Precursory Knowledge
Posted on Fri Mar 13th, 2020 @ 7:23am by Lieutenant Commander T'Par
Mission:
Cruel Meridian
Location: USS Majestic, Deck 3, Executive Officer's Office
Timeline: MD 01: 1200
2266 words - 4.5 OF Standard Post Measure
Hanover leaned back in his chair, idly rubbing his beard with his right hand as he twirled an antique fountain pen around with his left. The Majestic's new executive had taken little time getting settled into his new office. He had purposely chosen hardwoods and leather for many of the touch points, a sharp break from the monochromatic, cold decor that furnished most ships. The lighting he had chosen was several orders of magnitude warmer and noticeably brighter than that which his predecessor had used, a planned break from Commander Shev. That said, Jared had found a thoughtfully written note on his desk from Shev that he would likely keep for the rest of his career.
In the corner immediately adjacent to his desk sat a three-tiered shelving unit, comprised mainly of mahogany with inlays of polished metal slicing through in the motif of the Starfleet Engineering Corps. Each shelf housed a starship model, the oldest representing the graceful lines of an Excelsior class starship. An Akira class model sat at the very top, and sandwiched in-between sat the four nacelles of a Constellation class starship. Clearly the "me" portion of his office, the shelves were flanked by various framed documents representing various career accomplishments.
Popping and crackling away in the opposite corner of the room, a convincing facsimile of a wood burning stove was perhaps the most eccentric furnishing in the room, the rest of which was adorned with picture frames, bookshelves, and seating arrangements for groups up to eight. Jared sat at his desk, rewatching old home videos of his two daughters from what seemed like a lifetime ago. The sound of the door chime snapped him back to the present.
"Open sesame."
Cassie looked around as she entered the office, and smiled; the decor reminded her of her father's cottage back home. He, too, favored noble materials: wood, leather, brass. Even the stove looked similar to the one at the cottage."Had I known, I would have brought a fleece and some mulled wine. I approve," she said, still taking it in.
"Good to see you again, Cassie. Thank you for coming on such short notice," Jared stood up and welcomed her. "Thank you, I am happy with the way everything turned out. I consider it a success if any small part of my office can help in helping make people feel comfortable. Please, take any seat you'd like."
She eventually took the seat nearest to the wood stove, noticing one of the photographs. "Family?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am. Daisy and Skylar, my daughters. Collectively, the light of my life," he nodded, eyes growing distant. His focus went elsewhere, but shortly returned with a smile. "May I get you something while we wait for Lieutenant T'Par?"
"Water's fine, thank you."
Jared walked over to a wall, tapping a spot on the wood paneling which revealed the replicator which had previously been hidden from view. He returned with a glass of water for Cassie and a steaming cup of coffee for himself. It smelled faintly of coconuts. It was only a few seconds more before the door chime sounded once more. The Vulcan was, after all, generally the punctual sort.
"Ah, Lietuenant!" Hanover looked up from his cup of coffee, placing down on the wooden table beside him before standing to greet the intelligence chief into his officer. "Welcome and thank you for coming on such short notice. I'm sure you've had the privilege of meeting Miss Leblanc-Reed before, yes?"
"I have, yes," T'Par said before inclining her head to Cassie. "Miss Leblanc-Reed."
"Well then, please, have a seat and make yourself comfortable," the executive gestured towards the seating arrangements. "May I get you anything to eat or drink before we begin?"
The Vulcan took a seat. "Relen tea, please."
"Ah, an excellent choice," he smiled warmly, moving to retrieve the requested beverage. He returned with a small, silver colored tray loaded with a ceramic tea pot and matching cup. "As you requested."
Hanover moved to take his seat. As he did so, a holographic display appeared, floating in the air in such a way that they each had an unobstructed view. A map of sector space was depicted, with a miniaturized version of the Majestic visible docked to Starbase Fifty. The route proposed by Lieutenant Sullivan snaked its way across the width of the display, leading to their destination at Sozon II.
"Well, I suppose we should get down to business," he sighed after taking another sip of coffee. "In just a few hours, Princess Leyana will be boarding the ship and we will be embarking on our journey. Our brief was light for specifics on the nature of the agreement that has been reached, but suffice it to say that we are nothing more but escorts for her to her wedding to the emperor. Peace between the Tulias Alliance and the Sozon Empire depends on it, so it would seem." Something in his voice remained unconvinced. "What do we know about the conflict? And of the sovereign entities?"
Cassie took a sip of her water. "From what I've been able to glean, the conflict has been going on for so long no one really remembers exactly how it started. There are a lot of vague rumours and theories but I think this is the most plausible. Last century, the Tulias Alliance and the Sozon Empire seemed to have some sort of agreement for arranged marriages between monarchs. At one point, the Tulian prince either wanted to break with tradition, or wanted a divorce, and all hell broke loose. The exact cause remains unclear."
She took a moment to take another sip and take a look at her notes. "Needless to say, this conflict has been going on for decades, with the Alliance taking the brunt of the damage. There have been attempts at peaceful resolutions and cease-fires, but none have stuck so far. Hence, this. A return to tradition, with an arranged marriage between the princess and the current Emperor," she concluded. She didn't have to say a word, but it was obvious by her tone that she did not approve.
