GRAVITAS

Title: Gravitas, 11/26
Author: Jaye (Copyright August 2002)
Codes: VOY/TNG/DS9 Many Pairings NC-17

Disclaimer: Star Trek and all related characters and concepts are the property 
of Paramount. Gladiator belongs to Dreamworks SKG and Universal. No infringement 
is intended or profit made. This is NC-17 for adult themes, violence and sex. If 
you aren't interested (or aren't old enough), don't read it.

Archive: Drop me a note first so I know where it's going. Please keep the text 
(especially the disclaimer) intact.

Feedback: Sure but be kind, or at least constructive. E-mail is 
reader8901@fastmail.fm

Summary: Treachery raises the stakes and changes lives when the leader of the 
Terran Empire seeks to restore the Federation.

Note: Very AU, as this is basically the plot of the film "Gladiator" set in a 
Star Trek universe. Some scenes and dialogue closely mirror the film (though 
it's starting to drift away from the exact plot). No Maquis, no Delta Quadrant, 
etc. This is my response to Polly's Cha!Club challenge about movies. Sisko is 
older here than in canon.

***************

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Chakotay was sitting on his bunk in Sisko's dormitory, idly running the braid 
through his fingers. He felt...different. Alive again, as though somehow this 
gift had shot a ray of light through the muffling shroud of his grief. It was a 
beacon to the good memories of the past, and they helped to soften the edges of 
those last horrible images of his family and home.

Suddenly slim fingers plucked the object from his hands. He instinctively 
grabbed the thief's wrist and found himself looking up into B'Elanna's eyes.

"You really are a fast one, aren't you?" She sat beside him, still holding the 
braid. She ran her thumb over it. "You didn't have this before," she commented 
as she watched him from the corner of her eye.

"Harry---the young man in the street today---he gave it to me. I thought it was 
lost forever," Chakotay admitted as he released the half-Klingon's wrist.

"The way you were." B'Elanna's gaze was filled with understanding. "Klingons 
have something like this, a memento of the ones who've left us behind."

Her voice became brisk. "Here, let me fix it so you won't lose it again." She 
carefully wrapped the braid around his left wrist. Unknotting the ends, she wove 
them into a circlet. When she was finished the strands meshed so perfectly you 
couldn't find where the bracelet began or ended.

"There," she sat back and lifted Chakotay's hand so the band swung from his 
wrist. "Guaranteed to stay on through battle, earthquake, windstorm, fire, and 
flood." Her expression grew wistful. "At least, that's what my mother always 
told me."

Chakotay touched one finger to his new adornment. "Thank you." He shifted to 
face B'Elanna, clasping her hand. He noted her withdrawal to some place in the 
past. "Did you have one from your family?" he queried gently.

"No." B'Elanna shook her head. "My father left us when I was young, and my 
mother...there wasn't time. She...she was part of a new generation of warriors 
determined to protest Klingons' banishment from the Council." She swallowed. Her 
voice roughened when she continued, "They didn't leave anything to gather or 
bury when they shot her down."

Chakotay squeezed the sword-callused fingers in his own. "I'm sorry," he 
murmured.

B'Elanna blinked and tried to shrug it off. "It was a long time ago. I was 
pretty lucky. Because I was half-human, they only sold me into slavery." She 
frowned as she remembered. "I fought them pretty hard. I think that's what kept 
me from becoming a bed slave. Sisko saw me across the Promenade and bought me as 
a gladiator. He thought having a skilled female fighter might pique people's 
interest." She gave Chakotay a fierce grin. "And pretty soon he figured out that 
it was better to just put me in charge."

Chakotay tilted his head in speculation. "You kept killing the other 
armsmasters?"

"No, I just broke their noses." B'Elanna chuckled. "But it was pretty hard for 
Sisko to ignore the proof that his people's defensive training wasn't very 
good."

"So you've survived the arena for a while."

"Yeah." B'Elanna sighed and was silent a moment, then stared once more at the 
braid. "I'm a gladiator, Chakotay, because I've had no other choice except 
death. I envy you and Tuvok. Even if you die tomorrow, at least you've had a 
chance to live. And to love."

