Terok Nor_ Day Of The Vipers Part 7

Bennek met the older man's gaze. "Even if the price is our integrity...our souls?"

There was no doubt, no hesitation in Hadlo's reply. "Yes. Is that so great a cost to keep the flame burning? What do two men mean when weighed against the future of our entire species?" He nodded to himself. "Oralius asks for a sacrifice, Bennek. We must not turn away from her."

Bennek searched inside himself for a reply, finding nothing but an echoing hollow.

Lonnic halted Jas as he crossed the anteroom toward his chambers. "Sir," she began, "you have a visitor. He refused to wait and let himself in."

"Oh?" Jas said, with an arched eyebrow. He strode forward and pushed open the ornate door to his office and found Kubus Oak seated in one of the deep chairs across the room from his desk. The minister was puffing at a smoking pipe between his teeth.

"Holza, good morning." Kubus waved the pipe in the air. "You don't mind, do you? I like to take a draft as an eye-opener-"

"Actually, I do." Jas went to his desk and opened a window, letting in the sunlight and the cool air. He gave Kubus a level stare, working to take back some authority in the confrontation. The other man had cheerfully set the moment against Jas, putting himself in the superior, relaxed position. That did not sit well.

"Ah. Forgive me." Kubus used his thick thumb to douse the pungent hiuna hiuna leaf. "It's an old habit." leaf. "It's an old habit."

Jas rested against the edge of his desk. "I thought you were going to return to Ashalla with the First Minister."

"It would seem not," Kubus said languidly. "Verin told me to remain in Korto while the Carda.s.sians are still here. As much as he hates to rely on me for anything, he thinks my presence will keep them at ease until they leave. I'm a known quant.i.ty to their kind."

"Indeed?" Jas kept his manner neutral, but inwardly he was frowning. It was enough that the alien clerics had decided not to go back to their ship with Kell, and that in turn was complicated by the fact that the gul had ordered his executive and a couple of soldiers to remain "as an escort." Jas had not been prepared for the contingency, and matters of maintaining security were foremost on his mind. Now, would he have to deal with Kubus Oak at the keep as well, the man constantly at his shoulder, second-guessing him? He still wasn't sure where the other minister's loyalties lay. To himself, and there alone, more than likely. To himself, and there alone, more than likely. Jas had yet to get the full measure of the man. Jas had yet to get the full measure of the man. Is he a potential ally, or is he a tool of Verin? Is he a potential ally, or is he a tool of Verin? The latter was the least likely, but then again the old man hadn't made it to the office of First Minister without making some odd political alliances along the way. The latter was the least likely, but then again the old man hadn't made it to the office of First Minister without making some odd political alliances along the way.

"Last night was interesting," said Kubus. "I thought it might benefit us both to examine the way it played out."

"It was a diplomatic function, not a springball match," Jas retorted, with rather more force than he intended to. He sighed. He had not slept well, spending the night mulling over every word and gesture he had made to the aliens. Verin's narrow-minded manner had single-handedly derailed any chance at a pact.

"Diplomacy is as much a sport as springball. Only the stakes are higher."

Jas tapped the intercom unit on his desk. "Tomo, get in here. And bring some deka deka tea." tea."

Kubus sniffed. "I thought we could discuss this alone."

"Lonnic's viewpoint is the sharpest I know," Jas countered. "That's what I employ her for."

"As you wish."

Jas wanted Lonnic in the room for support. His sleepless night had left him with worry gnawing at the pit of his stomach, the ghost of self-doubt clinging to him. Had he made a mistake bringing the Carda.s.sians to Korto? Deep down, Jas knew he wasn't the minister his father had been; perhaps this time his reach had exceeded his grasp.

Lonnic entered, followed by a servant who laid out a tray of steaming deka deka tea before leaving them to their conversation. Kubus inclined his head in greeting, and Lonnic returned the gesture. She had her padd in her hand, her fingers poised to string notes into the touch-sensitive surface of the electronic slate. tea before leaving them to their conversation. Kubus inclined his head in greeting, and Lonnic returned the gesture. She had her padd in her hand, her fingers poised to string notes into the touch-sensitive surface of the electronic slate.

"I have to confess, I was a little surprised by your reaction at the reception, Holza." Kubus helped himself to a generous cup of the tea. "Your response to the Carda.s.sians was more conservative than I had expected. Gul Kell practically offered us a trade agreement, but you were less than enthusiastic."

"I'm merely being cautious," Jas replied, taking a cup for himself.

