• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Laughing, Undlar said, “What did you think I was going to do, Emarur? Ask her politely to go along with the destruction of Ganitriul? Don’t be ridiculous. She had to die, the same way my brother clergy had to die. Revolutions don’t succeed if the people you’re revolting against remain breathing.” Undlar closed his eyes and once again relived the death of the other priests in his mind’s eye. He had so enjoyed killing those self-righteous imbeciles. “Besides,” he said, reopening his eyes, “the role of naïve young priest was getting tiresome.”

Emarur blinked several times. “You killed the priests?”

“Of course. It’s no good destroying Ganitriul if the people who know how to fix it are still up and about. Besides,” he added with a grin, “it was so much easier to convince the Speakers that this ship was built with the clergy’s authorization when I was the only clergy left alive to verify it. Now then, unless you have any other tiresome questions, I’d like to get on with this before that Starfleet ship comes back—or worse, brings friends. Contact the surface. I need to know if Hagi has neutralized whatever team Starfleet sent down.”

Emarur glared at Undlar. “I’m the owner of this ship, Undlar, not you. You don’t give me orders.”

Undlar moved closer to Emarur and unsheathed his blade, which was still blue with Ansed’s blood. In a low, calm voice, Undlar said, “I hired you, Emarur, and I’m the one who paid to have your precious ship equipped with non-Ganitriul components. Right now, you’ve got the only working vessel in the system. I think, therefore, you should modify your tone before you join the First Speaker. Now, I repeat, contact the surface.”

Continuing to glare at Undlar, Emarur reached back and opened a channel. “ Senbolma to Hagi.”

After a moment, a voice replied, “Hagi.”

“This is Undlar,” the priest said, resheathing his weapon. “We’re proceeding mostly according to plan. Apparently, Ganitriul called for help from the Federation, and they sent one of their starships to try to fix our ‘Great One.’ We took care of the ship, but they sent people to the surface.”

“I know,” Hagi said. “We found them at the main terminal, but they got away. We wounded one before the security protocol kicked in and neutralized the blasters. Luckily, we’ve got the blades, and all they’ve got are useless energy weapons. They’re outnumbered by more than two to one, so they should be dead soon.”

“Excellent. I will join you shortly.”

“I wouldn’t recommend that, Undlar. The security systems are going completely haywire.”

“Of course they are. Ganitriul itself is haywire. That was the point of the exercise,” Undlar said slowly, as if talking to a small child.

“Yes, but if you transport down and a security shield chooses that moment to activate, you could wind up scattered to the solar winds.”

Undlar sighed. He hadn’t thought of that. “We’ll have to land, then.”

“I’m afraid not,” Emarur said. “One of those torpedoes the da Vinci hit us with damaged our landing gear. We can only land with a tow—which is impossible, since, as you so kindly pointed out, we’re the only working ship in the system. Well, except for the da Vinci , but even if they do come back, I doubt they’re going to be accommodating enough to help us land.”

Growling, Undlar said, “Fine. Hagi, let me know as soon as you’ve killed the Starfleeters.”

“I will. Hagi out.”

Emarur turned to Undlar. “If you don’t mind, will you please do something with the First Speaker’s body?”

Undlar blinked his lower eyelids. “Excuse me?”

“I don’t like dead bodies on my flight deck. Remove it.”

“What am I supposed to do with it?”

“Dispose of it.”

Undlar’s face twisted. He took great pleasure in killing, but the idea of touching a dead body . . . “I can’t do that.”

“You’re the one who killed her, Undlar. If you’re squeamish about touching the body—well, you should have thought of that before you killed her. Now get that body off my flight deck!”

Emarur stared hard, right at Undlar. The priest was sorely tempted to slice open the ship