Star Trek: Absolution

Chapter VII: Old Foes, New Friends

Jake Sisko materialized on the surface of Bajor with a traveling bag slung over one shoulder. He took a good look around at the beautiful green valley located in the Kendra province just south of the Yolja river. He could hear water trickling through a small creek somewhere nearby and saw a fancy new house just off to his right. Taking a deep breath of fresh air on the world his father had come to love as much as his own, he slowly began walking toward the house. He paused at the base of a large tree, glancing upward into its blossoming branches. Jake absently scratched his head as he decided whether or not to pick one of the large golden-orange fruits hanging above him.

"You don't have to worry… they're safe to eat," said someone reassuringly from behind him. Jake turned with a big smile lighting his face, grinning at the woman and the small girl beside her that he hadn't seen in far too long.

"Kasidy!" he said excitedly, running over and hugging her tightly. "How have you been?"

"Oh Laura and I are doing quite fine thank you," Sisko's wife replied sincerely. She ruffled his short-cut dark hair with a smile. "It's a good thing I don't sit around waiting for you to visit, that's for sure. I'd be a pretty lonely woman by now." She pointed at the tree he had been studying. "That's a Moba tree," she said with a smirk. "I don't know why, but your father loves them. Personally, I think the fruit on them tastes terrible!"

"How are you, Laura?" Jake asked, bending down to hug his little sister.

"Fine," she replied casually, playing with one of the blue ribbons in her dark hair. "I'm going to be three years old soon," she said, holding up three fingers proudly.

"Good for you," Jake said, picking Laura up and hugging her tighter. She wore a smooth white summer dress with colorful flowers printed all over it. Taking her small hands in his, he suddenly began swinging her around in circles, laughing as the young girl squealed with delight.

Kasidy happily watched them, tossing aside the garden tool she had been working with. She brushed dirt off the light coveralls she was wearing and put her hands on her hips. "It was very nice of you to come, Jake."

"I'm thinking of this as a working vacation," he replied. "I'm doing a biography of Dad's life and I need to interview you and General Kira to get some different points of view. You both got a pretty close look at him – how he thinks, what he believes in."

"You've got that part right," Kasidy said as distant memories suddenly seemed much closer again. "For a well-trained Starfleet Captain he certainly retained his impulsive nature. I remember the day he told me he bought 12 hecapates of land on Bajor just like it was yesterday." She glanced at him mischievously. "Before I forget my manners, why don't you come into the house and stay for awhile. If I know you, you're probably hungry and I've got leftovers from supper in the refrigerator."

"That sounds like a great idea," Jake said, turning and walking with the pair toward the house. "You keep having more rooms added on all the time – the look of the place has really changed," he said. "It looks like the perfect home for a family. Are you here a lot?"

"Not nearly as much as I'd like to be," Kasidy decided, opening the front door and ushering Jake inside. "Your father talked about retiring here someday and using it as a part time home in the meantime. That's kind of what I've been doing." She looked down at Laura. "We only live here some of the time, right honey?"

"Right," said Laura cheerfully. "The rest of the time we have to make the cargo runs."

"Oh, that's classic!" Jake chuckled. "My little sister… the cargo crewman."

"Hey, when she walks onto my bridge the entire crew snaps to attention," Kasidy insisted. "Our ship has the most talented ladies in the sector, if I don't mind saying so myself – and I don't." She pointed at Jake's feet. "Off with the shoes young man, the carpet is still new."

"You haven't changed a bit," Jake laughed, lowering his duffel bag to the floor. "Do I get my usual room or was it one of the casualties during your last rebuilding project?"

"Yes, you get your usual room!" Kasidy said with mild amusement. "And if you don't like the living arrangements here you can go beg Commander Hazelton for your old quarters back on Deep Space Nine." She threw up her hands in mock irritation and paused for a moment, remembering. "I wouldn't want to go and change anything while you're light years away and living on Earth. "How is your grandfather, by the way?"

