Captain Drake paced his small quarters, waiting impatiently for the complete squadron damage report to be delivered by his yeoman. Alex sat in the cabin's single comfortable chair; sipping a glass of double malt Scotch and watching her friend wear out the deck plates. He had asked for her presence, but after pouring her a drink he seemed to have forgotten that she was around.
"He doesn't take defeat well, does he?" Mentioned Kana, lounging against the door and tracking Drake with her harsh red eyes; his up and down motion made her think of a yoyo, and she was tempted to conjure hers up and play with it.
"Of course not. He's a Starfleet captain. If he loses, the world ends."
Drake stopped pacing and looked over at them, seeing only Alex. Although he was her best friend, she hadn't trusted him with the knowledge of her companion, and nor did she plan to. "How can you be so calm?"
"Worrying isn't going to help. Once we know how badly we've been hurt, we can start wondering how to proceed."
"They couldn't have known we were coming, yet their hastily assembled defence defeated three Daedalus-class and two Phobos-class ships. With what? Little corvettes packing Klingon weaponry." He clenched a fist and smacked it into his palm. "They knew exactly where to hit us."
"You heard what Susan said: they got our weaknesses from the Daedalus databanks."
"A fine theory. But that leaves me even more worried, if it's true. They've only had that ship for a few days, and already they understand it well enough to access classified information in its computer files."
Alex understood her friend's worries: "If we leave it in their hands for much longer, who says they won't be able to build their own Daedalus?"
"Exactly."
She thought about it for a moment or two. From what they had seen so far, the aliens were adept at reverse-engineering captured technology – she could think of no other explanation for how they came to possess Klingon weaponry. But it would take them a lot longer to understand how to recreate the Daedalus, bolt for bolt, than it had to learn how to work the computer. Especially since… "They captured the ship and crew. It's possible that someone showed them how to run the database."
"You're suggesting that a Starfleet officer betrayed our secrets to the enemy," Drake said, sounding appalled.
Alex shrugged. "They're captives. Not everyone has the Federation's enlightened views on humane treatment of prisoners."
The captain nodded, understanding his friend's point. The Klingons, Orions, and Suliban had never shown any compunction about using torture to gain information from prisoners, and he was willing to bet that the Romulans practiced it as well. Such barbarism was far too common in the galaxy. It was easy, if uncomfortable, to believe that those aliens had put Hiro and his crew through Hell to get what they wanted.
Which just made him want to hurt them all the more.
"We shouldn't have withdrawn so easily."
"If we'd stayed, we'd have been pasted."
Good counter. He should have anticipated it.
"Maybe. But we should have given them a parting gift. A volley of photonic torpedoes, right into that shipyard."
"Might have killed some of our people, if they're being held captive there," began Alex, but then she paused, listening to a voice that only she could hear. "Then again, who's to say that's where our people are? We don't know how extensive these aliens' territory is."
Drake calmed and thought. "That's a good point."
His cabin door chimed, and Drake answered it. Yeoman Birch handed him a data slate and backed out again without saying a word. He had already glanced at the slate on his way down from the bridge, and knew that the captain wouldn't be pleased.
Drake scanned through the information, dropped the slate onto his desk, and swore. Alex took another sip of her drink and enquired, "Bad news?"
"Helios is a wreck; it's going to take days to get her functional again. Icarus has lost main power on most decks, and we're not in great shape ourselves. Only Patton and Grant escaped crippling damage, and that's probably only because their plans weren't in the Daedalus' computer." He forced himself to calm down, perched on the edge of his desk, and looked at her. "A few minutes' fighting, and all our ships are disabled. Bastards."
"How long?"
"Patton and Grant will be fully operational with just a few hours' work. Chief Fran estimates about a day to restore full systems here, and another day for Icarus. With Helios we're looking at a week just to get her warp drive back online."
"She warped here okay."
"Yeah, but that took it out of her. Her core was so close to rupturing when we came out of warp that they considered jettisoning. Primary systems are offline all across the Helios, and the Patton's standing by to assist in evacuation, if anything else breaks. Those…whoever they were really concentrated their fire on that ship."
