The Okanagan Incident Chapter 12

"Major Ro, let me know as soon as any Cardassian vessel requests docking access," Nerys instructed her second in command, her eyes darting to the chrono on her display, it was 11:42, yet still no sign of Julian and Garak's vessel, she tapped her nail on her desk impatiently.

"Yes Colonel," he replied smartly.

She keyed in her access code so she could monitor the station's sensors at her desk. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the ships schedule to dock at the station, the next Cardassian ship was due to arrive tomorrow morning. She checked the station scanners again, nothing.

Could Julian have made a miss calculation? He had seemed so confident last night when he told her their arrival time.

A trill rang out from her terminal, the alert showed her it was Ezri calling from the planet.

"Damn!" she hesitated for a moment, getting her thoughts in order, before accepting the call.

"Nerys, are you on the Station?" Ezri demanded, eyes flashing.

Nerys tried not to wince at Ezri's hurt expression.

"I'm sorry Ezri. I got called to the station last night to deal with a diplomatic issue," Nerys explained with a faltering smile.

"Really?" Ezri questioned, mouth pressed into a tight line.

"Yes really," Nerys said with emphasis. A completely true statement. Nerys had been woken by three separate commands—from the Ministers of Planetary Defence, the Interior, and finally, Minister Ceyitar herself—all ordering her to assist in the 'Child of the Prophets' investigation.

Prophets! Why they all felt the need to give her individual orders she didn't know.

It had the benefit of highlighting just how serious her government took the conditions of their new treaty.

Nerys rubbed her temples trying to relieve the tension that was building up.

"Oh!" Ezri's anger from a moment ago dissipated. Ezri's normal compassion was reasserting itself when she witnessed her friend's tiredness.

"I am sorry to do this to you, but my leave has been cancelled," she told her friend with a regretful tone, she had been looking forward to spending time with one of her few genuine friends.

"I'm sorry too Nerys. Shall I come to the station?" Ezri offered kindly.

"There is no point in you wasting your leave, the resort was paid for, you might as well relax and enjoy the festivities," Nerys suggested. Her friend was attractive, and Jadzia had, had adventurous taste in her bed partners, hopefully Ezri could take the opportunity to explore her options on planet, Nerys thought, trying to assuage her guilt at abandoning her friend.

Nerys checked the chrono again—it was 11:57. She shifted in her chair, her pulse quickened in anticipation.

Through her display screen, she saw Ezri's eyes narrow in suspicion. Hell on wheels! It was inconvenient having such an old friend who also happened to be a counsellor.

"There's something else isn't there," Ezri leaned back in her chair as she gave her friend a considered look. Nerys tended to hide her more subtle emotions behind more overt displays, like anger. Or the comically innocent wide eyed look she was unsuccessfully trying to pull off now. She didn't know how the woman had fooled her Cardassian overlords for all those years.

Nerys drummed her fingers on her desk as she thought about what she could tell her friend.

"Ok, ok," she said. Nerys propped her chin on her hand as she leant slightly closer to the screen. "Garak contacted me to say they were coming to the station," she confessed.

"They!" Ezri said, her eyes flashing hotly. "I take it you mean Julian will be on the station again?" she demanded. "Why didn't you say no!"

"They were already on route," Nerys frowned as she noticed an unknown caller trying to connect to her console. She brought her attention fully back to Ezri. "You know what Garak is like," Nerys said with a shrug, hoping Ezri would accept that non-explanation.

So, Julian's going to be on the station with you, and I'm stuck here? Alone?" Ezri's voice dripped with bitterness. She hated how Garak could manipulate situations, but she hated feeling abandoned even more.

Sometimes Ezri thinks that she has been set adrift after she transitioned from Jadzia to her current being, tangled in a web of Jadzia's connections, unable to anchor herself in her current life.

Damn! Nerys could see the stubborn set of her friend's jaw. The notification started to flash on her screen persistently.

"Look Ezri, I am really sorry. I have an urgent message coming through, I must take it. I had no choice but to deal with this diplomatic issue on the station. Try to enjoy your stay on Bajor," Nerys said.

"Nerys!" Ezri said angrily, she couldn't help feeling that Nerys wouldn't have cut her off if she was still Jadzia.

"If I have some spare time, I will call again. I might be allowed to expand on what I am doing on the Station," Nerys guiltily shoved her words at her friend, not giving Ezri time to respond.

