Chapter Six

End Game

When Jonathan Archer and Malcolm Reed entered the suite, acknowledging the salute of the guard posted outside their door, his crew knew just by looking into his eyes and seeing his bearing just what was to come. No one said a word as he looked at Cass, who stood in the far corner, apprehension etched on her bruised face. "I'm sorry."

"I don't understand."

"I'm under orders from my commanding officer. I am to focus primarily upon my mission." He suddenly felt a great desire to sit down, as the events of the past two days took their full toll on him. The overly cushioned chair was just overstuffed enough to be uncomfortable as he sank down deeply into it. He hated trying to get up out of it, and wished he'd chosen a different chair. He would, at this moment, have vastly preferred his central chair on the bridge. Looking into the trusting, wounded eyes of the young woman, he felt more locked onto an irrevocable path heading for a deal with the devil.

"And what of me?" Cass asked in a tremulous voice. "You spoke of Asylum. They said you would protect me!" Archer decided he would have a talk with his people – later.

"I'm sorry. I told you we would be gone soon, and cannot take you with us."

"Do you know…" Her voice broke with her fear. "Do you know what they will do to me for running away?"

He felt really frustrated by the orders that bound him. "I'm truly sorry. Perhaps later diplomats we send can –." She dashed to him, falling to her knees, clinging to his leg. The others had closed to intercept her, but too late.

"Please. There won't be a 'later' for me! They will beat me to death for what I've done. I can't stand it any more! I can't take another beating. Please. I'm afraid! Please help me. I can't stand it any more!"

Archer tried to remove her hands from his leg, but the kneeling girl held his right leg with a death grip, nails digging into the material at his thighs.

He was about to pull more firmly at the desperately pleading girl's grip when, to his surprise and that of the rest of his crew, Tia Anlor stepped forward and dropped to her knees before him, next to Cass. She reached out and grasped his left leg as Cass clung to his right, her body a mirror image of the other's. "Captain, which does your race prize more highly; gold or dilithium?"

Archer stared at the golden complexioned girl, as surprised by her quiet question as he was by her behavior. "Miss Anlor?" He asked, glad that the UT was working at full function. It was a useful if always disconcerting tool. Though neither of their lips moved to match their words, he could understand them both in fluent English, rather than deciphering the Auran's best efforts.

"When the Silurians conquered Aura, they started to systematically strip my world of all its gold. They even used us, as I have found we are unique. Your blood is based on iron, my people's on gold, and they will have it all if they must keep us forever.

"But you rescued and freed me, buying my freedom with 'matter resequenced' gold, more than can be drawn from my body in a thousand lifetimes. Though you could have owned me and commanded my services, you set me free.

"Your people once prized gold even as the Silurians do. Now it is your Scientists who prize dilithium. So I am forced to wonder; which do your people prize more? My blood…" She took his left wrist, turning it over to reveal a large stain dark in the material of his sleeve, "…or hers?"

Archer looked at the incriminating stain on his sleeve for a long moment, vividly remembering when it was bright red, flowing from the face of the girl whose position on his right knee so mirrored the Auran's. He remembered her falling into his arms, weeping for his help, and had not noticed when she'd bled on his arm.

He looked from one young woman to the other, one blonde and comely of feature, though her eyes, blackened though they were, were like a fawn's in the light of an oncoming car, and then to the golden girl seemingly no older, who Archer had never stopped expecting to surprise him.

"Trip?"

"Cap'n?"

"Tell that guard to get a message to his Majesty. Tell him Captain Archer of Earth wishes to see him."

"Aye, aye, Sir."

xxx

When Captain Archer led his crew in formal march to the closed and guarded doors of the Hall of Audience, decorated with the golden, blue and brown arms of his Highness' line, he struck the door firmly, gratified to hear a sonorous boom within. He waited a long measure and then hit it again, and gave another measured wait.

If these knocks were intended to represent the virtues the court espoused, fortitude, prudence, temperance, justice, liberty, equality and truth, he was determined to make sure those within were reminded of that.

