We sat facing the fireplace, watching the flames dance against the smoke-stained refractory brick. The firelight softened the sharp angles of Tilendi's face and smoothed the lines of tension and fatigue that hadn't been there when I'd last seen her at home. Her dark hair, flowing loose over her shoulders, was threaded with bright strands of silver-gray. She was the same age as my mother, yet tonight she looked years older. How much of that strain was my fault? The guilt and grief I thought I'd banished that first night on Enterprise returned to settle deep in the pit of my stomach.
Lost in my own thoughts, I started in surprise when she finally spoke. "It must seem as though I've trampled your carefully laid plans into the dust," she said. "Your strategy was sound. It's just that circumstances have rendered it unworkable--circumstances you couldn't possibly have known about. But your contribution was important, Aerlyn. By assessing correctly the Federation's intentions concerning the cloaking device, you've mitigated the loss."
"Mitigated it? After having caused it in the first place? You've read Tal's report, haven't you? Surely you know what happened--"
"We will discuss that later. Right now I want to explain something about those circumstances I mentioned. You were asking about Ambassador Sarek."
Finally! I seized the chance. "Ra-ghoratrei told me that you were the one who wanted Sarek to chair this ridiculous inquiry. Why, Lidiya? Why do you trust him?"
"Because I must. Aerlyn, what I'm about to say-- I'm telling you only because I believe that you now have a right to know. But if you had never encountered Enterprise, we would never have had this conversation. Do I make myself clear?"
"Perfectly."
"Very well, then. By illegally ordering Kirk to board your flagship and seize the cloaking device, Commodore Preston Parizeau of Starfleet has jeopardized not only the fragile military detente that exists between the Empire and the Federation, but certain confidential and delicate discussions that have been taking place between the Empire and the planetary government of Vulcan."
"The planetary government? How can that be? Vulcan is a member of the Federation--it has no authority to conduct independent trade negotiations with a sovereign power."
"The discussions have nothing to do with trade negotiations. They are exploratory and highly tentative. Do you remember the conference that took place last year at the planetoid called Babel?"
"Vaguely. I read the intelligence report. A routine diplomatic gathering, wasn't it? Something to do with admitting Coridan, along with all its dilithium resources, to the Federation."
"Ambassador Sarek became ill while on his way to Babel. Although he recovered sufficiently to carry out his duties, his physicians ordered a period of recuperation when the conference was over. He and his bondmate traveled to Argo, presumably for the waters."
Argo, scrupulously neutral and enthusiastically capitalistic, had an economy based on therapeutic tourism; its health resorts and mineral-water spas attracted visitors from all over the galaxy. I'd once taken a leave there myself. "I know the planet," I said.
"Certain senior officials of our government heard of Sarek's whereabouts and instructed me to communicate discreetly with him. I did so. Sarek was mistrustful of the Empire's motives, but eventually he agreed that Argo was a suitable venue for a private meeting between a citizen of the Empire and a citizen of the Federation. Our talks led him to conclude, despite his skepticism, that further meetings should take place. Over the last year we have been in frequent contact."
"You and Sarek? To what conceivable end?"
"Don't ask, child. I can't tell you."
"Can't? Or won't?"
"Both. Don't look at me like that, Aerlyn. Only a handful of people in the Empire know that I have met with Sarek, and why. I suspect the same is true on Vulcan. Certainly no one on the Federation Council is aware of it."
The omission was obvious. "But someone in Starfleet Intelligence might be."
"Indeed."
"And if that someone wished to sabotage your secret talks with Sarek--"
"Why not create a confrontation between the Romulan Empire and the Federation? By arranging the theft of a cloaking device, for example. The Empire, including and especially those officials who instructed me in my meetings with Sarek, would have to respond to such a provocation. And the government of Vulcan, including and especially its ambassador, would have to support the Federation in any diplomatic or military dispute with the Empire. Any further ... communication between Vulcan and Romulus would be impossible. The initiative would be set back for decades or centuries--or perhaps lost forever."
