Starfleet Security drew closer to the crowd. Shouts filled the air.
"GO BACK TO VULCAN[ STOP SELLING OUT EARTH FOR VULCAN INTERESTS!" three
KEHL members shouted in unison.
"Back to Vulcan! Back to Vulcan!" the crowd chanted, surging forward
threateningly.
Sarek was the picture of composure as he stood straight and tall in his
Vulcan robes, his face the epitome of Vulcan control. Both Surev and
Soran were young men, and their control was not nearly as perfect as the
elder Vulcan's. Even from this distance, Peter could see the two younger
Vulcans conferring with each other behind the ambassador's back, concern
plain to read on their faces. Sarek merely nodded serenely. Then, to
Peter's dismay, the ambassador opened the gate and calmly strode out
into the crowd.
Dimly, he heard the KEHL leader telling the crowd to quiet down, but it
was no use. A minute later, the mob completely broke ranks. They surged
forward wildly, screaming, throwing things, overwhelming the outnumbered
security forces. Within seconds the protesters had completely enveloped
both Sarek and the two younger Vulcans.
"NO!" Peter shouted frantically, and flung himself unheedingly into the
thick of the mob. Furious and sickened, he charged his way bodily
through the crowd, shoving, pushing, not caring whether he crushed feet,
or sent the bigots staggering. He had to do something to help Ambassador
Sarek!
For a brief instant he found himself tantalizingly close to his goal. He
glimpsed the ambassador's formal brown and gold robes only a meter or
two away. By now the crowd was in a frenzy, hurling refuse and rotting
vegetables at the beleaguered Vulcans. As a man beside Peter took aim
with a fist-sized rock, the young Kirk managed to surge forward and
knock his arm so that the rock landed on another KEHL member instead.
Sarek's young assistants were defending themselves ably, and even the
ambassador sent an attacker flying.
Almost at the same instant, Peter heard the whine of transporter beams,
and knew that the Federation security forces must have beamed in
reinforcements. The officers were busily using crowd-control stunners
and forcefields, careful not to catch the struggling Vulcans in the
beams.
Suddenly, Peter saw Sarek grappling with the KEHL president. To the
young Kirk's relief, the Vulcan handled the tall human easily, rendering
him helpless with a quick neck pinch. For just a second, Peter thought
he saw a flicker of surprise pass over the ambassador's normally calm
expression; then both attacker and Vulcan were lost to sight in the
press of the crowd.
Three KEHL members next to Peter suddenly collapsed, unconscious, and
the cadet realized that he might be next.
He was wearing civilian clothes instead of his uniform, so there was no
way anyone could differentiate him from these lunatics! In fact, there
was a very good chance he was about to be arrested, if not stunned,
mistaken for a KEHL member. He searched for Surer, desperately wanting
to get his attention. The Vulcan could vouch for him ...
Out of the corner of his eye he spied a security officer taking dead aim
at him.
"Hurry! Come with me, now.t" a female voice shouted in his ear, at the
same time a strong hand grasped his suit sleeve and hauled him back. Two
people in front of him collapsed in the path of the stun ray. "We've got
to go now!" the woman insisted, tugging at him and another woman near
her.
He then recognized Lisa Termant, the KEHL's second-in-command.
"Come on!" she urged, pulling him behind her.
"We can't let them get all of us! Let's go. Follow me!"
Did this lunatic woman think he was part of her nutcase organization?
Peter was infuriated by her assumption. Then four people directly in
front of him collapsed under the minimized stun rays. If she hadn't
pulled him out of the way ...
The security forces weren't asking questions, they were assuming the
out of here, lunch wouldn't be the only thing he'd be missing. The next
time Tennant yanked on his arm, he cooperated.
After a moment's pushing and shoving, they broke free.
Peter found himself running pell-mell down the streets, away from the
screaming, hysterical demonstrators. Had Sarek made it through all
right? he wondered, even as his legs moved automatically, running,
running, as he followed the woman to safety.
They were on a side street now, Federation Security aircars following
them, trying to round up all the demonstrators.
The cadet realized that if he didn't get out of this quickly, he was
going to be spending the night in jail. He might even have to contact
his Uncle Jim for a character reference! What would that look
likemcaptain Kirk's nephew incarcerated for supporting a violent KEHL
demonstration?
Envisioning his own face on the next news vid, he sprinted faster.
Tennant led her small crowd down a narrow street, then into an alley.
