Crossover - Michael Jan Friedman [37]
Spock looked at him. “I see,” he replied.
Belan looked back over his shoulder to make sure there were no guards within earshot. Then he turned to the Vulcan again.
“We are planning an escape, Teacher. I have come to ask all present, and for you as well, to join us.”
Spock frowned ever so slightly. “You must know,” he said, “that your chances of success are slim indeed. All who try will almost certainly perish.”
By the determined look on Belan’s face, he could see that the Romulan had already considered this.
“We accept the risk,” Belan told him, “and the odds against us. If we live, our efforts will have been vindicated. If we die, our deaths will point up the absurdity and waste of the Romulan system. However, if we do not try, we will die anyway, and then our deaths will serve no meaningful purpose.”
He met the Teacher’s gaze. “It is just not our way, to wait for death. It may be weakness on our part, but we cannot deny who we are. We must meet our fate head-on.”
Ultimately, the Vulcan could not argue with Belan’s logic. He had made the point himself to Skrasis moments ago. Infinite diversity
“How do you intend to prevent the infiltrator from alerting the authorities to your plans?” Spock asked.
Belan shrugged. “Admittedly, a problem. However, we are asking that none of us remain alone for any period of time. It will be impossible for the spy to signal anyone if he or she is constantly in the company of others. Of course, we would not presume to ask you, Teacher—”
“Unnecessary,” the Vulcan interrupted. “I will comply with your request.”
“But you will not join us?” Belan asked.
Spock shook his head. “Like you, I must be true to my own nature.”
Belan turned to the others in the room. “Any who wish to link their fortunes to ours, come now. We have preparations to make.”
For a moment, no one moved. Then two of the Romulans who’d been listening to the Vulcan got up to join Belan. Both of them were Constantharines.
But neither of them was Skrasis. The youth remained seated, meeting neither Spock’s gaze nor Belan’s.
The Vulcan stood to face Belan and his two compatriots.
“Live long and prosper,” he told them. “May you find what you seek.”
The three of them returned the gesture. “Thank you,” Belan replied.
“You have a single-mindedness that I have experienced before,” Spock observed. “You refuse to accept your fate even when it is inevitable. That is an almost human quality.”
Belan studied his teacher, as if to find clarification in the Vulcan’s face. “Is that a criticism, Teacher?”
Spock almost smiled.
“No,” he assured the Romulan. “It is not.
***
“This time, when Eragian went over the day’s briefs, he looked for news from Constanthus. Surprisingly, there wasn’t any.
Most of what he perused was mundane—reports on minor military victories and resource allotments. The proconsul was about to shut off the screen when the last item caught his eye.
He read it again, more closely. Then he turned to Lennex, who had been standing by in his silent and disciplined way.
“Why was I not informed of this immediately?” the proconsul asked, pointing to the item.
The Tal Shiar looked at him. “It did not seem to merit special attention,” he explained.
Eragian was genuinely surprised. “A Federation starship crosses the Neutral Zone—with a Romulan cloaking device aboard—and that does not merit special attention?”
The tone of the proconsul’s voice would have cowered most other officers, but Lennex was unflappable. “Your Eminence, the ship is at least one hundred years old, as is the cloaking device. It had no crew, only a single addled and middle-aged human. Neither he nor the ship ever posed a threat to our security. What’s more, the warbird commander is preparing to interrogate him, after which he will dispose of the ship—and most likely, the human as well.”
“The human is said to be a Starfleet officer,” Eragian pointed out. “Have you checked his service record?”
The Tal Shiar shook his head. “He was not identified, either by name or by image.”
“And you tolerated that lack of information? I’m surprised,