Disclaimer: Star Trek belongs to Paramount, I just play here.
7. A private mission and trying to close the wormhole.
Julie and Dukat went over to the Thalys. It was fully repaired. Crews had worked hard on the little vessel, and Julie had done a good part of it herself. As they entered, Julie switched on the power to the panels. All normal systems came on line. She then entered a long string of codes, and several more systems appeared on the boards. Dukat's eyes widened.
"You have more sensors here than I have on my ship."
Julie grinned. "It is a spy vessel. Now I don't have a cloak yet -perhaps with the Defiant and the Unity on hand I can figure out a way to cloak her in the future- but with these sensors I can see anything before it sees me. Only the Voterons have this kind of sensor range. That's where I got this."
Dukat glanced around and saw several other systems he had not expected on a vessel this size, and even some he had no idea as to what they did.
Julie called several schematics on the viewscreen. One of the whole area of space, including Deep Space Nine and Cardassia, one showing the Capital, and several more detailed maps.
"Now this is my plan...," she started.
Early the next morning, the small vessel left the docking pylon of Deep Space Nine. Julie was in full Cardassian make-up, and she'd taken care to disguise Dukat as well. The Thalys flew under a different name and registry, but she did not pretend it to be a different vessel. During her visits to Cardassia in the past months, she had set it up for a Cardassian trader to show interest in purchasing the ship, never quite managing to get a hold of the human trader who owned it. Understandable, since she was both.
She swung wide around, finally entering Cardassian space from the direction of Ferengal. She made sure she was not seen until they were well within Cardassian space, and nothing indicated their point of origin. As they approached the space port, they were hailed.
"Space port flight control to trader vessel -I do not recognise your registration."
Julie smiled. She knew the port official on the screen, and he was one who had met her as a Cardassian before. Perfect. She opened a channel.
"That's because I just purchased this vessel. I will gladly transmit the transfer and registration documents to you," she said, in fluent Kardasi.
The port official recognised her. "I see you got her," he grinned. "Won me a bottle of Kanar, too -Paleh bet me the human would not sell."
Julie laughed. "Prices of traders have dropped, now that there will be no more trading with the Feds. If you want to buy a vessel, now's the time."
The official gave a short laugh in return. "No, thanks. I'll remain a planet crawler, and let you risk your skins out in the cold of space," he replied. "Don't worry about those documents, just drop them by the office some time after you get in." He checked something on his screen. "You're cleared for pad C-7-a. Over and out."
"C-7-a it is. Over and out." Julie switched off. She turned to Dukat. "Be sure to watch where the pad is. It isn't anywhere near the military section of the port, and we might have to leave in a hurry. Take her through the docking procedures while I set up the surveillance systems," she ordered.
She didn't hesitate one moment to give him orders here. She'd followed his orders on the bridge of his ship, but this was her mission, her territory they were on, even if it were Cardassia. Dukat immediately complied, as she had known. Had she not been certain he would follow her lead on this mission, she would never have suggested it.
They landed the Thalys, or the Namos as she was called now, and soon walked into the city. Signs of the coup where visible, but normal life had resumed. While near the Government buildings some damage could be seen, most of the rest of the city looked almost as usual. More security officers perhaps, and no aliens even in the Port quarter.
Julie went to a small hotel in a back street of a back alley. She greeted the owner, Sentek, who immediately gave her a room, even though the sign outside had said 'no vacancy'. She signed in as Rhyanna, her Cardassian name. Up in the small room, she tossed her pack on the only rickety chair in the room.
"I know it doesn't look like much, but it is the one place where it's okay to talk. This room is almost as secure as the Namos," she explained. Still, she used the Cardassian name for the vessel, and spoke in Kardasi. It was too easy to make a slip if she tried to switch in and out of her role too often.
"Your command of our language is remarkable," Dukat observed. "Did I not know any better, I would not have guessed you weren't born here. Last week you spoke with an accent."
"Of course," Julie explained. "Languages and accents are an important part of undercover missions. I need to be able to speak any language fluently if I want to pass as a member of the race which speaks it, and it helps to not be so fluent when I am simply human. As long as everyone who met me as Julie will think I speak with an accent, no one will suspect I'm Rhyanna now."
She checked her chronometer. Taking the long way around to Cardassia had taken a lot of time. "It's too late to check out the residential area now. There won't be many people on the streets this late, and we can't risk attracting attention. I'm going to see what I can learn in the bar downstairs. Sentek is one of my contacts, he is the only one besides us who knows who I really am. He doesn't know who you are, and there's no need for him to know."
