Where Chickens Can Cross the Road, Part I

Posted on Wed 31st Jul, 2019 @ 2:04pm by Lieutenant Damion Ildaran

922 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Spock Towers Penthouse, Deck 1553, Ischemia Addams Legal Services
Timeline: MD-3, 1530

I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives. --Anonymous

By and large, most of the lawyers he'd met while searching for someone to represent Zelda Alegari's interests had been decent people, Damion thought, but not a one of them had practiced law for more than five years. Zelda's needs, Damion suspected, would require a top-notch, experienced lawyer who could handle working with a client who might at any moment lose all memory of having met him or her before. There were a couple that he wouldn't trust if his life depended on it. Argoli Elldar was a publicity hound, and Rhionnyn Ducet was--how interesting!--currently under investigation by the Starbase 109 Bar Association for swindling her clients.

Right. Cross that one off the list, Damion thought. That left someone named Ischemia Addams. Wasn't ischemia a medical condition? Damion looked up the word, realized how it could be creatively interpreted¹, and laughed aloud. Someone's parents had had a geeky sense of humor, as far as he was concerned. He looked up further information about the woman and slowly nodded to himself. Addams had a penchant for representing the underdog and had won a respectable number of difficult cases. If Zelda didn't count as an underdog, Damion couldn't imagine who did.

Damion looked up Addams' contact information and put a call through.

Working through the fine print on the Besm contract with Starfleet required a lot of concentration. Ischemia had seen many such contracts, but this one wasn't boiler plate. For one thing, the Besm weren't yet members of the Federation. She frowned, thinking they might never be if this was what they could expect every time they had contracts with some branch of government. Their desire to have off-world colonies was a smart move. They were not yet so numerous that they were naturally dispersed.

Although there were rules of the Federation broken by the Besm society, they were artificial rules, and in areas where it would upend the Besm species to change things to suit the Federation. They are a separate species now, she thought. Enough time and enough generations and enough changes, they are separated from us as far as Bajorans are, while still being related. They deserved to have a way to preserve their lives, their culture and their science, even if it didn't agree with Federation law. Grabbing a stylus, she scribbled a one word note. grandfathered ???

That would be her argument on their behalf, should they decide to pursue Federation membership all the way to the end. There were other options, however, and she would take a close look at those, since she'd been hired to advise them ... or maybe just to inform them of the hidden aspects of each option. She'd have to - her com vibrated on the desk top, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Ischemia Addams. How may I help you?" she answered, while scribbling another note. various Romulans?

Damion blinked. He'd expected a secretary to pick up, not Addams herself. "Good afternoon, Ms. Addams. I'm Lt. Damion Ildaran of the Intelligence Department here on the base. I wanted to know if I could meet with you about the possibility of you representing an asset of mine. She needs the help of a good adviser, and she has asked that her attorney be a civilian. There's more to this, but I would rather not discuss it over an open comm line. If you'd care to talk this over with me, I'd be happy to meet you in my office or in yours, whichever is more convenient for you."

"Hmmm, hang on a sec while I check my list," Ischemia answered, deliberately vague. She took a few seconds to think about all the work she was currently undertaking, and whether there was any place to fit in another client. No doubt it wouldn't be something simple if it involved an intelligence case.

"Lieutenant, I'm presuming this would be an engrossing case, consuming both my interest and my time. I'm already approaching the maximum amount of both available. Can you tell me if this woman's legal affairs are a Gordian knot?"

Damion thought about it. "Possibly, but we have evidence to support only two charges--of signaling to a party or parties unknown from the starbase, without authorization, and possession of a deadly weapon. Circumstantially, she could be guilty of a lot more. We suspect that she is more a victim than a willing participant in these activities."

Addams sighed. Why was it always something complicated and fascinating, at the same time? Already, she was intrigued. "Look, I can't promise anything, but why don't you come down to my office, and we'll talk about it. I have the highest security system available to civilians, and no one will overhear us. I'm on Deck 1553 in Spock Tower, top floor penthouse office. I'll leave word with the doorman to send you up on the private elevator. In, shall we say, ... 20 minutes?"

Damion's eyebrows went up. Pricey digs. I'm nae' sure Zelda can afford this. "Thank you. I'll be there in twenty, then. What documentation do you need for me to bring?"

"For now, just bring your story. I'll listen and we'll go from there," Ischemia said.

 

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