Prejudices (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on 20 Jun 2014 @ 5:05pm by Captain Jonathan Holliday & Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Chief Petty Officer Lyras Ueda & Lieutenant Commander Dea Mialin & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Lieutenant Min Zhao & Lieutenant Asahi Kita & Commander Norvi Stace & Lieutenant Jacob Pendleton & Lieutenant Commander Amynta Markos & Commander Scarlet Blake & Gul Verrok & Lieutenant JG Wakeham Paul Alasia Ph.D.
Edited on on 23 Jun 2014 @ 10:59pm

3,479 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 7, Observation Lounge
Timeline: MD 02 - 2030 hrs

Previously, on the Awkward Moment (Part 2)....

Quinn unknowingly gave his XO a hug and then let go. "I think...I think it's time I do. Thank-you, and let the others know I really am sorry."

Scarlet nodded gently, giving his upperarm a warm, firm pat. "You know where I am if you need," she assured quietly before moving to rejoin the dinner party. Even if half of her wished she could follow Quinn out to the holodeck instead.

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Gul Verrok was still attempting to sort through the mixed feelings he and his delegation had following Quinn's comments, but the Starfleet captain sitting across the table from him had been honest enough about the reasons behind the sentiment. "Repressed feelings...from the War, I assume?" he said, then gave his men a nod to sit back down and continue eating which they reluctantly followed.

John had been trying all evening not to bring up the subject of the Dominion War. Finally he had come to the conclusion that there was no other alternative than to address the interplanetary white elephant in the room. Lowering his gaze he looked back up to the Gul and gave an affirmative nod.

"Some of our more..experienced personnel still suffer with some personal issues - however Starfleet is devoted to dealing with these issues as quickly as possible. As a combat veteran yourself I'm sure you can appreciate how difficult it is to deal with some experiences on the battlefield."

"I will admit that many of our people also suffer from these...'repressed' emotions, but for a different reason," Verrok continued. "Most of my people here at this table were no older than teenagers during the occupation of Cardassia, and most of us fought against the Dominion. We were not defectors nor soldiers, captain. We were simply young civilians who saw our home and our way of life being destroyed. We took up arms to protect our home from invasion. I am sure all of you would have done the same had the situation been reversed?" the Gul posed the question to the entire Federation side of the table.

Paul fiddled with his wedding ring, filled with shame. "There are long-standing cleavages that exist between our people." Paul justified, but he barely believed what he was saying. "A heightened environment like this, Gul... Things get directed to perhaps the wrong representatives of a people. It's not your job to speak for all of Cardassia. You're the first many of us have met in some time and it's just - this isn't on you or your crew, Gul. This type of thing can't happen. For that, we are - all of us - truly sorry."

The diplomatic officer with the silver tongue was doing a good job of placating Verrok...at least for now. The Gul was no more fond of the Federation than they were of the Union, and despite his instinct to keep discussing relations between the two empires, he quickly reminded himself that he was not here to act as an ambassador. Rather, he and his crew were in the Lyshan system to protect Cardassian assets...and valuable secrets.

"Apology accepted, lieutenant," Verrok replied to Alasia with a slight nod. He brought his hands to his head and pushed his now-frizzled hair back into its signature slicked-back style before continuing. "I suppose we should discuss something more...tangible?" he said as he decided now was a good a time as any to change the subject.

"What has the Federation been doing recently to secure its resources along the Romulan border? Our intelligence has reported quite a few incidents between Romulan separatist forces and Federation survey and supply ships. Do you intend to strike swiftly against the terrorists?" the Gul asked.

Jacob had remained standing until Captain Holliday gave the order to sit once more. He had no quarrel with the Cardassians here, but if they wanted a fight, he would assuredly put a serious hurt on any of them. The tensions were still high in the room but he was not about to disregard his Captain's orders. He sat back down in his chair but kept his eyes firmly on the Cardassians. Any attempt by them to make an aggressive move would be met with equal measure.

"I wasn't aware that political positionings were going to form part of this evening's events Gul Verrok?" John replied with an inquisitive look. Even with the Obsidian Order of the old days essentially dissolved, the new Cardassian Intelligence service had just as many tricks up it's sleeve, even if it was a little more controlled than it's predecessor.

