Prolog do StarTrek XI

Opowiadanie to jest autorstwa mojego znajomego z USA. Potrzebowal on bohaterow klingonskich wiec zaproponowalem mu zaloge okretu mazowieckiego BortaS 😉 Wymagany tu jest angielski za co przepraszam...ACT IThe scene begins in LaForge's quarters, as he is washing his face before going to bed for the night. (Comm beeps): "Barclay to Commander LaForge." LaForge sighs: "LaForge here." Barclay: "Commander, we ah seem to be having a problem, can you ah come down here?" LaForge: "What kind of problem Reg?" Barclay: "The flow to the Nacelles is off again Geordi, but all the computers say that all systems check out fine." LaForge: "Begin a diagonstic Reg, I'll be right there." LaForge walks back out in the the main part of his quarters, plucks his combadge off his jacket, and attaches it to his undershirt. Convinced he is not going to be away long, he turns and walks out the door. The door opens and he stops suddenly. B4: "Hello Geordi." LaForge: "Da...B4, Hi." B4: "Is Geordi not happy to see me?" LaForge: "No...No, of course I am, you just surprised me that's all. Look, I'm going to Engineering, I'll talk to you later." B4: "Can I come too?" LaForge: "I don't see why not." B4 smiles and begins to walk along-side Geordi down the corridor. Scene: Engineering, Barclay standing over the main console, while an Ensign and two crewmen go about their normal business. Geordi walks in with B4 a half second behind. LaForge: "What'cha got for me Reg?" Barclay: "The port nacelle is taking in the power flow as if its working at warp 5, but the starboard nacelle is going as if its at warp 5.2. If both nacelles were using all the power, the ship would be spiraling out of control, but the computer doesn't recognize it as a problem." LaForge: "Is it the same problem we had two weeks ago?" Barclay: "No, that's the first thing I checked, I sent Gomez to check on the power relay for the starboard nacelle, she says everything is fine from the inside, we must be losing something into space, but the external sensors aren't picking up anything." LaForge: "Well, looks like were going to have to go outside, LaForge to Bridge." Comm: "Maddox here." LaForge: "We've got a slight problem with the starboard nacelle, Commander, we're going to need you to drop out of warp and prep a shuttlecraft for us. Maddox: "Anything we should be concerned with Mr. LaForge?" The Warp reactor suddenly slowed down considerably as the ship drops out of warp. LaForge: "Not unless we try to break any speed records." Maddox: "Hmm...guess I gotta tell the Captain that warp 10 is out of the question tommorow eh? The shuttle's ready for you Mr. LaForge, Maddox out. LaForge: "Well Reg, since you're not letting me get any sleep right now, you're piloting." LaForge and Barclay walk out the main exit, B4 trailing behind both of them. The two men exchange idle chatter until they get to the shuttle bay, where they find the shuttlecraft Galileo prepped and ready for launch, nodding to the crewman manning the control station, they board the shuttlecraft, then notice that B4 is still following them. LaForge: "Sorry B4, you're going to have to stay behind." B4: "I do not understand, am I not Geordi's friend?" Barclay: "Geordi, remember we're on a tight schedule, and you said yourself that you didnt want to push the engines much harder when we get to the passage." Geordi: "Right Reg, allright B4 come along, but stay out of the way." B4: "I will stay out of the way." Shuttlecraft Galileo launches from the main shuttlebay, sweeps around to the starboard side of the ship and stops near the nacelle pylon, Geordi and Reg look up and down the pylon not noticing anything structurally wrong with it. LaForge: "Sensors are picking up something, a fracture near the nacelle itself, but, its not near the transfer conduit, what could be..." Comm: "Picard to LaForge." LaForge: "LaForge here." The sound of an explosion over the comm drowns out any reply that Picard was going to make. Barclay: "Geordi, the torpedo launcher!" Geordi looks out the viewport just in time to see the Quantum Torpedo launcher on the underside of the saucer explode, a chain reaction of explosions start to work thier way aft. LaForge: "Reg, get us out of here!" Barclay: "Already on it!" As Barclay works his hands over the controls, the shuttlecraft begins to pull away from the Enterprise, the explosions continuing to head aft, until they reach the midsection of the ship, where one final explosion tears the ship completely apart in a warp core breach. The shockwave washes over the fleeing shuttlecraft, and the interior goes completely dark. Scene opens to a space shot, stars moving by in a warp field. Entering from the bottom of the screen is an Intrepid class starship, NCC-74656 on her bow. (minus, of course, all the uber-enhancements from "Endgame")Chakotay(voiceover): "Captain's Log, Stardate 58327.4: It's been a week since Starfleet Command lost contact with the Enterprise, we have been assigned to find her, or to determine her fate. We have arrived at her last known coordinates and are proceeding at warp 7 along her last known course."Scene moves into the bridge, Commander Tuvok at Tactical, Lt. Commander Kim at Ops, Lt. Commander Paris at Helm.Paris: "Captain, we're going to be entering the passage in about an hour at our current speed, I'm sure B'Elanna has already told you that we'll have to reduce speed to warp 5 before we enter it."Chakotay: "She has, on several occasions, Tom. Harry, anything on sensors?"Kim: "Nothing as yet Captain."Chakotay: "Let me know as soon as you find anythng. Tuvok, my ready room."Chakotay and Tuvok exit into the ready room, while Tom and Harry remained at their posts.Kim: "How's Miral doing today? Better than yesterday I hope."Paris: "The Doc says that she'll be fine after a normal meal, apparently she was a bit unsettled by her first plate of Gagh."Kim: "Guess she takes after her old man more than you realize, eh Tom?"Tuvok and Chakotay in the ready room, both standing near the door.Chakotay: "The entire fleet's on edge, its not every day the flagship just up and dissapears on us. The Klingons have been agitated for the last month, Chancellor Martok and Ambassador Worf seem to be the only people that can keep them communicating with us. What concerns me the most though, is the Romulans."Tuvok: "Romulans?"Chakotay: "Ever since the Enterprise destroyed the Scimitar two years ago, the Romulans have been nothing but friendly to us. That worries me, especially after Starfleet shifted some ships away from the Romulan Border after the last Dominion raid."Tuvok: "You believe that the Romulans are attempting to lull us into complacency and then strike out at us?"Chakotay: "They've done it before."Tuvok: "Indeed..."Comm: "Kim to Chakotay, I've got something sir, a small craft, approximetely 20 light days from here."Chakotay: "On my way."Chakotay and Tuvok walk back out onto the bridge and take up their stations.Kim: "It's the Galileo, sir, a shuttlecraft assigned to the Enterprise, her main power systems appear to be dead. She has life-support, barely, two lifesigns, but three comm-badges on board."Chakotay: "Tom, slow to impulse, Bridge to Sickbay. Doctor, prepare for patients."Doctor: "Acknowledged"Paris: "Entering Transporter range."Kim: "Beaming them directly to Sickbay."Chakotay: "Tom, you have the Bridge."Paris: "My turn...lets see, what pointless task can I have Harry do this time..."Chakotay smirks as he turns to the turbolift, Tuvok merely raises an eybrow and follows him in.Sickbay: The Doctor is tending to Barclay, while a