"Confirmed," said another crewman. "Ident.i.ty confirmed, Carda.s.sian Union warships Daikon Daikon and and Kashai." Kashai." The operator hesitated. "Sir, those two were among the ships...o...b..ting the homeworld when we left." The operator hesitated. "Sir, those two were among the ships...o...b..ting the homeworld when we left."
"They followed us?" Lonnic shook her head. "I don"t understand."
The deck officer came forward. "Colonel, I think they were here all along. Their impulse trail leads back to one of the outer moons of this planet. They must have been concealed in its magnetosphere, hidden from us and the Tzenkethi."
Li"s expression turned stony. "What is this?" he spat. "Hail them, right now! I want some answers!"
The crewman shook his head. "No reply, Colonel. They"re reading us, but they"re not responding."
"Then get me Bajor!" he shouted. "Subs.p.a.ce comms, this very second!"
"Impossible, sir," said the officer. "The Daikon Daikon"s broadcasting a scattering field. They"re jamming all transmissions."
Lonnic moved to the damaged, flickering view of the two amber-colored ships on the main screen. "Why are they here?" she said aloud. "The Chamber of Ministers ordered the fleet as a Bajoran response...Have they come to claim the Tzenkethi for themselves?" She thought of Kubus Oak once more. How was he involved in this? How was he involved in this?
"Sir!" The deck officer called out again. "Reading energy patterns from the Carda.s.sian ships. Transporter signatures."
Lonnic whirled as Li punched up the reading on a console. The colonel"s smoke-dirtied face creased in a frown. "They"re beaming something over to the marauder...Metallic ma.s.ses. Some kind of container units."
Lonnic craned her neck to see the display. On one of the smaller inset screens there was a graphic of the alien ship overlaid with patterns of moving dots. As she watched, the dots began to blink out one by one. "What is that?"
The blood drained from the deck officer"s face. "Life signs. Tzenkethi life signs. Something"s killing them."
Without deflector shields to protect the marauder, there was nothing to prevent the dispersal modules materializing on every deck of the Tzenkethi starship. The octagonal drums were faceted with oval nozzles that snapped open automatically. Under pressure, a fine mist of vapor issued into the thick air of the vessel, the dilution spreading out in a wave. Autonomous hazard protocols in the marauder"s atmospheric systems, programmed to detect and isolate compartments in the event of just such an occurrence, worked sporadically thanks to the battle damage the ship had suffered in the skirmish with the Bajorans. For the most part, the countermeasures were unable to stop the advance of the contagion through the decks of the ship. In its wake, the biogenic toxin left nothing but death.
In the engine compartment of the Glyhrond, Glyhrond, the ship"s captain turned from the stuttering control interface of the vessel"s warp core as a high-pitched whine sliced through the air. He turned and saw the glitter of a matter stream forming and a wash of relief coursed through him. the ship"s captain turned from the stuttering control interface of the vessel"s warp core as a high-pitched whine sliced through the air. He turned and saw the glitter of a matter stream forming and a wash of relief coursed through him. Rescue is coming, Rescue is coming, he thought. Li was sending over men to help them get his ship back on an even keel. "Thank the Prophets-" he thought. Li was sending over men to help them get his ship back on an even keel. "Thank the Prophets-"
The words died in his throat as the object in the transporter beam solidified and took on definition. A drum, just under the height of a man, decorated with what looked like Carda.s.sian military sigils. He reached out to touch it as the whine died away, just as latches on the upper surface retracted to present him with a series of oval vents.
Less than a heartbeat later the captain was on the deck, his lungs leaking from his mouth and nostrils in a stream of black slurry. All across his ship, his crew began dying in the same swift and pitiless manner.
"Get the shields back up now!" now!" bellowed Li. There was genuine terror in the colonel"s voice. bellowed Li. There was genuine terror in the colonel"s voice.
"Bioweapons..." husked the crewman. "They"re beaming them in all over the ship!"
Lonnic was shoved away as the deck officer grabbed at the console next to her. He stabbed at the controls, getting nothing but negative responses. "Deflector shields are inoperative!"
