DISCLAIMER:
Paramount owns their characters, I own mine. This concept is one they wouldn't
touch with a barge pole, so no worries there. Please do not steal this story
or any ideas from it, at least not without asking the author/s first.
NOTE:
This story is based in an alternate universe, where the Occupation only lasted
for 30 years, not 60 years. If you are interested in adding to this saga by
writing a novella to go with this world, feel free to contact me.
Jadzia stopped at the door and rang the room chime. After eight years, she was finally in her last year of studies at Starfleet Academy. Normally, she would have graduated the previous year and already be on her first posting. But after she received the Dax symbiont after the last host had suffered an accident, she'd been forced to take a year off to allow both herself and the symbiont time to re-adjust.
So here she was, about to begin her final year for the second time, with a new room mate and a new class. With just one small problem; it appeared as if no-one was at home. Sighing, she punched in the lock code she'd been given, and frowned as the computer simply chirped at her and the door stayed firmly shut.
She was just about to try again when the door slid open with the usual slight hiss of compressed air. Dax paused for a moment, waiting to see if the apparently tempermental door would slide closed on her, but when it didn't, she shouldered her bag a little higher and stepped into the room, to see a woman sitting casualy in a chair by the window, a real paper book dangling from her fingers.
Dax stopped short. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here." Flashing her brightest smile, she strode forward and held out her hand. "I'm Jadzia Dax, your new room-mate."
"I see." The woman didn't move, just sat there, the sun glinting off her titian hair. "So, you're the person who drew the smallest vole."
"I'm sorry?" Dax sat in the chair opposite, her bag at her feet. "I don't understand." From this distance, it was impossible to miss the obvious ridges on the others nose that, along with her earring, denoted her Bajoran heritage.
The Bajoran sighed and closed her book, an obviously old posession, carefully marking her page before she placed it down. "Look, I know the truth, so I'll save you the story." She fixed the Trill with a steely gaze. "The Academy board has sent you here to stay with me to make sure I don't do anything stupid again, like last year." Her eyes travelled to the others uniform and smirked. "And to probably make sure I pass science at last."
"Just to make sure I understand," Jadzia settled a little further into her chair, "what did you do last year?"
Her companion sighed. "I've been away from my family and from home for three years now. And no matter how great the local bar is, the drinks never quite match up to what I'm used to." Her gazed switched to the window and the water pouring down outside. "So I decided to bring a little of Bajor into my life here." A faint red glow spread across her cheeks along with a sheepish grin as she glanced at Dax. "I built a still in the bathroom."
"A still?" Jadzia fought back a grin of her own. "The Academy must have gone spare when they found out!"
"They did," the Bajoran admitted her grin now wide. "I was court-martialled last year. It's part of why I'm re-doing the final year. That, and the fact I failed the final science exam."
"So, how did they find it?" Dax took in her companions suddenly confused expression. "They didn't tell me anything about you, honest. Except that you're a repeat student because you had trouble with science last year. No-one mentioned a still."
The Bajoran looked long and hard at the other woman, before smiling faintly again. "A week before we graduated, we were allowed fourty-eight hours leave. I went with a friend to the Kakadu. That night, a security detachment arrived to bring me back to the academy. I arrived here to find the room crawling with science officers, the duty officers, the class commander, and about half of the academy's staff." She paused, and dax grinned as the blush returned. "It seems that after I'd left, the still blew up. Totally wrecked the bathroom, not to mention the admiral's banquet."
Jadzia could feel the laughter bubbling up inside her. "It blew up? While the banquet was going on?" As the woman nodded, she gave up and started giggling at the image of what must have happened. "What did the admiral do?"
The other woman shrugged. "He had me court-martialled and held back a year. Not that I was going to pass anyway, but this gave them an extra reason." She sighed slightly, again turning to look at the rain. "I thought they were going to expel me. That would have been a nightmare to explain to my parents."
Dax smiled sympathetically. "Don't worry, there isn't a science student alive that hasn't tried something similar sometime. Although I can't remember any that have blown up their rooms before." They both laughed quietly.
The Bajoran stood and stretched, then gazed at her companion. "I'd better introduce myself then. Kira Nerys, of Bajor."