Dukat nodded. He was no stranger to the scheming and dealing that was part of normal Cardassian society, but undercover work had always strictly been done by the Obsidian Order. He would've preferred to stay here in the room, but that would be more suspicious than joining Julie -Rhyanna, he said to himself- in the bar.
Meanwhile, Sisko, Dax and Kai Winn were doing their best to convince the Prophets of the need to close the Wormhole. So far, without success.
It had taken three passes through the Wormhole before the Prophets had let them land. As they got out of the runabout, Jennifer's image appeared. She addressed Sisko.
"Why have you come here?"
"We need your help," Sisko explained. He introduced the others, then went on to explain the situation with the Founders.
'Jennifer' listened intently. "We have come to ask you to close the Wormhole, so the Founders can no longer infiltrate in the Alpha Quadrant, and so we'll have a chance to stop this war."
'Jennifer' seemed to think this over. Sisko wondered if she was conferring with the others. Or perhaps she was all of them at once.
"Why would you stop this war from happening?" she finally asked.
"Because war is wrong. Many people die in a war. We do not want that to happen," Sisko tried to explain as well as he could, but he knew they might be in for a hard time.
"This war, it has not happened yet in your linear time?" 'Jennifer' asked.
"It has started. We might still be able to stop it, if we can stop the Founders."
'Jennifer' remained silent for another long moment. When she spoke, it was slowly and deliberately. "What has happened, has happened. What will happen, will happen. What is the difference?"
Sisko sighed. Linear time remained a difficult concept to grasp for these beings who lived outside it.
"The difference is that what will happen has not happened yet. We can still change it. We can not change the past, but we can shape the future."
"We can not do that," 'Jennifer' said. "We can not interfere with your time any more than you can interfere with other people's worlds."
"You mean you have some sort of Prime Directive?" Dax asked.
"If that is what you call it.", the alien replied. "We are here, the Wormhole is open, and who ever wants to pass through, we can not stop them. We may not stop them. Not now."
"Not now?" Kai Winn asked, wondering about the cryptic explanation the Prophets gave.
"In your linear time, you might try to shape the future. But you can not change the past. In our own ways, we can change some things, and we can not change others. We can not close the Wormhole."
Sisko didn't know if it was a good idea to tell them this, since he still didn't know where he was or on what he was standing, and he was not sure it, whatever it was, would still exist if the Prophets got angry with them. But he had to warn them.
"Some of us will advocate the use of force to close the Wormhole. Some were in favor even before we came here to talk to you, more will be if you refuse to close it voluntarily."
'Jennifer' did not look in the least disturbed. "The Wormhole will not close. It can not be destroyed by any means you have if we do not want it to. Goodbye, Emissary."
With that, she disappeared. The only thing left was the runabout. All three tried to call back the aliens, but they got no response. Finally, Sisko gave up.
"Well, there seems to be nothing more we can do here. Let's get back to the Station."
Dax and Kai Winn followed him to the runabout. As soon as it lifted off, the ground, or whatever it had been sitting on, disappeared, and they emerged from the Wormhole in the Alpha Quadrant.
Sisko put the aft view on the screen. The Wormhole seemed to flare even bigger and brighter than before.
"Do you think we will try to destroy it?" Dax said.
Sisko knew she hated the idea, but they all knew sometimes things of great beauty and purpose had to be destroyed. If the war in the Quadrant was allowed to continue to escalate much more destruction would follow.
"I don't know that we can," Sisko said. He went over the people of their little 'council' in his mind. The vote the previous day had been close, and now the talks with the Prophets had proved unsuccessful. "But I think we'll end up trying."
They docked the runabout at the Station in silence.
Julie went to check the housing area by herself. She noticed immediately the house was watched, but as the boys came out to go to school they were not followed. Neither did anyone follow Ziyal when she went out to go to the store. On Cardassia, as on many planets where real meat was preferred over replicated matter, there were stores in addition to the replicators.
Julie stayed around to make sure the agents only watched the house. She could not distinguish any other activity. Obviously they were not interested in Ziyal or the kids. She wondered if they really thought Dukat would try to come back to the house. She sure wasn't planning on it.
She checked out the school the boys attended, and the surrounding neighborhood. They would have to time it pretty close, as the agents at the house did take note of the time Ziyal left, and when the boys came home they checked their chronometers as well.
