“Well,” and Gleau turned in his chair, facing Shelby with a relaxed attitude. “I’ve done a bit of studying of Terran myth. Pan was a god of nature, of music and ribaldry and comic adventures. No offense intended to Ambassador Spock, but he doesn’t exactly strike me as the comic adventuring type.”

“Pan also traditionally had pointed ears,” Shelby said. “That may well be where the familiarity arose from.”

“Plus I remember Mr. Spock played some sort of Vulcan musical instrument,” said Arex.

“Lyre,” Spock said.

Arex blinked and looked confused. “Oh. I’m sorry. My mistake. I wasn’t intentionally trying to deceive—”

“The Vulcan lyre. Or harp, as it is also called.” He looked at Shelby with mild curiosity. “Do allyour meetings tend to wander in this manner?”

“Sometimes,” she admitted.

“You may wish to consider restoring the term ‘briefing room.’ ‘Conference lounge’ implies a leisurely pace is to be taken. ‘Briefing room’ is far more to the point.”

“I’ll take that under advisement, Ambassador,” she said dryly.

“That would be wise,” said Spock, and without blinking returned to the point. “Had I interacted with or questioned Apollo myself, I might have been able to determine if there were any priorities beyond a salving of his ego and a desire for control over what he deemed to be mere mortals. I was not given that opportunity. As it is, there are hypotheses. But there are always hypotheses. Without definitive fact, it would be pointless to speculate about them.

“Nevertheless, given my presence during the Enterpriseencounter, I am as near to an expert as Starfleet has available, aside from Montgomery Scott. Of the two of us, given my status as ambassador, it was decided I would be best suited on this mission.”

“And what mission is that?” asked Shelby.

Spock began to walk the perimeter of the conference room in slow, unhurried strides. “The Danteri have slowly begun to inform chosen races of the existence of ambrosia and their involvement with the Beings. It is believed by Starfleet that they are doing so in order to build a power base with the Beings at its core. Such a development could seriously affect the current, rather delicate, balance of power within the Federation. It is Starfleet’s directive that the Tridentbring me to Danter—and remain on station—so that I may converse with the Beings and determine the full extent of exactly what they have in mind.”

“And which way does the Federation fall on this?” asked Si Cwan.

The Vulcan turned and looked at Si Cwan. “In what respect?”

“I believe,” Kalinda said, “my brother is asking whether the Federation is interested in keeping the Beings at arm’s length ... or interested in getting their hands on the ambrosia so they, too, can have this beloved ‘golden age’ the Beings claim to want to bring to us all.”

Si Cwan nodded in confirmation.

“That decision,” Spock said, “will stem, to some degree, from my recommendation ... although mine will not be the only voice to be heard in the matter.”

“Then hear mine,” Si Cwan said immediately. “They are dangerous. I’ve experienced them close up. They altered the mind-set of an entire world in a relatively brief period of time. I can’t believe that sort of influence is remotely healthy.”

“Frankly, with all respect, I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” Mueller said. She had gotten to her feet, and the scar on her face was turning bright pink. It reminded Si Cwan of Calhoun’s own scar, which tended toward similar discoloration when he became upset. “These Beings, in pursuit of bringing about their supposed golden age, nearly annihilated the Excalibur!Or has that been forgotten?”

“The Federation is well aware of the assault upon the Excalibur,”Spock said. “My understanding is that it was a hotly debated topic at Starfleet Headquarters. Ultimately, however, they are looking at the bigger picture.”

“The bigger picture!?”

“Sit down, XO,” said Shelby.

Mueller whirled to faced her. “The Excalibur,Captain. That’s your husband’s ship. I’d think that should matter to you. Or are youonly concerned about the bigger picture as well?”

Suddenly the atmosphere in the room became very cold, although the temperature remained the same. Si Cwan thought he saw a flash of contrition in Mueller’s eyes, as if she realized she had gone too far.

Shelby’s face could have been carved from teak.

“Sit. Down. XO.”

Mueller sat, the scar burning even more brightly pink against her face.

“And that,” Spock abruptly spoke up, “is another reason it was felt I would be the best suited to be involved. Emotions have a tendency to run high in connection with the Beings. That is not a consideration for me.” He passed forward a data chip to Shelby. “The full details and official Starfleet orders are contained on this, Captain. It is not expected that you were to take solely my word on this matter.”

“Thank you, Ambassador,” she said. She rose from the table. “I will review this immediately, and then we’ll make ready for the trip to Danter. Naturally the full facilities of the Tridentwill be at your disposal. Anything else?” She glanced around the room. Si Cwan noticed that her gaze seemed to skip right over Mueller. “Arex, M’Ress, if you’d be so kind as to escort Ambassador Spock to his quarters. That’s all, then. Dismissed.”

Everyone rose, with Shelby leading the way. That mildly surprised Si Cwan. He would have thought that Shelby would hang back, desire to speak to Mueller. Obviously she was too annoyed, and wanted to have the opportunity to calm down.

Si Cwan quickly caught up with Shelby in the corridor outside the conference lounge. “Captain, two things?”

She turned, her hands on her hips, clearly making an effort to be patient. “Yes, Ambassador?”

“First, I very much appreciate, in regards to my personal situation, the lack of—what’s the best way to put it ... ?”

“I-told-you-so’s?” Despite her clearly distressed air, she said it with a sense of humor.

“Yes. That,” admitted Si Cwan.

Kalinda, speaking from just behind him, piped up, “Cwan was extremely concerned about what you were going to say.”

“I wouldn’t say ‘extremely concerned,’ ” he corrected her.

“Ambassador,” said Shelby, “I try not to kick people when their pride is down. I advised against your going to Danter because I was concerned about your welfare. When we heard about what happened there, I had no idea what happened to you and Kalinda, but I wasn’t holding out much hope. The bottom line is, you’re back and you’re alive, and that’s all that matters. Although I suppose I should be flattered that my opinion means that much to you. What’s the second thing?”

“Yes. The second thing. I am aware that Commander Mueller spoke out of turn just now. I would consider it a personal favor, however, if you were not too—”

“Don’t overstep yourself, Ambassador,” Shelby interrupted. She didn’t sound angry, but there was a definite edge to her voice. “Anything else? No? All right then,” she continued without waiting for him to respond, and then she turned and headed off down the corridor.

The Thallonians watched him go, and Kalinda said softly, “You should have stayed out of it.”

“Your retroactive advice is always appreciated, little sister,” replied Si Cwan. “Have you considered ... ?”

Suddenly there was a thump that sounded from within the conference lounge, and Si Cwan thought he heard raised voices. He exchanged a brief, bewildered look with Kalinda, and then started quickly toward the lounge, Kalinda right behind him. Before he could get there, however, the door slid open and Gleau emerged. He looked slightly stunned, but when he saw the others approaching, he immediately pulled himself together. He gave a nonchalant nod and quickly headed off in the opposite direction.