Chapter Seven
When Friends Become Enemies
Ezri's mind was on the buzz, still trying to comprehend the fact that Damar had helped them escape.
Why would he do this for them? Was he...turning against the Dominion now?
"Well, I don't trust him," Worf grumbled as soon as they successfully got away from Cardassia Prime. Now they were on the way to Deep Space 9. And just now he had gotten a hold of the captain enough for them to inform him and the others that the Dominion and Cardassia had allied with the Breen. That meant back to seeing Benjamin and facing the talk with him, reuniting with the others...and for her, it meant confronting these so-called feelings for Julian.
What if what she had with Weyoun was going to flee in time enough for her to move on, if Julian was her future if she even knew if he felt for her as he did for Jadzia? Jadzia knew the depth of his emotions, but never returned it. Ezri might be willing to return them. But first things first...
"Ezri," Worf said some time later, "are you ever going to tell Dr. Bashir about what happened?"
That was going to be difficult to consider. The Vorta ambassador of the Dominion forced her into marriage only to throw her back into prison, sign her death warrant only to lose her. What if Julian didn't want the fact she'd been touched by the enemy? She tried not to think too much about the anxieties to come on the way back to the station.
"Hey, welcome!" Miles was the first to welcome her back and hug her; Julian's laugh was surprisingly a relief to hear after two long weeks. "I, for one, never doubted you both would be back," he said when he let her go.
"And neither did I." Julian looked like he was even more happy to see her, and was there...something more in his eyes like she expected? He was about to accept her into an embrace before O'Brien joked about him being a liar and being "Mr. Doom and Gloom the entire time you were gone."
Everyone aboard had missed them. "See?" Ezri joked when she turned to Worf. "I told you they'd miss us."
He turned around with her and the other two in time to see the man himself coming their way. "Captain." Sisko acknowledged him before looking down at her, his face unreadable.
"I know," she said quickly, "I left the station without permission, lost a runabout..."
He held up his hand. "Relax, we'll evaluate your actions later, old man. What I need to know is everything about this Dominion-Breen alliance."
"I'm afraid," Worf said regretfully, "we have very little information to share with you, Captain." So, it would remain between them both that no one would ever know about two weeks of being married to that creature.
"Weyoun and the others..." To say his name was now bitter on her tongue. "...were more interested in asking questions than they were answering."
"Why do you think Damar decided to help you escape?" Ben asked curiously.
Ezri shook her head. "I'm not sure. But I'll tell you one thing: he HATES Weyoun."
"And the Cardassians are a proud people," Worf agreed, "but the Dominion treats them like second-class citizens."
And with this alliance with the Breen, the Dominion was weakening the Cardassian status even more. "For whatever his reasons," she said to Benjamin, "we owe him our lives." Kira might hate him for personal reasons and not just involving what his people did to hers, everyone else hated him because of him being the leader of his own, but Ezri felt he had to be owed for saving her and Worf's lives.
"Maybe someday you will return the favor," Ben said with a nod, then turned to Bashir. "And doctor, I'd like a complete medical work up on both of them."
All her previous worries returned. By examining them both, he might find not only remaining injuries and the effects of the mental probe...but also that Ezri had been sexually active. Weyoun had been the one more than Worf that one time, and Julian would piece it together even if she didn't tell him. She was afraid of what was going to happen.
And his soft, reassuring smile did not help matters, either. "I'm glad to see you again." Then he became aware that Worf was still there. "Both of you."
"Kira to Sisko. We just received a priority one transmission from Starfleet Command. The Breen have attacked Earth."
~o~
Unfortunately, Weyoun 8 remained; how Damar would have loved to see the little Vorta offed and the next one - or that this would be the last one. Never mind, though, Damar thought as he regretted not bringing in his bottle of kanar.
Again, never mind. He was having the men ready in no time for the time that was coming sooner than both the Dominion and Breen thought. Especially Weyoun.
And speak of the devil - "There, do you see that?" he asked excitedly to Thot Gor, pointing out the latest Federation casualties on Earth. "It keeps getting better and better once again." Thot Gor garbled, making him smile. "Point taken. The casualties are merely a bonus. What matters is that we struck fear into the heart of our enemy and made them feel weak...and vulnerable."
