Chapter Two

ENSIGNROLARENfrowned at her scanner consoles. The watch had just changed and she had come onto the bridge to start

her shift. She did everything by the book when she was on duty, even though that was not her nature. Far from it, in

fact. Had she been a stickler for following regulations and procedure, she never would have wound up in prison, from

where she had been plucked for a special mission that eventually led to her becoming a permanent member of the crew

of the starshipEnterprise .

 

Since joining the crew at the personal invitation of Captain Picard, an invitation she might well have refused had he

not put it to her as a challenge, Ro had become accepted by the other personnel aboard the ship, though she had never

quite meshed with them. Most of the crew members were human, though other races were represented, most notably by

Lieutenant Commander Worf, a Klingon, and Counselor Deanna Troi, who was half Betazoid. However, Ro was the only

Bajoran, and that, combined with the persecution suffered by her race throughout the years, made her feel like an

outsider.

 

Though no one on board theEnterprise regarded her that way, or treated her differently from any other member of the

crew, Ro still possessed the defensive mechanisms she had been forced to develop from early childhood. There was an

aggressive standoffishness about her, a sense of separateness she wore like a chip on her shoulder. She was Bajoran

and proud of it, and she had a tendency to display her disputatious individuality as if it were a badge of honor or

even, on occasion, an offensive weapon.

 

She had still not grown accustomed to the fact that her being Bajoran made no difference to the crew. She kept

expecting someone to make an issue of her race, and so she had a tendency to make an issue of it first, even when

there was no call for it.

 

Her fellow crew members did their best to make allowances for her behavior on such occasions, which served only to

make her even angrier, not so much at them as at herself. She knew they all tried to make her feel like one of them,

but she still did not fit in. For that matter, she wasn’t really sure she wanted to fit in. Deanna Troi would

probably have told her that she feared being vulnerablesomething most humans understood and accepted as the risk one

took in allowing others to get closeand that this fear had kept her from abandoning the psychological defense

mechanisms she had built up over the years, but Ro had never asked Deanna for her counsel, and Deanna would not offer

it unsolicited.

 

Time, perhaps, would ease Ro’s defensive posture, but meanwhile, she continued to coexist in a state of nervous

tension with her fellow crew members. Always half expecting someone to make an issue of her being an outsider, a

Bajoran who, by virtue of her race, did not belong, Ro made a point of performing all her duties in an exemplary

manner, completely by the book, as if daring someone to find fault with her work. So, as she took her seat behind the

scanning consoles, she followed strict procedure and even went beyond it, to the point of running a quick auto-diagnostic to check on all the sensors and then testing them by running a multiband frequency check.

 

She did not really expect to find anything out of the ordinary, for the members of the engineering staff were nothing

if not completely thorough in their maintenance procedures; Geordi La Forge would stand for nothing less. She was

surprised, therefore, to find a blip on her console, indicating the reception of a faint transmission on a frequency

that was normally not used by Federation vessels.

 

“Sir, I am picking up traces of a subspace frequency transmission,” Ro told Commander William Riker.

 

“Identify,” said Riker, speaking in the clipped, formal tone he used whenever he was in command on the bridge. Under

most other circumstances, Ro thought, Riker’s manner with his subordinates was so informal that some might have found

it too casual, but such a snap analysis would have been inaccurate. The crew of theEnterprise functioned as a tightly

knit unit, and there was a closeness in their relationship that outsiders might have found too familiar to be

conducive to good discipline. However, both Riker and Picard had their own unique leadership styles, and if Riker’s

seemed a bit too casual and informal most of the time, it served to offset the crisp, no nonsense manner he adopted

whenever there was call for it. When necessary, he knew how to crack the whip, and because his subordinates knew he

cared about them, they cared about him and never gave him less than peak performance. In any case, one could not

argue with results. TheEnterprise was the tightest ship in all of Starfleet, and no crew could boast a higher overall

efficiency rating.

 

Ro stared at the signal blip, then fine-tuned the sensors to focus in on it. The blip came in stronger and data

started appearing on the screen, identifying the frequency as the receptors automatically filtered out subspace

interference. She shook her head, frowning. “It’s distant, sir … and reception is intermittent, but it is not on

any of the normal Federation frequency bands.”

 

“Mr, Worf, run a data-base cross-check with the ship’s computer,” Riker replied.

 

“I have already done so, sir,” the Klingon replied, having anticipated Riker’s order. “It should be coming up any

second now… .” He stiffened as he stared at his screen, then looked up at Riker. “Sir, it is a Romulan

frequency.”

 

Riker sat forward in his chair. “Ensign, can you boost reception of the signal?”

 

“Working… . It seems to be a distress beacon, sir.” Ro seemed surprised.

 

“Can you get me coordinates for its source?” Riker said tensely.

