Season 16: Episode 2: A Night at the Opera

[Lek]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Erewhon | Administrative Area | Facility Managers Office]

'Artificial lifeform?!'  So this species didn't recognize the clones as having intrinsic rights because of something as intangible as a soul?  Rayek was curious how the Lyssarians reasoned that, and what part 'free will' played in it?

He continued to let Ramort lead the discussion.

The Facility Manager kept its attention on Ramort as the science officer spoke.  At the Lieutenant's suggestion to offer apologies to the insulted Guest, several of the Lyssarian's tentacles swayed above its' head. Rayek wondered at its meaning.  Was that approval?

"That would be a start..."  Wrrhssrw's answered thought the tone sounded somewhat displeased. "Typically, a fine or community service is handed out to the offender as a deterrent.  However, as I understand it, the offender in this situation doesn't even acknowledge his culpability."

There was a pause in the Lyssarian's speech as it swiped at the wall.  The scene on the wall screen changed to show the waiting room.

"These do not appear to be the actions of someone who is apologetic."

Rayek took in Lek's resourcefulness - somewhat impressed with the engineer's inventiveness, but also fully aware at how poorly this looked.

Rayek looked to the Facility Manager.  "I'll go speak to him." He then turned to Ramort and risked a private aside. "See if you can negotiate to have him disciplined by the Captain, rather than Lyssarian law."

The Romulan then exited the office and returned to the waiting room.

"Lek, hate to build on your paranoia, but you're being watched and its not helping with our 'we come in peace' speech. How about you disassemble that and come say 'hello' and show you aren't a violent person by nature?"

[Erewhon Station - Waiting Area]

Lek looked up and was actually disappointed it was Rayek, he was ready to fight, he would lose, but he'd make them hurt. Now all he'd get was another lecture. Knowing arguing was pointless, he poured the coffees down the drain and threw his club into the bin. He stood and entered the Facility Manager's Office. Looking at the Manager with as neutral an expression as he could manage.

"I've been ordered to say hello, so hello. I will add that throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants for a contract to be valid, both parties have to agree for that contract to be valid. As no one stated the terms and, because you failed to account for our difference in visual spectrum, we could not see the terms to agree with them, there was no contract. As there was no contract, I am not bound to the terms of alleged contract. I therefore am not obligated to apologize or compensate anyone.

"As your treatment of your workers is reprehensible, I will not return, and I will make it my life goal to lobby before the Federation Council to have your planet declared off limits to all Federation citizens which will cost you billions in potential profits."

Lek stood stiffly and prepared to fight for his life, even though he had to do so unarmed. As he waited, he thought.

"You should know by now, you never allow me to speak if you don't want to hear the truth. Guess it's time for me to put in my transfer. Helga's gone to me and Rayek is no loner my friend. Discovery is no longer my home."

[Lorut Vila]

{Unnamed Station}

You have left the Reception Hall. This is a restricted area.  Only Erewhon staff are permitted in this area.  We must ask you to return to the Reception Hall.

Vila, being Vila, simply ignored the overhead command. If she didn't listen to ones given to her in PERSON, why on any planet would she listen to some tinny voice?! Instead, she simply shrugged her left shoulder, and looked around as if she was lost. She removed her Comms badge from her pocket and attempted to contact anyone who might respond. If she had to, she'd just phase the cameras into the void. She hadn't listened to tinny voices with their stupid "Attention Bajoran Worker" notices at the Camps, and she'd be DAMNED if she did it now. She didn't take well to anyone who tried to control her actions.

She moved forward, fully prepared to shoot her way out if she had to.

[Rayek trLhoell]

[Erewhon | Administrative Area | Facility Managers Office]

[Erewhon | Administrative Area | Facility Managers Office]

The arguments by the Manager posed a problem for Ramort. Because, fundamentally he was correct. Ramort was only a junior Lieutenant. Commander Lek outranked him in every regard. He would not be able to hold him accountable upon his own authority. Any suggestion things might be different, would amount to an insult to the Managers intelligence, an intelligence he had proven so far to be substantial.

Still, he had to believe in the rule of Law. Officers that violated the general orders governing Star Fleets conduct would be held accountable. No matter which rank the Officer was that reported the potential violation.

"True, I can not administer any consequences for action from superior Officers. But even if I were to outrank the Commander, our rules would still bind us all. Which Consequences are attached to which actions has been determined by the standing comissions and admirality or our Fleet and enacted Federation Council. No matter the rank an Officer holds, they are subject to these laws.

Even if it looks like Commander trLhoell is not asserting his rank right now, I can guarantee you. In the debriefing of our stay here, all issues in any potential offender's behavior will be brought to light and the necessary actions will be taken. Right now I am sure, the Commander is doing what is necessary to prevent any further misunderstandings. Obeying a superior Officer is one of our laws. So if Commander Lek disobeys Commander trLhoell, this would be added to the actions he will have to answer."

The Facility Manager's expression, being so alien, was likely impossible to interpret as it looked at Ramort with it's large ink black eyes.  After a moment of silence, it returned it's attention to the wall screen, which showed Rayek and Lek; the latter disassembling his weapon.

The tentacles raised up briefly before lowering again.  "It would appear he has been convinced."  Wrrhssrw commented to Ramort, before turning towards the office entrance to greet the pair of returning officers.

[Erewhon Station - Waiting Area]

Lek looked up and was actually disappointed it was Rayek, he was ready to fight, he would lose, but he'd make them hurt. Now all he'd get was another lecture. Knowing arguing was pointless, he poured the coffees down the drain and threw his club into the bin. He stood and entered the Facility Manager's Office. Looking at the Manager with as neutral an expression as he could manage.

"I've been ordered to say hello, so hello. I will add that throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants for a contract to be valid, both parties have to agree for that contract to be valid. As no one stated the terms and, because you failed to account for our difference in visual spectrum, we could not see the terms to agree with them, there was no contract. As there was no contract, I am not bound to the terms of alleged contract. I therefore am not obligated to apologize or compensate anyone.

"As your treatment of your workers is reprehensible, I will not return, and I will make it my life goal to lobby before the Federation Council to have your planet declared off limits to all Federation citizens which will cost you billions in potential profits."

