Out of the side of the transport vessel, I could see the station as it came in to view. Deep Space Nine. The spiky, Cardassian-built station held an imposing view in the stellar sea. Whatever one's opinion on the people, the Cardassians certainly knew how to make an impressive looking structure. Even the name of it held a certain gravitas known throughout Federation space. DS9. A station built by Cardassians, now controlled by the Federation, that orbits the planet Bajor. It is the frontier of Federation reach, almost a wild west in the galactic scene. Traders, explorers, scientists, refugees, warriors, zealots, and many more seemed to make their way to and through the aging station. The shuttle shuddered as it made a final approach. The engines of the craft thrummed in the background as the ship made contact with the docking ring. The hundreds of passengers in the fully loaded transport vessel buzzed with excitement as we all prepared to disembark. The captain of the vessel said something over the intercom that I didn't quite catch over the din of the gathering crowd. The hodgepodge of passengers pressed towards the exit door, and prepared to step foot on the station proper.
As the doors opened, however, I found that I was not greeted by an orderly welcome at DS9 customs, but rather, a scene of utter chaos and mayhem. What should have been an orderly check-in to board the station was, rather, a pell-mell panic. The station seemed to have been overrun with some kind of small, flying lizard! The multicolored reptiles frittered about from wall, to railing, to ceiling. Hundreds of them zipped about as the people aboard ran for safety wherever they could find it. The reason for their fear was a mystery to me, until one of the little beasts landed on my shirt. The iridescent reptile immediately spat up a green substance on my shirt that started eating through the fabric of my clothing. It burned away the fabric in seconds and made my skin tingle uncomfortably. I swatted the lizard away with a shout, but several dozen more flew past me and into the transport behind me. It wasn't long before a true panic set in in the crowd behind me in the transport shuttle.
The hundred or so passengers behind me pushed their way forward in an ignorant mass, unwittingly running into more of the flying pests as they moved out of the loading bay. I had no choice but to join the stampede as the gathered passengers made a mad dash for the station promenade. In the open air of the promenade, the chaos of the situation was only magnified. Store owners used brooms and blankets to try and keep the lizards away from their stock. Civilians and Starfleet personnel alike ran for cover as swarms of lizards pelted them with globs of corrosive acid. It was pandemonium in its truest sense, and I was caught up in it entirely.
I was bowled over by a group of screaming Catians who screeched as their fur was singed by the lizard acid. I took shelter behind an overturned cafe table as I tried to find a safe spot from the constant reptilian assault. Only a few personnel seemed to be doing anything to combat the swarms of lizards. One man, an odd-looking sort with a security badge pinned to the front of his beige uniform, was trying to snatch the beasts out of the air. His arms elongated impossibly as he grabbed at the beasts and I realized that he must be the famous Constable Odo, the changeling Chief of Security aboard DS9. I watched as he transformed his arms in to a wide net which he cast over a dozen of the flying beasts before stuffing them into a nearby trash bin.
"That's it, Constable! Grab the little devils!" A stout, curly haired human man in a Starfleet uniform said excitedly as he tried to stun a few using a handheld phaser.
Their efforts were valiant, but seemed futile against the literal thousands of lizards that bounced around the promenade. I considered joining the fight against the lizards as it seemed a better course than cowering, but an opportunity for safety presented itself. Across the promenade, a short Ferengi was ushering people through the doorway of a large bar. I could see the shimmer of a light forcefield over the doorway to the bar. As I watched, I could see that the force field allowed people to enter, but seemed to repel the lighter lizards that chased them. The Ferengi's door seems Like a safe port in a very acidic, very lizard-infested storm. So I made the split second decision to dash across the chaos of the promenade towards the promise of safety.
"Come on! Come on! Everyone into Quark's bar! The only lizard-free space on the station! The force fields won't last for much longer, so hurry up!" the Ferengi said as those fortunate enough to be nearby rushed to take his gracious offer. I dashed for the door and held my bag over my head to shield me from the dive bombing acid spitters. A few shots of the acid hit my back but I managed to make it through the door just as the Ferengi closed the heavy shutters behind me.
"Lucky you, you made it in just before the force fields went out. Welcome to Quark's! Come sit by the bar, have a drink or three, and wait out the mess outside," the Ferengi said as I got to my feet. My clothing was a bit singed, but I was otherwise none the worse for wear. I followed the neatly dressed Ferengi to the bar and took a seat by the end. About 2 dozen other people seemed to have made it inside the bar with me. Most seemed to have had their clothing singed, just like me, but were otherwise unharmed. "Crazy out there, right!? Never seen anything like it. Just makes me glad I splurged on those pest repulsor door shields; should've splurged on the extra batteries though," the Ferengi said as he slid me a menu and a bowl of what look to be salted nuts. "The name is Quark, friend. This is my place. Can I get you something to drink as we wait out the disaster on the promenade? Maybe some time in a holosuite to calm your nerves? I have a wonderful Risian massage program that never fails to please. Only 3 strips of latinum per session."
"I uh..." I said to Quark, stumbling over my tongue as I tried to process the chaos of the station so far. I had only been on the station for 10 minutes, so I had had little time to adjust. Luckily, the woman sitting next to me spoke up on my behalf.
"C'mon, Quark. No grifting newcomers. Just give them a drink and put it on my tab," the woman said as she gave the Ferengi a chiding glare. She was young, maybe 25 or 26, and fit looking, with short hair and a demeanor that reminded me of someone out of a Renaissance painting. A woman of great spirit, and great sorrow. A Bajoran, at least judging by the distinct ridges that ran down the bridge of her nose and the dangling earring hanging from her pointed ear.
"Grifting!?" Quark said with an affected offense that fooled no one. "I provide shelter, food, delicious beverages during this time of... of lizard-induced terror and destruction, and you call it grifting! I merely wish to charge a reasonable sum for my services, inflated of course to cover costs during this time of crisis."
"Crisis!?" The Bajoran woman laughed as she leaned back in her seat and slapped a hand on one of her toned thighs. "Quark, those are just Keldaran Belch Lizards out there. Their acid won't damage anything sturdier than organic cloth, and they'll all be dead in 2 hours. We used to use them during the Cardassian occupation. Made for great distraction fodder."
"Keep your voice down, Major! I know that! But most of these people probably don't! Just let them buy a few drinks... maybe play a few rounds of Dabo. Then we'll let them know that there really is nothing to fear. This whole situation is eating into my profits enough as it is," Quark said, his voice just above a whisper as he gave the Bajoran woman a sharp toothed hiss. He obviously didn't like having his profit margins threatened by her sensible explanation of the situation.
The Bajoran woman turned to me with a smirk. "Don't let Quark scam you. The little grubber only cares about his profits. He'd sell you his mother if he could," she said as she turned to me and looked me in the eye for the first time. Her face lit up as she got a good look at me. "Oh hey! I recognize you! I was supposed to meet you at the shuttle bay! Sorry about missing that. As you can see, we've had a bit of a lizard problem on the station today. Kira Nerys, at your service," she said as she extended a hand and gave me a handshake that was surprisingly firm.
"Nice to meet you. My name is