"The battlecruiser is changing course," Spock announced.

"They've seen us," Kirk said grimly.

"Affirmative," Spock agreed. "They have entered the sensor shadow."

"Captain, we're being hailed," Uhura said.

Kirk stood up, his feet spread wide as if bracing himself for a physical confrontation. "On screen."

The starfield slowly dissolved to reveal the proud head and shoulders of a Klingon commander. His mustache started at the outer edges of his lip, creating thick tails that hung on either side of his mouth, mingling with the hair of his beard. Much like the Romulans and Vulcans, his Klingon brows curved up expressively.

"Dorak, son of Ronh," the Klingon barked. "In command of the Tr'loth."

Altogether a fierce sight, but Kirk breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn't the Romulans. He knew how to handle Klingons. Every time he encountered Klingons, they were trying to take advantage of somebody. That made them predictable.

"Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise," he said flatly. "You're a long way from home, Commander Dorak."

"As are you." Dorak's eyes didn't blink. "What ship was destroyed here?"

"A Romulan bird-of-prey."

"You destroyed a Romulan bird-of-prey?" Dorak laughed, throwing back his head to show his pointed teeth. "I've heard of Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise! 1 would sooner believe a babe would fight Kahless the Unforgettable!"

Kirk stayed calm. There was no need to rise to meaningless insults. "The Enterprise was damaged at the same time the bird-of-prey was destroyed."

"Who destroyed the bird-of-prey?" Dorak demanded.

"We don't know what happened." Kirk said with all the patience he could muster. "We were some distance away from it."

"Why are you here, so far from the Federation?"

Blandly, Kirk gestured in the direction of the Badlands. "We're engaged in deep-s.p.a.ce exploration. Our science labs are a.n.a.lyzing this region of plasma storms." Dorak's expression remained dubious. "What about you, Commander? It's a long way to Klingon territory. And I somehow doubt you're on a scientific mission. ..."

Dorak's eyes narrowed, and he glared from Kirk to the other members of the bridge crew. Then the screen when blank. When the starfield resumed, the Klingon battlecruiser was growing larger. The malevolent green glow made Kirk's Up draw up in disgust.

"The Tr'loth is closing," Mister Sulu reported.

"They'll soon be within phaser range," Scotty a.s.sured him.

Spock looked up from his scanner. "Sir, their shields are at maximum and disruptors are on line. They also have maneuverability on their side."

"Spock, can they scan us?" Kirk demanded urgently. "Can they tell there's a Romulan ship on boardor a Romulan, for that matter?"

"Negative, sir, not through our shields."

"Very good," Kirk replied, relaxing somewhat Kirk could have sworn the Klingon commander was surprised to find the Enterprise here. Almost as surprised as Kirk was to find Klingons arriving in the area.

"Busy little spot, wouldn't you say, Mister Spock?" he asked.

"Aye, Captain. There seems to be an unusual amount of traffic for this area of unclaimed s.p.a.ce."

Kirk narrowed his eyes. "What's the current status of the Klingon-Romulan alliance?"

Spock consulted with his computer for the latest Federation intelligence data. "The Klingon-Romulan alliance is unchanged. Active exchange of trade and military information."

"Perhaps it's not as active as the Klingons would like," Kirk murmured.

Scotty turned. "Sir? You think the Klingons were the ones the smuggler was to meet here?"

"A plasma beam weapon would be very useful to the Klingon Empire," Kirk commented. "Especially if the Romulanstheir allieshave been holding back on them'

"We have no record of Klingons using plasma beam weapons," Spock agreed. "If the technology fell into their hands, it could upset the balance of power."

Kirk settled back to wait. If the Klingons were expecting to meet the smuggler, Dorak would not know if the ship had arrived yet. The bird-of-prey could have picked up the smuggler before it exploded, or both vessels could have been destroyed during a battle.

"The Tr'loth is slowing, sir. Eighty thousand kilometers away," Sulu announced.

The Klingon ship eased into place off their bow, positioned as if it were hanging over the Enterprise. The Klingon commander was deliberately a.s.suming a threatening posture.

