by David Mack
“That sounds like quite a reversal of their past dynamic.”
“I can report based only on what I saw, Admiral.”
The steely-eyed, gray-haired woman on the other side of the subspace channel studied Sarai. When she spoke again, a note of irritation crept into her voice. “Let’s put aside for the moment my concerns about Vale and Riker. We need to talk about what you did.”
“I carried out my orders in good faith,” Sarai said. “Nothing more, nothing less.”
“I’m not sure I’d agree with that.” Batanides leaned in so that her face dominated the holoscreen. “I told you that we wanted to capture the Husnock fleet for our own research.”
“I left you a Husnock battleship completely intact. Study it all you want.”
“One ship? I read the after-action report, Commander. You could have disabled the Husnock arsenal without destroying it, but you self-destructed all but a single vessel—which, I might note, sits at the farthest end of Husnock space, nearly a year’s travel at high warp from the Federation. I presume you think choosing to spare that ship was funny?”
“Well, I certainly don’t think it was sad. I saw what kind of munitions the Husnock used. Weapons of mass destruction like those have no place in Starfleet.”
Batanides scowled. “That wasn’t your call to make.”
“As the one who led an away team that free-fell from orbit and survived a firefight with an entire company of Breen commandos to secure the assets in question, I think it was. If you disagree with my assessment, you can lead that mission yourself next time.”
The admiral’s anger turned cold. “Need I remind you, Commander, that I can scuttle your career whenever I like?”
“Be my guest. But if you do, you’d better be ready to explain to Admiral Riker why you took it upon yourself to plant an unauthorized spy aboard his flagship.” She watched the admiral’s reaction to that threat and was pleased to see it made Batanides back up just a bit.
“Don’t get overconfident,” Batanides said. “I redacted the worst parts of your service record before I had you transferred to the Titan. If you suddenly develop an attack of conscience, I’ll make sure Admiral Riker and Captain Vale get to see the least flattering version of your dossier—right before you spend the rest of your life in a Starfleet Intelligence black site. Do I make myself clear, Commander?”
“Positively transparent, sir.”
“Your next report is due in five days. Get me new intel on Riker and Vale, or else.” Without a farewell or the least concession to courtesy, Batanides closed the channel.
The holoscreen went dark. Sarai sighed and let her shoulders slump. “What now?”
Leaning against the wall on either side of her desk, out of the field of view for the holoscreen’s sensor, Captain Vale and Admiral Riker exchanged troubled looks.
“Now,” Riker said, “we find a way to get you out of this mess with your career intact.”
“And then,” Vale added, “we show Batanides she just messed with the wrong crew.”
Acknowledgments
* * *
My sincere thanks go out to those folks whose support and assistance proved invaluable during the writing of this book: my wife, Kara; my agent, Lucienne Diver; my friends and fellow authors James Swallow and Kirsten Beyer; my editors, Margaret Clark and Ed Schlesinger; and our indefatigable licensing liaison, the great John Van Citters. You are all rock stars.
About the Author
* * *
David Mack is REDACTED.
Buy his novel The Midnight Front, coming in January 2018.
Learn more on his official website:
davidmack.pro
Or follow him on Twitter:
@DavidAlanMack
We hope you enjoyed reading this Simon & Schuster ebook.
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Cover art by Mojo
ISBN 978-1-5011-5200-9
ISBN 978-1-5011-5208-5 (ebook)
