Myriad Universes_ Echoes And Refractions Part 27

Sisko was gripping a diagnostic tool as if it were a d'k tahg. "If we do it your way, the power spike will burn out the EPS conduits! If that happens, we'll lose main power, and then-"

"I know what'll happen if we lose main power, lad. I was crawlin' around engines when your granddaddy was in diapers!"

Several engineers were standing helpless while the two men screamed at each other. Worf immediately interposed himself between the two of them. "What is going on here?"

"This daft gentleman doesna know-"

"This old relic-"

"Enough!" Worf screamed over both of them. "We are under orders to install this cloaking device before we are in scanning distance of Romulan s.p.a.ce. That will be in thirty hours. If the cloak is not installed, our mission cannot proceed-and that is not acceptable."

Scott muttered, "I'm no b.l.o.o.d.y relic."

"I'm not 'daft,' either, Captain. What I am is the person who designed this s.h.i.+p. I know it better than you."

"And I know Starfleet engines better than anyone alive, lad, and unlike you, I've put a cloaking device into one, and I'm tellin' you-"

"That was a hundred years ago!"

"The principle's the same!"

"Mev yap!" Worf repeated the interjection he'd used previously, but this time in Klingon, hoping it might be more effective. "I am not interested in puerile name calling. I am interested in an installed cloak. You will work together, you will install the cloak, and you will cease this idiocy!"

Without waiting for either to respond, Worf turned on his heel and left engineering. To make matters worse, while Scott outranked Sisko, as first officer, Sisko had a higher position in the s.h.i.+p's hierarchy. Still, Worf imagined that Scott would have difficulty taking orders from a lower-ranked officer who wasn't yet born when Scott first made captain.

However, Worf's word was final. He hoped that was enough.

Kira was waiting for him on the other side of the door, and she gave voice to his thoughts. "You really think that was the best approach?"

"I do not know," Worf said, "but if it is a successful approach, then I do not much care if it was best." He looked behind him. "They bicker like children."

Kira shrugged. "Engineers. They're all the same. We had one in the resistance, name of Biroj. You couldn't tell her anything, either."

Thinking of La Forge and O'Brien, Worf said, "My experience has been that engineers are reasonable." Shaking his head, he proceeded down the corridor. "Perhaps I should have insisted that Lieutenant O'Brien be a.s.signed to this s.h.i.+p."

"Sisko knows this s.h.i.+p, though," Kira said as they walked together. Worf noted with admiration that, despite her lesser height, the Bajoran was able to keep up with the Klingon's greater strides. "And from what that older one-Scotty?-says, he's been doing this awhile."

"Captain Scott was born in the twenty-third century. He was trapped in-in a form of stasis for seventy-five years, and then rescued by the EnterpriseD four years ago. Commander Sisko's concerns about his suitability are, at the very least, understandable. But he was a.s.signed to this mission, and that should be all that matters."

"Real life doesn't always work like that," Kira said.

"No," Worf growled. "You wished to see me?"

She nodded. "I've gone over Elim's notes, and compared them with the latest reports from Starfleet Intelligence that you let me see."

Worf noted an undertone of annoyance. In truth, Worf hadn't wanted to show a Bajoran civilian any SI reports, but Picard had argued that she needed to in order to perform the mission. As long as the reports pertained only to the mission, and any outside references were omitted, Kira could have limited access.

But Kira had bridled under even those restrictions, not understanding why she couldn't see the uncensored reports. "You do not need to know," Worf had said.

"I think the two most likely candidates on his list are Colonels Koval and Lovok. They're both with the Tal s.h.i.+ar. Admiral Braeg's been too much on the front lines, and I can't see one of the shapechangers taking that big a risk."

Worf had seen the list provided by Kira's ex-Obsidian Order friend Elim Garak, and so asked about the fourth person on it: "What of Senator Vreenak?"

Kira shook her head. "In theory, he's not a bad candidate, but then I came across this." She called up one of the intelligence reports. "According to the Romulan news service, Colonel Lovok died last week from a sudden accident."

Seeing where she was going, Worf said, "High-ranking Tal s.h.i.+ar operatives do not die of accidents."

