Section 31_ Rogue - Andy Mangels [53]
“Curious,” Picard said, frowning slightly and tugging at his tunic. “Enlarge the initial image further and scan it in sections for any other incongruities in the local visible and subspace fields.”
Data studied the screen as enlarged portions of the image sped by, almost too quickly for the human eye to follow. After almost a minute, the android spoke. “I have detected numerous other similar concentrations of matter, as well as an apparent central point-source of subspace distortion. Displaying now.”
The screen returned to a wide-angle display of the main image, with four square sections highlighted in red. Data touched the face of his console, isolating and then magnifying images of four separate objects. “I have displayed the device we initially observed beside magnified images of two more distant, but apparently identical, objects. Interestingly, these three artifacts seem to be arranged in an equidistant formation. Nearby sensor shadows would seem to indicate that many more similar objects exist within the field.”
Picard pointed toward the screen’s upper right corner. “What is that fourth object?”
Data touched his console again, and the fourth section of the screen moved forward, magnified to its fullest potential. Though the image was tremendously clouded and distorted, the object clearly wasn’t of the same construction as the satellites.
Without waiting to be prompted, Hawk input a command that enhanced the image further, editing out the empty space surrounding it.
A double-bladed, emerald-hued vessel hung in the viewscreen’s center. Picard was hardly surprised. “A Romulan warbird.”
Hawk’s mind raced, scrambling to sift through details he’d studied about the crew’s previous missions. Within moments, he seized on the proper memory. “Captain, I’ve got a theory that might explain some of this.”
Batanides looked over at Hawk, one eyebrow raised as if to question his impertinence.
“Go ahead, Mr. Hawk,” Picard said.
“About four years ago, you discovered a Dyson Sphere. I believe we may have stumbled onto something similar here. What if this trio of satellites we’ve spotted-and the other subspace distortions-are part of a network of thousands of buoys, each one equipped with a Romulan cloaking device-“
“Yes, I see,” Picard interrupted. “With a network like that, the Romulans could enclose and cloak an enormous volume of space. Without having to build a solid structure around it.”
“That is theoretically possible,” said Data. His hands flew over the controls. “I am linking the identifiable point-sources together.” A new image appeared on the screen, this time showing a spherical gridwork of lines with hundreds of intersections, each of which presumably represented an object like the first device the probe had detected. Although the pattern contained gaps-which Hawk attributed to imperfect telemetry readings-the visual effect was similar to the latitude and longitude lines on a planetary map, or a complex spider’s web bent into a globular shape. And the warbird was stationed near the inside northern edge of the hypothetical web.
“Incredible,” Batanides said, leaning back in her chair. “They could be hiding a planet the size of Jupiter for all we can tell.”
“It is also possible that this network is shielded in a manner that would disrupt the operation of approaching ships or probes,” Data said. “That would be consistent with the loss of our probe’s telemetry.”
“But Romulan ships would have to be able to pass freely through the field,” Hawk said.
Data nodded. “Any vessel authorized to enter the cloaked zone would probably gain admittance by emitting a particular cloaking-field resonance frequency.”
Picard said, “But anyone else trying to get across might find their systems completely shut down.”
“Making them defenseless against an attack,” said Batanides. “Maybe now we know what happened to the Slayton. And why they never sent a distress signal or launched a log buoy.”
“If something inside that cloak is so important