Interlude – Not Quite a Melting Pot
by Arrival Thomas Whitlock & Commander Karen Villiers
Post Details
Thomas stepped off the shuttle and paused to look around. He was glad to be out of the confined space of the transport. As he dug in his bag for his authorization he made a mental note to return the favor to Zach for booking him on a four hour flight in a small transport with a Tellarite that probably didn't even know water existed if the smell was anything to go by.
He quickly made his way through customs and strolled through the area, taking time to observe some of the others in the area. He had a feeling he was going to enjoy being here. He shifted the bag on his shoulder and continued to walk, exchange greetings with some of the others. A few minutes later, he saw a woman in a red uniform and walked to stand next to her. "Excuse me," Thomas said. "Could you tell me where I might find the station's command team?"
Karen turned her head and found herself staring into a pair of very bright blue eyes. She blinked as she added their owner to the picture and regained her presence. "You've found one. Commander Villiers, Executive Officer," she told him. Was this the journalist that the FNS were sending, she wondered; that was why she was here with only a rumour to guide her. Karen damn well hoped so because she wanted to tell him what was what 'before' the Romulan situation exploded and he went his own way. "If you're Whitlock, I'm going to take up religion," she told him with a smile.
"Yes, I am," Thomas said with a smile as he extended his hand. "Thomas Whitlock, at your service."
Karen blew a breath out through her lips. "That leaves me in predicament," she said, "which religion do I choose? I'm happy to spend a lunch hour with Klingons but an eternity in Stovkor does not appeal to me, Bajorans believe but are so earnest, Ferengi worship latinum ... that was off the record, Whitlock," she added. "Have you arranged quarters?" she asked giving a little space for conversation before she got down to business.
"Relax, Commander," Thomas replied. "I'm not after a story...yet. I just arrived so, no, I haven't arranged quarters yet." He paused and looked at her a moment. "Why are you looking for a religion?"
That raised a chuckle in Karen's throat. "I'm not," she said shaking his hand. "but it seems that we're still here only by a mix of luck and prayer," she said making light of recent events on the station. "Let's head towards the promenade and we can get you registered for quarters. Meanwhile, I'll bend your ear about the movers and shakers around here .... this place is a diplomatic incident just waiting to happen," she added conspiratorially. It did no harm to have a friendly ear with the press.
Thomas looked at her and smiled. He desperately wanted to get out a PADD and start asking questions but decided there would be more time for that later. "What exactly is it that's going in right now?" he asked her as he followed her through the crowd.
Where did she start? Karen had to keep a delicate balance between gossip and hearsay, facts, and where those intersected with the crew of the station. So she chose the obvious place to begin. "We've just seen of an attempt by a group of fanatics who wanted to re-write history," she said, "When I say re-write, I mean literally change it. But there's enough going on day to day. We've got three major foreign embassies, the Klingons, Romulans and Cardassians - this is no melting pot," she told him, remembering her encounter with one of those 'ambassadors'.
What Karen was doing was not quite ethical, but she was a lawyer at heart. Karen had observed how the ambassadors tended to swagger about the station as if they owned it. She had heard rumours, but no official report of more than usual tension between certain of the embassies, not least a very public confrontation in a turbolift, and she hoped that the attention of the journalist in their 'diplomatic' affairs would make them think twice about causing trouble. It was one thing to take liberties when you considered yourself the highest power in a place, but when the superiors back home started to read about it in daily bulletins they were sure to take notice.
"I can't wait to meet them," Thomas said with a twinkle in his eye. This assignment was turning out to better than he'd imagined. "How is the Federation handling it?"
"Keeping an open mind and an open eye," Karen replied. "The Klingons are allied, so no real issues there, though the Chief of Security has enacted measures to make sure they all keep their staff numbers equal, the Klingons included. The Romulans have been here the longest - their latest ambassador is something of a political genius by reputation, but I heard there are big tensions inside their consulate. Then there are the Cardassians who moved in days after the Klingons - their ambassador thinks very highly of himself. He made a lot of fuss recently when a decrepit freighter of Cardassian build nearly flew into the station. It caused a lot of trouble for one of our people." Karen sighed, "That's the emabassies. I'm pleased to have you here, we're in something of a backwater as far as the Federation is concerned, so far from the centre that we get forgotten about."
"I intend to change that," Thomas stated simply. "And with the embassies so ripe for the picking it shouldn't take long."
"This is all off the record, Mister Whitlock," Karen reminded him.
"Relax, Commander," Thomas replied. "I would love to get this story out but I won't print anything without permission. Doing something like that kind of makes it difficult to get reliable sources. It would be good to have a contact on the command team, so I won't do anything to betray your trust."
Karen smiled, "For my part I've often found a friend in the press to be useful. Its mostly rumour, but if you want to make a story out of it, be my guest," she told him. "Anything else you need to know?" she asked as they came to the door of the admin office.
"May I contact you again if I have further questions?" he asked her.
"My door is always open," Karen said, "whichever hat I'm wearing," she added. She did not know if he knew that she was also the JAG on this station, if not he'd find out soon enough.
"Thank you for your time and the information, Commander," Thomas said with a smile. "I look forward to speaking with you again soon."
