S6: E1 - The Prime Recommendation

[Abas Th'vyrrol]

[Schoolroom]

Could I get someone to the Schoolroom? We've got some kids here that got hurt in the blast.

[Bridge]

Thankfully, the boffin-isms had seemed to be successful. The quick work of the engineering and science teams appeared to have mitigated the damage being done to the ship, and the repairs seemed to be going smoothly, beyond the Captain playing fast and loose with the prime directive. Then again, given the circumstances, there wasn't a lot he could do here. The first duty of a Captain was the safety and security of the ship's crew, no matter what that took.

The three-crew medical team's commbadges all chirped simultaneously when the call for assistance from the school came through. The computer had calculated which medical away team was closest to the school - located on deck three - and determined the team on the Bridge was the best able to respond immediately. As a unit, the crew began to stream toward the now-working turbolifts, barely a word spoken as they disappeared from the Bridge, tricorders, and hyposprays already being prepared.

[School]

The team entered the doors of the school, looking around for the casualties that had been reported. It simply wasn't right - that those so young had to be forced to go through so much. Why oh why had Starfleet decided to put children and families on ships which routinely intended to go in harm's way? Abas could understand the thought of families on Starships, or even on the long-duration exploratory vessels that sat parked in front of stars or studying stellar phenomena. But on patrol ships, long-distance ships pushing the boundaries of the known and unknown, ships that went intentionally into the dangerous or unknown? It seemed like almost wanton disregard for safety.

Regardless, however, the children were here. They needed help. Abas knelt down next to one of the children - Maddy, it sounded like her name was - and began a scan with his tricorder, attempting to discern exactly what was the matter.

"What hurts?" he asked, his tone passive but trying to be comforting. Hopefully, it wasn't too serious.

[Jettis Jyur]

[Central Jail - Kayala City]

The two Landsers' eyes narrowed and Jettis could feel a pressure within his head, which he quickly figured out was a powerful telepathic probe. Once he was aware of what the locals were doing, he was able to hold off the intrusion, but it was scary just how powerful the attack had been. When the Landser's finally relented, they looked even more suspicious than before they'd started. Clearly frustrated, the taller of the two growled.

"So, you admit you want our scientific achievements? Regardless of which faction you are working for, you will not get them. What is going to happen is you are to be transported to the Land Moot for your final disposition. You can be certain, we will argue strongly for your incarceration for espionage whatever kind of alien you happen to be."

At a gesture, a dozen heavily armed guards arrived and Jettis found himself manacled and bundled into a wheeled vehicle. This was followed by a short trip that led to an atmospheric craft of some sort that quickly took off with him remaining under heavy guard to wherever they had planned.

[Planetside - Landser prison ]

Would argue strongly for his incarceration. Phenomenal, he was going to rot away in a random prison on a random, non-federation planet. He'd always figured it would be the other way around. At least Theresa would still be around whenever he got out in fifty to one hundred years.

He didn't struggle when he was surrounded, or argue about the misunderstanding. His head hurt way too much to bother, especially now knowing they were telepathic. Just one more thing to watch out for as they transported him.

His request for water was sadly ignored, so the entire trip was mainly spent trying to distract himself from that and the fact he had no idea where he was going. He might as well at least attempt to get some information, or build rapport with the - what had they called themselves? Magana? And if they were concerned about espionage, something told him that secret weapons might not be far in their wake.

No interfering in a planet's natural development.  He exhaled slowly, looking around briefly to examine those holding him. "You don't seem incredibly surprised or perturbed about my appearance. Did you speak with my associates, already?"

[Alexander Wu]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Even though Alex was new to the ship, the bridge crew responded to his orders crisply and soon received confirmation from Lieutenant Booker that the dampening field was ready, while Lieutenant Randall reported that the fold space probe was in a holding orbit and was transmitting data to the facility built on the Landser moon.

With the report from Lahr that the Cutty Sark was ready for launch, that left Alex in the unenviable position of having to wait for one of the away teams to update him on whether or not he'd have to take action.

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

The promptness with which the crew responded was surprisingly gratifying to Alex, as he played catch up familiarizing himself with the Challenger's key systems. Most frustratingly, communications with the surface away teams was still spotty at best, with the jerry-rigged patched connection through the Landser's satellite proving less than reliable. He wasn't even sure if their direct messages were getting through. From what Alex understood, both of the ship's subspace communication antennas were mounted on the nacelles, one to each. They needed at least one of the transceivers operational to have any contact with either those on the surface, or to call for more assistance from Starfleet. Being externally located, it also meant that physically replacing the isolinear chips inside them would require someone going on a spacewalk.

Normally, this was already a hazardous task, there being very little room for error when working around the ship's nacelles, but to make matters even more complicated, transporters weren't an option due to the region's temporal distortions. Whomever went out there would need to hitch a ride on a workbee, and the only thing preventing them from drifting off into space if they lost their grip would be a thin multifilament safety line. But as it stood, 20 isolinear chips stood between them and reliable communication with the surface, and some very important members of their crew.

"ch'Verret to um... the Bridge"   It was annoying not knowing the name or rank of the individual who had called him.
"The Cutty Sark is prepped and awaits her away team."

While Alex was weighing the necessity of repairing the communication antennas against sending crewmembers out to perform a dangerous and potentially life threatening mission, the repair crew he'd assigned to preparing the shuttle called in. With some surprise, he checked the chronometer, impressed that they had managed to revitalize the lifeless hulk into an operational flying machine after only roughly thirty minutes. Maybe that's why they're damage control team one. Impressed, their expertise helped Alex make his decision.

"Chief ch'Verret, this is Lieutenant Wu, well done, I have another task for you. Currently, our communications systems are still down due to the subspace transceiver antennas needing repair. We can't use transporters to get anyone there, but since you're in the shuttlebay, you're the best placed and most competent people we have for the job. I see here you're up to date on your EVA qualifications?"

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 19 - Main Shuttlebay]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

The promptness with which the crew responded was surprisingly gratifying to Alex, as he played catch up familiarizing himself with the Challenger's key systems. Most frustratingly, communications with the surface away teams was still spotty at best, with the jerry-rigged patched connection through the Landser's satellite proving less than reliable. He wasn't even sure if their direct messages were getting through. From what Alex understood, both of the ship's subspace communication antennas were mounted on the nacelles, one to each. They needed at least one of the transceivers operational to have any contact with either those on the surface, or to call for more assistance from Starfleet. Being externally located, it also meant that physically replacing the isolinear chips inside them would require someone going on a spacewalk.

