《The Meeting》 The Arrival (This story takes place around Season 4 of Deep Space Nine, and after all three campaigns in StarCraft 2 but before the epilogue) ¡°Have you heard about a certain young ensign and a certain bajoran officer recently?¡± Dax asked whimsically as Kira passed by on her way to a station. ¡°No, I have not.¡± Kira responded almost flatly as she focuses more on the work than on the conversation. ¡°Well.¡± Dax began, dragging the word out to get her attention. ¡°I happen to know that Ensign Trevors and Officer Liliana are now a couple.¡± Dax finished and just continued to stare at Kira as she worked slower and slower as her mind began to process what was just said. After a few moments of silence she spoke up. ¡°That Liliana?¡± Kira said in disbelief and far louder than she intended. Dax let out a short laugh at Kira¡¯s reaction. ¡°Yes, That Liliana.¡± She said, still jovial at her friend¡¯s late and enthusiastic response. ¡°Well I¡¯ll be.¡± Kira said as she quickly tries to hide her blush and embarrassing moment by turning around and giving a much more subdued response. ¡°I¡¯ll admit I never thought the girl had it in her.¡± Kira said now mostly calmed down. ¡°It¡¯s not like she took the initiative after all. Trevors apparently got her a new earring recently straight from Bajor.¡± Dax said no longer even pretending to work and just fully engaging in her conversation with Dax. ¡°He did what?¡± Kira said, turning around, no longer working herself. She paused for a moment to think. ¡°Apparently I¡¯m much more out of the loop than I originally thought. I didn¡¯t realize it was that serious.¡± She said thinking about her own mess of a love life. She did well to put on a poker face and not let it show, but Dax noticed anyway, choosing instead not to press that issue out of respect for her still bereaved friend. ¡°Yes, that serious.¡± Dax said as she spun around to resume work on her station, leaving Kira just standing there, staring at her for a few moments before going back to work herself. As the conversation died down, Sisko left his office and started to head over to the replicator. ¡°One Raktajino.¡± He said to the replicator. After the whooshing sound finished and the drink was replicated he grabbed it and spun around to see a confused looking Dax. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a little late for a Raktajino?¡± She said, seeing the cup in his hand. Her question then changed once she watched him take the first sip. ¡°No, better question, didn¡¯t you already have one this morning when you got in?¡± Sisko took a few steps closer to her as he finished his sip with a satisfied look. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t seem to shake this tiredness I¡¯ve had since I got in. Worse yet, I have had this weird feeling in my gut all morning.¡± Dax whimsically raised an eyebrow. ¡°Stomach problems? Seems like a good excuse to visit our esteemed Doctor.¡± She said with a smile. Sisko is about to open his mouth to respond when he is cut off by a very concerned looking Dax who is noticing a blinking indicator on her station monitor. ¡°Benjamin? You¡¯d better come take a look at this.¡± She said no longer looking at him but the readout displayed in front of her. Briskly walking over to her station he peered over her shoulder and looked at the readouts. The monitor was indicating some kind of spatial disturbance, the same kind that usually means the wormhole is about to open. ¡°Are we expecting any ships today?¡± He said to the room, or anyone who could more quickly get him the information. ¡°No, the Federation Science Vessel Baochuan isn¡¯t scheduled to return for at least another week and no other ships are scheduled to enter the Gamma Quadrant anytime today.¡± Kira said as she looked over a Padd of data. Sisko paused as he slowly put down his cup. ¡°What are the chances that this is the Dominion?¡± He said as he looked to Dax feeling that the old man¡¯s experience might be the best help here. However her response is unhelpful at best as she just returned his question with a doubtful and worrisome gaze. There were a few moments as the tension hung in the air before Sisko acted. ¡°Red Alert. All hands to battle stations. Whatever is coming out of the wormhole I want us to be sufficiently prepared.¡± As people in Ops begin to scramble to their positions Dax got a better look at the readings. There was something strange about this whole situation. First, the station¡¯s equipment is tuned to be able to pick up the wormhole opening even before they see it occur, but it isn''t so powerful that it can give them this much of a head start. So either the ship in the wormhole is moving very slowly or something else is going on. The second thing she noticed that gave credence to the latter is that the neutrino levels being given off are far too high, much larger than what is given off by the wormhole alone. However it was the third thing that concerned her the most. The neutrinos were not centered at the wormhole like they normally would be, they were off. No, all of the readings were off. It just began to occur to her that there was not one occurrence going on right now, but 3 separate neutrino readings coming through to her. As if 3 separate wormholes were opening up right before her eyes. In all her years of experience nothing like this had occurred. She had no idea what this meant but she knew she had to tell Benjamin. ¡°Benjamin, I think we have a bigger problem.¡± Dax said with a serious and concerned tone. ¡°What is-¡± He began before he was cut off by the sound of the wormhole opening. Right before he saw it open a red wisp that seemed to gather together and form a ball and then shoot off into space, however he had little time to notice that because rather than seeing a ship emerge from the exit instead 3 ships emerge into his view. 3 ships that were unregistered in the Federation Database, and more importantly 3 ships that emerged from somewhere different than the exit of the wormhole. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ¡°What in Sam¡¯s Hell is going on?¡± Raynor said as his ship is rocked by another gravimetric distortion, as their ship was seemingly trapped in some kind of spacial corridor. ¡°I¡¯m not positive sir. Ever since we went to warp we have been trapped in this corridor and haven¡¯t been able to get out.¡± Horner said a bit displeased himself at the lack of progress the engineers on the Hyperion have made. ¡°We¡¯ve been here for 20 godamn minutes, you think someone would have figured something out by now.¡± He turned to the comms station by his chair and hit the button to engineering. ¡°Swann, you got an update for me? Me and the boys are getting real antsy up here.¡± There is a solid ten seconds without a response as the sounds of welding, hammers, and other various tools are used until eventually . ¡°Uhhh, yeah sorry boss. It doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s any problem down here; it must be something external affecting the ship. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything I can do about it. But I gotta warn you, if the engines keep burning this hot we''re gonna have problems that even I can¡¯t fix.¡± Swann said worriedly before he hurries off to go try to figure out how to keep the engine from melting down. ¡°Damn, just what I need.¡± Raynor said a bit less angry than before, having calmed his rage. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure how we got into this mess, one minute we¡¯re picking up our boys from Tarsonis, the next we hit warp and this happens.¡± He said looking at Horner but speaking to no one in particular. With a sigh he sat down in the captain''s chair and looked out the window showing the faint blue glow of whatever had them trapped obscuring any view of stars nearby. ¡°I might be able to shed some light on that.¡± Nova said, her optical camouflage coming down as she revealed herself behind Raynor..The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Nova!¡± Raynor said, jumping to his feet, hand on his revolver. He had no idea what kind of encounter this would be but with Nova it was better to air on the side of caution. ¡°No need for that big boy, I¡¯m just as trapped here as you are.¡± Nova said, her own gun held lazily in front of her pointed at the ground. At this Raynor does relax a bit, taking his hand off the gun, but he does not let his guard down, Nova was far too dangerous to do that. ¡°You know something about this?¡± Raynor asked skeptically as Nova walked around from behind his chair. ¡°Admittedly not as much as I should. I noticed a large Psionic energy wave engulf the ship just as we hit warp, the wave was big but the energy was subtle.¡± She said as she stopped walking and turned to face Raynor again. ¡°Probably why none of the other ghosts here noticed anything.¡± ¡°If I were to guess, this may be less a ¡°something¡± and more a ¡°someone.¡± Nova said as she nonchalauntly turned away and walked over to the window. Raynor followed after her. ¡°You mean to tell me that this thing that has us trapped is a person¡¯s doin¡¯?¡± Raynor said skeptically. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Nova said as she once again faced Raynor. She raises her gun, not pointed at anyone or anything but simply showing she is ready for a fight if one were to break out. ¡°But I intend to find out.¡± Feeling satisfied with herself Nova began to head to the door, only to stop when Raynor spoke up. ¡°I just have one other question.¡± Raynor said with his hand now on his gun and looking at Nova with a stern expression. ¡°What the hell are you doing on my ship?¡± Nova responded without turning around. ¡°I had a mission on Tarsonis when your ship came into orbit, it just seemed like a good way to get off planet at the time.¡± She turned her head back a bit so she could see Raynor in her peripheral. ¡°Satisfied?¡± Raynor lets the tension stay in the air for a moment before taking his hand off his gun and crossing his arms. ¡°For now. But I''ll be keeping an eye on you.¡± Raynor said to her sternly. There was a moment¡¯s pause as Nova looked as if she was about to say something and thought better of it, instead just heading out the door from the bridge. ¡°This whole mess just gets crazier and crazier.¡± Raynor said to himself as he looked back out the window again. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°My Queen, I have looked over the brood we have aboard, it is as you surmised, they are in a hibernative state, shall I send out the queens to wake them?¡± Zagara said to a Kerrigan whose hand is outstretched, touching the walls of the Leviathan seemingly communicating with it. ¡°No, for now I just want all those that are ready to fight simply stay aware of the situation.¡± Kerrigan said as she retracted her hand from the Leviathan. ¡°I will give the orders when it is the time to move.¡± ¡°Yes my Queen.¡± Zagara said with a slight bow as she wandered off to check on other parts of the vessel. ¡°What about the infested, Stukov?¡± She said, already aware of his presence entering the room before he was in her sight. ¡°Ironically they seem as attentive as ever, but since the Psionic wave has encompassed the entire vessel they are running around like chickens with their heads cut off.¡± He said with a smile thinking of the imagery. ¡°Do you believe you could still control them if I willed it?¡± Kerrigan asked, still feeling uneasy about the whole situation. ¡°There may be a few misbehaving children who will ignore me, but yes I doubt it will pose too much of a problem.¡± Stukov said, trying his best to ignore his own draw to the psionic wave outside. ¡°Good, then be on standby in case I need you, but for now leave me to my thoughts.¡± Kerrigan said to Stukov before he nodded and left the room. It was strange there were so few times Kerrigan was left alone since she became the Queen of Blades. Even now she was not truly alone, she could feel the presence of several drones she tasked to work nearby as well as the Leviathan itself. She could even feel Stukov slowly getting further away, but that was it. There was nothing greater, she had never before felt so cut off from the rest of the Swarm. It was almost like she was Human again, her thoughts being her own and not the will of the swarm. It felt¡­ cold¡­ lonely. Something about what has the Leviathan caught was definitely affecting her too, but what truly made it weird was that it was not actually psionic in nature, just something similar. Whatever it was, it seemed to have a death grip on the Leviathan and had no intention of letting go until it achieved its objective. ¡°Intention huh?¡± Kerrigan said to herself as she mulled over the scenario. That was the strangest part, she felt some kind of will behind what was pulling them, it felt like a natural phenomenon but it also was full of intent. Whatever it was she knew there was nothing she could do at this juncture, so with that thought she left the chamber and resumed her walk around the vessel. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°I believe I may have a solution for you, Artanis.¡± Karax said heading up to Artanis, a small crystal floating above his hand. ¡°I am relieved to hear you say that Karax. I was beginning to believe that we might remain trapped in this spatial corridor for the rest of time.¡± Artanis said to Karax honestly. ¡°It appears not so.¡± Karax responded. ¡°The team of phase-smiths you tasked to get the Spear of Adun out of this¡­ spatial anomaly, has come to the conclusion that our destination is not far.¡± ¡°Our¡­ Destination?¡± Artanis said now more confused than before. ¡°Yes sir, I looked over the data myself, we are most certainly heading somewhere.¡± ¡°Then pray tell just where are we going?¡± Artanis said, concerned, but glad that there seems to be some kind of information he has now. ¡°That''s just it sir, we are not sure. It does not appear to be anywhere in the Korpulu sector, or even, if I were to venture a guess, anywhere in our universe.¡± Karax said both excited by the prospect of them leaving the confines of their universe but understanding of Artanis¡¯ position. There was a short pause before Artanis spoke up again. ¡°Tell the phase-smiths that if they cannot get us out of this psionic bubble then they need to at least tell me exactly where we will end up.¡± Artanis said, still flummoxed by the knowledge that they are leaving not only the Koprulu sector behind but the entire universe. It seems far beyond the power of even the Xel''naga. But for now all he could do is wait and hope that the phase-smiths would bring him news soon. ¡°I¡¯ll get right on it sir.¡± Karax said excitedly as he headed off quickly to get back to work. ¡°I knew it was a mistake to come aboard your little Protoss get-together.¡± Alarak said with a snide remark, having heard every word of Karax¡¯s report. ¡°I should have left your little club as soon as our objectives were met. I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with such drivel if I were back on Slayn.¡± ¡°However our objectives are not yet met, Alarak.¡± Artanis said to him sharply. ¡°Amon still roams free and although we have freed most of the protoss from his command and assembled the greatest fleet since our golden age nothing is over until he is dealt with.¡± ¡°And look where that got us. Trapped. Lost. And leaving the universe behind us.¡± Alarak said as he strided up to Artanis. ¡°Perhaps if we were under my leadership as I suggested we would not be in this predicament at all.¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Talandar said, stepping in. ¡°I shall not permit you to insult Artanis any further.¡± Talandar placed himself directly in front of Artanis to block Alarak¡¯s advance. ¡°Or what? You¡¯re going to fight me? Ha. Don¡¯t make me laugh.