Danny Amor's Online Library/Danny Amor's Online Library - Volume 1.iso/html/startrek/incomplete/odoital.p1-3

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From: [e-mail] (KyRoka)
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Subject: Odo Ital
Date: 19 May 1995 16:13:23 -0400
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YE OLE STANDARD DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns everything except the story,
that's mine,
all mine!

        "She will never love you.  How could she?  You are a
Changeling."
Those words kept beating around inside his head; well, not exactly his
head because now he was
in his gelatinous state, but they echoed in his mind.  It was true of
course.  How could he ever
expect her to love *him*?  He thought it had all been over when the
situation had wrenched the
words he never expected to say from his mouth.  Then he had learned of the
rouse.  "You are a
Changeling."  He had been able to convince her that is was just because
she had been with him
that she had been imitated, but he hadn't been able to convince himself
because he knew the
truth.  Every time he saw her he wanted to tell her that he was in love
with her and would always
be, but there was the pain of Bareil's death still lingering in her eyes,
in her spirit.  And then the
quantum stasis field Garak had used to interrogate him.  It had forced him
to admit to someone
that he wanted to go home, but how could he?  How could he leave
everything, everyone
behind?  And yet how could he continue to live side by side with her and
yet remain so distant?
    "Sisko to Odo."
    He rose from his spot, assuming his form.
    "Yes, Commander?" he said in a voice that always seemed a bit
irritated.
    "Constable, I have a little mystery for you to solve.  It seems
Quark is missing ten cases
of very fine Terran wine.  He claims it is worth a hundred strips of
gold-pressed latinum,"
continued Sisko with a very innocent tone to his voice.
    "Humph," was all Odo said.
    "I thought you might react that way.  Could you help Quark *find*
his very fine Terran
wine?"
    "I'll get right on it."  After all, nothing major was going on on
the station right now, and he
hadn't bothered Quark in almost a day.  It was about time he got caught
for something.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

After a few minutes, Odo had solved Quark's dilemma and was surveying the
Promenade when
he saw Dax helping Major Kira to the Infirmary, which was damned difficult
for Kira seeing Dax
was quite a bit taller than her.  Odo almost went to help her, as he
almost always did, almost
always had.  But his control still reigned over him and he followed them
into the Infirmary as any
*friend* would have.
    "What happened?" he heard the Doctor ask.
    "Let's just say..." Dax was trying to think of a delicate way to
put this.
    "Let's just say that Bajorans were not meant to fly, holosuite or
not," Kira finally
interjected.
    "Ah.  The hang-gliding program.  She tried to talk me in to that
once, luckily I had to
perform an emergency surgery."
    "As I recall, Julian, that emergency surgery turned out to be an
Andorian with a
hangnail."
    "Yes, well, I'm sure it was very important to the Andorian.  And
besides, it was a very
serious hangnail"
    "Anyways, if *she* had been watching where she was going, she
wouldn't have crashed
into that tree."
    "Me?!  I assure you that tree was not there before.  You probably
programmed it in just
for me to crash into."
    Bashir had been tending to Kira the whole time and when he finally
clapped his tricorder
shut, Kira hopped off of the biobed.  As she strode out of the Infirmary,
she spotted Odo.
    "Checking up on me, Constable?"
    "Just making sure your little *collision* wasn't serious."
    "Well it wasn't."
    "Glad to hear it.  I take it you won't be joining Lt. Dax for
anymore hang-gliding sessions
anytime soon."
    "Not if I have anything to do with it."
    "Ah."  He hated this awkward conversation.
    "Major..."
    "Yes, Odo?"
    *Nothing.  Nothing.  Odo Ital.  Nothing.*
    "O'Brien to Kira."
    "Yes, Chief?"
    "Major, I've got a problem up here with a Bajoran transport.  They
don't seem to want to
dock at any of the ports I've designated."
    "I'm on my way.  Kira out," she said as she let out an irritated
sigh.  Sometimes pilots
could be so damned annoying. "Was there something else?"  Odo had been
standing there as if
something was weighing on his mind.
    "No, nothing."

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

    Odo didn't sleep, but oddly enough he did dream in a way.  His
consciousness
would lower itself to the point where someone would be dreaming.  But when
he dreamed, it
was always the same.  First the explosion.  Then seeing her trapped under
the bulkhead...hit
squarely by a phaser.  The constant draw he had felt to the Omarion
Nebula.  Finding his people,
being the happiest he had probably ever been.  Having to leave because
of...There really wasn't
a reason, just a feeling that he had to return with the Defiant.  Having
to watch her lose Bareil,
having to watch losing her, or what he thought was her.  Desperately
trying to save her and in
turn losing control of himself in his anxiety.  Having to face her every
day after that.  Having to
ignore the fact he was homesick.  Having to admit it to Garak, of all
people.  Having to...wake up
and live another day just like the rest.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

