Stealth Training 101 - Part II
Posted on Sun Aug 16th, 2026 @ 7:09am by Lieutenant Junior Grade Mira Jayde & Petty Officer 3rd Class Emiko Marley
Edited on on Sun Aug 16th, 2026 @ 8:11am
1,659 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Episode 18 - The Edge of Darkness
Location: Holodeck 2 - Deck 5 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD003 1500 hrs
When they'd walked for about twenty minutes, Jayna opened the door to a lab she knew was empty at this time of day. "Have a seat and tell me what you observed."
Emiko bowed her head lightly, as she explained, "The first person that I observed, noticed that I was watching them. In being unnoticed, I was a failure. I am sorry. I failed you there. However, I was trying to ascertain why he had that ring on his right index finger."
She then allowed her eyes and head to raise slowly, "He was from medical or science and at least a foot taller than me, probably about six feet tall with olive skin. He had stubble on his face, brown in color with some darker flecks in it."
Emiko continued, "The next person we saw was a Zaldan woman. She had hooped earrings, bluish-green eyes, and was maybe 130 pounds. She was very thin boned without many curves."
"The point of walking the corridors is not to go unobserved. You will be observed. It's to not draw attention to yourself. And to learn to walk silently. When you're observed, act like you belong there, not like you don't want to be caught. It will draw more attention if you do."
She paused for that to sink in, then continued. "Who was in the doorway when we walked through science?"
"Who?" Emiko asked. "I don't know. I don't know the people in science."
"Did you notice anyone besides the two you mentioned. Anyone down a side corridor, in a lab, or just standing around?" Jayna asked. "There was a Bolian in a lab wearing a blue lab coat. He was holding a Petrie dish and a pair of tweezers. A human petty officer exited the lab holding a PADD and a cup of coffee. From the color and the smell, it was Terran with sugar."
Jayna pulled out a sketch pad and quickly drew the faces of the two she mentioned. "You don't have to learn to draw, but you do have to know how to describe what they look like. And that will take time. Remember, I've been working in this for over thirty years."
Emiko watched as Jayna drew. Her eyes steeled and her lips became thin and determined. She hardly blinked. Whatever Jayna put in front of her, she was going to master. This woman had saved her and she would do everything she could to make her proud.
Jayna showed Emiko the drawing of the two faces. "I learned to memorize faces and draw as a child. If you're caught and searched, they won't be able to find anything. That helps you with your cover. Later, you can either draw what you saw, or describe it in enough detail that someone else can draw it. That helps with identification. Faces, bodies, identifiable structures or statues--something that won't likely be removed. They're important to notice. You may not know at the time what is and isn't important, so you learn to pay attention to everything."
She tore the drawing into tiny pieces and sent them through the reclamator. "As I said, my parents trained my sister and I when our lives depended on not being noticed while being able to pay attention. It served us well then, and it serves me well now."
She paused, knowing Emiko was only taking in part of what she said. "But you can't do it all right away. This will take time. A lot of time. Start with walking silently down the corridors and paying attention to what you see—not just who you pass. Over time, you'll get better at both. Then you add something else." Conversations might be something Jayna added, but that would depend on how Emiko did, and if she didn't go overboard.
"Right!" Emiko responded enthusiastically. "Practice! I will make that part of my daily regimen." The woman knew that she would. She might not even sleep if it helped her get it right. No matter what Jayna put in front of her, Emiko was going to get it right. She had to. How else could she repay the woman, if not by learning everything she had to teach?
"Don't overdo it," Jayna cautioned. "You walk the corridors every day anyway. Just...pay attention when you do. And remember, it will take months before it becomes natural."
"Don't overdo it?" Emiko asked, her eyes narrowing. What did she mean by that. "I'll pay attention! I promise!"
"That is not in question. My concern is that you will try to master this immediately. It will take months. Years. But you should begin to see small improvements right away."
The woman was a witch. How did she read Emiko's mind? How could she know Emiko so well? Of course she would try to perfect everything immediately. Why wouldn't she? "Oh?" she inquired.
"What I'm telling you now needs to become instinctive. Something you do all the time, not just when you're concentrating. Because if you have to concentrate, you'll miss things. Make mistakes. Be noticed. And going unnoticed does not mean not being noticed. It means not being worth noticing. Does that make sense?"
Emiko scrunched up her face as she thought about it. That might true about noticing things but what about walking? Would not the repetition help it become instinctive? Finally, she risked the question, "But doesn't one always have to concentrate on a new skill to essentially make it instinctive? I, for example pick up languages very easily. However, to get different dialects to speak like a commoner or someone from a specific region, I need to concentrate to hear the differences and practice them until they sound just right. Then I can pull them out without much, if any thought. How can I just learn solely based on instinct, if I understand what you're saying?"
"Just like you do with dialects," Jayna began. "You concentrate at first. Pick walking or noticing. Then, when it becomes easier, add the other. Work on them until they become instinctive. Then we'll move on to something else. Having the skills to do a job are important, but if you get caught coming or going, you only jeopardize the mission--and yourself."
"I grew up in a forest on Bajor. We had to learn to move through the woods without being heard or noticed because our lives and the lives of our parents depended on it. We began with that. Then we moved on to other skills like paying attention to our surroundings, climbing, and hiding. But they were different times. You aren't likely to need to climb trees and buildings. I still enjoy gymnastics and rope courses, but they aren't as important to survival as they once were." She glanced at Emiko. "Does that make sense?"
But that's what I intended to do.... Practice until I get it. So, how is it too much? Well, not to worry about that now. After all, we both agree that I need to concentrate now, so.... "I think so, but, if we are preparing for all things, maybe I should practice that too?"
"No. Practice one or two things at a time. Right now, every time you walk down a corridor, practice walking quietly and paying attention. The rest will come later."
The petty officer sighed heavily, "Yes, master...."
Jayna stopped and turned to Emiko. "None of that. I am not your master or mentor or whatever you're thinking. You are not my Padawan, either. Those I consider master have more training and more experience than I.
Instructor, perhaps. You should have learned some of these skills before arriving here, but since you haven't, I'm your best bet if you want to do any future infiltration." Later, she’d have Emiko trail someone on the ship to see if she could do it unnoticed, but this was first.
Emiko perked up at that. Regardless of what Jayna said, she was her master. She had done it all and seen it all. Emiko would absorb everything that Jayna would say and exceed all of her expectations. "I do. I really do."
That worried her. She knew Emiko had Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, but she didn't realize how severe it was. She'd have to warn Neil--and put up barriers to keep certain overly enthusiastic petty officers from invading their privacy. "We'll meet once a week for thirty minutes to assess your progress and give you another skill to work on. Or a different way to practice the same skill. Okay?" She was going to regret this.
"Yes!" Emiko replied eagerly. "Thank you so much!" she added with a small bow from the waist. The petty officer grinned from ear to ear and waited with baited breath on Jayna's next words.
"Good. Then, unless you have any further questions, we're done for today."
"No questions, yet. I will certainly contact you if I have any!" Emiko replied enthusiastically.
That's what Jayna was afraid of. But then, if things got too uncomfortable, she'd talk them over with Neil. First, he'd remind her it was her fault to begin with--which it was--but then he'd help, if with nothing other than ideas. He had great ideas. She nodded to Emiko and headed down the corridor for a walk.
Emiko studied the way that Jayna walked, as she left. I'm going to be just like that! she enthused.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Jayna Tremble
Intelligence Officer, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Petty Officer Third Class Emiko Marley
Intelligence Communications Specialist, USS Pioneer
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