Chapter 5:  So Who's the Spy?

 

"You mean you agree?" Julian exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course I agree!" Vena said, taking a bite of the Klingon gladst the two were sharing.

"He killed his brother!" Julian said incredulously.

Vena rolled her eyes. "To save his people. His brother was dangerous." Vena swallowed the food. "Like Morath, the brother of Kahless!"

"If I understand the legend correctly, Morath merely told a lie," Julian said.

Vena raised her upswept eyebrows. "So lying is okay?"

Julian was speechless a moment. "No, not exactly, but it isn't really something one should die for."

Vena shrugged. "I'll give you that, Julian. The Klingons have always been a little too obsessed with honor."

Julian sighed. "But killing your brother for the good of the state…"

"I don't recall saying anything about the state," Vena said. "I said the people."

"Aren't they the same thing?"

"More kali-fal?" The two looked up at Rianna, who stood nearby with a bottle of blue liquid.

"My gosh, no, none for me," Julian said. "I still haven't been able to get the glass close enough to my face to drink any of mine."

Rianna smiled. "I know, it's strong. But I also know that Vena probably wants some more."

Vena shook her head. "No thanks. I'm technically on duty now."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm keeping you from your job!" Julian exclaimed, beginning to stand.

"No, no, Julian," Vena said. "I can do my job just fine from here. And I can get you to think my way while I'm at it."

Rianna sighed. "It's been three weeks since you started having lunch together. You two have eaten nearly half of your meals here," she said, motioning around her restaurant. "And I have yet to hear you discuss anything besides your differences of opinion about politics!"

"Have you been eavesdropping, Rianna?" Vena asked. Rianna opened and closed her mouth a few times. "I...only whenever I'm nearby," she said with an innocent smile.

Vena nodded. "Uh, huh." Vena made a motion of walking with her hand, indicating for Rianna to leave. Rianna smiled awkwardly before heading back towards the kitchen.

"It's a good thing we haven't talked about anything secret," Julian whispered, leaning closer to Vena.

"Secret, Julian? What would you, a doctor, and I, a security officer, possibly have to discuss that would be…" Vena leaned close to him. "…secret?" she breathed, the strong scent of the kali-fal tickling Julian's sinuses.

"Oh, I don't know," Julian said, leaning back in his chair and looking at his fingernails. "Perhaps something about that code you used to deactivate the program that was going to destroy this station." Vena's eyes narrowed slightly. "And you, interestingly enough, lied about it."

Vena smiled and shook her head. "I suppose you think I'm a Romulan spy, is that it?"

Julian feigned thinking for a moment before answering. "Yes, I believe I do."

Vena gave a little laugh. "And what logic led you to that absurd conclusion?"

Julian felt hurt. "Well, the Romulans would likely want to know what the Federation was up to, and a formerly Romulan station would be an easy place to post a spy." Vena looked as though she approved of this line of thought so far. "And the obvious candidate would be you." This made Vena raise her left eyebrow. "For obvious reasons."

Vena shook her head. "You were all right up until then," she said disappointedly. "Think about it, Julian."

"You have access to important security information," Julian said. "I think my logic was perfect!"

Vena continued to shake her head. "No. I may have access to the most information, but remember Julian: Starfleet automatically labeled me as a spy, even before they had met me. So I have Starfleet officers like you breathing down my neck at all times."

"I didn't realize my company bothered you so much," Julian said.

Vena smiled, but didn't deny it. "My actions are constantly under close surveillance. Why wouldn't they be? I'm a foreign security chief from a race they distrust. But that also makes me in the least helpful position if I was a member of the Tal Shiar. The perfect place for an agent to be positioned would be where Starfleet would simply overlook them because of their seeming insignificance, yet where they could still obtain a substantial amount of information. So, think logically, Doctor. Who on this station would be most likely to be an agent of the Tal Shiar?"

Julian let out a deep breath. "That's a lot to think about." He sighed. "Someone not in security, apparently. Yet someone who could obtain important information, but would not be suspected as being a spy…" he said quietly, thinking out loud. "Someone who would hear the information they needed, but would not be censured because of how harmless they would seem." He gasped and turned around toward the kitchen of the Jolan. "Rianna?" he said. He turned back to Vena. "Rianna's the spy? Of course," Julian breathed. "She just admitted to eavesdropping. And who wouldn't trust a cook? I mean, you have to trust that they won't poison you, don't you?"