*So if they don't come back when expected, they'll probably go out and look for them* Julie thought. They must not have enough personnel to keep tabs on everyone all the time. These guys looked young and inexperienced to her, probably came right out of training, or were not even finished when the coup pulled them into real duty. She'd spotted them with no trouble at all. But she would not make the mistake of underestimating them. Young security personnel could be really thorough at times.
The next day she approached Ziyal in the store. She stood behind her as she selected a cut of meat.
"Ziyal? Don't look around. It's Julie. When you get out of the store, go around to the back. I'll be waiting for you," she said softly but urgently.
Ziyal recognized Julie's voice, as she had spoken with the same accent she had used during her previous stay on the planet. She did not question the instructions. She tried not to hurry as she paid for the meat and the eggs.
A few minutes later she walked into the alley behind the store. Julie emerged from in between some containers. Ziyal, of course, did not recognise her.
"Julie?" she asked. "Here? Is... is my father here, too?"
Dukat had never discussed politics at home, but she had a pretty good idea of what he'd been working on, and when he had not come home after the coup she had worried. No one had come to tell her anything, and she hadn't been able to find out anything.
Julie nodded, but also held her hand up to her lips in the universal sign for 'quiet'. She moved to the mouth of the alley and cautiously looked around. After a few moments, she was satisfied. She stepped back from the alley entrance and motioned to Ziyal to come along. As they moved through the small back streets of the town, she briefed Ziyal.
"Yeah, he's here," Julie answered Ziyal's question. "We're getting you out of here. Don't call me Julie -I'm Rhyanna until we're off the planet. Your father goes by Enek."
She swiftly wound her way through town, to a storage shed close to the boys' school. Dukat was waiting for them. Even though he was disguised as well, Julie had vetoed his offer to come along. The port district was one thing, the neighborhood where many people knew him was another.
She grinned when father and daughter fell into each others arms. Moments like these were why she kept taking on these hare-brained missions. But she didn't allow herself to relax just yet. She had taken a simple make-up kit for Ziyal, as there were not many half-Bajorans on Cardassia Prime.
"Just make sure I find two Cardassians when I get back," she said as she went off in the direction of the school.
She checked her chronometer, and the sensors on the ship. Good. Nobody had touched or scanned the Thalys since they came in. She also liked the timing. About half an hour before school got out. Much more, and she would think the agents at the house would get suspicious; much less, and there would be no time for Ziyal to put the disguise on. Not that half an hour was much to do a good make-up job, but it would only have to hold to the Port, not for several days like hers and Dukat's.
The school went out right on time. She knew she couldn't approach the boys without being seen, but she picked a place a couple of blocks away from the school. This time, she did not drop her accent, she simply walked up to them and said someone wanted to see them.
On many planets, kids are warned not to go with strangers, or to speak to them on the streets. But whatever you want to say about Cardassia, its streets are safe. So the boys shrugged. "Sure," Mikor said, half curious, half irritated.
By the time they got to the shed, Julie was checking for activity from the direction of the house. Ziyal had been gone for well over an hour, and while that wouldn't be unreasonably long for a trip to the store, she thought the agents would notice when the boys did not return after school either.
The kids blinked in surprise, but they did recognise their father. Julie was glad she'd decided to make him stay out of the residential area.
While Balet and Zeno would be sure to return with them, Dukat had decided to talk to Mikor and see if the boy wanted to come along. He was twelve, after all, and he frequently disagreed with his father on political issues.
Julie remained outside the storage shed, where she had a good view of the road leading to the school and beyond that, the house. The alley they were in was somewhat higher, giving her a good vantage point, but also, she thought, the first place the agents would come look for someone if they decided to find out why the boys were late coming home. She would start to check here if the situation were reversed.
Mikor was glad to see his father, but Julie didn't think he would come with them to Deep Space Nine.
"Father, why are you here? They're looking for you," Mikor exclaimed.
"I came to get Ziyal, and Balet, and Zeno. And you, if you want to come," Dukat said.
Mikor looked puzzled. "Come to where?"
"To Deep Space Nine, and Bajor," Dukat answered.
"Bajor?" the boy echoed. "Dad, why did you do this? Why did you fight against Gul Bukel, why are you against war?"
Julie tried not to listen -she felt like an eavesdropper. But she couldn't help but hear all that was said on the other side of the thin wall. She checked her chronometer again.