nurse tends to LaForge. B4 lies deactivated on the third bed.Doctor: "Reg! What happened?"The wounds on Barclay have largely healed over time, though still leaving the marks on his hands and face from where the Helm console exploded when the shuttle was washed over by the shockwave. Geordi just has a few bruises and an almost healed cut along his cheek bone.Barclay: "The Enterprise...shes... shes...gone..."Chakotay and Tuvok enter Sickbay, followed quickly by Lt. Torres, who heads over to B4s bed.LaForge: "Captain, Commander LaForge, thanks for the pickup."Chakotay: "You're welcome Commander, care to tell me what happened to the Enterprise?"LaForge: "I'm not sure myself yet, sir. One moment we were using the shuttlecraft to inspect for possible damage to the starboard nacelle, the next minute we're watching the Enterprise's Quantum Torpedo launcher explode.B4 suddenly sits upright, B'Elanna is holding a spanner and a Tricorder with a grin on her face.LaForge: "The explosion began a chain reaction that destroyed the Quantum Torpedo magazine, then the Photon Torpedoes, then the Antimatter Storage Pods, then finally the Warp Core itself. What I don't understand, is why the emergency force fields didn't contain the explosion in the Torpedo Launcher."Tuvok: "Then the Enterprise was completely annihilated?"LaForge: "There's nothing left of her."Doctor: "Commander LaForge and Lt. Barclay should be just fine, I don't know about B4, thats why I called B'Elanna up here."Torres: "B4 wasn't all that damaged, he just had a piece of metal lodged in his positronic matrix. Something I did notice however, is that his matrix arrangement is different that the one that is in his record."LaForge: "Yeah, I've been working on updating his hardware, trying to make him...more like Data, so far I haven't had much luck."Torres: "Maybe I can give you a hand later, I still remember a lot from those androids that killed their makers back in the Delta Quadrant."Chakotay: "Chakotay to Bridge, Tom, resume our previous course, warp 5."Doctor: "I'd like to keep the two of you here for a few more minutes, I want to make sure that the long period of time on the shuttle hasn't affected you adversely.Chakotay: "Keep me posted Doctor."Chakotay and Tuvok leave Sickbay, B'Elanna picks up her tools and turns to leave.Torres: "Drop by Engineering when the Doctor gets done with you, if you dont mind Commander."LaForge: "I'll be there Lieutnenant."Torres walks out the door and the Doctor begins checking on Barclay.End Act I ACT IIExterior Scene: Deep Space Nine, A Federation Akira Class starship occupies one of the upper docking pylons, while a Klingon Vor'cha Class attack cruiser and a Ferengi Marauder occupy two of the lower docking pylons. The shot slowly moves in towards the operations tower, and will eventually enter Kira's office from the outside.Kira(Voice Over): "Station's Log, Stardate 58327.5: Representatives from all over the Federation and beyond continue to arrive here at Deep Space Nine, for the upcoming ceremony for the official admission of Bajor into the Federation. Admiral Ross arrived earlier last week aboard the starship Thunderchild. Yesterday morning Grand Nagus Rom arrived from Ferenginar, Quark of course was not especially pleased to see his brother again, but Nog was thrilled to see his father. Chancellor Martok and Ambassador Worf surprised us with their arrival this afternoon, but adjustments have been made to accommidate their presence during the signing ceremony..."Voice over ends as the camera enters the office, Kira sitting behind the desk in a Starfleet uniform continues talking...Kira: "...Admiral Janeway is expected to arrive tommorow aboard the Starship Titan, Captain Riker will also be present during the ceremony, taking the place of the late Captain Picard. Picard has been a great advocate for Bajoran admission, we will all miss him."Kira presses a button on the console to stop recording then turns to look at the baseball still sitting on the desk. After a moment's hesistation she reaches foreward and picks it up.Kira: "I hope you're as proud of us as we are of you, Ben."Kira puts the ball back down and stands up, smoothing out her uniform as she walks towards the exit. As she enters Ops she notices Lt. Nog sitting at his station, the one Chief O'Brien sat at for seven years. Standing over his shoulder was Grand Nagus Rom, apparently very delighted with some of the modifications that Nog had made to the systems in the four years since he left. Ensign ch'Thane sitting on the opposite side of her, at the Science station. Lt. Dax was at the Operations console having a conversation with Lt. Ro, still in a Bajoran Uniform. Ro finished the conversation with Ezri, and walked up to Kira.Ro: "Colon...I mean, Commander, I just finished going over the changes in the security precautions that the Klingons forced onto us, I wanted to get your approval before I sent my deputies out."Kira grabbed Ro's offered PADD and looked over it, she nodded and handed the PADD back to Ro. Ezri walked up beside Kira.Dax: "The Titan is 17 hours away at its present speed, the signing ceremony will take place the day after tommorow, First Minister Shakar will be arriving from Bajor late tommorow night. I've already made arrangements for the Minister and his staff, I'm told that Admiral Janeway and Captain Riker will spend most of their time on the Titan."Kira: "Quark's not going to do anything stupid during the ceremony is he?"Dax: "Ro says that she has him under control, I don't doubt her."ch'Thane: "Commander! Increased elevation of nuetrinos coming from the wormhole!"Kira: "Any ships due back today or tommorow?"Dax: "Not anymore."Kira: "Yellow Alert! This better not be another Dominion raid or so help me I'll ring Odo's neck."Dax: "The Thunderchild and K'empec have disengaged thier docking clamps and are taking up position between us and the wormhole, the Defiant is crewed and disengaging her docking clamps."Outside the station the wormhole opens and spits out one hourglass shaped object, then suddenly closes again.Nog: "What is that?"Kira: "Last time I saw something like that, was 11 years ago, it brought Dax back from the Wormhole. Nog, get a transporter lock on it and bring it aboard. (taps commbadge) Dr. Bashir, report to Ops."Nog: "I can't get a lock on it Commander, its....gone."Dax: "Where did it go?"ch'Thane: "It just dissapeared Lt. One second it was there, and the next it was gone."Kira: "I guess I was hoping too much that it was going to be the Captain."Dax put a hand on her arm: "I'm sure Benjamin would be here if he could, Nerys.At that moment the lift entered Ops, Dr. Bashir looked around, confused, then looked at Kira.Kira: "Sorry Julian, false alarm."Bashir: "That's quite all right Commander, as it was you saved me from a rather annoying lecture from Dr. Menchark.Kira: "Shouldn't he have been back on the Thunderchild?"Bashir shrugged: "He couldn't get back to his ship in time, so he instead decided to criticize every aspect of my staff's preparation."Kira: "Stand down Yellow alert. When you get back, mention that if his preparation was perfect, he would have been back on his ship before it left."Bashir: "I did, and it shut him up, but only for a few minutes."Bashir turned and walked back into the lift.Rom was now sitting at the comm station: "Kira, uh the Defiant is hailing."Kira: "On screen, if you would be so kind, Rom."On the screen Commander Vaughn appeared: "Commander, any idea what just happened?"Kira: "None at all Elias, did you get any better sensor readings than we did?"Vaughn: "One