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Echoes of deception
 
Written by : Kathy Rose
Translated by : Laurent
Original published 02 November 2005
French version published 23 June 2006
 
            Echoes of deception
 
Crystal and stainless steel sparkled under the soft lighting in the mess hall. Chef had outdone himself, placing linen cloths and fine china on the tables as well as a magnificent candelabrum on the buffet. Nothing like having a diplomatic function to bring out the best in some people, mused Captain Jonathan Archer.
Or the worst.
Archer frowned as he looked at the Vulcan delegation. Dressed in dark-hued robes, all five were standing in the precise center of the mess hall. They were keeping to themselves, and everyone else was keeping his distance. Archer put down his champagne glass with a sigh.
"Cap'n?"
Archer glanced to his left to find Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III looking at him in amused concern.
"Somebody's got to break the ice with them," Archer said heavily, indicating the Vulcans with a tilt of his head. "I suppose it's up to me."
"I thought you were gonna have Hoshi take care of the diplomatic stuff this time," Tucker said.
"She is," Archer replied, "but it would come off better if it didn't seem like I was avoiding them to start with."
"Even if ya are," Tucker drawled, a knowing grin spreading across his face.
Archer scowled at him, but there was a self-mocking glint in his eyes. "Even if I am," he admitted.
"Before you do your duty," Tucker said, "I just wanted to let you know that, if there's time, I'd like to do some maintenance on the warp engine before we get to Starbase One."
"Is there a problem?" Archer asked.
"Not really." Tucker shuffled his feet and glanced away for a moment. "Some of the repair work done after that Terra Prime mess isn't up to my standards, and I haven't had time until now to get it taken care of. Earth's best starship ought to be in tip-top shape before we reach the starbase, don't ya think?"
"I agree. We should do everything we can to make a good impression," Archer said.
With a last rueful glance at his chief engineer, Archer flicked some imaginary lint off his uniform and started toward the Vulcans.
"Atta boy, Cap'n," Tucker said softly with another grin. "Go get 'em."
Archer hadn't welcomed the Vulcans on board when they'd arrived a few hours ago. He'd been too busy dealing with the captain of the Vulcan ship from which they'd been transferred. How someone who was receiving assistance could come off as condescending was beyond Archer's comprehension, but the Vulcan captain had pulled it off. He'd almost made it seem like it was the humans' fault that his ship had suffered a serious engine malfunction.
The Vulcan captain had also managed to make it appear he was doing Archer a favor by allowing Enterprise to take his five passengers to the opening ceremonies of Starbase One. Archer would much rather be out exploring than playing ferry for a bunch of quasi-diplomats. But it was for the greater good, and if Earth-Vulcan relations were improved, all the better. There had been enough setbacks in inter-species relations lately as it was.
So here he was, about to make small talk with five Vulcan scientists and researchers.
"Excuse me," he said, neatly inserting himself into the circle of four Vulcan men and one Vulcan woman. "I'm Captain Jonathan Archer. I'd like to welcome you aboard. I hope everything is to your satisfaction."
Five pairs of somber, hawk-like eyes regarded him, and Archer fought the urge to fidget. Several moments later, the strained silence was broken by the one who, if the gray in his hair was any indication, appeared to be the eldest.
"Everything is adequate. I am Stinn," said the dignified-looking Vulcan. Gesturing toward his companions, he said, "My colleagues are Stral, Skon, T'Plith, and Trannon."
"Skon?" Archer asked, looking at the man. "You wouldn't happen to be the Skon who translated 'The Teachings of Surak' into English?"
The middle-aged Vulcan gave a slight dip of his dark-haired head. "Yes," he said, and eyed Archer curiously. "You are familiar with the translation?"
"My first officer gave me a copy of it," Archer said.
Leaning forward, Skon asked, "What was your impression of the teachings?"
Archer felt his face start to flush. Truth was, he'd never finished the massive tome. He hoped to, eventually, but every time he'd made himself sit down with it he barely managed to squeeze in ten minutes before something would come up that demanded his attention. Besides, having had Surak's katra in his head tended to give him the impression he knew the Vulcan's wisdom better than any book ever could tell him. He wasn't about to bring up that experience, however.
The mess hall doors opened to admit Commander T'Pol and Ensign Hoshi Sato, and Archer motioned the two women to join them. "Here's the person who gave me the book," Archer said, indicating T'Pol.
He made the introductions, inwardly pleased by the more-blank-than-usual expressions of the Vulcans when he introduced T'Pol. They apparently hadn't been expecting a Vulcan first officer on a Starfleet ship. Of course, he reminded himself, they were scientists on their way to set up joint research operations with humans and other races at the new space station. It wasn't like they were members of the Vulcan High Command and kept up with the assignments of off-world Vulcans.
Archer almost beamed when Sato greeted them in their native tongue.
"You speak Vulcan very well," Skon said to Sato.
"I'm the communications officer on Enterprise, and..." She hesitated, glancing at Archer for permission to continue and receiving an encouraging nod. Turning back to Skon, she added, "And I will be the liaison for your delegation while you are on board. Anything you need, just let me know and I will do my best to accommodate you."
"That is very gracious. Thank you," Skon replied with what to Archer sounded like sincerity.
Archer carefully kept his expression neutral, and looked at T'Pol out of the corner of his eye. Having been around this particular Vulcan for a number of years now, he could read the surprise on her face just as surely as if she'd shouted at the top of her lungs. She hadn't been expecting this display of courtesy, either.
Skon took Sato by the elbow--another glaringly un-Vulcanlike behavior--and drew her a short distance away. Their conversation floated back to Archer, and he heard Skon asking for clarification on human greeting rituals.
Stinn, meanwhile, had turned his focus on T'Pol and was asking about her duties. The other members of the delegation were listening intently to T'Pol's responses.
Archer took his leave of the group with a sense of accomplishment. He'd done his duty. Now his officers could do theirs.
 