"No. And Lovok was in charge of intelligence for the war-that position, according to Starfleet's spies, has now been filled by Koval."

"You believe Koval is the shapechanger?" Worf asked as they approached the bridge.

"I think he's a more likely candidate."

Nodding, Worf said, "Very well. Meet with Commander Eddington and plan your insertion accordingly." Between what Eddington could glean from SI's reports, which was more than Kira could, and the information provided by Garak-the padd Kira carried had a full dossier on each person the Carda.s.sian suspected of being an alien infiltrator-Worf was confident that the security chief and the resistance fighter could outline a skilled plan of attack. Worf himself would approve the plan once it was conceived.

"Will do," Kira said, and she turned around and moved toward the mess hall.

Worf entered the bridge. He asked the flight controller, Sariel Rager, "ETA to sensor range of the Romulan border?"

"Twenty-nine hours, fifteen minutes, sir."

"Good." Worf took a seat in the captain's chair. He had specifically requested Rager to be the alpha-s.h.i.+ft conn officer for the Defiant-and it had been Scott's a.s.signment to the s.h.i.+p that prompted the thought. When Scott was rescued from the Jenolen-which had crashed into a Dyson Sphere-the Enterprise had gone inside the sphere, and was almost trapped inside. While Scott and La Forge had used the Jenolen to hold one of the sphere's doors open for a time, the Enterprise's escape still required near-perfect precision flying in order to escape through the narrow gap of the closing door.

Knowing he would need a pilot of consummate skill to navigate behind enemy lines, Worf sought the person who accomplished that feat of astrogation. Picard was all too happy to oblige.

A beep preceded Sisko's voice. "Engineering to bridge."

"Go ahead," Worf said.

"We're ready to begin the first test on the cloaking device."

"Very well. Engage when ready."

"With your permission, Captain, we wish to take the Defiant out of warp."

Worf looked up sharply at that. "Why?"

Now Scott spoke up. "'Tis a safety precaution, sir."

Twisting his jaw in annoyance, Worf said, "Bring us out of warp, Lieutenant Rager."

"Aye, sir," the soft-spoken human woman said.

The forward viewer showed the "normalizing" of the starfield from the distortions of the warp effect to the simple view of Einsteinian s.p.a.ce.

"Engage when ready, engineering."

"Yes, sir," Sisko said.

Worf waited.

Several seconds pa.s.sed.

Finally: "Report!"

"The b.l.o.o.d.y thing isn't workin'," Scott said.

"I told you that-"

"Hang on a second, lad, look at that!"

"At what?"

Having long since pa.s.sed the end of his metaphorical rope, Worf cried, "If one of you does not report, I will kill you both!"

"Sorry, Captain," Sisko said quickly, "but we think we've isolated the difficulty. It will take about an hour to straighten out."

"Is there any reason not to proceed?"

"None," Sisko said without hesitation.

"And you are sure that once this 'difficulty' is resolved-"

Scott said, "Guaranteed you'll have a cloak, sir, or I'll eat my hat."

As with most human metaphors, Worf didn't even bother trying to decipher Scott's words, recognizing at least that it was an expression of confidence. "Very well. Inform me when you are ready for further tests. Bridge out. Lieutenant Rager, proceed at warp eight."

One hour later, the test was successful. The Defiant came out of warp, Sisko and Scott activated the cloaking device, and the vessel was invisible to sensors, to the visible spectrum, and all other known forms of detection.

Then Worf ordered the s.h.i.+p to go to warp, and nothing happened.

Two minutes and a great deal more shouting in the engine room after that, Worf gave the order a second time, and the Defiant went to warp, still cloaked.

Twenty-eight hours after that, the cloak was still holding as the s.h.i.+p approached the Romulan border. The patrols that the Defiant picked up on long-range all stayed put, and did not react to the approach of an enemy vessel.

Two hours later, the Defiant entered Romulan s.p.a.ce, to no fanfare from the empire's border outposts.

