As many times as Johnny looked over the final mission report for the expedition to the wreck of the USS Kirk, some things just didn't add up. Why, for example, was his team sent to collect intelligence data four years old pertaining to a conflict which had already ended? Why was it deemed not necessary to collect a file with a required security clearance higher than Johnny had even known was used by Starfleet? Why wasn't someone sent with a higher security clearance: Commander Lataro, for instance, who by all rights should have at least been informed of the mission, even if he didn't actually participate? It wasn't like the captain to keep his own executive officer out of the loop on what was, on the surface, a routine salvage mission.
For that matter, why send in the Marines at all for a routine salvage mission, when Engineering and (if necessary) Security could have handled the detail? Johnny could have seen sending in the platoon in the event the T'rais actually did show up to the party, but not as a precaution!
Somebody's up to no good, Johnny thought. There's Intelligence, and then there's Intelligence: this has all the earmarks of a black operation.
Johnny then had an idea. "Computer, display global sensor readings of planetoid visited by the Virgo on stardate 60471." The data scrolled up his screen.
"Display data in graphic form. Highlight all concentrations of antimatter, tachyon radiation, and heavy metals."
The display on Johnny's screen changed to a spinning globe which data indicated was about 1000 kilometers in diameter. The fact that a planetoid that small could hold even a marginally Class M atmosphere is pretty unbelievable, Johnny thought. The planetoid was roughly equivalent to the asteroid Ceres in Earth's solar system. Ceres was, and always had been, a barren ball of ice and rock. The only atmosphere there was whatever Starfleet brought with them. Yet this planetoid not only had an atmosphere, but significant weather.
A section of the globe rotated into view which indicated an enormously high reading of heavy metals. The area was perfectly circular, and radiating far into both the infrared and ultraviolet bands. Infrared was a sure sign that heat was being generated; ultraviolet one of many indications that electrical currents were at work.
Aha! Somebody's built a base here! "Computer, what is the probability of the readings at planetoid longitude 45 degrees west, latitude 13 degrees south being a structure?"
<Probability is 97.355 percent. There is a two percent probability that the readings are indicative of a recent impact event. All other probabilities are negligible within standard margins of error.>
The plot thickens... "Computer, based on observed radiation absorption in immediate vicinity of stated coordinates, how long has this object existed in its current location?"
<Estimate is 35 years, plus or minus four years.>
Somebody was here before us: way before us! "Computer, were any life signs detected?"
<Access denied. Unable to comply.>
What the hell? "Computer, reiterate previous query. Authorization Chee Omicron Two One Six."
<Access denied. Unable to comply.>
"Computer, please state needed security clearance to access requested information."
<This information is classified at Level 7.>
There's Level 7 again!!! Even the captain's only got a Level 4 clearance, and routine sensor data wouldn't be classified that high! "Computer, list all personnel aboard the USS Virgo holding a Level 7 security clearance,"
Johnny queried, knowing well what the answer would be.
<Access denied. Unable to comply.>
Johnny knew what he needed to do at this point. He tapped his com badge. "Chee to Lataro. I'd like to speak with you regarding that away mission."
About twenty minutes later, Johnny was speaking with Jonathan Lataro, and showing him his findings on a PADD..
"Commander, you have my official report. Everything which needs to be in there is there. I am very pleased to inform you that Privates Horigawa, Volex, and Sorek are expected to make complete recoveries."
Lataro looked puzzled. "If that's in your report, then why do you need to see me?"
"Because there are some things which I haven't put in the report, and I think once you hear me out, you'll understand why." Johnny then related his findings regarding the possible base on the planetoid, and the information he was unable to obtain.
"I've heard rumors about higher security clearances used by certain Intelligence operatives and projects, but I've never seen them before. I also had a few questions of my own. When you were on the planetoid, you said you were in constant communication with the captain?" Lataro asked.
"Yes, at all times. Except, of course, when the T'rais were scrambling communications."
"That's the odd part. We had no encounters with any T'rais vessels while your team was on the planetoid," Lataro stated flatly.
"You've got to be shitting me, Commander!"
Lataro looked at him very gravely. "Your mission log, I presume, has a record of these transmissions?
"Yes, I've included it here."
Lataro took the PADD, then tapped his com badge. "Lataro to Lt. Tomme."
[Tomme here, go ahead.]
"I'm about to transmit to the Science Lab two voice recordings. I'd like you to run an analysis on these recordings and see if they match anyone currently on board the Virgo." Lataro then tapped a command into the PADD.
[I have the recordings. The computer confirms that one of the recordings is of Major Johnny Chee. The second voice is that of Captain Stephen Maruu.]
Johnny and Lataro looked at one another.
"Thank you, Lieutenant. Lataro out." Then, to Johnny, "Major, there has to be something wrong here."
"That much seems evident. The question is, why would the captain do that? And if he didn't, how did anyone else make such a perfect impersonation?"
Lataro frowned. "The larger question, of course, is why? Major, I presume you are familiar with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?"
"Yes. That was in 1964. An incident involving the United States destroyer Maxwell was fabricated to justify increased US involvement in Indochina. Allegedly, the Maxwell was attacked by North Vietnamese forces in neutral waters, when in fact the ship was in Vietnamese territorial waters on an espionage mission, and even the ship's captain disputes that an attack even occurred."
"Precisely what we're seeing here, Johnny," Lataro answered. "Somebody wants to commit the Federation to a war. From what I see, you were given illegal orders, and they were very definitely illegal, because neither I nor the captain would have authorized such an away mission, despite whatever forgery may have occurred, by a person or persons unknown to violate the sovereignty of T'rais territory. That base is very definitely theirs. You don't deploy a company of infantry using transporters without either a ship or a base nearby. And from what you've shown me, that base, and that planetoid, has been T'rais territory for a long time."
"But that doesn't make sense," Johnny replied.
"Why didn't the T'rais strip the Kirk of weaponry when it first crashed, rather than keep on using old-fashioned machine guns? Our search of the ship accounted for all the Type IV phaser rifles which were aboard the Kirk at the time of its crash, and the replicators were absolute garbage."
"For a very simple reason which I think you of all people could appreciate. Our T'rais prisoners inform me that they have a very strong cultural imperative against disturbing the dead. They won't even retrieve their own dead from a battlefield. They had also seen the Jem'Hadar remains aboard the Kirk and mistook it for a Jem'Hadar vessel. They pretty much left the wreck alone."
"Okay, that explains most of this. What about Level 7?" Johnny asked.
"What about it? I don't have a Level 7 clearance, nor does the Captain or anyone else aboard that I'm aware of." Onboard the Virgo, or anywhere in Starfleet that I've been, Lataro commented to himself. "Which leads us to the obvious conclusion that someone among the crew is hiding something. Keep your eyes peeled, Johnny; I'll do a little more checking into this myself. For now, let's keep this between us. If there is a larger agenda, and the architect of that agenda is on board the Virgo, you can bet all the latinum in the Ferengi Consortium that you and I both are dead men if we let this out," Lataro replied.