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Chapter 6

The open turbolift came to a stop at the command center. Major Kira saw us, then turned to the Klingon Starfleet officer. "Worf, you have the comm."

"Yes, sir," Worf responded as he looked me over when Julian and I came out of the turbolift.

Kira came over. "You must be Tengu."

I nodded my head once.

The Bajoran turned to the doctor and said quietly, "Isn't it a little early for a relationship?"

"It's nothing like that. Her leg was badly injured and it's hard for her to walk."

Kira smiled. "And you didn't think to give her crutches, at least."

"I gave Lieutenant Mallory the last pair I had. Medical supplies are on heavy order these days."

"Alright, Doctor, Tengu, the briefing is about to start. If you'll come with me."

Julian and I followed Kira to the conference room. I knew who the other people already sitting down were. Constable Odo, Lieutenant Ezri Dax, and Chief Miles O'Brien.

Julian eased me down into an empty chair, then sat between me and O'Brien. Kira sat next to Odo. A few seconds later Captain Benjamin Sisko came in a seated himself at the head of the table.

Sisko pressed a button on his datapad and said, "Stardate 2346.07, 1030 hours." He paused. "Now we may begin." He stood up and walked past behind me to the large computer screen on the other side of the room.

As he walked past, his arm accidentally brushed against my shoulder. I instinctually quickly extended my claws at the mental sight of the Cardassian Gul Dukat about to hit me with a metal pole. The vision was only a flash, but it was intense enough for me to react.

Everyone jumped a little as my claws extended and bit into the conference table. I felt Julian's comforting hand on my arm. "Tengu, are you alright?" he asked.

I slowly retracted my claws as I said, "I an sorry, Captain Sisko. I just reacted to Gul Dukat attacking you, on that asteroid you and he had been stranded on," I explained.

"How do you know about that?" the brown-skinned man asked.

I hesitated before answering. "I have visions of the past or future triggered by touch. When you made contact with me, one was triggered."

"But you were fine with Julian touching you," remarked Kira.

"These visions have no pattern of appearance. Also, Julian does not mind." I turned my attention back to Sisko. "I am sorry for the interruption." I slightly bowed as a show of respect.

Sisko began by calling up the Dominion plans I had given Odo onto the computer screen. "These are the plans given to us by Tengu. Starfleet has told me to investigate the source of these plans. I'll begin. Tengu, where did you get these plans?"

"From the main database at the Vorta Dominion planetary base," I answered without missing a beat.

"And how did you obtain these plans?"

I took a deep breath. "This station has had some refugees from the Gamma Quadrant."

"Yes," Kira confirmed.

"I am certain they have spoken of a being they call Death's Shadow."

There was an agreeing chorus around the table.

"What do these stories say?" I asked.

O'Brien spoke up. "The refugees fear Death's Shadow more than anyone or anything else. They say he will kill anyone in his way with no thoughts or mercy. He can do anything with his mind and he has blades for hands. No one can hide from him."

"But what does Death's Shadow have to do with you?" Ezri asked. "Unless you somehow persuaded him to give you the plans."

Julian closed his eyes and slightly shook his head. He already figured it out.

"The stories have some of the facts wrong," I told them. "Death's Shadow is a young female Skonian. Namely, Tengu,"

"It can't be you," protested the Trill counselor.

"The description matches me. Blades for hands." I called Sisko's commbadge to my hand. "I can control things, and sometimes people with my mind. And the reason why no one can hide from is because of my visions. I am… I was Death's Shadow."

Everyone took a moment of silence to absorb this information. Then Odo spoke.

"It seems unlikely that such an important agent of the Dominion would defect like this," the Changeling said. "Perhaps you were sent here with false plans to deceive us."

"I do understand your suspicion," I replied. "But, I would not have risked my life for false plans and the Female Founder and Weyoun would not have sacrificed my life for such a deception." I stopped and sighed. "I should start with how I became involved with the Dominion in the first place."

