Sun Damage
Posted on 18 Nov 2020 @ 11:21pm by Commander Calliope Zahn & Captain Corvus DeHavilland & Lieutenant Theodore Winslow & Lieutenant JG Samantha Cavendish
Edited on on 22 Nov 2020 @ 1:08am
Mission:
M1 - Emergence
Location: Kalara City, Obsidian
Timeline: MD 05 1415
1666 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure
The away team plus one came up to a white washed wall of fitted stonework and a guarded arch.
Captain DeHavilland approached the guard ahead of everyone else, adjusting the wrap of her shawl so that the rank on her collar was more obvious. "I'm Captain DeHavilland of Obsidian Command. We're here to see Councilman Jiran," she declared.
The guard looked at her, and then between the rest of them falling lastly on Indri before giving a grunt of assent followed by a sharp whistle. Another guard appeared from inside the archway, looking to the first expectantly. "Stand watch," he declared, then turning to the lot of them and gesturing to his right emphatically. "Follow me," he grunted, turning and walking that way. Corvus bristled slightly at the overt command, but went along regardless. The guard led them along the white washed wall to another, smaller doorway, and rapped four times on it. It opened a moment later and he stepped around to look in and then gestured to everyone to go inside. "For Jiran," he declared to whomever was inside.
The electric light inside was far dimmer, with no windows to let in the sunlight. It was refreshingly cool, at least by comparison to the outside. Calliope touched her hat, and was momentarily confused. Did you keep the hat on indoors, or wasn't that rude? The Admiral maintained her own veil, so Calliope resisted the urge to take it off and resumed observing the place. It was quiet, other than their echoing footfalls. The walls were tiled in intricate mosaics and the floor worn to a smooth shine from age and use. The team followed a page who walked them through a few turns in the hall until he entered one large greeting room and announced the team to Jiran.
Unlike the fellows that had accosted them in the market, Jiran was far from plainly dressed. His robes were stately and heavily embroidered, obviously painstakingly by hand, with all manner of tiny repeated patterns. his upper sleeves were enormous and puffy looking. He just about glittered all over his face which made Calliope wonder until she realized it was a film of some kind of oil on his skin. Probably a balm which was keeping him from getting dry and crackly the way Calliope felt from the air outside. He had a thick but well groomed dark beard and his cheeks were red which made him look as if he'd just been laughing. He motioned for the staff to bring stools and flasks for his guests. A short table was laid out with sampler platters of native fruits and flatbreads and one of the waitstaff then remained, stood at the far end of the table and bowed, singing a blessing in a low voice.
"Come, wash and be seated." Someone brought a bowl of water and a long linen towel. Admiral Indri went first, rinsing the dust from her hands. As she washed, Jiran smiled. "I was not expecting you this afternoon, Indri. How fare your herds?"
"They are thin and few. But that will change."
Indri took one of the seats, though she left the center ones for the Captain and the Councilman. When Calliope washed and moved to sit, Indri shook her head until Calliope picked the right seat. She did the same for each of the away team, hoping they would also follow her subtle clues.
Theodore followed the instructions with only a small smile. He felt like a naughty schoolboy being told off under the gaze of an elder. He just hoped the Admiral was more lenient than they had been.
Samantha was silent, watching and following instructions. She stepped back and sat behind everyone else, her back against the wall.
Corvus had been through far too many of these formalized dances to be fussed by them anymore. The simple washing of hands was probably the easiest one she could remember, but she'd learned early on never to look past these simple subtleties. They often carried far more weight than you could reasonably guess.
Calliope sat at the far end of the table, while the Admiral had indicated for Winslow to sit opposite the Councilman, and Corvus on his right. Now she was fairly certain it wasn't so much culture as the Admiral liked her least. Well, it was mutual. She reached for a pita and got her fingers slapped by a bony old hand. Indri hissed under her breath, "Your Captain partakes first or no one does."
Jiran was seated after his guests had been seen to; he sat on one buttcheek it seemed, while holding his other knee up, his arms looped around the leg. Calliope thought it looked like a staged way to appear casual. As a rule she never trusted people that looked like they were trying to be casual.
