REP (DS9): Walking Among Ghosts [PG-13]
Laura Taylor
AUTHOR: Laura Taylor (dre...@roanoke.infi.net)
RATING: PG-13
SERIES/CODES: DS9, K, Du
SUMMARY: Kira and Dukat must work together to solve a puzzling crime
from the early days of the Occupation.
DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns the Star Trek universe and all it
encompasses. This is a work of fan fiction, and as such is not intended
to infringe on any copyrights.
Happy Halloween, folks. Any and all comments welcome, to the NG or to
dre...@roanoke.infi.net (remember to replace 'spamBgone' with 'roanoke').
Enjoy!
Laura
*****
Kira Nerys did not believe in ghosts. She did, however, believe in
death. The Occupation had taught her that lesson: death was real and
gruesome and inescapable. She also believed in Cardassians, and she
most decidedly believed in dead Cardassians. Especially the dead
Cardassians whose remains currently enshrouded her in the grim and
haunting reality that death and Cardassians were never far removed from
one another.
In a quiet grove in Bajor's Rekantha Province, evidence of horrible
bloodshed had awaited discovery for decades, until the ghosts of the
Occupation began to emerge from their hiding places to haunt those still
struggling with their own demons. Kira now stood in the midst of that
bloody and unhallowed ground, trying to ignore the sensation that unseen
specters were watching her.
She was at the bottom of a four-meter-deep pit, surrounded on three
sides by steep walls punctuated with the jutting fragments of what scans
revealed to be the skeletal remains of over 50 Cardassians. Ridged
skulls leered up at her like perverted cobblestones beneath her feet,
mocking her discomfort. A bundle of arm bones of differing lengths
rested against one corner of the pit, awaiting reunion with their
corresponding skeletons. Pieces of ribs and spinal columns, some of
them still covered with undecayed fragments of cloth, protruded from the
walls of the pit, awaiting exhumation.
The pit's cramped confines suddenly seemed even more so. Kira's breath
escaped in shallow pants as her heart raced. Her hands shook until the
tricorder she had been using to scan the dimensions of the mass grave
dropped to the ground, striking an exposed ribcage with a ghastly
clatter. As her panic rose in her throat, she backpedaled, scrambling
for the makeshift stairwell built into the angled fourth wall of the
pit. She was desperate to escape before the ground closed in on her,
burying her alive.
Her distress must have been apparent to the excavation team on the
surface; as she neared the mouth of the pit, a large hand reached down
to assist her. When she looked up at her would-be rescuer's face to
thank him, however, the sight of Gul Dukat's ghostly gray ridges almost
sent her tumbling back down in fright.
"Hello, Major," he said, grinning at her as he crouched by the side of
the pit, his hand remaining outstretched even as Kira yanked hers back.
"Please, let me give you a hand."
Choking back her shock and unease, Kira grudgingly accepted Dukat's hand
again and hoisted herself out of the pit. Once on the surface, she
masked her discomfort by brushing loose dirt from her uniform while
surveying the area for evidence of Dukat's expected entourage —
uniformed soldiers, weapons, any military apparatus indicating that
Bajor could be threatened with an invasion from Cardassia. What she
saw, instead, were Bajoran, Starfleet and Cardassian engineers and
scientists making the first hesitant overtures toward each other as they
set aside their animosities to solve the mystery that lay beneath their
feet.
"What are you doing here?" Kira snapped at Dukat as she trotted to the
canvas shelter where Dax and Doctor Bashir had erected an on-site
laboratory. "I thought you had your hands full with the Maquis."
"What do you think, Major? I'm the head of the Cardassian contingent on
this investigation."
"Is this Central Command's idea of a joke, putting you in charge?"
"I assure you that my presence here is proof that Central Command does
not consider this mission a joking matter, and in fact is very disturbed
at the discovery of this mass grave," he replied as Kira came to an
abrupt halt before the tent and turned to confront him. "As the former
prefect, I have access to military records and archives the others would
not, and my objective knowledge of Occupation history is far superior to
yours. I'm the obvious choice to command this investigation." She
bristled as he tilted his head to one side and smiled down at her.
"Now, Major, Commander Sisko assured me that, as long as my team and I
cooperated, you would allow us unrestricted access to your findings. I
have every intention of keeping my promises; can I count on you to
uphold your end of the bargain?"
"Not willingly," she retorted, but before Dukat could counter her
complaint she threw up her hand to silence him. Fortunately for him, he
obeyed her warning. "Lieutenant Dax and Doctor Bashir are in here," she
continued, throwing back the canvas flap and ducking inside the shelter.
"They can provide some of the more scientific details of our progress."
Dax and Bashir looked up from a partial skeleton arrayed on the central
examining table as Kira and Dukat approached.
