Twist of Faith

by S. D. Perry

  “Absolutely, you bet,” Quark said, backing out of her office, showing most of his teeth in a sharpened grin. “Friends, got it. You won’t regret this.”

  He was gone before she could say anything else. Ro sighed, staring down into her mug of tea, regretting it already. Oh, well; she’d made her position clear, and he’d just have to—

  “May I come in?”

  Ro looked up, and saw Captain Picard standing in the entrance to her office.

  Ro stood up quickly, almost upsetting her tea. “Captain. Yes, of course.”

  He stepped into her office, standing stiffly as he looked around, and she was more than a little astonished to see him looking uncomfortable. Jean-Luc Picard was never uncomfortable.

  “So,” he said, finally looking at her. “A Bajoran Militia lieutenant, special forces, and chief security officer for the station. It’s good that you’re putting your tactical training to good use.”

  There was no spite or animosity in his voice, or in his coolly appraising gaze. Ro nodded, finding that she was still completely intimidated by the man.

  “Yes, sir. The rank is honorary. I was appointed here, after the war. Recently, I mean.” She mentally slapped herself, her heart pounding.

  Picard nodded, still studying her face. “I see. Do you think you’ll stay here?”

  Again, Ro searched for the anger she expected and again, came up empty. He was simply asking. She thought about his question, thought about telling him she was fine and happy and all settled in, but found that she didn’t want to lie. He hadn’t come here to condemn her; this was her chance to be honest with him.

  “I don’t know,” she said uncertainly. “I think so, but sometimes…sometimes I’m not sure if it’s what I want.”

  “Commitments can be difficult,” he said, nodding again. “But there are benefits to following through. You’ve done well for yourself; perhaps you should stay for a while.”

  Ro swallowed heavily, no longer able to stand it. “Captain, about what happened—” she began, and he raised one hand, silencing her.

  “Everyone has regrets, Lieutenant…and the consequences of our actions, of the choices we make, can stay with us for a long time. I only stopped by to say that I hope you won’t let your past dictate your future—and to wish you well.”

  Suddenly, Ro found herself perilously close to tears. She’d betrayed him…and it seemed that he had forgiven her.

  “Thank you, Captain,” she said, struggling to keep a tremor out of her voice and failing, horrified by the thought of breaking down in front of him.

  Picard took pity on her. “Well. Good luck, Lieutenant.”

  He nodded once, then turned and walked out, straightening his uniform as he disappeared into the crowd on the Promenade.

  Ro sat down, elated and weak with gratitude, depressed and uncertain of everything. She stared at her cup of tea until she felt the threat of tears pass; it was ice cold before she felt ready to move on with her day.

  After saying good-bye to Colonel Kira in her office—and receiving more of her sincerely felt appreciation for the delivery of the Orb—Picard headed for the Enterprise, thinking that he was glad he’d gone to see Ro Laren. There had been a time when he’d felt only anger and disappointment at the thought of what she’d done; after the faith he’d placed in her, her abrupt decision to join the Maquis—and to sabotage a Starfleet operation, in the process—had been a surprise, to say the least.

  Something about her had always appealed to him on some fundamental level, though he’d never been able to quantify those feelings to his satisfaction…and still couldn’t, not really. The need for second chances, perhaps. All he knew was that when he’d seen her yesterday, when he’d seen the open self-doubt and shame in her eyes, he’d realized that he didn’t want her to carry such sorrow on his behalf. It was as simple as that.

  An exciting and unusual day, all in all, he thought, stepping from the pylon turbolift to head for his waiting ship. From the Orb to an evacuation, to a Jem’Hadar ambassador and the changes his presence had wrought, Picard was quite satisfied with their stop at DS9. He was sorry they couldn’t stay longer, but the ship needed a more extensive maintenance than DS9 could currently provide; Starbase 375 wasn’t too far away, and the crew still needed to stretch their legs. He thought they might stay there for two or three days, let everyone take a few deep breaths before they continued on with Starfleet business….

  “Captain, would you mind if I accompanied you to the bridge?”

