Nightshade - Laurell K. Hamilton [8]
Troi tried to feel something from the guards around her. Some hint of fear, but there was nothing. It was as if they had hit a switch inside themselves: on, fear; off, soldier. Colonel Talanne was full of emotions, all crowding near the surface, but the guards seemed motionless.
Troi knew she could have concentrated, searched below the surface thoughts, but that was an intrusion. Without good reason she did not peel away the layers of someone’s carefully built protection.
There was also the possibility that there was nothing inside the guards, nothing to find. No, surely not. Surely the emotionally dead guards were the exception. Could a race of people destroy their inner-selves along with their environment? Did the barren, polluted world reflect the barrenness of the people themselves? If that were true, then the peace talks were going to be very difficult. Troi needed to know if there were deeper emotions in the guards. If Colonel Talanne was the exception, Picard would need to know. It was those deeper emotions that Picard would appeal to for peace. If most of the Orianians were closer to Vulcans in their emotional makeup, it would change how Picard approached them. Troi needed to know.
She chose a guard near her and began to concentrate gently. She didn’t want to startle him. There were races that could sense an empathic intrusion.
Picard’s communicator burst into life. The sound made Troi jump. Her concentration shattered.
‘Riker to Picard.”
‘Yes, Number One, what is it?”
‘We’ve received a distress signal from an alien vessel. They call themselves the Milgians. The Federation has no record of a first contact. Their engines are in danger of exploding. Lives have already been lost. Even at maximum warp we are two days from them, but we are the nearest ship.” Riker’s voice hesitated, “There are over four hundred lives at stake.”
‘I understand,” Picard said. He glanced at his hostess and her guards. “You have to answer the distress call, Number One.”
‘Will you and the away team be all right?”
Troi felt Picard’s doubt. “We will be fine, Number One. In fact beam up the three security personnel.”
‘Would you repeat that, sir?” Riker said.
‘Captain, you can’t,” Worf said.
Picard stared at his security chief. “Colonel Talanne has done us the great honor of trusting us. We will return that honor.”
‘Permission to speak freely, Captain,” Worf asked.
‘Denied, Lieutenant. Beam up the security personnel, Number One.”
‘Captain, I…”
‘That was an order, Commander Riker.” Picard said.
‘Aye, sir.”
The three security personnel shimmered, then vanished. The room suddenly seemed much less crowded.
Talanne shook her head. “I do not know if you are very brave or very foolish, Captain.”
‘We must negotiate peace, and that only comes through trust.”
‘You are hoping to lead by example,” Talanne said. “You give up some of your bodyguards, and others will follow.”
Picard smiled. “It might be a start.”
‘It may well work. If the Federation ambassador trusts his safety without a phalanx of guards, then it seems cowardly for the rest of us to hide behind our own.”
‘Riker, here, Captain. We have the security team on board. If we are going to answer the distress call, we have to go now.”
‘We’ll be here when you return, Number One.”
‘I don’t like this, Captain.”
‘Nor I,” Worf said.
‘I appreciate your concern, both of you, but trust must begin somewhere. I think it has to begin with us.”
‘I was going to suggest we increase security after what has just happened, Captain.”
‘I cannot negotiate a peace treaty behind a wall of armed guards.” Picard shook his head. “No, we will be fine as we are.”
‘What’s happened down there, Captain?” Riker asked.
Picard hesitated, then said, “There have been two more deaths, and some talk of bribery.”
‘Captain, I request that you beam back to the ship immediately. When we have aided the alien vessel you can return and continue the talks.”
‘No, Commander, if these talks only work because I have the Enterprise to back me, then what happens to the peace when we leave?” Picard