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 5
She had no idea why she had accepted this date. It wasn't her first, so she couldn't blame her nervousness on that. It was something deeper. Did she really want to be here? Was that where her nervousness stemmed from? Or was it the fact that her date was also one of her best friends?
Knowing she had accepted, she swallowed her fear and walked into the large room, seemingly at ease. And there, looking more handsome than she had ever before seen him, was Nog. She smiled then, knowing her fears were only uncertainty and not based on anything concrete, and went to him.
"Hello, Nog. I'm sorry I'm so late." Those beside Nog smiled at her, nodding their heads, but it was Nog himself that she was focussed on.
"I know you just like dramatic entrances, Arys." But as he said that, he grinned at her, taking her hand in his. And surprisingly, that felt right.
The evening went well. And toward the end of it, Nog left the party, taking a chance and asking her back to his quarters. She accepted yet again, knowing that this wouldn't be the last time something like this happened. But when they got to the rooms, they were both nervous.
"Nog, I had a wonderful evening at that party with you. Moreso than I've had in a long time. What made you decide to ask me, instead of one of your other ladies?" Arys was openly curious, and had never been one to hold back a comment in the face of friends, unless it was for their own good.
Nog averted his gaze, looking at the floor. "I really just thought that it might be fun to see you again. Jake's had you all to himself for some time now. And, well, I did enjoy his promotion party. Especially dancing with you."
Arys thought about that for a second, then realised what he was talking about. Her face flushed a dull red as she realised that he was commenting on the kiss she had given him. She hadn't been thinking, and the kiss had truly been one of the best she'd ever had. She smiled as she remembered wondering how he could kiss so well with all those sharp teeth.
"Nog, can I ask a question?" At his nod, she continued. "What do you think of me?"
He looked surprised, but pursued the conversation gamely. "You're one of the greatest people I know, Arys. You're intelligent and kind and, well, . . ." He trailed off, his voice becoming a mumble.
"What?" Arys asked, not sure if she had heard the last correctly.
"You're beautiful. Even clothed." Nog grinned crookedly to show that the statement had been a joke, but Arys didn't notice.
He had been considering her. If he said that last, he had to have been. But was she ready for this? And as if to make a mockery of her, her mind whispered, "Yes, you're ready."
She nodded at Nog, and he waited for her to finish thinking. It wasn't long, but he knew that this was different territory from that either had ever been on before. Moments passed, and she regarded him strangely. And then, she leaned over and kissed him.
When the kiss was over, they both sat back, staring at each other in shock. Arys was the first to speak.
"Well, that wasn't so bad." Nog grinned back at her, and she had to keep herself from laughing at her own remark. "Care to try it again?"
Nerys stood in the entrance of the Replimat, surprised. She knew she shouldn't be, but all the same, it had shocked her to realise that the Jake Sisko in this time period was still very young. More than that, he wasn't the cadet she remembered from that age. In fact, he was sitting in the Replimat working on some sort of paper. She tried to remember what the Jake in her universe had been doing at that age, but all she could remember was a subspace message from the Academy saying that he had gone AWOL, along with many of his friends. It had been her job, along with Dax's, to help her future husband deal with his loss. And it hadn't been easy.
"Hello, Jake. It's been a while since I've seen you this young." Nerys smiled brilliantly at him, and when he looked, surprise was etched on his face.
"Nerys?" The word was hesitant, Nerys noticed. He must have a hard time referring to her that way, and then a memory came to mind. A memory of Jake pursuing her, while she and Julian couldn't get their hands off of each other. She smiled sadly.
"Yes. I wanted to say hello, since you and I are such good friends in my universe. What are you working on?"
Jake looked embarrassed. "It's nothing. Just a story based on some dreams I've been having." He shrugged, but Nerys was not fooled. It had to be pretty important to him. She took a chance.
"Would you like me to look at it for you? I could probably give you a few pointers." She smiled to show her genuine interest, and to her surprise, Jake surrendered without a fight.
"Sure. I am writing about the Occupation, in a way. You could probably help out with more accurate details. And at least you won't laugh at me."
Nerys smiled, and took the PADD from him. When she started the story, her eyes widened in shock, for there, in the title, was the last thing she expected to see. Alliance of Hope, that was the title. Her heart pounded, and she continued on with what could almost be termed fear.
