That said, I plan to be here for at least a while longer.

Turning to face his visitors, Nogura indicated the viewscreen with a gesture. “Do you know what this place needs? A window. Viewscreens are nice, but I like looking out the real thing.”

Seated in the two chairs positioned before the admiral’s desk, Commander ch’Nayla said nothing, whereas Lieutenant T’Prynn regarded Nogura with a cocked eyebrow.

“A viewscreen affords you many options that a window cannot provide.”

Despite the serious nature of the meeting for which the trio had assembled, Nogura regarded the Vulcan with mild amusement. “It’s just not the same, T’Prynn.” While it was true that the screen could be configured to display an image at any angle as supplied by the station’s external sensor array, Nogura had grown accustomed to the large window at the rear of his offices on Earth. One of his habits—time and circumstances permitting, of course—had been to sit before that window, sipping from a cup of his favorite herbal tea, and look across San Francisco Bay and out toward the Pacific Ocean, watching as the sun, framed by the Golden Gate Bridge, slipped below the horizon. It was the perfect complement to the other half of his daily ritual, when he greeted sunrise from the porch of his mountaintop home in the Colorado Rockies and observed a small interval of tranquillity before transporting to Starfleet Headquarters to face whatever duties, tasks, and demands awaited him. Since arriving at Starbase 47, he had made do with the simulated dawn and dusk as presented within the terrestrial enclosure that occupied a significant portion of the station’s primary hull and offered Vanguard’s residents an illusion of being on a planet. It was a serviceable substitute, but it did not diminish his desire to return home one day.

One day, Nogura mused, but not today.

Making his way to the rear of his office, the admiral moved to the food slot set into the wall behind his desk. He retrieved one of the half-dozen data cards held in a small alcove next to the slot and inserted it into the reader below the device’s door before pressing three of the unit’s selection keys in a predetermined sequence. While he waited for the computer to process his order, he turned to ch’Nayla and T’Prynn. “I take it from your lack of a status report from Mister Reyes that you’ve encountered some difficulty accessing the Omari-Ekon’s navigation logs?”

“That’s correct, Admiral,” T’Prynn replied. Nogura retrieved and held his tea, waiting for it to cool a bit, as the Vulcan recounted the first attempt to infiltrate the Orion vessel’s computer system, along with the current obstacles preventing her and Diego Reyes from extracting the required data.

“Using an outmoded variation of one of the older Orion languages is a simple yet effective security measure. While our computer’s translation protocols are sufficient to render the proper conversions, doing so via a remote connection between the Omari-Ekon and the station would increase the likelihood of our infiltration being detected.”

Nodding in understanding, Nogura moved to the chair behind his desk and sat. “But you’re sure that neither your nor Mister Reyes’s activities were discovered?”

Commander ch’Nayla replied, “Not so far as we can tell, Admiral. A scan of the computer system while the link was established picked up no traces of monitoring. No alerts were issued, and civilian spotters aboard the Omari-Ekon report that Mister Reyes has not been approached or subjected to any unusual scrutiny.”

“Well,” Nogura said as he held his cup to his nose and savored the tea’s faint, soothing aroma, “no more than was already in place, at any rate.” He paused to sip from the tea before asking, “All right, so a direct connection from here is out of the question. What other options are available to us?”

T’Prynn looked to ch’Nayla as though seeking approval before answering, “The option with the least amount of variables from a security standpoint is to provide Mister Reyes with a translation device which can be interfaced with the Omari-Ekon’s central computer. Once engaged, he will have the freedom to navigate the system and retrieve the information we seek.”

Clearing his throat, Nogura said, “And do so without tripping any of those alerts and alarms you’ve so far managed to avoid. I’m going to hazard a guess that such an item can’t be obtained from the station quartermaster.”

“No, sir,” ch’Nayla replied. “We would have to program the device for this specific task, using the information we’ve gathered about the Omari-Ekon’s computer system.”

“Even with such preparation,” T’Prynn added, “there remains a risk of detection, as we might still trigger a security protocol of which we are not yet aware.”

Nogura could not help offering a small chuckle. “Those are the best kind, Lieutenant.” Not for the first time, the admiral was beginning to question the wisdom of undertaking this risky bit of espionage. While the importance of the data locked in the Orion vessel’s navigation system could not be ignored, was there no other way to obtain it without resorting to these sorts of clandestine schemes? Although he understood the necessity for conducting such operations, Nogura had always preferred a more direct approach to solving problems of this type. Given time, he was certain he could find something—some price—that Ganz or even his superior, Neera, would be willing to accept in exchange for the information he sought. The problem with such an aboveboard tactic was that it required Nogura to trust the Orions, which was something he had no intention of doing. “Okay, so you’re going to prepare something for Reyes to use. What then?”

“As before,” T’Prynn replied, “I will guide Mister Reyes through another infiltration of the system. With the translation device in place, doing so should facilitate our efforts and allow us to retrieve the data in short order.”

Already envisioning the worst-case scenario should Reyes be found out by any of Ganz’s men, Nogura sighed. “And you’re sure this is the best option available to us?”

T’Prynn nodded. “It is if we wish to obtain the navigational data quickly, sir.”

“And we do,” the admiral conceded. Locating the possible origin point for the Mirdonyae Artifact Ganz had surrendered to Nogura in exchange for Starfleet’s continued good favor was of paramount importance, if for no other reason than to ensure no one else—the Klingons, Tholians, Romulans, or even some other as yet unnamed power who might get curious—found it first. So far, the Shedai who had so rudely been awakened from their millennia-long sleep had seemed content to lay dormant in whatever celestial hideaway they had fashioned for themselves. They had inflicted colossal damage and destruction before their mysterious disappearance, along with the destruction of the entire Jinoteur system, which apparently was their home. Considering what they might do if roused once again was something that had cost Nogura more than one night’s sound sleep. If the displays of the ancient race’s power he had witnessed were any indication, such as when the Shedai entity had attacked the station, a concentrated assault—even by as few as two or three of the beings—likely would prove disastrous for the confronted party.

Shaking his head, Nogura said, “I have to wonder how much longer we can keep sticking fingers in this particular dam and hope it continues to hold.” Though Starfleet had done an admirable job containing the most sensitive aspects of the mysteries surrounding the Shedai and the Taurus Meta-Genome, some information had already become public. Even the explosive news features written by Tim Pennington for the Federation News Service—and whose authorization for release by Diego Reyes had ended the man’s Starfleet career—had been limited in the amount of damage they had caused. The journalist’s lack of direct knowledge about the meta-genome and the potential it carried had prevented any revelation of the Shedai’s true origins, or any detailed insight into the awesome power they commanded.