Five Months Ago

Enterprise Orbiting Varia

Ninety minutes later, after a long run at a demanding pace intended to calm his anger and clear his head which instead supplied limited effect, Pike explained the altered negotiation schedule to his two most senior officers. They met in his quarters seated around the bar height table.

Isak leaned forward in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Let me get this straight. Our transporters cannot penetrate the presidential compound's shielding and you intend on dining there this evening without a security contingent? Accompanied only by a civilian? On a planet that is not a member of the Federation and is governed by its military, if you can call that junta a government, I'd call it a dictatorship. Have I missed a salient point?"

"Your summary is accurate," Pike conceded.

Enterprise's second officer and security chief snorted. "Thought so. This is about you greying faster than me, isn't it? It's your way of leveling the field." Isak then continued, "Putting aside the myriad Starfleet regulations you will be bending, here's a scenario for you. General Ablick, who I do not trust in the least, may detain and ransom you to the Klingons or the mercenaries."

Pike shook his head and cast a star map of the sector onto the nearby viewscreen disguised as windows, replacing the outside desert scenery. "Unlikely. Varia is resource poor; their best asset is strategic location. Leveraging that requires capital, lots of it which is the Federation's ace in the hole. Our ship is the greater prize for the other parties and the reason both of you are staying on board." He flashed a smile. "If I am proved wrong, a rescue operation is authorized and at your discretion."

"Small comfort," Isak grumbled, "as the Varians are not known for rational decisions in their own best interests."

"Ablick may play the not too bright vainglorious leader more interested in pomp and circuses than governing, but he's shrewd. As proven by the hoops he has already forced the Federation to jump through just to start talks for an arrangement benefiting Varia as much as us. He wants a place at the table in this sector. Disrupting negotiations before stating his demands won't achieve that goal," Pike replied, his tone confident. He rapped knuckles on the table. "And my attending a private dinner without a security presence conveys trust, cockiness, and naiveté. All useful in this 'sizing each other up' period."

"And Ms. Matthews?" Isak queried.

"I'll be there to look after her if the situation goes sideways. Did you receive the threat file from her father?"

"Yes. His more incendiary cases can inflame but those angry are typically fringe groups few in numbers and lacking central organization. A couple of the threats are credible, barely, but none are aimed at his children. I'll assign a resource to continue monitoring those vis-à-vis this sector and we'll share any information developed with the security chief of Matthew's firm, but I don't think it's a concern."

With a nod of approval Pike turned to his executive officer. "Una? Thoughts?" He added with a faint smile, "You're unusually quiet. Especially so given several aspects of my plan."

"Command and the Federation Council granted you wide latitude for this mission. And I agree with you," she replied. Before Pike could plow on Una caveated, "For the most part."

"But?"

"Is anyone else hungry?" she asked leaving her seat and rummaging through kitchen cabinets and leftovers in the stasis unit.

Pike and Isak traded amused glances, Number One's racing metabolism was envied and legendary.

Mission accomplished Una returned to the table. The others waved off her offer of sharing the snack. She continued, "Another aide in your retinue is another pair of eyes and ears. How accurate is the universal translator for Varian?"

"Aalin, I mean Ms. Matthews," Pike began.

Isak and Una traded amused glances both having observed the attentiveness their commander paid the interpreter.

Pike continued without noticing his officers' interplay, "judges we're seventy-five percent of the way there. With this morning's successful greeting I trust the accuracy of her assessment."

"Good enough," Una pronounced between bites. "Good enough for an aide to trade confidences or frustrations with a Varian peer. John would be an excellent choice, he's security, a profiler trained in psychology/sociology, and gregarious."

Isak noted with a chuckle, "And no one can drink him under the table, not even the Andorians."

"Chris, if, and I paraphrase, if the shit hits the fan, you're facing five miles of labyrinths to clear the presidential compound's shielding before transporters can retrieve you. That's a long way without adding the complexity of protecting a civilian who won't know what to do in such a situation and may freeze." Una played her ace in the hole. "The first part of our Starfleet oath is safeguarding Federation citizens. You need another pair of hands with you on Varia to see that promise through for Ms. Matthews."

