The Brave and the Bold Book Two - Keith R. A. DeCandido [7]
“Scanning,” Dayrit said, manipulating his console. His dark eyes then went wide. “What the hell—?”
“What is it, Manolet?” Voyskunsky asked.
“Weird energy reading is what it is. It’s focused on one of the ships in the DMZ—hell, it’s changing course. Heading is 211 mark 9, heading away from us. Can’t get a solid fix on the ship.” His dark face contorted into a grimace. “Damn, they changed course again.”
Kojima spoke up. “Sir, I’ve determined what the energy reading is. It relates to General Order 16.”
DeSoto turned around to look at Kojima. “Sixteen?”
“That confirms my suspicions,” the Vulcan said. “There is a ship in the Demilitarized Zone that is carrying one of the Malkus Artifacts from the Zalkat Union. Standard procedure would be to pursue that ship and confiscate the artifact.”
Turning back to the screen, DeSoto said, “Yeah, well, standard procedure is also that Starfleet vessels don’t enter the DMZ—or abandon ships in distress that they’re in the middle of helping.” He sat back down in the command chair. “Manolet, try to track that ship as best you can until it goes off sensors.”
“It’s already changed course four times, Captain.”
“Understood. Keep trying anyhow.” He looked at the viewscreen. “Captain, I’m familiar with what General Order 16 says but not why it says it. Since your security chief seems to know more about it, I suggest you beam over here so we can figure out the best way to retrieve it.”
“I already have some thoughts about that, actually.”
DeSoto smiled. “I’m sure. Meantime, I’ll send a damage control team over to help your engineer out.”
“Mr. Honigsberg will welcome the help.” Janeway returned the smile. “We’ll be ready to beam over in fifteen minutes. Janeway out.”
Voyskunsky was checking one of the aft consoles. “Power transfer beam is active—reading stable. Power is increasing to Voyager.”
Nodding, DeSoto got up. “Great. C’mon, Dina, let’s greet our guests. You have the conn, Manolet. Send all our sensor telemetry to Admiral Nechayev at Starfleet with a note that more will be forthcoming.”
Dayrit nodded, which looked on him like his head was about to tumble forward and fall off.
As he walked toward the turbolift, DeSoto looked forward at Hsu. “Baifang, once the ship goes off sensors, project a course—take all their course corrections into account. If I’m going to talk Nechayev into letting us fly free in the DMZ, I’m going to need to know I have a course to follow.”
Hsu nodded. “Aye, sir.”
Voyskunsky’s too-wide smile made a return as they entered the turbolift. “You’re going to convince the Ice Queen to let you hop the fence?”
DeSoto grinned. “That’s the plan.”
“I guess the first question before us,” DeSoto said as he looked around the table in the briefing room, “is what, exactly, are the Malkus Artifacts, and why is there a Starfleet General Order regarding them?”
In addition to himself and Voyskunsky, three officers from Voyager had come over for the briefing: Captain Janeway; her first officer, Lieutenant Commander Cavit; and the Vulcan security chief, Lieutenant Tuvok.
Janeway cut an impressive figure. She had what DeSoto had always thought of as the “captain’s trick”—appearing to be the tallest person in the room even when he or she wasn’t. DeSoto, who barely cleared a meter and a quarter, had never mastered the trick, which was why he had always cultivated a more relaxed style of command. People like Janeway or Picard could lead by their presence. Bob DeSoto knew he didn’t have that, so he led his people in other ways.
Aaron Cavit had the look of a seasoned officer, though DeSoto found his round face almost as impossible to read as Tuvok’s—from whom he at least expected it. DeSoto did, however, notice Cavit giving Voyskunsky an odd look as he entered. If DeSoto’s first officer had any reaction to that look, she hid it well.
Tuvok, who was holding a padd, answered the captain’s opening question. “There are, in fact, four Malkus Artifacts, and they date back to the heyday of