The Long Night (20 page)

Other than that, the return trip was easier than he expected. What had seemed like an eternity to him actually took them ten minutes to traverse-and that had been slow because of Imba.

When they finally reached the door, Jake stopped. It still looked imposing. Big and metal and blocking the entire passage. He and Nog had approached it from the other side where it had seemed a part of the tunnel system. Here it was clearly a block, clearly a place that was forbidden territory.

Through the door, voices rose in argument.

"Quark is always true to form," Odo said.

"He said there's a way to open the door from the outside," Jake said.

"I sure there is," Odo said. "The key is locating it."

Imba and Ube took one side, Jake and Odo the other. They examined all the paneling until Imba discovered a depression just inside the door's lip. She pushed it, and the door slid back slowly, the metal grating as the door moved.

"Yay!" Nog yelled. "We're free."

"Get back!" Jake yelled and pushed Odo out of the way as Nog leaped through the door, rolling as Jake had done. Rom leaped next, and Quark crawled through, holding his head with one hand. A bluish bruise ran across the ridge of his brow, and a lump the size of his nose grew at the end of it.

Once he was safely outside the door, he glared up at Jake. "It took you long enough. What did you do, stop for a few games of Dabo before you decided to come back here?"

"The bar is closed," Odo said dryly.

"And if you hadn't done that, I wouldn't be here in the first place," Quark said, then he winced. "I need a doctor."

"Dr. Bashir is not here right now," Odo said and walked around Quark into the room.

"Well, he's got to have an assistant," Quark said. He gestured to Rom who came to his side. "Help me up."

Rom did.

Nog hadn't said anything to Jake. When Jake looked at him, Nog turned his back and crossed his arms. Nog seemed to blame him for the whole mess. "Look," Jake said, "I-"

"Mr. Sisko," Odo said from inside, "we don't have much time."

"Right." Jake slipped by Quark and went back into the room.

Its heat was overwhelming. They must have been miserable in here after he left. The panels looked the same, only Ops didn't seem to be the center of activity any more. Kira and three people he didn't recognize were in the conference room, having a heated discussion.

"Is someone going to get me to the infirmary or not?" Quark yelled from outside.

"Rom will take you," Odo said as he stared at the panels. Then, in a softer voice, he said to Jake, "I don't see the relay. Where is it?"

"Here." Jake pointed.

"You don't seem very concerned!" Quark yelled.

"I don't see any cause for concern," Odo said as he crouched. "You seem normal to me."

"I'm not normal," Quark's voice rose. "My head is the size of a Dabo wheel."

"That sounds normal to me," Odo muttered. "Ube, come here. See if you can tell where this relay is."

Jake got out of the way as Ube came closer. He crouched beside Odo. "Jake's right," Ube said. "Could be anywhere."

"Excuse me." Rom peeked his head in the room.

"You come back here!" Quark yelled. "I'm going to fall. Nog, help me or I'll fall. I'll fall!"

"Then fall and be quiet about it," Odo said.

"Excuse me," Rom said again. He came into the room.

"I'm falling!"

"I'm not going to take him to the infirmary, Rom," Odo said. "You do it. We've got more important matters here."

"I'm really falling!"

"No, you're not, Uncle," Nog said in as loud a voice as Quark had been using. "I have you."

"I know where that relay is," Rom said.

Ube and Odo both turned. Jake watched, a half smile on his face. Nog came to the door, Quark abandoned.

"Hey!" Quark yelled. "Hasn't anyone noticed that I'm injured?"

"Where?" Odo asked.

"Docking bay five," Rom said. "On the left-hand side of the bay as you enter. See? That black spot is from phaser fire, and over there is the remains of a Cardassian insignia, the only one still even partially visible in the station."

"I don't care about any dumb relay!" Quark shouted. "I'm going to die out here!"

"Thank you, Rom," Odo said. He spoke carefully, respecting Rom's dignity in a way that he never did with Quark. Jake was amazed. He always thought that Odo treated all Ferengi the same. Apparently his gruff attitude only applied to Quark. Then Odo tapped his comm badge.

The tiny Kira pacing the conference room looked up.

