Star Trek: The Next Generation - 119 - Armageddon's Arrow (30 page)

Bnira’s eyes narrowed. “I am considering it.”

“I get that a lot.” Turning from her, Chen looked to the unconscious Konya as Crusher rested her hand on his forehead. On Konya’s opposite side, Harstad sat with her back propped against the bulkhead, doing her best to assist Crusher.

“How is he?” Chen asked. The Betazoid security officer’s condition seemed to have stabilized, but the doctor’s concern had not lessened. Despite the crude initial aid techniques she had been able to administer, Konya still required more attention than Crusher could provide without better resources.

“Not good,” replied the doctor. “We need that medical kit.”

“I know that your companion is en route back here,” said another voice, and Chen looked over her shoulder to see Jodis walking toward them. “If you continue to cooperate, she will be allowed to return and help you with your injured friends.”

Chen studied the Raqilan’s face, searching for signs of deception, but found none. “Just like that?”

It appeared to take an extra moment for Jodis to comprehend the meaning of her question before he nodded. “Yes. As I said before, I have no quarrel with you, and there is nothing you can do now to stop us.” He nodded back to the central control tower. “I have locked out computer access from every interface on the ship except that one. It is commendable that you were able to make so much progress circumventing our security measures, but there will be no more of that. From this point forward, only Bnira or I can interact with the ship’s systems.”

“What of the damage?” asked Bnira.

As though annoyed to discuss such subjects in front of their prisoners, Jodis said, “It has been mitigated. It will not interfere with our mission.”

“What mission?” Crusher asked. “What’s left to do? It should be obvious by now that the Golvonek can’t stand up to this ship. You’ve already won whatever battle you’re looking for. Surely, the Golvonek will realize this if they haven’t already. I can’t imagine their government won’t be begging to talk with your leaders about ending the war once and for all, so what’s the point of continuing?”

Rather than appearing to take satisfaction from his apparent command of the current situation, Jodis instead looked to Chen like someone weary of conflict. “The only battle I am interested in is the one I can prevent. To that end, I have no quarrel with the Golvonek, either.”

“What battle?” Harstad asked, glaring at him. “You’d think Mynlara would be sending messages back to her planet right now, telling them you’re on your way to blow them up. If that doesn’t get them to the negotiating table, I don’t know what will.”

Jodis smiled. “You actually believe my intention is to blow up Uphrel?”

“Isn’t that the whole point of all of this?” Chen asked, waving her hands to indicate the room and, by extension, the
Arrow
itself. “The whole crazy plan to send you back in time to end the war before it even starts?”

“I concede that may have been someone’s idea,” Jodis replied, before allowing his gaze to drift from hers as though recalling a memory. “Or, rather, it will be someone’s idea in the future, but that was not the
Poklori gil dara
’s original mission. That bit of frantic, desperate inspiration came much later, when it became obvious that time, lack of vision, and simple arrogance had seen to it that the Raqilan were destined to lose the war, no matter who historians in generations to come might declare the victor.”

“What are you saying?” Crusher asked. “That this ship was built to only be a deterrent?”

Bnira replied, “That was its original intent. The
Poklori gil dara
was to be the ultimate, final weapon constructed by either side for our war, its supremacy never to be challenged; and once the war ended? It would remain on patrol, always ready to take up arms against anyone who challenged the truce both sides would inevitably embrace.”

“Peace through superior firepower,” Chen remarked.

“Exactly,” replied Jodis, shaking his head. “It was a ridiculous plan: deploying incredible, untested technology created by trying to mimic weapons and other systems purloined from an alien race. We were banking the future of our civilization on the promise
Poklori gil dara
offered, motivated as we were by sheer desperation. According to analysts and other experts, we were losing the war. It had been predicted that the Golvonek would win as a consequence of simple attrition, possessing as they did more ships and people to fly to them, along with a wider availability of more plentiful resources. Facing this, we had been devoting everything we had into what many believed to be an anxious, final gambit. If the scheme failed, it likely would signal the eventual defeat of our people at the hands of the Golvonek.”

