“No, sir. I’m continuing to hail.”
“And there’s still no definitive evidence that the Romulan military is intact enough to mount an effective defense,” Vale pointed out. “The Remans have a lot of ships, and there are a hell of a lot of soft targets down there.” She was still standing, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. Once again, Riker noticed that her gaze lit fleetingly on the missing dedication plaque.
Looking toward the screen that displayed the approaching Reman fleet, Riker said, “Mr. Keru, get me General Khegh.”
A moment later, the image of Romulus and the Reman-operated flotilla that threatened it shrank and withdrew to the upper left quadrant of the screen. The rest of the image area was now dominated by the ruddy illumination of the Vaj’s crowded bridge; in the foreground was the grinning, jagged-toothed face of the commander of the local Klingon forces.
“This is an exhilarating spectacle, Captain Riker, is it not?”Khegh said, punctuating his observation with a coarse guffaw.
“That wouldn’t quite be how I’d describe it, General,” Riker said, standing before his command chair. “You’ve received my tactical officer’s alert. You know that the Remans are in control of those incoming vessels, and that the Romulans might not be able to defend themselves from them. We can’t just sit by while Romulus is decimated.”
“Captain, my government didn’t send me here to fight on behalf of honorless RomulanpetaQ,” Khegh growled. “We are here, in large part, at the request of our Reman allies—not their former slavemasters.”
“Damn it, General, the Klingon Empire hasn’t abandoned its Dominion War alliance with the Romulans, and you know it.”
Khegh pursed his lips as his rheumy eyes narrowed in anger. “True, Captain. But I will shed no Reman blood this day.”
Riker tried to reign in his own escalating irritation with the Klingon, without complete success. “Then I’d appreciate it if you’d give the Romulans the same consideration. Please don’t do anything to help the Remans attack Romulus, General.”
Khegh bared two rows of discolored, highly asymmetrical teeth. But he was not smiling. “I will take your request under advisement, Captain,”he said before abruptly vanishing. On the screen, nearly forty Reman-crewed vessels entered the troposphere of Romulus. Rarefied gases began to ionize against their hulls, each ship creating a spectacular orange streak over the planet’s night side that resembled a meteor burning up during its terminal descent.
Riker had a sickening feeling that Romulus and Remus both were about to witness a great deal more fire and burning. “Ghuy’cha’,”he whispered, repeating one of the first of the many colorful Klingon curses he had learned over the years.
He knew that brute force wasn’t going to work here. What he needed instead was a diplomatic solution. He had one of the Federation’s most celebrated diplomats at his disposal. But there seemed to be no safe way to deliver him to where he was needed most: the immediate presence of the Reman leadership.
“What are you planning to do, Captain?” Akaar rumbled.
Riker exchanged a significant glance with Vale, then turned to look into Deanna’s eyes. He knew that they both supported his unspoken decision, and understood that he couldn’t stand by idly while Reman slaughtered Romulan wholesale. He might be forced to fire Titan’s weapons, even though this was ostensibly a mission of peace. Hell, I have to do something to stop this,because this is a mission of peace.
He turned to face the admiral’s cool stare, though his words were for his conn officer. “Ensign Lavena, prepare to change our heading. Intercept the lead Reman vessel.”
“Aye, Captain,” the Pacifican said, her nervousness plain even through the slight muffling caused by her hydration suit’s rebreather unit.
“I’m finally getting a response from the Remans, Captain,” Keru said, sounding both excited and apprehensive. “The transmission appears to be coming from the lead vessel.”
“On screen, please,” Riker said, putting on his best poker face.
The hard visage of a Reman warrior appeared on the screen. Though the illumination in the Reman-occupied warship was dim, Riker could see that the other man’s skin was as pale as the snows of Mount Denali.
The Reman’s voice sounded like a slow rockslide, and was as deep and cold as an Alaskan glacier. “Federation vessel. Do not attempt to interfere with us. You will not be warned again.”
“This is Captain William Riker of the Federation starship Titan.Please identify yourself.”
When he spoke, the Reman’s lips parted, displaying a proliferation of sharp, serrated teeth. “I am Xiomek, colonel of the Kepeszuk Battalion and commander of all the Reman Irregulars. I speak now as the voice of the Reman people.”
That’s pretty convenient for me, if it’s true,Riker thought, recalling Spock and Tuvok having mentioned Colonel Xiomek during their brief walk from the transporter room to the ready room. Spock had explained that Reman military and civilian leaders were really one and the same, and that they had a fairly quick turnover because of their refusal to conduct warfare from the rear. Spock had explained his belief that Xiomek wielded serious influence over his people, and Riker was therefore inclined to believe it—especially now that Xiomek had shown himself to be in charge of what was probably every piece of ordnance the Remans had at their disposal.
“And I speak on behalf of the United Federation of Planets,” Riker said. “I am here on an errand of peace. Please break off your attack.”
Xiomek tipped his head in apparent confusion. “We have made no attack as yet, Riker. And whether or not such an attack occurs is entirely up to the Romulan praetor, to whom we have just issued our demand.”
Riker pondered the fact that Xiomek had not, in fact, began firing on any targets on the ground, at least not yet. It must mean he hasn’t gotten wind of that first diplomatic meeting that Tal’Aura kept him out of,he thought. At least, not yet.
Aloud, he said, “And what is it you’ve demanded, Colonel?”
“We want Ehrie’fvil.”
“Come again?” Riker glanced quickly at Deanna and Christine, both of whom shrugged.
Then Riker saw Xiomek and Spock nod silently to one another by way of greeting. Deanna glanced significantly at Riker, as if to confirm the two men’s already apparent mutual respect.
Spock turned to face Riker. “Ehrie’fvil is the name of a small, all but uninhabited continent located in Romulus’s southern hemisphere,” he said with the quiet confidence of an academic authority. “It is roughly the same size as Earth’s Greenland, and possesses similar climatological characteristics.”
Facing the Vulcan ambassador, Riker said, “He’s asking for a whole continent?”
“This isn’t the first time the matter has come up. Neither crops nor animals can flourish in the harsh, dry, tide-locked climate of Remus. This has made the Remans dependent upon those who have enslaved them for centuries. It is no surprise that such an unbalanced relationship would give the people of Remus cause to covet the abundance of their planet’s companion world. However, the Remans have never before attempted to seize Romulan lands using the direct threat of military force.”
“We have been confined to Remus, and to the darkness of the dilithium mines, for as far back as our history records,”Xiomek said. “There we have provided all the toil necessary to power the fleets of the Empire. No more. No more will we be forced to dwell in lands blighted by the Empire’s insatiable greed.”