"War destroys more than it is worth. Especially an all-out war against every other power in the Quadrant," Dukat explained. "Oh, I was like you once. When I was your age, I thought war was this glorious thing. To conquer other worlds would make Cardassia bigger and stronger than any other planet. But a conquered world never stops fighting. It will never support you, and if you turn it'll stab you in the back. And what the Founders are trying to do now is to make everybody fight one another. With the whole Quadrant at war, there will be no glory, no conquest. There'll only be destruction and hatred."
Julie spotted some movement in the direction of the housing area. She fingered her disruptor. Were that the agents, or just normal people going about their business? No, it was the agents alright, she'd seen that shuttle vehicle this morning. It was headed for the school. She rested with her back against the shed, where she could see around the corner without being seen herself, and waited. She'd give Dukat and Mikor as much time as she could.
"That's what Julie said. You sound just like her," Mikor said.
"Julie?" Dukat asked. She'd never told him about the conversation she'd with Mikor that one afternoon.
"Yeah. I was reading 'First: Cardassia', and she commented on it. My teacher saw I was reading it today. He was really impressed, asked me to do my next essay about it," Mikor said enthusiastically. Then his face fell. "Dad? Will you ever be able to come back?"
Dukat sadly shook his head. "Not as long as Bukel rules."
And probably not ever, as many people from other factions would look upon Dukat's actions of the past few days as betrayal, not just Bukel's people. Julie glanced around the corner of the shed. The agents came out of the school and walked toward their shuttle. She could not wait much longer.
Mikor looked at his father. "I can not come with you. I will stay here with mother. I'm sorry, dad."
The agents closed the shuttle vehicle's doors and it started to move. This was it -there was no more time. Julie had her disruptor out. She slunk back to the door of the shed and pushed it partially open.
"We gotta go now," she said urgently.
Dukat immediately rose from the crates he had been sitting on.
"If you ever change your mind, you will always be welcome. Greet your mother from me," he told his son.
The boy nodded. He threw his arms around his father.
"I love you, dad."
Dukat held the boy close. "I love you too, son."
Julie glanced nervously at the road. She hated to break this up, but... Fortunately, Dukat and Mikor broke their hug themselves.
As they left the shed, Mikor went one way, they went another. Neither looked back again.
Julie led them through a few small streets, suddenly emerging on a slidewalk near the city center. From there they walked, outwardly calm, to the space port.
As they approached the port she checked her equipment. It would tell her instantly if the Thalys had been scanned or was held under surveillance by any electronic means. Everything checked out clear.
To avoid being too obviously together, they went onto the landing pad in two groups. Julie took the two boys ahead -she'd let slip 'Rhyanna' had two little nephews, for anyone who was interested- and Dukat followed with Ziyal.
She started up the ship's systems, filed a flight plan, and was cleared for take-off within minutes. She lifted off, and they took off in the same direction they had come in from, heading for Ferengal.
Nothing gave any indication the agents on the ground had made the connection between Dukat's missing family and the Thalys, but Julie did not let her guard down until they were well outside Cardassian space, on a new course for Deep Space Nine. Finally, with the Station on long-range sensors, she relaxed.
Although it was late night, Station time, when they docked, there was still quite a bit of activity going on in the docking bay.
One of Dukat's officers who was working on some repairs jumped up from where he had been working on an open panel.
"Captain Sisko has requested to speak with both of you as soon as you came in," he reported. Dukat and Julie looked at each other.
"I bet the Prophets didn't want to close the Wormhole," Julie speculated.
"That could be it," Dukat agreed.
Dukat walked over to a wall panel. None of them wore any communicators yet. They were all still in make-up, too. Julie could help Ziyal out of hers in minutes, but the full disguises of theirs would take well over an hour, and sickbay's facilities. Oh well, at least they'd taken care to arrange for quarters on the Station before they left. The ships were not pleasant to stay on while being repaired, and no place at all for the boys and Ziyal.
"Dukat to Sisko."
"Sisko here," the reply came immediately. Obviously, Sisko was not asleep, either. "Glad you made it back. Did you bring your family with you?"
"Ziyal and two of my boys are here," Dukat told him. "You wanted to speak with us -I take it the Prophets did not offer their assistance in closing the Wormhole?"
"That's right. I want a new meeting as soon as possible. Can you both be there at 0700?" Sisko asked. He assumed correctly Julie was there, as well.
A quick calculation in her head made Julie estimate they'd actually get about one hour of sleep that way, but it wouldn't be the first time that happened, and she'd feel better the sooner this Wormhole matter was resolved. She shrugged. "I suppose."
