Struck by the passion behind her words, Nogura was forced to nod in agreement. “You’re right, Commander. Some things can’t be argued. History will have to judge whether the steps we took here were the right ones, but for now, all we can do is follow our orders, and our conscience. When those two are in conflict, then we simply must do the best we can, and hope that we’re guided by sound principles and the best interests of everyone who stands to be affected by what we allow—or don’t allow—to happen here.”
Moyer frowned. “I’ll be honest, Admiral; I don’t see that happening. Instead, I see a lot of sneaking around, trying to get the drop on the Orions or the Klingons or whoever stands in our way. I understand that we need to keep the Klingons from getting their hands on Shedai technology, but if we end up in a war against the Empire, then what have we saved? How many people have died since that first meta-genome sample was found? How many more have to die to preserve this secret?”
“Hopefully none,” Nogura said, “but we both know how unlikely that is. Instead, all we can hope for is that those who die don’t do so in vain. I don’t believe that’s been the case, despite the best of intentions and efforts. Regardless, the stakes are simply too high to stop now. We have to keep pushing forward, and doing our best to make sure that everything that’s come before hasn’t been for nothing.”
Shaking her head, Moyer released a long, slow sigh. “I don’t know if I can do this, sir. My world is the law, and when we sidestep or push aside the law for expediency, even if we believe it’s for a just cause, then we lose just a little bit more of what it is about us that’s supposed to make all of this effort worthwhile.”
“And that’s precisely why I need you where you are, Commander,” Nogura replied, “doing exactly what you’re doing. I need someone to observe everything that goes on here through the very prism your position affords. I like to think I always know when I get close to stepping over some line, but I also like having someone else point it out to me when that’s necessary.”
Moyer said, “And what if I disagree with something you decide to do, sir?”
“I’ll give you every opportunity to set me straight,” Nogura answered. “If I still decide to go a certain way, you’ll be free to file any protest or report you deem appropriate. You’ll be able to carry out your duties with autonomy. On that, Commander, you have my word.”
Appearing to be comforted by Nogura’s words, Moyer nodded. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate your confidence.”
Nogura smiled. “Don’t worry, Commander. Considering everything we’ve faced to this point, and given what might still happen before it’s all over, I expect we’ll be having a lot of these conversations.”
17
His fist clenched and poised above his head, Ganz paused in mid-swing as he took notice of Neera entering his office. Dressed in a dark maroon shift that was cut high on the thigh and that left little to the imagination as she passed beneath the room’s recessed lighting, she regarded him with an expression of amused exasperation.
“Don’t,” she said, making her way past his desk toward the bar. “It’s brand-new, and you’ve already gone through your ration of inanimate objects for this accounting cycle.”
Ganz regarded the computer interface terminal on his desk, which was the intended target of his rage. It sat before him, defenseless, waiting for him to mete out a punishment it did not deserve. Though destroying the terminal would provide a fleeting moment’s consolation, it would do nothing to solve the actual problems still requiring his attention.
“Well,” he said, relaxing his fist and lowering himself back into the chair behind his desk, “I need to hit something. Or someone.”
Standing at the bar, Neera cast a knowing, amused glance over her shoulder as she fixed herself a drink. “There’s a vase in the bedroom I never liked. Feel free to hit that.”
“Too easy. I prefer a challenge,” Ganz replied, though he was already feeling his initial anger beginning to ebb. When the mood struck her, Neera could be a very astute caregiver, knowing just what to say or do in order to calm him at times like these, when all he wanted was to vent his frustrations on anyone or anything within reach.
He shook his head as he considered the report displayed on the computer terminal. Submitted by his head of security, Tonzak, it detailed the skirmish involving the two Starfleet officers who had come aboard the Omari-Ekonin a bid to extradite Diego Reyes. Though their attempt had not been successful, the true ramifications of the incident were yet to be felt, and it was this aspect of the unfortunate situation that unsettled him.
“I didn’t think Starfleet had the naghsto send somebody to snatch Reyes,” he said.
Neera turned from the bar, drink in hand, and eyed him with a quizzical expression. “Klingon slang?”
“I like the way it rolls off the tongue,” Ganz replied without looking away from the screen. “Nogura must be out of his mind, authorizing something like this.”
Pausing while she sipped from her glass, Neera said, “I don’t think it was Nogura. While I wouldn’t put it past him, he doesn’t strike me as someone who would have authorized such an ill-conceived and poorly executed plan.”
Ganz considered the wisdom of his lover’s observation, nodding in agreement. “When you say it out loud, it makes sense. So, somebody ordered an extraction attempt over Nogura’s head?” He smiled at that thought as he leaned back in his chair. “I’m guessing he didn’t like that.” From his few dealings with the Starfleet admiral, Ganz had concluded that Nogura was a man who would not appreciate anyone undermining his authority. He would be angry at the events that had transpired without his knowledge, even more so for the resulting deaths. Ganz could understand how the admiral might feel, though he did so for different reasons.
“Idiots,” he said, gritting his teeth as he once more reviewed the report. “If they’d stunned the humans, we could have used them as leverage against Nogura.” The prospect of holding two Starfleet officers, captured while in the midst of an illegal intrusion into Orion sovereign territory, might well have been all Ganz needed to extract some form of concession from the admiral as a means of avoiding an interstellar incident. Despite the attitude Nogura had shown toward Ganz from the moment he had arrived to take command of Starbase 47, he would not have been able to refuse such an offer. Even if to do so was his personal preference, the admiral still had to answer to his masters at Starfleet Command, who would want an expedient resolution to what still held the potential to become an embarrassment not just to Starfleet, but to Ganz and even Neera, as well. If Neera’s superiors within the Orion Syndicate were to learn of the problems being experienced aboard the Omari-Ekon,they might also decide that cutting their own losses was the prudent course of action in order to prevent the possibility of greater attention being cast in their direction. Such a decision likely would not be in favor of any continued breathing Neera, Ganz, or anyone in their employ might wish to do.
“Have you disposed of the bodies?” Neera asked.
Ganz nodded. “Tonzak took care of it.”
“Well, at least he’s showing some promise.” Taking another sip from her glass, Neera swirled its remaining contents before adding, “Have you considered promoting him? You’ve been saying you need someone to replace Zett for months now.”
Frowning, Ganz shook his head. “I may have had issues with some of Zett’s choices, and it was his own bad judgment that got him killed, but that doesn’t mean just anyone can replace him. He had skills, I’ll give him that.” Zett Nilric, his former “business manager,” had numbered covert assassination among his many formidable talents. The Nalori had taken care of several delicate tasks for Ganz in recent years, and the Orion had valued Zett’s ability to act quickly with precision and discretion. If he had possessed one failing, it was an overdeveloped sense of pride, and it was that pride, wounded by Cervantes Quinn, which led to his eventual death at Quinn’s hands. In the months that had passed since then, Ganz had been without someone in the position Zett had once occupied. He had considered several members of his staff, but found each of them wanting. Tonzak was the most promising from a rather shallow pool of uninspiring candidates.