Smoothing the wrinkles out of his satin tunic, Farlo lifted his chin and strode into the shuttlebay. He marched right up to the pilot and said, “Kanow, I’m sorry, but you can’t go off-duty yet.”
The man looked quizzically at him but didn’t show his displeasure. “Why not? I’ve been on duty for twenty units straight.” He glanced at his copilot and added, “We’re both exhausted.” She nodded in agreement.
“You’re not done yet,” replied Farlo indignantly, “because the seeress wishes to go down to the planet.”
“Now?” muttered Kanow. “There’s nothing down there but a bunch of huts where Klingons have been sleeping.” From the distasteful wrinkle of his nose, he made it clear that Seeress Jenoset wouldn’t find a Klingon sleeping hut to be very pleasant.
“I’m just relaying the message,” answered Farlo, feigning boredom. “You wouldn’t like to make the seeress mad, would you? I am your superior.”
“Yes, you are,” admitted Kanow grudgingly.
“Then wait here while I fetch Seeress Jenoset,” ordered Farlo. “We’ll be quick.”
Trying to look dignified, Farlo exited the shuttlebay and hurried down the corridor to the laboratory, where he figured he would find Candra. Two constables were waiting outside, and he turned his overbearing manner upon them, too.
“Excuse me,” he said, brushing past them. “I have to go in there.”
The constables glanced uncertainly at one another, but this youth was now the second most important male in their society. If anything happened to Padrin, he would be their next overseer. So they stepped aside and opened the door for him.
Farlo strode inside and looked around to see who was present. He was relieved to find that Marla Karuw was nowhere to be seen, and the only ones in the lab were Candra and her dangerous friend, Vilo Garlet. He didn’t need a scorecard to know that Vilo Garlet was responsible for turning Candra into a murderer.
“Farlo!” said the young lady in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve got to talk to you,” he replied simply. Then he cast his imperious gaze upon Vilo Garlet. “Alone.”
The crazed scientist scowled and looked as if he would say something unkind, but Candra nodded to him and said, “It’s okay.”
“I need a bathroom break,” muttered Garlet, brushing close to Farlo on his way out. “Don’t be long,” he warned.
“Take your time,” Farlo shot back. After the door whooshed shut and they were finally alone, he gripped Candra’s shoulders. “Listen,” he said urgently, “you’ve got to come with me, and we’ve got to get off this ship.”
“Why?” she asked bluntly.
“Can’t you just trust me?” he begged. “We’re best friends—I wouldn’t suggest this unless it was necessary. You’re in danger here.”
“I am?” Candra asked suspiciously. “But we were just about to—” She stopped suddenly and shook her head. “I don’t want to leave. Besides, where would we go?”
“Anywhere we want!” answered Farlo. “I’ve got a shuttlecraft and a pilot. We could go down to Aluwna and hide there.”
Candra looked away. “Why do we have to hide?”
“You know why,” he answered sharply. “You could pretend to be Seeress Jenoset—you’ve done it before.”
At those words, she whirled on him. “What do you mean?” she asked defensively. “I . . . I didn’t do anything like that.”
Farlo held out his hands, pleading, “Come on, Candra, they’ll catch you! Worf’s son, Alexander, he’s going to figure it out sooner or later.”
“The Klingons have all left,” she snapped, moving away from him.
“No, they haven’t. Worf and Alexander are still here, and so is that big Klingon warship.” He chased her halfway across the cluttered laboratory, pleading with her. “No one will be able to save you—not Vilo Garlet or Marla Karuw—not when they find out what you did. You killed the overseer!”
Now Candra stopped, hid her face in her hands, and began to cry. “They didn’t tell me . . . not that he would die. It was an accident . . . he was just supposed to get sick!”
“Then they lied to you,” whispered Farlo. “They’re using you. Listen, I’m the only one who’s looking out for you now, Candra, and we’ve got to get out of here.”
The door slid open, and Vilo Garlet entered with Marla Karuw at his side. The two of them looked suspiciously at the young seeress consort.
