“Captain Archer,”said the avian creature on the screen, the stridulations of its nonhuman vertical mouthparts rendered into intelligible speech by Hoshi’s linguistic algorithms. “I am given to understand that you have been trying to reach me.”

Archer tried his best to offer the Adigeon official a safely diplomatic smile, and to maintain at least the appearance of patience. Yes I have,he thought. The whole damned day.

Aloud, he said, “Thank you taking the time to speak with me, Administrator Khoulka’las.”

Archer heard the turbolift doors whisk open behind him, and a quick glance over his shoulder revealed the arrival of a stern‑faced Shran, who was followed out of the lift by Theras. The Aenar seemed intimidated by the very notion of being on the starship’s bridge, although Archer knew he was incapable of seeing it.

Turning back toward the Adigeon on the viewer, Archer said, “We’re trying to find a group of people who were recently kidnapped from Andoria by Orion slavers.”

“How unfortunate,”the administrator said, “that anyone should fall unwillingly into the hands of Orion slavers. How many Andorians were taken?”Archer thought he could hear a note of sympathy in the syn‑thetic voice, though he wasn’t certain whether to attribute it to the administrator’s goodwill or to the emotional subtext recognition subroutines Hoshi had written into her translation matrix software.

“Thirty‑seven individuals in all,” Archer said. “And strictly speaking, they’re not exactly Andorians as such.”

“Not Andorians? But from Andoria?”The administrator’s synthesized voice registered confusion, even though the creature’s body language, which largely consisted of many frequent, small jerky movements, remained obscure.

“The captives are Aenar, Administrator. A subspecies of the Andorian race. They’re pacifists, unable to defend themselves. And they possess strong telepathic abilities, which is probably what made them such attractive targets for the Orion slavers.”

“Indeed.”

“Administrator, we’ve obtained information indicating that the slavers transferred the Aenar captives to a ship bound for your world, and that Adigeon business agents were facilitating a sale of the Aenar to a third party.”

“Such third‑party business arrangements are commonplace on Adigeon Prime, Captain. Businesses in three sectors rely on our world’s customary unbreakable, duranium‑clad confidentiality agreements.”The note of sympathy Archer had heard earlier appeared to have faded away, if he hadn’t merely imagined it in the first place.

He took a deep breath, centering himself before speaking again. “I respect the confidentiality of Adigeon Prime’s brokers, attorneys, and business agents, Administrator. But a terrible crime has been committed, and we must investigate it. We need to learn the details of the slavers’ business arrangements–including the identity and location of the…final purchaser.”

“Kidnapping is indeed a terrible crime, Captain. However, so is breaching Adigeon Prime’s sacred veil of privacy.”

Archer’s patience was rapidly nearing its breaking point. “Administrator, there has to be someprovision in Adigeon law that permits you to access transaction records in a case like this.”

“Indeed there is, Captain.”

Better,Archer thought, swiftly damping his frustration back down. Aloud, he said, “What do I have to do, Administrator?”

“You must demonstrate reasonable suspicion that an Adigeon business agent has knowingly participated in a transaction that is either fraudulent or otherwise prohibited under Adigeon law.”

Now we’re finally getting somewhere,Archer thought as he nodded to the Adigeon official. “Administrator, a member of the Orion Syndicate has informed us that Orion slavers have arranged to ship a group of thirty‑seven Aenar telepaths to an anonymous client, using an Adigeon business agent as a broker. Because of a previous encounter between Starfleet and the Romulan military, we have good reason to believe that the Romulan Star Empire is the client slated to receive those telepaths. Unless the Adigeon agent brokering this transaction is found and stopped, Administrator, your world could be party to a serious crime against the Aenar people, and the world of Andoria.”

I knew those Stanford law courses would pay off eventually,Archer thought, proud of the case he’d just made.

After Archer had finished, the bird‑creature regarded him in silence for perhaps an entire minute; the administrator’s rapidly nictitating ocular membranes provided the only evidence that the avian being was still alive.

Finally the administrator said, “Do you claim that the Aenar telepaths procured by the Orions do not possess the abilities required by the brokerage agreement, or have not been delivered in the contractually mandated condition?”

“No, Administrator Khoulka’las,” Archer said, his frustration roaring right back to where it had been moments ago, just beneath the surface. “And I don’t understand the relevance of any of that. What I amclaiming is that the abduction of these people is what constitutes the crime needed as a pretext to allow us access to the relevant business records.”

The administrator assayed a barn owl’s version of a shrug. “That is as may be, Captain. But it is also irrelevant. So far you have described no crime that has occurred within the bounds ofmy jurisdiction. You have presented no evidence that an Adigeon broker has misrep‑resented his services to a client, nor committed any other act of business malfeasance or misfeasance. Adigeon Prime’s sacred veil of privacy must therefore remain in place. I’m afraid I cannot help you.”

“Administrator Khoulka’las, if you’ll just–”

“Good day, Captain,”the administrator said, interrupting. His image vanished from the screen half an instant later, the connection broken from the other end.

“Dammit,” Archer muttered as he stared at the viewscreen’s depiction of the blue‑green world that continued making its stately rotation hundreds of kilometers below.

“I should have mentioned the Coalition,” Archer said, half to himself. “Complicity in an attack against one member world is the same as complicity in an attack against all the member worlds. Khoulka’las might have ice water in his veins, but I doubt that even hewould want to get sideways with fiveother planets all at once.”

“Unfortunately,” T’Pol said, “the Compact’s mutual defense provisions will not be in force until afterthe document is signed. The Aenar abduction, and all crimes related to it, have so far been committed prior to that time.”

Archer suddenly remembered exactly why he’d decided to change his major from prelaw after his freshman year at Stanford.

“Perhaps you should simply have offered him a bribe.” Archer was momentarily startled by Shran’s voice, which had come from directly behind him. “I hear they like platinum here. As well as something called latinum.”

Archer turned to face the Andorian, who stood beside Theras in the bridge’s upper aft section. “I’m surprised to hear you say that, Shran. I thought you’d have preferred that I offer him a brace of photonic torpedoes instead.”

Shran appeared somewhat stupefied by that remark, as though he himself had just realized that he had indeed said something out of character for him. “Perhaps I’ve finally begun to take your incessant calls for ‘restraint’ to heart, pinkskin,” he said at length as a smirk played at the edges of his mouth.

“Or it may be that Jhamel’s agreeable nature is influencing you,” Theras said to Shran. “That’s a good sign.”

“I’m delighted that Shran is finally starting to mellow,” Archer said, addressing Theras. “It might even make life around here a bit more pleasant for the duration. But it won’t go a long way toward helping us find those missing telepaths. And without the help of Adigeon Prime’s authorities, we’re at an impasse.”