"SO WHAT DO you think of our visitors, Major?" Sisko steepled his hands and stared across his desk at Kira. She was standing at attention and looking even more uncomfortable in that pose than usual.
"Personally?" She shrugged. "I like them. Sahna seems like a nice person, and Tork is clearly trying to control fears that are almost tearing him apart. As a species, though, how can I have anything but disgust for them? They destroyed Darane Four! I had friends there, people I grew up with. They're dead because of these murderers."
Sisko nodded, empathizing with the struggle inside her. "And how do you resolve this?"
"How can I?" she asked. "All I can tell you, Captain, is that I know my duty. If the Hive does come for Bajor, I'm going back to my world to fight for it. I don't care what you or Starfleet think."
"I understand, Major," Sisko replied. "But I can't allow that. Nor, I suspect, will your government. You're their liaison on this station, and you can't simply desert your post when you feel like it."
"It's not simply feeling," argued Kira. "I have to be where I can do my people the most good."
"Your place," Sisko said carefully, "is where your people say it is. And they want you here, Major." He stood up, and walked around his desk to join her. "Nerys, believe me I understand how you feel. When my wife was murdered by the Borg, I wanted to go out and hunt down every last Borg inexistence. But I came to my senses. I've even been able to deal with my grief and my loss. But you cannot abandon your post simply because of personal feelings."
"You lost a wife and friends to the Borg," Kira agreed, with sympathy. "I may lose my world to these invaders. It's not really the same thing."
"It's exactly the same thing," Sisko insisted. "The scale is different, I'll grant you, but the principle is the same. Nerys, we're both officers. When we put on our uniforms, we assumed duties that go beyond our personal desires. We have responsibilities. Yours is here and now to Deep Space Nine, as is mine. I promise you, I will do all that is in my power to safeguard Bajor, but I need to know that you'll be covering my back. I'm pretty certain that Bajor needs you here, but I'm absolutely certain that I need you here."
He could see her struggling between her logic and her heart. There was nothing more he could say to persuade her, and he simply waited. Finally, she nodded.
"You're right, Captain," she said tightly. "I should be here, not on Bajor. Whatever you need of me, I'll do." She sighed. "But I can't help wanting to be there."
"Good." Sisko touched her shoulder. "I appreciate the difficult decision you've made. Now—"
He broke off as his desk communicator beeped. "Yes?" he growled, irritated at being interrupted. "What is it?"
"Sorry to disturb you, Captain," came Dax's voice. "But there's someone here to see you. He claims it's urgent."
Sisko sighed. "Who is it?"
"Vedek Yarka, sir."
Sisko winced. He'd had dealings with Yarka before. The Vedek was a deeply religious man with his own agenda to pursue. He was absolutely convinced that Sisko was the Emissary promised in the writings of the Prophets, and the savior of Bajor. His first inclination was to ask the man to go away. On the other hand, Sisko. couldn't afford to alienate any of the Vedeks, especially at a time like this. "Send him in," he decided, reluctantly.
"That sounds like my cue to leave," Kira said. "My sympathies." She had little time for most of the members of the religious orders, outside of the late Vedek Bareil. She nodded to Vedek Yarka as he entered Sisko's office, and the door closed behind her.
"Vedek," Sisko said in greeting.
"Emissary," replied the monk. He bowed his head, and then smiled slightly. His gray beard looked even more grizzled than usual, and his eyes showed lines of stress. "It was good of you to see me. I know how important your time is, especially now."
"Well, what can I do for you?" Sisko asked, getting directly to the point. "The upcoming crisis, I imagine."
"Naturally," agreed Yarka, in his deep, sonorous tones. "Kai Winn has been to see Shakaar, and has adduced a quotation from the Third Prophecy of Andaki as her reason. I believe she has seriously misinterpreted the text."
Sisko spread his hands. "Forgive me, but I'm not an expert in your holy writings, Vedek. I doubt I can be of help in any dispute the two of you may have."
"I understand that," Yarka agreed. "However, the text she used is one of the Emissary prophecies, and should be correctly applied to you."
"I was afraid of that," mumbled Sisko.
"Listen, and see if you do not agree that it is most apposite to this time of testing we are undergoing." Yarka held up his head and hands, and recited:
"The land will be torn asunder as great wings hover.
Death will be on all who witness, and mourning on the
lips of the few who survive.
Weep for the lost, the children, the land. Weep, for it
and they are no more.
In that terrible day shall all my people be one.
Stand firm, for one shall protect you, and two shall convert.
In their faith, Bajor will be made whole."
He looked sharply at Sisko. "You see the significance, of course?"
Sisko wasn't sure how to reply. He knew that many of the writings of the Prophets had been truly inspired in some strange way. The aliens who had created the stable wormhole that was used for travel between the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants lived outside of time. They had, however, some measure of interest in the people of Bajor, and had sent nine orbs to guide the Bajorans. Some of the orbs were lost to the Cardassians, but others still existed in temples on Bajor. Sisko had experienced communion through those orbs with the wormhole aliens. He knew that Kira had seen visions of the future through them. Given that the wormhole beings lived outside of time, such prophecies had at least a smattering of scientific plausibility behind them.
