The Ready Room aboard the USS Callisto was a spacious designed with both functionality and comfort in mind, and decorated here and there with items that were either relevant to Captain Ceix, or relevant to the crew of the Callisto. Mementos of past missions found display on one of the shelves, and a wall with paintings and sculptures by artists of far-away cultures gave it the appeal of an art gallery. On the one side of the room, a large desk equipped with a console for monitoring ship systems, reviewing data and communications, was designated the Captain’s workspace. On the other side, a conference table provided space for meetings with the ship’s officers or visiting dignitaries.

When Brennan entered, she noted that, today,  it was laden with a small selection of pastries and beverages. And that everyone else was already present.

Lieutenant Pereira, their Chief Science Officer, raised his cup of probably coffee in a greeting, and offered a wide smile. Alcyone hadn’t spoken much to him, but thus far, their interactions had been sincere, and pleasant. He was a handsome man with tanned skin and an interesting accent, and from what Alcyone had heard, he spent quite a bit of his free time mentoring several of his colleagues. 

Next to him sat Lieutenant Sydin – the snake. At least that was what Alcyone had heard others call her, and the assessment had kept her from getting too close. Sydin was – if rumors proved to be correct – a redhead with warm brown eyes and an icy personality. Alcyone on the other side was a redhead with green contacts and an agreeable personality. Two very different things, and she was a little worried as to whether they would get along. 

Sydin was conversing with someone Alcyone hadn’t had the opportunity to speak to just yet. Commander Jonathan Keller. Brennan knew that Keller had very recently lost his wife, and was surprised that the man hadn’t taken a leave of absence to allow himself time to grief. 

Both offered her nothing more than a glance she interpreted as disapproving, and Alcyone felt the knot in her chest tightening. So that was what Eshrevi had meant in regard to ‘if they decided they don’t like you, you probably can’t change that’. 

Despite Captain Ceix not being a telepath and the room being shielded from telepathic influence in any case, the man seemed to notice the shift in Alcyone’s mind. He had been talking to Lieutenant Seta, their Chief Counsellor, but turned to his XO and offered her a welcoming smile. “Ah, Commander. Just on time.”

Brennan returned the smile, and took the hint. She was well on time, even a few minutes before the designated starting time of the briefing, and decided to try and tell herself that it wasn’t her problem that the others decided to show up early, and that they could disapprove of her being *on time* all they wanted.

So, instead of worrying – or rather, in addition to worrying – she activated the console and summoned the holographic display that showed the planet they were headed to.  Dominated by large bodies of water, Liraxa IV only had two distinct continents, from which only one was inhabitable. On the other, the map showed frozen wastes and unscalable mountains.

“Thank you all for coming.”, she started, steadying her voice. Despite knowing what she was taking about, and despite this not being the first briefing she gave, she felt nervous. “We are headed to Liraxa IV,  Class M planet, the only currently inhabited planet of the Liraxa system. Ninety-four percent of the planet’s surface is covered with water, which explains their relatively low population of approximately 2.5 billion people. ”, She tapped the console for a visual representation of the information she had been able to gather.

A rose-tinted sky, vast bodies of water, and rural settlements around two capital cities on one continent. “As you can see, it’s primarily rural, with technological advancements being largely found in the capital cities. Culturally, the advancements up to warp-travel are owed to the low availability of resources and inhabitable space on the planets surface, rather than curiosity. The Liraxans themselves are humanoid, but with one distinct feature.” She tapped the console once more, and an image of a Liraxan appeared – slender, with glowing markings running along their arms and face, faintly illuminating their skin.
“These markings are bioluminescent, possibly tied to their telepathic abilities, though we don’t yet know the full extent of that connection.”

“I guess that’s why they sent us here.”, remarked Keller neutrally.

Brennan gave a nod, understanding what he was getting at. “Yes, the Liraxans are a telepathic species, though classified as T-two/E-zero – same species, no contact required, telepathy only.”

Sydin leaned forward. “What’s that they are wearing?”

