Gardens in the Rain, chapter 6
Her hands on her hips, Uhura looked around her quarters and wondered what she should do next. It seemed odd to pack up everything she owned for such a short stay, but of course she had to make this convincing in case someone was watching. Despite her uneasiness at that thought, however, she knew that the butterflies in her stomach were more due to the excitement of being with her old friends again. And because the "transfer" was only temporary, she wouldn't have to be sad about leaving her new friends.
A signal from the door announced that she had a visitor.
"Come."
The door slid open, and Ravi Srikanta entered the room. "Nyota! Tell me it is not true! You are leaving us?"
Remembering to look properly dismayed, she said, "Oh Ravi, yes, it's true. They need me back on the Enterprise."
"And you were going to leave without even telling me?"
"I would have said goodbye! Really! You know I wouldn't leave without seeing all my good friends."
He walked into the room and grasped her hands, and suddenly she really did feel sad. He truly thought she was leaving! What a dear man. He might laugh and joke, but underneath the non-stop playfulness and flirtation lay real affection. She swallowed past a tightness in her throat as she remembered all their good times.
The merriment in his voice false, he said, "Well, when you are back on the Enterprise taking their money at the card table, just remember what it was like when you were here to take our money."
"You know I won't forget you, Ravi. We'll stay in touch."
"Of course we will." He squeezed her hands once more, then released them. "And whenever the Enterprise is near the Lexington, I expect you to come visit us."
"Definitely. Tell Anton and Joshua to reserve a seat for me—" She glanced at Ravi when the door chimed again. "Speaking of Anton and Joshua. Come."
Expecting to see her poker buddies, she was surprised when the door opened to reveal Spock.
"Commander Spock!" She motioned him into the room. "Come in!"
"Greetings, Commander." His manner formal as the door slid shut behind him, he looked from her to Ravi. "I thought that you might require some assistance, but I see that you are not alone. Perhaps this is not a good time."
She raised her hand to stop him from leaving, but lowered it when he didn't move. Stifling a grin, she saw that he obviously had no intention of leaving. And evidently neither did Ravi. The two men regarded each other—one slender and the other stocky, one tall and the other not tall, one somber and the other ebullient—and she had to turn away to hide her amusement. Who would back down first? Spock was wearing his most severe Vulcan face, and if she had to pick the victor, she wouldn't bet on Ravi.
Sure enough, Ravi finally caved in. "I must go now, Nyota. Please contact me when you are settled on the Enterprise."
"I will."
She drew him into a friendly hug, but before she knew it, he had thrown his arms around her and pulled her tight. "Goodbye, beautiful one," he murmured into her ear. "I will miss you terribly."
Extricating herself, she said, "Goodbye, Ravi. I'll be in touch."
She watched him walk out the door, then turned to Spock and laughed. "You can lower your eyebrow now. He was just trying to get a reaction out of me. But it looks like maybe he got a reaction out of you, instead."
All expression vanishing from his face, he said, "He did not."
Expecting a good-natured riposte at the very least, she paused for a moment, then tried again. "Well, then how about if I try to get a reaction out of you? One that I promise you'll like."
He moved toward her desk and picked up several framed holos. "Where do you want to pack these?"
She frowned, then pointed toward the empty crate on her bed. "I thought I'd put them with my books."
He stacked them in the crate and went back for more. She watched him for a moment, then shook her head and joined him. Soon, they were working side-by-side to move her to the Enterprise.
...
His elbows on the table, Kirk leaned forward and rested his chin on his knuckles. He was confused by Spock's last move. After many, many years of playing chess with Spock, he thought that he could anticipate just about anything Spock might do, but this stumped him. It almost looked careless. Was Spock up to something? Trying to lure him into complacency or throw him off? Or was it possible that Spock really had just slipped up? Peering across the table, he saw that his friend was watching the activity on the other side of the rec room, and he decided that his last theory was probably the correct one.
"It's just like old times in here, isn't it?" he said casually.
