STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
[JD1]“MINISTER OF LIES”
An original DS9 story
Ó 1996 by Patricia L. Ennis
[JD3]Jadzia7627@aol.com
May 1996
The main characters and locations used in this story
are the sole property of Paramount Pictures Inc. I have borrowed them here in an attempt to
create a fictional episode of the television show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
The story and all elements, other than those listed above, belong to
Patricia L. Ennis. This story is for
private amusement only and may not be uploaded for profit (Poor Quark) or
without this header intact.
Okay, with that out of the way, I think I should
clue all you wonderful Trek people in to a few elements of this story which
might disturb you. First of all, this
story does contain a relationship between two women (as my stories tend to do!)
and all the trappings that go with it.
It also is not for anyone who is a fan of the character Shakaar. I do not wish to ruin the story for you, but
also do not want any Shakaar fans screaming bloody murder in my ear, so there
is the warning. If any of this may
offend you, please do not continue. If,
however, you love the Spirit of Trek in all its incarnations, please read on
and let me know what you think, good, bad, or indifferent.
Also, special thanks are sent out to Bat Morda. Our ongoing story, “Time”, has proven to be
an excellent soundingboard for the more twisted elements of my nature and has
also served to help create several Bajoran proverbs and endearments that I am
quite fond of. Your talents and patience
are unequaled, Shawn. (Although part 54
was late…as are your reports, Lieutenant!)(Or is it Minister of Science now?) Also, another special thanks to Oira Kirys,
for giving me a pretty good idea of what making love to a changeling might be
like. Your stories are
inspirational. (In all kinds of ways J )
The very last item is that this story does not
really have a time line. If it must be
categorized you could find it somewhere between Crossfire and Accession. (An alternate story line of course, and as
such, I have taken a few liberties with time explanations.)
(Oh, and this story was written before The
Quickening had aired, so I make no apologies for the replicator incident. J )
May the Prophets walk with you!
Jadzia7627@aol.com
(DAx =/\=)
Okay. I have recently been accused of writing for a
specific target audience, in that I never give any explanation as to who the
characters are or what exactly it is that they are doing way out on the edge of
an unknown galaxy. Silly me, I was going
on the assumption that the only people who would read Star Trek fanfiction
would have to be Star Trek fans.J So, for the benefit of my
family and friends who wish to make remarks regarding the odd nature of my
character and the twisted nature of my mind, I have developed this little
‘cheat sheet’. It is simply a listing of
the major characters portrayed in this story and may be immediately discarded
by those of you who know and love Trek on a daily basis. Sorry to waste a sheet of your printer paper.
J
Deep Space
Nine (DS9/Terek Nor)
The Cardassian station that was
in
orbit of Bajor, but has now been
moved
to the mouth of the worm-
hole
by it’s new inhabitants, the
Federation(AKA
Starfleet or the
guys
with the ‘A’s on their shirts)
The Wormhole (
travel
between two quadrants to
be
accomplished in minutes
instead
of decades. It was
discovered
by Commander Ben
Sisko. It is called the Celestial
Temple
by the Bajorans, who
believe
it to be the residing place
of
their gods.
Captain
Benjamin Sisko (The Emissary) The
commanding officer of DS9,
believed to
be the Emissary, an
important
figure in Bajoran
religion.
Major Kira
Nerys First
Officer of DS9, a Bajoran ex-
terrorist
who fought to rid her
world
of Cardassian invaders. She
is blunt and hot tempered , but
honorable.
Lt. Commander
Jadzia Dax A
Trill, Jadzia is also a joined
creature
consisting of a symbiont
(Dax)
and a humanoid (Jadzia).
She
is incredibly beautiful, with
leopard
like spots running from
her temples
to her toes. She has
the
memories of the last seven
‘hosts’
that the Dax symbiont
has
occupied. She is extremely
intelligent,
and always late.
Chief Miles
Edward O’Brien Chief
Engineer aboard DS9. He
can
fix anything
Odo A
Changeling, Odo can morph
into
any shape he wishes, although
he
does have problems with facial
features. He is known as “The
Constable”
and is in charge of
Security
on DS9.
