Day 12 [1930 hrs.] Omnes Una Manet Nox

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Day 12 [1930 hrs.] Omnes Una Manet Nox

August 26, 2022, 12:55:40 AM

Her mood was nothing short of desolate. Andrew Fisher had been almost a centerpiece of her success in the few short weeks she’d been aboard. The weeks had been bathed in violence of course, as seemed to be her luck, but the saga of rescuing Fisher, then being quickly reassigned and promoted within intelligence had allowed her to finally fall back into herself after what felt like years of simply going through the motions. Day in and day out had been simply…patrol the promenade, stop fights, go to sleep. Theurgy had presented her the chance to see the line again for the first time since the war, and she’d jumped on the chance when the Admiral had given it to her. The chance to DO something with herself.

Fisher had taken it a step further. He’d allowed her, despite her past, to join his department not simply as some low-level analyst, but as one of the assistant chiefs. He’d only known her for hours before making the choice, but he had. She’d found purpose again in her work, not just in the violence and adrenaline of field operations but once more exercising the muscle of her mind with her tracing of her old allies on Romulus. More than anything though his death reminded her of one simple fact, there was one night awaiting them all. There was no way to know when. Just as Fisher had been rescued, only to be killed so quickly after. There would be more loss, and his death only reinforced her understanding that they were fighting what very well could be a losing war. If that was the case, she intended to die standing.

Pierce’s call hadn’t been entirely unexpected, but she truthfully really wasn’t certain what to make of the woman. Their interactions had been limited thus far. Her uncertainty perhaps gave way to a bit more apprehension than she thought she’d experience when she finally did receive the call.

She’d been sitting in her quarters, having finished up her work for the day. She’d thrown a holo of some old-earth movie on at her desk, made herself a martini, and had intended to dig through a few more reports. Nothing soothed a wrestless soul more than a difficult task, that’s what she’d been brought up to believe. She was so, so close to tracking down Narin. She knew that she was, once she found him though, the task remained - how did she contact him?

Upon receipt of the message, she accepted the invitation, and recycled the undrank martini back into the replicator, instead opting to bring the Enterprise flask with her, pocketing it, just as she had that night with Andrew Fisher. She was wearing her uniform still, not quite knowing the new CO well enough to show up in casual attire. More so than what she figured would be an actual meeting of some sort, it truly was her first opportunity to ‘feel out’ her new department head.

Who was Alana Pierce, and how did she differ from her predecessor?

Approaching the quarters, she took a long glance down the hall. She’d never seen Senior Officers quarters, and part of her was honestly curious. She’d always wondered if it was true that they had a functional bath tub, an amenity Valyn missed dearly from her previous posting. While boring, being posted to station security certainly had its perks.

Finding her mark, she reached forward to press the Starfleet delta fastened to the small panel outside the door, hearing the chirp of the bell ever so slightly through the door, her left vulcanoid ear gave the slightest twitch.

Upon admittance, she immediately sought out Pierce with her eyes, presenting herself as an officer would at first, at attention, before settling into a stance a bit more at ease. “Lieutenant Amarik, reporting.” Her southern twang cutting through the air like a bullwhip, so drastically different from the usual expectation. Just beneath it though, was the slightest hint of that natural accent of hers, that when she spoke her own language, denoted that she’d at the very least been raised in a caste shockingly close to the upper echelon of Romulan Society.

“Had a feeling we might be having a chat.” She offered, allowing Pierce that same glimpse into her that she’d provided Fisher. In this room, Valyn would be an open book, and had every intention of showing Alana exactly who she was, both as a person, and as an officer.

Re: Day 12 [1930 hrs.] Omnes Una Manet Nox

Reply #1 – August 28, 2022, 09:09:59 PM

Pierce had been waiting for his soon to be second in command of the Intel department to arrive. But it was two-fold. She really wanted to get to know the person she was about to work with and gain comraderie. It was a deafening blow to the department with so many new members arriving and Fisher's expertise and level of trust in them despite just meeting them. Alana didn't want to alienate her co-workers and to provide them the trust they desperately needed with such a clandestine nature of their jobs.

She wasn't aware to what level this person was integrated in Fisher's team before his death. And the fact that Amarik was a Romulan was not lost on her either. But it was something she admired. Romulans after-all were great at the espionage factor and integration with other societies. Pierce was hoping they had some commonalities to bring them some team building moments. Something outside of work that could bring about more trust and a friendship if they so inclined.

Peering over Amarik's records intrigued Alana as she was admiring the defection from the Tal Shiar and the postings she'd held. The woman was highly skilled. It was then that Pierce heard the chime on her door as Lt. Amarik arrived. Pressing the acknowledgement on the controls, the door swished open and the blonde Romulan walked in.

“Lieutenant Amarik, reporting. Had a feeling we might be having a chat.”

Alana stood and shook her hand. She herself was not in uniform but more or less relaxed uniform. Forgoing the jacket and a slightly zipped down red undershirt, she motioned for Valyn to sit at her new table.

"Welcome and thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I understand that this is a rather unexpected and unfortunate series of events that have led us both here. I want to be clear and open with you here and hope you will do the same. I will say that I appreciate your duty dress, but unless we're in the CIS or the regular duty portion of the ship, we can have a more for lack of a better term, down to earth conversation." She grinned slightly. "Please, help yourself." She motioned her hand after sitting towards the bottle of Romulan Ale sitting nearby, along with assorted other liquors of the galaxy.

Pierce grabbed a glass and took a sip before seating herself across from Valyn. "So, I can tell by your record and how you arrived, that you are punctual, precise and on point when it comes to duty. Whether a miniscule task or a major one. Having had the opportunity to work with you recently on the rescue of Fisher..." The name lingered in the air momentarily before she spoke again. "I know you are a great officer and a benefit to our department."

Leaning she grabbed a PADD and slid it towards Amarik. "Being in the position we're in now, I'd like to offer you the position of being my second in command as it were for the department. You already held the title previously as did I, but it would give you greater lee-way to take charge should I be off ship, or worse yet, killed in action."

Taking another glass after finishing her small shot of the drink, she swirled it around briefly before putting it down. "So Lieutenant, is there anything I can answer for you? Anything that you'd like to know about me? I know my personal and service records are a closed book to most in Starfleet but I want to be transparent with people I work directly with."

Re: Day 12 [1930 hrs.] Omnes Una Manet Nox

Reply #2 – August 29, 2022, 12:02:47 AM

Valyn felt a strange, uncomfortable sense of dejavú. She’d met with Fisher what felt like such a short time ago, in a very similar fashion. Two old spooks, sharing a drink, her getting shifted back into the life she’d left behind and diving in as If no time had passed at all. Intelligence was an interesting line of work, while within security that clear cut chain of command was important, as it was in intelligence, within intel she’d found that often they performed better when they actually did get along. At least, she’d felt her missions typically went better when everyone operated on the same page.

She’d still been new to Starfleet Intelligence, let alone the department on the ship. She’d been on several assignments in her time aboard, but her first project hadn’t even been completed. Finding Narin, had been close to her day and night when she wasn’t being sent on one away mission or another. Narin was what she thought, their best chance at getting up close and personal with any possible infested or compromised individuals in Romulan Space. If they were there, he likely knew who they were, and where they were. She’d fed Fisher a few reports here and there, but truly nothing of extreme consequence had come of it yet. She knew though, that she was close. She’d used every trick in the book to try and dig him up, part of her knew though that likely he didn’t want to be found, further complicating the task.