Dax grinned and shook the outstretched hand of her new friend. "Jadzia Dax, Trill. A joined Trill." She added, causing Kira to raise an eyebrow in curiosity.
"How old is the symbiont?"
"Three hundred years." Dax said the words nochelantly, but couldn't supress the brief flutter of nerves and pride.
Kira merely nodded and sighed. "Good. Then maybe you'll be able to explain Brynn's Paradox of Theoretical Geo-Science to me."
Dax headed towards the replicator for a glass ot tea, muttering "Glad we're starting with the easy ones first."
"Now, as long as you remember to incorperate the tachyon pulse into your calculations," Dax glanced at her quietly swearing companion and grinned, "You should get the right answer." She waited silently, as Kira muttered under her breath and punched at her datapadd. "See?"
Kira sighed in agreement and threw the padd onto the table. "I've never been good at science. Even at school I always had trouble with it." She sighed again and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Pol got all the brains as far as that's concerned. That's why he's already finished his science degree at the Vulcan academy, and I'm still here."
"Don't worry about it." Dax unconciously started to tidy the table, stacking the many padds into two neat piles. "My sisters don't understand science either." She smiled cheerfully. "Anyway, it doesn't matter that much, you're going into security, not science. I wouldn't worry about it much if I were you." She leaned forward intently, her eyes glittering. "So, what are you wearing to the party tomorrow?"
Kira gazed at her companion steadily. "I'm not going."
"But the whole class will be there, how can you not go?" Dax's smile became a little strained. Nerys had shown very little interest in socialising at all in the last week since the Trill had arrived, except for occasionaly attending the 'Launch Pad', a local bar that the academy cadets had made their own for decades. "Come on, Nerys, you'll enjoy yourself."
"Shouldn't I be studying that night?" Kira's expression had become bemused. "After all, this is my last chance. If I don't pass this year, they'll kick me out and I'll just be a militia officer all my life." Her smile turned bitter. "I want better than that, I can do better than that!"
Dax nodded sympathetically. "I know you can, and you're doing fine so far. Now, a night out will do you good." She lowered her voice slightly and arched her eyebrows knowingly. "You never know who you might meet."
Kira groaned good-naturedly and held her hands up in submission. "Alright, I give up; I'll come. But," she held up a finger warningly, "If it's as bad as last year, I'm leaving."
Dax laughed, a warm, vibrant sound. "Deal. In fact, if it's as bad as last year, I'll leave with you."
The party, as Kira predicted, was boring. Most of the cadets already knew each other since the class had been together for three years already. But by the final year, only around half of the original class were still there, the others either washing out in the past years, or leaving to pursue other studies in other areas.
All this meant that instead of the original class of three hundred, there now remained only one hundred and fifty cadets. One was new. This one was a lanky streak of humanity who looked as though he hadn't finished growing just yet. Kira figured he could have been a lost second-year student, were it not for the trace of an arrogant swagger in his still uncoordinated step. He felt he belonged here, and was proud of that fact. He looked her way, and Kira found any excuse to be elsewhere.
It didn't work. He followed her to the buffet table and pretended to be interested in the crepes. "Good evening," he said in clear, British tones, "I'm Julian Bashir, with the medical science degree. They decided to bump me up a year, since I was already capable of handling the work. You are?"
"Not interested." Kira glanced around desperately trying to find Dax.
He refused to take the hint again. "I was asking your name."
"Kira Nerys." _Now flakk off._
"I believe I may have heard about you, miz--"
"*One* flakking cracked pressure valve, and whole universe has to know? What *is* it with this campus?" She finally saw Jadzia standing at the other side of the room, and shot her a glance. Dax raised an eyebrow and began heading towards the belugered Bajoran.
Bashir looked like a three-year old who'd said 'mum' once too often and got the inevitable result. "I'm - sorry?"
"You bet you are." Kira had on her 'if you don't leave me alone, there will be blood' look, but the Human was oblivious.
Dax arrived and stepped in to the conversation. "Nerys, I think it's time we got some fresh air."
Julian Bashir, left clutching at a canape, watched them go. "That," he told himself, "did not go very well."
"Where the flakk were you?" Demanded Kira as the two women strolled around the terrace.