    "Ah, Constable."  It was Garak. "I thought I might take you up on
your offer to have
breakfast together, that is, if you're not too busy."  Odo nodded.  As
they started making their
way toward the kiosks, Garak continued to talk. "Dr. Bashir and I usually
share meals, but he is
busy at the moment."
    "I see.  And I was next in line?"
    "Hardly.  There were several other people I contacted before you
but they were all busy."
    Suddenly the station rocked, *hard*.  Odo immediately tapped his
communicator.
    "Odo to Ops."
    "Kira here."
    "What's going on up there, Major?"
    "Two Cardassian.."the station rocked again.  Odo could hear the
sparks in Ops,
"...warships, Galor class have just decloaked off the port side of the
station.  Apparently..."more
sparks, a few startled and wounded cries, "...all of them weren't
destroyed by the Dominion."
Just then, a large blast caught Odo and Garak's attention.  It was one of
the shops on the
Promenade.  Odo almost started for it when he heard another blast and a
cry he could not
mistake from over the comm line.  He stood there, trying to hide the
anguish.  She was in Ops
but there were people here who needed help.  If he went, pandemonium would
grip the
Promenade, but if he stayed then...
    "Alright, everyone clear out.  The Promenade is closed.  Return to
your quarters and
ships NOW!"  He rushed over to help untangle the majority of the rushing
crowd, directing
people here and there.  Surprisingly Garak was helping.  It was almost as
if he actually cared
what happened to these people.  Garak caught Odo's question in a glance.
    "Some of my best customers," was his answer.
    "Humph."

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

    "Sisko to Bashir.  We need a team up here right away.  The Major's
down, along with
several others."
    "Aye, sir."
    "Commander, the ships are moving above the station."
    "Ready phasers.  Lock on as soon as they clear the pylons."
    "Aye, sir."
    "Locked on and ready, sir."
    Smoke filled Ops, turned into a bloody fog by the red alert.  The
klaxon echoed in
Sisko's head and he struggled to make his voice heard over it and all the
commotion going on.
The station continued to leap, kick, and rock.
    'Like a bronco in a rodeo,' thought Sisko.
    "FIRE!"
    Two beams sliced out from the station, making direct hits on both
of the warships.
    "Shields on both ships down 37%!"
    "Let's hit 'em again.  Lock on and fire at will."
    More beams sliced through the vacuum of space and hit the
warships.
    "Shields almost gone!"
    "Ready torpedoes and hit them with everything we've got left!"
    "Shields gone!"
    Sisko threw his hands up in front of his face as the panel he was
at short-circuited.  The
station rocked one final time, and the klaxon ended.
    "Report!"
    "Both ships have broken off their attack.  Casualties reported in
Docking Pylon 2.
Shields are down, life support to the Promenade is minimal.  Partial power
drains reported all
over the station."
    "Close off all non-essential areas and concentrate on keeping life
support running in the
Habitat Ring.  Chief, I want you to get those shields running as soon as
possible.  I want to be
ready in case we have anymore *visitors*."
    "Aye, sir," answered nearly everyone.  Sisko turned at the sound
of the approaching lift.
Bashir and two of his team spread out over Ops.  Bashir tended to Kira who
seemed to be
wounded the worst.  There were pieces of shrapnel in her arm and parts of
her face.  She had
been standing by one of the consoles when it blew.  The rest were pretty
minor injuries.  Most
had just had the wind knocked out of them in their attempt to evade the
sparks flying
everywhere.  Kira was still conscious, albeit barely.  Bashir looked her
over and said,
    "It's just not your day, is it, Major?"
    "Very....funny, Doc..tor."
    "Chief, are the transporters still working?...Good.  Transport
Kira and me to the
Infirmary."
    "Energizing." and they were gone from the commotion surrounding
Sisko.
    "Benjamin."
    "What is it, Dax?'
    "Those ships weren't firing normal phasers.  I don't know how or
why, but there was
something different about those phaser hits."
    "So that's another problem on our hands.  I want anything you can
give me on this by
1300 hours."
    "Yes, sir."

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

    Odo had been up to his ears in dealing with all the people running
to and fro.  It was all
he could do to keep from turning into some kind of monster and chasing
everyone out.  But no,
what they needed now was instruction, a calm in the storm, and Odo was
determined to be that
calm.
    Pretty soon the Promenade was cleared and quiet.  Odo sighed.
This was the type of
control he liked the best, silence.  No one to bother with, no one to
worry about, no laws to
enforce, no criminals to chase.  He was just about to contact Ops when he
heard another blast
and a scream.  He rushed up the stairs to the second level and saw a
humanoid form lying on
the floor.  He was trying to move, futilely.  Odo helped him to his feet
and got him to the
Infirmary.  There were surprisingly few injured there.  Most of the
injuries had been minor.  A
nurse assisted the man to a biobed and started treatment immediately.  He
had been burned
from head to toe.  Odo almost shuddered.  He turned to get away from it.
The control it must
take to endure that, or the insanity, was too much for him to bear.  As he
came full around, he
was met with a view that almost made him insane.  Kira was lying on the
biobed, with most of
the shrapnel still embedded in her body.  Bashir was busy preparing
something or another.
Odo reached out his arm to Kira. He wanted to help her, but how?  He knew
nothing about
medicine.  Some movement caught the corner of his eye, and he quickly
retracted his arm.  It
was Garak, again.  Why did he always seem to be around?  Bashir was
starting to remove the
shrapnel from her face.  Odo couldn't watch.   He had no control of the
situation or himself right
now. He walked back out into the open space of the Promenade.
    "Odo to Ops."
    "Sisko here.  What can I do for you, Constable?"
    "What just went on here?  I heard the Major say something about
Cardassian warships."
    "Apparently the Dominion didn't destroy all of the ships with the
cloaking technology.
Two of them decloaked and opened fire immediately.  Lt. Dax is preparing a
report about some
special weapon they used that was apparently able to  penetrate our
shields more than normal.  I
would like you to be at the briefing at 1300 hours as while."
    "Acknowledged.  Odo out."
    1300 hours.  Just enough time to patrol the station 5.3 times and
agonize over things.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *

