Section 31_ Rogue - Andy Mangels [70]
He was shocked to see Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher seated behind the instrument panel, evidently trying to make sense of the Romulan script on the control panels.
Picard looked up and smiled broadly. “What kept you, Number One?”
Lieutenant Hawk thought that fitting a Tellarite male, a half-Betazoid woman, eight assorted humans, and an insensate Chiarosan aboard such a small craft might be problematic, but it turned out that there was enough room, after all. But only barely. Hawk accompanied Batanides into the small cockpit, where the admiral had relieved Crusher to allow her to assist Riker, Troi, and Dr. Gomp in tending to a trio of unconscious Romulan technicians. For a moment, Hawk had wondered how much important information the Romulans might reveal-until he considered how crowded the vessel already was. There simply wasn’t enough room to take the Romulans along.
The lieutenant was impressed by how well the admiral knew her way around Romulan instrumentation. It made sense, though; she was an intelligence officer, after all. Perhaps the study of things Romulan was her specialty. Hawk watched her carefully, memorizing each control she touched, each command sequence she entered.
As Picard and the admiral powered up the little vessel, the Chiarosans scrambled to open the hangar doors for them, apparently unwilling to engage in a game of “chicken,” which would more than likely get their leader killed.
Hawk smiled triumphantly. “We’re actually doing it. We’re getting away.”
“We haven’t gotten away yet, Lieutenant,” Picard said, still working busily alongside the admiral to get the ship moving.
Batanides nodded in agreement with the captain. “They can still chase us. Or even shoot us down, Grelun or no Grelun.”
Seconds later, they were under way. The scout ship ascended quickly into the chill darkness of Nightside. Hawk continued observing and memorizing while the admiral coached Picard on the instrument panel.
“That blue rectangular touchpad beside your right hand should control the cloaking device. Activate it.”
Picard complied, smiling ironically. “I suppose we’re in violation of the Treaty of Algeron now, Admiral.”
She chuckled gently. “I don’t think the Romulan diplomatic corps will be in any position to complain about that, under the circumstances.” Hawk was well aware that under the current Federation-Romulan treaties concerning Chiaros IV, neither side were permitted to conceal either personnel or equipment anywhere on the planet.
He wondered what other secrets the Romulans guarded-and if Zweller had any inkling of what those secrets might be.
The admiral frowned as she stared at a readout. “The cloak’s not working.”
Picard activated the comm system. “Picard to engine room.”
“Hearn here, Captain,” responded the chief engineer of the late starship Slayton.
“The cloaking device is not functioning, Mr. Hearn. We need to engage it immediately.”
“Sorry, Captain, but Commander Roget and I have our hands full right now just keeping the engines operational. The Romulan techs had everything in pieces down here.”
Hawk suddenly became aware of Zweller’s presence behind him. “I know a thing or two about cloaking devices, Marta,” the older man said.
“Then get below and get the damned thing working before they start chasing us.”
Finally seeing an opportunity to speak with Zweller in relative privacy, Hawk turned toward him. “Need a hand, Commander?”
Zweller raised a curious eyebrow.
“I did some… extracurricular study on Romulan cloaking technology back at the Academy,” Hawk offered. He looked toward Picard for permission.
“We’ve no shortage of qualified pilots up here, Lieutenant,” the captain said from the front of the cockpit. Picard then turned his chair toward Zweller and regarded him coolly. “Commander?”
Zweller looked significantly at Picard and Batanides for a long moment. Hawk knew that something important was passing