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The Rak-Miunis backed away from the docking bay, turned, and accelerated.
Molly watched the viewscreen intently. She couldn't see Cardassia yet – unless it was one of the tiny dots of light ahead of them – but she knew they would get there soon.
Just a few hours, and she would be landing on Cardassia.
She could hardly wait to get there, and to see Garak again. She hadn't seen him in years!
But she didn't know if she wanted to live on Cardassia. It was mostly a desert, and –
“Look!” Dad said, pointing to something on the viewscreen. “There it is!”
Molly looked, but she couldn't tell which glowing dot he was pointing to. “Where?” she asked.
“Right there! Do you see the yellow-orange star at … just a bit past 3 o'clock?”
Molly nodded. “Yes, but – ”
“I see it!” Yoshi exclaimed. “But I thought we're going to Cardassia Prime! That's not Cardassia Prime. That's its sun. Suns are stars, and stars are too hot to go to!”
“Don't worry. We're not going to the sun. Look to the side of the sun … do you see that little dot?”
“I see three little dots,” Yoshi said.
“Me, too,” Molly agreed.
“Aye. The dot in the middle … that's Cardassia Prime.”
“We'll all recognize it from pictures we've seen when we get closer,” Mom said. “We'll see it properly very soon.”
Molly nodded.
Yoshi turned back to his drawing and added a yellow-orange star behind the starship, the nebula, the wormhole, and the Kobheerian freighter he already finished drawing.
Molly turned back to the viewscreen and watched the tiny dots get closer.
The three dots near the big dot that was Cardassia's sun didn't really look like tiny dots anymore. They looked like marbles – and the one Dad pointed out, the one in the middle, did look like pictures of Cardassia, except a lot smaller. And it looked like a marble – a tiny gold, brown, blue, and white marble, floating in space.
The marble got bigger and bigger on the viewscreen until it filled almost the whole screen.
They were almost there.
Soon, they would land on Cardassia.
Soon, they would live on Cardassia.
The same planet the Dominion attacked, just a few years ago. Dominion soldiers killed people and destroyed houses and stores and schools and farms and gardens and lots of other things, too. They blew up so much stuff that the air was filled with dust, kind of like Earth after the asteroid killed all the dinosaurs, and it was probably hard to breathe, and plants couldn't grow very well because there wasn't enough sunlight.
Molly didn't want to live on a planet where lots of people died and nothing grew and the air was full of dust and there wasn't enough sunlight, but Garak said things were better now. In his last letter, he wrote about the leya trees setting fruit this year, for the first time since before the war. He said the other trees and plants in his garden were also growing well, and lots of other people were growing gardens now, too. And he said the air was clear, except during windstorms.
He didn't mention if everybody had good places to live now, or if people were still hungry, but probably there were good places to live and plenty of food now, or he wouldn't have invited her and Mom and Dad and Kirayoshi to visit.
He didn't say she and Mom and Dad and Yoshi would like living on Cardassia.
He didn't even say if he liked living on Cardassia. He never mentioned if he was happy.
Probably he was. He liked growing food and harvesting it and sharing it with his friend Dr. Bashir. He probably liked sharing food with his other friends and neighbors and everybody he helped with their new gardens. He liked –
The loudspeaker crackled to life. “Honored passengers, we have arrived at Orbital Station Two,” Captain Viterian announced. “Docking procedures have begun. Please take with you all of your belongings when you exit the Rak-Miunis. You will be transported to Landing Base 1, Cardassia City, upon the land-to-space transport chUkh'dzer'va. I thank you for traveling with me today.” The loudspeaker turned off.
The doors opened.
Molly picked up her backpack and put it on.
Yoshi put his drawing pad and crayons away. “Will we see riding hounds when we get to Cardassia?” he asked. “And shuttlecraft and skimmers, too? And gliders? And camels?”
“I'm not sure anybody would take a riding hound or a glider to a landing base, but it's possible,” Dad said. “We probably won't see camels. I don't suppose they live on Cardassia.”
“But Cardassia is a desert, and deserts are supposed to have camels!”
“Antarctica is a desert, too, and it doesn't have camels,” Molly told him. “It has penguins and seals.”
“Yeah, but Cardassia is a hot desert, and hot deserts are supposed to have camels! Or rattlesnakes, but I like camels better.”
“Cardassia has lizards. Some of them are called regnars. I don't know if Cardassia has snakes.”
“I hope not – especially rattlesnakes,” Mom said. “If Cardassia has camels – or Cardassian animals that live in the desert and don't need to drink very often, but which might not look like camels – we might see them, someday. We probably won't see them at the landing base.”