    When the briefing started, all the senior officers were there
except Kira.
    "The Major is fine, but she still needs to stay under supervision
at least until tonight.  If
you ask her, however, she'd act like she just got a paper cut."
    "Now, Dax, what have you got on this weapon they were firing
with?"
    "It appears they were using a phaser that was able to disable the
shields faster than
normal.  That's what caused the damage, especially on Pylon 2."
    "Good.  Chief, before we go planning our defense for an attack
that may never come,
how are the shields coming?"
    "I've got them operating at 63% right now.  They should be up to
full strength within the
hour."
    They all turned as the doors opened.  Kira walked slowly in.  She
was favoring her left
arm and her face still bore the scars of the cuts.  She hadn't even waited
for them to be healed.
    "Major!" shouted Bashir, standing from his seat. "I thought I made
it clear you were to
remain in the Infirmary for the next 12 hours."
    "You did, Doctor, but I just couldn't see what use I was down
there so I decided to add
my insight."
    Bashir slumped backed into his chair.  He knew it was pointless to
fight with her.  The
Resistance had bred exactly that into her: resistance.  And besides, the
worst thing for her right
now would be to get riled up.
    "Alright, Major.  What have you got?"
    "Those weren't your normal Galor class warships.  I mean, besides
the fact that they had
the cloaking technology.  As I'm sure Dax has figured out, the weapon was
one unlike anything
I've ever seen.  The fire seemed acutely attuned to certain parts of the
station.  There's
something more to that phaser fire, and we've got to figure out exactly
what that is."
    "What are you suggesting Major?"
    "Maybe there was more going on in the Orious system than the
Obsidian Order let on."
    "Dax?"
    "I suppose it's possible." She punched up a few screens on her
PADD. "It looks like they
were firing two beams at us.  I'm not certain but from the readings I'm
getting, it looks like one
beam was full of electrons, and another beam of positrons.  If they were
meeting at one point,
that would explain why are shields went down so fast."
     "Now hold on a minute," interjected the Chief. "You're talking
about changing energy.  If
they're doing that, there's got to be a tremendous drain on their power
systems, especially their
shields.  It's still a hell of a lot of work to do.  And I've never really
thought of the Cardassians as
pioneers in the science field."
    "Well, obviously they have found a way.  But if what you say is
true, Chief, then they're
in for some rough weather."
    "Benjamin." Dax had been going over some things on her PADD. "It
looks like the beams
are modified after they start firing.  If we could stop them from changing
it, it might solve our
problem."
    "Any ideas?"
    "What about a quantum stasis field?"
    "Constable?" Sisko was slightly puzzled.  He had never thought of
Odo as the scientific
type.
    "I've had some...experience with them.  They prevent anything from
changing."
    "Chief?"
    "It might work, but I'd have to have more information first."
    "Ask Garak.  He's had more use of one than I have."
    "Very well.  Chief, ask Mr. Garak about it.  Dax, work on figuring
out if this stasis field will
indeed work.  You've got until 1800 hours.  Dismissed."
    Everyone got up and left.  Kira was the last one to do so.  Sisko
had asked Bashir to stay
a moment too.
    "And you, Major, are to go back to the Infirmary with Dr. Bashir."
He saw the argument
coming in her eyes. "That's an order."  She nodded her head in
acknowledgment and left with the
Doctor.

*     *   *   *   *   *

    Garak was confused.  What possible reason could the Chief have for
wanting to know
about a quantum stasis field?
    "Just tell me anything you know about one," sighed O'Brien.
    "Really, Mr. O'Brien, I'm afraid I'll be no help to you.  I've had
very limited experience
with them, once."
    "Really?"
    "Really." The truth.  How strange it sounded to Garak's Cardassian
ear.
    "Well Odo practically made you out to be an expert on the
subject."
    "The Constable suggested this?"
    "Yah, what's that got to do with it?"
    "If I may ask, what exactly do you need this information for?"
    O'Brien proceeded to tell Garak the basic information about their
encounter with the two
warships, leaving selective parts out, of course.

* * *

This is as far as I've gotten so far.  There are still a few spots I have
to work out, especially some
of the finer points of technobabble.  Any
questions/suggestions/compliments(feel free to heap
them on)/criticisms(you think I'm just heaping it up) are welcome.  E-mail
directly to me at
[e-mail] if you would be so kind.  Thanks.



