by F. Carthew.
Major Kira Nerys rubbed her neck and stretched slightly in the cramped pilots seat of the runabout as she flew the craft towards Bajor. Kira was playing ferry pilot for a Bajoran dignatry, who was returning to Bajor, while the Major would going to give the Militia a briefing on the frontier situation. Standing, Nerys placed the ship onto auto-pilot for a text book entry into Bajor's atmosphere, then walked silently to the passenger module, and stood for a moment, watching the monk sitting on the floor.
"Major, you should know better than to try and sneak up on a monk." Kai Winn opened her eyes and looked at the officer, seeing Kira swiftly mask her expression. "I take it we are soon to land?"
"That's right, Emminance." Kira bowed slightly, a movement that bordered on the insolent. "And I didn't mean to sneak up on you, I simply didn't want to interrupt your meditation."
Kira was just about to return to the control seat, when the entire craft stood on its end seconds after a siren sounded. As Kira scrambled back to the front of the ship, she was vaguely aware of the Kai staggering behind her. Kira slammed into a console as the ship's nose bucked upwards and every system failed simultaneously when another object struck the crippled vessel. The officer clambered back into her seat and desperately punched at the consoles, trying to regain control of the spiralling vessel without success.
"Major, what's happened?" Winn was close to panic, but also knew that Kira was one of the most capable officers in the Militia.
"We've hit something, or been hit." Kira's hands flew over the controls, desperately trying to find something that worked. "I can't tell from these readings, except that we're going down--fast." Kira glanced at the cleric and was glad to see she didn't seem to be panicking. "Computer, initiate distress beacon." Nerys coughed through the smoke, slamming the button to eject the anti-matter pod, and felt rather than heard the thump as it shot away. But the ejection had another effect; it added to the momentum of the ship that was crashing towards Bajor's surface faster with every moment.
Kira looked at the rushing surface, and threw Winn onto the floor, then herself over the Kai to protect her, as a roaring, tearing sound filled the air, and she lost all trace of time.
"Let me see if I've got this right." Sisko seemed to be calm and collected, as he spoke with a very uncomfortable Bajoran officer on subspace. "I sent a perfectly good runabout, with an experienced pilot to Bajor this morning, and it still hasn't arrived? Major Kira is two hours overdue, and she was transporting the Kai as well."
"We are well aware, Captain, of the potential diaster here." The Bajoran was obviously worried about the implications of losing a senior Bajoran officer, not to mention Bajor's spritual leader. "We're studying the orbital records from the mornings scans, but it's going to take time to find out exactly what happened."
"Understood. When you locate the Major, please contact me and let me know the situation immediately." Closing the channel, Ben watched the reaction of Lieutenant-Commander Jadzia Dax, who had listened to the whole interchange. "What do you think?"
"It's not like Kira to disappear, especially with a runabout and the Kai on board." Dax leaned back, thinking. "There may be more to this than we're aware of. Bajor has been stable for quite a while now, it's unlikely that this is part of a political problem, but it's still curious as to why Kira and Winn would disappear like this."
"Exactly." Sisko toyed with a data padd as he pondered the problem. "I think we'll give her the benifit of the doubt, and wait for Bajoran Traffic Control to track down where she's got to."
Dax nodded. "I just hope nothing has gone wrong."
Winn shook Kira worriedly, and glanced out the broken window. The cleric didn't know how long they'd both been unconscious, but it seemed like forever. She'd already taken off her robe and wrapped it around Kira, but aside from that, the only other thing she could do was wait until the Major woke up. Minutes later, Winn smiled with relief as Kira groaned and opened her eyes, looking hazily at her. "How...are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Winn tried to smile encouraginly. "A few scratches and bruises, but nothing to worry about." The woman glanced at Kira's leg, then looked back at the officer with worry. "I think your leg's broken though."
Gritting her teeth, Nerys tried to sit up, and screamed in agony as pain raced through her body from the shattered bones. Panting, she stared at Winn, trying to stay conscious. "Please, you need to find the med-kit. It should be in one of these cabinets."
"I'll find it, Kira." The monk squeezed Kira's shoulder for a moment, then pulled open a panel, looking hopefully for a med-kit, but had to open another four cabinets before she found it, and knelt down beside Kira. "Now what do I do?"
"You open it up, and take out the tricorder." Kira took the scanner from Winn and noted that aside from her leg, she only had minor cuts and burns. "Have you ever done any kind of medical work, Emminance?"
"Some, but not much." Winn watched as Kira unsteadily tipped the kit up, and seperated two extendable splints and several bandage. "It was mainly patching up burns and cuts on monks during the occupation."
"Well, you're about to graduate from the resistance school of field medicine." Kira pushed herself up onto her elbows and nodded towards her leg. "You need to lay it flat on the floor, put a splint on either side then wrap the bandages firmly around the splints. If the break can move, it needs to be done again until it can't."
Winn looked nervously at the leg, then back at Kira. "I've never done this before...can't a broken leg kill people?"
"Only if I try and walk on it when it's not braced, and it has to be a bad break. This is fairly simple." Kira clenched her teeth and nodded sharply. "Do it."
The Kai reached out nervously, and then suddenly pulled Kira's limb straight, causing the red-head to scream again, then pass out. Working quickly, Winn managed to set the leg as best she could before Kira moaned again and blinked at her. "All done Major. Now what do we do?"
"We sit and wait until someone finds us." A loud crash outside the ship made Kira jump, and she forced herself awake. "What was that?"
"That's the other thing." Winn motioned towards the smashed glass. "We've come down in a tropical storm, somewhere on the coast I think. And storms around there can last for days."
"I know." Kira lay back, thinking, then glanced at the main console. "Do you know anything about computers?"
"More than I do about medicine." The cleric moved over to the computer and rolled up her sleeves as she pulled off the panel and examined the circutry. "What exactly am I looking for?"
"A small red box, could be right at the back." Kira found she couldn't hold her head up any more, and let it thump back down onto the deck loudly. "It's the flight recorder. I need to listen to it to find out what happened to us.
After a moment or two, the Kai gave a muffled "Got it!", and pulled out a singed red box. Placing it next to the woman lying on the floor, Winn gazed at Kira brightly. "How do I turn it on?" As Nerys indicated a button on the side, Winn pressed it, and minutes later, both women were shocked as they heard the machine tell them exactly what had happened--they'd been shot down by a Cardassian missile in Bajoran space.
The central monastry was in uproar as the Vedek Assembly announced the formal disappearence of her Emminance, Kai Winn, while she was being transported back to Bajor. Most of the clerics were worried that an outside influence had caused the Kai to vanish, but a few who knew how Kira felt about the Kai made discreet inquiries with Captain Sisko, who assured them that, to his knowledge, there had been no problems between the two women when they'd left.
Meanwhile, Bajoran Traffic Control informed the captain that the runabout had appeared on their scans for around thirty seconds, before disappearing completely. Sisko felt a cold chill touch his spine at the news, and after the channel had closed, he called in Worf and Dax. "People, things are worse than we thought. The Bajorans don't know what's happened to Kira and the Kai. It seems the runabout vanished from their screens shortly after entering the planets atmosphere, and they haven't found any trace since."
