Of course, any characters and places you recognize are not
mine. They were conceived by the brilliant Gene Roddenberry, and copyright by Paramount.
Here we go again! This is the second story in a series. You don't have to read the first story, but it sure helps! Believe me! There are spoilers for the first story in here, BTW, so be forewarned. Well, enjoy the story. Oh, and if you have any comments, critiques, flames, etc., you can mail them to me when I finally get an address. :) Have fun!!!
Dedication: This story is dedicated to Kira, without whom the Eysu Moraht would never have existed, not to mention to my prereaders, without whom this story would not have existed. Thanks for the death threats on the previous one. You've given me a goal to reach.
Also, this story is written in loving memory of Eloise and Jimmy Hill, and of Anne King.
The Things Which I Have Seen
by Yuuki Miyaka
Chapter 4
Arys walked into Jake's office, knowing he was waiting for her. With a sigh, she saw that his chair was facing the window, which in turned looked out upon a lifeless plain. She knew that plain. It was where the school was going to go, eventually. As of now, plans were underway, but it was still very early in the game to be sure of anything right now.
"Mmm, nice view, sir." Arys' eyes twinkled as she said that. She knew he had no idea who was behind him. He was good at recognizing voices, but he hadn't heard hers in well over two months.
"Yes, it is, Arys. And since when do you call me sir?" Jake swung around to face her as she stepped back in shock. A soft grin lit his face. "Did you think I'd forgotten your voice, Arys? I'm not that bad."
"Umm, no. But it's been a while, and I wasn't sure if you would remember immediately." The excuse sounded lame, even to her. She gave up in defeat, and watched as he stood up.
"Two months and twenty days isn't that long, Arys. You know that. Especially not for us. After all, we have too many things to do now to worry about spending time with anyone."
She nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. At first, it was just the Kumsahmi. Then the D'Harincoort had been added to their fleet, and the Sulheiwa. And suddenly there was no time for anything else, not even each other.
Jake moved to the replicator, ordering for the both of them with ease. They used to eat like this on a regular basis, Arys remembered. Before she started taking lunch with Nog. Perhaps she should go back to this old ritual. It seemed so right. But, no. Right now she needed Nog's companionship more. Jake was too demanding, even without saying or expecting anything.
He brought her the food, and she stared at it, wondering what he would say if she told him she'd already lunched with Nog. She knew that he wouldn't be angry, just disappointed. Better, she supposed, to just eat the food and pretend that she wasn't already full.
"So, Jake, what did you want to talk to me about?" They flinched at the same time. The words were too cold, too distant when they exited her mouth. It was as though they were strangers, instead of the best of friends.
"I wanted to talk to you about the Eysu Moraht. It's been suggested that we create a school of our own, as you know. And I've decided that we are. What I really need now are willing teachers, and a name." He sighed. "Not necessarily in that order. You'd be surprised how few teachers are willing to work at a school with no name."
"Actually, I wouldn't," she countered, knowing what he meant. "But we'll table that. What does this have to do with me? I don't have any contacts, and as for names, Nog and I were bantering about that over lunch the other day. He suggested using Aurahj, like we normally do. School of Hope, like the Eysu itself. Eysu Madrokul. I like it."
Jake nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. "Yes, that would work. School of Hope. That's really what we are, I suppose. Even if it does sound a bit pretentious. After all, we couldn't call ourselves just anything after the way we barged in and made a name for ourselves, right?"
"Right!" Arys looked at her old friend for a long moment, before pushing away the food. "Jake, I really do have to be going. I have practice at this time, and I thought you were going to have something urgent for me." She smiled to let him know that she didn't mean for the words to be as curt as they sounded.
"Just one more question, Arys. Would you be willing to become the Dean of the Security Division of the Eysu Madrokul?" He tested out the name, and found it just right.
Arys stared at Jake for a long moment, before coming back to herself. With a soft smile, she nodded slowly. "Yes, Jake. I would."
Keurithe hated second-guessing herself. She hated that more than anything else, except perhaps knowing how much her people liked hurting others. So standing outside Major Kira's quarters, wondering if she should go in had to be one of the hardest things she had ever done. Even joining the Great Link wasn't that difficult.
Finally, she raised a hand and signalled the door chime. Within moments, Kira was there, standing at the door in front of her. Kira's face was closed, understandably so. Keurithe would wager latinum that she had been kidnapped on that moon, much the same as had happened in Keurithe's own universe.
"Major, can we talk? I'd like to ask you something." Keurithe's voice was soft, soothing. She knew she was going to be hated for her race. It was a given, and she didn't let it bother her. These people, Kira especially, had a right to hate her for that. But if she could use her diplomatic nature to change that, then all the better. And Kira wasn't one to be openly cruel, unless the situation warrented it. And this one wouldn't.
