Star Trek: Reign Of Terror

Chapter II: Errand Of Mercy

Deep Space Nine, Commander's Office, Stardate 48245.4

Sisko was busy studying an image of the crime scene and mentally reviewing all of the various details involved when his door chime sounded. "Come in," he stated brusquely without glancing up from the holosuite image. Major Kira entered along with Jadzia Dax, and both women paused in front of his desk waiting patiently until he completed his train of thought.

"Dr. Bashir's report concurs with that of Chief O'Brien," said Kira informatively. "There is absolutely nothing he could find that would explain why a humanoid body would simply 'come apart at the seams' and explode in such a manner. There are no traces of explosives, no evidence of directed energy discharges, absolutely nothing detectable that would leave us with even a minor clue as to what took place inside that holosuite..."

The Commander stroked his chin thoughtfully with one hand. "So we're stuck with the same lack of evidence as the previous two murders," he growled with obvious frustration. "There has to be something out of the ordinary, or we wouldn't have a dead freighter Captain."

Jadzia nodded affirmatively. "There was," she replied. "Although there still isn't any direct evidence of violence, our internal sensors detected a massive graviton surge shortly after Quark and Rom left Captain Keyoun alone. The gravity inside that room temporarily increased to a level so high that it blew out the main power systems and disabled the active holographic program. As you know, we have been experiencing intermittent systems failures and unpredictable malfunctions for several weeks now. The list in our maintenance database includes quite a few minor gravimetric disturbances, but never something this bad. Until now, everyone thought that all of them were simple malfunctions caused by all of the work going on with our weapons upgrades. The Starfleet technicians are, after all, routing considerable power from our fusion generators to the new phaser arrays. I did some checking in our history files, and it turns out that higher than normal gravity fields were also logged at the precise time and location of the other two killings. So even without much else to go on, we have in fact established a definite pattern. I admit that this isn't a great starting point, but I think that you'll agree... it's better than nothing."

"Is there anything else, old man?" Sisko sighed, regarding her thoughtfully. His eyes temporarily drifted to the dark spots lining the edges of the skin on both sides of her attractive, feminine face. Jadzia's Trill ethnicity, along with the worm-like symbiont that she carried inside of her, granted her an insightful wisdom that spanned more than half a dozen standard humanoid lifetimes. In situations such as this one, it simply wasn't like her to come up with so little.

Dax shrugged her shoulders. "So far, Odo and Lt. Commander Eddington haven't discovered anything else that is relevant to this most recent murder. I don't know what to say," she admitted. "Normally, anything of significance would have immediately shown up on our internal sensors. I have a few ideas on how to enhance them to more closely monitor any future gravimetric anomalies - but that will only work if this type of event occurs again. Until then, we're stuck with the classic 'murder inside a locked room' scenario. How it was done remains a mystery."

Odo's silhouette appeared in the doorway, and - over Jadzia's left shoulder - Sisko noticed him waiting rather impatiently and he promptly waved the shapeshifter into the office. The Constable's mood was extremely grim and intense as he entered, much more so than usual. Even under normal circumstances, the shapeshifter was usually uptight and more than a little bit overbearing. Murder, in particular, always seemed to elevate his determination to resolve a criminal matter swiftly and thereby maintain the peace. Crime was inevitable, particularly with so many travelers constantly moving on and off of Deep Space Nine. In Odo's eyes, however, perpetrators of any crime should be caught as soon as possible and face the consequences of their actions. He had always been a man who favored justice and the rule of law, and this had been a constant about his personality that remained unchanged over the years.

"What have you discovered, Constable?" asked Sisko with interest.

"Much less than I would have liked," admitted Odo, handing Sisko another data padd. "The victim was Keyoun Midic, owner and commander of the Bajoran freighter Ha'Husia. His ship is currently docked at airlock 'D12' and his crewmen are taking turns enjoying shore leave on the Promenade while awaiting the return of their Captain. After concluding a business arrangement with Quark, Keyoun was planning on making a cargo run into the demilitarized zone. The ship is carrying a full load of cargo and was scheduled to leave tomorrow. The vast majority of their cargo consists of items like floor plating, gravity generators and a sizeable array of spare parts most commonly used to repair space-based equipment."