 

“Working… .” She shook her head. “That doesn’t seem right.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“I’m getting a reading for source coordinates near the border of the Neutral Zone,” she said. “But, sir … it’s

coming from Federation space.”

 

Riker tapped the duranium casing of his personal communicator, shaped like the Starfleet emblem and worn on his

breast. “Riker to Captain Picard,” he said. “Please report to the bridge immediately.”

 

The reply came back almost at once. “I’m on my way, Number One.”

 

Riker tapped the emblem once more, switching off. “Mr. Data, I want precise coordinates for the source of that

transmission,” he said.

 

“Understood, sir,” the android replied, rapidly tapping in commands on his console.

 

Moments later, Captain Jean-Luc Picard stepped off the turbolift and came onto the bridge. Tall and leanly muscled,

he walked with fluid grace as he moved quickly to the captain’s chair and took his seat. “Report, Number One,” he

said.

 

“Sir, we’re picking up a signal from a Romulan distress beacon, emanating from Federation space on our side of the

Neutral Zone,” said Riker.

 

“Have you plotted coordinates for intercept?” asked Picard.

 

“Plotted and locked in, sir,” replied Data.

 

“Good. Set course for intercept, warp factor three.”

 

Data’s fingers flew over the control panel. “Course set, sir, warp factor three,” he replied.

 

“Engage,” said Picard, punctuating the command with a gesture.

 

As the ship’s engines engaged warp drive, Picard glanced at his first officer. “What do you make of it, Number One?”

he asked.

 

Riker shook his head. “I don’t know, sir,” he replied. “On the one hand, itcould be a legitimate distress signal, in

which case the incursion into Federation space could well be accidental. A disabled ship might easily have drifted

across our border of the Neutral Zone, especially if it was engaged in patrolling the Romulan border. On the other

hand, it might be some sort of trap.”

 

Picard nodded. “Indeed,” he said. “In either case, caution is definitely called for. If it truly is a disabled

vessel, then we are bound to offer our assistance.”

 

“Assuming the Romulans will accept it,” Riker said dryly.

 

“I think we may safely assume that they will not,” Picard said, “but if this distress call is legitimate, then we

shall make the offer.”

 

“Assuming itis on the level,” Riker said, “we may find, when we get there, that another Romulan ship has already

responded.”

 

“Indeed we may, Number One,” said Picard. “In which case a light but firm hand will be called for.”

 

“You think we should notify Starfleet Command?”

 

“Not yet,” Picard replied. “At this point that would be premature. They will want a complete report, and we do not

yet possess enough information to provide one. Let’s tread softly on this one, Number One. There’s no telling what we

may be getting ourselves into.” Anything involving the Romulans could be dicey.

 

As the ship sped toward its destination, the officers of the bridge crew carefully checked all their systems.

Throughout theEnterprise , there was a bustle of activity as the crew members took their stations and prepared for

whatever might develop. Soon they were approaching the source of the transmission they had intercepted.

 

“Sir,” said Data, “we should be within visual scanner range in a few moments.”

 

“Thank you, Mr. Data,” said Picard. “Slow to impulse power. Prepare to activate main viewer. Yellow alert.”

 

As theEnterprise slowed from warp speed to impulse power, Deanna Troi and several other crew members came onto the

bridge to fill out the full bridge crew complement for alert conditions, which could result in an order for red alert

and battle stations. Deanna Troi took her seat on the captain’s left, with Worf manning the tactical station, Data

and Ro at the forward stations, Riker sitting at the captain’s fight, and other crew members manning the science

stations, mission ops, and engineering, the latter manned by Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge, who had come up

from the main engineering section in response to the yellow alert. Quietly, but quickly and efficiently, the bridge

stations had shifted into full enable mode, ready to deal with anything that came up. No one spoke. All of them went

about their tasks, taking up their stations with a practiced assurance that would have seemed almost casual but for

the atmosphere of controlled tension on the bridge.

 

“We are within visual range, sir,” Data said. “Scanners show an unidentified craft, bearing zero three six, mark two

five.”

 

“On screen, Mr. Data,” said Picard.

 

The main viewscreen came on, like a window opening onto the star-filled blackness of space. In the distance, barely

visible, was a faint objectthe source of the distress beacon.

 

“Distress signal coming through loud and clear, Captain,” Ensign Ro said.

 

“Confirmed,” Worf said from the tactical station. “It appears to be a nonverbal automated distress signal, sir,

broadcast on a coded frequency.”

 

“Increase to maximum magnification, Mr. Data,” said Picard.

 

“Maximum magnification, sir,” Data replied, echoing the order.

 

The image on the screen grew larger as the sensors zoomed in, boosted to their maximum range. Picard slowly leaned

forward in his seat, his eyes intent upon the screen. All eyes were riveted to the main viewer. Riker slowly got to

his feet, his expression astonished.

