The Long Night (26 page)

Bashir hit his comm badge. "Kira," he said, "you need to send a message to Commander Sisko."

"I can arrange for you to send it yourself, Doctor," Kira said.

"I don't have time. Just let him know this: that our patient made it through the procedure. He's still in critical condition, but it is" -he glanced at the other two doctors, and they nodded- "our expert opinion that he will recover."

"I'll tell him, Doctor," Kira said and signed off.

Bashir leaned against the nearest chair. The cold, the tension, and the relief were finally getting to him. "One day," he said more to himself than anyone, "I'm going to run out of miracles."

"Nonsense," Silverstein said. "I think this procedure has convinced me that one should never underestimate the power of belief. Miracles happen, Doctor. Sometimes we just help them along."

The advisors were murmuring behind him, their joy muted by Ribe's obvious bad mood. He made no attempt to hide it now. The Ferengi attack on the Nibix had failed; he should have known better than to trust those strange little beings who only looked at the universe through their purses.

But he couldn't stop to think now. He had to act.

He stood near his chair, General Caybe beside him. The general had suggested going into the private room beside the bridge, but Ribe would have none of it. If the general didn't do what he wanted, he would shame the man in front of his own troops.

"Lord High Sir, I respectfully disagree. I think you're overreacting. The Federation is our ally." The general spoke in little more than a whisper. Not even the advisors could hear him.

"They have done nothing to show their alliance with us," Ribe said, "except to allow us to apply to their little club. They did this, it is now clear, so that they could take the Nibix for themselves."

"But, Lord High Sir, they are only protecting it. And they did. Their weapons are more precise than ours. If we had fired on the trader ships, we might have hit the Nibix."

"Then you are incompetent and should be relieved of duty." No one was listening to him. He damned the system that gave him no control over the military. Only the council had control. His ancestor, Bikon, had set that up too, so that a military coup had to happen against the entire government, not against one man as the first revolution had.

A few of the advisors overheard that last remark. They frowned at Ribe.

"What do you suggest we do, Lord High Sir? We don't dare fire upon our own ship."

Ribe leaned closer to the general. "Destroy the station," he said. "Then they cannot dock the Nibix, and we can take the ship for ourselves."

The general took a step backward. "If we fire on a Federation station, the starships will attack us. We'll start a war."

"So be it," Ribe snapped.

The general swallowed. The skin on his ridged cheekbones had turned white. "Lord High Sir, I must remind you that only by unanimous vote of the entire council can we go to war."

"Well, the council's not here, is it?" Ribe leaned closer to the general. "You will do what I say."

The general glanced at the advisors, who shrugged. Ribe suppressed a grin. He would win this. The general knew, as well as he did, that the head of the council could act for the council in the council's absence.

"Forgive me, General," said one of the crew. "But we are getting a message from the Defiant."

The general looked as if he were just granted a reprieve. He turned so that his back was to Ribe so that he couldn't see Ribe countermand the order to answer the hail.

"I'll speak to him," Ribe said. "I'll give this one last try."

"Please, Lord High Sir, rethink your position. The Federation-"

"The Federation is trying to steal our heritage from us. Let me see their traitorous commander." Ribe stepped into the general's normal spot and faced the screen.

"This is Hibar Ribe, head of the Jibetian High Council. State your business, Defiant."

The face on the screen belonged to Sisko, and he looked as intransigent as he had before. "I am Commander Benjamin Sisko of the Federation Starship Defiant. It is my duty to formally inform you, under the treaty, that the Nibix, which is under our protection as the Long Night, will be docking on Deep Space Nine shortly. The ship will remain under Federation protection until officials from the Federation can arrive and officially turn the ship over to you. I have said this before, but consider this your formal notification under the treaty."

"I demand that the ship be sealed and that only my people be allowed to board," Ribe said. "Your people cannot be trusted with the wealth of Jibet."

"As I told you in our earlier communication," Sisko said, his voice even, "this ship, under intersteller salvage laws, is owned by the Federation and is a Federation ship. It will be turned over to you in good time without anything missing."

