Resistance - J.M. Dillard [70]
Despite her emotional turmoil, Nave was curious. After Commander Worf had ordered T’Lana to the ready room, the Vulcan had emerged first. Although she revealed no emotion, tension enveloped her like a cloud. But the counselor had remained on the bridge and sat quietly, as if nothing had happened. Worf had emerged a few minutes later and said he was going to sickbay, while T’Lana had remained maddeningly unreadable. Nave was not even sure she liked the woman.
But the larger question still hung in the air. What had he discussed with Admiral Janeway?
At that point, she banished all personal thoughts. Worf was ready to start the oddly attended briefing. She hoped she would find out the answers soon enough.
“As you all know, we will be heading back to the Borg cube,” Worf said. “I have spoken with Admiral Janeway and, though she is displeased at how the situation has evolved, she agrees with my plan.”
“Plan, sir?” Nave asked, realizing she was jumping the gun. She was just too afraid that whatever the commander was now planning would leave her out of the mix.
Worf had obviously guessed her concern. “You will have the chance to avenge the losses of your crewmates, Lieutenant,” he assured her. “But we need to be cautious about this. We need to do it in a way that Captain Picard would never suspect.”
“Surely the captain would never expect that you would disobey his orders in the first place,” T’Lana said.
Worf paused for a moment. A rare smile played on his lips. “You are still new to this crew, Counselor. I assure you, the captain knows we’re coming. We just need to make sure that he cannot see us returning.”
Nave thought she knew what the commander was implying, but it was impossible. At the same time, it was a course of action the captain certainly would not anticipate. “Are you suggesting that we’ll be…cloaked, sir?”
“Yes, Lieutenant.”
Nave nearly laughed when she saw the questioning look on T’Lana’s face. Surely the Vulcan wouldn’t know how to process this information. It was clearly against the terms of the Treaty of Algeron for the Federation to possess a cloaking device, unless in a situation specially sanctioned by the Romulans. Honestly, Nave was a little confused herself. Where would they obtain a cloaking device in time?
Even taking Worf’s communication with Admiral Janeway into account, there was no way she could have gotten through all the red tape to get permission from the Romulans already. In spite of the threat of another Borg incursion, bureaucrats simply did not move that quickly.
T’Lana was the first to speak. “The Defiant is the only Federation starship equipped with cloaking technology.”
“That is not entirely correct,” Worf said, evoking a look of shock from Nave and one of utter curiosity from T’Lana. Nelson alone looked as though he knew what the commander was talking about. Worf nodded to the lieutenant to explain.
“The Federation has been studying cloaking technology for over a century,” he explained. “While the treaty forbids us to use the technology on our ships, it doesn’t mean we can’t possess it.”
“That interpretation is a matter of semantics,” T’Lana reasoned. “One that the Romulans would surely take issue with.”
“True,” Worf said. “But considering the recent coup in the Romulan Senate, combined with their unwarranted attack on the Federation—namely this ship—the Federation is taking a new look at their relationship with the Empire.”
“Surely, the treaty has not been rescinded,” T’Lana said.
“As far as Admiral Janeway is concerned,” Worf said, “it is for the time being.” He turned to Nelson. “Lieutenant.”
“Cloaking technology has been encrypted in all starships’ computers constructed within the past decade,” Nelson explained. “The thought being that the technology should be available in cases of extreme need. The encryption does requires an admiral’s access codes.”
“Which we now possess,” Worf added.
“So we’re going to cloak the Enterprise?