Dr. Julian
Bashir The
brilliant, but pompous,
Medical
Officer.
Lt. Commander
Worf A Klingon (And that’s about how
much
you see of him.)
Quark Owner
of the Stations bar, Quark
is
an unscrupulous character that
cares
only for latinum ($) and
Oo-Mox
(look it up).
The Prophets The
Bajoran Gods-Sisko believes
them
to be non-linear super beings
(Hey!
A lot like a god!)
Cardassians The
lizard-like race that had occupied
Bajor by force for over
fifty
years.
Enough
already!!! Go read the story!! J
************************************************************************
Word Pronunciations:
Talas---------------------------------Tawl-us
Renaya Zenece--------------------- Ren-I-uh Zse-nase
Denais Lenar------------------------Den-I-us Len-Are
Missak (Song of my heart)--------Miss-uhk
ti’san (Little one)-------------------tih-sahn
y’lema’tan(Your heart as mine)---ya-lay-mah-tahn
************************************************************************
Chapter One-Long Overdue
Major
Kira Nerys pulled her tired gaze away from the screen and the file she had been
working on. Her eyes were burning, a
clue that it was time to take a break.
Glancing around Ops, she was surprised to see that she and Jadzia were
the only two people left in the room.
Then again, it was 0300 hours.
She watched with a small, affectionate smile as Dax tried to subdue a
yawn and failed miserably. “Tired?” she
asked, moving to stand beside her.
“I’ve been tired for days,” the lovely
Trill smiled at her. “I haven’t been
sleeping very well.”
“You
too?” The Major’s eyebrows went up in
surprise. “I thought I was the only one
with insomnia these days. That’s why I
went ahead and volunteered for the fourth shift rotation. I wasn’t sleeping, so I figured that I might
as well be doing something.”
Jadzia
walked to the replicator and spoke into the sensor. “Rak’tegino-” she paused and glanced at Kira,
who nodded slightly in acceptance. “One,
extra hot with 2 measures of Alvanian calf’s milk-another, extra hot, two
measures of kava.”
Kira
drank deeply from the cup that Jadzia offered her. “You remembered how I like it.”
Jadzia
grinned. “I know someone else has been
bringing you your Rak’tegino for the past two weeks, but I do have a better
memory than that!” Kira laughed along
with her as Dax raised her eyebrows knowingly.
“So, how was your vacation?”
Kira
smiled a slow, sweet smile, her eyes half closed in remembrance.
“Never
mind. I think I can see it in your
face. You and Shakaar do make a
nice....couple.”
Kira
noticed the hesitation in Dax’s voice and looked at her questioningly, but
Jadzia just smiled a little sadly and shrugged.
She was about to ask what Dax had meant but then thought better of it in
their current surroundings. It would be
wiser if they continued this particular conversation in their off-duty time,
away from all the sensors and duty recorders in Ops. “Would you like to have breakfast when our
shift is over?” she asked.
Dax
looked over at her and Kira could see just how tired she was. She had just begun to retract the invitation
when Dax grinned. “Sure.” she said in a
perfect imitation of Dr. Bashirs accent.
“Should I call you, or nudge you?”
She followed the last with a perfectly lecherous waggle of her left
eyebrow and Kira began to laugh uproariously.
“That was a good impression!” She
finally managed, through her tears. “But
then, I guess you have been subject to him enough to get it down pretty well.”
“Now,
ladies,” A voice said from behind them, in perfectly clipped, British
tones. “That’s no way to talk about a
gentleman.”
They
both turned, guilty smiles on their faces.
“I’m sorry, Julian.” Dax threw
him one of her heartbreaking grins. “It
was one of your better lines. I just
couldn’t let it go to waste.”
“Well
then, by all means, let me use one of your better lines,” He cleared his throat
and let a calm, detached look come over his face. “Julian,” he managed to subdue most of his
accent. “There is a difference between
thirty-two and three hundred and thirty-two.”