Chakotay slung his arm around B'Elanna's shoulders. "You're young, smart, 
strong, and beautiful. Don't tell me you're thinking of giving up hope of 
winning your freedom."

B'Elanna stared into Chakotay's eyes. Her own asked for the truth. "Do I have 
anything to hope for?"

"I can't promise anything, B'Elanna, but I think so," Chakotay said gravely. "I 
think we all do."

She nodded and they sat quietly together for a while.

************************************************************

Harry finally returned to his parents' house, exhausted. It had been a long day. 
He opened the stasis unit and smiled at the covered plate with his name on it 
written in his mother's graceful script. He pulled out the dish and a bottle. A 
few minutes later he took the reheated meal from the small oven designed for 
that purpose. He sat on a stool at the counter, eating his mother's cooking, 
drinking his beer and simply enjoying the peace and quiet. He didn't think he'd 
have those qualities in his life for much longer.

He'd gotten to bed late the night before, waiting for hours until he finally got 
in contact with Capt. Riker. Then he'd spent a tense morning waiting for him to 
arrive, then watching Admiral Chakotay fight the legendary Worf.

After the brief meeting with the officer-turned-gladiator, Harry had headed 
directly for where he knew the Imperial family exited the Colosseum. Julian made 
a point of returning to the palace by hovercraft rather than transporter. Harry 
could only hope that, as he'd heard happened occasionally, the Emperor left 
without bothering to wait for his brother-in-law and nephew.

Harry needed to stay at the front of the crowd until the Parises showed up, but 
he also needed to avoid being noticed by Greg Ayala. He purchased a streetside 
vendor's entire bunch of balloons, then went to another cart to buy a sunhat. He 
quickly put it on, pulling the brim low over his eyes. He nearly collapsed with 
relief as he saw Julian and Greg alone in the hovercar, both men's faces fixed 
into bland smiles.

As soon as the vehicle was out of view, Harry removed the hat. His eyes stayed 
glued to the exit for several minutes, until Thomas Paris and his son appeared, 
followed by a Bajoran servant and several Guards. They conferred a moment before 
the elder Paris obviously acceded to his son's pleas to walk the short distance 
back to the palace.

Harry waited until they approached his position before calling out, "Good sir, a 
gift for the grandson of Jean-Luc Picard from one who served him."

He saw the boy's eyes light up at the huge assortment of colorful balloons. 
"Please spare a moment, Mr. Paris, for a devoted member of the Fleet." As he 
bent to hand the strings to the child he leaned into Tom and whispered urgently, 
"One who is still loyal to Admiral Chakotay."

The man's blue eyes widened but he quickly recovered and pulled Harry down to 
squat in front of his son. "Why do you tell me this?" Paris hissed.

"Chakotay asked me to deliver a message." Harry tried to convey his sincerity 
and urgency in his eyes and tone. "If you arrange it, he will see your 
politician."

Harry had thought Thomas Paris rather attractive, but the obvious hope and love 
that seemed to fill him at the words transformed the aristocratic face into 
something truly beautiful. Fortunately, the boy's excitedly jumping body blocked 
the Guards' view. A heartbeat later all evidence was gone save the new light in 
the man's eyes. "I understand," Paris murmured, then they both stood. "Thank 
you," he said out loud, and shook Harry's hand. "I appreciate your 
thoughtfulness and continued service."

Harry returned the strong clasp, giving the man Chakotay trusted an 
understanding nod. He stayed in place as the group continued down the street. 
When they were out of sight, he quickly moved to the prearranged rendezvous 
point to meet up with Riker and Yar.

At the café, he delivered Chakotay's orders to Captain Riker and leaned back 
with a relieved sigh. He was surprised to get a grin from his CO. "Don't relax 
just yet, Harry."

"Why not, sir?"

"Because you're going on another mission." This time Yar answered in an excited 
whisper. "You've been seconded to Covert Ops for the duration."

"Huh?"

