Colonel Kira Nerys, executive officer of Deep Space Nine and Bajoran Liaison to the United Federation of Planets, sighed as she heard her young son cry sleepily in his cot while she cleared away her breakfast plates. Her husband was asleep, his shift not starting for another three hours, although he did normally make a point of waking up before she left for work each morning. However, he'd had a late shift the night before and Nerys didn't have the heart to disturb him. As she dumped the last bowl down the reclamation shute a pair of arms snaked around her waist and the Bajoran couldn't help but grin.
"So, what's the big idea of staying out last night until the young hours of this morning? I was beginning to think you'd gotten a better offer." Kira turned and wrapped her arms around the man's neck, smiling as he dipped his head to kiss her passionately.
"Better offer then you?" He chuckled softly. "If I accepted one of those, I'd probably wake up dead one morning!" He grinned at her pouting expression, then pulled her into him further. "But why don't you let me make it up to you?"
"Hold that thought until tonight." Nerys pulled back and headed towards the door. "You can make it up to me then." As she was about to leave, Kira half-turned with a wicked grin on her face. "By the way... Your son needs changing."
"NERYS!" Constable Kira Odo watched his wife's retreating form with amusement before turning and going in to tend to their now insistently, crying son.
Dax looked up as Kira strolled out of the turbolift, whistling softly as she moved to her station. "You're in a good mood today, have a late night?" Dax had been the first person to congratulate Nerys and Odo when they'd started dating two years before, and had been deeply honoured when Nerys had chosen her as her 'Sta'del', or bridesmaid at the wedding just three months later. The position was usually reserved for a sister or female relative.
"Odo had a busy night in security. I had the task of persuading Tarren that little boys really do need to go to bed when the station lights start their night cycle, not when their daddy's crawl in at three am." Kira shot a grinning glance at Dax's smiling face. "I left him to look after Tarren's dirty diaper this morning as revenge." The two women chuckled together quietly, until Sisko's deep, rich voice interrupted their laughter.
"I hate to intrude, but I need to see you in my office now, Colonel." Sisko's eyes had an expression that Kira had normally seen him reserve for annoying politicians. As the two officers entered the ex-Cardassian room, Kira sat on the edge of the couch and looked worriedly at her commanding officer as he got them both a raktajino. Finally, he sat opposite his friend and watched her carefully for a moment before speaking.
"Colonel, I just received a message from General Kev at Bajoran Militia Headquarters. He has an offer he'd like to make to you, but apparently wanted to run it by me first." Sisko took a deep breath and looked his First Officer square in the eyes. "Nerys, he wants to offer you the position of commander in charge of planetary militia for the Bajoran sector."
Kira sat stunned at the Humans words, staring at her rapidly cooling coffee, her mind grappling with the offer from the General. Finally, she managed to form a coherent sentence. "Why me? I thought that Colonel Penat was in line for that position, he's certainly got more experience than me."
"The General has told me that he wants an officer who has had extensive experience with the Federation and Starfleet procedure." Sisko glanced at Kira and smiled slightly. "I also got the impression that the First Minister had recommended you for the job."
"Edon?" Kira chuckled. "Wonders will never cease. We didn't exactly break up on the best of terms, but he's still a good friend, not to mention spoiling Tarren rotten whenever he visits the station."
"Well, it seems that he's suggested your name to the General as a likely replacement for Colonel Rason when he retires next month, and the General agrees." Sisko leaned back and sipped his coffee thoughtfully. "General Kev grilled me for an hour earlier, about you and your work here, as well as asking me about Odo and your relationship. He seemed fairly pleased with the answers I gave him."
"Why did he want to know about Odo and I?" The maternal instinct shot to the fore at the mention of the Bajoran's family, Kira's eyes blazing with determined protection.
"I suspect that he wanted to be sure that your relationship was mutual, since this posting will require you to move back to Bajor." Ben watched his officer closely as she began to understand the full implications of the offer she was going to be made.
After a few minutes of silence, Kira looked back at her Captain. "Do you need me for the rest of the day? Because if not, I'd like to talk to Odo about this as soon as possible." As soon as Sisko nodded, Kira stood and headed towards the office door, but paused as the man held out a PADD.
"This has all the information that the General gave me this morning. Take the rest of the day off, but I will need you here tomorrow, we've got a busy schedule with three delegations arriving for next weeks trade conference. I'll call security and inform them that the constable won't be coming in today. Worf can take today's shift." After Kira had left the room, Sisko watched her walk slowly towards the turbolift, and saw Dax reach to lay a gentle hand on the Bajorans arm. Ben couldn't make out the soft words that were spoken, but after Kira had pulled away and left Ops, he wasn't surprised to see Dax's worried expression turn in his direction. But he'd promised not to tell anyone else about the offer, so all he could give his oldest friend was a half-hearted shrug.
Odo sighed as his one-year-old son cheerfully smeared his breakfast all over his face, before grinning happily at his father. Picking up a spoon, the Changeling was scraping the baby food off, without a great deal of success, when Nerys walked back into the room. "What happened, did you reach Ops and then feel guilty?"
"No, nothing like that." Odo had been expecting a cheeky reply from his wife, but when all she did was sit down and start helping clean their baby's face, he started to worry. Quickly catching her fingers in his, he looked deeply into her eyes.
"What's wrong? Has Sisko said something to upset you?" He had rarely seen Nerys like this, and it scared him. "What's gone wrong?"
Kira watched her husband steadily then handed him the PADD Sisko had given her. "I think it might be best if you read this and I finish cleaning up the baby." He leaned back and started reading, while Kira wiped the last of the food of Tarren's face, burped him, and headed towards his bedroom, where after a few moments of sleepy argument, he drifted off to sleep, his bottle still firmly in his mouth.
Several minutes later, Odo walked in to find his wife holding the bottle and looking down at Tarren as he slept. Slipping his arms around her waist, he softly kissed her neck. "He's getting big so fast. I don't know how we're going to keep up." Kiras' agreeing sound told him she was listening to him, waiting for his advice.
"I think that this is the best offer you've ever been given, and you should take hold with both hands. A chance like this comes along once in an officers lifetime, and you would be mad to turn it down." He leaned back slightly as Nerys turned to face him, her expression a study of concentration.
"But if I do that, I'll have to leave you." As the man opened his mouth to disagree, she placed a finger on his lips and gently shushed him. "No, I would. I cannot ask you to leave the station, you worked too hard for this posting and there's too much for you to do here. You're the best security chief in the entire quadrant, and Sisko needs you here to help him run the station."
"And what about you, what about us and our son? Can you abandon us that easily?" A stab of fear pierced his heart. Would this be the day he heard the words he'd dreaded for years, that she only had stayed with him out of pity? This was the first real test of their love since they had been married, and it wasn't making for a bright future. "I know we decided that your career would take precedence, but are you prepared to give up the station after all the fighting you've done to protect it?"
She bit her lip, trying to ignore the pain that his words caused. "No, I can't do that. If I took this posting, then I would either have to take Tarren with me and that would take him away from you, or leave you both here, and I couldn't bear that either." Kira's mind cleared and she kissed Odo gently. "I'm not accepting the position, there's too much to sacrifice. Besides, I want Sisko's office when he leaves."
