Re: The TNG Relaunch - Bloodfire
Chapter Twenty-Eight
USS Enterprise
Groombridge 34 system
Stardate 57080.3
Lieutenant Battaglia shook his head at Worf’s suggestion. ‘I don’t think that’s wise, sir. A shuttle will have far less protection than we do. I recommend using a series of probes to take scans, and then destroying the asteroid.’
‘He’s right, Worf. You’d be putting Madden and the away team at risk for minimal gain,’ La Forge replied.
The Klingon scowled. ‘Very well, launch your probes,’ he replied as Lieutenant Achen replaced the restraints in the captain’s chair.
Battaglia launched three probes and watched as they approached the asteroid. Each one flew closer on a different trajectory and almost by divine punishment, each one was destroyed by a disruptor beam which emanated from the asteroid.
‘Weapons signature matches Romulan design,’ the tactical officer said. ‘Permission to destroy the asteroid, sir?’
‘Granted,’ Worf replied.
Battaglia used two photon torpedoes and followed up by three quantum torpedoes. Both photons were destroyed before impact but the quantum torpedoes impacted and vaporised the asteroid.
‘If it wasn’t Sela, then we’re looking for another rogue warbird,’ La Forge suggested.
‘No, just someone who has brought Romulan weapons from the black market,’ Battaglia responded. ‘Since before the collapse, during the war even, so much Romulan hardware went missing, and it just got worse after Shinzon’s coup and subsequent demise.’
‘We need to catch up to the escaped shuttle and that Changeling.’
‘I think I might be able to help with that,’ Uhnari said, stepping toward the tactical console. ‘Whoever that Changeling was, they were on my station the entire time I was there, since we didn’t have any crew rotation since I took over. I know who it is and I might be able to figure out where they’re headed.’
La Forge gave her an expectant glance but Worf and Battaglia looked unconvinced. ‘What makes you think you can predict where they’ll go? They’ve been lying to you since day one.’
‘Even a spy slips up occasionally, and that’s how we’ll stop her.’
‘Her? What makes you so sure it’s a woman?’
‘Changelings aren’t non-gendered. If you remember the war, Odo and Laas were males, but the Changeling leading the Dominion in the Alpha Quadrant was a female.’
Battaglia nodded. ‘How many women were stationed at C Twelve?’
‘Excluding the Augment security personnel and myself? Eleven.’
‘Since we found the untampered bodies of Doctors Reid and Espinoza, we can rule them out, that leaves nine,’ La Forge said.
‘Commander, work on those nine and see if you can come up with something,’ Worf ordered. ‘In the meantime, we need to complete repairs to the warp nacelles and other damaged systems.’
‘I have almost everyone capable working on the nacelles and the others working on the subspace communication array. Repairs to the weapons and shields can be made underway,’ the chief engineer responded to Worf’s unspoken question.
The first officer nodded and turned to the turbolift as the doors whooshed open. ‘Captain!’
‘I’m fine,’ he waved everybody off. ‘Care to tell me what I’ve missed?’
As Worf and La Forge filled him in, Battaglia frowned and activated a security monitor in sickbay. Doctor Crusher was fussing over another patient so he shut it down and listened to Picard as the others finished their respective reports.
‘Mister La Forge, I want updates on your progress every hour, Mister Worf, you have the bridge, I’ll be in my ready room,’ he said, rubbing at his chest where he’d fallen.
‘Aye sir,’ they echoed in unison.
As La Forge headed for the turbolift and Worf took his chair because Achen wasn’t finished with the command chair, Battaglia took it upon himself to run simulations of likelihood of success against Sela’s warbird, since he was sure that they would come up against it, and sooner rather than later. From the initial scans he was able to take of the warbird, admittedly not much, he could see the firepower and shielding capabilities, but what he was looking for was the weakness that every shielding had, including their own. Romulan cloaking devices couldn’t operate when shielded, even today, since the power consumption was too great, so he needed to force a cloak activation, which would drop the shields. Obviously the trick that Picard used on the Duras sisters wasn’t going to work this time, because Klingon ships were far less-sturdily built than Romulan ones, so he needed some help.
He tapped his combadge. ‘Miranda, what do you know of the Mogai-class warbirds, and the similarity between them and Sela’s?’
‘Why do you ask?’ she asked from across the bridge.
‘I want to force Sela’s shields to drop by engaging the cloak.’
‘No chance,’ Kadohata replied. ‘When the Mogai-class was being designed, they spent months ironing out that particular wrinkle. We’ll have to find another way to break through.’
‘Thanks, I’ll get to work on that.’
‘Are you coordinating with Madden to secure the ship in case the Changeling is on board?’
Battaglia smirked. ‘Everyone was tested with that anti-Changeling beam as soon as they were beamed up, living and dead. No chance of the Changeling getting past it.’
‘They have proved remarkable as subverting our defences.’
‘Not this time,’ Battaglia said and ended the conversation.
‘Lieutenant, take us to red alert,’ Worf said from his chair and then added, ‘Captain Picard to the bridge.’
‘Sir?’
‘Do it!’
‘Aye sir, red alert.’
Picard stepped out onto the bridge and looked at the blank viewscreen. ‘Mister Worf?’
Achen finished with the chair and hurried off the bridge.
‘Sela,’ he replied simply.
Picard sat down and moments later a Romulan warbird decloaked less than ten million kilometres ahead of them.’
‘Raise shields,’ Picard ordered, recognising the ship’s markings. ‘How did you know?’
‘Sensed it,’ Worf replied, once more back to his taciturn self. He glanced back at the tactical station with a longing glance. Battaglia glared back.
‘We’re being hailed,’ the tactical officer said.
‘On screen,’ Picard ordered and instead of Sela, which they all expected, they saw Rehaek, current Director of the ever-feared Romulan intelligence service, the Tal Shiar.
