Taya nearly let out a scream when she heard a long mechanical sound rip through all her day dreams and day mares.
"Odo speaking, Odo Ital.
I believe we know each other.
May I come in?"
Taya wiped away what she thought to be her merely prespiration but instead she brought back a strange sort of ooze, it had clumps of White power embedded in it and there was also a metallic shimmer in that goo she was holding in her hand.
She remembered all the layers of lotions and make up she was wearing.
It was disgusting.
It hadn't been her choice to look this way.
It was actually Tora's idea.
Tora was a childhood friend of hers.
She'd always been a sister to her even though she hated Cardassia, Tora was different than all the other Cardassians as was Garak.
Although even though both Garak and Tora had been very kind towards her during those years where she was under Gul Madred's rule, they had still abandoned her.
Garak made the mistake of falling in love with Tora which angered Gul Ducat to no end.
The truth had been that Tora was the love child of Ducat.
She was sworn to secrecy of course.
Eventually Ducat even had a change of heart and allowed Tora to stay with him in his own home without shame or judgment of any kind.
Tora loved to watch forbidden films from earth, they were ancient, possibly thousands of years old, they were so primitive that the films made both Tora and Taya laugh.
One of her fondest memories was when Tora snuck into the inner court Chamber of Cardassia that was by law only to be used for public executionary trials, she set up a strange synthetic sheet, hung it on the walls and then she flipped the switch on a ancient device holographic Device she called a Projector.
The hologram played a film so old that the color had washed away somehow, it wobbled and crackled, specks of dirt jumped and quivered on the piece of white resin Torin had used in place of a screen.
They had never laughed so hard in their life.
However Tora's face grew grim, the happy light from her face faded and she stood up straight to compose herself.
Taya had no idea what was going on until she caught sight of Gul Ducat himself, coming in quietly from the darkness, he sat down beside them as if this was a casual every day occurrence to meet this way in a abandoned court room.
Taya forced her eyes to gaze down at his shoes as she had been taught never to look into the eyes of anyone who outranked you and since she was nothing more than a slave every one on Cardassia out ranked her, so naturally she kept her eyes distant from all she met.
"Interesting use of the Cardassian Courtroom Tora
I love how you nailed the piece of resin right into ancient wood of our ancestors.
Next time use the electrical tape, it does less damage as you know.
Normally I'd lecture you on how disappointed I am and how you could do so much better but that would be the old Gul Ducat speaking and I haven't been a Father to you at all until now.
You can raise your eyes now Taya.
I am no longer worthy to bare the name Ducat.
I have given the honor to another.
The title will be passed down and I will be forgotten."
"No one will forget you father.
I won't forget you and Taya won't forget either."
"You two are such generous souls yet I'm not deserving of your acceptance and your love.
It really is a damn shame that you ended up under the roof of Gul Madred.
You were originally going to be mine you know but things as you know didn't quite work out that way; if it had you'd be free by now, in fact you probably wouldn't be here."
He had meant to say it, to admit that he was leaving Cardassia and he was taking Tora with him.
She wondered if he had ever intended on taking her with him.
He had allowed her to keep her daughter company which gave her time to escape from the relentless abuse of Gul Madred.
She was kept in the dark for the most part especially regarding his own bloody and morbid past.
After he left her, there was no escape, so she regressed down her into her shell, she allowed hatred to armour her and in her solitude when even her own master had abandoned her she grew to be numb, emotionless, her heart hardened from the rage. Her soul was no longer dressesd in black but rather a flame bloomed within the void of her soul.
She dedicated herself to no one, she faught like a Klingnon if anyone gave her orders in her fierceness she attempted to escape Cardassia.
It was then when the torture, The moment she began to rebel and run from the Alpha Quadrant.
When Tora and Ducat Left she had no one, Garak wasn't on Cardassia for long, so he wasn't much help not until much later, after all the damage had been done.
What really made her so fond of her residency on Cardassia was the day she saw Ducat laugh.
It was not a cruel or demeaning laugh, it was a wickedly sophisticated laugh.
The kind of laugh that wasn't angry at Tora for desecrating the sacred court room walls.
Tora thought for sure he'd be upset with her but Ducat only found it amusing and he asked Tora questions about the equipment she was using.
