by Diane Duane
As Kirk watched, the three-dimensional schematic was replaced by a three-level grid pattern—a familiar pattern. He turned to Sarek incredulously. “A chessboard, Ambassador?”
“Yes,” the Vulcan said, his dark eyes shining with pleasure from solving the puzzle. “And I recognize the game. Taryn is in command of that vessel. And those moves, those coordinates—they are identical to the moves Taryn made in one of our recent games.” He shook his head, adding, mostly to himself, “AVulcan gambit…of course he would employ one. A Vulcan gambit…it makes perfect sense. I should have realized it before.”
“But assuming thatis Taryn, why would he come here?” Kirk said.
“Because he wants me. He knows that I have uncovered the Freelan plan. I spoke to him while you were gone, and I deliberately baited him, trying to lure him into some reckless action…as I have done many times during our chess games. Now he is responding to my implicit challenge. He is moving his ship in the pattern of the last game we played that he won. He employed T’Nedara’s gambit, and there”—Sarek swiftly outlined a series of moves in red—“it is. The exact pattern of his moves in the game we played.”
“How many moves did he make during the entire game?” Spock asked, obviously fascinated. As they had been speaking, several more blips had appeared on the schematic.
“It was a long, hard-fought game. Each of us made hundreds of moves.”
“Are yousure, Ambassador?” Kirk asked, wonderingly. “Do you have any other evidence that this is Taryn? When he contacted you, what did he want?”
“He demanded a meeting between us in the Freelan system. I told him I would be unable to attend. As I said, I baited him. I could tell that he was angry, though of course I could not see his features. Now he does this,” he gestured at the screen, “as his next move.”
“But if he was on Freelan only hours ago—”
Sarek shook his head. “No. He merelysaid he was on Freelan. Commander Uhura confirmed that the message from Taryn was only routed through Freelan communications systems. The actual transmission originated inside the Romulan Neutral Zone.”
On Kirk’s order,Enterprise moved again, and again the unseen vessel responded with a series of moves. “The pattern is exact,” Sarek said. Catching Kirk’s still-skeptical glance, he marked a new location on the screen in purple. “The next move,” he said.
As the Vulcan had predicted, whenEnterprise moved again, the blip materialized for a second in those exact coordinates. Kirk shook his head. “Okay, let’s assume you’re right, for argument’s sake. But why the game? What does he want?”
“The game grid for his ship’s maneuvering coordinates is not the main point, Captain. Taryn would probably be surprised to realize that I have identified the pattern. He is simply amusing himself while he seeks to draw us closer to his ship…and away from the rendezvous point.”
Kirk turned to the monitor that showed Uhura and Scotty, who were listening in from the bridge, as ordered. “Commander, have you discovered the range of their jamming capability?”
“Yes, sir,” she replied promptly. “It extends for nearly a light-year in all directions. We’ll definitely have to move to get any kind of message out.”
“Great…” Kirk said, grimly. “Starbase Eight is two full days away, and that’s the closest help we can expect. And now we can’t even get a message out.”
“Captain,” Scotty put in, “what I dinna understand is why the devil the Romulans try to lure you away now, if they’re the ones who forced you to come out here in the first place? It doesna make sense!”
“It does if the Romulans wish to begin a war,” Sarek said, “between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. If Taryn has gone to this trouble to initiate hostilities, he undoubtedly wishes Kamarag and his fleet to cross into Federation space unimpeded.”
“Good point,” Kirk said. “So, really, Peter’s kidnapping was almost extraneous to the rest of this situation. The Romulans inflamed Kamarag—and this is the form his revenge took. In addition to attacking the Federation, he decided he had to get back atme, personally.”
“That would seem the logical deduction, Captain,” Spock said.
Sarek was staring at the growing schematic as if mesmerized. “We cannot continue to allow them to jamEnterprise ’s subspace communications. We must be able to send a message to Starfleet Command…and the president.”
“Why?” Kirk demanded. “I mean…to request reinforcements, yes, that I know. But why the president?”
“Taryn must realize now that I know about their plans. He is trying to prevent me from revealing what I know to Ra-ghoratrei or your Starfleet Admiral Burton.”
