Chapter 4

They all waited at docking port three. Kira was impatient, feeling a strange mixture of anticipation and nerves. Beside her, the constable shifted her feet, just once. Was Emyn as nervous and eager as she was? She looked tired, as though she hadn�t slept well. To her other side, Lieutenant Kaoron waited with his usual calm expression. Thank the Prophets he could be counted on to handle anything with dignity and sureness, including representing the Federation personnel on the station. Behind them, a crowd of eager Bajorans, both station personnel and visitors, waited; the murmurs of conversation continued expectantly.

The shuttle clamped onto its place in the docking ring; after a few moments, the inner hatches cycled open. The scent of y�rtana incense wafted out as station air and shuttle atmosphere mixed. Kira was surprised, but realized it was probably the vedek�s choice � it certainly couldn�t be Shakaar�s!

Two acolytes in their traditional green robes scurried out of the airlock, quickly stepping to the sides.

Then Vedek Carn appeared. He was a broad-shouldered man, impressive and muscular looking, appearing older than his forty-eight years would suggest. There were streaks of silver in his beard and mustache, although his thick eyebrows were untouched dark brown. The summer robes of the Janitzan Monastery seemed to fit him perfectly � deep green tunic and coif, with the brown and white drape of the vedek rank. The heavy boots were necessary in the southern Janitza Mountains; the terrain was rough, of deep woods alternating with rocky gorges and cold, fast-running rivers; the mountain peaks were frequently covered with heavy snowpack that lasted deep into summer, and there was no easy way through the area.

The crowd was reverently silent, all eyes fixed on the man who might be their next Kai.

�Vedek Carn.� Kira stepped forward, nodding respectfully but unable to contain her smile. For all the trouble of the past few weeks, it was a pleasure to see him here now. Carn�s charm was nearly legendary, and he had it going full force at the moment. She would have forgiven him worse sins than a little confusion and delay. �Welcome to Deep Space Nine. You honor us with your presence.�

Standing beside him, Kira realized that Vedek Carn wasn�t really much taller than she was, and Constable Emyn could stare him straight in the forehead.

�Colonel Kira.� His deep, commanding voice made him even more of a presence, and his mountain accent was memorable. �You honor me with your greeting.� He reached for her ear; she bowed her head respectfully. �You have a strong and steady pagh, my child. Well-suited to your position and role.�

�Thank you, Vedek.� She glanced back at the shuttle. �The First Minister�?�

�Will be arriving shortly, in a second shuttle.�

Kira was taken aback. �Was there a problem? I wasn�t informed�.�

Carn�s expression remained benignly unchanged. �It is only a short delay. The Minister will explain upon his arrival.�

For just a second, Kira didn�t know what to say. Then: �Of course. We�ll be ready for him. But in the meantime, I�ve arranged a tour of the station. If you like, we can begin at any time,� she said. �To conclude at the shrine, of course. Nothing the First Minister hasn�t already seen. Then a baseball game this afternoon, with a small reception this evening, if you feel up to it, after the trip.�

�It sounds like you have things well planned.�

It sounded like she�d filled his schedule with more than he expected. �I wasn�t sure how long you would be staying � the First Minister didn�t say � and I wanted to be sure you were able to see everything you might want to see, we can change anything you like�.� You�re babbling, stop it, Nerys, Edon will be here later, this isn�t the end of the universe�.

�Of course, of course. At the time, I wasn�t sure myself how long I would be here. The day sounds fine, we can plan tomorrow later.� His gaze went past her, and then up. �Let�s start with some introductions. This is�?�

�Oh, of course, my apologies�.� She turned to the constable. �This is Emyn Lise, our security officer, or constable, as we tend to refer to the position.��

The vedek�s dark eyes bored into the woman�s, then he abruptly reached for her ear � her bare ear, Kira noted consciously for the first time, with a jolt. Emyn wore no earring.

Emyn jerked back slightly, then froze.

Kira heard gasps from several of the crowd.

His eyes narrowed; then Carn dropped his arm and turned slightly, moving on to the tall, spare Vulcan/Romulan. �And this?� he said as smoothly as if nothing had happened.

