Kirk frowned at this revelation. “Deliberately deleted from the computer banks? Why? Some kind of security procedure?”

“Affirmative,” Spock replied. “I was scanning the Defiantmemory banks with my tricorder at the time of the data transfer, and only when I compared the two sets of data did I realize the omission. The files in question were protected by a sophisticated encryption algorithm that required substantial effort to circumvent. I thought doing so might offer insight into what happened to the Defiant, but I fear I have violated Starfleet regulations with respect to classified materials.”

“Let me guess,” McCoy said, as though realizing where the science officer was going. “Vanguard.”

Spock nodded. “It would appear so, Doctor, though I found no direct reference to that project.” To Kirk, he said, “Admiral Nogura did dispatch the Defiantto the Traelus system, and according to the information Captain Blair appended to his official log entries, the system’s second planet was of interest to both the Tholians and the Klingon Empire. Traelus’s location along the Taurus Reach’s outer boundary places it in proximity to the Tholian border. I recall that there even was a dispute between the Federation and the Klingons with respect to the planet. The Klingons laid claim to it, and after some arguing as to which party had made the original claim, the Federation eventually relented. Conventional thinking at the time was that the Klingons wished to have a permanent presence there. They established what they claimed was a mining colony, though there were reports of military activity in and around the system.”

“Any chance they were there for any otherreason?” Kirk asked, offering a grim smile as he shifted position in his chair and folded his arms across his chest.

“If you are referring to the Taurus Meta-Genome,” Spock said, “it is unlikely that the Klingons were even aware of its existence during the time of the original dispute. However, logic suggests that Starfleet’s presence in the system stemmed from what then was an ongoing effort to locate other instances of the meta-genome on worlds throughout the Taurus Reach. Without access to data or other materials pertaining to Operation Vanguard, I can only theorize on this point, of course.”

“Of course,” Kirk repeated. “However, based on incidents involving the Klingons in the Taurus Reach since then, I’d bet that they’re at least somewhat aware of the meta-genome and the potential it carries.” Given what had been revealed to the public about the Shedai, as well as what Kirk had gleaned from intelligence reports regarding Klingon activity in the region, it was safe to say that they had come into possession of at least some relevant information. However, nothing Admiral Nogura had told him, directly or through implication, suggested that the empire’s efforts to understand the mysterious race and their ancient technology were not on par with what Operation Vanguard had achieved.

McCoy said, “The Defiantwas sent to the Traelus system to investigate incidents of escalating violence between the Tholians and the Klingons. Do you suppose that meta-genome thing played into that?”

Spock shook his head. “No, Doctor. I suspect that the Defiant’s mission, while peripheral to the Vanguard project, instead was motivated by more conventional concerns.”

For the first time, the first officer brought his hands from around his back and held up a square red computer data card. “We know from reviewing Captain Blair’s log that they were being chased by Tholian vessels before they encountered the distress signal that led them to the interspatial rift. However, I did find one other entry of interest.” When Kirk gestured to the computer terminal on his desk, Spock stepped past McCoy and inserted the data card into the terminal’s reader slot and tapped a sequence of keys on the unit’s interface. A moment later, the screen activated and coalesced into the image of Captain Thomas Blair. A human male in his early fifties, Blair had gray-black receding hair and a slight roundness to his face. From the image’s background, Kirk surmised that this log entry had been recorded in the privacy of the captain’s quarters. Blair’s expression was solemn as he began speaking.

“Captain’s Log: Stardate 5683.9. My engineer and science officer have spent the past twelve hours examining the alien object recovered from the decimated Klingon colony on Traelus II. They theorize that when combined with other similar devices we found deployed at equidistant positions around the colony’s perimeter, it generated an energy field enshrouding the entire settlement. Residual energy traces recorded by the landing party indicate the field was lethal to any living being within its sphere of influence. Judging by the conditions of the Klingon bodies we found, it wasn’t a particularly pleasant way to die, either.”

Frowning, Kirk leaned forward his chair as he studied Blair’s image. “Nogura never mentioned anything about the Defiantrecovering alien technology.”

“No, sir,” Spock said. “A review of other log entries submitted by Captain Blair reveals that the object in question was Tholian in origin, one component of the larger mechanism to which he refers here. It seems the Tholians deployed a land-based variant of the energy field generator they utilized against us. Given that our information regarding the Tholians did not include knowledge of that weapon, it seems likely that this new version is not known to Starfleet Intelligence.”

“Well,” McCoy said, placing his glass on the desk, “that certainly explains the Tholians chasing after the Defiant, not to mention harassing us.”

Kirk rose from his chair. “Yes, it certainly does.” Upon his return to the Enterpriseand after being updated by Spock on the situation, Kirk had surmised that the aggressive actions carried out by the Tholian vessels were in response to outsiders trespassing on their territory—frustrating enough, given the Tholians’ seeming penchant for arbitrarily redrawing their borders. This new information changed all that.

McCoy frowned. “You don’t think Nogura would send the Defiantout to investigate Tholian activity and not warn Blair about their potential weapons capabilities?”

For a brief moment, Kirk considered that unpleasant possibility. “I don’t think so. Nogura might not give us the whole picture, but I can’t believe he’d send them—or us, for that matter—out there blind.” The thought festered, until he finally dismissed the notion. “No, he wouldn’t. This is something new. The question is how or if it impacts what Nogura and his people are doing in this part of space.” Looking away from the desktop terminal, he regarded Spock. “I don’t suppose you found anything in Captain Blair’s logs about that?”

The first officer shook his head. “As I said, I found no overt references to Operation Vanguard in any of the Defiant’s memory banks. Either that information was already removed from the computer, or else no such entries or references were made. Each is a valid possibility, given Captain Blair’s limited knowledge of the overall project.”

Kirk nodded in agreement. “Makes sense.” Reaching toward the computer terminal, he removed the data card and returned it to Spock. “What did you do with the data you retrieved from the Defiant?”

“As per Admiral Nogura’s orders,” the Vulcan replied as he took the card, “it is stored in an encrypted file secured under voiceprint identification. Only you or I may access it. With the apparent connection to Vanguard and our previous instructions regarding information pertaining to the project, I thought it best not to house this data in the main computer banks. Until directed otherwise, it will remain protected until we can deliver it directly to the admiral.”

“I just love the cloak-and-dagger stuff,” McCoy said, punctuating his remark with a snort. “I think I’m going to need another drink.” With no apparent shame whatsoever, he reached for Kirk’s unattended glass and drank from it.