Odo chuckled and hugged her tightly. "I was wondering when you'd remember that." Several minutes, and a great deal of kissing later, the two people found themselves lying entwined on the living room couch. Running his fingers through her hair, Odo realized that he should probably start getting ready for work. "Nerys, I have to go, my shift starts soon."
Kira hugged him tighter, one hand running over his chest. "No you don't. Ben arranged for us both do have the day off, so" her hand started moving in the opposite direction, as the Changeling began undoing her uniform. "That means you have plenty of time to apologize for being late last night."
It had been, Kira mused into the darkness later, a very interesting seven years since she'd come to the station. But to her, the best times had been the last three years since she and Odo had been together. Her brief affair with Shakaar had ended less than a year after it began, and painfully for both parties. However, time had mellowed Kira, and now her friendship with the First Minister was as strong as ever, and Tarren's eyes would light up every time 'Uncle Edon' came to visit, especially since this always meant a new toy.
Nerys and Odo had been involved for two months, when a major event happened in both their lives. While she was giving birth to the O'Brien's baby, Odo was trying to encourage a baby Changeling to take its tentative first look at the universe. Unfortunately, the child died, but it gave Odo back his shapeshifting abilities in defiance of the Founders decision, and with Odo's confidence in himself back, Nerys mused, their relationship had only become stronger.
She rolled over and ran a gentle hand along her husbands' surface, smiling as she felt the soft thrumming as he 'slept'. The one unfortunate aspect of her pregnancy had been the inability of them starting their own family, and by the time that could happen, Odo was a Changeling again. But his body had apparently retained some of the more detailed memories of being Human, and two months afterwards, Bashir had been delighted to inform Kira that she was pregnant.
The wedding had been held two weeks later, a concession to most Bajorans moral code that children should be born in wedlock, but it had not been without incident. Odo and Dax had almost arrived late, after breaking a theft ring that had been operating on the station, and it had taken all of Sisko and Keiko's persuasive skills to keep Kira calm. Odo had eventually arrived, and things proceeded smoothly, until he and his new bride had arrived at on Bajor for their honeymoon, and discovered a Founder waiting for them, along with two Jem'Hadar.
The Founder had been extremely annoyed at both Odo's reversion to Changeling-hood, and his marriage to the 'Solid'. However, it was Kira's gleeful announcement of her impending motherhood that stopped the shapeshifter dead in its tracks.
It had fallen silent, just staring at them, for so long that Odo was beginning to become concerned, when suddenly it had stepped back. "We will have to place our plans for this quadrant on hold, until we see the child and know this is true." With that, it had vanished, and as far as they knew, never returned.
The last two years had been blissfully contented, and the birth of Tarren had given both Nerys and Odo a feeling of family that they never believed they would know.
She sighed and finally closed her eyes as sleep slowly came over her. One day, their little family would move back to Bajor, hopefully not so little by then, and she would become just a mother and wife, but if the truth be told, Kira Nerys had everything she had ever dreamed of. A husband she loved and who loved her, a son adored by both of them, and a career that would, she prayed, one day reward her with the honour of being the first Bajoran Commanding officer of DS9.
All in all, everything anyone could hope for.
It is said my most of the universes major philosophies that no-one can escape their Destiny. No matter how much you try to alter the future by rearranging the past, the weight of Destiny will always pull things back on course, until it will be as there was no change at all. Step on as many butterflies as you like; it will make no difference.
This is, of course, not all entirely true. Step on the wrong butterfly, and you will cease to exist no matter what your beliefs.
Or in this case, marry the wrong person............
"And General Martok is arriving tomorrow, for another conference." Sisko grinned as Kira shook her head in annoyance. "With trade restored and the Dominion threat apparently abated, the reinstated Khitomer treaty appears to be holding."
Kira nodded at the image of Sisko on the office viewscreen. "Just as long as there aren't any more fights in Quark's. He's still repairing things from last time." She leaned back, grinning. "So, when do you get back from Bajor?"
"In a few days. I've been invited to the annual V'rankelat ceremony in Rakantha after the conference has finished. The provincial governor wants me to bless the crops before the planting starts."
"Ah, the perks of being an icon." Kira's grin widened. "Invited to all the best parties, meet all the best people... Just watch out for the local brew, it's not to be taken lightly."
"I'll keep that in mind." Sisko smiled back, then closed the communication channel.
Kira stood and turned to look out the office window, her hands clasped firmly behind her back. For the next few days, as for the previous two, the lives of everyone on the station were in her hands as station commander. General Kev had complained bitterly about her refusal to accept his posting offer, but she'd stood firm, explaining that she wasn't about to give up the station that easily. Eventually he'd understood, although not without reservations, and agreed to support her application for command of the station when Bajor joined the Federation.
Turning back to the desk, and the pile of forms awaiting her, she wondered for a fleeting second, if the paperwork was really worth it. But only for a moment, then everything was all right.
For about five minutes.
"Report," Kira barked as she leapt down the stairs.
"Sir," a nervous ensign replied and indicated the viewscreen. "They just appeared out of the Wormhole, and I thought that the red alert was appropriate."
Kira didn't bother to reply as her brain tried valiantly to assess what her eyes were telling her. That there really was several Jem'Hadar ships sitting in front of the station, with several more being spat out of the wormhole as she watched the stream appear.
Finally, she realized that they hadn't yet attacked. They were just sitting in space. Waiting. 'What for?' she wondered, 'a little white flag to be raised on one of the docking arms?'
"Colonel," the ensign was amazed that they were all still alive. "They're hailing us!"
Kira braced herself, and cast a reassuring look behind her to where Dax was sitting. The Trill sent a confident smile back as Kira stated "On screen. And raise shields as well, just to be careful."
The image of a large, bony-plated Jem'Hadar warrior flashed on the viewscreen to replace the ever growing size of the Dominion fleet. "The Dominion has sent me to deliver their demands. You are to surrender this outpost within the day, or it will be destroyed. You are to inform your people to prepare for service to the Founders, or they will be destroyed. The Dominion have tolerated your intrusion into our galaxy for long enough. Now, we will bring order to your lives. You have one hour." The transmission ended, as every officer in Ops stared at Kira.
"Commander Dax," The Colonel refused to move and look at the Trill, in case her shock broke through. "Contact all command personnel, and have them meet me in the wardroom in half an hour. I want both evacuation proposals and all defence proposals available." Kira finally did turn, and glanced at Dax as she stepped back into the office. "One other thing: Any suggestions will be welcome. That's all."
Sitting in the office, Kira took a moment to breathe, before placing an emergency call to Sisko.
The wardroom looked a little like a monitor repair room. Screens were all over the table, with the main viewer showing five separate screens. Finally, everything was ready, and Kira contacted all the officials she wanted to talk to. "We have a... situation." She glanced at Dax, who nodded encouragingly. "The Dominion has sent an attack fleet through the wormhole, they are currently surrounding the station. Their demands are as follows: We are to hand over control of DS9, Bajor, and all Bajoran colonies to their control. In return, we get to live."
The stunned silence lasted a very long five seconds, before an angry cacophony of sound broke out in the room. Kira let the people on the screen work out their panic, then calmly indicated one of the screens. "General Ray, I believe you spoke first."
