January 1st, 2377 "Is there anything else? No, okay then, everyone dismissed. Jason, could we have a word?" "Yes, sir." Sarah walked out to her brightly lit office, indicating for Jason to follow. Picking up a padd she commented, ""A rebel in his own way, has his own brand of humor". I sure hope we get to hear some of that humor." "I'm sure you will." Jason replied, mimicking the captain perfectly. "I mean, no offence, sir." He grinned, blushing. She just raised an eyebrow. "Decathlon? You must be good." "I'm on the Dark Hope." He replied. "Nice." She replied, smiling. "Have a seat." They sat on plush armchairs, facing each other. "It says here you have two sisters. Get along with them?" "Sure." Jason replied, straight-faced. "Of course, I haven't seen them in, oh, eight years, but we used to get along. Sir." Sarah looked at him in surprise. "Eight years?" "Yes, ma'am." "How'd that come about, then?" "If it's all the same, I'd rather not discuss it, sir." Jason said stiffly, looking around her office. Sarah cocked her head to one side. "Fair enough." She replied. "How can I help you, sir?" Jason asked, leaning forward slightly. "Oh, I just wanted to get to know my officers the best I can before we start our first mission." "What would you like to know, sir?" He asked, smiling. "Why you continually call me sir." "Excuse me?" Jason asked, blinking in surprise. Sarah smiled at the confused look on Jason's face. "I told you all at the start that 'Captain' is fine, and I only answer to 'Sarah' when I'm off duty. So why do you call me 'sir'?" "Uh, habit, I guess. Captain." He replied. "That's better." She said, grinning. "Would you like a drink?" "Ah, yes. Raktagino, please." She raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment as she passed him the drink. "So what made you join Star Fleet?" Sarah asked. Jason looked up from his drink, and shook his head as he smiled. "Surely you know the great Rand history in Star Fleet." He answered, puzzled. "Yes, but why did you join?" "All my life I've been told about what Rand's have done in Star Fleet. It's only natural for me to become part of that history. Besides, with my uh, skill, I suppose, at the helm, it was the obvious thing to do." "I see. But you wanted to join, right?" "Yah. Of course." He smiled. "Is that all, captain?" "Yes, thank you, Jason. I'll see you at the helm in two hours. Dismissed." He nodded, and put the mug in the replicator, and pressed reclaim before walking out, leaving a troubled captain behind him. "Jason?" A voice called somewhat timidly. "Yah?" He asked, turning. "I'm Kal Sey." Jason did a quick look-over of the lieutenant standing in front of him. "And I am Jason Rand, at your helm." He quipped. The small Trill smiled, and extended his hand. "Nice to finally meet you. Considering you're the pilot, you seem to know how to get yourself lost around here." Jason frowned slightly, but bowed. "Naturally. How can I be of service?" "I just wanted to meet you, that's all." "Of course. I can understand why. I'm such a friendly and." "Kal Sey." A quite voice said from down the corridor. Both Jason and Kal turned. "Yes?" Kal asked. "I am Lieutenant Tarra chief of security." "How can I help you?" Jason turned to leave. "I'll talk later, okay?" "Sure, Jason." Kal turned his attention once more to the young Trill female before him. "I believe we met once. How can I help, lieutenant?" Kal asked, smiling. "That's right. My first day at the Academy. You gave me a hand up from the floor." Tarra blushed from the memory. "I wasn't going to mention that, Tarra." Kal said, grinning. "Good! Anyway, I was wondering if you could give us a quick hand in Engineering. We'll be arriving at Deep Space Nine soon, and I'd prefer not to have their engineers poking around Salaya's engines." "Salaya's?" Kal asked, raising an eyebrow, Tarra just smiled in response. They walked down the small corridor together to the turbolift. Once inside, Kal spoke. "Deck Two." "So what have you been up to since that incident?" Tarra asked. Sey smiled again. "Oh, not much. A holoprogram here, a space speed race there. Just the usual. You?" Ignoring the question, Tarra replied, "what kind of programs do you write?" "All sorts. Relaxation, educational, historical, and of course a few shuttle