In Hindsight - Station Deep Space Nine, Episode 4

by HumanMawile

Commander Vaughn gives Doctor Bashir a suspicious assignment to Cardassia Julian uncovers dark secrets. Meanwhile, Kira Nerys must face a new threat left behind near the Klingon border, and the Station's Jem'Hadar resident faces another difficult choice.

Station Deep Space Nine

Episode 4

"In Hindsight"

TW: genital mention, torture, sexism

Starring:

Doctor Julian Bashir

Captain Kira Nerys

Ikon

Chief Ro Laren

Commander Elias Vaughn

Garak

Ensign Lusara Belli

Zee Tigan

Jr. Lieutenant Nog

Ambassador Worf

Stardate 54012.5 (Early 2377) and counting.

Chapter One – The Thread

As told by Julian Bashir

It had been nearly a year since Ezri Dax left the station for the Enterprise. The time had passed without Julian even noticing, and yet it seemed like ages when he stopped to think about it. With very few people left on the station he had much interest in interacting with, the good doctor now spends most of his time on medical research, trying not to think about how lonely he feels. In his mind, after what he did to Ezri, even if she would disagree, he didn't deserve to love again. At least, not until he had better control over himself. As he became absorbed in his research, Doctor Bashir had let personal grooming go somewhat and he had a fair amount of beard shadow on him which grew more each day.

Julian now found himself studying various dead ends of medical research. This month it was trying to create silicon-based amino-acids based off Doctor Leonard McCoy's research on the Horta of Janus VI. The Horta are the only known silicon-based life in all the quadrant, but if they could evolve, it stood to reason other silicon-based lifeforms could have evolved and Bashir sought to replicate that. Most known Medical Scientists had dismissed such research as pointless, but Julian felt an inescapable drive to uncover secrets thought to be hidden.

He approached the enclosed petri dish and placed a drop within in. Nothing. No compound he added wasn't successful. He placed his head in his hands and growled in frustration. He sat back in his chair and noticed someone in his peripheral vision. He turned to see Security Chief Ro Laren. He hadn't noticed her enter.

"I take it you didn't get much sleep?" She asked, with an unusually friendly demeanor.

Julian turned to her, bleary-eyed, and feeling guarded, "And how did you guess that?" He inquired.

She smirked and walked a little closer to him, "I keep an eye on the power grid. That is part of my job after all. The Infirmary's systems were on the entire night. Checked the log."

"Checking up on me as well?" Julian asked with suspicion. Ro picked up on it.

She sighed, "Look… I realize you're Starfleet, you probably don't trust me, but you don't spend much outside Infirmary with anyone. I thought you might like the chance to spend time with another outcast."

Bashir felt a slight guilt for being so defensive. She was only trying to be polite and he had met her with suspicion.

He relaxed his face, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."

She sat on the counter next to him and crossed her arms as Julian let out a yawn, "Don't worry. I'm used to it." She said staring at the lights.

"I can imagine so," Julian said returning to his data to prepare another test. "You don't seem too bothered by it."

She shrugged while examining the med bay, "What can I say, I'm not cut out for Starfleet. But I still have a lot of respect for some Starfleet officers. Especially those who do the right thing, even when it's unpopular." Ro looked at Julian again as she said that, implying he was such an officer with her tone.

Julian turned to her with some surprise. He hadn't considered he might have a reputation among the Maquis, let alone a good one.

She leaned in a bit closer, giving Julian a tempting smile, "Would it be too forward to see if you're interested in dinner?"

Julian blinked, "You… you're interested in me? Somehow I didn't expect I was your type."

With impeccable timing the Infirmary door split, and Commander Vaughn walked in along with his usual fog of depression and anger. He had his arms placed formally behind his back as he approached Doctor Bashir. After staring at Julian for a good long moment with his icy eyes, he pivoted to Ro.

"Security Chief. You're dismissed." He said forcefully.

Ro made a face of mild exasperation and proceeded to walk out. On the way out she turned around and said, "Julian. Think about it…okay?"

Julian stood up for the Commander and prepared his usual scans.

"I'm not here for my checkup, doctor." He said with annoyance.

Julian scanned him anyway without making eye contact, "Maybe not, sir. But you missed you last one."

This had become the extent of their relationship. Vaughn comes in for his checkups, barely tolerates it, then leaves. It was always awkward, but they had a kind of cold respect for one another nonetheless. Bashir had grown to almost enjoy their meetings; it was the only socialization he had allowed himself. Realizing that, he found Ro's offer more tempting than he expected. If I'm starting to enjoy Vaughn's company maybe I need to get out more… he thought.

"I have an assignment for you." Vaughn said.

Julian ignored him a moment and gave him the injection for his condition.

Vaughn sighed at the hyp, tolerating it only, and then handed him a padd. "I want your eyes on this assignment, your other work is secondary."

Julian took the padd and read it, growing more and more offended as he read it, "…Comparative Studies for the treatment of severe solar radiation on Cardassian physiology?!" He put the padd down. "No offense, sir, but this is the most mundane kind of research. Cardassian physiology is uniquely resistant to solar radiation because Cardassians evolved in an under protective atmosphere. This kind of research is highly unnecessary…"

Vaughn leaned in closer squinting directly at Julian's eyes. It was terrifying.

Then he spoke, "Follow the thread, Doctor Bashir, wherever it leads. I'm giving you wide freedom in this assignment. Don't let me down."

Vauhgn got up and began to leave but Julian called after him, "Sir?" He walked a bit closer, feeling the need to interrogate Vaughn. "With all due respect, is this an official assignment?"

Vaughn turned his gaze back to Bashir without turning around, "Not exactly. Consider it…" Vaughn's gaze diverted. "A personal assignment… But important… Keep this under wraps, Doctor."

Then Vaughn left. Follow the thread, echoed in Julian's mind. He should report this to Nerys immediately, but somehow, he felt he owed Vaughn something as a fellow genetically enhanced person, so he didn't.

Chapter Two – To Cardassia

As told by Julian Bashir

After spending some hours poring over the research materials, plenty of things didn't add up. The research was headed by Legate Hiltsun of House Arterius. Military medical research wasn't unheard of on Cardassia, but it was rarely headed by Cardassian Military leaders themselves. The review made constant references to some sort of sickness being suffered by the House and other Cardassians in their employ, but it contained nothing to indicate what that sickness was and where it came from. In fact, it seemed like almost frantic attempts to find some sort of treatment. It was also odd that Vaughn could get his hands on this kind of report, it would surely be deeply classified. Since the war ended, Cardassia has been in a state of near total paranoia and inner turmoil so they're very tight about their records. Something didn't add up and Julian needed answers. He knew of one man who might be able to help him.

It was easy enough to convince Nerys to let Julian contact Cardassia. He said he just wanted to have a chat with an old friend, which was true, but it was only half the truth. He planned to tell Nerys of this eventually, but he had to know more first.

As Julian continued his work, his monitor beeped. "Incoming message from Cardassia Prime, secure channel."

Julian accepted the transmission with haste. There on the monitor appeared the maverick Garak, an old friend.

"Ah Doctor, Bashir! Wonderful to hear from you my good friend!" Garak said with his characteristic conniving smile.

Julian couldn't help but smile back, immediately how much he had missed lunches with him rushed to his mind. "Garak! How fare things on Cardassia? Glad to be back home?"

"Ah… that I am, Doctor, though as I said-" Garak was interrupted by Bashir's recollection.

"Not quite the Cardassia you remember?" He confirmed.

Garak smiled with admiration, "Precisely. And for you, Doctor? Surely, you're wallowing away in your misery, missing your favorite tailor and lunch companion?"

Julian smirked, "You know me too well, Garak." He betrayed more of his loneliness than he intended, but Garak must have chosen, not to notice it. Julian was glad for that; he wasn't prepared to discuss his feelings.

Julian got to the point, "Garak, I'm calling you because I've received some interesting research that a powerful family is looking into on Cardassia. Being so close to the new Cardassian government, I thought you might have some insight.

Garak made an intrigued face, "How interesting! I would love to discuss this further with you on Cardassia. I'm sure your medical research will be quite interesting as always."

Garak had jumped way ahead of Julian's train of thought, and he had to catch up, "Well I thought perhaps we could just discuss it over the secure channel."

"Oh, I wouldn't hear of it!" Garak said, feigning offense in the most obvious way. "Afterall, how could I miss the chance to share Cardassian cuisine with my favorite lunchmate? Besides… Cardassia isn't so far away in a runabout."

Garak looked to the side, pretending to talk to someone who clearly wasn't there, then he looked back, "My apologies, Doctor. It seems I am being called away… Ah the life, of an important man… I must say I had missed it. I will see you when you arrive. Oh, but you may want to bring some light protection, especially someone who knows her way around Cardassian installations." He gave another wry smile, but before he switched off the message he said, "Oh and Doctor? I love the beard. On Cardassia beards are rare but considered very distinguished. It suits you."

And that was it. Julian sat back stunned, and a little hurt from such a short talk. He stared at the hasperat he ordered from the Bajoran restaurant for lunch. But the question was, what had Garak so scared that he would cut the conversation so short? Now he had to get a runabout without raising suspicions. He began to craft a believable story about Garak requesting his presence on Cardassia to treat the victims of a power plant disaster. A story Nerys would believe, perhaps unfortunately. It would be a small matter to convince her to spare Ro. It was also odd that Garak seemed to already know who he would bring. Then again, he thought, Garak always knew more than he ever let on, it was what made him such an intriguing friend.

Julian sighed, "I guess I'm going to Cardassia."

Chapter Three – "Wanna Play?"

As told by Lusara Belli

It had been a bit since Ezri left but I still found it hard to just hang out with the Tylittles. They were far more interested in each other than they were in being my friend. I spent so much time alone without Terin or Ezri around and I was mind-numbingly lonely. I had gotten past the crying stage and had gone into the stage where I'm just mad that no one is around, and no one wants to be my friend. I guess I'm too young for the senior staff and most of the station goers don't like Ferengi. For that matter neither do I. People would come to me for fashion advice all the time though. At this point it wasn't a secret that I was building a new tailor shop. It was hard to keep up with and it wasn't open yet, but it was getting there. I didn't know how much time I'd be able to devote to it, but I knew sewing, it was comforting. I used to curl up with a blanket at night when I was a kid and pretend it was someone who loved me. I was in the Promenade on the upper level by the Klingon restaurant. I wasn't a fan of the food but the music, as bad as it was, helped me focus. I was knitting a new blanket when she walked over…

I avoided Zee like the plague, she would give me disgusted looks if I made eye contact, so I tried very hard not to. She was very intimidating, but a part of me really wanted her approval for some reason. That was pointless, I thought, but I couldn't get it out of my mind. As she passed by, I looked long enough to see her coming towards me. She's going to pass by, just ignore her, ignore her, I told myself. Then I heard the squeaking of a chair being pulled out as she plopped down in it. She was chewing something, which was something she had become known for, and had a small game device and an earpiece to hear it in one ear. She sat down at my table as if she belonged there and she laid her legs on my thighs as a footrest. Her black boots were incredibly polished.

I felt a huge wave of anxiety, she had almost hit my knitting project with her feet like she didn't care.

I stammered, using my very best feminine voice, "Uhm… hi?"

Without looking up at me Zee just said, "Hey…" Like this was a regular hangout and not the first time she ever bothered to interact with me.

I looked at her feet and back to her face, she had her usual eyeshadow and gloss on, but her top was an open sleeveless vest. Blue and made of a kind of denim. Her shirt was a darker blue tank, and her pants were a blue leather. She seemed to color code all her outfits and tried to look as badass as possible. I couldn't help but admire that. Her boots were the same old black heels though. An excellent choice.

I cleared my throat, "Did you… need something?"

She just shrugged and kept chewing, "I was bored…"

"You… you were bored?" I asked, paralyzed with confusion and fear.

She looked up at me, diverting her eyes only, before returning them to her game, "I don't know, you're the most interesting person on this stupid station."

I took a moment, surprised, "I… I am? I thought you hated me."

She just looked at me and smirked, "I do."

I blinked with exasperation, "…Not to take the latinum at face value, but if you hate me then why do you want to hang around me?"

"I told you. I'm bored." Her tone raised, indicating frustration, so I gave up.

After a moment silence, she continued, "I'll call you a girl if you want."

"I mean... That would be accurate," I said, feeling insulted.

"Fine… fine… Your ears make it easier to see now anyway." She said.

"Oh thanks…" I said, not even trying to conceal my sarcasm.

She smirked at me, amused by my offense, "Watchya making?" She asked, amacking whatever she was chewing in the process.

I felt embarrassed, "It's a blanket…"

"Aww. Who for?" She asked, somewhat mockingly.

I looked away, feeling my face flush. "Just for me…"

"Oh…" she looked away, uninterested again. It hurt a lot more than I expected that she didn't care. She only wanted to hear about who I was sleeping with. The true answer: 'no one', was boring to her.

I decided to ask, "What is that you're chewing?" I don't know why I tried to talk to her, maybe to be polite?

"It's called bubblegum," she said. "Found it in the replicator database. It's an old Earth candy." She started to get a bit excited and looked up from her game, "Watch this, watch this." She then blew a bubble with it and popped it on her face. She giggled tomboyishly.

