A Tale of Betrayal

Posted on Wed Apr 15th, 2020 @ 11:59am by Captain Abigail Laurens & Commander Ichiko Gail

As the Ts'usugi ship landed in the shuttle bay, Abigail was waiting in the control room, wanting to make sure she could be present as soon as the doors opened. Hospitality, manners and respect were important parts of the Ts'u culture and she wanted to be sure that she was offering it in spades. The last thing she wanted, especially now, was to offend her guest.

The moment Kassim emerged from his craft, Abigail lowered her head slightly. "Shipmaster Kassim, welcome to the USS Astraea," she said with a welcoming smile. "I'm incredibly grateful you were willing to meet with me."

He returned her head bow with one of his own as he descended down the ramp from the Ts'usugi Blink Shuttle. Personnel transport, with the standard Ts'usu style and form. She looked mean. "Shipmaster Laurens, a pleasure to meet you in person." he wore a smile, slightly more pronounced than Ichiko's softest smile. "And I must say, a magnificent ship under your command." he complimented. "Thank you for your welcome, I feel at ease and safe." he turned to the shuttle, and gave a nod to the two Ts'usugi standing by the ramp. Dark suits, full face protection, hand-held weapons currently pointed towards the floor. No threats here.

He gave them a nod, and they visibly relaxed.

"This is your ship, Shipmaster Laurens. Where would you like to hold that chat you promised? Not to impose, but I have so many questions." Damn if he didn't seem cheerful.

"I've had some refreshments laid out in the Observation lounge," Abigail said with a smile. "If you'll accompany me? Your people, of course, are welcome to join us." she held her hand toward the door and motioned that they should start walking.

The entire journey was filled with small talk about the ship and took only a matter of minutes before they arrived at the Observation lounge. The screens were open and both Ts'usugi ships were clearly visible. The table in the center of the lounge included an assortment of beverages and treats. "I know Commander Gail has a thing for tea and ginger snap cookies," Abigail said fondly. "I wasn't sure if that was just her thing or if that was a Ts'usugi thing, but I laid some out. Regardless, I do hope she'll be able to join us soon."

Kassim seemed to thrive on small talk. He was far more animated than most Sons or Daughters of Ts'usu had been, but was still cautious and reserved in his motions. His two accompanying soldiers were practically stoic carved statues by comparison.

At the observation lounge, the two relaxed and removed their face coverings, revealing two Sons of Ts'usu. Simple fur, simple faces, white with black spots here and there. Kassim gave a nod, and they gave Abigail a nod each and said something in the native tongue of the Empire before they helped themselves to some tea, and a few treats to boot. Kassim gave a nod, "Your hospitality is appreciated Shipmaster, we thank you. Tea is the river through which the Empire flows, or so they say." he said, pouring himself a cup.

"Though, Ichiko Daimaria Gail grew up in a region that never got ginger as often as they would appreciate. Hence, it's something of a treat for her."

Did it just get chilly in here?

"This tea is delectable. Such an exotic spice, it's certainly something we don't have back home." another sip. "Though, speaking of home, if you would forgive the directness, shall we discuss why a starship of Federation make attacked my home?" he motioned to the Ts'usugi craft through the observation ports.

Abigail sighed heavily, reaching for her own cup and filling it with the spiced chai. "For that I can only apologise," she said softly. "And I believe I'm also likely directly responsible." She paused, taking a sip of her drink before she spoke again.

"As I said, all I can do is apologise. We were sent to this sector to recover an unmanned ship that had entered a restricted area. We recovered the ship and towed it out of Hell. It was only once we were back in clear space, I ordered an away team to go to your vessel to see what they could find out. They had only been there for about fifteen minutes when one of my crew, Lieutenant Rogers, recognised the ship as Ts'usugi in origin. We recalled the away teams immediately."

A pause, another sip of her drink, an eye glancing quickly at the snacks on the table before dismissing the idea. "When Starfleet Intelligence arrived, I sat here in this very room and advised them that I would not hand the ship over to them. It was not abandoned and it was not salvage..."

An involuntary shudder ran down her spine as she thought back over the exchange. "The Admiral was unhappy. He gave the order for his ship to fire. He made some comment about about an artifact? And then he was gone. Shipmaster Kassim, you have my word, it is not the Federations intent to try and incite war or endanger the precarious friendship we have with your people. Admiral Lockwood acted of his own volition and his actions should not be considered those of the Federation."

Everything about Kassim's body language said that this was the focus of his attention. His ears perked, his eyes attentive, his posture directed solely at Abigail. "You'd have an awful lot to gain by keeping the ship. It is known that there's no small amount of questions that the Federation has in regards to the technology of others. Their methods, their techniques. A peacekeeping force with a razor's edge... and I understand why. To protect everyone under your umbrella, you have to have the capacity to wage war on a whole new level. The fastest to respond first, the most powerful to deter further conflict, and the most well protected to ensure that your banner flies another day." he summarized.

"We're not faster than you, not ship to ship. What we do present though, is a mystery. The Federation likes to explore, but they don't suffer a mystery for too long." a final sip of his tea, "And the fact that you're giving it back, presumably unscathed save for the Admiral's ambition, speaks volumes about your character. You defied your chain of command to do what you felt was right." he gave her a nod.

"I believe you." Kassim stated, with finality. "For all the reasons I've stated, plus three. The Sons and Daughters of Ts'usu aboard this ship. Their silence vouches for your character. Well, except for a buoy signal about a lost ship, where a certain Shipmaster appears in the frame of the call." he smirked. "I will be making a full report back to the Fleetmaster, and eventually, Imperial Intelligence. This report will be, as you could imagine, quite thorough."

