Time Drawing Out

Posted on Nov 22, 2016 @ 5:07pm by Captain Michael Turlogh Kane

Mission: Aftermath

"TIME DRAWING OUT"

(Continued from "In The In-Between")

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Location: Candlestick Auditorium, San Francisco, Earth
Stardate: [2.16]1122.1305
Scene: Temporary Office


Marie-Claire Martine took one last look up and down the corridor before giving a quick rap on the door and opening it. She wasn't sure why she was perturbed by anyone looking on - after all, a meeting between the Secretary of Starfleet and a member of the Federation Assembly was routine. Her position, in more stable times, would have necessitated frequent meetings with all manner of politicians, both from the Assembly and the Council, anxious to have their questions answered or to press her for details on some aspect of Starfleet that was important to them.

But it was the content of this meeting that might have been problematic to a neutral observer. What she was here to do was against all sorts of ethics, and if news ever broke that she was here (and, she woefully realised, it was likely that someone somewhere might leak news of her visit), her position would no longer be tenuous. Although a civilian holding political office, she still represented Starfleet on the government. Starfleet was the military, and the military had no business interfering in the workings of a civilian government.

The room ahead was a small office, with two desks that faced each other, but there was only one person there. He was standing in the middle of the room, hands behind his back, pacing to and fro with a serious look on his face. When he saw Martine enter, he stopped his pacing and looked at her in askance.

Martine closed the door gently. "Mister Karimi," she said quietly. "Marie-Claire Martine. It's good to meet you in person."

Hussein Hafeez Aalam Karimi came to her and shook her hand. He was just under six feet in height, but the red-and-white keffiyah on his head made him look taller. His long thawb was black with gold trim and hung down to his ankles, beneath which, Martine noted with some suprise, sat a pair of fashionable black Oxford shoes. His face was round, framing brown eyes and a thick black moustache. When he spoke, it was with a rich, smoky voice, without a trace of accent. "Madam Secretary. I am pleased to meet you." He indicated one of the desks. "I regret that I don't have much to offer in the way of hospitality. It's somewhat crowded around here these days, and your request for a private meeting was somewhat unexpected."

Martine leaned against one of the desks. It looked like it belonged to his secretary, whoever that was - there were several PADDs and a connected computer terminal, the blank monitor in standby mode. "Perhaps we could arrange a more permanent change of accommodation, Mister Karimi."

Karimi put his arms behind his back again, assuming a somewhat military air. "I do not understand."

"I know," said Martine, wondering where to begin. She decided on the tack she was going to take, and launched into it. "You are Earth's representative on the Federation Assembly. You are a noted mediator and well-known to all the members of that body as an impartial, neutral administrator. This is true?"

Karimi looked like he was thinking about trying to deny it, but after a moment he shrugged. "I suppose so. I always try to remain on good terms with my fellow Assembly members, and have been fortunate enough not to make any political enemies there."

"More than that," continued Martine, "you enjoy widespread popularity in the Assembly, even after several years of service." It was a statement, not a question. She knew it to be true. Hussein Karimi managed to walk the fine line between the various voting blocs in the Assembly, sometimes siding with one against the others, sometimes turning his back on those he previously supported, but nobody would have ever accused him of self-aggrandisement or power politicking.

"If you say so, Madam Secretary." Karimi looked a little uncomfortable. "This is what you wanted to talk to me about?"

Martine stood up and looked him dead in the eye. "I want you to consider running for the vacant seat on the Federation Council."

Karimi was taken aback. He turned on his heel, facing away from her, and brought his hand to his chin in thought. After a moment, he threw a glance at her. "The Council has expelled Earth from its meeting table."

The probing questions, thought Martine with satisfaction. The dearth of an immediate rebuttal meant that he was interested, but needed a little more prodding. "Yes," she said, "but the election is open to any non-Council member in the Assembly. Earth is a non-Council member of the Assembly. This vote will be taken by the Assembly to elevate one of their number to the Council, who don't get a say on whether or not to accept them."
Karimi was still thinking. His eyes narrowed. "The Council does not seem overly fond of Humans right now, Madam Secretary. The President indicated that in his dissolution speech. If you are here, now, I assume neither he nor anyone on the Council knows about your visit."

