Chapter Seven
THE BRIDGE WAS QUIET, as it usually was before everything was about to happen. Picard thought of the
bridge as being in
calm before storm
mode.
The contact team had been back for about an hour. Upon their return to theEnterprise, Picard had ordered
a shuttle pilot beamed directly intoJustman, which had then been flown back to the Enterprise without
incident. The captain had spent the time since then sitting comfortably in his chair on the bridge,
sipping at a cup of tea, and waiting for the Lethanta to call him. If they did not, he would have no
choice but to leave them to themselves.
I believe it will be all right, Captain,
Troi said. As usual, she was sitting to his left, a quiet
presence that steadied him.
They need us, and they know it.
Im not worried about that, Counselor,
Picard said,
but were losing time. I wonder how Geordi and
Data are doing
La Forge to Captain Picard,
came Geordis voice.
Ah. Yes, Mr. La Forge?
If youll take a look at the main viewscreen, Captain, I think youll see that weve defeated the Krann
cloaking device.
Picard nodded to himself as thousands of bright specks began to appear on screen.
Thank you, Mr. La
Forge.
Incredible,
Riker breathed.
You told me about this, Captain, but seeing it is something else
entirely. There seems to be a million of them.
Ro glanced over at the Ops panel.
Only a little over a hundred and sixty-three thousand, sir,
she
reported.
I stand corrected, Ensign,
said Riker.
Thatsmuch better.
Data and I have refined the tachyon sweep routine of the main sensor array to defeat whatever it is the
Krann are doing to hide themselves,
La Forge continued.
This should work for any expectable cloaking
configuration the Krann manage to come up with for their probes, their manned ships, whatever. We
figured that since the Krann dont have faster-than-light drive or communications, they wouldnt know
enough about tachyons to be able to hide theirs from us.
Well done, both of you,
Picard said.
Mr. Data, when youre finished down there, please return to the
bridge.
Aye, sir.
Picard turned to Troi.
Now all we do is wait for a call,
he said.
I dont believe Kerajem will wait
much longer, if hes going to call us at all.
Captain,
Worf said,
I am now able to display a visual of the lead Krann ships. They have come close
enough now to be visible under full magnification.
Excellent,
Picard said.
Lets see them.
The view of the Krann armada disappeared and was replaced by a visual of a single ship.
This is full
magnification, sir,
Worf said.
The ship was a vast, spindly looking cage, inside of which were contained a large number of spinning
spheres of various sizes. Each sphere was rotating on an axis attached to the cage. There was an array
of conical shapes on the sunward side of the cage.
It looks like a bunch of big balloons caught in a net,
Riker said.
A clockwork starship,
Picard said.
Incredible. Each sphere must represent an independent
environment.
Why are they spinning?
Troi wondered.
Artificial gravity, I should think,
said the captain.
Its an old idea. The acceleration of spin on
the inside surface of each sphere would substitute nicely for a gravity field.
This ship is fifteen to twenty times larger than we are,
Worf reported,
and it is the largest ship I
can detect. Those conelike objects to sunward appear to be engine outlets. They are putting out large
streams of hot ions. That must be how they decelerate, Captain.
The outlets are up front?
Troi asked.
Thats where youd expect to see them on a ship of this type during deceleration, Counselor,
Picard
said.
The outlets would be opposite the direction of flight.
I can see what must be radiative fins here and there,
Riker commented.
There are a good many of them.
They must carry internal heat away from the core of the ship and allow it to leak very slowly into
vacuum. All the heat is wasted to space. This suggests that the Krann cant do anything about entropy
except to succumb to it. Ive seen designs like thisancient ones that were drawn up before the
development of warp drive. It was back when the old Earth nations were contemplating sending colony
ships to the star systems nearest Sol. They came up with kludges like this one.
The hull seems to be festooned with gadgets,
Troi said.
Those over there look very much like sensor
dishes.
Ill bet thats just what they are,
Riker said.
