Once the charges were set, Vons ordered their activation. Grev stared in dismay at the Rigelian numerals counting down on the detonators. “But . . . but that doesn’t give us enough time to get out!”
Vons gestured theatrically to Damreg, who began pressing buttons on his interface device. “Except.”
He didn’t need to continue the sentence; the tingling sensation that engulfed Kirk’s body a moment later spoke volumes. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that whatever transporter technology his abductors were using was more reliable than the Federation kind. . . .
June 18, 2164
U.S.S. Endeavour, orbiting Babel
“Apparently Crewman Mishima lived long enough to disarm one of the explosive devices,” Malcolm Reed reported from the bridge’s main viewer, a mix of pride and anger leavening his disciplined voice. “It didn’t save him, but it reduced the blast damage just enough to let us recover some of the evidence they were hoping to obliterate. We’ve been able to determine that most of the attackers were Zami Rigelians, and that they had help from Assistant Director Vons, who has now disappeared.” He took a breath. “Moreover, we’ve verified that there are no remains from Ensign Grev and Lieutenant Kirk. Apparently they’ve been abducted, though we’re not sure why.”
The bridge personnel around Archer showed relief. But Archer’s eyes were on Sedra Hemnask, who was here along with Ambassador Jahlet to hear Reed’s report, as it concerned their system. He thought he caught a hint of realization in her expression. “Director?” he prompted. “If there’s something you want to tell us about what was stolen from that vault . . .”
“What they took . . . were potentially the most valuable and most destructive things in our possession,” she replied softly.
“Some kind of weapon?” Captain T’Pol asked from her command chair.
Hemnask gave a faint chuckle. “In a sense—though the Trade Commission’s most potent weapons have never involved physical force. No, our power comes from the secrets we hold.” She shook her head. “Or so I thought. It seems Rehlen Vons had deeper secrets than I imagined. That he would do this to us . . . betray us to the First Families. . . . What hold could they have over him?”
“Director, please,” T’Pol went on. “In hostage situations, time is of the essence.”
Hemnask shook herself. “Yes, of course. Let me explain.” She took another moment to gather her thoughts. “We hear what your delegates say about our system,” she said. “That the Trade Commission does not pay attention to the misdeeds of our business partners, that we allow them to get away with all things. The truth is . . . we take note of everything. Every action they take, every crime they commit, every violation and exploitation we can document. We see it all, and we remember it all. And that is our weapon.”
After a moment, Takashi Kimura spoke from the tactical station. “It sounds like you’re talking about blackmail.”
“We see it as . . . leverage,” Hemnask told him. “We must balance our commitment to the self-determination of Rigel’s worlds and communities with the stability of Rigel as a whole. And so we watch. Normally watching is all we do. But if someone threatens an act that could destabilize the system, then we let them know what we have seen . . . and we encourage them to be more cooperative, lest certain uncomfortable truths come to light.
“For example: Many officials on Rigel II are in the pocket of the First Families. They are implicated in many criminal and corrupt acts—acts that violate local planetary laws, or that would alienate their customers, partners, or power bases were they to become known. So long as they have an incentive to keep those ties secret, we can pressure them, keep them from acting too aggressively to increase the Families’ power. As long as they are free to serve the Families’ interests to a limited extent, it mollifies the Families enough that they do not push too far. But if the officials’ ties and other secrets were exposed, then they would no longer have a check on their behavior, and neither would the Families.”
“That’s . . .” Archer stopped himself from saying it was crazy. He supposed many things in human political history would seem just as irrational to an outsider. “How did a system like that ever come about?”
Ambassador Jahlet fielded that one. “It is a legacy of our history,” the beaded Jelna said. “The early Trade Commission was stabilized by the mutual exchange of secrets. The members used the leverage of those secrets as a hedge against betrayal, a deterrent against corruption and exploitation. It has actually served over time to reduce such selfish actions, to encourage us to be forthright and ethical toward one another. The keeping of secrets is a mutual responsibility for the good of all. Many of those secrets are innocuous now . . . but there are still some that hold power and danger, especially those involving the Families and others outside the united Rigel community.”