"Two weeks ago," Kira began, "some children were playing in these woods,
when one of them mysteriously disappeared. A search party was organized
when she did not return after 26 hours. It turned out that she had been
caught in a sinkhole and was unable to climb out. As her rescuers
worked to free her, one of them spotted what looked to be bones
protruding from the edge of the sinkhole and, assuming the bones were
Bajoran, reported his discovery to the local authorities. It didn't
take the investigators long to realize the remains were part of a mass
grave of Cardassians. That's when they contacted DS9."
Dukat turned to Dax and Bashir, who had concluded their examination of
the remains as Kira gave her report. "What have you learned so far?"
"As yet," Bashir began, "we don't know who they were or what killed
them." Tapping at the ridged sternum, he continued, "These remains
consist of the most complete skeleton we've exhumed so far, although we
know there are at least 50 bodies and we've uncovered parts of more than
half that number."
"Is there evidence the grave was disturbed, by robbers perhaps?"
"It doesn't seem likely," Dax said. "There's no evidence of jewelry or
other ornamentation, so any valuables they may have had were probably
taken from them before they were buried." She gave Bashir a wary
glance, and he nodded. "We think they were buried in pieces. We have
yet to find a complete skeleton, and so far we haven't uncovered any femurs."
Dukat's face seemed to grow more pale as he took a step back, but he
recovered rapidly. "Have you found any military insignia?" he asked,
his voice lower than usual.
"That's another mystery," Kira offered. "By all appearances, these
Cardassians were civilians, yet they've obviously been here since well
before colonies were established on Bajor."
Dukat's brow ridges furrowed in thought. "How long ago do you estimate
they died?"
"Approximately 40 years ago," Bashir said.
"Hm. Right around the time of Bajor's annexation, it would seem."
"You think there's a connection?"
"It's worth investigating. Considering the length of their interment, I
would say that these unfortunate victims of what appears to have been a
horrific crime were among the advisors Cardassia posted on Bajor before
the annexation and institution of military rule."
Kira ignored Dukat's posturing to question his knowledge of Occupation
history. "Wait a minute: you're suggesting there were no Cardassian
troops on Bajor prior to the annexation?"
His indulgent smile irked her. "No, I'm not saying that at all.
Cardassia would never have posted civilians on foreign soil without
military support. However, prior to the annexation, the garrisons were
sparsely manned and left the civilians to their own devices. It wasn't
until it became apparent that our people could not live safely among the
Bajorans that we increased our military presence."
"A convenient excuse for Cardassia's plan to colonize Bajor," Kira sniped.
He opened his mouth as if he were about to retort, then clamped it shut
with a grimace. Before Kira could press her advantage, Dax stepped in.
"Gul Dukat, you said that you think a crime took place here. On what
grounds do you base that claim?"
"On the grounds that these bodies were not buried in any manner
resembling Cardassian custom. Whoever buried them was not Cardassian,
nor did they have any knowledge of established interment procedures.
The most logical assumption would be that it was a Bajoran, or more
likely a group of Bajorans, who buried them. Who else but a mob of
murderous Bajorans would have cause to hide the remains of 50
dismembered Cardassians?"
"Hmph," Kira muttered. When the others looked at her, she continued, "A
group of Bajorans reclaiming their freedom, that's who." Dukat stared
at her, unblinking, until she looked away in discomfort. "Assuming that
your ridiculous theory is correct and a crime did take place here over
40 years ago, the chances of finding those responsible are minimal at
best. I doubt you'll find anyone on Bajor willing to cooperate."
Dukat nodded. "Without a doubt your mass murderers are long dead.
Nevertheless, I have an obligation to pursue any leads even as our
scientists try to determine exactly what happened here. Once we've
accomplished that goal, my team can set about identifying the remains,
locating their families and arranging for proper burials on Cardassia —
provided Lieutenant Dax and Doctor Bashir are able to assemble complete
skeletons, that is."
Bashir interjected, "We've assembled a few into something resembling a
skeleton, but on some we've barely found enough to determine age and
gender without a full DNA analysis. For that, we'll have to take the
remains back to DS9."
"That shouldn't be necessary, Doctor, I have three forensics specialists
on my team who can help you locate certain identifying characteristics
unique to each individual. I'll have them report to you immediately."
"I'll have Chief O'Brien give your engineers a tour of the site, and get
them started on digging more trenches," Dax said. "We've taken some new
scans that give us a better idea of the grave's dimensions."
"Sounds good," Dukat agreed, turning to Kira as Bashir and Dax set off
on their new tasks. "And now, Major, since you and I can offer little
useful scientific knowledge, I suggest we start reviewing our respective
archives for any historical clues that might help us solve this mystery."
~~~
Kira awoke with a start, the images from her dream still so fresh in her
mind she could almost touch them. She was no stranger to nightmares,
but they had usually been filled with her own memories of the
Occupation. Never had she had one so clear, yet so unfamiliar in its
manifestation. The vision of an unknown girl in a torn and bloodied
dress, her hair in ragged strands about her face, her cheeks and throat
gouged, was vivid beyond imagination. Something in Kira's resurgent
superstitions told her there was a connection between the dream and the
gravesite, but she would wait until morning to search for clues. With
so many Cardassians around, she was reluctant to venture alone into the
forest at night.
She rolled on to her side and tried to block the images from her mind so
she could relax, but the snap of a branch outside her tent brought her
to full alertness even while resurrecting the specters she had been
trying to forget. Reaching for her phaser, she called out, "Who's there?"
The shuffle of leaves underfoot answered her. Whatever was out there
was getting closer, and she reflexively pulled her blanket closer.
"Identify yourself!"
The tent flap trembled, then lifted. Kira aimed her weapon toward the
movement. With a croak she ordered, "One move and you're nothing but cinders!"
The movement ceased, and in the stillness Kira heard heavy breathing.
Then a familiar voice whispered, "Relax, Major, it's only me."
Rather than obey, she stiffened even more. "What are you doing lurking
around my tent, Dukat? It's the middle of the night."
"I'm well aware of that, Major, and I'm not lurking around your tent. I
came to tell you that I found something that might interest you. May I
come in?" When she did not answer, he sighed, "Look, Major, I assure
you I mean you no harm. You're awake, I'm awake, we might as well do
something productive with our time."
With a grumble of irritation, Kira reduced the setting on her weapon to
stun and placed it next to her pillow, where she could make a grab for
it if Dukat threatened her in any way. Then, throwing her uniform
jacket over her shoulders, she called, "All right. You can come in."
Dukat entered cautiously at first, his eyes looking around as he
obviously searched for her phaser. Once he seemed satisfied that she
would not shoot him, he came closer and extended a padd to her.
"What's this?"
"Just read it and see for yourself. I think you'll agree that it's the
first substantive clue to solving our mystery."
Out of sheer spite, Kira hesitated long enough to see Dukat fidget, then
activated her lamp to read the information he had accessed for her. It
was a census-taker's memo about an entire village — not too far from
here, she noted — that had been abandoned 43 years ago. The Bajorans
that had lived there soon turned up in census records elsewhere, but the
Cardassians were never heard from again. The report also stated that
the village had been an integrated community — the two races had lived
and worked side-by-side as neighbors, and not in separate compounds.
When she finished reading, Kira looked up at Dukat. "I fail to see the
connection," she dissembled, curious to hear his explanation.
Dukat's head tilted to one side as he gave her a reproving stare.
"Major, Cardassians don't just 'disappear'. The people who lived in
this village had a purpose for being there. They would not have all
packed their bags and left in the middle of the night without someone
knowing about it."
He was right about the Cardassian disinclination to disappear — Bajor
tried to get rid of them for over 60 years, and still had not succeeded
even though the occupying forces had withdrawn three years ago. "You're
convinced they were the victims of foul play."
"This is the most plausible lead we have so far. Once I found this
report, I looked into census data for this sector prior to the
villagers' disappearance. In 2327, the year before the village was
reported abandoned, there were 84 Cardassians and 142 Bajorans living in
a single community."
Kira's curiosity was piqued despite her skepticism. "But Doctor Bashir
said the final count was 51 bodies. What about the other 33?"
"Perhaps there's more than one burial site here."
She shuddered. Excavating one mass grave had taken enough of a toll on
her; the last thing she wanted was more of the same. At the very
least, it could herald a more long-term presence of Dukat and his team
of engineers and scientists on Bajor. On a more personal level, the
time she had spent at the bottom of that grave and her bizarre dream
were beginning to convince her that the forest was haunted. She would
welcome a hasty conclusion to the mission. "Why do you say that?"
"Lieutenant Dax informed me that, of the remains that have been
identified, all of them were males between 20 and 60 years old. Where
are the women and children? You can't have a community without families."
"What does your census data say?"
"That there were 36 women and children living in the village in 2327.
Allowing for natural demographic shifts over the course of a year, that
is." Kira's stomach turned at the sight of Dukat's smug expression.
Recovering quickly, she asked, "All right, then, where are they? If
there's another grave here with women and children, why haven't we found
it yet?"
Dukat's expression sobered. "I think it may be because you've limited
the scope of your investigation." As she opened her mouth to protest,
he raised his hand in apology. "I mean no disrespect, Major. You had
no reason to think that there would be another grave, because you
automatically assumed the men buried here were soldiers, despite their
civilian clothing. Now that we have good reason to believe that entire
families lived here, we can expand our search accordingly."
"Which, I'm sure, you've already done?"