“The Liraxans favour clothing somewhat  reminiscent of ancient Earth civilizations. Think medieval or renaissance periods – flowing robes, intricate patterns, and ceremonial garments.” She swiped to another image of a Liraxan elder in ornate robes.
“While they don’t have societal classes, they have deeply rooted traditions – clothing on Liraxa IV is expensive, and a status symbol.”

“So what’s the actual problem?”, Sydin inquired further, and a little impatiently.

Brennan decided to ignore the undercurrent to Sydin’s question, and switched back to display the map, highlighting two distinct territories. “The conflict between the Malivan and Virexians goes back centuries. It started as a dispute over land – fertile soil and resources, and it hasn’t really moved on from that. As the population continues growing and resources become more scarce, the focus of that conflict has shifted towards Liraxa II – a Class L planet that not only holds resources but may also be adaptable to sustain several colonies. Both Liraxan factions want to claim it for themselves.”

“Can they?”, asked Pereira.

Brennan shook her head. “Not yet, but it’s… a bit of a race, I suppose. Neither faction currently owns the technology to build the artificial biospheres that would most likely be needed to populate the planet, and neither faction owns the resources to acquire it. Which explains why the conflict on the surface has escalated.”

Keller frowned. “And with ‘escalated’ you mean the assassination of the Virexian leader, correct?”

Alcyone nodded grimly. “Correct. His death has destabilised the Virexians, making them more desperate for control. There’s strong suspicion among the Virexians that the Malivan orchestrated the assassination, though nothing has been proven. The situation is volatile, and both tribes are on edge. Our mission is simple but delicate. Even though the Virexians were the one asking for Starfleet’s help, we’re not here to take sides. We’re here to bring both tribes to the negotiating table and mediate a peaceful resolution.”

Ceix nodded, crossing his arms as he addressed the group. “Thank you, Commander.”

Alcyone took a seat next to Ceix, and waited for questions from the group. She didn’t have to wait long.

“Do the Virexians know that we are not taking sides?”, asked Sydin.

“It’s not unlikely they have that expectation, so it is imperative we do make ourselves very clear.”, nodded Ceix. “In particular when the Malivans might also have that impression.”

“We don’t seem to know much about their cultural rituals or their methods of conflict resolution. What if we unintentionally offend them?”, asked Sydin.

Brennan explained. “That’s why we’ll start by meeting the Virexian elders. Our primary objective is to assess why previous talks have failed. We’ll be learning their customs as we go.”

“Was there no attempts on peace talks so far? I can hardly imagine that.”, noted Kelller.

“There were.”, confirmed Brennan. “But they broke down within days.”

“Why?”

“Distrust is probably a huge factor. These tribes have been in conflict for centuries, coexisting in a fragile state. It is likely that there are also parties that benefit from ongoing conflict. According to our reports, the last attempt was going comparatively well, until the assassination.”

“We need to keep our eyes open when we’re down there.”, concluded Keller, and the room fell silent for a moment.

“Brennan, Sydin, Keller – you’ll accompany me down to Liraxia IV and meet the Virexian elders. Your focus is to figure out why previous peace talks failed. Pereira will be supporting from here, and gather information on the viability of Liraxia II. Seta, you will focus on gathering information on their culture – anything that can help us.”

Alcyone resisted the urge to bite her lip. Sydin and Keller were exactly the people she didn’t want to work too closely with. But the other officers nodded or verbalised their assent, and dispersed to get ready. Brennan stayed back, and turned to the Captain as soon as they were alone.

“This was…”, she started, but Ceix interrupted her.

“This was a good briefing. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“Thank you, sir.”, Alcyone nodded, and tilted her head. She was grateful for having a supportive Captain, and for being permitted to have those small moments of insecurity. Probably why the man was so popular with the crew. And, with that briefing no longer on her plate, she could focus on the mission itself.

Let’s bring these tribes to the table, she thought to herself as she left the Ready Room. But first, she would have to report to Eshrevi and let her know how the briefing went.