Star Trek; Deep Space Nine
Blood Island

Chapter 11

Major Kira entered the large medical laboratory facility on the Island. Moments later she entered the office where Dax and Bashir were still continuing their efforts to find a cure to the virus.

"Good morning Kira," Dax said, sipping on a small cup of coffee. "I thought you were going to the Capital today."

"I was," Kira said to Dax, "but I just had my early morning debrief with DS9. Did you know this is the second day Chief O'brien has given me the briefing; alone. According to him, Commander Sisko has been away from the station on some kind of leave."

"What's so surprising about that?" Dax asked.

"Jadzia," Kira said, "I am the first officer of DS9. I should be there, running the station when Commander Sisko is away. So, with that in mind, the provisional government is going to lend me a transport vessel; I'm going back to DS9 in three hours, and so are you two. We're done here."

Bashir looked up from the readings on this computer screen. "Major, please, I think we may be on to something."

Kira looked to Dax, "Is he just saying that?" Kira asked.

Dax looked to Bashir, then back to Kira, "He has a strategy he is going to implement with two of the tracer nodes of the A and C receptors. But," Dax said to Kira, "It will take two or three days to generate enough data to decide if we should continue."

Kira shook her head. "Look, Doctor, I'm sorry about Neline, I really am," Kira said to Bashir, "but we have to get back to Deep Space Nine. Besides," Kira continued, "they are going to energize the force field around the Island tomorrow, and we have been asked to leave the Island."

Dax reached down and picked up a data pad from the desk, as she sipped her coffee again. She handed the pad to Kira. "What about this?" Dax asked.

The data pad displayed information about several new measures that were being considered for legislation by the Vedic Assembly and the lower senate of the provisional government of Bajor.

One of the items was a draft resolution that all Bajorans be tagged with transponders that would monitor their health. And should, at some time, a citizen show signs of having the virus, a signal would be sent to orbiting satellites for easy tracking, and eventual transport, to the Island. The item was months off from being deliberated, but the motion had been set.

Kira read the pad. "Huh," Kira said moments later, "I wonder why Minister Jerev didn't mention this?"

"I'll tell you why he didn't tell you," Bashir said to Kira, "because he knows that even you would find such an idea preposterous and offensive. If you read further down you will also note that senate members, and the Vedic Assembly, would be exempt from the tagging program."

Dax looked to Bashir, "The fact that the government body is exempt from such a law is not extraordinary, Julian. Many world governments do the same thing through-out the Federation."

"Yes," Bashir acknowledged softly, "they do. But someday, somewhere, people are going to rise up and say; enough."

Dax continued. "The people of Bajor, according to Jerev, and I believe him to be honest, support the rigorous efforts to track the carriers of this disease. Jerev will use that support to help pass this bill. I think it's wrong, but Jerev will have the political will to do it with such high support."

Kira cut in. "And that's why it is wrong." Kira stated flatly.

Both Bashir and Dax gave her looks of surprise.

"Look," Kira said to them, "I fought in the Resistance most of my life. I hated the people, the fat-cats who lived on this Island, soaking up the good life the Cardassians gave them in exchange for information to use against the Resistance. But this program, to tag every Bajoran with a Transponder, crosses the line. Who is to say they couldn't use this Transponder to track other citizens the government has issues with; dissidents. No, this goes too far."

"What are you going to do about it?" Bashir asked.

"Well, first off," Kira replied, "I'm going to get in touch with the Chief and have him contact Commander Sisko. He needs to be made aware of what is happening down here on Bajor."

"Major; I don't think that will be necessary," a deep voice said from the doorway.

Kira, Dax, and Bashir, all looked to the door to see Commander Sisko and Odo standing there, along with an older Bajoran woman; Lee'nija.

Later…

Several transport ships could be seen approaching DS9, as Commander Sisko gazed out his window. There was a signal at the entrance to his office.

"Come," Sisko said softy.

