by David
Very soon.
Chapter Thirteen
"How are you feeling, Number One?"
Riker cracked open his eyes and groaned.
The last thing he remembered was Gretna
screaming ...
The M'dok.
He propped himself up on his elbows. He
was in sick bay, lying on one of the diagnostic
couches. Leaning over him on one side was
Dr. Beverly Crusher, and on the other, his hand
resting on Riker's shoulder, was Captain
Jean-Luc Picard.
"Fine--I guess, sir," he said. "The
attack--"
"Completely repelled, Number One.
Zhelnogra is secure."
"And Gretna?"
"She's fine--in a lot better shape
than you, I might add."
Riker groaned again, and turned to Dr.
Crusher. "Give me the bad news,
Doctor. How much longer have I got?"
"You'll live to a ripe old age," Dr.
Crusher assured him. "You had a number of
deep cuts here"--she pointed to Riker's chest
--"and a couple bruised ribs, and your right
forearm"--he looked down, and saw it was held
in place by a stasis field--"was broken."
She shrugged. "Just what you'd expect from a
face-to-face collision with a M'dok
warrior."
Picard smiled. "Perhaps I should have you take
Mr. Worf's self-defense class."
"Perhaps you should have , sir." Riker returned
the smile, and tried to sit up straighter. He
was rewarded by a bolt of pain that shot through his
chest like a knife. The captain noticed his first
officer's discomfort and leaned forward to help, but
Riker waved him off.
"I'm fine, sir." He took a deep
breath. "Fill me in on what's been
happening."
"A lot," Picard said. "And very little of it
good."
The captain summarized the events of the last
few days--saving the news of the Great
Saavta's impending policy change for
last.
"I still don't understand Gretna's
change of heart, though, sir," Riker said when
Picard had finished. "Have you been able to talk
to her father about it?"
"Aah." Picard hesitated a moment.
"That's a bit of bad news I had left out,
Number One." He sighed heavily.
"Chairman Melkinat was killed in the
attack on the Great Hall."
Riker's face fell. "Oh, no."
"I'm afraid so. Which has left a
thoroughly disagreeable woman named Anka as the
most prominent Tenaran government official--
and Gretna Melkinata has been supporting
her stance."
With his good hand Riker stroked his beard
thoughtfully. "What could have happened to change her
mind?"
"This occurred before the M'dok attack?"
"A few days before, sir. She had stayed
behind in one of the outposts ..." He snapped his
fingers. "When we met back in Zhelnogra,
she mentioned something about Marcus Julius
Volcinius--called him that teacher from the
Centurion."
"Teacher?" Picard frowned. "That man is
no teacher."
"I know that, sir. Perhaps you should ask
Captain Sejanus about what's going on."
Picard straightened abruptly and turned
away from Riker. "I don't know, Number
One. I am frankly convinced at this point that
the man is not to be trusted."
"Captain Sejanus?" Riker was
surprised, but said nothing.
"I'd be more inclined to find out more about Marcus
ourselves," Picard said.
"Captain Picard." The voice was
Deanna Troi's, and it came from the
bridge.
The captain crossed to one of the companels in
the wall. "Picard here."
"We've just had some rather disturbing news,
sir. There's been an accident of some kind
aboard the Centurion. Gaius Aldus is
dead."
Picard and Riker exchanged surprised
glances.
"Thank you, Counselor," Picard said.
"I will be on the bridge immediately."
He turned back to Riker.
"Something is rotten aboard that ship, Number
One--and I intend to find out what it is."
"Good luck, sir."
"Thank you, Number One--and get well
soon, will you?"
"I'll try, sir."
He was asleep, though, before Picard was
completely out the door.
Picard strode crisply out of the
turbolift and directly into the ready room,
motioning Troi to follow him.
"Have a seat, Counselor." He gestured
toward the chair in front of the desk. He
raised his voice slightly. "Computer--put
me through to Captain Sejanus on the
Centurion."
The desk screen cleared to give a view
of the Centurion's bridge, with Sejanus in
the foreground. "Captain Picard," he said,
"I assume you wish to discuss the further
disposition of our forces on Tenara."
It was the first time the two captains had
talked face-to-face since Picard had
assumed command of their joint mission. Troi
noticed that the two captains avoided
pleasantries or small talk of any kind.
She did not need her Betazoid abilities
to sense that these two men actively disliked each
other.
Picard said, "No, Captain. I need
some information from you. I am surprised and
distressed at the reported death of your first
officer, Gaius Aldus. I would like some more
information."
