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Chirakis

An Asset or a Liability?

An Asset or a Liability?

Gila Orrak & Captain Chirakis

Captain Chirakis stared at the monitor, consciously willing it to pour insight into the situation. She was worn, but unable to sleep, and had taken refuge in the main security complex. With the station at red alert, a mother ship that could resurface from subspace at any minute and vent her wrath on anyone or anything that stood in her way, a planet and its inhabitants vanished without a trace, and the fate of Aegis in the balance, surely the monitor would grant her this one favour.

Instead, the monitor stared back, stubbornly displaying the same information she had exhumed from the bowels of SI-6. That it was buried under layers of garbage with nonsensical regulations and numerous verifications of her own identity—just short of DNA tests—spoke either to the serious need for tight security regarding the subject, or the stupidity of a new ensign as tantalized by codes as an engineer is with schematics. She suspected the latter.

Kirel leaned back and cursed the uncooperative screen, then scrolled through the information once more.

Gila Orrak, the Cardassian newcomer whom Lt. Garand had been watching, was indeed a former Lieutenant in the Cardassian Elite Guard, a member of the inner circle of the Cardassian military, responsible for guarding and carrying out the will of the highest levels of government. They were a Secret Service, a counterbalance to the Obsidian Order.

As for this woman, she was listed as decisive, dynamic, and focused—the archetypal watchdog for high profile personna. She was also highly decorated: twice for valor, once for injury in the line of duty, and above all, she had been awarded the elusive Golden Emblem for Gallantry. SI-6 had marked her for recruiting during the Dominion War, and yet, despite her record, the station’s surveillance camera displayed the profile of a wandering, broken destitute. The record verified her identity, but the profile did not fit the person she saw on the security monitor. Should she, or should she not pursue this investigation? If not interesting, it was certainly tempting, but what did Terrans say about curiosity killing a… feline? She never did understand that saying.

A slight chirp of her comm badge preceded, “Lieutenant Garand, bring the Cardassian known as Gila Orrak to the interview room. Do it quietly, so the children are not alarmed.”

 

It had only been a stark few minutes since the young girl came to Gila's side in the park before she was approached again. The black-haired wide-eyed Rihan asked her at length about the photograph, her family, and her life. Turns out they had tragedy in common: loss of parents. Gila was older and her path would likely be different that Annisha's, but in this they shared a bond. A friendship the Cardassian would likely not be able to maintain given the stern warning from Lt. Garand. Those children watched continually by high-level officials on the station. Besides, one can't go home again, no matter how sick they were for it.

The same lieutenant approached her and said someone important, one of those higher-level officials, wished to speak with her. He insisted she was not in more trouble, but Gila did not share his sincerity. Annisha had walked out of view minutes ago, back to her friends. The approach was well-timed and no accident. The young Rihan would suspect nothing.

They walked a good distance from the park. They passed by several station locales she had not visited in her short time here. When they arrived she encountered the largest security office she had ever seen short of a prison. Garand led her just off the entrance of the security office to a small room. She knew the kind of room this was. Every security facility had a small room with a single table in it and at least two chairs. A Federation-minded interrogation room darkly-lit. Comfortable for easy questioning, but just like any Cardassian one, built for one purpose.

"Sit there," Lt. Garand told Gila. She did so, but he could see she was a bit uneasy upon her arrival. "Anything I can get you from the replicator? I'm sure it has some Cardassian foods."

"Water will be fine." He nodded as he left the room. She waited.

Within a minute, the door opened and a tall Bajoran woman, dressed in the black of Starfleet Intelligence, entered. The four pips on her uniform ranked her as captain, and in one hand, an unopened bottle of Alterian water swung. She approached the table casually and set it down, then said, “Glinn Orrak, I am Captain Chirakis, Chief of Security.” She nodded toward the door before sitting, and said, “That will be all, Lieutenant,” and the door closed. “Welcome to Sky Harbor Aegis.”

"Thank you Captain. An impressive and immense station. A welcome sight given my undetermined destination." She looked her in the eye, gaging the kind of Starfleet officer she was. Chirakis sat relaxed in her chair, and didn’t seem anxious or eager to press an issue.

The Starfleet captain nodded. “The station was built to endure at least fifty decades, Glinn. It houses several thousand whose families live here while they work within Aegis space; hence, the immensity.” She paused a moment to regard her with curiosity. “If this was an undetermined destination, how did you end up here?”

