THE RELIANT

THE CAPTAIN & THE EMPATH

Admiral Flagg gave Captain Yager and his crew their next mission, which was to escort yet another Ambassador to sign yet another peace treaty. John hated these type of missions. He felt they were boring and at times tedious. He thought maybe this was one of the reasons why Flagg kept handing him and his crew these missions because of his distaste for then. 

John also didn't much care for many Ambassadors either. He regarded many of them as stuffy old bureaucrats who became ambassadors because they knew the "right" people or they were former captains who didn't want to rest on their laurels. His father Lewis had a chance to become an ambassador after he retured as Alliance captain after the Morlon war. But he declined, saying how the last thing the Alliance needed was another captain-turned-ambassador. In spite of their differences, John respected his father for doing that.

The ambassador The Reliant was escorting this time was Ambassador Tomal of the planet Voyan. Voyan had been in a decades-long war with neighboring planet Nabot. John wasn't sure why Voyan or Nabot had been at war or why they agreed to sign a peace treaty. Nor did he really care. While he was all for achieving peace, he also realized when one war ended, another war began. Though he did know Voyan was trying to become a member of the Alliance since their economy was in tatters due to their longstanding war with Nabot and, for them to do that, they had to make peace with Nabot. Nabot was a richer planet and was therefore able to sustain their economy throughout the war so they had no reason, or desire, to become a member of the Alliance. There was one thing John despised above all else: 

Politics.

The Reliant reached the planet Voyan. Soon a Vayan shuttlecraft flew towards the ship and docked in the ship's landing bay. John, Lisa and Bortis were standing in the landing bay to greet Ambassador Tomal. Tomal said he was bringing with him a "gift" to present to Nabot's King Ugo at the signing of their peace treaty. John had seen this done at the signing of other peace treaties where one party would give some sort of gift or offering to the other party. He figured it was a royal trinket of some sort and didn't really think anything of it.

The door to the shuttlecraft opened and an elderly-looking gentlemen stepped out of the craft. He had white hair, and the lines on his face suggested he was of an advanced age. Before the war, Voyans had a very long life span. John assumed Tomal was lucky enough not to have seen combat. With him being an ambassador, that was a distinct possibility, John thought.

"Greetings, Ambassador Tomal," John said to him. "Welcome aboard The Reliant."

"Greetings, Captain."

"This is my first officer Commander Steiner." He pointed at Lisa, and then he pointed at Bortis. "And this is my chief of security Bortis." 

"Hello, Ambassador," Lisa said to him as she nodded her head.

"Hello," said the Ambassador.

Just then, a young woman stepped out of the shuttlecraft. John looked at her and wondered who she was since Tomal didn't mention he was bringing anyone else along with him. She was a very pretty girl, John thought, with long flowing raven hair and a petite frame. She was wearing a white dress and her feet was bare. The girl stood alongside Tomal and said nothing as she smiled sweetly at John. The way she was staring at John and no one else made John feel a little uncomfortable. Tomal appeared a little nervous when she came out of the shuttle, and that immediately sent up a red flag to John. And the fact that Tomal didn't introduce her when she walked out made John even more suspicious.

"Who is this young lady, Ambassador?" John asked him.

"Uh," Tomal stammered, "this is Carmelita."

John waited for Tomal to explain who she was further. When he didn't, he asked him, "Is she your daughter?"