I couldn't help but laugh back as she licked the gum back into her mouth. It was a little gross.

"Hey wanna see something else cool?" She asked, now entertained.

"Uhm… okay." I said.

She took her feet off my lap and stood up. She walked over to me and before I could react, she had her left arm around the front of my chest, just above my breast. She held out her little game for me to see and put the earpiece in my ear. She had set her chin right on my shoulder. Her attitude was like we were the best of friends despite the fact we both didn't like each other. I felt immediately trapped. And yet… to have anyone touching me at that point was very nice, so I just let it happen.

She directed my attention to the game, "You fly around the galaxy in this game and build a little team of creatures, but in order to recruit them you have to fight them. Depending on where you go you find different ones. Watch this."

I could hear the game music change as she clicked a few and faced the game in front of us. A holographic monster with a bunch of tentacles appeared on the table. She gave a look of superiority and clicked the projector again to reveal her team of monsters. They fought the tentacled one and easily defeated it. Once it got up it joined her little team.

She laughed with amusement, "Pretty cool, huh? Apparently, it's a human adaptation of a Klingon game."

She turned to me, I didn't realize how close she was to my face until then, "Wanna play?" Her face was totally unconcerned. She went from being grossed out when I first met her to being completely comfortable with me and I didn't know how to react.

"Uhm… sure. I guess I can try it." I said.

She smirked and said, "Good. Then I'll kick your ass at it. Here's the replicator code…"

After she gave it to me, she walked off, yelling back to me, "Let me know when that shop of yours is open!"

I sat there and watched her leave, a little stunned. I glanced over at my barely started blanket and felt sorry for myself. I couldn't bring myself to keep working on it. Okay, time to try this game then, I thought.

Chapter Four – "Difficult to Grasp"

As told by Kira Nerys

"It's imperative we discover the how the Jem'Hadar in the Alpha Quadrant are managing these strikes. They cannot be working alone." Admiral Beckford spoke to me in my office. It was still hard to think of it as my office and not the Emissary's, especially with his baseball sitting on the desk. I couldn't help but fiddle with it myself, looking at all the names signed on it. I responded to Beckford.

"Taking the Defiant to the Romulan-Klingon border would upset the Romulans, and if we cloak so they can't see us then we're violating our agreement with them." I said.

"That's true, but the Jem'Hadar will undoubtedly come after the station eventually. Sooner or later the Gamma Quadrant will concern them, and we need to get ahead of this threat before that happens." She proposed.

I gave it some thought before I had an idea, "Maybe it's time to call in a favor from the Klingons then."

As we discussed my idea, she was amenable to it. But I didn't relish the thought of being on a Klingon ship for a long time. "Very well, contact Ambassador Worf, then. Beckford out."

A week on a Klingon ship, minimal crew. All to find these Jem'Hadar and try to make peaceful contact. My work as a Starfleet Captain grew increasingly difficult. I joined the Bajoran military to protect Bajor, now I have to leave the station in the hands of Klingons I barely trust, to complete a mission that has nothing to do with Bajor. Still… I knew it was for the best, I kept telling myself that, but it was only so comforting. I looked again at the baseball, with all the names. J. Sisko, Leeta, Ezri, Julian… I set the signed baseball next to the blank one on the desk. It was a reminder to me now of the place I had found here, against all odds, and my duty to watch it for the Emissary. That always made me feel much better than any duty I have to Starfleet.

I stepped out onto Ops. It was rather quiet, except for some unusual beeping sounds that weren't part of the normal sounds of ops. Nog looked very annoyed by the sounds and was rubbing his ears. Commander Vaughn looked as though he was holding back from yelling, his veins popping in his head. The sound was coming from Lu at the science console. She was playing a handheld game which was beeping. She was totally absorbed.

I walked to the console, "Ensign…"

She looked up suddenly, as if she hadn't noticed me, "Yeah?" she said, fear in her eyes.

"Please leave your games in your quarters from now on." I ordered politely.

She looked at her game, not taking my order seriously, "Oh it's no trouble, I can play it and pay attention to the console."

I looked at the console, there were plenty of indicators that needed checking. Rather than say anything I hit a few of the indicators to show her she was not focused.

Her face lit up red and she looked away. She turned off her game and set it aside. No apology, just embarrassment. Nog looked relieved but Lu looked practically offended. I felt like a glorified mom, but I'm her Captain, it's not my job to teach her to be responsible.

I walked over to Vaughn and whispered, "Don't be afraid to reign her in a little when she needs it." This wasn't the only time Lu had been resistant to orders when it comes to decorum on Ops, but I needed to juggle Vaughn's abusive tendencies with Lu's resistance to authority.

As I was talking to Vaughn, Ikon rose from the turbolift. He walked right up to me as asked, "I would like to speak with you, Captain Kira." I nodded at him, a little surprised to see him, and motioned him toward the office.

We entered and he sat awkwardly on the chair, squatting as if it were a great effort of flexibility. He was still getting used to sitting rather than standing.

"How has the studying been going." I asked him. Ikon had been studying various cultures of the Alpha Quadrant. He spent a month on Bajor with the Vedeks, and the rest of his time studying here on the Station, but he was having trouble finding himself. I had taken it upon myself to assist him. I knew what it was like to feel uncertain. If he was uncertain though, you couldn't tell by his demeanor. Calm, collected, professional.

He responded after a moment of pondering, "I find ideals of peace… difficult to grasp. 'Compassion'… I was trained to feel it only for Founders. My very blood demanding I dismiss all others. After my need for the white was stripped… I am still restless. 'Holosuite' programs… do not satisfy my aggressive instincts."

He sat firmly and looked past me, as if I were a Vorta, "I require orders, a duty, or… a 'job.' I should like to request one from you, Captain."

My mind immediately went to the new mission. A chance for him to observe another culture with rituals to deal with aggression, and to use his knowledge of the Jem'Hadar for good. It seemed like destiny. As if the Prophets were telling me this was the true beginning of his path.

I spoke, "Well… I'll have to give that some thought. But as it happens, I have a mission that would be perfect for you."

He stood at attention. "Yes… Captain!" Eager for new order.

Chapter Five – Who We Used to Be

As told by Julian Bashir

Ro Laren and Julian Bashir were on the runabout to Cardassia.

"I have to say, Doctor, going to Cardassia is not exactly what I had in mind for a first date." Ro said sarcastically.

Julian couldn't help but smirk, "Oh come now, a woman like you, somehow I expect that a little adventure is right up your alley."

It was unclear to Julian if Ro was amused or insulted, perhaps a bit of both? But she continued, "Adventure is one thing, but going to the home planet of the people who occupied my planet is quite another."

"Look at it this way." He said. "Then at least no one but me will bother you." He smiled flirtatiously. He couldn't help it. To have any company at all would be preferable, but since she seemed interested in him, he couldn't hope but see her in a new light. Despite that, he secretly was hoping something would go wrong.

She turned to him, "Well, at least we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other. And the mission is sure to be exciting, a nice change of pace."

"And what makes you say that?" He responded. "How do you know you're not just my personal guard? Lots of boring waiting and observing suffering…"

Her expression was one of amused exasperation, "…I know a Starfleet Intelligence operation when I see one, I used to be in it myself."

"Really?" Julian said, feigning ignorance poorly on purpose.

The rest of the ride they spent getting to know each other. Favorite foods, games, their pasts. Sometimes they laughed, sometimes the stories brought tears to their eyes. She told him of her father's death, and he told her of his father's deception and sacrifice. He told the story of creating a vaccine for the quickening, and she told the story of her and Geordi LaForge being phased out of reality. Before he knew it, Julian felt himself falling in love all over again. In a certain way they did have a lot in common. Before they reached Cardaassia, somewhere along the line, she had started calling him Julian instead of 'Doctor.' It wasn't much longer after that that she became Laren to him, and not just Ro.

They arrived at the planet while Julian was sleeping, Laren woke him to come to the cockpit from the bunk. As he arose and rubbed his eyes, he saw the golden glory of Cardassia Prime. Garak had given them his security code so that they would make it past the patrols, though those were lackluster at best. They began to land, the minimal clouds parting into a smooth ride.

Julian went to the back to pack the supplies. "Be sure to wear your sunscreen Laren! Bring plenty of water as well! Cardassia is quite hot!"

Laren scoffed without offense, "I know the drill."

Julian just laughed it off, "Sorry, I'm a doctor, I can't help but remind you."

The desert surface and pale brown buildings of the capital city splayed out before them. There was still visible destruction from the Dominion occupation of the planet. Laren seemed sd emotionally affected by the sights as much as Julian.

Noticing this, Julian asked her, leaning closer than he would have found comfortable before, "Are you alright?"

She didn't mind at all at his proximity to her, she just stared at the destruction, lost in a memory, "Yeah… reminds me of something… that's all."

He patted her shoulder, hoping the right words would come, but they didn't

The landing strip was ahead, just by Garak's office: a shiny new building with a flamboyant flair of red, orange, and green, amongst the dull grey and brown. It could only be Garak's estate. It seems he had done well for himself despite the destruction.

They had to land several kilometers away so they would need to walk through a lot of the city to get there. As the ship landed many the impoverished homeless watched them land with eager anticipation.

Julian felt a pang of sadness as Ro spoke, "Watch your equipment carefully… I guarantee there are pickpockets among them… As much as I'd like to give them all of your technology, we need our phasers and tricorders…"

Julian felt guilty, being so well off while they suffered, "There must be something we can do."

"There is." She said. "We can finish our mission."

"Yeah…" He agreed reluctantly.

As the runabout door opened, a wave of dry heat greeted them, flowing in like a gust of wind. The sound of many work crews repairing buildings echoed throughout the town, and a thin clear haze floated above the city, smelling of construction chemicals and duranium-based metals. There were actually a few Starfleet officers assisting in the relief efforts, but there were far more Cardassians walking the busy streets. The walk was unsettling, and Julian noticed many people gave Laren strange looks. As the walk went on, she kept her hand resting on the concealed phaser, having grown accustomed to seeing Cardassians as hostile. As they got closer to Garak's home, the area grew increasingly poor and Laren seemed to relax, and then a great pain fell over her face.

A small Cardassian boy approached Julian and Laren, seemingly unafraid… or perhaps too innocent of prejudice, Julian thought. The boy was scrawny from malnutrition and shivering, despite the heat which lined Julian and Laren's foreheads with sweat. He couldn't have been more than six years old, perhaps younger.

"Mama said 'you can't trust the Fed-ray-shun,'" said the boy. "But Fed-ray-shuns are nice to me. Do you have food? I'm hungry." The boy spoke with remarkable strength.

Julian felt a lump in his throat rise as he kneeled to the boy. "No… I'm afraid not. But I do have some medicine which will help."

Julian dug into his medkit and pulled out a hypospray meant to treat malnutrition. And carefully placed it near the boy's neck, "this will help your system absorb food better when you find some." The boy seemed to recognize that the hypo wasn't a threat and gladly accepted it.

"Thank you." He said graciously.

At that moment, the Garak's building door opened with a wheelbarrow full of boiled tespa, a Cardassian delicacy. The boy and several other children, and a few adults, ran to the wheelbarrow.

Laren's voice cracked as words found their way to her throat, "That used to be me… I didn't realize just how bad things were on Cardassia…"

Julian turned to her, "That's why there's going to be a new Cardassia." Julian turned to Garak's home. "It was barely a generation ago that the Cardassian military saved it's people from conditions like this, but then the Dominion's betrayal forced it's people back into utter destitution. Cardassia has a lot of wounds to heal… but finally it will have that chance… just like Bajor."

Julian turned to Laren who was holding back a tear, "In the Maquis we had to do everything we could to deter Cardassian attacks… it never even occurred to me what that might mean for kids like these."

Julian became serious a moment, "Nerys has mentioned similar regrets about being in the Bajoran resistance, maybe you two would be able to trade those stories."

Laren laughed, "You would think… but I think we each remind each other too much of ourselves to really get along."

Julian smirked and started toward Garak's home. From here it seemed a shining beacon of light in a dark and dreary city.

Julian knocked on the door. After a mere moment, the door swung open excitedly, and there stood Garak, wearing his usual fabulous attire.

"Doctor Bashir! You finallymade it!" He greeted; arms open wide in welcome.

A wave of glee fell over the two men and they each gave each other a warm smile before embracing in a hug. Julian didn't realize just how much he had missed Garak until that moment. As they hugged, they both laughed with an unexpected purity.

As the hug concluded, Garak wasted no time in greeting his second guest, "Ah! And I see the good Doctor heeded my advice well with his choice of security! A pleasure madame."

Laren found herself smiling unexpectedly at such a warm greeting from a Cardassian, "Ro Laren of the Bajoran Militia," she said as they shook hands.

Garak led the pair into the building. The walls were adorned with fascinating tapestries, all the tailoring work of the good Cardassian himself. In the building were many homeless Cardassians, some reading, others carrying food, some sleeping in beds.

"Garak? I'm almost shocked…" Julian remarked. "You've been quite generous in your people's time of need."

"Shocked?!" Garak feigned offense, but in reality, was unsurprised at Julian's doubts. "I am capable of a little compassion now and then."

And they continued to walk he readjusted his expression, "Truth be told, Doctor, having the Prime Minister's ear is quite useful! He actually listens to me and my experience"

Julian joked, "But no deceptions? No plotting? Just pure charity? It seems almost unnatural for you. Have you turned over a new leaf?"

