Spies Within, Spies Without
It was suspicious. Everything was going by the book, and in Odo’s experience, nothing ever went by the book. They had received word that there was a Federation officer being held prisoner in a Cardassian labor camp. The message had been oddly specific, but the threat of one of their own out there withering away stirred the station into motion.
Odo was among those assigned to investigate the camp in question. His experience with Cardassians and their labor camps would help the others better locate their missing Starfleet officer and extract swiftly. The officer in question was one Sito Jaxa, a Bajoran that had previously been believed dead. That the Cardassians were keeping a Federation officer prisoner--let alone a Bajoran--was quite the slap in the face.
Thus, Odo expected heavy troop deployments to ensure no one discovered this potentially fatal mistake. Yet, as they progressed through the camp . . . they found only minimal forces. These were easily disposed of in discreet manners. “There’s a cave nearby,” Odo said, looking at his tricorder, “they’ll likely have the prisoners’ quarters in there. Save on material for building them actual barracks,” he grunted.
The small team swept forward, dressed in garb similar to that of the prisoners. Odo paused them just within the cave. “I’ll take a look from here. We don’t know what rests ahead.” Shifting into a spider, he scuttled along the walls, taking care to avoid passing guards in the event that one of them was squeamish about spiders.
He knew the face they were looking for, but it was difficult passing by the other laborers. Odo knew his orders . . . extract the officer and leave. But he wasn’t Starfleet. So, one-by-one, he shifted behind the guards, knocking them out and sending the laborers nearby to the entrance of the cave, informing them to tell the people they saw there that Odo said they were coming with them.
He had made his way through the cave entirely when he finally found the last bunch of laborers--and the officer in question. She still wore her uniform, though it was ratty and practically in pieces. Odo swept behind them, then shifted into his humanoid form. A few of the prisoners gasped, startling away at him, but he quickly held up his hands peacefully. “I’m not here to hurt you,” he told them quietly, urgently, “I’m here to rescue you.” His gaze turned to the officer in question. “Sito Jaxa, isn’t it?” he inquired. “There’s Federation officers waiting for you at the entrance to the cave. Take the rest of these people there. I need to find out where the man in charge of this camp is. Have you seen him?”