programs." "Naturally." Tarra replied as the lift slowed, the stopped outside engineering. "So what do you need a hand with?" Kal asked, stepping out into the corridor. Tarra led the way into engineering. "Just some things that need muscle." She replied, grinning. "Then why did you get me?" Kal asked, smiling. At 5'10" he wasn't very tall, or have the best upper body strength. "I know you. Not very well, I admit, but better than the others." "You're still shy, aren't you? Even after that year you had of hanging around me and my friends." Kal laughed. Tarra looked down at the shiny clean deck panels, trying not to grin, but not succeeding. "Very funny, Spotty." Kal looked at her in surprise, then broke out into uncontrollable laughter. "After all this time." He gasped for a breath, wiping away a tear. "You never called me that! Even after all Matt's prodding at the Academy, you never called me that!" "Until now." Tarra pointed out. "If you two have had enough fun, would you mind relieving me of this before my arms fall out of their sockets?" S'Natra, the half Klingon half Human female called out from across the room. "Sorry, S'Natra!" Tarra replied quickly, and ran over to help. Kal watched her go, smiling, thinking about the unmistakable changes in the young woman. "Raktagino, extra sweet and hot." The drink shimmered into existence, and Rebekka Tereb sat at her desk, studying a padd her brother had given her before she left. Hey Sis, (it read) Congrats on your promotion to Lt. I am told that you are now serving on the U*S*S Dark Hope. Sounds kinda ominous, don't you think? Then again, maybe that's why you went. Dad is still upset with me for moving out, but I think he's getting over it. In fact, I was talking to him the other day. He's the one who told me about your promotion. Why don't you ever tell me these things? I wish you would. Anyway, take care sis. Tell me the next time you'll be in space dock, and I'll make a point of being there. ????Steven???? Rebekka sat for a while, thinking about her relationship with her brother and parents. Coming to a decision, she touched the portable console each member of the Dark Hope crew had been given, hoping her brother would receive her call. "Come on, come on." She whispered to herself. Her brother's image appeared on the screen. "Sis!" Her exclaimed, surprised. "Boo." She said, throat suddenly dry. She hadn't spoken to her brother since her graduation, two years ago. "I'm glad you called. How's life on the Dark Hope?" She coughed, took a sip of her raktagino, and replied, "it's good, so far. We've only left Station Six a few days ago, but we're scheduled to be at Deep Space Nine in four days. We're going to the Gamma Quadrant. We're going to be there a few days, so I thought you might want to come down and say hi." "Sure! I'll see you there. Deep Space Nine in four. Gotcha." Rebekka looked at him for a second longer, then disconnected the channel. She lay on her bed, hands behind her head. Maybe this won't be so bad. "Approaching Deep Space Nine, captain." Rand reported from the helm. "ETA all of two minutes." Yates smiled. "Good job." "Captain, we're being hailed by the Station." "On screen, K'Latre." He pressed a button, and the Ops section of Deep Space Nine came into view, focused on a Bajoran woman at the centre. "Welcome to Deep Space Nine, Dark Hope. I'm Colonel Kira Nerys, the commanding officer of DS9. We have free docking space for you at port three. I will meet you there, and you will be briefed on you mission. DS9 out." The screen went back to it's normal stars, with the Station looming closer. "She gets to the point." Jason drawled from his seat. Sarah tried to hide a smile. "You heard the woman. Let's get docked. The sooner we're briefed, the sooner we can get out of here." "Hello again. Sorry about the abruptness before, but there was a few problems in Ops that required my attention." Kira said, extending her hand out. "That's fine, Colonel, I am captain Sarah Yates. This is my second in command, Patrick Riley, and my chief of security, Lieutenant Commander K'Latre. I'm sure we'll have more time for introductions later, but for now could we please get to the briefing?" There was a small crowd gathering, and Sarah just wanted to get going. "Of course. Out