Author's note: I have planned out four more chapters, and then this long and rather disjoint story will be complete :) Hopefully it will all be posted by next week.
*****
It was 500 hours when Sirella came running in to Worf and Jadzia's quarters. She was clearly upset, and seemed confused about what to do once she entered. She looked slightly relieved when Jadzia came out of the bedroom in her house coat.
"Sirella," she said in surprise.
"My second daughter Shen was killed last night. I just found out," she said frantically, barely breathing, "I ... I thought you should know."
Jadzia stopped. She knew that Sirella had no one else to run crying to.
"I am sorry to hear that," she said sadly, "What happened?"
Sirella's daughter Shen was somewhat of a public figure in the Klingon Empire. She was one of a very few female captains of Klingon vessels, and was certainly the most respected one. There was a very famous photo of her walking off her ship after leading a successful assault on the Cardassians.
Adding to the intrigue was the fact that she was an extreme religious conservative. She wore and odd bulky dress underneath her armour to hide her figure and a jintaq, a necklace given to girls on their fifteenth birthday to signify that they were available to take a mate. Usually, these were shed by the late teens as the idealism of youth gave way the realities of relationships, but at the age of thirty, Shen still wore hers. She had once been quoted by a Klingon women's magazine saying that she avoided pleasures of the flesh in order to give herself fully to the Gods and the empire.
Jadzia had met her recently, when she had come to visit Sirella. They had bonded. Shen had adored Kang, coming to play with him every time she had a free moment.
"I'm never going to have any," she had said, "So I have to enjoy my nephew."
"What do you mean you're never going to have any?" Jadzia had insisted.
"I'm so busy on my ship and so many men have been killed already. I'll never meet anybody."
"Maybe there aren't a many men on the home world," Jadzia had challenged, "But you live on a ship surrounded by men. One of them must like you."
"But I'm the captain."
"So? That means you must also spend time with other captains, who, if what Worf tells is correct, are almost all men."
"It's just ..." she stammered.
"There's someone you like, isn't there," Jadzia had stated, looking her in the eye. Shen had lowered her gaze uncomfortably.
"It's ... it's my first officer," she said finally, "We work together so seamlessly, and I can't help but wonder ..."
"Do you think he likes you?" Jadzia asked gently, as Shen began to stroke Kang's hair.
She nodded.
"Then you have to make a move, because he can't just hit on the captain. Invite him for dinner in your quarters, and send your guards away, and jump him."
"I can't just ..."
"Why not?" Jadzia insisted, half jokingly.
Shen let go of Kang and lowered her head again. Suddenly, as if on a whim, she asked,
"Does it hurt?"
Jadzia turned, stunned. Here was a woman, portrayed by the media as strong and brave and unencumbered by worldly concerns, looking ashamed and worrying whether it hurt. How could a woman who had led so many in battle be so immature?
"Surely you've had your share of injuries. You can't possibly be afraid of pain," Jadzia spat, and then worried that she had been too harsh.
"It's just that ... I ... I've never really done anything with a man before. I've never even been on a date. I was always so busy with school, and then my ship and the war. What if I don't know what to do?"
Jadzia tried to speak kindly.
"I assume that the man you're interested in shares your religious beliefs?" she asked.
Shen nodded.
"Then it's probably safe to assume that he doesn't know what he's doing either ..."
Shen looked down for a bit more, but then replied,
"I think that makes me feel a bit better."
"Good," Jadzia boomed, with mock severity, "Because next time I see you, you better not be wearing that necklace, or you'll have me to answer to."
She stayed for a few more hours before she had to return to her ship. Jadzia was glad she'd visited. She hadn't had much time for matchmaking or gossip lately, and she kind of missed it.
"Mom says you're expecting again," Shen said before she left.
"That is purely speculation," Jadzia snapped.
"I'll make sure to come back and see your speculation then," she had said with a smile, and was off.
She was killed two weeks later.
Jadzia had sat with Sirella as she pulled up the recording the Klingon high command had sent her. Shen was mulling around the bridge, still wearing her odd dress, still wearing her necklace when a band of Jem'Hadar beamed aboard.
Recently, the Dominion had figure out how to beam through Klingon cloaks and shields. This was one of many stealth attacks that had taken place over the course of the week.
Shen pulled her sword, but it was too late, they had already pushed her to her knees. She started to swear about how it was an unfair attack, without honour.
A young man yelled out to her. Jadzia thought this must be the first officer that Shen had told her about. He was more panicked than she had ever seen a Klingon, desperately trying to break free from the Jem'Hadar that were holding him. Jadzia felt sure he was in love with her.
Ignoring the scuffle, one of the soldiers holding Shen took her sword away, and conferred with his partner in a series of grunts. The sword came down in a terrible arc, and Shen's head fell to the ground.
Sirella gasped and started crying. In the recording, the first officer stopped moving, and looked down with horror, as if he was unable to comprehend what he was seeing. The Jem'Hadar moved back and slit his throat, and he fell. Because of the hour, and heavy losses, there had been only two Klingons on the bridge.
One of the Jem'Hadar threw down a small, round device, and then they beamed off. In a few seconds, the ship exploded.
Sirella began to rave incomprehensibly.
"Even Romulans wouldn't do something as cowardly as that!" she screamed.
"At least she died fighting the enemy," Jadzia said softly, "That assures her a place in Sto-Vo-Kor."
"She certainly believed that," Sirella said sadly.
"I'll name the baby after her," Jadzia offered, "To carry on her name."
"So it's girl," Sirella said cruelly, "That's too bad."
Jadzia braced herself to keep from responding. Who knew how anyone would act in the same situation? She patted her on the shoulder.
In a few minutes, Sirella got up.
"Where are you going?" asked Jadzia.
"Back to my quarters," she said walking into Kang's room, "It's almost time for your shift."
"You don't need to take Kang today!" Jadzia exclaimed, "I can have Jake or Keiko look after him until you're feeling better!"
"Who else do I have?" Sirella asked bitterly as she walked into his room.