SHIP OF FOOLS

Chapter 24

"Worf," Riker said softly when the ready room door swished open. "A word with you."

At the door, Picard glanced briefly back at them, gave a nod, and strode out onto the bridge. The door hissed shut.

"Commander?"

"You know what this means." Riker briefly clenched his teeth. The captain might have given them a moment, but that was what it was going to be – a moment. "If this goes wrong Starfleet will simply look the other way. They'll swear it wasn't on their orders that we met in secret with this guy, and wash their hands of the entire business."

Worf said nothing. Riker drew a breath and went on in a hurry.

"So the Cardassians can do pretty much what they like. Invent a story, stage one of their show trials if it suits them, prove that Starfleet's most respected captain has turned terrorist or traitor, and watch us falling over backwards to establish that we had nothing to do with it. Or if they prefer, just quietly take him to pieces. They could take their time over it. He'll be forgotten at our end. Officially forgotten and – "

"They will not."

Riker's head snapped up at the interruption. All of a sudden the first officer had a feeling that he might have saved himself the entire tirade.

"Meaning?" he asked.

"Meaning I will make sure."

A beat. Worf was studying a point somewhere in midair. Riker felt his insides churn in a way they had not churned before at the utter calm of the statement. He drew another breath.

"Right," he said. "Let's go."

- - - - - - - -

Picard was back in the center seat but got to his feet when he saw the two of them emerging from his ready room. Worf strode up the ramp to take his place at Tactical, dismissing N'Guyn. Riker joined the captain in the central well just as Worf said from above: "Channel open, sir."

"Gul Dravek," said Picard, and the barely-recognizable image of the Cardassian bridge reappeared on the screen. "I'll accept your conditions. I'm beaming over to your ship with one aide so we can get on with this."

There was a moment's pause. Then the Cardassian said: "We are expecting you, Captain" – and the element of surprise was so subtle it might just have been real, the captain thought. But then again, it might be not. He turned, signaling to Worf to cut the link.

"Very well, Lieutenant. Number One – "

"I'll see you to the transporter room, sir. Not sure I've ever heard the name of the guy who's in charge down there right now," said Riker tensely. "You have the bridge, Data."

The turbolift ride was accomplished in silence. In the transporter room an alarmed-looking young technician snapped to attention behind his console.

"At ease, Crewman," said Riker, and watched Picard and Worf step onto the platform. "Right. Good luck, sir."

"Thank you, Will," replied Picard. "Energize."

The transporter room the captain saw materializing before his eyes was tiny and cramped, and dimly lit with a brownish light that made the air appear even warmer than it was. Pieces of equipment were stacked against the walls. There were two men at the transporter console, both of them in full uniform. One of them took a step forward, giving him that peculiarly predatory Cardassian smile that looked more like a quick baring of the teeth.

"Captain Picard. I am honored by your visit. And this is – "

"My Chief of Security, Lieutenant Worf." There was a brief exchange of glances. Picard couldn't see Worf's expression, but he did catch the look flitting across Dravek's face. He knows, he thought. He's heard Worf's name before, too. Gul Dravek was younger than he had expected, with quick, keen, pale grey eyes. He was tall too – about half a head taller than Picard, only by about an inch shorter than Worf.

"Lieutenant. Captain, this is my temporary first officer, Glinn Vokarra." The man behind the console acknowledged him with an abrupt nod. He was stockier, older, and much less urbane. Picard felt his look sizing him up. Gul Dravek stepped in before the scrutiny became too blatant. "Do come with me, Captain. I apologize for the lack of comfort you will find. This ship was never meant to carry a crew of thirty-one." He signaled his first officer with a flick of his chin to follow them. Picard felt Worf smoothly interposing himself behind his back. The transporter room door gave on to a short corridor which intersected another after a very few steps. There was movement to both sides, an impression of a number of people pausing in whatever they were doing to allow them to pass. Gul Dravek entered a small room just past the intersection, and once inside stepped aside to allow Picard to precede him. "Take a seat, Captain. We should be able to talk undisturbed here."

There were a table and four chairs, a dark wall monitor with a console, and some equipment Picard couldn't make out. The lighting was dim, amber-tinted like the corridors; with four people occupying it the room would be crowded. Already the heat was feeling oppressive. He chose a seat, and Worf quietly moved into position behind and slightly to the right of him, his own back to the wall. Picard thought he could see a flicker of amusement pass over Gul Dravek's face just before the Cardassian took a chair as well, directing his officer to the one next to himself. The door swished shut.

"Well." Gul Dravek's smile was marked now. "I won't hide from you that your coming over here has made this much easier than it could have been, Captain. I expected having to resort to subterfuge of some sort in order to – "

The chitter of Picard's communicator interrupted the sentence, so suddenly that the captain started. He had been trying to keep his apprehension to himself, but now he had given himself away he felt Worf's tension going up another notch. He fiercely called his nerves to order and activated the communicator without hesitation. Riker wouldn't expect to catch him alone. "Picard here."

