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Katrina was curled up in her cell, not for warmth -it’s too hot in here- but to comfort herself. When she heard pounding footsteps nearing her, she dragged herself up onto the platform that was in the center of the cell. She straightened out into a more comfortable position.
The doors opened and L’Rell entered, this time with a box. She placed it on the platform and began removing items. She laid out two teapots and two cups. “Tea, Admiral?”
“No,” Katrina said, firmly. This has to be an attempt to get me to cooperate. Her mind raced trying to determine a way to avoid capitulating. Just don’t accept and of her kindness and remember that it’s manipulation.
L’Rell poured tea from the smaller pot and pushed the cup towards her. “Drink.”
“No.” Katrina watched as L’Rell poured herself tea from the larger pot and began drinking it.
“Why not? I am defecting. We should celebrate.”
“Seems premature. I’m still in a cell.”
L’Rell paused, thinking. I need to play on her “Federation values”. Leave her no option but to surrender on one front or the the other. “It’s tradition, a sign of trust, a test of courage.”
Katrina sighed and drank the tea. This is a terrible idea , she warned herself, even though the tea tasted fine. Still could be poison. Or some drug.
“There. See, you did well.”
Katrina noted that L'Rell seemed pleased, even if her Klingon features hid it. “Why did you bring two pots?”
“The traditional tea is toxic to Klingons. I imagine it would be deadly to humans.”
Mentally scolding herself, Katrina pushed the tea away and took inventory of how she felt. No more pain than before.
“Don’t worry. I used what you humans call “black tea”. Even though it is quite different from the Klingon drink of the same name.”
L’Rell looked almost comically disappointed, and Katrina wanted to laugh. But she kept her focus. Afterall, escape was still her first priority.
Months later, Katrina was sitting in a conference room, waiting for the Klingon Chancellor to arrive. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but her prior experience -More like captivity- had been deemed an asset.
Finally L'Rell and her escort entered. "Admiral?" She stated sounding surprised.
"Chancellor." Katrina stood and offered her hand.
L'Rell accepted and shook Katrina's hand in an uncharacteristically gentle manner before taking a seat. She dismissed her escort ordering them outside.
Katrina shot a warning look at the Starfleet security officer who was in the room to monitor the situation. Once they left, she began, "Good morning. Thank you for coming. I'd like to dive right in if that's alright with you." L'Rell didn't give any indication of a response, so Katrina went ahead. "We need to discuss where the official border between the Federation and the Klingon Empire will be drawn. The goal of that is to-"
"Admiral. I respect you. Do not disrespect me by touting the official line. Tell me what you want."
"Command wants to reduce conflict along the border. Stop the skirmishes before the war starts again. And find get to a deal on who gets disputed territories."
L'Rell stood and got herself a glass of water. "I see. Now, that wasn't too hard, was it?"
Was that a wink? Katrina thought. I hope I imagined it. "Not quite. What do you want?"
"A set border. And agreements on where outposts can be placed along it and how often it can be patrolled. And maybe... a private drink between you and I later?"
Katrina nodded, her smile betraying the interest she was trying to hide. L'Rell was full of surprises, that was for certain. And with a little caution, the risk would be low. "We'll see."