Myriad Universes 02_ Echoes and Refractions - Keith R. A. DeCandido [142]
When he was being trained in Bamarren, Garak had been told that agents of the Obsidian Order were most likely to die alone, unmourned, unacknowledged, and uncared for. But they were also likely to die in the service of Cardassia.
In his heart, Garak knew he was doing that, though his former superiors in the Order would likely disagree. But the Dominion would bring no glory to Cardassia, only subsume it to their will. For all that the legates and the Detapa Council and the new head of the Order called it an “alliance,” Cardassia had been conquered-and they didn’t even know it.
But they’d know soon enough. Garak was grateful that he wouldn’t live to see his beloved people realize just how thoroughly they’d been deceived.
If only the walls weren’t closing in…
What have I done?
Those words went through Picard’s head as he watched the quantum torpedo strike Terok Nor’s fusion core, watched that core explode, watched the lower pylons being vaporized, watched the upper pylons break off and tumble through space, watched the habitat ring twist and shatter.
There are civilians on that station. Innocent victims, and I just condemned them to death. That didn’t even include the debris that would fall into Bajor’s atmosphere, further damaging an already badly scarred planet. Picard knew he had no choice, that this was the mission, but he still felt like the worst kind of murderer. In a moment of horror and despair, he realized that he had become the very thing that he had cursed the Cardassians and the Dominion for being. What he had just done made him no better than the guls who had ordered the destruction of Voyager, Intrepid, and the other ships at Dorvan, Valo, and Salva, no better than the Jem’Hadar soldiers who destroyed Starbase 375, Lexington, and da Vinci.
Perim’s voice startled him. “On course for the Denorios Belt.”
Yes, of course. There is still a mission to perform. All those people-were simply in our way.
“What was that, sir?” Ro asked.
Embarrassed, Picard tugged on his uniform jacket. He hadn’t realized that he’d muttered those words aloud. “Nothing, Commander. Proceed, Ensign.”
Within minutes, the Enterprise arrived at the belt.
“Having difficulty navigating the tachyon eddies,” Perim said through clenched teeth.
“Maintain this course, Ensign,” said Odo, who had retaken Troi’s seat. “The Enterprise will remain safe as long as you do so.”
Ro muttered, “Sure hope so” just loud enough for Picard to hear.
“Jem’Hadar have changed course to intercept,” Addison said. “They’ll be in firing range in three minutes.”
Kadohata was frowning at her console. “I’m reading meson and lepton fluctuations dead ahead.”
“That’s the wormhole,” Odo said with a certain amount of surety.
And then Picard saw it.
One moment there was empty space-the tachyon eddies were invisible, after all, which was part of why the Denorios Belt was such a navigation hazard-but the next…
It was one of the most beautiful sights Picard had ever seen. Like a flower blooming in the morning sun, it opened and expanded. At its circumference, it looked almost like smoke, though Picard knew that was simply the event horizon being made visible. At the center, wild energies surged about.
The explorer in Picard desperately wanted to go through, to see what was on the other side-indeed, to explore within the wormhole, find out why this gateway remained stable when every other wormhole ever encountered was fickle and unreliable.
But war had taken that opportunity away from Picard. Starfleet’s primary mission of exploration had been subordinated to its secondary role as the Federation’s protector. And right now, he needed to protect the Federation against the threat that lay on the other side of that wormhole.
Again he gave an order that it tore out his soul to give. “Fire torpedoes.”
First Omet’iklan