Chapter 5
The promenade on Deep Space 9 was especially busy when Captain Lennon, Cumbrae, Anel Jura and Dr. Dayne stood at the entrance to Quarks Bar. This helped matters as it would add to the confusion which the fight would bring. A multitude of species walked through these doors, all seeming to peacefully co-exist, until of course the away team entered.
The Captain giving the signal immediately separated himself from Dayne and Jura. Cumbrae immediately started off towards Odo's office.
" You bastard!" Jura shouted for all to hear, " You've just spilled my drink."
" Yeah.. and what have you got to say about it." Dayne shouted back.
At that she launched herself at him, tackling him at the waist and bringing them both quickly to the ground. It wasn't apparent from her looks, but Anel Jura could hold her own in a struggle, even the doctor was overwhelmed by her strength.
As she held him in a headlock the bar became silent and one of the Ferengi bartenders called for security to break up the brawling pair. Immediately Odo ran out of his office and Captain Lennon gave the signal for Cumbrae to move in.
Stealthily he slid in the doors and took a seat at Odo's main chair. Seconds later he was past the security codes and began downloading files.
However the security patrol on the station weren't having as much luck. It took two officers to separate Jura and Dayne from the floor of Quark's Bar and after another exchange of insults they were held at a safe distance away from one another.
" Does any of you care to explain the meaning of this?" shouted Odo as soon as the place had quieted down.
" Yes, she's mad!" Dayne shouted back.
Jura didn't respond, knowing the rouse had worked she looked over to the spot where Captain Lennon stood. Nothing, he and Cumbrae were at least half way to the turbolift by this point. Odo had little option but to take both officers into custody until this mess could be cleared up.
* * * * *
Back aboard the Spartan, Commander Sara was still on the look out for any bizarre behaviour from anyone onboard, it seemed he had taken over the search for the spy and was very aware the probability of the spy being a senior officer was quite high. Sara was covertly checking communication logs in engineering for any irregularities, and it seemed he may have been on to something. There were gaps in the sensor logs where it appeared something was missing. Chief Engineer Isaac Glatzer, seeing Commander Sara from across the room approached him from behind.
" Anything I can help you with sir?" he asked.
Almost jumping out his skin, Sara turned around to see the friendly face of Glatzer standing next to him.
" No, not really, although I've noticed the sensor logs have gaps in them. I'm trying to free up some space on the computer for a science project." he lied.
" That's nothing to worry about sir. It was from an antimatter surge during the testing period of the new warp engines, it entered into the computer through the new bio-neural circuitry and created gaps."
" You're sure its nothing to worry about?" Sara quizzed.
" Absolutely." Isaac replied.
Sara then turned around and headed back for the bridge, willing to let the matter drop for the time being until it hit him that Glatzer was the Chief Engineer during the shakedown cruise and was the only one aboard the shakedown crew who had prior knowledge of the Spartan's mission. He could have released word to the Maquis weeks before the Spartan even left Earthstation McKinley. The thought sent a shiver down his back, he would watch engineering closely now.
Upon leaving engineering Sara by chance ran into Captain Lennon and Cumbrae returning from their 'Away' mission. Cumbrae held in his hand a small storage device in which he had copied all of the flight paths of departing vessels from DS9. Sara read the smile from the Captain's face which could only mean a successful mission. However Cumbrae seemed slightly less forthcoming, still aware that Maquis eyes and ears were aboard he gave away little information to Sara about the outcome. All three men headed for astrometrics to try to plot the course of the Cardassian ship.
Upon entering all three men were taken aback by what appeared on the Astrometrics screen in front of them. A very detailed map of the Cardassian Union's border with the Federation, one which it seemed would take Starfleet intelligence months to compile.
Cumbrae approached Lieutenant Donnachie awaiting some sort of explanation for what was showing on screen.
" Captain." she began as if the speech had already been prepared in advance, "I've managed to significantly extend the use of our sensors."
Unsure what to say, Sara jumped in for the Captain.
" You couldn't possibly have extended them that far." he said noting the accuracy of all the outposts and military instalments on the map.
