Death in Winter - Michael Jan Friedman [69]
That is, when he wasn’t accompanying the rebels’ scouts on reconnaissance expeditions. But then, Joseph had been a security chief on Picard’s old starship, and he had navigated enough subterranean tunnels in that capacity to develop an affinity for them.
Picard, by contrast, spent most of his time with Hanafaejas, planning a distribution network for the delivery of the vaccine to the Kevrata. After all, it availed them nothing to devise a cure if they had no way to get it to the victims.
During those sessions with Hanafaejas, the captain seemed energetic and engaged. But in the moments between them, he seemed to withdraw inside himself and brood over something. Decalon had wondered what it might be-until Joseph cleared up the mystery for him.
Apparently, Doctor Crusher had been a close friend of Captain Picard. In Joseph’s estimate, it was she who occupied the captain’s thoughts.
Decalon knew what Romulans did to their prisoners. He wasn’t optimistic that they would find the doctor alive, much less with her psyche intact.
However, Crusher’s status wouldn’t become an issue until they had completed their mission on Kevratas. Until then, there was no point in arguing the reality of the doctor’s situation.
Besides, Decalon had his own distraction to deal with, his own set of disappointments and regrets. But in his case, they revolved around his friend Phajan.
The night before, a rebel named Kito-a newcomer to the ranks of the tunnel dwellers-had confirmed in the streets of the city precisely what Picard had suspected. Shortly after they left Phajan’s house, a contingent of centurions had descended on it.
Had Decalon and his comrades still been inside, they would have been killed-or at the very least taken prisoner. Their mission would have ended as abruptly as Doctor Crusher’s. And the Kevrata would have been no closer to salvation than the day the Federation learned of their plight.
Phajan, the Romulan thought. The name was like a dagger in his side, causing him pain with every breath.
How could he have been so wrong? How could he have misjudged his friend’s character so badly? And how vehemently I argued when Picard insisted on leaving Phajan’s house. If the others had listened to him, they would have ended up cursing him.
Decalon needed to redeem himself somehow, to prove that his inclusion on the team hadn’t been a mistake. He could only hope he got the opportunity.
Making sure no one could see or hear him as he huddled in the doorway of an old warehouse, Manathas removed a device from an inner pocket in his thermal suit.
It was small but powerful, as powerful as the communications transponder on any warbird. Had his employer been any less influential, he would never have been able to get his hands on such sophisticated equipment.
Fortunately, his employer was the single most powerful individual in the Empire. However, she was also the most demanding, and what she wanted was information.
Which Manathas would now give her. Opening a channel on a prearranged frequency, he kept his mind focused on his message-and not the disease that was running rampant inside him-and began transmitting to Praetor Tal’aura.
“Glory to the Empire,” he said, “and the praetor, and all she does on the Empire’s behalf.” It was the ritual opening expected of him; to skip over it would have been impolitic, to say the least.
“We have captured a human physician,” he said, “an agent of the Federation sent to cure the Kevrata of their plague.” He glanced at his hand, where the lesions seemed to be growing in number and intensity. “Unfortunately, it is no longer solely the problem of the Kevrata. A strain of the disease has begun to affect the Romulan population here as well.”
Manathas neglected to mention that he was one of them. If he did, Tal’aura might wonder if he was placing his own interests before hers.
“The human has given me reason to believe she can cure the Romulan strain of the disease. This, it seems to me, may be even more important to us than crushing the rebellion on this world.
“Yet Commander Sela appears not to