What Judgments Come

The look of anger on Qui

It was a waste, she decided—an illogical squandering of a useful resource, which was precisely what Cervantes Qui

She discarded the notion. In his present state, there would be no persuading Qui

“So be it, Mister Qui

“You look tired, Admiral.”

Standing before the viewscreen in his office, his arms folded across his chest, Nogura released a sigh that he figured would serve only to confirm the observations of his visitor. Turning from the screen, upon which were displayed several status reports—none containing anything he might consider positive or heartening updates—Nogura directed his attention to Daniel Okagawa, presently a captain without a ship to command.

“I’m better off than some,” he said, moving away from the viewscreen. “I’m sorry about your people who were lost. I understand there will be a memorial service this evening?”

Okagawa nodded. “Yes, Admiral. I hope you can attend, and perhaps offer a few words.”

“Absolutely,” Nogura replied. “I think it’s the least I can do.”

“As tragic as their loss is,” Okagawa said, “their sacrifice saved everyone else aboard the Lovell.” His gaze shifted to the floor for a moment, and Nogura knew what the other man had to be thinking.

“I’m sorry about the Lovell, too,” Nogura added. “She was a tough little ship.” The sight of the vessel’s secondary hull, torn literally to pieces by the Shedai entity, had been u

“You have no idea,” Okagawa replied. “She may not have been the slickest or best-looking, but she had heart.” He paused, and a small chuckle escaped his lips. “I’ll never forget the first time I saw her after my orders came through. She was six months off the scrap heap at Qualor II along with the other two Daedalus-class dinosaurs the Corps of Engineers had salvaged, and I was sure Command had to be yanking my chain.” A small smile teased the corners of his mouth. “And the crew. Every one of them is really something special.” Holding up a hand, he added, “I know, rare is the captain who says any member of his crew isn’t less than a stellar performer, but I’m particularly proud of my people.

“They took an old rust bucket that was already decades beyond its expected operational lifetime,” the proud captain continued, “and over the next year, they tore that thing practically down to the spaceframe before renovating, reconfiguring, or flat-out rebuilding every major system. And they did all that while we were carrying out our regular assignments, including a handful of missions that were anything but routine.” When he smiled this time, it was an expression of unabashed smugness. “The Lovell may not have been much to look at, and she was a long way behind the sleeker, more modern ships Starfleet has these days, but she never let me down—not once.” With another faint smile, he leaned back in his chair. “I’m going to miss that old girl.”

“It’s a shame she can’t be salvaged,” Nogura said, glancing at the viewscreen and one of the reports it displayed—a briefing submitted by Captain Okagawa on the Lovell’s condition and status of its perso

“You haven’t heard anything new?” Okagawa asked.

Nogura shook his head. “They transmitted an encrypted message that said they had left the Traelus system and were being chased by Tholian ships. Captain Blair indicated he was setting an evasive course, and according to the star charts of that area, he took the Defiant into territory we haven’t yet investigated. Who the hell knows what might be there?” During his many years of Starfleet service, Nogura had come to understand and accept that whenever he saw what he thought was the most startling revelation the universe had to offer, the universe would find a way to show him something even more remarkable. “Well, it won’t remain unsurveyed for long; I’ve already asked Starfleet for a ship that I can send to look for the Defiant.” He had been reluctant to do so, given the classified nature of Operation Vanguard, but with the Endeavour still on patrol and more than a month away and the Sagittarius preparing for its critical mission to the Eremar system, Nogura had been left with no other choice. Thankfully, there were one or two vessels whose captains were briefed into Starbase 47’s top-secret mission, at least to varying degrees. Starfleet, understanding this, had dispatched the Enterprise to the Taurus Reach, and according to its captain the vessel was expected to reach the area of the Defiant’s last known position in three weeks.

Leaning forward in his chair, Okagawa rested his elbows on his knees. “Is it possible they’ve found a place to hide and they’ve just gone quiet, to reduce the chances of detection?”

“Maybe,” Nogura conceded. He had waited for forty-eight hours from the time of Captain Blair’s last message before declaring the Defiant missing in action, but he refused to change that status to “presumed lost” until such time as the Enterprise completed its search operation.

Of course, while ascertaining the Defiant’s fate was important, Nogura had another pressing concern. “Whatever they found on Traelus II, it’s obviously something the Tholians don’t want anyone to know about, particularly the Klingons.”