Valyn took Alana’s hand in hers and gave it a firm shake, not enough to hurt her or anything, but enough to make clear she at least knew her way around human customs. A strong handshake was the start of any relationship, she’d been told.

Valyn looked relieved to see that Alana was in a more relaxed garb.

At least she isn’t a complete stickler.

She’d worked for her fair share of them, both in Starfleet and out. Often they were vicious about the most basic of rules and regulations just because. There wasn’t ever much logic to it.

“Pleasure to meet you in a more personal setting, despite the circumstances.” While she hadn’t known Andrew for long, he’d grown on her. There was just something about his demeanor and how he’s spoken to her that had inched her just slightly out of her hardened shell, allowing her to trust him, and she hoped he her.

“Glad to hear that. Like I told Commander Fisher, I’m not a yes man.” If Alana was doing something Valyn thought was stupid, she had no problem telling her so, how she told her depending on the situation of course. Valyn chuckled and glanced towards the Romulan Ale, “Well you’ve learned the way to my heart.” She produced the small inscribed flask from her pocket and offered it to Pierce, “Some from my own collection.” She wasn’t sure if the woman even liked Romulan ale, but she offered it nonetheless.

“Got quite the collection over there.” She glanced towards the various bottles, letting her eyes trace over the ornate lettering on a few of them, in varying languages, before she turned her attention to Pierce and poured herself a small glass of Romulan Ale.

“Thank you.” She kept her response short. She’d heard a lot of it before, about her attention to her duties, but she didn’t quite understand the sentiment. She understood she was good at her job, but to her it was just that, her duty and job. She hadn’t missed the fact that Pierce directly mentioned her record, and even rose a brow.

“I’m guessing you’ve got some questions?” That telltale drawl spilled from her lips and she took a sip from the Romulan ale, licking her lower lip to clear away the excess as she nodded in approval. “That’s a good ale.” Her approval was entirely evident, even aside from her words.

She looked down at the PADD that was slide and thought for a moment. She’d only just been promoted to 3IC, now she was moving right into department XO. Slowly, she gave Pierce a few nods. “I’d prefer you didn’t get killed to be honest. There’s been enough of that for a while.” It was little more than sentiment. She knew that just like her, Pierce understood that death was a very likely possibility in their line of work. It wasn’t often Valyn had read about some spook retiring to a private island full of naked Risans. No, usually their tales ended in a violent blaze of glory, before they occupied a small piece in a history book, their mark on the galaxy relegated to a footnote. That wasn’t why she did what she did though.

Truthfully, she did it because it was what she’d known best, since she was a child it had been what she’d been raised to do. To perform her duties, no matter the cost.

“But-“ She again nodded, “I’ll do it, thank you.” If it was perhaps quick, she knew that she’d do the job well, and she was truly grateful to even be considered, given her past, and how recently she’d even come aboard.

“Well…” She trailed off, “Honestly, I try to keep myself from doin’ too much diggin’ in peoples service records unless I need to.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but really it was mostly the truth. Particularly of her superiors, she liked to learn what she could straight from their lips, and then perhaps, compare to their official record. She found it to be much more enlightening than browsing service records, devoid of any soul.

“I would like to know more about you. Where you came from, what you like to do. What you’re good at.” She took another small sip, before setting it down with a gentle ‘clink’.

“You’ve read mine, you know who I worked for, so I’m assuming’ you know what I’m good at.” She had been raised as a clandestine, government sanctioned killer, but her skill set had expanded over the years in Starfleet and the Tal Shiar both, to include espionage, piloting, and a number of other useless tools to include in her repertoire. There were however, many pieces of information not included in her public service records. Sure, the basics were there, but the details? Those might require asking.

She did add though, on a less serious note, “I do love a good fight…and a good holonovel, been a while since I’ve found one though.” She was by no means a humorless woman, she loved to enjoy life. Her duty however, usually came first, as it always had. The somewhat abrasive, and quite cagey nature of Romulans was a bit frustrating for others, she understood, but she was trying. Trying to actually be a person.

Re: Day 12 [1930 hrs.] Omnes Una Manet Nox

Reply #3 – August 31, 2022, 12:09:29 AM

She could sense the other officer's deflectors slowly pulling down. The ease with which the meeting was taking place was what she intended it to be. A trust building exercise and one that allowed them to better know one another. Something she relished with her captain aboard the USS Eagle all those years ago. Wonder what he thought of her disappearance... Snapping back to reality again she listened intently while taking a sip of her own Ale. She knew that Valyn was on Theurgy much longer than herself and knew the lay of the land better, not that Alana didn't try to familiarize herself with it all.

"Nice grip on the handshake by the way. Too many officers give that noodle limped handshake as if not to offend their immediate commanding officer. So thank you for being true." She hated that shit when the officers of lower rank would try to kiss their department head's ass. It was low and at least she knew that her Romulan comrade wasn't among them.

A smile lept on her face more broadly as Valyn commented on the Ale. "It's from 2266. From my private collection that was housed from...another time." She took a swig of Valyn's personal collection of Ale. "Oooh, that's some good stuff you got there!" Alana said as she handed the flash back to the blonde woman.

"Saurian brandy was another I grew to like, as well as Scotch. From friends of another time too." She knew that Valyn must be wondering by now about all the time comments but decided to wait for the question before divulging that information. "Feel free to shed the jacket. We're off duty as far as I am concerned. Yes a little business but, this is mostly a social meeting."

Valyn's comments about the collection made her laugh slightly. "Don't be shy haha," She chuckled as the drinks were on display. "I prefer the down to earth method of meetings. Nothing too formal unless circumstances require it in a given situation. I'm glad to meet you though. And I am glad to hear that you're not a yes man. I hate that too. I want someone confident enough to put me in my place if I'm making a bad call. No matter the immediate repercussions. In this department, a stupid decision can lead to ours or others deaths and I'm no exception."

The two sat drinking some Ale. "No so much questions as the amazement with the various positions you've held. Tal Shiar agent, Commander, security in Starfleet, and the Enterprise no less. I'm glad you're in my department. You have a great skillset." The comment about the Ale being good came too to which Pierce nodded with her glass up.

The discussion about being promoted to XO of the Intel department was among them and Valyn's remark about her being killed nearly caused her to choke on her drink. "Well, I hadn't planned on it anymore than I planned on being head of this department. Things happen as the universe would have it. And I agree, there has been too much death as of late. Something I am hoping to change our odds of."

The acceptance of the role brought with it a wave of relief to her. That was one piece of the puzzle she didn't have to account for now. Especially with the moving around of offices, and quarters lately, it was another off the check list. Now was the mention about their personal life that Pierce posed and the answer didn't but did surprise her. The question was what she expected now. The time for truth. She already hashed it out with the captain and now her own department XO was going to hear it too.

Taking another sip, she downed the liquid courage and sat the glass down on the table before leaning back. "Where to start...hmmm. Well, I am from another time. The past that is. I was born in 2254 on Earth in the city of New Haven."

