[ussgrayson] Sacred Characters
- From: Anna <tkilyle@xxxxxxx>
- To: ussgrayson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:27:51 -0400
_Sacred Characters
_by Self, Quon Mei, and Senek
/"An ambassador has no need of spies; his character is always
sacred"--George Washington/
Everything was ready and Selyf had rejoined the Ambassador back on the
planet. She appeared perturbed but he would not intrude. Rather than
that, he simply awaited her at the transporter terminal. "Ambassador?"
A woman with elegant slightly Asian features stepped through the door.
Robes made of dark blue silk floated around her. Her hair was cut short
to her head and her dark eyes saw everything. "I am ready, Selyf.
Contact the ship for transport."
Selyf pressed the comm-connection. "Grayson, two to beam up."
Senek nodded to the transporter operator. It was a male voice that spoke
but then he knew from his briefing that the ambassador was bringing an
aide with her. Though it was illogical to feel apprehension, Senek
acknowledged, to himself at least, that the ambassador coming aboard
made it official: the Grayson was fully in use. Anyone else might have
smiled. He simply stood even straighter than he usually did.
Mei felt the transporter take hold of them and in a moment they reformed
on the station. Selyf stepped forward, on front of her, and said, "This
is Quon Mei, Ambassador of the Federation, and I am Selyf, her assistant."
"You are welcomed aboard the USS Grayson," Senek said with a respectful
nod. "Madam Ambassador, forgive the lack of a greeting party but the
ship is in the process of making to leave. Her trip her was not the
official send off."
"That is acceptable, Captain," Mei said as she stepped forward. "Thank
you for taking us to our posting. You are aware of where we are going,
are you not?"
"I am," Senek told her. "Starfleet Command asked if I wished to defer
the assignment to another ship, in deference to our history. I
obviously didn't see the necessity, especially when my first officer is
Romulan."
"The Humans are unnecessarily sentimental," she observed. "I also have
been asked if I would like to hand over my placement to another, less
connected official."
"Come, I will show you to the guest quarters my XO has assigned you," he
said with a nod. "I had chance to visit my family and my grandparents
were quite surprised the matter even came up. Admiral Suvuk was almost
offended at the insinuation."
"I can understand that," Mei said simply.
"I have already been aboard," Selyf informed them. "I have assisted
your Second Officer in assigning the appropriate rooms and office space."
"My aide is quite efficient, Captain."
Senek refused to exhibit surprise but he was vaguely annoyed, even if
that were an illogical reaction. It was his ship and he didn't care for
surprises. "I see. I hope they meet your needs then. Then you've met
my XO I take it."
"No, but I have met your Second Officer, Lieutenant Commander Melanie
Redgrave," he replied. "She was most accommodating. Though I believe
she found our requests unreasonable."
"That is supposition, Selyf, and thus not a fair assumption," Mei told
him softly, her dark eyes firm but kind in her reprimand.
"Oh? Is there a problem, Mr. Selyf?" Senek asked.
It was Mei who answered. "There is no problem, we are quite impressed
with what we have seen of your crew so far, Captain."
"Then I shall rephrase the question: what was the issue that may, or may
not, have been unreasonable?" Senek asked steadily.
"We requested three rooms, each adjoining one to the other in a line,"
Selyf informed him.
"My aide's room adjoins mine and his secretary's adjoins his," Mei
added. "We have always had such arrangements."
"Might one logically assume Mr. Redgrave found that request difficult
for some reason?" Senek asked.
"That is a reasonable assumption, Captain," Mei said with a small nod.
Selyf looked at Mei for just a moment, very little of his inner turmoil
crossing his face. The Ambassador seemed, to him, fickle in her choice
to believe the Captain over his own assessment. He inclined his head
stiffly. "As you say."
Pointedly ignoring Selyf, Senek looked at Mei. "Then I hope what she
was able to provide will suit your needs, Madam Ambassador."
"I have every faith in your officer's abilities," Mei said. "I am quite
sure this journey will be comfortable."
"The Grayson is newly refitted down to the plumbing fixtures," Senek
noted. "I should think she is quite comfortable and esthetically pleasing."
"Are there holodeck facilities aboard?" Mei asked. She refused to look
between the two of them, they were both over a head and shoulders taller
than she was and it was undignified to strain her neck. "I wish to
spend time observing the culture that I will be surrounded by while I
have time during transit."
"There are," Senek said with a nod. "There are several holoprograms
that I'm told are quite genuine. There is also one special one created
by my maternal grandmother: of Vulcan before The Loss."
"That would be," Mei paused briefly then added, "I believe I would like
to see that. My father was quite young and remembers little of Vulcan."
"In this case, I will use the word fortunate when I say that we are
fortunate that all of my grandparents were there and came away safely,"
Senek said soberly, "though Suvuk was aboard ship, far away, at the time."
"My grandparents were stationed on Earth, my mother and her parents were
on a science vessel," she said simply.
"It is yet another reason I didn't turn down this assignment. This ship
is named for a great woman and I sincerely doubt she would have approved
of shying away from the difficult simply because of its difficulty,"
Senek explained.
"Perhaps that is why I have chosen to be the Federation's Ambassador to
the Romulan Empire," Mei offered. "If we have strong ties with the
people, perhaps we can forgive all wrong-doings. As illogical as it is,
I know of several of our people who are still unforgiving."
"An excellent point," Senek stated. He shook his head slightly. "There
are those who still speak of returning to our mutual roots though to
avenge The Loss. It is quite disturbing."
"I find it so also. Logic is the only true way forward, we must console
ourselves and move forward. That is what Spock would wish us to do."
"Logic and compassion," Senek agreed. "He was well known for both."
--
"...and I had done nothing...but shoot an unarmed Cardassian in his
underwear."-Li Nalas
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