Holding Cell

The now restored false Kai and her two Ranjen have been placed in adjacent holding cells to Val.

Val stared at them a moment, agape. Then a giddy relief washed over him and he chuckled at their expense.

The two Ranjen say nothing, while the false Kai sits on the floor, opposite Val. She locks eyes with him, staring daggers.

Val stares back, rudely wagging his tongue between the webbing of his fingers.

"I've been stiffed without payment before, but why would you waste an obsidian order bomb on me? I'm not even involved in politics."

"It's not politics," said the Kai. "It's personal. Your mother split up my family and stole my husband. The best I can do is steal her son. I wouldn't mind starting a war in the process. Don't you recognize my voice? I'm Doctor Mila Tahain!"

Val regarded her incredulously, shocked that someone would go through such lengths and risk just to get to him. He then felt a bit proud.
"I knew there was a reason the Kai sounded like a miserable old crone," he said, just barely remembering what had happened between his mother and the Doctor. "No wonder your husband was so miserable he had to date outside his species."

She leapt to her feet.
"Miserable? You're a disease spreading whore!" She tried in vain to slap the force field.
The security guard popped back into the room, eating a Bajoran pastry in the shape of a triangle. It leaked purple jam onto his uniform.
"Keep it down, you two," he said. He slipped a dish of water into Val's cell.
"This is for the furball. The Commander should be here soon, I'm sure he wants to let you go now that we have them."

The accusation would have stung had she been the real Kai, but as it was, it was nothing he hadn't heard before.

"Look, Papuuus," Val cooed happily as the cat came over to lap at the water. He thanked the officer and remained seated on the floor, hoping the Commander would just let him out and be done with it. Though he was feeling significantly less vulnerable now than earlier.

When the Commander arrived, he had rings under his eyes like small caves.
"Just let him go, Ensign." The security guard raised the force field.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," he said. "I'm glad it wasn't you."

Confident there was no longer any danger, Val didn't scoop up his cat, but let it follow him on foot.
"If you want to make it up to me, you can pick up their tab," he suggested sweetly on his way out.