�Lieutenant Kaoron, our science officer.�

�One of those who treats our sacred Celestial Temple as a mere celestial phenomenon?� Carn�s expression was cool.

�I find nothing �mere� in what I have studied and examined of it thus far, Vedek,� Kaoron replied. His smooth pale face remained undaunted, although Kira could have sworn she caught a hint of veiled humor in his dark eyes. �It is unique, as are its inhabitants. My people�s philosophy treasures such uniqueness and diversity. I can acknowledge and value your Prophets for that, and for their significance to you and your history, without revering them as my own deities.�

Carn hesitated, then nodded slowly. �Then it seems your people may be wiser than many of your Federation scientists.�

Kaoron refrained from a response, and the vedek�s gaze quickly moved on.

�And these are some of our crew and visitors who have come to welcome you.�

Carn�s gaze roamed over the group, making quick eye contact with many. He raised both hands, palms extended outward, in a benediction. �I thank you all for your greeting. And I hope to meet many of you over the next two days, as I visit your station, and walk the paths of the Emissary. Many of you had the rare privilege of having lived beside him, and having heard his voice, in a way I have not, and it is my humble hope that you will be generous enough to share your memories with me.�

As if by magic, smiles broke out on nearly every face, and many of them stood up taller. Over half of the crowd were station workers and personnel; they had met Benjamin Sisko, some of them had worked with him for years. They had their own precious memories of the Emissary. But Carn was the first vedek to approach them as a supplicant for their personal recollections. He had elevated them all � and for the moment, at least, won them.

* * * *

The stroll to the Promenade didn�t take long. It only took a moment for Kira to regain her composure, and Vedek Carn never seemed to lose his. The two aides trailed the Vedek, and Emyn and her three Bajoran security deputies took up the rear. The lights and noise of the various shops and restaurants all caught his attention briefly. The people gathered and watched, wherever they went. Carn stopped any time the crowd seemed to reach some personally selected critical mass. He mingled, he touched ears, he smiled and greeted, he laid his hand on children, he bestowed benedictions. And almost without fail, the people drew back with stars in their eyes, grinning and sometimes in tears, awed.

As they passed the security office, Carn glanced back at Emyn. �To be honest, Colonel,� he began in a low voice, so as not to be overheard, �I was hoping to speak with your constable at some point; the name Emyn is well known to me.�

�Oh?�

�Yes. There were members of the Emyn family very active in the Resistance in Ralinte Province � not far from the Janitza Mountains where our order makes its home. I believe Olan�s people owed their safety to the Emyns on several occasions, and at least one of the family was a member for a time.�

�Really?� Kira tilted her head. �I�ve heard a little bit about the Olan cell, since we started compiling the records of the Resistance � they did good work, and managed to conceal themselves in some of our harshest terrain. They made things very difficult for the Cardassians all along the Outback and the southern coast, for several years.�

�Yes, they did,� Carn agreed.

�Now that you mention it, I believe Emyn has mentioned being from Ralinte,� Kira recalled thoughtfully.

�I was puzzled by her reaction to me. It would indeed be tragic if a woman of such honorable family had lost her faith in the Prophets. Or is it only me she has no faith in?�

�I � don�t know. We haven�t discussed it�.�

�Perhaps you should. We are so near the Prophets here, surely they will guide you to a recognition of their own.� The element of command in his voice was undeniable, as was the implication that the other woman�s faith, or lack of it, could impact on her ability and her right to hold her position.

The silence was awkward for a second.

Carn paused to study some of the carved crystalline figurines offered at one of the Promenade shops. The Bajoran shop-owner hastily offered him the choice of them, at no charge. Carn gestured that he couldn�t deprive the man of his livelihood by taking his merchandise, but did purchase a matching set of kneeling figures, hands upraised in prayer, of a deep green stone. He waved one of his aides to make arrangements to pick up the figures later, after the shop-owner had time to package them for the trip back to Bajor. One of the deputies stayed with the aide.

