"You are right," Toq said, as he thought back on their missions. Then he smiled. "No doubt it is better to die gloriously than to risk hearing her sing again." All three shared a laugh at that, though Toq noticed that Vralk's laugh was strained. "I suppose that bodes well for my abilities."

Swallowing his bok-rat liver, Vralk asked, "How?"

"I will soon determine who our foe is, and we shall defeat them tomorrow."

"So you haven't unlocked the secrets of the sensor reading?" Rodek asked before sipping his own mug of bloodwine.

"No," Toq said with annoyance. "Commander Tereth ordered me to get dinner."

Muttering into his liver, Vralk said, "That is all she does is give orders."

Rodek barked a laugh. "She is the first officer, fool. Giving orders is her duty."

"Her duty is to find a mate and provide him with sons."

Toq rolled his eyes. Vralk was the third pilot they'd had on the Gorkon since Lieutenant Leskit was rotated back to the Rotarran, and each one made Toq miss the old toDSaH even more. Leskit had been a fine dinner companion and a good comrade. Vralk was the latest in a series of idiots Command had sent to poorly fill his boots.

"Feel free," Toq said, "to challenge her authority, Vralk. I am sure she could use the d'k tahg practice on your hearts."

Rodek joined Toq in a laugh. Rodek, Toq noticed, had lightened up considerably these past few months. When Toq first signed on, he would happily have taken the humorless gunner's life as he had Kegren's, but Rodek had shown signs of acquiring both a sense of humor and a zest for life. He still performed his duties as gunner with all the pa.s.sion of dead racht, but he did his job well.

Vralk, on the other hand, looked like someone had poisoned his bok-rat liver. "Laugh all you wish, but we could not possibly have a less worthy first officer than a woman."

"Spoken like someone who never served under Drex," Rodek said, wiping grapok sauce off his face with his sleeve.

At that name, Vralk's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "The son of Martok? You served with him?"

"He preceded Tereth as first officer," Toq said as he chewed on his pipius claw. "The captain had him transferred off the ship as fast as he could."

"Then the captain is a fool," Vralk said unhesitatingly.

Vralk had spoken just as Rodek was sipping his bloodwine, and the gunner gave out a bark of laughter that caused the wine to spill all over the table. Rodek set the mug down and said, "Perhaps you should challenge the captain, then, since you think him to be so-unworthy."

At that, Vralk squirmed. "Well, no, but-Drex is the son of the chancellor! He deserves respect!"

"Respect must be earned, boy," Rodek said.

"And your commanding officers deserve respect, as well," Toq added. "Klag and Tereth have led us well, and you will find no one on this ship to support your cause."

"Really?" Now Vralk sounded more sure of himself. "You mean to tell me that all twenty-seven hundred warriors on this ship support a captain who mutilates his body and a female first officer?"

Toq looked at Rodek. "He sounds like a Ferengi, doesn't he?"

"Laugh if you want," Vralk said. "But if I did challenge the authority of those in charge, do not be so sure that I would be acting alone."

With that, Vralk swallowed the last of his liver and got up and left.

Rodek laughed as heartily as he ever did. "Yet another fool pilots the ship. I never thought I would wish for Leskit's return."

Toq, however, did not return the laugh. "Is he truly a fool, Rodek?"

"Of course he is. Only a fool would challenge Klag-they'd be dead before they could get near him."

"On the bridge, perhaps. But what of the troops? The engineers? We do not know their thoughts."

Polishing off his bloodwine, Rodek said, "Troops are loyal to their commanders unless given good reason not to be. Has Klag given such a reason?"

"His arm."

Rodek snorted. "He has made himself a better warrior. Don't tell me you believe that stupidity about 'hiding the scars of battle.'"

"No," Toq said quickly, and he meant it. On Carraya, he had grown up with Romulan medicine. Indeed, the one aspect of life in the Empire that Toq did not appreciate was the appalling state of Klingon medicine. One of the many reasons for his contentment on the Gorkon was the fact that their physician studied in the Federation. "But if a young fool like Vralk believes it..."

Rodek looked sour-or, rather, more sour than usual. "I will speak with Lokor."

Lokor was the head of on-ship security, and generally knew everything that occurred on the Gorkon. Rumor had it that he was also with Imperial Intelligence, but Toq had always discounted those rumors. Surely there was an II operative or two on the ship, but Toq doubted that II would place someone in so obvious a position as security. Indeed, Toq suspected that Lokor himself spread those rumors for his own purposes.

"And what if Lokor is one of the people who is against the captain?"

"Then I will kill him," Rodek said simply. "And anyone else who is disloyal."

Toq dropped some gagh into his mouth. As they wriggled down his throat, he said in as grave a tone as he could muster, "And I will help you." He wanted Rodek to know he was serious. Toq felt more at home on this ship than he had anywhere else since he left Carraya, and he would not let a young petaQ like Vralk ruin it.

Klag was on the holodeck, about to commence his first bat'leth drill since getting his new arm, when the call from the bridge came.

"We are receiving a hail from the Enterprise , Captain."

That was Toq, Klag noted, still on duty. The young second officer had taken a dinner break, but otherwise refused to rest until he determined what the odd reading was at the shuttle's divergent point. Every resource of the Gorkon' s considerable sensor power had been trained at this region of s.p.a.ce, thus far to no avail. But Klag had confidence in the young man.

"I will be right there. Summon Commander Tereth as well." A pause. "Progress, Lieutenant?"

"All I have been able to determine, sir, is that there are some superficial similarities between this energy reading and the one given off by the Malkus Artifacts."

"Which tells us nothing we do not already know," Klag said as he shut down the holodeck.

"No, sir."

