Myriad Universes_ Echoes And Refractions Part 23

12.

Praetor Narviat's Home Ki Baratan, Romulus Romulan Star Empire Narviat paced the strategy room in the bas.e.m.e.nt of his home in fury. Several admirals had just left, and now he was waiting alone except for his two bodyguards. Since the war with the Klingons and Federation began, Charvanek had insisted that he have his guards with him everywhere. Once, those two would have been outside the door, but now, they were under strict orders from Charvanek to never let the praetor out of their sight.

A knock came at the door, and another bodyguard stuck in his head. "Lord Praetor, Colonel Koval has arrived."

"Send him in," Narviat said testily.

Koval entered and bowed ever-so-slightly as the bodyguard closed the door behind him. "What service may your humble servant provide, Praetor?"

"You may take over security for this war!"

"I'm sorry? I thought Colonel Lovok had that honor."

Narviat snorted. "'Honor,' indeed. So honored is he that he is losing this war for us!"

"Surely, Praetor, the difficult prosecution of the war cannot be laid at the feet of a single-"

"Oh, it can. I just met with my senior-most admirals. They painted quite a fascinating picture of the 'difficult prosecution of the war,' as you so delicately put it. When I queried them as to why our forces have been routed with such regularity-including that rather embarra.s.sing defeat at Khitomer-they said it was because the intelligence provided by the Tal s.h.i.+ar has been faulty!"

Koval put his hands behind his back. "No intelligence network can be one hundred percent foolproof, Praetor. I'm sure Colonel Lovok is doing the best he can under trying circ.u.mstances."

Narviat smiled without mirth. "If this truly is the best he can do, then I weep for the survival of our empire. Regardless, I can no longer tolerate this. You will take over the intelligence gathering for the war from Lovok."

"And what is Lovok's new a.s.signment to be?"

Normally, Narviat would not have to explain. But these were not normal times, and Koval probably wished to be absolutely clear about what his praetor was requesting.

"I wish him to be permanently removed."

This time, Koval's bow was deep. "As the praetor commands. If you will excuse me, I will expedite this matter."

"Please do." Narviat started pacing again. "I wonder if this war was wise. I did not expect the Federation to involve themselves."

"We could do little else, after such unprovoked attacks on our people. The Grimar incident was isolated. The Klingon response was premeditated-and also duplicitous. It required retaliation."

Narviat scowled. Klingons were always using avenging their House name to justify unnecessary violence. While he could appreciate family loyalty, Narviat found it reprehensible that Gowron used it as an excuse to sanction violence against Romulans while allowing himself to wash his hands of any responsibility.

And war between their two nations had been coming for some time.

It was only a pity it was being waged so badly. Were it not for Lovok's incompetence, Narviat was sure his troops would be winning the day. Between the Defense Force's bloodthirsty incompetence and Starfleet's softness, they should have been easy foes to defeat.

But now it would be taken care of. He dismissed Koval, who exited the strategy room to carry out his appointed task.

Lovok cursed the incompetent fools of the military.

His agents had done their work well, learning about Starfleet troop movements and Defense Force strategies-particularly the latter, since Klingons leaked intelligence like a broken raft taking on water.

But somehow, the information he relayed did no good. It was as if the military never received his information-or acted in direct contradiction to it.

At first, Lovok had a.s.sumed it to be the usual stubbornness. The colonel had lost track of the number of admirals and commanders and subcommanders who deliberately ignored what the Tal s.h.i.+ar told them, out of some kind of pig-headed insistence that the Tal s.h.i.+ar were unnecessary. Usually, it was due to some imagined infraction that they believed the Tal s.h.i.+ar had committed against them, their families, or their friends.

It grew tiresome. Lovok did the work of the empire. Everything he did, every action he took, was to make the Romulan Star Empire stronger. If a few families lost their parents or children or siblings, what of it?

Of course, Lovok had brought this to Koval's attention several weeks ago. Koval had promised to let the praetor and the Senate know. "It will be dealt with, rest a.s.sured," Koval had said.