  Vaughn was standing just inside the outer docking port, smiling. Picard shook his head, glad to see him; he’d planned on asking the commander to come to the ship before they disembarked, knowing that Will and Deanna, at least, would want a chance to say good-bye. And he wanted to know if his suspicions about Vaughn’s future were correct.

  “Not at all,” he said, and the two men stepped on to the ship, heading for the turbolift. They stood side by side, speaking without looking at each other as the lift ascended to the bridge. “I suppose you know what I did,” Vaughn said.

  Picard smiled. “I had my suspicions,” he admitted, “especially once you mentioned having ideas about testing the Dominion’s sincerity. This puts you in quite an extraordinary position, Elias. You’ll be taking point in the renewed exploration of the Gamma Quadrant, if Starfleet approves it.”

  Vaughn grinned. “Hell, even if they don’t approve it,” he said, as the lift halted and its doors opened.

  They strode together to the center of the bridge, Geordi reporting from the aft engineering station that the Enterprise was in good shape for their trip. All of the senior staff were present, and when Vaughn revealed his plans, the reception was overwhelmingly positive. Even Data turned on his emotions just for the experience; he put on a grin and warmly shook Vaughn’s hand, congratulating him heartily.

  After Deanna had embraced Vaughn, promising to keep in touch, only Picard was left to bid the commander farewell. They walked back up to the turbolift together, neither speaking until they reached the doors.

  Picard smiled, extending his hand. “It’s been a pleasure, Elias. I sincerely hope we’ll have an opportunity to work together again.”

  Vaughn reached out to clasp Picard’s hand with both of his own. “As do I. Jean-Luc, thank you for everything.”

  “You’re welcome, sir.”

  With a final grin, the commander stepped onto the lift and the doors closed, taking him to his future. Picard went to his chair, and Will began the process of leading them away from Deep Space 9, communications calling ops, Data laying in a course for Starbase 375.

  A remarkable turn of events. Picard decided he’d have to make a point of bringing the Enterprise back this way in a year or so, time and circumstances allowing. Elias, Ro, the colonel, Taran’atar; it would be interesting to see what developed.

  “Take us out,” Riker said, and Picard leaned back in his chair, wishing he’d taken Elias horseback riding, deciding that he would indulge himself soon after they were under way; life was too short not to take full advantage.

  After Picard left Kira’s office, she decided that it was time to reveal the Orb to Vedek Capril. With all that had happened since the captain had presented it to her, there’d been no opportunity—and though she’d wanted to track down Shakaar and tell him first, she now thought that it might be best to let the station’s vedeks handle the revelation. Her plate was full enough without having to manage the fervor that a returned Orb would create.

  Kira stepped off the lift onto the Promenade, and headed straight for the shrine. She could hardly wait to see Vedek Capril’s reaction, or Vedek Po’s, or that of the prylars who assisted them. The Orb, Kira was certain, would bring some much-needed harmony to her people, as a sign that the Prophets were still with them.

  An account from the Bajoran Chamber of Ministers had come in just before Picard had stopped by, reporting that mass gatherings were being held all over the planet, confused and worried citizens meeting to talk abou
t Ohalu’s book. It had been fourteen hours since she’d uploaded it, and although the prophecies had apparently stirred up plenty of unrest, no one was panicking, or rioting in the streets, contrary to Yevir’s assertion. A new dialogue had been created, that was all, and Kira believed that the returned Orb would ease any turmoil in that dialogue. She was grateful to the Prophets for allowing the Orb to be found and brought back to Bajor; it was one of the few bright lights in days of darkness, along with the message from Odo….

  Kira wasn’t ready to let Odo in, not quite yet. The feelings were simple but the thoughts weren’t, and she’d have plenty of time to miss him in the days to come, after the station was repaired and its population was at rest. She pushed the image of his well-loved face out of her mind, thinking instead of Taran’atar, of how to introduce him to the station—

  “Nerys.”