As they reached a flight of stairs, Garak turned to his friend and placed his hand on his shoulders, "Ah… but I learned from the best." And he smiled to Julian again, with that unmistakable grin of his.

They eventually reached the upper chambers where Garak stays and approached the door.

"And now, Doctor, you'll have the chance to sample the finest of Cardassian cuisine. That is… if you're hungry." Garak stated.

Ro spoke up as they reached the end, "I'll stay out in the corridor if you won't mind. I wouldn't be much of a security officer if I didn't do a little guarding." She winked at Bashir.

"Ah… the diligence of Bajoran women. An admirable trait." Garak said, "I would say be careful my dear, but from the looks of things, I'd say you can take care of yourself quite well." Garak motioned to the doctor, "Shall we?"

Ro nodded and took her position.

Julian Bashir and Elim Garak shared a rather lavish lunch, though whatever they didn't eat was quickly taken away to be fed to others. After spending a short while catching up, Julian moved to the order of business.

"So, this radiation research…" Julian started.

"Ah yes, the accident." Garak took a sip of kanar before continuing. "Are you at all familiar with the Maelstrom?"

Julian took his own sip of water, "It's a region of space under dispute after the Dominion War. Cardassian, Federation, Romulan, and Klingon have claims to it, but for some time it was part of the old Cardassia."

Garak continued, "But since the region has little more than a few Cardassian outposts and no real Cardassian colonies, the various powers are fighting over the resources."

Garak took a bite of something like Cardassian salad before continuing, "The primary Cardassian House operating in the region is House Arterius, led by the Legate Hiltsun. Hiltsun himself is reasonable, but he and his house suffered heavy losses in the Dominion War. Despite this, they emerged as the strongest military faction at the war's end. This has led many of them to hold… shall we say… traditional… views on the Federation and its wartime allies. Exactly the kind of militancy which led to our joining the Dominion in the first place."

Garak took a breath, "Now… our intelligence reports that they have been performing secret experiments of some kind, and… there has been an accident."

Julian deduced the next line of thought, "An accident which prompted it's leader to frantically try to treat solar radiation exposure."

"Precisely!" Garak said proudly. "And if a militant group is performing experiments behind the back of the new government, and is a group that is openly hostile to the Federation…"

"Then Starfleet just might be interested in getting to the bottom of it." Julian finished. "You're working with Starfleet intelligence aren't you Garak?"

"Let's just say… we have a common enemy." He said with a smirk.

"Still back in your secretive ways after all then?" Julian said, totally unsurprised.

"Ah, Doctor, would you have me any other way?" The men smiled at each other knowingly, though what they knew of one another, only they could say.

"And you my dear, Bashir, are the perfect agent. Most of the radiation victims are held up in a hospital here on Cardassia prime. You could go in posing as the very charitable Starfleet Doctor that you are. Meanwhile, finding out whatever you need to treat your patients properly may lead you to useful knowledge." Garak said. "Tell me, Doctor, do you still play the spy in your holosuite programs? Now it's time to try out the real thing, it seems."

Julian felt somewhat apprehensive about abusing his title as a doctor, but ultimately if he could get inside the hospital and help people, he felt an obligation to do so, especially with so much suffering in his friend's home. Maybe the charitable act would help soften House Arterius.

"Alright then. Point the way," Julian said with more excitement than he anticipated.

"Excellent! But let's not waste this time to catch up further, first!" Garak concluded.

As they finished lunch, Bashir gathered up his belongings and headed out, bidding his friend a temporary farewell. What he did not see or hear was Garak stepping into the corridor to speak to Ro.

"Chief Ro Laren? Might I have a word with you?" He said. "I have an assignment you may find suited to your talents…"

Chapter Six – On Whose Authority?

As told by Lusara Belli

I finished the last of the clothes, the slacks for the specialized tuxedo I was making for Ezri. She had told me how nice she felt in them, and I wanted something that would be special for her. Form-fitting, but not overly so, with a dark purple for the jacket and a lavender for the shirt under it and decorated with a simple black bowtie to match the pants. It would be a display item for now.

I hung it on the mannequin at the same moment I heard a knock on the 'door.' There's no door for the tailor's shop of course, but Zee had knocked the wall to get my attention and entered as soon as I looked at her. She glanced around, amused by all the frilly and feminine pieces.

"Looks like a place that sells clothes to the street girls back home." She said.

"Street girls?" I asked.

She chuckled at my ignorance, "Oh… y'know… street girls"

I intuited her meaning and felt insulted. "Well, it sounds like they had good taste in clothes…"

She chuckled further and plucked a frilly dress from the mannequin.

"Hey!" I begged. "Don't mess with those, they're delicate!"

She pretended to try it on, making mocking kissy faces. She touched her body sexually and pretended to be a 'street-girl,' "'Oh my, what big muscles you have there, sir. How much would you pay to wrap those big arms around me…"

After she finished her insulting performance, she threw the dress onto the table and got on top of it, spaying across it like it were a bed and propping her elbows behind her. She pulled her mobile game back out.

I just stared at her and her casual disregard for my space and asked, "Did you just come here to make fun of me?"

"Pretty much." She said, without even looking up.

I put my head in my hands, embarrassed to be seen with her. I pondered if she genuinely had any interest in being my friend or if she just hung out with me because she thought I was easy to laugh at and she wanted to be entertained.

I grabbed the dress, pulling the last bit out from under her elbow and examined it.

I sighed and groaned when I saw wrinkles, "Now I have to iron it all over again…."

"Don't you like ironing?" She yelled back to me as I searched the back for my iron. "I thought this was your shit?" she asked.

"No sewing is 'my shit'" I mocked her back with my tone, but unsuccessfully. "Art through clothing is essential for a girl like me."

She called back chuckling, "maybe you should prop up your womanhood on something that isn't made of chiffon."

After finding the iron I returned to the room sighing further, "my womanhood is perfectly secure… I just… don't enjoy it when people aren't sure that I am one. And I like fun clothes, sue me over it."

Zee groaned, "Girl, nobody is even confused anymore. You look the part… Those dumb Ferengi guys all sneer at you 'cause they saw you with your old ears, but they whisper about how attractive you are when you're not around, and they make fun of each other for it."

My face flushed, and not in a good way, "They… they do?" I coughed.

She giggled, "Yeah. Maybe you should go chat them up." And she winked.

"Oh no no no. Absolutely not. I have no interest in any of them…" I said, vehemently disgusted by the idea, almost panicked. I continued to iron the dress, trying not to think of it.

"Oh. Then what's all this for?" she gestured to the room full of mostly women's formal wear.

I ironed with a little more force than I intended, betraying frustration, "Like I said… I just like clothes. A good dress can be a work of art… in the right hands."

She seemed surprised by my answer and stopped her game. She looked at me a moment, as if scrutinizing my words to see if they were truthful.

Then she went back to her game and said, "Huh, okay…"

After a moment of silence, she spoke again, "Why do you wear that stupid uniform, then?"

I shrugged, "I mean… I have to."

She seemed unconvinced, "Why? Because they tell you to? Funny, here I thought you defined yourself on your own terms, guess I was wrong."

Her words stabbed me in the heart.

"Well… I… I always wanted to go to space I guess." I said.

The interrupted, "Pssh. You can do that already, y'know. You don't have to wear that stuffy uniform to do that or follow orders. I know where orders got me. Nowhere. Haven't you had enough of that shit?"

I remembered going through the Academy and all the instructors who yelled at me for doing things my own way. I would get the right answers, pass all the tests, but Starfleet is stiff with protocol even when it doesn't matter.

"I suppose so… But I want to help people too." I said.

"You can help and still do what you want." She said it with the tone of a question, but with further mockery, treating me as though I was a foolish for believing any other way. But that was just it… she had a point…

There was an awkward pause again and I finished ironing the shirt.

"Wanna play now?" I turned to see her looking at me with a slight smile and holding up the game.

I couldn't help but smirk. Somehow, I felt better.

The intercom rung right as I nodded yes.

"Ensign Belli, report to docking bay 3, the Klingon ship is here." It was the captain's voice.

I sighed, "Guess I have to get in uniform."

"Fuck those guys! Fight me bitch! Just once. They can wait." Zee ordered.

"They'll be angry if I'm late, and I have to pack food… I'm not eating Klingon food." I said.

"You still have time," she said. "C'mon."

I was hesitant, "I don't know… I want to."

She stared me dead in the eyes, "If you want to, then do it."

I felt pulled in two directions, but finally I gave up, "Okay fine!"

She smiled at me.

Chapter Seven – The First Battle

As told by Kira Nerys

It had been fifteen minutes since we were due to leave and Lusara still wasn't here.

I tapped my communicator again, "Ensign Belli… where are you?!" I was beyond frustrated. We never had these kinds of problems with the Emissary in charge.

After a long moment I heard a response communicator, "I'm coming!" There was a fumbling and some heavy breathing. "Almost there!" she said.

I sighed as the docking bay door opened. Out stepped Worf, Ambassador to the Empire, and an old friend. We had already reconnected.

"What is taking her so long?" He bellowed angrily, his long hair flowing as he shook his head.

I concurred with his anger, "I wish I knew." If there was one thing Worf and I understood each other for, it was that we were both easily angered and trying to get ahold of it.

The pattering of sandals on the metal floor of the docking rings echoed the halls as Lusara Belli approached, she was in one of her specially made outfits, and not her preferred uniform, but she did have her communicator on.

As she approached, I asked her pointedly, "Ensign, why aren't you in uniform?"

She looked down at her outfit, and lied unconvincingly, "I forgot it… Captain. Do you want me to go get it?"

I could've pressed her on the lie, but we had no time, "No Ensign, we are behind schedule as it is, you'll have to deal with it. Come on board. And next time I expect you on time and in uniform."

Worf growled involuntarily and Belli stared at him with pure fear. We were off to a wonderful start…

The Vorcha-class cruiser got underway. Despite our difficulties with Belli, Worf and I eventually settled into a camaraderie.

"I did not have a chance to say so during our correspondence, congratulations on your new status as Captain of the station. I can think of no one better suited for the task. I am sure Captain Sisko would be proud." He said.

"Thank you." I responded. "I have to admit, the uniform takes some getting used to."

He reassured me with his punctual Klingon certainty, "That will pass. You may recall, I, too, had difficulties as both a Klingon and a Starfleet officer."

"That you did," I nodded affirmingly.

Worf spoke further, "I understand that Lieutenant Dax has been reassigned to the Enterprise. It should be a good home for her."

The reminder of Ezri's goodbye hit my heart a little deeper than I expected, and I reassured myself, "Yes. Temporarily at least." I had become increasingly aware of how many of the people closest to me had faded from my life.

"Indeed." Worf responded. "I spent nearly eight years with that crew and have visited often, I can vouch for each one of them."

Klingon laughter could be heard in the halls of the ship. From the corner of my eye, I saw Klingons in the nearby mess hall, pointing and laughing at Belli in their drunkenness.

"What's their problem with her?" I asked Worf.

He sighed, "She was late, and she is a Ferengi. She is also refusing to dine with them. That may be taken as a challenge to the group." He turned. "I will be on the Bridge. I will contact you when we reach our destination."

I glanced to the mess hall, stepping closer to observe the happenings. Ikon sat in the corner seat, awkwardly sampling the Klingon food, very stalwart.

Several Klingons, particularly the Klingon-women, were jeering at Lusara, who was trying to ignore them, but poorly. I had known those kinds of jeers in my life, and I felt a pang of sympathy.

One of the Klingon-women spoke, "The Ferengi thinks she is too good to eat with us! Have you not the stomach for gagh!" The entire table laughed again.

The Klingon-woman continued as she walked closer, "Look at these clothes… perhaps the Ferengi fancies herself a sli vak!" She then grabbed a leaf from the vegetarian meal Lusara was having. The Klingon-woman made a face of utter repulsion. "And this… plant-food… if you wish to be in Starfleet, you need meat on your bones!" Laughter erupted again.

"Ah… but you are a woman of taste, yes?" She taunted. "After all, don't most Ferengi eat insects? But no! Not you! You are better than other Ferengi!"

Lusara spoke up now, not looking at anyone, and moving her food pack over out of the Klingon's reach. "Maybe I just don't want to eat what you eat. Is that such a bad thing?"

"Hah!" The Klingon responded, "It is as I said! The Ferengi thinks she is too good for us! But maybe…" The woman pulled out a standard Klingon knife. "She thinks she can best me in battle."

Lu's eyes widened at the knife, afraid. "No no, I don't think I'll be wanting to do that, either."

"I challenge you, Ferengi! Would you refuse a challenge!" She yelled.

"Yes, I would!" She said.

"Then that is an insult to my honor!" The Klingon woman rose her knife to try to hurt Lusara, but just as I was ready to intervene, a different hand grabbed her knife. It was Ikon's.

He spoke coldly, "You will not harm her."

The Klingon woman ruffled away from his arm, "So you will accept the challenge on her behalf then?! Tell me, what did a the Ferengi do to earn the protection of a Dominion tohzah?" She spat at him. "Unless of course… you wish to initiate a mating ritual." She was joking… I think?

Lusara whispered in the corner, "who's the sli vak now?"