Normally, this was already a hazardous task, there being very little room for error when working around the ship's nacelles, but to make matters even more complicated, transporters weren't an option due to the region's temporal distortions. Whomever went out there would need to hitch a ride on a workbee, and the only thing preventing them from drifting off into space if they lost their grip would be a thin multifilament safety line. But as it stood, 20 isolinear chips stood between them and reliable communication with the surface, and some very important members of their crew.

While Alex was weighing the necessity of repairing the communication antennas against sending crewmembers out to perform a dangerous and potentially life threatening mission, the repair crew he'd assigned to preparing the shuttle called in. With some surprise, he checked the chronometer, impressed that they had managed to revitalize the lifeless hulk into an operational flying machine after only roughly thirty minutes. Maybe that's why they're damage control team one. Impressed, their expertise helped Alex make his decision.

"Chief ch'Verret, this is Lieutenant Wu, well done, I have another task for you. Currently, our communications systems are still down due to the subspace transceiver antennas needing repair. We can't use transporters to get anyone there, but since you're in the shuttlebay, you're the best placed and most competent people we have for the job. I see here you're up to date on your EVA qualifications?"

A name at last! Haha!

The fact that the officer had a task for him wasn't surprising, not after every isolinear chip on the entire ship had been tripped. It had been hours already, and they were still far from having the ship operational. So being given another task was to be expected.  That this one required an EVA only made it that much more crucial.  It wasn't something borrowed help from other departments could do.

However, despite the potential danger Lahr grinned as he responded back to the Lieutenant almost immediately.

"Sure am, Lieutenant!  Damage Control Team One is on it! We'll get it working!" he assured the man.

Some people, knowing of Lahr's aversion to being assigned Away Team Missions, might mistake him for being lazy or fearful of danger.  But that was not the case, the former Andorian sec/tac crewman was actually somewhat of a thrill-seeker - as long as it didn't involve fighting.  Events during of the retaking of Innominatum Outpost - part of the Leyton War - had mentally scarred him.  Though counseling on and off over the years had helped somewhat, Lahr couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't freeze or succumb to tremors when faced with such violence again.  So an opportunity like this - was actually welcomed.  It also made for a great distraction - keeping him from wanting to lose himself in bottle or two of Andorian ale.

Lahr looked over towards the others on the team.   Technically, the team was led by Ensign Kasey Jones but the woman was far too timid, and unsure of her authority to ever really do much leading.  As the next highest rank in the team, Lahr often filled in for her lack.

With a task set before them, Lahr offered a suggestion to the Ensign.  "Ma'am, in our current state the best way to get to the subspace transceiver antennas would be by using one of the workbees.  While you and the others get it up and running. I'll go prep my EV suit.  Sound like a plan?"

Kasey didn't answer immediately, she knew Lahr had issues and had to be certain that the situation wasn't going to be made worse with his involvement.

"Alright.  Go, get ready." she said to Lahr after a moment.  "Crewman Maranxx-ii,  Petty Officer Hicks  - come with me.  Let's get Workbee A-3 up and running."

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Bridge]

Thankfully, the boffin-isms had seemed to be successful. The quick work of the engineering and science teams appeared to have mitigated the damage being done to the ship, and the repairs seemed to be going smoothly, beyond the Captain playing fast and loose with the prime directive. Then again, given the circumstances, there wasn't a lot he could do here. The first duty of a Captain was the safety and security of the ship's crew, no matter what that took.

The three-crew medical team's commbadges all chirped simultaneously when the call for assistance from the school came through. The computer had calculated which medical away team was closest to the school - located on deck three - and determined the team on the Bridge was the best able to respond immediately. As a unit, the crew began to stream toward the now-working turbolifts, barely a word spoken as they disappeared from the Bridge, tricorders, and hyposprays already being prepared.

[School]

The team entered the doors of the school, looking around for the casualties that had been reported. It simply wasn't right - that those so young had to be forced to go through so much. Why oh why had Starfleet decided to put children and families on ships which routinely intended to go in harm's way? Abas could understand the thought of families on Starships, or even on the long-duration exploratory vessels that sat parked in front of stars or studying stellar phenomena. But on patrol ships, long-distance ships pushing the boundaries of the known and unknown, ships that went intentionally into the dangerous or unknown? It seemed like almost wanton disregard for safety.

Regardless, however, the children were here. They needed help. Abas knelt down next to one of the children - Maddy, it sounded like her name was - and began a scan with his tricorder, attempting to discern exactly what was the matter.

"What hurts?" he asked, his tone passive but trying to be comforting. Hopefully, it wasn't too serious.

[Schoolroom]

[As Maddy]

The class had kind of stopped as the teacher read them all a story instead of  doing any real lesson, mostly to help calm everyone down after that scary moment in particular.   Maddy  still wasn't sure what all just happened, but after what seemed like a really long time, it looked like a doctor came to help. She was still really dizzy, but she still tried to get back up, dizzy as she was.

"œMy head  really really hurts. Something big happened and I could hear a hun-dred people being really scared  in my mind and I'm really dizzy." She said, trying to explain the emotional overload.

"˜And teacher says that everyone blacked out.  It was really scary, but I'm not scared. My mommy helped me not be scared... "

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Land-Ta, traveling to the Capitol]

Kyan simply shrugged. "œWell, When we beamed down there was a tree "˜tween meself an the ground so it was, an I landed in it. Me suit got ripped tae shreds and Eely'ot found me hangin there so he did, an him an G'erti brought me inside." Then recalling their neighbor, continued"¦ "œThe which was a good thing because their neighbor lady is a nosy sort of grup what would have called the police on me an no mistake. I'd have been hauled off fer sure."

~~ A little while later, entering the capitol"¦

The capitol city was thoroughly alien in it's layout and architecture, but not so much that Kyan couldn't see the similarities the place had with other governmental seats. The first thing that jumped out was that most of the buildings were older than those that he'd seen on the journey to get here. The newer buildings were metal with sharper angles and more glass and/or reflective surfaces. The ones here employed stone  and a blue colored wood that appeared to be from the same tree where Eely'ot had found Kyan dangling by the remnants of his isolation suit. The architecture was also striking. In lieu of the harder angles and clean lines of the newer buildings, those in the capitol were full of intricate domes and spires. Many had rounded windows with different colored glass reminiscent of old church windows on Earth.

The streets were largely empty now, with only a few people out. But as they drew closer to the center of the city where the government buildings stood looming over the wide streets, Kyan found out why the streets were deserted. Most of the people were probably here, crowded around the capitol building itself. There were scores of military-looking vehicles stationed around a huge stone building with several domes and spires which Kyan assumed was their destination.

