“Flavia has done what?”

The way Taes spat out those words hit Nova in the pit of her stomach.  Nova had stepped too deeply inside a confidential moment.  By then, she had already crossed the mid-point of the observation lounge, her boots clacking with every offending step.  Captain Taes and Lieutenant Commander Ache were huddled in the farthest alcove and, all at once, Ache’s six eyes narrowed at Nova.

Nova wanted to raise the widescreen PADD she was carrying and use it to hide her face.  She’d had no reason to be discreet.  The double doors to the lounge had been left open.  Taes had requested a progress report from the operations department at the appointed hour.  Nova had practically been invited.

Before being time-lost to the twenty-fifth century, there had been days Nova’s captain aboard the USS Branchus had lost her temper with arrogant members of the crew.  The captain would toss out a snide, “You know nothing,” and forget she’d said it a moment later.  Starfleet had been far more forgiving of big personalities a century or two ago.  So Nova recognised the signs.  She recognised that very little talk of Constellation’s previous chief science officer had been approved for general consumption, aside from Taes’ battlefield replacements in Lieutenant Yuulik and the Romulan cosmologist, Laken.  Flavia was a name for the lips of the senior staff only.  And no new operations manager had been selected after Nova’s superior had been killed in the Battle of Farpoint.

“Shall I,” Nova asked, pointing back at the door, “give you a moment?”

Nodding twice, Ache widened her eyes at Nova in an expression that said: ‘yes obviously.’  However, as Taes’ acting first officer, Ache held her tongue.  Nova had to imagine Ache was deferring to the captain until she learned how much autonomy she would have in this role.

But Taes said, “No, you can stay.  We would benefit from your perspective, lieutenant.  Speak freely, as you did when I left the away team on the Kholara Observatory to protect our crew.”

Nova cleared her throat at the reference to her desperate emotional outburst on the bridge some days back.  She swallowed her shame.  She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, choosing to lean into her new reputation.

“Absolutely, captain,” Nova said proudly.

Ache huffed out a soft breath as she struck a command into an LCARS panel set into the bulkhead.  A hologram materialised in the space between Taes and Nova, replaying a video record of their missing Romulan science chief herself, Flavia.  In the recording, Flavia approached a security desk in a building Nova didn’t recognise.  

“Flavia and an unidentified Starfleet security officer were observed entering the Trill Kem’alta Institute last night,” Ache said, offering context to the visual-only holographic recording.  “Flavia requested access to all of Doctor Trojet’s records in the institute’s restricted archives, because the institute was Trojet’s last known association.  Flavia attempted to make use of her Starfleet security clearance, but she used the expired code she had been issued aboard the USS Sarek.“

In the holo-playback, Flavia’s placid smile took on a viscous edge as she spun on her heel and strode out of range of the visual sensor that had captured her image.

Ache explained, “Flavia fled into the courtyard and the institute’s internal security lost track of both her and her accomplice.  They could find no trace, nor evidence of unauthorised transporter use on the estate.”

When the hologram winked out, Nova asked, “What does that mean?  Flavia came looking for the wormhole research too?  But she looked in the wrong place?”

Raising her palms, Ache huffed again.  She said, “The probability of Flavia being a Tal Shiar agent was always rather high.”

“But how?” Nova asked more firmly.  “We hadn’t even discovered Doctor Trojet when Flavia was–” She hesitated only a moment, and settled on saying, “lost on the Kholara Observatory.”

Counting the options off on her fingers, Ache replied, “Either our reports to Starfleet have been compromised, Laken revealed our mission to the Romulan Free State or… there’s another Changeling among our crew, evading our security protocols.”

Flatly, Taes added, “There have been no reports of Flavia being recovered from any of the Dominion warships that surrendered to Starfleet escort back to the Gamma Quadrant.  Command dispatched a scout to the Kholara Observatory and no one had remained on board.  The Dominion must have the Kellin Changeling and they must have taken Flavia too.”

Nova crossed her arms over her chest.  “What is the significance of Flavia using the wrong security code?” she asked.  “She wanted to be caught?  Why come all this way in search of Trojet’s research only to sabotage herself?”

Taes stepped out from under the archway, approaching the conference table.  Her gaze looked lost in the middle distance, paying no mind to Nova, Ache or her destination.  After taking a particularly deep breath, Taes braced her palms against the table’s edge.

“Kellin knew things,” Taes remarked.  “His imposter knew too much.  If the Flavia on Trill is another Changeling, or the same Changeling, she may have interrogated the real Flavia.  Perhaps Flavia intentionally revealed incorrect security codes under questioning?”

“But a Changeling,” Ache interjected, “has no reason to ignore the orders of the Great Link.  The simplest answer would be that Flavia is acting under the support of the Romulan Free State.  Maybe the Dominion blackmailed her into securing the artificial wormhole research in exchange for her life.”

Taes’ shoulders went slack and the glimmer behind her eyes went dark.

“Does that mean…” Taes said, slumping into the nearest chair.  “If Flavia’s free now, does that mean Kellin is dead?“

Nova’s breath caught in her throat.  She hadn’t followed the logical leap Taes had made to reach that conclusion and she couldn’t find the nerve to ask any exploratory question.  She just held her breath and said nothing.  She looked away and waited for the uncomfortable moment to end.  By the looks of it, Ache was doing much the same.

Then Taes appeared to have regained her wits about her, when she asked Nova, “You have a report for me, lieutenant?”

After clearing her throat, Nova stood up straighter, at attention.  She folded her hands behind her back, not needing to reference the PADD in her right hand.

In a clipped tone, Nova said, “Every prototype, scanner and memory module from Doctor Trojet’s storage has been secured in cargo bay two, captain.”

Nodding, but still not looking at either of them, Taes said, “Excellent timing.  Pagaloa says our warp core has one last trip left in her.  We have a drydock awaiting us at the Avalon Fleet Yard. Constellation’s invitation to the Frontier Day fleet formations has been formally rescinded.  Another starship will have to take our place.”

Wistfully, Taes said, “I always loved a parade…”