tenebrae_nostro [January CDE] Misplaced and Displaced
Right from the start, the diplomatic mission to Baklar IV gave Will Riker a bad feeling. The people who lived on the planet's main continent had developed with strict diplomatic customs and regulations. In a lot of ways, they were similar to the Baku, who had advanced technology--including warp drive--but had rejected the use of such technology except sparingly. They still held onto a more primitive societal structure with small villages populating the continent and a patriarchal system of society. The head of state had more in common with the United States' President than he did with England's Queen. He was elected by the people of all the villages collectively and made all the political and diplomatic decisions. However, once elected, he takes on a religious role, too, much like the Pope from the Catholic faith on Earth. The Holy Elected in this case is a man by the name of Ektar T'Ramos. And he refuses to meet with anyone but the highest ranking member of the crew.
And that was cause for concern.
When he was still First Officer on the Enterprise, he wouldn't think twice about insisting Captain Picard stay behind when it came to away missions. However, now the tables were turned and his First Officer, Christine Vale, was insisting he stay behind.
"I really think this is a bad idea," she said as they walked down the corridor to the transporter room, "We don't know anything about them. Let Commander Troi and me go."
He cast her a glance as the rounded a corner. The door was just ahead on the right. "No. Holy Elected T'Ramos made it very clear that he wouldn't even consider discussion with anyone else. I don't like it either, but we have no choice." The door slid open with a soft 'woosh'. Deanna was already there waiting for them. She had met them there from elsewhere on the ship. She and Will exchanged glances as he entered the room. He and Vale joined her in front of the transporter pad.
"You'll have to be careful with how you phrase your statements. They're very formal as a culture and syntax is taken very seriously," Deanna said, looking from her husband to Vale and back.
"I hope they don't decide to give me a spelling test," he quipped. Both women smiled.
"They lace a lot of emphasis on male figures of power, so you'll likely be regarded very highly and as such, well respected. However, they're not quick to trust, so you'll have to earn that." I'll see you later, Imzadi, she added in a thought to him.
"Thank you, Counselor," Will said with a smile and then stepped up onto the transporter pad, "I think I'll do alright. Ready, Mr. Lyons?"
The transporter chief, Lieutenant Ramon Lyons, furrowed his brow as he studied the console in front of him. "Sir, I'm getting a lot of interference from the planet's atmosphere."
"Can you boost the signal?" Riker asked and shifted from one foot to the other. He didn't want to keep the Holy Elected waiting. A late arrival would cast a shadow all the discussions.
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Do it."
A few moments later, Lyons looked up at the three senior officers gathered in front of him. "Ready, sir." Riker gave the command to beam him down to the planet's surface. It took the transporter a moment or two before the beam reached full strength. Another ominous sign. Riker's pattern blipped and flickered before vanishing. All seemed well until Lyons looked up, frantic panic in his eyes.
"Commander, I've lost the Captain's signal," he said. The two women in front of him snapped their heads around simultaneously to face him.
"Well get it back," barked Christine. She glanced over at Deanna, then back at the scared young man.
"I can't, sir, it's gone."
"Gone? What do you mean 'gone'?" asked Deanna, worry clearly etched into her features. Lyons shook his head.
"There's no trace of it. Like he'd never been here."
*****
Will Riker wasn't actually gone. Not as far as he knew, anyway. But he sure as hell wasn't on Baklar IV. Nor was he on Titan. So where the hell was he and how did he get here? A loud, obnoxious honking noise came from behind him and he spun around only to be greeted with by a blue sedan driven by an angry looking Pakistani man. The white rectangle on the car's roof read TAXI.
"Get out of the way, asshole!" the man shouted, sticking his head out of the window. His words were accompanied with a shaking fist and a one-fingered wave as he hurriedly drove around Will. When another car repeated the action a second later, he realized he was standing in the street and that this was not the decade he was familiar with. He hopped back onto the sidewalk and looked around. The sidewalk was crowded with people walking quickly past him without giving him anything more than an annoyed look without interrupting the conversations they were having with...little boxes stuck to their faces.