Trepidation intermingled with excitement. Kyan had been on several first contact missions in his career, but never as the primary. He was usually the one making sure nothing crazy happened.

Which, now that he thought about it... was irresponsible as hell. Some of these captains needed their heads examined... or court-martialed, or checked for changelings or alien parasites. The Onlie nearly laughed aloud at the notion that he of all people was ever chosen as the one meant to prevent the crazy things from happening.

"We're here." Mikel informed them from the front seat. The Landser teen's head was a swivel as he stared in open-mouthed wonder at the assembled masses. "I've never seen this many people in one spot. Not even for President G'aloria's Oathtaking."

What really caught his attention were the signs. Kyan and the other aliens couldn't read them, but most of the ones Mikel saw seemed to be against the aliens. There was a large number in the crowd who seemed to be happy about their arrival, but they were outnumbered, by a lot.

Kyan shook free of his own reverie and saw the crowd for himself. He didn't need to be able to read the signs. The faces were expressing their sentiments well enough on their own. "Ok." he began. "When we get out... just walk up the steps. Dinnae interact with the crowd if ye can help it. We need tae talk to their leaders the now, and not them." Looking back out over the throngs of Landsers he added blithely.."I dinnae see no pitchforks, thanks be tae the Powers fer it."

When the vehicle came to a stop Kyan, Zhuk, and Neva got out and Kyan turned to Mikel. "Thanks fer the ride Mikel... an it was very good tae meet ye.. But yous three probably should go in case it turns ugly."

Mikel shook his head. "No. We should go with you. I know we're kids... but these are our people. We can show them that they don't need to be afraid of you."

Kyan considered that. It did have some merit. Finally he grinned. "Ye know... fer a little kid... it's smart ye are."

"Says the alien kid who landed in our tree."

"Yah well... dat's complicated so it is.. And that's not the worst place I landed on a mission so... " Kyan countered, the Melok Nor incident coming to mind. Finally he shrugged. "Ah right den come on."

Mikel, Eely'ot, and G'erti all got out and joined Kyan, Zhuk, and Neva. When they turned to begin their walk inside, an older looking Landser man blocked their path. Mike bent down to speak to Kyan amid the cacophony of noise around them. "That's General Way'nir. He's the commander of the President's protection service."

As they advanced, Kyan didn't notice Neva drop off. He was too busy scanning the Landser soldiers with their rifles at the ready who were watching them with varying degrees of wonder, and suspicion. When they got closer he smiled up at the Landser man. "Merry Met General Way'nir. I'm Lieutenant Commander Kyan Mackenzie of the....."

And then, as it often did whenever Kyan was aboard, the train went off the rails.

Neva's outburst was a shock. What was even more shocking was that to some degree, it worked. Most of the Landsers pushing against the guardrails dispersed. But that was a short-lived victory.

Those who had gone were soon replaced by others who were more angry than afraid. The soldiers stopped them from getting to Neva, but that couldn't last. There were too many of them. "Zhuk. Grab Neva and bring her inside." Kyan looked up at the General, who was issuing orders to his men. "General, we need tae be gettin inside. I dinnae want any of yer people hurt because of us... an I wanna protect my crewmates too so.."

Way'nir nodded. "I agree... erhm.. Commander you said?"

Kyan nodded. "Aye, but ye can call me Kyan, the which I like better than me rank."

Way'nir quirked an eyebrow. The obvious questions on the tip of his tongue died there as a Landser broke through the barricade. Luckily it wasn't an angry one.

"Aliens!" she called out as she ran toward them tugging at the hem of her shirt, which had a crude drawing on the front. It was a circular face with a shock of red hair scribbled on it.

"Hey!" Kyan laughed, "Look.. it's me!"

The Landser woman barreled toward them screaming. "Take me with you on your spaceship! I want to go with you!" She was pulling her shirt up when she ran into a pair of soldiers who blocked her from getting any further.

Kyan didn't see what happened next as he was turned bodily toward the entrance by Way'nir. "I think we better hurry inside Co.. Kyan. The President will be waiting with her staff."

"Aye General." Kyan replied, trying to glance over his shoulder to see what had become of the woman. "Take me to yer leader!"

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Landser Vehicle --> The Capitol | Land | L7-425977 System]

"I see. I suppose that does explain it."

Zhukdra'shar nodded at Neva's and Kyan's response. He supposed that was an understandable reason as to why they were not using the suits. They would weigh them down after all. Still, why had Neva and Jettis not kept to the fringes of the town, or the hills themselves? Waltzing into town was a nonsensical course of action, in his book. Sure, Kyan could not be helped, as he was found unconscious, and by the look of things, being located by the kids had ended being better for them. Still, he probably should have not contact them in any way, perhaps escaping as soon as he regained his wits?

He sighed, and stopped himself before he got too worked up about it.

Time passed, though he could tell of their arrival at a large city right away, which he supposed was the Capitol. He marvelled at the strange, peculiar architecture that was in display, unable to admire it for what it was. Something new, exotic. He smiled softly as he mentally prepared himself for first contact. He knew it wouldn't be easier, and he dearly hoped Kyan, as their de-facto leader, could do a good job with the diplomacy. If not, he would have to step in.

Mikel stopped by a huge building, and as soon as the rest of the team, Landsers and Federation, was out, he too jumped from the vehicle. Helmet in hand, he made his way past a crowd of fearful, wary folk who looked at them with suspicion. An empath was not truly necessary to determine that, after all, as he could see it on their faces, and how their gaze never left them.

Zhuk also appraised the taller General Way'nir with an ounce of suspicion himself, his hand trailing close to his phaser. Just in case things got ugly, the Caitian would make sure that he could disable him before any harm came to them or the kids. Still, he remained with a casual pose, not wanting to give the planet any reason to suspect they did not come in peace. Especially as he gazed over at the soldiers with their guns.

Zhuk wanted one of those rifles for his collection...

Suddenly, though, Neva raised her arms and spouted some strange, peculiar words about how they were not there to harm them, asking them to disperse. As he raised an eyebrow and turned back to ask her what was up, she suddenly collapsed, petitioning the Challenger Medbay to assist her, before falling unconscious completely.

As the Security detail, Zhukdra'shar quickly made her way to her to inspect her condition,

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Cordon?! Cordon?! What-!?"

Angry people attempted to storm over Neva, but fortunately, the soldiers kept them from getting too close. It allowed Zhuk to move his hand from his absconded phaser, and make his way to Neva, as he had been ordered to by Neva, "Understood, Commander. On it."

