“Where should I rendezvous with the ship, and when?

“Ive arranged for the vessel to be diverted from its regular course and mission,Denak said. “Neither of which is known to anyone outside the VSharand even then, it is known only to a handful. I am transmitting to you the rendezvous coordinates and timetable, along with a brief profile of the ship. You will haveone contact on board, and you will be required to remain confined to whatever sections of the ship she specifies.

TPol stared at him inquisitively. “Why?

“The vessel carriessensitive mat й riel to which you have not been granted access.

TPol saw a file open in the corner of her screen and was surprised to see that it was the image of a familiar face, even if it was noticeably older than the last time she had seen it. “Ycha? Sheis my contact?

“We both risk much with this, TPol,Denak said.

“I appreciate the trust you have placed in me, Denak, TPol said.

Denak raised an eyebrow, giving her the look that had made her feel so very uncomfortable during her years as his underling in the VShar. “I wish you would extend me the same courtesy. I know that you are hiding things from me about the true purpose of this mission. But I also sense that you are actingoutside the purview of both Starfleet and the Coalition of Planets. Perhaps even against direct orders.

He paused, leaning slightly closer to his own com unit. “Before you were even born, a wise woman once told me that sometimes it takes those who will travel past the boundarieswithout regard to arbitrary rulesto discover what truly lies beyond the horizon.

TPol had heard her mother express the same sentiments before, and suspected that it was she to whom Denak was referring. She offered him a slight nod of acknowledgment. “Whatever I must do, I have no intention of causing any harm either to the Coalition or its member worlds. I act to preserve life, and to protect our people. You have my word on that.

Denak settled back in his chair again and steepled his hands and fingers underneath his chin. TPol saw that the thumb and forefingers were still missing from his right hand; he had lost them during a mission years ago, and had been unable to receive appropriate medical attention in time to save the nerves that would have allowed them to be regrown successfully.

“While you might not harm the Coalition, TPol, remember that your actions may have consequences for those who have placed their trust in you. You must be prepared for that eventuality.Denak held up his good hand, splitting his fingers into a salute. “Live long and prosper, TPol.

TPol returned the salute as her viewscreen went black.

Denaks words stung her, but she still felt certain that her mission was absolutely necessary, even if it might not be entirely logical. Assuming, of course, that the encounters she had experienced with Trip in her mindscape were not, in fact, hallucinations.

Launch Bay Two seemed unnaturally quiet as TPol quickly went about her work. Her fingers moved smoothly over the computer panel as she input data and observed the results. The subroutines she had accessed were complicated, and one wrong keystroke could signal her actions to someone on the bridge, or elsewhere.

The gamma watch commander, Lieutenant ONeill, and those on her shift were used to quiet “nights aboard ship, and TPol knew from experience that this would be the best time to set her plan into motionnot because ONeills bridge crew was any less capable than the alpha watch team, but because nobody would even suspect the borderline sabotage she was engaged in at such a late hour. With the likely exception of Doctor Phlox, all of those aboard Enterprisewho were closest to her would have been asleep for hours by now.

An alert light blinked on the computer viewscreen, prompting TPol to curse under her breath. She realized she must have run afoul of a security subroutine for which she had not prepared; perhaps Lieutenant Reed had installed a new code. She wondered briefly if he had done so because hed anticipated her present course of action and felt the need to preempt it. Illogical, she told herself. There was no way Reed could have anticipated her plan. The captain, maybe the doctor

Her fingers hovered over the keypad as her mind raced. She could back out of the subroutine, but that would mean taking care to erase every step she had already taken. Worse, her failure to beat Enterprises security measures tonight would force her to miss the rendezvous that Denak had so painstakingly arranged.

“Enter code alpha‑two‑epsilon‑seven‑niner‑ninertau‑nu, said a voice from the shadows behind her in distinctively accented English.

Malcolm Reeds voice, to be precise.

“And what will happen then? TPol asked, not turning around to face him. Despite her lifelong Vulcan training, she felt fear turn her spine to ice.

“That command will reroute the new security subroutine, Reed said. “Once thats out of the way, you can finish carrying out your plan to bypass the entire security system and commandeer one of our shuttlepods, Reed said. She heard his footsteps as he approached her. “That iswhat you intended, isnt it?

TPol tensed, then ducked, sweeping her leg out quickly in a low, wide arc. She felt it connect with Reeds calves, and as she spun around she saw him collapse backward, a look of intense surprise on his face.

Hes not carrying a phase pistol,she thought with a start. And hes not even in uniform.In fact, Reed was wearing what appeared to be a dark robe, similar to the attire of a civilian Vulcan merchant.

Reed quickly rolled backward, regaining his footing and springing to a crouching defensive stance. “Do you want to fight me, TPol, or do you want my help? Because Vulcan or not, Ill kick your ass, plus youll miss your chance to input the code I just gave you. If you dont do that in the next twenty seconds, the security alarms will go off and well bothhave some heavy explaining to do.

TPols mind raced, but her decision came quickly. She tapped the code into the datapad, and was rewarded with a green light.

“Now, we have ten minutes of safe time to get away from Enterprisebefore the system stops running the redundant program I wrote to conceal our little act of piracy, Reed said, cautiously moving closer.

TPol turned to him, reflexively raising an eyebrow. “Our?

“Whatever your plan is, Im coming with you, Reed said.

“Why?

“Id rather save the detailed explanation for after weve gotten safely under way, Reed replied, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Suffice it to say that I know your intention is to rescue Trip. And he wouldnt be in this mess if it werent for me.

TPol knew that Reed had worked in the past for the same secretive Starfleet organization for which Trip had since become an agent. She also knew that after Reed had told them he would no longer work for them, they had recruited Trip. She didnt know how or why they had convinced Trip he could be an effective spyshe hoped hed tell her after they extracted him from Romulan spacebut she assumed they had their reasons. She was surprised, however, to learn that Reed felt so guilty about Trips recruitment.

“Did Captain Archer put you up to this, Lieutenant? TPol asked. Had the captains reticence about helping her merely been another secret maneuver, a tactic akin to the deliberate disinformation that still concealed, from most people, the fact that Trip wasnt really dead? Were Archers earlier protestations simply an official gesture intended, as Trip might have put it, to “cover his ass?

“Im afraid not, Commander, Reed said, looking a bit crestfallen. “In fact, I suspect this may be my final straw with the captain. Ive had to lie to him before because of my relationship with the bureau, and he believed me afterward when I told him I was through with all of that.