LOG 010 – PAX ALPHA

Captain's Log, Stardate 57862.3.

The Melbourne is in the Rishara System, the location of a Karishi colony where we have been resettling the Karishi survivors we recently rescued. We have been ordered to remain on station and to prepare to host a diplomatic summit of the spacefaring powers in this region, most of whom the Melbourne made First Contact with. A Na-Zek vessel has already arrived carrying their delegation as well as Federation Ambassador Sh'Rassa and his aide. The Ambassador is here to assist us with the preparations pending the arrival of the remainder of the Federation diplomatic team assigned to the summit as well as the other invited attendees.

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three
• Lyrics - Searchlight (Mitchell's version)
• Memory Alpha - Pax Alpha Conference

PART ONE

Capt. Mitchell works with Ambassador Sh'Rassa and his aide, Natala Korex, to start preparations for the USS Melbourne to host the upcoming diplomatic summit. Surprisingly, Capt. Mitchell learns that the ambassador will not be leading the summit, the Federation is sending someone else despite Sh'Rassa being the senior diplomat in the region. There are some delays with implementing the Captain's requests as both the First Officer, Cmdr. Partav, and Operations Officer, Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress, are still below on the Karishi colony world helping with the resettlement of refugees. This has meant that Security Chief Lt. Cmdr. Tir has had to pick up some of the slack. Also assisting is Lizig, the Ferengi chef on board the Melbourne, who is able to take additional responsibilities to help with the food preparation aspects.

As the preparations continue, Capt. Mitchell is informed of the arrival of another Starfleet vessel, the Norway class USS Joshua Chang (NCC-70912). Capt. François Garneau of the Joshua Chang informs the Melbourne that they are bringing additional relief supplies and teams to assist with the efforts on Rishara, and are also transporting the Federation delegation for the summit, including the diplomat who will be taking the lead. Mitchell and Tir are joined by Sh'Rassa in the transporter room to welcome the Federation delegation and Capt. Mitchell is surprised to see that the head of the delegation is the Lady Inanya of House Istari from Delta IV, his mother.

Once he has overcome his surprise, Capt. Mitchell welcomes his mother and the rest of the delegation aboard. She is joined by her aides, a Vulcan diplomat named Somar, a human diplomatic attaché named Samson Keyes and, surprisingly, a Kzinti who is introduced simply as Sawyer. Accompanying the Lady Inanya, though not part of the official delegation, is the majordomo of House Istari, a Deltan named Joran Novor, someone Capt. Mitchell has known from childhood. Ambassador Sh'Rassa takes over, offering to take the delegation to fill them in on how the preparations are going. All accept the offer except the Lady Inanya, who wants to take the opportunity to spend some time with her son before things get too busy. She even dismisses Joran, sending him to see to her quarters.

As the group splits, Lt. Cmdr. Tir takes the opportunity to learn a bit more about the Kzinti, Sawyer, before joining the Captain and his mother as he takes her on a brief walking tour of the Melbourne, showing her the Main Bridge and the crew lounge Cloud Nine before taking her to his quarters where they can have some private time ahead of the arrival of more summit participants.

Below on the planet Cmdr. Partav and Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress welcome Capt. Garneau and the relief crew from the Joshua Chang. After handing over the relevant information and introducing Capt. Garneau to the colony leaders, Partav starts overseeing the return of the Melbourne's team to the ship. As the last group prepares to beam up, Partav is approached by the Xersian freighter captain Barjorad Pentajonofflin, who wants to discuss a matter of some importance. Partav orders Ahn'Kress to beam back to the Melbourne with the last group and inform the Captain that he will be delayed.