And that was exactly how he enjoyed making Damar's own people feel: weak and vulnerable. All because their last ruler wanted the entire Alpha Quadrant and got himself thrown into a low religious cult in the end. "General, please congratulate your troops for us!" Weyoun went on, clapping his hands together. "You've done a superb job. Don't you agree, Damar?"
He went rigid and wished he could snap the demon's neck. "Superb, but so unfortunate that so few of your ships survived the assault." That was the best of an insult at the present he could give.
"Leave it to you, Damar," Weyoun said icily, "to point out the one cloud in the sky. It's a small price for such an important victory." His thoughts exactly, and exactly what he wished he could say in comparison to all of his own troops lost. Thot Gor did not realize this, but the Breen would, in time, be treated no better than the Cardassians were. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must make my report to the Founder."
He seemed rather...chipper for a man whose little Trill bride abandoned him not that long ago. He had done a hell of a fine job, pretended nothing happened for all Damar knew. A part of him wondered if he thought about that girl at all, but that wasn't his problem anyway. When the Vorta was gone, Damar decided to have some fun. "By the way, in case Weyoun neglected to mention it, the Dominion once said Cardassian appraisals as well. It's really quite simple: they expected the war to be over long ago, but it's not. And for that, they blame us. Now, if the war isn't ended soon, they'll shift the blame to you, too."
Later, exhilaration thrummed his veins, mingled with uncertainty. He joined Gul Rusot, one of the greatest men he ever trusted with his life in his entire career. For the time being, they were safe from the eyes of the Breen and Jem'Hadar, and any disloyal Cardassians who sided with them - but most of all, the sickly Founder and her loyal Vorta.
"The information you requested."
"Excellent." Damar grinned and took the PADD from him. "Please, sit down."
Rusot shook his head. "I'm not sure it's wise I stay. What if the...Vorta," he said slowly, "decides to pay you a visit?"
Damar scoffed. "And what if he does? He'll see me...conferring with one of my officers," he stated simply. There was never anything suspicious about having a simple conversation with any of your closest colleagues. He looked up as Rusot walked over to where he kept the kanar.
"Doesn't seem right," he said as he poured a glass. "All these...plotting and secrecy. What are we, Romulans?"
"No, we're Cardassians. And right now, our own planet is an occupied territory. To defeat an occupying army takes careful planning and secrecy," Damar said through his teeth.
Rusot walked to stand before him, glass in hand. "Can we REALLY hope to defeat the Dominion?" he asked, keeping his tone low in case anyone, like Weyoun in particular from outside, heard what they were talking about - then everything would be in jeopardy. "With the Breen on their side, they are stronger than ever."
"And don't forget we would be fighting back to win our home AND freedom, and that will make us even stronger," Damar replied as he stood so he was eye level with Rusot, who shook his head.
"I remember the day when I first heard that Cardassia had joined the Dominion. Like everyone else, I rejoiced. We were going to be..." He held his glass up as a lone toast to the future they were on the verge of losing. "...rulers of the Alpha Quadrant. Instead," he said after the downing, "we're a conquered people. Servants in our own land."
And all of that would soon end. Damar looked over the list of soldiers and commanders given to him, wondering if any of them could be trusted. The list wasn't very long, but it had to be worth taking back their home planet and its surrounding systems. Starting with Rondac III, the site of one of the Dominion's greatest weapons:
The cloning facilities.
~o~
She was watching him from her usual place in Quark's bar, with Worf beside her. Over the last couple days, they had gotten closer as friends. But over the topic of Julian and her, it remained ever stiff. Overhead, they currently watched him and Miles set up a model of their Alamo program.
"He is a child," Worf said disgustedly as he watched the sight.
At first, Ezri thought he meant O'Brien, whom she did think of that way. But in truth, she knew who. "Miles does have a certain cherubic quality to him..."
"I was talking about Dr. Bashir, and you know it," he interrupted impatiently.
Ezri lowered her eyes from him, not knowing what to say. What dominated her mind most of all was the day he examined her and Worf, and when he discovered the linger of activity below her waistline, knowing what she'd been up do - even saw the lingering bruises on her body and other certain parts. She unwittingly told him who it was; if she lied and said it was Worf, it would have been immorally wrong. She would never forget the look in his eyes, but he had promised her he harbored no disgust, assured her that it was not her fault. And no accusations of rape, he'd added, and that he understood why she agreed to it. Still, nothing made it right.
