Commander Taybrim - Coordinating Needs (Tag: Dempok)

[Jamie LeBlanc]

((USS Aegis – Conference Room))

::If someone had told Ensign Sal Taybrim, freshly graduated from the academy, that one day he would be standing in the conference room of a ship he commanded telling a Klingon Ambassador about weaponized tribbles, Ensign Taybrim would have laughed in that someone's face.

Commander Taybrim was not laughing. Far from it. The aftermath of the tribble situation had quickly grown into a very dark story.::

Taybrim: “The tribbles were neutralized, and the research we did on them is no secret. I do not believe that the weaponized strain of tribbles survived, but it is no problem to share the information we have on them.”

:: Dempok was less than impressed. Most likely with the very fact that tribbles were involved - though some of the utter hostility towards the furrballs was not lost on Sal. He hadn't been a fan of the fuzzballs before they tried to take over his station.::

Dempok: “So this Malinov, I assume he was tied to more than meets the eye? There must be a reason that Al’Akir asked the Federation to intervene directly.”

Taybrim: ::A nod::” A clear connection, in fact - the same chemicals that prompted the mutation in the tribbles conform to chemicals used to produce the street drug All Time High.”

Dempok: “So the rumours were true. Hmph, let me start this from the beginning.”

::Sal fell silent and moved slightly forward to see what Dempok presented. It seemed that this exchange of information was going to be quite fruitful for both sides.::

Taybrim: This would be for the best ::A single nod::

Dempok: “That’s the full treaty that Al’Akir is, or potentially was, due to sign today. To summarise the key points it grants Tilanna V it’s own self ruling authority, providing it stays within the key tenants of the Empire. This narcotic problem brewing was one of the conditions that needed to be resolved before we could guarantee to uphold the entire thing, but it had to be resolved by them and them alone. One of the High Council’s fears is that Tilanna would become a toxic planet poisoning the surrounding systems… it appears they were right in their assessment.”

::Sal could not help but nod an assent to that assessment. His own Federation superior - Commodore Kinney - was a man known for his lack of empathy for the plights of others. That said he also had a keen eye towards what sorts of planets were a disruption to the borderlands rather than an asset. He had written off Tilanna as a 'welfare case of the worst kind' two years ago.::

Taybrim: Very right, the drug problem on Tilanna could easily spread across the quadrant. The criminals are using it as an easy and unchecked base of operations.

Dempok: “Bringing the Federation in clandestinely would allow him to take the credit, which he’s already attempted to do until I saw your medical staff operating in the Plaza and quite directly challenged him.”

::Ginger brows perked - not so much in surprise, but Sal was reasonably taken at how well Al'Akir had planned this all. How well and yet how easily it all fell through his fingers.::

Taybrim: That was quite a bold move on his part. ::Bold, and sneaky.::

Dempok: “He’s a master politician but not one for confrontation. He told me where to find your ship, clever bit of sensor trickery I might add. One thing I will stress is that Al’Akir is not a bad leader or a fool overall. He may have been idiotic on this occasion, but I feel strongly that It’s more through desperation than ill intent. Tilanna needs that.”::gesturing towards the PADD:: “They already lost the chance of Federation membership, without our guidance and economic injection Tilanna won’t last a year before chaos claims it”

::The Betazoid paused, milling over the Klingon's words and he found himself curiously not angry at that. Not at all.

At first glance the idea of losing territory to an Empire that was still - to many - engrained as the greatest adversary the Federation ever faced was a major red alert. How could they roll over and let the Klingons take this planet?

This broken frontier planet that Sal admitted has no chance of Federation admission and would remain just as ignored and broken under their watch. And, he also had to admit the fact that the Federation and the Klingons had been great adversaries was part of what built their alliance. The Federation had fought back - they didn't let the Klingons bloody their nose and get away with it - and because of it they won esteem from the warrior race. In return the Federation proved that while intelligent they were honorable.

