Star Trek - TNG - 08 - The captain's Honor

by David

  Very soon.

  Chapter Thirteen

  "How are you feeling, Number One?"

  Riker cracked open his eyes and groaned.

  The last thing he remembered was Gretna

  screaming ...

  The M'dok.

  He propped himself up on his elbows. He

  was in sick bay, lying on one of the diagnostic

  couches. Leaning over him on one side was

  Dr. Beverly Crusher, and on the other, his hand

  resting on Riker's shoulder, was Captain

  Jean-Luc Picard.

  "Fine--I guess, sir," he said. "The

  attack--"

  "Completely repelled, Number One.

  Zhelnogra is secure."

  "And Gretna?"

  "She's fine--in a lot better shape

  than you, I might add."

  Riker groaned again, and turned to Dr.

  Crusher. "Give me the bad news,

  Doctor. How much longer have I got?"

  "You'll live to a ripe old age," Dr.

  Crusher assured him. "You had a number of

  deep cuts here"--she pointed to Riker's chest

  --"and a couple bruised ribs, and your right

  forearm"--he looked down, and saw it was held

  in place by a stasis field--"was broken."

  She shrugged. "Just what you'd expect from a

  face-to-face collision with a M'dok

  warrior."

  Picard smiled. "Perhaps I should have you take

  Mr. Worf's self-defense class."

  "Perhaps you should have , sir." Riker returned

  the smile, and tried to sit up straighter. He

  was rewarded by a bolt of pain that shot through his

  chest like a knife. The captain noticed his first

  officer's discomfort and leaned forward to help, but

  Riker waved him off.

  "I'm fine, sir." He took a deep

  breath. "Fill me in on what's been

  happening."

  "A lot," Picard said. "And very little of it

  good."

  The captain summarized the events of the last

  few days--saving the news of the Great

  Saavta's impending policy change for

  last.

  "I still don't understand Gretna's

  change of heart, though, sir," Riker said when

  Picard had finished. "Have you been able to talk

  to her father about it?"

  "Aah." Picard hesitated a moment.

  "That's a bit of bad news I had left out,

  Number One." He sighed heavily.

  "Chairman Melkinat was killed in the

  attack on the Great Hall."

  Riker's face fell. "Oh, no."

  "I'm afraid so. Which has left a

  thoroughly disagreeable woman named Anka as the

  most prominent Tenaran government official--

  and Gretna Melkinata has been supporting

  her stance."

  With his good hand Riker stroked his beard

  thoughtfully. "What could have happened to change her

  mind?"

  "This occurred before the M'dok attack?"

  "A few days before, sir. She had stayed

  behind in one of the outposts ..." He snapped his

  fingers. "When we met back in Zhelnogra,

  she mentioned something about Marcus Julius

  Volcinius--called him that teacher from the

  Centurion."

  "Teacher?" Picard frowned. "That man is

  no teacher."

  "I know that, sir. Perhaps you should ask

  Captain Sejanus about what's going on."

  Picard straightened abruptly and turned

  away from Riker. "I don't know, Number

  One. I am frankly convinced at this point that

  the man is not to be trusted."

  "Captain Sejanus?" Riker was

  surprised, but said nothing.

  "I'd be more inclined to find out more about Marcus

  ourselves," Picard said.

  "Captain Picard." The voice was

  Deanna Troi's, and it came from the

  bridge.

  The captain crossed to one of the companels in

  the wall. "Picard here."

  "We've just had some rather disturbing news,

  sir. There's been an accident of some kind

  aboard the Centurion. Gaius Aldus is

  dead."

  Picard and Riker exchanged surprised

  glances.

  "Thank you, Counselor," Picard said.

  "I will be on the bridge immediately."

  He turned back to Riker.

  "Something is rotten aboard that ship, Number

  One--and I intend to find out what it is."

  "Good luck, sir."

  "Thank you, Number One--and get well

  soon, will you?"

  "I'll try, sir."

  He was asleep, though, before Picard was

  completely out the door.

  Picard strode crisply out of the

  turbolift and directly into the ready room,

  motioning Troi to follow him.

  "Have a seat, Counselor." He gestured

  toward the chair in front of the desk. He

  raised his voice slightly. "Computer--put

  me through to Captain Sejanus on the

  Centurion."

  The desk screen cleared to give a view

  of the Centurion's bridge, with Sejanus in

  the foreground. "Captain Picard," he said,

  "I assume you wish to discuss the further

  disposition of our forces on Tenara."

  It was the first time the two captains had

  talked face-to-face since Picard had

  assumed command of their joint mission. Troi

  noticed that the two captains avoided

  pleasantries or small talk of any kind.

  She did not need her Betazoid abilities

  to sense that these two men actively disliked each

  other.

  Picard said, "No, Captain. I need

  some information from you. I am surprised and

  distressed at the reported death of your first

  officer, Gaius Aldus. I would like some more

  information."

