A quiet word

Posted on Wed 26th Apr, 2017 @ 4:51pm by Lieutenant Sianna Dal & Lieutenant Commander Solan Jekkar

1,497 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Wrongs Darker Than Death Or Night
Location: Tivoli Gardens; restaurant

Sianna Dal rarely sought out Starfleet officers - those outside her own section had little in common with the diplomat, too preoccupied with the technical arcana the Orion was utterly unfamiliar with. The inherent discipline, the rigidity, even the comparatively mild ones of Starfleet compared to the Cardaissan Orders, did not play well with the diplomat's ingrained instincts. Some deep, primal distress inherent to Orion genetics or upbringing - possibly the reason why Botchok never truly unified like the other powers, despite being older.

Still, sometimes she was forced, by necessity, to seek out such companionship. If only to ease her own work - Starfleet officers had a tendency to be full of fire and resolve, convinced in the rightness of their path. It was a commendable attitude, but one that caused friction at times - friction that tended to impact a diplomat's duties. For her part, Sianna was averse to working longer than necessary - and if the occasional extended, awkward meeting with a Starfleet officer prevented overtime, she would embrace it.

So, she had found a nice, private booth in a small restaurant in the Gardens, not Andorian - native cuisine inevitably invited comparisons and never charitable ones, though it did serve a selection from most Federation core worlds. A suitable place for a meeting, private, informal as only a heads-up would be. Honesty that could only be found far away from official meeting rooms and the masks of duty.

Idly nursing a glass of Bajoran spring wine, the diplomat didn't so much as rise to greet her guest, "Commander, so glad you could join me." the Orion indicated the other seat in the booth, "Please, join me."

Solan nodded. "Alright Lieutenant." The tall Andorian took the vacant seat in the booth alongside the Diplomatic Officer. He was surprised to have received such a vague and rather unusual request. But the Detective within him had known better than to not give it an investigation. "What's this about?" He asked.

It was a small cube, black and unmarked save for a single slight depression on one side. Sianna Dal placed it carefully in the centre of the table, treating it as if it were made of glass, or some item of immense value, then pressed a finger against the depression.

"A privacy field. This model is not, technically, illegal." the diplomat's smile was a wry one, "I wished to talk - some information doesn't quite make it into the official briefings. We like to pretend not to see some things, so as not to allow unknown enemies in and to keep the back-channels open to avert disaster. As Chief of Security, your position is crucial." the Orion tapped absently on a holographic display before waving it away, "I would recommend the eggs in snow here for dessert, they're really quite excellent."

"Noted." Jekkar said as he waved a waiter over to take his order. "I'll have an Andorian Sunrise but hold the ice and I'll also take a slice of the Cheesecake." Once the waiter had gone the Commander looked at Sianna. "Then you're inviting me here is strictly off the record I assume?"

"Something like that. I've also grown quite tired of my office - too much time there in the past weeks." the Orion smiled - a truth, though not the entirety of it, dancing around the subject was an old game and it felt good to practice again, "Welcome to the frontier. Twice the work, half the resources and all of the risk. It reminds me of Botchok, only with less amusements." taking a sip of her wine, she added, "And fewer assassins, I suppose. The criminals here tend to be more smugglers than corsairs."

The Andorian chuckled. "Smugglers are in my experience just as deadly as any Corsair. They have far too much to lose." He watched as the Waiter arrived a moment or two later with his drink and his cheesecake. He waited for the waiter to go before continuing the conversation. "Frontier politics is deadly."

"Especially when Great Powers collide." Sianna produced a PADD, a standard, entirely unremarkable one, and passed it across the table, "The who's who in the area of space - and you didn't receive this from me - smugglers, information brokers. The occasional pirate spy who thinks he's too good to be caught." a far superior proposition to the ones who actually are too good to be caught, "Some of them are even useful, the Tal'Shiar operative can very reliably acquire Romulan ale, too reliably for a smuggler. Excellent quality, too."

The Commander nodded as he took the PADD and gave it a scan. "So what's this information going to cost me?" He asked her with a look. He hadn't gotten far in life as a Security Officer without knowing that if somethings were too good to true then they most likely were.

Sianna Dal's smile was one of angelic innocence, "Consider it an investment into a productive relationship." the smile faded as she added, "And a precaution. Some back-channels must remain open, so as to avert disaster. Arresting the wrong person could deprive us of vital information and resources. Better the devil we know and the one we can keep an eye on, than one we don't. No?"

The Andorian considered it for a second. It was was a very comprehensive list of names and I formation that could be useful on the Frontier. "Alright Miss Dal......You have a deal." He commented to her as he took receipt of the PADD. "But I'll make it clear that if anything on this list puts this Station at risk I will be swift to act regardless of whether it affects your politics or not."

"Of course, though it isn't my politics you should worry about. I'll survive and make do." there was something sharp in Sianna's smile, "I always do." the diplomat paused, looking nowhere in particular, trying to think of an apt analogy, "Rather, think of it in terms of an ecosystem. Start hunting predators without careful planning and you'll find the entire system thrown out of balance - such an act could cause much more damage before the system's balance is restored. We should prune the leaves, not burn the forest, no?"

Jekkar nodded. "Cut off the head and the bodies die."

Head cocked to the side, a faint smile on her lips, the Orion added, "Or the body sprouts two new heads for each one removed. The mythical hydra is a better comparison for many criminal organizations than a serpent."

"Very much so." Solan commented as he took a chunk out of his cheesecake with a fork. "So tell me as a lady with fingers in lots of pies, what's the local hierarchy like?"

"Very much policentric - competition is mostly economic, not physical. Strict weapon controls are good for something." safer, but not as exciting as Botchok had been ... Sianna found she could live without the excitement, "I do believe one Reyga, a Ferengi merchant, has been trying to get around that restriction by trying to import archaic pieces - ostensibly as collector's items. He's not affiliated with any particular group, merely greedy." the Orion started ticking off fingers, "Outside of that, there are no less than three Ferengi groups, all operating legitimate businesses with various illicit activities on the side, one Romulan operative we know of - and presumably at least one we don't know about, a Klingon operative I'm reasonably certain is here as some sort of punishment, a Cardassian operative actually working for Starfleet Intelligence as a double agent and nearly a dozen minor smugglers. That last group has recently been in talks to form a syndicate of their own - they can't keep up with Ferengi competition."

Solan nodded. "Makes sense, from my experience the Ferengi Commerce Authority are the most deceptive when they are making profits." Jekkar the cut another slice of his cheesecake. "After all let's not forget the sixty second rule of acquisition, Profit is its own reward. The riskier the road, the greater the profit."

"You've read the rules? Quite impressive ... not many in the Federation do. Fewer still understand them." hardly unexpected - the Federation's economic system was largely incompatible with the Ferengi one, but Sianna found it disappointing still, "Out here, far from the eyes of the Council, that understanding will come very useful."

Jekkar smiled. "You don't get far as a Security Officer without doing a little bit of homework." The Andorian chuckled as he cut another piece of cheesecake with his fork.

Sianna Dal gave no hint of the thoughts in her head as she rose the glass of spring wine - now mostly empty, "A toast then, to a long and prosperous partnership." for a moment, the Orion's teeth were visible in something not quite friendly, "May our enemies never know what hit them."

Jekkar raised his glass. "May we work to bring justice and peace to the people."

 

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