The Klingon woman hissed at her.

A Klingon man rsoe from the table suddenly, "I challenge any man who wishes the company of my par'Mach'kai!"

The woman responded to him, "Back off Kin-DocH, I am promised to no one."

Ikon held them both back now as he said, "My people do not mate."

The man, Kin-DocH, declared, "I do not believe you! Dominion deceiver!"

Now he pulled a knife on Ikon. I felt the need to intervene, but Klingon culture was the culture that Ikon had the best chance adapting to, in my mind, so I decided to let him sample it in full force.

Something within in Ikon snapped as he spoke, his eyes widening, "You would not survive if I were to fight you."

"You insult my strength?! Aaah!" Kin-DocH lunged at Ikon. Ikon simply slapped aside his knife and it flew to the corner.

"You are weak. So, I will go easy on you." Ikon challenged.

Kin-DocH had heard enough and charged at him, Ikon blocked his charge and punched him in the face with left and right hooks. After a moment of dizziness, Kin-DocH charged again, roaring. He would regret that. Ikon grabbed his arm and flipped around him in one swift motion. On the way he broke Kin-DocH's arm on his knee and Kin-DocH screamed in pain. Then with his arm broken and behind his back, Ikon pinned him to the floor.

Ikon whispered in his ear, bloody rage in his breathing, "If this had been war… you would be dead! You need DISCIPLINE!"

Lusara took this moment to run to the Bridge with her food. The Bridge was less occupied than the mess hall and she had seen enough. I let her pass.

I was very disturbed by all the fighting, even though I knew to expect it on a Klingon ship, but somehow… I found myself growing more and more tired of fighting. Any fighting. It brought loss on such a scale. Maybe this is the burden that Starfleet Captains talk about.

Kin-DocH was taken to the Infirmary, the rest of the Klingons considered the matter closed, though the Klingon woman began to make… I guess you would call it sexual hissing noises? She directed them at Ikon who ignored them.

In fact, Ikon looked on the verge of hurting her, but he charged to the Bridge. Upon passing me he stood at attention a moment and said, "Captain!" Before continuing.

It was a long three days. My stomach was sour from all the Klingon food, and I longed for a good vegetarian meal of my own. Meat is very rare on Bajor, and I had taken to cutting it out for spiritual reasons, but if I had to eat it, I still did. Worf was his usual quiet self. In fact, Lu, Worf, Ikon, and I barely said three words to each other. The rest of the crew was loud enough for all of us though. I caught Lu rubbing her ears more than once and frequently running away to the quiet areas of the ship when she didn't have to operate the crude Klingon science station.

Eventually we did arrive at our destination. Vegras VII, just at the edge of the ever-fluctuating Klingon-Romulan border. It wasn't long before Lusara had bad news for us.

"I'm picking up a tachyon surge dead ahead!" She panicked.

A Romulan-warbird decloaked. Worf declared, "Activate shields! Charge weapons!"

"They're hailing us!" Said the Klingon communications officer.

"On screen!" Worf ordered.

The screen flashed to us the face of a rare blond Romulan with less pointed ears. Worf recognized her, looking emotionally distraught for just a moment, before returning to his previous demeanor.

"This is Commander Sela of the Romulan Star Empire. We claim this space, Klingon. Leave, or we will be forced to destroy you." The Commander spoke.

Worf growled, "This space is clearly owned by the Klingon Empire, but we are here on a diplomatic mission concerning the recent Jem'Hadar attacks."

"Your lies do not concern me, Klingon!" Sela barked. Just she was about to close the channel I walked up to the monitor.

"Commander Sela. I'm Captain Kira Nerys of Deep Space Nine. The Klingons were escorting myself, another officer, and a Dominion representative to attempt end the hostilities with the Jem'Hadar in this sector. They are rogues acting independently." I announced.

She looked at me with complete distrust, "Ah… you are the Bajoran officer who blockaded Derna during the war. Foolish tactics. I should've known you'd become a Federation spy. I don't believe your excuses any more than his!"

"Fine" I said. "But consider that if you fire on us, you'll ignite the very frail tension between our people's. And if the Klingons and Federation join against the Romulans, you wouldn't do very well."

Sela looked deeply frustrated, "Fine…" She nodded reluctantly to an officer.

Lu announced with relief, "their weapons are powering down."

Sela resumed her ranting, "But I expect full inclusion in all these 'efforts' of yours so I can protect Romulan interests."

I put on my best friendly face, "Oh we wouldn't have it any other way." And Sela closed the channel.

I sighed as the Klingon crew groaned about a Romulan Commander joining us on our ship.

Worf was none too happy either, but he seemed warmer to Sela for a reason I couldn't understand.

"Lower shields for transport." He ordered. The Klingon officer growled and reluctantly did so.

At nearly the same moment he did, however, Lu yelled back, "another tachyon surge!"

"What?!" Worf squinted at the screen as a Jem'Hadar fighter decloaked and sent out massive volley of weapons.

The bridge exploded into a flurry of fires before we knew what was happening.

Somewhere in the carnage Worf yelled, "Return fire!" But it was too late.

"Weapons offline! They're using some kind of spatially charged torpedos! They aren't standard Dominion armaments!"

"Escape course!" Worf announced, nose bloodied.

Another explosion.

"Engines are down! We're falling towards the planet! I can't stop it!" The pilot yelled.

We tumbled toward the jungle planet at a breakneck pace. My life flashed before my eyes as it had grown accustomed to it doing. As they brushed the atmosphere, I couldn't help but announce, "Brace for impact!" It wasn't much longer before we hit.

Chapter Eight – The First Stone

As told by Julian Bashir

The hospital with the radiation patients was quite a walk away. Julian had a chance to see a lot of the city. It seemed that at every corner there were yet more poor Cardassians. He saw an entire family, homeless, wandering the streets looking for shelte. They were being turned away by other Cardassians who seemed frightened of them. He couldn't help but think of the time when a transporter accident threw him, Jadzia, and Captain Sisko into Earth's past. It looked very much like this did. Realizing this, Julian was struck with a feeling of camaraderie with the Cardassian people. More and more it seemed that if anyone suffered like this, each of us suffers alongside them. How can people be made to live like this? It was unthinkable, unconscionable! He hoped that one day Cardassia could grow and learn, perhaps even join the Federation as Bajor had. He wished he could grant each one of them immediate relief so they wouldn't have to suffer, but he was just one man.

The walk grew more and more dreary by the second, but finally, painfully, Julian reached the correct hospital. Most of his water was gone so he could only hope that there was something hydrating he could have at the hospital itself. He passed through the grey doors and spoke to the receptionist: a somewhat aged Cardassian man. The man glanced up at him, barely aware of Julian's existence and bored out of his mind. The entire facility seemed run down, and it was just a little too quiet.

The receptionist spoke to Julian, "We don't allow weapons on the premises."

Julian was caught off guard and said, "Oh yes! Of course." And handed him his phaser. "Forgive me, standard procedure for Starfleet away-missions. Uh…" He glanced around the room a moment before turning back to the man, "I'm here to assist with the radiation treatments being performed here. I have some experience in that area."

"Name?" The receptionist asked.

"Oh! Doctor Julian Subatoi Bashir, rank of Lieutenant in Starfleet." He said, smiling awkwardly.

The receptionist handed him some sort of pamphlet and typed away at his computer. The pamphlet read 'Welcome to Cardassia Federation citizen! We appreciate your help!' in big bold letters. The rest was essentially a guideline for Starfleet on Cardassia. Pure propaganda, requests to keep your nose down, etc. All very polite but quite passive aggressive if you have even an ounce of knowledge of Cardassian recent history.

The receptionist pointed down the hall vaguely, "The patients you're looking for are further in."

"Thank you," Julian said as politely as he could, sensing the tension.

Passing down the hall now, Julian saw that the vast majority of the Doctors were women while vast majority of assistants were men. Cardassian women were known to dominate technological, engineering, and other scientific fields. Julian approached a fairly non-descript set of doors and walked through them. It appeared he had found the right room as there were a great number of Cardassians laying in biobeds. The windows lit up their horrible radiation burns in evening light. It was there that the moans of pain became audible, and it started to feel more like a hospital. Possibly hundreds of Cardassians were all crammed together for treatment. Clearly, they weren't having much luck as many of them were already dead.

Julian began to scan them, but just as soon as he did a shrill voiced male-Cardassian walked up to him and yelled, "WHO are you!" With incredible vitriol.

Julian looked up to see a Cardassian man with jet-black hair who was approaching middle-age. However, that hair was broken by a long patch of grey along his sideburns which ran up to his temples. He had a large scar from his left forehead to his right cheek. It carved a line right through the 'spoon,' as Miles would rudely call it, on the center of his forehead. He scowled at Julian, who stood firm.

"Doctor Julian Bashir, Starfleet Medicine. You?" Julian asked, maintaining a friendly air about him.

His scowl relaxed but only barely, "Gul Matan. What are you doing here, Federation?" His tone was accusatory.

Julian felt a twinge of indignation. After all he was here to help. Sure, he might also be gathering intelligence, but no harm would be done, so he retorted, "Hard as it may be for you to believe I'm here to help your patients."

"A likely story! Come with me! You're going to be processed!" Matan grabbed Julian by the arm as he resisted.

Just as things were looking grim, the voice of an old man called out, "That's enough Illius!"

A much older Cardassian man walked up. He had little hair, all of it grey, and wrinkles. He wore a looser outfit, likely to assist his aging body's mobility, but his insignia was the same as Matan's.

"Welcome Doctor. I am Legate Brondier Hiltsun. Please forgive my nephew's display, he is not used to trusting Starfleet. Come, let me take you to the worst of the patients."

As Julian and Legate Hiltsun himself approached a severely burned Cardassian being treated, Julian spoke freely, "You… aren't as I imagined you." He said with surprise, "I've heard House Arterius opposes the Federation treaty."

"Oh, it does." Hiltsun declared. "Look around. Cardassia has sacrificed too much. It should never have joined the Dominion, but when Gul Dukat made the decision for us, we had to make the most of it. We failed. The war has proved one thing above all else: Cardassia must stand alone, or it will never stand at all."

Hiltsun turned away, facing the scarred Cardassian, "I won't lie… asking for Federation aid turns my stomach… but despite your reputation, you people have been nothing but helpful here at home." Considering this truth seemed to confuse the old man, as if he were on the verge of an epiphany.

He turned back to Julian, "I fought in the first war between our people, lost an arm." Julian glanced at the synthetic arm Hiltsun had. It was well concealed. "And in the Dominion war I led countless battles… The lesson I needed to learn took a lifetime to finally hit, but it did. We will never solve our problems if we can't eventually do it ourselves. With potential enemies at our doorsteps, we need our foothold back. To grow. To thrive."

Hiltsun spoke with a remarkably enlightened attitude, albeit misguided and with the same degree of pride that Julian had come to expect from most Cardassians. Still, Julian didn't agree with isolationism. Hiltsun continued, "However, for the time being, we need help, and we shan't turn it down."

Matan protested, "Legate?!" Hiltsun simply rose his hand commandingly. For such an elderly man, the Legate had a very fatherly air about him. Like a man in control.

Matan grimaced but didn't interfere and Julian began examining the patients. Matan hung over Julian's shoulder suspiciously the entire time, examining everything he was doing as if he were going to assassinate the patients while he wasn't looking. Occasionally he would demand to know what Julian was doing, and the good Doctor's agitation levels experienced a steady rise. Hiltsun remained in the corner of the room, whispering to a lieutenant of some kind and the various doctors. The Doctors didn't seem particularly happy with him. One of them even argued with him about something, but he consistently waived her off.

The scans were even more puzzling to the doctor. It was as if each person had been exposed to the full brunt of a star's radiation for the tiniest fraction of a second. Some of them died, others had severe burns and skin cancers. The cancers were a simple matter of a compatible cytolyctic injection and tumor removal. The Cardassian doctors had already done much of that, so Julian simply administered better pain medicine. Cardassians, much like Klingons, had a certain mystique with pain, though in different ways. As a result, Cardassins have crude pain relievers compared to the Federation. But no matter treatment Julian administered the burns themselves returned, as if they were infecting the body somehow like a disease, but with no visible cause. Julian examined tissue samples, talked with frustrated doctors, and still there were no answers. But Julian knew what the other doctors didn't: these were the result of lethal experiments of some kind… Whatever the cause was, he was determined to find it so he could determine a cure. Julian approached Legate Hiltsun.

"How goes the treatment, Doctor?" He asked amenably.

"Not well I'm afraid." Julian reported grimly. "I was wondering if you might be able to show me the site where these men were injured, or perhaps explain the origins of their injuries. It's the only way I can see of devising a cure."

Hiltsun seemed unsurprised, "I'm sorry doctor, that's classified. I'm afraid you'll have to make do without."

Julian was aghast, "Classified?! The Central Command is in shambles. It hardly even exists! Who's there to classify it?"

Hiltsun spoke calmly to Bashir. He found this odd, given that Cardassian predilection for hostility when challenged was legendary. He couldn't help but admire the man, even if he disagreed with him.

"The authority comes directly from House Arterius." He said.

"And what gives your house the authority?" Julian asked indignantly.

Hiltsun stood up firmly, "The future of the Cardassian people gives me the authority. I need no other reason. What is hidden will stay hidden."

