Episode 2.03: The Trill Question

[Davy, aka GM]

After a while longer at the bar, Cole and Regina take a slow walk around the complex, comparing stories of shenanigans growing up and life before the Drake, the chief frequently "steadying herself" on the security officer's arm. They briefly encounter Cole's security team, partying together on the beach; Vasquez assures him that she and Hicks will make sure nothing gets out of hand and that they'll be ready to report on time in the morning.

Other members of the Drake's team begin to find their way to their hotel rooms, some in better moods than others. As Cole drops Regina off at her room, she reaches up to kiss him good night*.

* How long that goodnight kiss lasts is up to Cole. - Ed.

The next morning, Chief Waymire checks in on the acting-captain, providing a quick brief before they muster at the main complex.

"You and Voshen are scheduled to meet with the Trill delegation at 0900 local in the Ikuku II Conference Room - initially with Legate Prussk. The ambassador is scheduled to join you later," she notes. "Lt. Costaluna and Ensign ch'Valk are scheduled for the same time to meet with the Novans in the Oduugbo Mmiri Suite. Both Ambassador Errickoa and Delegate de Colinoro should arrive together.

"Lt. Cole and his team are scheduled to meet with the host delegation chief of staff, one Mr. Olabodheo, and Lt. Cmdr. Carpenter, head of the Starfleet Communications Team, to brief them on security protocols ahead of the conference," the chief continues. "And my job is to keep both you and Lt. Costaluna on schedule, so I'll be just a comm beep away, if you need me."

Tobin & Voshen
Uwaano Hall (Main Conference Building)
Ikuku II Conference Room

Tobin and Voshen meet up in the main lobby of Uwaano Hall and are directed by the resort staff to the 4th floor, east wing. They pass the Ikuku I Room to find their designated space and enter, which is a purpose-built conference room dominated by a long table for 25-30 and additional chairs along the walls, and multiple displays for ease of viewing. A member of the hospitality staff is finishing setting up the drinks station; she smiles at their arrival, completes her task, and excuses herself as she departs.

No sooner does the door slide closed behind her, it opens to admit four Trill (two men, two women) in civilian professional attire; one stands out to the science officer as a member of his Symbiosis Commission candidate cohort. Of course, back then, he didn't know her as Jeeri Prussk, but as Jeeri Neos. Prussk must be her symbiote's name. As the others busy themselves with setting PADDs at various places on the table, Jeeri smiles a familiar smile and steps up to the officers. "I thought it was you when I heard a 'Lt. Commander Les' was going to be our liaison during the preconference session; you look great, by the way - that uniform really suits you."

As if she's suddenly aware that someone else is in the room, she starts and turns to offer her hand in greeting to the Zaranite. "And you are Lieutenant Voshen, I presume? I'm Legate Jeeri Prussk. It's a pleasure to meet you and to have you working with us this week."

OOC: Nolmir, I'll let you determine the depth and nature of Tobin and Jeeri's acquaintance.
(That can include being rivals who didn't like each other at the time. )

Also, it's up to you gents if you expected Dax to be there with you.

Things you folks would know about the Trill delegation:
Ambassador Lasree Voliax (f)
Legate Jeeri Prussk (f)
Three other delegates
Seven aides (at least 2 male, 1 female)
Trill medical team

The delegation traveled to Alpha III in their own transport (Starfleet normally ferries delegations to the meeting site).

Additionally, Tobin expects that everyone in the delegation will be joined.

Chev
Uwaano Hall (Main Conference Building)
Oduugbo Mmiri Conference Room

Similarly, Miguel and Chev arrive together in the lobby, and are directed to the 5th floor, west wing. This is a small conference room designed to host about 10-15 people all together, and they arrive to find two female Novans setting up data PADDs and cups filled with what smells like coffee for two places.

"Good morning!" one stops and rounds the table as the other continues her setup. "Are you Lt. de Costaluna and Ensign ch'Valk? I hope I said that right. I'm Anamaria de Brazanos, and this is my colleague, Zahra Nuralla. The Ambassador and Delegate de Colinoro will be with us shortly."

OOC: Things you folks would know about the Novan Delegation:
Ambassador Davar Errickoa (m) - announced candidate for Federation Council President
Delegate Calixta Quesada Otero de Colinoro (f)
Two aides (who you now know as Anamaria de Brazanos and Zahra Nuralla, both female)

The delegation also traveled to Alpha III in a their own transport.

Cole
Uwaano Hall (Main Conference Building)
Security Operations Center

Lt. Cole and his team find their way to a 1st floor secure space in the main building, where a member of FCAT security stands guard. With a quick check of his PADD, he keys in a code at the door and lets the baker's dozen pass through to a very busy open space. Two conferencing tables sit to the left, both with a number of Starfleet and Federation personnel holding discussions. To the right is a number of desks shoved together, where the same mix of Starfleet and Federation personnel sit and work. Ahead, though, looks more like a scaled-up ship's bridge, with some 20 workstations fit into two concentric semi-circles, with three small tables closest to the entrance, where a number of personnel are seated or standing, monitoring or analyzing incoming data. It speaks to the complexity of hosting, securing, and transporting the diplomatic leaders of the Federation to a single site.

