Agents of Influence

by Dayton Ward

  Was there nothing that could be saved from this debacle?

  “So,” Kesh said after a moment, “what the Intelligence director meant to tell you is that all of the information these agents acquired during their time here is in danger of falling into Starfleet’s hands.”

  Novek replied, “Assuming they or their information makes it back to their superiors. That is not yet a certainty, Chancellor.”

  They fell silent as Duvoq arrived with a chair for Novek, which Kesh directed be positioned near the fire pit, then waited until he returned with refreshments. The younger Klingon offered a tankard to Novek before placing a larger stone decanter of bloodwine near the pit’s edge. Only after the aide once more took his leave and they settled into their seats did Kesh resume their conversation.

  “You have word about the hunt for these spies?”

  Novek drank deeply from his tankard before replying, “From an unexpected source. It appears the Federation starship we hoped was destroyed in the Ivratis asteroid field has survived, at least after a fashion.”

  Listening as his friend relayed information from the mysterious agent embedded with the crew of the U.S.S. Endeavour, Kesh could only shake his head in disbelief. His surprise deepened as Novek recounted the starship’s crash landing and the attack by Orion pirates, and the agent’s efforts to sow doubt and fear while attempting to learn details about the operatives the Endeavour hoped to return to Starfleet.

  “This is confirmed?” he asked.

  Novek nodded. “It corroborates information provided by the Intelligence director. He also verified there is an agent operating aboard the Endeavour. That operative had no specific assignment other than observation, but it is fortunate he was there at all.”

  “That Intelligence was able to place a spy aboard one of Starfleet’s most revered vessels.” Kesh could not help but laugh. “That is a remarkable achievement.”

  “It is normally a difficult proposition,” Novek replied. “However, the Endeavour was in unexpected need of a great many crew replacements, and we were able to seize the opportunity. According to this agent, his actions may have attracted sufficient attention that his discovery was inevitable. Given how much time has elapsed since the message was sent, this may have already occurred. If that is the case, then I suspect inserting an agent anywhere in Starfleet will be much more difficult after this incident.”

  That was almost certainly true, Kesh conceded. “But we do not yet know for certain this has happened?”

  “No, Chancellor.” Finishing his bloodwine, Novek helped himself to the decanter near the fire pit. “There is something else. It appears Imperial Intelligence has not been forthcoming about some of their recent activities.”

  It required another refill of his own tankard as Kesh listened to his friend explain the research and development taking place in the Ivratis asteroid field. While it was not unusual for the Defense Force or the intelligence branch to carry out clandestine weapons development programs, that this one was occurring beyond the Empire’s borders was troublesome. That this secret research effort also involved Orions only made things worse. The Orion Syndicate, for all its prattling about remaining “neutral” with respect to its interactions with the quadrant’s major interstellar powers, could and did take advantage of any situation that stood to make them a profit. Their involvement in any imperial action that placed them at odds with Starfleet would not be received kindly by the Federation.

  “The asteroid field is in unclaimed space,” Novek said. “But that will not matter if Starfleet can point to it as a cause for the loss of their vessel.”

  Despite his role as chancellor of the High Council, Kesh never fancied himself a diplomat. He appreciated the idea that politics was its own battleground, but he preferred to leave it to those better suited to waging that kind of war. If what Novek said was true, then this situation had taken on an added dimension that only promised more trouble.

  “And the Enterprise is still operating in that region?” Kesh asked.

  Novek grimaced. “Yes, Chancellor.”

  Pushing himself to his feet, Kesh took his own turn pacing the length of the veranda. He paused at the edge of the stone platform, looking first to the trees surrounding his house and finally beyond them to the distant mountains. Under the sunlight reflecting off the surface of the Praxis moon, he could see snow covering the tallest peaks. In another month the snowline would descend to cover the top third of the mountains. That would make for good mIl’oD hunting, he knew, but the thought offered him little solace, for he also was sure he would not be able to partake of the time-honored ritual. Such were the realities of the office he held.

  “Contemplating a military action against Starfleet was not how I envisioned spending this evening,” he said, drinking the last of the bloodwine in his tankard. He considered refilling the vessel, then decided against it. “But this situation now threatens to spiral out of control, and must therefore be contained.”

  He turned his back on the mountains, facing Novek. “Do we have any ships in position to be of use to this situation?”

  “Two battle cruisers, Chancellor,” his friend replied. “They can be there within hours at maximum speed, but what is their mission?”

  “This unsanctioned research effort. See that it’s no longer a concern. Make sure the same is true of the Endeavour, and whatever spies it might harbor.”

  “And what of the agent aboard the Endeavour?”

  Kesh sighed. “He is a soldier of the Empire. He will understand.”

  Thirty-three

  The Endeavour’s main briefing room was different from that of its Enterprise counterpart. While its dimensions were the same, the polished wood conference table was different, shaped like an oval with its lateral ends chopped away. A three-sided viewer sat at the table’s center, and there was a viewscreen set into the room’s far wall. The room also featured a circular dropped ceiling, with translucent panels set into a metal frame and the entire construct resting on four angled metal stanchions. Reduced lighting cast the room’s corners into shadow, while softer illumination in the dropped ceiling provided an almost gothic atmosphere.