Worf seemed to have read her emotions across her face. "Are you sure he's the one?" he asked slowly.
"I'm not certain about anything." Because not only was it Julian on her mind, but Weyoun. He never seemed to want to give her any peace of mind. She'd had dreams about him every night as of late - those dreams you could never tell anyone but keep to yourself. She never had any of Julian except that one, but Weyoun haunted her every peaceful night. She couldn't bring herself to tell this to Worf, knowing exactly what he would say. "But...he is handsome." Although, she needed more than handsome. Weyoun was handsome, but she let him run her life, short-lived as it had been.
Just as Quark was right about having someone to win her heart, not inherit it. He'd been right about her and Worf, hadn't he?
And Worf wasn't letting it easy with Julian Bashir, either. "He gets excited playing with toys!" he insisted. If she had anything to say to that, it was that he knew how to have a good time. This model had been hours of work; it was in no way a toy. Worf grumbled over his bloodwine. "I see it is hopeless to try and reason with you."
She continued to watch Julian and Miles overhead, the question coming back, never mind that day in the examination room and any doubts: should she TELL him she was in love with him?
"If it makes you happy," Worf said when she asked, "yes."
She smiled. "You're a good friend, Worf."
"I know."
~o~
The victory of destroying Starfleet Headquarters on Earth was nothing short of bliss. The Breen and their beautiful weaponry and their brute strength - he had to say that, for the first time, they were more reliable than the Jem'Hadar even, not that they weren't already over the Cardassians. This was truly a blessed moment to remember always within the Dominion.
But it could not erase the emptiness in his heart as she was not here to share it with him.
When Ezri had been taken back to her cell - before she abandoned him with the Klingon - she had taken off both her rings and gave them back to him. Weyoun might not appreciate the aesthetic quality of either of them, but he remembered which one he had given her for their wedding, the day that was supposed to be special for his bride, but she never cherished it as he had. She was never happy.
He held the little band between his thumb and forefinger and thought about her once again, however she was doing now. Could she be with that doctor of hers now, trying to forget all about him? The man who touched her in ways she could never have imagined, ensured she would never forget anything or any part of him? He tried to break her down, but she was too strong in the end. She was a tough one to beat, he would praise her for that. But no matter now; she was far away from him.
Once the Federation was crushed, he would search the farthest reaches of the galaxy to find her. If she would still be alive. And if she was, then she would never escape him again.
He left his quarters, the ring safely back into its keepsake box where no one but himself knew where it was, and was surprised to see - "Damar! You're up early." It was odd to see the Legate here early when he never once showed up on time. Nevertheless, Weyoun was pleased, for once.
"Am I? I haven't noticed. I've had a restful sleep."
How nice, but he still wondered... "I had no idea the Breen could mobilize a force so quickly."
"Our new allies are full of surprises, aren't they?" Weyoun asked with a smile, then recalled the newest one recently discovered. "You know those...refrigeration suits they wear? I'm sure you've read the intelligence reports that say their homeworld is a frozen wasteland...but it's not. The climate is quite comfortable."
Damar frowned. "Then why do they wear refrigeration suits?"
"They won't say. Like I said, they're full of surprises."
Damar said nothing, just turned away from him and went back to a console. It was then that Weyoun noticed, for the first time, something off about Damar besides the fact that a "restful sleep" did wonders. "Damar, there is something...different about you. I can't put my finger on it; it's as if you're...half-dressed."
"What are you talking about?" The other man turned around only halfway. There it was: no bottle of that wretched kanar in his hands, which could mean only one thing.
"You've regained your confidence. You thought that the Dominion was going to lose the war and drag Cardassia down with it." Indeed, because all he loved was his entire planet and people. That was why he drowned himself in that formula to begin with. Things might have been grim, but it always arose back up. That did not excuse to lose faith in one's allies. It was as if Damar...moved out of a dark tunnel and found the light again. That light meant the Dominion would prevail over the Federation.
"Damar, you should feel proud. This marks the beginning of a new, prosperous future for the entire Alpha Quadrant!" He thought it would make him happy, but Damar still appeared thoughtful. And then, finally, a smile broke out.
"You know me so well."
