Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Vanessa Slade (CNS) in Conference room (2021 Sim)

Posted by Lieutenant Tom Jarvis (Internal Security) in Conference room (2021 Sim)

Posted by Captain Calvin Marius (Captain) in Conference room (2021 Sim)
Posted by… suppressed (20) by the Post Ghost! 👻
SNip
Both Chichak and Lepto look horrified at the XO’s explanation. “Really,” Lepto commented, “then the advancement of your Federation must be rather slow; or at least the members must be angsty. Those who are more advanced must be less contented because the efforts put in to improve themselves would be used by the less advanced with no consequence. The less advanced would then benefit without any effort of their own.”

GM

Magnus raised an eyebrow and smiled a bemused smile “I think that’s the first time I’ve heard that point made” He said stepping from his chair and walking to the side of the table, hands still clasped behind his back “I don’t think that’s a common sentiment within the more advanced members if such a term can be used. Members of the Federation all share certain cultural values, cooperation, co-existence, benevolence and peaceful exploration amongst other things. Our species, humans, are amongst the four founding members of the Federation and I don’t think once in our history we’ve ever been angsty over less advanced members joining. Helping others does not mean you can’t help yourself”

XO

“That’s the problem with tolerance!” commented Lepto sarcastically, “Language is used to muddle and confuse such that manipulation of the emotions is possible. Things never get done if the truth is couched in alternative and politically correct words. The Lesscoo just says as it is. The strong either decimate the weak to gain ascendance, or make the weak as part of the strong.”

GM

“Do we look weak?” Calvin stood suddenly with his fist hitting the table. “One ship of the thousands of the Federation starships, basically walked to the doorstep of your home-world, and only the fact that we are ‘tolerant’ kept us from doing whatever we wanted.” Marius looked around the table.

“If the Lesscoo wants it plain, then so shall it be. I have no proof of your borders and ironically as far as we are concerned both yours and the Messi world are within our borders according to the rules of our space you can not claim a world that isn’t your own. If you don’t like it your welcome to attack us again and this time I wont use our words and I’ll actually fire back. Or we can get to the point of our fancy words and negotiate a deal that will make me less angry and perhaps you might get a little something out of it too. A wise man in your position would get to dealing.”

Marius

Now that’s what I am talking about. Big dogs in the howwwwwwssssahhh, Vanessa had a hard time not letting her fervor with her two superior’s officer’s action take her to the next level. If she said what was really on her mind that level would probably be two levels down and the brig but it was not like she wasn’t raised with some couth.

Vanessa did not have the experience or rank to match the stinging reprisal delivered by Judge Calvin and his gavel fist bringing decorum to the room in one swift move; however, she wasn’t totally without a little fire of her own. Picking up the PaDD, she decided a visual display to punctuate the CO and XO’s words would help drive the point home. Bringing up the standard star charts known to anyone who had a console and could enable the galactic search engines of Gaggle or Bang she displayed the visual image of the borders Marius just spoke of on the large wall PaDD in the room. To add a bit of snark, she added a little yellow arrow pointing down to the Lesscoo system with the words above it stating YOU ARE HERE and bolded all the Federation planets to accentuate just how small of a fish their guests were in the galactic pond so to speak.

“As you can see our galactic maps are clear and our borders are defined. I presume you have some sort of documentation to make discussion more productive… but I wouldn’t know since despite me asking a dozen times for some sort of information you so far have declined to do so.”

Standing up, Vanessa smiled that soft grin her father claimed all girls learned at a young age and developed into the in right your wrong smile of a woman who had dug her heels into a conflict. “Maybe we need some more refreshments,” she gestured to the replicator. “Coffee…tea....treaty papers for you,” she gestured to Letpo and Chichak, “from the diplomatic division of let’s be reasonable or you are going to get a boot up your ass.”

Vanessa Slade CNS and card-carrying member of Team M rocks

Marius

Chichak looked grave, “Your intentions are now clear. You enter our territory and claimed that you visit in peace. We request that you remove yourselves from our territory and you refuse. We warn you and you resist. We make good our threat and you claim we are wrong. We are prepared to hear you out and you speak about how great you are. Your Federation is out to force us into submission into your philosophies and politics. You say you have no proof of our borders. We have no proof of yours. You infer that the Lesscoo is less than you in qualities. All these are of your standards and your values. You are in our territory and you dictate to us your values. I admit that you are mightier than us. If you wish to subjugate the Lesscoo, I have no doubt you could do it in seconds. The Lesscoo has no interest in your Federation if it means we have the choice to do so. The Lesscoo does not welcome the Federation into its territory. The Lesscoo requests that you leave our systems at once!” Lepto and Chichak stood up and Chichak continued, “These talks have concluded!”