¡± Alarak said, seeming ready for a fight. ¡°You and your purifier friends can just hide away in your coding while the Tal''darim do the real fighting.¡± Artanis, wanting to end this before it gets bigger, stepped in. ¡°That is enough. Is it not evident that in a situation such as this it is more prudent to come together to face the unknown together rather than fighting apart? The Daelaam, the Purifiers, the Nerazim, and the Tal¡¯Darim have all come together for this, there is no reason for infighting now.¡± Artanis said, looking at a representative of each Protoss as he does. Alarak just scoffed and backed off. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll play your little game for now, Artanis. But know this.¡± Alarak said, looking Artanis dead in the eyes. ¡°The Tal¡¯Darim will not stand idly by as you continue to stack failure upon failure. Being as magnanimous as I am I shall let this one slide, but there shall be no more freebies.¡± Having finished what he wanted to say Alarak walked off leaving everyone else on the bridge behind. Artanis just sighs to himself. He understood Alarak¡¯s position all too well. It was, in a way, his fault that they were in this situation, and as the Highlord of the Tal¡¯Darim Alarak had a responsibility to his people, as did he to his. But he also knew that such bickering between factions was what created the divides in the first place and that it had no place in a crisis such as this. However just as he was thinking these thoughts he got a transmission from Karax. ¡°Sir, I believe we are coming up to our destination.¡± Karax said now even more excited than he was previously, despite his attempts to seem otherwise. ¡°Have you figured out where we are yet?¡± Artanis responded quickly. ¡°Unfortunately we will not know where we are until we have arrived at our destination. But if I were to speculate I would guess that we are no longer in our universe as I originally suspected.¡± Karax¡¯s words radiated deeply within Artanis. The gravity of the problem hit him full force. ¡°Well then.¡± Artanis began as he looked over to Selendis who had just finished giving orders to some templar. ¡°Let us hope we are not immediately met in battle when we leave the Psionic field. But if we are, we shall meet them in kind.¡± Artanis then turned around to look out the front viewer and saw what looked to be the exit to a wormhole open up, in the distance he saw a blue planet he did not recognize as well as a space station of an odd design greeting them not far away. A quick glance at the readout in front of him told him that the station was shielded and armed, heavily. ¡°Templar¡­ Ready for battle.¡± Chapter 2 ¡°Worf, I''m glad you are here.¡± Sisko said as Worf arrived on the turbolift. He looked as if he was about to give an excuse for his tardiness but Sisko cut him off by continuing. ¡°Give me a full tactical update on the status of shields and weapons on the station.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Worf said as he hurried to his position at tactical. ¡°Dax, I want to know exactly what we are dealing with here. And can you get it up on the main viewer?¡± ¡°Right away Benjamin.¡± She said as she quickly, and dexterously began to navigate the control terminal to begin the scans whilst simultaneously putting the image she saw on the main viewer. What is revealed to the room is beyond all expectations. The first thing anyone on the station noticed was a ship that was so large that not a soul on the station could even call it a ship, it was practically like looking at a small moon. It dwarfed the station making the ship seem like it could easily engulf the entirety of Deep Space Nine. The designs on it were weird as well, conforming to no known design specifications of any race the federation was aware of. The entire ship was shaped like a hollow cone with golden metal making up the shell. The center of the cone was a massive crystal surrounded in the same strange metal the ship was made out of. The ship also seemed to radiate its own blue energy. On top of all of that it had no obvious means of propulsion, of course some could speculate on how it may move but at the moment it seemed just as much a mystery as everything else. However while this was the first thing that they noticed it was not the thing that caught their attention the longest. It was the next ship. The first thought that went through Sisko¡¯s was the report of the Enterprise¡¯s encounter with the spacefaring lifeform dubbed ¡°Tin Man¡± or as it referred to itself Gomtuu. This vessel, if one could even consider it that, was of massive size itself dwarfing the station as well. However what caught their eye about it, and the thing that made Sisko think of Tin Man, was the fact it looked wholly organic, not a ship in the traditional sense but a living breathing creature, somehow able to maneuver and survive in space. There seemed to be no technology at all on this creature and its long, massive tendrils hung low below the belly of this beast, seemingly looking for prey. The Fleshy exterior and pulsating glow on its rear, ignited the imaginations of every Starfleet officer in Ops, though the opposite was true for every Bajoran officer there too. Finally there was the ship that hardly anyone noticed at first glance. It too was large, though compared to the first ship it looked tiny. Its design was a lot more recognizable though still alien with its shape resembling that of a hammerhead shark, its engines clearly on the wings. If it were to have appeared alone it would have garnered significant attention due to the irregularity of the affair and the unknown unmarked ship menacingly sitting not far from DS9. However due to the arrival of the other two ships this third one was rather easy to overlook. ¡°Worf I need that tactical update.¡± Sisko said with a bit more urgency in his voice. ¡°Shields holding stable at 97%, all photon launchers and phaser banks are charged and ready.¡± ¡°Dax, I need that scan report now.¡± Sisko said simply internalizing the tactical report for the moment. Jadzia hesitated as she looked over the readings and struggled to come up with the best way to relay the information. ¡°Now, old man.¡± Sisko said, hurriedly again. ¡°The smallest of the three I was able to get scans of, crew numbers in the several thousands, no shields, heavy armor, and only minimal laser based weaponry, their main armaments are kinetic based.¡± Dax said just finishing her first report. There was a weird sense of relief that came with this report for Sisko. From the sounds of it the first ship was antiquated, outdated weapons from bygone eras, and they lack even basic shield technology. However his heart began to sink once Dax continued. ¡°The middle ship, if you can call it that, I don¡¯t even know what to do with these readings. There are either millions on board that thing or there is only one, scans are inconclusive. But as far as weapons go I can¡¯t find any.¡± Dax finally looked up from her station to the main viewer and looked at the massive moon-like ship. ¡°As for that thing the scanners can only barely penetrate its hull, I can tell you there are life forms on board but I can¡¯t tell you how many, nor can I tell you what kind of weapons they have just that they have a lot.¡± Tension fills the room as silence is left to linger. Kira walks over to Sisko slowly. ¡°Who do you think they are?¡± She asked, her voice filled with the same determination she had back when she was a freedom fighter. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Sisko said with a slight pause before continuing. ¡°But I intend to find out.¡± He walks closer to the main viewer. ¡°I want you to send out all hailing frequencies on every channel, if that doesn''t work try it again.¡± He said as he turned back around to his staff. ¡°Sir.¡± Horner said with slight hesitation. ¡°The station seems to be¡­ scanning us?¡± He paused for a moment as he looked through the data he was getting. ¡°The radiation beam they are sending out is not harmful but it is penetrating our hull and scanning every deck.¡± ¡°Well, is there anything you can do to stop them?¡± Raynor said mildly worried. ¡°No sir but¡­ no, they¡¯ve stopped and begun to scan the Leviathan.¡± Horner said as he did not take his eyes off his feed. ¡°Damn, this just keeps getting stranger and stranger.¡± Raynor said, sitting straight up in his chair. Kerrigan can feel the scanning wave flow over her, it was not harmful nor was it unpleasant, from her perspective it was like a ray of light washed over her mind and body. She thought for a moment if she should take aggressive action but there were still too many unknowns. Not only was she in an unknown sector, but she was also near a Dominion and Protoss ship. For now she would bide her time and find out what this station wanted. She could, however, take solace in the fact that her control over the swarm had returned as soon as the psionic wave had left the ship. Once more she could hear the call of the swarm, and that fact, at least, felt comforting. ¡°I would like to report that a low level radiation is being emitted from the station. It appears as though they are¡­ scanning us?¡± Karax said over the holo monitor Artanis had. ¡°Though the technology is primitive it has managed to penetrate our ship to an extent, though its effectiveness has dropped significantly once it got through. There¡¯s no telling what they found out.¡± ¡°Anything?¡± Sisko asked for a third time as the hailing request was once again ignored. He looked over to Dax who just shook her head. ¡°Damn!¡± Sisko said working himself up a little. However before he can start thinking up a new plan Dax spoke up. ¡°Wait, Benjamin, what if we didn''t use subspace communications? If we send out a message through more¡­ traditional means we might get a response.¡± Dax said, choosing the word ¡°traditional¡± carefully because she remembered an earlier lifetime when using such communications was commonplace. ¡°Do it, even if we have to try radiowaves I want you to give it a shot. Hell, if we gotta, poke a hole through a cup and run a string through it, whatever we have to do to get some sort of communication going.¡± Sisko said, a bit more hopeful at the new idea. ¡°I just gotta¡­ there!¡± Dax said, having just finished making the necessary changes to her station. ¡°We are now hailing on every frequency the station will put out. Even the string in the cup.¡± She said with a lighthearted smile to Sisko. There was a long silence as everyone waited with bated breath. Ten seconds go by, then twenty, thirty, forty, as a minute hits there is a response ping. ¡°Benjamin, I think we got something.¡± Dax said excitedly. ¡°This is Captain Benjamin Sisko of the United Federation of Planets, commander of this space station. You have entered into Bajoran space, please state your intentions.¡± Sisko said reciting protocol. He was of course nervous about what kind of response he would get but his years at the academy taught him that in first contact it''s best to run by the rule book as much as you can and after that you can improvise. Since he had been commander of this station he¡¯s already had to put this practice to the test and so far, while it has caused some issues, it has not let him down. Besides, when in doubt, there is a Starfleet protocol to rely on, it may as well be an axiom considering how true it was. There was more silence for about half a minute before some static began to come through, clearing up as Dax tuned the communications equipment to the proper frequency. ¡°-Dominion. Repeat this is Jim Raynor, commander of the Hyperion of the Terran Dominion. Unidentified Space station we have found ourselves lost after encountering some kind of¡­ spatial anomaly. Do you read us?¡± ¡°Yes Commander Raynor.¡± Sisko said with a sigh of relief. ¡°We read you here.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned.¡± Raynor said with a sigh of relief of his own. ¡°And here I was thinking that we were gonna continue this little showdown indefinitely. It sure is good to hear someone on the other end.¡± ¡°I assure you we feel the same here.¡± Sisko said with a small smile. ¡°Do you have visual communication equipment?¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°That we do. Do you want me to patch you to the big screen?¡± Raynor said sitting back into his chair, most of the tension gone from his face. ¡°Our communication¡¯s equipment seems incompatible with yours for the moment. Give our engineers a minute to recalibrate.¡± Sisko said before turning to look at O¡¯Brien and nodding. Nodding back, O¡¯Brien grabs a tool box off the wall and crawls under one of the terminals to get to work. ¡°In the meantime are you familiar with the other two vessels nearby? They are not responding to our hails.¡± ¡°Ah, that''s Ol¡¯ Arty and Kerrigan¡¯s ships. You contacted us on an old carrier frequency that isn''t something we use frequently so I think they just must have missed it. I¡¯ll get in contact with them and set up a little pow wow between all of us, I think we all might have some questions to ask.¡± Raynor said as he motioned to Horner to get in contact with the other two vessels. ¡°I¡¯ll contact you on this same frequency when I get in touch with them.¡± ¡°Understood Commander.¡± Sisko said as he closed the channel. ¡°O¡¯Brien, I expect to have visuals by the time Captain Raynor contacts us again.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± O¡¯Brien said without leaving his position on his back under the terminal. Sisko can only look back at Kira and Dax and sigh. The day had just started but it looked like it was going to be a long day. After about ten minutes had passed the station began to receive the signal Raynor said he would send. ¡°This is Raynor, can you hear me?¡± Raynor said, confirming that the communications equipment on both ends is working properly. ¡°Yes, I can hear you, commander.¡± Sisko replied. ¡°Raynor will do fine captain.¡± Raynor said with a small laugh. ¡°Understood Raynor. We are all set here with our visual display. Can you see us? ¡±Hold on a moment.¡± Raynor said as he swaps the com line to the visual one. It was then that the shock came. On both ends the people speaking were¡­ at least visually¡­ human? Truthfully it was more of a shock to the crew on Deep Space 9 than it was for the crew of the Hyperion, but still both were a bit surprised to see a human face. Raynor seemed to be a 30 something looking man with a gruff beard and leather jacket over top a white shirt and several bandoliers, while he himself looked young the way he carried himself gave one the impression of experience beyond his years. However, as much as his gut told him that Raynor, and presumably his crew, were genuine humans, he had met enough human-similar species, even in the academy, to know not to question it. At least not right now, he had more important things to talk about first. ¡°Were you able to get in contact with the other two vessels, Raynor?¡± Sisko said almost excited to meet even more mysterious captains. ¡°I was, hang on a moment, I''ll get them on the line.¡± Raynor said, nodding to his man on comms. There are a few moments with just Raynor on screen looking off at his man sitting outside of view before two other people join the call. One is a dark skinned woman with hair that could only be described as¡­ bonelike? Coming out of her head. Furthermore, although it is cut off by the perspective on screen it is clear she has some kind of wings coming out of her back that also look like bones at first glance. Her chest and upper body, as much as they could see of it, looked more insect-like with an exoskeleton surrounding it. However her face was humanoid, and might be mistaken for such at a glance if not for her piercing eyes that glowed a bright purple. On the other screen a man that seemed to be wearing some elaborate kind of clothing and headdress, perhaps armor, stood staring at them with his own piercing blue eyes. However while the insect-like woman could pass off as a human in very specific scenarios, this man could not. His face had no orifices, no mouth or nose, and he was a pale white, however due to the elaborate clothing he wore nothing more could be discerned about his features. ¡°I am the Queen of Blades, leader of the Swarm, you may call me Kerrigan.