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From: [e-mail] (KyRoka)
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
Subject: OdoItal  Part 2
Date: 27 May 1995 14:48:36 -0400
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If you read the first part, the first few lines here are repeated from the
end of the first part.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

    Garak was confused.  What possible reason could the Chief have for
wanting to know
about a quantum stasis field?
    "Just tell me anything you know about one," sighed O'Brien.
    "Really, Mr. O'Brien, I'm afraid I'll be no help to you.  I've had
very limited experience
with one."
    "Really?"
    "Really." The truth.  How strange it sounded to Garak's Cardassian
ear.
    "Well, Odo practically made you out to be an expert on the
subject."
    "The Constable suggested this?"
    "Yah, what's that got to do with it?"
    "If I may ask, what exactly do you need this information for?"
    O'Brien proceeded to tell Garak the basic information about their
encounter with the two
warships, leaving selective parts out, of course.  When O'Brien had
finally finished, Garak spoke.
    "I see.  Very well, Chief.  I can see the need for my knowledge of
this subject is of the
highest priority if peace is to return to this station anytime soon."
    O'Brien rolled his eyes and started to wonder if maybe he couldn't
figure this out by
himself, but before he had long to consider it, Garak continued.
    "I'll need access to some of your files."  They headed toward Ops,
which was the best
place to figure things out, and Garak proceeded to tell O'Brien all that
he knew about the stasis
field, leaving selective parts out, of course.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *
    Odo had been patrolling the station, maintaining order, not that
there was any one to
maintain order over.  Now he was walking the Promenade.  It was silent and
dark.  Power was
still minimal.  A few lights here and there cast shadows that hid their
secrets well.  He heard the
faint hum of the station and his boots on the floor beneath him and
nothing else.  No shouts of
'Dabo!', no clinking of glasses, no Quark yelling at his brother, no idle
chitchat.  He made his way
past the various kiosks and shops, down corridors, up corridors, a lift to
here or there.  He was
totally entranced by the silence.  He didn't realize where he was anymore.
 All he knew was that
he was on the station, not home.  He was living in the silence, not just
this silence now, but a
continual silence.  The shadows everywhere reminded him of how he lived,
hiding from
everything and yet as shadows are, clearly visible and set apart.  He
should be home, in the
Great Link, not walking the empty corridors of this station.  But there
was a part of him, a very
large part that said,
    *You chose this life, you chose this as your home.*

*    *    *   *   *   *   *
    The nurse turned off the lights and left.  They had given Kira
some warm milk(she had
thought it awful tasting stuff) to help her go to sleep and pacify her, if
such a thing was possible.
It hadn't worked.  What had worked, for Kira anyways, was faking sleep for
awhile.  The exit of
brightness on her closed eyes told her the coast was clear.  She left the
Infirmary and saw Odo
walking, but not observing things as he usually did.
    "Odo?"
    There was no answer.
    "Odo?" she questioned again, quickening her pace to catch up with
him. "Constable."
    He jolted, literally, back into reality.  Kira stepped back as he
came out of his reverie.
He looked confused and disorientated.
    "Something I can do for you, Major?"  He continued to look around,
getting his bearings.
    "No," she tentatively said, still watching him closely. "You just
looked a little out of it,
that's all," she finished with a forced chuckle.
    "Ah," he replied in that tone of his that meant he understood what
someone else
understood even if what that someone understood wasn't commonly understood
as the truth.
    "Doctor Bashir let you out of the Infirmary?"
    "I let myself out of the Infirmary.  Doctor Bashir can be a little
overbearing at times."
    "I've come to realize that Doctor Bashir is always overbearing
when it comes to his
patients."
    They continued to walk, the silence following them like a puppy
dog.  Odo was almost
resentful of Kira.  She had interrupted his thoughts, his world.  She had
no place there, but she
had managed to finagle her way in anyways.
    "Excuse me, Major.  I have some incidents to report," and with
that he walked off.  Kira
was left looking after him, as confused as she had been before.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *
    "Report," Sisko said as he saw all of his senior officers present.
    "Shields are fully operational.  They're ready for anything those
Cardassians can throw at
us."
    "Good work, Chief.  I hope you're right.  How's the stasis field
coming?"
    "Well, from what Garak has told me, I think we can pull it off.
It's going to take three
runabouts and the station to create a large enough field to encompass
those warships."
    "Use whatever you need to get that field operational.  Right now,
it's the only chance
we've got."
    The Chief nodded in acknowledgment.  Treaty or no treaty, he'd be
damned if he was
going to let a bunch of bloody back-stabbing Cardies do anything to the
station.
    "There are going to be some side effects, Commander.  Our sensors
won't be as
effective, the aim on our weapon banks is going to be off, and replicators
and transporters are
going to be inoperable."
    "Understood.  Now," continued Sisko, "any ideas on *why* the
Cardassians would attack
the station?"
    "It certainly is a provocation for war with the Federation."
    "Why would they want another war?  They've got their hands full
with the Maquis."
    "Correction, Major.  The Central Government has a problem with the
Maquis.  Since
these ships have the cloaking technology, we have to assume that the
Obsidian Order is behind
this."
    "The question still remains: why would anyone want to destroy the
station?  I always
thought the Cardassians wanted to reclaim it."
    "Maybe so, but let's think about what the Order was trying to
accomplish.  They were
trying to destroy the Dominion, and eliminate the threat from the Gamma
Quadrant.  What's the
only other way to do that?"
    "Close the wormhole...and the only way to do that without a fight
is to destroy this station
first."
    "And with this new weapon and the cloaking technology..."
    "...they've got a better chance than ever before."
    "Chief, how long will it take to set up the field?"
    "About five hours."
    "You've got three.  Dis...
    "Commander."
    "Yes, Dax?"
    "When I scanned those ships, I got some very unusual readings.
I've been studying
them, and I can only come to one conclusion.  Whoever's on those ships,
they're not
Cardassians."
    "Another problem.  Try to identify who is on that ship,
Lieutenant.  Dismissed."

