Chapter 12

My mind was swirling with numbers and images. Imagining the flow of Latinum, Energy Credits and refined dilithium. The shipments of minerals from space mining, all being dutifully brought back by transport. How much money was being saved, how much was spent, what was the velocity of circulation between the participants in the Bajoran economy. I took a deep breath of the sea air, allowing the sound of the crashing and swirling waves on the beach to both relax and stimulate my mind... and began typing on the Padd. I don't know how long I was busy, as I was 'in the zone' so to speak with regard to my writing.

I was brought out of it by a feminine cough.

Major Kira looked rather out of place in her uniform on the beach, and she was rather determinedly not looking at me, staring straight at the rolling simulated Indian Ocean, a slight coloring of her cheeks told me she was embarrased. I really didn't know why... I was wearing briefs to catch maximum sunlight, (yes, holodecks could be set to provide the equivalent of artificial sunlight, the next evolution of a tanning bed, heh), then remembered that Bajoran cultural mores regarding certain things were quite far removed from certain cultures in the Federation.

"Excuse me, Administrator. Sorry to bother but... its important."

I sighed and put down the Pad, "You know I wonder why I even bother to lock the door, given that anyone with command authorization can just override..." Kira looked contrite and very uncomfortable. "Never mind. What brings you here?"

"I recently came into possession of hard evidence that there is still a Bajoran prisoner of war in Cardassian hands. Do you know of a Li Nalas?"

My mind jumped as I recalled both the official history and the timeline. The poor guy who by sheer luck killed the most feared Cardassian Gul in the history of the Occupation, and was elevated to become a famous resistance leader because of it. A role he very reluctantly accepted because to do otherwise would cause his own people to lose hope.

I nodded, "One of the major resistance leaders. He was reported killed in action though..."

"His body was never found and this proves otherwise," Kira held out a bajoran earring, it had the Li family symbol that I remember studying all right, with 'Nalas' engraved in ancient bajoran around it. "Dax found recent dermal residue on the backing. A genetic analysis matched it to Li's DNA records."

I could already see where this was leading towards. "You want authorization to lead a rescue mission?"

"And the use of a Runabout."

I looked up into the fake sky, "There should be no prisoners of war left. The Federation can take them to task on this. What are the cardassians thinking?"

"That they can get away with it," Kira shook her head angrily. "Administrator, the return of Li Nalas could be just the thing that finally brings a final political stability to Bajor. Having a leader everyone trusts and respects as the Prime Minister when the first elections come around..."

"As opposed to someone like Jaro," I nodded. "Not to mention that Opaka has recently told me she fears that if someone doesn't step up, that she would have no choice but to assume political power as well, that would mean a bajoran theocracy... something we both want to avoid."

"Really? Well, that's good to know."

"In addition, we don't need to involve Starfleet."

"But Bajoran ships don't have the capabilities..."

"As a general rule, you're correct, Major," I got up from the deck chair, "but things are not as they seem. I'll speak to General Hazar."

Later the same day we were on Bajor in a location that I had to do a lot of convincing to get Major Kira access to. General Hazar had seen the value of the rescue of Li Nalas, but had immediately pointed out the possibility that this could ignite a new war with cardassia.

"They swore to the Federation that they had returned all prisoners. They didn't. It proves what we all know, that we can't trust their word, and its a diplomatic slap in the face. I've shown Commander Sisko the evidence and he agrees that the Federation will use this as a diplomatic weapon and if it comes down to it... a method for getting a Starfleet Task force assigned within a day's warp of Bajor."

We were walking down a long non-descript corridor, in a small classified base in the Laran Mountain range on the southernmost continent of the planet. Not that Major Kira even knew that, we had been beamed here directly from a BDF military base in the Dakore province.