¡± The insect lady said taking a neutral stance to the situation, while she trusted Raynor¡¯s gut feeling about these people she had her own brood to think about and couldn¡¯t just blindly trust him. ¡°I am Hierarch Artanis, Leader of the Daelaam, on board the Spear of Adun.¡± The pale man said with a slight nod to indicate his sincerity. ¡°If I may be so bold as to cut to the chase, my ship''s instruments are reading different star formations than anything on board our vessel. Can you tell us where we are?¡± ¡°You have entered the Bajoran system near the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant. Where do your instruments say that you are Hierarch?¡± Sisko said turning the question around in the hopes he can get some answers himself. ¡°Artanis will do, captain. And that is just it, our instruments do not seem to be able to tell us where we are at all.¡± Artanis looked off to the side for a moment seeming to confirm something and collect his thoughts. ¡°Our phase-smiths told us that the same psionic wave that brought us here took us not only out of the Koprulu sector but out of our universe.¡± This took the other three in the call by surprise, no one truly had a good way of responding to that. Sisko looked over at Dax for confirmation but she had as little idea about it as he did, Kerrigan looked in almost disbelief, however Raynor was the first to speak up. ¡°Artanis, you saying we were flung not out of the sector but out of the Universe?¡± ¡°That is indeed what I am saying, friend Raynor.¡± Artanis replies back. ¡°That is not possible. I will contact that swarm on Char and confirm that¡­¡± However Kerrigan went silent as she seemed to stare off into space. Moments of silence followed only broken by Kerrigan finally speaking up. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t contact any of my swarm outside the ones on the Leviathan right now. It¡¯s like I¡¯m cut off.¡± Kerrigan looked far more distraught now than she did before. ¡°If I may be so bold as to ask.¡± Stukov, a human looking man with pale-white skin, glowing orange eyes, and a massive tumor growing over his entire left arm that seemed to have grown over top of his jet black uniform said. Kerrigan shot him an angry look but said nothing. ¡°You are Terrans, correct?¡± ¡°Our species is known as Human, but we are aware of another species who share our genealogy who call themselves Terran, however they too are from another universe.¡± Sisko said, hoping he¡¯s catching on to a lead. ¡°Tell me does the Terran Empire ring a bell? Or how about the Alliance? Are Terrans treated as slaves by other races in your universe?¡± The other three look at each other in confusion. ¡°I guess that''s a no.¡± Sisko said with a short laugh. ¡°Our only encounter with another universe is one we refer to as the mirror universe; it is similar to ours but wholly different at the same time. It would take too long to explain and I doubt any of you want to hear such a story right now.¡± ¡°I hate to interrupt this brainstorming session but my chief engineer is telling me that the engine is completely shot and we can¡¯t do much more than thrusters right now, any chance you might be willing to lend us a hand at repairs, we¡¯d gladly compensate ya for your trouble.¡± Raynor said, not wanting to end the conversation as is but realizing he might have a bigger issue with his engine if he doesn''t address it now. ¡°Of course, we¡¯d be glad to help.¡± Sisko said, almost glad that engine troubles are pushing away the current issue. Not only was there nothing he could do immediately to help with their ¡°out of universe¡± experience, but repair and maintenance is often the best way to bridge cultural gaps and create trust, besides he had a chief of operations who would probably love to see how something that archaic actually ran. ¡°We can beam aboard a repair crew to look over the damage if you¡¯d like or if you want you can maneuver your ship to dock at upper pylon three.¡± ¡°Beam?¡± Raynor said quizzically for a moment before he seemed to understand what he meant. ¡°No, I''ll just take my ship and dock at your station. I prefer my meetings to be face to face anyway.¡± Raynor said as he motioned to his helm to take them towards the station. ¡°As do I.¡± Sisko said with his best smile on. ¡°The same offer extends to both of you as well, though I doubt either of your ships will be able to successfully dock with the station.¡± ¡°I shall accept your invitation then.¡± Artanis said as he looked at his bridge crew. ¡°If you would be so kind as to allow us to project a power field onto your station we can warp in right away.¡± Sisko looked at Artanis confused for a bit before responding. ¡°A power field?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Artanis said back almost as confused as Sisko is. ¡°In order for us to be able to warp over to your station a stable power field must be erected. It is not harmful nor will it damage your station. The Spear of Adun is capable of creating powerfields anywhere without the assistance of pylons.¡± Sisko just looked over to O¡¯Brien for confirmation of this but O¡¯Brien seemed to understand as little as he did. He was beginning to understand that this was one of those days that he would just have to take everything on the cuff. ¡°Understood you are cleared to make use of Cargo Bay 5, it''s empty right now and should be able to¡­ accept your powerfield.¡± Sisko said trying his best to adapt his terminology. ¡°Much appreciated captain, I shall make the preparations right away and¡­¡± Artanis said before his is cut off by another voice off screen that is too inaudible to be heard. There is a look of confusion? Worry? Apprehension? On Artanis¡¯ face before he turned back and continued. ¡°If you might excuse me for asking, my chief phase-smith would prefer to be brought to your station via your own teleportation array, if that is not asking too much.¡± Artanis said, afraid he might be overstepping his bounds just to please Karax. ¡°That can be arranged, but you will need to drop your shields for us to beam him over.¡± Sisko said as he motioned for someone to get to the transporter controls. There is a serious look of worry on Artanis¡¯ face after Sisko mentioned dropping their shields. ¡°Do not worry we intend no harm, but our transporters are unable to work properly through shielding.¡± Sisko said, trying to assuage his fears. There are several moments of hesitation as Artanis said nothing before he motions to someone off screen. ¡°Understood I will make the arrangements as well as send you our phase-smith¡¯s coordinates in a moment.¡± Artanis said, nodding politely and turning off communication. ¡°I shall board your station as well, but I will need some time to have Abathur modify one of our overlords to transport me to your station.¡± Kerrigan said as she too turned off the communication. ¡°I¡¯m about to dock with your upper pylon, it looks like it¡¯ll be a tight fit but my helmsman said he can wrangle it. It¡¯ll be a pleasure to meet you soon, captain.¡± Raynor said with a smile. ¡°I look forward to it as well, Raynor.¡± Sisko said before Raynor turned off his communicator as well. Sisko turned around to face his officers. ¡°Kira, Dax, with me.¡± He then taps his comm badge and continues. ¡°Sisko to Odo.¡± ¡°Odo here, what do you need, captain?¡± Odo responded in his usual manner. ¡°We will be receiving a lot of guests shortly.¡± Sisko began, pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts, however Odo took the hesitation as an invitation to speak. ¡°Do you want me to beef up security on the station?¡± Odo said assuming the ¡°guests¡± either mean hostiles or the rowdy types. ¡°No, just have your teams aware that the visitors might not know the rules around here so try to cut them some slack.¡± There was some hesitation from Odo before he spoke up. ¡°Understood captain, Odo out.¡± Sisko was about to leave with Kira and Dax but then turned back around. ¡°Chief, I want you to come with us too, we will meet up with Commander Raynor and then you can head on in to see what kind of repairs need to be done. Also will someone tell the Doctor to be ready to Triage if needed, they didn''t ask for it but it''s possible they may need some medical assistance.¡± Sisko said before turning back around and heading to the turbolift. ¡°Right away sir.¡± O¡¯Brien responded quickly following him onto the turbo lift. Chapter 3 The four of them stood just outside the docking bay doors waiting for Raynor to emerge. Sisko regretted that he didn''t have time to change into his dress uniform but he can only do so much when the situation itself didn''t give him much time, for now he would just have to hope they are satisfied with his normal uniform. Though somehow he doubted Raynor would care. As the door slowly opened the first thing Sisko saw is Raynor flanked to his left by Horner, a man who looked to be about the same age as Raynor, however he was clean shaven, his fancy black and gold shirt and pants were well tailored and ironed, and he carried himself far more professionally than Raynor. Behind him however, grabbed his attention the most as the hulking men in blue powersuits were carrying huge rifles of some kind. Sisko had to swallow his first instinct to assume this was an attack and go ahead believing this was a misunderstanding. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you, commander.¡± Raynor said with a full smile, his hand extended to Sisko. Sisko knew immediately that this was not a slight and he now had the daunting task of asking Raynor to disarm. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you as well, I¡¯m planning on having all three heads gather in our boardroom as soon as everyone arrives, but¡­¡± Sisko hesitated to ask about the marines. However Raynor noticed and spoke up first. ¡°Oh them? Some of my boys were worried and decided to run protection detail is all, nothing to be worrying about.¡± ¡°I can appreciate that, but my station is not a military outpost but a civilian one. If you were to bring those weapons onto the station I¡¯m afraid some people might begin to get the wrong idea.¡± Sisko said trying his best to be diplomatic about it. There is some slight hesitation from Raynor before he concedes. ¡°Understood captain, we are on your home turf after all.¡± He said before turning around to the Marines. ¡°Armaments back boys, there ain¡¯t gonna be no fight here anyhow so might as well get cozy with the local constabulary.¡± Raynor turned back around to face Sisko. ¡°Acceptable?¡± Raynor said no hint of malice in words. ¡°Much appreciated, I¡¯ll ensure the constable overlooks the powersuits you bring aboard.¡± Sisko said both playing into Raynor¡¯s words and referencing Odo¡¯s own nickname at the same time. ¡°Oh, this is my first officer Major Kira Nerys, my chief scientist Jadzia Dax, and my Chief of Operations Miles O¡¯Brien.¡± Sisko said just realizing that he got too caught up in the disarming process that he forgot to introduce his officers. ¡°Mr. O¡¯Brien will be checking over your ship to figure out what kind of repairs you will need if that is alright with you.¡± ¡°Fine by me, he is welcome aboard, just look for Swann, he¡¯ll point you to the problem.¡± Raynor said as he looked over to O¡¯Brien. ¡°Very good sir, I¡¯ll get to work right away.¡± O¡¯Brien said with a nod to both Raynor and Sisko. ¡°This here is Horner, he just came to make sure I keep my head on straight.¡± Raynor said with a small laugh. ¡°Sir.¡± Horner groans at Raynor¡¯s bad joke. He then extends his hand to Sisko himself. ¡°Admiral Horner, pleasure to meet you.¡± Horner said with a smile. Sisko firmly took his hand and shook it. ¡°The pleasure is all mine.¡± ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At first O¡¯Brien thought that it would be a cinch to find the engine room, despite how big it was, however he found out very quickly that while the ship was full of long hallways and vast corridors, it was not easily navigable without someone directing him, luckily he found a few people to help him navigate around and finally arrived at the engine room. ¡°Excuse me?¡± O¡¯Brien said loudly to be heard over the sounds of the mechanics working on everything. ¡°I was told to look for Mr. Swann.¡± Moments after O¡¯Brien said that a man wearing greasy orange coveralls and a mechanical left arm came out to speak. ¡°Eh, just drop the Mr and call me Swann.¡± Swann said coming out from behind a support strut he was working on and offered his hand, covered in dirt and grease to O¡¯Brien. He thought nothing of it and shook his hand readily. ¡°I was told you had some engine problems?¡± ¡°Yeah, 9 of the 12 Fission-Fragments are burnt out, 5 of the warp drive generators are fried, and the fusion reactor keeps jumping in between stable and close to meltdown. So far I¡¯ve been doing what I can to keep it from tearing itself apart but without any replacement parts there¡¯s not much I can do.¡± Swann said while he took a towel off a workbench nearby and wiped his hands a little. ¡°Well, lead me to it and I¡¯ll take a look, I may not know much about Fission-Fragments but I certainly know my way around a warp drive.¡± O¡¯Brien said as he followed closely behind Swann through the room. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Let me be the first to welcome you to Deep Space Nine, circumstances aside, it''s always a pleasure to meet new people. Starfleet''s mission is to seek out new life and new civilizations after all, and I certainly think this qualifies.¡± Sisko said with a smile to the leaders in the boardroom. Among whom are Sisko, Kira, Dax, Bashir, and Worf representing Deep Space Nine. For the Hyperion it is Raynor, Horner, and the two marines who came with them. Artanis came with Selendis, a female Protoss,with much thinner features and wearing significantly less clothing than Artanis but with the same kind of golden design. Karax, a slightly larger protoss with a more bulky clothing design as well as a red and gold robe overtop his shoulders that went all the way down to the floor. Lastly Vorazun, another female protoss wearing clothes that could almost be described as ancient arabian, thin purple cloth and light armor. Since Talandar was a bit too big to freely roam the halls of DS9, and Alarak, in his own words ¡°wanted no part of this farce.¡± Neither showed up to the meeting. Finally representing the Swarm, Kerrigan only brought along Stukov since she felt that any negotiation that might be necessary he might be the most helpful. Introductions had already been made so all that was left was discussions. Raynor seemed to be getting into the spirit of cooperation already, looking far more relaxed than he did before, a glass of synthehol whiskey in his hand. Artanis was still feeling quite out of place but very glad that this ¡°Captain Sisko¡± was a friendly man who does not have any xenophobic tendencies. However Kerrigan was not in the mood to play diplomat and that showed in her expression. ¡°Allow me to cut right to the chase.¡± Kerrigan said, not feeling comfortable playing buddy-buddy with strangers. ¡°I do not currently possess the strength necessary to bring us back to our universe. Are you able to?¡± ¡°You mean you can go back on your own if you are strong enough?¡± Sisko asked, confused by her words. ¡°Perhaps.¡± Kerrigan said as she balls her hand into a fist. ¡°My connection to the swarm is cut off but I can still feel the pull of the wake of the wave that brought us here, like an echo in a chamber. I can still access it, however I do not possess the strength to tear a passage open.