86 Diplomatic Implausibility by Keith R. A. DeCandido

Author:Keith R. A. DeCandido [DeCandido, Keith R. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General, Fiction, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Adventure, High Tech, Political
ISBN: 9780743419505
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2001-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Vail shot to his feet

"My apologies, sir, I did not-That is, I need to work on this panel."

"Do you have to do this now, Lieutenant?"

"I--I'm afraid so, sir. If I do not, all the power to the bridge and the three decks below will go out"

"Fine, Lieutenant, keep at it."

As Klag went to sit at his desk and Vail went back to his repair work, Worf entered, his aide behind nun.

"Ambassador," Klag said.

"Captain," Worf returned with a nod. "I believe I may have found a solution to the difficulties on tad."

Klag blinked. "That is good news, Ambassador. I assume you'll share it with me when Governor Tirol arrives."

"No. I wished to discuss the plan with you, first."

This consideration surprised Klag. "I am flattered, Ambassador, but this is your mission. I doubt I could provide any useful aid."

Worf smirked that tiny smirk of his. "Your modesty is ill-timed, Captain, and unconvincing. You have, in fact, questioned my ability from almost the very moment we met"

"So now you ask for my advice so I can either prove myself right or wrong."

"Yes."

Klag threw his head back and laughed. "I admire your audacity, son of Mogh. Very well, tell me your plan."

"Since we arrived, there has been a disparity between the importance given this mission by Martok when we spoke on the Sword of Kahless and the reality of the situation on tad. This is an inhospitable world run by a fool on a satellite, providing a service to the empire that it does not need."

"Topaline is a necessity, Ambassador," Klag said.

Worf's human aide stepped forward and handed Klag a padd. "Not tad's top aline sir. If you'll look at these figures"

K lag glanced at the chart on the padd's display. Not only was tad the fifth most productive of the empire's five sources of top aline it was a distant fifth. "Interesting. However, our esteemed chancellor did point out--"

"I was there, Captain," Worf said calmly, "I am aware of what he said.

His exact words were "Under no circumstances can I allow tad to be ruled by anyone other than Klingons.""

Klag didn't remember the words that precisely, but that sounded right.

"Which means--"

"Which means," Worf, "that the death of the emperor gives us a way to fulfill Martok's conditions and still satisfy everyone."

"How?"

"Install a Klingon as the new emperor of tad."

Klag frowned. "I don't understand."

"This world is not worth committing the resources to properly put down the rebels. It has not been worth the High Council's attention to commit any resources to even address the problem. When they finally did, they used a technicality to turn the problem over to a Federation ambassador. The entire reason for not simply giving up the planet is to maintain appearances. The empire cannot be perceived to be giving in to the rebels because of the precedent it sets. Yet the world is not worth keeping."

"Hence your insurmountable problem."

"Not at all. Since the problem is cosmetic, so is the solution.

Appoint a Klingon as the new emperor. Phase Governor Tiral and his people out so that it will appear that tad is still part of the empire to everyone else.

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