- Text Size +

010 “ “Who Runs This Town, Anyway?”


“Who the hell does Masamune think he is?” Selina Tessier fumed and flung the padd back onto her silver-metallic desk.

“We should escalate this matter,” Captain Whren suggested.

“To where?” she replied. “The mayor? She already doesn’t like us as is and would surely side with him any day. And the UE is just going to relegate us back to the city council which takes its orders from the mayor. No, there is no point in doing much about this.”

The Andorian frowned, his antennae twitching slightly, mirroring his displeasure. “He can’t just walk around town threatening to arrest our people. We had as much right as he had to look at that crime scene.”

The admiral stood from her desk. “Perhaps. But Masamune knows that at the moment he has the upper hand and he will milk it for all it's worth,” she said with frustration and turned to look out of the large window of her office which allowed for a beautiful view of Golden Gate Bridge. “There is palpable tension in this city, I can sense it from the smell in the air. And the whole planet, the entire Federation is looking upon us. Whatever happens here will be felt in Paris and far beyond.”

“From your somber mood I take it your meeting with the President did not go very well.”

Tessier glanced at her confidant, rubbing her temples. “They want to focus on a diplomatic solution.”

Whren shook his head with anger. “They don’t understand that this situation is already far beyond diplomacy. Maybe that would have worked if they had shown some interest in this matter a few months ago. Now is the time to put boots on the ground.”

“What we need is a feasible plan for Starfleet’s future,” Tessier said. “And if the administration and the Council is not going to begin ensure it now this might very well be the beginning of the end for us.”

“You are worried about the Tzenkethi?” the security chief asked.

“I’m worried about every single empire that has recovered from the War faster and better than we have and is patiently waiting for us to show some of our many weaknesses.”

“And you believe that that’s were Yaridian comes in? That we need to take him up on his offer?”

Tessier sat down in her chair again. “Yes. But he won’t wait for us to make a decision forever. He is not like us, he doesn’t even care about the profit he’ll be making. He just wants to see his work realized and if he can’t do that with us he might as well go to the Romulans or the Breen or the Tzenkethi.”

Whren nodded slowly.

“Something has to be done and quickly or the War will seem like nothing more than a prelude to what will come next. If only those stubborn politicians in Paris would see that.”

The Andorian didn’t reply. He seemed lost in his thoughts for a moment. He didn’t even notice the admiral’s asking eyes. Whren had been a close friend and confident of hers throughout her career. She had served with the man for nearly thirty years and yet she had never been able to read him.

“What are you thinking, Whren?”

He looked at her with apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry, Admiral. It’s just that I don’t understand. I lost most of my body in the War but what I’ve gained is living proof that what we are asking for is the logical next step to make. Sixty-five percent of the people living in this city have been equipped with brain-enhancers and all over the Federation civilians are getting cybernetic parts and yet Starfleet has been banned from any cybernetics which are not for medical purposes. It simply makes no sense to me.”

“It doesn’t make sense to me either, old friend.”

“Admiral, there is no person in the universe I trust more than you. I fought by your side against the Tzenkethi, the Borg and the Dominion and you’ve always seen the bigger picture while others weren’t able to think beyond the next battle. If you are convinced that our future depends on making a deal with the Poseidon Cooperative then I will do whatever is in my power to make it a reality.”

She nodded slowly. Whren’s loyalty was both appreciated and refreshing. Too many within and without Starfleet saw her as a hotshot, a young flag officer who had earned her stripes through combat and who had moved up the ranks of the Starfleet elite only because of the devastating personnel shortages following the War.

Sir, Admiral Quinerzos would like to speak to you,” the voice of Tessier’s adjutant interrupted the conversation.

Talking about doubters, she thought. The Starfleet Commander-in-Chief liked to keep close taps on her. One call a day had become a predictable routine.

Whren could read Tessier perfectly. “I have the upmost confidence that even Quinerzos will have to give in to your argument eventually. It is merely a matter of time.”

Tessier gave him a small smile just before he left Tessier to her daily duel with her boss. As he walked out of the office he understood better than most that Tessier’s plan was the only way to avoid for the Federation to face another dark age. He also understood that while she was trying to save them all, her hands were being tied behind her back by a paranoid administration and an overcautious Starfleet Command. He on the other hand was almost entirely free of meddlesome oversight.


You must login (register) to review.