Chapter Five

AS THE TWO SHIPScame out of warp speed and approached Hermeticus 2 on impulse power, the Romulan warbird cloaked

itself, so that long-range scanners on the planet would pick up only theEnterprise . Valak wasn’t taking any chances,

thought Picard. Despite all his best efforts to convince the Romulan commander otherwise, Valak still believed the

Federation was hiding something on the quarantined world. Picard was almost certain he was wrong … but a nagging

doubt kept tugging at the corner of his mind.

 

What if, indeed, someone at Starfleet had authorized a secret base deep in the Neutral Zone? Picard could not believe

that anyone at Starfleet would be that criminally stupid, considering the risks involved, but he could not dismiss

the possibility. Just as there were Romulans who were paranoid about the Federa tion, accusing it of trying to

encroach upon their empirepartly to justify their own hegemonyso there were Federation officials who were just as

paranoid about the Romulans. In the case of the Federation, that feeling would not be unjustified. The Romulans had

more or less respected the truce, at least in the main, although they occasionally pushed the edge of the envelope.

However, their intentions were certainly clear. They had long lusted to expand their empire into Federation

territory, but now that there was a treaty between the Klingons and the Federation, they were a lot more cautious.

 

For the Romulans, respecting the truce was primarily a matter of biding their time. Still, despite the ever-present

threat presented by the Romulan Empire, establishing a secret Federation base in the Neutral Zone would have been a

flagrant violation of the treaty; in effect, it would have meant doing exactly the same sort of thing the Federation

had long accused the Romulans of doing. Surely, thought Picard, nobody in Starfleet would risk an all-out war over

the establishment of what, at best, could only be a remote intelligence outpost. It simply wasn’t worth it. But

still, he thought,what if …

 

No. He banished the thought from his mind. Hermeticus 2 had been quarantined for some reason, but it couldn’t be to

hide a secret Federation base. If that had been the intent, then why keep records of it in the central Starfleet data

banks? Someone who was that paranoid, that obsessed with illegal covert operations, would have left no data trail at

all. Valak would find no evidence of Federation presence here. The question was, whatwould he find? He was under

orders to investigate Hermeticus 2, and that would clearly take some time. And time, at this point, worked in

Picard’s favor. Precious little else did.

 

Picard blamed himself for what had happened, but he was forced to admit that Valak’s plan had been brilliant. How

could anyone possibly have known that the Romulans had found a new drug that would simulate the appearance of death

well enough to fool scanners and tricorders? There had been no way to anticipate that. The drug had given the initial

advantage to the Romulans, and Valak had used that advantage for all it was worth.

 

He hadn’t slipped once, anywhere. He had kept Picard away from theEnterprise crew, for the most part, denying them

his leadership, and he had kept the crew dividedsome of them aboard theEnterprise , others aboard theSyrinx . Since

they had departed Federation space, Picard had not been able to communicate with Riker at all. Any independent action

the remaining crew members aboard theEnterprise could have taken was stymied by the presence of Romulans in key

positions everywhere, and by the fact that their officers were kept apart from them. It seemed that Valak had left

them no options whatsoever. But therehad to be options; there always were.

 

On the journey from Federation space to this sector of the Neutral Zone, Picard had racked his brain in search of a

way out of this predicament. He kept coming up empty. What he found most galling was that Valak, thanks to the recent

coup by Romulan intelligence, had been able to study him in detail. He had read his dossier; he had obviously

examined carefully the records of all past encounters between Federation starships and the Romulans, and he had

formulated his plan on the basis of a thorough study of his enemy. Like a fighter who studied holos of his opponents,

thought Picard, Valak has studied us; the villain seems to know me like a book. He has anticipated my actions at

every turn. He has planned this campaign out in his mind and he is fine-tuning it as he goes along, putting himself

in my shoes, thinking of every move I could possibly make against him and systematically closing off those options.

 

He is a warrior with the mind of a chess master, thought Picard, and what is worse, the bastard knows how I think.

That means it’s time I started thinking differently. Two can play at this game, Picard told himself. He has had a

chance to observe me closely, but now I have also had a chance to observe him. And he is not infallible. His weakness

is his vanity, his ego. It is not enough for him merely to defeat his enemy; he needs to have the enemy acknowledge

that defeat in no uncertain terms.

 

He needs me to acknowledge his superiority, thought Picard. And that is the contradiction in Valak’s personality.