"Talk to you later. Bye!" Nerys disconnected the call. She couldn't help but feel rude to cut off her friend. She had the urge to return to a childhood habit and bite her fingernails.

She was determined that she would talk to Julian about Ezri, she felt a bubbling resentment towards her old friend that was swirling with excitement with working alongside a 'Child of the Prophets.' This was her first test of her governments first overt steps away from the Federation.

Nerys believed this was the best path forward for her home planet and people. She hadn't expected to feel the pain of torn loyalties to her friends so quickly after the ratification of the Treaty.

The flashing of the incoming call continued to light up her display. She sighed, she didn't blame Ezri for her anger, but her first duty was always to her people.

But she had a job to do and a call to take.

With a deep breath, Nerys said, "accept call."

"Colonel Kira," Garak greeted smoothly, eyes gleaming with mischief. "I trust the station is running as smoothly as ever?"

Nerys blinked, her brows knitting in confusion. "Garak? How are you—where are you?"

His smile widened. "Ah, always the sharp one. I'm already on board. The exact location? Well… that's hardly relevant to this conversation."

Her hand shot to the console, rapidly scanning the docking logs and internal sensors. Nothing. There were no records of any ships arriving, let alone Garak and Julian's. "That's impossible," she muttered. "There's no record of any vessel docking in the last hour. No transporter logs, nothing. How the hell did you get here?"

"I couldn't possibly say, Colonel. Not over an unsecured line." Garak's voice was laced with amusement, as if this little mystery were just a game.

Nerys scowled. "I don't like surprises, Garak."

"Well then," he replied, his tone pleasant, "you're in for quite a few surprises today, I'm afraid. Shall we meet in person? I think it's best we have this conversation face to face."

Nerys paused, her mind racing. Garak was already aggravating her with his cloak-and-dagger routine, but her government had trusted her with this mission: to assist the 'Child of the Prophet,' even if it was only Julian.

There was no standard procedure for collaborating with their new allies. Hers would be the first joint case on which they would work. She eyed Garak's superior smirk, one he always deployed when he held more information than his opponent.

What was it? How they'd entered the station undetected? That alone was a security concern. Or was it something more?

Her mind drifted to Julian… his new hair, the cryptic comment about returning to his 'natural persona.' Could it be…?

As far as she knew, the 'Children of the Prophets' looked human. Or did they? Julian had said something about his 'natural appearance.' Nerys' brows furrowed. Had she missed something?

A deliberate cough from Garak and a knowing smirk interrupted her thoughts.

Nerys huffed under her breath.

"Meet me in Maintenance Corridor Level 5, Section 21 Alpha," she said, her voice firm. "And no more surprises, Garak. Not this time."

"I wouldn't dream of it… at least, not without warning."

Nerys sighed, rubbing her temple as she disconnected the call. Her last sight of Garak was of him grinning, delighted by her frustration.

Maintenance Corridor Level 5, Section 21

Nerys arrived first, the dim lighting of the maintenance corridor casting long shadows on the bulkheads. The clatter of boots echoed faintly as Garak and Julian approached. She squared her shoulders, feeling a tension between apprehension and impatience.

When the two men finally appeared, Julian had the grace to look sheepish, while Garak's expression remained maddeningly composed.

"Nerys," Julian began awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know this must be unexpected and you must be feeling betrayed..."

"Julian don't presume to know my feelings," she said annoyed. True her emotions regarding the man, were muddled.

Julian guiltily shifted on his feet, moving directly into the dim light, highlighting his face.

Nerys's mouth silently opened in shock as she took in Julian's appearance. Julian looked... He looked just as young, fresh, and youthful as the first day she met him all those years ago on the destroyed station. She blinked twice in surprise.

She noticed Garak's smirking enjoyment at her shock. She cleared the emotion from her face and straightened up.

"How did you get on the station?" Nerys redirected, her tone sharp, deciding for now to ignore Julian's youthful appearance. She wasn't in the mood for any dodging.

Julian hesitated, glancing at Garak, who merely raised an eyebrow in mock encouragement. "We used… a portal." Julian had no compunction in trusting Nerys. He had known her many years and her first loyalty had always been to her people and the Prophets.

"A portal," Nerys repeated, incredulous. "And you didn't think to mention this beforehand?"

"We thought it would be—" Julian hesitated, "—more efficient, given the circumstances."

