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"How are you settling into your new life here on Cardassia?" asked the
Klingon. She saw no reason to beat around the bush. They were here for a reason. The sooner they dealt with it, the sooner they could deal with the realities of the situation. "I understand that you have taken a position at the university." "As with any move, it was a bit traumatic to my system. As I mentioned, I would have preferred to remain at Earth, but as you can expect, when Central Command calls, we all listen." Golan moved over to the table and rested his hands on the back of one of the chairs. "They have set me up in a wonderful position, and I have a chance to work with young minds, but it is not the life one would have chosen. What I have lost and what could have been has left me with some pain." Gul Legrath stepped forward. He did not like the way the conversation was going. Dulath raised his hand. "Do not worry, Legrath. I have no intention of implying that you and your people are abusing me and pretty much holding me hostage here on Cardassia." He turned and zeroed his iron gray eyes on the military man. "That would be foolish and would serve no purpose here." Rilg looked to the others. Was it a message indicating that was the case? Valtris had no doubt that it was a message from Dulath. That was the the truth and the Cardie Gul was supporting that belief with the stare that he was given her former colleague. "Perahps, you could take a vacation and visit us on the station, Professor. I understand that you are between terms at University." Golan glanced toward Valtris and nodded. "You are correct about our scheduling, but I am not sure that I could get a way. My work keeps me pretty much tied to my desk." "If it is mostly administrative work, then you probably could bring it with you and do it while you travel. I am sure that you could use a nice vacation. Settling into a new position can be a lot of work." Valtris glanced at Legrath as she spoke. "From what I understand, it could be good for your health to get away from things." Legrath stepped forward and extended his hands. "Perhaps, we should sit down. They are due to start serving lunch shortly." He glanced toward the Plantoc Ra'aj and pulled out the chair at the head of the table for her. She nodded and moved toward the seat, which he kindly pushed in for
her. It was clear that something was wrong, and she was not really sure
how to deal with the situation. She wanted to help her friend, but she
could only do it in an appropriate manner.
The others slowly made their way to their own chairs. Melora Damesh
had remained quiet for most of the conversation to this point. She
actually saw no purpose for being here. Once seated, she took a sip of
water from one of the glasses before her.
Watson was a bit aggravated but the fact that they were being held
off. They had received an initial report from the Cardassian doctor, they
had not been given an opportunity to have their own doctor confirm those
reports. Their questions were being rebutted. It was starting to
seem clear that this whole trip might be a waste of their collective time.
Rilg took his own seat. He was not surprised that the Cardassian had tried to change the subject, but he was surprised that everyone was so willing to allow it to happen. "I am sorry, Professor Dulath, but I must have missed your answer as everyone was settling into our seats. Would you be interested in coming to Spacedock for a brief respite?" Golan glanced toward Legrath uncomfortably. He, too, reached forward
for his glass of water and took a sip before continuing. "While I would
enjoy visiting my old friends on the station, it does not seem that it would be
possible at this time."
Watson sighed.
"Is there a problem, Ambassador Watson?" asked Melora with a tough of
pleasure in her voice.
T'Kresh thought it might be time to insert herself a little bit more into
the conversation before something was said that they would all regret. "I
am sure that Ambassador Watson was just expressing his disappointment about not
being able to see Professor Dulath present one of his famous parties on the
station."
Watson was relieved that the Plantoc had given him an opportunity to cool
his temper before continuing. "Professor Dulath, I understand that you
were experiencing some health problems?"
Dulath nodded. "Yes, fortunately, medical care on Cardassia has
allowed me to heal from all of those problems."
Watson decided it was time to push the envelope. "I was talking with
Chair Ra'aj on the way hear, and we were having a bit of a disagreement about
something. Is it true that you are one of those folks who still likes to
use ink and paper when writing correspondence." Watson could only hope
that the true question was evident.
A silence fell over the table as the Council representatives new what the true question was. Fortunately, Gul Legrath seemed oblivious. Melora started to open her mouth for a moment as if she was about to say
something, but Rilg, who was seated next to her, grabbed her hand very
uncharacteristically and sneered at her. His pointed Ferengi teeth were
the only message she got, and she felt a surprising amount of fear from the
small man.
Golan's eyes darted around the table in anxiety before a smile spread
across his lips. It was clear that he got the message. "I have
always found the use of pen and paper to be comforting in our time when everyone
seems to use dicto programs to write their correspondence. In some ways,
they are more reliable since they can express the real feelings and character of
the writer."
(folks?)
AJ & Ray |
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