Disclaimer:
The Star Trek universe is the copyrighted property of Paramount, and 
borrowed solely for the use of this story. The story is copyright 1997 
by Ariana (ariana@ndirect.co.uk). All rights reserved. Do not distribute
without the present header and the author's written permission. Please
contact the author if you wish to include this story in an archive.
Archived at:  http://www.alpha.ndirect.co.uk/trek/
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                     Voices of the Prophets
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                by Ariana (ariana@ndirect.co.uk)
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"You do me wrong to take me out o' the grave;
 Thou art a soul in bliss; but I am bound
 Upon a wheel of fire, that mine own tears
 Do scald like molten lead."
          - Shakespeare - "King Lear" - IV, 7
   
   
The first thing Sisko was aware of was a dull pain in his ribs. Then he
realised his left leg was completely numb. *I must have been hurt in
the crash,* he thought, as vague memories of the shuttle plunging into
the planet's atmosphere came back. He knew immediately from the smells
around him that he was no longer on the runabout; the air here was more
humid, filled with the putrid stench of rotting plants. He opened his
eyes and realised he was lying on his back in a cave of some sort. The
surface beneath him was surprisingly soft, possibly a mattress from the
runabout, but all around him, the uneven light of a fire cast
flickering shadows on stone walls.
   He turned his head to look at the fire. The figure beside the bare
flames was wrapped in a thermal suit, and as it rocked to and fro, the
shiny material shimmered in the changing light from the fire. A
Cardassian armour was lying discarded in a corner of the cave.
   "Dukat?" said Sisko.
   The figure continued its methodical rocking, though Sisko thought he
saw it turn slightly towards him.
   "Dukat, can you hear me? What happened?"
   The captain felt some apprehension as the figure still refused to
answer.
   "Dukat!"
   "It didn't work." Dukat's familiar voice echoed through the cave,
and Sisko felt a flood of relief before the incongruity of the
Cardassian's speech sank in.
   "What didn't work?"
   "Oh, I know what they'll think, but they're all wrong. They don't
understand me at all."
   "Dukat... what happened?"
   There was another pause, and the rocking stopped. Sisko waited with
apprehension for Dukat to speak again.
   "They hate me, you know," said Dukat. "They always have. But you
see, I don't hate them. I'm a Cardassian, I don't even believe in
them!"
   "Dukat!" Sisko's voice boomed loudly and this time Dukat did look at
him.
   "You have to tell them. If I help you, then they'll know. I didn't
want to hurt you, but they didn't let my plan work."
   Sisko's mind rushed furiously to make sense of what Dukat was
saying, and in particular to determine who "they" were.
   "They'll listen to you, you're their Emissary."
   "The Prophets..." said the captain, finally realising. "What about
the Prophets?"
   Dukat shot him an irritated look.
   "They didn't let it work. I thought they would protect you, but they
didn't. I guess they don't exist after all."
   "They do exist," said Sisko automatically, though it was pointless
to try and have an argument with Dukat. Especially considering the
state the Cardassian seemed to be in. "What happened to the runabout?"
asked the captain, trying to bring the subject back on track.
   "It crashed," replied Dukat simply.
   "How?"
   "You do ask a lot of questions for an injured man, captain. I'll
start to believe you aren't as badly hurt as the tricorder claimed."
   Sisko mentally inspected his body, trying to assess what injuries he
had. "I have a broken leg..."
   "...Two cracked ribs, and a variety of concussions," continued the
Cardassian. "I don't think I made things better dragging you here; but
it was pouring out there, and the runabout was gutted, so I thought we
would be safer here. I've done what I could for your wounds."
   "Thank you."
   Sisko was relieved to hear Dukat sounding more like his usual self
after his strange outburst earlier on. But there were still some
unanswered questions.
   "How did the shuttle crash?"
   Dukat didn't answer, and to Sisko's distress, started to gently rock
again. The captain struggled to remember anything of the crash. The
last thing he remembered was entering the Nevara system, and then
everything was a muddle. Now that he came to think of it, he did have
some vague recollection of being dragged through the rain, but he must
have lost consciousness before they reached the cave.
   He looked over at the Cardassian sitting beside the fire.
   "Are you all right, Dukat?" he asked.
   "Hmm?"
   "Are you all right?"
   "Oh yes. I was hardly injured at all."
   *Well, at least he's talking to me,* thought Sisko.
   "Are you hungry?" asked Dukat suddenly getting up. "I'll see if I
can find anything to eat outside."
   "Dukat --" started Sisko, but the Cardassian had already left.