 

“What in the name of …” Geordi’s voice trailed off as he stared through his VISOR at the screen.

 

The main viewer was filled with an image of a type of spacecraft none of them had ever seen before, though its lines

were vaguely familiar. It was unmistakably Romulan in configuration, but it washuge, nearly twice the size of any

Romulan ship they had ever encountered. Its design configuration marked it unquestionably as a warbird. It possessed

the same predatory, birdlike lines that were the trademark of the Romulan shipwrights, but it was clearly an

altogether different class of vessel. This was an advanced design, with larger, more powerful engine nacelles, and it

was bristling with other innovations. Even at this range, they could see that it would dwarf theEnterprise .

 

“Damn,it’s big!” said La Forge.

 

“As you were, Mr. La Forge,” snapped Riker, his gaze intent upon the screen.

 

“Red alert, Mr. Riker,” Picard said tensely.

 

“Red alert! Battle stations!”Riker repeated, and as the signal alarm sounded throughout the ship, it triggered a

flurry of activity on every deck as crew members hustled to their posts.

 

Picard got to his feet and moved forward, approaching the screen, coming up behind the forward stations. He could not

take his eyes off the image on the main viewer.

 

“Mr. Worf, what do you make of that?” he asked.

 

Lieutenant Commander Worf shook his head. “It is not a standard D’Deridex-class warbird, Captain,” he replied. “It

appears to be an entirely new design.” He consulted his scanner console. “I am not picking up any activity in reponse

to our approach, sir. Their shields are still down.”

 

“Mr. Data, status report, please,” Picard said.

 

The android quickly checked his readouts, assimilating the information faster than any human could. “The ship appears

to be completely powered down, Captain,” he replied. He frowned slightly, a response unnatural for an android, but

one he had cultivated in his attempt to learn more about humans and to adopt as many of their natural behavior

patterns as possible. “I am not picking up any signs of life aboard the ship, sir. The distress beacon is

broadcasting on an automated frequency. Scanner readings show all lifesupport systems aboard the Romulan ship to be

inoperative.” He glanced up toward Picard. “They are all dead, sir.”

 

“Dead?” Picard said.

 

“It could be a trick,” said Riker.

 

“Mr. Worf?” Picard said without taking his eyes off the main viewer.

 

Worf shook his head. “I am showing no power, sir. At this range they cannot possibly be unaware of our approach, yet

their shields are still down. I am showing no power to their weapons; readings are negative on lifesupport systems,

and we are now within visual range and have not yet been scanned. The ship is drifting, sir. All readings indicate a

derelict, with no life aboard.”

 

“Mr. Data, do long-range scanner readings indicate the presence of any other Romulan vessels?”

 

“Negative, sir,” Data replied, his gaze intent upon his readout screens.

 

“Maintain red alert,” Picard said. “Slow to half impulse.”

 

“Half-impulse power,” Data acknowledged.

 

“Mr. La Forge, what do you make of it?” Picard asked.

 

“I’ve never seen anything like it, sir,” Geordi La Forge replied. “So far as we know, the Romulans don’t have any

ships like this. It’s a completely new design, a brand-new class of warbird. It makes their D’Deridex-class ships

look as obsolete as our old Constitution-class starships. I think we may be looking at a prototype of a new

generation Romulan warbird design, one that we know absolutely nothing about. Sir, this could be an incredible

opportunity. If the ship truly is a derelict, we could beam over a boarding party and”

 

“Delay that suggestion for the moment, Mr. La Forge,” Picard said, still keeping a wary eye on the main viewscreen.

Every muscle in his body felt taut. Something wasn’t right. He couldfeel it. All eyes on the bridge were upon him. No

one spoke. They all watched him and awaited his orders.

 

“Status report, Mr. Worf?” he said, his eyes intent upon the screen, as if he were trying to bore holes through it

with the force of his gaze.

 

“No change, sir.”

 

“Mr. Data?”

 

“No change, sir. Scanners indicate no life-form readings,” Data replied. “Lifesupport functions aboard the Romulan

ship are inoperative.”

 

“They may have experienced a catastrophic failure of their lifesupport systems,” Riker said. “If the ship’s a

prototype, it may have contained a design flaw that remained undetected until it triggered a massive systems failure.

If so, they never had a chance. They suffocated even as they were trying to evacuate.”

 

“But surely they had backup systems?” said Deanna. “Lifesupport suits they could have worn in an emergency?”

 

“Not necessarily,” said Riker. “The Romulans have never given as much priority to the safety of their crews as we do.

They may well have had a backup system, but if it crashed at the same time as their main system, then that’s all she

wrote.”

 

“Excuse me, sir,” said Data. “That’s allwho wrote?”

 

“It’s merely an expression, Mr. Data,” said Picard. “It means that was the end of it. There was nothing they could

do.”

