Not for lack of trying. They're not a people one can rush. They have their own agenda and they're not easily deterred. They have no real desire for profit, you see. They're in it for the knowledge—the knowledge they intend to acquire at great cost to themselves." "Aren't the others in the Consortium a bit uncomfortable with this?" "A little," said T'Gatoi with a sardonic twinkle in her eye. "But at least the Klingons aren't asking for handouts. Oh no, it's the _Kh! s_ that drive them, the most aggressive, unstoppable warriors in the galaxy. Well, that's what they say. But there's a bit more to it than that. As you know, their entire race is descended from warriors from the lost world of Kahless. It's said their blood runs hot with the blood of their lost commander. When they're out there on the frontier, they have no one to tell them what to do and they have to do it for themselves. It's really quite fascinating." McCoy stared at her. "I'm having trouble picturing it," he said. "You're a doctor, Doctor. The human body is a lot more alien to you than the Klingon, and you're also a man. You can't appreciate how different the two races are. I've been doing a great deal of research in recent years, mostly focusing on Klingon psychology." "Fascinating, all right," said McCoy. "But I think I'm getting through to them. Especially this bunch." "So what's next for you?" "I'm going to talk to them about _Qo'noS_ —about that wonderful place I hope to visit one day." She nodded toward Picard. "And then I'll visit this man over here." She pointed at T'Ryssa Chen. "I don't think I can wait to meet this charming young woman." "And then what?" said McCoy. "What do you hope to do with the information? If they want the Klingons to stop the search, why not tell them they were sent on a wild-goose chase?" "Because they're not ready to listen," said T'Gatoi. "They _think_ they want the answers, but they're not sure about that either. They're confused about what their heart tells them they want and what their heads think is best. You need to give them a chance to decide for themselves. Until then, there are more pressing problems than stopping Picard from finding an answer to something that happened over three hundred years ago. Even the most primitive cultures have to accept the dictates of the universe at times. And I have a feeling that you can help us with that." McCoy looked at her in dismay. "Yes," said T'Gatoi, taking a step closer. "There's much work to do, and very little time. If you agree to help me, I can promise you one thing: it will be one of the most important endeavors of your life." "And how much time do I have?" said McCoy. "I'm already behind in my schedule." T'Gatoi smiled. "You _will_ catch up. After all, time isn't always our ally." McCoy felt cold. "Well, what do you expect me to do? I can't order them not to find this thing. That's crazy. Why is it so important?" "It's not just one thing," said T'Gatoi. "It's all the things that lead to it—to this thing. That is the key to the answers you seek." "The key to what?" said McCoy. "The key to what makes us who we are." ## Chapter Twenty-seven THEY WATCHED THE EARTH REAPPEAR on the horizon and the stars wheel overhead. There were no clouds, no moon. The heavens were clear, as if God had made them especially for His purpose. It was a good omen, Neeh said, that the Klingons wanted to go first, that their people had the vision and firepower to deal with this. She felt a kinship with this race, but she wondered if it would be enough. All the _klin zha_ in the world could not stand against the madness that lay ahead. They would have to rely on the very essence of what they were. They would have to have faith in the promise of the ancient words. Their hope for the future was something they shared. He would watch and guard her back, and she would protect their cause. One thing she knew for certain: _Kronos_ and all the others who had gone before them were not to blame. The _Enterprise_ did not have to stay on their trail forever. They could go to Sihnon or they could explore new worlds and find new _klin zha_. There was no need to stay and hunt when they could hunt instead. "What are you looking for, Neeh?" said the ancient one who had come to her in a vision. "You and the others who have returned, why did you return?" Neeh tried to answer, but she did not know how to answer. She was not at home here; there was a great distance between them, and yet she understood that she had come home. "So many years have passed since you left, little one. We have no time left to find answers from the ancient scrolls. We must do so now—this very day. It is not enough to wait. We cannot stay here. This is no home for us. Soon, there will be no home for any of us." It was true. They could feel it coming: a dark storm that would crush them if they did not find some way to prepare. She saw how the Klingons who stayed here on the planet looked to her—saw how they watched her with fearful eyes, saw how their hatred and anger made them into something that could not be saved. She did not know what it was they were looking for, but the answer was there, she knew it. All she had to do was find it, and make it clear. "I am going to the _Enterprise_ ," she said. "I am going to tell them what we have seen, what the future will be if they go on as they are." "They will listen to you, little one," the ancient one said. "But beware. The one with whom you have this journey is not the same as the one who left you." _And she did not need any prodding. Whoever this Starfleet person was, he or she was a liar_. "Kahless, Kahless, _this_ is no place for lies," said Troi. "This is a place of truths." She paused. "And I think the truth you seek is that the _Enterprise_ should be allowed to follow its own course." "Kahless be praised," said Picard, who had heard her out. "There is nothing to praise, Picard," she said. "Nothing but the future of our people, and that is in your hands. But you must make a choice. We have seen the error of your ways. We know what you face. We do not fear it; we welcome it. We do not need a home here; we have always lived here. We were in a hurry before, but we must be patient now. We are the past, and the past is returning to us. "In our hearts, we have always known. Nothing is right about this place. It has been tainted, poisoned by the hands of humankind. It is time to leave." "Time to leave," Picard echoed her. He looked toward the planet. He could not go to this planet, but what could he tell the Klingons? That he agreed with them? Or that he would not help them? It did not matter. He would tell them this: time would stop where they had been. He would tell them that they could not make it to the end of the day and so they would need to be patient until they reached it. Picard would tell them about _Kronos_ , and then he would leave. His duty was to his own people, and he would not violate that duty by trying to protect them from what must inevitably be. He turned to his own people and watched as they watched him. He understood now what Starfleet and the Federation really were. The Klingon Empire was the past; it would stay the past. They did not need it or want it. It was an error—a mistake—and their history would be altered if they stayed to fight for it. A part of him knew they should stay, but a greater part of him had seen it for what it was and felt its truth. He would leave; he would never go back. He would face what must be faced. And he would leave before it was too late. He glanced at the planet, already dark and silent, and he knew that he would one day return to it. He had no doubt that he would find a way back to this place, no matter what. He