Discussions in Edinburgh

[Shryke]

The conference room was nothing more than a hastily converted officer's galley, furnished with a large table and surrounded by chairs. Holding its position near the far edge of the Islay Cloud, the International was busy preparing itself for the arrival of the Gaian delegation. The trip to Edinburgh was quick and uneventful, and now the Typhoon cruiser sat in passive mode as to be as undetectable as possible for the duration of the proceedings.

The interior was stripped of everything except the bare essentials. There were no pictures, posters, or anything except the bare bulkheads of the ship. The only illumination was provided by a strip of lighting running down the lenght of the room in the middle. Normally they are all lit, but for the purposes of this meeting only the table was well lit. The corners remained dark, but not to the point where they offered cover.

This was all intentional in order to create the feeling that was more of an interrogation, as opposed to a meeting of two delegations.

There were three people in the room, with Commissar-General Ulrich Eichel seated at the table, a Fedaykin named only Talib standing in the far corner from the entrance, and a woman sitting at a console flanking Eichel.

Ulrich's formal dress uniform contrasted sharply as with Talib's. It was perfectly pressed, isnignia and medals polished to a glistening shine, and worn with a distinct sense of arrogance. On the other hand, Talib's drab brown overcoat seemed as forgettable as his featureless face. An important asset for a man who's duties make it imperative that he not be remembered or even seen for that matter.

The last person in the room was a striking young woman sitting behind a small console. She was to act as the meeting's secretary, recording everything that happened in the room. While it seemed redundant, Ulrich knew full well that digital records are easily tampered with an erased. Not quite as easy as something sitting in a safe inside his office.

"Tanya, if you would be so kind as to ask the bridge crew to transmit our co-ordinates to our Gaian guests," Ulrich asked with a slight smile on his face.

"Of course, Commissar-General," she replied.

Tanya spoke into her headset as she relayed the orders, then after a few seconds nodded at Ulrich indicating the task had been completed.

---