Chapter 8
Chapter 7
Stardate 57203
The trip took about two weeks.
The Enterprise had been traveling along with its escort, The Starjammer, with frequent and basically friendly contact between the two ships. On the third day of their trip, they had been met by three additional Shi’ar vessels, which took up escort positions around the two ships. The trip was basically uneventful, and their direct contact with Lilandra had been limited.
It was the middle of the alpha watch, when they were hailed by General D’Lar.
“Captain Picard, we are now entering the outer security perimeter of the Shi’ar home system,” D’Lar informed them. “I just wanted to officially welcome you and your party to Chandilar, and to invite you to a formal dinner in your honor to take place this evening at the Royal Palace.”
“Thank you for your hospitality, General,” Picard replied. “We will be honored to join you and Her Imperial Majesty.”
“Very well, then. We should be within orbital range shortly. We are transmitting an orbital heading for your helmsman. Please feel free to take a standard orbit when you reach Chandilar.”
“Transmission received, Captain,” Kitty reported.
“Coordinates are laid in, Captain,” Data reported.
“Very well, Mr. Data. Please execute at your discretion,” Picard ordered. He looked back to the viewscreen. “We look forward to joining you this evening, General.”
“Until then, Captain.” The screen went blank.
“Well,” Picard said, “it seems we have dinner plans.” He turned to Kitty. “Is there any particular protocol that we need to be aware of, Commander?”
“Nothing specific, Captain.” She replied. “I would suggest that in addition to your dress uniforms, you wear any military decorations or medals that you may have.”
“Why’s that?”
She smiled. “The Shi’ar are a colorful people, Captain. You’ve seen how Lilandra dresses; lots of color and lots of jewelry. It’s much more pronounced at formal occasions. Formalwear on Shi’ar is bright, colorful, and includes any formal decorations, either civilian or military. The more colorful and bright and garish the outfits, the higher the status of the individual.” She chuckled. “Think of it as Oscar Night on steroids, with full red carpet and all.”
The eyes of those around her widened in surprise and amusement.
“Oh, yes,” she continued with a huge grin on her face. “Full red carpet treatment, paparazzi and all. Moreover, the group will be announced by a Chamberlain as you enter. You will then be escorted down the red carpet and presented before the Majestrix.”
“Do we bow or kneel?” asked Riker.
“A bow of respect is appropriate,” Kitty replied, “but not too much bowing. You don’t want to give an image of weakness or subservience. Only Peers of the Realm kneel.”
“Well, I’m sure that we’ll be able to follow your lead, Commander,” Picard said.
Kitty hesitated for a moment. “Actually, sir, you won’t.”
“Why not,” Picard asked, surprised.
“Because I won’t be entering at the same time as you.”
“Why not,” he repeated.
“I’ll be entering a few minutes later. I also won’t be wearing my dress uniform.”
“I think you had better explain, Commander.”
“It’s pretty simple, really,” she said. “The reason that I was assigned this mission is because of my connection to the Shi’ar. I need to reintegrate myself into that society in order to make full use of that status. That means that I need to separate myself from the rest of the delegation in the minds of the Shi’ar. At the same time, I have to get them to connect to you, Captain. So I’ve decided to shake things up a bit.”
Picard and Riker shared a look. Their expressions basically said ‘I don’t think I’m going to like where this is headed’. “Shake things up in what way?”
“I intend to set myself up as something of a maverick or loose cannon in the minds of the Shi’ar. Somebody so unreasonable, that they’ll have to appeal to you to deal with me. And you, being the good Starfleet officers you are, will apologize profusely for my actions, and lament the fact that I was foisted on you by Starfleet Command, and you have no control over me, thus creating the connection between you and the Shi’ar.”
Riker chuckled at the idea. “Interesting. But it has a huge potential to backfire, if you overdo it. It could hurt your relationship with the Majestrix.”
“Not likely. She’ll figure out what I’m up to right off the bat. She’s one of the most politically savvy people you will ever meet. In fact, I’d be very surprised if she hasn’t already predicted this move. But she won’t call me on it publicly. She can’t --- not without making her own position at the bargaining table weaker. It’s not like she can whine about political manipulation, especially if she is the one who’s been holding up all our previous negotiations. And she’ll recognize it as a good political move, and nothing more. Besides, our personal relationship is bigger than these negotiations. It can stand a bit of shaking up.”
******
“Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commanding Officer of the USS Enterprise, leading the delegation representing the United Federation of Planets, and party.”
The Chamberlain didn’t have to raise his voice to be heard in the football-field-sized banquet hall, thanks to a remarkably good sound system that allowed the Chamberlain to be clearly heard without becoming distracting.