"That would be most enlightening," Sisko commented. "You may begin."

I told them nearly everything, started from meeting Tholme and the Jedi to my escape from the Gamma Quadrant. The only thing I did not tell them was the way I murdered the Jem'hadar sent to kill me. After I was finished, a couple of minutes passed in silence.

Then Sisko said, "Well, I'll have to send a report to Starfleet and let them decide what to do with you."

I stood up and limped over to Sisko, then touched his shoulder. I took my hand from him when I saw what I needed to see.

"What did you see, Tengu?" Julian asked.

"If he sends this report, the same thing will happen," I told the doctor.

"What do you mean?" inquired Sisko.

Julian answered for me. "She had the same vision when I was going to send Starfleet Medical a report about her. She said that Section Thirty-one will get involved and conduct rather unfriendly tests."

"Captain, I need to stay on the station. The plans could change and only I would know. I cannot touch the datapad I gave you if I do not have access to it."

Sisko sighed. "This hardly counts as a Federation court, but it seems I have no other practical choice. All in favor of allowing Tengu to stay on Deep Space Nine under probation?"

Everyone at the table raised their hands. Sisko gave a slight smile, then said, "Tengu, you're to be under probation until further notice. Now, I have to somehow convince command that our source is trustworthy. Dismissed."

We all stood up and made our way out the door. Julian placed his arm around my waist and helped me down the stairs outside the door. Sisko went to his office, Kira took the command back from Worf, while Odo, Dax, and O'Brien followed the doctor and I to the turbolift. They went to the Promenade and Julian and I went to the habitat ring. I was surprised by this.

"Why am I not going to the holding cells?" I asked.

"Did you really think we were going to make you stay in a cell?" Julian asked rhetorically.

We turned a few corners before he pointed at a door and said, "I live here. I know there's an empty room around here somewhere."

The empty room was across the hall and five rooms down from his. "What is it you say? How convenient," I remarked as we entered the living quarters.

"Yes," Julian agreed. "I think you should sit down." He guided me over to the couch and down onto the soft cushions.

I winced and tightly closed my eyes in pain as my leg throbbed. Julian kneeled down in front of me and asked, "Is your leg hurting?" I nodded my head. The doctor pushed up my pant leg to see. I gasped when he started to feel the injured area with his warm hands.

"Are you sure you don't need to spend another night in the Infirmary, or at the very least, pain medication?" he asked.

"Yes, I am sure. I just need to rest," I replied. "Interesting," I said.

"What?"

"This is the first time I have verbally responded to pain."

Julian looked up at me and smiled. "See, I told you things would start changing for you."

"Julian," I said quietly. "Why are you still showing kindness to me? You are acting as though the briefing did not happen."

"To be honest, I was expecting something like that from you."

"But I have killed. Killing is the ultimate wrong."

Julian sat on the couch, faced me, and took hold of my hands. "Tengu, we're in a war. Many people have blood on their hands. I've had to kill Jem'hadar and Klingons to help the Federation win. We all have to live with the guilt."

"But how do you? If I am to feel guilt, how am I to live with it?"

"You just… just try to forget."

"How?"

"We occupy our minds with other things," the doctor said. "Tengu, I want you to lie down," he told me before getting off the couch and kneeling in their floor in front of me.

I did as he said and lied on my back, turning my face to his. His eyes were full of life.

"Now, I'm no counselor, but you seemed to have emotionally responded to the way I touched you in Garak's shop," Julian said quietly. "Do you have any objections now?"

I shook my head.

"I want you to occupy your mind with the feelings and emotions you might experience," he whispered.

Julian brought his hands to my face and gently placed his fingers on my eyebrows. My eyes closed when he started to trace his fingers along my eyebrows. He slowly guided his fingers down the bridge of my nose, outlined my lips, then back up to my hairline. My facial muscles completely relaxed as he repeated the process several times. I soon fell asleep.