“What are you doing here?” asked Karuw, staring at Candra as she wiped her eyes.
“This is part of my domain,” answered Farlo grandly. “I came here to ask my friend to have dinner with me tonight. In fact, right now, if she’s available.”
“We’ve got lots of work to do,” said Vilo Garlet.
“Surely you can spare Candra for a short time,” said Farlo, trying to muster some regal charm. “A big starship from the Federation has just entered orbit—maybe they can help you.”
Garlet narrowed his eyes at the lad, but Marla Karuw brushed him off with a smile. “I think we can oblige the seeress consort. Go ahead, Candra, enjoy yourself.”
“Thank you,” said the girl, her voice a hoarse whisper.
Farlo instantly grabbed his friend’s hand and pulled her toward the door. “Come along, my dear, we’re having your favorite dishes.”
Vilo Garlet stepped in front of them, blocking the door, and he gave Farlo a rapacious grin. “Remember, boy, I know your secret.”
“I’m not the only one who has secrets,” answered Farlo, “but I am the only one who Overseer Padrin trusts.” As Garlet’s eyes flashed angrily, the boy slipped past him, dragging Candra behind him.
When they reached the corridor, Farlo laughed out loud, because nothing was better than being with his best friend, running a crazy scam, like the old days. But Candra looked frightened.
“I can’t do it,” she said. “I can’t really look like the seeress, except in the dark. They’ll spot me!”
“No, they won’t,” answered Farlo with a wave of his hand.
“I’ve got it all figured out. Nobody goes down to Aluwna unless they’re wearing a suit that covers them from head to toe. And I stole two of those suits—they even have the royal crest on them. All you have to do is wear this suit and yell at the pilot. Tell him to hurry or something. I guarantee, he’ll think you’re Jenoset. I’ll do all the talking—you just look important.”
“All right,” she said, a smile creeping across her pretty face.
“Where will we live down there? What will we do?”
“I have no idea,” answered Farlo. “But I know I’m sick of living on this stupid ship.”
“Me, too!” exclaimed Candra with a giggle. They took off running down the corridor, holding each other’s hands.
* * *
“That girl knows too much,” muttered Marla Karuw as she leaned over the spare transporter console she had requisitioned from supply. She was in the process of modifying the console to remotely control the chromasynthesis emitters hidden in every transporter box on Aluwna. In another hour, they would be able to set off a chain reaction from the laboratory on the Darzor.
“She won’t talk,” said Vilo Garlet. “Not unless she wants to stand trial for murdering the overseer.”
Karuw nearly dropped the spanner in her hand, and she bolted upright. “Are you telling me that girl was the one?”
“With my help,” answered Garlet proudly.
Marla fought the temptation to use the tool in her hand to bash in his head. “I know you hate our hereditary system, and so do I—but did it ever occur to you that I had control over Tejharet? And I don’t have any influence with Padrin or Jenoset. Or that boy.”
Garlet shrugged. “Accidents can befall all of them. Besides, now that the Klingons are gone, who’s to stand in our way? We’ll turn Aluwna back into a paradise, free our people, and claim our rightful place as rulers of this planet.”
“In the name of science?” asked Marla, shuddering.
He nodded his b
ushy head of hair. “In the name of science.”
Feeling much older, Marla stared somberly into space and said, “We started out as saviors, and now we’re murderers. Or maybe we’ve always been murderers.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Garlet. “It’s the Federation who are the murderers. They invented Genesis.”
“Yes, and they also thought they were scientists,” she answered gravely, wishing she could laugh at the irony. Instead she felt like crying. “Maybe if you invent something of such great power, you can’t control it. It controls you.”
“You think too much, Marla,” said Garlet, taking the spanner from her hand. “Come on, we want to be done with this by the time dawn comes to the camps.”
“We didn’t have time to test it,” she said, panic suddenly gripping her. “We don’t really know the full results—”
“We’ll know tomorrow,” he assured her.
