Skullduggery, Pizzas And Bare Midriffs- Part IV
Posted on Wed Jan 22nd, 2025 @ 3:35am by Gert'Rudd Barkh & Commander Irene Vincent "Rally" & Lieutenant Freya Michaud
1,802 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Season 1, Episode 2: War, Peace, And All That Jazz
Location: Deep Space Station K-9, Recreation Deck, Deck 16
Timeline: A few minutes after Part III
Previously on Star Trek: Deep Space K-9:
Saying nothing until they had departed the Eifie's Ambassadorial Section, Michaud finally shrugged, and addressed the question. 'I suppose we should,' she said resignedly, 'I'll be honest Commander, I'm not really sure the Rheuysians are people we want to get too close to from what I've read.'
"And you wouldn't be alone in that mindset," Rally sighed as the two of them began to make their way back towards the turbolift. "But at the same time, leaving them to the House Khartan would give the Klingon Empire a valuable foothold on our end of the Neutral Zone, so as much as I have my reservations about this whole arrangement, the alternative will likely have its consequences."
Nodding, Michaud mulled over the unsavoury options that lay ahead for Starfleet, and the Federation. 'It can't be helped, I suppose. Great power politics always takes precedence over idealism. Lead the way, then, Commander. Let's go meet our new friends.'
And now... the continuation!
The two officers stepped off the turbolift and into the beehive of activity that was the Recreation Deck. Much to Freya's surprise, Rally chose not to head directly towards the opulent, neoclassical frontage that denoted the Rheuysian embassy, but instead made a beeline for the bowling alley right next door.
'... Commander?' Michaud began, puzzled by their direction of travel. 'Surely we're not planning on meeting the Rheuysians in a bowling alley?'
"For some God-forsaken reason, the Rheuysians have been fascinated with our bowling alley," Rally elaborated. "I swear, the Ambassador spends more time here than she does her own damn Embassy..."
Inside the bowling alley, the space was mostly inhabited by Rheuysians, along with a few Federation and Eifie citizens, attempting to make sense of Rheuysian bowling rules: Walking between the tables were Rheuysian women dressed in traditional Rheuysian festive garb and carrying trays of Rheuysian Alcoholic beverages. One of these women approached Rally and Freya as they entered.
"Kan'nich inter'ressie'ren et'was Bi'er o'der Wei'n, Mei'ne Da'men? (Can I interest you in some beer or some wine, ladies?)" The server asked in her native Rheuysian tongue.
"Oh, no, that won't be necessary," Rally apologized. "My Chief of Sciences was hoping to speak with the Ambassador for a moment. You wouldn't happen to know where we could find her?"
"Natur'lich, (lit. Naturally, also Rheuysian term for "Of course,")" The waitress nodded, motioning towards one of the lanes. "She's in lane 2 with some members of the embassy staff:"
At the indicated lane, the curvy profile of the Rheuysian ambassador, Gert'Rudd Barkh, was getting ready to throw her next frame:
"O'k, Zun'de wal't, Tru'de! [Okay, Light 'em up, Tru'de! (tl note: Tru'de is believed to be a nickname for Gert'Rudd)" One of the seated embassy staffers exclaimed.
Encouraged by her staffers, Barkh proceeded to throw the bowling ball down the lane. When the ball struck the pins, it knocked a few of them over, but left pins standing on either side of the ball's trajectory- a situation that was known in normal bowling as a split. And strangely, when this condition occurred, the seated embassy staffers cheered it happening.
As Barkh turned around, she saw the two Starfleet officers approaching, and her fun-loving expression quickly morphed into a serious, businesslike complexion, and she quickly proceeded to perform the Rheuysian salute; banging a clenched right fist against her chest before extending her arm outwards towards the two Starfleet officers at a 45 degree angle.
"F'rau Vincent:" Barkh greeted, quickly lowering her arm, as she had learned that the salute made Starfleet officers uncomfrotable."Come to lose again? And it looks like you've brought a friend? Trying to achieve victory in numbers, I see..."
"Nah, I don't think that would end well, Ambassador," Rally politely dismissed. "Your idea of the rules seem to be... Oh, how do I put it politely?- a bit different from mine."
She waved her hand as to switch subjects. "Anyhow, this is our new Chief Science Officer, Lieutenant Freya Michaud; she's looking to gain a little more insight into the Rheuysians and their culture, seeing as she's only got some liner notes courtesy of her predecessors to go off of. If you've got a moment to spare, would you mind answering a few questions for her?"
"Of course." Barkh nodded, turning to Freya. "Michaud, was it? My name is Gert'Rudd Barkh; Kaiser Edy'Ta Roth's personal representative on this station."
'A pleasure to meet you,' Michaud began cautiously, before looking around, 'ten-pin bowling is a serious business in the Rheuysian culture? That wasn't really covered in my notes ...'