On the other hand, many of the writings of the Prophets were couched in obscure and sometimes deliberately confusing phrases. Many of them might apply to almost anything, with the right slant placed on them. It was an old trick used by oracles the galaxy over, so they could claim to be always correct.
"It certainly sounds like the first part might apply to what happened to Darane," he said cautiously. "But I have no idea what the rest of it may mean."
"I understand that, Emissary, Yarka said smoothly. "Kai Winn is claiming to be the one referred to in the second stanza, but it is quite clear to me that you, Emissary, are the one it must mean. 'One shall protect you.' That is what you do, is it not?"
"It's what I try to do, yes," agreed Sisko, wondering how he was going to talk his way out of this one. "But it could mean almost anyone. Look, I don't wish to be rude, but I am very busy with this crisis, and—"
"I understand," Yarka replied. "I shall be brief. I do not know who the other two referred to in the prophecy are. But it is clear to me that in this hour of crisis, you are Bajor's only hope. Only through your faith can this crisis be averted. It is up to you to find the meaning of the prophecy, Emissary. It is my task only to bring these words to your attention. I am confident that, through you, Bajor will be saved." He bowed again. "And now I have taken up enough of your valuable time. I shall leave you to ponder the meaning of the Prophets. And I shall thank you for what you will do. Good day, Emissary." He gave another bow and swept from the room.
That was just perfect. As if he didn't have enough problems to contend with, now he was being made the object of another obscure prophecy. Sisko sighed. Maybe he'd believe more in these Prophets if they only spoke to him in English instead of riddles!
Her sense of wonder sated, Sahna turned from viewing Bajor back to Tork. He was tense, and clearly forcing himself to look, but he had not succumbed to his fears. "How do you feel?" she asked him gently.
"As well as can be expected," he said, managing a feeble smile. "But I have proven that it is possible to endure what was once considered unendurable."
"You can endure," Sahna corrected him affectionately. "You are the bravest person I know, Tork."
"If I can do it, then anyone can," he replied. "I have no great strength here, Sahna. I have only necessity to drive me. Perhaps this fear of space is not as ingrained in our race as we had thought. Perhaps it is simply that we have always given in to it, instead of challenging it."
Sahna considered the idea. "It is possible," she agreed. "By giving in to our fears, we strengthen them. By standing up to them, as you have done, we prove that they are not in command of our lives."
"I wish I felt better about winning, though," he joked. He moved to the seat, and lowered himself onto it. "At least I am gaining some control over one of my troubles. And the others help me to distract my mind from what I see."
Sahna frowned. "You refer to the problem about Bajor?"
"Partly." He gave her a very odd look. "Sahna, I am troubled, and there is no one to help me in this struggle in my soul."
She moved to his side and rubbed his shell. "I will always help you," she vowed.
"But in this matter, there is little you can do. I wish you could help me."
"I can do at least one thing," she informed him. "I can listen to you. What is it that distresses you so?"
Tork gathered his thoughts for a moment, and then nodded. "It will do me well to unburden myself, even if you cannot solve my dilemma," he agreed. "Shortly before we left the Hive, Hosir summoned me to talk with him."
"I know of Hosir," Sahna said. "He used to be the Security Master, did he not?"
"Yes. When Dron became Grand Master, however, he appointed Raldar to that post, and had Hosir made merely a Hivemasterin name, without purpose." He grimaced. "This conversation with Hosir was very short and troubling. He entered some technical data I do not comprehend into my comp, and then said only one thing to me that I cannot get out of my mind." He paused, deeply troubled, and then continued. "He asked me a question: 'How do you know that the Two Hundred and Third Hive's rebellion failed?' And he refused to say anything more."
It didn't make sense to Sahna. "Of course the Two Hundred and Third Hive's rebellion failed," she said, puzzled. "We all know that. It is in our records. It is part of the sacred texts."
"Exactly." Tork gave a deep sigh. "So then why did Hosir ask such a foolish question? Unless it is not as foolish as it sounds?"
Sahna shook her head. "I cannot say. But perhaps I can help you understand the data he gave you. May I see your comp?"
Fishing it out of his shell, Tork tapped in the commands to bring up the data. "Here." He passed it to her.
Glancing it over, Sahna scrolled the screen several times back and forth. As Tork had said, it was in some obscure computer code. Yet, there was a little that she could understand. "Most of it is very opaque to me," she admitted. "But I can read portions of it. It appears to be some kind of computer command sequence."
"That I had already surmised," Tork replied. "But to what? And why? And why should Hosir give it to me?"
"He may not understand its significance, either," Sahna pointed out. "These codes are very old, in a form of logic we have not used in a thousand generations. But some of the data is quite clear. I can make out astronomical readings here. I have studied the old texts from the first Hives for data on our home system, and this is written in the same kind of coordinates. . . . And yet it is not completely the same." She sighed. "Perhaps back on the Hive, with access to my computers, I could decode this. Here, I can tell you no more." She passed him back his comp.
