He stood there, duffle bag slung across his shoulder as he blew a tuft of hair out of his eyes. He could feel the tension of the place, not at all what he had hoped to see as he finally came to visit. A rough looking Andorian brushed past him and he quickly stepped out of the entrance of the docking bay. He almost forgot he had just stopped there in the middle of the foyer. Shaking a head at himself he turned and noted the Jem'Hadar soldiers standing at the entrance of the promenade. There was a Cardassian soldier ushering out the other passengers as quick as he could, gruffing out orders.
He stood there tsk'ing softly to himself at the scene. Yes, this was definitely not what he had in mind, though it was his own fault for having procrastinated this visit in the first place. He had hoped the conflict between the Cardassians and Bajorans would have been the end and leave him a peaceful interlude for this momentous occasion but no…he had been naïve. In his lifetime he knew better than to think war would cease to be a constant. And now as the new war waged by the Dominion was waxing, it had finally reached its sick tendrils to this space station. He steeled himself and began to walk forward, careful not to upset the Jem'Hadar as he passed with the small influx of passengers, herded like Earth sheep by the soldiers.
He had heard many good things about this place, about Deep Space Nine. Or Terok Nor as the new 'owners' were inclined to name it. He rolled his eyes at that, a human habit he had picked up and never got rid of. He went along and sat down at a table in front of what was once a Klingon restaurant. He set his bag to his side and gathered in his surroundings, a practice he often did when arriving someplace new. He liked to get the feel of the place, understand who lived there.
He didn't really like the current feeling here though.
He had come a long way, and now that he was finally here he was unsure if this had been a wise choice. Guards were posted practically in every nook and cranny. The promenade was almost deserted aside from those few shops that remained open and of course the replomat had retained its foot traffic. In dark times he knew people gravitated to two things: distraction and food.
He sighed, once again wondering why he was here, rhetorically speaking. He knew why, it was just a question why he decided it was now or never. He clenched the bag now in his lap and tried to steady himself. He felt such a strong pull toward this place, an instinct. And he had followed it.
Now he needed only to find the Ones he had been searching for all this time. That was why he was here, without a doubt.
He gazed down at his freckled wrists, now all of a sudden self-conscious. What if they did not like him? What if…what if he wasn't doing this right? He touched his face gingerly. He supposed he looked well-enough, his friends had told him so. It had taken him such a long time to make himself look…normal. But he was getting some rather strange looks now from various soldiers who were stationed about. If he had a heart, surely it would be beating out of his chest.
He felt stared at, and usually he didn't care one wit, as he had learned to overcome such insecurities. In fact, he made a living by keeping the rapt attention of his audience. But not here. Perhaps because he was alone. He hadn't been alone in such a long time, having made a plethora of friends and been welcomed by those who knew of him. But here? Deep Space Nine was a long way from his home, his friends and reputation. Here he was just another waif, a tiny star flickering inside the heart of a galaxy.
He ran a hand through his hair and silently prayed that somehow he would not mess this up.
Jake had just sat down at Quark's bar when Kira joined him. It surprised him to say the least, as she had been avoiding him the past few days. She was getting restless, trying to plan some kind of attack or up rise and she did not appreciate Jake's criticisms. Jake was just playing devil's advocate though, as well as trying to cool her temper. This wasn't just some Cardassian occupation like before. This war was with the Dominion. And Jake had noticed early on that while the Jem'Hadar were somewhat mindless drones set on killing, the Vorta were far more clever, cunning and somewhat ruthless. They were extremely dedicated and didn't let pride cloud their minds. And that made them dangerous, as their main goal in life seemed to be pleasing their Founders. So yeah, Jake was going to let Kira know she was a little over her head this time.
"You see him?" Kira said in a low voice as Quark joined them, wiping a glass with a cloth absently. With the station now overrun with the Dominion and lacking regular patrons, Quark was up for anything to rescue him from the dullness.
Jake looked at her, as did Quark. "Who?"
Kira drummed her fingers on the counter, staring ahead at nothing but looking impatient.
"Him, over there, by the replomat." She strained in almost a whisper.
The two followed her gaze to the man sitting all by himself, clutching an old duffle bag.
"Don't look at him!" Kira hissed, startling the two back to her. "Don't be so obvious." She huffed in explanation.
"Psht, what about him Nerys? He's looks like a plain old space drifter." Jake snorted into his glass of root beer.
"Plus," Quark added without a second glance, "he looks broke."
"I checked the roster of his ship and it stated there were five Bajorans, three Cardassians, an Andorian—" Kira whispered but Jake cut her off.