Her tall companion nodded at a passing lecturer and answered, "Teaching Flannigan why it's a bad idea to touch up someone who knows Ro-Sha-M'Bo."
"Flannigan?" Nerys smiled slightly at the image that was conjured up. "He tried to take me out on a date once. It took me forever to get him to understand the meaning of the word 'no'."
Dax grinned and nodded towards the party. "So, shall we go back inside now?"
The Bajoran shook her head. "No. We've been here for two hours, let's go to the Launch Pad instead. Besides, I have to pay my bar tab."
It was only a short walk back to their quarters, and after getting changed into civilian clothing, they headed towards the bar. Kira had brought a small bag with her, and although Dax shot it a few interested glances, the Bajoran seemed to be in no hurry to inform her of its contents.
They, however, were soon revealed.
Entering the bar, a large, reasonably lit area, Dax saw the bartender glance up at them and then reach for a nearby data pad. "Are we going to have problems?", she whispered to her surprisingly cheerful companion.
"No." Kira strode defiantly up to the bar and placed the bag gently on the counter.
The barman nodded gravely. "Kira." He glance at the padd. "You owe me--" The words were cut off mid-sentance as Kira pulled five black bottles from her bag, all decorated with the Bajoran religious symbol. "Absolutely nothing." The man grabbed the bottles and hustled them under the counter. "Have a seat, and I'll bring you your drinks."
When they were seated at a table against the back wall, Dax turned on her friend. "I thought you weren't making that stuff anymore!"
"I never said I wasn't." Kira sipped her seve-ale and appeared unconcerned. "I just said that my still had blown up last year."
"So where's the new one?" Jadzia leaned in closer, not sure whether to admire the woman's courage and tenacity, or to denounce her to the Academy board. "And it had better not be in our quarters!"
"Relax." Kira nodded politely at another cadet and smiled at Dax. "It's not in our quarters."
At that moment, a far off popping sound could be heard, barely audible through the open windows. However, the sound of the security details boots as they stomped into the bar five minutes later were very loud and easily heard. The bar emptied, as if by magic, as the detail came to a stop at Dax and Kira's table. "Cadet Kira?" The head officer was smiling, signifying whatever the problem was, it was big. "Come with us immediately."
"Why?" Kira knew better than to argue, and was already on her feet, Dax close behind.
The officer leaned in closer. "Because, one of Boothby's garden sheds has just exploded, just like your room did last year."
A large crater denoted the spot where a garden shed had once stood, deep within the academy grounds. Right now, it was swarming with science teams marking and scanning the debris. Kira and Dax were left at the edge of the pit while the security team joined the others in searching for the wreckage of the shed in the surrounding flower beds and woods.
"Cadet, I think this is the end of your Starfleet career." Admiral B'solan, head of the academy, stood beside the two women and surveyed the disaster area. "You'll be court-martialled and sent home before the end of the week."
Kira shook her head lazily. "It wasn't my still, Admiral. I never re-built it after last year." She turned to face the disbelieveing man. "I have nothing to do with this."
B'solan pointed towards a large fragement of metal embeded in a tree. "That was part of the still. If we find any Bajoran DNA on it, you are history as far as Starfleet is concerned."
"You won't, I had nothing to do with this." Kira turned back to watch the scanning of the metal, a shadow of a smile on her face. Dax couldn't tell whether she was bluffing or not. But, when only a few moments later the science team reported finding no Bajoran DNA on the fragment, the Trill could see her companion relax visibly.
The admiral was livid. "Trace the DNA on it and find out who this belonged to." He spat the words out between his teeth, then turned and stalked off to the main academy buildings.
Kira and Dax strolled back towards their quarters. "I really thought you were in serious trouble there, Nerys." Jadzia was mentally admiring the woman's ability to keep her cool under the whole situation.
"I knew it wasn't mine, so there was nothing to worry about." Kira grinned as they entered their rooms and flopped into opposite chairs. "Mind you, this is going to make paying my tab at the bar difficult."
"Why?"