   Dukat was gone for a couple of hours, during which Sisko tried to
assess the situation as best he could. If Dukat had managed to salvage
a bone regenerator from the crash, he certainly hadn't used it. Sisko's
left leg had a compound fracture, judging from the amount of blood on
his uniform trousers, but Dukat had evidently cleaned and reset it. The
leg looked straight, and the bone was held in place with a
Starfleet-issue splint. There was a tissue regenerator near the fire,
and Sisko assumed that any other injuries he had sustained had probably
been repaired.
   Sisko was still wearing his uniform; only the left trouser leg had
been cut open to make way for the splint. Dukat had also put the jacket
of one of the thermal suits on him, and covered him with a blanket. It
turned out the object he was lying on was indeed a mattress, presumably
torn out of one of the runabout's bunks. Another mattress lay on the
other side of the fire. Dukat was evidently planning on being
comfortable too.
   The captain was grateful for the Cardassian's attentions and
wondered how long they had been in the cave. Dukat must have made
several journeys to move everything, including Sisko, into the
makeshift shelter.
   But what worried Sisko was Dukat's state of mind. The constant
rocking he had witnessed was a very bad sign. He knew the former
dictator was not in good mental health; Bashir's report on this subject
was not very optimistic. The thought of being trapped in a cave with a
deranged Cardassian did not appeal. Sisko hoped that help would get
here soon.
   But what arrived next was not help, but Dukat. The Cardassian was
drenched, with thick mud caking his boots. With him, he had brought
more miscellaneous items from the runabout and a small, furry animal
which he threw to Sisko.
   "Here, you're the cook. I hope you know what to do with that."
   Sisko picked up the animal. It was a long-bodied creature similar to
a ferret or a mink, apparently carnivorous, judging from its vicious
teeth. It looked as though its neck had been snapped, but there were no
other wounds or injuries on it.
   Sisko looked up at Dukat, who was arranging the survival kit he had
brought back in a corner of the cave.
   "How did you catch it?"
   "With difficulty," said Dukat shortly. "Here's a pan and a knife. Do
you need anything else?"
   Sisko looked at the beast, wondering what he could do to make it
edible. He had prepared real animals for cooking in the past, when he
helped in his father's restaurant, but the prospect was distasteful
nonetheless. "I'll need to sit up."
   Dukat nodded and rolled up the other mattress, placing it behind
Sisko's back to prop him up.
   "Now, I need a flat surface to work on -- a clean one," he added,
when Dukat handed him a muddy tray.
   Dukat looked at the tray for a long time, and Sisko feared for a
moment that the Cardassian was about to have another lapse of reason.
But finally, Dukat spoke. "Is there anything else that needs washing?"
   The knife and pan were all right, so Dukat just walked out of the
cave to wash the tray in the rain. When he returned, Sisko set about
skinning and gutting the animal. Instead of ribs, as a Terran mammal
would have had, the creature had a long row of intersecting plates just
under its skin, which covered the muscles and internal organs. After
much effort and without any further help at all from Dukat, Sisko
managed to extract enough shreds to fill the pan. He kept a careful eye
on Dukat as the Cardassian fried the meat on the fire, and then they
were finally able to eat.
   The meal was frugal, and by no means appetising, but at least it was
edible, and, according to the tricorder, nourishing. Dukat had filled a
canister with rain water, so they were both able to drink plenty. This
produced an inevitable side-effect which Sisko had been dreading ever
since he woke up and discovered how helpless he was.
   "Dukat," he started. "I... I need to relieve myself."
   The Cardassian grinned. "And what can I do for you?"
   "I can't walk," said Sisko. "You'll have to help me."
   Dukat's smile faded, and his gaze became unfocused for a moment, as
if he were thinking about something. Sisko willed him to keep a hold of
himself, at least long enough to assist. Fortunately, Dukat then nodded
and came over to help him.
   The two men made their way out of the cave and Sisko got his first
look at the place they were in. The runabout had apparently crashed on
a hillside, only a few meters from the mouth of the cave. The hillside
was covered in thick woodland, interspersed with boulders left there by
the glaciers of some distant ice-age. The view was shrouded in fog and
a heavy rain fell relentlessly. The thermal suits were waterproof, but
Sisko felt the chilly wind against his face and shivered. He was
relieved to find Dukat was guiding him towards the runabout.
   While the runabout was broken in half, making it impossible to use
as a living shelter, the waste extraction system was relatively
unscathed. Leaning heavily on Dukat, Sisko placed himself in front of
the bowl and started to fumble with his trousers. This was degrading,
but necessary.
   "What are you doing?" exclaimed Dukat. "You need to sit down."
   "No, I'll be all right," said Sisko, who had no desire to try
relieving himself sitting down.
   "You're just going to do that *standing up*? It'll go all over the
place. That's disgusting." Dukat's voice made it clear that wasn't the
Cardassian way.
   "Look, Dukat, this is the way humans do it," snapped Sisko. "Now,
just shut up."
