Interesting Diplomacy

Posted on Thu Apr 14th, 2016 @ 3:21am by Captain John Theisman & Lieutenant Commander Li'thia t'Dharvanek

991 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Pathways

Li'thia had to admit that the Hyperion was a nice ship. Since she had beamed aboard, she had roamed the corridors looking for her quarters and seen enough to admit that taking the assignment on board the Hyperion wouldn't be all that bad. At least most of the time. She was sure that there would be times that she would regret being assigned to the Hyperion, such as dealing with egotistic and imperialistic Romulans or worse. But things could always be worse. She could still be stuck on a desert planet somewhere dealing with minor and trivial problems that weren’t even her responsibility.

Finding her quarters, Li'thia was impressed at the comfort level that the ship had been given. She had to nod in approval at everything, finding nothing really worth mentioning as far as complaining would go. She knew that she had an office, but diplomacy most likely wouldn't be called for much and Li'thia figured that if she was needed, then the captain would most likely call for her. That thought drew a frown as she realized that she needed to report in. Tossing her travel bags on the floor, Li'thia headed to the ready room, tapping the door chime when she arrived.


John was working late tonight. There was much that went into getting a star ship underway and he was determined to get the Hyperion at least into warp before the deadline that Starfleet Command had set. If the chemistry lab explosion hadn’t occurred, then the final inspections and checks that he had to sign off on now wouldn't have delayed the final approval. Accidents did happen, however, and he was sure that Grey was putting her department into order. It was the late hour that made him frown when his door chime rang out. "Enter," he called as he picked up another padd and groaned at the contents.


Li'thia walked in and promptly sat down in an empty chair. She knew nothing of her new captain, but she did have to admit that he was handsome. She also had to admit that she had been a reserve officer for well over ten years and was a little rusty on how to proceed. Naturally, she fell back on her usual method of being blunt and direct. "I'm Li'thia Dharvanek, your diplomatic officer. You should have received my transfer papers sometime ago."


John raised an eyebrow. For a diplomatic officer, she wasn't all that diplomatic he thought. But, when dealing with Romulans, it was sometimes best to cut through the bullshit and get right to the point. "I did receive your transfer orders last week. I'm glad you could make it before we departed Earth. I understand that you have some history with the Romulan Empire."


"It's not something I like to talk about captain," Li'thia said hotly and quickly. She had to admit that she used more rancor than she intended, but her personal history was simply that, her personal history. "Regardless of my personal feelings, I will carry out my duties as an officer assigned to this ship. That being said, I will admit that I may be guilty of voicing my personal feelings at times. Those may offend some we come across during our grand exploration of the great Romulan Empire."


"You certainly don't mind being blunt, do you?" John asked.


"Why? Being subtle and vague does nothing but waste time. The majority of diplomatic meetings are simply that, a waste of time. It’s a battle of patience, skill, intelligence and cleverness. The trick is having the right balance. Or there is my preferred method, which is to strike first and set the opponent off balance And then use every advantage I can to set up better and more favorable conditions," Li'thia said with a shrug. "Don't ask me for details. Every encounter is different and has different results."


"You do realize that you're here because you're supposed to be a damned good diplomat and you understand the culture better than any else we could get," John said. "I need you to understand that this treaty is a step forward in intergalactic relations. I will not have you fuck it up. How you feel about the Romulan Empire is something I want you to bottle up and swallow when you're on duty. Being blunt and to the point is fine. But keep it professional at the very least. Is that clear?"


"Yes, Sir, I understand clearly," Li'thia said. "Be professional while I'm on duty. Got it."


"I understand personal feelings when they come into conflict with your duty, but as Starfleet officers we have to set them aside and deal with them as best we can," John said. "I'm sorry if I stepped too hard, but I'm sure you know the conditions of this treaty."


"I was debriefed before I came on board," Li'thia said with a nod. "The terms certainly seem equal and fair. I also understand this is a major undertaking by both governments. I'll behave, even if it kills me. The last thing I want to be remembered for is the cause of the dissolution of the Federation/Romulan Treaty. That would be a disastrous end to my diplomatic career."


John chuckled a little. "Now that we have that settled, I'll let you go settle into your quarters. Also, get with Commander Grey. I'm sure the XO would like to know you're on board."


"I'll speak to her in the morning if that's alright," Li'thia said as she stood. "It's late, and I'd like to keep the number of officers I upset to one a day. I've been trying to cut back lately."


"Dismissed," John said. He watched Dharvanek walk out of his office before he sighed and picked up the next padd. This might be a long assignment, but it was definitely going to be an interesting one.



Captain John Theisman
Commanding Officer


LtCommander Li'thia Dharvanek
Diplomatic Officer

 

RSS Feed