There was a door, which opened as if by magic as they approached. The
small group raced in, Peter entering right behind the dark-haired woman.
When the door slid shut behind them, the group half-collapsed, heaving
and panting for breath. Peter tensed as he listened to the sirens of the
aircars that were still searching--searching for me, Peter realized
disgustedly. What a mess!
"Everybody okay?" Tennant asked the group. "Anyone hurt?"
There were murmurs from the group of a half-dozen men and women,
assurances that everyone was all right. Peter looked around at the
ragtag group he'd found himself a part of.
A man came up to Termant, someone new--the person who must've been here,
ready to open the door for them in just such an emergency. "Do you know
all these people, Lisa?" he asked quietly.
Peter's heart thundered in his ears. If they discovered who he was ...
"No, Jay," she said, looking over the group. "No, I'm sorry. Everything
fell apart. There were massive arrests. I think one of the Vulcans
might've killed Induna. These people were near me, fighting side by side
with me. I couldn't leave them behind."
"Of course," Jay said, as he looked over the group.
"I'm Mark Beckwith," one of the men said by way of introduction as he
caught his breath. Peter recognized him as the rock thrower. "I'm
president of the Peoria branch."
Lisa shook his hand. "Of course, I've spoken to you many times."
To Peter's relief, the rest of the group were just average members, or
people who'd seen the demonstration on the vid and "believed in the
cause."
"I'm Peter ... Church," he finally said, when it was his turn. "I'm ...
a data-recovery technician. I work nearby.
I've ... always been interested in the KEHL," he lied glibly, "and when
I saw that you were calling for support, I came on down."
"Thank you," the woman said sincerely, then repeated it to the others.
"Thanks to all of you. What you did today was courageous and ambitious.
Your pe
rsonal involvement will make it easier for the millions who
silently agree with our cause to come forward and join us. Thank you all
so much."
Crazy, Peter thought, slumping tiredly. Would he ever be able to get out
of here and back to reality?
"I think the security forces are gone," Jay announced, after checking
with a computerized sensor. "It should be safe for you all to leave now,
if you go out one by one."
Tennant thanked them all again, reminding them all of the next
gathering. The demonstration at the consulate, she told them, wouldn't
be able to continue until the arrested demonstrators had been freed from
jail and the current permits renewed. Each person assured her before
leaving that they would be at the consulate as soon as word reached them
that it was time to assemble. Their faces were filled with a hatred and
Peter plastered an appropriate expression of sympathy on his own face as
Lisa finally turned her attention to him. She suddenly peered at him
intently, and he found himself grateful that he didn't resemble his
famous uncle more closely.
"I hope you weren't injured," she said quietly, her eyes never leaving
his face. "You came awfully close to being stunned."
He blinked, gathering his wits about him. Coum she be interested in me?
Peter wondered, taken aback. It figured, in a perverse way. His Uncle
Jim seemed to be able to attract any woman in the universe with nothing
more than a little-boy grin and a twinkle in his eye--an ability that,
if it was an inherited trait, seemed to have skipped Peter. But every
now and then the "Kirk charm," as the captain called it, did seem to
shine on Peter--but only at the wrong moments. Like now. He gazed at the
KE HL leader, his mind racing.
"I'm fine," he assured her. "Really. You ... saved me back there. I
should be thanking you."
She smiled warmly at him. "I'm so glad you're all right.
That is ... there are so few of us ... true believers. We can't afford
to lose ... even one."
She was attracted to him! Peter began to wonder if Federation Security
had any real idea, before today's violent demonstration, how dangerous
this group was becoming.
Whatever information they had on the KEHL couldn't have been very
accurate, or the security forces would've never been caught so
shorthanded at the demonstration.
Tennant thought he was a member, a "true believer." Could he string her
along long enough to gain critical inside information--information he
could relay to Starfleet?
"Listen, Peter," Lisa said, guiding him to the door, "my assistant,
Rosa, was one of the people stunned today. I'm going to be lost without
her, and I know what it's like to be stunned. She won't be feeling well
for a day or two. I need to make a lot of calls, arrange hearings, bail,
tons of stuff. That means that my real work won't get done. So ... I
was wondering ... you're used to manipulating data. Rosa was working on
cross-referencing the membership lists with some special information
we've received lately about ... a clandestine Vulcan operation. I
really need to get this project completed. Do you think you could help
me?"