 

“That’s all she wrote,” repeated Data. He nodded. “Yes, I see. She, in this case, doubtless referring to the human

conceptualization of Fate, writing a final chapter, as it were, and putting a period to the”

 

“Please, Mr. Data,” Picard said impatiently.

 

“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.”

 

“Counselor, your opinion?” said Picard.

 

Deanna shook her head. “I am sorry, Captain, but lacking any individuals on whom to base an intuitive reading, I can

give no relevant response. I can only advise caution.”

 

“Indeed,” Picard said, his lips tightening into a grimace.

 

“Sir,” said La Forge, “this could be an amazing windfall for us. A chance to examine firsthand a new generation

Romulan warbird, to say nothing of the opportunity this represents to gain valuable intelligence… . All their

codes, their computer filesit’s all there, ripe for the taking!”

 

“Yes, Mr. La Forge, I am aware of that,” Picard said. “If, indeed, this situation is what it appears to be.”

 

“Sir, thereare no life-form readings aboard that vessel,” said Worf. “All systems are powered down. Even if it were

some sort of clever ruse, at this range they could never power up in time to constitute a threat. The ship is

completely at our mercy.”

 

“I know, Mr. Worf, I know,” Picard replied. “But it just seems too easy.”

 

“Why would they send a prototype design out on a shakedown cruise without an escort?” Ro asked. “It seems illogical.”

 

“Yes, to us it does,” said Riker, “but maybe not to the Romulans. They have an obsession with secrecy. If there were

any flaws in the design of a new generation warbird, they would not want them revealed. Typical Romulan pride and

arrogance. They never admit to making a mistake.”

 

“Well, it looks like they made one hell of a big one this time,” Geordi said. “Captain, it’ll be only a matter of

time before some Romulan ship responds to that distress beacon, and then we’re going to be up to our ears in

warbirds. We’ve got a window of opportunity here, but it’s not a real big one. With all due respect, sir, we can’t

afford to pass it up.”

 

“Geordi’s right, Captain,” Riker said. “What’s more, the law is on our side. That warbird is in violation of

Federation space, even if there is no living crew aboard. Technically we’d be within our rights to claim it as a

prize.”

 

Picard shook his head. “No, Number One, that would never do. We will have to return that ship to the Romulans.

Otherwise we risk creating an incident that could threaten the truce, which is already fragile at best. However, that

does not mean we cannot take advantage of the opportunity to learn as much as we can about that vessel before the

Romulans respond to its distress beacon.”

 

“Prepare an away team, sir?” asked Riker, anxiously.

 

“Yes,” Picard replied. “Stand down from red alert, but maintain yellow alert. I want protective suits for the away

team, Number One. There may be contamination. Also, a full complement of security, Mr. Worf.”

 

“I shall see to it, Captain,” Worf replied.

 

“Ensign Ro, maintain long-range scanner sweeps for any sign at all of Romulan vessels responding to that distress

signal.”

 

“Understood, sir.”

 

“Number One, I want you to head the away team,” said Picard.

 

“Yes, sir. I’ll take La Forge and Data in addition to the security detail,” Riker said.

 

“Dr. Crusher will be standing by, ready to beam over as soon as you’ve established that it’s safe,” Picard said. “I

shall want a full medical report on conditions aboard that ship before we send anyone else over.”

 

“Understood, sir. I’m on my way.”

 

“And, Number One … be careful.”

 

When the away team materialized on the bridge of the Romulan warbird, the security personnel had their weapons ready

and each member of the away team carried a Type II phaser set on heavy stun. Regardless of what the scanner readings

said, Riker saw that Worf wasn’t taking any chances. Prior to transporting to the ship, the security personnel had

taken up position around the rest of the away team in tight perimeter formation, their phasers held ready so that, if

necessary, they could fire the moment they materialized aboard the Romulan ship. However, there was no reason to

fire. For almost a full thirty seconds after they materialized, no one moved or said a word.

 

The scene on the bridge of the warbird was not pretty. It was a graphic reminder of what could happen to any of them

if there was ever a similar catastrophic failure aboard theEnterprise . The bodies of the Romulan bridge crew were

slumped in their seats and over the consoles. Some were simply sprawled out on the floor.

 

“Riker toEnterprise .” The first officer spoke over the comm circuit inside the helmet of his protective suit.

 

Picard’s voice came back over the speaker in his helmet. “Go ahead, Number One.”

 

“We’re on the bridge of the warbird,” Riker said, looking around him. “The entire bridge crew is dead, apparently of

suffocation.”

 

He glanced around at the bodies sprawled all over the bridge of the Romulan warbird, then began taking tricorder

readings as the rest of the personnel carefully spread out.

