Detente

Posted on 15 Oct 2014 @ 4:42am by Seleya Qellar Ph.D. & Lieutenant Benice Gyce Ph.D.
Edited on on 18 Oct 2014 @ 3:14am

4,171 words; about a 21 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: Starbase 84, Replimat
Timeline: MD -25: 1515hrs

[ ON ]

Seleya seemed to be sitting comfortably at her table in the replimat, but she was, in fact, as on edge as she always was. Even in the most relaxing of situations she was inwardly tense, coiled and ready for fight or flight. She'd never been entirely sure if it was a product of her upbringing, some inherent level of Romulan suspicion, or if she was a naturally anxious person. Regardless, she'd spent a lifetime cultivating a marked difference between her inward turmoil and her outward being so that even on the worst of days she remained serene to the rest of the world.

Beneath her tiered pencil skirt, she shifted her legs until they were crossed and reached for her cup of Ratorian tea. Her eyes moved casually along the rim while she blew into the cup to cool off the contents, waiting for the young lieutenant she'd asked to meet with.

84's replimat was... Well if anything, it was massive. Finding a seat was a challenge during the busiest of meal hours. And for Gyce, it was even harder for her to navigate around tables and chairs without tripping her feet or cane up on one piece of furniture or another.

Finding the clean-cut Bajoran was meeting a Romulan of all people, intrigued her very much. Mostly because Romulans did not normally seek out a lot of Federation folk.

Once Gyce made sure her tactical vest and gold shirt were to regulation, she rubbed her gold Bajoran earring for good luck before she approached the table with a slightly labored limp, for her right wrist did not like her full weight being supported by it just yet.

"I was told to meet a Miss Qellar here?" Gyce spoke very politely and with a head bow in respect.

Seleya slowly and carefully replaced the tea cup, seeming in little rush to get to introductions. She lifted her head until her chin was high, allowing her to actually see from beneath one of her trademark wide-brimmed hats. The corner of her mouth was pulled in the slightest bit of annoyance, and she pointedly took notice of the cane, as well. At the very least she was thankful to be dealing with someone who wasn't Human, though there was little love between Bajorans and her people, either.

"Doctor Qellar," the Romulan scientist corrected, watching the Bajoran through narrowing eyes for just a moment. Apparently she passed inspection as the natural mistrust and annoyance faded away into a perfunctory smile and she motioned to the seat opposite her. "Please join me, Lieutenant Gyce. I appreciate you taking the time to see me. May I order you anything?" She turned her body in the seat and half raised a red-tipped finger, ready to flag down one of the very few wait staff that circulated through the room.

"Jumja tea, iced." Gyce replied with a warm, toothy smile. "Speaking of name protocols.... Many races forget that Bajorans' surnames are listed first, and our given names second. Lieutenant Benice is fine, if you wish to keep things formal."

With that, Gyce stiffly sat, more out of figuring out how to sit without causing her tender wrist any further discomfort. But once she was seated, Gyce gave a relaxed smile.

"I don't know why, but Stardocks appear to have the better furniture, than any other base," Gyce laughed lightly.

Seleya suppressed a grimace at her cultural flub as she turned away to flag down one of the waitstaff. She curtly placed the order for iced jumja tea almost like she was speaking to a hologram then turned back to the Bajoran woman sharing the table. What was she on about? The furniture?

"I'm afraid the only other Federation starbase I've visited was of the same class and configuration as this one, so I don't have a very good frame of reference for furniture comparisons," Seleya said dryly as she reflected on the months she spent on Starbase 39-Sierra awaiting her asylum hearing. Her smile was late in coming, almost as if she'd forgotten it; they were usually omitted altogether, but the Galileo was a small ship and it didn't seem wise to begin burning bridges before it had even arrived. "Romulan facilities, as you can imagine, are much more...spartan. They don't even have a similar gathering area, much less comfortable furniture. Comfortable furniture might encourage you toward idle gossip or some other terribly subversive behavior."