When she finally finished, she lay the PADD down, and looked away for a few moments. It was her life, or more accurately, Admiral Jake Sisko's life. The Jake in her universe. But this Jake hadn't journeyed with Odo and Dax into that universe, and she knew for a fact that neither Dax nor Odo had told him about it. They wouldn't, so that they could preserve their own universes. So where had he gotten all of the information?
It hit her in a flash. He had said dreams. What if he was dreaming about her universe, and turning it into a story to be read by everyone. What then? Would it preserve or destroy the future of this universe? Did it have the power to do either?
Nerys turned to Jake, and spoke quietly. "This is definately a surprise. Actually, you have all of the details accurate. Everything is perfect. But how did you find out about my universe?"
Jake's surprise mirrored her own. "Like I said, dreams. I kept living this life until I died. I'm not quite there yet, but I'm close. How far has your universe gone in here?"
And it was only when Jake asked the second question that Nerys remembered reading about things that had not happened. She had supposed Jake included them to better make his story, but now . . . .
"Reasonably close to the last of what you have there. But not all of it. We're just about to finish negotiations with the Founders."
Jake nodded slowly, turning away. "I think it's best that you don't read any more. I don't want to mess up any more of the timeline than I already have." The look of sadness on his face tore at Nerys' heart, but she knew that there was nothing more she could do. He was right.
"Yes. I think that would be best." She said nothing more for a long time.
Finally, Jake spoke again. "Of course, you could tell me something about your universe."
"It's not working, Nog. Why didn't we see that this would happen?" Arys' soft voice was pained and sad. She looked over at her companion, who sat next to her on the couch, and she knew that something had happened between them that was very special, but was also dead.
"I don't know. I never really even saw the beginning of this coming. Now that the end is here, I'm not really all that surprised." His small shoulders sagged, and he looked back at her in resignation. "What is this going to do to us, Arys? Are we going to start ignoring each other, and then complaining to the others?"
Arys smiled. "Is that what your other girlfriends have done to you?" In her heart, she knew what would happen. They would go on. They wouldn't mention this again, but it would always be there, a welcome memory of happiness.
"Yeah. You know that. I've complained to you enough times." Nog started to laugh bitterly. "You know something else, Arys? I don't want our friendship to be over."
"It's not, Nog. It couldn't be. In order to do that, we would have to forget everything we've ever learned about each other. It doesn't work that way for me. What about you?"
He shook his head, sighing, and touched her face gently. "I'll miss this. You know that."
She captured the hand in one of hers, holding it to her cheek. "I know. What are you going to do now? I've heard you've been offered a couple of jobs teaching engineering."
"Yeah. I think I'd like to teach a class at the Academy, now that we've gotten the Madrokul in good standing. It'll be nice to go back there and visit Professor Aldorn's old room. That's where we all met, after all. Can you believe it?" Nog's eyes lit for a single moment.
"Yes, I can. I wish I could go with you. But my classes need me here." Arys looked away, wanting to ask Nog something but afraid to.
"And Jake needs you, too." Arys's eyes widened, and Nog explained. "I know how you feel about him. Take care of him, Arys. He needs you." She looked away from her once lover now friend, and he stood up.
"I should be going. I'm going to pack tomorrow, and I'm leaving at the end of the week. I'll . . . I'll miss you, Arys. I love you." The Bajoran security officer watched the Ferengi engineer walk out of the room, and she bowed her head. There was nothing more to be done.
"We were all surprised when Jake told us he was getting married. But since we'd met Arys before, we couldn't object. Besides, she's a wonderful officer and a good person. He could do a lot worse than Myran Arys." Nerys looked up at Jake, and was surprised to see a sad expression on his face. "What is it?"
"I'm beginning to wonder if I'm going insane, talking to you about this. After all, I shouldn't be wondering more about Arys, I should be trying to get her out of my head. It's just so hard when there are so many unexplained questions, and no answers to go with them." Jake looked away, frustrated, but Nerys smiled.
"Like what, Jake?"
"Well, in the Resistance, toward the end of the Occupation, her cell tried to liberate Gallitep, but ended up blowing themselves to smithereens. Yet I can't find a single document that says that she's dead. It's as if she never existed in the first place. Yet one of the two surviving friends of hers that I talked to can swear that she ran into the blast that killed the rest of the cell. And I've checked Carran Imela's credentials. She doesn't lie to anyone."
