Section 31_ Rogue - Andy Mangels [32]
“I know that I cannot trust the Romulans, Ambassador T’Alik,” Ruardh said, her head swiveling to the side. “You have chosen to ally yourself with those who oppose me.”
“We have not chosen either side, Protector. It is not our weaponry that your opposition has used against you,” T’Alik said, her haughty gaze moving toward Picard and his crew. “We have offered the rulers of Chiaros IV the protection of the Romulan Star Empire. It is you who have chosen to side with the Federation. You might, upon further consideration, choose to ally yourself with us. That is our hope.”
Picard looked to Tabor to see if the man was going to respond, but Tabor’s gaze told him to let the matter alone. As if cued by T’Alik’s speech, the rebel Chiarosans melted out of the shadows in the arena, their triple-jointed forms moving lithely and almost soundlessly. Ruardh and her men did not seem surprised-and the Romulans’ preternatural calm implied that they expected the intrusion-but the Starfleet officers didn’t disguise their own jumpiness quite as well. With the rebels now ringing the outer perimeter of the arena, Picard felt like prey-even more so, given that both the rebels and the bodyguards were all heavily armed.
A few of the rebels parted, allowing a tall, blond-haired Chiarosan to stride forward, a shorter dark-haired man trailing him. “Ruardh!” the blond snarled. “I half-expected you to renege on our meeting.”
The matronly Chiarosan leader stared impassively at the light-haired rebel. “And I had expected you to attack rather than to negotiate, Falhain.”
Aubin Tabor stepped forward, holding his hands out, palms facing upward. “It seems that both sides have come in good faith, despite any preconceptions either had held toward the other. Shall we proceed? There is precious little time remaining-three days, in fact-before the Chiarosan referendum begins.”
Falhain turned his head, his crystalline eyes narrowed and steely. “You must be the Federation ambassador, come to convince us of the rightness of Ruardh’s cause.”
Tabor bowed his head slightly, and again performed the complex series of hand-gestures that Picard had seen twice earlier. “I am Aubin Tabor, Grand General Falhain. But I am not here to champion Protector Ruardh’s cause, only to find a pathway to peace between your faction and hers.”
The darker rebel by Falhain’s side spoke up then, his voice challenging. “As far as we know, your Federation’s laws forbid you to interfere with indigenous cultures. Why do you meddle with ours?” The man looked briefly at T’Alik and her contingent, who stood to the side, passive.
Tabor smiled benignly, his voice not rising at all. “You speak of the Prime Directive. A wise and wonderful rule, but it is not the only thing that governs us, just as one law is not all that governs you. And because we have been asked to intervene on behalf of the legal government of Chiaros-“
“Legal?” Falhain shouted then, taking a menacing step forward. Picard gave a quick glance over to Riker, who had taken a defensive stance. Riker stood down after Picard’s gaze traveled to the face of Deanna Troi. Her dark eyes were intent on Tabor and the two Chiarosans as she appraised their intentions. The captain was relieved to note that the counselor seemed to find the natives’ emotions more accessible than those of the ambassador. Seeing no immediate alarm on Troi’s face, Picard relaxed a bit.
“Does the Federation know how the ‘legal’ Protector keeps hold of her throne?” Falhain continued. “Are they aware of the thousands of Chiarosans she has ordered slaughtered, the villages she has commanded to be burned, the children she has willed to be eviscerated? The dry riverbeds of Chiaros now run gray with her victims’ lifeblood.”
Ruardh looked appalled. “You exaggerate, Falhain, as