"Have they scanned the area of entry for traces of the warp core?" Dax's mind stayed calm, but her emotions were in turmoil. "Runabouts don't vanish, so they have to be there somewhere."
"Which is why you and I are taking another runabout to Bajor to look for them." Standing, the Human looked at Worf. "Commander, you have the station until I return. Dax, we're leaving immediately." As he and the Trill left the station ten minutes later, Dax spoke again.
"Benjamin, there is a chance that something has happened to them." She glanced at her friend, but he just looked stolidly ahead. "The runabout could have crashed and killed them."
"I hope not. None of the current members of the assembly stand out as being an obvious candidate for Kai." Sisko sighed and finally looked at Dax. "Bajor is politically stable now, and I'm sure it could easily cope without a Kai much better than it did when Opaka was lost. The person I'm really worried about is Kira."
"At least that makes two of us." Jadzia glanced at Sisko and smiled briefly, before both left each other alone with their thoughts.
Kira tightened her jaw, determined not to let her nemisis know just how much pain she was in, as they stumbled through the jungle, heading towards the mountain range they could just see through the rain and above the vegetation. Winn had surprised Kira by being helpful and kind, even to tentitively using a phaser to cut a crutch for the wounded Bajoran to use, as well as carrying both their bags.
"How far do you think you can make it?" Winn looked anxiously at the officer, then turned back to scanning the surrounding scrub, looking out for whoever had shot them down. The woman had tried to help Kira walk, but the officer had shaken off her arms, and insisted on standing alone.
"I'll walk until we're safe." Kira glanced at the other woman trudging along in the rain, and grinned inwardly. "How long can you last?" The look from Winn told Kira that she was exhausted already, but she was also as scared as hell about what had happened.
The decision to leave the runabout had been instantly mutual, with both realising that whoever had shot them down would come looking for them, and although it was risky, they stood a better chance away from such a large target. After Kira had pumped herself pull of painkillers from the med-kit, although she'd still thrown up twice, they'd started heading towards the distant mountains, making sure that an emergency beacon was activated and placed in one of their bags.
"Kira, I need to sit down." Winn collapsed onto a nearby log, totally ignoring the rain and thunder around them.
Looking around, Kira spotted a clump of dense trees and nodded to them. "In there. It's a little more protected than out in the open." As the exhausted cleric staggered into the hollow, Kira not far behind, the officer began to feel sorry for the monk. Sitting down, Nerys watched Winn steadily for a few moments. "You're not used to this type of exercise."
"No, not really." Winn's eyes were closed and her breathing laboured. "It's not exactly part of my fitness scheduele. Unlike you, I spend most of my day in an office behind a desk." The Kai watched Kira closely and saw the small smile on the womans face. "I expect you think that makes me weak."
"Not at all!" Kira's smile had broadened into a grin, tinged with pain. "I just know that I could never handle being behind a desk for too long. I need to be out doing something, not pushing paper." Glancing up as a loud crack of thunder roared overhead, Kira struggled to her feet. "Come on, we have to keep moving. I want to find a cave and get dry tonight."
Winn shot to her feet and nodded violently. "That's the best news I've heard yet." As the two women trudged on, they didn't speak, prefering to leave the other alone rather than risk a confrontation. Finally, Winn and Nerys stmbled into a shallow cave and collapsed on the floor, at last out of the rain. "How do we start a fire? All the wood's wet." The monk saw Kira nod at the phaser she was holding.
"It's set to cut wood again. If you can bring in as much as you can carry, I'll use the other phaser to dry it and start a fire." Kira watched as the cleric walked back out into the rain and began, uncomplaining, to start collecting firewood.
A tall Bajoran man carefully walked into the runabout, armed to the teeth. He didn't expect much resistance from the occupants, the missiles had done their job well and had blown the craft out of the sky just as planned. Walking swiftly through the small ship, he slammed his hand against a wall as he realised no-one was left there.
Walking to the door again, he gazed thoughfully at the surrounding vegetation, then pulled out a small scanning device, slowly scanning the jungle. After a few minutes, he had tracked down the path that the women had taken six hours before.
Pulling out a phaser, he began jogging through the undergrowth, following the trail and ignoring the tropical storm overhead.
Shakaar stood and greeted Sisko and Dax warmly as they marched into his office. "Captain, I appreciate your visiting me, especially when I know that the Assembly must be pressuring you greatly."
"There have been several comments made about this being the second Kai to have disappeared in a Starfleet runabout with Kira as its pilot." Sisko and Dax had sat comfortably in the offices chairs, and saw a small grin float across the First Minister's face. "However, I've tempered this by reminding them that this incident happened on Bajor, not a far off moon."
"What do you think happened? I assume you've been provided with copies of the scans." Shakaar was quietly panicking, and not just beacuse Kira was missing. As head of the Bajoran government, he would be expected to help the Bajoran people elect a new Kai, should Winn be dead, and he was not exactly up on the ins and outs of religous politics.
"At the moment, it appears that the runabout was struck by a stray lightning bolt from a seasonal tropical storm that covers the southern costal region at the moment." The scientist in Dax came to the fore. "If they were, then it would explain the sudden loss of communication, and also the reason why we can't detect the distress beacon from the runabout."
"Spoken like a true scientist." Shakaar had heard much about the Trill from Kira, and knew that his lover admired the officer greatly. "The question is: Can we get in to help then, if that is what's happened."
"Unlikely." The woman grimaced in annoyance. "Storms like this create giga-amps of power, even Starfleet won't tackle this kind of weather. Ships are useless, and to try and transport in is down right dangerous. The only way to find out what's happened, is to either wait for the storm to clear up itself, or to try and drive in."
"That coast is mainly swamp trees and marshland. Driving on it's impossible, but a team might get in on foot." The minister thought for a moment, then nodded. "With the importance of the missing Bajorans, I doubt if I'll have much trouble convincing the government to mount an official search, no matter what the cost."
"Agreed." Sisko nodded sharply. "I would like to offer our assistance as well. We can take a team onto our runabout, then fly it as close to the storm as possible. When they locate the missing vessel, we'll be able to pinpoint its exacte location, and that might help us transport in medical supplies, if they're needed."
"Captain, I'm more than happy to accept your offer of help." The Bajorans face was awash with relief at the Human's words. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go and address the council, but if you'd care to accompany me to the chambers and talk to them yourself, I'd greatly appreciate it."
"Of course, Minister." Sisko and Dax stood and smiled in sympathy. "On a personal note, I hope nothing has happened to Kira. I'd hate to lose her now, after all the close shaves we've come through."
"Believe me, Captain," Shakaar opened the door, "I know exactly what you mean."
The two Bajoran women relaxed slightly within the cave, since they could easily see anyone coming towards them. Kira was glad that the Kai hadn't been the bother that Nerys thought she was going to be, the cleric even restrapping Kira's leg without complaint. A medium sized fire was burning in the cave, and steam was rising from the soaked clothes as they munched their way through Starfleet rations.
"How does the leg feel, Major?"
