This also was a matter of pride, Ganz admitted. It could not happen in this manner. Not here, aboard his own ship, in the presence of a subordinate—Zett, of all people. Ganz simply could not allow it.
“That’s a no, I take it?” Nogura asked.
There was no choice. “Correct.”
The admiral nodded. “So be it. You have two hours to be off my station and on your way out of its sensor range, or I’m seizing it and everything and everyone aboard.” With that, he turned and headed for the door, exiting the office without another word and leaving Ganz in the grips of anger threatening to explode from within him.
“What do you want to do?” Zett asked after a moment.
Ganz’s immediate answer was to ball his right hand into a fist and slam it down on the desk. He felt its metal surface give just a bit beneath the force of the blow, the echo from the strike reverberating off the walls of the office. Staring at the door through which Nogura had left, he contemplated all of the ways he could have the admiral killed before he left the Omari-Ekonand returned to the space station. Instead, he turned his gaze to Zett and beheld the Nalori’s unreadable expression and his own reflection in the assassin’s eyes.
“Start packing.”
24
“So, you’re telling me…what, exactly?”
Leaning back in his chair, with his arms folded and his feet resting on the drab metal table, Reyes regarded Commander Nathan Spires as the attorney, visibly disturbed by the news he had just received and imparted, paced the length of the interview room. His normally well-groomed hair was disheveled, a consequence of running his hands through it.
“Captain Sereb is a force of nature,Commodore,” Spires said, continuing to pace. “That he’s here is a clear sign that Starfleet is leaving nothing to chance and pulling no punches with respect to your court-martial.” Pausing, he held up a hand. “They’re not throwing you to the lions or anything like that, but they want to be sure that every last detail of this trial is aboveboard.” He shrugged. “That won’t be especially hard in this case, given Sereb’s credentials. Call him gruff, call him rude, call him insufferably arrogant in the finest Tellarite tradition, but unethical he most certainly is not.” Shaking his head, he moved to the table, took a glass of water from where it sat next to his briefcase, and drained its contents.
Reyes, of course, had been expecting Starfleet to replace Desai as the prosecuting attorney. Even though very few people in her chain of command would be so foolish as to question her integrity and commitment to carrying out her duty, no matter how unpleasant, Reyes was confident that someone at Starfleet Headquarters would demonstrate sufficient humanity—and common sense—to relieve Desai of the responsibility of doing her best to send him to prison for the rest of his life.
Small favors, I suppose.
Reyes brought his feet off the table and leaned forward in his chair. “What’re you trying to tell me, Commander? I should just give up now? Throw myself on the mercy of the court and so on?”
“Of course not, sir,” Spires countered, waving away the suggestion. “I’m just trying to make it clear that our battle has gotten that much harder. After all, unlike Captain Desai, Sereb has no personal connection to you, no reason to offer anything in the way of—”
“Belay that, Commander,” Reyes snapped, cutting off Spires with such volume and force that the commodore could almost see the blood drain from the other man’s face. Rising from his seat, he pointed a finger at Spires’s chest, and when he spoke again, the words came out dripping with undisguised menace. “That’s the first and last time I ever want to hear you so much as think that Captain Desai isn’t and hasn’t been conducting herself in accordance with Starfleet regulations, particularly with respect to this court-martial. Do I make myself absolutely clear?”
Swallowing the obvious lump in his throat, Spires nodded once. “You do, sir. My comments were out of line, and I apologize.”
Reyes frowned as he watched the commander resume his pacing. Was this other lawyer, Sereb, really so formidable? Even if that were the case, Spires, from Reyes’s admittedly layperson’s viewpoint, seemed a rather effective attorney in his own right. During the past weeks, whether spent together in conference or with Spires working alone to interview relevant witnesses and review computer files, the commander had demonstrated a seemingly unwavering focus, determined to do his level best to mount an effective defense for Reyes.
“You sound scared, Commander,” he said, returning to his seat. “You said this Sereb was a stickler for the rules. That means I’ll still get my chance to answer questions, to say my piece, right?”
Spires cleared his throat. “You’ll get your chance, sir, and then he’ll hang you with your very words.” As though anticipating Reyes’s reaction, he held up both hands in a gesture of supplication. “Commodore, with no disrespect intended toward Captain Desai, this needs to be said. Captain Sereb is one of the most effective prosecutors in JAG. He doesn’t lose. He’s never lost,and the only thing he seems to like more than winning is how thoroughly he can dismantle an opponent whilehe’s winning. That includes the defendant andthe defense attorney.”
Releasing a tired grunt, Reyes shook his head. “Sounds like someone Jetanien might like.” For a moment, he was amused by the image of the bombastic Rigelian Chel facing off against a Tellarite in a no-holds-barred verbal joust.
Maybe we could sell tickets.
After a moment, Reyes shrugged. “Okay, then, so we have to work that much harder to get ready for this guy. I need to check my calendar, but I’m pretty sure I can work in any extra time you think we’ll need.” The way he saw it, he had nothing to lose, no matter whom Starfleet put up to prosecute him. If Spires was right about his new opponent, Sereb would not only welcome any attempt to present a forthright defense based on facts, but he would also relish any victory he attained in the face of such opposition. Regardless, Reyes at least would get his day in court, his opportunity to put a face to the secrets and mystery surrounding Starfleet’s presence in the Taurus Reach.
“There’s something else to consider,” Spires said, abandoning his fruitless pacing and returning to the table. He retook his seat, his eyes boring into Reyes. “It goes without saying that Sereb will be performing due diligence as he prepares for the trial. That means he’ll have access to every record and order issued by anyone briefed into Operation Vanguard. At this point, we have no way to know whether his attack will concentrate solely on you or if he might widen his focus to include any superior officers responsible for the orders you carried out—or disobeyed, as the case may be.”
Reyes scowled as realization dawned. He had no desire to call out superior officers as a means of strengthening his own defense and had resolved not to volunteer such information. Would Sereb employ a scorched-earth policy during the court-martial in his quest to convict the commodore, disregarding anyone and anything possessing even a tangential connection to the Vanguard project?
Both men’s attention was drawn by the sound of the interview room’s doors sliding open to admit Captain Rana Desai. Starbase 47’s senior JAG officer strode into the room, her arms locked at her sides and her expression one of utter determination.
“Rana,” Reyes said, rising from his chair. It had been more than a month since he had last seen her, in the days immediately following his arrest, and she looked more radiant to him than ever. Her gaze shifted to him only for a moment, but in that instant, he saw every bit of the love and anguish he knew she felt for him, coupled with prolonged fatigue buried beneath layers of duty and protocol. Then her attention returned to Spires, who also had gotten to his feet, his features a mask of indignation.