A Gracious Offer

Posted on Tue Jun 21, 2016 @ 9:40am by Lieutenant JG Rhe'la Daughter of the Forty-ninth House & Civilian Hydel Turvan

1,721 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: Cardassian Embassy
Timeline: MD 11

ON:

After her meeting with Lieutenant Reynolds and her discussion with Vedek Krell, Rhe'la felt like a new Zarnac. She was positively energized. Yes, there was no guarantee that her House would be allowed to settle on Pangaea. But, at least now she had reason to hope.

There was a lightness to her usual skittering steps as she made her way through the consular district. There was a minor power failure in an ODN junction near the Cardassian embassy, but she may as well have been on her way to a steak dinner for all her demeanor showed.

Glinn Timel Brovek was returning to his office within the Cardassian Embassy. Ever since the discovery of the planet Pangaea, he been buried under a flurry of meetings and conversations with various Cardassian officials regarding the Empire's rights to a new settlement on the planet. The Glinn was aware that Starfleet would certainly wish to claim the planet as their own under the guise of "protection". It was simple, yet still gave them the political room to avoid being labeled power hungry, it's exactly what Cardassia would do in the situation.

Ambassador Turvan recognized the ploy and saw it as an opportunity for Cardassia to expend its reach and also capture vital natural resources from the planet's surface. Glinn Brovek remembered the days of Cardassia's vast reach when they would've setup a colony on the planet and dared the Federation to interfere. However, post-War Cardassia was much more cautious with where it invested its resources and man-power. Outright defiance would have led to an unnecessary conflict with the Federation and its allied worlds. Cardassia was strong, but not yet strong enough to stand up to another Allied Front. That is why Glinn Brovek had managed to convince the Ambassador of a way to achieve its goal while avoiding any non-beneficial conflicts with the Federation.

It was well known within the diplomatic circles that the Zarnac were a people in the midst of a chaotic internal strife. Hardworking and industrious, but the fact remained that they lacked any political standing within the Federation due to the ongoing situation of their race. Brovek knew that the Chief Engineer was one of those refugees who still possessed considerable influence amongst her specific tribe. It was less than a "coincidence" that she found herself on doing repairs near a particular ODN junction.

Paying very little mind to the Cardassian officer skulking the corridor, Rhe'la set to work. Setting her tool kit down on the deck, she got to one knee and yanked a panel off of the wall. "Huh... this isn't right..." she mused, flipping open the kit and removing the tricorder from it.

"Did someone dump something in this?" Leaning in, she sniffed the thick, slightly greasy liquid which had been unceremoniously poured over the ODN junction - shorting it out in the process. "Oh! Oh... wow... that stinks!" she exclaimed, jerking back and checking the tricorder.

"Kanar? Why would someone dump kanar on an ODN junction?" To say the little Zarnac was baffled by this turn of events would be an understatement.

"My, such a shame to waste good Kanar, wouldn't you agree. . .Ensign...?" Glinn Brovek said, attempting to spark conversation while opening the lines of communication with the Zarnac.

Glancing up at the much taller humanoid, Rhe'la immediately tried to remember the rank structure of the Cardassian military. Glenn? Glinn? Which was it? Well, there was ONE thing she was certain of.

"No offense, sir, but I'm not certain there IS such a thing as good kanar. It's thick, it's heavy, and it smells atrocious. But, to each their own I suppose." She really didn't mean any offense, but she had sampled kanar in the past and didn't find it even the slightest bit palatable.

Glinn Brovek bit his tongue to keep from saying something "less than flattering" to the Zarnac in defense of his culture's choice in fine wine. "I just hope the panel and be fixed before Ambassador Turvan comes back from the planet surface. But then again, considering how many people are fighting for a chance to re-settle their people on the planet, who knows when he might return." The Cardassian said, hoping to strike a nerve within her regarding placement for her people.

"I'm sure you can relate to how strongly people want to set down permanent and valuable roots." He added.

She was only half listening as she set to work spraying a cleaning agent into the panel. Diplomats had a tendency to speak at length, but as a Starfleet officer she was trained to be polite no matter what.

Something caught her attention toward the end, however. "Umm... yes, sir? I suppose I DO know that feeling. But I'm content with living on the station." Did he know about her family? Her grandfather had addressed the Detapa Council in the past, but that was several years ago. Surely this Glinn wasn't versed in the lore of the Empire and the exiled houses?

