“I’m not the ambassador anymore,” she said. “My name is Aidan.”

His eyebrows knotted as if he were perplexed. “Aidan, you need to return toExcelsior. We are preparing to depart.”

[356] “I can’t do that, Captain,” she said. “I won’tdo that.”

“Then what exactlyare you planning to do?”

She smiled in spite of herself. “Captain, when I was a little girl, I met two people who spent their lives exploring. Not exploring in the way Starfleet does; they did it in the way that only one or two people can. Small stones creating a ripple in a larger pond.

“They called me a ‘fellow traveler.’ I don’t know whether they knew the connotations of the phrase as it was used in the twentieth century, but I took it to mean they saw me as someone who was worthy of exploring on my own. For too long now, I have been a part of a larger force, an organized governmental unit. I’ve allowed rules and regulations and protocol to mold me, distort me, control me.”

As she continued, she caressed the bracelet on her wrist. Some of the stones and shells had been worn smooth over time. “Captain, there is much work to be done here, and a new human culture to explore. The Neyel are prone to violence, and they will need help to mend their fences with the Tholians.

“And you and I both know that it is only a matter of time before the Neyel come fully into contact with Earth. If they are to learn to coexist peacefully with their human cousins, they will need someone who can help them bridge the gap.”

Sulu leaned forward in his chair. “I’m not so sure that the Tholians will let you go.”

“Maybe, and maybe not. But I think the real question is this: will youlet me go?” She touched another few buttons on the control panel, hoping that the automated programs she’d downloaded would make up for her lack of real piloting skills.

“You won’t be able to negotiate the rift,”Sulu said. “You’ll be trapped inside it, like theDefiant.”

“I don’t think so,” she said, smiling again. “I can just follow the warp signature of the Oghen’s Flamelike a trail of [357] bread crumbs. That should see me safely through to the other side.”

Before Sulu could argue further, she held up her hand and continued. “Captain, I think this is what I was born to do.”

She switched off the comm and moved her fingers onto the throttle control. The shuttle moved forward swiftly, and through the forward windows Burgess exulted as the auroral lights of the rift engulfed her.

Yilskene watched on his flagship’s crystalline monitors as the Federation shuttlecraft moved toward the rift that led to the OtherVoid. He wondered if that unstable region of space had caused the vessel’s pilot to go mad. Or were the Starfleet people attempting to deceive him again? He once again considered destroying both the shuttle and Excelsior.

The knowledge-caste officer working the sensors informed him that only one person remained aboard the shuttle—the human envoy, Ambassador Burgess. Additionally, Excelsiorwas not following the shuttle’s course. It was puzzling.

Yilskene considered the human ambassador. He knew that even within the Lattice, there were certain individuals—especially those from the political castes—who would shut themselves off from the SubLink permanently to undertake a lifelong voyage of contemplation. It was alien to a warrior’s way of thinking, and probably to most of the other castes as well. But Yilskene’s best mate had done it, exiling herself to a lifetime of silence and solitude.

Perhaps that is the path the ambassador is following,he thought, deciding to stay his hand. Or perhaps she is pursuing the departing invader ship for some reason. The Neyel. Will she continue to advocate peace among them?

“What do youbelieve her motives to be?” Yilskene asked Mosrene, who squatted nearby, watching the image of the shuttle on the viewscreen.

Mosrene’s eyespots flared for a moment. “She has been [358] erratic yet guileless. Of all the humans on Excelsior,she seemed most sympathetic to us. However, she also identified with the concerns of the Neyel. But I don’t believe that this is because the Neyel are humans. I think it is because she is able to see many sides at once.”

Yilskene looked away from Mosrene and back to the viewer. The shuttlecraft was nearing the rift. “The other humans displayed multiple facets as well. Even while they were deceiving us, they protected our settlements from attack. And when Captain Sulu had the opportunity to kill me, he displayed mercy instead.”

“Perhaps it is not just the ambassador who is multifaceted,” Yilskene continued. “Perhaps it is a characteristic shared generally by all of her kind.”

Mosrene tilted his head, signifying agreement. “That may be so.”

Yilskene looked over at Mosrene. “Then perhaps we and the humans are not so different from each other.” The notion struck the admiral as equal parts truth and heresy even as he gave it voice. Only the passage of time could determine the truth of it.

On the screen, the shuttlecraft became a bright pinpoint, then disappeared over the invisible horizon of the OtherVoid.

PART 10

PRODIGALS

Chapter 33

Sitting with his two closest friends in Excelsior’smess hall, Lojur found he wasn’t surprised by Tuvok’s announcement. It had been pretty clear to him that the Vulcan wasn’t entirely happy aboard Excelsior,if the word happycould even be used to describe a Vulcan.

But he knew that he would miss the science officer’s calming influence and sharp intellect. He looked away from Tuvok and regarded Shandra’s conspicuously empty chair in grim silence.

“When will you leave?” Akaar said as he idly moved his food around his plate with a fork. Though his Capellan stoicism concealed it, the security chief had to be feeling Tuvok’s imminent departure keenly as well. Lojur knew that the two young officers had worked closely together for more than three years now.

“Excelsioris due to stop at Vulcan next month,” Tuvok said. “At that time, I intend to resign my commission, return to my betrothed, and then resume my Kolinahrtraining.”

“Captain Sulu and Commander Chekov will no doubt try to talk you into remaining aboard Excelsior,”Akaar said.

“They already have. As have my parents.”

“They clearly were not successful,” Akaar said.

“As I said, after the Praxis affair, I promised them I would [362] complete my assignment here rather than resign immediately. They were quite persistent. But that period has elapsed. My tour of duty is nearly over. The time has come for me to move on.”

Lojur knew that Tuvok had never been comfortable serving among beings who lacked the emotional discipline of Vulcans. That preference probably accounted for the bonds of friendship that had grown among Tuvok, Lojur, and Akaar over the years. Yet, despite misgivings that had nearly come to a head shortly after the Praxis incident, Tuvok had continued serving aboard Excelsiorfor another five years.

Lojur decided that Tuvok’s decision to leave Starfleet nowmust somehow have been precipitated by the Tholian-Neyel affair. But he knew better than to ask him to reveal more than he obviously wanted to.

A heavy silence descended across the table.

Perhaps a minute later, Akaar turned toward Lojur. “You have uttered fewer words than even I have so far tonight,” he said, speaking around a mouthful of meat of some sort. Lojur experienced an ingrained pacifist’s revulsion every time the Capellan took abite.

But he also knew that the taciturn security chief was right. Lojur usually spoke far more than he had so far this evening. Pushing his salad away, he leaned forward so that no one else in the mess hall would overhear him.