  Kasidy was standing near the doors of the temple, her arms crossed, her shoulders hunched with tension. Kira looked around, and saw that a number of Bajorans had stopped in the middle of the Promenade, talking to one another softly as they stared at Kas. Kira felt herself flush with guilt, and hurriedly stepped into the temple, beckoning for Kas to join her.

  The shrine was empty and quiet, the attendants apparently all in the back offices, the lights low. Kira turned, looking into Kasidy’s face, and saw a careful guardedness in her usually mild brown eyes, a caution that had never been there before. Knowing that it was her fault made Kira’s heart ache.

  “Kas, I…I’m so sorry,” she said, wondering if she’d ever be able to make it up to her.

  Kasidy nodded. She didn’t seem angry so much as resigned, which was much worse.

  “You did what you had to do,” Kas said calmly. “I wish you hadn’t, but I understand why. I might have done the same thing myself, if I were you.”

  Kira shook her head. “If I’d known what this would do to you, I would have thought twice,” she said, hoping that Kasidy believed at least that much. “But all of this will go away, I promise, and sooner than you think. The people of Bajor care about you, Kas, they’re not going to turn your life into some kind of a…a religious attraction.”

  “You’re right,” Kas said, still calm and matter-of-fact. “Because I’m going to Earth, to be with Jake and Joseph, at least for the duration of my pregnancy. I’ll be leaving day after tomorrow…and I may not be coming back. I don’t know yet.”

  Kira felt her stomach clench, a rush of desperation and denial moving like heat throughout her body. “Kasidy, no! Your house is finished, and all of your friends are here—please, please don’t go, not because of what I did. What can I do, how can I fix this?”

  Kasidy reached out and touched Kira lightly on the arm. “I don’t blame you, and you shouldn’t blame yourself. It’s just—I woke up this morning to find something like eleven thousand messages posted to me, on the communications net. I read about fifty of them, but it was enough—Nerys, some of those people were offering to die for me, to be part of the sacrifice for the Avatar. For my baby.”

  Kira felt sick. “Oh, Kas, I’m so sorry. I’m sure that it’s just a few people…”

  She trailed off, realizing that it wouldn’t make a difference. Even one was too many.

  Kasidy smiled faintly. “It’s okay. I wish I could stay, but I just can’t handle this kind of stress, not now. My body can’t handle it. This is for the best. And maybe I will come back, once things die down a little.”

  Stricken by the hollowness of the statement, Kira searched for something else she could say, something to make things right again, but she was grasping at air. Kasidy gave her arm a squeeze before turning and walking out, leaving Kira alone.

  Kira sat down on the back bench, closed her eyes, and started to pray.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Commander Vaughn found Kira in the Bajoran shrine just off the Promenade. When he stepped into the temple’s entrance, he didn’t see her at first, and wondered if the computer had steered him wrong. The shrine itself was lovely, the complete lack of ornate or lavish trappings adding to the atmosphere of faith and good feelings. A light scent of incense and candle wax lingered in the still air.

  Vaughn took a few more steps inside and saw the colonel, kneeling in the back of the room to the far left, where she’d been blocked from sight by the entrance wall. Her eyes were closed, and he realized she was meditating or praying, her still face tilted upward slightly. Not wanting to interrupt, Vaughn started to back quietly out of the room, thinking that he could approach her about the XO position later.

  Kira opened her eyes, turning to look at him. Her features were relaxed, but somehow not serene, as though she’d just woken from an unhappy dream.

  “Hello, Commander.”

  Vaughn smiled. “Sorry to interrupt—perhaps we could meet when you’re finished…?”

  “That’s all right,” she said, pushing off her knees and sitting back against the rear wall of the shrine. “I’m having a little trouble concentrating, anyway. Have a seat.”

  Vaughn joined Kira on the floor next to her, wondering what was wrong. She definitely seemed tense, and perhaps a little sad. Kira didn’t strike him as someone who would be comfortable sharing her emotions with a virtual stranger, so he didn’t ask.

  “I never got a chance to thank you, for what you did last night,” she said. “If you hadn’t been there, a lot of people would have died. You were instrumental in saving the station.”

