jayna
Edited on on Tue Jul 19th, 2022 @ 2:36am
1,307 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Episode 13 - Crooked River
Location: SCIF - Deck 9 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD003 1000 hrs
Jayna heard that the new Chief Intelligence Officer was on board and decided to stop by her office and introduce herself. Neil's words danced through her thoughts and she was both curious and hopeful about her first meeting. Not that she didn't like the former intel team, but with two members now on Empok Nor, she expected to see some changes.
She stopped at the door to the Chief's office and rang the chime.
Rowena was reading reports. She hadn't had the chance to meet with her new department yet, but she intended to shortly, that was when her chime rang. She put the padd she was reading down and got up. "Please enter," she called to the door and it swished open to reveal her assistant chief. "Staff Warrant officer Mira. I was planning to come see you and now you are here." A bright smile appeared on her face.
Jayna smiled back. "Hello and welcome," she said as she walked into the office. She took a look around, noting the changes the new department head made and what they might say about her as a person.
"Thank you," Rowena pointed her to one of the chairs in her small but cozy office, "Please have a seat. I have been meaning to talk to you about the department. Have you spoken with the Staff Warrant officer a lot before her department? She seemed very distance but thorough in her reports. But I got the feeling she was more of an action woman not a desk woman." Rowena smiled.
"Spoke with her?" Jayna considered that as she sat down. "Off-duty, not really. Different personality types and different interests. But she worked well with everyone in the department." Except maybe Tobias, but that was because he was Tobias. "She was thorough, and liked to be involved, yes."
"Hmmm," Rowena looked on her padd. "I should meet this Tobias, I read a lot about him in Masters reports. What can you tell me about Tobias?"
"He's cocky, jaded, and good at his job," she said, not mincing words. "He doesn't trust people and he can be a bit arrogant at times."
"Well, that seems to be the general description for him, at least he is good at his job." Rowena turned on her screen. "I may have to speak with him myself to experience that. What about the others in the department? Like miss Brown. A former Maquis....new Maquis, interesting."
"Yes. It is quite interesting." Jayna smiled. "I'm former Maquis myself. I've had the opportunity to work on a covert assignment with her. I like her and I trust her."
"That's good, that you trust her." Rowena said. She tapped her desk, that's good. Trust is so hard to come by these days. I am happy you two have each other in this department. Intelligence can feel lonely sometimes. Lonely with the things you know but you can't tell many people. I never dealt with the Maquis before or the new Maquis. I read about them. But that's about it. I like to believe people are not their file. If you want to be here, then be here, if not then leave. That's how I look at it. I will not hold peoples past against them. I just want you to know that."
"Thank you," the half-Vulcan replied to the statement. "People are generally more complicated than their files." She smiled. "It’s the ones that aren't that concern me." She didn't trust easily, and still wasn't sure what to make of her new boss, but so far, she liked what she heard.
Rowena nodded. She agreed on the statement. "Complicated, yes." She stared a moment in the distance. "Have you seen things, while you were in the Maquis? Things that still haunt you to this day?"
"Most of what haunts me is from before then, when I was in the Bajoran Resistance," the half-Vulcan replied somberly. "But yes, I've seen a lot of things."
"I know you are Bajoran, do you follow the path of the prophets?" Rowena knew this was going to get more personal, but Rowena seen things and heard things not many people would believe if she told them. And she needed to know where her assistant was standing. She wasn't going to look that stuff up again, but she didn't know what was in the future, and she knew what her previous CO told her, that she would never stay away too long from it. It will always find her.
"No. Although I have no problem with those who do. Some of the teachings are useful, but I grew up more of an...outlier." It was true enough. Her family kept away from most people because of the Cardassian occupation. "I was also raised as a Vulcan, but I do not follow the teaching of Surak, either."
"Sorry for putting you through a bit of wringer with all these questions. You are my assistant chief; I need to know where you are standing. I understand that while serving for the Maquis or the resistance it is hard for you to trust fleet, specially people in this department." Rowena looked away from her assistant chief a moment. She looked at a corner in her office and sighed. The shadow she saw disappeared. Somehow, she gave a disappointed smile and turned back to Jayna. "Have I offered you anything to drink? I am so scatter brain sometimes, always talking business." She got up and walked to her replicator. Can I get you anything miss Mira?"
"No, thank you. I am fine." She hadn't missed McGowan's glances into the corner and wondered what she was thinking. "As to your comment, I think it's been harder for people to trust me, even though I've been in Starfleet for 22 years." She couldn't help smiling and adding. "And being in intel doesn't help."
Rowena nodded. "Yes, of course." She ordered a glass of water and took her seat again. "Have you ever heard of the paranormal unit or a ship called the USS Maleficus?"
Had she? Jayna thought for a moment. "I don't think so. Why?" She would definitely look it up later. And not just the ship, but if Rowena or any other members of the Pioneer had any affiliation with it.
"Ok good," Rowena said. "Now I know as an intelligence officer you want to look it up, trust me when I say, you won't find anything. The Malificus is decommissioned and the Paranormal unit supposedly doesn't exist. Or not anymore. If you want to look in to the stuff, that's fine, I can give you all the information you'll need, but you have to be sure you can stomach what you'll find. Paranormal activity is not exactly high on Star fleet intelligence list. But the people who really want to and start digging, they usually get more then they bargain for. I know, I used to be a part of that unit when I served on the Malificus. I am not really sure if I have completely let it go. And yes, before you ask, I have been in and out of therapy, and the visions stopped for a while." Rowena gazed off again in thought. "I am telling you this, because I want my team to be fully aware of what's going on, whether you believe in the paranormal or not. There are things going on, I just don't know yet what."
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Commander Rowena McGowen
Chief Intelligence Officer/Second Officer, USS Pioneer
Staff Warrant Officer Mira Jayna
Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer, USS Pioneer
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