Captain Iereneo found her passengers strolling the McGarrett's observation deck.

"Dr. Trung?" the captain asked politely.

"Yes, Captain?" the older woman replied, her eyes still fixed on the small dark-haired boy, his face all but plastered against the port as he pointed out stars to a multi-limbed stuffed toy. Her husband, the boy's grand-père, knelt beside them, an arm around the boy's slim shoulders.

"We've received a call from the executive officer of Deep Space Nine...." Iereneo hesitated. "Do you know anything about ... a teddy bear?"

Trung turned her head in astonishment. "The executive officer called to ask about Kukalaka?"

"Who?"

"I've been given to understand that is the teddy bear's name."

"Ah." The captain was clearly taken aback.

"What is their interest in Kukalaka?"

"Lieutenant Commander Alden reports that the teddy bear appears to have ... stowed away with your personal belongings. He apologizes for that, but asks if you could possibly ... return it?"

Trung glanced at her husband and grandson, who was still absorbed in his new buddy. "I believe returning the bear would be the appropriate action. Would you see to it, please, Captain?"

Iereneo kept a fixed smile on her naturally sun-bronzed features. "I'll see what I can do."

"Excellent." Trung raised her voice. "Palani? Could you come here?"

The boy turned and trotted toward them. "What is it, Grand-mère?"

"Captain Iereneo has offered to make sure that Kukalaka is returned to your counselor. Let us go get him."

The captain kept the stiff smile on her face as she followed the elderly couple and the child. A few minutes and a long hug later, Captain Iereneo left the civilian deck with her usual fluid motions, carrying the teddy bear.

"Thank you, Captain. We'll get back to you on that." Alden closed the channel and turned to Dax. "See? The family has him, and they're willing to return him."

"That part was easy!" Dax declared. "Now how do we get Kukalaka back here? The McGarrett can't turn around and come back! Iereneo was clear about that!"

"Yeah...."

Chirp.

"Commander?"

Alden hit his combadge. "Here, Kuhlman. What is it?"

"I've located the information you requested, sir."

He grinned. "Download directly to my quarters."

"Yes, sir."

Alden turned back to Dax. "See, Ezri? And he didn't even ask why I wanted the information." He swivelled the chair and touched a control pad to bring up the information on the computer screen. "There it is. Okay, let's see what we can use...."

Dax leaned over his shoulder to study the screen, showing the logged flight plans of every ship known to be in the sector.

"This is my lucky day," she breathed.

"Oh?"

She pointed at one of the ships. "The Gallamite ship. The Mankellin. That's Captain Boday's ship."

Alden frowned. "Who's Captain Boday?"

"An old ... friend of mine. Jadzia's friend, actually, before I became me."

"A Gallamite? You know they have see-through skulls, right?"

"Of course I do. So? He's a brilliant man as well as an excellent captain. And, of importance at the moment, he's in the right sector and he's on his way here. And he'll do a favor for me."

"Just what kind of friend was he?" the man asked pointedly.

Ezri made a face. "None of your business."

Endar's eyes crinkled in amusement. "That kind of friend, eh?"

"Jadzia ... had a lot of ... friends! He might not be who I'd choose for a relationship, but...." She caught herself. "Jadzia liked ... variety. And spontaneity. And defying expectations. Of all kinds."

"Was it a clean break-up?"

"Of course it was!"

"He knows you're ... you?"

"Yes. We had dinner after that -- he knows I'm Dax now."

"Does Doc know about him?"

"Yes." A quick impish grin crossed her face. "He'd never admit it, but I think he was as jealous as Worf. Now stop wasting time, let's call Boday."

The small transporter on the Mankellin, generally used for fragile, specially-handled cargo, shimmered briefly into life, and a small shape appeared on the pad.

Boday looked down at the fuzzy, brown, completely opaque, fabric-and-stuffing creation. Dark veins in his clear skull pulsed thoughtfully as he stooped to pick it up.

"Welcome aboard, Kukalaka," he said in his sonorous voice. Balancing the bear carefully on his arm, Boday turned to his exec.

"Confirm that we have received the Kukalaka bear, with our thanks to Captain Iereneo." He smiled warmly. "Then send word to Deep Space Nine that we are on the way and should be there the day after tomorrow. Extend my special regards to Lieutenant Dax."

He headed for his personal quarters to stow the bear.