"We'll be there," Dukat told Sisko. "Dukat out."
"Well, let's get to Sickbay and get this off," Julie suggested.
"I'll ask Sabi to give you a hand," she added, turning to Ziyal.
Julian was in sickbay as they came in and Sabi came in after only a few minutes. Didn't anyone on the Station ever sleep?
Balet and Zeno looked at the station with wide eyes. They'd never been off Cardassia, and even though Deep Space Nine was a Cardassian built station over the years quite a few changes had been made. Also, there were lots of people from races they had never seen. Even before the coup not many aliens had visited Cardassia, and those who did usually stayed in the Port district.
Removing the disguises went pretty quickly. As Julie and Dukat came out of Sickbay, they ran into Garak on the Promenade.
"Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in," Garak said as a greeting.
"Of course, you crawled in here all by yourself. No cat would touch you," Dukat retorted.
Garak looked at Ziyal, and then at Julie. "There is no accounting for taste," he said, pointedly.
"Actually, I'm kind of surprised to find you're still here," Julie said in a sweet voice. She smiled and added, "I had expected that now your friends Bukel and Nerel are in charge, you would be back on Cardassia by now."
Garak blinked. "Nerel?" he asked, before he could stop himself. How had she found out the name of one of his contacts? "No really, I'm just a plain and simple tailor, and I have no interests in politics."
"Of course not. And voles don't bite," Dukat said. Now if you'll excuse us, we really have no time to be chatting with a mere tailor."
"Of course," Garak said, and bowed.
As they walked on, Julie looked back over her shoulder at Garak, who stood watching them with that typical slight smile on his lips.
"I can't seem to figure him out. I really hate that," she said, frustrated.
"This Nerel, I take it he was one of Garak's contacts?" Dukat asked.
Julie nodded. "The one I have been able to find. He was killed in the invasion, that's why I let his name slip. I wanted to see Garak's reaction as I told him I knew one of his contacts. I only wish I knew more. I still don't know whose side he really is on, or who he supports."
"Garak is on Garak's side. It might not always be clear what side that is -maybe sometimes he doesn't even know himself. But that's where he stands, always," Dukat said.
"Yeah," Julie agreed. "You're probably right. I just hate it when I can't put my finger on someone."
They walked on to where the guest quarters were located, and managed to get almost an hour's worth of rest before the meeting started.
Everyone who had been at the previous meeting was there. Sisko started with a quick briefing of their visit with the Prophets, for Julie's and Dukat's sake, as they hadn't heard of it yet. He ended with the Prophet's statement that the Wormhole would prove indestructible.
"Still, we have to try. They could have been lying," Kulak said.
"I have no reason not to believe them.", Sisko said. "But we will vote on this again. We can either leave the wormhole open, and have the Founders come through, or we can make an attempt to make it collapse."
This time, only the Bajorans voted against closing the Wormhole. Even Kira, after a long pause, added her vote to those in favor of the collapse. She had been in the resistance long enough to know sometimes sacrifices had to be made, and she did not see how else they could stop the Founders.
An hour later, the Defiant swung around the Station and headed for the entrance of the Wormhole. Sisko, Dax, Kira and O'Brien were on board, while the others watched from Ops.
As the Defiant came close to the Wormhole it flared open. All those in Ops and on the Defiant's bridge held their breath. Two torpedoes streaked out from the Defiant's bow and disappeared into the Wormhole.
For a long moment everyone was silent.
"Torpedoes have no effect.", Worf reported in Ops, while Dax said the same thing simultaneously on the bridge of the Defiant.
"Prepare to beam antimatter charge into the Wormhole," Sisko said.
"Ready for transport," O'Brien replied.
"Energize."
There followed only a small flash of light, far inside the Wormhole.
"No effect. It appears as if the charge went through to the Gamma Quadrant, and exploded in open space," Dax reported.
"We're not gonna be able to destroy it," Kira stated, feeling somewhat relieved, but at the same time anxious about the future of Bajor on what could easily become the front line if the war between the Quadrants really broke loose.
"Take her back to her docking pylon," Sisko told the helm officer. "Everyone, we meet again in an hour."
In Ops, they saw the Defiant turn back toward the Station. The Wormhole closed in its normal manner when the ship moved away from its mouth, but everyone knew it would open as soon as another vessel approached.
"Now what do we do?" Tre'Vore asked Julie.
"Now, we dig in," she answered.
END