Chapter Text
"I am going to ask you one more time, what are you doing here on Deep Space Nine?" The young Cardassian looked up into those piercing eyes that judged him from the other side of the forcefield. The chief of security was a strange-looking being, and of a species that the boy didn't recognise. He wasn't one to judge others by their appearance, but something about that weirdly smooth face made him uncomfortable.
This 'interrogation' had been going on for all of five minutes when several other people entered the room, humanoids of various kinds, and joined the security chief in his questioning of the Cardassian boy he had apprehended.
"You said you caught him trying to steal food from Quark's?" One of them asked. He seemed to be the one in charge.
"That's correct, sir." Sir. He was right, this must be their leader. The security chief continued, "He claims to be a war orphan from Bajor, but somehow I don't believe that story. I haven't been able to get much else out of him."
The leader took a step towards the force field. "I am Benjamin Sisko, Commander of this station." He spoke calmly, but had an overpowering air of authority that the boy was reluctant to go up against, "What is your name, young man?"
The young Cardassian hesitated, looking back and forth between the various officers in front of him. None of them seemed particularly pleased to see him, rather, they all appeared mildly concerned.
"Modir." He eventually said, "Modir Neddel."
"And what exactly are you doing here on the station, Modir?"
"I already explained it to your security chief, but he didn't believe me." He flicked his tail frustratedly.
"So explain it to me as well." The Commander folded his arms and stood there, waiting for the boy's response.
Modir regarded him quietly for a moment. If the chief of security didn't believe him, then why would any the other officers? He didn't seem to have much of a choice, though, judging by the multiple glares he was currently receiving, most notably by the Bajoran officer. He let out a small sigh, flicking his tail again, before giving in and going through the story once more.
"I was one of the Cardassian orphans left behind on Bajor. My Bajoran family took me in along with a few others and raised us like their own. But... I never really felt like I belonged there. We all accepted what the Bajorans taught us about Cardassians and the history between our two worlds, and for a long time, everything was fine." He paused, "Then I saw a Starfleet officer come to Bajor.. with a Cardassian... And it got me thinking. I decided that enough was enough, I had to get out of there!"
"You wanted to leave your Bajoran family?" The Bajoran officer interrupted.
"Well... I didn't really want to leave them, but I wanted to go back to Cardassia, to learn the real history of my kind and my world, and... Live somewhere where I wouldn't be treated like some kind of monster just because I look different. I'm not saying my life on Bajor was bad, but I used to get so many stares from the Bajoran kids, I never had any friends, hardly anyone would come near me! I thought that maybe if I went back to Cardassia, things would be better..."
"But then you realised that you wouldn't be accepted there, either, because of your Bajoran upbringing." The other female officer chimed in, finishing the boy's sentence for him. Modir looked at her curiously, eyes tracing the spots that decorated the sides of her face and neck.
He nodded, "But by then it was too late. I'd already run away from my family on Bajor and stowed away on a cargo ship. That's how I ended up here, on the station. And now I... I don't know what to do. I can't go back to Bajor now, not after what I said to my parents before I left, but I can't go to Cardassia either. I figured that since I'm here... I might as well stay."
"You want to stay here, on DS9?" Sisko asked. Modir looked away, an almost scared expression on his face, but nodded.
"I've been here for a few days already. I didn't want to have to steal anything, but I was so quick to leave my home on Bajor that I didn't bring anything with me. Which was a stupid idea, but it's too late now." He walked right up to the forcefield, as close to Sisko as he could get, and with as much courage as he could muster, made his wishes clear. "Commander Sisko, I don't know how things work here on the station. I don't know how you treat Cardassians, and I don't know what life here would be like for me, but I don't care. All that matters to me is that I can't go to Cardassia, and I can't go back to Bajor. I want to stay here."
The Commander searched his eyes for a moment, perhaps looking for any signs that the boy was lying, then exchanged a few meaningful glances with the others before turning back to the young Cardassian. "Alright, Modir, we will allow you to stay-" Modir's face lit up "-temporarily. Or at least, until we figure out the best course of action. Ideally, you should be returned to your Bajoran family, but perhaps some sort of arrangement can be made."
Relief washed over the boy at the sound of those words.
"In the meantime, Dr Bashir," Sisko turned towards another officer as he spoke; A Human, Modir guessed, based on the man's appearance, "I want you to examine him, make sure he's alright."
The doctor nodded. A quick press of a button promptly brought down the forcefield, allowing him to leave the holding cell for the first time since he was apprehended. Modir quietly followed Bashir as he escorted the young Cardassian down to the infirmary, but along the way, his mind was racing.
What was going to happen to him? Would Sisko send him to Cardassia, despite his wish to stay on DS9? Or worse, would he send him back to Bajor? He couldn't stop thinking about it, even as Dr Bashir began checking him over. The beeping of medical tricorders was drowned out by the rushing of blood in his ears, the anxiety swelling in his chest.
Perhaps his face wasn't as neutral as he believed, as the doctor interrupted his train of thought, "Don't worry, Modir. I'm sure that whatever Commander Sisko's decision is, it will be whatever's best for you." His words did very little to ease his worries, but Modir faked a smile, which the doctor cheerfully returned.
It didn't take long for the medical exam to be completed. Once Dr Bashir was done poking and prodding at his body, he gave Modir a clean bill of health, which, according to Bashir, was a testament to how well the Bajorans took care of him. Modir was visibly saddened by that comment. He loved his family, he truly did, but he didn't belong on Bajor - He was a Cardassian. That being said, Modir knew that he didn't belong on Cardassia either, no matter how much he wished otherwise. Reaching up and removing the traditional Bajoran earring he wore, he briefly wondered how other Cardassians would react to seeing him. They would consider him a disgrace to Cardassians everywhere, no doubt. He cradled the precious metal in his scaly, grey hands for a moment before quickly putting it back on as the Bajoran officer from earlier walked in.
"How is he?" She asked.
"Ah, Major Kira. He's fine, as far as I can tell. My knowledge of Cardassian physiology is somewhat limited, after all, but I can't find anything wrong with him."
"That's good to hear." Kira hardly spared Modir a glance as she talked with the doctor, though he noticed how she seemed to stiffen whenever she did make eye contact with the Cardassian boy. She lowered her voice in an attempt to keep Modir out of the conversation, "Commander Sisko contacted Gul Dukat to see if he could find out whether Modir here has any living relatives back on Cardassia."
"And?" Dr Bashir said questioningly.
The Major shook her head. "Nothing." Her voice was almost remorseful.
"I see." The doctor lowered his voice as well, "Has the Commander decided what to do with him?"
"Not yet. He still has to contact the boy's Bajoran family, and they'll no doubt want him back."
Bashir hummed in agreement. He busied himself with putting away some medical equipment as the Major stepped closer to the young Cardassian.
"While we wait for Commander Sisko to make his decision, you'll be staying with the O'Briens. They'll take good care of you, come on." She motioned for Modir to follow her, which he did. Again, he walked quietly, tail low to the ground, and his mind engrossed in his own thoughts.
They traversed the vast corridors of the station in silence, save for the occasional comment from Kira explaining where they were. She took him to an area she called the "Habitat Ring", where the crew quarters were apparently located. The lighting was harsh, at least to Cardassian eyes, but not as blinding as it had been in the holding cell. It was cold, too. Terribly cold. His train of thought wandered once again to his fantasies of life on Cardassia. Warm, dark, comfortable.
If only his homeworld could be so peaceful for a Bajoran-raised Cardassian such as himself.