"Captain DeHaviland. Thank you for accepting my invitation. On behalf of the Council of Kalara City, you are welcome guests."
Calliope leaned over to whisper to Cavendish. "If we're so welcome, why show us through the side entrance?"
Sam bit back a smile. "At least there are multiple exits." she muttered back.
Theodore had been thinking the same as she silently sat down but did not say anything. The Security Officer surveyed the room and himself at the same time. It had been a long time since he had done anything like what had happened outside and he was finding the adrenaline coursing through him a tad uncomfortable for the meeting that was now happening.
"Thank you, Councilman Jiran," Corvus replied with a polite bow of her head, all but perched on the edge of her chair. If there was something that Dansby had drilled in her head all those years on the Praetorian it was to never be comfortable in these situations. The simplest misstep could derail months or even years of progress. Dansby was the consummate diplomat and while she had a long way to go to matching his prowess she was reading straight from the playbook he'd written. "It's my pleasure to make this first of what I hope will be many visits to Kalara City," she smiled as sweetly as she could manage.
"When your space station ceased to be, some said it was the work of the Divine one, correcting the wicked Outsiders for their hubris. Not I. I believed always it was the work of devils. Without the covering of your space station, the sun plagues us just as it did our ancestors. The population of the city has diminished as many have joined the mountain tribes, seeking the deep cavernous shelters. Radiation poisoning is rising and the past year has seen many malformed children and livestock— even many of the wild animals suffer, threatening all we have done to preserve life on Obsidian! Some tribes have called it a reckoning and a return to the true way which primarily embraces that suffering is truth, and in this they have gained many adherents. We could not convince them with reason. Still, many faithful have remained and a few have even daily petitioned the Divine to restore your station. Those who believed such prayers were mocked viciously. You should be greeted with open celebration! Instead I must not make too much of a stir about it. If I do it may spur contention with those who believe that Starfleet makes promises it cannot keep. They have been told they were abandoned, and that technology is a false god and all science attended by false prophets."
'Show no reaction, Amélie,' Dansby's voice echoed in her head as she listened to Jiran. She didn't nod her head or otherwise do anything more than appear to be hanging on his every word. The Admiral's auxiliary reports had indicated that things on the surface were a tinderbox and while Jiran hadn't said that expressly she could read between the lines. They weren't welcome. It wasn't a good start, especially since she had nothing with which to change their mindset. Her station wasn't even fully operational, they had supply issues from top to bottom and they couldn't even man it properly.
"Starfleet remains a loyal friend to your people," Corvus answered carefully, framing her next sentence carefully before Jiran continued on.
"Captain, when do you foresee restoring the radiation shielding?"Jiran asked, coming to the point.
DeHavilland sighed, "Weeks," she answered, resisting the urge to offer him any more details and provide any more ammunition for them to doubt the strength of the Federation. It might have made sense to be honest and confess just how bad it was in orbit. To go over their power woes, personnel woes and the general disrepair of a station eighteen months in the void but doing that would just multiply their detractors. They wouldn't respect them if they thought they couldn't take care of themselves. "And it is my second priority. My first being to ensure your people have the medical resources they need."
"Ahh!" Jiran rocked with his fingertips steepled and splayed in a motion of thanks. "We will receive such aid with much gratitude, here in Kalara. There are others, Outsiders with tents, Outsiders not from your Starfleet, who are attempting to aid the tribes of the desert and the mountains. Do you know of these tent people?"
Exchanging glances looks with Corvus, Calliope shook her head slightly. Calliope didn't know about any non-starfleet aid on Obsidian.
Jiran picked up on the silent 'no' between the Captain and her staff and sighed theatrically, obviously pleased that he knew more about the Outsiders than they even knew of one another. "Perhaps you will meet with them. For now, please, share my table."
Calliope didn't relish the idea that they would be meeting regularly with Councilman Jiran. But she did have her eye on the plate of roasted vegetables. But under Admiral Indri's judgemental glare, she waited for Corvus to sample the meal first...