The real world returned to Trip in a disorienting rush of sensation. “Cunaehr! a stern male was shouting into his ear, startling him back into wakefulness. The fathomless white expanse around him vanished like fog, taking TPol with it. The face of Centurion Terix, whose aquiline features were creased with both concern and frustration, now nearly filled his vision.

“I had feared you dead for a moment, Terix said, releasing his grip on Trips bulky Romulan travel robes and backing away to his own nearby barstool.

Trip allowed his gaze to drift momentarily around the crowded, noisy, and dimly illuminated gambling establishment that surrounded them both as he regained his psychological bearings. The barstool that had somehow kept him from tipping over backward during his apparently brief episodehe no longer felt entirely certain that it had been a mere dream or hallucinationreminded him that the seat hadnt been designed with the Terran backside in mind. That single tangible reality jolted him the rest of the way back into the real world.

“Im fine, Terix, Trip said. “Just a little tired, thats all. It was a long flight out here.

“Sleep duringthe flight next time, Cunaehr, the centurion said in a low growl. “I didnt bring you all the way to the Empires southern galactic limits for you to doze off while so much work still lies ahead of us.

Right,Trip thought as he discreetly eyed the telltale bulge beneath Terixs otherwise unassuming dark travel robes. I should just take a catnap right next to a man whos convinced that Im a Vulcan spy.He knew that the centurions deliberately nonmartial garment was intended to conceal both a disruptor pistol and a razor‑sharp military Honor Blade, though he didnt think it was accomplishing that objective particularly well with regard to either weaponand that was to say nothing about Terixs aggressive stance.

He wondered which Terix would grab first, the gun or the blade, once he decided that he finally had an adequate excuse to follow his instincts.

“Id be happy to get started, Terix, Trip said. “Im just hoping not to die of sheer boredom while were sitting around waiting for our contact to turn up.

Terixs eyes narrowed dangerously. “Be patient, Cunaehr. And remain alert.

Trip nodded as he reached toward the bar on which hed set his now half‑empty mug. His first impression of the surprisingly potent blue ale had been that it probably ought to be illegal. The sip he took now only confirmed that initial opinion.

Several more minutes passed, during which Trip ever so slowly drained his glass. “What makes you so sure were even waiting in the right place, Terix? he said as he contemplated whether or not ordering a refill would make him more or less likely to experience another vivid hallucination.

“This place is more a frontier outpost than an established colony, Cunaehr. Therefore relatively few places like this exist on all of Cheron, since the Rihannsu population here numbers only a few thousand at most.

Cheron,Trip thought, reminding himself yet again that it would be a bad idea to slip up and call the place by its Earth astronomical designation, 83 Leonis V.

Aloud, he said, “But I saw huge cities when we were making our approach from orbit.

Terix shook his head. “No. You saw but the skeletonsof those cities. Their builders preceded the Rihannsu presence on this world by many millennia. They died out before our people arrived and gained a toehold here, perhaps centuries before. If they died by their own hands, they did quite a thorough job of destroying themselves.

Terixs statement roused Trips curiosity. “What do you mean?

Terix paused to quaff some of his own drink. “I take it youve never wandered about in the unexplored sectors of this city.

“No. Ive never been here before. And I didnt think you wanted to take the time for a sightseeing tour today.

“Well, I havebeen here before, Cunaehr, when time was not so pressing. I have seen the results of whatever plague felled these people, whether it came from happenstance or biological warfare. Whatever the cause, it killed all but a few of the hardier lower species of plants and animals. Even most of the natural microbiological processes that should have rotted away the remains of the dead eons ago have been crippled, or even stopped altogether.

The centurions eyes grew distant and haunted. “This world is like an unburied corpse, mummifying alone and forgotten in an uncaring desert.

Trip shivered inwardly. “Then why would anyone want to come to this planet, much less establish a permanent outpost here?

“For the strategic value of the place, of course, Terix said, studying him as though he were an exotic butterfly awaiting an unpleasant end in some oversize killing jar. “This system provides an almost completely unobstructed view of the world of our most remote ancestors. He paused, cranking up the amperage of his already accusing stare. “As well as those of their degenerate allies.

A beachhead,Trip thought. The beginning of an invasion route thatll take bastards like this straight on to Vulcan.

And then Earth.

A hand gripped his shoulder, startling him into nearly falling off the awkwardly contoured barstool. He turned and dismounted clumsily from the seat, expecting combat.

Instead Trip stood facing a smiling Romulan woman who appeared to be about his age. She was dressed much as both he and Terix were, in simple, dark travelers robes.

“Whos your new friend, Terix? the woman said to the centurion, her eyes moving appraisingly up and down Trips body in a manner that made him feel distinctly uncomfortable. No wonder Vulcans are so hard to get along with,he thought. Id be cranky, too, if I had to try to keep a libido like theirs reined in all the time.

“His name is Cunaehr, Terix said in a tone that implied that he still wasnt absolutely convinced of that fact.

“Cunaehr. Good, solid name, the woman said, her dark eyes now fixed on Trips, although she was still pointedly addressing the centurion. “And does he know how to talk?

“Maam Trip began.

“Its not hisjob to talk, TLuadh, Terix said, interrupting. “We came to this necropolis of a world to hear what youhave to say.

“So much for formal introductions, the woman said, looking disappointed. “Its always right down to business with you, isnt it, Terix? Perhaps you should have another round of khehirhobrews before we proceed. She raised a clear glass full of a sapphire‑blue liquid, which she seemed to have conjured out of thin air. Trip wondered if he was drinking the same stuff she was.

“Do not play games with us, TLuadh, the centurion said. “The Ejhoi Ormiincell we seek could be putting many liorae‑eisaeof distance between themselves and lawful pursuit even as we speak. He reached into his robe, and Trip feared for a moment he might draw one of his weapons.

Instead, Terix pulled out a small cloth sack and gave it a gentle toss. The little bag jingled as it landed heavily on the bar, and the woman wasted no time snapping it up, hefting it, and tucking it inside her own robe.

“Arent you going to count it? Trip asked.

She displayed an ironic half‑smile. “The centurion knows better than to cheat his prime intelligence sources. After all, the last thing he wants is to cause them to dry up. Or give them a reason to send him off hunting mogaiin downtown Dartha.

Even without prompting from his translation gear, Trip recognized the Romulan idiom for “wild goose chase. Despite the fact that the Romulan equivalent of wild geese were as large as people, on top of being rather nasty carnivores.

“Where are the Ejhoi Ormiinwere pursuing? Terix said, his right hand straying again toward the robe‑shrouded shape of his Honor Blade.