The look she received showed a slight pique in interest as the surprise took hold. "I was originally stationed on the original Enterprise for a short bout. Shortly thereafter, I transferred to the USS Eagle in late 2278. Boy did I love those refit Constitution-class vessels. Small, and elegant and a thing of beauty. With the change, I switched specializations from Tactical to Intelligence. I just loved to dig deeper into the missions. As I rose the ranks I became the Executive Officer aboard the vessel at the rank of Lieutenant Commander. So you must be wondering what happened, am I correct?"

She paused as she let the woman respond before continuing. "So I was on a covert mission to Qu'vat Colony in Klingon Space. I was sent to retrieve data, and samples while wiping their systems. I accomplished all that but unfortunately fell victim to a temporal distortion. When I was in it, I was thrown into the console, knocked out and unfortunately the compounds spilled on me. No burns though. What happened was, I used to be a male officer before my incident. I was thrown into the future around 2380 and caught up at a starbase. My onboard warp core was going critical, and they had to wide beam me off the shuttle. With no backup in the computer and nothing to go on, I was a ghost. When I rematerialized in the Starbase medical bay, I was a completely different person...."

Gently Pierce stood up and poured another glass before returning to her seat. "Suffice it to say, they couldn't fix me and I had to acclimate to my current appearance. To fix me despite modern medicine was beyond their capabilities with the compound that fused to my DNA. So I worked at the Starbase for some time until I was able to get off that into a Klingon ship and here. Due to the time travel and lack of knowledge for 24th Century tech, I was demoted to Lieutenant. Didn't expect to ever get to be CO of a department or Lt. Commander again." She took a swig before placing it back to the table. "Now, I periodically have to do psych evals because of my temporal and physical displacement. Waste of time but I'm still acclimating to the female aspects."

Downing the rest of her drink she perked up. "Enough of that sob story. So you enjoy a good holonovel and fight eh? I do too! We'll have to schedule some time soon for a holodeck adventure. Or boxing match." She said with a wink. "Let's just say I still enjoy high intensity activities as much as the next person."

Pierce wondered if she'd spoken too much for her new XO to take in but decided to shift the conversation her way now. "Any questions or concerns? Any covert missions you'd like to pursue or include me in on? I know you had one going with Fisher here but didn't know where you'd landed on it yet." She said referring to Narin. "I'm dying to go under cover behind enemy lines again. Preferably not in Klingon space either."

Re: Day 12 [1930 hrs.] Omnes Una Manet Nox

Reply #4 – September 02, 2022, 01:34:35 AM

“I’m a Romulan. We usually ain’t too worried about offendin’ nobody.” She let out an amused chuff and leaned back into her seat a bit, making herself comfortable in the fancy officers digs. Her kind were actually known for having a harsh tendency to be offensive to speak to. Their way of communication was a dance that alluded many other cultures. It was one of subterfuge and frankly…sass.

“2266?” She asked, momentarily aghast. She hadn’t had an Ale that old in a long time. Not since she was on Romulus at the very least. At least a decade. Her lips pursed at that thought. While she was quite content, and even happy in the Federation, part of her would forever mourn for the world she had to leave behind, and the ale was another reminder of it. “I’ve got some stashed away, but nothin’ like that.” She dipped her head in appreciation and sniffed the clear blue liquid directly, nostrils flaring in response.

She found her seat again, and shed her jacket, taking down the zipper to her undershirt to reveal some of the skin of her chest. If the offer was made to be comfortable, she was going to take it. She even ran her fingers through her hair, loosening up the strands a little bit before she slowly brought the cup of ale to her lips, letting it flow freely for a moment before she allowed herself a moment to taste. The liquid remained in her mouth, silently swishing back and forth as she mulled the profile over.

It was divine.

“I mean, I used to be a yes man but that was more out of a desire to make it to the next day, given my prior…employer.” She used a different phrase than allegiance, her defection not necessarily a soft spot, but a spot on her personal history that felt as if she’d…abandoned her people. There was a sense of shame there, even if she was proud of what she’d done on some level.

“I was with the Tal Shiar since I was a baby.” Her length of service was important to her personal history there. She wasn’t afforded a normal childhood, even by Romulan standards. She had been raised and trained with a singular purpose, to create a weapon. “Was raised by them.” She took another sip of the ale, and didn’t elaborate further, though she did seem open to probing if there was any. It was clear though, that the experience was a dark one. Every feature of her face seemed to fade, losing the color and joy that filled her cheeks.

“I loved the Enterprise, I found a home there. My last posting, was a bit of a bore frankly, I like serving on ships, not stations.” She liked to be mobile. The Enterprise always had some sort of action going on, Theurgy certainly did, she’d found a ship where she really could utilize her skill set to its fullest. The station however, had been less than entertaining for the Romulan.

“Good.” She bowed her head, in regards to changing their odds. “I’ve only been here for a few weeks, and I’ve seen more death than I have since the Battle at the Bassen Rift.” She ground her teeth for a moment, “I’ll help any way I can.” Again, she sipped her drink, and allowed silence to seize hold of the room for a moment.

In the span of those weeks aboard she’d fought numerous battles. Taken part in covert operations. She’d lost friends. She’d moved from the comfortable monotony of Security, back to the familiar warmth of intelligence. Then, she’d even been promoted to a command role within the department. Her life was if nothing else, eventful.

When Alana began to spoke, her already pronounced brows furrowed in confusion, trying to do the quick mental math to exactly how old Alana was, not at first considering that time travel was the culprit. By the look of confusion on her face, she couldn’t quite figure how the attractive redhead in front of her was a hundred and twenty seven years old.

Her face did contort briefly to amusement though, hearing the way that she spoke about the old Constitution classes. She’d never seen one in person, she’d checked out a few holos before but it was never the same as the real deal, was it? It was hard to truly capture the raw feeling of being aboard a starship for real, aboard a holodeck. She’d heard plenty of tales of them as a kid though. The great Federation warships that were designed to kill Romulans. Again, all propaganda, tales to cause the seeds of hatred grow in the minds of their young. She’d been properly educated with the Tal Shiar but that hatred…it still held root there for quite a long time, never truly ebbing away until her time at the Dominion Internment Camp…with Ben.

“Yea, I was going to ask. You don’t appear to be 127.” She gave the woman a crooked grin, and swallowed back some more ale. The realization that Pierce, used to be a man though? That one was a shocker. She blinked a few times, and looked the woman over. What may have ended up a total disaster, a malformed horrific body, had been quite the opposite.

She reached forward, and set her cup down with another quiet ‘clink’. “They make me do those too.” She admitted, with a shrug. “Usually just ends up pissin’ me off, wasting a whole afternoon tellin’ someone who ain’t ever been in the shit that I’m still loyal to Starfleet, not plannin’ on snappin’ and killin’ my friends.” She shook her head slowly, and leaned in, the sofa making a subtle noise as she moved, “So…what exactly was in that compound then?” She wasn’t sure if Pierce knew or was allowed to tell her, but she couldn’t help but ask, trying to Piece together the event in her own head as it was explained to her.

“That had to have been…a hell of a shock to say the least. Different time. Different body. Different…everything.” She could sympathize on some level. While her transition to Federation space had been difficult, there were at least some constants in her life as opposed to Pierce.

