The Brave and the Bold Book Two - Keith R. A. DeCandido [34]
“Uh, fine,” Hudson said, nonplussed. He wanted to rebuke Torres, but he found he had nothing to say that was in any way recriminatory. “Carry on.” He turned to Mastroeni. “Any way we can steal her from Chakotay?”
Mastroeni almost smiled. “Working on it.”
It figures. Hudson shook his head and put his mind back to immediate business. “Did you read any Cardassian ships?”
“No. And I’m still not.”
“What about the Hood?”
“Not reading them either, but that’s because we’ve got a moon and a planet between us—and it also means they can’t see us, either. Hopefully they didn’t pick us up. If they stay on course, they’ll be in orbit in five minutes.”
Hudson checked his status board and saw that repairs were already under way on the lesser systems that had given out. He nodded, appreciative of his team. Then the comm systems indicated some traffic on the Starfleet channel. “The Hood’ s sending a message.”
He put it on the speaker. “Slaybis IV Control, this is the Starship Hood. Respond, please.” A pause. “This is the U.S.S. Hood. We have been given special dispensation by Starfleet and the Cardassian Central Command to enter the Demilitarized Zone unescorted in order to comply with General Order 16. Please respond.”
“Hudson to Tuvok.”
“Go ahead,” came the Vulcan’s calm voice a moment later.
“Mr. Tuvok, the Hood has entered orbit around Slaybis IV. They claim to have gotten special dispensation to come here in order to confiscate the artifact. I’m wondering if they’re here for another reason.”
“You suspect me of leading them here.”
“The thought had crossed our minds,” Mastroeni said sharply.
“A reasonable supposition, but erroneous. I have no reason to lead the Hood here. It was inevitable that they would eventually detect the Malkus Artifact even after I wiped the sensor logs as long as it stayed in use within the Demilitarized Zone. It is good that we destroyed the Manhattan. As it is, Captain DeSoto will no doubt use this excursion as an excuse to try to take me back.”
Hudson muted the intercom and shot Mastroeni a look.
She shrugged. “He’s saying all the right things, but I don’t like it.”
“They say Vulcans don’t lie,” Hudson said with a wry smile.
Mastroeni snorted. “Yeah, but it’s mostly Vulcans who say that.”
“Good point.” He de-muted the intercom. “All right, Tuvok, we’ll—”
“Cal, I’m picking up readings from the surface,” Mastroeni said suddenly. “The capital city is coming into range. According to our records, there should be a very large building that houses the government in the center of the city.” She looked up. “According to the sensors, there’s a pile of rubble in the center of the city.”
“This is Tharia ch’Ren,” said a voice over the comm channel, in response to the Hood’ s hail, “representing the new face of the Maquis.”
Hudson and Mastroeni exchanged a glance. “I don’t like the sound of that,” Hudson muttered.
Yet another new voice came on. “Mr. ch’Ren, this is Captain DeSoto. What has happened to the government of Slaybis IV? We haven’t been able to raise them.”
“That is because they’re all dead, Captain. As is the traitor, Elois Phifer. As are several dozen other people. And they’re only the first.”
“You said you’re the ‘new face’ of the Maquis. What does that—”
“What it means, Captain, is quite simply that we have been gentle—quiet. Until now. You have called us ‘terrorists,’but you have not seen true terror before. The citizens of Nramia know the meaning of terror now, and those who dwell on Slaybis IV will do likewise—followed by the farmers on Slaybis II, and everyone else in the Demilitarized Zone.”
“Mr. ch’Ren, do you intend to—”
“We intend to exterminate all life in this sector, Captain. And if you stand in our way, we will exterminate you as well.”
“Well, I don’t like the sound of that,” Dina Voyskunsky muttered from behind DeSoto. She stood between Dayrit and Kojima. The captain silently agreed with her assessment from his vantage point in the command chair.
The image of an Andorian was on the main viewer. Tharia ch’Ren’s feathery white hair extended to the small