“But don't worry. We'll see plenty of skimmers and other kinds of ground transport,” Dad promised.
“Okay, but I want to see camels and regnars, too.”
“Some day,” Dad told him.
That was fine with Molly. She wanted to see camels and regnars, too – but mostly she wanted to see Garak.
And they would, soon … after they thanked the captain, exited his ship, and took the other ship down to Cardassia's surface.
But the Rak-Miunis wasn't docked directly to a land-to-space transport. It was docked to an Orbital Station that looked kind of like a docking bay on Deep Space Nine and kind of like a transport station on Earth. It had lots of airlocks and windows, and it had benches and chairs and tables and little shops to buy food and beverages.
There weren't enough seats on the land-to-space transport for everyone, so they had to wait, but Molly didn't mind too much. She and Yoshi stood at one of the windows and watched the transport spiral down to the planet's surface like a big silver box with short, stubby wings that thought it was an eagle.
A few minutes later, the transport shot back up from the surface, slowed itself, and docked with the station.
There wasn't room for them this time, either, but there was room the next time. Molly and Yoshi found seats next to windows. They watched the station move away, and they watched the planet get closer.
Cardassia looked different from Earth, even from space. The colors were different. Earth was blue and white and green and brown. Cardassia was mostly blue and brown and gold and white.
Living on Cardassia was going to be different than living on Earth or Deep Space Nine. She didn't know exactly how it was going to be different, but it was definitely going to be different.
Except not everything would be different. Garak would let her help in the gardens on Cardassia, just like he did on Deep Space Nine.
When it was too hot outside, she would go inside and do her schoolwork – just like she did on Earth when it was raining too hard to work outside.
Garak would help her with her Kardasi assignments. And he would tell her all about Cardassia, and all the animals and plants who lived there, and she would tell him about her art classes at school every Wednesday and at the Museum of Art every Saturday, and working in Mom's garden in the backyard, and listening to their neighbors sing and play their drums, guitar, accordion, Vulcan lute, and a wooden flute. She would show him pictures of their garden, and she would show him her drawings … but she wouldn't do that right away. Garak was Mom's friend, too, and she knew she shouldn't monopolize his time.
But it wouldn't be monopolizing his time to ask if he wanted to see her drawings and paintings later.
He would say 'yes'. Molly knew he would. He liked looking at her pictures back on Deep Space Nine, and he showed her some of his drawings, too … but what if he didn't have time to draw anymore? What if seeing her drawings made him sad because he missed drawing?
If he's sad because he misses drawing, you can remind him that you and Mom will help him with his gardens and fields and orchards, Molly told herself. He'll have time to draw again someday.
Molly watched the planet get closer and closer in the viewscreen. She could see buildings now – tiny buildings that looked like toys … but soon they got bigger. They didn't look like toys anymore, or models. They looked like regular buildings.
“Molly, look!” Yoshi called. “I bet that's where we're going! Right there! Do you see that big, flat stone place with shapes and symbols?”
Molly looked. “I see it! I think you're right. It looks like a landing field! We'll probably be there in five minutes!”
“We will not! We'll be there in three minutes!”
“We'll be there soon,” Mom told them both.
“Your Mum's right,” Dad said.
The transport slowed itself and settled down on the ground.
“We're here!” Yoshi exclaimed.
“Aye. We're here,” Dad told him.
The pilot welcomed them to Landing Base 1 – Kardasi and in Standard – and reminded them to bring their things with them.
The loudspeaker turned off … and the door opened.
* * *
The room outside the transport looked like a small docking bay, with benches and chairs, a customer service desk, and lots of luggage carts.
Garak wasn't there.
Most of the people there were passengers from the Rak-Miunis. They stood in line – side-by-side, instead of behind each other like in San Francisco – talking with each other while they waited their turn to get their luggage. Even when it was their turn, they finished their conversation and bowed or pressed palms before they walked up to the desk and greeted the people working there.
“Molly, look!” Yoshi said. He pointed at a travel crate with a mesh window.
Molly looked inside.
Two shaggy little animals peered out through the window.
The man standing near the crate bowed slightly to her and Yoshi. “They are Inkarian llamas. Very young,” he said. “How is it you say in Standard … not grown?”
“Little?” Yoshi guessed.
“Babies? Juveniles?” Molly suggested.
The man nodded. “Yes. Thank you. They are little babies. After two years, they will be grown. Much bigger, then.”
“Are they like Earth llama?s” Yoshi asked.
“I do not know Earth llamas,” the man told him. “The grown Inkarian llama is good worker – if the teacher is good. Also, is good companion. Inkarian llamas enjoy very much Cardassian speech and song, and they greet visitors. Person who has llamas is never surprised by visitors – welcome and not-welcome. Also, the llama provide wool.”
