Twenty-Five Years 12 - New Status Quo
Jun. 22nd, 2013 09:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
measured_wordsSo, after what I recognize is a *lengthy* gap of time, I am returning to this series! I plan to keep writing on it, but I can't promise regular updates. I going to try and alternate chapters with other projects.
Part of the reason I'm returning is renewed interest from having seen the new ST movie. And partly - I have submitted my dissertation recently! So, which I do have a list of academic things I want to accomplish, I can broaden my focus again in terms of fic-writing projects. So, hopefully my good-intentions will hold, and that whatever happens I can provide some measure of entertainment to those who read through meanwhile :)
Thanks toshadow_truths for the beta on this one!
Series Page and Chapter Index on LJ | on DW | on AO3
Twenty-Five Years 12 - New Status Quo
Twenty-Five Years 12 – The New Status Quo
"You're too good at this," Ayel commented as T'Lalea finished her report outlining the specifics of the large dilithium deposit that one of the smaller inmate factions had come across in the mines, and the ensuing petty power struggles the Rihannsu had so far been successfully avoiding.
T'Lalea arched her eyebrows, recognizing the probe for what it was. "Someone has to be – there's no one else to look out for us but ourselves.''
Ayel nodded. "Ie." It was true enough, and he didn't think that she was disloyal to their crew – their clan, as Paren had been calling them in her story sessions. But the speed at which she'd established and infiltrated information networks in the prison compound had awakened questions in his mind that he would have never dared to raise even obliquely before their present course had been set. Now, when he wasn't sure it mattered, she wasn't going to give him an answer anyway. Maybe she doesn't think it matters either. There were more pressing concerns in any case. "You think they'll come to us, then?"
"The smart ones will, but they're not all smart. They might think they can hire better muscle to protect their find."
"Don't tell me – the Naussicaan." Ayel scowled. Kanigar was the survivor from the fight the month before. He'd been smart enough to curry favour with other groups and factions opposed to the power the Rihannsu had amassed, and were still amassing.
"Maybe. There are other choices, but he might be the most trouble."
"We don't need the dilithium. We don't even know if this is all worth it." Ayel frowned more deeply. "I don't want to get sucked further into these little games for nothing. I'll take Vanor and H'Rhish tomorrow, and we'll see what the fuss is about."
"And the captain?"
Ayel nodded. "And the captain." If he cares to come...
Ayel had been spending less time with Nero when they weren't working, and more with the rest of crew. Overall, the effect of this seemed to be positive. He was better able to keep track of the factioning in the crew, and to do what he could to keep any serious rivalries from developing. He felt more in tune with their needs, and less distanced from them – they were coming to him again with their problems, as they should, and leaving Nero alone.
Nero seemed to prefer this as well. He never sought out Ayel, or even T'Lalea. He kept himself apart in his bunk, scribbling away on the scraps of paper the others scavenged for him. His disengagement was frustrating, and Ayel couldn't quite quiet the voice in his mind that cried out where is the honour I am due? But he served, and did not complain, because it was necessary not just for honour's sake, but for survival as well. Without Nero, even an increasingly distant Nero, they would turn inwards and destroy themselves. When the captain indicated that he would join them, Ayel hoped it might be an opportunity to draw him back out.
The Rihannsu work crews were six men apiece. Ayel, Vanor, H'Rhish and Nero made four – he rounded out the rest with two of the bigger men in the crew. Clan he found himself thinking again. S'Terek and Lhain could be intimidating, though the latter was actually one of their remaining field medics. S'Terek was from one of the drill crews and was at least as tough as he looked. H'Rhish was from geology and, in Ayel's experience, had the best natural eye for it.
The six of them met the night before for a briefing. "They'll know something is up when we switch our crews, but that's fine. We really just want a look to see if it is worth our trouble or not. I've heard it looks big, but the scum in here with us aren't miners. That said – there's no instrument readings to go off here, and not even a field manual to review, so I want you to be as certain as you can." He gave Vanor and H'Rhish each a long look, and they nodded curtly in return - H'Rhish at least followed it up with a respectful "Yes, sub-commander."