Weeks later, and nothing. Lovok had provided everything necessary for a successful attack on Khitomer. That thrice-d.a.m.ned planet was the location of the historic treaty negotiations between the Federation and Klingons-a treaty that was directly responsible for this war being a third again as large as it should have been. One of Lovok's agents had learned of a flaw in their defenses and provided it to the military.

The result? Abject defeat.

Exiting his chambers, Lovok went to the office he kept in his home. This lunacy had gone on long enough. He needed to speak with Narviat immediately.

Just as he was about to open a channel to the praetor, one of his stewards entered. "Excuse me, Colonel," the elderly woman said, "but Colonel Koval is here to see you."

Lovok blinked. "Really? Very well, then. Send him in." Lovok would wait until Koval was here and then talk with the praetor. Perhaps together, they could get to the bottom of this.

The steward departed, and moments later, she brought Koval in. The colonel looked particularly smug, which Lovok thought inappropriate.

"I'm glad you're here, Koval, we need to-"

Koval held up a hand, and Lovok stopped talking. Turning to the steward, Koval said, "I must speak with your master in private."

Bowing her head deferentially, the steward left the office.

"My apologies for speaking thus to your servant, but this is a matter that must remain between the two of us."

Waving his hand dismissively, Lovok said, "I don't care about that. What I do care about are the faults in our intelligence delivery."

"Oh, there are no faults," Koval said with remarkable calm. "You see, the lines of intelligence have been sabotaged by an outside force that wishes to ensure that this war is prolonged and devastating."

Lovok frowned. Koval was talking nonsense. "What are you talking about? What is this outside force?"

Rarely did Koval smile. He did so now in such a manner that Lovok felt his breakfast welling up in his throat. "Me."

"What? Koval, you're talking nonsense." He moved over to the comm console where he intended to call Narviat. "We must-"

Suddenly, Koval's arm-changed. It s.h.i.+mmered and undulated and re-formed itself into something that looked very much like a long steel rod.

The end of that rod slammed into the comm console, shattering it into dozens of pieces of gla.s.s and ceramic and circuitry that sparked and burned.

As Lovok looked on in horror, the rod s.h.i.+mmered again, this time turning into a metal cable that whipped about in the air.

"What are you?" Lovok whispered.

"I am not Colonel Koval, certainly. He's in a Dominion prison, where we may interrogate him at will to ensure that my deception is accurate."

Lovok found himself unable to move. He'd sat at a computer his entire career. His rise through the ranks of the Tal s.h.i.+ar had come through his phenomenal ability to sift through pieces of information and uncover truths that tried to remain hidden under falsehood.

But he had no combat training, no ability to defend himself in a fight.

And even if he had, he was simply petrified at the sight of this undulating, liquefied thing that wore Koval's face.

Though it did not wear it for long, bending and twisting into an amber ooze that snaked about through the air. Lovok could no longer see a mouth, but Koval's voice continued to sound in the room: "It has been such a trial, remaining in one form. I don't know how you solids do it. Still, my mission has been a success. Narviat sent me here, Lovok, because you have failed him by providing faulty intelligence. He asked me to dispose of you. Koval would simply shoot you with a disruptor pistol under those circ.u.mstances, but I so rarely am able to free myself like this-I believe I'm going to enjoy killing you."

The metal cable that had once been Koval's arm wrapped around Lovok's neck. It was only then that he was able to open his mouth to scream, but the cable bit into his throat, slicing away at his vocal cords, and his cries of agony were only guttural moans.

Somehow, the foul creature continued to speak with Koval's voice. "With you dead, your precious praetor has put me in charge of intelligence for the war. It will be far easier to further the Dominion's agenda from that position, rather than having to sabotage your work after the fact."

The last thing Lovok did as the bizarre alien thing choked the life out of him was wonder just what in the name of the Elements "the Dominion" was.

13.

U.S.S. Enterprise-E En Route to Earth United Federation of Planets Kira Nerys wanted very much to punch the Federation amba.s.sador in the nose. The only thing stopping her was the knowledge that doing so would do nothing to help her cause.