Kira watched, uncertain what to say. Was he suggesting she should question all her Bajoran officers about the depth of their faith in the Prophets before allowing them to serve on the station?

When Carn rejoined her from the shop, his usual charm had returned. �The shrine, my daughter. Lead me to the shrine.�

* * * *

The procession through the Promenade continued to draw its share of attention as it approached the shrine. Those who�d been present when Carn stepped off his shuttle had spread the word of his definite arrival; those who�d already seen him and spoken with him on the Promenade were quickly calling friends and family.

In the cargo bay, one of the dockworkers rushed in, excited, passing the news to the station�s freight handlers and the crew of the Li�s Run as they were starting to load the ship with outbound cargo.

The bay emptied quickly, as eager workers headed for the Promenade.

Dav went along with the crowd. He felt no great personal desire to see the cowardly vedek, but he also had no desire to wait alone in the bay and face questions afterward. That was old habit � anything that invited questions was a potential danger, and was to be avoided. And, of course, there were other reasons why he should see the man.

The crowd on the Promenade was swelling in numbers and excitement. He could feel their anticipation as they pressed closer to the shrine.

Standing on tiptoes, he could see the vedek standing at the entrance, with the ranjen who was now the chief religious official on the station to his one side, and Colonel Kira to his other.

Carn. How could anyone who valued Bajoran independence give him honor? Or want to see him as Kai? He expected better of a man like Shakaar than to be associated with the likes of this.�

�When things were dangerous, he left Bajor. When we were reduced to eating raw voles to fend off starvation in the labor camps, he was feasting at Federation tables, one of the good little Bajorans�.�

The muttering so mirrored his own feelings that Dav began to turn, astonished. It was one of the men from Quark�s the night before, the thin man who�d been part of the brawl.

He managed to lean over, close to the thin man�s ear. �You�re right,� he breathed. �He thought his own life was more important than our people�s lives and freedom. He was able to leave, to get away from the Cardassian whips and brutality.�

The man growled, his disgust turning to outright anger.

�And what about us?� Dav couldn�t keep his own bitterness inside. �Those of us who could fight, did. We hid in caves, we slept in holes in the ground. We sweltered in the summer and froze in the winter. We lived on weeds and vermin and, if we were lucky, handouts from those who risked supporting us � or we starved. We went without medical help when we were sick or wounded. We watched our children die from hunger and disease because we couldn�t risk asking for help � the Cardassians and their lap-pets wouldn�t have given it to us anyway.�

The man�s fists clenched in fury. Another Bajoran officer beside them tried to shush them both, his attention on the vedek, who had now lifted his arms to offer a benediction. Carn�s eyes focused on the upper level port, through which the Celestial Temple could be seen when it opened.

A wiry woman leaned over. �When the fever went through Tamulna, my parents died from it, and my brother. Then my husband died in the camp there, and my sister with her baby and her husband, too. I couldn�t save any of them, now I�m raising my sister�s son, he�s the only family I�ve got left.�

�Maybe if Carn had been here instead of lolling in soft Federation beds, he could have done something,� the first man said, louder now.

�Some of our leaders have forgotten those days,� Dav said more softly. �They�ve forgotten who was here for us, and who wasn�t. But not everyone�s forgotten�.�

They were starting to get more attention. People around them were starting to listen intently, and some began to add their own comments. The awed expressions on some of their faces began to turn to uncertainty and scowls.

�Some of the monks made medicine for our babies,� said a short, stout woman who looked like she�d experienced child-bearing many times. �They gave it to us at no cost. My little ones wouldn�t have lived without them.�

�The monks in our town gave blankets to our cell, the year we had to hide in the mountains and nearly froze,� contributed another. �The Cardassians found out, and murdered twenty of them before we could rescue the rest.�

�I heard some of the monasteries in Kendra Valley took in orphans, and some parents took their children there so they would at least be fed when the Cardassians took the adults away to the mines.�

�Without the monks to keep up our faith and show us how to rebuild when the Cardassians destroyed our village and our shrine, our people would have turned to the pagh-wraiths in despair; we owe them our souls!�

