Grand Designs by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: 2004-08-29T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter

11

David Gold had never considered himself a violent man. Of course, he had been involved in various forms of conflict throughout his career, from individual fights to space battles, most especially during the brutal two years of the Dominion War. He took pride in his ability and willingness to go to any length in order to find nonviolent solutions to problems no matter their size or scope. Even on those unfortunate occasions where he had been forced to take life, he had resorted to such action only after every other option had been exhausted, and spent much time afterward reflecting on whether or not there had been another alternative he might have overlooked. He was comforted by the thought that subjecting himself and his decisions to such intense scrutiny played a key part in ensuring that he never wavered from his convictions.

It was precisely that level of restraint, nurtured and refined over a lifetime, which prevented Gold from knocking Ambassador Gabriel Marshall through the bulkhead of his ready room.

“Mr. Marshall,” he said, “with all due respect, have you lost your mind?”

The diplomat’s jaw dropped open in response to the blunt query. He said nothing for several moments, for which Gold was actually thankful. When he finally did begin to recover, his trademark overbearing demeanor returned in force.

“I might ask you the same question, Captain,” he replied. “You forget your place.”

“Let’s get something straight,” Gold snapped. “Your authority on this ship ended the moment those two planets started shooting at each other. Your authority over me ended the moment you elected to keep information from me that resulted in members of my crew being placed in danger.”

Marshall snorted. “If I’d informed you of my plans, would you have cooperated?”

“Absolutely not,” the captain replied, “and you knew that, which is why you made an end run around me to Starfleet Command and shanghaied my people.” He glanced at Gomez, who stood silent near the door, before continuing. “I know that your mission parameters placed the ship’s S.C.E. team under your direct command, but I’m pretty damned certain that order wasn’t intended to let you tamper with the relationship between Rhaax and her colony. Something tells me that somebody’s eyebrows are going to rise more than a bit when they read the report I’m submitting about all of this.”

Shaking his head, Marshall frowned. “Captain, given the current challenges facing the Federation, we are in need of new allies now more than ever. We must continue to expand if we are to remain healthy and vibrant. The Rhaaxans represent a valuable asset to us if they can be helped to overcome the obstacles they face. That is why we are here.”

To Gold it sounded like so much public relations doublespeak. “I realize we’ve had our share of problems in the last few years, Ambassador,” he said, working very hard to keep the distaste from his voice, “but it would seem helpful to remember that the Rhaaxans’ state of affairs is one that the Federation must take responsibility for creating.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.