Nightshade - Laurell K. Hamilton [89]
Worf tore the club from his, or her, hands and used it on the guard. He used the club like a riot stick to clear the way and it felt good.
A scream echoed over the fighting. Picard was writhing in blue flame again. Basha was at the control panel leaving his people to fight alone.
Worf redoubled his efforts, throwing guards, smashing anything that got in his way. Picard danced and writhed on the framework like a broken puppet.
A shot echoed in the room. Sparks flew from the control box. Basha jerked his hand back as if it were hurt.
‘Stop it!”
Everyone’s attention flickered from the fight to Talanne and a handful of guards in the entrance to the torture area. They were all armed. “No more fighting, that is a direct order.”
The Orianian guards seemed willing to obey, but Basha yelled, “No, they are here to rescue their captain. You must stop them!”
‘Husband, this is a Federation ambassador and his counselor. You can’t just attack them. We have the audacity to pronounce a death sentence on one of them. Do not make a worse mistake.”
‘I will not be questioned, especially not by my own wife.”
‘If not by me, then who, Basha?” Talanne asked. She walked into the room, the guards fanning out at her back.
‘You don’t understand.”
‘I think I do.” Her voice sounded tired. “You killed Alick.”
‘What are you saying, Talanne?”
Troi undid the gag on Liv. The woman took a deep sobbing breath. “I didn’t know he would use it to sabotage the peace talks. I didn’t know.”
‘You didn’t know the Federation ambassador would use your filthy technology to kill!” Basha said.
‘No, you did it. You did it!”
‘Liar, filthy lying Green!” He strode toward her, bare face flushed and mottled with rage.
‘She is telling the truth,” Troi said.
‘You would say anything to save your captain,” Basha said.
‘Why were you executing them personally, Husband?”
‘They are important prisoners,” he said.
‘Why, Basha, why?”
‘I simply want no mistakes about their questioning. The ambassador said that his lieutenant and the healer, both knew of his plan to kill Alick,” he said.
‘Did anyone else overhear this,” Talanne asked. “Olon, you are my husband’s sentinel. You are with him always. Did the ambassador implicate the others?”
A guard stepped away from the rest. He cradled his right arm against his chest. The wrist was hanging at an odd angle and looked broken. The voice that came out was high and light, female. “I will guard your safety in all things but I cannot become a traitor to my people. I heard nothing but the screams.”
‘You lie!”
‘Even your own sentinel will not help you now, Basha. You murdered Alick while you offered him friendship and peace.”
‘Colonel Talanne,” Worf said, “may we go to the captain?”
‘By all means.”
Worf stepped through the carnage of wounded guards. Troi hurried to Worf’s side and they went to the captain together.
He was very, very still. His skin was not white but gray with pain.
Sweat soaked his body. Worf touched the captain’s cheek with one hand. The flesh was cold. “Captain. Captain, can you hear me? It’s Worf.”
Troi was crying silently. “Captain, please open your eyes. Jean-Luc, please!”
His eyelids fluttered. His mouth moved but no sound came out. Worf had to place his ear nearly on top of the captain’s mouth to hear the words. “Lieutenant Worf, Counselor, glad you could come.”
Troi drew a sobbing breath that had an edge of laughter to it. The relief of hysterics.
‘Enough of this,” Basha said, “They are the traitors. I don’t know how they bribed my sentinel, but they must have.”
‘Husband, sentinels are honorable. You have betrayed us all. You killed the Venturi leader while he tried to make peace with us.”
‘It was the only time I could get close to Alick. It was so easy. I had the smallest amount of poison tucked up my sleeve. I turned the handle on the tea urn. I dropped the poison in then, with everyone watching. it was simpler than I ever dreamed.” He sounded proud of what he had done.
‘We can