"That I do. Really, Damar," he huffed, waving his hand, "I hope that Cardassian-sized ego of yours doesn't spoil our victory - and I mean our victory. Yours, mine..."
"And the Breen," he finished, doing him proud.
"Yes, and the Breen." Weyoun exhaled a laugh that they were finally on the same page.
"We're just one big, happy family, aren't we?"
"Oh, I love it so much when we agree. Don't you?"
~o~
"According to the latest battle reports, it looks like the Dominion will retake Chin'toka."
Damar was tempted to snort. After losing it to Starfleet and fighting to claim it back, he wouldn't be surprised if it was lost yet again. "A few months ago, the thought of losing Cardassian soil to the Federation wouldn't have been a cause for celebration. But the Dominion victories are no longer our victories."
Rusot was about to take another drink of kanar, but Damar stopped him. Drinking that stuff never washed anything away; it only made matters worse. He placed the bottle down. "We fight and die for Cardassia and Cardassia only. Now, are the troops in order?"
"Awaiting your command," Rusot answered.
"Excellent. We attack in seven hours."
~o~
Now that Earth had been attacked, now came the upcoming, impending loss of Chin'toka back to the Dominion. But not if they had anything to say about it. Chin'toka was all the Federation had in Cardassian space, and they could not afford to lose. Ezri noticed how everyone around seemed more somber than they always had been, but she supposed they all had reasons to be.
She knew to put her personal feelings behind her for now and focus on the task at hand, and so she did. But with the Dominion and the Breen against them, they lost not only many more ships, but also their beloved Defiant and were forced to abandon it. Benjamin had loved that ship more than any other he commanded. They were all hurt, but they were all right.
That also meant they did lose Chin'toka to their enemies once more. They were back to square one.
They were all back at DS9, in the meantime, buying time until a counterattack was in order. But time was short on them as it was. Ezri held both hands to her heart as she closed her eyes to try and envision an idea of her own...
But then all senior staff was called to the bridge. Ezri was amongst, and she was just as surprised - or maybe not - at the message that was being broadcasted across the entire galaxy...by none other than Damar himself. All noises were tuned off so they could hear his message loud and clear.
"And so, two years ago, our government signed a treaty with the Dominion. In it, the Dominion promised to extend Cardassia's influence throughout the Alpha Quadrant. In exchange, we pledged ourselves to join the war against the Federation and its allies. Cardassians have never been afraid of war - a fact we have proven time and again over these past two years. Seven million soldiers of ours have given their lives to fulfill our agreement. And what has the Dominion done in return? NOTHING. We've gained no new territories; in fact, our influence across the Alpha Quadrant has diminished. And to make matters worse, we are no longer masters in our own home. Everywhere in Cardassia, what do you find? Jem'Hadar, Vorta, and now Breen. Instead of the invaders, we have become the invaded. Our allies have conquered us without firing a single shot."
He paused there to take a little breath after speaking so many words. "Well, no longer," he swore. "This morning, detachments of the Cardassian First, Third and Ninth Orders have attacked of the Dominion outpost on Rondac III. This assault marks the first step of the liberation of our men. Now I call upon Cardassians everywhere and throughout the Alpha Quadrant: resist. Resist now and tomorrow until every Dominion solder has been removed from OUR soil."
~o~
The betrayal burned in his blood even more than his bride leaving him. Damar had betrayed...BETRAYED...sold them all out. He turned against them all after swearing allegience a long time ago, after all he did for them, and what would the Dominion gain now? The signs were all there, how different Damar behaved; why did Weyoun NOT see it before?
The Founder herself was fighting not to rage herself, and Weyoun wished he could do something, but right now, the message and the mentioned attack was being examined as to whether or not he did indeed attack...
The system beeped. It was all confirmed. Everything on Rondac III was annihilated - including the Vorta cloning facilities. Which could mean only one thing:
He was the last Weyoun in his line.
That was why he targeted the facilities: to make sure he would not come back and exact revenge. Damar was more sophisticated than ever, making him a new dangerous enemy. "I want Damar and the rest of the traitors destroyed," the Founder seethed.
Weyoun bowed his head. And so he would see to it. He turned to Thot Gor. "I don't care how many Cardassians you have to kill," he said with rage. "Find Damar. Is that CLEAR?"
