Oblivion - Michael Jan Friedman [74]
But the beam stalled in midair, fizzling out barely halfway to its intended target. I was right, the captain thought. Demmix has put up a barrier.
Tain made a sound of derision. “You think a little energy field is going to stop us?”
“Actually,” said the Zartani, “I do. But just in case, I’ve decided to take other measures as well.” And he produced a remote-control device, made a show of waggling it about, and replaced it in his jacket.
The Cardassian fired again. But this time his weapon didn’t even emit a beam. He looked at it, then frowned at Demmix. “A dampening field.”
“That’s right,” said the Zartani. “So you’re not tempted to try damaging this vehicle.”
Tain walked up to the barrier and glared through it. “I’ll do more than damage your vehicle, Zartani. That’s a promise I extend to you.”
“What is going on?” Picard asked.
Demmix’s smile, as he turned to the captain, became a humorless one. “Haven’t you figured it out yet, Jean-Luc? I’ve been working for the Ubarrak.”
Picard didn’t understand. “The Ubarrak…?”
“Yes,” said the Zartani. “I was doing exactly what your friend Guinan just accused me of—passing bad tactical information to the Federation, information that would give your people a false sense of security. But when the Ubarrak launched a major offensive and your ships reacted to it, you would see that your confidence was built on shifting sand instead of bedrock.”
“Because our ace in the hole,” said Picard, “wasn’t an ace after all.”
“And by the time you realized the truth,” Demmix continued, “it would be too late. The Ubarrak would have crushed you.” He turned to Tain. “Then they could give the Cardassians their undivided attention.”
Picard frowned. “But why, Nuadra? The Ubarrak killed your wife, your daughters…”
The Zartani’s eyes blazed with anger. “Do you think I need to be reminded of that? My grief for them was so great that I nearly perished. And even after I recovered, I mourned them. I labored under the burden of their loss for five long, black years.
“But I couldn’t bring them back. No one could. And I began to ask myself if I hadn’t earned some good in my life, some small recompense for the sadness I had borne.”
For the first time, Picard saw the change in his old friend. He wasn’t the man the captain had known on Elyrion III—not any longer. He was a threat, just like Tain, and Picard had to treat him as such.
Tain spat in disgust. “A traitor. I wish that bomb had been a bit more lethal.”
Demmix’s eyes narrowed. “It was you who set it off…wasn’t it? You and your underlings?”
“Yes,” said the Cardassian, obviously letting his frustration get the better of him.
Picard was beginning to get the picture. “After the bombing of the plaza,” he told Demmix, “you still wished to pass on your treacherous information. But you didn’t want to risk getting caught by whoever was responsible for it. So you laid down a trail you knew I could follow.”
“Yes,” said Demmix. “And you did an admirable job of following it.” He glanced at Guinan. “With the help of your suspicious friend here.”
It made sense. It all made sense. And Picard cursed himself for falling for it.
“Now,” Demmix told him, “you and I are going to have a rendezvous after all. But it’s going to be with an Ubarrak vessel that’s been waiting ten kilometers from here.”
The captain understood. “And that’s where you’ll claim your reward. Tell me…what are the Ubarrak paying these days for a Starfleet captain?”
Demmix chuckled. “We’ll soon find out.” His eyes slid in Tain’s direction. “And the price will be that much higher when the Ubarrak see I’ve corralled a knowledgeable Cardassian for them as well.”
Picard wanted desperately to stop the Zartani. But with the barrier separating them, there was nothing he could do. And even if they never exceeded impulse velocity, they might reach the Ubarrak ship in a matter of minutes.
Suddenly, Guinan—who had been all but forgotten in the exchange—grabbed a disruptor from the nearest Cardassian. Before either he or his comrades could react, she stuck the weapon in one