  Eight chairs were arranged around the table, and a computer terminal sat at the end of the table opposite Kirk’s seat. To his right was Captain Khatami and to her right sat Commander Katherine Stano. Also present and sitting opposite Khatami and Kirk was Lieutenant Brax. Morgan Binnix occupied the chair next to him, while Phil Watson leaned with crossed arms against the stanchion just behind his fellow agent.

  “We have completed a phase-one search of the ship,” said Brax. Two of the Edoan security chief’s three hands rested in his lap, while the one attached to the arm at the center of his torso held a tricorder. “We found no sign of Commander Yataro or Agent Horst. So far as we are able to determine, Captain, they are not aboard the ship.”

  Khatami, leaning forward in her seat so her forearms rested atop the conference table, tapped its surface with the nail of her right forefinger. “That’s impossible, Lieutenant. Neither of them had any reason to leave the ship. They have to be somewhere.”

  “I have already ordered the search teams to begin another sweep,” Brax replied. “We will continue to observe all phase-one search protocols during the effort.”

  “Excuse me,” Watson said. “Phase one?”

  Stano replied, “A phase-one search is basically checking the entire ship from top to bottom. Every nook and cranny, every Jefferies tube, storage locker, ladder well, turboshaft; anywhere on the ship a normal humanoid crew member might be able to fit. Phase-one protocols assume the person we’re searching for is incapacitated or unable to call out for help, or they can’t respond to attempts to locate them.”

  “You mean dead,” Binnix said.

  “Not necessarily,” Kirk replied. “Until located or the search is called off, the assumption is the sought-after party is injured or otherwise unresponsive.”

  Khatami added, “It also assumes the person or pe
rsons in question aren’t deliberately working to avoid such a search. I can’t imagine Yataro ever wanting to play hide-and-seek, but if he did I’m willing to bet he’d wait for a more appropriate time.” She paused before looking to Binnix and Watson. “I can’t speak for your fellow agent.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding.” Watson pushed himself from the stanchion. “Are you seriously accusing Horst of something? You think he hurt or killed your engineer? He was helping Yataro, remember? Hell, we’ve all been helping you since we got here.” Stepping closer to the conference table, he looked at Brax as he gestured toward the bulkhead. “Did you already forget I just came in from helping put together your little bunkhouses for our big pirate sleepover party you’ve got going? And that was after the help we gave you during the repairs, to say nothing of Binnix volunteering for that firefight we just had outside the ship. You’re welcome for all of that, by the way.”

  Turning in her seat, Binnix eyed her companion. “Phil.” She spoke in a soft voice, but the warning in her tone was unmistakable.

  “We appreciate your assistance throughout this situation, Mister Watson,” Khatami said. “But I’m sure you can understand the position I’m in. Sabotage aboard my ship, four of my people dead, with two more unaccounted for. Tell me if our roles weren’t reversed you wouldn’t have the same concerns.”

  Watson closed his eyes, drawing a deep breath as he held out one hand. “Okay. Fair enough. I’m sorry, but accusations of being a traitor after everything we’ve been through tend to irritate me.”

  “If I honestly believed you were behind any of this, we wouldn’t be having this conversation and I’d have drop-kicked you through an airlock.” Khatami held the other man’s gaze for an additional moment before adding, “You’re welcome.” To his credit, Watson decided against pushing the point any further, but he remained standing with crossed arms behind Binnix.

  “For whatever the hell my opinion’s worth,” Stano said, “the timing just doesn’t work out for either of you or Horst to be involved. Not for the impulse engine or the phaser cannon malfunctions. None of you were on the impulse deck when the damage occurred, for one thing.”

  Brax added, “And Captain Khatami instructed me to ensure none of you were given unsupervised access to any of our weapons.”

  “It’s what I would’ve done,” Binnix said. “It stings to hear it said about you, but I get it.”

  Kirk shifted in his seat. “Agent Binnix saved my life out on the surface. One might argue it was an obvious move to counter suspicion, but I like to think I read people better than that.” He shook his head. “No, I don’t think any of you is responsible for our problems, but that means we have an even bigger one. A member of the crew has to be our saboteur.”

  Silence hung over the room for several seconds, long enough for Kirk to realize only then the palpable absence of warp engines providing power to the Endeavour. The low, omnipresent drone was something he long ago grew accustomed to hearing. Years of service in space made the sound such an ingrained part of life aboard a starship. To not hear it now only hammered home the point that the Endeavour was but a shadow of her former self. Having it compounded by the stark realization someone among them might be a traitor only served to deepen the sense of dread Kirk was trying with great difficulty to keep at bay.

  “Do you believe we are only dealing with one person?” Brax asked.

  Everyone at the table exchanged looks of uncertainty before Khatami replied, “To be honest, that was my assumption, but you’re right, Lieutenant. And now I have a new nightmare, assuming I actually get to sleep any time soon.”