*****
 
Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, seated in the command chair on the bridge, was bored--not that it wasn't a pleasant change of pace. It had been one thing after another lately, and doing absolutely nothing except his expected duties was rather relaxing.
They had been tied up at the North Star colony and hadn't had time to return to Earth before going to Starbase One. Enterprise would help provide security once it got to the starbase as well as make a statement by its very presence. It certainly wouldn't do to have Starfleet's first warp 5 starship absent from such an historic occasion, Reed thought with a smirk.
The smirk quickly disappeared. He'd rather face an entire squadron of Klingons than put up with a bunch of diplomatic folderol, but orders were orders. At least the trip there should be relatively routine. He doubted the Vulcans they'd picked up along the way would be any cause for trouble.
He frowned as the armrest of the command chair emitted a beep. A transmission was being routed through the communications console. Lifting his eyes, Reed saw the crewman manning that station looking back at him, seemingly as startled as he was.
"It's coded for your eyes only," the crewman said.
"Mine? Not the captain's?"
"Yes, sir. You."
Reed nodded his understanding, apprehension stirring in his stomach, and accessed the message on the pop-up viewer on the armrest. After reading it, he quickly made a copy to a data disk, deleted the message from the ship's communications system, and blanked the tiny screen.
Rising to his feet as he pocketed the disk, he said, "Travis, you've got the bridge."
"Sir?" Ensign Mayweather asked, turning in his seat at the helm to look questioningly at Reed.
"You heard me," Reed snapped, striding off the bridge. A few minutes later, he was standing at parade attention in the captain's quarters, awaiting his superior's reaction to what he'd just told him.
"Harris?" Archer asked in a mixture of disbelief and irritation. He let out a long exhalation and sat down at his desk. Looking up at Reed, he gestured for the officer to relax his stance and said, "I'm assuming he wants something."
"Yes, sir," Reed said, reaching into his pocket for the data disk onto which he'd downloaded the message. "This was coded for me. I came straight to you after I read it."
Archer's stare drilled into Reed as he took the disk. "Does Harris know you're telling me about this?" he asked.
"I can only assume so," Reed said with a shrug.
Archer inserted the disk into the slot on his desk and read the message. He swung his astonished gaze back to Reed and said, "He can't be serious. A spy among the Vulcans on Enterprise?"
Reed shrugged again. "We know Harris has tentacles in a lot of places. He had the information about the front organization funding Terra Prime. If he says there's a spy, I tend to believe him."
"You also believed him when he told you that interfering in our search for Phlox was the best thing to do!" Archer spat out. "He's not someone I'd willingly trust."
Reed shifted uncomfortably at the captain's comment about his seeming betrayal of his ship and crewmates when Phlox had been abducted by Klingons. "It's different this time, sir," he said stiffly.
"How is it different?"
"It's not one-sided. This doesn't appear to be Harris calling in the 'favor' he expects from Commander Tucker. It is in both our interests--Harris's as well as ours--to find out if there is a spy in the Vulcan delegation," Reed said. "Harris knows we would be interested in ferreting out an operative before he or she can do any damage. An undercover agent planted among the Vulcans could steal research developments coming out of Starbase One, or worse."
Archer pulled the disk out of the slot and tapped it on the desk. "Research theft is the first thing that comes to mind, but the destruction of Starbase One could also be a possibility." He paused to look out the viewport in his quarters. "Just when it seems like something positive is going to happen between Earth and Vulcan, the barest hint of a scandal could throw a monkey wrench in the whole thing."
Turning back to Reed, he said, "Check them out. Get whatever help you need, but do it quietly. Don't let the Vulcans know what you're doing."
"Aye, sir," Reed replied.
"You've got until we reach Starbase One," Archer continued. "If there is a spy, we need to find out before then."
 
*****
 
All the members of the Vulcan delegation save one had gone to their quarters after the reception. Skon sat by himself in a corner, sipping tea and watching the humans in the mess hall. The tea was a deception; he knew humans were self-conscious about being observed, and if he were to sit here without an obvious reason to be doing so, they would likely be uncomfortable and not act normally.
The door to the mess hall opened and Commander T'Pol entered. She glanced around the room as she made her way to the beverage dispenser, and she gave Skon a slight nod in acknowledgment as their eyes met. She placed her order, retrieved her drink, and turned to face the room. Again he caught her eye.
"May I join you?" she asked as she approached his table.
"Please do," he replied, and saw one of her eyebrows lift in response. He waited until she had seated herself before saying, "You seem surprised by my use of human courtesies."
T'Pol's eyebrow, which had relaxed to its normal position, shot upward again. "Having worked among humans for more than four years, I find that adhering to certain social protocols makes for better productivity," she said. "However, it is not customary, or necessary, for Vulcans to observe such niceties."
Skon cocked his head to one side. "Forgive me. I did not intend to offend you."
T'Pol, in the process of lifting her cup to her mouth, stopped and stared at him. "You did not offend me," she said.
"Perhaps I should explain," Skon said. "You are aware that I am fluent in English as well as several other Earth languages. However, I have had little interaction with humans themselves. I am...curious...about them. It is my belief that, by adhering to their customs, they will be more comfortable in my presence and I may gain more insight into..."
"The phrase is 'what makes them tick," T'Pol supplied when Skon's voice trailed off.
"Exactly!" Skon said. "I find humans fascinating. I have been anticipating working with them at Starbase One, but I never expected this opportunity to study such a cohesive human community as is found aboard a Starfleet vessel. Perhaps we could discuss your observations of them. You are the only Vulcan of whom I am aware who has had such prolonged contact on a daily basis with humans."
T'Pol carefully set her cup down. "While the study of human culture is an admirable pursuit, I do not engage in the human pastime of gossiping," she said severely.
Skon frowned. "I am not asking you to gossip," he said, "merely to relate your observations. For example, from all the sources I have been able to access, it is apparent that humans have the capacity to utilize logic, but they do not always do so. I would be interested in your conclusions regarding such things as how Captain Archer reaches command decisions, how the members of the crew react to his orders, how--"
"Enough," T'Pol said. "These humans are my co-workers. I will not discuss their motivations."
Picking up her cup, she stood and looked down at Skon. "I suggest you make your own observations and draw your own conclusions."
T'Pol took her cup to the recycler and made her way out of the mess hall without looking back. She didn't notice it when Skon took a PADD from a pocket in his voluminous robe and began making notations.
 