"Rotten. I'm waiting for that pain neutraliser to kick in, then I might be of some use when whoever is after us finds us." Nerys moved her leg gently, trying to find a more comfortable position.
The Kai was alarmed, "My child, just how fast do you think they will be able to hunt us down?"
"Unknown. The fact that we haven't really been able to travel invisibly means that if they took the effort to bring us down, I'd say they'll take the time and effort to find anyone in that shuttle. And if they know that it was us, it could be the Maquis, or a rebel goverment faction...." she gestured as she spoke until the Kai spoke nervously.
"Yes, thank you, Major, I have a more than adequate idea of what you mean. This would not be the first attempt on my life." the Kai, for once, looked deflated.
Kira mustered a smile, "It wouldn't be a first for me either," she laughed quietly, "and this time I can't blame YOU."
The Kai's head shot up, "My child I would never...."
"Well, you have to admit, that got you out of your depression, didn't it?" Kira still had a half-smile playing on her face as Kai Winn stopped and thought a moment before smiling herself.
"You are wise, child. Self pity is of no use here." Kira was surprised at the admission. It was not often that she got compliments from the Kai. They finished their meal in silence as they contemplated their situation, before Kira spoke again. "Do you have any enemies who would go to this length to get their revenge?"
"None that I know of, at least not at the moment." Winn glanced at the major inquiringly. "Do you have anyone who would do this to you?"
"Several people, mostly Cardassians. But there are a few Bajorans who would like to shoot me down." Kira looked at Winn steadily. "I made some enemies with fighters who believed I was too soft on Cardassian civilians, because I hated to hurt the innocent." Kira closed her eyes for a moment at the heavy memories, and was glad the Kai didn't speak again for several moments.
"Child, how long do you think it will be until they find us?" The Kai was still worried.
"I don't know, hours, maybe minutes." Kira stared at the Kai and shook her head. "We're at their mercy, and there isn't a lot we can do about it."
"I know that child," Winn paused as Kira glared at her angrily. "But we have to make the best--"
"Emminance, please be QUIET!" Kira disliked Winn instensely, but worse than that, she hated being called 'Child'. "I have a splitting headache, and my leg is very painful. I suggest you get as much sleep as you can, because we are going to have a very long walk ahead of us as soon as this rain stops."
"Of course, chi--," Winn paused as Kira glared at her again. "Of course, Major." The Kai wrapped herself with her cloak, and closed her eyes as Kira continued to watch the outside world.
"Where on earth are they?" Sisko muttered as he checked the computer readouts on the runabout he and Dax had taken.
"Don't you mean 'where on Bajor', Benjamin?" Dax queried with a smile.
"What? Oh, I suppose." he paused, "There must be some indication if they went down. A distress beacon, debris, anything. We are on the same course that they were on, aren't we?"
"Yes. But remember, this storm has enough electricity and plasma in it to possibly neutralise any chance of picking up a distress beacon. At least until it abates. Bajoran estimates would put that at about 10 hours from now."
"So we're supposed to just sit around up here until then?" Sisko didn't handle waiting very well.
Dax looked sideways at the Captain, "Benjamin, we will find her. Until we can make lower passes, we'll just have to keep circling where we are and hope we find something."
The Bajoran hunter crept through the jungle and sat under a tree for a moment, watching the two women in the cave. He'd been hunting the woman before him for a long time, long enough for his revenge to demmand more satisfaction than just her death. He wanted to make her suffer, to force the Bajoran to pay for what she'd done--painfully.
Raising the phaser, he sighted for the bags they'd been carrying, and fired, smiling as the bags vapourised instantly, and the two women threw themselves onto opposite sides of the cavern, Kira loudly cursing herself for dozing off in a combat situation.
"Kira, what now?" Winn stared at the officer, who was examining the surrounding jungle, her phaser at the ready.
"I try to shoot them before they kill us." Kira hissed at the cleric and wondered if the Kai had ever been in any form of combat, or if she'd simply lived her whole life in the safety of the monastry. "Have you ever handled a weapon before?"
"Once, a very long time ago." Winn was nervously fingering the phaser in her hand. "What setting is this on?"
"Heavy stun. I'm not going to let you kill anybody, so if you actually hit someone, your conscience will be clear, you won't hurt them," the officer muttered under her breath as she stared at the bush, "That's my job." The woman noticed a patch of brown that seemed to be wrong for the surrounding green, and grinned savegely. But before she could fire, it fired at her, and she threw her arms over her head as stones showered down.
The man was enjoying the discomfort he was causing, and was just about to take another shot at Kira, when another beam came from nowhere, and shot past his nose, forcing him to back-peddle several meters.
"I got him." Winn was looking around her in shock, as Kira barked a short laugh. "I can't believe I got him."
"Don't congratulate yourself yet, we still have to get out of here." Kira scrambled to her feet, and picked up her crutch. "This is too open, we have to find somewhere less vulnerable." Noticing some movement, Nerys fired a rapid salvo at the moving trees, and nodded at the crashing sound of a fast moving body. "If you think you can handle a little more excitement, we should look for another cave."
"Just as long as I'm not going to hurt them." The Kai was still a little nervous about having a lethal weapon in her hand.
"You won't, I promise. Now, if you could start moving into the hills, I'll try and give us some cover." Kira started a continual barrage of fire, as Winn scarmbled up the rain-soaked rocks, trying to look for another hiding spot.
Looking back, she called to Kira over the noise of the continuing storm. "Come up. I'll cover you." She started firing at anything that moved along the tree line, as Nerys struggled up the slope and rocks, the agony of her injury making her want to scream until the pain left, but Kira knew that that wouldn't help make the pain go away. Reaching the Kai's side, Kira lay panting for a moment, before looking at the woman. "I'll take over again. You keep moving." Kira stared at her as Winn shook her head.
"Without you, I'll die here, and unless I help you, you'll die." Winn stood and pulled Kira to her feet, linking an arm around her waist. "We've given whoever it is enough to think about for now, so let's get going and find somewhere else to spend the night."
As the two women stumbled along the hillside, Kira was silent for a moment, then spoke, "You realise you might have just signed your death warrant?"
"I know." Winn glanced at the officer, and smiled fleetingly. "But for some reason, the Prophets have thrown us together like this, and I don't believe that they will let us down."
"Captain, I'm picking up several small distress bursts under the storm." A Bajoran technician who'd been assigned to help Sisko and Dax glanced at the Starfleet officer. "It seems to have stopped, but the fact that I detected it at all means the storm is decreasing in strength."
"How long until we can send a team in?" Sisko was leaning over the Bajoran's shoulder, examining the scans as Dax flew an even tighter circle over the target area.
"At least another four hours. These storms often give a final kick before they disapate." The Bajoran turned to the Human and frowned. "The real problem is going to be that we'll only have a few hours, two or three at most, before another storm closes in and the area's shut down again for another two days."
Ben nodded and slowly returned to his seat. Thinking for a few moments, he opened a channel to the provisional government, and was relieved to see the whole council was in session. "Ministers, we may have located the missing runabout, but we are unable to send a team in yet. However, I have been informed that this storm should die down in the next few hours, and I'll be attempting a landing then."
