One vs. One

Posted on Mon Mar 14, 2016 @ 12:02pm by Maekhav D'Aerrol & Lieutenant Liam Reynolds

1,003 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: Outside the Summit Chamber
Timeline: MD12 1030

[ON]

As the summit started to file out Liam didn't move from the lectern nor his eyes leave the alien man who had tryed to hijack things. He knew full well the Romulan Ambassador would no doubt feel the need to now dress him down and extert his authority. He waited, interested to see if he would act the same as his Cardassian ally the other day keeping it in the realms of soap opera farce or if he was not going to bother dressing things up and be more open and honest. Clearly he had an agenda and was using the Cardassians to achieve it and he had already admitted to those "fleets". Something bigger was definitely afoot.

Maekhav D'Aerrol glanced around briefly to ensure no one was hanging back to listen. Then he approached Liam. His demeanor was surprisingly calm, even amused. "Mister Reynolds, I offer my compliments. You handled that well. I think you're getting better at this."

"Such high praise," Liam answered back just as cheerfully even though he knew from his empathic gifts the Romulan was far from calm. Amused yes. Calm not as much as he hoped he conveyed in person.

"And only on my second outing. They said you were a hard arse but that just screams big softie. Or tactics. Tell me Ambassador what sort of a man was my predecessor?"

"My predecessor, if I'm not mistaken, was Isha t'Vaurek," the Romulan said with a chuckle. "So, now that everyone is gone shall we speak plainly?"

"Now that would be a kindness," Liam said mirroring a chuckle of his own. "Walk with me," he led the Romulan out of the summit chamber.

"So are you setting ambitions on the Captains job?" he asked. He doubted anything that came out of the other aliens mouth would be true but he had the empathic advantage.

D'Aerrol shook his head. "Oh, no. I'm not interested in dealing with Starfleet any more than I have to." Realizing too late what he had just said he added, "present company excepted, of course. My ambitions are entirely about the good of the Empire."

"I see. I am glad to hear that. I would hate for there to be any misunderstandings. However may I politely ask you not to try take over the whole summit process while doing that?" Liam said simply.

"I was unaware that I was breaching any protocol," D'Aerrol replied, speaking with genuine honesty. "In any case I felt it necessary to speak right away. To take the initiative that I knew your side wouldn't. If the Klingons or anyone else don't have the courage to remain at the negotiating table, then they don't deserve a place there. Still your man went after them, to beg them to reconsider." He shook his head disapprovingly. "The Klingons won't respect such a show of weakness. No, the Klingons only respect strength. And if that fails, then savagery is a language they understand very well." He glanced sideways at Liam. "With your background I would assume you understood that already."

"I understand Klingons all right," he told him impressed the alien had bothered to read his file. He assumed he was making reference to him participating in a Klingon/Starfleet exchange programme and working and living onboard a bird of prey. "but in the realms of being a diplomatic officer you have to try. If we hadn't tomorrow you would be blaming us for not having gone to them and making out we would not intervene with any of the rest of you if you had taken offence, would you not?"

D'Aerrol only grunted at that.

"Besides I don't count Mortimer out. He's good at what he does. The Klingons will be back tomorrow. Yes there's respecting strength and viewing weaknesses but at the end of the day the Klingons will also reason that being at the summit is the course of events they have to take to do they best by their empire. Neither of us are fools to think they don't also have ambitions for their empire in regards to Pangaea are we?."

"Oh, certainly they have their ambitions," D'Aerrol said with a raised eyebrow. "It doesn't mean I have to take them seriously. In the end, if they decide to incite a bloodbath over the matter, then they will. And there's little you or I can do to stop the savages except give them the deaths that they are so bizarrely infatuated with. Let's delete them and all the others from the equation for the moment. Tell me what you wish of the Empire in this matter?" D'Aerrol assumed he knew but asked anyway.

Liam gave the alien a disappointed look. "Okay I tell you what I wish of the Empire. That their representative starts acting like a Ambassador and an adult. Referring to the Klingons as savages and not respecting their cultural ways suggests to me that Ambassador for Romulus at DS5, is perhaps not your path in life. And just for the record if the Klingons start shouting there mouth off telling me the same about the Romulan's they will get the same response."

"If you fancy yourself a great respecter of cultures, young man, then you'll understand that there are some aspects of them you will never change. Not with a stern lecture about your own 'enlightened' views." He stopped mid-stride and turned to face Liam. "No, my question is a pragmatic one. I want to know what lengths Starfleet will go to to keep Pangaea. Will you fight for it? And if so, then what steps can you and I take to avert it?"

"Young man," Liam chuckled. "You are dishing out the compliments aren't you?. Ambassador I don't think you need me to answer questions that you already probably know the answers too. The security office is on Deck 576. Good day."

D'Aerrol watched him leave with an impassive expression. Then turned to go his own way, contemplating the mysteries of the human mind.

[OFF]

 

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