Chapter 3

From his position behind the bar, Quark looked out over his domain. Things were humming this evening � his bar was crowded, an exciting mixture of diners, drinkers, and gamblers, all as engrossed in their own activities as if they had never been forced to leave the station. Loud, cheerful, animated conversations alternated with quiet, more intimate tete-a-tetes in the darker corners, with the waiters barely keeping up delivering trays of food and beverages to both. The dabo wheels were spinning, with M�Pella and the other girls displaying their visible charms and using their less blatant personal skills to keep the customers happy as they lost their latinum.

Even the Bajoran pilgrims, formerly not given to frequenting his establishment, were keeping up a steady stream into and out of the designated baseball holosuite � the largest one he had, of course � and were often staying after to �share a brew� or �have some nachos, peanuts, or popcorn� to help them sustain the appropriate mood after watching one of Sisko�s games.

And since there were no Klingons on station at the moment, and the new executive officer was more likely to barricade himself at Vic�s with his instrument and Ezri Dax � her taste hadn�t improved in the doctor�s absence, in Quark�s opinion � things weren�t likely to erupt into a property-damaging brawl.

It all spelled profit with a capital P.

Quark licked his sharp teeth at the very thought.

He noted a Bajoran at one of the tables glancing around, frowning a little, holding an obviously empty glass.

�Lumon!� he called sharply. �Table seven!�

The waiter glanced at Quark, blinking, then rushed to the table and, with blatant obsequiousness, began taking the order for refills.

�New people,� he muttered under his breath. Finding Ferengi waiters was easy these days; the way his brother was mismanaging the Ferengi economy, profit-minded Ferengi were leaving their home world in droves. But finding good ones, that was more difficult � the best Ferengi were finding a way to make a profit and maintain their previous lifestyles in spite of Rom�s changes, which meant the ones who found their way to Quark�s door, looking for opportunity, tended to be those who could no longer make it back on Ferenginar.

But this one seemed to learning the ropes well enough. Brighter than Rom, and quicker with the customers, that was for certain, if less technically proficient. He had to depend on Nog for holosuite repairs, and his nephew didn�t put him at the top of the list, the way his brother had.

He said as much to Morn, sitting in his usual place at the bar. Morn agreed, going on at some length about how much better it was to be able to depend on family, and how tragic that one so often couldn�t, citing his own family experiences, both blood and marriage; then he held out his glass, angling for a free sympathy drink.

Glad to see that some things never changed, Quark decided to be generous, and gave him one. No, not generous, he amended to himself as the word sank into his consciousness like a rock in his home world�s muck � good business practice. Every now and then, a little sample, just enough to keep the customer interested.

Morn was always interested. He poured the glass only half full.

Stepping away from the loquacious Lurian, Quark glanced up to see the constable just inside the door. The Bajoran woman scanned the bar with her eyes, then turned and left without talking to anyone. Her expression was serious.

�Now I wonder who or what she�s looking for at this time of night,� he mused, absently running several fingertips along the upper curve of his ear. As far as he knew, the tall redhead hadn�t yet established any particular relationships on the station, neither close friend nor lover � and if anyone should know where the security chief�s personal interests might lie, it was him, he told himself, just as he had been the first to learn that First Minister Shakaar and Vedek Carn were indeed coming tomorrow. After all, how could someone like him discover the weaknesses of someone like her, without knowing who she associated with? Especially since she seemed to know so much about him already, thanks to Odo.

He discovered fingers trailing his own along his ear � fingers with nails that raked ever so lightly against his sensitive skin. He shivered in delight, recognizing the touch.

�M�Pella�.�

�I�m on break,� he heard her say suggestively.

He laughed deep in his throat. Ever since her fellow dabo girl, Leeta, had married his brother, and Rom had became the Grand Nagus, M�Pella had been � friendlier. Her knew her sentimental but avaricious heart was contemplating future possibilities of her own, now that he was the brother of a Grand Nagus. Ah, he could love a woman with sensible greed, a gold-latinum figure, and a way with oo-mox. But � profit before pleasure�.

�It�s a busy night, M�Pella. Later.�

She pouted a little, but went off to the corner where the dabo girls tended to take their breaks. Quark enjoyed watching her walk.