In a small side building, Barjorad explains to Partav that the small Xersian survivors community on Rishara heard learned about the upcoming summit and they want representation in the negotiations, to be treated as equals and no longer subservient to the Karishi. Partav agrees, suggesting that Barjorad himself might make a suitable representative. The Xersian notes that his community's leaders expressed a similar idea, though he himself is somewhat reluctant. Partav notes that the participation of the Xersians is not up to him, but he invites Barjorad to return to the Melbourne with him where they can petition Capt. Mitchell to speak to the summit delegates about it. Seeing this as the best option, Barjorad agrees and Partav has the two of them beamed aboard. When the transporter operator tells Cmdr. Partav that the Captain wants him to report in immediately, Partav has the officer find temporary quarters for Barjorad and then heads for the Bridge.

Partav reaches the Bridge and goes right to the Captain's Ready Room. There he finds the Capt. Mitchell is waiting with drinks poured and the Captain informs his First Officer and old friend about his mother being aboard along with her majordomo. Having heard stories about Joran, Partav half-jokingly asks if the Captain needs him to distract the majordomo before filling in Mitchell about the Xersian's request. Capt. Mitchell tells Partav he will handle it and Partav indicates he might stop by the Lady Inanya's quarters to say hello before he gets some sleep. With that the two finish their drinks and head out, leaving Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress in charge on the Bridge. She has been reviewing the diplomatic delegates and has been wondering at the presence of the Kzinti Sawyer. While she is doing this, Lt. Stuart has been making sure the ship's sensors are working at top efficiency, just in case anyone unexpected decides to interrupt the summit. Meanwhile, Lt. Cmdr. Tir takes advantage of the momentary lull to head over to the USS Joshua Chang to coordinate with their Chief of Security as well as visit with an old friend who is also serving aboard.

Capt. Mitchell knows that the Xersian request will take a sensitive approach, not wanting it to be perceived as him using his family connections to advance an agenda he opts to bring the matter to the attention of Natala Korex, the aide to Ambassador Sh'Rassa. After filling in Natala about the situation, she agrees with the proposal and says she will bring it to the Ambassador so that the Xersian request can be presented to the other delegates once the summit starts. Following this Capt. Mitchell briefly visits Barjorad in his quarters to inform him of what is happening, passing Partav in the corridor as the First Officer heads for the Captain's mother's quarters with a small bouquet of flowers in hand. Partav is greeted by Joran when he arrives at Lady Inanya's quarters, but the Lady quickly calls him in before the First Officer and Majordomo can interact. Partav presents the flowers and the two exchange quick pleasantries before he takes his leave and heads for his own quarters to get some rest before things pick up again.

A few hours later the Aduan delegation arrives aboard the starship Ember Guardian, the same ship with which the Melbourne had made First Contact earlier in the year. The two Captains exchange greetings and Capt. Mitchell extends Capt. Kibur of the Ember Guardian an invitation to come aboard ahead of the first diplomatic event. Meanwhile, Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress has been digging into the Kzinti diplomat, learning that Sawyer comes from a Kzinti colony world called Shasst that broke away from the Patriarchy after the Dominion War and petitioned to become a Federation Protectorate.

That evening, Capt. Mitchell hosts a reception for the delegations at the Cloud Nine crew lounge aboard the Melbourne, also including Capt. Garneau, the commanders of the Na-Zek and Aduan vessels, and inviting Barjorad as well. Joining the Captain at the reception are Cmdr. Partav and Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress, the latter having already joined Natala Korex to escort the Karishi delegates when they arrive via shuttlecraft from the planet below. Once things are underway, Capt. Mitchell approaches the various starship commanders to extend an invitation to join him for an informal summit of their own when the main negotiations start. Mitchell also takes an opportunity during the event to speak with the Kzinti, Sawyer, learning how the Kzinti from Shasst are working to integrate with the Federation, including one of their own now being an ensign in Starfleet aboard a California-class vessel. Ahn'Kress takes note of the conversation and uses her sharp Caitian hearing to occasionally eavesdrop.

