by John Peel
Ashley frowned at her. “And you took some clothing from Garak’s shop, didn’t you?”
Kam nodded. “I had to. You know how gross it is wearing the same thing every day for over a week? I was afraid you’d start to smell me down here.”
Jake had to laugh at the thought. “You’re really wild,” he said. “So—now what do you think about the Federation?”
“Do you still think we’re monsters?” asked T’Ara.
Kam shook her head firmly. “No, I don’t. You all seemed to be nice people to me. And now that I’ve had a chance to talk to you, I know you’re nice.” She looked at them with hope. “I’d like to be friends—if you would.”
“You bet,” agreed Jake readily.
“Definitely,” Ashley added.
“Okay by me,” Nog said with a grin.
“It would be acceptable,” finished T’Ara. Ashley darted a glare at the young girl, and T’Ara added: “I would like that, Kam.”
The Cardassian girl gave a wide smile, then stood up and hugged each of them in turn. “Thank you,” she said, wiping at the corners of her eyes. “I really am glad that we can be friends instead of enemies.”
“But it does land us in trouble,” Jake said. Four pairs of eyes stared at him. “Well, we can’t just put you back in the ceiling and go on like nothing’s happened,” he explained. “My dad is in charge of this station, and he gave me and Nog a real talking-to last night.”
Ashley nodded glumly. “And Ms. O’Brien knows we were trying to catch whoever was fixing the replicator,” she put in. “We have to tell her something, or we’ll be in for trouble.”
“Also,” T’Ara pointed out, “there is that clothing you stole from Garak. Sooner or later you will need more fresh clothing. You are not likely to get away with stealing it.”
Nog chuckled. “I know what we could do,” he suggested. “We could just blame the whole thing on Riv.”
“But that is not true,” T’Ara said.
Shrugging, Nog said, “Yeah—but if anyone deserves getting into trouble for something they didn’t do, it’s Riv.”
Kam shook her head. “It’s not right to blame anyone for what I’ve done.”
“Maybe not,” agreed Nog. “But it would be fun.”
“No.” Kam sighed. “I guess you’re going to have to turn me in, then.” She seemed very unhappy. “Do you think they’ll make me go back to Cardassia? I hate it there! And I don’t want to go back to my father!”
Ashley frowned and asked Jake, “Do you think your father might give her asylum? Then she could stay here.”
Jake considered it. The Federation usually granted people’s requests to stay if they were asked—but that was for adults. “I don’t know if he can do that,” he admitted. “After all, Kam is kind of young. Dad may not have any choice.”
“But you could ask,” said Ashley.
“Of course I can ask!” exclaimed Jake. “And I’m gonna—right now!” He turned to Kam. “I want you to be able to stay. And my dad is usually pretty reasonable about things. If anyone can think of something, he can.”
Kam smiled a bit sadly. “It must be nice to have a father like that.”
“It is,” agreed Jake. “For the most part. When I do something dumb, though, I get it.”
The Cardassian girl nodded. “But does he hit you, like mine does?”
“Never!” Jake realized how lucky he was to have such a parent. “Look, Nog and I will go and talk to my dad. I know he’ll be sympathetic.” He turned to Ashley. “Why don’t you and T’Ara go and find Ms. O’Brien? She’ll help.”
“Right,” agreed Ashley. “She’s neat,” she explained to Kam. “She’ll help us.”
“Okay,” Jake finished. “Kam, when we’re gone, you just hide again. School won’t start for a little while yet, but it might be best if nobody knows you’re here till we tell them.”
Kam nodded. “All right.” She looked at the four of them. “Thank you,” she said simply. “I really appreciate what you’re doing. No matter what happens, I’ll never forget.” There were definitely tears in her eyes now.
“Ah,” growled Nog, “this is getting too soppy. That’s what you get for making friends with girls.”
Jake grinned as he headed for the door. “Let’s get moving,” he said. Nog scuttled along beside him. Ashley and T’Ara went with them as far as the first junction, then split off to go after the teacher.
