Its body swelled suddenly, as if with a great intake of breath, and with a thunderous trumpeting that rattled Desai’s teeth and caused winged creatures all around to take flight, a great tear formed in the leviathan’s side, releasing thousands of smaller serpents that spilled into the mud and slowly slithered toward the river, following the current as the leviathan expired.
“Sad and beautiful, isn’t it?”
She turned to see Fisher emerging from the fog along the river’s edge, followed by a young woman Desai assumed was Octavia Dawes. Behind them came Doctor Ying and several other New Anglese. “The colonists named them nagai,” Fisher went on. “They travel upriver from the deep ocean to spawn, but they can’t survive the experience. Their young have to struggle their way back home, because if they stay here, they’ll die too. This is the secret the New Anglese have been guarding.”
Desai’s stare returned to the dead mother. “What’s going on here, Fish? What does any of this have to do with Aole?”
“This is why he died,” Ying said. “After he came here to convince us we needed to abandon Kadru, we decided to trust him with our knowledge of the nagai.We showed him our data, the holos we’d taken. He understood immediately, and wanted to help us. But he wanted to see the nagaifor himself. We were reluctant, but he insisted New Anglesey was running out of time. So while we met to debate his request, Aole took matters into his own hands and went out alone to experience the nagaifirsthand. He came across a beached mother, just as you did. But something went wrong. He must have slipped or fallen in the river, struck his head on a rock below the surface of the water. Dawes found him not long after, but it was already too late.
“We panicked. We were afraid of more outsiders finding the nagai,so we went to work eradicating any trace of where Aole had been, or any nagaiDNA he’d come in contact with. We even burned his uniform. We had to make sure Starfleet wouldn’t be able to retrace his steps back here. But it was all for nothing.”
“Why?” Desai asked. “Why did it need to be kept secret?”
Fisher exchanged a look with Dawes and said, “The way it’s been explained to me—and the data I’ve been shown backs this up—the blood of the nagaihas a very complex and unusual composition. It contains a unique combination of biochemical constituents that Doctor Dawes here has identified as a potential panacea to most of the known humanoid species, and probably many others. Imagine it, Rana: a wonder drug for whatever may ail us. A revolution in medicine throughout every world we know about.
“But it’s their blood. And there’s mounting evidence to suggest that the nagaiare sapient, or on the cusp of it at least. When the colonists made that discovery, they began to worry about what would happen if word got out about the possibilities surrounding nagaiblood. What might the Klingons do? Or the Orions?”
“Or even the Federation,” Desai said quietly. It was a fair question: How could anyone be trusted to treat thenagai with respect under those circumstances?
“In the deep ocean they’re relatively safe, and can defend themselves if necessary, but the spawning season is when they’re their most vulnerable,” Dawes said, gesturing toward the newborns. “The young feed on their mother’s blood until they’re ready to be born. Whatever’s left behind lacks any of the medicinal potential we’ve detected, so we can’t simply harvest the dead mothers. Even if we could, we still have no idea how they would feel about such a thing. We’re trying to learn as much as we can while we’re here, but we need time. The gulf between the nagaiand us is unimaginably wide, and it could be lifetimes before we can bridge it.”
“That’s the real reason we’ve demanded to be left alone, Captain,” Ying said, “and why we can’t allow ourselves to be evacuated, even if Starfleet abandons this sector. Someone has to make sure the nagaiaren’t exploited.”
“So that speech you gave me about our broken colonial system,” said Desai, “that was all misdirection?”
“I didn’t say anything that isn’t a matter of record, Captain,” Ying pointed out, “but we never wanted to turn our backs on Starfleet and the Federation, and especially not on Captain Gannon, who was as staunch a friend as I’ve ever had. If it wasn’t for what we’ve found here, we’d be trying to work out our grievances, not bury our heads in the sand.” Her gaze traveled back toward the moving tangle of newborn nagai. “But now that you know the truth, I need to ask: what are you going to do?”
That’s the big question, isn’t it?Desai thought. She looked at Fisher, and in his eyes she saw her own uncertainty reflected back at her. Somehow the future of much more than just this one colony had been placed on her shoulders, and whatever choice she made now, someone would have to pay a price for it.
“This isn’t the outcome I sent you to achieve, Captain,” Nogura said. “In fact, in most every way I can measure, it’s the exact opposite.”
Desai stood at parade rest, facing the admiral across his desk. He plowed on before she could formulate a response, gesturing with one hand at the slate he held in the other. “According to your report, the New Anglesey colonists have filed a formal petition to have the planet Kadru reclassified as a nature preserve and wildlife refuge, a process that will require, at minimum, months or even years while the petition awaits a proper review in the Federation Council. But just the act of filing it means Starfleet can’t discontinue its oversight of that sector until the Council has reached a decision about Kadru’s status.” He looked up at her. “Can you explain to me how a colony of isolationist scientists obtained the legal advice to draft such a well-crafted and airtight document?”
Staring straight ahead, Desai answered, “They must have found a good lawyer. Sir.”
Nogura scoffed. “I’ll bet. This will notgo over well with Starfleet Command, but that’s a headache for another time. I’m pleased to note you and Doctor Fisher did manage to confirm that Aole Miller wasn’t the victim of foul play . . . which means, I suppose, that the matter is effectively closed.” He cleared the screen on the slate and set it aside. “There’ll be a memorial service honoring Commander Miller three days from now. Would you care to be a speaker?”
“Yes, sir, I would. Thank you, sir.”
Nogura nodded. “My yeoman will be in contact with you about the details. Dismissed.”
“Admiral,” Desai said, making no move to leave, and instead offering him the slate she’d been holding behind her back. “There’s one more piece of business we need to discuss.”
The memorial service was held on Fontana Meadow. Many beautiful things were said by many people, and when Desai’s turn came, she kept her statements brief but spoke from her heart.
Afterward, many of those in attendance migrated to Stars Landing, the crescent of civilian commercial and residential structures that bordered the meadow. Manón’s Cabaret was crowded to overflowing with Vanguard personnel in dress uniforms celebrating the life of Aole Miller. Drinks flowed freely, and the lively atmosphere was full of stories and songs.
Desai found a seat at the bar, ordered a glass of ’51 Brunello Riserva for old times’ sake, and was halfway through it when Fisher eased onto the empty stool next to her. “You’re making a mistake,” he told her over the noise. He held up three stacked fingers to the bartender and silently mouthed the words, Saurian, neat.
“If I am, it wouldn’t be the first,” Desai answered.
“But a transfer off the base? To an Earthside posting?” Fisher shook his head. “I won’t even ask how you convinced the admiral to pull those strings. “
“Actually, Nogura was very supportive,” Desai said, taking a sip of wine. “My guess is, he thinks it’ll make whatever he ends up doing about Diego less complicated for him.”