Welcome to the club, Rana,Fisher mused. Diego’s giving me plenty that I can’t share with you, either.
44
“The Jinoteur system,” T’Prynn said as she regarded Commodore Reyes, Lieutenant Xiong, and Ambassador Jetanien in what was becoming something of a ritual—a clandestine meeting within the secured confines of Reyes’s quarters. “So named as part of Federation long-range stellar-cartography missions conducted two years ago during our preliminary investigations of the Taurus Reach. Except for unmanned probes, this system remains unexplored.”
T’Prynn.
She kept her hands clasped behind her, hoping none of the others would see how nails dug into her palms, the sole physical manifestation of the struggle she found herself pursuing even as she endeavored to maintain her composure and carry out her present duties.
Leave me,her mind implored.
Submit,Sten responded, the simple command embodying her long-dead lover’s katra,fighting as always to push aside her own thoughts in a bid to assert its dominance over her.
Forcing away the summons, T’Prynn turned back to the viewscreen situated just to her left. Depicted upon it was a standard computer-generated representation of a solar system. At the center of the image was a large white sun, and orbiting it were five planets, situated on different planes and describing orbits at varying angles around the star, with those tracks further depicted in a different color.
“As you know,” she said, “this is the origin point for the carrier wave we discovered interfering with the station’s systems several months ago.” She indicated Xiong with a nod of her head. “The lieutenant and his team did an admirable job tracking the source of the signal, and the sensor data I’ve since obtained offers us insight into this system that I believe you will find most intriguing.” She tapped a command sequence into the keypad next to the viewscreen, and the image shifted to zoom in on the first planet. The blue circle illustrating its orbit vanished as the picture was enlarged and enhanced to display the planet’s two moons.
“Three of the five planets each possess two natural satellites,” she said, “while one of the others has three moons and the other four. While the sensor data presently available to us shows that none of the planets appear to be inhabited, there are indications of a civilization that might once have existed on the fourth planet.”
“Correct me if I am wrong, Commander,” Jetanien said from where he stood before Reyes’s desk, “but it is my understanding that save for a single long-range probe assigned to star-mapping duties in that sector two years ago, we have little to no information on this area of the Taurus Reach.”
“You are not wrong, Your Excellency,” T’Prynn replied. “This information was delivered to us via different means.”
The ambassador let loose with his version of a laugh, which to the Vulcan sounded more like the low rumbling of an avalanche on a rocky slope. “I take it from your lack of clarification that you’d rather not divulge your source?”
Her right eyebrow raising a notch, T’Prynn nodded once. “That is correct, sir. This data was obtained from a Klingon sensor drone, though the particular aspects of how it came to be in our possession are classified.” Looking to Reyes, she asked, “Would you not agree, Commodore?”
“Don’t let me stop you, Commander,” Reyes replied, his words laced with sarcasm. “I’m assuming you were able to obtain this information in a manner that won’t put us at war with the Klingon Empire, at least not before dinner?” There was no mistaking the expression of dissatisfaction on her superior officer’s face.
While T’Prynn was aware of Reyes’s penchant for delegating authority rather than hovering over his subordinates’ shoulders while they carried out their duties, she knew also that he did not like being kept out of the information loop, nor did he appreciate being caught by unexpected turns of events or—as humans referred to them—surprises. She had learned that much while dispatching the problem with the journalist, Pennington, the previous month.
Despite that and given the immense security concerns surrounding Vanguard’s primary task, there were some aspects of her assignment which required insulation even from Reyes, for the good of the mission as well as the commodore himself. The less he knew about certain actions undertaken by her, the less he had to consider imparting to others who might not share the same outlook with regard to security. Lieutenant Xiong, for example.
Captain Desai, for another.
Submit,Sten demanded.
Be silent,she responded.
“Rest assured, sir,” T’Prynn said, “that this information was obtained through methods which cannot be traced back to Starfleet.” While Quinn’s destruction of the drone while making his escape from the pirate vessel was unfortunate, the Vulcan had weighed the risk of that development and considered it to be minimal. It would be weeks before the empire concluded that the probe was lost, after which they likely would assume that the drone had fallen victim to malfunction or—at worst—piracy.
Not so far from the truth, after all.
Considering her answer, Reyes frowned. “I feel more relaxed already.” Indicating the viewscreen with a nod of his head, he asked, “So, what’s so special about this system that it required going to such an effort to get info on it?”
T’Prynn keyed the control pad again, causing the image on the viewer to zoom in closer to one of the moons. “The sensor data reveals an interesting trait shared by all of the natural satellites in this system. Each of the moons follows an orbital path that never places them between their host planets and the system’s star.”
“Interesting?” Jetanien said. “I would characterize that description of yours as an understatement, Commander.”
“Is that even possible?” Reyes asked, his brow furrowing. “I’ve never heard of anything like that.”
T’Prynn nodded. “I verified the data myself, Commodore. It is conclusive.”
“And it gets better,” Xiong said from where he sat in one of the two chairs situated before Reyes’s desk. “While the moons exhibit rotation, they do so in concert with their orbits so that one hemisphere always faces outward, away from the center of the system. Further, the sensor data Commander T’Prynn obtained indicates the presence of artificial structures in those outward-facing hemispheres.”
“The signal originated from one of the moons orbiting the fourth planet,” T’Prynn said. “According to the sensor data, the power readings emanating from that point match those we already have recorded on Erilon and Palgrenax.”
“Now why did I see that one coming?” Reyes said as he leaned forward in his chair. Rubbing his chin with the back of his right hand, he asked, “So, the signal. Was it intended to link with either or both of those planets? What about other locations?”
You belong to me,Sten prodded.
Never.
Shaking her head, T’Prynn replied, “We do not know yet, sir. The facts currently available to us could be used to support several theories, sir, though I am reluctant to engage in speculation until we have had an opportunity to gather more information.”
“Well, that’s never stopped me,” Reyes said. Standing up, he moved across the office to stand before the viewscreen. He touched the keypad, changing the image to again depict the first planet along with its two moons. Pointing to one of the moons, he said, “If these are always facing outward, that means their orbits around their planets, coupled with the planets’ own revolution around the sun, might provide a means of monitoring the system’s outer perimeter.”