Kobayashi Maru - Michael A. Martin [175]
“By whom? Gral demanded. “Or what?
“The scientists at the outposts apparently couldnt transmit any clear visuals of their attackers before the hostiles jammed their central transmitter, al-Rashid said.
Grethe Zhor rose to her feet, scowling in evident anger as she crossed her arms beneath her triple bust. “I realize that I am one of the two newest inductees to this council, but I find I must question whether all the effort Draylax has expended in order to join this group can be justified. During the past week, there have been nearly a dozen smaller attacks that can be attributed to this same unfolding pattern of aggression, whether on the part of the Klingons, the Romulans, or perhaps even some never-before-seen alliance of the two. Almost all Coalition worlds and their colonies have been affected in some manner by these assaults.
“Yesterday, three such attacks occurred in or near Coalition space, she said, continuing with rising passion. “Starfleet was unable to stop any of them Znoc, Captain Archer fled with Enterprise like a frightened childand the Vulcan fleet may have just proven equally useless at Alpha Centauri. We need to decide beyond all doubt and debate who the aggressor is, and then go after that aggressor. All of our endless equivocating and discussion will only result in more death. More destruction.
Samuels watched the Draylaxian in silence, a few of her words sticking in his craw as she paused to pound her hand on the conference table in an effort to emphasize her point. “In case some of you have not been paying close attention, we are already at war. An enemy has attacked us, and continues to do so even as we argue. It is already long past time for us to begin fighting back.
Sensing that the tension in the room was about to erupt, Samuels pounded his gavel loudly against the central lectern, breaking through the rising mixed gabble of assenting and dissenting murmurs.
“Ambassador Grethe Zhor is right about many things, he said. “However, I must object strongly to her characterization of Captain Archers actions. If the Romulans were indeed attempting to capture one of our most advanced starships, then he had no choice other than to withdraw as he did. Of course, given the admittedly ambiguous circumstances near Alpha Centauri, it may already be too late to get that particular horse back into its stable. For all we know, our mutual enemy may already have gained control of Starfleet, Vulcan, and Klingon technologies.
Samuels watched Soval flinch ever so slightly in response to his conjecture; he wondered if the idea truly hadnt yet occurred to the stoic Vulcan foreign minister, or if the Vulcans were simply hiding their knowledge that the worst had already occurred. As usual.
Samuels clenched his jaw tightly for a moment, grinding his back teeth slightly before he resumed speaking. He hated having to say what he was about to say, and had felt the words coiled in the pit of his stomach, like poisonous snakes preparing to strike.
“Circumstances force me to suggest that this Security Council may not be the most effective venue for many of the decisions that will have to be made in the very near future. I move that each of our worlds prepare to convene a council of war immediately, with full input from each of our militaries.
Even as he said the words, the Council members all began getting to their feet, gesturing and shoutingmostly in agreementand Samuels wondered if this moment, rather than the signing of the Coalition Compact, might turn out to be the one for which history remembered him best.
God help us all, he prayed silently, closing his eyes in the forlorn hope of shutting out the tumult that had erupted in the Coalition Council Chamber, if only for an instant.
It was one thing to threaten war, to give speeches and to debate the merits and pitfalls of interstellar conflict. But even given historys inescapable lessons about the all-too-frequent necessity of going to war against aggressors, Samuels knew that he did not want to lead