Section 31_ Rogue - Andy Mangels [51]
“Which is?”
Riker pointed toward the stone ceiling. “Which is that the man commanding the Enterprise is Jean-Luc Picard. The man who served as Klingon Chancellor Gowron’s Arbiter of Succession. Thanks to the captain’s diplomacy, the Klingon civil war lasted for months instead of years.”
Zweller’s smile faltered then. “Diplomacy wasn’t his strong suit when I knew him, Commander.”
“It’s never a good idea to underestimate Captain Picard,” Troi said.
Zweller looked up at them both. “Then for everyone’s sake, you’d both better hope he fails in a big way this time.”
Never during the nine years he had so far spent serving alongside Captain Picard had Will Riker thought he would find himself agreeing with such a sentiment.
Now, he had no other option.
Chapter Seven
“Launching probe, Captain,” said Data, his hands gliding over an ops panel.
Hawk watched as Picard leaned forward in his seat, staring at the forward bridge viewscreen as the small probe sped off into the starry blackness. The captain’s eyes narrowed, as if by squinting he could see more clearly what the probe saw.
Data turned. “Would you like me to activate visual telemetry, sir? It would be more effective.”
Hawk stared at Data. The android’s directness always amazed him. Coming from anyone else, Data’s question might have seemed an insult, but Hawk-and everyone who had ever served on the bridge-knew better.
“Yes, Data,” Picard said, settling back into his chair.
The image on the viewscreen changed only slightly, though digital counters and coordinate graphics appeared around the edges, showing the data that the probe was recording as it sped through space.
While they had been supervising the technicians who had worked on the probe, Data, Hawk, and La Forge had analyzed the sector maps, using the residual radiation traces found on the Slayton’s wreckage-as well the starship’s velocity and trajectory-to pinpoint the probable site where the vessel was destroyed. Not surprisingly, this location was very close to the volume of space that Hawk’s sketchy sensor data labeled as the likeliest source of the first subspace slippage, as well as the probable epicenter of the half-dozen or so lesser spatial disturbances that had followed.
A quick visit to the stellar cartography labs had provided Hawk and Data with further scientific background of the Geminus Gulf. Hawk was somewhat surprised to discover just how little there was to go on. According to the few pertinent records that Keru had managed to retrieve-which had come, thanks to the barrenness of the Gulf, mostly from some of the more obscure stellar cartographical journals, as well as from his correspondences with colleagues serving aboard other Federation starships-the random subspace fluctuations in the vicinity had intensified substantially over the past two years. Prior to that, even the most patient and long-suffering researchers hadn’t seen fit to spend much time taking readings in the Gulf; one science-vessel commander had characterized the entire region as a kind of “interstellar tabula rasa.”
Hawk was back at his post, mentally reviewing the dates, locations, and intensities of all known subspace fluctuations in the Geminus Gulf when the turbolift opened. Batanides strode out, dressed impeccably in her admiral’s uniform, her face once again composed. Hawk knew she must be holding in an enormous amount of emotional strain following the death of her lover. What he didn’t know was whether or not she had been aware of the ambassador’s involvement with Section 31. Had Tabor managed to keep his association with the bureau a secret from her as well?
His eyes tracked her as she went to sit at Picard’s right-hand side, in the chair usually occupied by Will Riker. She gave Hawk a brief glance-and in that look he saw not the slightest glimmer of recognition. At that instant, the lieutenant became relatively certain that even if she did know about Tabor’s activities, she remained