1 GENERAL DISCLAIMER: All other characters who have appeared in the syndicated series STAR TREK DEEP SPACE NINE, together with the names, titles, and backstory are the sole copyright property of the people who own Star Trek. I don’t know if that’s Paramount, Viacom, or CBS – who can keep track. Point is, no copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author (that would be me). This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices. There is sex in this story, explicit sex. If you’re not old enough to read about explicit sex, or don’t like lesbian sex or just have sex issues in general, go read something else – I don’t mind. This story takes place during Season Four of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I originally started it in 1996, it was the first bit of fan fic I attempted, and I have since rediscovered the file and decided to finish it. It was 90% done to begin with and I decided not to rewrite the thing to take account all that happened to Jadzia Dax after season 4. In my universe, this would have been a happier ending. The Affection Factor By Bat Morda Started 1996 ~ Finished 2018 Email [email protected] Twitter @BatMorda Prologue Kai Winn tore through the temple library. She knew it had to be here, yet months of searching had revealed nothing. I should have gotten it from Bareil when he was alive, she cursed silently. Where could he have hidden it? There was no way the Kai could be certain that the deceased Vedek Bareil had indeed hidden that which she sought, but she suspected as much. Opaka’s lapdog, Winn spat. She lowered herself onto a stone bench and gazed at the shelves of books, scrolls, and tablets that made up the innermost library of the Kai’s compound. Miraculously this room had survived the Cardassian occupation of Bajor. The private writings of Kais’ dating back thousands of years had been preserved in this underground tomb, leaving a legacy of wisdom, instruction, and history for the Bajoran people. Kai Winn had little use for wisdom or instruction, and her enthusiasm for history extended only as far as not repeating the mistakes of others. No, it was information she was after; details pure and simple, that would allow her to dispatch the threat to her reign that she knew was coming. Few Prophecies could be pinned down to when they would happen. The ancient words of Kai Tulano would have been no different had Kai Winn not experienced her future in a vision from the Celestial Temple Orb. The elderly Bajoran shuddered as if from a chill at the memory of that vision. A young woman with sharp features and piercing eyes stood at the dais of an ancient ceremonial fire. There was something un-Bajoran about her but she couldn’t tell exactly what it was, everything hazy and soft focus. Winn watched, silent, as the vestments of Kai were presented to the young woman who smiled at someone at the far end of the ghostly room. Kai 2 Winn turned and was astonished to see Kai Opaka step to the dais to address the Vedek Assembly. “Children of Bajor,” Opaka began in a kind and quiet voice, “the darkness of the Cardassian occupation is over and a new age is dawning for our people. Sad that I cannot be with you, it is with profound joy that I present blood of my veins to guide us all into our new light.” Shaking herself out of the vision, Kai Winn gazed absently about the library. Kai Opaka was gone and the occupation over. Winn knew that events would be falling into place soon. One of her greatest fears was not recognizing those signs for what they were until too late. Her mind elsewhere, she saw the shelves, walls, and floor as only abstract shapes of light and dark, of positive and negative space, lines and planes converging then separating. It was by chance she noticed a small crack in the stone floor. She walked over to the crack and crouching down traced its line to where it ran under one of the massive bookcases. Kneeling on the cold floor, she removed the books and data crystals of the bottom shelf above the crack and felt a loose section of wood from the huge bookcase. Carefully prying up the loose piece of wood, she discovered a small hole that had been hollowed out of the stone floor. With a thin smile, she reached into the hole, sighing with pleasure as her fingers touched the heavy cover of a solitary book. Easing the thin volume out of its hiding place, it took only a moment to see that this was indeed the book she sought. Only a moment more and Kai Winn found a name to attach to the woman of her vision, the woman that threatened to be her undoing. Brenmarjen. Chapter 1 Jadzia Dax smiled. It wasn’t often that Jake Sisko was so animatedly interested in visitors to the station. Major Kira was struggling to keep up with his rapid-fire questions. “You mean you actually came from the same village as Jen Brenmar?” Jake asked, ignoring his dinner. “What about the other members of the quartet: Dobin, Keyla, and Tosh?” Jadzia basked in the warm companionship that surrounded her. Dear Dr. Bashir sat on her left; the unsmiling Commander Worf was across from her, next to Operations Chief Miles O’Brien and his wife Keiko. It was so rare for all of them to have off-duty time together. Even Odo had accepted Captain Sisko’s invitation to join him and his son Jake for the evening meal. Jadzia treasured these moments. With memories of seven lifetimes of such dinners, she was all too aware that each moment with loved ones was precious. Time and again, she’d been surprised at the loss of loved ones, the lives of friends cut short over so many years of living. She pulled herself out of her reverie to focus on the conversation between Jake and Kira. “I honestly don’t know, Jake. Ask them yourself when they get here,” Kira replied, amused at his urgency. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Jen, years.” She stopped to think. “Almost seven and I’m sure we’ll have some catching up to do. I’ll see to it that you get a chance to talk to her.” Dax noticed something pass behind Kira’s eyes as she spoke of her friend. It was doubtful anyone else noticed the brief look that, to Dax, said ‘unfinished business’. Studying the powerful Bajoran woman, she recalled the dozens of times she’d seen that apprehensive look on her own face and the faces of others in the past 300 years. With centuries of experience tucked away in her memory, it was seldom Jadzia Dax was surprised or caught off guard by the behavior of others. The Trill made a mental note of her friend’s fleeting look of anxiety. If something was troubling the Bajoran, Dax wanted to help if she could. 3 Kira had always been very private about her life before the Federation came to Deep Space Nine, the space station once in the orbit of Bajor, now in position near the wormhole. Dax, who had known Major Kira for over three years, knew she had been involved in an underground resistance movement. The Kohn-Ma, as it was known during the Cardassian Occupation, had fought fiercely for their planet’s freedom. But Dax knew little else about Kira’s history, her family, or friends, even though she thought of the Major as a close friend. They gathered in Benjamin’s sitting room. As Captain of the station, he and Jake had the largest quarters. A heating unit and a variety of cooking utensils scattered around the food preparation area reflected the elder Sisko’s passion for cooking. His disdain for replicators at social feasts was infectious and everyone enjoyed his Cajun delicacies. Even Odo, who had no need for food, enjoyed the social interaction, and would often help by sautéing ingredients for the piquant sauces over the small fire. It helped to have another task to focus on when he didn’t have much to contribute to the conversation. Now that the meal was over and all were relaxing over beverages, he was the first to respond when Jake resumed his barrage of questions. “How long will they be staying at the station?” “Jen Brenmar has requested a docking slip for a modified cargo ship for six weeks. She will arrive the day after tomorrow at 1700 hours.” “You actually talked to her, Odo?” Jake was visibly awed. “No, she went through regular channels, but as Chief of Security, I make such things my business. With the recent arrival of the Klingon entourage for the upcoming negotiations, as well as the other three delegations, I was not sure we’d have the room.” “There are few docking slips available.” Worf, the Klingon Commander concurred. “Son, what is it about the arrival of this particular group of musicians that has you climbing out of your skin?” Benjamin asked with equal amounts amusement and concern. “The music is just so good, Dad.