Dragon's Honor - Kij Johnson [72]
“Actually, there is,” Troi said brightly. “Perhaps you can arrange to have a bottle of Romulan ale beamed directly to the Dragon’s quarters?” She treated the Dragon to a captivating smile. “It’s a wonderful potion, Exalted One, perfect for romantic evenings.”
And likely to knock the Dragon off his feet, Picard deduced, on top of all the wine the Emperor has already consumed. He had to admire Deanna’s ingenuity, even though he still felt distinctly uncomfortable about allowing her to pursue this plan. I should probably not mention this turn of events, he thought, to either Worf or Riker.
Chapter Eleven
“THEY MUST BE AWARE we are still here,” Lieutenant Melilli said. “Even without knowing how good their sensors are, we are a large ship and making no secret of our presence.”
Aboard the bridge of the Enterprise, Data continued to monitor the relentless progress of the G’kkau fleet toward Pai. Any probability that the mere existence of the Enterprise in orbit around Pai would serve to deter the G’kkau invasion was rapidly sinking below .0001. “They do not appear concerned by our presence,” he concluded.
“Why wouldn’t they be, sir?” Melilli asked. “We are a Federation starship, hardly a negligible threat.”
“Either they are overconfident, due to their superiority in numbers, or they are fully aware of the political factors limiting our responses.” Data recalled his most recent conversation with the captain. The current prognosis for the treaty was not encouraging.
“Which way could it be?” Melilli wondered aloud. The distinctive creases on the bridge of her nose seemed to wrinkle together as she pondered the possibilities.
“There is one possible way of finding out,” Data stated calmly. “Ensign Kamis, hail the G’kkau fleet.”
Melilli looked quizzical. Data was not surprised that Melilli appeared puzzled by his command. As a former Bajoran freedom fighter, her first instincts were usually to shoot first and talk later. Much later.
“They know we are here,” he explained. “Perhaps we can convince them not to proceed further.” Data maintained a serene, inscrutable expression. “It is what is known in poker, Lieutenant, as a bluff.”
“A color-blind unicorn finds the left-handed virgin,” commented the Speaker of Aphorisms, “as the crescent moon dips twice in the same soup.”
“Er, exactly,” Riker said. Meng Chiao seemed to have a million ancient sayings lodged in his head, and none of them made a bit of sense. Riker shuffled the cards while glancing around the crowded harem for the Dragon-Heir. Chuan-chi had stepped away from the game momentarily to “rearrange my robes,” which Riker had discovered to be a common euphemism for answering the call of nature. Riker would feel better when he had the Heir in sight; bad enough that Kan-hi had remained missing ever since storming out a short time before. He wondered what had become of the Dragon’s younger and more wayward son.
Then, to his relief, the mob of bachelors parted to let Chuan-chi back to the historic site of Pai’s first genuine poker game. “My apologies,” he said curtly as, with much show of dignity, he slowly lowered himself onto a waiting cushion. “You may resume,” he instructed Riker.
A few more players, all young lords of the Empire, had taken the Second Son’s place in the game. The rest of the bachelors huddled around them in a circle, watching the game idly—and betting on the outcome—when they weren’t pawing the serving girls or passing out from drinking too much wine. So far, there had been no further violence, which made the poker game something of a success, even though the Pai still seemed to be having trouble with some of the fundamentals of the game. “Okay,” he said. “Ante up, gentlemen.”
The various nobles drew forth tiny embroidered purses from the interior of their robes. Each removed a heavy golden coin from his purse and tossed it into the center of the playing area. Riker contributed a golden piece from his own supply, dealt the cards, then checked his hand. He had three jacks. Not great, but not