"The power is still connected at least".
Taya cheerlily chimed right after Odo ordered the computer to turn on the Holodeck.
"It is rather chilly in here.
There obviously hasn't been much activity in here for a quite awhile otherwise the temperature in here would be a lot warmer.
Can't you feel the chill?"
"No I don't feel chills. I do feel certain changes in temperature but I don't feel them in quite the way that you do.
I don't believe I even have a temperature to speak of.
I don't have nerves or skin, so I just sort of sense things that are in the air, I sense the changes but I don't actually feel them as any normal carbon based humanoid does".
Taya very gingerly stretched out her fingers towards him and she thoughtfully glanced over at his hand while she placidly and ever so non chalantly clasped onto his hand.
Her hand was very gently embracing the outside of his own, she guides his hand to touch the side of the holosuite.
There was a miraculous shimmer that illuminated his true form iridescently, the white being exposed beneath a ripple of purple and gold light, that took the form of what looked like cosmic flowers blossoming and dancing upon his hand and briefly undulating through his anatomy.
He was too transfixed by his hand and how his hand felt to notice the ripple effects of her strange and secret power.
"Do you feel it now?"
Odo hid a small gasp as he flung his hand away from her and stared at his hand in a horrified fashion.
The sensation was a tiny aching prickle.
"Yes I do.
However did you do that?"
Odo's disbelieving eyes were almost accusing now.
"If you've ever heard of the term mental transference, it's kind of like that but instead of emotions or constructive thoughts, I transfered a feeling to you.
The feeling of cold, the exact feeling of cold I just so happen to be experiencing right now"
"Yes but how does that work exactly?"
"It's a simulation, Odo. I gave you a temporary telepathic simulation of what it would feel like if you had actual nerves and skin to experience the cold as any average humanoid would."
"So you can make me feel things after all."
He had a lenient tone but still there was a hint of skeptical melancholy that dragged out his words.
Odo still hadn't shifted his gaze from his hand but flexed his once effected hand awkwardly as if his own hand would betray him at any given moment.
"I'm an influencer not a miracle worker.
There are limits to my abilities yet don't worry I'll never use my abilities of influence on you in any way unless I have your permission of course."
"That's awfully considerate of you, thank you.
Now what else have you ascertained from the Holodeck besides it being below 40 degrees?"
"I'll need my tools and then I can get cracking".
"They are not your tools as of yet and I don't know what dumpster you fished that idiom out from but please put it away, put it back and please don't use it again...ever".
"Can I have these borrowed tools or the tools I have on lease so I can actually fix the holosuite?
I don't really care much about who they belong to but I do care about is completing this task...that you gave me to do.
Petty much".
"I see your point." Odo nearly growled as he ommited a soft sigh.
His hand dove for the tool box yet instead of handing it to her or placing it beside her,he carelessly let the tool box slam onto the holosuite floor deck, the sound reverberated through the holodeck like the smashing crash of cymbals.
The tool box wasn't properly closed so the top of it flipped open and few random engineerings tools flew onto to the floor deck as the solid thud of the toolbox sent a small tremor directly towards her right knee.
She was stooped down with her knees pushed outwards, supporting herself on her upper things and ankles alone.
"Oh did I do that?
I'm terribly sorry.
It must have slipped from my grip.
Clumsy me."
"Yes just your nerves again take it?"
She grimly grinned up at him.
"Yes it's really the strangest thing, my so called nerves started acting up the moment you showed up on this station.
Rather a funny coincidence don't you think?"
Taya gave him one last glare and then she placed the tools that had spilled onto the floor back into the toolbox.
She then quietly examined the inside mechanics of the holodeck by removing nearly invisible panel that was almost seamlessly blended into the holo grid.
She could hear her grandpa's voice whispering in her ear "You have to feel the machine.
All machines have souls which means they have wants and needs, all you have to do is listen.
Don't listen with your ears, don't listen with your mind or with any of your understanding, listen with your heart and your soul.
The Ghosts that live in the machines speak and they understand, they speak only to those that have a spirit strong enough to listen.
Grasp onto that spirit, if it runs chase after it, now close your eyes and listen, allow the answer to wash over you.
Now this truth is part of you Taya, you're doing it, keep going, don't lose your focus now, you've done it, Well done Taya".
Rurigan praised his granddaughter.
Taya had her eyes shut as she searched for the problem through the strange meditation that her grandfather had taught her.
Odo knew what she was doing, he'd seen this done before, Nerys used to do this, Jahdzia was even a firm believer in the curative healing powers of meditation but still he had no clue as to why she was doing this in front of a open holodeck panel.
Taya began hearing a wave of muffled murmurs.
She saw the inside of her mind, the purple flowers bled violet into waves of shimmering metallic hues, curling around to reveal faces, familiar faces that when she allowed them to approach closer to her view and she was finally able to touch them, the voices became audible.
However these faces and voices fled, fluttering as leaves in the wind, scattereing to the darkest corners of her mind.
There was then a huge explosion of light, she felt the surge sweltering of plasma, blaze right through her skin and her bones. The gush of energy, smacked her aside, sending her into the midst of space.
The chill was unbearable but the raging quiet subdued her journey.
She peacefully drifted off into the celestial abyss until she floated before what looked like fireworks that had been frozen in time yet the spectrum was way too vast to be any sort of pyrotechnic display.
It was a nebula, the nebula hummed, the hum was coming from the golden center of the nebula.
"Taya. Taya. Taya where are you?"
The sun was blinding her when she opened her eyes.
"Oh there you are."
There was a laughter that flooded through the vivid greens of Yandera Valley.
