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No-Winn - 1
No-Winn - 2
No-Winn - 3

A No-Winn Situation - Part One

By Sharon

The Chamber of Ministers. Kira is surrounded. Faces loom around her. Voices chant, loud, yet she cannot understand what they’re saying.

Suddenly Dax appears. But not Dax. She is a Bajoran, wearing the flowing peach-colored robes of a vedek.

"Listen to them, Kira," she advises.

"I can’t hear them," Kira cries.

"It’s all right." A sympathetic expression crosses the Trill’s face. "Listen." She hugs Kira. Kira squeezes her tightly, as a drowning woman grabs a life preserver.

Something is wrong. Kira pulls away from Dax. Only it isn’t Dax anymore. It’s Vedek Winn.

"Can you hear them now, child?" Winn asks.

A voice cuts off Kira’s reply. "I hear them, Major." It’s Minister Jaro. "They’re calling to me."

A dark figure appears, steps into the light. It’s Vedek Bareil. But not Bareil. His robes are gone, replaced by the uniform of a Bajoran military officer.

"Don’t listen to him, Nerys. Allow yourself to hear them. They’re calling to you..."

Kira gasps. Her clothes have disappeared. She hugs her arms to her chest.

"Blasphemy!" Winn spits.

"Listen to them, Nerys," Bareil insists, seemingly oblivious to her nakedness.

"Help me to hear them," Kira whispers. "I don’t know how."

"But you do."

And now Bareil is unclothed too.

"You do."

He puts his arms around her.

"You do."

He lowers his head to hers, just about to kiss and—

"Major Kira, are you there?"

Kira sat up in bed, panting.

"Major..." Sisko’s voice continued.

She reached to a table beside the bed, grabbed her communicator pin and tapped it.

"Kira here."

"Could you please report to Ops, Major. A message from Bajor has just come in."

"I’m on my way."

It was only a dream. No, it was the vision from the Orb of Prophecy and Change. A prophecy...

Kira shook her head, not wanting to think about it. Two months had passed since she last had that dream. And weeks before that since... since... Bareil. She was almost afraid to think his name. It all seemed so unreal now, like it had happened to some alternate-universe Kira Nerys.

She couldn’t believe — no, accept — that the prophecy had come true.

He has asked her to return to Bajor with him. She had refused in no short order, quoting military regulations ("I have to finish my tour of duty"), providing lame excuses ("I’m no good at gardening") and even attempting humor ("Me? So close to Vedek Winn? I’d strangle her within the week.").

He didn’t press her further — no begging or pleading — just a long gaze, and "I see." The subject was not broached again.

Now the dream had returned. And, coincidentally, someone on Bajor was hailing the station.

The turbolift doors opened, and Kira stepped into the operations center of Deep Space 9.

"Ah, Major, sorry to get you up so early," Sisko greeted her.

"That’s all right. I couldn’t sleep anyway." Kira looked to the viewscreen where an unfamiliar minister was watching their exchange.

"Greetings from the provisional government, Major Kira," she said. "I’m Minister Denna Tyme."

Kira nodded. "What can we do for you, Minister?"

Denna looked down as if consulting notes. "About a month ago, a vedek from one of the leading orders died. No one was surprised; he was old, had been ill for months. A week later another vedek died, not so old. Another week, another vedek. Yesterday a vedek’s assistant, a young relagith, died."

"What was the cause of death?" Sisko asked.

"Natural causes, according to the autopsies."

"That’s impossible," Kira exclaimed.

"We thought so too," Denna continued. "As of today, the Vedek Assembly has been reduced by twelve members due to ‘death by natural causes.’ The deceased vedeks resided at monasteries all over Bajor. It seemed like the... murderer... was targeting vedeks who were leading candidates to be Kai, until yesterday that is."

"Perhaps that was a mistake. Maybe the assassin meant to kill the vedek, not his or her assistant," Sisko suggested.

"Kill Vedek Winn?" Denna scoffed.

"We should be so lucky." Kira heard O’Brien mutter behind her.

"It’s difficult to believe," the minister went on. "Her order is barely listened to in the Assembly."

"So how can Deep Space Nine help your government?" Sisko asked.

"We have decided to send some vedeks — the most obvious targets — into hiding at various locations on Bajor until this matter is cleared up. The whole operation is a closely guarded secret. Few will even know where these locations are, and only one ‘protector’ will be sent with each group of vedeks. We would like Major Kira to be one of the protectors."

