Chapter Seventeen: Stowaway
Chris' existence in the 24th century is going on approximately 36 hours. Of the incredible things he's experienced so far, being unexpectedly dismantled and 'beamed' as a collection of subatomic particles is not one he would categorize as 'positive'. Given the circumstances under which he's experienced his first transport, Chris is terrified.
As the bizarre and unnerving sensation subsides, Chris realizes something.
Nerys and the traitor weren't near the crates. They're still back there!
Chris clamps his eyes shut and reminds himself that Bajoran Militia Colonel Kira Nerys is an accomplished soldier that can take care of herself. His heart racing, he hears a single thought repeating in his mind.
She'll kick his ass. She'll kick is ass. She'll…
Chris blows out a long breath and pictures a smug grin on Kira's face after putting the traitor down. He smiles at his optimistic imagination.
Of course she will; she's a badass. There's nothing to worry about.
When Chris opens his eyes, the reality of his own situation sinks in.
If she's "back there," where the hell am I?
The style of the walls surrounding Chris is very much like the cargo bay on Deep Space Nine, but the colors are wrong. The drab metallics of the station are replaced with warmer yellows. In addition to differences in appearance, the relative silence of the station is replaced with an ominous hum.
I'm not on the station… I'm on a ship!
From what he can see while crouched among the crates, Chris has no doubt he's on a Cardassian vessel.
But I thought they were 'good guys' now? Though… I guess I thought all Bajoran security officers were 'good guys' too.
Confident he's not in friendly territory, Chris remains still. He strains to listen for any sign that he's sharing this new cargo bay with anyone. After hearing nothing for what feels like an eternity, he dares to try his combadge.
"Chris to Kira," he whispers after tapping.
There's no response.
He taps his badge again. "Chris to Kira."
Tap. "Chris to Bashir."
Tap. "Chris to Dax."
After each command, Chris notes a series of descending tones he's not heard before. After several failed attempts, he concludes that his combadge is simply unable to make a connection.
Damn. Surely they know I'm gone…
Having already risked speaking aloud and hearing nothing in response, Chris works up the courage to poke his head above the crates. From what he can tell, he's alone.
Chris smirks with confidence as silence and solitude implies something significant.
She got that bastard. Someone would've come for me if she hadn't.
In addition to Kira's likely victory, the lone, soft hum suggests Chris' presence on the ship is unknown.
No alarms. At least there's that.
Chris chews his lip as he thinks. If he's careful, he might be able to remain hidden until the others come for him.
That's what they'll do: charge in on the Defiant. It's only a matter of time. I just need to stay out of sight.
Looking around, Chris is reminded of what he and Kira were doing before the traitor appeared.
We didn't finish closing crates! If anyone sees them open…
Chris looks down to find he's still clutching his phaser. His aim is so abysmal that the weapon offers him little protection, but he feels safer holding it nonetheless. Needing both hands to close crates, he reluctantly relaxes his grip and holsters the weapon.
Closing crates as quickly as he dares, Chris battles nagging fears about Kira's fate. Every time he reassures himself she's OK, another grisly scenario comes to mind. He repeatedly sifts through gifted memories for examples of Kira in combat. Little by little, he solidifies his confidence that she's dramatically and decisively prevailed in the cargo bay.
That guy picked a fight with the wrong damn Bajoran.
Chris looks around nervously after a proud chuckle escapes his lips. Even doing well to convince himself of her victory, Chris can't help but wonder how Kira is reacting to his absence.
Is she freaking out? Does she think I'm dead?
Chris leans on a crate and sighs.
Does she care?
Having darkened his mood, Chris' pace at closing crates slows.
The Defiant's crew hastily prepares to leave the station. Nog sits at his new post at tactical and Matthews, an ensign assigned to Deep Space Nine after the war, sits at the helm.
Kira fidgets in the captain's chair, chewing her lip as she replays events from the cargo bay in her mind.
I could've been faster. I should've heard the doors open. If Chris hadn't shoved me…
Ezri steps onto the bridge, interrupting Kira's thoughts. Ezri goes out of her way to give Kira's shoulder a squeeze. Kira nods in appreciation of the silent gesture as Ezri continues to her post at communications.
