The wall monitor was already active when she entered the command center.
Still trying to get the last of the decontamination gel out of her ear, Hoshi Sato-Reed entered the converted laboratory a step behind Lieutenant Commanders Eisler and Hess. Following their return to Endeavour, Phlox had immediately ordered them into Decon for an abbreviated, but no less intense, anti-radiation treatment. The doctor had chatted with Hoshi through the comm panel for the entire hour, much to Eisler's evident discomfort. As much as she wanted to enjoy her conversation with Phlox, Sato had been constantly distracted by thoughts about what they had discovered on the Romulan weapon, and she knew her inattention showed. Thankfully, the doctor picked up the slack in the conversation, evidently realizing that she desperately needed to think about something other than the fact that the Romulans had access to top secret, classified Starfleet security codes.
Anna Hess had interrupted twice during that hour, both times ostensibly to get additional technical data regarding the warhead from Commander Eisler, but Hoshi suspected that excuse was just a ruse. The tactical officer's body language had undergone a surprising change while he talked to Anna, one that Hoshi couldn't quite explain. He was both angry and happy, yet fearful and confident, all at the same time. Never before had she been as confused about someone; even T'Pol had been easier to read when she first came aboard Enterprise.
Once given the all clear from Phlox, Hoshi had followed the two lieutenant commanders as they led her toward the command center. Anna was in a foul mood the entire short trip, rubbing her right hand through the glove that she wore on it. Hoshi winced at the foul stench emitting from the hand, recognizing it as one of Phlox's remedies; she idly wondered how the engineer had injured the hand. At Eisler's sidelong glance, though, Hess had stopped fidgeting with the glove and an embarrassed look had flashed across her face before it was quickly replaced by a scowl. Even then, Anna's body language seemed to be giving off a strange protective vibe directed toward the very capable tactical officer.
Hoshi was absolutely baffled by their interaction.
In many ways, it reminded her of how Malcolm and Trip had interacted during the Xindi mission. Hess was acting as if Eisler was hurting or injured (even though he clearly wasn't) and she wasn't sure how to offer comfort or solace, which naturally led to awkwardness. At the same time, the tactical officer was vacillating between simple appreciation of her presence and bristling at her, almost as if she was overstepping her bounds with him.
As they entered the turbolift that would carry them to B Deck, Hoshi found herself worrying about the situation on Earth. If the Romulans deployed weapons against Earth like the one that was now being taken apart by Lieutenant Commander Eisler's security teams, no one was safe. She desperately wanted to send a comm-pulse to Maddie and tell her to get little Malcolm to safety, but where would they be safe? Entire colonies had been completely obliterated by the Romulans since the war started; New Elysium, Salem Station, Terra Nova, Acheron ... the list went on. Hoshi shivered slightly, wondering briefly if the Reeds and her mother would consider an extended trip to Vulcan.
The thought of trying to convince Stuart Reed to abandon his new home in Sussex nearly caused her to smile. He was nowhere near the troll that Malcolm had always painted him to be. Gruff, yes, and uncompromising in his ideals, but hardly a monster. Seeing him dote on little Malcolm was always a sight to behold, and Hoshi just knew that Stuart would spoil the boy mercilessly in the coming years. Anyone with eyes could see that the grandfather lived for the grandson.
No, she decided. She wouldn't let these damned Romulans chase her or her family off the planet of their birth.
"-absolutely sure they're Starfleet codes?" Admiral Archer's image on the wall monitor was asking as they entered the command center. The lines on his face had deepened since their earlier contact with him, but it was entirely understandable in light of their recent discovery.
"Yes, sir," Trip replied. He too was grim as he glanced toward the trio of arriving officers before returning his full attention to Archer.
"I've got the technicians working on updating the defense systems," the admiral announced, his features implacable. It immediately reminded Hoshi of how emotionally closed off he had become during the Expanse mission, and she found herself grieving anew for the loss of Erika Hernandez. Sato had not known the captain well, but had seen the way Jon Archer's face lit up when Hernandez entered the room.
She tried not to think about how much in common she had with her old captain now.
