Set in 2371, (not finished rough draft). Suggestions and critisms welcome.
Leaving the shuttlebay, Vreed quickened his pace slightly so he could stay ahead of the other three and make sure the route was secure before the President walked along it behind him. He could tell that she wasn't well despite her calm, neutral facade. The Bajoran negoitations had been more then a teda agreement but the first real test of her political and diplomacy skills away from Vrijheid system and though one could argue she had put on a,'good performace' showing by extention that the Vrijheidians were still a proud and strong people the reality of it was she fraked it up with the same,'performace of strong Vrijheidian attitude'.How to deal with faiure was a lesson she obviously had to retake but this time he wasn't going to help her through it, she was no longer a little girl but a grown women.
The Bajoran's were terribly relegious but that doesn't excuse them from admiting they had been rude in what their First Minister had said to her once the negoitations had broken down, "May the Prophets guide you back to the path from which you have strayed". Vreed had sincerly at that moment thought about continuing the idents in the middle of the man's nose all along it with his family dagger but couldn't act on it so he settled for a polite smile as President Karah replied indigantly, "F**K the Prophets" before walking out.
Satisfied that the rest of the journey to the state room would be safe Vreed slowled his pace so that he was walking at Karah's side, a quick glance behind him told him that the two engineers had left them either by the Presidents request or they had dismissed themselves. leaving just the press secetary. Karah would want some time alone and but the press ecetary made it dificult it give her it straight away as the only way to get rid of her was to ask her to join him in his office to put together the edited version of the meeting's transcript and to think of a way to stop the First Minister from going public about the, 'dramatic' end to the negiotations both of which they had to do anyway but that would mean leaving the President Vindenpawl to walk the corridors alone unprotected which went against his job, his family obligations, and his consience, so he would have to wait till Karah had been escorted safely to the state room.
"Computer lock the door", Karah said quickly as soon as she had entered the stateroom.
< Doors Locked >
The last thing she needed right know was her admin staff buzzing around her making suggestions, asking for approval for whatever satutituery orders, white papers and whatever else. The stateroom wasn't really a stateroom at all, more of a smaller more compact version of the President's office on Vrijheid 4 that connected with her private chambers, a large black leather swivel chair at the middle of a meduim sized elipse shaped table witht he great seal of Vrijheid rug infront of it. When she finally the voices of Vreed and Jervien at the other side of the door had disappeared she asked the computer her voice shaking, "Computer are there any lifesigns on the outside of the stateroom door?".
< Negative, there are no known lifeforms outside the stateroom door >
Then she began to let her calm fascade break running through the connecting door to her private chambers and on the large pile of purple silk cushions at the foot of her bed like a teenager, then President Karah Vindenpawl of The Independent, Social Democratic, Prefecture of the People’s Vrijheid Authority began to do something she hadn't for many years
She cried, long and hard.
1985 - 2384
"Mummy".
"Mummy, Mummy".
Hearing the voice Karah opened her sore eyes, tears still coming from them though not the flood it was a few minutes ago. "Who's there?", she asked getting up, right hand reaching in the right robe pocket for her small type 1 hand phaser. "Trami is it you? Come out... this isn't funny", her tone of voice turning serious. She headed towards her bed which she knew was up against the left wall, looking around the area around the bed through the semi darkness as she did so, trying to dissern if their was anyone there, her right hand clutching the phaser ready to use it while the other one felt for the wall.
"Computer Lights".
Nothing happened
"Come on", Karah swore quietly, fustration beginning to mix with her fear as she continued to steadily back up towards the wall. Though her mind was telling her to do so she didn't run, to do that she would have to turn around presenting whomever or whatever had seemingly sabotaged the computer with an opportunity to attack her from behind no matter how fleeting. It didn't take long for someone to take the initative and use such an opportunity she knew that,she had been at the other side of this kind of situation before. Desperatley she extended her left arm out further behind her hoping to feel the wall at any moment. Her attack could very conciably have anticipated this reaction to his or her sabotage and was waiting behind Karah as she backed up but it was a risk she was willing to take.
'Who would do this?', Karah asked her selfin her mind keeping the phaser leveled, 'If this was happening back on Vrihied 4 there would be plenty of suspects, but here I have the problem of the other end of the extreme, a small number of people with no knowledge of them'. The Presidential transport wasn't a large ship manned by a mixture of administrative and army personall the only other people on board were her, Vreed, Trami, Jervien and those two enigneers from the Maan-Hataan weapons research and development centre. 'It's not Vreed or any of the crew', her mind reasoned,'He's been loyal all of his life and the crew were to busy most of the time, politly insulting and arguing with each other. That leaves four The One...'. Her thoughts were cut off as her left hand finally her left hand felt a warm hard surface against it, the wall. Quickly and with some relief she pressed her back to the wall.
