The device lay on the table in the engineering workroom.  Lieutenant Elizabeth McKee sat, and an advanced VISOR unit slipped over her eyes.  Her hands held intricate tools that resembled operating room equipment.  She was working patiently with each component.  McKee marveled at its creator – they had taken a specific function of the Gagarin and worked backward to circumnavigate it.  The elegance of such a device was infuriating because it had kept them in the dark out in the rimward.  She could marvel at the creativity and be furious at the deception.

She heard the door slide open behind her but remained focused on dismantling the unit piece by piece. Lieutenant Sadie Fowler’s voice asked, “Have you had any luck?”

McKee continued working as she replied, “It’s perfectly tuned to the Gagarin – from passive to active sensors.  It’s programmed to reflect scans and hide the target from scans on Gagarin’s spectrum.  I’ve sent the preliminary report to Montana Station – they’re working to evaluate any security breaches.”  She removed three more parts, setting them aside: “It won’t take much work to reverse engineer this thing – and update the ship’s sensors and system.”

Sadie sat down at the side of the table, “You think there are more out there – targeting other ships in the squadron?”  Her mind had been working on the problem since the discovery.  Someone out there in the rimward was trying to complicate her job.

Liz separated the two remaining pieces, notating their functionality and position: “I think we might have been a test run. The station is relatively new, and its positioning was intentional. I think the Syndicate…now the Network – they’ve only managed to map so much.  The rimward is massive – it takes weeks to get across the damned thing.  There’s enough space to guarantee we’ll never lay eyes on everything and everyone.”

Sadie followed her logic and didn’t like her conclusion: “If we’re the test run, is this someone’s way of saying hello?”  Her eyes widened as she wondered, “Or was this a warning of how they could get to us?”

McKee disconnected the last elements and sat back in her chair, staring at the neatly arranged pieces and parts. “I love that your first thought is they were just giving us a wave, Sade.”  She ignored her friend sticking out her tongue at her.  “The thing is – you don’t go to this much work to let someone know you exist. You do it because you want to stay hidden.  This was created and manufactured – it took time, it took materials…whoever they are, whatever they’re up to – it’s no good.”

They stared at the disassembled pieces.  Fowler asked, “Do you ever wonder if we’ll find someone who’s not mad at us, Starfleet, or the Federation?  Someone who just likes us for us?”  She rolled her eyes at the amused look on McKee’s face, “I’m serious, Lizzie.  Why do we keep running into the ones that want to punch our lights out?” 

The Chief Engineer chuckled, “Because we’re out here in the rimward, Sade.  Although,” she gestured to the universe map on the wall, “if you look at the rest of Fourth Fleet – we’re all trying to keep the chaos from unfolding.  You’ve been reading about the Klingons taking a swing at the Romulans?  Our little encounter is small compared to the larger movements out there.”  She let out a long and tired sigh, “Being a Starfleet officer isn’t easy, Sade.  The universe is big and complicated.  Don’t try to make sense of it all – you’ll get a headache.”  She surveyed the pieces, “You ready to reverse engineer this bastard with me?”

Fowler sat at her station on the bridge as she updated the science station display.  Captain Helena Dread chuckled as the signals began to reappear, “That certainly cleaned things up.”  Between Fowler and McKee, the resulting adjustments and updates to the sensor systems immediately opened their view of the sectors around them and beyond. The signals ran the gamut—network, Colonial, and several unknowns. Dread had shared her theory that the unidentified ones could be the Klingons on the hunt for the former Syndicate Romulans who had unwittingly become part of Tougun’s Network.

Fowler replied, “We’re getting much better data.  McKee was able to determine the frequencies and fields at use further – if there are additional devices out there, we’ll have a better chance of punching through the interference.”  She tapped at the console, bringing up a few planets, “We’ve got a few possibilities as to where this thing was either produced or materials gathered for its construction.”  She explained that using previous survey data from science vessels over the years, they could compare the materials used in the device to locations with raw rocks and metals.

Dread asked, “You think we could use extra help on this one?”  Fowler’s look of confusion gave way to her explanation, “Captain Wren Walton’s got a powerful science ship.  Together with the Gagarin to back us up in case someone gets froggy.” Sadie smiled.  It would reunite her with her boyfriend, William Prentice.  It would also help them find the saboteur sooner.  Dread chuckled, “I know part of the reason for your smile.  Get me Walton on a secure channel.  Let’s see if she’s willing to team up.”