His smile returned, although she could tell there was no humor behind
it. "Of course, Major. I haven't built my reputation on doing half a
job, you know. I sent a group of surveyors into the forest this
afternoon, with orders to scan for any possible alternate gravesites
within a five-kilometer radius." He retrieved the padd he had given her
earlier, adjusted the display, then handed it back to her. "When they
reported back to me this evening, they had evidence of at least three
possible sites. I visited each of them myself, and I think I know where
we might find our missing women and children."
"Presuming, that is, that your theory's correct."
"Do you have a better one? If my theory does prove correct, that should
make identifying the remains much easier, since we can refer to the
census records." His expression became thoughtful as he leaned back on
Kira's cot and rubbed at his temple. "That still won't tell us how
these unfortunate colonists died, but, for all we know, there may be
more evidence hidden underground."
Kira sighed in resignation. So much for getting any more sleep tonight.
Rising from her cot, she retrieved her portable lamp and ignited it.
"Come on, Dukat, show me what you found."
~~~
Even with the small beam of light provided by Kira's portable lamp, the
path she and Dukat took was dark and gloomy; none of Bajor's moons
dared shine beyond the dense canopy of trees that overhung them. The
night was quiet, too quiet for Kira, and she found herself longing for
one of Dukat's speeches to break the silence. He was, as usual,
uncooperative, so much so that even Commander Sisko would have marveled
at his uncharacteristic quiescence. Not even the typical noises that
prevailed throughout the Bajoran night were in evidence — no animal
sounds, or the creaking of branches, or even the humming of insects
accompanied them as they walked in silence deeper into the forest. Only
the occasional whisper of wind stirring leaves and the crunching of
Dukat's heavy boots against the forest floor provided any signs of life.
After nearly an hour of walking in total silence, Dukat came to a stop
in a small clearing and squatted next to a tree. Before he had a chance
to say anything, Kira activated her tricorder and took a preliminary
topographic scan. The initial results seemed to confirm his theory:
the ground, although it appeared even, had the distinctive signs of
shrink-swell, suggesting that, perhaps, someone had dug a large hole and
then filled it in incompletely. As if the hole had been filled with
something else.
"Do you see the bowl-shaped depression in the center?" he asked,
pointing in that direction. Then, rising, he took her arm, led her to
the spot and stamped his foot on the ground. "The soil here is soft,"
he commented by way of explanation.
Kira understood him. "The first site was found when a local girl fell
into a sinkhole. This area might be the same way."
"That's what I thought, too. There's something else I want to show
you." He guided her to a row of trees on the far side of the clearing
and directed her hand to shine the light on the trunks. "Do you see the
scarring on the bark here?" he asked, indicating striations about two
meters above the raised roots.
The marks he indicated were faint, so Kira scanned them with her
tricorder for a quick diagnosis. When the results appeared on the
display screen, she looked up at Dukat in wonder. "Those are phaser burns."
"Don't expect me to believe you think the locals came all the way out
here for target practice. Whoever used this clearing to fire phasers
didn't want anyone to know what they were doing."
Kira closed her eyes in mourning as images of similar places, the ground
littered with Bajorans, appeared in her mind. "It's the perfect spot
for a mass execution and burial." Then something occurred to her, and
she opened her eyes again. "As far as I know, the bodies at the primary
excavation site weren't shot."
"Yet another twist in this little mystery of ours. The only way we'll
know for sure is to exhume whoever's buried here as well."
Kira shook her head in disbelief. "I'll have Chief O'Brien get on it
first thing in the morning. Speaking of which, we should be heading
back — as long as it took us to get out here, it'll be almost dawn by
the time we get back to base camp."
Dukat nodded in agreement and led her back the way they had come. The
silence again fell over them like a heavy shroud. After a few minutes
Dukat asked, "Do you still believe in those folk tales your people are
so famous for, or have you managed to grow beyond that level?" At her
glare, he added with a grin, "Excepting those Prophets of yours, of course."
"Why do you ask?"
It was so quiet she could hear his armor creak as he shrugged. "Just curious."
"I had enough real monsters to haunt me while I was growing up. I
didn't need ghost stories."
He laughed despite the menace she had deliberately injected into her
tone, and his humor irritated her even more. "Pity, some of them are
quite entertaining." He lapsed into silence for a moment, then added,
"I heard there's a ghost story native to this area."
"There is?" she asked, intrigued in spite of herself. "What is it about?"
"Oh, I don't know the details. There've been several reported sightings
of a girl haunting the forest. I'm sure most of those sightings can be
attributed to natural phenomena — shadows, mists...."
Kira ignored him as she tried to avoid tripping over roots or bumping
into trees in the encroaching gloom. A flash out of the corner of her
eyes caught her attention, however, and she stopped short.