   It was a wonder the captain managed to do anything at all with
Dukat's curious eyes on him the whole time. The fact that such a simple
process could be so different in the two cultures had not occurred to
Sisko before, and he sincerely wished he could have become aware of it
under different circumstances.
   There were other things Sisko discovered about Cardassians over the
next few days. For instance, Dukat couldn't touch uncooked meat with
his bare hands, and there seemed to be some taboo regarding nakedness
in his culture, as well. On the second day, Sisko asked him to heat a
bowl of water so he could wash and shave.
   "What *are* you doing?" exclaimed the Cardassian as he brought him
his water.
   Sisko had just stripped to the waist and would have undressed
further, except that he was still sitting down and so couldn't remove
his trousers. Dukat turned away, apparently disturbed by the sight of
Sisko's naked chest.
   "I'm having a wash," explained the captain, puzzled by Dukat's
reaction. He didn't understand how the Cardassian could be so bothered
when he had already helped him to the runabout half a dozen times.
Surely what Dukat had seen then was more disturbing than Sisko's bare
chest. But in spite of this, Dukat arranged to be out hunting whenever
Sisko was planning to wash.
   They settled down into a makeshift routine, with Dukat hunting most
of the day while Sisko lay on his back, bored and waiting for Dukat to
come back. The Cardassian continued to have strange spells, when he
would stare into space or even hum to himself, rocking backwards and
forwards, trapped in whatever fallacy his sick mind was constructing.
Sisko wished there were something he could do to help, but all he could
do was watch as Dukat's mind locked up.
   The planet had a very short rotation period, so that days and nights
were brief and succeeded each other every seven hours or so. It was
amazing a planet that spun so fast could be this cold and wet. The
temperature dropped sharply every night, and even with the thermal
suits, it was difficult to keep warm, especially once Dukat's carefully
nurtured fire died down. It occurred to Sisko that Dukat was probably
more affected by the cold than he was. In fact, the Cardassian would
invariably get up and work to restart the fire, even in the middle of
the night period, and Sisko could hear his teeth chattering. The
captain knew body heat would solve this problem, but he didn't get the
impression Dukat would be very keen on sleeping in the same bed with
him, nor did he particularly want to sleep with the Cardassian, who had
apparently not washed or changed since they arrived.
   On the sixth night, Sisko was woken up by a sudden cry. He
immediately sat up, certain that the cry had come from Dukat. It took
him a while to find the Cardassian in the pale residual light of the
dying fire. Dukat was huddled in a corner of the cave, his arms wrapped
around his knees, and, as far as Sisko could tell given the lighting, a
look of terror on his face.
   "Please leave me alone," he whimpered, obviously in the middle of a
nightmare.
   "Dukat!" called out Sisko.
   "What? Where are you?" responded Dukat, though his voice still had
the uncontrolled tone of a man in a dream.
   "Dukat! I'm over here." Sisko dearly wished that he could move to go
over and wake Dukat up.
   He heard Dukat stumble through the darkness, and could just make out
his silhouette as he passed the fire. Then Sisko felt the Cardassian's
hand on his face.
   "I'm sorry, captain," said Dukat more soberly this time. "I... Can I
just stay near you for a moment?"
   The incongruity of the former dictator of Cardassia asking to sleep
with him like a frightened little boy made Sisko smile. Dukat lay down
beside him in silence, and Sisko was suddenly aware of the stench which
emanated from the Cardassian. The constant cycle of being drenched with
rain and dried by a wood fire had permeated his woollen trousers with a
strong, rotten odour that mingled with the smell of Dukat's unwashed
body. He made a mental note to get the man to wash the next day, even
if it meant a fight.
   "I was dreaming about Naprem," volunteered Dukat. "She was trying to
talk to me, and then all I could see were Klingons. I couldn't hear
what Naprem was saying."
   "I used to dream about Jennifer..."
   "I killed her," said Dukat, not listening to Sisko at all. The
captain knew this was an expression of guilt rather than a confession.
"And now I've killed her daughter," continued Dukat. "I *trusted* him!
I thought that after all we'd been through, I could trust him. But he
killed her. And now I have nothing. But you know, I think they inspired
him so they could destroy Cardassia, because they never forgave us. And
how can I fight someone who has them on their side? I shouldn't have
tried. But I wanted to show them. They were so cruel to us when we came
back to Cardassia, and you know, I had the whole of Cardassian society
against me. So I gave them something to be proud of, so they would know
it didn't matter what I had done in my private life, everything else
was done for the greater glory of Cardassia. But now Cardassia is
doomed, because that idiot Damar couldn't run a country if it came with
precise instructions... from the Dominion. They'll probably take down
my monument, too. And it's because of you, because I couldn't fight
people who had the Emissary of the Prophets on their side. But I know
you didn't do it on purpose, you're just their instrument. You're not
guilty -- they are, they all are."