The Bajoran nodded sharply. "Colonel, I can recall all Militia, and send them to the station. The instant the Dominion try to board it, we'll be waiting."
"We do that, they won't bother boarding us, they'll just blow us out of the sky and give Bajor a new band of space-rubble." Kira shook her head. "Leaving Bajor with no military defence at all, and they'll simply walk in and kill everyone who resists them. Thank you, but I'd prefer to put up a defence at least, General."
"Perhaps we should send a senior officer to the station to take over, Colonel." Ray was quietly seething at the woman's words. He'd never been talked to in such a confident manner by a junior officer.
"I agree with the Colonel." Sisko had listened to Ray's proposal, and seen the immediate flaws, just as Kira had. "To send all Militia to the station is inviting disaster. The Jem'Hadar will simply destroy the station, and walk on to Bajor, and possibly even Cardassia. We need another option."
"What if we blow up the wormhole?" A military officer from the main Bajoran outpost spoke up, and was immediately shot-down by the Kai.
"Blow up the..." She stared at Kira in horror. "Colonel don't even contemplate that suggestion. There has to be another way to resolve this problem without destroying the wormhole." Winn stopped as Kira held up her hand.
"Eminence, that idea is not exactly new to us. But, as Captain Sisko and I decided years ago, we would only close the wormhole permanently if all other options had been tried and failed." Nerys nodded calmly at the Kai. "It's not going to happen, if it's within my power to prevent it."
"Colonel, have the Dominion made any movement since they delivered the ultimatum?" First Minister Shakaar watched Kira thoughtfully, as half a dozen different battle tactics ran through his mind.
"No. They've simply sat there, waiting for us to make a move." Kira sighed as the screens fuzzed for a second, then cleared. "But I wish they'd stop compromising communications channels. It's playing merry hell with the computer constantly having to realign the war channels so they can't listen in on this conference." Kira grimaced as she saw Sisko laugh quietly. "Captain, when did you say you're arriving back here?"
"As soon as I can get a lift. Until then, I expect you have already started organizing what we planned?" Ben saw the Bajoran nod understandingly, as the screens fuzzed again. "How's moral on the station?"
"Quark has run out of Bajoran ale, and all the stronger spirits he normally stocks." The officers face darkened as she relayed Sisko's order for the next few hours. "Aside from that, all families and non-combatants are in the process of being evacuated, except for medical staff, and almost every technician. They refuse to stand-down, insisting their skills will be needed to help keep the station running in an attack."
"What preparations have you made in case we're boarded?" The two officers were dominating the conversation, but none of the others were complaining about it.
"Various... stores have been moved to secure locations." The screens fuzzed, then a red light blinked on, as Kira looked at someone off screen. "War channels have been compromised. This conversation is now terminated." As she sat looking at the blank screens, an incoming message came in on an open channel. Turning it on, Kira blinked in surprise. "Minister Shakaar, what can I do for you?"
"How are you doing, Nerys?" The man tried to not let the worry he felt show, but failed miserably.
"The station will survive." Kira smiled at her ex-lover. "I believe we can make it through. We have to, you promised me that Odo and I could borrow your farm for a holiday next month."
Shakaar laughed. "That I did. This channel isn't secure, is it?"
"No. They're probably listening in right now." Kira grimaced at the man. "If they are, I hope they know that I'm not going to just let them get away with what they want." Sighing, she stared at Shakaar. "I'd better go. We've got lots of preparations to make."
Edon nodded slowly. "I won't call again. The last thing you need is a politician annoying you." Gazing at the young woman, he smiled gently. "Take care of yourself Nerys. Try not to get hurt, okay?"
Kira smiled back. "I always take care of myself. See you next month." After she closed the channel, Nerys sat thinking for a long moment before Dax disturbed her musings.
"Alpha-five is underway. All personnel except for combatants and technical volunteers will be on their way to Bajor within the hour. All security officers and available fighters have been assigned defensive positions on various parts of the station. They assure me they'll stop any lizards that come their way." She looked closely at her friend. "Nerys, are you okay?"
"Just thinking. Has Garak been evacuated? I don't want anyone who might still bear a grudge taking pot-shots at him."
"He was on the first transport out. The Federation consulate on Bajor will take care of him." Jadzia waited patiently as Kira nodded.
Kira glanced at Dax carefully. "What chances have the computer given us? I know you've probably run around a hundred test simulations, and you'll know the odds by now."
"The computer says that we'll probably last no longer than four hours. Five at the outside." Dax sat down opposite the Bajoran, and watched Kira toy with a nearby padd. "The updated weapons systems should give us a fighting chance, but until they hit us, we really don't know how we'll go."
"Sitting around here isn't going to get this organized." Nerys strode out of the wardroom, the Trill tagging along beside her. "Make sure that everyone knows the situation. I don't want any volunteers around who have the slightest fear about this. They'd be better back on Bajor, helping defend the planet if the Dominion get past us."
Arriving in Ops, the command crew got down to organizing their defences.
"Come in." Keiko glanced at the door and smiled as she saw Kira enter the room. Tarren spotted his mother from where he and Kirayoshi were sitting on the floor, colouring in, and raced over to wrap his arms around his mothers leg.
"Mama!" Kira leant down and lifted him into her arms, and they rubbed noses for a moment. "We go home mama?" Tarren looked at her with his fathers blue eyes. He enjoyed playing with Kirayoshi and Molly, and the two families took turns with the baby-sitting, but Tarren really liked spending his time with his parents. Somehow, spending time with the other children didn't really compare with having a father who loved to shapeshift for his son.
"Not yet, Tarren." She flicked a glance at Keiko, who nodded imperceptibly towards a group of packed bags near the door. "Mama and Papa have to keep working for now. You're going on a holiday to Bajor, with Aunt Keiko, Molly, and 'Yoshi. Papa, Uncle Miles, and Mama have to stay here and work."
"Tarren stay with Mama." He placed his lithe arms around her neck and hugged fiercely, and Kira felt hot tears burn her eyes. She reached around and gently disentangled his arms, then placed him down and crouched in front of him.
"Tarren, you have to go with Keiko. Bad men are coming, and Mama and Papa have to stay here keep them away. We'll only be a little while, then you can come back. I promise." She hugged the glum child tightly, then stood and smiled at Keiko. "You're being evacuated to Bajor, on the Bajoran freighter 'Novok', it's at docking port six. There's a long range transport waiting on Bajor to talk you to Earth."
"What about.....?" Keiko glanced at Tarren, who had returned to his colouring book.
"If things go the wrong way up here, I'll be forced to end the problem once and for all." Kira's expression became bleak. "I'll get everyone else off the station with the defence ships, and Odo will go with them. He'll meet up with you somewhere along the line."
"Nerys, I know it's a lot to ask, but..." Keiko's pleading was evident and Nerys nodded briskly.
"I'll do what I can Keiko, but I can't make any promises. But I'll make sure whatever happens, that Miles is evacuated."
"Thank you." The Human sighed and glanced at the bags, then back at the Bajoran. "We'd better get to the airlock and onto the transport."
"I'll make sure that Miles and Odo are there to say goodbye." Kira smiled, then vanished out the door and back to Ops before her son could see her leave.
