Don't want I in intelligence
Posted on Fri Apr 16th, 2021 @ 12:39pm by Lieutenant Elen Diari & Staff Warrant Officer Jennifer Masters - Calhoun & Ensign Hoa Nhi Nguyen
Edited on on Wed Apr 21st, 2021 @ 1:14am
2,192 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Episode 11 - Family Matters
Location: SCIF - Deck 9 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD004 1200 hrs
El hated going anywhere near the intelligence department. Not because of the people, nothing against them but the place had a weird taste to her; going past the corridor made her taste a sour, medical taste in her mouth, probably due to all the secrets playing with her telepathy, like how home smelt of almonds with all the memories.
Swallowing again to get rid of it, she reached the door, and stuck her head into the main office "Jen about ?" Elen asked.
Nhi was seated at the front desk of the intel department. She was playing with a padd. Her marine partner was getting them lunch. She hit the padd on the desk a little startled when she heard engineer's voice. "Ehm...yes, ma'am, lieutenant, do you have an appointment?" She looked on the padd.
"No, it's just a social call today, honey. But can I put something in the book for later in the week ? Trying to find the present whereabouts of a guy that used to, or maybe still does works for Intelligence." El asked sweetly, trying to put the young woman at ease.
"Oh...I..." Nhi stuttered a bit. "I don't know if I have access to this information." She went through the padds and the information on her screen.
Jenn was in her office and looked at the Vulcan hybrid being so clumsy. According to Nhi's older sister she was raised on Earth. This made a whole lot of sense. She smiled. She then pressed a button on her desk. "Ensign Nguyen, please let the lieutenant in."
"Yes, ma'am!" Nhi replied. She turned to the engineerings chief. "She will see you now, office is on the other side of the floor." She pointed to the entrance to the main room.
Jenn had come out of her office and walked halfway towards the Lieutenant. "Please join me in my office, Lieutenant, we are working with some sensitive and top secret data here. I am sure you understand."
"I'd be very surprised if you weren't playing with secret stuff. " Elen answered as she crossed the room, as she got to Jen's office, El gave Nhi a thumbs up.
"So, Jen. How are you holding up ?" Elen asked.
Jen shrugged. "For as well as can be in the circumstances." She dropped down in her chair. And a little distant she started to pour the two of them a drink without asking. "So what can I do for you, El?"
"That was it really, Still haven't been able to go up the nacelle since Dana... died," Elen answered, chewing over the last word "And I didn't know her as well as you did, so just offering a shoulder if you needed. Lost too many people over the years, but Dana's really hurt."
Jen took a sip from her drink. "I lost my parents when I was young. But I never saw much of them, they were always away from home for work. I was raised by my aunt. I have seen deaths, but I never been able to really open up. Not since I left the academy." She sighed. "Not until I came to the Pioneer. Not until...Dana. She was my best friend in ages, I told her everything. And now..." She took another sip, "Now I can't even share my happiest day of my life with her."
She then looked back to Elen. "But, I don't think Dana would want me to keep dwelling on her death, and neither should you. Life must go on. What she did, was for us to go on." She stared in her empty glass. "But thanks for the gesture none the less, El."
"No problem, there's an ulterior motive to it though- need you happy and on an even keel to keep Captain Big Ears under control. If he has to worry about Intelligence, next thing you know, he'll be down in Engineering checking on us too." Elen joked.
Jenn laughed and said, "There isn't much to worry about where it is about my department. I think I would be worrying more about engineering. It is after all the heart of this ship, we literally wouldn't move without you. Even the pilot couldn't get this thing anywhere with a well oiled engine. So trust me he is sooner down at your house than mine."
"Yes, had a captain on an old posting, micro managed everything, she was on your shoulder telling you which way to tighten a screw. So prefer Captains at an arm's length, if they're running around everywhere poking their noses in, won't see the asteroid we're flying into." El answered, remembering her boss in the Cochrane, and a nasty accident on the way to Earth.
"I would be annoyed as hell if that happened to me. I am so happy Malbrooke let me do my own thing." Jenn said. "Also, Pioneer is my actual first assignment since I dropped out of the academy. My previous position was that of a mercenary for hire. Did some hacking for some unimportant people, stealing intell. That kind of stuff."
"You weren't Artermis were you ? Did some work with them in the past, still owe them a bottle of something heavily alcoholic." Elen asked, referencing a hacker for hire she knew.
Jenn shook her head smiling. "No, but I know of them." She shrugged. "They weren't of interest to me back then. I tend to not interfere with other hackers and most of them left me alone as well." She smiled and said, but if you feel inclined to buy someone a drink, I'd be open for one."
"I'll dig up the bottle of Andorian whisky from storage for you. We can toast Artermis and Dana." Elen suggested "If it hasn't burnt through the bulkhead."
"I think we would have known by now if it had, don't you have the ships internal scanners set that sensitive?" She chuckled, I can't even light some candles without someone inquiring if I am alright." She was exaggerating of course, but somehow she thought Elen would be able to handle it.
"you go into the settings at the door panel, and go to the R menu, turn the value down to one or two, that calms the internal sensors for the room enough to light a couple of candles. Well that's what I do when I light some." Elen explained. "Ameri's in charge of sensors, I just give her the power for them."