Seleya rolled her eyes to emphasize her opinions on that and reached out for the tea cup again. It was likely beginning to cool to a comfortable and appropriate temperature now; Ratorian tea - King among Romulan teas - was best consumed cool but she'd neglected to tell the waitstaff. You'd think being this close to the Romulan border they'd know a little detail like that but if anything she'd noticed people here seemed more willfully ignorant of Romulan society than the rest of the Federation; better to know your enemy, but perhaps not know them too well?

"If I may ask Doctor?" Gyce's tone was extremely respectful, as she believed that typically got the better results with interrogating people. "...We do not see many Romulan defectors. Would you mind telling me why you defected?"

"Yes, I would," Seleya said flatly, casually, as if it was the only answer to that question that a person might possibly give.

She turned her attention away from the Bajoran and raised her hand partially into the air, painted nails serving as vibrant red beacons to the server with the jumja tea who seemed to have lost them among the sea of people. She seemed to find interest in just about everything except the lieutenant - an errant thread on her skirt, her tea cup, the position of her hat, an annoyingly chipped nail - until the tea had been delivered and the server departed.

"I asked you here as a courtesy to Galileo's security staff, to save you the trouble of investing resources in even a cursory investigation of what has already been investigated, doubtless, hundreds of times. I've been in the Federation for 13 years, ten of those as a naturalized citizen, and I have no intention of scurrying back across the border again, regardless of its proximity, my heritage, my political inclinations or whatever else you people have swept into the inaccessible portions of my personnel file."

"I built bombs and killed spoonheads, before the Vulcan Science Institute vouched for me to expedite my citizenship into the Federation," Gyce spoke rather candidly.

She stirred her tea with a spoon a few times before she sipped on it, then added, "And while Bajor is part of the Federation now, back then, there were some Federation Council brass that were uneasy with a bombing terrorist in their asylum population... So I can actually sympathize with your troubles, Doctor."

The only sign of surprise came in a fluttering of long eyelashes and an unbecoming slurping noise in the tea cup Seleya held to her lips. That wasn't the response she'd been expecting, and definitely not the reply she'd anticipated. She took another slow sip from the cup to give herself a moment to think.

"One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter," Seleya said, flicking some unseen annoyance from one of her nails with a disinterested look. It was a maxim known and used across the galaxy; besides, she certainly couldn't sit and moralize on terrorism after serving in the government of the Romulan Star Empire. "But the Vulcan Science Institute is an unusual organization to provide a recommendation for citizenship for someone who ultimately becomes a security officer, isn't it?"

"The Vulcans are the reason I am not paralyzed." Gyce sounded very indebted to that fact, before she sipped on her tea. "I had no home left for me, on Bajor after the occupation. The Provisional Government felt they had too many military advisers already, and given my age, they rejected my offer to join the Bajoran Military as a small unit tactics adviser. So I was left with wanting to start over, in a new place. Since I gave the Vulcans a first-hand account on a dangerous weapon that the Federation could likely face, it was only logical they gave me a citizenship into the Federation."

Gyce almost used that into a lead-in, but thought better of it. This Romulan woman was very smart. It took a lot more time and conversation before she would divulge her defection to Gyce.

"Hmm," Seleya said, easing back into the chair. She uncrossed then recrossed her legs and rested one hand casually on her knee while she regarded the Bajoran across the table. It felt a bit like an unfolding game of cat and mouse, which by her very nature (not to mention culture) she was inclined to play. Eventually, she smiled a smile that fit so well on her face it was hard to judge the sincerity of it. "They are nothing if not logical." By happenstance a Vulcan officer passed some distance behind Gyce, walking from a replicator to a table, and Seleya followed him with her eyes. "Or perhaps it's more accurate to say they are nothing but logical; it would certainly explain the friction between our peoples."

"Proof of devotion and faith is something the Federation is too easily drawn into, at times." Gyce left that as a blanket statement as she sipped more of her tea. "But my sponsor suggested going to a nice uni on Earth, since it was a more welcoming atmosphere for diverse cultures. So that's what I did. Though I admit, there are still many human euphemisms I lack understanding of."

