Meet the Legate
Posted on Fri Sep 27th, 2019 @ 1:05am by Legate Imik S'Niohun [Lia Taylor]
Mission:
Mission 3: Masquerade
Location: Diplomatic Office
Timeline: Shortly before "Go"
1447 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure
ON
Imik had left the Sinkahue and had decided to look for the Legate, her superior while she served on board. Not knowing who to look for she wandered about checking various locations, then she found a crewman who seemed somewhat shocked at her appearance. Imik could see just what he was thinking, "Fear not, I am not 8472. I am Ojnas, and an Exchange Officer. I seek Legate Brett, do you know where she maybe?" The crewman looked incredulous but managed a reply, "She's just down this hallway in her Office, it's opposite the turbo lift". He continued to stare, "You said your not 8472 didn't you? But you look just like them". Imik smiled and pointed to her face, "I believe 8472 has a more alien face than my Humanoid one, plus we can talk. I do not think 8472 can do that in their natural form, but I have never seen one so can not say for certain". The crewman shook his head, "This ship gets more like a space station everyday, what's next? Romulans???" He walked away briskly and left Imik to continue down the corridor, finding the turbo lift she stood outside the doors opposite and again pressed the door chime. *Another being who will have a desk, so many desks why?* she thought.
Anje, buried in requests from various diplomatic entities, fleet authorities, and even a few law enforcement agencies, opened the door by remote as she replied to one, sipping her coffee with one hand. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and grimaced, thinking her messy bun made her look strikingly like the Trunchbull from Matilda. The woman who entered startled her a bit, though she immediately knew the other woman was not what she appeared, "Oh, hello." She said.
Making sure her uniform was straight as the door opened, put Imik at a disadvantage. She bowed to the woman behind yet another desk, "Kie-Rathsue Imik S'Norgun reporting for duty, Legate Brett". As she straightened up she corrected her mistake, "Kie-Rathsue is a Lieutenant in your Command System, please forgive an old fighter pilot". She looked around the office and wondered who else used it, "As I waited outside I heard a strange thought, what is a Trunchbull?" Her face pictured the question she had just asked, confused.
"She was the villain in a classic children's book and movie from Old Earth." Anje replied, though she did find the new woman's 'catching' of her thoughts more than a little unnerving, ~Like sharing a room with Delphine's drunk ass again.~ "Well, welcome aboard, Lieutenant S'Norgun, it's good to have some help down here. So, let's get right into it, what questions do you have regarding your duties here?"
Bowing again Imik replied, "I have never had much to do with Diplomatic matters, just what am I supposed to do?" She moved her feet in embarrassment, "Fighters I understand, Combat troops I understand. But diplomacy, is an unexplored mystery to me". Imik looked at Anje directly, "My name and address is Imik, my rank is Kie-Rathsue. We Ojnas use only given names at official functions, I mention this only as a polite reminder, I do not know of Star Fleet protocol or habits".
"Alright, Imik, we'll tweak that as we go along." Anje smiled, "I'm sure there's a lot we'll both have to learn about each other along the way."
Imik now looked at this person before her, "You are not Human are you? Not pure Human, you have another's blood within you. If I can ask such a question, what are you?" The question as far as Imik was concerned was valid, she would work with this person perhaps engage in combat along side her. Imik needed to know who she was intrusting her life and career to, she had survived the war. She now wanted to survive the peace, she hoped this place would be where she could do that.
Anje pushed her hair off of her right ear, revealing it, "You're very right." She smiled, "One quarter Vulcan. How'd you know?"
A faint smile crossed Imik's mouth as she answered, "Your thoughts are not as a Human, they are more ordered more controlled. Your thoughts only escape when you loose control of them, something very few Humans are able to do. This and your appearance confirms that your are more than just Human, but that you understand them because you are related". She pointed to her head, "My psychic ability allows me to picks up random thoughts, Humans produce a multitude of those thoughts. You do not, hence my question I hope I did not offend you?"
"Offended?" Anje shook her head, "No, no. Fascinated is more like it. I've always found telepathy fascinating, roomed with a telepath for a while on my first assignment, the Bozeman-A, she was half Betazoid and had a hard time controlling it, got worse when she drank too much..."
Nodding Imik now did something strange, she sat down on the floor. But it was the way she did it which was strange, she pirouetted slowly down until she was sitting on her own feet. This left her below the level of the desk but still able to see the top of Anje's head, "The fact she was a half blood perhaps made it difficult for her, we Ojnas have never had any half bloods. As such we teach our younglings how to manage their thoughts, and how to control the incursions from other Ojnas and species who are psychic". She touched Anje's mind and deliberately made sure Anje knew about it, "You have a trained mind and ordered thoughts Legate Brett, with some training you could have a limited ability to touch another's mind".
"My aunt and mother have both told me that." Anje nodded, "Though, to be honest with you, the idea, alluring as it is, scares the hell out of me. I'm afraid of what I might see, what I might do, accidentally or on purpose. I admire your people for their ability to handle this power so responsibly, I just fear that I might not have the strength of will to do so."
"If I maybe so bold, but the training I mentioned would only allow you to touch another mind. It would not allow you to affect that mind, you do not have that ability despite your logical mindset". Imik smiled at Anje, this female had an open personality and a questioning mind. She hoped she would learn to work along side her, Imik felt she would learn a great deal.
"Then I'm less averse." Anje nodded, feeling substantially more comfortable now, "I just... My friend would sometimes just randomly pick things up from people, they'd send her into mood swings. She'd be fine, eating, talking, sometimes even asleep, and they'd hit her and she'd become angry, sullen, more than once she burst into tears and couldn't regain control of herself. It was... It was bad."
Imik now stood back up, "If one is undisciplined then the random thoughts of others will adversely affect you, but if you are taught how to process and store those thoughts. Then your own personality will control them, you would not pick up those thoughts. You would only hear the thoughts from the mind you choose, and if that mind closed it's self to you then you would hear nothing".
"Sounds a lot better than what Delphine went through." Anje smiled, standing up beside her, "I look forward to learning some of these things from you, Imik, and I looked forward to working with you here, hopefully we'll accomplish a lot together."
Bowing once again, Imik now spoke more directly, "If I may Legate, I must retire to my quarters and finish moving in. When will you require me to report? Also will I report here or to another duty station?"
"Here, and for right now we can play it kind of loose on when." Anje replied, she'd been on so many ships and stations that she was an expert on the moving in process, "I'll see you tomorrow."
A small smile crossed Imik's lips, "Upon the morrow Legate, sleep you well". She turned to leave when a stray thought entered her mind, it stopped her and made her turn to speak again. "Something is wrong Legate, I do not know what but there is wrong doing afoot. I hope to see you here, tomorrow". She now turned and left, she had a bad feeling but being new to this place she could only carry it with her.
Kie-Rathsue Imik S'Norhun
Ojnas Exchange Officer
USS Elysium
Legate Anje Brett
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Elysium