"Major," Odo said, "we have located the relay, and we are heading there now."

"Tell her I'm dying and you won't get me help!" Quark yelled.

"Make it quick, Odo," Kira said. Jake could see her small form talking while the three others in the room talked. She apparently didn't hear Quark's comment.

Odo turned to Imba and Ube. "I want you two to remain here in this room-"

"They should take me to the infirmary."

"-and when I give you the signal, I want you to destroy this elaborate spy system and trace all the links to the hidden cameras." Then he glanced at Jake. "Come along," he said. "We don't have time to waste."

They left the room together.

Nog was holding Quark upright. Quark still had one hand against his bruised head. Odo looked at it. "You might want to have a doctor examine that, Quark," he said.

"I've been saying that."

"And I would do so quickly. I'm sure that the Grand Nagus will want to speak to you when the red alert ends."

"The nagus?" Quark sputtered. "He's here? How'd he get here so fast?"

"The spy system, Brother," Rom said.

"I know about the spy system now," Quark said. "I just thought..."

But by the time he finished his thought, Odo and Jake were already hurrying through the tunnels. Jake only caught a quick glimpse of Odo's face, but he swore the edges of Odo's mouth were turned up in a teeny, tiny smile.

The meeting in the conference room was over. They at least had a few plans laid out, working only on what-ifs, but at least talking had made Kira feel better, more like the situation wasn't so out of control.

Kira hurried to Ops, the captains behind her, so that she could be ready. When Odo let her know the spy system was down, she would cancel the red alert and beam the captains back to their ships. And then she expected all hell to break loose.

She felt self-conscious as she stepped into Ops. As she had reminded Captain Kiser, she was not Starfleet, and she had three of the better captains in the fleet watching her every move.

Her every nontrained, nonregulation move.

And then she cursed herself under her breath. She had probably commanded more dangerous missions than the three of them combined. So what if she didn't follow their all important procedure. She knew some effective procedures of her own.

"Major," Tappan said as she moved toward her post, "we've been having trouble with the nagus. He's demanding to speak to Quark. And I can't find Quark anywhere."

"What else is happening?" Kira asked.

"Everything else is exactly as you left it," Tappan said. "We haven't heard from the Jibetians, and the Cardassians remain near the station."

She sighed. She had wished for a diversion from the nagus. He was impossible under the best circumstances. But, as she had known from the moment Sisko called her to Security, today had not been her day.

"Hail the nagus then," she said.

Tappan did so. Within a second, the nagus's wrinkled face appeared on the screen. At twice life size, the hair sticking out of his ears looked like it hadn't been washed in years.

Kira resisted the urge to grimace in disgust. "Nagus," she said. "Forgive me for taking so long to get back to you. I only now heard that you were here."

"I actually didn't want to talk to you, little lady. I was hoping to speak to your captain or to that rascal Quark. He's not responding to any of my messages." The nagus sounded petulant.

Kira choked back her initial response to "little lady." "I'm sorry, Nagus. Quark is working on a special project for us right now and isn't available-"

"You sent him to the Nibix??? Girl, that's like sending a woman to count the profits." Then the nagus blinked, realizing he had made an error. "If you know what I mean."

Kira put her hands behind her back and clenched her fists. "We're in the middle of some sensitive negotiations, Nagus, and we don't have much time for chat. Is there something we can help you with?"

"I need the directions to the Nibix."

"The Nibix?" Kira asked. Captain Higginbotham was standing directly below her, struggling to keep a smile off his face. Kiser had his eyes closed and was shaking his head. And Mouce was showing the outrage Kira felt at the nagus's cavalier treatment. "Really, Nagus, I don't have the time at the moment to discuss lost treasure ships."

"I know you know where the Nibix is. I demand to know as well. You can't deny me just because I'm a Ferengi. We've been looking for this ship as long as anyone. There's a profit to be made here, lass, and I intend-"

"If I had the directions to the Nibix," Kira said, "I would happily give them to you. But no one has known where that ship is for centuries. That is, I believe, why they call it a lost ship." She couldn't take this any longer. Quark was bad enough-and he was a liberal Ferengi. "Now if you'll forgive me, my station is under red alert and needs my care. When Quark returns from his mission, I'll have him contact you."