  Stano said, “I don’t know that it’s more than a single person.” When Kirk and the others turned to her, she gestured toward the briefing room doors. “Let’s face it. With the secondary hull gone and several decks of the saucer unusable, we’re pretty crammed together in here. Someone working alone would have a hard enough time doing what’s been done to this point without being noticed. Two or more, trying to work together?” She shook her head. “I’m not buying it.”

  Before anyone could respond, the communicator next to Khatami’s right hand beeped for attention. When she activated the device, she and everyone else at the table were greeted by the voice of Lieutenant Hector Estrada.

  “Sorry to disturb you, Captain, but I figured you all would want to hear this. We’re being hailed by the Enterprise on a secure coded frequency.”

  That was enough to evoke smiles from everyone in the room. At Kirk’s suggestion, the communications officer had been working with Lieutenant Uhura and one of the Endeavour engineers once the sensor buoys deployed to the asteroid’s surface were back online. Since everyone in the region now seemed to know the crashed starship’s location, there was no reason not to call for help. To that end, Estrada and Uhura, with the assistance of Master Chief Petty Officer Christine Rideout, amplified the ship’s transceiver array and pumped an outgoing signal through the buoys in the hopes of catching the Enterprise’s attention. It was still a tall order given the background interference permeating the field, but Kirk reasoned they had nothing to lose at this point.

  Kirk and Khatami were the first to their feet, and Kirk was already moving toward the viewscreen in the room’s far wall.

  “Excellent work, Lieutenant. Pass on my thanks to the master chief as well. Pipe that communication down here.” Looking to Kirk, Khatami added, “I figure we can spare the power for something like this.”

  Gathering near the screen as it activated, the group watched as it coalesced into a grainy, static-littered image that was still clear enough for Kirk to make out Spock’s visage over the encrypted channel. Just the sight of his first officer was enough to make him feel more at ease. He sat in the command chair on the Enterprise bridge, flanked by Doctor McCoy and Admiral Nogura.

  “Spock, you have no idea how good it is to see you.”

  “Likewise, Captain.”

  McCoy asked, “Everybody okay over there?”

  A brief exchange ensued, with each side updating the other on the condition of both ships, including the status of Binnix and her agents, the Orions’ attempted raid as well as the potential saboteur still running loose aboard the Endeavour. Kirk and everyone else, but Khatami and Stano in particular, listened with fascination as Spock described what the Enterprise crew had learned about Klingon activities in the area. This included their encounter with Klingon scout ships and the strange disruption technology that everyone now believed was the cause for the Endeavour’s misfortune. No one in the room was happy to hear about the signal sent from the asteroid field and presumably intended to summon Klingon reinforcements to the area.

  “We don’t know how or even if the Orions are in bed with the Klingons on this one,” Nogura said, “but I’m not ruling it out. Why else would they be hanging around here once they knew the Klingons were in the area? They’re smart enough to know nothing can come from that, unless there’s a way for them to get something out of the deal.”

  Binnix said, “The Klingons won’t care about being called out for weapons testing. Their top priority is us and our data module. They know we haven’t had a chance to transfer it to anyone. Even if we had the time to send it to you over this shaky connection, the data crystals are programmed to prohibit any attempt at data transfer until they’re in your possession, Admiral.”

  Standing next to her, Watson added, “It’ll destroy the entire archive if we try to circumvent it, sir. Seems like a pretty good reason for you to come get us.”

  Khatami eyed the agent before returning her gaze to the screen. “Admiral, I’d love to hear you say you’re on your way right now to get me and my people out of here, but I think we both understand that’s not the right play here. This disruption technology they’re working on isn’t even the real problem. If they know we’re here and we’ve got the agents and their information, they won’t sit idle while we hustle them home. They’ve already called for help, but you know they’re going to throw whateve
r they’ve got at us well before then.”

  Nogura nodded. “My exact assessment, Captain.”

  “We believe we have pinpointed the location of a Klingon outpost within the asteroid field,” Spock said. “We are en route to investiga—”

  Static exploded across the image, washing away Spock and the others before the screen deactivated.

  “Captain Khatami,” said Estrada over the intercom. “We just lost the transmission. I’m not yet sure how it happened.”

  Kirk exchanged knowing looks with Khatami. Like him, she already knew what had caused the abrupt interruption.

  “Our friend’s back at it,” Stano said, giving voice to their suspicions.

  Estrada replied, “Lieutenant Uhura and I are trying a couple of tricks to backtrack what happened, Captain. I’ll keep you updated.”

  A new voice filtered through the open comm channel. “Klisiewicz cutting in, Captain. Sensors are still working, and we’re picking up a pair of signals at the outer limit of our scanning range. They’re Klingon.”

  “Scout ships?” Stano asked.

  “Looks that way, Commander.” There was a pause before Klisiewicz added, “Probably the same type as the ones Commander Spock described from the Enterprise’s earlier run-in. They don’t seem to be heading in our direction yet, but their sensors are active like they’re looking for something. If we can see them I’m pretty sure they can see us.”