Star Trek by Una McCormack

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

6

AUGER STEPPED OFF THE TURBOLIFT and had his first encounter with the color and the commotion of the Promenade.

The lighting didn’t go with the architecture, was his immediate thought. The place was meant to be a whole lot darker. And the effect it had was weird—all the metal detail on the walls stood out more harshly than it should. Auger had to blink a few times before things settled a bit and began to make sense. Just before they’d docked, Steyn had managed to fit in a two-minute course in Bajoran history. The Bajorans owned the station, Auger knew, but it had been built by Cardassians, and now it was run by Starfleet. No wonder everything looked just a little bit out of place. But understanding why still didn’t stop him losing his bearings, and it didn’t help that the walls were bending away from him. He realized he was swaying a little. There was a strange scent too, pungent and spicy. It reminded him a bit of the chapels back at home. Steyn had definitely said something about the Bajorans being religious…. Auger decided that what he could smell was incense. And then there was the noise, and the people making the noise, with strange clothes and stranger faces…. It was all a lot bigger and busier than he had ever imagined a place could be.

Steyn came up beside him, and put her arm around his shoulders. “So—what do you think, Auger?”

“Different,” he said, at last. His voice came out small; it sounded lost in all the noise.

Steyn began to laugh. “You should have seen it when it was full of Cardassians. Terok Nor, they called it then.”

“Did the lights work properly back then?” Auger asked.

Steyn gave him a curious look. “How did you know that?” she said. “Oh, never mind.” She shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll ever work you out. Well, you’re right—it did used to be a lot darker here. Cardassians don’t like bright light so much.”

From behind them, Mechter said, “It was a lot easier to do business here back then.”

Auger sensed a beat of silence and then Steyn replied, “Yeah, well, life is full of all kinds of disappointment. Look,” she said, “Here’s our welcome committee, I think.”

Auger looked over to where she was pointing. Some people were approaching. People in uniforms. Two men in front; one was in a black and gold uniform, the other was tan. The eight men behind them were carrying weapons. Auger felt things begin to sway again. He was glad when Steyn gripped his shoulder a little more.

The man in tan spoke to them first. Most other new people that Auger met had something about them that helped him read them. The man in black and gold was about as open as you could get. But the man wearing tan was different. His face was flat and empty. After a moment or two staring at it, Auger had to look away.

“Captain Steyn,” the man in tan was saying, “I’m the station’s chief of security, Odo.

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