Part 3 (1/2)

”a.s.suming that's what it is,” Jas added.

Knew he'd get his interruption in there somewhere, Nan thought irritably.

Nodding to Jas, Raisa said, ”a.s.suming that, yes, then we will be violating our treaty with the Klingons.”

”Unless we clear it with the Klingons first,” Holly added.

Nan snorted. ”Want to lay odds what they'll say if we ask?”

”No, ma'am.”

”Yeah, me either.” She shook her head. ”How long do we have?”

Holly frowned. ”Ma'am?”

”How long until that s.h.i.+p reaches the Federation border?”

”Eight weeks, ma'am.”

Nan opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. ”Eight weeks?”

”Yes, ma'am. They'll be in communications range in six weeks.” Holly's lips curled up a bit. ”Those old s.h.i.+ps are very slow, ma'am-and the outpost sensors are very good.”

”Apparently.” Nan sighed. ”All right, fine, keep an eye on it, maybe get a Starfleet s.h.i.+p over there just in case.”

”Yes, ma'am.”

Raisa put her hands down on her lap. ”Madam President, I believe you should speak with our amba.s.sador to Qo'noS.”

Jas rolled his eyes. ”What the h.e.l.l good would that do?”

”To take the High Council's temperature, so to speak. It is possible that they will be willing to let us take some of the Remans off their hands.”

”They won't.” Jas folded his arms. ”And the new amba.s.sador won't have any clue what- ”

Nan took some pleasure in being the interrupter this time. ”Amba.s.sador Rozhenko has lived in the empire for the last six years. It's worth talking to him, anyhow.”

Shaking his head, Jas said, ”It's a waste of time.”

”You've made your feelings abundantly clear, Jas,” Nan said witheringly. ”What else?”

They went over security concerns regarding various other governments. Nan was distressed to learn that Orion Syndicate and Ferengi pirates were still hara.s.sing the relief s.h.i.+ps to Carda.s.sia Prime. She had thought that problem was solved, and that Starfleet had driven off the privateers. Apparently not, she thought with a sigh.

Holly's last report from outside the Federation involved the Tzenkethi. ”Our listening posts along the border have picked up some chatter about one of the Tzelnira's children being sick.”

Jas added, ”The Tzelnira are- ”

”The appointed ministers of the Tzenkethi government serving under the autarch, yes, I know, Jas.” Nan glowered at her security advisor. ”My son-in-law was a relief worker during the Tzenkethi War.”

”I'm sorry, ma'am, I didn't- ”

”It's not like you see me every day or anything,” Nan said dryly, ”but I would think you'd have figured out by now that, if I don't know something, I'll ask.”

Jas didn't sound in the least bit contrite when he said, ”I did say I was sorry, ma'am.”

Nan stared at the old Trill for several seconds before turning back to Holly. ”Sick with what?”

”We don't know, ma'am. We're not even sure it's true, but there's been a lot of similar chatter.”

”All right.” She smiled. ”If that's the worst we're hearing out of Tzenketh these days, I'm just gonna count my blessings. What else?”

Chapter Three.

ASHANTE PHIRI WAITED for Z4 to explode.

It didn't happen in the turbolift down one flight to the fourteenth floor, where a third of the offices of the presidential staff were located, including those of the chief of staff and her four deputies. It didn't happen while she gave Fred a quick kiss before she, Z4, and Xeldara got off. Fred was heading down to thirteen, where he and the rest of the speechwriting staff were headquartered; Myk was proceeding to the second floor, where Kant Jorel's office, as well as the press holocom, were.

Xeldara tugged on her left earlobe as the three of them moved away from the turbolift doors. ”I'm off for my scolding. What do you figure, Esperanza has five more minutes with the president before she comes down and hits me over the head with a rock?”

Ashante glowered as the three of them exited into the office area. ”If she doesn't, I will. How many times did I tell you not to bring up the travel office again on fifteen?”

”I think it's an issue, and I think it'll bite us on the ankle if we're not careful.”

Z4 made a tinkling noise. ”Softs have the most peculiar metaphors.”

Snorting, Ashante said, ”You're only just noticing this now? The point is, Xeldara, it's not an issue on fifteen anymore. You want to bring it up again, bring it up with Esperanza.”

”Who then won't tell the president about it. I wanted to- ”

”Get yelled at by the leader of the biggest political ent.i.ty in the Alpha Quadrant?”

Z4 made a different noise. ”You certainly don't aim low.”

”I said my piece, and I'm happy with that.” Xeldara sounded both stubborn and petulant.

”Hope you're happy with the job market,” Ashante muttered.

Xeldara bore right toward the chief of staff's office, which was smaller than the president's and only had about half the view but was still pretty spectacular. Ashante and Z4 moved straight ahead toward their own offices, which had no windows, located as they were in the center of the circle that each floor in the Palais formed. Aside from the chief of staff, members of the cabinet got the other offices that lined the outer walls of the fourteenth floor. The four deputies and their staffs worked in what was generally referred to as the warp core, because it was the center and where all the work that kept the government going got done.

To his credit, Z4 waited until they were in Ashante's office and the door closed behind both of them before exploding.

”Why did you shoot C29 down?”

”Because he's a c.r.a.ppy candidate, Ziff.”

Z4's antennae curled up. ”How many times have I told you not to call me that?”