Julian looked down at the remaining gladst on the plate in front of him. He pushed the plate away. "So, Rianna's the Tal Shiar agent."

"The perfect conclusion, Doctor, absolutely logical," Vena said. "And also wrong."

Julian blinked. "What?"

"Rianna's not an agent of the Tal Shiar, believe me," Vena said with a slight smile. Julian couldn't help but smirk slightly at her last two words.

"But you just said I was right."

"I said you came to the perfect conclusion," Vena replied. "And if there was a spy on the station, it would probably be Rianna, thus you would be correct. Is it so hard to believe that the Romulan Empire honored the treaty and did not post agents onboard this station? You're paranoid, Julian."

Julian sighed. "It's not my fault. I was trained to be."

"By Starfleet? That doesn't surprise me."

"No," Julian said. "By a friend of mine from DS9."

"Oh?" Vena said. "And your friend was paranoid?"

Julian smiled. "He had a right to be." Julian shook his head. "I think the two of you could have some interesting debates. You seem so alike, yet your views are so different."

"As are yours and mine," Vena said.

"True," Julian admitted. "But his are still different than either of ours. You know, he's coming to the station next week."

"Visiting his old friend from DS9? Sure he isn't too paranoid?" Vena said with a smile.

"That's what his message said," Julian replied, ignoring Vena's last comment. "But somehow I doubt that's his only reason for coming. I bet you two would get along great," he suddenly said.

Vena raised her eyebrows. "Are you playing matchmaker, Doctor?"

"No!" Julian said quickly. Vena smiled and shook her head. "I just think you two would get along." He paused. "What do you think of Cardassians?"

Vena froze, a small bite of gladst nearly to her mouth. She popped the food into her mouth and quickly swallowed it, hardly chewing. "I've met some I've liked. I've met others I've haven't."

"I suppose it's that way for any race, really," Julian conceded.

"Doctor!" Julian looked over Vena's shoulder and toward a nearby airlock. The reptilian humanoid who had just stepped out smiled at him. "It's been too long!" Julian smiled and stood as his friend, the spy turned tailor Garak walked over to him. Out of the corner of his eye, Julian saw that Vena had not turned around. In fact, she was staring determinedly ahead of her.

"Garak, it's great to see you!" Julian said, walking around the table and shaking his old friend's hand.

"Good to see you again, Doctor."

"What are you doing here so soon?" Julian asked.

"I was able to obtain early passage onboard a Federation freighter," Garak said. "I do hope I am not interrupting anything," the Cardassian said, glancing at Vena's back.

"Oh, not at all. Allow me to introduce a friend of mine," Julian said, motioning towards Vena.

The Romulan turned sharply around and stood, hatred etched in her features. Julian was not surprised to see Garak take a small step back. "Vena!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Garak," Vena said coldly, her eyes flashing. Garak's mouth was partly open, and he seemed quite unable to speak.

"You two know each other," Julian said, stating the obvious.

"We've met," Vena said shortly. "Unfortunately." Vena turned to Julian. "Thank you for lunch, Doctor. I enjoyed our conversation. I need to get to work." She shot a death glare towards Garak. "And I do hope your stay on this station is short."

Garak finally managed to find his voice as Vena walked away. "Actually, I intend to be aboard for quite a while. See, I'm opening a tailor shop here on the station." Vena halted in her tracks for a moment, but did not turn around before she continued to her office.

Garak turned to Julian, who was now dreadfully confused. "You're staying here?" he asked.

"Yes, Doctor," he said. Garak glanced towards Vena's retreating back. "When you mentioned you knew a beautiful young Romulan woman you wanted me to meet, I somehow didn't picture...her."

"How do you know her?" Julian asked. "Why did she--?"

"I really should begin to set up my shop, Doctor," Garak said, his blue eyes still looking down the Commons to where Vena had just vanished into her office. "I will speak with you later." Garak walked towards the empty shop just a few doors down on the Commons.

"Right," Julian said. "But…what…" He looked from Garak's new shop to Vena's office. "What was that?" he asked himself.