Star Trek: Cardassian Galaxy

Chapter 2

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Aboard the -E Geordi was busy alternating between curses and frustration as each new energy pattern threatened to deviate them from their goal. He threw down the stylus he was tapping on his screen and cursed again. 'Dammit! What the hell am I missing here Data?' A quizzical expression passed over the face of Sonya Gomez to his left who glanced behind her at Reg Barclay and grinned. 'Do I tell him or do you want to?' Reg looked up at her from his seat at the systemic diagnostics console. 'Y.. you.. t.. tell him, Ensign.' He sighed, the old stammer back again, once more to return as his bete noir under pressure. 

LaForge growled and turned to Gomez irritably. 'Tell him... I mean me... what?' 

'Sir, Commander Data returned to the bridge over half an hour ago.' Geordi blinked and looked around the Engineering Deck Two. 'OK let me rephrase then. Dammit Ensign what in the name of hell am I missing here?' 'We.' He stopped, and then sighed in understanding. 'Oh alright Sonya, what are we missing here? And yes I know if Data were here he would probably point out that if we knew what we were missing we wouldn't be missing it! It was rhetorical! I need ideas people not lessons in grammar!' 'W.. w.. w..' He turned. 'Slow down Reg, what's on your mind?' 

'What if the Enterprise neither blew up nor were taken by the Cardassians?' LaForge furrowed his brow indicating for the older but junior officer to continue. 'Well, well what if, and I know this is a stretch, what if the hull were somehow shifted by some form of turbulence. It's been over a year since the accident and with enough of a kick to break its' inertia...' Geordi tapped his comm. badge. 'LaForge to Stellar Cartography. Lieutenant Ki Sek. Are there any signs of solar or cosmic phenomena within the last 18 months, two years, which could produce enough of a turbulence or gravitational impact to shift a sizeable object?' 'Ki Sek here. How sizable Commander?' Geordi thought. 'Approximately 1,750,000 tonnes.' 'Wow that's a big piece of junk! What are you looking for?' The reply from Geordi was unusually crisp. Having the first starship on which he had served as Chief Engineer, a ship that would forever hold a special place for him in his memories, described as 'a big piece of junk' was not a remark calculated to improve his humour. 'Enterprise-D.' 'Oh. I'll get back to you. Ki Sek out.' 

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Evek grunted in satisfaction. The progress report laid out on the PADD in his hand indicated that they were exactly on course for completion. He dropped it on the desk of the Captain's Ready Room and picked up the one next to it, holding the second stage of the plan - the removal of the vessel safely to Cardassia Prime. Not for the first time he scowled noting the name of the officer commanding the expedition deep into Federation space. However his ire was tempered with the knowledge that, should the operation fail, then one of his bitter enemies would take the fall for it. However should the plan succeed then he himself would share in the glory that came with it. 

'Gul Evek to Engineering. Status report.' The reply was swift. 'Kotin here sir. Everything is proceeding according to plan. We are completing engine tests up to full and emergency power shortly. Testing will then commence on the primary defensive and offensive systems. Finally testing will be completed on the Structural Integrity and the Inertial Damping Fields. We will then be ready to get underway.' 'Good. Evek out.' Praise was not in Evek's nature. As a career Cardassian military officer he gave orders without any thought to the possibility that they might not be carried out. That was taken for granted. He stood and paced to the window behind the desk and looked out. Restless, he was bored with being cooped up on this ship and yearned for action. Reflecting briefly that he had not joined the military to sit behind a desk, a grunt was again the only response. 

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'Anything?' Ki Sek was anxious. Now the whole weight of their mission to the Veridian system was on her shoulders. If she and her team could not deliver, they might never find out if the Enterprise-D were still in serviceable order or not. Quite why this was so vital to know she neither knew nor understood. She did however know that it was her duty to find the trace elements the Enterprise' Chief Engineer had requested. Leaning over the shoulder of her colleague, Ensign Bolek she sighed. 'Nothing?' Bolek, a Sartin with golden skin and deep blue multifaceted eyes turned to her. 'On the contrary Lieutenant. Look here.' He pointed. She leaned over his shoulder at the display in front of him, and grinned. That would indeed explain the anomaly.