The Tale of Two Intel Officers

Posted on Fri Oct 4th, 2024 @ 2:49pm by Lieutenant Commander Sakaan & Lieutenant Commander Ashlynn Regan

1,540 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Season 1, Episode 0: "A Time To Heal"
Location: Mess Hall, USS Yorktown

ON:

[Mess Hall, USS Yorktown]

The mess hall was relatively quite at this particular hour. In fact, Lieutenant Commander Ashlynn Regan was the only person in corner of the mess hall she was sitting in, near the back next to a window. In front of her she had a replicated meal of Philly Cheesesteak with fries and a lemonade. It wasn't bad but it certainly wasn't better then a fresh sub. She also had a few PADDs on the table in front of her which were mostly reports from those in her department who were currently aboard, as well as manifests for new transfers to the Science Department. After taking a sip from her drink she set it down and reviewed another report.

Stepping through the door, PADD in hand, Sakaan was surprised to see another soul aboard the Yorktown at this early stage. She was positive she had been one of the first aboard to set out her stall, as it were, and get settled before the Yorktown headed out on her maiden voyage. That sensitive Vulcan sense of smell picked up the pungent scents of Earth foods, and her stomach reminded her she had not eaten since she herself had left Earth.

After a quick glance at the replicator, she felt it rude to ignore the redhead at the table. Letting out an internal sigh - she had hoped for solitude - Sakaan quickly replicated one of her favourite meals, and bussed her tray of Chinese vegetable soup and plain tea to the table.

'Commander,' she said in a quiet, measured tone, 'would you care for some company?'

After hearing the sound of a Vulcan woman's voice, she looked up to see who it was. She hesitated internally at the question. She enjoyed being alone much more, but she couldn't exactly deny her either. Besides, she did recognize her but she couldn't exactly place where she knew her from. Motioning to the seat in front of her, Ash smiled, "Be my guest, Commander-" she asked.

'Sakaan, Chief of Intelligence,' the Vulcan replied as she took the proffered seat. Arranging the items on the tray in the fashion most pleasing to her, Sakaan looked up and allowed a hint of a smile to cross her face, before quickly suppressing it. 'Are you a member of the Utopia Planitia maintenance team? I understood that the majority of the crew were yet to come aboard, Commander?' it was now her turn to proffer the unasked question.

"Ashlynn Regan, Chief Science Officer. I came aboard a week or so ago, from an extended leave of absence on Earth," she responded to Sakaan to explain being aboard the Yorktown so early. "But to answer that that last question, the ship has felt quite empty since I got here. I'm not complaining though," she chuckled nervously.

Arching an eyebrow in return, Sakaan replied, 'indeed,' before tucking in to her soup. After a few mouthfuls she paused, then observed, 'I find the quietness of a ship at berth to be quite acceptable. Particularly now, it gives a person a moment to settle in and become used to their new environment before the general hubbub increases. You're a scientist. Do you have a particular specialisation?'

"Early in my career I was quite busy, so I never found the time for a specialization before I became a department head, sadly," she said while implying her various intelligence positions in the past. After taking a sip of her drink she continued, "Although I have studied the other specializations as needed, and in recent years, I have taken an heavy interest in stellar cartography and astrometrics, due to certain circumstances," she trailed off, thinking about James and the Horizon.

Sakaan earmarked the two allusions in Regan's answer, and tucked the one regarding her early career for investigation later. Unusual for a science officer not to come up through a specialisation. But not outside the realm of possibility. Pausing a moment for a bite to eat, and a moment to think, Sakaan looked over to Regan and regarded her for a moment, then asked, 'stellar cartography and astrometrics are hobbies that are developing into a specialisation then?'

"Hopefully" she said simply. Sadly though at her rank and position there weren't too many more positions for astrometrics and stellar cartography that wouldn't be considered a demotion. Sometimes she felt as if she missed the opportunity. However it wouldn't hurt her to eventually gain those specializations.

'Well, as the Chief of your department, I hope you'll be assigning yourself some of the work,' Sakaan said, with a small quirk of the eyebrow, 'what good is authority if you don't use it? With the Constitution-Three's mission profile, it might be that we need quite a bit of stellar cartography and astrometrics work done.'

"I suppose you're right" she chuckled. "I guess that's one reason that I'm glad to be on the Yorktown, let alone any Starship after a while."

'As am I,' Sakaan replied. 'This is my first berth in almost a year - I had taken a long-overdue break, as my previous Commanding Officer termed it. I am fortunate the opportunity to serve came up again, despite the circumstances of the last Borg attack on Earth. From the way you speak, this is also your first assignment in quite some time?'

"Two years..." she trailed off before taking a sip of her lemonade that had been sitting on the table in front of her. Two years was considered a long-ish leave of absence for some. But it had been warranted. Scars from her time at the CIB and loosing James had haunted her. However, she refused to let them get to her.

'I too have taken extended leaves of absence from duty,' Sakaan replied, intuiting that Regan may not want to talk about it. 'I found after some assignments that a time for what humans call decompression was beneficial. It allowed me to partake in the continuing work to restore the P'Jem Monastery.'

Ash set her drink down. "It was music and cooking for me" she said in reference to when she was on leave and attempting to forget everything that had happened, even if it was just for an hour or two a day.

'Music is an incredible pastime,' Sakaan brightened slightly at the mention of music. 'It is one of my primary passions. Vulcans have a rich musical heritage, but it is not as heterodox as the breadth of human music. Human music is ... exhilarating is the closest word that I can use.'

"It really is" she said. "Especially the music that we consider to be more 'intense.'"

'Quite,' leaning forward, Sakaan pressed, 'I'm quite fond of folk music, particularly from my home in the Olympic Peninsula. What music do you enjoy?'

"All kinds of music, I suppose. I do have a soft spot for old music" she reminisced. "Well, at least old for this day in age," Ash chuckled.

'I find jazz from the early post-war era to the 1960s on Earth to be quite stimulating,' Sakaan replied, 'I would assume that is something you would regard as 'old'?'

"For me, 60's music was kind of old compared to some of the other things I have listened to. But I suppose that it is far older than it was when I was born" she chuckled.

The corner of Sakaan's mouth twitched, 'the older stuff has stood the test of time - at least most of what we still listen to. There is pleasure and value in listening to them. Unless it's the Beastie Boys. Then you're beyond redemption,' she finished with an arched eyebrow.

Ash chuckled. "Their music isn't all bad, ya know."

'It's a matter of opinion I suppose,' Sakaan conceded with good cheer. 'It would be agreeable to go listen to a gig on the holodeck one time if you were free. And we could find a group we could agree on.'

Ash gave a warm smile. "I'd like that as well."

'Then we should arrange it,' Sakaan replied, hiding her pleasure as was proper for a Vulcan. Looking at the chrono, she clicked her tongue, 'unfortunately I'm tardy for an update - would you kindly excuse me?'

Ash simply nodded and watched as the Vulcan Intelligence officer walked off in a Vulcan-like, fast pace. Sakaan was interesting, but not in a bad way. Hell, Ash was proud of herself, for the fact that she managed to possibly make a new friend, for the fact that in recent years, it had been hard. Why was it easier all of the sudden?

Pleased that she had already made a new acquaintance, Sakaan indulged in a short daydream about a visit to a gig with Ashlynn. It would be an agreeable experience. Focusing on her duties, she pushed her plans for downtime to one side, and pulled up her PADD as she re-entered her office. Business first.

::OFF::

Lieutenant-Commander Sakaan
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Commander Ashlynn Regan
Chief Science Officer
USS Yorktown

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