Dragon's Honor - Kij Johnson [20]
“We get the point, Data,” Troi interrupted gently. “Pai technology is not as primitive as it appears. Which stands to reason, of course; the Dragon Empire would not qualify for Federation membership otherwise.” A server came and laid several fresh dishes before them, then disappeared back into the tower. “Anyway,” she continued, “this sort of formal occasion is hardly the best way to judge everyday life on Pai. Ceremonial events tend to emphasize tradition over convenience. Even on Betazed, we’d never think of serving a replicated meal at a state banquet, although my mother once … Damn!” She rescued the trailing end of her right sleeve from a dish on the low table beside their couch. “These big sleeves keep getting in the way. How do you manage to keep yours so clean, Beverly?”
“Practice,” the doctor said, deftly lifting a sugared rice ball to her lips.
Troi gave her a dirty look, and tried to wipe a smear of sticky amber sauce off her robe. “Maybe this is the real reason Pai clothing is so heavily decorated,” she said ruefully. “Stains don’t show.”
“That seems unlikely, Counselor,” Data commented. “A high degree of ornamentation is displayed in almost all their artifacts, even when that ornamentation is so small as to be indiscernible, as with the chamberlain’s monocle.”
“His monocle?” Beverly asked.
“Yes,” Data explained, “the metal ring containing the lens is engraved with a very detailed rendition of seventeen nightingale-like avians flying through a tropical forest. More indirect evidence of advanced technology: a laser would most likely be required to execute the engraving with such microscopic detail.”
“Which you can see?” Troi said.
“Dr. Soong provided me with excellent eyes,” Data said. He scanned the courtyard, observing and cataloging the many instances of elaborate decoration on both the furnishings and the diners’ attire. “It is interesting. Most cultures, having reached this level of surface ornamentation, go into a backlash of sorts, when they begin to simplify, often to as great an extreme. I wonder when—” He stopped speaking suddenly, his attention caught by a sudden glint of light near the door through which the servers came and went.
Nearly invisible in the flickering glow of the paper lanterns, something small and silvery hung motionless in midair. Data estimated it was approximately 5.87402 meters away from where he now sat—and 8.00003 meters from the Dragon and the other personages upon the dais. He stood up slowly, being careful not to overturn the uneaten delicacies arranged around him.
“Data?” Troi asked. “Is anything wrong?”
“That is what I am attempting to determine, Counselor,” he said, keeping his gaze fixed upon the tiny, floating object.
The device glinted again, and Data realized that it was turning itself, as if scenting the air for something. Or someone. He stepped toward it as it began drifting away from the eastern tower, gathering speed as it moved. The object was clearly aiming for someone on the dais. He eyed the angles and made some quick internal calculations. He did not wish to create a disturbance, but …
A servant, bearing a tray of steaming fruit jellies, stepped between Data and the object, blocking his view. “Please be seated,” the servant began, “and enjoy these humble refreshments. They are called the Blessings of Summer’s Last Rejoicing, and—”
There was no time to explain. Data seized the servant by his shoulders and swung him out of the way. Startled, the man stumbled backward, eliciting a cry of alarm from Troi as the Blessings of Summer’s Last Rejoicing slid off his tray into her lap. “Data! What in the world?” Beverly exclaimed, even as Data quickly located the mysterious device once more, hovering only 1.2488 centimeters from where he had last seen it.
Abruptly, it darted forward in a straight line for the dais and its occupants. Data noted its acceleration and reacted appropriately.