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Re: Day 01 [1000 hrs.] The Federation Embassy

Reply #25 –
[Lt. JG Andram Obair | Tactical CONN officer | Federation Embassy Atrium | First City | Qo'noS
Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Ellen Fitz @jreeves1701

Obair was now increasingly aware of the growing tension in the building, and the Atrium was still gradually filling with officers and Klingons. He had made his way over the group of senior officers, a number of whom seemed anxious or occupied with the near chaos around them. Ives had addressed him, however, and he stood to attention in front of the senior officer as a few more people pushed past him in the now full Atrium. "Lieutenant Junior Grade Andram Obair, sir." He didn't want to seem intrusive nor overly curious, so he paused a moment before once again addressing the Captain. He was interested as to how frequent communications had been between the Theurgy and the Starfleet, if there had been any at all. Given the transmission, it seemed highly unlikely, but the Lieutenant was curious. “Has there been any contact with any of the nearby fleets since Martok’s reinstatement…”

Obair was interrupted as he and a nearby group of security officers received a comm from their badges, a group of them simultaneously alerted. “Riviera to Oneida security. I need reinforcements in the basement. Phasers at the ready.” The orders were barked through the comm badges, loud enough for many nearby to hear. He was shoved aside as a number of them pushed past, hustling between Obair and the senior officers, pushing him into another officer. I guess I’ll get my questions answered later. They pushed their way to the turbolifts at the far end of the Atrium, and he stood still for a moment watching them exit, only moving to place his hand on his phaser. He scanned the senior officers before he followed security to the turbolifts, covering their backs as they entered the basement. The room had become gradually more chaotic in a matter of minutes. Obair reached the doors without issue, but had to physically stop some Klingons and Starfleet personnel from following security to the basement. A few stopped to ask him what was going on, none of which he knew he was able to answer. He knew little of what was going on in the Embassy, or even the basement. The chaos was frustrating to the Lieutenant, but he stayed quiet, continuously scanning the room with his back to the turbolift entrance wall.

Re: Day 01 [1000 hrs.] The Federation Embassy

Reply #26 –
[ Rylan Sil | Federation Embassy Atrium | First City | Qo'noS ]

Questions raced through Rylan's head as he listened to the ambassador's lengthy response to his question. The more answers that he got from the captains and Bommu the farther he felt away from anything resembling a full picture of the Theurgy's past. And so far, other than the ambassador's good feelings and some data Rylan hadn't had a chance to study yet, he couldn't tell what was true. For all he knew, this whole display at the embassy was some elaborate misdirection, a feint intended to draw suspicion away from the renegade crew of the Starfleet ship. From what Rylan had seen earlier they controlled the technology that supposedly revealed the presence of these parasites. If they controlled the technology, they could make it look like anyone they wanted - anyone they perceived as a threat - looked like one of 'the enemy.' The ship's A.I. had been reported to be a malevolent mastermind. She could be puppeteering this entire scenario, a serpentine piece of shadow theater meant to sow chaos in both the Federation and the Empire. The ship's holo-presence seemed peaceful enough, standing among them in the Great Hall, but there was no way for any of the organics assembled there could know what complex machinations stirred within her algorithmic thought processes.

Suddenly, the whole situation had started to have a more dangerous air about it than just a few moments before. Rylan was sure that it wasn't his own suspicious thoughts causing it though. He looked around, surveying the faces of the others in the room. It was more than evident that some of them were feeling the same tension he was. Then he overheard the request for reinforcements bleated out over a nearby security officer's communicator. 

"Thank you, mister ambassador," Rylan said and turned away from Bommu. He appreciated the man's candor in answering him, even if he found that response to be somewhat naive. Still, the ambassador was making a point that maybe he didn't even intend to make. Or maybe he did. Diplomats like Bommu had a way of couching things in hidden language when they needed to do so. Occam's razor, he thought to himself, remembering the Human philosophical construct he'd learned at the Samovar Academy in his youth.

The security team that had received the call made their way toward the nearest turbolift. Rylan tried to follow behind them, along with a gaggle of other Starfleet and KDF personnel. They were all rebuffed, stopped from entering the lift with the mustard-collared officers. They had remained tight lipped about whatever was happening in the embassy's basement, not answering any of the off-the-cuff questions Rylan had hurled at them in their haste to respond to the distress signal.