Nerys crossed her arms, glaring at both of them. "Efficient? You bypassed every security measure on this station, what would you have done if security had caught you." Nerys glared as she tapped her booted foot on the deck.

Garak stepped forward, his voice calm. "Colonel, I assure you, we meant no disrespect. Time is of the essence. And with Julian being who he is… well, let's just say that certain precautions needed to be taken."

The subtle reminder of Julian's status as a 'Child of the Prophets' brought Nerys up short. Her confusion reasserted itself over Julian's new status as an official agent and her role as his assistant came to the fore front of her mind.

Garak's smile faltered for just a moment, but he quickly recovered. "I believe you've already been informed by your government of his unique status."

Nerys felt her stomach twist. She had only just learned that Julian was a 'Child of the Prophets,' a revelation that had shaken her more than she cared to admit. It wasn't every day that one of your friends turned out to be related to your deities.

"Yes," she said tightly, "I know. But what I don't understand is why you didn't come to me directly about this. That your current investigation includes the deaths on the Okanagan. Deaths that Starfleet has already exonerated you for. I could have helped you, before it got this far."

Julian just raises a brow at Nerys assertion of his assumed innocence in the eyes of Star Fleet. He knows his stalker had well and truly sunk his reputation within the Federation. With his ability to access secured Star Fleet files, Julian knew exactly what his superiors thought of him. Julian can't help but think how much his status as an augment contributed to this opinion. It's not like any of his superior officers had ever offered him any counselling after the war!

"You know, Major, I've always found it amusing. The Federation prides itself on its open-mindedness, yet its prejudice against genetically modified individuals rivals that of Vulcan's for Humans." Garak pointed out. He always enjoyed pointing out the hypocrisy of the Federation.

Nerys eyes flashed in annoyance. "It's not amusing, Garak. It's dangerous. If the Federation gets wind that we suspect Julian was setup, a genetically modified officer," she grimaced. "Which resulted in the deaths of eighty-seven Federation Citizens, the consequences could be catastrophic for Bajor."

"Precisely," Garak said, the smirk still lingering. "And if the Federation perceives Bajor as incapable of overseeing this matter, they may take matters into their own hands. That's where you come in."

Nerys felt a surge of frustration. "So, what exactly do you want me to do? Cover this up, lie to Starfleet?"

"Not lie, Colonel," Garak said smoothly, sharing a fleeting look with Julian.

Julian gives Garak an exasperated look, that even in this serious situation he is unable to prevent himself from provoking Nerys.

"As per the treaty between my people and yours, we require a Bajoran representative to witness the investigation. To ensure due diligence is followed and eventually that justice is served," Julian explained placatingly.

"Star Fleet know you, they trust you," Julian softly pointed out.

The three old comrades watched each other wearily. Each contemplating the Federation's retribution, though of course that is not how the Federation would frame their response.

Nerys stretches her neck, relieving the stress Garak induced. "Go on."

Julian nodded. "We need to capture the stalker, determine their motives, and present the entire situation as resolved, before the Federation even knows what's happening."

Nerys slowly nodded in agreement. She had spent the last fifteen years working closely with Star Fleet and run into Xenophobia, the organisations unshakeable belief that only their way was the correct way.

"My people are committed to protecting Bajor from any possible retaliation the Federation could come up with," Julian added.

'Protection!' Garak noted, that might be useful information for Cardassia in the future. He wonders if he will be able to leverage his relationship with Julian to get some of this protection for his own people.

Julian opened his mouth to continue, but Garak cut in smoothly. "The deaths were... unfortunate, yes. But what concerns us most is that we now believe the responsible party may be one of Julian's own people. Now one of your citizens."

Nerys blinked, caught off guard. "You think it's another 'Child of the Prophets'?" This was worse than she had originally assumed.

Julian nodded grimly. "We're not certain yet." His eyes flick to Garak. "But after discussing the circumstances with Garak I believe my stalker is one of my own people." Julian turns his head away, still disturbed by the thought of one of his own betraying there long held mores in such away.

Garak reaches out and grips Julian's bicep in support.

Nerys frowns at the display, back in the olden days she had assumed their relationship was purely sexual, what with Julian's flighty personality. Watching the interplay between the two men, she now wonders how much of a surprise Julian's new status was to Garak.