*   *   *   *   *   *   *
    The security office was humming now as the station prepared for
another attack.  Odo
was securing areas here and there, directing teams to settle disputes, and
keeping general order.
They were getting close to the time when they would be able to use the
field.  It was also getting
close to the time when he would have to revert back to his gelatinous
state.  He would just make
sure he reverted back before the field was initiated.  He decided to take
one last patrol around
the station; he seemed to be doing that a lot these days.
    The station wasn't quiet anymore.  The security officers moved
around, doing their duty.
Quark was securing his bar, more specifically his latinum, despite the
fact that security had
repeatedly tried to get him to leave.
    "Quark."
    "Constable.  Am I glad to see you.  Would you explain to your
officers that I have to get
my things secured before you try this field-thing of yours."  Quark could
see that Odo wasn't
buying any of it. "Constable," continued Quark, in as serious a tone he
could muster, "if I don't
get certain items secured, if anything goes wrong, it will be a giant loss
to my business.  That
means a major loss to the business of the Promenade too.  Now, unless you
get these officers
out of my way, I will hold you personally responsible for any losses."
    "Humph."
    "Odo, I am shocked you don't realize the gravity of the situation
I'm in.  If I don't..."
    He never got to finish his statement.
    "Come along, Quark," said Odo, placing him in the hands of two
officers. "Confine him to
quarters.  We don't need him running around the station at a time like
this." Or any time, for that
matter.  Quark's little Ferengi body was literally hauled away despite his
protests, threats, and, of
course, bribes.  Once Quark's voice was out of Odo's earshot, Odo noticed
an increased hum to
the station.
    "Odo to Ops."
    "This is Ops.  What can I do for you, Constable?" asked the
recognizable voice of
Commander Sisko.
    "Have you already initiated the quantum stasis field?"
    "Yes.  The Chief was able to get it completed ahead of schedule.
Why?  Is there a
problem?"
    *Don't panic.  Don't panic.*  It raced through Odo's mind. "No,
Commander.  You'll let me
know when something happens?"
    "Of course, Constable.  Sisko out."
    Odo felt his heart sink at those words, or whatever you would
consider his heart.
Hopefully the Cardassians would not be stubborn today.  The field had to
be kept in place; it took
too long to create such a large field that they couldn't chance another
surprise attack.  Hopefully
they would return soon.  Odo decided to go to his quarters.  No one would
suspect anything since
it was his regenerative time anyways.  He could stay in his quarters and
sit this thing out, if he
could last that long.  He gathered his wits about him and resisted the
urge to run to his quarters,
to hide before it started happening again.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *
    It had been four hours since the field had been initiated, and
there was still no sign of the
Cardassians.  There had been no detection of any ship, cloaked or
otherwise anywhere for
parsecs around.  Everyone was getting a bit impatient, a bit edgy; all
except Odo, who was
already that way.
    He had made it to his quarters just fine.  The effect wouldn't
start till he had been stuck
for awhile longer.  But the hours had past by and he had received no word
from the Commander.
What was happening to him looked like a corpse decomposing.  His voice was
no longer steady
enough to call Ops and tell them to turn off the field.
    *No one must find out about this.*  And then a chord struck inside
his mind.  There was
already somebody who knew.
    "Odo...to...G..ar..ak."
    "Yes, Constable?" came the innocently sweet tone of the
Cardassian's voice.
    "Could you...come to my...quarters?  I..." how hard this was to
say to anyone, "I need
your...help."
    "Really?  Well, Constable, I would be more than happy to..."
    "Now, Garak!  I need your help now!"
    Garak recognized that tenor of voice in the Constable, something
he'd only heard *once*
before.  True, the Constable wasn't exactly a friend, but...he didn't want
anything to happen to
him either.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *
    The door sounded, and Odo had to resist the urge to shout out at a
hundred decibels.
    "Come."
    Garak entered the room, trying to find Odo amongst all the items
in his quarters.
    "Constable?"
    "Over here."
    He was in a back corner.  Next to him was the bucket he used to
use to regenerate in.  It
held flowers taken care of to the point where they looked like they would
outlive anyone on the
station.  But it was worse than on the warbird.  Odo had been like this
for too long, and despite
Garak's lack of knowledge about Changeling physiology, he knew that Odo
couldn't take much
more of this.
    "Garak, you have to...convince them to...turn off the field."
    "What makes you think they'll listen to me?"
    "They have to.  I'm...not exactly in any...condition to be
making...demands."  Each word,
each syllable came from Odo's mouth in a forced effort to keep control
over himself.  He had
told Garak one of his secrets; he was damn well not going to tell him the
other.
    "Alright." Garak felt like arguing, having a good ol'' pummeling
of each other's minds, but
something told him now was not the time. "Garak to Ops."
    "What do ya want, Garak?  We're a little busy right now."
    "Major, it is imperative that you drop the field immediately."
    "What?!  You've got to be joking."
    "I assure you, this is no joke.  Drop the field."  Silence hung in
the air.  The channel had
been closed.
    "Now what?" asked Garak.
    "We wait."