“It is fortunate,” Spock observed quietly, “that you sent that time-locked message.”
“At your suggestion,” Sarek reminded the first officer. “However, that message may not activate in time to prevent both a Romulan and a Klingon invasion.”
“So…what’s next?” the captain asked, rubbing his forehead.
“What do you mean, Captain?” Sarek asked.
“I mean that you’ve convinced me that that’s a Romulan ship, and that Taryn is commanding it. But as long as he doesn’t cross the Neutral Zone, I have no authority to go after him. And I can’t go far…Kamarag is on his way, remember, with that fleet. So what do I do now?”
“Our original goal remains unchanged, Kirk. We must obtain indisputable proof of the true nature of Freelan, and of the Romulan plot to instigate war…and to do that, I must transport over to Taryn’s ship and speak with him personally.”
Kirk regarded Sarek, his eyes narrowing. “Slow down, Ambassador. Why would you want to transport aboard that Romulan ship? Assuming I’d allow it…which I won’t. Beaming aboard a cloaked vessel? Something we can’t even get a reliable transporter lock on? That could be suicide. And even if you survived the beaming, don’t forget your destination.”
“I am willing to take the risks, Captain,” Sarek said gravely. “In fact, I insist upon it.”
“What could you hope to gain from dropping in on Taryn?” Kirk heard the exasperation in his own voice.
“Two things, Kirk,” Sarek said. “First, if I can catch Taryn without warning, he will not have time to assume his disguise. If I beamed over and recorded our interview on some type of scanning device, that would constitute the proof we seek. And, secondly, if Taryn knows that their plot is known to the Federation, he might be willing to negotiate for the lives of the Vulcans on Freelan…allow us to rescue those who wish to leave that world.”
“Why do you think he’d do that?” Kirk asked.
“Because of something I only now realized about the esteemed liaison…something I should have deduced long ago. Taryn has a vested interest in saving those Vulcans.”
Kirk gave Spock a “what the hell is going on?” look. The captain sighed. “All right, I grant you your point about getting your proof. But why should the Romulans care whether the Federation knows about their plan? Won’t they simply proceed with it anyway?”
Spock shook his head. “Unlikely, Captain. The entire Freelan plan was dependent on secrecy and surprise…and on the Klingons attacking the Federation, thus diverting troops and resources, forcing Starfleet to spread its defenses too thinly. If the fleet were warned, and war with the Klingons averted, the Romulans would stand no chance against the Federation.”
“Precisely,” Sarek said.
“Okay, I see what you’re getting at…but, Ambassador, I can’t allow you to beam over to that vessel, proof or no proof, kidnapped Vulcans or no kidnapped Vulcans. Starfleet would bust me down to yeoman duty for risking a person of your reputation on such a stunt.”
“I am willing to take the risk, Kirk,” Sarek replied. “Just as you have your duty, I have mine…and it is to do everything in my power to prevent a war…or the probable slaughter of transplanted Vulcan citizens.”
Kirk’s eyes met Sarek’s and held for a long moment. Slowly, Jim shook his head. “No,” he said. “I’m
sorry, Ambassador Sarek, but the answer is no. It’s too risky. We can’t pinpoint the location of the ship closely enough.”
“Yes, we can,” Spock said, suddenly. “If the ambassador can predict its next location, then I can program the transporter to lock on to the bridge before it even appears.”
Kirk stared dubiously at the Vulcan officer. “Do you think he can accomplish anything over there, Spock?”
“I do not know,” Spock said, quietly. “It depends upon his plan.”
“Kirk,” Sarek said, earnestly, “I have known Taryn for more than sixty years. I believe I can predict his actions and reactions accurately enough to be able to choose the best technique for approaching him.”
“They’ll shoot you on sight, Ambassador!” Kirk replied.
“Not if I am beamed onto the bridge, where Taryn can see me. He will not summarily execute me. He may decide at some point that that is what he must do, but he will let me speak, first. And if I can speak with him…I can negotiate. If he will not listen, and chooses to kill me…I am willing to take that chance.”
