A/N Thanks for those reviews guys. I hope you like this chapter. If you do just let me know how you feel about it by dropping a review.

Chapter 34

The Cardassian Kazon-Empire

Tabrin's Quarters

"So tell me how long have you and Tom been dating?" Tabrin asked as Seven sat on her bed. If she was going to be a Counselor on this ship, she'd have to ask her father for a more appropriate room to meet people in.

"For approximately three months." Seven replied as she thought back on their time together.

"And do you know if Tom really likes you?" Tabrin further questioned.

"He told me he loved me." Seven told her sadly, still a little ashamed of herself that she couldn't tell him the same thing.

"Wow he must be head over heels for you to tell you that so soon." Tabrin replied with wide eyes. "What did you tell him back when he told you that?"

"Nothing." she replied as she looked away from her sisters gaze.

"Hey there's no shame in that." Tabrin replied with a warm smile as she took a slender finger, placed it under Seven's chin and made her look up. "You just weren't ready to tell him yet and I think I know why. You never gave yourself time to heal."

"Heal...?" Seven asked in confusion. "Heal from what?"

"From Chakotay." Tabrin replied as she gave her a few seconds to start to gather what she was saying. "From what you told me, Chakotay was your first crush and your first kiss. He owns a part of your heart because of that and he crushed that sense of wonder for you because he left the way he did. Things like that mean everything to a girl. What was it like... six months before you and dad got trapped in that anomoly before you came to the Delta Quadrant? You couldn't interact with anything in that anomoly, other then for a few minutes, and as much as you try to hide behind your Borg past, you can't suppress your feelings about Chakotay and six months might have not been enough time to get over him. And to top it off you didn't have anybody like Aunt Dax or any other woman to talk to about how you felt. Then you jumped into a relationship with Tom and you still had another man on your mind and in your heart. What I'm saying is because you didn't fully let go of Chakotay and give yourself time to heal you can't properly move on with Tom or anybody else. And as much as it pains me to say this but you're doing the same thing Chakotay did to you, to Tom. He poured out his heart to you and you hurt him."

"I... I did not think about it like that." Seven said as she thought about what her sister had just told her. "And I did not mean to hurt Tom. I..."

"Seven this session isn't about me blaming you." Tabrin cut her off. "I just wanted you to see that your actions can affect others. Look, I'm not telling you to date Tom or Chakotay. All I'm saying is give yourself some time to heal and then make your choice on who you want to be with." As she said that she thought back to her time on the other Ares and how lonely her older sister had been. She never dated and only consumed herself with work and trying to get them home. Now was a chance to get her heart in the right place so she could be with somebody.

"But... but who should I choose?" Seven asked as her heart began to twist.

"I can't answer that for you." Tabrin said as she put her hand on hers. "Only your heart can decide that. All I can do is put this on your mind. From what you told me, Chakotay is most like you. He's handsome, wise, patient, he has eyes that you could lose yourself in, a calm voice that just makes you feel safe and that tattoo just screams bad boy." she replied with a chuckle. "And Tom is... Tom is an unorthodox thinker, he's brave, thoughtful, funny, and he seems like he's the type that'll make sure you have a nice time no matter what you're doing."

"But Tom told me, he just wants to be my friend." Seven told her as Tabrin waved her off.

"Honey if there's one thing I know about men is that they don't know what they want any more then women do." she said with a smile. "Do you really think he can watch you walk around all day and not feel anything?"

"I... I guess your assertion is correct." Seven replied, thinking things through as she stood to her feet. "Thank you for your guidance."

"Wait, Seven before you go I wanted to ask you something?" Tabrin said as she stopped her sister from leaving.

"Yes." Seven replied.

"If you don't choose Tom can I have him?"

"Tabrin...?" Seven asked with wide eyes as she picked up a pillow from her sisters bed and threw it at her head. Dodging it expertly, through years of getting into catfights with her older sibling, Tabrin just sat back in her chair and started to laugh.

"Hey you can't blame a girl for asking."

Observation Lounge

Ben stared hard as Dukat sat down and put a black spiraled bottle and two glasses on the table. Keeping one hand on his phaser, Dukat poured some Kanar into a glass and slid it across the table to Ben, before pouring one for himself.