Was his response, as he carefully scooped Neva from the ground, carrying her bridal style back towards Kyan and the Brass. His fur raised and his ears were pushed back as a Landser woman suddenly made their way towards them, asking to be taken with them. Zhuk raised a curious eyebrow as he relaxed, though his attention was swiftly placed on her as she tried to lift her shirt. Unfortunately, whatever she was trying to show was covered up by the soldiers.

With little reason to remain at the entrance of the Capitol, Zhuk dutifully followed after Kyan, doing his best not to show his struggle with carrying Neva.

[Government Center - Kayala City]

Way'nir had a long stride and this forced Kyan, the three Landser children, and even Zhuk because of carrying Neva to struggle to keep up. At each doorway, Landser guards snapped to attention and opened the doors at the sight of the general until the group entered the main government chamber. There, a trio of Landsers in very elaborate robes waited behind a very tall and imposing desk. Way'nir bowed his head and spoke.

"Madam President, this is the leader of the aliens. He goes by the title of Commander Kyan Mackenzie. He will speak to you on his own behalf."

If the Landser President found speaking to what looked like, for all intents and purposes, a young child to be unusual, she did not show it. She simply looked at Kyan with interest and waited for him to speak.

Zhuk's arms trembled slightly under the effort he was undertaking, but his face remained stoic and composed. He would not show weakness. Not here. Zhuk would have enjoyed to get a moment to rest, but the General certainly seemed more than intent on getting them to the President. When they finally reached her, however, he felt a wave of peace washing over him, giving him the will he required to keep holding Neva.

Perhaps it was the robes or the way that she seemed so calm and composed, but at least, he was happy there would be no trouble. And that the General had not duped them.

Zhukdra'shar offered a soft bow towards her, though of course did not speak up. Instead, he allowed Kyan to express himself as he wished.

[Ian Galloway]

[Planetside - Landser prison ]

Would argue strongly for his incarceration. Phenomenal, he was going to rot away in a random prison on a random, non-federation planet. He'd always figured it would be the other way around. At least Theresa would still be around whenever he got out in fifty to one hundred years.

He didn't struggle when he was surrounded, or argue about the misunderstanding. His head hurt way too much to bother, especially now knowing they were telepathic. Just one more thing to watch out for as they transported him.

His request for water was sadly ignored, so the entire trip was mainly spent trying to distract himself from that and the fact he had no idea where he was going. He might as well at least attempt to get some information, or build rapport with the - what had they called themselves? Magana? And if they were concerned about espionage, something told him that secret weapons might not be far in their wake.

No interfering in a planet's natural development.  He exhaled slowly, looking around briefly to examine those holding him. "You don't seem incredibly surprised or perturbed about my appearance. Did you speak with my associates, already?"

[Landser Transport Aircraft]

The two men in red mostly ignored Jettis until he asked about speaking to the rest of the away team. This seemed to have hit a nerve as both men darkened when Jettis spoke.

"We of the An-Shok were prepared for Offworlders. As soon as the 'Great Work' began, we began endless exercises for what or who we would find when the Explorers left Land-Ta. You are not unlike what we pre-supposed, bilaterally symmetric, Oxygen breathing, Large brained. Your cosmetic difference was also expected, so we have not needed to speak to the other three of your infiltration team. We bring you to the Land Moot, there your fate will be decided."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Land Moot]

Before being led inside, Ian caught the attention of Moot Master Inti.

"Sir, please forgive my interruption, but while we are here for many reasons, one of the primary reason I am here specifically is that one of the members of my crew from the first team we sent in requested medical assistance. I have a doctor with me and would like to send him ta capital of Magana ta assist with the medical emergency. I will remain here if you will have me as a show of good faith."

Inti paused for several long seconds and nodded.

"Then as a show of good faith, your medical team is cleared to travel to Magana."

Inti gestured, and a female Landser approached.

"This is my aide Geenita. She will go with your doctor to ensure there are no delays."

"Thank you Moot Master."

Geenita joined Ardy, Doctor Vonn Zorr, and PO2 Heesou on the Mjolnir. Ian gave Ardy a final nod and the shuttle lifted smoothly to head for the quick 300 kilometer hop to Kayala City.

This left Ian, Blackfeather, and Tora with the Landser dignitaries. Inti led the way inside the massive, but surprisingly understated Land Moot Hall. The interior was tastefully decorated with paneling made from multiple different types of wood. After walking for quite a distance, the group entered a staggering large well lit chamber that remained as understated as the rest of the building. It seemed the Landsers did not care for ostentation in their governmental places of power. Inti and the other dignitaries took their place on the high semi-circular bench as Ian and company stood on a platform facing the leaders.

"Captain Iangalloway. Why are you here?"

[Kyan Mackenzie]

"Madam President, this is the leader of the aliens. He goes by the title of Commander Kyan Mackenzie. He will speak to you on his own behalf."

If the Landser President found speaking to what looked like, for all intents and purposes, a young child to be unusual, she did not show it. She simply looked at Kyan with interest and waited for him to speak.

Well, this was it. Ole Murphy enforced his law but finally they were here, about to finally make official first contact with the Landsers. As an added bonus, loking around the room Kyan didn't see any rifles pointed at him, so that was a plus. And a good sign so it is. he thought to himself. Inclining his head briefly in deference to the Landser President Kyan smiled up at her.

"Merry Met Madam President." the Onlie began cheerfully. "I'm Kyan Mackenzie from Miri's Planet, and happy tae be makin yer aquaintance."

"And why is it that you're here, making our aquaintance Mister Mackenzie?" the woman replied evenly.

"Straight to the point this one." Kyan said to himself. He'd been expecting to have to do the whole song and dance about who everyone was and where they were from and what the Federation was etc., but if he didn't know better, Kyan would had assumed that she was accustomed to speaking with aliens.  "Well, we usually dinae be makin contact with new people this way." he answered, maintaining his demeanor. "But circumstances made it so. Yer Space Fold Drive has been making holes in Space time or sommat. I'm not a scientist, so I canae tell ye all of it, but that's why we came."

"Nor am I." the president replied. "But our scientists haven't mentioned anything to me about complications with the tests."

"I dinnae think they could know." Kyan shrugged. "Your sensors cannae pick up the damage tae space time, but ours did. We had a scientist on our team that coulda told you the whole of it, much better than me so he could but he was captured by some of yer people. If we can get him here, he'll explain it."

"If he were captured, no doubt with good reason, what's to stop him explaining it where he is currently?"

Kyan's previously cheerful demeanor took a hit when the President said that. He tried to remain impassive, but they were talking about Jettis and that last line felt like a trap. After taking a moment to choose his words, her answered.

