Unification - Jeri Taylor [68]
K’Vada’s salivation increased. Rornulan intelligence! He would be lauded far and wide for bringing this plum to his people. “Can you access it, Data?” Picard was asking. Data’s fingers flew over the controls. K’Vada noted that he functioned at a higher rate of speed than either humans or Klingons, and filed that away for future reference. “It appears to be a short sequence of numbers,” he announced. “One, four, zero, zero.”
Picard frowned. “Nothing else?”
“No, sir.”
The Starfleet Captain paced for a moment, then turned back to them. “I want to advise the ambassador immediately. Mr. Data, you will accompany me to the surface.”
K’Vada’s temper flared a bit; now, just when he had everything at his fingertips, they were going to prolong this foolish mission! Picard was heading for the portal; he turned back and said to K’Vada, “Captain, maintain an emergency transport schedule at our beam-in coordinates.”
K’Vada simmered. Not only would they not be able to leave here, but he had to act as a wet nurse to the two Starfleet officers, staying on alert until they decided to come back to the ship. The words were out of his mouth before he thought. “I do not take orders from you, Picard,” he snapped.
He was unprepared for the response this produced. Picard turned on him and, in perfect Klingon, barked, “P’tah J’ginQuoE Ktah!” K’Vada blinked. The intensity of the oath was surprising.
“You will lock on those coordinates at sixty-minute intervals after our arrival.”
K’Vada did not answer, and Picard and Data moved to the portal. K’Vada overheard the android say mildly, “That was not very Vulcan of you, sir.” And they went out.
As soon as the portal had shut behind them, K’Vada began to laugh. He liked this Picard! Any human who could swear like that won his respect. And anyone who could stand up to K’Vada was a man who was not going to be stopped by the Romulans.
Picard and Data would be back on his ship. They would make their way through the Neutral Zone and then back to the Klingon home world. K’Vada would bring great honor to himself with his information about Romulan intelligence; he would spur the development of an artificial life-form and that would only enhance his position. He would give up the wandering life of a starship captain and settle down with K’kam —who would of course give up her own career to be with himmand they would live out their days in glory.
Captain K’Vada settled into his command chair. If only there were truly fresh gagh on this ship, everything would be perfect.
Spock was preoccupied when he entered Krocton segment, and so he didn’t notice D’Tan until the boy was almost on top of him. “Mr. Spock!” D’Tan called. “I’ve been looking for you.”
Spock almost smiled. This boy’s fervid enthusiasm was infectious. “I have been meeting with the proconsul, D’Tan,” he said. It was that meeting that had so occupied his thinking. He and Neral had spent several hours outlining the parameters of the discussions that would take place following their historic announcement that the worlds of Vulcan and Romulus would begin talks that might drastically alter the future.
“Does he still speak of reunification?” asked D’Tan, and Spock smiled at the unfettered idealism he saw reflected in D’Tan’s eyes.
“He speaks of nothing else,” he replied. Nothing else, his mind’s voice repeated, though Spock was not certain why.
He and D’Tan moved to a table at the food court. The boy pulled some objects from his pocket—small, oddly shaped blocks with carving on each one. “Have you ever seen any of these?” asked the boy.
He lay them in Spock’s palm, and the ambassador turned them over, inspecting them. “The syllabic nucleus of the Vulcan language,” he said softly.
“They were my toys when I was small,” explained D’Tan.
Spock stared at him. “Your parents wanted you to learn the Vulcan language?”
“As did their parents before them. To prepare for the day when we will live again