LtCmdr Kettick: Live, let live and leave

[Darwin Awkward]

((Chief Minister Zishi’s Office, Voth City Ship Ruttu, Delta Quadrant))

Kettick: The final decision rests with our Captain, but unless and until one of your factions calls upon our help, I believe we have no business interfering. As long as our crew is retrieved safe and sound, we will be content to leave you in peace and be on our way to the nearest Starfleet outpost.

He really hoped that both factions would choose to be left alone. Because otherwise? Right now, he was the highest ranking officer at the negotiation table.

He had no sweat glands and he wanted to sweat bullets.

Stapledon: Agreed.

Before anyone else could answer, the local equivalent of a Security Officer raised his weapon.

Tobrak: I will go to the Igirni and find the Starfleet crew. Along with this Elder. I'll bring them here before they cause any more trouble.

Excuse you? Starfleet, "causing" trouble? The Remmilian sent a look at the brute that could have scratched neutronium. As far as he was concerned, the root cause of all their troubles had a saurian face.

Zishi: Good idea, go. Take Xarrin with you - their knowledge of the Igirni will be useful.

A good point, even if distasteful when you considered what this knowledge had been used for.

Still, that did not answer one pressing question, that being where they could return or be returned to.

Kettick: Begging your pardon, Minister, but unless it happens to be a state secret, where are we exactly?

Zishi: You are in the Delta Quadrant, ::he typed a few keys on his desk’s keyboard, and the screen behind him showed a large galactic map:: you can see behind me here. 

Stapledon: :: Nodding :: Looks about right.  I see the little star cluster where PQ-227 is and that tracks with what we detected earlier.

The Remmilian cocked his head sideways, accepting the information with as much emotion as he would have spared for the local lunch schedule.

Kettick: Ah. I suppose Eagle is a tad too far to pick us up in a timely manner, then. We will have to arrange alternative means of travel.

The former Igirni Chief Engineer addressed them with a wince.

Xarrin: ::to Kettick:: There was no other way. Truth be told I did not anticipate I'd grow to respect you so quickly. For what it's worth I'm sorry. I wish we could have met under better circumstances.

Zishi: I am sorry too. But what’s done is done.

Kettick: Quite. And we are more interested in the way forward. 

Which meant: interested at all. Apologies did not provide transportation.

The brute snorted, and the Minister waved a hand towards him dismissively.

Tobrak: Enough, Xarrin. Come with me, you are to report to the Circle of Archaeologists for debriefing.

The traitorous Engineer looked at his compatriot with visible confusion.

Xarrin: Not the Circle of Engineers, but...

The guard laughed at him.

Tobrak: Your ship is a living museum. Hardly worth bothering the engineers about. Now, follow me.

That man was a knuckle-dragging grunt and a bully, but the Engineer could not fault his technical analysis. Anyway, Xarrin was soon out of his sight, and as far as Kettick was concerned, out of  mind. And nothing of value was lost.

Zishi: Apologies. Many, many apologies. ::he narrowed his eyes:: There is a small Starfleet presence in the Delta Quadrant - we can contact them and have them collect you.

Lieutenant Stapledon gave the Minister a polite smile.

Stapledon:  These things happen...

Kettick: At least this time the ship is still intact if half a galaxy away. In any case, Minister, your help is appreciated, in any form you choose to provide it.

Zishi: There’s nothing else I can do - all I want is the Igirni and her inhabitants. I have no interest in you, you have nothing I want.

The Remmilian nodded. The honesty was refreshing if nothing else, the Voth were offering to mend, at least partially, the damage their vole-brained scheme had caused, and it was more than enough for him as long as the crew was safe. 

Kettick: Perfectly understandable. We are quite content with accepting your offer of contacting our local counterparts, and let bygones be bygones. That being said, while we lack material means to assist you at the moment, we are willing to lend our expertise to a subject of your choice if you would like to negotiate further agreements.

Stapledon:  Well...  Like cultural exchanges?

The Chief Engineer slowly turned towards his colleague, looking at her with a cautiously blank expression. One that managed to convey his complete absence of any clue as to what that had to do with the price of gagh on Qo'noS.

Zishi:  Response

Stapledon:  Oh.

Kettick's species had been granted a face that was naturally well-suited to the art of deadpan.

Kettick: ::Drily :: Quite.

Zishi:  Response

The Lieutenant hesitated.

Stapledon:  Well...  Sort of...  The Atlantic Ocean separated two places... Europe and North America.  And then the discovery of peoples in North America started a lot of soul searching.  There was a man named John Locke who wrote a lot about the peoples discovered in what was basically the forgotten content of North America in his essay on human (or was it humane?) understanding, and what he said would eventually feed into early anthropology on Earth.  But you see, he was struggling against the ideas of someone named Plato, who said that everything comes from ideal--

The insectoid lifted a hand up, palm vertical, in a commonly accepted gesture for "stop".

Kettick: I am not a Medical Officer, but I am quite certain that your species requires breathing a bit more often than this. And thank you, but brevity would be appreciated if we want to convey any message before the Minister needs to dedicate himself to more important matters.

Zishi/Stapledon:  Response

Kettick: Again, internal Voth matter. Although if some of the most prominent malcontents wanted to file for asylum in the Federation, we would gladly get them out of your cranial scales.

Zishi/Stapledon:  Response

Kettick: I am quite certain we could find them a nice planet inhabited by neo-luddites. Infinite diversity in infinite combinations, and so forth.

Tags/TBC

--

Lieutenant-Commander Kettick

Chief of Engineering

USS Eagle-A

G239107LR0

Your Engineering department kindly reminds you that you are supposed to read the flakking manual.