 

“There is no sign of life aboard the ship,” he continued. “Repeat: no sign of life. Whatever happened must have

happened very quickly. Judging by the positioning of the bodies, my guess is that the lifesupport system not only

underwent catastrophic failure but set off a purging cycle that was evacuated through the exhaust ducts and failed to

properly cycle in new air. We don’t have a vacuum, but there simply wasn’t enough air for the crew to breathe. They

were literally choked to death by their own ship.”

 

“Any sign of radiation?” asked Picard.

 

“Negative,” Riker replied. “La Forge is checking out the bridge engineering consoles right now, but it doesn’t look

as if there was any leakage. We can beam Dr. Crusher over and have her check for possible viral contamination, but

that isn’t what killed them. The bodies are all displaying signs of cyanosis. My guess is that this happened a very

short time ago. Dr. Crusher should be able to confirm that.”

 

“Have you checked out any of the other decks?” asked Picard.

 

“Worf is on his way to do that right now with a security detail,” Riker replied, “but if there were any life aboard

this ship at all, we would have picked it up by now.”

 

“Shall I have Dr. Crusher beam over with her medical team?” Picard asked.

 

“Affirmative,” said Riker. “Just make sure they’re wearing suits.”

 

“Commander, there’s a chance I may be able to get us some air,” La Forge said. He was standing by one of the consoles

on the bridge and gazing down at it intently. “I’ve found their engineering bridge consoles. The configuration is

different from ours, but with Data’s help I think I can figure this thing out.”

 

“Can you get the lifesupport systems back on line?” asked Riker.

 

“There’s a good chance of that,” said Geordi. “I’m still showing residual power to these instruments, which means

that as soon as Data can help me decipher these Romulan controls, I can run some diagnostics, maybe even adapt some

of our instrumentation from theEnterprise , and figure out exactly what went wrong here. Maybe the ship powered down

as a by-product of the systems failure. Maybe the crew powered down by accident while they were dying, or the

disaster could be a result of some sort of fail-safe program they built in. I don’t know for sure yet, but if I can

get a crew down into the main engineering section, I should be able to find some answers for you pretty quick.”

 

Riker activated his communicator. “Mr. Worf, report please.”

 

“It appears to be the same all over the ship, Commander,” Worf replied. “The Romulans are all lying dead where they

fell when the lifesupport system purged itself. The systems failure must have occurred at the same time all over the

ship.”

 

“Which means it must have been a failure in the central control in main engineering,” La Forge said. “We might be

able to jury-rig a repair from our own engineering stores.”

 

“Okay, Geordi, get on it,” Riker said.

 

As La Forge left the bridge, heading for the engineering section with Data, Dr. Crusher materialized behind Riker

with her medical team. They were all dressed in protective suits with self-contained life support. They began at once

to examine the dead Romulans.

 

“Riker toEnterprise .”

 

“Go ahead, Number One,” Picard replied.

 

“Dr. Crusher and her team have arrived,” said Riker. “La Forge is on his way down to the main engineering section

with Data. He thinks he can effect repairs and get the lifesupport systems back on line. There doesn’t seem to be

any immediate danger here. Any sign of Romulan ships responding to that distress signal?”

 

“Negative, Number One,” Picard replied. “We are picking up nothing on our long-range scanners.”

 

“Sir, I’d like to request permission to deactivate the distress beacon,” Riker said. “If the Romulans haven’t picked

up the signal yet, there’s no point in inviting trouble, is there? And it would buy us a lot more time.”

 

Picard did not respond immediately.

 

“Sir?” said Riker.

 

“I heard you, Number One,” Picard said. “Very well, make it so. Secure the ship and report back to the bridge as soon

as possible.”

 

“Understood, sir,” Riker replied.

 

He turned to Dr. Crusher. “I’m beaming back to the ship,” he said. “Geordi’s going to see if he can get the lifesupport systems functioning again. He’ll need help from Engineering, and probably some equipment, too. The captain’s

going to want a full medical report.”

 

“I should have one for him shortly,” she replied. “It seems fairly obvious what happened here. They all suffocated.

The cyanosis, the attitudes of the bodies, the superficial injuries where they clawed at themselves and at their

clothing, it all bears out your initial assessment. Should we do anything about the bodies?”

 

“No, not for the moment,” Riker replied. “In fact, it might be best to leave everything the way we found it. The

Romulans may claim that we had something to do with this. I want the evidence to speak for itself. We should probably

get a visual record of what we found here.” He spoke to Geordi over his comm circuit. “Riker to La Forge.”

 

“La Forge here. Go ahead, Commander.”

 

“First things first, Geordi. Switch off that signal beacon. Then see if you can restore lifesupport functions. I’m

heading back to the ship. I’ll assemble an engineering crew to beam over and assist you.”

 

“I’ve already taken care of that, Commander,” La Forge replied. “We’re making headway in translating some of these

Romulan schematics down here, thanks to Data’s help, and I think we can probably restore lifesupport functions

within the hour.”