  “I really just helped you save it,” he said, and took a deep breath. “Though as long as you’re thinking well of me, how would you feel about keeping me around? I noticed you have an opening for an executive officer, and I’d very much like to fill it.”

  Kira hesitated, then slowly nodded, smiling a little. “That would be great, assuming Starfleet is agreeable…. You’re overqualified for the position, if you don’t mind me saying.”

  Vaughn grinned, feeling as though the last piece of a puzzle was fitting into place. “I’ve already worked that out, actually. My, ah, superiors have agreed to it, as long as you’re not opposed to the appointment.”

  Kira looked a bit puzzled. “I was under the impression that your background is primarily tactical….”

  “It is,” Vaughn said. “But I had an experience recently that made me want to try something else. An Orb experience, actually.”

  Kira’s eyes widened. “Captain Picard told me you found the Orb, I can’t believe I forgot to thank you—you have no idea how much this means to my people.”

  “Actually, maybe I do, a little,” Vaughn said, smiling. “Did the captain tell you that when we found it, the ark was open? Everyone on the away team was affected. For me, it was…it changed me. It made me realize that I didn’t want to be doing what I was doing, which is a big part of why I want to be your second.”

  Kira was nodding, a look of real understanding on her face. It was a look that made Vaughn feel safe to tell it all, a look that told him she knew the power of the experience.

  “I don’t want to fight anymore, Colonel,” Vaughn said. “I want to be here. I want to be a part of the changes that are happening, here and now. When I was on that freighter, remembering who I once wanted to be, reliving experiences that I worked so hard to forget…I saw that it wasn’t too late for me.”

  “The Orb was on a freighter?” Kira asked. “A Cardassian freighter?”

  Something in her tone gave Vaughn pause. “That’s right,” he said. “The Kamal. It was trapped in a conflicted energy mass, had been for at least three decades.”

  “Were there Bajorans on board?” The look on Kira’s face told him that she was more than simply curious.

  “Yes.”

  “Did you…” Kira took a deep breath and blew it out. Her expression was almost fearful.

  No, not fearful. Awed.

  “Did you find the Orb in a cargo bay? With Bajorans and Cardassians?”

  Vaughn nodded, wondering if Picard had mentioned it, knowing already that he hadn’t. “Ye
s.”

  “I dreamed it,” Kira said wonderingly. “The day that the Jem’Hadar attacked the station. I dreamed that I was in a lost freighter, in a cargo bay. And all around me were Bajoran refugees, and their captors, and they were dying—”

  “—asphyxiating,” Vaughn said.

  “—and there was a light in the back of the bay—”

  “—and Benjamin Sisko was there,” Vaughn said, taking a chance. He hadn’t told anyone else, but she knew already, not a trace of surprise on her face as she nodded.

  They stared at one another, Vaughn not sure what it meant, not sure that he had to know. He remembered telling Jean-Luc only a day before that strange things happened, things that might never be explained.

  There might never be an answer to how it had happened, but Vaughn thought he knew why.

  “I was meant to find it, and bring it to you,” he said, knowing that he couldn’t back it up, that there was no proof beyond the dream of one woman and the exceptional experience of one man. It didn’t matter. It was true, and Kira knew it as well as he did.

  “Welcome to Deep Space 9, Commander,” Kira said softly, and although he hadn’t been assigned quarters, hadn’t even seen a quarter of the station or met more than a handful of people, Vaughn thought that he was probably home at last.

  When she was alone again, having sent Vaughn to ops to introduce himself around, to find quarters and get situated, Kira went to the private room where the Orb of Prophecy and Change sat on its low pedestal. She closed the door behind her and went to the storage cabinet where the Orb of Memory was hidden, still waiting to be given back to the people.

  Kira gently lifted the precious ark out of the cabinet and placed it on the floor, kneeling in front of it. The Prophets had been trying to tell her something, all along, and she hadn’t understood—but she understood now. Vaughn was right; he’d been meant to find the Orb, and she’d been meant to receive it. And the only way for her to find out why was to open the ark, to let the Prophets speak to her, if They saw fit.