Star Trek: Starbase 777 - 777-conference-room-1

Orsic was pacing back and forth in the room. Someone from Starfleet had convinced them to come to the conference room.But, Orsic was not in the mood to talk to that monster, the poor Azulmire... He was eager to get back to Rileth and protect the Azulmire.

Having been in the south, Rai came into conference room one to speak with Orsic. As a captain, he thought it was only right he be present in these diplomatic talks. He was far from a diplomat, but he certainly had experience negotiating peace between individuals . "Jolan tru," He said, bowing as he entered the room. "I am Riov Rai tr'Torre'vnau, CO of the Eventide and Captain from the Romulan Republic. I am here to listen to your concerns and hopefully come to a peaceful resolution.*

Orsic glanced briefly at the captain, their expression tight with frustration. They straightened slightly but resumed pacing.* “I’m sorry, Captain. I’d offer the respect you deserve, but my mind is too clouded with thoughts of the Azulmire,”They said, their voice trembling slightly as they stopped and looked down at their hands. They shook their head, the horror evident on their face. “The Sheliaks… they’ve been eating it.” Their hand moved to their chest as if trying to ease the nausea threatening to overtake them. They sat down abruptly breathing somewhat shaky. “They were shaky around the bean a year ago… but I thought it was about the mining rights. I didn’t think they’d go this far…” (edited)

Bannosta entered the conference room, she noted the security about and the tension that filled the room. She nodded to the Romulan. "Riov." She turned to Ordic next. "I am Sogla' Bannosta, House Irtus. I serve as a diplomatic attaché for Allied Fleet Services. I respect your people's readiness to fight for your sacred artifacts. However, I must ask, since this Alzumire is so sacred to your people, was it not included in the peace treaty to be protected, and not used by the Sheliaks?"

Rai may not have understood the full gravity of the bean, but they did understand the feeling of one's customs being disrespected. They nodded in sympathy to Orsic. When Bannosta entered the roo, they greeted them with a little bow of the head, happy that a diplomat was there. Rai would not be comfortable handling this on his own, he was just there to observe and mediate if things escalated again. After all, it was pretty hard to barrel down a 7 ft tall Romulan.

"“We did protect the Azulmire’s main habitat, yes.” Their voice was tight, still shaken by the thought of the bean being misused. “We gave up defense of the other moons just to ensure that the main planet—where it grows—would remain untouched, free from exploitation. But no… it wasn’t included in the peace treaty’s clauses. We never thought the Sheliaks would… eat it or push it past” Orsic paused, looking down at their hands, as though the weight of the betrayal settled heavily on them. “The Sheliak's don’t give us the time of day, don’t even understand what this means to us. They came on RIleth five, set up, and… and now, they’ve taken Azulmire from us." They nervously palmed at their hands.

It was at this moment that Teno walked i n. He'd moved from the South Vendor Hall to this area in hopes that his experiences as a botanist could be of use. He wasn't a plant scientist in the traditional sense - he'd wholly gone into the field because of his family's legacy, as farmers from Bajor who wanted to preserve and reintroduce plants and their cultural meanings to their planet after the Occupation. And Teno was the second generation of Bajorans who had chosen the same. So now, he was here, to try to empathize with Orsic and hopefully help figure out what exactly could be done to help negotiate peace. When he walked in, he took a spot next to Riov Rai and Sogla' Bannosta and introduced himself. "Hello. I'm Lieutenant Zaru. I'm a botanist with a specialty in understanding the social, customary, and weight of plants on culture. I came here to see if I could help." (edited)

It was at this point that the Romulan Liberated Borg Vara'l proceeded to stride into the room. He looked around and frowned then as he didn't see his friend. They'd not come for Coffee. They'd indicated they'd join him for coffee after they'd visited the food event and once he'd ended up on duty. Both times had passed, he was immanently about to be on duty again at least if he was correct about what the time happened to be. So. 'Where was Rakim?' Vara'l wondered to himself as he checked the room. "Where.."

Teno looked from the others to Vara'l as he entered the room. "Greetings Commander." He said, then turned back to Orsic. "Sir, would talking help? I'd like to learn more about this plant if I can. I also like to think I'm a good listener if talking would help? I deeply understand how important plants are to people's culture. Would you like to come sit down with me and Sogla' Irtus?"