Turning back toward the main floor of the atrium he walked confidently back to the two Starfleet captains and the ambassador. Not addressing any of them in particular and casting his eyes across all three men he asked pointedly, "What's going on downstairs?"

Re: Day 01 [1000 hrs.] The Federation Embassy

Reply #27 –
[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann | Federation Embassy Basement Levels | First City | Qo'noS ]
[Show/Hide]
Like Zyrao Natauna, whom seemed to defy the pain from her injuries, the Deputy acted when they had the chance.

Ida leapt unto the toppled data storage tower, and set her aim towards the figure that Riviera and Madsen were firing upon. In the staccato flashes of their weaponry, it was revealed to Ida how Rivera's wide-dispersal beam had stripped Darcel Spiaire of uniform and skin - smoke rising from his thrashing limbs. The flashing cadence of their weapons painted the dark room in orange and red, and lit the flayed figure of the Infested with each bolt - remaining strips of clothing set aflame. Ida let her shots join those of the others, which served to strip the figure from limbs and flesh, but none of the demon's resolve. With cries of pain that sounded more like such of ecstasy, it regained enough orientation to look around. Ida's eyes widened, seeing what it meant to do, but there was no time to let her warning gain voice.

Springing from charred stumps like a creature out of a nightmare, the Infested leapt straight for Madsen, as if rather than fleeing, he wished to kill one more while he could. His movements weren't bound by the constraints of its frame, just like the eerie screech that struck the darkened walls. Moving like nothing naturally existing in the galaxy, quick and with extreme force, there was no time to warn the Diplomat of the threat to her life.

Likely - like Ida - having seen what the Infested meant to do, Riviera lunged forth in time. With his full weight, he barrelled into Spiaire from the side mid-leap, before the enemy reached Madsen. This, likely in full awareness that he might be hit by friendly fire, and it was only sheer luck that kept Ida from accidentally hitting the Oneida's Chief of Security. "Cease fire!" she called immediately to Zy before she ended up killing the man. Ida was already closing the distance, having jumped from where she was perched and beginning to run towards the two writhing bodies on the floor - phaser raised.

On her way there, Ida saw the fallout. Grappling with the skinless, ignited figure, whom wouldn't cease to screech in its blood-curdling way, Riviera suddenly cried out in pain and ended up thrown aside - arm bent at an unnatural angle. The momentary pause, during which Ida didn't fire upon her fellow Security officer, ended right then. Ida was too focused on her aim to notice whether or not Madsen and Zy also opened fire anew, but in all likelihood, all three women did. The Infested convulsed in a dance set by the rhythm of phaser bolts, until the figure's head was struck once, twice and three times. Only then, when the neck ended in a charred stump, did the Infested fall backwards.

At this time, the reinforcements arrived, both Klingon and officers in exosuits. "Check on Riviera," Ida said to anyone readily available as she came to a stop next to the lifeless remains of Darcel Spiaire. She was wary, in full knowledge that inside the charred torso, one of the parasites resided. Ida had no idea if - invisible as it was - it might leap to a new host somehow. They simply had no intel on how, or if, they could leap between hosts. So, she took no chances. She quickly holstered her hand phaser and pulled out the anyon emitter, sparing no glance towards those around her.

"Open a vid-feed to the atrium," she ordered one of the officers in an exosuit, and the woman activated the feature in her helmet without comment, likely too horror-stricken to realise she was obeying an officer from the Theurgy.

[ Captain Ives | Federation Embassy Atrium | First City | Qo'noS ]
Attn: All OOC
[Show/Hide]
The officer that had approached Ives had started to ask a question, but the commotion among the security officers that arose when Riviera asked for reinforcements led to the man going unanswered. The turbolifts could hold only so many, and Jien noticed how the FNN reporter also tried to go there. The question about what was going on downstairs wasn't unheard, but went unanswered by the remaining Security personnel. They simply didn't know, nor did Jien, but he was fairly confident that the educated guess about Darcel Spiaire's true nature had been revealed. All he could do was to hope that the officers down there were able to deal with the threat.

Nonetheless, Jien turned to Thea. "Be ready, and prepare a message to the Theurgy about we may have found here."

"Aye, Captain," Thea said, and with a shimmer, a holographic phaser appeared in her hand. Jien knew that the feature was a gift from Lin Kae, and the security settings of the weapon were deactivated, effectively creating a phaser with the range of the emitter inside Thea. Her chameleon bodysuit changed colour to that of gold, signifying her current function as an extension of Starfleet Security. Jackson remained stoically next to Jien, and they exchanged but a glance. All they could do was wait.