Unfortunately, Dukat had been walking a half step behind her and failed
to stop in time, colliding with her and knocking her to the ground.
"Whoa, Major," he exclaimed, grabbing her elbow to help her stand. "Did
a ghost spook you?"
She said nothing, just stared into the darkness until the glimmer that
had caught her attention reappeared. When it did, she grabbed Dukat's
arm and pointed toward the specter. "There. Do you see that?" she whispered.
Dukat peered in the direction she indicated. "See what?"
"Right there," she insisted. "That light in the trees. Can't you see
it moving?"
She looked up to see Dukat staring at her, a quizzical expression on his
face. "Major, there's nothing there. I thought you didn't believe in
ghosts anymore."
His mild rebuke broke the spell and she turned her back on him in
frustrated disgust, resuming the hike to base camp. "I know I saw something."
"I'm sure you did, Major," came his voice from beside her, "just as I'm
sure you know the people buried here deserved what they got."
His abrupt shift in subject should have put her on her guard, but she
was too rattled to let his comment pass. "They were here, weren't they?
They were part of the Occupation, weren't they? How many Bajorans died
so they could bring their families here?"
"You forget that they were here before the annexation. They were here
to help your people, not hurt them." His voice had assumed that
sing-song cadence it so often did whenever he was lecturing her about
his version of Occupation history, and her pace increased in response.
"The annexation would never have happened if those 'advisors' hadn't
been here first," she threw over her shoulder. "And if all they wanted
to do was help, why didn't they stay? Why did they leave and let the
soldiers take their place?"
"I suspect those people dumped into a burial pit could tell you why."
Gritting her teeth to keep from lashing out at him, she muttered, "I
see. So now we're to blame for Bajor's annexation?"
"Think what you want, Major, but your people are as responsible for the
Occupation as mine. I doubt you'll find any evidence that the victims
in that pit were massacred by their fellow Cardassians."
His calm, arrogant demeanor was getting under her skin and she
lengthened her stride a little more, trying to get away from him as
quickly as possible without breaking into a run. The less time she had
to spend alone with him, listening to his smug rationalizations, the
happier she would be. "Bajor's rape and destruction was payback for the
deaths of a few dozen Cardassians? I fail to see the justice in that."
"Not just death, Major, but dismemberment, in case you forgot. And who
knows how many more sites there are like this? We've already found a
second one; for all we know, the countryside could be dotted with
hidden graves."
It was the final straw, and she whirled to confront him. "That's right,
Dukat. The hidden graves of Bajorans tortured and murdered by soldiers!
The graves of prisoners worked to death, a few shovelfuls of dirt
dumped on them by their fellow workers when no one was looking! Do you
honestly expect me to believe that the people buried here are any more
innocent than you? You said they were here to help — help with what?
Help strip Bajor of its natural resources? Help us become better
slaves? Help us become more like you?"
Dukat stopped and stared at her in obvious disapproval. "Now, Major,
there's no need to go digging up any ghosts of our own. I was just
trying to make some pleasant conversation while we walked."
Kira flashed her lamp in his eyes in irritation, then changed the
subject. "I want to talk to the locals about that ghost story you mentioned."
"What?" He seemed genuinely perplexed. "What purpose would that serve?"
"Those children who were playing in the forest — the ones who found the
first grave — were reportedly here after dark. Now why would they want
to be here at that time unless --"
Dukat finished her thought. "-- unless they'd heard that a ghost
haunted these woods and wanted to see for themselves."
"Exactly. We should interview them first thing in the morning, once
we've got the engineers working on the new excavation site."
~~~
It was hard to tell which was the more terrified: the girl with her
wide eyes, pale face and trembling hands, or her fidgety mother, darting
anxious glances at Dukat as she hovered in the background. Probably
enjoying the reactions his presence invited, Dukat ceded the floor to
Kira, leaving her to conduct the interview. She sat opposite the girl
at the rough-hewn table and stretched out her hand until it rested on
top of the girl's, smiling gently until she felt the fingers unclench
beneath her palm.
"I know you've talked about this several times already," Kira reassured
her, "but we have a few more questions that need to be answered."
"Yes, ma'am," the girl mumbled, trying not to stare at Dukat.
"When did you go into the woods with your friends?"
"After supper, just after sunset. We go at that time every night, if
the weather's nice and our parents let us."
"How many of you are there?"
"Usually there's six of us, but that night there were only four."
"Do you usually go to the same place?"
The girl nodded. "Uh-huh. The trees are pretty thick, except in that
little area where they seem to make a ring around a sunny spot. We'd go
there and lie on our backs and look at the sky." She ducked her head
down to hide a blush. "Sometimes we think we can see the Celestial
Temple opening and closing."
