I went to Jean-Luc. Time for further reconciliation. I was going to need all the support I could muster from now on, and he represented my best opportunity. And I hoped there was still something salvageable between us, a remnant of friendship, mutual respect. Something.
I found him in the command salon, the canopy retracted, the stars and the eternal night sky engulfing him. He was relaxed and at ease in the command chair, more so than I had seen in months, if not years; he seemed rested, no longer haunted.
"What is it?" I asked. "What's happened to the strain and tension? You look almost...."
"Peaceful?"
"Yes."
He nodded and sighed. "I don't feel like the captain anymore, Pavel. Surprisingly, that's a good thing." He smiled gently. "It's as if no one is in charge, and who would want to be? Circumstances are in charge. I wonder now why I was so caught up in it, holding on to this position. If people wanted me out, I should have let them depose me." He shrugged, the smile fading. "But I didn't know anything else. It was my life. It was all I had." He paused for a few moments, then said, "I don't need it anymore."
We were both silent for a time. I tried to find the tiny occlusion that marked the alien ship, but couldn't located it.
"Then what do you think of my plan?" I asked.
"Oh, it's a good plan, Pavel. Alien ship or not, it would be beneficial for the Enterprise to contact civilization once again, good for all of us. We've been out here far too long." He looked at me and frowned. "But I'm not hopeful of finding any records that will show us the way."541Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmGoRpOPLg
"Be hopeful," I said. "They exist."
"How can you be so sure?"
I grinned and told him what Father O'Heron had revealed to me.
"So the bishop was holding out on us," Jean-Luc said when I had finished. "I'm surprised that she told you about it. I would have thought that it was some kind of Church secret." He fingered the chair controls and the canopy began closing over us; the salon grew darker until the canopy was completely sealed and the only illumination came from glowing colored lights on the command chair. I could barely tell that he was looking at me. "I assume you have something in mind," he said.
"Call an Executive Council session."
"And?"
"Father O'Heron and I will be there, and she'll repeat what she told me. We demand that the bishop grant us access to the church records."
"And if he refuses? The Church has a certain degree of autonomy on this ship. He could legally refuse, and we could not force his hand."
"He won't refuse. Right now, that would be politically disastrous for him. He'd lose most of the support he's got on the Planning Committee, even the Executive Council."
Jean-Luc pulled slowly at his beard, an old habit I had once found reassuring.
"I think you're right. That's what we'll do." He sighed heavily. "We could have been a formidable combination, Pavel. We were at one time."
"We can still work together, Jean-Luc."
"Yes, and we will. But it can never be the same as it once was, and that's a sad thing."
He was right, and I had no purpose."
When Father O'Heron and I walked into the council session, the bishop leaned forward in his chair, face tight, and said, "What is this?"541Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2lbuMq3vv
"I asked them both here," Jean-Luc replied. "They've got information that is useful to us." He gestured at us to sit, and we did.
"What kind of information?"
"Patience, Bishop," Jean-Luc looked around the table. "We're all here, yes? Then let's start." He turned to Hernandez. "Macha, do you have answers from your engineers yet?"
Before she could reply, the bishop interrupted. "If this concerns Pavel's demented proposal, we should be meeting with the full Planning Committee."
Jean-Luc waved a hand in dismissal. "No formal action will be taken here, Bishop. We won't be voting on anything. We're just gathering information that will be presented to the committee." He tipped his head toward the bishop and his tone hardened. "Besides, Bishop, I think that before we're through here, you'll be glad it's just the council."
The silence was fraught with tension, with the bishop's struggle to maintain his composure. Jean-Luc finally turned back to Hernandez and said, "Macha?"
She nodded once. "A simple answer, though not a simple task. Yes, we can do it. We can construct a docking mechanism, build one half onto the bow of the Enterprise, the other centrally located on the hull of the alien starship----we put the ship right on our nose. Acceleration will be slower, but the drives can handle the extra mass. The docking mechanism will be somewhat simplified by the fact that we need no communication, no passage between the two ships, no cabling, no airlocks. Everything on the exterior. It'll take some time but we can do it."
