（外文电子版资料）Star Trek - TNG - Double Helix 6 - The First Virtue.doc

Prologue As governor gerrid thul walked through the heavy wooden doors and entered the throne room of his emperor, Tae Cwan, he reflected on how different the place looked. After all, the three prior occasions on which Thul had visited were all elaborate state gatherings of nobles and high-ranking officials in the empire. He was only a small part of them, though his standing had grown surely and steadily over the years from a respected general to the governorship of an outpost. But this, the governor told himself, looking around at the cavernous, high-ceilinged hall and the splendid furnishings... this was different. He frowned. He was all alone now, without a crowd to hide him. And at the end of the rich, blue carpet that bisected the chambers white stone floor, the illustrious Tae Cwan himself waited for Thul. The blue-robed emperor sat between two armed guards on a chair of carved nightwood that had given his forebears comfort for more than a thousand years. It was daunting. Or it would have been, if the governor were one who allowed himself to be daunted. But he hadnt risen to a rank of esteem and power by being timid. Lifting his chin, Thul set foot on the carpet and approached Tae Cwans presence. The chamber magnified every sound—the flutter of his cape, the padding of his feet on the blue path, even the drawing of his breath—as if the room werent filled with simple air at all, but something infinitely more sensitive and unstable. Finally, the governor reached the end of the carpet and stopped. His emperor gazed down at him from the height of his chair, his features long and perfect, his expression a tranquil one. Thul inclined his head out of respect—or at least that was the nature of the gesture. Then he smiled his best smile. I believe you know why I have come, he told Tae Cwan, his voice echoing in the chamber like stormwaves on a rocky beach. I believe I do, the emperor replied without inflection, though his voice echoed just as loudly. Abruptly, he