Despite that, however, her thoughts instantly turned toward Malcolm. It angered her that she could go days without thinking about him, only to be reminded of him when she arrived home to greet the little boy who had his father's eyes and tendency toward trouble. Even more distressing was how Malcolm's family – now her family – seemed to understand. It was almost as if they expected her to move on with her life, no matter how much she didn't want to.
"But if the Romulans have the IFF codes," Archer continued bleakly, his harsh voice breaking into her train of thought, "our orbital platforms won't even fire at them!"
"Can't the weapons platforms be fired manually?" Eisler asked, and the admiral shook his head in disgust.
"No." The contempt in Archer's voice was easily detectable. "The geniuses that designed them never planned for this contingency." He frowned. "I'm reading your initial report, Commander," he said to Eisler, "and you used some acronyms that I don't know. Emm Eye Are Vee, for example..."
"It's pronounced MIRV, sir," the tactical officer stated, combining the letters to form a word. "It stands for multiple independently-targetable re-entry vehicle." Eisler began to warm to the subject, inexplicably reminding Hoshi of Malcolm whenever he was describing a weapons system of any kind. "There are multiple warheads on a single weapons system, each capable of targeting a different location. They were primarily used on nuclear missiles in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries."
"And this thing has twelve of them?" Archer was aghast and Hoshi found herself in complete agreement.
"Yes sir. Each with a sixty to eighty megaton yield." The tactical officer's words were chilling.
"My God," the admiral whispered in horror. "The weapon that destroyed Washington, D.C. in World War Three was only twenty megatons."
"There is an additional complication, Admiral," T'Pol announced from the station she was working at. "According to our scans, the exterior hull of the weapon is comprised of sensor-absorbing polymers that will make detection difficult."
"It's got sensor baffles too," Trip added. He was frowning, prompting Hoshi to wonder how often he smiled these days. His expression seemed to be perpetually dour. "I doubt any other sensor operator in the fleet could have even detected this thing." At his words, T'Pol straightened fractionally, clearly deriving pride from her mate's compliment. To Hoshi's slight amusement, however, Tucker didn't even seem aware that he had complimented the Vulcan. He was, after all, simply stating a fact.
"Send me everything you've got," Admiral Archer ordered. "I'll have these readings uploaded to every ship in the system in case there are any more of these things." He suddenly frowned. "T'Pol, how many of these weapons could a bird of prey carry?"
"I have no way of knowing that, Admiral," T'Pol responded without hesitation. "Based on the size and the dimensions of the birds of prey we have encountered previously, however, I would estimate no more than twenty."
"Twenty?" The admiral shook his head in horrified disbelief. "I hope you're wrong," he admitted.
"As do I, Admiral."
"Keep me posted," he ordered. "Archer out." His image winked out.
"Are we anywhere closer to finding this bird of prey?" Trip asked immediately. T'Pol's expression was not encouraging.
"Lieutenant Rostova is recalibrating the sensor array to my specifications," she said by way of explanation. "I am hoping to increase the sensitivity of Endeavour's sensors by approximately two point zero zero three percent."
"That much, huh?" Tucker asked sarcastically, earning himself the Eyebrow of Doom.
"As we have noted in the past," the Vulcan stated, her tone a touch acerbic, "Romulan ships are inherently difficult to track. A ship with a dedicated crew and sufficient training could conceivably avoid our sensors indefinitely."
"That's not good enough," Trip declared. "We have to find this ship before it launches more of these things." He gave his Vulcan first officer a look Hoshi couldn't begin to comprehend. "Draft whoever you need, T'Pol. Do whatever needs to be done." With a frown, he then pinned Hess with a look even as he continued addressing the Vulcan. "You have the authority to do whatever is necessary to find this thing," he said. Hess' expression soured, but she did not contest the instruction.
"Understood." T'Pol quirked an eyebrow in Hoshi's direction. "I suggest that Lieutenant Commander Sato continue to examine the guidance computer of the Romulan weapon, while I focus on extending our sensor net."
"I might be able to pull some useful data off of it," Hoshi said, hoping she wouldn't be proven wrong.
"Good." Trip glanced at Hess. "And you can help me tear that thing's impulse drive apart. Let's see if we can find anything in there that might help us track them." Anna nodded. "Let's get to work."