¡± Sisko was caught off guard, playing with celestial forces like that was the realm of the gods¡­ no, the realm of the Q. However he quickly shoved that out of his head for the moment and moved on.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Does that mean you can pinpoint exactly where the wave that brought you here is?¡± Sisko asked, trying to get a feel for the depth of her abilities. ¡°I believe I can, but it is still moving around this system, in the time we have been here it has already made two full rotations through the entire system so pinning it down is difficult even for me.¡± ¡°That may be good enough.¡± Karax said quickly. ¡°Much of the systems on board the Spear of Adun are functionally properly but running at 50% output for reasons I have yet to discern. If you can get its exact location down for me I might be able to direct a psionic blast powerful enough that it should rip open a hole.¡± ¡°Were you not listening, Karax? I said I can¡¯t pinpoint its location, just a general one.¡± Kerrigan responded sharply. ¡°No, that might be enough.¡± Dax interjects. ¡°If you can give us the general location we might be able to rig a buoy to ping us everytime the wave passes by. Of course getting such a precise shot when the wave is moving so fast might give some problems of its own.¡± Dax said trailing off as she began to think of the technical difficulties. ¡°That may still suffice, the timing would need to be precise but if I can get the Spear of Adun to fire the blast slightly before the wave hits the buoy it might be just enough to rip a hole back to our universe.¡± Karax said, thinking right off Dax¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Will that give us enough time to get all of our ships out of here?¡± Raynor asked, giving voice to a genuine concern. ¡°No, the blast would only open a corridor for a few microseconds, unless we manage to squeeze in that window it would still be for nothing.¡± Karax responded back realizing that this too might be a dead end. ¡°No wait¡­ what if we were to force it to stay open?¡± Dax said, looking back up at the room. ¡°If we outfit the Deflector Dish to give off antiprotons in the direction of the hole we might be able to hold it open long enough to let them through.¡± Dax said now excited that there seems to be a viable plan. ¡°Wait, wait, wait. So let me get this straight.¡± Kira said, interjecting this moment before it flies off the wall. ¡°You want to send out a buoy to ping the moment the wave passed, have the blast fire just moments before the wave will cross the area, and then send out antiprotons to keep the hole open. Even putting the practicality of the plan aside, I gotta ask, are you guys going to be able to close that hole or do we know for a fact that the hole will close itself?¡± Kira said skeptical on all levels that this plan will work. The room fell to silence as the minds thought over the validity of the plan again. ¡°There is a possibility of the hole not closing even after we end the beam from the Deflector Dish.¡± Dax said a bit deflated. ¡°The psionic residue left over from the blast might actually backfire and stabilize it, especially if you are using anti protons.¡± Karax adds in. ¡°Then Bajor can¡¯t condone this, I¡¯m sorry but between you and Bajor I gotta think about the planet¡¯s safety here. I can¡¯t risk opening a hole to another dimension right in Bajor''s backyard. Especially so close to the wormhole, the Prophets¡­¡± Kira stopped when she looked over to Sisko who was just staring at her, he had not said a word nor did his look convey any meaning but she knew it was time to shut her mouth. More silence filled the room as the plan seemed to finally have hit a wall. That is until Bashir spoke up. ¡°A suture.¡± Bashir said almost out of nowhere. ¡°In medicine when you have a wound too big to heal naturally you force the wound closed with artificial means to help it speed up the natural healing process. Can the same not be applied here?¡± Bashir asked the room, unsure whether or not his idea is sound. ¡°Wait, doctor, let me get this straight you¡¯re suggesting we¡­ sew up the hole in space?¡± Raynor said skeptically. ¡°Maybe not exactly so, but yes I am.¡± Bashir said back, still unsure if the idea will work. ¡°Well I¡¯ve never dealt with Psionics before,¡± Dax hesitantly began. ¡°But if you want to close a hole like that you want to flood the area with leptons, the problem is the amount of power needed to close the hole would need the Deflector Dish again, but that will be burnt out just by forcing the hole open in the first place.¡± ¡°What if we were to let the Leptons go in our wake?¡± Karax said, jumping back in. ¡°If we were able to release a cloud of Leptons behind us as we enter the hole the leptons might gravitate to the edges of it and pull it closed.¡± Karax said before adding an addendum. ¡°Of course this is all in theory, there is no way to know for certain if any of this will actually work.¡± ¡°Well I think it''s our best shot to get you home, what do you say Benjamin?¡± Sisko looked around the room, imagining how he would feel if he was in their situation but he could only think of one thing. Jake. And how if he never made it back how his son would have to grow up without a father. And that is a scenario he doesn''t want to imagine. ¡°We will go ahead with the plan, but I want you to ensure that all necessary precautions are being taken.¡± He said to Dax and Karax. ¡°Of course, Ben.¡± ¡°I promise you I will be as thorough as possible.¡± ¡°Good then I think we have a plan to go forward with.¡± Sisko said, standing up a little. ¡°That¡¯s all well and good but I still have not heard how long this plan of yours will take to complete.¡± Kerrigan said a bit forcefully, finally speaking up after a long silence. She looked to both Dax and Karax to confirm. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, the deflector dish modifications will take some time to complete and I¡¯d need to talk to the Chief to find out how long that will take.¡± Dax said with a shrug. ¡°I''m no engineer, but I¡¯d guess a month? Really depends how long the Chief needs. Besides that it just comes down to us being able to learn to track the wave and actually hit our target.¡± ¡°I¡¯d venture to say that assessment would be accurate, with the Spear of Adun operating below peak efficiency it will take time to charge the psionic blast needed to open the hole, but I believe within a month I can have a few shots ready. ¡°Then the plan is set, I shall offer the full support of the phase-smiths and any other resource you may need to complete the project Captain Sisko.¡± Artanis said standing up. ¡°I can¡¯t offer much but me and my boys will do whatever we can.¡± Raynor adds in. ¡°Just tell me when you are ready to track the wave and I shall use the full extent of my powers to assist you.¡± Kerrigan said to Dax, which she returned with a smile. ¡°Good then, I believe we know what we are all doing, now we just need to-¡± Sisko said before being cut off by a chime from his communicator. ¡°Odo to Captain Sisko, do you read me?¡± Odo said, a bit more annoyed than usual. Sisko paused for a moment looking around the room deciding if it was fine to answer the call here. After no more than a moment¡¯s hesitation he responded. ¡°Yes Odo I read you.¡± ¡°Captain, I have a vedek here who goes by the name Jevian. He said he needs to meet you urgently.¡± ¡°Vedek Jevian? I know him.¡± Kira said more surprised than anything. Benjamin looked over to her. ¡°He¡¯s a bookworm, spends all day in the temple studying and praying to the prophets, I don¡¯t know the last time he left the monastery.¡± Benjamin just looked at her quizzically and then responded to Odo. ¡°Can it not wait Odo?¡± ¡°Apparently not, he said he was sent by the prophets to give you a message, and he brought an orb.¡± Odo said with a small scoff. However this was anything but a light remark to Sisko, he knew full well how the orbs were treated as the highest of holy objects on Bajor. Each one is heavily guarded and kept deep within the monasteries across Bajor. There is of course the one on the station, but besides that they are very rarely brought off-world since the Cardassians stole them during the occupation. This had just become a much more serious matter. Sisko looked around the room once more and decided that his work here was done and he had a new task to complete. ¡°If you pardon me it appears that I¡¯m needed.¡± Sisko said as he hurried out of the room. Seeing the situation and knowing that not only as his first officer but as a man highly respected in her faith Kira decided to pick up now that he was gone. ¡°Alright, it seems we have the plan so lets go about getting this thing done right. The captain has arranged quarters for all of you if you wish to stay, but you are more than welcome to return to your ships. In addition if any of your men want to come to the station for relaxation it is permitted. We just ask that you respect our policies and do not carry any weapons on the main decks, including the promenade. One of the officers outside can lead you to your rooms if you wish, otherwise we will remain in close contact, feel free to get in touch with us if you need something.¡± Kira said, finishing the discussion in Sisko¡¯s stead. Chapter 4 As everyone began filtering out of the room Karax walked over to Jadzia to talk. ¡°I must say, it is rare that one so young as you is so well versed in astrophysics.¡± Karax said, his eyes practically sparkling. ¡°I¡¯ll take the flattery, but I''ll let you know that I¡¯m over 300 years old.¡± Jadzia said, a hand on her hip. ¡°Oh, my apologies, I did not realize Terrans were capable of living so long.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not Terran either, I¡¯m a Trill.¡± She said as she turned to the side to show her neck. ¡°See the spots?¡± Karax looked at her confused for a moment before understanding. ¡°Many apologies, I did not mean to offend you. I have never met a species that so closely resembles the Terrans and yet are not one of them.¡± Jadzia takes it in stride and just laughs. ¡°It''s no problem, I¡¯ve never met one of your kind before either, so we can call it even.¡± Dax said her hand outstretched for a handshake ¡°It will be a pleasure working with you Dax.¡± Karax said, shaking her hand vigorously. ¡°Jadzia is fine, and it will be fun working with you too.¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ¡°If I may be so forward to say I¡¯m very interested in your body.¡± Bashir said to Kerrigan as she strided off from the boardroom. Kerrigan turned around and shot him a death glare and Stukov, who was only a few feet away burst out into laughter. ¡°If you wish to keep your tongue you will never utter those words to me again.¡± Kerrigan said before turning back around and continuing walking. Bashir, intimidated, but not daunted, ran back after her and continued. ¡°I apologize that that came out wrong. Allow me to try again.¡± He said as he ran in front of Kerrigan. ¡°I have a suspicion that your body would prove to be a fascinating medical topic. If you would allow me to study you¡­¡± He said before Kerrigan walked right up to him and stared right into his soul with her glowing eyes. ¡°Consider it an act of respect for your captain that I do not kill you where you stand Doctor.¡± Kerrigan held her position for a moment longer before she walked past the doctor back down the hall to the overlord that brought her here. ¡°If you want my medical opinion, she could use a bit more contact with others but eh, what do I know?¡± Stukov said to Bashir as he followed after her, still laughing to himself. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Captain, let me present to you Vedek Javian. Vedek Javian, Captain Sisko.¡± Odo said, doing a quick introduction of the two in the hopes the captain will take the Vedek out of his office now that his objective was met. He had just spent the last hour listening to the Vedek going on and on about the prophets and the warning he was trying to give the captain, all the while all he wanted to do was the read the criminal reports in peace, but it seemed like peace was not the word of the day, especially with all these newcomers on the station. Sisko looked at the Vedek for a moment as he entered, he looked to him to be a normal Vedek, wearing the same priestly robes all Vedeks do. The only thing he noticed about him was that his head was completely shaven clean and that his earring was an impressive shade of golden-silver. ¡°Emissary.¡± Javian said as he ran over to the captain and bowed. ¡°It is an honor to meet the one who has been blessed by the prophets.¡± Sisko had, to a certain extent, gotten used to this sort of reverence from Bajorans, but they, in turn, had learned to be more subtle about it. However, the Vedek¡¯s directness was refreshingly annoying. In a day full of crazy moments one after the other, something like reverence he did not wish for was almost comforting. Sisko held his hand up motioning to the Vedek that his bow was unneeded and unwanted. ¡°I was told you had something important to tell me?¡± Sisko said, trying to skip to the end to avoid all the unnecessary pagh checking that often accompanied these visits. ¡°Ah yes.¡± Javian said as he ran back over to the desk of Odo to grab the box containing the Orb. ¡°I was sent a vision by the prophets to bring you a message.¡± He said as he handed the box over to Sisko. ¡°The prophets told me that a great calamity was on the horizon and that you needed to consult with the orb of change.¡± He said, gesturing to the box. Somehow, Sisko had thought that the orb in question was one from Bajor, or better yet, an orb returned from Cardassia, though he had always doubted the latter. But the orb in his hands was just the one from the station¡¯s shrine. It seems to him like the wormhole aliens would have had an easier time just bringing him to the orb rather than the other way around. However, as much as Benjamin did not believe in the ¡°prophets¡± like the Bajorans did, he did have a level of respect for their warnings that went beyond what Starfleet would be comfortable with. These were, after all, powerful aliens capable of seeing through time, so any warning they may give he felt is at least worth giving consideration to. Either way this was not going to get resolved until he touched the orb. So after a moment¡¯s hesitation he opened the box and peered into the orb. Sisko immediately feels an out of body experience, but not like the ones he has when he actually talks to the wormhole aliens, but something else. Sisko immediately finds himself on board the deck of a ship. The deck resembled a much more militarized version of the ships he was used to but simultaneously looked to be similar to a deck of a battleship from the bygone eras of sea warfare. Besides the usual control monitors and bridge deck layouts, he also noticed Raynor sitting in the chair in the center or the room looking through a static-ridden large monitor. ¡°Horner I want Vikings and Wraiths in the air pronto.¡± Raynor said to a frantic looking Horner. He turned around to his weapons controller. ¡°Charge all laser batteries and ready the Yamato Cannon again, we are gonna give these bastards a taste of our-¡± However before Raynor could finish his sentence an explosion destroys the bridge and Sisko was sent over to the Spear of Adun where Artanis was giving a speech to several Templar, Protoss warriors wearing similar but less elaborate clothing to Artanis. The Spear of Adun itself was massive, the ceiling was high and the paths in all directions seemed to go as far as he could see, the same golden metal that surrounded the ship also made up the interior. Not only that but several seemingly floating platforms littered the decks in all directions. Sisko would be much more enamored by the ship¡¯s design if not for the situation he was in. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°If this is where we shall fall then we shall die as warriors! Templar ignite your blades!¡± The cheers were enormous as Artanis jumped over the crowd and charged headfirst into a distant enemy. His perspective then shifted to somewhere else on the Spear of Adun where the sounds of battle could be heard nearby. For some reason Worf seemed to be standing next to a handful of Templar and Talandar who Sisko did not recognize. Talandar looked to Sisko to be a white colored giant multi-armed quadruped robot that looked more suited to heavy industrial labor rather than combat at his first glance. However he could tell very quickly that this robot was powerful enough to make even the most skilled StarFleet Officers think twice. ¡°I will join you in your battle, for I too am a warrior and refuse to die with my eyes closed.¡± Worf said to Talandar. ¡°I am honored to fight by your side Worf, son of Mogh. Pick up a blade and join my brothers, for this may be the last stand of the Protoss.¡± Talandar said right before he dashed forward into a still unknown enemy with a seismic smash. Worf slowly picked up a fallen Templar¡¯s energy axe off the ground and wielded it for a moment getting a feel for its weight. Once he finished he looked ahead to the battle. ¡°Today is a good day to die.¡± Worf said before storming ahead into the fray. The perspective shifted once more to around the space station. Weird larvae bat looking creatures with the same fleshy exterior as the Leviathan were swarming around the station and attacking an all too familiar vessel. ¡°The Borg.¡± Sisko said, eyes wide open as he watched the carnage before him. In front of his eyes, Kerrigan dashed past him, flying in the vacuum of space as if she were ice skating. ¡°Send the Mutalisks to attack a single vessel, if they are too strong to split our forces we shall bring them down one at a time.¡± Kerrigan said. It was clearly not spoken, and instead some sort of Telepathy but Sisko could somehow still hear it. ¡°My Queen, more than half of our airborne forces have already been taken out.¡± Zegarra said, another voice and person Sisko did not recognize despite the distinct reverb and anxiety it gave off. However, even though this ¡°Zagara¡± was not in his sight he could still ¡°see¡± her aboard the vessel. She was a large brown and purple Hexapodal creature with the upper body resembling a human to an extent with short arms for her front hands. Her back was also huge to compensate for the many legs and the whole of her looked more like an Arachne from mythology than any other lifeform he had seen before. ¡°Then I want you to reorganize our fleet, I shall personally take the fight to them.¡± Kerrigan said, as she rushed towards the Borg cube. She let out a primal roar and a shockwave of purple energy blasts out from her. The blast is powerful enough to not only knock the Borg cube back but the side that was facing her he saw massive explosions on all decks. However it seemed to matter little as nary a moment later a phaser shot fired from the cube hitting Kerrigan straight on. She flew backwards hitting Deep Space Nine¡¯s shields so hard he actually saw the shields falter for a moment. However Kerrigan did not move again even after the shields stabilized. Again the scene shifted to another protoss Sisko did not recognize. He was a Protoss around the same size as Artanis but cloaked in deep black armor from head to toe, only open at his face, deep in the middle of the Borg army. ¡°Empower me minions!¡± Alarak yelled as a massive red-black wave crashed through several Borg drones. He floated in the air for a moment letting out the same colored lighting in all directions felling even more, however behind him the Protoss at his back were killed by the Borg and he was caught off guard when a drone grabbed his arm and pulled him down. Alarak managed to get the drone off of himself but from there he was simply mobbed by more and more drones until Alarak was no longer visible. Once more his perspective switched to a different place on board the Spear of Adun where he watched Talandar spin his robotic body around and annihilate a number of Borg drones around him. However as he dashed forward into more, a crystal like shield appeared over their body and seemed to dissipate the Kinetic energy. The Borg then began dismantling his robot body piece by piece using their robotic attachments, even while Talandar continued to struggle. As the scene shifted once more to Artanis surrounded by the Borg with only a handful of templar at his side as well as Vorazun and a few dark templars, who wore clothing similar to Vorazun and that were invisible to the naked eye. Yet, Sisko was able to somehow peer through their camouflage. ¡°The battle goes not well for us, Artanis.¡± Vorazun said as she managed to kill one more drone. ¡°It seems that no matter how many we fell, their numbers are endless. Not only that but many of our weapons are by now useless.¡± She said stabbing at another Borg only to have her blade deactivate upon touching the drone¡¯s body. She jumps back looking at her now inactive blade. ¡°Soon we shall be left with nothing but our psionic abilities to aid us.¡± She said, more distraught now than she was a moment ago. ¡°If not for this affliction we would have stood a better chance against this foe. I have hardly fought and already I am beginning to feel weak.¡± Artanis said back, letting himself rest for a moment. However the moment does not last long as the drones continue to swarm them and after another minute of desperate fighting they disappear from his view. He even notices in the far distance a monolithic tower walking on quadrupedal thin legs getting toppled by the combined force of several drones. He was then shifted back outside and saw the full picture. It was not one or two Borg cubes like he had originally believed it was hundreds. Hundreds of Borg cubes swarmed the Spear of Adun while several were handling the creatures from the Leviathan and DS9. A barrage of phaser fire from several Borg cubes wears the leviathan out as it explodes into a gory mess. Sisko then has enough time to turn around and see a Borg cube shoot a phaser right through the shields of the station, hit the main reactor, and in seconds the entire station erupts in a fireball that he was sure could be seen from Bajor. ¡°No¡­¡± All Sisko can say as he saw all the death and destruction around him. ¡°This can''t¡­ why are¡­¡± He was starting to lose himself as he imagined all the death that this battle brought. No, worse, he was beginning to imagine the fall of the entire alpha quadrant itself with these numbers. It was too much. However before he can say any more he is brought back to that sunny day at the park where he first told Jennifer he wanted a child. ¡°The Sisko has a task laid out for him.¡± Jennifer said to him almost monotone. ¡°That¡¯s the Borg out there, we can¡¯t stop that number of cubes even if the entire alpha quadrant were to unite.¡± Sisko said getting more heated, remembering vividly how he lost Jennifer to the Borg. ¡°Isn¡¯t there something you can do to help us prevent this?¡± He pleads to the wormhole alien, who still looked like his late wife. ¡°We can not interfere with the path the Sisko must walk.¡± Kai Opaka said to him as he sat on the bench where he first met her. ¡°The Pah-Wraiths have tried to alter your path by creating a diversion.¡± Lucucius of Borg said through the monitor. ¡°You must overcome this challenge.¡± ¡°But how am I supposed to stop this from occurring?¡± Sisko said, still nearly pleading. ¡°The Sisko can prevent the calamity because the Sisko must.¡± Jennifer said to him again, this time from her dead body buried under rubble. ¡°If the Sisko fails, Bajor will fall. The Sisko must not fail.¡± Jennifer said before she began to fade away alongside everything else in the vision. ¡°No wait!! I have more questions!¡± Sisko cries out as he is taken out of the communion. ¡°No!¡± Sisko yells again, now back in Odo¡¯s office. Odo raises a quizzical eyebrow. ¡°I take it the news was not good then?¡± Odo said almost sarcastically. ¡°No, it was not.¡± Sisko said, tapping his comm badge. ¡°I want all senior offices to report to Ops in 20 minutes, we may have a problem.¡± Elsewhere on the station, both Kerrigan, as well as a handful of the protoss felt a powerful wave of psionic energy hit them. It was non violent but somehow it reminded them of the ancient Xel¡¯Naga artifacts found quite some time ago. However it was Kerrigan who noticed the similarity the most. However the thing that was most peculiar is that the wave, once again, was not true psionics, just something similar. In fact it was very similar to the psionic wave that brought them here in the first place. However just as quick as it had come, it disappeared completely as if it were sealed in a vault specifically capable of suppressing psionics. She considered for a moment going to investigate but decided against it, realizing that she needed to dedicate some time to gather her energy as she was still feeling slightly weakened and in order to track the wave she would need more power. Chapter 5 ¡°I just received¡­ a vision from the wormhole aliens.¡± Sisko said tentatively. ¡°I take it they didn''t show you our plan working just as intended then?¡± Dax said, trying to lighten Benjamin¡¯s heavy mood. ¡°No, they did not.¡± He paused for a moment as he looked at the center control station at Ops. ¡°They showed me an attack by the Borg on this station as well as our new guests.¡± ¡°The Borg?¡± O¡¯Brien said a bit louder than he intended. ¡°But we¡¯re lightyears away from Borg space, no, tens of thousands of lightyears, what do they want with us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it''s us they want.¡± Sisko said as he turned to look out the window and saw the Spear of Adun sitting, still in view of the station. ¡°You think they are here for them?¡± Dax said both skeptical and worried. ¡°From what little we know of the Borg they covet technology and just at a glance the Protoss have technology we have never seen before, if they were to somehow get wind of that¡­¡± Sisko said before Kira cuts them off. ¡°Yes, but how would they learn of it, it''s not like there are any Borg spies or anything, let alone some kind of scout.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we have to find out before the worst comes.¡± Sisko said back to her quickly. ¡°Are you going to tell StarFleet command? They might be willing to send some ships to defend the station.¡± Dax said, trying to think of a way out. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet, you know how they feel about the orbs and the visions they grant. They might simply tell me I¡¯m paranoid.¡± ¡°Or they might heed your advice and something good might come of it.¡± Dax said, remaining hopeful. There is a pause as Sisko thinks. ¡°Alright I¡¯ll inform them of what I know.¡± He said, resigned to simply get told off by some admiral in his armchair who thinks that he is crazy for trusting in some mystical objects that they themselves had never interacted with. ¡°The question now is, what do we tell our new friends.¡± Kira said, bringing the conversation back around to the newcomers. ¡°I think they deserve to know this as much as anyone.¡± Sisko said as he looked over to Worf. ¡°Worf, I want you to spearhead the information sharing between us and the other three ships on all we know about the Borg. If you can, help them to tune their weapons to be the most effective. In addition to that I want you to have battle drills be run on the Defiant once every 9 hours, if they come we will damn sure be ready for them.¡± ¡°Understood captain.¡± Worf said back. ¡°However that is not all that worries me.¡± Sisko said, looking at Bashir now. ¡°In the vision Artanis said that ¡°If not for the affliction they would have stood a better chance. There''s a possibility of some kind of plague hitting the Protoss before the Borg arrives so I want you to keep an eye on that.¡± ¡°Of course sir. But we know next to nothing about Protoss physiology, I would need not only current scans of their Biology but unaffected ones as well. If they have already been infected it may be too late for me to do anything about it.¡± Bashir said, laying out to Sisko the task ahead of them. ¡°Do what you can doctor, at the bare minimum at least tell their ship¡¯s doctors about the possibility of a plague.¡± ¡°Understood sir.¡± ¡°Kira, I want you to continue to organize the repairs and outfits with O¡¯Brien. Dax, I want you to start to come up with counter measures to the Borg. Enhanced shields, rotating bands of phasers, whatever you gotta do to make us stand a chance.¡± Sisko said to the others. ¡°Benjamin, as little as we know about the Borg some modifications will take months to complete, we don''t have time to be doing this and trying to get the deflector dish ready to use.¡± There is a pause as the moment hangs in the air. ¡°No, I suppose there is not.¡± Sisko admits. ¡°Prioritize getting the three ships home, perhaps if we can get them out of our universe fast enough the Borg will lose interest in coming here and turn around to go home.¡± Sisko knew he was aiming for a long shot with this one, but there seemed to be little choice. If he could not figure out how the Borg learn of the Protoss¡¯ arrival then he would have no other option but to face the threat head on. ¡°Odo, from now on I want you to inform me every time someone suspicious leaves or docks with the station. Keep me up to date at all times.¡± ¡°I can do that, captain.¡± ¡°Alright then, we all know what we are doing, let''s get to work people.¡± ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Ah, there we go!¡± Swann said as he managed to get the 6th Fission Fragment engine back online. ¡°I told ya, we just needed an L-63 micro coil to connect the engine to the generator system and the power situation should be handled.¡± O¡¯Brien said, wiping some sweat off his face. ¡°I get it, I get it, you were right.¡± Swann said, climbing back down from his ladder. ¡°It''s not everyday I have to upgrade the engines to fix them. I haven¡¯t seen these puppies this juiced since the day I¡­ well actually I¡¯ve never seen them with this much power. It''s like the storm that brought us here overloaded the engine¡¯s output. ¡°Yeah, that might be a good way of puttin¡¯ it. You gave me a rundown on how these engines fly but every time I ran my tricorder over the system it gave off energy reading much higher than the specs. So I just figured if we were to upgrade the maximum load on it, it should be able to handle the power output.¡± ¡°Well I ain''t gonna complain about a finished job. But I should be able to handle the rest from here, the other engines are having the same problem so as long as you get me that coil I probably can handle the engine repairs myself. After that we just need to figure out the Warp coil situation and I can officially say that the ship is fixed.¡± Swann said as he grabbed a towel to wipe his hands. ¡°Hey, any chance I could get me one of those Tricorder thingies? It seems awfully handy to just point at the thing I want to check and I get a readout without even hookin¡¯ anything up.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Ah, sorry I can¡¯t, StarFleet¡­¡± O¡¯Brien began before he was cut off by Swann speaking. ¡°StarFleet doesn¡¯t condone the sharing of technologies with other races outside the Federation.¡± Swann said, finishing O¡¯Brien¡¯s sentence before he could. He had already heard this speech more than once. First it was the Replicators, then it was the Transporters, and now it was the Tricorders. ¡°For such friendly people StarFleet sure doesn¡¯t want to lose its tech advantage.