The Dominion was searching for traitors in the caves and in orbit, but obviously no one predicted they would so narrowly escape death and disappear into the wilderness.
There was little wildlife on Cardassia Prime, but there were reserves such as this one. The caves were surrounded by a stretch of forest filled with birds and little animals. They stumbled across a natural well in the middle of the woods, but had no bottles or flasks, so they decided to just drink as much as possible before heading to the capital, hoping they would get there before they died of thirst.
Suburbs around Cardassian cities stretched into towns and then smaller towns and villages. There was hardly any land left in between. It did not disrupt their ecosystem much, though -- even before the villages grew into cities, the planet was rocky, dry and mostly bare. Various reptiles thrived here and they were said to be the creatures Cardassians evolved from*.
They reached civilization within an hour of exiting the small forest.
"Won't people recognize us?" Nyran worried when they walked along the first street that deserved that term.
"Probably not many," Damar mused. "And we might have some allies among them too."
"Most people will just mind their business anyway," Garak said. "Reporting political fugitives takes a bit of work and I doubt the not-so-important people would be over-eager to help the Dominion with anything at this point."
"Just keep your heads down and don't engage in conversations and we'll be fine," Kira advised.
They arrived at a shuttle point just two hours later. The clerk selling tickets looked bored and not very attentive, but they could not afford a mistake.
"Do we really have to use a shuttle?" Kira objected.
"According to where we are right now, Neshkar is hundreds of miles away from here," Garak said. "We can't make it on foot and frankly, one trip on a shuttle seems less risky than weaving through countless cities. Fewer people to recognize and report us."
Damar took Nyran by the hand, as if something urged him to protect her, then gave Garak and Kira a once-over.
"We should do something about our outfits. Me and Garak can simply swap ranks, no one will be looking at a Glinn if there's a Legate present and I'll stay in the background. But you, girls..."
"There's a shop over there," Nyran noticed, but Kira shook her head.
"That's just asking for someone to get suspicious. Let's just find something to cover ourselves with."
"Or," Nyran extended her index finger, "you can roll your sleeves a bit and I'll lend you my armor."
"There are not many Bajorans in the Cardassian fleet, my dear," Garak objected. "I'd even go as far as to say you're probably the only one."
"I guess we'll have to look around for some rags then," Nyran slumped her shoulders.
"Too bad this isn't Bajor," Kira sighed. "The market stalls were perfect for swiping stuff inconspicuously. Any tips on where to look, gents?"
"We should find a housing block, they tend to have a little square of shared space surrounded by buildings, with benches and playgrounds and such," Damar said. "Also clotheslines. The poorer families still use them, the laundry tends to get a bit dusty, but dries fast in the arid air."
Kira and Garak nodded and headed for the closest cluster of tall buildings, but Nyran hung back, giving Damar a curious look.
"You grew up in a place like this, didn't you?" she asked softly. He chuckled at her guess.
YOU ARE READING
The Casualty «Dukat/Damar & OFC» 🔞 ✔️
Fanfiction= 'You're my guardian angel, you know that?' He weaved his fingers in her hair and leaned down to kiss her. Despite the heavy smell of stale kanar on his breath, all she wanted right now was to press her lips to his, let his mouth devour her, have h...