My mind was racing; I was trying to imagine what "initiative" could be important enough to risk the loss of Adjuvant. "What is really at stake here, Lidiya? The interception of the stolen cloaking device? Or the preservation of your connection with Sarek?"
"Truthfully, both. And it would be difficult to say which is the more important."
* * *
Naturally, Tilendi had no intention of explaining her relationship with Sarek. Instead she proceeded to deliver a cogent lecture on the current political situation in the Empire. While the names of certain parties and factions were unfamiliar to me--three and a half years of patrolling the distant reaches of the imperial domain could easily put one out of touch with domestic matters--it was clear that nothing much had changed since I'd left the homeworld. If anything, the economy was in worse shape than it had been then, the calls for Senate reform were louder and angrier, and the colony systems were more truculent and threatening in their demands for increased electoral representation. At this point in Romulan history, war with the Federation could prove devastating on any number of fronts.
"So you see why Adjuvant must succeed," Tilendi said. "If Devor carries out his duty, war will be prevented. Starfleet will be deprived of the cloaking device, the balance of power will be maintained, and the Federation will never be able to prove conclusively that it was a Romulan ship that intercepted Al-Diraj."
"They may not be able to prove it, but they'll know. We could still find ourselves at war."
"That is why Sarek must chair the inquiry. His probity is beyond question, even in the Empire. He will establish that Parizeau acted illegally--that the Federation and Starfleet Command never ordered the theft of the cloaking device. His finding, coupled with the device's destruction by Adjuvant, will satisfy the Empire, including the pro-war factions, that there is no need to retaliate. The peace, such as it is, will be preserved, and the government can turn its attention to other matters."
"Yes, but who's to say that the Federation won't declare war on us when its ship is destroyed?"
"In the circumstances, the political consequences would be unacceptable. And in any case the Federation is committed to a defensive military posture. In the absence of proof, its government will not risk aggressive action."
"But what about your secret meetings with Sarek? Will they come to an end? And what did you mean by--" I was interrupted by the chiming of the commlink. "Do you mind if I take the call? It's probably Elydex."
She nodded. "Go ahead. I'll put some more wood on the fire."
I touched the answer key, and Uhura's smiling face appeared. "Hi, Aerlyn!" she said. "I'm calling from San Francisco. I wanted to talk to you yesterday, but they kept us at Fleet Headquarters the whole day and most of the night. Then we had to wait around all day today, and in the end they decided they didn't need us any more. Bureaucrats! I'm exhausted, but I'm leaving for Ottawa now. Have you eaten yet?"
Conscious of Tilendi's presence, I replied circumspectly when Uhura paused for breath: "It's good to see you, Lieutenant. Yes, I've already had dinner. The Romulan ambassador to the Federation is with me just now."
"Oh. Oh, I'm sorry, Commander. I didn't realize--"
"It's all right. Perhaps we could meet later this evening?"
"That'd be fine, if it's convenient for you. Will there be a problem with you having visitors?"
I knew what she meant me to hear: Will anyone in either of our governments object if you have visitors from Starfleet? "I don't believe so. We'll find out when you arrive, I suppose."
"Someone said it's really cold up there, but I couldn't care less. It's not much better here, it's pouring rain. We should have left a couple of hours ago, but everything's backed up, so it took us ages to get onto the traffic net."
"Aren't you traveling on a military vehicle?"
"No, Mr. Spock offered Dr. McCoy and me a ride. He's staying at his parents' house in the Gatineau, and he wants to fly up there himself. Oh, here's Spock. I'd better go. See you soon, Commander!"
"Goodbye, Lieutenant." I kept my finger on the disconnect key a good few seconds longer than necessary, until I was certain that my face was composed.
When I stepped away from the terminal, Tilendi was poking at the fire, sending swirling clouds of hot embers up into the blackness of the chimney. She knelt, watching, as the fire blazed hotter and brighter. Then, apparently pleased with her handiwork, she directed her attention to me. "The lieutenant is in a good mood," she said drily. "Starfleet's interrogation cannot have been too onerous."