Like all Romulans, he believes in the superiority of his race. Why, then, do the opinions of his “inferiors” matter

to him? If he truly feels superior to me, Picard thought, then of what value is my respect? Yet hedoes seem to want

my respect. And why? Because despite his capabilities, Valak is young and insecure.

 

When someone is insecure, Picard thought, and in a position of leadership, the one thing he most desperately wants to

avoid is allowing anyone under his command to suspect that he is insecure. That holds true for anyone, human or

Romulan, Picard thought. Therefore, the thing to do was play on that vulnerability. Valak may have studied us, but

until now, all his knowledge has been theoretical. Now he has come face-to-face with us, and he knows his knowledge

of us is going to be put to the test. Perhaps I should attempt to undermine his self-confidence, thought Picard.

Convince him that he doesn’t know usthat he doesn’t knowme nearly as well as thinks he does.

 

His thoughts were interrupted as the doors to the first officer’s quarters slid open and three Romulan warriors

entered without bothering to announce their presence. “The commander wants you on the bridge,” said one of them.

 

Picard gave them a frosty look. “How kind of him to provide me with an escort,” he said. “Lead on.”

 

They went down the corridor and entered the warbird’s turbolift, which took them to the bridge. The Romulans

escorting him said nothing, and Picard did not bother trying to make conversation with them. There was nothing to be

gained from that. Valak was the one he’d have to work on. He needed to present to the rest of them the appearance of

a man completely in control. That, in itself, would serve to undermine their confidence.

 

When he came onto the bridge with his escort, Valak was not seated on his command throne but was pacing nervously

back and forth. He stopped immediately when he saw Picard. However, Picard let him know that he had seen him pacing

by giving him a slight smile. It seemed to irritate the Romulan.

 

“So,” said Valak, “do you still claim that there is no Federation presence in this sector?”

 

“I do not claim it,” Picard replied confidently. “I merely state it as a fact. A fact you choose not to accept.

However, I am not responsible for your flights of fancy.”

 

“Indeed?” said Valak, his eyes meeting Picard’s with a steely gaze. “Then I suppose my long-range scanners are also

having flights of fancy, for they have just detected a Federation starship in orbit above Hermeticus Two.”

 

“That’s impossible!” Picard said.

 

“On screen, maximum magnification,” Valak said.

 

The viewscreen of the warbird filled with the image of Hermeticus 2, and there, still small at this distance, but

nevertheless clearly visible and recognizable by its configuration, was a Federation starship.

 

Picard stepped forward and stared at the screen with disbelief. “What is this, Valak?” he snapped. “Some sort of

Romulan trick?”

 

“You know better than that, I think.” Valak turned back to the screen and stared at it intently. “Sound battle

stations.”

 

As the sonorous throbbing Romulan battle call sounded throughout theSyrinx , Picard continued to stare at the screen

with astonishment. At this distance, even with the warbird’s long-range scanners on maximum magnification, it was

impossible to identify the ship, but they were coming in on maximum impulse power. The warbird was still cloaked,

invisible to the Federation ship’s scanners, or to any scanners on the planet surface, so there had been no reaction

from the starship. However, as they approached rapidly, Picard could see that something wasn’t quite right.

 

It was the lines of the ship. He frowned as he watched the screen intently. The scanners were still on maximum

magnification, and the warbird was still a considerable distance from the ship, but as they approached, the screen

became filled with the planet, creating the illusion that they were much closer than they actually were. The

resolution continued to improve as they approached, and Picard could now make out more details of the Federation

ship’s configuration.

 

It was different from theEnterprise , which was a new generation Galaxy-class starship. This ship was considerably

smaller, about half the size of his own ship, and as Picard stared at the screen, he realized it was one of the old

Constitution-class vessels, similar to the original USSEnterprise , dating back some thirty years or so.

 

“Where are all your protestations now, Picard?” asked Valak, with a hard edge to his voice. “Now you see for yourself

the duplicity of your Federation. Can you deny the evidence of your own senses?”

 

“Valak, listen to me,” Picard said. “There is something very wrong here.”

 

“Yes,” snapped Valak, “youwere wrong, Picard. The Federation iswrong , and I am about to teach all of you the error

of your ways. Make ready the disruptors!”

 

“Valak, wait!” Picard said. “Lookat that ship! It is thirty years out of date! You know Starfleet vessels. What does

your own knowledge tell you? Your orders, as you expressed them to me, were to discover the truth about Hermeticus

Two. If you destroy that ship, you may never learn anything about what happened here.Look at it! It does not even

appear to be powered up. Don’t simply take my word for it. Use your scanners!”

