Power Hungry Part 26

"And if he's not buried there, then what?"

Picard spread his hands uncertainly. "Then you'll know the government lied about his death twenty years ago. And you'll have a solid reason to continue your quest for the truth about his fate."

"That's the best we can do, Mori," Riker said.

"I hope it's enough."

"It's better than anyone ever offered me before,"

she said with an acquiescent shrug. "I guess it'll have to do."

Three figures dressed in billowy robes, with loose hoods shading their heads, shimmered inffbeing on a cobblestone walk in Bareesh's memorial park.

The path on which they had materialized was one of a dozen fanning out like a sunburst from a central plaza with a building that looked like an administrative office. Each ray was connected to the others by short paths in between, subdividing each segment of the whole. Riker realized they were in a gently sloped valley, with the walkways going up over the surrounding hills and out of sight. He didn't want to spend any more time here than they had to. "Mori, which way?"

For a moment, she looked lost. "Umm-wait a minute. Okay-up this way. Had to get my bearings comI'm not used to beaming into places. Takes a second to figure out directions." She led them along a connecting path and halfway up the hill, which was matted with the brittle remains of gra.s.s too long deprived of water. Riker took a quick look around at the grave markers and mausoleums. There were no representational statues, no literal images. Instead, Thiopans favored geometrical headstones and obelisks. Mori's steps slowed as she caught sight of a white pyramid, rising tall and stately above the graves around it. It was made of a marbled stone, with an epitaph and dates chiseled into one side at eye level. "What does it say?" Dr. Pulaski asked.

Mori stood in bitter silence. When she spoke, her 255 voice was edged with disbelief. "Evain-The Truth of Thiopa Saved His Soul."

Riker motioned to Pulaski and she snapped open her tricorder. He tried to put a rea.s.suring arm around Mori, but she shook it off and stared at the graven words as if trying to burn them into oblivion.

The words of those who had imprisoned her father because of the things he'd said and written. Words that mocked his life and his memory.

Pulaski turned off her tricorder. "There's someone in there, all right." Mori didn't hear.

She'd left Riker and circled to a blank side of the tomb, reaching out to touch it.

"Hey!" A voice called from down the hillside. Riker turned to see a guard laboring up the slope toward them. "Hey!" he shouted again.

"This place is closed. How did you get in here?"

Riker grabbed Mori by the wrist, reached under his cloak and touched his communicator. "Enterprise, this is Riker. Energize, now. his They materialized in the secure confines of the starship's transporter chamber. Mori nearly stumbled as she came down the steps. "He's in there," she whispered in a numb voice.

Kate Pulaski gripped her by the shoulders, gently but firmly. "Mori, listen to me. All we know is that someone is inside that tomb. But we don't know if it's your father."

"Who else would it be?"

"It could be anybody," Riker said. He found himself annoyed that she was so ready to let go of her faint hope, so ready to forget how much she distrusted the government that had imprisoned her father all those years ago. Then he chastised himself for having seen Mori only the way she'd wanted to be seen-as a tough desert fighter capable of shooting down an entire air squadron and more than willing to die in the attempt. Right now she was a trembling young woman overwhelmed by the possible reality of the death of a father she could barely remember. His expression softened. "They could have buried any dead prisoner and said it was your father."

"Do you want to know?" Pulaski asked.

Mori managed a nod. "I have to."

"Then we have to go back to sickbay so I can take a genetic I.d. on you and compare it to the readings I got from the remains inside the tomb. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Doctor."

Picard sat in the ready room just off the Enterprise bridge, elbows propped on his desk, fingers steepled, eyes focused in far-off thought. With Riker's safe return and Undrun's retrieval, he would be able to leave all this bad business on Thiopa behind, knowing at least that his ship's complement was intact. For all the brave ship-captain talk about no single person being more important than any other, and about every life aboard being secondary to the survival of the ship and the majority of her crew, no commander could accept the loss of a crew member or pa.s.senger without losing a piece of himself in the bargain, without feeling that he'd failed. I'm responsible for every life on this vessel-and every life is sacred. For one more day, at least, that was one internal conflict he wouldn't have to fight.