The next morning the diplomatic summit is underway and Capt. Mitchell is hosting his own summit at his Captain's Table. In attendance are Capt. Garneau of the USS Joshua Chang, Becat Grimma of the Na-Zek vessel Starhunter, Kibur dur Nakada of the Aduan vessel Ember Guardian, Barjorad Pentajonofflin representing the Xersians and Aetheldryn Ulmareth, Barjorad's crewmate on the freighter Karakoral, representing the Karishi. The event remains fairly informal for the first part, with Mitchell helping break the ice between all the spacefarers. Barely an hour in, the event is interrupted by a call from the bridge.

On the Main Bridge, Cmdr. Partav is in charge when Lt. Stuart reports that long-range sensors are detecting an unknown vessel approaching the system at warp. The sensors are soon able to identify the vessel as an Orion Wanderer-class and Partav orders Yellow Alert and shields raised before summoning Capt. Mitchell to the bridge. Capt. Garneau joins Mitchell on the bridge, unable to transport back to the Joshua Chang while the shields are up. There they note that Lt. Cmdr. Tir is still aboard the Joshua Chang, unable to beam back herself, so the tactical position is currently manned by Ens. Haral, himself an Orion. Capt. Mitchell takes his seat, with Capt. Garneau taking the spare seat to his left. The Orion vessel soon reaches an outer orbit of the planet and communications are opened. A female Orion appears on screen and identifies herself as Talani Vartok, commander of the trading vessel Morakos before indicating that she wants in on the diplomatic summit to represent Orion trade interests in this new region of space.

PART TWO

Capt. Mitchell quickly assesses the options, including having Ahn'Kress notify the ship's chef, Lizig, that they might have Orion guests and also keeping the crew ready for a possible response. Lt. Stuart informs the command crew that while he does not recognize this specific Orion vessel, other Orion traders affiliated with House Vartok like this one regularly trade with his home colony of Drake's Folly and that they are affiliated with the Orion Free Traders consortium. Based on this, Capt. Garneau wonders if that is how the Orions learned about the summit, as the Joshua Chang had stopped at Drake's Folly on its way out. The rest of the bridge notice that the Captain is humming a tune under his breath as he weighs the matter before he orders that the Orion ship be hailed again.

With the Orion captain, Talani Vartok, back on screen Capt. Mitchell plays it friendly, implying he is familiar with her, or at least House Vartok's, reputation. His real intent is to get to the heart of her real intentions, leaning on his empathic talents and Cmdr. Partav's natural sense of suspicion. Amidst some light flirting with Mitchell, Talani makes it clear that House Vartok wants a seat at the table for the summit to negotiate trade relations with the newly discovered powers in this remote region. Mitchell makes no promises but tells the Orions to stand by while he brings the request to the summit participants. Communications are ended and Mitchell heads to speak with the delegates, taking Ahn'Kress with him and leaving Partav in charge on the bridge while asking Capt. Garneau to monitor tactical in the meantime until they know things are safe for him to return to the USS Joshua Chang. Partav contacts engineering to tell them to adjust the ship's environmental systems in case they need to compensate for Orion pheromones.

Down in the section of deck nine set aside for the summit deliberations, Capt. Mitchell and Ahn'Kress are met with the security detail of Ens. Ryan Williams and Ens. Veronica St. Cyr, and they let the officers know that the diplomats have been assured that matters are under control during the Yellow Alert. Entering the conference room, Capt. Mitchell informs his mother and Ambassador Sh'Rassa of the Orion request and they in turn bring it to the other delegates, with their aides providing background information on the Orions. Mitchell tries to get a read on the delegates, asking Ahn'Kress to pay attention to the Na-Zek and to the Kzinti diplomat, Sawyer, for their reactions. What Mitchell is looking for initially is any indication that anyone is only feigning surprise or ignorance at the mention of the Orions.

When it appears that no one in the room had previous knowledge, it does lend some credence to Capt. Garneau's thought that the Orions learned about the summit from the Drake's Folly colony, where the Joshua Chang had been immediately prior to arriving at Rishara. Capt. Mitchell turns his attention to the debate on admitting the Orions. The Federation delegation is remaining deliberately neutral, letting the other participants decide amongst themselves. The Karishi are the first to agree, but the Na-Zek are far more reluctant. In the end it is the Aduan who tip the balance in favor of allowing House Vartok to participate, interested in meeting more species.

