Star Trek: The Empty Chair (18 page)

“Not few,” Ael said. “None.”

Jim’s eyes widened slightly. Spock, finishing his soup, looked up with sudden interest.

“Over the last few decades,” Ael said, “what vessels might have been used for such purposes have not been replaced as their ‘useful lives’ came to an end. There have been any number of reasons for this: budgetary cutbacks, the desire to invest the funds in other infrastructure projects more useful to the Hearthworlds, various political moves by certain parties in Tricameron and Praetorate to keep money in their own hands and out of others’. And there will always have been a significant number of both military and political analysts to advise the Praetorate and Grand Fleet that, with the danger of Klingon incursion into our spaces always present,
what was needed was not large-scale ground-force support, but strike-force support—more and bigger ships, better armed, to interdict any possible incursion before it could get a foothold at the bottom of any world’s atmosphere. At any rate, for at least the last decade, the Imperium has relied almost entirely on small-or medium-scale fleet actions to keep the outer systems in line. And for the most part these have been sufficient to the purpose.”

“‘For the most part’?” McCoy said.

“Oh, there have been occasional rebellions among the most distant outworlds,” Ael said, “but one might say that those happened too soon. Some of their causes were similar to the causes being cited now by the worlds that are in uprising, but support from others could not then be counted on, and the Imperium suppressed those earlier rebellions brutally.”

“Surprising that
this
rebellion’s doing so well, then,” McCoy said.

Ael raised her eyebrows. “I think it is at least partly because the last couple of decades have seemed so quiet on the ‘home front,’ and the governments of the period simply did not believe that any new rebellion would take root for the foreseeable future, or perhaps ever. As a result, they have been slow to act. Additionally, I believe the Praetorate erroneously assumed that the outworld colonies’ fear of invasion and subjection by the Klingons would always invariably outmatch any possible anger over the stringency of the Empire’s rule. Their own arrogance may now prove to be the present Praetorate’s downfall, for as you say, Captain, the Empire has deprived itself of the ability to actually handle any such problem where it must be handled: on the ground.”

Jim nodded. “It’s a weakness we’re going to exploit as quickly as possible. Also, as regards the Klingons,
Tyrava
will have upset them a great deal also. They plainly expected to find a system half-subdued by the Imperium, ready to fall
into their hands as soon as they got rid of the Grand Fleet cruisers. Instead…” He brooded for a moment. “I wish we’d been able to keep that last ship from getting away.”

“You are thinking,” Ael said, “that a mission from which no ship returns, and no news, is far better than a disastrous one from which news returns of an enemy far stronger than had hitherto been thought.”

“Yes. Fear of the unknown is a whole lot more useful for our purposes.” Jim let out a breath. “Well, nothing we can do about it now. The Klingons know about
Tyrava,
and when they hit us next, it’ll be with absolutely everything they’ve got. They’re in the same position as the Praetorate and the Grand Fleet. They have not only a defeat to avenge, but an embarrassment.”

Ael nodded. “At least, I doubt they intend to put troops into the Eisn system. I think their intention, should they come so far, would be wholesale destruction—to try to cut off the old enemy’s head, with the certainty that the body would fail soon after. We must be aware of them, and seek whatever intelligence we can quickly find to determine their objectives. Meanwhile, we must both unseat the government and still leave ch’Rihan and ch’Havran sufficiently capable of defending themselves that the Klingons, evaluating the situation, will decide that the space around Eisn is still too much trouble for them. The outworlds may yet fall under attack, but that will be a separate problem. Right now what is right before us—Augo first, and then Eisn—will be challenge enough.”

The door opened. Scotty came in, surveyed the group at the table. “May I join you?”

“Of course, Scotty,” Jim said. “We were just talking about you.”

“We were just talking about
haggis,”
McCoy said, making a most expressive face.

Scotty gave him an amused look as he went to the food
dispenser. “Burns Night’s not for months, Doctor. No need to break out the antacid just yet.”

McCoy smiled a sardonic smile as Scotty sat down with a large ham sandwich.

