The Enemy Within

[Chirakis 1]

The Enemy Within

"The Reaper."

 

"Yes," replied Kirel.

 

"There."

 

She nodded.

 

"Aboard the station."

 

Kirel did not respond. SI-5 Director Torak's normal apoplectic frenzy had progressed to calm, focused determination. It usually took him several reports and more than one major incident to get to that point. Kirel imagined it was Aegis's political situation that had shifted him into high gear, and that, in her estimation, was an excellent catalyst. Nothing like a good war to set someone straight.

 

"And is he… reaping?" Torak tossed one padd aside to replace it with another from a stack to his left. Throughout the conversation Torak's eyes had not left the padds, but he had managed to wave a hand here and there and occasionally massage his temples. No doubt he was concentrating on several reports, and, given that he was in uniform with all the fasteners in place, Kirel supposed he had just returned from a meeting of the entire directorship, possibly one that included members of the Council, or higher.

 

"He's an engineer," she replied evenly, "in retirement from that particular line of work." She grinned.

 

At this Torak raised his eyes to glare at the screen. His next statement would have included the words once and always, but it went without saying. She understood his desire for more information.

 

The Reaper was SI's code name for Tylus Petrinius Jorahl, Centurion of the Romulan Star Empire. His reputation for picking apart inconspicuous bits of information and technology from various sources and piecing it together into a shockingly accurate picture had earned him that designation. That he was in retirement as an engineer aboard Aegis came as no surprise given the station's strategic position and its plethora of diplomats. Kirel had to admit she was mildly curious as to his true purpose. She also realized her true purpose aboard the station had also come into question from several parties. Yet, neither she nor Jorahl had made an effort to conceal their identities. The phrase hiding in plain sight came to mind.

 

Torak was already moving on. He grabbed another padd. "Tell me of the doll," he said as he signed that padd and reached for another.

 

"Yes. The doll. Curious thing, that," Kirel began. She leaned forward to assume a more interested posture, though the memory of her encounter with a midshipman engineer made her want to smile. "I ran into an engineer who had been working in the Jeffries tubes, assessing the structural integrity of the station in preparation for the move. She found the doll in a tube on Pylon 2, tube 98-B."

 

"And in your assessment it resembles a work colony slave's toy, specifically a slave from the Portas System." Again Torak stopped working and raised his eyes to the screen. "Stowaways?" She had his full attention.

 

Kirel folded her hands in front of her. "Probably. It would surprise me to find a station without stowaways. However, given the present situation both here and in the Portas System, and that the stowaways may have originated in Breen territory, their presence aboard Aegis is disconcerting. Also," Kirel reached for a sack and dumped its contents on the desk, "Centurion Jorahl has passed these additional objects to me." She picked up each in turn to allow Torak full view. Scattered on the desk were a spoon fashioned from scrap metal, a few small items of clothing, a bowl of questionable material, and a bag containing bits of food probably hastily discarded at the approach of the engineer. Stowaways never discarded food; it was too precious a commodity. "All has been reported to security. They are looking for them as we speak…

 

…but by far the most interesting find is this." Kirel held up a small sealed packet of yellowish powder flecked with green. "I intend to pass everything to medical and science for full scrutiny. Hopefully they will determine the origin of the objects and, with DNA analysis, pin down the species. Of course," she placed the packet warily on the desk and carefully arranged the rest of the evidence around it as she spoke, "if the stowaways are caught it will make our job a lot easier."

 

Torak nodded. After giving the packet a once-over his thoughts had obviously moved on to something more pressing – a dispatch from Ferenginar, perhaps, or the latest from Joy Seven, now stationed in San Francisco. "Keep me informed. Torak out."

 

Kirel took a moment to carefully consider each item. Memories suppressed long ago slowly emerged. Cardassian overlords. Slave traders. Tools, clothing, bowls, and a few toys made from cast-offs or scraps scavenged from the overlords' dump. Her savior, GoragH. . She pitied the stowaways, but she pitied more those who had not escaped. Of course, there was the odd chance that they were not mere stowaways. Time would tell.