In Plain Sight

Posted on Sat Feb 14th, 2026 @ 2:06am by Captain Remy Johansen & Lieutenant JG Jezra Siv MD
Edited on on Sat Feb 14th, 2026 @ 3:48pm

1,102 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Peril at the Unification Accords
Location: Engineering Department, USS Astrea
Timeline: MD11 0015 hours

There was more than one of them. They rarely communicated with each other to mitigate the risk of being spotted, but this was an exception. A Bajoran man with a single pip on the yellow uniform entered a maintenance room, toolkit in hand. It was there that he waited for his contact, busying himself with diagnostics scans.

The Vulcan J.G. walked in without so much as a second glance at the Bajoran, her jet black hair cut short, practical, with her bangs kept precisely .8 centimeters above her brow line. Her work was always just as precise leaving no room for a superior officer to second guess her competence.

"Keep it brief," she warned as she opened a storage cabinet and pretended to look for something.

The Bajoran didn't acknowledge her presence until she spoke, and even then he waited until he was finished with what he was doing. "Sensors in this section are on a loop," he informed quietly. As was standard procedure. "We need to recommend the next target ahead of schedule. An actor is trying to push the timeline, hence the abnormal communications."

Leaning down, he set his toolkit on his lap and lifted the base. Underneath the foam was a data chip, which he slipped up his sleeve with practiced efficiency before approaching the closet she was at. Then, as if to look for something, the Bajoran reached in and used the enclosed space to expose the data chip for her to collect. "The most recent risk profiles and a copy of the offending data." Their trojan had worked beautifully; once in place, it monitored whatever they told it to. Since the reception, it had been collecting any data flagged as potentially relevant to the investigation so they could assess the risk of exposure.

The Vulcan's gray eyes met the Bajoran's for the briefest moment before she reached over and snatched the data chip off his arm, her cold fingertips brushing against his hot skin ever so slightly. Most humanoids felt excessively hot to her as they did to most Vulcans, the comfort of their body heat on cold Starfleet ships almost making up for their smell.

Once she had the chip she discreetly tucked inside her collar, pushing it further down with her middle finger and securing it underneath the strap of her undershirt.

"Was there anything else?" She asked while the Bajoran was still close, her voice barely a whisper.

The chip now safely in her possession, the Bajoran grabbed a PADD from the closet and typed on it to configure it for his diagnostics. "The trojan detected the secondary target's access codes in the science labs an hour ago." One of the records on the data chip was duty rosters, and the Secondary was not listed in any of them. The Bajoran knew enough about the crew's habits to know this was an abnormal nighttime activity that wasn't the result of insomnia or night shift duties. "The Secondary isn't a threat as long as she's operationally sidelined, but I believe information is about to be consolidated. Behavioural analysis shows that the Primary is likely to act if new information is presented."

"How much time before..." the Vulcan paused regarding the Bajoran's choice words before continuing, "consolidation?" She asked.

For a couple seconds, the Bajoran didn't say anything. He returned to his chair and set the PADD in the toolkit. He opened his mouth to speak, but the tricorder he had rigged to the console then alerted him to someone else wanting to enter the maintenance room. He cleared his throat, a signal to the Vulcan to act normal, before he quickly paused the security loop.

A couple seconds later, another J.G. appeared. She approached the closet and exchanged a few pleasantries while grabbing what she needed.

The Vulcan officer passed the junior lieutenant a fairly neutral acknowledgement, but saw no need to return idle pleasentries.

The Bajoran smiled and returned the pleasantries, but once the door shut behind her and he returned his focus to the console, his smile vanished. Listening for a couple more seconds to make sure it was clear, he resumed the security loop. Unless the ship's intelligence department really looked into it, the transitions would be near impossible to spot.

"The security loop is enabled again," he reported quietly. The Bajoran grabbed the PADD and transferred diagnostic data to it from the console. "The timing is less certain than the probability. Assuming no other movements from the risk actors, I estimate consolidation at some point in the next 48 hours." Two days was a large window, larger than he preferred, but it was all based off the data available to him. The five flagged as risk actors could all do something that changed the course of the investigation, which would change his calculations. "There is too much risk of exposure if I try to shorten it. I suggest sending our recommendation with a note that we will inform of an attack opportunity. Then, we monitor the Primary and the Secondary accordingly."

"It could happen before the information is transmitted," the Vulcan stated, her eyes casting a seemingly judgmental glare over the Bajoran. "That information was communicated here, or am I meant to do it for you?"

The Bajoran's lips pressed together as he focused on the console. While he knew the difference between Vulcan bluntness and accusation, with her those were sometimes difficult to distinguish. "The model accounts for conclusions made in real-time," he muttered. "The sharing of information itself matters less than the response, and the behavioural analysis supports this. Upon receiving new information, the Primary will want to cross-reference with existing data so the conclusion has standing. It's an identifiable pattern and gives us the time we need to intercept." He turned around in his chair to meet the Vulcan's stoic expression. "If we are in agreement, we transmit the recommendation immediately."

"Indeed," the Vulcan agreed. "If you are certain our communication channels have not been compromised."

"I will see to it that they are not compromised," the Bajoran responded curtly.

The Vulcan tilted her head slightly at the Bajoran's response, her eyes scanning the young man's body language with practiced calculation. Saying nothing the Vulcan exited the maintenance room without looking back.

---

Captain Remira Johansen
Commanding Officer
USS Astrea


Lieutenant J.G. Jezra Siv
Chief Medical Officer
USS Astrea

 

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