Rising Son Page 3

  Facity lowered the volume on the engineering discussion and stood, wistfully wondering if the boy knew how to play dom-jot. It was an Alpha Quadrant game, but from the innocent look of him, she wouldn’t bet on it.

  As usual, Pifko didn’t seem to be planning on shutting up. “…and here we are! Jake, ah, Sisko?” Pifko asked, continuing on without waiting for confirmation, “this is Captain Dezavrim, everyone calls him Dez, and this is Allo Glessin, our resident medic.” Pif raised his eyebrows, grinning. “We call him Allo Glessin, though we could probably come up with something more descriptive, if we put some thought into it.”

  Jake seemed to relax somewhat as Pif made the introductions, but Facity decided to step in before he got carried away with “descriptives,” fully aware that she was better at breaking Pif’s stride than anyone else on board. Pifko had a lot of saving graces, but keeping his mouth closed wasn’t one of them—creating one of the games she regularly played with herself, how-quickly-couldshe-shut-Pifko-down. She wasn’t feeling particularly playful at the moment, but all that practice came in handy for occasions such as these.

  “Pif, thank you for escorting our guest to the bridge,” she said, smiling widely. “You know, as long as you’re here, why don’t you let Glessin take a look at that sore spot you were telling me about, you know, the one on your belly, right next to your—”

  “Actually, that’s all better now,” Pif interrupted anxiously, glancing at the Cardassian medic and quickly looking away. Pifko disliked being touched by nonmammalians, either by instinct or preference, she didn’t know. “And I’m supposed to be looking through those inventory lists, for, ah, our next excursion, remember?” Pif grinned nervously at Jake Sisko, backing toward the door and nodding his farewells. “I’ll see you later, I’m sure…Captain, Glessin…Facity.”

  She hid a grin at the edge he put on her name, turning her attention to the three men in front of her. Dez also smiled a little at Pif’s hasty retreat, and she could see the further calming effect the interplay had on their visitor.

  “So, Jake Sisko,” Facity said, making sure she had his full attention, hiding another smile as Jake’s gaze stuttered across her buxom form. The way she looked and dressed often had a strong effect on humanoids, Wadi and alien alike, though she was impressed with his determination not to focus on any of her more enticing parts. “What brings you out this way?”

  “This is our first officer, Facity Sleedow,” Dez said, actually stepping in front of her. He had on what she thought of as his meet-the-leader suit, his voice full and rich with command, his demeanor expansive and cordial…toward Jake, anyway. “And since Pifko already made the rest of the introductions, why don’t we let Glessin look you over, and then you and I can go get something to eat? You must be hungry, and I’m sure we can dig up something fit for human consumption around here. We can stop by your shuttle, too.”

  Jake nodded. The human looked tired, but competent to be on his feet. “All right. Thank you.”

  Glessin aimed his bioreader and stepped forward, asking Jake how he was feeling, but Facity wasn’t listening. She grabbed Dez’s arm and pulled him away, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

  “What are you up to?” she asked, keeping her voice low and directed. “And why did you cut me off?”

  Dez met her gaze evenly, his own light eyes as far away as they’d been since finding Jake Sisko. “I’m not up to anything…but since you asked, has it occurred to you that he might not feel like telling you his life story?”

  Facity opened her mouth to tell him exactly what was occurring to her—and then closed it again. This had the ring of something personal, and though she wasn’t one to be stepped over lightly, Dez’s defensiveness was as uncharacteristic as his previous silent reflection.

  She decided to let it go, for the moment. “It has now,” she answered casually. “And since it appears I’m not invited to hear it, perhaps I can join you later? For dessert?”

  Backing off was definitely the way to play it, and reminding him of one of her prime attributes didn’t hurt, either. Dez’s jaw loosened, a small, familiar smile edging across his face. “Always.”

  That was the Dez she knew…though he was going to owe her some kind of explanation if he wanted something sweet after dinner. What they had sexually wasn’t terribly serious, off and on for a year or two, but they’d been business partners for almost six. He knew better than to think he could pull rank and then expect open arms.

  “Good,” she said, smiling in turn. “I’ll come find you after my shift. Maybe by then we can give Mr. Sisko a tour, see what he can tell us about the Wa.” A small joke, an Alphie certainly wouldn’t know anything about the Even’s unusual architectural additions, but keeping things agreeable with Dez now meant he’d be more likely to keep her in confidences later. She didn’t state the obvious for the same reason—that there was a much greater chance they’d have to confine the boy, keep him locked up and in the dark until they had a chance to get rid of him. In that case, the best they could hope for was that he was innocuous, a random, harmless traveler. At worst, he could be the enemy…though she doubted it, and from Dez’s strange protectiveness, she thought he doubted it, too.

  Glessin cleared his throat before approaching, his expression as unreadable as usual. “I’m not an expert on humans, but he appears to be fine…hydration’s good, and the tissue damage was minor, like I said. His fingers have healed completely.”

  “Wonderful,” Dez said, turning to Jake and grinning broadly. “Let’s go. I can introduce you to some of the crew along the way. Thanks, Glessin. Facity, I’ll see you later.”