Kira nodded, moving away from the door, but not speaking. She was still dressed in her duty uniform. Keurithe remembered her first dinner with the Colonel, and decided that must not be all that uncommon. Hadn't the Colonel said something about being more comfortable in the uniform than out of it?
"What is it you wanted to ask me?" Kira's voice was a little hard, a little cold, and Keurithe smiled. Here was her chance.
"Well, Major, I was wondering what exactly your relationship was with Odo." Kira stepped back in surprise, Keurithe saw, and her smile grew slightly. Obviously, this was something that Kira had been considering recently.
"I . . . we're friends, why?" The caution surprised Keurithe more than anything. She tried to recall how difficult it was for Bajorans to talk about their feelings, and remembered that Bajorans were very open, unlike the Vulcans. So what could be the problem here?
"Well, I was talking with Odo, and he mentioned your name. Not very often, of course, but he never mentioned any other names, so I was left to wonder." Keurithe knew she was walking on thin ice. After all, if Kira went to Odo with this conversation, she would have no defenses against him. She had let him see everything about her in that first Link.
Kira's eyes widened at the implications of that particular comment. She sank down into a chair, and as Keurithe watched closely, she started fidgeting. It wasn't immediately apparent, but Keurithe, who was trained not only in diplomacy but also in observation, noticed. "What were the two of you talking about in the first place?"
Now was the time for true discretion. Keurithe knew that she couldn't just tell Kira how Odo felt. It would hurt any possible relationship between them. But if she could hint enough for Kira to start thinking of him as an emotional being, perhaps the rest would come on its own. But what to say?
Keurithe shrugged. "This and that. His happiness that the Founders in my time period were willing to negotiate with the Solids instead of killing them. And also the fact that he got the chance to see Colonel Kira again. Mostly, though, what his life was like here. I find it odd that he would mention only you, though. And the Link was interesting. So many emotions that I'd never felt before. I couldn't even begin to name most of them."
Kira was fingering something in her hands. Keurithe looked closely, and saw that it was her earring. That was interesting. Perhaps it meant something. But Keurithe couldn't be sure at this point. And Kira still seemed wary of her. It might be prudent to confront that now, rather than waiting until later. Besides, if the confrontation would get her even more confused, then she might be willing to look at everything logically, and Keurithe was sure that Odo had given Kira plenty to think about, if she only would.
"Kira, you seem . . . upset at my being here. Did I interrupt something important?" Keurithe was careful to sound cautious and worried. She hated manipulating her emotions in such a way, but it was better than screwing up here.
"What? Oh, no. You didn't interrupt something. I suppose I'm still wondering what happened to the Founders, and why my other self was travelling with you." Good answer. Not completely diplomatic, but she had never expected Kira to be diplomatic in the first place. So all was good.
"I'm the ambassador from the Founders. We decided to make peace with the Solids in my universe, and I was sent to handle negotiations. It's a difficult job, because there's only so much my people are willing to give up or forgive, but I'm working on that. Did Odo tell you nothing of me?" Keurithe knew he hadn't. She hadn't given him the time to.
"Uh, no. Should he have?" Kira wasn't thinking straight at this point. Her answers to Keurithe's questions proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
"Of course, he should have. I know how uncomfortable you must feel, after being kidnapped by the Founders, to find yourself talking to one." That caught Kira's attention, as she knew it would.
"You know about the kidnap? We never talked about that to anyone. And you don't consider Odo one of the Founders?" Keurithe smiled again. Such were the questions of the confused.
"I know about the kidnapping. I was, after all, in the Great Link for some time before being sent here as an ambassador. I know that they kidnapped you, and impersonated you to make Odo come back to them, and that it backfired because the idiot who was doing that little stint didn't know who she was impersonating, or why.
"As to your other question, no, I don't consider Odo one of the Founders. He has more sense than that. And more compassion and love for the Solids. He would never feel comfortable oppressing them, just as I don't. That's why I've worked with my people to get them to understand the wrong in what they are doing. It finally worked. I'm just sorry that Odo didn't have the opportunity to do what I am, but of course, he grew up with the Bajorans and Cardassians, in the middle of the Occupation. I can certianly understand his unwillingness to do so." Keurithe knew, by this time, that she had won. Kira was considering what she had said with great concentration. Now was the time to extricate herself from this conversation and leave Kira to wonder.
