"Soldiers of the Empire"

JADZIA

"She's very pretty," I said.

Julian wrung his hands, "I know. I just hope I don't mess it up. I'm a little nervous."

I squeezed his hands to stop his incessant wringing, "You'll be fine. You were never this nervous when you chased after me," I pointed out."

"I know. I wasn't nervous when I was *chasing* Serena, but now that she's agreed to go out with me, I don't know what to do. If you had ever actually said yes to me, I would have been a wreck."

That brought a gentle smile to my lips. Miles pulled up a seat at our table in Quark's, "`Morning," he said slowly.

"It's almost noon, Miles," Julian pointed out.

"I had a long night."

"Oh, yes, that's right, Keiko's birthday was yesterday."

"And Kirayoshi and Molly spent the night with Nerys," Miles added.

We all shared a small laugh. The last to join our table was Kira. She dropped a padd in the center and sat, "Revised duty roster, read it and weep."

Miles picked it up and scrolled down to his name, "Small arms recalibration," he turned to her, looking annoyed, "Does that mean all the small arms on the station?"

"`Fraid so," Kira answered him, "And I need an experienced combat officer to do it. Worf has already set up the parameters, all you have to do is make sure it gets done."

Miles passed the padd to Julian. Worf was being temporarily assigned to General Martok's ship, the Rotarran, and while he was away, we were assuming his duties, "I'm the new intelligence officer?" he asked horrifically.

"It has to be a Starfleet officer with a level four security clearance. That means either you or Dax, and I need Dax to take over as fleet liaison officer."

"Beats retuning pharos rifles," Miles added.

Julian brought his cup up to his mouth, "Well I certainly hope Worf's enjoying himself while we're stuck here taking over his duties."

"Julian, have you ever been on a Klingon ship?" I asked him, even though I knew the answer, "If you think the Defiant is cramped and uncomfortable, try spending a week on a bird of prey Worf isn't exactly taking a luxury cruise."

"Serving on a Klingon ship is like being with a gang of ancient sea pirates, " Miles began, as if he knew, "You advance in rank by killing the people above you. So everywhere you turn you're surrounded by potential assassins."

"Well that's crazy, how can a ship function like that?" Nerys asked.

I shook my head, it annoyed me when people exaggerated the brutality of Klingons, "It's not quite that chaotic, " I tried to explain to them, "The social and military hierarchy aboard a Klingon vessel is very strictly enforced. A subordinate can only challenge a direct superior and only under certain conditions."

"What sort of conditions?" Bashir asked.

"Dereliction of duty, dishonorable conduct, cowardice."

"Cowardice! A Klingon?" Miles exclaimed.

Their clouded image of Klingons that was more than slightly annoying, "It's been known to happen. The Klingons are as diverse a people as any. Some of them are strong and some of them are weak."

Julian's eyes focused on two Klingons who entered the bar, "Then I'd say those two fall into the strong category."

They gave the room a hard survey, their expressions seemed a little forced, as if they were trying to look fiercer than they really wore. After lingering in the doorway for a moment, they moved in. Behind them was Odo.

"Trouble?" Nerys asked him.

"Not yet," Odo stood over our table.

"I can see why they caught your attention," she replied.

"Are they off Martok's new ship?" Miles asked.

"It just docked."

"They seem quite enough," O'Brien noted.

"For the moment, maybe. Did you see the one on the left wearing the necklace."

"Yes."

"Those are neck bones. Cardassian neck bones."

That caught my attention. Klingons did not believe in displaying how many men you'd slaughtered, just the fact that you'd killed was good enough. Yet a necklace of bones, that was so, *un* Klingon. After excusing myself, I left the bar. I had an idea.

WORF

Jadzia stood on her toes and reached up on the upper shelf of her closet, "How did I let you talk me into keeping this here?"

"I can get it, Dax "

"I've got it, I've got it," I stood back and watched as she fumbled with my Klingon uniform. Finally, she dislodged it and it fell to heavy pile on the floor, "There," she brushed her palms together, "And when you get back, this is going on the Defiant with *you*."

"I do not have any room for it."

"Well, then I suggest you get a storage locker. This things weighs ton!"

I went over to her and picked it up, "You *volunteered* to keep it, remember?"