"Is there any way to assess the Kai's situation, to find out if she's in any danger, or dying?" A female minister spoke up before Shakaar could say a word. "We need to know what's happened, not to wait for hours."
"Minister, we can't fight nature." Ben understood her frustration only too well. "Until the area is safe, I won't risk a single officer's life in a possibly futile rescue attempt. Besides, the Kai is with Major Kira Nerys, one of your own officers, and a woman who will do all she can to ensure the Kai's safety."
"She is merely an officer, someone who could be replaced at will." The minister spoke casually, not seeing the expression on Shakaar's face at her words. "We should not place too much confidence in her abilities to take care of such an important and august personage as the Kai."
"I think Major Kira will be able to help the Kai, at least a little." Sisko was trying to keep a straight face, not even game to look at Shakaar. "However, at the moment, all we can do is wait. As soon as I can, we'll beam to rescue team aboard, and then hopefully we'll be able to land as close to the downed ship as we can."
"Thank you for your update, Captain." Shakaar spoke up loudly before anyone else could interrupt. "The team is standing by already, and I trust your judgement in this matter. Please keep us informed, and I will pass on the information to the Assembly personally."
Sisko grinned as the channel closed and he turned back to Dax, who was chuckling quietly. "Benjamin, who was the female minister?"
"Minister Kevat, from the Seven Isles." Sisko leaned against a wall and smiled. "I think Minister Shakaar will probably invite her to lunch."
"Captain, the storms strength has dropped another five percent." The Bajoran officer swiveled in his chair excitedly. "It's down to only fifty-five percent of its previous strength. And I've also got a tentative lock on the distress beacon."
"Good." The captain took his seat and began to lock in a sweeping descent flight plan. "Notify the rescue team that we'll be beaming them aboard in half an hour, then we'll be attempting a trial run across the suspected crash zone."
"Understood." Dax punched in the message to the waiting Bajorans, while murmuring softly to herself, "Hang on Nerys, we're almost there."
Kira and the Kai huddled in a cave, watching the entrance, both pairs of eyes bright with fear. They'd made their way up the hill and into a valley on the other side, but had no idea what had happened to their attacker. Hearing Nerys whimper quietly, Winn turned and silently pushed the wounded soldier back against the rock wall, and pulled the med-kit off her shoulder, the only thing that hadn't been in their vapourised bags.
Running the tricorder over Kira's leg, her expression became very concerned. "According to this, your leg's getting worse. There's an infection setting in and the bone's knitting wrong. That's if I'm reading this right."
"You probably are." Kira had been ignoring the worsening pain, trying to pretend everything was alright. "Use the tricorder to scan the kit for a cellular regenerator. Then run it over the infection, it should help kill off the bacteria." Nerys just about climbed the wall as she felt the ions from the instrument eradicating the pressure in her leg. Gazing out the cavern opening, she noticed a differnce in the storm. "The storm must be weakening, I haven't heard thunder in a while now."
"That's a good sign." Winn smiled as the tricorder registered that the infection was gone, for now. Sitting back, the cleric continued to watch the outside view in case whoever was chasing them reappeared. "How long do you think it's been since we were shot down?"
"Hours. They'll definately be looking for us by now." Kira picked up her phaser again, and rechecked the setting was heavy stun. "With any luck, they'll find us before our hunter does."
"I hope they do. I'm soaked." Winn shivered and wrapped her arms around her tightly. "That fire was a wonderful idea."
"Yes, but it led him straight to us." Nerys had no intention of making the same mistake twice. "By not having a fire, we'll be able to escape attention. I hope."
"Well, you're the--" Winn fell silent as she and Kira both heard a strange, sharp sound. "What is it?" Winn whispered.
"Shhhh!!" Kira could have cheerfully strangled to woman at that moment, but was distracted by the appearence of a man slightly below them on the hillside. Staring at the face, the officer's jaw dropped open. "I think we've just found an ally. Help me up." As the two woman stood and staggered out into the rain, the man spun to face them and almost dropped his walking stick.
"Nerys! What are you doing out here?" An old Bajoran man swiftly walked over to them, a worried smile on his face. "I know you turn up in the oddest places, but taking a stroll through a tropical storm isn't exactly your style."
"Mullibok, you are the greatest sight I've ever seen." Kira winced as the man hugged her tightly, then motioned towards Winn. "May I introduce her Emminance, Kai Winn. The Kai and I were on our way back to the Capitol when someone shot us down. Whoever did it has been hunting us ever since."
"Has life around you always been exciting, or is it a recent thing?" The old farmer grinned, then caught Nerys as her leg gave way and she almost fell. "But this doesn't seem the time for jokes. Is it broken?"
"Yes, and infected." Winn helped him raise Kira back onto her feet then nodded. "I don't mean to seem rude, but do you have a house nearby? We need to get the Major inside so she can rest."
"In the next valley. If we hurry, we should get inside before the next storm hits." Putting their arms around Kira, the three people began to slowly move towards shelter, as a figure in the rocks below watched them and began following behind.
"Landing completed. We're safely down, Captain." Dax nodded at Sisko, and he opened the outer door, to see rain still bucketing down, but no thunder or lightning. "The runabout's ten meters ahead." Jadzia scooted out the door and ran lightly towards the distress beacon, but slowed to a crawl as she saw the damage done to the other craft. "Benjamin, this wasn't done by a lightning strike."
"So I can see." Sisko and the five Bajorans gave the external damage no more than a cursory glance, before hurrying into the ship, looking for the two women. Finding no-one, the group returned to the cabin of the downed vessel, and silently watched Dax and a medic examine some blood on the floor, as well as the flight recorder that was sitting in the room.
"Well, what's the verdict?"
"They're alive. At least, they were when they left here." Dax looked up at her commanding officer. "The flight recorder has the Kai's fingerprints on it, and the blood on the floor has elevated duridium levels, like it belongs to a person who lives on the station."
"So Kira's been hurt. Do we know how bad?" Ben's concern deepened.
"No, But the lack of blood possibly means that it's only a minor injury." Dax turned to the flight recorder. "It's this that's really interesting. Listen to what it says." After a few minutes, the entire group listened in shock as the computer told them that their two missing crew were shot down deliberately. Dax gazed at Sisko worriedly. "We have to find them soon, Captain, or whoever did this will. And there might not be much we can do if that happens."
Winn and Mullibok lowered Kira gently onto his bed after struggling the three kilometers with her to his house. As Winn opened the medkit and ran the tricorder over Kira, Mullibok walked over to a bubbling pot and poured two bowls of stew. Bringing them back over to the bed, he glanced worriedly at the Kai. "Is she going to be alright?"
"I don't know, I'm no doctor." Winn saw that the infection had returned and again ran the cellular regenerator over the soldiers wound. "This worked last time, but it doesn't seem to having the same effect now."
"The infection's probably taken hold this time. The cold wouldn't have helped." Mullibok handed one of the bowls to Winn and took the medical instrument from her gently. "I'll do this, you eat and get warm." As the monk sat down at the table, the farmer pulled out several blankets and wrapped Kira in them, before slowly helping her eat, as the officer groaned quietly.