Chen asked, “If that was the case, then why the time travel element? It’s our understanding that the basic idea was to go back and prevent the war in some manner, and avoid all the bloodshed, loss of live, and damage to both planets.”

“That is basically correct,” Jodis said, stepping back to the control tower. “As you have learned, our war has not been a constant source of conflict for all these generations. There were periods of truce, if not outright peace. Government leaders and diplomats spent inordinate amounts of time attempting to reach lasting agreements, but something always disrupted those negotiations, and we would find ourselves back where we had begun.

“The idea of traveling through time was introduced by a small group of radical scientists. Until that point, they had toiled in near obscurity, fielding outrageous theories and making bold claims about the concept’s feasibility. Somehow, they managed to acquire the attentions of someone in the Raqilan senior military leadership, where the idea took hold. It was an audacious plan, to be sure, and perhaps if all had gone as conceived, it might well have been successful.”

“Except that your people didn’t count on this ship’s crew being traitors.”

The statement was out of her mouth before Chen could even stop it. Standing here, watching Jodis work, reviewing his cryptic statements and the actions he had taken to this point, she had found a thread weaving through it all, and in one moment, it all made sense.

With an expression of genuine admiration, Jodis nodded in her direction. “In a manner of speaking, you are correct.”

“You’ve been working for the Golvonek all this time?” Crusher asked, her brow furrowing in disbelief.

“Myself, Bnira, and our dear friend Ehondar. We are—or will be—members of a group of Raqilan dissidents working with the Golvonek to end the war. We were many, scattered all through our civilian government and military structure. When word of the
Poklori gil dara
’s construction became known, and later the mission for which it was being built, an effort was put in motion to recruit and train specialists who could then be inserted into the project. The effort took many cycles and required great patience on the part of all involved, most especially those of us who might end up actually working on the ship. We worked in isolation and secrecy, each not knowing who among us might be part of the resistance movement. Only when the three of us were selected along with the others for the ship’s crew did we know who our allies were.”

“All that time,” Harstad said, “all that secrecy, and they never knew about the spies working among them?”

“I am certain they at least suspected such an effort,” Jodis replied, “but we were never discovered. We maintained our secrets throughout our training, even as the ship neared the end of its construction. At the time, the goal was simply to seize control of the vessel and deliver it to the Golvonek leadership. Once we learned of the mission to travel to the past, things changed.”

Chen nodded in understanding. “The Golvonek saw the advantage in such a mission.”

“Correct,” Jodis said. “Not everyone, of course, but even the Golvonek have their extremist voices, calling for more aggressive action against the Raqilan. For the most part, they had fought a defensive war, launching offensives against enemy targets only when it served to protect Golvonek interests, rather than the simple securing of territory or resources. This, however, was different. Now, some within Golvonek leadership circles were demanding more forceful responses to the Raqilan threat. Despite a brave façade, for the purposes of leading the populace, in private the Golvonek leadership was all but paralyzed by fear. How does a leader go about telling his people that they might be wiped from existence by a colossal weapon sent through time to destroy their planet generations before they were born?”

“You can’t,” Crusher said, “not without triggering a mass panic.”

“And you certainly do not communicate to the people your own scheme to use such a weapon against your enemy; to employ the very horrific tactics your adversary would use against you. We continued our training and final preparations as the ship was readied for launch. We would travel to the past, and seek to end the war before it could engulf both our peoples.”

Shaking her head in disbelief, Chen said, “You’re going to destroy your own planet?” Could it possibly be true? All this time, Jodis had intended to turn the
Arrow
on those who had built it? “Are you insane?”

Jodis did not answer, his attention once more on the workstation. When a tone emitted from one of the consoles, he smiled again. “Your captain is most persistent.”

