#190 'Cards' in Play

Posted on Mon Oct 30th, 2023 @ 1:49pm by Lieutenant JG Sheyla {Meji}

Mission: Wedding Blues And Trouble
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: current
Tags: Song, Long, Green

ON:

With the Princess awake, and now gone, all those who were interested had also departed. Long, the Commodore, Barnes, Nira; all had left the last three pods to Sickbay. It was as if some Princess held more importance than the three Cardassians remaining. Last she heard Starfleet did not consider one's status to be more important to saving their life than anyone else. Guess things were different on the Amandora, she thought.

Standing at the foot of the pod with the elder Cardassian within, her back to the head of the pod, Sheyla's antennae picked up a change in the surrounding airflow, and she heard an intake of breath that was sudden and broke the norm of steady breathing due to sleep or unconsciousness. Turning slowly around more out of curiosity than anxiety, Sheyla looked to the face and torso of the elder. The steady, rhythmic breathing was now the breathing of a conscious being, the rise and fall of the chest denoting such. With a groan the Cardassian reached out with both hands, grasping the edges of the pod hatch and pulling his body into a sitting up position. He made no move to vacate the pod, just yet. His hands let go of the sides of the pod and went to his face, rubbing his eyes and face to get the blood flowing and to adjust his visual acuity.

Once he had sufficiently cleared his eyes and awoken the flesh on his face, his hands dropped to his lap as he looked around, his eyes coming to rest on the Doctor. Sheyla gave a nod with a pleasant expression on her face. "Greetings. I am Doctor Sheyla and you are aboard the Federation starship, Amandora. Welcome aboard, Sir."

Feeling his throat was dry, the Cardassian moved his tongue around inside his mouth to get the saliva active, swallowing a couple of times to moisten his airway and throat. "Thank you, Doctor Sheyla." He motioned to the exterior of the pod. "May I?"

Sheyla angled her face and squinted her eyes in a sidelong gaze in a pseudo-serious way, the mirth in her eyes clear as she addressed him. "Do you promise to behave?"

The Cardassian grinned, and then chuckled as he read her body language and antennae waving. She was Andorian, a warrior race, so she knew how to handle herself he suspected. However, there was no fear or anxiety at seeing him awake, instead choosing to be playful and welcoming. "You have my word, Doctor. No-what's the word...shenanigans?"

"For some Humans, yes." Answered Sheyla. "Do you need assistance, or are you capable of doing it yourself?"

"I'm fine, thank you." The man used the hatch edges to push himself up until his legs cleared the tube, then he side-saddled the pod until he got both feet on the deck and stood at his full height. He was easily six feet in height with a build that denoted a life of activity, not a sedentary lifestyle. "There, much better," he said.

Sheyla took up a medical tricorder, pulling the feinberger out of the slot and stepped over to him. She held the feinberger scanner a few centimeters over his chest and torso, going back and forth with it as it gave an in-depth scan of his internals. She was glancing at her tricorder readings and up at him as she spoke. "Do you have a name, or should I just call you Mister Cardassian?"

The Cardassian gave another chuckle and a smile. "Where are my manners?" As he said that the other two also sat up, fully awake and going through the same actions their leader had done to get themselves aligned to their surroundings. "I am Legate Perus. That man there is Glin Tarsus, and that fine example of Cardassian womanhood is Gul Karden."

Out of the corner of her eye Sheyla saw one of the Security officers tap their badge to inform Security that the three Cardassians were awake and speaking.

The Glin and Gul both gave nods of greeting as they clambered out of their own pods.

"Legate Perus, from what my scans say you have been fully aware and conscious for quite some time. At minimum, no less than an hour." Explained Sheyla.

Perus gave another chuckle, his eyes denoting that he was being truthful. "Apologies for the ruse, Doctor. Yes, I have been awake for some time now. Long enough to lay there and listen to all that transpired between the Princess and your command staff. I chose the better part of valor, Doctor. That insufferable woman is not fit to be the wife of a Cardassian. But, unfortunately, I don't decide such things."

Sheyla finished her scans of Perus, moving over to scan Karden. "You are opposed to the marriage, yet you are a party to her entourage." Having heard the name Perus before, but not able to remember why, Sheyla decided to engage them in conversation, to see what they would offer through friendly discourse.

"I am a Legate. It is my duty to do what the Detapa Council orders me to do. I am not so much opposed to the marriage as I am the person to be married. An insufferable, disrespectful, moronic brat who has suffered no hardship in her pampered life. And, as you have seen yourself, it shows." Perus finished his rather casual tirade on his feelings towards the Princess.

Gul Karden looked down at the feinberger being passed over her torso, then back up at Sheyla. "What type of scan is that?"

Sheyla looked the woman in the eyes. "The same one I gave the Legate. It's a medical scan to determine your level of health. Nothing more."

"I see," said the Gul. "You may continue."

