Dinner! Date?

Posted on Sun Sep 6th, 2020 @ 7:11pm by Lieutenant Ainsley Shaw & Lieutenant Mackenzie 'Mac' Grayson & Lieutenant Rianna Repatha Thibideaux

2,110 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Diplomacy by any means necessary.
Location: USS Valiant Shuttle bay 2
Timeline: MD003 20:00 hrs

The cargo bay had seen some renovations over the past days. The ambassador’s shuttle filled most of it with barely a meter and a half clearance fore and aft. Now however it had been nestled closer to one of the bay walls, giving the side gangway much more clearance.

Now pale yellow and soft white draping cascaded to form an entryway of sorts, softening the harsh utilitarian bulkheads and hull. Soft lighting hung above and behind the cloth, illuminating it to provide a soft glow throughout while the deck was now covered in a soft brown carpeting with dusty green leaf and ivy patterns. Next to the shuttle was an awning which lowered the ceiling even more and added ambiance to a small table set for four. A faux retaining wall split the area and on the other side from the awning was a flickering holo enhanced fire pit around which comfortable seating was arranged. The final piece of furniture was a small bar.

The ambassador’s aide, the Orion female Sidri, looked up from where she was speaking to Valiant’s Chef, Ainsley Shaw and Crewman Micah Hewitt, a relatively new addition to Val’s crew. Both the Chef and Hewitt were dressed in whites while the Orion, her hair piled high, was dressed in a black evening dress which detailed stars on sheer and semi-sheer fabric and a perspective back.

On the carpeted floor, she was barefoot.

"Good evening and welcome," the Orion woman said greeted the two women warmly.

Mac smiled at the taller woman, she was as wearing a royal blue dress with a black shawl of see through silk across her shoulders. Her hair was in a French twist but had loose curls tumbling down the back of her head artfully. Her heeled sandals were black with royal blue detailing across the straps around her feet and ankles. "Good evening to you as well."

Rianna entered the shuttle bay wearing a blue chiffon evening gown with gold braid adorning the neckline and the sleeves. Her hair was done up in a French Braid with a golden pin in the center of the braid. She was wearing a pair royal blue shoes of medium height. Her gown's bodice fit her body like a glove revealing her feminine figure. Walking up to Lt. Grayson, "Goodevening Lieutenant", Rianna said.

Mac grinned cheekily at Rianna, "We did the faux pause of wearing matching colors," she said with a little but delighted laugh, before she added, "How are you doing this evening?"

"I am fine for a short notice on attire", Rianna said laughing. "I simply did not have anything to wear except this old thing. I almost put on my dress whites because I wasn't sure", she added. "How are you faring these days. I don't see much of you, probably because I am so busy with engineering. We should have lunch together sometime", she tried to explain.

Mackenzie grinned cheekily, "I wasn't wearing my dress whites again. Twice in one week is pushing it." She nodded, "Sickbay is doing well, and I am settling in as well. As for getting together, sure lunch sometime sounds fun."

After a few minutes, the ambassador stepped from the shuttle attired in tunic and trousers in black Betazoid linen with silk embroidery spread over the sleeves and shoulders. Stepping down from the shuttle steps, he grasped the frame and theatrically stared appreciatively over the women before stating, "Ladies. Thank you so very much for joining me."

"Gathered like this, such beauty makes me understand how Helios felt when he first caught site of Rhodes," the tall, thin human charmed.

Rianna thought she would go into shock! The sudden emotion ofthe Ambassador nearly knocked her off her feet. He was truly shocked by their appearance. "Thank you Ambassador", Rianna said.

"Only giving credit where it is due, to be sure," Telford said smoothly. "I am the one who should be thanking you both. I am knew to the ambassador business so socializing as a direct tool for negotiating rather than using it to make contacts and observe." He chuckled then, "Not that I think we'll be negotiating galactic peace, but you never know. I imagine you both have some questions about Valdivae, so please feel free to ask."

"I'm not sure how or what to ask first Ambassador. Maybe one of my other esteemed friends would like to go first", Rianna said almost choking.

Mackenzie was still blushing at his compliment, Helios and Rhodes a vivid historical legends reference. "You mentioned that you would like me to verify the condition and welfare but I am mostly curious what do you think of the Valdivae?" She asked lightly hoping she wasn't offending him with her question.

The Ambassador led them to and waived them into seats before finding his own. "Diplomatically, the Valdivae are a fascinating people: they're cultured, hard working, and usually very tightly knit. Like all Diplomatic coins, there are two sides," he continued as Sidri brought a platter containing iced glasses over and sat it on the serving table between them before taking the vacant seat.

"Watermelon moscoto sangria," she said raising a glass to the group.

"The other side of the coin," the ambassador repeated, helping himself to a glass, "Is they have some questionable quirks that get used against them in chambers occasionally." After taking a trial sip, he smiled to Sidri and said, "Thank you ever so much for this. Very nice." Then he turned back to what he was saying.

"One of those things, which we'll be asking you to review doctor is the fact that they have, to some, a somewhat harsh penal system when it comes to heinous crimes. They don't have a death penalty of course, but the person who is found guilty by their peers can, and often is, sentenced to a period of time of what they call Tranquility."

