‘It’s called the Vizan Regulator.’ Showered, changed, and brought from the squalid prison to the crisp warmth of Endeavour’s conference room, surrounded by the senior staff, the Brenari named Vekans already looked more hale and hearty. Except for in the eyes, Rourke thought. Those remained pale and unseeing. ‘It was a device utilised by the Vaadwaur to control the Brenari – and other telepaths – for a time when their Supremacy ruled this part of space.’

Beckett leaned forward, tapping his chin. ‘That was centuries ago.’

Vekans gave a frustrated shrug. ‘And I hadn’t heard of it until almost a month ago. Can I have some more tea?’

Carraway picked up the pot from the tea set he’d brought from his office, having reasonably assessed this was perhaps time for his particular brand of warmth and comfort. ‘Would you like to try it with some sugar? Milk? Honey?’

Vekans’s eyes narrowed at him. ‘Honey?’

‘It’s sweet, would you like some?’

Rourke bit his lip. ‘Counsellor.’ Carraway looked abashed and, at Vekans’s nod, set about making a fresh – sweeter – cup of tea. Rourke looked back at her. ‘Maybe you should start at the beginning.’

She sighed. ‘We’re mining engineers, or that’s our outfit anyway. For the last… six months? We’ve been following up on a prospecting tip on the third planet of the Palariven system. Scoping out the leads, assessing the land for the best way to start sinking shafts, that sort of thing.’

Airex looked up from the far end of the conference room. He had asked Rourke if he could join in with a temerity the captain found, frankly, irritating – he was perhaps the brightest minds aboard and his forced but inconsistent distance from the ship’s operations was unhelpful at best. ‘Dilithium?’

‘Tritanium, actually,’ said Vekans. ‘During our work, we came across some underground ruins. We’ve got a good relationship with various scholars of the Gradin Belt – this sort of thing happens in our line of work – and we reached out to experts for an assessment.’

Beckett brightened. ‘Archaeological?’

She nodded. ‘My husband has – had – a friend. Goravin, he’s a researcher of Brenari history. He took a look at the ruins, confirmed that they were Vaadwaur, and pored over the site for a month or so. He said it looked like Palariven had also been a work-site for Brenari slaves, so that was… interesting, at least.’ She shrugged. ‘Then he found records on this equipment, this Vizan Regulator.’

Kharth drummed her fingers on the edge of the table. ‘You said Goravin said it was a device used to pacify telepathic slaves. What does that mean?’

‘I don’t know,’ Vekans admitted. ‘It was some old historical piece of interest Goravin could get drunk and enthuse at my husband about. But all he had were records, and he left in pursuit of, well. I don’t know what.’

Rourke nodded. ‘How did the Devore get involved?’

‘They arrived not long after Goravin left. Their new imperative for expansion.’ Her lip curled. ‘Took us prisoner and pored over the site themselves. It looked like they found the same records he did, but they…’ She paused, grimacing more. ‘That was what they were asking my husband about. They seemed to think we should have known more about it than we did. I don’t know if Goravin damaged some of what he found – I don’t think he’d do that deliberately, but he’s too proud to admit it if he had.’

Beckett leaned back, eyes going skyward. ‘Maybe Goravin knows more about Vaadwaur-Brenari history than them and can just interpret it better.’

Rourke glanced over. ‘Nate?’

‘It’s like… I can tell Tar’lek here I’m looking for the wreck of one of the Ares missions and nothing more, and he’d have no idea where to start looking. But I tell you that and you’d know to start poking your nose towards Mars.’ Beckett waved a hand at Arys, who looked a little indignant – but if he’d known what Ares was, Rourke thought, he’d doubtless have spoken up.

Rourke nodded and looked back to Vekans. ‘Where’s Goravin now?’

She shrugged. ‘He seemed excited, like he had leads to chase. But I’d start looking at Markonian Outpost. It’s the closest he’s got to an office. If he’s not there, someone may know where he’s gone. But, Captain.’ Vekans leaned forward. ‘The Devore didn’t learn about this thing from Palariven. They knew about it already. They were looking for it.’

‘Looking,’ Rourke repeated. ‘For a device, or the means of constructing a device, that was once used to pacify telepathic slaves. If that’s a report they’re taking seriously, that’s concerning. He leaned back, scratching his beard. ‘Endeavour is proceeding to Markonian next anyway. We can look for this Goravin and see what he has to say for himself.’

