Dressing Up Like A Barbie

Posted on Wed Oct 12th, 2022 @ 12:32am by Lieutenant JG Mina Altair & Captain Brenda Sinclair

Mission: The Archan Job
Location: Kay-Bar Lounge / Brenda's Quarters

Mina smiled to herself as she walked into the bar and saw her target. This would more than likely be far more fun that she'd really like to admit as she walked primly and properly up towards the knot of Marine officers that were congregated at the bar. She was, of course, in her standard uniform, the one trimmed in the red of 'command', which she wasn't sure technically belonged to her properly. She was definitely in one of the most intriguing positions in the Fleet, neither truly belonging in the chain of command, nor even to a true assignment, but to everywhere and all. Intelligence was likely her 'proper' billet, but didn't fit properly anyways. So the red was probably the best choice for THIS specific situation and she kept the very slight half-smile on her face as she cleared her throat ever so softly.

The Officers of the newly minted F Company, 12th Battalion had found a decent watering hole upon arriving at the new assignment. It was definitely their kind of place, and they had carved out a spot at the bar.

"So, we decided to introduce the Major to our humble abode the best way we could." First Lieutenant Avi Jakob was saying, to the rapt attention of all who was listening. "Was to reprogram his replicator. We got our hands on a gold shirt, and had them re-wire the thing so it only spoke in fluent, un-translated Klingon."

The resounding laughter was genuine. Despite being new, they were being somewhat accepted. "You should have seen the look on the man's face when he had to forego his morning coffee." The Lieutenant - Brenda's Company Exec - shook his head whimsically. "Got a week of grave-yard sentry duty, but man was it worth it."

"Please pardon the interruption, but might one of you be Captain Brenda Sinclair?" She asked, her voice betraying her Australian heritage as she glanced from face to face. Of course, she knew precisely which one of them was the woman she sought, but the whole point was to get the other party to give the information. That was how you worked a mark.

As a group, the Officers looked at the junior Lieutenant. Though it was one of the Platoon leaders, Second Lieutenant Lucinda - 'call me Lucy' - Tate who answered. "Captain Sinclair's not here, I'm afraid. If you let us know who you are, and the subject, we'll make sure the message gets through." The smile was almost dazzling.

It was the most expedient way to figure out who was asking, or so the Marine Corpse institution had long since decided, and since this 'was' a junior Lieutenant of the Fleet seeking a Marine Captain, a little insulation and protection was never a bad thing.

Mina's smile grew by about half an inch as she let her eyes go around the small group of officers again, meeting each of their eyes and lingering for an additional heartbeat on Brenda's own before returning to the brilliant smile of the Second Lieutenant. God she loved this game, it could get dangerous at times, but it was more fun than she cared to admit. "Well, drat, and here I was hoping to get on her good side from the very beginning of her time on board. After all, Marine and Fleet relations do have this habit of getting a bit rowdy at times, wouldn't you agree, Lieutenant Tate?" She blinked prettily at the junior Marine.

Tate couldn't hold back the blink of surprise. The silence was now thick, and heavy with tension. If this woman knew her name, when they had been on board for only a few days...

"Party's over." It was Brenda who spoke, her Scottish ancestry barely a hint in her voice. She always tried hard to hide it. The Marine Captain took a step forward. "Since you clearly know who we are, and have us at a disadvantage, why not help ease those relations, and introduce yourself?"

"Why, of course." The smile never changed from Mina's face, "Lieutenant, junior grade, Mina Altair." She introduced herself with the slight inclination of her head in greeting. "I'm part of an independent investigatory team assigned to the general area but based on the Starbase." With that sort of introduction and the fact that she wore red instead of yellow, there was only one sort of 'investigator' that she could be. "Better known as Internal Affairs." She admitted in words, then held one hand out first in a placatory fashion before turning it over to shake hands, "Don't worry, you're not in any trouble whatsoever, any of you, that I know of. Yet. When I say 'independent', I do truly mean that."

The atmosphere became even more tense at the mention of IA. Internal Affairs, especially when wearing a Fleet insignia, was never a welcome sight amongst Marines. Brenda eyed the woman carefully, but accepted the hand. "Okay, Lieutenant." Her expression turned serious. "You want something." It wasn't a question. "Is this public, or private?"