"Is there anything that might be a motivation for murder?" wondered Kira. "We see a lot of similar equipment pass through the station on a regular basis... I can't imagine someone wanting to kill anyone over items like that. Most of it can be purchased virtually anywhere in the sector."

Sisko read quickly through the cargo manifest on the data padd, raising an eyebrow in surprise as he noticed the last item. "Perishable medication?" he said out loud, phrasing the statement like a question.

"Yes," Odo nodded in response. "The vaccine is the only thing on the list that stands out to me as suspicious right now. It's expensive, difficult to purchase, and has a limited period of viability spanning two to three weeks. That's why Keyoun's visit to the station was not scheduled to be an extended one. He either needed to get where he was going in a hurry..."

"...or the medication would lose both potency and value," Jadzia mused, finishing the sentence for him.

The name of the drug was not immediately familiar to Sisko. "Delacon-G?"

Odo harrumphed loudly, obviously not impressed. "I checked with Dr. Bashir. Delacon-G is a rare substance that has to be very carefully refined in a medical laboratory. It is normally used to inoculate some of the hardier humanoid species - Klingons and Vulcans, among others - against radiation poisoning." He paused, letting his words sink in before telling them the rest. "The drug provides immunity against very specific types of radiation that can be found commonly leaking out of subspace... usually in areas of very high gravity near stars and planetary gas giants."

"Aha," said Sisko with a triumphant flourish. "We have another connection to this latest murder."

"Do we?" Kira glanced first to Jadzia and then to Odo. "All we know is that some sort of gravitational disturbance was involved. What does that prove?"

"We also have the Ha'Husia," pointed out Sisko, smiling slightly. "It's still docked at airlock 'D12' with a cargo and crew that are waiting to go somewhere." He handed Odo's data padd back to him. "And I want you to find out where they're going, Constable."

Odo nodded in agreement. "I should caution you Commander," he warned. "These murders are occurring everywhere in this sector, not just on Deep Space Nine. There have been several additional related killings on Bajor and quite a few of them in other nearby star systems. Particularly in the DMZ colonies, there are literally hundreds of people who have gone missing. The reports of these incidents continue to increase with each passing day." The eyes on his odd, humanoid face met Sisko's. "Regardless of whatever or whoever is behind all of this, the problem is growing worse Commander."

"The missing people are probably victims of an aggressive, elevated Cardassian military attack against suspected Maquis members," guessed Kira. "Cardassians are well known for their ability to drag people off in the middle of the night. They're not known for distinguishing between those who are guilty and those who are merely suspects."

"I don't think that's the case this time around Major," Odo countered.

Kira placed her hands firmly on her hips. "What makes you so certain?"

"Because many of the missing colonists are Cardassians," replied Odo firmly. "Their government is equally upset about what's been going on."

The room was silent for a few minutes as everyone thought about the situation further. "So what would be the next logical step, Benjamin?" Jadzia asked finally.

The Commander smiled confidently. "We find out everything we can about the Ha'Husia and her intended flight plan," he declared. "And then we send her on her merry way, with Chief O'Brien as her new Captain. I'm also going to slip Major Kira and a Bajoran security team on board to watch the rest of the crew." He leaned back in his chair and placed his hands firmly behind his head, exhaling contentedly. "I want to know who shows up to collect that cargo."

Quark's Bar, Lower Level

"I'm sorry to hear that there's so little to tell regarding the latest murder," said Garak the Cardassian grimly as he watched Dr. Julian Bashir's reaction carefully. "We innocent civilians hear on Deep Space Nine are getting picked off one by one, and as usual there's apparently not much that Starfleet can do about it. Cardassian investigations, by comparison, are always much... quicker. And, I might add, significantly more efficient at capturing and prosecuting those who are guilty."