“Absolutely. I’ve got a few good programs tucked away we could try out, depends how uh-“ She mulled over her choice of words for a moment, picking up her glass and bringing it close to her lips, speaking over the rim, “exciting, you want it to get.” She gave Pierce a devilish grin and took a swallow of the blue liquid, cradling the glass lazily in one hand as she settled.

“Well I have one that’s developing.” She set the glass down again and leaned forward, her demeanor changing into something much more intense. “Fisher had me looking for leads on some old contacts, trying to figure out where we can apply pressure to the Romulan government and military and the powers that be. I’ve found some leads to press that might have direct, quick effects but I know a guy, he’s from…before.” Before, referring to her time before Starfleet, “His name’s Narin and he is renowned. One of the best agents the Tal Shiar has in my opinion. He’s a legend, and he wields a lot of power and influence but I know for a fact he’s not interested in this. I’ve managed to track down that he’s on Romulus, but I’m still workin’ out where. Likely, in the Capitol, I’m just waiting on some confirmation. If we could extract him…he could get us access to placess nobody else can. He’s basically nobility and I have a personal history with him as well as professional so…he’s inclined to help, I’m almost certain.” She paused, “So…if you think we can get approval to go busted into the Capitol city of Romulus, I’m down any day of the week.”

She paused for a moment, “By confirm, I mean…I reached out to him where I think he is. Don’t worry, I was careful.” She wanted to assure her of that first.

“As for the Klingons, I’ve had enough of them too.” Her nose turned up, as if she could even smell the stench of Klingon from there, though she obviously could not. Her people and Klingons classically, did not get on well.

Re: Day 12 [1930 hrs.] Omnes Una Manet Nox

Reply #5 – September 06, 2022, 04:45:56 PM

Alana laughed slightly when Valyn mentioned her not looking 127 years old. Something she didn't really consider when she mentioned her birth date but technically, despite it all, it was true. Something she looked forward to was old age, but she still wasn't sure what that would mean for her with her current physiology. Could be a good or a bad thing. Either way, she was still in her prime and aged normal with the exception of the time travel.

She enjoyed the commentary of the Enterprise. Something that brought back good times, good memories and old friends. She forgot that Scotty, Spock and McCoy were still alive despite it all. Scotty suffered a similar fate to herself but that was besides the point. It seems this era's Enterprise continued the legacy of ship of the line even today.

The psych evaluations seemed to be this era's method of coping with issues. Must have transpired during her away time. Not that it's bad but doesn't help when the one assigned is a complete dick, she thought about Stellan's digging and prodding. Damn telepaths. Pierce nodded in agreement to the other woman's comments on it however. "I can relate to it frustrating me too. Just makes me want to hit someone honestly."

The question pertaining to the compound had arisen. One not all that unexpected. But she needed to fill in her XO about the issue or felt inclined to be candid. "To be honest, not really sure. It never made it to Starfleet Sciences division or Intel as it was absorbed into my skin and beamed with me on the transporter pad on arrival to the 24th Century. What I was told by Admiral Cartwright, slimey bastard that he was, was that it was to help meld new eras of Klingon super soldiers. Continuing the one they started when Jonathan Archer used his own DNA to repair their dying DNA that caused them to lose their ridges instead. I lay sprawled out and was sprayed with the bio-mimetic gel enzyme chemicals. The biofilter was disabled on the shuttle I was on and it fused with my own chromosomes much like a plant upon transport."

Alana nodded in appreciation of the other woman's tastes in activities. One she might have to take up her XO on in the future. "I can easily do exciting." She replied with a smirk. Taking another sip of her drink she let it clink the desk before them as she leaned into the chair and kicked her feet up on a nearby console for comforts sake.

The lead that Valyn mentioned had her intrigued. Definitely something worth persuing now that she held that ability. Granted, Ives needed to sign off first but she wanted to tug on that string with the tensions where they were.

"Keep pulling at that thread. We need to get to the bottom of the infested and the Romulan conflict before we have a full scale war of bloodshed on our hands. We are renegades in a sense but with duty and honor. So I'd like to tag along if there is an away mission at stake. It's been a long time since I have been to Romulus. Might need the good doctor to do some minor cosmetic surgery before I go however." She said pointing to her ears and brow line. Her thoughts swirled at the prospect of playing Romulan. It intrigued her to say the least but she knew her mind was going down a rabbit hole time couldn't afford her.

The thought of Klingons still brought a level of frustration to her. But she knew there were always good among the bad too. Some that were honorable and trustworthy. Just few and far between. Much like some in Starfleet she learned. "I get that." She responded on the Klingon stench. "It's been nice getting to know you Valyn. Is there anything else I should know about you that maybe was something not in the records? I know you're very capable from our time on Qo'nos rescuing Fisher but I thought I'd give you the floor to see if there was anything else I should know or concerns."

Re: Day 12 [1930 hrs.] Omnes Una Manet Nox

Reply #6 – September 09, 2022, 02:51:00 AM

Reminiscing on the Enterprise seemed to bring a warmth to Valyn. The crew of the Enterprise had, for the most part, alleviated all fears she had of her adaptation to Federation culture. Where she had assumed there would be animosity, even hatred directed at her, they’d done nothing of the sort. She’d been a member of the family from the moment she’d been commissioned. Given her history too, the fact she’d been placed on the flagship was astonishing.

Further talk of the Starfleet psych evaluations though, caused an irritable look to befall her. “Every so often, I get dragged off to make sure I haven’t snapped yet.” She let out a sigh, “To be honest though, the shrinks haven’t got shit on the debriefing I had to go through after Starfleet picked me up from that P.O.W. camp.” She shook her head, “We might’ve been allies in that war, but so far as they were concerned I was nothin’ of the sort.” She shrugged, clearly understanding their perspective. “Don’t blame ‘em.” It was a fair assumption to make, given it’d been made clear that her own people wouldn’t be taking her back. So far as Starfleet was concerned, she may well have been a war criminal of the worst variety.

Truthfully though, she had been at one point.

Pierce’s compound had her full attention. Whatever it was, it held a lot of power to it. “Super soldiers…” She trailed off, “That’s the last thing the Klingons need.” A scoff escaped her and she reached forward to pick her cup back up, taking another swig of the drink with a contented look about her. A question crossed her mind, but it was clear from the look on her face if she had decided to ask it, a quizzical but conflicted glance was fired at Pierce, “Feel free to tell me to kick rocks if I’m oversteppin’ but out of curiosity…” She dipped her head to the left, “How long has it been since this all happened, would you change back, given the chance?” The answer to that question would answer a great deal about the officer in front of her, even beyond her accident.

Valyn sat up a bit, nodding with an excited grin, “Good. I’ve got some programs that fit the bill. Klingon cavern assault, atmo-divin’ down onto a platform…a guarded one, even got some Romulan ones tucked away.” Nothing crazy in that regard, but enough to give Valyn a bit of a rush and reminder of her old line of work.