Capt. Mitchell and Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress return to the Melbourne's bridge and the Captain has the Orion vessel hailed again. After informing the Orions that the delegates have agreed to extend an invitation to House Vartok to join the summit, Mitchell extends an invitation to Talani herself to join his Captain's Table meeting with the other starship commanders that he will be restarting shortly. Talani thanks the Captain for his efforts on their behalf, and accepts his invitation to the Captain's Table, continuing the light flirting she had been doing during their earlier conversation. With the immediate threat gone, Capt. Mitchell orders the Yellow Alert cancelled. With the shields down again, Capt. Garneau takes his leave to beam back to the USS Joshua Chang. When Capt. Mitchell reminds him about the resuming of the Captain's Table, Garneau politely declines as he doesn't want to risk being away from his ship a second time if an emergency arises, but indicates he will send over his First Officer in his place.

On board the USS Joshua Chang the Melbourne's Chief of Security, Lt. Cmdr. Mera Tir, readies to return to the Melbourne herself. Mera had been on board the Joshua Chang visiting a friend who was serving aboard her when the Orions arrived and the ships had gone to Yellow Alert. At that point she had been called to the Joshua Chang's bridge where the First Officer, Cmdr. Lydia Marston, was in command during Capt. Garneau's absence aboard the Melbourne. She had invited Mera to take the First Officer position and to work with their Chief of Security while the situation was sorted out. The Joshua Chang's Chief of Security is Lt. Gormoj Vrune, a Tellarite whose natural sense of suspicion borders on paranoia, and he spent much of the initial period after the arrival of the Orions plotting out a variety of attack patterns in an effort to determine the most efficient way to take out the Wanderer class vessel. Gormoj seemed almost disappointed when the ships ended their Yellow Alert status and stood down, and Mera took that as her cue to get to the transporter room to return to the Melbourne, where she briefly crossed paths with Capt. Garneau before being beamed back to her proper ship.

A short while later the interrupted Captain's Table resumes, with Capt. Mitchell this time insisting all his senior officers attend. As promised, Capt. Garneau sends Cmdr. Marston over from the Joshua Chang to represent that vessel at the event. As before, the guests include Capt. Grimma from the Na-Zek vessel Starhunter, Capt. Kibur of the Aduan vessel Ember Guardian, and the Xersian trader Barjorad Pentajonofflin of the Karakoral along with his Karishi navigator Aetheldryn Ulmareth. The Melourne's Ferengi head chef, Lizig, is in charge of serving drinks and appetizers, and Cmdr. Partav is holding court with the guests while waiting for Capt. Mitchell to arrive with the Orion captain Talani Vartok. Most of the senior staff have chosen a guest to single in on, except for Lt. Stuart, whose social awkwardness keeps him over in a corner mostly talking with Lizig about the latest refinements to the neural implant Loto had built for the Ferengi. For her part, Cmdr. Marston of the Joshua Chang has taken the stance of Federation cheerleader, proudly listing out the achievements of the UFP and Starfleet.

In the Transporter Room, Capt. Mitchell waits for the arrival of Talani. When the transporter engages it is three Orions who materialize. Talani introduces her second, another female Orion named Imri Keros, and a tall, muscular Blue Orion male named Rossol Dezul she calls their security detail. Capt. Mitchell has Imri and Rossol escorted to the diplomatic area and he and Talani head for the officer's quarters deck where the Captain's Table is happening. Talani continues her efforts to flirt with the Captain, and Mitchell makes it clear that as a half-Deltan he is resistant to Orion pheromones, and that he also possesses an empathic sense. Talani takes this in stride, giving a wry smile like a child caught doing something they know they shouldn't have been doing. They arrive and join the festivities already underway, Partav gladly handing hosting duties over to Mitchell. After being assured everything is going well, Mitchell reaches for one of the two instrument cases hanging near the stage and takes out a guitar. He starts playing a tune, and once he has everyone's attention begins a rendition of the Beatles song "With a Little Help from My Friends", singing some verses in the native language of the others present: Na-Zek, Aduan, Xersian, Karishi, and finally Orion (managing the latter despite limited preparation time).