"Captain," came Riker's voice, stretched tight with control, "according to the remaining probe something's heading our way from roughly the same direction as the Haklamar, and it looks a hell of a lot like a couple of Cardassian ships. Not sure how reliable that probe is by now, but from what we can tell they should reach the nebula in something like four hours."

"Understood. Get the ship ready for immediate departure. Keep me informed. Picard out." He closed the link and got to his feet. He could feel Worf moving closer, so close he actually heard him breathing, and the breaths were long and controlled as if the Klingon was deliberately preparing himself for action. And in fact Worf was taut as a spring, ready to shove his captain out of the way at a fraction of a second's notice and fire, stab, lash out, go into battle for all he was worth... as long as there was still a chance of getting out of this. Thirty-one crew. He had actually been doing some rapid calculations on the possible chances of taking on a crew of thirty-one on an overcrowded ship. Glinn Vokarra stood as well now, his back to the door. Gul Dravek remained seated.

"I suppose you can give me an explanation for this, Gul Dravek?" Picard said quietly.

"No. I cannot, although I could speculate. Captain, I know how this must appear to you, but I must ask you to believe me – until right now I knew nothing about these ships. I did my best to leave no trail."

"Then I have to get back to the Enterprise. Under the circumstances those ships pose a threat to my own vessel. Would you kindly tell your first officer to move out of the way?"

"Captain." Gul Dravek got to his feet as well. "Ten of your minutes. After that you will leave if you so wish. I give you my word."

After a very brief pause Picard sank back into his chair. "Very well. I suggest you tell me why you're here. All of it."

"For you to believe or dismiss as you choose?" Gul Dravek sat with a tense smile, showing a sliver of white teeth. "I'll do that. There is no other way now – not with those ships coming after me." He must have caught a trace of scepticism in Picard's face, because he added immediately: "Oh, they're coming for you as well, Captain – don't get me wrong. They would be delighted to catch Starfleet engaged in undercover negotiations with a traitor to the empire. They probably don't know what exactly they will be facing any more than I did. But, say, a couple of Galor-class ships would be a match for the finest vessel Starfleet could send." He paused for a moment. "I'm not really a negotiator, Captain. Nobody sent me. I'm a defector, if you like. I want you to take me into Federation custody, and do everything you can to ensure me a life in safety until I can return – if that time ever comes. For that I'm willing to pay a price. You know who I am. I've been working for the Obsidian Order for years – you'll believe me when I tell you I can make it worth Starfleet's while."

Picard was silent for a couple of seconds. The explanation was one he remembered briefly considering as one of several possibilities; it came as less of a surprise than Dravek might have thought. But the heat in the room made breathing seem like an effort, and his heart was pounding; he found himself working to keep his voice calm.

"I see no reason why I should," he said. "For one thing, I don't know who you are. Your name means nothing to me. There has been barely any information other than that such a person exists. You appear to be informed about things that were supposed to be secret, but whoever sent you might have told you about it. I have been warned of a possible set-up. Now how am I to know that taking you back to Federation space with me will not be construed as an aggressive act? You have made sure to arrive in a ship that could be easily overpowered by almost anything Starfleet could have sent. And you requested this meeting-place which makes sure I cannot verify anything about you. Do you seriously expect me to believe you?"

"You'll have to," replied Gul Dravek, flatly. "You are absolutely right, Captain. I can't prove a thing. But you are here now. So am I, and so are our friends out there. If those ships find us here Starfleet has been caught negotiating with a traitor, undermining the peace talks, and you and your officers will stand trial on Cardassia Prime. I'm sure you have heard about Cardassian trials. Or it's just possible that you'll be extradited to the Federation – after Central Command has made sure there is a suitable public outcry – although I doubt that would happen. In any case I think it unlikely that anybody in Starfleet will admit to having given the orders that brought you here. My government will have its proof of Federation duplicity, and your government will have its scapegoat. If it is a diplomatic incident you are trying to avoid, then you cannot avoid it by refusing to help me."

"But I can." Picard managed a small smile. "You see, Gul Dravek, most of what you have just told me has been crossing a number of minds at Starfleet Command too, not to mention my own. And one thing I can do is to take my ship back to Federation space right now, without you. I can even wait here, tell the captains of those two ships that I've been lured here under false pretenses, and hand you over."

"You don't seriously believe they'd allow you to leave," said Gul Dravek calmly.

"Well, that depends, doesn't it? They might be the ones I should be talking to. You might be the one trying to start a diplomatic incident. We're not at war, Gul Dravek, if that's your name. I somehow don't think they'd open fire on my ship without at least asking a few questions first."

