Jane Sinclair’s Busy Day, Part the Fifth: Indoctrination
Posted on Thu Oct 21st, 2021 @ 3:03am by Lieutenant Alisha Reno & Lieutenant JG Jane Sinclair
Edited on on Mon Oct 25th, 2021 @ 4:50am
3,350 words; about a 17 minute read
Mission:
Handling the Fallout
Location: Office of the Chief Intelligence Officer
Timeline: Late Afternoon
Jane Sinclair’s day was nothing short of exhausting. So many errands squeezed into one incredibly busy day. But it was time for the last one: the meeting with the new Chief Intelligence Officer.
As with most Starfleet Officers, Jane had a high security clearance. But that was never enough to give her access to materials she needed. As a pilot and mechanic, she needed the highest classification material available on her own flight control systems, her shuttles, and any ships they might interact with in deep space. Survival may one day depend on her knowledge of the top speed or maneuverability quotient of one of those new Romulan Warbirds that had been spotted recently.
She needed the CIO to make sure she could access the necessary information.
So she took a deep breath and chimed Lieutenant Reno’s door.
“Come in!” Alisha trilled, looking up from one of the probably fifty PADDs that festooned her desk. Of course, there were a few spots that were empty, so her feet actually occupied a corner of the desk as she leaned back in her chair. Position had its privileges, such as being able to organize things how she wanted them now. The smile of mild interest changed as the rather tall woman came into her office and Alisha recognized her.
Instead, the smile on her face grew a significant amount and her feet slid off the desk to a wave of her skirt and she leaned forward, uniform jacket disheveled from being open in the front, “If it isn’t the speed demon herself, Jane Sinclair…” Alisha marveled, “You know, we were at the Academy together, I was a year behind you, and I was one of the quiet ones, but your exploits as a pilot were some of the talks of the mess hall, especially my Junior year after that situation on your way to Eris.”
Jane was taken aback by how much this woman knew about her. But then again, she was the Chief of Intelligence. She wouldn't be very good at her job if she didn't have an excellent memory for details. "Eris was a big moment for me," she agreed. "I don't think I'd have gotten such a good first posting if that had gone differently."
The woman before her was familiar. Jane struggled to place where she knew Lieutenant Reno from.
"As for the racing and the speeding, well...they shouldn't design shuttles that go that fast if we're not supposed to fly them like that." She grinned. "Lieutenant Alisha Reno, I presume?"
“Alisha, please.” The Intel officer smiled and gestured to a chair, pulling herself out of her own and coming around the desk to slip into the second one herself in an obvious effort to keep things from being formal. Her office was rather sparsely decorated, a handful of short cabinets along one wall, a few holos of her with some well-known actors and actresses, including the super-famous Tiana Vellour, and a guitar sitting upright on a stand with a signature scrawled on it, the name ‘Elena G.’ in an elegant hand and script, “We’re both rather small fish tank-wise here on the Myogi, I happen to think we should be as informal as we can get away with whenever possible.”
The blonde grinned widely, “But I do agree, speed is good! I’ve been known to fly them from time to time, purely to get from one place to another, don’t worry about me thinking I’m an actual fighter pilot, or even shuttle pilot, but the job does let me go fast when need be.”
"I'm sure!" Jane said, grinning. She examined the collectibles and holo-photographs along the wall. Facts were beginning to align in her mind. The images. Her face. The way she said 'Alisha, please,'.
"You're Alexis Silverstar, aren't you?" she asked, still grinning.
“I knew it was a bad idea to have all of this in my office…” Alisha shook her head slowly, with a slight sigh, “But since it was my first office of my very own, I guess I figured it would be safe.” She giggled in a slightly manic nature, then gave her best move-star smile, one she hadn’t used in quite a while, “But yes, for what it’s worth, I am the actress formerly known as Silverstar. You see, Reno just wasn’t flashy enough and my agent at the time thought it needed more of a splash.” She gave an exaggerated shrug, “I’ve come up in the world.”