Cumbrae would have dragged her out of the room and arrested her on the spot for being a Maquis spy if she hadn't continued with her explanation.
" I've managed to tie the Spartan's sensors in with the stations and all other ships docked at DS9 to give us an enhanced map of the Cardassian border."
Not totally convinced by her answer the Captain interrupted.
" You weren't given permission to do that Lieutenant!" he angrily said.
" I'm sorry Captain but there wasn't enough time. The strength of the sensor network was only adequate for a four second interval, just after the USS Excalibur docked and slightly before the Hood departed. It was an opportunity which presented itself for a short time and I felt it couldn't be missed."
The Captain, Commander Sara and Cumbrae all exchanged glances at one another considering the credibility of her story. It seemed hard to believe this sensor network could scan so thoroughly into enemy territory.
" I know what I've just done breaks a few treaties with the Cardassians, but I've discovered I'm not the only one breaking treaties." she continued as the display zoomed into Cardassian space to a science station near the border. "This science station in Cardassian space has been emitting huge tachyon pulses in the direction of Federation Space. It seems that they have also been spying on every Starfleet vessel in this sector for quite some time. However the intensity of the tachyon pulse means that the Cardassians can relay false sensor readings to any ship passing through adjacent sectors, so what appears on this screen may not actually exist."
"Any signs of new Cardassian Military installations?" Sara quizzed.
" None, but they may be hidden from view by the tachyon pulses."
Cumbrae went to check the authenticity of this report at the console as Lieutenant Donnachie stepped back, but the Captain had a difficult choice.
" Lieutenant Donnachie, I'm aware of your eagerness to complete this mission and I'm sure you acted in what you believed the crew's best interests. However this is a serious breach of protocol and in light of recent circumstances I have no other alternative than to confine you to quarters for the remainder of this mission."
Lennon felt sorry for doing this but it was the only alternative, aware that in the same position he probably would have done the same. However as Ruth was escorted through the door his frustration was complete when he looked at the astrometrics console where Cumbrae confirmed every word Ruth had spoken.
The promenade on Deep Space 9 was especially busy when Captain Lennon, Cumbrae, Anel Jura and Dr. Dayne stood at the entrance to Quarks Bar. This helped matters as it would add to the confusion which the fight would bring. A multitude of species walked through these doors, all seeming to peacefully co-exist, until of course the away team entered.
The Captain giving the signal immediately separated himself from Dayne and Jura. Cumbrae immediately started off towards Odo's office.
" You bastard!" Jura shouted for all to hear, " You've just spilled my drink."
" Yeah.. and what have you got to say about it." Dayne shouted back.
At that she launched herself at him, tackling him at the waist and bringing them both quickly to the ground. It wasn't apparent from her looks, but Anel Jura could hold her own in a struggle, even the doctor was overwhelmed by her strength.
As she held him in a headlock the bar became silent and one of the Ferengi bartenders called for security to break up the brawling pair. Immediately Odo ran out of his office and Captain Lennon gave the signal for Cumbrae to move in.
Stealthily he slid in the doors and took a seat at Odo's main chair. Seconds later he was past the security codes and began downloading files.
However the security patrol on the station weren't having as much luck. It took two officers to separate Jura and Dayne from the floor of Quark's Bar and after another exchange of insults they were held at a safe distance away from one another.
" Does any of you care to explain the meaning of this?" shouted Odo as soon as the place had quieted down.
" Yes, she's mad!" Dayne shouted back.
Jura didn't respond, knowing the rouse had worked she looked over to the spot where Captain Lennon stood. Nothing, he and Cumbrae were at least half way to the turbolift by this point. Odo had little option but to take both officers into custody until this mess could be cleared up.
* * * * *
Back aboard the Spartan, Commander Sara was still on the look out for any bizarre behaviour from anyone onboard, it seemed he had taken over the search for the spy and was very aware the probability of the spy being a senior officer was quite high. Sara was covertly checking communication logs in engineering for any irregularities, and it seemed he may have been on to something. There were gaps in the sensor logs where it appeared something was missing. Chief Engineer Isaac Glatzer, seeing Commander Sara from across the room approached him from behind.