Orsic nodded for a moment, glancing at Teno before nodding slightly, the tension in their shoulders easing just a little. “You… might be right. Talking might help.” They hesitated but then moved to a nearby seat and sat down with Teno and Sogla’ Irtus, still palming their hands “It’s just—this bean isn’t just a plant to us. It’s history. Identity. We gave up so much just to keep it safe—whole moons around Rileth—and now…” They exhaled sharply, their voice trembling slightly. “We never suspected Sheliaks would eat it. Even when Quintan resisted the protections back then, we thought it was about minerals, not… this.” *Orsic looked up at Teno, their expression a mix of exhaustion and hope. *“Do you really think you can understand? This isn’t just about diplomacy anymore—it’s survival for the Azulmire.”

Sogla' Irtus took a seat next to the Bajoran science officer, landing in it with audible weight and a metallic clink of her baldric. She took up the space around her and not just the chair she was in. The tall and muscular Klingon woman painted quite the presence in the room. Bannosta grunted, understanding their predicament. "Clearly, they may have understood at some point it's importance to you and may have staged this incident. Still, it's a learning point. If something is important, one should protect it by law and treaty and then with violence if those are broken. If they break it once codified, they cannot pretend to be ignorant and use that as an excuse. Short sided of you to assume they had honor but fixable. Treaties and laws can be amended to protect such vital parts of nature and culture." She didn't understand how one just assume a former enemy in battle would be honorable but she undersrand their desire to protect what was important. "Your people did well to rush to the protection of your culture once the insult was made aware." Personally she didn't blame them for wanting to pour hot soup on the offenders, she herself would not stand for the insult and would have made an example of one of them by gutting them before demanding further concessions. Alas, Starfleet and AFS had other ways of diplomacy and these people, while spirited, didn't seem the type. (edited)

Grey eyes first fixed on Zaru as the other greeted him, he moved as if to speak but as they turned away, he seemed to re-consider it. Then the Klingon proceeded to say what they said. Vara'l listening to them before, when they uttered what they uttered as a final remark, his gaze snapped to focus on them. A flash of what actually knocked on the door of anger something that flashed over his face as he then calmly proceeded to turn back to Orsic and decided to intercede. That comment of hers, likely poorly decided upon left things dangerously open for it to be seen like the station officers condoned a course of events that had resulted it seemed in the serious injuring of one of the officers present. Not that it was his matter to deal with that no. He'd just keep an eye and if needed, he'd intercede to clarify. After all. While it'd at least acknowledge the Starfleet approach, they'd outlined the Klingon one. That one that condoned the coming of violence if treaties or laws were broken. To a Klingon the nuance of that, of their culture and how it approached violence wasn't something that might be fully understood here, he worried. After all. The report was there, it had been passed on and a Yellow alert had been called. The Kretassan who was in this room, who benefitted from diplomatic immunity had decided upon violence first. This, a conversation conducted in a conference room had happened later. Something that in a way, fitted in to what they'd said in a way that likely hadn't been intended. So..he was concerned now especially as he failed to see any indication that Orsic even had had harboured a thought their reaction, breaching etiquette and law upon a station neutral in the matter, had harmed others. Vara'l, as he recognized that such matters and the sorting of them happened to be a Command matter, turned to Riov tr'Torre'vnau and inclined his head before he turned and started to depart to somewhere he could be of help at. (edited)

Teno sat with Sgl. Irtus and the Kreetassan man, Orsic, back straight but posture soft. He wasn't a diplomat but he hoped his experiences could be helpful. He nodded at Orsic's question, trying to give him some physical cues that he was listening. "Yes, I think I understand quite a bit." He said, a small sigh. "I don't believe I caught your name earlier? But I'm Teno. And I'm a Bajoran, and from one of the first generations after our home planet was occupied, our people were forced to work and live in camps, and our planet strip mined for all its resources for 60 years." He had a bit of a grave look on his face, brows knit and a deep sense of seriousness. "After the occupying force was removed from our planet and we won our freedom, we began to try to rectify the significant cultural loss of our planet's culture, including its plantlife. My parents are farmers and I grew up on a farm. I'm a botanist because plants mean so much to me and my culture and heritage. Without them, many of us would be missing inherent parts of our identities." He paused and took a breath, looking into Orsic's eyes and hoping eye contact wasn't a faux pas like apparently eating was. "There are many things Bajor had to give up, many things Bajor lost, both during and after the occupation all in the name of keeping our culture and our people safe. I admire your passion and reverance for the Azulmire. It obviously means quite a lot to you and in order to keep the peace, we need to respect that. I think everyone here does, at least."

