4
Kira entered the infirmary and found Bashir waiting for her.
"How's she doing, doctor?", the captain asked.
"She's responding very well to the treatments," Bashir replied with a smile. "Another two weeks and we'll be finished."
Kira smiled as well.
"Good. Can I talk to her?"
"Of course. We finished about ten minutes ago. She's just resting now."
"Come with me," Kira said.
Bashir led her into the small room where Tareina was resting on a bed, her head elevated slightly, her hands folded over her stomach. She smiled when she saw the captain.
In the week that she had been here, Kira had noticed a remarkable transformation. Tareina was happier and far more relaxed. Bashir's treatments seemed to agree with her, and Kira was pleased to know that by the time the doctor was done, Tareina would age a year and two months for every Cardassian year. It was a close thing, and certainly better than aging twice as fast.
"Hello, Captain," the girl said, smiling at them.
"Hello, Tareina," Kira replied. She held out a datapad toward the young woman.
"What is it?", Tareina asked, accepting it.
"While we were working out how to keep you alive without Terak knowing, Garak was working on getting you a new identity. As far as the Cardassian government is concerned, Tareina Adat died last week in an attack on a military vessel. But Taranna Deram has been alive for fourteen years and living in the Union with her family all of her life. She's never been into Federation space, or to DS9. Read it."
Tareina did so, looked up at the Colonel quickly, a stunned expression on her face. Kira understood; family was paramount in Cardassian culture. For two Cardassians to take on the guise of parents to a girl they had never met was almost unheard of.
"Garak has requested that you undergo some cosmetic surgery to make you look more like your mother. Doctor Bashir can do that easily, once your aging treatments are done."
Tareina was grinning broadly, gripping the pad in her hands as if it would disappear otherwise.
"Of course," she agreed.
"I'll need some images of her," Bashir said, looking surprised, but pleased.
"You'll get them," Kira promised. But it would not be much work; Kira didn't know where Garak had found Alath and Eraas Deram, or how long he had known them, but they were an amazing find. Tareina already looked enough like Alath that she could have passed as the woman's daughter and only a small number of people would notice the differences. With minor surgery, Tareina would go unquestioned as Alath's child.
When Kira had seen the arrangements Garak had made, she had promised herself that if he ever asked her for anything, no matter how difficult or risky his request, she would see that he got it. She knew that he was still Garak, and would lie to her if it suited his needs, but in this, he had her complete trust. There were very few Cardassians who would be willing to go to such lengths for someone they didn't know. Garak had taken a substantial risk involving himself at all, when he could have so easily turned a blind eye to the actions of his subordinates.
"I don't know how to thank you," Tareina said.
"You don't have to," Kira replied with a smile. "We're happy to do what we can."
"Besides," Bashir said, "You do deserve this."
"How long before we go?", the girl asked.
"You have a couple more weeks before we're finished with the treatments," Bashir replied. "So that long at least." He gave Kira a questioning look and she nodded.
"Garak said to give it about a month. I've been staying in contact with him, and he'll let us know when to go."
The girl nodded, still smiling.
"In the meantime," Bashir said, "You've got to get some rest."
"All right," Tareina agreed, still clutching the datapad, as if it were the most precious thing she owned.
Kira smiled at her before she and the doctor left and the girl grinned back. There she was, holding onto her new life, a life Dukat and his people had tried to deny her. A life Terak had unknowingly handed her when he had chased her into Federation space and brought Kira, and through her, Garak, into a chase that was supposed to be kept from his government.
This new life was no less than what she deserved.