Spock turned back quickly but didn't comment, so Kirk continued.
"That is, it's just like old times except that winning this game is going to be as easy as taking candy from a baby."
Spock studied the chess board for a moment before finally sighing softly and tipping over his king.
Kirk grinned. "Distracted?"
A hint of embarrassment on his features, Spock nodded. "Somewhat."
"Well, I don't blame you. It's really something to have her back on board, singing in the rec lounge as if she never left. Everyone is thrilled to have her back. This room hasn't been so lively in ages." Kirk watched as she waved at someone in the doorway. Leaning close to Spock, he said, "Do you remember how she used to talk you into playing your harp while she sang? You two always flirted outrageously."
"We did not 'flirt outrageously.' She and I merely shared a mutual appreciation of music."
"You shared a mutual appreciation of something, but I'm not sure it was just music."
Spock opened his mouth to object again, but he stopped when he saw the teasing expression on Kirk's face. Obviously deciding to change tactics, he looked around to ensure that no one was close to them and murmured, "Have you recorded your logs for the day yet?"
"Yes. Hopefully I was able to convey that we found nothing worthy of our attention on Epsilon Triana, and that we're going to concentrate our efforts on Nistras Three. How about you? Learn anything this afternoon?"
"No. The process is very slow. Not only were my scans less specific than I would have wanted, but the small computer in the science lab is inadequate to the task of analyzing the data. Until I am able to eliminate the possibility that someone has infiltrated the main computer, however, I must rely on it."
"Damn. I wish that we could unhook one of the other computers so that you'd have two standalone processors."
"That would be helpful, but it is not worth the risk of arousing suspicion. We are fortunate that Lieutenant Redfern had already isolated the computer in the science lab. She was not pleased when I terminated her experiment and usurped the computer. I saved her data, so she will experience no loss when she is able to resume."
"What about Uhura? I haven't talked to her since this morning. Has she made any progress on her investigation?"
"Very little. Unfortunately, that is also a slow process. She found it difficult to search for a surveillance device without revealing that she was, in fact, searching for a surveillance device. It is ironic that the only places in which we may discuss the mission are those areas of the ship never intended for such discussions, such as this room. And of course, even that is based on the assumption that the spy would have seen no benefit in 'bugging' unsecured areas."
Kirk nodded. "Well, once Uhura is through checking out the more obvious areas like the conference rooms and our quarters, we can turn her loose on the mess halls and the rec rooms. For now, I don't see that we have any choice but to assume that certain areas are safe. We have to talk somewhere."
"Agreed. At any rate, Commander Uhura is now relatively certain that my quarters are secure. We must concoct a reason for her to enter your quarters tomorrow."
"Oh, speaking of securing our quarters... I put a monitor in her new quarters today. It's programmed to ignore both of you—once it identifies you, it will go back to sleep. If an unauthorized person is there, it will record the intrusion. Unfortunately, we won't be notified immediately since I couldn't tie it in to the computer, but this ought to be good enough."
"It is sufficient. Commander Uhura will be pleased when she learns of your precautions." Reaching for his king, Spock asked, "Would you care to play again? I assure you, this time I will provide you with more of a challenge."
Kirk chuckled. "Sure."
They turned their attention back to the chess board.
...
Tapping her foot impatiently, Uhura waited for the lift to open onto the bridge. She was back! How many times had she stepped onto the bridge of the Lexington, only to feel slightly out of place? Too many to count, that was certain. This, though—this felt right, like coming home. She couldn't wait to see the look on their faces when the door opened and she stepped out.
The lift slid to a halt. Here she was. Smiling broadly, she walked onto the bridge, and the first thing she noticed was that a stranger sat at Spock's station. And in the center chair was Lieutenant, uh, Lieutenant McSomething-or-other. No Scotty, no Sulu. Her smile faded. Where was everyone? It wasn't even particularly early. She'd arranged with Kirk to scan his quarters this morning, so she had actually missed the beginning of her shift.