The door to his office opened, on the upper rim of Ops on DS9, and then Kira and Bashir walked in. Sisko turned around in his chair to face them as they came in.

"Commander," Kira said to Sisko, "I just got word from the provisional government that the Island will be closed down, and the people there will be absorbed back into the general population."

"Then I take it," Sisko said to Bashir, "that the antidote has proven to be a success."

Bashir nodded. "Yes sir," Bashir said, "but I can't help thinking about all those who died, nearly two hundred thousand in all, simply because their own traitor leaders like, Lee'nija, signed the death warrants of others out of some misplaced guilt, but also exempted themselves from the gallows."

Sisko nodded in agreement. "Guilt does strange things, Doctor Bashir. Lee'nija, and the other Bajoran traitors like her, felt, ten years ago, guilty for not helping the Cardassians enough. And since they believed their own children, and grand- children, would be labeled traitors through-out time, they would have rather have paid the ultimate price than to face justice for their acts."

"Neline, and others like her," Bashir pressed, "should not have been the ones who paid that price, Commander. Had she not fainted on that stage we would have never known what her, and those people on that island, were going through, and worse, what was to come." Bashir looked to Kira.

"What do you want me to say, Doctor?" Kira asked. "We were wrong. But our faith.."

Bashir cut her off, "It was that faith, Major, that justified the majority's will to go through with an insane idea. Sure, let the guilty fall on the sword, even their children, and we'll even provide the push. But point the finger at us, the believers, never!"

Sisko aimed his words at Bashir. "Doctor, our own world, Earth, often hid behind religious dogma to ostracize the non- believers, or, to justify the most reprehensible acts in our history, such as the treatment of women, and the enslaving of whole populations. And yet, thankfully, we survived that kind of archaic thought. So will Bajor."

"That was hundreds of years ago, Commander," Bashir replied. "And, as I recall from my history texts, the guilt of the religious leaders who supported those acts on Earth were swept under-the-rug, just as the Vedic Assembly will do with this travesty. It's amazing how those who hold themselves to a higher power always seem to get a pass when it comes to justice."

Kira shook her head. "Many people will face justice, Doctor. If it is proven they were part of this shameful plot, they will face a just penalty; I assure you."

Bashir stared right back at her. "That's my point, Major. The evidence is blurry, and some of it has been out right destroyed. And I have the sinking feeling that Lee'nija, and others like her, will be granted some kind of immunity for any more information they might have. On top of that, you have many in your government, and the Vedic Assembly, who were up to the necks in this witch-hunt. It is in everyone's best interest to just forget what happened, and what was going to happen, on that island. The Federation will turn a blind eye, we will go on with our lives; and yet Neline is dead, but at least we have access to the Gamma-Quadrant and that justifies everyone."

"That is enough, Doctor Bashir!" Sisko said loudly.

Bashir looked to Sisko. "Commander," Bashier said, "I just wanted to make my point that…"

Sisko cut him off.

"Doctor Bashir," Sisko said, "I believe it is best we just let it end here. I share some of your concerns about what is to be done about this issue, but it's now out of our hands."

"Understood," Bashir said softly, "sir."

The doctor turned and left Sisko's office. Kira turned, but before she could leave Sisko spoke to her.

"He's right," Sisko said to Kira, "sometimes those who claim to be righteous seem to be above the law."

Kira looked to Sisko, and without commenting, she left the commander's office.

Sisko looked down at the baseball on his desk, and then he sat down at his desk. He turned on the monitor on his desk and looked at the long lost alphabet of Omega-334.

It was a mystery, and would be a mystery long after Sisko's life had ended. In the grand scheme of things the Island would be forgotten, as were the meanings of the symbols of the alphabet, through the cloud of time. Perhaps if both were remembered, so would any lesson that had been gained by such knowledge. Yet Sisko was confident that somewhere, far beyond the stars he could see, persecution would live to see another day.

The end…

Coming soon…Major Kira adopts a child and finds out there is more to being parent than being a friend.