"Your Admiral has made an enemy today, Shipmaster Abigail. You have not. Neither has your Federation."

"The technology was not mine to share," Abigail said simply. "I would be a poor ally if I could not respect that." She paused momentarily. "And I thank you, truly, for your consideration of the circumstances."

Setting her cup down on the table, she pushed it away before picking up a PaDD from the table next to her and handed it to him. "This is the only copy of all data my people recorded from inside your ship. I have already had it completely scrubbed from our computers. So, this is yours."

The PaDD was claimed gently, "I must admit, Shipmaster Abigail. I was a bit disappointed when I got the call that I would be travelling out this way to deal with this situation. Though, this... this puts a smile back on my face. Trust is fine, but knowing how to clean up a disaster is worth its weight in koku. Do you mind if I keep this? It isn't terribly dissimilar from ours so there shouldn't be any culture shock."

"I never intended to keep it," Abigail replied. "It's not my information to keep." She smiled as she picked up her cup again, taking a sip. "If it's not too much trouble though, could you return my crew members when you're done with them?" she asked with a shake of my head. "I'll have to work out how to deal with them."

He gave a nod, "Well the adhesive for the ears hasn't set, so I can turn them over to you." Kassim said in jest. He became more serious after a moment. "I appreciate this, and your respect towards the subject matter. They'll be returned to you with no fuss and no delay. They are certainly not prisoners." he said, with a bit of ceremony.

"With that behind us, I must say, your hospitality is spectacular."

Abigail tilted her head to one side slightly as she listened to him speak. "Your use of standard Federation is remarkable," she said curiously. "Have you served in the Alpha Quadrant for long?"

"First time out." he admitted. "When we entertained the concept of an alliance with the Federation, it dawned on us that the first step to a true friendship is understanding, and you can't reach an understanding if you don't understand."

He gently set his teacup down for a moment, looking at his options for a refill. "Standard Terran was troublesome to pick up, you have so many words that sound the same, but mean entirely different things. Writing it down is even worse, since some words are spelled exactly the same, but are pronounced difference according to context." he griped for a moment, before he refilled his cup.

"It took me six months to learn your language, but it's a very beautiful language."

"It can be at times," Abigail nodded. "Though I could say the same about your language. I've not been able to pick up more than a few words, but I've heard it spoken quite a bit."

"Admiral Lockwood, the one that attacked your ship..." Abigail paused momentarily, clearly hesitant. "Before he left he claimed something about an artifact stolen from your vessel. Do you by chance know what he took? Is it something he can use to do harm, either to your people, or to anyone else?"

Kassim sighed, and set his refilled tea down. "I'm going to presume you've never been on a Ts'usugi ship. You don't know our customs." he started, but the tone couldn't be friendlier. He wasn't casting doubt, he was empathizing. It wasn't her fault she didn't know. Her not knowing meant everything was working.

"Every Ts'usu ship, from the smallest little fighter to the grandest class five super-carrier, has something from home on it. A picture that means a lot to the pilot of the fighter. A charm or a knick-knack for a shuttle." he paused, "I love that word. Knick-Knack. It's easily my favorite word in your language." he smiled. Honestly amused.

"The larger ships have larger pieces. Artwork, sculpture, a garden. The idea is, that we bring Ts'usu with us when we travel. It helps keep us motivated. It helps us keep our mind and heart at ease during long trips through the Dark. Though, it bolsters our resolve. When we're attacked, it means that someone attacked Ts'usu. If we're defending our craft from hostiles, we're defending Ts'usu." he explained.

"So, if this Admiral took an ... artifact... off of the destroyer, it's entirely possible he's stolen whatever she was carrying from the Empire. We'll know more once we can give the ship a full inventory. As for what he could learn from it, you can learn a lot about a society based on their art or their culture. Can he unlock the secrets of our technology? No. Can he hold that piece of cultural art hostage to demand a more advantageous posture at a negotiating table? Yes."

"When you find out, I would consider it a personal favour if you would let me know?" Abigail asked softly. "I suspect I will be meeting with Starfleet Command in the near future. It will help finalize my report if I know what he stole when he attacked your vessel."

"As a favour, and to help with your report." he pointed out. "Paperwork is the universal constant." he took a sip of his tea, reclaiming it. "I should warn you, this event has caught the attention of one of our Fleetmasters. A good man, a family man. Recently a family man, I should say. He's an advocate for peace." Kassim described.

"I'll be making my report directly to him, when this is all concluded. Is there... anything you'd like me to specifically mention?"

Abigail paused, picking up her cup under the pretense of taking a sip of her drink to give her a moment to contemplate on the question. There was a lot of things she wanted to say. The wanted to immediately disavow anything and everything to do with Admiral Lockwood and his role in the Federation. She wanted to argue their case again, to reiterate that she stood by the alliance with the Ts'usugi, and she would continue to do so, not just because of the fact that she had three of them in her crew, but because it was the right thing to do.

Instead, she set the cup back down and offered a warm smile and shook her head slightly. "I've given you all the information I have available," she said quietly. "But if there is anything else you need, I will be happy to help if I can. My crew and I will always be available for anything you need."

This brought a soft smile to Kassim's features. "Well, then with your report complete, I can begin the investigation. Thank you Shipmaster. You've been the perfect host."