The two men were seated at their usual table, having their traditional weekly lunch together as they discussed the latest news and local gossip. Dr. Bashir regarded the exiled Cardassian tailor curiously, resisting the impulse to react defensively to Garak's latest barb. "You used to be an intelligence agent," he replied crisply, "and many people on this station believe that you still are. Perhaps you could shed some light on what's been going on."

Garak laughed with obvious amusement. "I am a humble tailor, nothing more..." he insisted.

"Of course," growled Bashir, spooning some chicken broth from a bowl and blowing on it to more speedily cool the hot liquid. "The Cardassian military makes a habit of exiling simple tailors every day. That's why we have so many of them aboard Deep Space Nine."

Again the Cardassian smiled wryly with delight. "Really Dr. Bashir, you are getting so much better at trading jabs with me," Garak observed. "I do believe you've learned a thing or to from our lunches together. They've made you a much better..."

"...cynic?" Bashir glanced up from his meal just long enough to meet the eyes of his shifty-eyed friend.

"Realist." Garak placed a special emphasis on his one word response. "Unfortunately, the answers to some mysteries must always remain a secret. That has always been the case with government affairs on any planet." His own plate was empty... he had finished eating long ago and stuck around purely to partake of the Doctor's company. "I was just hoping there would be some news as to who is doing the killing... it's disheartening to have to go to sleep every night holding a weapon. One never knows when the thing might go off by accident."

Dr. Bashir chuckled. "Engage the safety before going to bed." He continued eating and then a new thought suddenly struck him. "Weapons aren't allowed in the habitat area, are they?"

Garak shook his head negatively. "Engaging the safety would only make me less safe," he declared proudly. "And no Julian... civilians like me are not allowed to carry weapons anywhere aboard DS9. Not officially anyway, but one can never be too careful."

"That's a little too much information Garak," decided Bashir, returning his attention to his soup and the half-eaten remainder of a sandwich. "I don't want to know about that type of thing or I'll be obligated to report it to Odo." He continued eating until a shadow unexpectedly fell across the top of the table. Glancing up the Doctor redirected his attention toward a female, red-haired starship Captain standing next to them. She had a warm, confident smile on her face and extended a hand toward him.

"My name is Kathryn Janeway," the woman told him boldly. "Quark mentioned that you're the Doctor on this station. If you have a few minutes, I would very much like to ask you a few questions."

As she spoke Garak rolled his eyes and rose swiftly from his seat. "Leaving so soon?" asked Bashir curiously as he stood up and promptly accepted Janeway's handshake.

"I'm afraid it's time for me to return to my shop," the Cardassian said slyly, watching Janeway intently. "Your rank is a bit intimidating to a humble tailor like me Captain. We peons aren't usually graced with so formidable a presence here on the Promenade." He drifted off into the crowd of civilians surrounding them, leaving Janeway a bit perplexed by his odd behavior.

"Don't mind him," Bashir smirked. "I've known Garak for several years now, and he always behaves that way. The man has and always will be an enigma... even to me." He waved a hand casually in the direction of Garak's hastily vacated chair. "Please, have a seat and join me Captain."

Crew Quarters

Sisko was in his personal quarters enjoying some rare quiet time alone reading a book when Jadzia Dax paged him via his Comm-badge. Since his son Jake was in the middle of doing homework, the Commander moved into an adjoining bedroom for privacy. He seated himself on the edge of a bed near one of the windows, where intermittent flashes of ghostly light from outside immediately caught his attention. The sporadic flickering continued to illuminate the interior of the room with an eerie glow as Starfleet personnel busily working outside in EVA suits continued to weld new hardware into place along the exterior hull of the massive Cardassian space station known as Deep Space Nine. Occasionally a work pod would drift by, either pushing or towing additional huge metallic torpedo launchers and phaser cannons toward its assigned work crew.