    On the other end of that silence, the crew on duty at Ops was
trying to figure out what
possible reason Garak would have to want the field dropped.
    "Could he be setting us up? for another attack?"
    "Possibly, but I don't think Garak would be willing to help
anybody destroy the station."
    "Dax, anything on those sensor readings?"
    "I'm not sure.  The readings look familiar, but I just don't know
where from."
    "Keep working on it."
    "Well, if Garak's not setting us up, what reason could he have?"
    "I don't know, and we don't have time to sit around and figure it
out.  Major, go and find
out what he's up to."
    "Aye sir.  Computer, current location of Mr. Garak."
    "Mr. Garak is in Constable Odo's quarters."
    Kira shot a look at Sisko, as did everyone else, that said *What
in the world is Garak
doing there?*  Sisko nodded to the Major to find out, and she briskly set
out to do exactly that.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *
    Odo had been slumped against the wall for sometime now, no longer
having the strength
to stand or sit.  Garak was walking around Odo's quarters, *noticing*
everything.
    "Very interesting, Constable.  Very interesting indeed."
    Odo made no reply.
    "You do realize of course that they'll probably send someone down
here to figure out if
I'm crazy."
    Again Odo made no reply, but drooped his head lower.  Just then
the door chimed.  Odo
tried to answer but couldn't.  Grunts were all he could muster now.
    "Who is it?" asked Garak.
    "Garak, open this door.  Odo, are you in there?"
    Odo's head shot up despite the weakness he was feeling.  That
voice.  Why did they
have to send her?!
    Garak looked to Odo for an answer and saw one clearly written in
his eyes, across his
face, throughout every feeble movement he made.
    "I'm sorry, Major, but I can't do that.  I'm afraid you'll have to
come back another time."

    Outside, Kira stood bewildered.  What the hell was Garak doing?

    At Garak's reply, Odo relaxed.  And Garak didn't miss a beat.
    "You know, Constable, I've been observing you these past few days,
and I've come to
notice that you act differently whenever the Major is around."
    Odo grunted a sarcastic note of curiosity.
    "As a matter of fact, whenever the Major is mentioned, you become
very defensive.  I
pride myself on judging character, Constable, and if I didn't know better,
I'd say that..."

    "Computer, override door seal.  Authorization Kira
alpha-six-five-omega-beta-seven."

    "...you were in love with Major Kira."
    Odo snapped his head up again, half in agony over what Garak had
just said(because it
was true), and half in agony of the rumble of his quarter doors opening.
He felt ready to die
rather than face the situation that would follow.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *
    Kira walked through the doors as Garak uttered the words "in love
with Major Kira" and
froze in her tracks.  Her face blushed and then grew pale as the
realization rushed over her.  Her
eyes clouded for a moment as her mind raced.  All her talks, visits, and
every time they had
been near each other.  Her head reeled at the discovery.  She was brought
back to reality by the
realization that someone was watching her, intensely.  Her eyes cleared
and in a moment she
was a captive of his heart, his soul.  She could see him clearly, despite
all of the obstacles in his
room.  In that instant, she knew Garak's words rang true.  Kira went to
talk and found her mouth
dry.  Meanwhile, Garak had followed Odo's eyes and stood as he saw her.
    "Ah, Major.  You have to discontinue the field before it's too
late for the Constable."
    Kira took one look at Odo, his eyes still piercing into her soul
and didn't hesitate.
    "Kira to..."
    The station rocked, *hard*, and the klaxon sounded.
* * *
Any questions/suggestions/compliments(feel free to heap them
on)/criticisms(you think I'm just
heaping it up) are welcome.  E-mail directly to me at [e-mail] if
you would be so kind.
Thanks.



