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Not Cowboy Diplomacy - nope

Posted on Wed Feb 12th, 2025 @ 6:54pm by Commander Rhupert Tyree & Commander Daynah Ral & Lieutenant Tavana Kolan, Daughter of Kretorg

1,348 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Foragers
Location: USS Valiant. Bridge.
Timeline: Two days after Get the Party Started

It had not been an easy six months for Tavana and she was glad that it was over. But she would do it all over again regardless of the personal heartache she went through when the Ambassador was murdered, or when two of the Valvidean friends she made got killed in a pirate attack. It just strengthened her resolve to assist the Valvidaens and use the experience she had gained on the D'ama and VaQbach to repel the pirates and pass on the skills to the Valvidaens.

The Valiant had already been docked at Empak nor when she arrived. She had made an appointment to see the Captain. As she approached his ready room, she became aware of how nervous she was. If she was purely Klingon she would not have felt this, she thought annoyed. It was the Betazoid that did that. How ironic? She had come full circle. Hating the Klingon side of herself and doing everything, including becoming a diplomat, to break any semblence of a stereotype. For crying our load, she even had her ridges removed. Now, she was nervous that the Captain would not agree to her ask, which meant she would stop right into a stereotype. But she did not care anymore. Worse was that he would probably sense her nerves. But she decided she didn't care about that either.

Rhu's meeting with the Commodore had went well and he was standing at the mission ops table at the back of the bridge, going through more updates from the Yard when he received notification that one of Valiant's wayward officers had found their way back to the fold. Glancing up at Dayna, he said, "Looks like Ms. Kolan is back. "Lieutenant Kolan," he said, tapping his communicator. "Report to the bridge please?"

Daynah stood with Rhu at the mission table. "The prodigal daughter returns." She added with a smile. "I would add not a moment too soon given what we may be getting ourselves into.,"

When Tavana stepped onto the bridge she realised how much she missed the Valiant's crew. With a broad smile she approached the CO and XO. "Good morning Captain, Commander," she said.

Rhu nodded as Tavana joined them at the mission table and brought up her service record on the holo projector between them. "Welcome back Lieutenant," he remarked. "Looks like you had an adventure or two with the Valdivae. And I see a request for change in specialty. We DO need a security/tactical chief. Why the change?"

As usual, the Captain came straight to the point, which caught Tavana off guard. She knew she was going to talk to the Caorain, but she had not given one moment's attention as to how she was going to articulate her request. "I became a diplomat to honor my father and to... " she hesitated a bit, " to show everyone that Klingons are more than just warriors. I didn't want to be in some preconceived mold. And I don't regret having had the training and experience. But on Valvidae, with the pirate attacks, it felt so natural to use my combat training to assist them to defend against the pirates. It worked, and I was good at it. All my previous experience in battles and being on Klingon vessels taught much, and I learned without realising it. I really feel I can use those skills in Security better than in the Diplomatic Corps," she explained.

Rhu considered Tavana for a few tics, then glanced at Dayna and said, "I can understand that, though I do believe diplomacy should always be attempted before we do battle. Valiant isn't your normal ship of the line. Lieutenant, you should know up front that we've been seconded to Federation Intelligence for a variety of missions. Some of which will require us to occasionally assume cover identities and deal with unsavory types. Note I did say Federation Intelligence rather than Star Fleet. Which could be whole thing by itself. You ok with that?"

Daynah knew that someone should always be true to themselves and follow what was in their hearts. But she would also be lying if she said that it was good that the Lieutenant left the Diplomatic Corps for Security. "Just to add to what the Captain has said. These missions will also require you to be disconnected from your loved ones. While undercover the outside world will not know where you are or what you are doing."

"On the VaQbach I was involved in one 'undercover' mission. It was for two weeks only, but it was a good experience for me. As for my loved ones, some are on Quvat el'Tigh, my family's home world in the Klingon Empire and the others are on the VaQbach, wherever they are. So I am quite disconnected already" she said wit a wry smile.

Crossing his arms, Rhu glanced at his officers and said wryly, "A diplomatic answer. I expect Valiant's Tac officer to be aggressive and you'll need to be up to speed on changes. This final refit in the yard will see twenty ventral and dorsal torpedo mortars installed. They'll have a limited magazine capacity and are slow to load, but that will give us a good few punches. The armor is being recoated and the pulse phasers are being amped up. That's going to take an even bigger draw on our power availability. They may do something to the shield's as well. And that's just what's going to be done on Valiant. I plan on us getting our hands on a civilian ship for more clandestine work. You ready for all of that Lieutenant?"

"Captain, when I served on the D'ama, we were at war with the Kzinti. It was vicious and horrific and we lost our ship. Then I served on a battle cruiser wth a crew compliment varying between 1800 and 2300, with only about 10% of that being non-Klingon. Overtly, we were establishing trade routes both for the Empire and the Federation. But our real mission was a covert mission, to seek and destroy Kzinti bases, which they planned to use for another invasion. I assisted to negotiate trade agreements with friendly planets, but the rest of the time, I was used for infiltration and information gathering, and when needed also in tactical. My MMA background came into good use. On top of that, I was the daughter of the Captain, so I had a lot to prove to the Klingons. There was a lot of fighting," she added to clarify. "And I also won a lot. I am a trained diplomat yes, but I am also a warrior, the combination making me well suited for this position. So yes, I am ready."

"Alright then," Rhu said, "Welcome aboard Lieutenant. Your old quarters are still assigned to you and you'll assume duties as Tac officer when we spin up, but you'll have a few days of R&R here at Empok Nor. Do you have any questions for us?"

Tavana shook her head. "Not at this time, if something comes up, I will raise it," she said.

Glancing at Dayna, Rhu said, "Well Number One. We have the split missions coming up. Do you want Tavi to back you up or have her go with me?"

"Someone has to keep an eye on you and make sure that you don't try any cowboy diplomacy." Daynah said with a smirk.

Tavana nodded her head, not sure what the type of diplomacy means, but made a mental note not to do that. She had the distinct impression that the Captain thought she was quite capable of it.

Rhu offered up his own smirk and said, "As long as the job gets done. Well there's an old Earth saying that It's easier to Beg for Forgiveness then Ask for Permission. Number one."

Looking Tavi in the eye, he said, "Welcome back aboard, Ms. Kolan. Get your self situated. Enjoy a day or two of leave around the station and I'll brief you on our mission to steal a starship."

 

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