The Next step

Posted on 09 Oct 2009 @ 5:59pm by Commodore Da`nal of the House of Varal

2,046 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: M2: Aggressive Negotiations
Location: Diplomatic Conference Room

Da`nal had the casualty report in hand. Just more to add to the against those behind Nniol. After speaking with the doctor he checked in with the bridge. They were making good time and were abou to disengage the cloaking device. The only ship in sensor range was the same vessel that had come to their rescue and they were closing. The whole the more he thought on the situation the more similarities he found in things that had happened in both the Federation and in the Empire. Perhaps the Romulans weren't so different afterall...~if they wouldn't be so arrogant~ he thought. Repairs were already under way at least what could be done. Da`nal knew the motivations of his crew. None of them wanted to have to rely on the Romulans for assistance, but if Picard could...so could he.

After a quick change and with a new perspective he entered the Diplomatic conference room and waited for Andrew, the Ambassador and her mother. He huffed and the irony. Saved by mom.... The doors opened and and his XO walked in wearing a fresh uniform.

"I see you managed to change as well."

"Nothing like a sharp dressed man." Andrew replied with a quick smile. "Should I have brought my phaser?" he asked with a chuckle.

Da'nal smirked a bit, "No...I plan to be on my best behavior. Hopefully our guests do the same. Although if all else fails I have a knife in my boot." He was surprised at his level of calm at he informed his XO of what had been discovered. "We have a bigger problem. During the attack our escorts managed to beam Nniol off the ship."

"Perfect." Andrew replied, scratching the side of his neck. "Anything to make things a bit simpler..."

<<>>

Llaiir allowed Isha to enter the room ahead of her which was her due as ambassador; there was no way that the lloan'su present would understand the immensly complicated protocol that governed their relationship, in this context however Isha was ranked first.

"Commanders Da'nal, Feinneman," Isha said softly as she took a seat, her limbs were still heavy and her head felt like a balloon but she sat somewhat rigidly upright, and kept her bright green eyes open. "We should not waste any further time. It is to my regret that our escort has been the cause of such destruction. My mother the hru'hfirh t'Khellian, informs me that Senator Latasalaem has granted the use of his facilities to allow you to make sufficient repairs to continue our journey." Isha doubted the wisdom of a diversion to Latasalaem's stronghold, but his involvement would stand as an additional barrier should anyone else decide to attack them.

"Was there some problem?" Isha enquired.

"Yes. during the fighting it seemed that Nniol was beamed off the ship. When I was informed I had hoped that he had been beamed to the ship that was destoyed but the transported field trace indicated that he was beamed off during your mothers transport. With our shields down and the ships sensors damaged it wasn't detected."

Isha glanced briefly at the fingertips then at her mother, "I think you need to re-vet your crew, ri'Nanov," she said before turning back to Da'nal. "I cannot believe that they were sweeping the ship during a battle in teh hope of catching first, Nniol's signal, and second a shield breach ... someone on the Mosmoran must have informed them that you were going to beam across - that gave them their window, and by chance or design he was nolonger secure ... I assume your holding cells cannot normally be penetrated by a transporter signal?" Isha said as she focussed on keeping her eyes open and her head up.

"That is correct. Whie the brig remained secured the cantainment field on the cell was deactivated, by defualt." Da`nal's tone indicated his disagreement with the practice. Though is carried extra emphasis at this time the escapee was an ememy of his House. "The timing of the transport may only have been a coincidental, the damage to the ship made it possible to have removed him earlier. Perhaps they thought to through blame in your direction by

SHe looked at her mother again, "One has to admire his tenacity," Isha said speaking in Rihannsu though she knew that the translators would catch most of her meaning, "I'm sure that if I did not know that he was such a tyrant in domestic circumstances I would clear all this up in an instant and accept his suggestion of marriage," she paused then, knowing that her mother would understand and rather enjoying the mix of outrage and horror that the Starfleet officers experienced at the thought.

"Still," she said, "I'm not the type to yield my rights and take second place to a thug. Commander Da'nal, Nniol will appear before the tribunal, if he does not he is admitting his guilt, so you see you are only relieved of the onerous burden of carrying him there without strangling him."

Llaiir pursed her lips, her memory like her life stretched back far further than her daughter's and she considered more the deep division in tradition between the families; she thought that her daughter's belief that Nniol would act according to mhnei'sahe optimistic, "If one shakes the hand of an Illialhlae one should be sure to count one's fingers," she said to no-one in particular.

"Yet you brokered the alliance," Isha snapped. "Once again Da'nal I will offer to vouch for the safety of your ship and crew, though I would understand if you were skeptical."

