Pathways - Jeri Taylor [26]
“Just trying to understand them. The last reported border we have in our charts was two light-years from here.”
“The current coordinates are correct.”
“Is the Federation Council aware of this?”
“It is not our duty to report to the Federation Council. We are autonomous and will not be bound by the constraints of foreign cultures.”
“I’m only suggesting a spirit of cooperation,” replied Hackney easily. “Staying in communication could lessen the chances of unpleasant misunderstandings.”
The reptilian eyes narrowed. “Are you threatening me, Federation Captain?” Chakotay noted that the Cardassian ship had suddenly powered its weapons systems. He looked to Hackney, who had seen the move but didn’t order him to follow suit.
“Not at all. As I said, just trying to communicate.”
“Let me communicate this: It would be best if you left Cardassian territory now.”
Hackney and Chakotay exchanged a quick glance. The Cardassian borders had magically shifted yet again.
“Are you suggesting we’re now inside Cardassian territory?”
“Of course. See for yourself.” Instantly, a new flood of data was transmitted to indicate that the coordinates the Vico now occupied were well within Cardassian space. Chakotay felt anger begin to rise in him; this was a blatant bullying technique, purposely transparent. Did the Cardassian think they would stand for this, that they would skulk away like chastened dogs? He brought the ship’s weapons on line, sure that Hackney would give that order.
“Belay that,” said Hackney quickly, with a dark look. Reluctantly, Chakotay powered down the weapons.
“A wise move, Captain,” purred the Cardassian, whom Chakotay was beginning to dislike intensely. “Far better to power your propulsion system and back off.”
“I hope your government will consider establishing diplomatic relations with the Federation at some point,” said Hackney. “Unfortunate incidents like this could be prevented.”
“The only unfortunate thing about this incident is your insistence on talking instead of acceding to my demands.”
“We have no intention of causing an incident, and we will withdraw. But my government will be notified about this encounter.”
The Cardassian smiled, a mirthless expression that conveyed menace more than anything else. “A prospect that causes me to quake with terror,” he droned, and then his image blinked off the viewscreen and was replaced with the sight of his ship, weapons still powered.
“We shouldn’t let him push us around like that,” Chakotay said instantly. “Our ship is as powerful as his—we could have made things difficult for him.”
Captain Hackney cast an understanding look at his young officer. “Of course we could have. But to what end? Our orders are to map space, not cause incidents that could escalate into something worse.”
“We didn’t cause anything—that Cardassian was the one juggling his borders.”
“That’s a nicety that would go largely unnoticed if we started trading phaser shots with him.” Hackney gave Chakotay a friendly clap on the shoulder. “When I was your age, I would’ve felt the same way. What you’ll learn as you get older is that it’s almost always smarter to avoid violence than to provoke it.”
Chakotay sank into a moody silence, his mind combing history for examples of times when violence had been the only solution to a problem, and when appeasement had only prolonged the inevitable and allowed the enemy to gain ground early on. They were abundant. And yet he knew his captain was correct in his assessment of this situation. One Starfleet survey ship and one Cardassian cruiser weren’t going to affect their governments’ policies one way or the other, and the only thing that could come from a skirmish between them would be a further deterioration of relations between the two entities. Better to back off.
But something in him still burned, an ember of resentment that he couldn’t quell, no matter how hard he tried.
In the long run, of course, Starfleet’s enlightened policies couldn’t endure. Cardassian ships kept nibbling away at the outer edges of Federation space in an intentional