The guards did know something was up in the morning, and they had to wait until after the midday meal break to find an opportunity to look for the dilithium. T'Lalea's report had given them the general area, and they'd been working in the vicinity all day – another deviation from routine. Ayel had watched the Orion pirate whose crew was supposed to have made the discovery slink down a narrow passage to their right, and as they picked up their equipment to resume work, he nodded the others in that direction.
He led the way himself, Lhain and S'Terek flanking Nero behind him, with H'Rhish and Vanor bringing up the rear. The passage was narrow, and the only guards Ayel saw were the ones following the Rihannsu to keep an eye on them. It wouldn't do to have them find the deposit, as there would be no question of controlling it at all – all the men would be tasked with mining the area until it was gone, and the whole issue of quotas would be forgotten. The inmates of Rura Penthe had learned that lesson long ago, and did their best to obfuscate any significant finds.
The passage through the mine narrowed considerably and turned sharply ahead, and Ayel felt Nero's hand on his shoulder, holding him back. The captain nodded to S'Terek to take point for the moment. He grinned, creeping slowly around the corner, quickly dodging a blow, then grabbing his attacker and hauling him back into the middle of the Rihannsu party.
The man before them was an Orion, one of the group who'd found the deposit. He brushed himself off, eyeing the looming Rihannsu who'd circled around him before grinning slyly. After another thoughtful look at Nero, he turned to address Ayel.
"Commander Ayel – that's correct isn't it? I take it you've heard about our little find, hmm? I had hoped you might take an interest. I'm Tarras."
"We know who you are, and our interests are not any of your business. Move aside."
The calculation never left Tarras's eyes, but his smile tightened. "I'll move aside, Romulan. Please – pass through, take a good look, and then perhaps you'll reconsider just where our interests might coincide."
Ayel was already looking past him, and ordered S'Terek and Lhain ahead. He waited with Nero while Vanor and H'Rhish went next. Tarras waited, following after them but keeping his distance, watching them carefully. The rest of Tarras's crew had stopped working, no doubt listening to the exchange. One of them, another Orion, was very deliberately tapping his hand laser. The others looked more apprehensive, gripping their own lasers tightly. After a brief assessment, Ayel ignored them all.
Despite lying in his bunk the night before trying to remember details from classes he'd taken decades ago, when Ayel looked past the prisoners at the wall of rock, all he could see was the green blood they'd have to lose to keep it. There was dilithium, alright – a sizable node that looked to stretch further back into the granite matrix. He turned away, but he had to wait for Nero before heading back up the side passage. The others fell in line behind them with their muscle bringing up the rear.
Once they were back out far enough that they could talk without too easily being overheard, Nero stopped.
"Report," Ayel prompted.
Vanor shrugged. "It's big."
"Yes but-" H'Rhish, caught himself, and then turned to Nero. "Captain. The deposit is large, yes, but it's too impure for the kinds of processing these barbarians are using. I suspect it might also be highly unstable, if it contains any of the same inclusions as the granite matrix."
"We could still use it though, sir," Vanor pressed. "They don't know the difference."
"We'll discuss it further later." For now, Ayel felt relieved, and they had work to do.
They decided to let Tarras keep his dilithium. T'Lalea listened to Vanor's suggestions, but in the end she agreed with Ayel – Rihannsu lives weren't worth the risk. In a display of surprising perception, the Orion traded it away to a Tellarite. Most of the gulag's inmates judged it a poor deal until one of the transport carts exploded, killing the Tellarite, his gang, and caving in most of the surrounding tunnel network. The Rihannsu, and Tarras, had all been working sections far to the east.
What was more important to Ayel happened the day following the initial encounter. Instead of reassembling what had become their usual team, Nero had clapped him on the shoulder and directed him to one of the other Rihannsu crews. The next day, he picked another. There was rarely much to talk about during the long shifts in the mines anyway, and the men, at least, were glad for this sign that their captain was still one of them. Ayel felt a little better, but wished he had a sense whether Nero – his captain, his friend – kept him close because he wanted to, or only needed him for appearances.
