Memories ...

Posted on 12 May 2009 @ 12:50pm by

2,608 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: M2: Aggressive Negotiations
Location: USS Freedom - Ready Room
Timeline: After Interrogation - part 1

ON:

Isha stood for a long time staring through the window, her eyes on the Vrelnec still inert in space; it would be at least an hour before her orders allowed them to move – a precaution, just in case there was someone on board with the authority to negate her orders, no matter how small that probability, she had no desire to be followed.

A shuttlecraft had been deployed and jumped to warp in the same moments that Fveirrolh had made his escape, her own treacherous son heading back to the Empire to make the case that could destroy her.

This was not a recent plan, she thought as the starscape stretched as the ship went to warp, they … her son, Nniol – who else? Over several years they had carefully sewn their threads into the fabric of her life, patiently layered, embellished embroidered and now that the time had come to unpick the weave, the pattern they had chosen would emerge. When it did Isha knew only that she would appear to be at its centre with the threads of control knotted tightly around her fingertips, then all that they would need to do to ruin her was to gather them up in a single twist and garrotte her.

Isha realised her own hand had raised to her bruised throat, it fell to her side as she turned alerted by a movement, a change in the reflected light, “Lieutenant?†she queried startled that she was no longer alone.

"I apologise if I startled you, madam Ambassador," the lieutenant stated. "I'm Lieutenant Termin Elek, chief diplomatic officer on the Freedom."

Elek offered her a small smile, but didn't push it - after all the ambassador had been through, he didn't think she'd be looking for a happy, jolly conversation.

"May we sit, ma'am?" he asked, motioning to the seats.

As they sat, Elek quickly glanced over at the ambassador. He felt a knot of tight emotions emanating from her - but all very controlled. She was clearly used to controlling her emotions, from a lifetime of practice. He could, however, detect the thoughtfulness, the tinge of sadness and betrayal coming from her. He wondered if any of what Nniol had said was true.

"Ambassador, may I ask, what news of the Vrelnec? Is it secure? Undamaged?" he asked.

Isha’s attempt to adopt her customary erect posture resulted in a spasm down her side centering on her ribs where Nniol had kicked her. Her brow creased and she eased to one side allowing her muscles to relax, and sat instead oddly askew. As the lieutenant spoke she smoothed her skirt over her knees and folded her hands in her lap.

"We secured the ship,†Isha said picking at the dark green blood that had dried around her fingernails, she had no idea who it belonged to. “Your commanding officer thinks I was wrong to allow her to go home. But why should I allow the prosecution of common men when I have already supplied their commanders? Ordinary people should be dealt with within a structure they understand, or would you agree with your commander?" she glanced at Elek for the briefest second then returned her attention to her hands.

Elek picked up a flash of pain coming from the ambassador. His left eyebrow quirked up, but he chose to remain silent on that for the moment - he suspected that she was a proud woman, and wouldn't appreciate being nurse-maided. He sat back in his chair and crossed his legs, to show her that he was relaxed.

"Starfleet regulations do state that the captain of a vessel can be held responsible for the conduct of his or her crew. Indeed, we've allowed prosecutions to happen under that regulation." He shrugged. "That's a matter for you and my captain to resolve." He smiled. "I'm just a diplomat, ma'am."

“Then I have made no error of judgement,†Isha said. “Still, Da’nal is mistaken if he thinks I am being lenient. I have not sent them home to escape punishment and they know it; my crew allowed my ship to be hijacked by my husband’s brother, the appropriate measures will be taken.â€

In spite of himself, he found himself liking Isha. He couldn't say precisely why - after what Nniol had accused her of, he knew he had to be careful until the accusations were answered, but he still found her, at least on face value, an approachable character.

"If I may suggest, Madam Ambassador, in many ways, the Federation and the Romulan Empire aren't that different."

Isha pushed her loose hair back behind her ears and they had only just touched on the topic of Nniol, but she wanted Elek to see what he had done to her, “In many ways,†she said with a nod of agreement as she watched to see how he reacted to the colour of her eyes as she looked directly at him, most people found it disconcerting, at first to see that bright green stare coming from the face of a Romulan. “My family, both my mother’s House and my husband’s were among the first to provide ships during the Dominion war … I have often found that the Empire and the Federation share common interests.â€

"I agree," Elek replied. He found himself looking deeply into the green eyes - it reminded him of his third wife, a Romulan woman who had the deepest, greenest eyes imaginable. "I know the two entities can be incredibly disparate at times, but both are honourable unions."

