Open Secrets

Okagawa said, “Ensign Anderson sustained some rather serious injuries during our time on Gamma Tauri IV. His arm is a bionic prosthesis.” To the casual observer, the synthetic replacement limb passed for the real thing. It was only upon close inspection that the arm’s artificial nature was revealed.

“Wow,” Travers said, nodding in appreciation. “Gamma Tauri IV. I’d almost forgotten your ship was involved in that.”

“I’d like to forget about it myself,” Okagawa replied. The incident was still fresh in his mind, of course, where he suspected it would remain for the foreseeable future. Drawing a deep breath, he tried to shrug off the troubling reminder of that tragic mission.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?” Anderson asked. “I’d like to see about replacing my communicator, along with…a few other things I oversqueezed last night.”

Unable to resist teasing the younger man a bit and anxious for some levity to lighten his momentarily darkened mood, Okagawa said, “Late night, Ensign?”

Anderson shook his head. “Long day that continued well into the night, sir. In fact, do I get to count today as part of yesterday, or do clocks just explode when you try to cram that many hours into them?”

“Feel free to avail yourself of your bunk as soon as Mr. al-Khaled says you’re done,” Okagawa replied. “It’s a long trip back to Vanguard, and I imagine everyone will be trying to catch up on missed sleep.” The crew had been working almost around the clock for two weeks, and he knew the strain was begi

“Understood with utter exhaustion, Captain,” Anderson said, emphasizing his retort with a mock salute before turning to leave.

Turning back to Travers, Okagawa extended his hand. “Commodore, thank you for the hospitality. It’s too bad all of our hosts don’t have your ma

Travers laughed as he took the proffered hand and shook it. “If you like, I can come up with a few more things for your people to fix. I might even be able to keep you here for Saturday’s big cook-out.”

Patting his midsection, Okagawa replied, “A few more meals like what you’ve been feeding us these past couple of weeks, and I’ll have to put my entire crew on a diet.”

14

Pe

Can’t say I blame them,he thought, wrinkling his nose as he caught a whiff of antiseptic cleanser that seemed imbued in the DNA of any medical facility. “Hello?” he called out in a voice only an octave or so higher than a normal conversational tone, his words carrying down the short passageway, which he knew from his previous visits led to offices, patient wards, and labs.

A door opened at the far end of the corridor, and Pe

“Good morning, Mr. Pe

The journalist nodded. “A pleasure to see you again as well, my dear.” He offered his most charming smile. “I hope they’re not working you too hard today.”

“I was helping Dr. M’Benga,” Braun replied, lowering herself into the chair behind the desk. “He’s with T’Pry

“Of course.” The doctor seemed to have spent every waking moment—and perhaps more than a few not-so-waking moments—overseeing his Vulcan patient from the first moments after she had suffered whatever event had affected her. Nodding in the direction of the patient-care wards, Pe

He noted how Braun paused before replying. “There’s been no change, but Dr. M’Benga is preparing for a new course of treatment. I should probably leave it to him to say anything else about that.”

“I understand completely,” Pe

“You can thank me by taking me to di

“I’ll do that,” he said, nodding to her before turning and resuming his walk down the hallway.

He entered Isolation Ward 4 expecting to confront the same scene that had greeted him on his previous visits: T’Pry

Looking up at Pe

Frowning as he watched the team of nurses working over T’Pry

M’Benga shook his head, his attention divided between Pe

His eyes widening at this news, Pe

“Yes,” M’Benga replied. “I’ve done all I can for her, so I’ve gotten permission to take her there, where I hope one of their doctors can help me.” He shook his head, casting his eyes toward the floor as though ashamed to have to say what came next. “Whatever’s happened to her, it’s beyond anything I’ve ever dealt with, even during my internship on Vulcan.”

“Don’t beat yourself up too badly, mate,” Pe

“Fourteen hundred hours,” the doctor replied. “Commander Cooper’s authorized my using one of the station’s long-range perso