"Ah, caution, is that it? And yet you were not so unadventurous before, when you boldly offered to host the alien delegation here. I did enjoy that speech you gave at the Grat.i.tude Festival." Kubus smiled thinly. "Why the change of heart? Are you out of your depth, Holza? Have you decided to join Verin's reactionaries?"

"'The fool plants where he wishes,'" quoted Lonnic, "'the wise man sees where the sun falls first.'"

Kubus snorted. "A country homily, how quaint. So Jas is the wise man, then? I'm pleased to hear it. I would hate to find myself in partnership with someone who lacked the wisdom to pursue opportunity."

Jas raised an eyebrow. "We're partners, Oak? When did that happen?"

"When the Carda.s.sians came, my friend. You and I are in this together." Kubus patted the chair. "Here, on this side of the river we sit with opportunity in our laps, and over there"-he gestured to the east, in the direction of the capital-"in Ashalla, there are old men of limited vision who will waste this chance if we let them. I want to make sure you know that, Holza."

Lonnic sipped at her tea and watched the interplay between the two ministers, gauging the reactions and the thoughts behind her employer's face. In the five years she had been Jas Holza's adjutant, she had come to know the man well-even intimately, for a time, before he had succeeded his father into the hereditary office of minister for Korto-and she could read the emotions behind his politician's facade. Undoubtedly there was merit in Kubus's words, but like Darrah, Lonnic couldn't shake an elemental dislike of the man. His manner was high-handed and superior; Kubus was rich and well traveled, spending more time at his holdings on the colonies than on Bajor itself, and he affected a smugly cosmopolitan att.i.tude as if he were more worldly than those who did not venture offplanet. But then again, Jas had several political allies whom Lonnic found quite distasteful in person. Expedience often meant dealing with those one considered objectionable.

What made the matter worse was that Kubus was right: the Carda.s.sians did represent a unique prospect for Bajor. But then again, so did the overtures from the representatives of the United Federation of Planets, and a dozen other smaller planetary governments. Just because the Carda.s.sians had come to Bajor, right to their doorstep, was not a valid reason to welcome them with open arms. Perhaps it was xenophobic of her to think it, but there was something about the manner of the gray-faced aliens that made her feel uncomfortable to be in the same room with them. She sipped another mouthful of tea and listened.

"Let's look at this from a pragmatic point of view," Kubus was saying. "Suppose we open the gates to an alliance between Bajor and the Carda.s.sian Union. The possibilities for trade alone are huge. Their technology could help our people advance in leaps and bounds." He waggled his finger at Jas. "I saw the glint in your eyes when Kell spoke about faster warp drives and better starships. And think of what else they have that we don't. Medicines, advanced energy sources, knowledge of the greater galaxy around us. Will Bajor thank us for turning down the chance to have those things?"

"And such trade, if it took place, would be facilitated through certain channels?" Jas asked. "The Kubus clan's shipping line, for example?"

The other man nodded. "In a.s.sociation with the Jas clan's concerns, of course. After all, if we are the men who bring this bounty to Bajor, is it not right that we take some reward from it?"

"You mean beyond improving the quality of life for our people?" Lonnic asked.

Kubus shot her a look. "I won't deny that I see this as a way to better my own lot, and that of my clan. And you should do the same, Holza." A note of reproach entered his voice. "After all, you have responsibilities to the district of Korto and your people. I think I would be correct in saying that your current circ.u.mstances could stand to be improved, yes?"

"What are you implying?" The mood in the room cooled rapidly.

"I'm not in the business of making implications, Minister," continued Kubus. "I prefer to deal in facts." He put down his cup and leaned forward intently. "Let us be honest, Holza. Your position in the Chamber of Ministers is not what it once was. Verin and his cronies have done what they can to take advantage of your recent misfortunes and diminish the stature of your office."

Lonnic saw a nerve twitch in Jas's jaw. It was an open secret that the First Minister was quietly scornful of Jas's political prowess and saw him as a poor shadow of his father.

Kubus continued. "I know you nurse the hope to one day stand for election to Verin's post, but for now that goal moves further away from you with each pa.s.sing moment." He paused, taking a breath. "But if you were to take a leading place in a.s.sembling an agreement with the Carda.s.sians, the political capital you would gain would strengthen your position. You could rise to the front rank again."

"My only interest is to do what is right for Bajor," Jas replied carefully. "My rank, and Verin's view of it, are secondary to that."

"And how will you do that if you are insolvent and powerless, Holza? Remember, I know about your meeting in Batal. I know about the problems that you face."