*****
 
"Have you noticed any of the Vulcans acting strangely?"
Sato cast an amused glance at Reed who was walking beside her down the corridor. "What do you mean--strangely?" she asked him. "They're Vulcans. From our point of view, they're all strange."
They came to a halt at the turbolift and Reed pushed the button to summon it. "This is serious, Hoshi," he said. "There's a good chance one of them is not what he or she appears to be."
The door to the 'lift opened and Sato stepped inside. Turning toward Reed as he entered, she said, "As far as I can tell, they're just a bunch of scientists and researchers."
"Maybe not," Reed countered as he pushed a button on the control panel. "We've received information that there may be a spy among the Vulcan delegation. The captain wants to know for sure before we reach Starbase One."
Sato mulled over his comments as the turbolift took them toward the bridge. "Honestly, Lieutenant, I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. They seem like typical Vulcans."
"Are you going to be spending time with them today?" he asked.
She nodded. "I'm going to the bridge to check over my substitute's work and then I'm to meet them in the mess hall for breakfast. I'm supposed to take them on a tour of the ship after that."
"An inordinate interest in the ship's operating or defensive systems by any of them might be a clue," Reed said thoughtfully. Glancing at the indicator on the control panel, he hastily added, "I want you to look over their backgrounds. I already have, but since you are going to be in close proximity to them, there's a chance you might catch one of them in a slip-up."
Sato opened her mouth to reply but the turbolift door opened on the bridge. So she nodded and stepped out, intending to head to her post, but Reed stopped her.
"If you notice anything, no matter how trivial, let me know," he said quietly and moved away toward the tactical station.
"Of course, Lieutenant," she said softly before going to her own station. She called up the information Reed wanted her to look at, knowing she was going to be late meeting the Vulcans because of it.
 
*****
 
The other four members of the Vulcan delegation were waiting near the door when Trannon entered the mess hall.
"You are late," Stinn said as he led the group to the serving line.
Trannon dipped his head slightly at the implied rebuke but offered no explanation. Instead, he looked around the room and said, "Our liaison has not arrived."
Stinn gestured for the others to go ahead as he talked to Trannon. "Ensign Sato will be here shortly. She has duties on the bridge before she joins us."
Looking over from where he stood in the serving line, Skon asked, "She will be joining us, then?"
"You seem unusually interested in the communications officer," Trannon remarked, his dark eyes glittering.
Skon straightened. "She has offered to assist me in studying colloquial English," he said evenly.
"Trannon," Stinn warned, stepping between the younger Vulcan men and picking up a plate from the stack at the end of the serving line. His nose wrinkled in distaste as the smell of burned animal flesh wafted toward him from farther down the buffet.
"The humans should have taken into account our dietary preferences," Trannon said, very deliberately averting his face as he, too, inhaled the aroma.
"Trannon," Stinn said again, this time almost wearily. "We must become accustomed to working with members of other cultures. We must be tolerant. In addition," he said as he selected a slice of cantaloupe, "there is no reason to disrupt this ship's normal procedures to suit us. There is more than enough here from which to choose to meet our nutritional needs."
There was no more talk among the Vulcans until Sato joined them a few moments later.
"You should have started without me," she said as she got in line behind Trannon.
"We were not waiting on your account," Stinn said smoothly, glancing at Trannon before looking past him and noticing that Sato was limiting herself to non-meat items. "Do not let our presence influence your choice of food."
"I'm not," she replied, reaching for a bagel. "I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't eat much meat, and usually not at breakfast."
The group moved over to a table large enough to accommodate all of them. Sato found herself seated between Skon and T'Plith, and as they ate in silence, she considered the group in light of what Lieutenant Reed had told her.
Skon, seated to her right, was easy for her to talk to. They had a common interest in languages, and she had yet to meet a linguist who didn't like to talk. His study of Earth languages was helping provide him with a foundation for a career in diplomacy, which seemed to run in his family. His father, Solkar, had been the first ambassador to Earth.
On her other side, T'Plith hadn't said more than two words to her since they'd come aboard. She appeared more withdrawn than most Vulcans. From looking at the Vulcan database, Sato knew that T'Plith was a biologist.
Stinn was the leader, by virtue of both age and experience. He had served for years in the Vulcan diplomatic corps. He'd even been assigned to the Vulcan embassy on Earth some thirty years ago. He would be acting in an advisory capacity with the administration of Starbase One.
Stral was an engineering theorist, and would be working with a joint research team at the starbase. According to his biography, he'd published several papers on various engineering topics.
Trannon also was in the engineering research field. Being the youngest, his biography wasn't as extensive as the others'. He had finished his formal schooling only a year or so earlier.
None of them, Sato reflected, seemed like obvious spy material. At least they were all sensibly dressed in trousers and tunics. She couldn't picture them traipsing about the ship in the long robes they'd been wearing last evening.
"I am looking forward to the tour," Skon said to her in Vulcan. "Is conducting tours part of your usual duties?"
Sato favored him with a small smile and replied in the same language. "Not usually, but the captain believes I am developing a talent for diplomacy. Conducting tours for visitors could be considered training in that area."
"Your Vulcan is excellent," Skon said, "although I detect an accent. Someone from the Shi'al province must have been your teacher."
"That is correct. My teacher was from Shi'kahr in Shi'al. If I'm not mistaken, you are a native of that area, as is Stinn."
At this remark, the elder Vulcan glanced at her, and she hastened to explain. "I am familiar with most of the Vulcan dialects and accents. In fact, I taught Vulcan before being assigned to Enterprise."
Looking back to Skon, Sato saw him glance at Stral, then at her, and lift an eyebrow inquiringly.
"Stral is from somewhere in the vicinity of the city of Sura'Kahr," Sato said confidently. Turning toward the person seated on her other side, Sato said, "I'm afraid I haven't heard you speak enough to place you, T'Plith."
T'Plith stared balefully at her without saying anything, and Sato swallowed uncomfortably. Switching her gaze to the last member of the party, Sato said, "And Trannon..." Her brow furrowed as she tried to pin down his accent. She'd heard it before, but she couldn't place it right off hand.
Trannon abruptly rose to his feet. Addressing Stinn, he said, "I must attend to something in my quarters. I will rejoin you during the tour."
The rest of the meal passed in silence after Trannon left, which was fine with Sato. She'd have plenty of talking to do when they started the tour.
 
