Unification - Jeri Taylor [69]
Spock looked into the boy’s eager face, and reflected in it he saw the possibilities of a glorious future—an era of peace among worlds, a reign of truth and contemplative tranquility. He was profoundly moved as he looked into the small, impetuous face.
He almost didn’t notice when Jaron appeared in front of them and leaned in to speak quietly. “Your Federation friends have returned,” he said. “They must see you immediately. I’ve told Pardek. He will meet you at the cave.” Then Jaron moved off swiftly.
Spock rose and placed the small blocks in D’Tan’s hand, then clasped the hand shut over them. He held the boy’s hand for a moment, as though drawing strength from him, and then he turned and started for the caves.
Picard had waited anxiously until Jaron returned to tell him that he had been successful in contacting Spock; He was relieved when Jaron told him the ambassador would be there shortly. And Pardek was even now entering the caves, hurrying to Picard with a look of concern on his round face.
“What is it, Picard?” he asked worriedly.
“I‘11 wait until Spock gets here, Senator, if you don’t mind. I’d rather brief you both at once.” “Of course.”
“Intelligence gathered by my crew on the Enterprise, and by Commander Data. I hope it will prove to be nothing alarming.”
“As do I, Captain.” With that, Pardek retired to a side wall of the cavern and sat down heavily. Picard remembered that he was as old as Spock—well over a hundred years. Hurried, anxious visits to the underground caverns must take a toll on him.
Spock arrived minutes later, and Picard immediately launched into a recounting of the events that his first otticer had encountered on Qualor Two—how a stolen Vulcan ship had been passed from hand to hand and was ultimately delivered to a Barolian freighter near a Romulan-controlled planet, Galorndon Core.
And then there was the message Data had uncovered, directly traceable to the Romulan intelligence unit, a message sent a few hours ago—to a Barolian freighter near Galorndon Core.
“The only communication that was sent,” he said finally, “were the numbers one, four, zero, zero.” Pardek looked puzzled. “What does it mean?” There was a brief silence, and then Spock’s voice, sounding strangely weary, interjected. “It means,” he said, “that the proconsul has apparently been attempting to deceive me.”
Spock moved away from them, as though this betrayal were a physical anguish. “For what purpose I cannot say yet,” he said. “But his conversations with me have obviously been part of a greater plan involv-ing the stolen Vulcan ship.”
“How do you know that, Ambassador?” asked Data.
“The time the proconsul has set for the subspace announcement of our peace initiative is fourteen hundred hours tomorrow. One, four, zero, zero.”
Pardek looked puzzled. “But why would they need a Vulcan ship?” he queried.
“That will become clear very shortly.” A woman’s voice rang out through the caves, and all eyes turned toward the ramp leading to the entrance. Pieard’s heart went cold when he saw her. It was Sela.
Young and lithe, she strode down the ramp, her beauty radiant in the damp of the cave. Part Romulan, part human, her short, cropped blond hair glistened in the light of the kekogen lamps. She wore the uniform ofa Romulan commander and held a disruptor in her hands. Her eyes were blue ice.
From all sides, Romulan guards entered, quickly taking Picard and Data’s weapons and surrounding the small group of men. It was swift and well Orches-trated. Picard realized with consternation that they had been set up for this capture. He turned to face Sela. “Captain Picard,” she purred. Her voice was silken honey; it belied the evil of which she was capable. “Welcome to Romulus. I trust you’ve enjoyed your visit.”
He did not respond. He would not play games with Sela. She smiled and glanced toward Data.
“And this is the android I have come to respect in battle.” The irony in her voice may have escaped Data, who said politely, “Lieutenant Commander Data.”
Sela. That he should encounter her again, here—