Kira smiled and patted the girl's hand. "Someday you'll have to come to
the station so you can see it up close." The girl's eyes brightened and
she turned to look at her mother in eager anticipation. Kira closed her
fingers around the girl's hand to redirect her attention to the
interview. "Tell me, have you or your friends ever heard any stories
about ghosts living in the forest?"
At that, the girl shrank back, removing her hand from beneath Kira's,
and turned to her mother with a look of open pleading on her face.
"Mama?" she whispered.
Kira looked at Dukat in confusion. He took a step or two toward them,
until the mother's leap to protect her daughter froze him in his tracks.
"We're trying to follow every possible lead in solving this mystery,"
he urged. "Do you know of any...supernatural appearances in the area
where the grave was found?"
The mother's eyes never left Dukat's face, although it was to Kira that
she spoke. "Those of us who've lived here for years grew up hearing
stories about a spirit-girl who lived in the woods. I've never seen
her." She hesitated long enough to take several gulps of air and wrap
her arms around her daughter's shoulders. "The other night — the night
she fell into the sinkhole — my daughter said she saw the ghost."
Kira, alternately intrigued and alarmed, turned her attention back to
the girl. "You saw a ghost? What did it look like?"
The girl took a deep, shuddering breath before speaking. "Oh, it was
awful!" she cried, burying her face in her hands. "She appeared from
out of nowhere — at first, we thought it was another friend playing a
prank on us, and just laughed at her — but then she started shrieking at
us, and tearing her hair and clothes, and she looked like she was
fighting someone off but there was no one else there but us, and then
blood appeared all over her dress, and — oh, I don't ever want to go
back there again!" She burst into hysterical sobs and flung herself at
her mother.
Kira realized that she would get nothing more out of the girl. She had
already learned enough to support not only her own visions, but also a
disturbingly far-fetched theory. Ready to leave, she rose from the
table until movement out of the corner of her eye stopped her. Keeping
his voice very low and even, Dukat asked, "Was the ghost Cardassian?"
The girl mumbled something incoherent, and Kira and Dukat glanced at
each other in puzzlement before turning their gazes to the mother.
Without looking up from her daughter, she told them, "The ghost is a Bajoran."
"Thank you," Kira said gently as she and Dukat left the pair huddled in
each other's arms. Once they were safely out of earshot, Kira looked at
Dukat in self-satisfied triumph. "Well?"
"Well, Major, I'm not convinced," he said, crossing his arms over his
chest. "All the bodies we've found so far have been Cardassian. I fail
to see any connection between their deaths and these 'sightings' of a
Bajoran ghost."
Kira was unperturbed. "I may not have any empirical proof of a
connection yet," she said, "but I know there is one. All we have to do
is keep looking."
"Suit yourself, Major. I'll be satisfied with taking the remains of my
people home for identification and interment."
Kira was about to reply when her commbadge chirped. "O'Brien to Major
Kira," came the chief's gravelly voice.
She slapped open the link. "Kira here. Something up, Chief?"
"Major, you and Gul Dukat had better get back here. You're not going to
believe this, but we've found another grave, separate from the other
two. This one's got a Bajoran in it."
~~~
O'Brien hurried up to Kira and Dukat as soon as they arrived at the
secondary excavation site. The engineers had already made significant
progress in their absence, and tips of what appeared to be bones were
visible in the trenches dug around the approximate dimensions of the
site. Groups of Cardassian and Bajoran scientists — most of the
Starfleet people had returned to DS9 the night before — milled around
the site, taking samples from the phaser burns on the surrounding trees,
scraping and brushing dirt from exposed bones, and conducting forensics
tests on the remains. Kira noticed with surprise and pleasure that the
racial tension that had kept the two groups at a distance the day before
seemed to have dissipated as they worked together on various projects,
comparing notes, offering suggestions and discussing techniques without
evident hostility. As scientists rather than soldiers, they appreciated
the importance of setting aside cultural animosities to solve a puzzle.
"Major," O'Brien said, his face flushed red from exertion, "thank
goodness you're here."
His worried tone alarmed Kira; O'Brien was usually as unflappable as a
stone. "What is it, Chief?"
"It's this new grave we found. I've had Julian and Dax keeping an eye
on it, to keep the others away. I'm afraid if any of them find out
what's in that grave, I'll have a full-scale riot on my hands."
"Perhaps you'd better show us what you mean," Dukat urged, and Kira
nodded in agreement.
Taking that as an order, O'Brien led them beyond the ring of trees to a
smaller clearing less than twenty meters from the secondary site.
Occupying the clearing was a mound of moss-covered dirt with an opening
that until recently had been obscured by stones and overhanging vines.
Dax and Bashir paced around the mound, taking samples for further study,
scanning the site with their tricorders, and comparing notes. As
O'Brien, Kira and Dukat broke through the underbrush, they both looked
up with a start, their hands automatically straying to the phasers
holstered at their hips. "'Salright," O'Brien called, "they're finally here."