He was especially curious how she had gotten ahold of ancient Terran technology and and when Tora was done explaining everything, Ducat even stayed to watch the Ancient Terran film with them.
It had been a comedy, a Charlie Chaplain one in black and white, so he laughed with them.
She wondered if that had been the real Ducat that had spent that time with them that day.
She snapped her brain back to reality and attended to the door which Odo was so patiently waiting to be opened.
"Come in".
There was a clean mechanical whoosh as the doors slid open to gain him entry to her quarters.
"I thought you'd never open the doors.
Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just tired.
So what brings you here?"
"I told you I would either call on you or I would come in and check on you myself.
Then there is the matter of Commander Kurland, I'm sure he'd like to see you, for a few minor question of course."
"Yes so you said, silly me.
Well I suppose you have a few questions of your own".
Taya looked up at him with serene expectancy.
"Naturally.
For instance how were you able to bypass DS9 security?
No one has done that in over 2 decades, you mind telling me how that was done?"
"How do you think I did it?"
"Well from the information I've gathered so far you used to be a engineer of some sort.
You understand technology exceptionally well.
I've also heard you have a certain gift that allows you to manipulate technological devices.
So I imagine you simply used your vast knowledge of technology and your strange telepathic abilities to slide past security without being detected.
It's a clever trick, I must admit, yet that's really all I know... so far".
"You're not really that far off actually.
Although I'm more of a influencer then a telepath.
It's what many experts call a empath."
"A influencer? How does that work exactly?"
"Hmm...how would I describe this?
Let's say I looked into your eyes and told you that you were going to be happy".
"That sounds a awful lot like mind control".
"No, it's more than that.
Now by nature you would reject this idea of happiness, you'd tell me no. You'd say something like "I have no intention of being happy and you have no right to demand of me to be any different".
So I'd have to look into your eyes again, this time more intently and I'd tell you, you are happy.
Now naturally there would be even more opposition yet then I'd tell you that you are happy now.
Now after this you would smile and you'd carry on with the rest of your day, happily without complaint".
"Yes that's still a type of mind control, Taya.
Mind control is dangerous.
I had very close friend who could do something very similar, the result was disastrous, the whole station was in disarray, it was chaotic, erratic and highly disorganized.
I don't like things to be disorganized Taya, so I do hope you have learned temperance and some discretion as well when it comes to these empathic abilities."
"Oh I have perfect temperance.
I don't use my abilities on sentinent beings, not anymore, because as you said it's dangerous".
"Not Anymore. What do mean by not anymore?
Did something disastrous happen the last time you used your empathic abilities?"
"No, not at all, I mean I don't do it because well...Gul Madred wanted to use my gift for interrogation sessions.
I didn't want to do that, I saw the damage it did to their brains, the damage to the prisoners was irreparable and sadly permanent.
You must understand I didn't have much say when it came to these horrific interrogations, I was a slave, I had no choice.
No doubt you know what happens when you refuse a Cardassian."
"Oh yes, I have a pretty good idea.
I should know, I worked alongside them on this Station, before the Bajoran Government took over.
They seem to have taken care of you rather well though which is surprising."
Taya's vibrant hazel eyes went dull and then to Odo's astonishment, her eyes smoldered over with unkempt rage.
The Hologen lights overhead began to sizzle and spark as if there was a short so severe it threatened to switch off the main power.
However unbeknownst to Taya and Odo this little parlor trick was strong enough to ripple through the entire station.
Dr Bashir had to stop his examination for a few moments as he thoughtfully observed the sporadic flicker which even caused his medical equipment to give out slightly.
He found this alarming but oddly fascinating.
Finally Taya's rage slipped away and she wore a uncomfortably serene Expression yet again.
"I think...I know why you didn't recognize me.
It's my skin isn't it, my face, it's unfamiliar to you".
Odo didn't even attempt to hide his mortification from her.
"Pardon? I don't believe I ever mentioned anything was wrong with your overall appearence.
I'm a private person and I do happen to have some manners, so it would be rude for me to make any personal remarks regarding your present appearence."
"That's just the thing, this isn't my present appearance. I mean I don't look this way normally.
You see I was experimenting one day with cosmetics and my master Gul Madred liked my new look so much he requested I stay that way, so everyday I'd put this horrible goo all over my face, after awhile I got used to it.
