Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I in any way profiting from, Star Trek Deep Space Nine. I'm just borrowing it for a bit.

Chapter 9

Kalaran possessed an eerily mild temper. It had kept her alive more often than not. Thus she managed to smile politely when she called all of the Jem'hadar on the ship to the bridge for what she termed "an inconvenient item of business."

Odo stood behind her, allowing the Vorta to handle things. Weyoun also kept discreetly out of the way.

"I'm afraid we have a slight problem," Kalaran said apologetically. "Somehow, Laas knows all of our movements. He even seems to know that we've caught on to his monitoring of our transmissions. It's like he has ears inside this very ship."

"There must be a traitor among us," growled Fifth Shik'itab.

"Indeed, we feared that may be the case. I really did hope that no one on this ship could possibly break his vow of loyalty to Odo, and in effect sell out the future of his own kind. What should be done with the traitor if we uncover his identity?"

"He should be killed," Third Hin'kotar declared. Many of the others voiced their agreement.

"That's what the Dominion has always done with traitors," Kalaran agreed. "But are we not working for a new Dominion? One ruled by justice and cooperation and freedom? Would a summary execution be in line with such a vision?"

She was answered by uncomfortable silence.

Kalaran walked over to First Jolin'yobek. "What do you think, First? What should be done with the one who betrayed us?"

The First stared forward. He answered, sounding ashamed, "The only law I have ever known demands that traitors be executed. I know of no other way. I defer to Odo in this judgment, as in all things."

"You really feel that way?" Kalaran stated, her lips curling upward slightly. "Then you must be very dedicated to Laas, if you were willing to give your life for him."

Jolin'yobek's neck swiveled. He stared at her intensely. Every other Jem'hadar in the room had a weapon trained on him. "What are you implying, Vorta?"

"That we know you're the traitor." She stared right back at him with no trace of fear or anger. "You see, there is no base in the Eka'gar system."

Odo stepped forward. "First Jolin'yobek, you're hereby demoted to Tenth. Furthermore, you will no longer be allowed to carry a weapon, or be privy to the decisions made on this ship." He addressed the entire audience. "If, and only if, Tenth Jolin'yobek endangers this ship or the life of anyone on it, he is to be stopped or killed. Second Rinak'vaka, you are now the First."

Rinak'vaka bowed, then stripped away Jolin'yobek's weapons.

Kira couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right, like something was out of place or missing. It was making her restless. She had the feeling that she could fix it, if she only figured out what was troubling her. It could have been the continued elusiveness of the nairait. She had been closely following the news from both Starfleet Security and Starfleet Medical, and all she had seen were reports of mysterious deaths and disappearances, mostly in the politically-troubled Romulan Empire, where mysterious deaths and disappearances were common during the best of times.

Or it could have been Taran'atar's…she wasn't sure weather to call it a rescue or kidnapping. After it happened, she'd sent a message to Dominion space addressed to Odo, but she had no way of knowing if it had reached him.

Arkra Woidil entered the office unannounced. "Captain," he said uncertainly, "I know I should have discussed this with Ro first, but under the circumstances I decided to take it directly to you."

"Take what directly to me?"

Arkra fidgeted nervously. "Lieutenant Bez suggested that the traffic in the Badlands could represent a new Marquis threat. Ro already decided that it didn't concern the security of this station, but I decided to take another look at it. I asked a colleague in the Bajoran Militia to infiltrate them."

"Why didn't you ask me first?" Kira asked. It bothered her to have someone circumvent her authority, even someone she trusted as much as Arkra.

"I…didn't want Lieutenant Ro to find out."

Kira nodded imperceptibly. "Because she used to be in the Marquis."

"No," Arkra negated. "Because I didn't want her to find out I was questioning her judgment."

Kira didn't know whether that constituted insubordination. She decided she'd give it some thought later. "What did your mole discover?"

He looked at her directly in the eyes, more serious than she had ever seen him before. And that was saying a lot. "That there is a new group calling themselves the Marquis, but they're not after the Cardassians this time."

"Who are they after?"

"The Dominion."

Nshevalth was nearly ready to close her shop for the night when she had a visitor.

"What can I do for you?" she asked tightly.

"Get your grubby paws off my market," Quark replied.

Nshevalth tried hard to make her smile appear polite, rather than mocking. "I'm sorry, am I taking away your customers?"

