Part 5 (1/2)

Dukat glared at him. Kellec was never satisfied, always wanting more. Always wanting too much.

”a.s.sistants would be a doctor's first request,” Narat said. ”It would be yet another guarantee.”

Dukat was being manipulated and he knew it. But he couldn't see any way out of this. He couldn't see any way at all. At least, not a way he liked. Not a way that ended in success. This felt like one of his only chances.

”I want no more than five Federation people here, less if possible,” he said. ”Good,” Narat said.

”You may not say 'good' after a moment,” Dukat said, ”because I have conditions.”

Kellec tilted his head back. Narat held his position, waiting, like the good Carda.s.sian that he was.

”First,” Dukat said, ”they will have access only to our medical files. Second, they shall be restricted to the medical areas of Terok Nor only. Third-”

”That's not possible,” Kellec said. ”What if the illness spreads so fast that we can't get the patients here?” ”We'll deal with it then,” Narat said.

”Third,” Dukat said as if he hadn't been interrupted, ”they shall have no contact with the outside while they're here.”

”But what if they need information they didn't bring?” Kellec asked.

Dukat glared at him. ”I will not negotiate these terms.”

”We can deal with special requests on a case-by-case basis, I a.s.sume,” Narat said, more to Kellec than Dukat. ”Am I right?”

Dukat wasn't even willing to make that promise, although he knew it was probably sensible. ”Fourth, if I suspect even one of them is spying for the Federation, none of them will leave here alive. Is that clear?” ”Very,” Kellec said.

”If your ex-wife is willing to come here under those conditions, then we will be happy to have her,” Dukat said. ”But I do not want a Federation s.h.i.+p docking at Terok Nor. I do not want one in Carda.s.sian s.p.a.ce.”

”Then how will she get here?” Kellec asked. ”You've just quarantined the station, so no s.h.i.+ps can come here.” Good question. The man was always thinking. 'I'll have one of the freighter pilots trapped here on Terok Nor take his s.h.i.+p to meet the Federation vessel at the border. I'll send a few of my men along to make sure nothing untoward happens.” ”Make sure they're all pilots,” Narat said softly. Dukat felt himself go cold. Narat was right. There was no guarantee the pilot would live long enough to ferry their Federation pa.s.sengers back to Terok Nor.

”Tell your ex-wife to get here as quickly as possible,” Dukat said. ”I'11 handle the travel arrangements personally. And Kellec?” ”Yes?” Kellec said.

”Don't see this as a victory for the Bajoran people. I meant what I said about spies. Your Federation help had better be on their best behavior. I will give no second chances.”

Kellec had the good sense to only nod.

Chapter Eight

FOR THE SECOND TIME in a few days, Katherine Pulaski was packing her bags. She was in her quarters on Deep s.p.a.ce Five. All of her possessions were scattered about. She had just unpacked, and hadn't had time to hang her favorite paintings or to place her few sculptures. Her hardcopy books stood on a single shelf, including the first edition of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories that Data had given her upon her departure. It was a sentimental gift, and it had surprised her coming from Data. Apparently that surprise had shown on her face because he had tilted his head in that slightly robotic way he had, and asked, ”Is the giving of parting gifts not a human custom, especially when the recipient will be missed?”

”It is, Data,” she had said, and then hugged him, to his surprise and (she had to admit) to her own.

She stared at that book for a moment, but it would only add weight. Better to keep it here until she returned.

If she returned.

She had only a few more items to add to her bag, and very little time in which to do it. Her a.s.sistants would be reporting here before they went to the docking area to reboard the Enterprise. How strange it would be to be a guest on the very stars.h.i.+p she had just served on.

Her hands were shaking, but it was not from fear. It was a release of tension. Her meeting with Starfleet Medical had been dicey. Thank heavens the Enterprise was still in dry dock. She had needed Beverly Crusher's help.

Kellec's request had come in a few hours before. It was less than Starfleet had hoped for. They wanted to send in a large team to study the problem, perhaps work on Bajor. They wanted to use it so that they could gather more information on both the Bajorans and the Carda.s.sians, as well as find a solution to this plague.