Vekans nodded. ‘Your officers said our ship was still impounded aboard the Devore vessel. We would like to carry on our way and do what we can to rebuild. Far away from wherever the Devore have now decided lies within their borders.’

‘That looks like it’ll be quite the distance,’ Kharth grumbled.

‘It will. And we’ll be prepared to take the poor soul you found on that freighter with us.’ She winced. ‘After all, you’re travellers. What’re you going to do – rehabilitate him? Imprison him?’ But her eyes then narrowed. ‘Which makes me curious what your plans are with the Devore.’

‘You sound like you have something in mind,’ said Rourke.

‘It’s called one torpedo in the right place.’

He shook his head. ‘That’s not how we do things. Whatever they’ve done, I’m not summarily executing them.’

‘Then leave them drifting.’

‘That’s as good as leaving them for dead.’

She shrugged. ‘They can call for help. See how many people come to rescue them. That sounds like reaping what you sow.’ But she spoke with a certain lightness, knowing she wouldn’t win that argument, and now sobered. ‘Let them go and they will keep doing the same thing. Let them go and people – my people, other people – will be hounded and killed.’

‘They’ll need to repair,’ Rourke pointed out.

‘That won’t take forever.’

Down the table, Cortez cleared her throat. ‘I could sabotage them pretty good.’ Eyes fell on her, and she shrugged. ‘Deplete their dilithium stocks, strip them of their torpedoes, tear out sections of their warp core so they can only travel at low speed and can’t power all systems at once or easily maintain their phaser array. That should force them back to friendly territory for repairs.’

Rourke’s gaze swept up and down the table at the suggestion, though it was a few expressions he lingered on. Rosewood had looked uncomfortable but didn’t say anything, and both Valance and Kharth gave small nods. He straightened. ‘We’ll do it that way, Commander.’

Vekans sighed, but looked accepting as she rose from her seat. ‘If you won’t kill them, it’ll have to do. But I wonder, Captain – who’s going to pay the price for your principles? They’ll be back some day.’

‘I understand I’m a stranger in a strange land, and that can make tolerance cheap,’ Rourke said softly. ‘But I will not execute them.’ Crewman Griffin escorted her out, and only once she was gone did he turn with a sigh back to the main table. ‘That’s one problem resolved. Now onto another: what the hell happened on that freighter?’

Valance grimaced. ‘The behaviour of the survivor matches what the Merevek reported about this dilithium’s effects on telepaths.’

Sadek raised her eyebrows. ‘You think he killed everyone on that ship?’

‘Crew of six,’ said Valance. ‘He sabotaged the freighter’s systems and then killed five people. From the injuries, Lieutenant Zherul thinks it happened quickly – before anyone really knew what was going on.’

Kharth blew out her cheeks. ‘Poor bastard. If this stuff really does take over telepaths’ minds…’

Rourke shifted his weight as he looked down the table at Thawn. ‘I’m sorry to pick on you, Lieutenant, but… thoughts?’

She had been quiet since coming back from the freighter, quiet in the meeting. Even now, Thawn was careful as she straightened. ‘I’m not aware that I’m experiencing any of the notable symptoms of proximity to this so-called blood dilithium. I won’t deny that I was on-edge since we arrived here, but I feel there are perfectly sound reasons for that apprehension.’

‘Spooky ship will do that,’ Cortez agreed.

‘We all saw the vid from the Merevek,’ Airex chimed in softly. ‘I hope you all noted from the report that the Betazoid in question was not the only telepath aboard. It appears to be inconsistent how blood dilithium affects people. Proximity, duration of exposure, perhaps something in the dilithium’s qualities itself…’

‘What do we know about the stuff, its composition?’ said Rourke.

‘Very little,’ Airex admitted. ‘Or, rather, studies so far have shown no material difference between this and the dilithium we use every day.’

‘Except,’ said Cortez, ‘it’s red. Which is handy. Helps us tell the difference.’

Valance looked at Rourke. ‘What do you want us to do with the freighter and the cargo, sir?’

‘I think all we can do is strip it of supplies, give those to the Brenari. Leave the dilithium aboard and drop a warning buoy,’ he sighed.

