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“I’ll be right with you, just a moment.” The voice was pleasant, soothing, and the Cardassian speaking threw her a quick, benevolent smile. Some of Sekaya’s defensiveness abated. This was the first time she had met the head scientist of the project, Crell Moset. She had previously only interacted with lab technicians, underlings who made little attempt to hide their arrogance and scorn. This man radiated a different attitude entirely.

Her people had always been blessed—or cursed, depending on how one looked at it—with an insatiable curiosity about the world around them. Maybe this Moset shared that sentiment. Maybe there really wasn’t anything sinister going on, just a scientist and his inquisitiveness.

Musing on the nature of this man and his possible sense of curiosity helped take her mind off of Blue Water Dreamer. He had promised to show up at her father’s hut last night, ready to sing the chant of Asking, headdress in hand, prepared to formally court her. But he hadn’t appeared. She wondered if she’d done something to annoy him, displeased him in some manner. As soon as the thought came, she dismissed it. They’d loved each other since childhood, though they hadn’t realized it and neither of their tribes would have wanted them to marry. Probably he’d wandered off somewhere and simply lost track of the time. He’d done that before; time seemed to mean little to him when he was caught up in his flute playing or quietly observing birds and animals. That would be more like him than mysteriously and silently being angry with her.

“Have a seat.” The Cardassian looked her full in the eye and smiled. She found herself smiling back. “I’m Dr. Crell Moset.” He extended a hand, and after a brief hesitation Sekaya shook it.

“We’ve been told who you are,” she said cautiously, still feeling him out.

“And I’m sure you’re wondering what it is that we want,” he said. She didn’t answer, just gave him a look. “Would it make you feel better or worse to know that I’m not sure what we want?”

Sekaya had to laugh, charmed by his forthrightness. Maybe her instincts had been wrong.

“I respect your honesty, Doctor.”

“And you’ve avoided my question entirely. A diplomat in the making, I see.”

“What were you singing? I heard it coming down the hall.”

He looked slightly abashed. “An aria from a Cardassian opera. It’s based on a story rather like your human tale of Beauty and the Beast.”

“I’m not familiar with that,” Sekaya said. “But we do have a story about a girl who falls in love with a bear.”

“There are similarities across all cultures, it seems. In this tale a young woman is kidnapped to be the wife of a powerful man. She expects to be ravaged, but instead he woos her gently, and she falls in love with him.”

“A happy ending, then.” Sekaya wondered if they were talking about more than stories.

“I love happy endings, but unfortunately they seem to be few and far between in opera. Tragedy makes for better theater.”

He nodded to two of his assistants, who stepped forward and, to Sekaya’s shock, began to fasten her to the chair in which she was sitting. She gasped and tried to bolt out of the chair, but they were too quick. Frightened and furious at the same time, she gave Moset an angry, accusatory look.

“So sorry my dear, I’ll make sure they’re not too tight. It’s just that some patients inadvertently move during the proceedings, and this prevents anything like that from happening.”

Quickly he stepped forward and pressed a hypo to her throat. Suddenly she couldn’t feel anything.

“There we are,” said Moset kindly. He felt at her restraints and loosened them a bit. “I’m keeping them on just in case the medication wears off before I’m through.”

Sekaya was utterly paralyzed. She couldn’t even move her eyes or close her eyelids. She felt her tongue relax against the back of her throat and with a burst of terror wondered if she would choke on it. Moset was looking at her with concern, somehow wanting her approval for what he was doing.

Blue Water Dreamer was supposed to meet with the Cardassians the same day he was to come to Kolopak