§ § § -- sometime in 2297
Their first sight of the Clanim system was something of a surprise for Lauren and Kylie. The second planet was a little larger than the first and seemed more attractive from space, with its golden-green land masses, cobalt seas and tiny white ice caps. Clanim I, on the other hand, had perceptibly less green; from close orbit, they could see that air pollution had sifted all the way into the upper layers of the atmosphere. On both planets they could see the approaching curve of night on the far eastern sides, and along this curve on Clanim I were strung the countless crowded lights of bloated cities.
Tuvok, the dark-skinned Vulcan who was Sulu's science officer, reported in his even, modulated voice. "Clanim I is highly overcrowded and suffers from a large pollution content that has penetrated nearly the entire atmosphere," he said. "The only uninhabited areas are the polar ice caps and one small desert in the middle of the southeastern continent; and the population has already begun to encroach upon the desert's outer edges. Clanim I is slightly smaller than Earth, with a diameter of 11,166.46 kilometers. In contrast, Clanim II is sparsely populated, with a population approximately one-third that of its sister planet, and has a diameter of 13,762.099 kilometers. The pollution content of its atmosphere is negligible; there are only four major cities, one per continental landmass, and most of the planet is given over to farmland."
"We dare not hope that the governmental seat happens to be on Clanim II, I assume," Kylie remarked in a dry voice.
Tuvok, ignoring her humor, confirmed this. "You will be beaming down to the city of Gyvn'q'yv'mas'vet'y, located on the southwestern edge of the northern continent," he said, glancing at the viewscreen. "I will indicate its location onscreen." He touched a couple of buttons, and a red dot blinked at them from a small fat peninsula that curved out of the northern landmass on Clanim I. The continent in question was irregularly shaped, with a great deal of jagged coastline primarily on the western and southern edges before smoothing out into an unnaturally round and graceful curve all the way up the eastern coast.
"What's the story behind that straight coastline?" Lauren asked. "That must have been engineered—something like the Dutch creating arable land out of former seabeds."
"Somewhat," said Tuvok. "The same methods are in use here. The last government recognized the overcrowding factor and began to reclaim land from the sea along the eastern coast in order to provide more living space. At the same time they hoped for an aesthetically attractive aspect, resulting in what we see before us."
"I wonder if the so-called Supreme Ruler is going to keep that up," Kylie said.
"Well, Ms. Garrison, we'll beam you down and you can find out for us," Sulu offered with a grin. Lauren and Kylie laughed, and he gestured at Chekov. "Commander, if you'd do the honor of escorting the ladies to the transporter room, I'll send out word for the landing party to meet you there for beamdown. We won't notify Andresso yet; if the ambassadors need her for any reason, they can let us know and we'll send her down then."
Chekov got up while Kylie and Lauren glanced at each other, nervous and excited at the same time. In their first visit they had never had the chance to beam anywhere, and the prospect put stunt helicopters in their stomachs. Chekov saw the look they exchanged and peered at them with interest as they descended in the turbolift. "Vorried about the transporter?" he asked, sounding indulgent.
"We're just not very experienced with it," Lauren understated.
"It's not so bad," Chekov said, a grin beginning to split his still-boyish-looking face. "I remember only vun person who complained about it, but he still used it."
"Dr. McCoy," Lauren and Kylie said together and began to laugh.
Chekov looked very surprised. "How did you know that?" he asked.
Kylie managed to control her amusement first. "He's got quite a reputation," she told him. "The, uh, media tends to report just about everything regarding him and Captains Kirk and Spock, see…not to mention the rest of the original Enterprise crew."
Chekov rolled his eyes. "The curse of fame," he declaimed, setting off both women in helpless laughter. "Ah, for sveet anonymity. Vhy do you think I so rarely go back to Earth? I cannot stand the autograph hunters." He grinned broadly at their merriment. "I believe you must get some laughs from it. It is the only vay to cope vith it sometimes. Here ve are." The lift stopped and the door shushed open, and Chekov led the way to the transporter room.
They were all still chuckling when they entered, catching the attention of T'Rala and Dr. Chapel, who had already arrived. "What's so funny?" Christine asked.
"Just a little joke," Chekov assured her, outfitting Kylie and Lauren with communications devices. Behind him came Juan Ernesto de Hermosa y Rivera and Tirio Omiosiro, glancing around the group.
"We're ready, sir," de Hermosa said.
