This Is How It's Going To Be

Posted on Sat Jun 23rd, 2012 @ 8:41pm by Lieutenant Commander Kh'ali & Ensign Kai Sarkozi & Admiral Ricky Wegener & Lieutenant JG Quentin Dobry

Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Location: Conference Room, SB900

* * * Conference Room 2 * * *

Kh'ali arrived at the conference room to find Kai having one last cup of coffee. She poured one herself and gave the Ensign a smile.

"Everything looks perfect Kai, well done."

"Thank you." Kai smiled at the CDO, pleased. "This is the calm before the storm, yes?"

Kh'ali nodded. "You better believe it. Well, that depends, actually, on whether they argue with me or simply suck it up and sign on the dotted line. Given the amount of egg on their collective faces, they don't have much of a leg to stand on."

"Agreed." Kai looked at her watch. "Fifteen minutes."

Just as she spoke, Dobry arrived and greeted the two women. " We all ready?"

"Absolutely." Kh'ali gave him a satisfied smile. "Almost showtime." A call came in from Aure'l, announcing the arrival of the Prime Minister. Kh'ali requested that she send them in. "Let's get to our places and get this done. "

The PM and her entourage of two 'bodyguards' approached the doors to the conference room. "Remain outside," she said as she breezed through the door. "I'm sure I will be safe in there."

The doors whooshed closed behind her as she entered. Truth be told, she knew she was likely in for a tongue lashing and she couldn't allow her subordinates to see that happen--not to her. On her world she was above reproach, and to have these....outsiders come in and attempt to dictate to her how things were going to be, or to chastise her for things that occurred on the planet that were beyond her control, was something that would not happen in front of her fellow countrymen.

"I am here," she said as she sat, assuming a posture of regality. "We may begin."

Kh’ali rose to her feet, followed by Dobry and Kai. “Good evening, Prime Minister Maline, and thank you for coming. This shouldn’t take long.” Kh’ali’s manner was outwardly friendly. “You remember Ensign Sarkozi, and this is Lt. Quentin Dobry, a member of my staff here on the station.”

Maline nodded to everyone in attendance, but not really caring who was there. It was a bit of an imposition that she was to be here in the first place so she wanted to get this finished as quick as possible.

"May I assume that all of your personnel are unharmed from the incident on the planet?" she asked, trying to prompt the meeting into some sort of movement.

Kh’ali shifted immediately to business mode as she sat back down. her tone was even, but made it clear she was not in any mood to argue. “Luckily, they had stepped into the kitchen and were out of harm’s way, no thanks to planet security. You assured us, Prime Minister, that we had no need to arm ourselves, that we had no reason at all to fear for the Admiral’s safety or our own. It was pure chance that they were not at that table. Had they been, The Admiral, Gilroy, Ms. Sarkozi and I would be dead now.”

"I made the same assurances you would have made upon my arrival here, should these talks have been initially carried out on the station. Yet you would not have been able to guarantee my safety at one-hundred percent more than anyone else." She sneered. "No one could have foreseen an unknown terrorist planting and setting off a bomb."

“We were unarmed at your insistence. Defenseless. Assured that we were perfectly safe.” Kh’ali shrugged. “The good thing is that your local terrorists are inept, or have bad timing, or were not as observant as they should have been. We have recovered a padd dropped by someone encountered by one of our investigators which should prove interesting. The question is now, if it was a terrorist, then why?”

"As I said, Commander, no one could have foreseen this coming. Not me, not you, not anyone else! Weapons would not have saved you from a blast like that." She was now becoming angry. Questioning the methods that they have used for hundreds of years?

"Your security personnel required my security staff to come aboard this station unarmed. And if some random group tears this base apart--will I be allowed to bring you to Archadia and berate you in the same manner? You have some nerve!"

She seethed, but continued on. "The only terrorists that have ever been on our planet are the ones from the Federation, your Section 31 personnel. We have not had an attack like this in over three-hundred years."