“Talk to him, Jodis,” Crusher pleaded. “If anyone can help you figure out a peaceful solution to all of this, it’s Captain Picard.”

Turning from the tower, Jodis said, “From our brief conversations, I have grasped that your captain is virtuous and principled. I regret firing on your ship, but I could not afford to let him interfere with what we must do here.”

“Just talk to him,” Chen said. “Tell him what you want. Let him at least try to help. You can’t possibly want to actually do this.”

Bnira said, “Such staunch devotion.” She looked to Jodis. “Perhaps we should listen to him.”

“Perhaps,” Jodis said, his fingers moving across the console. “However, he will first listen to us. They will all listen to us.”

30

Time was running out.

Picard tapped the arms of his command chair, studying on the bridge viewscreen the
Arrow
as it moved through space. In the distance but growing closer with each passing moment was the green-brown world Henlona. The weapon ship had proceeded on its course through the Canborek system with only token resistance from Raqilan ships. Sensors showed that others were coming, traveling inbound from patrol routes or other assignments in a last-ditch effort to save their home planet from annihilation. Within minutes, a hastily assembled fleet of warships would be converging on the
Arrow
. Would it arrive in time?

Will it matter if they do?

“The vessel is slowing,” reported Worf, who still stood at the tactical station behind Picard’s left shoulder. “Sensors are detecting a targeting scanner in operation, aimed at the planet.” After a pause, he said, “Correction. The scanner appears to be targeting the planet’s moon.”

“What about the particle cannon?” Picard asked.

The first officer replied, “It is active and at increased power levels.”

“Conn, time to intercept?”

Seated in front of him, Lieutenant Joanna Faur replied, “Three minutes, twelve seconds, captain. Flight control systems are all working normally.”

Picard offered up a brief message of thanks to the prowess of Geordi La Forge and his engineering staff, who had managed to restore the
Enterprise
’s damaged or compromised navigation systems and give the starship a chance to chase the
Arrow
. “What about weapons?”

“Commander La Forge reports those systems should be online within five minutes.”

It would be close. The
Enterprise
would arrive on scene unable to defend itself, with the
Arrow
settling into whatever final positioning it required to bring its primary weapon to bear on Henlona. Could he bluff Jodis long enough to buy his engineers the extra minutes they needed to extract yet another miracle from wherever they conjured such things?

“Captain,” Worf said, “the
Arrow
definitely is targeting the moon, and I’m detecting a power spike from the primary weapon.”

“Is the moon inhabited?” asked Picard, dreading the answer.

The Klingon replied, “Sensors show signs of habitation, both on the surface and underground, with approximately two hundred thousand life-forms.”

“Hail them again,” Picard snapped. Why would Jodis be targeting his own people? It made no sense. “Engineering, I need weapons
now
.” The
Enterprise
was the only thing standing between the
Arrow
and the moon with its defenseless inhabitants, but he knew they still were too far out of range.

Faur pointed to the viewscreen. “They’re firing!”

The
Arrow
’s forward edge glowed red before the beam surged forward. Without being asked, Worf adjusted the screen’s image to show a pale brown orb hanging in space just as the particle beam struck it. The display was clear enough for Picard to see soil and rock pushed outward in all directions as the energy beam drilled into the moon’s surface. He gripped the arms of his chair, bracing himself to watch the moon’s destruction along with the poor souls who called it home.

“Wait,” Worf said. “The energy readings are indicating tectonic disruption, but the effects are not on a scale sufficient to destroy the moon.” Seconds later, he added, “I am detecting seismic disturbances, but that is all.”

“Earthquakes?” Picard asked. On the screen, the particle beam faded, leaving behind an immense, dark hole bored into the moon’s surface. “It’s not possible that he miscalculated.” Rising from his chair, he nodded as he comprehended what he had just witnessed. “It was a demonstration.”

“The particle cannon is acquiring a new target,” Worf said. “It’s Henlona, sir, and now I am picking up a wideband broadcast message. It is being directed at the planet and transmitted on multiple frequencies.”

