A feral grin on his face, Zarinth said, “My people are quite prepared for any possible encounters with the Dominion, Commander. We’ve arranged a few surprises should they attempt to penetrate this site.”
“Let’s hope you don’t have to test their training,” the commander replied, rubbing his hand over his eyes. Even through the fuzzy picture, Bart could see Mwakwere probably hadn’t had much sleep lately. “Good luck and keep us informed if anything develops. Tiger out.”
As the screen went blank, a sudden quiet settled over the room. Looking up at the chronometer, Bart saw there were only three more hours before his shift started. Even though he had always been able to survive on catnaps, here lately he’d appreciated getting in a full night’s sleep to recharge. He knew he was in that no-man’s land, but if he went back to bed, he’d just get into deep sleep about the time his alarm went off.
Pondering his options, he looked back around the room and noted everyone, except Zarinth, was still there. The Andorian had wasted no time escaping back into his own cocoon. Probably dreaming up new ways to torture his people in the name of training.
“So, what’s next?” Priya asked, stretching back in her chair.
“We get back to work,” Jamie said, grinning like the Cheshire cat. “And you two, get back to bed. I want my two linguists as sharp as possible when they’re on duty. Sabran and I can handle things for now.”
Bart nodded to Jamie and wedged himself up out of the chair to leave. He shook his head in mock dismay as he saw Jamie and Sabran already huddled together, examining something on the Vulcan’s terminal. He slipped out of the room without disturbing them. Before he had gotten very far down the corridor, Priya fell into step with him as they made their way to the turbolift.
“So, what was your impression about the conference?” the Bajoran asked, pinching herself on the ridges just above her nose to fight off a yawn.
“I think Commander Mwakwere knows more than he’s telling us. I don’t know if it was because he was worried about the conversation being monitored or if there’s something else going on, but he seemed to be holding back. Either way, it’s a concern.” Bart touched a control, summoning the turbolift to their level.
“I agree. Personally I think it was a little of both. If we have been compromised, there’s a chance the Dominion could be listening in. However, I have a feeling we’d be considered ‘acceptable losses’ in case we came under attack. I doubt there’s a Starfleet ship close enough to come to our aid if we needed it.”
“Now, there’s a comforting thought.” Bart gave a mock groan as the doors to the turbolift opened. They stepped inside and he called out, “Deck four.”
As the doors hissed closed, Priya turned to him and grinned, “So, how are you with a phaser, anyway?” Her brown eyes twinkled mischievously at his sudden discomfort, as the lift began sinking in the tube.
“Well,” he admitted grudgingly, “last time I qualified, I managed not to shoot myself or any of the range cadre. Let’s just say there’s a reason why I’m in intel and not security. Just hope it doesn’t come down to me saving the day with a fancy shot. I’m more likely to hit the life support than the attackers.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Pretty damn close.” As Bart finished his confession, the lift reached the end of its trip. They walked into the dimly lit corridor toward their quarters. “Now, Zarinth is a different matter. I’d be surprised if he isn’t running a snap drill right now. He seems to live for a chance to scrap with the Cardassians.”
“To be quite honest, I’ve got a few scores to settle with them myself. However, unlike Zarinth, I’m not so gung-ho that I want to take on a battle cohort by myself. I’m happy helping direct some of your Federation ships to deal with them for me.” The sudden ferocity in her voice caught Bart off guard.
As they paused in front of her quarters, Bart changed the subject. “I have to admit, Chantrea, I was surprised when you were introduced to us. I thought Bajor was neutral in this conflict.”
Priya stopped, her hand arrested just millimeters short of her door. Turning back toward Bart, she glanced down at the floor as if unsure how to continue. Finally, she looked up at him, coming to a decision.
“Officially yes, Bajor has signed a nonaggression pact with the Dominion. The Emissary requested that, to keep us from becoming a Dominion target.”
Bart frowned. “The Emissary?”
“The one sent to speak the words of the Prophets to the Bajoran people. I believe you know him as Captain Sisko, the commander of Deep Space 9.”