* * *
Every seat at the conference table in the observation lounge of the Enterprise was filled. There were several usual faces, noted Captain Picard—Will Riker, Beverly Crusher, Deanna Troi, Data, Geordi La Forge, plus one glowering face which had been missing for a few years, Worf. There were three observers present who had never been there before—Regimol, Raynr Sleven, and Worf’s son, Alexander Rozhenko. All listened intently as Worf related the Klingons’ experiences on Aluwna, and Picard was particularly fascinated by the cast of characters in the Aluwnan hierarchy: Overseer Tejharet, now deceased; the new overseer, Padrin; Seeress Jenoset; the young seeress consort, Farlo; and of course, Marla Karuw, who was like a lightning rod for everything good and bad that had happened in the last two weeks.
When he was finished, Worf turned the floor over to Alexander to discuss the murder of Overseer Tejharet, which had resulted in half of the central figures being under suspicion. The young Klingon revealed that he had a potential witness in the youthful seeress consort, who seemed to know more than anyone else about the crime. But the murder and internal politics were overshadowed by the tremendous drive and determination of Marla Karuw, plus the unknown fate of eight million Aluwnans trapped in a fragile string of satellites circling the planet.
“Any idea why they asked your task force to leave?” queried Picard.
“None,” answered Worf. “The Aluwnans have never been forthcoming with information, just demands. We have done all we can to help them—perhaps it is time to leave.”
“Where is Leah Brahms?” asked Geordi, not hiding his concern very well.
“I presume she’s still on the planet,” answered Worf. He turned to his son for confirmation.
Alexander nodded. “Yes, Dr. Brahms and I were down there this morning when they conducted the last experiment with the transporter booths.” The young Klingon shook his head. “It didn’t go well, and Marla Karuw was very upset. She took off, and the next thing we knew, we were asked to leave. Leah Brahms wanted to stay down there and do what she could to help, but they haven’t exactly welcomed her.”
“They spurned her help,” said Worf bluntly. “I have no doubt they would spurn yours as well.”
“We still have a handful of warriors down there,” Alexander added, “and there are maybe three hundred carefully inoculated Aluwnans living in the shelters we erected. As you can imagine, life is hard on Aluwna.”
“The moss creatures?” asked Beverly Crusher. “Have they been much of a problem?”
“Not anymore,” answered Worf. “We’ve been killing them since we got here, and they are mostly vanquished. A few of us were infected by the fungus, but we’ve taken precautions.”
Will Riker sat forward and asked, “These transporter booths, are they ready to be used?”
“As far as we can tell they are,” answered Worf. “They’ve got thousands of them, ringing the planet. I don’t know why they’re waiting.”
“They’re afraid,” said Alexander. “But I heard Marla Karuw say they would beam everyone down tomorrow. I think it would be a surprise if everyone in those pattern buffers survived.”
“I see.” Captain Picard stroked his chin thoughtfully, then turned to La Forge. “What did our sensors tell you about the satellites?”
The engineer shook his head doubtfully. “They’ve got a bioneural network and lots of biological components, and the readings were all over the place. I don’t think the satellites are in very good shape. If it were me, I wouldn’t wait another minute.”
“Is there anything we could actually do to help them?” asked Picard.
“It is unlikely,” answered Data. “This was an existing transportation system, and the satellites’ emitters and beam conduits are all keyed to individual transporter booths. Without considerable modification to our transporters, we could not extract any of the survivors from the pattern buffers.”
“Then we can’t do anything but wait,” said Riker, “and see what they do tomorrow.”
“Captain Picard,” said the dignified Romulan, Regimol. “Raynr and I could slip aboard their ship and find out more information.”
The captain waved the suggestion aside. “I’m not ready to interfere yet, unless we’re asked. We tried hailing the Darzor but didn’t get an answer, but we can keep trying. In the meantime, I think we should send an away team down to the planet to check out the conditions for ourselves. Number One—”
Riker jumped to his feet and smiled at an old comrade. “I haven’t been able to say ‘Worf, you’re with me’ for a long time. But now I have to ask politely, because you could say no.”
