Taking Wing - Michael A. Martin [107]
Riker watched Deanna silently concede the point, and had to admit himself that Spock’s observation made sense. He couldn’t help but wonder if the Federation Council, for all its good intentions, might not have taken this component of Romulan psychology sufficiently into account.
Spock turned to address Riker. “Colonel Xiomek tells me that your convoy appears to consist of four Starfleet vessels, accompanied by three heavily armed Klingon warships.”
“That’s correct,” Riker said.
“And Titan is one of Starfleet’s twelve new Luna-class vessels, is she not?”
“Right again, Mr. Ambassador.” Riker wondered how the ambassador was able to stay so up to date on such relatively recent developments within Starfleet. Of course, he could have learned a great deal about the Luna-class starships being developed at Utopia Planitia during his most recent visit to Earth two years earlier.
“Which means,” Spock continued, “that Titan is hardly unarmed herself.”
Riker’s brow crumpled involuntarily into a frown. “If you’re aware of the Luna program, then you know that its purpose isn’t to wage war.”
“I understand, Captain. Just as I understand that good intentions are necessary but insufficient requirements for success here.”
“The Federation cannot simply stand by and do nothing, Mr. Ambassador,” Akaar said. “Nor can the Klingon Empire, for that matter. You know as well as I do that billions of deaths could result from the sudden collapse of the Romulan Empire, and the accompanying unconstrained spread of its weapons technologies across two quadrants.”
Spock’s eyes narrowed. “I have never been more keenly aware of anything in my life, Admiral. This is a proud but gravely wounded empire. One that is arguably more susceptible to provocation now than at any other time since the Vulcan and Romulan peoples became sundered from one other. And both Romulus and Remus are all but certain to experience a mutual bloodbath unless they fundamentally reorient their social priorities.”
“And you offer a cultural reunification with Vulcan as the solution to the Empire’s woes,” Akaar said.
“Given the Empire’s current vulnerabilities, Unification—tempering the Empire’s ingrained violence with the discipline of Vulcan logic—could well be the last viable chance for peace. It may be the only way to guarantee a secure future for both the Romulan and Reman peoples.” He paused before adding, “And it may bring Vulcan a step closer to becoming truly whole.”
Riker couldn’t help but admire Spock’s idealism. But he also had the real world to consider, as well as the immediate future. “You could be right, Mr. Ambassador. History might even prove that someday. But we don’t have the luxury of hindsight right now. We have to worry first about the short-term survival of billions of people. Unification is just too long-term a goal and too lengthy a process to provide the kind of immediate stability the Romulan Empire needs in the here and now.”
Spock nodded somberly. “Your analysis may indeed prove to be the correct one, Captain. Nevertheless, I must caution you: Romulus and Remus are both caught in the grip of fear, one of the more incendiary of the emotions. The presence of a heavily armed outworld contingent such as this convoy could well ignite that fear—thereby bringing about the very societal collapse we all seek to prevent. Imagine for a moment how the Klingons would have reacted to such an intrusion after the Praxis explosion nearly laid waste to Qo’noS.”
“But we’re not ‘intruding,’ Mr. Ambassador,” Deanna pointed out. “The Romulan praetor has requested our presence here.”
“Tal’Aura,” Spock said, “is a praetor whose authority is opposed by a strong plurality, if not a clear majority, of the Empire’s citizenry. Supporting her is a dangerous gamble.”
“We’re not supporting