“And do you think I enjoy it, Jellico?” said Soleta. “I repeat what McHenry says for your benefit, mostly to forestall your complaining, and you complain anyway. Do you think it remotely entertaining, having my primary job be to repeat what the ship is saying? Especially when McHenry can tend to go on and on, providing all manner of unasked-for details that I couldn’t possibly want or need to know? Do you think that is fun for me? Do you?”
“Fine, forget I said anything,” said Jellico, raising his hands in surrender.
“I already have.”
“There!” Mac said, pointing at the screen. “There it is.”
A small pod was floating against the darkness of space. A single light was mounted dead center, flickering on and off.
“Scan it, McHenry,” said Soleta. “If we’re going to bring it onto the ship, we don’t need to have it blow up once it is aboard.”
It is nothing more than what it seems to be, Soleta. Sensors indicate one life-form aboard.
“What sort of life-form?”
It appears to be Romulan.
“A Romulan?”
Jellico moaned softly. Soleta fired him an annoyed look but said nothing.
“McHenry, can you beam the occupant directly into the bridge?”
Yes, Mac.
“Do it.”
There was a pause, and then the air filled with the familiar shimmering of transporter beams. Seconds later, they coalesced into a female shape. She had been partly curled up and lying on her side in the pod and, as a result, fell over the moment she finished materializing. She lay on the floor for a moment, blinking against the comparatively bright light of the bridge, and then looked around in confusion.
“Welcome to the Excalibur,” said Mac, extending his hand. She took it, looking no less bewildered, as he helped her to her feet. “I’m the captain, M’k’n’zy of Calhoun. Everyone calls me Mac.”
“Hello,” she said uncertainly. “I…am Thue.”
“Are you all right?”
“I am…dehydrated. I could use—” She stopped and arched an eyebrow in surprise when she saw Soleta. “Oh. Is this a Romulan vessel? No…obviously not,” she said. “I do not understand. Romulans…humans…”
“I’m Xenexian, actually. It’s a common mistake.”
She inclined her head slightly, acknowledging the error. “But then…with whom are you affiliated?”
“We’re independent operators,” said Robin. “We should get you down to the medical bay and—”
“That can wait,” said Jellico sharply. He came around the bridge and faced her, adopting a pose that was both defensive and belligerent. “How did you wind up in the middle of nowhere?”
“I was dumped here. I was a crewmember aboard a transport ship that was making a cargo run headed for Romulus.”
“What sort of cargo?” said Mac.
“I do not know. It was loaded on, unlabeled, and there was no record of its specifics in our database.”
“Meaning,” said Soleta, “that you checked.”
Thue shrugged. “Even a simple crewmember can be…curious. But I learned nothing definitive.”
“What did you learn?” said Jellico.
“That it was intended to create some manner of weapon. That much I discerned from overhearing casual conversation by the ship’s captain. The late captain,” she amended.
“Why late?”
“We were attacked by Alliance forces.”
Everyone exchanged looks. The mood on the bridge instantly became charged with tension. “The Alliance?” said Mac.
She nodded. “They boarded the ship, claiming they were looking for contraband. But the moment they were aboard, they just started shooting everyone. I barely managed to escape.”
“Miraculous,” said Soleta, her eyes narrowed, “that they didn’t blow your escape pod out of space.”
“Not so miraculous, really. They were interested in what was on the ship. They probably didn’t even notice my departure.”
“Possibly.”
Thue stared at her. “Are you insinuating,” she said, “that my presence here is suspicious? I am a single, unarmed woman. If you believe I pose a threat to your vessel, feel free to beam me back into my escape pod, and I will take my chances elsewhere.”
“Might I point out,” Robin Lefler spoke up, “that while you are all arguing about this, a vessel carrying material that could be transformed into weaponry is currently in the hands of the Alliance and is heading God knows where?”
The current course of the vessel has it continuing toward Romulus.
“It’s continuing toward Romulus?” said Soleta.
“How do you—?” began Robin, and then she sighed. “Oh. Right. Of course.”
“Are you certain?” said Mac.
Absolutely. I can detect its ion trail. The Alliance vessel continued alongside the smaller ship, presumably acting as an escort. The course remains straight and true for Romulus.
“But none of this makes any sense,” said Soleta, slowly pacing the bridge. “Why would the Alliance grab a ship bound for Romulus and then keep heading toward that same destination? What’s the point of that?”
“So they could be in control of it,” said Jellico. “Power is all about possession, and the Alliance is all about power.”
“But they’re not going to Romulus simply to say, ‘Look, we have this,’” said Mac. “It has to be more than that.”
“Maybe there’s something going on on Romulus,” said Robin. “Maybe…” Her voice trailed off.
“Maybe what?” said Mac.
“Maybe, if this thing is part of a weapon, then the weapon is being assembled on Romulus.”
“Meaning,” said Jellico, “that the Alliance would want to have control of the last piece of the puzzle. The Romulans are constructing some sort of weapon, and the Alliance doesn’t trust them.”
“Imagine that,” said Soleta pointedly. “Someone not trusting Romulans. It must give you a great deal of comfort, Jellico, knowing you have something in common with the Alliance.”