"I should be going, though. I promised to meet with Nerys for her lunch. She said something about trying an old restaurant, and then terrorizing Quark, and I want to see what sort of thrills Odo gets out of that one. I shall talk with you again later, I hope." Keurithe left, patting herself on the back. It was a good job, she decided. Now if Kira would only take the bait, all would be good.
The halls of the Eysu Madrokul were crowded, Arys noticed with amusement. It was the very first day of classes, and everyone seemed nervous. As Arys watched from her door, she caught sight of Jake roaming the halls along with the students, and waved at him. He smiled, waving back. And then the bell rang, and she walked back into her room, anxious to get started.
The class was not full, but was a reasonable size. She had asked that her classes be kept down to about twenty or thirty students so that she could work with each student personally, as well as all of them together. Jake had taken her request very seriously, she saw by the PADD in front of her. There were exactly twenty students, all medical, as she had also requested. She smiled very slightly. There were good points to having the Dean as a best friend.
"Well, class, it's time to begin. I'd like you to check off on the computer in your desks that you are here. That will be a standard ritual in this class. I would suggest doing it the moment you come in, because after today it's up to you. If you miss more than three classes, you are behind the others, and I will have to talk to you personally.
"Now, I want you to know I'm not an unreasonable person, nor am I a particularly cruel one. I know each of you are medical students, and thus need to protect your hands more than any other part of your body. I can appreciate that. My first year in StarFleet Academy was spent rooming with a medical student, so I also have some idea of how difficult the studies are in that course." Arys paused, looking around the room to see if her speech had had any effect on the students before her. They all seemed very impressed and nervous.
"This doesn't mean that I'm going to go easy on you, or let up. Your classes and work are your responsibility. But if you are having trouble with a course, and it's seeping into other courses, such as mine, I'd like you to know that you can come talk to me. I'd like you to.
"Now, as far as the training goes, this class meets twice a week, for two hours. Other than that, you will have to put in at least an hour a day in the gym, training your body to accept the new changes in it. If you don't, I can promise you that you will regret it. Are there any questions?"
One student raised his hand, and Arys smiled. The others seemed too in awe of her to ask anything, but this guy seemed both cocky and self-assured. She would have to see what he was like outside of class. "Yes, Cadet Yuki?"
"I was wondering if it was true that you were the one to expose the Special Security Training Facility a few years ago?" Arys was surprised. She hadn't expected any of these to know about that.
"Yes, it is. Why do you want to know, Cadet?" Arys made her voice cold. She didn't want to talk about that time in her life.
"Because obviously, in order to expose it, you had to know about it. Did you train there for a while?" Arys sighed, seeing that she wouldn't get out of this conversation, but seeing no point in discussing it in front of the entire class.
"Before I answer your question, Cadet, class is dismissed. Cadet Yuki, you may come with me to discuss this further. The rest of you will be expected to report here in two days. And bring a towel and a set of gym clothes. If you don't, you are responsible for yourself."
Arys led Yuki into her personal gym. She had petitioned for this when the Madrokul was being built, and had gotten approval, as long as she used it for her advanced students, with whom she would work one-on-one. Now, she stood in the center of the practise arena, watching Yuki silently. Finally, she spoke. "Yes, Cadet. I trained there for a year and a half before I left. Why are you asking me about this?"
Yuki suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable, and Arys got a flash. It was confirmed seconds later, as Yuki answered her question. "I had a brother who was training there. One day, we got a letter that he had left. We expected to see him again, but we never did. Do you think that any of them other than you got out?" Arys sighed.
"No. I'd wager your brother was executed, much as they meant to do with me. They were very, very good about not letting on to the students. He might have died an accidental death, but I'd wager good latinum on the execution." Arys noticed Yuki's expression at that time. He was obviously sad, but he didn't look at all surprised. "You'd guessed as much, hadn't you?" Yuki just nodded, before turning and leaving. And Arys was left wondering if she had done right to tell him what she thought.
Odo heard his door chime, and sighed internally. He hated this, hated having unannounced visitors. For that matter, he hated having announced visitors. But that wasn't important right now. Making whoever was outside go away was.
He reformed from the imitation of the plant Kira had given him into his usual humanoid shape and strode to the door. With a gruff comment, he commanded the door to open, and there she was. His breath left his body in surprise as he stared at Major Kira Nerys. As he had called her once, *his* Kira.
He stepped back, letting her in without a word. Despite all that had happened, he didn't need to talk to her. She still understood so many of his unspoken comments. The thought made him smile a little. But her reaction to that smile was strange. She stared at him warily, almost as though she had no idea who he was or what he wanted. And while he knew she didn't really know what he wanted, she surely knew who he was.