“The ambassador does not have to go alone, Captain,” Spock said, stiffly. “I am volunteering to accompany him.”
You wouldn’t even know they’re father and son if you saw them like this,Kirk thought, inwardly shaking his head.Vulcans!
“Captain,” Spock said, “as soon as you beam us aboard, you must use the diversion to warp far enough away to be out of jamming range. Then you must transmit the data we will relay.”
Kirk hesitated, wavering. Finally, hearing an invisible clock ticking in his head, knowing that Kamarag’s fleet was on the way, he nodded curtly. “All right.”
The next minutes flew by in a blur as Sarek and Spock prepared the transporter coordinates that would place them aboard the Romulan vessel. Beaming would indeed be tricky: the transporter chief would have barely a second to fine-tune the location in order to make sure they arrived on the ship—and not in an area of space beside her, or beneath her.
“This recording device will function automatically,” Spock told his father in the transporter room, fastening a small instrument into place between two of the large cabochon gems on the ambassador’s formal robe. “It will transmit, and theEnterprise will record what it sends. If Taryn is indeed aboard, and you can induce him to identify himself, while showing his true features, that should constitute the proof we need.”
“All right. I pick up your transmission, warp out of here, and then message Starfleet and the president,” Kirk said. “Then what? I’ve got to come back here and intercept Kamarag. What do you want me to do about you two? Try to lock on and beam you back?”
“As soon as the message is sent, return to the rendezvous point,” Sarek said. “If my talk with Taryn has been successfully concluded, I will contact you to arrange for us to return. If not…there is not much chance that we will be alive to be retrieved,” he added, matter-of-factly.
Kirk sighed and nodded.I hope to hell this works….
Spock and Sarek stepped up onto the transporter pads. The captain nodded at the transporter chief. “Energize.”
Sarek heard the distinctive whine, felt theEnterprise ’s transporter chamber begin to dissolve around him…
And then he was materializing again. He saw, with a moment of brief, intense relief that he was again surrounded by bulkheads. At his side, Spock was re-forming. They had made it. He was aboard Taryn’s ship.
As he had requested, Spock had programmed their coordinates to place them on the bridge—a logical choice, since it was one of the largest, relatively open areas.
The ambassador heard gasps of shock, startled exclamations as the Romulans recognized both of them. Then, all around them, hands drew disrupters. In less than a second after they had finished beaming, Sarek found himself facing seven drawn weapons.
If I am wrong,the ambassador thought,and Taryn is not here—or is not the man I believe him to be—neither Spock nor I will live another minute.
But no blast of energy tore through him. Slowly, the ambassador pivoted, studying his surroundings. The bridge of a bird-of-prey was considerably more cramped than that of a Federation starship. All around him, uniformed Romulans sat before instrument consoles, their seats swiveled to face the intruders, the disrupters in their hands leveled unwaveringly.
UniformedRomulans? The Ambassador stared around him in surprise.No…not Romulans. At least…not most of them.
Sarek was astonished to realize that the individuals surrounding him at the various command posts werenot Romulans—they were Vulcans. He’d been expecting to find at least one Vulcan aboard Taryn’s ship—but not nine of them!
But these officers were, indisputably, Vulcans.
He could tell by the faint mental vibrations they exuded. On his own world, Sarek was used to that, and, like most of his species, had learned to ignore it, overlook it, tune it out. But to encounter it here?
“What is this?” a voice barked harshly in Romulan. Despite the millennia separating their peoples, the languages of Vulcans and Romulans still held some of the same cadence and flow, though their vocabularies and syntax had mutated greatly over the years. Swiftly, the voice changed to English. “What is going on? Who are you?”
Sarek turned to regard the speaker. “You know who I am, Commander.”
The individual facing him, one of the two present who wasnot holding a drawn weapon, had to be Taryn. Sarek studied him unblinkingly. Yes, this was Taryn…even without the insignia on his uniform, he would have known him. Everything fit. The arrogance he’d come to know so well shone in this individual’s eyes. Those eyes were dark and hooded amid his craggy, hawklike features. He wore the uniform of a high-ranking Romulan officer—a wing commander.