And now, Klingon rule could be harsh, but that was exactly what Tilanna needed. Sal didn't have any pressing orders to bring the planet into the Federation fold or to prevent the Klingons from doing anything. His orders were to curb Romulan terrorists and stop the Jenatris Confederation from poisoning the sector with street drugs. He had nothing to lose, and Tilanna had everything to gain from this arrangement.::

Taybrim: I have to agree. These are desperate times for Tilanna, and you are correct - they have no hope of gaining Federation admission at this point. ::A pause, he gazed keenly at the Klingon:: Would your annex be governmental or military occupation? ::he had to ask.::

Dempok: “Garrison? No. Tilanna borders the Federation and with such a high Cardassian population it wouldn’t be prudent or required. We’re providing materials and engineering supplies to restart the mining industry only, most of which is stored on my ship ready to deploy. This is another reason why we needed Tilanna to prove their security capability. The back-up plan was to ask the Gorn Hegemony to consider an active role in the planets Security in exchange for a portion of Duranium, however they are notoriously slow to make their minds up and by then it could be too late.”

::Again, unsurprising. The mining on Tilanna was one of the few values to an outside power, and it was under-utilized. The current state of the planet gave most of its value to the criminal elements that simply used it was 'free space' to conduct business away from the prying eyes of a government that could act upon it.

Though the addition of the Gorn was a footnote Sal would most certainly share with Major Tatash to get his view on the subject.::

Taybrim: With the rate the criminal network is spreading, quick action is imperative - or there will be little left of Tilanna to salvage. ::frustratingly sad, but true. The criminals had already shown how little regard they had for - well, everything else around them.::

Dempok: “ATH as you call it certainly throws a massive ‘spanner in the works’, to steal a human expression. It needs to be stopped, not just for their sake but for yours and ours as well. If it gets beyond their borders into either the Federation or Empires space the consequences are far reaching and dangerous. I do however, have an idea.”

::He tipped his head towards Dempok, in the rather universal gesture of 'go on'::

Taybrim: You have my attention.

Dempok: “Al’Akir does want the best for his people and he’s by no means a wicked person. I want this treaty to succeed for their sake as well as my reputation. I can simply overlook your involvement in the official process and offer my ship’s intelligence and sensor assets to aid with your investigation. While I don’t have the authority to deploy my troops on their soil, the annexation is entirely under my control.”

::Sal nodded a solid assent and understanding::

Taybrim: That would be amenable. ::A pause:: My mission is focused on the ATH and finding ways to curb the Jenatris Confederation and whoever might be beneath them. I have no conflict with your intentions - much the opposite, in fact.

Dempok: I’ll arrange to have computer access tethered to your ship to share intelligence, you’ll be given free reign on anything we have collected. Also, there are no conditions attached to this, I am a Klingon not a Ferengi, this drug and whatever force is behind it needs to be stopped, for the greater good.”

Taybrim: And I will share with you our scientific research on both the weaponized tribbles and the ATH breakdown. Unfortunately we don't have much on the Jenatris Confederation itself - part of the reason we're here.

Dempok: ?

::Sal rocked on his feet, bringing up a mental map of the area in his head before speaking::

Taybrim: As far as we can tell, most of the criminal activity is tied to Miranda VII Spaceport - a civilian base in independent territory. It's closer to us that it is to you; ::a dramatic pause:: And it lies on the Romulan border.

Dempok: ?

Taybrim: ::Matter of factly:: Of course the Romulans are not patrolling the area. And of course they take issue when someone else does. Miranda VII is the perfect place for the independent criminal to make a stand.

::Which was a common story. After the Hobus star explosion the Romulans simply didn't have the resources to patrol their borderlands. But, after having to accept outside aid, too many factions within Romulus were getting temperamental about their borders and they were quick to snap at anyone trying to patrol them taking it as an act of war.

It had quickly bred a growing criminal element - moving large amounts of money in small ships, it was the home of the smugglers, the assassins and the crimelords.::

Dempok: ?

Taybrim: ::A nod of assurance:: As I said, my orders are to deal with the Jenatris confederation - and as you pointed out, this criminal element threatens both your empire and the Federation. And, to make things worse, our preliminary research shows that Jenatris Confederation has ties to the Romulan terrorist and splinter political factions. It's a disgusting weed that needs to be burned out before it spreads.

::If there were ever a time where the phrase 'enemy of my enemy is my ally' applied to an ally - it was right here, right now.::

Dempok: ?

~*~
tags/tbc
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Commander Sal Taybrim
Commanding Officer
StarBase 118 Ops



"Why do we fly? Because we have dreamt of it for so long that we must"

~Julian Beck
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