He heard raised voices, something clattering, and quickly turned back to the bar, alert for trouble.

Table seven. A glance showed several Bajorans on their feet, in varying degrees of stability. They were talking louder, gesturing, drunkenly aggressive. People around them were moving back, getting out of the possible line of punches. Lumon, he saw, was scrambling around the floor, head ducked, trying to pick up the fallen tray and glasses, wipe up the drink puddle, and stay beneath the notice of the drunks.

Where was that constable when he needed her?

�Gentlemen, gentlemen! No fights tonight,� he gushed, hurrying toward them. �On such an auspicious evening, with the First Minister and with Vedek Carn himself coming tomorrow, as I have personal reason to know, surely we are all friends tonight, the Prophets are smiling on us�.� He held out his hands placatingly, certain that reference to one of their leading religious vedeks and possible future Kai would calm things down. �Lumon, get these fine gentlemen another round.�� He leaned down long enough to add in a whisper, �And call security!�

Lumon scuttled away.

�Carn!� spat the scrawnily-built man on the farther side of the table, his face twisting in disgust.

�Oh, I � take it you support Ungtae?� Quark asked quickly.

�Ungtae!� sneered the nearer Bajoran. �That � appeaser!�

�What?� Quark yelped, taken aback. �But��

�He�ll just go along with Winn�s treaty, with all her policies � let the Cardies off the hook for everything they did to us, in return for some token pretty words!� the big man snarled back.

�At least he stayed on Bajor to fight!� the thin man growled. �You want Carn for Kai? A man who ran away from Bajor when things got tough? When the rest of us were fighting and dying and slaving in the labor camps! He spent the worst part of the war on Valo II��

�That was no spring festival, I was there!� The nearer man pointed at his own burly chest.

�It was, compared to Gallitep!� the other came back, leaning forward on the table. �And I was there! I can show you the scars!�

�They knew who Carn was! He couldn�t risk staying! He had to leave or he�d�ve been killed! You know what they did to our leaders who were captured! It was the will of the Prophets!�

The first snorted in disgust. �Easily claimed, now!�

They had the attention of nearly everyone in the place by now.

�Neither one of �em would get my vote,� drawled an elderly man slouched over at another table, brooding in his ale. �They�ve both forgotten everything we fought for. They�ve all forgotten�.�

�Oh, I suppose you�d go for that country fool Hatha, who hasn�t stepped out of his own door in twenty years?� The first drunk turned on the old man.

�Hey!� interjected a bystander. �What about all the orphans his order took in? If not for him��

�This is for our Kai, not a child minder!�

�Old arguments don�t belong��

Somebody pushed. The thin man fell backward, arms flailing, into the table where the aged man nursed his drink. Drink and table went flying, and the old man went over backward in his chair.

Quark was ready to hide under a table himself, but a desperate glance toward the door showed Emyn and a security detail pushing their way in.

�Well, if you�re going to fight, I�m going to have to ask you to leave,� Quark stated above the ruckus, braver now.

The security guards grabbed the pair of drunks and the others who�d been caught up in their argument, and began hustling them out before things could get any more out of hand. Several others who hadn�t been involved trailed behind to give statements or speak up for their friends.

�All right, people, nothing here to see, let�s get back to having a good time�. M�Pella,� he called, �break�s over, get that wheel spinning. Lumon, get some more drinks out here, we�ve got thirsty people.�

�Isn�t too much drinking what started this whole thing?� he heard. Glancing up, he saw Emyn towering over him.

�Why, Constable, thank you,� Quark said effusively, grinning a welcome � maybe gratitude would win what a holosuite program and the offer of a free drink hadn�t. �I really owe you. You certainly saved my place tonight, I don�t know what I�d have done if you hadn�t come�.�

�You�d have had broken tables, broken glasses, and probably a few broken heads, the same as the last time you had a brawl in here,� she interrupted impatiently. �What caused this one?�

�Politics, religion, interpretation of the will of the Prophets, you know, the usual,� he replied, trying to steer her toward the bar.

�Oh.� The monosyllable was delivered with a chill. She turned toward the door, where her deputies could be heard, still dealing with the drunks.