Orsic listened intently to Teno's story and Bannosta words, their expression softening as they sensed the sincerity of the words. After a moment of silence, they spoke calmly, their voice steady but tinged with regret trusting in them.“I want to formally apologize for the violence. We’ve fought a long war against the Sheliaks, and… war changes you.” They looked away briefly, their eyes betraying a deep shame. *“The Azulmire has been the brightest thing in our lives, a symbol of hope when we had little else. We can’t let it be consumed by others. Can you help us reform the treaty, to protect it?" *Orsic’s brow furrowed, their hands clasped tightly in front of them. They looked from Max to Bannosta, then back down at the table, their expression tense. “I’m worried they’ll ask us to give up sections of Rileth,”Orsic said, their voice low and filled with uncertainty. “We’ve already made concessions on the moons. But Rileth… it’s more than just a planet—it’s the heart of the Azulmire. Giving it up to be mined up… unthinkable.” (edited)

Zhi'rev approached the door and made a signal that asked for entrance, putting on the most neutral but non-threatening face he could.

She sighed at the idea of a corporation demanding more to not be insulting. "Why would they ask for concession just to not insult your people? You clearly have given up much to save the Azulmire already." She genuinely asked, trying to understand the situation.

Teno saw the Lieutenant in the door and motioned for them to come in and join the conversation before turning back to Orsic and Bannosta. He thought about what she had said for a moment before speaking. "It seems like you have made many concessions like Sogla has said. I'm sure we can help you and the Sheliaks come to an agreement." And then the COMMS call came through to Sciences. "One moment, folks, I've got to answer this call." And he stepped out of the room to the hall for a moment. "Lieutenant Zaru to Commander Maxson, I'm meeting with Mr. Orsic right now and I think I've got an idea. they seems to trust me, but basically I'm going to ask if we can take possession of the Azulmire and take it to the Science Labs to study it and come up with a way to synthesize it for the Sheliaks, so long as we give it back. Do I have permission to ask this of them?" (edited)

Orsic let the information sink in as they glanced at the newcomer"I will not comment on the corporation other than that last time negotiating with them was tough," They glanced at the newcomer as they nodded watching Teno leave"Thank you Starfleet for helping again"

Teno came back in to the room shortly after and clasped his hands together in front of him. "Hello again! It's been explained to me Mr. Orsic that the Sheliak also deeply respect the Azulmire and it has become entwined in their customs and beliefs as well." He looked to the others for a moment before turning back to the Kreetassan. "I believe that we can find a scientific way to preserve the Azulmire for both of you - so that you can both keep it safe in your own ways. If you would be amenable to it, keeping in mind that it is very important and sacred, we would like to know if Starfleet could have permission to take the Azulmire to our science labs to study it and potentially come up with a way that you can both keep it in your cultures, since it means quite a lot to all of you. Can you trust us to do that?"

Zhi'rev, having entered the room, decided to speak with the Lieutenant who let him into the room. "I am just checking to see how things are going in here, the Sheliaks are willing to come to a bargaining table."

A slightly soot smeered and fire smelling ACTO eventually arrived at the conference room. Having formulated an initial report on what he'd encountered on the Arguable pen and also having visited Rakim, the Romulan smoothly entered and headed past the Klingon he'd been concerned about and placed the PADD next to the Riov. "A copy of the initial tactical report on the explosion, Riov." He'd softly explained then before he headed off to one side and planted himself in a seat for a moment and watched Orsic and analysed the man. How he acted, what he said. Interested somewhat even as his mind considered all the information it had that needed to be considered. Considered it and outlined within itself the possible causes of what he'd witnessed was the reason why Rakim had failed to attend the coffee get together. The possibilities weren't anything he at all liked.

Orsic couldn't believe that the Sheliaks also respected the bean. He wasn't going to comment on it as he let it sit in that conflicting news. He continued to listen to Teno as he looked at the table and nodded."I'll give you the baked goods and our bean for study, please. I trust you with them," He looked at Teno seriously, but he trusted Starfleet and the Lieutenant in front of him.

With that, Orsic went and got the bean and baked goods handing them to Teno who took them carefully to #science-labs ! (edited)