Odo and Chief O'Brien were already pacing the corridor outside the transport when Keiko and the children hove into view. Miles hugged his wife fiercely as Molly and Kirayoshi wrapped themselves around their fathers legs, while Odo had Tarren in a bearhug.
"Now, don't you worry." Miles gazed deeply into his wife's eyes and saw the fearful tears there. "We'll be fine. We've beaten them before, we can do it again."
"But the Captain was here then!" Keiko almost wailed in fear. "He's not now!"
"Keiko, let me assure you of one thing." Odo drew himself up to his full height, his son still in his arms. "The Dominion has more to fear from my wife than any Starfleet Captain!" There was a glimmer in his eyes and the O'Briens couldn't help but smile. "They have ruined her day, and interrupted Sisko's holiday. If I were them, I would be very afraid."
Tarren tugged on his fathers arm. "Papa, we go home now?"
Odo sighed and walked a little away from the people hurrying into the transport. "Tarren, mama and I have to stay here. You're going with Aunty Keiko and Molly and 'Yoshi to Bajor for a holiday." The child's lip began to quiver as he hurried on. "No, don't cry. Mama and Papa will be with you soon, I promise. And then we'll all go on a holiday on Bajor. Would you like to visit Uncle Edon?"
Tarren nodded unhappily and Odo headed back to Keiko's side, relieved that the boy wasn't screaming his head off . "Keiko, we'll see you soon."
The woman smiled nervously and nodded sharply. "I'm counting on it."
A few minutes later, the ship lifted off and headed towards Bajor as fast as it was permitted to. But no-one saw it go, save an ensign in Ops.
There was too much for the others to do, and the sand was running out.
The promenade was a scurrying mass of Bajoran and Starfleet uniforms. Security teams were setting up moveable blockades in various strategic positions down the length of the two storey esplanade, while others handed out weapons and battle armour.
Odo, standing in a dark corner of the upper promenade, smiled grimly as he watched two of his Bajoran deputies haul a trunk out a turbolift, but the faint smile became an open mouthed gape as he watched the deputies proceed to empty the trunk and then assemble the metal fragments from it into a small plasma cannon. Striding over to the pair, he glimpsed another five trunks inside the lift and shuddered. "Just where were you hiding all this?" Odo realized, now he could get a better look at the weapon, that it seemed to be in good condition and that its energy banks were fully charged. "And when did you get it onto the station?"
The older deputy, an iron-haired female, glanced at Odo, but didn't stop making final adjustments to the weapon. "It was brought on board after the Occupation sir, when we weren't sure what was going to happen."
"And why didn't you hand it over to me during the weapons amnesty?" Odo, his hands clasped behind his back, felt rather than saw Nerys come to his side. He appreciated her silence as she waited for the officer to reply.
The deputy glanced at Kira for a second. "Because we never knew if we might need them again."
"Odo," Kira spoke softly and placed a hand gently on her husbands arm. "Let it be. Whatever the reasons, we need these weapons today. They might be the only things that can save us." She nodded sharply to the deputies. "Make sure you place them where they can get a good range of fire. And don't forget to rig them properly, in case they're captured."
"Understood, sir." The deputy turned back to her work, as Kira drew Odo way, towards the upper level of Quarks.
"How are things in Ops?" Odo gazed worriedly at Kira, surprised to see her smile slightly.
"Organized, that's why I'm down here." She glanced around the Promenade, noting the controlled panic as squad were armed, barricades built, and sections of the walls, floors, and ceilings booby trapped. "I want to talk to you about contingency plans, in case the station is overrun and lost."
"What have you planned?"
Kira took a deep breath. "I've ordered the runabouts to take out as many people as they can, I don't care of it's standing room only all the way to Bajor. There are also several heavy cruisers on their way from Bajor with their fighter escorts."
Odo raised an eyebrow. "How did you manage that?"
Kira grinned. "I suspect Sisko had more to do with that; He's travelling back with them. He probably pointed out the likelyhood of Bajor becoming the next battle zone if we fall." The smile faded as she moved closer to her husband. "If things do go wrong, I've ordered Dax to take you out. I want you to gather as many wounded as you can, and Bashir, and then get out, okay?"
"And your plans?" Odo's expression was grim.
"I'll be taken off along with the rest of the Ops crew." She ran a hand down his arm. "I don't want you hurt, Odo. You take care down here, okay? And make sure you get out, Tarren and I need you."
The Changeling nodded gravely and reached out, hugging Nerys briefly. "It'll be okay, I promise."
Kira squeezed him tight for a moment, then stepped back. "Then I'd better get back to Ops. Good luck... Constable."
"You too." Odo watched his wife leave, then turned back to organizing his troops.
The hour seemed to pass within seconds, and Kira found herself staring at a chronometer, letting her know there was only five minutes left before the Jem'Hadar deadline was up. What happened after that was anyone's guess. Kira sent up a swift prayer to the prophets and turned to face her command crew, as they sat in the command officer, possibly for the last time.
"All right, we've got everything organized by now? Chief," she faced the engineer, "external defences?"
"The shields are at 100% with extra backup and a phase modulation to make it difficult if not impossible for them to beam in immediately. All of the phasers are online with backup, all photon and quantum torpedoes are ready to go. Everything's running as smoothly as I can get her." The look he gave her was one she knew well; They had both faced death far too often to not know the bleak reality of their chances.
"Good work." She gave him a brief encouraging smile before turning to Worf, "And the Defiant?"
"All systems operational," grumbled the short reply.
"Good. Dax, all personnel in place?"
"Yes. Personal arms have been deployed to all everyone, including phaser rifles and body armour." At Kira's raised eyebrow she elaborated, "Quark was encouraged to to donate the use of his stores before he was evacuated. Odo found him most obliging."
All the crew smiled at the thought before the immediate situation returned to the case in hand. Kira turned to Bashir.
"The infirmary is ready. Everyone has med-packs for emergency triage, wherever that may be. All medical personnel are on duty." The young doctor was showing the calm demeanour that always surprised Kira.
"Okay. You all have your orders. Sisko has been held up by an ion storm, but he'll be arriving with some backup as soona s he can. Let's hope we last until then. Bajor has their ships in orbit to protect the planet in case we fail. The Romulans are nowhere to be found and the Cardassian Civilian Government says that they won't spare any ships from the border zone with the Klingons. Apparently, the Klingon High Council has decided to try and create a larger buffer zone, and they've banned all Cardassian movement. However, I might have found us a little illegal help, for whatever that's worth. It should be arriving about the same time as the Captain. You have your orders. All I ask is that you do the best you can."
They all headed out the door except for Dax and Kira. When the door had slid shut they spoke. "Is it ready?" Kira was anxious for the information.
"Yes. I just hope it'll work." Dax smiled. "The ships have just arrived back with the third load. I dare say the Jem'Hadar haven't figured out what we're doing, but a little confusion in the enemy is always a good thing." She finally coaxed a smile out of Nerys. "By the way, where did you come up with this idea?"
"Just something I used to do to the Cardassians. On a slightly smaller scale, of course." Kira picked up the nearby padd, and glanced cautiously back at the Trill. "You realize that you won't be on the station when the attack happens?"
"Why not?" Dax had been looking forward to taking a slice out of the Dominion. "I'm the best officer you've got available!"
