
ears that you have brought us a very important visitor."
Jekri stood arrow-straight and brought her clenched right hand to her left shoulder in a precise salute.
"Honor ever to the Empress, the Senate and Proconsul, and to the Praetor. I have indeed found and
brought to you a most honored guest. He is-" Jekri hesitated for the briefest of instants. "He is an
ambassador from a far distant place. Ambassador Lhiau, pray you, salute our Empress and our Praetor."
Ambassador Lhiau strode forward with enough arrogance for twenty praetors. He was tall, as tall as a
Romulan, and similar to Jekri's people in form.
But his hair was thick, wavy, and pale, and there was no distinguishing curve to his ears. When he
bowed, it was almost mocking.
"Greetings, Your Excellency. Praetor. The noble Romulan Senate and Proconsul. I hope my arrival
heralds the dawning of an age of enlightened discourse between your people and mine." The voice was
rich, sonorous even. But the little smirk ruined the otherwise courteous speech.
"And which people might yours be?" replied the Praetor. His voice was high and slightly whiny,
unfortunate for a man who spent so much time in public, but his people knew and respected what he did.
"Your race is unknown to us. I can only surmise," he said, with a sidelong glance at Jekri, "that our Tal
Shiar has learned something remarkable about you. At first meeting, I fear that I can see nothing
remarkable."
Lhiau's smile remained, but his eyes went cold as chips of ice. "Perhaps when I am finished, you will think
better of your Tal Shiar-and of me."
"Perhaps," said the Praetor. "But you had best continue, Ambassador, and not waste the time of the
Senate or the Empress-or myself."
Now the smirk did fade, and Jekri thought curses. She hoped that Lhiau would not rise to the bait and
would instead plainly state what he had come here to discuss. If this conversation degenerated into an
exchange of insults, nothing Jekri said would convince the Empress to hold a second audience with him.
The ruler of the Empire was a proud young woman, almost haughty, and during her reign it had become
obvious even to the most obtuse senator that she would brook no discourtesy to her royal personage.
"My people, as the estimable Jekri Kaleh has said, come from a faraway place. Very, very faraway. We
call ourselves the Shepherds, and you may also use the term, if you like."
"How gracious," purred the Empress. The sarcasm in her voice was palpable. "A faraway place, beings
who call themselves Shepherds. You did hot tell us that your friend was a spinner of tales, Little Dagger.
We would have brought children."
Instead of the outburst of rage Jekri expected, Lhiau merely smiled. "Yes, a tale then, if you like. It's
fantastical enough, as I'm sure you'll agree. What would you say, Excellency, Praetor, Proconsul, if you
could make a wish and suddenly have a flawless cloaking device?"
That got their attention. The tightness in Jekri's abdomen eased a little as she saw the hungry interest
spark to life on the faces of the Empress and the Praetor. Even the Proconsul and the senators leaned
forward eagerly, probably unaware that they did so. Jekri sniffed. She had better control.