Prologue

The sudden light, gray and watery as it was, made the Cardassian boy wince in pain as he silently pushed the door of the shack open. He hadn’t realized how accustomed his eyes had become to the dimness of indoors. The thickness of the air was more noticeable to him as well, but he wasn’t sure if that was the reason why his palms were so sweaty. I’m not scared, he thought fiercely, squinting across the landscape. I’m not scared at all.

He slipped outside. The first faint rays of sunrise and the landscape beckoned to him – miles of vast brushland, dotted with outcroppings of rock, Cardassia City a distant shadow on the horizon. Clumps of weeds and scrawny plants threw strange, dancing shadows across the sand. They waved and fluttered in the hazy morning wind, little darts of motion making his gaze flit nervously about. For the briefest moment he thought of the others and hesitated, glancing over his shoulder. But he shook his head. He had to keep going, get back to the city, and find Ibis. It was as simple as that. He was almost relieved that he had been made to wear these stupid shoes; they looked foolish and were uncomfortable, but he couldn’t feel the rough gravel beneath his feet. He’d be able to run for hours in these.

His first instinct was to turn and run, not to bother with the door any longer, but he couldn't do that. What if a wind came up and slammed the door against the frame? They’d all wake up and see he was gone; the alarm would be raised and they’d all be out here, scouring the landscape for him. And if the door woke them up sooner rather than later, perhaps they’d even see him running away, decide to follow him and bring him back, undoing all the work he’d done to escape in the first place. He rubbed his eye ridge in annoyance, before starting to push against the door. The hinges were stiff. They creaked loudly; he froze. Mouth even dryer than before, he tilted his head and listened.

The wind hissed with a dry sound through the brush. From inside, he heard nothing.

Swallowing hard, he pushed at the door again. It squeaked, but he set his teeth and closed it the rest of the way, lifting the latch and fastening it. Then, without another wasted moment, he turned and bolted across the uneven soil. There was a tall pile of rock jutting out of the ground maybe two kilometers away. If he could make it that far unseen, he would be all right. There would be shadowy places there where he could hide. He could get his breath back and start his journey home. Far ahead, he could see the sun starting to rise behind the silhouette of the city, stretching its shadows toward him.

East, he thought to himself. The city is directly east from here.

It seemed to take hours before he reached the safety of the rocks. His breath ached in his chest. As he skidded out of sight of the building, his shoe caught the edge of a partially-hidden stone. He fell heavily to the ground, scraping his palms. Quickly he scrambled forward, half-crawling, half-sliding toward a little hollow beneath the rock. He flung himself into the dark cool space, exhausted – then found himself flat on his back as he sprawled over a small form curled up in the shade. He heard an indignant cry, and small hands pushed at his legs.

“Hey! Get off of me, you.... ” The voice froze, and the boy raised his head to see a familiar face – a small, delicate-looking eight-year-old girl, covered in dust and grime, her eyes shining in delight as she stared at him.

“Ibis?” he said in disbelief. He had to be imagining things.

“Kehin!” Any thought of the girl being a hallucination quickly disappeared when she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around him in a fierce hug that squeezed the remaining breath from his lungs. “I’ve found you!”

“What are you doing here?” he demanded angrily, but hugged her back. She felt very thin, almost as if she'd break if he pressed too hard. “How did you know where I was?”

“I followed them,” she replied simply, still clinging to him. “Someone told me you were talking to them before, so I just waited until they came back and I followed them. But I couldn't keep up, and it got dark. I had to sleep here."

Kehin gaped. “You slept in the brushland at night?!”

Ibis lifted her chin, the epitome of Cardassian defiance despite her obvious exhaustion. “I can do anything you can.”

“But....” He stopped. “Look at you. You're filthy!”

“And you look silly.” She eyed him critically. “You’re wearing funny clothes."

“Ibis…” Kehin sighed, feeling embarrassed at the stupid clothes they’d made him wear and wanting to change the subject. “I told you to stay in our den, remember? They could have captured you, and they still might!”

“Well, I wanted to find you. And I did.” She looked at him with imploring eyes. “You’re coming back, right? You’re not staying with them, are you?”

He glanced nervously over his shoulder. He had to get her to the city, where it was safe. Safer than here, at least.

“No," he said. "We're going home."

Chapter One

After you read this episode, please Leave Feedback for the authors.