The sensor dish is about as basic a design as you can
get. Related designs go all the way back to the nineteenth century on Earth. Mr. Worf, lets see some
other ships.
Aye, sir,
the Klingon replied. The view shifted, and three smaller Krann vessels appeared on screen.
The same thing,
Troi observed,
only smaller. Fewer spheres inside the cages.
There are much smaller ships as well,
Worf told them. He worked the Tactical panel for a moment, and
the scene changed yet again. Now framed in the center of the screen was a small, boxy spacecraft that
looked not unlike a Starfleet shuttlecraft of the previous century.
This one appears to be a personnel
transport vessel, Captainsmall, chemically powered, not much in the way of energy reserves, and no
detectable weaponry. Im reading a complement of seven aboard, and all bear the same life signs. With
your permission, Captain, I will provisionally log these readings as representative of the Krann race,
and I will add them to our database.
Make it so,
Picard said,
and put the long-range view back on screen. Ro, how far are the lead Krann
vessels from Nem Maak Bratuna?
Im sorting the forward vessels out, sirah. The lead wave of the Krann fleet is presently located
eight hundred million kilometers from standard orbit at Nem Maak Bratuna. Thats just outside the orbit
of the fifth planet in this system, sir. These leading elements of the Krann fleet are presently
traveling at a speed of just under four thousand kilometers per second and are decelerating under power
at a constant one gravity of boost. They will arrive at Nem Maak Bratuna in four days, sixteen hours.
Elements of the fleet toward the rear seem to be changing course and speed, however.
Where are they going?
Picard asked.
Worf?
They are forming an attack pattern, sir, to center on Nem Maak Bratuna,
the Klingon replied.
It is
similar to the classic Brunckhorst pincer movement, but the Krann are going about forming the pincer
very slowly.
Well, that makes their motives clear,
Picard observed.
That pattern is in no way defensive.
What were seeing strongly suggests that the Krann are constrained by classical Newtonian physics,
Riker said.
The Krann cant just wheel around, change course, and accelerate any which way. Their
technology just isnt up to it. Theyre slaves to the laws of motion and thermodynamics. That gives us a
decided advantage.
I wonder, really, how much of an advantage our technologydoes give us,
Picard mused.
It seems to me
Captain,
Worf interrupted,
the head of the Lethantan government is hailing us.
Picard winked at Troi.
On audio, Mr. Worf,
he said.
Yes, First Among Equals?
Picards tone was
purposefully cold.
The speed-of-light delay from ground to orbit was negligible.
Captain Picard,
Kerajem began,
on behalf
of my entire government, please let me apologize for the conduct of our security minister. He has been
severely reprimanded by myself and the council for his precipitous actions and accusations, none of
which were authorized by us or even known to us before he made them. We beg your forgiveness for this
serious breach of diplomacy, Captain. Let me assure you that this is not the way we usually treat our
friends.
Picard signaled to Worf to cut the audio.
What do you think, Counselor?
the captain asked Troi.
Hes sincere,
the counselor allowed.
Hes also very worried. I think hes telling the truth. The
altercation with the security minister was not planned.
I knew he was telling the truth,
Picard said.
Nevertheless, the incident with Jemmagar shows that
Kerajem has a certain lack of control over his subordinates. Im reluctant to send a contact team again
if I dont have to. The situation is still unstable.
Sir?
Riker interrupted.
We could meet with them here aboard the ship.
Exactly what I was thinking,
Picard said.
Put the First Among Equals back on, Mr. Worf.
On audio, sir.
Ah, there you are, Captain,
came Kerajems voice. He sounded relieved.
I was afraid wed lost you.
Not at all, Kerajem. I accept your apology. Id like nothing better than to put this unpleasantness
behind us.
Most generous of you and your people, Captain. I and the council thank you most sincerely. So, what
next?
I would like to propose that our second meeting take place here, aboard theEnterprise . We will furnish
transportation and facilities. You may, of course, bring along as many ministers of the council and
their staff people and assistants as you require. My first officer, Commander William Riker, will
personally handle the arrangements with your people.
