The Awkward Moment (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on 05 Jun 2014 @ 9:08pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Gul Verrok & Captain Jonathan Holliday & Lieutenant Commander Dea Mialin & Commander Norvi Stace & Command Master Chief Markum Quinn & Lieutenant Commander Amynta Markos & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Lieutenant JG Wakeham Paul Alasia Ph.D. & Lieutenant Min Zhao & Lieutenant Asahi Kita & Lieutenant Jacob Pendleton & Commander Scarlet Blake

2,946 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 7, Observation Lounge
Timeline: MD 02 - 2025 hrs

Previously, on Sovereignty, Security, and Welfare....

"I believe what my tactical officer is attempting to say, is that diplomacy is not our primary mission. We are not explorers like you, captain. Our priority lies within the Cardassian Union and our efforts to rebuild it. We do not concern ourselves with meeting new species, hosting conferences, or entertaining delegations...we have much more pressing matters to attend to. Our starships -- the Galor Class -- are an extension of our empire, and reflect our needs," Verrok explained in quite possibly the vaguest terms possible.

Scarlet arched an eyebrow at the reply, but wasn't surprised. "And what would those... needs be?"

"The needs of the people, of course," the Gul answered with his own small smile as he locked eyes with her. "Sovereignty, security, and welfare."

Scarlet pursed her lips for just a moment at the words, keeping his gaze as she contemplated it. "And who could argue with such fine principles," she finally looked to Holiday and Saalm instead. "If I may, Captain and Commodore? It seems the right note on which to base the first toast of the evening..." she picked her glass up, already half full with the first wine of the night. "To sovereignty, security and welfare...."

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

After hearing the Gul's elaborate and carefully-worded explanation of Cardassian priorities, Lirha had to remind herself that he was a starship captain and not a politician...though in reality he could have easily been the latter. Or maybe some combination of the two. Hell, she had no idea at this point.

Anxious to get a drink in her and loosen up in order to quell some of the tension invisibly present at the table, the Orion commodore gave the Cardassian captain and Scarlet a polite smile and nodded in agreement while raising her own glass.

Amynta arched an eyebrow before a small smile curled her lips. "To the strongest..." she breathed, too low to be heard, and knocked her drink back, giving an almost sweet smile to the Cardassians.

Dea raised her own glass to join in the toast. As Galileo's Second Officer she had a feeling there would be more formal events to attend. That would take some getting used to.

Stace nodded to the sentiment and with her slender, alabaster hand, raised her glass of fizz to the centre of the room.

Quinn lifted his glass half-heartedly and then flung it back in one swift gulp, then set the glass down

John forced a smile as he respected the Commander's toast. It wasn't exactly protocol for the First Officer to conduct the toast, but in light of the circumstances, he didn't see a problem with the breach - if anything it saved him having to exchange any more pleasantries than he absolutely had to.

Allyndra lifted her glass with the toast. She sipped it though to tell the truth she wanted to gulp it. The Cardassian on the other side of table spoke up. "You are the ship's doctor correct?"

"Yes, sir, that is correct," Allyndra gave a small nod.

"Ah, then should I be concerned?" He asked.

"About what sir?" Allyndra asked.

"Your plate is conspicuously empty. Is there a reason for that?"

"Yes, but nothing to do with the food I assure you. It is just me, there are many things I cannot consume."

"I see, since I am unfamiliar with your kind I must take your word on trust. That is not something we Cardassians do easily." He looked at her pointedly.

"Neither does my kind either, it is one reason we have not become Federation members," Allyndra replied.

That piqued the Cardassians interest and the conversation went from there.

Quinn kept his head down and his mouth shut except to eat. He knew he had to be there, but his mother always told him, if you can't say anything nice, keep your damn mouth shut.

After another of what what was starting to feel like a pattern of awkward silences, Paul tried to keep things as positive as possible without trying to resort to topics of low import. What little diplomatic knowledge he had of Cardassians pointed to an unusual disdain for conversation without political or philosophical heft.

"Of course I've not been there..." Paul started, halting slightly at the quick turn of the table's attention to his lonely corner, "but from what I've read the rebuilding project on Prime has been an unbelievable success."

Paul hesitated for a moment at what he knew would be a painful subject for the Galileo's guests but he had always learned that to be genuinely complimentary is to find something with which one is truly impressed and the rebuilding project on Cardassia Prime showed great ingenuity.

"In fact, " Paul continued after a short moment "I just read about a canal project that cuts across almost the entire surface of the planet." He turned his attention slightly to his Federation compatriots. "Apparently they have water ships on the surface that can transport goods almost as quickly as a shuttlecraft without adding to the air traffic. It's an extraordinarily creative solution for such a common problem." Paul returned his attention to the Cardassians. "I'm sure you all must be very proud."