minute it was there, the next, it wasn't."Kira: "That's all we got over here too. Return to the station Commander, Kira out."Scene: Promenade, just outside Quark's, Ro and Taran'atar are standing outside.Ro: "Well that has to go down as one of the shortest alerts in station history."Taran'atar: "I would think that you should have shorter results with battle drills."Ro: "Well, sure, but we never have them with diplomats on board."Quark, exiting his bar: "Is the Illustrious Commander done scaring off my customers? I had three Klingons that were just about to rent a holo-suite! Now they'll spend the rest of the day on their ship."Ro: 'Take it easy Quark, if they really wanted your holo-suites, they'll be back."Quark: "That's easy for you to say, but I know Klingons, once they get themselves primed for battle, they wont calm down for hours." Taran'atar looks down at Quark menacingly.Quark: "He's doing it again...he's going to kill me!"Quark runs off into his bar, Ro looks back to Taran'atar, who was now looking normal.Ro: "Do you enjoy that?"Taran'atar: "Commander Kira suggested that Quark is easily intimidated, and that I should do that if he became annoying. Did I enjoy it? ...Yes."Taran'atar walked away with out saying another word. Leaving Ro to wonder if the last four years had changed Taran'atar, perhaps for the better. She shrugged it off and walked in after Quark.Ro: "You realize he does that just to annoy you."Quark: "He doesn't do anything to annoy anyone, unless Odo told him to do it on purpose, he's going to kill me one of these days, just you see."Ro: "Now you're just being paranoid. He's not going to hurt you."Quark: "Odo probably told him to do it, to get back at me for..."Ro: "Odo didn't tell Tarana'tar to do anything to you. Just calm down Quark, look, theres some Klingons entering."Entering through the main doors are Chancellor Martok and Ambassador Worf.Quark: "What do I care about Worf? All he ever orders is prune juice."Martok: "Ferengi! A Bottle of Bloodwine!"Quark quickly dashed into the back room and comes out with a bottle of Bloodwine, and two glasses. He sets them in front of Worf and Martok, Martok picks up the bottle and begins to pour into both glasses.Martok: "Tis a shame that the Dominion didn't come to pick a fight, our Warriors have been longing for battle for too long now!"Worf: "Indeed, a battle, even a small one, would have been a most welcome diversion."Martok glanced at Quark, and then walked away from the bar, to an upstairs table.Quark: "Even with Martok buying that whole bottle, I still wont break even for today..."Ro: "Don't be too sure Quark, the night is still young."Ro quickly walked out the main enterance, Quark's smile grew as he saw a dozen Klingons walking into the bar just after she left.Quark: "Gentlemen! Welcome to Quarks! I'll have you know...."Upstairs, Martok and Worf used the increase in noise to cover their conversation.Martok: "The conservative movement is gaining momentum again, Worf, unless we find them a target to attack, they may try something against me or the Federation."Worf: "This peace has been too long for many warrior's taste, I would not desire to see the Empire plunged into another civil war, or worse yet, at war with the Federation."Martok: "Perhaps an 'Incident' on the Romulan border would help alleviate this sentiment."Worf: "Of course you know, my friend, that the Federation would not condone an 'incident'. Relations between the Federation and the Romulans is better than they ever have been, and the Federation would certainly like to put thier differences behind them." Martok: "Pah! Those Romulan pa'taqs are never truely interested in peace, they simply wanted the reprieve while they put their Senate back together!"Worf: "You know that I agree with you on that, but the Federation wants to believe that the Romulans are sincere in their overtures to form a more permanent alliance."Martok: "If the Federation Council believes the Romulan overtures, then they are more fools than I gave them credit for!"Worf: "Starfleet Command will never let the Romulans catch them flat-footed."Martok: "At least some sanity remains in the Federation!"Martok chugs his glass of bloodwine and pours himself another, Worf drinks his more slowly, pondering what lies ahead.End Act IIACT IIISpace shot, enter a Galaxy class starship, at warp.Riker (voiceover): "Captain's Personal Log, Stardate 58327.5: The Titan is en route to Deep Space Nine to deliver Admiral Janeway to the admission ceremony of Bajor into the Federation. Just a few hours ago, I received word that my friend and mentor, Jean-Luc Picard, has been officially reported as dead, and that I have been appointed to replace him at the ceremony. I haven't felt this way since Tasha Yar was lost, but there is something more, something... different. Deanna thinks I have been avoiding her since I heard the news, and honestly, she is right. Right now I want to sort things out myself, not have my mind read by my wife."Scene: Ready Room, a particularly distraught Riker staring at the computer monitor, on the monitor is the service record of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. On his desk is the Incident report filed by Captain Chakotay. The door chime eventually breaks his silence.Riker: "Come."Admiral Janeway walks into the ready room, a mix of concern and compassion written on her face.Janeway: "You all right Will?"Riker: "Of course Admiral, everything's fine."Janeway: "You're not a very convincing liar Captain."Riker motioned for Janeway to sit down: "Did Deanna send you here to convince me to talk to her, Admiral?"Janeway choosing to sit on the couch gestures for Riker to join her: "She had nothing to do with my dropping by, and please, call me Kathryn. I don't quite care for the 'Admiral' title, I get called that all day long."Riker, sitting beside Janeway on the couch: "Then, if I may, Kathryn, why are you here? You gave me the breifing on your mission 12 hours ago."Janeway: "As much as I hate to bring it back up in light of the circumstances, the mission has changed slightly. But mostly I am here to talk to you, Starfleet surely will feel the loss of one of its best Captains, but you served with the man for fourteen years, you were not only shipmates, you were friends, and the death of a friend can be a troubling experience. I know you want to deal with this in your own way, so I'm not going to force the issue, but if you need someone to talk to, someone who doesn't quite have as an emotional attachment to the loss as you or your wife, my door is open."Riker: "I appreciate the concern, perhaps I'll stop by later tonight and discuss it further with you, but I don't think I'm ready just yet."Janeway: "My door is open, just give me a few minutes notice before you come in. Ok?"Riker nodded, and Janeway gets up, but just before she leaves, she turns back to Riker.Janeway: "By the way, I just heard from DS9, Ambassador Worf arrived there earlier today, I understand he looks foreward to speaking with you again."With that Janeway turns around and heads back out the door, leaving Riker to brood in silence. Riker glanced at the replica of the Enterprise D on the stand against the wall of his ready room.Riker: "Geordi doesn't think it was an accident, but he didn't come out and say it in his report. I promise you Jean-Luc, I'll find out who's responsible for this and make that person pay. But first...Computer, access service record for Commander LaForge."Computer: "Accessed."Riker: "Computer, where will Commander LaForge be transferred to next?"Computer: "Commander