   Sisko's tired mind was pleasantly lulled by Dukat's soft voice, and
he had to make an effort to concentrate on what the man was saying. It
was disturbing to hear his former nemesis rambling on this way, mixing
the Prophets and the Cardassians in his impassioned paranoia.
   "I didn't want to hurt you," said Sisko gently, trying to find some
words of comfort. 
   "I know. I never wanted to hurt you, either. I kept your baseball,"
explained Dukat, as if that was proof enough. "I'm glad I'm with you."
   Sisko found that thought rather disturbing.
   The next morning, the captain woke up to find Dukat still sleeping
on the cave floor beside him. Sisko looked at the Cardassian's withered
face, as troubled in sleep as it was in waking, and felt some regret at
all the former dictator had gone through. This man had lost his empire,
his place among his people, the daughter he had once sacrificed his
career for. It was hardly surprising that he should also lose his mind.
But it pained Sisko to see his once powerful adversary reduced to such
dire straits.
   Dukat woke up and stared at him for a moment.
   "You were watching me sleep."
   "I've only just woken up myself," said Sisko, flashing a smile.
   "I suppose you want to get washed as usual," grumbled Dukat as he
sat up.
   "Yes, but this time, I suggest that you join me."
   "What?"
   The outrage in Dukat's voice made Sisko grin. "Don't worry, Dukat.
The only design I have on your body is to wash it."
   "Why? I'm quite capable of taking care of myself, you know!"
   "Then do. I hate to tell you this, but you don't smell too nice
right now."
   Dukat seemed about to make some retort, but instead pulled on the
neck of his suit to check his body odour. "Oh." Dukat looked a bit
dazed by the realisation and for a moment, Sisko though he was going to
start rocking again.
   Fortunately, he didn't, but just looked at Sisko with an uncertain
expression on his face. The captain smiled reassuringly and patted his
arm through the creased thermal suit.
   "You see what I mean?"
   "I suppose you want me to heat up some water," said Dukat, going
over to do just that. Once the water was ready, he looked at Sisko and
then at the water, apparently undecided again.
   "I promise I won't look," said Sisko cheerfully. He wondered why
Dukat was so reluctant to wash, though he could think of a couple of
possibilities. It could have been down to the cold and the fact that he
would have to undress in front of Sisko as he was doing right now. It
could also be a manifestation of his mental illness. Personal hygiene
didn't usually rank very high on a madman's priorities.
   Dukat shrugged his shoulders and started to undress, shivering as he
removed the thermal jacket. Sisko was surprised to see the Cardassian
without his armour. Dukat was a lot thinner than he had expected, due
no doubt to the fact he hadn't been eating much since his breakdown.
   It was only when Dukat was stripped to the waist and starting to
remove his trousers that Sisko remembered he had promised not to look.
And yet he couldn't help being curious. Cardassians were not given to
revealing their bodies to outsiders, and though he had been dealing
with them for years, Sisko had never actually seen one naked, not this
close. He didn't expect to be impressed by Dukat's emaciated body, but
he was surprised nonetheless. The intricate pattern of scales and
ridges that covered Dukat's back concealed his thinness and gave the
impression that he wasn't naked at all. Sisko wondered what those
scales felt like. He remembered how surprised he had been when he first
stroked a trout in his father's kitchen. He had been delighted at how
soft and smooth the scales were when they were stroked the right way.
Perhaps the scales on Dukat's back would feel like that, too. Sisko's
eyes strayed automatically down to Dukat's hips, and he stopped himself
just in time to avoid a thorough examination of that part of the
Cardassian's body. *I must be getting better,* he thought wryly.
   Dukat had just completed his sponge bath when he turned to look at
Sisko.
   "I hope you have a good view there, captain."
   Sisko looked away rapidly. "I'm sorry, I was just curious." It was
pointless to deny it.
   "Well you might as well satisfy your curiosity," snapped Dukat,
turning around completely. "I certainly don't have anything else to
lose."
   "I apologise," said Sisko, careful to keep his eyes well away from
Dukat's naked form. An unnecessary precaution, as it turned out, since
the Cardassian came over to sit beside him.
   "Do I smell better, though?"
   "Yes."
   "Good." Dukat paused and looked at his clothing. "Although I'm not
sure my clothes will smell any better. But it doesn't matter."
   Sisko looked up as Dukat leant over to get his clothes, and thus got
a good view of the Cardassian's front. He wished he hadn't done that.
His body was definitely having strange reactions this morning.
   The rest of the day proceeded as usual, with Sisko cooking various
creatures Dukat had caught, and Dukat going into a near-catatonic
trance for a whole hour in the afternoon. Sisko was beginning to worry
that they were never going to be rescued. He had checked, when Dukat
last helped him to the toilet, that the runabout's distress beacon was
still running. But help couldn't come too soon.