"We have a live feed, Ambassador," one of the security officers announced and approached. "Shall I patch it through."

"Yes, yes, show us," Bommu said impatiently, and the security officer ended up displaying the vid-feed through the holoprojector in the ceiling of the atrium. What they saw was the charred remains of someone, partially lit from the corridor outside the room. Deputy zh'Wann stood over the body with her anyon emitter, and she activated it. There was a momentary, silent screech heard through the static of the feed, coming from the torso, and there was some kind of movement that made the torso twitch. Then, it lay still again.

During a silence that encompassed both the atrium as well as the room in the basement, Ida slowly crouched down next to the torso, and asked for a parsteel blade from the officer who's helmet-feed was on display. Once she had the blade in hand, she carefully cut into the abdomen, and soon enough... the fused remains of the parasite was laid bare. Upon sharing the same space with the innards when phased into the present, the parasite had become one with Spiaire's organs, killing it instantly. Ida then reached out with a grimace, folded her fingers around the thing, and pulled it free.

Dripping with blood and ichor, she held the long creature up for the aghast watchers in the atrium. [This is the enemy,] the Deputy said quietly. [Not us.]

What the Federation Embassy staff had seen Martok do in the recording from the Great Hall was witnessed anew - the former not being an isolated incident any more.

OOC: One last round of posts for closure? If not, just let me know and I will Fin it here. :) Same posting order as before!

Re: Day 01 [1000 hrs.] The Federation Embassy

Reply #28 –
[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Federation Embassy ] attn: @Auctor Lucan  @jreeves1701  @Tae  @oberonfrost  @teddyg123

A yelping scream erupted from Enyd as the smoking mass that used to be Darcel Spiaire came at her. Her finger set in a permanent position for continuous fire, Enyd fell back, landing on her bum as her feet scrambled to push her out of harm’s way. The killing blow never came and Enyd had enough sense to throw her hand to the side, her finger finally letting off the trigger when Riviera’s body tackled the Infested and tossed the two of them askew.

Using the wall for support, Enyd quickly pulled herself to her feet and moved closer to take in the new circumstances. As soon as she caught sight of a clear line of fire, Enyd didn’t wait for encouragement. She almost gleefully resumed firing, not stopping until his head was no longer a threat to be considered and his body crumpled to the ground lifeless. Enyd let out the breath she’d been holding since the fight began when the reinforcements arrived. After dragging in the much-needed sweet oxygen of surviving yet another attack from an Infested, Enyd moved to check on Riviera. He was still alive, though he suffered more than a few broken bones and likely internal injuries. As Enyd finished her initial check and signaled members of the reinforcements to take Riviera to receive medical assistance, the Deputy displayed her flair for the dramatic, ripping the Infested from Spiaire’s bowels for those back in the atrium to see.

As members both present and back in the atrium responded to the sight of the dead eel-like creature of chaos, Enyd retreated back to the brig. She would update James on the situation before returning to Captain Ives. Enyd would talk to the captain first, see if he was in favor of the suggestion or not, and if so, perhaps they could use James’ help in communicating the truth of the Infested to the greater masses of the Federation. Only with the captain’s permission would Enyd broach the subject with James.

Enyd caught the eye of a passing embassy guard and nodded, an almost secretive smile touching her lips as she looked past him to the console she’d used only minutes before. Enyd hoped both Ravenholm and Rutherford would be pleased with what she’d been able to accomplish in the few moments alone with access to the embassy’s system.

Re: Day 01 [1000 hrs.] The Federation Embassy

Reply #29 –
[ Brigadier Zentai Natauna | Starfleet Intelligence Ops Center | Federation Embassy Basement Levels | First City | Qo'noS ]
Attn: @Ellen Fitz    @Auctor Lucan   @Tae 

When the order came to cease fire, Zy had to use every ounce of restraint to let her finger off the disruptor trigger. She wanted the Infested destroyed. The only way to truly earn the scars that would soon adorn her flesh would be through victory. Waiting, watching was instinctual for her race but it was not without its frustrations. El-Aurians were known for their patience but they were not immune from having that patience worn thin and that is exactly what this alien menace before her had done.

Zy did not have to wait too long for an opening to appear and once again the attack was on. This time a direct line to the head. As phaser and disruptor beams crossed and connected, Zy uttered a painful "Yes" as the former Starfleet Intelligence Officer's head vanished from existence.

