Stand By Me
Posted on Feb 05, 2018 @ 1:02am by Lieutenant Eve Dalziel & Ambassador Xana Bonviva
Edited on on Feb 05, 2018 @ 1:02am
Mission: Bramatine: Truth, Justice and the Federation Way
=/\=
“Stand By Me”
cont'd from Alix's "Bramatine Blues"
=/\=
Location: ACAMAR III
Scene: Underground Tunnel
What a trio they made.
She was divorced from one. The other one had been entangled with more people than she cared to admit in her family. This was a little much; even for Xana. So she stood there rubbing her head, wishing the headache to go away.
“What are you doing?” Cade asked.
The Bolian Councilwoman sighed, while she leaned against the wall, her violet eyes closed. “Committing hari kari -- career and otherwise,” she muttered. Looking over at Jake she inhaled and figured if they could keep it professional then that wouldn’t be too bad. He was currently avoiding her and Cade, as he was scanning the room trying to figure out a direction. “Do we have a direction yet?”
“This way,” Jake decided, as he turned and went up against the far northeast corner. Xana frowned but did her best to not say anything as she folded her arms, raising up her sleeves.
Cade, however, didn’t miss a beat. “So it’s not enough that there’s the awkwardness of the ex but now to face your own impending mortality repeatedly...even I feel that’s rough.” Tapping his chest he belched slightly before correcting himself, “Wait no, that was the reheated sludge I had for lunch.”
“He needs help,” Xana pointed out as she nudged her head to Jake.
Jake, sensing Xana was doing her best to ditch Cade and to direct things, offered up as he looked for an entrance that he was sensing but wasn’t completely obvious called back. “He’s fine,” called back, referring to himself.
The azure woman barely resisted a frown before looking back at the doctor. She wanted to ask the doctor before realizing it was an incredibly stupid question; of course he’d realize there was something *physically* wrong with her. “Yes, well….I’m well enough to do this,” she said finally.
Cade seemingly thought about that while Jake tapped on walls. With surprising quickness he grabbed the woman’s arm over her startled surprise and pushed up her white sleeve even further. Tapping on various circles on the fore and upper arm he murmured, “Regular hypos will leave marks, no matter hard you try to have them *not* leave marks. There’s only a few medications that need that kind of dedication. When is your next dose due?”
The room was quiet, which shouldn’t have been a surprise given that there was deceased children, and yet it was a surprise. “I have been managing my medications for some time, thank you for your concern, Dr. Foster,” Xana replied quietly and crisply.
“Well you put me in my place,” Cade replied handing Xana back hand, not at all chastised.
Jake, who had been standing along the far wall, cleared his throat. “We’re going this way,” he said, indicating a small opening along the floor.
Following Jake to the tunnel she glared at him and warned, “If you ask me if I’m fine to do this--”
The Executive Officer’s jaw worked overtime in *not* saying anything. Finally he said, “I’ll take point. You can have the middle. Dr. Foster will take the rear.”
“Been said more times than you realize, Monkeywrench,” Cade said. “Can we just *go*?”
Jake, Xana, and Cade crawled through a tunnel no more than 36 inches wide that was the same height. “How long does this go on for?” Cade asked.
“We just started,” Xana pointed out.
“So are we there yet?” Cade asked dryly. Rolling his blue eyes he said, “I thought Mommy and Daddy would appreciate that.”
There was a long silence before Jake finally answered. “The tunnel goes on for at least 18 feet.”
The trio kept crawling before the Executive Officer asked, “Why are the Bolians involved in this, Xana?”
“Why else? The Bank of Bolias gets a cut,” Xana spat, clearly pissed off. “And it’s not just the Bank of Bolias. It’s the pharma complex on Denobula, it’s the weapons buildup on Bajor; name every dirty underbelly of every planet and they’ve had a hand in this nasty web.”
Jake thought through it. “The mining. They all have to start somewhere so they all start with the bramatine mining and shipping. It branches out from here.”
“Why the kids?” Foster asked.
Xana felt a tear in the corner of her eye but ignored it. “Everyone has someone they love, someone they’d die for,” she said quietly. “Everyone, in the end, has a breaking point.”
There was a moment of quiet but the trio kept crawling on.
=/\=
Location: USS PHOENIX
Scene: Bridge
{{Captain,}} Byte said in his steady manner, {{we are being hailed from the planet.}}
Captain Michael Kane shifted imperceptibly in chair at the news; it was about time. For a moment his mind raced through the possibilities: the mine where Commander Crichton was leading a team; the medic tent where Dr. Foster was; even the negotiations were he had called in Councilwoman Bonviva. “Who is it?”
