Star Trek (9 page)

Her brow creasing in uncertainty, Ghrovlatrei asked, “What do you have in mind, Commander?”

Ghrovlatrei was right
, Donovan chided himself.
This assignment was better when it was boring
.

Moving in a crouch, Donovan scurried between the
stacks of cargo containers, his ears straining to detect any signs of the three Cardassians who were still hiding somewhere in the shuttlebay. For the third time in as many minutes, he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He cursed himself for not having the presence of mind to have carried a tricorder of his own. The device would have proven invaluable to him right about now.

Of course, you had no idea Commander Ross was going to suggest something this crazy, did you?

Their time and options fading, Ross had decided on a bold course of action. With Ghrovlatrei and Dillone providing covering fire if needed, the two Starfleet officers had set out in search of Mogad. Donovan was circling along the perimeter of the room to the left of their defensive position near the exit hatch, while Ross searched somewhere among the cargo modules to the right. With no tricorders to scan for the locations of the Cardassians, both humans were forced to rely on their own senses to discern any telltale clues of their enemy's presence. So far, Donovan had seen and heard nothing to indicate he was not alone here, despite what his pounding heart and rapid breathing told him.

His thoughts were broken as a voice called out across the shuttlebay. “Mogad!” Donovan froze in place, even holding his breath as the voice, Aldo
Corsi's and full of anger, echoed in the room. “Mogad,” he repeated, “we have to talk. We have to put a stop to this before it gets completely out of control.”

What was he doing? Why was he drawing attention to himself? Surely, Mogad or one of his subordinates would try to home in on his voice. He was placing himself and his crew in danger.

“Mogad, we can't allow this to go any further. Too many people have died or been hurt already, even though you could have prevented it. Are you ready to sacrifice more lives by failing to act?”

Or was he?

Of course
.

Donovan smiled to himself, nodding in appreciation for Aldo's savvy. He was trying to get the Cardassian to speak and reveal his location. After years of dealing with Mogad, the freighter captain probably knew the gul as well as anyone outside his own family. But would he know enough to be able to provoke the Cardassian? It was a simple ploy, attacking Mogad's ego and pride.

Simple, yet effective.

“Let us not forget that it was you who chose to engage in espionage, Corsi,” Mogad said, his voice crisp as always, though Donovan was more concerned with the fact that it was also close. Very close.

Somewhere to the right
, he decided, though the voice was muted somewhat by the cargo containers blocking much of his view of the shuttlebay. He took a tentative step forward, the hairs on the back of his neck standing straight up.

“You have my sympathies for the loss of your brother,” Mogad continued, “but his death could have been avoided if you had been honest with me from the beginning.”

“You bastard! I'll—”

Donovan heard the words choke off, and his stomach heaved at the Cardassian's unmitigated gall. That, and the fact that he, along with Ross, was more than likely responsible for the death of Giancarlo Corsi as well as the other
Hope
crew members.

Assuming they survived, the official reports submitted by the three Starfleet officers at the conclusion of this mission would likely exonerate them from blame with regards to the tragedy that had already unfolded here. Such thoughts did not make it any easier for Donovan to cope with what had happened, however.

You don't have time for this
, he scolded himself.
Focus
.

Aldo was not talking anymore. Had Mogad's words wounded him that much? Donovan imagined how the freighter captain must have reacted. Gret had more than likely been forced to restrain the man from
yielding to blind rage and storming into the line of fire.

There was movement to his left and he whirled to see a Cardassian, not Mogad, crouched down between two large storage modules. His body and his disruptor were facing away from Donovan, and it was this unfortunate choice that bought the ensign the precious second he needed to fire his own weapon.

Even as the Cardassian succumbed to the stun beam, Donovan heard footsteps behind him. He pivoted toward the sound but he was too slow. Mogad loomed in his vision. Donovan tried to bring his phaser around but Mogad seized his wrist and parried the move, twisting the weapon away from him until it fell from Donovan's hand. The ensign's efforts to resist were useless against Mogad's superior strength and in short order he stood mere centimeters in front of the Cardassian. Then he felt the gul's massive left hand gripping his throat.

“A Starfleet phaser,” Mogad said, eyeing the fallen weapon. “I knew this ship carried spies.” Sadness seemed to wash over the gul's expression and he actually shook his head as he added, “Aldo was lying to me after all.”

The Cardassian's fingers were digging into Donovan's throat, and he could feel his breathing already becoming labored. Light reflected off something
metallic and he saw Mogad's right arm coming up, the muzzle of the disruptor pistol in the Cardassian's hand a yawning black maw as it drew closer.

“Hold it right there,” a voice called out, and Donovan shifted his eyes to see Ross emerging from behind a cargo module. The commander pushed forward with incredible speed and agility until he was standing right next to Mogad, pinning the Cardassian's weapon arm against his own body and pressing his phaser into the gul's right cheek.

“Let him go,” Ross hissed, menace enveloping each word as it left his mouth.

“Lower your weapon or I'll kill him,” Mogad replied.

His breath coming in shallow gasps now, Donovan heard more movement behind him and then another voice that made his heart sink. “Drop your weapon, human.”

Ross dropped behind Mogad, using the Cardassian for a shield as he pressed his phaser even harder into the gul's face. To the other Cardassian he said, “Drop it or your boss dies.” Looking back to Mogad he added, “Make him back off and let my man go.”

Smiling as his fingers dug even deeper into Donovan's throat, Mogad said, “It appears that we've reached an impasse.”

Stars were swimming before Donovan's eyes and color was beginning to wash out of everything in his vision when another voice joined the fray.

“Wait!”

