Part 11 (1/2)
Toh didn't hear what Joseph said as he ran out the door toward the nearest transporter station.
Within twenty minutes-there was a line at the station, and his government ID didn't do anything to expedite matters, which rather annoyed him-he was back in his office. The first thing he did was contact Rol Yarvik Rol, who was working late on a project for Fred.
”Whatever you need, Toh, can it wait? Fred is- ”
”Just a quick question, Yarvik. You've read over all of Artrin's decisions, right?”
”Yeah, why?”
”Was there a decision on 5 Torus Fortil?”
”There aren't any decisions in Torus, that's when they're in- ”
Toh snarled. ”I know that, I mean an emergency session.”
”Artrin didn't preside over any emergency sessions.”
”You sure?” Toh had been afraid Yarvik would say the very words he was saying now.
”Completely sure. Why?”
”Nothing.” This was too big for a researcher. This is too big for me, he thought. ”Is Fred still in his office?”
”He's with Ashante down at that cafe they like. He said he'd be back in an hour.”
”Okay, thanks.” Toh cut off the connection, took a moment to pray to the Prophets for guidance, then put a call through to Fred. He's gonna hate being interrupted like this, but he's with Ashante, and that'll save some time. And better to tell them sooner than later, especially if the council already has this.
The last time Esperanza Piniero felt this ragged was after the U.S.S. Gorkon was told to hold the Delavi system for three weeks during the Dominion War. They were at red alert the entire time, and by the end of the second week, Esperanza felt like she had run six marathons in the s.p.a.ce of two hours. Her muscles ached, her mouth tasted like engine coolant, and a phaser drill was on overload behind her right eye.
Four months in the Palais gave her a tremendous sense of deja vu for those days in the Delavi system.
Still, another day seemed to finally be at an end. The president's speech on t.i.tan had gone well. The s.h.i.+pbuilder's guild seemed mollified about Aligar-though they were expressing concern about the Rigel colonies following the directive to change over their warp drives.
She opened an intercom channel to her a.s.sistant. ”Please, Zachary, by all that is holy on thirty worlds, tell me that we're done for the day.”
Her office door slid open to reveal Zachary holding a padd. ”Not quite. Sorry, this just came in from the travel office.” He walked it over to her at her desk.
”Let me guess,” Esperanza said as she took it. ”They felt bad for not having screwed anything up in a few months?”
”Sort of. They had to change the president's itinerary for the goodwill trip.”
Esperanza glowered at Zachary. ”We spent six weeks hammering out the details of the trip. It was vetted by half the people in this building. What could they possibly want to change now?”
Zachary smiled. ”It's kind of funny, actually.”
At Esperanza's look, his smile fell. ”Right now, Zachary, you could get the entire Luna-See Troupe up here and have them perform their whole repetoire from Again, the Ears to Zakdorn's Sun Is Going Nova Tomorrow, and it wouldn't be funny.”
”Okay, well, in any case, it turns out that the original itinerary had one problem-we would be arriving on Lembatta Prime on the day before an eclipse.”
The phaser drill now moved to her left eye. ”What, they don't have lights on Lembatta?”
”Oh, they have lights, but, uh- ” Zachary took a breath. ”Whenever there's an eclipse, and also the day before and after, it's a major religious holiday. Essential work is still done, but anyone not actually doing that is obligated to stay at home and meditate.”
Esperanza leaned her head back and looked to the ceiling in supplication. To her annoyance, the ceiling was wholly bereft of aid or comfort.
She looked back at her a.s.sistant. ”So if we hold a town hall meeting on the day before an eclipse- ”
”No one will show up.”
”Wonderful. They rearranged the itinerary?”
Zachary nodded. ”And that should be it.”
”Good,” Esperanza said with more enthusiasm than was probably politic. Knowing it was wholly futile, she still said to Zachary, ”You can go home, I'm just gonna read this and then head out.”
As always, he said, ”I go home when you go home.” Then he went back to his desk, the door sliding shut behind him.
Esperanza's eyes were glazing over as she read over the itinerary. None of it seemed untoward. Lembatta had been moved to a week later, so Ventax II would be a week earlier, Kessik IV would be at the end of the trip instead of the beginning, and Cestus III- Oh h.e.l.l.
The phaser drill was now working on both eyes.
Slamming her hand on the intercom, she said, ”Zachary, who put this together?”
”The travel offi- ”
”I mean who in the travel office?”
”I'm not sure.”
”Are any of them in now?”
”I think Ne'al G'ullho is still- ”
”Get it up here now.”
Esperanza got up and went over to the replicator that was inset in her office wall. She was about to ask it for an herbal iced tea, then she decided to throw caution to the wind. Putting her hand on the activator, she said, ”Jack Daniel's Single Barrel, neat, alcoholic.”
If this were regular business hours, the computer would point out that Federation law prevented members of the government from drinking alcoholic beverages during working hours. Whoever pa.s.sed that law didn't realize that every hour is a working hour in the Palais.
She slugged down the amber liquid; it burned as it went down her throat, then formed a warm spot in the upper part of her chest.
Her intercom beeped. ”Ne'al is here.”
”Get it in here.” The thick-bottom gla.s.s made a resounding thunk as she placed it on her metal desk with a bit more force than was necessary.
A young Damiani entered, its goatee untrimmed. ”Yes, Ms. Piniero, what can I do for you?”
She held up the padd. ”Do you know about this?”
”I don't know what this is,” Ne'al said slowly.