"Still the same old Grandpa Joe," Jake decided. "Although I have to say he has really surprised me this past year. He's actually letting some of the part time cooks take on more responsibility in the restaurant. They're actually having to work for a living these days."

"You don't say," said Kasidy with a bit of surprise. "I'll bet he still taste checks every dish before it gets served, though."

"You know it," chuckled an amused Jake. "There are some things that he will never let go of." They moved into the well-furnished kitchen area on the ground floor and Kasidy began taking several chilled dishes out of the large refrigerator near one of the windows. A shaft of dwindling evening sunlight was still splashed across the floor in front of the table. Pulling out a chair, Jake helped Laura into it and then sat down in a second chair.

"So how was your trip to Bajor?" she asked, scooping food onto a plate for her stepson. "I still have my sources you know, and I heard you got to travel on board the Enterprise."

"That's right," said the younger Sisko. "You wouldn't believe how big that ship is. I got the red carpet tour and everything – it's beautiful!"

"What is Captain Picard like?"

"He's a lot shorter than I thought he would be," decided Jake after thinking for a bit. "With all the stories we hear about all of these great Starfleet Captains, I kind of expected him to be larger than life." He shrugged and began shuffling food around on his plate. "He's just a regular guy, but if you talk to him for any length of time you know why he's in command of that ship. He's got the same super-strong personality that Dad has… and a tough mission ahead of him. The Enterprise stopped by just long enough to drop me off."

"General Kira heard from your father today," Kasidy said suddenly.

"Really?" Jake's expression lit up with emotion and he pushed the plate aside. "What did he say? Is he coming back?"

"He didn't say for certain whether it's a permanent thing or not," Kasidy said with a sigh. "But he did tell her that he was glad you were coming and that we should both expect a visit."

"That's great!" Jake said enthusiastically, reaching over and hugging Kasidy. "I can't wait to see what he thinks of all the changes you've made to his original house design."

"Hey," she said warningly. "If he expects to be included in the decision making process around this house then he has to start showing up for the family meetings."

"Well I'm here," Jake said. "And I'm planning on staying a little longer this time… probably until you get tired of having me around and kick me out." He watched her reaction and laughed again, then grabbed the plate of food and began eating.

Once the Enterprise completed a successful docking at one of Deep Space Nine's upper pylons, Picard and Janeway were the first to pass through the airlock. They enthusiastically shook hands with both General Kira and Commander Patrick Hazelton, the latter being a sandy-haired confident fellow with a twinkle in his brown eyes. The Captain quickly introduced Geordi, Riker, Troi and Dr. Crusher before noticing that a formal presentation for Worf was completely unnecessary. Obviously, the large Klingon had a lot of friends on the station, too.

"Welcome back to DS9!" said Ezri with a big smile, rushing eagerly forward to hug him. Julian Bashir also stepped forward and said hello, making sure to quickly register an inquiry about the O'Brien's back on Earth.

"I have been on the Klingon homeworld for much of my spare time this past year and have thus not heard from the Chief recently," he replied.

"Miles does keep in touch with us once in a while," Geordi commented, also responding to Bashir's question. "From what I've heard he's been pretty busy with his new teaching career, but he did send me a message on Molly's last birthday. He's doing very well, and so are Keiko and the kids!"

"I probably hear more from him than all of you combined," Kira said triumphantly. "After all, I am Molly and little Kirayoshi's Aunt Nerys!"

Glancing at the General, Janeway smiled in admiration. "I've been doing a lot of reading on the way out here, and I must say – you and Commander Hazelton have laid out quite an agenda," she said to Kira. "All we have to do is process Bajor's latest petition for Federation membership, deal with the ongoing pollution and reconstruction efforts here and in the Cardassian Union, stifle the growing insurgency in the former demilitarized zone and deal with the Breen. Once we've completed all of that, we can go home."

"The Admiral is a textbook example of Starfleet optimism at its finest," said Picard with an amused chuckle before his expression and tone grew more serious.