The Captain's performance succeeds in bringing the group closer together, and conversations go even smoother, opening up additional avenues of understanding. At one point the discussions circle around to the fact that neither the Na-Zek nor the Aduan had encountered any other sentient species despite the size of their respective regions of control. What does come to light is that they all, the Karishi included, have encountered formerly inhabited but now-dead worlds with ruins of past civilizations. This brings up the subject of the silicon spiders that were tied to the destruction of the Karishi homeworld, at which point Lizig leaves to avoid any disturbing memories. None of the others have encountered these creatures yet, but the captains all take note in case that changes.

Eventually the main diplomatic negotiations resume and Talina has to leave the party to join them, as does Barjorad when it is revealed that the delegates have agreed to allow Xersian representatives, with the Na-Zek championing their inclusion. With their departure the festivities slowly begin to wind down until it is time for the other captains to head back to their respective vessels, and the senior officers of the Melbourne follow suit and get ready to retire to their quarters. Left by himself, Mitchell begins tidying up the room and is just wrapping this up when the door chimes. At the door, Mitchell is surprised to see his mother's majordomo, Joran. The Captain had extended Joran an invitation to join the Captain's Table, but the majordomo had not made an appearance during the festivities.

Before Mitchell can ask why Joran has come now, the majordomo steps into the room and from beneath his robes draws a Deltan ceremonial fighting blade, asking the Captain "Have you kept up with your practice?" Mitchell steps back and grabs the second instrument case from the wall, opening it up to reveal a Deltan blade of his own, quickly entering a defensive stance just in time to parry as Joran comes in with an attack. Mitchell makes a swift counterattack, cutting into Joran's robe and surprising the majordomo. Joran then comes in for another attack but Mitchell is again able to successfully defend against the blow before returning the strike again. This time Joran is ready and easily deflects Mitchell's attack, and launches into a full press offensive of his own. Mitchell's defenses fail and he is disarmed, Joran stopping his blow a hair's breadth from the Captain's head. He then sheathes his weapon, gives a short bow, and exits, telling the "Young Master" that he was not as rusty as the majordomo feared he might have become. As the door closes, Mitchell returns the bow and utters a quiet thank you back to his former instructor.

Interlude

Well into the night shift aboard the USS Melbourne, in the dimly lit corridors adjoining the day crew's quarters, a small figure stumbles along, leaning against the wall to stay upright. It is the Ferengi chef, Lizig, who is clutching his left shoulder and the side of his neck, which is covered in a slowly spreading stain of blood.

PART THREE

Lt. Stuart is awakened by the Melbourne's Emergency Medical Hologram, alerting him to a disruption in the data feed from Lizig's experimental neural implant and she is unable to reach him on the ship's internal communications. The computer places Lizig in a corridor one deck down from Loto's quarters. Loto grabs his communicator and heads to the location, grabbing a phaser as a precaution and alerting the night shift security officer, Ens. Haral, that something might be up. Reaching the corridor below, Loto finds Lizig lying in a pool of his own blood and immediately pulls a medical kit from an emergency compartment behind a wall panel. After alerting Sick Bay to the medical emergency, Loto administers first aid, injecting something to slow the blood loss while also applying an emergency dressing. A medical team soon arrives and rushes Lizig to Sick Bay, with Loto following close behind.

