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“People change, Doctor.” Determination put a fierce cast on his angular features. “I’ve seen good people killed, watched nations push each other to the brink of war, and faced an enemy so powerful that I still have nightmares about it. I sent one of my few real friends to her death so we could obtain the intelligence T’Pry
Stung by Xiong’s vitriolic rebuke, Marcus stormed away, leaving him to his infernal device and willing collaborators. Those morons at Starfleet Command are going to get us all killed, she decided. It was time to put a halt to the madness, to plead her case to someone who would listen to reason and intervene before it was too late.
As she opened the secure hatch and left the Vault, she was not surprised to note that none of her so-called colleagues and peers paid the slightest heed to her departure. But she vowed they would not continue ignoring her for much longer.
Sequestered in her private office, T’Pry
A number of tasks still awaited her attention before that day’s duty shift drew to a close. She needed to decrypt a few packets of intercepted Klingon signal traffic, review reports from a handful of recently debriefed field operatives, scan the latest public news from both the Federation and its neighboring rivals for patterns of interest, and conduct a cursory review of the official identity files of all newly arrived visitors to the station to see if any triggered alerts from the biometric recognition systems concealed inside the docking bays and primary corridors.
It was a slow day aboard Vanguard, all things considered.
A soft beeping from the companel on her wraparound desk alerted her to an incoming subspace message on a secure frequency from Earth. She checked the encryption keys, which confirmed the message had originated at the headquarters of Starfleet Command. Following protocol, she tapped in her authorization code to accept the transmission. The Starfleet emblem on her panel’s vid screen was replaced by the careworn features of Admiral Selim Aziz, the director of Starfleet Intelligence. His skin was of an especially rich shade of brown, a visible testament to his Tunisian heritage. When he smiled, his gleaming teeth seemed almost blinding in contrast to his complexion. “Good morning, Lieutenant T’Pry
“Good afternoon, Admiral.”
His smile faltered, then vanished. “Ah, yes. I forgot to account for local time aboard the station. My mistake.”
She saw no point in prolonging or capitalizing upon his apparent discomfort at the minor faux pas. “It’s of no consequence, sir. How can I assist you?”
“I noted with interest your report of a successful reinterview of Cervantes Qui
“It has. Lieutenant Xiong informs me the new intel provided by Mister Qui
A sage nod from Aziz. “Excellent.” He eyed T’Pry
She had hoped no one would ask about this, but now that Aziz had, there would be no way to avoid an official record of the matter. “A most reasonable inquiry, Admiral. I extracted the information from Mister Qui
“I see.” He thought for a moment, then nodded once. “From what I know of your people’s customs, that can’t have been an easy thing for you.”
Giving away nothing with her face or voice, she replied, “It was not, sir.”
“I commend you for making such an extraordinary effort, Lieutenant.” Concern creased his ebony brow. “However, it raises troubling questions about Mister Qui
“Such as . . . ?” She focused on masking her alarm at the direction of the conversation.
“My first query would be whether he remembered this intelligence all along but simply chose not to divulge it during his first debriefing.”
“No, sir,” T’Pry
Aziz pressed his index finger to his lips for a moment, striking a thoughtful pose. “Would you say that your mind-meld had the effect of helping him overcome that mental block?”
A small nod. “That would be a fair assessment.”
“So his memory of that day’s events are now clear in his mind?”
“I think they are, yes. The meld has greatly improved his specific recall.”
The admiral’s mood turned solemn. “Most unfortunate.” He paused, seemingly deep in thought. Before T’Pry
“I’m afraid I don’t take your meaning, Admiral.”
“I’ll be blunt, then: Mister Qui
“I’ve taken steps to help him control his addictions. Given time and support—”
Aziz shook his head. “It’s too late for that, Lieutenant. The intel to which he’s had access is too important and the stakes in the Taurus Reach are now far too high for us to risk Qui
T’Pry
“Covertly neutralize Mister Qui
The admiral terminated the co
Seeing no other alternative, she began pla
23
As a general rule, Admiral Nogura preferred to conduct official meetings inside his office. He tried to avoid visiting the other departments under his authority because, in his experience, the arrival of a commanding officer—especially one of flag rank—tended to have a disruptive effect on business-as-usual. Convening behind closed doors also provided the additional advantage of discretion. Put simply, people often seemed more willing to speak their minds in private.