The Pandora Taxi Service

Posted on Sun Jun 21st, 2020 @ 3:58am by Captain Nycolas Temple & Cailus Griffin & Lieutenant Commander Janet Glyndar
Edited on on Wed Jun 24th, 2020 @ 7:19am

Mission: New Moon Rising
Location: Transporter Room/Briefing Room
Timeline: After "Carnwennan Detour"

When Cailus arrived at the transporter room, he was pleased to note that the Security team had already arrived, stood in a disciplined line next to the console. He was briefly grateful for Glyndar's advice as these three officers, two humans and a tall, dark-skinned Vulcan, were the only all-male team on duty. All three were unarmed, thankfully; they all knew the protocol.

As he stored his phaser in a locker, Cailus said, "Gentlemen, it's nanny protocol today. Do not touch Ambassador Sevros under any circumstances, and do not let him know that our replicators supply raktajino. I can only imagine what horrors Commander Glyndar has witnessed to give that order, and I'd prefer that we not find out today. Clear?"

At the team's nods, the transporter technician spoke up from behind his console. "The ambassador is standing by for transport, sir."

Turning to the pad, Cailus took a breath, resigning himself to the worst. The Talarian ambassador was going to be an ass, judging by his behaviour over the comn; Cailus and his team simply had to tolerate the man.

"Energise when ready," he finally said reluctantly.

After the blue lights shimmered away, Sevros and his assistant appeared on the transporter pad, his dour disposition remaining obvious. As he approached the man who appeared to be in charge, the Talarian tugged noticeably on the gloves that purposely covered his hands.

"I hope your ship is ready to depart." He commented, keeping his hands by his side, though giving the slightest of bows to Lieutenant Griffin.

Hello to you too... Cailus thought irritably, before mentally recalling an old Vulcan calming mantra to release the tension. He usually appreciated bluntness, but Sevros' assumption of authority on a Federation ship rankled. "Preparations are being made, Ambassador," he replied evenly, his hands clasped behind his back. "I'm Lieutenant Griffin, Chief of Security. It would be helpful if we had sensor data about your vessel, of course, so our astrometrics specialists know what to look for."

Sevros clicked his fingers and his assistant silently and hastily produced a data chip.

"Here is everything you should need." Sevros sighed, dropping the chip into Griffin's hand, "As much as I am authorised to give you. I am hopeful you will find my ship fairly quickly."

Pocketing the chip, Cailus nodded firmly. "That's our job, sir," he said confidently, taking care not to indulge in a sympathetic glance at Sevros' somewhat put-upon assistant. "The Pandora has one of the best sensor suites and science departments in the Alpha Quadrant. If your ship is out there," (he had to restrain a wince at the faux pas) "we'll find it."

Sevros squinted a little at the Security Chief. "Of course we will find it. Now, there is a matter I wish to discuss with the Captain. Please, take me to him."

Eager to leave and end an awkward first meeting, Cailus stepped back, gesturing towards the door with an open hand. "The Captain anticipated that, Ambassador, and asked me to take you to the Senior Briefing Room. This way, please."

Sevros looked the man up and down with an inquisitive eye. Polite yet officious, and respectful of the Ambassador's obvious importance. He gave another bow and managed a smile, "As you wish, Lieutenant."

As they walked outside, he remarked to Griffin, "You know, you'd make a good Talarian officer."

[Deck Two - 10 minutes later]

As the group approached the Captain's Ready Room, the Talarian walked down the corridor just slightly behind Lieutenant Griffin. He looked around at the Federation vessel with quiet intrigue, occasionally giving an interested "hmm" or a disapproving grunt. Star Fleet's technological advancements were clearly superior to the Talarians, not that he was going to admit it.

"Your vessel is designed for comfort. Not war." He remarked aloud. "No wonder the Dominion engaged your forces with such ease."

Bristling, Cailus worked his jaw furiously as they walked. He could practically feel the silent laughter from Ensign al-Rashid behind them, the only member of the team who had joined them; there was no need for a full escort team now that the Ambassador was onboard.

"The Pandora is a starship, Ambassador, not a warship, despite our armaments." He privately thanked Harriet for dragging him along to all those political functions and chin-wags; the experience of withstanding so many diplomats and politicians for hours on end was proving invaluable. "It's not uncommon for Starfleet ships to spend years in deep space, so our ships are designed to facilitate comfort for the variety of species that serve in Starfleet on such long voyages."

