“Understood.” McCoy bent to examine the body. A handheld scanner hummed as the doctor passed it over the still and silent form. “I’ll do what I can.”
Kirk stepped back to let the doctor work, while wondering just how bad things were about to get. By now Ifusi had surely informed Riley and the others of A’Barra’s death, which meant the news would be hitting both planets soon. Kirk had to wonder if there was any chance of salvaging the peace talks or if that was already a lost cause. And had this murder been committed by the same assassin—or done in retaliation for General Tem’s death? Finding Lenore guilty for both killings was actually the best-case scenario, at least as far as the peace process was concerned, but Kirk found it hard to hope for that outcome.
McCoy rose from the body, a troubled expression upon his face.
“What’s the verdict, Doctor?” Kirk asked.
“Poison,” McCoy declared. “An overdose of zetaproprion, to be exact.”
The same medication Lenore was on.
“Are you sure, Bones?”
“Pretty much,” McCoy said. “I can do a more detailed postmortem and tox screen to confirm, but I’m detecting a lethal dose of zetaproprion in his system and the neurological damage is consistent with an overdose. If it’s any consolation, he probably died quickly.” He turned away from the body. “I’m sorry, Jim. I know this doesn’t look good for Lenore.”
That’s putting it mildly, Kirk thought. He needed a moment to absorb the disturbing new information, which made him question his gut instincts regarding Lenore’s innocence and apparent sanity. Could it be that she hadn’t really been “cured” at all? Did she fool me again?
“Chekov,” he said tersely. “Please admit Ambassador Riley to the foyer, but no further. We need to speak privately, away from the surviving delegates.”
“Aye, sir,” Chekov said. “I’ll be right back.”
McCoy gave Kirk a worried look. “You sure you want to share this with Riley, Jim? You know what he’s going to think.”
“I have no choice,” Kirk said, regardless of his own conflicted feelings. “Another key diplomat has been killed under our watch. The Pavakians and the Oyolu are bound to blame each other for the assassinations. Riley needs to have all the relevant facts, no matter who the evidence points to.”
“You’re right, of course.” McCoy put away his gear. “But this isn’t going to be pretty.”
“I don’t expect it to be.”
Kirk heard the outer door slide open and went to meet Riley in the foyer outside the main living area. The ambassador waited until the door slid shut behind them, granting them a degree of privacy, before interrogating Kirk.
“Is it true? Is A’Barra dead?”
Kirk nodded. “Doctor McCoy has just completed a preliminary examination of the body . . . and there’s something you need to know.”
“What?” Riley asked, bracing himself for more bad news. He peered past Kirk at the body lying in the adjacent room. He winced at the sight.
Getting straight to the point, Kirk told him about the zetaproprion in A’Barra’s system . . . and its possible connection to Lenore. Riley reacted just as expected.
“Damn it, Captain, I knew she was dangerous, but you didn’t listen to me.” He kept his voice low to avoid being heard by the delegates outside in the corridor. “It wasn’t enough that she poisoned me years ago? Now she’s succeeded in claiming yet another victim.”
Kirk overlooked Riley’s angry outburst. “We can’t ignore this information,” he conceded, “but we still can’t be certain that she committed either murder. Or even that both assassinations are the work of the same killer. It’s very possible that A’Barra was murdered to avenge Tem’s death . . . by a different killer.”
To his credit, Riley considered the possibility. “Are you suggesting that Colonel Gast might have something to do with A’Barra’s death?”
“I don’t know,” Kirk said. “But she has more of a motive than Lenore does.”
“At this point, I’m not convinced Lenore Karidian even needs a motive to commit murder,” Riley countered. “Not a sane one anyway.”
He has a point, Kirk admitted. Nobody ever said that murder was always a rational act. Who knew what homicidal impulses might still be lurking within her tortured mind and soul? “I’m just saying the case against Lenore is circumstantial at best. And she’s hardly our only suspect.”
“Seriously, Kirk? You’re still defending her?” He angrily ran through the evidence against Lenore. “First, the overloading pistol again. Then another poisoning, using a drug we know she has access to? This is practically Lenore Karidian’s greatest hits. I have to wonder: Would you be quite so intent on giving her the benefit of the doubt if you and she did not share a romantic history?”
Kirk understood Riley’s frustration, but he couldn’t let that accusation stand.
“I like to think you know me better than that, Riley. When Scotty was accused of murder on Argellius, I cooperated fully with the local authorities until he was proven innocent. I did not attempt to shield him for personal reasons. Ditto for when Spock’s father fell under suspicion for murder during the Babel conference. My feelings, past or present, for Lenore Karidian are not relevant to this investigation. My only concern is that we not railroad a possibly innocent woman without more than some suspicious coincidences.”
“Innocent?” Riley challenged him. “Lenore Karidian is hardly an innocent. She has the blood of at least seven people on those pretty little hands of hers.”
“Now who’s letting their personal feelings cloud their judgment?”
“But the zetaproprion . . .” Riley turned toward McCoy, who was lingering outside the doorway. “Just how uncommon is this medication, Doctor?”
