Arthur Summerside: The Melting Point of Boilerplate

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Lt. JG Kivik

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Jan 29, 2022, 9:50:28 PM1/29/22

to Amity Outpost

((Chief of Mission's Office, Level 15, Copernicus Center))

Arthur looked, disconcerted by the arrangement of Amity’s brass. He gazed across the table at the empty couch and wondered why Commander Carter had sat beside him. He felt penned in on all sides, looking this way and that from the Ambassador to Ukinix… and he was pretty sure Carter took a cushion and a half. Whatever game they were playing at, he wasn’t going to let it get to him.

Summerside: Hmmm… And as for the Expo. I hear it’s being overseen by one of your junior science officers. ::Raising an eyebrow:: A big task for a junior officer… Are you concerned about the potential ramifications for Starfleet's reputation if things should go awry?

Vataix: I have complete faith in my staff. Lieutenant Junior Grade Kivik's team have been working tirelessly over the past several weeks to ensure a smooth and enlightening scientific and cultural exchange of ideas.

Ukinix: And it’s not just Lieutenant Kivik, we have a whole bunch of our senior Starfleet officers working alongside diplomatic staff to ensure this event will be one to remember.

Arthur expected as much. He hadn’t imagined any of the station’s senior staff would be caught dead calling into question their own officers’ abilities – though their responses didn’t exactly answer the question. Summerside wondered if they even had a plan in place for what to do if things went sideways… it would be a bad look for the Federation, that was for sure.

Carter: Starfleet officers undergo a rigorous selection process, followed by several years of classes and training before graduation in their preferred fields of study. When they leave the Academy they are equipped with the abilities and tolls needed to be successful. We have complete confidence in them, as well as you should have.

oO I’ll decide for myself who I put my confidence in, thank you very much. Oo

Summerside: I see – and this ‘Lieutenant Junior Grade Kivik’... is she from a Federation world as well?

Vataix: The lieutenant's preferred pronouns are ne/nem, and no, nir home is the planet J'naii. Starfleet is open to applicants from non-Federation worlds, and the service is enriched by the contributions of officers such as nem.

That was interesting. Not article-worthy, really, but unusual. Arthur had heard of the various pronouns used by the far-more-ubiquitous Andorians – but “ne” was still alien to him, as was the world J’naii. He figured there must not be many serving with Starfleet and wondered why anyone from Federation quadrants had opted out of the galactic organisation.

Ukinix: Arty you should look into J’naii as a case study, there’s some interesting background there.

Summerside nodded absent-mindedly as he circled the word J’naii on his notepad. oO I just might do that… Oo

Carter: You will find out a lot about the Federation by talking to those who are not members, like Lieutenant Kivik. Ne is an absolute ambassador in those regards.

Summerside: That is good to know. ::Switching gears again:: There’s a great deal of concern about the health and safety of Amity’s guests, given the volume of people coming for the event. Given the Delta Quadrant’s shaky history and tenuous interstellar politics… Are you at all concerned for the wellbeing of the attendees?

Vataix: We have a comprehensive plan in place for the health and safety of our guests and expo attendees. I'll let John speak further on that.

Carter: Our medical staff is prepared to treat all the participants coming to Amity. There will also be a program of vaccinations to ensure that every being who attends will be safe from any pandemic fears or contaminations.

oO So there is a plan, after all. Oo

Ukinix: ::Nodding:: And that includes you, Arthur, as a citizen from Briori.

Wil’s unexpected comment caught Summerside by surprise – though, frankly, he should have known to expect the odd provocation. Arthur liked the Commander well enough and, perhaps under different circumstances, they’d even be good friends… but their roles put them too at odds for that. At least at the moment.

Summerside: Yeah, yeah, I’ll get my shots like the rest of ‘em… I didn’t travel all this way to get space-polio.

oO But you better not implant me with a tracker or something… Oo he mused to himself.

Vataix: Would you like something to drink, Mr. Summerside?

Summerside: That depends. You having one?

That was a strange segue. Arthur wondered at Vataix’ intentions. He wasn’t about to plied into docility by drink, no matter how much he needed one after the news he’d received earlier.

Vataix: We were having a little glitch with the replicator earlier, but...yes! How about yourself?

Summerside: I suppose an iced tea wouldn’t be too brodie.

Ukinix: ::smiling:: We can put a shot of bourbon in it if you like.

Carter: A shot of bourbon would be good right about now...

Arthur grimaced. He appreciated the sentiment, but these Starfleet flatfoots wouldn’t have known a good bourbon if it hit them in the face at Warp 10.

Summerside: None of that replicated synthehol stuff. Not for me anyways. We might live in an age of intergalactic science exhibitions, but some things are still better the old fashioned way.

Before he knew it, a glass of iced tea made its way into his hand, glitch-free as far as he could tell. Still, he did give the drink a sniff before taking a sip. He hadn’t realized his mouth had gotten so dry.