LaForge is deceased."Riker: "What the hell?...Computer, Confirm last statement."Computer: "Comfirmed, Commander LaForge is listed as deceased on Stardate 58327.43. Per report by Captain Chakotay of USS Voyager NCC 74656."RIker stands up: "I just read that report, it stated that LaForge survived."Computer: "Report states that all aboard USS Enterprise NCC 1701 E, were lost when ship suffered a warp core breach."Riker: "The core breach that Geordi told him about! How did Chakotay know of the warp core breach?"Computer: "Enterprise shuttlecraft Galileo 7 was recovered by Voyager with no survivng crewmen on board, records of core breach were found in shuttlecraft's data bank."Riker grabs the incident report, furiously stabs his fingers down on the PADD looking through it: "What the hell? The report has changed! Computer, when was the report altered?"Computer: "Report has not been altered since entry into databanks on Stardate 58327.45. Deliberate tampering with an official report is a violation of Starfleet regulation 128, section 23, paragraph 4..."Riker turns and stormed out of the room before it went on with the Federation Penal code statue.Scene: Admiral Janeway's quarters, she is sitting at her desk.Janeway: "Thank you for letting me know about this Chakotay, I'll see what I can do to figure it out for you."Chakotay(over comm): "Thanks Kathryn, I wasn't sure who I could trust with this."Janeway smiled at him: "I hope you didn't think that you couldn't trust me Chakotay, I'd be dissapointed in you if it came to that."Chakotay: "I just want you to be careful with this Kathryn, whoever covered up LaForge and Barclay's survival might be who destroyed the Enterprise, I'd hate for them to destroy whatever ship you're on to silence you too.Janeway: "You had better make sure that they don't get you next, after all, you filed the initial report."Chakotay: "Tuvok and I have taken precautions, but we will be careful... Gotta go Kathryn, Chakotay out.The screen went black, replaced immediately by text stating that this communication never took place.Janeway: "Two can play at this game..."Janeway stops when the door chimes: "Come."Riker walks in, still angry and looks directly at Janeway.Janeway smiled: "Now Captain, didn't I tell you to give me a few minutes notice?"Riker: "Captain Chakotay's report on the destruction of the Enterprise was altered."Janeway frowned: "Computer, seal the room... Yes, Will, Chakotay just finished informing me of that fact."Riker: "Admiral, what the hell is going on?"Janeway: "I'm not sure yet, but Chakotay and LaForge both believe that the same person or persons who tampered with the report may also be responsible for the Enterprise's destruction. My concern is that whoever was behind it may try again, and right now the more people that know, the more people that are at risk, so keep this to yourself for now, Will."Riker: "Kathryn, I'm not just going to be pushed aside on this matter."Janeway: "And I have no intention of doing so, for the moment however, we need to continue with our assignment, afterwards, we can investigate and get to the bottom of this, together."Riker: "What makes you think there's a conspiracy?"Janeway: "The fact that Commander LaForge believes that the explosion wasn't an accident combined with the alteration of the report, a well done piece of work I might add. If you hadn't read the report the instant it came in, and if Chakotay hadn't written the report himself, no one would have noticed."Riker: "That means that they have someone high up the chain of command, or in Starfleet Intelligence."Janeway: "Maybe so, and maybe now is a good time for you to talk to your wife. Computer, unseal the room."Riker nodded in agreement, and walked out the door. As Janeway watched him leave, she got up and ordered herself a cup of coffee from the replicator.Scene Captain's Quarters, Troi sitting behind the desk, eyes rimmed with red, an occasional tear falls down her face. The computer terminal rotating through the pictures of the friends that were lost with Enterprise. Her expression doesn't change much as Riker enters the room. She does, however, get up to embrace him.Riker: "Imzadi..."Troi sniffs and suddenly pulls back: "You're angry Will, but not about Enterprise, what is it Imzadi?"Riker: "The explosion was deliberate, Deanna."Troi: "You don't know that for sure. But you do...How Will?"Riker: "I can't tell you right now, I will soon, but for your sake, I can't now."Troi: "For my sake? Will, whatever are you talking about?"Riker: "I'll explain after we leave Deep Space Nine, I promise."Troi: "I'll hold you to that promise. Come, let's try to get some sleep."End Act IIIACT IVScene: Voyager Main Engineering, Torres is at her main work station, various other people go about their business.On her workstation are the Positronic Matrices Diagrams of Data, B4, and the Delta Quadrant Android. (Can someone remember the name to these people, cause I cant) Tom Paris enters the scene.Paris: "You sure you want to mess with this?"Torres: "I can do this Tom, between Commander LaForge and I we can get B4 to near where Data was when he died."Paris: "What makes you so sure?"Torres: "Because I've seen B4's pathways before, and I can see where the problem is already."Paris: "But LaForge has been working on it for two years now, and LaForge knew Data's Matrix like the back of his hand!"Torres turned around to rebuke Paris, but at that moment Barclay and LaForge enter the room.Paris: "Reg! Good to see you!"Barclay: "Tom, how are you? How's Miral?"Paris: "I'm fine, and she's beautiful, just like her mother."Torres glanced at Paris, then to LaForge: "Commander, take a look at this."LaForge looking at Torres' screen: "So you basically want to do major brain surgery on B4, instead of just the piecemeal stuff that I've done.?Torres: "Yes, Reg can watch engineering while we do it, we can upload the memories into a temporary file, go in and replace some of the older parts, then download back into B4."LaForge: "He's still not going to be Data, theres no way we can get to the level that Dr. Soong used to create Data, but this reminds me, we could use parts of Lore to replace those parts. We also wouldn't have to risk someone reactivating him."Torres: "Lore?"LaForge: "Lore is, for lack of a better term, Data's brother. Lore was built by Dr. Soong to include the full range of human emotions, he lived among the colonists on Soong's planet. But Lore became a threat to the colonists, so Soong shut him down and had Data built to replace him. We reactivated him, not knowing why he was deactivated and disassembled, the last time he led a group of rengade Borg, when we stopped him that time, we shut him down for what we hope is the last time."Torres: "That's not in the Starfleet databanks."LaForge: "Because all of our encounters with Lore have been classified."Torres: "So where do we find this, Lore?"La Forge: "I'm not sure any more, he could be at the planet we left him at, but then we have to deal with those Renegade Borg, If Starfleet relocated him, he could be anywhere, and with the computer thinking that I'm dead..."Torres: "...Then we're out of luck. By the way, how does it feel to be dead? I've always wanted to ask a dead person that."LaForge shrugged: "Kind of helpless."Scene: Voyager Ready Room, Tuvok standing in front of the desk, Chakotay sitting behind the desk.Tuvok: "I have given orders to all my staff to allow only pre-approved authorized personell to have access to the armory and weapons systems, also Torres has compiled a list of her staff that she doesn't