The ebb and flow of the party changed slightly as people tried to get their first good look at the Delegation from the United Federation of Planets. The Enterprise crew, consisting of Picard, Riker, Data, Troy, LaForge and Crusher, were all dressed in their crisp, white-and-gold dress uniforms. Their military decorations and campaign pins shined brightly over their left breasts. Picard and Riker, naturally, had the largest collection of decorations, but all of them had an impressive array of colors showing on their uniforms. It was unusual for Starfleet officers to wear their decorations, even with dress uniforms. It was simply not standard protocol. Starfleet officers generally saw themselves as explorers first, and soldiers a distant second. So military decorations were simply not stressed, and were in some cases actively de-emphasized.
But looking around at the colorful costumes and clothing worn by the others in attendance, it was clear to Picard that Kitty had been right about their wearing the decorations. Given the vast array of colors, hues and tints around them, even their crisp, bright, usually impressive formal uniforms would have been considered plain without the extra color added by the military decorations.
They were led by a formal guard down a long, red carpet, and Picard, who was not usually given to such feelings, felt somewhat self-conscious about all the eyes on his group. A quick glance sideways showed him that the rest of his officers --- except Data, who had obviously temporarily deactivated his emotion chip --- felt a similar self-consciousness. But the feeling passed quickly as they arrived and were “presented” to Imperial Majestrix Lilandra Neramani of the Shi’ar.
Several different people of different species, all of whom had the unmistakable look of bodyguards, surrounded her. They constantly scanned the banquet hall for signs of threat. They were clearly professionals and clearly very good at what they did. They seemed to be taking their cues from a seven-foot-tall giant with gray-blue skin, brightly colored outfit and Mohawk haircut.
Picard bowed respectfully, and the others followed suit.
“Captain Picard,” said the Majestrix in her full ‘imperial mode,’ “We greet you and your party in the name of Shi’ar. We trust your long journey from Federation space was not overly arduous.”
Picard responded, “On behalf of the Federation, we bring greetings to Her Imperial Majestrix Lilandra, and to the people of the Shi’ar Empire, as well as the hopes of the Federation that we can achieve mutually beneficial agreements for the future of both our star nations. And our trip, Your Majesty, was very comfortable. And the company was quite enjoyable as well.” A chuckle of good humor ran through the crowd at that last comment, and Lilandra smiled in acknowledgement of the friendly hit.
“Please allow Us to introduce the Commander of Our Imperial Guard, Gladiator.”
Gladiator looked at Picard and his team, and Picard got an impression that he was being assessed and dismissed in a single moment, with singular arrogance. Gladiator nodded at Picard politely, and then completely ignored him and the rest of his party.
“Charmed, I’m sure,” Picard muttered softly, put off by the arrogance of Gladiator.
Lilandra continued. “We hope that you and your party will enjoy this gathering, and that We can get to know you more fully. Be protected and warmed under the wings of the Great Bird, and accept our hospitality,” she said formally.
“Your hospitality has been excellent, Your Majesty, and we are indeed comforted by your protection,” he responded in what he believed to be an appropriate response.
Apparently it was, because Lilandra smiled again in approval. Then she said, “We have noticed that your Tactical Officer has not joined you. We hope that she is well.”
“Commander Pryde was inevitably detained, Your Majesty. She should be joining us shortly. I apologize for her tardiness,” Picard answered.
Lilandra smiled hugely. “Ah, yes. She was ‘detained.’ Again. Kitty and her entrances. We can’t wait to see what she has planned for an entrance this time.” This was said sotto voce, so that only Picard and his party could hear.
Neither can I, Picard thought to himself, worried.
Lilandra saw the look on Picard’s face. “Come, now, Captain. Don’t worry. Shadowcat has never embarrassed Us before. We have no reason to believe that she will do so now, no matter what type of entrance she makes. She is Our sister in all but name, and We love her and trust her. We ask that you do the same. And I promise, Captain, nothing she does will reflect negatively on your delegation. So just sit back and enjoy the show.” She winked at him conspiratorially. “Kitty has a tendency to give some of Our more aristocratic politicians a swift kick in the pants, right when it will do the most good. And as a general rule, it’s a tendency with which We are in full agreement. So go and enjoy the party, Captain. We will make sure you get a front-row view for the inevitable show.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he responded thankfully. He and his officers moved off to join the rest of the party. They were shortly in conversations with several friendly locals, to whom they were introduced by General D’Lar.
The Chamberlain’s voice was heard over the din of the crowd and Picard turned at the sound.
