Ro handed the juice to Thriss who gulped it eagerly; she seemed relieved to have something new to do with her hands. “Thriss agreed to the terms we set forth for her release,” Ro said to Dizhei. “She’s free to leave with you, if she chooses. Or she can leave here when it suits her.” Thriss deserved the right to decide whether she went with her bondmates; Ro wondered if some of Thriss’ frustration stemmed from her relationships with them, though neither Thriss nor Matthias had mentioned problems within the bondgroup.
Thriss looked between Dizhei who, given her longing gazes and quivering antennae, might gather Thriss into her arms any moment, and Commander Matthias who offered encouraging smiles. Scooting back deeper into the chair, she took another swallow of juice.
“If you’d like to move into the anteroom, you could talk with a bit more privacy than you have here,” Ro said. She touched her combadge. “Ro to Sergeant Etana. Please make the interrogation room available to the guests I’ll be sending into your office within the next few minutes.”
“Zh’yi?”Dizhei whispered.
Thriss turned abruptly, looked up at her bondmate and searched her face for answers to some unspoken question.
“Sh’za,”Thriss said, rising from the bench. Dizhei was at her side, pulling her into a hug before she could take more than a step. A flurry of embraces, concerned glances and excited exchanges followed. Standing apart from Dizhei and Thriss’s emotional displays, Matthias gently ushered them toward the adjoining room; the two touched constantly until the door closed behind them.
Grateful that they had left, Ro exhaled loudly. “I have a few questions, Counselor.”
Matthias shrugged. “Ask away.”
“How do we know Thriss won’t be back here by tonight?”
“Typically, we’re bound by expectation.” Matthias placed her palms together contemplatively. “Since Thriss defines herself by others’ expectations, I wanted to make sure she knew we believed she was capable of meeting ours. I wanted her to know she has our trust, that we believed she could succeed.”
“Is she really going to be okay?” Ro asked, recalling Thriss’s longing as she talked about love and emotion and her life.
“She’s not going to hit you again, if that’s what worries you.”… Have you ever been in love?That question defined Thriss for Ro. “No, what I mean is, can she make it until Shar comes home?”
The counselor sighed. “If I were laying odds at Quark’s, I’d say better than even that two months from now, she’ll be on her way to Andor, with Shar, for the shelthreth.Once it’s taken care of, the worst of Thriss’ obstacles will be overcome.”
Whatever it takes. She deserves a reward for her fidelity.Though satisfied with Matthias’s answers, Ro wanted to make certain Thriss was comfortable with how her situation had been resolved. “Could you stay around, you know, just in case Thriss has any concerns, or if her bondmates decide they’d rather not have her at home?”
“I expected that I would,” she paused. “I have a favor to ask.”
“Sure.” Matthias had proved to have very few demands so Ro was willing to accommodate her in whatever way she could.
“Is there somewhere around here that I could change my clothes for the reception?” she said sheepishly.
Ro laughed, causing Matthias to blush. “You’re going? I’d heard it wasn’t mandatory for Starfleet personnel.” Would that First Minister Shakaar was as flexible as Admiral Akaar on social matters. Shakaar wanted to be impressive, prove that Bajor wasn’t the backward, orphan child of the Alpha Quadrant anymore, that she deserved to be included in the first worlds of the Federation.
“I don’t haveto go. I like to dance,” she explained. “I take it if you had a choice—”
“I’d be at the gym. Or the Replimat. Or scrubbing plasma conduits. Anything but a party with dozens of dignitaries and high ranking political figures.” Ro shuddered, picturing herself monopolizing the quietest corner of the buffet table. “At least I’m on duty. Maybe I’ll get lucky and voles will invade the duct system, giving me an excuse to leave.”
Matthias laughed.
Ro gestured back toward the holding cells. “You’re welcome to use the head next to the guard’s station to change. I probably should be getting ready myself. Let me know—”
“—If there are any problems with Thriss. I will.”
“Thank you, Commander.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant. See you tonight?”
“I’ll be the one eating the dip,” Ro said, hoping that Quark would supply at least one dish that wasn’t pus yellow, alive, or raw. The prospect of spending three hours in a large crowd was trying enough without having to go hungry.
Matthias pursed her lips thoughtfully, her expression entirely innocent. “I can ask Sibias to take you for a spin on the dance floor. He’s very light on his feet—”
“Don’t make me issue an order, Commander,” Ro warned, mock seriously. “You need to treat your station security chief with a certain deference.”
“Yes sir,” Phillipa said.
As she exited, Ro glimpsed Matthias’s cheeky salute. Maybe there’s hope yet for me with Starfleet if this is the kind of officer they’re growing these days.An optimism she hadn’t felt in a long time suffused her. I might actually survive the reception,she thought. Or not. Wouldn’t want to become too optimistic…
Cynics who thought Alpha Quadrant sentients could never peacefully stand side by side on any matter had never seen the stirring sight that met Kira’s eyes when she entered the formal reception room in the office station’s Upper Core, a few levels below the Promenade. Sirsy and Ensign Beyer had outdone themselves.
Festooning one broad side of the great elliptical room were vividly colored flags and banners representing the Dominion War allies and non-Federation worlds like Ferenginar. The Bajoran flag had an honored position at the front of the room, standing a half meter taller than the other flags on the right side; the Cardassian flag stood exactly opposite the Bajoran flag on the left. The United Federation of Planets flag stood even with Bajor’s and Cardassia’s flags in the room’s center. Vivid colors and symbols representing thousands of years all brought together in one place on this optimistic occasion—Kira thought she finally understood why Shakaar had been so adamant about having a celebration.
Quark’s staff had already brought down the cold appetizers and set up the heating units for the hot dishes that Kira assumed would be arriving shortly. Platters of pulpy melons, q’lavas,Palamarian sea urchins and finger-size vegetables sat beside baskets overflowing with mapabread and whole Tammeron grain rolls. The bar had been fully stocked with languorand kanarfor the Cardassians; and a selection ranging from Bajoran springwine, tranya,Saurian brandy and tulaberry wine to Vulcan port and Terran Cognac had been provided for everyone else. A service turbolift hidden behind a curtain opened, admitting half a dozen servers carrying containers that billowed steam clouds. The smells of rich broths and spices permeated the air.
Everything appeared to be coming together as planned.
Kira walked along the tables, checking the place cards by the layout displayed on her padd…. Ambassador Gandres, Andar Fal, Hiziki Gard…that takes care of the Trill delegation. Now to the Romulan attaché—carefully situated far away from his Klingon counterpart on the other side of the room, Kira noted with relief —the representatives from the Bajoran Commerce Ministry and the Vedek Assembly; Captain Mello and her executive, Commander Montenegro, from theU.S.S. Gryphon. Thankfully, Beyer and Sirsy’s collective attention to detail resulted in perfect execution of tasks such as this one. Though Kira knew it was too late to make dramatic changes in how the room was configured, she still second-guessed the decision to put all the VIPs in one place instead of dispersing them throughout the room. She didn’t want to appear elitist, but a more egalitarian approach would have required stricter security measures and social protocols, neither of which she had time for.