"Jettis is my friend. We've served together for years. An him bein captured isn't a good way fer us tae be friends."

The woman's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly "that sounds like a threat Mister Mackenzie.

Kyan glanced at Zhuk. The Caitian knew what do do if things went wrong, which was becoming a more and more likely possibility. Then he smiled and looked back up at her.

"Nay," he said with forced enthusiasm. "Just an observation."

[Abas Th'vyrrol]

[Schoolroom]

[As Maddy]

The class had kind of stopped as the teacher read them all a story instead of  doing any real lesson, mostly to help calm everyone down after that scary moment in particular.   Maddy  still wasn't sure what all just happened, but after what seemed like a really long time, it looked like a doctor came to help. She was still really dizzy, but she still tried to get back up, dizzy as she was.

"œMy head  really really hurts. Something big happened and I could hear a hun-dred people being really scared  in my mind and I'm really dizzy." She said, trying to explain the emotional overload.

"˜And teacher says that everyone blacked out.  It was really scary, but I'm not scared. My mommy helped me not be scared... "

[School]

As the child described the incident that had happened, Abas nodded. It seemed that the children were describing exactly the same thing that had happened to the rest of the crew. "Same thing happened to everyone else. It'll pass," he said, snapping his tricorder shut.

"You're doing well to not be scared. Here, take this", he said, prepping a small hypospray dose. "It'll help"

As Abas moved to distribute the dose, he felt compelled to continue to comfort the young patient, or at very least keep her distracted and talking. "I felt it too, it was quite overwhelming. But nobody has been severely hurt from it. Just keep taking deep breaths and stay strong. It'll be okay."

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 19 - Main Shuttlebay]

Before Lahr could get dressed into an EV suit, he first needed to get the shuttlebay's replicator working as he required a non-standard suit because of his antennae.  Technically, he could have folded them back to fit into the helmet but then his equilibrium would have been compromised.  Not the best of things when going on a space walk to repair thing.  Thankfully the reset of the replicator didn't take all that long; after that Lahr donned his suit.

By the time he was dressed, the others had gotten all the electronics reset on the Workbee.

"So who's taxiing me over?" the Andorian asked over the comms, looking towards Ensign Jones as he began clipping himself to one of the Workbee's extendable arms.  For most exterior tasks, the arms and pincers of the Workbee had enough maneuverability to be sufficient, but fine and detailed work such as switching out the isolinear chips was still best done in person.

"That would Petty Officer Hicks." Jones answered nodding towards Clarisse, who then got into the cockpit of the craft. "Good luck."

Petty officer Hicks called up to the Bridge since shuttlebay Flight Control was low on the priority to be reset.

"Workbee A-3 requesting permission to exit shuttlebay.  Crew compliment of 2 - one internal, one external on left arm. Our flight path will be 10 m above dorsal toward portside nacelle communications transceiver."

[Alexander Wu]

"Sure am, Lieutenant!  Damage Control Team One is on it! We'll get it working!"

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

With that particular issue being worked on, Alex turned his focus to other things, namely the hundreds of waiting tasks to be completed. Systems were slowly coming back online one by one, and blessedly, the main computer was at least partially functional, usable enough that he could ask for reports from throughout the ship to actually have an overview of their current condition. "Lieutenant...Flight." He referred to Ardyn's replacement, not knowing her name, or the names of most of the others on the bridge. "Sorry, could I just have everyone pause what they're doing for a minute?" Pushing himself upright, he gave a sheepish wave. "I understand this is a bit unorthodox, but would everyone just mind introducing themselves? I'm Lieutenant Wu, Alex Wu, just transferred onboard with that group from the Farragut. And you are...?" He indicated towards the pilot.

"Hi, Lieutenant Wilma Schultz, Flight Control." "Adelle Booker." "Lieutenant Randall, Evan." "Rachel Davenport." "Petty Officer Grelek, sir."

"It's a pleasure meeting all of you, and I look forwards to getting to know you better. Thank you for indulging my request. Lieutenant Schultz, give notice to the shuttlebay and have them assign a pilot to the Cutty Sark. Davenport, likewise with a security detail. If we have to send backup, you'll be leading that team." With Booker and Randall keeping a close watch on the fold-space device and the away teams respectively, it gave Alex the luxury of a few minutes to settle an uneasy sensation tickling the back of his mind. He needed to check on the civilians, namely their vulnerable children, and in his own personal interest, Maddison. All he needed was for her to say yes, and they could go about their business.
"Lieutenant Wu to Muriel Atkins. How is everyone holding up down there?"

"Lieutenant, I was just about to call, we're doing better now that we have the lights and tablets working again. No major injuries, thank the Prophets, but several of the children were more shaken up than others. Your daughter is being checked over right now, actually. I'll pass you over to the doctor."

"Is she okay? What happened?"

Alex's heart skipped a beat, his hands tightening on the armrests. He was halfway up before realizing it, catching Booker's furtive glance as she listened in. "You can go down if you'd like." She whispered, but Alex shook his head in response, lowering himself back down into the chair reluctantly while waiting for a reply. No I can't, not when I'm in this seat. Merde, I knew coming back was a bad idea.

"Workbee A-3 requesting permission to exit shuttlebay.  Crew compliment of 2 - one internal, one external on left arm. Our flight path will be 10 m above dorsal toward portside nacelle communications transceiver."

"Grelek, can you take care of that please?" Alex asked, his mind still very much on his daughter's unknown level of hurting. Forcing himself back into thinking like a commander for a second, he added, "Keep a sensor lock on that crewman's EVA suit and monitor their progress, keep an open channel with them during the repairs."

"Yes sir." Grelek had no visuals to watch, with their outboard cameras all inactive, but he still brought up the tracking screen to follow along.

"Workbee A-3, this is Petty Officer Grelek. Permission granted, proceed as filed to the portside nacelle. We will be maintaining an open commlink for the EVA."

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

Well, this was it. Ole Murphy enforced his law but finally they were here, about to finally make official first contact with the Landsers. As an added bonus, loking around the room Kyan didn't see any rifles pointed at him, so that was a plus. And a good sign so it is. he thought to himself. Inclining his head briefly in deference to the Landser President Kyan smiled up at her.

"Merry Met Madam President." the Onlie began cheerfully. "I'm Kyan Mackenzie from Miri's Planet, and happy tae be makin yer aquaintance."

"And why is it that you're here, making our aquaintance Mister Mackenzie?" the woman replied evenly.