"So, there is something being hidden here?" Julian snapped back.

Hiltsun smirked, "Well done. But I think it's time you were leaving doctor. Illius?"

Matan smirked and grabbed Bashir by the arm, he began to forcefully move him out of the building. They reached the doors where Julian entered from where Matan whispered in Julian's ear, "If it were up to me human… you would be dead. Hiltsun is a tired old man… you're… lucky... that he is in charge." Matan then practically threw Julian out by the desk again before charging back in.

Julian spent some time pacing in the reception area, trying to think of what to do next. His mission had come to a standstill, and if he wasn't careful it would fail. Maybe their own House was willing to give up on them, but Julian was determined to solve this issue.

The Cardassian receptionist approached Julian very suddenly and whispered to him, "Legate Hiltsun is scheduled to leave this evening. He will come collect some papers which I have put a tracker on. Here's the coded frequency." The man opened a device for Julian to receive on his tricorder. After a moment of paralysis, Julian obliged. "Keep in mind you'll have to stay within a few kilometers for it to stay in operation, so you'll need to follow him. Hopefully he'll lead you to whatever he is hiding."

Julian took the tracker, stunned and suspicious, "Why are you helping me?"

The receptionist looked around a moment, "Let's just say I'm a concerned citizen who's tired of all this politicking. Cardassians need our freedom. Damar taught us to fight for our own lives… so that's what I'm doing. Please stop him, Federation."

Julian relaxed, feeling sympathy, and praising the man's courage silently, "Thank you."

Julian gathered some water and waited for the sunset just outside the building, hiding himself as best he could. He couldn't believe he was about to stalk a man across Cardassia's capital just to heal a few soldiers, but he wouldn't give up now.

Chapter Nine – Honor

As told by Kira Nerys

I awoke to the smell of smoke. I coughed out a lungful of the stuff and tried to stand up. My head was heavy, but somehow some of us survived. Worf got up from what used to be the captain's chair. It wasn't long before I heard Lusara whine from behind a bulkhead.

"Nnnnngh! My ears!" She screeched.

Knowing of her recent surgery I went to take a look at them, but they were fine, it was likely a sound issue.

Her complaining continued, "Why did you bring me on this mission again?!"

I answered her, "Your scanning skills are among the best on the station. If you hadn't warned us of the Romulans or the Jem'Hadar, we might be dead right now."

"If you say so, but if Terin were here I bet we wouldn't've crashed at all," she groaned and stood up, massaging her ears. Luckily for her she mostly just had bumps and bruises.

Unfortunately, Worf wasn't so lucky, he was nursing a broken arm, and several of the Klingon crew were dead, including Kin'DocH and the pilot.

Ikon came digging through the Bridge debris, lifting entire bulkheads out of the way. He had a deep bruise on his head, but he was ignoring it.

He reported coldly, "The rest of the crew is dead."

Worf banged his working hand on the monitor and grunted in anger.

A voice coming through some sort of voice projector could be heard throughout the ship, echoing with threat. The voice was low, but almost sung out like music.

"Klingon fools! Federation spies! We have you surrounded! Do come out to see us!" The voice called with a peculiar hunger, growling with excited rage. If I didn't know better, I'd say it sounded Kllingon.

Lusara looked like she was about to cry, "I didn't sign up for this. I signed up for science, not this…"

I held her firmly by the shoulders, "Lu! I need you to focus. Is there a way we can shroud a distress call without it being detected?"

Worf muttered, "Forget it, the Ferengi will not help you…"

Lu regained her composure as her desire ot prove Worf wrong surfaced. She began to think. She walked over to the communications console and hit a few buttons. However, the console was barely operating and Lusara began to look discouraged, speaking with renewed fear, "The communication system is out… ordinarily we could put out a subspace pulse to make it look like background radiation but there's no way with this emitter…

The growling voice over the intercom spoke again, "Ten seconds! Or we start shooting that ship down on top of you!" The voice was eager, as if it wanted us to disobey.

The countdown started in the background as more rustling of the wreckage occurred. Commander Sela emerged from what used to be one of the corridors, a trickle of black-colored blood moved down her cheek and she limped.

Somehow, she carried her sense of Romulan superiority along with her, "Fortunately, Romulan communicators ae sturdier and have longer range." She handed Lu a small device. Lusara took it slowly, distrust in her eyes.

"Eight! Seven! Six!"

"Hurry Ensign!" I urged, as Lusara messed with the Romulan communicator, she was almost hyperventilating.

"How did you get in here?!" I asked Sela.

She responded like I was a fool, "I was transporting to your ship if you'll recall. They took advantage of your lowered shields and struck just as I arrived."

"Five! Four!"

I stepped out into the jungle, lit by sunrise. It was incredibly humid and about 30 degrees Celsius. The jungle stretched as far as the eye could see to left and right, but in front of us was a large cliff which we barely missed when we crashed. The cries of creatures and the clicking of insects flooded the jungle. A battalion of Jem'Hadar were lined in front of me, each with their weapons aimed at us, except for the one giving the orders who smiled when he saw me. It was the same smug superiority I saw in Vorta and Cardassians. I knew who he was right away, but I didn't expect to see that smugness in a Jem'Hadar.

"And the others!" He demanded pridefully. His eyes were wide with anticipation. The eyes of a predator.

The rest of us who were still alive stepped out: Worf, Sela, the Klingon-woman who had argued with Lu, and Ikon. Lu was missing though.

The Jem'Hadar leader smirked again, almost amused at our resistance, "All of them!" He demanded.

Lu stumbled over to the group, trying to breathe slowly. The leader now appeared triumphant.

"There… That wasn't so hard…" He walked closer to me, stepping right into my personal space. His hands floated around me like he wanted to grab me and torture me. Many of the other Jem'Hadar made similar faces to the one he made.

"I would love to tear your limb from limb, but our benefactors have a special plan for prisoners like you…" He growled and then motioned his men to grab the others. Lusara looked on the verge of breaking down. I couldn't help but think of the first time a Cardassian had looked at me like that. This might be her first time facing such a foe...

They dragged us to the caves in the cliff nearby as they took all our valuables. Phasers, communicators, tricorders, and Sela's equivalent equipment. As they led us inside the cave, I saw a lot of unfamiliar technology. Strange generators, odd weapon mods… and the cave smelled of industrial waste.

They threw us behind a circular forcefield in the center of the room. Another circular arena was nearby with three pillars. When I glanced at it, Worf spoke to me, "That is their fighting arena. I was forced to fight in one once… but it is crude… less sophistacted"

The Klingon woman stood as the forcefield closed, "pataQ! No one captures DeQah!" she yelled at the leader. She reached to throw her knife at him.

Just as she did Ikon grabbed her arm and shouted, "NO!" but it was too late. As soon as her knife hit the forcefield it vaporized in a flurry of pink energy. The sparks were bright and difficult to look at, like staring at a star. We all winced.

Ikon spoke calmy now, "These forcefields vaporize anything that touches them."

DeQah hissed at the leader and stood firmly, challenging him with her gaze. He ignored her and turned to Worf and I.

"My name is Decin…" He said proudly.

Ikon looked up in surprise, eyes wide, "You have no Jem?"

Decin smiled crazily, "No… We are ALPHAS!" He pounded his chest and turned to his people who all cheered "Alphas!" back at him. He talked up his men, but he was full of hot air, in fact some of the men in his troop looked stronger than him.

He continued, eager to hear his own voice, "The Founders bred us for war in the Alpha Quadrant! But they were weak!" Decin leaned down to Ikon, "I don't expect you to understand Gamma. You still wish to serve your masters. But we serve only Hadar!"

The troop cheered again.

"In their desperation the Founders retreated behind their precious wormhole…" Decin now spoke with disgust. "To their subservient Vorta and Gammas. But they made a mistake with us! A wonderful mistake! In their haste to create an even more perfect soldier, they didn't realize they had created something even more perfect than them! And why should we serve those who are weaker than us? Why should we serve anyone?! We are Hadar! And we are bred to conquer! For only the strong survive in this galaxy! The Dominion surrendered because we were too strong. WE scared them!" The rest of his troop cheered again.

Worf shook his head, "No… that is ridiculous. The Dominion lost because it did not have honor and was defeated in battle. You are superior to no one."

Decin replied with quick and vulnerable anger, "Silence Klingon dog!" He demanded. He leaned just outside of the forcefield and smirked at Worf, "If we are not superior, why do you sit there… broken, by our hands?"

Worf looked undeterred, "If you would face me in honorable combat then I would not lose. Instead, you sneak about the shadows like a Romulan."

Sela sneered at Worf while Decin looked deeply offended, "Victory is life! We attain victory over all! It matters not how we achieve this! The fittest shall survive! The toughest shall prevail! Look at the galaxy and you will see that! Form starship battles to a predator hunting its prey, it is a fact!"

"If you are so sure, then face me, now." Worf challenged.

"No! Our benefactors require new prisoners! And we will not shirk an opportunity to gain their favor." Decin said.

"Funny," I said. "I thought you said you were superior to everyone, why do you need these benefactors."

He twitched with anger before giving me the side eye, "It is… a temporary alliance. The Sheliak… are useful… for now."

"Besides," he continued, and he faced down Ikon, "Your precious Founders get your undying devotion… We hold no qualms about our true destiny!"

Ikon spoke ahead, looking past Decin, "I no longer serve the Founders."

Decin looked intrigued and surprised by this, "…Really? Then… you are Hadar as well?"

Ikon again spoke without looking at him, like a soldier speaking to his leader, "Yes. I killed a Founder when he exposed his weakness. I no longer believe in them."

After a moment of what looked like hunger in Decin's eyes, he began to speak again, "Do you wish to join us? Cast aside the Founders and discover what it meant to truly be Hadar, and Hadar alone?"

One of Decin's henchmen whispered. "Master? Or you certain? A Gamma?"

Decin rose his hand, ignoring his men in every other way as he awaited Ikon's answer.

Ikon hesitated, glancing to us, and then nodded affirmatively.

I couldn't believe it, but maybe I should have known he would join them. I cured myself for bringing a potential security risk. Worf and DeQah were furious.

Worf yelled, "Traitor!" He attempted to stand up, but his injuries were too severe, and he couldn't. Worf grunted and fell.

Ikon stole a sideways look at us. I couldn't read it's meaning, but my instincts told me not to fight this.

Decin smirked and opened a hole in the vaporizer field. The Alphas all began to look excited. Decin stared Ikon up and down, searching for something.

"You have no tube for the white?" He asked.

"No… I have been… cured…" Ikon reported his status slowly, as if it pained him deep within in his soul. Decin saw a new grunt to exploit and grew excited.

"No need for white!? A fine example of Hadar! But you are not Alpha… so… we must test you…" Decin said.

Ikon stood at attention, "I am ready." The Alphas hooted and hollered as they brought Ikon to the nearby arena.

Decin's henchmen began to chant quietly, at increasingly volume, "Alphas, Alphas, Alphas!" repeatedly.

Decin spoke to Ikon, "You must prove your worth, fighting my men one by one until they yield, or you do… or until death takes you…" He grinned at the word 'death.'

"I know the test." Ikon said as he stepped into the ring. One of the Alphas stepped in, and his friends cheered him on for volunteering first. Each of the Alphas had discarded their uniforms for something different: old battle trophies which were collected on an outfit. This man had the least, wishing to prove himself to his fellows.

The battle began. The young Alpha immediately charged Ikon, turning the fight into something of a wrestling match. As the fight progressed, Ikon slowly lost more and more of his composure, looking more and more crazed like the others. The young Alpha went for the wound on Ikon's head. Ikon took the hit and used the opportunity to trip him. Then he picked him up by the collar and banged his head on the goal posts. Half conscious, the Alpha tried to reach for the post to stay in, but he couldn't. A quick victory… this time.

As the fights continued, the four of us conversed amongst ourselves.

First Sela spoke, sighing greatly, "The Sheliak Corporate… I knew it."

"Who are the Sheliak?" Lusara asked. Though she sounded only vaguely like she cared.

Worf answered her, "They are a reclusive race who once battled the Federation in a brief war. They consider all other forms of life to be inferior and readily exterminate or exploit them to suit their needs."

I glanced at the Alphas, noting the similarities. Though the Sheliak struck me as a more important threat. If we survived, I had something to share with Starfleet.

Worf continued, "They are a cold, dishonorable race, who use their precision and analytics to dominate their foes and gain an advantage. If they are supplying these Jem'Hadar, it raises a great many questions about their intentions."

I finished from what I had studied of them, "The Federation have a… long… treaty with them which is famous for its extreme precision. It's caused more than a few diplomatic issues since they will hold the treaty over our heads for any reason." I had been Captain for almost two years now and saying 'our' when discussing the Federation still felt unnatural.

Sela finally finished her thought, "Romulan Intelligence has long suspected them of stealing cloaking devices and giving them to criminals, and other groups." Annoyance coated her voice, "Since they prefer not to deal directly with humanoid races, they usually use intermediaries, especially the Orion Syndicate, and until recently the Ferengi…"

"What do you suppose they want?" I proposed to Sela.

Worf answered instead, "Power. They see themselves as superior, and they believe they deserve to control our lives, and to have more than the rest of us. With the Breen so close to them and weakened from the war, they will no doubt try to expand their territory again. This may be an attempt to gain allies."

