The Children of Hamlin - Carmen Carter [78]
“Why haven’t we been allowed to land?” asked Patrisha. “What’s gone wrong?”
“The colony on New Oregon has been destroyed.” The blow could not be softened with any preamble, but Picard spared Patrisha the harsh details of the Choraii attack. He told her that her daughter was dead, but not that her last seconds of life had been filled with searing pain. Not that there was nothing recognizable left of the body.
“Our landing party has confirmed there are no survivors,” Troi explained gently.
“We’re very sorry,” added Picard when there was nothing else left to say. From that point on, matters went much as they always did on these occasions. His words were met with initial disbelief, then accepted with growing anguish. Some people immediately dissolved into tears, but Patrisha was one of the quiet ones. The wrenching grief would come later, after the starship officers had left. Troi was right; this woman would not have welcomed any additional company.
After an awkward silence, Patrisha finally spoke. “Captain, what would have happened without the schedule delays?”
Over the years, Picard had trained himself to avoid such profitless speculation, but he understood the concern that prompted her question and he answered the query with respect. “Your entire community would have been wiped out. One hundred unarmed colonists, even twice that number, could not have changed the outcome in any way.” Small comfort perhaps, but all that he could offer.
“I haven’t seen Krn in nearly two years,” said Patrisha. Her face was blank and expressionless. “Two years since she and her lover volunteered for the scouting trip. Krn and I were fighting so often that I was actually relieved to see them go.”
Picard exchanged glances with Troi. There seemed no graceful way to leave, and the counselor silently indicated they should simply listen for the moment. Picard did not want to hear any more, but he would endure it. His discomfort was nothing compared to Patrisha’s pain.
“Yet Dvd always tried to patch things up between us. He wasn’t a typical Farmer. He was a silversmith, an artist … “
Silver. That one word jumped out at Picard, overshadowing all that followed. He could trace the chain of Troi’s startled reactions as the counselor sensed the surge of alarm in his mind and then made the connection herself. Refined metal, in small quantities, but sufficiently pure to serve the needs of the Choraii. The captain was so distracted by the discovery of the motive for the alien attack that he almost missed the significance of what came next.
“He was a gentle man and so devoted to their daughter that she called him uncle.”
“There was a child?” asked Picard sharply.
“Yes, my granddaughter, Emily. She would have turned four soon after our arrival.” The intensity of the captain’s question penetrated Patrisha’s shock. “Why is that so important?”
Picard couldn’t answer her. Not yet. Perhaps not ever.
Ruthe paced back and forth in front of the windows of the observation deck while the assembled group settled into place. Out of habit, Ambassador Deelor and Captain Picard both walked toward the seat at the head of the conference table, but the diplomat gave ground with an ironic smile and moved to another chair next to Dr. Crusher. Riker and Data, just returned from a second trip to the storm-tossed surface of New Oregon, were the last to sit down. Ruthe stopped pacing but remained standing.
“We have no proof the girl is still alive,” said Picard, opening the discussion with his greatest concern.
Riker was more optimistic than his captain. “We haven’t found her body.”
“Which doesn’t mean she wasn’t killed,” warned Beverly Crusher with a frown. “She was only four years old. Her body could have been completely destroyed by acid, or so badly damaged that we simply couldn’t identify the organic remains as human.”
“They wouldn’t kill a child.” Ruthe uttered this belief with conviction.
“I wish I could believe you,” said Picard. “But the Choraii slaughtered the entire community on New Oregon just as they slaughtered the miners of Hamlin.