  Sejanus' voice softened. "May I

  speak in confidence, Captain?"

  Picard nodded. "I'm in my ready room.

  Your words will not go beyond the door."

  "Good. I am reluctant to tell anyone

  the details of the story, since it does not

  reflect well on the Aldus family, but

  I know I can rely on your discretion. Poor

  Gaius learned just recently of a scandal

  involving his family. It seems an uncle of

  his was selling Federation secrets to the

  Romulans. Gaius' uncle--and quite

  possibly the rest of his family--faces

  certain imprisonment."

  As he spoke, Sejanus' face

  grew ever more solemn.

  "My magister navis, Captain, was

  perhaps a bit old-fashioned--a Roman of the

  old imperial school. He came to me in my

  cabin and told me what he had learned ..."

  Sejanus' voice trailed off. "I knew

  he was upset, but I had no idea he intended

  to kill himself."

  "I see." Picard nodded. "You have my

  deepest sympathy, Captain."

  "Thank you, Captain Picard. If I

  might ... I would ask you to keep a close

  eye on Ensign de Luz," Sejanus said.

  "She and Gaius had grown quite close."

  "Understood. Picard out." He broke the

  connection and turned to Troi.

  "He's lying," she said flatly. "There is

  much more to Gaius' death than he is
telling

  you."

  "I feel the same way." Picard

  hesitated, then said, "If you think it's wise

  to tell Ensign de Luz about this conversation, you

  may do so, but please do it in here."

  For a moment Deanna looked puzzled. Then

  she remembered Picard's promise

  to Sejanus that what he said would not go beyond the

  ready room. "I'll summon her now, sir,

  if that's all right."

  Picard nodded. "I'll leave. No, on

  second thought, I'll stay."

  Jenny arrived within minutes. It was clear

  immediately that she had not been sleeping much. Her

  face was pale and drawn--paler even than her

  normal redhead's coloring--and with lines

  Deanna had not seen there before. Her eyes were

  red-rimmed, her uniform was rumpled and creased,

  and her hair, normally a smooth red cap, was

  dirty and uncombed. Still, there was a kind of

  bright energy in her face, but to Deanna's

  eye it was an unhealthy, driven kind of

  energy.

  "Sit down, Ensign," Captain Picard

  said quickly.

  Jenny sank gratefully into a chair.

  "Thank you, sir." Right away, she turned

  to Deanna Troi. "Do you have any news for

  me?"

  "Ensign--Jenny--the captain and I tried

  to find out the details of Gaius Aldus'

  death, as I promised you." She

  told Jenny what Sejanus had said.

  "His uncle betrayed the Federation? And so

  Gaius killed himself?"

  "That's what Sejanus told us, Jenny,"

  Deanna said. "Do you have any reason to doubt

  that?"

  Jenny shook her head.

  "Had Gaius given you any hints of trouble

  aboard the Centurion, or with Captain

  Sejanus?" Picard asked.

  "No," Jenny said quietly. She stared

  at the floor silently for a moment. "If that's

  all, may I go, sir?"

  "Of course." Picard smiled gently.

  "And take the next couple of days off,

  Ensign. Give yourself some rest."

  "Captain Sejanus?"

  "Hmmm?" The aide's voice had startled

  him; Sejanus had been preparing for bed, and was

  unaccustomed to interruption.

  "Captain, someone from the Enterprise is

  here to speak with you. An ensign." The aide's

  voice carried an overtone of disapproval.

  "Ensign de Luz?" Sejanus asked, the

  fatigue vanishing from his mind. Instinctively

  he could feel the importance of the call.

  "Yes, Captain," the aide replied,

  sounding somewhat surprised.

  "Where is she now?"

  "In the transporter room, Captain."

  "Have her brought here, Lieutenant.

  Immediately."

  Sejanus had just finished dressing when the

  chime rang. "Come," he said, sitting on his

  bed.

  The door slid open and Jenny walked in.

  Sejanus was immediately struck by the difference in

  her appearance. She was clearly exhausted, her

  face lined with worry and pain. But somehow she

  glowed with energy, her eyes oddly luminous.

  He had never thought of her as attractive

  before, but now ...

  "Ensign de Luz reporting, sir." Her

  voice was very distant.

  "At ease, Ensign. Jenny. Please,

  relax."

  She moved from attention to a stance with her feet

  shoulder-width apart, her hands clasped at the

  small of her back, her upper body

  still ramrod-straight, and her eyes staring

  straight ahead--the textbook definition of

  "at ease," and not what Sejanus had had in

  mind. "How can I help you, Jenny?"

  "Gaius Aldus ..."

  Jenny had closed her eyes, and she was

  shaking; after a moment, Sejanus realized that

  she was crying. He rose from the bed and took her

  into his arms, holding her tightly as she

  wept.

