=/\= USS Archer, Bridge =/\= The signal was very weak, but whenever Andy did manage to catch a snippet of it, he was stunned by the density of information it seemed to carry. Since the ship had settled in synchronus orbit with the planet, Andy called the Helmsman over to get an extra pair of eyes. "What do you make of this, York?" he asked. "Its a datastream ... and it's coming from the asteroid?" Andy nodded. "It's definately emitting from a fixed location. But I can't tell where the stream is going -- It's not broadcasting to any one location, even though it's a narrow stream -- it's like it's -- There! There it is again!" Andy shifted quickly over to the science station next to his, where Ens. Oberlin had been injured a few hours earlier, while York took over Andy's Ops station. Andy tapped his commbadge. "Bridge to Astrometrics. Oriana, how goes progress with the lateral sensor arrays?" "Engineering and science staff are currently repairing the array, Lieutenant. It is working at 81 percent efficiency," replied the vulcan stoically, "and should be fully restored within the hour." "Good. Any news on identifying the datastream samples I sent you?" "We've run them through the database, and are finding several ... close ... but not exact matches," replied the Chief Science Officer. "It seems almost to be attempting to imitate other signatures." "Oh? What kinds?" "Primarily Romulan and Federation, during broadcast. But there seems to be another datastream travelling in reverse along the same wave, using a much higher band frequency. "In reverse?" "Aye, Lieutenant, they are broadcasting and receiving data." Andy thanked them, and stewed over that piece of information for a few moments, as LtCdr. Summers emerged from the Captain's ready room. She took the center seat, and pensively stared at the image of the Romulan Warbird floating menacingly on main viewscreen for a few moments before asking York, currently seated at Andy's station, if the Away team had departed yet. "Yes ma'am, they transported to the given co ordinates three minutes ago. Transporter chief reports that one of the away team was carrying weapons," he added, but noted that they were removed before transport. Rangi seemed unsurprised that Jack Walsh had been the culprit, and Andy silently chuckled to himself, agreeing. Why Guzman would choose to send that trigger-happy blowhard on a diplomatic mission was beyond him. Andy then returned to work, trying to get a better grip on this mystery signal. "Lieutenant?" Andy looked up and saw Rangi looking at him inquizatively. "Ma'am?" he said. "Any results from the detailed scan yet?" "Aye, Ma'am," he replied. "Let's have it, then." Andy nodded and continued. "It's a carrier wave ... a datastream. Broadcasting to make it seem that both Romulan and Federation information was being sent." "Romulan and Federation?" asked the Acting Exec. "Is there any indication that the Warbird was sending the information remotely?" Andy thought for a few moments. "I wouldn't think so, ma'am ... not with the amount of damage they sustained ... they surely have had their hands full with their own battle recently. However," he continued slowly, an idea beginning to dawn, "it's quite probable that they might have been in the same situation as us." Rangi told him to explain, and Andy continued. "Science has indicated that these signals seemed to have both Romulan and Federation origins ... but didn't quite match. Sensor scans have been indicating that the datastream coming from - and going to - the asteroid haven't been focusing on any one ship. Sometimes it's us ... other times it seems to be focusing elsewhere." Nathan Acheson's voice came from tactical. "Lieutenant, you said there were datastreams coming from and going to whatever kind of array is down there?" "Aye, sir." Acheson frowned and turned to Rangi. "Commander, I think we may have been scanned ... or even still might be." Things began to fall into place for Andy ... the scan, the confusion with the Warbird, the two cloaked ships ... broadcasting federation and romulan data ... "Commander," Andy began, "This may be a stretch, but I have an idea of what this all might mean." "Go ahead, Lieutenant," "If we'd been scanned like Mr. Acheson here suggests, mightn't the warbird have been scanned as well? If they collect enough superficial data on us, could the Kzenti have then broadcast false sensor readings of the opposing vessels *onto* their own ships? If they have a sophisticated enough cloaking technology, I wouldn't imagine it would be a terribly far leap to be able to use ...," Andy paused for a while, thinking of a good analogy, "... like a chameleon technology, and use it to make their ships appear to be something else?" "Like a Romulan Warbird and an Intrepid Class starship," finished Acheson nodding. "It would explain why, despite the damage, the Romulans never lost any crew. The chameleon ship never had any crew, and the Kzenti missed that detail when they took a "snapshot" of the Warbird." "I wonder if the Romulan science staff encountered similar oddities in their fight with "us"," pondered Rangi. Andy shrugged, and the AXO sighed grimly. "In any event," she continued, "I don't particularly like the idea of someone covertly scanning us, and manipulating our sensors." "I'll contact science," said Andy, "and tell them our theory. We'll see if that might fill any blanks in for them." "Good," said Rangi, beginning to tap on the console on the command chair. "Keep me posted." "Aye, Ma'am." ---------------------- Lt. Andersen Foster Operations Officer USS Chimera