by Diane Duane
Scotty was muttering under his breath. Jim could hardly blame him. “I take it, though,” Jim said, “that you’re expecting help of some kind.”
“Yes,” Ael said. “This will be a major engagement, and if conducted properly, it may much shorten this war. I rejoice that you will be present, for your appearance will give the Rihannsu fleet as much pause as the presence of all the other ships that will be arrayed against them.”
It was flattery of the most outrageous kind. Still, flattery had to contain a kernel of truth in order to work at all. Jim smiled through the anger…just a little. “And another thing,” Jim said. “Since when can Bloodwing maintain this kind of speed? What the devil have you done to your engines?”
“Well,” Ael said, “since we left home space, Master Engineer tr’Keirianh has been experimenting with a propulsion concept our people came up with a while ago. Grand Fleet had abandoned it as too dangerous an idea and sent it back to the researchers for more work. But you know how engineers are, once a better way of doing something is suggested to them. Tr’Keirianh simply could not let it be, and eventually he found a way to make it work. If one creates a small local singularity and connects it to the warp engines—”
“Oh, no,” Jim said softly, and rubbed his forehead gently, where the headache was already starting. Practically in unison with him, “Oh, no!” Scotty said, from down in engineering.
“Why?” Ael said. “Have your people had problems with such a thing? It certainly is somewhat experimental, and it will take a good while yet to work all the bugs out of it. The singularity has a tendency to fail without warning. But K’s’t’lk said—”
“Uh-oh,” Jim said. Bugs indeed!
“What’s the matter? K’s’t’lk says that the design is one which her people have been using for some years. She had a look at what tr’Keirianh had done and changed a couple of connections in his basic design, but that was all.”
“He would have worked it out in a month or so anyway, at the rate he was going,” K’s’t’lk said, from down in engineering. “All I had to do was show him the equivalent system in my own ship. He sorted out the details very quickly.”
“Ael,” Jim said, “why didn’t you tell me you had this?”
“Because for a good while it refused to work except intermittently,” Ael said. “When we tried to use it at 15 Trianguli, it failed us when we greatly needed it. But today, at least, it is working. How much better it might work yet remains to be seen. Theoretically it could be pushed as high as warp thirteen. Maybe even more. For the meantime, though, we will hold it at nine, so that you can keep up.”
Jim raised his eyebrows. “Nice of you, Commander. I have a few things to deal with here. Would you excuse me for a little while?”
“Certainly, Captain. Bloodwing out.”
He stood up from the center seat and rubbed his face for a moment. “Mr. Sulu,” he said, “if she does anything sudden, I want to know immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
He turned to look at Spock. Spock was bent over his scanner again.
“Spock,” Jim said, “what is it now?”
“Captain, I am once again picking up that peculiar waveform we detected earlier.”
“What? Don’t tell me another cloaked Romulan ship is on our tail.”
Spock straightened, looking surprised. “Not at all, Captain. The waveform is presently coming from sickbay.”
Jim’s eyes widened, and he headed straight for the turbolift. “Mr. Sulu, you have the conn. Come on, Spock, let’s see what gives. Then you and I need to go down to my quarters.”
An hour later they were still there, and Jim was just putting a data solid away in the little safe near his desk. Spock stood to one side, turning over and over in his hands the little green metal sphere that the young Rihannsu officer tr’AAnikh had handed over to them.
“So you see my problem,” Jim said softly to Spock as he touched the buttons to reprogram the combination and lock the safe.
“Yes, Captain,” Spock said. “It is considerable.”
“I’ll be informing McCoy about this as soon as he’s out of surgery,” Jim said. “But I’m afraid the orders don’t permit me to confide in the crew…at least not yet. We may have problems.”
“It is always difficult to predict the future with any accuracy,” Spock said, “but I suggest that you may be overestimating the severity of this problem.”
“I just hope you’re right. Meantime…” He looked at the little sphere. “What can you make of that?”