You see the cosmetics I'm wearing have a prosthetic effect, they erase certain imperfections, scars, freckles, birthmarks, burns and other skin abrasions.
The make up I use is very unique as it relies on nanoprobe technology.
I know it's rather unsettling, I'll go take it off for you."
"NO. I mean there really is no need, as long as your comfortable with it, I don't mind.
You can keep it on if you'd like, I wouldn't want you to compromise your comfort for my own.
You are a free agent, you can do what you want".
"That's very kind of you, yet I've never been comfortable with this ooblik that's all over my face.
I only wore it because I was forced to but when I was free I wore it only out of habit, now that I'm here with you, I literally have no reason to keep it on.
So it would actually make me more comfortable if I could live without it.
I just want it off of me, It's disgusting and it repels and appalls me.
I'll remove it right away".
She robotically rose to her feet and stiffly walked to a green and white plastic vanity.
She took something that looked like a medical scanner but instead it had a sort of vacuumus effect that drew the nanobots from her face.
However all Odo saw was a purple stream of light with microscopic orbs floating around within the stream of light.
She revealed her face when she stood up from the green ottoman that was seated in front of the vanity.
She had tiny light brown freckles on the bridge of her nose, there were even tinier postules under her eyes, her lips were chapped and slightly peeling around the edges and he noticed that one eye was slightly askew, the bottom edge of that particular eye hung lower than the other.
However her nose remained exactly the same.
Overall her skin was in good condition, it was clear, no sign of breakouts.
However there was a painfully prominent scar that clung under her left eye like a vein like crater.
"Yes I can see why I didn't recognize you before.
Nanoprobes aren't usually that readily removed, what is that device you have there?"
"Its a Nanoprobe extractor, It's merely a modified medical hand scanner.
It was rewired to disrupt any type of nanotechnology field.
You can examine it if you'd like.
I'm sure it may prove interesting to you."
Odo tried to maintain his composure but he couldn't help but display his atoundment when the hand tricorder whipped past him and landed silently within the palm of her hand.
"I thought you were only a influencer". Odo cooly responded with a casual sort of grin.
"Yes I influenced this Tricorder to fly across the room and jump right into my hand.
You see influence is surprisingly powerful and ever so effective."
"Yes I can see that. So who created this little marvel?"
Odo asked as he plucked the modified tricorder from her open palm.
"Well I did.
It took me months to design it, plus it's not easy coming across Federation technology, so often I had to wait long periods of time for the parts to be imported to Cardassia.
I had to do it in secret, what was funny is I'd occasionally hock a few pieces from Gul Mardred's ship, you know pieces that were behind panels and inside the walls and underneath the main helm on the Bridge.
Madred kept thinking it was the Maquis or a spy from the Dominion.
Although Dukat knew it was me, he kept it a secret from Madred, since he was never very fond of him".
"Dukat knew you were stealing and sabotaging a Cardassian vessel and he didn't stop you?"
"No it wasn't his vessel, it was a vessel of one of his competitors so why stop me?"
"I see what you mean.
I suppose stealing was necessary for your survival...at the time".
"No it wasn't really that necessary, it was a just a hobby of mine to keep me from losing my mind while I was living in captivity on Cardassia."
"So it was for the sake of your mental health, then it was necessary.
You know I'm not quite as judgemental as I appear.
I'm hypocritical at times but I don't measure people's worth by their past.
We all have a past and none of us should be treated any differently because of it.We are not our past, Taya".
"Yes I suppose it was a necessary tactic to distract me from the pain I was experiencing and yes our past should not define us, we alone define ourselves not the events that have occured outside of our control.
Still my past has not left me, the effects are still there, they used to be visible but now they are unseen...except for a few traces that Madred decided to leave behind.
Its alright I saw you looking, the scar it's really noticable isn't it?"
"So it was Madred that gave you that scar.
You know I believe if you allowed Dr. Bashir to examine that scar, he'd be more than happy to remove it with a bit of hypospray.
It doesn't have to be permanent if you don't want it to be".
"It bothers you doesn't it?
It's hideous I know.
You see funnily enough I was supposed to belong to Gul Ducat but Madred must have had better connections or he was far more aggressive or something so I ended up being in the possession of Gul Madred instead, who lived right next door to him at the time.
