Impact, Part III, Conclusion

[dark_sinestra]

Kira

Dozaria

 

Kira was furious. Ever since they had awakened and gotten underway again, they had done nothing but argue about the girl, Ziyal. In the end, as far as she could tell, what it boiled down to was Dukat wanting to protect his own worthless hide and career at the expense of his daughter. How could someone who could be moved to open tears at a loss after so many years be determined to exterminate the only link he had left to a woman he loved? How could he love being a Legate more than he loved his own flesh and blood, his own daughter?

 

I won't let you do it, she thought fiercely, glancing at him out of the corners of her eyes. They were back to walking side by side again, neither trusting the other at his or her back. She wasn't eager to take his life, as she might once have been, but she knew she wouldn't hesitate if he forced her to it. Once more she thought back to something Garak had said. Don't rely on his better nature to keep him from behaving inappropriately. He doesn't have one. That was turning out to be truer than she could have imagined at the time.

 

I shouldn't have been in such a hurry, she thought. I should've given Garak a chance to find out what was going on. Then we wouldn't be in this mess. Really, though, if Garak knew about the girl, would that make things any better for her? Couldn't he be every bit as dangerous as Dukat? She wouldn't put it past him to hurt a relative of Dukat's just to get to the Legate. She wouldn't even put it past him to kill one. Cardassians! She thought yet again in utter exasperation.

 

It looked to be about mid-afternoon when they finally saw a change in the desert landscape, and not for the better. Harsh cliffs abutted the flat plane of sand. According to Kira's readings, their goal lay somewhere beyond the cliffs. “Looks like we're in for some climbing,” Dukat said in a matter-of-fact way.

 

“Looks like,” she agreed.

 

Toward the base, it was somewhat easier. The rocks were well eroded by the scouring wind and sand. They were able to find small channels cut into them and follow them. It took them out of the brunt of the weather and gave them some respite. However, as they gained elevation, the climb grew harder and more treacherous. Every hand and foothold had to be tested before either could trust their weight to it. Even so, sometimes a hold that seemed solid would suddenly give way, leaving them panting and dangling until they could find more support. Twice the only thing between Kira and a precipitous drop to her death was a strong, gray hand clasped about her wrist. She saved her breath and her thanks until they were on a ledge near the top and could take a quick breather.

 

“You know you should follow the three points of contact rule,” he chided her after he caught his breath.

 

She glared at him. “That's easy for you to say when you're all arms and legs. There were times I had to stretch, because there was nowhere else I could reach. Thanks for looking out for me.”

 

“We are in this together,” he said.

 

She heard something beyond their perch and motioned to him to be quiet. Glancing up, she gestured that they should finish the climb. This time, she managed to make it ahead of him and dart into cover. He did the same, and she fished a pair of binoculars out of her pack. She watched activity near an obvious mine shaft then handed the binoculars over to Dukat so that he could have a look. After a beat, he said, “The Breen? What are they doing here?”

 

She told him about the dilithium concentrations she was getting on her tricorder readings. They determined that the Breen must have been using the survivors to mine it. Dukat's entire posture stiffened suddenly. When he refused to answer why, Kira took the binoculars from him and had a look herself. She saw a girl with mixed Cardassian and Bajoran features carrying water near the mine entrance. “It's her,” she said.

 

“My daughter,” he said, his eyes never leaving her, even though he no longer had the binoculars. He took them back.

 

Kira gave quick thought to what they were going to have to do. She didn't think that she and Dukat alone would be a match for the Breen. They were going to need reinforcements. She also thought that perhaps she saw a way to ensure the safety of the girl. She quickly told Dukat that she'd stay behind and watch while he left in the runabout for Deep Space Nine. To her irritation, he refused, telling her that she could go instead. They quickly reached impasse, and then he did what she had been expecting him to do at some point or another ever since the mission began. He stopped cooperating altogether.

 

“There's no way I'm leaving you alone here,” she snapped.