She turned toward her station and saw with relief that at least one person she knew was here. Sitting at the communications board was Lieutenant Feinstein, her right-hand man, the man she had recommended to take over the communications department. He was just waiting for her to...
Tell him that she was here to replace him. Damn.
To the best of his knowledge, she had returned to the ship for the sole purpose of stealing his job away. Her step faltered, but he had already noticed her, so she quickly stepped forward and tried to make the best of the situation.
"Hello, Saul! How have you been doing?
"Oh, I suppose I've been doing all right." he said coolly. "I already ran the morning diagnostics and reviewed the shift log from last night."
"Okay. Thanks. Well, I guess you're dismissed."
"Yes, ma'am."
She watched him leave the bridge. When this was all over, he'd be the first person to hear her explanation.
Turning to her station, she kicked off several routines that would search the past week's transmissions for anything unusual. She had loaded them late last night with Spock's help. If someone had happened to notice her activity yesterday, it would appear that she had simply fine-tuned the diagnostics. Figuring out how to discreetly record the results of the search, however, had been trickier. She and Spock had puzzled for a long time over how to do that without giving away their intent.
Finally, they had settled on programming their new routine to write an everyday status report, but one with certain key values embedded in the long string of statistics. If someone were to read that report who really understood it, they would recognize that much of what it contained was gibberish. She was betting, though, that their spy or spies didn't have an eye for that kind of detail. She hoped not, anyway.
As she leaned back in her chair and waited for the programs to end, she thought about their evening. The two of them had worked well together, overcoming one challenge after another, putting their heads together until they had a workable solution. They had even come up with a way to piggyback a search for computer infiltration on the routine nightly backups. She had enjoyed every minute of it.
When they had finished, however, an awkward silence had stretched between them until she finally said that she would prefer just to sleep alone. She had blamed it on the small size of her bed, but they both knew that wasn't the reason. Even though there was no possibility of surveillance in these quarters, her skin still crawled with the thought that someone might have watched them before. And even though such a notion was silly, he hadn't protested her illogic and actually seemed to show relief when he left.
She shuddered. Had someone been watching them? How much time would have to pass before she could abandon her inhibitions without feeling like someone was listening to her every moan, studying every contortion of her face, observing the many ways her body opened itself to his? It was silly since she knew that her quarters were secure, but she had felt exposed and vulnerable last night. She had even undressed in the fresher so that she could hide herself away from the mere idea of prying eyes.
Her bed had been lonely, though. Maybe tonight she would talk him into staying with her—no sex, just cuddling. She would even turn up the heat for him and try her best to tolerate it. He'd been unusually reserved since their discussion of the flame the other night, and it was starting to bother her. Maybe tonight, if they could just have a relaxed, normal evening together, it would draw him out of this mood.
The comm board beeped to signal the end of diagnostics. Leaning forward to see what she had, she shook her head. Nothing.
She'd try again later.
...
Spock moved a chair to the small computer in the science lab and began downloading the results of last night's backups. The amount of data was considerable, so the routine he had created last night to scan for "footprints" would not run quickly on this slow processor. He prepared himself for what was certain to be a tedious task.
"Computer, run program Spock 421. Search for unauthorized computer usage. Send results to visual output."
He bent over the screen and waited, but as he had expected, his search found no unauthorized use. Therefore, the person who had infiltrated the computer was either an authorized user or an unauthorized user who had learned how to bypass the safeguards. Of course, another possibility was that the computer had not been infiltrated at all, but he found that highly unlikely.
"Computer, run program Spock 421. Compile a log of computer usage sorted by user. Send results to data file and to visual output."
After a moment, a stream of statistics scrolled across the display, and he watched patiently until the data came to a halt. While he had not truly expected to find anything so quickly, he could not help but wonder if Nyota was having better results with her own search through last night's transmissions. She had been extremely hopeful when they parted company last night. Perhaps she would join him soon and describe her morning.
"Computer, run program Spock 421. Compile a log of computer usage weighted by relevance to current mission. Send results to data file and to visual output."