Again his Comm-badge beeped for attention. "Dax to Sisko... please respond."

"This is Sisko," the Commander responded, speaking directly into the communicator. He lightly pressed the Comm-bade against the left breast of his uniform as he spoke, attaching it firmly to its normal location. "What's going on?"

"We're detecting another anomaly Benjamin," she responded, her voice sounding elated. "There is a huge gravimetric distortion forming in the docking ring near airlock 'D12'."

"That's where the Ha'Husia is docked, isn't it?"

"Exactly," Dax responded. "I've already alerted Odo and Lt. Commander Eddington... they promised to round up a security team and investigate immediately."

"I'll meet them there," Sisko replied briskly. He returned to the main living area of his quarters and rubbed Jake's hair reassuringly. "I have to go to work Jake-O, but I'll be back. Do a good job on that homework assignment. Mrs. O'Brien will appreciate it."

"I will," Jake promised, smiling warmly in return. The smile promptly disappeared from his face as he watched his father attach a phaser pistol to his belt. "Be careful Dad," he said much more seriously, his concern for his father obvious.

"You know me," Sisko replied. "I don't take unnecessary chances. I'll tell you all about it later." He stepped out into the corridor and was gone a minute later, leaving Jake to stare vacantly at the textbook in front of him. Slowly but surely, the boy managed to overpower his concern for his Dad and return his attention to his assignment. It was difficult for him, but over time Jake was slowly but surely learning to cope with his father's hazardous line of work.

The Commander moved very swiftly, walking quickly toward the habitat ring and entering the 'D' section of airlocks. As he approached the Ha'Husia's docking point, he noticed Data and Chief O'Brien patiently waiting for him.

"I've been filling Data in on our situation with the unknown murders, and he's extremely interested as to what could possibly be threatening this sector," pointed out the Chief informatively.

"We'd like to accompany you," added Data.

O'Brien smiled dryly. "Don't worry Commander... when entering an unknown situation like this one, I can assure you from personal experience that Data's android strength can come in extremely handy."

"Very well then, you two are welcome to join the party," rumbled Sisko ominously without pausing, his anticipation building as the three of them broke into a steady stride and quickly passed airlock 'D11'. In the distance ahead they could see the familiar forms of Odo, Michael Eddington and at least half a dozen Bajoran and Starfleet security guards doing their best to open the airlock.

A spurt of smoke and flame erupted from behind one of the wall panels to the right of airlock 'D12', tossing one of the security guards against the far wall. Odo quickly helped the man to his feet, moving him out of the way as Eddington struggled to shut down power to the inner doorway. An unexpected shower of glowing sparks left fading embers on the deck plating at their feet. "The gravimetric distortion inside this door has shorted out the controls," Eddington shouted angrily, glancing at an active tricorder that he held tightly in his left hand. "They're completely deactivated... we can't get in!"

A damaged power conduit inside the wall on the left side of the airlock finally gave out and overloaded, creating a larger explosion that blew both O'Brien and Data off of their feet. O'Brien took minor injuries only because Data instinctively moved in front of him at the last instant and shielded him with his stronger, android body. More flames licked hungrily from behind the walls, and the corridor quickly began to fill with coiling rolls of gray smoke. Even through the closed doorway, the high-pitched sound of fatigued metal could be heard shrieking in protest against the unexpected introduction of intense, focused gravity so close to the vulnerable airlock chamber.

O'Brien raised his smoke and sweat streaked face gracefully in response as he slowly stood up. "Thanks for the cover Data," he said with genuine sincerity. "I doubt I would have survived that without you."

"No," Data acknowledged, his expression uncharacteristically agitated. "You would not have."

The Chief studied his expression more closely. "What's the matter Data?"