   Dukat had apparently decided that Sisko was the best antidote to
nightmares, because when night came, he asked if he could sleep beside
him again. Sisko wasn't so sure this was such a good idea anymore. He
remembered the reaction he had had when he saw Dukat naked that
morning, and was a little apprehensive about having him in the same
bed. As it turned out, Dukat just fell dead asleep -- thus proving he
was right about the nightmares -- and Sisko stared into the dying fire
for a while. As he drifted off to sleep, the flickering of the fire
intensified and its light became more steady, growing gradually
brighter, until it was nearly blinding.
   "Help him," said a woman's voice.
   Sisko thought at first that it was Ziyal's, but then realised it
couldn't be, because Ziyal was dead.
   The voice continued, "Please help him. He needs you."
   Sisko turned towards it to see who was speaking. He thought at first
that the woman was Chinese, before it occurred to him that was as
ludicrous as thinking she was Ziyal. Closer inspection revealed that
she had fine ridges on the bridge of her nose and she was wearing a
long green gown of a type Sisko had once seen in an old Bajoran book.
Her long hair was dark brown and flowed freely over her shoulders.
   "Who are you?" he asked, surprised to find someone he didn't know in
one of his visions.
   The woman didn't answer. "Will you help him, Emissary?" she asked.
   "Yes, I will," he responded.
   The woman smiled and then the vision faded back into the fire.
   "Sisko! Answer me!"
   Sisko became aware of Dukat's hands on his shoulder and was
surprised at the Cardassian's worried voice in his ear. The captain
blinked and realised he must have moved off his mattress in his sleep
because he was now sitting very close to the fire.
   He let Dukat guide him back onto the bed. His muddled mind
remembered the vision, and he wondered if it came from the Prophets, or
if he was becoming as insane as Dukat.
   The Cardassian seemed quite concerned. "I thought you were going to
crawl right into the fire," he said. "Are you all right?"
   "I..." He wondered whether to tell Dukat about the vision. Given the
Cardassian's constant scoffing about Bajoran religion in the past, it
was unlikely he would want to hear about the Prophets' intercession on
his behalf. On the other hand, there was Dukat's reaction when they
first arrived on the planet, when he seemed to think the Prophets had
had a hand in the crash.
   "I had a vision," said Sisko simply.
   "A vision?" repeated Dukat. He was quiet for a moment, and then
chuckled. "I see. You're becoming as mad as I am."
   Sisko lay back and sighed. "Maybe I am," he said diplomatically,
though he didn't believe that.
   "What did you see?"
   Dukat was lying very close to him again, as he had done the previous
night. But this time, he smelled much sweeter and Sisko didn't turn
away.
   "I saw a woman I didn't know. She begged me to help you."
   Dukat was silent again, and for a while Sisko thought he had gone
back to sleep. But then he heard his voice, barely a whisper.
   "Was she Bajoran?"
   "Yes." Sisko had a bad feeling about this.
   "From Netapka?"
   This time, it was Sisko's turn to hesitate. "I don't know," he said.
Having a vision of the Prophets was one thing, but a vision of Dukat's
dead mistress -- that had to be a hallucination.
   "Maybe they don't let Ziyal talk because she's my daughter," said
Dukat. Sisko's heart sank; this was bound to bring about one of Dukat's
fits. He turned towards the Cardassian and placed his hand on his
shoulder.
   "Dukat, listen to me. I know what you're thinking, but it isn't
possible."
   "She tried to come to me last night, but I couldn't hear her." Sisko
could tell from Dukat's voice that he was close to tears. "I couldn't
hear her because I'm Cardassian. But she can speak to you. You're the
Emissary of the Prophets. You know the funny thing; she didn't even
believe in the Prophets. But now I know they're real, because they've
done all this to punish me. They wouldn't even let me crash the
runabout properly."
   "The runabout?" prompted Sisko, though he knew what was coming.
   "I thought if we crashed, then I'd die, and that would be the end of
it. But the Prophets were protecting you, as they always do. I could
fight you, but I couldn't fight the Prophets."
   That was true enough, thought Sisko. Even the Dominion didn't stand
a chance against aliens who could just whisk away an entire fleet on a
thought.
   "She really loved me, you know," continued Dukat, a propos of
nothing. "No one ever loved me as she did. Ziyal was all I had left."
   "I know. I understand," said Sisko softly. And he did understand. If
Jake had been murdered before his very eyes, he knew he would find it
very difficult not to break down. As it was, it was only the fact that
he had to look after Jake which had stopped him from falling apart when
Jennifer died. So he could definitely understand.
   "What is the point of continuing if they're not there?"
   "Giving up isn't the solution, Dukat," said Sisko, his hand
tightening on Dukat's shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "There's always
something to live for."