We stopped at a pair of doors. "Major, I don't need to remind you of the secrecy involved here... not even Starfleet Intelligence knows about this place." Section 31 probably did, but they didn't care about it, since it wasn't threatening the Federation at all, if anything they probably already had the plans and Scotty's working Transwarp beaming formula. She nodded her head.

The doors parted and we walked into a large hangar.

"What... what is that?" her eyes looked confused.

"What does it look like?" I grinned.

"A Transporter pad, but..."

"You've just never seen one that's twenty meters in diameter."

It was in actual fact, what could be called a 'compound' transporter, in that it was made up of many normal transporters, interlinked and integrated to act as one big one. It was raised roughly half a meter up from the floor of the hangar, with various wide ramps all along its perimeter that would allow for vehicles to be driven onto it. Numerous bajoran techs were still working on it, at various open panels and in the transporter itself.

"I don't understand, how is a big transporter going to help us rescue Li Nalas..."

"Slow it down, laddie!" the shout came from an upper level. "Those conduits won't stand up to that load for long!"

"Yes sir!" replied a somewhat frienzied looking bajoran engineer working at a power node.

"Ah, Keiran!"

I waved at Scotty as the legendary engineer climbed down a ladder and joined us, "Oh, Major Kira, come to have a look at my baby have ye?"

"I'm still not sure what this 'baby' is."

"Just how far is Cardassia four from our present location, Major?" Scotty asked with a satisfied grin on his face.

"Six point five three light years."

"It would take the Enterprise-D nearly a day and half at Warp Nine to go that distance, not to mention light up every listening post and sensor along the way," Scotty explained. "With this..." he gestured expanisvely to the transporter, "...two seconds."

"You're telling me you've managed to build a transporter with a range measured in light years?!"

"Theoretically, eleven light years is the current maximum, at least for this transporter and the amount of power we can give it, so I could beam something or someone, anywhere within the sector."

"Okay, I'm impressed," Major Kira blinked, "and we can get there, but Cardassia IV is still a big planet, if we don't have a ship to scan for bajoran lifesigns on site."

"Got that covered already, lassie. I'm building a stealth probe that we'll beam in orbit to begin a survey for those lifesigns, do a passive scan of those coordinates, send the data back in a microburst encrypted transmission."

"Once we know more," I explained further, "we will know whether we have to risk beaming in a team to extract Li or simply use the probe to determine where Li is, in real time, and beam him back by locking on to his lifesign."

"So there's a chance we wont even have to set foot in cardassian space... unbelievable."

It was two days later that Scotty proclaimed he was ready with the stealth probe. It was roughly double the size of a photon torpedo, a rudimentary impulse engine, thrusters, a full suite of sensors and most importantly, Scotty's own flavor of 23rd century Romulan/Klingon cloaking device built to modern specifications and improved with current technology.

"Not sure how it'll stand up these days, but theoretically, it should be completely undetectable unless we start throwing out emissions like candy."

I looked to the side and got a nod from BDF Colonel Sirco Fullar, in charge of the six men that were the closest to bajoran commandos or special ops that General Hazar had available at the moment. They were in full combat armor and gear, with E69 phaser rifles attched to their harnesses held loosely and ready.

"All right listen up everyone," I called out after clearing my throat. "We're technically invading cardassia at the moment. This might be a black op, but if this goes wrong... it could mean a shooting war. I give this last opportunity for you to back out, no recriminations or consequences."

Silence.

"Administrator," Colonel Sirco eventualy spoke up, his voice grating from an injury to his throat, "we all know what we're here for. Li Nalas is more than likely not the only prisoner, we're here to bring fellow bajorans home... that they haven't seen for more than ten years. Prophets damn the cardassians, we're bringing them home."

A resounding cheer echoed through the hangar.

"Then by all means. Scotty, fire up the transporter."

Scotty nodded from the master control station. "Full reactor power to the transporter... targeting co-ordinates, three four three, by four nine one, by nine two... energizing."