"Where is Kai Opaka?" Dr. Crusher asked. "I've heard about the medical ordeal that she went through and was really looking forward to meeting her."

"Opaka is currently visiting in private with Bajor's current Kai, Leos Janek," replied Hazelton. "They're discussing options for a peaceful approach in our upcoming negotiations with the Breen. Personally I think they're a little too optimistic... the Breen haven't shown any sign of caring about anything in the DMZ except stripping its planets of their most valuable resources." He put a hand on Bashir's shoulder. "However, you might want to chat a bit with this young man. He developed the nano-probe technique that freed Opaka from the bio-technology keeping her trapped on that Gamma quadrant moon for so many years."

"I would very much like to see your notes Doctor," Crusher decided. "When you have some spare time, that is. I regularly read the reports you send back to Starfleet medical – you're a very gifted physician."

"Thank you," Dr. Bashir replied. "Stop by the Infirmary whenever you like. That's usually where you'll find me these days."

"I hope you Doctors don't spend all of your time talking about boring medical stuff," Ezri said with a frown. "You didn't come all this way just to work all the time. You folks from the Enterprise are allowed to have a little fun while you're here too, you know." She put an arm around the waist of her husband and gave him a small hug.

"My wife, the counselor," Bashir noted proudly, his face getting red.

"You're a counselor?" said Deanna with interest, taking a closer look at Ezri. "So am I! I think we could probably find a few things to discuss while those two are talking shop."

"A discussion about the art of counseling?" Riker said with wonder. "Now there's a classic example of boring medical stuff if I ever heard one." He ignored the elbow he got from Troi and somehow managed to maintain his deadpan expression despite the sharp burst of pain.

"I agree," Worf said enthusiastically. "Enough with the boring talk. Doesn't anyone want to try and best me with a bat'leth?" He too managed to maintain a solemn air as the corridor filled with laughter.

"Our first official meeting has been rescheduled for tomorrow morning at 0700," pointed out General Kira. "Just give us a call in Ops if you folks need anything."

Commander Hazelton watched everyone begin to drift away to renew friendships and explore the station, then switched his focus back to Picard and Janeway. "Kira and I have discussed our situation in great detail," he informed them. "What we really lack is a solid source of intelligence that would tell us exactly what's happening on the ground in those Colonies lining the former DMZ. Without solid information, it's very difficult to plan our strategy."

"Now that we're here, I think I can be of some assistance with that matter," offered the Captain. "I know someone I can contact who will be most helpful."

"Any assistance you can offer will be greatly appreciated," Hazelton said gratefully as the three of them began walking toward a turbolift. "And I'm sorry – by the way – that I had to reroute you to an upper pylon at the last moment. We've got a lot of ships coming in again since the war ended, and that starship of yours is huge!"

Hazelton ended up offering to let Picard use the sub-space transmitter in his private office. The Captain gratefully accepted the invitation so both he and Janeway hastily decided to take a brief tour of Ops. Emerging from the turbolift, he entered the Commander's office and sat down in Sisko's old chair. Activating the desktop's work station he sent out a private, meticulously encrypted communication. There was no response at first and he patiently waited for well over an hour as the signal silently continued its ongoing hail an uncounted number of times, repeating every few minutes. He was about to call it an evening and try again the next day when the screen in front of him suddenly flashed with a burst of static and then steadied around the picture of a very familiar face.

"It's good to see you again," he said to the dark-haired woman on the screen. "I was afraid that you might have grown tired of checking in with me from time to time."

"Not at all Captain Picard," replied Ro Laren, his former Lieutenant. "There's a lot happening, so I'm really glad you decided to contact me again. I still owe you one to make up for my betrayal of your trust, but I'm afraid I have no choice but to officially ask for your help again because we could really use some assistance out here."

"Laren… might I suggest that you stop worrying so much about the past," suggested the Captain. "You're not the only one who's gotten caught up in a moral dilemma and had to make a choice, after all. We've all been there and it's something you must put behind you so that it does not distract you and negatively impact your future decisions."