Nerys nodded. He had given a good argument, and one that she couldn't change, much as she would like to. "In my universe, it didn't happen that way. She ran into the blast, but at the last moment realised it was too late and ran to one side. She got bad burns, and the Cardassians nursed her back to health. I have some theories about other things they did to her. Anyway, she lost her memory for a little while, and when she regained it, she was already released and we had liberated Gallitep."
Jake looked away. His look was thoughtful, as though he remembered something important. "So that was why she valued her name so much."
Nerys just nodded.
Something was tickling her face. Arys couldn't tell precisely what it was, but there was something tickling her face. She opened her eyes slowly, feeling rather out of place, and looked up in surprise at Jake's face leaning over her. And then suddenly, she remembered exactly what had happened the day before.
They were married. She was now Captain Sisko. Prophets, this would take getting used to. And then she remembered what happened last night, and her face flushed a dull red. Jake grinned down at her.
"Good morning, Captain Sisko," he said softly, testing out her new title. The name sounded good to her.
She smiled quietly, stretching. "What time does our ship leave, Jake?" All business. That was what she sounded like. She grimaced softly, but Jake just laughed.
"When we choose to allow it to leave." He shrugged. "After all, we're the whole reason behind the trip." He stood, walking over to the replicator slowly. "Raktajino, extra bitter."
Arys smiled gratefully as she took the cup. The warmth filled her hands, and she looked up at her husband. "Thank you." The words were soft, yet full of meaning. Jake's smile grew even wider and he leaned down to kiss her.
"Better get up. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get to Bajor."
Arys lay in bed a moment longer, thoughtful. Jake had insisted on going to Bajor for part of their honeymoon, then heading over to Earth so that they could satisfy both cultures. He had always been thoughtful that way. But the surprising thing about it was the fact that he was truly anxious to go see Bajor. And not because it was close to Deep Space Nine. There was something else at work here.
A honeymoon. She considered the word, wondering what the origin had been. She had no idea what to expect, being a Bajoran. Bajorans never had honeymoons, and certainly not when she'd been alive. If two chose to go off by themselves in the Resistance, they usually died. So when Jake had proposed such a thing, she had been surprised. Now, though, she was looking forward to it. She wanted to know exactly what was going on in Jake's head, and why he was planning to take such a long leave from the Eysu. Fortunately, both of them could afford it.
She rose, padding over to the bathroom and stepping into the sonic shower. It was faster, even though she enjoyed the massage of a good water shower. When everything was done, she pulled out one of her uniforms, and threw it on the bed until she was ready. And with Jake around, that process had suddenly become a lot more drawn out.
Eventually, she shrugged the uniform on, making sure the fit was perfect. Then she threw a smile over her shoulder at her husband and slipped back into the bathroom to brush her short hair out. Staring into the mirror, she couldn't help but wonder at this woman she was looking at. She could finally be truly happy.
Jake came in behind her, brushing her shoulders with his hands, and then proceeded to rub her shoulders as he stood with her. She looked up at him, and he kissed her, then pulled her to her feet. "Come on, Arys. It's time we left."
She nodded once, knowing that she was ready. "All right, Jake."
Kira stood outside of Odo's office, nervous beyond belief. Ever since that night a week ago when she had confronted Odo about his feelings, she had avoided him. She needed time to think about what was going through her mind, what she was feeling. And she had pressed him for an answer she wasn't ready for.
Now she could understand that look of desperation he had given her when he told her he was calling off their Tuesday morning meetings. She could understand all the subtle hints he had been throwing at her, and all of the knives she had used to twist into him. She had tortured him, she realised, with a word or two here, and another there.
"Prophets, how could I have said that?" she muttered, thinking back to the time she had called him her lover. He had been so flustered, and at the time she had assumed it was because he wasn't used to playing such a role. But now she could see it was because that was the role he wanted.
And then another thought rose to the forefront of her mind, unbidden. It was a time when they were stepping off of a shuttle, after a particularly trying trip, and she was questioning him. "Just a slip of the tongue," he had said. "Nothing important." Nothing important indeed. How could he have said that? She guessed that the Changeling had imitated her, and he had agreed. She guessed that he had seen through the disguise, and he had agreed. But when she asked how, the answer was denied her. And now she knew what it was. The Changeling had taunted Odo with his feelings for her, for Major Kira Nerys, the Bajoran liason to Deep Space Nine.