"The disturbance taking place inside the freighter is not limited to gravitons," Data replied grimly. "Some of the residual background radiation is interfering with my cognitive abilities and my..." His voice trailed off unexpectedly and the android actually stumbled as he tried to move away from the damaged panel. O'Brien gripped his shoulder reassuringly and moved him quickly but surely away from the airlock. Beside them, the Commander watched with disbelief as the airlock continued to shake uncontrollably, noticeably shifting back and forth while the key supports comprising its metal superstructure struggled to hold together.

"Get out of my way," Sisko told Eddington sharply, pulling his phaser free and upping its intensity setting to maximum. "I'm going to use the manual controls to open this airlock."

"And then what?" Eddington asked with interest.

"What do you think?" the Commander replied. "Then we're going in there."

Quark's Bar, Lower Level

One of Quark's Ferengi bartenders took Janeway's drink order and then promptly moved off to obtain her beverage of choice. "Raktajino?" she repeated, returning her attention to Dr. Bashir. "I've always been one to try new things, but seriously... Klingon coffee?"

Bashir had finished eating and chuckled at her reaction. "A lot of us felt that way at first," he admitted. "But it's become a very popular drink here aboard DS9... primarily because the station runs on a 26 hour day and many of us end up taking a night shift more often than usual." He sighed heavily. "During some of those early morning hours, the extra potency of the Klingon blend can be very..."

Before his very eyes, Captain Kathryn Janeway suddenly vanished.

"...helpful," Bashir finished softly. He stared at the empty chair where she had been sitting only seconds earlier, then whirled around in his own seat to study the rest of the crowd in the Promenade. Everything appeared totally normal, and he could see the Ferengi bartender at Quark's serving counter putting a cup of raktajino on a serving platter. Turning quickly back toward the Doctor's direction, the waiter began the short return journey toward his table. "Where did she go?" wondered Bashir as he scratched his head with annoyance. "She was sitting right here in front of me."

"Where did who go?"

The sound of Janeway's voice caused Bashir to return his attention to the opposite side of his table. She was sitting there, right in front of him, as though absolutely nothing unusual had taken place. Bashir's mind whirled with confused thoughts as he tried to make sense of the unexpected situation. "I... I guess... for a moment it appeared to me as though you had disappeared," admitted the Doctor. "Perhaps I should order a raktajino for myself."

The Captain held up one of the four pips from her collar. "I saw this drop from my uniform and bent down in time to pick it up before it rolled away," she replied coolly, snapping it back into place. "I didn't mean to catch you by surprise, Doctor."

"You didn't," Bashir said with a relieved sigh. "With the security and anxiety on this station so elevated these past few days, I haven't exactly been sleeping very well. I guess I'm just a bit fatigued."

Although he seemed - for the most part - to accept her explanation Janeway remained more than a little concerned. She had been watching Tom Paris sitting all by himself in a far corner of the bar ever since accepting Bashir's invitation to sit. He and Janeway had both agreed in advance that Paris would play some Dabo at Quark's and then isolate himself in the hopes that someone would grow curious and approach him. Paris would then push for a job or try to find a new 'friend' who could provide them with the information that they were looking for. But Tom had disappeared too, at the same time that she had. Fortunately no one in the crowded bar had even noticed the event. Deciding to risk staying in public for the moment, the Captain flashed Bashir one of her most confident, reassuring smiles.

"I would be extremely grateful if you would share with me everything that you know about the three people who were recently murdered on this station," she told him. "Particularly I am interested in your medical analysis and conclusions as to what exactly happened during the commission of those crimes."

Bashir raised an eyebrow. "I guess I'm not surprised, since we rarely have Starfleet Captains specifically assigned to this outpost. Everyone suspects that you were sent here on a mission from Starfleet Intelligence," he admitted. "Are you concerned that this might be a Dominion threat?"

"The Starfleet security data provided by Commander Sisko clearly shows that the Jem'Hadar do have transporter technology with a maximum range extending much farther than our own systems currently allow," Janeway pointed out. "That alone could explain how someone got in and out of the holosuite."

