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Sorehl

Complete Agreement

As Morningstar continues its third day above the planet Surma, new developments continue to unfold at Camelot Station.

 

Captain Sorehl moved through the lower level of the largely empty Concourse on Camelot Station. The expansive commercial center, encircling Decks 25, 26, and 27, included a three-deck high atrium along its exterior, allowing an impressive view of the trojan planets Avalon and Tintagel from different vantages. Although designed to allow a wide range of shops, trading posts, services, and entertainment, the center remained almost entirely unused – no merchants had yet ventured to lease space on the station.

 

If his overture to the Ferengi was accepted, however, that could change. A similar partnership had helped finance Sky Harbor above Cardassia and had helped to reinforce its multi-national nature. As yet, he’d received no response from either Ambassador Drankum or the Grand Nagus’ representative at Deep Space Nine.

 

As he walked the open corridor, his intellect considered the discussion he'd held at the Round Table less than four hours earlier. In response to the recent attacks on Dominion cloning facilities and the newly-conquered Romulan territory at T-Rogora, the Klingons had agreed to conduct a covert mission into Dominion space to gather intelligence. If the aggressor was indeed the Hundred, the Allies must learn how such strength had been marshalled and why these sites had been targetted.

 

Sorehl continued walking, approaching one of the few utilized portions of the Concourse. Deck 27 was host to “Embassy Row,” formal access points for the Dominion, Klingon, and Romulan wings – the diplomatic and administrative offices that were sovereign territory of the three respective governments. Each wing was comprised of ten decks along the “spokes” that connecting the inner and outer portions of the Central Ring. With the arrival of an official envoy, a fourth wing had been allocated to the United Federation of Planets itself. It was to this location that he directed himself.

 

* * * * *

 

“Come in,” came the cool invitation.

 

Sorehl stepped cautiously into the ambassadorial suite, as if avoiding some invisible entanglement of diplomacy. The room was expansive, with no central table or desk within. In fact, there was no discernable workspace at all. In appearance, it resembled more of a sitting room.

 

T’Salik, Envoy-General of the United Federation of Planets to the Dominion at Starbase Avalon and Minister Plenipotentiary-at-Large for the Gamma Quadrant, sat on one of the central couches. A young Vulcan woman, barely in her sixties, the ambassador wore her blonde hair drawn back in a simple braid and wore a dark, traditional robe.

 

“Ambassador,” he greeted formally.

 

“Captain,” she responded with equal custom. “Am I to understand you entered negotiations on behalf of the Federation without consulting me?”

 

Sorehl blinked. He’d grown used to the platitudes of more emotionally-challenged species. Such directness was uncommon in his daily exchanges. “I am consulting you,” he noted.

 

“You are now,” she observed. “Only after you’ve made agreement to conduct a joint mission. Commander Blair tells me preparations are already underway.”

 

“With all due respect,” Sorehl explained. “The conduct of military and intelligence operations remains within my purview as commanding officer of this station.”

 

T’Salik inclined her head, surveying him briefly. “I am curious how you perceive withholding intelligence on Hundred cloning and failing to advise the Dominion of an incursion into their space as merely military matters.” She paused, as if to let her point sink in. “You did, in fact, have these discussions with the Romulan and Klingon ambassadors, did you not?”

 

“That is true,” he admitted, “but N’Kedre and K’Vorlag also wield military authority.”

 

“Then it was a military decision to exclude our Vorta ally?”

 

“It was Ambassador N’Kedre’s desire,” Sorehl explained, “to exclude the Dominion from our preliminary discourse. The source of our intelligence on Hundred cloning remains sensitive.”

 

“I see. And who directed my absence?”

 

Sorehl blinked again. “I am not aware of any such sanction being expressed.”

 

“I see,” she repeated. “Then I should assume it was an oversight that I was not present at a meeting where a tacit policy of circumventing the Dominion was agreed?”

 

The captain remained silent for a moment, considering. “You are suggesting I have overstepped my bounds,” Sorehl concluded.

 

“I recognize this is how matters were conducted before my assignment,” T’Salik added. “I am not suggesting your conduct was improper, but this is not the 23rd Century, and despite our distance, we are not on the frontier. Starfleet will not set Federation policy for this quadrant.”

 

Sorehl straightened his tunic, then clasped his hands behind his back. “Do you intend to revoke our approval?”

 

“No, but if I am to be supporting such evasions, I need to be present for diplomatic matters that might require a stance on Federation policy.”

 

“What do you mean ‘supporting such evasions’?”

 

“I assume you do not want me to discuss this mission with Weyoun. But what if the Klingon ship is detected in Dominion space? Will they ask a Starfleet captain or the Federation envoy for an explanation?”

 

“I see your point,” Sorehl agreed slowly. “If you believe the consequences...”

 

“Conveniently,” T'Salik broke in, cutting him off abruptly, “I agree it would be unwise to trust Dominion lines of communication in light of compromise by the Hundred. An independent assessment is easily justified.”

 

Sorehl raised an eyebrow. “You realize, strictly speaking, that the motivation…”

 

“Captain,” she interjected a second time, “I trust you are not about to suggest a well-crafted, diplomatically defensive position such as this has no basis in fact. I would find it distasteful to convey a known misstatement, should the need arise.”

 

Telepathy was unnecessary for communication between the two sets of Vulcan eyes. “I don’t believe I made such a assertion,” he affirmed, mildly impressed.

 

“Good.”

 

A communicator tone sounded above T’Salik.

 

“Ambassador,” came the voice of Jeralla Ramson, her attache.

 

From across the room, Sorehl straightened, looking even more formal, if possible.

 

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Jeralla apologized over the link.

 

“Go ahead,” T’Salik instructed.

 

“The Dominion advisor, Weyoun, is requesting an audience,” Jeralla continued. “He extends an invitation to present your credentials and tour the facilities of their wing.”

 

A glance from the captain suggested he considered the summons unexpected.

 

“Please advise Weyoun I am pleased to accept his gracious invitation,” she directed.

 

“I’ll contact him right away,” she responded, closing the channel.

 

T’Salik turned her attention back to Sorehl. “I am certain we’ll have further discussions on this topic. The overlapping boundaries of our positions will present a challenge, but I believe you’ll agree there is a logic to letting diplomats tend to the business of statecraft.”

 

“Rather than technocrats like myself,” the captain added. “Yes, in that, you have my complete agreement.”

Edited by Sorehl

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The joint log above takes place twenty-three days after the departure of the USS Morningstar to Surma, three days after the arrival of the starship Yorktown at Starbase Avalon, and within one day of the announcement of the T-Rogoran and Dominion cloning facility attacks.

 

A biography for T'Salik is posted here.

Edited by Ambassador TSalik

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majQa'! Another worthy adversary to join us at the sweet-smelling Round Table. :::sharpens his blade::: I notice I'm growing outnumbered by the pointed-ears around me on the station. I'll be keeping an eye on you.

Edited by KVorlag

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Yes but do Tums do anything to cure an overdose of Green-blooded-pointy-ears?

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