When the door opened, Archer was ready for the traditional question, and for the curve he intended to throw these people. "Who comes here?"

"Captain Jonathan Archer and his crew, representing the nobility and common men and equal women of Earth, Tia Anlor representing Aura and Cass, representing the people who are governed and protected by this illustrious assembly." He could see the man was somewhat flustered, and took no pity upon him at all.

"What come you here to do?"

"Ensure Justice, which in every measure distinguishes the good man."

This was definitely not the usual answer the man expected, and it was clear he was not at his best when improvising. After a few moments, his "wait here" was distinctly subdued.

Archer was content to wait. He had already covered his plan with his people in detail; there was no need for any further instructions. When the door opened again, the man seemed to have recovered some of his aplomb. "It is the order of the Sovereign that you enter."

"On behalf of the people of Earth, Aura and Beta Aragon 3, we accept his gracious invitation." Archer replied, knocking the man's equilibrium out from under him once again.

It was petty, he knew, because it was so easily done. But he had wanted to establish himself, because this next challenge would be far from easy.

There was no long line of Honor Guard in the huge Hall this time, just two black uniformed Officers standing facing inward ten paces from the dais with its three purple trimmed thrones. Seated this time about the walls of the room were the assembled nobility of this world. As Archer approached the center of the chamber, the two officers, the one on the right being Monec, brought their swords together with a sharp ring, blocking his way.

It was little more than Archer had expected, and much as he'd planned for. Without further orders his crew fanned out as he had directed, so to his left were Tucker, Mayweather and Sato, while to his right, one space removed, stood Reed. Anlor led Cass into the vacant space at Archer's right before taking her place at Reed's other side. Archer was sure the arrangement was unusual to them, and was sure that the significance was not lost upon any of them.

"Starship Captain Archer," the Sovereign began without even the small measure of warmth that had characterized his earlier greeting, "we are gratified at your prompt return, and to see that you have returned the prisoner to us. We trust that you have contacted your government, and there will be no further misunderstandings between us."

The soldiers returned their swords to the 'Carry' position, and Archer noticed that the other soldier was Strater, clearly anticipating the return of his 'charge' to him. Archer was sure that the other man was going to be quite disappointed. He made no move to pass through the 'gate' thus opened by the raising of the swords.

"Up to now, your Highness, there has been no misunderstanding between us, and I trust there still will not be. You're right; I have communicated with my superior, who has ordered me to focus my attention on my original assignment. And in fear of being left to the treatment she has thus far received, Cass has again appealed to me for aid. I must therefore ask what is to become of her."

"I can honestly tell you, Captain, that her life will not be significantly different after we have concluded our business than it was before you came."

"Then, sir, I must decline your hospitality, and your generous offer of trade."

x

The bomb had the effect upon the assemblage that he'd hoped for. The King was surprised, his people ranging about the walls monumentally so. "What?" He demanded.

Archer looked up at the man high on the dais, his face like iron. "As I have said, we have nothing in our laws that could justify to us the way this young woman has been treated. I am forced to wonder, if she is within the 'safety' of your walls, what about her fellow citizens outside them?

"My orders are to open diplomatic relations with your people and to negotiate for the rights to mine dilithium. But while relations with friendly civilizations are always desirable, I have to wonder if the next diplomats who set foot here will find Cass - or her grave.

"There are other worlds with dilithium, perhaps not with such rich deposits as this one, but it has been dramatically pointed out to me…" he raised his arm so the King could see the dark stain upon his sleeve, "… we don't know the rate of exchange between dilithium and blood. I, however, consider it to be too high."

"So you choose to defy the orders of your government?" The King asked challengingly.

"They may not like me much for it, but I will be able to live with that. I do not condone what I have seen here, and I will have to convince my government that there is no commodity that is worth being paid for in blood."