Sheyla gave Perus a cynical look. "And you say the Princess is insufferable? Perhaps you should speak to your people about proper manners." With that said to the Legate, Sheyla's eyes came back to the Gul, with glances towards the Glin, to include him in what she was going to say. "This is my Sickbay and I will conduct any scans I deem necessary. If not I will have Security hold you down until I am finished. Is that clear enough for you, Gul?"

The Gul's eyes looked to her superior, who gave her a slight shaking of the head to keep her in her place. "Very well, Doctor. My apologies." Karden said.

Sheyla gave a nod of satisfaction, but decided to be diplomatic all in the same breath. "You have my apologies for being so abrupt, Gul. But, you have to understand. Starfleet medical personnel take their duties very seriously."

The Gul's expression seemed to soften a bit. "I understand duty, Doctor Sheyla. We shall adjust our behavior. Legate Perus is right. Our attitudes have been somewhat...dented by being around the Princess for any length of time."

Sheyla giggled and smiled. "I have no doubts. Having been here for her initial awakening, I wouldn't want to spend more than a couple of minutes in her presence."

Glin Tarsus gave a matching chuckle. "I don't who I feel more sorry for. Ourselves, or the unfortunate groom who has to try and tame that shrew."

Perus was amused by the interplay between his people and the Starfleet Doctor. "We're here as a party to the Princess. To teach her Cardassian ways and to acclimate her to our culture and society for her husband's sake. However, she seems quite averse to learning any of it."

Sheyla had moved to the Glin, scanning him as they all talked. Two more Security personnel had shown up now that all three Cardassians were awake. Sheyla had looked to the lead and shook her head, letting him know to stand guard but to not approach. They did as she requested. Her scans done, Sheyla placed the tricorder on the device tray. "Andor did away with arranged marriages a long time ago. Too many clan disputes were started over it, and when Andorian clans have a dispute, it usually leads to chaos and death. We saved our own culture by leaving love up to the couples involved and no one else."

"Smart move," Perus said. "But, this is being done for trade. What Zoreen fails to understand is just how loving and loyal we Cardassians are when it comes to family. Our children are our future and we cherish them with all our hearts. If she cannot be a good mother to Cardassian children, how is she going to be a just leader for her own people? She'll be a tyrant. A spoiled idiot with unearned power."

Sheyla's face went through several expressions, all of them cynical or sarcastic in a subtle way. Her eyes, however, hid nothing. It was obvious that she found their discomfort amusing. "I'm sorry to hear that...kind of. Not like the Obsidian Order and all the Guls of old didn't do the same thing, touting their superiority until they ran headlong into the Klingons. Didn't the Union battle the Klingons over some nebula years ago?"

"Ah, yes. That minor skirmish always seems to crop up," stated Perus.

"Minor skirmish?" Asked Sheyla, still smiling. "A minor skirmish that lasted eighteen years."

Perus returned the smile. "Well, we Cardassians believe that if something is worth doing, then taking your time to get it right is a must."

Sheyla did not want to ruin the feel-good moment by pointing out that the Klingons had routed the Cardassians from that particular nebula. "Either way it shows one outstanding quality for the Cardassian people."

"What quality is that, Doctor?" Perus tilted his head in curiosity.

"You and your people have tenacity," Sheyla responded. "Not unlike my people. We had an Imperial Guard, and then after joining the Federation, they were transformed into the Sovereign Guard. Tenacious and always at the ready."

"Thank you for your honest assessment," Perus said. "It is true we can be rather tenacious. However, most other species don't understand why. In our history, once Cardassia Prime had depleted its resources and starvation drove us to chaos, it was tenacity that drove us to travel to the stars to claim said resources and secure our future."

Sheyla gave nods to what he said as she cleaned her instruments. "Well, as a medical officer I leave all that political talk to others. I'm just glad your people came through the Dominion occupation without too much damage. It is good to see the Union regaining its strength and rejoining the galactic community. If this marriage aids in further growth, despite your misgivings, I hope it works to your benefit in the future."

Perus gave a light, none-to-happy sigh. "As do I. I must suffer so my people do not have to." He gave a crooked smile. "It is the way of things."

Sheyla placed her devices back on the tray. "I need to file the data on your scans, to show we are doing our best to keep you healthy and safe. Please, don't leave Sickbay, yet. Security will be forced to stop you. I will contact the Executive Officer, and others, and let them know you are awake and in good health. Do you have a message you would like me to pass along?"

"I'm sure your announcement will get at least one of them down here," Perus said. "At that time I shall speak freely, to see where we stand."

"Fair enough, Legate. Until they arrive, welcome aboard and make yourself as comfortable as possible. The replicators are open for use so if any of you are hungry or thirsty then the Security officers, or the medical staff, can show you how to use them. I'll return shortly, Sir." With that said Doctor Sheyla went into the main lab, stopping at a report station and filing all her data. She then sent a missive to Number One, the Commodore, and Doctor Long, that the Cardassians were awake and eager to speak to any one of them. Having done her job to the best of her ability, Sheyla went back out to the main Sickbay area, seeing a nurse aiding the three in using the replicator.

OFF:

TAG: Song, Long, Green