Martine inclined her head. "My compliments on your deduction. You are correct."

"I am right, therefore, to conclude that the President has lost your support?"

"You are."

"Ah." Karimi let a small smile play on his lips. "I have more questions, Secretary Martine. Have you done any unofficial polling of my colleagues on the Assembly as to who they would support in this election?"

"I have. There are always other potential nominees, but everyone agrees that you are a good compromise candidate, and would be an acceptable choice to the majority."

"Compromise. Acceptable." Karimi repeated her words slowly. Then he nodded. "As it happens, I think you are right. Earth currently holds much sympathy in the Assembly, but there are still many voices that say that the Council was right to expel us." He began to pace slowly again.

Martine stayed quiet. If she was any judge of psychology, he was already leaning in the right direction, and now needed only to convince himself.

"There may be some on the Council who will oppose us most vehemently," Karimi muttered. "We can expect their allies on the Assembly to be their mouthpieces. But we have allies on the Council too, do we not?"

Martine remembered the shock of almost half the Council when Sardak announced the motion that expelled Earth from their number. "Yes, we do."

Karimi stopped his pacing and looked directly at her. "Which leaves just one last question. Why is the Secretary of Starfleet attempting to influence the Council election? Given the President's attempts to put some distance between the government and the military, what are you have just said to me would end your career."

Martine smiled, and hoped it was a good one, because inside she knew what he said was true. "You've got me all wrong, Mister Karimi. The Secretary of Starfleet met with the Earth Assembly member to advise him that, even though she is also Human, Starfleet will remain completely impartial in the upcming election - " she paused for emphasis " - should he decide to run for the vacant seat."

Karimi nodded, and his sly smile mimicked hers. "Ah, I see. Well then, I am pleased to say that this has been a most fruitful meeting."

Martine bowed slightly. "That is what I was hoping for."

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Location: Starfleet Headquarters, San Francisco, Earth
Scene: Office of the Secretary of Starfleet


Michael Turlogh Kane stifled his annoyance when one of Secretary Martine's aides informed him that she had stepped out, but would be back shortly. He thought for a moment, then turned to Cantor Von. "Escort me to the nearest communications terminal, Lieutenant."

Von gestured along a hallway. "I believe there is a private one in the next office."

Kane fell into step just behind the Betazoid, wary of being too close to him. Full Betazoids were telepathic, which meant they could read your thoughts at will. Not word-for-word, as he understood it, but they'd know if you were lying or planning some sort of deception. They'd know the true feelings that your words would be trying to conceal. That sort of thing must have been both a blessing and a curse, because anyone with half an ounce of sense would restrict their contact with any telepath who might be able to accuse them of some sort of deception. That wasn't an issue in Starfleet, or, at least, had yet to become an issue. Betazoids didn't go around invading the minds of others, and their honesty was something to be welcomed, especially to a superior officer who needed an honest assessment of any given situation.

Von indicated into the next room. "In here, Captain."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. You're dismissed."

Kane shut the door and moved to the comm panel, quickly activating it and keying in his general command code. A quick scan revealed that the target of his intention, the USS Anubis, was still in orbit. Kane opened a comms channel, requesting a private contact with her CO, Erik Morningstar.

The Anubis had led a small fleet of starships to Earth, arriving during the course of the battle with the Aegis satellites. Their sudden appearance had saved Starfleet's right flank from collapse, but now, in the aftermath of their public reveal, questions were swirling about who they were and where they came from. Those questions hadn't seemed important in the thick of the battle, but the Anubis and her crew were now generally known to be in some way connected to Admiral Charles Koniki, the new head of Starfleet Intelligence.

The screen winked, and Erik Morningstar's face appeared. He was seated in a small room with a nondescript, featureless gray wall behind him. Kane assumed it was his ready room - when he had been aboard the Anubis for the scuttling of the USS Century, he had not managed a tour of the fantastically-advanced starship.