"All right, ensign…" Kira trails off as she doesn't know the man's name.
"Matthews, sir."
Kira has been so preoccupied by her constant vigilance, thorough investigation, and distracting thoughts of Odo over the past few months that she hasn't taken the time to familiarize herself with any of the new Federation assignees to the station. She'd normally feel guilty about not knowing this crewman's name, or the names of other fresh faces around her, but she doesn't have time to worry about some Starfleet officer's feelings right now.
Ezri can play counselor and hold his hand if he needs it.
"Whatever," Kira waves her hand dismissively. "Take us out."
Matthews blinks at Kira's blatant snub and turns back to the helm controls. He pauses before pulling the Defiant away from the station. "Course, sir?"
"Dax?" Kira asks as she spins her chair to face the lieutenant. "Has Ops confirmed the cruiser's heading?"
Ezri shrugs. "Not exactly—given the system failures. But they did confirm that the wormhole opened after the ship cloaked."
"That's good enough for me," Kira nods. "Helm, get us through the wormhole."
"Aye, sir," Matthews nods. The Defiant disengages docking clamps and turns towards the wormhole.
"Before we go through," Ezri says. "I should mention that Ops doesn't have an ETA on restoring long-range communications. Since the new wormhole relay is little more than an extension of the station's comm system, we'll be on our own."
"We're on our own anyway," Kira shrugs as the wormhole opens before them. "Chris and those books are heading for Dominion space—there's no time to wait for help. Does Ops have anything else to share before we lose contact?"
After a pause from the Lieutenant, Kira turns to see Ezri biting her lip and furrowing her brow.
"What's wrong?"
"While the ship was decloaked," Ezri hesitates, "they say short-range scanners only picked up thirty life signs."
"Thirty?" Kira blinks. "A Keldon-class cruiser should have hundreds."
Ezri reluctantly voices a troubling deduction, "Would you send a full crew on a suicide mission?"
Kira is stunned. She hadn't considered the possibility. A single ship, cloaked or not, has no chance of returning home if they truly plan to attack the heart of the Dominion Empire.
Kira's face darkens with dread as the Defiant enters the wormhole, which she knows as the Celestial Temple—the home of her gods. The man the Prophets put in her care just passed through on a hostile ship with no intention of returning. Now they're witness to her frantic pursuit.
Kira feels a sudden desire to crawl under the captain's chair and hide. She looks up and mutters under her breath. "I'm sorry, Emissary; I let you down."
On the other side of the wormhole, the Defiant's crew waits for orders. There was no briefing for this mission; Kira is improvising.
"We're in the Gamma Quadrant, sir," Mathews states the obvious. "New heading?"
Kira doesn't respond.
Mathews, Ezri, and others turn to see Kira's troubled stare.
"Kira?" Ezri asks. "You know… with only thirty of them on board, they may not have seen Chris beam on with all that cargo—especially since you said the transport was triggered from the station."
"That's not what I was thinking about, but thanks," Kira nods as wishful thinking makes the idea sound more plausible. "I hadn't considered that."
"He'll be OK. But…what were you thinking about?"
Kira scrunches her forehead. "I've been… having some bad Déjà vu. When the Romulans and Cardassians tried to destroy the Founders a few years ago, Odo was a prisoner on one of their ships. We barely got there in time to save him. This time we don't even…"
"This time," Ezri interrupts with a forced smile, "we won't cut it so close."
Kira returns a weak smile before looking back to the viewscreen. The fact isn't lost on her that this is the first time she's been in the Gamma quadrant since saying goodbye to Odo, and that the man she loves more than anything is ahead of them. His life is in danger, as is the life of a man the Prophets asked her to protect. Both men are counting on her to save them whether they realize it or not, and to have any chance of saving either… she's got to find that ship.
"I'm positive they're headed to the Founder's new homeworld," Kira says. "And if they think one ship can do what an entire fleet couldn't, we've got to stop them before they can try. Is there any way to penetrate their cloak?"
"When this class of ship approached the station before," Ezri offers, "we detected a concentration of tetryon particles. But… that was from the entire fleet—right on top of the station. This is one ship that's several light years ahead of us. The Defiant's sensors just aren't sensitive enough."