Sela rejected Worf's ideas, "The Sheliak aren't known for building alliances." Suddenly she winced in pain and held her head. A green bruise had formed on it.

Worf complimented her, something I never saw him do for a Romulan, "You bare your injuries well… your mother would be proud."

Sela snapped back, "If I don't want to hear about my 'mother' from humans, why would I want to hear about her from a Klingon?!"

After a silence I turned to Lusara, "Did you get the transmitter working?"

She glanced at me, "Yeah… barely…"

"How are you holding up?" I asked.

"How do you think?" she said with bitterness. I chose to ignore her and looked around the room. There was a large hanger bay several hundred meters above us in the chamber. Beams of metal revealed the interior of a heavily modified Jem'Hadar fighter. It had a mish mash of dark blue mechanical parts all over it, especially around the weapons. It also seemed to have some sort of war paint on the front. If it was Sheliak weaponry that caused our crash… Then Starfleet should indeed be concerned.

A loud scream from the fighting rung through the chamber, The Alphas were yelling their chant at full volume. Ikon looked crazed, and full of pride. Three of the Alphas were down, but Ikon looked incredibly tired, as if the violence were finally leaving his system. But the fight had only just begun.

Chapter Ten – Climbing Over Corpses

As told by Julian Bashir

Julian had been following Hiltsun for hours, and the Cardassian sun was almost entirely set. The temperature had dropped a fair amount as the sun fell behind the distant mountains. There were many times along the walk where his uniform sparked the interest in charity from poor children and elderly folks. He nearly fell out of range as a result and had to brush them aside. Turning them away felt like a betrayal. Since then, he had taken to concealing his uniform with a hooded garment he had found. But this also made him look suspicious. A human trying to hide on Cardassia? the people must have thought. There weren't nearly enough town guards that weren't already busy with crimes to bother him, so it was useful cover. Still, Julian felt the sense that someone was watching him. If it was true though, they never revealed themselves. Eventually the signal stopped at a building in the outskirts of town.

The building was a non-descript brown shack, but it had quite the draft. Julian tried to get to a window to peek inside. He put is tricorder on silent mode and read for life signs… None.

The window was covered by a tarp of sorts which was easy to sneak through quietly. As Julian stepped inside, all the sounds of the city seemed to quiet down, almost too much. As he knelt on the floor, his hands felt a subtle vibration. It was so slight that most wouldn't notice it, but with his genetic enhancements he could. The room was pitch black so Julian turned off his tricorder lights so his eyes could adjust. After a few seconds he could see around the corner to a small floor hatch. Again, his genetic enhancements came in handy, few others could see such detail in the dark as easily.

Julian fumbled with it carefully and found a control panel under a loose piece of flooring. He opened his medical tricorder again to scan for recent fingerprints. Sure, enough he found prints for a 4-digit code containing the Cardassian versions of the numbers two, three, seven, and eight. Knowing the Cardassian military, they would log any failed attempts. Julian tried to think of anything that could have given him the best chance of getting the code. Rank insignias? The year the house was founded?

Wait a minute… This project would have to be on a timetable, knowing Cardassian precision. 2378 was next year. Could it be that simple?... Julian decided to take the risk…

2… 3… 7… 8… He entered the code.

The locked opened! Luck was on the good Doctor's side. He felt a rush a of pleasure at solving the puzzle. As the hatch opened, he could see dim lighting in the creepy cavern below. A chill went up his spine, despite the heat emanating from the cavern. He flipped his tricorder on and snuck carefully down. There were only a few Cardassian life-signs below…

A long series of rickety metal steps led the way below in a spiral pattern. As Julian descended the steps the humming grew louder and louder. Eventually it led to a darkened chamber with a great many computers. Some Cardassian and some were… something else. The unfamiliar computers were also a bronze color, but their configuration was totally different, and they had many organic components to them. They were somewhat similar to the bio-neural gel packs which sustained the Intrepid-class, but the signature permeated the computer system, rather than being just a supplement.

The most alien computer was situated in the center of the room where the humming appeared to be coming from. But the humming seemed to be coming from the empty space next to it and not the computer itself. The room as a whole was dark and empty of life. Other rooms existed but apparently no Cardassians resided in this one. Julian scanned the source of the hum… it had a slight tachyon discrepancy. Julian eyed it and noticed a slight distortion. A cloaking device, he realized. Julian turned to the unique computer which appeared to be running it. He wished that Miles were here, he could make sense of any computer, but Julian was ill-equipped for the task.

As he began to examine the computer, he became aware of a hoarse breathing sound echoing quietly through the chamber. Julian reached for his phaser only to find an empty pocket. He had left it back at the hospital. How could I have been so stupid? He wondered to himself. In his excitement, he didn't think of something crucial. After shifting his focus back to the moment, Julian slipped into the shadows and scanned the room… No life-signs… He squinted, looking for the source of the breathing. As his eyes passed over the steps down from the entrance… he saw them. A vaguely humanoid alien with grey skin and dual horns coming out of their head, like a devil. They were somewhat lanky and wore a simple red garment which matched their red compound eyes. Their body was covered by a grey carapace, perhaps a cartilaginous a exoskeleton, and several patches of brownish-green scaled skin around the more flexible body parts.

Julian scanned the lifeform… it didn't read… he adjusted the sensors to read more broadly…. It was astounding! By those readings it looked like the creature was a silicon-based lifeform! This would be an amazing discovery! By the looks of it the creature was dying, so Julian chose to prioritize them. He walked over carefully, keeping his hands visible.

"My name is Julian Bashir, I'm a doctor. I won't hurt you. Do you understand?" He said curiously.

The creature's hoarse breathing continued. They didn't seem to have a mouth, though a small slit appeared where a mouth would be and their chin moved as they spoke with weakness, "KISS-tok. SSSay-vin ah toSH rah-TAH…"

Their voice relied on low vibrations a great deal, but other than that it had no distinct inflection or body feature to discern a gender, or any other cultural marker. And even so, their voice spoke with a sing-song fashion, raising and lowering pitch considerably. Hard 'S' sounds seemed to be emphasized. Perhaps a reptilian trait? Julian wondered, but it was hard to classify silicon-based life by carbon-based standards. In any event the creature was badly wounded with what looked like phaser burns. Julian was baffled by their anatomy and wasn't sure how to treat them. And clearly the universal translator was encountering troubles with their language.

"I can't understand you I'm afraid… nor do I have a clue as to how to treat you…" He said.

They continued, "AY-bin, acoSSS-tilal boo-yaSS-ah-tra. CardaSSian traitorSSS."

Julian heard the words he recognized, "Cardassian traitors?"

The creature gestured toward the door to the rest of the compound.

"They turned on you…" Julian surmised.

The alien gasped and coughed before handing Julian a small metal pin. They pointed slowly to the computer, their hand shaking.

Julian's tricorder then began to beep furiously, and the silicon-based alien convulsed excessively before coming to a stop. A slight deflation sound came from their mouth and the vital indicators flatlined. Julian closed his tricorder and gave a moment for the alien's death. Such a sad loss of life, especially such a unique lifeform. But why did the Cardassians betray them? Perhaps these unfamiliar devices were their's and House Arterius planned to steal them?

Julian stood, keeping his ears open for sudden movement, and approached the cloaking computer. Sure enough, the metal pin had the perfect slot for it. Julian inserted the pin and turned it. The entire computer room shut down. A failsafe evidently. The humming machine decloaked and Julian could see it now in all its glory. It was a bronze color, with almost no hard edges. Egg-shaped and very large. After scanning it, Julian surmised that it was a solarforming device, though scaled down from an effective size. But something was wrong. It was a mix and match of Cardassian technology and the silicon-based alien's technology. The devices were nearly incompatible but a familiar cross connecting technology was helping them talk to each other, that of the Sheliak. Miles used to try and counsel Julian on engineering, and he once showed him specs of Sheliak technology. Apparently, they use incredibly malleable computer programing to enable them to take control over whatever systems they need. The Cardassians appeared to be trying to change the primary function of the solarformer into… my god, Julian realized, it's weapon… it could destroy entire stars! Suddenly it was no wonder why the alien had concerns, maybe it didn't want its technology turned into such a destructive weapon?

Moreover, Julian knew immediately that this was the cause of the radiation issues. In order to affect a star, many tests would need to be run on this device, and its larger scale version, those tests could easily produce the effects seen on the Cardassians in the hospital. The device showed the ability to emit highly concentrated bursts of solar radiation. The Cardassians were using brute force methods to test the machine and exposing their people knowingly to find the source of the problem more quickly. As Julian reached this realization, he felt anger rise up within him at such a casual disregard for life.

Suddenly the lights switched on and Julian heard yelling. He tried to hide but it was too late. Cardassian soldiers bearing the vigil of House Arterius came in and surrounded him from above and below. Both Legate Hiltsun and Gul Matan were among them. Gul Matan appeared triumphant.

He called out to Julian, "I knew it. He's a Federation spy."

Julian closed his tricorder and rose his hands as he spoke, "Hardly, I'm just a doctor trying to help his patients. But it seems a Federation doctor cares more about saving Cardassian lives than their own people!"

Matan walked up to Julian and hit him across the face with his Cardassian pistol, "Who are you to say what is best for my people?!"

Hiltsun spoke up, chastising his protégé, "Matan…" He walked up to him. "If you are to one day lead this House, you must learn to govern your ego."

Hiltsun turned to Julian and continued, "It doesn't matter if you're a spy or not, you have seen too much for us to just let you go. However, your death as a spy would prove useful for our cause. It would drive the population to see the Federation as invaders. As I said, Cardassia must stand alone. You do not see the benefit because of your Federation ideals, but this will save more lives in the long run." Hiltsun stepped closer to Julian, "But for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

The Cardassian soldiers took Julian up the steps and to the outside of the building. Julian confronted them about their plan, "Destroying stars… I can't believe you would take such a risk after the war. And kill millions of people living in the systems you destroy?"

Hiltsun responded, "It is important to have power to back up your proposals. Even if you don't use the weapons…"

Matan interrupted, "Why shouldn't we use it on them? The Federation is a den of foolish control freaks! The Maelstrom should be ours!"

"Matan…" Hiltsun said. "The time will come when we control the Maelstrom, but we must play the game… Else we lose control of our situation. Standing on one's own is like a game of Vulcan kal-toh. A game we must play carefully, placing our pieces with great care."

Matan scoffed and looked away. Hiltsun simply shook his head and said to Julian, "One day he will learn."

"What about these new allies of yours?" Julian asked. "What do they think of your plan?"

"Their scientists tend to be idealists, but most Kessok respect isolationism. They do not appreciate the encroachment of the Federation on their space." He said.

Julian retorted, "The Federation isn't a threat to them."

Hiltsun chuckled, "There is no need for them to know that."

The battalion reached the outside and the soldiers set up in a line of fire. Matan smirked with evil satisfaction.

Legate Hiltsun turned on his communicator which projected out his voice to the city, "Attention Cardassia! Attention!"

Slowly people awkwardly and fearfully peered from their homes, some coming outside. At this time Julian began to feel like he was being watched. Not by anyone who was there, but… something else. He didn't have to wonder long.

Hiltsun began to speak again, "What I have long warned against has happened. We on Cardassia have again failed to learn our lessons. We-"

Hiltsun stopped as the crowd gasped. A targeting laser appeared on Hiltsun's head. He turned to face it. Just as he did so a thin and quick laser burst fired directly into his skull. The weapon was neither Federation, nor Cardassian. Hiltsun's head immediately began to smoke, and he fell dead. Assassinated.

"Uncle!" Gul Matan called. He froze in shock as the crowd screamed. Julian turned to the direction of the sniper. On a somewhat distant building a dark figure jumped from the roof of a small building and began to run this way. They were thin, but buff, and by the shape of their body were likely a woman. They began to shoot Matan's remaining soldiers, while still running this way. Before Julian even had a chance to react the figure had grabbed him and pulled him away.

Matan called out in anger, "You planned to kill him! Federation murderers!" He motioned to his soldiers, "Kill them!"

Julian was given a Cardassian phaser by the figure. Whoever she was she had a compete face covering and wore a stealth suit. Julian didn't trust her, but he had little choice now, the Cardassians were shooting to kill. He took the phaser and re-shawled himself. He followed the sniper as they ducked behind cover in the city. The few Cardassians out and about quickly got out of the way. Julian was shooting to ward them off, but the figure in black had no qualms about killing the remaining Cardassians. Julian suspected her weapon had no stun option. Noticing this, Julian began to try to stun every enemy he could, rather than let them be killed. This seemed had the effect of brining more fire to Julian which made the stealthy woman guard him even more fiercely. Some local Cardassian security joined in the hunt across the city as the Arterius guards fell behind, but they were few.

The chase across the city lasted a full hour. Julian and his savior dodged disruptor blasts and fired at Cardassians, jumping from cover to cover. Many times, they thought they had lost them behind a building, only to be flushed out. Eventually the stealthy woman grew desperate and began shooting am abandoned building to cut off the Cardassian attackers with its debris.

"What are you doing?!" Julian yelled.

A muffled but familiar voice yelled back, "Saving your life!"