Gyce laughed very genuinely at that.

Seleya managed a smile and something approximating a chuckle. Even with a stony exterior, it was hard to disagree with that. "Agreed. And Terran culture is so pervasive in the Federation, it's virtually inescapable." She fell quiet long enough for an appropriate transition to the second topic, academic life. "I taught at Cornell University for seven years as part of the agriculture and life sciences faculty. Did you find the student body to be appreciative of diversity? I suspect our experiences might different, both as student and professor as well as Bajoran and Romulan."

"It wasn't really the students I took notice of all that much, really." Gyce admitted with a half-frown. "My focus has always been on my career. If I was not considered one of the best at what I do, I would probably not of been admitted into Starfleet at all."

"Then perhaps we're not so dissimilar after all," Seleya admitted. She shifted in her seat and used the back of her hand to adjust her hat, pushing it up to allow for a better field of view. "And what, precisely, is it that you do? Your job title was rather vague... 'Security Investigations Officer,' wasn't it? Does that make you a criminologist or a forensics specialist or...?"

"I am a doctor of criminology," Gyce confirmed. Revealing all of her strengths to an equally-matched Romulan in the academic world, was not something she inwardly relished. "Security personnel don't really have many gold collars with big degrees though. And that is not to say that Security is lacking in intelligence, but more that Security is the go-to for the hard contact missions that take years for infantry to master."

No... Now was still not the time to press on what she was most intrigued with the Romulan scientist about. Small talk, however, revealed a lot if you asked the right questions.

Gyce took in the sweet taste of her jumja tea for a long moment before smiling brightly. Now she had an attack plan for finding out why the Romulan woman sought her out.

"How would you rate the Romulan school system, with the Terran one?"

Seleya's smile was sly; that was a loaded question...

"Well, Dr. Benice, I would say there's not really much basis for comparison until you reach the tertiary level. The primary and secondary school systems are vastly different. But of course that's to be expected, not simply on the basis of different forms of government, though that plays a large enough role, but also as a matter of culture. Devotion, allegiance, discipline and fidelity are driven home along with a healthy respect for the state in Romulan schools; everything else is based on aptitude testing."

She paused and tapped her nail on the tabletop while thinking about how to describe Romulan academia. "There's a surprising similarity in the political maneuverings of academics at the university level, everyone jostling for resources and working to advance their own position. I would say the key difference is that promotion in the Federation is tied to a false meritocracy. The best and brightest are meant to advance under such a system, but it seems leadership, power, position...all manage in many cases to fall into the hands of incompetent and bigoted people. Which isn't to say that doesn't happen in the Romulan system," she added quickly, smiling and looking off to the side as if recalling some specific memory before looking meaningfully at Gyce. "But at least there, it's expected. You know who your enemies are, and you can anticipate them."

"A big part of moving up in human hierarchy, is by making friends and allies," Gyce agreed. "That applies to the criminal mind and the normal, for their race."

Which makes me wonder just which of the two your mind is wired on most of the time, Gyce thought, but outwardly was just as warm and welcoming.

"Did you make many friends in your former posting?" Gyce asked after another sip of her tea.

"No," Seleya replied, staring at Gyce with a calculating gaze as she tried to determine the benefit or detriment of revealing more. Her personality was hard to hide so she doubted there was any question as to whether she had a wide circle of loving friends. There seemed to be little to lose by elaborating. "My transition to life in the Federation has been difficult; making...friends...has been even more difficult. And everyone I know in Romulan space is presumably dead. I'm sure many of your friends and acquaintances have been lost to you, as well. My understanding is that the Occupation was rather brutal."

Gyce had expected that question to come up and batted it away just as deftly, with an unphased shrug. "I survived.... And so did you. I can't imagine the Cardassians completely destroying my home world."