*****
 
Trannon walked without an outward show of haste to his quarters. He had no reason to go there other than to avoid the awkwardness of being the center of attention at the table in the mess hall. He hadn't believed any of the others would question his desire to leave; Vulcans knew well enough to leave alone what appeared to be a matter involving another's privacy.
Except for Skon, Trannon thought with a barely restrained sneer. That one was irritating even for a Vulcan. Encouraging the human linguist to guess their place of origin by their accents bordered on an invasion of privacy. Skon may not have spent much time among humans, but he certainly was beginning to exhibit some of their traits.
At least the humans on board were respectful--or afraid--of Vulcans. They did not approach him, trying to make idle conversation, as he strode purposefully along the corridors.
Taking refuge in his quarters would not be an option for the entire journey to Starbase One. He would have to be a part of the group or provide a logical reason for not doing so.
 
*****
 
Reed was finishing a report to Archer on the Vulcans' backgrounds when the chime to the ready room sounded.
"Come in!" Archer called out.
The door slid open and T'Pol stepped in, hesitating as she took in the lieutenant's presence. "If you are busy, I can come back later," she said.
"No, that's all right," Archer said. "You need to be aware of something that's come up."
Taking a step further into the room, T'Pol halted next to Archer's desk and handed him a data PADD with the current duty roster on it. He glanced at its screen before dropping it on his desk.
"We have a problem," Archer said.
T'Pol clasped her hands behind her back, glanced at Reed, then back at Archer. "Something to do with ship security?" she asked.
"More than that," Archer said, and gave her a quick summary of Harris's message and the subsequent investigation Reed was conducting.
"If this is true," she said when he'd finished, "Enteprise is not necessarily at risk. Our transporting the Vulcan delegation was not planned. Therefore, it must be the integrity of Starbase One that is in danger."
"That's why it's so important to find out who the spy is before we reach the starbase," Archer said. "You've had some contact with our guests. Have you noticed anything?"
"They have been on board for little more than a day, hardly enough time to notice anything out of the ordinary," she replied. Looking away, she added in a softer tone, "However, there was one incident."
"Yes?" Archer prompted.
T'Pol shifted her weight and looked back at him. "I did chance upon Skon by himself in the mess hall late last evening. He asked a number of questions that, taken in light of this new information, could be considered suspicious."
"What did he ask?" Reed asked, his concern clearly piqued.
Turning her steady gaze on the lieutenant, she said, "He wanted to know how Captain Archer reached command decisions, and how the crew responded to his decisions."
Reed looked at Archer in alarm and said, "From the sound of those questions, Enterprise just might be at risk. What is Skon doing? Looking for a crew member to subvert?"
"Considering Skon's profession as a linguist and diplomat, those questions are not out of the ordinary," T'Pol said. "He is studying human culture."
Reed looked questioningly at Archer.
"She's right, Malcolm," Archer said. "We can't haul him off to the brig simply for asking questions. It may have been perfectly innocent."
Reed crossed his arms over his chest. "It still seems suspicious to me."
"To me, too, Malcolm, but we can't confront him about it," Archer said. "What if he's not the one? We could tip our hand to the real spy." Turning back to T'Pol, he asked, "What about the others?"
When she shook her head, he told Reed, "Keep working on it, Malcolm."
After Reed left the ready room, T'Pol said to Archer, "There is another question we need to consider. If there is a spy among the Vulcan delegation, for whom is he working?"
Archer was pondering her question when the comm beeped. Pushing the button on the panel on his desk, he said, "Go ahead."
"Hey, Cap'n?" came Tucker's voice. "Would now be a good time to do that maintenance I was tellin' ya about? We'll have to drop out of warp."
Archer made a wry face. "How long will it take?" he asked.
"About two hours," Tucker said.
Archer looked at T'Pol.
"We are currently traveling at warp 3," she said. "A delay of two hours can easily be made up by an increased warp factor, and we should reach Starbase One on schedule."
"Do it, Trip," Archer said into the comm. "I'll inform the bridge we'll be dropping out of warp."
 
