Dinner and Politics

Posted on Fri Jan 25th, 2019 @ 2:54pm by Captain Taliserra Tigran & Lieutenant Commander Radak

Mission: Negotiations and Apothecaries
Location: Captain's Mess
Timeline: 25th feb 2395

ON:

"Are you settling in alright Ambassador?" Taliserra asked as her steward bought over two serving trays and placed them on the table. She'd invited him to dinner hoping they could discuss the negotiations.

Al'mek nodded as he looked curiously at the food being placed on the table. "I am. I believe that I have everything I need and everything is in place. How about you Captain? Do you have any questions for me, before we begin these negotiations?"

"To be frank, I have a lot of questions, we were given such limited information about both you and the Kurai," Taliserra replied.

"Then I will do my best to answer your questions, although, I'm afraid I don't have much to offer on the Kurai either. We have not always been certain what their motivations are for this conflict..." Al'mek waited until all of the food was down on the table to begin filling his plate, a little of each of the foods that were offered.

"The information we were sent said many amongst you don't even know how the war started," Taliserra said as she filled her plate from the selection of foods from different Federation worlds.

"It mostly has to do with land. My people have very specific burial customs. The Kurai were not using the land. I have since been told that some cultures consider it rude when you use their land even if they are not. It has become something much different. We lacked so much ability to communicate in the beginning that the misunderstandings became unrepairable." Al'mek looked at his plate for a moment, trying to decide where he should start eating. He finally made up his mind and started to sample the food, just small bites at first.

"So it all started over a miscommunication?" Taliserra asked. "What land was it you spoke of?"

"A piece of land on an uninhabited planet. We didn't even know the planet was of interest to the Kurai and yes, it very much did start with miscommunication. More than one I'm afraid. It took a long time before we could even talk to each other, much less in a way that made sense to both sides."

"Have the Kurai defended this planet during the war?" She reckoned the planet could be very important to the Kurai for what reason though she wouldn't be sure until she asked the Kurai themselves.

"Yes, it has made things very difficult for us. They are a fierce opponent. Much more so then we suspected at first. We are seemingly more advanced technologically than the Kurai, but they have sent us home in defeat many times. My people are unwilling to give up their practices and the Kurai are unwilling to give up something they apparently consider their space."

"Something about or on that planet must be important to the Kurai, important enough for them to go to war to prevent you using it." Taliserra picked at her food as she spoke. "You said you have specific burial practises, you were burying your dead on this planet?"

Al'mek nodded, finishing the bite of food in his mouth before speaking again. "Yes, Captain. We were. The problem was that the communication was so poor in those beginning stages that by the time we realized what the problem was it was way too late to stop the hostilities. Now, the hostilities exist because of actions taken against each other. We have gone beyond the scope of the original problem."

Taliserra pondered for a moment, the ambassador was right. A war going on for quite a while could easily have spiraled into many extra gripes. "The Kurai may still consider resolving that original problem as their main goal and be more willing to be more lenient with everything else if that is achieved, but I must know, why were you putting your dead on this world instead of your own?"

Al'mek put down his utensils and looked at her, carefully choosing what he would say next. "Captain, when my people die... they are nothing but a shell. My people believe that burying a person in the ground traps their soul. There is a seven day ritual when someone dies... to celebrate their life, then their bodies are cast aside. We send them to another planet and place them in the trees to decay."

'Certainly an interesting handling of death,' Taliserra thought. "That must have been part of the original cause, I would certainly not like having someone dump bodies around a place that is important to me."

Al'mek actually nodded in agreement. "Aye, and I agree, Captain. We have since offered to move the bodies, but as I said, communications were so broken in the beginning that we are beyond the solving of even the simplest matter. It is part of the reason that my people so desperately need your help. Our communication pathways have completely shut down. Now it is simply war without resolution."

"You must have attempted diplomatic methods before you decided to ask for our assistance." Taliserra said after taking a few bites of her food.

"We have indeed. Attempted is the correct word. The last group of ambassadors we sent went missing. We still haven't heard from them and we are concerned that perhaps they had been killed." He selected a few more food items from the serving plates and started to eat them slowly. "One of the aides to the delegates was my aide's brother."

Talisera paused for a moment, the ambassadors aide having lost a family member to the Kurai could add a somewhat unstable element to the negotiations. "That is unfortunate, things must have improved a lot or something major has happened since then if you were able to get the Kurai to agree to these negotiations."

