He, Major Kira, his half-Bajoran daughter Ziyal, and the rest of the crew on the Klingon Bird of Prey he and Kira had captured a while back were caught in a Particle Storm, and lost pretty far from either Cardassian or Federation space. It would take them nearly two months to get home even if they travelled at maximum warp all the way. A thousand lightyears had just swizzled by them a couple of hours ago and they were now caught a pretty long way from theWormhole.

Major Kira was quite upset. She wasn't exactly reluctant to show her   travelcompanions how she felt about the whole thing. Dukat did what he could not to smile at her. But it was hard. He really liked Major Kira although she would probably knock him out cold if she ever found out. He would - of course - never admit it, but he was a bit hurt by her attitude although he could understand her. He regretted many of the things he had done.

But few as much as the occupation of Bajor, and alot of the things he had been forced to do as a Legate of the Cardassian military during that same occupation. Ziyal had told him about a conversation between her and Kira last time they met. Ziyal had told Kira how many of those things still really bothered him. Kira had stated that she really doubted he would have felt the same way if Cardassia had won.

But he knew she was wrong. He knew Kira thought of the Cardassians as cruel, violent people that found no greater pleasure than playing mindgames. And Gul Dukat agreed that this was very true, but there was alot more to them than that. It was as if Kira had placed all her hatred towards the Cardassians onto him, which he didn't feel was justified. He had been one of the few trying to end the horrors the Cardassians had inflicted on Bajor. But then again - he would never tell Kira that. He was too proud to try and justify himself or his actions to her. But Ziyal had put her finger on the spot when she insightfully commented:

"You really wish that Major Kira would forgive you - that would make it easier for you to forgive yourself, wouldn't it, father?"

Ziyal had, during these months since he found her, gotten to know him pretty well. She knew more than anyone how he felt about the first officer of Deep Space Nine. He was envious of how well Major Kira and his daughter were getting along, and wished he could be part of their comfortable friendship. He suspected that Kira was as close to a mother figure Ziyal had come since her captivity on Dozaria, where her real Bajoran mother, Tora Naprem, died. He wasn't jealous of Ziyal about that though. He just wished Kira would let him become her friend as well.

But she saw only the ridges on his head and the distinct Cardassian features in his face. She didn't want to like him, and the easiest way to avoid that was to not get to know him too well, so she kept her distance. Which of course made it even more fun for Dukat to try...

And although he understood that Kira remembered how he was about to kill Ziyal when he first found her. That, on top of the hatred she already felt for him for simply being a Cardassian, justified her hatred.

But he had become another person since then. He wished Kira would allow herself   to see it. He knew they were more alike than she would ever care to admit. They really did make a great team even though Kira hated when he said that - and of course, she would never admit it although it was obvious to him.

His love for Ziyal grew stronger every day. He was the only family she had. And not a single day passed without him silently thanking Kira for saving his daughter's life. He knew himself the way he used to be too well to fool himself. If it weren't for Kira, Ziyal wouldn't be alive today.

"Dukat, I'm talking to you!"

Major Kira's voice pierced through his thoughts like a spear. He adjusted his features to the sardonic smile he knew she really detested - he couldn't help himself. Maybe it was a defense, but it was good fun too!

"And what can I do for you Major?"

* * *

Kira looked at Dukat and suppressed a strong desire to place her fist across his smiling Cardassian lizard-like face. She saw red. She could not comprehend how he really managed to press her buttons so easily. No one she knew could get her so off balance, so quickly and so easily as Dukat and she truly hated the feeling!

"I asked you how long it would take for a subspace communication to reach DS9?"

"Two or three days, depending on where exactly we are" Dukat responded with a voice more concerned than the situation called for in Kira's mind. She frowned and looked curiously at him but he turned his back on her and kept touching the panels in front of him.

"Until now, all we have established is how far we've traveled, and in what direction. I am not exactly sure in what solar system we are"
"Then let's find out!" Kira said decisively. She couldn't sit around just waiting for things to happen, no more than Dukat could.

* * *

He stretched himself trying to lose those unwelcome thoughts that had been   occupying his mind for a couple of hours, and then followed Kira to the science station to more accurately find out where they had ended up when the Particle Storm dropped them off. About half an hour later they had established their whereabouts and they knew they were far away from any inhabited planets. There was an M-class planet  just two light-years away and to get there wouldn't take more than an hour and a  half.

Dukat had decided that was where they should go at once. The Klingon Bird of  Prey wasn't fueled for such a long flight and they had to refuel it somehow. They had scanned the surface of the planet and found out it was not inhabited by sentient life. There was flourishing wildlife though and they had also discovered a cave system that showed high concentrations of raw Dilithium crystals, hopefully they would be able to gather some of it to refuel their ship.