He was also pleased that he'd established a 257 dialogue, however tenuous it might be, with Lessandra and the Sojourners. The people most in need would get at least some measure of relief from the two shipments of food and supplies he'd beamed down to drought-stricken Endraya. But the most difficult loose end remained loose: what, if anything, was he to do about Thiopa's long-term difficulties? Data had given a.s.surances that his projections of Thiopa's bleak environmental future carried with them a 97.8876 percent probability, if none of the worst-case variables were affected for the better by positive steps. And Picard had shared Data's astonished reaction at Dr. Kael Keat's ready admissions. Data still couldn't grasp the notion of overlooking the truth to enhance one's personal power. Picard could understand it, but that didn't make it any easier for him to accept it. And the revelation that Thiopa's chief scientist didn't think indisputable conclusions of ever-darkening disaster were reason enough to alter her empire-building strategies-well, that certainly was a bad omen.

Starfleet and Federation regulations and laws were clear: it was not the Federation's place to tell the rest of creation how to live ... but sometimes some crea tures were so d.a.m.ned stupid ,-Picard caught that thought before it could fully emerge. The legal code he'd sworn to uphold by accepting his Starlleet corn mission limited his actions. But it didn't relieve him of his conscience.

Captain's Personal Log, Supplemental.

I face a decision that is both difficult and simple.

In spite of the paradox there, such decisions are all too common in this line of work. The simple part is this: I feel morally bound to present Thiopa's leaders -both government and Sojourner-with the fads as we know them to be. And to offer our help, if they ask for it. After that, it's up to them. That is the hard part.

All eyes turned toward JeanLuc Picard as he came out of his ready room onto the bridge.

He took his seat between Riker, now cleaned up and back in uniform, and Counselor Troi. "You look as if you've made up your mind," she said.

He nodded. "We will not turn our backs on people in need," he said with quiet fort.i.tude. "Not unless they force us to."

"What about the Federation, sir?" Riker said.

"It's not likely they're going to want to prop up a poor leader with a shaky grip on power."

"True enough, Number One. But that's for the Federation Council to decide, not one starship captain and his first officer. Lieutenant Worf, open two channels to Thiopa, please."

"Aye, sir. Channels open."

"Enterprise to Thiopan Communications Network.

A brisk male voice replied. "Thiopa responding, Enterprise."

"This is Captain Picard. I would like to speak to Sovereign Protector Stross."

"Please stand by, Captain Picard." A moment later, the voice returned. "Putting you through to Protector Stross's office-visual signal."

The main bridge viewer switched from orbital image of the planet to the inside of Stross's office, where the Thiopan leader sat at his desk.

Next to him 259 stood Policy Minister Ootherai. "Captain Picard ... Sorry we haven't been able to find out anything about your missing officer."

"We have obtained his release from the Sojourners."

Stross seemed unperturbed. "So you had direct contact with them, then?" he noted mildly. "They're considered criminal terrorists here, Captain. Your talking to them isn't going to sit well with-was "The details and consequences of that contact are not the purpose of this communication." Picard's tone was direct and controlled.

"Oh? What is?"

"The consequences of Thiopa's lack of regard for its own future. I have a decision to make-whether or not to give your government the rest of the emergency supplies. Would you stand by, please?" He didn't give Stross a chance to dissent. "Mute audio." He paused for a moment as Worf cut the sound portion of their signal. "Captain Picard to Lessandra. Come in, please."

After a moment, they heard her crusty voice over the speaker. "Is that how I get this thing to work?"

"Yes, it is. We hear you, Lessandra,"

Picard said.

"Captain, did you get Riker back alive?"

"Alive and unharmed. We also brought Mori aboard temporarily-some unfinished business.

We'll transport her down shortly."

"We got word from Crossroads that you sent down the supplies you promised. You're an honorable man, Captain-thank you. We'll see that the people who need help get it."

"That was only a fraction of what we've brought help Thiopa. What we do with the remaining aid depends on how you respond to my next proposal."

"Try it."

"I propose a conference between you and Protector Stross-was "Never, was Lessandra spat. "I trusted him once-was "You don't have to trust an enemy in order to talk to him," Picard said forcefully. "This will be an electronic conference-right now. Lieutenant Worf, resume second-channel audio. Lord Stross, Lessandra comy may now speak directly to each other."

Stross's eyes were stormy. "Picard, if you think you can bully-was "I apologize for any rudeness, Lord Stross. I have a proposal, which I urge you to accept. It involves no risk on your part."

"What kind of proposal?"

"Talks between you and Lessandra."

"Stross doesn't want to talk any more than I do," Lessandra said. "We don't deal with criminals," Stross shot back.