 

“Then I suggest we devise a plan to rescue the prisoners together,” Dukat said. “You need me, Major.”

 

Damn him for being so stubborn! He was going to get both of them killed, and then where would his precious career be? She knew she couldn't force him to leave and there was no chance of her staging a rescue on her own. “Maybe I do,” she finally conceded, “but if you hurt that girl, I promise I'll kill you.” Let him stew on that, she thought, not even slightly bluffing. She could tell from the look in his eyes that he knew.

 

“Well?” he asked. “What are we to do?”

 

“Oh, that's rich,” she said. “You're going to refuse my direct orders and then turn around and pretend this is still my mission because you have no idea what to do.”

 

“You're wasting time, Major,” he said tersely. “We can fight all the way back home if you like. For now, you need to focus.”

 

She narrowed her eyes. He was dangerously close to getting punched in the mouth. “Fine,” she said tightly. “We're going to need the element of surprise, which means we're going to need a couple of those uniforms. Let's see if we can lure those outside guards into an ambush and go from there. We have no idea about their patrol patterns or anything else. I hope you realize you're putting us at a horrible disadvantage.”

 

“You're free to go get reinforcements,” he said.

 

“And let you kill your daughter while I'm gone? No chance. I already made that clear. I'm done talking about this. Let's go,” she said, starting to move stealthily closer to the mine. They'd be lucky if any of them survived this, she thought angrily. If they did get out alive, she decided she probably would send a complaint to the Cardassian military as he had suggested, for all the good it would do.

 

Getting into position took far longer than it did for them to attract the attention of the two guards, disable them, and obtain their uniforms. After seeing the creatures, Kira was reluctant to wear anything they had been wearing, but it had to be done. She and Dukat made their way inside, disabled a third guard, and made contact with some of the Bajoran and Cardassian prisoners. Then as far as Kira was concerned, everything went to hell, thanks to Dukat's stubbornness and duplicity.

 

She found herself trapped in a firefight with more Breen while he ran down a side corridor in search of Ziyal. Only the arrival of the Cardassians he sent away to get more prisoners saved her and the woman, Heler. She didn't have time to react to the sad news that her friend Lorit had died in a cave-in two years prior. She had to reach Ziyal before Dukat did, or at least before he had a chance to kill the girl. She sent the prisoners toward the front of the mine shaft, promising to meet them there, and took off in the direction she had seen Dukat run.

 

She found a downed Breen, only to almost have her head taken off by phaser fire. Kosst, she thought, diving for cover and returning fire. At this rate, she'd be fighting her way through all of the remaining guards. Would she be too late? Taking a gamble, she suddenly directed her fire at a spot above the Breen's head. Several rocks dislodged and fell atop the unlucky alien. Just to be sure, she darted forward and finished it off. She didn't need a wounded enemy flanking her.

 

She continued running mostly blindly, unsure of where to go next. On instinct, she followed the main passageway, not turning off at any branches. There were no more downed Breen to give her any clues. Prophets be thanked, she thought when she heard voices from up ahead, one of them unmistakably Dukat's. She stepped into a small chamber with a well, seeing Dukat ahead of her with his rifle already raised and a glimpse of the girl beyond him. “Dukat, no,” she said sharply.

 

The confusion in the girl's voice as she questioned what was happening broke her heart. This girl was an innocent. She didn't deserve this. Kira trained her rifle squarely on Dukat and tightened up the slack on the trigger, having every intention of shooting him dead on the spot if he so much as twitched wrong. She'd deal with the traumatized girl later if it came to that. Still, she hoped that she could reason with him and tried her best. It looked as though he wasn't going to listen to reason.

 

Suddenly, the girl cut in again, sounding devastated. “The Cardassian prisoners...they told me this would happen,” she said, “that you'd never let me go home, but I didn't believe them.”

 

“Ziyal, run!” Kira barked, desperate to get the girl out of there, out of the line of danger.

 

“I used to dream about you coming to save me,” she said to him, ignoring Kira. “It's what kept me alive.”