"Starfleet believes that the acts of aggression by Romulan separatists have a limited scope - we are of course working to find a resolution to the situation, but rest assured that any action we take will in no way compromise the validity of our defence treaty with the Cardassian Union."

"Come now, captain. Nothing the Romulans do are of 'limited scope'," Verrok replied with subtle disdain for the green-blooded antagonists. "Was it not the Romulans who worked in collusion with select Vulcan operatives to attempt to destabilize the formation of the UFP when your empire was first founded? And was it not the Romulans who secretly played a hand in every modern power struggle within the Klingon Empire?"

"Gul Verrok," Paul interjected calmly, "the Quadrant is a much smaller place than it was 25 years ago. The Breen were a non-entity, the Ferengi had made only small and indirect trade inroads throughout the Alpha Quandrant and none at all in the Beta. The Romulans managed decades of near complete inter-galatic silence. Those days are very much a thing of the past. Ships are faster, listening posts have longer ranges. Every power has an interest in the actions of every other power and that seems to be the new normal. If we were to take offense..." Paul purposefully paused on the phrase "take offense to every incident, every displeasing diplomatic happening, every attempt by a power to manipulate events to their own advantage, we'd be in a near constant state of war. And so would you."

"Ahh...but the quadrants are in a near constant state of war," the Gul rebuked. "Whether it is the Breen, or the Klingons...the Romulans, the Borg, the Dominion...there has not been a prolonged period when there was not a major conflict," he added, referencing a slew of factions which had recently gotten on the war horse. "And let us not forget the internal conflicts within each empire..."

"Which will always continue to be there despite the best wishes of it's constituent members." John chimed back into the conversation - it seemed pointless to focus on internal conflicts, every civilisation in the galaxy had to contend with those sorts of issues, with any democracy there would always be those who did not agree with the status quo.

"We just have to try and do the best we can with what we have."

"Besides," Markos said as she sipped her drink, sitting back as she looked at the Gul. "We all want the same thing for once. We should...celebrate that, Gul Verrok." She arched an eyebrow, her eyes almost cold. And of course, she would do whatever she could to dig out dirt on the Cardassians here. Just...because she could. Even if it was only for her own viewing. They were on a mission, they were all meant to behave.

Allyndra waited patiently. One learned patience in the Guild especially if called upon by the Guild Mother. She waited quietly until everyone settled again and then turned back to the younger officer she had been talking to. She was not sure if it was curiosity, diplomacy or a bit of both but he indicated the glass she was drinking from.

"Bloodflower juice you were saying?" The Cardassian asked.

"Yes, it is very sweet but trust me other than the colour has nothing to do with the substance it is name after." Allyndra replied.

"May I?" The Cardassian asked and Allyndra offered her glass. It seemed that things had started to settle though she had heard the Gul's question and hoped that it would not bring up any more ill feelings.

The doors to the room opened, allowing the First Officer to move back in. Scarlet was as calm as ever in appearance, her posture held its usual military rigor as she made her way back to her seat. "Apologies," she said softly as she retook her seat, reaching for the wine to take a generous sip.

Asahi hadn't heard an outburst that bad since Heppy the lion tamer admitted to wanting to tame flamingos for her new act. He quietly sipped at his wine, glancing from face to face in an attempt to find someone to start a less awkward conversation with. Despite Tratar's gruff exterior, Asahi was convinced that the Cardassian would have probably been better conversation if it were not for the fact that there were taspar eggs on the table. This did also mean the engineer would have had to find a conversation topic that wouldn't offend anyone. The question was, what didn't offend anyone?

"Say, do they have things like circuses where you come from?" Beaming in the most innocent of manners, Asahi nodded in Tratar's direction. "Like, entertainment and stuff."

"Circuses?" Tratar looked at Kita with a confused expression for several moments while his eyes drifted across the table in an attempt to define the strange word. There was really no equivalent to it in Cardassian terms, but after several short moments he realized what the engineer was asking.

"You are referring to the performance of fools and dunces on Terran worlds?" he asked after eventually being able to recall a mention of it during his cultural studies at the military academy. "No, we do not have those. Our art is more...refined. More intellectual."