�What�d I say?� Quark called, genuinely puzzled. �But you asked� Bajorans.� He shook his head. �Some can�t stop talking about religion, and others don�t want to hear about it. Lumon, get those tables righted�.�

* * * *

Dav Mino let himself be shoved along with the rest, guided by the burly deputy�s firm grip on his arm.

It was no way to treat a hero. But why should he expect any special treatment here, he thought bitterly. Here, they kowtowed to the Federation. On this station, nestled in the protection of the Celestial Temple, which should have been their crowning jewel, Starfleet ruled, not Bajor. Their fearful �leaders� had so quickly invited in these strangers, when the Cardassians had finally been driven off their world.

Even Shakaar, one of their own, who should have known better and who could have led them into the Restoration, bowed to the Federation.

To think he had once admired the First Minister as much as his own cell leader....

Things had changed so much since the end of the Occupation. Liberation had brought forgetfulness to many. They wanted to leave the painful memories behind. They didn�t want reminders. They would rather pretend they were part of something else, part of this Federation, just another branded milk-chargoat in that corral of worlds. They wanted to forget the ones who had bought their freedom with blood and will.

He was tired. The days when he could race the wind, when he could outrun any Cardassian, any other Bajoran, were long gone. He couldn�t outrun anything any more�.

�Hey, the old man shouldn�t be part of this � he just happened to be at a table that was knocked over, he wasn�t involved.�

He looked up at the female voice. It was one of the young women he�d seen in the bar, one of the bystanders. She was pointing at him, speaking urgently to a tall, red-haired security officer.

He felt an unexpected rush of gratitude. Not remembered, but at least honored, perhaps�.

The security officer turned, met his eyes with her own hard gaze.

He stared. Her face, her face � he knew that face�.

Did her eyes widen in recognition?

He couldn�t tell. He blinked, trying to clear his head as well as his eyes. He shouldn�t have had that third drink � or was it the fourth? Or had it been more? How many hours had he been there? He should be more careful, he was here to do a job. But he�d found someone willing to listen, willing to buy a meal and a drink, and people who cared about the old ones like him were too rare these days.

�All right,� he heard the tall one say, �if he�s sober enough to get to his quarters, he can go. Brilgar�.�

The deputy released him. He stumbled. The girl from the bar caught his arm. She was Bajoran, young, earnest, in station uniform. Did she remember the days of the Occupation? She would have been a child�.

�I�ll make sure you get home,� she said gently. �You came in with one of the freighters a few days ago, didn�t you? I�ve seen you working in the cargo bay since then. Dav, right? Are your quarters near the bay, or on one of the freighters?�

�Yes � the Run�.�

�The freighter Li�s Run?�

�Yes � my bunk�s there � Li�s Run�. I knew him, you know, Li Nalas�. He didn�t forget � they didn�t forget him.�� He patted her arm. �Thank you, child.�

She steered him away from the crowd.

Dav couldn�t help looking back. The tall woman in blue was alternately directing the crowd to disperse and giving instructions to the deputies. As he stared, trying to remember where he�d seen that face before, she turned and looked directly at him.

He would swear he knew her. And that she knew him.

* * * *

�Lise.�

Something about her mother�s voice worried Lise, even before she was fully awake. She opened her eyes and saw darkness pressing close beyond the weak flicker of candlelight that illuminated Moran�s face leaning over her. The sun would not be rising for hours yet. Something was wrong.

�Mother�?� Lise�s voice was thick with apprehension and broken sleep.

�Hush, love,� Moran whispered. Reaching out almost unconsciously, she tucked a strand of hair behind Lise�s ear. �They�ve called us. You have to get up. Quickly.�

�They�.� Lise�s eyes were adjusting to the uncertain light. She saw Sona next to the door peering out into the night with a fierce expression; Kail was huddled close by him, eyes wide and questioning. She heard voices passing close outside, in the square, officers shouting. Her heart started to pound.