 

Valak frowned, then held up his hand to his weapons officer. “Stand by, disruptors,” he said. He glanced at Picard

warily, then turned to his science officer. “Scanner readings, Talar.”

 

The science officer bent over his console. After a moment he straightened and turned to Valak with a puzzled look.

“Commander, according to our scanner readings, there are no life-forms aboard the Federation vessel. And I show no

power readings.”

 

“It could be a trick,” said Valak.

 

“You mean like the one you pulled on us?” Picard said. “Rest assured, Commander, we possess no drug that can simulate

death convincingly enough to fool scanners. If we did, we might have been prepared for your deception. Besides, that

is a Constitution-class starship. It could not possibly power up in time to evade your disruptors, even if itwas

capable of detecting the presence of a cloaked Romulan warbird, which it most certainly is not.”

 

Valak furrowed his brow. “That is true.”

 

“Readings remain unchanged,” said the science officer.

 

“Slow to half power,” Valak said. “Maintain standby on weapons. What is the current position of theEnterprise?”

 

“Coming up behind us on normal impulse power, bearing two point eight, mark nine,” the navigator said.

 

Valak folded his arms and thought a moment. “Match speed with theEnterprise and open hailing frequency.”

 

“Commander,” said the science officer, “if we communicate with theEnterprise , our transmission may be picked up on

the planet surface and give away our presence.”

 

“Perhaps, but a scanner probe of the planet surface itself would almost certainly give us away if there is a

Federation base there. I think we shall let theEnterprise make the first approach, while we remain cloaked.”

 

“Hailing frequency open, Commander.”

 

“Valak toEnterprise. Come in, Korak.”

 

Korak replied and Valak had him put on the main viewscreen. Korak confirmed that theEnterprise scanners had given him

the same information as the warbird’s scanners had given Valak. “Commander Riker claims the Federation ship in orbit

above Hermeticus is a Constitution-class vessel many years out of date,” Korak added. “He insists that he is not able

to identify it.”

 

“You should be within range to read the markings on that ship by long-range scanner,” Valak said. “Have Commander

Riker consult theEnterprise computer for information about that vessel.”

 

“I have already demanded that he do so, Commander,” Korak replied, “but Riker has refused. What are your orders?”

 

Valak turned to Picard. “If you are telling the truth, I suspect you are as curious about that ship as I am. And if

there truly is no one aboard it, then the information cannot harm anyone, can it? Or would you prefer that I compel

Commander Riker to cooperate?”

 

“Put Commander Riker on the screen,” Picard said.

 

A moment later Riker appeared, standing beside Korak. Picard noted that his face was bruised.

 

“Are you all right, Number One?”

 

“Fine, Captain,” said Riker, without elaborating further.

 

Picard did not pursue the subject. “Please do as Commander Valakrequests , ” he said, stressing the last word

sarcastically.

 

“Understood, sir.”

 

“It may take a few moments,” Picard said to Valak.

 

The Romulan commander nodded. “You still maintain that you know nothing whatsoever about this ship?”

 

“Its presence here is as much of a surprise to me as it is to you,” Picard replied.

 

Valak said nothing.

 

A moment later Riker came back on. “Captain, according to the markings on that ship, it’s the USSIndependence .”

 

“TheIndependence !” said Picard. “Are youcertain , Number One?”

 

“Yes, sir,” Riker replied. “It would seem that we are looking at a ghost ship.”

 

“Ghost ship?” said Valak. “What nonsense is this?”

 

“It’s a figure of speech, Commander,” said Riker. “Your research into Starfleet is incomplete, apparently.

TheIndependence is something of a legend.”

 

“It was reported destroyed some thirty years ago,” Picard said. “A few members of the crew are believed to have

escaped in one of the ship’s shuttles, but by the time the shuttlecraft was found drifting in space, everyone aboard

it was dead. No trace of the ship was ever found.”

 

“If there were survivors, then there must have been a report,” said Valak.

 

“There should have been,” Riker agreed, “but the report seems to have disappeared, as well. As a result, there’s not

even a record of the identity of the crew members on that shuttle, and after all these years, no one seems to

remember who they were. No one knows exactly what happened to theIndependence . Its fate has remained a mystery …

until now.”

 

“You expect me to believe this ridiculous story?” Valak asked scornfully. “Do you take me for a complete fool? If

that ship had been powered down for so long a time, its orbit would have long since decayed.”

 

“True,” said Picard, “and that means there were life-forms aboard that ship until recently.”

 

“Then they are on the planet surface,” Valak said.

