“Gordimer to Commander Vaughn. We have a situation.”

“Go ahead, Ensign.”

“Yrythny security caught Lieutenant Nog making an unauthorized attempt to leave theAvaril. He had classified Starfleet technology downloaded into his tricorder. Specs forDefiant’s cloaking device.”

Stunned, everyone on the bridge turned to look at Vaughn. “Stay focused, people,” he said sternly. “Ensign Gordimer, keep Lieutenant Nog in protective custody until I get there, and secure the tricorder. Vaughn out.”

“One minute,” Bashir announced.

“Okay, sweetheart, talk to me,” Sam coaxed his console. “Wait…here we are. I’m gonna grab it all and we’ll sort through it later.”

“Just do it,” Vaughn urged. “Doctor, go ahead and signal Prynn that we’re clear.” Before she left, Bashir had fitted her auditory canal with a tiny receiver that allowed her to hear signals, but not send them. Concerned about activating any sensors in the Cheka suite’s security net, Vaughn insisted on radio silence until the computer break-in succeeded or failed.

“Done, sir,” Julian said. “No indication that she’s left Fazzle’s work area. Thirty seconds.”

“Almost got it—” Sam said.

Based on the percentage of information that Sam had captured, Vaughn could see that the data transfer would take more time than was safely left. Prynn needed to leave. Soon. Worry sent his heart racing. “Status of Ensign Tenmei, Doctor?”

“Still no movement, sir. Fifteen seconds.”

“Prepare for emergency beam-out,” Vaughn ordered.

“I’d advise against that, sir. She’s in the heart of the Cheka suite. A sudden beam-out would—wait. She’s moving.”

Vaughn sighed, watching the blinking dot on Bashir’s screen progress down the hall.

“Ten seconds.”

Come on Prynn, get out of there. Keep moving…

“Five.”

With only a few meters to go, the blinking dot paused.

“Time’s up,” Bashir announced.

Sam turned toward Vaughn, “I’ll have the end of this file shortly, but an internal computer sweep is underway. Depending on their sweep sequence, it might be two seconds or twenty minutes before they find us.”

“I want her out of there, Julian,” Vaughn demanded.

“I’ll grab her as soon as she makes it out of the main entrance.”

“Cheka sensors nabbed us, sir,” Sam said. “But the data transfer is complete. I’m shutting down the link…now. Link severed.”

The blinking dot on Bashir’s screen moved quickly, streaking down the hallway and out the front door.

“Initiating transport,” Bashir said. Then he added with a smile, “She should be downstairs, Commander.”

Vaughn exhaled with relief. Thankfully, L.J. isn’t around with his fifty reasons why having your daughter under your command is a bad idea.

“I’ve isolated the codes, sir,” Bowers announced. “Transmitting to Chief Chao…”

Moments later, the bridge doors opened, admitting Prynn. She marched onto the bridge, wearing her regulation tank top, but with her uniform jacket tied around her waist. Bashir’s eyes widened when he saw the scaly purple blotches covering most of her exposed skin.

“Someone better produce some damn rash spray in the next twenty seconds or I’m resigning my commission!” she announced, jamming her fists into her waist.

Bashir and Vaughn exchanged glances before bursting into relieved laughter.

“What?” Prynn demanded.

“Nothing, Ensign,” Vaughn said. And, throwing protocol out the airlock, he walked over to her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “Good work. The doctor will take care of you while I take care of Lieutenant Nog. Sam, advise me when Chao is back aboard.”

Shar exited Ezri’s office, only to discover Keren waiting in the outside corridor. Hundreds of Yrythny coming from the day shift or going to the night shift streamed past, making it easy for Shar to pretend he didn’t see her. Without any acknowledgment, he headed in the direction of the guest quarters, knowing she’d be chasing after him anyway.

“Thirishar!”

“If I talk to you, I have to report it to Lieutenant Dax, so don’t say anything you don’t want repeated,” he said as he walked rapidly away.

“They’ve sent armed squads into the Old Quarter, Thirishar,” she said, her voice tinged in fear.

“What?” He paused, waiting for her to catch up.

“The Assembly. Looking for those responsible for the attacks. They’ve gone into the Old Quarter with weapons,” she said breathlessly.

Keren was panicked, and Shar sympathized, but hadn’t her own kind landed themselves in this mess? “Can you blame them for wanting to prevent further attacks?”

“I don’t know that the underground is responsible for them,” she confessed, averting her eyes.

“What do you mean?” Shar demanded.

Grabbing Shar by the sleeve, she pulled him into a dark, deserted side corridor. She peered down the hallway in each direction, before leaning in close, speaking directly in Shar’s ear. “A schism has formed in the underground leadership. Some believe that the only way we’re ever going to help our people is by force. Waging a war of fear might pressure the government into conceding. The rest of us, me included, believe that we should take up arms only if negotiations don’t work.”

“Keren, what do you want want from me?” he hissed. “It isn’t as if I have troops that can defend the Old Quarter. Even if I rounded up all my colleagues, it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to play a role in an internal standoff.”

“I’m not asking you to, but your research has become more urgent. You have to press forward as quickly as possible.”

“And I plan to go to work as soon as I can.”

“That’s the problem. The data files, they’re hidden in my apartment. If I go back there, I won’t be able to leave again—perhaps indefinitely.”

“Keren, you’re not listening!” Shar pleaded. “I’ve been ordered not to spend unauthorized time with you. If the lieutenant finds out that I’ve disobeyed her orders, I’ll spend the rest of this mission in the brig. You need to send them by messenger.”

“You have to believe me. The casualties in the village will be miniscule compared to what will happen if the Old Quarter is provoked into riots.”

More deaths. More delays. More shadowy choices. Damn it, I’ve been given a direct order and if Ezri checked up on me and found me missing….Maybe he could talk to Lieutenant Dax and see if she had any ideas. But there was always the chance she’d refuse to involve Starfleet. Should that happen, Shar wouldn’t have a choice of whether to retrieve his data. He needed a little more time. “I can’t come immediately.”

“In a little while, then. I’ll come to your quarters with clothing like I did the first time.” She clutched each of his arms in her hands.

“Give me half an hour. I’ll meet you in the courtyard. But this has to be the end of it.” He had serious reservations about going through with this, but in the end, his personal commitment to the pursuit of scientific truth won out. That…and his wish not to have Keren come to harm.

Without a word, Keren turned on her heel and left, Shar watching as she walked away. This whole situation is about to ignite,he thought. Both sides are so busy taking revenge that the truth is slipping between the cracks. This has to end.Marching back to his quarters, he wondered whether he’d have time for his project before civil war erupted. I’m going to make this work,he vowed. And maybe there was a better way to help Keren…

Upon entering his quarters, Shar went immediately to the computer terminal, calling up the Luthia root menu. The military here doesn’t do anything without making a big show of it…there has to be an announcement or a policy statement about the troops going into the Old Quarter.There. Shar tapped in the commands, captured the page and saved it to his personal files. Then, he browsed until he found a public mail outlet on Luthia’s main system and forwarded it to the terminal in Dax’s quarters: