Open Secrets

“There’s something else to consider,” Spires said, abandoning his fruitless pacing and returning to the table. He retook his seat, his eyes boring into Reyes. “It goes without saying that Sereb will be performing due diligence as he prepares for the trial. That means he’ll have access to every record and order issued by anyone briefed into Operation Vanguard. At this point, we have no way to know whether his attack will concentrate solely on you or if he might widen his focus to include any superior officers responsible for the orders you carried out—or disobeyed, as the case may be.”

Reyes scowled as realization dawned. He had no desire to call out superior officers as a means of strengthening his own defense and had resolved not to volunteer such information. Would Sereb employ a scorched-earth policy during the court-martial in his quest to convict the commodore, disregarding anyone and anything possessing even a tangential co

Both men’s attention was drawn by the sound of the interview room’s doors sliding open to admit Captain Rana Desai. Starbase 47’s senior JAG officer strode into the room, her arms locked at her sides and her expression one of utter determination.

“Rana,” Reyes said, rising from his chair. It had been more than a month since he had last seen her, in the days immediately following his arrest, and she looked more radiant to him than ever. Her gaze shifted to him only for a moment, but in that instant, he saw every bit of the love and anguish he knew she felt for him, coupled with prolonged fatigue buried beneath layers of duty and protocol. Then her attention returned to Spires, who also had gotten to his feet, his features a mask of indignation.

“Excuse me, Captain,” Spires said, rising from his seat. “I’m in the middle of a private meeting with my client.”

Instead of answering him, Desai turned back to Reyes. “I’ve come to offer my services as your defense counsel, Commodore.”

The blunt statement caught Reyes off guard. “Are you serious?”

“I beg your pardon?” Spires asked, and Reyes watched as the commander’s mouth literally fell open. “Am I being relieved?”

Shaking her head, Desai answered, “Not at all. However, the accused doeshave the right to decide who’ll be handling his defense at trial.” Looking once more to Reyes, she asked, “Commodore?”

Still unsure what to think or believe in the face of his lover marching into the room and apparently taking charge of the situation, Reyes did not offer an immediate reply. Instead, he closed his eyes and shook his head, as though doing so would erase what had to be a hallucination. When he opened his eyes and saw Desai still standing before him, he frowned in lingering disbelief.

“I don’t understand,” he said. “Rana, the scuttlebutt even works its way down here sooner or later. You’ve been spending the past month setting up your case against me. I know you’re only doing your duty, but are you telling me you’re ready to shift gears just like that?”

Desai actually rolled her eyes. “You know I love you, Diego, but you can be such a moron sometimes. I wasn’t preparing a case against you. I’ve spent all of this time figuring out everything they might throw at you so that I can defendyou.”

Scowling, Reyes said, “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Under normal circumstances,” Desai replied, “as the senior JAG officer on the station, I’d be tapped to act as prosecuting attorney during a court-martial, but there was no way Starfleet was going to let me go to trial against you. It was only a matter of time before I was replaced, but it’s not my fault they took their time relieving me.” She shrugged. “So, I used my staff to help fortify a prosecutor’s case against you, then spent my nights countering everything we thought up during the day.”

“And just what in the name of hell do you think I’vebeen doing these past weeks?” Spires asked, making no attempt to hide his umbrage. There was no mistaking the commander’s wounded pride, and Reyes decided he could not blame the man. No one liked to be thought of as dispensable or replaceable. In Spires’s case, though he and Reyes had gotten off to a rocky start, the young lawyer had expended great time and effort crafting a defense for the commodore, so it was only natural that he would feel resentful and defensive at the idea of being cast aside.

Returning her gaze to Spires, Desai replied, “No disrespect toward you, Commander, but I honestly believe that I’m the person best qualified to represent Commodore Reyes at trial. I possess a greater knowledge of the classified aspects of Operation Vanguard than you do, to say nothing of my familiarity with those members of the station’s crew who know of the project.”

His expression clouded with bitterness, Spires said, “I suppose your personal relationship with the commodore would be of some help as well.”

Desai countered, “Yes, Commander, that will also be useful.” To Reyes, she said, “But there’s something else. He doesn’t think you can win. Maybe you can’t, but I’mnot ready to admit that yet.” She indicated Spires with her thumb. “He already has.”

“I beg your pardon,” Spires said, his face reddening, and Reyes saw that it was taking every scrap of the man’s self-control to maintain his bearing. “Captain, with all due respect, how dare you—”

“You haveadmitted that you can’t win,” Desai said, cutting him off. “If not aloud, then at least to yourself. Somewhere, in the back of your mind, you’ve decided that his conviction is a foregone conclusion. You’ve been thinking about pulling your punches in that courtroom in order to avoid angering anyone who might have a say in your future.” She leaned closer, her gaze boring into him. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

With Spires rendered speechless, at least for the moment, Desai turned to Reyes, her eyes burning with determination. “What do you say, Commodore?”

Despite her passion and verve, as far as Reyes was concerned, there still was one very important point to consider. “Rana, there’s no telling what could happen to you or your career. Let’s face it, I’m damaged goods. I’m poison. You’re probably better off staying as far away from me as possible.”

“Don’t think I haven’t thought of that,” Desai replied, and Reyes saw the ghost of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “Make no mistake. They’re going to crucify you. They’re going to draw and quarter you, serve you up on a platter, and leave your guts for the buzzards, but whatever happens, I want to be the one standing next to you.”

That was good enough for Reyes. Turning to Spires, he saw that the commander already knew what he was going to say.

“Nothing personal, Mr. Spires, but you’re fired.”

25

Jetanien had always prided himself on his ability to control a situation, be it the most informal gatherings or the most intense diplomatic negotiations. Successfully harnessing and cha

None of that, however, seemed enough to compel Admiral Heihachiro Nogura to set down his cup of green tea and get on with whatever reason he had called Jetanien and Commander Cooper to his office.

“Admiral,” he prompted for the second time.

As he had done after Jetanien’s first attempt, Nogura held up his free hand, not looking up from the data slate he studied while taking another sip of his tea.