The room was small, dark, and bare. The only furnishing was a communications console; there were only two doors, the one to the street, and the one in the wall opposite. That second door was always locked. The Lethean crossed the floor, stood at the console, and inserted an isolinear chip into a slot. Then he waited.
It was no more than a minute later when the console flashed and came to life, though its screen remained dark. A rasping, electronically distorted voice said, "Report."
"The transmission from Mageptis has been verified," the Lethean said. "I am transmitting the details on the datalink now." He touched control panels on the console.
"Received," said the voice. "Continue."
"It is my judgment that our good Captain may prove unruly if his requirements are not satisfied," said the Lethean. "If he were to fall into the hands of his pursuers, he could provide them with useful information."
"Who pursues him most closely?"
"A joint effort; J'mpok's emissary and the Federation's de facto investigator. I have to say, General Shalo of the Garaka proved... not amenable to suggestions. It seems there is little love lost between the scattered branches of the House of Sinoom. Her Starfleet counterpart is a Vice Admiral Shohl. She is, from all accounts, competent." The Lethean looked directly into the console's vision pickup. "If they find Klur, they will take him. And they may very well find him. Then, too, he is in Federation space, and the whole of the Federation is searching. The chance of random discovery is by no means insignificant."
"It would serve our interests if Klur were to return to Klingon space."
"No doubt you know best," said the Lethean, "since only you know what our interests are. I confess to a level of curiosity. I understand, of course, your precautions... but I wonder if you do not carry them to excess. I cannot exercise my best judgment if I am kept insufficiently informed - and, at the moment, I do not even know if you are a Klingon."
"Is that important?"
"If I am betraying the Empire," said the Lethean, "professional honour demands, at the very least, that I charge a higher fee."
A rasping sound came from the console: it might have been a laugh. "You are paid in Imperial darseks. Form what judgments you may from that."
"Very well. My instructions?"
"I am downloading a code message to your console. Transmit it upon the agreed frequencies."
"May I know its general content?"
"No. In any case, it is not final. The High Council meets, and decisions made there may affect our actions. We will speak again at the agreed time." And the console went dark.
---
The Yll-Torican was very tall and very slender, his high-domed hairless skull nodding as he struggled in Qo'noS's gravity. Nonetheless, his high-pitched voice was firm as he spoke.
"We bore the levies on our economy," he said, "the drafts of our population for your civilian auxiliaries. We bore these things, not gladly - who bears them gladly? - but uncomplainingly. I do not say we were unhappy to be freed from these requirements... but then! Within scant hours of our liberation, attack by your forces! We have become a free people, free to choose our alliances - we had a history with the Empire, we thought we could trust in Klingon goodwill for the sake of that history - but no! Instant and immediate attack!" He drew in a deep breath with a whistling sound. "Well, it is my duty as ambassador from the provisional government to pass on our response. We cannot defend ourselves. A strategic alliance with the Empire - as free partners - would have been desirable to us, but the Empire clearly does not wish it. Only one other course is open to us. The Yll-Torican government has applied for provisional membership of the Federation, and we expect our application to be granted."
The disapproving mutters around the Great Hall grew to a roar, then ceased abruptly as J'mpok stepped forward. "You make yourselves our enemies?" he asked.
"No, Chancellor." The Yll-Torican stood his ground. "Enmity is your people's choice, not ours."
J'mpok gave a single curt nod. "So be it. You are now the ambassador of an enemy power. Your person is protected by law, but you must depart the Great Hall. We shall, no doubt, speak again. Perhaps your provisional government will reconsider matters by that time."
"Thank you, Chancellor. I will depart." And he tottered away, under the stare of unfriendly eyes.
Councillor T'Jeg was first to speak. "Burn their worlds!" he said. "Blast them to fragments and take their populations as slaves!"
"To what end?" said J'mpok wearily. "Yll-Torica is militarily negligible, we know that. The Federation may have joy of them, for all I care. And the attack on them... that was ill-judged. It smacked of negotiation in bad faith. I have the names of those captains responsible... and my eyes are upon them." His frown deepened. "And do not speak of burning worlds, Councillor. You might be taken literally."
"And so we should!" T'Jeg shouted. "Starfleet threatened as much at Aznetkur! They demand diplomatic concessions on one side, and attack our bases at the same time! It is an outrage not to be borne!"
He looked around him, as if looking for support, but the response from the Hall was muted.
"The Federation attacks us on both diplomatic and military fronts," murmured K'tag, "pressing home every advantage it has. How curious. It is almost as if we were at war with them."
"Then I say," retorted T'Jeg, "fight with every weapon we have! The door is open for reprisals on a planetary scale -"
"We opened that door," said K'tag.
"Then let us sweep through it with every power at our command! As the Chancellor says, dross such as the Yll-Toricans is beneath us. Blast Earth itself, and Vulcan, and Andoria! Show everyone in the galaxy that the Empire is to be feared!"
"You know my mind on this," Darg added. "Demonstrate overwhelming force, and our enemies will run in fear."
"And Qo'noS would join that list of destroyed worlds within days," said K'tag, "and every Klingon world with it. We would fight not only the Federation, but the Cardassians, the Romulans, the Ferengi... our only possible alliance would be with the Tholians, who care nothing for class M worlds."
"K'tag speaks truly," said J'mpok. He glared at T'Jeg. "It is possible to rise to the High Council without a strong grasp of realities," he said, "but not to the office I hold. To speak of the destruction of Earth - it is rhetoric, no more. This Council must concern itself with practical matters." He squared his shoulders. "Let us attend to those practical matters. Some reprisal is necessary for Aznetkur.... The Federation cannot hold that system, it is too far from their supply lines. An attack on those supply lines may remind them of that reality. Some... over-zealous... captains might redeem themselves in my eyes if they joined in that attack...."
---
Later, J'mpok was pacing moodily along the line of statues when S'taass approached him.
"I must prepare a report for my government," the Gorn ambassador said.
J'mpok barely spared him a glance. "Of course."
"My report must state that the proposition of total war is gaining support in the High Council."
J'mpok stopped pacing and turned around. "I do not support unrestricted strikes on civilian targets," he said, through clenched teeth. "And those who do are fools. T'Jeg, Darg, they are blusterers with no concept of reality."
"I am not concerned with them," said S'taass. "But K'tag gave me pause for thought."
"K'tag? He has spoken against this foolishness."
"Thus far. But in his last statement, he mentioned a possible alliance with the Tholians." The Gorn inclined his head. "One does not consider possible alliances in the event of a situation one believes to be impossible. This change in K'tag's thinking alarms me, Chancellor. Respectfully, I submit that you too should be alarmed."
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