Whose Seeing Who, Part 1

Posted on Tue Dec 23rd, 2025 @ 8:50pm by Captain Remy Johansen & Lieutenant Commander Ryan Keel & Ensign S'Niri

1,347 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Peril at the Unification Accords
Location: USS Astrea
Timeline: MD 08, 1840 Hours

[ON]

After Ryan had escorted Maris out of the main reception area both Lieutenants Keel and Thalen beamed out, rematerializing from the planet and onto the transporter platform of Transporter Room 3. Maris in her exquisite green ball gown, overdressed for the conference, and most certainly for the starship seemed to float off of the platform as her eyes gazed around the transporter room as if it were her first time on board a starship. She took a deep breath in as if the two had just stepped outside into a meadow, exhaling slowly. She turned around and smiled at the Chief Diplomatic Officer in his Starfleet dress uniform.

"Perhaps you'll want to get into something more comfortable before we talk?" She asked. "Someone could show me around? Maybe I could see T'Varel?" Maris tried to not show any emotion on her face before she continued. "We're old friends," she added barely hiding the sadness in her eyes.

Feeling for the Lieutenant, Keel shook his head. 'I'm afraid we can't let you see her - not just yet anyhow.' He motioned towards the door to the corridor beyond. 'You'll need to come with me,' Keel kept his tone polite, but firm. Moving them both, he kept pace with the Betazoid, leading her through what could easily feel like a maze of identical-looking corridors and cross-sections.

In truth, it was a short jaunt from the Transporter Room to the Interrogation rooms on Deck Three. With a small smile, he stopped outside a nondescript door. 'We've arrived, please, after you,' he politely motioned through the door. Beyond, the small room was comfortably appointed. There was no hint that it was an interrogation room. Rather it was laid out in what Keel fondly, but also derisively thought of as Starfleet chique. Pastels and pouffes to encourage people to feel at ease when questioned.

As he followed Maris into the room, Keel cast a few glances around about, making sure that there wasn't anything particularly dangerous that he could notice. Nothing that could be used as an obvious weapon, he thought, though he reflected one of the chairs could be tossed at him if Maris was stronger than she seemed. 'Please, take a seat,' he said.

Maris turned and offered Ryan a sad smile as she sat down, choose the large sofa, and sitting not quite on one end. She placed her palm down on the fabric, running it along the smooth microfiber tufts, the almost velvet like texture offering a bit of tactile comfort if one were to stroke the fabric a certain way.

"So what did you say I could call you? Lieutenant seems so formal? Starfleet ranks are a bit much in a time like this..." She drifted away from the officer's handsome eyes and toward the art work on the wall. She could sense his kindness, but also that he was stern, had a proclivity for rules and order. She, less so.

The room was nice, the colors a little more washed out than was her preference.

He looked at her, and tried to see beyond the jewels in her hair, that complemented her elegant green dress. Beyond the large dark eyes that Keel, frankly, found attractive. She was an unknown quantity, an anomaly in his understanding of the situation. Alluring and mysterious, he mocked himself. I've been single too long. Clicking his tongue, he decided friendliness rather than suspicion would win the day, and took a seat opposite her, smiling awkwardly. 'Ryan will do,' he said simply. 'And Maris is your given name?'

"It is, though my friends call me 'Mari,'" She offered, giving the Lieutenant a playful smile. "Maybe we can be friends after all of this."

He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and a tingle ran down his spine. Yes I'd like that, he thought with a flash of irritation at himself. Keel nodded in acknowledgement. 'Mari,' he drawled, stalling for time as he tried the name out. 'A nice name for a friend for sure.'

"So is Ryan. It sounds like the name of a Betazed tree. Very strong and sturdy. They live forever. Much like your Redwoods, I think they call them?" Maris replied with a smile that could only be described as seductive.

Keel coughed, 'yes, Redwoods are renowned for their, uh, mentioned qualities.' Keep it professional, dummy, he told himself. 'Unfortunately, there aren't as many of them around as we'd like, I suppose.' Beginning to feel slightly out of his depth - which was no doubt her intention, Keel had a flash of inspiration.

Keel tapped his commbadge, 'Lieutenant Keel to Lieutenant S'Niri, I have a... friend of Ambassador T'Varel's here on Deck Three. Security Section.' He paused, then said with forced levity, 'it would be great if you could lend a hand.' The man still didn't want to alarm the Betazoid overly much.

"Not a lieutenant yet, sir, but I'll be there shortly." The Ferasan hybrid's purring voice came over the comms.

'Of course, S'Niri, my mistake,' Ryan replied lightly, flashing a quick smile at Maris.

Maris shrugged at Ryan and gave him a sober smile. "I suppose we'll wait for Ensign S'Niri then?" She asked.

Indeed, about two minutes later, the door opened once again, admitting the dark blue-furred half Ferasan woman. She didn't walk, more like prowled through the door, like a predator hunting her latest kill. Quite fitting, honestly. She didn't know why the Chief Diplomatic Officer of all people had requested her specifically to be here, but it wasn't as if it were her place to question it. Yet.

"How may I assist, sir?" She asked, as the door hissed closed behind her and she approached him and the Betazoid. "A friend of the Ambassador, you said?"

'That's right, Lieutenant Maris, known to Ambassador T'Varel.' Keel looked from S'Niri to Maris and gave a confirming nod. 'As we don't know yet who came after the Ambassador, I guess they felt it would be prudent to move Maris out of harm's way. And I could use a second to sit in on this ... conversation.'

Maris turn around, shifting her weight to other hip as a Caitian - no she was something more than that - strikingly beautiful blueish-teal highlights in the officer's black fur over her eyes. Could she be Ferasan, Maris wondered.

"Hello there," Maris cooed, standing slowly, and offering her hand, palm down and with relaxed fingers, bending her knees slightly. "Maris. And yes, you could call us friends. How may I address you?"

This Betazoid standing in front of her struck S'Niri as the kind of woman who dressed to the nines to hide their insecurities. Inauthentic, sticky-sweet, overwhelmingly non-threatening - all the things S'Niri wasn't a fan of. Hell, the half Ferasan's silent disapproval probably radiated off her like a prickly aura, at least for Maris - which wasn't to say she couldn't still do her job.

"S'Niri. Security officer. Just S'Niri is fine." She replied, shaking the hand that was offered to her. At least, that's what she thought the gesture was. S'Niri admittedly knew woeful little of Betazoid culture. "How did you get to know the Ambassador?"

"Hello, S'Niri," Maris gave the security officer a pleasant nod, stepping back quickly, the Betazed's telepathic sensing absorbing S'Niri's distaste for her as if she'd walked face first into a cactus.

"Well, we can get started then, I suppose," Maris suggested finding a seat furthest away from where S'Niri appeared to be situating herself.

"Where were we? Oh yes, I did know the Ambassador through diplomatic circles, but I think we met first on Betazed. We were hosting... well... The official purpose was strengthen ties, boost morale, and celebrate our good fortunate marking the fifth year after the Dominion War had ended," Maris began. "But, have either of you been to a party on Betazed?"


[~tbc~]

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