Errand of Fury Book 1 Page 5

  “Thank you, Mister President,” Fox said. “I just finished another session with Ambassador Wolt.”

  “The ambassador himself?” West said, unable to contain his surprise.

  “Yes,” Fox said, with some pride. West understood. The fact that the session had happened at all, West knew, was an accomplishment. The previous Klingon ambassador had more than once refused to meet directly with Ambassador Fox. Instead, he had sent subordinates to conduct meetings that could only be termed wastes of time. In fact, West suspected they were deliberate stalling tactics staged by the Klingons to give the empire more time to prepare for war.

  “Yes, we had substantial talks and discussed all major issues currently confronting us. They have agreed to begin standing down their military mobilization, while we have agreed to immediate talks about trade routes through some of the disputed territories,” Fox said.

  “You seem surprised, Lieutenant West,” the president said.

  “I am, sir. It seems too easy,” West said.

  Fox immediately leaned forward. His face was red, and West could see the telltale signs of still-healing cuts and bruises on his forehead. “I assure you, Lieutenant, these negotiations were anything but easy. The Klingons made many important concessions, and one of my staff, Randall Fronde, was killed during the talks.”

  “Killed?” Solow said.

  That’s why Fronde isn’t here, West thought sadly.

  Fox nodded. “He chose to accept a Klingon challenge. His courage and sacrifice impressed Wolt enough to begin serious talks. He gave his life for these negotiations.”

  West saw the pain written on Fox’s face, a grief that West understood after his own experience on Starbase 42. Though West had often found himself disagreeing with Fox, he had never doubted the man’s sincerity, and he didn’t doubt it now. However, that didn’t change the fact that he was sure that Fox was wrong—at the moment, dangerously so.

  “I am truly sorry for your loss, Ambassador, and we all appreciate Mister Fronde’s sacrifice,” West said finally. He took a breath and added, “However, as you know, dozens of Starfleet officers have given their lives defending against Klingon aggression in the last few months. Admiral Justman gave his own life on Starbase 42 so we would have the luxury of a few more weeks to prepare for a war that has been inevitable since Donatu V.”

  Wescott leaned forward and said, “And we appreciate that sacrifice. It was a sacrifice that showed the Klingons that the Federation is a formidable foe. I suspect the incident on Starbase 42 is one of the primary reasons they agreed to serious negotiations. We gave them good reason to reconsider their plans. After all, no one truly wants war.”

  “With all due respect, sir, the Klingons do,” West said. “Conflict and conquest are ingrained into their culture. We see ourselves as peaceful people who occasionally have to resort to force to defend ourselves. They see themselves as a conquering, aggressive people who occasionally have to resort to peace.”

  “As I said, I have read your reports on Klingon culture,” Wescott said. “But it would be arrogant of us to think that we are the only beings in the galaxy capable of change.”

  West felt his face flush for the second time that day. “Sir, it’s not arrogance to learn the lessons of history. We have to make predictions based on available facts. And there is overwhelming precedent here. An Earth historian of the twentieth century once said, ‘Wars only end when the conditions that started them have ended.’ Humans didn’t learn this after World War I led directly into World War II. They didn’t learn it when the Korean War—”

  The president raised his hand, and West immediately stopped speaking. “We do have reason to be suspicious, given the fact that the Klingons have not always been trustworthy in the past.”

  “Not trustworthy? They infiltrated Starfleet at every level with surgically altered agents while they tested our capabilities and engaged us in pointless negotiations,” West said, realizing only when he had finished that his tone was much too strong for a newly minted lieutenant to use with the president. Yes, it was too strong, but West found that he didn’t regret it. The stakes here were too high to mince words.

  “Why is it that Starfleet is ready to accept that war will have risks, but not that peace might also have risks?” Fox said.

  Wescott raised both hands and said, “Gentlemen, if we can’t agree on a course of action, how can we come to an agreement with the Klingons?”

  We can’t, West thought, but this time held his tongue.

  “The Klingons did have a condition before they ratified current agreements and continued peace talks,” Wescott said. “Ambassador?”

  Fox nodded and said, “The Klingons want to annex System 7348.”

  West couldn’t begin to hide his shock. He even felt Solow give a start next to him.

  “You can’t be considering—” Solow started.

  “Our immediate answer was no,” Fox said. “However, I conferred with the president, who conferred with the Federation Council, and we agreed that we could allow a small Klingon delegation to meet with the people on the planet. Ultimately, they will decide for themselves whether or not they want to enter into any larger political bodies.”

  “You must see this for what it is,” West said, “a crude attempt to get a foothold in Federation space. Besides the dilithium on the third planet, that system would be an excellent staging area for an invasion.”

  “True,” Fox said, “but we’re talking about a long process here. The Klingon delegation would only be a first step. The immediate Federation-Klingon crisis will be over long before the process is finished.”

  “Ambassador, this crisis has been twenty-five years in the making. No process will be long enough here.” West was fighting to keep the exasperation from his voice.

  “To be fair, the people in that system are biological Klingons,” Fox said.

