Lt Cmdr Naledi - Bargaining Chirps

[Naledi]

((Bridge, USS Invicta, Holosuite 4, Deck 5, USS Thor))

 

Just as Naledi’s translator finished it’s translation, both turbolifts to the bridge opened up, Xindi clambered from each lift until they had the bridge crew in good coverage. They were glad that the Tito held the real power and DeVeau was instructed to send off a probe communicating their distress.

It was all below the table, and hopefully out of the awareness of the boarding parties.

Standing slowly from their chair. Naledi turned to face the Xindi who appeared to be the ringleader. Their phaser was firmly in their palp.

Tito: Surrender now or we will defend ourselves.

Naledi: Crick Snap Pop Hiss… Don’t think we will not destroy the ship to prevent you from taking it. Pew Snap… It does not negotiate with Terrorists.

Ch'zila: Snap Crack Pop Hiss... Turn over this vessel to us and we will let you live.

Tito: Starfleet does not negotiate with boarders.

Computer: Incoming transmission.

Naledi: Pew Crick Snap Pop… Onscreen.

The main viewer lit up with the display of main engineering. Although the picture was distorted. Xindi bodies clearly laid on the ground. Hopefully only stunned, despite what they’d done, they didn’t deserve to die. Nobody did. In the center of the frame stood a gold-shirted Bolian.

Chief Engineer: Main engineering is secure Captain, Emergency bulkheads have been sealed. No more Xindi are going to be getting in here.

Naledi: Pew Crack Snap… Thank you, Lieutenant.

As the transmission faded away, they stopped facing the screen, turning back to the leader Xindi.

Naledi: Crick Snap Pop Hiss Chirp… It assumes that you needed Main engineering. Sorry to hear about your ruined plans.

DeVeau: You don’t have to do this.

Their leader raised to aim their weapon directly at Naledi’s head.

Why wouldn’t they just shoot? They needed their codes, but shooting the captain, even if not to kill made a statement.

Ch'zila: You will relinquish this vessel to us or we will execute your crew one-by-one while you watch.

oO Clearly they can’t listen. We said we wouldn’t negotiate Oo

Ch'zila: Starting with this female.

Two of the boarding Xindi Insectoid moved to grab a member of Naledi’s bridge crew.
 
Tito: Ch’zila if you try anything I will shoot you.

Naledi: Crick Snap Pop Hiss Snap… He speaks for all of the Invicta. You can still surrender, and your crew will be extradited to the nearest Xindi colony. You will come with us to Command. They will decide your punishment.

DeVeau: What do you want from us and our ship?

They dropped their plasma rifles barrel slightly and slowly.

Ch'zila: I could simply murder you all and take what I want. Yours would not be the first murders I've committed this day.

Tito: Maybe it will be the last.

Scratching the back of it’s neck with it’s palp, Naledi started to grow tired of this boarding party. It was brutal, effective, but also had the tone of an amateur. They’d failed to take engineering, various Xindi parties across the ship had been dealt with according to Naledi’s control panel. This group could not take the bridge, at least not for long before more teams showed up.

Had they been in their NX-01 programme, they would have done a much better job.  

Naledi: Crick Snap Pop Hiss… What do you want exactly? The ship? The Crew?

DeVeau: If you tell us what you need, maybe we can help you.

Ch'zila: Snap Crack... What we want is survival. The Shra'Tik was dying and its captain chose extinction - release the brood and meet the void. I rejected that fate as did those who supported me.

They used their forelimbs to gesture to the bridge around them.


Ch'zila: Pop Hiss... The brood is our future and your vessel has everything they require - power, atmosphere, protection, and space enough for a swarm to grow. Your kind protects life instinctively and that makes you predictable.

Their gaze bounced around the room before they settled staring at Ensign DeVeau.

Ch'zila: Crack Snap... The Invicta will become their hive. Stand down and you will live. Refuse, and the brood will inherit this ship from your corpses.

Naledi: Hiss Pew Pop Hiss Crick Chirp… We took your brood as you asked, prepared to beam as many of you aboard as possible. Between the members of your crew who didn’t survive and those that have been dealt with by our security what have you gained? Our people, the Xindi are allied with the federation. We’d have taken you wherever you needed to be.

