The Romulan War_ Beneath the Raptor's Wing (Book 1) - Michael A. Martin [28]
“Yes, Sub-Commander Ych’a?” T’Vran said as the doctor seemed to retreat a few steps, evidently at least as uncomfortable in the spy’s presence as was the captain.
“I must speak with you, Captain,” said the spy. “In private.”
After a moment’s consideration, T’Vran nodded, then activated a communications device to call security back into the room.
As T’Vran and Ych’a exited the infirmary, leaving Trip to the ministrations of Sivath and the same lone male security officer whom the captain had dismissed a few minutes earlier, he wished to continue his spy mission just a little bit longer—but only as a fly on the wall in whichever compartment T’Vran and Ych’a were planning to use for their conversation.
T’Vran knew that Ych’a had requested a private meeting mainly to vent her displeasure at the revelations the captain had made in front of the human in Sivath’s infirmary. She neither cared about that nor felt inclined to listen to the V’Shar officer’s complaints.
While the hatch was closing behind them as they both stepped inside the captain’s quarters, T’Vran turned on Ych’a before she could utter so much as a syllable of recrimination.
“Sub-Commander, please explain why you have altered the Kiri-kintha’s official log,” T’Vran demanded, her voice uncolored by any emotion save resolve, at least in her own ears.
T’Vran suppressed any appearance of having enjoyed Ych’a’s fleeting display of discomfiture. It was obvious that the V’Shar agent had expected her tampering to go undetected. Just as it was obvious that no one aboard the cargo ship, other than Ych’a and T’Vran herself, possessed the clearance codes necessary to engage in such alterations of official ship’s data.
As was her wont, Ych’a seemed to simply sidestep T’Vran’s question. “We cannot afford to send Commander Tucker back to his home planet,” she said. “Both your report to the civilian shipping ministry and your official log clearly indicated your intention to do just that. Therefore I redacted any such references in those documents prior to their transmission to Vulcan.”
T’Vran paused for several seconds to center herself before responding. “I see. And precisely why is it, in your judgment, that we ‘cannot afford’ to repatriate the commander?”
Ych’a appeared slightly surprised, as though the captain were demonstrating a disappointingly poor grasp of the intuitively obvious. “Because he is entirely too valuable as an intelligence asset.”
Such is ever the way with those who live by means of subterfuge—and even worse tactics, T’Vran thought, keeping the disgust she was feeling out of sight. Aloud, she said, “I trust that I need not remind you that no matter what intelligence Mister Tucker may have gathered about the Romulans, any V’Shar coercion that you may be contemplating would constitute a gross violation of the Coalition Compact. I will not tolerate any such activity aboard this vessel.”
“I require no such reminders, Captain,” Ych’a said, shaking her head slowly as she took a seat on one of the low chairs arranged in front of the captain’s desk. “It is clear that we have misunderstood each other once again.”
Although the captain thought, I believe we understand each other well enough, Sub-Commander, only a single word came to her lips as she sat behind her desk.
“Indeed.”
“My purpose,” Ych’a continued, “is not to wring information from the Terran. Rather, I wish to persuade him to employ his already proven skills voluntarily in the gathering of new information.”
T’Vran allowed one of her eyebrows to rise. “What sort of information, specifically?”
“I am speaking of information pertaining to the intrigues presently taking place within and around Administrator T’Pau’s new government.”
T’Vran placed her hands together, her index fingers raised in opposition to one another as she considered Ych’a’s words. That intrigues of some sort might be occurring