En route to the Azimuth Horizon

 If Aron'son had been human he may have found the captain's offer to Sufra amusing, but even though he was not, the Jem'Hadar still caught the nature behind the statement and was inwardly impressed with this Andorian he had only met several hours ago. The captain was going out of his way to run his command as he saw fit despite attempts at outside interference and having commanded a squad of soldiers Aron'Son could relate to that given that the Vorta were constantly attempting to assert themselves as "superior" to the Jem'Hadar. Truthfully this 'governor' reminded Aron'Son very much of the Vorta he had killed prior to his exile, self important, arrogant, and too involved with her own ambitions.

As he was preparing to check the ship's phaser array diagnostics again, his com badge came to life.

"Security Team Delta Three to Lieutenant Aron'Son."

"Go ahead."

"Sir, this is Lieutenant Celes, we have a....problem outside one of the science labs on Deck 5, could you come down here." 

"What is this problem Lieutenant?"

"You're going to need to see this for yourself Sir." 

"Understood, I am on my way. Aron'Son out." 

Aron'Son looked at Kheren just as he stopped at the entrance to his ready room.

"I will investigate the issue and report back, Sir. The lieutenant clearly did not wish to discuss it over and open channel."

He offered a glance toward Sufra and then turned to Tyvya.

"Please take the tactical station. I will return as soon as have resolved the situation." 

The giantess left the secondary tactical station to comply, herself sending a glance towards her husband. For a second, Kheren was about to say that he would accompany Aron'Son, a la James Kirk, preoccupied as he was about that 'problem'. But then he refrained himself; doing so would be like stating plainly that he did not have confidence in his new security chief. 

Thus, he simply nodded to the Jem'Hadar and looked at him exiting the bridge before sending one of his own glances at the Bajoran woman before disappearing inside his office. He had left Redding in charge and not doing so would just as well clearly express doubt in his first officer's competence. If things went out of hand, both would come to him anyway.

The Andorian might have doubts about this mission or the people involved, but that should not extend to his own crew... not even with Snowfire, who's body language shouted how much she considered herself well over and above them all, like some antique Feudal Lord above mere commoners.

Just like N'Elighan... he sadly remembered.

The arrogant nature of her own monolithic, insular people, so evident in all the reports he had read about them, was more and more asserting itself. She obviously did not know how to deal with the variety of reactions and behaviors of a multiracial and multicultural crew... and accordingly with her own thoughts and feelings when confronted with these. 

And just as clearly, all this was getting on his nerves too. He needed to recenter himself, as his Vulcan mentor had taught him, before his own violent and passionate Andorian nature asserted itself too much. His instincts had been flaring up more than usual since his return from being polymorphed into an Undine on their last mission. Having Horizon Children so near and so numerous was not helping.

Life is of the self; the self is of the mind; the mind is of the body; the body is of life. Control one and you control them all.

The wisdom of Surak, Founder and Savior of Vulcan; he needed it here and now, more than ever.

***

Aron'Son rode the turbolift from the bridge the short distance to Deck 5, wondering the entire way what could be such a problem that it would require the presence of the security chief of the ship. As he exited the turbolift, he understood now why Celes had wanted him to witness the sight with his own eyes. Outside of one of the science labs, several of the colonists, numbering around a dozen or so, lay prostrate chanting softly. In front of of the door were three uniformed security officers, two men and one woman Aron'Son assumed was Lieutenant Celes, with their weapons loosely trained on the group. Aron'Son stalked past the colonists who were partially blocking even the Horizon's wide passageway and approached the security team.

"Lieutenant, I am Aron'Son, what is going on here. Who are these...people?" 

"Lieutenant Lauren Celes Sir, tranferred from the Alsea. Sorry we had to meet like this. They just showed up on the deck, and then when Commander Sisko attempted to leave his lab they tried to get close to him. He went back inside and we had to use our weapons to push them back. I actually had to threaten to stun them if they didn't stop trying to get in the lab!" 

Sisko... Aron'Son remembered that name from the basic briefing package he had seen. These Children considered him some sort of prophet or leader, but Captain Kheren had specifically ordered the commander was not to be disturbed. Aron'Son let out a low growl...and glared in the direction of the praying colonists.

"I will speak to the Commander. Set your weapons for wide beam disbursement. If they move, stun them." 

"Y-yes, Sir" Celes replied with only a slight hesitation, knowing the repercussions that would likely come to the new department chief for giving such an order. 

Aron'Son used his security authorization to override the lock on the lab door and entered to find a dark skinned, older Bajoran wearing the uniform of a Starfleet engineer sitting at a lab staion. The man looked slightly haggered, possibly as if he had not been sleeping well or keeping late hours.

"You are Commander Sisko?" Aron'Son asked him.

"And because I know who the new CMO is, you must be the new chief of security since you unlocked the door," the Half-Bajoran engineer said, standing up to greet him. "I am Joey Daystrom Sisko... Oh, and this is Ensign Tethis Achilles."

