“You may get your chance very soon,”
O’Brien told him. “The Alliance Fleet’s
already on its way here and our sources say the Regent himself is
commanding it.”
“Then we should
give them the proper welcome,” Kruge acknowledged.
A
Terran female in her mid-thirties approached them. “The Defiant’s still
showing…” she paused at the sight of the Klingon—“the same problem.”
“Tuvok, could
you take our guest away for a second?” O’Brien
asked. Tuvok agreed, and took Kruge into
an adjoining room.
“You people
aren’t quite convinced, are you?” Kruge asked the Vulcan.
“You must admit
your visit is unexpected,” Tuvok responded. “Unlike
Dax and myself, the humans are not old enough to remember Dr. Marcus. style=””> The only image they have of him is that of
someone who betrayed his own people to yours. Logic
dictates caution in such circumstances.”
“Then let me
prove it to you,” Kruge said. “I believe
your people can do that.”
Tuvok raised his
hands to the Klingon’s face and made contact. “Our
minds are merging, Kruge. Our minds are
one. I feel what you feel.
I know what you know.”
The mind-meld
was a success. Tuvok and Kruge returned to
the promenade to hear the others still discussing the Defiant’s
problems with stability.
“Defiant, is
that that strange-looking ship I saw when I first docked here?” Kruge
asked.
“His story is
truthful,” Tuvok told the two humans, and left no doubt as to how he
knew.
“Yes, that’s the
Defiant,” Smiley answered. “We’ve brought
someone here who might be able to fix its problems with stability.”
A tall male
Terran joined them. Though
he was bald and had a goatee Kruge recognized him as Benjamin Sisko,
the Terran resistance leader who was killed a year earlier. style=””> “I thought…” he started to say.
“This
is the other side’s Captain Sisko,” O’Brien answered. He’d already
explained the Klingon’s presence to Jennifer Sisko, and now did the
same for the captain.
