Touché
by Suz suzvoy@tesco.net

This is entirely Laura Taylor's fault...Kashyk travels through time and space.

Disclaimer - Paramount own them.

You should know before you read this that this isn't finished. It's just an idea.

*

It was the smell of his own blood that woke him.

As soon as it did he knew something was wrong. He wasn't on his vessel. He should have been on his way to the ship after leaving Janeway in the shuttle hanger...he should have been putting the rest of his plan into action.

Wheezing, Kashyk tried to stand and was assailed by a wave of dizziness. Detesting his weakness he forced himself up and leant against the closest wall. At least, what he presumed to be a wall. He hadn't opened his eyes yet and now took the opportunity to do so.

The room was small and dimly lit. Obviously not hospitality quarters. It seemed to be built out of a reddish-brown metal that was unfamiliar to him. In fact, the design of the room was unfamiliar to him. This would have to be owned by a race he had never encountered...

There was no furniture, simply the light sources at various locations that seemed to be barely working.

The blood was coming from a gash on his head. He did what he could to stanch the bleeding but it seemed that the more he tried the worse it became. Eventually concluding that he was probably doing more damage by trying to stop it he gave up and explored his options.

There weren't many. The single door refused all attempts to open so he felt over every inch of the room to search for any possible hidden exits. He doubted there were any, but it would be foolish not to look. Unfortunately, his doubts were confirmed.

Head pounding, he leant heavily against the wall. There was no way he could allow himself to fall asleep or into unconsciousness. He had to keep awake somehow...he pressed his hand onto the gash and cried out. Falling to his knees, he leant forward and started to gag.

The door to the room opened.

Still leaning on his knees, he moved his throbbing head to watch someone walk into the room. He was definitely of an unknown species. Tall, with dark hair. He was dressed in grey and black leather-like clothing.

Trying to stand, Kashyk gave up and managed to eventually sit, resting his back against the wall.

The door closed behind the stranger, blocking out the light that had been shining through. The stranger approached - apparently weaponless - until he was approximately five feet away.

Trying not to move his head, Kashyk took the opportunity to get a closer look at his features. His skin was almost beige, and he had what looked like thick bones or muscles on the side of his neck that moved up to his face. It the middle of his forehead was a raised oval-shaped piece of skin.

"Who *are* you?" he asked, clearly as unfamiliar with the Devore as Kashyk was with him.

"Who are *you*?" Kashyk countered.

Seeming to enjoy the response, the alien smiled. "Me? Why...I'm Gul Dukat, proud member of the Cardassian Occupation Force." The smile faded and he moved closer. "Now...who are you?"

TBC

~FINIS

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