“I’m with you,” answered Worf, granting the first officer a slight smile. “My old job is looking more appealing all the time. And you, Alexander?”
“I’d like to get back to the Darzor,” answered the young Klingon, “and find that boy, Farlo, to ask him a few questions. This may be the last chance I get to solve this murder.”
“Watch yourself,” warned his father.
“Commander, can I go with you?” asked La Forge, rising to his feet.
“Sure, Geordi,” said Riker with an understanding smile. “Data, you, too.”
“Yes, sir,” answered the android. “I suggest we take a shuttlecraft for mobility and protection.”
“All of you wear environmental suits,” ordered Dr. Crusher. “Except for you, Data. And if you see any dead people, or people you know can’t be on Aluwna, get right back to sickbay.”
While the lounge began to empty, Regimol sidled up to Alexander and said, “Does Marla Karuw have an assistant named Vilo Garlet?”
“Yes, I believe she does.”
The Romulan nodded slyly. “Look to him for information. He’s been plotting against the Aluwnan royal family for a long time.”
“Thank you,” said the young Klingon. “Is there anything else I should know?”
“As your father says, be wary.”
* * *
Leah Brahms sat in front of the campfire, studying the night sky over Aluwna. For the first time in the several days she had been there, the cloud cover was wispy, and she could see a panoply of stars scattered across the heavens. All those solar systems, she mused, where the Genesis Wave is just a rumor or completely unknown. They don’t know how lucky they are.
Still, on a night such as this when the blizzards and howling winds were strangely absent, the new Aluwna could be almost beautiful in its primitive, unspoiled state. Since all but a few Klingons had pulled out, the camps were also oddly quiet, missing the loud camaraderie and bantering that had signified their presence. Armed Aluwnans patrolled the perimeter of Base Two, but they were hardly as reassuring as the Klingons had been. Even so, it didn’t feel as if the moss creatures were massing to attack them. For the first time, it felt as if the planet were settling down into an almost normal existence.
Every hour or so, a shuttlecraft would land or take off from the clearings. One bearing the Aluwnan royal seal had landed a few minutes ago to let off two passengers. She had to respect those Aluwnans who could have stayed in the c
omfort of their ships in orbit but instead chose to brave this dark, primeval world. Of course, they might consider that they had very little choice—between this and death.
“This seat taken?” asked a polite voice, breaking Leah out of her reverie. She turned to see a handsome young Aluwnan—at least he looked handsome and young through the faceplate of his environmental suit. He pointed to the empty camp chair beside her.
“Please, sit down,” she answered.
He settled his slender frame into the chair and peered curiously at her. “What race are you?”
“Human,” she answered sheepishly, because that meant she was from the dreaded Federation, which many Aluwnans held to blame for this disaster. “My name is Leah Brahms. I came here to help, but I’m mostly sitting around.”
“Me, too,” he answered. “My name is Komplum.”
“I’ve seen you before, haven’t I?” she asked. “Weren’t you assisting Marla Karuw?”
“I was,” he answered with a shrug, “but she replaced me a few days ago. I mean, not officially. Nothing is really official around here. But she turned to other assistants—I think because I asked too many questions.”
“About what?” asked Leah.
He shook his head apologetically. “I shouldn’t complain, because she’s got a lot on her mind. Professor Karuw spent a long time on trial and in jail, and that’s made her a bit secretive. Once we get our people out of the satellites, I’m sure things will be less tense around here.”
“When is that due to happen?” asked Leah.
“I heard them talking about tomorrow morning,” he answered. “She’s got to start bringing them back, whether things are perfect or not.”
“Yes,” agreed Leah Brahms. “Holding out for perfection around here is pointless.”
The sound of thrusters overhead alerted her that another shuttlecraft was arriving, and Leah peered into the night sky. She expected to see one of the foreboding gray Klingon shuttles, or one of the boxy blue Aluwnan shuttles—instead this one was a familiar lozenge shape of silver and gold. As it settled down into one of the burnt craters that passed for civilization on Aluwna, Leah Brahms jumped to her feet.
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