Evandian Delegation

[Special Envoy Bryson Kavanaugh]

Brice walked rather stoically and formally through the almost deserted corridors. The crew had been ordered to remain out of sight while the delegates were led to the conference room on deck 8.

Such trouble from a delegation, he mused. They had been cordial, just as he remembered them being years ago when he had visited the planet, but far from friendly. Now as he walked, he could hear the whispered words as they noted various things on the ship or caught sight of movement across one of the adjoining corridors.

When they finally arrived at the designated location and Brice was sure the timing was right, he led his group into the conference room just a few split seconds before Lara's group would arrive.

The Evandians immediately exclaimed their excitement and fear at the sight of the large windows that looked down over their own planet.

"What is this place?" One of them called out a bit fearfully, staying as far from the windows as possible.

Brice, walked up and touched the windows, turning back to show them it was safe. "These are windows. Nothing more. They allow us to look through them but keep space out there. That," he pointed to the glowing orb, "is your planet."

The small party moved forward with interest. Brice noticed, however, that the leader of the group hung back, as though she was not shocked or surprised by any of these things, even though her entourage acted as though they had never seen anything of this sort. Brice found this tidbit rather interesting and stored it away for use in the future.

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[Vice Admiral Lara Rell]

Her trip from the transporter room was anything but cordial. The representatives of the Lathan faction of the Evadnian conflict were rather dour and seemed of the opinion that she was hiding something though where she could hide anything in her form fitting uniform was beyond her.

The corridors were empty and she continued to chat pleasantly with the leader of the delegation as they moved through to the turbo lift and then on to the conference room itself. She reached the doors evidently just after Brice had with the other faction representatives.

She heard him say "These are windows. Nothing more. They allow us to look through them but keep space out there. That," he pointed to the glowing orb, "is your planet." as she opened the door.

They were on the far side of the table from where Brice stood with the others. Though it seemed she needn't have been so concerned they seemed to know one another and while their greetings were far from cordial they were at least civil.

She saw the chef had outdone himself with the array of foods available on the side of the room. One of the delegation looked over the offering and then turned to the windows with the others.

She made eye contact with Brice and raised an eyebrow. She didn't want to take the lead as he was the one prepared for this meeting.

She gave him a nod and took a step back.

Tag Brice/Any

[Special Envoy Bryson Kavanaugh]

Brice soon got both factions to have a seat at the same table, with Lara by his side. The peace talks and proceedings finally began. It was evident that there was some major hostility between the two groups, though even after a few exhausting hours of talk, Brice could not figure out what was the root of the problem, aside from the fact that one faction wanted to rule over the other. He knew there had to be more underneath the surface, but the growing tensions between the two groups was wearing on everyone's patience.

When, Maltar, the faction leader for the Frathan group stood and began shouting in a language that even the universal translator couldn't pick up and Haltar, the Lathan leader joined in the argument, Brice had had nearly enough.

Standing, he raised his hands and with a loud, firm voice, he called out. "Enough! Gentlemen we are not getting anywhere. I suggest we take a short recess and then resume in one hour." Brice motioned to two security guards who had been standing almost unnoticed throughout the proceedings.

"Maltar your party will be escorted by Henry here to the next room where food and refreshments will be provided for your comfort and needs." Brice nodded in the direction of the officer and motioned for the group to follow him. With some reluctant grumblings at first, they did anxious to enjoy a meal of sorts.

"Haltar, if you will follow Nathan here, he will escort your party to the next room on this side. Food and refreshments will be available for all of you as well. We'll resume in one hour."

Once both parties had left the room, Brice sank down into his seat with a sigh and dropped his forehead onto his hands. That had not been a progressive meeting.

Lifting his eyes to Lara he asked, "So, what do you think is really going on? My gut tells me there's something underlying this whole issue and neither side seems willing to divulge what it might be."

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[Vice Admiral Lara Rell]

Brice worked them like a master and got absolutely nowhere. Finally when the delegates stood there shouting at each other he used his command voice to shut off the argument and usher them into separate rooms for their lunch.

They hadn’t seemed to get to the root of the issue and that seemed to just make them more and more frustrated.

Frustrated he dropped in to a chair near her and she met his eyes when he looked up at her.

"So, what do you think is really going on? My gut tells me there's something underlying this whole issue and neither side seems willing to divulge what it might be."

“Well,” she said “I’ve just been watching while you were in the thick of it. But did you notice how much Maltar and Haltar resemble each other? But not only that, their names are similar. Could they be brothers or cousins?” She rubbed her jaw “I don’t know but we may be looking at a dynastic conflict.”

She put her hands on the arms of her chair as she levered herself out of it. “I don’t know about you, but I need some lunch.” She smiled at the man.

Tag Brice

[Special Envoy Bryson Kavanaugh]

Brice contemplated her words. Had he even noticed that the two dignitaries looked similar? Thinking back on it, he realized what she had observed. He had been too caught up in the workings of the negotiations to realize it.

"You know, there is quite a resemblance. We'll have to delve into that more once we reconvene the two groups. Right now, I'm with you. Lunch is in order and much deserved."

Brice rose and gestured for Lara to lead the way. They arrived in a small room off to the side of the conference room designated for just such purposes as this. Before they had even had a chance to sit, Lara's personal yeoman, Mack arrived already laden with drinks and snacks.

"More to come," he stated simply before vanishing once more.

Brice chuckled as he picked up the glass of warm tea, one of his favorites. "Lara, I must know where you found him. I think I need to find myself just such a yeoman." He shook his head slightly as he spoke, the smile never leaving his face. Taking a sip of his tea, he sighed.

"These negotiations could be much harder than we anticipated." As Mack returned, this time laden with lunch trays, Brice set to his meal with gusto. He hadn't even realized just how hungry he was until he smelled the food before him.

He'd only gotten through about half the meal when the comm system chirped. "Captain Rell, we have a problem!" Came the voice over the comm.

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