At one of those "bridge ops" tables stands Curzon Dax, who notices the newcomers and strides over to meet them.

"Cole, everyone, this way!" he says enthusiastically, drawing the group toward the ops area before directing them to the left, where a separate section houses a large briefing room, with one transparent wall. They see other folks within, including what appears to be a few Alphans. "Mr. Cole, let me introduce you to Lt. Commander Carpenter, who runs this little corner of chaos, and Mr. Olabodheo, chief of staff of the Alpha III host delegation. Gentlemen, Lt. Cole of USS Drake, and his security team for the preconference sessions."

"Lieutenant, a pleasure to have you with us," Carpenter greets, standing and approaching to shake the lieutenant's hand.

Olabodheo also approaches, offering his hand after the lieutenant commander. "Welcome to Alpha III, Mr. Cole. Thank you for volunteering to assist us in this most important mission." He sounds like a politician.

OOC: Going to give you folks a chance to catch up.

[socrates200X]

A smile wrinkled at his eyes, and Lt. Vohsen bowed slightly as he accepted the proffered hand.  "Legate, a pleasure."  The coldness of her palms briefly took him aback, but he remembered this biological quirk as part of his diplomatic prep.  "I am cheered to see that you and the Commander are acquainted."

OOC: Time for a Quick Survey!  Using my Talent (and leaning into my Cold Reading Focus), I'll ask -- "What subtle emotional cues does Legate Prussk present upon seeing and meeting Tobin?"

[Nolmir]

Tobin quirks a half-smile as he recognizes Jeeri. "Legate Prussk," he says, nodding respectfully and putting an emphasis on the new name. "I must say I am surprised to see you, but then I guess I shouldn't be. You always were ambitious -- 'bound for great things,' Master Nohr said."

Turning to Voshen, Tobin explains, "The legate and I were ... classmates, in our youth." Returning his attention to Jeeri, he adds with a smile, " It's good to see you again, Jeeri. From the look of you, I'd say diplomatic life suits you."

OOC: Let's say Tobin and Jeeri were friendly rivals. They got along well enough, but there was always a degree of tension as they tried to outdo one another. Obviously, Jeeri got the last laugh on that, since Tobin was filtered out of the program.

[Renny]

As Cole drops Regina off at her room, she reaches up to kiss him good night

* How long that goodnight kiss lasts is up to Cole. - Ed.

OOC:An officer and a gentleman never tells...

[Renny]

"Lieutenant, a pleasure to have you with us," Carpenter greets, standing and approaching to shake the lieutenant's hand.

Olabodheo also approaches, offering his hand after the lieutenant commander. "Welcome to Alpha III, Mr. Cole. Thank you for volunteering to assist us in this most important mission." He sounds like a politician.

Cole grasps Carpenter's hand first, then Olabodheo's, exchanging greetings with both.

"Glad to be here," he says brightly. "My team and I are here to do whatever we can to make this run smoothly."

[Davy, aka GM]

Tobin & Voshen

A smile wrinkled at his eyes, and Lt. Vohsen bowed slightly as he accepted the proffered hand.  "Legate, a pleasure."  The coldness of her palms briefly took him aback, but he remembered this biological quirk as part of his diplomatic prep.  "I am cheered to see that you and the Commander are acquainted."

Jeeri seems to be genuinely happy to see Tobin, but appears to seamlessly switch to a general "professional friendliness" mode that is common to diplomats within a disturbingly few moments. It makes Voshen wonder if they are more rivals than friends.

"I must say I am surprised to see you, but then I guess I shouldn't be. You always were ambitious -- 'bound for great things,' Master Nohr said."

"Youngest Legate in the Interstellar Office," she boasts, although, with Jeeri, it never sounds like boasting - more like nervous acceptance of praise. But, Tobin knows her ego; it's boasting.

Turning to Voshen, Tobin explains, "The legate and I were ... classmates, in our youth." Returning his attention to Jeeri, he adds with a smile, " It's good to see you again, Jeeri. From the look of you, I'd say diplomatic life suits you."

"It's certainly an adventure, between the polarization of Legorian Hall* along application lines, the almost off-putting nature of the Federation commissariats' enthusiasm, and the opposition of the Novan-aligned bloc in the Federation Council. But that's what this preconference session's about, right?"

* Legorian Hall is name of the Trill World Legislature building, and is sometimes used colloquially to refer to the legislature itself. -Ed

Cole
"Glad to hear it," Olabodheo responds, just as brightly.