"Drink up Captain." Dukat said with another smile. "This Kanar is a good vintage and I promised to only drink it on a special occasion." With a scoff Ben looked down at his drink before looking back up at the man. "Benjamin... Benjamin you don't think that I'd try to poison you do you?"

"Frankly Dukat I could care less about your damn beverage choice." Ben snapped. "Now why the hell are you here?"

"And here I thought you'd be a rational man." Dukat replied, never taking his eyes or phaser off of Ben as he downed his glass of Kanar in one gulp. "Fine, I was sent here the same way you were."

"By the Caretaker's array." Ben replied. "I figured as much."

"On stardate 48315.6 my orders were to investigate the disappearance of the Maquis raider the Val Jean and Gul Evek's ship in the Badlands. Imagine my surprise when the infamous lost ship of Benjamin Sisko appeared on my ships sensors." Dukat told him as he poured another glass of Kanar for himself. "I was just about to come out of the Badlands plasma storms to... see if I could offer assistance and then my ship was engulfed in a bright light and I was transported to the Caretaker's Array." he explained as he took another sip of his drink. "My vessel was badly damaged and couldn't get any accurate readings from the Array so we went to the nearest system to start making repairs. It took several days and when we returned we saw that you were landing the Array on that useless planet and we knew that there was no way for us to go home."

"I see." Ben replied. "Now how did you..."

"Get on your ship undetected." Dukat finished for him. "Let's just say... how do you humans put it? Ah yes, two little birdies told me all I need to know about you and your ship."

'Two little...' Ben thought to himself as he closed his eyes. "Valerie and Ses..."

"Seska, that's right Captain." Dukat replied, his smile deepening. "Valerie told me you were a clever one and she also told me oh so much about this magnificent ship of yours. It sounded so magnificent that I had her and my engineers to modify my ship and others accordingly. I now know about your weapons and system capabilities..."

"But I personally changed her access and command codes the day she left." Ben told him with a frown.

"Yes, but you never seemed to fix a certain shield modulation she told me about." he informed him. "Which explains how we're able to meet today. Oh Valerie told me story after story about you and I admit that I laughed and I cried, but mostly laughed at your progression in the Delta Quadrant."

"How long have you been following us?"

"I've been following you ever since you left the Caretaker's array and might I add I've been doing a better job out here then you have." Dukat told him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ben asked calmly with a raised eyebrow.

"It means that unlike you I don't want to go home." Dukat replied. "When you landed that Array on that planet it sparked an idea. An idea that through the muck and bleak darkness that a new Empire could be built. So after following you for awhile, we broke course and decided to gain an alliance with powerful beings in this sector. In case you didn't know you're now looking at royalty."

"Royalty...?" Ben asked incredulously. "Kira was right about you. You're even more insane then I originally thought."

"Oh good Nerys is still alive." Dukat said, as Ben's body stiffened upon hearing his woman's name coming from his adversary. "After how Seska told me she left her on the floor alone and coughing up blood, I thought that she might have died. Now like I was saying before I was rudely interrupted... you're standing in the prescense of royalty. You're looking at Emperor Dukat... the leader and Commander of the new Cardassian Kazon-Empire."

"You've aligned yourself with the Kazon?" Ben asked in shock. "You've truly gone mad. Dukat these people can't be trusted. They'll kill you."

"I beg to differ Benjamin." Dukat replied as his eyes narrowed. "Sometimes the simplest things can ensure loyalty. All I had to do was set up a meeting with all the leaders of the different Kazon sects and execute them by using my Transporter to send them all into the peaceful blackness of space. Now if doing that in front of all of their lieutenants doesn't make one loyal what would? I promised their people a different future. A brighter future with me in control and the use of new technology. It's a future that I want you to be a part of Benjamin."

"Ahaha... you can't be serious."

"Oh but I am. What I'm saying is in the dark and gloomy part of space, I will build a new Cardassia. A Cardassia that will extend through this entire region and Benjamin I want you to be at my side. After meeting you and talking to Valerie, I know you're the type of person I need." Dukat told him seriously."I'll assume you still speak for all of your people? All I ask of you is your loyalty, your obedience, and the unconditional surrender of your vessel and it's technology."