Part of the reason I'm returning is renewed interest from having seen the new ST movie. And partly - I have submitted my dissertation recently! So, which I do have a list of academic things I want to accomplish, I can broaden my focus again in terms of fic-writing projects. So, hopefully my good-intentions will hold, and that whatever happens I can provide some measure of entertainment to those who read through meanwhile :)
Thanks to
shadow_truths for the beta on this one!Series Page and Chapter Index on LJ | on DW | on AO3
Twenty-Five Years 12 - New Status Quo
Twenty-Five Years 12 – The New Status Quo
"You're too good at this," Ayel commented as T'Lalea finished her report outlining the specifics of the large dilithium deposit that one of the smaller inmate factions had come across in the mines, and the ensuing petty power struggles the Rihannsu had so far been successfully avoiding.
T'Lalea arched her eyebrows, recognizing the probe for what it was. "Someone has to be – there's no one else to look out for us but ourselves.''
Ayel nodded. "Ie." It was true enough, and he didn't think that she was disloyal to their crew – their clan, as Paren had been calling them in her story sessions. But the speed at which she'd established and infiltrated information networks in the prison compound had awakened questions in his mind that he would have never dared to raise even obliquely before their present course had been set. Now, when he wasn't sure it mattered, she wasn't going to give him an answer anyway. Maybe she doesn't think it matters either. There were more pressing concerns in any case. "You think they'll come to us, then?"
"The smart ones will, but they're not all smart. They might think they can hire better muscle to protect their find."
"Don't tell me – the Naussicaan." Ayel scowled. Kanigar was the survivor from the fight the month before. He'd been smart enough to curry favour with other groups and factions opposed to the power the Rihannsu had amassed, and were still amassing.
"Maybe. There are other choices, but he might be the most trouble."
"We don't need the dilithium. We don't even know if this is all worth it." Ayel frowned more deeply. "I don't want to get sucked further into these little games for nothing. I'll take Vanor and H'Rhish tomorrow, and we'll see what the fuss is about."
"And the captain?"
Ayel nodded. "And the captain." If he cares to come...
Ayel had been spending less time with Nero when they weren't working, and more with the rest of crew. Overall, the effect of this seemed to be positive. He was better able to keep track of the factioning in the crew, and to do what he could to keep any serious rivalries from developing. He felt more in tune with their needs, and less distanced from them – they were coming to him again with their problems, as they should, and leaving Nero alone.
Nero seemed to prefer this as well. He never sought out Ayel, or even T'Lalea. He kept himself apart in his bunk, scribbling away on the scraps of paper the others scavenged for him. His disengagement was frustrating, and Ayel couldn't quite quiet the voice in his mind that cried out where is the honour I am due? But he served, and did not complain, because it was necessary not just for honour's sake, but for survival as well. Without Nero, even an increasingly distant Nero, they would turn inwards and destroy themselves. When the captain indicated that he would join them, Ayel hoped it might be an opportunity to draw him back out.
The Rihannsu work crews were six men apiece. Ayel, Vanor, H'Rhish and Nero made four – he rounded out the rest with two of the bigger men in the crew. Clan he found himself thinking again. S'Terek and Lhain could be intimidating, though the latter was actually one of their remaining field medics. S'Terek was from one of the drill crews and was at least as tough as he looked. H'Rhish was from geology and, in Ayel's experience, had the best natural eye for it.
The six of them met the night before for a briefing. "They'll know something is up when we switch our crews, but that's fine. We really just want a look to see if it is worth our trouble or not. I've heard it looks big, but the scum in here with us aren't miners. That said – there's no instrument readings to go off here, and not even a field manual to review, so I want you to be as certain as you can." He gave Vanor and H'Rhish each a long look, and they nodded curtly in return - H'Rhish at least followed it up with a respectful "Yes, sub-commander."