And from him, as from many of the other officers, Sarek sensed now unshielded mental activity. It also emanated from the young woman standing beside him, her eyes wide and startled. She, alone of the bridge crew, was unarmed. Sarek nodded at both of them. “Commander Taryn,” he said. “And Savel? My aide, Soran, has spoken of how much he enjoyed playing chess with you. Allow me to present my…associate, Captain Spock.”
The ambassador had seen something flare in the girl’s eyes when he’d spoken of Soran. Recalling Soran’s expressed interest in her, Sarek noted her reaction and silently filed that information away for further consideration. It could prove useful….
“What are you two doing here?” Taryn demanded, his voice harsh and rasping with surprise and anger he did not trouble to conceal. “How dare you,” he almost sputtered, “invade my ship in this manner?”
“I recognized your game strategy, Taryn,” Sarek said, attempting to make it clear that the commander was responding to that name. He only hoped that Kirk was picking up everything from the tiny recorder. “T’Nedara’s gambit. AVulcan gambit. I took it for a tacit invitation to call upon you.” The ambassador smiled faintly. “A Vulcan gambit, Taryn…how appropriate, under the circumstances.”
Taryn bolted up out of his seat, and for a moment Sarek knew that his life hung in the balance. The commander’s hand dropped to the grip of the hand disrupter he wore. Then he took a deep breath…another. Forced a faint, wry smile. “Perhaps I wastoo clever, Sarek. I did not think you would recognize the coordinates as being the same pattern as the moves in our chess game.”
“How could I not recognize them, Taryn?” Sarek asked simply. “That was one of the few that you won. Naturally, I would remember.” Exultation surged inside him. Taryn had responded to Sarek’s use of his name, and he’d made reference to their games on Freelan—which were chronicled in Sarek’s diplomatic records of his negotiations with the Freelans. At last, he had the proof he had risked his life to achieve.
Leave, Kirk,the Vulcan urged, silently.Take your starship and transmit the message….
“Why have you come here, Sarek?” Taryn asked, almost pleasantly. “You know that I cannot permit either of you to return.”
“I came to negotiate for the release
of the Vulcans who reside on Freelan,” the ambassador replied. “The Federation has been warned. The war you attempted to instigate will not come to pass. Starfleet will be standing ready, should your forces attempt to initiate hostilities. We both know that the Romulan Empire is not prepared to take on a battle-ready Federation…a strong Federation that is still allied with the Vulcans.” Sarek took a deep breath and glanced slowly around the bridge, at all the faces of the officers.
“And, finally,” he concluded, “there will be no war with the Klingons.” He spoke decisively, not allowing any of his inner doubts to show. Therecould still be war, and he knew it—but Taryn and his officers must not.
“Why not?” Savel blurted. Taryn glared at her, and she subsided immediately, but not before Sarek glimpsed relief in her eyes.
“Because Captain Kirk managed to safely rescue his nephew,” Spock said, speaking for the first time since their beam-over. “And, even if Kamarag’s fleet manages to destroy theEnterprise, Starfleet has been warned. The renegade ambassador will not get far into Federation space before he is stopped. Azetbur has proved she will not support the renegades…your plan has failed.”
“Enough of this!” the commander snapped, his temper obviously fraying. “Why are you here, Sarek? Surely you know your life is forfeit, should I give the word. What did you hope to gain?”
“The lives of the Vulcans on Freelan,” Sarek said steadily. “As I told you before. You are the wing commander for the Freelan operation. Only the praetor can countermand your orders. If you give the word, the Vulcans will be permitted to leave—those that choose to do so. TheEnterprise will take them away from Freelan before bloodshed can occur.”
“Bloodshed?” Savel glanced at the wing commander, and this time his quelling glance only made her stiffen her spine and repeat her question. “What do you mean, Ambassador?”
“Consider, Savel…” Spock said. “What will the praetor do with Freelan once the Federation president and Security Council know the truth about your world?”
“If he follows precedent,” Sarek pointed out, “he will, as the humans put it, ‘cut his losses.’ Possibly abandon the colony. And certainly destroy all evidence of the plot. And the most tangible evidence of what Romulus planned are the individuals such as yourself.”
