Cooper nodded. “First thing this morning.” The report had provided only the sterile, matter-of-fact accounting of the Klingon attack on the colony, with an additional report appended by the station’s colonial liaison, Aole Miller, detailing the impacts of the incident from the perspective of the settlers, who even now were in the process of abandoning the colony they had worked so hard to establish. “I’m still waiting for updated information from Starfleet Intelligence. Do you have any idea what happened? Are the Klingons’ claims legitimate? Did they plant their flag on that planet first?”
“We received no such notification,” the ambassador replied, “though the Klingon Diplomatic Corps is saying it sent official notice to its counterparts on our side months ago.” Jetanien then emitted something that sounded to Cooper’s ear like a dog sneezing. “Surely the colonists would have said something if they’d detected any signs of Klingon occupation. And why would the Klingons wait until the colony was almost up and running before revealing their presence?”
“Maybe they didn’t want anyone to know they were there,” Cooper said. “You think the Klingons have found Shedai technology there?”
“It’s certainly a possibility,” Jetanien said. “The planet was not found to contain traces of the Taurus Meta-Genome; that doesn't rule out Shedai influence. Also, it offers little in the way of strategic value, as far as Federation or Klingon security interests are concerned. Its natural resources are plentiful, though nothing remarkable such as dilithium. Still, it harbors great agricultural potential, and the colony wanting to settle there was a good fit.”
At first, the practice of allowing legitimate colonization efforts to act as unwitting camouflage for Starfleet’s clandestine research into the origins of the Taurus Meta-Genome had seemed innocuous. However, when it became obvious that the Tholians were greatly opposed to Federation expansion into the region, which was followed by Klingon spies obtaining information revealing Starfleet’s intentions in the Taurus Reach, Cooper had begun to wonder when or if such a strategy might backfire. That doubt had been confirmed with horrific force at Gamma Tauri IV. When the truth of the cover-up for Starfleet operations was revealed by Pennington, he and Aole Miller had been besieged by communiqués from colony administrators across the Taurus Reach, demanding to know if their planet was one that might be of interest for Klingon, Tholian, or even Shedai attention. Several colonies founded on worlds known to possess Shedai artifacts were already in the process of relocating or being abandoned altogether as the settlers returned to the relative safety of Federation space.
Lerais II, officially, had not been listed as one such planet.
“I’m betting we were wrong about the Shedai not having a presence there,” Cooper said, sighing as he shook his head. “If we’d known, the colony might have opted to leave before something like this happened.”
“Colonial Liaison Miller has already had extended discussions with his counterparts on Earth,” Jetanien said. “They’re backpedaling with respect to the Klingons’ asserted rights to the planet. According to them, it’s still in dispute, but early indications are that there was to be no contesting the claim.”
“The Klingons didn’t have to blow an unarmed freighter out of the sky to make their stand,” Cooper said, reaching up to rub the bridge of his nose. “What a waste.” Coffee, he decided, was the prescription best suited to helping him at the moment. He rose from his chair and moved toward the food slot built into the office’s rear bulkhead.
“It’s worth pointing out that this colony had all but renounced Federation citizenship,” Jetanien said after a moment. “Though they did so with far more aplomb and civility than the settlement on Gamma Tauri IV, the result was the same: they unfortunately removed themselves from the umbrella of Starfleet protection.”
Waiting for the food slot to dispense his coffee, Cooper snorted. “You think that’s what Starfleet should tell the families of the people on that freighter?” The slot’s door slid up, revealing a steaming mug, and he reached for it. “Somehow, I’m thinking that won’t go over so well.” After taking a sip of the coffee and deciding it would do, he asked, “So, UFP Colony Administration’s washing their hands of this one?”
“It would make sense,” Jetanien said. “Given the current political climate between the Federation and the Klingons, particularly over the situation here in the Taurus Reach, Starfleet’s thinking may be that contesting this move by the Klingons now is buying us more trouble than we can handle at the moment.”
“I have to say, Ambassador,” Cooper countered, “that I’m getting pretty tired of hearing that argument. Appeasing and not wanting to make waves—for the Klingons or the Tholians or whomever else we might piss off in the coming days—is not really the job I signed up for.” He returned to his chair, dropped into it, and took a long drink of his coffee, enjoying the taste of the thick, hot liquid as it coursed down his throat. He held the mug under his nose, allowing the brew’s enticing aroma to play at his nostrils. For just this moment, he could almost forget the mounting pressures of the day. Almost.
“It is, however, the job I’ve been given, Commander,” Jetanien said. “Federation and Klingon diplomatic attachés have been meeting for several weeks, with one of the key issues being territorial expansion. The Taurus Reach has factored prominently in those discussions, and there’s been little progress made. Suffice it to say that if—or when—relations with the Klingons deteriorate to the point of war, the Taurus Reach likely will be one of the main fronts in such a conflict.”
Cooper nodded. He already knew much of this, of course, given the daily intelligence briefings he received. There were other issues in play with regard to the tenuous tug-of-war that could laughingly be called the state of political relations between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, but the Taurus Reach was fuel thrown on a smoldering fire.
“If this keeps up,” he said, “I’ll have to recommend to all of the colony administrators that they evacuate. Some are considering it, and others have already given orders to start packing. There are several holdouts, though. Some have renounced Federation citizenship. Others are just being stubborn.” He shook his head. “And we both know that being stubborn will get you dead.” Cooper contemplated the effects of a mass exodus of Federation colonists from the Taurus Reach. The Klingons likely would consider that open season on the planets left behind, particularly those chosen for their strategic value or the resources they offered.
“There is one other thing,” Jetanien said, shifting his position and stepping closer to the desk, the string of high-pitched twittering he verbalized indicating to Cooper the Chel’s discomfort with what he was about to say. “I have spoken with my Klingon counterpart, Lugok, via back channels. The High Council will soon be demanding the extradition of Commodore Reyes. They want him tried in their courts for what happened at Gamma Tauri IV and Jinoteur and a few other comparatively minor offenses.”
Cooper felt a knot tighten in his gut. The Klingon legal system, to say nothing of their notions of justice, was not something he wanted to experience firsthand. That the Klingons were making this kind of noise about Reyes spoke volumes about how angered they were at the commodore and the actions he had taken.
“I suppose it’s too much to hope for them to accept that he’s standing court-martial and is likely to spend a significant portion of the rest of his life in prison?”
After spewing another string of derisive clicks and snorts, Jetanien replied, “I suggest you refamiliarize yourself with the concept of Klingon honor, Mr. Cooper. In my experience, it is a fluid, ever-evolving notion, though some things remain absolute. The Klingons feel they have been wronged in battle, and in their view, there are precious few avenues available for recompense.”