For the briefest of instants, Lonnic saw something like shock on the minister's face before he shuttered it away, composing himself. She felt her blood run cold. Jas had yet to explain to her the reason for his sudden and secretive trip across the equator to the city of Batal. For several months now she had been aware that he was keeping something from her. At first she thought it might be an illicit a.s.signation-it wouldn't have been the first time Jas had taken an interest in another man's wife-but the minister's increasingly grim manner after each jaunt gave her cause for concern. Now she read a degree of the truth in Jas's face, and it chilled her.

Kubus watched her and suppressed a smirk. "You haven't even told your adjutant? Perhaps you were trying to protect her from any future consequences?"

"Sir," Lonnic said, "what is he talking about?"

"I'm talking about Golana," said Kubus. "The bold colonial endeavor funded by your clan, far from home and far from stable."

Jas met her gaze. "There have been some serious issues at the colony, Tomo," he explained. "The situation there has...deteriorated."

Lonnic's mouth went dry. The Golana settlement was a legacy of Jas's parents, established nearly two decades earlier by the clan's mining pioneers. Even then, it had been a gamble. It was a verdant, Bajor-a.n.a.logous planet, ideal for an outpost site; but it was distant from the homeworld, well outside the span of closer colonies like Prophet's Landing and Valo II. After the initial rush to colonize, it had been difficult to induce new homesteaders to make the long voyage; but she never dreamed that there were problems out there. "What happened?"

"The storm season last year was particularly harsh. A large percentage of the crops failed. There were deaths. Several of the families resident there broke their contracts and left. The population count is currently too low to maintain criticality."

She nodded, understanding the pattern. Without a crucial number of people to keep the colony running, the Golana settlement would eventually collapse and be abandoned. All the millions of litas invested in the planet by the Jas clan would be wasted.

"I've been sending ships and supplies, trying to sh.o.r.e up the outpost." Jas frowned. "It hasn't gone well."

"That's the reason for the closed-link communications? That's why you went to Batal?"

Jas eyed Kubus. "Yes. I was meeting with one of my scoutship captains. What they had to tell me was not encouraging." The minister folded his arms and looked at the other man. "How did you learn of it?"

Kubus shrugged. "I have my methods. Rest a.s.sured that First Minister Verin knows nothing of the matter. Frankly, if something does not occur within sight of Ashalla, he has little interest in it."

"What do you intend to do with this information?" Lonnic demanded.

"Nothing," said the minister. "But I bring it up now to ill.u.s.trate a point. If we had faster, better starships, Golana would be brought closer and this issue would not even be a concern. But as it stands, you run the risk of wasting your clan's fortune on a colony you cannot hope to support."

"And if I close the settlement down," murmured Jas, "I give Verin another stick to beat me with."

Kubus nodded. "All the more reason to make an alliance with the Carda.s.sians. A single one of their freighters would solve all your problems."

"Perhaps."

Lonnic heard the turn in Jas's voice and fixed him with a hard stare. "We should not be so quick to trust the aliens," she broke in. "Yes, in the short term we may be able to reap the benefits, but what do we open ourselves up for in the days that follow? Carda.s.sian starships moving freely through our s.p.a.ce? New economic pressures placed on our worlds by the Union's demands? Suppose, after a while, they decide they want to take from us instead of trading? Once we open these gates, we won't be able to close them again."

"The Carda.s.sians would never have been allowed to enter our system if there was the slightest chance they were here on a military footing," Kubus retorted. "Li, Jaro, and all the rest of the Militia, they would never permit it!" He grunted, shaking his head. "The fact is, the Carda.s.sians simply don't have the capacity to mount an invasion of Bajor! Why expend soldiers and materiel when they can follow a peaceful path? Carda.s.sia Prime is too concerned with their own internal problems, and their naval forces are tied up in border skirmishes with that Talarian rabble." He leaned forward. "Let's not forget, they they came to came to us. us. We have the home advantage here, Holza. If we let the prospect for a pact pa.s.s Bajor by, then perhaps your gloomy adjutant here will be proven right, and they will come back with battle cruisers instead of priests!" We have the home advantage here, Holza. If we let the prospect for a pact pa.s.s Bajor by, then perhaps your gloomy adjutant here will be proven right, and they will come back with battle cruisers instead of priests!"

Jas was silent for a while, and Lonnic could see him weighing the arguments in his thoughts. "If we did advocate an agreement, Verin would never accept it. Even together, Kubus, you and I and what allies we have would not be enough to sway the Chamber of Ministers. Without another impetus to propel it, the First Minister will block any pet.i.tion and we will be left looking foolish."

Kubus smiled. "Don't worry about that. We'll have all the support we need."