"Maybe so, but I've never seen any evidence of graviton surges during their use," the Doctor countered. "And even a Dominion transporter would have shown up on internal sensors. That's one of the reasons why Odo has been conducting a much larger investigation... he is hesitant at this point to rule out anything. Yes the Dominion and their Jem'Hadar soldiers have been hostile towards us and we could rightfully point at them and level accusations. But if we do that, someone attempting to deceive us would then be successful by playing on our fears and growing paranoia in that regard."

Janeway leaned forward and studied the Doctor's youthful, handsome features intently. "Please, tell me everything you know about this matter Doctor," she prompted him. "It is very important that you do so."

Airlock 'D12'

Michael Eddington stood at the ready with his tricorder whirring while Sisko used the manual controls to unlock the inner and outer airlock doorways. "There's still an atmosphere in there!" Eddington shouted above the roar of the flames and gravimetric waves that continued to punish the circular metal corridor around them. "However, life signs from the crew remain indeterminate due to interference from the distortion effect."

The Commander nodded stubbornly in reply as the inner door in front of him emitted a mechanical snapping sound and rolled open several inches. The large, round doorway was painted dark red with strategically placed windows that allowed people on either side of it to see what was happening. To most visitors the airlock doorways resembled a large, oversized gear. Even so, they were in fact a very reliable and proven method of allowing access to and from docked ships of all shapes and sizes.

Sisko glanced inside the airlock and saw only the smoke and flames from damaged electronic systems within. He temporarily hitched the phaser pistol back to his belt and used both hands to try and pull the airlock door open. His effort moved it a few more inches and then it jammed, causing the Commander to shout angrily in protest at his inability to get inside. Seconds later, Data appeared beside him and grasped the door firmly and pulled with significantly more strength than a normal humanoid. The sturdy metal comprising its frame screeched loudly in protest, but the door did finally roll far enough open to allow for entry.

Nodding to Odo and Eddington, the Commander entered the airlock followed closely by Data, Chief O'Brien and the entire security team. They paused briefly while Data once again used his strength to open the inner airlock door. The gravimetric distortion had diminished somewhat and continued to noticeably lessen with each passing minute, but the fire had overheated everything and sparks continued to fly from the damaged control systems.

Odo paused at the Ha'Husia's outer hatch and tried the access controls. Glancing back at Sisko he shook his head negatively. "No response," he stated tersely. "The freighter's systems are damaged too."

Sisko waved him back and then fired his phaser directly at the hatchway, slowly but surely slicing a hole into the stressed metallic doorway just large enough to allow one person at a time to enter. White smoke poured back toward them in a small walkway already filled with smoke, and everyone except Data and Odo coughed repeatedly as they continued to move forward. To their surprise, the going got easier the farther into the ship they moved. When they reached the freighter's inner hatchway, Odo actually smiled wanly with obvious satisfaction. "This hatchway is still working," he declared, pressing the entry controls. In front of them, a pair of doors parted neatly in the middle and sluggishly opened.

"Take your men and spread out," Sisko told Eddington. "Odo, Data, Chief O'Brien and I will head for the bridge. I want the rest of you to check out all other key areas, including engineering. Verify that the ship's warp core is stable and then identify anyone injured. Contact Lt. Dax in Ops and order any casualties beamed immediately to the infirmary. "

"Acknowledged," replied Eddington. He and at half a dozen armed security officers split into two teams, one of which headed left while the other proceeded toward the right.

The Commander tapped his Comm-badge. "Sisko to Bashir."

The pause was longer than he expected, but Sisko was used to people having to break away from whatever they were doing - if only to seek some privacy before responding. "Bashir here."

"I need you back in the Infirmary Doctor. There has been an incident on one of the commercial freighters connected to the docking ring. We may have injuries, and if so we're going to transport them directly to the Infirmary."

"Acknowledged Commander."

