“I’m not alone,” Fee said quickly. “I first became aware of the rebellion when I was in training. A network had sprung up between the higher centers of learning, and students were exchanging information.
Since I was on track to a high-level administrative post, I was privy to much more history, law, and physics than the typical trainee. I had no need to link into this informal network. I sometimes wonder, if I had linked in once I received my direct interface, out of curiosity if nothing else, would I be here now?”
In spite of herself, Janeway was curious. “What happened to the network?”
“It was terminated, and the key participants… they disappeared from the learning boards.” An old sadness showed around her eyes. “What frightened me most was the way it was done. Swiftly, fearfully, as if our way of life has become so microspecialized that we are threatened by general knowledge.”
“How ironic,” Janeway told her. “That you are a people who pride yourselves on your acquisition of knowledge.”
“We also pride ourselves on our testing, but that, too, is a terrible trap. Hamilt was correct when he said I would have stayed among the poor growers of Province Larran without the testing to recognize my innate abilities. Yet who is to say I would not have been more fulfilled if I had been able to chose my own direction? We are given no choice, except during the testing, and our reactions are judged by preset standards, dictating where we should go and what we should do.”
Janeway felt the tug of sincerity in Fee’s voice. “Who determines the standards for these tests?”
“The Board—that is their primary duty while sitting in Council.
The Supreme Arbitrator has veto power over any Board decision, as well as the ability to create policy, dictating how and when tests are given.”
“That’s why the position is so important.” Janeway narrowed her eyes at the woman. “You could change the system from the top, single-handedly. I’m surprised it hasn’t been tried before.”
Fee actually smiled at that. “How do you think we got to this point?
A narrowing of choice, generation after generation, all working toward the goal of one individual. We eliminated strife, and every other independent form of thought along with it. I believe that it is our biological right to develop and prosper according to our unique characteristics. We must be allowed to transcend the cultural boundaries of our age.”
“Noble sentiments, but I must use your own example.” Janeway pointed to the window. “Your society seems to be prospering quite well.”
“The Cartel already subjects us to many of their testing standards, and they continue to gain power. Not only do they set the exchange rate, but they are increasingly privy to private House information.”
Torres let out an exasperated sound. “All this fuss about the Cartel!
We were doing fine until your people came along.”
Fee seemed distressed by her show of anger. “I dislike disputes.
I would have chosen to stay in the background, fighting through my reviews and the small indulgences I could slip to my province.
But the time has come for our people to take control of themselves, before we let our House fall completely into the hands of the Cartel.”
“I wish you luck with your endeavor,” Janeway said, successfully keeping the sarcasm to a minimum.
“But we need your help,” Fee insisted. “I don’t want my people to destroy your processor in the attempt to link it to the other networks.”
Janeway took a few measured steps closer to the image of Fee, leaning in close. “Can you see me through this transmission?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” She stared the administer right in the eye. “Then let me make one thing perfectly clear—we aren’t going to lift a finger to help you. It doesn’t matter how much you try to threaten or bribe us.”
“I am simply explaining the situation.”
Janeway held out her arms. “I understand the situation. You’re holding us hostage.”
Fee seemed weary but unbeaten. “I cannot allow you to leave.
The Board would seize you for testing and interrogation in an attempt to destroy us.”
Torres laughed. “Why should we believe anything you tell us?”
“Perhaps you would believe the crew member who was arrested by the Cartel. Tom Paris could tell you how severe the testing can be.”
“What are you talking about? What’s happened to Paris?” Janeway demanded.
“He was taken into custody by the Cartel for unauthorized entry into their database. Right now, he is undergoing testing prior to interrogation. The Cartel is allowed to access anything that relates to the crime he committed.”
Janeway was reminded of the last time an alien culture decided to punish Tom Paris—they’d almost lost him to those neural implants. “Is Paris being harmed by this procedure?”
