Halsey tapped at the console, and the door to his quarters opened, revealing Ensign Alanna Barker.  “Yeoman Barker.”  She gave him a curt nod and accepted the offered chair.  The Executive Officer pointed out the coffee machine, “You’re here at 0600 hours to start work on the trial, I presume.”

She slid out a PADD and began to do just that, “We’ve got lots of work to do.  Hargraves is going to need information and support when it comes to understanding the laws of each colony, along with the overall way things work out here in the demilitarized zone.  It’s not always straightforward.”

Leopold sipped at his coffee, relishing the warmth in his stomach.  “Not to mention hosting these two delegations onboard the Mackenzie and keeping them from casting looks at each other or throwing things across the room.”

Barker tapped at her PADD, “Safety note – nothing that can be picked up, thrown, or otherwise used as a blunt object.”  She returned her attention to the XO, “Anything else?”

Halsey gave her a long look, and she frowned.  He explained, “Your reputation precedes you, Ensign.  Let’s have some breakfast and then we can try and save two worlds from mutual destruction.”  He tapped his badge, “Halsey to Koerner – meet in my quarters – we’ve got some planning work to do.”

Natalya had woken up early as sleep had seemed to allude her. She lay there and listened to the hum of the Warp Core remembering the many hours she had spent making Warp Cores sound as smooth as the Daedalus did. When it came time to wake up she had already dressed and was making her way through the ship trying to familiarize herself with its design. It was small but it still had lot’s to show. 

Natalya though back to her dad taking her to Planitia Shipyards and allowing her to see the warp core he had been working on, as she traversed the decks of that ship she knew where she wanted to spend her life. Her though was interrupted by the chirp of her commbadge. “Koerner acknowledges I am on my way.” She took a moment to figure out where she was and made her way to the Captain’s quarters. She activated the chime, waiting to be ushered in.

Halsey tapped at the console, opening the door.  “Join us, Commander.  We’re just getting started.  Ensign Barker, Commander Koerner.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Ensign.” She replied before sitting down. 

He handed the XO trainee a PADD, “We’re working on the preparation work for the summit – certain cultural issues will need to be smoothed out when it comes to presentation. ”  He took a sip of his coffee, “So far we’ve got no blunt objects should be placed, lest they get thrown.”

Natalya looked over the information and thought for a moment, “I think one thing is to make sure to have neutral food that both cultures will eat. I also recommend not having anything decorative or otherwise that would cause issues between the two cultures. This summit is going to be important so I think discreet security would also be a prudent action as well.”

Leopold made the notes on his PADD, “Food can be touchy – especially with two groups of people who hate each other with a passion.”  He was about to continue when his console beeped. 

The voice of the communications officer came through, “Captain, I have a message with attachments from Captain Walton on the Mackenzie.”  He asked her to send it through, and the channel closed.  Halsey shared the file with the others, and he began to read.

Natalya looked at the file and was interested in the very unique proposal. It seemed as though they had a plan. “This is a very…interesting proposal I don’t think I’ve ever seen a summit like this,” she replied trying to understand the reason for a play.

Barker chuckled as she finished reading, and Halsey glanced for an explanation.  “This was going to be a hard sell when we got in the room.  No matter how much we sterilize the room to keep both groups as pleasant as possible, both would have to give something up or find a compromise somewhere…and given what we know, that will take more time than we have.  This play breaks the mold.”

Halsey considered the concept for a moment, “It also puts the responsibility back on the Cardassians and Bajorans to react from whatever they feel from what they see on stage.”  He made some notes on his PADD, “Commander Koerner, meet up with Lieutenant Tir; he’s our Ops Chief.  We can stage the play on Daedalus while the negotiations staging remains on the Mackenzie.  We can have the two groups have lunch separately before the show, and then dinner together after the show…see if can get them to maybe look across the tables at each other after the play has had a chance to move something within them.”

Natalya nodded. “This is a unique idea, but I will do anything to help. I will meet with the Lieutenant as soon as they return. If I remember, I saw he wasn’t currently on the ship.”

Halsey stood, checking his watch, “He’s due back within the hour.  Good luck, Commander.”  He waited until the door closed behind her, “Thoughts?”

Barker wasn’t sure what to make of the XO trainee.  “She needs to have her thoughts about things – you would have at least expressed concern about putting these two parties together for dinner, even after a sobering play.”

Leopold accepted the criticism, “Nobody’s perfect, and neither are my ideas.  I can hope her and Tir can make some headway.  What’s next on the list?”