Her face softened and she offered him a half-smile. “I don’t disagree with you, Shar. But let’s look at this realistically. To conduct a proper scientific inquiry, you’ll need enough time and cooperative research subjects to create a viable statistical sampling. Otherwise, your conclusions might be specious to the Yrythny.”

“Their universities must have databases—”

“We have finite time. Finagling access those databases could be difficult, especially since the decision to admit me as a mediator was hardly unanimous. Not everyone likes—or trusts—us.”

“Respectfully, sir, I am not questioning your decision to pursue the angles we’ve worked through so far. What I am asking is whether I can tackle some of the scientific questions. I’ll complete everything you assign me and pursue those issues on my own time, if you’d rather.”

She paused, resting her hand against her lips as she studied him. “All right then, Ensign. I can agree to that, but if I believe you’re neglecting my assignments, I’ll ask you to desist.”

“Yes sir.” A fair enough compromise,he thought.

“Any word from Commander Vaughn?”

“Not since yesterday. I know he said that he expected they would reach the Consortium today, but circumstances—”

“I know, Shar.” She gazed up at Luthia’s clear ceiling, starlight refracting through the panels, spraying faint rainbows on volcanic rock facades adorning the surrounding buildings.

Shar knew she worried, though Vaughn hadn’t given her any specific reason to be concerned during his regular check-ins. Shar might not have a lover on Defiantas Ezri did, but after weeks of working closely with his shipmates, he’d grown accustomed to having them around. Not a day had passed without Shar turning to ask Nog for input on what tools might be more effective in his inquiry on Yrythny genetics. Each time he gazed out Luthia’s windows, he wondered how long it would be before Ensign Tenmei persuaded Commander Vaughn to let her try surfing on Vanìmel. He’d also come to know Dr. Bashir on the trip. It had become a private game for Shar to see if he could beat Bashir at anything, be it darts or data recall. So far, Shar had lost every time. The sooner Defiantresumed its journey, the better. On this, Shar and Ezri agreed.

At last, Ezri said, “We should go. I’m sure they’ll be waiting.”

She predicted rightly.

The Aquaria’s excellent acoustics allowed the hollow dissonance arising from the Assembly officers milling about to be heard several streetways down from the entrance. Shar and Ezri descended a flight of coral stairs to discover that not a single empty seat remained in the amphitheater. She climbed back up the stairs where she could view the gathering.

Shar waited for Dax to indicate where she wanted him to sit, but with a minimum of five officials dogging her, he assumed she’d appreciate his taking care of himself. On the landing across from her, he noticed an open spot beside a plant bed, swollen with speckle throat roses and vines twisting over and under small trees. There, he could listen and observe Dax and stay out of the way. Gazing through the Aquaria’s transparent floors at Vanìmel’s whorled cloud cover, he watched shuttlecraft streak back and forth between the planetside Houses and Luthia’s ports. He was intrigued by the illusion of being able to free-fall, through the floor, into the atmosphere. He enjoyed how the Yrythny incorporated awareness of their planet into their living spaces; Luthia felt like an extension of their world, not something separate.

“On the morning agenda—” Ezri began loudly.

Reluctantly, he tore his eyes away from Vanìmel and listened—or tried to listen—to Ezri. Officers continued their discussions, ignoring her.

She cleared her throat, “We’re discussing civil rights issues.” A pause. The chatter continued. She linked her hands behind her back and rolled back and forth on her shoes a few times before asking loudly, “Can we please focus on the issue at hand?”

Shar looked on helplessly, knowing nothing he could say or do would make them pay attention.

Skin pockets quivering, Rashoh ringed the room, forcing his associates into chairs. Other senior officials, including Jeshoh and Keren, followed suit. Shar was reminded of his zhavey’s favorite plant, a leafy tree that refused to accept pruning. Trim a branch, within hours a new shoot had sprouted.

Ezri climbed atop a stool, put a finger in each side of her mouth and whistled.

Pained by the shrill tone, Shar winced, his antennae curling.

But the chattering stopped.

“You and you,” she pointed at Jeshoh and Keren. “Select small groups of trusted associates because from now on I’m dealing only with representatives of each Assembly. It’s the only way we’ll accomplish anything. And if you want to schedule a meeting, a discussion, or a visit, you will first clear it with my assistant, Ensign ch’Thane.”

His initial gratitude at regaining control over their schedule dissipated slowly as the implications of his new assignment gradually dawned on him. The Yrythny officials stampeding toward him with their demands represented minutes, hours—possibly precious days—where research would be rendered impossible. Dax knows what she’s doing, focusing our time on her chosen issues,Shar reasoned. After all, hadn’t she been Curzon Dax, one of the most renowned diplomats in recent Federation history?Removing a padd from his pocket, he organized petitioners in a line and patiently took down their requests for appointments.

Since his night with Keren’s underground, Shar had burned with a yearning to help these people. He simply had to believe, to trust, that Dax knew the best way.

8

“You might try shushaherb packs for the swollen ankles,” Kira said, tipping back in her chair and resting her feet on the console in front of her. “Apparently the leaves contain some chemical that helps the tissues shed any water they’re retaining. Julian doesn’t like them because he can’t prove in his lab that they work, but most Bajoran women swear by them.” She took a sip of her raktajinoand waited for a response from the viewscreen.

Kasidy Yates, sitting in a loose lotus position on a braided rug in front of her fireplace, wrinkled her nose. “You think those will work for a human woman?”She yanked strands of blue yarn out of a skein and was winding them into a ball in preparation for knitting…something. Baby footwear, Kira supposed.

Kira shrugged. “Humans and Bajorans have enough in common that what works for us usually works for you. Give it a try. Couldn’t be worse than having to stay off your feet.”

“True enough,”she conceded. “You look tired, Nerys. Still haven’t taken any time off, have you?”

Dropping her feet to the ground, Kira leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk. “I’m fine.” Shrugging off Kasidy’s dubious expression, she reiterated her stance. “Really. With all the VIPs around, the tempo around here’s a little more crazed than usual. But I’m staying on top of it all, though I’m still working on the fine art of balance. The captain had it mastered.”

“True. Ben could throw a dinner party in the middle of a crisis— or take time to visit his land when he faced a serious decision,”she said while focusing her gaze on the length of yarn she’d just pulled out. “Sometimes he’d go out in the back where the porch is now, pull out the baseball bat, and whack some balls. Made him feel better.”

“Are you saying that taking up a hobby will better my leadership skills? Or are you guilting me into coming to Bajor?” Kira chuckled.