 

“So soon?”

 

“It looks as if they had a breakdown in their central bioprocessing unit,” La Forge replied. “They don’t seem to have

the same multiple redundancy in their systems that we do. They have only the central system and a reserve utilities-distribution network. You’re not going to believe this, but as near as I can tell, their main reserve utilities-distribution processor was never hooked up properly. I’m looking at it right here, and the wiring is all wrong.

Whoever hooked this up just slapped it together and didn’t even bother to test it.”

 

“You mean they departed on their shakedown cruise without properly installing their reserve lifesupport backups?”

Riker said with disbelief.

 

“The backup system was properly installed, all right,” said Geordi, “but the main processor wasn’t connected

properly. It was just a sloppy mistake, but the sort of mistake that would never show up unless they were

specifically looking for it. The way this is hooked up, if their engineers had run a full diagnostics on the backup

system, they would have obtained a false positive reading. Without actually going into the control panels, as we’re

doing, they would have had no way of knowing the reserve system was dysfunctional unless the main system broke down,

and by then it would have been too late.”

 

“What would have been the odds of a main system breakdown?” asked Riker.

 

“A thousand to one, maybe?” La Forge said. “I don’t know. This ship could have put in years of active service without

anyone ever noticing the problem unless somebody actually opened up the panels. It’s the kind of thing that would

have shown up in a second during a routine maintenance overhaul, but if they just relied on diagnostic scans, they

would have gotten a green light every time and never known that it was just a short.”

 

“Several thousand lives lost because of a simple mistake in wiring,” said Riker, shaking his head. “Geordi, remind me

of this the next time I get on your case for being too obsessive about routine maintenance overhauls.”

 

He could almost hear the grin in La Forge’s voice. “Yes, sir.”

 

“Commander,” Dr. Crusher said, “I hate to break in, but we’ve done just about all there is to do here for the moment.

With your permission, I’d like to check out the sickbay. We know almost nothing about their medical facilities.”

 

“Go ahead,” Riker said. “But be careful. I’m heading back to the ship… . Riker toEnterprise . One to beam up.”

 

As soon as he beamed back aboard the ship, Riker hurried to the bridge to make his report. Captain Picard nodded when

he was finished telling him everything they’d learned so far.

 

“Excellent, Number One,” he said. “Long-range scanners still show no approaching Romulan vessels. I think we may have

stolen a march on them. However, I have my doubts about deactivating their signal beacon.”

 

“We picked up their distress signal and responded to it,” Riker said. “There wasn’t anything we could do to help the

crew, but Geordi should have the lifesupport systems functioning again before too long, and if the Romulans still

haven’t shown up by then, we can always send our own signal and let them know what happened. Meanwhile, they can

hardly complain about our examining their ship. It’s in Federation space, and it’s a derelict. From a legal

standpoint, we’d be fully within our rights to confiscate it and consider it a prize.”

 

“Yes, I am aware of that, but we are in a gray area here,” Picard said, frowning. “You know as well as I how the

Romulans would react to such a decision.”

 

“We could send a message to Starfleet Command,” Riker suggested. “That would put the ball in their court.”

 

“And I am almost certain what Starfleet’s decision would be,” Picard replied. “They would undoubtedly order us to

confiscate the ship, place a prize crew on board, and take it to the nearest starbase.”

 

“What would be so wrong with that?” asked Riker.

 

“The Romulans would never stand still for it,” said Picard. “They would almost certainly accuse us of seizing their

ship and causing the death of its crew, and they would claim our actions constituted an act of war. I am simply not

prepared to delegate responsibility in a decision of such magnitude, Number One.”

 

“Yes, I see your point,” said Riker. “There’s too much at stake here to allow some glorified desk jockey at Starfleet

to call the shots on this one. But headquarters will still have to be notified.”

 

“Indeed,” Picard replied, “but not until I have carefully weighed all of the potential consequences.”

 

“Sir, if I may play devil’s advocate, have you considered the potential consequences of our turning the ship back

over to the Romulanswithout consulting Starfleet?” asked Riker.

 

“I have been doing exactly that, Number One,” said Picard. “However, if we can provide Starfleet with a full report

concerning the design and capabilities of this new warbird, that would certainly mitigate in favor of our decision to

return the ship. But I feel strongly that if we wish to avoid a major incident that could well destroy the truce, the

vessel will have to be returned, and the sooner the better. If the Romulans picked up the distress signal, they are

bound to send out rescue missions. Even if we send a message to Starfleet right now, chances are the Romulans will

still arrive before we can receive a response.”

 

“So we notify Starfleet, maintain alert status, and scramble to find out as much as we can about the warbird in the

meantime,” Riker said.

 

“I think, under the circumstances, we should call a briefing and discuss our options,” said Picard.