  The boy smiled neutrally at both of them before following the captain to the lift. There was something in Dez’s voice that she wasn’t able to place until after the door had closed behind them, carrying them off into the Even’s shadowy depths. Glessin wandered over to a console to add to his file of biological trivia, but Facity stayed put, gazing at the closed door, more perplexed than ever. It was a tone she knew only from their most intimate moments, when he spoke of his childhood…a kind of tenderness, for lack of a better word, hopeful and somehow careful, as though it were too precious to be challenged. For whatever reason, Dez wanted to like Jake, and she could only hope that the boy was worth the captain’s trust. In their line of work, unnecessary risks could prove costly. They certainly had in the past.

  No point evaluating without more information, there was no payoff. Facity determined to let it go for now, remembering that Feg and his brother had proposed a bet on the upcoming trip to Drang, one she needed to take them up on. Both Ferengi insisted that there’d be bloodshed, and though it appeared to be an even bet, she felt somewhat obligated to wager against it. She was first officer, after all; there was morale to consider.

  “Glessin, I need to go by accounting—would you stay up here for a few minutes, watch things?”

  Absorbed in his medical files, the Cardassian nodded, not even looking up from his console. The Even’s crew was fairly extraordinary at the moment, all but the new archeologist tested and trusted, and the Even herself was outfitted for facility—except for Srral, any one of the crew could captain the ship alone, at least for brief periods, and even Srral could do it as long as there was someone else around to explain a slightly less alien perspective than its own. It was an unusual, incredible ship, with a crew almost like family…assuming one had an extremely diverse upbringing, and a few dubious relatives.

  More like family than most of us have ever known, anyway, she thought, feeling a surge of protectiveness for what the Even Odds was about. Love wasn’t a word that came to mind when she thought about someone like Glessin, or Prees, or the majority of the Even’s crew…but everyone on board gave enough of a damn to offer at least a minimum of consideration and respect to their shipmates. It was no great leap for her to understand why a new face was a bit disturbing, even one as naive as the boy’s.

  Having already forgotten her decision not to concern herself with De
z and Jake Sisko, Facity walked slowly to the lift, wondering if Jake would still be around when the Even finally made it to Drang…and curious, whether the boy was to play some part in their unusual family, as Dez seemed to want, or turn out to be just another outsider, along for a ride that he couldn’t possibly have anticipated. At the moment, Facity wouldn’t bet either way.

  3

  AS THE LIFT door closed on the bridge, Jake saw the Wadi first officer staring after them, her expression wary. He wasn’t sure what to make of her—what she was wearing would make a dabo girl blush—or Allo Glessin, though both had seemed nice enough.

  Not dangerous, anyway. Glessin’s handheld medical reader had thrown him for a moment, as had seeing a Cardassian on the bridge. What was a Cardassian medic doing out here, anyway? There was a story there, he was sure. It seemed entirely incongruous, and initially very unnerving—from that cool, expressionless stare to the heavy scars on his hands…Glessin’s manner, though, had been politely neutral. And watching all of them interact had lessened Jake’s anxiety considerably. It was strange, being on a ship where no one wore a uniform, where “orders” seemed as casual as requests, and again, Jake wondered what the Even Odds’s purpose was…though he’d already decided to let the captain lead the conversation. It seemed prudent, until he had a better idea of his exact circumstances.

  Like Nog used to say—if you don’t know what’s going on, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. If it wasn’t one of the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition, it should be. Though I should make up my own list of rules…top of the list, don’t go chasing prophecies without backup. With every passing moment, the realization of how lucky he was to be alive grew stronger; Glessin said he’d been moments from freezing to death.

  “Deck C,” Captain Dez told the lift, his voice pleasantly deep and commanding, and Jake was struck anew by how much he sounded like Dad. It was no wonder he had imagined being rescued by his father; they even had similar builds, though physically the resemblance stopped there. The captain’s body and facial features were basically human, but his skin was light gray and highly textured, rippled like corrugated matter. The flesh was thicker and darker at the top and back of his head, giving the appearance of hair, and his eyes were the color of a ripe peach—as close as they were in the lift, Jake could see that there were no pupils, only a grouped scattering of darker orange flecks at the center of each eye.

  Captain Dez tapped at a com piece on his shoulder. “Prees, it’s Dez—I’m bringing our new passenger to see his shuttle. Is Stessie around?”

  A soft, girlish voice answered as the lift hummed to a halt. “Lema’s here, says…Stess is actually headed down already, I think. Do you want Stessie, too?”

  “No, I’m sure two will be more than enough. We’ll be there in a minute.” The captain tapped out and turned an infectious smile toward Jake, who was wondering if Stess and Stessie were the same person; more names for his mental list.

  Dez ushered Jake out of the lift with a sweep of his hand. They stepped into a corridor that was better lit than the ones Pifko had led him through earlier, the cool air scented with a light, oily tang of industrial lubricants.

  “We’re on C Deck, maintenance are on C and D,” the captain said. “Quarters and living facilities are on B—that’s where you woke up—and bridge is A. It’s a basic enough layout, except…except there are some irregularities. I’ll have Pif give you a tour tomorrow morning, after you’ve had some rest. I ask that you don’t go wandering before that, not on your own. It’s not safe.”