Jellico ignored the barb. “If the Alliance is going to this much trouble, then whatever it is, this weapon, it must be fairly significant.”
“I have a question,” Kalinda said slowly.
This prompted a reaction of mild surprise from the others. Kalinda was usually the last person to involve herself in any discussions on the bridge. Typically, she sat quietly and appeared to listen to whatever everyone else had to say. Sometimes she would say something softly to Robin, who might then follow up on it, but that was about it.
“What do you want to ask, Kalinda?” said Mac.
“Well…” She shrugged. “How is this any of our business?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, how is it? Don’t you see? The Romulans don’t trust the Alliance, and the Alliance doesn’t trust the Romulans. From what my brother…” She paused. Mentioning Si Cwan was obviously still a problem for her. She lowered her gaze from Mac’s, because she knew she was looking into the face of the man who had ordered her brother’s death, and that could not be an easy thing for her to deal with. “From what my brother said,” she continued, although not without effort, “the Romulans and the Alliance have an uneasy truce at best. The Romulans avoided being subsumed by the Alliance only by promising to develop weapons technology for them.”
“This could well be it, then,” said Mac. “In fact, it probably is.”
“Perhaps. But I very much doubt it’s going to be something as simple as that the Romulans produce the weapon for the Alliance, which then takes it, says farewell, and goes on about its business. There may very well be some sort of double-cross in place, on the part of both sides.”
“That would not surprise me,” said Soleta. “Praetor Hiren is incredibly paranoid as it is. He may very well be planning to double-cross the Alliance…”
“Which, of course, the Alliance would know and plan something right back,” said Jellico. “So, if we
stay the hell out of the way, they could wind up doing serious damage to each other while we sit back and laugh.”
“Let them,” said Soleta with decided heat in her voice. “Let them obliterate each other. I would rejoice in seeing the demise of Hiren the Praetor.”
“Then you are a fool,” said Thue.
There was no trace of anger in her voice; she had spoken very matter-of-factly. That did not deter Soleta from rounding on her and saying, “You’re rather free with the insults, considering you’ve been onboard for ten minutes and we just saved your ass from deep space.”
“Neither my gratitude for your saving me nor my length of time aboard should have any impact on the simple truth. The Praetor, for all his quirks…”
“Quirks?” said Soleta. Her fists clenched and unclenched in anger. “That bastard was responsible for my father’s death. And when this man”—she pointed at Mac—“was but a youth and in Hiren’s power, Hiren banished him to the mines of Remus. There are scores to be settled, and if the Alliance is going to settle them for me, then I have no problem with that.”
As if Soleta hadn’t said a word, Thue said, “…could be a valuable ally. The Romulan fleet is formidable. Perhaps not formidable enough to stand up to that of the Alliance, but it would be a start. He could help you.”
“We don’t need help,” said Mac.
“Oh?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Thue hesitated and then said, “Look, your activities are not unknown to me.”
“Aha!” said Robin.
They looked at her. “Aha what?” said Thue.
Robin shrugged. “I…don’t know. It just seemed like an ‘aha’ moment, that’s all.”
Thue shook her head as if dealing with an idiot and continued, “They are not unknown to many of us. Believe it or not, you have your admirers, even among Romulans. But the colony worlds you have helped have been of marginal interest to the Alliance at best. You are, thus far, merely an irritant. If you wish to accomplish more than that, then you will have to start thinking in grander terms. If, on the other hand, you are satisfied with the status quo, then you need do nothing different from what you already are doing. However, sooner or later, it is my suspicion that the Alliance will grow weary of your insect-sized bites and will decide to swat you—perhaps with whatever is being built for them on Romulus or perhaps with something else. It does not matter which. What matters is that you are one ship, and it does not matter how many strays, outcasts, or would-be warriors you’ve amassed on this vessel. If you fall into the Alliance’s sights, as matters currently stand, you will be annihilated. I believe you know this on some level. So why not…”
“Why not what?” said Soleta. “Toss aside personal enmity? A sense of justice? If the Praetor gets what is sorely coming to him, we should intervene, because he might, or might not, be of use to us in a full-scale conflict with the Alliance?”
“Essentially, yes.”
“That is the most ridiculous notion I have ever heard. Don’t you agree, Mac?” said Soleta.
M’k’n’zy did not answer immediately.
His lack of response drew immediate curiosity from everyone on the bridge. Mac simply stood there, staring into the depths of space.
“Mac?”
He didn’t reply to Soleta. Instead, he said, “McHenry. Set course for Romulus. Best possible speed.”
Very well, Mac.
“Are you out of your mind?” Soleta shouted.
Everyone else began talking at the same time. M’k’n’zy of Calhoun silenced them all with a glance.
“If any of you,” he said softly, “disagrees with me, that is acceptable. But I have made my decision. I will kill anyone who endeavors to interfere. Is that understood?” When no response was forthcoming, he repeated the question with a bit more force. This time, heads nodded in unison.
He stalked off the bridge then. He walked through the corridors, and various Xenexians and others whom the Excalibur had rescued smiled to him or saluted him, and a couple of the more fervent ones dropped to their knees and bowed their heads in submission. Those he merely patted on the backs of their heads and nodded.