 

“Sir, I am receiving a message from Commander La Forge, aboard the warbird,” said Ensign Ro.

 

Picard tapped his communicator. “Picard here. Report, Mr. La Forge.”

 

“Captain, we’re ready to attempt restoring lifesupport functions aboard this ship,” said Geordi. “We’ve repaired the

main bioprocessor, reinstalled the reserve utilities distributor, and rigged a backup with one of our own units, just

in case. We’ve also run a preliminary diagnostics check, and the setup should work. If we don’t run into any other

problems, we should be able to get this bird fully powered up in no time.”

 

“Have your engineering crew proceed, Mr. La Forge,” Picard said. “In the meantime, I want you, Dr. Crusher, Mr. Worf,

and Mr. Data back here for a situation briefing right away.”

 

“Understood, sir. I’ll contact the others and we’ll beam right over.”

 

“Very good, Mr. La Forge,” Picard replied. “I shall see you in the briefing room. Picard out.” He tapped his

communicator, switching off. “I want a look aboard that ship, Number One.”

 

Riker smiled. “I figured you would, sir.”

 

“It will have to wait until after the briefing.” Picard turned to Deanna Troi. “Counselor, I would like you to be

present at the briefing as well. In the meantime, we will stand down from red alert, but maintain yellow alert and

keep an eye on those long-range scanners. Ensign Ro, you have the conn. Let me know the moment there is any change in

the situation.”

 

“Understood, sir.”

 

“We will have to send a message to Starfleet,” Picard said as he headed for the turbolift with Riker. “I want a

complete report ready for them, and that means accessing the warbird’s data files and the captain’s log. Get that

information transferred to our own ship’s computer as soon as possible.”

 

“Geordi should be able to handle that as soon as he gets the warbird powered up,” said Riker. “And if the Romulans

have built any safeguards into their computer system, Data should be able to defeat them.”

 

They entered the turbolift and proceeded to the briefing room. Within moments the others all arrived and they took

their places around the conference table.

 

“Report, Mr. La Forge,” Picard said.

 

“Lifesupport functions aboard the warbird are now restored and fully operative,” said Geordi. “Our people should be

able to get out of those suits in about five minutes. Meanwhile I’ve ordered my engineering crew to run a complete

systems check before we attempt to restore full power.”

 

Picard nodded. “Excellent. Mr. Data, as soon as we are finished here, I would like you to accompany me to the bridge

of the warbird and assist me in the transfer of the information from their ship’s computer to ours.”

 

“Understood, sir.”

 

“Number One, have Ensign Ro prepare to receive the download as soon as we can effect a link. Make certain you filter

the transmission through our safeguard programs, just in case. I’ll want you to coordinate things from this end. We

can’t waste any time, but I want that ship gone over with a fine-tooth comb.”

 

“Understood, sir,” Riker replied. “We’ve already got engineering and medical teams aboard; I’ll organize several

intelligence survey teams to fill out the security detail and go over the warbird deck by deck.”

 

“Excellent,” Picard said. “Now I would like to hear discussion concerning our options. This ship is the most advanced

warbird we have ever seen, which means the Romulans will value it very highly indeed. They will not take kindly to

Federation personnel poking around inside it and downloading all the files from the ship’s computer. The Romulans

could never allow us to get away with all that information. If they arrive before we complete our work aboard the

ship, I do not see any way we can avoid a confrontation. This entire situation is, in effect, a time bomb that could

explode at any moment. Therefore, I would like to hear some opinions.”

 

“Well, there is no immediate threat,” Dr. Crusher said. “The crew members are all dead, all suffocated due to the

failure of the lifesupport system. There was no contamination aboard the shipno radiation, no virus. All the

evidence clearly indicates that the situation is exactly what it appears to bea catastrophic accident aboard a

prototype Romulan warbird on a shakedown cruise.”

 

“An accident that has resulted in an intelligence windfall for the Federation,” added La Forge.

 

Picard nodded. “I’m wary of windfalls, Mr. La Forge. They are often not what they appear.”

 

“Still, we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” said Riker. “The difficult part will come when we finish our

job and have to decide what to do with the ship.”

 

“Starfleet authorities would be within their legal rights to order the vessel taken as salvage,” Data said. “It is a

derelict, and it is in violation of Federation space.”

 

“Their eyes will get big at the idea of a captured Romulan warbird, and a brand-new superior design at that,” said

Dr. Crusher. “They won’t see any further than the prize being dangled before them.”

 

“We, on the other hand,have to see further,” said Picard. He held a field command out in “the Big Empty,” as the desk

jockeys at Starfleet Command liked to call it, never mind that space was not only far from empty, but full of more

complications than most bureaucrats could dream of. “We have to consider all the implications of such an act. A wrong

decision on our part could easily result in war.”