¡± Swann said with a laugh. ¡°It''s just a measure to prevent the technology from falling into the wrong hands, who knows what someone could do with our replicator technology.¡± O¡¯Brien said apologetically. ¡°Nah, I get it. If someone asked me to share the technology of our Yamato Cannon, I¡¯d look at them like they were crazy.¡± Swann said laughing. After a moment of being jovial Swann looked back at O¡¯Brien. ¡°Oh yeah I was wondering, you drink?¡± O¡¯Brien seems to perk up at the question. ¡°Depends, what you¡¯re offering.¡± O¡¯Brien said with a smirk. ¡°Well I¡¯ll tell you what, it''s better than that swill you call alcohol on your station.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, synthehol can be an acquired taste for sure. It''s just hard to come by the good stuff out here.¡± O¡¯Brien said, admitting even his moderate dislike for the synthetic replica that he drinks often. ¡°Well I happen to have a bottle of the ¡°good stuff¡± stashed away for a special occasion. If you want when we finish our repair work I¡¯d love to share a glass with you.¡± ¡°Ah I¡¯d love to. But it can¡¯t be much more than one glass, my wife isn¡¯t fond of me coming home drunk.¡± ¡°And that right there friend is why the only lady I will ever love is machines.¡± ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Dabo!¡± The Hostess cries as she hands over a pile of latinum to a lucky Marine. ¡°Gah¡± Quark exclaims seeing yet another of these ¡°Terrans¡± win at Dabo. He turned to Ron who was fixing the replicator behind him. ¡°I can¡¯t believe these guys, it''s like they can¡¯t stop winning. At this rate I¡¯ll be out of business in a week.¡± ¡°Dabo!¡± The Hostess yells again, heaping more money into the marine¡¯s hands. As Quark looked over to the Dabo table in disgust Raynor walked in and took a seat at the bar. ¡°Malt Whiskey on ice.¡± Raynor said to Quark as he sat down. Quark eyes him up and down for a moment as he tries to decide something. ¡°You a Hu-mon or a Terran?¡± He asked, still unsure. Raynor just laughs to himself. ¡°I¡¯m a Terran, no worries.¡± He said back trying to assuage his fear if that was the problem, unsure which was worse to the bartender at the moment. ¡°Ah more of your kind.¡± Quark said as he headed to the replicator for the order. ¡°Oh and none of that replicated nonsense I want the real stuff.¡± Raynor said with a big smile. Quark just eyes him. ¡°You think I just have that on tap simply because you asked for it?¡± Quark said back pausing as Raynor does not respond but instead stares him down. After a moment of staring Quark backs down with a scoff as he reaches below the bar to grab the drink. He walks over to Raynor, grabs a glass and starts pouring. ¡°I¡¯m charging extra for this, you know.¡± Quark said mildly dissatisfied he got out played. ¡°Much obliged.¡± Raynor said, downing it in one gulp. Quark watched him for a moment as he drank and just returned to watching the Dabo table where the winning does not stop. ¡°I don¡¯t get it, no matter how much I think about it I can¡¯t understand how that man is so lucky.¡± Quark said, disgusted at the amount of money that will leave his establishment at the end of the night. Raynor turned around to see the Marine raking in the wins. ¡°Oh that''s just Paul, yeah he¡¯s a real lucky sort.¡± Raynor said with a chuckle. He knew full well what was going on, at the moment Paul and a ghost from his crew were conspiring together to rig the game, the ghost was on the second floor subtly changing the outcome of the Dabo wheel to suit Paul. How he managed to get the ghost to play along is another story but if he were to guess it probably had something to do with a bet the ghost lost. Well it was none of his business anyhow so he paid it little mind. Raynor turned back around to face Quark again with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve heard some rumors about you, Quark.¡± He said, looking straight at him. ¡°Me? What kind of rumors?¡± Quark said with faux innocence written all over his face. ¡°Only good rumors I hope.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say they are the kind of rumors that mean you''re exactly the man I need.¡± Raynor said, pointing to his glass for Quark to fill up. It took no time for Quark to realize this was no longer a normal discussion, this was a business opportunity. His lobes were tingling and when his lobes tingled it meant latinum, and in that he has never been wrong. ¡°Well¡­¡± Quark began leaning in a bit closer to Raynor as soon as his glass was full. ¡°Assuming those rumors were true uh¡­ what kind of thing would you need me for?¡± He said pushing the glass closer to Raynor to entice him further. ¡°I¡¯m looking for the sort that might have a special interest in letting others know that we have arrived in your part of space. The kind that might see it as an opportunity to profit.¡± He said, grabbing the drink and this time taking it slowly. ¡°And um¡­ how do you know I¡¯m not the sort who would sell that kind of information?¡± Quark said pushing Raynor further in the hope he might be able to bribe a bit of latinum off of him. Raynor¡¯s smile drops and he leans in to Quark with a menacing look on his face. ¡°Because if you did, you know the kind of firepower me and my boys have access to.¡± Raynor said leaning far over the counter due to the fact that Quark was leaning back. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡± Quark said quietly and terrified, trying to regain control of the situation. ¡°Try me.¡± Raynor said as he leaned back and slammed down the rest of his drink. Quark just readjusted his shirt and calmed himself down, making a mental note that the Terrans, unlike the Humans, are not to be shortchanged. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s say that I do know some that might be interested, what is it worth to you?¡± Quark said changing the subject. Both men knew that the last conversation was just threats and since it came out with Raynor¡¯s win, the point was moot for Quark. ¡°We don¡¯t have any of that latinum you guys use, nothing more than the bits we managed to gather so far anyway. But we certainly have some things that you might be interested in. Tarsonian gemstones, crystalized Vespine, and some alcohol that just simply don¡¯t exist in your universe.¡± Raynor said his demeanor relaxed once more. Quark, admittedly, did not know what the first two were but he knew gemstones never go out of style and premium ¡°out of universe¡¯ alcohol could be a big expensive pull into his bar if he played his cards right. Quark looked around the bar for anyone one suspicious, or more specifically, ¡°anything¡± suspicious. Odo could be anywhere and he has learned it was better to be paranoid than to let Odo get one over him. ¡°Alright, we can hash out the details later but I¡¯ll tell you what I know now.¡± Quark would normally never act so generously but he could already tell that this was a deal that would continue until the Terran¡¯s stay in DS9 was over, that meant even if he used a few cards now it would only hook Raynor for the long term. ¡°Recently there has been a certain Vulcan who goes by the name of Talila who came as part of a Vulcan science expedition.¡± Quark leans in a bit to whisper the next part to Raynor. ¡°Between you and me word has it she¡¯s a Romulan agent in deep cover on Vulcan, there''s no doubt that if it were true the Romulans would definitely know of your arrival by now.¡± Quark finished and leaned back, he was done whispering but not done talking. ¡°Of course there¡¯s Garak, he is rumored to be an agent working for the Obsidian Order, but Garak¡¯s too smart for anyone to know for certain. Which if you ask me makes him an even more likely suspect.¡± Quark paused as he thought over recent notables that passed through Deep Space Nine since the ships had arrived. ¡°The only other one I can think of is that a crew of Nausicans left the station around the same time as your arrival, they were probably still in the sector when you arrived so they should have been aware of it. But honestly Nausicans aren¡¯t known for their brains so they probably just ignored it.¡± Quark said, finishing up his current list of notables for Raynor. ¡°Well Quark, that was some mighty fine help you¡¯ve given me.¡± Raynor said as he stood up, leaving a few strips of latinum on the table. ¡°Be sure to let me know if you find out anything else.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Quark said as he began to clean and polish Raynor¡¯s glass, satisfied with himself for having made a great deal today. The next time Raynor comes in he can squeeze him for his valuables, but for now he just has to sit back, wait, and keep his ears to the ground. Chapter 6 ¡°I can¡¯t believe you really believe what you are saying, Captain.¡± Admiral Ross said with disbelief. ¡°I can assure you that I am of sound mind, admiral.¡± Sisko said back trying his best to not display his exasperation at the admiral ignoring his advice. ¡°Even if what you say is true, we can not recall the fleet to defend the borders when we don¡¯t know when and where the Borg will breach. And that''s assuming that I believe that these¡­ ¡°orbs'''' were able to give you accurate intel at all.¡± Ross said back. ¡°We don¡¯t need to defend the entire federation border, just Deep Space Nine. The Borg are coming for technology aboard the Spear of Adun, which, if I may say so, would doom the entire Alpha Quadrant if they managed to take.¡± ¡°I understand your position Captain, but understand mine. I can not simply reorganize the fleet recalling countless ships on various missions based on a vague hunch. And before you tell me it''s not vague, you have no idea when this attack will come do you? For all you know this could be years down the line. We can¡¯t simply cease all our out-of-federation activity just to play defensive. Now''s not the time.¡± Ross said with a sigh. ¡°Admiral if you¡¯d just¡­¡± Sisko said, trying to persuade the admiral once more. ¡°The decision stands, Captain.¡± Ross said sharply, cutting Sisko off before he could continue. There is a pause as Ross¡¯ gaze slowly softens. ¡°Look Ben, I understand you are worried, and I know your history with the Borg. But we haven¡¯t heard from them in close to a decade, unless you can bring me solid proof of Borg activity I can¡¯t authorize something like this.¡± He paused again as he looked off to the side. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what, the Ieyasu is going to complete its agricultural scans of the assigned sectors soon, it should be done in a few months. I''ll see what I can do about getting it assigned to Deep Space Nine as an attache for a while. I¡¯ll also inform all our border posts to keep a lookout and inform the central command at the first sign of activity. I promise you we won¡¯t leave you out in the cold.¡± Sisko sighs and straightens himself back up. ¡°Thank you admiral.¡± Sisko said professionally. ¡°I know it''s not what you are looking for, but it''s the best we can do at this time. Keep me up to date with the status of those ships from outside the universe. I expect a comprehensive report when all this is said and done. Ross out.¡± After saying this Ross tapped a button on a comm panel next to him and the feed cut out. Sisko sighed heavily, it went about as bad as he expected. No reinforcements of any considerable size, no reorganization of Starfleet, and no help. He knew that command was not a fan of prophecies like this but he expected that he would be able to throw a little more weight around. However there was one thing that the admiral said that was right, he did have no idea how long it would be until the Borg arrived. If they remained on track with their plans to send the ships home it should be done within a month or two which would mean the Borg would have to arrive before then. But there were still so many unanswered questions. Sisko stared out the window and looked at the spot the wormhole opens. ¡°I take it the call didn¡¯t go well?¡± Dax said as she entered the office noticing Sisko looking rueful. ¡°They might as well have said no.¡± Sisko said, turning around to face Dax. ¡°A single ship will be sent here in a few months and all border outposts will be alerted.¡± He said with a sigh. ¡°Huh, better than I was expecting.¡± She said with a small laugh. Regaining her professionalism she hands a padd over to Sisko. ¡°I completed the setup of the Buoy, with the chief¡¯s advice. We are set to move to the next stage of the plan.¡± ¡°Alright, contact Kerrigan, it''s time we track this wave.¡± ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°This is Doctor Julian Bashir on Deep Space Nine. Is there someone aboard the Spear of Adun that is receiving this message?¡± Bashir said, unsure if he managed to set up the communication equipment correctly. After a moment a female voice responded. Bashir instantly recognized the voice. ¡°This is Executor Selendis, Artanis has put me in charge of handling the communication between us and Deep Space Nine. If you need to get in contact with him I can relay a message if you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°No, that is quite alright, I don¡¯t think we need to bother your Hierarch, assuming you have the authority to give me your medical records.¡± Bashir said with a smile. ¡°Medical records?¡± Selendis said, confused as to what he was talking about. ¡°Ah yes, let me start from the beginning, I am investigating the possibility of some sort of infection spreading amongst your people, if I will stand any chance of combating it I will need access to your medical records, and perhaps have a consultation with some of your doctors.¡± ¡°Is this something gleaned from the vision your Captain recently had?¡± Selendis said delaying her answer until she understood the full picture and scope of the request. ¡°Why yes it is actually. According to him your Hierarch mentioned some sort of affliction before he fell to the Borg, now this could mean any number of things but we won¡¯t know for certain until I can begin research.¡± There is a pause as Selendis seems to think something over. ¡°I promise you, we have taken your Captain¡¯s warnings and vision very seriously over here but I want you to understand my position. In the history of our people there has only been two recorded instances of a disease or similar affecting our population. It seems quite unlikely to us that we would fall to such trivialities.¡± Selendis said with a short pause. ¡°Furthermore we have not been in need of ¡°doctors¡± for many eons, those with such knowledge would reserve themselves to the study of the Khala, or what once was the Khala, and those who did not would become Phase-Smiths instead. It has been only recently that we have been granted¡­ freedom to choose our own way of life, though still most prefer to remain as they were before.¡± There is another pause before Selendis picked back up. ¡°I have personally studied the database of information that you sent over to us and as I understand it and can best explain to you, we have no doctors as you would understand simply because we have long ago done away with the need for such things.¡± It was Bashir¡¯s turn to pause in silence as he thought through what to say. ¡°Are you saying you don¡¯t even keep medical records over there?¡± He said in disbelief. ¡°No, that is not correct either, we of course have extensive information about personnel aboard the Spear of Adun, but I have no idea what information you would even consider helpful to discern if something was to affect our bodies.¡± ¡°I suppose then I can just sift through it myself then.