None of them thought to look behind them. If they had, they might have seen Riv. He slipped inside the classroom. He’d been listening outside the door for a while, and now there was a big smile on his face.
CHAPTER 9
Jake had not been in Ops very many times. This was the control center of Deep Space Nine, where his father had his office and from where the entire station was run. Jake and Nog looked nervously about the room in front of them as they stepped off the turbolift.
The main floor was circular, with a huge control panel in the center. Above this, dominating the room, was the main scanner. It wasn’t working at the moment, so it looked like a large archway spanning almost to the ceiling. Around the main floor was a wide catwalk with further workstations on it. Opposite the lift was the doorway that led to the commander’s office.
There was plenty of low-level talking and a lot of computer and other mechanical noises in the room. There were about twenty people at workstations, all looking very busy. Jake recognized Ms. O’Brien’s husband, Chief O’Brien, over at one control panel. His father’s friend, Dax, was bent over her science board. She looked pretty human—except for a band of thick freckles that started at her temples and ran down the sides of her face and neck—but she was actually a Trill, a joined species. Inside her was a small creature that shared her mind and body, so Dax was both very old and yet also a pretty young woman.
In the center of the room was Major Kira. She wore the Bajoran uniform and stood with her hands clasped behind her back, staring over her panels. Her brown hair was short, and she wore a Bajoran earring in her right ear. She was a Bajoran soldier who had fought the Cardassians, and she sometimes seemed to forget that she didn’t have to fight everybody she met. Facing her across the main control panel was Jake’s father.
“Jake,” he called out. “What brings you up here? Isn’t it time you were at school?”
Several of the other people in the room looked up at them. Jake caught sight of a quick smile from Dax. “Uh, yeah, but…” He took a deep breath and plunged on. “You told me to come to you any time if I had a problem.”
His father glanced down at the control panel. “This isn’t a good time, Jake,” he said. “We’re having trouble with the sensors. How urgent is it?”
Jake said, “Kind of important.”
Commander Sisko considered this for a moment, then nodded. “Carry on with the check, please, Major,” he said.
Kira nodded. “Aye, sir.” She turned back to her panel, ignoring the two youngsters.
Commander Sisko crossed the room to join Jake and Nog. Everyone else went back to his or her duties. “Well?” he said, looking from one to the other.
Jake wanted his father on Kam’s side. “Can we offer sanctuary to a Cardassian?” he asked.
His father looked puzzled. “If I’m asked, and if the person hasn’t committed any crimes, then we’re always willing to offer asylum. Is this just an academic question, or is there a reason behind it?”
“Well,” Jake admitted, “there is a reason. We’ve found a Cardassian hiding on the station. She wants to stay here, but she’s afraid you’ll insist she has to go back to Cardassia.”
“And why would she think that?” his father asked. “Is she a criminal? And how did you happen just to find her?”
Jake shifted uncomfortably. “She’s not exactly a criminal,” he said. “And Ashley Fontana and T’Ara found her. She’d been messing with the replicator.”
His father sighed. “Not exactly a criminal?” he repeated. “Well, what exactly is she?”
“Ah.” Understanding was dawning on his father now. “This noncriminal of yours is a young girl, I take it, since it was young girl’s clothing that was stolen?” Jake nodded. “I’m starting to see the problem. Just how young is she?”
“About my age,” Jake admitted.
His father rubbed his chin. “Jake,” he said gently, “that could be a problem. She is still a child, and we can’t simply let runaway children stay here on the station. She really ought to be back with her parents.”
“She hates her father,” Nog offered helpfully. “She doesn’t want to go back.”
Jake nodded. “And I told her you’d do your best to help,” he added. “I know you will, Dad.”
His father smiled. “Jake, I appreciate your faith in me. And I promise to try and live up to it. Now—”
“Commander!” It was Major Kira calling out loudly from the main control panel. “We’ve got some of the sensors back. And we’ve got trouble. Big trouble.”
