Kobayashi Maru - Michael A. Martin [88]
Gral huffed. “And must I remind you that Earth and Alpha Centauri are entangled with Draylax in a webwork of mutual defense treaties? You do your entire species a disservice by leaning on diplomacy during a time that demands soldiery instead.
Gral pushed away from the table, as did Thoris a moment later. Soval watched as his Tellarite and Andorian counterparts stalked angrily out of the room, heading for separate exits, their respective aides following closely on their heels.
Soval was grateful that neither the press nor any members of the general public were present in the gallery that overlooked the formal debating chamber; the participants in todays meeting had agreed to convene behind closed doors. Presently a tense and uncomfortable silence stretched between the human and Vulcan contingents, the only Coalition representatives who now remained in the room.
Haroun al-Rashid was the first to break that silence. “May nobody do anything stupid over the next few days, inshallah, he said.
“Hear, hear, Samuels said, looking crestfallen and small.
Soval recognized al-Rashids last utterance as a word from the human language known as Arabic.
Inshallah. If God wills it.
Though Soval himself espoused no specific deity of any sort, he couldnt help but agree with the ministers overall sentiment. Just as he concurred with Grals and Thoriss general contention that the Klingon Empire did indeed pose a potentially grave, if not an immediate, danger. While weve debated the issue of Romulan aggression, he thought, we have allowed ourselves to become blind to the Klingons.
Nevertheless, both logic and simple decency dictated that war could never be a first option.
“Even the Andorian and Tellarite governments must engage in a deliberative process of sorts before going to war independently of the will of the Coalition, Soval said, intent on offering his human colleagues at least some small degree of comfort.
Samuels and al-Rashid both nodded in agreement. “Well stand adjourned until tomorrow, Samuels said, finally rising from behind the table.
“I suppose we ought to be thankful that Gral and Thoris arent the final decision-makers on their respective homeworlds, al-Rashid said.
Soval rose from his seat, thereby signaling his aides that it was time to leave the chamber. Addressing the humans, he said, “We must maintain hope thathow do the humans put it?cooler heads will prevail on both Andoria and Tellar.
But that hope felt nearly as forced as Thoriss smiles, or Grals table manners.
Sunday, July 20, 2155, 7:22 A.M . Montgomery, Alabama
When Charles Anthony Tucker II saw what he had just finished downloading onto the e-paper, he nearly spit his morning orange juice across the kitchen.
“Elaine! he shouted when hed finally managed to stop sputtering.
His wife emerged from the hallway into the kitchen nearly at a run, pulling her bathrobe sash tightly about her slim waist. Wet hair framed her face, which was a study in concern at the moment, as though shed half expected to find him dying on the kitchen floor. Considering everything the Tucker family had endured over the past few yearsthe loss of their two adult children still felt like an open wound to Charles, and probably would continue to feel that way for whatever span of time remained to himhe could hardly blame her for believing the worst.
“Whats wrong, Charles? Elaine said.
He held up the e-paper and coughed again before croaking out a single syllable. “Look, he said.
Maybe Trip and Lizzie were the lucky ones, he thought. They never saw things come to this.
Charles watched Elaines eyes widen even further as she silently absorbed the bold, thumb-high