Dragon's Honor - Kij Johnson [5]
“But why are we here?” Riker asked. “With all due respect to your own diplomatic accomplishments, this doesn’t sound like a job for a starship.”
“No offense taken, Number One,” Picard said sincerely. I have my vices, he thought, but vanity is not one of them. “The treaty needs to be signed in person by a representative of the Federation, and the Dragon insisted on a Starfleet commander rather an ambassador; apparently, they place great stock in an individual’s military prowess.”
“Ah,” Worf said approvingly, “an honorable people.” Troi, seated between Worf and Riker, could not suppress a smile at the predictability of the Klingon warrior’s response.
“I hope to find them so,” Picard said. “And yet it is not clear that the Pai fully comprehend the danger facing them. The treaty is not yet ratified and there is some concern that, even if the wedding goes off as scheduled, the Dragon might have second thoughts about joining the Federation. Sending the Enterprise, the flagship of the fleet, to the wedding is a high-profile goodwill gesture intended to ease the treaty’s passage. More importantly, it also gives me a chance to meet with the Dragon in person, and to convince him of the utter necessity of accepting the Federation’s aid against the G’kkau.”
“Do you think the G’kkau will try to interfere with the wedding?” Riker asked. Picard was glad to see that his first officer had already worked through all the implications of their assignment. He could count on Will Riker to make sure nothing caught them by surprise.
“Given our ‘chance meeting’ with Master Kakkh of the Fang,” he said, “I think we can practically guarantee it. Without the marriage, the civil wars are likely to resume. Without a unified government, the Dragon Empire cannot join the Federation. Without Starfleet’s assistance, the Pai will be wiped out by the G’kkau.”
“For the G’kkau,” Riker observed, “that’s a pretty good incentive for breaking up the wedding.”
Picard nodded. “It may prove just as well that the Federation sent the Enterprise to this event instead of a strictly diplomatic delegation.”
“Captain,” Deanna Troi asked, “suppose the G’kkau were to attack before the wedding could be completed?”
“Within limits the Prime Directive would apply,” Picard said grimly. “Unless they request our aid the Pai would be on their own.” He hoped it wouldn’t come to that. The Prime Directive was a wise and necessary principle, essential to the evolution of entire societies, but it could exact a cruel toll on an individual’s conscience. As captain of the Enterprise, he had too often found himself forced to stand by helplessly when faced with tragedies both small and great, all to preserve the Federation’s ancient doctrine of noninterference. In the greater scheme of things, it was the right thing to do; still, his sleep was sometimes troubled by memories of history’s innocent victims. Not this time, he promised himself. I will see the wedding concluded, and the Pai delivered into the safety and security of the Federation, even if I have to perform the ceremony myself! “Any questions?” he asked the assembled officers. “Suggestions?”
Geordi shrugged. “From a technical standpoint, there’s not much I can do to engineer a happy marriage. If we want to make a good impression, though, perhaps I could put together some sort of high-tech entertainment for the wedding. A really snazzy fireworks display maybe.”
“An excellent idea, Mr. La Forge,” Picard said, proud of Geordi’s initiative. “Every little bit helps.”
“Yeah,” Geordi said enthusiastically, visibly brimming over with ideas. “Fireworks. That’s the ticket. Some lasers, some fluorescent isotopes, and quantum discharges … Captain, I think I can promise you a light show that the Pai will never forget.”
“A prismatic shift in forcefield frequencies might also produce an aesthetically