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From: [e-mail] (KyRoka)
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Subject: OdoItal Part 3
Date: 28 May 1995 00:34:25 -0400
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    "Kira to Ops.  What's going on?!"
    "Two Cardassian warships just decloaked.  They appear to be the
same two as before."
    "No matter.  We need to drop the field, Commander."
    "Major, may I ask why?"
    "I would prefer not to elaborate, but it is vital you drop the
field."
    "I'm sorry, Major, but that field is the only thing keeping us
from taking a beating right
now.  Sisko out."
    Kira did not sigh; she was too tense to let any amount of
relaxation rock her body.
    "Garak," she said, summoning him.  She indicated the door with a
nod, and he left.  "And
Garak," she added as he stepped across the threshold, "don't let *anyone*
else in here."  Garak
nodded and continued his step, allowing the doors to slide shut and thus
shutting off the outside
world.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *
    The doors shut, and Odo could no longer look at Kira.  His
breathing became erratic and
hurried.  He was struggling to maintain control, maintain his courage,
especially now.
    "Odo."  She had moved silently, slowly across the room, watching
him every step of the
way. "Odo, we need to talk."
    Odo's body stiffened as much as he could, but he couldn't stop his
body from shaking.
Now was not the time for this, anytime but now.  He had no defenses left;
he couldn't face her.
    "Odo."  She sat down in front of his view, just a little to the
side of his trembling form.
He could not, would not look at her.  "Odo, look at me.  Odo," and she
grasped his chin with one
hand and forced him to look at her.  She felt the dryness of his skin and
how brittle it was.  She
forced her hand to keep his head steady, trying to give him some courage,
and yet trembling
herself inside as much as he.  But she forced herself to look past his
appearance, his form.  she
had to help him, and herself, by finding out how much was behind Garak's
words.
    "Odo, what Garak said..." he tried to break her grasp but she held
him tightly. "...is it
true?"
    Forced to look at her, he was forced to admit the truth.
    "Yes."  It was a rasp, forced by pain, affection, fear, and the
truth that time had born.
Kira let go of him, but he didn't look away.  Kira found herself looking
into his eyes with quizzical
ones.  She could see in his eyes the enormity of truth there was in that
three-lettered word.
Finally she looked away and felt what he felt.  How could this be
happening?  It couldn't happen,
not *again*.
    "Nerys."
    Kira turned her attention back to Odo.  Her mouth was drier than
before.  She licked her
lips and shuddered as she tasted the salt of tears she had willed *not* to
fall.  Her will broke at
the sound of her name.  It was the first time, that she could remember,
that he had used her
name, and not her family's, and so she let the tears fall.
    "Nerys, I..love...you."
    Just then the hum of the station died down, and Odo melted into a
puddle, gathering bits
of himself together as his last effort.  He stayed right there, at Kira's
side, not able to move or
wanting to, while she made no effort to move either.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *
    "Report."
    "Minimal damage.  Shields at 62% and holding.  Warships have
powered down
weapons.  Massive damage showing up on the port ship."
    "Sisko to Kira."
    There was a long pause.
    "Kira here."
    "The warships have ceased their attack.  Did you find out why
Garak wanted the field
shut off?"
    "Uh...yes." There was another pause. "Uh, Commander, I have
something I need to take
care of."
    "Very well, Major," said a very confused Benjamin Sisko, "but what
have you found..."
    "I have to go.  Kira out."
    Sisko looked at Dax, and they each exchanged quizzical looks.  Dax
shrugged her
shoulders, and Benjamin was faced with two warships and the mystery behind
them.
    "Commander, one of the warships is hailing us."
    "On screen."
    The starfield was replaced with a view of the warship's bridge,
commanded no by a
Cardassian or Romulan, but by a smooth, undefined, unfinished face.
    "Commander Sisko."
    "The Founders."
    "Commander, we meet again.  We may have failed this time, but rest
assured we will not
stop until the Dominion has secured a foothold in the Alpha Quadrant."
    "Your attitude certainly has changed."
    "Yes.  The recent attack by the Cardassians and Romulans has led
us to believe that
order over the Alpha Quadrant may be the only solution."
    "I must warn you that we don't give up without one hell'v a fight.
 You may want to
reconsider your plan to establish 'order' here.  End transmission."
    The Changeling's face was replaced by a starfield and Dax
reported,
    "Both ships are headed towards the wormhole."
    "Back to the Gamma Quadrant, but for how long?"
    A silence hung over Ops as everyone silently asked themselves that
same question.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *
    It had been almost ten hours since the Founders had left the Alpha
Quadrant.  Odo was
physically read to go back to work, but Kira was still there.  She had sat
by his side for six hours,
apparently thinking things over.  Then she had moved to rest against a
rock Odo had had
brought up from Bajor.  She was sleeping, but Odo feared that it might be
a light sleep, causing
her to wake at any movement.  He carefully changed into his humanoid form,
not disturbing her.
He sat against the wall and studied her.  Her face was tense, as she slept
restlessly.  It was sleep
from pure exhaustion, nothing more.  She had just not been able to face
things awake, so she
faced them asleep.
    Odo went to rise from his position and knocked over his bucket.
Kira was awake
immediately.
