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"Deadly Negotiations"
Rating: PG-13 Three more MACOs make their appearances here: Money, Romero and Chang. Three The Trieste family estate was a mass of controlled chaos. Guillem insisted that Travis and Philippe be sent to the private hospital to make sure they were uninjured. Travis told him that if he was going there, then McKenzie should go there too. After much hemming and hawing, Guillem gave his permission. Malcolm stayed behind to secure the area and launch his own investigation. “Your bodyguard will be fine, Monsieur Mayweather,” said the doctor, Bernard, “but she must remain here in the hospital for at least four or five days.” “Can I see her?” Travis asked, as he stood up from the chair in the hallway.. “She is under sedation and cannot take visitors, but I will inform you when it is possible.” Bernard smiled and clapped a hand on Travis’s shoulder. “She really cares for you, if her actions are any indication.” “She’d say that it was just her job. Fiona’s a professional.” He looked over at Nate Kemper, who was keeping vigil at McKenzie’s door. The sergeant made no sign he’d heard the doctor’s words, and Travis hoped he didn’t take Bernard’s comment at more than face value. His communicator chirped and he flipped it open. “Mayweather.” “How are you holding up, Travis?” came the voice of Captain Archer. “I’m all right. Philippe’s getting checked out right now and McKenzie’s out of danger.” “Malcolm told us what happened. I’m sending Romero, Money and Chang from McKenzie’s MACO unit over to you. Money will be your bodyguard, Chang is Philippe’s, and Romero will be Malcolm’s shadow.” Travis caught Kemper’s broad grin and returned a grin of his own. “Thanks, Captain. It’s much appreciated.” “Has Philippe made his decision yet about whether or not he’s staying on Centauri?” Travis sighed and replied, “We’ve been down here less that twenty-four hours, sir. Honestly, I don’t know. He—“ There was an insistent beep on the line, then Archer said, “That’s Malcolm. Stay on the line, Travis.” There was a long pause, then he said, “Go ahead, Malcolm. Travis is listening in too.” “Sir,” came the clipped British accent. “We’ve done a DNA analysis of the sniper. Philippe is correct; the man had left EdML’s years ago and is currently employed with Tanaka Enterprises. According to our sources, he was known to be headstrong, independent and rash. All the visible evidence says that he was a rogue who took matters into his own hands, without Tanaka Enterprises’s knowledge and permission.” “Of course,” Travis muttered. “Wait...you said visible evidence—“ “Indeed I did, Travis, but I would much rather not discuss that on this channel. It would compromise the investigation here.” Travis heard the unspoken warning: We’re being overheard. Don’t give away any more information. “I understand, Commander. How much longer do you need?” “Three or four hours should do it...Monsieur Montclaire and his family have been cooperative, as well as their Security detachment.” Malcolm’s tone told Travis just what he thought of Guillem’s security force. “I will consult with Marshall Fontaneu about improving the security protocols so this kind of event doesn’t happen again.” Archer muttered something under his breath that Travis didn’t catch. Then he said, “Good. I want Guillem Montclaire to contact me when you’re done with him, Malcolm. He’s due for a long chat with Admiral Forrest and me. We want him to understand what’s at stake here.” “I’ll let him know, sir. Reed, out.” Archer addressed Travis again. “Travis, I want you and Philippe to stay at the hospital until the MACOs get there. Tell Kemper to stay with McKenzie; we aren’t taking any chances. And tell Philippe that he needs to make his decision as soon as possible. The sooner we finish negotiations with EdML, the better.” “I definitely agree with you there, sir. I’ll talk with Philippe. Mayweather, out.” Travis flipped his communicator closed. He finally noticed Philippe standing a few feet away from him, a PADD in his hand. “How much of that did you hear?” “Most of it. Enough to know that my uncle is in a lot of trouble,” Philippe replied. “Travis, we need to talk.” “Sure.” Travis nodded at Kemper, then went with Philippe to the visitors’ lounge down the hall. He closed the door as Philippe sat at the table. Philippe activated his PADD and slid it over to Travis. “I went through the legal documents that were in the consortium files. According to them, I can appoint an intermediary in my place, to oversee EdML’s day-to-day functions on Centauri. That person will be responsible for trade negotiations between Centauri and Earth.” Travis brightened. “That means you can go back to Enterprise if you wanted to, right?” “I could, but there’s a caveat.” Philippe sighed and ran a hand through his short blond hair. “Whoever I select has to be approved by the executive board and at least three-fourths of the shareholders. That’s a tall order, especially since I know that most of the board is on my uncle’s side.” His handsome face darkened. “And the list of candidates I can trust is a very short one.” “Crap. Okay, assuming that you can’t find an intermediary, that means you have to take leadership from your uncle.” Philippe nodded. “In that case, the transition period can last from a few weeks to a few months, depending on how complicated the process is. I can choose who will be on the board and with whom I can negotiate trade agreements. The downside is that I’ll have to resign my Starfleet position, and I’m not sure I want to do that yet.” “And the third option is to step aside and let Guillem take over EdML on a permanent basis. That doesn’t sit well with Admiral Forrest and the other trade consortiums.” “That pretty much covers it.” Philippe sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I’m pretty sure that you’re supposed to ensure that option numbers one or two happens. Either way, I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.” An uneasy silence settled over the two of them. Then Travis said, “Well, at least we do know what our options are. We’ve got time to do some brainstorming until the MACOs get here. There’s got to be a way to get you out of that hard place. First off, I want you to tell me everything you know about EdML’s people, who you think we can convince on our side. Then we need to look at both scenarios and see what we need to do for each one.” Philippe managed a smile. “Bien. I hope the MACOs take their time getting here, because we’ll be busy for a while.” They sat in that lounge for a few hours, huddling over the PADD and discussing both options. Travis learned about the complications of owning a trading consortium; the legal and unspoken ramifications were enough to make his head swim. Philippe, on the other hand, patiently explained the issues and put in his own ideas. He already looked—and sounded—like the head of EdML, despite his claims. “When you said you had a short list of candidates, you weren’t kidding,” Travis said as he scanned the names Philippe had written down. Mme. Ysandra Vernet. Msr. Gareth Kensey. Mms. Collette du Prende. Msr. Angelique Suveaut. “All four are long-time employees of EdML and close associates of your parents. All four have impeccable service records, all four are staunchly loyal to Rene’s vision of EdML. When are you planning to interview them?” “Within the week, preferably within the next few days. I want to see if any of them is worthy to take my place as intermediary. I’d prefer that my uncle stay out of this; they will be reluctant to talk with him at my shoulder.” “So we need to distract Guillem. I think we can arrange something on that end,” Travis said with a smile. “Malcolm said something about improving the security around there, and I overheard Guillem asking him if Hoshi could go over the legal documents to make sure they’re legitimate.” “Perfect.” Philippe’s smile was almost feral, with bright teeth. “I’ll also have to talk with each member of the executive board and see where he stands. It will be interesting to hear what they have to say without my uncle’s presence.” “Yeah. They’d probably tell you things that are off the record.” Travis sighed and rubbed his temples. “Sounds like a good plan, Philippe. Just one more thing: what happens to Guillem, when either you or the intermediary takes over?” Philippe shrugged. “He can choose to be on the board or he can stay in an advisory position, but his power is greatly reduced. He has a lot to lose in either case. He’s very fond of power, my uncle.” “And that makes him dangerous.” Travis rubbed his temples. “We’ll have to beat him at his own game.” “Exactement, mon ami. And between us, we will do it.” Philippe smiled again, and this time, Travis couldn’t help a shudder at how cold it was. I just hope you don’t lose your soul in the process, Philippe. |
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