“My latest report indicates he is still alive.” Fee looked straight at Janeway. “I cannot help you from my current position, but I would do everything I can to repair the damage we’ve done—and to help your crew member—if I was in the position to do so.”
Janeway clenched her teeth. “This sounds like just another ploy to convince us.”
“I will arrange with Andross to allow you to speak to your ship,” Fee said, surprising her. “They will confirm everything.”
Torres glanced sideways at her. “Captain…”
“No, Lieutenant.” Janeway didn’t take her eyes off Fee.
“But if it’s true that Paris—” Torres protested.
“I’d like to talk to my ship immediately,” Janeway interrupted, watching Fee closely.
Fee nodded. “Perhaps then you will be convinced that it is in everyone’s best interest to cooperate.”
It was some time after Fee’s image disappeared before several of the guards arrived to escort Janeway and Torres to the central command room. The guards’ sleeves were torn where the Cartel insignia had been removed, leaving only the rising sun symbol of House Min-Tutopa.
Janeway detected the euphoria of first battle among them, and they were keyed up so tightly that a wrong word could set them off. If these guards were under her command, her first task would be to curb their extreme optimism before someone stumbled over his own shoelace and destroyed everything.
Stepping into the command room, Janeway was greeted by a 360-degree view of the Seat. It was even more impressive than the narrow slice she’d seen from the office below, and again she wondered how this meager band of believers could shift the course of something so entrenched as this system.
Andross didn’t seem daunted by the sight. He was on fire, as if all his pent-up energy had been boiling just beneath the surface, ready to be channeled into this coup d’etat.
Andross drew up one corner of his mouth, and there was extra meaning to his nod of greeting to Janeway. He was moving stiffly, and she wondered if his ribs had been broken by the fall.
“I understand you wish to speak to your ship,” Andross said politely.
“Yes.” Janeway refused to beg.
Prog glanced up, harried at her post. “I have to shut down auxiliary systems again, Andross. The servos are overloading.”
Andross muttered something under his breath. “Do it, but this time, I’ll broadcast an announcement first. I’ll tell them the power will be on reserve for the next cycle as a small warning of what we could do.”
“How much load is our processor carrying?” Janeway demanded.
“Nearly five thousand megabits per second,” Prog replied.
“No wonder the servos are strained….” Torres whistled. “Why aren’t you using those other two processors?”
“Their firmware includes an override command that the Board could initiate from the Council Chamber.” Andross turned away from the broadcast channel, having sent his warning to the Seat. “That’s why we needed the outside hardware.”
“If this system goes down, what does it take with it?” Janeway asked.
“The power and communications grid of the entire Seat and most of Seanss province.” Prog tightened her lips briefly. “Since we’re partially linked in with the networks, there could be a relay affect in the other provinces, as well.”
Torres edged in closer to Prog to see the monitor. “Why don’t you disconnect from the other networks, at least that way—” “No,” Andross said quickly. “It’s taken us all night to get even a partial link.”
“You’ll lose everything if you don’t take something off-line,” Torres said, in a tone that was all too familiar to Janeway. She was pretending to be reasonable, while she really thought she was dealing with idiots.
“We need the links to the other provinces,” Andross said as if that was final. “We don’t have enough access to their networks as it is.
They’ve managed to interrupt our broadcasts every time.”
Janeway thought he was too confident for his own good. “Why haven’t the other provinces moved to help the House Seat?”
“They’ve interrupted our broadcasts, and they’ve already tried infiltration and gas attacks. But House guards are equipped to deal with isolated incidents, not mass resistance. There is little harm they can do to us.”
“They could blow up this tower,” Torres put in darkly.
Prog seemed shocked. “They’d never do that.”
Andross wasn’t nearly as surprised by her suggestion. “The House did use force during the commune uprising several rotations ago—cutting off power to parts of the lower Seanss Province.
With no water, no food services, no climate control, it wasn’t long before people began returning to work.”
“You call that force?” Torres asked doubtfully. “Was there any bloodshed?”
Andross shook his head. “None to speak of.”
