Sokar's Arrival

Posted on Tue Jun 2nd, 2015 @ 7:54pm by Suresh & Commander Sakkath & Lieutenant Commander Michael Darwin

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Nelvana III - The Neutral Zone

Sokar could already see the flurry of activity across the viewscreen. It was not everyday that a Romulan warbird decloaked in orbit, contacted planetary security and announced the presence of a Federation ambassador. It would be amusing, if not for the fact that he was Vulcan. It didn’t stop the Colonel from snickering nearby, offscreen as he was anxious to keep the presence of a Tal Shiar operative from the Nelvanans.

“I would speak with whomever is handling the case brought against one Captain Li Hawke, one Commander Oralia Zeferino, one Lieutenant Michael Darwin, and one Suresh,” Sokar spoke plainly amidst the activity.

Sokar’s order was met with stunned silence as planetary security tried to make some sense of what the officers were seeing. This was the Neutral zone, a point of mass contention on a good day. But to see a Romulan ship with a Federation Ambassador - well that was a little hard to process. It also demonstrated that this was no ordinary case. Finally, the officer cleared his throat.

“Of course, Ambassador. I’ll summon them right away and have them contact you.” The screen went dark and down on the planet, a security officer was on the run.

A few minutes later, the comm beeped and another face appeared. “Captain Roshan, Nelvana III Security. What may I do for you Ambassador Sokar?”

“Peace and long life, Captain Roshan,” Sokar greeted him in the typical Vulcan fashion. “You are holding three Starfleet officers and their Romulan acquaintance whom you believe to be the fugitive Suresh. You are in error. I am here to secure their release and resolve this misunderstanding.”

“Error?” Disbelief showed on Roshan’s face. “That is unlikely. The man is a perfect match and we have a statement from a reliable witness, one of our own intelligence operatives.” Roshan frowned as he considered the stern face before him and the implications of this particular case. What had seemed a relatively simple matter was now complicated by the arrival of the Vulcan ambassador and a Romulan warbird. Anyone who could unite those two forces to come to their assistance would not let this be swept under the rug. He was, he realized, ankle-deep in quicksand and one misstep would bury him.

Finally, he nodded. “Very well. I will send coordinates for your transport to this facility. Roshan out.” The channel closed.

As the screen went dark, Sokar gave a nod of approval and turned to face Colonel tr’Khnialmnae. “Would you care to accompany me to the surface, Colonel?”

The Romulan pondered that for a moment before shaking his head. “No,” he declared, “I should remain here, given the likelihood that your presence may draw some unwelcome attention from my compatriots.” He scanned the bridge, singling out a junior officer. “Uhlan!” he snapped, causing the man to jump to attention. “Attend the Ambassador, and see to it he doesn’t get himself killed.”

Sokar quirked a brow as the junior officer saluted. “It seems unlikely I should be in danger inside of the planetary security facility, Colonel.”

“Humor me,” was Telek’s only response as he retook his chair on the dais in the center of the bridge. Seeing little point in arguing, Sokar made for the turbolift, his escort in tow.

* * *

Despite Darwin’s idea to nap, Suresh had been unable to settle. He was in real danger of being shipped off to life in a penal colony, and one for the crazies at that. It would be a one-way trip, there was no doubt about that. Sitting still was getting to him, so he stood and began to pace. Back and forth, across the cell, occasionally looking out but seeing nothing. He knew Li had connections but how much could she really do from a cell? And she was over there alone too. He certainly hoped she was alright, though the idea of anyone trying to hassle her was amusing. At least Oz was safe in the hospital. They wouldn’t mess with her there, at least not for a day or two, given how serious her injuries had been.

He stopped and looked out once more. Still nothing. He grumbled aloud and now he heard Darwin stir.

"You're like a elephant over there, Suresh." Darwin griped. "There's not much we can do, but Li said Sakkath is on it, so we'll be fine." He didn't need to be telepathic to know what was bothering Suresh.

“I certainly hope so,” Suresh answered. “I can’t go there, Darwin. Not even if it’s temporary till we get this worked out. I hope whatever Sakkath is doing is sooner rather than later.”

"Well, as you know, the Station is three days from here. Elba II is about six, so chances are Sakkath will have someone here before the prison does." He fell silent for a second. "I hope he sends that JAG lieutenant. You haven't met her yet, have you? Brunette, really good to look at."

Suresh had to smile. “Luckily, I’ve had no reason to run across anyone from JAG so I’ll take your word for it. Maybe once we’re home I’ll look her up. I like brunettes.”

"She'd eat these guys for lunch," Darwin mused. He'd had to deal with her once or thrice on various matters. "You should. Maybe she could do a name change for you," he added, chuckling.

“I’ve been thinking about that too.” Suresh turned away from the force field to face Darwin. “At my age? I think getting used to a new name would be difficult. I’ve had it a long time.”

"Perhaps." At least he had Suresh thinking about things besides ending up in Elba's prison. "I get it, can't teach an old dog new tricks and all that. Well, so long as you avoid places like this, you should be fine."

“Hopefully this will end it, since his official death record will be on file and some sort of record of me will exist.” Suresh returned to his bunk and sat down. “Nothing to do but wait, I suppose. Got any good stories?”

"Depends, wanna hear about Gilroy and his fear of spiders?" That ended up not being the story Darwin told, but that was fine. At least Suresh wasn't pacing anymore

* * *

“They’re here sir.”

Roshan rose from his desk as his assistant made the announcement. “They?”

The man nodded. “Ambassador Sokar and a Romulan officer.”

Roshan stood silent a moment, trying to process this. “Just what the hell have we stepped into?”

The young assistant shrugged. “I don’t know sir, but I’m glad I’m not in your shoes.” The man hurried out and in his wake, two other men appeared.