“And meantime,” Jim said, “we have one more problem to consider…and it’s potentially a worse one than anything that’s been happening here, or is about to happen in Eisn’s space.” He glanced over at Ael. “Commander, you won’t have had time to hear about this, but the information came to us from a ch’Rihan-based source that we both know.”

Ael looked up at that. “You mean our young Senator? So
Gorget
got back safely home out of that stour.”

“We don’t know that,” Jim said, “though I hope it did. Terise sent us this information before
Gorget
departed. We were warned by her of ‘an imminent, clandestine attack of a major and devastating nature on Federation space.’”

Ael nodded slowly. “That is something I was half expecting,” she said. “The Empire’s uncertainties about this upcoming war are great; they are none too sure, I would guess, of their ability to manage two fronts at once. But the technology…Is it something to do with Sunseed, perhaps?”

“We have only guesswork at the moment,” Spock said, and the flat sound of his voice left no doubt as to how little he disliked guesswork. “But one piece of data has commanded my attention since we parted company with the rest of the Federation task force at RV Trianguli.” He folded his hands, with the fingers steepled, and looked past them. “You will recall my scans of the vessel
Pillion,
eventually revealing the second cloaked vessel ‘riding’ on the first.”

“Yes,” Jim said.

“Then you will possibly recall that there were two such vessels in that engagement that displayed doubled readings.
Hheirant
was the other.”

“
Hheirant
was destroyed!” Scotty said.

“Yes, Mr. Scott. But I have no evidence that the source of
the secondary reading she was carrying was destroyed as well. In fact, I have circumstantial evidence, though no better, to suggest that it was
not.
I have carefully reviewed my scan records. My last successful scan for the ‘new’ cloaking waveform, just after the battle began, shows the secondary scan still present, but somewhat dislocated from
Hheirant
herself.”

“Jettisoned,” Jim said.

“Possibly,” said Spock. “The data is difficult to read. As you know, the energy discharges of a battle situation can adversely affect scan, and local space was full of phaser discharge and stripped-ion artifact at that point. In any event, the object, let us say vessel, producing that waveform cannot be accounted for as destroyed in the engagement. I would estimate fairly high odds that it escaped under cloak. I would also speculate that that is exactly what it was intended to do.”

“They were holding those vessels in reserve right under our noses,” Scotty said. “One to use to attack
Bloodwing.
The other—”

“It is impossible to say exactly what its purpose is,” said Spock. “But I am nearly certain that it left that area under cloak, having been missed in the confusion.”

“Probably exactly as someone intended,” Jim said. He sat there, brooding darkly for a few moments. “Let’s assume it was carrying some new kind of weapon. But God only knows
what
kind. They got it as close as they could to Federation space, under cover, and then…Would that vessel be manned, do you think, Spock?”

Spock frowned. “Logic would seem to suggest so. Indeed, if that vessel carries the prototype of a new weapon sufficiently powerful to endanger Earth despite all the planet’s mobile and static defenses, I cannot believe the Romulans would be so reckless as to send it off into enemy space on a critical mission without either escort or supervision, especially if the technology is new.”

Jim sighed. “Well, as we’ve agreed, this is information we must get back to Starfleet. But if you’re right, and even the new codes have already been compromised…”

Then Jim paused. Codes or no codes, someone inside Starfleet Command had purposely sent Ael to a place where she would be ambushed. Someone inside Starfleet Command, too, had sent them out these new communications ciphers. Once again the hair stood up on the back of Jim’s neck at the thought that, somewhere, very high up in the command structure to which he was subject, and unsuspected, treason was quietly festering.

“We have to find some other way to get this news home,” Jim said. “And there’s no time to waste with message buoys this time. The message has to move at least as fast as subspace radio. But it has to be something that can’t be read by anyone else but Starfleet.”
Though how do we make sure that information won’t be somehow denatured when it gets there? Made safe, or unavailable, by the same person or persons who’s been secretly working against us.

Scotty looked uncomfortable. “You’re not asking much.”

“Miracles, as usual, Scotty. Nothing more.”

Scotty sighed. “I’d go out for a quiet stroll on the lake to think, but there’s none handy. Still, I’ll do what I can. I’ll have a chat with K’s’t’lk as well; she may be able to suggest something novel.”

