An Opening in Intelligence
Posted on Tue Jun 18th, 2024 @ 12:45am by Captain Remy Johansen & Lieutenant Phaedrae Cyn
978 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Mission Interlude Starbase 76 & Serenity
Location: Intelligence Lab
Timeline: MD 9, 1330 Hours
Captain Johansen let herself into the Intelligence Department's offices suite and laboratory to touch base with Lieutenant Cyn. Lieutenant Spello and his team would be back on board later this evening if all went to plan, and since he had accepted the position of First Officer, that left an opening to fill. Lieutenant Cyn had come to Astrea more than qualified, it was just a bit too early to mention the potential opening when they had met during their onboarding discussion.
When Remy stepped into the department's workspace she found Cyn finishing her work on the asylum forms. "Hello Captain," she greeted. She pushed the work aside and folded her hands on her desk, giving the captain her full attention. "What can I do for you today?"
"Hello, Lieutenant. I actually came to talk to you about some personnel movement. May I?" Remy asked, gesturing to the open door.
"Of course. Have a seat if you'd like," Cyn offered while pointing to a free chair.
Remy closed the door and took a seat. "Thank you, Lieutenant," Remy stated. "It hasn't been formally announced yet, but Lieutenant Spello is getting promoted, and has accepted my offer to become the first officer, creating an opening for Chief Intelligence officer."
"Any interest?" Remy asked.
Cyn leaned onto the armrest of her chair, giving the offer a modicum of consideration. The job was something she could reasonably do. "Of course," she said again. "With one caveat," she added and tapped her pips. "I don't need an immediate promotion, but Lieutenant Commanders have more clout than Lieutenants when working through the red tape of bureaucracy."
"You certainly have the years and field experience," the Captain acknowledged. "It's why I'm coming to you for the position. The only thing you're really missing is running a department. I'll reach out to the Intelligence Division, but I'm sure I can fast track you for it depending on where you are in your Department Head Training."
"Certainly. I can give you references also if you can't get around clearance issues in my records. I'm not a stranger to leading a team." Cyn said.
Remy shook her head. "You can certainly shoot them my way, and I'll put together a packet for you. I'm not interested in gate-keeping anyone from a promotion, your record is commendable. It's just that until we get into Department Head territory Starfleet Intelligence manages all the promotions for their officers. I have theories on that, but I've only worked with intelligence, never inside it."
"But if you're planning to take this offer, then as Captain I do actually get a bit of a say - as you are obviously aware. Whatever your long term goals are, I'm happy to give you a leg up if you're willing to give me even some of your time here," Johansen said.
"Like I said, I don't need an immediate promotion, but it's something I'm looking for," Cyn gave the captain a warm smile.
"Well, I've never been one to procrastinate. And it's looking like your position is going to be a busy one given our crew and assigned sector," Remy pointed out.
"I should let you know that Commander Razka is a good friend of mine, and we go back several years. But how familiar are you with the Quath'Mar?" Remy asked.
"It's been a couple decades since I've run into them, but I did spend about a year with one of the clans. My memories may be clouded by youth. They are quite reclusive. Why do you ask?"
"I'll be clear in that I trust Kas implicitly, and that he wouldn't have the rank that he has in Starfleet if he weren't to be trusted," Remy began. "But some of the clans are possibly still doing business with the Breen, and those some clans are likely to be allied with others who may wish to do us harm and even the Quath'Mar and the Federation may not be aware of their existence or intentions yet. His ties there are often a strength, but someone could easily try to use his loyalty to them to get to Starfleet," Remy explained.
Not willing to assume an order, Cyn asked, "Do you need me to do something with this information?"
"Just to know that we can probably expect to run into them a little bit more with Kas on board, so it's a good idea to figure out who in Intelligence is keeping tabs on them these days," Remy suggested. "Kas won't keep anything from you. I'm more worried about someone popping in one him asking for a favor, or offering one to him who might be keeping something from him."
"Certainly." Cyn made a physical note with the computer. "Anyone else who you need me to keep an eye on?"
"Just the usual. The activity in the region certainly has enough to keep a fully staffed intel division busy around the clock, and this Ataran situation is likely to heat up quickly. We'll know more when we meet back up with the Serenity and our away team tomorrow night."
"When does the new position take effect?" Cyn asked.
"I plan to make the announcement to everyone else when I announce Lieutenant Spello's promotion to First Officer at our next senior staff meeting once we are all back together. You will both slide into your new roles effective pretty much right away," Remy answered.
Remy stood up to take her leave. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I think the senior staff and command team here is shaping up nicely. I'm glad you're a part of it."
"I shall do my best," Cyn promised. She stood with the captain out of respect, then returned to her work once she was alone once more.
Lieutenant Phaedrae Cyn
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Astrea
Captain Remira Johansen
Commanding Officer USS Astrea
RSS Feed