"We both know what you're doing. By dealing in Federation credits instead of gold-pressed latinum, like any sensible businessperson, you're undermining the whole point of capitalism."

"Has it not occurred to you that people appreciate a little diversity in their holoprograms? Sometimes people need a break from the rather monolithic genre options you offer them." She allowed her smile to lose whatever politeness she'd managed to squeeze into it.

"You're a conniving, vindictive woman, and I really wish you had gone into business with me, instead of against me."

"That's quite a compliment. Too bad you didn't offer me that possibility."

"Yeah, too bad," he mumbled as his eyes wandered across the countertop. Then he shot his gaze directly at her. "So how much is it going to cost me?"

"How much is what going to cost you?" she asked, examining her hands in a show of unconcern.

"For you to get out of the holosuite business. You can keep the café…"

In the same tone she would use to ask him to speak up, she inquired, "I'm sorry, are you threatening me?"

"Me? No. I just…was hoping we could let bygones be bygones. I believe we've both learned a lot from this little demonstration…"

"I don't believe I've learned a thing, though I trust you've learned not to cross a Tzenkethi."

"I hope you don't think I'm here solely to protect my own interests. I'm concerned about you. You have no idea how dangerous it can be to run a business on this station…you don't even know who's going to be in charge from one week to the next…"

Nshevalth placed her hands on the counter and leaned forward, towering over the Ferengi. "Quark," she said, "have you ever seen what a Breen looks like underneath its environmental suit?"

"N-no."

"Trust me when I tell you that nothing you can say is going to intimidate me."

Someone else entered. "Is he giving you problems, Nshevalth?" Kira asked.

Nshevalth stood up straight. "No. We just had a little something to discuss, but I think we've worked it out. Right, Quark?"

He nodded, then hurried to leave. Kira nearly laughed at the expression on his face.

"That's Quark," she said when he was out of earshot. "Devious, but easily intimidated. Are you closed already?"

"Yes, but if you want something I'll make it for you."

"I'd like a raktajino with Bardeezan spice cream, if you don't mind."

Nshevalth went to work on the order. "Anticipating a late night?" she asked sympathetically.

Kira responded with a noncommittal "Mm," then elaborated. "I've learned to recognize the nights when I might as well not even try to sleep."

"Insomnia?"

"It comes with the job," she said with a shrug.

Nshevalth handed her the raktajino. "Quite frankly, I wonder about the sanity of people who willingly assume leadership responsibilities. No offense…"

"Believe me, I didn't want this position," Kira said, "but somebody has to do it." She sipped her drink and Nshevalth fell silent, recognizing that her customer needed time to think. "What does 'imzadi' mean?" Kira asked abruptly.

"It's a Betazoid word. It refers to a loved one…something like 'dearest' or 'beloved', but for a Betazoid the relationship denoted by the word imzadi is a kind of telepathic connection, a closeness that few other species can even comprehend."

"A connection," Kira repeated. "Do they believe that an imzadi can be part of someone's destiny?"

"I suppose so. They definitely believe that this connection exists even before two people meet each other, that the connection draws them together."

"Do the Tzenkethi have any belief like that?"

"To an extent," she answered slowly. "It depends on who you ask. The ancient poet and philosopher Omthaja wrote 'Love is the realization that a piece of you was taken away and hidden within someone else'. But most modern Tzenkethi scoff at the suggestion that there is a 'the one'. Rather, they believe you should seek out someone you not only love, but can stand to be with for a long time and under difficult circumstances. They don't often overlap." Nshevalth examined Kira's thoughtful expression, then continued. "Even though they don't believe people are destined to meet and fall in love, the Tzenkethi do understand that love is a powerful force. They emphasize in history books how it influences the course of events. In fact, Tzenketh was united when a young scion of a clan of marauders fell in love with a princess of the Churangi Archipelago and conquered the continent of Yotketh in an effort to impress her. When she saw what he accomplished in her name, she fell in love with him—or at least found it politically expedient to pretend to. So she murdered her family and married him, and together they conquered and ruled the rest of the planet."

"How romantic," Kira said with a wince. Then her lips twisted into a smile. "That does explain a lot about Tzenkethi politics."

Nshevalth smiled back. "The comment I made about insanity and leadership goes doubly for the Tzenkethi. I would even go as far as to say people who pursue leadership positions on Tzenketh have to be at least slightly suicidal."