 

“Ziyal,” he said, his voice thick with anguish.

 

Good, she thought fiercely. You should feel terrible for this!

 

Looking resigned, the girl straightened herself a little. “If I can't be with you,” she said, “I'd rather die.”

 

Watching like a hawk, Kira saw the rifle tip waver then lower. The girl approached him slowly and wrapped her arms around him. Kira tensed all over again when he thrust her back to arms' length. For Prophet's sake, be a father! she thought, her finger still taut on the trigger.

 

“Let's go home,” he said softly, pulling her in and holding her close.

 

Kira let out a sigh of relief. “I hate to interrupt this,” she said softly, “but we're not safe yet. We have to get out of here.”

 

They both nodded and Dukat turned, all business once more. The remaining Breen guards weren't difficult to dispatch. The hardest part left to them was walking the weakened prisoners back through the punishing desert landscape to the runabout so that they could get underway.

 

Kira kept to herself for the most part, trying to come to terms with the fact that a hope she had held to for over six years had been dashed. Her good friend was dead. She was happy and grateful to have been able to rescue the rest of them, but she worried about the girl. Would Dukat's resolve remain true? Would he stand by his daughter, or was she yet in more danger? What would happen if he took her to Cardassia? What would they do to her, to him? She didn't want to think about it, but she couldn't help it. Something about the simple dignity with which the girl had faced her father touched and impressed her. It had obviously touched Dukat, too. Was there a chance that he could learn something about the occupation from all of this? Could he change?

 

Stop it, Kira, she told herself in exasperation, the runabout on auto pilot and her presence at the controls little more than for show, as well as an excuse to stay away from Dukat. What does it matter if he changes? Does it make him any less responsible for all of his crimes? No, she thought a bit sadly, but if change doesn't matter, what does that mean for someone like me? She didn't have a good answer for that.

 

She was glad to get back to the station and back to normal. She was also glad to hear that he had decided to be the father that Ziyal deserved, despite the possible consequences. As she watched him walk away, another familiar voice caught her attention, and she turned to find Garak approaching her from the stairs leading to the second level of the Promenade. “I can't tell you how relieved I am to see you back in one piece,” Garak said smoothly.

 

I'll just bet, she thought with some amusement. While she no longer believed that Garak loathed her, she was under no illusions that he felt any real attachment beyond what might be useful for him. “Your advice...helped,” she said.

 

“I'm glad,” he said. “Once I discovered why Dukat was going to such lengths to accompany you, I feared for your safety.”

 

“You...know?” she asked. She realized she shouldn't have felt so astonished, but such things did stretch Garak's claims of being nothing more than a tailor beyond the bounds of credibility.

 

“Indeed,” he said. “Truthfully, I'm surprised he's bothering going back to Cardassia. There will be no welcome for him there.”

 

Something about the way Garak said that gave her pause. “I don't suppose you would have anything to do with that?” she asked, frowning.

 

“Do?” he asked, staring at her as though she might have been dropped on her head as a child. “Why would I have to do anything? He's taking a half breed back to Cardassia Prime and acknowledging her as his own. If anyone is doing anything to ensure his utter ruin, it's Dukat. Cardassian society doesn't need my hand to guide it in that matter.”

 

“That 'half breed', as you call her, is his daughter,” Kira said tightly. “A very brave, very intelligent girl. I'm not going to stand here and listen to you insult her, Garak.”

 

“You misunderstand me,” Garak said impatiently. “What I think doesn't matter. The fact remains. There is no place on Cardassia for such a child or for one willing to claim her.”

 

She had heard enough, turning to walk away from him. “Then all I can say,” she said over her shoulder, “is more's the pity for Cardassia.”