consider completely trustworthy, she asked me to foreward it to you. She feels that these people should be kept away from critical systems until further notice."Chakotay: "Seem's strange that we cant trust Starfleet personell anymore."Tuvok: "Indeed."Chakotay: "We've been order to return to Earth with the bodies of Commander LaForge and Lt. Barclay. I wonder if Admiral Paris knows that they're not dead."Tuvok: "After all that Admiral Paris has done for Voyager, it would seem rather rash to assume that he is now attempting to destroy us."Chakotay: "I know, so I had Tom drop a hint to him in a personal letter to see where he stands, Tom hasn't said if he responded yet."Tuvok: "Regardless, I will put the ship on Yellow Alert, covertly of course. The shields will be ready to come online at a moments notice.Chakotay: "Do you think that someone would really fire the planetary defenses at us?"Tuvok: "It is a possibility we must not rule out."Chakotay: "I hope your just being paranoid."Scene: Voyager Bridge, Kim at his Ops station, a young Trill female Ensign at the conn station, Tuvok's tactical station is manned by a tall Canopian male Lieutenant.Ensign: "We're going to Earth to deliver the bodies of two people who aren't dead? What is Starfleet thinking this time?"Lieutenant: "Apparently the message that Captain Chakotay got distorted in its transmission."Kim: "If only it were that simple."At that moment the turbolift doors opened to admit an engineer, he immediately went to the ships status board and began working at one of the stations nearby.Kim: "Excuse me, crewman, but I don't recall there needing to be any work done at that station today."Crewman: "Just a minor glitch that needed to be corrected, I didn't think I needed to file to work order to fix something this simple."Kim: "Well you do, go to Lt. Torres and get approval."Crewman: "But that will take longer than fixing the glitch!"Kim: "I don't care, get B'Elanna's approval, or step away from the console."Crewman: "B'Elanna?"The Lieutenant drew his phaser and leveled it at the crewman: "Commander Kim has given you an order."Crewman: "Fine!"The Crewman stormed back onto the turbolift. Kim went over to the vacated station to see what he was up to. He tapped his commbadge.Kim: "Kim to Chakotay. Captain, can I see you on the bridge?"Almost instantly the doors to the Ready room opened, and Chakotay and Tuvok hurried onto the bridge.Chakotay: "What's the problem Harry?"Kim motioned to the station: "See for yourself, sir."Chakotay walked over to the station, looked at it, then Kim, then Tuvok, and then back to the station again. He stared at the screen.Chakotay: "Who?"Lieutenant: "Crewman Chase, sir."Chakotay: "Tuvok."Tuvok tapped his commbadge: "Tuvok to security, confine Crewman Chase to the Brig."End Act IVACT VAppeasing the masses til I get myself caught up. :-DScene: Earth, Starfleet Medical Lab, Top Secret Section. Seven of Nine is working late.Computer beeps: "Simulation Complete, Nanoprobes show no loss of functionality. Treatment, failed."Seven: "Computer, increase dosage by 10%."Computer: "Working..."Door opens to admit Doctor Beverly Crusher, who seems very annoyed.Crusher: "Working late again Seven?"Seven: "Yes."Crusher paused for a second: "I keep expecting to hear an excuse out of you, but you never give one."Seven: "Would you like me to give you one?"Crusher: "Not really."Seven: "I have noticed that you have been...distant the last few days, you are saddened at the loss of Enterprise."Crusher: "I lost several shipmates when the Enterprise was destroyed."Seven: "Did one of them mean something to you?"Crusher opened her mouth to reply but the Computer interrupted: "Simulation Complete, Nanoprobe effectiveness reduced by 20%. Nanoprobes adaptated in 15.6 minutes and nuetralized the treatment. Treatment, failed."Crusher: "Computer, increase Omicron Radition levels by 12% and repeat."Comptuer: "Working..."Crusher: "When you're done for the night Seven, stop by my office, I have something for you."Seven nodded and Crusher left the room.Scene: Starfleet Academy faculty offices, O'Brien walking down the empty hall with a briefcase towards his office.O'Brien: "This is what you love about the late classes Miles, no one here to remind you that you never went here yourself."Miles stopped in front of a door and pushed the panel on the side, the door slid open and he walked in.O'Brien digging through his case: "Let's see now, these can wait 'til tommorow...these I'd better take home with me tonight, so I can get them back to the students Friday. Computer, any messages?"Computer: "Two Messages are in your inbox."O'Brien: "Computer, play the first Message."Bashir: "Miles, It's Julian, Just calling to let you know that the signing looks like its going to go off with out a hitch, I just wish you were able to get some time off to see it in person. Ah well, your probably busy, so I wont bore you with endless details. By the way, I've got a couple of weeks of shore leave coming up, and I thought I'd drop by, let me know if that works for you. Bashir out."O'Brien: "Be glad to see you again, Julian. Computer, play the second message."Kieko O'Brien: "Miles, don't forget that today is Wednesday, we promised Mr. Sisko that we would stop by and eat with him. I'll meet you on campus at 1830 so we can take the transporter over there. We don't want to be late like we were the last time. See you soon."O'Brien glanced at the chronometer: "1820, a few minutes before Kieko arrives, Computer, bring up the roster for Mechanics 201 section 12.O'Brien sat down at the terminal and began transfering the grades that he gave for the papers that he graded before the his last class.OBrien: "Well, that should do it, Computer, secure terminal, good night."Computer: "Good Night."O'Brien walked out his office door and down the hall. Scene: Outside Starfleet Academy, a few students running to get back to their dorm, Kieko O'Brien, Molly and Kirayoshi are walking up to the Engineering building, as Miles walks out.Kirayoshi: "Daddy!"Miles scoops the child up into his arms: "Hi there big guy, can you carry daddy's briefcase?"Kirayoshi giggles as he takes the briefcase with both hands.Kieko walks up to Miles and kisses him: "Miles..."Miles returns the kiss, and takes Molly by the hand: "Hey sweetie, we dont want to keep Mr. Sisko waiting now do we?"The O'Briens walk off towards the Transporter facility.Scene: Transporter facility, Icheb manning the transporter station, the O'Briens walk into the facility.Miles: "Icheb, how are you doing tonight?"Icheb: "I am fine Professor O'Brien, where are you heading tonight?"Miles: "New Orleans station, Ensign."Icheb: "Coordinates locked in Professor."O'Brien set Kirayoshi down on the platform: "How late you on duty tonight?"Icheb: "I am set to be relieved in a few minutes."O'Brien: "Good to hear, we're all set Ensign, Energize."Icheb activated the transporter, and the O'Briens dissapeared.Ensign Schulz stepped into the room, he looked at the transporter platform in relief.Icheb: "You just missed Professer O'Brien."Schulz: "No I didn't, you're the only one that I know of that he trusts completely to use the transporter on his family. Would you mind telling me your secret?"Icheb: "I have no secret."Schulz: "There's gotta be something, were you in one of his classes?"Icheb: "I had him for two of my Engineering Mechanics classes."Schulz: "Hmm...you must have done well, I had him for one, but he doesnt trust me at all, every time he checks the coordinates to make sure they're correct."Icheb: "Perhaps he had to do that with