^ Moving on. In the following chapter, Sloan's alliance with First Minister Li Nalas mirrors the prime universe Sloan's tenuous alliance with Tal Shiar chairman Koval. The prime universe Li Nalas was a very soft-spoken person, so the following video clip of Richard Beymer provides a feel for MU version of his character.
Richard Beymer recalling a comic moment on Twin Peaks
Nearly a dozen shuttles and work bees were scattered throughout the Betreka Nebula conducting exhaustive scans of what was left of the mining station. These mining plants were designed to harvest and refine sirilium from the nebula. If the intensity of the beam used to harvest these particles was turned up too high, the sirilium could ignite and destroy the mining station. Initial scans indicated that was what happened even though computer safeties had been designed to prevent such by an occurrence. So for now, forensics teams were operating on the assumption that the mining station was destroyed by an accidental fusion core overload.
Dukat and Martok were both in the operations center of Alliance Headquarters communicating with the forensics team leader regarding the destroyed mining plant. Knowing, of course, how adept terrorists were at making their target’s destruction look like an accident, Dukat had instructed the investigators to scan for any evidence of explosives or computer viruses. So far, they had come up empty.
“Just the normal distributions of kelindide, rhodinium, and trinesium,” Gor Murrell reported. “We also found silirium and deuterium concentrated at levels only made possible by the refineries mixed in with iridium. No signs of anything unusual in the debris, Legate.”
“Impossible,” Dukat scoffed. “There are always burnt remnants of an explosive device’s outer casing. Keep scanning.”
“We’ve run through every sensor bandwidth, sir,” Murrell assured. “And we have teams running close range scans of what’s left of the power core in case we missed anything.”
“Clearly they are not looking hard enough,” Dukat insisted. “And if you are withholding vital information, I will have your head as well,” he added, jabbing his right forefinger at the viewscreen to emphasize his point.
“Let us not lose sight that to plant a bomb would be too obvious,” Martok quietly offered. “And to smuggle it in so deep in the reactor that it would alert at least one of the security systems.”
“The engineers at the central complex are running computer diagnostics now,” Dukat said with a snort of annoyance at being patronized. “And if you are not trying to cover your tracks, you’d have your engineers on it as well.”
“We are conducting our own investigation,” Martok shot back. “To make sure one of
your engineers is not trying to cover
her tracks.”
While the pronoun Martok did use was consistent with traditional Cardassian gender roles, Dukat did sense some emphasis on the word her. He raised his eyebrows as if the regent knew about an extramarital affair he was having with one of the female engineers. “Keep your place, Regent,” he hissed while stepping closer to Martok looking him in both eyes with a raging stare. He was even oblivious to Martok’s personal guards pulling their
d’k’tags. ”I will not have you making unfounded accusations.”
Martok craned his head to the right, indicating for his guards to holster their daggers. After they had done so, Martok then backed away from Dukat. “I wouldn’t think of it,” he said with a fiendish grin as if saying he would keep Dukat’s latest indiscretion quiet for now.
Dukat simply gritted his teeth while watching Martok pace out of the operations center and gesturing for his guards to follow.
Dukat just shook his head and wondered if Martok really had similar suspicions about him or one of the Cardassians on permanent assignment on the station.
First Minister Li Nalas dismissed his cabinet advisors. They left through the office’s main entrance while the leader of his personal guard entered through a side door. Bajoran security captain Day Kannu was a youthful-looking man of about forty years with golden blond hair. He was accompanied by a Klingon and a Cardassian guard.
Li never saw the point in having representatives from the other Alliance races in his personal guard. Being part of the Alliance entitled Bajor to military assistance from the Klingon and Cardassian Empires. On the other hand, the Bajoran Militia was fully capable of protecting their own commander-in-chief. Seeing the Klingon and Cardassian guards standing behind Captain Day were reminders to Li that those guards were around to keep him in line as well as to protect his position, so he kept his complaints to himself.
“Wendell Greer to see you, Minister,” Day announced.
“Thank you, Captain,” Li replied. “You may wait outside.”
“Is that wise?” Day wondered aloud. He nodded to the other guards signaling for them to leave the room while slipping a micro-recording device out of his sleeve and dropping it into an empty vase.
“I’ll let you know if I need you,” Li said, waving the senior guard away.
In the smaller adjoining room, Sloan was whispering to Bashir as they both stepped into the office. “You’re just here as an observer,” he said as he neared the desk. “Let me do all the talking.”
“Minister,” Sloan said to Li. “Good to see you again. This is Captain Julian Bashir.”
“That’s an awfully big risk you’re taking, Mister Greer,” Li remarked of Bashir. “I could have him arrested.”
“If you did that,” Sloan retorted. “I’d immediately reveal our secret alliance to one of Dukat’s spies.” He sat down in one of the guest chairs and crossed his arms across his chest. “And for all you know, one of his spies could be right outside.”
“You’d be putting yourself at risk as well.”
“Maybe so, but I’m a big reason why you’re in power.”
Li flashed a smile of amusement. They had this conversation many times before and they always ended in the usual threats. “At least you have your bases covered,” he said. “So is one of my personal guards spying for Dukat?”
“None of them are on the list of names here on this data clip,” Sloan plainly stated, removing a circular data storage device from a wrist pocket. “But I can tell you that we have our suspicions about Captain Day.”
