Disclaimer: Star Trek and Deep Space Nine are registered trademarks of
Paramount pictures. I just tend to borrow them for entertainment ;)

                       Rebellion: Ransom
Catherine Allan

  "Pah-paaaaaaaa?!"
  Z'hryk sighed, sifting through the remnants of Odo's security desk for
whatever cloues he could uncover. Two isolinear rods had been recovered
whole, and lay on the floor, waiting analysis. Inwardly, he growled at
the Solid's whimpering. Any minute now, the hideous little creature
would either (a) soil itself (b) cry or (c) both. Z'hryk had no patience
for it, or its bleating for its parent.
  "The child is lonely, brother," whispered the Low One as she set to
the more menial task of tracing broken power couplings.
  "You are to call me by title, only, Low One," Z'hryk reminded, "I have
no sister, here."
  "Yes, Honoured," the Low One bowed her head, "Forgive me, please,
Honoured."
  "Now you must go and soothe the creature. Entertain it, whatever. Just
keep it quiet."
  "Yes, Honoured."

  Jhyrl knelt to regard the stolen infant. This was the one she had
tried to protect, by changing her own memories about her. "I'm sorry,
child," Jhyrl whispered.
  "Papa?"
  "I suspect he will come for you. There will be retribution," she
writhed in her private hell of causing pain and death to others; all
others.
  "No sad," Ralin managed, "Sad bad. Happy nice."
  "My name, before they took it from me, was Jhyrl." She sat to talk
eye-to-eye with the infant, "I was never alone before I helped your
father."
  "Lonely bad," said Ralin, "Door hurts, no hugs."
  "You would comfort *me*? The one who led to your capture?"
  Ralin nodded with a little smile.
  Jhyrl was forced to turn her eyes from so much innocence. "My own
people would outcast me forever should I soothe an enemy..." _Perhaps my
brother had arranged just that. To catch me hugging a 'solid', so they
can cast me out of the Link, and stop my 'influence' corrupting them._
  "Ralin sleepy," complained the baby, "no safe..."
  "There is a blanket on the bunk," advised Jhyrl, "you can use it to
protect yourself."
  Ralin seemed depressed at this news. "No Mama, no Papa..."
  "I'm sorry. Perhaps he'll come soon."

  Z'hryk had trouble on his hands, in the form of one *very* angry
parent. So far, he'd been able to keep space between Odo and himself.
  "Give me the child," Odo menaced.

To Be Continued...