Declassified

“Why would it be imprudent?” Khatami asked, her brow furrowing.

“Because you all were there when everything changed,” Desai said. “This isn’t something isolated to New Anglesey. What’s happening on Kadru is symptomatic of something bigger: a chasm of suspicion and mistrust that’s grown only deeper in the last couple of years, because of events right here in the Taurus Reach.”

Her listeners stared at her, their startled faces hardening into masks of anger and disbelief. Desai wasn’t surprised; this was a sensitive subject to broach with this group. Two years after the fact, the disaster at Gamma Tauri IV had left livid scars on every Starfleet officer assigned to the Taurus Reach. But for the captain and crew of Endeavour,the incident remained an open wound. This was, after all, the ship charged with implementing, at Diego Reyes’s command, General Order 24: the legally sanctioned destruction of that colony world in an attempt to contain the threat of the Shedai, who were in the process of slaughtering every sentient being on the planet.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Stano whispered into the shocked silence. “Do you have any idea what we—”

“As you were, Kate,” Khatami said. “Captain Desai has an unenviable task to accomplish in a very short time, the nature of which makes it hardly surprising she would need to consider uncomfortable questions.”

“Thank you for understanding, Captain,” Desai began.

“However,” Khatami continued, her voice sharpening, “while I have no doubt the New Anglese may have concerns about the impossible choices Starfleet officers must sometimes face, and act upon, the service has done a great deal to protect and assist the Federation’s colonies over the last hundred years, and that good work continues.”

Khatami wasn’t speaking in the abstract, Desai knew. She’d nearly lost her civilian husband and daughter last year, when the planet Deneva was overrun by neural parasites. Fortunately, a Starfleet crew had been able to end the threat and save the majority of the colonists. And that was hardly the only example of Khatami’s point: Desai was fully cognizant of Starfleet’s extensive record of assisting colony worlds in crisis.

“I don’t dispute anything you’re saying, Captain,” Desai said. “But let me ask you: How much comfort would you take from your knowledge of Starfleet’s good work, if the captain of the Enterprisehad been compelled to implement General Order 24 in order to contain the parasite threat on Deneva?”

Khatami’s mouth dropped open, as much in disbelief as in her own futile attempt to form an answer. She recovered quickly, her lips closing into a hard line. “Perhaps,” she said, rising from her chair, “we should all call it a night.”

“Are you out of your damn mind?” Fisher demanded when he accosted Desai in her quarters a short time later.

“Let’s not do this, Fish.” Desai kept her back to him while she removed her earrings and set them down on the dresser. She avoided looking at his reflection in the mirror.

The doctor wasn’t dissuaded. “First Nogura, now Khatami? Are you that determined to commit career suicide?”

“Look, I appreciate your concern, Zeke. I do. But I promise you I’m not going off the deep end.”

“Then what is it? Can you give me a good reason why you’ve been acting the way you have, and why I shouldn’t be worried about you?”

“It wasn’t my intention to offend Captain Khatami, but I’m not sorry I rattled her. The question needed to be asked.”

“For God’s sake, why?”

Desai finally turned to face him. “Because I fully expect that when we meet Governor Ying and I tell her she and her people can trust Starfleet to act in their best interests, Ying is going to ask me the same question, or one very like it . . . and I honestly have no more idea how to answer it than Khatami did.”

4

2259

“Hold fire, Mister Jordan!” Reyes shouted.

“Sir?” the helmsman said.

“That was an order, Ensign.” Ignoring Mazhtog’s sneer from the viewscreen, Reyes turned to sciences. “Brzezinski, status of the Chech’Iw?”

“Unchanged, sir. Maintaining combat readiness. They’re just mirroring us.”

Reyes’s gaze pa

Reyes suddenly noticed for the first time that Fisher was on the bridge. “The hell are you doing here, Zeke?” As Fisher opened his mouth to lie, Reyes cut him off. “Never mind. It’s just as well. You’re joining me in the landing party.”

Oh, great,Fisher thought. This is exactly what I needed. Why didn’t I just go to sickbay?

“Captain,” Sadler said. “You aren’t truly considering going down there yourself while there are Klingons still occupying the colony?”

“That wouldn’t be my first choice,” Reyes granted, “but I have no real expectation they’re going to leave anytime soon. The fact is, we aren’t going to find out what’s really going on from up here. Talking to the Arkenites is our best bet.”

“Assuming the Klingons allow it, you mean.”

“They’ll allow it,” Ga

“How can you be sure of that?” Sadler asked.

“Denying the captain’s request would be the same as admitting they have something to hide. The fact that they were trying to goad us into firing the first shot means they’re concerned about justifying their actions here.”

Sadler folded his arms, his skepticism palpable. “Since when do Klingons have to justify anything beyond the need to expand their empire? It seems as if everything they do falls rather conveniently under that aegis.”

Ga

Fisher saw Reyes watching Ga

“Message from the Chech’Iw,sir,” Kendrick said. “They say our request has been granted, and they’ve provided transporter coordinates. But we have to limit the landing party to three individuals.”

Sadler spread his hands. “Sir . . .”

“Mister Kendrick,” Reyes said, “kindly acknowledge our receipt of the Chech’Iw’s message, and inform them our people will be beaming down shortly. Also, I want a coded report of what we know of the situation so far sent to Starfleet Command, including the Klingons’ claim regarding the Arkenites, and a request for instructions. Ga

“Captain, I want to go on record as advising against your leading this landing party,” said Sadler.

“Your objection is duly noted, Lieutenant. But I’m not passing on this opportunity, especially when we have the advantage.”

“What advantage?”

“We agree to the Klingons’ terms, and they’re more likely to think they have things under control. They’ll have their guard down. I intend to use that.”

Sadler remained skeptical. “Fine. Have it your way. But with the captain’s permission, I have a few suggestions. . . .”

As the transporter effect dissipated, Fisher found himself surrounded by Klingons.

Four of them were at the beam-down coordinates, a fairly antiquated-looking transporter room on Sublevel 1 of the colony, ten meters below the surface of the asteroid. To no one’s surprise, the Klingons met the landing party with weapons drawn. Their leader, a scowling lieutenant who identified himself as Dravak, required them to surrender their hand lasers before he would let them any farther into the settlement. He also sca