Jadzia stood before me and folded her arms over her bosom, "What time do you leave?"

"In two hours. I am going home to change, perhaps eat, and then I will go."

"No, I don't think so," She said, shaking her head. Her hands agily unzipped the front of my uniform, exposing the red turtleneck.

"Dax," I gripped her hands, stopping her, "I do not have time "

"I love the way you assume I only want you for sex. You're getting dressed, here, with me. We'll eat together, and then I'll walk you to the airlock."

I nodded, allowing a small smile to form on my lips, "I am sure this is in accordance with some ancient Klingon ritual, the woman suiting up her mate, preparing him for a glorious battle."

"You're going an reconnaissance mission, Worf, not infiltrating Romulus," She placed a delicate kiss on my bare chest, "But, I must admit, this *is* rather arousing," she kissed my neck, "If you didn't have to go so soon "

"And I was wrong to think you only want me for sex?" I mused.

She laughed, "Maybe you weren't You're not nervous about this mission, are you?"

"No, why would I be?"

"Well, I don't know, it's not like you spend all your time on a Bird of Prey."

I knew what she meant, and she was trying to be nice about it. She was wondering if I could handle a ship full of Klingons when I spent most of my time with Humans. Truthfully, I wasn't sure myself, "I have given that some thought, but, I am not worried about it."

"You, not worry? That's impossible."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Jadzia replicated a traditional Klingon meal, and I think she enjoyed it more than I did. I told her that I wasn't nervous or worried, but I was. I hadn't served aboard a Klingon ship since the Civil War several years ago.

"Decided not wear the sash after all?" Dax asked me as we walked through the corridors to the docking ring a few hours later.

"Officially there is no House of Mogh in the Empire, so I saw little point in wearing its emblem on a Klingon ship," I replied.

We arrived at airlock two. She stood before me with a slightly amused look on her face, "How do you think the crew's going to feel about serving under a man without a house?"

"How they fell is unimportant," I answered firmly, "All I require from them is obedience."

Her beautiful lips smirked at me, "Spoken like and uncaring, hard nosed autocrat. The quintessential first officer."

I thought back to our dramatic scene when I was preparing to go to the Gamma Quadrant a few months ago. I did not want a repeat of that. I *would* miss her presence, and a drawn out farewell would only make it worse, "I, I do not wish to have a lengthy good bye."

"I wasn't planning on having one," she whispered.

That surprised me, "Good," I turned to activate the door and the gear rolled away. Our eyes met, and I gave her a fond nod, she returned it, and I stepped into the airlock.

And she was right behind me.

"Jadzia " I warned.

"Yes?"

"I think it would be better to part company here on the station, " I explained as calmly as possible. Why did she always make things so difficult?

"Oh, I'm coming with you."

*What?* "What?"

"The Rotarran is shorthanded, and I still have four months leave coming, and I've already cleared it with Martok and Benjamin, I'm your new science officer."

"Why did you not tell me?"

Dax cocked her eyebrow, "It's more fun this way."

How do I put up with her?

She continued, "And after getting a good look at a couple members of the Rotarran's crew, I don't think we'll be having any fun on this mission."

I watched her as she walked ahead of me and onto the ship. Why was she doing this? Did she think I needed her Klingon expertise? Did she think I couldn't handle being first officer without her help? She could have at least consulted me before she invited herself on *my* mission.

JADZIA

"What wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that, I know you, Worf. Is it the crew, or Martok?"

"No. I said it was nothing."

Our first day aboard the Rotarran had ended, and I stopped by Worf's room before heading to my own. We both sat on his bed, or should I say, his metal slab, and I was trying to figure out why he had such a sour attitude with me, "Okay, fine, if you say so," I stood and headed for the door, but Worf stopped me.

"Why did you come?"

I turned to face him, "Aaah, so that's what's bugging you. Afraid I'm stealing your glory?" He gave me one of those, *I'm not joking*, looks. I'd never let it intimidate me before, so why start now? "What's the problem, you didn't want me here? Planned to spend some quality time with Lt. Tavana? I saw the way she looked at you."

"Did you think I *needed* you?"

"No, that's not it, "I answered weekly. That was *exactly* it.