your classwork as well."Schulz: "Occasionally, but I had 17 Credit hours that semester, I was tired most of the time."Icheb: "Perhaps if you explained that to him, he would stop checking your transport coordinates."Schulz: "Ha, like that will ever happen, anyway, I'm here to officially relieve you Icheb."Icheb: "Thank you Roger, have a good night."Schulz: "Good Night, Icheb."Icheb walks out of the room.Scene: Starfleet Medical Coordination Offices. Seven of Nine walking down the hall towards Dr. Crusher's office. She stops outside the office and presses the call button.Crusher: "Come in."The doors parted and Seven walked through. Crusher was sitting at her desk, working on something, which she quickly cleared from her screen."Seven: "You wanted to see me Doctor?"Crusher smiled: "How did it go today?"Seven: "The Radiation treatment you suggested was effective in neutralizing the nanoprobes long enough for them to be extracted. We may have a treatment for people in advanced stages of assimilation, however, the doses required are near fatal. Further study will be needed to determine if the organic tissues can be protected from the radiation to a sufficient degree."Crusher: "Well then, it seems that you will be leaving us soon then, with nothing left for Borg related medical research, I can't find anything else for you to work on.Seven: "I understand."Crusher reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a small box: "Still, I'd like for you to have this, as a thank you for your hard work."Seven: "You do not need to reward me Doctor."Crusher: "No, I don't, do I? But I want to, don't open it until you get home tonight."Seven takes the offered package: "Thank you."Crusher: "Where do you think you'll go next?Seven: "Starfleet Tactical has been expressing interest in my working for them again. Perhaps they will transfer me back to them."Crusher: "I see, well, it was a pleasure to work with you Seven. Good night."Seven: "Good night Doctor."Crusher smiled to herself as Seven turned and walked out the door.Scene: Apartment complex 23, Northside San Fransico, third floor, Seven walks up to her apartment door. She presses her hand onto the door padd and it slides open to admit her.Seven: "Computer, Increase illumination by 75%."The computer complied bringing the lights up in the room, Seven looked to the package that Dr. Crusher had given her, her hand reached over to pull the lid off...Icheb: "Seven!"Seven: "Icheb, how did you get in here?"Icheb: "You left the door unlocked."Seven: "Unlikely."Icheb: "Then perhaps the door sensor cannot tell us apart."Seven: "Perhaps."Icheb looking at the box: "What's that?"Seven: "A gift from Dr. Crusher. What are you doing here?"Icheb: "I just wanted to let you know, I have gotten a ship assignment, although Starfleet has yet to tell me what ship it is yet."Seven: "That is good news Icheb."Icheb: "Are you all right Seven?"Seven: "I am...uncomfortable, with my tasks here, they change from week to week, at least on Voyager my tasks stayed relatively consistant."Icheb: "Perhaps you should request a ship assignment."Seven: "Without a commision, I would have the same problem aboard a ship as I have here."Icheb: "But at least on a ship you would remain in the same department. You would not be moving from Engineering to Medical to Tactical on a monthly basis."Seven: "Perhaps I will put in a transfer request."Icheb: "I must be going, I had expected you home sooner, but I have a meeting with a couple of my friends at the local diner."Seven: "Have fun."Icheb: "I will try, good night Seven."Icheb walks out the door, as the door closes behind Icheb, Seven reaches once again for the box. She opens the lid and looks inside, a gasp escapes her lips.End Act V ACT VI Scene: Romulan Warship BridgeTribune: "Commander, we're nearing the Federation Neutral Zone."Commander Donatra comes into the picture sitting in her chair: "Thank you Tribune, maintain cloaked status, slow to warp 5."Tribune: "Yes Commander."Donatra: "Lay in a course for Federation Battlestation, Deep Space Nine as soon as we clear the detection net."Tribune: "At warp nine, we should reach the Federation station tommorow evening."Donatra (to herself): "Just in time for the signing. Excellent."The Tribune at the helm station overheard part of her comment, but like a good Romulan Officer, chose not to let Commander Donatra know. Curious officers often wound up demoted, or worse, in the Star Empire, questioning a senior military commander was a quick route to an execution.Donatra: "Bridge to Observation Lounge, we have arrived at the Federation Neutral Zone."A shadowed man enters from the turbolift: "I am aware of our position Commander, If I may have access to your Communication station?"Donatra nodded her assent, and Ambassador Spock emerged from the shadow, walking over to the Comm station. He entered in a series of short key strokes before walking over to her chair.Spock: "These communication codes will get us past any patrols that happen to stumble across us en route to Deep Space Nine. They will believe that we are a cloaked Klingon vessel, performing a Covert Surveillance mission of the Federation/Romulan Neutral Zone."Donatra: "Which we, of course, will vehemently protest when we "find out" about it."Spock raises an eyebrow: "Since it is really not happening, what is the need to protest?"Donatra: "My apologies, Ambassador, the old way of thinking comes as a reflexive habit, of course we would not protest something that did not happen."Spock: " I see, in any case, I am most eager to get to Deep Space Nine for the signing ceremony, Bajor has worked long and hard to enter the Federation. Its significance will have further reaching implications, which is why the Preator has authorized this mission. We must stand united, as the Dominion are looking more and more likely to strike out against the Alpha Quadrant. Should the Bajoran Sector fall into Dominion hands, both of our nations are at risk to a Dominion offensive. A united front at Deep Space Nine, will prevent all but the most determined attack from succeeding."Donatra: "I have seen the projections, Ambassador, the fall of the Bajoran sector means the Federation have to fall back a considerable distance, to Starbase 375. It also opens the route to our border stations, if the attack comes rapidly enough, we could lose three sectors before our line stablizes, of course, the Federation will be hurt further, losing an additional fifteen sectors, and cutting them off from the Cardassian Union.Spock: "The Cardassians would surrender, their fleet is in no condition for a prolonged war. The Klingons wouldn't lose any territory, but they would have to stretch their supply lines to the limit once again, while they would undoubtedly be able to do so, it would put an enormous strain on their economy, so much so that they may have troubles down the road. Together the Star Empire and the Federation can hold the Dominion at bay, but we would need the Klingons involved to push the Dominion back."Tribune: "Commander, we have entered the Federation side of the Neutral Zone."Donatra: "Stand By Alert, all crew to their posts."Spock: "I will be in my cabin meditating if you have further need for me. Jolan Tru, Commander."Donatra: "Jolan Tru, Ambassador."Location: Federation Starship Quixote, on patrol near the Romulan Neutral Zone.Scene: Bridge, Captain Wilson, Human, and Lieutenant Commander Bren, Andorian, standing near the science station.Bren: "That's a cloaked ship all right, she's moving quite fast too, Warp 7 and accelerating."Wilson: "Comm Codes