    "Odo." She went to stand too, but found her leg asleep. "Odo." She
needed his attention.
    Odo was trying to clean up the mess he had made while trying to
ignore the fact that his
name meant *nothing*.  Kira used is repeatedly, not knowing that each time
it tormented him
with the meaning and comforted him with the sound of her voice.  Finally
Kira could wait no
longer.  She approached him, but her leg that was still asleep prevented
her from doing anything
more than stumbling.  Odo caught her and steadied her.
    "Careful, Major."
    "Odo, we need to talk."
    Odo sighed, and resigned himself to talk.  He was still worn from
his recent experience
and could not fight with her today.
    "Have a seat, Major."
    She sat down at a computer console as it was the only seat around.
 Odo paced back
and forth in front of her, obviously trying to decide what to say.  Kira
sat there patiently, trying to
give him the time he needed, but there was so much she needed to know.
Three times he had
stopped pacing, turned to face her, and started to talk, but each time he
stopped short of saying
anything.  Kira was growing anxious about this entire situation.  She
needed to know how the
Constable felt, one way or the other.  So when he stopped, and turned to
face her the fourth
time, she started without hesitation.
    "Odo, why didn't you tell me before?"
    He had been facing her, but now he turned his back to her.
    "How could I?  You were in love with Bareil.  Even before that you
never considered me
anything more than security chief, a shape-shifter never belonging
anywhere."
    "That's not true, Odo.  I admit that in the beginning we may not
have been friends, but I
was still carrying around the resentment of the Resistance.  But we're
friends now, aren't we?"
    Odo nodded.  There was a long pause.  Kira was trying to force the
words from her
mouth that she feared saying.
    "Odo, did you mean it when you said you loved me?"
    Odo turned to face her again.
    "Have you ever known me to lie, Major?"
    Kira blushed, but she felt cold inside, cold for not realizing,
cold for not wanting to
realize, cold for fear of what she might do next.  She had been given
another chance at love, but
she still clung to Bareil's love like a child clings to a security
blanket.  Kira was afraid, afraid that
if she abandoned the memory of what she had had with him, and forged
ahead, looking for love
again, she might end up with none at all, in the past or in the future.
    Odo was pacing again.  The look of desperation was growing on his
face.  He couldn't
stand this awkward conversation any more than Kira could.  He stopped at
one end of the room
and spoke.
    "Major, for the longest time I've wanted to tell you that...I'm
sorry."
    "Sorry?" questioned Kira.  Odo nodded.
    "I wasn't there when Bareil died.  I know how much he meant to
you, but I just couldn't
face you.  Not after having to watch you lose him and go through all that
pain."
    "I understand and I forgive you."
    "But, Major, there's something else, something that I haven't told
anyone."
    "What is it?"
    "Do you remember when we chased that Maquis to that asteroid, and
it turned out to be
one of the Founders?"
    She nodded.
    "And you remember me telling you that she had impersonated you
because you had
been the one in the shuttle?"
    Kira nodded, slower this time as the realization began to dawn on
her.
    "Well, Major, the real reason she impersonated you was because she
felt that if you were
dead, or I at least thought you were dead, then I would no longer have a
link to the solids.  Then I
would return ho...to the Gamma Quadrant and take my place in the Great
Link."
    Kira started to speak, but Odo motioned her not to.
    "The thing is, Major, there is some truth to what she thought.  If
you had truly died, in the
cave, and I had let you die, I don't know if I would have been able to
stay here."
    Kira sat in silence.  She saw the frustration racking him, and
knew how hard it was for
him to say this words, to speak them aloud to someone.  She did not
interrupt.
    "You see, Major, I've formed a life for myself aboard this
station, and I've come to
respect many of those I work with but..."
    "Odo..." Kira said.  It was an acknowledgment that she understood
what he could not
say.
    "Major, there's just one more thing.  There came a point in my
encounter with the
alternate you that I knew that it was not you.  If you remember, I said
that she said something I
know you would never say."
    Kira nodded, vaguely remembering the conversation.
    "What I didn't tell you, Major, was what she said.  At the time I
said it was just a slip of
the tongue, but I feel that you have a right to know."
    Kira allowed him to go on, neither encouraging or discouraging
him, and yet silently
willing him to continue.
    "Major, what she said was...Oh, how can I put this?"  Odo was
fumbling around for
words. "Major, there came a point when the alternate you were ordering me
to leave, but I
wouldn't.  At that moment, I was so afraid that I was going to lose you
that I told you that I was in
love with you.  Major, what she said next was what I know you would never
say."  Odo took a
deep breath.  It was going to be so painful for him to say these next few
words because he knew
they were true.
    "She said, 'I'm in love with you too, Odo,' and that, Major, is
something I know I will
never hear from you."
    "Odo, I...I...I don't know what to say, what I should say."
    Odo waved that remark off.
    "You don't have to say anything, Major.  Just knowing that you've
heard me is enough.  I
can't expect anything more than that."
    Kira got up to leave.  She had a lot to think about.


The end?
Or do you want more?
* * *
Any questions/suggestions/compliments(feel free to heap them
on)/criticisms(you think I'm just
heaping it up) are welcome.  E-mail directly to me at [e-mail] if
you would be so kind.
Thanks.