With the threat was over, Zy collapsed on the floor, the pain finally overcoming her drive to survive. Starfleet medical officers would attempt to heal the wounds, eliminate any chance of scarring. Federation citizens were a spoiled lot. Scars existed to remind you of the challenges one has faced and overcome. If the wounds could not be healed naturally, then they would offer cybernetics. Like their magic medicine, Zy would refuse their fantastical machinery. A Klingon healer would be what she demands, someone who will set the bones, stitch the wounds, and mend her broken parts so that she can fight again.
CPO Sithick [Show/Hide]
CWO1 Larrant [Show/Hide]
BG Natauna
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Re: Day 01 [1000 hrs.] The Federation Embassy

Reply #30 –
[ Lieutenant JG Andram Obair | Tactical CONN Officer | Federation Embassy Basement Hallway | First City | Qo'noS ] attn: @Auctor Lucan

Obair watched as the live feed was broadcast to the Atrium, and felt as the tense aura of the room began to disparate as the threat was more realized, and understood by those watching. The chaos was momentarily dispersed, but the room was still overwhelmingly frantic, with a new understanding of the common enemy now apparent. He silently cursed himself under his breath,  His back still to the turbo lifts, Obair tuned his com badge in an attempt to raise one of the security officers down below, but no response was heard. He turned away from the wall, again pushing past a number of officers to access the nearest weapons locker, quietly and subtly taking and arming a phaser, trying not to further alarm anyone in the atrium. He entered a turbolift alone, entering the basement levels, having been given no orders otherwise.

Obair exited the turbolift with his phaser held in a defensive stance, both hands on the weapon as he quickly covered both sides. The basement levels were as chaotic as Obair had predicted, a number of Klingon and Starfleet officers scattered around, now tending to the wounded and debris. He crept out onto the main floor, his phaser now on his waist as he realized the danger had subdued. He turned to the nearest security officer, an Ensign, on the ground, his exosuit damaged, his phaser still in his hand. Obair stopped and leaned forward, helping him to his feet. He was only minority injured, but the officer clearly had trouble getting up. "We should leave, you're not wearing a suit. It's still..." he groaned slightly. "It's still unsafe down here." Obair nodded, putting his free hand on his phaser. He scanned the hallway cautiously as he headed for the nearest turbo-lifts, intent on getting the Ensign to the nearest sickbay.

Re: Day 01 [1000 hrs.] The Federation Embassy

Reply #31 –
[ Nysarisiza “Nysari” zh’Eziarath | Federation Embassy Atrium | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

She’d spent the night in silence. That alone proved how the hours had passed for the Embassy staff, since the Andorian diplomat was rarely alone without some sort of audio playing. Music, theater, poetry, audiobooks, even recordings of newscasts and speeches from across the quadrant. Words were her trade. If Nysari needed silence, it meant the problem was serious enough that she couldn’t afford even the smallest distraction. Before they had been combined to quarters, she’d heard that the Klingons were shooting in the streets. But no matter how much Nysari strained her ears, antennae straight and tense above her, all she could hear was the persistent droning of the Embassy’s red alert siren, thankfully lowered to a quiet volume as the crisis continued.

Though she wished she could say this night was a rarity, Nysari had been spending more and more time in silence for the past few days. Her eyes constantly wandered back to her computer console, hoping in vain to see the small red light that signaled a new message. She wanted to hear from her colleagues and superiors, though the pragmatist in her knew they’d died with everyone else in Paris. She wanted to hear from whomever was now in charge of the civilian diplomatic corps, though surely they were too busy to worry about a foreign affairs officer in charge of a territorial dispute with the Klingons. More than anything she wanted to hear from her bondmate Vyta, eagerly awaiting his thoughts on the plan she was now set on. War with the Romulans was brewing, and Nysari wanted - no, she needed - to be on a Starfleet ship where she could stop it.

The only time she moved was near dawn, having caught sight of herself in the room’s mirror and deciding it was time for a change. Her hair had been long for days now and that would no longer do. White locks were sliced with neat precision and dropped into a waiting trash bin, leaving her with a pixie cut that accentuated the angles in her face. In many cultures, the cutting of hair signified mourning or a drastic life change. This was something Nysari did regularly, but it didn’t feel the same. The world had changed, and she was changing with it.