Seleya arched one eyebrow, though it was completely invisible beneath her heavy, low-hanging bangs. "Some of us didn't have that luxury." Pointedly, she let the comment hang in the air, as if to give the false impression that she'd been somehow offended. When a server passed close enough, she raised her tea cup with a questioning look, sending them off toward the replicator. She knew it wasn't exactly their job to fetch every little thing for the patrons of the replimat - in fact, most Starfleet personnel seemed to be retrieving their own food and drink - but the truth was that she just enjoyed being waited on.

"Have you had your assignment long enough to speak with any of the ship's crew?" Seleya asked. She looked a little coy, as if she was finally getting around to the heart of the matter. "I have to admit I'm at a complete loss; evidently, there's been some manner of delay with my security credentials. Whether it's been intentional or not is anyone's guess, but it's been a rather annoying barrier to moving forward with my work. I can't access anything related to the ship, even its manifest. In fact, it's only by happenstance that I learned about your posting; some officers happened to be discussing the transfer while I was in the personnel office."

More like you paid someone to tell you about any new security officers coming aboard, Gyce thought to herself as she enjoyed the last of her tea.

"It is protocol for officers to receive their ship clearances after reporting in to the XO," Gyce answered honestly. "As a security officer, I do have access to the personnel of the ship... All the non-classified ones, that is."

Now, Gyce was intrigued. What did the Romulan want so bad, to be able to pilfer in Starfleet databases?

"Hmm, protocol, yes," Seleya mumbled to herself, working her painted lips as if she was literally chewing the concept over. Protocols had always irritated her. Her lips eventually worked their way into a broad smile, a friendly smile, the sort of smile that was meant to endear one person to another. She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward toward the table to speak, as if the pair were suddenly old friends.

"I don't suppose it would be possible to obtain access to the ship's manifest, would it? Just the science department, of course. Oh!" she said very suddenly, sitting up straight and looking surprised. "I'm so sorry I neglected to mention... I'm sure you've seen my personnel transfer from the Office of Science Operations, but I can't imagine they take the time to explain what I'm doing on the ship. My background is in agricultural biotechnology, and I'll be working to adapt several certain grains to specific environments for a few planned Federation colonies. The details are all very boring, naturally." She smiled again and flicked her hand, like she was forcibly dismissing those bothersome details. "But the work is very delicate, very detailed and requires a great deal of invested resources. I was hoping to find some basis for cooperation with my new colleagues to make the process a little less painful. It's taking them quite some time to arrive here, and I don't see the harm in trying to start some mutually beneficial work in the meantime... After all, what's a few dozen lightyears between scientists?"

First she sought someone to tell her Gyce was an incoming security officer, now Seleya wanted Gyce to retrieve personnel files.

"The reason an investigation officer has access to non-classified personnel files, is because when we go to a posting, we have to know who is and is not likely to become disruptive in the ship population," Gyce explained respectfully while she flicked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Be as it may, while I have access, that does not mean I should just look up personnel files on the Enterprise because I feel like it. I have to have plausible cause to do so. Otherwise, overuse of the privilege, can find me on a very limited leash - which is not how good detectives excel."

"Understandable, and I wouldn't ask if it didn't have a direct impact on my research responsibilities," Seleya said, immediately following the end of Gyce's last sentence. "I'm not asking for complete access to their files; honestly, I couldn't care less what people were doing on Stardate 33741.2. I'd just like to get my work done as efficiently as possible and if I don't even know the names of the people I'm working for, much less comm frequencies to get in touch with them, then that's a month I'm working here on the starbase independent of the rest of the science staff. There could be some beneficial expertise available within the department, or, worse, we could be duplicating efforts and wasting valuable time and resources. It's just...inefficient. As inefficient, one might say, as the bureaucratic feet-dragging that's left me with no security clearance or access to Starfleet records."