 

“Too easily,” said Riker. “In my opinion, if we take the warbird as a prize, the Romulans will go absolutely berserk,

never mind the legality of the situation. Starfleet can claim, truthfully, that the warbird is a derelict that

drifted over the border of the Neutral Zone into Federation space and, as such, is subject to confiscation and the

laws of salvage. From a legal standpoint, it’s a clear-cut case of finders keepers. The only problem is that the

Romulans have their own way of looking at things.”

 

Worf nodded. “I agree. They will never believe it happened that way. Perhaps they will accept that an accident aboard

the warbird caused it to drift across the Neutral Zone, because that would absolve them of any direct responsibility

for the violation of Federation space. However, they will still believe that we seized their ship illegally, and they

will suspect that we caused the death of its crew. If the situation were reversed, they would undoubtedly have done

that very thing themselves.”

 

“There is no basis for trust between the Federation and the Romulan Empire,” said Troi, “and there never has been.

Each is far too ready to believe the worst of the other. From a logical standpoint, we must assume that they will

react with the same distrust as we would if the situation were reversed.”

 

Picard nodded. “I agree. The situation is volatile enough as it is. The warbird will have to be returned to avoid

precipitating an incident that could break the truce.”

 

“Starfleet might not see it that way, sir,” Riker said, “but if we can supply them with an exhaustive intelligence

report concerning the design and capabilities of this new class of warbird, they won’t scream too loud.”

 

“My feelings exactly, Number One,” Picard said. “However, we must go about this very carefully, and we may not have

enough time. If the Romulans arrive before we complete our work, I see no way to avoid an armed confrontation. They

will not allow theEnterprise to get away with information about the design of their new prototype, and with all the

coded and classified files contained within their data banks.”

 

“We’ve repaired the warbird’s lifesupport systems and are now preparing to power it up. If this comes down to a

fight, that works in our favor,” said La Forge. “If the Romulans show up now, two ships will be much better than one.

If we can figure out their cloaking device, we might even be able to hide the warbird under their very noses.”

 

“Or we could finish our survey of the warbird,” said Riker, “and then download the information from its data banks,

including all the schematics from its engineering section. That would be as good as actually having the ship itself,

and it should satisfy Starfleet. Then all we’d have to do is tow the warbird back to the Neutral Zone by tractor beam

or power it up and lock in a course to take it back across the Neutral Zone and into Romulan space.”

 

“They’d find their warbird with its crew all dead,” said La Forge, “and they would also find the repairs we made to

their lifesupport system. That would allow them to deduce what happened, but with no Federation starship on the spot

to trigger them off, cooler heads might prevail.”

 

“They would realize, of course, that Federation personnel had been aboard their ship,” added Troi, “and had access to

all their classified systems and computer files, but they could do absolutely nothing about it. They could, of

course, protest, but what would be the point?”

 

“Exactly,” Riker said. “They’ll still have their warbird, but we’d have all the specs, and all their codes and

classified files. The trick will be to pull it off just right, if we have enough time to do it.”

 

“Then we are all agreed,” Picard said. “Regardless of how the situation develops, the warbird will have to be

returned to the Romulans. If we can complete our survey of the ship and download its data files, so much the better,

but if they arrive before we can complete our work, then we must be very accommodating and withdraw rather than risk

a confrontation that could violate the truce.”

 

The others all nodded in assent.

 

“In that case,” said Picard, “let us proceed with all possible urgency. This meeting is over.”

 

As the others filed out, Picard said, “A moment, Number One.”

 

Riker stopped and turned around. “Sir?”

 

“I shall leave you in command while I go aboard that ship. For the present, maintain yellow alert. However, Romulan

long-range scanners may pick us up before we can detect their approach. In that event, they will undoubtedly come in

cloaked. They must uncloak before they can open fire, however, so be prepared to go to battle stations and raise

shields at a moment’s notice. If pressed, do not take the time to beam us back aboard. The safety of theEnterprise

must remain your chief priority.”

 

“Understood, sir.”

 

They took the turbolift together, and Picard stepped out on Deck 6 while Riker continued on to the bridge. The

captain moved briskly down the corridor toward the transporter room. As he entered, he nodded at Chief O’Brien, who

immediately snapped to attention. “As you were, Chief,” Picard said. “Lock in coordinates to transport me to the

bridge of the warbird.”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

He switched on his communicator. “Picard to La Forge.”

 

“La Forge here, Captain. I just arrived. Are you coming aboard?”

 

“Yes, I am preparing to beam over to the bridge of the warbird,” Picard said. “What is the status of the lifesupport

system?”

 

“Fully restored, Captain,” Geordi said. “We’re out of our suits and getting ready to power this baby up.”

 

“Excellent. Picard out.” He switched off his communicator and stepped up on the transport platform. “Ready to

transport, Chief O’Brien.”

 

“Coordinates locked in, sir.”

 

“Energize.”