When the Klingons came to escort her to the Atrium many hours later, Nysari looked as fresh and ready as someone who had just woken up from a full night’s slumber. New haircut styled, makeup subtle and unblemished, and neatly dressed in a flowing white shirt and dark pants. She’d chosen the white on purpose, clean as fresh untouched snow in the face of whatever new horror had been unleashed during the night. Not that the Klingons noticed, barely sparing her preparations a glance before ordering her to the new location.

Nysari zh’Eziarath had felt the universe shake three days ago with the destruction of the Federation capital. Now, standing in the Atrium of the Federation Embassy on Qo’noS, the ground beneath her feet vanished yet again, courtesy of the PADD in her hands. She watched the recording from the Great Hall, using every ounce of strength she had to keep her composure and avoid flinching as Martok ripped the parasite free. She was belatedly grateful that they’d tested her as she’d entered the room. The truth made her guts twist in a way that felt like something was moving in there. Nysari pushed the thought away as soon as it came. The truth was a nightmare, but she needed to think, not give into paranoia.

She remained at the edge of the crowd while others approached Captain Ives, listening to their questions while skimming the information on the PADD. A scientist who seemed more desperate to escape the Embassy than worried about the problem at hand, a reporter looking for his next headline, and a pilot. At least the reporter was asking useful questions. Nysari was about to include herself in the conversation, ready to ask what diplomatic inroads had been attempted with this species, when a call came through summoning more security officers to the basement. Nysari stepped out of the way as a rush of volunteers headed towards the turbolifts. Even with her Starfleet training, she would be little help down there. She watched in silence as the gruesome scene from the Great Hall repeated itself in a new setting, live and not too far beneath her feet.

It took a few moments for her to order her thoughts, staring at the holoprojection without really seeing it. Though her original line of questioning still hovered in the back of her mind, she now saw the inquiry as too abstract. It needed to wait until Nysari read as much as she could on this new threat and began to form a plan. She needed to narrow her scope and focus on the most immediate problem. To her mind, that would be the Romulans.

“Pardon me Ambassador, Captains.” Though her tone was the picture of politeness, Nysari placed herself directly in front of them as she spoke, making it difficult for them to ignore her. “How do you know about Praetor Tal’aura?” As she posed the question, Nysari made sure her eyes shifted between both captains, a silent signal that it was for whichever one wanted to answer. The proof might be buried somewhere in this data, but Nysari preferred to ask them now when they were in the room with her. It would be too late for questions once they were back on their ships. “Clearly there is an infestation on Qo’noS. That evidence is strong enough that I’m willing to believe your assertion about Starfleet Command - though a subspace communication will not hold up in any court. But if you never crossed the neutral zone, how do you know Tal’aura is one of them? If your information is sound, why are you sitting on it when a Romulan fleet nears the border? Romulans are of a paranoid culture. Identify a few powerful senators with an eye on her position, get your proof to them, and they will take care of this problem for you.”

Normally Nysari wouldn’t condone even this small act of violence. She’d rather sit down and talk to Tal’aura - or the parasite inside her. But the loss of an entire city was weighing on her heart, and this city had only narrowly avoided the same fate. Even during the Dominion War, she had never felt a loss so profound. The Vulcans had a saying for times like this. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one. Even if it haunted her later, what her heart wanted didn’t matter today.

Re: Day 01 [1000 hrs.] The Federation Embassy

Reply #32 –
[ Captain Ives | Federation Embassy Atrium | First City | Qo'noS ]
Attn: All OOC
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The effect upon the crowd when the Deputy showed a second parasite - this one pulled from the ichor of a Starfleet Officer that had worked at the Embassy - was palpable, as much of the scepticism and reservation in the present faces were replaced with quiet horror and rumination. Clearly, dismissing the claims of the Theurgy's real Simulcast wasn't as easy any more. The Klingon Empire stood with Captain Ives and Captain Jackson, along with both their crews, and the evidence spoke for itself.

Nonetheless, a woman approached Ives and the others. An Andorian who wasn't hostile, but inquisitive, raising a highly valid question. It spoke of the woman's intellect, and perhaps more so, her assertion that there was a clear method in which the Praetor might be stopped.