The Okanagan's face lit up as he recognised who was calling. {{Captain Kane!}}

Kane nodded. "Captain Morningstar! I'm glad to see you're still in orbit!"

{{Yes, we still have a bit of work to do up here. How can I help you today?}}

Straight to business. Kane tried to think of how to frame it. "Captain, given Admiral Koniki's recent promotion to the SFI job, and that the Anubis is connected in some way to that department - "

{{Yes?}}

Kane paused. He'd spent years disliking Intelligence operatives. Their presence disrupted normal starship operations, since whenever they appeared they usually brought trouble with them. They only told you what they thought you needed to know, and were usually armed with chilling phrases like 'acceptable tactical losses'. Still, Erik Morningstar seemed like a decent sort - professional and coolly detached, which, given that he tried to maintain the same sort of image, was fine by Kane. "While the Phoenix was gathering data on the Neo-Essentialist officers in Starfleet, we made contact with an information broker nicknamed the Shadow Master."

{{One of the more dangerous information brokers in the quadrant,}} nodded Erik in recognition of the name.

"Selyara Chen is, or should I say was, the Shadow Master," Kane said. "Richard Edgerton found out, and sent an assassin to kill her. She joined us in taking the Neo-Essentialists down. It was her data that stopped Starfleet from destroying itself at Elandipole."

Erik leaned forward and touched some controls on his control panel. {{Selyara Chen is currently being debriefed by Starfleet Security.}}

Kane tried to measure his words. He owed Selyara everything - without her, Starfleet would still be full of Neo-Essentialists. "Yes. I wanted to suggest to you that she might make a good operative for Admiral Koniki's new department."

Erik paused for thought. {{Is she ready to take orders again?}}

"I honestly don't know. I'm not making any promises about her behaviour, only stating that she could be of enormous benefit to the Admiral. She spent years in Starfleet before her fall from grace, and being locked up again after all she's done on our behalf will crush her spirit. She deserves a second chance." Kane paused, trying to capture the depths of the twenty years he'd known the capricious Vulcan-Betazoid. "I always trust her to do the right thing, Captain Morningstar, and she's never let me down."

Erik gave a nod. {{I'll contact the Admiral.}}

"Thank you, Captain. I owe you one."

{{I'll keep that in mind,}} Erik winked. {{Anubis out.}}

The connection was cut, leaving only a blank screen behind. Kane sat in thought for a moment, wondering if he would ever see Selyara again, and hoping that, if he never did, she would be alright, and that he might have helped a little.

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Location: ShiKahr, Vulcan
Scene: The Hall of Voices, Office of the Federation President


Sardak and T'Pau sat in silence on either side of the desk. A plate of gespars lay untouched between them. The orange morning sunlight, boring in from the Forge, spilled in through the bay windows, bringing heat and a dry breeze with it.

The Federation Council was on Vulcan, preparing for its first meeting at its new capital city of ShiKahr. Sardak found it agreeable to be back on his homeworld, and the location chosen to host the Council was equally agreeable. ShiKahr, built in the shadow of Mount Seleya on on edge of the vast world-desert known as the Forge, had a population of over nine million, and was the primary city on Vulcan, home of the Vulcan Science Academy and the ruinis of the ancient T'Karath Sactuary.

The city's growth was ensured because of its proximity to an underground water source. Solar energy was used to power the construction and to help irrigate the local hinterland, and provided almost all the city's modern energy needs. Water recycling and purifying were also important municipal industries, so much so that ShiKahr was one of the few locations on Vulcan to have a public garden.

But it was this ancient building - the Hall of Voices - that had been chosen to be the meeting place of the Federation Council. The Hall was a huge, enclosed amphitheatre located underground to keep it cool, and had been a public debating hall for many centuries. Now, modified and refitted for its daunting new task, the Hall stood ready to welcome the Council of the United Federation of Planets. Above its sonorous depths, at ground level, lay the dozens of offices that Sardak and T'Pau were currently occupying.