“Been a long time since I’ve been to Romulus myself.” She mirrored the sentiment, though her voice had an edge of sadness to it with the words. It wasn’t an unintentional display of emotion either, Valyn was still a person with a whole swath of emotions and wants just as anyone else. She wanted to show that to Pierce, despite whatever persona she displayed on the battlefield, she still felt, and when she’d lost her ability to see her home, she’d lost a piece of herself. While she’d blended well into Federation culture, she was still a Romulan, and had great pride in that fact. “Could get away with the ears, but…” She leaned in, imagining Pierce as a Romulan, “Yea…yea, you’re a Northerner.” Valyn lacked the ridges of her Northern cousins, her parents likely hailing from somewhere further south of the Romulan equator, leaving the woman to appear more like a Vulcan to the undiscerning eye.

“I’d love the opportunity to see home though, even if for an op. I think he’d be happy for the extract in any case, he’s not a big fan of the current regime.” She chortled and leaned back in her seat, finishing off her ale.

“I-” She thought, letting silence linger for a moment as she found the best choice of words for what she was about to say, “I did used to be the enemy. I actively fought against Starfleet, but that isn’t who I am anymore. I might be more willin’ than other people to do things that might be seen as unpleasant, but someone has to. Doesn’t make me the enemy though.” She took a more pragmatic view on the realities of her line of work. It tended to be violent, and she wasn’t averse to the fact she’d need to use violence.

“I did want to know though, what if anything, you’re plannin’ on doing differently than Fisher?” She wasn’t sure if she had anything in mind, but she was curious.

Re: Day 12 [1930 hrs.] Omnes Una Manet Nox

Reply #7 – September 13, 2022, 08:56:41 PM

Pierce could tell the conversation was going well. They even agreed on multiple fronts. The Enterprise, boxing, holonovels, and ale good. Psychiatrists bad. Granted her own time on the Enterprise was far different than the one that Valyn experienced. But the sentiment was the same. Starfleet's flagships propelled people to new heights despite issues in their past so long as the captain was a good man. The Enterprise crews were a golden opportunity and highly sought after, rarely accepted. So she was impressed by her soon to be XO's ability to serve there.

The mere mention of super soldiers sent a shot of anger into her mind, almost seeping into her face but quickly repressed. "Yeah, thankfully they had botched the formula...again. Last time they attempted it was when Captain Archer had to reverse what they created. It's why many had the smooth skinned foreheads for a time until they discovered how to reverse it." She chuckled at the kick the rocks statement. "No, I want to be crystal clear and candid. I have thought about that for some time. It's been just over..." She took another swig of Ale before placing the glass on her lap as she crossed her legs in comfort. "Roughly a year, maybe a year and a half since the incident." She looked at her subordinate and glanced at her cup at the next part of the question. "I...I have learned to accept my fate, whatever it brings me at this point. In the past, I'd have jumped at that chance. But, honestly with so much more at stake than my own personal appearance, I am fine being the way I am from here on out."

Taking the glass back up, she sipped again the liquid courage in a bottle. "I accepted it a while ago, but am just now, getting in tune with the new me if you can follow that. Trying to get comfortable in my own skin. In clothing I'd not entertained to this point, or scenarios not until this point. I was told I'd never get my old body back and lies or fact, I don't care. I have a job and a duty to perform here and I just have to make the best of my situation and that means learning who I am now and not who I once was. So if given the chance would I? No. I wouldn't. I'm at peace finally with it. I'd be lying if I said it was an easy road to get there though." She smiled back at the other woman as she sat back again, placing the glass on the table.

The talk about holo programs lit her eyes though. "We'll have to set something up sometime to work off some steam in the holodeck." A grin came back to her face as she imagined herself duking it out with a Klingon with Valyn beside her bashing them in too.

Valyn touching her ears gave her a brief shiver as she wasn't used to people touching her since her change, but she allowed it. "I think I could pull off the look without the ridges. Back in my day, the Romulans we encountered lacked those anyhow. Besides, Kirk did it at one point too. He did the ears and the eyebrows and some of the other physical tells. Reading up on undercover ops, so did Captain Picard and Commander Data who both needed to be redressed and had the ridges. And one was an android of all things!" She said in surprise. "Could be a pretty good looking Romulan if I do say so myself." The ale clearly loosening her thoughts on the matter. "Either way, if we can get approval, I'd like you to help lead the mission and I'd go as well to get a better inkling of what we're dealing with there. And hopefully extract your target."

Pierce grabbed Valyns hand with one of her own. A sentiment generally given from human females and one Pierce had learned to adopt in lending support. "You're one of us now. I trust you in what I've seen and read about you. You're what we need more of in Starfleet."

The question of Fisher came up and she knew this was loaded as anything. "To be honest, I'm not sure. I liked aspects of what he had going but at the same time, I think there were some very risky plays that he was fortunate worked out. One of them got the better of him unfortunately. My goal is to lean on my team and the guidance of each other's unique skillsets. We won't win if we go it alone."

Re: Day 12 [1930 hrs.] Omnes Una Manet Nox

Reply #8 – October 02, 2022, 04:44:27 PM

Valyn allowed her expression to soften a bit as she listened to Pierce, trying to piece together exactly who the woman she had found herself serving under was exactly. Her stance on what happened to her, was exactly what Valyn was hoping to hear. She wouldn’t blame Pierce if she had wanted to be changed back, but the fact that she instead had chosen to embrace what had happened to her, allowed Valyn’s respect and understanding for her to grow tenfold. “For a while there, I wanted to go back to Romulus. To try and placed my case to whoever I had to, to try and undo the damage that was done to my reputation, my career…just to try and go back to what I knew.” She took another drink of her ale and sighed, “If I’d done that though, I would have missed out on a lot. I wouldn’t have realized-“ She paused, “Well there’s a lot I wouldn’t have realized, so I understand. I’d never want to go back either. To what I was.” While their situations weren’t the same, Valyn found enough similarity between the pair of them to speak up about it.

“Well if you’re ever wanting a fresh…” She thought for a moment for the right word, “Experience, let me know. I’d be more than happy to have a ‘girls night’, I know a few holoprograms of some good clubs, or hell, I’d be happy to sit around and overindulge in some ale.” Despite the fact that Alana was her superior, she wanted to extend the branch of friendship to her. Perhaps between the two of them, they’d both be able to learn a bit about themselves. Valyn herself struggled with being comfortable within her skin. While she was entirely confident in how she looked, she wasn’t confident in her choices in attire, aside from her uniform. Having a comrade who could help with that, and be helped in return? Sounded fantastic. “As for working off some steam, any day any time, just let me know.” At her core, Valyn was a hell of an adrenaline junkie.

“Did he?” Valyn grinned, “Wish I could rub the nose of whatever Romulan missed that in that fact.” SHe let out an audible laugh, “They don’t like to teach us too much about the fuck-ups of the past.” She admitted, and grinned at the mention of the android, “And the fact they missed the android is astonishing. We don’t really have a lot of AI technology on Romulus.” She didn’t really know why, they just didn’t, and they never really had. “If we get the approval I’d like to go along. It’s been a long time since I’ve been home. Too damn long. Even if it’s for an OP, it’d be nice. As for Narin, getting him out of there has been a priority since my transfer. I’ll put together a mission plan, and get it ready for approval. I think it’d be in our best interest though if we tried to take a few birds out with the same stone, if you catch my meaning. It’s not exactly easy to get onto Romulus, if we’re there we might want to try and take care of a few things.” She suggested, but simply leaned forward to take another sip of her drink.