Several of the Cardassians chortled to each other, making a purposely insufficient but token attempt to hide their reaction. Second Glinn Risot smiled knowingly at his colleagues before assuming a soft, patronizing tone for the Galileo's diplomat. "Your words are very..." Risot interrupted himself with a single, amused "heh" high in his chest. He raised his hand from the table. "That's very kind of you, your excellency."

Paul's eyes turned to slits with a small smirk. "I have no official standing among the Prime government. Doctor or Lieutenant is fine."

At that Galin Natar audibly laughed before dropping his utensil and turning his head. Second Glinn Risot bowed his head slightly. "My apologies, of course. Lieutenant." Risot supplicated with a smarmy ease. Paul thought to himself the Cardassians certainly learned something from the Vorta.

Min was watching the exchange going on. She didn't have much to add but in the interests of diplomacy decided she should ask something she hoped would be suitable.

"I understand that for Cardassians, much like some of the Federation's member races, that family is very important. How do your people reconcile the need for members of your defense forces to be away for extended periods against the importance of family?"

Tratar had noticed the bulging stomach of the pregnant Ops chief when introductions had first been made, and now took the opportunity to chime in on what he perceived to be a violation of proper naval protocol. "...We start by not allowing pregnant women to serve as officers aboard our vessels..." he mumbled disapprovingly in between bites of his meal. "No offense, lieutenant, but how can you perform your duties to the fullest when you can barely sit down and stand up without help? What if you go into labor during combat...you will have abandoned your post and put the lives of your crew in jeopardy."

"First Glinn - Starfleet, as does your Military I'm sure, maintains a certain standard of fitness for all officers standing watch. If an officer, pregnant or otherwise, were to fail that fitness standard, they would be removed from bridge watch and assigned less demanding duties until such time as they were again fit to stand, typically after they give birth." She took a bite out of the food on her fork, "Typically a crewmember is excused from watch standing when they are within a few weeks of their due date, or if our Chief Medical Officer determines the risk of premature labor is high."

Smirking at Starfleet's misguided justification, Tratar broke off a piece of crispy French bread and dipped it in a ramekin of melted butter before stuffing it in his mouth. "But pregnancies are unpredictable," he retorted as he chewed. "My wife once gave birth an entire month ahead of the date our doctors predicted." He waved his piece of bread casually at her as he posed another question, causing butter to drip from the small saturated loaf and onto the immaculately clean white table cloth.

"You asked about family...I assume your husband is on board this ship as well? Or perhaps he is here right now with us?" he asked while glancing between all of the men seated at the dinner table.

Min had to concede that unpredictability is a part of any pregnancy. "Such situations do occur, I would agree. But not often enough to justify keeping families off starships." She paused. "My husband is aboard the ship. He is a linguist by training, though not here in this room." A little lie, necessary to avoid unwanted questions about unwed pregnancy and, given the people at the table before her, questions about the child's heritage.

Quinn had heard enough from the cocky bastard of a Cardassian. The no-good Spoonhead had tested his patience enough. "You see, Lieutenant Zhao, the Cardassians take on family is...well, it's much different than ours. While we in the Federation treat everyone as equals, and believe in prosperity through equality."

Tratar snorted in amusement at the COB's comment, clearly unimpressed with the man's rhetoric. "Yes, prosperity through Federation equality," he laughed. "Or should I say, imperialism. That is why your people recklessly expand and conquer any star system which suits your needs, no? And that is also why you have time and time again put the entire Alpha and Beta quadrants under direct threat, including from the Borg and the Dominion...because of equality?" He smirked again for good measure, then took another bite of bread.

"We are flattered that our exploits are so well known to you," Scarlet smiled easily and innocently, sipping her wine. "Perhaps, with our obviously renowned prowess, you would be interested in learning more about our history and culture, if it would be useful to you? I can lend you some reading material to take with you."

Paul smiled broadly at the exchange, filled with deep pride at his XO. "Commander, if I may be so bold. I'm quite positive the First Glinn makes it his business to be as knowledgeable as possible about his Alpha Quadrant neighbors." Paul turned to Tratar. In an instant his face dropped from cloying and friendly to serene and businesslike. "We certainly do."

While everyone else seemed content with the small talk, the acting chief engineer had taken to piling food on his plate, contemplating whether he was going to start in on this odd egg or not. He glanced over at the person seated next to him, smiling in his hopelessly oblivious manner. "I must not get out much, I've never seen eggs like this before."

"They are called taspar eggs..." Verrok replied to Kita's question while he prodded at the hard-boiled shell and began to flake it off. "Mixed with something else I am unfamiliar with," he added while looking at what appeared to be some sort of ham.

"Hollandaise sauce." Paul added serenely. "A delicacy on earth."

Tratar hadn't touched his eggs and had no intention to. Instead, he focused on the bread and wine available which was at least something suitable to his palate "Taspar eggs are disgusting," he said in no uncertain terms. "We feed them to prisoners and beggars... if you wish to eat them and degrade yourselves, be my guest."