   "Don't worry, captain, I'm not seriously considering suicide," said
Dukat, though his voice denoted bravado rather than conviction. "I
can't take a life that doesn't belong to me. But I don't see anything
to live for."
   Sisko had to admit there wasn't much left of Dukat's former life.
   "You still have your children on Cardassia," he suggested
hesitantly, unsure if that idea wouldn't just make things worse.
   "Yes... I suppose they are still my children, though they disowned
me when my wife did. They must be glad they did, now. I can't imagine
Damar will be very kind to anyone who was loyal to me. But I'll never
be able to return to Cardassia now."
   "You don't know that. You've been in difficult situations before,
but you've always survived."
   "This isn't the same." Sisko felt Dukat's position shift beside him,
and realised the Cardassian was now lying on his side facing him. "I've
lost more than material possessions. I'm not stupid, I know you think
I'm going mad as well. I know I am. But for the first time in my life,
I've found something I can't fight. My mind is filled with strange
images, with voices I can't understand, but which are so loud and
bright, I can't ignore them. All I can do is stay still until they go
away of their own accord, and then I can function normally again. But I
am so terrified the day will come when they don't go away..."
   The panic in Dukat's voice touched Sisko, reminding him of Jake when
he had had nightmares as a child. Before he really thought about what
he was doing, Sisko automatically stroked Dukat's fine hair as one
would to comfort a child.
   Dukat moved over until his head rested on Sisko's shoulder and
wrapped one arm across the captain's chest. Sisko responded by taking
the Cardassian in his arms.
   "We can help you," he said gently. "The Federation has some expert
psychologists who will help you to get better."
   "Why? So I won't start destroying my holding cell when you transfer
me back to Terra?"
   "I don't think the Federation will want to keep you in a holding
cell for very long. Once the war is over, they'll probably let you go
back to Cardassia."
   "Hmpf. I doubt that. And anyway, as I said, I don't think my people
will ever want me back. But I suppose I can only hope."
   "Yes. You mustn't give up."
   Sisko thought he felt Dukat's lips brush briefly against his neck,
but dismissed that idea as an illusion of his tired mind. How would he
know what a Cardassian's lips would feel like anyway? He mechanically
stroked Dukat's back to comfort him and suddenly became aware of a
sweet smell around them. Perhaps something had fallen into the fire.
   "Dukat, I can smell something --"
   "I'm sorry," said Dukat, pulling away. "I'll... I'm spending too
much time with you humans; I'm even getting aroused by kindness... I'll
just go and --"
   "No, it's all right." 
   Sisko could hardly believe he had said that. Dukat was aroused and
it was all right? He should have let the Cardassian leave, to do
whatever it was that Cardassians did in circumstances like this. But
instead, he reached out and pulled him back onto the bed, barely aware
of the madness of what he was doing. Was he really propositioning the
former leader of the Cardassian Empire?
   Dukat took him at his word and lay down against him again. Sisko
realised the sweet smell must be the Cardassian pheromones; he had
known about them, but had never been so close to their source. The
scent was surprisingly sensual.
   He wasn't particularly surprised or disturbed when he felt Dukat
unfasten his shirt and slide a cool, soft hand inside. He decided now
would be as good a time as any to find out if Cardassian scales were as
smooth as those of fish. He slid his hand down the back of Dukat's
tunic, involuntarily brushing against one neck ridge. Dukat gasped and
became bolder in his exploration of Sisko's body, stroking his smooth
wide chest and then leaning over to kiss it.
   Dukat's kisses on his skin were simple enough, but Sisko was acutely
aware of the ridges on the Cardassian's nose and chin as they brushed
against him. His own hands were caressing intricately textured skin
under Dukat's tunic, those ridges he had been so curious to see that
morning. The sweet smell was making his head spin; he would never have
imagined an alien's pheromones could have such an effect on him.
Especially Gul Dukat's pheromones.
   But Dukat was no longer a powerful gul. He was a broken man, someone
Sisko should not be taking advantage of in this manner. Just as the
Cardassian ran one hand down into his trousers, Sisko stopped him.
   "Dukat..." he warned hoarsely, drawing the softly scaled hand out of
his underwear.
   "Is that something else humans do differently?" Dukat's voice had
gained a little of its usual sardonic tone.
   "No," admitted Sisko. "But I don't think this is a good idea."
   Dukat sounded amused. "I see. You're still too tired. Ah well, I
suppose I can't expect you to have the same stamina as a Cardassian.
Though I can't say I'm not somewhat disappointed in you, captain. I had
you down as a man of action."