  Not safe?

  His expression must have shown his unease. The captain smiled, shaking his head slightly. “It’s nothing to concern yourself with, I assure you. Once you’ve had a chance to look around, you’ll understand. So…do you have any questions?”

  Where to start? “Ah, how many people are on board? Captain,” Jake added.

  “Just Dez, really,” he said, still smiling. “Capacity is sixty, our current crew is sixteen. We’ve had as few as seven and as many as thirty-eight. Since she’s capable of complete auto on code activation, one person could run her. I keep her in top-of-the-line, new upgrades as soon as they’re available on the market.” The last was delivered with a distinct note of pride.

  “So you’re…explorers?” Jake asked, his best guess.

  Dez hesitated. “No. I’d say…Let’s stop for a moment, all right?”

  “Sure.”

  Dez leaned against one bulkhead wall, his expression turning serious. “First, let me make clear that this is all in the strictest confidence. Anything you want to tell me stops with us, all right? And I’d appreciate the same courtesy….” He grinned suddenly. “If Facity knew what I was about to tell you, she’d have my head. She worries too much about company secrets getting out, so to speak…so it might be better to play the innocent a while longer, until I have a chance to fill her in, all right?”

  In spite of the nervousness that his prelude had brought up, Jake found himself smiling back. Dez came off as very sincere, very likable. “Deal.”

  Dez’s smile faded, and he took a deep breath before continuing, as though nervous himself. “With your shuttle’s computer down, there was no way to ascertain your identity, and…I read the document you’re carrying, Jake. The translation was on the padd you were holding, when I found you…and so were your, ah, personal notes. I ran the contents of your padd through our translators. I know why you went into the Anomaly, and…and what you were hoping to accomplish.”

  Remembering, Jake felt himself flush. His last words. It was hazy, but he thought that he’d been crying at the end, could remember feeling deeply sorry for the impact that his impending death would have on his family and friends. And everything about Dad….

  “I just wanted to let you know that I respect your decision, and your privacy,” Dez quickly continued. “There was a time that I…I understand why you went into the Anomaly, and see no reason that your reason needs to be popular knowledge. As far as this crew is concerned, you were traveling, you hit a storm.”

  Jake nodded mutely, not sure what to say. He felt awkward, but Dez’s understanding was almost a relief…and Jake realized suddenly that the captain was the first person who actually knew. He hadn’t even told Nog about the prophecy.

  “When we got back, I found your name in our library,” Dez went on. “Or your father’s name, I suppose I should say. For business reasons, I make a point of keeping our political files as current as possible, and his role in the Quadrant War is well documented. Considering, I felt I should tell you that the Even is, we’re not exactly…we’re wanted by the Dominion, for what we do. Wanted by a few other organizations, as well.”

  Jake was surprised. “Wanted…as in—”

  “As in, there’s a bounty out on us,” Dez said. “We’re…retrievers, I suppose you could say, we’re in the retrieval business. We do salvage—a lot of that, particularly since the end of the war—courier security, an occasional mining excursion…but mostly we hunt down historical artifacts and other items of value that have been lost, or stolen, and we…once we find them, depending on the circumstances, we generally return them to the rightful owners. We’re freelance, and we’ve crossed the Dominion and its allies on more than one occasion, and probably will again. They’ve stayed to themselves since they signed that treaty with your Federation, kept to their own space, but we don’t know how long that will last. And if we run into them and they find out who you are, there could be trouble….”

  Dez cut himself off with a shake of his head. “Who am I kidding? You landed on a ship looking for trouble. We’re fortune hunters, we have more than our share of enemies because we’re good at what we do. And since you’re going to be with us for a while, I thought it would be best to let you know up front.”

  What? “I, ah…actually, I was hoping to get back to the Alpha Quadrant as soon as possible,” Jake said, hoping he didn’t sound as desperate as he suddenly felt.

  Dez shook his head, his orang
e gaze sympathetic. “Your shuttle is beyond repair. Whatever happened in the Anomaly, it caused a complete system failure and lock.”

  “If it’s…I’m more than happy to pay for any work, or if you have a runabout I could borrow…” Jake began, but Dez was still shaking his head.

  “‘Beyond repair’is literal,” he said. “And we only have one dropship, and that’s about to be refitted, there’s no way I can spare it. I’d take you back myself, but we’re at least three months from the Anomaly, even taking a direct route at our best speed. A nonstop flight isn’t an option, in any event—as it happens, we’re going in that direction, but we have business along the way that can’t wait.”

  Jake blinked, still not sure he’d heard right. “Three months?”

  “Whatever happened to you in the Anomaly, it threw your ship almost a hundred parsecs in an instant, which probably explains why your energy reserves were depleted. And why your ship is in the state it’s in.”

  At Jake’s stricken expression, Dez clapped one warm hand down on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Jake. We were planning to head to Ee after the Drang mission is complete, once we’ve met with the, ah, clients, perhaps dropped by a few salvage sites. Ee is an open marketplace between us and the Anomaly. I know you can find transport there. The main port has several sellers.”