In Sick Bay, CMO Dr. Singer is ready, assisted by Lt. JG Tradis. After a quick briefing on the injuries and the emergency aid Loto had performed, they get Lizig into surgery. The procedure is touch and go initially, but they are able to fix the arterial damage and replace the lost blood before there is any unrecoverable organ damage. Dr. Singer is confident that Lizig will recover, though the neural implant was also damaged in the attack, so the Ferengi will remain comatose until Loto has an opportunity to repair it. By this point Capt. Mitchell has been informed and he arrives in Sick Bay to be briefed about Lizig's injuries. The nearly lethal injury was a deep cut on the throat, made by a blade of some kind. The other major injury was blunt force trauma to the head, the same blow that damaged the neural implant. With Lizig out of immediate danger, Lt. Stuart wants to go in to take a look at the implant. Dr. Singer okays this, once Loto has changed out of his blood-covered clothing and into something more sterile.

The rest of the crew were not idle while Lizig was in surgery. The command crew had been awakened by Ens. Haral and, while Capt. Mitchell was in Sick Bay checking on Lizig, Cmdr. Partav had assigned more security to the ambassadorial quarters and alerted the Federation, Orion, Karishi and Xersian delegates of the incident (the Na-Zek and Aduan delegations had returned to their own ships when the day's negotiations had completed). He then returned to the bridge, where Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress had also taken her station. Security Chief Tir was already heading up the investigation of the crime scene with her team, and Capt. Mitchell went there once he was finished in Sick Bay.

Lt. Cmdr. Tir and her team, including Ens. Haral, had followed the trail of blood from where Loto had found Lizig back to Lizig's quarters. There they found that the lock on the door had been bypassed and that a struggle had ensued inside the room. Based on the state of the room and the blood spatter, Lt. Cmdr. Tir believes that the attacker had broken in intent on killing Lizig while he was asleep, but underestimated the Ferengi hearing and that Lizig woke up and was able to fight back. The intruder fled having believed they had dealt Lizig a lethal strike with the throat slash, not realizing the Lizig would remain conscious long enough to get out into the corridor, or that the damaged neural implant would alert the ship's EMH. With the data on the injury from Sick Bay, and the manner that the door lock had been bypassed, Ens. Haral believes that the attacker used an Orion pirate tool called a Multi-Key. Lt. Stuart, meanwhile, has completed his examination of Lizig's neural implant and concluded that it was damaged by a heavy punch to the head, one likely reinforced by the attacker holding something in their fist at the time, like perhaps an Orion Multi-Key. Everyone cannot help but observe that Rossol Dezul, the Blue Orion bodyguard brought aboard by Capt. Talani is a large, strongly built individual.

Despite the evidence pointing to the Orions, Lt. Cmdr. Tir does not want to jump to conclusions, surprising Capt. Mitchell by quoting one of his father's favorite sayings: "You can't speak to what you don't know." Mera reminds the Captain that her symbiont's previous host was an archaeologist who had worked with Admiral Mitchell. Capt. Mitchell asks who else could have caused the injuries, assuming it was not one of the crew (who would have had plenty of opportunities before now if they wanted to kill Lizig.) Mitchell himself suggests his mother's majordomo, Joran, while Mera offers up Sawyer, the Kzinti member of the Federation delegation. Mitchell decides to divide and conquer and calls down Lt. Cmdr. Ahn'Kress. He says that he will go speak with the Orions while Mera questions Joran and Ahn'Kress will talk to Sawyer.

The Orions are quartered in a separate area from the Federation delegation, so Capt. Mitchell splits from the other two. Lt. Cmdr. Tir is first, chiming at the door of the ambassadorial suite where Lady Inanya and Joran are both quartered. Joran answers, clad in his sleeping robe, and invites her in where Lady Inanya is also waiting. Joran is quick to realize that he is a potential suspect, but notes that he has been in the quarters here since returning from an errand hours earlier, something that Lady Inanya can confirm. Mera does inquire about the nature of the errand, which Joran reluctantly admits was a meeting with Capt. Mitchell, something that a look from Lady Inanya indicates she was not aware of. Mera is satisfied with the alibi, and Joran sees her out, where the two both take note of a disturbance further down the corridor where the rest of the Federation delegation are quartered.