“Actually, it’s not that rare or experimental anymore,” McCoy said. “Zetaproprion, in various doses and formulations, has even been used to treat post-traumatic stress disorders in soldiers and war victims on both Pavak and Oyolo. It’s possible the fatal dose could have been obtained at a hospital or refugee camp, or even on the black market.”
“Is that so?” Kirk asked, pondering this. “In other words, anyone could have gotten their hands on enough zetaproprion to kill A’Barra.”
He thought again of Colonel Gast, only to remember that he had personally assigned a bodyguard to the sole surviving Pavakian delegate. It was hard to imagine how Gast could have poisoned A’Barra while under the watchful gaze of a vigilant security officer, even if she had wanted to avenge General Tem’s death. She had an airtight alibi.
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” Riley said. “It’s like you’re both going out of your way to avoid seeing the obvious. Lenore Karidian is a poisoner. She presumably has this specific drug in her possession. And you still think it’s merely a coincidence that A’Barra just happened to be poisoned while she’s aboard the Enterprise, residing only a few doors away on the very same deck?”
It certainly sounded bad when you put it like that. Kirk recalled A’Barra’s obvious attraction to Lenore at the reception. It wouldn’t have been hard for her to charm her way into the Oyolu’s suite . . . and possibly General Tem’s as well?
“The evidence is right in front of your face, Kirk,” Riley insisted. “You can’t simply ignore it.”
“I have no intention of doing so, Ambassador, although I’d hardly call what we have ‘evidence.’ ” He turned to Chekov. “Have Miss Kassidy confined to her quarters for the time being. Consider her under house arrest until further notice.”
“Aye, Captain. I understand.”
Kirk confronted Riley. “Is that good enough for you, Ambassador?”
“I’d prefer the brig,” he said, scowling, “but it will do . . . for now.” He took a deep breath, making an effort to compose himself before heading out to deal with the ugly diplomatic fallout from A’Barra’s assassination
. He adjusted his suit to ensure that he looked properly ambassadorial. “But we have to get to the bottom of these killings, provide solid answers for what happened, if we’re going to have any hope of preserving the cease-fire, and we have to do it soon before passions on both planets are running too hot to douse. And, like it or not, Lenore Karidian is still our number one suspect.”
Or scapegoat, Kirk thought.
Fifteen
“A’Barra, too? I cannot believe it, Mister Spock.”
News of the Oyolu leader’s assassination had spread rapidly across both planets. Still confined to their quarters on the Pavakian military base, Scott and Spock monitored the global news broadcasts on the viewscreen provided by their hosts. This latest tragedy had provoked reactions that were both equal and opposite to those ignited by the killing of General Tem: tears and anger on Oyolo and jubilant celebrations here on Pavak. Spock could hear the crowd outside the fort cheering and singing. The only positive aspect of A’Barra’s murder was that the mob congregating beyond the fences now appeared to be in better spirits, although this was small consolation when considering the larger picture . . . and the diminishing odds for peace.
“Our capacity to believe it is immaterial,” Spock observed. “What matters is that Minister A’Barra is indeed dead, which complicates matters considerably.”
“That’s putting it lightly,” Scott said, shaking his head at the disturbing images on the screen. “If this solar system was a warp core, I’d say we’d be approaching a catastrophic breach right now.”
Spock had to agree. “All the more reason to locate that missing warhead, which may well have fallen into intemperate hands.”
“But do ye really think there is any hope of peacekeeping at this point?”
“There is always hope,” Spock said.
“Well, given that you actually came back from the dead, I suppose you know what you’re talking about in that respect. But what good can we do when we’re cooped up in here? And even if we were to make a break for it, where would we even begin to start looking for that warhead? It could be anywhere on or off the planet by now!”
“Those are excellent questions, Mister Scott, for which I do not yet have ready answers.”
A familiar rap at the door preceded the return of Pogg. If anything, the Pavakian officer appeared even more troubled than he had been after their last meeting yesterday. He marched into the room, then he glanced over his shoulder to ensure that the door had slid shut behind him. He wasted no time on pleasantries.
“I’ve looked into those ‘discrepancies’ you pointed out to me,” he said.
Spock was encouraged to hear it. “And?”
“I didn’t want to believe it, but I ran the data past a technician I trust, and she verified your findings.” His expression darkened behind his white-and-sable fur. “We have been deceived, and a warhead is unaccounted for.”
Pogg’s reaction suggested that he was not part of any conspiracy to preserve the warhead, but Spock cautioned himself not to take this assumption for granted. At this point, they had no way of knowing how many individuals had been involved in the deception or how high up the conspiracy went. Pogg could be an honest soldier kept unaware of the plot, or he could be merely feigning innocence.
“In this instance, I regret being proved correct,” Spock said. “The alternative would have been vastly preferable.”
Pogg nodded. “Very much so, Captain Spock.”
“Do ye think this business with the warhead,” Scotty asked, “has anything to do with the assassinations of General Tem and Minister A’Barra?”
That possibility had crossed Spock’s mind as well. “We can only speculate at this point, but I would not be surprised if there was a connection.”
“Nor would I,” Pogg confessed. “You must understand, gentlemen, that this discovery shakes me to my core. I had assured you that Pavak could honor its agreements without outside scrutiny, yet now I find that at least some elements of our military have conspired to violate the agreement. That disturbs me deeply.”