He presented to the Jem'Hadar a little Human girl, barely over adolescence, wearing an old style Starfleet uniform. She was blonde, blue-eyed and of light complexion. She smiled at him.

"Glad to meet you, Lieutenant Aron'Son. Please call me Tess."

"Tess and I are... working together," Sisko explained briefly. Then he said with a frown increasing the crease above his nose; "have you convinced these... people to free the passageway?"

Aron'Son wasn't sure what to make of the girl, she was obviously not a crew member, at least not in the traditional sense. Rather than speculate he instead focused on answering Sisko's question.

"I have not cleared the passage yet, but I will be doing so. I wanted to determine your status first, but I intend to restrict turbolift access to this deck to authorized science, security, and senior personnel only. I will restrict the governor's access as well. She will not like it, but I do not care. I can do so for the deck your quarters are on as well or I will provide you an armed escort if need be, but I will see to it that these....people...will not disturb you further." 

Sisko thought for a moment. Of all people, he knew best how these faithfuls thought and reacted; after all, he had been their spiritual leader, even if involuntarily... and he knew to what extremes they could go, pushed forward not by reason but by their beliefs; faith was the anthithesis of reason. As a Bajoran, born himself of a deeply spiritual culture, he knew that since childbirth; and as a scientist, he also knew a reasonable solution was always best... especially when dealing with unreasonable people, wether they knew or understood it or not.

" Thank you, Lieutenant but... seeing me among them, so close yet so inaccessible, surrounded by an armed escort... or looking like a prisoner under guard...  This will only stoke the fire in their heart, if not worse. Further restrictions will also only push the worst among them to more extreme measures; exactly what we need to avoid."

Maybe if he spoke to their leader... or appear among them to dictate their conduct... It would be such an efficient and simple matter in holographic form...

No; he was not going to play their game and manipulate them with words and trickery, even as easy as this could be. He was not like them! Besides, he wanted nothing to do with them. Their sole presence on the ship was already disturbing enough...

Suddenly, he tapped his combadge.

"Sisko to Captain Kheren."

"Kheren here."

"Sir... request permission to have personal access to site to site transport from my lab to my quarters on a daily basis for the duration of this mission... at least until the return trip."

There was a short moment of silence on the other end.

"Granted."

"Thank you, Sir; Sisko out."

The Half-Bajoran sighed with obvious relief before addressing Aron'Son again.

"Lieutenant, let them come as far as this door if they so choose and leave them be unless they interfere with ship's business. At least this way, those will stay put until they disembark. If some among them might be a potential problem, they would most probably be among those, obviously the more... faithful ones; this way, we will know where they are and what they are doing... and more easily watched and contained in a corridor."

Aron'Son looked at Sisko and sighed, if it was possible for a Jem'Hadar to sigh, "As you wish Commander, though I would prefer they not be there at all, but I will be augmenting the security team. There are too many of them for a standard guard."

The Jem'Hadar did not wait for a response, he turned and exited the lab the way he had come and stopped outside the door as some of the colonists looked up at the sound of it opening no doubt with hopes of seeing their 'prophet.' Aron'Son looked at them as he spoke

"I am Lieutenant Aron'Son, the chief of security of this vessel. You will be permitted to remain here if you wish because those are the orders I have been given despite my feeling to the contrary. Know this; if you attempt to gain access to the laboratory again, or to bother its occupants in any way, I will remove you. Do not challenge my authority or that of the guards on duty to do so. That will be all."

For a moment, all of them looked at him as if they didn't understand. Then they turned their gaze back towards the closed door and started to chant again in a slow, soft, low voice a single sound like some open mouthed humming held as long as their breath could allow it to.

Aron'Son turned to Lieutenant Celes.

"They are not to approach the door, Lieutenant. You have my authorization to fire if they attempt to do so. I will also be sending you three more officers, for your safety."

"Yes, Sir." Celes replied.

And she had thought working for Commander Oseno on the Alsea had been interesting.

Aron'Son moved briskly past the colonists toward the turbolift and tapped his combadge

"Aron'Son to Kyle."

"Here, Sir," Ensign Kyle replied.

"Send an additional three man team to Deck 5; have them report to Celes. It will remain this way as long as our... guests... are aboard."

"Aye Sir, Kyle out."

Aron'Son rode the turbolift back to the bridge and walked straight past the main stations to the captain's ready room and rang the anunciator.

"Come."

As the door opened, the Jem'Hadar could immediately see that lights have been dimmed out, leaving only the light of the stars from outside falling on the form that sat on the floor in the darkness until the door opened. Captain Kheren was cross-legged on the floor, a very small crystalline object on the ground a meter in front of him. He scooped it up with a deft hand as he came up to his feet by only extending his legs from the ankles until he stood straight up; a feat of strength and flexibility very few could accomplish, and even fewer with such seemingly routine ease.

"Report, Lieutenant," he said without a moment's hesitation.

Aron'Son took in the scene, and his captain's unexpected agility with a great amount of curiosity, enough that it took him a moment to actually reply to Kheren's demand for a report. As soon as he realized what he'd been doing the large security officer reasserted his attention to the issue at hand.

