The New Assistant

Posted on Sat Dec 14th, 2024 @ 3:14am by Lieutenant Amy Gordon & Lieutenant JG Prianka Tarik

1,949 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Prelude to War
Location: CIO's Office

Prianka smoothed her uniform and ran a hand through her hair. How she wore it varied, depending on her mood and what she was doing, but for today, she chose to wear it loose. She was off to meet her new boss, Lieutenant Amy Gordon, and she wanted to make a good first impression. She'd done several undercover assignments and it felt a little odd to be back in uniform, but she knew she'd adapt after a day or two.

When she reached the office door, she took a moment to center herself and rang the chime.

Amy at the moment was gazing out into space, her eyes unfocused, going over in her mind as to her stay on Vinderous III. Six months being there undercover, and some of the women who were there, she had formed a slight sort of friendship with them. Amy did feel some remorse as to the heartache she may have caused them, by her faking her own death. It was necessary, along with the formation of temporary friendships. The ringing of the chime jarred her back to the present, her gaze moving towards the door. "Enter!" Amy called out, feeling curious as to who was coming to her door. She glanced down towards her PADD, wasn't there a message of someone coming to see her? As the door opened, Amy had one eye on it and her hand upon her padd.

Prianka walked in and looked around the office before focusing on the woman at the viewport. "Hello. I'm Prianka Tarik."

There wasn't much there, no true personal effects in the office. In fact it seemed just rather plain. "Hi there," Amy responded, finding the message upon her padd. "May I offer you some tea? I am in the mood for some myself." walking over to the replicator ordering some ginger tea with lemon and honey. "I'm Lieutenant Amy Gordon, and welcome aboard." Glancing over her shoulder towards Prianka.

"Herb tea would be nice, thank you." She watched her new boss, her body language, to get an idea of what sort of person she was. It was a habit she picked up a long time ago.

As she ordered the tea, Amy could feel the tickle of Prianka giving her a rather scrutinizing gaze. It was a sense she had, knowing when someone was watching her. Amy filed this in the back of her mind, Prianka, a people watcher. The two teas she ordered materialized, Amy bringing the cups to the small desk she had.

"Please have a seat." Amy having a serene smile, taking a seat upon her chair. "This ship is a little bit of a cozy one."

"Thank you." Pri sat across from Amy's desk and watched her new boss to get a read on her.

Amy took a sip of her tea, noting Pri's attentiveness to her, An expression of amusement could be seen dancing in her eyes, she lowered her cup, giving a low chuckle. "We could be here just watching each other, trying to figure out each other's tells or, we can just converse." resting her back against the cushioned officer chair, holding her tea with both hands.

"As the junior officer, I was waiting for you to direct the conversation." Prianka smiled. "Or we could just sit here and observe each other, but that could get boring."

Amy threw back her head and laughed, her laugh having a silvery sound, almost spilling her own tea. "I like your style, and yes it would be rather boring." deciding to put down her tea upon the top of the desk. "Okay so direction of the conversation, since it is just us, lets dispense with ranks. Sometimes they can become a little bit of a bother, you may call me Amy."

"I'm seldom formal, and you can call me Prianka or Pri. Just be aware I tend to speak my mind."

"Pri it is, and I don't mind you speaking your mind. As for me? It depends on the situation when it comes to being direct. At times I've got to play the diplomatic card, its part of the job when it is warranted. What sort of assignments have you done before?" Amy picking up her tea once more.

"I've done a lot of infiltration and information gathering. I also do data analysis." She shrugged. "I don't particularly look or act like a Starfleet officer, so it helps. Once was in charge of an extraction team." She cocked her head to one side. "What about you? I know you just came off a deep cover assignment, but that's about it."

"Well what can I say? I've done undercover work for quite sometime. And Intelligence is sort of a family business. My first assignment in intelligence was to work with my father and brother, as we were part of a crew on the SS Marlin. Information gathering. It was hard work, but also enjoyable. This is due to my being able to spend time with my dad and my brother." a fond smile appeared, as she thought back to that time.

"That's pretty rare. I'm glad you had that opportunity to work with your family. For me it's been different people with each operation, mixed with periods of doing research and data analysis." Pri had learned long ago that working in intelligence was generally a lonely career, especially if you did infiltration and extraction.

"It was rare and yet they needed me. I learned quite a bit from them. And also learned I had to really make certain not to get into any romantic entanglements on the ship. Both Dad and my brother watched over me like a hawk." Amy giving a slight grimace. "Definitely an eye opener."