Chekov nodded, watching the team of six arrange themselves on the transporter platform. "Best of luck, eweryone. Oh…and Ambassadors, all you need to remember is not to hold your breath during the beaming process." He grinned at Lauren's and Kylie's wide-eyed stares. "Energize." The transporter-room attendant worked his console, and the two friends concentrated on breathing as they watched their surroundings dissolve into gray, a little like a scene change on a television show, and then re-coalesce into something altogether unlike anything they could have even dreamed.
All six team members stared around them. They were standing in a massive courtyard under a bright sun whose light was perceptibly more orange than the Earth sun the humans were used to. It would have lent the sky a deeper blue color if it hadn't been for the heavy pollution layer that somewhat obscured its rays. The resulting light level reminded Lauren of a partial solar eclipse she had experienced as a child on a visit to relatives who didn't live on Fantasy Island. The sky was otherwise clear, and there was a faint, lazy breeze that stirred the limp pale-green leaves of the strange, skinny, twisted trees that dotted the courtyard. Then Omiosiro said something in his own tongue, and the others followed his gaze—only to behold a massive, ornate building that stretched up at least four stories and boasted all kinds of mismatched architectural structures: turrets, battlements, onion domes, gables, dormers, cupolas, balconies, and even at least four bell towers that made Lauren swallow back a laugh. If Mr. Roarke and Leslie could see those…!
"That is the ugliest building I've ever seen in my entire life," de Hermosa said in awe.
"I'll say," Kylie concurred, shaking her head.
T'Rala and Christine looked at each other before the Vulcan observed, "I believe this is in fact the governmental palace."
"Now why doesn't that surprise me?" Christine said dryly. "These people certainly know how to demonstrate bloated excess. But where is everybody?"
Right on cue, a door swung open across the courtyard and several figures strode out in military formation. "You are the Federation team?" the lead being asked. They were all clearly male, with closely-trimmed green hair, deep-pink skin and well-developed muscles.
"We are they," Omiosiro said. "We bring a medical team and an ambassadorial team."
"Very good. Nad'fwet'whug, you will escort the medics to the hospital immediately. The rest of you, please follow us." One of the native Clanimids broke away from the group and gestured to Christine and T'Rala, who followed him to the far end of the courtyard and away. Lauren and Kylie, flanked by de Hermosa and Omiosiro but not getting much comfort out of it in the wake of the absence of Christine and T'Rala, trailed the other Clanimids to the palace and through the door. Here they passed two huge staircases, one on either side of the entry, before going through a second door and into what was plainly a banquet room. It looked about the length of a football field and contained three wide tables that all ran the full length of the room. The decoration within was as ornate and overdone as the exterior architecture, but far more colorful. Kylie rubbed her forehead as if the bright hues gave her a headache.
The Clanimids led them through this room, out the other side, and through another short corridor that served as the vestibule for a second pair of enormous staircases. Beyond the next doorway was a room that contained tiered seating, with what could only be called a throne dead center of the back wall, raised on a pyramid-shaped platform with ten steps running up the front that served as access to the throne. Speechless, Lauren and Kylie stared around them. Obviously this was the equivalent of a senatorial chamber.
"Wait here. We will notify the Supreme Ruler of your arrival," their escort leader said, and with that the entire group exited through the door behind them.
Kylie snorted when they were safely out of earshot. "Don't tell me. The Supreme Ruler's gonna be lowered out of a trapdoor in the ceiling in a glittery little cage that'll stop in front of the throne, and the Ruler will just step right out and into the divine seat."
Lauren snickered behind her hand, and de Hermosa laughed. Omiosiro gave them odd looks, but there seemed to be a twinkle in his eyes all the same. Lauren cleared her throat and suggested, "Maybe we'd better watch what we say. You never know if places like this have bugs and hidden cameras."
"Hm, there's that," Kylie said, sobered. "But that wouldn't exactly denote trust."
"Since when was trust ever a feature of negotiations?" Lauren asked. "We have to inspire the trust—we're the ambassadors, after all."
"You had to remind me," Kylie muttered, and Lauren snickered again.
"How much experience do you ladies have?" de Hermosa asked. His tone was conversational, but both Lauren and Kylie were caught up short by the question nonetheless.
"Mid-stream career change," Kylie improvised after a moment that had stretched out almost long enough to become uncomfortable. "This is our first assignment."