Bart soundlessly mouthed “Oh,” having no idea what she was talking about. He wasn’t up on Bajoran mythology, but it was obvious whatever the Prophets and the Emissary were supposed to be, Priya was a true believer. The real surprise was that Benjamin Sisko was apparently part of that mythology. Bart knew of him as the commander of DS9, the station that had been at the forefront of the war, as it stood proximate to the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant, through which the Dominion forces had come to this area of the galaxy. Didn’t realize he was also moonlighting as an emissary.
Priya continued. “In any case, we know who our friends really are, so a select group of militia officers resigned our commissions and, well, disappeared. Then we contacted Starfleet surreptitiously and offered our services. This way we can keep helping the Federation while giving the government deniability with the Dominion.”
Bart leaned up against the corridor wall, stunned by this revelation. “So, you’re not officially part of the Bajoran Militia after all?”
“No, not officially. Don’t get me wrong, this is my uniform—I was a lieutenant serving in Dakhur Province up until I volunteered for this.” The pride in her voice was obvious.
“Well, for what it’s worth, I think their trust was well placed in you.” Bart’s arm snapped upward to stifle his own yawn. “However, if Starfleet is trusting me to be awake on shift, I better get to sleep now. See you in about three hours.”
“Thanks, Bart. I appreciate the vote of confidence,” she said just before she slipped through the door into her quarters. Bart stood there, staring at the now shut door and pondering the events of the past thirty minutes. Slowly he returned to his quarters, lay down on the bed still dressed, and shut off the lights.
The alarm buzzer went off two and a half hours later with him still staring up at the dark ceiling.
Chapter
6
The days following the conference with Mwakwere blended together into a painful memory for Bart. After a while, the concept of shifts devolved into endless sessions in operations with everyone catching sleep as they could. Tempers began to run short and they found themselves having to go back over and over their work to make certain they weren’t overlooking anything in their exhausted states. After about a week, things were reaching their breaking point.
Bart looked up from his padd after another unsuccessful attempt at breaking the code to find Jamie standing in the doorway. Jamie’s fierce look swept across the room and Bart could see the Alpha Centaurian start to say something at least twice before thinking better of it. Finally an idea lit up Jamie’s face as he made a decision.
“All right, folks, everyone follow me. Team meeting.” His voice broke through the silence in the room, causing Priya and Sabran’s heads to pop up as if someone had set off an explosive charge in the door.
“But, Jamie, I’m…” Priya’s voice quickly trailed off as the analyst cut her off with a withering look.
“That was an order, not a suggestion. Let’s go, people. We need a break and we’re taking one now!” he repeated and then spun around. Slowly the others rose from their workstations and followed him out of the room. Jamie stood at the end of the hall, holding the door to the turbolift open until he was certain everyone was there. He followed them into the lift, calling out deck three to the central computer.
Once they reached the requested deck, Jamie led them past the gym and the rec room into the holosuite. As t
he door shut behind them, he called out, “Program Alpha Six-Two.”
There was a slight wavering and the team found themselves standing on a tropical beach, surrounded by palm trees and looking out over a crystal blue sea that stretched to the horizon. Bart looked behind him and found four chaise lounges arranged there, with their own individual umbrellas and coolers.
“Grab a seat, people. We’re going to relax, review what the hell we’ve been doing here lately and then I’m ordering some mandatory R&R.” Jamie plopped down on one of the chairs and adjusted the umbrella to cut down on the sunlight hitting his face.
“Hang on a minute there, sir. Who’s monitoring the situation if we’re all down here?” Bart asked, confused. “We might miss something vital.”
“I’ve instructed the computer to deal with any incoming traffic. Zarinth has someone monitoring the subspace radio in case Starfleet finds it necessary to break radio silence. He knows we’re going to be down here for a while. If anything really important happens, he knows the pass code to get in here. For the next couple of hours, our only mission is to soak up some rays, do some swimming, or simply walk along the beach and enjoy the ocean breezes. And for the next couple of hours, drop the ‘sir’ stuff. There’ll be enough time for that once R&R is over.”