“They are a pain in the ass, I agree, and it’s thanks to us that your hospital is still standing. We want them removed as much as you do. The point remains, however, that what happened down there was no small incident. I would expect just as much concern from you were the situation reversed. The point is this - we both want any leftover Section 31 operatives removed, and that we will do. My concern, however is the other issue of remaining --” Kh’ali was cut off by the beep of her comm badge.

=^= Gilroy to Commander Kh’ali =^=

Kh’ali frowned. “My apologies Prime Minister.” She tapped her badge and answered. “Go ahead.”

=^= We have made a rather startling discovery. The incendiary device has been traced to the Archadian Military and this has been confirmed by planet security. I thought you’d want to know as soon as possible. Gilroy out. =^=

Kh'ali sat silent for a moment, letting that apparently sink in.

"This is...." Maline started. "It can't be," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "It's impossible. Every single member of our military has sworn an oath of allegiance to me, to upholding our beliefs, to...to..."

Her voice trailed off as she stared wide-eyed at the edge of the large table in front of her.

“Prime MInister Maline,” Dobry spoke now. “I know this comes as a severe shock to you. I find it hard to believe myself, and might not if your own security force had not confirmed it.”

Kh’ali places her hand on Dobry’s arm as she spoke now. “Incredible. Prime Minister, I believe it is imperative at this point that you remain as a protectorate of the Federation. I am willing to guarantee whatever assistance you might need in dealing with this issue. Relations have been so very beneficial to us both thus far, and I absolutely do not wish to see you come to any harm.”

Still lost deeply in thought, Prime Minister Maline spoke, "I...but I--yes. Yes, I believe you are correct."

Finally she looked up at Kh'ali. "I will allow this base to remain in our space indefinitely, then. It is obvious that we will require your assistance to rectify this situation."

“And we are more than happy to provide it.” Kh’ali’s expression was if the utmost concern. “I will have the document brought to you within the hour. Given this new information, would you care to remain on the station tonight while they finish investigating?”

She nodded. "I would, along with rooms for my security personnel--nothing extravagant for them, mind you."

For the first time in many, many years Maline felt the need to apologize, but she simply couldn't form the words.

"I will notify my office on the planet of my plans to remain here."

“Excellent. Ensign Sarkozi will see to your accommodations, and Lt. Dobry will being the agreement in one hour. If there is anything I can do for you, please call me personally.” Kh’ali nodded to Kai, who stood.

“I’ll arrange for a late dinner once you are settled, Prime Minister Maline. Anything special you require, we can discuss on the way to your quarters.” Kai moved away from the table to wait by the door, already tapping on her padd.

The whole ordeal had been like a gut-punch to the Prime Minister. How could her own military personnel have been responsible for these actions? The thought was inconceivable, yet the data had been confirmed by her own military.

It made her want to weep, but that was a sign of weakness and no proud Archadian female, let alone the Prime Minister, would weep openly. Taking a moment to gather herself she stood, scooped up her items and walked out the door.

Once Maline and Kai were gone and the doors closed, Kh’ali relaxed back in her chair with a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness that’s over. I knew that information would do it.”

“You knew?” Dobry looked at her, surprised. “But --”

“But the call just came in?” Kh'ali smiled. “Actually Gilroy called me forty-five minutes ago while I was dressing for the meeting. I requested that he call me precisely fifteen minutes after we started and inform me of this shocking discovery.” Kh’ali gathered the padds and stood, preparing to leave.

Dobry merely shook his head as he stood up too. “You are sneaky. Should I be worried?”

“Only if you’re ever on the other side of the table, Quentin. Feel like a drink after you drop off the agreement?”

“Sure, I’ll meet you at the Nexus.” And Dobry departed, still shaking his head.

Once the room was empty, Kh’ali sent a text message to Leroy to let him know she was back, that things were wrapped up, and that she would be home in a couple of hours. Once done, she left the room as well.

*********

Lt. Commander Kh’ali
Chief Diplomatic Officer

Lt.(jg) Quentin Dobry
Diplomatic Officer

Ensign Kai Sarkozi
Admiral Hawke’s Aide

Prime Minister Maline
Archadia III