"I...I'll have to think about that." Ben replied as he picked up his drink and started swirling the liquid around in his glass. Quickly tossing the Kanar into Dukat's face, temporarily blinding him, Ben broke the glass and holding the jagged end of it lunged over the table.

Managing to see enough to defend himself, Dukat blocked Ben's deadly swipe with his phaser, sending both of the weapons with a clatter to the floor. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Ben placed both of his hands together and balled them up into a fist and punched him hard in the stomach.

As Dukat doubled over in pain, Ben then punched him in the face, the force of the blow sending blood flying from his nose. Going for another punch, with a sudden show of speed, Dukat dropped a small hypospray from under the sleeve of his uniform and as Ben tried to punch him again, he ducked and injected it's contents into the Captain's arm.

"Big mistake." Dukat said as he held onto Ben, who was rapidly losing consciousness. "This could have been so easy. You would have been my right hand."

"I'll see you in hell first." Ben replied as he slipped into unconsciousness.

"So be it." Dukat replied, a smile playing at his lips as he tapped his communicator and both he and Ben dematerialzed off of the ship.

The Ares

Bridge

"There it is again." Dax reported to Chakotay as her console started to beep.

"Is it that power glitch you were telling me about?" Chakotay asked as Kira and Tabrin walked out of the turbolift and onto the Bridge, each taking a seat on either side of the Commander.

"Yes sir." Dax said as she typed into her console, before looking to Odo. "I picked up the same glitch and a random proximity alert by the ship. Constable are you picking up any further readings?"

"I've been analyzing the fluctuations since they first happened." Odo replied as he looked over at her. "After reviewing these readings and matching them up with the first one they seem to have been originating from the Observation Lounge and it has a transporter carrier resonance."

"Wait, didn't Ben go to the Observation Lounge?" Kira asked as she looked over at Chakotay.

"Captain, you're needed to the Bridge." Chakotay said as he tapped his combadge, a nervous feeling building up in the pit of his stomach. Not getting an answer, his heart started to fall as he tried again. "Captain please respond."

"Computer, where is Captain Benjamin Sisko?" Kira asked after not hearing Ben's voice over the comline.

"Captain Benjamin Sisko is not on the ship." the Computer reported, making everyone on the Bridge give each other a horrified look.

Dukat's Flagship

The Ziyal Naprem

Brig

Ben stood chained from the ceiling, bruised and battered as his assailant punched him in the stomach again, making him cough up blood.

"Don't loose consciousness on me again, Captain." Valerie told him as she balled up both fists and started to shadow box. "The night's still young." With a smile, she punched him in the stomach again.

As Ben looked at her, with his one good eye that wasn't swollen, he took in his former protege's appearance. She was wearing a standard Cardassian uniform and instead of rank pips, she had a golden rank badge that gave her the rank of Dalin. It was the equivalent of a Lt. Commander if she were still in the Federation. Seeing it, despite himself and his situation, he started to laugh.

"What the hell is so funny?" Dalin Valerie asked.

"You are." Ben replied as he spat out a glob of blood that was pooling in his mouth.

"Shouldn't I be the one laughing?" she asked as she put a delicate, yet blood stained hand, under his chin. "You're the one beaten up and bleeding like a stuffed pig."

"Why are you doing this, Valerie?" Ben asked. "Why did you betray me?"

"Me betray you...?" Valerie asked incredulously. "You betrayed me. You've treated me like a second class citizen ever since I came on your ship. You always shot down my ideas and demoted me whenever you felt like it."

"Valerie is that what this is all about?" Ben asked. "Valerie I told you to be patient over and over again for a reason. When I first brought Chakotay onboard and learned that Seska was really a Cardassian, I had to put some plans into place to ensure that we all remained safe. I... I even had to stoop low enough that I illegally detained most of the Maquis and several Starfleet crew members and put them in a holodeck program one by one in an attempt to see if they were a danger to our crew. I then reprogrammed Dr. Erin to administer a surgery on them to make them forget those events. You were one of the only ones on that ship that I trusted completely and that's why I never tested you."

"If that's true then why didn't you tell me?" Valerie asked in shock. She knew things had to be bad if he would go to the extreme and do something like that.