Why do you say things like that?
“Like what, McHenry?”
Like that you’ll kill anyone who tries to interfere. You know you would never do that.
“Yes, but they don’t.”
Considering what you are rebelling against, do you really think it wise to try to command the loyalty of others through fear and intimidation? How does that distinguish you from the Alliance?
Mac didn’t respond to that immediately.
Mac?
“I’ll get back to you on that.”
All right. I’ll wait.
And Mac knew that he would do exactly that, no matter how long it took.
Soleta finally heard what she was waiting for: slow, steady breathing that indicated Thue was sleeping.
McHenry, override the door lock.
Yes, Soleta.
The door to Thue’s quarters slid open, and Soleta eased herself in. Just as her sensitive ears had informed her, Thue was on the bed that her stark quarters provided. Most of the quarters on the Excalibur had two or three occupants because of the considerable number of crewmembers the vessel had acquired, but they had cleared out space for Thue while she was recovering from her ordeal.
She lay stiffly, like one dead, her arms at her sides. It seemed an odd posture, but Soleta didn’t devote much thought to it. She had other things on her mind: specifically, to discover just what it was that Thue was hiding. She didn’t know what it was, nor did she have any concrete reason to believe that Thue had been less than candid. But she was positive that there was something, and was determined to discover precisely what it was.
There was a very easy way to go about it.
Soleta had never used her abilities to probe a sleeping mind or manipulate it in any way. How hard could it be, though? After all, if she’d been able to ease her way into the conscious minds of various Romulans, certainly she wouldn’t have any difficulties penetrating an unconscious one.
She approached the sleeping Thue. Her hand hovered over the woman’s head for a few moments as she composed herself, and then she touched either side of Thue’s head. She felt the steady pulse in Thue’s temples against her fingers and then slowly, carefully, eased her thoughts into Thue’s mind.
To her shock, she encountered resistance.
What the hell? Soleta thought, as even as she did, she endeavored to push through the mental block.
Thue’s eyes snapped open and bored straight into her. Soleta’s instinct was to pull back, but she was too deeply committed. Tossing aside the subtlety of a scalpel, she went for the force of a bludgeon as she tried to push her way past the mental blocks that Thue was inexplicably producing.
Get…out…of my head!
The voice was irresistible and yet oddly emotionless—more of a cold order than an impassioned outburst. Soleta tried to resist the impulse and made one final determined thrust.
And she found something just before she was jolted out of the woman’s head.
Soleta fell back and hit the floor, landing hard on her rump. Thue was upright in the bed, and there was a fearsome glare in her eyes. “How dare you? You had no right—”
“No right!” An infuriated Soleta cut her off. She got to her feet, and there was pure venom in her voice. “You would dare lecture me? You, who came aboard this ship hiding her name? Her very race?” Then, silently, she called out, McHenry!
Yes, Soleta? McHenry’s voice came to her in response to her summons.
Why the hell couldn’t you determine she was a Vulcan?
I knew she was a Vulcan.
You said she was a Romulan!
No. I said she appeared to be a Romulan. The surface genetic manipulation she had done created that appearance.
And you didn’t see fit to mention that?
You had just finished complaining
about my tendency to provide unasked-for details and how you found it irritating. So I waited for you to ask. You never did.
She closed her eyes a moment in irritation and then composed herself. Then she turned her attention back to the woman standing before her. “Selar. Your name is Selar. And you’re a Vulcan.”
“There is no logical reason to deny that which you have already, and rudely, discerned.”
“But why? Why hide what you are?”
Selar hesitated but then clearly decided that there was no point in prevaricating. “I am part of an underground group,” she said. “Spies, for lack of a better word. Since Romulans are nominally allies of the Alliance, I have more latitude for movement within the Alliance, and on Romulus, as one of…you.”
“Vulcans spying on the Alliance? Why?”
“I see no reason to give you the full particulars of my endeavors. This should, however, prompt you to put aside any paranoia you may have that there is some manner of trap involved. There is no love lost between my people and the Alliance.”
“If you’re asking me to completely trust someone who came aboard this ship under false name and hidden race, then you’re requesting more than I have to offer.” She looked at her askance. “You blocked my mental probe. How did you do it?”
“How do you have such abilities?” countered Selar.
Soleta realized that her secret was already in the hands of this woman. “My mother,” she said slowly, “was a Vulcan. I never knew her. Never had the opportunity to ask her. But I always wondered if…” Her voice trailed off.
“If you received your abilities from her?”
There was a deathly silence for a long moment.
“My God,” said Soleta.
“You must tell no one…”
“My God, you all have…”
Selar took a step toward her, and when she spoke, her voice was low and intense and not at all dispassionate. “You hold the future of my people in your hand, halfbreed. If the Alliance knew what we were capable of, we would be rounded up, experimented on, or perhaps simply annihilated outright because of the threat we would present. Do you want genocide on your conscience?”
“You acknowledge I even have a conscience? I know what Vulcans say about Romulans and in what low regard you hold us.”
Star Trek®: Mirror Universe: Shards and Shadows Page 28
