They walked like that all the way to her quarters.

70

Prynn opened her eyes as though from a long and restful sleep. She had no conscious thoughts as she lay on her back, staring up in the dimly lighted room. After a few seconds, for no good reason, she turned her head to the right. When she saw Shar lying on the diagnostic bed next to her, she bolted up, leaning on her hands. In an instant, she recalled everything that had taken place on the planet, up until the moment Shar had yelled at her to get the helmets. It seemed impossible that they had not been killed, but—

Dad,she thought, remembering the great gray column, expanding outward, obviously from an explosion—an explosion where he had been. Prynn spun quickly around to look at the diagnostic bed to her left. It was empty. Dad,she thought again, calling to him in her mind, but she knew that he was gone. She dropped down onto her side on the bed. Tears blurred her vision and rolled down her face. She felt hollow. She had lost her father, and to make it worse, she had also lost the last seven years with him.

At the periphery of her perception, Prynn heard the whisper of a door. She ignored it, unable to focus on anything but her sorrow. She squeezed her eyes shut as she began to sob.

“Ensign Tenmei?” Through the sounds of her grief, she heard the voice of Dr. Bashir. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she opened her eyes. Before her, she saw the shape of his face, though she could not make out his features in the shadowy lighting. “Are you in pain?” Bashir asked.

Pain,Prynn thought, and could not begin to describe the agony that consumed her. She tried to answer, but she could not stop crying. Finally, she managed to say, “My father.”

“Oh,” Bashir said. “Ensign, your father’s going to be fine.”

Her tears seemed to stop immediately. “What?” she asked, raising her head. “What?”

“Your father’s here in the medical bay,” Bashir told her. Prynn stared at him, unmoving. She felt him exert pressure on her shoulder, trying gently to push her. She allowed him to guide her, and she peered into the gloom where he pointed. “Computer,” Bashir said, “lights up one-quarter.”

As the illumination in the medical bay increased, Prynn looked up at Dr. Bashir’s face for a moment. Then she peered back to where he was pointing, at a diagnostic bed halfway across the room. She saw the figure of a man lying atop it and recognized her father’s profile at once. The sheet covering him up to his shoulders rose and fell at his chest, confirmation of his breathing.

Prynn laughed, a sharp, involuntary noise as uncontrollable as her crying had been. “He’s alive,” she sputtered. She laughed again, even as tears began streaming down her face once more.

“Yes, he is,” Bashir said. Prynn leaned backward, ready to fall onto the bed, but the doctor put a hand behind her and lowered her down. “Computer, night lighting,” he said. The shadows returned, the doctor’s face fading from sight once more. “I’m going to get you something to help you sleep,” he told her.

“Wait,” she said, grabbing his arm as he started to go. “How did we get here?”

“I wasn’t on the bridge when it happened,” he said, “but I believe that the clouds cleared above you, and we just beamed you up. You and Ensign ch’Thane were wearing environmental suits, so you were able to survive down on the planet during its…transformation.” He tapped at her hand, then softly pulled it from his arm and set it beside her on the bed. “I’m going to get something to help you through the night,” he said again, and he walked away.

Before he returned, Prynn had already fallen back to sleep.

71

As Kira prepared to leave her quarters for her office, she thought again about contacting Kasidy. She had tried to reach her last night, right after Shakaar’s announcement, but Kas’s comm system had not been accepting incoming transmissions. She knew that Kas sometimes shut down her comm when writing letters, not wanting to be distracted. Kira had not bothered to leave a message.

Now, even though it was still early—more than an hour before the start of the day shift—she decided to try again. She sat down at her companel, opened a channel, and sent a greeting. After only a few seconds, the display blinked and Kasidy appeared. “Nerys,”she said with a bright smile. She looked as though she had been awake for a while.

“Good morning,” Kira said. “It looks like I’m not contacting you too early.”

“Not at all,”Kas said. “I always love hearing from you. Of course, if I could only get you to come for a visit…”

“I know, I know,” Kira said. “As soon as I can get away…”

“Nerys, if I have to wait for a day you’re not working, then this child—”Kasidy reached down below the view on the display, obviously running her hand across the swell in her midsection. “—will probably have a command of their own by then.”Kira chuckled, and resolved again to find some time to visit Bajor. “So how are you?”

“I guess…I’m pretty excited,” Kira said, putting her anticipation into words for the first time.

“‘Excited’? Now that sounds good,”Kas said. “About what?”

“About Bajor.” Kira realized that Kas did not know what had happened yesterday. “You haven’t heard, have you?”

“Apparently not,”Kasidy said. “Why don’t you tell me?”

“Kas, Bajor’s been accepted into the Federation.” The words actually sounded like something out of a dream to Kira. This time had been in Bajor’s future for so long now that it seemed strange for it to finally be in the present. “The official signing will take place in six weeks.”

Surprise showed on Kasidy’s face. “When did this happen?”she wanted to know. Kira told her about Akaar and the ambassadors and the summit, and then about the first minister’s speech. When she had finished, Kasidy said, “I didn’t realize this was so close to happening.”

“I don’t think any of us did,” Kira agreed, “other than Shakaar.” She noticed that Kas’s expression had slipped from surprise to what looked like discomfort. “Are you all right?” Kira asked. “Does this bother you?”

“I’m fine,”Kasidy said. “It’s just…I’m not exactly sure how I’m supposed to feel about this.”She paused, and then said, “I mean, I’ll be living in Federation territory, so that’s a good thing.”

“It will all be good.”

“I know, you’re right,”Kasidy said. “It’s just that…”

Just that Captain Sisko should be here,Kira thought. “It’s all right, Kas. You had a sacred vision, so you know that Benjamin is with the Prophets. And that means he must know about this.”

“Of course,”Kasidy replied, a forced smile appearing on her face. “You’re right. I’m sure Ben’s very happy about this.”

“I’m sure he is,” Kira said. “He worked hard for this, against a lot of opposition and through some difficult times. But this is all happening because of him.”

Kasidy smiled again, and this time, it seemed genuine. “He really was—he reallyis— something.”

“Yes, he is.”

For the next hour, they talked about Benjamin Sisko.