“It is agreeable to make your acquaintance in person, Captain Roshan,” Sokar began as he strode into the room with ornamented robes billowing about his frame, a PADD in his folded hands nearly consumed by the open sleeves. His face was impassive and unreadable beneath silver-grey hair. Behind him, his Romulan escort took up position at the side of the door, remaining silent. “It is my hope that we can rectify this matter swiftly.”

Roshan’s gaze shifted over to the Romulan, who was clearly there in a protective capacity, then back to Sokar. Suddenly, he was wishing he’d gone fishing this morning instead of coming in to work. He nodded, however.

“That is my wish as well, Ambassador. This Suresh was labelled as being a most dangerous criminal. We could not allow him to roam free. What I am curious about is why three Starfleet officers left him alone to do as he wished. I am also most curious as to your involvement and his in this matter.” He nodded to the guard. He was also curious why a Vulcan and a Romulan were flying about the Neutral Zone together, but he decided not to ask.

Sokar extended the PADD to Roshan. “Three Starfleet officers allowed him to move about unhindered because he both is and is not Suresh.” Sokar did not envy this man. The situation he had created with only his presence was bizarre enough, and now an alternate universe was going to feature prominently in their discussion. “Contained herein you will find details of a temporal event that resulted in a mirror Suresh crossing over into our continuum of time and space. You will also find medical records for both instances of Suresh, one deceased and one very much alive, that can verify their individual identities and corroborate the crossover. Elba II has been kind enough to provide their intake scans of the fugitive Suresh so that you have data from multiple sources. I trust you will wish to verify all of this with your own examination, of course.”

The ambassador glanced back at his companion. “Young Decius has very little interest in this, I should imagine, beyond the safety of my person. Unnecessary, I am certain, but he does have his orders. And my interest goes only so far as seeing justice served. It would not do to have an innocent man confined for the crimes of his alternate self, nor for three well respected citizens of the Federation to be falsely accused.”

Roshan reached up to rub his forehead. The beginning of a headache was settling in and he suspected it would get worse before it got better. He called to the officer hovering outside his door. “Bring the men to me.” He then looked to Sokar. “It will take a few minutes. In the meantime, make yourself comfortable while I look over the evidence you’ve brought. We have the corpse in our possession already. Once I’ve checked this information, I will order an examination of both versions.” With that, Roshan sat down behind his desk and began to read.

Sokar knit his fingers together and folded them against his robes, content to wait in silence.

Several minutes later, the prison guards appeared with Darwin and Suresh in tow. They ushered the men into Roshan’s office, then stepped back to wait. Roshan looked over the two men. “Lt. Darwin, Suresh, this is Ambassador Sokar and his guard Decius. They have come to intervene on your behalf.”

Sokar inclined his head in greeting to the pair. “I have been providing the Captain with pertinent information previously unavailable to him in the hope that we may resolve this matter amicably,” he explained.

Suresh looked at Sokar, then at Decius, then to Darwin. If the sky had opened up and Surak himself had come down into the prison, he wouldn’t have been more surprised and it showed on his face. When Darwin had said Li had called Sakkath and that Sakkath would ‘handle it’ he wasn’t joking. Finally, he managed to speak.

“Thank you, both of you. This whole situation is rather strange and I appreciate your coming so far out of your way. I owe Commander Sakkath, and you, a big one.”

“Your gratitude is appreciated, but unnecessary,” Sokar lifted a hand as he spoke. “It was no great distance, and the pursuit of justice is ever a worthy goal.”

Darwin had smirked at Suresh, but now focused on Sokar. He had half a dozen questions about the Romulan by the door, but let those go. "Indeed it is, Ambassador, and that you have come what is surely out of your way is greatly appreciated."

Roshan cleared his throat. “Now that the niceties are out of the way, perhaps we should get down to business?” He looked at Suresh first. “You will be taken to the medical facility where the necessary scans will be run.” He motioned to the guards and one stepped up to Suresh. “And you,” he now addressed Darwin, “you will be taken along as well, where you will wait with Commander Zeferino.”

“Scans?” Suresh frowned at that.

“To prove your identity, unless you’d rather stay here.” Roshan motioned to the guard. “Get them out of here. Unless you prefer to keep Lt. Darwin here Ambassador?”

Sokar spread his hands to his sides in a gesture of deference. “We are in your facility, Captain. I submit to your discretion.”

Darwin agreed, knowing it was best to let the home team feel in charge. He waited a beat for Roshan to answer.

“Very well, that will keep most of you in one place.” Roshan motioned to the guards and they nudged Darwin and Suresh to get them moving. A few moments later they were out of sight. “I hope we can get this settled soon, Ambassador, and that your hopes are not proven false. If you wish, I can have someone show you to the medical facility.”

“I am confident in the truth of my assertions,” Sokar said without arrogance. “If it pleases you, I should like to see Captain Hawke. I am sure the others will be quite comfortable at the medical facility.”

“Very well. Will he be going with you?” He nodded to Decius.

Sokar turned to face the young man who nodded emphatically, his expression quite serious.

“It would seem so,” Sokar answered. “One cannot fault him for attention to duty.”

“Very well. I’ll take you there myself.” Roshan stood and came around from behind the desk. If you will follow me?” He passed out the door, sparing Decius a glance as he went.

The Ambassador followed, his guard in tow. Roshan had seemed an honorable sort, he mused. Now his faith was placed in a medical scanner and the triumph of logic.

***************
Lt. M. Darwin
Vulcanstruck

Ambassador Sokar
Raising More Questions Than Answers

Suresh
Wondering What Other Connections Li Has

Captain Roshan
Working On A Headache