“I believe it will prove very useful,” Spock said. “Further analysis will reveal whether its technology can be exploited on a larger scale. If, as I think—”
The intercom whistled. Jim hit the control on his desk. “Kirk here.”
“A message has come in from Starfleet Command, Captain, via relay from RV Trianguli.”
“Yes?”
“It’s Code One, sir.”
Jim swallowed.
“I’ll be right up.”
On Bloodwing’s bridge, everything was very quiet. Ael sat there with only tr’Hrienteh for company, looking out as the stars poured past them in the darkness.
“It is,” tr’Hrienteh said, “a normal physiological reaction to the stress of battle, Ael. You know that.”
“Of course I know it,” Ael said. “But surely it is folly to reject sorrow simply because one has just had a victory.” She sighed. “Such as it is. What of poor Lake Champlain, then? Its crew did not think to die on this mission. And as for those who sought, however indirectly, to protect us, this is a sad repayment of their wish to do us justice. Yet at the same time, our own people broke their own truce at the first second they could…and if one will deal with such folk, well, that has its dangers. If the Federation was not clear about that before, they are now.”
She looked grimly out at the stars. But the grimness could not hold; the sorrow came back to replace it.
Tr’Hrienteh shook her head. “There is no harm in second thoughts, khre’Riov.”
“As long as I do not act on them,” Ael said. “I have chosen this path. To turn from it because of pity for blood shed now will make that bloodshed worthless. I must go all the way through, for their sakes, for the sake of all those who will shortly die; else it means nothing.”
She stood up. “Ask the crew to assemble in the workout room,” she said. “This will only take a few minutes. But there may not be time when we reach Artaleirh.”
Jim and Spock stood looking over Uhura’s shoulder at the screen, where the text version of the message was scrolling. Its detail filled the whole screen, but one part of it mattered most.
…PREVIOUS ATTACKS ON FEDERATION VESSELS AND INCURSIONS INTO FEDERATION SPACE. NEGOTIATIONS REGARDING THESE INCURSIONS HAVE FAILED, AND HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED BY A NEW INCURSION OF A ROMULAN TASK FORCE INTO THE SPACE NEAR 15 TRIANGULI. THESE HOSTILE ACTIONS HAVE LEFT US NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO DECLARE THAT AS OF THIS DATE, A STATE OF WAR EXISTS BETWEEN THE UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS AND THE ROMULAN STAR EMPIRE.
Jim’s mouth was dry. “I hoped we would never have to see this again,” he said softly. It had been the Klingons the last time Code One came through, and there had been more than enough deaths in that awful time, enough destruction and terror, before the Organians had abruptly brought that war to a close. This time, though, they showed no sign of interfering. Jim wondered one more time whether this meant the Organians were either gone or merely bored with dealing with lesser races, or whether humans and Romulans did not have the kind of joint future—bizarre as it sounded right now—which they had predicted that Klingons and humans would someday have. I think we’re on our own this time, he thought. But will we have the sense to end it as quickly as we can, or will we all get stuck again in the old habit of killing “aliens” for fun?
There was no way to tell. The only thing that was certain was that the Second Romulan War had begun.
In the workout room, with its hung-up floor mats and its floor
scuffed and scarred from thousands of games and bouts, all of Ael’s little crew were waiting for her when she came in. They stared at her, for she was, for the first time, not in uniform. She was dressed all in pale silver-gray—breeches, tunic, boots—like one going to a wedding or a funeral, and in her hand she held the Sword.
She slipped it out of the scabbard and glanced at Aidoann, who stood off to one side. The blade glinted in the hard light of the room as she tossed the scabbard to Aidoann. Her second-in-command caught it.
“Too long this mighty heirloom has lain hidden,” Ael said. “But, for life or death, it will do so no more. I will not sheathe it again until we are done, or our work is done. Ships the Imperium has spent, lives they have spent, and what little honor they had left they have spent hunting the Sword. Now the Sword shall come hunting them. Let us see how well they like it.”
The cheer from them nearly deafened her as Ael left the workout room and made her way back up to the bridge. There she laid the Sword naked over the arms of her command seat, and stood behind it a moment, looking out at the main viewscreen’s image of the stars.
