The Devil's Heart - Carmen Carter [125]
“Oh, these are old wounds, Jean-Luc,” said Captain Mycelli, shrugging off his injuries.
“As soon as the unDiWahn fleet cut loose, the Dynasians surrendered peacefully.
I’m back in command of the Sullivan.”
“Do you need additional security?” asked Riker.
“No, the ringleader is in custody, and …”
Mycelli was rendered speechless by the sight of Data returning to his place at the helm.
He stared at the android for several seconds, then looked back to Picard. “I look forward to reading your mission report, Captain.”
“I’m sure you’re not the only one, Captain,” said Picard with a wry smile.
To his relief, however, Mycelli did not ask for details, and the exchange of further amenities was brief.
“Number One,” said Picard when contact with the Sullivan had ended, “it’s time for us to leave as well.”
Lowering himself into the captain’s chair, Picard let his first officer arrange the details of their departure. Orders and confirmations echoed across the bridge until Data said, “Course laid in for Vulcan.”
The crew fell silent.
Picard had tested their loyalty to the limit on this mission, so he could hardly resent their anxiety as they waited for him to utter one crucial word.
“Engage.”
Anger was not a useful emotion for a diplomat, reflected Ambassador Tommas as she entered the security complex of the Sullivan. Allowing such a simplistic emotion to overwhelm her thoughts would only hinder her analysis of the Dynasian situation.
Damn him!
The hijacking of the starship was essentially a political act, yet she had been personally betrayed by Warden Chandat’s actions. Trust was an integral component of forging ties between the member planets of the Federation, and that link began between individuals. How could she reconcile her deep respect for Keyda Chandat with the unpleasant fact that he had taken advantage of her overtures of friendship?
Steeling herself for the coming confrontation, Tommas stepped up to the portal of a security cell.
On the other side of the glowing frame, the warden was seated on a narrow cot. Some prisoners might slump or lounge in captivity, but he held himself erect, as if overseeing an invisible council. Even in detention the man appeared to be in complete control of his surroundings; however, his followers were not so self-assured. After Chandat’s surrender, any effective resistance from the other academics had collapsed entirely.
“Good evening, Ambassador,” said Chandat with a gracious nod of his head.
Tommas could not bring herself to echo the warden’s civility. “For the Faculty’s crime against Starfleet, our Council has ruled that Dynasia will be barred from admission to the Federation for at least a century.”
“A century?” He appeared curiously unruffled by this lengthy sentence of punishment. If anything, the corners of his mouth turned upward with smug satisfaction.
“Warden, I don’t believe you comprehend the severity of your offenses.”
“Of course, I do, Ambassador.”
Uttering a sigh of exasperation, the Dynasian leaned forward and spoke in the didactic tone of a professor instructing an especially dim student. “A century of grace will ease the pressures that have splintered the Faculty into warring factions. With time, when the conservative members have all died off, a new generation of Dynasians may choose to reapply for admission to the Federation … and deserve it.”
For the first time, Tommas realized how seriously she had underestimated the warden’s commitment to his people. “You planned this outcome from the beginning.”
Chandat’s smile broadened. “My scheme was nearly undone by the appearance of the unDiWahn, but fortunately Captain Picard’s clever ruse convinced them to retreat, and it gave me an excuse to surrender the Sullivan.
Historians may record this foiled grab for the Gem as my greatest failure, yet the stone has granted me my heart’s desire I have restored peace to my planet.”
As a counterpoint to inner reflection, the ancient Iconian engineers had also designed an observation chamber for looking outward. The room was missing any flight controls,