His greeting seemed to bring little comfort. Bashir beckoned them
closer. "This is where we found it," he said, motioning toward the cave.
Kira was surprised; her people had not buried their dead in tombs since
before the Occupation, and many had been plundered and destroyed in the
name of Cardassian colonialism. "In there? Someone actually built a tomb?"
"They didn't just build a tomb, Nerys," Dax said. "Go inside and see
for yourself." She gave Dukat a worried frown, then continued, "You
should probably see it, too."
Confused, Kira glanced at Dukat, who shrugged in reply. She accepted
the portable lamp Bashir handed her and entered the tomb. It did not
take her long to ascertain what had rattled her friends so much, and
Dukat's sharp intake of breath and muttered curse convinced her she was
not hallucinating. "By the Prophets," she swore, appalled at what lay
before her eyes.
The tomb was simple and crudely built. The ceiling peaked about three
meters above the floor, giving Dukat plenty of room to stand upright,
and the floor was about four meters long on each side. An unopened
sarcophagus sat in the middle of the floor, its wooden sides covered
with elaborate carvings. The hardpacked dirt walls had been whitewashed
and then painted with scenes from some of Bajor's best-known folktales,
creating a panorama that surrounded the coffin. A meter and a half
above the floor, however, the walls curved in toward the center, forming
a conical roof directly above the coffin. It was the ceiling that
horrified Kira more than anything she had yet seen on this mission.
The vaults supporting the ceiling were constructed of Cardassian femurs.
Kira turned to Dukat, only to find that he had already exited the tomb.
She needed little convincing to follow his lead, and upon stepping back
into the welcome sunlight took her first deep breath since entering the
tomb. Dukat, his face as pale as death, sat on a pile of rocks, his
hands clenched before him, his lips pressed together in a grimace.
"Are you all right, Major?" Bashir asked, running his tricorder over
her. "Maybe you should sit down."
Kira shook her head. "Maybe you should tell me everything — now," she insisted.
"We've confirmed that the...remains in there match those at the primary
site," Dax said. "As for the Bajoran, the remains have been perfectly
preserved in an airtight sarcophagus. We'd been waiting until you got
here before establishing a stasis field so we can open it and conduct an autopsy."
"What have you learned about the secondary site?" Dukat asked, not
moving from his seat.
Dax shook her head. "It's too soon to say for sure, but it appears
they're all women and children."
"I'd like to get the autopsy done immediately," Bashir said. "If we
wait until tomorrow, there's a chance the sarcophagus will be disturbed
— by anyone wanting to take revenge for whatever might have happened —
and we'll lose what might be our best hope for solid evidence of what
happened here." He looked directly at Kira. "Do I have your permission
to proceed, Major?"
Kira felt sick at what they had discovered — at the realization that
Dukat's theory might be proved right — but knew she could not let her
personal feelings get in the way of concluding this investigation.
"Yes, Doctor, please do so."
Dukat stood and approached them, his fists clenched at his sides. "And
when you do conduct that autopsy, Doctor, I want to be there to witness
it. I want to know why dozens of my people were murdered and their
bodies dismembered to build a Bajoran tomb!"
~~~
Rather than risk anyone else discovering the tomb, Kira ordered O'Brien
to transport the stasis field generator directly from the base camp to
the tomb. As soon as the transporter beam dissolved, the remaining
foursome set up the equipment in grim silence. It did not take long to
get the equipment in place, and soon the stasis field buzzed to life
around the sarcophagus. Once Bashir was satisfied that the atmosphere
had been siphoned out of the field, he directed the others to slip their
hands through the barrier and grasp the coffin lid. Kira squirmed at
the tingling of the barrier closing around her arms. Then, obeying a
signal from Bashir, they lifted in unison, removing the lid and dropping
it to the floor with a resounding thud.
The body which lay within was that of a Bajoran girl. Kira's eyes
immediately looked to Dukat, but his expression was inscrutable.
Dax and Bashir set to work immediately, activating their tricorders and
scanning the remains for signs of decay caused by the opening of the
sarcophagus. Apparently satisfied that the corpse was stable, at least
for the moment, Bashir nodded for Dax to hand him the tools he needed
for the autopsy.
Once she overcame her initial revulsion, Kira was surprised at how
well-preserved the corpse was. To her inexpert eye, the girl was in her
mid-teens and had been quite pretty. She was arrayed in a long dress
covered with delicate embroidery, a sign that she came from a family of
some importance. Her earring was similarly elaborate, and its
appendages must have brushed the top of her shoulder when she walked.
Her hands appeared to be unscarred by labor, which Kira took as evidence
that she probably came from a scholarly or priestly d'jarra. While
musing on this last detail, Kira remembered that the girl died around
the same time Cardassia annexed Bajor, which meant that she would not
have had to face the humiliation of life in a work camp.