The First Among Equals hardly hesitated.
Excellent, Captain Picard. Were pleased to accept your
invitation. I look forward to meeting Commander Riker. I and a subcommittee of the council will be there
at your earliest convenience.
Very well,
Picard said.
Commander Riker will be calling you shortly. I look forward to seeing you
again, Kerajem. Picard out.
The captain turned to the first officer.
I want the Lethanta up here as
soon as courtesy permits, Will. We still dont have answers to our questions. Theres a great deal we
need to know before
Before what, sir?
Riker asked.
With a nod of his head, Picard indicated the thousands and thousands of lights that dotted the main
screen.
Before we have to deal withthem .
Picard, Riker, Troi, and Worf were waiting as Kerajem and four members of the Council of Ministers
materialized on the chamber platform in transporter room two.
Welcome aboard theEnterprise,
Picard said.
Thank you, Captain,
Kerajem said, looking around him.
An amazing experience, to say the least.
The
ministers with him were working hard to maintain their sang-froid, but they were not doing very well.
They had seen the Federation officers beam away, but that was a far cry from experiencing it themselves.
Is this how you managed to get your shuttlecraft back from the spaceport, Captain?
Klerran asked.
Did
you perhaps place a pilot directly inside it? Wed assumed youd flown it back by some sort of remote
control.
Thats not really important,
Picard said smoothly.
Commander William Riker, allow me to introduce you
to Kerajem zan Trikotta, First Among Equals of the Council of Ministers of Nem Maak Bratuna; Presinget
fes Kwaita, the minister for labor; Klerran fes Dresnai, the minister for science and education; and
Rikkadar zan Therrka, the finance minister. Gentlemen, Commander Riker is the first officer of this
vessel and my second-in-command. Hell get you settled.
How does he remember all those names?Riker wondered as he extended his hand.
I am very pleased to meet
you all,
the first officer said in his best company manner.
We have guest quarters ready for each of
you. We thought you might want to refresh yourselves after your trip.
Trip?
Klerran said, a bit bewildered.
That was a trip? I still dont believe we went anywhere.
Did our staff people get here all right?
Rikkadar asked.
The other members of your party beamed aboard several minutes ago and have already been escorted to
their guest quarters,
Picard told them.
Presinget looked around him.
Id like to see those quarters you mentioned, Commander,
he said gruffly.
If this transporter gadget is how you people get around, then the bathrooms around here must be
something terrific.
Were rather proud of everything aboard,
Picard said agreeably.
I thought we might begin our next
meeting in, say, half an hour, if thats all right with you.
That will be fine, Captain,
Kerajem answered for all of them.
Excellent. Well send someone to escort you to our observation lounge at that time. I think youll
appreciate the view.
If youll follow me, gentlemen?
Riker called as the door to the transporter room slid aside. He
gestured them through the doorway and onto the gangway of Deck 6. Kerajem and the ministers moved out
slowly, looking from left to right and all around as they moved through the exit, even though there was
not yet much for them to see. With a last, resigned glance at Picard, Riker followed the Lethantans out
of the transporter room, and the doors slid closed behind him.
This is always Wills favorite part,
Troi said.
Dont I know it,
Picard replied, not without humor.
One of the better things about being captain is
that you can assign these kinds of jobs to others.
Sir,
Worf said,
with your permission, I will return to the observation lounge and complete
preparations for our meeting with the Council of Ministers.
How is the hospitality team doing?
Troi asked.
Worf frowned.
The team is having trouble resetting the replicators to duplicate the food and
refreshment items Kerajems assistants sent us in preparation for the councils arrival. They have not
had much time to do so.
Perhaps theyll like chocolate,
the counselor ventured half seriously.
I will suggest it to them, Counselor,
Worf said tightly.
They may have to live on it while they are
here. Captain, if you will excuse me?
Of course, Lieutenant.
The door opened for the Klingon and slid closed again after he passed quickly
through the entrance.