Gila laughed softly. "This station was the furthest place three strips of latinum could take me. Ferengi aren't the most economical method of travel." She smirked, then smiled. "Glinn...I had not heard that title for some time. You have made inquiries on me, no doubt in response to the children in the park." Her smile turned to concern.

“Well….” The captain leaned away from the table. “We do monitor our children closely because of their vulnerability, and you are not the usual type who stops here. It raises a few questions, and that is why you are here, in this room.

“You said you came here because it was 'the furthest place three strips of latinum could take' you. But why did you come this far out instead of to a starbase that is closer to civilization? Starbase 73 is the same distance away from your point of origin, and they are looking for young talented people such as you. It almost looks like you are running from something. So...” Her brows rose slightly as she ticked her head to the side. “Are you running? Are you hiding from something or someone?”

"What my superiors had me do in the aftermath of the Dominion, for the betterment of the state, became too much to bare. My breaking point was reached. I wanted to get as far away as I could from Cardassia. I tried to stay. I did my duty, but..." She paused, thinking. "We were rebuilding, but Cardassia was beginning to change into something I did not recognize. Aegis seemed as good a neutral place as any." She reached into her jacket and pulled out a photo. She pushed it over to the Captain, who took it, examined it, then handed it back.

“Your parents?”

"Yes," she said with lament. "The Dominion bombarded their city, my childhood home. They payed the ultimate price."

“They were killed.” The captain’s tone of finality implied both regret and understanding. “Did your commanding officer have anything to do with it?”

"Their deaths? No. That fell upon those in the military foolish enough to align themselves with the Dominion. I could have easily died with them. Only by a fluke was I deployed in a remote part of Cardassia Prime. When we first heard of what the Jem'Hadar was doing I started to run to help. Some officer from Central Command I'd never seen before suddenly took control, guided us underground. He saved our entire battalion. It was surreal. Never got to thank him." She looked at her again. "That was years ago and now...am I in trouble sir?"

The captain watched her for a moment, as though she was both considering the story and trying to make a decision. Then she sighed, and tapped the table, which exposed a large wall screen. “No, Lieutenant. You are not in trouble. As Chief of Security on this station, I am in charge of examining everyone who comes aboard. However, it took an extensive amount of digging to get into your files.” A set of images came onscreen.

“You are a highly decorated Glinn from the Cardassian Elite Guard. In fact,” the display changed to one large item midscreen, “you were awarded the Golden Emblem, the highest honor in the Cardassian military, and seldom awarded. Are you still the person you were when you received this?”

"Thank you. I've tried to pack that part of me away, but all of the training does not allow you to do that. I have no doubt I could be the woman I was then. I rose very quickly in the ranks because I got the job done without question."

“You got the job done without question,” she reiterated judiciously. “Tell me, Lieutenant. If I were your commanding officer, would you get the job done without question?”

"Yes sir, I would."

“And yet you do not know me,” she pressed.

"I followed the orders of that new Gul without question, saving myself and many others. Perhaps I have been extremely fortunate."

“Perhaps.” The captain’s relaxed expression became more serious, though she remained calm. “What if I were to give you an order that was completely against your conscience?”

Gila cleared her throat. "I have performed my duties without question, but I have not gotten an order that was completely out of my comfort level until..." She held her breath.

A questioning stare demanded that she finish the thought.

"Captain. I did leave my post, but I did not desert."

“Very well.” She nodded slowly. “But you still have not answered my question. Would you obey my order without question if you knew it was the wrong thing to do?”

Gila started to tremble a bit at the question. "Not any more. I could not continue to do what Command asked of us under the guise of the greater good. They desired the mass destruction to be cleaned up as quickly, but the methods they used... Sir, the Cardassians are known for their playing the state above the individual, but that should not mean the state is allowed to grind the individual to dust."

Captain Chirakis relaxed back into her chair, and blanked the screen. “I am intimately acquainted with the methods of which you speak, Lieutenant.” Her lips pursed into a sigh. “But dwelling on the past does nothing for the future.

“Lieutenant, I am considering offering you a position on Aegis. However, it must be cleared through several channels. When that is done, I will continue to consider it. Then, if the decision is made, I will approach you with a proposal. Were that to happen, would you consider joining our security team?”

Gila looked wide-eyed for a moment. "Let me think upon it Captain, if that is alright."

“Of course. In fact, it is best for both of us.”

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