"Well, who do you think I got those bottles from tonight?" Kira's grin widened as she stared at Dax's shocked expression. She decided to put her friend out of her misery. "It was a couple of second year science students. They heard about what happened and decided to start up their own brewery, based on my receipe." She chuckled and relaxed into the chair. "They analyzed the spirits I made and gave to the bar for my bill, and started up on their own. It was only a matter of time before the same thing happened, and I knew that this time I'd have a certain alibi."
"So you bought the bottles from them, to pay your bar bill." Dax nodded sagely and began chuckling herself.
Bashir looked around the sports hall and smiled indulgently. He knew that his short-sleeved grey shirt and form-hugging back shorts showed off his muscled and perfectly toned body extremely well. Barely panting, and with only a slight sheen of sweat on his face, he smirked to himself as he watched the other cadets pant as they straggled into the hall. He and the instructor had been the first back from the ten kilometer 'jog' the class had just done, and already most of the others were regreting their last drink in the cadets mess the night before.
Julian however, could have gone for another run before he started to feel anywhere near as tired.
The chief instructor, a Bolian, smiled thinly as he stared at the panting cadets. "Well, now that we've warmed up, I think it's time for a little unarmed combat practice. Pair off and begin."
Julian struck his best pose, but found that no-one cared to take him up on combat practice. Turning, he was about to speak to the instructor, when a hand clapped onto his shoulder. "Looks like it's you and me, Doc."
He turned to face the Bajoran female from the dance. "Kira Nerys, am I right?"
"This is no time to be on friendly terms, Doc," She was actually grinning. It wasn't a nice sort of smile. It was the one that waited for millions of years on riverbanks for something small and weak to wobble by. "I'm about to teach you Ro-Sha-M'Bo, the hard way."
He swallowed hard, then tried to copy her easy stance on the padded mats. He fell over twice before he got it right.
*BAM*!
"Keep your knees flexed," advised Kira while Bashir realised he was suddenly staring at the ceiling. He tried again, remembering to keep his knees flexed. "Good." Noted Kira. "Now try and attack."
He lurched into a forward punch that he'd seen on a holovision show. All at once, he was staring at the ceiling again.
"You're *way* off balance, Doc."
"Ow." He managed, regaining his feet and his sense of gravity.
"Do you know what Ro-Sha-M'Bo *means*?"
"Kick 'em inna...?" He indicated a particular area just below the belt.
She smiled again. "In the vernacular, yes. More accurately translated, it means 'art of striking weakness'. Try and find a weakness, Doc, and hit it."
He didn't like where she placed that 'try'. Besides, low blows were against all the rules, weren't they?
As if she were reading his thoughts, Kira said, "There's no such thing as a fair fight when you're against a real enemy." Well, then, if those *were* the rules... He detected an unprotected area below the belt and tried to hit it, then something painful happened to his shoulder and his left leg, and his entire left side went numb.
"Whoops," said Kira. "I think I just dislocated your arm. Sorry about that."
He stared stupidly a the strange angle his leg was now in, and dimly wondered why he felt no pain yet. "Not to mention breaking my *leg*."
She sighed. "I'll carry you to the infirmary."
Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Ven Hawegar, after nearly fifty years practising xeno-biology, wasn't a man who thought he could be easily surprised. However, after three years of patching up the unarmed combat victims of Kira Nerys, he wasn't at all surprised when she struggled into the Academy infirmary with an arm wrapped around another cadet's waist.
Ven sighed. "It's Monday morning, so let me guess; unarmed combat practice again?"
Kira nodded as she released Bashir to a nurse and one of the assistant doctors. "He's a final year medical student who's just been posted to the class. Chief Loshan asked me to bring him up to speed on his combat training." She had the good grace to blush as she glanced at the, now sedated, Julian Bashir. "I might have been a little rough."
"A little?" Ven glanced at the bio-bed readings and raised an eyebrow. "Cadet, you've broken his leg and his shoulder's almost wrenched out of it's socket. What exactly did you do to him?"
"We were praticising Ro-Sha-M'Bo, and he moved the wrong way as I attacked, and..."She trailed off and shrugged helplessly.
Ven sighed and motioned towards the door. "Go and re-join the class. I'll let Captain Rogers know that Cadet Bashir will be out of class for two days." Shaking his head, he went to attend to his newest patient, by now awake again. "So cadet, I see you've met Kira Nerys."
