Odd Meeting Places

Posted on Sun Mar 24th, 2024 @ 9:26pm by Commander Fan Shuren & Lieutenant Commander Sakaan

1,435 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Season 1, Episode 0: "A Time To Heal"
Location: Starfleet Intelligence Annex, Juno
Timeline: 13 June 2403

Commander Fan Shuren stood in the reception area attached to the Starfleet Intelligence annex on Juno. Centrally located in the Sol System's asteroid belt but inhabited only by the residents of the SI facility, the rocky planetoid seemed like a good place to meet the woman who, she hoped, would soon be the Yorktown's Chief Intelligence Officer.

Knowing the two would be in Sol a few days ahead of boarding their new assignment, Shuren had reached out so they could speak before going aboard. Sakaan had agreed and worked to find them a secure meeting space. Apparently she was able to reserve a meeting space at the Juno facility.

Getting there had been a pain. Shuren had to requisition her own shuttle back on Mars -- there were no commuter transports to Juno -- and had to get special clearances. Thankfully the landing codes were included in the meeting invitation. She had parked her intra-system shuttle in the landing bay, nervous as two pulse phaser cannons tracked her approach until her confirmation codes had been verified, and was escorted to the reception, where she waited for her meeting.

Presently, a door to the left of the Commander opened, and allowed Sakaan entry to the reception area. A few quick eye glances allowed the Intelligence Officer to take in her surroundings. She appreciated the clean, white, fairly nondescript surroundings they were in. The grey trim and furniture added to the feeling of a bureaucratic space in an anonymous quarter of the galaxy.

As she was informally reporting in to one of her new superior officers, Sakaan had thought to dress the part. Slipping back into uniform was an illogically comforting feeling. Almost like greeting an old friend, she had thought as she slipped a vintage Admiral's belt around her hips, a gift from another time and place. Approaching Commander Fan Shuren, Sakaan inclined her head, and raised a hand in greeting. 'Commander Fan, welcome to Juno.'

"Lieutenant Commander Sakaan," Shuren said as she stood and returned Vulcan's hand gesture. "Thank you. I suppose it won't surprise you to hear that it's my first time here."

Cocking her head, Sakaan replied, 'indeed. Starfleet Intelligence has much more impressive facilities that are much easier to travel to than Juno.' As she motioned her superior officer towards the door, she continued, 'Juno happens to be my favourite of the Intelligence facilities we have in the Sol system. Did you know it's one of the oldest facilities in Starfleet's possession? Dates back right to the time of UESPA.'

As they approached the door, Sakaan pressed her hand against a palm reader, and waited the split second it took to register her fingerprints and palm pattern. 'If you'd step through, Commander. To forewarn you, the room on the other side of the door is quite small. They'll be taking bio-scans to pick up our markers to confirm we are who we say we are. If you're uncomfortable with tight spaces, I can wait on the other side for you to come through separately.'

"It's fine," Shuren assured her. "I've been in plenty of tight spaces before." She walked through, followed closely by Sakaan, and it was as had been described. Like an elevator in a very old building in Europe: yes it was capable of holding two people but not comfortably. The label of 'maximum occupancy: 2' was technically correct if not practically correct.

Once the noisy scanner finished its work, the door on the far side opened and a guard was there to collect Shuren's commbadge. She deactivated it and passed it along, where he put it in a locked cabinet.

Noting with approval the Commander's fastidiuousness regarding potential comms leaks, Sakaan watched as the guard handed over two multipasses that would allow both her and Fan access to an appropriate amount of the facility. Pointing the way, Sakaan led Fan to a briefing room.

'Computer,' she called out, 'activate comms dampening.' The Computer warbled its reply, and the windows that let in the harsh glare of reflected light from Juno's surface began to dim. As the magnetised shutters dropped, the room's interior illumination began to dim, until Sakaan rolled her eyes, and intervened, bringing them back up to appropriate levels for humans.

'I think I was getting carried away with the dramatic effects,' she observed wryly. 'No-one really uses this style of dampener any more. They went out when the Galaxy came in.' She took a seat, and motioned for Fan to do the same, 'I'm sure there are some who would say the same about me.'

"About all of us," Shuren said with a laugh as she took the offered seat. "Remember that op-ed from two years ago, after the quarter-millennial went off without a hitch, calling for Starfleet to scale back? A lot of people forget why we exist when they don't need us in the moment. And besides, a bit of caution never hurt anyone. Now, I'm sure you know why I asked for this meeting."

'I have surmised,' Sakaan replied as she rested her hands on the surface of the table. She looked off to the side, her ear jewellery sparkling in the artificial light as she considered her answer. 'A Chief of Intelligence without a berth, and Starfleet having suffered losses from yet another Borg incursion into the Sol system.' Sakaan looked back to the younger Commander. 'I assume a position aboard a new ship?'

"You have surmised correctly," Shuren said, nodding. "I'm heading there tomorrow. USS Yorktown, presently getting its final touch-ups at Utopia Planitia. Tell me, Commander, what do you know about a people called the Annexari?"

'Almost nothing. A sealed off polity is about the extent of my knowledge.' Sakaan quirked an eyebrow, 'my expertise relates to intelligence gathering in the Romulan Empire, supporting the post-War Cardassian regime and disrupting crime and smuggling networks whilst posing as a Romulan.' She fell silent again as she contemplated the Commander's question. 'It would be a new challenge, that much is true.'

"Not sealed off anymore. Get yourself read in on all files related to the now-defunct Annexari Socialist Republic, the Annexari Civil War, and the newly established Provisional State of Greater Annexar," Shuren ordered. "You officially have need-to-know. I'll approve it once we're done. We also have a lot of open-source material being gathered by new allies within the new provisional government. You'll have access to all of it. Annexari space is on the far side of the Romulan Star Empire. Romulan meddling isn't off the table, so your experience to this point will be an asset, even if you're starting from scratch on the Annexari."

Both eyebrows raised a fraction. Sakaan felt a wealth of question bubble up inside her along with the excitement of a new challenge. Not long ago she had been semi-resigned to a quiet retirement from Starfleet, pottering about her property on the Olympic Peninsula and other humdrum activities. How different the future looks now. 'You can rest assured I will be read up on any notes I can get my hands on.'

“Excellent. Any further questions?” Shuren asked.

Sakaan shook her head, 'nothing that would be useful for either of us.' She softened the abruptness of her statement with a supplementary, 'there is a lot of information to absorb, and rather than waste your time with questions that may resolve themselves in the reading of the material you will provide, I think a supplementary meeting when we are both aboard Yorktown would be more useful.'

"Agreed." Shuren stood and straightened her uniform. "Like I said, once I'm back on my shuttle I'll be able to approve any access requests so you can start studying. I'll be aboard the Yorktown by this time tomorrow, and the Captain and I will expect you to join us within the next seventy-two hours."

'Understood, Commander,' Sakaan replied as she got to her feet. 'I'll sign you out of the facility - most of the process is automated anyhow as you exit. Please don't forget your commbadge.' She pulled a crips salute. 'Not to tempt fate, but I believe this is the start of a good working relationship.'

Shuren returned the salute. "I think so too. Take care, Ms. Sakaan, and see you in a few days."

'In a few days,' Sakaan promised.

OFF

Commander Fan Shuren
Executive Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Commander Sakaan
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Yorktown

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