An Interesting Meeting: Part 1

Posted on 08 Jun 2009 @ 6:52am by

1,819 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: M2: Aggressive Negotiations
Location: Brig

Elek had been staring at the blank computer screen for the past ten minutes, without even realising it. He shook himself, and brought his mind back from his son to the present day.
He had promised the captain he would question Nniol again, and also promised the ambassador that she could sit in and observe the discussion.
He tapped his comm badge and spoke. "Ambassador t'Illialhlae, please meet outside the brig. I intend to meet our prisoner."

Isha placed her cup down on its saucer and traced her fingers across her cheek as she rested her elbow on her desk. It was times like this she wished that she could disappear – be a private individual, a nobody. But the ambassador had responsibilities and one of them was named Nniol.

“Very well, Lieutenant Elek,†she responded, “I am on the station but I will be with you as soon as I can.â€

Isha thought about what little T’Pal had told her about her ‘interview’ with her husband’s brother, she could not imagine that it was possible to touch the man’s mind and come away untarnished – he could be most charming, but he had an insidious and corrupting presence. Perhaps the woman was already so tarnished that his effect was minimal, she thought as she made her way to meet Elek.

Elek quickly gathered his thoughts, then left his quarters. It was a few moments before he reached the brig, and waited outside for the ambassador to arrive.

“Is sooner than I expected, Lieutenant Elek,†Isha said seeing him waiting there. “I hope I may be forgiven for being a little apprehensive, my last meeting with my husband’s brother was not particularly pleasant.â€

Elek nodded. "I do understand, Ambassador. It can't be an easy time for you. Perhaps you should remain in the observation room, next door, to begin with?" He motioned to the door next to the brig.

“To begin with,†Isha agreed. In the past Nniol had done worse than hit her and she had dealt with that well enough, but too many memories that normally spent their existence locked in a vault in her mind had been recalled in recent days. “Under the circumstances, Lieutenant, I think it would be acceptable if you kept an eye on my reactions to your interview, I may be able to suggest what you should ask him – I assume you don’t require visual contact for that.â€

Elek smiled wanly. "You assume correct." Reluctantly, he nodded. "Agreed, Ambassador, I will monitor your thoughts."

He motioned her again towards the door, and he turned and entered the brig. "Wing Commander," he said as the doors closed, "I wish to speak with you."

Nniol opened his eyes without bothering to sit up. His arm had been set but he could not quite remember how it had come to be broken in the first place; it still ached. “Make an appointment with my secretary,†he said.

"I tried," Elek replied sardonically, "but she wasn't very helpful, so I came down directly. He picked up the chair and placed it in the same place as in his first visit, directly facing the shield and the cell.

"How's the arm?" he asked.

“Almost as sore as my head,†Nniol said. “My Auethnen is going to have fun with that creature. I’m no expert, Lieutenant but I think she violated at least three of your own laws – we’ll see, won’t we.†For all he claimed to be in pain Nniol slipped round easily enough and sat staring at Elek from beneath a clouded brow, “What do you want this time?†he asked bluntly.

Elek decided to return the bluntness. "I want you to admit your part in the Vrelnec attack. No prevarications, no lies." He smiled. "Now, I'm a diplomat - negotiation and discussion are my main tools, but I understand that prevarication and a certain amount of stretching the truth is allowed in my circles, but I wonder what the excuse is in your circle?"

“Remind me exactly what it is I am supposed to have denied, Lieutenant,†he suggested as he got to his feet. With one hand he rubbed his injured arm standing very close to the containment field.

"Your precise role in the attack," Elek said pleasantly. Underneath, of course, he could feel his dislike simmering away, but kept it securely locked inside his mind. "You intimated that you were the innocent party in all this. I find that ... difficult to believe."

Though the observation room itself was quiet, Isha could hear what was being said and through the glass she could see them both. Of course she had been given little detail about what it was Nniol was supposed to have said so far, or what the mind-meld T’Pal had told her about was meant to have revealed. To Isha Nniol appeared undiminished by the experience, the injury something he would find inconvenient rather than incapacitating.