“Old news,” Li retorted. “The key is to be able to outthink the people who serve directly under you. Wouldn’t the two of you agree?”
“Of course,” Sloan replied.
“Absolutely,” Bashir added.
Sloan gave Bashir a disarming stare, non-verbally asking Bashir to say no more. “Do you have that information I requested?’ he then asked Li.
“Right here,” Li said, holding up an isolinear data rod. “Transporter scrambler codes and shield frequencies for the Trelka Five starbase. Patrol schedules in the Avenal system. And you should also know that the Toros Three shipyards are completely rebuilt. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind providing us a small sample of the technology you used to take out the shipyards the last time.”
“No!” Sloan snapped. “Under no circumstances am I willing to let that technology fall into Alliance hands. We haven’t survived this long as a government-in-exile by being that careless.”
“I understand completely. I would have deleted the contents of this data rod if you had said yes.”
“Of course,” Sloan said with a roll of his eyes. He picked up the rod and stared at it. He and Li exchanged silent stares, as if letting each other known the consequences if the information they exchanged was inaccurate.
Day seated himself in front of a communications monitor. He kept the light level in his office low to keep from attracting any unwanted attention. He entered an encryption sequence on the keypad and the logo of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance materialized on the screen. The face of Kira Nerys with her usual insincere smile then appeared.
“Yes?” she asked.
“You wanted me to contact you the next time Mister Greer paid the First Minister a visit,” Day nervously replied. He preferred for her not to always sound flirtatious considering their relationship was strictly professional as the Intendant’s personal informant.
“And what have you been able to learn from this meeting?” Kira asked, leaning closer to the monitor on her end.
“The Rebellion plans on hitting Trelka Five and Avenal Seven. And they may target Toros Three before the Alliance can resume shipbuilding efforts. I’m transmitting the recording of his meeting with Greer.”
Kira stared at one corner of her monitor as new information flowed in. “I’m sure that information will be most helpful,” she said after the data transmission was completed. “I am in your debt, Kannu. The rebels will be in for a big shock when their plans fail miserably.”
“So when would be a good time to eliminate the First Minister?” Day inquired, as he watched Kira lean back in her seat.
“Not just yet,” Kira replied with a shake of her head. “I want to let him think his position is secure. And Mister Greer will soon come to realize that Li has reneged on their little deal. Right now, the population overwhelmingly supports him. Even making his death look like an accident would lead to devastating fallout.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Day said with an approving nod. “Killing him now would only make a martyr out of him.”
“I’m glad we understand each other,” Kira replied with a fiendish smile, that Day saw as more flirting on her part.
He quickly cut the transmission, leaving himself alone with his thoughts. Clearly, Kira trusted him not to take matters into his own hands. He was eager to assassinate the First Minister and assume his position. That would have to wait for now, considering he would not last very long in the same position under the current circumstances.
After her brief conversation with Captain Day on Bajor, Kira quickly studied all the new information and she was now on her way to visit Dukat.
Dukat poured the last of the contents of a bottle of
kanar into a glass when he heard the doorbell chime. He finished off the beverage in one gulp and set the bottle aside. “Come in!” he called.
Kira walked into the office in her usual suggestive manner and set a padd on the desk. She then lowered her lithe body onto one of the guest chairs and crossed her legs. “It would appear the Rebellion is preparing to launch a major offensive against your borders,” she proclaimed. “Fortunately, one of your informants is a step ahead.”
Dukat picked up the padd and skimmed through the various files that were on the screen. “Hmmm…Interesting,” he muttered to himself. Looking back in Kira’s direction, he added, “We obviously have a leak of some kind. A mole in the Klingon or Bajoran governments? Li Nalas, perhaps? His efforts to recapture Terok Nor from the Terrans have failed again and again and yet he remains in power.”
“It’s a very strong possibility,” Kira replied, leaning over the desk so that her eyes met Dukat’s. “But I’d also suggest you keep an eye on the Regent as well.”
Dukat scoffed while waving Kira off and swinging his chair rightward. “Martok is nothing,” he said. “He is just a figurehead for a very insignificant political faction in the Klingon Empire.”
Kira arched herself back into standing position and began slowly tiptoeing around the desk. “Maybe so,” she said, “but power can change a person. And that makes him an obstacle to your plans to assume unilateral power over the Alliance. The quiet ones are the ones to look out for.” She then leaned towards Dukat, her bosom slowly passing through his immediate field of vision, and stroked his forehead ridges.
Dukat grabbed her right wrist and coaxed her hand away. “But why would you wish that?” he skeptically asked with a look of sternness in his eyes. “Such an arrangement would reduce Bajor’s role within the Alliance even more.”
“But it would also create a more united Bajor,” Kira assured him, “one that we could never achieve on our own. And best of all, we’d finally have the chance to expel the Terran presence on Terok Nor for good.”
“Yes, they have been an impediment to our plans for too long,” Dukat plainly answered. Still having a firm grasp on Kira’s right wrist, he then nudged her away. She happily obliged, while still appearing frustrated that he did not succumb very much to her advances. He swung his chair back towards the desk and maintained his focus on the desk monitor. “Thank you for the information, Intendant,” he said, trying not to look at her. “I will take my leave of you now.”
Kira grinned fiendishly and began slowly sauntering out of the room. Although she was unable to grant Dukat some kind of sexual favor, she was still rather pleased with herself that she had Dukat under her spell to some degree.