She stumbled away, half-falling, half-running toward the far side of the bridge; but there was nowhere for her to go, no escape route open to her. "Why are they doing this?" she cried out. Lonnic"s stomach churned as she fought down the urge to vomit on the decking. On the sensor plots the dead hulls of the Tzenkethi marauder and the Glyhrond Glyhrond were like specters, and she imagined them as charnel houses filled with the poisoned dead. The adjutant grabbed at the communications panel and pressed the transmitter key. "Stop this! I am Lonnic Tomo of the Korto District...Cease your attack, please!" were like specters, and she imagined them as charnel houses filled with the poisoned dead. The adjutant grabbed at the communications panel and pressed the transmitter key. "Stop this! I am Lonnic Tomo of the Korto District...Cease your attack, please!"
Behind her, Li was shouting at his men to seal the bridge"s environmental systems, even as an alert tone sounded over the intercom. Lonnic dropped into the chair in front of the console, ignoring the body of the unconscious operator lying next to her on the floor. She looked down at her hands and, with a physical effort, forced them to stop trembling. The woman marshaled all the resolve she could gather and steeled herself, drawing in the studied comportment that was her usual manner in the corridors of power. Lonnic took a deep breath, and a strange smell touched her senses, sweet and cloying like rotting flowers.
She spoke into the communicator pickup, an icy calm descending on her. "This is Lonnic Tomo aboard the Bajoran s.p.a.ce Guard warship Clarion. Clarion. We are under attack by Carda.s.sian vessels. They have already...killed the crew of the We are under attack by Carda.s.sian vessels. They have already...killed the crew of the Glyhrond Glyhrond and a Tzenkethi marauder, and-" She felt wetness in her throat and coughed, bringing her hand to her mouth. Spots of dark blood dotted her palm. "I-" and a Tzenkethi marauder, and-" She felt wetness in her throat and coughed, bringing her hand to her mouth. Spots of dark blood dotted her palm. "I-"
The rotting stink was overpowering her, and she tried to speak but nothing came. Lonnic"s eyes stung and cramps spiked through her, knotting her muscles. From nowhere, an uncontrollable shuddering wracked the woman"s body and a wash of agony came with it. The pain knifed through her and she fell from the seat to the deck. Her vision blurred and darkened as the biogenic toxin burned into the optic jelly of her eyes. The last thing she saw was Colonel Li dropping to his knees, his face a ruin as he wept streams of crimson.
Prophets, please, Lonnic begged, Lonnic begged, I don"t want to die out here! I don"t want to die out here!
Her prayer was not answered.
The troop of black-armored figures stepped into the command compartment of the marauder, picking their way over the heap of alien corpses at the hatch. There were gouges in the metal where the Tzenkethi had clawed at the door as they tried to escape.
Dal Dukat studied them. As if they would have found somewhere to flee to, As if they would have found somewhere to flee to, he mused. A Carda.s.sian would have met his fate with stoic defiance, not the panic that these creatures had obviously displayed. He glanced at one of his squad. "Ensure you gather all the corpses and have them placed out of the way. We need to retain their bioma.s.s." he mused. A Carda.s.sian would have met his fate with stoic defiance, not the panic that these creatures had obviously displayed. He glanced at one of his squad. "Ensure you gather all the corpses and have them placed out of the way. We need to retain their bioma.s.s."
"Yes, sir," said the glinn. She paused, c.o.c.king her head and placing one hand to the temple of her environmental suit"s helmet. "The rest of the sweep teams are reporting in. Engine core and environmental controls are secure. Secondary tiers have been vented to s.p.a.ce."
Dukat walked forward into the streamlined oval s.p.a.ce of the room. "Any stragglers?"
The glinn nodded, her suit making the gesture into a broad motion. "Some. A few made it to a decontamination pod before the dispersal reached them. They"ve been terminated."
Dukat nodded back and studied the ramps that curved up from the lower level of the command deck and inverted to meet the roof of the chamber. The upper surface of the deck was almost a mirror of the lower one, with consoles and oddly shaped chairs distributed in a circular formation. He could feel the faint shift in gravity as he moved closer; to make more efficient use of s.p.a.ce aboard their craft, the Tzenkethi used tailored gravitational fields so that walls and ceilings could become work areas. Dukat made a face. He preferred to have all his staff spread out across a single plane; but this operation called for flexibility, so he would tolerate the situation for the duration.
