Myriad Universes 02_ Echoes and Refractions - Keith R. A. DeCandido [196]
The Romulan subcommander glowered. “Am I meant to assume that it is a mere coincidence that a Starfleet vessel arrives shortly after I have taken three Federation spies into custody?”
Ro replied with an easy smile. “I’m sure that I don’t know anything about Federation spies, Subcommander. The Enterprise is tasked with patrolling the Federation side of the Neutral Zone, and when long-range scans indicated a Romulan vessel in this system in violation of treaty, I was authorized to investigate.”
Taris straightened, resting her hands on the console before her. “This charade grows tiresome.” She turned to address a crewman out of the screen’s view. “Prepare the anti-positronic disruptor array.”
“So much for talking it out,” Ro said with a sigh, and turned from the viewscreen. “Lavelle, prepare for evasive maneuvers.”
At the flight controls, Sam Lavelle nodded.
“Thomas?” Ro called to the ensign at the tactical controls. “Compute firing solutions, targeting her emitters.”
“Aye, sir.”
“Fire,” Ro said.
Phasers lanced from the hull of the Enterprise, spearing toward the warbird. As expected, the beams dissipated on impact with the shields, but it still produced the desired effect.
“You would fire on a Romulan ship of the line?” Subcommander Taris said in disbelief. “This outrage is an act of war.”
“So is violating the treaty, Subcommander. I believe your outrageous act precedes mine.” In actual fact, the Enterprise had entered the Zone before the Haakona, for all that the subcommander didn’t seem to know that; still, the unmanned wardrone had come to Turing before the Enterprise had been summoned, Ro remembered, which meant that what she was saying was true, if only technically.
“You have just made a grave error in judgment, Commander,” Taris said through clenched teeth.
“And if you attempt to fire on the planet below, you’ll have made the last mistake of your career, Subcommander, I promise you that.”
The subcommander sneered, but instead of responding she motioned to one of her crew, and the viewscreen went blank.
“Sir,” Ensign Thomas said, “they’re engaging cloak.”
“On screen,” Ro called, and an instant later the image of the warbird appeared, only to begin shimmering as the cloak engaged.
“She can’t fire while cloaked,” Lavelle pointed out.
Ro nodded. “And she can’t raise shields either.”
There was a time when a warbird going cloaked was all but completely hidden, and could maneuver with impunity.
That time had passed.
“Thomas,” Ro said with a smile, “inform engineering to prepare the forward emitter to begin projecting the antiproton beam. We’re about to go hunting.”
10
Picard resisted the urge to pace. Years of command had taught him that officers often looked to those in charge to gauge the emotional tenor of a situation, and seeing their captain marching worriedly back and forth like an overwrought hen would not likely do much to boost morale. Still, he found it difficult to remain in one place, and more difficult still to find something with which to occupy his hands. He caught himself straightening his uniform jacket for the fifth time in as many minutes, and clasped his hands behind his back for want of anything better to do with them.
Lieutenant Sito was continuing her aerial surveillance of the city, while Commander La Forge and Lieutenant Crusher continued attempting to puzzle out the fundamentals of the gateway technology. Lal was still opening and closing miniature gateways into the various chambers and rooms of the city, still searching for any sign of her father and uncle and of Picard’s missing crewman, and from time to time engaged in brief exchanges with the Turing residents she located there. None had seen the missing androids, but one reported catching a glimpse of a Romulan transporter