"Sir, approximately one dozen of the colonists have prostrated themselves in front of Commander Sisko's lab. They attempted to engage him when he tried to depart and he retreated back inside. My team prevented the colonists from entering the lab but only by threatening to stun them. The commander appears unharmed, and I informed him I would have the colonists removed and restrict access to the science lab, but he asked that I allow them to remain. I do not understand why, but I have done as he requested. Despite that, I have reinforced the security team and gave them standing orders to engage if the colonists attempt to enter the lab again. Personally Sir, I would have preferred to use the transporters and beam them all back to their quarters, I do not like having them in an unnecessary area." 

"I share your... concern, Lieutenant," said the Andorian, nodding.

There was a moment of silence before he spoke in atone as much to himself as to his subordinate.

"Whatever you and I might think about them, these people are still Federation citizens; by definition, we Starfleet officers both serve them and police them. We must ensure peace, order, security and freedom for them even if they themselves would threaten it all, willingly or not, knowingly or not. And our only tools are prevention, coercion and above all reason. So, upholding their rights by restricting them is very delicate juggling, especially with people who forego reason in favor of belief... And here, on a starship, anyone's behavior can mean the difference between life and death for all." 

He sighed than took a deep breath.

"Commander Sisko and you resolved this situation adequately. I will further validate it all with Governor Sufra, who undoubtebly will hear about this and come directly to me..."

Sudden banging on his door interrupted him. 

"... momentarily," he finished, antennae slightly curving inward.

From his desk, he activated the door lock and the panel slid aside to let a fuming Bajoran woman storm into the room. She almost collided with the hulking Jem'Hadar halfway into the office, stopped abruptly with widening, fearful eyes, swerved aside and finally came to stand hands on hips before Kheren who, as calmly as he could, remained seated.

"Captain Kheren! As Federation representative, I formerly protest against the unqualified treatment given to my people aboard your ship and demand immediate reparation!"

Without pausing or turning away from his silvery gaze, she pointed a trembling finger at Aron'Son.

"And don't start by telling me you don't know what I'm talking about! This... person is obviously here to proudly tell you how he and his... lackeys threatened us at phaser point with violence, expulsion and emprisonnement, put some of us under armed guards and took away from us our very freedom of movement and conscience!"

Still seated, fingers touching delicately before his lips, Kheren let her expend her wrath, taking also the same time to collect himself and his thoughts before answering her with a soft, deliberately respectful tone.

"I am sorry, Governor Sufra, but this was not of his own choice; nor mine... and even you will have no choice either but to comply with the authority that... dictates your freedoms."

"Starfleet rules and regulations do not apply to me or my people, Captain!" fumed Sufra.

"They do aboard a starship, Governor Sufra," started the Andorian. But she cut him off with her finger now coming back to stab towards him.

"They do not allow you to forbid us our rights!"

"They, or us, did not order your people to be guarded and restrained on deck 5."

"Who or what then dares to?"

"Your Prophet."

The very silence and coldness of space seemed to blast inside the room. Speechless, the governor just stood there, finger pointed, mouth open, eyes blinking at Kheren as if she could not see him anymore. Then, slowly, she spread her hand over her heart in the symbolic gesture of her faith and her voice became almost a whisper.

"The... Prophet?"

"Yes, Governor Sufra. He ordered Lieutenant Aron'Son to leave your people in the corridor under guard to ensure both their safety and ours. He ordered him to make sure that they would not disturb him in any manner. And he told me of his wishes... personally.Now, are you asking me to use my authority as captain of this ship and go against his wishes?"

"No! No of course not!" she instantly replied with an indignant stare, her other hand completing on her breast the gesture of faith. "The blessed Will of the Prophet be done."

For a moment, she was silent, her lips moving discreetly in some silent prayer. Then she opened her eyes, her face flushed and she bowed her head.

"I... I'm sorry, Captain. I... You understand I'm sure that it's... difficult for us to have The Blessed One so close to us and yet so... denied to us. I see clearly now. It is his Will to have us do penance for the sins our brothers and sisters did during your... Operation Horizon, by denying to us his Holy Presence. But even his luminous eyes turned away from us and his wise words refused to us, he still guides us to redemption and promise. Thank you for being the Vessel of his Truth, Captain... Lieutenant..."

And without another word, still flushed with embarrassement and fervor, she exited the ready room.

Aron'Son watched the stunned governor leave and turned to his commanding officer

"Would you like me to confine her to Deck 5 as well Sir?" he asked, the annoyance at Sufra's very presence clearly present in his voice.

"You might please her immensely forcing her and her dear Prophet so close together," the Andorian answered.

"I would not want to do anything to bring that woman pleasure...perhaps a holding cell..." Aron'Son replied but stopped the thought short.  "Permission to return to the bridge, Sir?"

"She already built her own cell around her mind, Lieutenant. Permission granted. Unless we have another... problem, I will see you at the briefing."

"Aye Sir." Aron'Son replied with a nod and exited the ready room back to the bridge proper and the ship's tactical station.