   The banter sounded strange coming from someone who only a few
moments earlier was admitting total panic in the face of mental
illness. But Sisko recognised Dukat's attitude for what it was -
Cardassian flirting. He wondered why Dukat was suddenly intent on
seducing him. Whatever the reason, and in spite of what his body told
him, he didn't want to encourage the Cardassian's advances. Not when
Dukat was in such a vulnerable state of mind.
   "Go to sleep, Dukat," he said firmly.
   Perhaps intent on following his advice, Dukat laid his head on
Sisko's bared chest. They lay together in silence for a moment, basking
in the dwindling warmth of the fire and the continued aroma of
Cardassian pheromones. Then Dukat's voice, much softer this time, broke
the silence.
   "Do you forgive me?"
   Sisko was surprised by the question. There was nothing for him to
forgive; he had lost no close friends, no family in the war, his
homeland had stayed untouched, and with the aid of the Prophets, he had
reconquered the station he had come to consider as his home. War was
never a pleasant affair, but though the past months had wrought even
more destruction and suffering throughout the Federation than the Borg
attack, Sisko himself had emerged unscathed. Dukat had never hurt him
directly.
   Dukat lifted his head to look at Sisko, clearly waiting for an
answer. The human smiled benevolently.
   "Of course I forgive you," was all he said.
   Even in the pale light, Sisko could see the smile that lit up
Dukat's grey features. Then, he became aware that the face was moving
closer, so close in fact that their lips touched.
   Dukat pulled away slightly after the first touch, looking into
Sisko's eyes, as if waiting for permission or refusal. Sisko still
found it difficult to believe Dukat wanted him, and even harder that he
should want the Cardassian. And yet, in this strange light, bathed in
the aroma of Dukat's desire, Sisko lifted his head up to renew the
kiss.
   The kiss deepened into motions familiar to both men, followed by
caresses rehearsed on the bodies of many a past lover. Sisko wondered
vaguely how many of Dukat's lovers had been men, or if he was as new to
this as himself. It didn't matter; it was obvious that Dukat had never
touched a human this way, so for this moment, they were equal in their
innocence.
   Sisko closed his eyes as the smooth palms of Dukat's hands ran
hesitantly over his body, before one hand finally returned to where it
had been earlier. Forced into an uncomfortable passivity by his broken
leg, all Sisko could do was moan as Dukat started to stroke him.
   "Is this all right?" Sisko heard Dukat's familiar low voice ask.
   "Yes... That's very good."
   As if to confirm that, he let out another involuntary groan. The
sensation was pleasant to say the least, and just got better when Dukat
removed the blanket and leant over his midriff. Sisko knew what Dukat
was planning to do and automatically placed his hand in the fine
straight hair to encourage him - or was it to make sure he didn't stop?
The captain was aware intellectually that he should not be taking
advantage of the unfortunate Cardassian's vulnerable state of mind. But
there were some sensations no man could resist, and Dukat was
surprisingly good at eliciting them from Sisko's unsuspecting flesh.
   "Thank you," he murmured politely when Dukat came to lie alongside
him again. 
   "My pleasure, Emissary."
   *Emissary*. That was why Sisko would never take a Bajoran lover;
there would always be that distance between them, no matter how close
the flesh might become. But he had never expected to hear that title on
those grey lips, spoken with such reverence after such an act. He felt
sorry that Gul Dukat, once his nemesis, should have fallen so low as to
relieve his basest desires with that formerly voluble tongue, and then
stoop to call him Emissary. Sisko was filled with shame; he shouldn't
have allowed this to happen.
   "I'm sorry," he said gently.
   "Why? This wasn't your idea."
   The fire had died down, and Sisko could no longer see Dukat's
expression. Instead he felt the Cardassian's ridged nose nuzzle his
cheek. A more familiar odour was now mingled with the pheromones,
reminding Sisko of exactly what he had just shared with Dukat. No, not
shared, at least, not yet.
   Unsure how to proceed, but deciding that Dukat would probably
respond to the same stimuli as he did, Sisko placed his hand
tentatively on Dukat's trousers. He was surprised by the dampness he
found there and thought for a moment that it was too late. But Dukat
caught his hand and guided it into the garment.
   "That would be nice, captain, if you would be so kind."
   Demoted in one sentence from Emissary back to captain, Sisko had to
smile at Dukat's ironic tone. The arrogant Cardassian of old was still
there, only obscured by the shock of grief and humiliation. Sisko leant
over to kiss Dukat's lips and found a smile there too, though it
vanished in a sigh with the next movement of the captain's hand. The
reason for the moisture became apparent when he began to stroke Dukat
properly; Cardassian males evidently produced some kind of lubrication
in preparation for sexual intercourse. For some reason, Sisko found
this detail surprisingly erotic. Dukat kissed him again, encouraging
him to continue with sighs and the occasional soft verbal exhortation.
   Finally, there was a last groan and Sisko felt Dukat's body shudder
next to him.
