Gul Narat remained motionless, for once absolutely speechless. His mind screamed at him that this was impossible; something must be wrong; of course something was wrong; there was a Borg ship in front of him; something was seriously wrong; there was a Borg ship in front of him! The Collective had been destroyed decades ago! How was this possible?
"Have they noticed us?" he asked calmly.
Glinn Ledrec's console beeped faintly as he scanned the cube. It remained where it was, motionless. "No, Gul Narat."
"Lifesigns aboard the station?"
"One thousand forty-seven, Gul."
Gul Narat nodded. "And the Borg?"
More beeping. "I'm not registering any of them aboard the station, Gul." Surprise and disbelief were evident in Glinn Ledrec's voice.
"Try again," Gul Narat commanded. He half-turned to address Commander Lakahn. "Hail the other Cardassian ship," he said, recalling that the Commander had demanded precise instructions. Ordinarily Gul Narat might simply have said 'Open a channel', but the Commander might well be foolish enough to hail the cube. It wouldn't have been a shock.
A light flashed in the corner of one of the screens on Gul Narat's console. "They're answering," Commander Lakahn reported.
I know that, Gul Narat thought in irritation. "Put it on the viewscreen," he ordered, though he could more easily have done it himself.
A woman appeared on the viewscreen, facing away. She wore her hair in three pigtails, one on either side of her face and one nearly as thick as Gul Narat's wrist hanging down her back. Turning, she offered a smile that was as dazzling as it was empty. She had a slender, round face and full lips. Her crest was a brilliant blue, only slightly darker than her eyes, which were rimmed by slightly angular scales. The ridges were asymmetrical, giving her a wry expression. "This is Gul Jecett of the Seltras," she said. "Who are you? And how did you get here?"
"Gul Narat of the Gavran, but this really isn't the time to swap life stories. What happened here?"
Gul Jecett glanced suspiciously at something behind Gul Narat. "You have a Starfleet Bajoran aboard your ship," she observed.
"Imagine that," Gul Narat said dryly. "It so happens I'd already noticed. Now tell me what happened here." He used the you-will-do-what-I-say tone that was so effective on others.
After a brief staring match, Gul Jecett looked away. "Central Command reported a distress call from Keltok Nor. As the closest ship, we were dispatched to investigate."
"Were you?" Gul Narat asked suspiciously. "Because it so happens that I was told we were the closest ship. How is it, Gul Jecett, that Central Command forgot to inform me of your presence?"
"I don't know, Gul Narat." Gul Jecett's eyes were narrowed to slits. "What I'm curious about is why Central Command didn't inform me that you would be here."
Gul Narat rolled his eyes, secretly delighted at the opportunity. "If you insist on it," he said, "I'd be more than happy to trade transcripts of the messages if we survive, and if you like we can argue about who's untrustworthy then. In the meantime, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me what these Borg have done since you arrived."
Not a fool, Gul Jecett didn't point out that it was he who'd deviated from the straight and narrow of the conversation. "Not much," she said of the Borg. "They'd already dissected the station when we arrived. I saw them take pieces of it into their cube, but they haven't used any of their usual tactics. Fortunately they've totally ignored us."
"And you haven't engaged them?"
"Our orders were not to interfere, Gul Narat."
Gul Narat shifted his attention to one of the small screens on his console. A section of the cube had detached from the rest and was flying towards the station. It had a very deliberate course, and Gul Narat had a sudden suspicion of the function of the cuboid. He addressed the other Gul softly without looking up: "You'd make a terrible kotra player, Gul Jecett." The cuboid had reached the station and was using what Gul Narat recognised as a tractor beam to slice off a small segment. Part of the segment was pulled into the cuboid; the rest was left behind. "Stand by to receive new orders." He cut the connection and looked at Glinn Ledrec, who shook his head. He still hadn't registered any Borg aboard the station.
But that didn't matter, because Gul Narat had already made his decision. "Destroy it," he ordered.
"The cube?" Commander Lakahn asked in alarm.
"The station," Gul Narat said impatiently. "We engage the cube only if absolutely necessary. Target the central cores," he said to Glinn Ledrec. To Commander Lakahn: "Order Gul Jecett to get our people out of there. Her cargo bay should be large enough. I'd also like whatever it is those Borg were tractoring into their cube." Without waiting for acknowledgement, he turned again to his Glinn. "Take us in."