“Let’s see it,” Picard said. On the screen, the
Arrow
disappeared, replaced by a close-up image of Jodis. The Raqilan’s face was unreadable, though there was a glint of determination in his eyes.

“People of Henlona, I am Jodis. Like my parents before me and theirs, as well, I have spent my entire adult life in service to the Raqilan. When I first joined our military, it was my sincere desire that I be the last of my family ever to fight in a war. When I was given command of this vessel, I saw in it an opportunity to make my dream into reality.”

“The message is being transmitted toward the Golvonek homeworld, as well,” Worf reported, “though they will not receive it for nearly thirty minutes.”

“
This ship, as originally envisioned, was a means of ending our war. In many cycles still to come, it will be seen as a tool with which to forge a lasting peace between our peoples. Of course, peace extracted under threat of obliteration is something less than an ideal for which we should strive. It is a testament to how far the war will push all of us, that such a measure is seen as not only necessary, but also desirable. You must understand that, from where I have come, the war has lingered for far longer than you now know it. Both Henlona and the planet of our enemy have suffered the brunt of unremitting conflict. We have reached a point where we survive merely to fight. Our attempts at peace have failed, and if we were to reach some final truce, it would not matter, for we will have succeeded in destroying that for which we have fought so long and with such obsession
.
”
Jodis paused, his expression turning somber.
“Even in the future, generations from now, we still do not know who might win our war, but the truth is that neither side will emerge victorious. We have doomed ourselves to eventual extinction
.
”

“Captain,” said Glynn Dygan from the ops station, “sensors are picking up the approach of thirteen vessels. They all appear to be of Raqilan design, sir. Based on their defenses, I would classify them as battleships of some sort.”

“Analysis, Mister Worf,” Picard ordered. “Are they powerful enough to take on the
Arrow
?” He held out little hope that the fight might actually destroy the weapon ship, but any sort of delay or distraction might prove useful.

The first officer replied, “From a technological standpoint, they are no match, but given sufficient time, they may be able to mount a successful counterattack.”

“What you now see before you is the manifestation of a single, final, frantic attempt to secure victory,”
Jodis continued.
“Of course, such triumph, attained in the far-off future, would be hollow. The only way such a feat could truly have meaning is if there is a civilization to benefit from the accomplishment. As that would be all but impossible, given the unrelenting nature of the war as it will continue in cycles to come, there remained but two options: fight until there was nothing left, or somehow find a way to avoid war altogether. This ship, the
Poklori gil dara
, is the means by which the second option can be achieved
.
”

He paused, looking down at something not visible on the screen, and Picard noted that sadness seemed now to grip him.

“What you now see before you, this ship and the weapon I now control, is what the Golvonek were meant to see. It is the last thing they were supposed to see before I carried out my orders to destroy their planet
.
”
Once more, he stopped, and this time, he shook his head.
“Do you understand how callous one must become to justify obliterating an entire civilization—a world teeming with innocents who have no idea what the future holds—to prevent a war which will end up devouring us all? And yet, here I stand, my hands ready to deploy a weapon of unparalled power, on the very people who gave birth to this monstrosity. Our people, yours and mine. We are responsible for this abomination. Think about that for a time, while I consider my next action.”

Without warning, the transmission ended and Jodis’s visage disappeared, replaced again by the
Arrow
, in the distance but now much closer than it had been just moments earlier.

“He’s quite the attention-getter,” observed Faur.

“Captain,” Worf said, “we are being hailed by one of the Raqilan ships. It is Envoy Dnovlat.”

“I can only imagine what she wants to talk about,” Picard said. “On screen.” The moment the frequency was opened and before he could formulate any sort of greeting, the female Raqilan was standing so close to the visual pickup that he thought she might actually crawl through the viewscreen and onto the bridge.

“Captain Picard! You must help us! Surely you see that Jodis has lost all reasonable measure of sanity?”

