Saavik had been on Cardassia Prime several times before. She had always been in the political center of the planet, and it had always surprised her the lack of evidence of the past warring years. In the capitol city, tall magnificent buildings raised defying the blue sky. Elegant Cardassians in expensive clothes walked and chatted in the clean streets. New shops and business opened their doors to the many clients, and their infamous trials could be seen playing in every corner in their big typical oval screens. There were a lot of spas, and people went in and out with a satisfied smile in their scaled faces.
Everything had been quickly reconstructed, and no one would have believed that less than two years ago all that was left on that place was dust, dust and dead Cardassians. And Cardassians did not forget, even if they tried hard to go forward and leave the dark times of their association with the Dominion behind. A big memorial had also being raised in honor of the millions of civilians who had perished during the last days of what was now called the Dominion's occupation. It was also huge, bright and impressive, as the rest of the city that had been rebuilt. Cardassia was free, and powerful again; that was the clear image that welcomed all visitors, that was the idea the Cardassians wanted to give to themselves. With the help of the rest of the former warring parties, Cardassia Prime was still alive, even if those who had fallen would never rise again.
Saavik traveled again to Cardassia Prime accompanied by Ba'el. She did not want to give any official reason for her visit to the planet, so she had done something she was sure her superiors would see as extremely odd, however they would not be able to question. She had taken a personal leave, and so had done her aide. And this time she was not going to the center, as she had during her duty appointed visits, but to a remote town that apparently held no interest.
She had arranged her transport to the town with the local help center. When they beamed down, three smiling faces greeted them: a middle-aged Bajoran couple and a fairly young Cardassian man. Both Saavik and Ba'el were wearing civilian clothes; however, they had left their ranks in the fleet being known. Even if they had clearly stated that theirs was a recreational trip, the presence of the two Starfleet officers had excited the anonymous cooperators. Saavik had realized the town's inhabitants would be curious and would gossip about them, so she had given them a more believable reason for their stay. Pretending to be interested in seeing the efforts of the cooperators in the reconstruction of different parts of Cardassia, Ba'el had contacted the local office for an unofficial tour. The three people welcoming them were not going to disappoint them.
First off, they were offered red leaf tea, as a welcoming drink in their spartan office. There was a poster hanging in one of the walls. It pictured two young men, one Bajoran and one Cardassian, holding an old fashioned working tool; the background was a colorful nature landscape. Written in both Cardassian and Bajoran was the slogan: "Working together for a future of mutual cooperation and understanding." It seemed to fit well the people gathered in the room.
The three of them excitedly spoke of their reconstruction projects. They explained all what they did was mainly due to the Bajoran community the couple came from. The Federation was also helping, and thus they were glad for their benefactors' presence. Ba'el smiled widely at that comment; she listened to them with keen interest. With their hands entangled, the couple, obviously in love, expressed their strong desire to help and start a long-lasting friendship with the Cardassian people. "New generations are not to blame for what their parents or grandparents did." Their gazes turned tenderly towards their Cardassian partner. "If we just leave aside our rage, our desire for revenge, and focus in love…"
The young man lifted his clear eyes from his drink to look at their two visitors, and pointed out his own view. "For decades, we Cardassian thought ourselves better than the Bajorans; we thought we were right to decide their future, because we knew better." There was sadness in his voice, but not even when he continued forward could Saavik or Ba'el detect any bitterness. "Then, the Founders came and treated us the same way. We learned the hard way how wrong we were."
Both Starfleet officers nodded in agreement. The young man, however, was not finished. He continued speaking, as his eyes shone with hope.
"And in spite of all our wrongs to them, they came to help us when we were in need. They continue to help us, to heal the deep wounds war had left on us all." A pause, and he straightened up. "I plan a new Cardassia, as our leaders say, but not one based in greed or personal glory, but sharing and understanding."
And seeing and listening to the three of them, Saavik could almost believe that the terrible and bloody rift that separated both the Bajoran and the Cardassian people was finally been closed, even if another war had had to be suffered for the former wounds to start to heal. But that was still just a dream, for the three people welcoming them could not represent their worlds but just themselves.
However, Ba'el eyes brightened with each of his words. She thought that if Cardassians and Bajorans could forgive each other and live together peacefully, could not Klingons and Romulans do the same? Could not come a time, not so far in the future, when her parents' love could be seen as a good natural relationship instead of an unforgivable sin?
An hour later, they visited the town. In spark contrast to the city they knew, the newly built houses were simple and small. There was still much to be done, and Saavik and Ba'el watched some town inhabitants work in the construction of a new recreation area were still there was only debris. After that, they were led to the local school, which had been reconstructed with the Bajorans' help; the couple was especially proud of it. When they reached the school, a few children were playing on the courtyard. One of them quickly neared the newcomers, and beaming up greeted the three cooperators. The child hardly had time to turn toward the two strangers; a woman, probably his mother, suddenly appeared and ushered the young boy away, muttering some excuses. The couple hardly changed their expressions, but the young Cardassian was obviously disappointed, and even a bit hurt. Actually, there was still a lot of resentment between their people.