"I believe Lieutenant Uhura knew nothing of Kirk's--Parizeau's--plan. There's nothing she can tell them." I curled myself into the chair and stared at the flames.
"She addressed you by name." Tilendi's disapproval was palpable, as was her curiosity.
"She was courteous to me while I was on her ship. She prepared a meal for me in her own quarters. And she gave me these." I touched the hairclips at my temples. "A visiting-gift."
That brought a raised eyebrow. "Indeed."
"Yes. And she speaks our language fluently."
"Well, Aerlyn. I think perhaps it's time you briefed me on your stay aboard Enterprise."
* * *
I summarized the events of the past weeks as succinctly and emotionlessly as I could. The plans I'd constructed with Adiv and Lem, Kirk's "interview" and its unwelcome revelations, my brief illness, my obsessive and ultimately fruitful searching of the library computer's databases, the events on Starbase Four--including my own bad behavior towards Dro, which drew nothing more than a wry grimace from Tilendi--and the meetings with Elydex. I told her everything and nothing.
Though I named and described Enterprise's senior officers, I could find no way truly to explain McCoy, one moment haranguing me with his bizarre theories concerning genetic drift and the next hunched over a computer, struggling to translate the food-dispenser menu so that I could have lunch. Or Kirk, sitting beside me in the arboretum, gripping my hand tightly as he realized that in the face of tragedy we had found a way to acknowledge the borderless collegiality of those who held deep-space commands. Or Uhura, offering her warmth and empathy and persistent kindness so openheartedly that I couldn't defend myself against it. Or, for that matter, Lieutenant Chapel, whose first name I couldn't remember and whom I'd spoken to only once or twice, sparing a thought for and then taking an action to ensure the comfort of a prisoner. How could I explain those things, these people, to Tilendi? I couldn't explain them to myself.
I hoped she would be satisfied with my saying that the captain and officers of Enterprise had treated their Romulan prisoners well and had abided by the letter and the spirit of the Altair accord.
"I would expect nothing less," she said. "Starfleet has its own code of military honor, and for the most part its officers uphold it. Not in the Romulan way, of course, for Starfleet, like the Federation, is individualistic and decadent. But they don't normally employ torture as an interrogation tactic, nor do they impose the ultimate sanction on those who commit what we would consider capital crimes." She was silent for a moment, perhaps realizing, as I did, that that train of thought could lead us in only one direction.
"Lidiya," I said, hoping to delay the discussion I knew was coming, "we agree that a Federation spy must have told Kirk precisely when and where to find Eidolon. Isn't it possible that the same spy has already discovered Adjuvant's mission?"
"Possible, though not probable. However, let's assume the worst: that some operative hidden on the homeworld has learned something, and has managed to inform the Federation. What then? Think about it, Aerlyn. What then?"
I thought about it. Of all the ships in the Fleet, only Adjuvant could undertake this mission with any hope of success, for reasons I knew well. "All right," I sighed reluctantly. "I'll grant you that the odds appear to favor Adjuvant's success. The time factor alone--"
She held up her hand. "Enough, child. It was a rhetorical question. Permit your friend Devor to look after Adjuvant. He knows his duty. You have other things to worry about."
Execution of state criminals is both painful and demeaning. I'd struck out at Spock with those words, wanting to hurt, wanting to intimidate. But for all the reaction I'd gotten, I might have been telling him that Romulan ale is both carbonated and blue. No doubt he was used to rebuffing attempts by lesser beings to provoke an emotional response. Or perhaps it was just that he could afford to be unmoved by the threat of punishment, knowing what I didn't: that in a few minutes he would be safely aboard Enterprise, far from the reach of those he had wronged.
No such escape route was available to me, however. Regardless of the outcome of Adjuvant's mission, a debt of honor and duty would still be owed to the Empire--and public payment would be demanded and exacted in the Senate chambers as soon as I was repatriated. I believe the details are unnecessary ...