*****
 
The hydroponics bay wasn't a big place. It couldn't be, for space is at a premium on a starship. But there was enough room for a variety of plants and some flowers. Sato took a deep breath through her nose, letting the enticing scent of the flowers soothe her nerves after the last few hours. Whenever she had found herself enjoying showing off Enterprise to the Vulcans, she would remember that one of them might be a spy, and she'd tense up.
Not that she'd noticed anything that might be suspicious about them. They seemed like typical, garden-variety Vulcans, she thought, inwardly amused at the pun considering where they were at the moment.
Now, however, she at last saw something approaching animation on T'Plith's stern visage. The woman hadn't uttered a word all morning, but her gaze had roamed curiously around the hydroponics bay as they'd entered.
"Although we rely on food supplies we take on at Earth as well as places we visit, we do grow some vegetables on board," Sato said loudly enough for the entire group to hear.
"Why do you waste space on non-fruit-producing plants?" T'Plith asked suddenly, almost making Sato jump at the unexpectedness of hearing her speak.
Sato was about to answer when the hatch to the bay opened and Trannon entered. Waiting until he had joined them, Sato addressed T'Plith. "Although flowers may seem to have no purpose on a starship, we enjoy them. I consider a beautiful flower as something akin to food for the soul."
"Aesthetic appreciation," T'Plith said bluntly with a slight nod.
Sato wasn't sure, but she thought T'Plith approved of flowers taking up space in the hydroponics bay.
Stinn leaned down to inspect a particularly vivid Pompeii rose, its yellowish bud just opening to reveal the warm pink on the inner side of the petals. "You carry no livestock for consumption?" he asked as he contemplated the flower.
"Ah, no," Sato said. "In fact, some of our food is actually resequenced protein from soybeans, so it only appears to be an animal product."
Hoping to avoid delving into that topic any further, she began lecturing about the various vegetables grown in the hydroponics bay.
"It is a pleasant place," Skon remarked as the group left the compartment a short time later. "Conducive to meditation."
"I go there occasionally for some peace and quiet," Sato said as she led the group toward the last place on the itinerary.
She opened the hatch to Engineering and immediately flinched as a teeth-grating sound of something much like a buzz saw assaulted her ears. The Vulcans all stopped in their tracks.
"They must be working on something," Sato yelled over the din. "Normally it doesn't sound like this."
"I would think not," said Stral the engineering theorist, who was cringing from the noise. Next to him, T'Plith had her hands over her elegant ears.
"Maybe we should come back later," Sato suggested loudly, only to have the noise stop. Drawing a deep breath, she said, "Let me check and see what's going on. I'll just be a minute."
She ducked through the hatch and looked around. Spotting Tucker at the elevated warp controls, she hurried around to the bottom of one of the ladders and called up to him. "Commander? Is it okay if I bring the Vulcans in? Or is that horrendous noise going to be repeated?"
Wiping his hands on a rag, Tucker grinned down at her. "Nah. That's over with. Bring 'em on in." Tossing the rag aside, he clambered down the ladder before she could move away. "You want me to lead this part of the tour?" he asked.
Sato looked at him gratefully. "You wouldn't mind? I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to answer some of the questions the two engineering specialists might have."
"My pleasure," he replied. "I haven't met an engineer yet that I can't talk to."
"Thanks," she said and hurried back to the hatch just at Reed stepped through and moved to the side to let her pass by.
She retrieved her waiting group and ushered them into the cavernous area. Reed was still there, she noted, but he was off to one side, watching the Vulcans watch Tucker as he launched into his spiel for visitors to Engineering.
"You're just in time," Tucker told them. "I've shut down the warp engine for a couple of hours to do some maintenance."
Soon Stral and Trannon were firing off questions and Tucker was answering more quickly than Sato could follow. The subjects dealt with physics, higher mathematics, and who knew what else.
Sato saw that Reed had moved farther to the side where he could better observe the Vulcans without being too obvious. He glanced at her and she gave him the barest shake of her head. She saw him purse his lips and resume watching the group, focusing primarily on Skon.
Forty-five minutes later, the tour was over and Sato's group filed out of Engineering on their way to lunch. But when they reached the doors to the mess hall, Stinn halted and faced Sato.
"I have no need to eat at this time," the Vulcan elder statesman said. "I will return to my quarters."
"As will I," said Stral.
The two moved off, followed by T'Plith. Turning to the remaining two Vulcans, Sato gestured toward the mess hall. "Shall we?" she asked.
Skon nodded, as did Trannon. They entered and, after getting food from the serving line, Sato led them to a table occupied by one other person.
"Skon, Trannon. I'd like to introduce you to Ensign Travis Mayweather, our helmsman," she said. "May we join you, Travis?"
"Sure," Mayweather said, rising to his feet. "Be my guests."
When they were all seated and had begun to eat, Sato said, "Travis is a Boomer."
Trannon greeted this statement with a blank look, but Skon looked at the helmsman with new interest. "You were born in space?" the Vulcan linguist asked.
Sato hid a smile as Skon and Mayweather monopolized the conversation. She'd had a feeling Skon would be interested in meeting a representative of yet another segment of human society. Besides, after the morning she'd had, it felt good not to talk for a while.
She ate her pasta, thinking back over the morning's activities. She'd picked up no clues as to who the spy might be. Maybe there wasn't one. Maybe the information had been wrong.
Glancing toward one of the windows lining the mess hall, she was visibly reminded that the ship wasn't traveling at warp. Instead of streaking by, the stars were stationary.
Her mind must have begun to wander after that, because Trannon asked, "Is something wrong?"
She blinked, coming back to the present, and said, "No. I was just thinking about another time when we had to take the warp engine offline. We encountered a neutronic storm. Not only did we have to shut down all the systems on the ship, but the entire crew had to take refuge in one of the catwalks because of the radiation."
"Catwalks?"
"That's what we call the maintenance shafts running the length of the nacelles," she explained, putting down her fork and pushing her plate away. "It was the only place with enough shielding to protect us."
Trannon's gaze bored intently into hers. "I would like to see one of these catwalks," he said, putting down his utensils. "It could be useful in my engineering research. Shielding is integral to some aspects of engine design."
"Well, I don't know," Sato began. "Normally the catwalks are off-limits, not because they are a restricted area, but because it's dangerous. When the warp engine is running, the coils in there generate an incredible amount of heat."
"The engine will be offline almost another hour, according to what your chief engineer said," Trannon persisted. "I know that it takes some time for the relays to fully engage. We would have sufficient warning to vacate the area."
Trannon had a point, Sato conceded. It wasn't like they'd be fried immediately if the engine was brought back on line while they were in there.
"All right," she agreed. As she and Trannon got to their feet, she glanced over at their oblivious companions and said with a smile, "We'll leave Skon and Travis to their discussion of Boomer slang."
 