"I can't eat, I don't feel well." Kira tried to turn her head away, but the man refused to let her go, forcing the woman to swallow the food. After a few minutes, Nerys refused to eat again, and this time the farmer let her, since she'd already finished half the bowl. Running the cellular scanner over her again, he shook his head
"Nerys, you need a doctor, and fast. We have to get you help soon." Mullibok glanced up as thunder rolled overhead. "This is the last thing we need to happen." Turning to Winn he bowed. "Emminance, I'm afraid my humble home will have to house you and Nerys for the next few days, at least until the storm dies down."
"I will be more than grateful for your hospitality, Mullibok." The Kai sat down on the edge of Kira's bed, and gently wiped sweat off the officers forehead. "But having us here might jepordise your safety, since whoever shot us down is now hunting for us and probably wants to kill us. If you help us, he will possibly hurt you too."
Mullibok looked at the woman steadily, then shrugged his shoulders. "I created an entire life for myself on a Bajoran moon, to escape the Occupation. Kira had to destroy all I built, but she also gave me my life. She risked her career to help me, so anything I can do to help her is more than deserved."
"You shouldn't say things like that, friend," Kira opened her eyes and smiled at the man, "I might take you up on it."
Outside the house, the hunter rested, waiting for his chance to take them all by surprise. As the storm started again, he shrugged the rain off, secure in the knowledge he was about to have his revenge.
"Dax, those clouds look like they're about to open up again. We need to find them soon." Sisko hated to rush his officer, but the last thing he wanted was to be stuck on a grounded runabout on Bajor while a storm raged for days.
"I'm sorry Benjamin, but their trail's been almost washed away with the rain and electricity. The air's so charged now, that I could probably be looking straight at them and they still wouldn't register on the computer." The woman had been working on sectoring the surrounding jungle for several hours, and had had absolutely no success. "As far as I can tell, the only way we're going to be able to find them is to follow them, and I have a bad feeling that's going to mean we're going to get wet." As she'd started speaking, rain had steadily fallen, but thunder had started again.
"No, you're not going to get wet, I am." Turning to the Bajoran team, he picked up a pack, phaser, and pulled on a raincoat. "Commander, take the runabout back to the capitol, and inform them of what we've found. Then contact the station and let Worf know what's happening. After you've completed that, come back and land as close to the storm as you can, and wait for my communication." Ben turned to the senior Bajoran officer and nodded. "Lieutenant, I know you're in charge, but Major Kira is under my command."
"Understood sir." The officer nodded sharply. "We'll be glad to have you along, but I ask that you remain out of the firefight if we find the hostile who shot down the ship." Moving away, the group watched as the Federation ship lifted off, then they began jogging along the trail that the women had taken ten hours before.
Only an hour later, they came upon the cave that Kira and Winn had taken refuge in, to find the fire out, and several phaser blast burns on the wall. Ben's heart sunk into his boots as he saw two burn marks on the floor, and he let out a pent-up breath when the Bajoran technician declared the burns to have no DNA residue.
"Well, at least we know it wasn't them that were disintergrated." Ben looked around curiously. "I'd like to know what happened here though."
"As soon as we find them, it'll be the first thing I ask." The lieutenant was examining the wall and ceiling carefully. "From the angle of these shots, it looks like someone was shooting into the cave."
Sisko nodded, then couched down lower, and spotted where Winn's retaliatory shot had gone. "Someone's fired into that area over there, near that large bush." By now, the light was failing as darkness claimed the landscape and the thunder storm set in for the long hall. "Lieutenant, it might be a good idea to make camp for the night."
"I hate to say it, but I think you're right. We'll only hurt ourselves if we go wandering around in the dark. And we might find a trail tomorrow." Turning, he took something from another officer and handed it to Sisko. "It seems like one of them is severely injured, Captain. We'll need to start early tomorrow."
Sisko looked at the item in horror as the Bajoran's settled down for the night, building the fire up again. They item was a bloodied bandage, roughly cut, and a neural inhibitor, an electronic painkiller, set at its highest level. Sitting down, he stared out into the deepening dusk, and thought deeply about his oldest Bajoran friend.
The light was dim, and Winn and Mullibok sat at the small table, talking quietly. Kira had fallen asleep, the pain and stress had left her exhausted. Kira's leg was swollen and red with infection, the megre supplies in the medkit unable to cope with an injury as bad as hers. "Do you think that she'll make it?" the Kai's face was creased with concern and Mullibok sighed.
"I don't know. That infection isn't helping her chances, and if it goes into her blood, she would only have a few hours left before it reached her brain. No-one could help her then." He stood up suddenly, his voice becoming louder, "I just wish we could do something more!"
"Ssh, you'll wake her." The Kai motioned for him to sit down, but he paused first, looking at Kira as she moved restlessly in her sleep, groaning in pain.
"I don't know what else to do." He sat, looking defeated.
"Don't worry, my child, I don't think the Prophets have finished with her just yet."
The hunter circled around the cabin, checking for all the exits, doors, windows, underground cellars, or any other ways his quarry may escape. His plan was developing well. The other person who had helped them to the cabin was an unforseen problem, but it was not an unsurmountable one.
He only had to seperate the other two from his prey, and then the revenge that he had been planning for so long would finally be his. It was so close now that he could almost taste it. He settled down in the best spot and waited for their guard to drop even more.
"Minister, Lieutenant-Commander Dax is here to see you." The govermental aide had poked his head in the door of Shakaar's office, and Shakaar looked up hopefully, smiling slightly as Dax entered the room.
"Commander, any luck in tracing the runabout?" Shakaar hadn't heard from the two Starfleet officers in several hours, and had been getting very concerned. "Have you found the Kai and Nerys yet?"
"We've found the runabout but not Kira or Kai Winn. It appears Kira may be injured, but we're not sure how badly as yet. Someone shot them down and may be after them now." Jadzia saw the fear cross Shakaar's face and smiled sympathetically. "Captain Sisko and the Bajoran rescue team are in Karatian province right now, following the trail."
Shakaar's head fell slightly. "Have you found out who shot them down yet?"
"No. There's a storm moving in again, which is why the team is on the ground, since they've got a better chance of finding them that way."
Shakaar breathed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. "Wonderful. So all we can do is wait?"
"Not necessarily. If you could help us find out who did this, we'd have a better idea how to fight them when we find them." Dax leant forward intently. "Your contacts within the resistance might help us locate their old weapons supplies. I ran the missile residue through the computer, and it was a Cardassian missile that shot them down."
"Cardassian missile, from the Karatian province?" Shakaar glanced out the window for a moment, them pressed a button on his desk. "Shervas, could you ask Colonel Radon to come to my office please."
"Who's Colonel Radon?" The Trill was puzzled.
"Colonel Radon was in charge of the Karatian resistance cell during the final days of the Occupation. If anyone knows about weapons left over, then he will." A small pinging noise came from his computer. "Yes?"