Wed better get going ourselves,
Picard said to Troi.
That meeting starts in less than thirty
minutesand this time we shant be interrupted. I mean to find out exactly whats been going on around
here, and without any further delay.
and it took me about five minutes to figure out the damn thing, but I finally did,
a slightly out-of-breath Presinget whispered to Klerran. They, along with Rikkadar, were sitting on one side of the
conference table in the observation lounge, waiting for Kerajem and Picard to appear.
Im just glad I
managed to get here before the First did.
So what did you do?
Klerran asked him.
All I did was say the worldflush out loud, as though it could hear me and do what I wanted it to, and
it worked. Uh, whats the matter, Klerran? You look as if somethings bothering you.
Oh, nothing,
the science minister replied.
I was just thinking that the sooner I got back to my
quarters, the better.
Id just as soon get home to plumbing I can trust,
the labor minister groused. He turned in his chair
to look out the lounge windows. Nem Maak Bratuna shone green, its clouds glaring white. A thin, hazy
envelope of atmosphere softened the curvature of the planet.
Sure is pretty,
Presinget said.
The pictures dont do it justice. I never thought Id get to see it
for myself. Only pretty-boy Space Force types ever got to go into space, when I was younger.
Its absolutely beautiful,
Klerran agreed.
I hope we can keep it that way.
Well try real hard, old friend. Right, Rik?
Eh? Whats that, Presinget?
Rikkadar asked, startled.
Im afraid I was wool-gathering. Happens a lot
at my age.
You were dreaming about that cute lady sitting over there, thats what you were doing,
Presinget
leered. He indicated Deanna Troi with a twitch of his tangled brow. The counselor was sitting on the
other side of the table with Riker, Worf, and Data.
Old Rikkadar smiled.
No, actually I was thinking about how lucky I am.
Lucky?
Klerran asked.
Even now?
Even now,
Rikkadar replied, nodding.
I began my life as a boy working down in the mines, and here I
amnearly at the end of it, no matter what happensan old man flying among the stars. I suppose I was
waxing philosophical about it all, and feeling myself a very fortunate person indeed, despite
everything.
He suddenly grinned.
Sorry. Wont happen again, I promise. OhI think someones coming.
The door to the observation lounge slid open as Captain Picard and Kerajem entered the room together.
Everyone stood.
Please be seated, all of you,
Picard said, taking the center seat on theEnterprise side of the table.
Lets begin.
Yes, let us make a fresh start,
Kerajem said, taking the chair opposite Picards.
The first order of
business, Captain, is this.
The First Among Equals handed Picard a Lethantan data cube, a bright, shiny
box about ten centimeters on a side. One face bore some simple controls.
It is a copy of the ancient
writings you were curious about, along with a self-contained apparatus with which to read them,
Kerajem
continued.
We chose this form instead of providing you with a printed copy, as the actual scrolls run
the equivalent of several hundred modern volumes.
Ill look at the contents of this cube later today,
Picard said as he set the device on the table.
Many thanks for your courtesy in providing this to us, Kerajem. I know it will be very helpful. Please,
now, lets discuss your situation with the Krann.
Certainly,
Kerajem said.
What would you like to know?
Everything you would care to tell us about your people, and about your conflict with the Krann.
Kerajem folded his hands together in front of him and looked at them.
Im afraid our history is not a
proud one in some respects,
he began after a moment.
At times, it has been rather dark. One of the
most terrible periods in our history concerns the Krann.
We were once an empire, Captain,
Klerran said.
We were limited to one star system and two planets,
but we were an empire nonetheless. It was our native star, Maak Terrella, the sun under which our race
evolvedthe star that you visited before you came here.
There were two habitable planets circling that star, the third and fourth out from the sun,
Kerajem
continued.
We lived on the third planet, Eul Maak Lethantana. The fourth, Maak Krannag, was inhabited
by the Krann.
Some think we and the Krann are of the same race,
Klerran said,
and that we were separated from one
another in antiquity.