"Captains," Ambassador Bommu said and gestured towards the Andorian with an open hand, "this is Nysarisiza zh’Eziarath, one of my diplomats here at the Embassy. She used to be a Diplomatic Attaché working for Starfleet, ranking as Lieutenant Junior Grade, I believe. Nysari's question is most warranted, to say the least. Whom one of these Infested is should not be a claim made lightly, for it might incite unwarranted paranoia. Are you certain that Tal'Aura has been compromised? Before all of this, before Paris, she aided Shinzon, did she not?"

"Aye, she did," Captain Jackson said, nodding, "and one might think she could act like this in reaction to false reports about the Theurgy supporting Empress Donatra and her fleets, since Shinzon also utilised thalaron radiation to execute the old Romulan Senate."

"However, there are two things to consider," Jien said quietly, chiming in, "one of which we find to be evidence. For one, there is nothing that suggests that Tal'Aura wasn't already compromised when Shinzon tried to usurp the leadership of the Romulan Empire. In fact, according to our best available source, the Infested have been among us since 2375, gradually spreading among leading figures in the galactic factions of all four Quadrants. The same source named the Praetor right after the Paris attack."

"So who is this source?" asked the Ambassador, intrigued. "How could possibly..."

"Our source used to be one of them," Jien answered, but wasn't going to delve too deep into details on the floor of the atrium, since explaining the circumstances of Doctor Nicander, the twists and turns of his story, and his aid to the mission was a lot to convey, "but he can still access the common consciousness the Infested share. At great toll, and risk of his mind being subsumed by the parasite remaining inside him still, our source can peer into the dark void from whence these parasites originate, and see through the eyes of other Infested. At my request, our source sought to determine if the Paris bombing had ought to do with our new enemy... and he could confirm it."

The Ambassador didn't know what to say to that, how to dispute it without more detail, instead being curious about the source still. "So the Infested can be... cured? Rid of these things? Or not quite? If the hosts can be spared, then..."

"We currently have no way to separate the parasites from the hosts, Ambassador," Jien said quietly, regretting the death of Vael Kaeris, whom had led the research to use a transporter system in order to lock on to the anyonic phase variance that the parasites possessed and to separate them from the host with a secondary containment beam, "but we can suppress the control the parasite has over the mind of the host with transphasic light. We have a prototype wavelength cannon for this kind of light, which we use in order to help our source retain his own will and sanity. Our source, is our old Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Lucan cin Nicander, and he has proven himself reliable, aiding the mission at every turn after he regained his mental faculties, and providing us with invaluable insight on our enemy."

Of course, there were some aboard the ship, more than Ives liked, who disputed Nicander actually aiding the mission regardless of the evidence of it. Jien could understand them, since he had also been a sceptic when it came to the Câroon in the brig, but at some point... the evidence of Nicander actively foreseeing and allowing the Theurgy to prevent the plans of the Infested to unfold ought to convince those who preferred to consider him an enemy. This, even if what he'd done whilst under the control of the parasite wasn't actions of his own.

Just like the public of the Federation would be hard pressed to admit they'd been fooled when it came to the Theurgy, some of the crew refused to admit being wrong about accusing the former Chief Medical Officer of the things his body had done under parasitic influence.

He then directed himself to the Andorian diplomat. "As for overthrowing the Praetor, that is definitely a tactic we've considered, and might utilise, if we can," he said with a faint smile, "I commend you for already considering it, even as this development is so new to you."

Re: Day 01 [1000 hrs.] The Federation Embassy

Reply #33 –
[ Nysarisiza “Nysari” zh’Eziarath | Federation Embassy Atrium | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

“Thank you Ambassador,” she replied, her head lowering in a polite bow at his introduction. “You are correct in all regards.” Nysari was impressed he knew her Starfleet history at all. It spoke well to his discernment, that he’d bothered to thoroughly research the job history of someone only assigned to him temporarily. Though considering their company, she would have found it more prudent to tell Ives of a more recent affair. Nysari had been one of the diplomats responsible for sending the Theurgy to Romulan space the year prior. The ship’s last mission before going rogue - if the reports were true. Or they could tell him how she planned to rejoin Starfleet. Though that information would have to come from her own lips, as even the Ambassador wasn’t privy to such knowledge yet.

Rather than volunteer any of it, Nysari opted to remain silent, watching patiently as the three men jumped on her topic. She was content to have gotten the ball rolling, allowing those with a better grasp of the specifics to mull it over. Diplomats could get far too enamored by the sounds of their own voices. There was a time to be the center of attention, and a time to stand back and listen. Today especially, there was so much to learn. She didn’t interrupt once, letting them reform her opinions until she was directly addressed again.