*****
 
"You're kiddin'! One of them's a spy? I just spent a half hour tellin' 'em all about the warp engine!"
"Keep your voice down, Commander!" Reed said urgently in little more than a whisper, pulling Tucker aside on the main deck of Engineering.
"Why wasn't I told?" Tucker asked in a low voice.
"The captain wants to keep it quiet," Reed said, adding reluctantly, "I don't think he trusts my source."
Reed could see Tucker make the connection, for the engineer's puzzled expression cleared, then darkened again. Moving over to another console and calling up a schematic of the engine, Tucker asked, "Harris isn't callin' in his favor, is he?"
Reed heard the alarm in Tucker's voice. He followed him and stood close enough to Tucker that his words couldn't be overhead. "No, he's not. This is important, Trip. I need to know if you noticed anything unusual about the Vulcans while they were in Engineering."
Tucker rolled his eyes. "What was there to notice? They're a bunch of snooty Vulcans. Hey! Don't give me that look. Vulcans and snooty kinda go together."
"Prejudices and preconceived notions aside--"
"Geez! Talk about snooty!" Tucker said with a laugh, then held up his hand and lowered his voice again. "All right, Malcolm. But I meant what I said. They seemed like regular Vulcans. Nothin' outta the ordinary. The two with the engineering backgrounds seemed to know what they were talkin' about. The others..." He paused to think. "Well, I didn't really notice. Sorry."
Reed tilted his head, stretching the tight muscles in his neck as he tried to ease the tension that had been mounting ever since Harris had sent him the message. "I'll check with Hoshi," he said. "She was with them all morning. Maybe she picked up on something." Raising a hand to massage his neck, he added, "But first I'll stop by sickbay."
"All this spy business givin' you a headache?" Tucker inquired.
"What? Ah, no," said Reed. "But I've just had an idea."
"I'll leave ya to it, then," Tucker said, moving to another console. "I got work of my own to do."
 
*****
 
Sato didn't know whether she should be amused or irritated. Trannon hadn't shown the slightest interest in Enterprise except in Engineering. Perhaps that's why he'd hurried off to his quarters this morning before the tour even got started. Maybe he'd wanted to avoid the parts that didn't interest him. Some humans acted the same way, showing disdain for anything outside their own areas of expertise.
Now, presented with the opportunity to see the catwalks, Trannon was walking so quickly Sato thought she might have to break into a jog to keep pace with him.
Amusement flared up again when she realized that finding something of interest certainly made Trannon open up. He'd asked more questions in Engineering than Stral had.
Hearing him speak had reminded her that she never had identified his accent. There was something about it which was tickling around the edges of her memory, but she still couldn't quite grasp it.
They rounded a curve in the corridor and came to the entrance to one of the catwalks. "Here's where we go in," she said, indicating a hatch in the bulkhead.
With Trannon's assistance, she opened the hatch. The Vulcan gestured for her to precede him, and she stepped into the opening and began climbing the ladder up to the catwalk.
 