 

“That would seem impossible, Commander,” Korak said. “According to our scanner readings, there is no atmosphere on

the planet capable of supporting human life. Nor have we detected any life-forms or artificial shelters on the planet

surface.”

 

“None at all?” said Valak, frowning. “But … they must have gonesomewhere!”

 

“Perhaps there was another ship, Commander,” said Korak. “That seems to be the only logical explanation.”

 

“There has been no Federation vessel in this sector,” said Picard.

 

“That is what you said before we found theIndependence ,” Valak replied. “You become less credible with each

assertion, Picard.”

 

Picard shrugged. “Say what you will, Valak, but I am even more anxious to solve this mystery than you are, because

these were our people. I have no idea what that ship is doing here, but the concerns of the Romulan High Council

certainly appear to have been justified in this instance.”

 

“With the presence of a Federation vessel this deep inside the Neutral Zone, that is a point you can hardly avoid

conceding,” Valak replied wryly.

 

“I concede nothing,” said Picard. “I merely said that Romulan concernsappear to have been justified. Were the

situation reversed, I might well have thought as you did. However, there simply must be a rational explanation of

this phenomenon. If we can determine that this situation has never represented a Federation threat to the Romulan

Empire, then perhaps we can still resolve our differences in a way that will satisfy both parties and threaten

neither.”

 

“I remain skeptical of that, but much will depend upon your cooperation,” Valak said.

 

“Then you admit the possibility of a negotiated resolution to this matter?” Picard said hopefully.

 

“An astute commander would do well to admit all and any possibilities,” Valak replied evasively. “But my primary

mission must remain my first priority.”

 

“Understood,” Picard said. “I would very much like to have a look aboard that ship.”

 

“You shall have it,” Valak replied. “I intend to board theIndependence myself. You shall accompany me.”

 

“If I might make a suggestion …” Picard began.

 

Valak’s head snapped around. “Go on,” he said, in that smug and condescending way Picard had begun to find so

irritating.

 

“Have Lieutenant Commander Data accompany us,” Picard said. “He has instantaneous access to all Federation historical

recordsand that information could prove invaluable.”

 

Valak nodded.

 

“Acceptable, … Korak, have the android beamed aboard after us. And now, Captain,” he said to Picard, bowing in

the direction of the turbolift, “after you. I feel much more secure having you in sight.”

 

“And here I thought you enjoyed my company,” Picard said dryly.

 

The Romulan space suit was not a perfect fit, but it was close enough not to cause Picard much inconvenience. As he

took his place on the transporter platform with the Romulan away team, Valak’s voice came to him over the helmet

speaker.

 

“Remember, Korak will be monitoring our transmissions from aboard theEnterprise , and my science officer, Talar, will

be doing likewise from the bridge of theSyrinx .”

 

“If you think that, unarmed, I can present a threat your entire away team,” said Picard, “then I fear you may be

overestimating my capabilities.”

 

“That would be better than underestimating them,” Valak replied, in a tone that was almost jocular. “However, you are

not the only threat I am concerned with. Should we encounter any sort of trap aboard theIndependence , my crew,

aboard both your ship and mine, will be alerted instantly.” He gave the command to energize, and a moment later they

materialized on the bridge of theIndependence .

 

The bridge was deserted, and the ship was completely powered down. There was no sign of the crew. It was impossible

to estimate by external evidence how long things had remained undisturbed; in space there were no obvious signs such

as dust, cobwebs, or mice scurrying about. The crew might have departed a relatively short time ago, but Picard was

acutely aware of a feeling of emptiness about the ship, an emptiness that had reigned for a long time.

 

The lights on their helmets were their only source of illumination as their special boots clung to the deck, holding

them down in the absence of gravity. Otherwise the ship was dark. Valak’s assistant science officer took readings,

while the security team maintained watch, their weapons held ready, just in case. The Romulans were taking no

chances.

 

“No residual atmospheric traces,” the assistant science officer announced. “The lifesupport systems have been down

for quite some time. I am not picking up any power readings at all.”

 

“What about the matter-antimatter reactors?” Valak asked.

 

The assistant science officer went to the science station and attempted to bring up the console. He hit several

switches, without result. “No response on any of the controls, Commander,” he said. He consulted his Romulan

tricorder once again. “Readings indicate decay in the reactor core.” He tried several other switches. “No response.

No power in the warp propulsion conduits or the electroplasma system. Warp and main impulse engines are not

functional. No response on readouts from auxiliary fusion generators. The warp field generator coils are inactive.