"Thanks," she said with a grateful smile. "You've always been there for me Captain."

"And you've been there for us," Picard acknowledged. "As things turned out, you simply went deeper undercover than we had initially intended. The information that you covertly provided to us during the Dominion war was of great help to the Federation and saved a lot of innocent lives on those Colonies that you now call home. It's time for us to return the favor."

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"The Breen have no claim to the colonies that they've seized along the perimeter of the Badlands and we intend to move them out of there, one way or the other. But first we need to know what we're up against."

Ro took a deep breath and ran a hand through her dark hair. He could see the anxiety in her expression and it was obvious before she even spoke that things were not going well. "It's getting really bad, Captain," she said with extreme concern. "The situation is just as hostile as when the Cardassian civilians first armed themselves and started trying to drive the Federation colonists out – worse even because this time we have no weapons to defend ourselves."

"The Jem'Hadar made certain of that," he commented.

"Yes," she agreed. "They disarmed the Maquis and everyone else but allowed us to stay as long as we made no move against the Cardassian-Dominion alliance. Once that treaty broke down the Dominion did as much damage to us as they could before the Federation and its allies forced them back to the Gamma quadrant."

"So why are the Breen there?" Picard wondered. "I know they're primarily interested in the natural resources you have, but Admiral Janeway has informed me that they've also seized a couple of uninhabited star systems located in the Dark Nebula. My instincts tell me that they're up to something, and I doubt very much that it's anything related to peaceful exploration."

"Janeway… Do you mean the Delta quadrant Captain?"

"I see her reputation precedes her."

Ro laughed. "We're not completely isolated out here Captain. We heard about Voyager and its long journey back home. A lot of our own ships that mysteriously went missing in the Badlands were undoubtedly seized and transported to the Delta quadrant just like hers was." She paused for a moment, carefully reviewing the information he had shared with her. "As for the Colonies, our situation hasn't changed much except that the Cardassians are in the same situation we are this time. We have no weapons and are allowed to live reasonably, but the Breen are making it difficult for us and trying to slowly force us out. Armed troops march through our streets regularly and the few of us that have protested almost immediately disappear mysteriously. Like I said, we could really use some help."

"The first stage of our plan has already been implemented," Picard informed her. "I'm also planning to send an away team into the Dark Nebula to evaluate the Breen presence and determine their intentions." He smiled reassuringly. "But we have to move very slowly or the Breen will come down on you just like the Dominion attacked the Cardassian people when they revolted. It would help us a lot if we knew how much weaponry and equipment the Jem'Hadar left behind when they evacuated."

"Where do I begin?" Ro said with a sarcastic laugh. "The Breen have spent the last six months dismantling at least three Dominion power plants I know of. They've taken all of that equipment and moved it elsewhere – quite probably into this Dark Nebula that you mentioned. They've also captured all of the hardware the Maquis forces were using, including our ships, weapons and the industry-sized replicators that were stolen from Starfleet."

"Really," said Picard with extreme concern evident in his tone.

"Why. Is that a major problem?"

"Absolutely," confirmed the Captain. "If they have a virtually unlimited supply of power then that gives them the ability to use those replicators to create anything they need, be it weaponry or sophisticated computer hardware. The starship Voyager was fortunate to have a couple of them aboard when they were thrown into the Delta quadrant. The crew was able to use them to replicate most of the spare parts they needed each time the ship took damage. The remaining energy they didn't use was rationed amongst her crew for use in the smaller versions to supplement their food and medical supplies."

"Well whatever the Breen are doing, they've got all the energy they need," Ro decided. "Trust me, those Dominion reactors produce a lot of power."

"Do you or the people in the Colonies have any immediate needs?" asked Picard. "Specifically I'm referring to food, doctors and medicine… anything of that sort?"