"You're speaking to a former shuttle racer, Alisha," Jane said, her expression more serious now, "so trust me when I say I understand and agree. The celebrity life is luxurious, but the Starfleet life is fulfilling." She leaned back in her chair and shrugged. "I can fly fast and get wealth, fame, and all the women I can handle. Or I can fly fast and save a life. Make a difference. I think I made the right choice." Her smile returned and a mischievous glint shone in her eyes. "Not to say I don't miss the glamour, recognition, and women sometimes."
“You know, back when I… Retired from acting,” The way Alisha said the word said that there was a whole story behind it, “I didn’t think I could get over not doing it anymore. There is that thrill of being in the spotlight, everyone hanging on your every word and action.. Now? I could do without it. Now, instead, I can use my abilities to do something useful. You wouldn’t believe how actually fun it can be to look like someone you’re not, act like them and fool people into believing you’re them.” A girlish giggle came out this time, “My first assignment after the Academy, I tricked my department head into thinking I was one of my instructors! I was officially asleep at the time, so my absence wasn’t noted, but got him to actually turn the section from a pig sty into something decent on Cassandra.”
“Oh I wish I could do that!” Jane said, laughing. “But I suppose I should tell you that I’m here to make sure I have access to necessary classified materials. I never understood why we need to be re-indoctrinated with every new assignment, but here I am, ready to sign my life away again in exchange for a PADD that can retrieve confidential files.”
Alisha made a face and reached over into the stacks and shimmied a PADD out of the middle of one of them, keying it and smiling, “Work…” She muttered, starting to look over the personnel file of one Jane Sinclair, “But, so I know you’re not a doppelgänger trying to pretend who you are, tell me a little about yourself while I read this over. I promise, I can do both at the same time.” She grinned slyly, “Hobbies, interests, pets, girlfriends?” Since Jane had only mentioned women, Alisha presumed she wasn’t into guys.
“Well, easy ones out of the way,” Jane began. “No pets and no girlfriend for a while, sadly.” She let out a little laugh. “Honestly, I’m boring. If I had my way I’d spend most of my time in a shuttle maintenance bay, building, tinkering. Working with my hands. When I was serving on the Shanghai, I spent most of my off-hours in a Starfleet shuttle pool on the colony we were based from, just…toying with the little ships. It feels very zen working like that, you know?”
"I actually can." Alisha agreed, "It's all about doing what you really love to do. For me, I've always tended to take some of my analysis work home with me, just to read idly as I relax. For some reason, I actually find more of the little details when I'm not actively searching for them. That one little bit of information that pulls the entire thing together." She smiled at Jane before looking back down at the PADD, "Usually with a movie or something on, alone as well, just like you. Most people don't trust me, being Intelligence and all. They think I'm out to get everyone, or they're trying to get me to go after someone else." She made a bit of a face, "So I've stopped trying to bring people home, getting into a relationship. If it's going to happen, it'll happen, if not? Well... I've always got my research to do."
"Very well said," Jane agreed. "But for the record, I don't think you're out to get me, or are about to use me. I've met intel officers who were like that but they were never as friendly or open about themselves. Oh sure, they shared a bit to get you talking, but I could usually tell the difference." Then she grinned again. "Besides, you already know about the speeding and the racing, and surely Starfleet Intelligence isn't sending someone of your caliber after a speed demon."
Alisha had a good control of her blush reflex and brought a hand up to fend off the compliment as she squeezed her eyes a little too tight in her cringe to activate the light blush, “Oh, stop it you.” She chuckled, “I’m only a junior grade Lieutenant, and one on her first departmental command with a massive staff of… One. Me and a P-O, that’s it. I’ll admit, given the situation with the Admiral, I’m a little surprised they didn’t put someone more senior on here to keep an eye on that particular situation, they sent me instead without more than the base briefing on the events.” Of course, her orders on the situation were an expansion on what she’d just said, but secrets were the stock in trade for her position. “I’m not sure I could be called ‘high caliber’, just call me… Oh, ‘an officer with some potential for her future.’ And besides, if anything, I’d be coming after you to get me somewhere reaaaaally fast. I can fly shuttles, I can fly fighters, but usually on autopilot, just to get somewhere or another.”