Lek stood stiffly and prepared to fight for his life, even though he had to do so unarmed. As he waited, he thought.

"You should know by now, you never allow me to speak if you don't want to hear the truth. Guess it's time for me to put in my transfer. Helga's gone to me and Rayek is no longer my friend. Discovery is no longer my home."

Lek's bluntness should have been expected, but Rayek was trying to give his friend every opportunity to 'be the better person' but it seemed like this was the one day he choosing to be the instigator.

"Lieutenant Commander Lek!  Your personal judgement of this species' culture was not asked for! " he snapped when Lek repetition of his 'not bound by the Terms of Service contract' rant.. spilled over into a more personal vendetta against the Lyssarians.

The Facility Manager however seemed unfazed by Lek's declaration, though he turned to looked to Ramort for a moment continuing his earlier statement.  "Or perhaps not."

His attention returned to Lek.

"You judge my people poorly because of how we treat our artificial life creations; yet I understand from your ship's database that your own people, the Ferengi,  have been known to capture free people and enslave them, selling them off for profit.  How should I judge you and you people for having done that?"

But it seemed the question was rhetorical as he turned his attention to Rayek.

"Commander, contact your Captain, tell him to prepare for transport.  Inform him the station holograms will tend to your injured people but that I would speak to him in person."

Rayek knew if he ignored the request, it was likely possible for the Facility Manager to organize the beam over anyways.  The Lyssarian was attempting to give some heads up to the Captain - likely to avoid a security confrontation.

He flipped open the phone communicator and reached out to the Captain.

"tr'Lhoell to Captain Tekin.  I'm with the Facility Manager presently, they have requested to speak with you face to face.  Please stand-by for transport.  Also, I was asked to inform that station holograms will help tend to our injured."
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.
.

Vila, being Vila, simply ignored the overhead command. If she didn't listen to ones given to her in PERSON, why on any planet would she listen to some tinny voice?! Instead, she simply shrugged her left shoulder, and looked around as if she was lost. She removed her Comms badge from her pocket and attempted to contact anyone who might respond. If she had to, she'd just phase the cameras into the void. She hadn't listened to tinny voices with their stupid "Attention Bajoran Worker" notices at the Camps, and she'd be DAMNED if she did it now. She didn't take well to anyone who tried to control her actions.

She moved forward, fully prepared to shoot her way out if she had to.

The large humanoid-looking hologram blocked her path.

"Turn back."

[Lorut Vila]

{Unknown Station}

Vila was now stuck in a rock and hard place. She had no situational awareness to compare this to, and she also was trying to remember that she was trying to make some changes.

Still.

She had to save as many people as possible. Or it would've all been for naught.

"Why? What happens if I just shoot you instead?" She asked, calmly. "Because I promise that no amount of punishment you can drum up is anything worse than what I've already been through. Let my people go, and I will go back. It's that simple," she said. "Otherwise, feel free to call your minions," she said.

She unholstered the second phaser. If they thought SHE was kidding, they'd learn. If they thought that she wasn't dead serious, again. They'd learn.

"Unlike my shipmates, I have nothing to lose. Anything of much value, including my sense of safety and belonging, was stolen me from me forty years ago. So....Unless you want me to phaser you, and THEN delete you once I can access the system...MOVE." 

[Lek]

[Erewhon | Administrative Area | Facility Managers Office]

His attention returned to Lek.

"You judge my people poorly because of how we treat our artificial life creations; yet I understand from your ship's database that your own people, the Ferengi,  have been known to capture free people and enslave them, selling them off for profit.  How should I judge you and you people for having done that?"

[Erewhon - Facility Managers Office]

Lek listened to the manager's response and wasn't going to reply until he mentioned slavery. As this was not true, he felt compelled to respond.

"Actually, slavery has never been legal on Ferenginar. Certain rogue individuals have engaged in such vile behavior and when they are discovered they are stamped out without fail. Regardless of this unfortunate truth, the Ferengi government has never condoned the owning of sentient beings."

[Lauren Devereaux]

Those security personnel and crew nearest what looked like an alien transporter pad are were surprised when several openings appeared in the wall and holographic 'ticket booth' attendants smiled in greeting.  "Welcome to Erewhon, where your fantasies are made real."

"Alright people! Take the data and evacuate! We'll continue the work onboard the station. "Compute, transfer all date relating to the shield modulation we've been working on and transfer it to the stations engineering. Ok let's move people. I want us all out of this radiation as soon as possible!" M'nia said. She watched her team move to evacuate. She would make sure noone was left behind! They were her responsibility. Even though she wasn't feeling that hot either but she would be ok.

On the whole, it took longer than ideal, but they managed to locate the young Bolian's injured father, and deliver the child into the care of one of the nurses attending to his care, then snake their way through the crowd until they reached port 5. Rajagopalan appeared to be himself again by then (he hadn't needed her support since they left the ship), and T'Rea was still determinedly ignoring the lingering feeling of ice-water in her veins. That became much easier to ignore when she caught sight of a flash of blue-green skin, "Kedan! Ensign Kedan!" she called over din, trying to get the Benzite's attention and pointing out his location to Rajagopalan beside her. They pushed forward through the crowd toward their fellow scientist and the group of Engineering and Operations officers gathered there with him.

[Erewhon Station | Reception Hall]

Breathing heavily, Devereaux exited the docking port and found herself on a station that was growing increasingly crowded with Discovery's crew. There was a slight measure of relief from the worst feelings of the radiation poisoning now that she was once again in a non-hazardous environment, but she knew she'd need to get checked out soon to truly reverse the effects. Regardless, a lot of people were worse off than she was, so there was no choice but to grit her teeth and keep working. She needed to find Kedan.

It was at this point that she suddenly realized someone had just spoken to her. She turned to her right, still catching her breath, to see a woman about her age smiling expectantly at her. This lady wasn't in uniform, so she couldn't have been a part of the crew. Someone from the station, perhaps? "Excuse me?" she asked in confusion.

"Welcome to Erewhon, where your fantasies are made real."