"Tranquility," he said after another sip of his drink, "Basically wipes the personality of the offender. They become...robot like. They're put into work gangs and undergo therapy and their personalities are brought back slowly to try and make them part of the commune. If that fails, they are permanently made Tranquil and serve their society in life sentences."

After another sip at the frosted, now sweat beaded glass, Telford finished, "Some think it's barbaric. Other's think it's a stoke of genius. It's never been fully studied by the Federation, as it's an internal matter to the Valdivae, but beings rights questions are being asked and Valiant's officers have been chosen to take preliminary looks at things like this."

All this fanfare was incredible and listening to the conversation was fascinating. The idea of wiping ones personality seemed harsh, " To wipe one's personality seems a bit harsh, why not erase the bad algorithm only?" Rianna asked.

Telford pursed his lips and shrugged slightly. "From what I understand, it's not quite that simple. If you purposely suppress certain things, or do something like a memory wipe there's always a chance of reversion. The doctor may be able to explain it better," the ambassador said, with a smile toward Mac. "The theory is that overall beings are wired certain ways and rewiring is more than cutting and splicing isolinear pathways. The Valdiveian methodology tries to block the influences that promoted the unwanted behaivor and put the offenders in an environment where new pathways of thinking and culturally accepted behavior take root and grow past the old ones."

Telford leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs and said. "It's a long term project, which i think is good. People rarely break overnight and unacceptable behavior can't be seen as a simple switch either. The Valdivae claim that using Tranquility takes away most of the...I don't know a good word here. Maybe heartache?" the Ambassador mused, his gaze clouding for a few seconds as his thoughts turned inward before he abruptly realized his mind had wandered.

Looking up at the women, he met each of their gazes and he smiled and shrugged slightly. "The best word I have, and one that's likely colored by personal experience. People who have differing issues sometimes fight themselves and go back and forth toward being well and unwell. That's not only hard on them and their mental state but on their families, friends and community."

Crewman Hewitt appeared grinning with a serving tray, which he sat on the table between the Ambassador and his guests. Standing upright then, he clasped his hands in front of him and said, "Sorry to intrude, but Chef Ainsley thought you might enjoy these," the blond young man stated, his eyes bright. "Three sorts of hor....horde.....er." He blushed then and cleared his throat nervously, "Appetizers," he finally got out. "The first, on the black and white plate, is a chip of cucumber with a bite of watermelon covered in a light blueberry vinaigrette and dusted with parsley and cracked pepper and gorgonzola cheese." He made a semi grand gesture toward the plate in question, then his hand moved to a yellow plate rimmed in red. "This is skewer of bacon wrapped, pickled sweet watermelon rind to which chef dusted with Cazzaio dust. So it might be just a little bit spicy," the young man enthused before his hand moved to hover to the third plate.

"And finally, on the light blue plate, we have a Thruavian minced doseskan and virbir meatball mixed with a variety of spices set into a pastry that has been filled with a bit of rich gravy, so be careful of your pretty clothing," the crewman said with an admiring glanced to the seated guests, "It's topped with some bacon dust, a hint of citrus and chili flake." Beaming as he self-congratulated himself on remembering all of the dishes, he said, "Ya'all enjoy those and if you need refills of your drinks or just anything at all, just ask!"

With that, crewman Hewitt stepped back and went back to the bar.

Ambassador watched the young man go with a bemused look on his face and then met the women's glances with a smile. "Well, those sound excellent. And I must say he is a very enthusiastic....where was I?"

Rianna was more interested in technology than politics. However she was a guest and had to adhere to protocols none the less.

Mackenzie was sitting still her fury at the idea of folks being wiped of their personalities and put to labor for the rest of there days was infuriating. She had to remind herself that each civilization grew differently but it was still shockingly horrid to consider. She chose her next words with care, "I will look into it very carefully." She was happy for the distraction of the food and drinks being offered but most of her want for enjoying the meal was damped by the fact she was holding in her upset about the "Tranquility" process. "Can you tell us anything about the technical side or have you not seen much in evidence yet?" Mac added after a moment hoping the subject chance would give her time to cool off her temper.

The ambassador took a few moments to gather his thoughts as he sampled the hot devours then sipped at his cocktail. After a few moments he said, "Technologically speaking, they're rather on par with the rest of the Federation as far as levels go. Where they shine, as a species, is in construction. Primarily, their ship yards are some of the best in this area of the quadrant and rank within the top five within the Federation, per capita. The briefing I received stated they could turn out roughly one 5 million ton hull per month, new construction." The ambassador looked to Valiant's chief engineer. "Roughly a ship the size of an the Enterprise D, I think?"

Then he looked to Mackenzie, "Of course, that's with the yards totally committed to that sort of thing. But that's their rough production. They are very efficient workers."

Rihanna was left sitting with her mouth open......."5 million ton Hull design in a month? I'll be damned!" she exclaimed. "That is awesome" she added.

"Obviously," the Ambassador smiled at Rhianna's enthusiasm, "they wouldn't be able to sustain that pace for long, given the material requirements. But, yes they are impressive. At that pace, the construction would be somewhat rough too, but still...

A joint post by:

Lieutenant Mackenzie 'Mac' Grayson
Chief Medical Officer
USS Valiant

Lieutenant JG Rianna Repatha
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Valiant

Ainsley Shaw
Chef
USS Valiant

Guest starring:
Ambassador Telford

 

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