Sejanus' voice softened. "May I
speak in confidence, Captain?"
Picard nodded. "I'm in my ready room.
Your words will not go beyond the door."
"Good. I am reluctant to tell anyone
the details of the story, since it does not
reflect well on the Aldus family, but
I know I can rely on your discretion. Poor
Gaius learned just recently of a scandal
involving his family. It seems an uncle of
his was selling Federation secrets to the
Romulans. Gaius' uncle--and quite
possibly the rest of his family--faces
certain imprisonment."
As he spoke, Sejanus' face
grew ever more solemn.
"My magister navis, Captain, was
perhaps a bit old-fashioned--a Roman of the
old imperial school. He came to me in my
cabin and told me what he had learned ..."
Sejanus' voice trailed off. "I knew
he was upset, but I had no idea he intended
to kill himself."
"I see." Picard nodded. "You have my
deepest sympathy, Captain."
"Thank you, Captain Picard. If I
might ... I would ask you to keep a close
eye on Ensign de Luz," Sejanus said.
"She and Gaius had grown quite close."
"Understood. Picard out." He broke the
connection and turned to Troi.
"He's lying," she said flatly. "There is
much more to Gaius' death than he is
telling
you."
"I feel the same way." Picard
hesitated, then said, "If you think it's wise
to tell Ensign de Luz about this conversation, you
may do so, but please do it in here."
For a moment Deanna looked puzzled. Then
she remembered Picard's promise
to Sejanus that what he said would not go beyond the
ready room. "I'll summon her now, sir,
if that's all right."
Picard nodded. "I'll leave. No, on
second thought, I'll stay."
Jenny arrived within minutes. It was clear
immediately that she had not been sleeping much. Her
face was pale and drawn--paler even than her
normal redhead's coloring--and with lines
Deanna had not seen there before. Her eyes were
red-rimmed, her uniform was rumpled and creased,
and her hair, normally a smooth red cap, was
dirty and uncombed. Still, there was a kind of
bright energy in her face, but to Deanna's
eye it was an unhealthy, driven kind of
energy.
"Sit down, Ensign," Captain Picard
said quickly.
Jenny sank gratefully into a chair.
"Thank you, sir." Right away, she turned
to Deanna Troi. "Do you have any news for
me?"
"Ensign--Jenny--the captain and I tried
to find out the details of Gaius Aldus'
death, as I promised you." She
told Jenny what Sejanus had said.
"His uncle betrayed the Federation? And so
Gaius killed himself?"
"That's what Sejanus told us, Jenny,"
Deanna said. "Do you have any reason to doubt
that?"
Jenny shook her head.
"Had Gaius given you any hints of trouble
aboard the Centurion, or with Captain
Sejanus?" Picard asked.
"No," Jenny said quietly. She stared
at the floor silently for a moment. "If that's
all, may I go, sir?"
"Of course." Picard smiled gently.
"And take the next couple of days off,
Ensign. Give yourself some rest."
"Captain Sejanus?"
"Hmmm?" The aide's voice had startled
him; Sejanus had been preparing for bed, and was
unaccustomed to interruption.
"Captain, someone from the Enterprise is
here to speak with you. An ensign." The aide's
voice carried an overtone of disapproval.
"Ensign de Luz?" Sejanus asked, the
fatigue vanishing from his mind. Instinctively
he could feel the importance of the call.
"Yes, Captain," the aide replied,
sounding somewhat surprised.
"Where is she now?"
"In the transporter room, Captain."
"Have her brought here, Lieutenant.
Immediately."
Sejanus had just finished dressing when the
chime rang. "Come," he said, sitting on his
bed.
The door slid open and Jenny walked in.
Sejanus was immediately struck by the difference in
her appearance. She was clearly exhausted, her
face lined with worry and pain. But somehow she
glowed with energy, her eyes oddly luminous.
He had never thought of her as attractive
before, but now ...
"Ensign de Luz reporting, sir." Her
voice was very distant.
"At ease, Ensign. Jenny. Please,
relax."
She moved from attention to a stance with her feet
shoulder-width apart, her hands clasped at the
small of her back, her upper body
still ramrod-straight, and her eyes staring
straight ahead--the textbook definition of
"at ease," and not what Sejanus had had in
mind. "How can I help you, Jenny?"
"Gaius Aldus ..."
Jenny had closed her eyes, and she was
shaking; after a moment, Sejanus realized that
she was crying. He rose from the bed and took her
into his arms, holding her tightly as she
wept.
