Flashback: Academy Da(y)ze

Posted on Sun Oct 24th, 2021 @ 5:54am by Lieutenant Alisha Reno
Edited on on Mon Oct 25th, 2021 @ 4:47am

2,009 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Handling the Fallout
Location: Intelligence Orientation, Starfleet Academy
Timeline: August 11th, 2387

Fifty Cadets, all of either the first or second year, sat in the classroom, waiting for their instructor to show up. Some of them were fidgeting, all of them wore the grey shoulder piping on their blue uniforms that indicated their chosen field of study: Intelligence. In the second row, Cadet Second Year Alisha Reno sat patiently, one leg crossed over the other as she RE-read the course syllabus that they'd had waiting for them upon their arrival for the seventh time, not showing her own impatience with the waiting, as it had been a quarter hour since the class was scheduled to start. Then the door slid open and a moderately height-gifted officer in Intelligence grey walked in, the four pips of a Captain on her neckline, dirty blonde hair sporting a single streak of black over her left ear. She walked to the large desk in the center of the front part of the room and sat on it, looking over the fifty cadets, all of whom had stood straight to attention from the moment she'd shown herself.

Ten more seconds passed before she opened her mouth to speak, "At ease, sit." It was a terse command, not a suggestion and the class sat as one, "Welcome to Intelligence Orientation, which will turn into Introduction. I am Captain Azalea Martine, your primary Intelligence instructor throughout your time here at the Academy. As I'm sure some of you have noticed, we have a mix of first and second year Cadets in here, that is NOT a mistake. Some of you came in wanting to be Intelligence officers, some of you were recruited during your first year, from other tracks after careful observation and research."

Alisha knew this, she'd been in the Helm section when a note had been placed in her locker, suggesting she look into Intelligence, but the Captain went on. "How many of you all have seen those movies starring a character named 'James Bond' '007'?" All of the hands went up, including Alisha's, who hid a smile. She'd not only seen them all, she'd BEEN in one of them. "How many of you believe that becoming an Intelligence officer will turn you into Mister Bond?" A handful of hands stayed up, and the cold laughter of Azalea echoed, "It won't."

She looked at each of the men and women in the front row, "I want you to look to your left, then to your right." She waited while they did so, "For those of you with people on either side, one of the three of you will make it through this year still on the Intelligence track." Out of the fifty of you, if twenty graduate as Ensigns, I'll consider that to be a blessing to the Intelligence community. You seven stand up." She pointed at seven of the front row, "Seven of you all, not necessarily these ones, have been identified as potential undercover officers." She pointed four fingers and gestured them to sit down, "Three of them may actually have the capability to do it. That means perhaps ONE new potential undercover officer will graduate."

"Undercover officers are the ones that are in the most danger of every officer out there, they rely on their wits, their skills, their training to keep from being discovered and potentially becoming injured or dead in the process." She smiled slyly, "So, what else draws prospective Intelligence officers?" She asked rhetorically, "How many of you were hoping to become one of the Black Ops teams we sometimes use for special situations?" Twelve hands raised, "Get THAT thought out of your head. We've got teams, yes, but they almost exclusively come from Marines Special Forces or some extremely skilled Security officers. Perhaps one in a few HUNDRED Intelligence officers may become one member of one of those teams. Betting odds are against it. Down hands."

Another look around, "What about rank? How many of you think you're going to become Commanders, Captains, Admirals with the Intelligence service?" Another dozen hands, two more, then Martine laughed again, "There have been, in the history of Starfleet, eleven flag-rank officers from Intelligence, primarily Commodores, two Rear Admirals and count it ONE Vice Admiral. Most of you will top out as Junior Grade Lieutenants and full Lieutenants, maybe a Lieutenant Commander or so." She laughed bitterly, "You will be reviled and distrusted amongst most of the rest of the Fleet, first to be blamed when something goes wrong."

She slid off the desk and to her feet, "And how many of you think that you're going to be excited with this job, put into tight situations, relying on your imagination and ability to shoot a phaser to keep ahead of your enemies?" Only a few hands, seeing the pattern, "Your most common weapon of use?" She picked a PADD up from her desk, "This. You'll be writing reports based off information gathered in several different ways, INCLUDING those undercover officers who are putting their lives on the line JUST to give you what will likely be useless data, or at least information that appears useless. And you'll write reports on reports from the rest of the Federation so that your Commanding Officers won't be left in the dark. You may be in a shuttle or a fighter, on long, boring trips, no one to talk to, to go pick UP that data from bouys that collect reports and then you'll be expected to write reports on the way back."

Another cruel smile crossed her face, "Let's see, have I ticked off all the boxes? Long, boring work without any prospects for high rank or excitement, no one is going to like you and everyone will think you're out to get them." She scanned the faces of many unhappy cadets, "Is anyone here having second thoughts about becoming officers working within Starfleet Intelligence?" Slowly, sixteen hands raised and Alisha looked around just as the Captain did, "Very well, if you all will please head down to the Registrar's Office, there are a pair of yeoman that are standing by to assist you in transferring into more appropriate majors. There's no shame in it, ladies and gentlemen, this is an exclusive club, not everyone is up to it."