Nodding, Prianka watched her new boss for a moment. "Emotional entanglements while undercover are dangerous. I agree with your family. You're lucky they care so much."

"I felt blessed with them being ever watchful. I was able to prove to them that I did know how to take care of myself as well. There was one crew member who was making uninvited overtures towards me, he learned his lesson rather swiftly, I don't think he appreciated finding himself on the floor facedown with a knife just at the base of his skull.There was a knee planted in his back." Amy frowned slightly at that memory.

Pri nodded. "I've yet to resort to a knife. Usually pressure to the right part of the hand or wrist is sufficient to deter most men who think you just need a little more persuasion. I've often wished I could learn the Vulcan Nerve Pinch, but a knee or elbow in the right place works just as well." She shook her head. "although I sometimes wonder if infiltration has more of a problem with that than any other department. At least it doesn't happen often."

"This is true. Have you heard of Atemi? I find it similar to the Vulcan Nerve Pinch. Using the pressure points like what you had mentioned, and hitting the nerve clusters as well. Which interrupts the chi. This uses the acupressure points for massage therapy." Amy taking a sip of her tea. "The guy though that gave me trouble, I decided to get a wee bit more brusque with him. And he did get the point."

"No, I haven't. I've just learned about pressure points and how to use them. Or some of them, anyway. I'll have to see what I can find." She definitely wanted to learn more. You couldn't always have a weapon with you, and it might be a useful alternative to martial arts. She smiled at Amy's last statement. "He got the point quite literally. I like it. Sometimes subtle isn't enough."

"Well Atemi is a part of the martial arts of Karate but to me it is more refined. I can start teaching you the skill, and if you would like to learn, I can teach you some acupressure to relieve pain. Its an interesting skill to have and know. It can both make a person feel better and yet could be used to hurt. Sort of a yin and yang skill. " Amy commented before she drank a bit more tea.

"I would like to learn. Thank you. I know a bit about massage, but this is different, right?"

"It is. And learning the pressure points and the names of said areas will help you in the long run. When ever you are ready to further your knowledge let me know, I will be quite happy to begin lessons." Amy giving a smile. "It would be lovely to have another person with the skills."

This was a great opportunity and Prianka didn't want to waste it. "Whenever we both have the time. I'd like to start as soon as possible. There's no telling how much free time we'll have in the future."

"I agree, we will start very soon. Perhaps this evening. In the meantime, is there anything you need or anything else you would like to know?" A pause then a smile. "I would like to know a few things more about you. What do you like to do during your personal time? Any hobbies or interests?"

Prianka shrugged. "I play two or three musical instruments, and I like card games. What about you?"

" I do play card games, those are fun, I do play musical instruments. I like to read lips and another thing that I can do..." her voice changed to where she sounded like Pri. "I can mimic voices" Amy's voice went back to normal however it sounded like it was in another part of the room. "And then there is this."

"That's an impressive skill. It must come in handy from time to time. I am good at getting in and out of places, but so are many in infiltration and extraction." Pri shrugged. "I blend in. But that..." She shook her head. "That is amazing."

"It did help me get out of a few situations. And I've made objects talk." Amy giving a wink. "This is something I normally keep quiet about, however, since we will be working together, I thought it best to have you know. And I don't think I have told Rhu." giving a wry look.

"It's not something you just come out and tell people, or use often." Pri shrugged. While it would be useful for the captain to know, she didn't think it was a problem that Amy didn't tell him yet. "When the time is right, you will."

" I will definitely in due time. Now question, in your estimate of the time we've been finding out about each other, do you think we can work together?" Amy smiling. She felt that they could work together and will be fun finding out more that they can do as part of the intelligence team.

"Yes." Prianka didn't need to think about it. She felt comfortable around Amy and thought their skill sets would be compatible. Plus she liked her new boss.

"Good, well now that the introductions are done, we'll make some time to enjoy our short shoreleave before we are called into action." Amy remarked. "I have another session for a massage, and a soak in a tub with my name on it. At times nothing beats soaking in a nice warm bath, to help relax the muscles."

"Then I won't keep you from such important engagements." Prianka stood and smiled. "I should take advantage of the starbase myself while I have the opportunity."

"Then let's be off." Amy responded with a grin. It looked like she was signed on with a great team.

END

 

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