Valyn, was a little surprised at having her hand taken. While she understood the human sentiment behind the action, she was still a Romulan, and touch wasn’t something generally displayed among her people. It was too…personal. Her people didn’t even ask one another how their day was going in many cases, let alone grab one another’s hands. However, she did her best to shove aside the surprise and simply gave Pierce a reciprocal squeeze of the hand. “I appreciate that.” She’d gotten a mixed bag of reactions in Starfleet. While many were like Pierce, understanding and welcoming of her despite her past, there were plenty who held a grudge, and she didn’t blame them either. Their peoples had been at odds for generations, and during the Dominion War, her people had nearly left the rest of the quadrant to burn. It was a grudge that she herself likely would have held in their shoes.

“Fisher understood that to win a war, you have to make risky plays. I liked that about him. I agree though, that he was lucky when he took a lot of those risks. It’s all about mitigating the risks, by any means we need to. We’re intelligence, we aren’t bound by the same rules, and I’m not afraid of getting my hands dirty.” It was part of the job, she’d do whatever she had to do in order to get the job done. “We’ve got a hell of a team here, too.” Each of them had such a unique and valuable skill set, and in tandem, Valyn felt they could take on the galaxy.

Giving a more playful glance around the room, she leaned forward, almost conspiratorially, and asked through a grin, “Is it true you’ve got a bathtub here? Like an actual bathtub?”

Re: Day 12 [1930 hrs.] Omnes Una Manet Nox

Reply #9 – October 03, 2022, 07:50:58 PM

Pierce was glad to hear Valyn accept and agree with her sentiments about staying the course no matter what was going on in their lives. Staying the course as far as her personal life, and staying the course in getting this infested threat dealth with among many other issues at hand. But she was fortunate to have the ale ready and for this off the record discussion of sorts. It allowed them to clear the air and be on equal grounds and sharing of thoughts. Something she enjoyed was the honesty of it all.

"Glad to hear it," She said warmly. "A lot of the same thoughts came to my mind as well."

On Valyn's offer of exploring a 'girls night' intrigued her for more reasons than one. First being, she'd never let herself relax since dealing with her various bad dealings with time, and two, she had no idea how to let loose and be that woman everyone expected from her. Having only known this life for near 1.5 or 2 years now, she was almost as lost as she was then. The only thing she'd figured out was some of the makeup debacle but the computer helped her with that even. The explanation of a fresh experience and the dining on ale, well, both sounded nice to Pierce. "I think I'd be interested in testing those fresh experiences, or dining on ale." She gave a playful grin at her romulan friend before taking another sip of her ale.

"Truth be told, I haven't had that much experience to examine a 'girls night'," Pierce said using air quotes to explain it away. Pierce could see a kindred spirit in Amarik. The two of them were clearly duty bound and struggled with their free time and being comfortable in their own skins. Something that gave both the edge in the field but also was a detraction when in personal scenarios.

"I think I'd be glad to do those or to blow off steam. Lots of great options that I'd be interested in testing the waters with." She smirked again. "Besides, it'd likely keep the ship's counselors and therapists off my back, and likely yours too."

Amarik's shock at the Romulans missing those legendary Starfleet greats in their disguise was humorous to Pierce. "There's quite a bit they teach us at the Academy on these matters. First time was Kirk stealing a cloaking device, and second had to do with Ambassador Spock and his reunification movement. And they still got away. All of them."

As they discussed Romulus and the mission for Narek, she listened intently. "We shall see what the needs of the mission and what the Captain says, but I don't see any issues with this course of action. We need allies and right now, building that armada is not a luxury but a need in defeating these infested across the galaxy. But let me know what you have planned next we meet and we can go from there." She said accepting Valyn's plan and awaiting more details in the future.

Taking another pour of her ale, nearly finishing that bottle the conversation turned gentler and less duty filled but more personal and friendly. Well, after mentioning Fisher and the team. She raised her glass and klinked it before moving on and drinking it down. "Aye" she said in agreement in a thick Scottish brogue.

Looking around the room, Pierce wondered what her blonde friend was looking at and lifted an eyebrow quizzically before realizing Amarik was looking at her surroundings as if admiring the room. As the woman leaned in and whispered, Pierce listened intently as if a big secret was being revealed.

“Is it true you’ve got a bathtub here? Like an actual bathtub?”

Pierce chuckled as she leaned back and downed the rest of her glass. "As a matter of fact, this room does" Standing upward and pushing the glass across the table, she stood up, to wobbling legs slightly and slight slurring of speech. "The grand tour," she said motioning around the room. She showed the room and features in their current area before departing for the bedroom, covers still slightly tossed on the bed, undergarments near the bedside. Afterall, she had little time to make them hit the cleaning option and was going to change back into them later. Nevertheless, she showed the Romulan woman the console in her room.

"Sorry about the mess. Still an old habit and figured, why waste the time taking care of them if I plan to wear them again."

Pacing forward with her arm, she showed Amarik her new bathroom. Loaded with a sink, a toilet, sonic shower and a jetted bath. She'd been meaning to try that feature next she had time off but had only used the bath portion to soak upon first gaining the new quarters.

"Well, here's the bath. You're welcome to try it out if you want to. I can step out and nap off this ale if you do." She said trying not to be a someone who oversteps boundaries. Despite not minding if she say anything. Her mind still combatting the various thoughts on the genders as was typical since her emergence and transformation. Motioning to her room, she waited for Amarik's response before asking a further question. "Or if you want to another time, the option is open. Still, we can always set up another opportunity to have off duty time where it's more laid back. I've just started using the holodeck on board since the last battle."

Standing in the room, she waited for Amarik to reply.

Re: Day 12 [1930 hrs.] Omnes Una Manet Nox

Reply #10 – October 19, 2022, 04:10:52 PM

[ Lieutenant Valyn Amarik | Pierce’s Quarters | Department Head Officer’s Quarters | Deck 10 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Pierce [Show/Hide]

Valyn gave Pierce a light smile, followed by a reassuring nod. She wouldn’t pressure the woman into doing anything she didn’t want to, but she was certainly glad to hear she was interested in a girls night. Valyn hadn’t really had the opportunity to do one either, but she’d read a fair deal about them, and heard secondhand about a few during her time at the academy, and even aboard the Enterprise. Aboard the station, she was security. Inviting the police to a party wasn’t exactly a recipe for a good time, so she simply hadn’t been invited, and she understood.

“Me either.” Valyn admitted, her face not really appearing embarrassed as much as it appeared to be envious of her other female counterparts. It had taken a long time for her to adapt to human culture, only really falling fully into step once she’d found herself aboard her previous assignment. Before that, she was still the odd one out, the strange Romulan member of the crew. She didn’t mind, and again, she even understood. A member of Starfleet would never have been allowed to join the Romulan fleet after defection, they’d have been lucky if they even made it out of a detention facility. Being an outcast, at the time, seemed like a small price to pay in lieu of spending her life in a Federation Penal Colony. Truthfully, that had never been in the cards. Ben had seen to it that her story would be heard by those that mattered most, and those that matters believed her when she’d told her tale.

