Lieutenant Commander Sevantha Saa - Exploration
Sevantha Saa
(( Diplomatic Conference Room Blue, Deck 13, USS Thor ))
Entertaining a man who was used to having the whole world in his hand was a delicate matter. Sevantha recalled too well had Koreli IV had gone miserably and during her time on New Gaia she had done everything to prevent such a situation. None of her crew had been shot, but the Malik had been. Part of her felt frustrated by the assailants' mental training as it had kept her from noticing their true intentions the whole time.
Now she worked to assure that the discussions went smoothly, which meant keeping the Malik from being offended and trying to bridge areas of understanding based on what she saw. Their tour had been informative but she felt as though she still understood little. So she decided to ask a question of her own.
Setting down the pitcher having refilled both the Captain and Malik’s drink, she then chose to speak up.
Saa: What is it you would like to see achieved most between your two worlds?
Mosta’An: Why, rebuilding my good name of course!
Admittedly, Sevantha was more than a little surprised at the humor post-assassination attempt but everyone coped in different ways. She couldn’t shake the feeling the smile and jovialness masked other unexpressed emotions, thoughts held back due to his presence on a foreign ship. His control was substantially limited here.
Promontory: Nothing more… substantive?
Mosta’An: Forgive me, a small joke. You pose a simple question, with a simple, lofty, answer. True peace between our worlds, not one that is only held in place by the threat of destruction. That is not peace; it is barely a tolerance for each other.
Saa: A unity through a shared fear…
Why else have a subspace weapon in the first place? The development of them as a deterrent was effective until someone thought to detonate them.
Promontory: And do you choose to believe that that sort of long-term, lasting peace is possible?
Mosta’An: The process will be long and challenging for my people, and Nova Terra. Perhaps we can begin with something smaller, baby steps, as they say on Earth. An expansion of what joint ventures New Gaia and Nova Terra have.
Peace between cultures who could never fully know one another’s intention and lacked the basic fundamentals of trust was no small feat. Sevantha studied both the Malik’s movements and then the responses her Captain offered up. She’d seen the negotiations between Rouiancet and Tzarn, how those had gone, but both leaders being present on the ship offered hope.
Promontory: That’s all we ask. I think it’s an old Earth proverb: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Saa: The Federation does not expect immediacy. We understand all change comes with struggle and growing pains, ones that will not be ours to bear, but those of your planet and people.
Mosta’An: What is your stake in the relationship between my world and Nova Terra? You sort us out, after all, and graciously offered to his the peace talks here aboard your vessel.
And there it was. The question she had been waiting for him to ask. One that inquired what the Federation really wanted from the peace, a question for her Captain to navigate first. Tucking a few strands of blonde hair behind her ear, she listened for her Captain’s reply to assist in paving the path towards peace.
Promontory: I’ll confess, I have a vested interest in the outcome here. We believe in peace, and we know it’s achievable. Simply put, we think it’s a better way.
Saa: For both planets in the Solace system and for your continued exploration of the larger galaxy.
If the two planets were at war, what happened if other factions stepped in and actually took sides of the conflict? A devastating possibility at this rate, especially if the species had interest in subspace weaponry.
Mosta’an: Reply
Promontory: Ah, yes. War, fighting, competition is bad for everyone, not just the primary combatants.
Trake stood from his seat and moved to the LCARs screen to pull up the damage done to the space surrounding where the weapon was fired. Sevantha frowned as she once again remembered the stories of the Briar Patch from Gwen’ora and the Son’a. Sevantha diverted her gaze from the screen to the refractions of light formed by the Malik as he toyed with his glass. Recalling the various glass patterns on New Gaia, she wondered the philosophical reasoning behind the designs.
Promontory: Destroying space, for example, is something that we’d like to avoid.
She inclined her head in agreement.
Saa: ::Gently:: Subspace weapons are unpredictable and could cause surrounding space-time to collapse or even collapse this system. Those at the center of this conspiracy I hope are simply naive to the damage they could have done.
Mosta’an: Reply
Promontory: Just so. (beat) Well, shall we move to the larger conference room and engage with your counterpart?
With that, Sevantha rose from the table and waited for the Malik to rise as well. She chose to walk behind the Captain and Malik out of respect for their positions.
Mosta’an: Reply
Saa: The larger conference room is Green, with trim and decor to match. ::She explained:: Starfleet enjoys bit’s color coordination.
Based on what she saw, New Gaia did as well, her mind drawn back to the blocky colored outfits a few wore while Javad remained draped in pure white. She had wondered if the color choice of those of Service were the same as the Maliks as he viewed his own role as a service to his people.
Promontory/Mosta’An: Response
(( Corridor, Deck 13, USS Thor ))
Once more they’d fallen into casual conversation as they transferred between conference rooms. Sevantha found herself doing more of the carrying more social weight than she was typically used to with individuals outside the crew. Already her voice was tired but she still kept up the pleasantry to assure their guests were comfortable.
Saa: Your people as you have said live very contented lives, Malik. ::She tilts her head:: Satisfaction is something as a Counselor I have found very hard for any people to achieve societally.
Promontory/Mosta’An: Response
Briefly, her eyes flicked up to the Captain, studying his expression before deciding to ask a question she hoped offered insight into the motivations of New Gaia.
Saa: Then, why explore space? ::She tilted her head:: Exploration I have found is most often motivated by desire and curiosity of the people, is this one area where New Gaia and Earth still share similar views? Or is exploration of space something of the desires of the Maliks?
Promontory/Mosta’An: Response
[TBC]