"Astronomical data?" mused Tork. "Why would Hosir wish me to have this? And what significance does it have to do with his question?"
"The data is old," Sahna offered. "Possibly dating before the Two Hundred and Third Hive."
He smiled. "That is a link," he agreed. "But astronomical data from so long back can have no bearing on our current troubles, can they?"
"I do not know," Sahna admitted. "As you say, I cannot help you further."
He stroked her shell fondly. "You have already helped me a great deal. What comes next is on my shell." He sighed. "I do not look forward to this trip to Bajor, but it is my duty. I will do whatever is needed." He smiled again at her. "Would you mind if I rested awhile? I am worn out from my struggles."
"Of course not," she answered. She glanced back at the window. "Shall I close the portal?"
"No," he answered. "I must get used to the sight."
She considered a moment further. "I am not tired," she said. "I am too excited. Would you mind if I left you to explore a little?"
"Of course not. But take care. These aliens might be friendly, but we do not know all of them. Perhaps it would be best to ask Captain Sisko for an escort?"
"A wise idea," she agreed. It had already occurred to her. "Rest, now. I shall be careful." She crossed to the computer. "Computer," she asked, turning it on. "May I speak with Captain Sisko?"
"One moment."
In far less than the promised time, the screen lit up with Sisko's face. "Sahna," he greeted her. "Is there a problem?"
"No, Captain," she answered. "It is merely that I should like to look at your fascinating station while Tork rests. Is it possible that you could supply me with an escort? Preferably one who knows science? I have many questions to ask."
"I know just the person," Sisko answered. "She'll be with you shortly."
About five minutes later, there was a buzz at the door, which Sahna answered. She discovered a young human-looking female there. She had long hair, clipped back behind her head, and curious rows of spots running down her face and neck.
"Hello, Sahna," she said cheerfully. "I'm Jadzia Dax."
"Hello." Sahna looked back, and saw that Tork was resting, his eyes closed, his body less tense. "Shall we leave him in peace?"
"A good idea." Dax led the way outside, and the door closed automatically behind them. "So, what would you like to see?"
"Almost anything," admitted Sahna. "But I should very much prefer to talk with you."
Dax laughed. "That sounds like the perfect cue for the Promenade," she answered. "Let's go."
She led Sahna to a marvelous place. They stood together beside a guardrail, looking down on a long, curved row of stores and peoples. Sahna was astonished and delighted by the variety of goods and aliens that she could view from here. And if she tired of those, she could simply turn about and look out of large windows and at the stars. It was almost too much to take in, and she laughed almost drunkenly.
"Such a place of wonders!" she exclaimed.
"It is, isn't it?" agreed Dax. "And yet, I've seen things that makes this place look dull and boring."
"I am sure you must have," agreed Sahna, wistfully. "I have studied astronomy since I was a child, and yet I never expected to experience any of it. Now, here I am. . . ." She sighed. "I do not want this to stop," she admitted. "Please, tell me about some of your experiences."
Dax smiled. She had an idea that it would take quite a while to answer even half of Sahna's questions.
"Forgive me for pointing this out, Captain," Kira said as patiently as she could, "but isn't time of the essence here? Bajor only has another four or five days before the Hive arrives."
"You're forgiven," Sisko replied with a smile. "That's quite correct, of course."
"Then why are we just sitting here doing nothing?" Kira demanded. She gestured at the screen on her workstation. "Dax is just chatting with Sahna, and Tork is catching up on his sleep."
"I know it looks like we're doing nothing," Sisko replied, "but that isn't the case. Sahna seems very eager to learn about what it's like to live on a planet. Dax is the perfect person to make her understand. After all, she's 'lived' many more years than the rest of us combined. I think there's a good chance Sahna is already in favor of letting Bajor alone. As for Tork …" He turned to Bashir, who was hovering close by. "Doctor?"
"The medical scanners in his room show that he is under a great deal of stress," Bashir explained, frowning. "I'm comparing his readings to those of Sahna, who seems to be pretty well adjusted, so there may be a percentage of error here, of course. If he were human, I'd say he was hovering on the brink of mental exhaustion at best, and dementia at worst." Bashir paused, then resumed in a more cheerful tone. "Sleep is the body's way of attempting to cope with stress and it's showing some effect already. I believe that an hour or so more of sleep will do wonders for him. After all, going down to Bajor will be quite traumatic for him. We want him as relaxed as possible before we start."
"So, as you see, we aren't doing nothing," Sisko added. "In an hour, we'll wake Tork and head down to meet the government. Hopefully, both Tork and Sahna will be sympathetic and we can sway them." His face became grim. "Believe me, I know how important this is to all concerned. I'm just trying to give us the best possible chance of success. After all, we won't get a second chance to try and save your world. We have to do what we can with this."
Kira nodded her understanding. "I just hope it's enough," she said.
"So do I, Major," agreed Sisko. "So do I."