Then Ducat resigned, gracefully of course and he eventually left Cardassia which strangely left me at the mercy of Madred.
I'm ashamed to say I rebelled against Gul Madred furiously, nearly everyday, the first day I decided to rebel, he gave me this.
He took a serrated scalpel type blade to my face, he pressed the tip right under my eye and then he slid that blade very very slowly down my cheek.
He did it slowly on purpose so I could feel it.
'I want you to feel this and remember this pain, I don't want you forget it, freedom has a penalty and so does rebellion and since you have no freedom you will suffer the penalty of rebellion by the iron blade of Cardassian law' he told me.
So that's how I got my scar, thankfully this nanotechnology cosmetics he made me wear covered up most of the scars he gave me.
The rest were hidden under clothes and other undergarments.
Although even without the cosmetics I doubt if anybody would have cared anyhow.
There isn't much sympathy on Cardassia and mercy is even more scarce on their planet."
"I know, I know all too well, about their culture and their customs, I've witnessed it many times, their arrogant judicial system, the millions of children neglected by their diplomatic parents, their torture methods.
I think I've seen a little bit of everything, maybe even more over the past 2 decades.
I've even taken part in a few of these brutal and destructive customs they like to call justice.
It's certainly not pretty but the scar itself doesn't bother me.
If I'm to be perfectly honest it was the cosmetic adjustments that were a bit unsettling to me".
"Too perfect for you huh?
I can't blame you.
It made everything ultra symmetrical.
That's probably not something you're used to".
"No, from my observation most humanoid species rarely have symmetrical features.
So yes it was rather unsettling to see you so perfectly symmetrical.
I don't believe in perfection myself, I might believe in the perfecting of ones mind spirit and soul but that is a personal and spiritual venture that must be done on your own, possibly in temporary isolation, so that you can reflect on these inner imperfections that you think you can fix.
Perfection is an illusion, perhaps when I encounter this illusion first hand it makes me uncomfortable because I myself am not perfect either.
I've tried to be perfect but the more I tried the harder it was to be who I really was.
There is no perfection when it comes to being your truest self.
A great leader told me that. Commander Benjamin Sisko gave me that bit of wisdom before becoming Emissary of the Bajoran Religious Order.
He was a great man and I respected him.
I respected him because he treated me as a an equal and he never measured my worth by how I looked or by what I had done in my past."
"I wish everyone was that accepting."
"I'm sure you'll find that acceptance Taya.
You just have to start looking, sometimes you don't have to go looking for it, sometimes it finds you."
"That's why I came here.
You see Ducat was not quite as cruel and fearsome as you might think.
Most of that was just a ruse or a display to scare people away.
Ducat was certainly frightening up close but he was kind towards me and he'd even invite me over so I could escape the wrathe of Madred.
He knew life for me with Madred wasn't easy, I think he pitied me and he told me later that if I had been gifted to him, he would have freed me but when he left I had to free myself."
"I hope it's not too personal to ask how you accomplished that exactly?"
"I can't very well tell you, how I escaped until I tell you exactly how I was captured.
It all started with the fire in the sky, you could taste the smoke and the blood on your tongue, my grandfather scooped me up and I could feel him stumble, struggling from the dust, smoke and the heat that was pounding down on us.
He told me to wait in the outskirts till the fires died down and the skies had cleared.
He said he'd come get me when the danger had passed but the Dominion got there First.
I was a small child at the time, I wasn't 18 like I told you in the interrogation room.
I fabricated quite a few things, it's something I do when I'm under pressure, I make up stories, alternate versions of stores I've either heard, read or experienced.
Anyways the Dominion didn't want me, I was too small to be useful so they thought it would be best to put me to death.
They called me weak, yet as they held the photon rifle to my head there was a huge explosion that knocked me backwards, when I regained consciousness, I saw the tendrils of smoke clear and there was a formidable figure that cut through the smoke.
The skies decided to clear just as he emerged from the smoke, so I thought I was seeing my savior that day, there was a ring of light surrounding him, like an ethereal halo.
I thought Gul Ducat was my hero but I learned later he was a hero to no one.
He was a ruthless and merciless villain to most who met him yet to me at 8 years old I thought he was my Knight in Shining armor.
That vision I had of him lasted for many years.
The Dominion and the Cardassians fought furiously that day but after every single person in my village died, the Cardassians became victorious.
