“We’ve arranged for the Ferengi Guild delegation to arrive this afternoon. Rachel Harris from Harris Transport is expected within the hour. The representative from the Tholians remains unconfirmed.” Cadet Natalie Harris stood across the table from Captain Peter Crawford in his ready room. She’d been working long hours to get ready for today’s events. Coffee was helping, to a point.

Crawford glanced up from the PADD he was studying, “Given their track record, they’ve probably directed the Ferengis to represent them.” He set the PADD down, focusing his eyes on the cadet. “I’m sorry we didn’t get shore leave. I hope having your mother here will help.”

Natalie smiled widely, her heart full of excitement. “I appreciate it, sir. I’m just happy to have a chance to show her around the FDR and spend some time with her.” Since her mom’s message had arrived, she’d been nervously planning their time together.

Peter handed the PADD back to her. “I’ve assigned you as liaison with Rachel Harris and me. Putting you in that position with the Ferengi and Tholians would cause an issue given your relation to her.”

She understood. She had been formulating a request in her mind along those same lines. It wasn’t that she was afraid of the Ferengi Guild or, to a greater extent, the Tholians. She was worried about navigating the challenges of knowing what to say and how to say it. “I’m not one to shy away from a challenge, sir. This one seemed like I would bite off more than I could chew.”

“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t try to test a cadet until they break. It never ends well. We save those tests for ranked officers. I’ll leave you to finish the final preparation work for the diplomatic conference center.”

The Franklin D. Roosevelt boasted an expansive diplomatic conference center. Some of it had preexisted before Captain Crawford took command. He’d taken notes and worked with Montana’s Diplomatic office. Natalie walked through the main room, which featured a stage with a podium and a large oval horseshoe table facing the stage. Separate meeting rooms filled out the center, as well as a lounge with a personal chef and their staff trained on the food options for whatever species were being featured in the meetings. Natalie checked the menus for a fifth time and did a walk-through with the cafe staff. Another thirty minutes walking the path from the transporter room to the main room, checking the setups in the breakout rooms, and back again. She finished her checklist, standing in the middle of the room, feeling the bloom of accomplishment.

“Hey, Natalie.” She spun at the voice of her mother, Rachel Harris, and ran straight into her arms, embracing the Director of Operations for Harris Transport. She held her mom tightly.

“It’s so good to see you, Mom.” She pulled back, eyes shiny. “Been a bit since I’ve had a chance to get back to Montana Station.” Her love for her mother burned brightly in her heart.

Rachel smiled, her love just as apparent. “I’m just glad to have you to help me with Peter. The negotiations are going to be a challenge.” They took a seat at the table.

Natalie frowned, “I hadn’t had a chance to review the details. That bad?” Her mother was a master of organization and had built her reputation at Harris Transport. To hear her worried gave Natalie concerns.

She watched as her mother’s face grew serious, and her tone shifted. “Something is going on with their new leader, Drax. The guild’s shifted with its interests when it comes to the Tholians. There’s also a wild rumor that they’re attempting to establish relations with the Sheliak Corporate.” At this, Rachel Harris shook her head, recalling the shock at hearing the rumor, “I never thought anyone would consider an attempt. What little we know about Drax suggests that he’s trying to shake things up and take the Guild in a new direction.” Rachel grumbled, “It’s got enough of us at the company worried – they’ve sent some operations folks with me for backup. And yes, I’ve looped in Crawford.”

Natalie sat back, “I thought this was going to be a pretty straightforward trade summit. Now I think I need to be on my toes.”

Rachel chuckled, “Welcome to the Rimward.”