Star Trek: The Empty Chair Read Online Free PDF Page A

tr’Hrienteh. “Il’Merrin’s buoys have reported now,” the Master Surgeon said. “They will be the last warning we get. But they report the fleet on the same course, no change.”
    “Good. Let
Enterprise
know, and
Sithesh
also, if they have not heard already. And I would welcome a word with tr’Mahan, if he can spare me the time.”
    “Calling him for you now,
khre’Riov.”
    Ael nodded. “Then you had best get young Kiel up here, tr’Hrienteh; you will be needed in your own infirmary.”
    “Elements, I hope not,” tr’Keirianh said, looking wryly at Ael. “But that’s my place indeed.”
    The screen lit with tr’Mahan’s image. How he could sit himself so still in his chair when combat was breathing down his neck, Ael could not tell, unless inexperience simply rendered him immune to the fear. “Courhig,” Ael said, “you have the latest tracking information?”
    “I do. They will be within local sensor range in about fifteen minutes or so. After that we can perform more exact predictions, and once things start, their cloaks will not much matter. They must uncloak to fire.”
    “The question now becomes, Courhig, how much you are prepared to reveal to
Enterprise
about how exactly you can predict those positions. Not to mention about how you plan to keep those ships from self-destructing. The captain is no fool, and too much accuracy on your part without proper disclosure will cause him to ask difficult questions. I daresay he’s thinking of some already.”
    “Ael—”
Courhig bowed his head in uncertainty.
“You know the question my people are all asking. Can he be trusted?”
    She breathed out. “His ideas of honor,” Ael said, “are not constructed like ours. There are so many differences. But for my own part—yes, I trust him. His actions will have to make that plain to you. Then you will have to consider your economic and political needs in light of them. For the moment, though, let us fight our fight. Blood speaks, as we know. Let’s see which language his uses today.”
    Courhig nodded.
“Let us do that. For the moment, though, I prefer you not mention planetary defense as such to him. Nor anything of the remote-operations modules; indeed, we dare not use those today until it’s plain no description oftheir use can make it back to Grand Fleet. One use, Fleet might mistake for some kind of disaster or accident. But they’ve had some days to think about what might have happened, and if we give them any further hints, they’ll find a way to nullify this weapon. As for the rest of it…”
He sighed.
“Nothing more to say but, Elements be with you and yours in what we do today.”
    “And with you and all of yours, Courhig.”
    The screen went black.
    Ael turned away from it in some distress, clasping her hands, and looked up to see Aidoann watching her with a very still and controlled look.
    “
Khre’Riov,”
she said quietly. “It was not the captain he was inquiring about, was it. Not really.”
    That thought had been in Ael’s mind.
It is me they fear,
she thought,
even while they use me for their purpose. They are afraid of him not only because of what he has always been, but because of what use they feel I am making of him. And they fear me because of what I may become. Perhaps they have wisdom on their side, to fear how sharply the sword may cut. But not during a battle; there is no wisdom in that…
    It was bitter to be so distrusted. Yet she had to realize that this was how it would be between her and her own folk from now on, how it would always be, unless she died now.
    “Aidoann,” Ael said after a moment, “how can I blame him? The future is dark for all of us right now, and he has more to fear than we. Meanwhile, let us wake up the active sensors and see what we see. We have only a very little time left. Khiy?”
    “Nearly done,
khre’Riov.”
    “Good.” Once again she clenched her hands on the back of the chair she could no longer sit in, and stared at the