Min had been stewing since Tratar's comments about her pregnancy and questioning her ability to do her job. As much as she wanted to leave before her temper got the better of her, things were going downhill quickly. "As is your treatment of women and junior officers no doubt." She paused. "Tell me. If another officer of your military was to question your ability to do your job solely on the basis of your gender, how would you respond Tratar?"

Scarlet cleared her throat as she watched Min, tilting her head gently. "The Cardassians have many formidable women in their service," she interjected quickly, draining the rest of her glass of wine before making sure to get a refill.

"I am sure they do Commander. As do I have no doubt that many Cardassian women in exactly my position acquitted themselves greatly in the closing days of the war, many of them dying without their acts of bravery going noticed. What I don't understand is why our guest, supposedly a member of an elightened race, presumes that because I carry a child inside me, I am somehow less capable than my peers." She looked at Tratar. "Or have I somehow misinterpreted your words First Glinn Tratar?"

The Cardassian tactical chief indulged himself with a lengthy drink of wine from his glass before replying to operations chief sitting across from him at the table. "Not at all. It is simple biology, of course," he answered with a motion of his hand towards her large belly.

"You are not as physically capable as a woman who is not pregnant because your body must expend half of its resources on the unborn child. It makes you vulnerable in combat. Not to mention the added stress induced by pregnancy which is also harmful to the body. Or, maybe you think your adversaries would take pity on you because of your condition? Would a Klingon decline to decapitate you because you are with child? I think not," Tratar postulated with a self-satisfied smirk.

"There is an old Terran saying Glinn, 'Do not get between a mother and her cubs.' Terran women have shown throughout our world's history that when confronted with a threat to their child, born or unborn, they can call on reserves of strength and stamina that would make even the Klingon's pause."

Min continued. "Starfleet also would not intentionally place someone such as myself on an away mission where there is a risk of combat, or any risk to my child for that matter. That is not our way."

"And if the ship were under attack and enemy soldiers beamed onto your bridge while you were there? You would be defeated with ease," the Cardassian security officer spoke up. Glevon's voice had a low, quiet tone to it, but his words were clipped, defined and well spoken, reminiscent to what would have been called 'cut glass' on Earth. In all, the effect was that of a man who didn't feel the need to raise his voice for his presence to be felt. "It is the simple truth that if it came to hand to hand combat, with a seasoned soldier, to defend your bridge or ship, you would be overwhelmed in your current state. Above all else, family and ship must be protected. Putting you in such a position puts both at risk."

"Again, you presume that because of my physical state, I am somehow inferior to my peers in combat. What you don't understand Dal is that humans have developed forms of hand to hand combat that do not require brute strength or stamina. The racial group my father's ancestors on earth come from developed forms of combat which, with proper training, can be executed by someone in my situation to excellent effect against all but the most skilled or outmatched opponent."

She took a sip from her glass before she continued. "I would also note that Starfleet's research, based on over 30 years of action reports, discovered that in over 95% of cases where a ship was boarded by threat forces, combat took place using directed energy weapons. In that instance Dal, ones proficiency with ones sidearm becomes far more important then one's skill in hand to hand combat."

Dal Glevon glanced across to Verrok with an amused smile, arching an eyebrow as he reached for his glass. "You will forgive me if I neither agree with your last statement nor believe your first. Still, I understand your need to protect your pride," he tilted his glass slightly towards her before sipping it, the security veteran's lips still curled with amusement at her claims.

Despite Asahi's attempts at conversation, he seemed to be overridden immediately by the fact that everyone else had more opinionated things to discuss. Everyone was so touchy, and it made the whole diplomatic dinner situation an uneasy thing for him. Already having nodded off Tratar's insult at circuses (how was the Cardassian supposed to know Asahi was raised in one?), the engineer chose instead to be annoyed at the situation in general. He shot a look towards Norvi and Jacob, in hopes that the pair would at least sympathize with him, if only in a broad sense.

