Kobayashi Maru - Michael A. Martin [87]
To his credit, al-Rashid sidestepped the Tellarites verbal jab without offering any provocation of his own. “Theres still a lot we dont know about the Draylax situation, Ambassador Gral, he said. “And I have to point out that the Coalitions boundaries are a relatively new addition to the galactic map. Perhaps the Klingons werent aware they were violating them.
“Klingons care little for such niceties, Gral said. “Indiscriminate expansion through conquest is their way. When the Klingons decide to go after you, your choices usually amount to either surrender or war. Therefore we would do well to teach them some respect for our boundaries, and to do it in the most direct fashion possible.
Thoris nodded grimly. “Photonic torpedoes can be excellent educators in situations such as these.
“I grant you that Klingons respect strength, al-Rashid said. “But
Gral interrupted him. “And do you also grant that the security of nearby nonaligned worlds such as Draylax has a direct bearing on the security of the Coalition members? The Tellarite leaned forward across the table, his hairy knuckles supporting his weight. “Indeed, on the Coalitions continued existence?
The humans eyes narrowed as he appeared to struggle to keep his internal emotional fires carefully banked. “I understand that all too well, Ambassador.
Seated beside al-Rashid, Prime Minister Samuels nodded in agreement, though he maintained as emotionally neutral an expression as Soval had ever seen on a human face. “Earths delegation believes very deeply in maintaining peace and security in the local systems. Indeed, we would hope that the assistance Earth is already providing to the Draylaxians would convince them to finally join the Coalition. We hope it will entice other nearby worlds as well, such as Porrima V.
Soval couldnt help but agree, even though he was well aware that additional alien recruitment into the Coalition suited the humans own self-interested political purposes; after all, the inclusion of more nonhuman worlds in the Coalitions roster would go a long way toward blunting the ill feelings that persisted among the rest of the current membership because of Earths insistence on granting not only Coalition member status but also full Security Council voting rights to the human-inhabited Alpha Centauri system.
“A stout blade and a fully charged disruptor pistol will get far better results with a ravening Klingon than will any amount of hope, Thoris said, punctuating his declaration by pounding his cerulean fist upon the tabletop several times. “We must waste no more time mounting a full counterattack!
“The last thing we should do is allow ourselves to be drawn into an all-out war, al-Rashid said. “At least not until our fastest frontline starships gather more firsthand information about what really happened at Draylax. We still dont know, for instance, precisely why the Klingons apparently resolved the situation themselves by destroying their own warship.
Thoris appeared unmoved. “With respect, Minister, the Klingons have never shown much interest in resolving anything. Were it otherwise, they would not have made the additional brazen move of destroying an Earth freighter in the Gamma Hydra sector.
“Weve seen no definitive evidence of that so far, said Samuels. “But I can see that your intelligence bureaus must be listening to the same rumors as ours do.
“No one has heard anything from the E.C.S. Horizon for several days, Thoris said. “That is no mere rumor.
“True enough, Minister, Samuels said, crossing his arms before him. “But Im not prepared to go to war over what might turn out to be only a faulty com system.
“The Andorian government does not require the permission of Earth, or of this Coalition for that matter, to take whatever action we deem justifiable and prudent in the face of this grave danger, Thoris said, his antennae flattening backward against his scalp.
“Nor does Tellar, said Gral. “The provisions of the Coalition Compact notwithstanding.
Remaining in his seat, Samuels made an admirable