Stardate: 61207:1245
Title: The Big Question
Author: Ambassador Thessyr Tal
Time: During/after "Evacuation"
Scene: Transporter room
As the transporters brought in the refugees, the medical staff and counsellors
moved them off of the pads and into the waiting area, the cargo bay was full of
panicky overstressed personalities.
Thess stood off to the side speaking to the leader of the group, a man who held
some command amongst the others but who was both angry and contrary, used to
keeping his own counsel and having things the way he wanted.
In other words, a captain.
"Sir," Thess was reiterating, "it's an unfortunate situation but your lives are
in danger. The Starfleet charter requires that we attempt to save lives, even at
the expense of resources."
"You ‘fleeters are always running around sticking your noses in other people's
business but you're never around when you're needed," he groused.
"Did you need us now?" Thess asked suddenly, understanding perhaps what this man
responded to.
"Well of course I did," he started to reply but Thess interrupted him.
"And we were here?"
"Yes but-"
"And we have rescued you, your people and your passengers and your funds are
still in your account yes?"
"Yes but-"
"Your ship is in danger yes," Thess had pulled out a padd and made an inquiry to
the central federation public records on the captain, "I see your insurance is
paid and that the coverage is for greater than that value of the vessel. So
should you lose your vessel, you will be reimbursed for greater than the value
of the vessel's replacement, providing you with either a sufficient upgrade or
additional capitol to start business again." he handed the padd to the Captain
to review, in case he had missed something.
Tilting his head back, Merdlock held the padd slightly away to read it, his lips
moving as he went over what was displayed.
"We are making every effort to save your ship and cargo but in the event we are
unsuccessful…" he let it trail off, sensing he had tripped something in the
captain. The man's face flushed anew, sweat beaded on his brow and he stank of
fear.
Time to play ‘good Deltan', ‘bad Deltan'. "What else is involved?"
"I don't know what you mean," he protested a bit weaker.
"Deltan."
"W-what?"
"Bald head, attractive features, exotic aura…?" he pointed thee things out,
falling back on his pre-Starfleet memories. "Did you think they'd sent down a
human who had opted for permanent depilation?"
"Uh… I hadn't…"
"'Really thought about it," Thess finished for him with an impatient nod,
"right. I can smell a lie on you sir. Feel free to protest all you want but we
both know better and so do my superiors." He paused and let that sink in for a
moment, "Now you can either come clean now or when we try to beam off your cargo
and it runs through the pattern scanners, we'll know what it is instantly and
then," he lowered his brows and scowled, "whatever you think you have a hope of
hiding will be revealed."
The Captain looked like a beached fish, staring at him in shock.
"Up to you really," he shrugged and then looked up at the transporter chief,
craning his neck as he did so. "It looks they've got the people and they're
about to start transport of the cargo containers. If I were you," he looked
down, suddenly the ‘good Deltan', "I'd come clean now."
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Ambassador Thessyr Tal
USS Relentless
NCC-11966
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