"Ummm, Odo?" She was the first to break the silence. He watched her, knowing that she must have a reason to come here. "I needed to ask you something. It's about your time in the other universe."
He stiffened. He knew she noticed, but he had hoped that she would never find out what he'd done there. The guilt he still felt was too great. Still, he couldn't lie to her. He had sworn never to do that after all the problems her lie had caused them. It had taken a while for him to realise that he still trusted her, and even longer for her to realise that.
"Why do you want to know, Major?" Perhaps it was the title, perhaps just the way he asked his question, but he saw her flinch and he knew that he had hurt her very much.
"That conversation Dax and I had, about Shakaar. Did that have anything to do with your visit to the other universe?" He wished she could realise how much agony and pain she was putting him through with these questions.
"Yes, Major. It did. Why do you ask?" Once again, the flinch. Odo wanted to run, wanted to get out of this room. He suddenly realised that the pain of that stasis field Garak had used on him was nothing compared to this.
"Odo, we used to talk about everything. So why didn't you talk to me about that universe. Especially when it was obvious that you spent a great deal of time with my alternate self?" Further and further into a corner, and all he could do was watch her push him there.
And then he made what was possibly the greatest mistake of his entire life. "Major, some things are very private, including what happened in that universe. Besides which, you are a completely different person from Nerys." The moment the name was out of his mouth, he knew what he had done. He had given her possibly the greatest clue to how he felt, and she would assume it was with Nerys, not with her. And all because of the plea he had answered before.
Her face fell. She stared at him, pleading with him to take it back, to make it her name, not her counterpart's. But he couldn't. Because it was the truth. Amazingly, she rallied.
"Odo, what really happened between the two of you?" He held her gaze for as long as he could, before turning away to the window.
"Major, I . . . ." She never let him finish.
"Dammit, Odo! Call me Nerys for *once* in my life!" Her eyes were cold, the expression behind them pure fury. Odo could feel that, even though he didn't see it.
"Nerys, it doesn't matter now. I don't know if it ever did, except to her and to me. And I'd rather not talk about it." There are no words, he thought briefly.
As he watched the stars, Kira collected herself. "You made love to her, didn't you. If it was anything else, you could tell me. You have in the past. But not that. And so you give yourself away, even without saying a word." He nodded, not trusting his voice any longer. "Why her, Odo?"
"Ask her, Nerys. She's you, in another universe. The two of you should be able to talk reasonably well." Odo hated denying her an answer, but he was afraid of what he would answer if he didn't.
"Odo," she said quietly, hesitantly. Odo gestured for her to continue, a bare jerk of his head. She took it. "Why not me?"
Odo stiffened, pain warring with surprise for the true hold to his face. Surprise and shock won out, and he turned slowly, only to find the room vacated. She hadn't stayed for the answer after all.
Arys paced the floor, waiting for everything to be in place. Her frustration must have been apparent to Jake, because he smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. She sighed, looking back at him. Captain Sisko looked back at her, though, not Jake, and that frustrated her more than anything else. In the past year, he had seen her all of twice, and those were because she'd had to bring cadets to his attention. Now, she shrugged off the comforting hand, instead going and sitting beside Nog, who seemed as anxious as she.
Nog grinned a little at her, but it was a sick smile, and the two of them turned their attention back to the students in the connecting room. "The Kobayashi Maru," she whispered.
"Revised," Nog reminded her, his anxiety hidden by his cheerful nature. She smiled at him softly, then looked back up at Jake. But she didn't understand Jake's expression.
The students performed as badly as expected, but no worse than that. Their good job alone did wonders for Arys' worry, as it seemed to do for Nog. He took her hand, holding it tightly as the last final battle took over, and then it was done, the cadets were all 'dead,' and she and Nog were left alone as Jake went to discuss the test with them.
"What do you think, Nog?" It was a moment before Arys reclaimed her hand. Nog smiled sadly.
"They did better than I was hoping they would. That in itself says a lot. But at the same time, I still worry that we didn't teach them enough. They did die." That was what finally made Arys laugh, and Nog looked at her in suprise.
"They were supposed to, Nog. It's a no-win situation. They are not physically capable of winning. That's why it's such a perfect test. It doesn't score how well they fight, or how much they know. It scores what they do with their knowledge. Do they back off, or do they fight? Do they expend lives, or do they just ignore the problem in the first place?" Nog nodded slightly, looking a lot better.
And Arys was surprised to realise that she felt better, too.
Keurithe sat at the table, waiting patiently for Nerys to show up. And she wasn't disappointed. "What happened to you, Colonel?" Nerys just laughed.
