Brinkmanship by Una McCormack

Author:Una McCormack
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek

9

FROM:

Civilian Freighter Inzitran, flagship, Merchant Fleet 9

TO:

Ementar Vik Tov-A, senior designated speaker, Active Affairs, Department of the Outside

STATUS:

Estimated time to border: 17 skyturns

Estimated time to destination: 22 skyturns

FROM:

Captain Ezri Dax, U.S.S. Aventine

TO:

Admiral Leonard Akaar, Starfleet Command

STATUS OF TZENKETHI FLEET:

ETA at Venetan border: 9 days

ETA at Outpost V-4: 11 days

It’s not the hours that get to you, thought Ezri Dax, as she waited on the bridge of the Aventine for news of Alden and Kedair, it’s the minutes. The too-slow, lengthening minutes . . .

There was a great deal that Dax loved about command, but this, she thought, was by far its worst aspect: the long dark wait watching the clock while colleagues put themselves in danger on your orders. Bad enough under normal circumstances, but worse when you weren’t one hundred percent satisfied that one of them was fit for the task you’d set him, and you knew exactly how high the stakes were.

Dax glanced again at the time. Alden and Kedair had been gone for thirteen and a half minutes. They were under a communications blackout, of course, but if everything was going according to the plan, then within the next two minutes they would be approaching the medical facility through the service tunnels, whereupon Alden’s knowledge of Tzenkethi security systems would come to the fore. Dax agonized again over her decision to send him on this mission. Maybe this will be too much for him. What if he’s suddenly confronted by Tzenkethi? What if it seems like they’re going to attack him? Will he break? Will he crack?

Dax consulted the latest reports from Venette. It didn’t take her long to see how badly the situation there was unraveling. But rather than making her even more anxious, the news from Venette strengthened her resolve. This is going to be worth it, she told herself firmly. Diplomacy has been getting us nowhere. The Tzenkethi are trying to insinuate themselves into position on our borders so they can point biological weapons at us, and I won’t allow it.

A tap on her shoulder startled her out of her reverie.

It was Bowers. “It’ll be worth it, Ezri,” he said, quietly, guessing her thoughts as always. “And don’t worry. Kedair’s switched on for the both of them.”

“Thanks, Sam. I hope so.”

There followed another half hour of make-work, clock-watching, and nail-biting before the bridge heard from the transporter room that Alden and Kedair were back from Outpost V-4—and with the samples they’d been sent to get. Relief flooded through Dax as she hurried to meet them in the sickbay.

She met Hyatt in the turbolift, also on the way there.

“Well, Captain,” Hyatt said, “seems you got away with it. I’m glad about that. But let’s hope that Peter Alden doesn’t end up paying a high price for what you’ve just put him through.”

Alden, when Dax saw him, didn’t seem to be any worse for the experience. He was cheerful and bright-eyed (a little too bright-eyed? Dax fretted), and greeted her enthusiastically.

“Job done,” Alden said. “Hope we’ve got what we need now to prove to Heldon exactly what those bastards are up to.

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