His words had the ring of sincerity. Spock wanted to believe him.
“Do you have any idea of who might be involved?” he asked.
Pogg nodded grimly. “I have a name at least. I did some digging and discovered that Unit Zero-Five-Seven, which was originally located in an underground silo on the other side of the continent, was inspected on that end by a team led by a certain Major Rav Takk.”
He extracted a datatape from his breast pocket and inserted it into the computer terminal. His gloved fingers tapped the control panel and a Pavakian face appeared on the screen. Velvety gray fur barely softened the man’s granite expression. Steely blue eyes betrayed nothing of what was going on behind them. Takk appeared both fit and formidable.
“What do you know of this Major Takk?” Spock asked.
“Disturbingly little. Much of his ‘official’ military record is redacted, vague, or obviously fabricated, which is usually an indicator of, well, dubious missions best left unspecified, if you understand my meaning.”
Spock did. Covert operations, often of a morally questionable nature, were an unfortunate reality through the galaxy. “And where precisely is Major Takk now?”
“That’s the most unsettling part,” Pogg said. “Takk has been reassigned, but I’m having a devil of a time finding out where. My legitimate queries are being ignored, rebuffed, or met with evasion and runarounds.” He slammed a gloved fist into his palm. “Frankly, the whole thing stinks of conspiracy.”
Spock agreed. “And what do you intend to do about it, Brigadier-General?”
“I only wish I knew, Captain Spock,” Pogg said. “Believe me.”
Spock hoped he could.
Sixteen
A missing warhead?
Kirk brooded upon the bridge, mulling over the latest communication from Spock, which was troubling in the extreme. With tensions between the two planets nearing a boiling point, the last thing they needed was a protomatter warhead floating around somewhere. Kirk had his own reasons to be leery of anything involving the banned material. His son, David, had experimented, illegally, with protomatter. . . .
“Captain,” Uhura said from the communications station. “I’ve been monitoring the situation on both planets, and I think you need to see this. It’s a global news broadcast on Pavak.”
Kirk trusted her judgment. “On screen.”
A stern-looking Pavakian woman in civilian attire appeared on the viewer. She stared directly forward and spoke gravely as she delivered the news:
“Reliable sources report that a Terran calling herself Lyla Kassidy, attached to the so-called relief efforts on Oyolo, has been conclusively identified as Lenore Karidian, a convicted mass murderer and assassin.”
Twin images of Lenore filled the screen. The one on the left depicted her as she appeared twenty years ago, around the time of her killing spree. The one on the right showed Lenore as she appeared now. That they were the same woman was unmistakable.
“It has been confirmed that Karidian, who has a documented history of homicidal mania, was aboard the Federation Starship Enterprise at the time of General Vapar Tem’s assassination. Furthermore, she remains aboard the vessel at this time. The daughter of a notorious genocidal despot, she is also rumored to be a former paramour of Captain James Tiberius Kirk, who is currently spearheading Starfleet’s investigation into the general’s brutal death, leading to concerns that he may be protecting her from prosecution . . .”
The broadcast elicited a few gasps from the crew members unfamiliar with Lyla’s true identity and colorful history. A few even snuck curious glances in Kirk’s direction before studiously turning their attention back to the screen or their stations. Not that Kirk blamed them; that was quite a bombshell to absorb. The crew had to be wondering how much of the report was accurate and what this meant for
their mission.
“It’s all over the Oyolu news feeds as well, Captain,” Uhura informed him.
Damn, Kirk thought. As if the current situation wasn’t precarious enough, somebody had obviously leaked Lenore’s true identity to the press. But who had done so . . . and how had they found out about her in the first place?
The turbolift door slid open and Riley barged onto the bridge. “Have you seen—?” he began before spotting the Pavakian broadcast on the main viewer. He came to a halt at the rear of the bridge.
Kirk signaled Uhura to mute the sound on the transmission. He’d gotten the gist of it.
“I’ve just been informed,” he told Riley. “Obviously, this complicates matters.”
“Yes, Captain, it does.” Riley joined Kirk in the sunken command well. “I’m already getting extradition demands from both planets. The Pavakians and Oyolu both want to try her . . . for the murders of General Tem and Minister A’Barra, respectively.”
Kirk was afraid of that. Now that Lenore’s cover was blown, Riley wasn’t going to be the only one suspecting her of the murders. And to be honest, he had his doubts about her innocence as well.
“You’re the diplomat,” he said to Riley. “Where do you stand on extradition?”
Kirk half-expected Riley to throw Lenore to the wolves without hesitation, but the ambassador surprised him by mulling things over for a few moments before answering. He stroked his beard thoughtfully.
“It’s complicated,” he said finally. “Lenore is a Federation citizen and both murders took place on the Enterprise, which is outside the jurisdiction of both worlds, at least as long as we remain in the buffer zone. In addition, it could be argued that my presence aboard the ship, in an official capacity, renders the Enterprise an embassy of sorts, and therefore Federation territory. Not that this line of reasoning is likely to go over well on Pavak and Oyolo.”