Vectors by Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch Page A

most arrivals. But the ore shipments continued, and he had been planning to allow the ore ships that were docked, waiting for processed material, to leave when they reached their quotas. To fail at this would mean admitting to Central Command that Terok Nor was crippled.
    But it was crippled perhaps dying.
    "You haven't done that already?" Kellec sounded shocked. "We explained how important quarantine was."
    "I've done what was needed," Dukat said. He wasn't about to admit that he hadn't done a full quarantine on Terok Nor.
    "Do more," Kellec snapped.
    "You're out of line, Bajoran," Dukat said.
    Kellec tilted his head. "What are you going to do to me? Kill me?"
    Dukat froze, then forced himself to breathe, hoping Kellec hadn't seen the expression on his face. Kellec had hit something Dukat hadn't realized: If the surviving Bajorans believed they had nothing left to lose, if they believed they would die anyway, they might rebel in ways that the Cardassians couldn't stop, particularly if his people were ill. He would become the gul not just of a station that succumbed to a plague, but a station in which all the Cardassians were overthrown before the plague took everyone out.
    "I wouldn't be so smug, Kellec," Dukat said. "You blame my people for this disease, but yours could just as easily be responsible. Your rebels are sometimes willing to die for what they believe in. They might think: If a few Bajorans die to rid the universe of the Cardassians, that is not such a great price."
    "My people aren't the ones attempting genocide," Kellec said. "Yours are."
    "If we were attempting genocide," Dukat said, "your people would all be dead by now. Don't you see that Cardassian rule is better for you than leaving you to your own devices?"
    "I'm sure it is," Kellec said. "My people are so happy processing your precious uridium."
    "Please," Narat said. "Please. Both our peoples are dying. Can't we stop recriminations for a few moments and just concentrate on saving lives?"
    "It is not in Gul Dukat's nature to save lives," Kellec said.
    "That's right," Dukat said sarcastically. "That's why you're on the station. Because I have not a thread of compassion in my system." "Stop this!" Narat shouted. "Now!"
    Both Dukat and Kellec turned to him. Dukat had never seen Narat so flustered. Not even when his medical section was filled with casualties all needing his attention did Narat look this distressed.
    "We have to find a way to destroy this disease," Narat said, "or we will all die. Bajoran, Cardassian, it doesn't matter. The virus doesn't seem to care. And neither can we. We have to work together."
    He stood. He was of the same height as Dukat, but his back was hunched after years of studying and researching, bending over computers and lab specimens. Narat had served as a field medic, but he had never been a soldier. His body lacked the rigid discipline that Dukat's had.
    "I know you realize how serious this is," Narat said to Dukat, "but I don't think you realize the scale. People are dying on Bajor as well. It will only be a matter of time before this spreads to Cardassia Prime. We may have spread it there in our ore freighters. Kellec and I do not know, and we can't even hazard a guess. We don't know how long this thing incubates. We may have contracted this disease from Bajor months ago, and may have been spreading it to Cardassia Prime all this time. Or even farther. We don't know."
    Dukat took a deep breath. He hadn't thought of that. "I can't do anything about that," he said. "Central Command knows we have sick Bajorans here, and that the disease has spread to our people. They know the extent of the disease on Bajor. They will have to work out the rest of it themselves."
    "I'm not telling you this so that you do anything about Cardassia Prime," Narat said, "although if 1 knew of something you could do, I would tell you. No.
    I'm telling you this because Kellec and I need help.
    We have been treating sick patients and trying to find a