Da`nal sat erect raising a hand to stop any argument that might erupt, wanting to keep thing om the matters at hand and not family disputes. "You are correct to believe I would be skeptical. However, for too long our peoples have judged each other as a whole." he then looked to his XO briefly. "In the past the same was true with Humans and Klingons, but now we are allies. " Turning back to Isha and her mother. "And while I have been guilty of this at times, one cannot judge a race. We have been attacked and betrayed, but the betrayal is not yours nor your governments. If the order had come from your government we would have been ordered from Romulan Space. Theses are the acts of cowards trying to prevent their exposure and possibly even their downfall.

"You're family of birth, has up held the word...and the Honor of your Senate, by coming to our aid and offering to assist with repairs. Although, I'm sure you mother is well aware with the history between my House and that of your late husband. Nniol, not you, is my enemy and an enemy of the Federation if not the Romulan Empire. He could have used his influence to simply have you recalled, but instead he used the ambitions of others to sabotage and attack a Federation station. Then when the opportunity arose he attempted to have my children assasinated...that's a personal issue, but one that I shall not forget.

"Now...those who supported him are desperate enough to attack a starship granted safe passage by their own government. That we are still here; the Ambassador is still alive will only make them even more desperate as the evidence against them grows. They may have him, but they will need to stop us from reaching the Senate floor."

As he paused an idea occurred to him. "In order to succeed, perhaps we should give them what they want."

"We are not Betazoids, Commander," Isha observed, "Perhaps you would care to articulate your thoughts ..." he could mean several things.

"Your opponents need our destruction. Then lets give it to them, but to do so we will have to act quickly."

"Are you suggesting that you destroy this ship?" Llaiir asked, the creep of incredulity coloring her tone.

"I will not miss the tribunal," Isha said at the same time, "Tell me your plan!"

Speaking with a sense of urgency, as is this was to work they needed to put things into play very very soon. "You will make it to the tribunal..." Turning to Isha's mother, "Your ship is closing on our position as we speak. Soon we will hail them with a pending reactor breach. That you, the Ambassador, and the XO are beging evac'd on the Liberator, our aerowing class shuttle. When in fact our vessel will be empty, save for her crew. They will dock and proceed to our destination. This will turn your ship into a decoy of sorts.

"What we need is another ship from the destination to rendezvous with us under cloak. We pass over their position and activate our cloak. Then once out of range the second craft detonates its warp core. Anyone monitoring the area will her the communtiocations, and anyone scanning the area will see a Federation warp signature ending in a debris field.

"Not me," Llaiir interjected, "the news that the Head of my House and my heir have been destroyed would start a war and even if it did prove to be a rumour the damage would be irrepairable - Romulan succession is a very complicated business, something that Isha is well aware of - she may participate in the deception, but I am the only person who can prevent the act from sparking a crisis. I will return to my ship and be known to have done so."

Da`nal continued but kept the irritation from his voice. "As I said earlier you, Isha and my XO would be evacuated. also, before detonation we will eject our dead and damage debris. The blast wave will push the "Federation" flotsam to the outward so that it will appear, to a anyone following our warp trail that it is a Federation craft. You opponents also know that we are carrying recovered Romulan component from the battle at DS5 so that would account for the Romulan debris on the forward edge of the field. To make it even more convincing we can use our on antimatter for the blast. I think have of out anti-matterpod should be sufficient.

"With out the evidence we carry, your oppents would think their position secure, and could draw them out of the shadows. While they are savoring their pending victory, we make repairt to the Freedom the proceed to Romulas, under cloak flying right along side the Mosoram then at the proper time...Isha, Andrew...you present your evidence. That is when we beam into the hearing and the Freedom decloaks."

Isha laid her palms on the table, "It will divide them," she said, "they do not have one unifying motive, my 'death' is required by one of the conspirators, but not I think by another - the event will force them both to act ... very well, with my mother's permission we will stage my assassination and throw the Khelliana into mourning."

Da`nal hadn't planned on 'killing her off', nor had he expected her to agree this easily. "Very well." Looking over to his XO, "looks like you will be on your own for a while. Think you're ready to face the Romulan Senate until we arrive?"

Andrew smirked, "We'll hold our own." he replied.

"I've never been dead before," Isha said, "Rh'vaurek has, and he told me that it was so liberating that he considered remaining that way, though he may simply have been teasing me, one cannot always tell with Rh'vaurek."

"Isha," Llaiir said, "I think it is time you rested." The Tal'Shiar agent mey have been the one who made her aware of her daughter's predicament but regardless of what rank he had managed to climb to Llaiir still thought him an unsuitable acquiantence for Isha; she certainly did not want her rambling about him in front of aliens.

"ri'Nanov, I am quite in control of all my faculties, I was merely relating a story ... is there anything further?"

"All we need is a ship..."

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Cmdr Da`nal
Commanding Cfficer


Ambassador Isha e-Khellian Ramnau t'Illialhlae

Hru'Hfirh enRiov Llaiir e-Ramnau t'Khellian (NPC)

Lt Cmdr Andrew Fienneman
Executive Officer

 

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