Her brow furrowed endearingly. “Why does it mean that?”
Archer sat up in bed. He was coming to enjoy this game. “Well, a . . . penny is a kind of old coin.”
“A coin. So you’re offering to bribe me into telling you my thoughts?”
He got out of bed and slipped on a bathrobe, not as accustomed to the cool air as a Rigel V native like Hemnask. “It was a very small coin. The lowest denomination. So it’s—”
“So you’re saying my thoughts are of minimal value.”
He stepped closer to her. “I was going to say, it’s a token gesture. And you’re avoiding the question.” He put his arms on her bare shoulders. “Something’s on your mind, Sedra. I’d like to know what it is.”
“Jonathan, I . . .” She pulled away, moving closer to the window. “I’m wondering if this was a mistake.”
His face fell. “Oh. I’m . . . sorry, I thought . . .”
“Oh, no, not because of you!” Her hand rested on his chest. “No, what we shared was . . . special. That’s why I fear it was selfish of me to seek it from you.”
He stroked Sedra’s cheek. “The last thing I would call you after last night is selfish.”
“But I was.” She moved away and finally donned her own robe, not from the chill. “I didn’t think about how it would look. Politically, I mean.”
Archer frowned, shaking his head. “But we’re both already known for supporting membership. I don’t see a conflict of interest.”
“That’s just it. They could claim our relationship existed earlier, back on Rigel. Accuse you of seducing me into supporting the Federation.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
She spread her arms. “Welcome to politics! All it takes is the appearance of scandal to poison a deal. And our chances of winning over both Rigel and the Federation are tenuous enough already. It wouldn’t take much to ruin them.”
Hemnask smiled wistfully, coming up to Archer and tenderly stroking his cheek. “It’s sweet and romantic of you to speak up for what we did. But can you truly tell me you never contemplated that it might be unwise?”
Archer pondered her words. The truth was, he had recognized last night that his behavior was a little out of character. Maybe that was why he’d done it. Ever since his talk with Dani, he’d been aware of how solitary he’d let himself become. After all, he wasn’t getting any younger. If he ever wanted to pass the Archer legacy forward to another generation . . . or even just have someone to keep him company once he finally retired . . . he had to change his way of doing things. Maybe his yearning for a companion had made him reckless in giving in to his attraction to Hemnask.
After a moment, he shook his head, rejecting the thought. “You are not just someone I slept with because you were convenient. I may have been feeling a little lonely lately, but not that needy. There’s something real between us. Something worth pursuing.”
She came up to him again. “I’m not saying there isn’t. This does mean something to me. But . . . it was ill-timed. We should probably defer exploring it further until after the conference, when there’s no longer a potential conflict of interest.” She gave a lopsided grin and moved in against him. “Or at least we should keep this as private as we can.” She kissed him slowly. “We Rigelians value our secrets.”
He kissed her back, and it was a while before they parted. “All right. For now, this is just between us.”
“Agreed.” She self-consciously grasped his hand and shook it in the human manner.
But he took her hand in both of his, smiling. “You know . . . it’s still a few hours until local morning.”
She tilted her head. “I believe you’re right.” She pulled his head down to hers again.
Archer had barely gotten her robe open again when his communicator beeped. He let it sound a few times before they both sighed, pulled apart, and rolled their eyes in mutual understanding. Retying his robe, he fished the palm-sized instrument out of his uniform pocket and flipped open the grille. “Archer here.”
“Admiral, this is Captain Williams. You’d better get down to the esplanade, sir.”
Sensing the intensity in his aide’s voice, Archer frowned. “What’s wrong, Marcus?”
“Sir, someone just took a shot at Councilor Thoris.”
• • •
Many of the ambassadors and their aides had gathered near the center of the esplanade by the time Archer arrived, and a fair number of the Andorian Starfleet troops handling security for the conference were there as well, keeping the crowd back and questioning witnesses. Archer spotted Marcus Williams easily: his aide was a tall, strongly built man, a former wide receiver for Starfleet Academy’s gridiron football team back in the ’30s. Once Williams spotted Archer, that background assisted him in negotiating the crowd to rendezvous with the admiral. “Where’s the councilor?” Archer asked.