of the way!" Kira cried out, and most of the people dispersed. Rebekka looked around for Steven, but couldn't see him anywhere. "Is something the matter, lieutenant?" Barak asked quietly. "Uh, no, sir. I was just looking for someone. I'll check later to see if he's here." She replied, brushing him off somewhat. "Okay everyone. Here's the deal. We meet in briefing room four in two hours. You have the time until then to do what you want," looking at Jason she added, "within reason." "Damn." He muttered, drawing the laughs he'd hoped for. "Hello? Is anyone here?" Rebekka looked around the seemingly empty security office, puzzled. "Hello?" She stared in surprise as a shape slid from inside a bucket to form a human in front of her. "Hello." He said, laughter in his eyes. "I'm constable Odo. How can I help you?" "Uh, I was wondering, could you look up a person for me?" Odo looked her over. "What is that person's name?" He asked. "Steven Tereb. He's my brother. He told me he'd be here, and so I was wondering if you could tell me where he is." "I can." Odo replied, tuning to face the back console. After tapping it a few times he turned again. "He isn't on the Station. Looks like he couldn't make it." Rebekka felt tears threatening. "Okay, thanks constable." She turned, and half ran out of the office, bumping into a tall Cardassian. She fell down, hitting her head on the wall of Odo's office. Darkness started to come in from the corners of her vision, but she shook her head, refusing to let it. Putting a hand to her temple, she felt blood trickle through her fingers. "Dammit." She hissed, wincing in pain. The Cardassian squinted to her level. "Here, let me give you a hand. I'm so sorry about that. How many fingers am I holding up?" He asked, holding up three fingers about one meter from her eyes. "Six? No, that can't be right.uh." "Let's get you to sickbay, my dear. I think you may have a small concussion." The Cardassian put his arm around her shoulders, and helped her stand, walking her to sickbay. "Doctor! I have a patient for you!" A young man came out of his office, wielding a tricorder. "How did this happen, Garak?" He asked, helping her get to a biobed. "My friend here was in a hurry, and didn't quite see me." "Doctor?" Rebekka asked, looking at Julian. "What happened?" Julian took a dermal-regenerator, and ran it slowly over the side of her head. "First, what's you name?" Julian asked, smiling at her. "Uh, Rebekka Tereb." She replied hesitantly. Everything seemed cloudy. He changed the setting, and ran the regenerator over the wound again. "Do you know what ship you're attached to, Rebekka?" "The U*S*S Dark Hype? No, um, Dark Ho. I'm not sure, doctor." She confessed. "I think you belong to the U*S*S Dark Hope. Does that sound right?" She smiled weakly. "Yah. Dark Hope, that's it." Suddenly she remembered. "Doctor! What's the time?" She asked, sitting up. He quickly, but gently pushed her back. "Lie still, Tereb." He said to her. "You're in no condition to be leaving yet." He noticed Garak was still waiting patiently. "Oh, Garak, you can leave, if you want. Thanks for bringing her in." Garak tilted his head forward slightly, and replied, "well enough, Doctor. I shall see you on Friday, usual time, I assume." "Of course, Garak." Julian replied. Garak left, smiling to himself. "Doctor, what is the time?" Rebekka asked, this time more urgently. "It's eleven hundred hours, why?" "I'm late!" Rebekka exclaimed, trying again to sit up. She didn't get halfway before Julian stopped her again. "If you keep doing this, I'll have to restrain you." He teased. "What are you late for?" "The briefing." She replied, sleepily. Suddenly it was an effort to keep her eyes open. "I'll contact you commanding officer and let them know you can't make it." He noticed her eyes were closed, and smiled. "Can we get started?" Jason looked around. "Uh, we're missing one." He replied. "Rebekka Tereb." Marc said, closing her eyes. "She's unconscious." "What!?" Sarah half yelled. "Why." She was cut off by the chirp of her com badge. "Yates here." She snapped. "This is doctor Julian Bashir. I regret to inform you that Rebekka Tereb has had an accident, and will be unable to attend the briefing." "What happened, doctor?" Sarah asked coldly. "She was in