“Well, you ever need me to fly you somewhere, just ask,” Jane said. “And I’m happy to give you refreshers on shuttle systems. My department isn’t much bigger than yours, so every person who can fly one of my little ships is an asset.”
She shifted in her chair. “Earlier today I had the pleasure of starting a holo program about your line of work. A Felix Knightly Special about a British Secret Service agent in the twenty-first century.” She lifted her hands defensively. “I know it’s probably not the least bit realistic. Maybe one day you can join me?”
"I would LOVE to!" That sounded absolutely wonderful to Alisha and she sat up straight, "And of course you're talking about James Bond! Did you see the one that came out ten years ago? 'Death On The Riviera'?"
Jane nodded and then her eyes widened. “Oh my god, you were in that, weren’t you?!”
"I was in it." Alisha confirmed, a wide grin on her face, "Salatta Rhindhard," The 'n' was silent,"I was the redhead that was came in on the motorcycle to rescue James Bond after he was compromised on a mission. Seduced by James, of course, but I eventually got captured by the bad guy, held as a hostage and when James didn't cooperate, got my brains blown out a bit after the halfway point of the movie." She made an explosion gesture with her hands, "I was nineteen at the time, did all my own stunts in all my movies. My own singing, the only stunt I didn't do was the skydiving hand to hand scene in the Bond film.. I tried a couple takes, but it just wasn't working well, so we had a stunt double step into it."
Jane had not been starstruck before but suddenly here she was talking to a woman who had starred in one of the films! She was taken in by the story and listened to every detail. She remembered that film quite well. Miss Rhindhard, played spectacularly by the woman in front of her, sang beautifully and had some excellent fight scenes. And the sex scene was one of the better ones in Bond filmography.
“In this program, I’m James Bond,” Jane explained. “Well, rather, I’m Agent Jane Sinclair, 007, licence to kill. The charming and dangerous secret agent who always beats the bad guy, saves Queen and Country, and gets the girl. It’s fully customizable. Tell the computer which role you play and it adapts.” She let out a laugh. “I’ve only played the prologue but I prevented some kind of arms dealing syndicate from kidnapping a hotel heiress. She was very…thankful.” She gave Alisha a wink. “Or she was going to be, but the theme song started and the heiress faded out just after the kiss started. Bloody editors.”
"Hmmmph, that's no fun!" Alisha commiserated with Jane, "But that was one of the movies I had the most fun with, I think it was because it was how much of a classic it was, the history of the entire series." She batted her eyelashes at Jane, "But I would absolutely love to join you in whatever role you'd like me to. Fellow agent, or you know, reprise a role as a Bond girl. I think you'd keep me alive much longer than Benny did, though yes, it was scripted. I can adapt to whatever you'd like!"
"Sounds like a plan!" Jane agreed, unable to hide the light flush coming to her cheeks. "I don't know how the story is supposed to go but I'll take a look at the character list and see where you can jump in. I'm trying to find a time slot for a recurring holodeck reservation; I'll let you know what I end up with."
"How's the paperwork coming?" she continued. "Am I who I say I am, or was I replaced by a Founder a few years back, and your only way to know for sure to keep your eyes on me for eighteen hours?" she asked playfully.
“Oh, definitely a Founder.” Alisha laughed, “Only a Founder would think I, Alexis Silverstar, we’re still relevant!” She winked at Jane with a smile that spoke volumes, then scribbled a signature with a small note onto the PADD and handed it over, “It may warrant a… Closer evaluation, but I think it’s safe to presume that you are indeed you. and so..” Her voice changed to include a British accent, eyes glittering in excitement, “I renew your license to kill, Agent Double-Oh-Seven, and may you ever uphold the honor of King and Country as you always have.”