But some Carda.s.sian official had antic.i.p.ated this. The restrictions were severe. Pulaski wasn't sure she could do the work with only a handful of a.s.sistants. At first Starfleet wanted her to wait until they could get four specialists in plagues and alien diseases to go with her, but it would take days for the specialists to arrive from their various posts. She didn't have days. That was the one thing Kellec had made very clear.

He wasn't sure he would survive this. The Carda.s.sian doctor who was looking over his shoulder as Kellec contacted Pulaski didn't look very confident either. The information she had gotten from them, purposely sketchy, was awful. They did give her the death rate on their s.p.a.ce station, and it was climbing by the hour.

She played the message for Starfleet Medical. Then she asked that Beverly Crusher accompany her, as well as the three other ranking medical officers currently on Deep s.p.a.ce Five.

Starfleet Medical turned her down. This was a risky mission, they said. They didn't dare send that many valued officers.

Meaning they could sacrifice researchers but military medical staff was in short supply.

Meaning there was a good chance Pulaski and her team might not come back.

Starfleet Medical was going to try to negotiate with the Carda.s.sians-after all, they reasoned, this was a medical emergency, and working together could benefit everyone-but Pulaski knew that wouldn't work. She had asked Crusher to come with her to argue for the high-ranking personnel, which hadn't worked. But Crusher had argued against negotiation, and on this Starfleet Medical had listened to their former director. They decided-and the Federation representatives agreed-to let Pulaski go in with lower-ranking a.s.sistants.

The next argument was about whether to bring in sophisticated equipment that would help send information back-not medical information, but information on the Carda.s.sians and the Bajorans. Crusher had proved her worth here too, arguing that such equipment would jeopardize the lives of those being sent it.

”This is a mission of mercy,” she had said. ”We need to treat it like one. If Dr. Pulaski and her colleagues gain information on the Carda.s.sians and Bajorans as a result, they can be debriefed when they return.”

If they return. The last sticking point had been travel arrangements. They were going to use the Carda.s.sians' plans to get them to Terok Nor, the s.p.a.ce station that Kellec was on, but Pulaski had no idea how they would be able to leave. She was supposed to contact the Federation from Terok Nor when she was ready to go, but she had a hunch that sounded too easy. And what if she wanted to leave and they didn't want her to? They had to have a failsafe for this, and so far no one had suggested one that seemed workable.

Pulaski finished the last of her packing. Amazing how she could bring her life down to two little suitcases-one a sophisticated medical kit with everything she hoped she would need. The other contained basics like clothing and Kellec's favorite-hot chocolate. He couldn't get it anymore on Bajor.

She closed the case just as someone hit the chime outside her door. ”Come in,” she said.

The door slid open and a woman entered. She was human-all of the team was, a precaution that Kellec had mentioned and Starfleet Medical had agreed with. She had blondish brown hair and compa.s.sionate eyes. She wore street clothes, just as she had been ordered to do. They were flowing garments of a gauze-like material, in a pale blue that became her fair skin.

”You must be Crystal Marvig,” Pulaski said. ”Welcome.”

”Thank you,” Marvig said. She glanced around the quarters, her gaze falling on the books. ”I didn't know you collected real books.”

”I don't,” Pulaski said. ”But each of these is personal to me, in its own way.”

”I love books,” Marrvig said. ”Particularly twentieth-century literature-you know the kind. The stuff that predicts the future.”

Pulaski laughed. ”I've seen it. It's amazing what they believed would happen.”

”And how right they could be,” Marvig said. She clasped her hands behind her back. The military posture didn't go with her relaxed attire.

”You've been briefed on this mission, I a.s.sume,” Pulaski said.

”They told me it was a need-to-know.”

Pulaski cursed under her breath. She had wanted her a.s.sistants to know what they were getting into. ”And what did Starfleet Medical believe you need to know?”

”That this is a highly sensitive mission, and that it's quite dangerous.”