“Don’t give me that,” Torres told him. “You people scanned our ship from top to bottom for weapons and defense systems. You must be experts when it comes to combat.”
“That’s the Cartel,” Andross corrected. “They were created for defensive purposes and keeping the peace, particularly when dealing with alien species.”
“The Board would never call in Cartel Enforcers against their own House,” Prog agreed vehemently. “It would be tantamount to admitting the House is in such disorder that they can’t control it themselves.”
“While the Cartel would take over under the guise of protecting the House,” Andross finished. “Placing the Board under their jurisdiction.”
Janeway paced a few steps closer. “Then it seems to me you have a stalemate, here.”
“We have the option of cutting power to the Seat. We took over the communications network this time to prevent the Board from strangling our efforts, but it can be used as a way to convince them.”
“So why don’t you do it?” Torres asked, ever the advocate for action.
“Get it over with.”
“That would cause harm to service and support personnel long before the effect reaches the higher officials. Then people would get hurt.”
Andross did a good job of sounding sanctimonious. “I would rather not let this degenerate into violence, but I will do what it takes. Fee’s nomination will be confirmed before I return the systems to their control.”
“It must be nice to be so sure of yourself,” Torres snapped, almost as if reading Janeway’s mind.
Andross must have seen Janeway’s agreement in her face. His cold glance included them both. “Make the call to your people.
They’ll tell you about the Cartel.”
Tuvok was dealing with yet another underofficial of the Cartel in an attempt to obtain a subspace communications channel to Min-Tutopa.
As was consistent among the officials, the clerk persisted in countering his direct requests for services with offers for “information exchange” that were unacceptable.
The underofficial closed the channel, as Tuvok received a signal on the frequency he associated with House Min-Tutopa. He signaled the ready room. “Commander, we are being hailed.”
Despite his control, there must have been some indication in his voice.
Chakotay was on the bridge in seconds, showing an uncharacteristic tension. “Put it through.”
The resolution of the viewscreen was below acceptable standards; however, the image was unmistakably Captain Janeway.
“Captain,” Chakotay said in relief. “We’ve been worried—” “I was unable to contact you earlier.” She glanced to one side as if to indicate wariness of her present company. Tuvok’s frown deepened when he noted that her hair was in slight disarray, as if she had pinned it up without the aid of a mirror. “Our situation has changed.
Apparently we’ve been caught up in a revolution, and our computer processor is being used to hold the legitimate government hostage.”
“Are you in danger, Captain?”
“Not at the moment. But we are not allowed to leave this building.”
Her voice was grim. “And I don’t intend to leave without our processor.”
Carefully, Chakotay said, “We’ve received information that concerns Agent Andross and numerous computer thefts that have occurred.”
“Yes, Andross was responsible,” the captain informed him dryly.
Her gaze rested on Tuvok for a moment. “You were correct, as usual.”
“I had hoped I was mistaken,” Tuvok replied.
“I don’t intend to cooperate with Andross’s demands.” Janeway nodded to Chakotay. “Commander, give me a report on your situation.”
The captain received Chakotay’s report with her chin propped in her hand. Her eyes began to glaze over as the first officer went through the list of complications that accompanied Paris’s arrest, including the umbilical disconnection and the extensive systems failures throughout the ship.
“We’re holding in Reduced Power Mode, but we’re still experiencing fault errors and delays,” Chakotay finished.
“And Paris?” Janeway asked.
“I’m worried. From what I’ve been able to find out a bout the testing and interrogation, it can be deadly. In fact, the chemical risks these people take with alien biology astounds me.”
“You’ve had no luck dealing with Cartel officials?”
“None. They want technology from us, and they won’t even let me see Paris unless we give them something in exchange.”
Janeway shifted as Andross stepped into the line of sight. “Do you see what blind obedience leads to?” the agent asked. “You’re trying to negotiate with a mechanism that has no concern for the well-being of any individual. Now do you see what we fight against?”