Jacob looked over to Asahi and nodded, "Lieutenant Kita, no matter what our esteemed visitors say, I for one enjoy many a circus and county and state fairs. Growing up, I often went to the Grant County fair, Wisconsin State fair and Iowa State fair." He turned back to look at the Cardassians and continued, "Not everything has to be 'high art'; not that a good opera or Broadway play or orchestral event is not great to enjoy, but lighter hearted entertainment has its own value to which just about anyone can have fun." He tipped back his glass of orange creme soda and took a drink.

Asahi breathed an internal sigh of relief, smiling over at Jacob. "Everyone's allowed to their opinion, as I always say. Not everyone's going to like a good three-ring, or even something a little more artsy. But, it's good to know the circus always holds a spot in someone else's heart from my own." He could have always waxed poetic about his family lineage, but he refrained from doing so, as this was most definitely not the time or the place.

Allyndra drank in silence, the Cardassian across from her, ate in silence as well but observed all the tensions as did she. He spoke finally, "It would seem that things will never be easy between us and the Federation."

"All to true, there are faults everywhere but it has been my observation from history that sometimes those that were the bitterest of enemies can find themselves the greatest of friends."

The Cardassian thought for a moment and then made a slight nod. "Let us hope that that is the case eventually." He smiled suddenly and then put his glass out. "Here is to hope."

Allyndra nodded and agreed and touched her glass to his as well.

Scarlet watched the exchange coolly, her eyes on the Cardassian. Never had she seen or heard such a 'nice' expression of hope and optimism from a Cardassian. It made her wonder what was really going on inside of his head. She'd barely touched any food, between interruptions, talk and the general off putting nature of the evening, but her glass was empty again.

"How many joint operation facilities do you have?" Scarlet addressed her question to the Gul with genuine curiosity, but it was an open question to all. "I must admit, I was surprised by the nature of the mining colony. I would have thought it would be easier to concentrate funding and resources into fully Cardassian enterprises. Then you avoid, well, interference like this," she explained the thought behind her question. There was even a hint of humour in her eyes at her last comment, seeing as they all knew that was how the Gul viewed their presence there, so there was no reason to pretend otherwise.

Verrok raised his eyebrows at Scarlet's comment. He realized that while the discreet meaning behind her words was subtle, he also shared similar feelings from his perspective. "Yes...I would have thought the same thing..." he murmured quietly in reply then took a drink of wine from his glass.

"I am not a politician, commander," he then answered directly. "Such joint-venture policies are not for starship captains such as myself to make. We merely enforce our empire's operations...whether or not we agree with them." His eyes sparkled with mischievousness but his mouth smiled in politeness.

"That's an interesting perspective, Gul." Paul added from a few seats down. "In my studies, I came across a number of commentators - these are mostly Federation and Dominion scholars and military, so I'd be curious to hear your take - anyway, these commentators assert that even in a democracy, a starship captain is the closest thing there is to a true Emperor remaining in the Galaxy. While a captain is nominally constrained by dictates of his government, there are thousands of decisions made everyday, where the Captain chooses to enforce the rules he likes and ignore the rules he doesn't. Thousands of decisions everyday where the only governor on his actions are a crew who are trained and sworn to obey his every command without fail."

"So, I don't know." Paul thought out loud. "Is it your job to carry out even those orders you don't agree with, or do you get to exert your own judgment?"

"It's the job of every officer to follow their orders, not make them up as we go," Tratar interjected before Verrok could reply. "We are Cardassians and we're all instilled with the proper respect for authority as soon as we entered the military academy." He paused to take a few gulps of his wine and empty his glass before continuing.

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CDRE Lirha Saalm
Mission Advisor
USS Galileo

Gul Verrok
Commanding Officer
CDS Aldara
[PNPC - Saalm]

First Glinn Tratar
Chief Tactical Officer
CDS Aldara
[PNPC - Saalm]

Lt Cmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. Jacob Pendleton
Chief Research Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Wakeham Paul Alasia
Diplomatic Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Norvi Stace
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

CAPT Jonathan Holliday
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

CMDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. Min Zhao
Chief Operations Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Asahi Kita
[Acting] Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

LT CMDR Dea Mialin
Chief Flight Control Officer/Second Officer
USS Galileo

LT Amynta Markos
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

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