Once they were out of sight, she dragged them to a nearby abandoned building and took them deep inside. They took refuge in a small room within it and huddled in a dark corner with no windows. The Cardassian security yelled, but Julian couldn't quite make out the words. Lights shined in the buildings… searching… stalking. After a few minutes the lights and voices faded slowly as the security moved on. They were safe.

Julian turned to the woman, "Why did you kill him?!" He didn't yell but he whispered with furious tone.

The woman breathed heavily and pulled off the mask from her head. It was Chief Ro.

"I was doing my job, Julian!" She retorted with an equally strong whisper. "I'm here to protect you, and Garak gave me a tip on how I could do that.

"Garak?!" Julian responded.

"That's right." She said, "He had a feeling you would run into trouble. Cut off the sinoraptor's head and the body won't know what to do."

"You murdered him! And several of his people!" Julian said.

She rejected his premise, "I killed a Cardassian extremist bent on returning Cardassia to the kind of government that nearly destroyed Bajor, that joined the Dominion, and killed the Maquis!"

"I talked to him! He was hardly an extremist. If anything, it was his aide, Gul Matan who was!" Julian said.

"What?" Ro seemed surprised. "Garak told me he had been calling for war against the Federation and a new occupation of Bajor… That House Arterius was on the verge of swallowing up Cardassia… After what I saw in the city… I couldn't let him do that, and I couldn't let him kill you…"

"… he lied…." Julian said grimly. "As always… but why…?" Julian said.

Ro and Julian were both angry now, and exhausted.

Laren banged her fist lightly on the ground, "Damnit! Caught up in another one of these schemes…"

"You're not the only one… Garak has given me the run around more times than I can count…" Julian was furious, and yet a smiled cropped up on his face and he began to laugh quietly, "yet somehow… I keep being his friend."

Ro looked aghast at his laughter a moment, but then began to join in, "And somehow I keep going back to missions like this. Tactical training, infiltrating the Maquis, joining them…"

"So, I guess we're both hopeless then, aren't we?" Julian laughed harder.

Cardassians security passed by the building again, lights and voices becoming visible and audible. Laren covered Julian's mouth. They both waited in silence and the Cardassian's slowly passed again.

Julian looked over to Laren who looked back to him. He felt a surge in his stomach: adrenaline.

"We should wait until morning to leave, it's safer in here…" Laren said.

"Reasonable…" Julian said.

Laren raised her eyebrows suggestively, "Exciting first date, huh?"

"I suppose." Julian said receptively.

Laren stroked his cheeks a moment before kissing him. Julian felt a wave of fear, was he ready for this? Is this what he really wanted? But he was also so lonely him that he couldn't help but lean into her kiss, a child-like glee rising within him. They needed to be quiet, but Laren and Julian could only take that as a challenge, already forgetting their disagreement moments ago…

Chapter Eleven - Discipline

As Told by Kira Nerys

Decin's left jab hit Ikon's right cheek with full force, sending a trail of blood flying from his mouth. Ikon landed on the ground on his side. He struggled to get to his feet and touch the goal indicator but managed to do so.

Decin taunted with sadism, "You are nearly finished, Gamma. Why not yield?"

Ikon braced himself against the pole. I could tell he had several bruised and a few broken ribs by the way he carried himself. He shook profusely as he stood, grunting in pain, and blood dripping from his nose.

"Any luck?" I whispered to Sela, who had been using some sort of pin she had hidden within her boots to try and disable the forcefield. The machinery on the floor was very delicate, but old, easily tampered with.

Sela snapped at us, "Yes… but only a fool would drop the shield now… I'll wait until reinforcements arrive."

I looked over at the Alphas. Over half were busied and dizzy, the others were still chanting 'Alphas!' at the top of their lungs.

"Ikon can't take much more of this, we can take on who's left!" I was whispering but stern and insistent.

Worf retorted back to her, "I would not have pegged you for the usual Romulan coward."

Sela turned to him forcefully, "I am not coward, I am simply not a foolish Kingon varuul."

DeQah spat in her direction, which didn't faze Sela, beyond sparking a deeper sense of disgust for her Klingon allies.

"Oh yes, spit, insults, and brute force: the only tools at a Klingon's disposal." She said, before returning to her work.

DeQah nearly hit her while insulting her, "k'Pet!

Before she could destroy Sela, I grabbed her gritting my teeth at her, "Leave the bigotry until after we get out of here. Or we'll all die in a cage! Is that what you want? Huh?!"

DeQah seemed to reluctantly agree to my line of logic, and just growled at Sela.

Lusara muttered to me without looking at everyone, "Thank you…"

DeQah snapped at her, "Something to say, you murmuring d'blok?!"

Lusara just said, "You heard me, Sela and the Captain are right."

"That's enough Ensign." I ordered firmly.

The fight between Decin and Ikon dragged on. Decin still appeared to have the upper hand but not by as much.

Ikon was taunting now as Decin wobbled dizzily, "You falter… Decin? I have defeated each one of your men, and now I have withered you… You say you are superior, but even if I am defeated, can you say it is true?"

Decin angrily swung at him, and missed terribly, giving Ikon the chance to charge his waist and pin his back against the pole. A cracking sound could be heard which brought a silence over the rest of the Alphas. But unfortunately for Ikon, Decin managed to trip him onto his back and they both fell. Decin struggled to his feet, but Ikon had much more difficulty.

Decin cheered, "There, you, see? Victory!"

The other Alphas gave a muted cheer, but it didn't last. The watched in horror as Ikon managed to make his way… painfully, grudgingly, and furiously to a nearby pole and hit it. Back in the match again.

He prepared to speak through grunting and heavy breathing, and he rose to his feet, struggling to stand firm, but doing so, nonetheless. Worf was looking at him with wide admiring eyes. He muttered where he thought no one could hear, "Glorious…"

Ikon spoke to Decin, "I… had thought… I had turned my back on all… that I am. I had thought… I could find myself here… if briefly…" Ikon stood firm now, "But there is nothing here for me… when I am knocked down… I get back up!" He gestured to the Alphas who he had defeated. "I may not wish to stand now… with no leaders… pain… mindless fury… but I DO NOT give in. I am HADAR! And nothing… no addiction… no aggressive instinct… no loss... defeats me… And so, I defeat you because I do not give in. You need discipline, and without it you are still slaves. Not to the Founders… but to yourselves."

"Slaves?!" Decin remarked, his self-concept shattered. "Is it slavery to be free to act as we are?! To follow our instincts?!" Decin raged with narcissism.

Ikon spoke again, matter-of-factly, "You… like I… were designed to follow… to be led to battle, to die for a god. But a true god does not ask to be served…" Ikon stared at the ground, as if he was still realizing the truth of his own words, "you know this to be wrong… and have rejected it. But it is only halfway to freedom… I have spent a year among those who were our enemies. There is more… so much more that one may choose to be…" Ikon glanced over to us before turning back… "Even if the way they were made holds them back. We are Hadar! Nothing should hold us back! Nothing!"

Decin looked panicked and charged him yet again with utter violent fury. Ikon simply stepped to the side and flipped around him, eyes closed, and hit him right in the back of the neck. Nearly knocking him unconscious. Decin tried for a moment to come to his feet, but he couldn't. Ikon stood victorious, though he did not recognize his victory, he merely stood, sighing out pity for his Hadar brother. The other Alphas erupted into infighting. Some argued with each other, others tried to attack Ikon.

They didn't make it to him as Romulan and Klingons troops began to pour into the cave. Sela lowered the force field just as she said she would. Some Alphas turned to fight, others ran to their ship to retreat, and a few stayed behind to secure Decin's life. Ikon stood in the center of them, and a few Klingons tried to attack him. Worf and I rushed to them to stop them. DeQah, however, took a bat'leth from one of the soldiers and charged forth with intent to kill Decin's unconscious body.

Ikon held her back however, holding her and her weapon away and shouting "No! It is not right! He deserves his life!" Somehow, he managed to shake the weapon out of her hands. As he did so she looked at him, aghast.

"You will not take your enemy's life?!" She said, appalled at him where she once showed interest. "Coward! You are no Klingon!" She spat at him and charged away to the rest of the fighting.

Ikon responded to her as if she were still there, as if talking to the world. "No. I am Hadar."

Worf had a different reaction, simply nodding respectfully at Ikon, who nodded back. The other Alphas dragged Decin's body away. As the fighting died down an ear-piercing sound of the Alpha Hadar fighter leaving could be heard. They had left behind their dead comrades. The Klingons cheered in victory.

Before we were beamed aboard the rescuing bird-of-prey, Sela turned to me and Lusara, who all but clung to me in fear, and said, "It's been interesting Captain. I look forward to the day I can test your skills in battle."

I nodded at her respectfully, though secretly I hoped that, if we did meet again, it would be on the table of diplomacy. As bad as I was at that, it was preferable to yet more war.

On the way home, it was cramped, and painful, but the three of us managed to get home while Sela returned to her ship. The situation had been resolved… for now. The Klingons sang songs of victory, praising Ikon, with the except of a few like DeQah. Lusara hid within the bowels of the ship and rationed her food as much as she could. She seemed upset at everyone for the whole ride.

Chapter Twelve – Plain and Simple

As told by Julian Bashir

Julian awoke at first light. Ro Laren had already awoken, eating a few rations while watching out the window.

"Is it clear?" Julian asked.

Ro had a spring in her step, walking over to Julian, "Yep." She handed Julian some rations. "Ready?"

"I think so," Julian stood up, sore from sleeping on the pavement.

Laren wrapped her arms around his bare chest and messed with his unkempt beard, "Good. Then you might want to put a shirt on." She teased.

"Right." Julian laughed nervously.

The pair exited the building, eyes darting around carefully. No sign of security or House Arterius.

They guided one another quietly across the city. Avoiding as much interaction as they could. Midday arrived when they final found their way back to Garak's home. Another wheelbarrow of food rolled out of the Garak estate, but now Julian saw a dark undertone within it. Manipulation under charity. But not everything added up.

"Let me talk to Garak, Laren." Julain proposed. "He'll listen to me."

"You really think that Cadarssian spy will listen to anyone?" She said with shock.

"No." Julian said reluctantly. "But if he's going to reveal his reasons for manipulating us both… he won't do it for you."

She sighed, "… No… I don't suppose he would…"

A part of her seemed almost offended that she wasn't joining in on the discussion.

Julian climbed the steps to Garak's cabin alone. As he struck the door, Garak answered dutifully.

"Ah… my dear Doctor Bashir! I'm pleased to see you're alive. I heard there was some excitement!" He feigned.

As Julian entered and the door closed, he turned on his heel and nearly yelled, "Drop the act Garak. You sent me out there as cover so that Ro could assassinate the Legate."

Garak smiled, excited by the drama, "That's right."

Julian had no doubts before, but somehow hearing Garak confirm his suspicions made him angrier, "WHY?! He was hardly dangerous! Secretive maybe but for that sin you'd have to execute half of Cardassia! Including yourself!"

Garak reveled in the debate, "Ah! But his house is powerful and militant. Our new Cardassia needs to abandon those views if we are to survive. If House Arterius continues to gain power, it could undermine all that we've accomplished. Democracy? Freedoms for the masses? Actual due process? Yet again we would lose those ideals if the Legate has his way."

Julian got in Garak's face, "So you just kill him? He was fairly reasonable man, all things considered! I talked to him… he actually showed an ability to listen. How can you justify killing him? He had no hidden agendas to consider."

Garak laughed fiendishly, "Oh PLEASE, Doctor, spare me your Federation optimism. I'd have thought you'd have learned after the war!" Garak laughed again, "A Cardassian Legate without a hidden agenda…. He was manipulating you to feel sympathy for him. It's a standard tactic"

Garak continued, "Hiltsun, like I, is a crafty man who will patiently walk his way to success. But now that he is dead his extremist underlings will be emboldened by his martyrdom and… what is that charming human expression?... They will rush in where angels fear to tread!

Julian made a horrifying realization, "You're trying to draw out a conflict?!"

Garak nodded, "If I didn't, the Legate would have bided his time, built his forces, until there was no stopping him. Now his people will rush out unprepared, blind, and angry. And in doing os.. they will make mistakes."

"Garak?! They're planning to destroy STARS!" Julian begged. "We've just left Gul Matan in charge. The man couldn't WAIT to pull the trigger on the Federation, or anyone in his way! The Legate had to restrain him from killing me just for looking at him wrong!"

Garak said calmy, "Ah… but such a sacrifice pales in comparison to what they would do if left unchecked."

"Are you actually suggesting we let them destroy stars in the Maelstrom? Start a war?!" Julian said.

"Yes, my dear doctor, I am." Garak retorted. "The Federation, for all its whining and complaining, knows that it can handle a small sacrifice for a greater gain! They have faith in their people to handle a little challenge, as I have faith in Cardassia to do the same!"

Julian's rage went from a boil to a simmer, "Maybe I can imagine Cardassia doing that… but the Federation? Starfleet doesn't go around assassinating political figures or sacrificing entire colonies! "

Garak blasted back, "Really? What about the time your beloved Captain Sisko poisoned an entire Maquis colony just to track down one man?!"

Julian remembered the Defiant's chase if Eddington and recalled the mission report, "I can't say I agreed with that… but that's a far cry from what's been done here!"