A hissing whine split the air and the probe's form was engulfed in a waterfall of energy as it was dematerialized, losing all substance and vanished.

"Transport succesful at this end. Awaiting probe data burst."

I found myself biting my right hand's fingernails as the seconds ticked by.

I looked at Major Kira... she was clenching her fists so tight as she stood next to Scotty staring at the myriad of screens.

Finally Scotty declared, "Received signal. Probe is cloaked and in orbit of Cardassia IV." There were many exclamations of success around the room.

Three minutes later of yet more waiting followed. "Got something... probe has detected twelve bajoran lifesigns in what is according to the available maps... the Hutet Prison labor camp."

"Sons of bitches," I muttered. "Can we beam them back?"

"It's currently day and they're moving about a lot. We'd need the probe to feed us real-time data on all their lifesigns, which will increase its chances of being detected. They're also in sight of a six cardassian guards, with an entire garrison housed within normal transporter range. There's also a standard cardassian force field securing the perimeter access, it won't impede this transporter."

"How long until night falls?"

"Four hours."

"Okay, keep the probe in emissions containment mode. Vary its microburst update times. We wait until they're all asleep and beam them right out of their beds."

The even longer wait was punctuated by one close call when two Galor class cardassian warships had entered orbit of the planet. Scotty hurriedly ordered the probe to go silent until both ships left. Thankfully it seemed the cloak had held as the probe reestablished communication ten minutes later.

"Standard patrol probably," Colonel Sirco commented.

"We're not gonna get much better than this, laddy," Scotty pointed at the sensor readouts, "all twelve are in their cells and not moving, so safe to assume they're asleep at this local hour."

"Are your men ready to keep them sedated, Colonel?" I asked.

Sirco nodded briefly.

"What are you talking about?" Kira frowned.

"The fact that this transporter exists at all must be kept compartmentalized as much as possible," I explained. "As much as I want to believe we can trust every bajoran we're rescuing, the fact of the matter remains that they were in enemy hands for ten years and who knows what was done to them. Sleeper agents, brainwashing; the Obsidian Order is known for running very long term gambits like that."

I turned to Scotty, "Energize."

Twelve waterfalls of light abruptly blosommed on the transporter pad, swiftly growing until they were humanoid shapes of swirling energy, which swiftly renormalized into twelve sleeping bajorans, all stained with sweat, wearing ragged clothes and on quite a few, half-healed wounds from what had to be a whip or lash.

The bajoran commandoes rushed onto the pad with two hyposprays in hand and got to work, in less than two seconds it was over, all twelve were safely sedated. Just as well, two of the bajorans had shown signs of waking up...

"Clear the pad," ordered Scotty, "I don't wanna chance that probe staying in orbit any longer."

I rushed onto the pad, everyone else pitching in as well to lift a bajoran rescuee and get them clear.

The splitting whine of the transporter activated again, the probe's shape was only visible via the remat process briefly, before Scotty ordered it to drop the cloak.

"Whew," Scotty wiped some sweat off his brow. "Feels mighty odd doing this from so far away. Usually we'd be in a starship in orbit, a hairsbreath from certain death, worrying about lowering our shields for transport..."

Everyone carefully put their former POW on stretchers that had been laid out on the side.

"Safer isn't it?"

"I just worry I've made the starship obselete, laddy."

"Maybe for general travel within a sector, but space is still the ultimate high ground, Scotty. Doesn't help you can throw an army onto a planet at a moment's notice, while your enemy is above your head, ready to rain down orbital strikes."

"Aye."

DS9

It was a relief to be in my quarters and put my feet up a bit. All the POWs had been quickly and quietly shuttled to the station and put under Dr Bashir's medical care. It had predictably lit the fires so to speak, especially that Li Nalas was among them. Odo already had to station deputies outside the Infirmary to regulate access and keep order. Then came the inevitable politicking.

The first had come from Gul Dukat.