*****
 
Sickbay was deserted but for Doctor Phlox when Reed entered.
"Can I do something for you, Lieutenant?" the Denobulan asked from his seat at a work station along one wall.
"Did you scan the Vulcans when they came on board?" Reed asked.
"No. Transfers between Vulcan and human ships are not subject to medical scanning unless there is a specific reason, such as the possibility of an infectious disease." A look of concern crossed the doctor's expressive face and he got to his feet. "Is something wrong with the Vulcans?"
Reed lifted his eyebrows. "That remains to be seen," he said. "What about the equipment in here? Could you scan the entire ship and find the Vulcans?"
"Can't you do that from the bridge?" Phlox countered.
"I'd rather not. The fewer people who know what's going on, the better. Besides, sickbay was on my way from Engineering."
"If I might ask," the doctor said curiously, "what is going on?"
Reed considered the man, then said simply, "One of the Vulcans may not be a Vulcan."
"Oh!" Phlox said.
"Can you do a scan from here?" Reed asked impatiently.
"Of course."
Phlox walked over to one of the consoles and turned it on. Calling up a side-view diagram of the ship, he input some instructions. In a moment, several flashing green dots appeared.
"It appears three are in their quarters, one is in the mess hall, and the last one is on the bridge," Phlox announced.
Reed stared at the screen. "That's not right," he said. As Phlox looked at him quizzically, he continued, "The one on the bridge has to be T'Pol. That leaves four. We're missing one. Could something be wrong with the equipment?"
"I don't think so," Phlox said, hunching over to fiddle with the controls.
A new possibility struck Reed. "Could our missing Vulcan possibly be someone altered to look like a Vulcan?" he asked, leaning forward to look more closely at the screen.
"Let me check." After a moment, Phlox straightened in surprise and said, "Oh my!"
"What?"
"We're also missing one of the crew. There are only one hundred four human life signs," Phlox said. "There should be one hundred five, counting the MACOs.
 
*****
 
The maintenance on the warp engine was taking longer than Tucker would have liked. He had told the captain it would only take two hours. Even with the Vulcans' visit and then the conversation with Reed, he wasn't about to get behind schedule.
"You about ready up there?" he called out to the crew on the upper level.
An affirmative reply came down to him.
Tucker nodded in satisfaction and climbed up to the elevated control platform. His hands moved over the main panel, starting the process to power up the warp engine.
 
*****
 
Trannon followed Sato as they walked the length of the catwalk. He'd tried to remain quiet, but his curiosity got the better of him when they reached the compartment where helm control had been set up to ride out the neutronic storm.
"How long did it take to switch control to this area?" he asked.
"About four hours. That's all the time--"
He looked at her as she stopping talking in the middle of a sentence. She had taken a step back, and that, coupled with the surprise on her face, gave her away.
"You have figured me out, haven't you?" he asked.
She didn't try to deny it, nor did she try to run. She stood her ground and told him, "You can't get away."
He laughed outright at that. "You should be the one worried about getting away," he said, advancing on her.
She launched a kick at him but he blocked it, grabbing her ankle and yanking. She tumbled backward, her arms flailing for something to break her fall. Just as her head hit the unyielding bulkhead behind her, Trannon heard the sound of the coils coming online.
Gazing down at the unconscious officer, aware of the heat already beginning to build, he realized he'd been saved some trouble since she'd done him a favor by hitting her head hard enough to knock herself out. The intense heat generated by the coils would finish her off, and he wouldn't have to delay his exit from the catwalk.
Trannon was aware of the coils glowing more brightly with each step he took through the catwalk on his way to the hatch. He wasn't worried about his safety. He actually had been studying engineering when he was recruited for this assignment, so he knew something about the mechanics of starting a warp engine. He should be out of the area well before it was dangerous.
But he knew there was no way he could explain Sato's death. Skon had seen him leave the mess hall with her.
There was no choice. His mission would have to be aborted.
At least with the communications officer dead, no one would know the true nature of who had infiltrated the Vulcan delegation.
 
*****
 
Archer met Reed in the corridor outside the mess hall.
"What's this about?" Archer asked.
Reed quickly filled him in on his visit to sickbay and the results of Phlox's scans, finishing by saying, "Stinn, Stral and T'Plith are in their quarters; I personally checked on them. Another is in the mess hall."
Archer digested this information. After a moment, he asked curtly, "Who's the missing crew member?"
"I don't know yet, sir. T'Pol's checking that out."
Archer nodded and followed Reed into the mess hall, only to almost run into his tactical officer as the man stopped short.
"What is it?" Archer asked from behind him.
"Skon," Reed said, staring in disbelief across the room at the Vulcan where he was seated at a table with Mayweather. "Skon's here. I thought for sure it would be Trannon."
Archer walked around his officer and approached the table. Mayweather saw him and rose to his feet. "Sir?" the young man asked.
"Where's Trannon?" Archer asked.
"He was here earlier but he left with Hoshi," Mayweather replied. "Is something wrong, sir?"
Ignoring the helmsman's question, Archer asked another of his own. "Where did they go?"
As Mayweather shook his head and shrugged, Skon got to his feet. "Ensign Mayweather and I were talking at the time, but I did hear Trannon ask Ensign Sato to show him the catwalks," the Vulcan said.
Archer whirled to look at Reed. "That's why they aren't showing up," he said. "The shielding there is strong enough to interfere with scans."
"No one should be in there!" Reed exclaimed even as he was moving to the comm panel by the door. "The warp engine came back online a few minutes ago!" Thumbing a button on the panel, he said, "Reed to Phlox. How many life signs are you showing?"
Phlox's voice came back almost immediately. "Still one hundred four humans, but now there are six Vulcan life signs."
"Where is the sixth Vulcan?"
There was a pause as Phlox checked his readings. "Moving down the corridor away from the entrance to the starboard nacelle's maintenance shaft."
Reed cast an anxious glance at Archer, who said, "Hoshi must still be in the catwalk. She was with Trannon when he left here."
The words had barely left Archer's mouth when T'Pol's voice called out his name over the comm. Stepping quickly to the comm, he said, "T'Pol! Have Trip shut down the warp engine. Now!"
Archer expected unquestioning obedience, so T'Pol's next statement startled him. "That may not be wise, Captain. An unidentified vessel has appeared off our starboard bow."
"What?!" Archer said.
"It has some type of cloaking technology," came the reply. "We have hailed them, but they are not responding. They may be hostile."
"I'm on my way to the bridge," Archer said, cutting the connection and striding out of the mess hall, Reed hard on his heels. Over his shoulder, Archer ordered, "Check the catwalk. Find that spy--and find Hoshi."
 
*****
 
Archer burst onto the bridge to see the unknown vessel on the forward view screen. "Report!" he barked.
T'Pol, vacating the command chair as he approached, said, "Still no response to our hails."
Archer glared at the screen, wondering at the timing of the ship's appearance. If he had any doubt that Trannon was the spy, it was quelled by T'Pol's next announcement as she took her place at the science station.
"An indication of power usage from the other ship," she said tersely. "It appears to be a transporter beam."
Archer's eyes narrowed and he swung toward the officer manning the tactical station. "Prepare to fire--"
"Another power buildup!" T'Pol said. "They're firing!"
The bridge rocked, the lights dimming momentarily, as a lance of energy struck the ship. Sparks showered from a console at the back of the bridge, and over the din of alarms and complaining equipment, Archer heard T'Pol call out, "Weapons are offline."
 
*****
 
Reed was too late. Phase pistol in hand, he rounded a corner to see the shimmer of a transporter beam taking Trannon away.
"Damn!" he cursed under his breath, then raced on to the catwalk entrance where he found two of his security staff waiting for him.
"No time for EV suits," he said. "Let's go."
Reed and one of his men hurriedly opened the hatch, revealing the ladder leading upward, just as the ship shuddered under a blow. Reed was the first one in, climbing quickly. At the top of the ladder, he undogged the final hatch to the catwalk and, as it swung open, a blast of hot air hit him squarely in the face.
Squinting, he pulled himself up through the opening, pausing only long enough to wave the others toward the rear of the catwalk. He took off at a trot in the opposite direction, sweat starting to stream from his brow and down his back, as he visually scanned the lower areas on each side of the walkway.
There was no one in the main section, but as he entered the area that had served as the temporary command center, his gaze was drawn to the dark blue of a uniform against the gray bulkhead. He was squatting by Sato's side, checking for a pulse, when the blindingly bright light began to dim. The coils were shutting down.
 
*****
 
"Ensign Sato will be fine. She has a nasty bump on her head, but there's no indication of a concussion."
Archer greeted Phlox's statement with a long exhalation of relief.
After using a transporter to beam the spy off Enterprise and knocking out their weapons with one well-placed shot, the other ship had departed abruptly, and Archer had been able to order Tucker to shut down the warp engine. He hadn't known if it had been in time until Reed had notified him that Sato had been found--alive but unconscious--in the catwalk.
"Captain?'
Sato's voice, weak and unsteady, called to him from where she was resting on a biobed.
"Hoshi," he said, walking over and smiling down at her. "You're going to be fine."
"Captain," she said urgently. "Trannon's the spy. He--"
"We know, Hoshi," Archer said, trying to calm her. "He was transported off the ship by another vessel."
"Romulan?" she asked, trying to sit up.
"We don't know what kind of ship it was," Archer said as he tilted up the end of the biobed for her. "Why do you think it was Romulan?"
Sinking back down onto the pillow, Sato said, "It's been bugging me the whole time Trannon was on board. I knew I'd heard his accent before, but I couldn't place it. Then, in the catwalk, it hit me. It was the same as the voice on the transmissions from the Romulan ship when we were in that minefield."
Archer looked at Phlox, who was puttering around his patient. "You said you were picking up six Vulcan life signs on board," Archer said.
"I thought I was," Phlox replied candidly. "Trannon apparently was surgically altered to look like a Vulcan, and his biological readings may have been altered as well. I don't know what Romulans look like, much less anything about their physiology, so I can't say with any certainty. Then again, he may have been a Vulcan to begin with."
"With that accent?" Sato said skeptically as the doctor moved away. "I don't think so. He was definitely Romulan."
"There's one consolation in all this," Archer said. "We've stopped Trannon from doing whatever it was he was supposed to do at Starbase One." He gave her another smile. "I've got to get back to the bridge. You rest and get better, Hoshi."
"Yes, sir," she said.
The doors to sickbay swooshed open to admit Skon as Archer was walking out. The Vulcan paused and nodded to the captain before going over to Sato.
"I was sorry to hear of your injury," Skon said. "And, were I human, I would have to admit to a feeling of shame that the instrument of your injury was someone I believed was a colleague."
Sato smiled broadly at the un-Vulcanlike Vulcan. "You couldn't have known," she said, shaking her head slightly and wincing at the resulting throb.
"Even with my knowledge of languages, I did not realize his accent wasn't pure Vulcan," Skon said. "Your extraordinary talent was responsible for that."
"There was something else," she said, trying for a light tone. "I should have known by his name."
"His name?" Skon asked, totally nonplused.
"Don't those who wish to honor Surak give their male children names that begin with 'S'?" she joked.
For once Skon responded in typical Vulcan fashion, raising an eyebrow and giving her a steady stare. "Although Trannon was the only male Vulcan among us whose name did not start with that letter, it is not logical to deduce he was the spy on that consideration alone. But yes, those who wish to honor the memory of Surak do sometimes follow that custom."
"I bet you'll give your sons names that begin with 'S'," she said dryly.
"Yes," he replied. "My wife and I have discussed this. It seems fitting, since I have translated Surak's teachings into other languages. Our first son will be named Sarek."
End.
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