a hurry, and hit her head. She has a mild concussion. She should be up and ready for light duty in about five hours." Sarah paced for a moment, thinking. "Thank you, doctor. I'll come to speak to you as soon as the meeting's over." "Captain. We want to be in the Gamma Quadrant by then." "I know, Rand. I'll see what I can do." Kira was watching, eyes amused. "Don't think for a second you'll get her off the station before Julian thinks she's ready. He's like that with his patients." "Dammit." Sarah said softly, thinking. She stood tall. "We better get this meeting stared, guys." It was dark. She tried to look around, then realized why she couldn't see. Painfully she opened her eyes, squinting. A figure walked over to her bed. She forced her eyes open fully. "Hey. Welcome back to the world of the living." She looked at him. "Doctor?" She asked, throat dry. "Bashir's the name. Doctor Julian Bashir." He smiled, and passed her a glass of water. "Do you remember what happened?" She stared at the wall, eyes blank for a moment. "The meeting!" She yelled suddenly. "Dammit, I'm late." She sat up, and her world spun. Gasping, she bowed her head, and put her hands behind her neck. "Easy!" Julian said, and quickly helped her back. She whimpered a little on her way back down. "What the hell happened? I feel like I've just done ten rounds with twelve Klingons, and their pet targs!" "You were in a hurry to leave constable Odo's office. You ran into my good friend Garak, and hit the floor in a hurry." "That's right, the Cardassian. Is he okay?" Julian smiled again. "Yes, he's fine." He assured her. "It's you we need to worry about." "Where's captain Yates? In need to talk to her." Julian was suddenly engrossed with a nearby padd. "Doctor?" She asked, frowning. He fidgeted. "Well, you see. uh." "Bashir, just tell me already." Rebekka snapped, impatient. "They had to leave without you." Rebekka stared at him. "What?!" She knew better than to sit up, but she was seething. "How can they just leave without one of their crewmembers?" She demanded. "We've a crew of fifteen, FIFTEEN, for the sake of the Prophet's!" Julian sighed, and pulling up a chair, he sat. "I know. But it's my fault. There's no way I'm letting you off the station unless I think you're up to it. They left five hours ago, Tereb." "Still! Our first mission, and they leave without me." She yawned. Julian smiled. "Go back to sleep. We'll find something for you to here when you wake up." "Yes, sir." She replied, smiling and closing her eyes. He stood, and walked away, pleased she'd taken the news so well. Sarah sat at her desk, sighing. She started out sorting padds, but gave up quickly. Rubbing her eyes, she walked to the replicator. "Coffee. Strong." The drink shimmered into existence, and she sat on her soft window seat. She heard the door chime, and spoke. "Come in!" She turned to face the person. "K'Latre. How can I help you?" The half Klingon look uncomfortable. "Uh, captain. I was wondering if I could change the duty rosters around so that we can get rid of the gap where Tereb should be?" "What exactly were you thinking, K'Latre?" He shifted awkwardly. "Could we have lieutenant Telek take her place, until we get her back? We have no need for medics, until we enter any battle, and Telek is a Vulcan, so he is the, uh, logical choice, captain." "I see. Where is Telek now?" "He is off duty, captain. I believe he is in the holodeck." Sarah nodded. "Very well. You may contact him with Tereb's schedule." "Thank you, captain." K'Latre replied. "Dismissed." Sarah watched as her chief of security walked out of the room. He felt the blade in his hands, testing it's weight. It felt perfect. Even after four months he still knew this particular blade. "Begin!" He said to the computer. Immediately he heard a sound behind him. Letting a mix of his training and his instinct take over, he held the blade horizontally over his head, spinning to face his first opponent. He felt the crash of blades, and brought his around, whipping it into his opponent's exposed flank. A cry to his left told him his opponent had friends. Whirling around he stabbed at his newest rival's chest. The male blocked it, and the circled each other, waiting. Finally both attacked at the same time, and he was lost