"Straight to the point this one." Kyan said to himself. He'd been expecting to have to do the whole song and dance about who everyone was and where they were from and what the Federation was etc., but if he didn't know better, Kyan would had assumed that she was accustomed to speaking with aliens.  "Well, we usually dinae be makin contact with new people this way." he answered, maintaining his demeanor. "But circumstances made it so. Yer Space Fold Drive has been making holes in Space time or sommat. I'm not a scientist, so I canae tell ye all of it, but that's why we came."

"Nor am I." the president replied. "But our scientists haven't mentioned anything to me about complications with the tests."

"I dinnae think they could know." Kyan shrugged. "Your sensors cannae pick up the damage tae space time, but ours did. We had a scientist on our team that coulda told you the whole of it, much better than me so he could but he was captured by some of yer people. If we can get him here, he'll explain it."

"If he were captured, no doubt with good reason, what's to stop him explaining it where he is currently?"

Kyan's previously cheerful demeanor took a hit when the President said that. He tried to remain impassive, but they were talking about Jettis and that last line felt like a trap. After taking a moment to choose his words, her answered.

"Jettis is my friend. We've served together for years. An him bein captured isn't a good way fer us tae be friends."

The woman's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly "that sounds like a threat Mister Mackenzie.

Kyan glanced at Zhuk. The Caitian knew what do do if things went wrong, which was becoming a more and more likely possibility. Then he smiled and looked back up at her.

"Nay," he said with forced enthusiasm. "Just an observation."

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | The Capitol | Land | L7-425977 System]

At the response from the President of Land, Zhukdra'shar gave a step up, not forgetting his duties to the Federation as he still held Neva tightly. He glanced at the taller woman, his look calm and serious. He certainly had not internally liked the way she had spoken, but at least she had no way of knowing. Landsers were not empaths, after all. Correct?

"Please, do not believe we attempt to coerce thee in any way, Madame President. My companions and I have thus far been met with much hardship since our arrival. Indeed, though we sought to peacefully observe thy habitation and customs, so that this First Contact may sail as smooth as thou flying vessels, we have been engaged on multiple occasions. First by pilots, within our shuttle. Then, by angry inhabitants of one of thy towns. Citizens within this city who saw at us with suspicion and distrust." He began, taking a moment to pause to breathe in, and swallow some saliva,

"For this, I must say I cannot hold it against thee," He made a sudden pause. After a moment, he glanced at the President, and spoke up once more, changing course from whatever he planned to say before, the unknown is often scary and hard to understand. But the more you venture forth, and engage with it, the easier it becomes to appraise and value. We are not different in that sense. As I may see from Landser's usage of probes and tests to reach the final frontier that is space, both the Landsers, you, and the Federation, us, seek to answer questions, to indulge upon our natural curiosity, to explore beyond the boundaries of our paradigms and our worlds.

He offers a small smile to her, "And that, could only have been done through unity and cooperation. Thou has been kind in allowing us to explain our purpose here, and for that, I greatly appreciate thee. I cannot help but admire the beautiful pieces of work that are your cities and your way of life. Thus, I am certain that you can understand my previous statement. Your society has gathered together to construct marvels in engineering and culture. The Federation allows any to further broaden their horizons in these aspects, by engaging with other nations and ideals."

"I myself am a Caitian from Cait. We are prodigious warriors, though we also greatly enjoy discussing and partaking in philosophy and art. For example, even though I hold a position as a Security officer in our vessel, the Challenger, to protect others within the ship, I greatly enjoy theatre and acting," He stated, with no small sense of pride, before continuing, gently lifting Neva up. The effort showed as he winced slightly, before settling her back to her previous position, "Lieutenant Junior Grade Neva Cordon is a Human and Betazoid hybrid. Betazoids are humanoid beings that value directness and honesty, forth they are telepathic and emphatic, capable of reading the emotions of others. Humans, on the other hand, are quite varied, both in personality and thoughts, but from my experience with them, they are adaptable and persistent. So much so, that they were one of the founding members of the Federation."

He glanced at Kyan, finally, "Commander Kyan Mackenzie may appear at first glance as a juvenile, but he is truly not. The Commander has lived for several hundred years already, and his deeds during that period of time are admirable. He has suffered hardship, loss, and even then, he has continued forth."

He cleared his throat, "What I wish to convey through these examples is that our Federation is composed of many, many different viewpoints and species, all veering towards mutual respect, understanding, diplomacy and of course, the exploration of something greater than ourselves. And I believe that you too have the potential to join us and spread thy metaphorical wings. Though I am certain our Captain will have more eloquent words to share with thee, I nonetheless hope that we have made our point clear. We seek no problem, nor to inconvenience thou. Just find a mutual ground which will benefit us all."

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Landser Transport Aircraft]

The two men in red mostly ignored Jettis until he asked about speaking to the rest of the away team. This seemed to have hit a nerve as both men darkened when Jettis spoke.

"We of the An-Shok were prepared for Offworlders. As soon as the 'Great Work' began, we began endless exercises for what or who we would find when the Explorers left Land-Ta. You are not unlike what we pre-supposed, bilaterally symmetric, Oxygen breathing, Large brained. Your cosmetic difference was also expected, so we have not needed to speak to the other three of your infiltration team. We bring you to the Land Moot, there your fate will be decided."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Land Moot]

Before being led inside, Ian caught the attention of Moot Master Inti.

"Sir, please forgive my interruption, but while we are here for many reasons, one of the primary reason I am here specifically is that one of the members of my crew from the first team we sent in requested medical assistance. I have a doctor with me and would like to send him ta capital of Magana ta assist with the medical emergency. I will remain here if you will have me as a show of good faith."

Inti paused for several long seconds and nodded.

"Then as a show of good faith, your medical team is cleared to travel to Magana."

Inti gestured, and a female Landser approached.

"This is my aide Geenita. She will go with your doctor to ensure there are no delays."

"Thank you Moot Master."

Geenita joined Ardy, Doctor Vonn Zorr, and PO2 Heesou on the Mjolnir. Ian gave Ardy a final nod and the shuttle lifted smoothly to head for the quick 300 kilometer hop to Kayala City.

This left Ian, Blackfeather, and Tora with the Landser dignitaries. Inti led the way inside the massive, but surprisingly understated Land Moot Hall. The interior was tastefully decorated with paneling made from multiple different types of wood. After walking for quite a distance, the group entered a staggering large well lit chamber that remained as understated as the rest of the building. It seemed the Landsers did not care for ostentation in their governmental places of power. Inti and the other dignitaries took their place on the high semi-circular bench as Ian and company stood on a platform facing the leaders.

"Captain Iangalloway. Why are you here?"

