Proud Helios (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Book 9) by Melissa Scott

Author:Melissa Scott [Scott, Melissa]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek
Published: 2000-09-22T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

ODO STARED AT the list of ships currently in the docking ring, well aware that his face showed a very human expression of disgust. It was, he thought, something of a pity that there was no one here to observe the cultivated effect. But he had good reason to be disgusted: there, among the new arrivals, was a name that stood out like a beacon. He had been dealing with Carabas since his first days as constable, since the days of the Cardassian occupation, and he knew perfectly well what Carabas and her crew were really up to. Of course, under the Cardassians, Carabas's two-man crew had run guns and software to the Bajoran resistance, but the Bajorans had never been their only customers. They had sold just about anything to just about anybody, and Odo had done his best to stop them, but he had never been able to get solid evidence against them. I suppose I could have bought a conviction, he thought—the two smugglers certainly never scrupled to buy their way out of trouble, and the Cardassians running the station never hesitated to dispense their version of justice to the highest bidder—but it would not have been satisfying. Nor would it have been right, and that, in the end, had been the deciding factor. And now Carabas was back on DS9.

For an instant, Odo considered contacting Sisko, recommending that the ship and its crew be expelled from the station, but even as he reached for his communicator he dismissed the thought. He had no evidence—had never been able to collect enough evidence to convince Gul Dukat, never mind Sisko. And Sisko would not consent to removing them without evidence. "Odo to Zhou."

There was a brief pause, and then the young ensign answered. "Zhou here. What can I do for you, sir?"

"This ship, the Carabas, that just landed. Is the crew still aboard?"

"No, sir, I don't think so—no, they left a few minutes ago. Is there a problem?"

"Not yet," Odo said. "I want a watch posted on that ship—at least two men, round-the-clock surveillance."

"Very well, Constable," Zhou said. "Should they be looking for anything in particular?"

"Anything at all," Odo said, grimly. "Do you have any idea where the crew went?"

"I don't," Zhou said, "but they were talking to Aimoto. Let me ask her."

There was a little silence, and Odo drummed his fingers almost soundlessly against the desktop. It was impossibly frustrating to know that Carabas and her crew were at best troublemakers, and at worst dangerous to the station, and to be able to do nothing about it…

"Sorry, Constable," Zhou said. "Aimoto says they said something about going to the Promenade, but that's all she knows."

"Thank you, Odo said, and cut the connection. That was actually quite enough: he knew the smugglers well enough to guess where they would be found. He pushed himself away from his desk, and headed out into the Promenade.

Most of the people crowding the shopfronts were Bajorans, but there were more than

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