Sighing deeply Julian continues. "I mentioned briefly in our call that I had been stalked since before the end of the war. I have been investigating since the first incident on the station." Here Julian paused to gather his thoughts. "Our cultural structure is heavily influenced by our militaristic natures. A strict hierarchy is enforced with our Primes being at the top of the pyramid," Julian explained.

"With John and Ben as your leaders," Nerys added tentatively. Due to her position of the Station's commander, she knew more than the common Bajoran about their new allies.

Julian gave a hesitant smile to Nerys. "Yes. To understand us, you must understand we have lived our entire existence in secrecy," Julian explained. "There have been times in our past when we haven't been as careful, when we lived more openly amongst the humans on Earth," Julian swallowed the lump in his throat, eyes darting away from Nerys's face, before returning his gaze. "This lax in security led to the deaths of hundreds of my people, due to persecution."

Nerys nodded, her expression more sympathetic at this information, as Garak observed both of them keenly.

"We're raised to avoid drawing attention to ourselves. We have ways to manage internal disputes quietly—nothing that would ever spill into Federation awareness. But this situation… it's different. It's never occurred to me that one of my own could be responsible. To make this much of a disturbance."

Smiling ruefully at Garak, "it can be difficult for someone outside our society to appreciate how truly shocking it is to break this tenet," he continued.

Nerys's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you saying that your people never argue or fight amongst yourselves?" Nerys shakes her head. "I don't believe you," Nerys frankly stated.

Julian sighs. "Of course, we argue and have disagreements. But there is a prescribed way to deal with conflicts," Julian rubs his hands through his hair.

Garak eyes sparked with interest as he stored this new titbit of information away for later study.

"If your people have a way to deal with internal quarrels, why didn't your mysterious foe, use this method to hash out your problem?" Nerys sensibly points out.

The barely susceptible vibration from the station can be felt through Nerys's impatient feet as she waits for Julian's reply.

Now Julian is on board the station he is eager to investigate, he purses his lips and fidgets as he tries to produce a simple explanation for a millennium of cultural evolution of his people.

"Basically, the higher up you are in our society the less likely you are to be challenged," Julian was aware this nowhere represented the complexity of interrelationships of his people. "Our position in society is due to a combination of, bloodline, age and skill level," he added.

"Does this mean that you are less or more likely to be challenged?" Garak asked a curious tilt to his head.

"That doesn't sound fair," Nerys said frowning, arms now crossed tightly across her chest.

Julian rubbed his temples with strong brown fingers. "I am less likely to be challenged Garak," pointedly ignoring Nerys for the moment. "Not because of some unfair advantage, but simply because after rising to my position of trust in my society, it is less likely that I will accidentally offend anyone."

Julian was in a difficult position, though he trusted both Garak and Nerys, he was still prohibited from being fully transparent on his people. The Primes were working on a plan so that all of them could be more transparent with their new allies. Luckily, Garak took this information with composure, while Nerys had a mutinous quirk to her lips.

"That is why it never occurred to me to consider the investigation from the point of view that I could be targeted by one of my own people." Julian quickly interjected before Nerys could ask any further questions. He briefly looks at his feet before squarely looking at Nerys. "That is, until Garak pointed out that possibility to me."

Nerys's attention shifted to Garak, who unusually had kept quiet through this explanation. She wondered how much Garak had known, and for how long. Was Julian's new status even a surprise to him, or had he been aware all along?

"And this has to stay quiet," Garak added, his voice lowering. "If Starfleet finds out, the situation could spiral beyond our control."

Nerys clenched her jaw, understanding the importance of Bajoran security was now tied with the 'Children of the Prophets' fate. It was important that any further negotiations with the Federation was to Bajor's advantage.

Nerys let out a slow breath. "Fine. Where do we begin?"

Julian shoulder's sagged, he was relieved that Nerys was willing to work with them.

"First everything I tell you is confidential," Julian said, he waited patiently for the other two to acknowledge him.

"Really Julian," Garak rolled his eyes.

"Get on with it Julian," Nerys blew out her breath and made a continue motion with her hand.

Julian couldn't help grin at his old friends as they re-enacted an oft seen scenario from their past.

"As we have demonstrated some of my people are able to use portals to travel vast distances. But we are not 'Q', we can't simply pop into existence wherever we want, we need a physical key to link two fixed points in space together," Julian quickly explained with a slight bounce.

"And the reason why Odo wasn't able to find anyone entering the station at the time of the stalking incidents," Nerys surmised.