Dnovlat moved aside, revealing Fleet Legate Mynlara, much to Picard’s surprise.
“Captain, I agree with the envoy. While the Golvonek obviously do not want the weapon used against us, neither are we prepared to see it utilized against the Raqilan. That is madness. If Jodis will not listen to reason, then the ship must be destroyed
.
”
She turned to Dnovlat.
“The envoy saw to it that my crew was rescued from our crippled vessel. It was an act of compassion that only serves as proof that we can work together to overcome our differences and stop this war, before we travel too far down the path of mutual destruction
.
”

“The fleet legate gives me more credit than I deserve. It was vessels under her command that began assisting damaged Raqilan ships first, Captain
.
”

Picard nodded. “So, it seems you now have a common foe. What will you do if and when you vanquish your shared enemy?”

“I cannot speak for my leadership, Captain
,
”
replied Dnovlat,
“but if this incident does not provide the proper motivation to seek a permanent truce, then perhaps we are beyond redemption and Jodis should do as he so desires, but I have to believe we have a chance to finally make the correct choices, for all our people. Jodis is about to rob us of that opportunity.”

Stepping closer to the screen, Picard replied,“Envoy, I believe that neither you nor I possess the firepower necessary to disable that vessel, let alone destroy it. Besides, based on what I observed, it seems to me that Jodis is in total command of his faculties.”

“So, do you believe Jodis capable of carrying out his threat?”
asked Mynlara.

“At this point,” Picard said, “I believe that only Jodis can answer that question.”

“
Engineering to bridge
,” said the voice of Geordi La Forge, interrupting the conversation. “
Captain, weapons control has been restored. You’ve got everything at your command
.”

Buoyed by the news, Picard replied, “Excellent work, Commander. Stand by, as the next few minutes may be . . . interesting. Bridge out.” Looking over his shoulder to Worf, he said, “Number One, ready all phasers and quantum torpedoes. Conn, maneuver us between the
Arrow
and the planet.”

“Captain, what are you doing?”
asked Dnovlat.

“Whatever I can, Envoy.”

Would it be enough?

The question taunted Picard.

*   *   *

“Wait!”

The hatch leading onto the engineering deck opened, and T’Ryssa Chen had only enough time to recognize Lieutenant Kirsten Cruzen lunging through the doorway before she threw up her hands, hoping to head off another firefight in the room.

“Don’t shoot!”

Cruzen, to her credit, did not fire the phaser that she had aimed at Jodis. Behind her, Lieutenant Aneta Šmrhová and a team of
Enterprise
security officers, each of them brandishing phaser rifles, entered the room and fanned out, forming a wedge with Cruzen at its center.

Jodis, like Bnira, had taken the wiser course of holding his own weapon with its barrel raised toward the overhead, his free hand visible to the new arrivals. “I do not wish to fight you.”

“That’s great,” Šmrhová said, gesturing with her phaser rifle. “Prove it to me by dropping those weapons.”

As Lieutenant T’Sona and Ensign Regnis collected the surrendered pulse rifles, Cruzen moved toward Doctor Crusher and the wounded Rennan Konya and Tamala Harstad, removing the satchel she had slung over her left shoulder and handing it to Crusher. “How’s Rennan?”

Taking the satchel and opening it, Crusher was relieved to see the medical kit Cruzen had retrieved from the shuttlecraft. “He’s holding steady, but we need to get him to the
Enterprise
.”

“Jodis and Bnira are getting set to destroy their own planet,” Chen replied. “We’re waiting to see if he goes through with it.” She gestured toward the Raqilan. “I don’t think even he knows what he’s going to do.”

“Of course I know,” Jodis replied. Keeping his hands raised in deference to the pair of phaser rifles, Šmrhová’s and Ensign Chapman’s, still trained on him, he gestured toward the central tower and the image of Henlona displayed upon one of its monitors. “Do you actually believe I want to exterminate my entire civilization?”