Sixteen cadets left and the room now seemed empty, so Martine waved them all in, "Closer, everyone, fill up these seats in front, this is Starfleet Academy, not some third-rate public school!" She waited as they all shuffled forward, "Still, half of you won't make it most likely, because you DO have to rely on your wit, your confidence in yourself and your fellow officers and crew. You have to be able to work PAST the distrust to get your commanding officers to believe in you and what you're presenting to them, and you need to be RIGHT." She pointed one finger at Alisha, "You, Blondie, stand up, front and center!"

Alisha hurriedly obeyed, taking a deep breath as she did so, but one finger upheld from Martine kept her from speaking, "What we're going to do now is a little exercise. Before the end of our time together today everyone will be standing up here to introduce themselves. I want you to tell us all seven things about you, five of them will be the truth, two of them will be lies. One thing we're supposed to be able to do is determine what the truth is, what the lie is. This is a straight PASS or FAIL for all of you. If you can successfully pass off your lies as the truth, you pass. If both of your lies are discovered, you fail. If it's a one and one? Well... We'll see just how creative those lies are and if you can spin them." That cruel smile again, "Blondie, you're first."

Alisha nodded and faced her classmates, turning in an at-ease stance while Martine went back behind her desk, "Good afternoon," She spoke, a Hellenic accent on her tongue, "I'm Alisha Reno, Cadet Second Year. I was born in Athens, Greece. I started in the Helm section when I signed up last year, but before that I was an actress in several major movies. My family has been in the Fleet for two generations before me, my mother is a doctor and I have no siblings." She remained as she was.

"Very well, Cadet, while your fellows discuss among themselves, you come chat with me." Martine waited until Alisha was next to her and patted the chair she'd had there, "Are you sure you want to tell them that?" Was all she asked initially.

"I need to trust my fellows." Alisha said softly, so that the other students couldn't hear her or her now lack of accent, "That starts with my classmates. Someone's bound to find out anyways, ma'am."

A cleared throat from the cadets brought both of their attention to them, "Well, Cadet, it seems like they think they have you figured out." Martine pointed at the cadet that had cleared their throat, "All right, what have you decided?"

The cadet in question stood up at attention, "Ma'am, Cadet Reno, we believe that the Cadet is lying about being an actress and that she has no siblings, ma'am."

"Interesting... And the reasons for your presumptions?" Martine raised an eyebrow.

"Ma'am, Starfleet service beyond single generations are common, if your parents serve, their child tends to be raised among them and tends to follow. People don't tend to lie about their parents, but a doctor would have little free time to raise multiple children, but on Fleet ships there are many support services, so we believe that Cadet Reno has siblings. Also, no disrespect, Cadet Reno, if you were an actress, don't you think some of us wouldn't have recognized you?" There was some chuckling behind him.

"Reno?" Martine smiled at the blonde Cadet.

"You've got it all wrong, Cadet." She said in a silky smooth accent, "I was born in Texas, raised there by my non-Starfleet parents as a single child." She batted her eyelashes at him, "I have indeed been in several major motion pictures."

Several calls of negativity echoed, "Bullshit!" "Not a chance" "Impossible."

Alisha shared a quick glance to Martine, then her posture changed to one of a terror-filled girl, "James, don't give them anything... I'm not worth it... For England." Her voice changed again, "Salatta Rhindhard, Bond movie." It changed again, "We can't always live, but we can always protect. For our friends, for our our families... For The Alliance!" She sounded determined, eyes changing timbre as well, before reverting, "Commander Terry Knight, Stardust Saga Two." Another change of voice, "When all Ah've got is myself, Ah'm the only one I have to believe in. And singin' is the only way Ah know. Elena Girardi, 'Girardi's Tears'." She saw the jaws of the other cadets drop as she went through each of the transformations, her voice changed again, "Alexis Silverstar was my stage name. Don't believe everything you've heard, but I am her." She gave a slight curtsy, "Any other objections?"

There was silence throughout the room, "Thank you, Cadet Reno, for both your performance and your... Performance." Martine shoo'd her away and pointed at the cadet 'spokesman', "You're up next, front and center."

Alisha felt eyes on her as she resumed her seat, perhaps this wasn't the best idea, but it was the one she had to do to get back to herself. Then the rest of the focus was on the new cadet, getting ready for his own set of attempted lies. One of the other Cadets leaned over, "I liked those movies." He whispered, "Why did you join the Fleet?"

Alisha shrugged, uncomfortable with the question, "I just did... That's all."

"The peanut gallery can now shut up!" Azalea Martine barked at the Cadet and Alisha, frowning at them, "Now, pay attention!"

Posting By:

Cadet Second Year Alisha Reno
Intelligence Track Cadet
Starfleet Academy

(or also
Lieutenant (jg) Alisha Reno
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Myogi )

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