What Tangled Webs We Weave.....

[Capt Ayers 0]

Nick stifles a yawn as he leans back in the chair in his office and stretches. He rubs his bleary eyes before saying "Computer, restore normal security protocols and functions." The Computer beeps as it acknowledges the order.

 

Nick frowns to himself as he glances at the clock. "Computer, is Representative Colao onboard the station?"

 

The computer replies "Negative. Representative Colao is not presently aboard the Station."

 

"Has Representative Colao been aboard Aegis in the past month?"

 

"Negative."

 

Nick smiles faintly "Has there been any transports from Cardassia docked at the Station in the last 72 hours?"

 

"Negative. There has been no ships from Cardassia arriving or departing at the station in the last 72 hours."

 

Nick nods and allows himself a brief pleased feeling at a job accomplished. It hadn't been real difficult for him to, in effect, hack into the Station's computer and remove all mention of the presence of Representative Colao and the Cardassian transport that Colao had arrived on but it had been time consuming even with the access codes and overrides that he held as Commanding Officer of the Station. That pleased feeling is tempered by the fact of what Colao was claiming and what had happened to the transport at the hands of a group of Cardassian warships.

 

As far as Aegis' computers were concerned, Colao and the transport that brought him to Aegis no longer existed. The only recent Cardassian arrival was a Cardassian male refugee on his way back to Cardassia Prime. And he had already instructed the others that knew about Colao's presence that they were to talk about it to absolutely no one. Muon was still probably fuming at that but that couldn't be helped.

 

The report to Starfleet had already been sent and it, plus the Station's own altered records, would support the cover story.

 

As for Colao, he was currently in one of the Station's diplomatic suites. Two armed guards were stationed outside under orders to let no one save the Admiral or Nick in and to not let Colao out.

 

He thinks back briefly to Muon's initial reaction to the events and what Meve and he had ordered and in part Nick can understand her bewilderment. He doubted he'd ever be able to fully explain to her what was going on and Nick didn't like the thought of keeping secrets from someone he had come to consider a friend. However, that couldn't be helped. For the protection of the Station and everyone on it, the fiction needed to be maintained even if that meant a degradation in the trust he had built up with her and the others.

 

Nick stands and exits his office and as he strides across the largely silent Control Tower he considers briefly checking on Ethan. He dismisses the thought, deciding that he really shouldn't interrupt her sleep. Still, part of him was curious to know what she wanted to tell him earlier but it would have to wait.

 

He steps into the turbolift and orders it to his quarters. It was late enough and he needed to get some sleep.