Precipice

“The Klingons appear to have solicited the services of a suspected master thief,”T’Pry

Desai replied, “Those are all very interesting questions. I’m sure Admiral Nogura and Commander ch’Nayla will be willing to give them all due consideration when they interview you in the brig here on Vanguard.”

T’Pry

“Why can’t you understand this, T’Pry

“Diego Reyes is alive and in Klingon custody.”

Desai recoiled from the screen. “You’re lying.”

“I assure you, Captain, I am not.”

Shaking her head in furious denial, Desai said, “You have a long track record as a liar, T’Pry

“I am guilty of those offenses,”T’Pry

“Tell me now,” Desai said, even as she felt the wound of her months-old grief being torn open by T’Pry

“First I require information. The only location in the Taurus Reach where the Klingons would be reluctant to attempt a seizure by force is Vanguard. What is currently aboard the station for which they would be willing to engage the services of a professional thief?”

Desai’s i

“Captain—”

Before the Vulcan could say another word, Desai terminated the transmission. The monitor went dark with a soft click. She pressed a button on her desk and opened an audio cha

Lieutenant Commander Yael Dohan, the station’s gamma-shift officer of the watch, replied, “Ops, this is Dohan. Go ahead, Captain.”

“Commander, I need a trace on the source of the priority message I just received in my quarters.”

“Yes, ma’am. Hang on a second.”Over the line, Desai heard people working and sharing reports in muffled conversations. A moment later Dohan was back on the line. She sounded confused. “Captain, I think you must be mistaken. The comm logs show no incoming messages to your quarters since yesterday at fourteen thirty-three hours.”

Desai thumped the side of her fist on her desktop and mumbled under her breath, “Damn you, T’Pry

Dohan asked, “Do you want us to check the logs again, Captain?”

“No, Commander. That’ll be all. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, ma’am. Good night.”

The cha

He asked in a groggy voice, “Something wrong?”

“No,” Desai lied. “Go back to bed.”

He nodded, turned, scratched the back of his neck, and plodded back into the bedroom. Desai turned off her computer monitor, looked toward the bedroom, and sighed. If T’Pry

Then this is certainly going to make things a bit more interesting,Desai brooded.

Pe

“She has good reason to doubt my veracity,” T’Pry

The Vulcan woman seemed completely untroubled by the harsh rebuff she’d just received from Captain Desai, and Pe

T’Pry

“What difference does it make?” he asked.

She answered over her shoulder, “If Kane’s transaction with the Klingons turns out to be i

He turned his back as T’Pry

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed T’Pry

“More low-energy, run-silent-run-dark, then?”

“Correct. Radio silence and a minimal energy signature will be essential to avoiding detection while we await the arrival of Mister Kane and his Klingon clients.” Nude, she stepped into the shower and turned on the water. “Be patient. I suspect that whatever Kane is up to will be revealed soon enough.”

30

August 1, 2267

In the hubbub of Vanguard’s security center, a system-failure alert came and went so quickly on one of the junior officers’ boards that Haniff Jackson almost didn’t notice it. “Seklir,” he said to the young Vulcan man. “Report.”

Seklir keyed in commands, eyed the data on his monitor, and replied, “Power failure in tube four of the main turbolift hub. The cause appears to be an overloaded plasma conduit, which has caused a fire condition on Cargo Deck B.”

“On screen three, please,” Jackson said.

The image appeared in one frame of the master situation monitor. Flames leaped from cracks in a bulkhead, and smoke billowed from a slagged plasma conduit, filling the corridor.

Jackson asked, “Are fire-control teams responding?”

“Affirmative,” Seklir said. “The deck officer reports the fire is contained. Sections one-ninety through one-ninety-eight of Cargo Deck B have been evacuated and sealed off until fire teams arrive.”

The security chief nodded. Closing off sections threatened by fire was standard procedure. It limited the supply of oxygen to the blaze and curtailed its ability to spread.