After a little while he pushed her away
slightly, still holding her shoulders, and looked
into her eyes. "Listen to me, Jenny," he said
gently. "Gaius' death was a tragedy, and I
feel his loss no less keenly than you. But
we must put him behind us and look to other things,
to the future."
"I know that," she said, avoiding his eyes.
"Look." He led her to a chair, helped
her sit down, and stood beside her. In front of
them, on his desk, was an empty computer
screen. "Computer," he said. "Roma, the
Regia."
Onto the computer screen there came the
image of a great city, the view focusing upon a
large building fronted by massive pillars,
magnificently decorated. Men in togas were
walking in and out of the building, looking like
insects in comparison to the gargantuan
structure.
"This is the Regia Republicae, the
Palace of the Republic, our capitol. It
occupies the entire top of the hill we call
the Palatium. It's where the Senate meets
and the center of government on Magna Roma.
This is where the power lies!" He turned her
chair around, gazing down at her.
"That hill, that complex of buildings"--he
gestured toward the screen--"used to be called
simply the Regia, the Palace, and everyone
understood that that meant the Palace of the
Emperor. My namesake's palace, Jenny!
Augustus built his palace up there, and then
Tiberius built one near it, but it was the
Emperor Sejanus who completed the complex and
made the Palatium the true center of the
empire. For two thousand years it was the seat
of the emperors, the center of the empire, and then the
center of the world. For two thousand years, until
the republic, and even now it is st ill the
true center of power. It is the crowning
achievement of our civilization, yet it is in
danger of falling--in the same way Tenara
has."
He clasped his hands behind his back and began
pacing. "Jenny, the M'dok grow bolder with
each attack. The next time they strike, we
must deliver them a crushing blow--a blow that will
send them scurrying back to the safety of their
own borders. The Centurion alone is not
powerful enough to deliver that blow. I need the
Enterprise's firepower on my side to do
that."
Jenny swallowed. "I'm with you, sir ...
but there is little I can do to help you."
"On the contrary, Jenny." He faced her.
"You hold the key to our chances against the
M'dok." He crossed to the computer on his
desk and brought up a display of the
Centurion's defensive systems.
"Look how intricate my ship's
defenses are. No one man can possibly
coordinate them. It takes the thinking power of a
computer--and in any battle involving more than
one ship, the problems of maintaining a coherent
offensive and defensive strategy multiply
exponentially. One ship's computer must take
command of all the others--a procedure
accomplished through the use of a simple
six-digit number called a prefix code.
"We talked before about the Romans who
sacrificed themselves for the safety of the empire--
who were unafraid to stand up for what they thought was
right. Now I want you to stand up for what you
believe in, Jenny." He gazed into her
eyes. "I want you to obtain the
Enterprise's prefix code for me. So that
the next time the M'dok attack Tenara, I
have control of the Enterprise."
For a long moment Jenny was silent, staring at
the computer screen, deliberately avoiding
Sejanus' gaze.
Then she straightened, and nodded. "You'll have
that code, sir. On my honor, I swear
it."
Sejanus nodded, and allowed himself a small
smile.
He had won.
He would use the code to lower the
Enterprise's shields, and destroy
her himself. His engineers on board the ship were
even now sabotaging the larger vessel's
phaser banks, destroying her ability to fight
back. The M'dok, of course, would be blamed
--and that would bring on the war he needed
to catapult him to glory, to the command of his
planet ...
... and perhaps beyond.
"Is there anything else I can do, sir?"
Jenny asked.
He was about to dismiss her, then noticed
Jenny's eyes gleaming darkly, luminously
at him. By God, she was beautiful! If
nothing else, Gaius had shown excellent
taste.
Perhaps there was something else she could do for him.
"Jenny," he said urgently, "there's a
great adventure ahead of me. Join me. I
know you nothing is beyond you. Be my magistra
navis, stand beside me, command my forces."
He bent toward her, touching his lips gently
to hers.
With a passion that surprised him, Jenny
returned his kiss.
"Gaius Aldus! Commit suicide!"
Worf shook his head. "Never, sir."
It was the following morning, and Picard was on
the bridge, having just brought his security
chief, down on the planet's surface,
up-to-date on recent events.
"Go on, Lieutenant."
Worf's image, on the main viewscreen,
said, "I was with him yesterday, and he seemed in
fine spirits." The Klingon paused. "That is,
until Marcus Julius showed up."
Picard's eyebrows rose. "Marcus
Julius Volcinius? That man's name seems
to be cropping up everywhere, Lieutenant."
He thought a moment. "See if you can locate