GM

“Must be downright terrible to have a technologically advanced species appear out of nowhere to impose their will on you” Magnus still hadn’t sat down, this was the most delicate time during their meeting “Dictating values and philosophies behind the strength of arms, a superiority complex, spouting how great we are” He spoke slowly and calmly, the tone he’d learned working with Federation Diplomats “I imagine this is what those you wish to subjugate feel” He took a single small step forward to emphasize his words “Before you leave Representative Chichak, consider this, your species is taking its first steps into the galactic scene and whilst we will happily let you be within your own system we can’t sit back and watch as you subjugate a species with military might. Our conflict is not with your sovereignty but that of theirs.”

XO

He shoots. He scores and the quarterback is toast Vanessa had a hard time not smiling. This was why she had joined Starfleet. It was to be around people like Marius and Magnus giving glasses to the masses that could not see past the end of their noses so they could see a clearer path ahead. When this was done, she was buying the rounds in the lounge. The two men she saluted needed it for a job well done. She needed one because Vanessa was wound tight as a cork. At least the cool heads of the M-Team had prevented the cork from popping.

Vanessa Slade

Chichak just glared at the XO. “Are we now prisoners of yours?” he asked with dignity.

GM

“Why would you be our prisoners? Have you committed a crime to be arrested? You are free to come and go as you please. The Federation sees all sentient beings as equal and respected. Frankly it’s why your views of the Messi aren’t sitting so well with us. People are their best when they are free to think and create.” Inside Vanessa slightly cringed. She sounded like a starry eyed cadet. The problem was she really did believe this. Honestly everyone around the table wearing the uniform thought like this. It was what made them get up and ready for the day. The thought that each one of them could make the universe a better place day by day.

Vanessa thought about it for a second. “I mean if we were on your ship would be be arrested?” She hoped her comment would explain why the man’s question seemed crazy to her

Vanessa slade.

Magnus raised an eyebrow at his question “I only ask that you consider what we have to say and not just leave because we seem to be at an impasse right now” He looked towards the Captain, Right now they’d been going back and forth, the Captain was harsh so Magnus would be gentle, he waited for the Captain to decide what would happen next.

XO

“Clearly,” said Chicak, “You have decided that our claim on Messi is invalid, based on your laws. We operated by our own laws and you are expecting us to operate under yours. You are the more advanced race and is thus entitled to subdue us and force us into submission of those laws. I do not see what else is there to consider?”

GM

“No, I state - you continue to claim a world based on borders that aren’t defined by any objective measure. You say this space is yours, I say it isn’t. You claim the weak must make way for the strong, if that is your law… then you have decided who is right in this discussion. If you want to do it our way… you have to prove it.”

“By the manner in which you defined your law we are fully in compliance to name the Messi world within our space… as such that world is free to develop without your interference.”

Marius

Damn I hope I am never on the other side of the table when you decide to get all captainy on my arse, Vanessa looked at Marius. Normally a counselor only learned about the people on one side of the table. Today Vanessa was learning about both and frankly she was glad she was on the M-team’s side of the old oak slab.

Vanessa Slade counselor

“It’s your word against the word of the Lesscoo,” said Chicak. “You ask for proof, I also ask for proof that the Messi are within your borders.”

GM

Marius glanced at the map that Vanessa popped up on the screen a few minutes ago, but he guess that wasn’t good enough.

OOC: If I shouldn’t get involved here just disregard this post.
OOC: Go ahead everyone’s welcome… ironically your ability makes your sudden pop in totally in character.

IC: “And what would you consider acceptable proof?” the voice asked from the shadowed corner, “Consider carefully as the answer will determine what both sides must bring to the table.”

Jesus Mary and Joseph, Vanessa half came out of her seat hearing a voice out of no where. In fact, she had not come out of her seat that fast since she was sixteen and watching the jump scare holomovie The Borgman Cometh. In some was the spectral voice that seemed to float from the edges of the dark made every hair stand up on her arm.