And her cause was taking a beating as it was. Not that she expected any less-had she heard her story without knowing what she knew, she wouldn't believe it either-but somehow she had to convince them.

She had told the story briefly in the transporter room before the human doctor had insisted on first treating her and Quark. After that was done, they were taken by a group of security guards to what she supposed was an interrogation room, and she told the story again, this time to the amba.s.sador, who looked at her and Quark as if they were insane.

He departed in disgust, leaving her and Quark with two security guards.

Then a Bajoran walked in. She moved to sit in the chair opposite Kira and Quark-the same seat that the amba.s.sador had sat in, scowling while Kira told her story.

Kira couldn't believe her eyes. She had heard rumors that some Bajorans had joined Starfleet, but she hadn't believed them.

The woman said, "I'm Lieutenant Ro Laren-security chief of the Enterprise."

Quark scowled. "I can't imagine security is much of a problem for you."

"Shut up, Quark," Kira said reflexively even as she thanked the Prophets. If a Bajoran was Picard's security chief, she might get a fairer hearing from him than she did from the amba.s.sador. "Lieutenant, this is important. That idiot amba.s.sador didn't believe me, but maybe Picard will."

"I'm not sure I believe you. Besides, this is Krajensky's bailiwick, not the captain's. He wants to toss you two in the brig so you can be debriefed back on Earth."

Well, at least we're headed to Earth. "We don't have time for that. It's taken too long to get here as it is."

Ro frowned. "What do you mean?"

"She means," Quark said angrily, "that she came here in a broken-down starhopper that crash-landed on my moon, and then dragged me across the border in my yacht, which she then also blew up."

"I thought I'd be able to get to the border from Bajor in a couple of weeks, but it took months. Who knows how many more have died because of that."

"There's a war on. People die."

"The only reason there is a war is because-"

"Of shapechangers?" Ro's skepticism infused both words. "C'mon-think about how that sounds. Weird aliens replacing important people in the quadrant. That sounds like a holonovel, not real life."

"Do you remember Odo?"

Ro squinted. "Wasn't he the one that kept the Promenade on the s.p.a.ce station in order?"

"He's a shapechanger. These are more of his people."

Nodding, Ro said, "He was a.s.signed after I left Bajor, but I've read intelligence reports. As I recall, he could barely manage a face. He could never do a convincing enough disguise."

"He can't. His people can." Kira leaned forward. "Lieutenant, please, you have to believe me. This is real."

Kira stared intently at Ro, refusing to blink, trying to will the other woman to accept her at her word.

"Let me talk to my captain," Ro finally said as she got up. Looking over at the two guards, she said, "Keep them here for the time being."

The guards nodded, and Ro departed, the doors whoos.h.i.+ng shut behind her.

"I'm so glad I let you talk me into this," Quark muttered.

"Shut up, Quark. It's not like it took that much convincing. And it's not like you don't know the truth."

Quark stared at her. "What does that have to do with anything? I was paid quite handsomely to forget that particular truth, only to have you come cras.h.i.+ng down on my moon!"

"So why'd you do it?"

Looking away, Quark said, "You know why."

"No, actually, I don't."

Quark whirled his head around and stared at her. "You don't? Seriously?"

"Seriously, Quark. I went to you as a last resort because there was nowhere else to take the starhopper, and I was half-convinced you'd turn me in. More than half, actually."

Letting out a long breath, Quark said, "If you ever see Garak again-ask him."

That was all Quark would say on the subject, to Kira's mild annoyance. In all honesty, she didn't care that much, as the inner workings of Quark's mind was a subject of which Kira was more than happy to live in blissful ignorance.

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 Carda.s.sian s.h.i.+p, 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 Amba.s.sador Krajensky's responsibility. He believes that Kira is either insane or a Carda.s.sian 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 Carda.s.sian spy than a Shakaar, I've never met them. She's more loyal to Bajor than-than anyone."