‘The Gradin Belt is thick with prospectors looking for blood dilithium,’ Kharth pointed out dubiously. ‘That’s not a warning buoy, it’s an invitation.’

He shrugged. ‘We do what we can.’

Airex shifted. ‘Captain, might I request we bring a sample aboard? I would like the chance to study it further. We have rather more specialised facilities aboard than the Merevek.’

Before Rourke could consider his hesitation, Thawn spoke up. ‘I think we should do that, sir,’ she said quietly, but her eyes on him were firm. ‘We need to understand this. I know what you’re thinking, but our entire mission here is to deal with this mineral. All of us had the chance to disembark in the Alpha Quadrant.’

Rourke watched her for a moment, then sighed, scrubbing his face. ‘Alright. Counsellor, I want protocols in place to support our telepathic crewmembers; nobody should be struggling with this alone. If this is going to work, everyone has to operate with complete honesty.’

‘I don’t want to hurt anyone, sir,’ Thawn said. ‘I’m prepared to be confined to my quarters or even the brig if it looks like we’ll end up like that Brenari.’

‘Let’s make sure it doesn’t come to that,’ said Rourke. ‘Airex, you’ll have your sample to keep you busy for the trip to Markonian. Commander Valance, oversee operations with the freighter; Cortez, the Devore ship’s fate is in your hands. Take who you need, and get-to.’

The senior officers dispersed, but it was Rourke’s habit by now to either be first out of the room, or to linger in case one of them wanted his attention. It looked like Airex might, but Commander Rosewood didn’t leave his seat and so the tall Trill joined the departing officers. Carraway took a little longer, making sure he had his tea set tidy on the tray, and its gentle clinking echoed in the conference room once the two men were alone.

Rourke raised his eyebrows. ‘You’ve got opinions, Commander. You had them on the bridge.’

Commander Rosewood lifted his hands. ‘Starfleet policy with the Devore is one of avoidance, sir, but that policy was established when they were preoccupied with protecting their borders, not expanding them. It was easy to go nowhere near their territory and they usually weren’t interested in Starfleet if they left.’

‘But?’

He sighed. ‘I think you’re right to disable their ship and force them to withdraw. I know that if we’d talked them down from a fight, those Brenari would still be aboard and we wouldn’t know they’re out here looking for something.’

Rourke kept watching him. At length he repeated, ‘But?’

‘But we’re not in the Alpha Quadrant any more,’ Rosewood said bluntly. ‘The political consequences for these kinds of showdowns are different. We don’t have reinforcements if tensions between us and the Imperium rise; if they decide to attack all Starfleet on sight, that’s going to make life very difficult for us.’

‘I think they’re already inclined to attack Starfleet on sight,’ Rourke mused. ‘They just use fancy words first to pretend their legality justifies it.’

‘We’re in a big ship,’ Rosewood pointed out. ‘One of the most powerful sent to the Delta Quadrant. A lot of crews aren’t.’

‘Everything I’ve done followed Starfleet policy and ethics. We don’t do that because it’s easy, and every other captain would agree and understand. What are you saying I should have done instead, Commander?’

‘I’m not saying you should have acted differently, I’m saying you should have thought differently.’ Rosewood straightened, emboldened by his own bluntness.

‘You know how I think, now?’

‘I’ve read about you, Captain. A lot about you. You’re a combat commander, you’re a criminal investigator, and you’re used to acting as a limb of wider infrastructure.’ Rosewood planted his hands on the table. ‘The Devore are effectively a rogue state and yes, we should protect ourselves and we should protect people they prey on. And other starship captains have the same obligation. But what happens when we go, Captain?’

Rourke had been bristling at the implication Rosewood understood him – at the likelihood Rosewood had watched his bravado on the bridge and fallen prey, as so many had, to how Matt Rourke preferred, even enjoyed, presenting himself as a bruiser and a thug when it suited him. Rourke knew it was an irrational tendency of his to be indignant when people then took him at face-value. But he stopped short at the question, scowling. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Blood dilithium’s turned the status quo on its head,’ Rosewood pointed out. ‘Devore are expanding their borders and doing all sorts. That’ll be chaotic however this ends – this could change the face of the Gradin Belt forever – but Starfleet’s only going to commit assets here for so long. Once we go, there are only three kinds of Devore Imperiums: one that’s been defeated and sent packing, one that’s eaten what it wants and settles into a new stability – they might be fanatics, but they’re not idiots, they can only take on so much new territory at once. Or we get a Devore Imperium whose pride’s been wounded by Starfleet coming in, punching them in the face, and then going home.’