Kira glanced at Sisko. His face reflected the surprise she felt. She put on a smile. "I’m... honored, Minister, but I don’t understand why you chose me. Surely the army on Bajor has officers—"

"Major," Denna cut her off. She stared at Kira — a knowing look? Kira thought, mortified — and said, "One of the vedeks specifically requested that you come."

"So..." Dax looked up from the Orinoco’s console. The course was laid in for Bajor.

"So what?" Kira said.

Dax smiled, "Do you think it’s him?"

"Who?"

"Vedek Bareil. Do you think he asked for you?"

"What do you know about Bareil?" Kira demanded.

Dax shrugged. "Rumor has it—"

"Rumor?"

"Well, Quark says you knew each other," she amended.

"Of course I know Bareil. He’s one of the leading vedeks—"

"In the Biblical way."

"What?"

"Sorry — a reference to an old Terran text. Quark said you two were... intimate... during Bareil’s last visit to the station."

Kira scoffed. "What would that little troll know?"

"He claims he lost five bars of latinum in a long-running wager that Bashir would seduce me before you found a man. Quark would never hand over latinum without there being some truth..."

Kira sighed, resigned. "Actually, I haven’t spoken to Bareil since he was last on the station."

"And he never contacted you?"

"Well," Kira began slowly. "He did send two subspace messages. I never replied." She shrugged. "I didn’t know what to say."

"How about 'I miss you'?" Dax grinned.

"It’s not that simple." Kira took a deep breath. "The vedeks — the kais — are our spiritual leaders. Growing up, they were like gods to us — they’re the mouthpieces of the Prophets. I remember I was so much in awe... Now, it’s so hard to think of them that way. Bareil is the guy I beat at springball." She paused thoughtfully. "I guess I’m just so afraid of being... irreverent. How can I date a god?"

"But he’s not a god. He’s a man."

"And Bajorans worship the ground he walks on."

"That’s the problem, don’t you see," Dax said. "So many people bowing and scraping wherever he goes. No one to really talk to. It must be so lonely..." she trailed off. "If it was me, I’d long for someone who would treat me like a regular person — a soul mate, if you will."

"But I don’t know if I can be that person," Kira said sadly.

It was midnight in the capital. Kira rematerialized on a transporter pad inside of a small office in the provisional government’s Legislative Building. A plump middle-aged Bajoran woman stood to greet her.

"Minister Denna."

"Major Kira. It’s good to finally meet in person." She squeezed Kira’s hands. "If you’ll come this way."

Denna led Kira out of the room into a brightly lit corridor. "I don’t want to keep you here for long. The fewer people who know about your arrival — and your departure — the better." She handed Kira an isolinear chip. "Encoded on that is the location where you’ll be hiding out. Only three people know where you’ll be: General Vin, the engineer who encoded the chip and myself. Install it on the skipjet’s computer once you’re aboard."

"Thank you." Kira placed the chip into her carry bag.

They took a turbolift up to the landing pad on the roof of the building without running into anyone on the way. Resting on the pad was cargo-modified skipjet, a mid-sized low-altitude flyer. Normally a skipjet was sleek and aerodynamic, but with the cargo attachment bulging on its underside Kira thought it resembled an Aldebaran bumblebee. An older man in a crisp army uniform whom Kira assumed to be Vin stood at the skipjet’s entry ramp, conversing with Vedeks Bareil and Winn.

"We’ve loaded enough provisions to last a month," Denna continued, "though I hope you won’t need to use them all. General," she called out.

The group at the ramp turned to meet the newcomers. Denna made the introductions.

"Why Major Kira, what a pleasant surprise!" Vedek Winn smiled and glanced at Bareil. "Although I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised."

Kira mentally revised her earlier statement: she’d strangle Winn before the day was out.

"Hello Ner — Major," Bareil said.

"Hello..." Kira didn’t know what else to say so she turned to Denna. "Are we ready to depart?"

"That would be best," Denna agreed. "Safe journey, Kira Nerys."

"And safe return," General Vin added.

Kira nodded and climbed up the ramp, the two vedeks behind her. She moved through the cramped lounge area midship and up to the cockpit. She climbed into the pilot seat, throwing her bag onto the nearby copilot’s seat. Through the plastisteel canopy she saw Denna and Vin moving to the side of the landing pad. She raised her hand for one small wave then switched on the ship’s intercom.

"Strap in. I’m powering up for takeoff," she announced. She entered the commands into the computer and felt the engines start with a barely perceptible hum. The skipjet was one of the quietest flyers around, which, she supposed, was why it was chosen for this mission.