“Lady Katherine Pryde, The Shadowcat, Commander and Tactical Officer of the USS Enterprise, holder of the Star of Shi’ar, Hero of the Battle of Elagor III, Hero of the Battle of Marchak VII, Personal Protector to Her Royal Majesty The Imperial Majestrix Lilandra, and Captain of the Royal Imperial Guard, Member of the Delegation from the United Federation of Planets.”
******
Kitty was definitely not wearing her uniform. Definitely not.
She wore a strapless formal gown of deep red, shimmery material, and a matching shawl. Her hair was pulled up in a style that revealed her long neck and shoulders, and the shape of the gown served to reveal the shape of her bust and hips. Diamond earrings accentuated her neckline, while a star-shaped diamond pendant on a blood-red ribbon hung from her neck. Her shoes were of a matching color, and sported a heel at least four inches high.
She walked with the confidence of someone who had been in this place, this situation, before, and her movements were almost choreographed, without seeming stylized. At the same time, she moved with the incredible grace of a tiger hunting its prey--- which is no mean feat in sky-high heels. She didn’t quite swagger as she walked; more like a sashay than a swagger. And she had definitely caught the eyes of the crowd. They were drawn to her like a moth, and Picard found himself just as drawn as the rest of the crowd.
This was not an aspect of Kitty Pryde that Picard had even known existed.
Why in the hell does that woman not have a command of her own, he asked himself. If she can draw people to her just by walking into a room, imagine what she could do if she ever tried to truly command someone. But it was not long before he figured out why she didn’t. It was simply that she liked to cause trouble too much to command.
That much became obvious as soon as she came to a stop in front of the Majestrix.
And simply stood there, eying the ruler of the entire star nation. No bow, no curtsey: just a stare, almost a glare of challenge.
And Lilandra stared back, just as challenging.
For long moments nothing happened. The crowd began to grow restless with the tension. Picard began to hear the mutterings of the crowd around him. “Well, I never...” “...such disrespect...” “...Hero and Champion, no less...” “...disgraceful act of defiance...” Picard was starting to worry now, and nightmares of an interstellar incident leapt to the forefront of his brain. He began to push himself forward through the crowd to try to reach Kitty, to get her to stop it.
And just as suddenly as it began, it ended... with Lilandra throwing back her head with laughter. Not just laughter; gut-busting, belly-whooping, hysterical hilarity. Within moments, Kitty was also laughing, as if what had happened was the most hysterically funny thing that had happened to either of them in a long time.
Moments later, the two women were hugging like best friends. The crowd, Picard and the rest of the crew included, were shocked. Picard turned to Riker. “What just happened, Will?”
“I have absolutely no idea, Captain.”
The two women managed, finally, to get their laughter under control. The crowd began to murmur uncontrollably.
Lilandra turned to the crowd. “Have you all forgotten so soon the promise We made to Lady Pryde after she was granted the Star of Shi’ar? We certainly have not. ‘This woman bows to no one, not even Us,’ We said, and We meant it. But all of you saw this woman, this Champion, through your own misconceptions. Some of you viewed her as a low-born woman who was promoted to the aristocracy, but who would naturally fall back on her natural low-born deference to the crown. Others of you saw her as an aristocrat, equal to yourselves in every way, and thus subject to the rules of aristocracy and peerage. But she is neither of those things. She is Our subject because she chooses to be, but she is a woman of Earth, and will follow the rules of her own people, not the rules of Shi’ar aristocracy and social precedence. As We have commanded.”
“These people,” she continued, indicating Picard and the rest of the crew, “have come to us from far away. They give honor to Us and to all of Shi’ar, and We appreciate that honor. But they are not of Shi’ar. In the days and weeks ahead, there will be times when our customs and theirs will clash and cause friction. We cannot force them to adopt our ways, nor will we always understand their ways. All we can strive for is tolerance of each other, despite our differences.”
“Over the millennia, the Empire has subsumed many different species from many different worlds. But it has been too long since the last time we met a new people. We have all forgotten what it is like when customs and traditions clash.”
“Shadowcat just reminded us. And did it with her usual personal flair.” She turned to Picard. “You see, Captain. We told you that she has a talent for giving Our people a good swift kick in the pants, right where it’s necessary.”
Kitty looked at Lilandra and said, “You’re still using that “royal we” stuff? Looks like they’re not the only ones that need a swift kick.”
Lilandra stared at Kitty for a moment. Then she burst out in laughter again. The crowd followed suit, merrily joining in the laughter, and Picard felt the intensity of the moment pass. He looked around at the rest of the crowd, and noted that most of them seemed to be taking the event with good cheer. Some people were still shaking their heads in consternation, but it was a good-natured kind of consternation. Everyone in the room seemed to have returned to their good humor.
Except for Gladiator. He was staring at Kitty from his place next to Lilandra’s throne with what looked like barely suppressed anger.