Riker leaned forward on his elbows. "I need for you and Tasha to go to the 
shipyard. We need the Enterprise ready to go at a moment's notice, but I'm 
supposed to still be on Risa so I can't make the contact. I'm pretty sure the 
man in charge of Utopia Planitia, Hawkins, is on our side. But someone needs to 
go there in person and make sure he gets the Enterprise put back together ASAP."

"How do we do that?" Harry asked.

"You and I are going on a little impromptu inspection. I'll be reviewing the 
targeting system upgrades, you'll be my aide." Tasha's restless fingers drew 
patterns on the tabletop. "I'll make sure Hawkins receives the message while you 
get a clear picture of how soon our baby will be shipshape again."

"So, are you up to the challenge, Ensign?" Riker's eyes were serious even if his 
tone still held a faint tease.

"When do we head out?" Harry's voice was determined.

"Right now," Tasha said, standing and clapping a hand on Harry's shoulder. "The 
shuttle leaves in 30 minutes. Just enough time to grab a uniform."

The trip to the shipyard near Jupiter was uneventful. Their mission had gone 
like clockwork. Hawkins and Tasha had chatted specs and designs until they were 
alone under the console examining relays. Then Tasha had casually brought up 
Chakotay's name. Hawkins' restrained but fierce indignation over the admiral's 
treatment had been enough for her to make the suggestion that things were tense 
in the Empire and the Enterprise might need to be ready sooner rather than 
later.

The two had shared a look, then Hawkins had nodded and remarked that he'd been 
considering putting off some repairs of Guard vessels to put more workers on the 
Enterprise job. After all, it was the flagship of the Imperial Fleet.

Tasha had related her success on the trip back to Earth, then Harry told his own 
strange tale.

He'd done reconnaissance on the big starship, assessing the state of pertinent 
systems. Then he'd wandered the shipyard itself, checking out the other vessels 
in various states of refurbishment. All of the other transports in dock were 
Guard ships.

Harry had been standing before one, peering up and remembering how poorly he'd 
seen members of the Guard behave during his shore leave. It saddened him to 
think of the once proud service turned into a disgrace by a bunch of thugs and 
thieves acting with the Emperor's approval. A sudden voice made him whirl.

"It's funny, I keep expecting it to look different. A pirate vessel shouldn't 
appear so...clean. And that's all it is anymore, all any member of the Guard is 
anymore. A pirate." The light-haired man fixed Harry with an intense stare.

Harry gulped and wracked his brain for a response. "Is that right, uh, Captain?" 
he asked as he nervously counted pips on the purple shirt.

"Yes it is, Ensign." The man looked at him carefully. "You're with the 
Enterprise, right? Are things any better in the Fleet?"

At least Harry knew the answer to that one. "Yes. Captain Riker is a good man."

"So I've heard. He's due back in a few weeks, when his ship is finished?"

"Yes, sir." Harry hoped his thudding heart couldn't be heard by this enigmatic 
stranger.

"Do me a favor, Ensign. Let your Captain know that Greg Ayala isn't the only one 
who's wanted to switch the track of their careers." He sighed. "Some of us would 
like to trade their Guard purple for Fleet colors. To serve the Empire with 
honor again." He looked around a moment, as if checking for eavesdroppers. "To 
regain our integrity. Admiral Chakotay left an example that wasn't only 
respected by his own people."

Harry covered his shock with a nod and a salute. "I'll let Captain Riker know to 
contact you, Captain---?"

"Ransom. Rudy Ransom." The Guard put out his hand. "Thank you."

Harry returned the firm grip, then left to find Tasha and exchange reports.

They'd met Will at his inn, tucked away in a San Francisco suburb. He'd 
congratulated them on their efforts and sent them home for a well-deserved rest.

Reflections over, Harry put his things in the sink and headed upstairs to bed.

************************************************************

Chakotay was aware of the presence before it could touch him. He rose silently 
in the dark, slitting open his eyes so he wouldn't be blinded by the beam of the 
wristlight.

"Follow me, Admiral." Sisko's tone permitted neither discussion nor delay.