Once off the ground Kira took out the isolinear chip Denna gave her and inserted it into a reader on the console. A map came up on the screen with their destination marked as well as the current position of the skipjet and a line showing the fastest route. Kira recognized their destination from her days in the Resistance. It was an abandoned weapons depot that was used by the underground during the Cardassian occupation.

A good choice, she thought. The depot was two hours’ flight outside the capital, in the middle of the Western Barilan Wastes. It was secluded, heavily shielded and difficult to sneak up on without being seen. Only those who were in the higher echelons of the Resistance even knew it existed.

Kira laid in a course and took the skipjet up almost to its flight ceiling. From here, all of the conflict on Bajor was reduced to a smattering of multicolored lights, very dense around the capital and gradually becoming more sparse further out. Every now and then she saw a clump of lights surrounded by darkness — outlying settlements. She couldn’t tell where the horizon was. It seemed like the sky of stars had melted into the ground below.

Everything was one.

A knock on the cockpit door interrupted her musings.

"Yes?" Kira asked. The door slid open. It was Bareil.

"May I come in?"

"Of course," Kira said hurriedly. She pulled her bag off the copilot’s seat and tossed it under hers.

"Vedek Winn is not the most stimulating company," Bareil said as he sat down. "Besides, the view is more beautiful up here."

Kira glanced out the window. "There’s not much to see."

"That depends on where you’re looking." He smiled at her. "For instance—" He pointed to a flower-shaped nebula in the eastern sky. "—the fifth orb came from that direction. Legend says it once belonged to a beautiful but vain Kai who wanted to possess all things of beauty.

"When the orb appeared she claimed it for herself yet still she wasn’t satisfied, for she had seen pictures of the Celestial Temple as the orb left it, and she wanted to reach it herself. So she contracted many artisans to build a glass staircase that spiraled up to the sky. This made the Prophets angry, but they decided to wait.

"When the staircase was finished, the Kai began her climb. Then, as she was halfway up, the Prophets struck the glass, shattering it into a million pieces. The Kai begged the Prophets to spare her; she promised to give the orb to the Bajoran people in return. The Prophets acquiesced. They turned the shattered glass into the stars, and the Kai became a princess rose which they placed in the sky, next to the Celestial Temple."

Kira stared up at the nebula. "I’ve never heard that story."

Bareil smiled. "It is rather obscure. I came across it, strangely enough, in a gardening book, under a description of the princess rose. So," he paused, "have you ever piloted a — what is it called? — a skipjet before?"

Kira shook her head. "Not this new model. Actually, it’s not that different from a runabout."

"I’ve never piloted a vehicle."

"Really?"

"There was no reason to learn. I don’t often leave the monastery, and when I do, there are always ministers or generals or other vedeks about. Transportation is always provided for us."

"Would you like to try?"

"Try?"

"Piloting the skipjet."

"Yes. If you’re not afraid of crashing."

Kira laughed. "It’s not that easy to crash. The computer would take over if there was any real danger." She pointed to a readout on the console. "That’s our altitude. Our speed’s here. Fuel consumption. Engine status. Course plotter..." She pointed each out in turn. "It looks complicated but all you really have to worry about are the two A’s: altitude and attitude. The computer practically flies the skipjet on its own. Here." She took his hand and put it on the console. "Just concentrate on keeping the ship level. Computer," she ordered, "transfer to manual control."

The skipjet plunged.

"Pull up," Kira directed.

"I’ve got it." The skipjet slowly leveled off again. "This is fun."

"No," Kira smiled. "Fun is diving the skipjet on purpose—"

Bareil tapped the console.

"—but," Kira grabbed his hand, "we’re not going to try that today."

Suddenly the door to the cockpit slid open. Vedek Winn stood in the doorway, face as pale as a sick Cardassian vole.

"Are we under attack?" she gasped.

Kira and Bareil only laughed.

After Kira departed Sisko called Odo into his office.

"Constable, I’d like us to do a bit of investigating on our own."

"I already considered that and I contacted the provisional government." Odo harrumphed, "They insist that these incidents are a Bajoran internal matter."

"Thanks, but no thanks, is it?" Sisko mused. "Contact the law enforcement officials directly. They might be more open for assistance. Try to get the autopsy reports for Bashir to analyze, and anything else they might have turned up."

Odo nodded. "I’m also going to pay a visit to our friend Quark. Though it’s hard to imagine him directly mixed up in this — there’s no profit in killing vedeks — those big ears of his might have come across some useful information."

"Good. In the meantime, I’ll try to reason with the provisional government. I have a feeling they’ll need all the help they can get."

[ Part Two ] [ Back to top ]

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