This ship is dead, Commander.”

 

“Commander Valak, if I may …” Picard said, indicating one of the consoles.

 

Valak nodded.

 

Picard went over to the bridge engineering console while Valak watched him carefully. He glanced at the positions of

the switches. He frowned. “As I suspected,” he said. “The antimatter storage pods have all been jettisoned. This ship

cannot be powered up again without a major refueling operation at a starbase. It would require replacement of all the

antimatter storage pods, the installation of new warp generator coils, refurbishment of the EPS system … in

short, a major overhaul. We could easily confirm that by examining the main engineering section. However, this ship

did not die of neglect, Commander. It was killed. Or put to sleep, to be more precise.”

 

“Check the rest of the ship,” Valak told his security detail.

 

“Commander, without power, the turbolift will not respond,” one of them said.

 

“Use the Jefferies tubes,” said Valak. Picard glanced at the Romulan, once again impressed with his knowledge of

Federation ships. The Jefferies tubes were tunnels that ran throughout the ship, providing access to the utilities

conduits and circuitry for testing and maintenance. “There will most likely be an access point either in the floor by

the main navigational computer console or in the bulkhead by the turbolift.”

 

The Romulan security detail found the access hatch in the bulkhead by the turbolift and proceeded to undog it and go

through. At almost the same instant the shimmering form of Lieutenant Commander Data materialized on the bridge.

“Captain,” the android said.

 

“Mr. Data, it is good to see youeven under these circumstances.”

 

“How touching,” Valak said dryly. “Tell meCaptain, Mr. Datahow is it that this dead ship somehow manages to

maintain a consistent orbit?” Valak shook his head. “It is impossible.”

 

“You are correct,” Data said. “Nevertheless,something is obviously holding it up here.”

 

“The spirits of your ghost ship?” Valak said laconically. “That is not an acceptable explanation, Captain.”

 

“I quite agree,” Picard replied. “Since no logical explanation is to be found here, I would look to the planet

surface.”

 

“Of course,” said Valak. “Some sort of tractor beam. But to reach out to this distance and maintain this ship in

orbit, it would have to be immensely powerful. Our scanners should have detected the energy fluctuations.”

 

Picard nodded. “Indeed, they should have. Assuming that it is a tractor beam. However, we may be dealing with some

sort of force that neither of us understands.”

 

“I told you, Picard, supernatural explanations are not acceptable to me.”

 

“Nor to me,” Picard replied. “However, any science that is sufficiently advanced would certainly seem supernatural to

anyone who could not understand it.”

 

“I believe the precise quotation is, Any technology that is sufficiently advanced would seem like magic to those who

did not understand it,’” Valak corrected him. “Your Earth philosopher and scientist, Arthur C. Clarke.”

 

“Have you no pithy Romulan sayings to quote?” Picard replied irritably.

 

Valak smiled. “Careful, Picard. Your frustration is showing.”

 

The bastard’s right, Picard thought. He was becomingly increasingly frustrated at his seeming helplessness in this

situation. It was bad enough that the Romulan had the upper hand, but now there was this mystery of the Federation

ghost ship. And he saw no hope of solving either problem, at least, not for the present.

 

“Security detail, report,” Valak said, speaking into his helmet communicator.

 

“Readings continue to show no life aboard this ship, Commander.” Picard heard the reply over his helmet circuit. “We

have gained access to the crew deck corridors. Part of the team has continued on to engineering, but we are examing

the crew’s quarters. There is no sign of anyone aboard.”

 

“Have you found any bodies?” Valak asked.

 

“None, Commander.”

 

“Are there any personal possessions in the crew’s quarters?” asked Picard.

 

“You are not here to ask questions, human,” came the angry response.

 

“Answer him,” said Valak.

 

There was a brief, surprised hesitation. Then the Romulan replied irately, “What do I know of such things? We

Romulans do not clutter up our ships with frivolities. How would I distinguish human personal possessions from ship’s

stores?”

 

“Look for non-uniform garments in the closets,” said Picard, ignoring the warrior’s condescending attitude.

“Likenesses of family members, personal mementos, items of personal hygiene in the medicine cabinets”

 

“I have no time for such”

 

“Do as he says,” Valak said curtly.

 

After some time had passed, the Romulan came back on. “Personal items appear to have been removed from the quarters,”

he said.

 

“All of them?” asked Picard. “Or does it appear as if the crew departed in a hurry after packing only a few things?”

 

“Almost completely, although some items have been left behind,” the Romulan replied grudgingly.

