USS ARES
Diplomatic complex - Sam's office
"Well, that was a whirlwind!" Sam said out loud. First officer skipped over & the previous captain on his way to get some major treatment. He got himself a coffee and grabbed a manga book, then settled in to read it. This was his way to destress after a hard day. As he read, Sam's mind went back to when he started as a junior in the Federation Diplomatic Corps.
Earth
Federation Diplomatic Corps HQ - New York City
About 20 years ago
- Mr. Urquhart?
A younger Sam looked up from his manga and said,
- Yes, Mr Tomley?
- Can you run this to Paris for me?
(Tomley hands the pad to Sam)
- Problem with sending it over the network?
- It has encryption coding on it & the Government network isn't secure enough for this type of thing.
- No problem.
- When you finish delivering it, you're done for the day.
Sam nodded, got up and headed out of the office. It only took him a few minutes to get to a transporter complex. He entered the building & found the transporter operator with his feet up on the console, flipping through an old fashioned newspaper. Sam smiled and said,
- You look busy.
The operator grinned and said, readjusting his position,
- Where to, sir?
- Paris, just outside the government complex.
- Need a beta-4 clearance to get that close.
Sam pulled a chip from his pocket and said,
- Alpha-7, from FDC.
- Purpose of visit?
- Document delivery.
Sam held the padd up for the operator to look at.
- Step up on the pad, please.
Sam nodded, pocketed the chip and the PADD, then stepped up onto the transporter. In a few seconds, he found himself in front of the Federation's government complex. He walked in and said to the security officer,
- I have a delivery for the Secretary of state.
The officer looked up from his console and said,
- Security clearance chip?
Sam handed him the chip. The officer took it and inserted it into the console. A second later, he pulled it out and said,
- Secretary of state is in a meeting with the President. I can get this to him when he's finished.
Sam nodded & handed the PADD to the officer, then departed. He beat around the city for a bit, seeing all the sites he could. Sam decided to hit up a little bistro to get a bite of dinner. When he ordered, Sam sat at one of the tables outside. After a few minutes, a human man approached his table and said,
- Being a runner looks like a pretty dead end job, eh?
Sam looked up and saw, to his surprise, The Secretary of State, Dan Fulton.
- May I?
Sam nodded nervously & Fulton sat. Sam was trying to keep it cool, but inside, he was screaming. Fulton ordered a glass of wine and said,
- So, FDC seems to be doing well, don't you agree?
- To me, it seems like it, sir. I'm not involved with anything...well...big.
- Were you a runner since you started?
- Yes sir, started two years ago.
Fulton nodded thoughtfully. Their respective orders came. Sam had a butter fried Haddock with crisp garden veggies. Dan took a sip of his wine and said,
- Well, we need to change your situation some.
Sam tilted his head confusedly, then said,
- What do you mean?
- What I mean is that you'll be put into the embassy staffing pool. Various Embassies across Earth pull staff from the pool to fill the requirements they need at the time. When a staffer is selected, their placed on staff for that particular Ambassador for about two years. Should they request that person again after that term, they become a permanent part of their staff. It leads to a great varied opportunities.
- You mean moving up the poll to maybe, Ambassador at large?
Dan nodded and said,
- Maybe even Secretary of State.
Sam looked down the narrow street & said,
- This maybe the thing I need to do some good.
===END===