Just saying it out aloud made Naledi realise just how silly the whole situation was. There had to be more that wasn’t being said.

Ch'zila: Snap... Crack... Yes. Our peoples are allies. Pop Hiss... But alliances do not outweigh extinction. When the choice is between honor and survival, the swarm will choose survival every time.

Tito: Then maybe we can help?

Do they even deserve the help anymore?

Of course they do, but… Naledi knew a part of wanting to help them after all that they had done was related to their shared heritage, had they been another species… They weren’t sure what they would have done in place.
 
DeVeau: Response.

The Xindi still looked like they were resisting, if they were truly serious about executing the bridge officer, wouldn’t they have done it first and then negotiated with the second one? The fact they’d lowered their weapon to negotiate, it gave Naledi a weird vibe.

Although as Naledi thought those thoughts they raised the weapon once again.

Ch'zila: Pop Crack... Now then, access the command console and transfer this vessel to my control or this human female dies.

Tito: We won’t respond to threats.

Naledi: Crick Snap Pop Pew… and it doubts your ability to pull the trigger.
 
DeVeau: Response.

The Xindis head tilted.

Ch'zila: Pop Hiss... You forget, our young are already inside your vessel. Soon they will awaken and they will be very hungry... Even now, I can hear their shells beginning to crack. Can you not hear it?
 
Tito: This isn’t the way…

Naledi: Crick Snap Pop Hiss… Agreed, this is getting pointless. We can’t hear the eggs, and they wouldn’t be able to fight us for at least another month anyway.

DeVeau/Ch’zila: Response.

Naledi knew just as well as Tito did that opening any fire on the Xindi would end in casualties on both sides, as well as the potential to fire on a terminal and cause the Invicta to lose its already unstable control in the borderlands.

Tito: Computer, Command Code Tito Echo Alpha one seven zero zero. Give me full control of shuttle bays and open them to space on my mark, or if any weapons fire is registered on the bridge.

Computer: Acknowledged.

Lieutenant Tito turned to the Xindi leader.

Tito: Anyone shoot and your Nursery goes flying back to the Badlands

Shooting him a glance without moving a muscle, Naledi was immediately concerned for the incubator chamber. Were they being serious? They were children, innocent bystanders being used as a bargaining chip.

Once again Naledi hoped quietly to themselves that Tito was bluffing. A feeling no doubt that the other Xindi on board were feeling.

Naledi: Crick Snap Pop Hiss… So, will you stand down? Or face the consequences of what you’ve done?

DeVeau/Ch’zila: Response.

Lieutenant Tito lowered his phaser alongside a few other members of the bridge crew. Naledi however, did not. They would die defending their crew if they had to.

Tito: Do you really care to risk it? We are offering help… We can help. But we will defend us.
The only reason you are not laying on the floor is because we are a Starfleet ship.

Naledi: Crick Snap Pop Pew… We have already given you the benefit of the doubt, it is clear you are desperate. Don’t do anything else stupid and we will all live. Including your offspring.

Tito/DeVeau/Ch’zila: Response.

They held their weapon steady in their forelimbs. A clear shot at the Xindi leader’s head.

Naledi: Pew Pop Snap Crack… If it puts it’s weapon down, will you stand down? Accept the help we were already offering?

Tito/DeVeau/Ch’zila: Response.

A chirping noise came from one of the bridge crews terminal. They were unsure what it said, however by looking on the face of the crew member who could read it, it looked like good news.

Their phaser lowered, as Naledi nodded at the crew member who was closest to the terminal in question.

Naledi: Pew Snap Pop… What’s the news, Lieutenant?

The blue shirted blonde Trill woman looked down at their terminal, their smile wide as they read the message aloud.

Blue Lieutenant: Security reports the Xindi threat has been neutralised and the bodies, both unconscious and deceased are being moved to Cargo Bay Five.

Tito/DeVeau/Ch’zila: Response.

 

 

TBC

 

Lieutenant Commander Naledi

Director of Strategic Operations

USS Thor (NCC-85852)

R240107AS3