Julian shoulders sagged, it was so refreshing to be working with someone competent again and gave Nerys a warm smile.

"Someone would have needed to access the station at least once physically to install the key," Julian clarified.

"There should be at least one incident of the person who installed this key then," Garak said thoughtfully.

"A key is unique to every individual user, so I can use it to identify the person who created the portal," Julian said.

Garak coughed.

A delicate frown developed on Julian's brow.

Nerys quirked her brow at Garak.

"What Julian has forgotten to mention, is that his people's technology seems to be completely undetectable by Star Fleet systems," Garak smirked at Julian's annoyed look.

"Is that so," Nerys slowly said, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Look I don't have time to explain every nuance of my societies technology," impatience ringing clear in Julian's voice.

Nerys calmly looked at Julian. The distant noise of a living station filtering into the maintenance corridor with just the occasional dust mote drifting on the currents caused by the environmental systems of the station.

"Okay, where do you want to start?" Nerys asked.

"Ezri Dax's old office," Julian said succinctly.

Nerys gave a sharp nod. "Let's go," she said, pushing aside her unease. The time for questions was over—now, it was time to act.

Ezri's Former Office

The door to Ezri Dax's former office slid open with a soft hiss.

Nerys stepped inside first, calling out the command "lights on, 65% power," knowing it would be more comfortable for Garak. Julian and Garak followed Nerys into the office, Julian smiled thankfully at the Bajoran, who just harrumphed under her breadth at being caught being considerate to one of her old foes.

The room was dim, the consoles and personal items of a stranger were scattered through the office. With perfect clarity Julian was able to visualise the layout when Ezri occupied this space.

The air had a faint, musty quality, as though it hadn't been disturbed for some time, yet the room held an unspoken tension, as if it had been waiting for this moment.

"A life-support architect now uses this office, she is currently on a two month sabbatical on Rigel IV," Nerys informed them, her discomfort at invading a colleague's office space obvious in the tension of her shoulders.

Julian's eyes swept the room, and despite himself, he hesitated at exploring the space. He had spent time here with Ezri, back when they were together, though even then, he'd kept a distance between them. He hadn't been able to share the truth with her—about who he was, about his people. There had always been a barrier between them, and stepping into the space that used to belong to her, only reminded him of how much he'd hidden, how much he'd compartmentalised.

The stirrings of distant guilt swirled within Julian. He should never have started a relationship with a joined Trill. Jadzia's assured arrogance at being the most experienced person in the room had always pricked Julian's patience and had caused him to want to rebel against the dictates of his Prime and reveal his true age to the irritating Trill.

Ezri's wide-eyed innocence had been a welcome contrast to Jadzia's confident arrogance. He'd wanted to comfort her, to be the one to make her feel secure. At the time, it had felt like the right thing. Now, he wasn't so sure.

By the time the incident of the stolen files occurred, Julian's attraction to Dax was at an end and he took advantage of the accusation of breach of patient confidentiality to end their relationship once and for all. Though it had always irritated him that Ezri, jumped straight to the belief that Julian had some voyeuristic need to feed off the pain of his colleagues, rather than give him the benefit of doubt, that Miles and Nerys afforded him.

Garak had immediately dismissed the accusations against him.

Nerys looked back at him, concern crossing her face. "Julian?"

He shook his head slightly. "I'm fine," he said, his voice steady but soft. "Let's get this over with."

They moved further into the office. Closing his eyes Julian trickled out the barest amount of quantum energy. Fingertips lightly touching the frigid surface of a bulkhead, he sent his energy out searching, seeking any familiar receptacle for his energy, like a portal key.

"What exactly are you doing my dear," Garak asked curiously.

The feint scent of ozone permeated in the air, Garak recognised the smell from when Julian had created the wormhole earlier, he wondered if ozone was actually created and could it be used to detect Julian's people.

Julian's senses attuned to the subtle energy hum beneath the surface. It was faint, barely detectable to anyone not trained to feel it, but to him, it was unmistakable—there was a foreign key embedded somewhere nearby, the telltale signature of his people's technology. The energy signature wasn't his, though. Whoever had created this portal was far less skilled.

"I am looking for an energy signature that my technology creates," Julian said quietly.

Julian knelt by one of the small storage hatches near the far corner, a compartment barely fifty centimetres square. The size was odd—too small for most to use as an entry point—yet his instincts told him this was where the key was hidden.