in the fast-paced struggle. "Computer, pause." A fourth person spoke, and his rival stood still, about to make the fatal blow. K'Latre inspected the scene of two Nausicans, and a Vulcan, all brandishing bladed weapons. He looked at Telek's blade the longest. Finally he spoke, "this is not a Vulcan blade. This is Bajoran." "Indeed." Was the reply. "Do you require my assistance?" K'Latre nodded slowly. "Yes. The captain and I would appreciate it if you would Tereb's shift until her return. Your duties in sickbay would be temporarily suspended, unless an emergency arises where they need you." Telek thought for a moment before agreeing. "That is a good idea, lieutenant commander." K'Latre passed the Vulcan a padd. "This is her schedule." He paused for a moment. "Would you like some real competition?" He asked. "That would be acceptable." K'Latre smiled, flashing white teeth. "Good. I will be back soon." He left. Telek began the program again. "So when can I do something to help?" "When you're ready." "When's that?" "When I say it is." Julian was getting somewhat sick of this conversation. "And when the hell will that be?" He looked at her, losing patience quickly. "I'm beginning to think the sooner the better!" He snapped. It had been a long night. Someone had rigged an explosive in the promenade, and there had been many casualties, and a few deaths, including four Bajoran children whom Julian had worked hard to save. If there was one thing he hated more than writing out death certificates, it was writing children's death certificates. He hadn't slept for twenty nine hours, and he still had seven people, including three more children, in critical condition. Rebekka bit her lip. She'd been woken by the screams of children, and Bashir's crisp orders. Since then she'd watched Bashir save and lose patients, his posture stooping lower and voice tighter every time he lost one. There were dark circles around his eyes, and Tereb didn't miss the fact he'd been awake for over twenty five hours. "I'm sorry, doctor." Julian just walked away. He couldn't deal with her now. He knew she just wanted to help, but she wasn't ready yet, and he wasn't going to put her at risk by letting her do tasks he could do. He sat at his desk, with every intention to finish the paper work. The next thing he knew there was someone next to him, shaking him. "Doctor! Wake up!" His eyes snapped open. "Tereb? Shouldn't." "Not now! One of you patients." He ran past her to a child who was having seizures. He grabbed a hypospray off a tray, and put it against the girl's neck. "Come on, come on." he whispered as the drug entered the child's system. When there was no effect, he tried again. Once more there was no response. Frustrated, he slammed his hand against a blank console. The glass shattered, and Bashir looked down, trying to blink back angry tears. Tereb looked at him, unsure of what to do. One of the nurses came up to him, and put a hand on his shoulder. He pushed her off, and went back to his office. "Captain, getting something on long-range sensors." "Can you be a little more specific, K'Latre?" "It is a. Dominion vessel, captain." Sarah glanced at Riley, who shrugged. "Okay then. That is what we set out to find, remember." "We didn't expect to find them so soon, though, captain." Rand pointed out. "Maybe they're making it easy for us." Tarra offered. Rand shook his head. "Not the Dominion." "You sound like you speak from experience." Tarra commented. He turned to face her, and said simply, "I do have experience," he replied before turning back around. There was silence on the bridge for a second, then Yates spoke up. "Okay, we know the plan. Let's do it, folks. The sooner it's done the sooner we can get back to Tereb." Julian felt terrible. He'd let five innocent children die in his sickbay, brushed off one form of help, and pushed away another. He sat at his office, staring blankly at a padd, not really seeing what was written there. He should be in his quarters sleeping, but he knew that if he tried those children would come back to him. They always did. That was the part of being a doctor no one mentioned before he started his studies at the Academy. The helplessness you felt when people just died for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The pain that stabbed your heart when you watched someone just slip away. The guilt you felt when you were a doctor the couldn't heal all your patients. And the insomnia that came with everything else. "Doctor?" Bashir jumped, and dropped the padd. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Julian regained his composure. "That's fine, lieutenant. How can I help you?" Rebekka regarded him carefully. "When can I start duties on DS9?" He blinked. "Uh, let. let me see." He fumbled for a tricorder, and scanned her. "You're fine. Ah, light duty will be better than normal duty for the next few hours." "That's good." She waited for a second, then realizing he wasn't going to continue, asked, "who do I see?" "Oh, right!" Julian jumped up. "Colonel Kira. She's in charge of the station. Do you know how to get to Ops?" Rebekka knew, but wanted the doctor to leave sickbay for at least a few minutes. "No, could you show me?" She asked. He frowned. "Ah, I guess. Jabara, I'll be back in a minute." He called to the nurse. She nodded, and smiled at Rebekka in silent thanks. Tereb smile back. She'd made friends with the nurse, and had promised to return later. "Dominion vessel, this is the Federation star ship, the U*S*S Dark Hope. We are on a peaceful mission. Do you read?" Sarah paced for a moment. "Are they responding?" "No, captain. They are ignoring us." Yates rolled her eyes. "Typical. Open the channel, lieutenant." "Channel open, captain." Sarah took a breath. "Dominion vessel. We are sending you information regarding the current situation in the Alpha Quadrant." She paused. "Still no response, captain." Suddenly a Vorta appeared on the screen. "I am the Vorta Redal of the Dominion vessel cheH*." His eyes narrowed upon seeing Rand, but he didn't speak. Jason, meanwhile, had turned pale, and clasped his hands together so Redal wouldn't see them shaking. "Thank you for responding, Redal. The war is over." He looked at her. "You expect me to believe that?" "No. We have already sent you information confirming that the Federation has indeed won the war. If you still don't believe, you may accompany us to the Alpha Quadrant."

*cheH means 'defect' in Klingon. The Vorta frowned. "Give us thirty of your minutes to review this 'information'." Sarah nodded, and Tarra closed the link. "Thoughts, people?" She asked, turning to face her crew. "Most Vorta can be quite reasonable." Jason said slowly, thinking. "Maybe." "Maybe what?" Sarah prompted. Jason shook his head. "No. Nothing, captain." Sarah frowned, but let it go, for now. "Okay, anyone else then?" "We wait." Riley suggested. "Maybe Redal will be reasonable." Jason raised his eyebrows, and swung back to face his console. "Tarra?" Sarah asked. Tarra smiled a little guiltily. "I'm fresh out of the Academy. Everything I know of the Dominion is what's being taught there. I haven't had any personal experience." "Any thoughts, though?" "I think, like any sentient being, the Vorta is able to use judgment. In this case, he should be able to see that we have superior weaponry, and no reason to lie. Generally speaking, that should be enough for him to come back with us." "It won't be good enough for Redal." Jason said, turning to face the crew. "Oh?" Sarah asked, sitting down. Jason smiled grimly. "When I was an ensign, one week out of the Academy, the ship I was serving on, commanded by my father, was ambushed by a Dominion fighter. The cheH. Our ship was destroyed, I escaped via shuttle. But they caught me. I was. a little.uh. insubordinate to their Vorta, Redal. One of the Jem'Hadar took pity on me, would you believe, and helped me escape." He laughed bitterly. "He didn't survive. Anyway, Redal just saw me here, so there's no way he'll let me go again. Sorry." "It's not your fault, Jase. We'll find a way to get him to come with us." As K'Latre entered the holodeck a second time he caught sight of Telek locked in a strength battle. It was obvious the Vulcan would lose. "End." Telek ground out through clenched teeth. "Computer, load program Telek four. Begin." A large arena surrounded them, and they drew close. K'Latre brought his weapon up and around, slashing at the Vulcan's chest. He was blocked, and Telek continued through to deliver a blow of his own to the half Klingon. K'Latre