A Different Kind of Skullduggery - Part 4

Posted on Mon Mar 17th, 2025 @ 1:10am by Lieutenant Commander Rebecca Bluegarden & Lieutenant Freya Michaud & Tekina

1,251 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Season 1, Episode 2: War, Peace, And All That Jazz
Location: Deck 18
Timeline: A few minutes after Part 3

Previously, on Star Trek: Deep Space K-9:

Barkh slammed her hands down and pushed up to her feet.

"I'm getting pretty sick of being insulted in my own office." She growled. "So, I am going to give both of you five seconds to make yourselves scarce, or I will have you both forcibly removed from sovereign Rheuysian soil!"

"Of course." Rebecca stammered, getting up from her chair. "We don't want to cause any trouble this close to the talks. Thank you for your time." She turned to Freya. "Come on, let's give the ambassador some space before she blows her top."

'Probably for the best,' Michaud agreed with a nod. 'We're unlikely to get anything more from them - I'm not sure their investigative power are all that valuable, Commander.' She had had quite enough of the Representative for one day.

And now, the continuation:

Having thoroughly pissed off the Rheuysian Ambassador, Rebecca's next stop was to pay the Eifie a visit. Though, given how well things had gone with Barkh, Rebecca wasn't hopeful things would go too much better with the Federation's other guests.

"Christ on a bike, not 24 hours into my new assignment, and my science chief just about damn near causes a diplomatic incident..." Rebecca grumbled in the turbolift. "Is Vincent so hands off that she's okay with letting you just walk all over their ambassador like that?"

Michaud smiled thinly, 'I wasn't hired for my diplomatic skill, Commander. My specialism is science - evidence. The Rheuysians are running about making very dangerous claims. I was simply trying to ascertain the facts - and getting those facts was like pulling teeth.'

She sighed. 'If the Rheuysian claims are true, the Eifie cannot be considered for Federation membership - we don't allow for cold-blooded executions. If the Rheuysians are lying ... well. It's not hard to imagine their motives, conquest for the new Kaiser would boost their standing with their people. That would then render the Rheuysians unable to join the Federation, they cannot be at war at the point of joining.'

'Facts and evidence will solve the case. Not Eifie avoidance, or Rheuysian bluster.' Michaud shrugged again. 'I'm quite happy if you'd like to bring a diplomat along, though.' She flashed a smile, and fluttered her eyelids at the Commander, 'diplomatese has never been my strong point.'

"If only we had a diplomat or two to call on." Rebecca sighed as they stepped off the turbolift. "I'll be sure to make an appeal to the diplomatic corps, though."

As Rebecca got her bearings on where they were, it occurred to her that they were back on the deck that they had come from. She hadn't necessarily paid attention to all the facilities housed on Deck 18, just enough to get her to the Science labs and Freya's office.

"Now, which way to the Eifie embassy again?" She asked.

Michaud motioned down the corridor. 'This way, just past the Science department's facilities,' Michaud said affably. 'You obviously know they have their own maternity ward down here too.'

She set off at a brisk pace, long legs swallowing up the deck as she expected Bluegarden to match pace with her.

"Yeah, I did." Rebecca responded, the shorter officer hurrying to match pace. "I thought it was strange, and now with what the Rheuysians said, it seems downright suspicious. I mean, the Rheuysians don't have special medical facilities for themselves, so far as I know; perhaps they may be onto something with the Eifie's secretive nature?"

Raising her eyebrows in response, Michaud pulled a face. 'I'm not sure, Commander, if I'm completely honest with you.' She slowed her pace so they could talk properly. 'The Eifie have a strong belief that the male of their species needs protecting, and that is why they have insisted on specialist, closed off, medical facilities. It's an understandable cultural drive.'

'However,' she continued, 'if the Rheuysian's word is reliable it is a little suspicious. But the Rheuysians may have motives of their own to destabilise our relationship with the Eifie. Motives that we have yet to uncover. They're forceful in their declarations, yes, but that might just be an aspect of their culture. It doesn't necessarily mean there's substance to the accusations.' Michaud smiled at the slightly shorter woman, 'consider it a flaw I always need more data to make a final determination.'

"Which is exactly the purpose behind my visiting the Eifie too." Rebecca agreed. "There are always two sides to a dispute, and a good mediator will get both sides of the story in order to make an informed decision to resolve it."

It was at this point that the two officers drew up to a large, organic-looking facade constructed to emulate traditional Eifie architecture on their homeworld- Eif. Standing outside were two short, slim females with pink hair dressed in long, flowing purple robes. Beside their exposed midriffs, the women also held certain animal characteristics, namely foxlike ears and double tails. Judging by their color scheme alone, Rebecca would wager a guess that these ladies were Northern Eifie. All the more strange to see them on guard duty, as Rebecca had read that they normally held more religious roles in Eifie society.

"Afternoon, Ladies:" Rebecca greeted as they drew near. "I am Rebecca Bluegarden, first officer of the station, and I have some questions for ambassador Tekina. Now, do I need an appointment or something?"

The Eifie guards looked at one another in confusion.

"Didn't they say that a "Hopkins" was the First Officer of this station?" one of them was quick to point out.

Rebecca blinked.

"Oh, dear..." She muttered. "Um... Y'all didn't get the memo? Your counterparts from the Reich did, but Hopkins is gone, and I've been brought in to replace her."

The guards looked at each other again, but seeing as she was with Michaud (Of whom they already recognized as a Starfleet Officer) and didn't appear fazed by this unfamiliar woman in the slightest, they elected to accept the newcomer's statement and step aside.

"Right this way, Miss Bluegarden," one of them motioned. "No need to make an appointment with the Ambassador; she will be notified of your request for an audience."

"Thank you kindly." Rebecca nodded, stepping past the guards and entering the embassy proper.

The interior was much as it was previously, the cold metal of the station interior decked out in more pleasing, naturalistic forms. This time around, Michaud was better able to appreciate the wood-textured surroundings, and the curved, almost organic nature of the corridor walls they were advancing through.

She studied the Eifie females as they followed them to the audience chamber. Having not had a chance to read up on the Eifie notes in the time since she had last met them, she couldn't recall if one or two tails was a distinguishing trait between different Eifie ethnicities. Briefly she wondered if it had ever caused conflict amongst them.

Stepping up to a door that looked like it was made from wood, Michaud waited patiently for it to telescope open and admit them entry to the main audience chamber. She leaned in to Bluegarden, 'a bit different, huh?'

"I'd say so..." Rebecca whispered back, deciding to leave her opinions on the Eifie thus far at that.

To be continued...

 

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