Chakotay followed the slave-owner down the hall and into the room where he had 
met Tom a mere 24 hours before. This time it contained a table with two benches, 
and two cloaked figures. Sisko exited and closed the door behind him. Chakotay 
moved to a bench and sat. He spared a quick glance at Tom, but the smaller 
figure he couldn't identify.

Tom stepped forward and held out a hand to indicate the cloaked woman. 
"Chakotay, this is Councilor Kathryn Janeway."

A confident, rather deep voice sounded from the slim woman as she lowered her 
hood. "I hope Tom's trust in you is well-founded, Admiral. And that my being 
here is proof enough that you can trust me."

Chakotay's expression remained cautious and unconvinced. "Is the rest of the 
Council with you?"

"Most of them, yes." Kathryn examined the former head of the Imperial Fleet. His 
strength she had already seen evidence of, but she was surprised. She sensed a 
thoughtfulness, a greater depth than she expected from a man of action. She was 
also not unaware of his handsomeness and the intelligence sharpening his brown 
eyes as he considered her response.

"Can you buy my freedom and get me out of San Francisco?" he asked.

"To what end?" Kathryn wanted to know.

"The Enterprise is in the Sol system. It has devices that will temporarily 
disable the Guard vessels until we can pull a few more Fleet ships from the 
border."

"But Captain Riker is in charge now." Tom protested.

"The Fleet is still loyal to me. They're just waiting for me to take command," 
Chakotay replied, meeting Tom's eyes a moment before his attention was drawn 
away.

Kathryn set her hands on her hips. "Are you mad? We can't disable the Guard. 
They're the protectors of the core worlds."

Tom looked at her in disbelief. "Kathryn, we---"

"No," she interrupted him firmly, her eyes like steel. "I will not trade one 
dictator for another." She knew what she had seen and heard of Chakotay, but 
that was not enough for such an enormous leap of trust.

"The time for talk and half-measures is over," Chakotay insisted as he stood.

Kathryn strode right up to the powerful warrior to challenge him. "So I'm to 
believe that after your glorious coup you'll just take your Fleet ships and 
leave?"

"No," was Chakotay's quiet response as he stared down at her. "*I* will leave, 
but the Fleet ships will stay under the command of the Council to keep order 
during the transition from Empire to Federation." His eyes narrowed as he made 
his own plans clear. "They will also ensure that all of the member worlds are 
once more fairly represented, and that slavery is abolished. And 
they'll...facilitate...the removal of the corrupt members of the Guard so those 
vessels can return to duty."

Stunned, Kathryn rocked back on her heels. "So once all of the Empire is yours, 
you'll just give it back to the people?"

Chakotay simply stared at her, letting his eyes speak the truth.

Kathryn shook her head. She wanted to believe, but..."Tell me why," she said 
quietly.

"Because it was the last wish of a dying man," Chakotay replied, then took a 
cleansing breath. "I will rid the universe of Julian Bashir Picard. The fate of 
our people I leave to their representatives, you and the Council."

"As it should be," Tom murmured.

Kathryn looked at Tom a moment, then turned back to Chakotay with a nod. Her 
face softened. "Jean-Luc Picard believed in you, trusted you." Her eyes 
indicated Tom. "So does the son-in-law he loved. I will do the same."

Chakotay accepted her decision with a small bow. Tom sagged in relief.

All business now that her path had been chosen, Kathryn straightened her 
shoulders. "I'll draw up plans for a provisional government and a list of the 
Councilors who are willingly conspiring with Julian. It will take a day or two. 
We can't free you until then or they'll realize our plans."

She held out her hand. "In the meantime, please...stay alive. The people need 
you." Kathryn was surprised at the gentleness of the grip of that powerful tawny 
hand. She and Chakotay shared a look of mutual respect. Then she moved away. 
"Come on, Tom. There's much to do."

Tom automatically moved to the exit. He desperately wanted a few moments alone 
with Chakotay to clear the air, but knew that now was not the time.

