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"Deadly Negotiations"
Rating: PG-13 Like Hoshi Sato, I love languages and when I write fiction (ENT or other), I enjoy using other languages in my stories. Four It was late evening by the time Travis and Philippe returned to Bellevue. They were accompanied by Corporals Romero and Chang, as well as Sergeant Kemper. Corporal Money insisted on taking his vigil at McKenzie’s side so Kemper could get some rest. Although he protested, Travis pointed out that neither Fiona nor anyone else would be safe if he was dead from exhaustion. They went through the entrance to the Grand Foyer. Like the rest of the house, Bellevue’s walls were a made of a buttercream-colored marble, with gold molding and accents. The Sitting Parlor was off to the right of the Foyer, isolated by a pair of folding wooden doors. The Library, Kitchen and Sunroom occupied the southern part of the level, with a large spiral staircase at the end of the hall that led to the second floor. The Triestes and Montclaires hadn’t spared any cost in decoration; the artwork and furniture alone would keep a small colony in operation for years. Voices floated from the Library. Travis listened as the tone rose and fell, not quite angry but not exactly civil either. He caught Kemper’s glance. “Sir, it sounds like someone’s having some kind of disagreement.” “Guillem,” Travis said after a moment, “but I don’t recognize the other voice. Do you, Philippe?” He closed his eyes, then opened them again. “Someone on the interstellar line. It must be one of his shareholders. Let me see what’s the matter.” Philippe walked towards the Library, with Corporal Chang trailing him. Travis waited for several moments with a jumpy Sergeant Kemper and Corporal Romero. Romero, in particular, seemed uncomfortable in the opulent surroundings. Then Travis remembered: Alejandro Romero’s family lived on Altair, which was controlled by a wealthy despot. Romero had mentioned some “incidents” in passing that involved his father, grandfather and the local authorities. “Eh, Alejandro. Esta bien?” Kemper asked softly. The corporal managed a smile. “Si, Sergente. I’ll be okay. I think.” “Brings back bad memories?” Romero winced. “I’d rather not talk about it, Sergente.” “If you need to talk later, I’ll listen.” “Gracias, Sergente.” He gave Kemper a grateful look, then turned his attention back to a particularly tasteless marble statue. Travis nodded at Kemper; the sergeant had the makings of a fine officer. Lord, I’m getting old, Travis thought dryly. And I’m not that much older than Nate or Alejandro. Philippe stuck his head back into the hall and pointed at Travis with his chin. Travis nodded and quietly slipped between the Library doors, with Kemper and Romero following close behind. Guillem Montclaire was talking with someone on the viewscreen of a comm console. On the couch behind him sat Malcolm Reed, and next to him, to Travis’s surprise and delight sat Hoshi Sato. The woman on the viewscreen held herself with some dignity, despite the rips in her silk kimono and the four parallel scratches at her right temple. The gray hair there was still matted with her blood. Now she glared at Guillem Montclaire with bottomless black eyes. Guillem tried to keep his facade of calm arrogance, but the sweat dripped off his chin “I can assure you, Montclaire, I did not send the assassin to your private party,” she said, her cold tone with a touch of scorn. She’d pronounced the name as mo-no-cray-ru, since Japanese didn’t have the “l” sound. “If I had, the targets would have been dead at the first shot.” “How assuring,” Guillem replied, dryly sarcastic. “You have great faith in your corporate assassins, Madame Tanaka. Quite the touch, too, using one of my nephew’s school friends—“ She inclined her head, her beautiful face growing colder. “I might say the same thing as well, Montclaire. The one who attempted to kill me came from EdML’s ranks, one whom your deceased brother-in-law knew well. You tell me you did not send Edvard here?” “He left here in disgrace months ago. I had no idea of his whereabouts, and I certainly didn’t re-hire him after the mess he left. It took me weeks to straighten things out.” Travis glanced at Philippe and mouthed silently, Sumiko Tanaka? Of Tanaka Enterprises? Philippe nodded, but he didn’t take his eyes off his uncle’s screen. .Now Travis understood why Hoshi was here. She observed the interaction between Sumiko and Guillem; as a linguist, she could read and interpret non-verbal language as well as verbal. Although both women were of Japanese origin, they looked as different from each other as night at day. Right now, Hoshi had a look of intense interest on her face as she watched Sumiko.. They definitely hate each other, Travis thought, Guillem and Sumiko. I think that Sumiko would reach out from Vega and strangle him if she could. This casual talk of corporate assassins unnerved him, but Philippe made no visible reaction. A shiver went down his spine as he wondered if this was just business as usual. And if that was the case, Travis really worried about Philippe’s future here. Guillem was still talking. “Your assassin targeted Philippe, but the primary target was the Starfleet negotiator, Lieutenant Travis Mayweather. One of his bodyguards was injured in the firefight and it took Mayweather, Lieutenant Commander Reed, and Marshall Raemon to bring him down.” Her mouth twisted into a smirk as she said, “Yes, so he was trained well, wasn’t he. You said the negotiator’s name is Mayweather?” Ma-e-weh-de-ru. “Yes, why?” “Is he present? I would like to speak with him.” Before Travis could open his mouth, Guillem shrugged, gave Travis a pointed look, and said, “Yes, he is. Just a moment.” Dammit, you idiot. She’s Paul’s new boss. Of course, she’d know who I am. Travis got up and slid into the seat as Guillem vacated it. He managed a slight bow of greeting; Hoshi had taught him that much. “Tanaka-sama. I’m Lieutenant Mayweather.” Her face