She caught at her mother�s arm before she could leave. �Something happened,� she whispered. �With the Resistance. Tell me what happened.�

Moran shook her head, fearfully. �I don�t know.�

Sona supplied the answer without turning his eyes from the doorway. �Someone was caught on the trail. I don�t know how much the Cardies know. They�re assembling all of us in the square.�

Lise cursed softly. She�d been fearing this for over a week now, ever since the townspeople had started helping the Olan. �I knew this would happen. Damn it, Sona, I knew��

�Bajorans.� The voice boomed unexpectedly from outside the partially closed door; Kail jumped back in fear as a Cardassian soldier kicked the door open. Sona stood his ground.

�Out.� The soldier caught Sona by the shoulder and shoved him across the threshold, out of Lise�s sight. �Do you think we were joking? Get out to the assembly. Now.�

Moran looked back at Kail, cast an anxious glance in Lise�s direction before she was pushed outside. But Lise was already on her feet, at her younger brother�s side before the guard had a chance to pull him away. She slipped an arm around Kail�s shoulders and pressed him close, running out to join her family. Behind them, the door swung crazily on its hinges, banged against the outside wall.

It was cold. In her thin nightshift, Lise found herself shivering in the dry desert air. Kail huddled closer to her and she hugged him instinctively. Others were being ordered outside, shoved rudely toward the crowd of people huddled in the glaring, artificial Cardassian light of the square. Everyone in Aoja, all with faces she recognized, was gathered together, whispering fearfully. Lise looked instinctively in the direction of the Regne home, saw Tana standing with her father about twenty yards away. Tana met her eyes and signaled to her, the fingers of her hands entwined. Stay together.

Almost too late. Moran�s muffled cry reached Lise over the murmur of the crowd as an officer stepped between them and shoved her mother in a different direction, separating them. Holding tightly to Kail�s hand, Lise dodged under the officer�s elbow and darted through the crowd until she was at Moran�s side. Sona nodded quickly to her from a few steps away, and Lise felt an irrational pulse of relief. They had been tumbled out of bed and dragged outside in their sleeping clothes, they were cold and confused and afraid. But they were together.

�Quiet!� The voice boomed out over the square, and Lise�s head snapped in that direction. Gul Tovan was at the front of the crowd, glaring angrily at them. Instinctively, the crowd pressed away from him to give him room. �I want everyone here silent. Now. Anyone that speaks or moves will be punished without question.�

It was then that Lise became aware of the Cardassian guards standing in a ring around the Bajoran servants, just outside the reach of the light. For some of them, all she could see were pairs of eyes, glinting eerily like predators� eyes. She shook her head abruptly. Stop being melodramatic. They�re just Cardassians. Stupid Cardies throwing their weight around. She squared her shoulders and made sure Kail was pressed close behind her. Kail squeezed her hand gratefully.

Tovan let his gaze sweep piercingly over all of them, allowed time for dramatic pause before he spoke again. His voice was full of self-righteous anger. �I suppose you�re wondering why we�re gathered out here. You want to know why we went to all the trouble of waking everyone up at so late an hour.� He sneered then, hands balling into fists. �Why indeed. You know the reason better than I do. Why don�t you tell me? Why don�t you explain why one of you was out on the trails five hours past curfew with two days� worth of stolen rations?� He swept the crowd again, lifted his hands in feigned curiosity. �Well? Anyone?�

Silence. Lise swallowed hard, took a steadying breath.

Tovan laughed. Lise hated it when he laughed. �No, of course not. You have no idea. You were sleeping. You�re just innocent bystanders. Of course.� His face hardened. �Then why don�t you tell me why you would betray your superiors � the people that feed and protect you � to help a pitiful troupe of rebel bastards. Terrorists. Murderers. People that deserve nothing better than execution.�

There was still no sound, but the crowd stiffened angrily. Sona�s eyes flashed and many people lifted their chins defiantly. Tovan stopped, calmed himself. Then his face took on an expression of confidence. �And they will be executed, you know that. Sooner or later, we will find them and wipe them out. The question is.�� He stroked his chin thoughtfully as he looked at them. �How many of you will be executed with them. Like your fool neighbor who violated curfew to sneak stolen food to them.�

Tovan waited for the chill to sweep over the crowd, then resumed. �It�s really up to you,� he commented lightly. �We know there is a Resistance cell somewhere in this sector, probably very close to this town. We know you know where they are � how else could they remain so well hidden unless they have help? You have information we need. Give it to us, and all of this will end. You can go back home and go to sleep and it will be as if this never happened.�

Lise felt like she couldn�t breathe. She saw the determined pride blotting out the fear in the Bajorans� faces and knew that they wouldn�t back down. Several of the guards near the front of the crowd had weapons in their hands, things that looked like whips from where she was standing.