Jane forced her face into a mock-serious expression. "For England." It helped that her Proximan accent was so similar to that of the colony's original English colonists. Her serious expression broke and she laughed again. "In all seriousness, thank you. I like to review Starfleet and foreign fleet ship specs and flight systems, and the good ones are always classified. I once had to bug out from hostile territory on a Klingon NuQ'Duj scout. Thankfully I had been reading the classified reports on Klingon ships, and despite not being able to read the letters on the control panels, I knew exactly how to fly it. Captain Sun and I got back to the Shanghai that day."
Alisha gave her a curious look, then gestured for the PADD back and uploaded one more file, “Yhis one is actually a Fleet shuttle, just modified for stealth and low visibility. I don’t have one on board, but I might be assigned one since the availability of shuttles may be limited and Intelligence likes having their couriers and data pickup people to be able to reliably do so. As I said, I use the autopilot, so having a friend along to fly for real might be fun.” She smiled , “It would definitely help to have someone pull my jiffies out of the fire if it comes down to it.” She glanced at a chrono on the wall, “I’m debating… We don’t leave the station until the morning, should I run tot he station for some real food before we shove off?”
"You absolutely should," Jane said, nodding. "I want to, but I still have so much more to do before we launch that I expect my dinner will be something scarfed down at the mess hall." She wanted very much to eat one last hot, fresh meal on Spacedock, and strongly considered pushing off her responsibilities and suggesting that she and Alisha eat together.
But duty had to come first.
"I don't suppose you can pick me up something fresh while you're over there?" Jane asked. "Like some fruit or baked goods? Something I can enjoy for a few days after we leave dock?" She looked at Alisha with puppy dog eyes. "I'd be ever so grateful."
“Favorite fruits and snacks?” Alisha asked with a bright smile, “And what’s your favorite hot meal? You never know, someone may show up at your quarters with something nice and fresh.” Alisha looked halfway innocent, “Yes, I can do that too. Intelligence work is mostly dull, so hobbies abound.”
“I have no favourite fruit; I’ve never met one I didn’t like!” Jane answered. “As for snacks, I’m partial to mini eclairs or profiteroles. A pastry with something yummy inside. Hot meal? Well, at the risk of being spoiled, a creamy pasta. Like Fettuccine Alfredo or Carbonara. And a trip to the gym, because after that many carbs I’ll need to work out a while!”
Alisha had already begun to make her shopping list in her head, "At the risk of being the one spoiling, I do believe I can handle that. How about a dinner tomorrow night? Assuming that their ladyships in command give us a bit of a break to grab a meal and enjoy it, of course." She cocked her head to the side slightly, "I'll even throw together a Caesar salad to go along with it, for health's sake."
“I’d like that.” Jane stood to her full height and stretched. “My quarters, tomorrow night. Assuming we’re allowed off duty, 1930 hours?”
"It's a date, then!" Alisha stood as well, then corrected herself, "Or at least a dinner. But don't worry, I won't make you wait for the other goodies. I'll drop them by your quarters once I get back on board, even if you're not there. I'm sure I can sneak my way in if I put my mind to it."
“I’m sure you can,” Jane said with a smirk. She noticed the little correction. Dinner vs date. It made her blush a little. “Well, I need to get going. I still need to finish my tour of the ship, check in on the bridge, write home, and collapse in bed after one of the busiest days I’ve had in months.” She reached her hand out to Alisha. “It was very nice meeting you, Alisha. I can’t wait for tomorrow’s dinner.”
Alisha shook the hand firmly, lingering with her touch, "The pleasure was all mine, Jane, the menu is subject to change, depending on what I can dredge up on the station, but I'll definitely shoot for what you desire. Nineteen-Thirty, I'll get everything prepped and finish making it over there so it's fresh on the plates." She smiled and winked.
“I can’t wait,” Jane replied excitedly. “Nineteen-thirty,” she repeated as she left the office of the beautiful and charming chief intelligence officer, eager for the next night’s dinner.
Posting by (in order of appearance):
Lieutenant Junior Grade Jane Sinclair
Chief Flight Control Officer, USS Myogi (NCC-65918)
Lieutenant Junior Grade Alisha Reno
Chief Intelligence Officer, USS Myogi (NCC-65918)
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