Fools Rush In by Teal
Chapter Nineteen
"We have the ship in sight, Colonel!" Nog yelled back to Kira from his station on the Defiant.
"On screen." Kira ordered. The Cardassian ship filled the front view screen. "Time to intercept?"
"Five minutes."
"Hail them please, Mister Nog." Kira sat back in the captain's chair, crossing her legs, her back rigid, ready for the confrontation, but wanting to look at ease.
"They aren't responding, Sir."
Colonel Kira smiled grimly. Had she really expected them to? "Power up weapon banks, go to Red Alert." The claxon sounded, accompanied by the tell tale flashing red lights around all the tactical stations.
"Open a channel to them, Nog."
"Hailing frequency open, Sir."
"Cardassian ship, Riel, this is Colonel Kira of the Federation Star Ship Defiant. You are outside your territorial boundaries. Unless you respond now, or we will be forced to fire upon you." That wasn't the real reason she wanted to fire upon them, but it would do.
"Gul Jorath's answering, Colonel."
"On main view screen." She sat forward. Gul Jorath's irritated looking face filled the view screen in front of them.
"What can I do for you, Colonel?" He asked calmly, but she could see there was nothing calm about his eyes, or the way he was gripping the chair arms in which he sat.
"Would you mind telling me what you are doing out here, so far from home, Gul Jorath?" She asked kindly. Overly kind in fact. Playing his game was making her ill.
"We lost our way, Colonel. It's a new crew, and we were out on practice maneuvers. Can't let our people fall behind now, even in peace times, can we?" He smiled back at her, but the way he said the word "peace" made Kira's skin crawl.
"Maneuvers? What kind of maneuvers are they that kidnap Star Fleet officers from their Runabouts?" Cut right to the chase, she thought. We don't want any misunderstandings here if we do have to fire on them.
He looked shocked. "I'm sorry, Colonel, whatever do you mean? Oh, we have picked up an escaped prisoner. She was, by the way, stealing your Runabout, but there is no one else. We will be very happy to give you the coordinates of the lost ship, and then you can return home, knowing that you did your good deed for the day." He was attempting to dismiss her.
Kira, even after all her dealings with the Cardassians, was still surprised at their gall. "I won't be going any place with out my officer, Gul Jorath."
"Ah, Colonel, then that's where the confusion lies isn't it? She's not your officer. She's a time traveling spy, who was caught on our ship before the war ever ended. She is our," he paused, trying to find the most appropriate word, and when he found it he looked supremely self-satisfied, "property."
"Property?" she guffawed at him.
"In accordance with the Star Fleet Regulation, 49200-8 section 27, and I quote, "any persons or property taken during the war, not specifically belonging to the federation, or having been captured as a war criminal, will be so deemed the responsibility and property of the Cardassian government" end quote."
"This is certainly not what they meant," said Kira, trying to back peddle and think her way out of this. "Besides, she is a Federation citizen, and was just recently awarded the rank of full Commander." She hoped she had him there, but she could see from his expression she wasn't winning.
"Come now, Colonel, you can see the fine line here, just as clearly as I can. She's ours. If you have a problem with that, we can all have another mundane meeting at Star Fleet headquarters, where both our teams of legal minds can battle out all the puny details." He sat back, looking more and more confident. "Until then, she will stay safely in our custody."
"Safe" wasn't a word she would think of when remembering Jadzia's condition when Worf had first recovered her. Kira just had to keep him here, for just a few more minutes, until she could decide what to do.
"We, of course, apologize to Star Fleet and the regional Bajoran government for crossing out of Cardassian Space, as you define it." He gave her a subordinate bow. "But now, Colonel, if you will forgive me, we need to leave. My government expects us back in a timely manor, or they may consider us lost and send ships to find us find our way home." Another undisguised threat, thought Kira.
"Of course, Gul, let me just send word ahead, to clear a path for you. As you can expect, all Star Fleet vessels in the area were put on alert as soon as you entered our territory." She tapped the mute button.
"Ideas people. We need ideas."
----
Jadzia sat in her cell, contemplating what her next move would be. What would Curzon do? Funny, it always seem to come down to that. Curzon. After eight lifetimes of experience, she always ended up relying on Curzon in these tight spots. She didn't have to wonder why too hard. He was the one with most of the battle and hand to hand combat experience. He was also the last host to her symbiont. It was only natural that his thoughts would prevail over the others.
And, she thought, it hadn't helped marrying a Klingon. She smiled at the thought. Curzon would have been surprised at his shy, soft-spoken charge marrying a Klingon warrior. Well, once the joining had taken place, she'd lost her shyness, and speaking up wasn't exactly a challenge anymore. Worf. She'd pushed all thoughts of him away these past weeks. And now wasn't the best time to lament.
She stood, trying to peek out of her cell without touching the force field covered doorway. Only one guard right now. The others rushed away several minutes ago. She tried to get a good look at him. Not too tall, for a Cardassian, in fact compared to her own six foot stature, he was rather short. She could take him, she decided. It was then she noticed the medical insignia on his uniform.
Jadzia immediately fell to the floor, writhing, her face contorted in anguish. She moaned loudly as she rocked back and forth in the fetal position. The Cardassian doctor slowly approached her, drawing his weapon as he did.
"What's wrong?" he asked suspiciously.
"Help me," she begged.
His frown deepened. "It won't work you know," he said, unconvinced.
Jadzia looked up out of the corner of one eye at him. "What?" She whispered.
"What ever it is you're doing."
"I'm in pain." She winced.
"And that's supposed to make me feel bad?"
"Have some compassion!" She said angrily, kicking out a leg at him, knowing that the attempt had been blown.
He grinned at her and stood. "Get up. You're out of luck. My compassion, if I ever had any, was bled out of me years ago." He aimed his weapon at her. "And, I won't have you tempting the younger guards with your female foolishness."
Her eyes opened completely. She really did have a stomach ache. She was hungry. "I thought doctors were healers." She scowled disappointedly up at him.
He laughed at her as she stood. "Is that what you think I am along for?" He shook his head, and leaned towards her, his nose almost touching the force field that separated them. "Who do you think guided you back to us in the first place?" He watched the truth of what he was saying dawn in her expression.
"I haven't "healed" anyone in decades. If the men on this ship get sick or hurt, they're on their own. The only people I had compassion for were killed in the war. That leaves only me. And I am looking out for me in the best way I can." He nodded at her.
"How's that?" She smirked at him.
"My wife, my children, they may all be alive in your time." He began pacing. "Think of it! Alive, living well and prospering!"
"And you think, what? You're going back to get them?"
"Perhaps, but if they don't want me, then I can at lease assure my counterpart that I will help him keep them alive."
"Why don't you just kill him and take his place?" She asked disgustedly.
"Now, don't think I haven't considered that."
She grimaced. "And that's enough for you? Some imposter in another time?"
He smiled grimly. "It's been enough for you these past weeks, now, hasn't it?"
Jadzia balked, realizing that the Cardassian knew much more about her than she had realized. She must have done a lot more talking than she'd remembered. "I didn't come here on purpose, or to destroy anyone."
"So you've said. It makes no difference. We aren't interested in character or your willingness to cooperate. You have brought us possibilities, and that's what keeps you valuable."
He watched her face carefully. "No, don't misunderstand, you are not indispensable. In fact, after a couple more treatments, we'll have all the information we want, and you'll be eliminated. Can't have you falling into the wrong hands, can we?"
The defeated feeling was coming over her again, and she suddenly wished he would just go away. She sat down and ignored him until he complied. Oh, what she wouldn't do for a phaser right now.