Diplomacy 101

Posted on Tue Mar 15, 2016 @ 7:23am by Lieutenant JG Rhe'la Daughter of the Forty-ninth House & Lieutenant Liam Reynolds

1,535 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: Diplomatic offices
Timeline: MD 11 1630

ON:

After her meeting with Vedek Krell, Rhe'la felt a little better, but still not quite sure of herself. But she did know that sitting on her tail and doing nothing wouldn't help her house OR the Federation.

Stepping through the doors into the richly appointed office suite of the diplomatic detachment, the little lizard engineer suddenly realized just how out of her element she was. Engineering, though immaculately clean, was very utilitarian. This was... opulent.

As she stood there, mouth slightly agape, a petty officer slowed his gait and gave her a once over. "Is there something I can help you with, Ensign?"

"Uh... umm... yes. I need to speak to Lieutenant Reynolds about a... diplomatic... matter." she stammered nervously.

"That would be his job..." the purple trimmed man deadpanned. "Down the corridor. Fifth door on the right."

Bowing slightly and muttering her thanks, Rhe'la skittered off where he'd pointed. Coming to the correct door, she looked down at her uniform to check for any coolant stains before pressing the chime.

Liam was back from his counseling session and had been brooding that he was forced to toe the line and denied hypnosis. The chime brought him out of those thoughts. Curious, as he was not expecting anyone he said, "Come in."

Stepping through the door into a simple, yet well put together office, the Zarnac bowed deferentially to the more senior officer. "Sir. Ensign Rhe'la - chief engineer. I was hoping for a moment of your time, sir."

Liam almost did a double take but caught himself quickly. He did not want to appear rude but the sudden appearance of a Reptilian species with rather sharp looking claws prompted a primordial and irrational fear response. "Ensign," he said once he had convinced his brain it was reacting in the stupidest of manners. "What can I do for you?"

The reaction from Liam didn't even phase her anymore; she was so used to humanoids being taken aback by the appearance of an overgrown iguana in a Starfleet uniform that it barely even registered anymore.

"It's about Pangaea, sir. Right now, it doesn't belong to anyone. So, in theory, wouldn't that mean that anyone could claim it?" That wording would probably already have her in trouble, but she was a grease monkey by trade.

Liam sighed. He had a whole day of this tomorrow."Would you like to sit down Ensign? Can I get you a drink?"

Scrambling into the chair, she tucked her tail behind her and got comfortable. "No, thank you, sir."

"Its not that simple," Liam told her gently. "That area of space is pretty much neutral due to all other territorial agreements in the past and the Federation is the closest territory. But we believe that the aliens designated the Fae are the owners. It seems strange that this station had an encounter with them, the Captain's daughter disappeared, a Fae was killed and then they all disappeared and the planet appeared. The summit is for discussion as to what to do for the best not a vehicle for someone to go plant a flag and conquer it. Or for certain powers to throw their weight around.

"There's still a chance that these Fae still reside there. This could be test - first contact didn't exactly go so well did it, a trap or they might need help. It could be anything. And the worst part of it is, no one bar us seems too bothered that there's people suddenly willing to go to war for ownership rights when there could be an entire civilisation involved."

To the untrained eye, the Zarnac's face was a blank slate. But in reality she was suddenly feeling even more queasy than she had when she entered the room. "And the last thing the Alpha Quadrant needs is another war. The great powers have barely rebuilt after the last one..."

"I... I feel like I should explain why I'm asking." she stammered, setting the PADD down on the edge of Liam's desk. "My family was living in exile on Deridous IV, until it blew up. Since then, they've been packed into transports, protected by Starfleet. The Federation swore to protect them, but... my grandfather's pleas for a planet to colonize have fallen on deaf ears. And not just the Federation Council. He has addressed the leadership of every major power. They all give him the same platitudes and send him on his way."

"What I'm asking is... how much of an interstellar incident would it cause if they tried to claim Pangaea? Not in the name of anyone but themselves. Declare sovereignty, open negotiations for trade and mining rights - the whole thing. How fast would the Klingons and Romulans start dropping troops on their heads? And how long until the president disavowed any knowledge of their actions?" She was so nervous she could feel everything shaking.

"The last thing anyone needs ever is another war," Liam said seriously.

"I understand your situation and I emphasize Ensign but I cannot speak for any past promises that have been made to you or your family. Nor can I bring you into this fold, these discussions, without a proper delegation set up for your species. The rest of them would refuse to acknowledge you if proper decorum is not followed. Depending on the outcome if there is a way I could request or negotiate your family have a chance to settle there I can try that for you but they won't get that planet for themselves. That much I am sure."

"What I will say is if they try to claim Pangaea it may not even get to interstellar incident - they would probably just disappear - a small party with no proper representation. Do not be naive enough to think that each of the delegations that have already expressed their interest have not either already got ships, cloaked orbiting that planet watching everything or as close by as they dare waiting ready for instructions. Its a foolish, desperate and unsafe plan and the Federation will not be able to condone it or stand by you in any way. I'm sorry."

Looking sheepishly at the PADD, Rhe'la sighed. "That's why that was plan B. But, they wouldn't need the whole planet; just a few square kilometers near the equator. The major powers could just ignore them if that was their prerogative."

"Ensign," Liam asked. "Does your home have to be a planet straight away? I understand your frustration but planets don't just magically appear - well bar this one I guess, they are a rare resource and there is so much red tape and decorum negotiating around them like we know with Pangaea. Would they not want to settle in perhaps a space station for a while, near their daughter and granddaughter? While we wait for the people at the top to do what they say they will. Have some life other than drifting as you describe - there is so much here. That much I would have more of a chance of trying to arrange for you."

"It's a nice thought, sir. But there's a few thousand of us. When I say family, it's not in the immediate sense of the word. I'm speaking of the entire Forty-ninth House - all three thousand of them, approximately. DS5 is a large facility, but those numbers would heavily tax our resources. From an engineering standpoint."

"Ah I see," Liam agreed. "I really will see if I can help your people, Ensign during this process. But please understand it depends on the outcome and many factors. I don't want to make promises I cannot keep but I will try. Just don't try plant that flag."

She almost wanted to jump across the desk and kiss him. A lack of lips and their lack of any kind of friendly relationship would have made that exceedingly awkward. "Sir... I haven't even contacted anyone about this yet. I figured it was all just a crazy idea I cooked up that wouldn't amount to anything. I certainly wouldn't breathe word of the whole flag planting idea without going to someone higher up the chain of command first."

Liam caught the feeling of excitement and happiness roll off her at his words. It was nice for once to have someone come to this deck and leave not plotting, scheming and pissed off. "A wise plan. Is there anything further I can help you with Ensign?" he asked.

"No... no! No, I'm just glad to have this weight off of my shoulders. I've felt like I've had a dozen gross of self-sealing stem bolts on my back for the last couple of days. But, knowing that I've at least got someone willing to entertain my pipe dream is... it's a relief." She pantomimed wiping her brow (a gesture she'd picked up through her years serving around Humans).

Hopping down from the chair and retrieving the PADD, she bowed deeply. "Thank you again, sir. I can honestly say this is the best mood I've been in since I arrived on the station."

End

Lieutenant Liam Reynolds
CDO

Ens. Rhe'la, Daughter of the Forty-ninth House
Chief Engineer

 

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