Open Secrets

The Valinor’s captain had committed a grievous error in allowing his ship to be intercepted and boarded in Federation space. If the man had not already been under arrest, Ganz likely would have put a bounty on his head.

“I’ll need a complete manifest,” Ganz said as he crossed the room back toward his desk, “and we need to get a message to the buyers. Let them know we’ll have to work out an alternative arrangement.”

“They’re not going to like that,” Zett said. “You know how they are.”

Nodding, Ganz dropped into his chair and took another sip of his drink. “They’re jumpy, but they’ll have to learn to live with this one. If the Federation is breathing down our necks, we’re all going to have to play things a bit smarter for a while.” He did not like failing to honor the deals he brokered, not because of any sense of fair play but because it was simply bad business.

“Some of our competitors may not see the need for such patience,” Zett offered, flicking at a piece of lint that had found a temporary home on his left lapel.

“Then we’ll have to teach them patience, one way or another,” Ganz replied before upending the glass and finishing the drink.

The sound of his door chime caught his attention, and he looked up as the door slid aside to admit Neera, his most trusted companion and his lover. The sensuous Orion woman was dressed in a beige gown with a plunging neckline and slits on both sides that exposed her legs all the way to her hips. The rest of the gown hugged her figure like a second skin. She glanced toward Zett, and Ganz recognized her attempt, almost yet not quite successful, to hide her disdain for the Nalori. Without a word of greeting to the assassin, she leveled a stern glare at Ganz.

“You have a visitor. The admiral Starfleet sent to replace Reyes is here and wishes to speak with you.”

Zett said, “Well, that’s certainly interesting.”

“Indeed,” Neera replied. “Should I tell him to schedule an appointment?”

Leaning back in his chair, Ganz nodded. According to his sources, the ship transporting the human admiral from another Starfleet outpost had arrived the previous evening. Surely, the person now assigned to command Starbase 47 had more pressing matters demanding his attention than coming here?

“No,” Ganz said. “I’ll see him now. Show him in.” A glance down at his desk reminded him of the remnants of the crushed data slate still lying there, but he shrugged at the sight of them. There was nothing illegal or untoward about destroying his own private property, after all. Otherwise, nothing damning was to be seen in his private office.

Confident with that assessment, he was in the midst of fixing himself another drink when the door again slid open, this time to allow entry to the Starfleet admiral. To Ganz’s surprise, the human appeared to have come alone. Was it a gesture of trust, an attempt to demonstrate that this was not to be a confrontation, or was the man simply a reckless idiot?

Reckless idiots don’t get to be Starfleet admirals.

Standing a few paces inside the door, the human turned to regard him. In Ganz’s estimation, this admiral was a diminutive specimen even by Terran standards. The lines in his face bore mute testimony to a long career, as did the easy, self-assured ma

“Mr. Ganz, is it?” the admiral said by way of greeting, though Ganz noted that he did not move to shake hands as so many humans always did. Instead, he kept his hands at his sides. “I’m Admiral Nogura, now in command of this station. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”

“My pleasure, Admiral,” Ganz replied, turning from the bar. “May I offer you something to drink?”

Nogura shook his head. “No, thank you. I don’t wish to take up too much of your time. My reason for being here won’t take long.”

“An attitude I can certainly appreciate,” Ganz said as he moved toward his desk, glancing toward Zett as he did so. The Nalori’s expression, as was often the case, was unreadable.

Indicating the detritus on the desk with a wave of one hand, Nogura said, “Technical problems?”

“The warranty expired,” Ganz replied, once more taking his seat. There was no other chair in the office and therefore no reason to invite Nogura to sit. “What brings you to my ship this morning, Admiral?”

Nogura’s expression wavered not one iota. “I’m here to tell you that life as you know it is over.”

The blunt statement caught Ganz almost by surprise. At the last instant, he was able to school his features and his body language to reveal no reaction to the admiral’s words. He even forced himself not to blink as he processed what he had just heard. “I beg your pardon?”

“Your days of ru

Ganz’s first thought was that he could crush the puny human’s windpipe with one hand with little effort. His second thought was that Zett could cut the man’s throat and be back standing beside the deck before the first spray of arterial blood. Finally, he decided that either of those scenarios would require disposing of a body that likely would be reported missing in short order.

Nogura seemed to entertain similar thoughts. “I’ve been around the galaxy a time or two in my day, Mr. Ganz, and I’m aware of the sorts of ‘accidents’ that can happen to people aboard Orion pleasure ships like this one. So, don’t think I walked in here on my own. I have a security detail ready to storm this vessel if I’ve not returned to the station ten minutes after I first boarded. By my count, we have slightly over six minutes.”

“This ship is sovereign Orion territory,” Ganz said, despite himself. “My government would not appreciate you seizing it under force of arms.” He generally was not one to tolerate such arrogant behavior from anyone, let alone anyone standing within his i

For the first time, Nogura adjusted his posture and crossed his arms, and his eyes never left Ganz’s. “We both know that the Orion government prides itself on maintaining its neutrality. If the Federation files a protest alleging illegal activities carried out by an Orion citizen while in Federation space, your government will drop you like a hot rock. Either way, you’d be stuck dealing with Starfleet.” He moved forward, just a couple of steps but enough that Ganz sensed Zett tensing in anticipation.

“However, it might be your lucky day. I have a proposition for you.”

Of course,Ganz thought, now allowing a small smile. “I thought you might.”

Nogura said, “We both know that civilian ships have easier access to areas that ordinarily don’t react well to the presence of Starfleet vessels. Arcturus,for example.” The added emphasis on the planet’s name spoke volumes of its own, though once again, Ganz forced himself not to react.

“Besides,” the admiral continued, “with the political landscape shifting the way it is these days, it helps to have contacts on these worlds where we might not otherwise be welcomed. There’s something to be said for people willing to do certain types of favors or enter into mutually agreeable business arrangements that, although unseemly or unrefined, are still occasionally necessary.”

Ganz set his drink down on his desk before clasping his hands and interlacing his fingers. “The sort of arrangement you’re describing often ends up costing people in my line of work a lot of money. It sometimes gets them killed.”

“All true,” Nogura countered, nodding. “On the other hand, if such a relationship were in place, one could find oneself enjoying an increased profit margin, to say nothing of the hassles you’d avoid, such as having your freighters filled with contraband cargo seized by border-patrol ships. That actually happened to some poor bastard just the other day.” He made a show of shaking his head in mock grief. “Terrible. Simply terrible.”