"Captain," Uhura said, "we're being hailed by the Tr'loth again."

Kirk stayed seated this time, casually leaning back on one elbow. "On screen."

Dorak was standing up, his hand braced on a bulkhead, looking down at the screen. Kirk could see other Klingons in the background, because of the wider angle. They were hunched over their instruments, with only the backs of their heads visible; but the low grumble of their voices was audible.

"We have scanned the area. It appears that you speak the truth. A Romulan bird-of-prey was destroyed." Commander Dorak leaned forward. "We still have not determined the cause."

"Neither have we," Kirk said patiently.

"You may be on your way," Commander Dorak said with a magnanimous wave. "According to Klingon-Romulan agreements, we have salvage rights."

"I didn't know Klingons made jokes, Commander." Kirk didn't move. "I'm sorry to say, that wasn't a very good one."

"Many would be grateful not to have to fight to get away," said Durak.

"Commander, the Enterprise is not going anywhere." Kirk knew it wouldn't matter if he told them what their own sensors could detect there were no matter/antimatter emissions from the nacelles of the Enterprise. "Our warp drive is offline until we finish some repairs. It looks like we're stuck here for a few days."

"How unfortunate. Considering that we just signaled the Romulans and informed mem of the destruction of one of their birds-of-prey." Dorak gave him a toothy grin. "They should be here within a few days."

"Calling for reinforcements already, Dorak?" Kirk prodded.

Dorak pursed his Ups. "Stay away from the wreckage, Captain Kirk! It is ours."

"We will proceed with our investigation," Kirk countered.

"Then we will destroy your ship and salvage your wreckage!"

Kirk knew the Enterprise couldn't risk dropping shields to pick up debris while the Klingons were in the area, or they would discover the Romulan ship in the shuttle bay. They might even be able to detect the Romulan captain on board.

But Kirk wasn't going to let any Klingon dictate terms to him. "You'd better not make that threat unless you're willing to act on it." He stared at the screen, right into Dorak's eyes. "Kirk out."

Kirk terminated the connection himself.

Everyone on the bridge waited, expecting some sort of reaction from the Klingons. Kirk had practically slapped Dorak in the face with the back of his hand.

"The Tr'loth is scanning us, Captain," Spock announced.

"Shields?" he asked.

"Shields are holding, sir," Scotty a.s.sured him. "They'll not get anythin' on us!"

"They're moving off, Captain," Sulu reported. "Bearing zero-two-eight mark ten. One-half impulse power."

Kirk took a deep breath. So Dorak had chosen not to fight now. That must mean his mission was more important than putting an upstart Starfleet captain in his place.

Kirk quickly accessed Scott's engineering report on the dilithium crystals. They had just begun scanning the complex crystals in the science lab. It would take at least another two duty shifts before they were done, and another two days, at least, to replace the damaged EPS taps and bring warp drive on-line, if the dilithium crystals hadn't been structurally damaged.

"Get that warp drive back on line, Scotty," Kirk ordered, knowing he wouldn't have to tell his chief engineer how important it was.

"Aye, sir," Scott said fervently. "I'll go help with the scanning."

Kirk went over to Spock's station. "Our priority now is to find the specs on the plasma-beam weapons. Commander Teral must have the data. There's no other reason for the Klingons to be here."

"That would seem to be a logical explanation for their arrival," Spock agreed.

"Get down there, Spock, and turn that ship inside out if you have to. We've got to find that information."

"Aye, captain," Spock acknowledged. Kirk trusted that if the data was there, Spock would find it. Others seemed to find Spock's supernatural calm unnerving, but to Kirk it had always been rea.s.suring.

Kirk settled hi to see what the Klingons would do next, while waiting for Spock's report. He knew it would be no use confronting the Romulan captain again until they had proof of her guilt.

Not that he was fooled by the Klingons. They could act like they were just nosing around out there, innocently scooping up wreckage, but Kirk knew they were here to get the data on the plasma-beam weapon. And he couldn't allow that to happen. Even with one third of his crew incapacitated and so many vital systems offline, Kirk knew he would have to beat the Klingons at their own game.

Chapter Six.