We know very little about the Krann, actually,
said Rikkadar.
We dont even know exactly what they
look like.
You dont?
Riker asked, surprised.
That is not unreasonable, Commander,
Data said.
The Lethanta need never have met or even seen any of
the Krann to be on the brink of war with them. Recall the conflict between the Romulan Empire and the
Federation approximately two hundred years ago.
Kerajem continued.
As I was saying, we dont know much about the Krannexcept that the ancient writings
say they are not unlike us.
Humanoid, you mean?
Riker asked.
If thats the term for it, then, yes, Commander,
Kerajem said with a small smile.
Many of us do think
the Krann are humanoid. Before today, I would have said something like They probably look a lot like
people. I have trouble thinking of myself as a humanoid.
Kerajem, you mentioned that the Krann represented a terrible period in your history,
Picard asked.
What did you mean by that, and does it have anything to do with whats going on out there now?
Im afraid it does,
Kerajem said heavily.
Our people went into space in the normal course of things,
and one of our first objectives was to explore and colonize the fourth planet in our home system. That
was Maak Krannag. We planned to exploit its resources as fully as possible, as our own were rapidly
becoming depleted. When we got to Maak Krannag, we discovered the Krann, who lived in tribes scattered
all over the surface of their world. The most advanced of these tribes had just developed agriculture.
They were no match for us.
The First Among Equals paused, clearly uncomfortable with what he was about to say.
We enslaved the
Krann, Captain,
Kerajem said, staring at the tabletop, unwilling to meet Picards eyes.
We took
everything they had. We stripped their resources from them. Over the following centuries, we poisoned
their air and water and food with the runoff from the industries we had relocated to Maak Krannag to
keep our own world pristine. We even gave the Krann a religion and forced them to worship us as gods. We
worked them to death and made them sing our praises for it. We slaughtered the ones who were of no use
to usthe sick, the old, the ones who could not or would not work.
It went on for centuries,
Rikkadar said softly, his eyes watering.
Centuries.
When did all this occur?
Worf asked.
As nearly as we can tell, we first landed on Maak Krannag about seven thousand years ago,
replied the
First Among Equals.
How long did your occupation of Maak Krannag go on?
Riker asked, tight-lipped.
We think it lasted for just under a thousand years,
Presinget said.
It could not have been much
longer than that.
What happened to end it?
Troi asked.
There was a revolt,
Rikkadar answered.
The Krann rose up almost as one and drove us out. Theyd had a
millennium to learn our weapons, our ways, our tactics, our weaknesses, and theyd learned them well.
Theyd had a thousand years to educate themselves in our ways and come up with effective means to fight
and defeat us.
How did the rebellion occur?
asked Picard.
There were many more of them than there were of us on Maak Krannag, of course,
Kerajem said,
since
ours was only an occupying force bent on control and exploitation. We were only tens of thousands to
their billions. They rose up one night, each with a knife, and slaughtered every Lethanta they
foundmen, women, children, it made no difference. Obedient housemaids slaughtered families. Dedicated
nurses killed their patients. Faithful workers murdered their overlords. It came to be called the Night
of Blood.
What did the government on Eul Maak Lethantana do in response?
Picard asked.
There was not much to be done,
Presinget answered.
By the time the government found out what was
going on, our occupation forces had been effectively destroyed, and our facilities and industries on
Maak Krannag had been taken over. The Krann were in control of their own world for the first time in
some ten centuries.
The revolt wound up costing many more Krann lives than Lethanta,
Kerajem added,
but in the end, the
Krann won, and they kept their victory. During the following few years, we sent police forces and then
entire armies to Maak Krannag in repeated attempts to reestablish our control over the planet, but it
was all for naught. The Krann fought us off and, using our own captured ships, carried the war to Eul
Maak Lethantana.
Did you seek peace?
Troi asked.
Did you finally come to terms?
We did,
Kerajem said.