Dax whirled about in her chair. “I confirm, Commander. I’m reading eight Galor-class battleships approaching the station.”
“Eight?” Commander Sisko scowled. “Why are eight Cardassian warships here? Dax, open a channel to the lead ship.”
The big holoscreen in the center of the room lit up. Jake gasped as he stared directly into the face of a Cardassian soldier. The warrior was seated in a large thronelike chair on the main deck of his battleship. He was thin, gray, and looked very angry indeed.
“This is Commander Sisko, in charge of Deep Space Nine,” his father called out. “Is there something we can do for you”—his eyes flickered over the badges on the armor the soldier wore—”Gul”
“Yes,” hissed the Gul. “There is indeed something you can do for me, Sisko. You can return my daughter to me.”
Jake felt his stomach ache. His father glanced down at him, and then back at the scowling Cardassian soldier on the screen.
“I’m not certain I quite understand you,” he said. “What is your daughter doing here?”
“She’s been kidnapped,” the Cardassian growled. “I want her back safely, and I want the criminals responsible handed over to be punished.”
“I see.” Jake’s father nodded. “I will investigate and get back to you.”
“You will do more than investigate,” the Cardassian snarled. “You will act. I warn you, Sisko, that if my daughter is not returned safely to me within one of your hours, I will destroy your station!” The picture went dead.
After a moment’s silence Chief O’Brien muttered, “Well, they don’t mince words, do they?”
Dax looked across at the commander. “The Cardassian ships are powering up their weapon systems, Commander,” she reported in a calm voice. “Their phasers are coming on line.”
Chief O’Brien muttered something under his breath, Then, louder, he asked, “Shall I raise our shields, sir?”
Jake’s father shook his head. “No, Chief. Not yet. We don’t want to look like we’re asking for trouble. If his daughter really is on board the station, he won’t risk firing until we respond to him. I think we’re safe for now.” He stared down at his son and Nog as Major Kira moved to join them. “I assume you know what this means?”
“We’re in trouble?” asked Nog. He glared at Jake. “How come we’re always in trouble?”
“No,” the Commander said quickly, “that’s not what I meant.” He looked at Jake. “Is this Cardassian you’ve found his daughter?”
“Uh, I guess she might be,” Jake said. “If he’s Gul Gavron.”
“Gavron…” Major Kira said, her voice almost a squeak. “If that’s Gul Gavron…”
“We’re in really deep trouble,” agreed Jake’s father. He sighed. “I think you’d better tell us everything, Jake, from the beginning.”
“Okay.” Jake did so, in as much detail as he could remember. When he’d told the story, he finished up: “But he’s lying, Dad. Kam wasn’t kidnapped—she ran away.”
“So it would seem,” his father agreed. “What do you think, Major?”
The Bajoran officer scowled. “I think he’s too proud to admit that his daughter was unhappy enough to run away. Saying she was kidnapped shifts the blame onto other people.”
“You could be right.” The commander thought about it. “But it leaves us with a very nasty problem, doesn’t it?”
Kira nodded. “He wants us to produce nonexistent kidnappers for him to punish. We can’t do that!”
“No, we can’t,” Jake’s father agreed. “And if we don’t, he might well attack the station to cover up his shame. Cardassians can be very touchy about things like that.”
“Tell me about it,” Kira replied. “I’ve fought them. So what are we going to do?”
“You are in charge here for now,” Commander Sisko told her. “If Gul Gavron calls with any more demands, stall him.” He glanced down at Jake and Nog. “You two had better take me to this young friend of yours. It looks as if she may have gotten us all into a whole heap of trouble.”
They were getting close to the schoolroom when Jake suddenly saw Ashley, T’Ara, and Ms. O’Brien heading toward them through the crowd of people in the Promenade. As soon as she saw Jake, Ashley waved.
