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Darrah grimaced. “The man has no shame,” he said quietly. “This is a funerary ceremony, not a podium in the Chamber of Ministers.”
“He’s a politician,” Karys replied. “It’s what they do.”
Mace was disgusted at Kubus’s opportunism, turning the day to his own ends, using the service as a platform for his agenda. Grim-faced, he led his family past.
“There must be a reprisal,” Kubus was saying, “and with the people’s support I have convinced the First Minister and the government for exactly that—” He caught sight of Darrah and changed tack. “It is because of men like Inspector Darrah Mace that many more lives were saved…”
The camera pod turned in midair and trained a lens on Mace and his family. The controlled anger on his face flashed across newsfeeds planetwide, and for one long second he wavered on the cusp of decrying the politician for his callous grandstanding; but then he turned away. “I’m taking my family home,” he said simply, and left Kubus and his circus behind. He heard the politician take his brush-off and say something about “grief” and “stress.” Nell’s hand touched his, and he glanced down at his daughter.
“I don’t like that man,” she told her father. “I don’t think you should talk to him.”
“You’re right,” he replied. “Come on. Let’s get out of this place.”
The transmission was authentic, and the fact that it had been sent without her authority made Lo
He sniffed. “Doesn’t your adjutant knock before she enters a room, Holza?”
Lo
“Tomo,” said the minister, “I’m in conference. Can this wait until later?”
“No, sir, it ca
Jas didn’t look at the padd. “I know what it says, Tomo. I wrote it.”
“Did you?” she asked, shooting a look at Kubus, the question slipping out before she could halt herself. For a brief moment, Lo
Kubus made a bored noise. “Is it necessary for a minister of the Chamber to ask the opinion of his adjutant on every single matter? Do you pass your eye over every communiqué, over every little bit of text?”
Lo
Jas looked away. “It’s done, Tomo. It’s what was necessary.”
Necessary.The word echoed in her thoughts. The contents of the communiqué were a terse set of orders for the best-equipped scout vessels in service to the Jas clan’s prospector fleet, giving them the coordinates for a rendezvous a few light-years distant from Bajor. The two ships were to meet with two more vessels, a pair of heavy assault ships from the Space Guard under the command of Li Tarka. Their mission was to scour all the star systems within a globular search perimeter for any signs of Tzenkethi raiders, utilizing the powerful Cardassian-made sensor gear mounted on the prospector ships. Jas had ordered his own civilian crews to join a reprisal fleet.
Kubus sipped the wine. “We ca
Lo
“Then you understand the seriousness of the situation.”
“What I understand—”She stopped; she was on the verge of shouting. With a breath, Lo
Kubus arched an eyebrow. “Is that right? The First Minister seems to think otherwise, as does General Coldri.”
“Coldri’s a pragmatist. He’s only going along with this because you’ve left him with no choice,” she retorted. “If he disagrees, he will look weak in the eyes of the public.” Lo
Kubus put down the glass. “Of course the Tzenkethi are responsible! Oh, I don’t doubt the Coalition will deny it to the hilt, but we know their kind, and so do the Cardassians! They’re animals…Force, swiftly applied, is all they understand.” He sat back. “We will show the flag, let them know Bajor is not a soft target for their picking. Colonel Li is a fine soldier. He won’t shrink from this.”
Lo
The other man shook his head and glanced at Jas. “Holza, how can you manage with such a naïve woman on your staff?” Kubus looked back at Lo
“I don’t agree,” she bit out. Lo
“I’m sorry, Tomo,” said Jas flatly, “but I am in agreement with Oak. My order stands. It…it is for the best.”
Lo
I can’t do anything here.The words formed in her thoughts, and against the dejection she felt a sudden flare of hope. “I can’t do anything here,” she said. “That’s clear to me now. But I can serve a purpose out there.”
Jas’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”