Our economy was in ruins following our loss of the labor and facilities on
Maak Krannag, and the ensuing war drained us even further. Peace was in our best interests, even if the
settlement did not especially favor us. We agreed to recognize the Krann as sovereign on Maak Krannag
and pay heavy reparations for our past exploitation of their world and their people. They smiled and
signed the treaty, and we got along well enough for a century or two, at the end of which time they
attacked us in force.
The Krann could not get over their hatred of you,
Riker observed.
Revenge is a powerful motive.
Your continued presence threatened them,
Worf guessed.
Your star system was not big enough for both
peoples.
We think it was a little bit of both,
Kerajem replied.
Revenge and fear make a deadly mix. Whatever
the motive behind it, the final attack devastated our world. The Krann had developed weapons designed to
eradicate all life on our planet by sterilizing it with radiation. All of Eul Maak Lethantana must have
been dead within a week of the Krann bombardment.
Picard held up a hand.
Yet you are here. You and your people live.
We do indeed,
Kerajem said, not without pride.
At the time of the attack, our people were mounting
our first deep-space colonizing mission. The only other habitable world in the Maak Terrella system was
Maak Krannag, and we surely werent welcomethere . We needed to go to the stars.
Without warp drive?
Riker asked.
Kerajem nodded.
We lacked the ability to travel faster than light as you people do, but our population
was increasing while our resources were diminishing. We had to do something to relieve the population
pressure on our world. One plan involved building independent space-faring colonies inside hollowed-out
asteroids. These asteroid ships were designed to sustain succeeding generations of colonists bound for
the stars.
Hollow asteroids?
Troi wondered.
Wait a moment. I think Ive heard of this.
So have I,
Picard said, nodding.
Many civilizations have briefly considered using such asteroid ships
for one-way interstellar journeys, but by the time these cultures go about actually planning such ships,
they either stumble across the secret of faster-than-light travel, or they become decadent and lose
interest in interstellar travel altogether.
There is at least one exception, sir,
Data pointed out.
Consider the asteroid shipYonada
Thank you again, Mr. Data,
Picard interrupted.
What happened, Kerajem?
All we know is that the colony ships were launched some months before the ultimate crisis came for Eul
Maak Lethantana and Maak Krannag,
the First Among Equals replied.
Perhaps someone in power saw the
attack coming and tried to make sure that some of our people would survive. A story is told about the
captain of one of the colony ships who looked back not very long after the launch, from many millions of
miles away, to see Eul Maak Lethantana suddenly glow with a fierce light of its own. Our homeworld is
supposed to have died at that moment.
Kerajem paused.
Now we know what that captain might have been
seeing. In any case, the story of the death of our homeworld and how it happened was brought to the
asteroid ships by a handful of survivors who had managed to escape Eul Maak Lethantana in high-boost
conventional ships.
Didnt the Krann chase the asteroid ships?
Riker asked.
We think they would have if they could,
Presinget said.
Either they didnt have ships with sufficient
range to pursue our people, or they couldnt find the asteroid ships to destroy them.
The labor
minister laughed without humor.
The ships looked like asteroids, after all. Hard to sort them out from
real ones.
How long did it take you to arrive in this star system?
Picard asked.
The religious scrolls say only that we were in transit for years upon years,
said Klerran.
We think
our people were on their way here for something like two thousand years.
My word,
Troi said.
A flight time of approximately two thousand years for an eighty-seven light-year trip, given the level
of technology one would assume for the culture on Eul Maak Lethantana at the time of departure, is not
unreasonable,
Data said.
And you were there just a day or two ago,
Klerran said, shaking his head in disbelief.
Another question, Kerajem,
Picard said.
I believe you mentioned something about a theocracy having
been overthrown by a revolutiona rather recent one, if I understood correctly.
Kerajem looked at his hands again.
Yes, Captain,
he replied.
When our people finally arrived on Nem
Maak Bratuna after their long journey, they fell almost immediately into barbarism. The rigid
civilization that had preserved us and our ways inside the asteroid ships could not be sustained after
we made landfall. We had lived with great discipline and self-control for two millennia. That was more
than long enough.