A
ldo held his hands out and away from his body to show that he was unarmed as he beheld the surreal scene before him. Mogad held Donovan by the throat, while Ross held a phaser to the gul's head and another Cardassian trained his weapon on the commander. Ghrovlatrei had maneuvered to cover the scene with the disruptor she had confiscated from the Cardassians she had subdued.

Aldo's shout made Mogad look up in alarm, his distraction enough for Ross to act. The commander pulled his phaser from the gul's face as his right arm lashed out, sweeping downward to strike the arm Mogad was using to hold on to Donovan. The
Cardassian's grip was broken and Donovan fell to the deck. All of this happened as Ghrovlatrei fired on the other soldier who had been aiming his weapon at Ross, catching the Cardassian by surprise and stunning him where he stood.

Stepping to his left to avoid another attack by Ross, Mogad raised the disruptor pistol he still carried in his hand. Ross was faster, however, striking out with his right foot and kicking the weapon from the gul's hand. The pistol clattered to the deck as Ross aimed his phaser at Mogad once more and the Cardassian froze, though he seemed to be considering his next attack despite the weapon pointed at his face.

“Wait, Mogad,” Aldo repeated. “It doesn't have to be like this!”

Standing his ground, Mogad regarded the freighter captain with an incredulous expression. “You are guilty of espionage, Corsi. At the very least, you've been aiding this spy. That crime cannot be allowed to go unpunished.”

“This isn't Cardassian space,” Ross said, punctuating his words with another jab of his phaser into Mogad's cheek. “You have no authority here. Why are you so worried about what we find in the Saltok system? There has to be some kind of high-power surveillance equipment on that moon if you detected our sensors, so what's going on there?”

Mogad sneered at the commander. “Do I look like a fool to you? Are you really expecting me to answer that question?”

“All I care about,” Ross countered, “is that you've attacked a Federation vessel in Federation space, apparently to cover up whatever you're doing in a star system outside your territorial boundaries.” Leaning closer, he added, “Even that backward justice system of yours will see you don't have a case, not to mention how the Federation Council and Starfleet will regard what's happened here today. I've got enough sensor data to prompt a full-scale investigation into whatever it is you're hiding out there. It could be interpreted as an act of aggression against us.”

Mogad shook his head. “None of that will matter when I make it known that I was protecting our interests in this sector, and you will stand trial for crimes against the Cardassian people.”

“Trial?” Ross countered. “Crimes? Do you really think the Federation will allow that to happen?”

“Shut up, both of you!”

Aldo regarded the human and Cardassian who were now looking at him, the ferocity with which he had bellowed the command muting them in identical shock. In fact, he had the attention of everyone in the room. Even Donovan, the young ensign whom Mogad had nearly choked to death, was staring at him. All of
them stood in stunned silence. That was good. He wanted them quiet. He wanted them all to listen, but most especially the two idiots he was looking at right now.

Glaring at Mogad, he said, “You come aboard my ship and murder my brother in defense of your illegal encroachment into an area of space that does not belong to you. Are you planning to enslave another culture like all of the others you've crushed beneath your boots? Is Giancarlo but the latest victim in your endless thirst for conquest?”

Rather than the defiant response he had expected from Mogad, Aldo instead thought he saw remorse and perhaps even guilt in the Cardassian's eyes. “The deaths of your brother and the others are regrettable, Corsi. I did not want any of your people to be hurt, but I have my duty. Soon my people will send ships to see what has happened here, and when they arrive, I will have no choice but to take you into custody.”

“What makes you believe you'll be alive when they get here?” Ross asked, his phaser still trained on Mogad.

The gul hesitated before answering, and when he did Aldo thought he detected a sliver of uncertainty in his voice. “Perhaps I won't be, but that changes nothing. You will still be prisoners of the Cardassian Union, and you will be executed for espionage.”

Something in the way Mogad spoke, Aldo decided, was wrong. Struck by sudden inspiration, he turned on the Cardassian. “Somehow I doubt they'll cross into Federation space without your authorization. After all, you're not even supposed to be in this region of space, are you?”

He stepped closer until he stood almost nose to nose with Mogad. “I'd bet that your superiors would even disavow any knowledge of your activities in this sector if you were found to be involved in an incident taking place in Federation space.” He knew he had struck a chord when he saw Mogad's once assured demeanor begin to dissolve. The gul tried to school his features but he was not fast enough, and Aldo smiled in triumph.

“Looks like you'll be staying with us for a while, Mogad,” Donovan said, his own expression one of barely restrained glee as he pulled himself to his feet.

“No,” Aldo said. “We're letting him go.” To Mogad he said, “Take your people and get off my ship.”

Neither Mogad nor Ross made any effort to hide the surprise on their faces, though the Cardassian was the first to react. “What makes you think I won't destroy your ship the moment after I've launched?”

“Because I'm going to give you the sensor logs from the Starfleet equipment that was used to detect your presence in the Saltok system.”

Though he was expecting a negative reaction from Ross, Aldo was surprised when the commander said nothing. Instead, it was Lieutenant Ghrovlatrei who responded.

“Mr. Corsi, that sensor equipment is sensitive Starfleet technology. The data it has recorded is classified. We cannot allow….”

“Enough!” Aldo roared, cutting the Efrosian off as he directed renewed fury at Ross. “I allowed you to install that equipment aboard my ship with the assurance that nothing would happen. The security of the Federation, you said. No one would ever know what we had done, you said. Yet here we are. Those three deaths are on your head as surely if you had pulled the trigger yourself.” The commander's jaw slackened in astonishment as he weathered Aldo's scathing verbal assault.