20

Ro saw Kira leave, and found herself talking to Shar with one eye on the door, waiting for the colonel’s return. After about ten minutes, she decided it might actually be better if she could have a few minutes with Kira in private. Besides, Quark was starting to circle again, and he smelled like he’d taken a shower in lightly rancid fuel oil.

Ezri said that Kira had been called to her office, so Ro slipped out of the party and headed for a turbolift. When the doors opened into ops, she saw that Kira was sitting at her desk, alone.

As Ro walked closer, she realized that Kira was working, a stack of reports in front of her and one in hand. She didn’t want to interrupt the colonel, but Kira didn’t know that she’d already filed her investigation report, and Ro wanted to make sure that Kira was ready for any fallout.

When the office doors slid open, Ro knocked on

the doorframe and Kira looked up, obviously preoccupied.

“Colonel, I’m sorry to bother you …”

“That’s all right, come in,” Kira said, setting the padd aside.

“I just wanted you to know that I sent my report on Istani’s murder to the Ministry of Justice,” Ro said, the doors closing behind her. “I included everything, but I kind of figure that with the killer dead, no one is going to want to look too hard at the Assembly’s involvement. Anyway, I thought you should know, they may have some questions before they close the file.”

“Thank you,” Kira said. “Listen … I meant to tell you before that you did an exemplary job with the evacuation. With the investigation, too. Really outstanding work.”

“I-thank you,” Ro said, flustered and pleased. Kira had never said anything as nice to her, and it felt amazingly good, touching off a flush of warm pride.

“I was too quick to judge you, Ro, and I hope you’ll accept my apology.”

Ro hadn’t planned on saying anything, but Kira’s praise had caught her off guard, surprising her into it.

“Colonel, I should apologize, too. Being too quick to judge runs both ways, and I haven’t made it easy for you.”

Kira smiled slightly, but seemed to be looking past Ro, her thoughts elsewhere. There was something different about her, something …

“Maybe there comes a point when we all need to

start again,” she said, brushing her hair behind her ears.

“Colonel, your earring,” Ro said, immediately scanning the floor in front of Kira’s desk. The clasp must have broken; she’d never seen Kira without it.

“I took it off,” Kira said, still wearing that little smile, but Ro saw a profound sadness in her eyes. “It seems that Vedek Yevir got the last word, after all. I’ve been Attainted.”

Ro stared at her. “You mean …”

“I mean that I am no longer welcome within the Bajoran faith,” Kira said calmly. “I’m forbidden from entering any temple, nor can I study any of our prophecies, or wear my earring, or look into an Orb, or even pray with other Bajorans. Ever.”

Kira’s voice caught just a little on the last word, and she quickly swallowed it down, not sure why she’d told Ro, of all people, Yevir’s calm and self-righteous expression still clear in her mind, his voice repeating over and over again.

“When you chose to go against the word of a vedek, you turned away from Their light, Nerys. I had no choice but to make the recommendation, and the Assembly agreed …”

She saw the open compassion and pity on Ro’s face, saw that Ro was about to tell her how very sorry she was, and Kira suddenly realized that she couldn’t bear it. That the words would kill her.

“Ro, I have work to do.”

Ro nodded, seeming to understand, and that was awful, too. Without saying anything else, she turned

and left the office. Kira picked up the report she’d been reading and found where she’d left off, concentrating, refusing to be beaten by one petty man, refusing to think of what he’d taken from her.

She still had her work; it would have to be enough.