"You are taking advantage of this situation, Sisko. That treaty was made to protect the Nibix in case no Jibetian ships were nearby. The ship is clearly owned, and salvage laws do not apply. If you do not turn the Nibix over to us, we will consider that a declaration of war. If you have not turned the Nibix over to us in five minutes, we will destroy your precious space station."

Sisko smiled. "I don't think you'll want to do that," he said. "You see, your Supreme Ruler, Jibim Kiba Siber, is recovering in our infirmary. An attack might threaten his life, and you wouldn't want that, would you?"

Ribe felt as if he had been shot in the stomach. He gripped the railing behind him.

The hum of the bridge stopped. Every crew member had ceased working and was staring at the screen. General Caybe had taken the tiny replica of the Staff of Life from his pocket and was staring at it in shock.

Ribe's mouth was dry. As a boy, he had believed that Jibim Kiba Siber was one with the gods. Perhaps that belief had been right. Perhaps his family had been wrong.

"No man can survive eight hundred years of cold sleep," Ribe said.

"Your Supreme Ruler has," Sisko said. "Thanks to the technology of the Nibix and the skill of modern medicine."

"I do not believe you."

Sisko's smile grew. "I thought you might not. Major Kira, please broadcast from the infirmary now."

Sisko's image winked out and was replaced by the resting body of the Supreme Ruler. He lay on a diagnostic table, his robes wrapped around him. His skin was normal Jibetian white, and he was clearly breathing. The green staff was beside him. A thin human also stood in the picture. He smiled.

"I am Julian Bashir, chief medical officer on Deep Space Nine. We found your Supreme Ruler alive when we discovered the Nibix. He had extensive cell damage, which we repaired. We expect little long-term damage. He should be awake in a few hours."

Ribe leaned against the rail. The Supreme Ruler looked just as he had in all the ancient paintings. A young man. Younger than Ribe expected.

Only a god could live so long.

Or perhaps Bikon had failed in more ways than one.

They would discover the sabotage and his own betrayals with the Ferengi. They would. Or maybe they already had.

Sisko's face returned to the screen. "So, you see, if you want to be at the Supreme Ruler's side when he wakes up after eight hundred years, you need to stand down your ships."

Behind him Ribe heard the general give the order to stand down and drop shields. The crew was moving in slow motion, as if they were as stunned as Ribe.

Ribe stood, his mouth open, not knowing what to say.

Sisko, after a moment, smiled at Ribe and said, "You're welcome."

Then he cut the transmission.

Odo and Jake had joined Kira on the bridge in time to watch the standoff between Sisko and the Jibetian leader. Jake clearly had questions but waited to ask them, a fact for which Kira was relieved.

When the Jibetian said nothing and Sisko ended the transmission, Kira felt her entire body relax. No war. At least not yet.

"Major," Tappan said, "Commander Sisko is hailing us."

"On screen," Kira said.

Sisko appeared, grinning from ear to ear.

"Good work, Commander," Kira said.

"It's not over yet, Kira," he said, although his tone belied that. "We'll be docking the Long Night in a few minutes. As soon as it reaches the station, I want that ship sealed, and I want guards posted from the airlock to the Promenade."

"Will do, sir."

"And Kira?"

"Yes?"

"If anyone attempts to get near the Long Night, the guards are ordered to shoot to kill."

The tension returned to Kira's shoulders. Sisko had never given an order like that. Ever. She hoped it was more for the benefit of all those mercenaries listening in than for the guards themselves.

"We'll put the station's shields around it as well," Kira said, "so no one can beam aboard."

"Good thinking, Major," Sisko said. "I also want to record all activity in and near the docking bay. No one is to enter that ship. No exceptions."

"Yes, sir," Kira said.

"Now." Sisko leaned forward. "Did you find that leak?"

"Someone reinstated that old Cardassian spy station. The equipment was Cardassian. It was also new," Kira said. "Odo found and dismantled it."

"Actually, Major," Odo said, stepping forward so Sisko could see him, "Jake found the spy system and was instrumental in saving the station when that ship exploded."

"Jake?" Sisko visibly paled.

"I'm okay, Dad," Jake said, also stepping forward. "It was fun."

"Fun," Sisko muttered.

"He helped us a lot," Kira said.

