Tonight was not a normal night.
The First Minister suppressed a sigh as he turned back to his desk. The messages on the console still shone with urgency icons. He composed his mind in the discipline of Kolinahr as he strove to address the problem.
Then the door to his office hissed open.
T'Nos, the Minister of Thought, was first to enter; a Vulcan woman of late middle age, not very tall, somewhat plump and matronly in appearance, but still with a certain pride in her bearing. And, behind her, a slim and elegant figure in blue robes.
"Minister T'Nos," the First Minister said, "T'Nir. Welcome. I regret that I have many matters demanding my attention at present.
"We are aware of this," said T'Nos. "We are here to offer our assistance."
"We are here to help you," said T'Nir.
"Assistance from the Hegemony would be welcome." The First Minister could not quite keep an edge of frost from his tone. "The Hegemony's military adventurism is at least partly the cause of the problems before me."
"Such setbacks yield to the disciplined mind," said T'Nos.
"That is a maxim of the Hegemony," added T'Nir.
"I would be grateful for any assistance in overcoming this particular setback," said the First Minister. "I should point out that some people are of the opinion that too many concessions have been made to the Hegemony in the first place. With Silit's elevation to a full Ministry, you now have three members on the Council itself -"
"That is as it should be," said T'Nos.
"The Hegemony and the official government must work in harmony," said T'Nir.
"We are here to promote such harmony."
"We are here to help."
The First Minister looked from T'Nos to T'Nir and back again. Both women were smiling, mildly.
"Then how do you suggest that we extricate ourselves from this situation?" he asked.
"What is the situation?" T'Nos replied.
"Specify the terms of the problem," said T'Nir, "and logic will furnish the solution."
"We are here to assist you to see the logic of the situation."
"We are here to help. Please, specify the problem."
"I - " The First Minister took a deep breath. "Vulcan lives have been lost. I must demand an accounting from the Romulan Republic for this. They will claim their action was justified -"
"The Republic is not logical in these matters," said T'Nos.
"Therefore, your demand must be pressed home in a manner which they cannot ignore or discount," said T'Nir.
"I cannot press home demands without Federation support," said the First Minister, "and that will not be forthcoming."
"The Federation has various interests in, and obligations towards, the Republic," said T'Nos.
"Those interests and obligations conflict with the requirements of Vulcan in this matter," said T'Nir.
"That conflict must be resolved in some way."
"Your responsibilities are to the Vulcan state, First Minister."
"The conflict must be resolved with this paramount obligation in mind."
"The Federation also has obligations towards the Vulcan state."
The First Minister's face was grey and strained. "I... do not know if the Federation...." He put one hand to his brow. "The Federation cannot afford to antagonize the Republic further...."
"We have no desire to antagonize the Republic."
"But the interests of the Vulcan state must be recognized and upheld."
"If the Federation and the Republic act against those interests, measures must be taken."
"You should not regret any measures taken to support the interests of Vulcan."
The First Minister was swaying, the strain showing on his face. "I - there are constraints on me - I cannot act -"
"We recognize your difficulties."
"We are here to help."
"We understand the logic of your situation."
"If you are unable to act, others must act for you."
"The destiny of Vulcan is, necessarily, its own."
"We will assist you to reach the correct conclusions and decide a course of action."
"We will not shrink from whatever measures are necessary."
There was almost a hint of triumph in T'Nir's voice as she said, "We are here to help."
No comments:
Post a Comment