"Tom," Chakotay called after him softly. When the younger man turned Chakotay 
said, "Harry Kim is the name of the Fleet officer who met you. If you need to 
coordinate anything, go to him." He paused and gave Tom a soft smile. "This was 
a big risk to take. Thank you...and I'm sorry for yesterday."

Tom felt something in his soul sigh with relief as he saw the dark eyes gazing 
so warmly at him. He nodded and smiled his forgiveness, then turned to follow 
Kathryn. The sooner they got started the faster they could free Chakotay.

Sisko entered as soon as Tom left. "So tonight I get double the rates. Perhaps I 
should retire you from the arena and put you out to stud."

Chakotay ignored the jibe. Sisko knew his visitors didn't come for sex. "They 
will be contacting you for the price of my freedom."

Sisko raised a brow. "My dear Admiral, you are a boundless source of revenue. 
Why would I want to give that up?"

"You can't prevent this," Chakotay said. He looked at the slave-owner, trying to 
figure out if the man was serious. "My people are waiting for me. Julian Bashir 
Picard *will* be stopped."

"And why would I want that?" Sisko challenged. "He's making me rich."

"Does nothing else matter?" Chakotay asked. He blew an exasperated breath. 
"Jean-Luc Picard had a dream for the Federation to be reborn, Sisko. He 
entrusted me with making that a reality."

"Jean-Luc Picard is dead," Sisko replied flatly as he opened the door and 
signaled for some guards. He waved his gladiator into the hall to return to the 
sleeping room. They stepped into the corridor.

"You don't trust that I can accomplish this?" Chakotay asked, glancing at the 
other man.

"Trust is for starry-eyed dreamers like my son," Sisko said, his tone 
indecipherable. He continued, "To remake the entire Empire is beyond even your 
formidable talents, Admiral. You, like the rest of us, are a mere mortal, 
shadows and dust." He opened the door and stopped, looking into Chakotay's eyes. 
"Shadows and dust."

"Perhaps," Chakotay conceded, "But I have to try. Even if you won't free me, at 
least give me a padd to record my orders." He paused in the doorway. "There is 
one more thing you should know." Chakotay looked into Sisko's eyes. "Julian 
Bashir Picard murdered the man who set you free." He walked into the darkened 
room without looking back.

Sisko let the door close, but his face was troubled as he made his way to his 
own house.

***************

Tom and Kathryn stood a moment on her back terrace, breathing in the night air. 
They'd finalized their own plans, and Tom gave his longtime friend a quick hug 
good-bye. "You'll contact me when it's time to go to Sisko?" he asked.

"Yes, Tom, I promise." Kathryn leaned back and looked at his face, lit by the 
light from the full-length windows. "He means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

Tom dropped his eyes. "More than you could begin to guess," he said quietly.

She smiled. "Then let's hope for a happy reunion soon." She gave him a push. 
"Now get out of here. Give Lucien a kiss from me."

Tom blew Kathryn a kiss as he walked down the steps into the garden.

Their conversation had been duly noted by a watcher in the bushes. Angry eyes 
followed the man's slim figure as he approached through the green. Here was the 
barrier to the Emperor's favor. This pampered, spoiled traitor. Sure fingers 
gripped an unusual weapon. Tom Paris would soon cease to be any sort of problem. 
Forever.

Tom usually beamed out from Kathryn's small transporter room, but tonight he 
wanted a few minutes in the cool, clean air before returning to the stifling 
tension of the palace. As he wandered, he suddenly felt the hair on the back of 
his neck bristle in warning.

He barely turned around in time to see a shadowy figure leaping out at him. He 
fell but managed to catch his attacker's wrists, pulling the stranger down with 
him. Long ago lessons in self-defense kicked in as he slammed a knee into the 
man's groin.

The lack of reaction, as well as the breasts pushing against him, told him he 
was actually dealing with a remarkably strong woman. One who seemed determined 
to get her right hand close to his neck.

They wrestled, slamming into each other, growling and rolling into bushes, which 
caught and kept Tom's cloak as he slid back onto the grass. Tom felt his 
assailant shift all her weight onto her right hand. His own arm wavered under 
the pressure and slowly folded in toward his shoulder. Desperate, Tom changed 
tactics, rearing up and butting his skull hard into her nose.

