“We still dont have any hard proof that the attacks against our freighters are anything other than exactly what they appear to be, Archer said. “The work of rogue pirates and freebooters.

“Thats probably only because those alleged rogue pirates and freebooters have been keeping us both so busy waiting and watching, not to mention wearing a triangular groove in the space between Earth and Draylax and Deneva, that we havent had any time to go hunt down thereal culprits.

“The Romulans, Archer said.

She nodded, confirming that he had completed her unvoiced thought. “Or the Klingons. Or maybe even both. The disruptor traces we found on the hull debris are consistent with either of them.

“As nasty as the Klingons can be, my moneys on the Romulans, Archer said.

Her eyes widened. “Why? You know something I dont?

He nodded. “Is this line secure on your end?

“I trust my mother and God, in that order,she said with a nod of her own. “Everybody and everything else has to go through the most stringent of security protocols. Go ahead.

He paused to gather his thoughts. From the edge of the bed, Porthos released a low growl that almost made Archer wonder if his own dog wasnt spying on him on behalf of Admiral Gardner.

“The attack on Coridan has overshadowed just about everything else thats been going on in a dozen sectors in every direction, Archer said at length.

“Thats understandable. Over a billion people have died on Coridan Prime so far, and people are still dying there three months later thanks to all the environmental damage, not to mention the damned civil war theyre fighting. Have you found some evidence linking the Romulans to the Coridan attack?

“No, he said with a glum shake of his head. “The Romulans are way too subtle to leave any fingerprints behind.

She frowned again. “So why bring up Coridan?

“Because Starfleet has been able to use it as a diversion to keep a lid on something we discovered on Andoria a little bit before the Coridan attack. The admiralty has classified my report on the subject. But in my judgment you have a legitimate need to know what theyve been sitting on these past few months.

Hernandezs brow furrowed. “Youve found evidence of some sort of Romulan incursion on Andoria?

“Indirect evidence. But its as close to a smoking gun as youre going to get with people as slick as the Romulans. Youve been briefed about their use of telepaths to pilot remote‑controlled attack ships, right?

“Of course. I know that you and your crew destroyed a telepath‑guided Romulan prototype last year.

“Right. But what you haventbeen told is that the Romulans have recently been trying to get their hands on more telepaths for similar military applications, using the services of third parties brokered through Adigeon Prime.

A look of understanding crossed her olive features. “The Adigeons. Gotta love those tight‑lipped Swiss banker types.

“Believe me, the Adigeons make the old Swiss bankers look like the village gossip. In spite of that, we managed to track down and rescue about three dozen Aenar‑Andorian telepaths that a third party had captured on behalf of the Romulans.

Hernandezs face became a study in horror. “Enslaving all those people. Just to launch another remote‑control attack against us.

“And theyre not going to back off, either. Not when they can just lie in the weeds and wait until theyre ready to try again.

The horror on Hernandezs countenance slowly solidified into an almost palpable anger, and her words carried the timbre of blood and fire. “And youre content to let Starfleet just go on reacting instead of actuallydoing something?

Archer endured her not‑so‑subtle criticism with all the stoicism he could muster. “What makes you think Im not doing anything?

“Lets see. Maybe its the fact that youre still out here patrolling the boonies, just like I am.

“Lets just say Im working on the problem through a back channel and leave it at that.

“I know you have political pull that I dont, since youre the man who saved Earth from the Xindi. But I cant believe youve got a special back channel with Starfleet Command that I dont evenknow about.

Archer grinned. “What makes you think I was talking about Starfleet Command? Their hands are full at the moment just keeping the Coalition from collapsing into four squabbling pieces, especially since the Coridan attack.

“Unlike either of us,Hernandez said as the door chime sounded.

“Be careful what you wish for, Erika, Archer said, even though he was half hoping for news of another so‑called pirate raid, if only to break up the tedium of the past several days of utterly fruitless patrolling. He held up a hand for silence, then turned toward the door.

“Come.

The door hissed open and Commander TPol stepped gingerly over the slightly raised threshold, then paused in the open hatchway. She wore a standard‑issue, dark blue Starfleet duty uniform, a sight to which he was still only beginning to become accustomed, though she had adopted it nearly three months ago. To the Vulcan womans credit, she appeared as comfortable and unself‑conscious wearing Earths service attire as she had in the somewhat more formfitting uniform of the Vulcan military from which she had retired over a year earlier. Despite the lateness of the hour, her clothing looked fresh and neatly pressed.

“I apologize for disturbing you, Captain, but I have received some news that you will wish to hear immediately, she said, still hesitating in the open hatchway. She glanced toward the image of Captain Hernandez, which was clearly visible from her vantage point. “Am I interrupting anything?

Archer smiled gently at his second‑in‑command. Long before their respective careers had conspired to draw them literally light‑years apart, there had once been a time when anyone “walking in on him and Erika Hernandez might indeed have interrupted something rather intimate. Had Hernandez, who had never been sanguine about making love in Porthoss presenceand was allergic to pet dander to bootnot issued a fateful its‑me‑or‑the‑beagleultimatum, the lives and careers of both captains might have taken radically different trajectories. Only very rarely, such as that time his canine companion had become fragrantly flatulent after snarfing up an entire wheel of Chefs fancy Gruyиre cheese, did the captain have cause to regret his decision. Regardless, fair was fair, and since hed known Porthos longer than hed known Hernandez, the dog had ultimately won the contest.

Remaining in his chair, Archer fanned the fingers of his left hand toward himself in a “come in gesture. “Not at all, Commander. Im sure you know Captain Hernandez.

TPol finished crossing the threshold and allowed the hatch to hiss closed behind her just as Porthos jumped off the bed and approached her, his tail wagging. “Captain Hernandez, she said, nodding toward the screen and apparently ignoring the dog.

“Good to see you again, Commander,said Hernandez. “TPol and I met on Earth a couple of months ago, Jon. While you were busy panicking about your speech at the Coalition Compact signing ceremony.

Archer nodded, recalling the extremely jangled state of his nerves on that recent red‑letter day. Facing the adoring crowds, the legions of media cams, and the all‑seeing eye of history that day had made him more anxious than the prospect of fighting off whole phalanxes of Klingons or Xindi. Hell, he might have welcomed a firing squad as a dignified alternative. He scarcely remembered what hed said, and later had to refer to the recordings of his words to reassure himself that hed not made a complete ass of himself. So it came as no surprise to him that there were small gaps in his memory regarding matters peripheral to the speech itself.