{{It is Mr. Pali Shepherd,}} Byte replied. When the Captain didn’t respond, the officer responded, {{He was our main contact with the government--}}
“I am aware of who Mr. Shepherd is,” Captain Kane replied, cutting off Byte. His fingers tapped against his chin, in a rhythmic gesture, as thoughts of his highly awkward meeting with the representative were still fresh in his mind. “On screen.” The Maddox-type Android complied with the request.
“Mister Shepherd.” Kane opened the conversation curtly. There had been no reason to believe they had anything more to say to one another.
{{I thought it best to open up negotiations with you,}} Pali Shepherd began as he leaned back in his chair, {{as that representative you promised me from the Federation never showed up.}}
Captain Kane sat motionless for a moment. He had been tracking the whereabouts of the shuttle carrying Lt. Vukovic and Councilwoman Bonviva and last it been tracked it had indeed made it to the surface. “We were under the impression,” the Irish Commanding Officer said evenly, “that Councilwoman Bonviva had made it to ACAMAR III.”
{{She is not here with me, and no one I spoke to has reported seeing the Bolian Councilwoman,}} Pali Shepherd replied, not the least concerned.
“If you’re looking to curry the Federation’s favor, and further your application, looking for a missing Councilwoman on *your* planet would be a good start,” Captain Kane pointed out tersely.
Pali Shepherd smiled thinly. {{If I was interested, truly interested, yes that would be the wise thing to do,}} he agreed.
Kane sat back, stunned at the realization that forcefully hit him. “You don’t care if your planet joins the Federation.”
{{Correct,}} Pali nodded. Shrugging he said, {{Why should I? For so long ACAMAR III lingered on the peripheral, away from the Federation. We were not nurtured as a new applicant, nor were we discouraged as some would be if we were not truly to be considered. We withered from neglect. Until *you* needed something from *us*. And now that you do...well then we’ve found others do too.}}
Michael Turlogh Kane inhaled at that, daring not to close his eyes, lest the thoughts of rubble and dead children fill his mind again. Even the act of inhaling was treacherous; it was as if he was still breathing in the acrid air of ACAMAR III…. “You risked your entire planet’s future...generations, in fact, on this.”
{{Every planet risks generations on gambles. Some succeed, some fail. But the whole point of the Federation, if I understand it, is that you all are supposed to help each other, correct?}} Pali asked, his face seemingly taking up the whole screen.
This was dangerous, although it was a child’s question, Kane thought to himself. Pali Shepherd may present himself as a rube on a backwards planet, but he had risked generations to become a player on the galaxy stage, and he wasn’t done yet. “The work of the Federation is unfinished,” Kane replied. “Our very logo indicates that, we have a wreath that is never complete. But yes, by being part of the Federation, we share a common goal that yes that we hope to complete -- together.”
{{I believe even one of your great philosophers said it...what was it…”The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few”,}} Pali said. {{So tell me, by your appearances you must be from EARTH, or your people. They were devastated not that long ago but they haven’t been fully rebuilt. Are you one of the few? You were sending me Councilwoman Bonviva of BOLARUS IX. Her planet suffered from the Incursion by the Romulans, and it is still begging for resources. Is her planet one of the few? Tell me who is greater than EARTH and BOLARUS IX? And while you’re answering that...where will that leave ACAMAR III?}}
“You made your decision,” Kane fumed.
{{Not really,}} Pali replied. {{I just want to know what will the Federation offer me besides being one of the few.}}
=/\=
NRPG: Awkward encounters and negotiations -- (not so) good times had by all! :)
ACAMAR III: Jake/Xana/Foster get out of the room their in and crawl (literally) towards the life signs. Cade figures out that Xana is sick (but doesn’t know with what) and makes in appropriate comments. Jake and Xana are generally awkward.
PHOENIX: Pali Shepherd reaches out to Kane to tell him Xana never made it to him and that he (Pali) doesn’t care. Offers to explain, in the process explaining for the lag for ACAMAR’s lag in Federation application and trying to play “Let’s Make a Deal!”
Shawn/Jamie/Jerome: *Tag*
Su: Thank you for your help!
Kenneth/Phillip: Where are Vukovic and Ryan?
Everyone: Keep it up! :)
=/\=
Sarah Albertini-Bond
~writing for~
Xana Bonviva
Councilwoman for Bolarus IX
And
Susan Ledbetter
Writing for
Lieutenant Eve Dalziel
Cns
USS PHOENIX
“Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people once per year.”
-Victor Borge
