The Garden - Melissa Scott [78]
A moment later, the picture swam and then reformed to show a massive, slab-sided battleship. It was shaped like a rhombohedron, a slanted rectangle balanced on its narrow edge, and Janeway repressed a sudden grin. It looked very much like the flying brick of Starfleet gossip-but then, no brick she had ever heard of had been studded with quite so much weaponry.
"The size is a little deceptive," Kim said. "Overall, it's only about as long as one of our nacelles, and maybe three, four times as deep."
Janeway nodded absently, her attention focused on the surface of the Andirrim craft. It wasn't finished, unlike Federation craft, or even the Kazon-Ogla; instead, the hardpoints-weapons, certainly, many of them, but also sensors and things she couldn't even begin to identify-sprang directly from a dull brown
surface like rusted iron. Which of course it couldn't be, she told herself, but it was hard to shake the association. In contrast, the hardpoints were multicolored, some sealed in white reflective coatings, others painted red or black, still more made of polished silver or gold metal, so that the entire ship had the haphazard look of a child's first exuberant attempt at modeling.
"They're all like that," Kim said, and sounded as surprised as she felt.
"Power readings?" she asked, and was not surprised when the young man shook his head.
"They're shielding, Captain. I can't break through at this distance." Something beeped on his console, and he adjusted his controls. "Adamant is hailing us again."
"Put him on," Janeway ordered. "Split the screen."
"Captain Janeway." Adamant's face, and the cool grace of the machines on the wall behind him, were an odd contrast to the Andirrim ship. "I am receiving a transmission from the approaching ships. Do you wish to be part of the conversation?"
"I'd be glad of it," Janeway said.
"Very well." Adamant did something out of sight, and the screen divided yet again, revealing a very different face. It was humanoid in the gross details, the two eyes, single narrow nose, wide mouth placed as they were in humans, but the eyes were vivid red and slit-pupiled like a cat's, and the gold skin had a distinct pattern of scales, darker patches forming a delicate lace over the Andirrim's face and hands. A thick waving mane of hair as red as its eyes framed its face and streamed over shoulders and back, a weird combination of mammal and reptile.
"Adamant," the Andirrim said, and the Kirse lifted his chin.
"Nal Sii'an. You've been here before, you know the possibilities."
The Andirrim-he had to be a captain or even the fleet leader, Janeway thought-blinked, thick membranes briefly shuttering his glowing eyes. "We are aware of the-possibilities. We acknowledge our recent defeat, and are here to offer trade instead."
"I can hardly be expected to take that on trust," Adamant answered.
"We have a thousand tons of ingot on my ship alone," Nal Sii'an said. "And half again as much on each of my companions. We need food, Adamant, and the fruit of the deia tree."
Janeway frowned at that, curious, and saw her expression mirrored on Adamant's face.
"You know as well as anyone that deia does no good to you and yours. I do not wish to sell it."
Nal Sii'an made a hissing noise that could only be read as contempt. "And there I am in agreement with you, Kirse-Eme. But it is required of me as the price of doing business on the homeworld. So without that, I may not trade. And there are three thousand tons of ingot ready for sale."
"I wonder what deia is to them," Chakotay said, quietly, muting the viewscreen pickup with a gesture. "Sounds almost like a drug of some kind."
Janeway nodded, still watching the screen, and saw Adamant sigh. "If you wish to poison yourself, that's your own business. Very well, I accept the proposition. You may enter orbit."
"There is another ship there before us," Nal Sii'an said. "Stranger-ship, what brings you here?"
Janeway nodded to Chakotay, who reopened the pickup. "My name is Kathryn Janeway. I'm captain of the Federation