This did nothing to alleviate Devereaux's confusion. She blinked for a moment, her train of thought having been somewhat derailed. "Uh... Thanks. If you'll excuse me, I'm very busy," she said after she had gathered herself. Determined to ignore whatever the heck that was about, she turned away to scan the crowd. Luckily for her, there weren't a ton of Benzites on the crew, so she spotted him easily enough. "Ensign Kedan! I brought the terminal. What else can I do to help?" she asked, joining the others that were gathering.

[Tekin Nevir]

{Planetside}

Lorut looked from the woman to the Captain. She held up the phaser rifle she'd "borrowed" from the Armory. She'd take her brig time later. "I am hardly unarmed, Petty Officer. And trust me, I've killed more people than you have. IF you can keep up, fine, but I am not going to wait around for a perimeter sweep while our people are in there. I can DO it on the way," she said, moving forward. "Captain, your call," she said, over her shoulder as she set out. She should also find Lek, too, actually. If she could get into the actual walls, she could sabotage it from within. The Ferengi hated her, but she was betting on his loyalty to the crew.

She set off quietly, slinking about near the edges of the walls. The sheer noise was overwhelming and she fought back a flashback. She knew how to achieve infiltration without getting caught-and what to do if she WAS caught. She had a vague knowledge of the layout of this place from a quick review of the data the away team had sent back, so as she moved forward, she made sure she kept it in her mind. She was, hopefully, going the right direction.

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Erewhon | Administrative Area | Waiting Room]

As the Romulan waited for some response from Lek, the cellphone communicator rang and Rayek flipped it open and raised it to his ear.

Rayek grimaced and attempted to reply discreetly - despite knowing they were being monitored.

"Acknowledged, Captain. I would recommend limiting contact with the Lyssarians and their guests - who can be identified as those wearing wrist bands.  Their society doesn't put the same rights to all sentients.  The Human clones which are Erewhon's labor force are treated as lesser - which is how Lek got involved - defending a groundskeeper from verbal and physical abuse"

"Ramort is attempting to build a rapport with the Facility Manager in order to better negotiate any necessary fines or penalties against Commander Lek, who seems to have broken the Erewhon 'Terms of Service' when he insulted the guest by implying that she had a 'prodigious butt'.  Lek denies any culpability because the Terms weren't clearly pointed out to us, nor explicitly accepted.  Presently, he's armed himself and might be considered a threat by the locals."

[USS Discovery - Deck 1 - Main Bridge]

The Captain thought for a moment, looking at his two officers.  The welts on his face were already looking duller and not as harsh. Whether that was because they were now in the protective station shield or because of the anti-radiation injection was anyone's guess.

"Trust me when I say that I know Miss Lorut can handle herself very well personally.  The ridges were a dead giveaway," he stated, bringing his finger to his nose and tapping his own ridges.

"Still, try to keep everyone together, and do not allow them access to the facilities planetside.  We don't want to lose anyone else right now.  Secure the area around the crew, but be careful.  You both are dismissed." he stated when his comm answered from Rayek.  The Captain frowned, and shook his head, turning around the now empty bridge.

"Disarm him immediately; he is now in violation of Starfleet procedure.  This situation has already gotten worse, Lek's actions are not helping. I will be setting the ship up for decon and then I will be going to the station as well." he said, closing the channel.  He immediately went to work anticipating the actions of the Erewhon, assuming that they were honest about their ability to repair their ship.  The one thing he knew they would have to work on their own is how to withstand the radiation once they left the station; the Federation certainly didn't share technology so why would this species?

The Captain had just left the turbolift and about to reach the docking hatch when the next message came in.

But it seemed the question was rhetorical as he turned his attention to Rayek.

"Commander, contact your Captain, tell him to prepare for transport.  Inform him the station holograms will tend to your injured people but that I would speak to him in person."

Rayek knew if he ignored the request, it was likely possible for the Facility Manager to organize the beam over anyways.  The Lyssarian was attempting to give some heads up to the Captain - likely to avoid a security confrontation.

He flipped open the phone communicator and reached out to the Captain.

"tr'Lhoell to Captain Tekin.  I'm with the Facility Manager presently, they have requested to speak with you face to face.  Please stand-by for transport.  Also, I was asked to inform that station holograms will help tend to our injured."
"Turn back."

The Captain gave an audible sigh; mostly because there was no one left on the ship (he checked).  He was the last one to step off.  But if he was being requested, then the matter didn't seem to improve with Lek.

"Understood.  I am standing by." he said, and as he suspected, it didn't take long at all.

[Erewhon - Facilties Manager Office]

However he was brought in, it took no time before the Bajoran found himself facing one of the members of the species for the first time.  They already looked fascinating enough in another situation; it was nice to find species that didn't fit the 'altered humanity' that most of the species in the Federation seemed to have. The biggest gripe species like the Bajorans had with the Humans was their insistence that they were just "humans with prosthetics on their face".

Pushing that thought aside, he was currently the Captain in a devolved First Contact situation. Right now he was on damage control, and composed himself as such. His only regret was that the radiation burns did not have the time to heal yet completely; he probably looked better than he felt, but he pictured himself looking rather bad with injuries.

"Captain Tekin Nevir of the Federation Starship Discovery. I'm sorry that our First Contact had to be under this circumstance.  I understand there is a situation involving my officers?"

[Rayek trLhoell]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Erewhon | Administrative Area | Waiting Room]

[USS Discovery - Deck 1 - Main Bridge]

"Disarm him immediately; he is now in violation of Starfleet procedure.  This situation has already gotten worse, Lek's actions are not helping. I will be setting the ship up for decon and then I will be going to the station as well."

Rayek looked to Lek but by this time the Ferengi engineer had already begun complying.  He would have forwarded this information on but the Captain had already closed the comm.

Rayek followed Lek into the Administrator office where things went from bad to worse with Lek's bold statement.  Rayek felt way out of his depth with this mission.  Lek wasn't the only one who didn't want to be here anymore.  The Romulan could feel a massive headache forming as he listened to Lek and the Lyssarian each try to justify their cultural beliefs.  Rayek at this point wanted nothing to do with either of them... but duty required he stay.

