He stared directly at the chancellor as he spoke, hoping that his own waning strength and nearly blinding pain wouldnt overwhelm him entirely before he finished making his point. “ Ihave satisfied your challenge. Ihave fulfilled my promise. Now youmust do the same.

Archer felt his legs suddenly go weak, as though they had in an instant turned to water. His vision grew hazy, and the chancellor appeared to be withdrawing into a dark tunnel, an inscrutable expression on his face as the crowd in the gallery roared incomprehensible things.

Then darkness came, followed immediately by silence.

TWENTY‑NINE

Taugus III

T RIP CLOSEDhis eyes and wondered whether hed feel the disruptors searing heat before the weapon broiled his vital organs from the inside out. Or if, just before the end came, hed hear the sizzle of the pistols energy discharge over the din of the alarm klaxons that continued to blare and reverberate throughout the Ejhoi Ormiinfacility.

The klaxon did little to blunt the crackle of a column of disturbed air, which arrived right on schedule. Trip was surprised at how little pain he felt.

In fact, he felt no pain whatsoever.

A familiar male voice spoke from behind him. “Commander Tucker? Is that really you? Are you all right?

He opened his eyes, which were immediately drawn to the spot on the floor where Terix lay supine, his body crumpled near a pair of the unconscious dissidents and his own fallen disruptor pistol. The blare of the klaxon must have drowned out whatever sound the centurions body had made on its way down.

Trip turned to face the English‑accented man who had called to himand was further surprised to note that the man hadnt come alone. Both figures wore black paramilitary‑type clothing rather than their more familiar blue Starfleet jumpsuits.

Somebodyd better pinch me,he thought, momentarily half convinced that he was experiencing another one of those dreamlike yet almost tangibly real visions that sometimes came to him when his mind straddled the weird twilight realm that lay between slumber and consciousness.

Then he realized that he had rarely, if ever, felt quite so wide awake as he did at this moment. After all, its kinda tough to nod off while somebodys got a gun pointed straight at your head.

“Malcolm, Trip said, still incredulous. “TPol. How the hell did you two get here?

TPol paused to glance at the setting on the phase pistol in her hand, then gazed back at Trip with one eyebrow raised in an ironic arch. “Very likely the same way you did, Commander, she said. “In a spaceship.

Trip frowned. “Well, I didnt think you paddled after me in a rowboat. Cant afford to start getting used to these last‑minute reprieves,he told himself, nettled even thoughor perhaps becausehe knew he owed his life to the out‑of‑the‑blue intervention of two of his closest friends. But he didnt want to examine this new turn of luck too closely, lest he convince himself either that he was indeed dreaming or that some higher power was quietly guiding his destiny.

Still feeling poleaxed by the cavalrys unexpected arrivalnot to mention disoriented by the blaring alarmsTrip could only stand and watch as Malcolm methodically gathered up the disruptor weapons that lay scattered across the floor or were still attached to their unconscious Romulan owners, either holstered on belts or clutched in insensate fingers. Malcolm kept his phase pistol at the ready as he went to work, starting with the fallen centurion, whom Trip noted was still breathing.

Unlike these folks,our weapons have a stun setting,Trip thought, relieved that no one had died here as yet. He was bitterly aware, however, that circumstances would still probably require him to kill Terix at some pointprobably sooner rather than laternow that he and Sopek had unmasked each other in front of the centurion.

With a start, he became conscious that TPol was speaking to him again. “I take it you came here in pursuit of a specific goal, Commander, she said, her voice raised to a near shout to cut through the voluminous background noise.

He nodded. “The dissidents based here stole some of Doctor Ehrehins warp‑seven drive research data. We came to determine exactly what they took. Andto get it back, to prevent them from putting any of it to use. He realized even as he spoke the words that she probably had no knowledge about Ehrehin, much less anything else he was talking about. But he hoped she would understand the urgency of his task nonetheless; he hoped theyd have time to discuss all the particulars in detail later.

Just as he knew that the mission that he and Centurion Terix had undertaken might already be a lost cause were they to overlook so much as a single copy of the purloined data.

“And have you managed to locate the stolen information yet? TPol wanted to know.

“No, said a groggy male voice. “And he wont.

Trip and TPol turned together toward Chuihv, who was rather laboriously trying to rise to a sitting position on the floor. Once he had done so, he raised his hands in surrender in response to Malcolm, who stood nearby with his phase pistol aimed straight at the dissident leaders midsection.

“Captain Sopek? TPol said. Trip allowed himself to enjoy the flash of surprise that somehow managed to make a momentary escape to her usually stoic face.

“Small galaxy, isnt it? Trip said, not quite suppressing a small but determined grin.

“Sub‑Commander TPol, Sopek/Chuihv said, nodding in her direction.

“Commander, she corrected.

The man nodded. “Ah. Im pleased to see that youve prospered. It would be a pity were you to be less fortunate with regard to the long life part of the traditional Vulcan greeting, however.

“What the hell are you talking about? said Malcolm, brandishing his weapon.

“Do you understand what the klaxon youre hearing signifies? After a pause, Sopek said, “Its our automated intruder containment system.

“Let me guess, Trip said. “Youre going to blow up the whole building.

Sopek nodded. “You have very little time.

TPol brandished her weapon. “Youre coming with us, Captain. Your presence here raises a number of questions for which I require answers. I need to determine whether you are acting here at the behest of the VShar, or in pursuit of some other agenda.

Sopek nodded, his face now a stony mask of dignified Vulcan equanimity. “Your curiosity is certainly understandable, he said as he rose to his feet.

Trip gestured toward the unconscious centurion. “We need to take this man into custody, too. A few moments later, he and Malcolm hoisted the surprisingly heavy Romulan soldier in a modified firemans carry while TPol covered the three of them with her phase pistol.

“What about the other people? Malcolm asked, tipping his head toward the table where the academics were seated. “Were not going to just leave them here to die, are we?

The question made Trip feel a slight twinge of guilt, but he suppressed it. After all, these people were allied with the craven killers who had murdered Ehrehin.

Turning his back on the academics as he shifted Terixs dead weight, Trip said, “If theyre smart enough to poach a great mans research, they ought to be smart enough to find their own ride out of here.

“What about the stolen data? Malcolm said.

“To hell with it, Trip said. “With any luck, itll burn up when this place goes boom. Thoughts of all the harm the missing data might cause in the wrong hands expunged his remaining guilt over his decision not to extract anyone other than Sopek, Terix, and his friends.

Yet another voice spoke up loudly then, originating from behind the wardrooms small dining table, directly behind Trip.

“No!

Though he was still burdened by half of Terixs dead weight, Trip turned his head and shoulders toward the speaker, who turned out to be one of the three Romulan civilians whom he and Terix had surprised when theyd arrived. It was the womanand she held a disruptor pistol that one of the Ejhoi Ormiinparamilitary people had evidently dropped earlier; Malcolm must have overlooked it when hed been rounding up their scattered equipment.