Trip sighed. Yet again, an unfailingly lethal weapon was pointed more or less straight at his head. Only now, there was no guarantee that either Terix or Malcolm wouldnt be killed right along with him should that weapon go off in the womans shaking two‑handed grip. TPolwho still held her phase pistol at the readymight be able to stun the Romulan woman, but probably not before the academic released an energy discharge that would almost surely kill somebody.

“Easy peasy, there, Trip said to the woman. “Why dont you put that down? Lets talk about this, all right?

“Theres no time to talk, she said, keeping the weapon up and apparently ready. “Chuihv is our leader, and he must leave with us.

“How much time do we have? Trip said.

Chuihv/Sopek shrugged. “Perhaps enough for you to get back to your rescuers ship. If you leave now, unencumbered, that is. Put the centurion down. I promise you, we shall take extraordinarilygood care of him.

“He could be bluffing, Malcolm said, still holding up at least half the weight of Terixs unconscious form.

Maybe,Trip thought. But you gotta know when to fold em.

“You know, Ive survived a whole lot of bad stuff since all this craziness got started, Trip said. “But Im not fool enough yet to think I can roll sixes whenever I need em. Put him down, Malcolm.

Great,he thought. I dont get to recover the missing data, which was the whole point of coming here in the first place. And on top of that, Ive just lost the option of destroying it.

On the other hand, he just might survive long enough to make plans to do something about all of that. Which was better, he had to admit, than nothing.

“Cover us, TPol, he said. “Lets get the hell out of here while thats still an option.

After engaging the launch thrusters, TPol checked the sensors for any evidence of either outbound Ejhoi Ormiinvessels or incoming Romulan patrol ships; she could find no sign of either so far, though she knew that the planets problematic ionosphere might conceal a multitude of dangers, at least until the shuttlepod attained a high enough altitude to clear the atmosphere entirely. Even then, another ship could always hide itself by flying just beyond the limb of the planet itself.

Satisfied that the shuttlepod was now relatively safe, at least for the moment, she watched in silence as the planets surface continued its swift retreat until it became a vast aquamarine curve far below Shuttlepod Twos ventral hull.

Several soundless, nearly concurrent explosions appeared like rapidly blooming orange flowers a few moments later, despite the dense cloud layer that covered them.

“So Sopek wasnt bluffing after all, Trip said as he stared out one of the windows on the shuttlepods starboard side, just to the rear of the cockpit.

“Vulcans never bluff, TPol said. “I suppose the same might be said of other related species as well.

“Its good to see you again, Trip, Lieutenant Reed said, turning his copilots seat to the side to face Trip. “Even if you do look like Old Scratch himself at the moment. Turning back toward TPol with wide eyes, he added, “No offense meant, Commander.

TPol shook her head. “None taken, Lieutenant. She made a mental note to do some research on Earths religious mythologies before deciding whether or not Mister Reed had given her any reason to take offense. Of course, the fact that yet another human knew the secret of her peoples genetic relationship with the Romulans was of far greater importance than her ethnic pride.

Setting those matters aside, she decided she had to agree wholeheartedly with his underlying sentiment; it was indeed good to see Trip again. And although she regarded it as an unlikely possibility, she found herself hoping for an opportunity to tell him that herself, away from Reed. She wanted to reach out to Trip, to touch him outside the surreal confines of the telepathic link that had finally drawn them back together.

“Likewise, Trip said.

“You dont sound very happy, Malcolm said. TPol was inclined to agree.

Out of the corner of her eye, TPol saw Trip shrug. “I just wish your timing had worked out a little better, thats all, he said.

TPol frowned at the patent illogic of that comment. She was certain that the Romulan, whom Trip had identified as Centurion Terix, would have killed Trip where hed stood had she and Reed entered the room only a few seconds later.

Before she could press him on this point, Trip asked, “What are the chances of anything surviving those blasts? He seemed to be addressing no one in particular as he continued studying the distant embers of the explosion, which were moving swiftly beyond the planets eastern limb owing to the combined motion of the shuttlepod and the planet.

“Id tend to doubt it, Reed said. “The explosives they were using must have had one hell of a yield to produce a flash intense enough to be this visible right through such a heavy cloud deck.

“But that doesnt mean they couldnt have hotfooted it out of there at the last second, just like we did, Trip said, his tone growing increasingly sour. “Between this planets cloud layer, the weird local ionospheric effects, and the electromagnetic pulse those fireworks just put out, Sopek could have flown a small ship right past our sensors and wed never even know it.

“And if thatshappened, then that warp‑seven drive data his people stole is still in some pretty damn untrustworthy hands.

“It might already have been too late to prevent that from happening even before we arrived, Commander, TPol said as she laid in a course away from the planet and began powering up the main drive. She wondered silently whether Trip actually considered the hands of an aggressive and expansionist Romulan military to be significantly more trustworthy than those of the political radicals who at least nominally stood against them. After all, the enemy of ones enemy could sometimes be ones friend, as Suraks adversary TKarik had pointed out on more than one occasion.

But such considerations could be complicated enormously by rogues such as Sopekagents whose true loyalties were anything but clear.

“Dont you think I knowthat? Trip said, his evident anger creating a jarring counterpoint to his outwardly Vulcanoid appearance. “Data is the hardest thing of all to contain once it gets out. And your kicking down Sopeks door didnt make dealing with the thieves any easier, especially now that theyve taken a Romulan centurion prisoner. Theyll take their time trying to wring everything they can out of him, just like they did with Ehrehin.

Trip turned to the side, the planets reflected light surrounding him in a faintly bluish aura. Although she could see him only in profile, she noticed that his eyes had taken on a haunted, faraway cast that she could only wonder about. He seemed somehow disappointed, and perhaps a little angry as well. She wondered if his feelings stemmed from a mission that had ostensibly failed. Or whether he was disappointed by his apparent failure to extricate himself from a dangerous situation unassisted.

“I wish you two hadnt come, Trip said quietly, almost as though he had read her mind. As she watched him stare down at the slowly rotating alien world below, she considered their mental link again, and decided that he might indeed have picked up a cue from her on some subconscious level.

“Youre welcome, Commander, Reed said sourly. “My apologies for misjudging the situation down there so badly. I should have realized you were just trying to lull this Terix fellow into a false sense of security when you let him get the drop on you.

Malcolms mention of the Romulans name brought a shudder to TPols spine. Not because she recognized his name, but because she had recognized his face. She had seen him several days earlier, via the mind link, torturing Trip.