He felt the tension let up immediately. A howl of anger gave him a second's 
warning before a knee slammed into *his* groin. His world went white with 
blinding pain, but he kept his hold on the woman's wrists. Instinctively he knew 
that if he lost control of this encounter he'd be dead.

He rolled them again, pressing his full weight on the thrashing form underneath 
him. He lifted his head to call for help and heard the snap of teeth millimeters 
from his throat. Angered, he smashed his forehead down again. Suddenly the body 
beneath him went still.

Tom kept his grip until he was bathed in light. "Tom, what's going on?" Kathryn 
asked as she rushed over, phaser held out before her. She'd heard the crash of 
underbrush and grabbed a weapon and a wristlight before running out.

"An assassination attempt, maybe even surveillance," Tom replied grimly as he 
carefully leaned up. He gestured for Kathryn to put her feet on the unknown 
woman's arms before sitting up. He was shaking with the rush of adrenaline and 
could feel bruises and scratches throbbing with his accelerated heartbeat.

He noticed a glinting near the woman's right hand. Taking off his shirt, he 
carefully lifted the object with the cloth. A hypospray lay in his palm.

He exchanged a puzzled look with Kathryn, then reached for the mask covering the 
woman's face. When he pulled it off, he gasped. Whoever she had been, her face 
was unrecognizable now. It was obvious her nose had been crushed, the nasal 
bones forced into her brain. Sightless eyes still held an expression of hate, as 
did her snarling mouth.

"Do you know her?" Kathryn asked, swallowing her nausea.

"No," Tom replied. "But we need to find out who she is and get rid of the body--
-discreetly." It suddenly hit him that hhe'd killed this person. He swayed a 
little.

"Easy, Tom, take it easy," Kathryn said, catching and gripping his shoulders. 
"You didn't have a choice here and you know it." She pulled him to his feet. 
"Now where's your transporter control?"

"Huh, it's um..." Tom looked around, "There." He walked over and picked it up.

"Okay, we're going to pay a surprise visit on an old friend of mine." Kathryn 
took the device and typed in an address. She handed it back to Tom, glad to see 
the glazed look fading from his eyes. "Can it handle all three of us?"

Tom swallowed, but nodded. He stepped over to stand straddling the body and 
gestured for Kathryn to do the same. They disappeared in a shimmer.

***************

They rematerialized in what looked to be a den and were met by the barking of 
dogs. Tom froze as two huge German shepherds bounded around a corner and stopped 
a meter away, snarling and still barking.

"Holmes! Watson! That's enough!" Kathryn ordered.

Tom was surprised to see the dogs promptly shut up and sit. He relaxed but 
decided not to make any sudden moves.

"I thought I was the one who made house calls," came a sleep-thickened voice 
from the doorway. Tom saw a solidly-built woman of indeterminate age walk into 
the room. She blinked her eyes at them and the body, then put the phaser she was 
holding onto a shelf. "Well Kathryn, you certainly know how to make an 
entrance."

"Hello, Kate," Kathryn said with a smile, stepping past the dogs to give her 
friend a hug. Then she turned to Tom and said, "Tom Paris, Katherine Pulaski."

"Hi ma'am," Tom said nervously as he shifted his shirt to hide more of his 
chest.

Kate's summer-blue eyes crinkled in amusement. "Don't worry, Mr. Paris. I've 
been a doctor for longer than you've been alive. I'm sure you're not sporting 
anything I haven't seen before."

Tom blushed but also held out the hand with the hypospray. "Maybe, maybe not. 
I'd appreciate it if you'd run a tricorder over this." He bit his lip. "And 
her." He gestured awkwardly at the body, then moved away from it to offer his 
empty fist for the dogs to sniff.

"Hmm...I take it you want to make sure there are no booby traps before we move 
her?" At her visitors' nods Kate disappeared a moment. She returned with a 
medical tricorder which she first pointed at Kathryn and Tom. "You obviously 
weren't involved in the scuffle, Kathryn, but you, young man, could use a little 
time with a regenerator."

