Eviction Day (Part II)
Posted on Fri Oct 2, 2020 @ 2:38am by Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin & Commander Caleb Ryan & Lieutenant Annora Tessaro & Lieutenant Yukiko Winters & Qinee & Civilian Hydel Turvan
1,436 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Et In Arcadia Ego
Location: Deck 60
Timeline: MD 07 1650
Previously in
"They've got," Maritza checked the padd with her orders on, "seven minutes and twenty-two seconds. And if they haven't cleared out, then that's their problem. We confiscate everything we can lay our hands on. But if you see Turvan, arrest him. He's been warned plenty of times about putting his feet on my station."
"Very good, but what if he or others resist? Am I allowed to do what is necessary then?" Silk asked.
"From 1701, his arse is yours."
And now the continuation
Cardassian Consulate
"Are you really going to sit here and allow this attack by the Federation to go unanswered!?" Gul Meran, the head of Cardassian Consulate Security said to the Pro-Consul with visible frustration. "They marched onto Cardassian soil and simply flaunted their power in front of us as if we were some kind of Bajoran refugee!" he continued.
Zariyah Lim looked at her head of security, feeling some of his frustrations. She had protested their removal to the Detapa council, who had merely shrugged. She wanted to rage, but she was a loyal servant of the state. "They haven't marched onto us yet, Meran," she pointed out. "They've won this round, they don't have to rush. They'll wait for the strike of the clock. Are you confident we've sterilised as much as we can? No sense in leaving anything for them.”
"What is the purpose of sterilizing anything, except to admit to every Cardassian citizen here that we will turn tail and run whenever the Federation threatens us!" Meran responded. He had ordered his people to begin evacuation preparations; however, he had made his intent known that he disagreed with the Pro-Consul's decision to comply.
"Compliance is capitulation!" he said strongly.
Gul Kalena Vashur, Commander of the 127th Tactical Wing, had listened to the conversation for several moments. She was not physically present, but was still able to participate via the holo-communication. She normally tried not to inject herself into station politics, seeing as how her primary focus was the deployment of the 127th to safeguard the shipments of dilithium from the recently commissioned Cardassian dilithium refineries from Xi'Cadian space.
However, she had found herself being pulled into the more recent conflict. With the Cardassian's mission being expelled from the station, Cardassia would lose the only foothold it had on the planet of Pangea. While Ambassador Hydel Turvan had taken up residence on the planet surface itself, it did not have the same advantage of being onboard the station itself.
"I...understand Gul Meran's frustration with the current situation," Gul Vashur said, slowly wading into the debate. "This is the most...ambitious move the Federation has ever taken against us," she said.
Lim wanted to grind her teeth. She'd been sent here exactly to stop something like this happening, and she'd failed. "It could be worse. They could be throwing us off the planet too." She had to focus on the small victories.
"Now...now...let's not everybody pile upon our Pro-Consul. I'm certain she already has enough stressors to deal with. In fact, I'm confident she has a plan to settle all of this," Ambassador Hydel Turvan said via holo-communication link from the planet surface of Pangea. "Let's all give her the chance to bring us up to speed," he said as he reclined in his chair and took a drink from his glass.
If looks could kill, Turvan's office would be a smoking crater. "I've been recalled," she ground out. "It seems like the Detapa Council are washing their hands of both of us, Legate. At least I get to go home, rather than sit in the mud and rot."
Turvan allowed the stinging jab to hang in the air for a moment before responding. "Say what you will about my current situation," he said, his words carrying a particular weight to them. "But Ambassador Tharek Getal would have never allowed some Trill to walk onto Cardassian soil and demand anything, let alone that we vacate this station," he replied.
"Have you begun formulating any type of counterstrike against this hostile action, or do you plan on simply abandoning our citizens?" he asked antagonistically.
Limm looked at him in absolute disbelief. "Counterstrike?" she hissed. "Have you gone mad? Believe me, I'm as unhappy with this as you are, but for all the Consulate is sovereign territory, it still exists at the suffering of the Federation, as we are on their station. They have made the appropriate moves through the proper channels. The Detapa Council has agreed. If you put your foot down, there may very well be a war. Have you completely lost your faculties?"
"How long are we going to cower in the shadow of the Federation?" Gul Meran interjected. "The mongrels working for the Raddons attacked our men. What did the Federation do? Blamed and banished us!" he said with an edge in his voice. "They've invaded our territory, kidnapped our children, and laughed in our face, and we just cower in fear!" he said, gesturing strongly.
"We control the dilithium in this sector. Why are we taking orders from them?" he finished.
"That is a fair question," Turvan interrupted, his image flickering slightly. "Wouldn't you agree, Gul Vashur?" he asked the present, but mostly quiet, commander.
"The Federation are arrogant, and assume their ways are the only ways, but one of things they are good at is making friends. Fight them on this, and no one will take us seriously at all. Whatever we say about the injustice, no one will take us seriously again," Limm pointed out. "If you are so desperate to die, then pick another hill," she hissed. "There will be another time to pay them back."
Even through the video connection, Turvan's flippant response the rolling of his eyes was obvious to everyone present. "Ah yes, there you go with the histrionics. To think, I was beginning to actually miss being in your presence, dear Pro-Consul," Turvan replied.
"I can assure you, that when I'm ready to fight the Federation, you will know exactly which hill that battle will take place on," he said as he leaned slightly in his chair. "And I wouldn't be so certain as to who is going to die on it," he said in a lower tone.
Gul Vashur did not like the direction in which the conversation was going, therefore she took the opportunity to intervene. "I have dispatched several cargo and troop carrier vessels from Xi'Cadian space to Deep Space 5 to assist in evacuating Consulate personnel. Those that have not been reassigned to Xi'Cadia Prime and our nearly commissioned space facility will be transported and report to Ambassador Turvan on the Pangaea surface," she reported. "It's my understanding they will assist in Research & Development," she added.
Gul Meran relaxed his stance a bit and added. "In preparation for Gul Vashur dispatching the necessary vessels, I have directed Consulate Security to begin transporting necessary equipment towards station cargo and docking bays so that once vessels from the 127th arrive we will be able to move," he stated.
Limm relaxed as well. Preparations were beginning. "And will everything be out in time? Or do we need to delay the storming of the gate?" She was reasonably sure the Federation wouldn't do it if someone went out and talked to them first. They would always talk first.
Gul Meran handed a padd to the Pro-Consul. "We'll need an additional twenty-four hours to complete the necessary transition. We'll need their permission to utilize the secondary accessways and jefferies tubes in order to avoid trampling through station civilians," he said flatly.
She took the padd, skimmed it. This was not going to go down well. "I'll see what I can do." She sighed. This all should have been cleared out yesterday. "But be prepared to destroy anything not shut down on very short notice. Burn this place down if you have to."
Meran and Turvan shared a smile between themselves at the Pro-Consul's choice of words. However, Gul Vashur remained neutral and did not give off the appearance of being affected by what was about to occur.
"Oh, I doubt it will have to come to that," Turvan said.
"Very well. I've dispatched the vessels and they should arrive within a day, maybe less," she said.
"They should have been here yesterday!" Limm snapped. "Get moving. I will do what I can." She stalked out, ready to confront the Federation.
To be Continued…
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