"Which is exactly why you're going to go with Worf on the Defiant, while I direct the runabouts from here." Kira nodded out to where the wormhole was. "That is our ultimate goal; To protect the wormhole, and therefore Bajor." She looked back to Dax and smiled. "I know you probably don't hold my beliefs in high regard, but I believe that the Prophets exist in the wormhole, and as a Bajoran, I have to give everything I have to protect the Prophets, even if I have to die."
"What are you trying to tell me, Nerys?" Jadzia could see that the Bajoran was heading somewhere, but she wasn't quite sure where.
"Just that... if we don't make it, if it looks even remotely like we're going to lose, then I want you to bring the Defiant back, collect as many people as you can, and then get the hell out of here. I'll take the last ship out, probably one of the escape shuttles. Understood?"
"All right" The two women stood and walked out into Ops. "But you make sure you're on the ship. Benjamin and Odo will have my head if you don't."
Dax grinned as Kira laughed quietly. "To your post, Commander. And I'll see you when this is all over." As Dax left the deck, Kira looked slowly around the room, noting that nearly all the remaining officers were Bajoran. "Is anybody here nervous?" Kira grinned openly as one young ensign reluctantly put up his hand. "Thank the Prophets for that. I was beginning to think I was the only one." She smiled as a wave of laughter swept quietly around the deck. "For those of you who haven't been in combat before, some advice: It's okay to be scared, as long as you still do your duty."
"Sir, the lead Jem'Hadar ship is signalling us again." A Bajoran Lieutenant watched her commanding officer stand before the office doors, and compose herself.
"On screen." Kira steeled herself as the image of the Jem'Hadar officer appeared on the viewscreen.
"Prepare to be boarded." The man had what probably passed for a smug expression on its face.
"You are requested to cease hostilities immediately, and return to the Gamma quadrant. If you leave now, we can let the diplomats take over, instead of fighting with each other, and Bajor will not hold this against you." Kira wiped her hands down the side of her pants, the only sign she was nervous that she ever allowed show.
"Do you take us for fools?!!" The lizard snarled at her, and leant forward onto his console. "If we have to destroy you, we will. And we will not leave one of your race alive to stand against us. You have condemned your people to death, and I swear that I will parade you through the streets of your planet, to be spat upon by those still alive." The man cut the channel, as Kira breathed deeply, before glancing at the people around her.
"He won't get me. I look terrible in handcuffs." Nerys smiled tightly, as the ships on the viewscreen moved.
"They're taking up an attack formation, sir." The ensign at the science console snapped her head around in horror. "Their weapons systems are powering up.
Kira braced her back. "Battle stations."
"Estimated time of arrival is sixty minutes."
"Can't you make this miserable ship fly any faster?" Dukat snarled at the helmsman, knowing full well that any faster would tear the ship apart. The station was still an hour away, and there was nothing he could do to get there faster. All he could do was hope that Kira's stubbornness would hold the enemy up until he arrived.......
Sisko paced the deck again, ignoring the nervous glance of the Bajoran helmsman. The fighter he was on was officially flown by a captain of the militia, but the woman hadn't said much after they left planetary orbit, their six cruisers on an outward course to the besieged wormhole.
"Captain, if you continue walking my ship like that, I'll have to replace the carpet." Sisko looked up, startled, as the woman smiled slightly and nodded towards a chair. "I've heard that Starfleet ships are powered by the urgency of the crew, by we Bajorans prefer old-fashioned phased energy. Antiquated I know, but we find it sufficient for our needs."
"I thought I knew all the Bajoran accents, but I don't recognize yours." Ben, after seven years of working with Kira Nerys, knew enough about Bajorans to have taken on their blunt nature as well.
Captain Lonara raised an eyebrow. "My people come from the Kimberly province, in the Seven Isles. It's a far-flung area, as I'm sure you know, and the isolation has meant we kept a lot of our rituals and traits." She shrugged. "The accent is one of these things."
Sisko nodded and fell silent again, his fingers steepled as he contemplated the probable battle his First Officer was fighting.
"Report!" Kira staggered to her feet after yet another blast from the Jem'Hadar ships. The battle had been raging for thirty minutes, and so far, neither side seemed to be winning.
"Shields down to eighty percent, but still holding." The ensign had stayed at her post, even though several other officers had fallen, either because their panels had exploded in the battle, or they had been killed in one of the two beam-in's by the attacking force. Kira absently made a mental note to have her commended for extreme courage under fire. "They're coming around for another shot."
"Get the runabouts, and set them up for 'Operation Cannonball." Kira was screaming over the phaser and torpedo fire. "Tell them to fire as soon as they're in position." The crew watched breathlessly as one of the runabouts fired continuously at a ship, while another used its tractor beam to slingshot a small asteroid towards the Jem'Hadar ship. With its shields down, the Jem'Hadar didn't have a chance, and the space-rock crashed into its engine section, and seconds later, the ship blew up. "Yes." Kira stabbed her hand into the air, and promptly fell to the floor as the station rocked under another blast.
Dax materialized aboard the Ganges and immediately took over the battle station, as the helm officer weaved and dived through the invading ships, too small and fast moving for a target lock. The little vessel hadn't escaped unscathed though, it's hull streaked with phaser burns and two trails of sparks fizzled after it where a photon torpedo had been a close near miss.
The near miss was the reason for Daxs transfer from the Defiant. As she took her seat, she tried not to glance at the corpse on the floor; Plasma burns are not pretty ways to die.
"We only have five meteors left." Her hands played across the panel as the pilot grunted and danced them around a Jem'Hadar battle cruiser. Dax watched the panel and as the Defiant closed on the cruiser and loosed a phaser salvo at it, she saw what they were waiting for, a flicker as the cruisers shield faltered. Pressing a button, a large rock was ejected from the runabouts cargo bay and hurtled towards the larger ship. It impacted on an engine and continued on through the ship, surprising a large number of the inhabitants, who weren't used to seeing asteroids make a passing acquaintance with warp cores.
It was only a friendship of the nanosecond variety though. Warp cores are sensitive creatures that don't like to be disturbed, especially by large rocks travelling through them at high speed. A split second after the rock and the cruiser met, the ship exploded.
Not that the Ganges crew were watching. There were other ships to battle, after all.
Odo was having his own problems on the Promenade.
The first three beam-ins by the invading forces had met with staunch resistance from the defending fighters. This however, had not been without its casualties, and the defenders had found themselves being whittled down soldier by soldier as the fighting progressed. Odo privately suspected this had been formed into a plan by the invaders, as he had seen several Jem’Hadar merely watch as one of their number was killed, then one by one, step up to take his place until the exhausted Bajoran soldier had collapsed; they had killed him without a moments pause, then moved on to another target to wear away at.
“Damn lizards probably have a breeder ship up there sir.” A Starfleet marine, his uniform coloured with blood, stopped vaporizing Dominion corpses for a moment. “They’ll just keep sending them down here and take us one at a time.”
“The thought has crossed my mind, sergeant.” Odo stroked his chin thoughtfully and surveyed the damage to the Promenade, grateful for the brief lull in his area. “However, unless the order to abandon the station is given, we will continue to fight and hold this ground.”