Pushing her thoughts away, she walked into the office, watching as Odo stood in surprise. "Major." The word was husky, and this time Kira didn't flinch. He couldn't go around calling her Nerys when the Kira from the other universe was Nerys. She smiled brightly at him, and picked up a stray PADD.
"Hello, Constable." The words surprised him, she knew, and she was finding great enjoyment from that. But when she was done, she looked up at him again. "I came to discuss the weeks criminal activity reports, Constable." In a way, she was pulling rank. He had said no, she would say yes. And she would do it much more easily than he thought. She wasn't going to put up with this again.
They discussed the reports for an hour. She had spoken with Sisko and gotten the time off. And then they finally fell quiet. Each one stared at the other, not knowing quite what to expect. Finally, Kira stood. "It was a good meeting, Constable. I expect you to have the reports ready for me next Tuesday." She nodded once, and turned to leave, striding out the door quickly lest she forget herself. And once she was safely out, she sagged against a wall and hung her head. This was going to be harder than she thought.
Arys paced the floor of the EMS Mo'nos, wondering when she was going to rendevous with the Hallider. Of all the times to be called away to question a prisoner, it had to be the morning after her wedding. She laughed a little. At least the sabotage had been taken care of. She had set former Obsidian Order operatives to finishing the questioning, praying that they wouldn't take their job *too* seriously.
As she was pacing, Arys thought. Mo'nos, an inappropriate name at best, now. She had found the word when looking through one of Earth's ancient languages, Greek. The word meant alone, and that was how she had felt at the time. She had been completely alone, and unable to find someone to stop that. It was a lasting effect of the SSTF, but she hated the feeling. And she had named her ship just that to remind her.
"Captain Myran . . . I mean, Sisko?" Arys smiled. Everyone in the Eysu had known about her marriage, but not everyone had expected the way she changed her name. She was now Captain Myran Arys Sisko, knowing Jake understood her urge to keep her Bajoran family name, yet at the same time knowing that she wanted to honor human customs as well. That name seemed to be the best compromise of the two.
"Yes, Ensign?" Arys nodded at the young woman.
"We are approaching the EMS Hallider. We should be within transporter range within five minutes." Arys nodded again, then turned to her second-in-command.
"Thank you, Ensign. Commander Strohym, you have the Bridge. I will be in transporter room C, preparing to beam over to the Hallider when we arrive within range. They are expecting me." The commander nodded, standing as her commanding officer walked off of the Bridge.
Arys made her way to the transporter room, stopping only to grab her knapsack. Most of her things Jake had taken with him, but she had kept a few changes of clothing, just in case she was kept longer than she expected to be. But that hadn't been the case, and now she was ready to beam over to join her husband. When they arrived within transporter distance, she was notified, and then beamed over.
"Hello, Jake," she said to her husband, who stood in the transporter room, waiting for her. She walked to him, embracing him gently.
"Hello." The word was husky, and she could figure out why easily. She laughed, taking his arm and walking with him. "Unfortunately, Ari's run into a bit of trouble. Apparently the D'Haricoort rendevoused with a class D runabout. Ari hasn't requested we rendevous with him, but if you don't mind, I'd like to. I want to see what such an ancient ship is doing out here in the middle of the Delta Quadrant."
Arys sighed and nodded. "Of course. It will be an interesting mystery. How long before we rendevous?"
Jake looked away. "Just enough time for you to deposit that eyesore in our cabins," he said, pointing to her knapsack.
Arys shook her head, and began hurrying toward the spacious quarters. When she had deposited her belongings in her new home, she and Jake hurried to the Bridge, arriving just in time to witness the effects of leaving the SubGate. She smiled softly, looking over at Jake, who she found was looking back at her.
"Admiral, they're hailing us." Jake looked up in surprise. "It's audio only, sir." Jake nodded, motioning that the ensign was to play the message.
"EMS Hallider, this is the EMS D'Harincoort. Jake, thank you for responding to our transmission, and congratulations to you and your new wife."
Arys laughed. "Trust Ari. Jake, hail them."
Jake nodded, about to do just that. But when a view of the other ship arrived, the couple looked at each other in shock. It was Dax and Odo . . . .