The Lyssarian slid a pair of tentacles against the surface of what appeared to be its chair and suddenly Captain Tekin appeared.
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.
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[Erewhon - Facilties Manager Office]

However he was brought in, it took no time before the Bajoran found himself facing one of the members of the species for the first time.  They already looked fascinating enough in another situation; it was nice to find species that didn't fit the 'altered humanity' that most of the species in the Federation seemed to have. The biggest gripe species like the Bajorans had with the Humans was their insistence that they were just "humans with prosthetics on their face".

Pushing that thought aside, he was currently the Captain in a devolved First Contact situation. Right now he was on damage control, and composed himself as such. His only regret was that the radiation burns did not have the time to heal yet completely; he probably looked better than he felt, but he pictured himself looking rather bad with injuries.

"Captain Tekin Nevir of the Federation Starship Discovery. I'm sorry that our First Contact had to be under this circumstance.  I understand there is a situation involving my officers?"

The room now contained 4 Federation officers facing one Lyssarian, who was 'standing' on three of its tentacles, three others rose to wave above its head as it greeted the Captain.

"Thank you Captain Tekin Nevir, for allowing us to meet.  I am Wrrhssrw" the name sounded like a series of whistles. "I am the Facility Manager of Erewhon.  I am not a government representative of my people; however, I am the only lawful authority on this station and planet so it falls to me to greet you on behalf of Lyssaria."

The tentacles lowered and Wrrhssrw 'sat' upon it's oddly shaped chair.  A second later four human designed chairs appeared in the office facing the Lyssarian.

"Please sit while we talk.".  It gestured with a single tentacle towards the chairs and waited for them to sit before continuing to speak.

Rayek, who had taken a standing position the right of Captain, waited for the Captain to sit first before taking the seat beside his.  He faced the Lyssarian politely, while occasionally glancing towards Lek to be sure he didn't react with more paranoia to this request to sit.

After a moment, regardless of who sat or not,  the Lyssarian spoke. "The situation is that your officer confronted one of my Guests in an insulting manner - an offense on Erewhon.  He claims to be not responsible because the Terms of Service was not agreed to because of a misunderstanding of your visual range - something that will be rectified on our part hereafter.  However, the fact remains that I have a Guest who by our rules is owed reparation; a sincere apology at the least, though monetary compensation is also usually included.  In addition, he has repeatedly slandered our culture, claiming we are making up false accusations to gain money, constructed a weapon in my waiting room under some belief that we mean him harm and has claimed hereafter to petition your Federation to withhold further contact from my people.  I do not want this one incident to poorly represent all of Lyssaria; so, I turn to you, as his Captain, to be make a fair judgement on his behaviour.  If you deem his actions acceptable, I will abide by this and will refund our Guest their full amount in attempt to pay their reparation."

[James Ramort]

[Erewhon Station - Waiting Area]

Lek looked up and was actually disappointed it was Rayek, he was ready to fight, he would lose, but he'd make them hurt. Now all he'd get was another lecture. Knowing arguing was pointless, he poured the coffees down the drain and threw his club into the bin. He stood and entered the Facility Manager's Office. Looking at the Manager with as neutral an expression as he could manage.

"I've been ordered to say hello, so hello. I will add that throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants for a contract to be valid, both parties have to agree for that contract to be valid. As no one stated the terms and, because you failed to account for our difference in visual spectrum, we could not see the terms to agree with them, there was no contract. As there was no contract, I am not bound to the terms of alleged contract. I therefore am not obligated to apologize or compensate anyone.

"As your treatment of your workers is reprehensible, I will not return, and I will make it my life goal to lobby before the Federation Council to have your planet declared off limits to all Federation citizens which will cost you billions in potential profits."

Lek stood stiffly and prepared to fight for his life, even though he had to do so unarmed. As he waited, he thought.

"You should know by now, you never allow me to speak if you don't want to hear the truth. Guess it's time for me to put in my transfer. Helga's gone to me and Rayek is no loner my friend. Discovery is no longer my home."

[Lt. Jg. James Ramort]
[Erewhon | Administrative Area | Facility Managers Officer]

Upon hearing the Ferengis words it felt as if all his blood had frozen solid in an instant flash. This was on a trajactory to devolving into a very bad situation. His mind was racing with ways to yet again, find another save for the situation. But it ran blank. He simply lacked to tools. He had neither the autority nor the insight into Lyssarian Law to fix either side of the equation.

Collecting his thoughts again he drew in a deep breath. The clinically sterile air in the office not carrying any sent at all. It felt unnatural and further added to the unnerving feeling in his gut.

Before he could use this breath to set up another apology, seeeking to pave another diplomatic angle, he was cut short by the administrator.

[Erewhon | Administrative Area | Facility Managers Office]

The Facility Manager's expression, being so alien, was likely impossible to interpret as it looked at Ramort with it's large ink black eyes.  After a moment of silence, it returned it's attention to the wall screen, which showed Rayek and Lek; the latter disassembling his weapon.

The tentacles raised up briefly before lowering again.  "It would appear he has been convinced."  Wrrhssrw commented to Ramort, before turning towards the office entrance to greet the pair of returning officers.

Lek's bluntness should have been expected, but Rayek was trying to give his friend every opportunity to 'be the better person' but it seemed like this was the one day he choosing to be the instigator.

"Lieutenant Commander Lek!  Your personal judgement of this species' culture was not asked for! " he snapped when Lek repetition of his 'not bound by the Terms of Service contract' rant.. spilled over into a more personal vendetta against the Lyssarians.

The Facility Manager however seemed unfazed by Lek's declaration, though he turned to looked to Ramort for a moment continuing his earlier statement.  "Or perhaps not."

His attention returned to Lek.

"You judge my people poorly because of how we treat our artificial life creations; yet I understand from your ship's database that your own people, the Ferengi,  have been known to capture free people and enslave them, selling them off for profit.  How should I judge you and you people for having done that?"

But it seemed the question was rhetorical as he turned his attention to Rayek.

"Commander, contact your Captain, tell him to prepare for transport.  Inform him the station holograms will tend to your injured people but that I would speak to him in person."

Rayek knew if he ignored the request, it was likely possible for the Facility Manager to organize the beam over anyways.  The Lyssarian was attempting to give some heads up to the Captain - likely to avoid a security confrontation.

He flipped open the phone communicator and reached out to the Captain.