"Most definitely private, so not around here in any case." Mina shrugged, "I'd not discuss too much about anything in this public of a setting, never know who's listening." She glanced around, her half-smile still conveying cordiality along with rote impassivity to her audience, even though anyone outside the small knot of people would only catch the apparent civility on it, "Ladies, gentleman, if you don't mind, I'm going to borrow Captain Sinclair for just a little while. I know it's rude, but she's in safe hands, I promise."

"As you were." Brenda commanded, separating herself from the group. "Avi, keep 'em in line."

"Roger that, Bree." The rules for Officers were a little different when off-duty, and not under covers.

Brenda fell into step beside the Lieutenant as they headed for the exit. "Your office or mine?" She asked, simply.

"Unless you keep clothing in your office that isn't related to your duties as a Marine officer, I do believe the question would be 'Your quarters or mine?'" Mina gave a slight chuckle under her breath. Just saying that should give the other woman more of an idea of what she was there for without giving anything away to the casual or even potentially serious observer, "I'll let you have your choice in that regard." She had sized Brenda up and again glanced over and up and down the uniformed body, making mental measurements.

"Mine are probably closer." Brenda replied, and couldn't hold back a smile. They had only just met and she was already inviting the woman back to her quarters.

Mina nodded her assent, albeit almost with a shrug. To her, this was just the job, the duties of being a Starfleet officer about her business, "I think that would probably be best, given the subject at hand."

It took a few minutes, but the pair arrived, and Brenda let them.in, waiting for the door to close. "I assume this is the Commander's job?" She asked, once they were alone, and secure. Already she was moving, getting a Go back she kept on hand, and started filling it with clothing for infiltration. Two black t-shirts, two pairs of combat trousers, also black, a spare pare of boots. One ankle holster and knife.

Before anything had been said, Mina had pulled a device off of her belt and made a scan of the room, security was important and she blessed her instincts as the other woman spoke quickly before she could stop her, "You got it in one, Captain." She saw the beginnings of the shorter woman packing and a look of confusion crossed her face briefly, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I was told we'd be infiltrating some high class event." Brenda nodded to the gear. "This is how Marines infiltrate. Quiet, silent, unseen, unheard."

"Nuh uh." Mina resisted the urge to put a hand over her face and shake her head for only a moment before she went ahead and did it, then she exhaled and... Changed slightly. Her voice remained the same, but the stick-up-her-ass routine that she'd maintained the entire time so far just up and vanished, "We're not going in all gung ho and shooty-shooty, we're going in the front door, dressed nicely and looking like we fit in."

"I wasn't planning on shooting up the pl-" that was when the full ramifications of what the Lieutenant said hit her. "Wait. The front door? You mean... 'Heels'!?" The word was uttered as little more than a hiss.

"Yes, heels." Mina agreed, walking over to the duffel bag on the bed and pulling out a combat boot gingerly with two fingers, "Definitely not something like this." She dropped it again as she stepped away, "I'm going to be the main event of the group, there to draw as much attention to myself as I possibly can, but I'm going to need someone there with me, an aide call her. All important people have someone hovering around, taking notes and running interference for them when it's obvious they don't wish to be bothered. I wouldn't mind one that could also kick ass without taking names if it came down to it, but you also have to be dressed to the nines for this sort of event."

It was a minor blessing that looks could not, in fact, kill. The Lieutenant may well have found herself vaporised under the sheer intensity of the glower directed at her. Without a word, the Marine walked to the closet. Hanging from the rail, protected in a clear plastic cover was an off-the-shoulder black dress. Even in the garment bag, it looked stunning. Clearly perfectly tailored, recently done. "Lieutenant. You will guard the information I already had this with your life." She opened a drawer, and lifted out a shoe box. Inside was a pair of black heels. They were shined to perfection, almost a mirror finish.

"My lips are sealed." Mina said with a bright smile on her face and resisting a laugh, "And we can use it as a basis for what you're actually going to wear. While a 'little black dress' is always a good weapon for one of us to have in the closet, we're not going to a funeral or a something where that would be useful. May I use your replicator?" She asked, already moving towards it, but hesitated once she got there.