Worf stood and faced me, "That *is* it, Jadzia. I am glad you have faith in me."

His voice was icy and very sarcastic. He wasn't yelling, instead he spoke with a low rumble in his chest. When he yelled, I knew he was just blowing off steam. When he was quiet, I knew he was genuinely upset.

"I'm sorry," I said sincerely, "I insulted you and I'm sorry. I should have talked to you about it instead of "

Worf stopped me, "Yes, you should have."

"I was wrong, okay, I admit that. But, I'm here now, and, it won't do either of us any good if we spend the trip at odds with each other."

"It is okay," he sighed, "Truthfully, I am glad you're here."

I nodded, "I really am sorry, I wasn't thinking... "

He placed his finger on my lips, "I said it was okay."

I kissed it, "Thank you. You know, I should be getting to bed, or, whatever you call those things."

"Good night," Worf put on his gentle, entrancing voice.

"Good night."

WORF

I hadn't seen Jadzia all day. It was late at night on our third day, and we hadn't spoken with her aside from our little banter on the bridge yesterday about the state of the crew and the so called "dangerous situation" that was arising. "Dax!" I saw her go by, she was almost running, "Dax!" Finally Jadzia stopped. Instantly my eyes narrowed. The top of her uniform was covered with blood, "What happened, are you alright?" I asked, placing a gentle hand on her arm. If someone had hurt her

"I had to take Ordican to surgery, Cornan almost killed him."

"Why?"

Her voice was shaky, something major must have happened, "Because Leskitt was drunk."

This didn't make since, "I do not understand."

"No you don't understand, because you're too busy worrying about Martok while the crew is falling apart!" she exclaimed. I had no idea why she was so angry with me., but I let her continue, "Cornan needed to attack someone, and he lost control. But this is only the beginning. This crew has lost half a dozen separate actions to the Jem' Hadar. The casualty list is as long as my arm, and now they're serving under a man who seems to have left more behind than just an eye in that prison camp."

"Do not speak of the Captain in that manor, not while I am first officer."

Jadzia gripped my arm, "Look, I like Martok, but this crew needs a leader, someone who will remind them of their duty as soldiers of the empire. And they need that leader right now, or I promise you, they will explode."

"It will not come to that!" I paused, trying to figure out why *I* was yelling, "I know Martok, he is a great man. He will not fail us, but we must give him time."

"Time may be the one thing we don't have, Worf. What happened in that mess hall could happen all over this ship. And if you think the blood looks bad on my uniform, wait until the decks are dripping with it."

With that, she pushed past me and continued on her way. I knew better than to simply disregard what Dax was saying. She had been spending lot of her off time with the crew, and she knew them better than I. I did have faith in, Martok, but I had noticed how low crew morale was. Dax could very well be right.

JADZIA

What had I gotten Worf into? What had I gotten *myself* into? Thanks my prodding, Worf was now engaged in combat with General Martok, and, though I loved Worf, I knew he could very well lose. To everyone's strong objection, Martok had decided not to rescue the survivors of the B'Moth, and now Worf was challenging him for command.

I stood there on the bridge, outwardly, I was cheering Worf on, but inwardly, I was terrified. Sure, I had seen him in combat countless times, but for some reason I was afraid that this couldn't turn out good. Even though Worf was feeling a rush of Klingon courage, I didn't think he'd be able to follow through and kill his best friend, no matter what the circumstances. So, the question was, could Martok kill Worf? Martok was much more a traditional Klingon than Worf, and he'd spent two years in confinement. I wouldn't put it past him.

Worf was opening his arms, *what was he doing!* With ease, Martok jabbed his d'k tagh into Worf's side and Worf sunk wearily onto the floor. I was paralyzed, I wanted to run to his side, but my feet were frozen. It was as if I was underwater, I could barely hear the rally cries of the crew as they cheered on their victorious Captain. Finally, I made my way to him. I put my arms around him from behind, and helped him stand. As the crew chanted Martok's name, I touched my finger to his wound. It was deep, but amazingly Martok hadn't done any major damage.

Then it clicked. Worf wasn't trying to kill Martok, by challenging him he hoped to unearth something that had been buried, Martok's warrior instinct. Martok realized that, and purposely did not kill Worf, "Sometimes," I said to Worf as he braced himself against me, "I think I know why I love you. Let's go to the medical ward."