"tr'Lhoell to Captain Tekin.  I'm with the Facility Manager presently, they have requested to speak with you face to face.  Please stand-by for transport.  Also, I was asked to inform that station holograms will help tend to our injured."

The manager was right. The situation was not under control. They did not manage to present a united front. Not uphold a shared banner for Star Fleet and the Federation. They did not manage to convince him yet.

The request for the Captain to be transported to the office filled him with relief and resignation at the same time.
Relief because he knew the Captain had far more experience untangling such messes than him. If anyone could find a way out of this, it was probably him. On the other side it felt like a personal failure. The Commander had trusted him to lead the initial dialogue with a representative of an alien civilisation. A society controlling advanced technologies if their adaptive holo programs and cloning capabilities were anything to measure their remaining progress against. And he failed. Not as much as making things worse, but ultimately in finding a way to resolve the situation before there even had been the opportunity for it to devolve even further.

Maybe it was good the Captain would be arriving.

[...]
[Erewhon - Facilties Manager Office]

However he was brought in, it took no time before the Bajoran found himself facing one of the members of the species for the first time.  They already looked fascinating enough in another situation; it was nice to find species that didn't fit the 'altered humanity' that most of the species in the Federation seemed to have. The biggest gripe species like the Bajorans had with the Humans was their insistence that they were just "humans with prosthetics on their face".

Pushing that thought aside, he was currently the Captain in a devolved First Contact situation. Right now he was on damage control, and composed himself as such. His only regret was that the radiation burns did not have the time to heal yet completely; he probably looked better than he felt, but he pictured himself looking rather bad with injuries.

"Captain Tekin Nevir of the Federation Starship Discovery. I'm sorry that our First Contact had to be under this circumstance.  I understand there is a situation involving my officers?"

Seeing the Captain taking charge of the situation immediatly filled him with a bit of hope again. He just wished he had a minute with him away from the Lyssarian to inform him of his observations. He didn't know what he might have already learned from Commander trLhoell, but he just hoped the full extend of the implications of their observations had been relayed to him and that he would try to bring the Commander back into Federation custody.

Given the Lyssarians treated even guilt free, purpose grown, fully sentient humans as nothing more than mere tools, he dared not imagine what their culture might think about aliens committing crimes within their sovereign territories.

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Erewhon | Administrative Area | Waiting Room]

[...]

The Lyssarian slid a pair of tentacles against the surface of what appeared to be its chair and suddenly Captain Tekin appeared.
.

The room now contained 4 Federation officers facing one Lyssarian, who was 'standing' on three of its tentacles, three others rose to wave above its head as it greeted the Captain.

"Thank you Captain Tekin Nevir, for allowing us to meet.  I am Wrrhssrw" the name sounded like a series of whistles. "I am the Facility Manager of Erewhon.  I am not a government representative of my people; however, I am the only lawful authority on this station and planet so it falls to me to greet you on behalf of Lyssaria."

The tentacles lowered and Wrrhssrw 'sat' upon it's oddly shaped chair.  A second later four human designed chairs appeared in the office facing the Lyssarian.

"Please sit while we talk.".  It gestured with a single tentacle towards the chairs and waited for them to sit before continuing to speak.

Rayek, who had taken a standing position the right of Captain, waited for the Captain to sit first before taking the seat beside his.  He faced the Lyssarian politely, while occasionally glancing towards Lek to be sure he didn't react with more paranoia to this request to sit.

After a moment, regardless of who sat or not,  the Lyssarian spoke. "The situation is that your officer confronted one of my Guests in an insulting manner - an offense on Erewhon.  He claims to be not responsible because the Terms of Service was not agreed to because of a misunderstanding of your visual range - something that will be rectified on our part hereafter.  However, the fact remains that I have a Guest who by our rules is owed reparation; a sincere apology at the least, though monetary compensation is also usually included.  In addition, he has repeatedly slandered our culture, claiming we are making up false accusations to gain money, constructed a weapon in my waiting room under some belief that we mean him harm and has claimed hereafter to petition your Federation to withhold further contact from my people.  I do not want this one incident to poorly represent all of Lyssaria; so, I turn to you, as his Captain, to be make a fair judgement on his behaviour.  If you deem his actions acceptable, I will abide by this and will refund our Guest their full amount in attempt to pay their reparation."

Ramort immediately noticed the shift in the manager's behaviour. His conduct with the Captain was a lot different from how he had treated any of the other officers so far in the office.

As the chairs appeared, took to the fourth chair, as was appropriate for a junior lieutenant in the presence of not only two Commanders but even the Captain himself. While he took his seat his mind already attempted to make sense of this new observation.

His immediate recognition of the Captains authority, while also the direct declaration of the scope and source of the Managers own authority hinted at a society built upon systems of ritualistic hierarchy. Such hierarchies would explain a lot of what they had experienced here.

First the strange simulation of a past history of earth. But earth, present and past (mostly) was known for comparatively loose structures of enforced hierarchy among the general population. It also explained the perceived gravity of the Commander's transgression. If one of undeclared stations, and thus potentially lower station, was to inflict a slight against one of potentially higher stations, such station might need to be defended to be preserved. An act of interfering with one of another station could be seen as a contest for such station.

Second their progress: The Federation had encountered civilisations before that applied systems of encouraged excellence among the population, maybe this was a case of requiring excellency too, to acclaim once station. That would explain the degree of sophistication in all technical systems they had observed.

He would need to file an extensive sociololgical report once he returned to the ship.

[James Ramort]

[Ensign Kedan]
[USS Discovery | Deck 5 | Docking Port 5]

Carried forth by the dozens of other Federation Members, Officers and Specialists heading for Port 5 he had no time to turn around and keep watch for anybody. Even if they all had trained multiple scenarios for evacuating the ship and were all knew what to do and where to head, there still was a different quality to the whole situation that separated the experience with ample time in the holodeck from actually having to leave the ship into another potentially hostile environment, all while being cooked by freak radiation from the inside.

All preparations had to fail somehow when confronted with reality, after all.

[Erewhon | Reception Area]

Spilling out of the ship, he found Discovery to be nested into the station neatly, the mass of Star Fleet Personnel filling a large, lobby like room in plain white in front of the ports. Navigating through the Crowd of Engineers, he pathed a clearing for M'Nia, McNair and himself to a spot of relative space.