“I think my idea of a fun girls night might be a bit different than most though. Doin’ my nails and drinkin’ shit wine doesn’t sound like a great time.” She mulled over the idea then smiled, “I’ll think it over, if I host one you’d be interested? Anyone else you know that might be? I’d invite Lieutenant Madsen for certain…” She trailed off again, thinking as she waited to hear from Pierce. Enyd had been her first friend aboard Theurgy, and Valyn actually considered her to be her closest friend aboard at the time. Valyn had told Enyd a great deal, allowing the drinks of their evening together to grant her some bravery to be honest with her new crew mate.

“He stole a cloaking device?” Valyn furrowed her brow then took a sip of her drink, “see I never understood that. Starfleet has now had access to cloaking devices several times, I don’t know why the diplomatic core doesn’t try and negotiate a way to let Starfleet utilize cloaks..legally.” She shrugged, clearly not caring for the legality of it if they really needed to use a cloak. Like the rest of her methods, Valyn firmly stood in the camp of ‘what must be done, will be done’. “It’s not like the engineers don’t understand how they work.”

The word reunification though, had Valyn falter in her confidence for a moment. It was a word she didn’t hear often, but the feelings that the idea of reunification brought upon her were no different than they were years ago when she’d first heard of the movement. A movement that she had actually agreed with, though perhaps not for the right reasons at the time. Her time in Starfleet had shifted her opinions though, and allowed her to find the right reasons.

“Reunification…” She said the word, as it clearly brought a flood of memories upon her. “It was always a good idea, but Romulans and Vulcans can’t get along, I don’t see it working in practice.” She explained, a tinge of sorrow evident in her voice. The idea of the two sister-species finally becoming one again, was nearly romantic in its grandeur. Logistically though, it would be a great deal of time before the movement gained ground. The wounds of war were still fresh in the minds of far too many, Romulan and Vulcan alike.

Valyn accepted the toast, clinked her glass against Pierce’s and drank deep, allowing the blue elixir to trickle down her throat, opening up her nostrils as the Terpenes of the herbs used to make it introduced themselves to her taste buds.

Rising to her feet, she followed after Pierce, a look of subdued excitement across her visage. As they moved towards the bedroom, Valyn smirked, a look of playful taunting coming over her, “You don’t make your bed?” She made a tutting sound and shook her head, playing the role of a disappointed mother before the facade broke and she just laughed, “Neither do I, unless I have to.” She kept odd hours anyhow, soaking up much of her time, day or night, with work. “So you’ll get no judgement here.” Valyn didn’t care about the mess, because in truth her quarters really didn’t look much better. Many officers kept their rooms in tip-top shape but Valyn really, had never seen a need. She had actually enjoyed having a room that appeared more lived in. It likely stemmed from her upbringing, never being allowed personal effects and having to live in such cleanliness that room was practically sterile. Having the freedom to have a little mess, was one she wanted to actually use.

“When I was a kid, our uh-“ She tried to find the right word for those that taught them, and raised them, “Our handlers, the ones that raise us, made us keep our rooms in such a state you could do surgery in them. We weren’t allowed personal items, not even a book or…something to write with, nothing. It all belonged to Romulus and we needed permission to use them. When I realized that wasn’t normal when I came to Starfleet…” She grinned, “My room at the academy was filthy. It was criminal. Going from living in totalitarianism to having as much freedom as I had on Earth was a strange experience.” She shared the brief story as they made it to the bath, where she simply gawked.

“Shit.” She looked downright jealous, eyes taking in every item they could find. “Nah I won’t impose on your tub, but now that I know the offers on the table I’ll take you up on it. I love a good bath. The station quarters had them, I was spoiled.” She smirked and crossed her arms, “Which one?” Valyn asked for clarification on battles, though she figured Pierce was likely referring to the boarding action.

Re: Day 12 [1930 hrs.] Omnes Una Manet Nox

Reply #11 – October 19, 2022, 09:05:11 PM

Alana listened to Valyn's inquiry to her about joining the Romulan woman for a girls night out. But not the typical stereotypical one that people thought about. "I'm game. Definitely down for your type of girls night. But I'm interested. Doing the nails and all that jazz doesn't sit well with me to be honest." She said through a smirk showing her own finger nails, plain as day. "As for invitations, I still don't know all that many on board. Aside from my great-granddaughter and I don't know too much about her either. And then there's Tessa Lance. Who I'd rather not be that close to. Something about her rubs me wrong and I just can't fathom what it is..."

Sitting back, she took a swig of her drink before thinking more about what was being proposed. She couldn't help but feel somewhat down that she hadn't made many friends since coming aboard. But that thought was broken as Valyn mentioned Kirk's theft of the cloaking device and use on the original Enterprise. "Well, Starfleet has used them from time to time but in secret. There was the USS Pegasus which was a big debate for using a Interphasic cloak that could actually pass through objects. But it failed and took the ship out with it. But the Enterprise-D saved it I read. And then there was the Defiant in the Dominion War that was allowed to use it. At least on the original ship, not the second one that I recall from my re-education plan."

She had to admit that Amarik's mentions about it made sense. At least to her where things that needed to get done should get done if able. The mention of Reunification however triggered something in her Romulan XO's memory. She listened intently as she drank her ale. Pierce simply nodded in agreement not to dig into that line of thought but merely to understand the sentiment. Much how she thought of working with Klingons after what had happened in the past.

At the mention of making the bed, she shrugged with a smile. But the jesting and the acknowledgement that she didn't either caused her to laugh in return. "It seems great minds think alike then." A smile still sewn on her face as she pictured a Romulan officer's room untidy like her own. The reality of re-wearing clothing only worn for 5 to 7 hours however seemed appropriate compared to the stench the duty uniform soaked up during the day or night shifts depending on the needs of the crew compliment. The male propensity of an unclean room seemed to have stuck no matter the change in physical appearance.

Amarik's hesitation at the 'handlers' that raised them seemed to give her a slight pause in their interactions. Especially the mention of keeping them clean with no personal items allowed. The description however when she joined the Academy versus the Empire gave her a brief chuckle. "My upbringing wasn't too bad to be honest. I had personal items but mostly sought to be out doing something or learning than having items. And then of course was piloting and spy games which later came into play at the various Starship assignments. But I can imagine your excitement for a more traditionally normal freedom allowed by being in Starfleet."

Pierce saw the envy on Valyn's face at the tub and then the cursing. "Yeah back on the Eagle and the original Enterprise, these were not present. Definitely modern day Starship design for luxury and military combined. We had sonic showers in some rooms and others we had a shared bath house. This is all new for me too." She said rubbing the back of her neck and hair. Allowing the gentle rub on her neck to ease the tension in her mind and the weight of the hair while closing her eyes briefly. "Yeah the Starbases were the first time I experienced one of these...well...since I became like this anyhow. So I did get to try it out after moving in and taking a soak to relax." She smiled. "It was nice, so I get your enjoyment."

A smile warmed her face as she knew she was building a amicable friendship with her XO. "No worries if you want to use the tub. I get it." She chuckled. "But as far as the battle, the one with the Gorn, and Klingon bastards attacking our comrades. I was in interrogating Nicander in the brig with Lt. Byrne when a crazed Gorn broke through and thrashed the security officers. We holed up in the brig ourselves at the suggestion of the doctor after having Thea turn the temperature down to freezing for our Gorn intruder. Then I blew him up with a phaser set to detonate. Thankfully it didn't take out the Phase Cannon but the brig saved our bacon as did Nicander."