"Sir, I can't find Colonel Radon. He's recorded as having taken leave starting two days ago, but he's not answering his combadge. We can't contact him." The aides voice was stressed, and Dax guessed that he'd already spent a very hectic day with the council.
"Very well. Keep trying to find the Colonel, but get hold of another officer from the same resistance cell immediately. Shakaar out." The man turned back to Dax grimly. "I think I should investigate the good colonel a little further."
"Until tomorrow morning I'm not going to be able to do much out at the crash sight. If you could use any help..." Dax smiled.
"Any help you can spare me would be greaty appreciated, Commander. If you'll come with me, we'll start investigating Radon." Shakaar stood and opened the door, still smiling worriedly."
"Minister, one other thing." Dax pushed the door closed and faced the Bajoran. "I want you to know that everyone on the station cares about Kira as well, and that we'll do all we can to find her, and bring her safely home."
Shakaar smiled wanly. "I know, Commander, I know."
The wind was sending trees crashing and several thunder and lightening strikes had already electrified the air, when Colonel Radon kicked open the door to Mullibok's house, startling the Kai and the farmer. Radon pointed his phaser rifle at the man and the woman, waving them away from the bed that Kira was lying on. Looking at the wounded woman, he walked away towards her slightly. "Is she still alive?" His voice was a growl.
"She was an hour ago." Winn wasn't used to having weapons pointed at her in such a deadly fashion, but she was learning--fast. "If you like, I can wake her up."
"No, I'll do that myself, thank you." Radon prodded the rifle butt at Kira's injured leg, and she screamed in agony, gulping for air. The man watched her writhe in pain for several minutes, before he motioned to Winn. "Help her."
The Kai scooted over, staying as far away from the intruder as possible, and shushed Kira's moans, wipeing her forehead gently. Finally Kira opened her eyes, and saw the man who'd been hunting them, and grimmaced. "I see he's found us." Kira's eyes were fighting to stay open.
"I'm sorry I've let you down, Emminance. I should have stayed awake and guarded us, and let you sleep instead. I've failed you and Bajor."
"Child, you didn't fail anybody, least of all me." Winn glanced at Radon and then back at Kira. "You did everything you could, child, everything the Prophets have asked of you. Rest, leave it to me now." As Kira closed her eyes again, the Kai stood and seemed to tower over the intruder, her rage showing plainly. "Who are you, and how DARE you attack Major Kira and myself? Have you no respect for the Prophets and their servants?"
"Servants such as these have no respect for the Prophets, so why should I respect them?" Radon bowed slightly, then motioned the Kai away from the bed again. "But you are in no danger, Emminance, and neither is your friend. It is the Major that I am exacting justice from, and I am honoured that the Prophets sent you here to witness my loyalty and faith in them."
"Faith in them?" Winn had met fanatics before, even tentatively controlled them, but she objected to having them point phasers at her. "The Prophets ask for us to live in peace and to follow the path they have for our lives, not to seek revenge or to kill in their name. How will this show your loyalty to them?"
"The traitor on that bed let Cardassian slime live, when our people were being slaughtered by them in the hundreds. The Prophets howl for her blood to flow, to cleanse Bajor of the treachery that she and others of her kind have stained all those who died for Bajors freedom with."
Radon's expression was one of pure hatred, and both Winn and Mullibok were becoming very afraid. One wrong move, and the man could see them as traitors as well, and decide to kill them all.
"Tonight is not the time to kill her though. You should wait for daylight, that you may be free to dispense the Prophets justice in the light and not in the dark like a killer." Winn was using all the persuasive skills at her command, trying to exact a few more precicious hours for them.
"You are right of course, Emminance." Radon nodded slightly, then motioned towards the farmer. "Old man, you will tend her until dawn, when the Prophets will show me how she is to die. And get her off that bed; The Kai should have her rest and sleep in peace and comfort, not like a condemned traitor." Sitting down, he watched as Mullibok carefully picked Kira up and laid her on the floor nearest the fire, trying to keep the woman warm.
Sisko rubbed his neck and gratefully accepted the hot cup of coffee that the Bajoran officer offered him. Gulping down the hot liquid, he stared out into the pouring rain and sighed. The night had been cold and wet, and the day didn't look any better, the thunder still rolling through the air. Turning to the Bajoran Lieutenant, he nodded sharply. "Have you managed to locate the trail?"
"Yes. They went up the hillside, and down towards the next valley. We can only track them every ten meters or so, due to the electrical interference. If you're ready, we'll start out." The officer grinned as Sisko stood and stretched.
"Of course, just let me pack up and I'll be right with you." Five minutes later, the team struggled up the wet hillside, clambering over the same rocks that the two woman had frantically climbed the day before. Looking back down the hill, Ben stopped and called out, "Lieutenant, they were firing as they went. Those trees over there are blackened as if by phaser fire."
The Bajoran officer looked at the trees and nodded, wipeing water out of his eyes. "It looks like covering fire, like they were trying to prevent someone from following them." Looking back up the hill, he jerked his head towards the rocks. "They went this way. Hopefully, we'll find them before nightfall, and before the person who's hunting them as well."
"I hope so, Lieutenant." Sisko shrugged his shoulders, trying to move the pack into a more comfortable spot, and began climbing again.
"Minister, I think I'd better get back to the crash sight." Dax rubbed her eyes and smiled ruefully at the Bajoran. The two of them had spent the night investigating Colonel Radon, and what they'd found concerned both greatly.
"Very well." Shakaar stood and smiled at the Trill. "I hope today is better than the last two." As they walked towards the landed runabout next to the building, Adan shook his head sadly. "Please tell Captain Sisko that I know he'll do all he can, but if it's too late, I understand."
"Shakaar, stop right there!" Dax spun to face the man, her hands on her hips and a fierce expression on her face. "Kira is pratically indestructable, you know that, and the Kai is hardly going to give up without a fight either. We'll bring them back."
"I hope so." Shakaar nodded briefly, then turned and walked back to his office, as the runabout lifted off and headed back to the trouble spot.
Radon watched the sun rise, smiling savegely. The woman had stirred several times during the night, moaning in pain as the infection got worse. Mullibok had done the best he could, but it was a slowly lossing battle.
Winn was sitting at the small table, desperately trying to think of a way out of the situation. Not a lot had occurred to her, and she prayed to the Prophets to give her something, anything, to help her when the time came.
Radon turned and looked at Kira and Mullibok on the floor, then strode over to them. "Alright, that's enough. Let her fend for herself."
"But," Mullibok slowly rose to his feet, "she's still unconscious. The infection may be spreading."
"So what? The dead don't worry about infections." Radon's face screwed into a particularly nasty smile.
Kai Winn stood. "Have you come to a decision?"
Radon looked a little confused, "About what?"
"Major Kira. What is it you wish to do?"
Radon chuckled. "Emminance, it is not up to me. I only await the orders of the Prophets. And then justice shall be carried out. The time, the place, and the circumstances are all theirs."
"And they were the ones who told you to shoot down our shuttle? They provided the weapons?" The Kai was standing tall.