As he had made half his way to the spot he wanted to take, all over the place, holograms emerged. Luckily he was in the midst of a group of Petty Officers at that moment, so there was no place next to him for one to manifest there too.

[...]
On the whole, it took longer than ideal, but they managed to locate the young Bolian's injured father, and deliver the child into the care of one of the nurses attending to his care, then snake their way through the crowd until they reached port 5. Rajagopalan appeared to be himself again by then (he hadn't needed her support since they left the ship), and T'Rea was still determinedly ignoring the lingering feeling of ice-water in her veins. That became much easier to ignore when she caught sight of a flash of blue-green skin, "Kedan! Ensign Kedan!" she called over din, trying to get the Benzite's attention and pointing out his location to Rajagopalan beside her. They pushed forward through the crowd toward their fellow scientist and the group of Engineering and Operations officers gathered there with him.

Hearing T'Rea call for him flooded him with relief. In hindsight, he felt bad for leaving her alone on the Bridge. Technically, Rajagopalan had been there too, but he never managed to figure out what made the human tick, and he wasn't the most sociable of the team anyway.

"Over here!"

Waving with both arms he signalled her to come over to their little group.

[...] Luckily for her, there weren't a ton of Benzites on the crew, so she spotted him easily enough. "Ensign Kedan! I brought the terminal. What else can I do to help?" she asked, joining the others that were gathering.

"I have to admit, I was never the best in getting these things to work. If you could lend me a hand with that, it would be much appreciated. After that, we are working on new shield modifications to prevent whatever happened to us before, repeating itself."

Handing her the data crystals with the data they had gathered, he pulled up the diagrams of the overlapping and modulating frequencies he had created earlier.

"Not sure if the emitters can be rebuild to emit such patters. What would be your expert opinion?"

[Tekin Nevir]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Erewhon | Administrative Area | Waiting Room]

Rayek looked to Lek but by this time the Ferengi engineer had already begun complying.  He would have forwarded this information on but the Captain had already closed the comm.

Rayek followed Lek into the Administrator office where things went from bad to worse with Lek's bold statement.  Rayek felt way out of his depth with this mission.  Lek wasn't the only one who didn't want to be here anymore.  The Romulan could feel a massive headache forming as he listened to Lek and the Lyssarian each try to justify their cultural beliefs.  Rayek at this point wanted nothing to do with either of them... but duty required he stay.

The Lyssarian slid a pair of tentacles against the surface of what appeared to be its chair and suddenly Captain Tekin appeared.
.
.
.

The room now contained 4 Federation officers facing one Lyssarian, who was 'standing' on three of its tentacles, three others rose to wave above its head as it greeted the Captain.

"Thank you Captain Tekin Nevir, for allowing us to meet.  I am Wrrhssrw" the name sounded like a series of whistles. "I am the Facility Manager of Erewhon.  I am not a government representative of my people; however, I am the only lawful authority on this station and planet so it falls to me to greet you on behalf of Lyssaria."

The tentacles lowered and Wrrhssrw 'sat' upon it's oddly shaped chair.  A second later four human designed chairs appeared in the office facing the Lyssarian.

"Please sit while we talk.".  It gestured with a single tentacle towards the chairs and waited for them to sit before continuing to speak.

Rayek, who had taken a standing position the right of Captain, waited for the Captain to sit first before taking the seat beside his.  He faced the Lyssarian politely, while occasionally glancing towards Lek to be sure he didn't react with more paranoia to this request to sit.

After a moment, regardless of who sat or not,  the Lyssarian spoke. "The situation is that your officer confronted one of my Guests in an insulting manner - an offense on Erewhon.  He claims to be not responsible because the Terms of Service was not agreed to because of a misunderstanding of your visual range - something that will be rectified on our part hereafter.  However, the fact remains that I have a Guest who by our rules is owed reparation; a sincere apology at the least, though monetary compensation is also usually included.  In addition, he has repeatedly slandered our culture, claiming we are making up false accusations to gain money, constructed a weapon in my waiting room under some belief that we mean him harm and has claimed hereafter to petition your Federation to withhold further contact from my people.  I do not want this one incident to poorly represent all of Lyssaria; so, I turn to you, as his Captain, to be make a fair judgement on his behaviour.  If you deem his actions acceptable, I will abide by this and will refund our Guest their full amount in attempt to pay their reparation."

[Erewhon - Facilities Manager Office]

Well.. that name was going to be a challenge, but he didn't say as much.  Right now he was feeling dread... dread at the initial report from his first officer about his second officer and chief engineer.  And dread at the information that was about to be presented.

"First, let me state that I regret the situation has come to this.  We came to this system because we were curious why this planet appeared so lush when the rest of the system was irradiated, and when we didn't detect any lifesigns, we assumed the station had been abandoned.  The automated holograms did not give reason to doubt that assessment.  We have strict policies and procedures when it comes to First Contact with a new race, and those policies may have prevented this incident from happening in the first place. Still, the situation should have never happened regardless." he stated, shaking his head.

"We have a core tenant, the Prime Directive, which forbids interference with another's culture.  There are very few exceptions to that Directive, and in the spirit of it, officers are required to respect the culture of the host world, even if they do not agree with it.  Likewise, we also have a standing policy that any action taken by an officer is the responsibility of their commanding officer.  Which means no matter how serious the issue, the blame falls on me."

"My First Officer informed me that the issue started with my officer giving a lewd remark about this Guest you mentioned?  Mr Lek, would you like to explain the situation in your own words? Objectively, without insults or judgment."

[Lek]

[Erewhon - Facilities Manager Office]

"My First Officer informed me that the issue started with my officer giving a lewd remark about this Guest you mentioned?  Mr Lek, would you like to explain the situation in your own words? Objectively, without insults or judgment."

[Erewhon - Facilities Manager Office]

Lek was relieved to see the Captain, but when he too seemed focused on making 'First Contact' the center of the conversation and that his welfare was inconsequential. When asked directly by the Captain, he figured his response would determine his future in Starfleet.