“And they're beautiful,” Molly said.
The man smiled. “The llama is, indeed, beautiful,” he agreed.
Mom called her and Yoshi to come get their luggage.
Molly and Yoshi thanked the man and hurried to the luggage return desk to help load the cart.
“Can we get an Inkarian llama?” Yoshi asked Mom and Dad after they finished.
“I'm afraid we haven't a place for one to live,” Mom told him. “Also, they probably prefer living with other Inkarian llamas.”
“We can find a place for them, and we can get two!” Yoshi suggested.
“We can talk about it after we've been here for a while, and after we decide how long we're going to stay,” Dad told him.
“We should stay forever, and we should get llamas,” Yoshi said.
Dad frowned. “We'll talk about it later,” he said. He nodded toward the door, and Yoshi pushed it open.
Outside the luggage return center was another room. It was bigger than the luggage return center, and it looked like a shuttleport on Earth. It had chairs and benches, shops for buying food and clothing and other things, and tables where people gave out cups of water and other drinks.
Molly went up to the first one and greeted the attendant.
“Greetings and good day! What may I offer you to drink? We have water, redleaf tea, and even juice said to be popular among Humans. It is called orange juice.”
<<Thank you,>> Molly said. <<May I have a cup of rokassa juice, please?>>
The attendant stared at her. Then she caught herself, bowed deeply, and gave Molly a cup of rokassa juice. <<You are a scholar, then. You will succeed at your endeavors throughout life, I am certain. Please, enjoy your juice.>>
Molly took the juice. <<Thank you! I appreciate your generosity!>> she said.
Yoshi joined her at the table. He took the offered orange juice. He remembered to thank her, but he said 'thank you' in Standard.
The attendant gave him a short bow and replied in Standard.
Molly smiled. If people who traveled with Inkarian llamas and people who gave out drinks to thirsty travelers knew Standard, other people probably knew Standard, too. They probably wouldn't mind too much if her Kardasi wasn't very good yet, and she and Yoshi and Mom and Dad would be able to talk to people even before they learned Kardasi.
Molly and Yoshi finished their drinks and placed the cups in the sonic cleaner. Molly turned … and saw Garak, standing on the other side of the room, staring at her as if he couldn't believe his eyes.
“Garak!” she yelled. “You're here!” She started to run toward him, but then she remembered her manners. She slowed to a walk – a very fast walk – and walked toward him.
Garak met her half-way. “It is you … that is to say, welcome to Cardassia, Miss O'Brien,” he said.
“I know you remember my name … Mr. Tailor,” she scolded him.
Garak chuckled. “I remember your name, yes, but you were a young child when last I saw you. I would not presume to address you by your given name now.”
“You can call me my name ... I mean, please call me my name.”
“I thank you. Molly, welcome to Cardassia. I'm … I … that is to say, it is … quite pleasant to see you again.”
Molly bowed and held up her hand.
Garak pressed his palm to hers and held the position for several seconds … long enough to show friendship, and affection.
He hadn't forgotten her – and he still cared.
Of course he remembers you. It hasn't been that long. Just a few years.
“Garak. It's so good to see you again,” Mom said, joining them and holding out her hand in greeting.
Garak pressed her palm. “Not so good, I am quite certain, as it is for me to see you,” he replied. “I welcome you – all of you – to Cardassia.”
“Thank you. It's good to be here.”
Garak smiled. “Indeed.” He turned and looked up. “Hello, Chief O'Brien. Welcome to Cardassia.”
“Hello, Garak. Thank you,” Dad replied. He ducked his head in a short bow.
Garak returned the gesture, and turned to Yoshi, who was watching him quietly.
Of course, Yoshi was just a baby when they left Deep Space Nine. Molly shouldn't have been surprised that he didn't recognize Garak at first.
“You must be Mr. Kirayoshi O'Brien,” Garak said. “I wonder … a few years from now, will you be a skilled – and talented – engineer like your father, a skilled and talented horticulturist, botanist, and teacher like your mother … or do your interests lie within an entirely different realm? Do you plan to become … a founder of a Ferengi non-profit organization? A Vulcan ice hockey star? A Klingon – ”
Yoshi giggled. “No! I'm a Human! I can't be a Klingon or a Vulcan or a Ferengi! And Vulcan's don't play ice hockey!”
“Ah! Indeed, you are correct. How very silly of me. You plan, I expect, to become a Human … designer of swimming pools? Painter of houses? Programmer of robots?”