 

Garak

The Promenade, second level

 

Garak watched Kira retreat, feeling quite pleased with himself. He hadn't done much; it was true. Dukat had made his own bed for years, unwisely cultivating all sorts of enemies, people with very long memories who weren't quick to forget such slights as Dukat was famous for meting out. All Garak had done was nudged a few people in the right direction. No one would be surprised when Dukat came home with Ziyal in tow. There'd be no hiding her, no being discreet. He could hardly wait to hear of the fallout. It was, of course, a shame that the girl would be hurt in the process, but she would have been regardless. No one on Cardassia would ever accept a half breed of any race, Bajoran or otherwise.

 

A familiar tread had him turning. “Ah, Doctor, good afternoon,” he said pleasantly.

 

“I saw you standing up here gazing out the star port and thought I'd come say hello,” Julian said amiably. “What has you in such a good mood?”

 

“Haven't you heard that Major Kira returned safely from her mission?” he asked.

 

“As a matter of fact, I have,” the doctor said, looking slightly skeptical. “I wasn't aware you had a particular fondness for the major.”

 

“Don't be silly,” Garak said, waving a hand. “A friend of a friend. I'm sure you understand.”

 

“Right,” he said, looking amused.

 

“Why do I get the feeling you don't believe me?” the tailor asked, adopting a mock wounded posture.

 

Julian chuckled. “I can't imagine why,” he said. “Since you're in such a good mood, I suppose now would be a good time to ask you if you'd like to come to dinner some time this week.”

 

“Our lunches aren't enough for you these days?” he asked, arching a brow ridge.

 

Julian colored slightly and looked away. “Actually,” he said, “this invitation isn't coming just from me. Leeta wanted me to invite you.”

 

“She did?” he asked, genuinely surprised. “Whatever for?”

 

“How did she put it? She wants to get to know someone so important to me better. So, will you come, or not?” he asked.

 

“Do you actually want me to?” Garak asked in return. “You seem reluctant.”

 

“Well, you have to admit, it's a little awkward,” he replied.

 

“I can't imagine what could be awkward about having dinner with your ex and your current romantic interest,” Garak said dryly.

 

Julian pressed his lips together in a way Garak still found endearing beyond words. “I'd like for you to come,” he said. “She has been pressuring me about this for a while now. The only reason I haven't asked sooner is because...well, I didn't want to hurt you.”

 

Garak smiled. “You're a dear boy, but I assure you, I'm quite beyond that now. Why not? What night were you considering? I'll be sure to keep my calendar clear.”

 

“You are?” he asked then shook his head. “Forget I asked that. I'm glad to hear it. Anyway, we were thinking three nights from now?”

 

“Delightful,” he said, not buying the “glad to hear it” part for one second. He had seen how Julian's face fell. It was brief, but it was there. The question was did he want to do something about it? That would call for some serious thought. He had been making every effort to keep their friendship at just that level, but he had to admit that at times it was difficult. Was it possible that the two of them had grown and changed enough to make revisiting something more a good move?

 

“What?” Julian asked warily. “What are you thinking?”

 

“Beg pardon?” he asked, all innocence once more. “Oh, I was simply wondering if I should bring anything.”

 

The doctor eyed him a beat longer than necessary if he believed him. Garak was fairly certain that he didn't. He did know him quite well, after all. “If you'd like to bring something to drink or a dessert, I'm sure Leeta would be happy with that. I trust your judgment.”

 

Garak smiled widely. “Ah, my dear doctor, I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that,” he said. Yes, this had shaped up to be quite a nice day. He decided that when he was shopping for a host gift for Leeta and Julian, he'd also get a little something for Quark and Major Kira. If nothing else, it would keep them guessing, which as far as he was concerned was exactly how it should be.

 

The End

Comments

[blossommorphine.livejournal.com]

Very satisfying, exactly what I needed to start the day (so late). Oh, and Dax nudging Julian back to Garak. I wonder if she will actively encourage it. And that dinner! I also like how you are handling Leeta, showing how compassionate and intuitive she is. I think a lot of people forget that.

I'm looking foward to how you handle a lot of things (Changeling!Julain, Ziyal, etc.)

