Dragon's Honor - Kij Johnson [4]
Besides, now that they were less than an hour from Pai, it was absolutely vital that he brief his officers as much as he was able. They had to be fully prepared for anything that might occur, both here and on the planet’s surface. He only wished there had been time to inform the crew earlier, but Starfleet had made it clear that time was of the utmost importance. Easy for them to say, he thought with touch of irritation. They don’t have to understand the intricacies of an entire civilization with minimal preparation and study. The diplomat in Jean-Luc Picard was offended by the very notion of negotiating from a position of relative ignorance; the Starfleet captain resolved to make the best of a bad situation.
“The Dragon Empire consists of slightly less than a dozen planets, all orbiting the same sun,” Picard continued.
Worf made a derisive snort. “One solar system hardly constitutes an empire,” he said.
“Perhaps not by the standards of the Klingons or the Romulans,” Picard conceded, “but it has a long history, dating back to the earliest days of human interstellar communication. Many researchers theorize that the Empire was originally settled by colonists from Earth’s Asian continent, sometime after the genetic wars. Indeed, our best data indicates that their society bears a strong resemblance to that of medieval China; it may be a deliberate recreation of an old Terran culture, not unlike the Native American communities established in what is now the Demilitarized Zone. Unfortunately, records from that era are sketchy, and historians from Earth have not been allowed on Pai since its rediscovery by Starfleet.” Someday, Picard thought, if all went well with his current mission, he wouldn’t mind leading an archaeological dig on Pai; it would be fascinating to compare the historical traces of the planet’s original settlers with comparable artifacts from twenty-first-century Asia. All that depended, of course, on there being a Dragon Empire left to visit. The G’kkau were not known for their sense of historical preservation.
“For several years now,” he explained, “the Dragon Empire has been divided by civil war. The Emperor, also known as the Dragon, faced a serious uprising led by Lord Lu Tung, a powerful noble. Not long ago, the Dragon’s forces put down the rebellion, but Lu Tung’s supporters remain numerous enough that the Dragon cannot deal with Lu Tung as decisively as he might like.”
“In other words,” Riker said, “he can’t just stake Lu Tung out on an anthill somewhere.”
“Precisely,” Picard said. “So a compromise has been worked out to prevent another war. The Emperor’s eldest son, the Dragon-Heir, will marry Lu Tung’s only daughter. This union will join the families and bring peace to the Empire. The bride, by the way, is known as”—Picard consulted his padd—”the Green Pearl of Lu Tung.”
“My God,” Beverly said, obviously amused, “this sounds like something out of The Mikado.”
“Indeed,” Picard agreed. He recalled that Beverly had recently staged an amateur production of that operetta as part of her ongoing Gilbert & Sullivan Festival. “Despite its humorous ring, though, this is a deadly serious business. Starfleet believes it is only a matter of time before the G’kkau invade Pai, expanding their own power and producing massive casualties throughout the Empire. Our own encounter with the G’kkau adds credence to this scenario. Starfleet has warned the Empire, and offered protection if the Empire elects to join the Federation; but the Federation