Chapter 28
Risa
The sun shone gently on Curzon Dax’s face as he relaxed in the reclining chair. It has been far too long,he thought. He hadn’t had a proper vacation in over a year, and it had been considerably longer than that since he’d been to Risa.
The world was everything Dax could want in a vacation spot, especially after months of dealing with a group of Gallamite delegates who nit-picked every aspect of a trade agreement. His reward for thirteen weeks of staring at delegate brains (and what evolutionary quirk of fate led to a species with transparent skulls?) was to spend a week at his favorite place to relax. Risa had a regulated atmosphere that was heavenly to most humanoid species, an open policy of happiness, and a desire for all its inhabitants to have a good time.
For today, at least, his first day back after so prolonged an absence, Dax just wanted to turn off his brain and relax. He had deliberately left all his work in his office on Earth, and even his staff didn’t know where he was, just that he was “in-disposed.” No one could find him, no one could conscript him to negotiate a treaty or settle a dispute or keep people from killing each other—at least not this week.
And so he lay on the recliner, thinking about nothing. He brought no reading material, had not even gotten a Horga’hn.Frankly, he was too tired for jamaharon. No, for today at least, I am simply pretending that the galaxy outside Risa does not exist.
He closed his eyes and started to take a nap.
When he no longer felt the sun on his face, he woke up, assuming night had fallen—only to realize that the sun was still up, it was simply being blocked by a man wearing a red Starfleet uniform with a lieutenant commander’s symbol on the shoulder patch.
“You know, I was just saying to myself, ‘Self,’ I said, ‘the absolute last person in the entire universe that I want to see right now is Elias Vaughn.’ So naturally, you show up to ruin my vacation. Do me a favor and go away, would you please?”
Vaughn didn’t move. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Ambassador Dax. I need you to come with me.”
Dax let out a very long sigh. “I’m on a holiday. And what’s more, how did you find me?”
Smirking slightly, Vaughn said, “You’re getting predictable in your old age, Ambassador. When I realized that nobody on your staff knew where you were, I figured you came either here or to Wrigley’s Pleasure Planet. Risa was closer, so I tried here first. Luck of the draw.”
“Luck of the irritating, more like. Look, Vaughn, I’m sure that whatever it is that led you to track me down seems very important to you, but it isn’t important to me. What’s important to me is lying in this recliner for a week.”
“The death of innocent people isn’t important?”
Dax closed his eyes and exhaled. “Don’t get melodramatic with me, Vaughn. People die all the time. It’s the one guarantee of living.”
“Yes, but those responsible should try to atone, should they not?”
Rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, Dax said, “Vaughn, when I came here, I had a splitting headache, the unfortunate result of thirteen weeks spent negotiating with a tiresome collection of Gallamites. The headache was this close—”he now held the thumb and forefinger very close together in the air between him and the lieutenant commander “—to going away when you showed up. Now it’s back, full bore. I’m about half a step away from having you forcibly removed from the planet—and don’t think I’m bluffing, I’m quite well known to the higher-ups hereabouts, and they’ll take my side a lot sooner than someone uncouth enough to wear his uniform to a resort. Kindly tell me why you’re here so I can ignore you and get back to my nap.”
“Do you remember Ian Troi? He’s dead.”
Dax blinked. “I’m very sorry to hear that.” He meant it, too. Troi was a good man.
“He died on Raknal V, investigating a building collapse—that building then fell on both of us. I managed to get out, he didn’t. The kicker is that the building was sabotaged by Romulans.”
“Romulans?” Dax sat up. His headache grew worse, but the involvement of Romulans on Raknal V changed everything. “What the hell do they have to do with it?”
“A very good question to which greater minds than yours are trying to come up with answers,” Vaughn said dryly.
“I sincerely doubt that you know any minds greater than mine, Vaughn, though I don’t expect you to admit it, either.”
Vaughn stared at Dax with his steely blue eyes for several seconds. Finally, he spoke. “Do you remember what I said to you on the Carthagesixteen years ago?”
Dax sighed. “Yes. You said that this wouldn’t come to a good end and that it would blow up in our faces.”
“I’d say I’m two for two on that score, Ambassador. Hundreds of Klingons and Cardassians have died, and now a Starfleet officer’s been killed. This idiocy has gone on so long, the Romulans are using it as an opportunity to foment chaos for their own reasons. It has to stop.”
“Agreed. Though I doubt I’ll be able to get Prefect Monor and Governor Qaolin into a room together so they can kiss and make up.”
“No, but you might use some of that clout with the Klingons that you’re so proud of to get them to focus. They’re pouring all their resources into developing their military for a fight against Cardassia while ignoring the planet that’s the source of the conflict.” Vaughn’s eyes were fairly smoldering. “I’m not leaving this planet without you, Ambassador. One way or another, you’re coming with me to clean up this mess that you’ve made.”
“Relax, Vaughn, you sold me the moment you mentioned the Romulans. Although I am impressed. I didn’t think you had this level of fire in you.”
“Ian Troi was a good friend. He died because of your carelessness.”
“Don’t try to put that on me, young man,” Dax said, standing up. A breeze blew through his white hair. “You said yourself that Romulans killed him by dropping a building on his head. Troi took an oath that he would die in service of the Federation if called upon to do so. I took no such oath, but I did promise to oversee the development of Raknal V.”
“Obviously it has not developed as you hoped.”
“Obviously,” Dax snapped. “Well, let’s be off. We can take whatever ship you and your intelligence friends commandeered for the purpose.”
“Fine, we can go back to your room and pack. Where is it?”
Dax grinned. “No need.” He indicated the short-sleeved shirt and shorts he wore. “This is all I brought with me. I didn’t expect to need any clothes beyond this. I intended to purchase a Horga’hntomorrow, you see.”
“Your self-confidence is—”
“Well earned,” Dax interrupted, his grin widening, “I assure you.”
Vaughn scowled. “If that were the case, we wouldn’t still be tallying the damage from your solution at the Betreka Nebula, would we?”
“Touché,” Dax said with a dismissive gesture. “Shall we?”
As they walked toward the resort’s exit, Dax couldn’t resist one final shot. “By the way, I see you’ve grown a beard. I don’t like it. Looks like a sehlatdied on your face.”
Chapter 29
Qo’nos
For years, K’mpec had heard stories about “the Great Curzon,” mostly from Captain Kang, who had gone so far as to name his firstborn after the Trill. So, when the High Council received a request from the ambassador to speak before them, K’mpec had been looking forward to finally seeing the person behind the legend.