New Intelligence Officer

Posted on 2025, Sun Aug 17th, @ 4:43pm by Vice Admiral Jack Reacher Jr & Lieutenant Commander Tiyame Igrut

1,452 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 1A "Shadows of the Empire"
Location: Space Dock - Earth
Timeline: 2 Weeks Before Halo Leaves For SB113

Reacher sat hunched over his desk, nursing a mug of strong, black coffee, steam curling toward his face. He’d been working to get ahead, tying up loose ends before the week was out, when the alert flashed across his screen— the new Chief Intelligence Officer was arriving two weeks early. He took another slow sip, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Good

=/\= Reacher to Commander Igrut, Please Report to Office 123A=/\=


Lieutenant Commander Tiyame Igrut had been staying on Starbase 1 for several months by the time she was given her most recent assignment. She had been doing paperwork, helping organize intelligence briefs, and generally being made busy until her next commission returned for base and resupply. She was not aware of the fate of who she was replacing. If she were to be frank, she profoundly did not care; she had a specific set of skills, and unless a decade veteran of the intelligence community with telepathic powers and friendlier disposition than hers was the one to have been transferred, or died, she doubted she would have any issues in establishing her place upon the ship.


When the door opened to Officer 123A, Reacher would see a tall woman with pure black irises enter. She did not smile, but she gave a polite nod as she entered the room and stood at attention for her superior. "Lieutenant Commander Tiyame Igrut, your new Chief Intelligence Officer, sir."

It was rigid, it was static, but it would be sufficient, and the air of professionalism she hoped would earn her what little goodwill she could, before she began her assessments of the crew. She would not wax lyrical about what a pleasure it was to serve, or how honoured she felt to be aboard the flagship of the task force, her uniform was the pristine gold of operations, her hair, makeup, everything had been put precisely into place. That, in her mind at least, was proof enough of what a pleasure it was to serve, an understanding and appreciation of the duties of the task force, holistically.

She did not delve into her Commander's mind yet; she wished to establish ground rules, what he would permit, when, and why. Perhaps he was a believer in the value of that autonomy, that people's minds should be kept to themselves, that, of course, would be impossible, but the depths she was allowed to delve into, and when she was allowed to do more than merely read emotions? That she would not know until they began to talk in earnest.


"Nice to Meet You, Rear Admiral Jack Reacher, Task Force 17 Flag Officer, Please sit," Reacher said, motioning to the chairs in front of the desk as he used the other hand and pick up a cup of coffee and took a sip.


"Of course, sir," She said. The new intelligence officer's face remained blank as she gracefully pushed the back of the chair slightly, before slowly beginning to sit, allowing her hands to come to the rim of the chair, then pulling herself onto it. She then briefly adjusted herself on the chair, making sure she was sufficiently comfortable despite her stiff posture. Her knees were together, and her hands held one over the other in her hands. She had a manicure, fresh black gel that glistened slightly like volcanic glass on each of her digits as they interlaced.

"Is this meeting on the record, sir? I understand my commission formally begins in two weeks, so I thought it best to have a handle on the inner functions of the ship before I began my duties in earnest. I do not wish to be guided about the ship by computers and inferiors on my first day." A partial truth, she had already studied the blueprints quite thoroughly, she understood the physical layout of the ship, and these two weeks were for the construction of what the ship felt like telepathically. What conversations usually happened where, what kind of activities were permitted, and which were more strictly clamped down upon? Each captain had their disposition towards discipline, and that could be felt through the crew.


"Which one do you want it to be, Commander?" Jack asked.


"Off," Tiyame confirmed without a second thought, though she had been surprised by the speed at which she had been summoned to Rear Admiral's office, she knew that this, like many of her meetings, would be entirely off the record. She took a moment before she continued, trying to read the face of her commanding officer without delving into his mind. It was a difficult task to only look upon the surface for her; she had grown so accustomed to delving as deeply as she wished. "Though in future meetings, such matters will be up to your discretion, as my superior officer." The Betazoid took a moment before realising that perhaps she had turned to conversational direction. "So, what is the cause for our meeting today, Rear Admiral?" They were not on a first-name basis yet, not in the slightest. Even if this meeting was off the record.

"When it's behind closed doors and it's just the senior staff and me, call me Jack. It was more of a welcome, and is there anything you need to make your department ready to go?" Reacher asked.

"If that is your command, Jack." The first name felt foreign in her mouth, and she did not spit it out; it was more forced, protocol was being broken, and she did not like it. She thought for a moment, her mouth moving slightly as she mustered the words. "The priority is to establish closed-loop systems. I will need to review the documentation methods and protocols used by my department to ensure leaks are mitigated as best as they can be. I most often work on a need-to-know basis, and ensuring that those who need to know are as few as possible is a topmost priority of mine as I conduct my work. In regard to my personal questions, my abilities as a telepath are extensive, Commander. Extensive to the point of invasion, now I have mitigated my capabilities for now, and have yet to perform my usual checks and reads out of respect for your seniority and the fact that it is a poor way to start a working relationship to simply start reading into people. So, limits, boundaries, if there are any that you wish me to hold to out of ethical obligation, I wish to know them now."

"Very well, Commander. First — when I use your first name, it is because I expect a level of frankness, not a lack of discipline. You will address me as protocol dictates, unless otherwise ordered, and I will extend the same courtesy to you.

Your closed-loop systems and information control measures will be given full support. I expect your review of departmental protocols to begin immediately and be completed within seventy-two hours. Keep me apprised of any vulnerabilities you find.

Regarding your telepathic abilities — you will not engage in any form of mental contact without explicit authorization from me or your direct superior, except in an imminent threat scenario where lives are at stake. You will not use them to assess the crew’s morale, loyalty, or thoughts unless it is part of an approved operation. I trust your professional judgment, but that trust depends on adherence to these boundaries.

If there is ever ambiguity, you will consult me before acting. Understood?" Reacher explained.

"I understand," she swallowed the annoyance. She was glad to have carte blanche for her intelligence assessment and approach, but the limitations put on her by this dictation were most frustrating. This was off the record, so any admonishment she received would be unofficial, but these ethical constraints had not been placed upon her previously as in starfleet intelligence her circumstances were always seen as an imminent threat scenario. So this would be an adjustment. "I will have to notify Starfleet intelligence of these particular constraints on my work. And off the record, I want you to understand that my loyalties are not to you or the ship but to Starfleet and its Intelligence Services. I shall liase with you as their representative and use their knowledge to help move the objectives of the organization to which we both owe our loyalty forward."

"Understood Commander, Do you have any questions for me?" Reacher asked.

"None, Jack. Am I dismissed?" She had gotten the answers she was looking for, though it was not the one she wanted. So it was time to go. She bristled for the opportunity to leave, but she would not be unprofessional.

"Yes, Your Free To go" Jack replyied.

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