Sisko frowned. "Good work, Son. Just stay out of the thick of things until I return. Okay?"

"I could say the same for you, Dad."

Sisko grinned. "Yeah. I guess you could. We've had more than enough excitement for one week."

"That's for sure," Kira muttered.

"Odo," Sisko said, "over one hundred crew members from the Madison will beam aboard the station. They will help with security. Captain Higginbotham says they are among his best people. Use them."

"Yes, sir," Odo said.

"And Kira, please ask the Cardassians their business. And warn all single ships to stay outside of transporter range of the station or be destroyed. Sisko out." His image disappeared off the screen.

"Why does everyone leave the Cardassians to me?" Kira asked Odo.

"Because you are most effective with them, Major," Odo said. "And I must go if I am to coordinate two security teams. Jake, would you like to come along?"

Jake shook his head. "I think I'll stay here until my dad returns if you don't mind, Odo."

"I think you deserve a rest," Odo said. "Someday perhaps the rest of us can get one, too." He made his way to the turbolift.

Kira turned to Tappan. "Get Gul Dukat."

"I'm way ahead of you, Major."

She smiled at Tappan, thankful for the man's competence. "Put him on screen."

Gul Dukat was standing beside his command chair, his hand on its back. His posture made his strange neck scales stand out. "Major, I see you have the coup of the century. Not only all the wealth of Jibet, but its mystical leader as well. You are to be congratulated."

"I asked you to leave more than once, Dukat," Kira said.

"I know, Major. But I believed that you were doing so in error. I knew that your commander had a prize with him, and with all the ships heading toward Deep Space Nine, I believed he might have use of our services." Dukat put his other hand on the chair back in a vain attempt to look relaxed. "I was, as usual, underestimating him. The Federation handled the crisis with very little bloodshed. Commander Sisko is to be congratulated as well."

"I'm sure he'll be pleased with such high praise from you," Kira said. "Now, go home, Dukat."

"You have a strange way of showing your gratitude, Major."

"And you need acting lessons, Dukat. I don't buy your I-was-only-here-to-help routine. Especially when we discovered a Cardassian spy station on Deep Space Nine."

Dukat smiled. "We've been through this, Major. You know that we sell our technology all through the galaxy. That station could have belonged to anyone. But it does show that you need to tighten security there. Nothing like that would have happened under Cardassian rule."

For the first time since the crisis began, Kira grinned. "Oh, but it did, Dukat. And I do believe I have failed to be polite in that matter. Thank you for all the information you most unwillingly gave Bajor in those years. I wouldn't be here now if you hadn't. Kira out."

Dukat's smile had left his face as his image winked out. A moment later, the Cardassian fleet turned and headed back toward Cardassian space.

"Wow, Major," Jake said. "Is that true? Did you really have a Bajoran spy station here?"

"We no more had a Bajoran spy station here than Dukat was on hand to protect Deep Space Nine, Jake," Kira said. "Rule number one of Cardassian diplomacy: whoever humiliates the other guy first wins."

Jake's eyes widened. "Remind me to stay on your good side, Major."

"Don't worry," she said. "After all you did today, you'll always be on my good side, Jake."

THE LIGHTS WERElow in the infirmary. The crowd made Bashir nervous, but Commander Sisko had insisted upon having visitors. Bashir stated it was against his medical judgment to have so many people in the room-it might stress the Supreme Ruler at a time he didn't need stress-but Sisko said that the Supreme Ruler would want it this way.

When all the parties involved saw the ruler awaken without tricks, without the chance to substitute an imposter, then they would accept him. And even if the awakening was difficult in the beginning, the ruler would be grateful later.

Doctors Wasner and Silverstein stood behind the diagnostic chair and monitored the ruler's levels. Bashir stood beside him, clearly the pointman on this operation. Captains Higginbotham and Kiser also watched as Starfleet representatives. Captain Mouce remained on her ship to keep guard on the mercenary ships still arriving from far points in the galaxy.

The leader of the Jibetian Council, a thin nervous man who perspired more than anyone Bashir had ever seen, stood beside the bed. The Jibetian general, the leader of the fleet, stood beside him, almost like a guard. The advisors remained outside the room. Bashir judged their presence five too many.