   "Thank you," said Dukat breathlessly, echoing Sisko's earlier
reaction. "It's nice to feel wanted. I'd been wondering... Well, we'll
have to do it again some time."
   Sisko smiled, but didn't say anything, drawing Dukat back against
him. Perhaps they would get an occasion to repeat this encounter before
they were rescued. Or even after.
   "I take it you're feeling better," he said softly.
   "Ye-es. Of course," responded Dukat with a yawn. "We Cardassians
thrive on sex."
   Sisko noticed the initial hesitation, but thought nothing more of
it, as Dukat fell asleep almost instantly. *Now, if we can just avoid
his nightmares, and my visions, we might actually get a good night's
sleep,* thought Sisko.
   He woke up shortly before dawn. It was the first time he had slept
so little since they had crashed; the painkillers he used to dull the
pain in his leg usually made him groggy enough to sleep for over eight
hours. But this time, he was fully awake and soon realised something
was wrong. The fire had died out completely, and Dukat was nowhere to
be found. Sisko fumbled around the bed and his hands fell on Dukat's
discarded tunic. The captain felt his heart sink with a terrible
feeling of dread.
   "Dukat?" he called out, but there was no reply.
   He suspected the Cardassian must have left the cave. Before he even
thought it out properly, he was struggling to his feet, leaning heavily
against the wall of the cave to hobble out into the open. In the pale
dawn light, he could see Dukat, stark naked, crouching on a boulder
just a few meters away from the cave. The Cardassian was looking
intently at an object in his hands. Sisko's heart skipped a beat when
he saw what it was -- a phaser.
   Without even pausing to consider what it would do to his leg, Sisko
lunged towards the boulder.
   "Dukat!"
   He caught the Cardassian's heel and pulled him off the rock, just as
an unbearable explosion of pain burst from his broken leg. They both
collapsed on the soggy ground. The phaser fell a couple of meters away.
   Both men lay still for a moment, Sisko completely paralysed by the
agony in his leg, and Dukat seemingly in some kind of trance. But then
the Cardassian began to cry. It was so strange to see the former Gul
Dukat lying sobbing in the mud that Sisko couldn't help edging towards
him to take him in his arms, in spite of his own physical pain.
   "They won't let me," whimpered Dukat once his sobs had calmed down a
little. "You never wake up at this time. No matter how I try, they
won't let me."
   "*I* won't let you," said Sisko severely. "I promised I would help
you. If the Prophets are asking me to protect you, they must have a
good reason."
   "Yes, to make me suffer more, to punish me!"
   "I don't think they would call on me just to punish you."
   Dukat shivered in the cold rain and wiped his eyes.
   "You really believe all those benighted Bajoran superstitions, don't
you," he said, visibly trying to regain some of his former
superciliousness.
   Sisko smiled as best he could. "It sounds like I'm not the only
one."
   Dukat looked thoughtful for a while and then nodded with a wry
smile.
   "I thought it would be different now."
   "Because you slept with the Emissary?" said Sisko flatly, angry to
think that Dukat could have had such deluded motives to seduce him.
   To Sisko's surprise, Dukat just grinned a little sheepishly. "No.
That was... an optional extra." He stared into Sisko's eyes with a
guilelessness the human had never associated with him. "Something I
wanted to do." He lowered his gaze again and his expressive mouth
curled into a smile. "You didn't seriously think I'd do that just to
please the Prophets. I'm not that desperate."
   Sisko didn't know what to say. The past few hours had been confusing
to say the least, from their haphazard lovemaking to them both lying in
the rain after Dukat's attempted suicide. He ran his hand hesitantly 
through Dukat's soaked hair.
   "You must be frozen."
   "Yes, I have been warmer in my time."
   Dukat pulled himself to his feet. Sisko had one last look at his
naked body, drenched with rain and splattered with mud; an image he
knew it would be difficult to forget. Then Dukat helped him up and they
made their way back to the cave.
   They spent the rest of the day trying to repair the damage to
themselves caused by their early morning encounter. Dukat set Sisko's
leg again, and they both tried in vain to get the Cardassian warmed up.
By mid-afternoon, Dukat had run up a high fever and Sisko was concerned
he might not survive the night if the fever didn't break.
   But as it turned out, he needn't have worried. The day was just
turning into night when Sisko heard the sound of footsteps outside the
cave.
   "Captain Sisko? Benjamin?" called out Dax' familiar voice.
   Sisko felt a flood of relief wash over him when the Trill came into
the cave. Dax looked at Sisko's broken leg and Dukat, who was shivering
near the fire.
   "So what have you two been up to all this time?" she asked, a
twinkle in her eye.
   Dukat looked up at her and stopped his teeth from chattering just
long enough to murmur, "Getting better acquainted, commander."


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