Both
women chuckled at his near-the-mark impersonation. “Very funny, Julian.” Dax had a mock scowl on her face. “What are you doing up at this hour?”
“I
couldn’t sleep.” Julian shrugged. “I’ve had about ten or eleven cases of severe
insomnia in my office today alone. I
thought I would take all of this extra energy and try to investigate this
little coincidence. How are you two?”
Kira
sighed, “We seem to be in the same boat as you.” She brushed at a strand of hair that had
fallen into her eyes. “I’ve probably had
four hours of sleep in the past three days.”
“Well,
you’ve had more than I have, Major.”
Sisko said as he walked through the door and joined them.
“Not
you too, Benjamin.” Dax sympathized.
“Afraid
so. What are you drinking?” He glanced into their cups.
“Rak’tegino. Would you like one?” Jadzia began to move towards the replicator
as Sisko nodded in her direction.
“Wait
a minute.” Bashir had been scanning the
cups sitting on the console. “How many
Rak’tegino’s have all of you had in the last four days?”
They
all thought for a moment. Their answers
were about the same. 5-7 cups a piece in last four days.
“And
I have had 5 as well.” Bashir mumbled as
he walked over to the replicator. He
ordered the same drink and then scanned it as it materialized. When done, he shook his head and tapped his
comm-badge. “Bashir to O’Brien. We need you in Ops. We seem to have a system wide replicator
failure of some sort.”
Sisko
raised his eyebrows. “Did you find
something, Doctor?”
“It
seems as though this old station has played a little joke on us, Captain. Rak’tegino is a drink that was favored by the
Cardassians as well as Bajorans and Terrans.
Somehow, the replicators have switched back to the Cardassian version of
our little drink. Twelve times the
regular amount of caffeine...Sir.”
Bashir finished up with a smile that said he was in love with his own
brilliance.
“That
does explain the sleepless nights I’ve been experiencing. However, I find it hard to believe that the
replicators would just spontaneously shift programs. Besides, most of the Cardassian food programs
have been deleted out of all but a few of the stations replicators, the
remaining two being located in Garak’s and Quark’s.” He rubbed his hand over his tired eyes as
O’Brien walked into the room. “Chief,” he
continued. “Find out for me exactly how
this happened and keep me informed if you come across anything suspicious.”
“Aye,
Sir.” O’Brien nodded and began to remove
his tools from the case he had carried in with him. After a few moments, he turned and looked at
the group of officers standing before him.
“What exactly am I looking for?”
Bashir
grinned and went to converse with him, explaining the situation as Sisko
laughed at himself. When he was
finished, the Doctor came up behind him and placed a hand on his arm. “I could give you something to help you
sleep, Sir. It’s going to take a while
for the effects of the caffeine to wear off.”
Sisko
began to nod as a short warning siren went off.
“What’s
going on Dax?” He went to stand behind
her.
“We
have an unannounced ship coming through the wormhole.”
“At
this hour?” Sisko leaned down to study
the console. “I thought the next ship
requesting clearance wasn’t due until 0700 hours.”
“You’re
right.” Jadzia called up the docking
reports as the ship came through their end of the wormhole. “Their shields are up!” Her hands began to fly over the
controls. “They’re powering up their
phasers!”
“Shields
up!” Sisko barked. “Hail them, Lieutenant.”
Dax
punched her console and spoke into the sensor, “Deep Space Nine to Terran
vessel Nakota, please respond.”
Kira’s
head snapped up from her display. “Nakota?”
She whispered as she joined the other officers. “Dax, are you sure it’s the Nakota?”
“That’s
the correct reading.” Dax answered
quickly. “Benjamin, they’re responding.”
“On
speaker, Dax.”
“This
is the trader vessel Nakota to Terek
Nor,” Several eyebrows shot up at the mention of the stations original
name. “Please identify yourself.” The female voice continued.
“I
am Captain Benjamin Sisko, commanding officer of the Federation outpost, Deep
Space Nine.”