Pike rubbed his chin while considering her words. He grinned. "Why Number One, are you accusing me of succumbing to adolescent male posturing over good sense?"

Una's expression remained inscrutable. She deadpanned, "If the shoe fits … and I won't repeat your lapse to Admiral Cornwell."

That elicited outright laughter from the Captain. "Very well. You make a reasonable point. As this dinner was unscheduled and is imminent leaving little time for nefarious organizing, my plan stands for tonight. John will join us tomorrow for the reception and plenary sessions."

Isak and Una started to speak.

Pike shook his head, "That's final. Moving on. I don't want to be caught with our pants down when the Klingons and mercenaries make their next move, and once I am on off ship, they will. They're no match for Enterprise's weapons, infiltration via small ships or piggybacking a transporter action is their best shot at disabling us. Keep the unmanned drones in place as well as three fast-attacks patrolling the no-fly zone around Enterprise. Let's go to partial yellow alert: double team the sensors both in the hive and on the bridge during all shifts, maintain two phantom crews in their cockpits and two on standby, have damage control teams ready supplies and equipment, post extra security in Engineering as well as around weapon lockers and airlocks. We'll stick to regular duty shifts hours for now, don't want to wind the crew up too early. Tonight assume there's trouble if I don't check-in by 0-dark-hundred."

"At midnight plus one I'm dispatching teams if we don't hear from you," Isak warned.

"Fair enough, granted," Pike agreed. "Anything else? No? We'll debrief in the morning before the opening session."

Una lingered after Isak's exit. She circled the room as Pike called Sickbay with a request, then Engineering. Looking up he asked, "Something on your mind Number One?"

"Chris," she began.

Okay, its personal, he thought and waited patiently for her to say her piece.

"What's stopping you?" she asked after a few seconds.

"Stopping me from what?"

Una rejoined him at the table. "I was there at that first briefing, remember? The one where, without knowing her name, you were a few inches from outright flirting with Aalin Matthews. She's on board now, not a member of your crew, your potential time together is limited. And, if I'm reading her correctly, the attraction is mutual. What's holding you back?"

"I'm focused on an important mission for which Ms. Matthews is a vital resource. There is no margin for error and little room for complications," he answered a little too quickly, sounding more rehearsed than spontaneous.

She shook her head. "That's a good deflection, but I don't buy it. You're always careful and discrete, but this isn't like you. Try again."

"Una," he paused then in a tone underlining 'this conversation is done' and body language conveying uncertainty said, "Not now. Please."

Her hand briefly covered his and lightly squeezed. "I'm here, if you want to talk."

ooooo

Again Aalin chided herself for not napping during the break before she and Pike were due back on Varia. The nuanced, slight headache, the one in the background since beginning her work on Varia, persisted and her last dose of over-the-counter pain relievers hadn't dissipated it.

I need to be at my best tonight.

Instead she'd reviewed Varian grammar rules and vocabulary notes, taken a shower (and pined a bit for a bath), dressed, undressed, chosen a different outfit from her limited wardrobe, dressed, undressed, and repeated the cycle twice more. Nothing met approval, in all she felt dowdy and unattractive. Not dowdy really, she thought while holding up the last choice in front of a mirror, but dull, melting into the background like a piece of useful furniture. Or a wallflower. A circumstance with which she was too familiar.

She pulled the pins out of her hair and let it fall freely. That helped a little. On a whim she flipped through the replicator catalog. And then indulged.

"Come," she called out three hours and a second more indulgent shower later while checking the mirror's reflection with a critical eye. On hearing the doors whoosh closed she added, "And yes, Captain, I knew it was you so there's no need for scolding me about not asking who was knocking. Or rather chiming."

Pike coolly answered while glancing around the living area. By habit he clasped hands behind his back. "Not only did you not verify my identity, but you also left yourself vulnerable to someone sneaking up from behind."