  After a little while he pushed her away

  slightly, still holding her shoulders, and looked

  into her eyes. "Listen to me, Jenny," he said

  gently. "Gaius' death was a tragedy, and I

  feel his loss no less keenly than you. But

  we must put him behind us and look to other things,

  to the future."

  "I know that," she said, avoiding his eyes.

  "Look." He led her to a chair, helped

  her sit down, and stood beside her. In front of

  them, on his desk, was an empty computer

  screen. "Computer," he said. "Roma, the

  Regia."

  Onto the computer screen there came the

  image of a great city, the view focusing upon a

  large building fronted by massive pillars,

  magnificently decorated. Men in togas were

  walking in and out of the building, looking like

  insects in comparison to the gargantuan

  structure.

  "This is the Regia Republicae, the

  Palace of the Republic, our capitol. It

  occupies the entire top of the hill we call

  the Palatium. It's where the Senate meets

  and the center of government on Magna Roma.

  This is where the power lies!" He turned her

  chair around, gazing down at her.

  "That hill, that complex of buildings"--he

  gestured toward the screen--"used to be called

  simply the Regia, the Palace, and everyone

  understood that that meant the Palace of the

  Emperor. My namesake's palace, Jenny!

  Augustus built his palace up there, and then

  Tiberius built one near it, but it was the

  Emperor Sejanus who completed the complex and

  made the Palatium the true center of the

  empire. For two thousand years it was the seat

  of the emperors, the center of the empire, and then the

  center of the world. For two thousand years, until

  the republic, and even now it is st ill the

  true center of power. It is the crowning

  achievement of our civilization, yet it is in

  danger of falling--in the same way Tenara

  has."

  He clasped his hands behind his back and began

  pacing. "Jenny, the M'dok grow bolder with

  each attack. The next time they strike, we

  must deliver them a crushing blow--a blow that will

  send them scurrying back to the safety of their

  own borders. The Centurion alone is not

  powerful enough to deliver that blow. I need the

  Enterprise's firepower on my side to do

  that."

  Jenny swallowed. "I'm with you, sir ...

  but there is little I can do to help you."

  "On the contrary, Jenny." He faced her.

  "You hold the key to our chances against the

  M'dok." He crossed to the computer on his

  desk and brought up a display of the

  Centurion's defensive systems.

  "Look how intricate my ship's

  defenses are. No one man can possibly

  coordinate them. It takes the thinking power of a

  computer--and in any battle involving more than

  one ship, the problems of maintaining a coherent

  offensive and defensive strategy multiply

  exponentially. One ship's computer must take


  command of all the others--a procedure

  accomplished through the use of a simple

  six-digit number called a prefix code.

  "We talked before about the Romans who

  sacrificed themselves for the safety of the empire--

  who were unafraid to stand up for what they thought was

  right. Now I want you to stand up for what you

  believe in, Jenny." He gazed into her

  eyes. "I want you to obtain the

  Enterprise's prefix code for me. So that

  the next time the M'dok attack Tenara, I

  have control of the Enterprise."

  For a long moment Jenny was silent, staring at

  the computer screen, deliberately avoiding

  Sejanus' gaze.

  Then she straightened, and nodded. "You'll have

  that code, sir. On my honor, I swear

  it."

  Sejanus nodded, and allowed himself a small

  smile.

  He had won.

  He would use the code to lower the

  Enterprise's shields, and destroy

  her himself. His engineers on board the ship were

  even now sabotaging the larger vessel's

  phaser banks, destroying her ability to fight

  back. The M'dok, of course, would be blamed

  --and that would bring on the war he needed

  to catapult him to glory, to the command of his

  planet ...

  ... and perhaps beyond.

  "Is there anything else I can do, sir?"

  Jenny asked.

  He was about to dismiss her, then noticed

  Jenny's eyes gleaming darkly, luminously

  at him. By God, she was beautiful! If

  nothing else, Gaius had shown excellent

  taste.

  Perhaps there was something else she could do for him.

  "Jenny," he said urgently, "there's a

  great adventure ahead of me. Join me. I

  know you nothing is beyond you. Be my magistra

  navis, stand beside me, command my forces."

  He bent toward her, touching his lips gently

  to hers.

  With a passion that surprised him, Jenny

  returned his kiss.

  "Gaius Aldus! Commit suicide!"

  Worf shook his head. "Never, sir."

  It was the following morning, and Picard was on

  the bridge, having just brought his security

  chief, down on the planet's surface,

  up-to-date on recent events.

  "Go on, Lieutenant."

  Worf's image, on the main viewscreen,

  said, "I was with him yesterday, and he seemed in

  fine spirits." The Klingon paused. "That is,

  until Marcus Julius showed up."

  Picard's eyebrows rose. "Marcus

  Julius Volcinius? That man's name seems

  to be cropping up everywhere, Lieutenant."

  He thought a moment. "See if you can locate