Sevros merely shrugged, "I suppose this leads to your Captain's personal zoo?"

Breathe, Cay...breathe...just breathe... Harriet's century-old advice, half-remembered and half-imagined, was all that stopped Cailus from retorting in kind to such blatant racism. He was no Vulcan, despite the persistent grumbles that spread throughout Security.

"The Captain has no zoo, sir," he finally said with a feigned quizzical expression as they neared their destination. "Do Talarian captains keep zoos onboard their vessels? It seems an odd allocation of resources for a warship."

"No, but we don't have Recreation Decks either." Sevros snorted.

Nycolas was sitting at the head of the briefing table, reading the latest Intelligence information on the Carnwennan Corridor when he heard voices outside. One in particular didn't sound necessarily pleasant and he deduced the Ambassador had arrived. Wishing to relieve Lieutenant Griffin of the experience, Nyx jumped up and went to the door.

"Ambassador Sevros," Nyx called out as he appeared in the corridor. "Thank you for coming on board so quickly. Once we analyse your ship's data, our crew can start tracking her down."

Sevros greeted the Captain with a bow, though likewise kept his hands by his side. "Indeed. Your Lieutenant tells me your ship has the best scientists in the Quadrant?"

Nyx looked to Griffin with a broad smile, giving him a friendly nudge, "You said that?"

Visibly relaxing now that the Ambassador was no longer his problem, Cailus gave the captain a dry look. "Yes, Captain. I will acknowledge a degree of personal bias, of course."

As Nyx let out a conspiratorial laugh, Sevros looked between the two and sighed loudly, "Will this take much longer?"

Temple raised an eyebrow, his lips curved downwards into a disapproving frown. "No. In fact, Lieutenant Griffin, you are dismissed to continue our preparations."

As the Chief of Security departed, Nyx lead the Talarian inside the briefing room for their discussion. Again, Sevros couldn't help but show his disapproval at the large room with it's comfy high-back chairs and decorative plant life. You needn't have the Universal Translator to guess what he was thinking. After taking their seats at the table, Sevros' silent assistant stood stoically to his left and Temple leaned forward.

"You wanted to tell me something?" Nyx asked, getting straight down to business.

"As I'm sure you are aware, Talarian technology is no match for the sophisticated and clearly wasted abilities of your ship," Sevros began, the insult passing by casually like a comment on the weather, "However, our border beacons were able to pick up some readings before they disappeared, hence why my ship hastened to investigate and leave me behind."

Nyx nodded, "And what did they detect?"

"The Tzenkethi Coalition." The Ambassador replied gravely, "It was their ships on our border, obviously pushing once again into the Corridor. This could lead to all-out war in the region."

Temple leaned back in his chair, taking in the information, "How sure are you that these readings were reliable? There are plenty of industrious groups in this region looking to spark such a conflict by using false data."

Sevros scoffed, "Do not belittle our intelligence, Captain. It was those glow-in-the-dark reptiles. I have given your Chief of Security location data, but you may have this one from our beacon's database to analyse."

With another click of his fingers, the servant produced another data chip from his pocket, and Nyx retrieved it with curiosity.

"Your eyes only, Captain." Sevros commanded, "I have not had the time to fully censor the information for declassified purposes, I am trusting you to handle this appropriately. It will show you that our readings are correct and that the Tzenkethi have initiated hostile conflict against the Talarians."

Temple sighed, "I was very much hoping to avoid joining a war today. The Pandora will not be part of any such conflict. We will find your ship and safely help to escort it away from danger but the Federation will not be drawn into your war."

Sevros looked to the Captain, his eyes narrowed again, "You may not have a choice, Captain."

Nyx tapped his badge with an uneasy feeling in his stomach, =/\= Captain to the Bridge? =/\=

"Yes, Captain" came Lieutenant Commander Glyndar's reply.

=/\= Let's get underway towards the Corridor. =/\= Nyx replied, still looking at the Ambassador. =/\= We have the information we require to locate the Talarian ship. =/\=

"As you wish" she said. She then gave the helmsmen the go ahead to follow the Captain's orders.

OFF