Star Trek DS9 - The Soul Key by Olivia Woods

Author:Olivia Woods [Olivia Woods]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781439107928
Publisher: Star Trek
Published: 2014-01-22T16:00:00+00:00

10

TWO DAYS AGO

“That thing should be put to death.”

“Now, Kurn, be reasonable,” Iliana purred from the guest chair in the general’s office.

“I want that creature off my ship,” Kurn demanded. “It introduces an element of…uncertainty that I will not tolerate.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to learn to tolerate it, General. Taran’atar isn’t going anywhere.”

The Klingon bared his teeth. “You brought it aboard without my knowledge or consent! Now it has killed your own handmaiden!”

“You heard what he told us,” Iliana said. “L’Haan planned to betray me. Taran’atar may have responded to that threat impulsively, but it was the correct response. As long as you and your men remain loyal to me, you have nothing to fear from him.”

“Do not insult my honor, Intendant,” the general warned her. “My men and I fear nothing, and our loyalty—”

“Your loyalty was negotiated, General,” Iliana re minded him. “So let us forgo the posturing, shall we? This is about your having come to appreciate just how dangerous Taran’atar can be when it becomes necessary. That’s good, because now you know you can believe what I’ve told you about what we have to gain by finding his people.”

“I now also know what we have to risk,” Kurn said. “I’ve looked into the creature’s eyes, Intendant. That thing is soulless. And when it chooses not to obey you anymore, it will not differentiate friend from foe.”

“He can’t make that choice, Kurn. He’s bent to my will. I control him, and when we find the others of his kind, I’ll control them just as completely. Imagine it…an army of creatures like Taran’atar, led by you as you go into battle against Martok and Dukat, to claim the glory that has wrongfully been withheld from you. And when the dust settles, there’ll be no more Alliance—just a single, all-encompassing, invincible imperium…led by us.”

Kurn’s eyes glittered with the possibilities, though they were still tinged with doubt. “I will not lie to you, Intendant. I crave what you offer. But there is much I still do not understand about our undertaking. You tell me that we seek a stable wormhole within the Bajoran system that will take us to the region of the galaxy where the creature comes from. Why then, should we even bother with the rebels on Terok Nor?”

“Because there is far more to be achieved here than just the conquest of the Alliance. The wormhole will open the way not just to the other side of the galaxy, but also, when we’re ready, to the other universe. Retaking Terok Nor is merely the first step toward those ends. That’s why the dimensional static field your engineers are working on is so important, General, and why it has to be finished before we enter the B’hava’el system. I won’t risk interference by those meddlesome alternates before we’ve achieved our goals here.”

“Then you’ll be pleased to know that the tests on the static field have already been completed,” Kurn said. “It will be ready to deploy by the time we reach Bajor.

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