The glinn was examining the sensor readings from the tricorder built into her suit. "Toxin percentile is now within acceptable limits. The pathogen has burned itself out."
Dukat glanced up and saw an identical hesitation in the faces of his boarding party. All of them accepted the glinn"s determination, but none of them wanted to be the first to test it. Dukat smiled coldly and reached up, detaching his visor with a single swift twist of his hands. He folded the helmet back over his shoulders and made a show of taking a lungful of air. All of them had injected heavy doses of a neutralizing agent before they transported aboard the marauder, but it would have done little to save them if a pocket of the deadly germs still lingered.
The dal tasted the metallic tang of blood in the air. The ship stank of death; it would be another discomfiture to endure until they had completed the mission. One by one, his officers mirrored his actions as Dukat gave the command consoles a cursory examination. The displays showed streams of Tzenkethi script tumbling like waterfalls, lacking the obvious order of a Carda.s.sian radial display. "Get a translation matrix uploaded into these systems," he ordered. "I want this ship under power and ready to move as soon as possible."
"Sir, the engineering team report that the drives are largely intact. Shields will take longer to repair."
"Have them take whatever they need from the Kashai Kashai and the and the Daikon Daikon to get the job done, men and hardware," he replied, "but quickly. We have less than a day before the Bajorans are declared overdue." Dukat turned away and tapped his comcuff. "Tunol, respond." to get the job done, men and hardware," he replied, "but quickly. We have less than a day before the Bajorans are declared overdue." Dukat turned away and tapped his comcuff. "Tunol, respond."
The Kashai Kashai"s executive officer answered instantly. "Here, Dal. What are your orders?" "Here, Dal. What are your orders?"
"You have command now, Tunol. Once we"re done here, I want you to set a course for Bajor, warp three. Make your route a lengthy one, do you understand? The timing of your return to Bajor is critical."
"Confirmed, sir," she replied. she replied. "I"ve taken the liberty of preprogramming target strike points into the weapons systems. The "I"ve taken the liberty of preprogramming target strike points into the weapons systems. The Daikon Daikon will handle your exfiltration after the attack." will handle your exfiltration after the attack."
He gave an approving nod. Tunol was an intelligent woman and she showed a methodical insight. Dukat had been quietly pleased with her utter lack of qualms when he outlined the scope of the operation to her. "Good. I"ll supervise the transfer of command from here."
"Dal," she added. she added. "The Bajoran derelicts...Without power, they"ve been seized by the gravitational pull of one of the gas giant"s moons. Shall I take them under tow?" "The Bajoran derelicts...Without power, they"ve been seized by the gravitational pull of one of the gas giant"s moons. Shall I take them under tow?"
"No." He glanced at the glinn. "You. Weapons?"
"The plasma cannon will be operable in short order, sir."
"See to it." He turned back to the communicator.
"Tunol? Have the cruisers take some distance from those Bajoran scows. We"ll obliterate them before they impact the moon."
"Confirmed, sir. Kashai Kashai out." out."
Dukat found the station for the marauder"s commander and sat on the broad, cushioned disk. A cl.u.s.ter of circular screens and abstractly proportioned panels hung around him, suspended on the ends of metal armatures that rose from the floor or dangled from the ceiling. He toyed with them, turning and adjusting so he could sit in relative comfort and examine them. One screen showed a view beyond the blunt prow of the marauder, through the vapor of discharged breathing gases and wreckage fragments that were the remains of the skirmish between the Tzenkethi and the Bajorans. One of the a.s.sault ships was drifting past on a slow tumble, the nose turning, presenting itself to the dal.
Dukat considered the crews aboard those ships. Unlike the Tzenkethi, who were declared enemies of the Carda.s.sian Union, the Bajorans were, under the letter of the Detapa Council"s law, an allied people-and yet he had ordered the murder of more than a hundred of them without a moment"s hesitation. And now, as a plan of his design gathered momentum, Skrain Dukat"s hand lay on the weapon that would cause the deaths of countless more Bajorans.
As his men worked quietly around him, he looked inward, searching for the moral balance that guided so much of his actions.