¡± Bashir said with a raised eyebrow. There is a long ten second pause before Selendis spoke up again. ¡°We have¡­ never granted outsiders access to our knowledge before. In our history our interactions with other species was either eradication or subjugation, never information sharing. However Artanis has seen to it that the Protoss have entered a new age, one where we no longer see ourselves as the only worthy intelligent life in the universe¡­ or rather any universe.¡± Bashir could tell that Selendis was not dodging the question but instead working herself up to answer it.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I can not¡­ permit you to look through the records of our warriors for fear of what that information may do to them.¡± Selendis paused for a moment as she thought, but while she did Bashir spoke up. ¡°I give you my word as a doctor, no, my word as a man of moral conviction that nothing more than medical research to cure a plague will come from the information. I will promise you that as soon as I finish my work I shall delete all records and traces of my research.¡± Bashir said, doing his best to assuage her fears. ¡°I appreciate your conviction and willingness to sacrifice knowledge to protect my people doctor, however it is as I said, I can not permit you to look at the data from our warriors.¡± There is another pause but a very brief one before she continues. ¡°That is why I shall be sending you my personal data so you can work off that. I shall also find out if there are other Protoss willing to have their data sent over to you as well.¡± It was clear, even to Bashir, this was a hard decision for Selendis. To her she must have felt like she was risking her own life for only a slim chance to solve something that may not even be real. ¡°Thank you Executor, I promise you I will do everything in my power to help your people through this.¡± Bashir said softly back, impressed by Selendis¡¯ own conviction. ¡°I appreciate your drive doctor but, and forgive me for saying this, I hope your research simply proves that we are indeed not infected with anything at all.¡± ¡°Believe me.¡± Bashir said as he looked over to his other monitor where he began receiving the information from the Adun. ¡°So do I.¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Ah so this is where your warriors train themselves for battle.¡± Talandar said as he stood inside a holosuite looking around at the mechanical walls which were at the moment deactivated. ¡°You are not wrong but¡­¡± Worf said as he stared past Talandar almost shamefully. ¡°Many of my compatriots do not hear the call of battle like we do. Most of them see this as nothing more than an excuse to relax or play.¡± Worf turned around to face the open room. ¡°Activate Worf Training exercise level 5.¡± Worf said, causing the room to change into a jungle biome with massive trees and foliage, as well as several ape-like warriors hiding behind several trees nearby. ¡°However, I use this room to ensure I am fit for battle at all times.¡± Worf said before he walked over to a weapon rack nearby and grabbed a bat¡¯leth, swinging it around a bit to get a feel for its weight. ¡°A noble thought, Worf, son of Mogh. I too keep myself ready for battle at all times.¡± Talandar said as he too walked over to the weapon rack and grabbed a bat¡¯leth, inspecting it over a few times. ¡°Though since my robotic body knows no exhaustion nor wear, I fear I no longer train like I used to.¡± There is a pause as Talandar rethinks what he just said. ¡°Or I suppose I should say, as he used to.¡± Talandar said a bit woefully. It was still strange to him that he was not Fenix. He had all his downloaded memories and his drive to fight but he was nothing more than a facsimile. Of course he had long ago come to accept this, but it still sometimes struck him as odd. Fenix was his predecessor, without him there would be no Talandar and yet, he was not Fenix, he was someone else. However he was not a thinker, he was a man of action and whenever he had doubts he simply acted to cure any misgiving he might have. ¡°There is never a bad time to hone one¡¯s skill with a blade, be it bat¡¯leth or psiblade, skill is forged not given.¡± Worf said as he fended off a few attackers that came after him. Another jumped out from behind Talandar and tried to stab him but Talandar just spun his upper body around and grabbed the ape creature by the head and crushed it. ¡°You are most correct Worf, son of Mogh. One¡¯s skill must be constantly sharpened lest it become dull.¡± Talandar said as he grabbed the headless ape and threw it hard at another who was sneaking up on Worf. ¡°Exactly. Most do not understand that though we live in peaceful times we can not let ourselves fall into a slump, only by keeping up diligence are we able to not let any enemy overcome us.¡± Worf said as he swept the enemy off his feet planting the bat¡¯leth inside its stomach. He was about to pull it out when another jumped him from behind. He grabbed the mek¡¯leth off his belt and spun around stabbing it in the neck with ease. With the brief respite he bought himself he retrieved both weapons from their fleshy sheathes. ¡°Though I find that even my own people seem to not value the old ways as much any more.¡± Worf said regretfully as he turned around to look at Talandar who had just finished his handful of enemies as well. It was clear to Worf that Talandar was not really trying and was holding back quite significantly. ¡°I suppose this is not hard enough for you?¡± Worf said with a sly smile. ¡°I must admit, I find the challenge of fighting these creatures to be quite low.¡± ¡°Then let us up the difficulty.¡± Worf said, his smile wide and his eyes excited for the battle to come. ¡°Increase the difficulty to level 20.¡± He said to the Holosuite before the entire scenery changed and now they were on Qo¡¯noS from thousands of years ago, hundreds of Klingon warriors stormed a burning capital in the hopes of claiming honor for themselves and riches for their houses. ¡°Perhaps this will get your heart crying for battle Talandar!¡± Worf said before he cried into the air charging into a mass of enemy soldiers coming to destroy the capital. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°If you are looking for a good view of the promenade, you want the second floor outside of Quarks. Not only does it give you the longest view but you can even see the offloading ports of 2 different entrances.¡± Garak said to Nova who he found wandering the promenade near his shop. Nova was, to put it simply, a stunning beauty, her long blond hair and shapely body were not hidden by her form fitting gray stealth suit. Even her sniper rifle strapped to her back was less of an eye draw than she was. Obviously she had not disarmed and probably came aboard without being noticed, how the security had yet to find her was worth questioning but Garak assumed that with all the new arrivals the Security forces aboard the station were spread a bit thin at the moment. ¡°I don¡¯t remember asking you.¡± Nova said to him flatly not turning around. It was strange though, this man had not only snuck up on her, but his mind was not readable. Well, it was readable, it just read to her as garbled nonsense, like static coming over a viewscreen, she had no idea if this was an innate skill or practiced talent but she decided that she wanted nothing to do with this man. ¡°Of course not, a woman with such a keen sense of fashion like you only has eyes for the most brilliant of prizes. I however just so happen to be a man who knows a thing or two about brilliance, and you my dear are the greatest prize on this station.¡± Garak said with a practiced smile. Nova was a bit taken back by this man. Every word he spoke was caked in lies, she could tell that much through telepathy, but beyond that she could not read him. It was like he had a mind specifically trained to thwart telepathy, it was not the first case of this she encountered but the level of discipline his mind had was astounding. However the thing that took her back the most about this man was the way he moved. He was no threat to her of course, she could psi blast him quicker than he could say ¡°help¡± but the truth was she had a suspicion that if she let her guard down he might be capable of killing her. How, she had no idea, but something about his aura, the way he carried himself was menacing. For Garak¡¯s sake he could tell that this woman was an assassin at a glance. It came as no surprise to him that such a talented individual would be able to get aboard the station unnoticed. Even the brash ways she was carrying weapons on the promenade in full view of everyone told him all he needed to know about her skill level. She was not someone he could take if it came to it. However the reason he approached her had a different purpose altogether. He needed information, the kind that the low level grunt terrans that occasionally happen upon his shop can¡¯t tell him. However this woman would have the information he was looking for, and he had a feeling he might have information she was looking for too. The two stared at each other as passersby gave a wide berth to the Cardassian shopkeeper and the armed woman. Silence hung in the air as the two waited for either one to strike. However it was Garak who broke the silence. ¡°It would seem to me that only the finest threads would suit you and any kind of clothing you might happen upon wandering the promenade would certainly not be enough for you. No, I believe a woman as lovely as you are would need to come to my shop, where we both might benefit from a change of wardrobe for you.¡± Garak said with his signature smile. Nova could tell this man had a glib tongue and every word he spoke was not to be taken seriously, but the truth was she was on the back foot. She generally got by in discussions with either her iconic directness or a little bit of telepathy to turn the tides in her favor. But in this instance she knew neither were working in her favor. She could tell he was after the same thing she was, information. The kind that Raynor¡¯s men wouldn¡¯t know about. However she had no loyalty to Raynor or his crew. Her only goal was getting out of this universe and back to hers, and any plan she could come up with to ensure that happens was worth pursuing. ¡°Alright, lead the way¡­ tailor.¡± Nova said back with a bit of venom and a bit of curiosity as to where this might lead her. ¡°It would be my distinct pleasure to do so.¡± Garak said back with a wide smile. ¡°I think you and I are going to get along just fine.¡± Chapter 7 ¡°You must be Commander Raynor.¡± Odo said as Raynor entered the security office. ¡°That I am.¡± He said back as he looked around the small office quickly. ¡°I was told you are keeping some of my boys in here. I¡¯m here to bail them out.¡± He said with a smile, hiding the fact that he was pissed that he had to come here at all. ¡°Captain Sisko said you were coming.¡± Odo said as he stood up sharply. ¡°Come along, I''ll take you to the offenders.¡± ¡°Might I know what they did to end up here?¡± ¡°You might want to ask Quark. Apparently they were cheating at Dabo and when Quark went over to ask them to leave one of them lashed out at him.¡± Odo laughs to himself dryly as he walks over to the cell with the marine and the ghost. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly mind Quark getting cheated for once but I can not abide by thuggerry.¡± ¡°Well boys, what do you have to say for yourselves.¡± Raynor said, looking at a downtrodden marine and an otherwise unfazed ghost. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, we might have gotten a bit ahead of ourselves is all.¡± The marine said back, highly apologetic. Raynor glances over at the ghost who just sat there and said nothing back. Raynor sighed to himself as he looked back at Odo. ¡°What are they being charged with?¡± ¡°Assault for one. Theft, conspiracy to commit crime, and being a public nuisance.¡± ¡°They throw you in the slammer for that around here?¡± Raynor asked, confused why the last one was a charge. ¡°Considering Mr. Paul Witiker here was yelling at the top of his lungs about something or another as he threw glasses of Tarkalian Ale around. I''d say so, yes. ¡°Leo over there took part in that too?¡± Raynor said in disbelief as he looked at the otherwise stoic ghost. ¡°Well I wasn¡¯t there when it happened so I can¡¯t say for certain, but the officers on the scene found them acting together so I just threw him in here too. He¡¯s at least implicit in the conspiracy, Commander.¡± Odo said as he looked over a Padd in his hands. ¡°Well what happens now? Is there a way we can free my boys? I¡¯d hate for them to be locked up here when we manage to find a way back.¡± Raynor said now concerned they may get trapped in another universe with no way home. ¡°Quark fully intends to press charges, no doubt to make back some of the money he lost to much of your crew.¡± Odo said as he scrolled the Padd down to look for more information. ¡°However Captain Sisko is working on that right now, so long as Quark doesn¡¯t press charges I have no reason to hold them here.¡± Odo said, looking up from his Padd to Raynor now. He paused as he saw the concern on Raynor¡¯s face. ¡°Look Commander, you and these men have my sympathies for what you are going through being away from home and all. But we can¡¯t have disorderly conduct on the station simply because your men are homesick.¡± Odo said sternly, more to the men locked up than to Raynor. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind, constable.¡± Raynor said as he began to walk away followed closely behind by Odo. As Raynor was about to leave the office Odo spoke up. ¡°Oh and Commander.¡± Raynor turned back around to look at Odo when he spoke. ¡°It might be best if these men were to steer clear of Quark¡¯s bar for a while when they get out. When the Captain finishes speaking to him, Quark is sure to be in a bad mood and while I¡¯d love nothing more than to arrest him, I doubt he¡¯d give me a reason to.¡± Raynor just nods back at Odo in acknowledgement as he leaves, more unhappy now that he knows some of his men were causing a nuisance aboard the station. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Alright, move it up point 3 microns and left just 2 microns.¡± Dax said as she looked at her Padd whilst standing on the Bridge of the Spear of Adun alongside Karax. ¡°Based on the analysis of the last wave passing 2 microns might overshoot it, it might be better to reduce the movement to only 1.5 microns for the time being.¡± Karax responded as he began to make changes to the test firing mechanism. ¡°No, anything less than a 1.83 micron change might make us lose our elusive wave again. I think it''s better to overshoot and then work backwards rather than slowly dialing it up.¡± She said as she made an edit on the Padd she was holding. ¡°Hmm.¡± Karax ponders. ¡°Perhaps you are right, Jadzia. I shall make the appropriate change.¡± There was a short pause until Karax finished the adjustments and walked over to Dax. ¡°I suppose for now all we can do is wait and hope we hit the wave this time.¡± Dax said as she finally looked up from her Padd to stretch. ¡°Anyway I got to say, this is quite an impressive ship, Karax.¡± Dax spent a moment admiring just the section of the ship they were on as she finally had a moment to think about something other than work. ¡°I do appreciate the compliment, Jadzia, but I was not the one who built this ship. It is an old relic from long ago. In fact it is hard enough to power this ship in our own universe let alone here, Solarite is quite a rare substance as I¡¯ve mentioned.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve analyzed your Solarite processing station and the material is unlike anything I¡¯ve seen before, its atomic structure is so volatile I¡¯d assume it would be something that existed only in theory if I hadn¡¯t seen it first hand.¡± Dax said with a smile. ¡°If we are able to find naturally occurring Solarite deposit we could replace our dependence on Dilithium forever.