“Mr. Cruz, I’m afraid I don’t see the wisdom of this. Wouldn’t our time be better spent continuing to work on the problem at hand?” Sabran asked, a hint of curiosity and irritation in his voice.
“Chief Sabran, you may enjoy the ocean or you may sit here and do nothing. That is your choice.” Jamie turned slightly in his chair to face the recalcitrant Vulcan. “However, once we finish the review of our mission, there’ll be no more work on the project until the simulation runs its course. There are a couple of cabanas a few meters in that direction. You’re all to change into the beachwear you’ll find there and reconvene back here in ten minutes for the staff meeting.” Seeing the hesitation, Jamie sighed and continued. “That’s an order, folks.” He leaned down and snagged a glass bottle filled with an amber liquid out of his cooler.
“Sir, I really do not see the need to change our clothing to have a staff meeting,” Sabran continued.
“Of course you don’t. That’s exactly why you need to do it.” Jamie shaded his eyes from the sunlight that broke through the light clouds in the sky. He got up off his chair and headed inland. “Nine minutes left, folks.”
A few minutes later, the group reassembled in their bathing gear, except for Sabran, who had chosen a T-shirt and shorts. Jamie motioned for them to pull their chairs together in a circle. “Ah, this is better. I want you to know I’ve noticed how hard everyone has been working on this project and I really appreciate it. I guarantee it’ll be reflected in the report I submit at the end of the mission. However, I think we’ve hit the proverbial wall. Our efficiency has been going down like a ptarn bird that’s been hit by a stunner. So, I made the command decision that we were going to take this break.” He paused long enough to take a drink and then turned to Sabran. “In a nutshell, what have you discovered about the communications system we’re targeting?”
Bart noticed the Vulcan looked positively uncomfortable out of uniform, but he gamely tried to accept the unusual situation with grace. “It does not appear to be a standard subspace communications system. In fact, it does not match up with anything we have on record. I would say there is a 92.54 percent chance we are intercepting a Gamma Quadrant communications device.”
“Priya, does that match up to what you’re seeing?” Jamie asked.
The Bajoran leaned back in her lounge. “It’s as good an assumption as any. Nothing about the code we’re examining seems to match up with any frequency rotas for any known Alpha Quadrant language. I’ve even compared it against every Beta Quadrant language I could find on record, just in case, but no luck. If it’s from the Gamma Quadrant, it wouldn’t surprise me.” She paused, and then sat up slightly in her chair. “It’s possible that it’s an unknown dialect, but until we break the encryption, I’m not going to be able to isolate enough of the language to accurately identify it, much less start translating it.”
“That throws the ball back into your court, Bart.” Jamie lifted his bottle toward the cryptologist.
“I’d throw it right back at you if I could,” Bart said, letting go with a self-deprecating laugh. “It’s been a very frustrating situation. Every time I think I’ve found an in, it turns out to be a dead end. However, there is a section that’s starting to look promising. I’ve got the computer running an analysis against it while we’re down here.”
“Keep plugging away, Bart. If we’re going to get anywhere, you’re going to probably be the linchpin. Once you get us into this thing, the rest should fall into place.” Jamie leaned back in his chaise, staring up into the blue sky.
“Thanks, Jamie. No pressure. I like that.” Bart laughed at him.
Jamie took another drink, finishing off his bottle and then tucked his hands behind his head. “Well, I’ve been concentrating on what little external chatter I’ve been able to get from the messages. We’ve only seen the receiving station in Breen space reply twice. Hard to say who or what’s going on there based on such a small sample. However, the originating station is another story.”
“How so?” Priya asked, her curiosity piqued.
“There’s been some ship-to-ship communications that the sensors have picked up at the ‘abandoned’ naval yards. I’d say there are at least four Jem’Hadar battleships there and a number of supporting craft.”
Bart sputtered. “Four Jem’Hadar battleships?”
