Section 31_ Rogue - Andy Mangels [46]
Zweller sought the proper words to answer Riker’s pointed question, but they refused to come. What came instead was a surge of guilt for having deprived Riker and Troi of their combadges after they’d been dragged unconscious into the catacombs beneath the Hagraté auditorium; there, a pair of Falhain’s most vigilant guards had kept Zweller “supervised,” and out of the fray for the duration of the peace conference. Zweller knew that by taking the combadges-which the Chiarosan guardsmen had promptly confiscated-he may have prevented Riker and Troi from being beamed to the relative safety of their own shuttle.
But he was also well aware that brief captivity could be a powerful instrument of persuasion. And it was terribly important that he persuade them.
“I have no choice but to help Grelun and his people,” Zweller said finally. “And all I ask is that you keep an open mind.”
Then he led Riker, Troi, and the guards down the corridor toward one of the hangars.
The antigrav-propelled transport’s hull was painted a dull, unobtrusive black. The passenger cabin was wide, windowless, and unadorned, everything in its interior the same monotonous gunmetal blue. Zweller shifted in a vain effort to get comfortable in his too-hard, too-straight seat. Clearly, human ergonomic considerations had not been uppermost in the minds of this vehicle’s designers.
A pair of surly-countenanced warriors, a male and a female, sat facing the still-manacled Riker and Troi, who passed the fifteen-minute trip in silence. Seated between the guards, Zweller let his thoughts wander behind the safety of his mental shields. Though he found the transport’s gentle shudders and vibrations oddly comforting, he knew he didn’t dare relax his guard in the Betazoid’s presence.
Zweller found himself desperately hoping that Tabor had somehow managed to survive whatever injuries he’d suffered in the Chiarosan capital. Zweller had always regarded Tabor as both a friend and a mentor, the man who had given his life and career a clarity of purpose that even Starfleet Academy had not been able to do. Tabor had saved him from the consequences of his youthful impetuousness decades ago, on more than one occasion. Had Tabor not warned him away from the beautiful young woman Zweller had taken up with during a shore leave back in ‘29-a woman who turned out to be a Tzenkethi saboteur-Zweller would likely have returned to the Ajax in a body bag, to say nothing of compromising the safety of the ship and her crew. Just two years later, during his second tour of duty with Captain Narth aboard the Ajax, a female Vulcan agent had recruited Zweller into Section 31, where he had come under Tabor’s direct supervision and sponsorship. A universe of opportunities, none of which ever seemed to come fast enough for him as an ordinary Starfleet officer, had opened up for him then. And he had never looked back.
And now Tabor might well be dead. Swept away, just like Captain Blaylock and the crew of the Slayton.
Zweller found coincidences hard to accept. His mind returned to his earlier query: Had Koval been responsible for the attack on Tabor as well as the deaths of his shipmates? Perhaps the Romulan had never intended to surrender the spy list. Maybe he was already back on Romulus, confident that Zweller would never survive his sojourn on Chiaros IV. Regardless, it was abundantly clear to him now that Koval had another agenda besides his deal with Section 31.
But what is it?
The vehicle ceased its shuddering, touching down with a light thump. A moment later, the guards perfunctorily removed Riker’s and Troi’s manacles and handed them thermal blankets, which the captives wrapped about their shoulders on their way to the vehicle’s rear hatchway. Still wearing his jacket, Zweller declined a blanket of his own. Then, his tricorder at the ready, he led the way outside the transport.
Because this near-Nightside region did not have the benefit of the mountains and canyons that shielded much of Chiaros IV’s habitable meridian, the howling wind struck them brutally. They