Chapter 10

Patel's temper was already foul before she even heard Grum's voice. The Tellarite supervisor had arrived in Reactor Control for his daily intrusive inspection. He made his way across the chamber, barking orders at her staff, until he brought his stout self alongside Patel, sat at the main console. With her sitting down, they were at eye-level, although Patel kept her attention on her work.

"Let me see your fusion stabiliser diagnostics for today, Commander," Grum demanded.

"They're not completed yet," she said, her tone cold, still not looking away from her console.

Grum snorted haughtily. "Hmph! Well, here's hoping they're a lot better than yesterday's."

"You'll have them when they're done and you'll just have to deal with the results!" she snapped at him. A few heads turned at her outburst, but her glare snapped them back around again.

Grum merely chuckled. "Were you a Tellarite, I'd say you were in a good mood, but I know you Humans are always the opposite. Something bothering you?"

Patel clenched her jaw. Might as well vent to Grum; his people loved an angry rant. "It's the Orions."

"Ugh!" Grum threw his head back in exasperation, his bushy beard quivering. He sat himself next to Patel. "I'm glad somebody in Starfleet has some sense."

Patel looked at him curiously. "You don't like Orions either?"

"Of course not! They're a bunch of pirates, scoundrels and thieves."

"Exactly!" Strange as it was, she found herself in perfect agreement with Grum for once.

"Those green cutthroats have been a scourge to Tellarite vessels for years," said Grum. "Always raiding our freighters, then hiding behind their Syndicate. An entire political state founded on criminal enterprise." He grunted in disgust.

Patel nodded, but felt slightly uneasy. Perhaps it was hearing her own sentiments from someone else's mouth, making her realise how harsh she had been, although she still felt the same way at her core.

"Of course, the Orions on the base are ex-slaves, on the run from the Syndicate," Patel said, to show fairness. "They're not criminals, and what was done to them was wrong."

"They still belong to a culture that promotes decadence."

"Yes!" Patel pointed at Grum. "No one else can see that. They're victims, sure, but if they come to us looking for shelter then they should conform to our culture."

Grum nodded. "It's the best way to live, after all."

Patel's face screwed up, not quite comfortable with that analysis. "I don't know about that, but it's reasonable if they want to live among us."

"And to do so, they should abandon their own culture."

Again, Patel squirmed. "Not abandon it, just… not let it get in the way of Earth customs."

Grum frowned. "But they're culture is wrong, is it not?"

"Well, there's no wrong culture…" She noticed that Grum was grinning toothily. "What?"

"Now you're thinking like a Tellarite," he said.

She leaned back in her chair and exhaled. "You've made your oh-so-subtle point, Supervisor."

Grum shrugged. "The densest materials sometimes require the bluntest tools."

Patel shot him a tight smirk. "I'm still right. They shouldn't be allowed cultural identity as an excuse to do as they please. To break the law by taking advantage of our tolerance."

Grum rose from his seat. "Maybe, maybe not. But another Tellarite tenet is that it is difficult to argue when your opponent isn't present. You should try talking with some of these Orions before you make your judgement."

Patel chose not to further engage Grum, considering that the man lived to draw out a debate. He also, she reluctantly admitted, had a point. Satisfied with her disgruntled silence, Grum paced away.

She tried to busy herself in her work again, but kept thinking of Grum's words. She had defended her viewpoint to North by calling it experience rather than prejudice, but it was true that she had formed an opinion of these particular Orions without ever having met one. Considering what they had been through, it was possible some of them were willing to adapt to Human customs. If they were genuine in the first place, of course.

After several minutes of further contemplation, she was disturbed again by another arrival.

"Commodore!" she heard Chen, the Deputy Chief Engineer, call out in surprise. She looked over to see that North himself had indeed arrived in Reactor Control. Aside from his initial tour of the starbase, he had never visited the Dungeon, instead calling Patel over the comm or summoning her to his office if he needed to talk.

She guessed his presence now had something to do with the refugees, and made her way over, instructing her staff to resume their duties.

"What brings you all the way down here, sir?" she asked, keeping things professional but light, acting ignorant of present circumstances.

North opted for professionalism only. "I need you to take a team aboard the Orions' vessel to learn as much as you can about it."

Patel raised her eyebrows. The Commodore was starting to think straight at last. Any information gleaned from the barge could prove useful for when Starfleet faced some of the Syndicate's battle cruisers.

"Aye, sir," she said. "I can be ready within thirty minutes."

"One more thing, Commander… Vyla and several of the other refugees will be joining you. I want you and your staff to work closely with them; they know the vessel very well and their help could be invaluable." North regarded her with impassive features, no doubt expecting her to protest.

Yesterday she probably would have kicked up a fuss and refused to lead the team alongside Orions. Now though, while she was still wary, she acknowledged that North was correct about the refugees having useful information, and it could prove a good opportunity to get to know them. If only to confirm that her views were justified.

North continued. "If that's going to be a problem…"

"No, sir," she said. "No problem."

North leaned back slightly, probably shocked by the complete lack of protest. "Good. I'm sure there's a lot we can learn from them."

"Yes, sir… I'm sure there is."