"I was looking around the place. It's amazing, how different it is now. It's still Deep Space Nine, not New Bajor. That alone is amazing, but the fact that it's still beautiful is beyond imagining." With a delighted smile, she sat down opposite the Changeling, and consulted the menu.
Keurithe took the opening. "You know Odo and Dax, don't you?" Nerys looked surprised at the question, but answered it nonetheless.
"Yes, I do. They visited my universe a few months ago. It was . . . a surprise, to say the least." Nerys looked away, and Keurithe decided to press.
"Weren't you and Odo involved in the past? The Odo from your universe, I mean?" Keurithe wasn't going as carefully here. Why, she didn't know. It didn't seem the time or place. Still, she had to wonder a bit.
"Yes. We became lovers a few months before he died. I think it was the best time of my entire life." Her expression turned sad, distant. "Odo was perhaps the greatest man I ever knew. We could talk without saying a word. He loved me for longer than I knew, and he was patient enough to wait for me to be ready for that love. I don't think I would have been if he had told me immediately. It was too selfless a love." That made Keurithe laugh, and Nerys looked up. "What?"
"Love like that can't be *that* selfless. After all, he wanted you all to himself, so it had to be a little selfish."
Nerys thought about that for a moment, the grinned. Time had allowed her to cope enough to remember the good times. "I suppose you're right, at that. I just wish that he'd gotten to be accepted into his people as he had once wished to be."
Keurithe sighed, looking away. "Perhaps he didn't, but I'm trying to help this Odo come to terms with that. He and I have so much in common. I was sent out to explore when I was an infant as well. I ended up with the Aurahj. For a long time, I thought they were my people, but I guess I was wrong. But it was the Aurahj who taught me to value Solids as much as Changlings. And for that, I will work towards peace between our peoples."
Nerys listened to Keurithe, and smiled gently. "You are one of the best people I've ever known, Keurithe. I just hope that you can help this Odo. He's . . . special to me, and I care about him very much. For now, though, I'm hungry. How about you talk for a while? Tell me what you're planning to do at the meeting, if we ever get there."
Arys looked around the darkened corridor, smiling slightly. It had been a long time since she had snuck into Ari's quarters. It had been a long time since she had snuck into anyone's quarters, for that matter. Now, standing outside his door with the code that would allow her in running through her head, she sighed slightly.
"Computer, sequence five three seven nine." The computer responded immediately, and the doors swished open. Arys stepped inside, looking around the outer room. There he was, facing the window.
"Hello, Arys. Need to talk?" His voice was distant, sad, and Arys stared at him.
"How did you know?"
"Because if you didn't, you would be in your own rooms, sleeping right now. I know what type of day you had." A short laugh later, he turned to face her. "And besides, it's rather obvious that Jake has upset you somehow."
"Oh, Ari," she mumbled. He looked at her. "He's ignoring me. I thought we were friends, but anytime I go near him now, I see Captain Sisko, not Jake, and it frustrates me. How am I supposed to be close to someone who's alien to me?" That got a rise out of Ari.
"Arys, look who you're talking to right now? I'm alien to you. We all are." His grin still held an air of sadness about it, but it was better.
"That's not what I mean, Ari, and you know it! Jake and I knew each other. We were closer than anyone save you and Katassa, and now that's gone. And I don't know what to do anymore about that. Am I supposed to ignore it? Am I supposed to ignore him the way he ignores me?"
"I'd say personally that you should talk to him, but I think that's going to be a bit hard. Katassa says he's getting a promotion in about a month. She wants to be here, but she's not sure she can be. And it's up to all of us to decide what to do about the ceremony." Ari smiled again, and again it didn't dispel the sadness around him.
"Well, that's simple, at least. Don't let him know about it. It'll be a surprise. He said once that his favourite birthday party was the surprise one his father threw for him one year. So I'll waylay him and ask him to work on a report with me or something, and the rest of you will set up the party and get Katassa down for it. I think she should get to give him the pip, if she can make it. She's the one who sees him the least, after all." Arys nodded, knowing that those decisions would work best.
Ari just grinned. "Sounds to me as though you know him very well."
"Ari, what's wrong?" The question took him off-guard. That was obvious the moment she asked it. "C'mon. You can tell me. We're family, after all."
"It's Katassa. I . . . I love her." Arys nodded slowly, waiting for Ari to continue. He did. "I just don't know how to tell her. It's not like we can spend much time together, and I never seem to be with her when the time is right."
"Ari, you have to go for it. I think the party would be best. The perfect place. After all, you can slip out early if you need to." She grinned slyly at Ari's look of shock, and the two sat together in silence. There was really nothing more to be said.