Disclaimer: See part 1.1

Community Property

By mizvoy

Part 2.3 Passive Scan

Jan. 15, 2380-Five minutes later

U.S.S. Hankeel

The Vulcan made his way from Admiral Janeway's quarters through the ship to his bridge station where he could keep an eye on the ship's passive sensors and monitor the admiral's whereabouts. With just a few entries into his control panel, a diagram of the ship appeared with a yellow flashing dot indicating the admiral's location a few decks below. On an adjacent panel, a diagram of DS9 appeared, ready to display her location when she beamed to the clandestine meeting in an hour's time. Tuvok was gratified to see his hastily made plans work so well.

"O'Dell to Commander Tuvok."

"Tuvok here, Captain."

"What is your location?"

"I am on the bridge."

"Am I correct to assume that the admiral has returned to the ship?" O'Dell had also been present at Kira's dinner, but had returned directly to the ship while Tuvok and Janeway had taken their stroll through the station.

"Affirmative."

"Then, will you please join me in the ready room?"

"Yes, ma'am." Tuvok shut down the panels, circled his station, and headed for the captain's inner sanctuary, the doors opening on his arrival.

"All necessary security for the meeting is in place?" O'Dell asked as the doors slid shut behind him.

"Yes, Captain. The admiral is convinced that Colonel Kira has taken adequate steps to insure her safety."

O'Dell frowned and looked aside, and Tuvok realized that she had probably taken note of his access to the passive scanners. "So why are you watching Janeway's location now?"

"Although Kira has assured us of the admiral's safety, redundancy is always a good idea when it comes to such matters."

"But Janeway is on Hankeel."

"Indeed."

"She is going to a secure space station, Tuvok, run by our allies. I'm not sure how she would feel about having her location monitored from the bridge." O'Dell leaned back in her chair. "And you know, of course, that Starfleet protocol prohibits the active use of ship sensors when docked at DS9."

"I'm aware of Starfleet protocol, Captain, and am not using active sensors. However, there is no prohibition to a passive scan, which is all that I will be using."

"Did the admiral approve of this?"

Tuvok did not reply, instead keeping his gaze steady over at a spot just over O'Dell's left shoulder.

"I didn't think so." O'Dell stood up and gave him a long look before she went to her replicator and ordered a drink. "Would you like something, Commander?"

"No, thank you."

She thought about what was transpiring and wondered whether she should report Tuvok's activities to the admiral. She had been present on DS9 when Janeway and Kira had discussed the plans for the secret meeting and had noticed the frown on Tuvok's face. But the two of them had served together for over two decades, and so O'Dell felt at a disadvantage. She returned to her desk and nursed her tea. "Janeway was determined to follow through on this meeting. She wouldn't want anything to interfere with it."

"The informant will be unaware of the passive scan, Captain."

"Didn't Janeway order you to defer the arrangements to Kira and DS9 personnel?"

"The admiral ordered me to refrain from keeping a transporter lock upon her life signs, and I am following that order, ma'am. However, she did not forbid a passive scan of her location."

"Only because she probably didn't think that you might do it. What you're doing would seem to be a breach of the spirit, if not the letter of her orders." At Tuvok's silence, O'Dell continued, "I don't want to second-guess Kira's efficiency, especially since we'll need her cooperation as this investigation continues."

"I understand your concern, Captain, but I am not doubting the security in place. I am simply augmenting it. I assure you that the passive scan will not be considered a breach of protocol."

"As long as it remains passive." O'Dell frowned, aware of how limited such scans were, how tempting it would be to increase to active scans if something unexpected transpired. She pulled up the screen that Tuvok had been studying on the bridge. Janeway's location was clearly visible. "I don't understand how a passive scan brings up her commbadge this way"

"It doesn't detect her commbadge, of course." Tuvok raised a brow at the absurdity of her comment. "I'm scanning for the chemical marker that I introduced into her coffee earlier this evening."

"Chemical marker?" The captain's mouth fell open in surprise, and she leaned closer to the screen, scandalized by his statement. "You put a reactive element in Janeway's coffee?"

"Of course not. I used barium sulfate, a non-reactive substance. It will cause her no physical discomfort, but is readily visible to a passive scan."

She looked up. "And what if the informant notices it?"

Tuvok narrowed his eyes. "Why would the informant scan for barium sulfate?"