"But Dominion scanners can penetrate a cloak, correct?" Kira asks as she leans forward.
Nog chimes in from tactical. "Their technology can detect the warp signature of a cloaked ship and, once in close range, they use an anti-proton beam to pinpoint location."
Ezri shakes her head. "When the Romulans and Cardassians sent their fleet last time, they had specially-modified cloaks and were able to remain undetected. We should assume this ship is similarly equipped."
Kira sighs. "Dammit."
"But," Ezri continues, "according to the reports that Odo and Garak submitted from the attempt, they had to limit their speed to warp six. If the ship we're after has the same limitation, we'll have no trouble catching them."
"But that won't matter if we can't detect them," Kira says. She squints at Ezri. "I thought we were cut off from the station; how are you accessing these reports?"
"I… well Jadzia… was there when we saw this type of ship four years ago. I transferred everything I could to the Defiant."
Kira smiles. "Good work. I'll take all the help we can get."
Nog turns from his station. "Sir, you said the 'new' Founder homeworld. Do the Cardassians know where it is?"
"At this point," Kira says, "we have to assume they do."
"Shouldn't we try and beat them to it?" Nog asks. "We wouldn't just be sitting here and we could work on solving the detection problem on the way."
"I'd rather find a way to intercept them," Kira says. "But you're right; we can't just sit here."
Kira starts tapping on her console. "Helm, set a course for these coordinates—warp eight."
Matthews spins around in his chair. "Colonel, how do you know the coordinates?"
Kira tilts her head and blinks. "You seriously think I'd forget my boyfriend's address?"
Matthews raises his eyebrows and turns back to the helm.
Kira shakes her head. "Engage."
Watching the stars streak past them, Kira can't help but think about the two men they're trying to save. While Odo has no idea what's going on, Chris is all too aware—and likely scared to death.
Hang in there, Chris. We'll find you.
Chris closes the last open crate in the cargo bay, hopefully removing all evidence of his presence on the ship. In addition to a glum attitude about Kira's feelings about him, he's been slowed by frequent stops to duck and listen after every creak, pop, and whir from the ship around him. It amazes him that no one has come to check on this cargo given the significance of its believed purpose. He's convinced it's only a matter of time before someone does.
I need a better place to hide.
On the off-chance it will offer any help, Chris pulls his map PADD from under his waistband. He's greeted with a simple message: "Invalid Location." He huffs and shoves the device back into the small of his back.
Damn. I guess I'm exploring blind.
There are four doors in the cargo bay, one roughly in each corner of the cavernous room. None of them stand out as special or unique, so Chris simply heads to the closest one. He draws his phaser as he approaches it.
Chris hesitates. His heartrate becomes frantic. His hands shake.
You're a dead man if you stay in this room, Chris. You have to do this.
Chris takes a deep breath and readies his weapon. He inches forward, waiting for the unseen sensor to detect his presence and open the door. As soon as it does, Chris freezes. He quickly glances back and forth between each side of the opening. Despite making little sound, anyone nearby would surely see or hear the door open. After no one calls out or jumps around the corner, he cautiously peers into the hallway beyond.
Looking both ways, Chris finds no one.
Where the hell's the crew?
The hallway to Chris' right ends at a nearby door. He guesses the door is a turbolift by the look of it. He can't read the Cardassian symbols to confirm his suspicion, but he's most certainly not ready to open another mystery door just yet. The long hallway to his left has occasional bulkheads that, while not large enough to hide behind, could provide at least some cover if anyone appeared beyond. Given a choice between the hallway's minimal cover and being a proverbial fish in a turbolift barrel, Chris opts for the hallway.
At least out here I can run.
Chris makes his way down the hall, cautiously moving from bulkhead to bulkhead. In addition to occasional side passages and closed doors, he encounters open doorways with alien equipment beyond. Panels and consoles contain numerous displays and controls, but all of them stand unattended. There are a lot of nooks and crannies in these rooms in which Chris could hide, but he has no idea how dangerous the equipment is or how long these rooms will remain vacant.
Someone's gotta check this stuff eventually, right?