Then Ael went out, and the Sword lay alone in the stillness and the starlight, with the cold, still, blue-shifted fires streaking and glittering on its blade.
To be continued in
The Empty Chair
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GLOSSARY
Translator’s Note: This glossary is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather merely a general guide to various terms of interest. In many places translations are approximate due to inadequate equivalents in the translating language.
aefvadh—“Be welcome.”
aehallh—monster-ghost. An illusory creature: cognate to “nightmare” in Terran tradition, a creature that “rides” the dreamer to his perdition. Also, the “image” or illusion that one being has of another; as opposed to the true nature of the being in question.
Ael—proper name, fairly common on ch’Havran. “Winged.” In other usage an adjective with connotations indicating a creature that moves quickly, gives one little time to make out details.
afw’ein—reason, as in use of one’s faculties, rather than as the “excuse” one contrives to explain one’s behavior.
Aidoann—proper name, uncommon. “Moon.”
aihai—plains, plain country. Flatlands: cognomen “prairie.”
aihr—“this is.” Indicative noun prefix or infix.
Arrhae—proper name, der. “arrhe,” q.v.
arrhe—worth-in-cash. Originally derogatory (a servant who performed the duties of slaves below his/her rank; modified to be “a servant more worthy of higher position than those awarded it”).
au’e—“Oh yes.” (Emphatic from “oh yes!”)
auethn—advise me—answer a query.
ch’Havran—(planet) “of the Travelers.”
ch’Rihan—(planet) “of the Declared.”
daise—prefix; chief, principal, senior, foremost (etc.).
daisemi’in—chief among several (choices, candidates).
deihu—“elder”; a member of the Senate; regarded as an equivalent to the Terran “Senator”: cf. Latin “senex.”
Eisn—“homesun.” The G9 star 128 Trianguli.
Eitreih’hveinn—the Farmers’ Festival.
enarrain—senior centurion; colonel of infantry, commodore of Fleet forces. Minimum rank at which the officer may command more than his own vessel.
erei’riov—subcommander; captain of infantry, lieutenant commander of Fleet—usual rank for a first officer.
erein—antecenturion/subcenturion (translation sources vary); officercadet of infantry, ensign of Fleet forces.
fvai, fvaiin—child’s riding-beast and house-pet (in larger houses) analogous to the Terran Oligocene-period Mesohippus in size—that of the Holocene-period C. familiaris inostranzewi (Great Dane)—though only approximate appearance.
fvillha—Rihannsu analogue to Terran “praetor”: originally a judicial-level official with some executive powers (now much expanded). Cf. fvillhaih, “Praetorate.”
galae—fleet; most specifically, space-fleet, since the battles of Rihannsu history were principally land-based. However, there was a later, enthusiastic adoption of massed airpower in both the offensive and defensive modes, and it is here, rather than in naval tradition, that the term has its origins.
haerh, haerht—cargo space, cargo hold.
haudet’—fr. haud, writing, and etrehh, machine. Computer printout: sometimes, screen dump as well. Cf. hnhaudr, “data transfer”: direct protocol transfer from one computer to another.
Havranha, Havranssu—native(s) of the planet ch’Havran.
Hellguard—872 Trianguli V, a failed colony planet hastily and incompletely evacuated after “the Second Federation Encroachment.”
hfai, hfehan—bond-servant; one earning a wage but without the liberty of changing employers at will.
hfihar, hfihrnn—House(s); noble families, not dwellings.
hlai, hlaiin—large flightless birds farmed for their meat; similar to the Terran ostrich, Struthio camelus. The very largest ones are also sometimes tamed for children to ride. This, however, renders their meat unusable.
hlai’hwy, hlai’vna—“held” and “loose” hlai; domesticated and wild (game) birds.
hna’h—activation-imperative suffix: e.g. “Fire!” “Energize!” “Go!”
