Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigations: Watching the Clock by Christopher L. Bennet

Author:Christopher L. Bennet [Bennet, Christopher L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: 2011-05-10T06:00:00+00:00

PRESENT TIME

STARDATE 58923.8 to 59046.6

XI

Décade II Quartidi Frimaire, Année DXC de la République, French Republican Calendar A Friday

Château Thelian, Loire Valley, European Alliance

04:56 UTC

As Laarin Andos walked down the long corridor separating the presidential residence’s transporter suite from its living chambers, she was tempted to ask her escort, security agent Steven Wexler, for information on why President Bacco had summoned her at this hour of the morning. But she could easily read from the man’s body language that he was as much in the dark as she was, a state he found puzzling and upsetting given his high status in the president’s security hierarchy. Andos knew that humans were generally more tolerant of breaches in accepted hierarchical protocols than Rhaandarites were, but that was a matter of degree; where professional pride and status were at stake, humans could be even more inflexible than her own people, who had multiple tiers of backup protocols to adapt to any conceivable situation. No, that’s unfair to him, Andos reflected after a moment’s more observation. Wexler’s frustration was motivated more by a fear that he would be unable to protect the president adequately if not fully informed.

What Andos could not tell at this point was whether his reaction was predicated on a real threat. That was something the president had insisted she would only reveal to Andos in private. Andos was hardly a stranger to discussing classified temporal security matters with the Federation president, but almost invariably it was conducted in the presidential office in the Palais de la Concorde or in the situation room at Starfleet Headquarters, with other key administration or military personnel present, or at least, in Bacco’s case, with her inseparable chief of staff, Esperanza Piñiero. And the regular monthly briefing was only a week uptime. A middle-of-the-night command to come alone to the president’s sleeping quarters was highly anomalous.

When they reached said quarters, the female Pandrilite guard stationed outside them signaled on the intercom. “Is Andos here yet?” came the president’s gruff voice.

“She’s just arrived, Madam President.”

“Well, what the hell is she waiting for, the Pioneers to win the pennant? Bring her in!” Oddly, the voice seemed to originate at a greater distance from the intercom pickup, yet Andos had heard no sounds of body movement. Curious, she thought, placing a hand in her pocket.

The Pandrilite didn’t notice any anomaly, though. “Yes, ma’am. Director, please go on in.”

When Andos entered through the wood-paneled (but tritanium-cored) doors, she found the president’s bedchamber dimly lit. A figure moved forward, lean and white-haired. As Andos’s eyes adjusted, she was able to see the wizened but lively face of President Nanietta Bacco. The leader of the United Federation of Planets was attired in fuzzy slippers and a nightshirt emblazoned with the legend PIKE CITY PIONEERS and the number 14. “Laarin, hi. Sorry to get you out of bed this time of night. It’s much more fun to get Esperanza out of bed this time of night, but this is a situation I can only come to you with.

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