This search took longer than the other two, and while he waited, he allowed his mind to wander. He had looked for Nyota at breakfast this morning, but when Mr. Sulu inquired about her absence, Mr. Scott had stated that she and Admiral Kirk were dining together in Kirk's quarters as part of an informal briefing on the current mission. Spock had simply nodded as if accepting such news at face value, but he knew very well that her true objective was to scan the admiral's quarters for surveillance devices.
He returned his attention to the computer as the data flashed on the screen. He frowned slightly. Nothing.
"Computer, cross-reference user list from search number two to most recently compiled list."
Knowing that this operation would be even lengthier than the previous, he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms across his chest. Last night when he and Nyota had completed their work, she had asked him to leave. Those were not her exact words, but he had understood her intent. And he had not argued, despite the illogic of her thinking; on the contrary, he had actually seized the opportunity to return to his own quarters. It was just as well that he had. She was very much in need of rest, and it gave him a welcome opportunity to meditate.
And it allowed you to escape before you and she were left with nothing but unspoken questions hanging between you.
He was saved from having to examine that last thought too closely by the appearance of his results on the screen. An instant later, he heard the door open behind him.
"Computer. Pause display."
Turning quickly, he suppressed an unexpected flicker of disappointment when he realized that his visitor was not Nyota. He composed his features and nodded once.
"Greetings, Admiral."
"Morning, Spock. Any luck?"
He raised an eyebrow but did not comment on the illogic of luck. "Not yet, Admiral, but my analysis is still in progress."
"Don't let me stop you."
Spock turned back to the computer, but before he could speak, the door opened again. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Nyota had joined them. She smiled tightly and met his eyes, then sat down on the other side of the table.
Taking a deep breath, she said, "My scan of last week's transmissions didn't turn up anything interesting. We really need to catch it when it happens."
Kirk nodded. "At least we know that my quarters aren't bugged."
"What about you?" She looked at Spock. "Have you found anything?"
"No, but as I informed Admiral Kirk, my searches are not yet complete." Turning back to the computer, he said, "Computer. Resume display."
Once again, the data flashed on his screen. This time, however, he noticed that there did appear to be an unexpected interest in the current mission. All queries had gone through official channels, yet...
"Computer. Pause display." He raised an eyebrow as he scanned the data. "Fascinating."
Kirk pulled a chair close and sat down. "Did you find something?"
"Possibly." Spock studied the screen. "Computer. Identify user zebra-charlie-six-six-four-eight-one."
"Working. User ZC66481 is Ensign Aristotle Gato. Currently assigned to recycling support services. Length of service is—"
"Computer. Show excerpt of computer usage log. Extract records for user ZC66481. Display timestamp."
Nyota dragged her chair to the other side of the table. "What is it, Spock?"
"An ensign in recycling support services has very little use for information on the current mission, yet Ensign Gato began repeatedly asking for details on stardate 3954.2. Each request taken alone is innocuous, but the cumulative effect of so many requests raises my suspicions. In addition, the last such request took place at 2242 hours on stardate 3969.6."
Kirk met Spock's eyes. "Four days ago."
"Just barely twenty-four hours before the message I intercepted," added Nyota.
"Could it be that finding our culprit was really so easy?"
"Unknown," replied Spock. "It is possible that we were supposed to find this trail."
Nyota tapped her fingernails on the table. "Do you think it's a cover for something else?"
"Also unknown."
Kirk stood. "I need to get to the bridge. Uhura, when can you run your scans again?"
Grinning, she said, "I introduced a bug into the communications protocol. It's a really nasty one. My backup will call me any minute to come up and help figure it out, and I should be able to run all the diagnostics I want without it seeming odd."
Kirk laughed, and Spock nodded his appreciation of her ingenious tactic.
"Good job, Commander." Kirk headed for the door. "You two keep working, and we'll meet back here at 1100 hours if possible for a status check."
"Aye, sir."
Spock had already turned back to the computer before Kirk was out the door.
End chapter 6