Ducat told me he'd return me to my grandfather yet there were no survivors found, my mother and father were discovered under the wreckage but no one ever uncovered the body of my grandfather."
"That's very tragic but how is it that I met you on Yandera Prime on that day of my investigation with Major Jahdzia?"
"Simple I had a synaptic stimulator attached to my neck.
It was used to suppress my Telepathic abilities.
However I messed with it a bit and it eventually allowed me to transmit my thoughts back home to my grandfather, even when I was in captivity, I was able to speak with him.
You see I'd been searching for him and when I finally found him I was absolutely overjoyed.
After his relocation to Yandera Prime 2, he was able to provide a accurate simulation of the life I had originally back at home.
Since I was left in a cell and forgotten about while I was aboard the Cardassian vessel, I could interact with the townsfolk and even with my own mother.
He designed my hologram to act as a sort of Snyth body for my mind to inhabit and control.
So I wasn't really a hologram, I was alive, so when you met me that day, you met the real me in a way.
However my Synaptic Stimulator was removed when I arrived to Cardassia, so I lost contact with him for the most part but sometimes I'd communicate with my grandfather through dreams.
It was never enough and it never was quite as intimate as when he had created that hologram for me to move around in.
It was horrible when I realized I'd never see my family ever again.
Then I lived with Ducat until Madred discovered what I was capable of, then he dragged me to his home to which I remained a slave for 15 years.
So that's my story, I hope it was enough to satisfy you".
"Oh yes...it was more than sufficient.
I'll allow you to rest and hopefully adjust to your new life here.
Good day to you, hopefully Commander Kurland Will be able to speak you tomorrow.
He is on a mission aboard the U.S.S Defiant at the moment he is due to return tommorow."
"Do you think he will ask me to leave?"
Taya peered up at him nervously.
"It's hard to say. It depends if he thinks you are a risk to this station.
He may very well decide to keep you here since you do have valuable information regarding the Maquis, The Dominion and the Cardassian Empire.
However the fact remains that you were smuggled through the wormhole and that you gained unlawful entry into DS9.
You boarded this station without permission or the clearance from a Commanding Officer.
So there might be those on this station that may see you as some sort of fugitive.
So I wouldn't get too comfortable and don't interact with too many of the locals here, at least not until your case has been settled with Captain Kurland.
It's best just... to remain here, unseen, hidden, you know lying low for a bit just in case someone is following you or searching for you".
"Oh shoot, I forgot, Gul Madred is probably pretty furious right now, since I escaped.
I knew I shouldn't have come here".
"Then why did come here in the first place?"
"I thought you were my friend.
I thought a lot of people were, yet they usually just abandon me in the end or I get sent away, pushed out to the outskirts or forgotten about.
I came here because you were the only kindness I remembered in my life.
I came here because there was one last spark of hope left in the universe and I thought if I could find you, if I could only get to you, I'd be free and finally I could have hope again; hope and happiness yet I don't think you are that happy to see me.
So this plan might not work out very well."
"Don't be so sure, hope might just be around the bend and by the way I'm not unhappy to see you.
However might I suggest if you feel the need to stretch your legs and look around, feel free to swing by Sick Bay.
I'm sure Dr. Bashir will be very accommodating".
"I'll keep that in mind".
"Oh another thing before I go, If you come across a Dabo Bar on the far side of the station and it's run by a certain shifty Ferengi, Keep walking.
It's not a pleasant place, it's quite disreputable and it just so happens to be a safe haven for all sorts of crimimals and often spies.
So I'd recommend as Chief of Security that for your safety you stay far away from that place."
"You don't have worry about that, I simply despise gambling and I'm not much of a drinker, so I'll most likely stay clear of the place."
"Good.
I'm glad to hear it.
Oh yes I know this is a little late but may I be the first to say Welcome To Deep Space 9.
I hope you enjoy yooyr stay here".
The doors slid out the way to make way for Odo.
Odo had a feeling she was going to be there a great while, he smiled as he walked back to his security station, rather content with the idea of having another friend aboard the station.
Friends are nice.
I could always use another friend.
Odo thought to himself as he sat down in his usual beige chair and examined the multiple security cameras on the screen before him.
This friend may prove to be rather dangerous but then again I like a little danger in my life.