"I'm not asking you to do that," Picard said. "In order to decide how to distribute the Federation relief supplies, I need to present some vital information to both of you first. In the interest of fairnessand our best effort to remain neutral, in your dispute-I wanted you both to hear this presentation at exactly the same moment. When I'm done, if either or both of you have nothing further to say, we'll cut off both signals:" He paused as the bridge doors opened, and Amba.s.sador Undrun emerged.

"The future of your world is at stake," Picard went 261 on. "Is it too much to ask that you both listen to what I have to say?" Stross's shoulders rose into a hostile hunch. "I'll listen."

"So will L" Lessandra's voice was equally antagonistic.

Picard thanked them, took a deep breath, then cited the litany of facts and projections Data had listed in his report. The greenhouse effect, its causes and consequences, the abuses inflicted on water and air, the savage exploitation of nonrenewable resources, the destruction of forests and other natural hedges against environmental ruin-all of it, leading to one inescapable conclusion: if Thiopans didn't change their ways and learn to cooperate-or at least coexist-their civilization faced certain collapse. The Federation could help avert it, if such help was requested. When he was finished, Picard felt drained. He'd been blunt, but believed there was no other way to convey to them the gravity of the crisis, and to circ.u.mvent the political posturing he expected from both sides.

During his lecture, Dr. Kael Keat had joined Ootherai at her leader's side in Stross's office. She was first to respond. "We don't dispute your facts, Captain Picard. And, as I told Commander Data, we're aware of the mistakes of the past and the problems they've caused for our world."

Picard leaned back in his seat. "But you do dispute our findings?" "Yes, I do. They're based on limited knowledge of the work we've been doing.

Long before the environmental catastrophe you're predicting, we will have 262 mended our ways. We'll also have mastered nature's mysteries. We will be in control."

Data started to say, "Dr. Keat-was But Picard cut him : "Mr.

Data, mind your post. It is-was Data turned, confusion in his eyes. "But, Captain, that is not-was "It is not our place to contradict Dr. Keat."

He addressed the Thiopans again. "What if your scientists can't produce this weather control miracle, Protector Stross?"

"We didn't get where we are by doubting science, Captain Picard."

"We trusted outsiders before," said Keat, "and that brought us to the brink of catastrophe, Captain.

We're never again going to let outsiders tell us what to do."

"What about you, Lessandra?" Picard asked.

"Do you also believe Thiopa is in no danger?"

"What if it is? The collapse of their civilization is what we want. If we can't bring it about, we'll wait for Mother World to punish them herself. Meanwhile, we can defend ourselves ... and comwhen she takes her vengeance for the ravages of others, we'll still be here." The old woman's voice was untroubled, almost stunning in its tranquillity. "We are caretakers-not conquerors."

Stross couldn't contain his fury. He rose from his chair. "I heard that, Lessandra!"

"I know you did."

"You can't stop Fusion-you can't stand in our way.

You can't stop us from building a future where your Mother World can't threaten us," Stross raged. The angrier Stross became, the more placid 263 Lessandra's voice grew. "We have the power because we have the sense to keep the circle intact."

"You and your circle!"

"We've heard enough," Captain Picard thundered. When the bickering on the comm channels subsided, he continued in a voice hushed by hopelessness. "You've given us little choice but to leave you to your own fate."

"What about the rest of the relief supplies, the food?" Lessandra wanted to know.

"Since it is apparent that your two sides are incapable of compromise or cooperation on even a small scale, I will transport half the remaining supplies to your people, Lessandra, and half to your government, Protector Stross."

"Captain," Stross protested, "I am the leader of this world's government."

Lessandra ignored her opponent's tirade.

"I knew you were an honorable man, Captain."

"This has nothing to do with honor. There seems to be all too little of that on Thiopa,"

Picard said sadly. "We're just completing our a.s.signment in the only feasible way."

"I'll register an official complaint with your Federation," Stross went on.

Frid Undrun suddenly spoke up, stepping to the center of the bridge to stand near Picard. "Feel free, Protector Stross. But I am the Aid Ministry's authorized emissary in this matter, and I concur completely with Captain Picard's judgment."

"Use what we give wisely," Picard said wearily. "I doubt there will be more."

Stross scoffed. "The Federation won't let us starve. You need us."

"Perhaps. But I wouldn't stake my future on it, if I were you. We'll beam the emergency supplies down within the hour. After that, we shall leave orbit. Picard out."

With communications ended, the viewscreen resumed displaying the hazy face of Thiopa. Riker stretched his long legs and sat back. "There's a view I won't miss."

"Nor I, Number One."