A flurry of whisperings between Dax and Bashir stirred Kira from her
reflections, and she glanced at them to see that they had stopped the
autopsy and were passing nervous glances between Kira and Dukat. "Have
you found something?" she asked.
"We've found enough to confirm that her death is somehow connected to
the other two graves," Bashir said, handing Kira a padd. "She shows
signs of sexual trauma. Judging from the injuries she sustained prior
to her death, she was viciously raped, probably by more than one
assailant." Kira sucked in her breath in revulsion. Bashir hesitated
before continuing, "And her stomach contents reveal traces of what must
have been a lethal dose of neurocine powder."
Dukat looked up from where he had been reading the autopsy results over
Kira's shoulder. "Neurocine powder? She was poisoned?"
"That appears to have been the case. The decay rates suggest that the
powder was ingested between 40 and 45 years ago — roughly concurrent
with the deaths of the Cardassians."
"She might not have been poisoned," Dukat interrupted. "She may have
deliberately ingested the powder."
That was all Kira needed to hear to confirm every suspicion she had
harbored since Commander Sisko assigned her to this mission. Thrusting
the padd at Bashir, she stalked out of the tomb, fists swinging by her sides.
"I know exactly what's going through your mind, Major," came Dukat's
smooth voice right behind her. She pivoted on her heel, one fist aimed
blindly for his face, but he swerved in time to avoid the blow and
grabbed her wrist to stop her from trying again. "You cannot justify
the executions of nearly 100 Cardassians as retribution for the rape of
one girl."
"How dare you tell me what I can and cannot justify!" she spluttered in
fury, wrenching free of his grasp. "That poor girl was gang-raped, and
probably killed herself to escape the humiliation. Or maybe she was
murdered to hide the proof of what had been done to her!"
"We don't know that," he insisted. "The evidence we have is
circumstantial at best." He started to pace, gesticulating as he spoke.
"Supposing the men were somehow responsible, how does that explain the
fates of the women and children? You can't make any definite
conclusions about what happened here based on a few random facts and a
spurious ghost story. All we can do is speculate."
"I'm not interested in your rationalizations."
"I see," said Dukat. "Innocent Cardassians suffered because they were
undeserving of Bajoran mercy." His voice rose in anger. "Almost 100 of
my people — not soldiers, but civilians, men, women and children — died
as payback for every Bajoran girl raped by a Cardassian. As
Cardassians, they deserved to die. Is that it? Is that how you can
walk away from this without remorse or pity? Is that how you can remain
unrepulsed by the idea that these men, whether they were guilty or not,
were torn to pieces? Perhaps that girl committed suicide in horror at
what your people did to mine, or maybe her own people raped and killed
her for consorting with Cardassians!"
Kira glared at him, struggling to restrain the pain and fury that his
presence — and her memories — evoked. Finally she said, "You believe
what you want, Dukat, but I know what happened here. If those
'advisors' had not been here to begin with, they might still be alive
today." Then she stalked off, determined not to let these ghosts haunt
her any longer. A crime had been committed, and the perpetrators had
been punished. She would lay the ghosts to rest and think of them no more.
~~~
Gul Dukat's Personal Log, Stardate 47462.8
The bodies of 86 Cardassians lie in my hold, awaiting a bittersweet
homecoming. No thanks to Major Kira and her team, who abandoned the
excavation soon after the discovery of the sole Bajoran corpse, we were
able to exhume, assemble and identify all of the remains.
The inherent willfulness of Bajorans, embodied so well in the person of
Major Kira, never ceases to amaze me. She is so determined to demonize
our entire race that she is capable of astonishing lapses in
rationality. How can the assault on one girl possibly justify the
massacre of so many innocent Cardassians? Even those who may have
perpetrated the assault did not deserve the punishment meted against
them. That the major can accuse us of atrocities during the Occupation,
yet turn a blind eye to such a horrendous act of vengeance, is
appalling, yet not unexpected. She is Bajoran, after all.
I doubt we will ever really know the sequence of events that led to this
horrific crime, despite the major's claims to the contrary, which is a
pity. I believe there is a valuable lesson to be learned here, if we
took advantage of the opportunity. That, however, is unlikely; despite
Cardassia's continuing generosity to the Bajoran people, they have made
it explicit that they are unwilling to recognize our moral superiority.
Perhaps the day will come when both our worlds can overlook our
animosity and differences and come to a mutual respect and appreciation.
It is my personal opinion, however, that the massacre in the forest is
yet more proof that the Bajorans will never truly understand my people.
As with the misjudgment of the Occupation's true purpose, it seems that
the ghosts of one Bajoran girl and 86 Cardassian civilians will haunt
both our worlds for years to come.
--
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