A special thanks goes out to 0afan0, who helped me tremendously with this chapter. It's kind of long, hope y'all don't mind!
Thanks for all of those hilarious reviews!
The human on the screen hesitated. "But will he believe me? For all he'll know, I'm leading him into a trap."
N'Vek was already prepared for the question. "Tell him Ambassador Spock is engaging in further 'cowboy diplomacy.'"
"'Cowboy diplomacy?'"
"Yes. Picard will understand." N'Vek knew that Stefan DeSeve, being a human himself, would probably comprehend the reference better than he could. He recalled that Lorna used many odd idioms in her speech and writing, but "cowboy diplomacy" wasn't one of them. In any case, he understood the concept well enough.
DeSeve nodded, and terminated the link, leaving N'Vek to ponder the nuances of his next move. But instead of the mission, his mind turned to Lorna. They had been apart only a few days, yet it felt as though it had been weeks. He longed to hold her in his arms again, to caress her soft skin and see her beautiful hazel eyes beg him for more.
At once, he tore his mind away from the reverie, and forced himself to focus on the task at hand. Keying the commands into the console in front of him, he set a course for Bokara VI. His original plan had fallen through, but he had known that would happen. That was why he had a Plan B.
Representatives from all over the Federation were at the neuropsychology conference on Bokara VI. N'Vek was clothed in the attire of a Vulcan scholar, though he prayed he wouldn't have to actually perform the role. He scanned the room. The particular person he was seeking hadn't arrived.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a Vulcan woman was watching him. If she engaged him in a conversation, it would spell trouble. He avoided her gaze. His stomach was growling, so he headed over to the buffet. Next to it was the dessert table, which included a fine assortment of chocolate selections. His target had a strong affinity for that food, and would head right for it when she arrived. He intended to watch that table like a hawk.
Speaking of hawks, he perceived the cold siren was right beside him. "I am T'Pari."
He nodded, and attempted to move away, but she wasn't going to let him go that easily. "It is not logical for you to refuse me the courtesy of your name." Her stare was almost eager, hungry. Yet he sensed that she was looking for more than vittles.
"Surad."
"A worthy name." She raised a brow. "You do not desire me." It wasn't a question.
Lorna's face appeared in his mind. He barely remembered in time that a Vulcan would never apologize for merely being logical. "I...am already bonded."
"Understood." She nodded and went back to her table.
N'Vek blinked. That was it? A Vulcan temptress on the prowl, fended off by one sentence? Who would have thought? He resisted the urge to shudder. He was about to continue his daydreams when he heard a familiar voice.
"If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you put all of this chocolate out for me."
He turned to see Counselor Deanna Troi by the dessert bar, smiling at the conference director, an older Tellarite male.
"Guilty as charged," the man answered with a smitten grin, "As soon as I heard you were coming, I ordered as much chocolate as I could get my hands on. I'm relieved you finally arrived."
So am I, N'Vek thought with a hint of impatience. He made an inconspicuous study of her. Yes, she would do just fine for his stratagem.
"I was worried it would all get eaten before you got the chance to have any."
"I'm sorry," she said, "The Enterprise was delayed at Bzzit Khaht. Ahem," she leaned closer, "They were dangerously low in their deodorant supplies."
He threw his head back and laughed. For a Tellarite, he was surprisingly agreeable. "That's an acceptable reason, if you ask me. Have you ever smelled one of them without it? No? Consider yourself fortunate. Did you know that the scientist who developed the formula was a Tellarite?"
N'Vek discreetly followed Troi around for the rest of the evening. As it was the first day of the conference, there were no lectures per se, only introductory speeches. It was the most boring rubbish he had ever heard, and he couldn't fathom how anyone would choose to sit through it for an entire week. His thoughts returned to Lorna and how much he missed her.
Just when he could no longer keep his eyes from glazing over, the last speaker wrapped up her talk. He applauded along with everyone else, though truth be told, he had no idea what she had said.
Troi schmoozed for another two hours, then at last made her way in the direction of her hotel. N'Vek pretended to be absorbed in his PADD as he followed her to the hotel lobby. She stopped at the concierge desk and exchanged pleasantries with the attendant. That was just the opportunity he needed. He sneaked off down the hall and hid behind a large plant near her door.
Doesn't she ever get tired of talking? he wondered, after ten minutes had passed.
"Well, I'm off to bed now. Looking forward to those chocolate blintzes everyone's been raving about."
"Yes, ma'am, they'll be ready first thing in the morning."
N'Vek tried to concentrate on chocolate blintzes, hoping she wouldn't sense his intentions. With any luck, she would think he was another guest in the room beside hers. She opened her door. With lightning speed, he slid in behind her-
"Who-"
-and injected her with a hypospray. They were beamed away a few seconds later. Mission accomplished.
She would be angry when she woke up. It was to be expected. He loathed employing such deceptive means, it was so much like the Tal Shiar. But there was nothing else for it. If anything went wrong during the mission, they would need a Starfleet officer.
Deanna Troi had played the part of Major Rakal well. When it was all over, N'Vek would make certain to congratulate her, and perhaps buy her a drink. Troi's physical appearance was strikingly similar to Rakal, though when it came to personality the two were not alike in the slightest. Thankfully, Commander Toreth had never met the real Rakal.
At that moment, N'Vek was in a quandary. Their plan had collapsed again. The first bump in the road had been when Troi sensed that the captain of the Corvallen freighter intended to betray them. N'Vek had had no other alternative but to destroy the ship. Afterwards, Troi reluctantly agreed to help them cross the Federation border and deliver the cargo themselves.
She changed her mind however, when her ship suddenly appeared on the scene. They were now in her quarters, trying to decide what they would do next.
