Devereux stood outside the docking hatch, flanked by Rusty and Elizabeth; both were also dressed in their formal uniforms. As annoying and inconvenient as this assignment might be, Devereux could not help but feel a small swell of pride that her ship would be host to an assortment of select VIPs. The scope still felt slight daunting, though. The Emerald Flight had, on occasion, played host to the occasional single party of one kind of ranking official or another, but never to a large contingent of varied ones—particularly a set of which many were on less than cordial terms with each other.
Keeping her eyes on the indicator lights on the docking hatch panel, she heard the faint metallic sounds of the clamps making a hard connection with the Ariel. There followed the barely audible hiss of equalizing pressure and then all of the indicators glowed green.
Devereux nodded to the security officer to her left. She had six of them present, wearing their duty uniforms. Although this was a formal greeting, she thought having her security force dressed for duty might send a clear message to the delegates that their presence was not meant solely for show. The officer entered the access code to unlock the hatch. There was an acknowledging chime and the officer on the other side pulled open the hatch.
An officer in the dress gold of the diplomatic service stepped through. He smiled broadly as he stopped in front of Devereux and offered her a smart salute. Devereux returned the salute with slightly less fervor and then paused a moment, seeing a vague resemblance in the man to someone she knew. His hair was brown, but there something about his eyes that tickled the back of her mind.
"Commander Daniel Rayna," he introduced himself. "If you’d like, you can call me D.B." He continued to smile at her before turning to check out the other crewmember with her. His eyes stopped at her left, his expression stiffening slightly.
Devereux nearly froze, her eyes flickering over to where her Chief Engineer stood. Rusty's expression did little to hide both his surprise and angry contempt for the young officer in front of her. Rayna, she thought, remembering the officer's introduction. That explains the resemblance. She recalled that Rusty's brother was a commissioned officer serving as an attaché in the diplomatic branch, but the connection had escaped her until he had introduced himself.
She swallowed, managing to find her voice. "Welcome aboard, Commander," she said, breaking the quiet of the awkward moment. Silently cursing herself for not reading the briefing files more thoroughly, she expected now that additional trouble was on its way with this new development. There was, she decided, little she could do about it right now.
Commander Rayna grinned at her. She found it surprisingly infectious and yet she found a hint of something almost manipulative in it, too close an echo of his brother for her comfort. He is a politician after all, she reminded herself.
"I trust everything has been prepared according to the specifications you were sent?" he asked. Although he continued to smile, there was a note of caution in his tone that implied that there was only one acceptable answer.
Devereux studied Rayna for a moment before answering. "As best as we can manage, yes," she replied. "You’re welcome to check out the arrangements yourself." Devereux was surprised by the chill that had crept into her tone.
Rayna appeared not notice. "Thank you, Captain," he said. His eyes darted toward Rusty for a moment. "It might be best if I do so," he went on, looking back at Devereux. "Having any of the delegates dissatisfied with their accommodations would not be a good way to begin our brief sojourn together."
Rayna's smile had grown thin and almost condescending. Devereux did her best not to let it affect her. "Whatever you wish, Commander," she said evenly. She turned toward Elizabeth and Rusty. "The Lieutenant here and my Chief Engineer can show you what's been done."
"Your cooperation is appreciated, Captain."
Devereux looked at Rayna for a moment before turning to Elizabeth and nodding. She noticed that Rusty's jaw muscles worked furiously, but he had so far said nothing in his brother's presence. Interesting, she thought, considering the situation. I know they've had their issues. Yet one more thing to check back on, she told herself with a mental sigh. She watched as Rayna trailed Elizabeth and Rusty down the passageway. It occurred to her to wonder who was watching the delegates on board the Ariel. She also wondered whether she might not end up having more trouble with the bureaucrats of her race than any of the aliens.
After a moment, she dismissed all but two of the security guards. She instructed them to remain there and allow no one to depart or disembark from the Ariel without her explicit approval. After exchanging salutes, she left. As she walked the corridor to the bridge, she considered the phrasing of several unkind remarks that she would not share during her next conversation with Colonel Martinez.
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