"Emminance, when I found the Cardassian missile I knew their will was clear. And I monitored the communications to the station. When I heard of her travelling to Bajor, I knew the time was almost upon me." his eyes glistened with religious fervour and the Kai felt a shiver of fear.
"But I was also in that runabout. Why do you believe the Prophets would intend me harm as well?"
"But Kai, you were not harmed. The Prophets protect the faithful, it was only the traitor that was injured. Their will is clear."
"Is it? What if was only make her suffer the injury inflicted in the crash that they guided you to attack, that at this time she will realise what she has done and be prostrated before them to be cleansed of her past evil?"
"But she must die for her wickedness! Don't you understand?" Radon's eyes now showed some confusion. "The blood of the faithful demmand vengence for her betrayal."
"Did the Prophets show you without a doubt that death was to be the outcome of this revenge? The Prophets believe in grace, and should she realise the evil of her ways and change, then Kira has as much right to mercy as any other Bajoran does."
"I..don't know." he paused, in thought. "I believe that they meant for her to die. I felt it..." he broke off, and the Kai spoke gently.
"Was it their will? Or yours? My child, sometimes our emotions can cloud our minds to what the Prophets are saying."
"You have wisdom, Kai. I would need to meditate for a while to see if there is any truth in your words. The Prophets may speak through you on this. I need to know." he turned towards the wall next to the door and sat down, resting his back on it.
"Colonel, may we tend to Major Kira while you seek knowledge?" Mullibok looked anxiously at Kira.
"Very well. For if it is the Prophets will she lives, I cannot have her die yet, can I?" He closed his eyes as the Kai and the farmer tried to help their friend hold on for just a little while longer.
Sisko rubbed his eyes and sat on a rock. He and the Bajoran rescue team had spent three hours looking for the trail of the two Bajorans, but they'd had no success. The group had followed the previous days trail for some of the morning, but had lost it among the rocks on the hills. The storm had deteriorated, but the rain still bucketed down.
"Captain, there's a house ahead. It's owned by a man named Mullibok, he's a farmer." The Bajoran slowly brought his phaser rifle up to firing position and glanced at the Human. "They might be in there." "If they are, the hunter might have caught up with them already."
Sisko and the team picked their way slowly and silently down the hill towards the cottage. "Why don't I go to the door and ask like we're just looking for them, and see what I find?"
"You?" The Bajoran was puzzled. "Why should you do this?"
"Because I know Mulibok." Ben smiled cheerfully at the confusion on the officer's face. "He used to own a farm on one of the Bajoran moons, Jerado I think it was. When the government decided to tap the moons core as an energy source, Kira had to spend several days there to persuade him to leave and return to Bajor. I met him then."
"So if someone else answers the door and says he's Mullibok, you'll know he's lying." The man nodded slowly, understandingly.
"And we won't have to enter the house to find out if they're there, we'll know by his actions." Ben rechecked his phaser, and turned towards the small cottage. "Take the team and hide over the ridge line. I'll be back in a few minutes." Watching the others disapear from sight, Sisko casually walked up to the farm house and knocked on the door.
Radon's eyes flew open at the banging on the door, and he focused the rifle on the three people across from him. Kira was awake, just, but she seemed to be delirious, her nightmares controlling her for most of the morning.
"Not a word, or you will all die!" The colonel stood and placed the weapon next to the door, but still within reach. Opening the door slightly, he saw a smiling, dark-skinned Human in Starfleet uniform. Forcing a smile, Radon spoke "Yes?"
"Good morning, I'm Captain Benjamin Sisko. Could I come in, please?"
"No, Captain." The last thing the Bajoran wanted was a Human involved. "I'm rather busy, can I help you with something?"
"I'm looking for an officer, Major Kira Nerys. Her ship crashed in this area, and we haven't been able to locate her yet. I was wondering if she'd been here." Sisko smiled brightly, watching the man intently, seeing every move he made.
"No, sorry. I haven't seen anyone." Radon glanced at his prisoners and saw that none of them had moved a muscle. "No-one walks around in a storm like we've had around here."
"Well, she must have gone another way, perhaps towards the nearest town." Ben turned to leave, then seemed to have a thought. "By the way, could I have your name, please? Just so we won't bother you again, you understand." Ben was still smiling, but his heart was thumping loudly.
"Mullibok. I'm the only person who lives here." Randon went to close the door, but Ben stuck his foot in the way.
"You used to live on Jerado, didn't you? I heard that you were one of the last farmers to be evacuated, something about a friend having an accident and needing to be looked after?" Ben grinned, waiting for the important answer.
Radon nodded, desperately wanting to get rid of the man as swiftly as possible. "Yes, that's me. One of the other colonists broke their leg, and had to stay. Captain, I don't mean to be rude, but if there's nothing else...?"
Ben nodded and stepped back. He had all the information he needed now. "Of course. Thank you for your time, Mullibok." Turning, Sisko slowly walked back down the hill, expecting to hear a phaser at any moment, but the shot never came. Reaching the hidden rescue team, he crouched down and nodded sharply. "They're in there. There's no way that's Mullibok."
"Then let's go in." The Lieutenant stood and motioned to the house. "Three of you take the rear of the building, the rest come with me. We'll go in by the front door. If there's no rear exit, come in the windows." He stopped as Sisko's commbadge pinged.
"Dax to Sisko."
"Sisko here. What's your status?" Ben was glad the woman hadn't called just a few minutes earlier.
"I've been helping Shakaar track down who's been hunting Kira and the Kai, and we've found out who it is. He's a Bajoran officer named Colonel Radon, and this man is seriously pyscho."
"How do you mean?" The cold feeling in Sisko's spine began to deepen.
"Until several months ago, he was struggling with his job. Then he began to spend more and more time at the temple, asking strange questions of the local Vedek, about revenge and 'cleansing Bajor of the traitors'. The Vedek apparently tried to discover what he meant, but the Colonel refused to say. Radon's also been keeping a close eye on Kira's movements recently, and apparantly he was monitoring our communications as well." Dax's voice had been becoming more worried with every sentance.
"What proof do you have that he's the one who's responsible for doing this?" Sisko's voice was steady, unlike his nerves.
"He took leave time three days ago, but can't be contacted, and he used to be leader of the Karatian resistance cell. One of the cells other members told us that Radon was almost fanatical about ridding Bajor of Cardassians, and that many of the cell members only tolerated his leadership because he was so good at his job."
"Understood. Do we know anything else about this man?"
"No, that's all I could find out." Dax's voice was very worried. "Benjamin, I've just scanned a building near you, and I've detected Kira's comm badge, and the Kai's locator badge as well."
"I know, the man in there claims he's Mullibok, the old farmer that Kira rescued from Jerado several years ago." Ben thought silently for a few moments, then snapped his fingers. "Dax, can you use the runabout to bombard the cottage with tachyon particles so that you couldn't use a phaser or any other energy weapon?"
"Easy. But it's going to leave your team defenceless as well."
"That's alright, we can handle ourselves. Besides, Kira's an expert in self-defence, and I've seen her dagger collection. She didn't get them at any market sale. Give us two minutes, then set the particle beam in place. Sisko out." The Human nodded at the Bajoran team leader. "I hope you don't mind me ordering Dax to do that, but that's the best way I can think of to disarm our man."