OFF
Commander Karen Villiers
Executive Officer
DS5
Thomas Whitlock
FNS Reporter
DS5
by Arrival Thomas Whitlock & Commander Karen Villiers
Post Details
| Title | Not Quite a Melting Pot | |
| Mission | Interlude | |
| Author(s) | Arrival Thomas Whitlock & Commander Karen Villiers | |
| Posted | Tue May 25, 2010 @ 3:34pm | |
| Location | Docking ring | |
| Timeline | A day after 'If War is what it takes' |
He quickly made his way through customs and strolled through the area, taking time to observe some of the others in the area. He had a feeling he was going to enjoy being here. He shifted the bag on his shoulder and continued to walk, exchange greetings with some of the others. A few minutes later, he saw a woman in a red uniform and walked to stand next to her. "Excuse me," Thomas said. "Could you tell me where I might find the station's command team?"
Karen turned her head and found herself staring into a pair of very bright blue eyes. She blinked as she added their owner to the picture and regained her presence. "You've found one. Commander Villiers, Executive Officer," she told him. Was this the journalist that the FNS were sending, she wondered; that was why she was here with only a rumour to guide her. Karen damn well hoped so because she wanted to tell him what was what 'before' the Romulan situation exploded and he went his own way. "If you're Whitlock, I'm going to take up religion," she told him with a smile.
"Yes, I am," Thomas said with a smile as he extended his hand. "Thomas Whitlock, at your service."
Karen blew a breath out through her lips. "That leaves me in predicament," she said, "which religion do I choose? I'm happy to spend a lunch hour with Klingons but an eternity in Stovkor does not appeal to me, Bajorans believe but are so earnest, Ferengi worship latinum ... that was off the record, Whitlock," she added. "Have you arranged quarters?" she asked giving a little space for conversation before she got down to business.
"Relax, Commander," Thomas replied. "I'm not after a story...yet. I just arrived so, no, I haven't arranged quarters yet." He paused and looked at her a moment. "Why are you looking for a religion?"
That raised a chuckle in Karen's throat. "I'm not," she said shaking his hand. "but it seems that we're still here only by a mix of luck and prayer," she said making light of recent events on the station. "Let's head towards the promenade and we can get you registered for quarters. Meanwhile, I'll bend your ear about the movers and shakers around here .... this place is a diplomatic incident just waiting to happen," she added conspiratorially. It did no harm to have a friendly ear with the press.
Thomas looked at her and smiled. He desperately wanted to get out a PADD and start asking questions but decided there would be more time for that later. "What exactly is it that's going in right now?" he asked her as he followed her through the crowd.
Where did she start? Karen had to keep a delicate balance between gossip and hearsay, facts, and where those intersected with the crew of the station. So she chose the obvious place to begin. "We've just seen of an attempt by a group of fanatics who wanted to re-write history," she said, "When I say re-write, I mean literally change it. But there's enough going on day to day. We've got three major foreign embassies, the Klingons, Romulans and Cardassians - this is no melting pot," she told him, remembering her encounter with one of those 'ambassadors'.
What Karen was doing was not quite ethical, but she was a lawyer at heart. Karen had observed how the ambassadors tended to swagger about the station as if they owned it. She had heard rumours, but no official report of more than usual tension between certain of the embassies, not least a very public confrontation in a turbolift, and she hoped that the attention of the journalist in their 'diplomatic' affairs would make them think twice about causing trouble. It was one thing to take liberties when you considered yourself the highest power in a place, but when the superiors back home started to read about it in daily bulletins they were sure to take notice.
"I can't wait to meet them," Thomas said with a twinkle in his eye. This assignment was turning out to better than he'd imagined. "How is the Federation handling it?"
"Keeping an open mind and an open eye," Karen replied. "The Klingons are allied, so no real issues there, though the Chief of Security has enacted measures to make sure they all keep their staff numbers equal, the Klingons included. The Romulans have been here the longest - their latest ambassador is something of a political genius by reputation, but I heard there are big tensions inside their consulate. Then there are the Cardassians who moved in days after the Klingons - their ambassador thinks very highly of himself. He made a lot of fuss recently when a decrepit freighter of Cardassian build nearly flew into the station. It caused a lot of trouble for one of our people." Karen sighed, "That's the emabassies. I'm pleased to have you here, we're in something of a backwater as far as the Federation is concerned, so far from the centre that we get forgotten about."
"I intend to change that," Thomas stated simply. "And with the embassies so ripe for the picking it shouldn't take long."
"This is all off the record, Mister Whitlock," Karen reminded him.
"Relax, Commander," Thomas replied. "I would love to get this story out but I won't print anything without permission. Doing something like that kind of makes it difficult to get reliable sources. It would be good to have a contact on the command team, so I won't do anything to betray your trust."
Karen smiled, "For my part I've often found a friend in the press to be useful. Its mostly rumour, but if you want to make a story out of it, be my guest," she told him. "Anything else you need to know?" she asked as they came to the door of the admin office.
"May I contact you again if I have further questions?" he asked her.
"My door is always open," Karen said, "whichever hat I'm wearing," she added. She did not know if he knew that she was also the JAG on this station, if not he'd find out soon enough.
"Thank you for your time and the information, Commander," Thomas said with a smile. "I look forward to speaking with you again soon."
OFF
Commander Karen Villiers
Executive Officer
DS5
Thomas Whitlock
FNS Reporter
DS5