Part 13 (1/2)
”This will defeat any eavesdropping,” Slask said.
”It seems improbable that the praetor or the Tal s.h.i.+ar would have any listening devices in this establishment,” Spock said.
”Maybe, but I've always found it's good policy to trust neither of them,” Slask said. ”Besides, this place is run by a Ferengi. There's a good chance he's got his own microphones hidden around the room, listening for any information on which he could turn a profit.” The Gorn looked over at the bartender, who had returned to wiping down gla.s.ses behind the bar. Turning back to Spock, Slask said, ”So what's this all about?”
”I have information and a recommendation I need conveyed to our mutual acquaintance,” Spock said. He knew that Slask had a personal relations.h.i.+p with Federation President Nanietta Bacco, established back when she had served as governor of Cestus III, which bordered Gorn s.p.a.ce. At one time, the Gorn Hegemony had claimed the Cestus system for their own, although the Federation had not known that before colonizing the third planet.
”This is obviously information you do not feel comfortable sending by subs.p.a.ce, or putting down in writing,” Slask said.
”Indeed, I am exercising a great deal of caution.” After Spock had learned of the prior affiliation of R'Jul-the Romulan Security protector-with Donatra, he had sent an unencrypted message to the Federation's Bureau of Interplanetary Affairs. In it, he had detailed the growing success of the Reunification Movement within the Star Empire, in the guise of keeping the UFP informed of his situation. He had also included his upcoming schedule. Knowing that the BIA as a matter of course pa.s.sed on all of his communications to the office of the president, Spock included a trigger word in the doc.u.ment. The president's staff understood that word to mean that he possessed information potentially vital to the security of the Federation, but that he could deliver it neither personally nor via subs.p.a.ce transmission.
Spock had soon after that received a brief response from the BIA director, ostensibly acknowledging receipt of Spock's message and congratulating him on the success of the Movement. But that reply also contained a trigger word, indicating after which of the events on Spock's itinerary somebody would meet him to act as a messenger. On the major worlds within the Empire, Spock had prearranged with the president's staff the locations for such meetings. The trigger word also distinguished the ident.i.ty of the messenger, one of half a dozen possibilities preselected by the presidential staff.
”Very well,” Slask said. ”What do you wish me to tell our mutual friend?”
Although Spock had never before met Slask, he knew of him. The Gorn had also uttered specific phrases to identify himself, which Spock had responded to with specific phrases of his own. Slask had been deemed suited to such an a.s.signment not only because of his friends.h.i.+p with the Federation president, but because that relations.h.i.+p remained unknown to most people. Slask also remained a loyal citizen of the Gorn Hegemony, one a.s.sociated with neither their government nor their military. There existed essentially no reason that a seemingly random meeting between Spock and Slask should raise the suspicions of anybody who might be watching, nor could any connection reasonably be made between the two men.
Spock explained the attempt on his life eight months earlier, and the circ.u.mstances surrounding the subsequent death of the Reman a.s.sa.s.sin, including R'Jul's prior service on Donatra's stars.h.i.+p. ”It remains unclear to me whether the Reman killed himself in order to avoid being handed over to the Romulan authorities, or whether Protector R'Jul or somebody else killed him. It is possible, though by no means a.s.sured, that Donatra might be involved, either as instigator or as victim.”
”Victim?” Slask said.
”If Donatra did try to have me killed, and then eliminated her a.s.sa.s.sin, she would have done the latter in order to prevent her actions from becoming public knowledge,” Spock explained. ”But since public knowledge of a murder attempt would hurt Donatra's cause among the Romulan people, perhaps all of this has been done not by by Donatra, but in order to implicate her.” Donatra, but in order to implicate her.”
Slask shook his head slowly. ”The machinations of the Romulans,” he said. ”It's difficult to know who's hiding behind which door.”
”That is why we need more information,” Spock said. ”We need to know what has happened and what is is happening, so that we may determine what likely happening, so that we may determine what likely will will happen-and if necessary, change what will happen. If there is a concerted effort, or efforts, to undermine either Donatra's government or Tal'Aura's, it could lead to a s.h.i.+fting of the balance of power, which could adversely impact the security of the Federation. That is why I believe it is vital that our mutual acquaintance send an envoy to speak with Donatra.” happen-and if necessary, change what will happen. If there is a concerted effort, or efforts, to undermine either Donatra's government or Tal'Aura's, it could lead to a s.h.i.+fting of the balance of power, which could adversely impact the security of the Federation. That is why I believe it is vital that our mutual acquaintance send an envoy to speak with Donatra.”
”I understand,” Slask said. ”Is there anything else?
”No,” Spock said.
Slask immediately closed the anti-eavesdropping device with a touch, then swiped it from behind the gla.s.s and tucked it back into his belt. He stood up and, a bit loudly, said, ”I still think you're a fool, Mister Spock, to expect the Romulans to let you run your Movement.”
”They are already allowing me to do so,” Spock said.
”For now,” Slask said. ”I'm just not sure that they're going to keep letting you run it. But good luck.”
”And safe travels to you,” Spock said.
Slask headed for the door, and Spock returned his attention to his meal. As he ate his plomeek plomeek soup and soup and kreyla kreyla, he wondered whether President Bacco would accede to his recommendation, and if so, whether Donatra would agree to meet another Federation representative. Given her tenuous position and her need for allies like the UFP and the Klingon Empire, he doubted that she would turn down such a request. The real issue was whether or not she knew anything about the attempt on Spock's life and the murder of the Reman, and if she did, whether she would reveal anything about the situation. That would likely depend, at least in part, on whomever the Federation sent to meet with Donatra.
As Spock finished the last of his soup, he wondered who President Bacco would choose as her emissary.
23.
”Tzenkethi marauders.”
Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Sisko spun toward his starboard station on the Okinawa Okinawa bridge and punched at the controls. As quickly as he could, Sisko called up a sensor readout to replace the engineering data spread across his screen. He immediately saw the s.h.i.+ps that Lieutenant Snowden had identified. bridge and punched at the controls. As quickly as he could, Sisko called up a sensor readout to replace the engineering data spread across his screen. He immediately saw the s.h.i.+ps that Lieutenant Snowden had identified.
”Two heavies,” Snowden added, her voice steady in the face of the threat. ”They're on a heading for M'kemas Three.”
”Have they spotted us?” Sisko asked, and he felt relieved that the question had occurred to him. Although he had drawn a promotion out of engineering and into the command division nearly a year earlier, he still hadn't grown entirely accustomed to his role as the s.h.i.+p's executive officer. Even so many months later, he found that his duties on the bridge did not come naturally to him, and he often had to consciously think through what queries to make, what orders to give, what actions to take. In quiet moments, of late, he'd begun reviewing Okinawa Okinawa's drive performance at his station, more than once thinking that a return to engineering might be best for him.
”I don't think they do see us,” Snowden replied, and Sisko glanced over to where she crewed her side of the combined tactical-and-communications console. ”They're making no alterations to their course and speed.”
”All right,” Captain Leyton said, rising from the command chair. ”Let's lay low then. If we're lucky-”
”Captain,” said Ensign Orr, ”we're being hailed by the a.s.surance. a.s.surance.”
Leyton looked over at Sisko. ”d.a.m.n,” the captain said.
Sisko stood up and strode along the raised periphery of the bridge toward Orr at communications. ”Ensign,” he told him, ”do not answer the hail. Transmit a standard silent-running protocol to the a.s.surance. a.s.surance.” Sisko peered forward to the main viewscreen, as though he could see the Amba.s.sador Amba.s.sador-cla.s.s stars.h.i.+p, but it only offered the seeming constancy of the starfield it presented.
On the lower, central section of the bridge, Leyton paced aft, toward Sisko. ”Captain Walter's crew must not have detected the marauders,” Leyton said. ”He wouldn't have made a mistake like that.”
Sisko went around Orr to the tactical portion of the console, where he studied its displays. ”Captain Walter's got a gas giant between the a.s.surance a.s.surance and the Tzenkethi vessels,” he said. ”There's no way the marauders showed up on their sensors.” and the Tzenkethi vessels,” he said. ”There's no way the marauders showed up on their sensors.”
”No more hails, Captain,” Orr reported. ”And no response to the silent-running protocol.”
Sisko peered down into the central well of the bridge, where he saw Leyton nod in his direction and motion him forward. Sisko skirted the railing between the upper and lower sections and stepped down to join the captain. ”We need a plan, Ben,” Leyton said. ”There's just too much traffic in this area. This system's too close to the lanes the Tzenkethi use to travel from their s.p.a.ce to their settlements on M'kemas and Rodon. It's a wonder that they haven't scouted these planets yet.”
”If they had, we'd know about it,” Sisko observed. While patrolling near the Tzenkethi border, the crew of Okinawa Okinawa had taken the time to survey the Entelior system, where on several of its worlds, they'd discovered a significant deposit of bilitrium, a rare, crystalline element valuable as both a power source and in the manufacture of certain weapons. With the system's proximity to Tzenkethi s.p.a.ce, the Federation couldn't set up a mining operation-at least not during a time of war-but they needed to keep it out of the hands of their adversaries. ”Reinforcements will be here in five days,” Sisko said. ”We just need to hold Entelior until then.” had taken the time to survey the Entelior system, where on several of its worlds, they'd discovered a significant deposit of bilitrium, a rare, crystalline element valuable as both a power source and in the manufacture of certain weapons. With the system's proximity to Tzenkethi s.p.a.ce, the Federation couldn't set up a mining operation-at least not during a time of war-but they needed to keep it out of the hands of their adversaries. ”Reinforcements will be here in five days,” Sisko said. ”We just need to hold Entelior until then.”
Leyton nodded, then took an elbow in one hand and held a knuckle up to his mouth, a nervous habit Sisko had noticed once he'd become a member of the bridge crew. ”I'm just concerned that they'll detect us here, find the bilitrium, and bring back their own reinforcements,” the captain said. ”Maybe we should just leave the system and hope that they don't stumble across the deposits.”
”They're going to stumble across them at some point, sir,” Sisko said. ”Those settlements on M'kemas and Rodon are new. Sooner or later, the Tzenkethi are going to come looking here.”
”And if it's sooner and we're not here to stop them,” Leyton said, ”then we're giving them a valuable resource to use against us.”
”Yes, sir,” Sisko said, but then another possible solution struck him-an engineering solution. ”Unless there's a way we can mask the sensor signature of-”
”Captain, the Tzenkethi vessels have altered course,” said Snowden. She worked the controls at tactical, then added, ”They're now heading directly toward us.”
”How long?” Leyton wanted to know. He took the command chair, and Sisko moved to stand by his side.
”Estimating three minutes, thirty seconds,” Snowden said.
Sisko ran the variables through his head, then told Ensign Orr, ”Signal the a.s.surance. a.s.surance. Let them know we've got company.” The Tzenkethi had obviously detected Captain Walter's hail, obviating the need for silent running. Let them know we've got company.” The Tzenkethi had obviously detected Captain Walter's hail, obviating the need for silent running.
”Aye, sir,” said Orr. ”Transmitting our sensor logs of the marauders.”
”s.h.i.+elds up full,” Sisko said. ”Ready all weapons.”
”s.h.i.+elds up,” Snowden said. ”Charging main phaser banks, loading photon torpedoes.”
”Hail the a.s.surance, a.s.surance,” Leyton said.