How would Uncle Jim handle this? Peter wondered, but of course he
already knew. James T. Kirk would simply lay on the charm, the famous
Kirk charm, and within hours she'd be putty in his hands. Forget it.
That won't work for you!
As he hesitated, she offered, "You'd be working with me directly ...
but, I'll understand if you're not interested.
What happened today was enough to make anyone think twice about
supporting the group ... "
"Oh, I'm interested!" he assured her. "I, uh, didn't realize ... we'd
be working together. I'd like that, Ms.
Tennant. Uh ... working with you, I mean." Smooth, mister, real smooth.
A Tellarite would've managed a classier delivery ...
She opened the door for him and touched his arm. "Call me Lisa, Peter.
I'm glad you're willing to help me. I really
need an expert's assistance. How about ... Saturday?
Around noon? Can you find your way back here?"
"Sure," he said, managing not to stammer this time. "I'll see you then."
His gesture of farewell included both Lisa and Jay. "Saturday, noon.
I'll be here."
"It'll just be you and me, Peter," Lisa assured him warmly, following
him a few steps into the alley.
"Jay ... will be busy with something else. I'll see you then."
He managed a credible grin despite his uneasiness.
"Great. Till Saturday." She stepped back and the door slid shut, leaving
him alone.
Peter walked out onto the main street, then began a circuitous route
back toward the Academy, suddenly nervously aware of every figure
passing him on the street.
Whatever had possessed him to play Mata Hari with the KEHL's leader?
These people were definitely more dangerous than Federation Security
realized. What should he do now? If he went to the security offices at
the Academy, or to the officer of the day, and related this wild story,
they'd no doubt tell him to stay out of it. His advisor, a grizzled old
Tellarite lieutenant commander, would forbid him to have anything more
to do with this group. She'd be right, too. He had exams to complete.
And the Kobayashi Maru.
I don't have time for this. ! have to stay focused. I've got a career to
worry about.
But ... through sheer happenstance he'd managed to find himself on the
inside. He had an opportunity to discover what was really going on with
this radical group of dangerous xenophobes. Would Uncle Jim walk away
from this opportunity? The hell he would! Captain Kirk would play the
cards dealt him.
Can I do any less?
Peter scowled down at his feet as the moved along the sidewalk. What
harm could there be in keeping his Saturday date? He'd just spend time
with Lisa Tennant, work on her reports.
She said I'd get to work on the membership lists ... That would be a
unique opportunity, one he doubted Security could manage. And, by
talking to her, he could draw her out, discover something about this
silly Vulcan "conspiracy" she purported to have discovered. Maybe he
could find out other things, too. More serious inside information.
And, when he had that information, he'd take that to Starfleet. They
couldn't ignore him then, not if he had information about how the KEHL
had suddenly gained so many new members.
If his plan worked out, it certainly wouldn't hurt his career any. And
... it was something a real Kirk would do.
Something Uncle Jim would do in a heartbeat. Of that, Peter was very
sure.
Sarek sat at the comm link in his assigned quarters aboard the Freelan
space station, facing the cowled figure of a Freelan. Although there was
no way to be sure, owing to the concealing cloak and mechanical-sounding
voice interface, he thought he recognized the other as Taryn, the
Freelan liaison he'd been dealing with for
nearly seventy Standard
years.
"Greetings, Taryn," he said aloud.
The cowled and muffled figure was suddenly very still.
"Greetings, Ambassador Sarek," the flat, mechanical voice said. "You
recognized me?"
Sarek shook his head and dissembled, diplomatically, "I made a logical
deduction as to your identity, Liaison. After all, during my meetings
aboard this space station, you have been my contact during negotiations
eightysix-point-three percent of the time."
The shrouded figure seemed to relax again. "I suppose I have. We have
known each other a long time, Sarek of Vulcan."
"Indeed we have, Taryn of Freelan," the ambassador agreed solemnly.
"This time, you did not come alone," Taryn said.
Sarek beckoned, and Soran stepped forward from the back of the room and
seated himself beside the ambassador.
"You are correct, Liaison. I brought my new aide, Soran, so he could
begin familiarizing himself with Freelan/Vulcan trade agreements."
"Why?" the other asked, bluntly.
"My health is not what it once was since my heart trouble twenty-seven
years ago," Sarek said, smoothly, having anticipated this question. His
response was accurate, if deliberately misleading. Actually, his health
was now better than it had been for decades. "Someday," the ambassador