They set course for the planet, Melkor 5, as the star-map suggested its name was, and Kira went off to find something to eat. Dukat decided to let Mekket take the bridge and went after her. She hadn't lived with Cardassians long enough to know some of their most - urgent - needs. He couldn't say he was looking forward to informing Kira about them, but he couldn't expect any of his younger officers to do it.  Hell, he wouldn't *let* any of his officers talk to Major Kira about such things - besides, it was *his* problem...

He started to feel uncomfortable as he walked through the lower decks of the ship and wondered how he would approach this delicate matter. It was nothing he wanted to do, but he knew he had no choice but to tell her in time. Or else the good Major might be in for a few unpleasant surprises. Dukat couldn't help but grin after all...

He was less concerned about Ziyal, Ezett and Marza who were the other three   females aboard his ship. They were all Cardassians and they knew what to expect...

Unfortunately they were all his close relatives - all three of them. Ezett was his half-sister, one of the few in his family who could see beyond the Bajoran ridges on Ziyal's nose, and Marza his family's "black sheep", the soft and warmhearted one, who refused to either join the military or the Obsidian order and who was - his cousin. All this could seem no problem for a non-Cardassian. But Dukat knew what problems would arise in only a week, if that. Fortunately he was the only one who was closely related to all three Cardassian females. Which only left Kira to mess it up for him... The fact that it didn't really matter if there had been a non-related Cardassian female was a thought he pushed away. He cursed his weakness for Bajoran females in general and for Major Kira in particular.

He couldn't fool himself this time. This would be an ordeal. He hated to have to   show his weakness to her this way, but there was no other solution. He had to tell her and he had to ask for her help, because he knew the Cardassian Urge too well to imagine he could suppress it for so long. This was the only flaw he could see in the Cardassian race.

//Apart for our unfortunate intolerance of the cold// he added.

Dukat had never planned for Kira to find out about the truth... If he could he definitely *would* keep the specifics away from her.

* * *

"Please run that by me again" said Kira a while later. They were in her quarters and he just explained the problem to her. Her face looked paler than his Cardassian, grayish skin. There was no anger in her voice - only shock, and what more, for the first time since he got to know her, helplessness. He hated to make her feel this way, but what could he do? It was as unstoppable for the Cardassians as the drive for all humanoids to eat when they were hungry. Like the Vulcans' Pon Farr even. 

Kira understood. She didn't like it, but she understood. All too well, and she felt trapped. And strangely enough for the first time in her life she felt what could be pity, or maybe even compassion, for Dukat. Deep inside she knew what it had taken for him to come to her and tell her this, knowing how completely *sick* it would make her.

"I don't think I have to, Kira Nerys, you understood perfectly well the first time" Dukat said mildly.
"But how the *hell* can you travel on a ship with only females that you are related to when you fully well know the Cardassian physiology?"

Kira's voice mirrored all the anger, fear and disgust she felt at what Gul Dukat had just explained to her.

"Normally we are never out longer than a couple of days, a week at the most, in a row, Nerys. You know that!" Dukat started pacing back and forth in her quarters. It was so annoying Kira felt like kicking and screaming. Dukat continued:

"The Urge doesn't come that *quickly*! Our mission to that remote Cardassian   moon was supposed to take about five days which is no problem at all!" Dukat sounded just as frustrated as she felt.

"I am still Major Kira to you Dukat, and don't you expect me to..." Kira's voice fell silent as she began calculating their situation. Fear grew in the pit of her stomach.

//We have already been out here for six days including that mission we originally were on.... within a couple of days Dukat will start to suffer from this Cardassian Urge, only because *I* am on this garbage scow? //

Kira shivered at the thought. She couldn't believe he had put her in this situation. She corrected herself. Oh yes, she could. He probably took great pleasure in seeing her in this situation!

"I don't expect you to do anything but help me by staying out of sight when it's beginning to get too strong for me to handle, can you do that for me, or more so for yourself?"

Dukat stopped pacing and stared intensively into her eyes.
"I have never forced myself on a female and I am definitely not going to start now. Especially not with you, Major Kira. I respect you too much for that"

If Kira hadn't been so upset she would have laughed in his face. Respect her? Instead she said with distress:
"But what about Marza and Ezett, why don't they affect you this way?"
"The Urge only applies on females that aren't family. As long as there are only males or only family members around, that reflex is not in effect. Unfortunately I have noticed that Bajoran females can lure it out, at least for me"

Dukat refused to acknowledge the fact that he wasn't telling Kira the truth - at least not the whole truth.

"I loved Ziyal's mother and she experienced it, but to her it was welcome"

Dukat's smile was almost sad. If Kira hadn't known better she could almost think that he wanted her to feel differently...

"Will you please tell me when, and I'll stay out of your way. And Dukat - is there nothing you can do - yourself?"

Kira didn't blush, far be it from her to do such a silly thing, but Dukat could tell she was uncomfortable.

"No Major, there isn't, but I wish there were" he said simply and turned around to leave.