“Did Indizar read my report?” the bodyguard asked.
After a grunt of acknowledgment, Lugok said, “She puts more stock in it than I do, but she’s far from convinced.”
“What is our next plan of attack?”
Lugok turned right, toward the tantalizing smell of well-spiced gagh. “Indizar thinks Starfleet is sending its scout ship Sagittarius to Jinoteur, and she wants to know when. Relay that request to Lurqal. And make her understand that we won’t tolerate any more mistakes.”
A top the roof of the Great Hall, protected by an invisible force field over the seat of the Klingon government, Councillor Indizar stood next to Councillor Gorkon and watched Chancellor Sturka stare into the setting sun.
“How much does Lugok know?” asked Sturka.
Indizar glanced at Gorkon, then replied, “Less than he thinks he does, but perhaps still more than he should.”
Sturka issued a low growl of understanding. “Has Captain Kutal been debriefed about this morning’s Jinoteur debacle?”
“Thoroughly,” Gorkon replied. “His battle group met with overwhelming force when they entered the system. It’s actually quite remarkable that the Zin’za escaped with only sixty-five-percent casualties.” Gorkon tactfully omitted any mention of the fact that, while Kutal’s ship had barely escaped the system, its three heavy-cruiser escorts had not been so fortunate. Also absent from his remarks was the fact that this was the second failed expedition to the Jinoteur system since its peculiar properties had first been reported by their spy on Vanguard.
“What of the Tholian vessel detected in the system?” Sturka said. “Did it participate in the attack on our ships?”
“No, my lord,” Gorkon answered. “Captain Kutal reports that the ship was deserted—but he also said it was undamaged.”
The chancellor gazed out, past the jagged rooftops of the First City, toward the qIj’bIQ, the dark river that cut like a wound through its center. Though the air was growing cooler with the approach of night, waves of heat continued to rise from the stone architecture of the Great Hall’s roof. Overhead, the sky was hidden behind a ragged blanket of clouds. Along the dark band of the horizon, only the brightest stars were faintly visible through narrow rents in the sky.
“Most curious,” Sturka said at last. “Indizar, did you say that your people found something in the Zin’za’s sensor logs? Something from its mission to Palgrenax?”
“Yes, my lord,” she said. “Immediately prior to that planet’s self-immolation, the Zin’za detected a number of complex signals moving between various locations under the planet’s surface—the same locations where it had detected extreme power spikes. Dr. Grinpa tells me that the data-traffic pattern was consistent with a coordinated weapons system and that it bears many similarities to Tholian signal encryptions—though it was many orders of magnitude more complex.”
That spiel inspired Sturka to actually turn away from the cityscape and face her. “Interesting,” he said. Then he looked at Gorkon. “Could the Tholians have been using the Gonmog Sector to develop a secret weapons program?” Directing the second half of his comment to both of them, he continued, “It would explain why they’ve harassed our ships and tried to force us from the sector.”
Indizar shook her head. “I don’t think so, Chancellor. All of Dr. Terath’s reports about the artifacts and their environs suggest that they are hundreds of thousands of cycles old, or possibly even more ancient. And whatever attacked Governor Morqla and his troops on Palgrenax, it was not a Tholian.”
“I would have to agree with Councillor Indizar, my lord,” Gorkon said. “The Palgrenax attack on the Zin’za was more powerful and sophisticated than anything the Tholians can currently muster. However, their actions suggest they have knowledge of the weapons’ potential, and they mean to deny us the opportunity to possess or investigate it.”
Sturka walked slowly in a wide arc, gradually circling behind the two councillors as he ruminated aloud. “That would explain the Tholians’ attack on the Federation starship Bombay. Gorkon, where did that happen?”
“Ravanar IV,” Gorkon answered.
Nodding, the chancellor continued, “Yes, yes. And more recently, their battle cruiser, the Endeavour—it came back to the starbase with heavy damage.”
“From Erilon,” Indizar interjected.
The chancellor scratched pensively at his chin. “And what do both those planets have in common right now?”
“Permanent Starfleet ground installations,” Gorkon said.
That drew a grin and a growl from the grizzled Klingon leader. “Not a coincidence, I’m sure…. Where is Starfleet’s newest ground installation in the Gonmog Sector?”
“Ge’hoQ,” Indizar said. “They call it Gamma Tauri IV.”
As he paced back in front of Indizar and Gorkon, Sturka asked, “What do we know about that planet?”
“Qo’noS-class, though somewhat more arid. The Federation colonists are setting it up as an agricultural colony.”
A stiff breeze fluttered Sturka’s robe around him as he walked. “How big a presence does Starfleet have there?”
“Much larger than necessary,” Indizar said, pleased to see that the chancellor’s deductive powers remained as keen as ever. “It’s worth noting that the Federation’s banner won’t be flying over that world. There have long been rumors of distrust of Starfleet among the colonists; my sources have confirmed that they refused protectorate status from the Federation.”
“Good,” Sturka said. He eyed Indizar. “How soon can we put our own people on the surface?”
“As soon as you give the order, my lord,” she said. “A team of scientists and a group of ‘farmers’ are standing by aboard a transport being escorted by the cruiser Che’leth. They can reach Ge’hoQ in a few hours.”
“Send them now,” Sturka said to her. “As for Captain Kutal, let’s send him some new cruiser escorts and put him back in the hunt. I want the Zin’za to make another sortie to Jinoteur.”
“Yes, my lord,” Indizar said. A cool breeze wafted across the rooftop from the northeast. It chilled her as it passed by. “The Zin’za is still in port making major repairs, but I’ll have it ship out as soon as possible.”
Gorkon glanced at her. “Mask its deployment orders well. It would be best if Councillor Duras and his allies remained as uninformed about the Gonmog campaign as possible.”
“That was already my assumption,” she assured him.
Sturka halted his pacing in front of Indizar. “Have we received any new intelligence about Jinoteur from our agent on the starbase?”
Exhaling an angry sigh through her nostrils, the rankled councillor replied, “No, my lord. Since the recall of our diplomatic team, her communications have become less frequent and less precise. Corrective steps are being taken.”
“See that they are,” Sturka said. “Starfleet plans to send its outrider to Jinoteur, I’m certain of it. I want to know the moment the Sagittarius leaves port. When it gets to Jinoteur, I want its crew to find the Zin’za waiting for them.”
Indizar nodded deferentially. “Yes, my lord. I’ve made Lugok aware of your wishes on this matter.”
“I’m sure you have.” The chancellor aimed a narrow-eyed sidelong glare at Gorkon. “You’re thinking something, my old friend—I can see it in your eyes. Out with it.”
A grim frown settled over Gorkon’s stately features. “I battled Vanguard’s commander a few times in the past, back when we were both starship captains. Considering the losses we have sustained in our expeditions to Jinoteur, I am forced to wonder whether Reyes deliberately leaked us the information about Jinoteur so that Starfleet could learn from our mistakes.”
“If so,” Sturka replied, “it would imply that our agent on Vanguard has been detected.”
“Or compromised,” Gorkon said. He and Sturka both looked at Indizar, as if to challenge her to rebut their suspicions.