Patch Job

Posted on Sun Apr 15th, 2018 @ 12:40pm by Lieutenant Commander Ziyal Tajor & Lieutenant Ishan Satele & Lieutenant Sara'draphia T'eseri

Mission: Of Machines and Men
Location: Sickbay, USS Victory.

Pacing back and forward in Sara's office, Satele was thinking over Sara's proposal. It sounded like a good idea in theory, but she wasn't sure it would work the way Sara thought it would.

Sara sighed before stand up, "come on Satele, you know I am right. You can say you are paying me back if that makes you feel any better"

Stopping in the middle of the room, Satele closed her eyes, "alright fine. I'll do it"

giving an approving nod, Sara activated the com, "Dr T'eseri to Commander Tajor, please report to my office at your next convenience"

=/\=On my way.=/\= Was the reply. A few minutes later, the chime sounded, indicating that Ziyal was at the door.

Standing up from her desk, Sara walked over and opened the door, “thank you for coming Commander, please come in”

"Thank you doctor." She said with a smile and entered the office.

Over to one side of the room, Satele stood there with her arms crossed and a serious look on her face. She may not have been 100% happy about what they were about to do, but that was beside the point now.

Returning to her seat, Sara looked back at Ziyal, “the reason I have asked you here is for Lieutenant Ishan to become more accustomed with her Cardassian heritage. If you are willing, Satele will ask you some questions for you to answer as you wish. I will be here to act as mediator in case the discussion gets out of control. I will also be using this discussion for my personal research into Cardassian culture. So, are you willing to answer a few questions?”

Ziyal nodded, her last encounter with the hybrid had been fraught with tension. She had done her best to defuse it, but it hadn't worked. She sat down, doing her best to look relaxed in the tense atmosphere. "Certainly, I'm more then happy to answer any questions either of you have."

glad that Ziyal was willing to help, Sara nodded to Satele than sat back in her chair.

taking a deep breath, Satele turned to Ziyal, "what is you opinion on the Cardassian Union? or rather what the Empire has become since the end of the war?"

"Unlike some, I'm fairly positive. Significant inroads were made during the reconstruction. The current council has to fend off the Directorate. This means taking more pro-military positions then many in Starfleet are comfortable with. However, even with the rebuilding efforts, going on the offensive is completely out of the question. While showing compassion to those under your heel is not something they value, I think most analysts forget that loyalty is one of their strongest values. That we were there for them after the devastation of their homeworld and continue our closer trade relationships will weigh heavily on their mind." Ziyal said, switching to analysis mode.

"interesting, do you consider those Cardassians who identify as part of 'The True Way' as terrorist?" Satele asked

Ziyal nodded and continued her analysis. "I don't think that's really in question. As a organization, the True Way conducts bombings and assassinations against not only legitimate government targets, but also against civilians. Notably, they have been responsible for the assassination of several clerics of Oralians. This has caused a small rift in the Oralians, with some advocating for a return to the more secretive ways of the past, while others see this as the cost of religious business in the environment of Cardassia."

Ziyal paused from her analytical tone. Looking at the two as if judging them to see if they were trustworthy. "I'm of the more secretive faction of the clergy." She said casually.

Then she resumed the analytical way she was talking about the issue. "The True Way has survived for so long in Cardassian politics because they have a great many sympathizers who are still in power, even twenty years after the end of the Dominion war. So far, they have been running on the nostalgia of living memory. However, there are signs that they are transitioning into a more mythical telling of Cardassian history. The True Way should not be underestimated. While the organization it's self is small and relatively weak, their sympathizers in positions to make policy decisions are the greater threat."

listening to Ziyal talk was getting better for Satele as they went on. She was getting more first hand knowledge of the situation in Cardassia than most of the 'co-workers' had been able to for A while, "so how would you go about removing the influence of the True Way from the Cardassian Government? should those in power that are supporting these radicals be removed or should some other means of persuasion be used?" Satele asked

Sitting in her chair, Sara was glad that the conversation had become more of a discussion rather than the interrogation she was afraid Satele was going to make it. however, she was only going to let this line of questioning go on for so long. after all this meeting was ment to help Satele deal with her hatred for her Cardassian Heritage, not be a source of information.