"Wait," Worf said.

To both of our amazement, this dull, spiritless, passionless crew was singing? Tavana led a standard Klingon battle song, and everyone was responding. I glanced at Worf, and I knew the sight pleased him. This was his doing, with a little of my help. We came onto this ship and added a little fire, little excitement, and now they remembered what it was to be true warriors.

When the verse ended, I spoke up, "Now, we go below," I insisted. I put his arm over my shoulder and our eyes met. This is who I want to be with, I thought, this is who I love.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

I never knew how massive Worf was until I supported his bleeding body on my shoulders all the way to the medical ward. Once there, he fell onto an exam table, and one of the medics began repairing his side.

"You know, I'm really tired of standing over your injured carcass in somebody's sick bay."

"As am I."

I smiled at him, "Right now, they're up there engaged in a glorious battle, and it's all because of you."

"All I did was get stabbed," he mumbled humbly.

"And a grand feet it was!"

"I do not *feel* very grand."

I leaned down over him, and stroked his face, still wearing my adoring smile.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"For what?"

"For coming, as much as I may not want to admit, I *do* need you."

"Believe it or not, I need you too."

"I love you, Jadzia" Worf said, his voice had a definitive tone in it.

My eyes widened, as if it were the first time he'd said that to me, "I love you too."

WORF

"Qapla!"

General Martok and I stood in Quark's together, they day of our return from rescuing the B'Moth. We gripped one another's arm in a Klingon handshake. This had to be one of the best day's I have had in a long time.

"Well," Martok said, releasing me, "How does it feel?"

"Wonderful."

"I suppose you want to go and tell Dax."

I fingered the new crest that was placed on my sash only moments ago, the crest of Martok, "She did cross my mind."

"She does more than cross your mind, Worf. I know you, and I know how you feel about her. So, the question is, what are you waiting for?"

I knew exactly what he was talking about, and my eyes sheepishly lowered, "Her."

"Aaah," Martok said, "*She* is not ready. She may know Klingon ways, but she is not Klingon."

"I know that," my voice came off more defensively than I wanted it to.

"I am not saying that is bad, but, you will have to make adjustments," Martok gave me a rough pat on the shoulder, "Then again perhaps not. You are accustomed to Federation ways of doing things."

I was not sure how to take that, so I chose not to comment on it at all. With a respectful nod, he left. A few moments passed, and I decided to go see Jadzia.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Dax was in her quarters. It was late when the Rotarran docked, and she told me she was going straight to bed. I knew I should not disturb her, but I had not been this excited about anything in a long time. I entered the entry code to her suite and I invited myself in. The lights were out, but I knew my way around well enough not to need them.

This woman by far was the most beautiful creature in existence. She lied there in bed, her long limbs hugging the bedcovers tightly, her dark hair a tangled mess, and her lilac chemise clung to the curves of her feminine form.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare?"

She startled me, I did not realize she was awake, "I did not mean to wake you, but I wanted to talk to you."

Her head tipped upward and she spoke again, "I hadn't been able to fall asleep, I heard you come in," Dax sat up, and patted the left side of her bed, "Come sit down, what did you want to talk to me about?"

I eagerly sat next to her and took the crest off of my sash, "Look at this."

She accepted it in her hands and squinted, "This isn't yours "

"It is now."

Jadzia frowned, "This is Martok's. What's going on?"

"He asked me to join his house, and I accepted."

"Worf," Dax wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed me, "I'm really happy for you, this is wonderful," she placed it back on my sash, "So, is this the official end of the house of Mogh?"

I tipped my head, "Perhaps not. However, it is nice to be a part of a thriving house, and not to bear the burden of leading it."

Jadzia placed her palm on my face, "Even though it never bothered me that you were without an official house, I am glad for your sake that you now have one." "I should be going " Whenever I said, *I should be going*, it was a sign that I really did not want to. Jadzia picked up on it, she knew me well.

"I think I'll be able to sleep a lot better if a brother of Martok lies next to me."

That brought a smile to my face. I undressed, and lied next to her, holding her until we both fell asleep.

~finis