[School]

As the child described the incident that had happened, Abas nodded. It seemed that the children were describing exactly the same thing that had happened to the rest of the crew. "Same thing happened to everyone else. It'll pass," he said, snapping his tricorder shut.

"You're doing well to not be scared. Here, take this", he said, prepping a small hypospray dose. "It'll help"

As Abas moved to distribute the dose, he felt compelled to continue to comfort the young patient, or at very least keep her distracted and talking. "I felt it too, it was quite overwhelming. But nobody has been severely hurt from it. Just keep taking deep breaths and stay strong. It'll be okay."

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

With that particular issue being worked on, Alex turned his focus to other things, namely the hundreds of waiting tasks to be completed. Systems were slowly coming back online one by one, and blessedly, the main computer was at least partially functional, usable enough that he could ask for reports from throughout the ship to actually have an overview of their current condition. "Lieutenant...Flight." He referred to Ardyn's replacement, not knowing her name, or the names of most of the others on the bridge. "Sorry, could I just have everyone pause what they're doing for a minute?" Pushing himself upright, he gave a sheepish wave. "I understand this is a bit unorthodox, but would everyone just mind introducing themselves? I'm Lieutenant Wu, Alex Wu, just transferred onboard with that group from the Farragut. And you are...?" He indicated towards the pilot.

"Hi, Lieutenant Wilma Schultz, Flight Control." "Adelle Booker." "Lieutenant Randall, Evan." "Rachel Davenport." "Petty Officer Grelek, sir."

"It's a pleasure meeting all of you, and I look forwards to getting to know you better. Thank you for indulging my request. Lieutenant Schultz, give notice to the shuttlebay and have them assign a pilot to the Cutty Sark. Davenport, likewise with a security detail. If we have to send backup, you'll be leading that team." With Booker and Randall keeping a close watch on the fold-space device and the away teams respectively, it gave Alex the luxury of a few minutes to settle an uneasy sensation tickling the back of his mind. He needed to check on the civilians, namely their vulnerable children, and in his own personal interest, Maddison. All he needed was for her to say yes, and they could go about their business.
"Lieutenant Wu to Muriel Atkins. How is everyone holding up down there?"

"Lieutenant, I was just about to call, we're doing better now that we have the lights and tablets working again. No major injuries, thank the Prophets, but several of the children were more shaken up than others. Your daughter is being checked over right now, actually. I'll pass you over to the doctor."

"Is she okay? What happened?"

Alex's heart skipped a beat, his hands tightening on the armrests. He was halfway up before realizing it, catching Booker's furtive glance as she listened in. "You can go down if you'd like." She whispered, but Alex shook his head in response, lowering himself back down into the chair reluctantly while waiting for a reply. No I can't, not when I'm in this seat. Merde, I knew coming back was a bad idea.

"Grelek, can you take care of that please?" Alex asked, his mind still very much on his daughter's unknown level of hurting. Forcing himself back into thinking like a commander for a second, he added, "Keep a sensor lock on that crewman's EVA suit and monitor their progress, keep an open channel with them during the repairs."

"Yes sir." Grelek had no visuals to watch, with their outboard cameras all inactive, but he still brought up the tracking screen to follow along.

"Workbee A-3, this is Petty Officer Grelek. Permission granted, proceed as filed to the portside nacelle. We will be maintaining an open commlink for the EVA."

[Land Moot]

It took a hot moment  to finally figure out just how to understand them, but as she followed Ian and the other woman in science blues,  Ardyn nodded as she overheard the mental chatter of the Landsers "˜whispering" amongst themselves as they went into the  room. What are these strange people? Are they really spies? What are they doing here on our planet?!

"œCap, it looks like they're talking about us  on a different  wavelength, telepathically wise. "œ she mentioned from what little she got from the emotional feedback they were giving off. "œI don't know if they can hear  our thoughts, but  I'd be careful, just in case,"

Moving back to shuttle to keep it warm, she nodded and maneuvered the shuttle to the next spot in particular.

""

[As Maddy]

[Schoolroom]

Maddy tensed at the thought of getting a shot, but she let the doctor give her the medicine. She wasn't going to show her new friends she was scared.  They were already scared enough.  "œOkie." she said, giving a brave face. She was feeling a lot better now. It didn't hurt all that much like she thought it would.  Why her mom didn't like getting shots or seeing doctors, she didn't know.

"œ Did other people get headaches too?  Why'd everyone get hurt all at the same time? Can I help?" she asked, her normal curious self returning as she noticed the teacher come over to the doctor with a message.  "œI guess Daddy is worried . "œ she said, noting that as she could finally hear him again without it hurting.

[Neva Cordon]

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Landser Vehicle --> The Capitol | Land | L7-425977 System]

"I see. I suppose that does explain it."

Zhukdra'shar nodded at Neva's and Kyan's response. He supposed that was an understandable reason as to why they were not using the suits. They would weigh them down after all. Still, why had Neva and Jettis not kept to the fringes of the town, or the hills themselves? Waltzing into town was a nonsensical course of action, in his book. Sure, Kyan could not be helped, as he was found unconscious, and by the look of things, being located by the kids had ended being better for them. Still, he probably should have not contact them in any way, perhaps escaping as soon as he regained his wits?

He sighed, and stopped himself before he got too worked up about it.

Time passed, though he could tell of their arrival at a large city right away, which he supposed was the Capitol. He marvelled at the strange, peculiar architecture that was in display, unable to admire it for what it was. Something new, exotic. He smiled softly as he mentally prepared himself for first contact. He knew it wouldn't be easier, and he dearly hoped Kyan, as their de-facto leader, could do a good job with the diplomacy. If not, he would have to step in.

Mikel stopped by a huge building, and as soon as the rest of the team, Landsers and Federation, was out, he too jumped from the vehicle. Helmet in hand, he made his way past a crowd of fearful, wary folk who looked at them with suspicion. An empath was not truly necessary to determine that, after all, as he could see it on their faces, and how their gaze never left them.

Zhuk also appraised the taller General Way'nir with an ounce of suspicion himself, his hand trailing close to his phaser. Just in case things got ugly, the Caitian would make sure that he could disable him before any harm came to them or the kids. Still, he remained with a casual pose, not wanting to give the planet any reason to suspect they did not come in peace. Especially as he gazed over at the soldiers with their guns.

Zhuk wanted one of those rifles for his collection...

Suddenly, though, Neva raised her arms and spouted some strange, peculiar words about how they were not there to harm them, asking them to disperse. As he raised an eyebrow and turned back to ask her what was up, she suddenly collapsed, petitioning the Challenger Medbay to assist her, before falling unconscious completely.