O'Dell laughed, leaned back in her chair, and gave him a measured look, repressing a smile in the process. "I had no idea that Vulcans could be so devious."

"I am not being devious, Captain. I am simply taking advantage of vague wording of the admiral's orders."

"You're parsing her meaning."

"I am. If you find this irregular, I suggest that you make a note in your logs."

"Not to worry. I already have." She shook her head. "I don't want to be a victim of the admiral's wrath when she returns to the ship."

"I have worked with Admiral Janeway for over twenty years, and I assure you that she will not be angry about a non-intrusive effort aimed toward keeping her from harm. At most, she will be more scrupulous with the wording of her future orders."

"As will I!" O'Dell laughed out loud. "Commander, I didn't realize that you had such a dry sense of humor!"

"I assure you, Captain, that I do not have a sense of humor, at all," he deadpanned as the captain laughed again. "I have learned after years of serving with Admiral Janeway that it is worthwhile to anticipate complications when she involves herself in a mission."

"She gets into trouble?"

"So it would seem. Although she plans meticulously, she tends to react quickly during fluid situations without taking the time to anticipate all of the possible adverse outcomes."

"This is something I should keep in mind, I'm thinking."

"I would recommend it, Captain."

"And she prefers to be in on the action."

"That would be an understatement."

O'Dell nodded, filing away the information for future reference. "Just be sure to keep that scan passive, Tuvok."

"Aye, Captain."

"Dismissed."

O'Dell watched the ready room doors close behind him and shook her head. She understood the loyalty that developed between crews that served long tours together, but it seemed to her that this Voyager crew carried that loyalty to a higher level than most. It was a reasonable reaction to their long exile, but also a bit worrisome. She had a feeling that having Admiral Janeway on board was going to be a challenge.

In the meantime, Tuvok returned to his station and reactivated the sensors, satisfied to see that the admiral's life sign showed up as clearly as it had earlier. He checked the time and realized that she would be returning to DS9 in less than fifteen minutes. He estimated that the meeting would take no more than thirty minutes, well within the twelve-hour usefulness of the barium sulfate.

He glanced at O'Dell's ready room door and wondered if she would inform the admiral of his trickery. Janeway would no doubt be unhappy with his extraordinary effort to protect her safety, but, as Chakotay often said, with Janeway, it's easier to get forgiveness than it is to get permission. If something went wrong, she would be grateful for his caution. If nothing went wrong, she would never need to know anything about it.

Soon, the ship would be navigating the Badlands. Tuvok found it ironic that one of his first assignments after Voyager's journey would bring him back to the location where he had been on an undercover assignment with Chakotay's Maquis cell nine years earlier. The Maquis had used the Badlands in much the same way as the smugglers used them today—as a base for covert operations and as a refuge from the authorities—and so he was well-suited for the assignment.

He wondered if Janeway knew for sure that Chakotay was the informant. It was possible. Few people on Voyager had been aware of the true nature of Janeway's relationship with Chakotay. Even Tuvok had been in the dark, and he'd been in a unique position of observing them in stressful situations and unguarded moments. It wasn't until he and Janeway had shared a mind meld that he'd become aware of the depth of their intimate friendship. His attempts to discuss it with her had always resulted in his immediate dismissal. It was a subject she expertly deflected while they were still in the Delta Quadrant and was a moot point by the time they arrived home.

He had watched with sadness as she and Chakotay gradually grew apart. By the time Voyager had returned to the Alpha Quadrant, the commander had begun his disastrous relationship with Seven of Nine, and Janeway had found herself caught between them. What had transpired had been the worst possible outcome for everyone. Seven was moving to Jupiter Station under the tutelage of the EMH, Chakotay had fled to Trebus, and Janeway was struggling to find happiness in her work. Knowing Janeway as he did, he was sure she believed that Chakotay was a necessary element to her life—the brother she never had. He also thought she expected Chakotay to be the secret visitor she would be meeting on DS9.

He looked across the central expanse at the windows of the massive space station. In just minutes, Janeway would beam to an unknown location, barely concealing her excitement as she waited for the meeting to begin. The Vulcan feared that her heart would be broken if Chakotay was not the person who appeared. He glanced at his computer screen and watched the shadowed form that was Janeway moving through the ship toward the transporter room.

There was nothing left to do but wait to pick up the pieces.

TBC