The morality of a Carda.s.sian can only be understood by a Carda.s.sian. The morality of a soldier of the Union is that which serves the Union best. His father had first said those words to him, repeating one of the great axioms of service. There had been moments in his life when Dukat had entertained doubts-and only a simpleton would be so foolish as to believe that no man could be without questions, soldier or not-but this was not one of them. Dukat considered the place where he found himself: isolated from Central Command because of the independent streak he had exhibited during the Talarian conflict... His father had first said those words to him, repeating one of the great axioms of service. There had been moments in his life when Dukat had entertained doubts-and only a simpleton would be so foolish as to believe that no man could be without questions, soldier or not-but this was not one of them. Dukat considered the place where he found himself: isolated from Central Command because of the independent streak he had exhibited during the Talarian conflict...No matter that it had won him many battles! Reviled by Kell for daring to defy the jagul, for shining a light on the corpulent fool"s lack of progress with the Bajorans, and in an uneasy partnership with Ico and the Obsidian Order. More than anything, it was the latter that sat most poorly with him. The Obsidian Order represented everything that was cancerous about Carda.s.sia; they were an inst.i.tutionalized form of decay that preyed on the military and the people even as they pretended to serve the same ends as Central Command. Reviled by Kell for daring to defy the jagul, for shining a light on the corpulent fool"s lack of progress with the Bajorans, and in an uneasy partnership with Ico and the Obsidian Order. More than anything, it was the latter that sat most poorly with him. The Obsidian Order represented everything that was cancerous about Carda.s.sia; they were an inst.i.tutionalized form of decay that preyed on the military and the people even as they pretended to serve the same ends as Central Command.
His gloved hands tightened into fists. The Order serves only the Order. The Order serves only the Order. That too was wisdom that his father had given him, and firsthand Skrain had learned the truth of it. It galled him to think that he was in partnership with them on this, but he was a pragmatist and he saw that no other choice was open to him. That too was wisdom that his father had given him, and firsthand Skrain had learned the truth of it. It galled him to think that he was in partnership with them on this, but he was a pragmatist and he saw that no other choice was open to him. Ico and her kind may be a Ico and her kind may be a cancer on Carda.s.sia, but there are other more pressing malignancies that must be excised first. cancer on Carda.s.sia, but there are other more pressing malignancies that must be excised first. The pitiable Oralians, with their sad weakness and their primitive beliefs. The recalcitrant Bajorans, refusing to come to heel like ill-trained riding hounds. The pitiable Oralians, with their sad weakness and their primitive beliefs. The recalcitrant Bajorans, refusing to come to heel like ill-trained riding hounds.
Warfare is always a matter of priorities. Another axiom from his training came to mind. Another axiom from his training came to mind. The priority today is not my loathing of Ico"s nest of vipers, but to secure a future for Carda.s.sia. For my people and my family. The priority today is not my loathing of Ico"s nest of vipers, but to secure a future for Carda.s.sia. For my people and my family.
"Sir," said the glinn, interrupting his musings. "Plasma cannon is now operable."
He gave the order without hesitation. "Destroy the Bajorans."
The snarling chirp of Darrah"s communicator dragged him from the abyss of a deep and dreamless sleep. He rolled from the bed, ignoring Karys"s angry muttering, and padded barefoot across the floor to the chair where he had thrown off his uniform. He glanced out through the slats across the window, one hand reaching up to ma.s.sage the back of his neck. Tension sat across his shoulders in a thick yoke of stiffened muscle. Light rain was drumming on the gla.s.s, and he blinked as a distant flash of lightning glittered in the distance. His fingers closed around the communicator brooch as the faint grumble of thunder reached the house.
"This had better be good," he growled, raising the device to his lips.
He heard Myda"s ever-weary intonation. "Wait one moment, Inspector. I"m patching in a signal from the keep." "Wait one moment, Inspector. I"m patching in a signal from the keep."
"What?" His annoyance flared in unison with another lightning bolt. "Off duty means off duty-"
The very real fear he heard in the next voice made him stop dead. "Inspector Darrah? This is Tima, I"m a novitiate serving with Ranjen Gar..." "Inspector Darrah? This is Tima, I"m a novitiate serving with Ranjen Gar..."