“Yep. I was thinking that’s an awful lot of firepower simply to secure an abandoned site. In addition, the way the war’s going, why would you tie up one battleship on something as simple as transmitting a message, much less four? I’d say there’s someone pretty damn important there to rate that kind of an honor guard. Anyway, I’ve got a few more things to check out and then I’m going to give you the results of my investigation, Bart. Hope it’ll help you.” Then he hopped up out of his chair. “So, who’s up for a swim?”
Bart and Priya turned and looked at each other. Shrugging, Bart slowly got to his feet. “Might as well. You said the simulation wasn’t going to end for a while.”
“You’ll pardon me if I don’t join you, Mr. Cruz?” Sabran asked.
“Your loss, Chief, but if you’re more comfortable here, knock yourself out. As I said earlier, this is your ‘vacation,’ however you want to spend it is fine with me,” Jamie replied, and turned to sprint toward the water. He hit the water with a long, shallow dive and surfaced several feet out in the water. Priya and Bart waded out into the warm water until it was deep enough to begin swimming and slowly stroked out to where the warrant officer was treading water, waiting for them.
They’d been out in the water for a few minutes when the sound of a siren caught their attention. Before they realized what had happened, they found themselves standing on a blank floor, with Zarinth standing in the doorway to the holosuite.
“Sorry to interrupt your session, Mr. Cruz. However, our long-range sensors have picked up a possible intruder entering the system. Mayhew is comparing its signature against any known ships, friendly or enemy. I felt it was best to alert you as quickly as possible.” The Andorian kept his eyes aimed just over Jamie’s shoulder, trying not to notice the analyst’s current choice of attire.
“You did exactly the right thing, Lieutenant. We’ll get changed right away and meet you here. If you find out anything more, let us know as soon as possible.” Jamie nodded to Zarinth and then turned to head toward the dressing room that had been disguised as a cabana earlier.
After a quick shower and change of clothes, they met up with Zarinth. Before Jamie could ask him anything, Zarinth’s combadge started beeping. “Zarinth, here. Report.” The Andorian’s words came out in a sharp staccato reminding Bart of an old-fashioned projectile weapon.
“Mayhew here, sir,” a voice cra
ckled. “We’ve identified that intruder. It’s a Cardassian scout ship. However, there are five more intruders approaching this system in a slow, looping approach. I’d say it’s the rest of the scout’s unit. Estimated time to Antros III, one hour for the scout ship, four hours for the five unknown bogies.”
“Roger. I’ll be back up at the command center in about five minutes. Defense posture Bravo for right now. Keep a close eye on that scout. Zarinth out.” The security chief turned to Jamie. “Mr. Cruz, I’m going to have to insist we go to minimum power usage to lower our signature. Please go up and begin shutdown procedures. Your people will be restricted to the bottom four levels once you’ve accomplished your mission.”
“Excuse me, Lieutenant. I believe the admiral put me in charge of this mission.”
“You are in charge of the cryptography mission, Mr. Cruz. And I am in charge of the security of that mission. If your people are down here, minimizing our electronic signal and not in the way of my professionals, we’re more likely to get out of this alive. I think my instructions on this matter from the admiral were quite clear. If you object, you have the right to protest to Admiral Hazlitt after this situation is resolved. Provided we’re still alive to contact him.”
The Andorian let Jamie chew on that for a few moments. Bart could see Jamie’s jaw moving as if he were trying to form some words, but nothing was coming out.
After a few minutes staring at each other, Zarinth spun around on one heel and disappeared in the direction of the turbolift. Jamie slowly turned to face the group, his face flushed with anger and embarrassment. “All right, you heard the man. Let’s get up there and go to minimal operations. If you have printouts, grab them and meet back down here. We can use the open area to set up a secondary operations area.”
“What about that program I have running?” Bart asked, a worried tone in his voice. “If we interrupt it now, I could lose everything it’s recovered up till now.”
“Can’t be helped, Bart. Try to save what you can, but get that computer shut down. If Zarinth isn’t overblowing the situation, losing the data could be the least of our worries.”
Echoes of Coventry Page 4