“You shouldn’t even have been able to gain access to the tranceiver assemblies,” Ro noted.
“Be that as it may, I did,” Taran’atar said. “And since a stationwide communications blackout had been implemented for all but authorized transmissions, it was a simple matter to sift through the existing comm traffic. I learned nothing new from this…until Captain Mello contacted Admiral Akaar from the Gryphon.It was then that I detected a brief anomaly in the transmission: an echo.”
“Meaning what?” Ro said.
“Meaning I was not the only unauthorized listener aboard the station.”
“Quark,” Ro whispered. Please, no, don’t let it be Quark.She knew he sometimes hacked into the comm system….
“No, not Quark,” Taran’atar said. “I checked, and the Ferengi was fully occupied in the affairs of his establishment at the time. But someone else aboard the station was listening when Captain Mello was in contact.”
“Then it’s Gard,” Ro said. “It has to be. I was right after all. He’s still aboard the station.” If so, she’d have to act quickly, before he escaped or did something worse. And there was a personal consideration as welclass="underline" she now had the chance to make things right before she resigned. Before she turned in her combadge, she was going to bring Shakaar’s assassin to justice.
“That’s my conclusion as well. It wasn’t possible for me to know where he was listening from, but there are a finite number of places aboard the station from which such a thing would be possible.”
Ro went immediately to her computer interface and called up a station schematic displaying the locations of all subspace tranceiver assemblies—the twenty-four Cardassian versions that were part of the station’s original equipment, and the six Federation models Starfleet had added after the withdrawal. Thirty sites to check, scattered throughout the station. And it doesn’t preclude the possibility that he’s kept moving. But maybe there’s a way to narrow the possibilities.
“If you could tell someone else was listening in,” Ro asked, “does that mean he could have been aware of you as well?”
“It’s possible,” Taran’atar said. “That may be why the echo ceased so quickly, and why my subsequent attempts to detect him in the same manner have yielded nothing. He may have gone off-line to avoid detection.”
So he wasn’t expecting someone else to be eavesdropping on station communications. He got scared. In his position, Gard would conclude he was better off remaining still than taking a chance moving from his hiding place. So how to pinpoint him?She studied the rotating schematic. Red dots glowed where the transceivers were located: the “antennae farm” right over ops, the lower core, around the docking ring, up and down the docking pylons, along the habitat ring…
Where would I go?she asked herself. I just killed someone and beamed out to escape. But I can’t leave the station, so I hide on board—someplace from where I can keep tabs on my pursuers, but where they’re least likely to look for me….
Wait a second.
“Computer,” Ro said. “Display detail on section 001–020.”
Taran’atar leaned in behind her as the computer zoomed in on the coordinates.
“Enhance,” Ro said.
The computer enlarged the area.
“Again,” Ro said.
The image zoomed in closer.
“Again.”
On the fourth attempt Ro saw what she was looking for. A small space, but big enough for a humanoid.
“Got you,” she whispered.
Akaar scowled and cursed his luck as he studied the tactical display on the situation table in ops. Eight Federation starships were operating out of Starbase 51, the command base nearest the Trill system. He had planned to mobilize most of them to detect and intercept Gryphon’s quarry. Unfortunately, four of the vessels were on battle maneuvers in the Murasaki sector, too far away to do any good. A fifth, the Appalachia,was undergoing refit at the starbase.
That left only the U.S.S. T’Kumbra,the U.S.S. Sagittarius,and the U.S.S. Polarisavailable to assist Gryphon.Akaar knew that four starships should be more than enough for this operation, but he wanted nothing left to chance. He contacted the Starfleet personnel on Trill and coordinated increased runabout patrols on the edge of the system, just in case.
I have done all that I can from here,Akaar thought. The rest is up to them.
He glanced around ops. Everyone, Bajoran Militia and Starfleet, remained on high alert. Intelligence reports continued to pour in on ship movements and strategic operations throughout the Bajoran sector, as well as the situation on Bajor itself. But so far nothing suspicious had emerged that might shed new light on the assassination. There had been no claims of responsibility as might come from terrorists, and no strange activity within the Bajoran circles of power. Cardassia was being watched carefully as well, although its current representatives here on the station, Gul Macet and the elderly Cleric Ekosha, had been extremely cooperative in the security investigation. Nor had they, unlike the members of the Alonis delegation and several other visiting dignitaries, opted to leave the station once departure clearances had resumed.
Lenaris emerged from the station commander’s office and walked down the steps into the pit. “The news is officially out,” the general said. “First Minister Asarem has addressed the Bajoran people, informing them of Shakaar’s death.”
Akaar looked up. “What word on the public reaction?”
“Grief, confusion, uncertainty—and a lot of angry voices talking over each other,” Lenaris said. “Militia HQ is receiving reports of demonstrations being organized by the isolationist groups, supposedly to commence in the next few hours. On the other side, the Vedek Assembly has come out in support of the First Minister’s call for calm and her request that people refrain from rushing to judgment until all the facts are known. Councillor zh’Thane’s appearance before the Chamber of Ministers and her interviews on the planetary newsfeeds have also gone over well. Advocates of unity with the Federation are planning a march on the Chamber of Ministers in Ashalla as a show of their support.”
Akaar shook his great head. “After all my years serving the Federation, I still marvel that democratic systems work at all.”
Lenaris looked faintly amused. “That’s not something I ever though I’d hear a Starfleet officer say, much less a fleet admiral.”
“Most Starfleet officers did not start life on Capella IV, General,” Akaar said. “There, clashes between conflicting ideologies are resolved on the edge of a sword, or a kligat.”
“General Lenaris,” Ensign Ling called from communications. “I have Vedek Yevir standing by. He wishes to speak with you about returning to Bajor.”
Lenaris sighed, but wasn’t surprised. After instructing Ling to put the call on screen, the general looked up to face the hollow oval frame suspended from the ops ceiling. An instant later Yevir’s face filled the frame. The Cardassian woman, Ekosha, was visible behind him. “Hello, General. Thank you for agreeing to speak with me. I know you must be very busy.”
“My communications officer tells me you want to return to Bajor, Vedek.”
“That’s correct, yes. In the face of the tragic events we have just experienced, it is more imperative than ever that we work together to give the people hope. Cleric Ekosha and I will bring the recovered Orbs to Bajor together, and begin moving forward with our plans for the Vedek Assembly and the Oralian Way to exchange permanent religious embassies.”
Ironic,Lenaris thought. Yevir is willing to create a foundation for peace with another planet through its religious leaders, yet he’s afraid of new ideas on matters of faith from his own people.Lenaris looked at the acting chief of operations, Lieutenant Nguyen. “Next available transport to Bajor, Lieutenant?”