Ziyal shook her head, "If we removed the supporters, then I doubt Cardassia would have a functioning goverment. Especially if 'we' were the ones to do it. No, I think our current technique of building trade relationships will deal with the members of the true way in time. Something to remember here is that we can't just think about what would be convenient right here and now. Aggressive action often has backlash." Ziyal considered for a moment, "Your Bajoran, let me ask you what would happen if an outside power came in and got rid of your leaders in one fell swoop? Would that make you easier to use?"

"From a Bajoran point of view, no it wouldn't. but from another point of view, it all depends on what happens after the leaders are removed and how they are removed" Satele explained, trying not to give too much away. "if the general public didn't realise that their leaders were removed by an outside force, would they care who stepped up to take command?"

Ziyal considered for a moment, but realized that the question needed clarification. "Which leaders are you referring to?" She asked cautiously.

folding her arms across her chest, Satele smiled, "I can't answer that. all I can say in response is that we are forming contingency plans, just in case"

Ziyal shrugged, "Then I can't really answer your question."

listening to the conversation, Sara decided to chime in, "How would the Federation react if the Cardassian Government fell into civil war?"

Satele turned to Sara with a look of curiosity, "um, I'm not entirely sure. I believe the Prime Directive would apply"

Ziyal shrugged, "Perhaps, perhaps not. While generally we don't and I don't think we would as a policy. It is possible that if there was a civil war, the current goverment might reach out to us for help. I don't think it's impossible that we would help depending on the exact circumstances. My analysis is that the current government is weak, though it grows stronger with time. I think in a generation or two, it will be solid as any. However, if there is a civil war, then Cardassia will return to a more despotic form of government regardless of who wins."

"And a stable Cardassia is good for the whole quadrent and esspecially Bajor" Satele added

Ziyal nodded, "Exactly. Now, the Prime Directive makes it so that we can't just go in there and make the changes that we would like to make to their political structure. There are two things in my mind that could draw us into the problem. First, is if the Cardassian government asks for help in tracking down the True Way. We consider them to be a terrorist organization and officially, so does the Cardassian government. The second way we might get involved is through me personally. If there was a formal ecumenical council called by the leader of my religion, then I would have to go to Cardassia and participate in the council. This hasn't happened in three hundred years, but I think the changing situation may warrant it. If that happened and I was attacked, Starfleet would be able to investigate the matter because I'm a Starfleet officer."

"I don't know that's true. In order for you to attend this council, you'd have to take a leave of absence from Starfleet as your religion is a personal matter and not one Starfleet can get involved in" Satele explained, "Starfleet does have other methods Commander, not all of which are clean"

"I am well aware of that Lieutenant. If I were not, then I couldn't do my job. That doesn't mean I like those methods or think we should use them. They are options and Starfleet might choose to use those options. They might even be necessary for our survival. Dirty operations lower us even when undetected and successful. The true test of character is who you are in the dark. If who we are in the dark violates our core principles, then we should rethink our actions to ensure that they really are necessary. We've both seen the aftermath of someone believing that our core principles are negotiable and it's not pretty. The ends may necessitate the means, but they don't justify them." Ziyal explained.

“Well, it’s good to know you feel that way. Starfleet needs people like yourself who are willing to stand up for ‘the right thing’, keeps us from going too far” Satele said with a slight smile, “it’s people like us that have kept the Federation from falling apart. You see the lighter, hopeful side of things and I live on the other side seeing people at their worst”

“And then there are those like me who get caught between the two of you rethinking their choices” Sara commented, not sure what had happened to this conversation.

Ziyal nodded before she turned back to Sara. "This is a very old debate in the fleet. When we are pressed against the wall, the Federation does have a habit of playing dirty. I think that a lot of people forget that of the four founding races of the Federation, Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites, all of them have a long history of warfare. Humans and Vulcans both nearly nuked themselves out of existence. The Vulcan's nuclear war led to a group of Vulcans leaving the planet and forming a major power of the alpha quadrant on their own. Tellarites are known for their engineering prowess, but that prowess was created by building great and terrible weapons of destruction. Andorians have a long history of honor duels as a outlet for violence. The Federation is peaceful yes, but we are peaceful because we choose peace, not because we are predisposed to it. So when something comes and truly pushes the Federation against the wall, all bets are off."

Sara smiled, "it sounds like most young races are quite similar. a great deal of peaceful races come from blood stained pasts that they are ashamed of. the true test of a people is if they can learn from their mistakes and rise above those who came before them" she said, taking a breath in, "or at least that's what the philosophers say"

Ziyal's padd buzzed. She stood and started to leave. "Looks like I have a briefing in a few minutes."