He walked a little ways down the sidewalk and past a mailbox. USPS. So he was on Earth. United States to be exact. A newspaper box next to the mailbox gave him a little more information. The title of the paper was Los Angeles Times. Straightening up, he sighed and looked around. He really wasn't in Kansas anymore.
And that was cause for concern.
When he was still First Officer on the Enterprise, he wouldn't think twice about insisting Captain Picard stay behind when it came to away missions. However, now the tables were turned and his First Officer, Christine Vale, was insisting he stay behind.
"I really think this is a bad idea," she said as they walked down the corridor to the transporter room, "We don't know anything about them. Let Commander Troi and me go."
He cast her a glance as the rounded a corner. The door was just ahead on the right. "No. Holy Elected T'Ramos made it very clear that he wouldn't even consider discussion with anyone else. I don't like it either, but we have no choice." The door slid open with a soft 'woosh'. Deanna was already there waiting for them. She had met them there from elsewhere on the ship. She and Will exchanged glances as he entered the room. He and Vale joined her in front of the transporter pad.
"You'll have to be careful with how you phrase your statements. They're very formal as a culture and syntax is taken very seriously," Deanna said, looking from her husband to Vale and back.
"I hope they don't decide to give me a spelling test," he quipped. Both women smiled.
"They lace a lot of emphasis on male figures of power, so you'll likely be regarded very highly and as such, well respected. However, they're not quick to trust, so you'll have to earn that." I'll see you later, Imzadi, she added in a thought to him.
"Thank you, Counselor," Will said with a smile and then stepped up onto the transporter pad, "I think I'll do alright. Ready, Mr. Lyons?"
The transporter chief, Lieutenant Ramon Lyons, furrowed his brow as he studied the console in front of him. "Sir, I'm getting a lot of interference from the planet's atmosphere."
"Can you boost the signal?" Riker asked and shifted from one foot to the other. He didn't want to keep the Holy Elected waiting. A late arrival would cast a shadow all the discussions.
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Do it."
A few moments later, Lyons looked up at the three senior officers gathered in front of him. "Ready, sir." Riker gave the command to beam him down to the planet's surface. It took the transporter a moment or two before the beam reached full strength. Another ominous sign. Riker's pattern blipped and flickered before vanishing. All seemed well until Lyons looked up, frantic panic in his eyes.
"Commander, I've lost the Captain's signal," he said. The two women in front of him snapped their heads around simultaneously to face him.
"Well get it back," barked Christine. She glanced over at Deanna, then back at the scared young man.
"I can't, sir, it's gone."
"Gone? What do you mean 'gone'?" asked Deanna, worry clearly etched into her features. Lyons shook his head.
"There's no trace of it. Like he'd never been here."
*****
Will Riker wasn't actually gone. Not as far as he knew, anyway. But he sure as hell wasn't on Baklar IV. Nor was he on Titan. So where the hell was he and how did he get here? A loud, obnoxious honking noise came from behind him and he spun around only to be greeted with by a blue sedan driven by an angry looking Pakistani man. The white rectangle on the car's roof read TAXI.
"Get out of the way, asshole!" the man shouted, sticking his head out of the window. His words were accompanied with a shaking fist and a one-fingered wave as he hurriedly drove around Will. When another car repeated the action a second later, he realized he was standing in the street and that this was not the decade he was familiar with. He hopped back onto the sidewalk and looked around. The sidewalk was crowded with people walking quickly past him without giving him anything more than an annoyed look without interrupting the conversations they were having with...little boxes stuck to their faces.
He walked a little ways down the sidewalk and past a mailbox. USPS. So he was on Earth. United States to be exact. A newspaper box next to the mailbox gave him a little more information. The title of the paper was Los Angeles Times. Straightening up, he sighed and looked around. He really wasn't in Kansas anymore.