I had stood in Sisko's office right next to the screen and out of range of the visual sensor. It was pretty much as expected. The cardassians were covering their asses. The doors to the office opened and Major Kira entered...

"Ah, Major Kira, I'm glad you could join us," Sisko smiled at her.

She looked like a deer in the headlights as both Dukat and Sisko stared at her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were busy."

I raised a forefinger to my lips after I caught her eye and shook my head.

"Apparently not," Sisko replied dryly, clearly referring to her barging in without even using the door chime.

"I'll just wait outside..."

"Hold on, Major, there's something I want you to hear... go ahead, Dukat."

Dukat wore that oily smile that made me want to punch him and then shoot him. "Major, I just informed Commander Sisko that the Cardassian High Command has issued a formal apology to the people of Bajor."

"An apology," she looked to Sisko in disbelief.

"We had no idea that Bajoran prisoners were still being held on Cardassia Four. Such detentions are a direct violation of supreme directive twenty-six-forty-five. I assure you the camp prefect will be chastised accordingly. Oh, I also do want to commend you and whoever was responsible for their... rescue. Masterfully done, not even so much as a irregular blip on any of our listening posts. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you bajorans are running about in cloaked ships."

"We're not," Kira said flatly.

"We're no longer an enemy of the bajoran people, Major. Those days are behind us. Dukat out."

Sisko looked at me with expectant eyes. A few taps of my Omnitool later and Isis began a real-time filtering of what the bugs in the office would transmit. "We can talk freely."

"I take it the Transwarp transporter works," Sisko sighed.

It didn't take a Sherlock Holmes to figure this out. "Dax," I laughed fondly.

"Partly," Sisko admitted, "she talked about her work with Captain Scott. Dukat's comments just confirmed it for me and there were no neutral ships that have come through the cardassian border in the past few days."

"You don't know anything for sure, Commander," I pointed out.

"Damn it, Keiran... you should've come to me for help, my report to Starfleet is going to raise all sorts of trouble for Bajor."

"From Starfleet admirals and blinkered do-gooder Federation diplomats who's going to decry the transwarp transporter as technology that threatens the peace. Bah, all it'd take is a single transport inhibitor field and we're back to square one, oh and don't those already exist in key locations?"

Sisko shook his head, "I'll try to keep it out of my report, somehow. But you can bet there's going to be SI agents on their way who's going to poke their noses into figuring it out."

"We'll cross that bridge when it comes to it."

It was as I turned to leave the office that I remembered. I waited for Kira to leave and the door close before looking back at Sisko. "How's Jake?"

Sisko's face might as well have been made from granite. "There are good times and then bad times. One minute, it might as well have not happened, then next I'm scared to death that he's going to go into a depression." Sisko slammed his hand hard on his own desk. "Dammit, he's supposed to be worrying about girls and schoolwork. Not whether his life is over, now that he has to get biosynthetic prostesis."

"You have explained that..."

"Yes, yes, medical science might be able to make him as good as new, but it can't bring back his innocence or heal his spirit."

"Hmmm, perhaps I should ask the Chief if he can't make a call back to his former posting."

Sisko ruefully smiled, "I doubt he'll be able to get the flagship of Federation to come all the way out here just so that Councillor Troi can help my son."

"No, but he can be a means for me to get in touch with Troi... and, well, lets just say my company has recently made some strides in holo-communication."

DS9 Infirmary

I walked into one of the deeper wards of the Infirmary, where Li was being treated. It was something I had quickly arranged when he arrived to afford the bajoran some small measure of privacy at least during his convalescence. He was already looking tons better just dressed in clean clothes and after sonic shower, but Bashir had him firmly lying down on the bed as he ran scan after scan, and injected hypo after hypo.

"There, that should do it," Bashir stepped back. "How do you feel?"