"Come now, Tratar. At least they are cooked, yes?" Verrok's dark eyes glinted with amusement at the situation, specifically the Federation chef's lack of knowledge regarding Cardassian food customs. "We have all eaten them before during survival training at the military academy," he said to Tratar. "One more won't hurt."

Asahi stared between the two Cardassians, only registering the words 'taspar eggs' and filing them away for a later date. Shrugging, the engineer poked at the shell of his own egg. "Well, I've never had one. Doesn't hurt to try everything once, in my book." He grinned at the pair, clearly unphased by the fact that he was about to, as Tratar so lightly put, 'degrade himself,' choosing instead to dig right in. "... What're they like when they're raw?"

"Live taspar is foul and revolting... it looks dark in color and has the consistency of gelatin, but it wiggles and squirms. You are fortunate you have never had to eat one," Tratar explained to Kita.

"Sounds like eating sannakji." Asahi examined the inside of the egg, ready to take a bite, but continued his thought before doing so. "They're live sea critters that are just dumped on a plate and seasoned. You just slurp 'em right up."

Tratar squinted at the young engineer, not sure what to make of his comments. "Are you purposefully attempting to revolt me, lieutenant?" he asked Kita. "We are not savages. We Cardassians prefer their food cooked, not raw."

"Hm?" Asahi blinked, completely innocently at the Cardassian man. "Oh no, I meant no offense by it! In some cultures on Earth, it's common to consume things while they're still alive. My father's culture just happens to be one of them." He beamed, completely honest with his statements, proceeding to shovel a large forkful of taspar egg into his mouth. "... Oh hey, this stuff isn't half bad. Just needs some salt."

Jacob finally spoke. He had been taking the Cardassians and their behaviors and body language in as much as he could. He was fascinated with them since his interactions with them were pretty well non-existent. He looked over at the nearest Cardassian across from him and asked, "So, how do find the Sushi?" Pointing to the special rolls oh his own plate, "I have tried this dish from your cuisine and find it most interesting." He pointed to some of the prepared Cardassian delicacies on his plate. "I have always believed that Music, Art and Food are the very soul and representation about an advanced species. What do you think about that premise?"

Jacob wasn't really asking about the food; as anyone of his colleagues of the table, if they were paying attention, could have guessed. The question was one that he hoped would open up more knowledge about them and give more insight to their thought processes, culture sharing and maybe even some thoughts regarding their ideas of what was going on down on the planet.

Quinn set his fork down and glared at Tratar with a flash of fire in his eyes. "We didn't bow down before the Dominion like a dog does to its master, unlike you. We didn't lay siege to Betazed and rape the women and girls like raging animals, unlike you. We didn't take thousands of Betazoids and cut open their heads and remove parts of their brains while they were still alive to create a super Jem'hadar soldier that could attack telepathically and fight with terrible ferocity, unlike you! No!"

Quinn was unknowingly standing at this point, with clenched fists on the table, his voice ever getting louder. He didn't realize this, because all those years of anger and disgust at what he found on Betazed after the Dominion and Cardassian forces were driven off of Betazed. It had to come out.

"No, it was you! You animals bowed down to the Dominion like the dogs you all are! You are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of lives. You figured if you sided with what you say as a dominate force, they would let you rule the quadrant, and be their equals. It wasn't until we started kicking your asses and would not accept being yours, or those shape-shifting monsters slaves, that you finally realized you better switch sides!! YOUR PEOPLE HAVE NO HONOR, NO SANCTITY OF LIFE OR RESPECT TO ANYTHING BUT POWER AND CONTROL. Just ask the Bajorans. You are nothing more than bullies. And everyone knows that the best way to deal with a bully is to stand up against them, and we did! Now, the entire Milky Way knows you are nothing but a bunch of COWARDS!! Don't lecture me you son of a bitch about safety and the Dominion. If you weren't such cowards in the first place, the Dominion War would not have lasted a week. And it was not you that have suffered from the Borg, it was us! It wasn't you that stood up against the Borg or any other threat for that matter. So go crawl back under the rock you were hatched under and stay there!"

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CDRE Lirha Saalm
Mission Advisor
USS Galileo

CMDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo

LT JG Wakeham Paul Alasia
Diplomatic Officer
USS Galileo

LT Jacob Pendleton
Chief Research Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Norvi Stace
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

LT Asahi Kita
[Acting] Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo

Lt Cmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Command Master Chief Markum Quinn
Chief of the Boat
USS Galileo

CAPT Jonathan Holliday
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

LCDR Dea Mialin
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Galileo

LT Min Zhao
Chief Operations Officer
USS Galileo

LT Amynta Markos
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

Gul Verrok
Commanding Officer
CDS Aldara
[PNPC - Saalm]

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

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