The Mist Read Online Free PDF Page B

that."
    "I have been," O'Brien said. "I kept thinking that it was the cause of the change, but I can't see what it's done. It went over us, and everything changed, but I don't know if that's because it went over us, or if it appeared just as the ship did."
    "They did not even scan us," Worf said.
    "The ship or the cloudlike thing?" I asked.
    "Neither," Worf said.
    I stared at the ship floating in the center of the viewscreen, silently watching us. There didn't seem to be much choice. Since we had no idea what happened, and since it didn't look like we were going to figure it out soon, we had to gather more information.
    "Hail the ship," I said.
    "Aye, sir," Nog said. Then he bounced in his chair, unable to contain his excitement. "They're answering us, sir."
    "Put them on the screen, Cadet."
    I stood just as the screen flickered and changed. To my great surprise, the image of another human being faced me. Beside and slightly behind him was a thin, tall, almost wisplike humanoid of a species I had never seen before. The alien had a thin face with large, pupilless eyes and an even larger partially open mouth.
    The human wore an unfamiliar gold uniform topped by a gold yachting cap. His hair and skin were dark, his eyes a vibrant blue. He had broad shoulders, a large smile, and was clearly in command. The alien also wore a form of the gold uniform, only without the yachting cap around his bald head. On the alien the uniform looked like a robe.
    "Captain Sisko," the human said. "It's a pleasure meeting you. I'm Captain Victor and this is Councillor Näna of the High Council."
    His use of my name made me instantly wary, but I did not show it. Instead, I said, "Was it your distress call that we answered?"
    Captain Victor smiled and nodded. "Actually, it was a far distant ancestor's of mine. My family's name was Tucker. We left Earth hundreds of years ago in a ship called the Dorren. I just borrowed that distant relative's distress call to attract you."
    "Obviously, it worked," I said, this time letting more of my displeasure show. "But you are clearly not in distress. Why didn't you contact us directly instead of using an ancient distress call to set a trap?"
    "How can you judge on such a brief meeting, Captain, whether or not we are in distress?" he asked, but the question sounded lighthearted.
    "We do not take distress calls lightly," I said.
    "We know. That's why we used one to contact you."
    "What do you want with us?" I asked.
    Captain Victor laughed. "The answers to some of those questions will take a long time to explain. However, we used the ancient distress call to achieve the exact result we got. You came and the Klingons didn't."
    "I'm afraid they're on their way now."
    Captain Victor waved a hand as if brushing away a fly. "They can send as many ships as they want. It will make no difference to us."
    "Captain!" Cadet Nog broke in. "I'm getting"
    "Not now, Cadet," I said without taking my gaze away from the screen.
    "Captain, sir!" Nog said. "This is important."
    I hoped Nog was right. He was still very new to Starfleet protocol. "Excuse me," I said to Captain Victor. Then I turned to Nog. "This had better be good, Cadet."
    "Sir," Nog said, swallowing hard, "the station is hailing us on all emergency frequencies. And they have dispatched ships to search for us."
    "To search for us?" I asked.
    Again Cadet Nog swallowed hard, then looked up at me. "They seem to think we've vanished."
    "You have," Captain Victor said, smiling. "At least as far as your station is concerned."
    Behind him, Councillor Näna only nodded, his mouth opening and closing slowly.

    "Your disappearance surprised us all," Sotugh said, returning to his chair, the bloodwine sloshing out of his mug.
    For the first time, Sotugh's interruption didn't seem to bother the other patrons. Only the catlike woman glared at him.
    "How did the Defiant's sudden vanishing act seem to other ships?" Cap asked Sotugh.
    "There was no energy surge, no sudden movement,"