Leaving the bridge, Spock first went to the science lab to review the a.n.a.lysis of the scans of the Barataria. The ulterior scan correlated with the exterior scan to within .0003 microns. The downloaded computer memory banks were identical to the core in source patterns, and there were no overlaid sequences.

Then Spock proceeded to the shuttle bay to complete a scan of the Barataria's systems. He nodded at the two security guards on duty in the shuttle bay.

Spock checked the examination of the Barataria's systems, but it was not yet completed. He returned to the exterior of the shuttle with his tricorder to scan the blackened scoring. He compared the dispersal pattern with logs of the Enterprise from over two years ago, when their hull had been damaged by the Romulan plasma-beam weapon.

Once the variations in structural materials were taken into account, the scoring pattern on the Barataria correlated with the damage done to the Enterprise. Spock concluded that Commander Teral's a.s.sessment had been correct the Barataria had been at the extreme range of the plasma beam. Otherwise, her ship would have been destroyed.

Spock returned to the interior of the Barataria. The hatch opened into a general storage area, with a short corridor leading to the command center. The portable diagnostic unit was humming on the floor next to the captain's chair.

It was clearly a one-person ship. Spock was impressed with the meticulous order of the supplies and computer logs. Even Commander Teral's personal belongings, such as clothing and discs, were organized and immaculately maintained.

In addition, the subtle tones in the gratings and bulkheads were aesthetically pleasing. The command center was a model of efficiency, and there was an inherent symmetry in the structure of the ship.

Spock braced his hands on the back of the chair and leaned forward to read the power levels. Minimal, with engines powered down.

His hands lingered on the texture of the chair. Soft, pliant, yet strong. His fingers flexed, sinking in deeper.

Then he saw her face, the face he had been trying not to think of since Commander Teral had emerged from her ship. The Romulan Commanderhe would not think her name, for that was too intimate, an intimacy he had betrayed for Starfleet.

Only a few months had pa.s.sed since he had encountered the Romulan Commander. He could not forget how he had touched her hand and her face, even her lips. Captain Kirk had ordered Spock to distract the commander so he could steal a Romulan cloaking device for the Federation. But in the end, Spock could not say he regretted the time he had spent with her. She was an exceptional woman....

The scanner beeped, indicating that it was finished, but for a moment Spock didn't notice.

When he realized the examination had been completed, Spock .got to work. He noted that the only anomaly in the scan was in a subroutine linked to Teral's communications grid. This subroutine wasn't in the data; instead, it was an autosystem curled within the other subroutines. The only thing that would have detected it was a level-one diagnostic, which would have taken several hours to complete.

Spock attempted to access the subroutine, but it was coded shut. Carefully examining the physical structure, he noted a power linkage, which meant it was probably designed to self-destruct if opened without the proper access codes.

Spock notified Captain Kirk. "Sir, I have discovered a subroutine that is encoded. We will need the access codes to open it without damaging the data."

Kirk immediately replied, "She must have them Commander Teral."

"Agreed, sir."

"Get them from her, Spock. And if you can't, I'll come down there and do it myself."

"Understood, Captain." Spock signed off.

On his way to deck 6, Spock reviewed his options. Commander Teral had no other logical choice but to relinquish the access codes. He would be ruthlessly honest, and she would realize the truth and accept it, as logical beings tended to do.

At the door to Commander Teral's temporary quarters, Spock told the security guards, "I must see Commander Teral."

Kelley opened the panel to the controls and operated the door. The chief of security gestured for another guard to stand by the controls as she followed Spock inside. "Captain's orders," she informed him, when he glanced back.

"Of course," Spock said.

Apparently, Commander Teral was startled when the door opened without warning. She stood up next to the couch.

"I am Commander Spock," he told her. "First Officer of the Enterprise."

"Good, I would like to leave now, Commander Spock," Teral told him. "I have been delayed here long enough."

"I regret that I cannot comply at this moment," Spock said.

She lifted her chin, her perfectly composed expression revealing strength of character. "What are the charges against me?"

"There are none, yet," Spock said. "However, fifty-five bottles of Romulan ale were discovered in a bulkhead inside the Barataria."