Al'mek nodded. "The last physical confrontation we had with them was fairly devastating for both parties and also very needless. I think that both of our peoples came to a realization that something needed to be done to stop this." He looked down at his plate thoughtfully. "Of course, anytime people are willing to make peace there is always someone who doesn't want the war to end."

Taliserra nodded. "The same must be true with the Kurai, the attack on us yesterday could have been a group that did not want a peace treaty."

Al'mek nodded. "I am sure you are right, Captain. I am hoping beyond hope that we are able to come to some sort of peaceful solution through these talks. Both sides have suffered needlessly. I pray for it to end. I feel almost as if we are currently just trying to build walls of dead." He sighed. It was obvious that Al'mek genuinely wanted peace for his people and the Kurai.

Finishing what was on her plate Taliserra put her cutlery down. "Now Ambassador, I must ask you something of a more serious nature," she said, her demeanour changing a little. "Have the Yatal ever used biological weapons against the Kurai or vice versa?"

Al'mek frowned. "Biological weapons? Are you speaking of some sort of chemical warfare?" His expression turned from one of surprise to one of concern. "Such things are frowned upon. At least by my people. I am not certain how the Kurai feel about it, but they seem a little under advanced for such things and have not attacked us with anything like that. I am concerned that you are asking, though. Did the Kurai do something to your ship in the attack?"

"It is possible. There is a virus of some kind going around the ship, it is not radiation sickness from the nuclear weapons they hit us with," she explained. "Our bioscan of you and your aide picked up nothing, so I do not think it is something you have bought onboard from your homeworld."

Al'mek's face grew more concerned and his eyebrows furrowed seriously. "I don't know what to say, Captain. I'm assuming that you believe it to be something intentional? Or else it wouldn't have come up. Although, I am concerned that we too might be susceptible. Did you stop anywhere before you met us?" He set his silverware down on the table, his plate empty anyway. "Is there anything I can offer in the way of assistance? I'm not sure what we can offer you. You are far more advanced than either of our people."

"It could be something the crew caught before we left Federation space that has mutated and spread," she told him. "But it has suddenly infected quite a number of people in an extremely short time so it makes me think it could be something intentional, my medical and science staff are studying it."

Al'mek's eyes widened. "Are they being quarantined, Captain?" he asked with the same concern. "I wish I could offer some sort of help. I suppose that quarantine should include myself and my aide. I don't think that we brought anything on board to you, but sometimes when people are introduced to a new environment... resistances to things that are common perhaps on my planet, but not yours?"

"It could be something that either of you had that is harmless but has mutated into something deadly from our environment, my medical staff will be checking everything to find the source and a cure." She paused for a moment. "The infected are in our sickbay which is a quarantine zone but from what my chief doctor tells me the virus has already become airborne so putting them in quarantine will not keep it from spreading."

Al'mek shook his head. "This is very bad timing. Not that it couldn't have been helped. I suppose this will delay the negotiations? We can't possibly expect the Kurai leaders to want to expose themselves to this."

"I'm afraid it will," Taliserra said nodding slightly. "I will not take my ship into Kurai space while this virus is affecting my crew and I won't risk exposing the Kurai to this, the negotiations won't take place until this is resolved."

Al'mek nodded. "I completely agree, Captain. You have my fullest cooperation until this matter is resolved. My people and myself will stay onboard as well, to keep from exposing our own people, just in case. If you don't mind, that is?"

"I would require that of you Ambassador, the whole ship will be under quarantine. No one will enter or leave until it is resolved, for now remaining in your quarters or at least the diplomatic area of deck 4 would be best."

The Ambassador nodded in agreement again. "Then that is what we shall do. Please keep me informed, Captain, and thank you for such an enjoyable meal. I would very much like to know what all was served here tonight. I liked some of it very much." He lifted his napkin from his lap and set it on the table. "I should return to my quarters now and inform my aide..."

"Very well." Taliserra stood and showed Al'mek to the door. "Good day Ambassador."

Al'mek stood and headed for the door. He stepped into the hallway and nodded to Taliserra. "Thank you for dinner, Captain. The meal was lovely." He bowed and headed back to his own quarters.

OFF:

Commander Taliserra Tigran
Commanding Officer

Ambassador Al'mek (NPC)
Lieutenant Commander Radak
Executive Officer