Battle of the Dor(e)s

Posted on 13 Oct 2015 @ 11:40am by Commodore Elsie Halliwell & Commander Norvi Stace & Ambassador Olenna Mirok
Edited on on 14 Oct 2015 @ 11:50am

1,207 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 09 - Empires
Location: Starfleet Command Headquarters, Earth
Timeline: MD3 0830 hours

ON:

Commodore Elsie Halliwell sat behind her desk at Starfleet Headquarters devoid of any motivation for the morning ahead. Meetings after meetings after meetings peppered the hours before her and as she cast her wandering eye out towards the oppressively blue sky outside, she quietly longed for the days when she was at the command of her USS Ranger. She'd had a good run at command, she thought. But personal reasons had now grounded her to Earth. Her little daughter was the anchor she could not live without. Or choose to. And so with a renewed sense of purpose she had relocated back to her home planet and settled as best she could; a foot in both worlds: Starfleet and motherhood.

She sighed, looked at her schedule again and then pushed the cool glass of water aside as her gold, curling locks glistened in the sunshine. The silvery sheen that was now poking through didn't bother her as much as it used to and she'd given up completely now on colouring it. But as she walked across her office, the internal comm system sounded.

"Commodore, I have a Priority One communication for you, relayed through Starbase 852. It's from near to the Romulan Border from an Ambassador Mirok."

Halliwell rolled her eyes, tapping her combadge as she carried on walking towards the door. "Mr. Andrews. You know I'm just off for this meeting. Isn't there anybody else in the department who can take it?"

"It concerns the Galileo, Commodore. I thought that you should get first refusal," he added with a knowing tone.

Halliwell paused, and then pursed her lips for a moment. "Stace," she muttered to herself as she slowly turned on her heel. "Um, tell Admiral Pletan that I may be delayed this morning. If I'm not out in ten minutes then can you re-schedule with his yeoman?"

"Aye, sir," came Andrews' reply as he quickly transferred the communique to her desk.

"This is Commodore Elsie Halliwell, Ambassador. What can I help you with?"

The Romulan Ambassador wore a face of frustration. "You can start by telling me where in all the Hells, the Galileo is?"

Olenna shifted in her seat."This absence has been noted, and is being taken as an insult unless I can get some answers."

Halliwell squinted at the Romulan and then sucked on her teeth a little with a silent pout. She had a six year old daughter at home to deal with when it came to throwing temper tantrums. She didn't take it off her, and she most certainly wasn't going to take it from an ambassador. She knitted her brow and pushed her thoughts of Stace to the back of her mind for a moment. Pretending to tap the console, she waited for a beat and then said, "I'm sorry. Ambassador. I didn't catch a word of that. What were you saying?" She raised an eyebrow in the hopes that the woman understood her meaning perfectly.

The Ambaasador's eyes narrowed, and another Romulan woman came into view. No, noit a woman. Miyna was a mere girl.

"We were scheduled to rendez vous with the Galileo to exchange Lady Olenna, but they did not arrive for the transfer." Miyna said, her voice calm, and wise. "we have been unable to contact them, and would like some answers."

Halliwell's features softened as she regarded the younger woman. She flicked her attention back to the ambassador and with a short, curt, respectful nod, tapped at her console for a couple of seconds. Her face now furrowing at the information reeling across her screen she then looked directly at Olenna. "What time were you scheduled to rendezvous, Ambassador, and how late are they?"

Miyna checked her PADD, "We arrived at Twenty Two Fourty Five, the exchange was scheduled for Twenty Two Thirty."

Olenna smirked at the revelation of her intentional lateness.

Miyna continued, "We have been waiting for nearly Seven hours, it took that long to arrange communication to Earth."

"And you're still at the coordinates?" Halliwell questioned.

"We are." Said the Young Girl.

"Well," Halliwell continued, now an irked look washing over her face, "can I ask why you were late to the rendezvous yourself? Perhaps Captain..." she looked the side panel of the console again to check, "Holliday decided to abandon the meeting due to your own lack of presence at the scheduled time."

"We were only minutes late. If the Federation is so quick to abandon diplomacy then perhaps we will rethink our involvement with you. " Olenna barked, unable to hide her distaste.

Miyna piped up, "We were held up by the Departure Ceremony at Mhiessan."

"I suppose a simple communique to warn the Galileo of such a delay was too much to ask." Halliwell allowed the sentiment to settle but then decided that riling ambassador up was not the best course of action to determine where the ship actually was. I'll simply have to go through the younger woman, Halliwell decided. For diplomacy's sake.

Elsie sighed and then blew air through her cheeks in a slight frustrated manner. "I'll have to make my own investigation from this side of space, I'm afraid," Halliwell then remarked, shaking her head. "If I can't ascertain why the Galileo failed to keep its appointment with you then I shall dispatch another ship to you within the hour." She looked at her mapped display on the wall and then tapped her console. "The USS Hera is three hours' journey away from you. May I ask why the Galileo was specifically tasked to you for this, Ambassador?"

"Your Government extended an invitation to me as an Observer for the Empire." Olenna said, her voice softening a bit.

"May I ask to observe what, Ambassador? The Nimbus games? I assume they would have finished by your arrival?"

"Starfleet Operations. Suffice it to say the Empire is ...curious." The Older woman's voice was callous.

Halliwell fought her inner rebel and, at the point in which she thought she had control, succumbed to it completely. She separated her hands on the desk in front of her and then pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling a sigh so audible that it sounded affected. "That tone of yours, Ambassador, may get you what you want in the 'diplomatic' circles in which you run but it certainly won't gain you any ground with me. If you want me to help then I suggest that you wind your neck in when you address me. I didn't rise through the ranks of Starfleet during active duty to then be grounded by a spoilt, six year old daughter just to take attitude from a rude, Romulan Ambassador. I'll be in touch within the hour with what I have ascertained. Until then, Ambassador. Halliwell out."

Olenna smiled to herself as the screen went black."That went well. " she turned, "Wouldn't you agree Miyna?"

The young woman sighed, and led thew way from the room. All that they could do was wait.

:OFF

Ambassador Olenna Mirok
The Black Lady Of Mhiessan

Commodore Elsie Halliwell
Task Force 21 Logistics Coordinator
Starfleet Command Headquarters

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