He didn't flinch away now that Isha's hair had been pushed back - he refused to. He was willing to accept what she looked like - her injuries were something to be acknowledged, not shied away from.

"I ask this question out of medical concern only, Ambassador. Do you need any further assistance than you have had already?"

"There is a medic I know on deep space five, I will wait. I would prefer to be with someone I trust before I risk accepting a kindness," Isha said, though what she meant was that feared losing her focus and composure in front of strangers. "Do you have children, Lieutenant Elek?" she asked still quite unable to undertand how Fveirrolh could have sood there and watched her being beaten.

"I have 17 children," Elek replied. He caught - what? A flicker of surprise in the ambassador's eyes. "I'm half-El-Aurian," he explained. "I have lived many centuires. My children are ... spread throughout the galaxy, but I'm still in touch.

Feeling the prickle in the corners of her eyes Isha blinked hard, "Then pray they never have cause to align themselves against you. Has anyone spoken with my husband's brother?" she asked abruptly changing the subject.

Elek didn't hesitate. "Yes," he replied. "I have. Shortly before coming here."

Isha tilted her head as she straightened, "Is that why you came to see me?" she asked. She'd been letting her pain get the better of her to have missed the rather obvious fact that this was more than a courtesy visit. "You told me that you were a diplomatic officer, not an interrogator, Lieutenant Elek - I see I shall have to watch my words around you," she added with the smallest hint of a smirk.

Elek chose his next words very carefully. "I *am* a diplomat, ma'am. I have never been an interrogator, or an intelligence operative. Our resident intelligence officer was ... unavailable, so I offered to speak with the ael'riov until a suitable replacement could be found."

His words weren't exactly lies, but he *had* omitted a truth - that the 'suitable replacement' was T'Pal, who hadn't been ready because the lieutenant had been preparing for the mind-meld.

"I apologise if I wasn't entirely forthcoming at the beginning of our conversation, ma'am, but I was genuinely concerned for the safety of your ship, and your crew." He hesitated, but then ploughed on. "Madam, although the question may appear comparatively superfluous, may I ask; your relationship with him has obviously ... dissolved, but was that always so? I ask because I'm interested in your opinion of him, and his background."

“But no longer ‘just’ a diplomat,†Isha observed mildly. “I have tried for a very long time to accommodate my husband’s brother, but our relationship has, as you so gently put it, dissolved. And you took the responsibility to speak with Nniol on yourself,†Isha shook her head slightly as though she did not quite believe him, “What was your opinion of him?â€

Elek hesitated. He could hazard a guess at the ambassador's feelings for Nniol without even needing his telepathic powers, but didn't want to get into a tit-for-tat comparison about who thought what about whom.

"He's a very clever individual, I have to give him that," Elek conceded, and made a face. "I'm sad to say that he certainly does nothing to help certain ... stereotypes about the Romulan people. He's very good at presenting the facts in a way that suits him."

"Nniol was my first ally when I married the House, my husband excepted, of course. It is the only circumstance under which a woman leaves her House – to wed the head of another. It is a rare occurrence, and negotiating a familiar yet alien network that is innately suspicious of one requires a degree of negotiation. Nniol’s help was most welcome though that was fifty years ago.â€

As she said that Isha was grateful, at least that she did not have to put up with someone marvelling at her own appearance and the passage of time. For once she was the one in that position.

"I was once married to a Romulan woman, some centuries ago," Elek said. "That's when I learnt to ignore stereotypes and base my judgement on the person in front of me. She belonged to an important House, and so I respect your House structure. I understand what it's like for a female to have to cope with the political nuances that come with the territory. Alliances can shift in a moment, like that." He snapped his fingers.

"They can and do," Isha agreed, her gaze still fixed on the space where his fingers had been. "May I ask her name ... her House name, I mean?"