Nerys crouched next to him, watching closely. "You feel something?" Her eyes squinted; she couldn't identify anything alien before her.

"Yes." Julian's voice was focused, his fingers hovering just over the surface of the hatch. "There's a foreign key embedded in this space. It's tied to a portal, but…" He frowned as he sensed the nature of the energy. "It's small. Whoever did this wasn't particularly powerful or skilled. The portal they created would have been narrow—too narrow for a large person to use."

"Which means… it's possible your stalker could be a woman," Garak said, his voice smooth and speculative.

Julian nodded. "It's likely. A portal this size would require someone with narrower shoulders—someone who could fit through a frame this small. It takes skill to embed a key like this, but the limited size suggests they weren't as experienced as I am."

Garak's gaze sharpened as he studied the compartment. "And to create a portal of that size and power… how old would someone need to be?"

Julian's hands paused. He didn't look up as he answered, his voice taking on a gravitas that hadn't been there before. "At least a thousand years. No one younger could create and maintain a stable portal of this nature."

Nerys, who had been silently watching, blinked. Her brow furrowed as she processed the weight of Julian's words. "A thousand years?" She looked at him, her expression stunned. "Does that mean… you're…?"

Julian met her gaze evenly. "Yes. I'm over a thousand years old."

She looked at him again, but this time with fresh eyes. The man she'd fought beside, joked with, confided in—how many lifetimes had he already lived? How many others had stood in her place, thinking they knew him?

"You've been hiding this for that long?" she whispered, her voice tight with disbelief.

Julian nodded, his face sombre. "I didn't have a choice. My people… we've always lived in the shadows. Always. It wasn't just a matter of secrecy—it was survival. For all of us."

Garak, standing off to the side, decided to bring the attention back to the subject at hand. "And this key? Do you recognise it?"

Julian studied the faint energy signature in the air as his fingers brushed over the surface of the hatch. "No. I don't know whose it is." His voice held a note of frustration. "But I can make a copy of the pattern. Flix, one of our best technologists, might be able to identify the creator. It's a long shot, but it's our best chance."

Nerys, still reeling from the revelation about Julian's age, shifted her focus back to the task at hand. "What exactly is this key, Julian? How does it work?"

Julian exhaled, focusing on the technical details to ground himself. "A key is an object that's embedded with quantum energy from one of my people. It's used to link two fixed points in space to create a portal. But to make the portal, you need something physical to anchor it such as a frame—like a door, a mirror, or in this case, this storage hatch. The larger the portal, the more power is required. That's why this one is likely so small—whoever did this wasn't old or skilled enough to create anything bigger."

He rested his hand against the surface of the hatch and closed his eyes, concentrating. Slowly, he fed a small amount of his own quantum energy into the key, enough to briefly activate it. A faint shimmer passed over the metal, the surface rippling like liquid before settling back into its solid form.

"It's inert," Julian said, pulling his hand back holding a small silver disc. "I can't fully activate it without the originator of the key. But this should be enough to make a copy of the pattern."

Garak raised an eyebrow. "Could someone else—another Child of the Prophets—have been hired to make this portal?"

Julian's expression darkened. "It's possible," Julian paused, rocking back on his heels, wracking his extensive memory. He personally didn't know anyone who hired out their services privately. "I have always been able to create my own portal. It's a rare skill amongst my people, even for those who are over a thousand years old." Julian straightened out, hands running through his hair.

"So, if they're as old as you, they can create their own portal without help," Garak probed, getting to the crux of the matter.

Julian's mouth remained firmly closed, tension in his jaw obvious.

"Julian, were we or were we not sanctioned by your leaders to assist with this investigation?" Nerys's eyes were intense as she pointedly waited for a response from Julian.

Julian's shoulders dropped into a more relaxed position. "When directed by our leaders we can create keys for others of our kind to use. It is also possible for less powerful immortals to combine forces to power a portal," Julian admitted.

"So, is this a dead end then?" Nerys said.

"No. An immortal needs to be at least a thousand years old to create a key and maintain a portal. The energy signature is unique to each immortal. It can't be faked or duplicated. But with the correct permissions it can be used by a third party."

Nerys stood up, pacing for a moment as she absorbed this new information. "So, we're dealing with someone who's ancient, skilled enough to create a portal, but not as powerful as you."

