A Time for War, a Time for Peace - Keith R. A. DeCandido [47]
“A Bajoran delicacy. You can blame Captain Sisko for getting me addicted to it.” Ross smiled. “Have a taste.”
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, Scotty thought as he scooped up some of the food into his fork. Gingerly, he tasted it.
“Not bad,” said as diplomatically as he could, then quickly gulped down as much of his hot tea as he could stand.
“It’s an acquired taste.”
” ‘Twould seem I haven’t acquired it, then.” He swallowed, which only made the taste linger. “I’ll stick with this, I think.”
“Fair enough.”
Scotty took a bite of his chop, the replicated alien meat doing much to alleviate the stain on his taste buds left by the hasperat—not to mention the awful stench of that Klingon sewer water they called coffee. Even after ten years in the twenty-fourth century, even after the Dominion War, even after having been present for the writing and signing of the Khitomer Accords, Scotty still had trouble wrapping his mind around the idea of the Klingon Empire as a Federation ally. “You made quite the impression the other day, throwin’ your hat in with that governor woman.”
” ‘That governor woman’ is quite impressive in her own right. She negotiated a treaty with both the Gorns and the Metrons.” Ross smiled. “You more than anyone should appreciate that accomplishment, since you were there for first contact with both of them.”
“As far as I’m concerned, they can both go hang. I cannot say what’s worse, what the Gorn did to Cestus III or what the Metrons did to the Enterprise.” He sighed. “Still, I suppose ‘tis better to be at peace. I’m sure she’ll make a fine president, should she win, especially as you’ve chosen not to run.”
“I don’t want the job. And I wanted to support someone who wouldn’t force me to—” Ross hesitated. “I just don’t want to get into that level of decision making anymore. I’ve had my share of that. At this point, I’m content to live out my career as a simple bureaucrat.”
Scotty barked a laugh. ” ‘Tis nothing simple about that, as you well know, Admiral. Still, I don’t blame you for turnin’ down the nomination, though I have to confess, I don’t follow politics overmuch.”
“You’re better off. Besides, I’m sure the politics of dealing with bureaucrats like me is more than enough for you.” Ross smiled again as he scooped more hasperat into his mouth.
“Aye, that it is.”
After swallowing his food, Ross said, “Scotty, we could spend all day making small talk, or you can get to the point of this lunch. I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve got an afternoon full of meetings here, and then an evening full of them with Governor Bacco’s staff in Venezia.”
Scotty nodded as he chewed his meat. Ross was a busy man, and it was only Scotty’s own reputation that allowed him to carve out the time to have this lunch. “I understand that Admiral Nakamura has added the Enterprise to the inspection list.”
“Yes.” Ross’s voice contained a slight note of annoyance. “Honestly, I think that Nakamura concocted the entire inspection tour as an excuse to give Picard a thorough going-over, and waited until now to put them on the list to cover his tracks. Not,” he added quickly, “that I think the tours are a bad idea. The transition to peace has been a difficult one, and in light of what happened with Zife and Azernal being forced to resign—well, let’s just say it’s for the best.”
Recognizing the look on Ross’s face—that of someone who’d said more than he should—Scotty didn’t ask him to pursue the matter, though this was the first that he’d heard anything about the president and chief of staff being forced to resign. Still, between that and the sentence Ross didn’t finish earlier, Scotty was starting to wonder just what exactly went on in the upper reaches of the Federation government over the past few months. However, he’d been in Starfleet long enough to know that things were classified for a reason. Not always a good reason, mind, but still for a reason.
“I’d like to ask you a favor, William.”
That got Ross’s attention. Scotty rarely referred to a superior officer by anything