The freighter's bridge was a shambles. It was quite clear immediately upon arrival that whatever had taken place aboard the Ha'Husia's had occurred in its command center. Sisko, O'Brien and Data entered with weapons drawn while Odo trailed cautiously behind. The Constable rarely carried a weapon and - to Sisko's knowledge - had never even fired one. One advantage of being a changeling, the Commander decided silently. You can transform yourself into whatever form is most advantageous for the situation.

Every major system on board the bridge - aside from a few intermittent blinking lights - had gone dark. Like the airlocks they had passed through, smoke and flames were everywhere and most of the cargo vessel's crewmembers were lying flat on the deck unconscious. The metal walls and ceiling of the box-shaped bridge chamber had been noticeably distorted by the intense, focused concentration of gravity. Sisko and O'Brien were very experienced men and knew the drill in situations such as this one. Both swung their weapons in protective arcs and visually verified that the unknown event was over before proceeding to kneel and check for pulses on the unmoving bodies of the crew.

In the center command seat was a lone, conscious Bajoran male. He was sitting stiffly upright and shaking uncontrollably from shock and fear. The color had drained completely from his face and his eyes were wide with a terror that bordered on hysteria. Sisko finished checking the last crewmember and verified that the unconscious man was in fact still alive. Rising back to his full, broad-shouldered full height he approached the man in the center seat cautiously. "What has happened here?" he asked simply. "What is going on?"

The Bajoran turned slowly to face the Commander at the sound of his voice and his eyes struggled to focus. "Please," he stated intensely. His right hand grabbed Sisko's forearm and squeezed it tightly for support. "I am Levik Sunn, Captain Keyoun's first officer. Commander, you must grant me immediate clearance to leave on my cargo run. I have to make our deliveries as scheduled... we can't wait here any longer." Levik fought against the obvious urge to panic. "We've stayed too long already."

"Many members of your crew are still aboard Deep Space Nine on leave," Sisko responded briskly. "Those who are still here are injured, and you look like you've been through hell. Your ship has been damaged and is currently in no condition to travel anywhere."

"Please!" the Bajoran whimpered, his grip on the Commander's arm tightening. "You have to let us go!"

Sisko stepped away from Levik Sunn so that he could talk privately with Odo and Chief O'Brien. "Constable, allow Dr. Bashir to treat the injured. After that I want you to interrogate each and every one of them, including the first officer here. We need to find out what happened."

Odo sighed noticeably. "I don't think they're liable to tell us anything useful, but I'll try Commander."

"Chief, I want you to get this ship repaired and ready to get underway as soon as possible. I'll contact Major Kira and ask her to work directly with the Bajoran government and make arrangements for you to take over command of this vessel. I want you to pick a supplemental crew of choice from our contingent on Deep Space Nine and then use them to help you follow this vessel's scheduled flight plan to completion. Your mission is to discover who picks up this cargo and why."

O'Brien shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure the Major has the authority to set your plan in motion right away, sir. However, based on all that has happened lately, people are bound to ask a lot of questions. What are we supposed to tell them?"

"We'll tell them the truth as we understand it," Sisko decided. "You're going to assist the crew of a Bajoran freighter that has taken damage complete an important cargo run. The Delacon-G in the medical section is a perishable drug, so I believe it's vitally important that we assist the Bajorans in completing this errand of mercy before it's too late. Someone obviously needs anti-radiation medication and we need to find out who that is."

The bridge door snapped open and Michael Eddington appeared, surveying the damage to the bridge with dismay. "What has happened here today?" he asked with genuine confusion.

"Someone wants this vessel to move to its next destination as quickly as possible," the Commander said in response. "And they're willing to kill people to get it there."

Author's Notes: Be sure to check out the "Reign Of Terror" section of my profile page! You may have to assemble the URL link and utilize the shortcuts for the image links, but there are lots of great new additional pictures of the Deep Space Nine layout. Cardassian design is extremely fascinating after all... there are almost no right angles to be found in their architecture!