Akir stood up, and Archer could feel his anger as if in waves as the man stepped down from the dais, moving slowly in carefully restrained fury until he was on the level, then up close before he spoke, his tone deadly. "Captain Archer, do you know what kind of man I consider one who would willfully disobey the orders of his government and superiors in this manner?" They were inches apart now, but Archer did not give ground, putting them almost nose to nose, eye to eye and one as hard as the other. "A man who would defy the direct orders of a superior officer for a concern for a person he never met before yesterday?"

"No." Archer said tightly. "What kind?" His eyes were still locked on the King's smoldering ones when the other grasped his arms tightly and he grinned.

"A man I can deal with!" He boomed with a happy bellow. Archer had barely restrained himself in time from striking the man, but the other's face had gone instantly to a joyful demeanor. "A man of honor I can trust!"

Akir released him and beckoned to a man in the corner; who approached bearing a large, wet cloth as the Enterprise team tried to keep up with the changes which signaled the disappearance of tensions. Akir passed the moist cloth to Cass, who turned away and brought it to her face, scrubbing vigorously.

"Captain Archer, you asked what this young lady had stolen that was of such consequence." Cass turned back, flipping her blonde hair back with a practiced toss of her head. Her lovely face was stunningly radiant, bearing no hint of bruising, nor marks of any kind. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my beloved daughter, her Royal Highness Princess Cassiopeia, who has stolen the hearts of her people."

Epilogue

A few minutes later Archer again found himself seated upon the dais, this time having been installed once again in the right throne. Princess Cassiopeia sat next to her father in the left throne, and the Enterprise crew was accorded places of appropriate honor. Before them, resting on a pedestal, was a large and ornate document. "Ambassador Archer, you see before us the treaty containing the terms we settled upon last evening. In short, it defines a state of peace between our worlds, provides for the further exchange of diplomats, and gives your people exclusive mining rights to up to 1 percent of our dilithium each year so long as I or my daughter shall rule. It requires only our signatures and it is done."

So saying, he produced a pen and stood, bending over the document to inscribe his name in flowing script; then handing it to his daughter for her signature, and then to Archer, who signed it with a significant flourish.

"And now, Ambassador, I am sure you are wondering 'why'."

"I think I have some of the answers," he said as they were again seated, "but I'd welcome them all."

"Well, you know there were six other races who have vied for our resources. All were given exactly the same tests. They cared more for dilithium, or were unwilling to change from their focus. The appeal of the helpless and downtrodden fell upon their deaf ears, and their appeal for dilithium fell on our deaf ones."

"It was not an easy test all around." Cassiopeia told him. "We were determined not to openly lie, so at times the truth had to be 'imaginative'."

"And Strater, to whom you are bound for life?" He asked, indicating the soldier who stood at the corner of the dais nearest the Princess.

"You guess correctly. Strater is in command of my Personal Guard. He is my chief bodyguard, and as such he is bound to me for life – whichever of us goes first."

"Interesting treatment he gave you in the corridor."

"Yes, but you'll recall you saw him slap me only once. Everything else was very carefully orchestrated. The blood the other time was self-inflicted, in the hall just before I rapped on your door." She gave him a wry smile. "But I confess that I am relieved it's finally over. I don't mind an occasional bloody nose in a good cause, but being slammed into that wall seven times now was really starting to get aggravating."

The King rose, a signal for everyone else to rise as well. "Well, Ambassador, I suspect your fellows will be most anxious to hear about your success in procuring this treaty. And I assure you that you shall each be welcome here whenever you should wish to visit us again."

"Thank you, your Majesty." He shook the King's hand, and then took the Princess'. "My compliments, your Highness. You fooled us all quite well."

"Are you saying I make a good assault victim?" His jaw dropped and she giggled, but quickly repressed it. "I beg your pardon, Captain, but you do 'astonished' better than anyone I know; I just had to see it one last time."

"Quite all right; your Highness. Working with you has been a true pleasure." He bowed low, kissing her hand.

"Why, Captain. You do 'gallant' even better."