♥

[dark-sinestra.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Dax is a sneaky one. Hard to tell what she'll do at any given time, although generally, the more mischief the better seems to be her motto. hehe I think she enjoyed seeing Julian off balance more often than not, in a playful way, not a mean one.

I'm really, really looking forward to the dinner scene. Already blocking some of it out in my head. I loved Leeta. I just didn't really love Leeta with Julian. I thought she was a much better match with Rom, and it bothered me that we didn't get to see much of how great she was until after she and Julian broke up. I want to show at least some of their relationship before everything fell apart, as to why they would stay together for a little over a year.

I'm looking forward to getting through season four! There's just not much to work with except a few episodes. Changeling!Bashir and Ziyal are going to be fun. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

[tj-dragonblade.livejournal.com]

Another wonderful installment in your series. ♥ I don't think I've left comment on nearly enough of them, but I always look forward to seeing another of your fics pop up in the comm, however long the wait between ends up to be. It's especially fun to revisit the series through parallel storylines; I haven't seen any episodes in years and it's fun to be reminded of all the ups and downs and painful moments (the Bashir-O'Brien rift over the drug research) and little forgotten laughs (Dukat's ass and the dermal regenerator XD) and the little everyday domestic-type things (Sisko's belated oh-sh*t over 'It's a big step';) and just how much I loved watching all these guys on a regular basis back in the day.

As someone else said, I really love what you're doing with Leeta and character development/display, especially considering that this has largely been a Garak/Bashir story and fanfic tropes would historically dictate that she be villainized or at the very least an unsympathetic character. I like that you're not going that route; it's a much more true-to-life feel and she's got so much more to offer than just a pretty face and perky endowments. She didn't seem to get much depth in canon before she got together with Rom, and it's nice to see you giving her some due dimension earlier on - makes it clearer that she's not so vapid and shallow as she might be assumed to be, makes the idea that she'd fall for Rom (and him for her) more plausible because we get to see more of her personality on the front end instead of after the fact.

Also like the conversation between Dax and Julian, her nudging about Garak and him nudging about Worf. ^_^ And the Garak-Odo conversation over breakfast. And Garak's 'drunken' manipulation of Quark. And all of Kira's introspective thoughts on Dukat and Garak and herself and trust and change and What It Means. Your characterization feels really right to me, which makes the reading all the more enjoyable.

Too bad about that head of steam losing such momentum, and RL interfering and all, but even if the stories come slower, I think it's safe to say we still look forward to reading them. ^_^ And I doubt there's anyone in fandom who doesn't understand about such things, anyway. I really look forward to how your series will cover/deal with FounderBashir, and all the revelation-of-secrets and other things surrounding Tain's death, and then the outing of Julian as genetically enhanced, and such. If and how Garak and Julian will get back together and whether we get more of Garak's deliciously non-human anatomy. ^_~ And Ziyal, now that she's entered the picture - I always liked her character, thought there was a lot of potential there, and I'm eager to see how she shapes up in your hands.

Also, that dinner with Leeta promises to be entertaining, even if only to the reader. ^_^

[dark-sinestra.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! I feel as though I'm getting to take a fresh walk through the series, too, and it's a lot of fun. The hard part is deciding what to emphasize and what to leave alone. I loved most of the characters in different ways and for different reasons, but since the focus this time is G/B, I have to keep an eye to that and what works for them.

I always liked Leeta. I couldn't turn her into a villain or some sort of vapid idiot, because she really wasn't. If she had been, there's no way Julian would have stayed with her an entire year. He was better than that, too.

I'm really glad some of the other characters ring true to you. There was so much with Odo and Garak and Kira and Dukat that I wish we had gotten to see. Fascinating characters and interactions, great material to mine and build on. I sort of have an idea where some of it is going, but a lot of it is still up in the air, having to address it as it comes. Kira's journey was such an important part of the story that I'd feel really remiss if I ignored it or didn't deal with it in some capacity. In some ways, I think it relates to Garak, too.