transformed from scorn to something that resembled respect. She bowed back, dipping low so her forehead nearly touched the surface of her desk. Hoshi’s eyes went wide with surprise. “I am the one honored, Mayweather-san. Your brother has told me many good things about you. I am pleased by his command abilities and his negotiation skills. You must be proud of your family.” “Yes, I am, ma’am. I’m glad he’s aiding your business.” His words were genuine, for Paul would now be able to step out of his shadow. Travis pushed aside a stab of guilt at the thought. “Family is important to us as well. It is what defines who we are. Mayweather-san, I understand Earth has an interest in promoting good relations between them and the Trading Consortiums. Would you make the time to come here to Vega? I have a proposal that might interest your Admiral Forrest. Of course—“ she held up a hand, “—after you conclude your negotiations with EdML. I realize that the Montclaires are in the middle of transition, and that you are there to witness it. I cannot, and will not, interrupt that momentous occasion.” Travis raised an eyebrow as she caught her hidden meaning. She has a vested interest in Philippe taking Guillem’s place as head of EdML. Plus, her remark about family means that Paul is indebted to her now...and by extension, so am I. Clever woman. “I can’t make any promises, ma’am, because I must wait for orders from Starfleet after this, but I will certainly keep your generous invitation in mind.” That answer seemed to satisfy her. “Doomo arigatoo gozaimasu, Mayweather-san. I look forward to meeting with you soon. Now, Guillem—“ she glanced to Travis’s right, “—I will look into this attempt on your nephew’s and our guest’s lives, if you would kindly do that same on your end, concerning the attempt on mine.” “Rest assured that I will do everything within my power, my lady,” Guillem replied. “And please inform Philippe-chan that I will arrange to speak with him privately regarding business between our consortiums. I refuse to let a misunderstanding destroy our history of cooperation and goodwill.” Guillem didn’t look too happy about that, either, but he said, “I will.” “Good. Tanaka Enterprises, out.” She reached forward and cut the connection. Guillem blew out an angry breath. “The nerve of that woman, making assumptions that we will do all she says! She has no concern about your welfare, Philippe, only that she feels you are malleable enough for her purposes!” Philippe scowled at his uncle and said, “Au contraire, mon oncle. You didn’t make her any promises to her. I think, too, that she believes I’m a weak boy who doesn’t have what it takes to run a consortium. She’s wrong.” Travis glanced at Philippe. The younger man met his uncle’s eyes and kept a steady gaze. It was Guillem who turned away first. Guillem asked, “Mademoiselle Sato? What are your impressions of Tanaka?” Hoshi leaned forward from her seat on the couch. “She is formal and takes family honor seriously, almost fanatically. She sounds like she expects EdML to adhere to tradition because she does. And she most certainly expects to be obeyed.” She frowned as she addressed Guillem, Philippe and Travis. “I’d be very careful around her, Monsieurs.” “You don’t have to tell me twice,” Travis muttered. Guillem sighed and rubbed his eyes. He looked as exhausted as Travis felt. “Tomorrow, we’ll go over the list of proposals from Starfleet, Monsieur Mayweather, and try to come to some kind of agreement. I would also like to speed up the handover of the company to Philippe and to do that, we need to go over the legal documents pertaining to that.” “Hoshi and I can do that,” Travis said. “Philippe, will you be joining us?” “I’ll probably end up being in and out of that meeting, Lieutenant. Marshals Raemon and Bouvier have asked me to be present while Lieutenant Commander Reed installs the new security protocols. They think it’s important that I be there and I agree with them.” Guillem had a questioning look on his face and he glanced at Malcolm. To his credit, Malcolm didn’t so much as blink, much less look surprised. Instead, Malcolm only nodded once. Guillem sighed and turned back to Philippe. “But the Starfleet proposals...that’s important business, Nephew.” “Yes, Uncle. That’s why I’m not planning on spending the entire day with the security personnel. I will be present for some of the meeting. While we were waiting for the MACOs at the hospital, the lieutenant and I sat together and went over Admiral Forrest’s proposals. I made my notes and recommendations; you can see them if you wish...” “I would be highly interested in them, yes. That was an efficient use of your time, Philippe.” Guillem looked disturbed and impressed at the same time. “Quite efficient. Starfleet must have taught you a thing or two.” Philippe chuckled and looked pointedly at Travis and Malcolm. He held Malcolm’s gaze longer, and the Armory officer responded with a slight smirk. “I’ve had excellent teachers, Uncle, who value the art of time management.” Guillem laughed and nodded at Malcolm. “For that, I am eternally grateful, Monsieurs. Well, I’m off to bed. Tomorrow will start earlier than we’d all like. Bonne nuit, Monsieurs. Mademoiselle.” “Good night, Guillem...oh, here’s a copy of our work from when we were waiting at the hospital,” Travis said as he gave Montclaire his PADD. “I figured you would want to at least look at it before going to bed.” “You’re generous, Lieutenant, merci.” Guillem accepted the PADD without trying to act as if he wanted to snatch it from Travis’s fingers. After a short bow, he left the Library. All the MACOs relaxed visibly after he was gone. Romero, in particular, breathed a sigh of relief. Hoshi raised her eyebrows at Travis and Philippe. So did Malcolm, and Travis grinned at how similar the they looked. “You two are up to something, aren’t you,” she said. Travis gave her an innocent look. “What’s wrong with being efficient?” |
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