“The Federation...” The words were not a question and came over
the comm as barely a whisper. “We heard
rumors that the Federation had taken control of the sector and driven the
Cardassians out of Bajoran space, but we didn’t dare to hope...” Her voice broke off its revelry and became
stern once again. “We require visual
verification before we know that we can dock safely.”
“One
moment, Nakota.” Sisko turned to Kira
and studied her face. “What’s the story,
Major? You sounded like you might know
some background on our visitors.”
Kira looked at him
thoughtfully. “A Terran ship bearing the
name Nakota was used by the Bajoran
resistance to shuttle rescued prisoners off of Bajor. Its last run was during the ending years of
the occupation. The resistance,
including my cell, had managed to liberate the Nan’Tekk mining facility and
free 1,500 Bajoran POW’s. They were
loaded on that ship and sent to Lueseppia, where they would be safe. The ship never made it. It met with Cardassian warships before it
even cleared Bajoran space. It was
always believed that it had been destroyed.”
This last was said with a slight catch in Kira’s voice, which caused
Sisko to do a double take. He sent her a
questioning look. Kira sighed and
lowered her head. “It was rumored that I
had family at Nan’Tekk. The records of
who was on board disappeared with the ship.”
“How
long ago was this?”
“About
9 years ago.”
He
turned back to Dax. “Is there anything
on that ship which would substantiate the theory that it has been in the Gamma
Quadrant for the last 9 years, old man?”
Dax
focused in on the ship and watched as the sensors shifted the visual, showing
each side of the ship for a few seconds at a time. “Right there, Benjamin.” She pointed to 4 long burns along the port
nacelle. “Three of those are Cardassian. Oxidization puts them at about 7 to 10 years
old. The remaining one is...” She waited as the computer searched. When she got her answer, she looked up at
Sisko, surprise on her face. “The
remaining one was caused by a proton blast from a Jem’Hadar warship.”
Sisko
nodded and looked out at the Nakota,
which was waiting patiently for his response.
“Re-open the channel, Dax. Give
me visual.”
The
consoles small view screen was immediately occupied by a lovely, and
familiar, Bajoran woman, who looked
quite startled. She smiled for a moment
and then sighed in relief. “Then it’s
true. Thank the Prophets.” She relaxed visibly. She spoke to someone out of view. “Lower shields, Branak, power down the weapons.” She returned her attention to Sisko. “Captain, we would like to request permission
to dock.”
“Permission
granted. Give us a minute to find an
available dock. In the meantime, where
did you come from and, not to be rude but, who are you?”
“I
will be more than happy to tell you everything that we have been through,
Sir. As soon as we’ve all had a bath and
a meal. As for me, my name is Kira. Kira Talas.”
There
was a startled gasp as the Major pushed past Sisko. “Tala?”
she whispered in disbelief.
“Tala, is that really you?”
Kira
Talas studied the Major for a moment before her eyes widened. “Nerys?
Oh, Prophets...Nerys, I’ve finally found you....”
“Docking
bay 7 is available.” Sisko cut in. “Please proceed to that location and wait
there for our arrival.”
“Thank
you, Sir. Kira out.” She sent the Major a brilliant smile as her
image faded from view.
Kira
moved quickly to leave Ops and Sisko had to grab her gently by the arm to get
her attention. “Major, who was that
woman?”
“That was the family I had at Nan’Tekk.” Kira’s smile was radiant. “That was my sister!”
Sisko
released her and motioned for his senior staff to follow him to Docking bay 7.
*******************************************************
Sisko
watched as Kira paced back and forth in front of the airlock. He was torn between wanting to smile at her
childlike enthusiasm (which was something he had never seen before) and wanting
to grab her and hold her still. It
wasn’t that he didn’t feel happy for her, it was just that she had already had
so much disappointment in her life, and he didn’t want to see her get hurt
again. With a surprised grin, he
realized that the hot headed ex-terrorist had somehow found a soft spot in his
heart. Not that he ever would have
admitted it.
Dax
had noticed Kira’s nervous pacing as well and went to stand at her side. Placing her hands on the smaller woman’s
shoulders, she squeezed gently and smiled.