"t'Rllaillien," he replied, knowing that Isha would recognise it, as it was a family name still in use today. "My grandson carries the name on to this day." He instantly regretted saying it, as he wondered how she would take that news.

"From outside Rhehiv'je,†Isha said reclining a little further back against the inadequate cushions. She bit her tongue for a moment as she waited for her ribs to accommodate her new position then turned her attention back to Elek. “How did you meet? Some centuries ago, we weren’t the most friendly of people.â€

Elek smiled at that. "Very true," he conceded. "In the 22nd century, I was a roving ambassador for the El-Aurian government. Riiel was young, and an explorer. Incredibly open-minded. At the time, she was working for a Denobulan ambassador that I became friends with. As a result, I met Riiel." He smiled. "In time, we married ... and I even lived on Romulus for a while, with my wife." He laughed. "Although I had to have my ears made pointier to pass muster. After a while, it became too risky to continue living on Romulus, and Riiel had become a senator by then, so I moved off-world. Our marriage continued for many years. We were husband and wife for thirty-three years before she was killed in a shuttle accident. I returned to Romulus once again and raised my son until he reached maturity, and he chose to follow the Romulan path. He, and his son, are still prominent members of your society to this day."

He was immensely proud of Rh'ion and Denil - both had brought such joy to his life. He found himself lost in a reverie for a moment, then refocused and looked squarely at Isha.

"So, yes, Ambassador," he said, quietly. "I am, indeed, more than a diplomat. I am a husband and a father. No more duplicitousness than that."

Isha closed her eyes for a moment, "In which case you ought to be more guarded about what information you share with strangers," she said.

As Isha opened her eyes she swung her legs up beneath her, it was no more comfortable, but it was a change. Her lips twitched into a brief fleeting smile, "Perhaps if you require a second opinion of me you ought to ask your relatives," she suggested. The families were not on intimate terms, but Isha was well known in senate circles, and they were not enemies. "What did you want to know about my husband's brother, Elek?" she asked.

Elek studied her carefully for a moment. She was a conundrum. It amused him that she had suggested contacting his relatives ... in fact, he already had contacted his family, and given him some useful information. That, coupled with their conversation, was leading him to a specific conclusion. He had hoped that, by discussing his family, he could bring him and Isha slightly closer together, in common ground. Sadly, it hadn't worked as well as he had hoped, but still he perservered.

"I want to know how you see him, Ambassador," he replied. "After everything he has done to you, what do you think of him?"

Elek was extremely keen to hear this answer - this, above all, would help lead him to his decision.

"Done to me ..." she said, her tone thoughtful. "Nniol is one of those men whose ambition appears to outweigh his ability," she said, "but that is an affectation. He is very capable, resourceful and has a number of friends that any normal person would be afraid to count among their enemies. In appearance Nniol and my husband could almost be twins, but that is as far as the similarity goes. I wish he had been my friend, Lieutenant Elek, and I wish he could have found it in himself to remain loyal to the House for his brother's memory, if nothing else," she did not add that he had corrupted her remaining son against her and that had that not been the case almost every other slight could have been forgiven.

Elek nodded, deep in thought. "I see," he said, almost in a whisper. "I see."

Smoothly, he rose from his seat and, quite unexpectedly, extended a hand. "Madam Ambassador, it has indeed been a pleasure. You have given me more answers than perhaps you realise."

Hesitantly Isha extended her hand also. "I do hope not," she said, quite unable to see what she had said that was of interest. "I have no love for the man, Lieutenant, but until I formally expel him from my House I do have a responsibility for Nniol, though I do not wish to see or speak with him."

"I understand, Ambassador," Elek replied. "I must take my leave of you now. Thank you for speaking with me."

With a smile and a nod, Elek was gone from the ready room.

As she lay back Isha closed her eyes, the darkness was comforting, "Computer, please dim the lights," she said.

Riiel t'Rllaillien Isha mused, perhaps she might be known to my mother ... but she did not think about it for long as both unexpected and welcome she drifted into sleep for the first time in days.

OFF

Ambassador Isha e-Khellian i-Ramnau t'Illiahlae

Lt (JG) Termin Elek
CDO / Counselor

 

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