"Sir, actually this entire event started on our arrival. Before we could get our bearings, we were transported from the station to the planet, with all of our equipment taken from us. Shortly after arrival, we witnessed a feemale guest berating and abusing a worker over a trivial mistake by the worker. I stepped in to defend the worker. At this point, the 'guest' got offended and demanded recompense. At this point I told her the I didn't owe her anything. I will admit I didn't phrase this delicately and I do regret speaking in such a manner. However, at the time I did not know they locals clone hyoomons and use them as slaves and that the feemale's behavior was considered acceptable.

"Our holographic guide told us that by transporting to the planet we had agreed to their contract. As a Ferengi, I am intimately familiar with contracts as per the 17th Rule of Acquisition. We were transported here without seeing their contract, we could not be bound by it as it requires both parties consent to the contract.

"It was at this point we were informed their contract was posted on the wall where we arrived. However, we then discovered that their ink was not visible to anyone in the away team.

"Since I could not see the contract, I could not consent to it, thus the contract is void. If the locals would just accept this simple fact and allow us, or specifically me, to go, this entire matter would be resolved."

[Rayek trLhoell]

[Erewhon Station - Restricted Administration Area]

{Unknown Station}

Vila was now stuck in a rock and hard place. She had no situational awareness to compare this to, and she also was trying to remember that she was trying to make some changes.

Still.

She had to save as many people as possible. Or it would've all been for naught.

"Why? What happens if I just shoot you instead?" She asked, calmly. "Because I promise that no amount of punishment you can drum up is anything worse than what I've already been through. Let my people go, and I will go back. It's that simple," she said. "Otherwise, feel free to call your minions," she said.

She unholstered the second phaser. If they thought SHE was kidding, they'd learn. If they thought that she wasn't dead serious, again. They'd learn.

"Unlike my shipmates, I have nothing to lose. Anything of much value, including my sense of safety and belonging, was stolen me from me forty years ago. So....Unless you want me to phaser you, and THEN delete you once I can access the system...MOVE."

The hologram matrix flickered briefly because of the intensity of the radiation that buffeted barrier that now protected Lorut and her shipmates on the station.  It remained steadfast in her path despite the secondary weapon.

"I am a hologram; your weapon will have no effect on me.  However, if you discharge your weapon on this station, you will be transported by our automated security system to a holding cell and sedated to await your own judgement."  It answered her question plainly before attempting to defuse the situation by offering some assurance.  'Your people' are not being harmed.  They are in a meeting with the Facility Manager presently.  Go back and await your Captain's return."
.
.
.

[Erewhon - Facilities Manager Office]

[Erewhon - Facilities Manager Office]

Well.. that name was going to be a challenge, but he didn't say as much.  Right now he was feeling dread... dread at the initial report from his first officer about his second officer and chief engineer.  And dread at the information that was about to be presented.

"First, let me state that I regret the situation has come to this.  We came to this system because we were curious why this planet appeared so lush when the rest of the system was irradiated, and when we didn't detect any lifesigns, we assumed the station had been abandoned.  The automated holograms did not give reason to doubt that assessment.  We have strict policies and procedures when it comes to First Contact with a new race, and those policies may have prevented this incident from happening in the first place. Still, the situation should have never happened regardless." he stated, shaking his head.

"We have a core tenant, the Prime Directive, which forbids interference with another's culture.  There are very few exceptions to that Directive, and in the spirit of it, officers are required to respect the culture of the host world, even if they do not agree with it.  Likewise, we also have a standing policy that any action taken by an officer is the responsibility of their commanding officer.  Which means no matter how serious the issue, the blame falls on me."

"My First Officer informed me that the issue started with my officer giving a lewd remark about this Guest you mentioned?  Mr Lek, would you like to explain the situation in your own words? Objectively, without insults or judgment."

Rayek remained silent and composed as the Captain spoke about the strict policies regarding First Contact.  The Romulan refrained from commenting that its intent was to protect 'unprepared' civilizations from the danger of Federation personnel introducing advanced technology, knowledge, and values before they are ready.  This Lyssarian civilization was anything but unprepared - its facility had welcomed their ship.

Hearing the Captain state 'the blame falls on me',  Rayek looked to his superior sharply, wanting to deny the Captain's statement and claim the fault as his own.  He should have had better command of the Away Team and prevented Lek from getting involved in the first place.  Though at the time of the incident, Rayek had felt much the same way as his friend - he too felt the woman was in the wrong for beating the groundskeeper.  If not for Lek speaking up first, it could have been him who was being the one judged by the Lyssarian.

Rayek glanced towards the Ferengi beside him as the Captain called for Lek to speak.  A slight wry twist caught at his lips as he noted that the Captain was wise enough to specify to not be insulting or judgmental...  if only he had been smart enough to add that as a clarifier to his own request when he had Lek say 'hello' earlier.

[Erewhon - Facilities Manager Office]

Lek was relieved to see the Captain, but when he too seemed focused on making 'First Contact' the center of the conversation and that his welfare was inconsequential. When asked directly by the Captain, he figured his response would determine his future in Starfleet.

"Sir, actually this entire event started on our arrival. Before we could get our bearings, we were transported from the station to the planet, with all of our equipment taken from us. Shortly after arrival, we witnessed a feemale guest berating and abusing a worker over a trivial mistake by the worker. I stepped in to defend the worker. At this point, the 'guest' got offended and demanded recompense. At this point I told her the I didn't owe her anything. I will admit I didn't phrase this delicately and I do regret speaking in such a manner. However, at the time I did not know they locals clone hyoomons and use them as slaves and that the feemale's behavior was considered acceptable.

"Our holographic guide told us that by transporting to the planet we had agreed to their contract. As a Ferengi, I am intimately familiar with contracts as per the 17th Rule of Acquisition. We were transported here without seeing their contract, we could not be bound by it as it requires both parties consent to the contract.

"It was at this point we were informed their contract was posted on the wall where we arrived. However, we then discovered that their ink was not visible to anyone in the away team.

"Since I could not see the contract, I could not consent to it, thus the contract is void. If the locals would just accept this simple fact and allow us, or specifically me, to go, this entire matter would be resolved."

