“All right,” Kira relented.
“And I was lucky to find that,” Quark continued, as though Kira had not spoken. “The ship won’t even arrive at the station until two hours before the gathering. The fees I had to pay just to have the ship diverted to Deep Space—”
“All right, Quark,” Kira said, louder. She applied her thumb to the authorization control surface, then handed the padd back to Quark. He took it, and in the same motion, held out a Ferengi banking device, which had appeared in his hand as though from nowhere. She applied her thumb to the control surface on that device, sighing with exasperation. She found her dislike for Quark only exacerbated by having to do business with him.
“I’m sorry, Colonel,” he said, unapologetically checking Kira’s thumbprint on both the padd and the banking device, as though she might have attempted to cheat him in some manner. “Perhaps if I’d had more time—”
“Yes, you’re right,” she said, cutting him off again, but this time, she actually regretted doing it. She had to admit that she had asked a great deal of him, calling him to her office late this morning, and then requesting his catering services for this evening. Remarkably, it had taken him only an hour to prepare a menu that included food and drink for people of five different races. He might be overcharging for his services, but he really did know how to cater a function. “Thank you, Quark,” she said. “Next time, I’ll try to give you more notice.”
Quark nodded. Their business at an end, Kira reached forward and activated the computer interface on her desk, intending to return to her work. When Quark did not move, though, she looked back up at him. “Something else?” she asked.
“Actually, I was just curious what the occasion was for a gathering of such an eclectic group of people,” he said. This time, Quark’s attempt at nonchalance was completely transparent. Given his avarice, it seemed clear that he thought there might be some sort of business prospect for him here—a supposition that actually worked to Kira’s benefit in this case. She had waited as long as she had to approach Quark about catering the reception as part of her general intention to keep news of the summit quiet for as long as possible. After the war with the Dominion, numerous powers had expressed concerns about Starfleet maintaining an exclusive military presence at the wormhole. Both the Klingon and Romulan Empires had been particularly vehement in their opposition to such an arrangement, although nothing had yet come of that opposition. The Tholians and the Gorn had also voiced apprehension about perpetuation of the status quo at Bajor, as had several other governments. The longer Kira could keep word of the summit from spreading, she thought, the better.
To Quark’s question about the reason for the gathering, Kira responded, “We’re celebrating my naming day.”
Quark tilted his head to one side, clearly annoyed. “If you don’t want to tell me, Colonel, that’s fine.”
“I don’t want to tell you.”
“That’s fine.”
“Good,” she said, standing up behind her desk. “Then I won’t keep you from getting ready for the gathering.”
“Of course,” Quark said, and he finally turned and left. As soon as the doors closed behind him, the voice of Ensign Ling emerged from the comm system.
“Ops to Colonel Kira,”she said.
“This is Kira. Go ahead.”
“The Alonis ship,Arieto, is on approach to the station,”Ling reported. “They should be docking within the hour.”
“Acknowledged,” Kira said. “Let me know when the ship arrives.”
“Aye, sir.”The channel closed with a short tone.
Kira, still standing, idly tapped her desktop with her fingertips. She wondered what Quark’s reaction would be when he found out about the summit. She knew that he had long professed an aversion to the Federation, and if Bajor actually joined—
Kira realized something she had not previously considered. If Bajor did join the Federation, with its essentially moneyless economy, then Quark’s business would be…well, no longer a business, as far as he would be concerned. Deep Space 9 would officially become a part of the Federation, and there simply would no longer be an environment here in which to earn profit. Quark would doubtless have to leave the station.
A smile decorated Kira’s face at the thought of that greedy troll being forced to relocate. At the same time, though, she remembered vividly what it had been like to be displaced from her own home, something that had occurred with regularity throughout her life. And Deep Space 9 was Quark’s home; she was fairly certain that he had been a resident of the station for longer than anybody else. And right now, he had no idea that his life might soon be thrown into turmoil.
The smile faded from Kira’s face. She sat slowly down in her chair, surprised at the genuine sympathy she suddenly felt for Quark.
45
“It’s too dangerous,” Julian said. He had paced around the ready room and now stood near a far corner, as though seeking refuge from what Ezri had been suggesting. His features had grown tense, and she could see him shifting from disagreement and resistance toward anger. She needed to defuse the situation, not only for Julian’s sake, but for her own; in order to implement her proposal, she would require his support.
“Well,” she said, shrugging, “we can’t let Sam do it.” She motioned toward Lieutenant Bowers, who sat across the desk from her. He looked at her with surprise, and she smiled. “Unless you want to, that is.”
Bowers held up his hand and shook his head. “No, thanks,” he said lightly, matching her tone.
“Look, this isn’t a joke,” Julian said, walking back over to the desk. He did not laugh or smile, but despite that, and despite his words, she could see that the anger welling within him had eased for the moment, replaced by frustration. “There just isn’t enough evidence to justify what you’re proposing,” he told her, holding her gaze, as though he could convince her of the fact of his position through sheer force of will.
“You keep saying that,” Ezri said, “but it’s not really the case. Whatever that object in the Jefferies tube is, I sensed a mind when I came into contact with it.”
“That can hardly be considered evidence,” Julian said dismissively.
“You’re wrong,” Ezri challenged him. “It isevidence. Whether you find it convincing or not is another matter.”
“Then let me state it plainly: I don’t find it convincing,” he said.
“You’ve made that clear, Doctor,” she told him, her own anger rising. She took a beat to rein in her emotions. She would not persuade Julian to support her plan by fighting him. “There’s also the simple fact of the object’s appearance on the ship. It penetrated the hull and traveledto the Jefferies tube.” She glanced over at the computer interface on the desk. A view of the Jefferies tube showed on the display, the mysterious dark gray mass still lying along the bulkhead and down on the grating. The object had not moved since yesterday, since they had attempted to transport it. Ensign Gordimer had established a containment field about the location, although because of the object’s multidimensional nature, they could not be certain that such a measure would restrict its movement.
“We don’t know for a fact that it entered the ship through the breach,” Julian argued. “It might have emerged from subspace exactly where it is.”
“Even so, that would seem to imply some sort of movement,” Bowers observed, obviously seeing Ezri’s point. “And we also know that it moved within the Jefferies tube.”