Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!prodigy.com!atl-c02.usenetserver.com!news.usenetserver.com!feed3.newsreader.com!newsreader.com!yellow.newsread.com!bad-news.newsread.com!news-toy.newsread.com!netaxs.com!newsread.com!POSTED.monger.newsread.com!not-for-mail Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated Approved: ascem@earthlink.net Organization: Better Living Thru TrekSmut Sender: ascem@earthlink.net Message-ID: <413D1EEA.4070500@comcast.net> From: "czb (Chris)" MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEML@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEML-owner@yahoogroups.com Subject: NEW DS9: Mea Culpa Challenge: Conscience 1/1 (O/K) [PG-13] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lines: 150 Date: Tue, 07 Sep 2004 04:55:17 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.198.142.218 X-Complaints-To: Abuse Role , We Care X-Trace: monger.newsread.com 1094532917 209.198.142.218 (Tue, 07 Sep 2004 00:55:17 EDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 07 Sep 2004 00:55:17 EDT Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated:84004 X-Received-Date: Mon, 06 Sep 2004 21:55:26 PDT (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) Title: Conscience Author: C. Zdroj Email: czb at comcast dot net Website: http://odosgirl.tripod.com/ Series: DS9 Part: 1/1 Rating: PG-13 Codes: O/K Summary: Written for Stephen's Mea Culpa Challenge. Kira offers Odo an Author's Note: This piece is perhaps more accurately an ampersand story, as it focuses on Odo and Kira's early friendship. It comes immediately after the DS9 episode "A Man Alone" and was partially inspired by Sisko's closing voice-over in that show, wherein the commander notes that Odo has received no apologies for the various threats and harrassment he's suffered while wrongly under suspicion for murder. **** Conscience by C. Zdroj He was sitting behind his desk the next day as though nothing had happened, poking at a datapadd with his usual look of absorbed concentration. As always when on duty, Constable Odo exuded an air of calm authority. One might never guess that a lynch-mob--wrongly convinced that Odo was a murderer, all too willing to believe him capable of such a thing because he was alien--had chased and cornered him in this very office a little more than twenty-six hours earlier. Kira stood for a moment in front of his desk, waiting. After hitting a few more keys on the padd, he looked up at her, his expression all business. "What can I do for you, Major?" Kira shook her head. "Something I can do for you, for a change. I came by to let you know that you're back on duty, Constable." Odo snorted. "That's nice to know." Being Odo, he was hardly likely to acknowledge any emotional response to this news, especially since he was already behaving as though he'd never been relieved of duty in the first place. But his token display of grumpiness made Kira oddly relieved. She glanced around the office, trying not to look like she was staring. "I see they cleaned up the place." It was an understatement. The shattered plasti-glass in the doors had been replaced, as had several ruined computer consoles, though it looked like a couple of the security monitors were still inoperative. The graffiti on the far wall had been painted over, but Kira could, if she squinted, still make out the word "shifter" that had been scratched there in jagged, angry letters. She had no doubt that Odo, with his investigator's eye for detail, would have noticed that as well. He followed her gaze, and for a moment, she thought he might comment on the events of the day before. But he only said. "Yes, I'll give Starfleet credit for that much. The repair crew was very efficient." Kira drew a breath. "And you?" she asked carefully. The question was direct enough that he could not mistake her meaning, oblique enough that he could change the subject if he wished. Odo looked away. "I'll survive." A growl. It was clear that he didn't want to talk about this. Not right now anyway. "I'm sure it'll make Quark's day to know that you're in charge again," Kira said lightly. Quark was always good for a change of subject between them. "I'm sure it will," said Odo, with just the faintest touch of malicious humor. Then he paused, gave Kira a measuring look. "I understand that Quark was one of the few people who actually *wasn't* outside my office the other day throwing refuse and demanding my head on a platter." He sighed. "I must be getting soft. It's a bad day when a Ferengi is your only supporter." "Not the only one," said Kira quietly. "I'm sorry. I never thanked you." Kira shrugged and then smiled. "It's not like I didn't owe you." "All the same. Your support was appreciated. I know that you set yourself against a group of Bajorans by taking my part. That can't have been easy." Kira was moved. Odo rarely thanked anyone for anything. "Deciding where I stood wasn't hard. Facing up to them--" she shrugged. "I guess sixty years of occupation has made all of us more distrustful than we should be." Odo tilted his head. "Humanoid nature, no doubt. The Cardassians behaved remarkably similarly at times." He stopped himself, seeming to think that he'd overstepped some boundary. He shook his head again. "Not that I'm suggesting that the two cases are identical." "I know what you're saying. Still--I feel as if I should apologize for what happened." Odo met her gaze evenly. "You didn't do anything wrong." "No--not me personally. Not this time. But I'm one of them. And this station is supposed to be a Bajoran outpost. You deserve to hear an apology from one of us. I know the kind of hatred that causes people to go looking for someone to blame. If I hadn't had the chance to work with you--or someone like you--I might be like Tahna Los right now: angry at anyone who's not Bajoran." Odo looked startled, and Kira smiled a little. "Or did you think I was just this kind and tolerant by nature?" Odo gave a brief snort of laughter. Kira held out a new datapadd to him and he took it. "Here are your official orders, by the way. As of this moment, you are returned to active duty, Constable." She watched his expression carefully as he took the padd from her. He still looked ... guarded as he read over the official orders. "Is something the matter?" she asked. Odo's voice was soft: "I was just thinking: for how long?" "A long time, if I have anything to say about it. I need somebody here to listen to my anti-Starfleet rants." Kira reached across the desk and touched his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. Odo looked almost embarrassed. Then he gave her a faint smile. "Happy to oblige, Major." ~the end~ -- Join the Odo/Kira Fanfic Discussion List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/odokira/ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ASCEM messages are copied to a mailing list. Most recent messages can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEML. NewMessage: