The atmosphere in King Estmere's conference room is tense, and glum. Maybe I should feel that way, too - after all, I'm the one with the death sentence hanging over me. Mostly, though, what I feel is anger.
"All right," I say. "Let's go over this. We know Thrang wants me dead. And we know he's up to something at Vel Tarsus. If he's been doing any background checks on me - and we have to assume he has, and in some detail - then he must know I have reasons to be concerned about that particular world." I square my shoulders. "So. It seems to me that I've got two alternatives. Go to Vel Tarsus, or try and hide somewhere else."
"Going to Vel Tarsus is playing right into his hands, surely?" says Harley Haught.
"Possibly," says Bulpli Yulan, but her black eyes are thoughtful. "But remember what happened to Admiral Hengest...." She turns to look directly at me. "Thrang is going to figure out some way of getting to you. If we go to Vel Tarsus, we've got some chance, at least, of working out what it is. If we sequester you somewhere safe - like we did Admiral Hengest -"
"Then he could hit me from anywhere," I say.
"Not anywhere," Klerupiru mutters. "His damn shadow OS isn't that good.... But, yeah, I wouldn't like to work out how he'd play it."
"Especially as Thrang is not concerned about the amount of collateral damage he inflicts," rumbles Three of Eight.
"Which brings me to another point." I pause, look sternly at each of my senior officers in turn. "Thrang doesn't worry about who's standing next to his targets. If you're around me, your lives are at risk too. I want to minimize that risk. If I'm going to Vel Tarsus, I want only volunteers with me. And I want you, all of you, to think twice, long and hard, before you volunteer. None of you deserves to die, and I value you, all of you, too much to want to see you dead. Personally, I'd rather go up against Thrang by myself, with no friends within a parsec of me. Bear that in mind."
"Your pardon, noble leader," says Thirethequ. "I could cogitate not twice, but a myriad of times, and the products of my lucubrations would in all cases be identical. This villain Thrang is an affront to civilization, and his career must be emphatically terminated. I have every confidence in your - and, I may say, in our - capacity to accomplish this laudable aim. I, for one, shall not be deterred from assisting you."
"Uh, yeah," says Klerupiru. "What he said."
"I don't think there's anyone here who wouldn't stand with you, sir," says Bulpli. "Or who wouldn't jump at a chance to take Thrang down."
"All right." I don't deserve their loyalty... but it seems I have it. "Well. Thrang has a hundred per cent success rate, as far as we know, so we've got to work out some way to change that. The one lead I've got, so far, is the one Pexlini gave us, about - Klerupiru, is this room still secure?"
"As far as I can make it," says Klerupiru. "Every chip that comes through the shielding gets scanned for traces of the shadow OS... I may not be able to crack it, yet, but I can recognize it, and trash any isolinear chip or device that's contaminated. The EM shielding round this conference room is supposed to be certified uncrackable... and if it is compromised, then I've got backup processes in place which will alert me. So, yeah. As secure as I can make it."
Which, if I know Klerupiru, will be pretty darn secure - certainly safer than, say, Facility 4028 or Starfleet Intelligence HQ. "Right. Well. Pexlini's source says Thrang has some way of compromising the King Estmere, so we won't be going to Vel Tarsus in this ship, anyway. What we will be using -" I manage a lopsided smile. "I'm grateful to you all for your support, believe me. But I won't be taking everyone with me, because there simply isn't room."
---
When I get back to the bridge, I'm surprised to see the Rigelian, Dgy-Coosh, in the centre seat. "Where's Flag Captain Vihl?" I ask him.
"In the ready room, sir." His mask-like face tells me nothing. It's odd that Anthi isn't at her post. I raise an eyebrow at him, and head for the ready room.
Anthi is standing by my desk as I come in. She snaps to attention. "Sir."
"At ease, Flag Captain." I'm still puzzled. "Did you want a word in private?"
"Sir, I -" She stops, shakes her head.
I'm worried, now, but I decide not to press it. "All right. I've roughed out a list of essential personnel for transfer, but we'll need to go through it in detail. And of course, while I'm away, you're going to have to take care of the King Estmere." I grin at her. "I couldn't leave her in safer hands, I know."
Anthi takes a deep breath. "Sir, don't send me away. Not now."
I stare at her. "Anthi, what's wrong?"
She puts a hand to her brow, touching the roots of her twitching antennae. She is visibly trembling, and I've never seen her like that before. "I shouldn't say this," she says, "but I might never get another chance - Sir, do you remember when we first met?"
"Of course," I say. "Vega Colony -"
"The Borg were all over the ship," she says, "and the command staff were dead, and we were huddled in the transporter room, and nobody knew what to do. And then you came. And I know, sir, you were as scared as any of us, but you had an idea, you had a plan, you took charge when nobody else could. And I followed you. Because I knew, right then, from the moment I saw you, that I would follow you anywhere. That I would do anything for you, anything and everything." Her voice is quivering with emotion. "So I'm asking you, sir, and I will beg if I have to - don't send me away. Because I belong at your side, sir."
"Anthi." I'm gaping at her, I know; I can't help it. "Anthi, this situation is dangerous. I could die, the people around me could die -"
"Then I'll die. I'd rather die at your side, sir, than live without you." She closes her eyes. "I'm sorry. I've said too much." And she rushes out of the ready room, leaving me staring after her as the door slides shut.
I slump into my chair, my thoughts whirling. Anthi feels like that about me? All this time... how could I have missed it? How could I -?
And what am I going to do, now?
I sit and think, trying to marshal my thoughts into some kind of order. Anthi has always been there for me, always, whenever I've needed her - my rock, my reliable right arm -
I've heard some humans describe their life-partners as "my better half". More and more, as I think things over, it seems to me that Anthi already is my better half. And just how stupid have I been, not to notice that before now?
I take a deep breath, and touch my combadge. "Commander Dgy-Coosh."
"Dgy-Coosh here," the Rigelian's bland voice replies.
Anthi ran out of this room, but she would never entirely desert her post. She's out on the bridge now, she can hear what I have to say. "Take note, please, Commander. As of this current stardate, you are designated as temporary commanding officer of the USS King Estmere, once my flag is transferred. Record this order in the official log. Congratulations, Commander, and try and keep her safe for me. Shohl out."
I will give Anthi what she wants. If I can. If I live.
I switch on the PADD and start scrolling through the lists of names. Thrang's countdown flashes in the corner of the screen, but I put it out of my mind. I will make my plans, and I will live through this. Because, it seems, I have more to live for than I knew.
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