How long had he been there? He was little more than a vague shape in the corner.

Tom had listened. He wasn’t a diplomat, at least not today. Calvin and Magnus were edging the prime directive but that always happened. The prime directive, like plans, never survived it’s first encounter. It was never about the prime directive being broken, it was about the de”gree of infraction and Tom saw nothing to advise about as of yet.

• Tom, IntSec

Marius looked over, he shook his head for a moment and double clicked his comm badge, which normally didn’t have any special function, but Marius had made some modifications since Jarvis had come aboard years ago…

Magnus ignored the urge to jump at the officer’s voice suddenly appearing out of nowhere. He looked at the face he didn’t recognize and knew who this was, the only things he knew were what he’d written down in a diary specifically made for him. Lieutenant Tom Jarvis, Internal Security. It was a good question, he only hoped that the two aliens wouldn’t be overly concerned with the officers appearance, sudden as it was.

XO

Marius

Chicak looked wearied, “Our records show how long we have been present in the Messi system. You would no doubt find that unacceptable. Do you have any documentation that show that you have influence over the Lesscoo and the Messi?”

GM

Influence isn’t what the Federation did. In fact not influencing is their rule. Certainly they could demonstrate relations and probably settlement and worlds all around these… right?

Tom stepped out of the shadowed corner, his appearance unremarkable except for the black on black of his IntSec uniform.

Getting her first look at Tom, Vanessa had only one thought in her mind. I’m putting a cowbell on that one. If the man was in IntSec and always wore black, she was going to make sure next time he decided to lurk in a shadow, the ring of a cowbell was serve as an early warning system to the rest of the crew. Although it was never actually going to happen, Vanessa took a small sip of her coffee to hide the smirk imagining a man with Tom’s stealth being deceived by the tinkling of a small bell.

“We have many systems inside Federation borders that haven’t been explored or have only been observed. Due to our Prime Directive guideline, we rarely interfere with pre-warp civilizations. We use burgeoning warp capability as a determining factor for introduction. A civilization becoming warp capable means they will meet new potential allies, foes, and threats that they should be prepared for. A system could be in Federation space for over 100 cycles and never know of the bigger community around them due to low level civilization and/or insufficient technical advancement. We have a hard time accepting subjugation of one race by another within our borders however there can be exceptions…”

Tom knew that Magnus and Peturson wouldn’t like this part but it had to be said if they wanted everything on the board.

OOC: Just so we’re on the same page … The Genesis is exploring outside Federation space.

IC:

By the end of this meeting Vanessa would be sporting a neck brace from self-induced whiplash at the number of times she whipped her head around to look at someone candy coating or in Tom’s case appearing to accept subjugation as a fact of life. Frowning slightly, she waited to see where Tom was going with his line of thinking as she picked up the PaDD and made a note to contact HR. If they made her any crazier at this meeting, she would roll into the next meeting one of those stupid HR holovids titled something Prime Directive and You....what does that mean or the ever popular one Do onto others because when you are not looking they will do it back to you. It would save time and probably lull the opposing party into an agreement. While the M-Team had gotten fiesty in the end, Vanessa was waiting to see how Tom would turn his comment around and explain for the third time how the Lesscoo were idiots only far more eloquently.

“If both civilizations elect not to apply for Federation membership, then they will remain independent entities and will neither be helped nor hindered. In that case, what you do to each other, no matter how reprehensible, will remain none of our concern. Either path they choose, they will know of your presence before we leave.”

Tom knew his last line wasn’t in line with the prime directive, but as he reasoned before, infraction was a matter of degree.

• Tom, IntSec

Wait what, Vanessa looked at Tom with a confused expression. Is there something in the coffee, she briefly thought before clearing her throat. “Dignitaries,” she addressed the Lescoo across the table, “what our esteemed officer means is we will not leave until some form of diplomacy has been reached even if that is a demilitarized zone because we are not going to let you and the Messi just duke it out like common brawlers on a Saturday night outside of Murphy’s pub. So in the interest of expediency for everyone parts, what is it going to take to have you see the Messi as something other than a bug under your size nine shoe.”

Vanessa Slade counselor

Chicak had a few moments to process what the counselor had said. “We claim the Messi as part of our territory. There should be no interference in our internal affairs from external forces. You claim that we cannot do that. I think that counts as external interference.”

GM