Section 31_ Rogue - Andy Mangels [115]
Picard shook his head wearily. “First Protector Ruardh has her own difficulties with the Federation at the moment,” he said, recalling the still-unresolved custody battle over Grelun. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s not enough left of that singularity to prove that the Romulans were ever up to any mischief here in the first place.”
Hawk realized that Picard was probably right. “The Tal Shiar would probably see to that,” he said quietly.
The captain shot a stern glance at him, and for a moment Hawk feared that he had said too much. Had Picard begun to wonder how much Zweller had told him about Section 31’s secret agenda in the Geminus Gulf?
Some spy I’d make, Hawk thought, chiding himself.
Whatever the captain’s thoughts, all he said was, “Set a course for the Enterprise, Mr. Hawk. Best possible speed.”
And then, to Hawk’s shock and chagrin, the captain’s expression suddenly went slack, and he fell face forward across the instrument panel.
Koval and his two guards sparkled into existence in the warbird Thrai Kaleh’s principal transporter room. A centurion awaited him there, a youthful but able officer whose name escaped Koval at the moment. It occurred to him that he had been having entirely too many memory lapses of late, and made a mental note to consult his physician about the problem at the first convenient opportunity.
The young centurion was out of breath, and looked nearly panic-stricken. Koval had never had much patience with useless emotional displays. “Out with it. What is wrong?”
“Chairman Koval, the subspace phenomenon… the containment facility…”
Koval grew uneasy. “Yes?”
“Sir, they are both gone!”
That can’t be, Koval thought, shoving past the centurion and repeating the words in his mind like a mantra until he reached the central control room. The viewscreen there graphically confirmed the centurion’s improbable story. Koval stood in the center of the chamber for the next several minutes, quietly contemplating his next move.
“The Federation vessel is obviously responsible,” Subcenturion V’Hari said from behind one of the weapons consoles. “I respectfully suggest that we attack the Enterprise immediately.”
Such an action struck Koval as perhaps futile and certainly counterproductive. To fight over a secret thing, even a secret vanished thing, was to admit that it had existed-and that it had been a threat to one’s adversaries-in the first place. Another factor to consider was that the Chiarosans would probably soon learn of the singularity-containment facility, as well as the efforts of the Romulan Star Empire to conceal it from them. Who knew how these barbarians might react? The revelation of a hitherto covert Romulan military presence might make the Empire’s newest protectorate almost impossible to control. Unless the Tal Shiar covered things up very carefully.
“No,” Koval told his subordinate. “I have an alternate plan. Please contact First Protector Ruardh immediately.”
Picard’s eyes fluttered open, revealing the muted blues and grays of the Enterprise’s sickbay, which were broken up by the dull orange glow of an overhead sensor cluster. He looked down past his chin and saw that he was lying on his back, his chest covered by a clamshell like piece of equipment which he recognized as a surgical support structure. A quartet of figures wearing scarlet masks and gowns worked with feverish efficiency over the device, performing intricate maneuvers, manipulating tricorders, fetching, using, then discarding various surgical and diagnostic instruments. Though his vision was distorted by the azure glow of a sterilizing medical forcefield, he quickly recognized the lead surgeon’s flashing green eyes as those of Dr. Beverly Crusher.
“He’s conscious, Dr. Crusher,” said a member of the trauma team. Picard recognized the gruff voice of Dr. Gomp.
“Thank God,” Crusher said quietly.
“No brain damage,” someone else said. “I think we got to him in time.”
“Just in time,” Crusher responded. “Let’s get him stabilized. Then I need to know the extent of the damage to his heart.”
“Done,” said Ogawa,