It was a bloody, brutal time,
Klerran said.
The historical records of our people before their escape
from Eul Maak Lethantana are sketchy to nonexistent, but the record of our lifehere is fairly complete.
We entered a long, dark age, losing our technology along with our civilization.
We spent centuries conquering each other, killing each other, and losing whatever it was that made us
Lethanta, a united people,
Rikkadar said.
Then came the monks. That was about twelve hundred years
ago.
Monks?
Troi asked, a little puzzled.
The monks,
Rikkadar said.
They were few at first, but they went about preaching peace, love, and
tolerance to the warring tribes. Many of them were killed for their pains, but enough lived to spread
what they called the Word of Reconciliation to most of the world. Over the course of time, things began
to calm down, and real societies began to form. The monks gradually came into power because, once we had
a civilization again, someone had to run it. The monks were the only people that everyone would listen
to.
They eventually formed the theocracy you mentioned,
Picard observed.
What went wrong?
The theocracy lasted a very long time,
Kerajem said, his mouth a tight line.
It wound up making
slaves of us. About six centuries ago, the leadership of the monks was taken with the notion that our
new world must prepare for an eventual assault by our old enemy, the Krann.
But is that not what has happened?
Worf asked.
This was not a rational plan, Lieutenant. This was theology gone awry, religious ritual run amok. The
monks had no more idea who the Krann were, or what they could do, than we did.
Like building tanks to fight the Devil,
Riker said.
Eh?
Kerajem was puzzled.
Well, if you say so, Commander. We built tanks to fight the Devil for some
five and a half centuries. The entire effort of all our people was bent toward preparing for an assault
by unknown forces from no one knew where. Generations of our children were raised with the notion that
they could be killed by invading Krann at any time, any place. All of our people, young and old alike,
were put to work in war-related industriesandall industries were war-related, in one way or another.
Six hundred years ago that meant making candles and gunpowder and digging in the mines. More recently it
meant building fighter aerocraftand the mines werestill there. I was down in the mines myself, as a
boy.
Kerajem held up his hands for theEnterprise party to see, spreading his fingers and the stumps of his
fingers.
Ive caught all of you glancing at my hands from time to time,
he said.
My guess is that you
dont often encounter people with these kinds of injuries.
Kerajem,
Picard said,
we apologize deeply if we have given you any offense.
There is no need for that, Captain,
Kerajem said kindly.
I only wanted to make the point that age was
no bar to dangerous work when I was young. By the time I was twelve, Id lost four fingers and a dozen
of my friends in the mines. I swore to do all I could to end that, to make it impossible to work
children to death.
He became a subversive,
Rikkadar said, smiling.
I knew him then. I was a subversive, too. The monks
tried very hard to catch us at it, let me tell you.
But they never did,
Picard hazarded.
There was a revolution, you said.
Yes, there was,
Kerajem said,
and Rikkadar and I helped lead it. So did Presinget. Klerran was one of
our lieutenants. The theocracy tumbled very quickly, with little loss of lifeon our side.
We killed a lot of monks,
Presinget said unsympathetically.
Too bad.
We established a free government and set about instituting social reforms,
Kerajem continued.
One of
the first reforms we carried out was to end the constant, ceaseless preparations for the invasion of the
Krannan event we did not believe would ever happen.
The First Among Equals paused.
That was all a
little over forty years ago. Thirty-three years ago, we heard the first signals from space. They were
from the Krann.
Theyd found us,
Klerran said in low tones.
They said they had been pursuing us for six thousand
years, and they promised our complete destruction. They swore that none of us would escape this time. In
response, we initiated a rapid defense buildupnot the superstitious preparations against bogeymen
carried on by the monks as a matter of ritual, but a carefully planned program to meet a very real
threat from the actual Krann.
