" Operational Identity "
Previous Post: "Meeting"
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Stardate: 60315.1730
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Corridor
Preparing for their mission to the TANGIERS ORBITAL
meant that with each passing day the *who* of the
senior staff gave way a little more in favor of those
identities they had been ask to play. This was not a
bad thing since the success of their information
gathering mission depended heavily on each and every
one of them to be able to *be* the person they had
been assigned to replace, the slightest error having
the potential of being catastrophic. Making due with
these changes was tricky for the members of the senior
staff, but if was very difficult for the rest of the
crew who had to relearn a great deal about many of
those they knew only in passing. For some these
changes were a complicated hurdle to overcome while
for others this transformation came more naturally.
Adapting to all this not only meant that the
Romulan/Terran hybrid had to embrace the ways of the
Romulan Star Empire and those of the Tal'Shiar, at
least for the duration of this mission, but it also
meant that the COO had to stop seeing those she worked
with as allies and to no longer recognize them as
being friends. Immersing herself in the role of
Sevaal, the ANUBIS' Ops officer travelled the
corridors of the ship attracting the glares of some
and causing many others to seek an alternate route to
reach their destination.
Not displaying her amusement at these turn of event,
the Romulan/Terran hybrid continued on her selected
heading while thinking that this role would in no way
help her reputation of being a cold and hard to reach
officer. Grinning inwardly the COO did her best to
focus on the positive side of this reaffirmed
reputation which would grant her all the time she
would need to complete her preparations.
Turning a corner, the COO came face to face with the
ANUBIS' XO who had yet to dawn the appearance of her
undercover identity, something that the Romulan/Terran
hybrid could understand in a way as it had the
potential of creating even more problems for the rest
of the crew. Snapping to attention, the Ops officer
handed over the PADD that she had been carrying and
which was meant for the woman now standing before her.
"Cmdr. Rikar, here is the latest Intel on the
TANGIERS ORBITAL as well as an update of the status of
the crew, as you will see the ANUBIS is ready to
launch."
Grinning as she gave the rigid stance of the COO a
once over, the XO accepted the PADD and perused its
content. "The ship may be ready, but unlike yourself
there are still a few members of the team that have
not yet made the transition to their new identity.
Some of these delays have been caused by necessity
while others have been the result of less tangible
circumstances. Either way it is nice to see you have
so quickly made the transition and are making it
appear easy for the rest of us."
Not relaxing her stance in any way despite the
compliment, the Romulan/Terran hybrid acknowledged the
words spoken by the XO with a simple revelation. "I
did what needed to be done, nothing more and nothing
less."
Stopping her reading of the report, the XO glanced up
to the Romulan/Terran hybrid with great puzzlement
reflecting in her eyes brought on not by the statement
but by the way it had been said. Knowing that the
person standing in front of her had been the COO, the
shock had been quick troubling when Cmdr. Rikar had
heard the voice of the ILO echoing in the words of the
Ops officer.
Noticing the strange expression on the face of the
XO, the COO softened her posture ever so slightly.
"Is everything all right Cmdr?"
Snapping back to her former self, the XO brought a
bright smile to appear on her face, returning her
attention to the PADD in her hand. "Everything is
fine, you just reminded me of Enaii for a moment with
the tonality of her voice and the way you spoke, it
just caught me by surprise."
Taking this as a high compliment since ILO was by
most definition the apex of what would be required for
their next mission, the Romulan/Terran hybrid smiled
for a brief moment before asking the XO a potentially
difficult question. "Cmdr. Rikar, may I ask about Lt.
Cmdr. Enaii's status? Reports from NEW ALEXANDRIA
have stopped and I had hoped that maybe you would have
received something as she is your wife. Will she be
returning to the ANUBIS soon? There are several
questions that I would like to ask her to improve my
portrayal of Sevaal."
Looking onto the face of the XO, the Romulan/Terran
hybrid received her answer she had sought even if no
words were spoken by Cmdr. Rikar who seemed to be
searching for the right words to use. The question
was a legitimate one but the answer proved to be far
more complex than the First officer had cared to admit
it, she too not having heard about Enaii's condition
for a while.
Realizing that she had asked something that she
should not have, the Romulan/Terran hybrid moved the
conversation in the only possible way available to
her. "Please accept my apologies, I should not have
asked, it was inappropriate of me. If you will excuse
me, I have a few more things to check up on before I
head to the gymnasium for some physical training."
Accepting the apology given by the COO eventhough it
had not been necessary, the XO allowed the
Romulan/Terran hybrid to depart giving her the time
and opportunity to think about the condition of her
wife and with the hopes that her absence would soon
come to an end.
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Lieutenant Serenna 2005 post #136
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Serena Switt {serena1141@yahoo.com.au}
Chief of Operations / Second Officer
USS ANUBIS