"You're still admonishing me? Really?" she queried in a disbelieving tone.

"My ship is safe. Other places may not be," he retorted.

"What the hell types of visitors do you get at home?" Aalin asked with a smile as she entered the living area. "Or are you teasing me?"

A reply entered Pike's thoughts and then faded with his full attention drawn to her. In a rarity, Aalin's long hair cascaded down her back rather than tucked away and pinned in a neat bun at her nape. He longed to run fingers through the fine straight strands that hinted at waves, certain their feel would be silken. She wore a black sleeveless dress with a modest neckline, its flared hem grazing slightly above her knees. As typical she chose low heeled shoes placing the top of her head near his shoulder, in this case black and nude closed-toe sling-back sandals. He had missed the beginning of her sentence.

"… I blew my replicator nonessentials energy budget on the outfit and other stuff but …" she explained

"Oh … ah … not a problem … I'll authorize more … turns out I can do that … you know … because I'm a captain … the Captain … in this case," he stammered.

Hiding pleasure at his careful regard of her, Aalin confessed to herself this was exactly the reaction from Chris she'd hoped for. There's no future in it, not even a present, and I'm unsure of my feelings for him, but tonight, for a few hours, I'll enjoy being at his side.

Clearing his throat, Chris regained command of speech. "The schedule change affects you most of all. You deserved, and I think needed, the twenty-four-hour break before negotiations. But after this morning's success and General Ablick's request not only to push the talks forward, but also his offer of a private meeting over dinner, well it's too good of an opportunity to pass up. I hope you had a chance to rest."

"I understand, and its not a problem," Aalin said softly. She waited for him to mention their earlier heated conversation. He didn't.

Noticing the shawl she carried, he held out a hand and when the wrap was offered hooked it over his arm. "Shall we then?"

Aalin followed Chris to the transporter room.

ooooo

They materialized outside of the presidential compound. A colonel approached and saluted. Pike returned the demonstration of respect. The Varian said via Aalin's translation, "We have transportation waiting, sir. If you will please follow me."

She shivered in the cool evening breeze. Pike wrapped the shawl he carried around her back and shoulders; she smiled up at him. Returning to her side, he crooked his arm and she slipped hers through it. At the ground car, his hand guided her inside. The trip was brief; they were led through a maze of corridors into an intimate room where a small table was already laid for a meal.

Hedging his bets, Pike had opted for a little used quasi-uniform, closer to a civilian outfit with a subtle reminder the wearer was a ranking Starfleet officer, a dark grey turtleneck with black pants. Aalin had spent more than a few minutes admiring how he filled it out.

The bet proved wise when Ablick entered in a near identical outfit, khaki instead of darker colors, however with less than subtle general's stars adorning the hem of his sweater's sleeves. Once the dismissed entourage departed, the Varian President dropped his outsized persona and a 'down to business' attitude pervaded. Pre-dinner drinks in hand, Aalin opting for water, the two leaders began with informal, off-topic pleasantries.

Pike knew no Varian other than the morning's rehearsed, rote formal greeting. Ablick spoke limited Federation Standard badly and in a jumble. Aalin spent the evening painstakingly translating both sides of the conversation relying on her study of the language with the Varian teacher and the universal translator in her ear offering suggestions only she could hear resulting in a cacophony of human, alien, and mechanical voices. At a moment between courses with Ablick's and Pike's attention elsewhere, she rubbed aching temples.

After the final course was removed and the indigenous equivalent of coffee served Ablick remarked via Aalin's interpretation, "Captain, I believe we have achieved a good beginning. Thank you for agreeing to this meeting. Plain dealing is, say we say, more effective mano a mano."

Pike blinked, Aalin nodded in response to his unspoked question: yes, the translation is accurate. Where did the General learn human idioms, she wondered.

Ablick continued, "Let us adjourn and speak again over breakfast before the opening session. Please accept our hospitality. Rooms will be prepared."

Placing his cup on the table, Pike leaned back in his chair. His gaze held the General's. After several moments he answered, "We accept."