Moving further along the hallway, Chris begins to feel uncomfortably exposed now that there's a long expanse of doors and side passages both ahead and behind. He decides to start making turns at hallway intersections to maintain a balance between his newfound claustrophobia and agoraphobia. Tight spaces and open spaces don't normally frighten him, but he doesn't normally have to worry about Cardassians with disruptors wandering about.
At least, I assume they're Cardassians. I haven't seen or heard anyone!
After a few turns, the décor around Chris changes. Where the walls had been bare and light fixtures purely utilitarian, the new section has subtle color variations and light fixtures that could almost be considered decorative. Chris assumes he's passed from an engineering section to what might be crew quarters.
And still no sign of anyone.
Getting weary of the repeated fright of turning blind corners, Chris pauses in front of a random door and debates if should dare open it. Along with the other fears he's picked up on this ship, he can now add entamaphobia because the thought of opening this door scares the shit out of him.
Chris takes a few deep breaths as he stares at the door.
Wandering the halls is no way to hide. I hope Nerys finds me soon.
Overcoming anxiety doesn't leave much room for cautious thought. Chris smacks the door button and points his phaser forward. The door slides open. Darkness lies beyond.
A trick of the brain makes Chris feel suddenly vulnerable in the light-filled hallway now that he's presented with a dark room to hide in. He steps inside quickly and slides along the wall to his left until the door closes again.
Chris' breathing is panicked as he crouches in the pitch-black room. He sweeps his phaser back and forth as he strains to hear over his quick, shallow breaths.
"Computer, lights," Chris commands.
The computer responds, turning all the room lights on at once. Chris pops up to a standing position, once again swinging his weapon back and forth as he scans the room.
Chris finds no one. He lets his arms flop to his sides and his head droop in relief. Catching his breath, he surveys the room more closely. The quarters are not unlike those on Deep Space Nine, only smaller and much more Spartan. The sight of a replicator prompts a grumble from Chris' stomach.
Oh yeah… the only thing I've had since my 'distraction' in the infirmary was a cup of coffee. I'm starving!
The replicator is covered with Cardassian symbols.
"Damn."
Next to the replicator is an open doorway. Chris realizes he's yet to explore every corner of these quarters. His eyes widen as he raises his phaser and bursts through the door. Finding an empty bed, he rushes to the last unexplored door and presses the button to open it. He thrusts his phaser around the corner and aims at the crazy space-toilet.
The quarters are truly empty.
Chris backs away from the bathroom and sits on the edge of the bed. His heart continues to pound. He takes a few deep breaths, but it doesn't help to calm him after the constant stress and countless moments of panic since the traitor appeared in the cargo bay on Deep Space Nine. He allows himself to fall back on the bed and close his eyes.
What a nightmare!
A nightmare… Chris remembers the last nightmare he had. After dreaming of a horrendous impact to the driver-side door of his car, he'd woken to find Kira trying to calm him after his start.
Nerys…
Chris' breathing starts to slow as he recalls the encounter where he first got lost in her eyes.
The door…
Chris' eyes pop open.
Nerys had to bypass my door. How the hell did I get in here?
Chris blinks and scans the ceiling as he sifts through his memories of the last two days.
The security guard that showed me my quarters didn't do anything special to open the door—I watched him closely. Maybe the quarters weren't 'mine' yet. Are these quarters unassigned? Is that it? How did I get so lucky?
Chris' brow wrinkles as he tries to sort out the crazy clues in his mind.
No one in the cargo bay. No one in the halls. No one in the quarters?
"What the hell is going on?"
A growling sound from Chris' stomach distracts him.
Food… Maybe something will make sense after I get some food.
Chris gets up from the bed and walks to the main room. He pauses to lean against the doorframe after feeling lightheaded.
I hope that thing has a cheeseburger or pizza.
Staring at the Cardassian symbols on the replicator, Chris sighs heavily. He tries to recall any Cardassian foods from the 'show.'
The only thing I can remember is Kanar, and that's the last thing I need right now.
Chris decides to try familiar choices. "Orange Juice," he commands.
The machine doesn't respond.
"Bagel, pizza, cheeseburger, steak, fried chicken, mashed potatoes!"
The replicator makes no attempt to respond to any of Chris' rapid-fire requests.