Alex rolled that around her head, until a reason came to her. "Makes sense. If they've been through the Daedalus' computer they'd know that Captain Swift is the senior captain of our group."
"They didn't know that I'd been given command."
"Which at least tells us that they haven't broken our communications protocols."
"Small comfort," said Drake.
Alex grinned, seeing a chance for adventure opening up before her. "Well, actually, it is good news. It means we can perform our reconnaissance and report what we find without worrying about having our transmissions intercepted."
Drake waved the data slate. "Weren't you paying attention, Alex? Our ships are in no condition to do anything right now."
"There's the Shadow Wing."
"Your ship?"
"Unless we've got another Shadow Wing in the squadron somewhere," she smiled.
Drake knew what she was suggesting, and he didn't like it. "Your vessel is minimally armed and doesn't have proper shields. If you get attacked you don't stand a chance. We learnt that last time."
"Those were Orion marauders. Completely different."
"There isn't a handy warship graveyard nearby for you to use, either."
She had known he was going to throw that one at her, and she had been prepared for it. "My ship's highly manoeuvrable, they won't hit me. Besides, they have to find me before they can shoot me. Shadow Wing was a smuggling vessel; she's designed to evade scans. You know that."
"Federation scans," Drake countered. "We have no idea what scanners are fitted on their ships. Your sensor screen's no good against Orion scanners."
"That's because the Shadow Wing is Orion. They built all of her technology; they know how to find her. Besides, that was a special situation: those were high-priced assassins; they had all the best kit in creation. Normally, nothing can find the Wing unless I want it to. No one builds a stealth ship like the Orions." She considered for a moment and admitted, "Well…maybe the Sulliban, but they just don't count. Come on, Will. You said it yourself; the starships are stuck here for a day or more. I can use that time to gather valuable intelligence."
Drake knew from long association with his friend that once she got it into her head to do something no amount of arguing would make her change her mind. Stubborn didn't even begin to describe Alex Nain. If she thought that she was right, nothing would keep her from her course. She would find a way to get out there and do what she thought was necessary.
He poured himself a Scotch, taking his time about it so that he could think it through. There were advantages to what she was suggesting, and one very big risk. Did the potential benefits out way that danger? Yes, they did. But this was Alex, and that changed everything. No amount of information, no matter how useful, was worth her life.
She would never forgive him if he forbade her from doing this.
"You're just bored, aren't you?"
"Terminally. Will, come on. Yeah, I'm antsy, but I'm right, too. We could do with some intelligence on these bastards. I can get it."
"You're not going alone."
She shrugged chirpily. "Wasn't planning to." She smiled affectionately at Kana, who was now standing behind Drake, resting an immaterial hand on the captain's shoulder like a lover. That hand was quickly withdrawn, and Kana said uncharitably, "I don't recall volunteering."
"Like you get a vote."
"You're taking Major Tyler and his marines. That's not up for debate, Alex."
The marines had come aboard at VX-41; at the same time the science team had been offloaded. Alex hadn't had much to do with them, and had hoped to keep it that way. She didn't have much time for military hard nuts. She preferred the scientists. Okay, Sarn had been the only one of that group whom she hadn't felt like punching at one point or another, but that was still one more than the marines.
She missed the Vulcan.
"They'll cramp my style," she moaned.
He folded his arms and regarded her sternly. "Not up for debate."
"Fine. Tell your soldiers to meet me in the shuttlebay, in one hour."
"Why an hour?"
Alex slugged her drink back and beamed. "Well, they need to gear up, and I need to get changed. If you think I'm going out in these blue overalls you've got another thing coming, Will."
"This is a Starfleet mission," he reminded her.
She nodded. "Yup. This," she gestured around the cabin, "is a Starfleet mission. But as soon as my ship gets involved, it becomes my mission. And then we do things my way."
"Major Tyler isn't going to like your way."
Alex very bluntly explained what Major Tyler could do about his displeasure.