Sitting at her desk, tapping the stylus against the PADD, Dax couldn't concentrate. So she fretted. Two days. It would be two days before Boday and the Mankellin arrived, bringing Kukalaka back. Was the McGarrett really that much faster, or would Boday's ship be making stops along the way? She wished Alden had thought to ask--

"How's the planning going?"

Dax nearly jumped out of her spots. "What?"

"Sorry!" Kira chuckled ruefully. "I didn't realize I startled you." She gestured at the PADD. "I assumed you were working on Julian's welcome-back party."

"Oh.... Yes, actually, I was."

"Will it be a surprise?"

"It'll be a surprise if everything happens the way it's supposed to!" she declared.

Kira burst out laughing.

"Anyway," Dax managed with a grin, "what is it?"

"We may have an extra guest for the party," Kira told her.

Dax looked puzzled.

"We just got a message from your old friend Captain Boday. It seems he's going to be at the station the day after tomorrow! And he sends his regards." Kira leaned over the desk. "He's knows you're ... you, and not Jadzia now, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he knows."

"You don't think he'd like to ... renew your acquaintance, do you? Does he know about you and Julian?"

"Oh...." Dax's eyes widened. "Oh! No, no, he doesn't have that in mind. I mean, he doesn't know about Julian -- I don't think -- but.... No. He knows Trills don't ... reassociate with former lovers. That way. Besides, last I heard, he was involved with someone else. But ... I'm glad he's thinking of me! And he's a good friend. It'll be ... good to see him again!" She nodded with far too much energy.

Now it was Kira's turn to look puzzled. "Well, I'm ... glad that's.... I'm glad. I hope you can still be friends. Uh, just ... don't try pushing him at me again, okay? I'm still biased against dinner dates with clear skulls!"

Dax laughed with her, far too relieved that she didn't have to explain anything more. "I promise!"

They were a few hours underway again after the rendezvous with the McGarrett when the navigator/sensor technician spoke up.

"We're being scanned," Rymma announced. The lights from an overhead panel flickered brightly off her transparent bald scalp.

Boday looked up from his cargo manifest. "Who are they?"

"I don't know. They're not answering our hail."

The captain paused, feeling as though something had just squirmed through his stomach. "Change course. Increase speed."

The crewman nodded her head. He felt the subtle shifts in vibration and change in engine pitch as his freighter accelerated.

"There have been pirates in this sector," one of the others noted somberly. "A ship under Bajoran registry was attacked here, nearly destroyed, not long ago."

"The other ship is accelerating as well," Rymma reported. Her anxiety showed in the visible throbbing of the arteries circling her smooth skull. "And changing course to match us!"

"No chance of a sensor shadow?"

"None."

"Change course again," Boday instructed, taking his seat and bringing up his personal viewer from its side panel. "Still not responding to our hail?"

"No."

"Send a distress signal to any ship in the area -- uncoded. Let whoever's following us know they've been spotted and we have asked for help. Maybe they'll veer off." Boday peered into the viewer at his chair, then abruptly looked up. "The Kukalaka!"

"What?"

"Dax's Kukalaka. It is in my quarters -- bring it to the bridge, Denin!" Boday ordered. "Summon all crew to the front section, code gen-one. Then seal off the rest of the ship. Everything else among our cargo is well secured and non-perishable."

"Aye, Captain!" The cargo handler raced out of the small bridge.

Something bright flared on the view screen.

"They fired across our bow," Rymma reported. "Maybe they didn't like us calling for assistance."

"Any response to our signal? Any other ships we know to be in the sector?"

"Can't tell. They're jamming us now...."

A moment later, Denin returned, carrying Kukalaka. Behind him were the other three crew of the Mankellin, two rubbing sleep from their eyes and the third dripping a trail of scented liquid droplets, with his skull glistening from the shower in which he'd been indulging.

"We're sealed in, everything's strapped down," said one of the newly-arrived night crew, with a yawn.

The still-wet crewman, wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist, headed directly for the cargo pod main station. "Shall we drop?"

"Not yet," Boday instructed, taking the bear from Denin. "Only as a last resort. The cargo's not worth our lives, but there's no need to spill it if we can outrun them without doing so." He glanced back at Rymma. "Full speed, erratic course."

"Full speed.... They're firing again!"

This time either the enemy meant it, or they had better aim. The Mankellin seemed to slide violently sideways, and the crew had to fight for balance.