"Not really," said Ro. "Like I said… as long as we behave ourselves and don't make any trouble the Breen pretty much leave us alone. As you've no doubt noticed they even let all of the commercial freighters and transports stop by and conduct their normal commerce. They're well aware that if they make too much trouble you'll immediately intervene. But if they need something or decide to take someone's house, we have no choice but to give them what they ask for. If we offer any resistance at all they send out their troops and forcefully relocate us."

"Well, we've decided to send you someone who can begin helping you plan a resistance movement," the Captain informed her. "You'll be contacted shortly by a good friend of Admiral Janeway's. His name is Chakotay, he's a former Maquis commander himself and he'll be able to fill you in on the beginning stages of the plan that we've come up with."

"I'll keep an eye out for him."

"Laren, don't try anything on your own initiative that will cost innocent lives," Picard warned her. "I know you're just bursting at the seams to do something, but the Federation has dealt with this kind of occupation many times before – I promise you that we're coming soon and will do everything in our power to restore stability to that region as soon as possible."

"Thank you Captain. You know I trust you."

"I'll be in touch with you again at this time tomorrow," he promised, then closed down the subspace channel. Folding the fingers of both hands together, he leaned on them and carefully thought about the information he had just heard before glancing up a bit anxiously at the woman sitting across from him.

"Don't worry Jean Luc," Janeway reassured him. "Chakotay is already on board a freighter and en route to the Badlands."

Riker settled down next to Morn on a barstool at Quark's and promptly ordered a synthahol from one of the waiters. He noticed the Ferengi working on the far end of the bar and smiled, waiting until the bartender turned around and recognized him.

"Commander Riker," Quark said warmly, "It's good to see you again. Welcome back to Deep Space Nine!" He walked over to Riker and carefully peered at his sideburns. "Is it really you this time? There was that incident with the Defiant, you know…"

"Yes, it's really me. I lost the beard a while ago," grinned Riker, slapping a strip of latinum on the bar. He raised an eyebrow in surprise as Quark waved him off.

"You drink on the house tonight Commander."

"Thank you, but why are you suddenly so generous?" Riker wondered. "You've certainly taken enough of my latinum over the years at the Dabo table." He nodded at the waiter and accepted his glass of ale with a flourish.

"And you've won plenty back with your poker games against my best players," grinned Quark. "Really Commander, I thought you'd have heard by now. My brother is the new Grand Nagus, so I have a little extra cash flow these days and can afford to be extra generous."

"That'll certainly draw in a few extra customers and increase your business profits," Riker decided, taking a drink from his glass.

"Exactly," said Quark with a greedy smile. "So how's life on the Enterprise?"

"Pretty much the same old same old," Riker stated. "How's life in the Bajor sector? Is the trade market into and out of the Badlands still profitable?"

"Oh, I see… you want to talk about the Breen, do you?"

"I was hoping you could give me a little background information, yes."

"The Breen carefully search every ship that stops by the star systems they control, but other than that they're letting commerce proceed normally. The only way you get in trouble with them is if you try and bring in weapons or explosives – other than that they work on their own agenda and leave the rest of us alone."

"Hmmm…" said Riker curiously. "I can't see that stopping a determined man like you."

"A bit of minor smuggling has its advantages too," Quark admitted. "I've always been a bit of a pirate – you know that. Everyone loves the finer things in life like Romulan ale, Delavian chocolates..." He held up a glass he was polishing for emphasis. "And making a little extra cash on the side never hurt anyone either."

"That's what I love about you most Quark," said Riker appreciatively. "Only you have the connections that come in really handy during the toughest situations."

"You're going to ask me to use my contacts to help Starfleet, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't exactly call it asking," Riker decided. "Let's just say that we're going to need to get some supplies to those people in the occupied territories. The Breen aren't respecting their personal rights and their presence is having negative consequences for both the Federation and the Cardassian Union. We plan to help them."

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know," Quark said with a bit of irritation. "Do you know how long those searches take? They carefully screen every ship that goes in and out of the Colonies that they control – and that's extremely bad for business."