"Better," Li smiled. He clearly looked the part of a leader, there was a natural charm and charisma that he carried. He was also rather handsome and that helped with the ladies no doubt, even after ten years in a labor camp. It was too bad that was really all he was, a charismatic figurehead. Oh he probably had some soldiering and tactical talent and was a good shot, he wouldn't be alive otherwise. Such people in the right circumstances had tremendous power though.

"You know, I've read all about your battle with Gul Zarale."

And there it was, weariness and resignation fell on Li like a cloak on his shoulders that was too heavy. "That was a long time ago."

Bashir in his eagerness didn't get the hint, "Well, I consider myself something of a history buff and I must say some of the campaigns you led against the Cardassians were truly remarkable examples of tactical..."

I coughed to gather the attention of both men, "Doctor, I'm sure Li doesn't need reminding of those days. He needs time to get his feet under him."

"Oh, right, Administrator, I'll just go finish up on my reports."

Bashir gathered a pad and exited from the room.

"I hear that you're responsible for my own and the others rescue."

"I had a hand in it, others contributed more or less," I admitted. "Administrator Keiran Swan, Bajoran Minister without Portfolio." We shook hands. Li looked at me with rather frank amazement. "Yeah, it's a long story involving the Prophets and... let's just say when they call, its wise to listen."

"That it is," Li smiled, "Rather odd to go to sleep, a prisoner, wake up the next... free."

"It must be rather jarring from your point of view, I'm sorry we can't explain how it was done, yet."

Li waved it off, "Something that can achieve this... I understand. Can't imagine the Cardassians are happy."

"No they're not, but they've been caught red handed. They're explaining it away as a rogue camp prefect who should've presented you for return when the occupation ended."

Li laughed, as if not believing it, "The occupation... over."

"Yes. And I'm here to give you a warning... and a bit of advice."

Li frowned at me, "A warning?"

"The bajoran government has people in it who will not be happy that you've returned or are alive at all. Like it or not, you command people's respect, admiration, and your voice carries weight. You're a legend. That is power that they don't have and they're afraid of it and you."

Li's shoulders slumped and he mumbled, "Here we go... are you one of those people, Administrator?"

"No. My advice," I looked at him hard, "is take a sabbatical. Use that power of yours to tell people and especially all the politicians to frak off... I hope that translates well..."

"No, I get the meaning," Li laughed.

"Take six months or so, get yourself sorted out. You can't make any decisions in your current state. I know a good man, Vedek Bareil, request sanctuary at his monastary, and there's not a busy body in the bajoran government who'd dare bother you. I'll also give you a list of people to watch very carefully and be very wary of. Bajor might look peaceful on the surface... but..."

"Why are you helping me like this? You want something."

I laughed heartily, "Of course I want something. But its nothing that you wont want eventually yourself."

If there's one thing for getting all your stuff bombed to scrap, it lets you get new stuff that you know you need, without getting all the stuff that it turns out you didn't. It also gave an opportunity to move to larger quarters as well, and given my status, I rated a good sixty square meters of floor space. I could've gotten it earlier, but I was comfortable in my old place and didn't see the need to move just to satisfy my ego... I had had enough space, and that was that.

My door chime rang and making sure I was as presentable as possible in casual clothes I opened it to see someone I really didn't expect to darken my door.

"Mr Quark."

"Administrator," the ferengi was looking nervously up and down the corridor. "Can I come in? I'd rather not say this in the hall, its... serious... sensitive..."

I looked carefully at the ferengi's eyes and then gestured acceptance. He waited until the door was closed behind him and then started eyeing up my room with an appraising eye, I especially didn't like the way he was looking at my authentic and imported all the way from Earth, Chinese scroll paintings.

"What is it, Quark?"

"Uh, I just came to give you a heads up, given what happened here recently..." Quark seemingly psyched himself up. "You know about a group called the Circle?"

"Quark," I let my face visibly show that I was insulted.

"Of course you do... uh... well, I happen to come into some information that they recently acquired a lot of weapons and explosives."

