Articles of the Federation - Keith R. A. DeCandido [27]
“Do we have anything new?” Bacco asked, not wasting any time.
“A bit, ma’am,” Hostetler Richman said. “Outpost 13 detected disruptor fire of both Klingon and Romulan design in the T’Met system, as well as at least three Klingon Karas-class strike ships and one Romulan D’Deridex-class warbird.”
“So the Romulan military’s getting into it with the Klingons. Who fired first?”
Hostetler Richman hesitated. Abrik did not. “We don’t know, Madam President.”
“Why the hell not?”
Abrik managed to restrain himself from saying, Because sensors aren’t magical detectors that read everything at all ranges, and if you had any hard experience of anything outside Cestus III, you’d know that. “The outpost’s sensors have gaps, and one of those gaps is when the exchange of fire started. When the gap ends, both sides are going at it.”
Hostetler Richman added, “Thirteen is the closest outpost to T’Met, but that doesn’t mean it’s exactly close, ma’am. There are limits to what we can detect.”
Piniero asked Rozhenko, “Mr. Ambassador, what’s the High Council saying?”
“Nothing yet-they’re waiting for a report from Captain J’kral-he’s the one who led the strike ships-but General Khegh is pretty sure that the Romulans fired first.”
“Right.” Abrik snorted. “It’s not like they’d say anything else.”
T’Latrek was sitting serenely with her hands together, her index fingers steepled. “The Romulans would not fire first unless they were provoked.”
Shostakova leaned forward. “Some in the Romulan military would view the Klingons’ very presence as a provocation.”
Bacco said, “Didn’t that ship pretty much sail when this whole shebang started? They agreed to this arrangement.”
“They agreed reluctantly,” Hostetler Richman said. “And some fleet commanders might not have liked the arrangement all that much.”
Akaar’s voice was surprisingly subdued. “I believe the problem may be more fundamental than that. Since Shinzon’s coup, the Romulan military is in disarray. Where once they were united under the political guidance of the praetor and the senate and the spiritual leadership of the emperor, they now have neither. Emperor Shiarkiek was assassinated during the Dominion War and never replaced, which created a crisis within the Romulan hierarchy that was made all the worse by the Watraii affair. Shinzon had some of the Romulan military on his side-and plenty of it against him. With their fleet already sundered, they have splintered even further with this new arrangement. There are at least five different factions vying for power-six if you count the Remans. Any action taken by a Romulan ship cannot be taken as sanctioned by the Romulan government as a whole because right now the Romulan government’s authority is limited.”
Bacco let out a breath. “This is just going to get worse when those Remans hit Outpost 22, isn’t it?”
“Probably,” Piniero said.
“Definitely.” Councillor Molmaan spoke with more finality than the chief of staff. “President Bacco, I think that we should send ships into Romulan space. It’s the only way to guarantee peace in the region.”
“I must disagree with the councillor from Zaldan,” Mazibuko said in a quiet voice. “Adding more armed ships to the equation is unlikely to guarantee anything resembling peace.”
Molmaan glowered at Mazibuko. “I’d expect you to say that. But the only thing that will keep Klingon and Romulan passions in check is the presence of the Federation. Otherwise I guarantee there will be a war.”
“War’s never a guarantee, Councillor,” Bacco said, “and it’s a last resort, not a first one.”
“For us, maybe. Not for the Klingons, nor the Romulans.”
“I disagree,” T’Latrek said. “Where Klingons seek battle for its own sake, Romulans do not-they only seek battles they can win.”
Abrik was about to point out that they were getting off-topic