stepped back, and to the side, letting the blade past him, and hearing the noise it made through the air. Quickly he delivered a soft, but effective side kick to the Vulcan's knees. Surprised, Telek dropped his weapon, leaving a gap for K'Latre to put the tip of his blade to his throat. Telek raised his hands. "I yield." K'Latre nodded, and took the blade away. "You are an experienced fighter." Telek noted, retrieving his blade and examining it for possible damage. "I was trained by the Imperial Guard from when I was four. They did not accept failure. I learned from an early age to do well and practice hard." "Were you trained in hand-to-hand combat?" He asked. K'Latre grinned. "I was. In fact, I know a program you might like. Computer, begin program 'K'Latre Tsukanse'." A smaller arena appeared, as did several things that looked like hand guards. K'Latre passed over a few to Telek. "Here, put these on." He continued talking as he strapped on his. "The point of this game is to hit your opponent where these," he pointed to parts of the strap, "are. It will hurt, mind you. Every time you get his sends an electrical current through your body." "Are you ready?" Telek nodded. "Begin!" They circled each other, testing each other's patience. K'Latre attacked first. "Here is Ops. I think you can take it from here." Rebekka looked at Julian. "Doctor. From one lieutenant to another, I'm ordering you to go to your quarters immediately, and sleep. If you're in sickbay when I return you won't like the consequences." He looked at her, dark eyes wide. "Yes, ma'am." He replied. She nodded, and walked over to Kira's office, leaving a surprised Julian behind her. Once he'd gone, she tapped her com badge. "Tereb to Jabara. Success!" "Good job. Talk to you later, Jabara out." Kira smiled when she heard that. "Hi, I take it you're Tereb." "Yes, sir." Rebekka replied, standing at attention. "Lieutenant. Fortunately I'm not in Star Fleet, thereby bound by their rules. I like some respect, but I'm not your sir." Rebekka smiled. "That's a relief." "I understand you're attached to the Dark Hope security. Do you want to work with constable Odo? We're a little short handed around here for a change, and he'd like a dependable deputy for a few days until his normal one gets back." "Yeh, sure. I think I remember where his office is, thanks." Tereb nodded, and left. She walked casually past sickbay, glancing in momentarily. Satisfied that Julian was not still working she continued to the constable's office. "Hello again." A cheerful voice said behind her. It was the Cardassian. "Oh, hi." She replied, unsure of what to say. It wasn't a problem, because the Cardassian continued, "how are you feeling? I trust you are well, otherwise the good doctor wouldn't have let you leave." "Uh, yes, I'm fine, thank you." The Cardassian extended his hand. "I'm Garak, I own the tailor shop just around the corner. Maybe you would like to come in and have a look sometime?" "Sure. I have to see constable Odo right now, but later definitely." Now that they had been properly introduced she could talk to him. He smiled. "I look forward to it." He walked away, whistling. Rebekka watched him go, amused. "Hello again." A rough voice said. "Oh, constable. Hi. I've been told that I'm your new deputy until your usual gets back." He nodded. "Good. Follow me." They walked the short distance to Odo's office in somewhat uncomfortable silence. "Have you discovered who placed the bomb yet, constable?" He sighed. "No, not yet. We have only three likely suspects, but they all have alibis that check out." Tereb nodded, thinking. "Who are they?" She asked. "A mixed lot. Luther Alistair, a Human. Kurd, a Klingon and Rewto, a Ferengi." Rebekka raised her eyebrows. "Any connections?" "Just one. Luther and Kurd were seen talking at Quark's one hour before the explosion. One witness says she saw Quark talk to Luther suspiciously, but I know Quark, and he's always suspicious, so I won't follow that lead yet." Tereb nodded. "What do we have on this Luther?" By that time they had reached Odo's office, and were seated. Odo brought up a screen, and swiveled it to face her. Tereb whistled. "He's known." She commented. "He's got a few connections here and there. Convicted twice on charges of