"Your face twitched," Garak was quick to point out. Julian was hiding something again, but what. His eyes narrowed as he studied his old friend. What was it about Nerys's words that caused that reaction. "Ahh! A thousand years old isn't ancient as you measure things," he pin pointed.

Nerys looks at Julian in shock. But a thousand years is ancient! Just how long do the Children of the Prophets live for, she wondered.

Julian ignores Garak. "Or at least someone who was able to trade something for a key," Julian said. "And they've been here. Right where we are standing." He rests his hand on the cool wall, hoping to shift focus from him, back to the case.

The three humanoids stood looking contemplatively at the hatch in the bulkhead.

Garak tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. "Which means there must be a physical record of them entering the station, at least once."

Julian huffed in annoyance. "I already told you Garak, I went through hundreds of hours of Odo's security footage and found nothing."

"But you weren't looking for one of your own at the time?" Garak logically pointed out. "I know you were able to evade Odo's security measures when you wanted too, so isn't it logical that one of your people could have done it as well?" Garak calmly added.

It stung Julian, that he had made such a rookie mistake. He just gave Garak a curt nod of acknowledgement. Before he pocketed the small disc he had used to copy the key's pattern. "I'll send this to Flix. If anyone can track the originator, it's them."

Nerys stopped prowling the office and turned to face Julian. "And then what?"

Julian straightened, his eyes hard with resolve. "Then we find them. Before they make another move."

"Julian, if you reviewed Odo's security footage, did you check Ezri's appointment calendar as well? Could someone have accessed the office during one of her sessions?" Nerys said.

Garak looked appreciatively at the Colonel, glad she was on the team.

"You also told me that all the sabotage against you only happened when you were off station," Garak clarified.

Frowning Nerys asked, "How can you be certain of that?"

"We can sense our own people like how I looked for the key in the room. Stand close enough to me and it is automatic in most cases," Julian clarified.

"That implies there are exceptions." Garak identified the caveat in Julian's explanation.

"If you are as old as I am, you can diminish your signature, so it doesn't alert others."

"Meaning if they are as old as you, they can create their own portal and wouldn't require a third party." Nerys slowly nodded as she worked through the logic of Julian's reasoning,

"Therefore, we have specific timeframes to search," Nerys eagerly stated. The search no longer seeming as daunting as when the mission was first proposed to her.

"We need Ezri." Nerys nodded in satisfaction, glad at the prospects of her two friends if not actually reconciling, at least moving towards a less fraught relationship.

Julian and Garak exchanged a look, both visibly tense at the suggestion.

"Ezri is loyal to Starfleet," Julian warned. "She's also Federation through and through. If we involve her, she may feel obligated to report this to her superiors."

Garak added, "Colonel, as much as I respect your friendship with Ezri, Julian's right. She may mean well, but her Federation loyalties are too strong. If she gets involved, this investigation could become a diplomatic incident."

Nerys weighed their arguments carefully. She knew that involving Ezri was a risk, but she also knew that Ezri could provide valuable insight. The stakes were too high, and the timeline too short.

"I believe that if I ask Ezri to help, she will," Nerys argued. "Come on, Dax is over three hundred years old, she understands that not all situations are black and white. She has bent the rules in the past for the benefit of Bajor."

"She may have personal records from that time or remember something," Garak tentatively added. "The person who set the key necessary needs to be a stranger to the stranger to the station and more likely to be remembered by her."

Julian hesitated. Trusting Ezri with this information could open a door that couldn't be closed. But Garak was right—Ezri's memories might hold the key. And if things went south, well, he had ways of keeping secrets.

Julian tapped his lips with his finger while he considered his friends words. He knew the break in friendship between himself and Ezri, pained Nerys.

"Okay, you can ask for Ezri's assistance," Julian agreed.

Nerys sighed in relief and smiled at Julian, the most natural expression she bestowed in Julian, since he returned to the station.

Julian returned her smile tentatively, slowly rebuilding the trust between them. He was hopeful that this experience could bring them closer together, now he didn't have to hide his true nature from the woman he had long considered as a friend.

With a simple nod, Nerys and Garak followed Julian out of the office. As they left, Julian cast one last glance at the room. The echoes of his past lingered there, but now, they felt distant. His focus had shifted—what lay ahead was more dangerous, more personal than ever before.

They were in uncharted territory now, and time was running out.