Seleya turned her nose up at the word, perhaps the thing she despised above all else. And while the request was something of a half-truth, the sort that made a lie all the more believable, she really did want to pursue the possibility of joint research or data sharing, at the very least. But as far as she was concerned, that was all Gyce needed to know; her less than honest motive - confirming the presence of an old "colleague" on board Galileo - needn't be mentioned.

Gyce was still a bit dubious. A first meeting, even a second meeting, could not give her a good feel. Unless of course Seleya was trapped in an interrogation room with Gyce for twenty-four hours. That was unlikely to happen here and thus she had to fall back to her protocols and procedures.

"I cannot give you the comm frequencies of any of the personnel on the ship at the present time, simply because I myself will not be given that access until I have reported in," Gyce spoke truthfully. "What I can do is give you a name. A Lieutenant Norvi Stace, who is the ship's chief science officer. It would be logical to contact her via the civilian communications decks, using one of their lines. While lower priority in line, you would still be able to get through to Lieutenant Stace and ask what projects and personnel might conflict with you projects."

That really was the most diplomatic way Gyce could go about it, without technically breaking any rules. Nor denying the request.

"I'm sure Lieutenant Stace will be able to point me in the right direction," Seleya said with a grateful smile, though the masseter muscle on the right side of her jaw was flexing from teeth clenched in annoyance. It wasn't exactly what she'd wanted, but then again she wasn't walking away completely empty handed. And it was definitely more than those little paper pushing gree worms in the personnel office had been inclined to offer up. "I'll endeavor to contact her as soon as possible. Thank you for your help, Dr. Benice, I truly appreciate it."

"Thank you for the tea," Gyce smiled warmly, for she meant it.

The Bajoran took her cane from the back of her chair and stiffly stood up and made to part from their meeting.

"I defected because I had nowhere else to go," Seleya said suddenly, staring off at one of the distant bulkheads and answering the lieutenant's earlier question. She blinked hard and snapped her attention back to the immediate area, finally draining her tea to the dregs. She crossed her legs and clasped her hands around the knee, drawing herself up into a rigid sitting position.

"I was just a Deputy Minister for Agriculture; not powerful or influential enough to have sufficient allies to protect me from the fallout after Hobus yet still too close to the former central government to go unnoticed by whomever filled the vacuum of power. Add to that being a Qellar, which for most Romulans is completely synonymous with the Tal Shiar," she said, drawing in a breath and letting it out as a weary sigh as she slowly turned her head to look up at the Bajoran. "In the final analysis, it was either leave or die, and I was rather fond of living at that moment so 'leave' it was."

Gyce made a mental note to check her surname out with a buddy of hers in Starfleet Intelligence. But the most important thing Gyce acknowledged, with Seleya's confession. Was it a true Show of Good Faith? Or was it a charitable Ferengi gift?

The detective part of Gyce was skeptical. But the part of her that was a forgiving Bajoran. That part of her dominated her reaction the most.

"My homeworld is not destroyed, but what was supposed to be my life there, is nothing but ruin." Gyce sniffed away those hard memories and gave the other woman a sympathetic stare. "I do not envy your adjustment here... But I do understand. At the very least, you have an ear, if you need it."

"Thank you," Seleya said with a nod, sounding sincere about it.

She gave the Bajoran a parting smile - one part grateful, one part amused, and one part typical Romulan - before pushing aside the old tea cup and saucer to make way for the fresh cup the server was in the process of bringing. When Gyce was finally out of sight, Seleya flicked her hand with no small amount of annoyance at the server and sneered, sending her scurrying away from the table.

Seleya brought her thumb up to her mouth and tested the strength of the nail between her teeth while mulling over the conversation: she'd raised suspicion, certainly, but she'd gotten at least a part of the information she was looking for. It was enough to make it seem like he might finally be back within her grasp, and that was enough to bring the day's first real smile to her face.

[ OFF ]

Seleya Qellar, Ph.D.
Biotechnologist
USS Galileo
[ PNPC - Mott ]

&

Lieutenant J.G. Benice Gyce, Ph.D.
Security Investigations Officer
USS Galileo

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