Elek had not so much as looked in her direction, nor had he told Nniol he was being observed; Isha was thankful for that as she moved closer to the pane, fancying for a moment that he was staring directly at her. The look in his eyes was one of controlled rage, Nniol had a good eight inches on Elek and she thought that if that forcefield were to fail … she was glad that she had chosen not to be in the same room. She could do that later after she had had a little longer to regain her composure, but not yet.

Elek was conscious of Isha's surface thoughts at the back of his mind - he tried to shut them out as much as possible, but he was still aware of them nonetheless. He could feel her worry and concern most of all, which he thought would be the ones she would hate to have most of all.

“I told you my role. I am not to blame if you failed to listen, or for your inability to understand plain facts. One last time, Lieutenant,†Nniol said his tone low and measured, “My orders and actions only concerned the removal of the ambassador; I offered to use my influence to try to stop an attack I did not order – IF – the ambassador could be reasonable. She wasn’t reasonable, so I extracted her anyway. I did not command the other ships, nor did they take orders from me. I ordered my ship to leave the moment I had achieved my goal anything else that happened is nothing to do with me.â€

"Why would you remove the ambassador if she failed to accede to your demands? Surely that would negate the purpose of any future threats?"

Elek ignored the insulting, rude tone Nniol adopted, and kept his own one calm and measured.

“You haven’t listened to a damn word I’ve said! She seeks to destabilise the Empire, we will NOT allow that to happen.â€

"I've listened to every word you've said, I just can't say how much of it I believe." Elek was deliberately goading Nniol, to see how quickly he would turn his temper, and see if his story would change after the trauma of the mind-meld.

"Be honest with me for once, Wing Commander," he went on. "If I was the one behind that forcefield, would you believe me?"

Nniol leaned one hand on the lip of the rim of his cell, his fingers close enough to feel the fizzle of energy, his other arm was slack at his side, fingers curling slightly. “I thought you were a reasonable man, Lieutenant, and that is just how I’d have treated you if our positions were reversed. As it is, I’m no longer sure you’re worthy of my candour. What did she offer you?†his eyes narrowed slightly, “Or did you just fall for a smile?â€

Elek frowned in feigned confused. "I'm assuming you're referring to the ambassador? I haven't met with her yet," he lied glibly. "I wanted to meet you again before I spoke with her. I felt that I owed you that courtesy."

"Hmmpf," Nniol was sceptical, he knew how Isha worked - but he'd left her unconscious, so maybe Elek had not been able to speak with her yet. "Did you do as I asked and verify that the involvement of the Vrelnec was as limited as I told you it was?" he asked fixing a dubious eye on Elek.

"I have checked with my sources," Elek replied. "The Vrelnec itself seemed to miraculously stay out of some trouble. Of course, my curiosity being as insatiable as it is, I still wonder who truly ordered the attack?"

“I can’t speak for the other ships. With the backing of certain interested parties I came here to get her and to take her back to Romulus before she can cause any more trouble. Why are you so determined to see a split in the government? That’s what she wants, and if my House falls it will take the senate with it, something my brother’s wife doesn’t seem to be able to understand.â€

He’s good, Isha thought from within the observation room. She stood now at one and of the window, her stance very similar to that Nniol had adopted in the other room. Isha did not think he was convinced by Elek’s lie, she wasn’t convinced that it was a worthwhile exercise to try and deceive a deceiver. Nniol had been a very good advisor when he had served she and his brother in that capacity; a persuasive speaker who know how to shape and tailor his argument, and to achieve that required being a very good judge of people and motivations.

Of course even if he suspected that Elek was not telling the truth Nniol could not know that the Lieutenant had a certain insight into the Romulan psyche; it was that knowledge which had allowed Isha to suggest this structure – Elek had told her something that was potentially damaging to his own family, she could therefore rely on his confidence if something slipped and he picked up something from her mind that she would prefer him not to know.

Elek pursed his lips. "I'm only interested in what's best for the quadrant. I want to see stability on Romulus. I question the ... belief you have that your sister-in-law will destroy your House. Maybe she feels that *you* would be the one to destroy it by your actions."

“You won’t know that until you ask her, will you, Lieutenant. Correct me if I’m wrong but under Federation Law, is the burden not on the accuser to prove rather than assume guilt? I cannot help but get the impression that you have already condemned me.â€

To be continued ...

 

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