Myriad Universes 02_ Echoes and Refractions - Keith R. A. DeCandido [116]
But asking him about it took her mind off the fact that she was likely never to see Garak again. Or anybody else, aside from Federation prison guards, unless Ro was able to convince Picard to talk to her.
Jean-Luc Picard stared at his security chief, who sat next to Worf on the other side of his ready-room desk. Though Ro had had a rocky start as a once-disgraced Starfleet officer who had helped the EnterpriseD find terrorists who’d attacked a Cardassian ship, she’d blossomed into a fine officer. After a stint under Picard’s command, she took Starfleet security training, and then did some work for Starfleet Intelligence for a couple of years. Then, when Riker and Data were granted captaincies and Worf was promoted to first officer, Picard requested that Ro replace the Klingon as security chief and tactical officer.
In her two tours on two different Enterprises, Picard had had no reason to doubt Ro Laren, which was the only reason why he was even considering her request now. “Lieutenant,” he said, “this is Ambassador Krajensky’s responsibility. He believes that Kira is either insane or a Cardassian spy.”
“She’s no spy,” Ro said hotly. Then she visibly calmed herself. “She was in the Shakaar resistance cell. Trust me, if there’s anyone in the galaxy less likely to be a Cardassian spy than a Shakaar, I’ve never met them. She’s more loyal to Bajor than-than anyone.”
Picard had known Ro long enough to discern that she was originally going to say “than me,” but said nothing. Instead, he turned to his first officer, sitting next to Ro. “What do you think, Number One?”
Worf had yet to grow accustomed to being referred to with that appellation, and he winced when Picard said it, but quickly recovered. “I believe that Ambassador Krajensky is not trained in interrogation techniques. I also believe that a single insane Bajoran woman would not be capable of crossing the border alone with only the help of a Ferengi-nor do I believe that a spy would have quite so…outlandish a tale to tell.”
“So you believe we should question this woman further?” Picard asked.
“Yes, sir. What’s more, Counselor Troi, Lieutenant Ro, and I should conduct the questioning.”
Nodding, Picard said, “Very well. I will clear it with the ambassador. Summon the counselor to the lecture hall, and begin at once.”
Worf, son of Mogh, kept forcing himself not to look at Deanna Troi.
It had been awkward, serving with his former parMach’kai on this new ship. It was even more awkward after the war began-and she and Riker rekindled their romance. They’d gotten married just before he was put in command of the Sugihara. She’d stayed on the Enterprise, since the Sugihara didn’t have a position available for her-the ship had a qualified counselor whom Riker did not wish to dislodge for his wife-and she felt that she was still needed here anyway.
Ending their relationship had been the right thing to do. Worf knew that.
But it was damned hard to keep working with her.
At least the war usually kept her off the bridge. Her services were required quite a bit in these hard times, and she rarely had the opportunity to take her station at Picard’s left.
Now, though, they had work to do.
Because Ro was, like their guest, a Bajoran, they arranged for her to take the lead. “Okay, Kira-tell us what you told Ambassador Krajensky.”
Kira Nerys took a deep breath, setting her hands in her lap. “It started about five years ago. A smuggler was trying to escape from Terok Nor-that’s the space station in orbit of Bajor,” she added, presumably for Worf and Troi’s benefit, though Worf was familiar with the station from recent intelligence briefings regarding the Cardassian Union.
She continued, “The Cardassians use it for processing uridium from the mines. This smuggler tried to lose his pursuer in the Denorios Belt-that’s a stream of tachyon eddies and gases around B’hava’el.”
Worf scowled. That was something he did not know.