"So? Neutral traders and incoming soldiers, what else is new?" Jake said, offering the glass to Quark to fill up. The Ferengi bartender crinkled his nose, as he still hated the Terran drink himself. But to each his own, and money was money. At least Nog had the decency to teach the boy how to charge for his services on the station so he could have some kind of currency on hand. Terra may be an 'enlightened' world bent on 'bettering' themselves rather than filling their pockets, but news flash: the rest of the galaxy didn't work like that.
"Will you two let me finish?!" Kira hissed again, and then paused as a couple Jem'Hadar who were standing turned their heads to the trio, but staying put beside Weyoun as the Vorta looked over reports on his PADD at a table.
"As I was going to say," Kira nearly gritted her teeth, "The roster also registered a human. Him."
"So?" Jake and Quark replied in unison, making the major roll her eyes.
"So? So it's unusual isn't it? A human coming aboard the station? Do you think he's a Starfleet spy? To help overthrow the occupation? Take back the station?"
Quark sighed and poured her some Deka tea, to calm her frayed nerves if nothing else.
Jake had to hand it to her, it was really unusual for a human to be aboard now. He himself was an exception of course, but practically every human had evacuated when his father left with the Defiant. It was simply because the humans that used to be here were also Starfleet in some capacity. But this guy…he was different.
The man looked young, only a few years older than Jake, but he looked like what his grandpa would call an "old soul". Even from this distance he looked worn and tired. Perhaps his clothes had something to do with it, Jake surmised. He had a couple layers on, the outermost being a baggy trenchcoat-looking item. And his pants and shoes looked odd too, somehow archaic. Jake had seen similar clothing, but only in his research into Earth history for a few of his stories.
The man also had incredibly bright hair; it looked like a sunset almost. And even from here Jake could make out numerous freckles. It also seemed the sparse few individuals left on the station were subtly eyeing the man who seemed in a daze himself. Not much goes unnoticed at times like these, Jake supposed.
"Hyuuu-mahns. I know they aren't all sunshine and flowers. Is it so unlikely the man is just another no-good drifter?" Quark supplied, leaning on the counter casually. Jake made a face at him.
"Yes. Because why would he be here?" Kira was gripping her glass tightly. Morn, who was sitting on her other side, scooted a bit away from her. She—thankfully—didn't notice.
Well, again she had a point. If anything, people were now avoiding the station. That is, anyone who wasn't neutral in this war, especially a Federation species.
"Go talk to him." Kira basically ordered Jake.
"What?!" Jake yelped, taken off guard. This caught Weyoun's attention, and he glanced at them, a curious gleam in his bright violet eyes. His eyes narrowed just so, and he turned back to his reports. But Jake was sure he was listening now more than reading anything on that tablet.
Kira glared at Jake for the outburst. Jake smiled sheepishly and shrugged in apology.
"See what he's doing here." Kira ordered again and Jake sucked his teeth and grumbled a 'fine' as he got up from his stool. Quark shook his head as he began wiping the counter, barely containing a smirk.
"Hey." Jake called to the man as he walked over. The guy seemed to be snapped out of his reverie and looked at Jake up and down. He then hedged a small smile and a little wave.
"Mind if I sit here?" Jake asked, and the man gestured he was welcomed to.
"Welcome to Deep Space Nine." Jake asked, but caught the glare of a Cardassian not far off the way. "Uh, I mean Terok Nor." Jake amended without enthusiasm. The man smiled kindly at him, as if in understanding.
"Thank you. I'm happy to see some light in this place after all." He replied, and Jake immediately took a liking to the guy. It was more than an off-hand compliment. The man had such bright green eyes, filled with a warmth and kindness Jake was unused to seeing in people, especially these days. Jake could tell he was a good guy, whoever he was.
"I'm Jake Sisko." Jake offered his hand and the man happily took it with a firm grip.
"I'm Milo. Nice to meet you, Jake." Milo said with a grin, finally at ease.
Weyoun set his report down. The war was going well, but their hold was slipping. If they were unable to disable the minefield preventing their troops from entering through the wormhole, then not only would their side suffer but Weyoun would be personally held responsible. And while he was no glutton for pain, the knowledge that he failed the Founders would be hardest to bear.
He slowly cast his gaze to Sisko's son, who was now talking with one of the latest arrivals to the station. Considering the conversation he witnessed (but was just far enough away from which he heard nothing of consequence sadly) he surmised this human talking to Jake was of some undetermined importance. He made a mental note to investigate. It was obvious the human male was different—anyone with eyes, even ones as weak as a Vorta's, could see that.