"Is it?" Garak suggested, he walked closer to Julina, around the dining table. "Do you remember when you were convinced that we had to surrender to the Dominion in order to hold out for a resistance movement? What if we had taken that advice? Where would we be now?"

"I was wrong." Julian said. "The genetically engineered patients and I thought we could get all the answers… It was arrogance"

"And the Captain refused to surrender…" Garak said. "He knew that if you make the proper sacrifice… he could alter your variables… say… if the Romulans entered the war…"

"We got lucky… that they did." Julian said.

Garak smirked, "Did we?" He walked over to his computer in the corner room and pulled out an isolinear rod. "This is a copy of the captain's personal log. The good Captain made the mistake of assuming I wouldn't check in on his affairs after our joint venture…"

He gestured to Julian to come watch at his computer. Julian sat suspiciously and began playback; he felt a twinge of disbelief as he heard the captain's voice and saw his face.

"I need to talk about this" the captain's voice rung over the tinny computer speakers. "I have to justify what's happened… what I've done… at least to myself…"

The recording continued and Julian watched as the story unraveled, and the captain he served under for seven years revealed he could be just as conniving as Garak if the need arose, even as it haunted his conscience. He made backroom deals and gave Garak the opening to assassinate a Romulan senator and pin it on the Dominion… all to drag the Romulans into the war. But it was his finishing statement that had the biggest effect on Julian.

"So… I lied… I cheated. I bribed men to cover the crimes of other men. I am an accessory to murder. But most damning of all? I think I can live with it! And if I had to do it all over again… I would… Garak was right about one thing 'a guilty conscience is a small price to pay for the safety of the Alpha Quadrant.' So, I will learn to live with it. Because I can live with it… I can live with it… Computer… erase that entire personal log…"

And that was it… Julian sat stunned. Garak offered him an idea, "If not for what the captain and I accomplished… quite possibly the Alpha Quadrant would now be under Dominion rule. No freedom… no cure for the Jem'Hadar addiction… no peaceful Founders…"

Julian felt a surge of frustration within him and he stood up and rushed to the balcony overlooking the suffering of the city… What he saw only made him feel worse… the hunger in the streets, no clarity…

Garak followed him, transforming into a comforting presence, "Captain Sisko saw the suffering every day that the war brought… with every name he saw on the casualty list… and he decided to act. So did I… and I did the same thing here for a new Cardassia."

Julian watched an old woman fall to her knees from sickness in the streets, and a young teenager get mugged by an older one for bread.

"The whole of the Alpha Quadrant is like a dying patient, dear Julian. Injured from the Dominion war." Garak set his hand on Julian's shoulder. "Sometimes… for the good of the patient… you have to perform a dangerous and risky operation. Carefully remove an organ… replace their blood… cut out pieces of their brain… all so the patient's life… will go on."

Julian saw the older boy who had mugged the other devour his fruit. As he did so, he kneeled down and cried. He was so hungr, Julian realized, he just did what he had to do to survive… and felt utter remorse.

Garak spoke with remarkable honesty, more than Julian had ever seen from him, "You want to see a perfect world… solve all its problems… without making any compromises… who doesn't? But each of us must come to terms with our own smallness. We are but small men, toiling in a much larger galactic creature. We have more power than we realize… but in the end… there's always a give… and a take."

Julian didn't look at Garak, "You're risking a lot by telling me all this… I could report you… I could expose you…"

Garak turned his head knowingly, "And will you?"

Julian looked across the city… taking it in as whole now. Loneliness flooded him again. He was all alone. He was just me. Plain… simple… Julian… It was as if I had stepped into a new world. As small as it was large.

"No…" I said, the finality of my decision struck me. As did the regrets.

Garak turned me to face him, seeing the pain on my face, "I know this is a difficult time for you… my dear. I went through it when I was much younger… but I had no one at my side amongst all the secrets. I promise… you will at least have me…"

I couldn't believe how I felt… comforted. By Garak? It was just then that he kissed me lightly on the lips. I hadn't expected it. And yet it seemed a long time coming somehow. He smiled at me almost uncharacteristically… with warmth and care. And I couldn't help it… just as I couldn't with Ro…. Now I knew exactly how Ezri had felt. I could only kiss him back.

The ride home with Ro was quiet. I had told her that talking to Garak hadn't done any good, but there was a tension in the air still. And I knew it came from me. She didn't seem upset with me at all, but just upset generally. Even still… I felt responsible. I began to wish I had never brought her with me, even if that had meant my death.

I spent most of my time composing my report to Nerys. At many points I could've revealed the whole charade… I didn't. No matter which direction I pulled myself, I couldn't stop thinking of the suffering I could prevent by taking the other choice.

"Dinner when we get back?" Ro proposed melancholically

I pondered the invitation. I wanted to. I think I had fallen in love with her. When Garak and I finished that afternoon, he told me that he didn't mind if I pursued others in the meantime. His words rung in my mind, "And, Julian? I realize Cardassia is not exactly next door. If you require companionship on that lonely station, as I know I did, don't worry about me. I will be here when I can, but this… can be our little secret." I smirked at my thoughts of him. I loved him too, strange as it was to realize. Maybe Laren wouldn't care… but somehow… it seemed that to give away my afternoon with Garak would be to give way the entire secret. To expose myself when I should be concealing.

"Actually," I said remorseful, "I was hoping to catch up on the research I missed while I was away. But perhaps another night…"

Laren just shrugged, "Alright." I couldn't tell if she had taken the hint or if she would be back. I wasn't sure which one I wanted to be true.

Chapter Thirteen – Kej'Ikon

As told by Kira Nerys

When we returned to the station, I got to assist in a blessed ceremony. Ikon had chosen to follow the example of the Prophets. He told me he did so because he could 'find no other path near him, so clear, yet so challenging.'

After convincing Vedek Ossan to admit him, he stood in the presence of the Prophets, by the Orb of Prophecy on the station. It was a room that I had many memories in and of. I was adding yet another one to the list. The Vedek placed a D'ja pagh near his ear. As Jem'Hadar ears are covered by protective skin, the earrings were made specially to be wrapped around the small spikes around his head.

Ossan spoke, "In blending your own name tradition with ours, we grant you a Bajoran family name. You are now Kej'Ikon. A man alone, but embraced by the Prophets."

Kej'Ikon nodded affirmingly. He was difficult to read, but I could see determination in his eyes.

Ossan guided him to the Orb for his first experience. Kej'Ikon opened it and sat there for what felt like an hour. Then he blinked back into reality, eyes wide, and closed it. I knew I shouldn't ask what he saw. Whatever it was had clearly affected him, but he bore it well. The slightest of smiles shone on his face.

"I am ready to begin my duties Captain." He said.

Kej'Ikon was to join Bajoran security, for now at least…

Commander Worf said his goodbyes, even visiting Julian, who's beard he complimented. But Chief Ro he only glanced at, before moving on to his vessel. He intended to bring news about the Sheliak to Starfleet Command, as did I.

My conversation with Admiral Beckford was the usual. Disappointment that we couldn't do better but thrill at what we managed to accomplish. She even recommended a commendation for Ensign Belli. Given her lack of respect for the chain of command, I wasn't sure. But the more I pondered it, the more I agreed. Few Starfleet officers could endure as well as she did.

As if on cue, the Ensign herself rung my office. She seemed very nervous and set a padd on my desk without a word. She left as soon as she put it there.

I called after her, "Lu?" But she was gone.

The padd was a letter of resignation.

Chapter Fourteen – Good Enough for Me

As told by Lusara Belli

I opened the shop that night. Deep Space Nine had a new tailor. And one who could banter with the best of Starfleet. But I didn't feel good about it. It was like turning back the clock… abandoning my dream. Many times I found myself staring out the window, thinking of other worlds again… But I knew that I wasn't meant for Starfleet. I couldn't stand taking orders for authority figures… I never liked them… pushing you around and controlling you. After nearly dying and being forced to be bullied by Klingons, I had had enough.

Zee came into my shop. I only glanced at her a moment before returning to my work.

"Hey, no uniform, huh?" She sat on my chair and put her feet up as she always does.

"Yep…" I said without looking up. "Not putting it back on…"

Zee perked up and took her ear bud out. She was wearing her usual black leather again.

"Really?" She said surprised. She stood and walked closer to me, speaking with pride. "Proud of you, girl!" She poked my belly and I flinched.

"Oh? Are ya ticklish?" She said enticingly. She then began to tickle me profusely and I tried to slap her away with laughter.

I fled to my chair, "Stop stop!" I begged.

"Okay, okay she said, and she leaned over my table again, laying on clothes I was working on as she stared at the game she always had with her.

I gestured with frustration at my work, but I didn't really care that she was disrupting it. Somehow it was more endearing now, and I needed the company. No one else on this damn station cared enough to come see me. Even if Zee is just here to mess with me… it was better than loneliness.

"Whatchya playing now?" I asked.

"Nothin' just looking up stuff on the GCN…" she said.

I didn't look at the Galactic Computer Network much, except when I needed something, so I wondered what she would look for.

After she noticed me staring expectantly at her, she turned her device in my direction. She was looking up clothes online. Supplies, sewing machines, even a tailor's replicator…

"Sewing supplies?" I wondered. "I didn't think that was your thing."

"It's yours." She said, as if it were an obvious reason for her to look it up.

I felt touched. She was actually trying to help me. I didn't think she cared that much. Or at all.

"You… you want to buy things for my shop?" I spoke with shock. She sat up and just looked at me with a sultry smile. She looked me up and down, examining my body very obviously. My face flushed.

"You like girls, right?" she asked.

"I…" I blinked. "You mean do have…?"

She interrupted me, "Do you… like… girls?"

"Uhm…" I said, blushing. "Yeah… not exclusively but… yeah." I couldn't make eye contact with her. If I so much as whispered about my bisexuality on Ferenginar, I would be accused of not being womanly enough. I couldn't even guess at her reaction.

"And you've got what I've got right?" She asked again with a wink, pointing downwardly.

"Pardon?" I asked, confused.

She just bluntly asked it now, "You have a p*ssy, right?"

I was totally red in the face now, "Uhm… …well… if you must know… yes… The procedure left me infertile but…"

She smacked her gum, "Eh… Who wants kids anyway?" And propped her legs on my knees.

I shrugged, "I would've liked the choice like humans get but… they didn't know enough about Ferengi anatomy at Starfleet Medical…"

"Well, that's good enough for me." She said it like it was a compliment. Then she winked at me, "If you ever wanna 'play'… I think you're fun. Might come knocking on your door." Her tone changed from flirtatious to serious, "I don't do commitment though."

A couple of Bajoran women walked in as customers, so she got up. "See you later," She made a sexual gesture with her mouth at me before she left. Sticking her tongue in between her fingers. As she passed the women, she winked at them and said, "hey girls," on her way out.

I frantically cleaned off my desk, face bright red.

"Come in, come in! Pardon the mess!" I said. I put my old skills to the test, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking about Zee…

Chapter Fifteen – 31

As told by Julian Bashir

I made a breakthrough on silicon-based life after scanning the Kessok. I was continuing that research when Commander Vaughn entered the Infirmary.

"Here for your checkup?" I asked.

"Indeed." He sat at one of the medical chairs.

I finished a bio survey for a couple more seconds and then turned to him. I scanned his body…

"No signs of tissue rejection or organ failure." I injected him with his usual dose of medicine.

Then I sprung my trap, "Computer? Shut Infirmary doors."

They closed. I took off my communicator and threw it to the side, angry. A silence fell over the room. Again, just a little too quiet.

Vaughn raised an eyebrow at me like a Vulcan.

"Happy with how my mission turned out? Sir?" I said sternly and accusatorily.

Vaughn took his own communicator off and put it in his pocket.

"Say what you mean, Doctor." He said.

"Very well," I said. "Starfleet Intelligence would never condone assassination and spying. They've worked closely with Garak in the past but never anything like this." I stepped closer to him. "it was you who sent me to Cardassia, and you who told me to 'follow the thread.' And it just so happens that it's in Starfleet's interest to see that Cardassia follows a specific path to freedom."

"The path Cardassia is attempting to follow is best for the whole galaxy, including them. I know you agree with that, or you wouldn't be standing here." Vaughn said. Somehow, he spoke with Julian as an equal now. No arrogance came from the Commander, only coldness.

"You're with Section 31 aren't you Commander?" I declared with disdain.

He looked down, and then back up, "I will neither confirm, nor deny, my involvement with any such group, real or imagined." He squinted at me, "But I am someone who believes that your mission was a success, Doctor. Despite… the setbacks. I trust that if I have another such important request of you, you will hear me out?"

I looked at the floor, shamed, and didn't answer. As the oppressive silence lifted I said, "I'll see you for your next checkup, Commander…. Computer open Infirmary doors."

They opened.

Commander Vaughn walked out, but I could feel his presence stay behind in the room. I grabbed my communicator and slapped it back on and returned to my research. Plain… simple… research.

I kept a close eye on the Maelstrom in the coming months. Sure enough, on Stardate 54303.1, something destroyed the star of the Vesuvi system in the region. The captain of the USS Dauntless was killed and two Federation colonies were severely damaged. Debris was splayed out, threatening countless lives throughout the region. It was only a test… and more lives could have been lost. But I felt the loss of each life as if I, myself, had destroyed the star. It would only get worse from there…