MSPNPC Erbil — Negotiation and compromise and burbling feelings
Yogan Yalu
(( Provincial Government Complex, Tecra, Da’al ))
Negotiation and compromise were exhausting. Erbil felt that for every step forward he achieved with these Starfleet officers, he had to yield two steps to assuage their reluctance. The aging Da’al bureaucrat bit back growing feelings of frustration at their failure to find common ground. For a moment, he wished he were as empowered as some of the faction leaders. It would have been so satisfying to upend the table and storm out of the room, leaving MacKenzie and Dakora in stunned, kerfuffled silence.
The thought was an imagined indulgence, but something about it felt tantalizingly, frighteningly real. Erbil begrudgingly shook it off and turned his attention back to the idiots—erm, the officers.
MacKenzie: I will speak to them, unofficially and off the re-
Dakora stood, but faltered on the way up from his chair. Erbil took a step toward the ailing Betazoid, but went no closer. He didn’t bother trying to decipher Dakora’s furrowed gaze.
Dakora: There's something wrong here.
Erbil: Just one thing, Lieutenant? ::beat:: We should be so lucky.
MacKenzie: What do you mean?
Dakora: I'm feeling raw hostility on a scale that is starting to be concerning. ::He raised a staying hand.:: I've been on the scene of a few disasters and I've never felt anything quite like this.
Erbil responded with a puzzled expression. Raw hostility? Not likely.
Erbil: An interesting observation, Lieutenant. The Da’al are not by nature a hostile people. This is an extraordinary time for the people of Tecra, I grant you that. But are you certain that this… feeling… is coming from us?
MacKenzie: I’d like to examine you, if you don’t mind…
Whether Dakora minded or not seemed to be irrelevant, as MacKenzie began the examination before she finished speaking.
Dakora: I think, at this point, that may be a good idea.
Erbil’s curiosity outweighed his sense of decorum. He rubbernecked from across the room and watched the two Starfleeters intently. He wasn’t close enough to assuage his curiosity, so he stepped closer as MacKenzie ran a scanning device over Dakora. She took her time.
Erbil: oO Quick as you like, Commander... Oo
MacKenzie: I’m reading significantly higher levels of norepinephrine, which certainly might explain what you’re feeling, but I don’t have any reason as to what might be causing it…
Erbil: Is that contagious? Should we be concerned? I don’t think Tecra can withstand an outbreak of an alien malady on top of being half destroyed. ::beat:: Frankly, I don’t think I can withstand it, either.
Dakora: response
MacKenzie: Everything else looks fine. ::folding up the tricorder and returning it to the medkit:: Do you think you can stay here, or do you need to return to the ship?
Dakora: Response
MacKenzie nodded, and it seemed the discussion of Dakora’s ailment ended then and there. Erbil had more questions about the sudden and mysterious affliction, but MacKenzie pivoted back to the domestic situation.
MacKenzie: Alright, then. Minister Erbil, I’m willing to meet some of the other officials, but I think our first order of business should be to get a feel for what the situation on the ground is like and to make sure order is being maintained. Do you have a head of policing or head of security we could speak with?
Erbil: Yes, I do. Tecra’s profile has risen over the past few years. It’s something of a coming-together place, a cultural capital. Most of the factions have representatives here, including the government ones. We could meet with the regional commander of the Gendarmerie, who’s based right here in Tecra. No one would know the situation on the ground better than her.
Dakora / MacKenzie: response
Erbil glanced at the table. Once again he thought about how good it would feel to flip it over, and yell, and scream, and maybe even punch a thing. But that was weird. The Starfleet team was being cooperative and helpful now. They weren't frustrating him in any way. Not even a little.
So why did he feel so… so… so frustrated?
Erbil pressed a button on the table and the massive door slowly opened.
Erbil: Let’s not wait for your crewmate to return. The commander of the Tecra Gendarmerie will make time to see you. I’ll see to it that she does. oO She will. Or else. Oo
MacKenzie / Dakora: response
Erbil moved across the room with alacrity, inflaming the fresh scrapes along his backside as the rubbed against his clothing. Something threatened to burble up inside him if he didn’t take action—any action—as soon as possible. He waited impatiently for the door to open enough for him to fit through, tapping his foot as if seconds were hours. Finally, he exited, then poked his head back through the doorway.
Erbil: This way, please! The Gendarmerie awaits.
MacKenzie / Dakora: response
Tag / TBC
MSPNPC Da’al Erbil
Interim External Relations Minister
Da’al Interim Government
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