Taking Wing - Michael A. Martin [88]
The praetor turned to face Troi. “You have pointed out some of our most critical weaknesses, Commander Troi, and for that I thank you. Those weaknesses will be addressed prior to the first full conference among all the factions.” Next, she faced Tomalak. “Come, Proconsul. You and I have much to discuss.” It was obvious to Troi that their discussion was likely to be quite loud and one-sided; Tal’Aura no doubt took a dim view of mortal combat in the Hall of State, and demanded better self-control from her subordinates.
After Tal’Aura and the chastened yet still-angry Tomalak exited the chamber, Durjik, Donatra, and Suran did likewise, escorted to separate exits by the small group of armed uhlans who had been discreetly guarding the room’s perimeter during the meeting.
Now the away team stood alone in the Senate Chamber, at least for the moment.
“Well,” Will said, heaving a sigh of relief. “I suppose that could have gone a lot worse.”
“Your diplomacy was inspired,” Akaar said to Troi, a small appreciative smile crossing his normally dour features. She could tell that he, too, was sincerely impressed. “If more than a little dangerous.”
“Betazoid empathy can help a negotiator avoid pushing too hard,” she said. Sometimes, anyway. Empathy or no, she still felt as though she’d just made a successful bluff while holding only threes and deuces, beating the odds because of blind chance as much as skill. “Maybe it was just a lucky gamble.”
“I’m not sure what you did was a gamble at all,” Keru said. “It’s almost as though you switched your empathic abilities into ‘offensive’ mode.”
She frowned slightly. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I mean,” Will said, grinning, “that you were giving off what a jazz musician would call a very strong ‘vibe.’ ”
“It’s not something I like to do very often,” she said quietly. She recalled the extremely unpleasant ordeal that she had shared with her mother five years earlier. They had been part of a large group of Betazoid telepaths that had used a highly dangerous invasive empathy technique against the Dominion forces that had invaded and occupied Betazed. Use of the technique had ultimately freed Betazed, at the cost of too many Betazoid lives. She shuddered at the memory.
“Perhaps,” the admiral said, “you should speak to the Lesser Teers of Capella’s Ten Tribes after this mission concludes. You might speed my homeworld’s admission to the Federation by a generation or more.”
Troi noticed then that Keru had taken his tricorder out and was once again slowly scanning the room, obviously taking advantage of the peculiar absence of armed guards. After turning once in a full circle, he scowled and breathed an inaudible curse.
“Find anything?” Will wanted to know.
The big Trill nodded. “Something very interesting, Captain. Evidently one of the excluded power factions did find a way to attend this meeting after all.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning this place is crawling with tiny listening devices. Literally. I want to scan everybody closely before we beam back aboard Titan.”
Will gave Keru a crisp nod. “Do it.” Keru immediately got busy, beginning with Troi.
A moment later the security chief reached between the braided rows of her hair and grasped something there. He took a step back and revealed that he was holding something tiny between his thumb and forefinger. “Could you hold this thing so I can scan it?” he asked her. She nodded, and he dropped it into her open hands.
She found she had to grab the pinhead-size, hard-shelled object quickly between her own thumb and forefinger. The thing was made of metal, and its dozen or so legs were trying frantically to carry it away, no doubt back to its secretive masters. She handed the squirming “bug” to Will and silently mouthed the words “Tal Shiar.” Then she shuddered, unnerved by this new violation of her person. Their eyes and ears really are everywhere.
A few minutes later, after some careful scanning and grooming, the away team materialized