Down the corridor, Ahn'Kress had arrived at the quarters assigned to Sawyer. The Kzinti answers the door, and is immediately on edge. As Ahn'Kress starts into the questions, Sawyer gets even more hostile, seeming to take great offense at the alleged accusations. Ahn'Kress herself does not take Sawyer's attitude very well, and begins to react with hostility of her own. Back down the hall, Joran's Deltan empathy had already registered the heated emotions and it is clear to both him and Lt. Cmdr. Tir that the situation is deteriorating. They both race down, with Mera placing herself in between Ahn'Kress and Sawyer, attempting to defuse the tension. Her arrival brings Ahn'Kress back to her senses for a second, and she immediately realizes something is affecting both herself and Sawyer. She activates a computer interface panel on the corridor wall and after a quick investigation confirms the cause - pheromones. While the ship's environmental systems had been adjusted to account for the Lady Inanya's Deltan pheromones, and later to also deal with Orion pheromones, the presence of both chemicals was having a previously unidentified reaction that was affecting those in the presence of both groups that had enhanced senses, like Caitians, Kzinti and Na-Zek (Ahn'Kress was recalling that the Na-Zek had seemed on edge during negotiations earlier that day). She immediately removes herself from the area and heads for the bridge to reprogram the environmental systems to compensate, while Mera gets Sawyer to go back into his quarters.

Unaware of what is happening in the Federation delegation area, Capt. Mitchell arrives at the quarters assigned to the three Orions, going first to Capt. Talani's door. Talani answers the door dressed only in a revealing robe, tied loosely with a sash and open down to her navel. She initially continues her earlier flirting with Mitchell, but gets more serious when he reveals why he is there. With his empathic abilities, Mitchell is convinced that Talani had no involvement with the attack on Lizig. Talani summons her aide, Imri, and the three of them proceed to Rossol's assigned room. As soon as Rossol opens his door, Mitchell is fairly certain this is their man. Not only does his empathic ability pick up fear and guilt from Rossol, the Blue Orion's right hand is loosely bandaged as if it had been injured, perhaps by punching a neural implant. Rossol immediately goes on the defensive, and unable to keep his composure he almost immediately admits he attacked Lizig. Pressing him, Mitchell gets Rossol to spill everything; the Orion indicating he was after the reward being offered for the Ferengi's death by the families of some of Lizig's old crewmates, due to Lizig being the sole survivor of his former ship and thus they hold him responsible for the death of the rest of the crew.

Once Mitchell reveals that Lizig survived the attack, and Talani revokes his diplomatic immunity, Rossol realizes he is finished. Mitchell calls in security and they take Rossol to the brig, where he will remain until he can be transferred over to the USS Joshua Chang to be brought back to Federation space to face trial for the attempted murder. Talani thanks Mitchell for trusting her and not letting Rossol's actions jeopardize her participation in the negotiations. Mitchell notes that they are a long way from Federation space and that it will help to have some friends in the area. The two return to Talani's quarters where they share a toast to the new friendship before Mitchell takes his leave.

With the crisis averted, the negotiations resume in the morning and after another two days of deliberations the Pax Alpha summit ends successfully, with a series of treaties, trade deals, and other arrangements between all the participants. Celebratory closing ceremonies are held in the Melbourne's crew lounge, Cloud Nine, complete with orchestra. As they conclude, Capt. Mitchell takes the stage, offering a small speech before directing the orchestra to strike up a tune. Many of the officers recognize the melody as one that the Captain has been humming to himself quietly at different points throughout the period of the summit, revealed now to be a song he has composed. The performance receives a hearty round of applause from all in attendance, bringing an uplifting end to the proceedings. The next day all of the participants are heading back, and Capt. Mitchell takes the opportunity to spend a final few minutes with his mother before she departs for the USS Joshua Chang. She and Joran are the last to leave, and as they stand on the transporter pad Joran bows to Mitchell, finally addressing him by his proper name and rank instead of as the "Young Master", according the Starfleet officer and his former charge the respect he is due.

LYRICS - SEARCHLIGHT (MITCHELL'S VERSION)

Based on the song Searchlight by Shinedown.