“I agree, sir.” The man shrugged slightly. “I just wonder how many of us will be left by the time the order comes, that’s all.”
“That makes two of us.”
Further conversation was put on hold, as the whine of Dominion transporters once again filled the air.
Dukat’s ship popped out of warp and dove straight into the battle. After battling Klingons for the last year, the helmsman knew exactly what stresses the ship could take, and pushed it to the limit. For all the skill though, the large craft simply wasn’t designed to fight small, manoeuvrable fighters that buzzed it like angry wasps.
“Dukat to DS9.” He smiled as Kira’s harassed image appeared on the screen, and bowed slightly. “Here we are, Colonel. How can we help?”
“You can get around to section forty-two and guard it. Shield are failing there, and I need time before we can get them back up.” She ducked as a console exploded and flicked a glance at a panel. “If it fails completely, you are to evacuate the promenade.”
Dukat glanced at some readings on his own computers. “According to my readings, there aren’t that many people left there to evacuate, Colonel. But I’ll see what we can do. Dukat out.” The image snapped off as the ship glided to around the station and took up position.
“Orders sir?” Damar was itching to get to grips with the fighters that still annoyed them.
“We stand and fight here.” Dukat steepled his fingers and watched the action on the view screen. “And hope that Kira wins.” He noticed his second-in-command’s curious glance. “She’s a Bajoran female, Damar. Gods only know what she’ll do if she looses.” At the thought, his hands suddenly became dry. “And I’m not sure I want to find out.”
O’Brien and his crew had almost managed to get the shield generators restarted, when the familiar whine of transporters started again, and their last guard was cut down the Jem’Hadar.
“Abandon the area.” His techs scrambling for open conduits, the Chief dodged a phaser blast to the head and dived through a door. It was a seconds work to close and lock it, but in that second, he saw the metal punched by three more shots. “Bloody hell!” Looking around, he took stock. In the corridor with him were two more engineers. He tapped his commbadge. “O’Brien to Kira.”
“Kira here.” Her voice was strained, as if she’d just finished running. “Make it quick and good, Chief.”
“Uh, sorry Colonel, but it’s bad.” He wondered briefly if the Jem’Hadar might be better than an angry Kira. “We’ve been overrun down here, the fusion generators have been lost to the enemy.”
“I see.” The pause stretched on forever. “Right. That’s it then. Chief, get everyone you can to the Promenade and find Odo. He’ll give you new orders from there. Kira out.”
O’Brien flinched as another shot buckled the metal door behind him. “You heard her, let’s go.” As another buckle appeared in the door, the three picked up speed till they were running.
Odo ducked another phaser blast and took a second to glance at his dwindling troops. They had put up a brave fight, a fight the likes of which he hadn't seen since the Occupation. But it had been for nought; the Jem'Hadar controlled over half of the of the deck now.
His deputies had fought well, never better. The iron haired deputy who liked to hoard weaponry had gone down battling enemies on every side, screaming Bajoran oaths with her last breath. She had also, as suggested by Nerys, rigged her cannon well. The blast as her corpse fell against it, took out the crossover bridge it was standing on, as well as the Jem'Hadar that had surrounded her.
Odo had never been terribly close to a battle before, and he was beginning to understand why the ex-resistance fighters he knew, Nerys among them, sometimes would fall silent when talking about battles they had fought, or comrades they had seen die. He too, this day, had seen things that he knew could not have happened. Deputies that had fired their phaser with deadly accuracy - after they were dead; Sergant-Major Lyneth's fall against her cannon and her hand pressing the destruct trigger - after her head had been blown off.
As his forces regrouped behind the last of their barricades, he half remembed a story he had read long ago, of a battle on Earth where a group of soldiers had been found dead at their weapons and had been dead for some time - except that the reinforcements that found them had heard them still firing as they arrived at the battlefield.
As the shrinking group planned their last stand, three engineers hurtled themselves across the deck and towards them. "The Colonel told us to abandon the core and find you." O'Brien gasped out the words, a hand pressed to a bleeding wound at his side. "We were overrun, I lost seven men down there."
"Odo to Kira." He didn't bother to wait for her to answer him. "I'm down to my last few men; we've lost the Promenade up to the Temple. What are your orders?"
"Abandon the station." Her voice was surprisingly firm for what she was ordering him to do. "Dukat will start beaming you out immediately. Make sure that you clear the infirmary as you go."
"Understood." Odo's hand hovered over his badge as he went to break the link. "I'll meet up with you on Bajor, Colonel. Take care up there."
"Odo, I . . . " Her voice faltered for a moment. "Take care, Constable. I'll see you down the line."
Sisko stared at the sight of his beloved station, surrounded by Jem'Hadar cruisers and fighters, fighting a loosing battle against a formidable enemy. Dukats Klingon cruiser charged by, the helm throwing it almost suicidily at the fighters before it, forcing them to scatter madly and crash into each other and the larger ships.
Captain Lonara directed her forces to take up position around the station and nodded to Sisko. "Captain, do you wish to be beamed aboard the station?"
"No," he stroked his beard thoughtfully, "I'll board the Defiant and help from there. Kira is capable of dealing with the station." He tapped his combadge. "Sisko to Defiant. One to beam aboard." A transport later, he strode onto his ships bridge and sat as Worf took up the tactical position. "Report."
"The Colonel has just informed us that the power core has been lost, and the Promenade is being evacuated as we speak by Dukat. Colonel Kira reports Ops still holding, but it has been ten minutes since the last contact." He let four more torpedos fly at the invaders.
"Contact the Colonel and ask what she wants us to do. Then tell Dukat to load up and get the hell to Bajor with the survivors. I want everyone there out of the battle zone." He gripped the armrests as the ship was rocked by a nearby torpedo explosion. "How are the runabouts doing?" He glanced around and felt a cold hand grip his heart. "And where's Dax?"
"On the Ganges, as tactical officer." Worf shot Sisko a look at told his commander he didn't like it either. "They lost their tactical officer, so she replaced her."
Ben nodded and leaned back in his chair. "Well then, let's assist the Bajorans and see if we can't turn this battle around.
Kira gazed around an empty Ops and shuddered at the chaos that met her eyes. Cables swayed above shattered consoles, and dead bodies of Bajoran, Starfleet, and Jem'Hadar soldiers littered the deck. The promenade had fallen only moments before, with Odo reporting in that he’d had to drag Bashir from the Infirmary where he was trying to revive a dead officer. The doctor had refused to leave, and Odo had been forced to knock him out to get him away from danger.
Only forty of the original seven hundred officers remained on the station, and Nerys hoped they were evacuating now as ordered. She didn't want to take any of them with her where she was going.
Turning back to the cracked main viewscreen, Kira swallowed tightly as she swiftly punched in the one security code that she'd never thought she'd need to use -- her Bajoran override code, giving her complete control over what was left of the station. Now, not even Sisko could regain control without her authorization.
Typing on the only working console left, a small panel next to the science console, she quickly overrode all the engineering protocols and safety overrides, before re-routing the last of the power available from the weapons to the thrusters.
The small jets weren't designed for high-demand work, but they only had a short distance to go.