"Hmmm. . .I can only imagine how difficult it must be, seeing your loved ones struggling to find a semblance of normality. During the aftermath of our overthrowing the Dominion, many Cardassians searched for a new home to plant their feet." He said as he stepped closer and knelt closer to her eye-level.

"You are content living on the station, but imagine if your kind could feel the soil beneath their feet and the sun against their faces?" He said in a lowered tone.

She froze for a moment, her hand losing its grip on the bottle of solvent. It hit the deck with a thump and rolled to a stop against her boot. "W... wh... what?" Slowly she turned to face Brovek; to see the scheming in his eyes. "What do you know of my people? Sir?"

By this point, Rhe'la's mind was racing. How much did this Cardassian know? Was he proposing something, or just taunting her to see what kind of reaction he could provoke? She wasn't certain, but at this point figured it could go either way.

He had her.

"I'm aware of the hardship your particular clan has endured and how they have been essentially scattered about, crammed into cargo holds throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants." He began.

"My grandfather has addressed the government of most of the major powers; the friendly ones, anyway. It's not entirely shocking that a Cardassian diplomat would have at least heard the tale of our plight. But that doesn't tell me what you're getting at..." Having gotten over her initial shock, the engineer got to her feet and summoned whatever fortitude she had in her.

"What if I told you that there was a place your people could go and finally lay down all your burdens...lay them down on actual ground beneath their feet as opposed to artificial gravity? Isn't that what your people have been seeking for so long?" He asked.

The young engineer narrowed her eyes at the towering diplomat. "You're talking about Pangaea. I'm not sure what you're proposing, sir, but I've already spoken to Lieutenant Reynolds and he said he would attempt to arrange for a settlement for my house. So if you're trying to pull an end around on the Federation..."

"The Federation doesn't care for anyone who is not will to join their 'oh so exclusive club'" Glinn Brovek responded sharply. "Your people are suffering and the only assistance you can receive is a weak promise to attempt to arrange some sort of settlement. What I am referring to is a chance for your people to be in control of their own Destiny! Not waiting for the Federation to getting around to helping them." He said energetically.

"Do want the Federation's scraps, or do you want a seat at the table yourself!" He asked.

Now, in her years in Starfleet, Rhe'la had encountered several Cardassians. While there were several who were just and honorable, the majority struck her as smarmy. This Glinn fell into the majority. So, just based on his bashing of the Federation, she was already on the defensive.

"And who is to say that you actually speak for the Detapa Council? They've shown little willingness to help my people before - why would they start now?" she inquired, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

"I speak with the full force and authority of the Cardassian Empire." He said brazenly. Until Ambassador Turvan returned from the mission on Pangaea, Brovek represented all Cardassian interests in the sector.

"There is no way the Detapa Council would give away a prize such as Pangaea; however, they would not have such qualms about working with a partner." He said. "Do you wish to have a partner?" He asked.

Her tail swishing back and forth rapidly, Rhe'la glowered at him. "I'd like to think we already do - the Federation has kept my people safe from the Empire, despite everything else."

Her eyes narrowing, she added, "But, while you speak for your government - I can't claim to speak for my grandfather. Any... partnership... between us would have to be approved by him."

"Naturally, but even he would be a fool to simply dismiss this opportunity for your people to rise to meet its intended greatness." Glinn Brovek said as he straightened himself. "I'll leave you to attend to your current affairs." He said he began to depart. "I'll look forward to speaking with your leaders in the very near future." He said.

This sort of shady, backroom dealing made Rhe'la exceedingly uneasy. She wasn't exactly sure how to proceed, other than getting word to her grandfather (where ever he may be at the moment). Regardless of his response to the proposal, she wasn't sure she trusted Brovek.

"I'll contact my grandfather, and he and the House elders will decide how to proceed. Someone will be in touch with you after that." She suspected that it would be her; that Nara would give her instructions on how to proceed and allow her to conduct the negotiations on his behalf.

"Very well." Glinn Brovek said as he turned and departed back towards the embassy.


Glinn Timel Brovek
Cardassian Embassy
NPC Thom

(Then) Ens. Rhe'la, Daughter of the Forty-ninth House
Chief Engineering Officer
Deep Space 5

 

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