“Uh‑huh, Archer said, nodding.

“It is coded,Qapegh said in truculent tones.

“Thats right. For the admirals eyes only. And I expect hes going to be pretty damned unhappy with anybody who delays his seeing it. Needless to say, its fairly time‑sensitive stuff. Admiral Krell can contact me on the secure frequency specified in the message header to receive the encryption key.

Archer closed off the channel before the goggle‑eyed Klingon could finish drawing breath to make a reply that was doubtless now being delivered at a full‑throated shout before a blank screen. After all, the last thing he needed was to have some pissed‑off Klingon waking up his dog in the middle of the night.

That certainly felt good,Archer thought as he leaned back in his chair and waited patiently for the inevitable return call. He listened to the gentle susurration of Porthoss snoring in his otherwise dark and silent cabin.

He was a little surprised that it had taken six whole minutes for the incoming call indicator on his com‑panel to light up. Suppressing a grin, he transmitted the encryption code in response to the text message that scrolled up his screen, and then allowed nearly another whole minute to pass. The incoming light came on again, and he sat up straight and assayed his best parade‑ground military bearing just before toggling the “accept key.

“Thank you for contacting me so soon after our last conversation, Admiral, he said to the older, gray‑bearded Klingon whose glowering face and almost human‑smooth forehead now filled his viewer like a looming mountainside. “You do me honor.

“Do not play games with me, Archer,Krell said. “You know as well as I do that my decision to respond to your summons has little to do with honor, either yours or mine.

Archer suppressed a smile, as well as any further comment regarding matters of honor. Krell was obviously making a veiled reference to Archers encrypted text message, which had intimated that Krell might want to cooperate, lest the admirals covert cooperation with a human espionage bureau during the QuVat affair the previous year become generally known throughout the Klingon Empire.

“Your honor remains safe with me, Admiral Krell, Archer said carefully. “As well as other matters that are best never spoken about again.

“I can see that aRomuluSngan might envy your skill in the dark art of blackmail, Archer,Krell said with a grunt. “You spoke to my aide of the Draylax incident. Why can you not leave the matter alone?

“Because Im still having trouble making sense of it, Admiral, Archer said. “Perhaps if you were to help me shed a little more light on what reallyhappened here at Draylaxand whyI might be able to see my way clear to talking about it a whole lot less from now on.

Krells eyes narrowed as he stroked his grizzled chin in apparent contemplation. With another grunt, he said, “Your threats aside, youhave proved trustworthy with confidences thus far, Captain. Perhaps I can afford to trust you somewhat further. Particularly if doing so makes you less of a pain in theoyoS. And makes you go away as well.

Archer smiled, though he was even less sure about the meaning of oyoSthan the translator evidently was. “Nothing would make me happier, Admiral. You, too, I expect.

“Very well, Captain,Krell said, nodding. “But I shall add only this to what I have told you already: The three battle cruisers that attacked Draylax were commanded by rogue captains. Men who were operatingwithout the legitimate authorization of either the High Council or the Klingon Defense Force. They were killed during the commission of their treachery. Their Houses, as well as the Houses of the craven subordinates who followed their un‑lawful orders, have since been dispossessed and discommended for their lack of honor and discipline.

Archer had no pretensions to serious expertise about Klingon culture. Nevertheless, he felt more than justified in assuming that virtually everyone in the Empire who might know anything about the Draylax affair was no longer available for questioning. At least,he thought, not without an extremely sensitive Ouija board. One thats tuned in toSto‑Vo‑Top, or whatever the hell the Klingons call their version of the hereafter.

“Forgive me for making this observation, Admiral, Archer said aloud. “But that sounds awfully convenient.

Krell leaned forward and displayed a pair of curved and wickedly sharpened incisors. “That is as may be, Captain Archer. But it is also my final word on the subject. Admiral Krell out.

And with that, Krells image vanished, replaced for an instant by the Klingon trefoil emblem, which yielded to the ships status screen a heartbeat or so later as the subspace channel closed.

He sat alone in the darkness, staring into the empty blue glow of the screen. “Naghs,he muttered, thinking that mastering the Klingon spoken language might not be as difficult as hed once thought.

Still lying in the corner, Porthos came out of his apparent slumber, raised his head slightly, and released a low growl that might have done a Klingon captain proud. Archer chose to take it as a noise of solidarity rather than a reprimand for his rude use of Klingon vocabulary.

“I agree completely, Porthos. I cant buy what Krells trying to sell, either.

He knew that the Klingon Defense Force ran on discipline just as much as Starfleet and the MACOs did. Perhaps even more so.

Three trained Klingon captains wouldnt just suddenly go rogue for no apparent reason,he thought. Krell still knows a hell of a lot more about this than he wants anyone else to find out. And hes prepared to sweep it all under the rug to make sure that nobody does.

Once again, Archer felt an all but overwhelming need to talk to someone he could trust. Somebody with fewer than four legs.

He toggled open the intercom switch on his desk. “Archer to TPol.

No answer. His second try wasnt any more successful. Despite the lateness of the hour, and his knowledge of TPols habit of retreating behind a veil of Vulcan meditation, a small worm of suspicion began to turn in his guts. He rose and crossed to the hatchway, letting himself out into E decks main corridor, and onto the tubolift to B deck, determined to prove that suspicion unfounded.

After a brisk trot nearly a quarter of the way along the hallways gentle curvature, he came to a stop before the door to TPols quarters and buzzed the keypad to announce his presence.

Still no answer. The suspicion in his belly was quickly congealing into an awful certainty as he entered his override code into the controls. The hatch hissed obediently open, and he slowly stepped into the darkened chamber beyond.

It only took a few moments to determine that TPol wasnt in her quarters. The pattern of TPols recent behaviorparticularly her recent insistence that Trip was in urgent need of rescue, and her even more recent withdrawal behind the impenetrable veil of “Vulcan meditationsuddenly began to make sense.

He sincerely hoped the conclusion to which he had just jumped was wrong. Crossing to a desk illuminated only by the wan light of a neutral monitor screen and the distant stars beyond the viewport, Archer toggled open another com channel.

“Archer to Launch Bay One.

“Launch Bay One,came a young crewmans crisp, almost instantaneous reply. If he sounded surprised to be hearing directly from Archer, particularly at such a late hour, it didnt show. “Ensign Nguyen here, sir. What can I do for you?

“I need a status report on Shuttlepod One and Shuttlepod Two, Ensign.

“Shuttlepod One is fueled and ready to go,Nguyen said.

“And Shuttlepod Two?

“I can give you a detailed status report on her just as soon as she returns toEnterprise.