  West shook his head. “Biological Klingons that would have been killed if Starfleet had not shut down the illegal Orion mining operation that was funded and supported by the Klingons.” Fox tried to interject, but West kept going. “Who then tried to destroy the entire world to eliminate any evidence of what they had been doing.”

  “The Klingons continue to deny any involvement in that operation,” Fox said. To his credit, he didn’t look as if he believed it.

  “I’m sure they do, but no one in this room doubts it,” Solow said.

  Fox nodded and said, “Ambassador Wolt alluded to dissent within the Klingon High Council. One of the factions there might have been responsible for the mining operation in System 7348.”

  “Do you believe that? That the mining operation and orders to destroy the planet full of Klingons did not come from the entire High Council?” Solow asked.

  Fox thought for a moment before he answered. “I do think it is a possibility that the entire High Council was not involved.”

  “How strong a possibility?” West asked.

  “Strong enough that I think it is worth exploring this recent proposal by the Klingons. The fact is that we know almost nothing about the workings of the Klingon government. And this is without a doubt our only remaining path to peace,” Fox said.

  West considered Fox for a moment. He was sure the ambassador believed what he was saying. Fox believed it because he wanted to, because he needed to, and because he had spent his whole life waging peace. However, West knew the man just didn’t understand how different the enemy was from himself.

  And in this case, being wrong could mean the end of the Federation, the end of everything they knew. Survivors would live under harsh Klingon rule. West had learned enough about the Klingons to wonder whether the survivors of the war would be the lucky ones.

  Wescott spoke next. His tone told West that his decision was final and had probably been made in advance of the meeting. “I have given this considerable thought. Until this development, we thought that war was inevitable. If there is even a chance that we may peacefully resolve the current crisis, then we
have to take it. The citizens of the Federation would demand that much of us. We will allow a Klingon delegation to meet with the population of the third planet of System 7348.” Before West could protest, the president added, “A Federation delegation will be there at the same time to also meet with the people of the system and to monitor the situation.”

  Solow leaned forward and said, “I presume that while this process is ongoing we will continue with the planned starship and planetary defense upgrades.”

  “We know the Klingons will be more likely to talk if they believe we are dealing from strength,” West added.

  Wescott nodded and said, “Of course.”

  “In the same vein,” Solow said, “there is one more request that I would like to make. I would like the Federation delegation to be the Enterprise.”

  Fox betrayed some surprise at that. Wescott raised an eyebrow and asked, “Why them?”

  “Captain Kirk and his crew saved the planet, they have the respect of the local people, and a Constitution-class starship would be a show of strength to the Klingons and stand as a warning if they are planning anything duplicitous or aggressive.”

  Wescott had listened carefully and looked at Fox when Solow was done. To his credit the ambassador nodded and said, “That would be prudent.”

  The president smiled warmly and said, “This is a good sign, gentlemen. If we can agree on a course of action, then there may yet be hope.”

  West sat amazed at what had just happened. He and Solow had walked into an ambush. Fox and the president had discussed the situation in advance and made the decision to go ahead with the proposal before West and Solow had stepped into the room. The admiral had been silent for most of the meeting. Then, at the end, he had outmaneuvered Fox and arranged to have a starship monitor a situation that West knew would almost certainly not end well. That starship, West knew, might be the only thing that stood between the Federation and a disaster of the sort that they had never seen before.

  At the close of the meeting there were brief pleasantries, which seemed somewhat forced. Suddenly, West was sure that there would be no job offer from the president’s office any time soon.

  Then, less than a half hour after West got the first message from the president’s office, he and Solow were headed back to the transporter. “We’ll immediately need to redo our deployment and tactical response reports to include the possibility of an invasion with a primary launching point from System 7348. We’ll also need to review our Klingon resource assessments to include dilithium from the planet.”

  West nodded, then as they entered the small transporter room, he said, “Sir, what you did in there…that could have been a disaster.”

  The admiral waved his hand. “It still may be. Sometimes the best you can hope for is to have a positive influence.”

  “But the president was ready to just…” West began.

  “He’s a good man, but he has to worry about things we never have to think about. And he is, after all, a politician. Whether it’s election day, the day before, the day after, or any day in between, they are always running for office.”

  West nodded, “But the stakes here are…everything.”

  Solow nodded, “Don’t be too hard on him. It’s a politician’s nature. You might as well get upset with humanoids for breathing oxygen. It’s our job to give him the leeway to make mistakes and pick up the pieces when he does. And don’t sell President Wescott short. He crafted a compromise that kept all options open and still gave us reasonable security under the circumstances.”

  Chapter Four

  U.S.S. ENTERPRISE

  2267

  AS DOCTOR MCCOY concluded his examination, Parrish asked, “Can I get up now?”

  The doctor nodded, and Parrish got off the bed and to her feet. She realized that she was very uncomfortable being in sickbay at all, and even more so when she was lying on her back. The psychology was fairly easy to work out: she had been lying in one of these beds when the captain had given her the news about Jon’s death on Starbase 42.