"If we need your help, can we count on you?"

"Of course Commander," decided the Ferengi agreeably. "You've already noticed that I'm feeling very generous today."

Riker pointed a thumb at Morn sitting next to him. "He doesn't say much, does he?"

"Today… no. But some days, Commander, he goes on and on about the most ridiculous things. I'm glad you stopped by."

"One of my colleagues from the Enterprise will be in touch," he said, rising from the bar stool with a friendly wave. "It's always a pleasure, Quark."

"Likewise, Commander Riker," said the Ferengi bartender as he intently watched the extremely tall Starfleet Commander walk away. He glared at Morn. "You could have at least said hello to him… he didn't take all of your gold-pressed latinum the last time you two played poker! How else are we going to get him back to the table?"

An hour later Riker was back on board the Enterprise in shuttle bay two carrying a large duffle bag toward Worf's shuttle. Geordi and their part-time Klingon tactical officer were already busy pre-flighting the ship and making sure that all of its systems functioned properly. As the Commander finished stowing his gear at the rear of the small ship he was surprised to see Dr. Crusher step aboard, also carrying some personal effects.

"Last minute assignment from the Captain," she said with a bright smile. "He wanted me to wish you luck and make sure that you had a physician to look after you – especially since most of the matter in the Dark Nebula is unstable, chaotic and invisible. It wouldn't take much to severely damage a small ship like this one." She brushed her long red hair aside and glanced over her shoulder at Worf. "What is the name of your ship?"

"Name?" he growled. "It is a shuttle."

"Every good ship should have a name," she insisted. "For luck."

"Then I will call it the Daq," Worf said imperiously, waiting for LaForge to board before closing and sealing the outer hatch. "It is a Klingon word meaning 'to eavesdrop'."

"That's a good name," Geordi decided. "If we're going to name it for luck, then I don't want to even hear the Klingon word for 'explode'." Worf opened his mouth to say something else but Commander LaForge quickly shook his head and held up a hand in warning.

"Let's be on our way, shall we?" Riker grinned as Worf powered up the impulse engines on the small shuttle. The roar inside the small cabin grew rapidly in crescendo.

The ship's forward viewscreen flickered and steadied on an image of the edge of the hangar bay. They watched it draw closer and closer as Worf activated the thrusters and Riker powered on the ship's cloaking device. No one outside of the Enterprise crew on-duty actually saw the shuttle leave the starship – it simply vanished into the starry background beyond the hangar as it hastily accelerated off toward its distant mission.

Commander Hazelton was in Ops a short time later when a proximity alarm went off. He glanced back toward one of the Bajorans working at the science station and the lanky brown-haired officer quickly checked the sensor readouts on his console.

"There are ten ships that just dropped out of warp and on final approach to DS9," he said with a bit of anxiety in his voice. "One of them is the biggest starship I've ever seen… dimensions being over 2,000 meters in length, 700 meters high and 1400 meters wide. It's unbelievable!" He verified the data. "The other nine are normal sized starships and appear to be support craft."

"Hail them please," Hazelton requested. Behind him, the door to his office opened and Picard and Janeway emerged. "Ah," he said, "I hope that you got the information you needed."

"And then some," Picard noted, glancing at the huge ship prominently displayed on the oval Cardassian viewscreen. "Good Lord, what in blazes is that?"

"It's the Xindi," Janeway said from her position next to him. "I invited a delegation from their government to attend this peace conference."

"Okay," Hazelton said, sounding a bit puzzled as he turned to look at Picard. "I'm betting that ship isn't going to fit well even on one of our pylons. There are too many ships here already… so just where do I tell them to dock?"

"That's an aquatic ship," the Admiral informed him. "They can orbit the station from a safe distance. Since the life forms aboard require an oceanic environment in which to survive, we'll be meeting with them via video conferencing technology."

"I hope they already know that," Hazelton said sarcastically.