Part 13 (1/2)
Rikan said, ”I know what Nalavia has told you. We have seen those terrible pictures, too, of innocent people attacked, little children murdered. All this she blames on me and those who fight against her tyranny.”
”Data and I already know those raids were faked,” said Yar. ”Or at least staged or edited, just as she edited and slanted the information about Data and me, and Starfleet itself. I trust Dare has told you it's not a war fleet?”
She glanced back at her former love, who lounged in his chair with the sneer that met any mention of Starfleet. This morning he was dressed in an outfit similar to the one last night, but today's s.h.i.+rt was a silky black material with a pattern of silver running through it. On the breast pocket of a more square-cut jacket was a symbol etched in silver. It was a stylized helmet, Yar realized, such as had been worn by medieval knights on Earth. The Silver Paladin.
Rikan answered Yar's question, ”He has told me Starfleet will not do as I feared: take up Nalavia's invitation to come here and destroy our resistance, and then turn on her as well so as to take control of our planet for the Federation.”
”Oh, no-surely you must know that is against both the rules of Starfleet and the laws of the Federation!”
The old man nodded. ”So I thought, from the research we did many years ago. I was a member of the Council when Treva sought to join the Federation. But since Nalavia came to power she has contradicted what we learned. Her evidence suggests that the Federation gobbles up planets by making them protectorates, lulling them into a sense of security, then annexing them and taxing their products and natural resources. Then, when they can no longer produce enough to satisfy the Federation's greed, stripped and gutted of their resources, they are left to die, their people to starve.”
Tasha was horrified. ”Dare-”
”I've told him that's not true,” he replied. ”The Federation certainly have their faults, but if anything they lie in the opposite direction: there is so much of everything to go around that people grow weak with indulgence. No one has to struggle to survive anymore-and without struggle there is no strength.”
”Dare,” said Tasha, ”your own strength gives the lie to that statement.”
Rikan said, ”This corresponds more closely with what I saw when I visited the Federation years ago-but as I saw only four planets, I could have been fooled, you see.”
Sdan spoke up for the first time, ”She's tellin' the truth. The Federation's not evil; it just has its problems with people that don't fit into convenient niches.”
”What do you mean?” Yar asked. ”There are so many different worlds, so many different cultures-how could anyone be so different as not to find a home somewhere?”
Barb gave a derisive snort.
Sdan grinned sardonically. ”Try bein' a mix of Vulcan, human, Romulan, Orion, an' maybe a touch of Aldebaran sh.e.l.l-mouth fer the stubborn streak!” he replied. ”Then throw in bein' the black sheep of the family besides, an' you may just have a bit o' trouble fittin' in.”
Well, now she knew why he didn't act like the Vulcan he appeared to be. ”Did you break Federation law, Sdan?”
”Only me family's. Hate t'study, y'see-can't stand bein' cooped up indoors all the time, seein' life through a computer screen. Come from a line of mathematicians, scientists, doctors, researchers-but I'm a throwback to me great-grandad, it seems. He was a free trader, human, married an Orion woman an' started this whole parcel of hybrid vigor.” He chuckled. ”Lotsa vigor, it seems. Got me three brothers and five sisters, and the Great Bird knows how many cousins runnin' around. Ever' last one of 'em a scholar's scholar. Not me! I need adventure, or I'll shrivel up an' die.”
”Quiet to quick bosoms is a h.e.l.l,” Poet put in.
”Did you consider Starfleet?” Yar asked Sdan.
”Too many rules,” he replied. ”Rules was made to be broken-but Starfleet don't think that way.”
”So you have joined Dare in making a career of breaking the most important rule of all.” But she was looking at her former lover as she spoke.
Dare was making a great show of concentration on peeling a piece of fruit, but at that he set it down on his plate and looked directly across the table at Yar. ”For what it's worth, I have never broken the Prime Directive. All our jobs have been strictly by invitation, and none have been on primitive planets where our presence could disrupt the evolution of native culture.”
”You mean no primitive culture has the wherewithal to pay your price,” Yar said scornfully.
Something had happened to Dare's quick temper. It seemed to smolder rather than flame now, but its containment might actually produce greater heat.
Instead of flaring at Yar, he smiled-but it didn't reach his eyes. ”That is true. I am paid very, very well ... and I'm worth every credit. But there are certain things I will not do, no matter how high the price.” The smile became a smug grin. ”Think about it, Tasha: who on Treva could offer me a higher price, Rikan or Nalavia?”
”Which one actually made you an offer?” she countered.
He emitted a bark of laughter, but now there was something about his humor as artificial as Data's. ”Rikan,” he admitted.
Aurora spoke up. ”We could have approached Nalavia for a counter-offer. Or, we could have refused Rikan's as we have dozens of others since I have been with Dare. However, it became clear once we investigated the situation here that Nalavia is a ruthless tyrant who must be stopped while there is still time.”