"Continue scans. Out." He let out a breath. In a sense, he was grateful. He had been hoping that B'Oraq would be present for his first drill. If the call from the Enterprise was good news, perhaps they'd rescue her before he'd have the chance to engage in the drill, and she could indeed be there for it.

Klag didn't bother changing into uniform, since he didn't want to keep Picard and Riker waiting, so he went to the bridge dressed only in mok'bara clothes-a tight-fitting white cloth shirt and pants.

Ensign Morketh, currently staffing the gunner position, gave Klag an odd look as he entered. The look was mostly directed at the captain's shorter, lighter, squatter right arm, which was more visible in the mok'bara shirt than it was in his more elaborate uniform.

"Speak, Ensign Morketh," Klag said.

Morketh seemed surprised at the instruction. "I-have nothing to report, sir."

"Good. Mind your post, then."

"Yes, sir," he said quickly.

"Enterprise standing by," Toq said. Klag nodded in reply.

Tereth-in full uniform-entered the bridge a moment later. As she did, Klag sat in his chair-as usual, falling rather than sitting with his arms. "Screen on," Klag said to Toq.

The bridge of the Enterprise replaced the starfield on the main viewer. Picard and Riker were present, with Data and a Trill female visible in front of them, and a human female behind them.

"Progress, Captain Picard?"

"After a fashion, Captain Klag. We've picked up the St. Lawrence 's warp signature, but it takes it to the Ch'grath Stellar Cl.u.s.ter. There are hundreds of possible destinations."

Klag filled Picard in on their own discoveries. "It seems likely that both ships are going to the same place."

"The question being where."

"We have found the same peculiar reading that was at the other sites, as well. The reading does not appear until right before my shuttle changed course. Thus far, we have only been able to learn that it is similar to the Malkus Artifact energy."

"That was true of the St. Lawrence as well, and Mr. Data's conclusions were similar."

Klag wondered if Toq took any pride in the fact that his accomplishments were the same as those of Starfleet's legendary android officer.

Speaking of whom, Toq said, "Sir, we're receiving a message from the U.S.S. Musgrave."

On the viewer, Riker frowned. "If memory serves, the Musgrave was the ship that took Amba.s.sador Worf from Qo'noS to Starbase 24."

"Tie the communication in, Lieutenant," Klag said.

The viewer went to a split-screen image, with the much smaller bridge of the Musgrave now occupying the right-hand side, and the Enterprise bridge confined to a smaller s.p.a.ce, focused on Picard, on the left-hand side.

The Musgrave captain, a round, blocky human with thick black hair and an indeterminate neck, said, "This is Captain Dayrit of the Musgrave. I see I got both of you-good, saves me from having to call you both."

"I am Klag of the Gorkon. You have something to report, Captain?"

"Yes-we're on our way to an emergency in the Trivas system, so we can't investigate this ourselves, but-we found the St. Lawrence while en route to Trivas. It's headed toward the Dorvan system."

Tereth started. "That's in the old Federation/Carda.s.sian Demilitarized Zone."

"And, ironically, one of the subjects of discussion at the Khitomer conference," Picard said with a nod.

Riker added, "It's also not especially close to the Ch'grath cl.u.s.ter."

Dayrit let out a breath. "As I said, we're answering an emergency call, or we'd investigate it ourselves." He made some kind of odd human noise. "Now I'm sorry I didn't take the time out to drop the amba.s.sador off at Khitomer."

"I doubt that would have made a difference, Captain. We'll investigate this further."

"Thanks, Captain. Captains," he amended with a nod to Klag. "Musgrave out."

The screen returned to just the image of the Enterprise.

Tereth walked over to the pilot's station. "Vralk, set course for the Dorvan system, maximum warp."

"Yes, sir," Vralk intoned.

"Ensign Perim," Riker said with a smile, "do likewise, if you please."

"Aye, sir," the Trill said.

"When will we arrive?" Klag asked.

"Six hours, ten minutes at warp nine," Vralk said.

Klag looked at his first officer. "Impress upon Commander Kurak the need for warp nine-point-eight. And have the cloaking device standing by."

Tereth smiled. "Of course, Captain."

As the first officer headed for engineering, Riker said, "You're gonna beat us there by a couple of hours, Captain. More if your first officer is a good impresser."

"She is," Klag said with a grin.

"Our chief engineer is something of a wiz himself, so it might be less. We'll see."

"We will," Klag said, trying not to smile at Riker's use of the word wIj. Somehow, he didn't think Riker meant to say that the Enterprise chief engineer was a farm. "But I'm sure our mighty vessel can handle one Starfleet runabout without your aid. We shall see you there."

"Indeed," Picard said. "Enterprise out."

Chapter Fourteen.

KIRA NERYS GATHERED EVERY BIT OF WILLPOWER she possessed and instructed her right arm to touch the control on the runabout console before her that would bring the St. Lawrence out of warp and discontinue its journey to the former DMZ.

Her right arm remained where it was.

I will not succ.u.mb to this.

Once, two years earlier, Kira had willingly allowed her body to be a vessel for the Prophets in order to aid in the coming about of the Reckoning. But she had spent her life in devotion to the Prophets and was more than happy to give herself over in service to them.

She was considerably less willing to do so for a ninety-thousand-yearold tyrant.

It had started on the way back from a committee meeting at the Chamber of Ministers. The Defiant had returned from its mission to Trill, so Kira had left Vaughn in charge while she went through her least favorite ch.o.r.e: chatting with politicians.

The meeting started an hour late, went on for two hours longer than it should have, and accomplished absolutely nothing of substance. Mentally exhausted and physically restless, Kira boarded the Rio Grande, looking forward to a very long bath.

So when she found herself changing the runabout's course toward Klingon s.p.a.ce, she was rather surprised.