“No! I'm gonna go to school and play soccer with my friends, and I'm gonna build robots! And starships! And get a llama … I mean, two llamas. One for me and one for Molly.”
“I see! All commendable goals indeed. I am honored to meet you, Mr. O'Brien. I am Garak.”
“I'm Yoshi O'Brien. And I know you're Garak. I heard Dad say hello to you, and I heard Molly call you. Everybody heard Molly call you!”
“Including me,” Garak said. “Which is fortunate indeed! It would have been most disappointing to come all the way to Landing Base 1 and not find her, or you, or your parents. That would have defeated the entire purpose of my trip here!”
“You would've found us anyway.”
“You are, perhaps, correct … but one need not complain about efficiency. Speaking of efficiency, may I offer my services? It is a bit of a walk to the transport, I'm afraid … might I assist with carrying luggage?”
“No need, but thanks,” Dad said. “We've rented a cart.” He nodded toward the luggage cart behind him.
“Ah! That was quite sensible.” Garak led the way to the door and out to a room that looked kind of like a loading dock, except instead of shuttlecraft and runabouts, it had Cardassian skimmers and vehicles that looked like a cross between little cars and bicycles with really wide wheels.
“Pedal-powered dune buggies?” Dad asked, staring at one of them.
Garak looked at him questioningly. “'Dune buggies'?” he repeated.
Dad nodded at the closest vehicle. “Yeah. They were popular on Earth a while ago – still are, in some parts. Look a bit like that … wide wheels, low center of gravity; built for traveling on sand dunes.”
“Ah. These are called, in Standard, 'sand-crawlers'. They are, like your 'dune buggies', suitable for travel upon sand, although typically they are used for travel across level ground, whenever possible.”
“I want to ride that one,” Yoshi announced. He pointed at a sand-crawler with two pairs of seats – a larger set in the front and a smaller, lower one in the back. “I can reach those pedals,” he explained.
“Indeed you can,” Garak told him. “Unfortunately, that is not the vehicle I have retained for this afternoon. Perhaps on another day it will be possible to provide you with the opportunity to ride a sand-crawler … but today, I'm afraid it is a skimmer I have retained.” He gestured toward a large vehicle parked in the next row.
Yoshi peered at the skimmer and grinned. “That's okay. That's a hovercraft! I like hovercraft, too.”
“I am most gratified,” Garak told him.
He opened both doors and gestured toward the inside. “Please. Take a seat,” he said.
Molly and Yoshi climbed in the back. Dad gestured for Mom to take the front passenger seat. “You two will want to catch up, I'm sure,” he said, and he climbed in the back next to Yoshi.
Mom smiled at him. “Thank you, Miles,” she said.
With an apologetic gesture, Garak climbed into the front, and took the driver's seat.
After Mom took her seat and shut the door, Garak showed them how to use the controls for the safety restraint system, and then he activated the vehicle and pulled out onto a narrow grey-and-tan-and-cream-colored stone road.
* * *
The ride to Garak's home was kind of like being back on Deep Space Nine again, but it was really different, too.
Cardassia didn't look like Deep Space Nine at all. It didn't look like San Francisco, either, or like the pictures of Cardassia during the Dominion War. It looked like a really old city, with lots of stone buildings, and it looked like a really new city with solar panels and windmills and swales to collect water.
Garak pointed out the new government's office buildings. They were the biggest buildings around. He pointed out the building that housed a weekly food market – which was basically stone columns and a metal roof with solar panels on top. He pointed out the houses, too. Most of them were big, low stone buildings with a separate door for each family who lived there, but a few were small buildings with only one door.
He told them about some of the things he'd been working on, too – botanical and engineering and transportation projects, and construction, and other things, just like he used to before, when he gave tours of Deep Space Nine's Arboretum to new students in one of the gardening classes he and Mom taught.
And he asked about Mom's and Dad's work, and her and Yoshi's school.
And then they left the center of the city. They were still in the city. There were still lots of buildings and people around. But now, Molly could see the land outside the city.
It was a desert, kind of like the Sahara Desert or Death Valley or the Chihuahuan Desert, but with different rock formations and different plants.
It felt like a desert. It was hot, like Zion National Park in the summer. It looked kind of like Zion, too, except it didn't have as many trees. But it had beautiful rocks, grey and gold and tan and chestnut sandstone that stretched high in the sky like castle towers out of a fairy tale. The sky above the mountains was deep blue and purple. Near the horizon, it was yellow and orange and a little bit of blue. It didn't look a thing like San Francisco or Deep Space Nine, but it was beautiful.
“Are there dragons here?” Yoshi asked. “I mean, over there, in the mountains? 'Cause I bet that'd be a perfect place for dragons – especially if there's caves there.”
