AQ/E01-Away Missions

[Alexander Talion]

Mala wasn't entirely wrong, but what she wanted to do would be detected and they were too likely of suspects. This wasn't exactly the same as a First Contact, as they had warp capability and knew of the Federation. The Prime Directive became a bit less harsh as a result. They could interact with the locals, but use of their technology to do so would be highly scrutinized by the Federation, and they had to be very careful in how they impacted the local governments. This situation was complicated, as is common with any form of government and the balance maintained by it. If they absolutely had to, the crew was likely capable of extracting their people and equipment form the planet. What was more likely was that they were better off leaving it for them and ensuring the safety of the Ambassadors by more open and transparent means. The long range goal was to help the entire planet and establish diplomatic ties with them. Such things didn't happen easily and overt displays of force only tended to look bad for those using them.

Talion offered his view, "How things ultimately play out, with the local government and the Federation, is going to take time and diplomacy. Right now, we're here to try and help them see that it is in their favor to be at that table and have those conversations. We can't force these people into resolving their issues and come to a single world government overnight. When it comes to diplomatic goals, it is never about the individual battles, but is always about the war and seeing that big picture, sometimes over decades or even centuries."