And suddenly Darrah was very much awake. "Is he all right? What"s wrong?"
The girl was on the verge of tears. "He"s gone! He was supposed to be back here hours ago, with Vedek Arin"s party from Derna..." "He"s gone! He was supposed to be back here hours ago, with Vedek Arin"s party from Derna..."
Darrah nodded. "Yeah, I saw him at the port. They didn"t arrive?" He shifted the slats and peered out at the encroaching storm front.
"The others did. Ranjen Gar stayed behind. They said he was with an Oralian, a cleric called Pasir...They took a flyer to Hathon..."
"Then he"s probably there. Try the Hathon city central comnet-"
"We did!" she insisted. she insisted. "And Traffic Control as well. The flyer never went to Hathon, Inspector! No one knows where it is!" "And Traffic Control as well. The flyer never went to Hathon, Inspector! No one knows where it is!"
"Osen..." Darrah"s throat tightened as he whispered his friend"s name. Abruptly, he found Gar"s last words to him echoing through his thoughts. I will admit I too have had some concerns of late. I will admit I too have had some concerns of late. Darrah clamped down hard on the instinct to jump to a conclusion, but it was hard to hold back the notion that the priest could have been dragged into something dangerous. Darrah clamped down hard on the instinct to jump to a conclusion, but it was hard to hold back the notion that the priest could have been dragged into something dangerous.
"What"s wrong with Gar?" Karys called from the bed.
He waved her into silence. "Myda, are you still on the line?"
"Yes, boss," said the law officer. said the law officer.
"What have you got from Traffic Control?"
He heard a heavy sigh. "Running a search right now, sir, but so far it seems that the flight plan filed by the Carda.s.sian was a dud. I got a report from one of the precinct air units that a flyer matching the same description was seen heading west toward the Kendra mountains." "Running a search right now, sir, but so far it seems that the flight plan filed by the Carda.s.sian was a dud. I got a report from one of the precinct air units that a flyer matching the same description was seen heading west toward the Kendra mountains."
Darrah instinctively looked in that direction, and straight into the teeth of the thunderstorm. "No crash beacons, no alert signals?"
"Not a one, sir. It"s like they vanished."
"Not on my watch," he growled, flinging off his night-shirt. "Tima?"
"Y-yes?"
"We"ll find Gar, don"t worry."
"Thank you, Inspector." He heard the click as Tima dropped off the network. He heard the click as Tima dropped off the network.
"Myda!" Darrah snapped. "Put together a search pattern and a rescue team, have them a.s.semble at the port. Drag whoever you need to out of bed, and get a fast flyer routed to my house right now."
"Boss," came the wary reply, came the wary reply, "the storm"s a real monster. Weather control has been trying to pull the teeth on this one, but it"s going to hit scale four before daybreak." "the storm"s a real monster. Weather control has been trying to pull the teeth on this one, but it"s going to hit scale four before daybreak."
"Just do what I said," Darrah retorted. "If Gar"s lost out there, it"s not the Prophets who are going to rescue him, it"s us." He tapped the communicator, ending the conversation, then grabbed at his clothes as another ba.s.s rumble of thunder swept across the city.
Karys stood, a sheet wrapped around her. "Mace, what are you doing?"
"My job," he replied, pulling on his uniform.
The rain intensified, clattering against the window.
"Look at it out there," she retorted. "You know how lethal the tempests can get this time of year." His wife touched his shoulder. "I know the man is your friend, but you"re a ranking officer of the Watch. You could let someone else handle this."
He nodded. "You"re right, Karys, I could." Mace s.n.a.t.c.hed up his gear belt. "But I won"t." Above the sound of the rainfall, he heard the whine of antigravs. Myda had done as he"d ordered.
Her hand closed around his wrist. "You"re risking your life for him."
"He"d do the same thing for me." But as he looked into her eyes, Darrah knew that there was more to it than that, more than just the duty of his friendship with Osen. This isn"t any random misadventure taking place here. Something else is going on, something connected to Cemba. This isn"t any random misadventure taking place here. Something else is going on, something connected to Cemba.
The police flyer was settling into a low hover over the roadway outside the house. Grabbing his overcoat and his phaser holster, Darrah ran out into the rain without another word.