“I can hardly wait,” Reyes said, and Nogura heard the tinge of sarcasm in the other man’s voice. “By the way, I want to thank you for simply confining me to guest quarters. You’d have been right to just toss me in the brig until someone’s ready to take me to Earth.”
Though he had considered doing exactly that, Nogura had decided such treatment was not needed. He did not believe Reyes to be any sort of flight risk, and keeping him under guard in guest quarters would be sufficient to contain him until such time as his final disposition—be it transport to the New Zealand penal colony on Earth as per the original sentence from his court-martial, or something else—was determined. “It seemed the least we could do, given the circumstances. I trust you’re comfortable in your new quarters?”
“Best sleep I’ve had in months,” Reyes replied. “It’s nice, being able to go to bed and not have to worry about maybe being dead before you wake up.”
Nogura chuckled at that. “I can imagine.” Gesturing to where Reyes had been injured during the firefight that climaxed his escape from the Omari-Ekon,he asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Zeke—that is, Doctor Fisher—fixed me up. It’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be sore for a few days, but that’s about it.” Reyes’s expression changed to one of concern. “Don’t know if I can say the same about Pennington.”
Nodding, Nogura released a sigh. “What happened to him is unfortunate, but I have every faith in Doctor Fisher.” Unlike Reyes and others who had been injured during the firefight, Pennington had been wounded much more severely. According to Fisher’s last report, the damage to the journalist’s arm and shoulder were such that the doctor was still considering amputation and prosthetic replacement. “I’ve also recommended to Starfleet that he be awarded a civilian citation for valor. What he did probably saved your life, and T’Prynn’s.”
“If I know Pennington,” Reyes said, “he’ll likely offer a polite refusal. He’s a journalist, through and through. He’d rather report the story than be a part of it, even if the last couple of years make it seem the opposite’s true.” Pausing to look around the office, he asked, “I guess I have to wonder what’s next for me?”
Nogura had of course been considering the question since receiving the report from Jackson that T’Prynn and Reyes had made it off the Omari-Ekon. “There are a lot of questions, of course. You’ll be debriefed in full about your time with the Klingons and the Orions. Your association with the Klingons in particular has a lot of people at Headquarters calling for your head. Many of them don’t buy that you were acting to protect Starfleet and this station as much as possible given your situation, rather than actively colluding with the Klingons.”
“Anybody who wants to call me a traitor is going to have to come out here and tell me to my face,” Reyes snapped, the first hint of bitterness or anger over his current status Nogura had seen since the disgraced officer’s return. “Everything I did was to protect as many lives as possible. That’s all I’ve ever done. I even got court-martialed and convicted for it, if you recall.”
“You were court-martialed for disobeying orders and violating your Starfleet oath,” Nogura countered, allowing a slight edge to creep into his voice.
Reyes stood his ground. “My oath was to protect Federation citizens and obey all lawful orders from my superiors and our duly elected civilian leaders. There’s nothing in there about safeguarding dirty little secrets or acting out of political expediency to cover my or anyone else’s ass. I said basically the same thing at my trial, and I stand by it.”
Saying nothing for a moment, Nogura regarded the former commodore before offering a slow nod of appreciation. “I know you do. While I can’t officially condone your actions, I can respect them, because I believe you always were acting with noble purpose. Whether anyone agrees with either of us is something we’ll have to wait to find out.” He sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t take the time to tell you this before.”
He had chosen to refrain from interacting with Reyes during his pretrial confinement and court-martial, to avoid even the perception of attempting in any way to influence the proceedings. The result was that he had not been afforded the opportunity to simply talk to the man. He had never suspected Reyes of being a traitor, or even of acting with malicious intent when deciding to disobey orders and allow Pennington to publish the story that had brought the Shedai—if not the truth behind the secrets and power they possessed—to the public’s attention. Likewise, Nogura believed him still to be a man of character and honor, as demonstrated by his prompt decision to assist T’Prynn with the espionage she had conducted. The question now was whether anyone else stalking the halls of power at Starfleet Command would see things in similar fashion.
I probably shouldn’t hold my breath.
“The debriefings are liable to take a while,” Nogura said. “We’ll do our best to see to it that you’re as comfortable as possible. Is there anything in particular you need?”
Reyes shook his head. “No, Admiral, thank you. I appreciate everything you’ve already done for me.” He stopped, his eyes turning downward to stare at the floor for a moment. When he spoke again it was without raising his head to meet Nogura’s gaze. “Can you assist me with getting in touch with Captain Desai?”
Having expected that query, Nogura nevertheless was uncomfortable now that Reyes had given it voice. “Of course. We’ll get word to her that you’re no longer with the Orions, but you understand that you’re still technically a prisoner. There’s nothing I can do about that until after you’ve been properly debriefed.”
His expression once more growing impassive, Reyes drew himself up before nodding. “I understand.” Then, as if deciding there was nothing more to be said, he added, “Thank you for your time, Admiral.”
Nogura said nothing as Reyes turned and exited the office, waiting for his security detail to take up positions in front of and behind him as they escorted him back to his quarters. For the first time, the admiral realized he felt sorrow for the former commodore, who at one time may well have been fueled by the knowledge that Rana Desai, the woman he loved, might still be waiting for him once he navigated the obstacles separating them. That this appeared no longer to be the case probably had done nothing but increase Reyes’s sense of isolation. His life and career already in virtual ruin, he had no one but a handful of steadfast friends on whom to lean. Otherwise, Diego Reyes, without doubt, had to feel utterly alone.
And for that,Nogura thought, I’m truly sorry.
28
“My arm hurts.”
The persistent, throbbing ache Tim Pennington sensed in his right arm flared enough to rouse him yet again from fitful sleep. Lying flat on his back, he grunted in irritation at his inability to do little more than doze, rather than enjoying anything resembling restful slumber. Even beyond the pain in his arm, there was the simple matter that the hospital bed was anything but comfortable. He was unable to shift onto his right side and slide his arm beneath his pillow, situating himself as he had since childhood. His current position was likely to be the best he could manage for a while.
Wonderful.
Closing his eyes as the dull pain continued to nag him, Pennington became more aware of the ambient sounds permeating his hospital room: conversations held in hushed tones drifting from the corridor, the low hum of passing antigrav carts, even the dull, two-stroke tone of his own pulse as interpreted and amplified by his biobed’s array of sensors and status indicators. Listening to the melodic chorus of the machines overseeing his care, he began to sense his own body mocking him, as each beat of his heart seemed to pulse in rhythm with the pain from his arm.