“I’m so happy for you, Nerys.”
She hugged her. “But try to slow
down a little, okay? She isn’t going
anywhere.”
Kira
nodded and faced the airlock, forcing herself to calm down by sheer will
alone. Jadzia left one hand on Kira’s
shoulder and she could almost feel the caring and support radiating from the
Trill.
As
the doors slid open, Kira rose to the tips of her feet, trying to see over the
heads of the people exiting the Nakota.
The advancing group of about 30 Bajorans was stopped as Sisko stepped in
front of them and raised his arm in the air to get their attention
“I
am Captain Benjamin Sisko,” He said loudly.
“Commanding Officer of Deep Space Nine.
I would like to welcome you on behalf of Starfleet. Now, if you would kindly follow Dr. Bashir,
he will make sure you are all inoculated and given quarters, a hot bath, and a
good meal.”
A
cheer went up from the Bajorans as they surrounded him and each of them began
to clasp his hand in turn. They showed
no signs of moving on until a voice came from the ship docked behind them.
“There
is another rumor that I would like confirmed or dispelled, Captain.” A beautiful young woman with features
strikingly similar to those of Major Kira walked into view. She smiled warmly at him and the crowd parted
so that she could walk to his side.
“There is a rumor, Sir, that you are not only the Commanding Officer of
this station. There is a rumor that you
are also the Emissary.”
Several
of the Bajoran’s gasped and they all looked startled as Sisko shifted
uncomfortably. Before he could say
anything, the Major spoke from the back of the airlock.
“Yes,
he is. The Prophets themselves have
confirmed it.” She strode to the front
of the group and smiled at her sister as she reached for her hand. “I’ve missed you.” she whispered.
“Yes,
well,” Sisko nodded his head slowly.
“That is also something for another time. Please, let us take you were you will be more
comfortable.”
The
group of people nodded immediately and followed Bashir out of the docking
ring. When they were gone, Sisko smiled
and shook his head. Kira reached out and
squeezed his hand gently as he turned to leave.
Turning
back, Kira pulled Talas into a tight embrace.
“I had almost given up on ever seeing you again. All these years...with no word.” She stood back and looked at her with
hope. “What about Zenece?”
Tala
turned her head away as her breath caught in her chest. She looked everywhere but into Kira’s
eyes. “No. She died about three years ago. In a farming accident.”
“A
farming accident?” She thought her
sister had looked a little odd for a moment, but then, she hadn’t seen her for
years. She was saddened by Tala’s loss,
but shocked by what she had heard. “You
settled? Where?”
She
smiled at her sister’s look of surprise.
“Enough time for that later, Nerys.
For now,” she looked over Kira’s shoulder at Dax, who had been standing
back, trying not to intrude. “Who is
this lovely creature behind you?”
Kira looked embarrassed. She had forgotten that Jadzia had not left
with the rest of the group. She motioned
for Dax to join them. “Lieutenant
Commander Jadzia Dax, may I introduce Kira Talas, my sister.” The last was said with such an enthusiastic
smile that Dax had to return it in kind.
“I am very pleased to meet you,” Dax bowed slightly, her smile still
huge. “Kir...uh,” She glanced at the
Major. “Uhm...I’m sorry. I can see that this might get a little
confusing.” She took in the woman’s
appearance and was pleased by what she saw.
She was slightly taller than the Major, about 5’8” or 5’9”, but she had
the same nose and eyes. Her hair was a
few shades darker, but still had the brassy red highlights, although she wore
it a bit differently. It was short on
the sides, standing up on the top and it ended in a long braid that reached all
the way down her back. The top was a bit
wavier than the Major’s as well, something someone might affectionately call
‘unruly’
“You can just call me Tala.” She squeezed Jadzia’s hand firmly, then
winked. “It will help when you want one
of us, but not the other.”
“Okay, Tala it is then.”
She
studied the tall woman closely for a moment and then straightened her
coat. “Well, I guess we should catch up
with my crew, before they destroy your station.”