Vataix: Can you tell me a little more about yourself, Mr. Summerside. A human from the Delta Quadrant...

Now that segue made more sense. Arthur supposed to the these three, and the other Federation folk, he must seem a bit old fashioned. The folk of Briori had come leaps and bounds technologically over the last four hundred years, but the small insular world had kept much of its traditional culture…

Summerside: That about sums it up. Up until thirty years ago, few even believed the rumours that we’d come from elsewhere.

Vataix: So may I ask, what is your perspective now, seeing and meeting humans from the other side of the galaxy?

Summerside: Well, I certainly believe them now.

Vataix: I see...

Arthur caught the glance that shot across the table from the Ambassador to Commander Ukinix and frowned. Had he let something slip? Had she read his mind and found something untoward, or something? Interviewing a Betazoid was even more frustrating than he’d imagined. After all, Arthur was used to having the upperhand…

Ukinix: Excuse me for a moment, just have to check in with someone regarding preparations. ::Smile, polite nod:: Be right back.

Arthur did his best to contain a scowl. oO I’ll bet you do. Oo

Carter: Mister Summerside...tell about your planet of origin. We know nothing about it whatsoever.

Summerside: ::Mildly incredulous:: I find that hard to believe, given our interactions with Voyager when it passed through the system… ::Sitting back and sipping on his iced tea:: Briori is a large world, or at least it feels that way given our population. We came from a ‘small batch’ as it were, brought here long ago as forced labour. I suppose the original Briori loved violence but abhorred the work of it all. ::A wry smile:: Turns out entrusting your slaves with the manufacture of your weapons is a bad call. Before long, we ran the remaining Briori out of the system and claimed it for ourselves. ::Taking another sip of his drink:: Or at least that’s what the history books say these days.

Vataix: response

Summerside: The history of the universe is chock-a-block with powerful empires unwittingly assuring their own downfalls. Let’s hope the Federation doesn’t make the same mistake.

With that, he sat up straight again and pulled up his notebook and pen.

Summerside: Speaking of which - even with Commander Ukinix away, I believe this is supposed to be a press meeting, which means I ought to be asking the questions… Speaking of empires and downfalls… this event is a big draw for folk from all over the Quadrant. I’m sure you’ve considered that your presence here might irritate some of the local warmongers… Do you feel capable of defending yourselves if, say, the Hirogen show up wondering who’s organizing a potluck on their doorstep?

Carter: I think the Ambassador would be the most appropriate person to answer that question…

Summerside looked at the large man seated beside him who smirked smugly. Arthur smiled back, mirroring him, before turning away and letting his face drop again. It was a fair question. Arthur had no intention on sticking around and getting blown to smithereens if the Federation hadn’t done their due diligence if – no… when the Hirogen or the Borg showed up.

Vataix: Response

It was this point that Commander Ukinix returned, retaking his seat. Arthur watched him intently – trying to suss out what precisely he’d been up to – while raising the iced tea to his lips once more, his piercing eyes peering over the rim of the glass.

Carter: Welcome back...

Ukinix: ::Smiling:: What’d I miss?

Carter: Not much...a reporter attempting to ask a question about classified information…

Classified information? Arthur scoffed into his drink. oO You must be fun at parties, Carter. Oo

Vataix/Ukinix: response

Ukinix: Actually Arthur, I have a question for you if that’s allowed.

Summerside looked about, from face to face, as if expecting one of them to crack up laughing.

Summerside: I was under the impression this ‘question period’ would primarily involve me getting answers, not talking about myself. Hadn’t realized I was so interesting. ::Looking down at his notes:: But, what the hell? oO This interview’s been all wet anyways. Oo Shoot.

Ukinix: How have the Briori reacted since finding out about the Federation, twenty-something years later? I mean, ::pointing back and forth between John and himself:: as two humans from Earth I’m sure that many of us are curious.

Ukinix: Because it’s awful that three-hundred humans were forcibly taken from Earth as slaves, long before our civilisation knew there were intelligent beings, any beings, out in the galaxy. That kind of displacement is just… well by Federation standards, it’s just unfathomable.

Carter: That goes completely against the Federation charter. Such abhorrent behaviour is not tolerated in the Federation or on any of its member worlds.

Vataix: Response

Summerside: Well - to your first point, I suppose folk on Briori aren’t sure what to think. There’s some on think the Federation is some sort of god-send come to reignite a long-lost connection to our roots. Others see you as benevolent invaders come to wipe our culture away and gentrify the quadrant.

His thoughts again meandered momentarily to the news of Joe Lewiston’s impending arrival aboard Amity, before he caught himself. He remained determined not to walk out of the room having given more away than he’d received.

Summerside: As for me? ::Looking at Carter with his own smug smile:: That’s classified information.