There had been silence between them for a while. He had summoned T'Pau to meet him, but aside from exchanging pleasantries, they had not spoken in almost ten minutes. There was only the calm serenity of logic.
Less than a minute later, Sardak broke the silence, not because he couldn't take it any longer, but because time was drawing out. "I have been thinking much on the recent Council vote."

T'Pau was older than him, by at least three decades. Although she had never practiced the kolinahr, her sheer fastidiousness of thought gave the opposite impression. She delicately wiped her lips with a napkin before answering. "You are thinking that the vote was an error?"

"Perhaps." Sardak paused. "I remain conviced that our intention was justified. Starfleet *must* be separated from the government. If we wish to prevent another Richard Edgerton rising to prominence, we must return Starfleet to its roots as an exploratory agency."

"All nations need an army," countered T'Pau. "A federation of planets needs a navy."

"Yes, to defend us. Since the dawn of the twenty-fifth century, the Federation has been embroiled in conflict with the Kem D'Neel, the Romulans, the Locusta, the Dominion - the list goes on. But that sword cuts on both sides of its blade - the militarisation of Starfleet has directly led to the rise of Human fascism. The secret construction of a starship like the Phoenix is a corollory of such a militarisation."

T'Pau considered his words. "Yes, I believe that to be correct. But remember, Humans are not the only species capable of extremism. Think of our exiled cousins."

Sardak inclined his head at her wisdom. "Which is why I am thinking that, although I consider our intention justified, we may have extended our reach by removing Humans from the Council. They are powerful, perhaps too powerful, in our Federation. They dominate Starfleet, have spread unchecked across the quadrant - they have eclipsed all other members of the Federation. What Richard Edgerton said - that Humans *are* the Federation - may have an element of truth to it. They believe this to be *their* Federation."

"They are a driven people - perhaps where we are not."

Sardak raised a rueful eyebrow. "If that is true, then the Federation's ultimate fate may be exactly what Edgerton intended for it, just evolving on a slower scale. As Humans drive us onward, heedless of anything except the glory of revelling in their own leadership, they must drag everyone else along in our wake. If this attempt to reel them in fails, then the next attempt must be even more forceful, and that road will ultimately lead to a dangerous confrontation." He sighed. "I worry that Humans will not easily accept the results of the vote. I worry that, in seeking to contain it, that we have merely angered the beast."

T'Pau nodded slowly. "What are you intentions, Mister President?"

"Truly, I have not decided." Sardak reached out for a gespar. "I am not a politician. I am a scientist. There is no precedent for a former Secretary remaining in my post."

"You are the rightful President, Sardak. You have created precedent by your own leadership during the Neo-Essentialist crisis."

"And I have brought us to this pass." Sardak realised he had no appetite, and put the gespar back on the plate. "If only I had not needed the support of those on the Council who voted for Edgerton's dictatorship. Now all I have done is divide the Council."

"You have done what you thought was right. No-one can do more."

Sardak seemed mollified. "We shall see. I will medidate on the matter before the Council meeting. Perhaps, when my thoughts are clear, I shall chart a clearer course."

T'Pau took the hint. She stood up, bowed politely at the neck, and departed the room, leaving Sardak alone with his thoughts. The President got up and walked to the bay window, allowing the outside air to warm his face. There was much to think about.

Somewhere in the depths of the Hall of Voices, an hour bell rang, muffled by the ancient stone, and time continued to draw out.

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FEDCOM BREAKING NEWS

+++ EARTH ANNOUNCES RUN FOR VACANT COUNCIL SEAT
+++ GROUNDSWELL OF SUPPORT IN ASSEMBLY
+++ IS PRESIDENT SARDAK'S POSITION STILL TENABLE?
+++ STAY TUNED FOR LATEST HEADLINES

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NRPG: Wouldn't you just prefer to be blowing stuff up? ;)

Jerome McKee
the Soul of Captain Michael Turlogh Kane
former Commanding Officer
USS PHOENIX

"He speaks an infinite deal of nothing!"
- Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", Act 1, Scene 1.117
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