Rikan shook his head sadly. ”The time may be past. I do not know what has happened to the independent spirit of Treva's people. The country folk still have it-but those who have succ.u.mbed to the lure of soft living in the cities seem to care about nothing except good food, soft beds, strong ale, and entertainment” He frowned. ”Nalavia makes intoxicants available cheap, and people spend the time when they're not working in a stupor. No one plays sports except professional athletes. People don't even go to the games-they watch everything on video. Natasha, this change has taken place within only three years, after Nalavia had entrenched her powers. As she suspended civil rights, then free elections, I thought the people would rise up-but only those outside the cities seem to care. So ... I sent for help.”
”Why didn't you ask the Federation?” Yar asked.
”I no longer represent the Trevan government. In the last election I was turned out of office, along with every other legislator who opposed Nalavia's schemes. My personal efforts to contact Federation officials met with bureaucratic stalling, and ultimate refusals. When I returned home I found myself charged with interfering with the actions of the duly-elected government, and my pa.s.sport revoked.”
There was a pause. Then Barb said, ”What he ain't gonna tell you is that he spent two months in one of Nalavia's prisons. Woulda died there if some of his people hadn't broke him out. I been in places like that-rats live better. We freed a bunch of political prisoners that day, an' all of 'em are workin' with us now.”
”Us?” Yar asked. ”You are Trevan? I thought you were one of Dare's ... people.”
”Oh, Barb is one of my ... gang,” Dare supplied the word Yar had diplomatically avoided. ”She took the prison break as a private job while we were between a.s.signments. Of all of us, Barb is the least tolerant of inactivity. I don't care what outside jobs she takes, so long as they're brief and she neither gets herself killed nor brings reprisals down on the rest of us. She came back with Rikan's invitation, and a report of what she had seen on Treva. So here we are.”
Yar no longer trusted her instincts about Darryl Adin, but Rikan seemed sincere, and she had seen the video broadcasts and the advertis.e.m.e.nts for intoxicants. Her instincts certainly told her to distrust Nalavia.
”I am beginning to believe you,” she said. ”Let me go back to Nalavia's palace-it's considerably west of here, isn't it? Give me my combadge to contact Data, and possibly I can figure out how to get back in. Ah! The sleeping guard-”
”He wasn't asleep,” said Sdan. ”He was nerve-pinched.”
”Doesn't matter. I'll claim whoever was on guard this morning was asleep when I went out to run. If one of you can lend me clothing that could pa.s.s as exercise gear, I can get through the perimeter defenses while Data creates a diversion. But we must hurry, or it will be too late to claim I have been out running. Data and I will tap into Nalavia's computer if he hasn't done so already, and find out what's really going on. If you'll give me a frequency on which to contact you-” she said, pus.h.i.+ng her chair back from the table.
”Sit down, Tasha,” Dare said flatly.
”But there's no time-”
”Sit down. You are not going anywhere, and you are not contacting the android.”
”Couldn't anyway,” Sdan added. ”Nothin' wrong with yer combadge; there's jamming on all Starfleet frequencies.”
”If that is true,” said Yar, ”Data will verify it. That makes it even more important that I go back-”
”You are not going back,” said Dare. ”I have a job to do here, which I will not abandon because you or your android reports my whereabouts to Starfleet. You are not going anywhere, Tasha, until either you believe what I say and help me to help Rikan ... or I have done the job without your help and got clear of Treva and Starfleet's jurisdiction.”
Lieutenant Commander Data adjusted the frequency on his combadge one more time. Static. Although he was virtually certain Nalavia was jamming Starfleet frequencies, it could be a most inconvenient ion storm in the vicinity of Treva.
Whatever the reason, he could not contact Tasha and he could not patch into the shuttle's more powerful radio to send a message to the Enterprise.
So Nalavia considered Data and Tasha hostages ... and had lost track of Tasha. That was the last thing Data had expected; he had thought Nalavia had Tasha imprisoned. While he worked on the combadge, Data kept his tricorder's circuits open to Nalavia's communications center, hoping to pick up a clue to what had happened to Tasha. There was much concern, and fear of Nalavia's retribution, but no hint of the Starfleet Lieutenant's whereabouts.
But where would Tasha go? And why had she not left some message for Data? Or ... had she?
He crossed the hallway to knock at Tasha's door, for the benefit of the guard. ”Not back yet,” the man spoke up.
”That is strange,” said Data. ”We are having dinner with the cabinet members in an hour.”
”Groundcar mighta broke down,” the guard suggested.
Different s.h.i.+ft, different guard. Data hoped this one found nothing suspicious in his saying, ”I must borrow something; Lieutenant Yar will not mind,” and entering her room.