 

“So they had time to prepare to leave the ship,” Picard said.

 

“Which means therewas another Federation vessel here,” Valak said accusingly.

 

“Or perhaps an alien ship,” Picard said. “You said yourself a good commander considers all and any possibilities,

Valak. And there is yet one other. The crew might have gone down to the planet surface.”

 

“But the planet surface will not support human life,” said Valak, “and our sensors have detected no constructed

shelters.”

 

“Somethingis holding this ship in orbit,” insisted Picard, “and your sensors have not detected that, either.”

 

“Nor have yours,” Valak replied, a touch defensively.

 

“Precisely,” said Data. “I would suggest that if there is nothing on the planet surface, then there must be

somethingbeneath the surface.”

 

“Of course!” said Valak. He spoke into his communicator. “Valak toSyrinx .”

 

“Talar here, Commander.”

 

“Launch a deep scanner probe to the planet surface,” Valak ordered, “and report on what it finds.”

 

“Acknowledged,” Talar replied.

 

“Kylor to Commander Valak.” It was the voice of a member of the away team elsewhere on the ship.

 

“Report, Kylor.”

 

“Commander, we have reached the main engineering section,” Kylor said. “Everything here has been shut down. There is

no power to any of the systems, and the shutdown appears to have been a purposeful act. There is no one anywhere on

board this ship. There are no bodies and no signs of violence. The ship could have been evacuated due to some sort of

malfunction, but that cannot be determined at this point. Some supplies were removed from ship’s stores and from the

sickbay. The crew unquestionably evacuated this ship in an organized and orderly manner.”

 

“But how long ago?” Picard wondered aloud. “None of this makes any sense, Valak. Human or Romulan, no one simply

powers down a ship and jettisons all the antimatter storage pods so that the ship cannot be powered up again. Unless

perhaps …”

 

“Unless what?” asked Valak.

 

“Unless it was done precisely to prevent the crew from ever going home again.”

 

“Why would they have done that?” Valak asked.

 

“Perhaps there is something down there on the surface of Hermeticus, or beneath it, that would be too threatening if

it were ever to be brought back,” Picard said. “I remind you that this world was quarantined.”

 

“And yet, according to your own story, if it is to be believed, some of the crewdid try to go back,” Valak pointed

out. “Or at least they tried to escape.”

 

“They must have known that they would not survive,” Picard said. “A ship’s shuttle has a very limited range, as you

well know, and this far out, the odds against encountering another ship would have been astronomical.”

 

“So what was the point of leaving?” asked Valak.

 

“In their desperation, they might have made a suicidal attempt to escape,” Picard said. “Perhaps they felt that

certain death aboard the shuttlecraft was preferable to what would happen to them if they remained behind.”

 

“Then why did not the others do likewise?”

 

“I can only guess,” said Picard. “Perhaps they had no choice. If they were exposed to some sort of a disease, some

kind of organism that infected them or took them over, then the ones who attempted to flee in the shuttlecraft might

have been the only ones who had escaped infection. Or perhaps it was not an attempt to escape but a desperate attempt

to warn others to stay away.”

 

“As you said, all this is merely conjecture,” Valak replied. “In the absence of any evidence, it is all meaningless

theorizing.”

 

“Hermeticus Two was placed under quarantine some thirty years ago,” Picard said. “That isnot meaningless. And that

quarantine has remained in effect for all this time, despite advances that have rendered quarantines unnecessary

except in extraordinary circumstances. That, too, is not meaningless. And the location of this planet was classified

top secret and has remained so for close to a century. That is the most meaningful thing of all.”

 

“To me, the most meaningful thing of all is that you seem to be very anxious to keep us from discovering whatever is

down there,” Valak said.

 

“If you insist on believing that I am attempting to deceive you,” said Picard, “there is nothing I can do to convince

you otherwise.”

 

“Talar to Commander Valak.”

 

“Valak here. Report, Talar.”

 

“Commander, we have launched a deep scanner probe to the planet surface, and we are receiving its transmissions, but

the readings are confusing.”

 

“What do you mean, confusing? How?”

 

“They are intermittent. We are not picking up any life-form readings, but we are picking up traces of enormous power

emanating from beneath the planet surface. Commander … Hermeticus Two is hollow.”

 

“Hollow?”Valak said. “You mean caverns? Excavations?”

 

“Neither, Commander,” the Romulan science officer replied. “Given our readings, there is only one possible

conclusion. Hermeticus Two is not a planet… . It is a ship.”