They smiled a moment longer, then grew serious. Kira gazed thoughtfully into her cup, Nshevalth looked thoughtfully at Kira. "I heard about you and Odo," she said quietly. "It must have been hard to let him go. I'm sorry. For both of you."

"Everyone is," Kira mumbled. She didn't look away from the creamy orange swirls on the surface of her raktajino. "When I took him back to his people, I was ready to never see him again," she admitted. "Even before that, long before that, I got used to the idea that I wouldn't be with him forever. When I learned he was dying…I'm not saying it wasn't painful; I'd watched lovers die in front of me before, and I didn't want to lose him the same way. But when everyone you love dies, you kind of get used to it…You come to expect that the person you're with won't be around for long, and you get used to the idea, or you can never let yourself get close to anyone. That's the way it was during the occupation: mourning meshed seamlessly with business as usual. It was just a fact of life. But with Odo…I was expecting to lose him, but I didn't. I thought it would be the same as if he died, that I would just move on in my life. But I know he's still there. He's still…here." She chuckled without smiling. "That doesn't make any sense."

"It makes perfect sense," Nshevalth said. "You still love him. You probably will have that link to him until one of you dies. It doesn't mean it was wrong for him to leave you, or that you should drop everything to be with him. And it doesn't mean you can't be with someone else, if you feel so inclined. But whatever bond you had with him is still there, and it makes you stronger. It makes you happy."

She realized Nshevalth spoke from personal experience. "You're right. I only wish I knew he felt the same way."

"You could ask him," she suggested.

Kira looked up, cocking her head to the side, wondering if Nshevalth had picked up any telepathy from being married to a Betazoid. "Can I ask your opinion on something? If you thought the man you loved was in danger, but you had absolutely no idea what you could do about it, and trying to rescue him could possibly put him in more danger, would you try anyway?"

"If I tried to save him and failed, at least I would know that I did try. If I did nothing, and he died…I don't think I could live with the guilt."

Kira nodded, put down her quarter-empty raktajino, and walked out. She went directly to Ops, left instructions transferring command of the station temporarily to Commander Vaughn, then got in a runabout.

The airlock door swished open, and in walked a petite, striking Klingon woman with short cropped hair and a youthfulness that belied her reputation.

"Doctor Grek, I presume," Bashir greeted her, extending his hand in welcome.

"Doctor Bashir, I have been anticipating this day for many years. It an honor to finally meet you." She shook his hand vigorously.

"The honor is mine," he insisted. "I loved your paper on Hrajoloan cometary plasmodia. Superb work. Very innovative."

"I'm inured to flattery, Doctor," she said with a modest smile. "I just hope my work will shed some light on this 'nairait' I keep hearing about."

"Yes. When we spoke earlier, you said something about finding a possible nairait reference in a Klingon scientific survey report? Perhaps you can tell me more on our way to my lab?"

"Of course. The report I referred to was written by a xenobiologist on a Klingon survey ship seven years ago. They were on a long-term mission on the far side of Klingon space. They found an unknown gel-like material on a meteoroid. It had properties unlike anything they'd ever seen before. They took a small sample to the lab, and it started acting…alive. It was not carbon based. In fact, they had significant trouble identifying its exact chemical composition, as it was resistant to scans. Then it disappeared from the lab. They later discovered it had infected the medic, and they were forced to vent the medic and two other crewmembers into space in order to save the ship."

They reached Bashir's lab. "That's a lot more information than we've had to go on. I would be very interested in reading that report myself."

"I'll make sure it's sent to you," Dr. Grek said. "Meanwhile, I'd like to see the transmission rate speculations you've come up with."

Bashir already had a PADD with the requested information. He handed it to her. "Frightening, isn't it?" he mumbled. "Most mind-controlling parasites give some physical indication of their presence in their host—chemical signatures, protrusions, mass differentials, something! But this…just seems invisible."

"Parasitism is a remarkably successful evolutionary adaptation," Grek remarked. "What interests me most about this is that it's so…non-biological. It's as strange as if a cloud of positronium started acting sentient."

A horrible thought occurred to him: the far side of the Klingon Empire was well into the Beta Quadrant; the pattern of possible nairait infections was advancing from the Beta into the Alpha Quadrant; the coordinates where Kira had sent her distress call were even deeper in the Beta Quadrant. What if the species she was trying to contact—the species that, according to her vision, defeated the nairait once before—had already been conquered by it?

Then what hope was there for them?