As the Security detail, Zhukdra'shar quickly made her way to her to inspect her condition,

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Cordon?! Cordon?! What-!?"

Angry people attempted to storm over Neva, but fortunately, the soldiers kept them from getting too close. It allowed Zhuk to move his hand from his absconded phaser, and make his way to Neva, as he had been ordered to by Neva, "Understood, Commander. On it."

Was his response, as he carefully scooped Neva from the ground, carrying her bridal style back towards Kyan and the Brass. His fur raised and his ears were pushed back as a Landser woman suddenly made their way towards them, asking to be taken with them. Zhuk raised a curious eyebrow as he relaxed, though his attention was swiftly placed on her as she tried to lift her shirt. Unfortunately, whatever she was trying to show was covered up by the soldiers.

With little reason to remain at the entrance of the Capitol, Zhuk dutifully followed after Kyan, doing his best not to show his struggle with carrying Neva.

Zhuk's arms trembled slightly under the effort he was undertaking, but his face remained stoic and composed. He would not show weakness. Not here. Zhuk would have enjoyed to get a moment to rest, but the General certainly seemed more than intent on getting them to the President. When they finally reached her, however, he felt a wave of peace washing over him, giving him the will he required to keep holding Neva.

Perhaps it was the robes or the way that she seemed so calm and composed, but at least, he was happy there would be no trouble. And that the General had not duped them.

Zhukdra'shar offered a soft bow towards her, though of course did not speak up. Instead, he allowed Kyan to express himself as he wished.

[ACEO Lt.JG Neva Cordon|Land-Ta|Kayala City Council Building]

Neva still felt woozy and somewhat disoriented from what she had said on the steps, her mind still wide open as a result. She opened her eyes and gently tapped Zhuk's shoulder in a silent request for release. Feeling his intense relief, she wriggled away to stand. Her legs felt jellyish, but she forced them to ground in strength.

Dark eyes fixed on the woman he spoke to and frowned, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.  Neva found the tension and skepticism so thick in the air as to be something she could almost taste.'Time to get them to cut the crap and be Betazoid,' she thought ruefully, giving Zhuk and Kyan an apologetic look.

Stepping forward and crossing her arms over her chest, Neva gazed pointedly at the woman. "Madam President, your space fold theory doesn't work in practice. The fact is, it's screwing with things beyond your ken and you need our help to fix it." Neva shook her head in annoyance as she stepped back to Zhuk's side, only to add. "Quit fishing for hidden agendas, you're not gonna find any K'ren."

[Ian Galloway]

[Land Moot]

It took a hot moment  to finally figure out just how to understand them, but as she followed Ian and the other woman in science blues,  Ardyn nodded as she overheard the mental chatter of the Landsers "˜whispering" amongst themselves as they went into the  room. What are these strange people? Are they really spies? What are they doing here on our planet?!

"œCap, it looks like they're talking about us  on a different  wavelength, telepathically wise. "œ she mentioned from what little she got from the emotional feedback they were giving off. "œI don't know if they can hear  our thoughts, but  I'd be careful, just in case,"

Moving back to shuttle to keep it warm, she nodded and maneuvered the shuttle to the next spot in particular.

[Outside --> Inside Land Moot Hall]

When Ardy reported the Landsers were telepathic, Ian cringed as he'd always been suspicious of telepaths. However, it wasn't like he could do anything about it, they were here and he had to work with the circumstances he'd been given.

"Thank you Lieutenant, go ahead and get the doctor ta Kyan's team, they've asked for help."

Going inside the hall and seeing the Landser international seat of government, Ian could only imagine how much effort had gone into having a place where multiple nation-states could attempt to act in concert. Earth's UN tried and mostly failed in that role. When Inti asked his question, at least it was one Ian could answer.

"Members of the Land Moot. I am here because your 'Great Work' drew us here. While we applaud your success, our own scientists have long thought foldin' space was impossible, it turns out there is a dangerous side effect of the technology. You see, foldin' space also means foldin' time. This results in powerful temporal pulses that our sensors detected. The Federation has had interaction with time travel and have learned it is a dangerous thing. Thus, anything that involves time draws my government's attention. Your last test sent out a pulse that disrupted the systems on my ship and revealed our presence before we were ready ta talk ta you.

"Havin' studied your history and knowin' your desire ta reach the stars, I know that what I have ta say next will nae be popular, but popular or no, it must needs be said. We already know that your fold space technology has a temporal effect. We don't yet ken how that effect will interact with the fabric of space around Land. It is very possible that you could find yourselves isolated in a pocket of space/time separate from the rest of the Universe. We need time ta study your technology ta ensure it isn't goin' ta harm our space/time continuum. For now, I am askin' you ta suspend tests of your fold space until our scientists can work with yours ta secure all of our safety."

The silence that met Ian was deafening and he hoped that his words were not being seen as a declaration of war.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[ACEO Lt.JG Neva Cordon|Land-Ta|Kayala City Council Building]

Neva still felt woozy and somewhat disoriented from what she had said on the steps, her mind still wide open as a result. She opened her eyes and gently tapped Zhuk's shoulder in a silent request for release. Feeling his intense relief, she wriggled away to stand. Her legs felt jellyish, but she forced them to ground in strength.

Dark eyes fixed on the woman he spoke to and frowned, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.  Neva found the tension and skepticism so thick in the air as to be something she could almost taste.'Time to get them to cut the crap and be Betazoid,' she thought ruefully, giving Zhuk and Kyan an apologetic look.

Stepping forward and crossing her arms over her chest, Neva gazed pointedly at the woman. "Madam President, your space fold theory doesn't work in practice. The fact is, it's screwing with things beyond your ken and you need our help to fix it." Neva shook her head in annoyance as she stepped back to Zhuk's side, only to add. "Quit fishing for hidden agendas, you're not gonna find any K'ren."

[Magana Capital City]

The president arched her eyebrow at Neva's comments and her expression hardened even further.

"Commander, are subordinates always allowed to interrupt during negotiations in your Federation? I cannot say I care for her tone or her implications of our incompetency. The 'Great Work' is the product of generations of effort and our scientists have all agreed that it is safe. Our most recent test was a complete success and we are about to move to manned exploration with our next test. You now say our technology doesn't work when we have verified data that it does. You claim there are no hidden agendas, but it seems like you either want or fear our technology-"

Before the president could continue, an aide arrived and the two spoke telepathically for a moment before the president returned her attention to Kyan and the others.

"It seems you have reinforcements arriving. A small space craft has arrived with the blessing of the Moot Master. Care to explain this development Commander, or will your disrespectful underling care for another outburst?"