indicate that its a Klingon ship, Vor'cha Class, on a surveillance mission."Bren: "It's going far too fast for a surveillance mission."Wilson: "Perhaps their orders have changed and they dont want to de-cloak near the neutral zone in case there's a ship monitoring us."Bren: "If that's a Klingon ship, then I'm a Vulcan's uncle."Wilson: "I was wondering about those pointed ears of yours, seriously, if it wasn't for the comm codes, I'd order it to stand down right now..."Bren: "You pink skins put too much faith in your comm codes, if the Romulans have broken our communication codes, then they could be broadcasting our codes right until they decloak behind us and destroy us."Wilson: "You know, our orders do say that we should investigate all suspicious activity, and a Klingon ship cloaked at warp 8 and still increasing sure looks suspicious to me. Helm, follow that ship, but don't make it look too obvious."Helm Officer (off screen): Aye, sir."Wilson: "You have two hours to prove to me that thats a Romulan, If it is, theres five starships that can be here inside of an hour. Two of them are Defiants and ones a Prometheus, I don't care if that Romulan's flying one of those Scimitars, we can easily handle it with six starships."Bren: "I'll have your proof sooner than that."Wilson: "With out shooting at it..."Bren: "Well then, it may take longer than I had initially anticipated."Scene: Romulan Warbird Valdore BridgeTribune: "Commander, I believe we are being followed."Donatra: "On Screen."The screen changes to feature the Quixote in the center.Ante-Tribune: "Federation Starship, Saber Class, threat level, non-existant. Even if she were to fire on us while we are cloaked, we could decloak and destroy her before she inflicted any serious damage to us."Donatra: "If she's following us she could be tracking our position for other Federation Starships to assist her in dispatching us. How long has she been following us?"Ante-Tribune: "Approximetely 1 Earth Hour. If she suspected anything, there would be half a dozen Federation Starships converging on our location as we speak, I believe that it is just coincidence that she is paralleling our course."Donatra: "Cut main power to all systems but warp engines, switch life-support to auxillary power."The lights on the Bridge dimmed even further.Donatra: "Now, alter course, 15 degrees to starboard, hold for 5 Minutes, then change course again, 16 degrees to port for another 15 minutes, afterwards, resume our course for the Federation BattleStation."Quixote:Bren: "Captain, I've lost them."Wilson walks over to the science station: "What happened?"Bren: "They must have noticed us trailing them and cut power. They could be anywhere now."Wilson: "What was their last known heading?"Bren: "Their last known heading would take them in the vicinity of Deep Space Nine."Wilson: "Hmm... Martok is said to be attending the signing ceremony on the station, maybe they got appointed to escort his ship back to Klingon Space after the signing."Bren: "If they were Klingons, that would be a reasonable assumption. If they were Romulans, they may be trying to disrupt the ceremony."Wilson: "Regardless, theres more than enough firepower at the station to keep the Romulans from doing any serious damage to the ceremony or the station. I'll put a note of this in my log, and pass the incident report to Starfleet Command, Helm, resume our previous course, Warp seven."End Act VI

ACT VIIExterior Shot: Galaxy Class USS Titan approaching Deep Space Nine.Riker(Voice Over): "Captain's Log, Stardate 58328.6: We have arrived in the Bajoran Sector, we will have docked with Deep Space Nine in a matter of moments. Admiral Janeway and I have already commented on how stiff each other looks in our Dress Uniforms. Why Starfleet can't make comfortable Dress Uniforms, I'll never understand. Commander Troi, Admiral Janeway and I will be attending the signing ceremony, which Lieutenant Ro has assured me will go as smoothly as possible when you mix Klingons, Humans, Ferengi, and Bajorans in the same room. In any case, I am prepared should a fist fight break out."Exterior Scene: Titan docking with Deep Space Nine's upper pylon.Interior Scene: Admiral Ross, Commander Kira, and Lieutenant Ro awaiting outside the docking port. Ro is still wearing a Bajoran Militia uniform. Admiral Ross and Commander Kira are in Starfleet Dress Uniforms. The docking port slides open to admit Admiral Janeway, Captain Riker, and Commander Troi.Ross: "Kathryn, welcome to Deep Space Nine."Janeway: "Bill, how nice to see you again."Kira: "Captain Riker, Commander Troi, Welcome Aboard."Riker: "Thank you Commander. Hello Ro."Ro: "Captain Riker."Kira: "This way, Admiral, Commander. Captain Riker, someone is waiting to speak with you in Quark's."Riker: "Sirs, if you'll excuse me."Janeway and Ross both nodded, Riker went off towards the Promenade, a few steps behind him Lieutenant Ro followed.Ro: "I hope your still not upset at me Will."Riker stopped, and turned to face her: "After the Dominion war, there wasn't much left to be upset about, the Maquis were right, and the Federation was wrong. I notice you're not in a Starfleet uniform Laren, you know that the amnesty deal applies to you as well don't you?"Ro: "I'm not sure If I want to be back in a Starfleet Uniform again."Riker began walking again: "Where will you go? The Militia will formally be absorbed into Starfleet after the signing."Ro: "I'm not sure of that either."Riker and Ro stop before a hatch, which slides open to admit them to the Promenade, off in the distance the word Dabo can be heard all the way from Quark's, followed by more than a few cheers.Ro: "I've taken enough of your time, Captain, I have some rounds to make."With that Ro hurried off into the crowd. Riker watched her go, and then turned and headed towards Quark's, the crowded promenade made navigation difficult, but after a few moments he arrived at the door.Quark: "Captain Riker! What a pleasure to see you again, There's always a space for you at the Dabo Table!"Riker: "Perhaps later Quark, I've heard that someone is looking for me."Quark: "Upstairs, I suppose, can I get you a drink?"Riker: "I'm techincally on duty Quark, try again after the ceremony."Riker turned and walked over towards the stairs, as he climbed up the stairs he grinned as he recognized the owner of the voice he just heard. Reaching the top of the stairs he looked to find where the voice came from.Riker: "Worf!"A massive arm grabbed his as he looked into the face of Ambassador Worf, grinning at him.Worf: "Captain Riker, it is good to see you again."Riker: "Likewise, how have you been?"Worf: "Well, and yourself?"Riker: "To tell you the truth, I haven't been sleeping well lately?"Worf laughed: "Deanna keeping you up nights?"Riker laughed with Worf: "Something like that."Worf led Riker over to the table that he was sitting at, Chancellor Martok stood up as they approached.Martok: "Captain Riker, Worf speaks very highly of you."Riker: "Thank you Chancellor, I am proud to call Worf my friend."Scene: Admiral Ross's suite, Janeway and Ross are sitting on a couch.Ross: "I see, your right Kathryn, that situation is very disturbing."Janeway: "If they can easily falsify a report, then they can easily do something else, something more sinister."Ross: "Any ideas as to who is responsible?"Janeway: "None."Ross: "It could be a few Changelings, I would have thought Odo could keep them in line, but lately I'm beginning to doubt it."Janeway: "How can we find out if they are Changelings?"Ross stared at her momentarily, then said: "That's right, you