“‘May’ be able to?” McCoy muttered, and shook his head.

Jim nodded. “Good enough.” He turned back to his first officer. “Spock, was there anything else in Lieutenant Haleakala-LoBrutto’s data that might give you even a
guess
as to what the nature of this weapon might be?”

“There was only the suggestion that it would be able to devastate Earth’s whole solar system if it reached its target,” Spock said. “I can think of various ways to produce such a result, given near-infinite power. But as for imagining a device
so capable, which can also be attached to a ship like
Hheirant,
and successfully cloaked…” He shook his head. “At best, all we can be sure of is that even at high warp, Sol’s system is distant enough from RV Trianguli that it would take a vessel at least ten days to reach it. But if we are to warn Starfleet to any effect, much less to be able to suggest a defense against whatever this weapon may be, we need much more data.”

They all sat quiet for a few moments. “Well,” Jim said at last, “we have at least a couple of ‘halcyon days’ to sit quiet here and rummage around in our hats for some rabbits. Let’s make the best of them. Scotty, how are your repairs coming along?”

“At good speed, Captain. We’ve got another eighteen hours or so of spares replacements and recalibrations to do, then we’re fit to run at full speed again.”

“Good. Spock?”

“Gentlemen—”

They all looked over at Ael.

“The soup was excellent,” she said, “and so is your company, but the last forty hours have been unusually wearing, and I have briefings aplenty waiting me aboard
Bloodwing.
I should get back there and take them, before I do you all the discourtesy of dozing off at table. May we meet tomorrow?”

They rose as she did. “Whenever you like, Commander,” Jim said. “Call when you’re ready.”

She bowed to them all, with a weary flash of smile for Jim, and left. McCoy looked after her. As the door closed, and they sat down again, he said to Jim, “That’s an admission you wouldn’t usually have heard from her.”

“What? That she’s tired?” Jim said. “Why wouldn’t she be? Adrenaline can only take you so far. It’s within the few hours after you finish an engagement that the reaction sets in really hard. I’m tired too. And we’re all going to feel more or less that way before we’re done.
You
can’t be any better.
How many hours did you and M’Benga spend in surgery?”

“Believe it or not, barely one and a half,” McCoy said. “But it does feel like months, afterward.” He stretched, rubbed the back of his neck. “There are a few steps I can take for all of us: help manage the lactose buildup in the muscles, some other things. Myself, I favor meditation. But the best treatment for the fatigue is to see that it was all for some good purpose. That man down there is alive, when he wasn’t meant to be.”

“That’s another thing. When can I see him?”

“I’d let him alone for a while more, Jim. Though when he’s thinking about the subject—Gurrhim’s urgent enough about wanting to see you—his strength’s not up to long conversations right now. He tends to drop off in midsentence. While he’s still that tired, I prefer to let him keep on sleeping and healing, and not provide him with stimuli that’re likely to impair his ability to rest.”

“No problem. It can wait a little while more.”

“There were other matters I wished to discuss with you, Captain,” Spock said, “but I was not entirely willing to do so with the Commander here. To begin with, we will shortly be hearing from Starfleet, and I suspect the communications will be rather…” He trailed off.

“Tense?” McCoy said. “Why in the world would
that
be?”

“Bones,” Jim said. “A little too much irony in your diet lately? Spock, the issue’s been on my mind. I have a few messages I need to get off before we leave this area of space where communication has been so, shall we say, difficult. After that we will run ‘silent’ until we reach Augo. And after that…”

“They can court-martial us
in absentia,”
Scotty said, and his tone of voice was almost cheerful.

“I’d like to prevent that if I could, Mr. Scott,” Jim said, “but it’s nice to see you taking it so well.”

“You are expecting,” Spock said, “that matters at Augo will so transpire as to leave Starfleet willing to—”

“Keep on giving us rope,” McCoy said.

“Our legal status is complex,” Jim said.
And that’s putting it mildly!
He regretted once more not having had some time to sit down with Sam Cogley, while they were all at RV Trianguli, for the purpose of discussing with him some completely hypothetical situations that were becoming less hypothetical by the moment.
Well, it’ll have to wait.