¡± ¡°Perhaps, but it was rare in my universe so it is unlikely that if you, someone so well versed in astrophysics, had never seen it before, it may not exist in your universe.¡± Karax responded doubtfully. ¡°Perhaps.¡± Dax said back whimsically. ¡°But that¡¯s the fun with exploration, you never know what you¡¯ll turn up.¡± ¡°I have a question of my own, Jadzia.¡± Karax said, changing the subject suddenly. ¡°You are more than welcome to ask anything you want, Karax. So long as I reserve the right to not answer.¡± ¡°I certainly hope you choose to answer, I find our discussions most enlightening.¡± Karax said, completely missing the sarcasm Jadzia used. ¡°Well in our discussion of transporter technology, I was pondering the intricacies of how you digitize a person and move them to the desired location. I¡¯ve come to the conclusion that it may be similar to our own methods of troop transport where we do something similar. But what confuses me is that it still is separate from your warp technology.¡± ¡°Well that''s because we can¡¯t create a stable warp bubble around a person.¡± Jadzia said as she ran her hand over one of the parts of the ship. ¡°Even if we could there would be no way of either maintaining or dispelling said bubble, the person would be trapped going warp speed until they hit something.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised your people haven¡¯t figured out how to put a non space faring object into a warp bubble but that aside, in order to stop them at a desired destination we set up power fields. In fact when the power field was first created that was its intended purpose, of course back then it was not called a power field.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Jadzia said far more interest now than before. ¡°You are saying that the power field acts as a coordinate designator for everyone you transport?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Karax said, almost confused, that Jadzia was surprised about this. ¡°In fact it is not impossible to warp troops and materials to any location on a planet but without a stable powerfield there is no way to confirm if they will end up inside the ground or hundreds of meters above it.¡± ¡°I wonder if the same could be applied to our technology?¡± Jadzia wondered aloud. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, without taking a look at how your transporters work I can not tell you.¡± ¡°I suppose the same can be said that I can¡¯t take a look at your warp tech either. I suppose it is always scientists like us that get caught up in our government¡¯s desire to keep state secrets secret.¡± She said as she leaned back against a control board. ¡°I suppose it is a great shame that I am not allowed to admire your technology up close. Artanis has also forbid me from sending probes to do the work in my place.¡± ¡°Probably for the best.¡± Jadzia said as she stood back up and grabbed the Padd again. ¡°I doubt Benjamin would be pleased with a probe snooping around our transporter pads.¡± ¡°I suppose you are right, Jadzia.¡± --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Odo stepped carefully and slowly through the fleshy halls of the Leviathan. Everything he saw in here was so new to him. He had barely made it out of the entranceway but he could not hold back his curiosity of how such a being managed to live. He was enamored by the very creature he walked through but also the drone, a dog sized batlike crab creature that roamed around the floors carrying minerals and other small bits of things he could not identify. He could barely contain his excitement at the moment. However if asked he would no doubt deny such claims. So despite his curiosity about everything around him he kept up a calm demeanor, he refused to let his professional exterior be broken by something as childish as¡­ wonder. Of course he did take a small bit of pride knowing that it was he, not starfleet, that was allowed on board the Leviathan first. All because he had heard mention of Changelings being aboard as well. Of course he had no illusions about these creatures being his people, but he still could not help but want to see them. No, more than that. His very own nature as a changeling called him to this place. Everything in here was so different¡­ so alien to him he wanted to know what it was like to be them. He could rarely confide in others about his desire to become other things¡­ other beings in order to understand them. Of course he had been practicing his shapeshifting in his own room in his spare time, and that was no secret, but his desire to become... to be something other than a humanoid all day long was hard to explain to anyone even if he wanted to, which he certainly did not. Regardless he made it to the section of the Leviathan where he would meet up with his guide. Zagara. ¡°Ah it seems you have arrived.¡± Zagarra said as she watched patiently as Odo walked down the hall to her, hand running along the fleshy wall the entire time. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Odo said, a bit mystified, not looking at Zagara but still marveling at the creature he was inside.. ¡°I was told to come find you to meet the other¡­ the changelings.¡± He said, still a bit out of it but now looking at Zagara. ¡°My queen has allowed you to observe the swarm, though she warns you not to wander off on your own.¡± Zagara said as she turned around to lead the way. Odo just nodded to Zagara as he followed closely behind. It took some time to arrive at a massive chamber with hundreds of overlords, bug-like creatures with massive centers in the shape of an orb, with enormous mandibles, huge front claws and several legs sprouting from the side of the ball shape, all floating around. ¡°The changelings are on standby in this chamber until they are needed.¡± Zagara said simply as she walked over to one of the overseers. A creature very similar to the overlord but with a darker hue and less legs as well as possibly 30 eyes on its massive round body. ¡°However the changelings do not live long after they¡¯re birthed so you will only be able to interact with one for a short time.¡± She said before looking up at the overseer to instruct it to produce a changeling. What came out resembled a bulbous man-sized tumor on the ground with the same fleshy growths as many of the zerg have. However from the tumor was a long skinny creature whose upper torso loosely resembled a biped with only two long arms to presumably pull itself along. Odo was not the least bit phased as he walked up to the changeling and put his hand on it. He immediately tried to form a link with the creature and was met with an interesting result. The first thing that happened was practically nothing, he felt no connection with the creature, nothing more than any other solid on the station would react. However after several moments of trying something did happen. The changeling began to melt. No, it began to turn gelatinous, much like he was when he reverted to his natural state. It was then that the link began. It was not at all like the link he was used to though, rather than becoming one it was more akin to a sharing of thoughts, a shallow interpretation of a link but something similar. However it was what he heard that surprised him most. Millions, if not billions of voices all talking at once. Of course ¡°talking¡± was not the best way to describe it, but he could tell for certain they were communicating. Somehow by linking with this changeling he had, unknowingly, become one with the swarm. However even if it only seemed like a second for Odo, the creature could no longer maintain its life and it quickly fell apart, dead, ripping Odo out of the link with the swarm. ¡°That was¡­ well I¡¯m not sure how to describe that.¡± Odo said just as confused as Zagara looked. However before she could open her mouth to speak Kerrigan spoke to her first. ¡°Zegarra, bring our¡­ guest to me. I think we have some things to discuss.¡± She said, having also felt the connection with Odo, if only for a moment. ¡°It seems my Queen would like to have a word with you.¡± Zegara said, now significantly more interested in this one that called himself Odo. ¡°Yes, I think I¡¯d like a word with her as well¡­¡± He said still in shock with what he just experienced. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Nurse, I need 30 ccs of tranquilizer stat.¡± Bashir said as he rushed over to a Terran that was lying on his medical bed at the moment. ¡°Understood Doctor.¡± The nurse said as she ran out of the room to grab the requested medicine. Bashir used all of his strength to continue to hold down the man to prevent him from hurting himself but found it much harder than he expected. But while the nurse was out of the room he had a moment to collect his thoughts. He was completely taken aback by the recent turn of events, one minute he had a Terran come into his office asking for something to relieve his fatigue and the next he was seizing violently. His eye dilation and profuse sweating led him to believe that the man was suffering from an acute form of withdrawal. However, he had just taken the blood sample, and while he had no time to thoroughly check to see if his blood did indeed have some sort of narcotic in it, he could tell at a glance that it was unlikely. However that was the least of his worries at the moment. If he did not stabilize the Terran¡¯s condition he could suffer catastrophic nerve damage and possibly kill himself before Bashir had time to diagnose his condition. But just as Bashir was beginning to struggle to hold the man down the nurse ran back into the room. ¡°Doctor.¡± She said to Bashir as she handed him the hypospray. Without missing a beat Bahir let go of one of the arms and quickly stuck the hypospray into the man¡¯s neck. It took a few moments for the Terran to calm down but after a bit he stopped seizing and passed out. ¡°Thank you Dotlan,¡± Bashir said with a nod to his nurse as he breathed heavily to himself. The worst was passed, assuming the man did not go into shock due to his body¡¯s rejection of the tranquilizers he should be fine when he woke up. Aside from a minor amount of muscle fatigue hopefully. But there was something wrong about this whole scenario. In fact this was the 12th case of ¡°fatigue¡± he had treated since the Terrans came to the station. Every single time a Terran entered his office complaining of fatigue, he would look them over and they would seem to be suffering from much more than fatigue. However even when he pressed the issue the Terrans seemed uncomfortable sharing more of their condition with him so he was forced to give them help and send them on their way. But this¡­ this was much worse. He had to know why this man had reacted so strongly, what gave him the seizures. While the Terran rested on the medical bed behind him, Bashir went to work reading through the blood diagnostic results as well as doing a few other tests on the unconscious man. However the more and more he tested, the more a worst case scenario began to unfold before him. ¡°It is not a virus.¡± Bashir said to Sisko in his office after several more hours of painstaking work. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Sisko said, confused as to why Bashir, who suddenly burst into his office, was suddenly talking about a not-virus. ¡°The affliction from your vision, it is not a virus like we first thought.¡± Bashir said as walked over to Sisko and put a Padd down on his desk. He knew that most of what was on there was results of his diagnosis that Sisko wouldn¡¯t read but as they were an integral part of his conclusion he included them in the report. Sisko became immediately invested as soon as Bashir mentioned his vision, leaning in closer to show his newfound attentiveness. ¡°What we are seeing here sir is something that can be likened to taking a fish out of water.¡± Bashir says a bit exasperated. ¡°Wait.¡± Sisko said, more confused now than before. ¡°You are saying that they can¡¯t breathe?¡± ¡°Close but not quite, sir.¡± Bashir said as he walked over to the small screen in the office and pulled up the medical database to show a cell taken from the Terran in the medbay. ¡°All of these people from the other universe. Their bodies contain an energy called Psionics.¡± ¡°I have heard mention of the psionic abilities that many of them possess but I admit I have not yet read up on it.¡± Sisko said, folding his arms. ¡°Their psionic abilities are far more versatile but can be likened to the Lisepians ability to produce electricity or a Betazoid¡¯s ability to read minds. However it runs far deeper than that.¡± Bashir said as he clicked a button on the monitor and the display put a purple web around the cell on screen. ¡°Every person from their universe has some level of psionic ability. Even those without the talent for making use of it still contain the energy within them, albeit in much smaller quantities.¡± Bashir said as he brought up some RNA and DNA charts as well as a few cell samples on the side to prove his point. ¡°It is a natural part of their body that they slowly let off this psionic energy from their bodies as a means to prevent themselves from becoming too overburdened.¡± Bashir then shows the web slowly being shaved off. ¡°Now, since this is a natural part of their state of being, this shedding process is unharmful and unnoticable. Normally, and I¡¯m guessing here, the psionic web that surrounds their cells is supposed to be replenished from the outside.¡± ¡°From the outside?¡± Sisko said finally chiming back in. ¡°Yes sir. They do not produce the psionic web from within their bodies; instead their bodies have adapted to take in psionic energies from around them.¡± Bashir paused as he turned back to Sisko. ¡°If I were to guess their universe is probably saturated with psionic energies, so much so that no matter how much they expunge more can take its place. Similar to how we breathe an oxygen-nitrogen mixture and exhale carbon dioxide.¡± Bashir turned back to the monitor and pressed another button and the web slowly crumbled away until it disappeared. ¡°However our universe doesn¡¯t have any psionic energy, or at least no amount that can be measured. And since they have no energy to replace the amount they are shedding¡­¡± Bashir was stopped when Sisko spoke up. ¡°They are struggling to breathe like fish out of water.¡± He finished. ¡°Yes sir.¡± Bashir nodded in affirmation. ¡°I would assume that since our universe lacks any notable psionic energy that it is straining their bodies more than normal, in effect they are losing the energy even faster due to the vacuum that exists here. To put it bluntly sir, if they were to stay here they would all die.¡± There is a somber moment of silence as both men look horrified. ¡°Is there anything we can do for them?¡± Sisko said after a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not sure sir, I¡¯ve confirmed with Selendis that there is no viable way to transfer the psionic energies one has. Even if they could all it would do is transfer from one to another it wouldn¡¯t stop people from being affected. And that''s not the worst of it sir.¡± Bashir said as he pulled up another identical cell next to the one on the screen. ¡°The process seems to be speeding up, there seems to be no bearing on how much energy their body can hold versus how quickly they shed the energy, some will fall faster than others but the longer they stay here the more quickly this will affect them.¡± There is another pause from Sisko as he wrapped his head around this. ¡°Alright Doctor, I want you to inform the captains of all three ships of your findings, and coordinate with anyone that you can to find a way to stop this ¡°psionic bleed¡± as quickly as possible. If we can¡¯t stop this before it gets worse, forget about getting them home, we¡¯d be looking at a mass genocide.¡±