“I left Starfleet five years ago, Captain. I spent the interim years as a civil servant at the Palais de la Concorde. I have been-” Nysari had to pause for a moment, an uneven breath interrupting the practiced cadence of her speech. Thankfully these men didn’t know her well enough to be accustomed to her normal composure, which would have made the breach in her armor all the more jarring. “My normal assignment is the Romulan desk. They are a topic I have considered in detail for years.” Coming to Qo’noS was meant to be a break from that. From her job, her family, her life. These temporary assignments were like a diplomat’s vacation. New planets, new cultures, new problems to invigorate the mind. A Klingon’s brazen demands were a relief when one normally dealt with Romulan mechanizations. Yet here she was, clinging to a problem she understood like it was a lifeline in this universe gone mad. “Your revelations, shocking as they are, do not change the inner workings of the Empire. Or else the intruders would have been found already.”

After listening to the conversation, she was selfishly relieved to conclude that her plan to instigate a coup in the Romulan Empire would never work. Praetor Tal’aura was a murderer responsible for countless deaths. She might be under the control of something even worse. Even then, Nysari didn’t want the praetor’s death on her conscience. The tension in her gut lessened and was quickly replaced by burning shame. Having a war on her conscience wouldn’t be any better.

“With that in mind, I fear I must apologize for taking your time. The words of your source,” Captain Ives had seemed to want to keep the doctor’s identity a secret at first, so Nysari refrained from mentioning him by name again. “Will not be considered credible by anyone on Romulus, unless you wish to give him to the Tal’shiar along with his information.” It pained her to add the last part, but she had to. Her duty was to present options, whether she personally agreed with them or not. “That is not a solution I would condone.” Or not. Besides, if this Nicander knew the details of what had happened to Paris… that was a man she wanted to speak to. “You could leak the holo footage you showed us today, along with the schematics for that device that scanned us on entry. It might convince them to start scanning their own people. However, it could as easily backfire into a rallying cry for further provocation.” Politics was unfortunately tricky like that.

Re: Day 01 [1000 hrs.] The Federation Embassy

Reply #34 –
[ Captain Ives | Federation Embassy Atrium | First City | Qo'noS ]
Attn: All OOC
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Watching the Andorian ruminate further about the available options, and the lack of potential in using Nicander’s words to convince a political opponent of Tal’Aura’s, Ives nodded in agreement and quiet rumination. Meanwhile, Jackson spoke up.

“No apology necessary. Agreed, the source alone would not sway a Romulan, much less, perhaps, whatever Chancellor Martok and the Klingon High Council might say. If they were to entertain the notion that what Captain Ives has claimed in the second, unaltered Simulcast had any credence, they would refer to the intel the Tal’Shiar can gather.”

“Aye,” Ives said in agreement, “equipping the Romulan spy network with all relevant and available evidence as best as we might could help seed doubt in the Praetor, and scans to - eventually - be made, but the enemy is cunning, and the Praetor would avoid being compromised at all cost, so there is little hope that we’ll stop the current sortie against Donatra and the fleet movements towards the Klingon border. Long term, our evidence and schematics might make the difference, but right now, there is no time. The Romulan Star Empire has mobilised, and once it has ended their civil war with Empress Donatra, the Praetor will come for the Federation and the Klingons in full force - armed with banned thalaron weaponry.”

The Ambassador had been looking at Nysari while the two Captains spoke, and then glanced towards the Lab Technican that had offered to serve under Captain Ives command after seeing the recording from the Great Hall. With a small, kind smile, Bommu bespoke his thoughts.

“With your expertise dealing with Romulans, I think you would be a great asset to this mission of the Theurgy and the Oneida. I would not begrudge a decision in which you decide to aid Captain Ives and Captain Jackson, but it is your call.”

Jien agreed with the Ambassador’s sentiment, but there was something the former Starfleet officer might have to consider first. “If you would chose to do so, you would report to my Chief Diplomatic Officer, Lieutenant Commander Rutherford. The Oneida does not hold a Diplomatic Department, but consider this...” he said quietly, and changed.... to her female form. After the injury she had sustained from Gorka’s dagger, sickbay had instructed her to shift between her two Chosen Forms often, since her morphogenic matrix has been compromised. When she continued to speak, her accent and tonality was the same, but held a more feminine timbre. “...you know what the FNN has said about the Theurgy, and the standing order that Command has issued in our regard. If you chose to serve under my command, your name and reputation may be tarnished, and both friends and family might consider you a traitor. If you chose to serve, it must be for the sake of the Federation... personal consequences be damned.”

