Conversation Stoppers

Posted on Wed Aug 9th, 2023 @ 8:17am by Commander Shannon McKenna & Lieutenant JG Matthew Cowley & Captain Elena Navarra & Ensign Tristi Alohalani & Commander Henry Perry

1,480 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Rescue
Location: Samurai: Captain's Quarters
Timeline: MD 5, 0750

Cowley proudly set his plate of toast, albeit made by the pretty young scientist, at the captain's end of the table and took the seat on her right. I am, after all, her right hand man, he thought smugly.

Everyone else was soon seated and as plates were passed, conversations began with the captain's first question.

"Who knows why we are here?" Elena asked as she observed those at the table, looking each of them in the eye. She grabbed the plate with the eggs and took some for herself. As everyone looked back at her, she singled out her XO. "Shannon? Why do you think we are here at this moment?"

McKenna finished taking some fruit and passed the dish to her left.

"I'd say it's to have breakfast, but I'm sure that's not the answer you wanted to hear." She took the next plate, toast as it happened, and after helping herself, passed that one along, too. "It is, however, what's at the topmost of my brain right now!"

Elena smiled and shook her head in agreement with her First Officer. "You are quite correct Shannon, we are here to break bread with one another. We are also here to learn a little about one another. Throughout the years, I have learned that trust is earned, but can come a bit easier when we know a little about one another. So, I'd like to get to know you, and have you know me."

Elena took a bite of her food and looked over at the junior science officer. "Tristi, tell us a little about yourself and a little about why you're here on Samurai."

"I grew up on a planet with lots of flowers, and they are my passion," she shrugged. "I'm here because I love creating beautiful places, like gardens." To Tristi, it was a natural progression from her homeworld to space where she felt that plants were especially needed.

"You should visit her lab," McKenna offered. "I'm going by there later, to see what amazing things she's growing."

"I'm just getting started," Tristi replied. "Give me a few months and it'll be a different place."

Elena took another bite of her food as she processed Tristi's response. Her youth and innocence astounded Navarra. "I will put your lab on my list, then."

Again, Elena looked around the gathered crew and found her eyes resting on Henry. Although she knew exactly why he was here, it was important for the others to hear the reasoning he decided to share.

"Henry." She made eye contact with her new friend. "You are one of the most experienced officers on board. Tell us why you're here."

The engineer finished dealing with the food in his mouth and placed his fork down on his plate. As he swallowed, he looked around the table and looked everyone in the eye.

"I'm here because this is where I am most needed at this point in time. Needed by Starfleet, needed by family and needed by friends." Henry looked over to Elena for the last bit of his sentence and gave a smile.

"I'm also here because I put this beautiful ship back together again after she was nearly destroyed on her last outing. I guess that makes me the best person to help our future Chief Engineer with all the experimental tech we got onboard."

"Experimental tech?" Matthew repeated. "Are you talking about better sensors or something newer?" His voice got excited. "Do we have cloaking technology?"

He didn't stop to think there could be someone at the table who wasn't cleared for such information. "That would be outta-the-sector prodigious!"

Henry chuckled at the young man's enthusiasm. "No cloaking technology here, young man. That would be a violation of the Treaty of Algeron. No, my young friend, we are talking about things like experimental bio-gel packs, experimental sensors, and maybe, just maybe a secret Holodeck that has a surprise for those who find it."

Navarra looked up at the mention of a secret Holodeck and leaned in toward McKenna, whispering in her ear. "Have you heard anything about this secret Holodeck?"

Shannon shook her head, scanning her memory. "No, but let's check with the computer after breakfast, when we have our private briefing. Surely, everything is recorded with her? And we should check with Henry privately, too. Or at least you should. I was under the impression that he wasn't going to leave you out of the chain of command on these things!"

Around them, the conversation swirled on without regard to their sidebar. When they tuned back in, the new LTJG was joking with the Acting Chief Engineer.

"Those things sound great, too, and I'll be looking for that hidden room, you can bet your last credit on that. I still have to say I'm disappointed with the cloaking device absence, though. That's technology that I find really interesting ... like a puzzle, ya know?" He looked down at his almost empty plate thoughtfully, a brief question flitting across his mind. Where did all that food go?

Then he was back in the land of hidden rooms and treaties. "I suppose the treaty is still a necessary thing, but I'd be willing to believe that there are others out there disregarding it, and working to develop the technology. Do you know the actual wording?" he asked Henry, looking up. "Does it say any cloaking devices are forbidden, or is it alright if some entity creates a new device from scratch, not building on previous such technology?"

Everyone waited for the answer to this question. No one else had thought about it ... or even realized it was there to be considered at all.

Henry took a sip of his orange juice and cleared his throat. "Well, remember your history. The Treaty of Algeron has two parts to it. The first part is about the Neutral Zone. See, The Romulan Neutral Zone was strengthened and redefined, emphasizing that any breaches of the Zone without sufficient notification from either party would be regarded as an act of war."

Henry looked around the room and saw all eyes on him. He continued, "The second part is what you are interested in, Cowley." Again Henry paused and looked over to Navarra.

"Captain, would you like to finish it?" Henry asked as he picked up a piece of Cowley's toast and placed it on his plate. "I know you are a bit of a history buff. Especially as you have done several negotiations involving the Romulans and the treaty itself."

Elena nodded her head, a tad bit impressed that Henry knew a bit of her negotiating history.

"Henry, you are absolutely right about part one of the treaty. Part two is about your interest, Matthew. Cloaking technology. The treaty explicitly forbids the Federation from developing or employing cloaking device technology, with one exception ..."

Elena paused and lowered her eyes in sadness as she finished her sentence. "... The Dominion War. An exception was made that permitted the supervised use of a single cloaking device borrowed from the Romulans, with use confined to the Gamma Quadrant. In exchange, the Romulans would gain access to all data gathered by the Federation during USS Defiant's expeditions into the Gamma Quadrant, particularly any intelligence concerning the Dominion."

"Wait a minute," the XO interrupted. "What use would such information be to the Romulans, unless they planned an incursion into Gamma Quadrant? Why were they most interested in gathering intel on the Dominion? The war was ending, the Dominion lost. I don't see why Romulans would give so much to get so little."

Navarra sat in her chair and thought about what McKenna just said. She recalled those days of the Dominion war and the fear everyone had of not surviving.

"Honestly Shannon, they were scared. Everyone was scared. The Dominion were winning the war at every turn. The Federation, the Klingons and the Romulans knew what was coming unless we all presented a united front. To answer a part of your question, we did know the war was ending...."

Again Navarra paused to reflect momentarily. "... We just didn't know if it was going to be in our favor."

"And maybe we still don't, considering the messes we find ourselves in constantly," concluded Matthew, picking up his plate and heading to the recycler. "I've got to get going. My boss is a slave driver." Saying that with a straight face was difficult, but her yeoman managed it.

Tristi quickly followed, after thanking the captain for the breakfast.

The Captain nodded her head to Tristi and told the others... "Leave your plates. I will take care of the cleanup."

Navarra looked and saw McKenna packing her stuff to leave. "Shannon, you Henry and Matthew should stay. We can go over a special briefing while I have you all gathered."

 

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