The Diplomatic Sledgehammer - Part 2

Posted on Fri Sep 23rd, 2011 @ 12:34am by Admiral Ricky Wegener & Captain qeraQ'

Mission: In Our Time of Need
Location: Divitia Prime - Council Chambers
Timeline: Current

The door closed behind Lieutenant Dobry with a loud slam, followed by the mechanical locks sliding shut. It all seemed very final, very dramatic, but that was probably it's intended purpose. The Council hall also served as a supreme court on this planet. He could just imagine the scene now, not unlike a trial in the High Council chamber on Qo'noS. Approaching the President he stopped short of the dais, not certain of the protocol in the chamber or in approaching the leader of the Divitian people.

"President Atanatar." he began solemnly, "I am Commander qeraQ', it is good to meet you in person. We have much to discuss." He had decided to be concise, he had never got the hang of the floral, Diplomatic language - it was too alien for him.

"Welcome, Commander qeraQ'. It is good to meet you as well and, yes, it seems we do have quite a bit to discuss." The President eyed the Klingon a moment. "What is it that we can do for you?"

"What are you looking for from us on this planet?"

"In a word: help."

"We came here to help. My orders were to restore this planet to a stable condition, protect it's population from harm and provide such assistance as I felt was necessary. My officers have respected those orders and worked to achieve those aims."

"Commander," Atanatar said as he motioned towards seating near them, "please, sit." As they both did so, he continued. "When the Speaker was sent on his diplomatic mission to formally request aid from the Federation, I was led to believe by the members of the Council that it was done so in an earnest effort to attempt to remedy our dire situation in a quick and efficient manner. Only recently has it been made known to me that his mission was simply a political scheme manufactured to make the peoples of this planet think that we were a bit more open-minded about the problem than we actually are, apparently." He sighed and slumped a bit in his seat. "Zee'Hrai and I both desperately wanted your assistance, and I know that there are things being withheld from me regarding our situation, but I can get no help from the members of the Council. The majority seem to want nothing to do with the Federation, seeing you as intruders instead of potential allies."

Shaking his head and returning his gaze to qeraQ' he asked, "Can you tell me what is wrong with our planet and is there any way of helping us survive this? Straight answers seem to be a thing of the past in these halls," he said, motioning to the Council chambers.

qeraQ' looked at the man in the eyes, trying to see inside the mans mind. "It's dying. From what we can see the Ion Wavefront has destroyed most of this planet's life supporting capability. Unless we can discover what has happened and try and correct it, it will die. My science team have theories and the Marines have made discoveries, but your ministries are preventing us from investigating further or taking action." he paused waiting for an outburst. "We can still help you, and I personally want to, but unless we can get the full story and access to all of the information we can achieve nothing further."

"I must say, Commander, that I feel like admitting defeat and just releasing you and yours from this obligation. It would surely mean the deaths of our people, but I'm not sure I see any other way." He turned to qeraQ'. "You may as well accept that fact."

"I am a Klingon, we do not suffer defeat. To lose is to dishonour ourselves. I do not understand your politics here. I had thought that you and Zee'Hrai had far more power than you seem to. The only option open to you is to get us access to the information we require. Give my team full clearance to proceed and authority to take action. If the Council will not let you do this then you must think of a way to get around the Council - or else this planet will die as surely as the sun rises."

Atanatar harrumphed. "Getting around the Council..." he said to himself. "That is easier said than done, Commander. However," he said as he turned to the visitor, "there are several Council members that owe me personal favors--BIG favors. I could potentially speak to them in private and attempt to persuade them to vote in my favor, but I don't know if that would work or not."

"What do you lose from trying? From what I can see you are paralyzed at the moment. If you lose, well...they could remove you, but at least you would have tried. I will personally offer any assistance or assurances that you and your people require. If you want us gone we will go, if both you and Zee'Hrai agree it, but I would prefer to help save your planet."

After a few moments, Atanatar smiled. "I like you, Klingon. And I agree. I will begin trying to use my influence to get some of these fools to see the light. If I don't fight for the lives of our people, who will?"

"Exactly. In the meantime, if you agree, I will have my teams carry on in the way they think is best, under your authorisation. There is also the matter of the Marines that discovered the chemical dump. Your authorities are pushing to have them arrested."

"They have done a service to the Divitian people by exposing them, I will arrange for the warrants to be revoked. Carry on Commander."

---
A post by

Commander qeraQ'
Executive Officer
Starbase 900

and

President Atanatar
Head of the Divitian Government
(Played by Admiral Wegener)