From: Kenneth Field (envision_at_fidalgo.net)
Date: Fri Aug 03 2007 - 17:09:43 PDT
"Will You Pour?"
(continues from Rahul's "Dealing")
Location: GS-2
Stardate: 2.70803.1608
Scene: Ops
"Speculate, Mr. McInnis. You know the Ambassador better than I do. Is she suicidal?" Kane ground his teeth when the last *philosophical* communication had faded to black.
"Not suicidal exactly, Captain," Gene mulled this over for a moment before speaking. "But I have similar difficulties explaining my own actions in some of my past missions."
"I've read your files. Rochelli was quite descriptive."
"I'm sure. The thing with Ambassador Bonviva," he'd almost said *Xana,* and he didn't think that bit of familiarity would go over well with the man right now, "is that if anyone she cares about is threatened, she'll go harrow hell to get them clear, and damn the consequences. Xana Bonviva is a true believer, sir."
"Mad dogs and Englishmen," Kane muttered.
"She is a force of nature, Captain. The difference between her and the run-of-the-mill fanatic is that she does not make these kinds of decisions lightly. She has thought this out carefully. She's finessing something here, and how she chooses to do that may seem ... unorthodox, but if it's at all possible, she'll get the job done."
"And what is the job, Commander?" Kane eyed the man carefully.
"The job is to keep this station, its people and her crew safe."
"*Her* crew?"
"Absolutely, sir. She's not the CO now, but that kind of thing doesn't stop just because you change jobs. She's not the CO because she knows she can do more from where she is than where she was. As officers of Starfleet, we are bound by a certain code, protocols, policy. She's not. But I want to caution you about something else."
"What now?" Kane asked.
"I recognized someone during that last video feed. Vukovic is on that Cube."
"How does that concern us?"
"He was her Chief of Staff until he went off to assist the BORG on some matter and never returned. Now he appears to be working with the BORG. The problem is ... he knows just about everything there is to know about the Ambassador and the GATE. The one person he doesn't know about firsthand ... is you."
"That's just," Kane rubbed his face with one hand, "lovely."
"It's going to get interesting, sir. Very soon."
There wasn't much to say about that, so he didn't.
-------------------- =/\=
Location: BORG Cube
Scene: whatever passes for a Bridge on a Borg Cube
"Ambassador," Isis, with Vukovic at her side, turned away from the viewscreen. "That was certainly a ... unique method for dissembling with the Dominion. That particular aspect of diplomacy is not our forte'."
"I accept your compliment, Leader Isis. I have to say I am most inclined toward an alliance with the BORG, but I would like to maintain the lines of communication with all parties involved," Xana smiled her most winning smile.
"I thought that's what you were doing there," Isis seemed confused.
"Humanoid diplomacy is never so straightforward as it must be with the BORG. Please, consider joining my staff on the Station for ... tea," Xana said, the light dancing in her eyes.
Isis stopped dead, her head tilted slightly.
**What is this?** she asked Tomas' through the ship's Link.
**Tea is a semi-formal Terran cultural activity, like dancing.** Tomas' passed back to her.
**BORG do not dance,** she replied.
**Yet,** he reminded her. **This is the path you've chosen. Involvement with humanoid culture is fraught with these kinds of ceremonies. Accept her invitation. She knows the average BORG would not come to tea. You want her to know you are not the average BORG.**
Isis' poker face slipped just a bit, a hint of a *gracious* smile coming to light her features.
"By all means, Ambassador. I and my assistant will be pleased to attend."
She thought the Commander accompanying the Ambassador might choke.
-------------------- =/\=
Location: GS-2
Scene: Ambassadors' Lounge
It was a gathering not seen before among the denizens of GATEWAY STATION. Friends, enemies, acquaintances, competitors all sitting comfortably around a circular table. It had been Zeman's idea, Xana's current Chief of Staff. A circular table had no *head* and no *foot,* so no participant was of higher or lesser rank than any other. Zeman had gotten the idea from a Terran book chronicling the adventures of a certain ancient Briton named Arthur Pendragon. Xana thought it most appropriate.
To her left sat Captain Kane, representing Starfleet, and it was clear that though this was not his particular *cup of tea,* he would not turn down the chance to sit at table when policy was being made, if for no other reason than to remind everyone present that Starfleet was not necessarily bound by Federation policy. Xana's husband, Commander Gene McInnis, in full Scottish regalia, stood silently behind Captain Kane, the hint of a smile playing on his face. He had warned the Captain to expect unorthodox behavior. It was nice to know he understood that much about the love of his life.
Zeman, Xana's Chief of Staff stood behind her, Eileann Peri stationed unobtrusively near the entrance to the Lounge discreetly checking all attendees for weaponry and unpleasant technological items. Kat, though offered a place at table, had begged off, first, because she couldn't see herself sitting across the table from the Dominion without encouraging violence, and secondly because she wasn't all that fond of formal or semi-formal teas.
Isis sat to Xana's right, Vukovic standing behind her, erect and impeccably dressed as was his habit. Dark, dark suit with blinding white shirt and onyx clasp at his throat. There were moments when Xana was certain the two were conversing ... certain pauses between verbal responses ... and she envied them that, but that was all about the BORG she envied.
The final invitation had been a surprise to everyone there except Xana. It was her masterstroke.
The Vorta sat quietly between Kane and Isis, the only participant without an entourage. Lt. Jg Mowree Nurunyon had quite gleefully accepted the position since Jem'Hadar soldiers would never relinquish their weapons and so could not board the GATE or any other Starfleet vessel. The big Caitian proved amiable and quietly efficient in all manner of simple tasks for the Vorta, who had been as surprised to be invited as the others were that he'd come.
"I'm glad you all could join me," Xana began. "In certain cultures, tea is considered a very civilized way to get to know one another. There is an art, a beauty, a grace to the entire ceremony, and it can be quite different from one humanoid culture to another. But in all cases, it serves as a moment of peace when people can gather and associate with each other, even if we are all so different, and all so concerned about the affairs of this corner of the universe."
There was polite and gracious mumbling replies from all corners, even from Kane, who was actually quite civil in the presence of BORG and DOMINION dignitaries. There was no indication how long the truce would last, of course, but for now, all was civilized.
"Zeman," Xana smiled, "will you pour?"
-------------------- =/\=
NRPG: I love the absurdity of all these people sitting around a table drinking Earl Grey, or Red Zinger or whatever it turns out to be. I think it's important to show that even opponents can have manners. Hell, even Klingons drink tea! LOL.
-------------------- =/\=
Kenneth Field
envision_at_fidalgo.net
aka Commander Gene McInnis
CNS/GS-2
aka Lt. JG Mowree Nurunyon
aCNS/GS-2
aka Tomas' Alexei Vukovic
Former Chief of Staff to Ambassador Xana Bonviva
currently with the BORG
aka Maury R. Tee
Professor of English (Retired)
Proprietor of "Impulse Drives,"
a little shop of horrors
GS-2, Promenade
"To gently lie and prove the lie true ... everything is finally a promise ... what
seems a lie is ramshackle need, wishing to be born." -- Ray Bradbury
From HyperNews_at_youth.net
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sun Feb 17 2008 - 03:10:17 PST