The Transport pad lit up, and two figures emerged on Deep Space 13. Commanders Maikull Barron and Jessie Stern materialized, stepping off the pad and looking around. “Good evening Chief, where is the Intel Office?” Commander Barron asked. “Oh, its on the upper core sir, near Medical and the Admin offices!” The Transporter Chief answered. “Thank you!” The pair exclaimed before heading into the promenade.
The Station was lit with activity as the duo began to cross the foyer towards the turbo-lifts. “You know the Stations Engineer could arrive on the ship at any time?” Stern commented as she kept pace with her commanding officer. “Mhmmm” Maikull briskly responded. “Your hoping he does…” she remarked, her Betazoid intuition reading him like an open book. “Damn shame if I miss that…” Maikull said with a sly smirk, still looking forward as they reached their destination. “What ever would we do then? An inspection without the CO? Who could cover for you?” Stern jested, realizing the direction he was going with this. “I guess our Chief Engineer is going to have to just step up, and…Take Command? No one more qualified than him to explain ship dynamics.” Maikull once again explained as the Turbo-lift doors opened. The couple stepped inside and the doors closed behind them. “Administration Deck” Stern said aloud as the lift began to move. “You’re still upset about the cloak?” She prodded. “No…not so much about that, as him not reviewing their data beforehand. He needs to learn to take more of a firm stance on things. Gonna have to have a talk with him once this is all settled.” The commander justified as the doors slid open to the upper core. The two walked in silence as they followed the signs to the Intelligence Department offices, and rang the door chime.
The chime brought his eyes up from his reading to the door. Barron was punctual. DS13’s Chief Intelligence Officer Commander Noah Sideris closed the file on Isep Xedi and deactivated the privacy lock on the door. “Come in.”
The door swished open as Barron and Stern took a step inside. They both stopped and seemed to sweep the room with their eyes; one looking one way, the other looking another before crossing over and reviewing what the other had initially seen in an almost choreographed move before they both continued in the office. Mai’kull refocusing his attention on the Chief Intelligence Officer. “Commander Mai’kull Barron, this is my Executive Officer Commander Jessica Stern. A Pleasure to meet you.” He said pleasantly, holding out an extended hand to greet the officer.
The office was small but comfortably appointed, the two chairs intended for guests made of a seamless metal designed to adjust themselves to accommodate a variety of species. The desk and the chair behind it were similarly minimalist; aside from the requisite computer terminal and a neat stack of three PADDs, the only decoration on the desktop was a small brass clock with a heavy wooden base, a face on each side to display the time to host and guests alike. It ticked softly. A single painting graced the wall to the right of the entrance, a depiction of a man in a small boat on the surface of a lake. Sideris rose to shake the offered hand. “The pleasure’s mine. We don’t get many recreational visitors.” He gestured, an invitation to the pair to take a seat. “How are you settling in?”
“Settling well, getting the niceties out of the way before we head back out, Medical and Psychological Evaluations and such. Just waiting on Fleet Engineering to clear our ship and we can be back on our way.” Maikull stated taking a seat. Jessie shook Commander Sideris’ hand as well before sitting down next to Barron, “In fact that’s why we are here. Commander Barron and I have spent a good chunk of our career in the Intelligence Field, though we have switched to command, we still keep our hands in the water in case the extra help is needed. Since we have effectively relocated to the opposite side of the federation’s boarders, we just wanted to refresh our network, so to speak.” Stern explained with a warm smile. Taking his que from his first officer, Maikull chimed in, “Find the smartest man on the station and make friends with him quick, and I hear that’s you.” He remarked with a smile.
He smiled faintly. “The admiralty and the locals do their best to keep us on our toes here,” he replied to Stern. “Depending upon your assigned patrol, you may be headed into contested territory in several directions, but I’m sure your briefing will cover any data I could provide you.” He studied the pair thoughtfully. “However, if you know your flight plan, I’d be happy to test that theory,” he offered.
”Well, we have not received official orders as of yet, but we are assigned to Taurus Squadron. As I understand it, that’s the general patrolling unit for the fleet, so if you have something for us to look into, I’m sure I can make sure we head in that direction when we speak with Admiral Bishop again.” Mai’kull clarified. “What did you have in mind?”
“No need to deviate from your route,” he assured them. “But if you’re interested in doing the department a favor and you find it convenient, I could add a set of subspace frequencies to your standard sensor sweeps. If you find a source broadcasting at the appropriate frequency, no need to tag or interfere with it,” he explained. “Just record its transmission until you fall out of range and deliver the record and the approximate location when you make port.”
”So cast the net behind us and let you know where the fish are biting. That should be easy enough.” Maikull remarked as he readjusted himself in his chair. “Just send me the frequency bands you need monitored, and I’ll upload a background program to continuously scan and record on that carrier wave.” Jessie said with a smile, almost immediately after Maikull finished speaking. “That away we don’t have to worry about an overzealous officer looking to deep into it and potentially compromising the intel or the situation.” Maikull finished.
The corner of his mouth tugged up despite himself. “That would be ideal. I’ll send it over.” His eyebrows raised a fraction. “I suppose that leaves me in your debt, Commanders. If there’s any way I can be of assistance, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Commander Barron stood at these words, “No problem, I know how difficult your job can be, glad to help. Speaking of Flight Plans, I should go ahead and start prepping one for the admiralty. Since this is a wide-band search, I guess we can take a trip around the new block. Visit a few sectors and get us familiar with the region quicker, and hopefully yield you better results.” Stern stood as well and gave a respectful bow to Commander Sideris, “Not that we won’t refuse being owed a favor.” She said with a playful grin.
He rose as they did, smiling, and returned the bow. “I appreciate it,” he said earnestly. “You two are some welcome reinforcements. Welcome to DS13, and smooth sailing.” he closed, as the two left his office.