The Good That Men Do - Andy Mangels [76]
Trip shook his head incredulously, then moved even closer to the mirror until he was almost nose-to-nose with the reflected image of Cunaehr.
“Tinh, if we foul up on this mission, figuring out how to spend a few extra years of retirement pay won’t be at the top of our list of problems.”
Twenty-One
Thursday, February 20, 2155
Enterprise Nx-01
THE SWIRLING,BLUE-GREEN CLOUD bands of Adigeon Prime displayed on Enterprise’s central bridge viewer abruptly gave way to the image of a vaguely humanoid creature. The being’s long brown wings, feather-covered epidermis, and outsize, apparently lidless eyes gave it a more than passing resemblance to a gigantic barn owl.
“Universal translator engaged, Captain,” said Hoshi from the communications console located at the periphery of the bridge’s forward portside section. T’Pol stood at the station to Hoshi’s immediate left, attentively watching the readings on her science console.
“Captain Archer,” said the avian creature on the screen, the stridulations of its nonhuman vertical mouthparts rendered into intelligible speech by Hoshi’s linguistic algorithms. “I am given to understand that you have been trying to reach me.”
Archer tried his best to offer the Adigeon official a safely diplomatic smile, and to maintain at least the appearance of patience. Yes I have, he thought. The whole damned day.
Aloud, he said, “Thank you taking the time to speak with me, Administrator Khoulka’las.”
Archer heard the turbolift doors whisk open behind him, and a quick glance over his shoulder revealed the arrival of a stern-faced Shran, who was followed out of the lift by Theras. The Aenar seemed intimidated by the very notion of being on the starship’s bridge, although Archer knew he was incapable of seeing it.
Turning back toward the Adigeon on the viewer, Archer said, “We’re trying to find a group of people who were recently kidnapped from Andoria by Orion slavers.”
“How unfortunate,” the administrator said, “that anyone should fall unwillingly into the hands of Orion slavers. How many Andorians were taken?” Archer thought he could hear a note of sympathy in the syn-thetic voice, though he wasn’t certain whether to attribute it to the administrator’s goodwill or to the emotional subtext recognition subroutines Hoshi had written into her translation matrix software.
“Thirty-seven individuals in all,” Archer said. “And strictly speaking, they’re not exactly Andorians as such.”
“Not Andorians? But from Andoria?” The administrator’s synthesized voice registered confusion, even though the creature’s body language, which largely consisted of many frequent, small jerky movements, remained obscure.
“The captives are Aenar, Administrator. A subspecies of the Andorian race. They’re pacifists, unable to defend themselves. And they possess strong telepathic abilities, which is probably what made them such attractive targets for the Orion slavers.”
“Indeed.”
“Administrator, we’ve obtained information indicating that the slavers transferred the Aenar captives to a ship bound for your world, and that Adigeon business agents were facilitating a sale of the Aenar to a third party.”
“Such third-party business arrangements are commonplace on Adigeon Prime, Captain. Businesses in three sectors rely on our world’s customary unbreakable, duranium-clad confidentiality agreements.” The note of sympathy Archer had heard earlier appeared to have faded away, if he hadn’t merely imagined it in the first place.
He took a deep breath, centering himself before speaking again. “I respect the confidentiality of Adigeon Prime’s brokers, attorneys, and business agents, Administrator. But a terrible crime has been committed, and we must investigate it. We need to learn the details of the slavers’ business arrangements- including the identity and location of the… final purchaser.”
“Kidnapping is indeed a terrible crime, Captain. However, so is breaching Adigeon Prime’s sacred veil of privacy.”
Archer’s patience was rapidly