Tovias walked purposefully down a corridor in a secret Starfleet compound. They passed several high ranking officers, and Tovias scowled at the conversations they overheard. The humans seemed convinced that the 'faerie' from Deep Space Nine was genuine; Tovias wasn't so sure.

Tovias slowed down as they reached the secure data processing room, and they walked tersely through the closed doors. An ensign and a lieutenant were working close together on one end of the bay of consoles, murmuring about the nature of their work. Tovias ignored the officers and walked to the center display and leaned forward.

They pulled a small data rod from their chest plate and inserted it into a slot beside the screen. Tovias concentrated and pressed a few commands by memory into the console, and they trusted that the computer was carrying out their commands.

Suddenly, the two officers stood with alarm and drew their phasers.

"Halt!" the lieutenant called into the room, sweeping his phaser across the room. "Show yourself!"

Tovias rolled their eyes as the ensign pulled out a tricorder and began to scan the room.

"Sir, there's something here, in one of the consoles!" the ensign exclaimed, walking closer to Tovias.

"Careful!" the lieutenant called, walking forward carefully, his eyes still searching.

The ensign, watching her tricorder, walked to the console where Tovias had been working, and she frowned.

"Sir," the ensign said, putting her tricorder down and gesturing at the console.

The lieutenant walked forward carefully, still holding his phaser level, until he came to the display.

"Where did this come from?" the lieutenant demanded as he quickly disrupted the file transfer and removed the data rod.

"A transporter, sir?" the ensign suggested. "Perhaps someone found a way to bypass the security grid."

The lieutenant shook his head.

"Go make sure the rest of the room is secure," the lieutenant said gruffly. The ensign nodded and began scanning the room foot by foot for anomalies.

Tovias watched this spectacle with a scowl; the mission was supposed to be simple. How had security been alerted to their actions? With a stiff shrug, Tovias turned on their heel and marched out of the room.

(Elsewhere)

Garak was right. The moment Siobhan had entered the Klingon restaurant, every occupant there had stood to cheer her bravery and honor. Many of the warriors had clapped her back, and someone had opened a barrel of bloodwine.

Shortly after, Bajoran security arrived to investigate a disturbance on the Promenade.

Siobhan grinned at Corporal Kira, who shook her head with an exasperated smile.

The whole restaurant was singing and banging the tables; bloodwine was in every hand and many of the warriors were waving their mugs as they sang.

"Alright, alright--ALRIGHT," Corporal Kira raised her voice to be heard over the din.

Heads turned to look at her, and Kira didn't flinch as several Klingons bared their teeth at her.

"I understand that there's a celebration going on," Kira said loudly. "But that doesn't mean you can break station protocol. Either quiet down, or move this to a more private location--your choice!"

By the end of her statement, Kira had to shout over the jeers and catcalls of her audience.

Siobhan stood and held her hands up--gradually the room quieted.

"Friends!" Siobhan called out to the crowd. "Honored warriors! We could continue here, disregarding any who would oppose us--"

Siobhan's words drew a chorus of cheers from her audience, and she again held her hands up for silence.

"However!" Siobhan shouted. "This woman, Corporal Kira, has painstakingly treated me with respect and honor. How could we say we were honorable if we did not DO THE SAME?"

A wordless shout accompanied her final words, and many of the Klingons raised their mugs to toast her statement.

"I'm not sure you're helping," Kira muttered to Siobhan.

Siobhan grinned and inclined her head.

"Another moment, please," Siobhan murmured. "Now! Shall we reconvene elsewhere?"

Another cheer took the crowd, and Siobhan flashed a cheeky grin in Garak's direction.

"Some first date," she commented snidely as one warrior after another cane forward to shake her hand or clap her back.

Garak might have been smiling--it was hard to tell in the dim light of the restaurant.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Garak said softly.

Author's Notes: Oh. Oh, goodness. It's been--well, it's been. I am well; I hope that you, too, are well. My most fervent apologies, but when I lost my old cell phone I lost any and all chapters I had prepared for you. As such, I'm having to start fresh from what has been published; I hope what I've prepared is up to snuff compared to what has come before. Honestly, I'm not mad I didn't publish the very next chapter I had written--I didn't like it, or the direction it took. I am, however, not terribly pleased that I lost the chapters about tinsel and about shoes. Once I rewrite them and publish them, I hope you will understand--and maybe you'll love those concepts as much as I do.