There had been some trepidation on all fronts, given the earlier failure against the first klivamvessel that Dagarths bird‑of‑prey, Nel Trenco,had attempted to seize, but their system reportedly had worked flawlessly in capturing and maintaining control over the MupchIchwhich Dagarths crew had then used to destroy the pursuing I.K.S. Veqlargh Jajlo. Had any serious operational errors occurredor had the Klingons somehow managed to summon reinforcementsthe considerable risk of causing an ill‑timed war with the Klingon Empire would have loomed. Instead, as matters stood now, the best evidence available would show that one Klingon vessel had been responsible for the destruction of the others. The Klingons would be more interested in concealing their embarrassment than in engaging in another war against Romulus.
“Your service will be commended, Valdore said, gesturing toward the holographic image of the female captain of the Nel Trenco. “History will mark this day well.
“I serve the Empire,Dagarth said, bowing her head. The image rippled slightly again, then disappeared.
On the other side of the desk, Doctor Nijil, Valdores chief technologist, approached, a triumphant smile playing upon his lips even as his hands were clasped behind him in a show of submission.
“ Youhave done well, also, Valdore said, pointing toward the scientist with one hand as he reached into a recessed area under his desk with the other. He noted that Nijil flinched just a little in response to the maneuver, as though Valdore might have been retrieving a concealed disruptor pistol rather than a celebratory bottle of carallunwine.
“Relax, Nijil, Valdore said in a deep voice intended to inspire calm, uncorking the wine as he spoke. “Youre in no danger from me. He stood and hoisted the bottle above the level of his head, allowing the light from the tall windows to glint through the green ehrieurhillhglass of the bottle.
“I know that you dont normally drink, but you willshare a toast to our success. Valdore took a swig of the tart liquor, not bothering to stop to look for drinking vessels. Then he passed the bottle to Nijil, who wasted no time following Valdores lead. The scientist seemed to try not to make a face at the bitter taste, but with little success.
Valdore stoppered the bottle again and returned it to its dusty spot beneath his desktop. A few khaidoaago, he had made a point of leaving that dusty spot undisturbed by notcelebrating the Romulan Star Empires devastation of Coridan. Even though he had played a part in the execution of the attack, it had not been a proud moment for him. Not only had it seemed a dishonorable action, it had also failed to disrupt the peace pact that now united the worlds of the fledgling Coalition of Planets. The sneak attack had, however, greatly curtailed the Coalitions supply of dilithium, a material that had long been crucial to the operation of Coalition starships. Many in the Romulan military thus saw the action as a success, and Valdore was happy to accept the resulting laurels and accolades, finding such unearned praise infinitely preferable to once again facing the prospect of political disfavor, imprisonment, or even execution. He reflected that his longtime friend and former senator, Vrax, who languished in Praetor Dderidexs dungeons during the long khaidoathat had followed the Romulan militarys most recent significant tactical defeat, might not be so fortunate.
Looking beyond Coridan, Valdore was glad to focus on his other plans for furthering the military goals of the Romulan Star Empires ambitious Praetor. The half‑crazy Doctor Ehrehin was still working on a singularity‑powered stardrive prototype, and Nijil and his team had been engaged with multiple projects, including a stable cloaking device capable of rendering large manned vessels effectively invisible to both scans and visual observation. Unfortunately, the invisibility cloaks that had been tested so far worked only to conceal small objects, or ended up quickly overtaxing the power‑production capabilities of large vesselsinvariably with explosive results. It appeared that significantly more timeor an unexpected breakthroughwould be necessary to find a truly workable solution to the cloaking problem.
Recently, however, Nijil and his team had succeeded in developing a new technology, one based in part on the principles that governed the operation of the telepathically controlled drone ships, whose recent failure had resulted in Valdores brief imprisonment alongside Vrax. This new tactical system was able to intuitively bypass ships control mechanisms, allowing the Romulans to seize control of enemy vessels.
Thanks to Valdores association with the former Vulcan Administrator VLas, Nijil had already succeeded in confirming that the tactical system would work well enough if deployed against Vulcan software, and the just‑concluded field experiments against the Klingons showed that their vessels were vulnerable as well.
“We must bring our new arrenhehwiuatelecapture system to bear against Coalition vessels, Valdore said, emerging from his reverie. “Other than those of the thaessu,that is: our distant Vulcan cousins. But we must do so in a way that does not implicate the empire.
Nijil nodded, then spoke. “It is easier to unravel a weave when one has pulled a single thread. If we target a Coalition vessel that is of little intrinsic importance, something that is not likely to be missed immediately, we will have grasped the very thread that leads us to other, more consequential ships.
Valdore raised one eyebrow as he considered his chief technologists words. The time to strike against the Coalition was coming, but to assure victory, whatever specific blow he was going to deal would have to be carefully considered and flawlessly planned.
He smiled. When the hammer finally fell, the Coalition would not even have time to wonder about what had hit it.
SIX
Monday, July 14, 2155 Enterprise NX‑01, near Altair VI
T O A RCHER, the regulation‑required inspection of the United Earth Space Probe Agencys port facilities at Altair VI had seemed all but interminable. The fact that the planets surface gravity, at least in the areas not outfitted with artificial gravity plating, was fifty percent higher than Earth normal didnt help matters any. And despite the protective eyewear that he and Malcolm Reed and everyone based at the Altair VI colony donned whenever the inspection checklist had required them to venture outside, the intense brightness of the sun had given Archer a nearly equally intense yearning for a welding mask.
Archer was thankful, at least, that the proceedings had gone largely without incident, and that the few areas in the central compound and its surrounding out‑buildings that werent quite up to Starfleet standards and UESPA code hadnt affected any critical systems. Fortunately for everyone concerned, Altair VIs mild and relatively Earth‑like climate, particularly at the high northern latitudes where the bulk of the settlements had been established, rendered the planets few thousand human colonists safe from pressure‑dome blowouts and other similar technological catastrophes, if not from distant Altairs intense, ultraviolet‑heavy brilliance. The few small problems that had been discovered during the inspection had been put right within a couple of hours with the aid of Enterprises new chief engineer, Lieutenant Mike Burch, and his able crew.
After he had finally finished with the inspection and the final exchanges of pleasantries with the ports command staff, Archer and Reed returned to Shuttlepod One and took it back into the green‑tinged sky that overlooked the northern seaside port facilities. Archer turned the shuttlepod as it gained altitude, allowing him to take in the welcoming vista of the Darro‑Miller settlement that had risen over the carbon dioxide‑in‑fused Altair‑water aquifers to the south. The pioneer town was still growing quickly, already home to nearly twenty‑two thousand humans; more than a few of these settlers would no doubt soon participate in the creation of other settlements, either elsewhere on this world or on the even more challenging surface of the systems still largely untouched fourth planet.