"We have to get a message to the Enterprise," she said.
He shook his head. "That's impossible."
"It's the perfect opportunity," she countered. "The Enterprise is nearby. If we can communicate with them, they might be able to help us."
"Counselor, this ship is traveling under cloak. All of our electromagnetic emissions are being monitored. Any attempt at communication whatsoever would be discovered instantly. It could not succeed. We must continue to Draken IV. That is the safest course."
She paused. For a moment, he thought the discussion was finished. But she spoke again. "Is there anything you can do to the ship or the cloaking device that would let the Enterprise track us?"
"Track us? No. We want to get into Federation territory undetected."
"What we want is to get the dissidents to safety. Now answer the question. Is there a way?" Her tone was becoming more agitated.
N'Vek set his jaw. She was stubborn, but not as much as he was—or so he thought. "If there were, I wouldn't do it."
Her eyes narrowed. "Yes, you will."
"Counselor-"
"We're not playing it your way anymore, N'Vek!" she yelled, "I've been kidnapped, surgically altered, put in danger—I've gone along with all your plans. Now, you are going to listen to me! You figure out how to let the Enterprise track us, or I will go to Toreth and tell her I've discovered you're a traitor!"
N'Vek froze. She wouldn't. Would she?
"I'll order you ejected into space. Is that clear, Sub-Commander?"
His mind raced, desperately trying to think of some way to change her mind. But there wasn't any. She was locked into the idea, and nothing could persuade her to let it go.
"There is one possibility," he grumbled. "In order for a ship to remain undetectable while cloaked, the radiative emissions from the warp engines must be precisely balanced. The ship's engineer is a sympathizer. He may be able to slightly misalign one of the nullifier cores. It would create a small magnetic disturbance in space whenever we were in motion."
"Good. Do it."
"The effect would occur only intermittently. They might not even detect it."
"If that's the best we can do, we have to try it."
"Anything more would register immediately on the bridge. Even this slight misalignment might be detected."
Troi gave him a hard look. "It's a risk we'll have to take. You're the one who outlined the stakes to me, N'Vek. Are you getting squeamish just because things are getting a little more dangerous?"
His back stiffened. Without another word, he left her quarters and stomped down the corridor. She had no idea that she very well may have sealed their doom. When he got into the turbolift, he loosened his collar and stretched his neck. Of course there was no choice but to comply with her wishes. If there was the slightest chance for the plan to succeed, more would have to be arranged besides allowing the Enterprise to track them.
Note to self: Never underestimate the resolve of a human—especially a human woman.
The doors slid open. Centurion Vorchek, the chief engineer, looked up with an inquisitive expression. He had already sent in his report that morning, and was no doubt puzzled why the sub-commander was there.
"How long is that Tal Shiar harpy going to be aboard?" he growled quietly, after sending his assistant off on an errand.
"You have nothing to fear from her." N'Vek held his stare until Vorchek looked convinced. "I need a favor."
"You've reached your limit for favors," he warned, "I may sympathize with your little movement, but I'm not a part of it, understand? I'm through putting my neck out for you people. I have a wife and children back home."
"Wars are not fought only by childless men." He lowered his voice, "I may not have a family, but there is a woman I love. I do understand what is at stake, Vorchek."
The engineer clenched and unclenched his hands. "Alright, curse you! But I'll do no more after this."
N'Vek knew he meant it. He also knew that no matter what the outcome of the mission, he would no longer require Vorchek's services anyway. "I want you to misalign one of the nullifier cores, only slightly. It mustn't be detected on the bridge."
He gritted his teeth. "Anything else?"
"Yes. I need a portable transporter device. Two would be better."
"Of course! I have so many of those lying around," he threw his hands into the air. "I only have one, and it isn't finished yet, to say nothing of being tested."
"I'll take the chance. Millions of lives-"
"Spare me your patriotic speech," he shook his wrench in N'Vek's direction. "Come back at the end of the day. No promises."
He nodded, and headed for the bridge.
"Watch and learn, Commander. They will lower their shields, and I will destroy them."
Troi had used the authority of the Tal Shiar to take command of the ship from Toreth. The crew cooperated out of fear. Thus far, her plan was working. She would beam over to the Enterprise alongwith M'Ret, and the mission would be a success. It only remained for N'Vek to make his own escape. He ran his finger over the tiny device on his belt.
"They're dropping their shields," he reported. He made a note to keep close watch on Kort, the pilot. He was unswervingly loyal to Toreth, and would come to her aid at the first opportunity.
"Fire."
"Firing..." It was now or never. He keyed in the commands that would move the dissidents to the Enterprise, and he hoped, to safety.
All turned to the screen. Nothing happened.
The pilot worked his console. "Disruptors were ineffective. The Enterprise was not damaged. They have re-established shields." His astonishment mirrored the rest of the crew, "I can't explain what happened."
N'Vek continue the charade. "I'm reading a malfunction in our forward disruptor array. The power system has destabilized-"
Toreth shoved him out of the way. "What lies! The disruptor beam was purposely sabotaged to conceal a transporter beam. Quickly, pilot: locate the transport coordinates." Her eyes bored into N'Vek. "What have you done?"
He didn't answer. Soon, it would all be over.
"The transporter beam originated in our cargo bay," Kort replied, "Something was transported to the Enterprise.
Toreth faced Troi. "So, the mysterious cargo, brought on board by Major Rakal of the Tal Shiar, has now been transported to a Starfleet vessel. I see two traitors in our midst."
N'Vek reached for his disruptor. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kort aim at him. With his free hand, he activated the device. The pilot fired his weapon.
Forgive me, Lorna... Everything around him grew bright, then dissolved into nothingness.
So...did he live or die? One more chapter to go.