" Anything I can help you with sir?" he asked.
Almost jumping out his skin, Sara turned around to see the friendly face of Glatzer standing next to him.
" No, not really, although I've noticed the sensor logs have gaps in them. I'm trying to free up some space on the computer for a science project." he lied.
" That's nothing to worry about sir. It was from an antimatter surge during the testing period of the new warp engines, it entered into the computer through the new bio-neural circuitry and created gaps."
" You're sure its nothing to worry about?" Sara quizzed.
" Absolutely." Isaac replied.
Sara then turned around and headed back for the bridge, willing to let the matter drop for the time being until it hit him that Glatzer was the Chief Engineer during the shakedown cruise and was the only one aboard the shakedown crew who had prior knowledge of the Spartan's mission. He could have released word to the Maquis weeks before the Spartan even left Earthstation McKinley. The thought sent a shiver down his back, he would watch engineering closely now.
Upon leaving engineering Sara by chance ran into Captain Lennon and Cumbrae returning from their 'Away' mission. Cumbrae held in his hand a small storage device in which he had copied all of the flight paths of departing vessels from DS9. Sara read the smile from the Captain's face which could only mean a successful mission. However Cumbrae seemed slightly less forthcoming, still aware that Maquis eyes and ears were aboard he gave away little information to Sara about the outcome. All three men headed for astrometrics to try to plot the course of the Cardassian ship.
Upon entering all three men were taken aback by what appeared on the Astrometrics screen in front of them. A very detailed map of the Cardassian Union's border with the Federation, one which it seemed would take Starfleet intelligence months to compile.
Cumbrae approached Lieutenant Donnachie awaiting some sort of explanation for what was showing on screen.
" Captain." she began as if the speech had already been prepared in advance, "I've managed to significantly extend the use of our sensors."
Unsure what to say, Sara jumped in for the Captain.
" You couldn't possibly have extended them that far." he said noting the accuracy of all the outposts and military instalments on the map.
Cumbrae would have dragged her out of the room and arrested her on the spot for being a Maquis spy if she hadn't continued with her explanation.
" I've managed to tie the Spartan's sensors in with the stations and all other ships docked at DS9 to give us an enhanced map of the Cardassian border."
Not totally convinced by her answer the Captain interrupted.
" You weren't given permission to do that Lieutenant!" he angrily said.
" I'm sorry Captain but there wasn't enough time. The strength of the sensor network was only adequate for a four second interval, just after the USS Excalibur docked and slightly before the Hood departed. It was an opportunity which presented itself for a short time and I felt it couldn't be missed."
The Captain, Commander Sara and Cumbrae all exchanged glances at one another considering the credibility of her story. It seemed hard to believe this sensor network could scan so thoroughly into enemy territory.
" I know what I've just done breaks a few treaties with the Cardassians, but I've discovered I'm not the only one breaking treaties." she continued as the display zoomed into Cardassian space to a science station near the border. "This science station in Cardassian space has been emitting huge tachyon pulses in the direction of Federation Space. It seems that they have also been spying on every Starfleet vessel in this sector for quite some time. However the intensity of the tachyon pulse means that the Cardassians can relay false sensor readings to any ship passing through adjacent sectors, so what appears on this screen may not actually exist."
"Any signs of new Cardassian Military installations?" Sara quizzed.
" None, but they may be hidden from view by the tachyon pulses."
Cumbrae went to check the authenticity of this report at the console as Lieutenant Donnachie stepped back, but the Captain had a difficult choice.
" Lieutenant Donnachie, I'm aware of your eagerness to complete this mission and I'm sure you acted in what you believed the crew's best interests. However this is a serious breach of protocol and in light of recent circumstances I have no other alternative than to confine you to quarters for the remainder of this mission."
Lennon felt sorry for doing this but it was the only alternative, aware that in the same position he probably would have done the same. However as Ruth was escorted through the door his frustration was complete when he looked at the astrometrics console where Cumbrae confirmed every word Ruth had spoken.