The Bajoran Incident: Civil War III Chapter Eighteen

Travis showed Borath the disrespect the Vorta would have considered as he entered the commander's office by staying seated as he entered. That was the second thing that annoyed the Dominion ambassador. The first was the way he had been summoned by Travis, getting one of the Jem'Hadar to escort him to Ops.

"What have you called me here for, Travis? It had better be good. You have annoyed me enough already today."

Travis turned the computer terminal so it faced Borath.

"It's what I've been trying to tell you for the past few days, Ambassador. This recently received transmission only confirms what I have been telling you. A Free Federation fleet has been sent to liberate Bajor."

Upon reading the information on the screen, Borath laughed.

"Can this information be correct? They've only sent four ships to liberate the planet? What are they going to do, ask us to give it back politely?"

"Nevertheless, the entire mission is under the command of Captain James Watt, one of their foremost military commanders. With him at the helm, we can expect anything!"

"So what are you going to do, Commander? After all, this is your station!"

"I've been reading your reports regarding the old Federation's attempt to make contact with the Dominion. Your ships used proton beams to look for the cloaked Defiant. I've ordered that all of the runabouts should be outfitted with such equipment. For some reason, your Jem'Hadar ships were not equipped for such an operation."

"Very well, Commander. Keep me informed."

And with that, Borath left Travis to continue with his work. This time, however, Travis was determined to be successful.

 

Darkness had surrounded them for two hours now, yet Kira insisted they move on. Before she tried to sleep, she wanted to find her friends. Chakotay, however, had other ideas.

"Major, I think we should set up camp for the night. After all, this valley seems a safe enough place."

"I agree," said Blake. "There's no point in going on. We can look for..."

Suddenly, Kira raised her hand, bidding him to be still and silent.

"Did you hear that?" she whispered, turning to Chakotay. "I heard nothing!"

Kira craned her neck again.

"There! Did you hear that?"

"Sounds like someone is watching us!" said Chakotay.

"Battle positions!" Kira ordered. "It could be a Jem'Hadar patrol!"

Suddenly the entire team was bathed in light, and they were surrounded on all sides. The light made it difficult for them to see who their assailants were, but they could tell that a multitude of weapons were being aimed at them.

"Who are you?" a voice boomed. "How did you get here?"

"Shakaar?" Kira said, trying to see who it was. "Is that you?"

"Kira? Kira Nerys? Lower your weapons!"

Then, to the relief of Kira and Chakotay, Shakaar came from within the shadows. Kira smiled upon seeing him, but Shakaar did not return the smile. The first thing he did while approaching her was take out his knife.

"I want to be sure you are who you say you are," he said, handing Kira the knife.

The smile vanished from Kira's face, but she knew that this was necessary. Taking the knife, she cut her hand. Shakaar was pleased to see Bajoran blood drip onto the ground, and not changeling proto-matter.

"It's good to see you again, Nerys," said Shakaar. "We'll dispense with the introductions until we get back to my camp. You'll be safe there."

 

Having grabbed a few hours' sleep, Sisko retook command of the Defiant and took up his seat. As always, Dax was at Ops, and O'Brien was tinkering with something.

"Any word from Major Kira or Commander Chakotay?" he asked.

"Not yet," Dax reported. "But where they are should be night now. They've probably set up camp for the night."

Suddenly, her sensor panel came alive.

"A runabout has just left the station, Captain. It's heading straight for us."

"Confirmed," said O'Brien. "They're beginning to scan the area with a proton beam. They've come looking for us, Captain!"

"Red alert!" Sisko ordered. "And alert the other ships!"

 

When she entered the camp, she saw many old friends, friends she hadn't seen since the days of the Cardassian occupation. This new occupation had brought these friends together again, fighting for the same thing but against a different opponent. One of the first to greet her was Furel. She had fought side-by-side with him many times, and it was she who saved his life after he lost his arm in battle. Furel greeted Kira warmly.

"We were beginning to wonder when you were going to return to Bajor! It's good to see that the Death Star didn't put you away!"

"After what the Cardassians did to us, nothing can be as tough!" Kira replied.

"So you and your Free Federation friends are here to help," said Furel. "You came at the right time."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll let Shakaar explain. Quickly, in here. The meeting is about to start!"

Furel led them into one of the larger tents. It seemed that everyone in the camp was gathered there, ready to hear Shakaar speak.

"As you can see, we've been joined by some of our friends from the Free Federation," said Shakaar. "They should hear this also. If you'll turn your attention to this rather crude drawing, you'll see our next target."

As Shakaar said, the drawing was rather crude, but everyone in the tent could tell what it was meant to be.

"About twenty kilometers from here, the Imperials have been using Bajoran slaves to finish construction of a shield bunker. This energy shield is so powerful that it will form a protective energy barrier around Bajor itself, making it almost impenetrable from attack from space."

"Is such a thing possible?" asked Lupaza, another of Kira's old friends. "The energy needed for such a thing would be..."

"Incalculable," Kira finished. "I've seen Imperial technology first-hand. They may be behind the Federation on some things, but on others, they're light-years ahead."

"Which is why we must knock out this generator before it's up and running. If the planetary shield was put into operation, our chances of outside help would be greatly diminished."

"How far advanced are they with this project?" they asked Chakotay.

"Far enough gone to make this next target our top priority!" Shakaar replied.

"It's ours now," Kira said. "Count us in!"

"I was hoping you'd say that," said Shakaar.

"Are you sure about this, Major?" asked Chakotay.

"If that generator goes online, we'll be stuck here, and the fleet won't be able to do anything to help Bajor! All will be lost!"

"Alright then," said Chakotay. "It's your call. Count us in."