He tapped the table as he thought about some other concerning topics. He knew storms were brewing in that Bajoran Major's mind. But because she had favor with Dukat (through no effort of her own, Weyoun knew) she was practically immune to any investigating. And she was the only true threat on this station. Jake Sisko was more determined to fight this war with words than phasers, and those two ferengi—he eyed Quark as he fussed with Rom about fixing the coolant of a replicator—weren't suited for the rage of war. And lastly Odo, Weyoun hoped, would return to the ideals of his people soon enough.
Of course, this Vorta had no intention of by-passing any suspects. He would keep an ear out since the Cardassians weren't doing it. Damar seemed to be the only one suspicious enough to take any action but too drunk to actually do anything. Weyoun rolled his eyes thinking of the Dominion's supposed 'prized' allies. But far be it from him to question the wisdom of the Founders, for they knew best in all things.
It was then that the Sisko boy led the newcomer to the bar. Well, perhaps Weyoun wouldn't have far to go to find out who this human was…to determine if he was a threat or not. Starfleet was learning to get sneaky—and desperate. Anything was a possibility.
"Hey guys, I wanted you to meet Milo. Milo, this is Major Kira Nerys, Quark, and Rom." Jake said and Kira rubbed her hand over her face, making Quark chuckle as he greeted the new hyu-man on the block.
Kira was so stressed out; she gave Jake one job. Just find out who and what the man was doing here. And he brings him into the heart of the bar which was currently inhabiting a load of Jem'Hadar, Cardassians and of course Weyoun. These people knew nothing of secrecy or functioning as a productive resistance.
"It's a pleasure." Kira sighed with a half-hearted smile and shake of Milo's hand as was customary with the humans. She then got up, ready to go to her quarters and scream into her pillow until she passed out when Odo walked in. Her eyes brightened considerably, making Quark want to vomit since he himself did not appreciate the changeling's presence.
Weyoun's heart sped up at seeing the Founder enter. He so wished Odo liked him better. But somehow everything Weyoun did seemed to upset his god. The Female Founder at least told him he was doing good work every now and then, so he knew when he was on the right track. Of course, that was more of an evaluation rather than genuine compliment, but Weyoun would take what he could get. However, the Vorta was lucky to get a grumpy huff from Odo. He was tempted to go over and ask the Founder if there was anything he needed. But he stopped himself, knowing there was a fine line between being a faithful servant and being a right nuisance. Oh how he envied Kira. She found favor despite snapping back at her superiors, especially Dukat, to whom she practically radiated hatred for. And Odo seemed to gravitate to her as well. Weyoun did all he could to please his Founders, especially Odo, but got nowhere. Life was ironic, it seemed.
"Major." Odo nodded, hands clasped behind him. "Quark, Rom. Jake." He greeted the others. He then gazed at the new addition to their group, a lanky Terran by the looks of him. Jake snapped to attention at the drawn out silence.
"Er, this is Milo, Odo." Jake fumbled the introduction. Odo merely nodded. Milo clutched his duffle bag that hung at his shoulder and waved lamely.
"I was looking for you, Kira. I'd like to talk to you about…some things." Odo said with meaning and the major caught on.
"Oh but wait, I was hoping you could help me arrange some quarters for Milo, Kira." Jake asked. Odo looked impatient all of a sudden. He then remembered seeing Weyoun as he came in. He turned his head to the Vorta who was doing a fair job of trying to look immersed in his PADD.
"Weyoun." Odo called gruffly. The Vorta looked up, quite surprised at being addressed. He was beside Odo in an instant, giving his little bow as he always did.
"How may I serve you, Founder?" Weyoun asked, seemingly happy to do anything Odo asked, which Milo noted made Odo look uncomfortable. Milo felt like such a bother right then, being the indirect cause of this.
"I need you to assign…Mr. Milo...some quarters. I have station business to discuss with the Major." Odo ordered and Weyoun bowed again.
"It will be done, Founder."
Odo huffed at the unwanted designation, and then left up the stairs with Kira. Weyoun gazed after them a moment before turning to the human named Milo.
"If you'll follow me." Weyoun said, and he led Milo out and to the lifts leading to the habitat ring where some (many now that the station was deserted) empty compartments were.
"I'll come by later!" Jake called after, resuming his seat at the bar.
"He needs a better hobby than Odo." Quark commented, still looking after the two.
Jake laughed. "Well, you know how it is when you idolize someone."
"That's the thing, what is there to idolize? Hmm? Bland fashion sense? Looks like Weyoun has that covered already."
Jake laughed again. "Well, it gives us an edge." he replied softly with a smirk.
"And we need any help we can get, brother." Rom added, finally speaking up.
Quark snorted. "Yeah, I guess so. Anything to bring back business."
