Part 11 (1/2)

Normally he would contact Starfleet, explain the situation, make his own suggestions, and await orders. Nothing was normal now. There was no Starfleet Command. At least not unless the Enterprise traveled to it herself.

This decision was his, and his alone. How he could trust someone like T'sart was the real question. And the answer was, he couldn't. But he could trust Spock. Spock had seen some preliminary data that had convinced him.

”Spock, can you use the Enterprise computers to recreate the information you saw?”

”It should be possible to relate what I saw, but those were conclusions, and brief sc.r.a.ps of supporting data. Not enough to initiate our own research.”

”It's more than we have now. Please work with Commander Data.”

Spock nodded.

”No need,” T'sart said, and pulled a thin Romulan data crystal from his tunic pocket.

”I thought you said you had no data.”

”I said I couldn't get all of it. I did manage to save my personal files.”

Frowning, the captain tapped a b.u.t.ton on a small computer console in the table. ”Computer, please give computer access to Spock, former Vulcan Amba.s.sador, retired. Starfleet officer, retired.”

”Acknowledged. Access confirmed: Spock. Rank: Captain. Temporary Starfleet activation necessary.”

A slight chuckle rose in the back of Picard's throat.

”Welcome back to Starfleet, Captain Spock. At least temporarily.”

Spock nodded his acceptance, but said nothing else.

”Well,” T'sart said, his lips pressed into a thin line. ”If you're finished with your pomp and flourish... You're sitting here as if I haven't just told you life is ending as you know it. It is. Life in all ways may be ending. Do you understand this?”

”I understand,” Picard said. ”We have a problem of galactic-”

”The galaxy?” T'sart scoffed. ”Nothing so mundane. I suspect this problem will soon be universal.”

”As in the entire universe?” Riker said, dubious.

T'sart looked at him. ”How many people did you have to bribe to attain such a high rank?”

”That's enough,” Picard barked.

”Oh, I think not,” T'sart snapped back. ”You fail to grasp the gravity of this situation. We don't even have time for the lecture I seem to have to give. Do you understand what these dead zones mean? We're not just talking about the end of subs.p.a.ce communications, the lack of which has already destabilized the most powerful governments in this quadrant. We're not just going to see the end of interstellar exploration. We're on the verge of every s.p.a.ce-faring civilization collapsing completely. How many of your colonies will grow cold without their power plants? How many will starve on your Terran homeworld when the replicators don't work? How many will die in your hospitals because it is high technology that cures your disease and deformity?”

Factories, transportation, communication, air purification and creation, heat... and light. All technology at risk. Picard's mind boggled at the idea.

”The lucky ones will die quickly, Captain, of suffocation or hypothermia. The unlucky ones, on your homeworld and mine, will fall into the barbarism and warfare that comes when billions must share the tiny resources that can sustain only a few. And it will happen soon, Picard. Not in months or weeks, but in days, or even hours.”

Picard glanced quickly at Spock. The Vulcan gave a slight, grave, affirming nod. His message was clear-what T'sart was saying was chillingly accurate.

”I understand, T'sart,” Picard said.

”I hope you do,” the Romulan said. ”Because it won't just be the Federation or the Empire that will suffer. We're not the only power-addicted civilizations. Everyone, everywhere, who has a technology greater than post-industrialization will fall and then stagnate. Trillions upon trillions of lives will be lost, because the number of people a warp-faring race can sustain is too great for any lesser science.”

”And your solution is?”

”Stop it, at the source.” T'sart said. ”The Caltiskan system.”

Picard swiveled his chair toward Spock.

The Vulcan thought for only a semi-second. ”That's most of the way across Romulan s.p.a.ce, Captain.”

Picard nodded. ”Near the Klingon/Romulan border.” He shook his head. ”You want us to take the Enterprise right through the center of the Romulan Empire, coming within ten pa.r.s.ecs of the Romulan homeworld?”

”No, you want to. You don't want to waste time, either. Because the longer you wait, the greater the chance we won't be able to get there at all. And if we don't, Picard...” T'sart motioned with his hand, including the entire s.h.i.+p in one slow, sweeping gesture. ”All this will be nothing more than floating debris, cold and dead in s.p.a.ce. There will be no more stars.h.i.+ps, and perhaps with enough time, no more stars.”

”Even if I believe you,” Picard said, ”we can't just traverse the most densely populated part of the Romulan Empire.”

”You can. With my help.” T'sart picked up a data padd, tapped into it for a few moments and then slid the padd down the table toward Picard. ”The subs.p.a.ce frequency of our cloaked s.h.i.+ps. With this, you will know where every cloaked vessel in range of your scanners is located. You'll be able to destroy them, before they destroy you. And that's just what you'll have to do. And when you get to the Caltiskan system, you're going to have to surprise and overpower, or out-think, the Tal s.h.i.+ar forces that even the proper Romulan government is unaware are there.”

Picard snapped up the padd and glanced at the code. ”You'd do this to your own people? Give us the power to see through their cloaks? Ask us to destroy them?”

T'sart smiled again. ”The resonance frequency is changed every three days. If we accomplish our goal, there will actually be a fourth day and we can celebrate. If we don't, and either die trying or simply die in a dead zone... it will mean little to any of us.” He nodded at the padd. ”This code was changed yesterday. You have two days, Captain. Two days, and you'll be blind again. Sooner, if they learn we have the code, so we must use it wisely.”

”We?”

”Of course, Captain. You can't have this party without me. I've told you where to go, not what to do when you get there. Puts a little more importance on my health than you otherwise might, don't you think?

”Oh, your health is paramount in my thoughts,” Picard said, tapping his comm badge. ”Helm, plot a course for Klingon s.p.a.ce. Radio ahead, let them know we're coming.”

”Aye, sir.”

For the first time, T'sart's expression was one touched with what looked like just a bit of fear. It could have been anger, but Picard preferred to see it as panic. ”Klingon s.p.a.ce? You know the price on my head there. Those barbaric fools would destroy a planet to have me in their grasp. Why do you think I've given you the cloak code? You must go through Romulan s.p.a.ce.”

”Right now, I'd say the price on your head is about the same in Romulan s.p.a.ce as it is in Klingon s.p.a.ce,” Picard said, allowing himself the slightest smile at T'sart's expense. ”But the Enterprise can travel freely among the Klingons. And so long as they don't know we have you, you're safe.”

T'sart pursed his lips again. ”Fine, Picard. Gamble with my life. But by doing so, you gamble with your own, and that of the galaxy's. We don't have time for deteys.”

”I'll take that risk, T'sart. I told you,” Picard handed the padd to Riker, ”I am in command.”

Romulan Warbird Makluan Romulan s.p.a.ce Sector 83 ”I am in command,” Folan said. ”And I want priority on warp drive and cloaking systems.”

”We should try to alert the fleet,” Medric said. ”We cannot do this alone.”

”We're the only ones who can do this,” Folan cried. ”We still have them in scanner range. They'll be in the Neutral Zone soon and, once in Federation s.p.a.ce, out of our grasp entirely.”

Medric sighed. Folan sensed he was trying to obey her, but he thought so differently, and respected her so little. That wasn't her fault, however. But it was her burden to bear. Every moment she felt she needed to do something to bolster her standing in command. Is this how it is for J'emery, and all commanders, or only those who had been scientists?

”SubCommander,” a centurion called. ”Enterprise is changing course.”

Folan pivoted toward the crewman and leaped up toward his station. ”Away from the Neutral Zone?”

”No, SubCommander, but away from Federation s.p.a.ce. They are on a course that will take them into Klingon s.p.a.ce.”