Part 27 (1/2)

Ashante shook her head, but Dogayn said, ”A frimlike, if you could.”

”Tea, raspberry, iced, and a frimlike, mildly heated.”

Dogayn smiled as the replicator glowed, hummed, and provided the two drinks; the Hermat seemed suitably impressed that hir boss knew how s/he preferred hir frimlike. Then hir expression grew more serious. ”We made plenty of offers, but several people wouldn't budge.”

”Or they asked for crazy stuff,” Ashante added.

”Like what?” Esperanza asked as she handed Dogayn hir drink.

Shuddering slightly, Dogayn said, ”You don't wanna know.”

Esperanza closed her eyes and blew out a breath. ”Nitram wanted the demiurgical study?”

Dogayn nodded.

”And Gleer's called in a lot of markers,” Ashante said. ”He's made this even more his personal mission than Enaren has. I told Strovos we'd lift the tariffs on zenite, and he still wouldn't go for it.”

Esperanza sat back down at her desk and sipped her iced tea. ”That's been Strovos's pet cause since he got elected.”

”It's been every Ardanan councillor's pet cause for the last hundred years,” Ashante said. ”I don't know what Gleer has on Strovos, but it must be pretty good. And he's not the only one Gleer's got in a headlock.”

”So where does that leave us?”

Ashante folded her arms. ”a.s.suming Ontail continues to not show up-and five'll get you ten they'd vote no anyhow-we've only got seventy.”

Slamming a fist on her desk hard enough to almost spill her iced tea, Esperanza said, ”Dammit! Where are we gonna get seven more votes?”

”Well, I've got a crazy idea,” Ashante said, now unfolding her arms.

Grasping at straws, Esperanza said, ”Shoot.”

”I was able to convince zh'Faila and C29 Green, and Dogayn was able to turn Govrin, just by the argument that voting no would be bad for the Federation.”

Not sure where Ashante was going with this, Esperanza said, ”Right.”

”So why not try that trick on Enaren? He's always been fairly reasonable. Maybe he can be convinced.”

Esperanza considered the matter. ”Yeah, okay, go talk to- ”

”It shouldn't be either of us-or you,” Ashante said. ”It has to be the president.”

”No,” Esperanza said emphatically. ”It'll be me, but the president doesn't hear about this. Not with Trinni/ek and the Romulans and the Klingons and the Pioneers losing today.”

Dogayn frowned. ”What does baseball have to do with it?”

”In a perfect world, baseball's the president's safety valve-it's what she uses to distract herself when the nonsense threatens to overwhelm her.”

”The problem,” Ashante said, ”is that there's too much nonsense there, too. Her favorite team's s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up.”

Dogayn smirked. ”Maybe she should find a different hobby.”

”Be sure to suggest that,” Esperanza said, ”and then update your resume.” She hit the intercom. ”Zachary, track down Councillor Enaren. Tell him the chief of staff needs to talk to him right away.”

”Sure thing.”

She looked up at two of her deputies. ”You're sure you can't get the seven anywhere else?”

”We'll keep working it,” Dogayn said, ”but I don't think it'll work. Some people are throwing the argument right back at us.”

”What do you mean?”

Dogayn frowned. ”Carda.s.sia's already proven they can't be trusted. So why should we even give them the chance?”

”Right,” Ashante said with a sigh, ”because the kick-them-while-they're-down theory worked so well in Germany.”

”Where's Germany?” Dogayn asked.

Before she could answer, Zachary said over the intercom, ”Esperanza, the councillor can talk to you now-he's en route from Betazed for tomorrow's session.”

Esperanza's eyes widened. ”Uh, okay. Get him on standby-I'll let you know when we're ready.”

”You want us to help out?” Ashante asked.

About to say no, Esperanza held back. ”Yeah-just you. Dogayn, keep working the councillors, in case this doesn't work.”

Dogayn nodded again and left Esperanza's office.

Esperanza looked up at Ashante. ”Ready?”

After taking a very deep breath, Ashante said, ”Yeah. Let's do it.” She walked around to stand just behind Esperanza and to her right.

Esperanza opened the intercom. ”Put him through, Zachary.”

A moment later, the screen on Esperanza's workstation lit up with the bland features of Cort Enaren. He had surprised her when they'd first met a few years earlier. She had heard stories of the member of Betazed's parliament who'd become the leader of the Betazoid resistance after the planet had fallen to the Dominion, and so she had expected someone more-well, impressive. But then, with a telepathic species, physical characteristics are really the least important.

”Councillor, thanks for talking to us. You remember my deputy, Ashante Phiri?”

”Of course.” Enaren nodded. ”It's good to see you both. I a.s.sume this is about Carda.s.sia.”

Unable to contain a cheeky grin, Esperanza asked, ”Your finely honed Betazoid senses tell you that, Councillor?”

Enaren did smile back, though the expression didn't reach his eyes. ”My transport is several light-years from Earth, Esperanza-my telepathy isn't that good. No, I simply heard from my aides. Your deputies aren't exactly being subtle.”

”We don't have time for subtle, Councillor,” Ashante said. ”And this aid is too important to lose.”

”Important to the Carda.s.sians, perhaps, but I'm more concerned with the people of Betazed. What's left of us, anyhow.”