After a few momwnts Karah began to breathe more slowly Who they were, (if there was someone there) ultimatley didn't matter she just had to kill them before they killed her. Whatever was going on it was feeling less and less like one of Trami's pratical jokes. As she waited a short while for her eyes to adjust allowing her to see in the semi darkness, her nerves got the better of her and she shot a shot phaser blast ahead of her shattering something on the shelves across the room, it sounded like it was either glass or porcelien but her mind was too occupied to try and make a distinction. 'Why haven't they attacked me?', Karah wondered,'Why are they waiting?'.
Still ever so quietly she began to move to her left, keeping as her back against the wall and the hand phaser ready stopping only when she felt her left leg bang into something hard, her bedside set of draws. Ignoring the tricorder her hand hovered over her communicator considering in her mind whehther or not she should call for help, 'No that might be the trigger for them attack', her mind reasoned, 'If the lights aren't working then most likely neither will the comm system no one good enough to sabotage to corner me like this would leave such an obvious avenue of rescue open','Are they waiting for me to find them first? If thats the case there must be more then one of them'.
A small flash of very bright white light appeared on the purple silk cushion only a few milimetres from wher she had been lying earlier appearing only for a second before disappearing into thin air again leaving behind what appeare to Karah from her vantage point to be a small wicker basket. 'An apology hamper from the First Minister to apologise or a personal tribute?', she wondered both were possible her impact of most humaniod men was one of strong attraction which she found flattering and amusing, most of the time,'No I would have been woken by someone for such a delievery and the Bajorans have no transporter technology of their own'. Before she did anything Karah increased the setting of her hand phaser to kill, then opened up the tricorder with her free left hand and began to scan the room systematically from left to right ignoring the wicker basket the possible bait set by her slow witted attackers. She was halfway through scanning the left half of the room when she heard the voice again.
"Mummy".
"Mummy, Mummy".
For a breif moment Karah Vindenpawl froze hearing a baby's voice calling her mummy had a strange effect on her she couldn't explain, both frightening her, sending shivers down her spine but also making her feel happy. Failing to fully shake the feeling off Karah continued to scan the room systematically dismissing it as a her mind playing tricks on her. Yes she could scan the entire room with the tricorder but she wanted to be absolutely sure she hadn't missed anything. The One Way certianly wouldn't be able to smuggle any sensor reflective or other type of stealth technology aboard the transport the security checks were very thorough. Karah began to let herself relax slightly into her task, then she brought the tricorder level with the wicker basket
A class 5 humaniod life form... Vrijheidian... a male.
Skeptical Karah checked again, the scan results came up the same.
As if on cue baby like crying started.
Against her better judgement but not against her will Karah Vindenpawl ran towards where the wicker basket lay lowering her phaser slightly her mind flooding with conflicting thoughts, 'It's a trap... but it's a baby I can't leave it crying... it could be a changeling'. That last thought made Karah pause as she kneeled down next to the large wicker basket, most people in the Federation firmly believed that there were changelling infiltrating it and planning to bring about chaos, like they had the Klingon Empire and one had replaced Mortok. Apperantly there was a changeling on Deep Space 9 the security chief Odo, who apparently was trustworthy, could another one of them slipped on the ship? Karah wasn't sure, she bent over the baby boy phaser in hand pointing at his head waiting to see if he knocked it out of her hand with a tentacle, or tried to strangle her.
But he didn't.
Minutes passed and he did nothing said nothing, just his large brown innocent eyes and facial features asking her the question, 'Are you mummy?'.
Sleep and sound Daimi lyes,
Small and defenceless,
Oh innocent he looks
Small and defenceless,
Oh innocent he looks
President Karah Vindenpawl said nothing as the small shuttle approached the shuttlebay of the Vrjiheidian Presidential Transport her eyes fixed on the shuttlebay enterance willing the shuttle to get their faster. 'You failed, you failed', her mind told her the words dancing around like pointing and jeering children, Karah tried to push the thoughts from her mind by focusing on her black painted finger nails but couldn't fully ignore them. She had failed in the talks, she had failed her people, the reborn Vrijheid defence industry, Vreed, her mother, everyone. She looked around the shuttle taking care to keep her facial expression as calm and collected as it had been when she had stormed out of the First Minister's office, looking at everyone in turn trying to guage their mood except the pilot.