“Dragons are Terran animals, Yoshi, and they're pretend,” Mom told him.
“Komodo dragons are real,” Molly said. “So are bearded dragons and Chinese water dragons. But they don't breathe fire, and've got no wings, and they can't fly.”
“I'm afraid we do not … actually, no. I am pleased to report that we have no flighted fire-breathing dragons here on Cardassia,” Garak said.
“Oh. Are there fire-breathing dragons on Cardassia who can't fly?”
“I do not know. However, I have not seen such beings. Nor have I heard any reports of their presence.”
“What predators do you have? Are any of them really scary, like Tyrannosaurus and the kraken?”
“Yes. The s'alatis is only one of Cardassia's exceptionally skilled predators. It approaches its prey very slowly, as silent as the mist on an autumn morning … and when it is near enough, it pounces … but do not be alarmed. The s'alatis cannot move at speed over long distances. A vigilant being can evade its potential predator.”
Yoshi peered out the windows nervously. “Does it live near here?”
“Yes. It is a native denizen of the Mekar Wilderness”
“It it as big as a Tyrannosaurus?”
“It is, I do believe, somewhat smaller.”
“How big is it?” Molly asked.
“The size varies, as the s'alatis continues to grow throughout its life. On average, it is approximately … two centimeters in length.”
“Erm … do you mean 'metres'?” Dad asked him.
“Certainly not! I am quite certain that I mean centimeters.” Garak held up the thumb and pointer finger of his right hand … approximately two centimeters apart.
Molly laughed.
“But Tailor Garak, that's tiny! It's not scary at all!” Yoshi protested.
“I'm afraid I must disagree with you. If I were a small leaf-hopper or another … 'insect', I believe is the word in Standard … I would be quite alarmed were I to notice such a being nearby.”
“But I'm not an insect!”
“A fair point,” Garak said. “You need not be concerned about the s'alatis. It is harmless to Cardassians … and to Humans.”
“Oh. That's good,” Yoshi said.
Garak nodded.
“What should we be concerned about?” Dad asked. “The reports don't mention any dangerous animals other than one large bird.”
“Indeed. The honge, it is called. It will not attack a group of people. Usually, it will not attack people at all, unless they approach too closely to its burrow. Also, they hunt only at night. Do not enter its burrow, and you will be safe during the day.”
“That's fine, then.”
“Of greater concern are the windstorms. Even in areas in which reforestation has begun, and in which flora have become established, there is the possibility of a windstorm bringing in a significant quantity of dust and sand. Strong storms are no longer common, but they can happen. If there are signs of an approaching windstorm, take shelter indoors. The air is barely breathable at such times, when the dust and sand are thick.”
Everybody looked out the windows – even Garak.
Molly didn't see any sand or dust in the air. Just a few white clouds, high in the air.
“There is no windstorm approaching,” Garak told them. “When such a storm approaches, you will see thick clouds, very close to the soil … and, as it comes close, you will see the clouds spin, like the waves of a large ocean or sea when the wind moves the water.”
“Is there an ocean here?” Yoshi asked.
“Here? No. On Cardassia, there are oceans, but none is nearby. You would need to travel there by shuttle, or allow yourself a full day for the journey there, and another full day for the return journey.”
Yoshi shook his head. “I don't want to see the ocean today. We already had too many long journeys.”
“That is, indeed understandable … and I believe that you will be pleased to know that we have almost reached my home.”
“But where's our home gonna be?” Yoshi asked.
“That is entirely up to you, your sister, and your parents,” Garak said. “If the accommodations at my home are suitable to you, it will become your home as well. If they are not, my home will be only a temporary place to stay until you find more suitable housing … but it is a place at which you are all always welcome.”
“Thank you, Garak,” Mom said. “I am sure the accommodations will be quite suitable … and we will strive to not 'wear out our welcome'.”
Garak chuckled. “That, my dear Professor, is not a concern.” He landed the skimmer in front of a cluster of colorful stone buildings, surrounded by green and brown and bronze and turquoise and golden plants of the gardens and several tall stone cairns. “Professor, Chief, Miss Molly, Master Yoshi … welcome home,” he said.
All of a sudden, Molly realized that it didn't matter what, exactly, Cardassia looked like. It didn't matter if there wasn't as much food as she was used to, or if it was different food. It didn't matter that she didn't speak the language very well yet.
It didn't even matter that she didn't know how long they would stay on Cardassia.
They were there now, with Garak, looking out the skimmer's windows at a beautiful garden and beautiful little houses.
This was home now. A new home; a home she didn't know yet … but home.
Molly smiled. It was good to be home.