The guards did know something was up in the morning, and they had to wait until after the midday meal break to find an opportunity to look for the dilithium. T'Lalea's report had given them the general area, and they'd been working in the vicinity all day – another deviation from routine. Ayel had watched the Orion pirate whose crew was supposed to have made the discovery slink down a narrow passage to their right, and as they picked up their equipment to resume work, he nodded the others in that direction.
He led the way himself, Lhain and S'Terek flanking Nero behind him, with H'Rhish and Vanor bringing up the rear. The passage was narrow, and the only guards Ayel saw were the ones following the Rihannsu to keep an eye on them. It wouldn't do to have them find the deposit, as there would be no question of controlling it at all – all the men would be tasked with mining the area until it was gone, and the whole issue of quotas would be forgotten. The inmates of Rura Penthe had learned that lesson long ago, and did their best to obfuscate any significant finds.
The passage through the mine narrowed considerably and turned sharply ahead, and Ayel felt Nero's hand on his shoulder, holding him back. The captain nodded to S'Terek to take point for the moment. He grinned, creeping slowly around the corner, quickly dodging a blow, then grabbing his attacker and hauling him back into the middle of the Rihannsu party.
The man before them was an Orion, one of the group who'd found the deposit. He brushed himself off, eyeing the looming Rihannsu who'd circled around him before grinning slyly. After another thoughtful look at Nero, he turned to address Ayel.
"Commander Ayel – that's correct isn't it? I take it you've heard about our little find, hmm? I had hoped you might take an interest. I'm Tarras."
"We know who you are, and our interests are not any of your business. Move aside."
The calculation never left Tarras's eyes, but his smile tightened. "I'll move aside, Romulan. Please – pass through, take a good look, and then perhaps you'll reconsider just where our interests might coincide."
Ayel was already looking past him, and ordered S'Terek and Lhain ahead. He waited with Nero while Vanor and H'Rhish went next. Tarras waited, following after them but keeping his distance, watching them carefully. The rest of Tarras's crew had stopped working, no doubt listening to the exchange. One of them, another Orion, was very deliberately tapping his hand laser. The others looked more apprehensive, gripping their own lasers tightly. After a brief assessment, Ayel ignored them all.
Despite lying in his bunk the night before trying to remember details from classes he'd taken decades ago, when Ayel looked past the prisoners at the wall of rock, all he could see was the green blood they'd have to lose to keep it. There was dilithium, alright – a sizable node that looked to stretch further back into the granite matrix. He turned away, but he had to wait for Nero before heading back up the side passage. The others fell in line behind them with their muscle bringing up the rear.
Once they were back out far enough that they could talk without too easily being overheard, Nero stopped.
"Report," Ayel prompted.
Vanor shrugged. "It's big."
"Yes but-" H'Rhish, caught himself, and then turned to Nero. "Captain. The deposit is large, yes, but it's too impure for the kinds of processing these barbarians are using. I suspect it might also be highly unstable, if it contains any of the same inclusions as the granite matrix."
"We could still use it though, sir," Vanor pressed. "They don't know the difference."
"We'll discuss it further later." For now, Ayel felt relieved, and they had work to do.
They decided to let Tarras keep his dilithium. T'Lalea listened to Vanor's suggestions, but in the end she agreed with Ayel – Rihannsu lives weren't worth the risk. In a display of surprising perception, the Orion traded it away to a Tellarite. Most of the gulag's inmates judged it a poor deal until one of the transport carts exploded, killing the Tellarite, his gang, and caving in most of the surrounding tunnel network. The Rihannsu, and Tarras, had all been working sections far to the east.
What was more important to Ayel happened the day following the initial encounter. Instead of reassembling what had become their usual team, Nero had clapped him on the shoulder and directed him to one of the other Rihannsu crews. The next day, he picked another. There was rarely much to talk about during the long shifts in the mines anyway, and the men, at least, were glad for this sign that their captain was still one of them. Ayel felt a little better, but wished he had a sense whether Nero – his captain, his friend – kept him close because he wanted to, or only needed him for appearances.
