“Very well, Captain,Krell said, nodding. “But I shall add only this to what I have told you already: The three battle cruisers that attacked Draylax were commanded by rogue captains. Men who were operatingwithout the legitimate authorization of either the High Council or the Klingon Defense Force. They were killed during the commission of their treachery. Their Houses, as well as the Houses of the craven subordinates who followed their un-lawful orders, have since been dispossessed and discommended for their lack of honor and discipline.
Archer had no pretensions to serious expertise about Klingon culture. Nevertheless, he felt more than justified in assuming that virtually everyone in the Empire who might know anything about the Draylax affair was no longer available for questioning. At least,he thought, not without an extremely sensitive Ouija board. One thats tuned in toSto-Vo-Top, or whatever the hell the Klingons call their version of the hereafter.
“Forgive me for making this observation, Admiral, Archer said aloud. “But that sounds awfully convenient.
Krell leaned forward and displayed a pair of curved and wickedly sharpened incisors. “That is as may be, Captain Archer. But it is also my final word on the subject. Admiral Krell out.
And with that, Krells image vanished, replaced for an instant by the Klingon trefoil emblem, which yielded to the ships status screen a heartbeat or so later as the subspace channel closed.
He sat alone in the darkness, staring into the empty blue glow of the screen. “Naghs,he muttered, thinking that mastering the Klingon spoken language might not be as difficult as hed once thought.
Still lying in the corner, Porthos came out of his apparent slumber, raised his head slightly, and released a low growl that might have done a Klingon captain proud. Archer chose to take it as a noise of solidarity rather than a reprimand for his rude use of Klingon vocabulary.
“I agree completely, Porthos. I cant buy what Krells trying to sell, either.
He knew that the Klingon Defense Force ran on discipline just as much as Starfleet and the MACOs did. Perhaps even more so.
Three trained Klingon captains wouldnt just suddenly go rogue for no apparent reason,he thought. Krell still knows a hell of a lot more about this than he wants anyone else to find out. And hes prepared to sweep it all under the rug to make sure that nobody does.
Once again, Archer felt an all but overwhelming need to talk to someone he could trust. Somebody with fewer than four legs.
He toggled open the intercom switch on his desk. “Archer to TPol.
No answer. His second try wasnt any more successful. Despite the lateness of the hour, and his knowledge of TPols habit of retreating behind a veil of Vulcan meditation, a small worm of suspicion began to turn in his guts. He rose and crossed to the hatchway, letting himself out into E decks main corridor, and onto the tubolift to B deck, determined to prove that suspicion unfounded.
After a brisk trot nearly a quarter of the way along the hallways gentle curvature, he came to a stop before the door to TPols quarters and buzzed the keypad to announce his presence.
Still no answer. The suspicion in his belly was quickly congealing into an awful certainty as he entered his override code into the controls. The hatch hissed obediently open, and he slowly stepped into the darkened chamber beyond.
It only took a few moments to determine that TPol wasnt in her quarters. The pattern of TPols recent behaviorparticularly her recent insistence that Trip was in urgent need of rescue, and her even more recent withdrawal behind the impenetrable veil of “Vulcan meditationsuddenly began to make sense.
He sincerely hoped the conclusion to which he had just jumped was wrong. Crossing to a desk illuminated only by the wan light of a neutral monitor screen and the distant stars beyond the viewport, Archer toggled open another com channel.
“Archer to Launch Bay One.
“Launch Bay One,came a young crewmans crisp, almost instantaneous reply. If he sounded surprised to be hearing directly from Archer, particularly at such a late hour, it didnt show. “Ensign Nguyen here, sir. What can I do for you?
“I need a status report on Shuttlepod One and Shuttlepod Two, Ensign.
“Shuttlepod One is fueled and ready to go,Nguyen said.
“And Shuttlepod Two?
“I can give you a detailed status report on her just as soon as she returns toEnterprise.
Goddammit!Archer thought, kicking himself, hard. Why didnt I see this coming?
Struggling to keep any trace of anger out of his voice, he said, “When did Commander TPol depart, Ensign?
“Let me check the log, sir.A pause. “Yesterday evening at eleven-hundred hours, nine minutes.
“Thank you, Ensign. Archer out.
TPol had no doubt wanted him to believe that shed been in meditation continuously since around that time, Archer reflected. Now he understood clearly the realreason she hadnt been on the bridge when Enterprisehad received Columbias report about the Klingon attack on Draylax. So much for that renowned Vulcan inability to lie, he thought. That little whopper has got to be the most useful lie the Vulcans ever got us to swallow.
And as a partial consequence of that lie, TPol was now off on a foolish quest in hostile territory.
All alone.
He keyed the com again. “Archer to Reed. He paused to await a response, but none came. Though he hated to bother a man afflicted with the sort of nasty gastrointestinal trouble that had sidelined Malcolmespecially at such a late hourhe pressed on. “Malcolm, I need to talk to you. Even if we have to chat through the bathroom door.
Still nothing.
Oh, no, he thought, shaking his head as he struggled to tamp down a rising tide of anger. Well, at least she hasnt charged off to oblivion alone.
It occurred to him that at least one of them would have left him a note before doing something so damned stupid. Taking a seat before TPols monitor, he started searching the com logs.
The desktop terminal brightened a few moments later, then suddenly displayed the serious-miened faces of Enterprises exec and weapons officer. They were standing awkwardly side-by-side in a cramped, dimly illuminated cabin that Archer immediately recognized as the interior of his missing shuttlepod. Both were out of uniform, clad instead in dark, nondescript clothing devoid of any visible insignia linking them to Starfleet, Earth, or the Coalition.
“Captain Archer, by the time you view this recording, Lieutenant Reed and I will probably be deep inside Romulan territory,TPol began without preamble. “Please accept my apologies for the ratherunorthodox actions we have taken. However, our mission is one of the utmost importance. And not merely for the safety of the man we both know as Lazarus.
Lazarus, Archer repeated silently, recalling the code name Trip had used when he had delivered his last-minute warning about the attack on Coridan.