"What do you mean?" Lonnic asked.

The other minister glanced at her. "The Prophets will provide."

The door hissed open and Kell crossed the threshold into the Kornaire Kornaire's primary laboratory module, casting around until he spotted the woman Ico at a console in the far corner of the room. He was glad to be back on his ship; the towering ceilings of the Bajoran castle had made him feel uncomfortable, and he had forced himself to resist the urge to look up over and over, as if his senses were warning him of something threatening overhead. Kell preferred the close, controlled s.p.a.ces of his vessel, the decks and corridors he knew as well as the ridges on his own neck.

He studied the faces of the civilian contingent as he pa.s.sed them by. Only one or two of the half-dozen scientists dared to look him in the eye. Most of them hadn't even left the lab decks to venture into other parts of the ship. He imagined they were simply marking time, waiting for the mission to be over so they could return to whatever interminable research projects they had been plucked from. He saw one of the younger men, the one called Pa'Dar. Kell had seen him in conversation with Dukat about the vessel. It would behoove me to place a closer watch on that one, It would behoove me to place a closer watch on that one, he mused. Unlike the others, Pa'Dar had willingly taken meals in the mess hall and seemed interested in the running of the ship. Such behavior left Kell suspicious; there was no doubt in his mind that the secretive forces of the Obsidian Order had an operative on board the he mused. Unlike the others, Pa'Dar had willingly taken meals in the mess hall and seemed interested in the running of the ship. Such behavior left Kell suspicious; there was no doubt in his mind that the secretive forces of the Obsidian Order had an operative on board the Kornaire Kornaire-it was standard practice to put a spy on every line starship, so the rumors went-and with these scientists foisted upon him it was likely they had used the group to insert another. But then again, Pa'Dar is the obvious choice, But then again, Pa'Dar is the obvious choice, he told himself. he told himself. Too obvious for the Order; then again, it wouldn't be beyond them to attempt a double-bluff... Too obvious for the Order; then again, it wouldn't be beyond them to attempt a double-bluff...

He shook the thought away. This trying mission was playing on his mind.

"Gul," said Ico. "Thank you for coming. I felt it would be simpler to display my findings here rather than on the bridge."

"I appreciate the need for containment of information," he replied. "Show me."

Ico manipulated the arc of control tabs on the panel before her, and a large screen on the wall opened into a virtual display of the star system, each of the fourteen worlds in the ecliptic appearing with designations and data tags that streamed with information. A curved red line showed the course that the Kornaire Kornaire had taken from the outer edge of the system in toward Bajor. Kell noted how the Bajorans had done their best to ensure that the Carda.s.sian ship had traveled on a circuitous route that kept it as far from the other worlds as possible. If anything, such an action showed how little they knew about the capacity of Carda.s.sian sensor technology. Coupled with long-range scans from other ships and the reports of covert probe drones, the had taken from the outer edge of the system in toward Bajor. Kell noted how the Bajorans had done their best to ensure that the Carda.s.sian ship had traveled on a circuitous route that kept it as far from the other worlds as possible. If anything, such an action showed how little they knew about the capacity of Carda.s.sian sensor technology. Coupled with long-range scans from other ships and the reports of covert probe drones, the Kornaire Kornaire had a good spread of information about the Bajor system to draw upon. had a good spread of information about the Bajor system to draw upon.

"Our initial estimates were incorrect," said the woman.

Kell eyed her. "In what way?"

Ico didn't look at him. "If anything, we were far too conservative in our approximations. There's a reason these aliens have never ventured far from home, Gul. They have everything they need close by." She altered the image to bring up a series of models of the planets, which scrolled past one by one, each bringing up ovals of text showing mineralogical determinations. "Stocks of feldomite, dilithium, iron, kelbonite..."

"What about Bajor itself?" he insisted.

She nodded and worked the console to show the planet that they now orbited. "We've used our time carefully. To ensure the aliens were not aware of the operation, I had my team adopt a rotating scan frequency modulation combined with a shift matrix in the Kornaire Kornaire's sensor pallets-"

"How your team did it concerns me less than what you learned." Kell was getting impatient with the woman. Although he found the scientist an interesting diversion from the military officers he normally a.s.sociated with, Ico had a tendency to display more self-interest than was seemly for a civilian.