Gritting her teeth, she ignored the tears that spilled down her cheeks and doggedly kept working, trying not to think of her husband and son, only of the world that she was about to give them. She knew that what she was about to do would prevent Odo from returning to his people for a long time, but she knew, she prayed, that he would understand. And that he would know that she had died so that their child would have a world to live in, not a world that he had to fight for like she had.
It was all that kept her going.
"Begin final evacuation run." Sisko had taken control of the runabout 'Volga', allowing all the other ships to take as many evacuees as they could, and leaving Worf in charge of the Defiant. "Computer, scan DS9, and inform me how many Starfleet and Bajoran personnel are left on board."
"Twenty personnel still on station." The computer spoke as calmly as if it was announcing the weather.
"Sisko to Kira." The Human grinned with relief as the woman answered the comm call. "Colonel, I'm about to start the final evacuation lift-off. Is everyone ready to go?"
"Yes Sir." Kira's voice seemed to be very relaxed, for a woman who had just fought a lost battle. "Five have just left on the Defiant, and Dukat has just taken off another eight and is on his way to Bajor with them. I told him to warp there and Starfleet space regulations could go to hell. Sir. If the Defiant comes in for another run, we should get all the others off."
"Understood. I'll transport you out myself." Sisko did a fast, close sweep of the station, and turned towards the transporter pad, expecting to see Kira appear. Instead, a Bajoran Comm badge shimmered into existence. Ben muttered oaths under his breath, as he positioned himself away from the station, and scanned the station again. "Computer, are any people left on DS9?"
"Yes."
"Who?" Ben felt a chill run down his spine at the answer.
"Colonel Kira Nerys."
Kira took a deep breath, and glanced out of the large Ops window at the last of the evacuation ships scooting away from the station, the triumphant Dominion forces chasing them still. As a chime sounded, she realized that there was an incoming call from one of the vessels. Opening the channel, the Bajoran saw her Captain staring at her with horror.
"Colonel, get out of there! The Founders are going to take over, you have to get out now." Sisko was panicking now, there was little time left before the Changelings took control over DS9. "Dukat's still in range. I'll ask him to--"
"No Sir." Nerys stood tall, as she manipulated various controls on her console. "I'm not going to let Bajor become a slave planet again. Please don't try to stop me, I have to do this. All my life I've fought to keep my people from being slaughtered, and we both know that the Founders will simply use the Alpha quadrant for their own ends. At least I can try to make sure that my son is spared the life I had to lead."
"You realize that there is no chance of survival, Kira?" Ben knew what his friend was going to do, and pulled on all his training not to break down.
"I know. I'm ready to die." Kira looked at the place where the wormhole was, and steadied herself. "Could I ask one last favour, Ben?"
"Anything, Nerys." Ben smiled as brightly as he could.
"In the Rio-Grande's computer, you'll find a message for Odo and Tarren. Would you see that they get it, please?" The woman had a pleading expression on her face. "It's the last thing I'll ever ask of you."
"Of course, Nerys." Ben spoke softly, knowing how she must be feeling. "I'll deliver it personally. Is there anyone else?"
Kira shook her head, and took a deep breath. "I wish things could have been different Ben. I was looking forward to getting that office one day. Say goodbye to the others for me, please." She looked at her Captain with tears in her eyes, and raised her hand in a final salute. "Good bye Sir."
Saluting his friend for the last time, Sisko let the tears show on his own face. "Fare well Nerys. I hope the Prophets give you the peace in death, that you searched for in life. I will always remember you, and be proud to have called you friend." With that, he closed the channel, cutting the final links with a woman who had been his First Officer and friend for the last seven years.
Kira turned from the monitor, slowly guiding the unwieldy hunk of metal towards the wormhole. As the station picked up speed, she ignored the frantic calls from the surrounding Jem'Hadar warships, her hand hovering over the auto-destruct button, which she had already set to detonate instantly. Kira didn't mind dying so much, but she refused to listen to a ten second count down.
Reaching the perimeter of the anomaly, Nerys waited until it flared around her, before filling her lungs with her last breath, and screamed at the top of her voice her old battle-cry of "Shakaar!!!", as she brought her hand down on the button under it, and saw a blinding light envelope her, a split second before the darkness fell.
It was an hour before the first of the ships managed to return to the area. The explosion from the wormhole had blown them all many light years from the stations former position. Sisko arrived shortly after the first ship, a Jem'Hadar warship did. He nosed the runabout through the remains of the station, the small fragments floating by as the feeling of loss deepened. Somewhere in all of this were the remains of his First Officer, and it was all Sisko could do to not give in to the tears that were burning his eyes.
Satisfying himself that there was nothing of value left, neither from the wormhole of the station, he turned the craft around and headed towards Bajor, where a Changeling and his son awaited news of Kira Nerys. Sighing, the man began mentally composing what he would say to them when he arrived.
Sisko materialized in the hall of ministers, to a scene of minor pandemonium. People were rushing around, while it seemed the government were trying to ascertain whether any further aggression would be taken by the Cardassian/Dominion forces. Shakaar was the first person to notice the arrival of the Starfleet officer, and his powerful voice carried over all the others. "Sisko!!" He strode forward and clasped the others hand firmly. "What's the situation out there? All of our computers are unable to get any readings on the wormhole, what happened out there?"
Sisko felt an overwhelming desire to sit down, and collapsed into the nearest chair. "Minister, Colonel Kira Nerys has ensured that the Dominion will never be a threat to Bajor ever again." He raised his eyes slowly as silence crashed into the room, everyone holding their breath.
Shakaar sat down heavily. "Then she has...." His voice trailed off as Sisko nodded miserably. "Prophets, what are we to do now?"
"Where's Odo? I have to tell him what's happened." Ben Sisko looked like the most miserable Human being who ever existed.
"He's been assisting in finding temporary accommodation for the Starfleet and non-Bajoran personnel that were evacuated to Bajor." Sisko could see the agony in his eyes. "I'll call him here immediately. Please take a seat for a moment." The Bajoran turned away, the pain still obvious.
Sisko ignored the questions being put to him, the Bajorans that crowded around him urgently, and began filling out a report for Starfleet. A few moments later, he heard Odo's voice ringing out. "Captain, where's Nerys?" The Changeling glanced around the suddenly silent hall, then became totally still. "Captain?"
"Odo..." Sisko had no idea what to say, if there was anything he could say. He'd always hated telling relatives this kind of news. "Odo, when I arrived at the station, nearly everyone had been killed. Nerys was still in Ops, although I don't know if she was hurt or not." Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Kai Winn sweep into the room and continued. "Kira knew that there was no way left she could keep the station out of Dominion hands, so she channelled all power she could to the stations thrusters, and..." He couldn't go on.
Odo closed his eyes, and could feel his form wanting to let go, to revert to a liquid puddle for the next hundred years. Maybe by then the agony would be gone. He forced his eyes open, and his voice to steady. "Did you at least try to get her off the station before she blew it up?"
"Yes." Sisko knew that Odo was angry with grief. He'd been the same way after Jennifer had died, and immediately resolved to make sure that the former security chief and his son had every help they could want in the future. "She didn't want to leave. I think she wanted to stay in case the Jem'Hadar boarded to station and tried to stop what she was doing. She told me that there's a message for you and Tarren in the Rio-Grande's computer, flew DS9 into the wormhole, and detonated the self destruct sequence."