"Captain, if I had the technology, I'd be doing the same thing." The Lieutenant stood and waved his crew towards the house. "We know the weapons are useless, but he doesn't. Use your phasers as clubs if he tries to fight. That's all."
The small group moved into position, trying to stay out of sight, as Sisko crouched behind the woodpile, hoping it wasn't too late.
Radon had been staring at the others for several minutes now, and the Kai was becoming more worried with every second. When the man stood, she slowly rose to face him, putting herself between Radon and Kira. "Have the Prophets shown you their will, Colonel?"
"They have, Emminance, and their will very plain. The Major is to die." Pointing the phaser at Mullibok, he smiled, "Help her stand. I will send her to judgement outside, so that the last thing she will see, is her blood soaking into Bajor, cleansing it from her betrayal."
"Radon, she's hurt, probably dying. Can't you trust the Prophets to change her, to help her learn from this experience?" Winn knew her words were a last ditch effort, and when Radon turned the phaser towards her, she bent down and helped Mullibok raise Kira to her feet.
Kira's mind was barely able to comprehend what was happening to her, the infection beginning to take hold of her brain. She vaguely knew that she was being dragged outside the cabin, light rain spinkling down on her, and a phaser in her back.
Sisko saw the door open, and watched in horror as Winn and Mullibok came out, dragging Kira between them. The woman's uniform was soiled and torn, her right leg splinted with blood-covered bandages. Kira's head lolled listlessly and she didn't seem to be conscious. "Sisko to team one. Stay where you are, they've come out. The Kai seems unharmed, but stay out of sight."
"What now?" The Lieutenant glanced at Sisko as they hid behind the woodpile and sighed. "Is that dampening field operational out here?"
"Yes. But I want to know what he's doing. Let's listen in for a moment. The more evidence, the surer the conviction." Sisko waited until the Bajoran nodded, then quietly contacted Dax. "Dax, enlarge that field by twenty meters, and record everything that comes through on this comm link."
"Kai Winn, witness my dedication to the Prophets hatred of traitors as I send this...collaberator to their judgement." Radon pulled the Major from the others arms and threw her on the ground before him, then pulled a knife from his weapons belt. "She refused to spill blood, it is only fitting that her blood be spilt."
"Team one, GO!!!!" Ben yelled over his comm link as he and the Bajoran officer leapt over the wood and charged the Colonel. The man spun around then dived for his rifle, trying to fire it at the charging men.
When the phaser didn't work, Radon tried to turn and grab the Kai as a hostage, but was brought to the ground with a flying tackle from Sisko, while the Lieutenant pulled the Kai out of reach.
"Colonel Radon, you're under arrest." Ben sat up and turned towards Kira as two other officers handcuffed the swearing colonel. "Sisko to Dax: I've got a wounded officer down here, and two hostages that need to be examined by a doctor."
"Understood. I'll begin multiple transports now." Seconds later, Sisko, Kira, Mullibok, and Winn shimmered into existance on the runabouts transporter pad. Moving Kira onto the floor, the rest of the team and Radon were beamed aboard, as Dax turned the ship towards the Capitol. "How's Kira?"
"Dying." Winn looked at Sisko appreciatively. "Emmisary, I don't think I've ever seen better timing. But how did you know where we were?"
"I met Mullibok years ago, with Kira." Ben was watching carefully as a medic quickly scanned his friend. "When Radon claimed to be him, I knew he was lying."
"Landing complete. We're at the hospital, Benjamin." As Dax opened the main hatch, an emergency team poured in, and any chance of conversation was lost in the rush to get Kira into surgery.
One week later, Nerys was sitting on a rock near a stream in the monastry gardens, her eyes closed as she meditated in as close to a natural surrounding as she would get for a while. A gentle cough brought her back to reality, and she turned to see the Kai standing behind her. "Emminance, I didn't hear you."
"Peace, child," Winn smiled gently, and walked down to sit on a nearby seat. "I didn't mean to startle you, but I feel we need to talk, before you return to the station."
Kira sighed, and turned to face the woman, her normal cautious expression falling into place. "What did you have in mind, Emminance?"
"Nothing that will threaten either of us, child. I think we need to find some sort of common ground, ground strong enough to build on for the future."
"You want me to forgive and forget." Kira's voice roughened sharply and her expression toughened considerably. "There's too much past between us for me to do that. I can tolerate, and I am eternally grateful for your helping me when I was injured and trying to protect me when Radon wanted to kill me, but I can never forget what you have done in the past."
"You mean the unfortunate death of Bareil." Winn sighed. The woman was trying to be understanding, but Kira wasn't making it easy. "Child, I regret his death as much as you do. He was a trusted advisor, and a man who had a unique perspective on the Prophets. I know the two of you cared about each other deeply, and I wish there were some way I could have prevented his death. But Bareil knew his time had come, and neither of us can change the past."
"Fine words, Emminance, but I'm afraid that's all they are." Kira hated remembering what happened to her lover, but to hear it from the Kai was more than she could handle. "As you say, the past can't be changed."
"But the future can, child." Winn desperately wanted to change the way Kira thought about her. "You have made peace with Bajors worse enemy, Gul Dukat, and you take care of his daughter while he fights the Klingons. Why can you not make peace with me?"
Kira sprang to her feet and turned away, wrapping her arms around her. "It's not the same thing, it can't be." She heard Winn walk up to stand beside her, and felt the monk place a hand lightly on her shoulder. After a long moment, Kira sighed and nodded. "You're right. If I can make peace with Dukat, then I have to be able to make peace with you."
"I'm not asking you to like me, child. All I ask is that you don't hate me." Winn stepped back slightly as Kira turned to face her. "We can't afford to fight anymore. Bajor will soon be part of the Federation, Shakaar has turned the government around and we finally have some form of stability in power, and Bajoran farmers are at last growing enough food to feed our people. And much of the credit goes to you." Winn smiled slightly at the embarassed expression on Kira's face. "You have always been prepared to protect Bajor, and Bajor owes you a great debt, as do I. The Emissary, Minister Shakaar and I had some very long discussions about you while you were in hospital."
"Me? What about me?" Kira was startled.
"Do not worry, child, nothing untoward was said about you" Winn motioned towards the nearby seat and the two Bajorans sat down together cautiously, as far apart as they could get. "As I said, all I ask is that we try to find some common ground."
Kira was staring at the ground, then slowly looked up at the Kai. "We already have. I've been an orthadox believer all my life, I still am."
"Orthadox?" Winn was astounded and surprised. "But you and Bareil, I automatically assumed that you believed the same as he did."
"No, we were always...discussing his views of Prophecy and its interpretation." Nerys gazed at the gardens and smiled. "I think that's why we understood each other so well, we both had different ideas, and neither of us were afraid to tell the other." She looked at the Kai cannily. "I doubt we'll ever be friends. But I can live with us not being enemies."
"That's all I ask, child." Winn smiled at Kira, and both looked out into the deepening dusk of the gardens.