Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Government Tower- Ambassador Mathis & Co Arrive

Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Government Tower- Ambassador Mathis & Co Arrive

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Government Tower- Ambassador Mathis & Co Arrive
Posted by… suppressed (9) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Ah, yes, an important decision. “Well, at least for the next bit until everything is sorted, there is securable office space a few floors down for them to use and I’ll get them situated there tomorrow. But…” Eela eyed the map and pointed to a modest sized building on the other side of Sloane Square from where the Government Tower was located and a few blocks from the hospital. “This is a central location, close to the Tower here for ease of meetings but not so close to associate them directly with us.” She looked at Kenzo. “We work together but we want to maintain our sovereignty, so that would be a nice compromise. And we can purpose a building that was mostly offices for a defunct company. Shine it up, make it look nice. It’s that or we could place it outside the old dome boundary as a symbol of the growth of the colony. It’s a lot farther away though and symbolically I don’t think that distances works in our best interests. It scream too much that we’re unhappy they are here. If we want the colonists to accept them, we have to show that we do too.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Kenzo nodded as she spoke, and watched the map as her fingers pointed out the possible places. “I agree outside the confines of the dome boundary is a not a positive position.” He looked some more and then said “What about here?” He zoomed in on the map to a building Eela was quite familiar with: the House Duroc Embassy. “We have an established embassy here, and there is space to build or repurpose existing structures. Could be the start of a diplomatic district. That would help us centralize security and infrastructure needs… as well as keeping the associated clandestine activities in a specific locale. Thoughts?”

Hyrushi, Governor

Eela burst out laughing. It wasn’t from the idea itself but rather the imagery that came to mind. “Oh, I am highly amused at the thought of Mathis and Jones sharing a compound with Lord Duroc. I wonder what Jeanette will think of him- she’ll likely meet him sooner rather than later as a professional courtesy. But I agree that keeping the support services they require clustered would make things simpler. Did you want to pitch it to Duroc or should I?” She did have at least a small update on the Vargas matter to speak to him about but she also wasn’t sure if Kenzo would prefer such things come from him. It could go either way.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Kenzo smiled and said “While that idea is more than amusing, I do not believe that House Duroc would welcome such an intrusion upon their space. Look here.” and he pointed to a large house, a small estate really, a few properties away and said “That is the former private residence of a previous colony Treasury Director. When it was discovered that he was skimming from the treasury and using the proceeds to fund his lifestyle, well… Oed did as Oed does. It is currently unoccupied. I would imagine the public would not be averse to allowing the Ambassador to set up the facility as both an Embassy and a residence for her and her staff. Even though the dome is gone, space is still hard to come by. And there is the added benefit of the people trusting House Duroc. The proximity, I’m sure, will give the people a sense that the newcomers are being watched… unofficially, of course.” and he gave her a knowing look.

Hyrushi, Governor

Dasca braced an elbow on the desk and weighed the variables. It was not a snap decision necessitated by a high pressure situation (of which this actually was one), but rather she was taking as much time as she felt was necessary to consider all the issues. More than that, Eela was consulting her intuition. She was letting it flow through and rise up in her, and in all her decades of life she had rarely found it failed her if she was asking the right question. “The space also has the benefit of being… nicer, something that befits an embassy and Mathis. By the time it would be ready I am hoping she and Jones will have settled in here and the early growing pains of the situation with the Vren will have dissipated. Renovations would take time, only the order of many weeks, and it would certainly need some. But I think we should ask Mathis and Jones for their input. If we’re going to convert a space, I would want it in a position to fill needs months and years down the line. Let’s do something a little bit bigger now so that it’s already done for when the time comes for more staff, etcetera.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Kenzo thought for a long moment, staring at the map. Finally he said “We will select three places. They can then choose from those. I think it would behoove us to make sure they select the one we want them to select. I am not suggesting we pick one acceptable and two obviously awful options. But having them set up where we are best situated to… deal… with them would be the wisest course, I think. One with many more positives than negatives. One with an equal balance. And one with maybe a few more ‘considerations’ than benefits.”

Hyrushi, Governor

Her throaty chuckle filled the space around them. “Sure, though I’m telling you right now that Mathis will see through that entirely. But my impression would be that she wouldn’t mind so much and understands our position.”

Kenzo nodded slightly and said “It’s not about the choice, its about the pretense of a choice. As I am sure you are well aware, diplomacy is often more about the gesture than the actual gift.”

With a nod, more to herself than anything, Eela sat back and looked at him. “Despite the way it landed in our laps Kenzo, we have a wonderful opportunity here and I want us to make sure we don’t squander it based on previous dealings with various parties, including the Vren. We get to be cautious and have our contingencies, but I the longer I am here the more I believe my purpose is to break down some of those fearful walls and let Oed be more open and welcoming. I’m warning you now that that can come with some growing pains, just like everything else.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Kenzo smiled a knowing smile and said “You are operating on the pretext that Oed wants to be more open and welcoming.” and he chuckled softly. “But I agree. We do have a significant opportunity here. Alleviating even the perception that one of our borders is with a hostile entity would a be a boon for the colony and the people. And from what I could glean from the sanitized file the Ambassador gave us, I think the Vren may potentially be a good trading partner… if we can keep the populace from acting against their arrival. Speaking of… how long do you anticipate it will be before Mathis provides us with her statement for the people? We need that yesterday… or last week.”

Hyrushi, Governor

“I suspect she’ll give us a draft tomorrow. We wanted to be able to add our input and I think since you’ll be with her when she gives it, you can make sure it balances out well. She could have arrived with one ready but I agree with her that that presumed too much until she actually got here, met us, and understood the situation better.” Dasca shrugged. “We’ll just have to see.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“Indeed.” Kenzo said and then took a deep breath. “Very well. Let us put this aside for the time being until we get that draft. What other fires do we need to tend to?”

Hyrushi, Gov.

There was a rule in health care (both physical and mental) that one never ever remarked that it was quiet. Sure, it was entirely superstitious but given the stakes they had worked with it was worth heeding this unofficial rule. And while she hadn’t been a counsellor for many years she found it just as applicable in running a starship or a colony. So while she wanted to say that that was surprisingly it for the day, Eela just smiled and said, “I’ll let you know if anything comes up.” A safe compromise.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Kenzo was also aware of the superstition… and kept the same level of respect for it that Eela did. “As will I. But if that is all for now, I think I may actually go home and enjoy a meal that doesn’t come from someone else’s kitchen.” and he stood and offered Eela a hand. Not as a formality or manners… but because he knew that standing was sometimes hard for her. And in the short time that she had been there, she had become someone he wanted to make sure felt as comfortable on Oed as she could.

Hyrushi, Governor

Perhaps it was a measure of the trust they had built and he had demonstrated to her earlier by that simple resting of his hand, or maybe Eela just accepted to gesture for what it was because it was needed, but she didn’t hesitate to firmly rest her hand in his and haul herself to her feet, her brace whirring with the effort of easing her transition. “Good. You should. I myself have a call with my daughter who is giddily planning the trip for Batareal. I’m honestly not sure which of us is more excited,” she said, her entire demeanour lit up in a way she had only let out a couple times this far in her tenure here. It was one filled with joy. Strangers wouldn’t know any different, but for those that had seen her in recent years at her lowest this was startling novel.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“You should. Some positive, personal production would do us both well, I think.” He let go of her hand when she was on her feet and then put his hands behind his back. “Let’s reconvene when the draft arrives. I think combining our responses would save time and make it more cohesive.”

Hyrushi, Governor