�But Carn wasn�t any of those, was he? He wasn�t anywhere on Bajor,� the thin man said, then began to shout. �Carn! Where were you when the Cardassians had their boots on our throats?�

An older woman in the crowd took up the cry. �Where were you when our children were starving?�

Then a third yell: �Where were you when they murdered the monks?�

Glancing around, Dav could see the station security officers beginning to look concerned. Two of them began elbowing their way through the crowd toward his little knot of agitation. The vedek was trying to talk, but the crowd was starting to get louder. The ranjen had caught his arm, and was trying to steer him toward the shrine; the acolytes formed a near-shield in front of him. The colonel was gesturing toward another of the security officers.

One of the men near Dav snarled and shoved the man next to him. The second man shoved back. The first threw a punch. The second man dodged, stumbling over a child and knocking them both to the deck; the child let out a wail, half-heard under the man�s weight. The mis-aimed fist hit a woman instead; she dropped like a stone. The heavy-set man standing beside the fallen woman let out a howl and jumped for the assailant�s throat. By then the mother of the little boy was shrieking and pummeling at both brawlers. People around them shouted in outrage and shock.

�Constable! Get your people�.�

That was all Dav heard as the devout, orderly crowd of only a moment before disintegrated into a melee. He chuckled maliciously as the shoving increased. Disagreeing comments turned into fights. No one paid attention to the vedek. One of the scuffles knocked down a display in front of one of the shops. Alarmed, storekeepers began grabbing their wares and closing their doors.

Then somebody grabbed a large, delicately carved statue from another display and threw it. It shattered against the wall above the vedek�s head, showering Carn and Kira with stone fragments.

It seemed like half the crowd flinched and went silent, staring in shock at the broken pieces of statuary.

�All right! That�s enough!� Colonel Kira�s voice rang out with all the authority of her rank. Between the unexpectedness of the thrown object, and the colonel�s commanding shout, things became silent, for just a moment.

The ranjen and the vedek vanished inside the shrine. But Colonel Kira stood at the entrance, her back to the door as if she intended to hold it like a fortress. Several shards of the statue were caught in her hair and one had snagged into her uniform shoulder. Her security chief stood a long pace away with her phaser drawn, just to the side and in front of Kira, protecting her superior as well as the entrance.

�What do you think you�re doing? You embarrass this station and you embarrass yourselves.� Kira�s voice sizzled; her expression was fire. She took a step forward; broken stone crunched beneath her foot. She stopped long enough to pick up several pieces, then held them up for the crowd to see. �Is this the Bajor you show the universe?�

She flung the pieces to the floor as hard as she could. Everyone jumped as the fragments shattered into even smaller bits.

Kira turned her head as though she couldn�t bear to look at them any more. �Constable, you know what to do.�

The woman nodded efficiently. �I�ve already called for more deputies.�

Even as she spoke, about a dozen more security officers, both Bajoran and Starfleet, converged on the crowd, appearing from the security office and from across the Promenade.

Dav stared at the constable until the deputies began moving people aside. He saw the constable stoop to pick up the fallen child, concern on her features, and turn to call for a doctor. Two of the deputies grabbed the man who�d thrown the statue and hustled him toward security; another was following the man he�d first talked to, with a very determined and grim expression.

At that point he slipped away, feeling more alive than he remembered in years. Some of his old skills were still strong � he knew how to fade into a crowd. There were a few other things he remembered, too, and he wasn�t afraid to use them either.

* * * *

Emyn picked up the little boy, who was no longer screaming. Instead, he was trying valiantly not to cry as twin trails of blood ran down his face from the bruises on his forehead. His lips twitched as he tried to hold back the sobs. Clinging to her, he felt small and fragile in her grasp.

�It�ll be all right,� she told him gently. �Where�s your mother�?�

A woman�s arms nearly snatched the child from Emyn.

�Kelnin��

�I�m all right, mama.�� The child wrapped his arms around his mother�s neck.

�Oh, Kelnin, I shouldn�t have brought you here.� She dabbed at the blood, making sure it didn�t drip into his eye. �You�re so brave � my brave boy�.�

Chapter Five

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