Part 6 (1/2)
Picard shook his head. ”For the moment, Number One, I am afraid there is nothing we can do. Valak is rapidly closing off all of our options.”
They entered the turbolift, which took them to the bridge.
”Ah, Captain Picard,” said Valak, ”and Mr. Riker. I trust that you are feeling better, Captain?”
”Spare me the false pleasantries, Valak,” Picard said tersely. ”Where are you taking my people?”
”A portion of the Enterprise crew is being transferred to the Syrinx,” Valak said, ”where they will be well treated as long as they behave themselves. You have my word on that.”
”Your word?” Riker said scornfully. ”You can't even trust a dead Romulan.”
Valak smiled. ”Very good, Mr. Riker. I like that. You can't even trust a dead Romulan. I must remember that.”
”What a.s.surance do I have that you will keep your word?” Picard asked.
”You are hardly in a position to demand any a.s.surances,” Valak replied. ”However, I can understand your concern for your crew. You will be going with them. We shall leave the Enterprise in Mr. Riker's capable hands, under Romulan supervision, of course.”
”This is still my s.h.i.+p, Valak,” said Picard, ”and I demand-”
”Demand all you like,” Valak interrupted him impatiently, ”but you will do as you are told. You can be delivered to the Syrinx conscious or unconscious. The choice is yours. I have already instructed your navigator to plot a course for Hermeticus Two. And I have advised your bridge crew that my men have been trained to antic.i.p.ate any tricks. For each instruction not explicitly complied with, a hostage will be executed, so I would advise you, Captain, to urge your bridge crew to cooperate fully.”
Picard scowled. ”Do as he says, Number One.”
”Understood, sir.”
”We shall get under way in a moment,” Valak said. ”For the record, Captain, slightly better than half of your engineering crew is already aboard the Syrinx, as well as half of your security crew and other essential personnel, in addition to hostages taken from your family quarters. Dr. Crusher will be allowed to a.s.semble a medical kit, under careful supervision, and join them. Your communications system has been modified to allow only s.h.i.+p-to-s.h.i.+p communications, so you can forget about attempting to send out any distress calls to Starfleet. As you can see, I have taken everything into account.”
”Apparently so,” Picard said grudgingly.
”Good. Then we understand each other.”
”I understand you only too well, Commander Valak,” said Picard. ”You have asked me to take your word that my crew will not be mistreated. Perhaps you will accept mine when I a.s.sure you that there is no Federation base on Hermeticus Two or anywhere else in the Neutral Zone. I swear it on my honor as an officer and a gentleman.”
”I believe you, Captain,” Valak said.
Picard frowned. ”Then why-”
Valak held up his hand. ”I should say I believe that you believe there is no Federation base hidden in the Neutral Zone. However, I have my orders. And even if there is no Federation base on Hermeticus Two, I have been instructed to discover exactly why the Federation is so anxious to conceal any information about that planet. It is a matter of Romulan security, Captain. As an officer, I am sure you can appreciate that. We simply cannot afford not to know.”
”Valak, listen to me,” Picard said. ”The designation Cla.s.s H-Hermeticus signifies a quarantined world. I do not know why Hermeticus Two was placed under quarantine, but the fact that it was can mean only one thing: there is grave danger there, either from indigenous life-forms or from the environment. Leaving aside any considerations for the Enterprise, if you care for the safety of your own crew, then I urge you in the strongest possible terms-”
”Save your breath, Captain,” Valak said. ”My orders are explicit. If you place yourself in my shoes, as you humans say, then you will appreciate that I have no alternative but to complete my mission. My warriors will escort you to the transporter room. I shall join you presently.”
After Picard was beamed over to the Syrinx, Valak permitted him to visit the hostages. They were all gathered together in one of the warbird's shuttle bays, where they could easily be guarded. Bedding and other comforts had been provided for them. As Picard entered the shuttle bay, the Romulans allowed him to go forward and speak with his crew members while they remained behind, watching and guarding the doors with their weapons drawn. As his crew members surrounded him, Picard quickly filled them in on what he knew.
”What happens after we get to Hermeticus Two, Captain?” Deanna Troi asked.