“Jake!” she called. Her voice sounded really worried. “It’s Kam—she’s disappeared!”
CHAPTER 10
Jake’s father frowned. “Disappeared?” he repeated. “You mean she’s hiding again?”
T’Ara shook her head. “We do not know.”
“We left her in the classroom,” Ashley added. “And when we got back with Ms. O’Brien, there was no sign of her.”
“Did you check in the ceiling?” asked Jake.
Ashley glared at him. “Of course we did,” she replied. “Do you think we’re stupid?”
“This,” said Commander Sisko, “is not good. Not good at all.”
Ms. O’Brien looked puzzled. “Surely one young Cardassian girl at loose somewhere on the station isn’t a problem?” she asked.
“Normally,” Jake’s father said, “I’d agree with you. But there are eight Cardassian warships surrounding us, and her father is in command. He wants Kam back or he’ll destroy us.”
T’Ara gasped. Then, catching herself, she said, “That is not logical. She would be destroyed, too.”
“You’re quite right,” the commander told her. “But I don’t think Gul Gavron is interested in logic. Kam has caused him pain, and he wants to hurt someone. Preferably us.”
“Then we have to find her,” said Ms. O’Brien. She looked at her students. “Do you have any idea where she might have gone?”
Jake tried to imagine, but he came up blank. “I don’t think she would wander off,” he said. “She agreed to wait for us.”
“Maybe,” suggested Nog, “she just disliked the idea of going home so much that she changed her mind.”
“That does not make sense,” T’Ara objected. “She must realize that now we know of her existence, we could use the sensors to find her.”
“A good idea,” agreed Commander Sisko. He tapped the communicator on his chest. “Sisko to Dax.”
From the air came a disembodied reply. “Dax here.”
“Can you use the sensors to sweep the station?” Jake’s father asked. “We seem to have temporarily misplaced the Cardassian girl.”
There was a slight pause, and then Dax’s reply floated out of the air: “I’m sorry, Commander. We’re still having trouble with the sensors. If we have a biological scan of her, we might be able to do it, but without one I don’t think there’s a chance.”
“Terrific.” Commander Sisko scowled, deep in thought. “Stand by. Sisko out.” He shook his head. “I suppose we could try and get a trace of her from her hiding place,” he suggested to Ms. O’Brien.
“There’s no need for that, sir,” said Ashley quickly. “I alread
y have a bioscan for Kam. I got one when I set a trap on the replicator.”
“Well done,” said the commander warmly. “Where is it?”
Ashley was blushing at the praise. “In my computer pad. I left it in the classroom.”
“Okay,” the commander said. “Go fetch it and bring it up to Ops. We can plug it in there and scan the entire station.”
Ashley nodded and spun round. She started off for the classroom. Jake, Nog, and T’Ara went with her. As they ran through the crowded Promenade, Jake realized that very few people knew about the threatened attack yet. It was probably best. The last thing they needed right now was panic. But if they couldn’t find Kam, then everyone would have to be told….
They reached the classroom just as the other students began to arrive for class. “There it is,” Ashley said, pointing to the computer pad she’d left on her desk. As she hurried over to collect it, Nog gave a cry of pleasure. He scuttled forward and scooped something up off the floor. Jake just caught a glimpse of something shiny before Nog’s hand closed over it.
“What’s that?” he asked curiously.
“Mine!” said Nog. “I found it.”
“I’m not claiming it,” Jake replied. The Ferengi believed in the old saying about “Finders keepers” with all their greedy little hearts. “I just want to know what it is.”
Nog clutched his find to his chest, suspicious. Then he nodded. “Okay,” he agreed. He opened his fingers just a few inches. “It’s an earring.”
There was something about it that struck a chord in Jake’s memory. “I’ve seen it somewhere before,” he said slowly.
Nog clenched his fist over it again. “Hey, I told you—it’s mine. I don’t care what stories you make up to pretend you lost it.”