A funeral? Brenda's brow forrowed at the comment. Black had been a nice colour on her. It helped her light brown hair, and amber eyes stand out. "Sure..." Brenda answered, letting the woman whip something up.

With the permission, Mina punched in a code and a dress appeared out of nowhere with a pair of heels sitting on it. She took them out, gently placed the shoes on the bed before letting the dress ooze out of it's perfectly draped form and held it up to her. The silvery gown was definitely intended to gather the attention of anyone that looked at it, shimmering as the light hit it from different angles. It was clearly 'graced' with a cleavage-revealing cut but virtually no back, instead loops intended for the upper arms holding it up instead. A high slit would definitely reveal much of one leg as the dress would fall nearly to the ground even with the heels. "This one is mine."

"Oh, thank God." Brenda said. She had feared the woman wanted 'her' to wear something like that. "So what would you suggest for me?" She idly wondered how this woman would look in the dress. A knock-out, she was sure.

Again Mina's eyes glanced up and down Brenda's body, almost as if memorizing every curve and running it through a mental wardrobe. She placed the dress on the bed as she considered, then shrugged and walked back over to the replicator and hesitated before punching in another series of codes that brought another dress into creation, "What do you think about going blonde for the mission? Dirty blonde would be best, I think..." She mused as a dress of an off-gold, less of a sheen than the original one and far more modest in cut showed up. a pair of similar shaded heels sitting on top of it. "This wouldn't look nearly as good on you with your current color, though if you ever need one, an amethyst-colored dress would look delightful on you." She retrieved the dress and handed it to Brenda.

Brenda held the dress up carefully, examine it. This woman had an eye for style, she had to admit. "I could maybe go blonde for this mission." Why hadn't she just stayed on the damn planet?

When the other woman didn't make any sort of move other than to look at it, Mina cleared her throat gently, "I think you should put it on? We'll probably need to program in alterations to make sure it fits properly, same with the shoes... I can make a better judgement on hair color with it on as well, also how we're going to paint your nails, any makeup, anything I need to do to make you fit in with the role." She smiled slightly again, "I was an undercover officer for a good part of my career, so trust me, I know how to blend in." She pondered for a moment, "If it would help, I could also show you what I'll look like, sans the same makeup, hair alterations and everything."

Brenda offered a nod, and turned her back, starting to pull the uniform off, and change into the dress. It took a number of minutes, but finally Brenda gave a slow circle, arms out, letting the woman take a look. "It could do with taking in at the waist a little."

Mina had watched for a few seconds before getting to work undressing herself as well, turning her back on the other woman, showing a bare back without any sorts of tattoos or anything of the like. She was already in silver dress, looking down imperiously at Brenda from the added inches of her heels when she'd turned around, inspecting the younger woman minutely, "That and maybe a bit more space in the chest, bring the shoulders down to off the shoulder a bit more... Yes, definitely a darker blonde.. I'm going with a nearly jet-black myself, keeping my eyes and nose, but subtly alter some of my other features." She did a slow spin to show Brenda the basics of her own dress.

"Speaking of the blonde..." Brenda began, looking at herself in the mirror with some amount of unease. "How exactly... I mean..." It was very unlike the Marine to be this nervous, but blonde was definitely pushing some old buttons for her. "It won't be permanent, right?"

"No, no, not at all." Mina reassured Brenda as she took on a look that appeared to be rather haughty, as if in the character she would become, but then scrunched her nose and was back being... Mina. "I've got a hair dye that can turn you into a blonde and keep you that way even in a rainstorm, but when you need to wash it out, you just need to use a special shampoo that I, of course, have as well. I can handle any color hair, basically, whatseover."

"Any colour?" Brenda's eyes almost lit up at the idea. The chance to have a family reunion on her terms... with cobalt blue hair. She snapped herself out of the reverie. "We'll talk, later. After. For now... let's make me a blonde."

Mina smiled brightly as she reached up and squeezed the Marine's shoulder, "That's more like it. Don't worry, it won't hurt a bit."

"Physical pain is something you learn to live with." Brenda replied. "Let's get this done."