"Tal was eloquent in his justification of your actions," Tilendi said. She looked towards the smoldering logs and then back at me. Both of us had lost interest in the novelty of the fire. "Even of your granting the Right of Statement. And he praised your quick thinking in attempting to prevent Spock's escape by stepping into the transporter field."
"Lidiya, I didn't--"
"Allow me to continue. His description of your order to destroy Enterprise, shouted from the enemy's bridge, was very compelling. Very dramatic. He even provided the tapes of that last exchange." Frowning, she added, "But he should have deleted the image of you standing there in that ... dress. Some of my colleagues found it suspicious." Her tone made it clear that she agreed with them. "Bad judgment on his part, I should say."
"Not only on his part."
"I am coming to that. My point is that in his report Tal has effectively called into question the extent of your culpability. Tecla's and Devor's accounts have substantiated Tal's. You are fortunate in your friends, Aerlyn. They have chosen to risk their honor and their careers to stand with you before the Senate."
My heart and my throat constricted simultaneously. "No. Oh, no. Don't think for a minute I'm going to allow that. The responsibility for what happened rests with no one but me, Lidiya. You have to tell them that, right away, right now!"
"I regret that I cannot carry out your orders, Commander," she said, placing a warning emphasis on the title: Remember to whom you are speaking.
"Forgive me. I only meant--"
"They are already on their way to the Neutral Zone--under cloak from the moment of departure, to ensure that no long-range sensors will detect them. As soon as their target is confirmed, they will cross the Zone and penetrate Federation space, execute their orders, and be home again long before you are. You do see the point, don't you? By the time you come to trial, the stolen cloaking device will have been destroyed, Parizeau's plot will have been exposed, and you will have been absent from the homeworld long enough for the public's initial anger to have abated somewhat. That may be sufficient to sway the Senate from its fixation on the death sentence. I say may, Aerlyn. A number of charges are pending against you, of which dereliction of duty is the most serious. Many senators oppose your family's political activities, and will want to seize this chance to deprive it permanently of its honor."
"The senators don't have to bother. I've already done that job for them."
Her expression conveyed disgust and impatience in equal measure. "Less self-pity and more information is what I need from you, my girl. Now, suppose you tell me what has passed between you and Sarek's son."
Like any experienced diplomat, Tilendi was careful in her choice of words. That she referred to "Sarek's son" rather than to "Spock" clearly indicated the focus of her present concern: whether anything had happened on Eidolon that might either jeopardize or advance her talks with the Vulcan ambassador to the Federation.
"Another rhetorical question, Lidiya? Tal's report must have covered that subject thoroughly." Triangulation of the alien communicator signal had led Tal straight to my cabin, where he had seen Spock emerge from my sleeping quarters. The conclusion, however erroneous, was there for the drawing.
"I should like to hear the answer from you."
I wasn't entirely unprepared. It was likely that I would be required to answer the same question not once but many times during the course of my trial, and I'd rehearsed the answer in my mind night after sleepless night.
"The first officer of the Enterprise stated that his captain had suffered a mental breakdown and that, while the balance of his mind was disturbed, the captain had ordered the ship to enter Romulan space. On the first officer's testimony, the captain was charged with espionage and taken into custody. While in custody the captain was killed by the first officer, who apparently acted in self-defense; his death was certified by the human physician from his ship, and by my own healers. I ordered the first officer to take command of Enterprise and lead it to a Romulan port." With my flagship at its side ... "The first officer agreed--appeared to agree--with my observation that someone of his background and with his qualifications would do well to rethink his loyalty to the Federation. I suggested that there might be a place for him in the Empire. We were ... we discussed his future over dinner. Then--" Then he made me believe that he wanted what I wanted.
"Go on."
"Then Tal entered my quarters. He had intercepted an alien transmission and traced it to that location."
"A signal from a communicator."
