Chapter 18
Will Gets His Orders
Stardate 2366.091
The revelation that an additional, now hostile, Romulan fleet could arrive in system within the next few days came as just one more shock, in addition to all of the others he had had to endure this past week. Although he wanted to trust his mentor, too many things just didn't add up. He had called Jordi and Data back to the Enterprise so he could have a face to face with all of his staff and Commander Sanderson. He outlined what they were facing and the urgent need to find the Tantalus Device as soon as possible.
"I know we've been thrown into an unusual situation here. I have to tell you though that I have known Admiral Mifune for many years and trust his judgment.
To say his staff did not take the news of a hostile Romulan fleet's imminent arrival well, was an understatement, but they all understood events were moving very quickly and there was an urgent need to be prepared.
"I have to say Captain, I find it hard to believe that we were ordered here to recover some advanced technology and the Romulans claim to know nothing about it," said Will.
Warf stated the obvious.
"Regardless of what the Admiral says Captain, the Romulans cannot be trusted."
"Captain, I know how you feel about the Admiral, but I have to echo everyone's concerns. I could sense his feeling of "rightness" in what he is trying to accomplish, but I also know for sure he did not tell us everything."
Jean-Luc could not easily dismiss the betazoid's ability to sense deception.
"Do you have any idea of what he's holding back Deanna?"
"I got the feeling from both of them that she is here for much more than just an examination of the ruins."
"Any clue as to what that might be?" he pressed.
"Not for sure, but I do not have to remind you that the only other thing we are aware of in this system of any significance is the device and the other technologies that might be found."
Jean-Luc was conflicted. On the one hand the Admiral was his mentor and he trusted him implicitly. On the other, he obviously had something going on with the Romulan admiral.
"I share your concerns more than you realize, and I have voiced them to the Admiral. He has assured me, however, that Admiral Ruwon is no threat to us, and in fact, has provided us the specifications for their cloaking technology. She told the Admiral that all we need do is recalibrate our censors in accord with the data on this chip and we can see any cloaked vessel. To be honest with you, I am less than confident of his opinion on this matter and Deanna's judgment makes me even less so. The bottom line however, is circumstances are such that we cannot easily contact Starfleet and verify our orders. Further, we are faced with a situation that must be addressed immediately. We cannot risk the device getting into anyone's hands but our own. So let's deal with that first.
"Jordi and Data, I want your first priority to be to get the cloaking detection capability integrated into our sensor array. Then I want you to immediately take command of the two science vessels and hide them in the nebula. They have no armament to speak of and will not be of any help in a fight if it comes to that. Your mission there will be twofold. First, I want you to send out probes on a regular schedule with a message to Starfleet telling them about our situation here and requesting they immediately send all available resources our way. Remember, you will have to maneuver to the edge of the nebula, launch a probe, and then duck back in. Work up a random schedule of coordinated releases from different edges of the nebula between you. Under no circumstance are you to do anything to risk the capture or destruction of your respective ships. The other thing I want you to do is figure out a way for us to cut through all of this interference. We will be outnumbered when the other Romulans get here and if we can communicate ship to ship when they cannot, it will provide us with a significant advantage."
"When do we need to get the ships into the nebula Captain?" asked Jordi.
"We think the Romulans can be here in as little as two days give or take. So, I want both of you to depart no later than twenty-four hours from now. In the meantime, coordinate with your counterparts who will be staying on the Enterprise on that communication system. If you come up with something while you are in the nebula, I want to know what to look for since we most likely will not be able to come directly to you."
"I don't know if we will be able to get the cloaking detection up and running in that amount of time, Captain, given what we need to do to get the science vessels ready to leave, but we'll do our best."
"That's all I can ask Jordi."
"May I suggest Captain, that while we are in the nebula, we conduct a systematic search for anything interesting that may be there? Since we are unsure what the Admiral is keeping from us, I think it would be prudent for us to verify what has already been reported."
"Good point Mr. Data. As long as it does not interfere with your primary mission, see what you can find out. Will, I want you to lead a team to the surface to get the device. Take Mr. Warf and whatever personnel you deem necessary. Commander Sanderson and the twins will accompany you. Your contact will be the lead scientist Glen Livingston. He and his team should be on their way back from the excavation site. Land your shuttles at the main camp and the people there will let you know where you need to go to rendezvous with him. Get the device and bring it up here as soon as you can. Remember you've got less than two days to get this done. Alright then, if there are no more questions, let's get to it. Good luck everyone, dismissed."