The Lyssarian Facility Manager listened unobtrusively as the Captain explained the Prime Directive and the standing policy to have the commanding officer assume responsibility for his subordinates' actions.  This last part seemed to catch Wrrhssrw's interest; its' gaze red-lit eyes focusing on the Captain steadily even as offender began to speak to give his explanation.

However, that attention turned to Lek the moment the Ferengi stated that he regretted speaking in such a manner.

At last, some slight sign of remorse from the offender.  It wasn't the required apology or recompense; however, it was an improvement.  The Lyssarian waved several tentacles in the Ferengi's direction in response.

After the officer finished speaking, the manager turned towards the Captain once more.

"Do you have any questions?"

[T'Rea]

[Ensign Kedan]
[Erewhon | Reception Area]
Hearing T'Rea call for him flooded him with relief. In hindsight, he felt bad for leaving her alone on the Bridge. Technically, Rajagopalan had been there too, but he never managed to figure out what made the human tick, and he wasn't the most sociable of the team anyway.

"Over here!"

Waving with both arms he signalled her to come over to their little group.

[Erewhon Station | Reception Area]
By the time T'Rea and Rajagopalan arrived a young Engineering ensign was working to set up a portable terminal. T'Rea removed the two data chips she'd brought with from the bridge and presented them to Ensign Kedan. "Here's all of Ensign Rajagopalan and I's datasets and analysis outputs from the bridge station," the Benzite may technically be equal rank with Rajagoplan and outranked by Lt. McNair, but Kedan was the only physicists here, and as far as T'Rea was concerned that meant he was in charge, "Be careful to check file sizes before trying to open them on this terminal." While she would not consider herself a computer expert, she was nonetheless slightly dubious of the small units memory availability and computational capabilities. Making further meaningful progress on shielding solutions was going to be difficult with such limited physical resources, but at least they did have the advantage of being physically in the same place to discuss and debate possible solutions--in her short time on the Discovery she had learned not to underestimate the power of 'brainstorming' between crewmembers.

"Is everyone feeling alright?" Rajagopalan asked as he surveyed the group. He didn't spot any visually obvious symptoms of acute radiation syndrome  like the Captain and a few others on the bridge (including himself) had been displaying, but that didn't mean everyone was in a fit state for work... and even if they were, the need to pause long enough for treatment was---biologically speaking---just a matter of time.

[Lauren Devereaux]

[...]

"I have to admit, I was never the best in getting these things to work. If you could lend me a hand with that, it would be much appreciated. After that, we are working on new shield modifications to prevent whatever happened to us before, repeating itself."

Handing her the data crystals with the data they had gathered, he pulled up the diagrams of the overlapping and modulating frequencies he had created earlier.

"Not sure if the emitters can be rebuild to emit such patters. What would be your expert opinion?"

[Erewhon Station | Reception Area]
By the time T'Rea and Rajagopalan arrived a young Engineering ensign was  working to set up a portable terminal. She removed the two data chips she'd brought with from the bridge and presented them to Ensign Kedan. "Here's all of Ensign Rajagopalan and I's datasets and analysis outputs from the bridge station," the Benzite may technically be equal rank with Rajagoplan and outranked by Lt. McNair, but Kedan was the only physicists here, and as far as T'Rea was concerned that meant he was in charge, "Be careful to check file sizes before trying to open them on this terminal." While she would not consider herself a computer expert, she was nonetheless slightly dubious of the small units memory availability and computational capabilities. Making further meaningful progress on shielding solutions was going to be difficult with such limited physical resources, but at least they did have the advantage of being physically in the same place to discuss and debate possible solutions--in her short time on the Discovery she had learned not to underestimate the power of 'brainstorming' between crewmembers.

"Is everyone feeling alright?" Rajagopalan asked as he surveyed the group. He didn't spot any visually obvious symptoms of acute radiation syndrome and like the Captain and a few others (including himself) had been displaying, but that didn't mean everyone was in a fit state for work... and even if they were, the need to pause long enough for treatment was---biologically speaking---just a matter of time.

[Erewhon Station | Reception Area]

Working quickly, Devereaux set up the portable terminal and powered it on. This was far from the ideal setup for the level of computations required here, but then again it was a far from ideal situation. As the screen came to life, she listened to Kedan's brief explanation of the current plan and watched as the Vulcan who just arrived handed him another set of data chips. "Interesting. I'll load up that data," she replied, and accepted the full complement of crystals. She inserted them into their respective slots in the side of the terminal, which prompted a series of chirps and an audio message to be played.

"Warning: Large file size detected. For faster rendering, use of your vessel's primary computer core is recommended."

Devereaux rolled her eyes at this. Gee, thanks. I'll have to remember to take the entire computer next time, she thought, and tapped on the screen to dismiss the warning. They didn't exactly have the luxury of choice here. With a few more inputs, she set the terminal to start analyzing and rendering the outputs of the analysis that had already been completed by her crewmates. Once that was underway, she turned back to the group.

"If there's a way to rebuild the emitter to put out all of the necessary frequencies at once, then I'm not aware of it. However, I think I have an idea. We could have the emitter oscillate rapidly between all of the frequencies, assuming there's not too many of them. Oscillating thousands of times per second, that should create a very close approximation to the kind of pattern you're talking about. We'd just need to retune the flow regulators on the emitter itself to handle the increased output and program the shield controls to execute the pattern. However, we would need to move quickly on our way out of here. We'd really be pushing the operational limits of the shield emitter, and the last thing we want is a burnout."

She shrugged. "It's not 100% perfect, but it might be our best shot. Could you run the numbers and see if that will block enough of the radiation to get us out of here safely? Advanced field theory is a bit out of my wheelhouse," she admitted with a sheepish grin. "Assuming this bloody thing is up to the job." She turned back to the terminal which was still busy processing the large amount of data she had fed it.

It was at this point that she felt another wave of nausea sweep over her, just as Rajagopalan asked his question. She paused before answering, leaning against the terminal to steady herself. For a moment she was worried that if she opened her mouth she might be sick, but luckily the wave died down quickly. "I'm fine, just a bit of nausea. I can still work," she replied, hoping she sounded confident enough that she wouldn't be ordered to go directly for treatment. Now that she had been drawn into the discussion, she very much wanted to see it through.