"Yes. The captain's death had been faked. He was surgically altered to resemble a Romulan, and he was able to beam to and from Eidolon because our shields had been weakened by the cloaking device. Tal and I and the guards went to the engineering deck. The device was gone, stolen by the captain. The first officer had told him where to find it." I heard myself speaking with a calmness I was far from feeling. The memory was agony: Why would you do this to me? What are you that you could do this?
Tilendi closed her eyes briefly, probably in despair at my gullibility. "After you realized the device was gone--what then?"
"I placed the first officer under arrest. He demanded the Right of Statement, which I granted. While he was speaking I heard the sound of the transporter effect. I attempted to pull him away from the field, but it took both of us." If I repeated that explanation often enough, I might come to believe that it was the truth. "Until then, I was sure that the captain was dead and that the first officer's accomplice, whoever he might be, was still aboard Eidolon. But when I saw the captain on the bridge of Enterprise--he hadn't bothered to remove his Romulan disguise. The nature of their deception was clear. As clear as it would have been from the beginning if I'd only--"
But Tilendi had evidently heard enough, or perhaps too little: she stopped me in mid-sentence. "Your account is in substantial agreement with Tal's," she said tersely. "But I need to know more. This is not prurient curiosity, Aerlyn. The matter is too important for you to make me read between the lines. Did you form any type of mental link with Sarek's son?"
A direct question from a superior officer--I had to answer her. "Yes. A superficial link was formed. It was ... temporary."
"And was there any attempt on his part to exchange or obtain information other than personal?"
"No, of course not." Why would she ask such a thing? She knew as well as I did that Romulan command conditioning enabled one to shield against any unwanted psychic probe, up to and including a Klingon mind-sifter.
"Sarek mistrusts my motives," she said, as if by way of explanation. "I must determine whether I have reason to mistrust his."
I was ready to believe the worst of Spock, and by extension of Sarek and all of Vulcan, but never that. "You don't really think he would use his son to--"
"No, not really. But no one yet knows the extent of the Starfleet conspiracy. No possibility can be left unexamined." Tilendi began readying herself to leave. "I want a written report from you. Encode it for secure diplomatic transmission and send it directly to me aboard ship, not at the Romulan consulate. You have my personal commcode."
"Must you go?" I asked, surprised by the suddenness of her departure.
"Frankly, Aerlyn, I have no desire to greet your friend from Starfleet when she arrives."
"Then you don't object to my seeing her?"
"No. She may turn out to be a useful conduit for information."
"I wouldn't count on it."
"Conduits can run both ways." Characteristically, she made no attempt to explain that cryptic remark. "We'll talk again tomorrow. In the meantime, I will inform your father and sister that you are in good health and"--she cast her eyes around the grandly appointed room--"that you are not being mistreated. Their messages will be forwarded to you."
"Thank you, Lidiya." I walked over to the transporter pad and was about to call the security desk when she stopped me with a gesture.
"I nearly forgot--there is a parcel waiting for you. Have the transporter operator collect it from my ship's cargo deck coordinates. Don't worry, there's nothing in it that will be damaged by a scan."
I nodded. "Goodbye. And thank you for--for coming to see me."
"Goodbye, child. When you speak with Elydex, tell her that I will need some time to consider the matter of your legal representation." She picked up her diary and, hesitating, held her finger poised over the field-generator control. "How well do you understand Terran humor? Wordplay, I mean."
"Moderately well, I suppose. Why?"
"Fleet Intelligence says that Al-Diraj's captain has been heard to refer to the ship as 'the Eldridge'--supposedly a human joke having to do with cloaked ships, though no one can tell me the point of it. What do you make of that?"
I shook my head in bewilderment. "Not much, I'm afraid. It doesn't sound very amusing to me."
"Nor to me." Her finger came down decisively on the field control, and she addressed me as she would have done if we were preparing for battle: "Uphold your oath, Commander."
"With my life, Ambassador."
Gathering her cloak around her, she stepped onto the transporter pad. "Now go and write that report."
© 1996, 1999 Kathleen Dailey. All rights reserved.