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“Best sleep I’ve had in months,” Reyes replied. “It’s nice, being able to go to bed and not have to worry about maybe being dead before you wake up.”
Nogura chuckled at that. “I can imagine.” Gesturing to where Reyes had been injured during the firefight that climaxed his escape from the Omari-Ekon,he asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Zeke—that is, Doctor Fisher—fixed me up. It’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be sore for a few days, but that’s about it.” Reyes’s expression changed to one of concern. “Don’t know if I can say the same about Pe
Nodding, Nogura released a sigh. “What happened to him is unfortunate, but I have every faith in Doctor Fisher.” Unlike Reyes and others who had been injured during the firefight, Pe
“If I know Pe
Nogura had of course been considering the question since receiving the report from Jackson that T’Pry
“Anybody who wants to call me a traitor is going to have to come out here and tell me to my face,” Reyes snapped, the first hint of bitterness or anger over his current status Nogura had seen since the disgraced officer’s return. “Everything I did was to protect as many lives as possible. That’s all I’ve ever done. I even got court-martialed and convicted for it, if you recall.”
“You were court-martialed for disobeying orders and violating your Starfleet oath,” Nogura countered, allowing a slight edge to creep into his voice.
Reyes stood his ground. “My oath was to protect Federation citizens and obey all lawful orders from my superiors and our duly elected civilian leaders. There’s nothing in there about safeguarding dirty little secrets or acting out of political expediency to cover my or anyone else’s ass. I said basically the same thing at my trial, and I stand by it.”
Saying nothing for a moment, Nogura regarded the former commodore before offering a slow nod of appreciation. “I know you do. While I can’t officially condone your actions, I can respect them, because I believe you always were acting with noble purpose. Whether anyone agrees with either of us is something we’ll have to wait to find out.” He sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t take the time to tell you this before.”
He had chosen to refrain from interacting with Reyes during his pretrial confinement and court-martial, to avoid even the perception of attempting in any way to influence the proceedings. The result was that he had not been afforded the opportunity to simply talk to the man. He had never suspected Reyes of being a traitor, or even of acting with malicious intent when deciding to disobey orders and allow Pe
I probably shouldn’t hold my breath.
“The debriefings are liable to take a while,” Nogura said. “We’ll do our best to see to it that you’re as comfortable as possible. Is there anything in particular you need?”
Reyes shook his head. “No, Admiral, thank you. I appreciate everything you’ve already done for me.” He stopped, his eyes turning downward to stare at the floor for a moment. When he spoke again it was without raising his head to meet Nogura’s gaze. “Can you assist me with getting in touch with Captain Desai?”
Having expected that query, Nogura nevertheless was uncomfortable now that Reyes had given it voice. “Of course. We’ll get word to her that you’re no longer with the Orions, but you understand that you’re still technically a prisoner. There’s nothing I can do about that until after you’ve been properly debriefed.”
His expression once more growing impassive, Reyes drew himself up before nodding. “I understand.” Then, as if deciding there was nothing more to be said, he added, “Thank you for your time, Admiral.”
Nogura said nothing as Reyes turned and exited the office, waiting for his security detail to take up positions in front of and behind him as they escorted him back to his quarters. For the first time, the admiral realized he felt sorrow for the former commodore, who at one time may well have been fueled by the knowledge that Rana Desai, the woman he loved, might still be waiting for him once he navigated the obstacles separating them. That this appeared no longer to be the case probably had done nothing but increase Reyes’s sense of isolation. His life and career already in virtual ruin, he had no one but a handful of steadfast friends on whom to lean. Otherwise, Diego Reyes, without doubt, had to feel utterly alone.
And for that,Nogura thought, I’m truly sorry.
28
“My arm hurts.”
The persistent, throbbing ache Tim Pe
Wonderful.
Closing his eyes as the dull pain continued to nag him, Pe
Well, that’s just damned a
The sound of his room door sliding open was followed by a shift in the light beyond his closed eyelids, and Pe
“Hello?” Pe
“So, you’re awake,” replied a deep voice he recognized as belonging to Ezekiel Fisher even before the physician moved closer to the right side of his bed. “Take a drink. You’ve been asleep for quite a while.”