Odo moaned and collapsed onto the floor, barely able to hold his shape. He wanted to scream with agony, to howl his pain forever. He felt someone kneel beside him, and heard a whispered voice tell him to let go, they would take care of him. He couldn't stand anymore pain. From where he knelt, hurting, the scream inside forced its way out, and he threw his head back, finally giving voice to his pain, before helplessly dissolving in a heap in the floor of the ministerial chamber.
Dax looked up at Sisko from where she knelt beside the writhing puddle of Odo, her face awash with tears. "I know what happened."
Sisko hunkered down beside her and nodded. "Can you take care of Tarren until ...?"
"Of course." She reached out and gently stroked the Changeling. "Don't worry Odo, we're here for you."
"Captain Sisko," Shakaar swallowed back tears, as the Human stood to face him. "I'll arrange for your crew and all previous non-Bajoran occupants of Deep Space Nine to be given temporary housing on Bajor until they have made other arrangements." He glanced at the orange liquid on the floor and sighed. "I'll also make arrangements for a memorial service next week, after all the political situations have sorted themselves out. Nerys deserves to have a quiet, decent remembrance."
"I agree." Sisko gazed sadly at Odo. "I'll contact Starfleet Command. They'll probably want my commission for loosing the station, but if it had been me up there, I would have done exactly the same thing."
"And what of the Prophets?" Kai Winn's expression was pure hatred as she spoke for the first time. "This..... woman has destroyed our link with the Prophets, and you will praise her for it? She should be forgotten as soon as possible, and her destruction of the wormhole made an example for all--"
"Shut up, Winn!!" Shakaar exploded, and resisted raising his hand to slap her. "Kira is a hero, the greatest hero Bajor has ever had. She sacrificed her life to make sure that Bajor was never invaded by the Dominion. And she gave up her life with her friends, her people, and her family to protect us. She will be honoured, and her name placed at the top of the list of those who died to protect our planet, and preserve it so that we may live." For the ex-farmer, it was a long speech, and Sisko silently applauded.
"As you wish, Minister." Winn bowed and left the chamber, her fury still showing.
The air was beginning to warm as a tall, slightly-greying man walked quietly out his front door and headed purposefully towards a nearby park. Slowing, he strolled through the park, running his hands lovingly over a large, flourishing Bajoran Flame plant, that was now more of a bush than a plant, before kneeling next to a slightly raised plaque on the ground and gently brushing away the few weeds that had futilely tried to grow since the previous day. He was so engrossed in his daily ritual, that he failed to hear the man behind him until he coughed.
"Good morning, Constable." Captain Kira Odo, formerly the security chief of Deep Space Nine but now working as the personal bodyguard of the First Minister, spun around, then smiled as he saw Admiral Benjamin Sisko standing smiling behind him. Sisko glanced around the surrounding park and nodded slowly as Odo stood and dusted his hands. "Nice, very nice. This park seems to get better every time I visit you."
"I'd like to think that it's always beautiful." Odo shook his former captain's hand and indicated that they should walk back to the nearby house. "I like to think that Nerys would appreciate this."
"Odo, I know she would, and probably does." Odo stopped, frozen in place and staring at Sisko, while the man smiled kindly at him. "I've seen too many things in this universe to not believe that there is something more out there, something beyond this. Whether you call them Prophets, or God, is almost immaterial, as long as you acknowledge their existence. After all," the men continued back to the house, "There are no atheists in a combat zone, are there?"
"No, I guess there aren't." Odo smiled as the men walked down the quiet street towards the double-storied house he lived in with his son and daughter.
"How is that daughter of yours Odo?" Ben grinned as Odo's smile broadened at the mention of his youngest child. The Changeling had adopted the little girl two years after Kira's death, and had promptly named her Nerys after she had displayed much of the personality of the heroic Bajoran.
"Nerys is visiting the O'Brien's at the moment, Keiko and Miles insisted. They've been a wonderful help over the last years."
"I think Nerys would love the idea of you adopting a daughter. She's very much like Kira was." Sisko smiled at the memory of the young girl, barely three years of age when he'd first seen her, but she'd had a determined spirit and rust-red hair. Her namesake would have been proud, he knew. "They would have gotten along wonderfully."
"Until the first teenage disagreement." Odo chuckled quietly, then opened the front door and ushered Sisko into the kitchen. "So, what brings you to Bajor? Something official, or is this a personal visit?" He glanced up as two feet hit the floor on the second level, and smiled. Tarren would be down soon.
"A bit of both." Sisko relaxed as Odo handed him a coffee. "I'm attending a trade symposium on Cardassia next week, and I thought I'd drop in while I was in the neighbourhood, so to speak."
Odo started to reply, but before he could speak, a lanky red-haired bolt of lightning launched itself at Sisko and wrapped it's arms around his neck. "Uncle Ben! Dad didn't tell me you where coming to visit." Two wide blue eyes locked into the Human's as a wide grin split the small brown face, adding yet more wrinkles to those already on the pert nose. "Are you staying with dad and I for long?"
"For a few days, if your father will have me, of course." Ben's grin broadened as Tarren spun to face his father eagerly, while Odo nodded sagely.
"You're always welcome here, Ben." Odo frowned at his son as the boy replicated his breakfast. "Don't you go annoying him, Ben is here on business as well."
"Dad!" Tarren couldn't understand why the two men laughed at his embarrassment, while Odo tousled his young son's hair gently. Pulling away, the child, with a mouthful of cereal, began talking eagerly. "Uncle Ben, will you take me to the Museum? I want to see the station again."
Ben looked steadily at Odo as the man shrugged, his expression falling at the mention of the pieces of DS9 that now held pride of place in the Bajoran Museum, as well as a plaque that told the history and the demise of the old space port. Turning back to Tarren, Sisko couldn't resist those pleading blue eyes, ruefully admitting that the boy was developing all of his mothers old tricks at getting her own way. "Of course we'll go. Today, if your father doesn't mind you missing a day of school, that is."
As his son swung on him, the Changeling smiled and nodded. "One day won't hurt. But I'm afraid you'll be on your own, Minister Lasaw has to make a public appearance in T'Vel Province, so I'm on duty." Glancing a wall clock, he stood. "In fact I have to leave now for duty. I don't expect any trouble, but you never know."
"Understood." Sisko smiled slightly as Odo made no move to leave. "How have the last seven years been, Odo?"
"We're getting there." The Changeling watched as Tarren scurried upstairs to get dressed for his day out.
"It will get easier you know." Ben sighed, knowing exactly what the man was feeling. "I can't tell you when, but I can promise, it will get better, eventually. One day, the pain will go away."
"I hope so, Ben." Odo stood and smiled again. "Now, I'd like my son home by seventeen-thirty, in time for dinner. And I'll invite the others over if you don't mind."
"Not at all." Ben smiled as he heard Tarren clatter down the stairs. "He'll be home on time, and I'll answer as many of his questions as I can about his mother. She loved you both very much Odo."
"I know." Odo smiled bitterly. "But it will be a thousand years before I find another person like her."
"Then all I hope is that you watch over your children until then." Ben grinned. "Who knows? Maybe one day, a descendant of yours and Nerys' will be elected Federation President?"