Lost Era 06_ Catalyst of Sorrows - Margaret Wander Bonanno [98]
Wait and see, she chided herself, as much because she wanted to live, regardless of the circumstances. Wait and see what the mission is, and then decide. If there’s a fragment of a possibility of a chance that you can act on your own behalf, without harming anyone else…
Well? What more can anyone hope for?
“You’re useless,” Koval announced. “I don’t know why I feed you. Back to the barracks; I’ll summon you when I need you.”
Only later did it occur to her that perhaps the two had deliberately spoken as they did within her hearing. Had they known she was there to spy on them? Had they wanted her to report on what they said? She didn’t know. She would never know. She wasn’t as good at this as she’d thought.
And I’m still not! she thought, lining up retorts, setting out pipettes, checking the containers of acids and reagents, removing sterile instruments from the autoclave, checking and double-checking the sterifields, the pH meter, the spectrophotometer. But each day I live is a triumph, and that will have to be enough.
Her sharp ears no longer heard Uhura’s voice, but a sudden commotion in the control cabin told her Sisko was not alone.
Chapter 14
“Your Citizen Leval has been less than honest with us.” Citizen Jarquin’s voice preceded his appearance on the viewscreen. “He led us to believe he had visited other prefectures before ours. But out of curiosity, one of my aides messaged several of the regional offices and found out otherwise. Naturally I am interested in knowing why Leval deceived us. I’m sure he has a very good reason, but I want to hear it from him personally. Kindly put him onscreen.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that right now, Citizen Jarquin,” Sisko said, hoping he sounded calm, also remembering to play the role of the hired ship’s pilot taking orders from his Romulan employer. Below the screen’s visual level, his hands were busy working the comm, trying to raise Tuvok, to at least let him hear the exchange and perhaps give Sisko some guidance. “He, um, gave me orders he was not to be disturbed, and I’ve learned from past experience never to disobey Leval’s orders. But I’ll give him your message and as soon as he’s available-“
Citizen Jarquin cut him off. “That is not sufficient, Captain Jacobs. I wish to speak with him now. If you do not put him onscreen immediately, my guards and I will be required to board your vessel and seek him out personally.”
Dammit, Tuvok, I know you can hear this! Sisko thought, trying to locate his reading amid a moil of small life-forms within the Sawar quarantine zone. He’d last tracked Selar moving among a small huddle of Quirinians, but now couldn’t pinpoint her at all. Tuvok, wherever you are, get your butt back up here, now!
A voice behind him, out of range of the viewscreen, said quietly, “The lab. I’ll do it.”
Zetha, Sisko realized, thinking on her feet. At least closing the lab was one less thing he needed to worry about. Now, where the hell was Tuvok? Sisko put on his best smile, and stalled.
“Citizen Jarquin,” he said sincerely, pouring on what Jennifer had always called the Sisko Charm (“Makes you think you can get away with anything,” she’d say, “and you usually do!”). “I’d like nothing more than to help you out, really I would. But I’m just the skipper here; all I do is steer the boat. And I’ve learned from hard experience that when Leval tells me to do something, I’d better do it. That’s what he pays me for.”
Onscreen, Citizen Jarquin was now flanked by two very large Quirinians, armed and in full combat garb. His personal guard, ready to board the ship and search it from stem to stern. A telltale on Sisko’s console told him someone in Jarquin’s vicinity was attempting to override Albatross’s transporter lock. While he did his best to charm, Sisko was also changing the transport