Shortly after the Krann announced their presence,
Kerajem said,
we found a way to disguise our
broadcast signals so that they could not be studied by the Krann. Weve maintained that security for a
generation. We dont believe the Krann know much about us, or how we intend to resist them.
You say that the Krann race has been on its way here for fully six thousand years?
Picard asked.
Yes,
Kerajem replied.
It seems incredible,
said Troi.
How could an entire race of people stay so angry for so long? And
why?
It does not seem to me that your enslavement of the Krann so many millennia ago would explain this . .
. this jihad of theirs,
Worf observed.
There is something missing from your story.
Well, why didnt you ask the Krann on Maak Krannag about it yourself?
Presinget sputtered.
I mean,
you were justthere, you said.
Captain, perhaps we should now discuss our findings concerning Maak Krannag with the Lethanta,
Data
suggested.
In my opinion, it will not adversely impact their culture.
Picard nodded.
I agree, Mr. Data,
he said.
Kerajem, ministers, I must tell you that we found no Krann
living on Maak Krannag. They were all gone. They and their culture are dead.
Kerajem blinked.
No one was there? No one at all? Was their world destroyed like ours?
No,
Picard replied.
Maak Krannag is intact. A specially bred virus killed all the land-based higher
lifeforms on the planet, including the Krann.
This virus you speak of was used as a weapon?
Klerran asked.
It is possible,
Data answered.
Your own people may have used the virus on the Krann in retaliation
for the destruction of Eul Maak Lethantana. Alternatively, the Krann may have destroyed your homeworld
in retaliation for a sneak attack byyou onthem .
There is one other matter,
Picard said,
and that is the matter that originally attracted our
attention. We need to know, Kerajem, if your people are working on obtaining the secret of faster-than-light drive.
No, Captain, we are not.
Klerran leaned forward.
Before you came here, Captain,
the science minister said,
we had thought that
traveling faster than light was an impossibility. Our entire physics was based on the notion that the
speed of light represents an absolute limit.
Picard glanced at Troi, who nodded slightly.
Kerajem,
Picard began after a moment,
we operate under strict rules of conduct that forbid us to
interfere with the affairs of others. But if you would wish it, we can initiate negotiations between you
and the Krann. The Federation would be glad to act as mediator, should you both agree.
Kerajem closed his eyes for a moment. Picard did not need Deanna to tell him that the First Among Equals
was relieved.
Yes, Captain,
he said in a soft voice.
Please go ahead and do whatever you need to do
to open talks with the Krann. The hopes and good wishes of everyone on our world go with you.
Amen to that,
Rikkadar breathed.
That was good enough for Picard.
I think we should recess these talks for now,
Picard said, smiling
amiably.
I suggest that our next meeting be held at Government House at a time to be announced. Mr.
Worf will have someone escort you back to your quarters before you leave the ship, if you like, or you
may go with him directly to the transporter room.
Can you send me directly to my home, Captain?
Surely, Minister Klerran. We can send you wherever you like.
Ive got quite a story to tell my wife.
Klerran glanced out the window for a moment.
Quitea story.
After they left, Troi turned to the captain.
Youre worried,
she said to him.
Youre right,
Picard told her candidly.
After all, wedid detect those warp-field traces. They were
generated within this star system, and they were real enough. If it isnt the Lethanta who are
developing warp drive, then its the Krann.
Nowthats an intimidating prospect.
Riker frowned.
One hundred and sixty thousand starships armed for
planetary conflict suddenly take up station right on the edge of Federation space. The Krann would
become an instant superpowerand a potential threat.
Yes,
Picard said, nodding,
We are going to have to talk with those people as soon as possiblenot
only to try to avert their attack on the Lethanta, but quite possibly to protect the Federation as
well.
He handed the Lethantan cube to Data.
It seems youve got a great deal of reading to do, Mr.
Data,
he said.
Please get through these religious scrolls as quickly as you can. Ill expect your
précis by twenty-one hundred hours.
Certainly, Captain.
Excellent,
Picard said, nodding.
Thank you for your good work today, everyone. Dismissed.