Chris sighs again and starts randomly pressing buttons. After several presses, the machine comes to life and a large egg in a decorative cup appears.
"Oh, hell no," Chris says as he carefully takes the egg and sets it on a nearby end table.
I don't even want to know what's in that.
After a few more random presses on the replicator controls, a bowl appears. Its contents seem to be a type of stew, but the smell is nothing like any Chris has ever encountered.
"I might need that Kanar."
Responding to Chris' off-hand comment, the replicator creates a glass of the thick, dark liquid beside the bowl of soup.
"Ugh. Water?"
A second glass, this time containing what appears to be water, materializes in the replicator. Chris sighs. He moves his 'meal' to the small dining table in the room. He sits in a chair facing the door and sets his phaser within easy reach in case he needs to welcome an unexpected guest.
The stew is unpleasant, but hunger persuades Chris to stomach two thirds of the bowl's contents before his gut protests. Leaving the Kanar untouched, he washes the taste down as much as he can with water.
Chris almost chokes when a loud voice comes over the comm system. "Gudal, report to the bridge. Gudal, report to the bridge."
Chris drops the glass of water and grabs his phaser from the table. He swings the phaser around the room, not knowing where to aim.
Are these Gudal's quarters? Where the hell is he?
Chris is filled with renewed panic. He holsters his phaser, quickly picks up the items from his meal—including the untouched egg-thing—and carries them into the bedroom. He growls as he passes the replicator he could use to make the items disappear if only he could read Cardassian. He stashes the evidence of his meal in a drawer then crouches in a corner of the room—phaser drawn.
"Computer, lights."
Chris plunges himself into darkness and waits.
That drawer was empty—and there were only three of them. Either Gudal travels light, or these aren't his quarters.
Thinking back to the announcement over the comms, Chris remembers something odd about it, as if there'd been an echo.
Did the sound come from the hallway too? Are they using a PA system? Why not call Gudal on his combadge?
Chris sits in darkness—scared and confused.
After a few minutes, Chris' eyes adjust to the faint light sources in the bedroom. One is a small on the wall across from him. He hadn't paid much attention before, but these quarters have windows. The shades are closed
Maybe that'll open them.
Chris holsters his phaser and cautiously approaches the faint dot of light. He presses the button and the shades slide open. What he sees takes his breath away. Rainbow streaks of light pass before a field of stars.
Holy shit! So this is what travelling at warp speed looks like.
Chris presses his forehead against the glass to see if he can get a glimpse of the ship he's trapped within.
"Shit."
Instead of a hull, which he was hoping would give him a sense of the vessel's size, Chris sees absolutely nothing.
Cardassian ships have that funky shape to them. I should see something. This thing is cloaked!
Chris' heart sinks.
If the Defiant is coming, they won't be able to find me. And if they don't find me, someone on this ship eventually will.
Chris backs up to the bed and slumps on the edge. Even considering his divorce, Chris has never felt so helpless and alone.
I'm totally screwed.
Chris swallows hard and blinks moist eyes at the stars.
I'll never see her again.
A soft cry of distress escapes Chris' throat as he tries to breathe. He rubs his eyes to clear the blurred stars. Thoughts fumble through his mind.
She won't miss me; I'm a 'complication'. She's only worried about Odo. She'll miss him for sure… when these guys do whatever it is they plan to do—and what's to stop them? She'll be devastated.
Chris sniffles and glances at the phaser on his waist.
If I don't stop them she'll hate me—even when I'm dead. I'm a dead man anyway. I've gotta try.
Chris blinks, surprised at the turn his thoughts have taken. Could he really muster the courage to act, if only for a chance for posthumous gratitude?
Would she even know I tried?
Chris recalls what Kira and the other's explained while working in the security office. If a plot against the Founders succeeds, it could throw the Gamma and Alpha quadrants back into chaos and war.
Odo's not the only one at risk.
Located at their nexus, Deep Space Nine and its crew, including Kira, would be at the center of yet another dangerous conflict.
She could be killed.
Wiping his eyes and closing the shades to the windows, Chris decides to act.
"Computer, lights."
Chris draws his phaser and heads to the door.