After six hours without incident, Worf entered the Defiant mess hall. Though he was there to meet with Eddington and Kira, he noticed Sisko and Scott sitting in a corner, the latter pouring the former an amber liquid from a gla.s.s carafe. "Ach, you won't be wantin' that syntheholic swill, laddie. This is the good stuff. Captain!" Scott added as he saw Worf approach. "Will you join us in a toast?"

"Klingon tradition holds that one drinks when the battle is over." Then he allowed himself the tiniest of smiles. "And also on the eve of battle."

His grin widening, Scott poured a third gla.s.s and handed it to Worf.

"To the cloaking device," Scott said, holding up his gla.s.s.

A smile peeked out from under Sisko's goatee. "To teamwork."

Per human tradition, the officers clinked their gla.s.ses together, then Worf threw back the entire beverage. It tasted a bit smoky, and fairly weak, all told, but tolerable.

Scott was wincing. "You're supposed to be sippin' it, Captain."

"Why?"

Sisko coughed rather raggedly. In a whisper, he said, "Smooth." Worf a.s.sumed he was employing sarcasm. "You drink this on purpose?"

Eddington was already seated at a far table, along with three lieutenants, and Kira had just entered the mess hall to join them. Remembering human custom, Worf said, "Thank you for the drink" rather than throw the gla.s.s away, and then proceeded to join the others.

The three lieutenants were serving as Eddington's deputies on this mission, each commanding a sixteen-person squad. Padraig Daniels was a demolitions expert, Domenica Corsi had served on several s.h.i.+ps, most recently as chief of security on the Roosevelt, and George Primmin had run security on Starbase 10-the base closest to Romulan territory-for the last several years.

Eddington glanced down at a padd. "According to the most recent reports from the SI agent on Romulus, Koval spends most of his time either at Tal s.h.i.+ar headquarters or at his new home."

"New home?" Corsi asked.

"Believe it or not," Primmin said, "we were able to learn that from a simple transfer of deed. Anybody in the empire with minimal access to a computer could learn that the mansion that used to belong to Lovok was sold upon his death to Koval by the late colonel's estate. SI was also able to track down several decorators bidding on contracts with Koval. From all reports, Koval is very fussy about how his home looks."

Corsi shook her head. "If this guy really is an alien from another quadrant, he's really throwing himself into the part."

Kira stared at the blond woman intently. "They wouldn't have been able to get as far as they have without being good at what they do."

"Or," Corsi said, "Koval might be Koval and this is a wild-goose chase."

Worf could understand Corsi's skepticism-in truth, right up until the meeting in the Palais, he had harbored doubts-but now was not the time. "What I am about to inform you of is cla.s.sified information that does not leave this s.h.i.+p."

All three security personnel nodded immediately. They all understood the old human axiom, "loose lips sink s.h.i.+ps," originally coined regarding Earth's naval forces, and-like so many human aphorisms-still used long after it ceased to make literal sense.

"Four shapechangers have infiltrated the Alpha Quadrant and replaced important figures in the political landscape. One of them is dead-he replaced President Jaresh-Inyo."

Corsi, Primmin, and Daniels gasped. Daniels said, "That's impossible."

"I was there," Worf snapped. "In fact, I was the one who killed the creature when the disguise was exposed."

"Which was done by me," Kira put in. "I get that you all don't believe this, but it's real. And the sooner you wrap your heads around this, the more likely we are to actually accomplish this mission."

There was a silence for several seconds, finally broken by Primmin. "Okay, so how do we figure out where Koval is?"

Eddington said, "All Tal s.h.i.+ar operatives have a subcutaneous transponder that allows the praetor and others in the Tal s.h.i.+ar to find them at any time."

"Do we know the frequency for Koval's transponder?" Kira asked.

"No."

The Bajoran snorted. "Then what good does knowing that do?"

"If Koval's in Tal s.h.i.+ar headquarters, not a lot. But if we scan his mansion and find someone with a cesium-rubidium device in his neck-"

"Then it could be some other Tal s.h.i.+ar operative," Corsi said. "If he's the head of intelligence for the war effort, he probably has other operatives going in and out of his house all the time."

"True, but they're unlikely to be there when he isn't," Eddington said. "Even if we find several agents in his mansion, chances are good he's one of them."