theft, once for supplying the Maquis with illegal weapons. Suspected four times for murder, charges were dropped on lack of evidence." She read aloud. Odo nodded. "Where is he now?" "He's on his ship. Naturally no ships can come or go until this is sorted out, so he's here, same as the others." Tereb nodded. "What about the Ferengi, Rewto?" "Nothing. Clean file." Tereb frowned. "Then why is he on the suspect list?" "He was seen having covert discussions with other people, who had the means to do this. Plus, he used to live here, back in the days of the Occupation. When the Federation came he lost everything in the initial attacks. Now he blames Star Fleet for his life being such a mess." "I see. So vengeance factor. And Kurd?" "Because of Luther. He is suspected of being instrumental at the most." Tereb nodded. "I see. And where's he?" Odo smiled crookedly. "In the brig." "We have reviewed this 'proof', captain. And we find it a fake. You will surrender your ship to the Dominion Empire immediately." Yates smiled coldly. "We thought you'd say that, Redal. So we brought a surprise. It's called, 'superior shields and firepower.' I'm sure you would have noticed it already. Care to try it?" Redal's eyes hardened. "Do not try me, Yates. You will surrender now, or be destroyed." "This is your last warning, Redal. The Dominion no longer exists. You are fighting a lost battle." "I will never surrender to the Federation!" The screen went blank, and Yates called for shields up. Before K'Latre could comply five Jem'Hadar soldiers materialized, surrounding the helm, and Jason Rand. One of them, the ship's First, looked at Jason, and smiled, showing teeth. "Hello again." Jason bit his tongue to stop anything he might have the urge to say in response, and turned his head. The First turned his back on Jason, and faced the captain. "Surrender or he dies!" "Captain, don't listen to him! Even if you surrender Redal won't let me go again. Don't surrender because." The First swung his energy weapon across Jason's mouth, drawing blood and silencing him. "Well, captain? Your answer?" K'Latre had been the only officer fast enough to draw a weapon when they'd first beamed on. Now he wasn't sure what to do. Was it worth the risk to try to shoot the First? "What are the conditions?" The First came close to laughing. "You surrender. That is the condition." Sarah thought about it. "One other condition. We go to the Alpha Quadrant. If the war is over, you let us go, and we take you to Star Fleet. If we're lying then you'll soon know." "Lower your shield, Human. We will take him back with us," he pointed to Jason, "and we will tell the Vorta your 'condition'." "K'Latre, lower the shields." Sarah said quietly, not taking her eyes off Jason. The Klingon frowned. "Captain." "That was an order, lieutenant commander." Yates said in a deadly tone. K'Latre stabbed several buttons. "Shields are down, captain." The First smiled again, and the five Jem'Hadar, and Rand, disappeared. Sarah closed her eyes. "I will not lose a crewmember on my first mission." She whispered to herself. "No, you won't." Riley replied. Sarah's head jerked up. "I'm sorry. I hadn't realized I'd spoken aloud." She stood. "Tarra, put me on ship wide com, please." "Com line open." Sarah paused for a moment. "All hands, this is the captain. One of our crewmembers has been taken hostage by the Dominion vessel. We will, I repeat, we will get lieutenant commander Jason Rand back. In the meantime, Kal Sey please report to the bridge. That is all. Yates out." She sat back down, and less than fifteen seconds had passed when Kal exited the turbolift and sat at the helm silently. "Thank you, Sey." He replied without turning. "You are welcome, captain." Sarah crossed her legs, and tried not to appear impatient. "We meet again, Rand." "It would seem so." The Vorta leaned in close to where Jason was sitting. "So, is it true? Have we really lost the war?" "Yes, Redal, it is. You lost the war, quite pathetically too. Where have you been?" Redal smiled, though it reminded Jason of a 'smiling' Klingon. "Busy."



DARK HOPE CONCEPT BY LAURA DE LA PAZ
PARAMOUNT AND VIACOM OWNS STAR TREK, AND ALL ITS CHARACTERS, INCLUDING JULIAN BASHIR, GARAK AND ODO AND KIRA, I OWN MY CHARACTERS AND THE USS DARK
HOPE.