She then moved to slowly survey the body. "I'm not reading any technology, on 
her or in her. I think it's okay to get her off my rug and into the office."

Kate moved the tricorder to the hypospray. Her forehead crinkled in puzzlement. 
"That doesn't make sense," she said.

"What?" Kathryn asked, abandoning her own petting of the dogs to peer around the 
taller woman's arm.

"You can see that the spray is full, but the tricorder can't determine what's in 
it. It doesn't register as anything it's encountered before."

"What does that mean?" Tom asked.

"It means you're very lucky you didn't get stuck with it, Mr. Paris. And that 
you'd better tell me exactly what happened here."

Tom reluctantly handed his shirt and the hypospray to Kathryn and squatted by 
the body. He closed its eyes before hefting the surprisingly heavy weight and 
shuffling behind the light-haired woman as she led the way to a well-equipped 
medical facility. He laid the corpse down on a biobed and pulled a sheet over 
it. Then he just stood there, staring. A moment later he walked to a stool and 
fell onto it.

Kate regarded him a moment and raised a brow at Kathryn, who'd closed the door 
on the curious dogs so they couldn't invade a sterile area. The Councilor 
shrugged and put the hypospray down on a counter. She wasn't sure how well Tom 
was taking the situation. She doubted he'd killed anyone before.

Kate's eyes reflected concern. She walked to closet and pulled out two lab 
coats. One she laid over a chair. The other she kept with her as she went to a 
small replicator and dialed up a mug of something. Then she brought both items 
over to Tom.

"Hot sweet tea with a dash of brandy, and a coat so you don't get cold." She 
handed him the former and dropped the latter into his lap. "Why don't you get 
Kathryn here to show you how well she can wield a regenerator. I'm going to get 
dressed."

At the doorway she paused and turned back. "I know you obviously need to keep 
this quiet, but that hypospray concerns me. I'd like to bring someone else in to 
study it."

Tom's lips immediately opened in protest, but Kathryn's hand on his shoulder 
stopped him. "Who do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Jadzia Dax and Keiko Ishikawa." Kate looked toward Tom. "Kathryn knows them, 
Mr. Paris. They're top-flight scientists, but I'm not going to lie to you. 
They've gotten a lot of crap jobs because one of them is a Trill and the other 
is a human who's in love with that same member of a 'lesser species'. Or so the 
propaganda calls people like her."

Tom relaxed and gave the brusque woman a smile. "It's just Tom, and I'm only 
related to the Emperor by marriage. So it's impossible for me to have inherited 
Imperial bigotry."

Kate's eyes regarded him more warmly. "It's good to know you're also immune to 
its effects. It can be contagious, sometimes." She started out the door again. 
"I'll put some food out and coffee on before I come back. You two can hang out 
in the kitchen while we get to work."

"Kate," Kathryn called out after her. "Thank you."

"No problem." The doctor shrugged. "What are old friends for?"

***************

"She's awfully casual about this," Tom said as he watched Kathryn run the 
regenerator over his ribs. He'd healed other, more personal injuries himself.

"We go back a long way," Kathryn said, then looked up at Tom. "This isn't the 
first assassination attempt we've dealt with."

Tom absorbed that information with surprise. Before he could comment the door 
opened.

Kate Pulaski returned, followed by two strikingly beautiful women. One was 
obviously a Trill, dark brown spots forming a symmetrical pattern along her face 
and neck. The other was a tall Asian beauty. They nodded a greeting to Tom and 
Kathryn but immediately headed for the hypospray. "This it?" the Trill asked 
over her shoulder.

"Yes, Jadzia," Kate answered. "Do you want to use the lab here or take it home?"

The other woman answered. "Here's fine. Your lab is almost as good as ours, 
plus," Keiko said as she shrugged, "if I know you there's already coffee and a 
pile of sandwiches waiting."

Jadzia nudged her lover. "Is that a complaint about my cooking?" she asked 
teasingly.