Carpenter gestures for the team to find seats around the table. He briefly describes the function of the operations center and notes that the Drake team's communicators have already been linked to the conference network. He then goes describes the security plan:

- Alpha III's planetary security forces have secured a two block perimeter around the complex, and has shut down nearby resorts to limit beach traffic. They are also providing ingress and egress security at the complex street entrance.
- Security within the complex and on the beach are being handled by Federation Security personnel, and the teams attached to FCAT are currently performing sweeps and setting up command centers around the complex, which is why the Drake team is needed for the preconference session.
- Security for the 3rd & 4th Floors of Uwaano Hall (which have been set aside for the preconference session), as well as the Trill and Novan delegations' quarters, will be handed over to Cole for the duration of the preconference session. Federation Security will continue to handle access to the hall itself.
- Phaser Is are mandated on duty. Phaser IIs are authorized on the 3rd and 4th floors, which Carpenter calls "Sensitive Areas," at Cole's discretion. Kill settings are authorized only in the event of being attacked with deadly force.
- Alpha III planetary security point of contact is Commander Buurunti. FCAT Security point of contact is Agent-in-Charge Montfort. Lt. Cmdr. Carpenter is the general FCAT/Starfleet point of contact. Dax, of course, is available to liaise with all groups, as well.

"Any questions?" the lieutenant commander asks.

[Nolmir]

"It's certainly an adventure, between the polarization of Legorian Hall* along application lines, the almost off-putting nature of the Federation commissariats' enthusiasm, and the opposition of the Novan-aligned bloc in the Federation Council. But that's what this preconference session's about, right?"

Tobin nods. "I suppose so. Honestly, I'd rather leave this sort of thing to you -- I'm much more at home in my lab than dealing with politicians -- but I can hardly refuse being personally asked by Kurzon Dax," he says in a self-deprecating fashion mirroring Jeeri's own non-boastful boasting.

"Which leads me to ask," he continues, "what is Ambassador Voliax's position on Federation membership? I'm afraid it feels as though my crew and I are being brought into this whole thing half-blind."

[Renny]

"Any questions?" the lieutenant commander asks.

"Sir, does the complex have any measures in place to restrict transporter access?"

[Davy, aka GM]

Cole
OOC: In the 2280s, the only way to block transporters is using shields. Transport inhibitors are later 24th Century technology.

"We weren't given permission to set up the necessary shield generators to cover the complex," Dax notes.

"Of course not," Olabodheo confirms. "It would have been too disruptive to the tourist season."

"Alphan Orbital Guard patrol craft and two Starfleet escorts will be on station over the planet as a picket to prevent unauthorized vessels from entering transporter range of the planet," Carpenter continues. "And we have all sorts of sensors trained on the complex, so we'll know someone's coming before they get here.

"We even have a couple crack transporter teams who will attempt to intercept incoming unauthorized beams."

"It's as good a net as we can cast here," Dax concludes.

Tobin & Voshen

"Which leads me to ask," he continues, "what is Ambassador Voliax's position on Federation membership? I'm afraid it feels as though my crew and I are being brought into this whole thing half-blind."

"She's...," Jeeri shifts her gaze between Voshen and Tobin. "...well, she's reticent, but...hopeful, I suppose? I don't think anyone on our team was ready for the level of opposition our application received. If it was just one voice speaking out because of whatever crusade they're on, sure, that sort of thing we know how to deal with - but this is a popular delegate who can pull an entire voting bloc behind him. The ambassador has sometimes wondered if Trill really needs Federation membership that badly - it's not worth sacrificing our principles and cultural identity.

"The hopeful part is that she agreed to the preconference session, and the Novans did, too. She was named Ambassador to the Federation because she believes joining that government will benefit our people, so this is something she wants."

OOC: BTW, Jeeri is pronounced jee-AIR-ee.

[Renny]

Cole
OOC: In the 2280s, the only way to block transporters is using shields. Transport inhibitors are later 24th Century technology.

"We weren't given permission to set up the necessary shield generators to cover the complex," Dax notes.

"Of course not," Olabodheo confirms. "It would have been too disruptive to the tourist season."

"Alphan Orbital Guard patrol craft and two Starfleet escorts will be on station over the planet as a picket to prevent unauthorized vessels from entering transporter range of the planet," Carpenter continues. "And we have all sorts of sensors trained on the complex, so we'll know someone's coming before they get here.

"We even have a couple crack transporter teams who will attempt to intercept incoming unauthorized beams."

"It's as good a net as we can cast here," Dax concludes.

Cole nods appreciatively. "Sounds pretty thorough to me, sir. Thank you."

[socrates200X]

A small but noted pause fell over the three of them.  Voshen clicked neutrally.  "Well.  I believe I will make my introductions to the rest of the delegation.  Commander.  Legate Prussk."  Steepling his fingers and bowing slightly, Voshen moved to brightly greet the other aides in the room, giving the commander space to speak to the Legate in relative privacy.

[Nolmir]

Tobin nods gratefully to Voshen as he excuses himself. As the navigator walks away, he turns back to Jeeri. "I take it that the ambassador is not willing to disclose the existence of the symbionts to the Federation, then?" Tobin asks, his voice lowered. "Because if so, I am afraid that may scuttle our application. Our world's reticence on certain topics makes many think we have something to hide, Jeeri."