Bashir groaned and gingerly tested his newly-repaired shoulder. "How am I?"
"Oh, you're going to be fine." Ven double checked the treatment the man had received, but made no changes or suggestions; his staff were more than able to look after their patients. "A minor dislocation of the shoulder, and a broken leg, which is now well on the way to being mended."
Bashir listened carefully and could hear the faint buzz of the bone knitting machine encasing the fracture. "How long will I be away from the class?"
"Oh, only a few days." Ven turned to leave, but stopped as Bashir called out to him again.
"Sir, who is Kira Nerys? I've never seen anyone move like that before."
"Ask her yourself." The doctor didn't even crack a smile. "She'll tell you herself, if you ask politely."
After the man left, Bashir left his head thud back into the pillow. "Oh, I promise to be polite!"
"Nerys, you might at least have let him land a punch." Dax sipped her drink and tried not to grin at the memory of Bashir lying moaning on a practice mat with Kira attempting to explain to the instructor just why her partner was incapacitated on the gym floor.
Kira grinned cheerfully and swallowed the last of her hasperat. "He deserved it! Showing off in that suit of his, parading around like a Gulah bird. I couldn't resist it, he deserved to be taken down a limb or two."
"Maybe." Jadzia's smile became mischevious as she stared at something over Kira's shoulder. "But you didn't have to break the limb to do it." She raised her voice slightly. "Isn't that right, doctor."
Julian flashed both women a brilliant smile as he placed his dinner tray on the table opposite Kira. "Well, it was really my own fault Dax, I was unprepared for Kira's speed and experience."
"I'm sure that next time you'll be able to provide a much better defence." Dax ignored Kira's malevolent glare. "You might even be able to land a punch or two of your own."
"If you two will excuse me..." Kira stood to leave, only to be stayed by Bashir placing a hand on her arm.
"Nerys, if you don't mind me asking, where did you learn to fight like that?" Julian smiled dazzlingly, while Dax concealed a snigger by burying her nose in her coffee. "The rest of the class tell me that no-one except the instructors have managed to defeat you."
"I learnt it from my uncle. He was in the resistance during the Cardassian occupation."
"I see." Julian smiled nervously and picked at his sandwich. "Well, it's almost time for science class, so if you'll excuse me, I have to pick up my notes."
Jadzia waited until the man had vanished towards his room before rounding on Kira, a scowl on her face. "You shouldn't have scared him off like that, he was only asking."
"Then it'll teach him not to be so damn curious." She curled her lips in contempt. "He has no battle sense, he'll probably get himself killed first time his ship goes into combat."
"Maybe, but he's giong to be a great doctor, and that's what's important to him. Besides," Dax smiled gently, "I'm sure you'll teach him all he needs to know to protect himself."
Kira sighed. "He's got a long way to go before he'll be even half as good as he needs to be to survive combat. So, I'd better get teaching him then."
Dax grinned impishly. "Can I sell tickets?"
Julian was doing push-ups when he heard the gym door open. He didn't bother finding out who it was though, until a pair of red workout boots appeared under his nose. Looking up, he smiled at Kira."Nerys, what can I do for you?"
Kira dumped her duffle bag on the floor and placed her hands on her hips. "Your self defense is shot, your marks in combat training are abysmal, and Captain Rogers has asked me to bring you up to speed with the rest of us. Therefore," she sighed and nudged the bag, "we're going to spend an hour every night practicing your self defence techniques, until you're equal with the rest of the class."
Julian stood to face his classmate. "Look, I don't think we got off to a very good start. Perhaps we should start again?" He held out his hand. "I'm Julian Bashir, Human. I just finished a medical degree."
The woman watched her compain steadily for a long moment, then firmly shook his hand. "Kira Nerys, Bajoran. I'm corp enlisted for security, since I was in the Bajoran militia for 6 years before I joined Starfleet."
Bashir grinned. "So that's where you learnt how to fight like that."
The Bajoran had the grace to blush slightly. "Well, it helped I must admit. Fighting Cardassians on the borders makes sure your skills are honed." Adopting a fighters crouch, she smiled wolfishly. "Now, let's get started."
END OF BOOK ONE