"Perhaps not," conceded Dravek, his eyes narrowing slightly. "But then of course you, Captain, are well aware of the fact that while you are on my ship you are in no position to talk to them about anything at all, let alone hand me over. And as for heading back to Federation space, I somehow don't think your ship would leave without you." Picard felt a tiny movement to his right, and looked up quickly to meet Worf's eyes, shaking his head. His communicator chittered before he could answer. He raised his hand to his shoulder, trying to think over the sound of his blood thundering in his ears. "Yes. Picard here."

"Captain, you're taking your time. Is everything all right over there, sir?" Riker's voice asked without preamble.

"Yes, Number One. This may take a little while longer, but we'll be finished here well before those ships arrive. Ten minutes, I should say, no more. Picard out."

Gul Dravek was smiling slightly. "Your officers seem quite concerned about your safety," he said with a passing glance at Worf. "Captain, you know perfectly well that I could keep you here well beyond those ten minutes, and there is very little your first officer could do about it. What would you say if I gave you a choice? Either those ships will arrive and take you back to Cardassia along with me, and probably your Enterprise as well. Or your crew will agree to escort the Haklamar into Federation space. They won't risk any harm to you."

"I would say," replied Picard carefully, "that we both have been aware of these possibilities from the beginning. The first is real. The second is not. I have given very specific orders with regard to it. I will not allow my crew to be blackmailed by you. My ship will leave without you, and without me as well, if necessary."

"I wonder how your orders would keep up under true pressure," said Gul Dravek softly, his eyes briefly going to Worf's face again. Picard could imagine only too well what he saw there. "But I don't really want to try. Fortunately, there may be another way. Captain, for now forget what I said about making it worth Starfleet's while. I request political asylum for myself, my family, my aides and those constituting this crew. They have shown me exceptional loyalty and courage, and they would have to pay the price for my actions; I cannot risk that."

"I see," whispered Picard, more to himself than to anybody else. He had known that Gul Dravek had him, well before the Cardassian had finished, and at the same time the relief rising within almost choked him; it took him a moment to find his voice. "Very well," he said at last and softly. "It seems you have hit on something I cannot deny you in good conscience. I'll grant you asylum – aboard the Enterprise. I'm not taking your ship along with me. That way I'll at least eliminate some of the possibilities." He carefully got to his feet. "Move your vessel into the centre of the nebula on autopilot; let them believe you're still there, trying to hide. It will give us a little more time to leave."

"May I ask why that is still important to you, Captain?"

"Because, Gul Dravek, I have no wish to impede the peace talks between Cardassia and the Federation because of thirty-one defectors – if that is indeed what you are. I'm not waiting for those ships to catch me here. As far as I am concerned the Enterprise has never been in this nebula. We might just have the time to pull this off if you act quickly."

Gul Dravek thought for a moment; then he nodded. "I cannot in fairness object to anything you want done. We'll do what you suggest."

Picard tapped his communicator. "Picard to Enterprise."

"Yes, Captain. Riker here." There was an unmistakable rasp in the voice.

"We're about to return, Number One. Please see to quarters for thirty-one, civilians as well as crew, and appropriate security measures. We'll get out of here as soon as evacuation of the Haklamar is complete."

"I... understand, Captain. Riker out."

"I will accompany you to the transporter room, Captain," said Gul Dravek, getting to his feet as he spoke. "Surim, tell them to get ready for evacuation to the Enterprise. I'll be back in a minute."

Glinn Vokarra gave a brief, frowning nod, rose, and left. "He does not approve of trusting you, Captain," Gul Dravek remarked lightly, once again letting Picard precede him and falling into step beside him once they were outside in the corridor. Worf quietly brought up the rear; Picard felt his unabated watchfulness in his back. Somehow, the heat felt even worse – like something weighing physically, numbingly, on the forehead and eyelids and shoulders. He could feel tiny beads of sweat forming. Reaction, he thought. I'm really quite tired. He didn't bother to answer, and after a few steps the Cardassian added casually: "I would appreciate an opportunity to explain my motives to you when it is convenient. I am quite used to being mistrusted, naturally, but for a number of reasons I would like this particular encounter to be free of misunderstandings."

"I'll see what I can do," Picard replied neutrally as they entered the transporter room. A female in civilian garb who had been manning the console slipped out at a brief nod from Dravek. As he mounted the transporter platform Picard asked: "How long will your crew need to evacuate?"

"We have kept ourselves prepared for quite a number of possibilities, Captain," Gul Dravek replied serenely. "Another fifteen of your minutes at most."

"My first officer will see to your needs," said Picard, and then he felt the amber heat of the room dissolve, mercifully, in the flicker of the transporter beam.

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