At that de Hermosa's eyes widened, and he and Omiosiro looked at each other. "You spoke of trust," Omiosiro remarked. "To me, dispatching you into this situation suggests a great deal of trust on Starfleet's part."
"Or stupidity," Kylie added, eyeing him as though in challenge. "Right, mate?"
Omiosiro narrowed his eyes at her. "I said no such thing."
Before the exchange could descend into something less civilized, their Clanimid escort returned, without his team. "The Supreme Ruler will receive you. Follow me."
Back out the door they went, but this time they began to climb stairs. The security guards had no trouble, but after topping the landing on the third floor, Kylie and Lauren were both winded and trying to hide it. Fortunately, this was as high as they were to go, but their hike hadn't ended yet. Here the hallways were wide enough for only two people to walk side by side; de Hermosa fell in next to Lauren and Omiosiro beside Kylie, in order to provide adequate security. They passed widely spaced, heavily decorated doors, all closed, until reaching a cross-corridor at which they made a right turn and then stopped halfway down. At their right stood a pair of floor-to-ceiling golden doors that were thickly encrusted with all kinds of sparkling jewels, many of which Kylie and Lauren had never seen the likes of. Lauren had time to recognize Arcolosian rainbow gems around the doorknobs, however, and grinned to herself before the doors swung open.
Before them lay a large room that gave both Lauren and Kylie the impression of stepping into a gargantuan pillow. Colored silks were draped all over the walls and ceiling, covering every exposed surface; heavy brocade hung over a large sheet of glass on the left-hand wall. Plush overstuffed chairs and sofas were scattered around the room in haphazard fashion. Beneath their feet lay a spotless carpet. "Remove your footwear," the Clanimid escort leader said. Lauren and Kylie hastily shucked their shoes; the security chiefs followed suit with more reluctance.
"The Supreme Ruler will be out in one moment," an unseen voice called regally from somewhere among the countless billowing silks. "You may sit."
"Anywhere?" Kylie asked.
Another jeweled golden door at the far end of the room opened, and out stepped a tall slender figure wearing a tiara and swathed in still more silk, in perfect tandem with another slender figure dressed almost identically who emerged from layers of hanging cloth. The tiara looked oddly familiar to Lauren somehow; but it was Kylie who drew her attention to the figures themselves by choking on a shocked gasp. "Bloody hell!"
At the same time both the other figures blurted exclamations in different languages. Lauren focused on the faces and felt all the blood drain from her own. "Arzi and Inriya!"
"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" Kylie exclaimed.
"Is there something going on here that we ought to know about?" asked de Hermosa from behind them. "Something you should've told Captain Sulu, maybe?"
Kylie whirled around to glare at him. "We recognize them, okay, we admit that much. But we never knew till just this second that they were here, in this palace. What was the Supreme Ruler's name again?"
"Groh'ar'zent'sen," supplied Arzi's voice, still carrying a somewhat stunned flavor. "It is my complete name; Arzi is a short form." Her face flushed magenta. "You'll never let this be known to outsiders, any of you, on pain of death! And I want your security guards out of these rooms. Armed guards have no place in negotiations."
"Go ahead," Kylie said. "You don't have to beam back up, but you can wait outside." Omiosiro and de Hermosa looked doubtfully at each other, but complied.
"Speaking of death…" broke in Inriya na'Khotorin, slowly approaching Lauren and Kylie. Her face reflected the astonishment that they were both still feeling. "You were shot by a Klingon with a phaser, fifteen years ago on the Spirit of Achievement planet. How can you be here, now, alive? I saw you die!"
Kylie went very still and stared at her. It was then that Leslie's words came back to Lauren: "Would you ever forget it if you saw someone shot out of existence right before your eyes?" She'd been right, Lauren realized with a sinking feeling. She was trying frantically to decide if they could get away with the same resurrection tale they'd given Halloran on the space station when Arzi shrieked, "Impostor! Pretender! Arrest her now!"
"Hey, wait a minute!" Lauren cried. "She's here to help!"
"Quiet, or you will accompany her to the dungeon," Arzi snapped. "Now!" The double doors flew open and their Clanimid escort team swarmed in, dragging a loudly protesting Kylie out with them. Lauren stared helplessly after them, feeling more lost than ever. Up till now she'd been only a little nervous, figuring that two ambassadorial heads had to be better than one and taking confidence in the fact that she and Kylie could bounce ideas off each other. Now she was going to have to deal with this situation alone, unless she could figure out some way to get Kylie freed.