"That's what we wanted to hear," Jean-Luc said. "No, let me correct that. That's what we expected to hear. I've got more faith in the ship's crew than in almost anything else. Thank you, Macha." He glanced down at the table as if reminding himself of something, then looked up at Father O'Heron. "Now, for the second thing we need. Father O'Heron. Tell us about---the Church's historical records."
"NO!" Bishop Worf rose to his feet, slamming his hands on the table.
"Let her speak," Jean-Luc said.
"Don't do this, Gaynelle."
Father O'Heron seemed unhappy, yet determined. "It's too late, Your Eminence."
"It is a betrayal of the Church!"
"No. It's upholding the Church's principles. God's principles."
The bishop sat down heavily and closed his eyes for a moment. "You are making a serious mistake, Gaynelle."
"Maybe so, Your Eminence. But I make it with good conscience."
The bishop had no response to this except to stare at me with that same malevolence he'd directed at me the day before; eventually he sank back, still shaking with rage. Father O'Heron regarded him, then looked away.
"Father?" Jean-Luc said quietly.
"Yes. Sorry."
She then proceeded to describe the Church's historical records to the Executive Council. She spoke at length, without interruption; as she spoke, the bishop sat rigid, his eyes barely blinking.
When she was done, Father O'Heron was obviously still conflicted. She slowly rose to her feet.
"I'm sure the bishop can answer any questions you may have. He's more familiar with the records than I am." She hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry, but I'll have to leave now."
"Of course," Jean-Luc said. "Thank you for speaking with us."
Father O'Heron nodded once, then left. I wanted to follow her, and talk to her, but I couldn't leave now. There was more to come in the session, and if Jean-Luc had his way we'd immediately convene the Planning Committee. I sat in silence at the foot of the table and waited.
Most of the council members were stunned, but Pike was excited. "I always suspected," He said in an awed whisper. "Michael, you've kept this from me all these years."
The bishop glared at Pike. "In public, you will call me Bishop or Your Eminence."
Pike nodded, but cold not keep the smile from his face. "My apologies, Bishop." He breathed deeply once. "Those records must be wonderful. I can't imagine what it will be like to see them, to start reading through them...."
"Don't get carried away, Historian." The bishop leaned forward and stared at Jean-Luc. "I can refuse access. I will refuse access."
"Can he do that?" LaForge asked.
"Yes," said Jean-Luc. "Legally." He turned to the bishop. "You can, Bishop. But in the current climate, I don't think refusal would be wise."
We all waited for the bishop to speak; I looked down at his hands lying flat on the table, and I thought I could see one trembling slightly. When he finally spoke, his voice was tight and controlled.
"Access will be strictly limited."
"Acknowledged," said Jean-Luc.
"Pike and his apprentice only. Nobody else. They'll have access only under strict supervision, and they will not be allowed to remove any materials from the Church archives. The records are sacred texts. We will not risk loss or damage."
Pike nodded. "Of course, of course, that's quite acceptable."
"Good," Jean-Luc said. "With these two issues resolved, I propose we call an immediate meeting of the full Planning Committee, present this information, and discuss our alternatives."
His motion was seconded and passed, with the bishop abstaining. Jean-Luc was about to close the meeting when the bishop spoke up.
"You say that the two issues are resolved. But that is not necessarily true. What if nothing is found in our records? What if that information, the location of some speculative advanced culture or society, doesn't exist?" He leaned forward again. "What if it isn't there?"
"I don't think that's a very likely outcome," Jean-Luc said. "Is it, Bishop?"
The bishop didn't answer.541Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zzcfyWhn0
Three hours later, the full Planning Committee came to order. Jean-Luc, Hernandez, and I made our presentation. There was surprisingly little discussion, and the vote was overwhelming. Pike and Sophia Garcia would begin their search through Church records, and the engineers would immediately begin preparations to construct the docking mechanism---we were leaving, and we would take the alien ship with us!541Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1leQUecMl