”I have no idea, Counselor,” Picard replied. ”Regrettably, by erasing the file to deny the Romulans access to the information we denied ourselves access to it as well. We have no way of knowing what we may be getting into.”
”Captain,” Worf said, ”I have organized some of the men. I believe that if we create a distraction, we can rush the guards and-”
”Negative, Mr. Worf,” Picard said. ”I cannot risk it. Even if you managed to surprise the guards, it would take Valak but a moment to open the outer bay doors and cancel the forcefield. You would all be killed. I am certain he allowed me to come here so that I could see for myself the dispositions he has made to secure his hostages. It would seem that he has thought this all out very carefully.”
”But we must do something, sir!” protested Worf.
”Indeed, we must, Mr. Worf,” Picard agreed, ”but now is not the time. We must await the right opportunity.”
”Captain,” said Deanna, ”I sense in Commander Valak a strong desire to compete with you and to impress you. He wishes to win your respect. He seems to regard this situation as a challenge-in a way, almost as a sporting proposition.”
Picard nodded. ”Yes, Counselor, that is consistent with my own observations. Valak is highly intelligent and very capable, but his ego is his weakness. He never should have allowed me to be present on the bridge when he attempted to access the cla.s.sified files in our s.h.i.+p's computer, but he wanted to show off. His constant quoting of human aphorisms is another way of flaunting his knowledge about us and our culture, as if to prove that he has done his homework and is fully prepared for anything we might attempt to do.”
”It may be something that we can use against him,” said Deanna.
”Perhaps,” Picard said. ”He is young and seems eager to prove himself. His arrogance is tempered by insecurity and an ambition that seems to drive him. There may be a way to turn that to our advantage.”
”What would you have us do, Captain?” Worf asked.
”For the moment, Mr. Worf, nothing. Keep your eyes and your ears open, and see what you can learn. We know little about this new cla.s.s of warbird. There may be a design weakness we can exploit, or something in the crew's routine ...” He shook his head. ”For the present, Valak has left us with no viable options. However, this isn't over yet.”
”It is maddening to feel so powerless!” Worf said furiously.
”We are not powerless, Mr. Worf,” Picard said. ”We are merely at a disadvantage for the present. Have patience.”
”There is one thing that we have not yet admitted to ourselves,” said Dr. Crusher. ”What Valak has done is a flagrant violation of the treaty and const.i.tutes an act of war. He cannot allow the Federation to find out about it.”
”Which means that he cannot allow any of us to live,” Deanna said grimly.
”We are not dead yet, Counselor,” Picard replied.
”The s.h.i.+p is getting under way,” Worf said as the sound of the drives filtered through the walls of the shuttle bay.
”Have courage, all of you,” Picard said. ”Valak is smart, but he is not infallible. We shall all get out of this somehow, I promise you.”
When he rejoined Valak on the bridge of the warbird, the Romulan commander said, ”I trust you have a.s.sured yourself that your crew members are being well treated, Captain?”
”If being confined within a shuttle bay like animals in a corral is what you consider being treated well,” Picard replied.
”A regrettable necessity,” said Valak. ”We have no brigs aboard our s.h.i.+ps because we do not take prisoners, and disciplinary measures aboard Romulan vessels are too draconian to allow for mere incarceration. However, at least I can provide comfortable accommodations for you, Captain. You will occupy my first officer's quarters while he remains aboard the Enterprise. You will find them somewhat Spartan, as humans say, but reasonably comfortable.”
”I would prefer to remain with my own people,” said Picard.
”I am sure you would, Captain,” Valak replied, ”but I cannot allow that. It would not be prudent, if that is the appropriate word. Your people will be managed more easily if they are deprived of your leaders.h.i.+p skills.”
”You seem to have thought of everything,” Picard said, playing to the Romulan commander's ego.
”I have tried to antic.i.p.ate all possibilities,” Valak said smoothly.
”You cannot antic.i.p.ate what may happen when we reach Hermeticus Two,” Picard said.
”True,” admitted Valak. ”However, I have planned what we shall do if we find-as I suspect we will-a Federation base there.”