"Makes sense, I guess," Jen said. "Honestly, I normally just bypass sensors. Or at least that's what I used to do before I became a department head an I got these neat things called security codes." She giggled. Made my life so much easier."
El laughed "Yeah, but they get logged, and tracked. Prefer to keep my subversions unlisted. Make people think I'm nice and safe. Better to have the base system codes to things, root always beats user".
"Ah, a fellow hacker, how interesting. I used to use Commander Myles codes. That man is really aloof, even when he change his codes." Jenn giggles. "But don't tell him that."
"Oh, yes . Commander 1-2-3-4. Been playing a joke on him for the last few weeks. Hack his office door, go in, and just move something, like rearrange the books, or move something off his desk onto another surface, small things. And of course reset his replicator to factory settings." El chuckled, remembering she had to do that before going back to engineering.
"Well, now I feel sorry for the man," Jen said looking a little sad. "You know he is a Betazoid not allowed to use his telepathic abilities and he is most likely being bossed around by his wife. I really want to see his reaction when he does find out." That last bit was with a hint of a chuckle. "I mean I have never seen really explode. He is very calm and soft for a Security chief. "
El was stunned "Nasty. I can't understand not being able to use my telepathy, might be a bit nicer to him now. Might. His wife has just joined my team as a damage specialist, will keep an eye on her, then, don't want a bully around."
"Well, she is not bad," Jenn added quickly, as she didn't mean to have the conversation go this direction. "She maybe wearing the pants in that relationship, but I wouldn't say she is a bully. I mean, aren't Betazoid women the dominant ones in their species anyways?"
"Oh, Ok. Sorry, dealt with a lot of bullies over my career, bit of a bugbear to me, trying not to bring many bad habits to my team, got enough problems keeping the lights on without personnel problems." Elen apologised.
Jenn nodded and waved her apology away. " I can understand where you're coming from. I am a department head too. I don't think you need to worry about her. I heard she is very experienced in her field too."
"Oh finally HR have listened. Been crying out for staff with experience since I got here. Need a few seasoned engineers to help train the newbies I keep getting. I swear if they keep getting younger, I'll have to set up a kindergarten. " El complained, at last getting it off her chest.
Jenn giggled. "I think there is already one on board the ship. Isn't it called Ó Flannigain's garden?" She was aiming for the little ones they, the Ó Flannigain's, brought on board. "I am just happy they keep those rugrats away from my workplace."
"I thought you guys would have one five year old, you know to write the encryptions, or is that just the security guys ?" Elen mocked.
Jenn grinned, "That's where you are wrong, the best encryption are done by 2 year old, try and crack that." She looked to her computer a moment and then said, "How about we get ourselves some real drinks? I have a couple of bottles of scotch at my quarters."
"Sure. I've just got to remember on the way out to make an appointment with Nhi for later in the week, see if she can find where a friend of mine is, Jamie, he supposedly works for intelligence. Not sure where he's stationed now. He and a few others are of Human-Scots extraction, so I know whiskies."
Jenn laughed. "You know what you, you had too much to drink. You just said you wanted to ask a security ensign, fresh out of the Academy for some information on a friend in intelligence. If you want information on intelligence you will need to talk to me, I am the Intelligence chief." She giggled.
"I know. Just didn't want to disturb the chief with just a trivial task of looking up the HR database, when they could be doing more interesting things like finding out what Big Ears, Veaby, and Marine Captain Tightpants are up to ? You should hear the gossip going round." El answered.
Jenn raised an eyebrow. "How did you find out about the intelligence's secondary job on the Pioneer. Most likely those rumors were started by us to see how the crew would react. Also, I have the real intelligence on that particular matter right here in my desk." A grin graced her face. "I can't give it to your, it's top secret." She giggled.
"Ah! So it is Defending the Federation Big hero stuff, not just a lad's holiday- Keef was wrong, they're not eloping to Risa!" Elen laughed.
"When is it ever?" Jenn asked. "Though the eloping to Risa sounds more interesting at the moment. Wish I could do that now. The Shore leave we had was wahay to short for what we just went through."
"Tell me about it. I had the engine rebuild to do. Think I might take a leave of absence after this mission to recharge, still feeling tired." El agreed.
"It does sound nice to have a little leave. My honeymoon was on the holodeck, and like two hours in we were called back out. Might like that honeymoon for reals, on the real Risa," Jenn said already imagining it. "I am pretty sure Jayna can take care of things in my absence."
"With Rissi downstairs, engineering runs better when I'm not there. I'm thinking of giving her the chiefdom at some point, either that or lose her to another ship." Elen confessed.
"Well to another maybe, I don't think the Pioneer can do without you as it's chief engineer." Jenn grinned.
Getting to the turbolift El answered, her head finally clearing of the sickly sensation she got from intelligence "Maybe you're right. Want to badger Big Ears for a long holiday when he gets back from saving the federation ?"
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Elen Diari
Chief Engineering Officer, USS Pioneer
Ensign Hoa Nhi Nguyen
Security Officer, USS Pioneer
Staff Warrant Officer Jennifer Masters-Calhoun
Chief Intelligence Officer, USS Pioneer
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