"Oh," my mind raced with alarm, "you know this from your not so savory business contacts?"

"Yeah, they're getting it smuggled onto Bajor by the kressari."

"The kressari are botanic DNA traders... unless, they use that merely as a cover, I take it?" I activated my omnitool and began consulting the ship schedule for arrivals. "And what do you know, there's a kressari freighter due in thirty six hours."

"It's so weird when you do that," Quark squinted at me, "its like you're crazy, typing in mid air on your arm yet..."

"Focus Quark," I snapped my fingers. "Do you know where these weapons and explosives are being smuggled on Bajor?"

"No, not exactly..."

"Very well, I'll get Odo on the trail... and you keep your ears open for anything more, unless you want your bar bombed next time."

USS Odyssey, Low Orbit of Bajor

I had experienced many outright weird moments in my time in this universe, but walking onto the bridge of the Odyssey, a bridge that was the focal point for the TNG series, that actually worked and truly governed a Galaxy class starship - wow. I was being escorted by the First Officer, Commander Copeland, and he led me to the rear multifunction control panels.

"Administrator, this is Lieutenant Turner, Chief Science Officer on the ship," he gestured to the rather attractive red haired woman in the blue jumpsuit uniform that starship personnel still wore.

"Administrator," she nodded briefly to me, "your request indicated you wanted to scan for any explosives in the capital city?"

"Yes."

"Well, we're going to get a lot of hits," she explained, "the city has large sections under refurbishment and rebuilding, which includes demolishing unsound structures."

"I'm more interested in explosives where they aren't supposed to be, like government buildings, temples and so on."

Turner looked at Copeland with raised eyebrows.

"You think there's going to be a repeat of something like the fusion plant attack?" Copeland asked.

"I've received intel in that regard," I nodded, carefully guarding my expression.

"Do a full scan of the city and any other key government structures and temples in the other provinces," Copeland ordered. "Any known explosives in our database."

Turner's hands spread across the various touchpads in front of her and I carefully looked at the display as the considerable might of Odyssey's full sensor array went to work. It took roughly ten minutes for a full sweep at the resolution needed.

"Nothing."

I sighed and wracked my mind, the explosives and weapons were there. Okay... OTL the stuff came from...

"Is there anything unique about Cardassian weapons and explosive technology that is not used by any other races?"

"Hmmm," Turner frowned thoughtfully, "yes, I recall something...beritium, it's a synthetic element that the cardassians use in wide variety of applications, shuttle hulls and interior casings of their personal weapons."

"Please do a scan for any beritium, Lieutenant."

This time there were actually a lot of results. "Well, the bajorans are using a lot of scavenged cardassian materials."

I slapped my forehead... c'mon stupid brain, remember, cardassian tech, unique elements... ores... yes... what would be inconspicuous enough to look ordinary and fool cursory scans, even scans from a Galaxy class starship...

I snapped my fingers. "Scan for uridium. The alloy form is used in cardassian sensors, but the raw form..."

"... will explode if exposed to any directed electrical current above two hundred volts," Turner finished with wide eyes and scanned again. "Stars above..." she murmured in astonishment.

The Circle had been busy. There was a large concentration of uridium in the second basement floor of the building the housed the Bajoran Assembly. Another near the main temple where Opaka herself lived. There was no reason to hold so much raw uridium in any of those places.

"Sons of bitches," I cursed with vehemence. "Can you carefully do a passive scan, determine if any electronics and other circuitry are attached to the ore."

Turner nodded and then sighed, "yes, its small, but there's definitely a subspace transceiver there."

"We have to assume the worst, that there are all sorts of countermeasures in place to keep the bomb from being defused," I shook my head. "I need the best SCE engineer and tactical officer you have on board, preferably both with some training in demolitions disposal."

"You're not thinking of going down there?" Copeland questioned.

"Somebody has to watch their backs, and in case we're found by the BDF."