"Oh, yes:" Barkh responded with a smile. "We have records to indicate that the game is what kept our people's spirits up during the Great Freeze and the Annihilation War. A few courageous expeditions into the ruins of some of our once mighty cities have even concluded that warming shelters of the Great Freeze era, if they weren't previously bowling allies, had a lane or two set up in them for Rheuysians to pass the time."
'Fascinating,' Freya replied with a tight smile as she noted down the phrases 'Great Freeze' and 'Annihilation War' on her PADD. 'As Commander Vincent noted, the notes left for me are ... patchy at best, with the bare bones of what I'd like to know in order to further scientific cooperation with your people.'
"Yes, unfortunately, our record-keeping is sparse." Barkh sighed. "You see, up until capitalism firmly entrenched itself into our culture with the rise of mass-production about 500 years ago, our people's history was largely oral. As oral history tends to change with repeated retellings, it gets difficult to verify our history further back than the earliest corporations."
'I've not heard of written history coinciding with the development of corporations before,' Michaud replied as she tapped away eagerly on her PADD. Despite herself, she was intrigued by this pseudo-Prussian nation-state. 'I can see the beginnings of a project here, if we can come to an agreement on terms of reference.'
"Terms of... Reference?" Barkh asked, seemingly confused by the Lieutenant's statement.
'Oh,' Michaud ran her fingers through her hair for a moment while she thought, 'an agreed scope to the project - what we would hope to see as an outcome from the project, and any limits you would envision to a study.'
"So you intend to study us like we're mere rodents?" Barkh asked, anger entering her voice. "The Kaiser did not agree to this partnership for you to make us run through mazes for your amusement! We were promised to be treated as equals, not test subjects!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rally exclaimed, putting up her hands. "Easy there, Ambassador- that's hardly what Lieutenant Michaud meant; we simply want to understand a little bit more about your biological and cultural aspects."
'A study between peers,' Michaud confirmed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, and mentally noted down a tendency to take offence as a possible cultural trait amongst the Rheuysians. 'Starfleet Science would not condone a study with a fellow warp-capable species that was not conducted with equity for both parties. Any study, project or scheme of work,' she rattled off the different terms she might use quickly, 'would require the consent of the Rheuysian peoples. This is why we're talking about preliminary discussions so that we don't get ahead of ourselves.'
"I see;" Barkh responded, though the tone of voice she used implied she still wasn't convinced. "Well, the only subject off the table for your 'studies' is anything that has to do with the Kaiser from the Stars: Kaiser Roth has explicitly forbade Rheuysian citizens from discussing her predecessor with Eifie or Federation citizens while on the station. Besides, with her assassination still fresh in recent memory, and justice still waiting to be served, it's a sore spot for us anyway."
'It can't be easy to lose a guiding light, if I'm right in understanding what you're saying. Visionary leaders are few and far between, whatever the civilisation.' Michaud leaned forward and said, 'I hope it goes without saying, there is no intention to disclose anything to the Eifie that you do not wish to be.'
Barkh nodded.
"Then you understand that the true extent of Eifie conspiracy against the Reich must be dragged into the light." Barkh said in a hushed voice, indicating a group of Eifie at another table. "I mean, look at them; strutting around showing their navels to the galaxy and wishing for peace with us, all the while providing safe refuge to a deadly assassin who holds open contempt for the Rheuysian people. That is why the secrecy behind the Eifie males must be uncovered: The future of our Reich could very well depend on it!"
Michaud shot a glance at Rally before turning back to Gert'Rudd. 'Representative, I must apologise. This hasn't be relayed to me. Would you mind elaborating on the situation? And perhaps how it relates to Eifie males?'
Barkh sighed. She seemed to have been dreading that particular question being asked, and a look in her eyes seemed to suggest that she shouldn't have brought up the accusations against the Eifie in such a public setting.
"Unfortunately, as the answer to your question pertains to the death of the Kaiser from the Stars, I will need personal authorization from Kaiser Roth herself in order to fulfill your request," she stated.
'I am content to wait for the outcome of that request,' Michaud replied smoothly, not wanting to assume that it would be automatically granted. 'Perhaps we can schedule a follow-up meeting between my office and yours to learn the outcome, and perhaps begin the process of coming to an agreement on where scientific cooperation would be of use to both our polities?'
"Of course." Barkh nodded. "I should have an answer from the Kaiser before the first talks of ascension begin... So long as your subspace communications network is as robust and reliable as you claim." Barkh directed the latter part of her statement at Rally in particular.
'Our network is pretty robust, of that you can be assured,' Michaud replied with a smile, 'we've spent a lot of time working on it.'
"Well, I am sure I will get a speedy response from the Kaiser, then." Barkh said. "In the meantime, if there's nothing else you have for me;" she gestured back towards her group. "I have a frame to finish... Unless you'd like to learn the game?"
To be continued...
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