Something worth to consider for everyone present in the atrium, if there were others who wished to join the mission instead of remaining on Qo’noS.

Re: Day 01 [1000 hrs.] The Federation Embassy

Reply #35 –
[ Nysarisiza “Nysari” zh’Eziarath | Federation Embassy Atrium | First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan

Nysari listened as the two captains discussed, seeing no need for further elaboration as they agreed with her and took her initial train of thought to its inevitable conclusion. Grim though it may be. As Ives spoke, she was distracted by a slight prickling in her antennae, that sixth sense of another’s eyes on her. Sure enough, as her head swiveled to find the source, there were the dark eyes of Ambassador Bommu. Curious, Nysari thought idly as she met his gaze. She would have expected him to remain engaged with the captains. Their eyes locked for a mere second before he broke off, and she followed his attention to the scientist she’d noted earlier. For a moment she toyed with the idea that he was angry at her for inserting herself into the conversation, despite the smooth transition she’d affected. Certainly she’d shown more tact than the crewman, though they’d both interrupted. But Bommu’s kind smile didn’t lend credence to that theory. Then he spoke, and his intent for the comparison between Nysari and the human desperate for a transfer became clear.

She had not considered that option. Shock reared in her brain, attempting to burst through and make its ugly visage known, but Nysari forced it back into check, her face remaining indecipherable as stone. “An interesting suggestion Ambassador.” The reply was as noncommittal as she could make it. Yes, Nysari was set on the idea of returning to Starfleet. She was taking her time about it, getting approval from her family first, formulating her arguments as to why it was important for her to leave them for an extended time…

Joining the Theurgy was not the same.

Again, Nysari found herself in silent agreement with the captain, who voiced their warning right as the diplomat’s thoughts landed on the same conclusion. She had left Starfleet for her family. She had left Starfleet for her people. A few months on Qo’noS were forgivable. Another year in the fleet might be tolerated. But this? This was the radical option. Collapsing the tunnel behind her, no chance to return home. The Theurgy was a renegade ship, its crew traitors. This was throwing herself into far more dangerous waters than she’d planned. No, she should stick to her original plan. Go through Command, get an ordinary assignment, play it safe. And yet… how could she do that with the knowledge she now had?

Had Ives intended a deeper meaning by transforming in the middle of her speech? If she had, Nysari failed to decipher it. All she felt was a flash of awe breaking through her melancholy thoughts. In her own way, Nysari transformed herself daily, an actor’s scene dressing to fit whatever role she played that day. But no changes to her hair, makeup, or clothes would ever amount to this, slipping into a new skin while pausing for breath between words. She couldn’t imagine how that felt, even if she spent the rest of her life trying.

If she were free to make choices purely for the Federation’s sake, Nysari might have signed up then and there. How could she make a difference anywhere else? Any other ship she’d be assigned to was blind to the underlying problem. One lone diplomat would have no chance of changing their minds, not when a whole ship had been driven to exile for daring to speak. Returning to Earth posed the same problems. A decimated government would have little patience for this conspiracy. Ambassador Bommu was right. Nysari could be a valuable asset in this mission. If only it were that simple. Unfortunately, she could not in good conscience damn her personal consequences, not when the fallout ranged so far beyond her person. Her family’s struggle was deeply personal, yet felt by all Andorians. Her species was going extinct. Her duty to them could not be so easily abandoned.

“Wisely said Captain.” Ives didn’t strike her as someone who needed compliments, but the warning spoke well of her comportment. A captain in her position might be forgiven for taking help wherever she could find it, rather than force them to understand exactly what they were signing up for. “I thank you for the offer,” a slight nod to the Ambassador included him in her gratitude as well, “But I must take the time to weigh my options first. In light of recent events, I admit I have been considering a return to Starfleet. What I have learned today…” She struggled for a word to adequately describe it and came up only with a pathetic understatement. “Changes things. Where I go from here is not a decision to be made lightly. I have always preferred to set a course, rather than jump blindly into the unknown.

“Thank you for your time. Please excuse me.” With another bow, Nysari left them in peace. Hopefully, when they were released from the atrium, there would be a message from Vyta waiting in her quarters. That would help her decide.

- FIN
 
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