I'm not done playing with Garak's anatomy. :-D It's too amazing and fascinating and all around fun. I like Ziyal, too. She was a bright point of light that got shabby treatment by never settling on one actress or knowing where to go with her. I hope people will like my take on that, even people who traditionally don't like Ziyal because they feel it killed any chance of anything with Bashir and Garak. All I can say is...that's not my take. ;)

Thanks for the understanding about RL and general muse issues. I do think most writers and fanfic fans hit that wall sooner or later. Lately, the muse has been kind, though. The next story is well underway and not showing many signs of hitting a snag.

I appreciate the in depth review. I always get a lot out of these, seeing what's working for people, what isn't, where interest lies. it means a lot.

[lady-drace.livejournal.com]

Phew, this took me ages to get around to reading. When I saw your latest installment posted, I figured I'd better get to it. :o)

I confess, I didn't read the part about Dukat and Kira all that thoroughly, but I liked what you did. Or rather, what you could do with it. Not much left to play with in that part of the episode, as far as I see.

You made my head spin with Garak and Odo, though. One minute they were being spot on in character, and the next, not so much. Like calling Starfleet "Fleeters". Frankly, I don't see any of them using a word like that.

Your Dax is perfect as always, as is your Quark and your Leeta. :o)

About the "abnormally high tolerance for alcohol"... are you referring to the fact that it took "half [my] stock of kanar" to get him drunk during the Wire(Because Quark would have realized it then, wouldn't he?), or is this a new theory based on something else?

I'm being a critic here, but I did very much like this. Your work is always top notch, even with episiodes that seem to leave very little room for expansion of plots and character development. Can't wait to read the next one! When Pea and the plague will give me time and energy for it. *sigh*

And YAY for the hint of more G/B at the end. :oD

[dark-sinestra.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was hard to find something new to add to the Kira/Dukat scenes, mostly stuff internal to Kira. Nobody hold their breath for internal Dukat, because I don't think that's ever gonna happen, at least in this series. lol!

I'll keep that in mind in future installments. It's important to me that they have their correct "voice", so if something stands out like a sore thumb, it's definitely a concern.

In my series, I've hinted at the fact that Rom knows something was wrong with Garak during that time (The Wire and shortly after). He doesn't know the whole story, but he knows some. I've had mentions of his migraines and his pills, how they affect him oddly, etc. Given how much Rom talks to Quark, Quark also knows something weird was going on then. Garak since then has made some efforts to downplay the situation. It's nothing I've put in the forefront, but by this point, Quark wouldn't expect it to take several bottles of kanar to get Garak wasted or tipsy. I probably should have painted a clearer picture of that along the way, though.

As to why he has an abnormally high tolerance, that's something that happens to people who have had changes in the way their brain uses and processes endorphins. It takes way more of any sort of drug to affect them at all. Admittedly, I'm going by human anatomy, but I figured it wasn't a huge stretch to say that Cardassians get a similar effect. It doesn't go away after the person stops using drugs or whatever they were doing that changed their brain chemistry. Their receptors and the way they handle intoxicants are altered forever.

I love constructive criticism. I'll never even know to try to get better if I don't know something is ringing false, so thank you very much for that and being honest. I hope the plague leaves you alone soon. Respiratory stuff is so exhausting, and on top of an energetic baby, I can only imagine!

I'm not giving up on the G/B. Nevar! :-D Thanks for the awesome and helpful review!

[deeply-spaced.livejournal.com]

I know I've commented in email, but I have to tell you again how much I adored this. I totally agree with blossommorphine and ti_dragonblade in their reviews and I could not have said it better.

I also want to add how much I enjoyed the Dax and Leeta moments. I can't wait to get to the dinner segment and I love that there still seems to be hope for the boys getting closer. This is just wonderful and I am so thrilled to have another installment waiting for me! Yay, and thank you!

[dark-sinestra.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I always love getting your reviews. It's like a present when it's not even my birthday. And there's always hope for the boys! Thanks for your awesome feedback, e-mail and here. Made my rainy day. <3