They�re going to start hurting people. Desperate anger welled up in her. Damn it, this isn�t our war, we haven�t tried to fight anyone! Why can�t the Resistance keep their battles away from people who can�t defend themselves? Lise saw fury darken Tovan�s face as the silence dragged on and wished that she could shout across the crowd, tell him something, anything about the Resistance that would make the Cardassians forget the townspeople, turn away from the helpless citizens shivering in the cold. But she knew nothing.

Finally, Tovan�s patience broke with a sharp snarl. �Very well. You bring this on yourselves. It�s up to you how long it lasts.� He snapped his chin toward his officers, lifted one arm and pointed out across the crowd. �There. That one.�

Lise was suffocating. His finger was speared out toward a middle aged woman, someone the Emyn family had worked with in the mines for many years. The woman shivered slightly as a guard pushed his way toward her, then lifted her head proudly and squared her shoulders. The Cardassian grabbed her by the arm and dragged her roughly toward the front of the crowd.

Tovan�s arm moved slowly, singled out someone else. �There.� A man, a husband and father of three children�. �There.� A lovely girl, little more than fourteen years old � Lise had seen her playing ball with the younger children a few days ago�. �There.� An ancient grandfather, someone who had told Lise the most marvelous stories of her history when she was younger.... Tears streamed down her face as the chosen citizens were pulled forward one by one.

No one spoke.

She turned her head and met Sona�s gaze. How can you let this happen? They�re our friends, our family, the only family we have � how can you let this happen? The Olan want to fight for Bajor � where are they now? Why will they not fight for our people?

Scanning the crowd, Tovan suddenly looked straight at Lise. His arm lifted. �There.�

Moran gave a muffled sob; Sona�s eyes were burning into hers. Behind her, Kail was crying softly, whispering. �No, no, no.�� But Lise felt her face hardening, smoothing as her mask fell into place, hiding the fear rising through her. If she had learned anything in her lifetime, it was to never show a Cardassian your true emotions, never show anyone your weaknesses. She was impassive as the guard approached her, gazing at a spot above his left shoulder, as if he was too distasteful to really look at. It wasn�t until the soldier reached past her to grab Kail�s arm that Lise started screaming.

�No!� She clawed frantically for her brother�s hand, tried to force herself between Kail and the Cardassian. But she wasn�t fast enough. Kail�s hand was jerked from her fingers and he was dragged away from her. His face was white, eyes locked on her desperately. She was losing him.

Her bare feet felt numb, dead from the cold, but somehow she managed to urge them into a stumbling run through the people around her. She had to keep Kail�s face in her sight, let him know that she would take care of him, that everything would be okay. �Stop! Let him go!�

Somewhere behind her, she heard Sona shouting something. Other people reached out to stop her, tried to calm her down, but she barely heard them. �Please! Not him! Let him go!�

�I said get back!� There was another guard, standing in her way, blotting out her brother�s face in the crowd. The Cardassian shoved himself against her, grabbed her roughly by the arm. �Did you hear me? Shut up and get back to your place!�

He couldn�t have been more astonished if he�d suddenly found himself grappling with a hora cat. Lise fought him savagely, screaming in rage, writhing to get out of his grip. Her hands clawed at his face until his smug superiority was ripped to shreds. Other guards were rushing toward them, but she didn�t care. She couldn�t see her brother anymore. He was gone. �Get off of me! Get the hell off of me! Kail!�

One of the Cardassians lifted his rifle above his head and slammed the butt end against the base of her skull. Stars flashed brilliantly across Lise�s vision as she crumpled to the sand; they fell from the sky until they filled the world and set it ablaze. Then just as quickly the fire was gone and there was only blackness wrapping itself around her like fog.

Even that wasn�t enough to silence the sound of whips screaming through the air, blow after blow after blow.

Chapter Four

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