Vreed Kaart her cheif of staff/ Principle Private Secetary and confidenant didn't repricate her look, instead focusing on reading the .P.A.D.D. in front of him.'That probably the transcript of the meeting', Varah told herself a little comforted by her confidenants devotion to his work,'He's reviewing it and highlighting what he thinks should be changed for the public release'. Next to Vreed was the press secetary, Jervien obviously nervous about being under the President's gaze and was failing to hide it by pretending to help Vreed with his editing. The other two people were officails from the newly ressurected defence department too ingrossed in their red engineering .P.A.D.D.s to acknowledge her look, it reminded her of that creepy few hours she had spent touring Utopia Plantia as part of being officaily recognised as a council member by the UFP, quietly she turned back around to face the ever approaching shuttlebay.
Engineers may be creepy but they were useful people, unlike the Bajorans.
Stupid, big headed, backward, relegious vermin. Thats all they were to her now. How could anyone respect a people who blindingly worship aliens that didn't stop the Cardassians from conquering them despite apparently having more then enough power to do so. It was becoming clear to her why Gul Dukat had wanted them all dead.
She would try and keep diplomatic relations with Bajor a possibility of course, but after her closing, 'statement' she would leave it to the Vrijheidian ambassador on the planet. If he was good enough to keep his job then future negoitations wouldn't be a problem. If he wasn't then someone more competent would be found to take his place.
The sound of the shuttle landing was partially muted by the purposely installed sound proofing material into the walls, bringing with it a momentary feeling of relief for Karah. She was on Vrijheid deckplating again, her home. But it was only a momentary escape, the message of failure was growing louder again in her mind in the voice of taunting children, 'You failed them all, Vreed, mother, father, your own people... they'll see your weak, unable, impotent, they'll plot to get rid of you...'. Once the little group had dissembarked the shuttle Karah waited for Vreed to exit the shuttlebay ahead of her as normal, she needed Vreed in front of her, to clear the way quickly down the corridors, and to put her mind at ease. If they were any members of, "The One Way" aboard the transport they would first try and kill him an important member of one of the original 3 personality cult families that had helped support, protect, and develop her family line since before the Great Civil War, and Karah was worried about her own vulnerability. Since she was a little girl her parents and, 'Aunties and Uncles' had all impressed upon her the need to have children to continue the family, especailly since she was an only child and the plain fact that she wanted to stay alive aslong as possible like any sensible, right minded senitent being did.
Vreed Kaart her cheif of staff/ Principle Private Secetary and confidenant didn't repricate her look, instead focusing on reading the .P.A.D.D. in front of him.'That probably the transcript of the meeting', Varah told herself a little comforted by her confidenants devotion to his work,'He's reviewing it and highlighting what he thinks should be changed for the public release'. Next to Vreed was the press secetary, Jervien obviously nervous about being under the President's gaze and was failing to hide it by pretending to help Vreed with his editing. The other two people were officails from the newly ressurected defence department too ingrossed in their red engineering .P.A.D.D.s to acknowledge her look, it reminded her of that creepy few hours she had spent touring Utopia Plantia as part of being officaily recognised as a council member by the UFP, quietly she turned back around to face the ever approaching shuttlebay.
Engineers may be creepy but they were useful people, unlike the Bajorans.
Stupid, big headed, backward, relegious vermin. Thats all they were to her now. How could anyone respect a people who blindingly worship aliens that didn't stop the Cardassians from conquering them despite apparently having more then enough power to do so. It was becoming clear to her why Gul Dukat had wanted them all dead.
She would try and keep diplomatic relations with Bajor a possibility of course, but after her closing, 'statement' she would leave it to the Vrijheidian ambassador on the planet. If he was good enough to keep his job then future negoitations wouldn't be a problem. If he wasn't then someone more competent would be found to take his place.