"That was Odo's idea." Ben told her as he spat out some more blood. Damn that woman could hit hard. "He felt that if the fewer amount of people knew about this, that the risk of the Maquis finding out would be minimal. That's why I demoted you, because I needed certain people in different places so they could be watched."

"You're lying!" Valerie yelled in outrage. All of what she had done and told Dukat couldn't have been for nothing. If so she truly had betrayed her oath as a Starfleet officer.

"No I'm not." Ben replied as he grimaced from the pain. "Valerie I was going to promote you to..." before he could tell her, a Kazon and a Cardassian officer walked into the room.

"Emperor Dukat requests your presence on the Bridge." the Cardassian officer told Ben as he smiled at Valerie's handy work, of beating up the Captain of the Ares.

Her heart pounding in her chest, Dalin Valerie took the keys to Ben's chains off of her uniform and started to unshackle him. As she did, Ben leaned in and started to whisper into her ear. Her eyes going wide, she looked after him as her fellow officers started to take her former Captain away.

The Ares

Observation Lounge

"Odo what's that black stuff on the floor?" Tabrin asked as, she, Seven, Dax and Odo started to examine the room. Several chairs were overturned and glass was shattered all over the floor.

Squatting down over the broken bottle, Odo sniffed what was left of it's contents and rolled his eyes. "This is Kanar." Odo answered as he stood up and looked at her. "I'd recognize that stench anywhere."

"Benjamin hates Kanar." Dax said as she took out her tricorder and started to scan a small glob of blood on the floor. "I'm picking up trace amounts of Cardassian DNA."

"Do you think this was Seska?" Seven asked as she looked at Odo and then Dax.

'Commander Dax, Lieutenant Odo you're needed to the Bridge immediately.' Chakotay's voice cut in over the comline.

"We're on our way." Odo replied as the group walked out of the room.

The Ziyal Naprem

Shuttle Bay

Using the access codes that Captain Sisko had given her, Dalin Valerie typed them into the Ares shuttle pod that she had stolen, main computer. Bringing up the crews manifest, she typed in her name and what it pulled up made her heart stop.

Ben had promoted her to be the commander of the MACO team and had put a personal letter in her permanent file to Starfleet explaining of her quick thinking, bravery, and undying loyalty.

'What the hell have I done?' she thought to herself as she logged out of the console.

The Ziyal Naprem

Bridge

"Ahhh, Benjamin you've finally arrived." Emperor Dukat said as he and Glinn Damar and Glinn Seska turned to look at him. "Oh my you look a mess. You must have taken a hard fall?"

"Something like that." Ben replied as he narrowed his good eye and spat blood on the Bridge floor.

"Oh, Captain didn't you like Valerie's present to you?" Seska teased as she touched his battered face. "I can't say it made an improvement to your face though."

"It still looks better then yours and believe me you'll get what's coming to you soon." Ben shot back with a chuckle.

"You should show more respect!" Seska snapped as she slapped Ben hard across the face. "You're in..."

"That's enough, Seska!" Dukat roared, but quickly calmed down. "I wanted the good Captain to be here to bear witness." he went on as he waved him forward to look at the viewscreen to see the Ares. "Thanks to Valerie and the information she stole from your ship, right now we are cloaked. But not only just us but Gul Evek's Galor class warship and fourteen Kazon ships are as well and we have the Ares surrounded. Since you refused my offer the least I could do was return the favor and let you watch the destruction of your people."

"And through that destruction and over the ashes of the Ares a new Cardassia will be born." Seska added.

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Dukat said with a smile. "Now open a channel to Gul Evek and my other forces. Let them know that we're going to attack the Ares."

"Yes sir." Seska replied happily as she walked over and started to transmit the message.

"We're going to see how your little ship handles the force of my Empire." Dukat told Ben as he started to let out a hardy laugh. All Ben could do was pray at that moment. Pray that his ship, his crew, and his family would make it out of this alive.

A/N Before I go any further with this fic, I wanted to explain why I write some characters the way I do. I don't believe in Mary sue characters. (In old writing terms that's a character that's perfect and knows everything) It's just not my writing style because it's not realistic because we as humans are flawed. I just wanted to show that people make mistakes and they have to suffer through the consequences that are created by them. Anyway that's enough of me ranting for one day. I hope you guys and girls enjoyed this chapter because the next one will be action packed. Please review...