There was a woman in a green Starfleet uniform, her face was perfection, her eyes were violet, there were leopard patterns ribboning both sides of her forehead all the way down her beautiful neck.
"Jadzia."
Taya reconginzed her by name.
"Dax. Jadzia Dax.
You are Taya, Taya of Yandera Prime but you are of Bajor now."
"Yes I am of Bajor now."
"We are are of Bajor, we brought you here so you could be of Bajor as we are.
Now we are one.
Bajor Welcomes you does it not?"
"Yes and no".
"How can a awnser be both yes and no.
There is only Bajor or the aybss."
"What is the Abyss?"
"The Abyss is where your past is, it is all you wish to escape and all you thought you left behind.
Dukat, Garek, Madred, Nerys, Vorta, Jem Hadar, the founders, they all live there.
You do not live there but you long to join them again so you can live within their void.
You are living in bliss, you walk in light, you are in the valley of Yandera but you wish to walk in darkness and live in the shadow of the Cardassian Wasteland.
Do you choose void and darkness over light and bliss?"
"No I choose the light and Bliss, my Sister.
I am of Bajor but Bajor is not always kind to me.
Bajor is not always my friend, even though I desperately long for Bajor to be my ally, Bajor is distant, it avoids me, it reprimands me, it constantly controls me to no end, I cannot escape bajor."
"You are not meant to escape Bajor, Bajor was meant to be your escape.
Bajor is your shield and your shelter, the path to Bajor is set in stone.
You cannot turn from this path."
"What of the founder?"
The familiar form of Bashir came trudging through the specks of sunlight in her vision.
"The founder is of Bajor."
Dax answered Bashir serenely.
"Then she speaks of the founder, not of Bajor.
She hides the message for us to uncover with all our wisdom."
Odo gallantly advanced towards them, striding past the blossoming trees of purple and gold.
"She hides it so sweetly, Taya is as wise as we are.
She knows how to communicate with us much like the Sisko.
You understand us well.
You have done well."
Odo demurely praised her.
"What of the founder?
Why can't I escape him even in my dreams?"
"The founder is of Bajor and you cannot escape Bajor...
as we have said, so have we spoken."
Odo answered calmly in reply.
"That doesn't answer my question.
Why does the founder haunt my dreams?"
"You are drawn to Bajor and all its disciples, as moth loves the flame, so shall you love Bajor and all who belong to it."
Jadzia poured her words over her ears like warm oil.
"I do not seek Bajor, I seek to know what is wrong with Cardasssia.
This Cardassian bares my grandfather's name.
How do I remove my grandfather's name from Cardassia?"
"Cardassia is not of Bajor, your grandfather had Bajor on his mind but not in his heart.
He did not walk your path, Taya, he walked with Cardassia.
He walked with the Vorta, he walked with the founders and he walked with the Jem Hadar but it did not save him, it did not save Yandera, so we took it upon ourselves to save you.
The eye has seen your torment, so we brought you here, to the valley of Yandera once more so you can live freely in light and bliss
Hum to the Cardassian.
He will hum back to you in return.
All life has a hum, the hum is the life, it is Pagh.
Once you can hear this hum, it will always answer you.
Now touch it's Pagh, hum to it and it will come alive.
Hum as mother used to long ago when you were a little girl."
Jadzia explained to Taya.
"The Hum". Bashir, Odo and Dax spoke in unison.
"This hum will soon be a great song, you will sing it and all shall be healed by hearing it and when they touch your Pagh they will be made new again.
The Hum unlocks all truths.
You are the hum, you are the life flow of Pagh.
All rivers of Bajor flow to you."
Odo finished Jadzia's thought.
"Yet be Cautious, not all hums are the same, some can drain life and take it away.
Some hums can bring life while others can destroy it.
You must use the rivers of Bajor to overcome this yet fear not, there will be no hum too great for you, you are the Hum, you control the hum, it does not control you and it never can.
The Hum is the key to all truth."
Bashir had a tragic and foreboding expression as he said this.
"She must not just hum, she must be louder than the hum.
She must sing over that sea of hums, she must walk upon it's waters but never shall they touch her Pagh.
She must not be afraid to sing beyond the din of both the void and Bajor.".
Odo was being cryptic yet again.
"What is the hum?"
"Hum like mother.
Hum like your father, Hum like grandfather did in his work shop. The hum makes all things possible".
Jadzia touched her Pagh and she opened her eyes, touched the once hidden inner circuitry.
"This is the problem.
Of course, it makes so much sense now."
There was a gold swivel of light that formed in the center of the circuitry, it spun with its celestial petals swirling into a divide in 4 different directions, these flowers twirled the same way but they were much smaller than the one located in the center.
She allowed her thoughts to ease so the flowers could spin she twisted her wrist so the energy from these flower like orbs would repair all the broken circuts and damage to the threadbare couplings.
She began to hum the lullaby that her mother used to sing to her right before bed.
The Holodeck began to hum to life.
It was the hum, the hum was the key to all things after all.
Odo noticed how there were certain bits within the chaotic mess of circuitry that didn't just repair themselves but they were instantaneously replaced and reconstructed, the golden plasma like energy rippled through the entire holo grid.
"I must sat that's a promising sound.
Good work, Ensign.
You may be getting one step closer to another promotion."
Odo's voice brought her back to reality.
Odo could see something unusual swirling around in her eyes.
It was the eye, the eye of the universe was peaking through her pupils, it danced on the surface like a spider on the top of a pond.
"The Hum is the key to all things, the hum makes all things possible".
Taya sounded like she was truly at peace, something that was actually refreshing to him but as soon as he asked her what she meant by that the golden glint of the worm hole vanished from her eyes, like the simple fall of rain it drained from her eyes into nothingness.