"But-"

Kira signed off and the nagus's face disappeared off the screen. She immediately relaxed her stance and let out a huge sigh.

"You said you had no diplomatic skills, Major," Mouce said. "You managed that one admirably."

"I've dealt with him before," Kira said. "Yelling at him only encourages him."

"Major?" Tappan's voice was tight.

She didn't like the caution in his voice. "Mr. Tappan?"

"My screen shows ten more ships heading toward Deep Space Nine."

"Ten more?" Kira shook her head. Her earring rattled. She must have done something to displease the gods. "Are they together?"

"I doubt it," Tappan said. "Three more Ferengi ships are converging from very different directions. There are three Andorian trading ships and a Federation cargo ship. And the scavenger ship Soltaires."

"Jepson's ship?" Kira asked.

"The same."

"Jepson?" Kiser asked.

"Only one of the worst mercenaries in the sector," Kira said. "Who else?"

"I can't identify the other ships yet," Tappan said. Then he frowned. "Add two more."

"Track and identify each one as they come within range," she said. "Ensign Jones, help him."

She stalked to her own post at the controls. When this was over, she was going to resign her commission. No one, not even Benjamin Sisko, not even her beloved Bajor, demanded that she deal with Jepson, the Grand Nagus of the Ferengi, and Gul Dukat all in one day.

Alone.

"Major," Ensign Tappan said, this time not even turning from his board, "Gul Dukat has asked to talk to you."

"He would," she snarled.

Kiser grinned at her. He apparently felt the same way about Cardassians.

"Would you like to conduct this conversation?" she asked him, not pleased at his expression.

"It's your station," he said and bowed slightly.

"Very funny," Kira said. "Mr. Tappan, put Gul Dukat on screen."

She went back to her position before Sisko's office. She liked to imagine that it irritated Gul Dukat to see a Bajoran standing in the position of power on Deep Space Nine.

Gul Dukat appeared on the screen. He was at a slight distance from his monitor. She could see his head and his upper torso. The Cardassian silver uniform was chillingly familiar.

"Haven't you gone home yet?" she asked.

"Testy, testy, Major. And here I thought this was old home week."

She would have none of his snakelike charm. "I told you to leave hours ago."

Dukat smiled. "And maybe I should have. Space around the station is getting limited."

"It would be a lot less limited if there were fewer Cardassian ships surrounding it."

His smile grew. "Of course. You need to make room for the additional visitors who will be here shortly. Apparently you have something everyone wants, Major."

"If I did, Dukat," she said, "I'd give it to them so that they'd all leave."

"Really? I never thought giving in was the Bajoran way."

"Being left alone is the Bajoran way, but Cardassians never learned that one."

"I would say that if you truly wanted to be alone, you wouldn't have all that Federation company."

So he knew that the captains had beamed aboard. How could he have missed it? He was so close to the station she could smell him. "We needed assistance with repairs."

He blinked and his eyes widened-the high-ranking Cardassian version of surprise. Once, just once, she wished their skin and blood vessel structure allowed them to blush. "Really, Major?" he asked a beat too late. "An excessive flow of information, perhaps. Can't you put a stop to it?"

"We can do that, Dukat," Kira said. "We just can't make Cardassians live up to their agreements."

"Indeed, Major? And what agreements are those?"

"The ones that guarantee they'll leave us alone."

"Now, Major. Your commander is away. I would think that you'd be happy for our assistance," Gul Dukat said.

"Then assist me," Kira said. "Go home." She waved her hand, indicating that the communication was at an end. Mr. Tappan severed their connection.

"Perhaps I was a bit premature in complimenting you on your diplomatic skills," Mouce said.

"I've known Dukat forever," Kira said. "He would think I was up to something if I didn't argue with him."

"I hope you're right," Mouce said.

Kira whirled. All afternoon she had been worried about what the captains thought, and when she finally got an inkling, she was past caring. "Listen," she said. "I don't care what you think of my skills as a leader or a diplomat. Just don't second-guess me in front of my crew unless you intend to command this space station."