The sound of the shuttle landing was partially muted by the purposely installed sound proofing material into the walls, bringing with it a momentary feeling of relief for Karah. She was on Vrijheid deckplating again, her home. But it was only a momentary escape, the message of failure was growing louder again in her mind in the voice of taunting children, 'You failed them all, Vreed, mother, father, your own people... they'll see your weak, unable, impotent, they'll plot to get rid of you...'. Once the little group had dissembarked the shuttle Karah waited for Vreed to exit the shuttlebay ahead of her as normal, she needed Vreed in front of her, to clear the way quickly down the corridors, and to put her mind at ease. If they were any members of, "The One Way" aboard the transport they would first try and kill him an important member of one of the original 3 personality cult families that had helped support, protect, and develop her family line since before the Great Civil War, and Karah was worried about her own vulnerability. Since she was a little girl her parents and, 'Aunties and Uncles' had all impressed upon her the need to have children to continue the family, especailly since she was an only child and the plain fact that she wanted to stay alive aslong as possible like any sensible, right minded senitent being did.
Despite mother's demise,
Little Daimi sleeps soundly,
Cute little prey asleep.
Little Daimi sleeps soundly,
Cute little prey asleep.
Leaving the shuttlebay, Vreed quickened his pace slightly so he could stay ahead of the other three and make sure the route was secure before the President walked along it behind him. He could tell that she wasn't well despite her calm, neutral facade. The Bajoran negoitations had been more then a teda agreement but the first real test of her political and diplomacy skills away from Vrijheid system and though one could argue she had put on a,'good performace' showing by extention that the Vrijheidians were still a proud and strong people the reality of it was she fraked it up with the same,'performace of strong Vrijheidian attitude'.How to deal with faiure was a lesson she obviously had to retake but this time he wasn't going to help her through it, she was no longer a little girl but a grown women.
The Bajoran's were terribly relegious but that doesn't excuse them from admiting they had been rude in what their First Minister had said to her once the negoitations had broken down, "May the Prophets guide you back to the path from which you have strayed". Vreed had sincerly at that moment thought about continuing the idents in the middle of the man's nose all along it with his family dagger but couldn't act on it so he settled for a polite smile as President Karah replied indigantly, "F**K the Prophets" before walking out.
Satisfied that the rest of the journey to the state room would be safe Vreed slowled his pace so that he was walking at Karah's side, a quick glance behind him told him that the two engineers had left them either by the Presidents request or they had dismissed themselves. leaving just the press secetary. Karah would want some time alone and but the press ecetary made it dificult it give her it straight away as the only way to get rid of her was to ask her to join him in his office to put together the edited version of the meeting's transcript and to think of a way to stop the First Minister from going public about the, 'dramatic' end to the negiotations both of which they had to do anyway but that would mean leaving the President Vindenpawl to walk the corridors alone unprotected which went against his job, his family obligations, and his consience, so he would have to wait till Karah had been escorted safely to the state room.
*
"Computer lock the door", Karah said quickly as soon as she had entered the stateroom.
< Doors Locked >
The last thing she needed right know was her admin staff buzzing around her making suggestions, asking for approval for whatever satutituery orders, white papers and whatever else. The stateroom wasn't really a stateroom at all, more of a smaller more compact version of the President's office on Vrijheid 4 that connected with her private chambers, a large black leather swivel chair at the middle of a meduim sized elipse shaped table witht he great seal of Vrijheid rug infront of it. When she finally the voices of Vreed and Jervien at the other side of the door had disappeared she asked the computer her voice shaking, "Computer are there any lifesigns on the outside of the stateroom door?".
< Negative, there are no known lifeforms outside the stateroom door >
Then she began to let her calm fascade break running through the connecting door to her private chambers and on the large pile of purple silk cushions at the foot of her bed like a teenager, then President Karah Vindenpawl of The Independent, Social Democratic, Prefecture of the People’s Vrijheid Authority began to do something she hadn't for many years
She cried, long and hard.
1985 - 2384
"Mummy".
"Mummy, Mummy".
Hearing the voice Karah opened her sore eyes, tears still coming from them though not the flood it was a few minutes ago. "Who's there?", she asked getting up, right hand reaching in the right robe pocket for her small type 1 hand phaser. "Trami is it you? Come out... this isn't funny", her tone of voice turning serious. She headed towards her bed which she knew was up against the left wall, looking around the area around the bed through the semi darkness as she did so, trying to dissern if their was anyone there, her right hand clutching the phaser ready to use it while the other one felt for the wall.
"Computer Lights".
Nothing happened
"Come on", Karah swore quietly, fustration beginning to mix with her fear as she continued to steadily back up towards the wall. Though her mind was telling her to do so she didn't run, to do that she would have to turn around presenting whomever or whatever had seemingly sabotaged the computer with an opportunity to attack her from behind no matter how fleeting. It didn't take long for someone to take the initative and use such an opportunity she knew that,she had been at the other side of this kind of situation before. Desperatley she extended her left arm out further behind her hoping to feel the wall at any moment. Her attack could very conciably have anticipated this reaction to his or her sabotage and was waiting behind Karah as she backed up but it was a risk she was willing to take.
