Articles of the Federation - Keith R. A. DeCandido [11]
“I believe that Captain Hostetler Richman is correct, Madam President.” Raisa leaned forward, her feet now touching the floor. “I believe these are Reman refugees.”
“Based on what?” Jas sounded annoyed. So was Nan, but for different reasons.
“Because Remans have never operated in Miridian. They have not had to. It is a system that was taken by the Romulans approximately fifteen years ago.”
“Okay, I’m missing a step here,” Nan said. “What does that time frame have to do with anything?”
“It is not the time frame, Madam President, my apologies-it is that the Miridian system has an indigenous life-form that has provided the slave labor that, in other parts of the empire, has traditionally been performed by the Remans. Since Shinzon’s coup, the Miridians have also risen up, and with their infrastructure in tatters, the Romulans have been unable to quell the uprising.”
Holly picked the ball back up. “We’ve been getting reports of the Miridians creating a kind of underground rail-road- supplying ships and methods of getting out of Romulan space.”
Nan nodded. “That explains the clapped-out ship.” She thought for a moment, then looked at her secretary of defense. “Raisa, what do you think?”
“We must turn them back.”
All three of the other people in the room looked at Raisa with shock. Nan snapped, “Excuse me?”
Before Raisa could answer, Jas added, “Assuming these are refugees-and I’m not a hundred percent sold that they are-we can’t turn them back.”
“We have to turn them back,” Raisa said in a hard voice.
“How the hell can I justify that?” Nan asked incredulously. “How the hell can I tell people fleeing Romulan oppression- “
“They are not fleeing Romulan oppression, Madam President.”
Nan frowned. “Don’t be ridiculous, of course they- “
Holly’s eyes widened. “She’s right, ma’am, they aren’t.”
Looking over at Jas, Nan asked, “You want to interrupt me, too?”
Jas pursed his lips. “Ma’am, they’re right. All Remans residing in Romulan space currently live under the protection of the Klingon Empire.”
“What do you- ” Then Nan put it together. “Oh, dammit.”
Raisa put her hands together in front of her chest. “If we grant the Remans’ request for asylum- “
“Assuming that’s what it is,” Jas added.
Knew he’d get his interruption in there somewhere, Nan thought irritably.
Nodding to Jas, Raisa said, “Assuming that, yes, then we will be violating our treaty with the Klingons.”
“Unless we clear it with the Klingons first,” Holly added.
Nan snorted. “Want to lay odds what they’ll say if we ask?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Yeah, me either.” She shook her head. “How long do we have?”
Holly frowned. “Ma’am?”
“How long until that ship reaches the Federation border?”
“Eight weeks, ma’am.”
Nan opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. “Eight weeks?”
“Yes, ma’am. They’ll be in communications range in six weeks.” Holly’s lips curled up a bit. “Those old ships are very slow, ma’am-and the outpost sensors are very good.”
“Apparently.” Nan sighed. “All right, fine, keep an eye on it, maybe get a Starfleet ship over there just in case.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Raisa put her hands down on her lap. “Madam President, I believe you should speak with our ambassador to Qo’noS.”
Jas rolled his eyes. “What the hell good would that do?”
“To take the High Council’s temperature, so to speak. It is possible that they will be willing to let us take some of the Remans off their hands.”
“They won’t.” Jas folded his arms. “And the new ambassador won’t have any clue what- “
Nan took some pleasure in being the interrupter this time. “Ambassador Rozhenko has lived in the empire for the last six years. It’s worth talking to him, anyhow.”
Shaking his head, Jas said, “It’s a waste of time.”
“You’ve made your feelings abundantly clear, Jas,” Nan said witheringly. “What else?”
They went over security concerns regarding various other governments.