Thinking back to that day, she was surprised at the way things went. "Then of course we met shortly thereafter on Qo'nos to get Fisher back...lot of good that did now..." She said then shook it off. "So on a lighter note, let me know if when you'd like to use the bath. Or do that girls night, or a holodeck run." The girls night intrigued her as she wasn't sure what to expect, never having been involved in one before. Ever for that matter since the changes.

Re: Day 12 [1930 hrs.] Omnes Una Manet Nox

Reply #12 – November 18, 2022, 07:26:02 AM

Valyn gave Pierce a smile, and it was a true one. Valyn was by no means antisocial, but she’d found it difficult to make many friends among Starfleet officers she’d served with. Of course there had been a few, but her circle often remained much smaller than those of her human shipmates. “Your great-granddaughter?” Valyn blinked a few times, processing that. For as bizarre as it was to Valyn, she knew it had to be tenfold as strange for Alana herself.

“That was a contentious point among some of my other officers on Romulus, allowing the Federation to use cloaking technology. Though there was a lot of others who thought it might be an interesting joint venture, to see if our peoples actually can get along in a military setting.” She shrugged, like anything else involving politics between her two homes, opinions were polarized. Cloaking technology was so commonplace to her people, not having access to it within Starfleet had been an adjustment. Where before, she could simply have ordered a cloak, and gone wherever she pleased, Starfleet vessels remained visible for all to see, clandestine operations becoming much more complicated.

“My upbringing was untraditional, even by Romulan standards. Most people of Romulus are just people, like any other society. The part of society that I was born into however, people are-“ She thought for a moment, “Currency. I still don’t know the specifics of why I was chosen for the program I was, from such an early age. I know where I was born, and when. That’s all I was allowed.” Freedom did not exist in her childhood. It was regimented, cold, and isolated. Not until she was finally allowed some measure of freedom upon becoming an actual operative did she realize just how much she had missed out on. There was no memory of her and her parents walking down the markets, browsing the different wares and cuisine from across the planet. The earliest thing that she remembered was of an instructor, shoving her fingers into a door frame before shutting that same door on them.

She smirked, “The academy was a busy time and all but just being able to spend as much time as I did wandering around San Francisco was-“ She just shook her head slowly, she had quickly gone from having no freedom, first living the life she did on Romulus, and then being stuck in the Dominion POW camp, to being drowned in choices at every turn. Her first time trying to use a Starfleet replicator, she remembered the event being stressful, overwhelming her with the choices the device even offered.

“Starfleet ships are fantastic. I’ve seen plenty of designs, but honestly, the functionality of Starfleet design, while still letting it feel comfortable enough to stay in for as long as officers do, is a feat.” She wasn’t an architect or an engineer, and couldn’t even fathom how much work had gone into designing the vessels, ranging from airlock mechanism design to which carpet color to pick for the corridors. “A good bath is the best way to end a stressful shift…maybe paired with a whiskey or something. Sure beats a sonic shower. We didn’t even have the water showers we have here on the Enterprise either, so Thea’s got her beat there.”

Valyn slowly nodded, listening to the tale. She’d never had the chance to ask Fisher, and Alana had reminded her of her own curiosity. “I’ve read the reports about Nicander, but haven’t met him myself yet. What do you know about him? Figure it’s better to get an understanding from a person instead of a document.” Given that he’d saved Pierce, despite the fact he was being interrogated, had made her even more curious.

Her face fell slightly and she nodded, “Yea.” The operation to save him had been a complete success, and her initiation back into intelligence. They’d saved him, and still, he’d died, only days later.

“We can do a holodeck run with a girls' night. I’m not interested in some shit where we sit around and do our nails.” She already had a few ideas to both enjoy the more cliche aspects of their femininity, and also sate the Inter adrenaline junkie she knew they were. Those who didn’t enjoy the rush, usually didn’t make it far in intelligence.

Re: Day 12 [1930 hrs.] Omnes Una Manet Nox

Reply #13 – November 21, 2022, 09:21:53 PM

Pierce laughed at Valyn's comment about the great-granddaughter. "Yeah, that's new haha. Especially for one who used to be male and the cause of the whole family lineage." She smiled taking a drink again as she stood near Valyn. The thoughts mind boggling as she thought about it herself.

She nodded at the conversation of the cloaking technology. Something she wished they could actually utilize in this era. Especially with the Romulans, the Klingons, the Ferengi, the Cardassians all using it just to name a few. Seemed counter-productive for the Federation not to be able to use it. "As far as I recall, there were only four ships to carry one. The original Enterprise, the Pegasus, the Enterprise-D and the Defiant. Read up on it in case there was a new age use for it." She winked.

"Again, I am sorry for your upbringing." She said warmly. "The Academy, well, it's been a while since I was there." As the conversation switched to the design of the fleet, she nodded picturing her favorite class of vessel which many simply didn't realize the beauty of. "I can agree with you on the baths in the quarters. That is something new for me too."

The conversation shifted however to Nicander. "Well, I know he's a Câroon, and he is infested. He seems to want to help and what's best for the crew and to gain trust. I am inclined to agree with him, however, I don't want to be a fool and let him loose either. I do think he has earned a reprieve for more activity and less, cloak and dagger. But I don't know the extent he's infiltrated either." She paused rubbing her elbows. "That being said, the man is brilliant and understands the physiology of various species. Had it not been for him, I'd have been lunch for a raged Gorn."

Remembering the incident caused her to shudder briefly. "The room got cold and we shattered the Gorn with the phaser detonation and the extreme cold. Thankfully, I was protected by locking myself in a protective chamber in the brig. I have been open with him since we first met. It's two fold however as technically, my past is shrouded in mystery and thus, no one knows my past. And two, it allows me to play the other side of the field being in this century as if I have no blood relations and history. I'm a ghost in the machine as it were which is how I prefer to keep it until we've cleared our names."

As the conversation concluded from the work aspects, Pierce looked on in admiration towards doing a girl's night. "I am not about doing nails and that shit. Give me something exciting any day. Let me know what you have in mind and I'd be very interested in joining you." The redheaded woman said to the blond Romulan. "Maybe even practicing the proper way to integrate with the Romulan people and go undercover?" She concluded with a smile.

Pierce nodded at her new XO and friend in the Intelligence department. Their paths would cross more and more as the days and weeks would go on. Especially with the next phase of events preparing to rear their heads. Handing the remainders of the bottle to Lt. Valyn, she smiled and walked her out. "And remember, the baths are open if you ever want to take a dip." She laughed and watched as the blonde left her quarters. Already looking forward to the adventures that they'd no doubt share. This evening on it's own, was a success and she was very happy in her selection at an XO.

Taking steps back to her bed, she sat at the foot of it and wiped her face. Looking at the mirrored screen of her terminal before her. Reaching behind her back, she unclasped her bra, sliding it off under her shirt, and laid back to get some rest. Her job was just getting started and she knew rest was a luxury she wasn't going to get much of.

-FIN