  Jon’s death…It had been hard for her to accept. To her surprise she had found it easier to accept that he was a Klingon. His death had not made sense because she had thought him a better person than the Klingons they had fought on the starbase. It had seemed unfair, cosmically so, that the brutal Klingons could have ended his life.

  Yet he had been a Klingon himself. Since the captain had told her Jon’s secret, she had learned as much as she could about Klingons. Of course, she had studied their military history and was aware of the martial nature of their empire, but she had not learned much about their culture or their history apart from warfare.

  The Starfleet database had a fair amount of information, but surprisingly little of it was useful. And none of it could explain how Jon could have been the man he was, the man she knew him to be, and still be a Klingon.

  Surprisingly, the revelation changed nothing in her mind about Jon. However, she had to admit that there had to be more to the Klingons than the Starfleet database—or the Enterprise’s recent experience—could show her.

  She might never understand. Jon’s secrets had died with him. And yet, not all of him had died. He had left something of himself in her heart, her mind…and her body. But even if she had this baby—assuming it was medically possible—she still might not understand.

  “Have you thought about what you want to do?” Doctor McCoy asked. He studied her for a moment as she tried to figure out what to say. Then he smiled and said, “Let me put it another way. Have you thought about anything else?”

  Parrish found herself smiling.

  “Let’s continue this in my office,” McCoy said, and Parrish followed him. She felt relieved to leave the examination area and sat down in front of Doctor McCoy’s desk as he took his own seat.

  “I would like to know more…about whether or not this is even possible, whether I can have this baby,” she said finally.

  McCoy nodded. “I’m sorry I haven’t been more help there. I hope that the starbase will have more information. However, even if we find out more while we’re here, you probably won’t have much time to make your decision.”

  “I won’t need much time,” Parrish said, with much more confidence than she felt.

  Just then, there was a beep, and Nurse Chapel’s voice came over the intercom, “Doctor, the captain is outside. He would like to speak with you and Lieutenant Parrish.”

  McCoy’s face showed mild surprise, but his voice was casual as he replied, “Send him in.”

  Almost immediately, the captain stepped through the door and Parrish was on her feet.

  “At ease, Lieutenant,” Kirk said to her. Then he looked at the doctor and said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have news that affects Lieutenant Parrish.”

  “What is it, Captain?” McCoy asked.

  “I have just been informed that all civilian and nonessential transport to the starbase has been suspended,” Kirk said.

  McCoy’s surprise wasn’t mild this time. “Are things that bad?”

  “Not necessarily. Because of the starbase’s importance to the starship refit program, security is very tight,” Kirk said.

  “What does that have to do with the lieutenant?” McCoy asked.

  “It means that if I choose to go home, I won’t be able to get a transport from the starbase…well, indefinitely,” Parrish said.

  “At least for the duration of the current crisis,” Kirk said.

  Parrish had begun to consider having the baby at home, with her family. She couldn’t imagine doing it on a starbase surrounded by strangers.

  Kirk continued, “I wouldn’t leave you on the starbase. In the long run, it would be no safer than the Enterprise. You could remain on board for a short time as we try to arrange a rendezvous with a civilian transport or another Starfleet vessel.”

  That changed things, but Parrish realized that one thought was pushing the others aside. “Does this mean that I can remain on limited duty?” Parri
sh asked.

  “I will accept Doctor McCoy’s recommendation on your status,” Kirk said.

  “Doctor?” Parrish asked.

  “I will want to monitor you closely, but you can continue at your current level,” McCoy said.

  Parrish felt relief.

  “Mister Giotto has said that he would like to have you oversee the initial training for a new squad that we’ll be picking up on the starbase,” Kirk said.

  “I would like to continue to contribute as much as I can, Captain,” Parrish said.

  “Excellent,” Kirk said. Then he looked at McCoy. “Bones, can you join me on the bridge?”

  McCoy nodded and said, “Lieutenant, I will let you know as soon as I find anything.”

  “Thank you, Doctor,” Parrish said. She watched the captain and the doctor leave, then, a moment later, she followed them out the door. All thoughts of her pregnancy had been pushed aside. If she was going to be training a new squad, she had quite a bit of preparation to do.

  Kirk entered the briefing room at a quick pace, McCoy struggling to keep up with him and muttering about where the fire might be. Kirk ignored him and kept walking. The incident with the Romulan bird-of-prey was still fresh in his mind and the minds of the crew. Interstellar war would be several levels of magnitude worse.

  The briefing-room door opened at their approach. Inside, Mister Spock and Chief Engineer Scott were huddled over the small triangular viewer in the center of the table, looking at readouts. Both men looked up as Kirk and McCoy walked in.

  “Captain,” Spock said with a nod.

  “Sir,” Scotty said. Immediately, Kirk could see that his chief engineer was unhappy about something. And he had a strong suspicion what that something might be.

  “Gentlemen,” he said as he took his seat. “Report.”

  Spock began. “Upgrades are scheduled for phasers, tactical sensors, and defensive shields. We will also be receiving a new supply of more powerful photon torpedo warheads. They achieve a twenty-two percent greater immediate particle annihilation, with a corresponding increase in power.”