'Who would do this?', Karah asked her selfin her mind keeping the phaser leveled, 'If this was happening back on Vrihied 4 there would be plenty of suspects, but here I have the problem of the other end of the extreme, a small number of people with no knowledge of them'. The Presidential transport wasn't a large ship manned by a mixture of administrative and army personall the only other people on board were her, Vreed, Trami, Jervien and those two enigneers from the Maan-Hataan weapons research and development centre. 'It's not Vreed or any of the crew', her mind reasoned,'He's been loyal all of his life and the crew were to busy most of the time, politly insulting and arguing with each other. That leaves four The One...'. Her thoughts were cut off as her left hand finally her left hand felt a warm hard surface against it, the wall. Quickly and with some relief she pressed her back to the wall.
After a few momwnts Karah began to breathe more slowly Who they were, (if there was someone there) ultimatley didn't matter she just had to kill them before they killed her. Whatever was going on it was feeling less and less like one of Trami's pratical jokes. As she waited a short while for her eyes to adjust allowing her to see in the semi darkness, her nerves got the better of her and she shot a shot phaser blast ahead of her shattering something on the shelves across the room, it sounded like it was either glass or porcelien but her mind was too occupied to try and make a distinction. 'Why haven't they attacked me?', Karah wondered,'Why are they waiting?'.
Still ever so quietly she began to move to her left, keeping as her back against the wall and the hand phaser ready stopping only when she felt her left leg bang into something hard, her bedside set of draws. Ignoring the tricorder her hand hovered over her communicator considering in her mind whehther or not she should call for help, 'No that might be the trigger for them attack', her mind reasoned, 'If the lights aren't working then most likely neither will the comm system no one good enough to sabotage to corner me like this would leave such an obvious avenue of rescue open','Are they waiting for me to find them first? If thats the case there must be more then one of them'.
A small flash of very bright white light appeared on the purple silk cushion only a few milimetres from wher she had been lying earlier appearing only for a second before disappearing into thin air again leaving behind what appeare to Karah from her vantage point to be a small wicker basket. 'An apology hamper from the First Minister to apologise or a personal tribute?', she wondered both were possible her impact of most humaniod men was one of strong attraction which she found flattering and amusing, most of the time,'No I would have been woken by someone for such a delievery and the Bajorans have no transporter technology of their own'. Before she did anything Karah increased the setting of her hand phaser to kill, then opened up the tricorder with her free left hand and began to scan the room systematically from left to right ignoring the wicker basket the possible bait set by her slow witted attackers. She was halfway through scanning the left half of the room when she heard the voice again.
"Mummy".
"Mummy, Mummy".
For a breif moment Karah Vindenpawl froze hearing a baby's voice calling her mummy had a strange effect on her she couldn't explain, both frightening her, sending shivers down her spine but also making her feel happy. Failing to fully shake the feeling off Karah continued to scan the room systematically dismissing it as a her mind playing tricks on her. Yes she could scan the entire room with the tricorder but she wanted to be absolutely sure she hadn't missed anything. The One Way certianly wouldn't be able to smuggle any sensor reflective or other type of stealth technology aboard the transport the security checks were very thorough. Karah began to let herself relax slightly into her task, then she brought the tricorder level with the wicker basket
A class 5 humaniod life form... Vrijheidian... a male.
Skeptical Karah checked again, the scan results came up the same.
As if on cue baby like crying started.
Against her better judgement but not against her will Karah Vindenpawl ran towards where the wicker basket lay lowering her phaser slightly her mind flooding with conflicting thoughts, 'It's a trap... but it's a baby I can't leave it crying... it could be a changeling'. That last thought made Karah pause as she kneeled down next to the large wicker basket, most people in the Federation firmly believed that there were changelling infiltrating it and planning to bring about chaos, like they had the Klingon Empire and one had replaced Mortok. Apperantly there was a changeling on Deep Space 9 the security chief Odo, who apparently was trustworthy, could another one of them slipped on the ship? Karah wasn't sure, she bent over the baby boy phaser in hand pointing at his head waiting to see if he knocked it out of her hand with a tentacle, or tried to strangle her.
But he didn't.
Minutes passed and he did nothing said nothing, just his large brown innocent eyes and facial features asking her the question, 'Are you mummy?'.