“Of
course.” Dax nodded politely and turned
to go.[JD4]
“Lieutenant,”
Tala touched her arm lightly. “I was
going to explain everything tomorrow, to Nerys and the Captain. I would like it if you could join us.”
Dax
smiled. “Thank you. I think I would like that as well.” She stood, one eyebrow raised, and watched as
the two Bajorans left the docking ring.
With a wry grin and a loud sigh, she headed back to Ops.
Kira
was shaking her head as they rounded the corner into the main corridor. “Some things never change.”
“What
do you mean?” She demanded.
“You’re
not here ten minutes and you are already finding...interests.”
“Oh.”
Tala looked at her apologetically, and
with no small amount of regret. “Are the
two of you....?”
“No,
no.” Kira shook her head quickly. “I guess I’m just feeling selfish about you
right now.”
Tala
smiled and hugged her older sister to her.
“Don’t worry Nerys. I’ll make
sure you get sick of me before you ever have to miss me again.”
The
both laughed and went to rejoin her crew.
************************************************************************
Chapter 2-Introductions
Kira
Talas felt wonderful. She had spent two
luxurious hours floating in a huge tub filled to the very top with steaming hot
water and ja’ling leaves, drinking glass after glass of the spring wine Nerys
had given her before heading to her own quarters for some much needed
sleep.
Now
she walked the Promenade. Captain Sisko
had promised that their first meal on the station would be courtesy of
Starfleet, and Tala was now searching for something that would please her
palate. Most of her crew had opted for
Quarks, where they could watch the gamblers spinning the Dabo wheel while they
ate. Tala, however, shared her sisters
disdain for bars and chose to look for more interesting fare elsewhere. As she passed the Bolean restaurant, she
allowed her eyes to read over the menu.
Before she realized it, she had walked right into a rather good looking
Klingon male. His red shouldered uniform
designated him as a member of Starfleet Command. He grabbed her quickly by the arms as she
stumbled into chest.
“Are
you all right, Major? You really should
be more caref-” He began, but stopped
mid-sentence as he got a better look at her.
“You are not the Major.”
“No.” Tala smiled sweetly. “I am not the Major.”
“I
am sorry.” He continued. “I did not mean to be rude. It is just that you look very much like
someone else on this station.” He bowed
slightly. “I am Lieutenant Commander
Worf.”
“Nice
to meet you, Worf.” She smiled
mischievously. “My name is Talas. Kira Talas.”
“Kira...” Worf’s lower jaw dropped for probably the
second time in his life. “Once again, I
apologize. I was not aware that the
Major had any living family members.”
Tala
laughed at his directness. “Actually,
Commander, I don’t think my sister had any idea either.” She caught sight of Dax going into the
Klingon restaurant two shops down.
“Excuse me.”
Worf
watched her as she walked away. Two
Kiras on one space station. He wondered
if the federation would survive.
Tala slipped between two huge Klingon
women and came to a halt just inside the door.
The sights and sounds which greeted her inside the restaurant were loud
and eclectic, not to mention the smells.
A rather large Klingon dressed in a white chef’s outfit was playing
something that looked like a small accordion and singing directly to the object
of her search. Jadzia smiled and
laughed, bestowing an affectionate kiss on the Klingon’s brow as he finished
the song.
“Dax!”
He puffed himself up to his full 7 and a half feet. “This is the last time I will ask you, marry
me!”
Jadzia
laughed. “We both know it is not the
last time you will ask, Jos. And the
answer is still the same. Maybe in my
next life.”
Jos
smiled expansively. “Then there is hope
yet!” He began his song again as he
moved back towards the kitchen.
Dax
was still laughing when she caught sight of Tala, who was leaning against the
back wall, watching with interest. She
waved to the younger Bajoran to come join her.
Tala smiled and acquiesced.
“I
am surprised you’re still awake,” She observed as she settled into a chair
across from the Trill. “My sister told
me there was some kind of replicator failure and you were all exhausted. I couldn’t comprehend the correlation between
the two, but she was so tired I sent her off to bed with the promise that she
would explain it tomorrow.” She
smiled. “I am glad you weren’t that
tired. I was afraid it was going to be a
very dull dinner.”