"Of course," she replied, letting his interruption roll off her. The image of Bajor unfolded into a topographical map that changed color, areas glowing in different shades to highlight geological strata and mineral deposits. "I have conducted an intensive scan of the planet and the close orbital moons, confirming the intelligence provided by the Obsidian Order. Bajor is indeed a treasure-house, Gul Kell." She pointed out areas on the map. "It is very rich in many key strategic ores and minerals. For example, several parts of the planet are dense with seams of raw uridium." Ico folded her arms. "From what I can determine, it seems that the natives have made only a few cursory attempts to excavate the substance, and in a largely inefficient manner. A more intensive program of strip-mining would generate a much greater yield, perhaps with the construction of an orbital refinery platform to facilitate more effective extraction."

Kell grimaced. "Yes, I'm sure the Bajorans would be happy happy to allow us to level their hillsides in order to fulfill the needs of our shipyards." He snorted. to allow us to level their hillsides in order to fulfill the needs of our shipyards." He snorted.

Ico gave him a neutral look. "It was my understanding that the purpose of this mission is to establish the value Bajor has to the Carda.s.sian Union as a resource, not how we may make the locals happy."

"What was it that you said to me before?" Kell glared at her. "This is only one ship, Professor Ico. What would you have me do, wage war with it and plant the Galor Galor pennant on a pile of corpses in the plaza of their capital city?" pennant on a pile of corpses in the plaza of their capital city?"

"I would never have the temerity to think I could provide military ac.u.men to a decorated officer of the Second Order, Gul," she replied smoothly. "I am a scientist, and it is my function to observe and calculate, and draw conclusions from what I witness. Perhaps, if the Central Command did not insist on provoking the Talarian Republic, there might be more vessels to prosecute the more important missions for the Union."

"Are you suggesting that this...this fact-finding jaunt has as much value as defending our borders against raiders?" Kell loomed over her, but the insufferable female remained aloof.

"I know you feel slighted by the orders you were given," she continued. "Be a.s.sured I would not say the same to anyone else." Her smile was cool. "I imagine you would prefer to be out at the perimeter, engaged in combat." She c.o.c.ked her head. "Your daughter is there now, is that not right? Stationed with the punitive fleet at Torman?" Ico gave a theatrical sigh. "But neither of us have what we wish, Gul Kell. I wish to see Carda.s.sia thrive, and to do that she needs resources, but for now the option to annex Bajor is beyond us." Her voice hardened. "What I find disappointing, and what I do not doubt Central Command and the Detapa Council will also be dismayed by, is the paucity of response you generated from the Bajorans."

Kell's temper was rising, but he kept it in check. "I did as I was ordered to. I offered them our technology and they were uninterested." He made a curt gesture with his hand, hoping to make the woman flinch, but she remained impa.s.sive. "I dislike this interminable diplomatic rhetoric. Already I am sick of it." He drew himself up. "I told Command when my orders were delivered to me, this mission is pointless. All we can do is gather what intelligence we can and then return to Carda.s.sia." He nodded at the screen. Kell wasn't sure what irritated him the most: that the woman was so perceptive, or that on some level he agreed with her. "Let them send politicians next time," he grated. "This is their arena, not ours."

Ico gave a short, sharp bark of laughter. "My dear gul! We are Carda.s.sians. We are all of us political animals."

He turned his back on her and made to leave.

Kell was halfway across the laboratory when Ico spoke again, her words deceptively light. "It's a pity," she began. "At a time like this, a man who returned to the homeworld with a bloodless victory for his people would be hailed as a hero."

He paused, turning. "I have no need for plaudits," he said carefully, "I take my glory in serving Carda.s.sia."

Ico approached, smiling that flat, predatory smile of hers. She saw straight through the lie in his words. What man wouldn't want to be lauded? But what chance is there for triumph in this backwater, surrounded by pious, stolid aliens? What man wouldn't want to be lauded? But what chance is there for triumph in this backwater, surrounded by pious, stolid aliens?

"Just so," she allowed. "And would it not serve Carda.s.sia to bring her succor?"

He frowned. "You're talking in circles, and I have little tolerance for such things."

"Have you seen the datastreams from home, Danig?" Her voice became more intimate, as if she were confiding some personal secret. "There have been incidents, violence in the streets."

Kell hesitated. His attention had been solely on the ship and the mission. He had not had a moment to review the information feeds. The gul wondered where Ico had got access to that data herself.

She continued. "The Oralians have been causing unrest. Apparently, after Hadlo joined the mission and left Carda.s.sia, some of his followers chose to believe that he had in fact been executed by the state, that this endeavor was merely the cover for that deed."

Kell sneered. "They flatter themselves. If Hadlo was to be killed, he would have been gunned down in the street, not spirited away in some conspiracy." He met the woman's gaze. "What have they done?"