Walking Among Ghosts (DS9)
Title: Walking Among Ghosts
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Dukat and Kira must work together to solve the mystery behind a mass grave discovered on Bajor. Originally written for PocketBooks' Strange New Worlds contest.
DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns the Star Trek universe and everything it encompasses. This story is not intended to infringe on any copyrights, and the only profit I gain by it is emotional satisfaction.
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 fifty 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 twenty-six 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 fifty 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 forty 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 fifty 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 forty 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. 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 forty-three 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 sixty 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 eighty-four 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 fifty-one bodies. What about the others?"
"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 twenty and sixty 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 thirty-six 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. "'S'alright," 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 forty and forty-five 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 eighty-six 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 eighty-six Cardassian civilians will haunt both our worlds for years to come.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Dukat and Kira must work together to solve the mystery behind a mass grave discovered on Bajor. Originally written for PocketBooks' Strange New Worlds contest.
DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns the Star Trek universe and everything it encompasses. This story is not intended to infringe on any copyrights, and the only profit I gain by it is emotional satisfaction.
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 fifty 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 twenty-six 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 fifty 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 forty 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 fifty 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 forty 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. 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 forty-three 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 sixty 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 eighty-four 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 fifty-one bodies. What about the others?"
"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 twenty and sixty 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 thirty-six 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. "'S'alright," 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 forty and forty-five 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 eighty-six 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 eighty-six Cardassian civilians will haunt both our worlds for years to come.