“I
seem to suffer from the inability to sleep without eating.” Jadzia smiled back at her. “This is my favorite restaurant.”
“I’ve
never eaten Klingon food.” She laughed
quietly, and then sobered. “You don’t
come across a lot of it in the Gamma Quadrant…or in prison camps.”
Jadzia
nodded slowly, understanding the woman’s mood.
She knew from her experiences with Major Kira that there wasn’t always
something you could say in response to a person’s pain. “Well then,” she continued brightly. “Let me introduce you the subtleties of
Klingon fare.” She stood up abruptly and
yelled towards the kitchen, “Jos!
Rok’tai! Ker’chna Dor!” Her tone
was very hostile but the big man just laughed and waved at her. “Gagh, too….and two Rak’tegino’s.”
Tala
was smiling when she sat back down. “I
take it that the display is as important as the order?”
Jadzia
nodded, grinning. “You are going to
catch on quick!”
Tala
watched Jadzia intently as Jos brought their food. Her eyes lingered on the spots which trailed
down from her temples to disappear into her uniform. She looked up to find the Klingon smiling at
her knowingly.
“You
have many admirers, it would seem, my lovely spot woman.” With a laugh at Tala’s discomfort, he strode
away.
Jadzia
smiled at her gently. “Don’t be
embarrassed, Tala.” She ran a finger
lightly down the side of her own face.
“They do tend to bring me a lot of attention.”
“I
don’t think it is so much the spots, Jadzia, as the way they frame the beauty
beneath.”
Dax
looked up from her food, startled.
“You’re a poet.”
“I
was. When I was younger. When there was still something beautiful to
write about.”
“And
now? There isn’t anything you find
beautiful enough to write about?”
Tala
finally returned her smile. “I’ve found
one thing.” She was surprised to see the
Trill blush slightly. “And I have yet to
go to Bajor. I am sure they’ve rebuilt
something in the four years since the Cardassians pulled out.”
“So,”
Jadzia munched on some Gagh, encouraging her to do the same. “You settled in the Gamma Quadrant. Nine years ago?”
“No,
actually, we wandered for a year and a half.
We didn’t have a clue as to where we were. The Nakota’s
navigational array was damaged in battle with the Cardassian warship that they
sent to ‘subdue the terrorists’…yeah, some terrorists we were. 1,500 wounded and starving Bajorans….we were
a big threat.”
The
bitterness in her voice caused Jadzia to put her fork down and take the younger
woman’s hand gently. “I’m sorry. Maybe we should talk about something else.”
Tala
sighed. “Maybe. I’ll be going over all of this tomorrow
anyway. It would be better for me,
perhaps, if I only had to tell it once.”
Jadzia
nodded and squeezed her hand one last time before relinquishing it to resume
her meal. She watched, trying not to
laugh, as Tala struggled to keep her food on her fork. “The best way to eat gagh,” Jadzia picked her
plate up and held it near her mouth, sliding the wiggling creatures directly
onto her tongue. “Is to just shovel it
in.”
Talas
did as instructed and smiled after she swallowed. “Not bad.
I can’t say I would miss the wiggling, but it is rather tasty.”
“Well,
that is one thing you and your sister do
not have in common.” She
laughed. “Whenever she agrees to go to
dinner with me, it’s always on the condition that ‘we are not going to that
damned worm place’!”
Tala
laughed with her. “That sounds like
Nerys.” She tore off a hunk of
bread. “When we were at the Singha
refugee camp, she used to restart the cook fires just to make sure her food was
black and unrecognizable.”
“Even
the Palaku’s?” Dax asked.
“The
Palaku’s!” She smiled. “I had forgotten about them! They were cute little things. I had one as a pet for a while, until Nerys
got really hungry.”
Dax
looked up, shocked, only to see Tala’s laughing eyes looking into her own. She laughed too. “You had me going for a minute.”
Tala
leaned her head to one side and studied Dax’s features. “’Rys said that you’re a Trill?”