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"Deadly Negotiations"
Rating: PG-13 Seven Philippe acted stiff and formal around Travis during three days of intense talks with EdML’s executive board. Outside the negotiation room, he all but disappeared. Travis finally lost patience and decided to corner him in the formal dining room during the two-hour long lunch break. When he walked into the formal dining room, he found Philippe deep in conversation with Malcolm. They’d been spending a good amount of time in each other’s company lately. Travis knew they were looking into the investigation of Rene and Sandrine’s suspicious deaths. To his surprise, Philippe seemed relaxed, even laughing at one of Malcolm’s wry remarks. They talked in rapid-fire French, so Travis was completely lost. “Travis,” Philippe said. “Come join us.” “You sure I’m not interrupting anything?” Travis asked as he sat next to Philippe. He tried to suppress a stab of jealousy; Philippe seemed to get along so much better with Malcolm, even though Travis was in this mess partially for his benefit. Granted, Malcolm had so much more in common with him, but still... His thoughts must have been plain on his face because Philippe’s expression sobered considerably. “I owe you an apology, Travis. I don’t want you to think I’m ungrateful for what you’ve sacrificed for me—“ “I don’t think you’re ungrateful—“ Philippe plowed on as if Travis hadn’t interrupted him. “—but I don’t want to influence your negotiations in any way. You’re supposed to be impartial to the situation—“ “I’m hardly the most impartial person, Philippe. I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time—“ Malcolm sighed and gave Travis a sideways look. “Bloody hell, man, let the boy finish.” Travis blushed and apologized, “Sorry.” “That’s okay. I know you really need to know whether or not I’m going to take over EdML." Philippe sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he opened them and gazed at Travis again. "I’ve thought about it, and I think it’s in everyone’s best interest if I do. My uncle’s alienated most of the other consortiums, as well as Starfleet and the members of his own executive board. They’re ready to push him out with a no-confidence vote. If I don’t take over, an outsider will do it. I can’t allow that to happen.” “Damn. Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Philippe’s short bark of laughter sounded bitter. “Do I want to? I’m not sure. Do I have to? Who else will salvage anything from this mess if I back out now? Someone has to keep the balance in the consortiums, against Tanaka and the others. And that someone also needs to keep the Boomers in mind. I don’t care what Admiral Forrest says; the Boomers are important to the economy and damned if I alienate them as well. At the very least—“ he managed a smile, “—I have the mindset to be EdML’s leader, since I’ve grown up with it.” Malcolm’s eyes were sad and sympathetic. “I don’t envy your mission, lad. Remember, though, you have our support, no matter what you decide to do.” “From all of us,” Travis added and put a hand on Philippe’s shoulder. “Have you already told your uncle?’ “Yes, I have. He wasn’t exactly happy, but he said he understood. He plans on doing the formal investiture Thursday night, inviting as many people as possible. I believe some of the other consortiums will send representatives, as well as Admiral Forrest.” Travis glanced at Malcolm. The armory officer smirked, but the usual humor fell flat. “This is gonna be a security and logistical nightmare. Thursday night’s only two nights from now.” “I’ve already talked with Captain Archer and he agrees we’re going to tighten security. The Centaurian Security Force has offered their people to help. I don’t trust Guillem’s marshals to keep a bloody flea safe, much less either one of you.” Malcolm’s tone was abrupt, a sure sign of his irritation at the marshals. “I’m doubling the guards on you, Philippe and Guillem. No leaving the estate without checking with me first and double-check if someone comes up and said I sent him or her to you.” Travis sighed, but Malcolm’s paranoia had saved them all more than once, and he wasn’t about to argue with him now. “All right. I won’t do something stupid. Scout’s honor.” The words brought a hint of a smile to his face. “Are there scouts among the Boomers?” “There aren’t, but there should be.” He glanced at Philippe. “Okay with you?” “Oui, Commandant.” Philippe looked resigned, but he gave Malcolm a brisk nod. Suddenly, his face brightened and he said, “That reminds me of what we were discussing before you arrived, Travis. We were analyzing the chess game we played last night.” “Oh really?” Travis knew the two played chess almost every night since their arrival on Centauri. It became quite the rivalry. “Who won?” “I did.” “You beat Malcolm?” Travis asked, with a bemused look at the armory officer. “You finally managed to outsmart the ship’s chess champion?” “I’ve been giving him advice on how to improve his game,” Malcolm said with a shrug. “He’s a quick learner, this one.” Philippe chuckled and pushed his empty plate aside. “I’ve had a good teacher. Here, Travis, take a look at this step-by-step breakdown. I think you’ll find it interesting.” He grunted as he accepted the PADD that Philippe handed him. His eyes passed over the information on the screen: Security Logs compromised and altered from May 15, 2155 to July 17, 2155. Analysis by Centauri Security Force points to a third party as possible accomplices. Evidence gathered by EdML’s security force deliberately tainted or “lost”. Collusion probable at highest levels of consortium leadership. “Huh,” Travis grunted. “Looks like you two have been taking this rivalry pretty seriously. Not surprising, though...a little healthy competition’s good as long as it doesn’t get out of hand. Could get pretty ugly.” “We’ll keep it civil, Travis,” Philippe said, nodding at the unspoken warning. “You interested in the full explanation?” “Sure, I’ll be willing to listen, if you’ve got the time.” So Philippe and Malcolm took turns explaining the “strategy” behind their latest game. Basically, Philippe had sacrifice many of his lesser pieces so that his knights and bishops were able to capture Malcolm’s queen, then surround his king for a checkmate. Philippe had used a knight, a rook and his own queen to do the damage. A Knight is supposed to protect the king. So that has to be someone in the security force. A rook, an underestimated, but powerful piece, someone who seems weak but isn’t, and the queen...a female suspect who has a lot of power. Tanaka, maybe? Travis was a decent chess player and played enough matches against Malcolm to have an idea of the tactical officer’s thought processes. “The queen is the most powerful piece on the board, so taking out the queen really hurts your chances of winning,” he commented. “And you use the rook to ‘castle’ and protect your king.” “Precisely,” Malcolm said as he tapped his finger on the side of the PADD. “Players tend to underestimate the rook’s power, since it can only go horizontally and vertically in either direction. It was this that enabled Philippe to eventually checkmate me.” “Uhm. You planning for a rematch? Use what you’ve learned?” “Of course. I won’t let my guard down again,” Malcolm replied in a quiet tone. He shot a glance at Philippe, then brought his gaze back at Travis.“Believe me, I’ll do a better job of protecting the king.” |
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