"How can I complain? I've never tasted your cooking." Keiko suddenly noticed the 
draped body, sobered, and lightly touched Jadzia's shoulder. "Maybe we'd better 
grab something and eat in the lab."

"Oh, we're sorry," Jadzia said contritely as she turned to Tom. "Kate knows what 
we're like. We didn't realize---"

"No, it's no problem," Tom said with a hint of a smile. "It's actually made me 
feel almost normal again, listening to you two." He stood. "If we can go to the 
kitchen, I'll give you a quick rundown on the situation before you get started."

************************************************************

Tom and Kathryn were finishing up their second cups of coffee. It had been a few 
hours since he had told his brief story. He stood and reached for his computer. 
"Kathryn, I need to get home. I don't want Lucien to wake up without me there."

Kathryn rose as well, stretching. "I think you'd better zip me back, too. If she 
was a spy we have to be very careful in our movements from now on." She looked 
at him. "You have the most secure setup, so you'll have to contact Sisko."

Tom nodded and was about to reply when the three scientists walked in. "I can't 
believe it," Keiko said, shaking her head in wonder.

"I'll admit Curzon had heard rumors, but never actually saw the stuff," Jadzia 
said as she opened up the stasis unit and got some juice.

"Well, it certainly explained a lot about Tom's assailant." Kate settled into a 
chair and rubbed her eyes wearily.

"What's going on?" Kathryn asked as she sat back down. Tom leaned against a 
counter.

"That hypospray contained an extract from an extinct plant species." Keiko 
pulled her chair closer to the table. "At least, everyone thought it was 
extinct. I'm not even positive about my identification since there's no record 
of the substance itself, just descriptions."

"So it was a vial of plant juice?" Tom asked, confused.

"No, poison." Jadzia put her empty glass in the sink and walked over to stand 
behind Keiko, rubbing the seated woman's shoulders. "And if it metabolizes the 
way I think it does, it would be virtually undetectable less than an hour after 
injection or being ingested."

"Really," Tom said, his mind making connections. "Would long-term exposure cause 
weakness?"

"Yes, and eventually complete debilitation and death." Jadzia nodded, her face 
grim. "And it wouldn't show up on standard Imperial scanners."

"But the key is that it's Cardassian." Kate looked at the two stunned faces. 
"When Keiko discovered its probable origin I went and took another look at your 
would-be assassin."

She shook her head. "At first glance, and even first scan, she appeared to be a 
Bajoran female. But that didn't make sense considering the cause of death."

"What do you mean?" Kathryn asked.

"Well, Bajorans have rather denser bone structure in their nasal cavities. No 
matter how hard Tom's head is, he shouldn't have been able to break her nose. So 
after the gals told me the poison was likely Cardassian, I went and took some 
deep tissue samples. They showed Cardassian DNA altered to look Bajoran."

"But I thought Cardassians also had nasal reinforcements," Jadzia said, forehead 
wrinkling in confusion.

"They do, but apparently whoever did the cosmetic changes to our friend removed 
her brow ridge completely. That left only the underlying bone structure, which 
by itself was insufficient to protect her."

"Damn, and it was just blind luck that's how I hit her," Tom said, shivering. He 
looked at the women. "Is there any chance you can make an antidote to that 
poison?"

Keiko tilted her head back to meet Jadzia's eyes, then looked back at Tom. "I 
don't know, but we could try."

"Please, do your best. I'm afraid there are a few people---including my son---
who are going to need it." The worry and anxiety were clear in Tom's expression.

"You got it," Jadzia promised.

"I'll take care of the body," Kate said, rising to her feet. "There was no ID or 
anything else on her. Do you have any idea who she was?"

"No," Kathryn shook her head. "But we think we know who sent her," she said 
grimly as she stood and moved next to Tom for transport.

"Then be careful, both of you," Kate said, rising to lay a hand on each of them. 
"I'm sure her absence won't go unnoticed."

Tom nodded and sighed. "Back to the gilded cage," he said with false brightness.

Kathryn gave him a small, encouraging smile. "Hold on just a little longer, Tom. 
Soon we'll all be free."

TBC