hnafirh—“see,” but not an active verb: passive with an implication that someone else must cooperate in the act by imparting or sharing information. Cf. hnafirh’rau, “Let me/us see it.”
hnafiv—“hear,” as above: hnavif’rau, “let me/us hear it.”
hnoiyika, hnoiyikar—predator, similar to the Terran weasel mustela frenata—but 4 feet long, excluding tail, and 3 feet tall at the shoulder. Notorious for their vicious habits and insatiable appetites.
hrrau—at/on/in: a general locative particle or infix.
hru’hfe—Head-of-Household. The senior servant among domestic staff, appointed as overseer and servants’ manager.
hru’hfirh—Head-of-House, euph. “The Lord.” Most senior member of a noble family.
h’ta-fvau—“To last-place, immediate-return!” (Come back here!)
hteij—transporter, transmat. Not considered as a reliable form of travel, most of the time (possibly understandable, considering that the technology is purchased second-hand from the Klingons).
hwaveyiir—“command-executive center”; the flight bridge of a ship, as opposed to the combat-control area. (See oira.)
hwiiy—“You are”: sometimes imperative.
ie’yyak-hnah—“Fire phasers!”
iehyyak—“multiple” rather than “several” phasers, especially in reference to shipboard phaser-banks.
khellian—arch. “hunter”; also the name of a minor Praetorial house.
khoi—“switch off,” “cease,” “finish.”
khre’riov—commander-general; equivalent to a colonel of infantry or a commodore of Fleet forces.
kllhe—the annelid worm, introduced to domestic hlai-pens, which ingests the acidic dung and thus processes it to usable fertilizer. Also an insult.
kll’inghann—the Klingon people (However, see lloannen’mhrahel.)
Levaeri V—fifth planet of the Levaeri system (identified with 113 Tri): site of an orbital station at which various biological researches were conducted until the destruction of the base by Federation forces and the renegade ship Bloodwing.
lhhei—“Madam.”
llaekh-ae’rl—“laughing-murder”; the practice or kata forms of a common Rihannsu unarmed combat technique. Provenance of the name is uncertain.
llhrei’sian—diarrhea as a result of mild food-poisoning; a term exactly equivalent to “the runs,” “the Titanian two-step,” “the (any number of edible objects) revenge.”
llilla’hu—that will do, “That’s just enough”: barely adequate, sufficient.
lloann’mhrahel—the United Federation of Pla
nets; however, the word translates most accurately as “Them, from There” (as opposed to “Us, from Here”). The Klingons, once encountered, were promptly named khell’oann-mhehorael (More of Them, from Somewhere Else).
lloann’na—catchall title for a UFP member, translating exactly as “a/the Fed.”
lloannen’galae—Federation fleet, battlegroup, task force; the word has aggressive connotations which do not differentiate between warships and unarmed civilian vessels, but then the Rihannsu have seldom seen the need to regard other ships than theirs as other than potential enemies.
mnek’nra, mnekha—“well, good, correct, satisfactory.” Inferior-superior and superior-inferior modes, respectively.
mnhei’sahe—the Ruling Passion: a concept or concept-complex which rules most of Rihannsu life in terms of honor. Mnhei’sahe is primarily occupied with courtesy to the people around one: this courtesy, depending on circumstances, may require killing a person to do him honor, or severely disadvantaging oneself on his behalf. There are many ramifications too involved to go into, but generally mnhei’sahe is satisfied if all the parties to an agreement or situation feel that their “face” or honor is intact after a social (or other) transaction. NB: The concept has occasionally been mistranslated as implying that a given action is done “for another person’s good.” This is incorrect; such a concept literally does not exist in Rihannsu. One does things for one’s own good—or rather, the good of one’s honor—and if properly carried out, the actions in question will have benefited the other parties in the transaction as well.
nei’rrh—small birds, similar in size and flight characteristics to the Terran hummingbirds (fam. Trochilidae), with a poison-secreting spur on the upper mandible of the beak. Also an insult, referring to a person annoying or dangerous out of all proportion to their size, status, or (usually) worth.