Rourke was silent for a moment. ‘I’m sure there’s more than those three options.’

‘I’m sure,’ said Rosewood, ‘but we’ve only got so much influence, and I don’t know what the Devore Imperium does if Starfleet challenges and embarrasses them. But I’ve got a bad feeling that we won’t pay the price; the people who live here will.’

Another pause until Rourke said, ‘I don’t suspect you know me as well as you think, Commander, if you believe I was happy for a scrap and not thinking of any consequences.’

‘I don’t think that of you, sir. I think you want to help people. But I said I’d read about you, because I wanted to serve on this ship, and I think one thing’s pretty clear about your pattern of behaviour, Captain: you don’t like bullies.’

Rourke’s lips twisted. ‘Who does?’

‘Not a lot of people,’ Rosewood allowed. ‘But you don’t like bullies and you’re sitting atop eighth hundred metres of starship, bristling with torpedoes and phaser arrays. You’re a captain who’s more prepared to throw a punch than the average. You do that to a Free State ship behaving this outrageously, they go home crying and then everyone’s superiors meet up in back rooms and decide they don’t want it to happen again. There’s no back-rooms here. Just a bunch of fascist assholes with guns.’

Rourke allowed himself a moment to consider that, chewing on his lip, before he said, ‘I’m okay throwing the first punch at these guys.’

To his surprise, Rosewood grinned. ‘Hey, me too, Captain, and out here I don’t have to smile and play nice in a back-room with their bosses. But it’s my job to think about things like this.’

‘And your job to bring it to me.’ Rourke smacked the table lightly as he stood. ‘We’ll keep it in mind going forward. But this time, the lesson learnt is that these guys really had it coming.’

‘No argument there.’

To Rourke’s relief Airex was waiting for him outside the conference room, so Rosewood left them quickly and the Trill officer fell into step as he headed for his ready room. ‘Captain, can I have a word?’

‘You don’t want to help get a sample of the dilithium off the freighter?’

‘In a minute – and Valance is perfectly capable anyway.’ Airex’s lips thinned as they stepped inside the ready room. ‘I know I asked if I could catch a ride to Markonian, but what we’ve seen today’s changing my plans.’

Rourke ambled to his replicator, getting only himself a cup of tea. He didn’t want to give Airex the impression this would be a long talk. ‘I’m not letting you wander off somewhere on your own, Commander. I’m not giving you a shuttle, either.’

‘I don’t mean that. But it’s painfully clear we don’t know enough about this blood dilithium. I want to keep studying it, and from what we’ve seen, I can’t in good conscience bring any aboard the outpost.’

Rourke raised his eyebrows. ‘You want to stay aboard to study the sample?’ Airex nodded. ‘What do you think Admiral Beckett’s going to say about you going off-mission?’

‘My mission’s to represent Fourth Fleet Intelligence and bring back as much information as possible, so I’ve got some latitude. I don’t think the political situation’s the real story here – this dilithium is. And, fundamentally, Admiral Beckett isn’t here. I can answer to him later.’

Silence dragged across the ready room as Rourke sipped his tea. ‘No,’ he said at length.

‘Captain -’

‘You don’t stay on my ship and sit in a lab and poke the dilithium. That’s a complete waste of your talents, and you won’t stay in the damn lab anyway, you’ll be on the bridge and in meetings. So let’s not screw around, Airex. If you’re staying aboard, I want you as Chief Science Officer.’ At the other man’s hesitation, Rourke cocked his head. ‘You think it’ll get in the way of your other work?’

‘No, Captain…’ Airex sighed. ‘It’ll be temporary.’

‘A couple of months.’ Rourke smirked at last, something finally going his way. ‘Maybe you can bully Veldman into stepping up when you’re gone.’

‘I’ve never won an argument with her before.’ But the Trill seemed brighter, despite the apprehension buzzing about him. ‘You have a deal, Captain.’

‘For what it’s worth, Commander Airex,’ mused Rourke, ‘I look forward to never winning more arguments with you.’