"Ah yes, because marriage is the institution that is meant to be the end of war, is it?" Jared sat motionless with his arms crossed, his hands curled up into fists which he rested against his side. "It has been my experience that very few problems in life can be rectified by the bonds of matrimony. Indeed, it seems to be the root of a great many number of additional problems - to include our current predicament," he exhaled sharply through his nose.
A moment of tense silence followed.
"I agree with what you left unsaid there," Hanover continued, softly this time. "I don't like this, but then again, political weddings are far from my area of expertise. What do your sources tell you, T'Par?"
If T'Par had any reaction at all to the commander's thoughts on marriage, it wasn't enough to break through Vulcan discipline. Her stoic expression remained in place as she answered him. "We do have some information on the emperor's perspective. While historians are uncertain of the original cause of the war, the emperor has fixated on a particular and largely mythical account of a Tulian princess promised to one of his ancestors who eloped with a wandering poet. He sees this marriage as a way of righting what he views as a wrong to his ancestor. He is accustomed to seeing large scale issues of state in personal terms. He is a man with a deep sense of entitlement who puts himself above his people and reacts poorly to being told no. He is also known for his sexual promiscuity. We have the names and images of a few of his paramours. Likely not all."
"And Starfleet expects us to assist this emperor? He who takes things personally and views this as some sort of balancing of a scale tipped out of equity by a fairy tale?" Hanover's question hung in the air like a dank fog. He took a deep breath and held it for a moment before exhaling slowly. "I have not know your captain for as long as either of you, but with my limited experience, this is not going to sit well with her. What do we have on the treaty? What is there to prevent the emperor from reneging once he has what he wants?"
"According to the betrothal contract," Cassie stated, then sighed. She really didn't want to say this. "There's a clause stating that the princess must be a virgin at the time of the wedding, and she will be tested beforehand. If there is any suspicion on the Imperial family's part, or that of the Imperial advisors, the Emperor reserves the right to renege on the betrothal, the marriage, and the cease-fire."
She breathed heavily again. "Putain de merde. Excuse my French, but can we just take a moment to acknowledge how bloody medieval this is?" She then turned to the Intel Chief. "Can we find out if this even legal?"
"In the laws of both societies, it is," T'Par answered calmly. "Nonetheless, Federation law and Starfleet regulations do regulate our conduct and provide certain rights to any sentient being traveling on a Starfleet vessel, including, in some circumstances, the right to request asylum, protection from their own governments under the auspices of the Federation. We are prohibited from transporting a sentient being as property or coercing any sentient being into a marriage, even if her own laws require it. However, the key legal terms there are coercion and consent. Not love. Not desire. If she is willing to enter into the marriage and is an adult by the standards of her people, it is not for us to judge whether she does so from desire or out of a sense of duty to her people. If she has not requested asylum or refused to participate, the Prime Directive prohibits us from seeking to convince her to abandon her own cultural norms. Even within the Federation, customs differ. My own marriage was arranged when I was seven years of age and I do not regret it."
She turned back to Jared. "The Emperor is admittedly a less than ideal partner. However, I would suggest at least meeting this woman before deciding she requires rescue. We must also consider the ongoing destruction of this war. That being said, I do have a contact in a position to discretely inquire of the JAG Corps in this sector., if you or the captain desire. An official inquiry would likely become known."
The escalating dynamic in the room had been tempered somewhat by the intelligence chief's measured words. Hanover was having a difficult time discerning whether he was thinking like a father of two daughters or as an executive officer aboard a standard bearing starship. He took a deep breath, his hands unclenching as if to release some great turmoil that had been building inside of him.
"Yes, of course," he could do nothing but nod. "I apologize. The human male ego is quite a spectacle if left unchecked. I do not mean to presume that we here in this room or we as in Starfleet know what is best for Princess Leyana. I will inform the captain of your contacts, lieutenant. For now, let's continue to gather as much information as we can. I get the feeling that we are approaching a fork in the road - to borrow a human colloquialism - and that we may need to be prepared to pursue any one of the potential paths.
"Then again," Jared sighed deeply. "Someone could just... ask her if this is what she wants? It's that simple really, isn't it?"
Cassie took deep breaths, calming herself. T'Par's measured tone, despite her words may have helped weather her indignation. "It could be as simple as that. It very well could be. In my experience, royals aren't usually forthcoming when it comes to political issues. And this is a politics, whether we like it or not. Maybe Princess Leyana is different and is open to telling us her side of the story." She took another sip of water. "Besides, they've never even met."
"Agreed on all counts, Cassie. We - well I need to be careful to not jump to conclusions about the script before the players have even taken the stage," Hanover rubbed his beard again; his mind was deep in thought. Having different viewpoints and opinions was a central cog to how he liked to go about his business. As he had mentioned to everyone during his initial meet and greet, he valued honesty and forthrightness above speaking to a bunch of yes-people, even if it meant a bruised ego from time to time.
"Lieutenant T'Par, Cassie - thank you again for the discourse. I will be sure and continue to compile this information along with our resources from Starfleet to ensure we do not manufacture a diplomatic crisis where there is none. We have good information to take to the captain, and if anything should come up, we will undoubtedly be leaning on your expertise again," Commander Hanover stood slowly. The cushion on his seat sprang back into its undisturbed state, seemingly taking in a breath of air as he did so.
"Now, anything else before we wrap things up?"
Commander Jared Hanover
Executive Officer
Cassandra Leblanc-Reed
Chief Diplomat
Lieutenant T'Par
Chief Intelligence Officer
