Which covers all three of us,he thought as the hatch hissed closed, separating him from his friends.

Perhaps for the very last time.

THIRTY‑TWO

Tuesday, July 22, 2155 Qam‑Chee, the First City, QonoS

T O A RCHERit felt as though only hours had passed since he had last entered the Klingon High Councils main assembly chamber, though he knew he had little grasp of time as it was reckoned on alien planets. QonoS, like countless other worlds, had its own calendar based upon the unique motions of the planet and its satellites, none of which corresponded neatly to United Earth Standard. Combined with his time in the arena and in the medical facility afterward, Archer wasnt at all certain exactly what time it was when Krell began presenting the evidence that MRek had promised would exculpate the Klingon Empire over the attack on Draylax.

With his doctor husband looking annoyed nearby, Admiral Krell moved slowly but restlessly about the front of the otherwise nearly empty chamber, using a crutch tucked under his good arm to support his considerable weight. Although Krell once again had two armsa hard cast held the reattached limb immobile against the admirals sideit was clear that his every movement was causing him excruciating pain. Though he had emerged from the duel in slightly better shape than Krell had, Archer felt grateful for the hard bench on which his weary weight rested at the moment; with the wound in his side still smarting even as it was healing under Phloxs ministrations, he certainly wouldnt want to have to stand for any length of time, despite his own restive desire to get back to work protecting Earth and the Coalition. This guy obviously doesnt deal with enforced idleness any better than I do,Archer thought, feeling a surge of sympathy for a kindred spirit as he watched Krells unconscious fidgeting.

Mounted on the wall beside Krell was a giant flat screen, not unlike the central viewer that adorned the forward wall of Enterprises bridge. Standing sentry at the door were several armed Klingon warriors, all of them evidently carrying enough rank and privilege to be allowed to witness the admirals presentation; because of the sensitive nature of Krells briefing, Chancellor MRek had insisted that Archers MACO escorts wait outside the chamber, and Archer had nearly had to fight another duel to convince the chancellor to overrule Krells initial refusal to allow Phlox to stay.

Using his one functional hand, Krell gestured toward the screen, which had shifted to an oblique overhead starboard view of the busy bridge of a Klingon battle cruiser. “As you can see, the captain and crew of the I.K.S. KajDeelwere taken completely unawares by the total loss of instrumentation control on their bridge, the admiral said.

“Why is the system still generating an audiovisual record if all the other bridge systems have failed? Archer asked. Beside him, Phlox moved his medical scanner over the captains shoulder area, and Archer turned his head just enough to see the doctor frowning at the results. Though Phloxs reaction certainly piqued his curiosity, he had no time to pursue the matter at the moment.

“A secondary crew happened to be aboard the KajDeelat the time, recording these images for instructional and training purposes, Krell said. “Their equipment was not tied in to the ships systems.

On the screen, Klingon personnel rushed around, shouting at one another in evident anger and frustration. Several even pounded their fists ineffectually at the consoles in front of them.

Then, in a scene inset within another, the Klingon battle cruisers bridge viewer changed images; instead of displaying a neutral star field, it now showed a dark emerald Romulan bird‑of‑prey. The orientation of the warship didnt permit Archer to see its ventral underbelly, which the captain knew from experience usually carried a garish, predatory bird design; nevertheless, there could be no mistaking the horseshoe‑crab configuration of this vessel as anything but Romulan.

The image on the screen‑within‑the‑screen changed again, backing off to a longer view, even as the agitation of the KajDeels crew ratcheted even higher. The audio quality of the recording played havoc with the language matrix of Archers translation device, enabling him to parse only every fourth or fifth word at best. But he was absolutely certain he understood whythe Klingons on the screen were so excited.

The KajDeels viewer showed a second Klingon vessel, this one apparently a fuel tanker, of the same class that the Klingons had used to carry deuterium fuel when Enterprisehad aided the pirate‑besieged deuterium miners of the settlement on Yeq three years ago.

“What are they saying? Archer asked.

“They were shouting that most of the ships systems had gone offline, Krell said. “Life support and communications were among the first to fall. The weapons systems were apparently still functioning at this point, though the weapons control interfaces were not. Therefore the KajDeelcould neither call out for help nor warn the freighter PeD NIHwIthat their weapons systems had targeted the vessel, all on their own.

“Was the freighter similarly affected? Archer said, scowling. Phlox had begun scanning him again, and he waved his arm in mild annoyance to encourage the doctor to back away.

Behind him, MRek spoke up, apparently having grown irritated by Phloxs kibitzing as well. “DenobuluSngan!Is it necessaryfor you to coddle your captain during a classified briefing? A pair of Klingon soldiers began to advance toward Phlox, evidently taking a hint from the chancellors stern tone and Krells decision to pause his audiovisual presentation.

Phlox nodded toward the otherwise empty Council bench where the chancellor sat, and showed no sign of even having noticed the Klingon officers who now flanked him. “Chancellor MRek, despite his victory today, Captain Archer could still face grave complications because of the injuries he has sustained. I fear that his tertiary lungmight have suffered an undetected laceration, and that he is developing a severe penile‑craniotomological distension.

What the hell?Archer bit his tongue slightly. Clearly Phlox was up to something, but he wasnt about to inquire into it at the moment. Turning to MRek, he said, “My apologies, Chancellor. I will instruct my physician to be a bit less obtrusive. But he is right to point out that humans react differently to trauma than Klingons do.

MRek scowled, but said nothing further, pointing instead toward the viewscreen on the wall. Archer saw the two soldiers back away from Phlox as Krell depressed a small switch on a hand‑held device, allowing the images and sounds to begin playing again.

On the KajDeels screen, blue‑green weapons‑blasts suddenly became visible, arcing forward toward the relatively defenseless fuel freighter. Moments later, the tanker exploded in a series of brilliant plasma bursts, sending an expanding cloud of metallic debris and superheated gases roiling into the void of space.

Krell paused the images again. “If it was not clear, Captain, that salvo came from the KajDeel,not from the RomuluSnganship. Those treacherous gharghhave found a means of turning our own weapons against us. He turned back toward the screen, allowing the images to resume.

On the Klingon warships viewscreen, the Romulan vessel reappeared, and then all hell seemed to break loose. A loud gonging sound and random shouts rose to a frantic crescendo almost instantaneously as the picture begin to waver and shake. Archer surmised that whoever had been capturing the images was no longer entirely in control of his equipment, or of much of anything else.

Which, Archer realized, was exactlythe case.