were in the Delta Quadrant for the entire war. They have to revert back to their natural state every 18 hours or so, they can also be exposed with phasers set just above heavy stun. Phaser sweeps got too ineffective though, they could stay ahead of the sweep and we didn't know it. The best way to determine whether they're a changeling or not is to get a blood sample from them."Janeway: "We're not going to go back to those now are we?"Ross: "Perhaps on a limited basis, Starfleet personell only for now. If our random screening turns up nothing, then perhaps we will relax it, or if another cause surfaces. The Klingons never stopped doing it their way, a point of honor now I guess, whenever they're about to give or recieve important information, they take their daggers out and cut open their palms."Janeway: "We're not going to be slicing open our palms at the ceremony are we?"Ross: "No, they only do it when its an internal matter, they claim that some humans are too squemish for the site of bllood, then they burst out into laughter. I'll bring the subject up at this weekend's Command meeting, without menitioning the relation to the Enterprise Incident. As far as I'm concerned, you and Captain Riker can head up the investigation."Janeway: "Thank you. Will will be happy to hear that."Ross stands up: "Shall we get going? The ceremony begins in an hour."Janeway gets up: "After you."Scene: Ops, Dax at the Operations Console, Nog at the Engineering Station, and ch'Thane at the Science station.Dax: "Kinda quiet up here with everyone in the Wardroom."Nog: "I'm just glad that I'm not there, all those senior officials in that room, I'd feel like I was a cadet again."Dax: "Need I remind you Nog, that you never really did graduate, so in a sense, you still ARE a cadet."Nog: "Not really Ezri, Captain Sisko made sure that I did graduate, I just never walked down the aisle with the rest of the Hew-mons."Dax: "I was just teasing you Nog, you don't have to take everything I say literally, especially when I'm the one in charge at the time."ch'Thane: "Commander? I'm getting an odd reading off the outer docking ring."Dax: "What kind of reading Ensign?"ch'Thane: "It almost looks like...Romulan Warbird decloaking!!"Dax: "Red Alert! Shields up! All hands to Battlestations!"Nog: "We're being hailed..."Dax: "On Screen."Commander Donatra's face replaced the Warbird Valdore on the monitor.Dax: "This is Lieutenant Commander Ezri Dax of the Federation Starbase Deep Space Nine. What is your purpose for being here?"Donatra: "My Apoligies for not signaling ahead Commander Dax, but had we taken the time to go through all the Diplomatic Channels, we would never have been able to get here in time. I am Commander Donatra of the Romulan Warbird Valdore. I have a courier on board who wished to be present at the signing ceremony, and I also would like to pledge the Valdore in the defense of this station should any Dominion craft attack it."Ross (Entering from the Turbolift): "Your presence is most apprieciated Commander, would you care to come aboard?"Donatra: "I and one other would be delighted to come aboard. Valdore out."Dax: "Stand down Red Alert...again. Sorry Admiral."Ross: "Don't worry about it Commander, you couldn't have known that they weren't going to open fire."Ross turned his attention to the transporter pads as two figures began to materialize.Admiral Ross looked up to see Commander Donatra and Ambassador Spock appear on the Ops transporter pads.Spock: "Permission to come aboard admiral?"Ross: "Granted, Ambassador. Welcome aboard. Although, I am curious as to what interest you and the Romulan Empire have in the admission of Bajor into the Federation."Donatra, Stepping off the pad: "Admiral, the Romulan Empire is aware of the troubles that the Dominion has been causeing in the last few months, the Empire's intentions are to prevent another Quadrant-wide war by stopping the Dominion before they enter the quadrant. Towards that end, I have been authorized to negotiate the presence of a Romulan task force to be based at Deep Space Nine."Ross: "I see. Well, that discussion will have to wait until after the ceremony, which wont take too much longer. If you'll follow me..."Ross leads Donatra and Spock into the Turbolift, Nog comes up beside Ezri.Nog: "Just when you thought things were going to be boring..."Scene: Ward Room. Captain Riker and Commander Troi are conversing in a corner with Ambassador Worf and Chancellor Martok. Admiral Janeway is with First Minister Shakaar and Commander Kira near the dias. A number of Bajoran officials are conversig with their Federation counterparts. Admiral Ross, Commander Donatra and Ambassador Spock walk into the room.Martok: "So! A Romulan Pa'taQ decides to intrude on this celebration!"Worf: "Chancellor, this Romulan Commander saved the Enterprise two years ago by siding against her Praetor."Martok: "So, that she is a traitor to her own people is reason to embrace her?!"Donatra: "That Praetor that you refer to was going to eradicate every living thing on Earth, if I hadn't intervened. The Imperial Senate believed that my Honor, and some trust that I have earned in the Federation , would be sufficient reason for my representation of the Romulan Empire at these proceedings Chancellor. I am offended that you question my honor. Were I the type of animal that you describe me as, this station would be a charred hulk by now.Shakaar: "Please! There is no need for this bickering on this day of celebration. This is a time for rejoicing, not confrontation!"Martok looked to Shakaar, then back to Donatra, before snorting and walking back over to Worf.Riker: "Chancellor..."Martok: "I do not need to be lectured on what the Commander did for you Riker. She is a Romulan, she will turn on you when the time is right. You will never know peace as long as their Empire is allowed to exist."Troi: "Perhaps Chancellor, but I sense no deception on her part, I believe that she is sincere in her claims, whether the Romulan Government is or not, is an entirely different matter altogether."Donatra walks up to First Minister Shakaar, Admiral Janeway excuses herself and moves to converse with Admiral Ross and Ambassador Spock.Donatra: "Thank you, Minister. I understand that Romulan relations with your people have not always been on the best of terms. Perhaps we can start out anew, the Romulan Empire will sacrifice soldiers to protect your planet from a Dominion Attack."Kira: "The Dominion are a problem Commander, but any ships you donate to the defense of this system will soon have to be sent through Federation Channels."Donata: "Of course, Commander. I was merely suggesting that, if at anytime you feel that the Federation is not doing their best to defend your people, the Empire is ready to assist you."Shakaar: "We appreciate the offer Commander, if it becomes neccessary, we will remember it."Janeway: "Ambassador Spock, I have been looking foreward to meeting you for some time now. My former securtiy chief, Tuvok, has told me a lot about you."Spock: "Indeed...ah yes, Tuvok, I believe I met him while he was on the Excelsior. Is he well?"Janeway: "He is Ambassador, he is currently serving as First Officer on Voyager."Spock: "Your old command. I see...Admiral, you remind me of another young Admiral that I knew a long time ago."Janeway: "Oh? And just who would that be?"Spock: "James Kirk. You see, I told him at one time that it was a mistake that he had made when he accepted the promotion to Admiral. How commanding a Starship was his first, best destiny. I saw in him, his desire to be on a ship again. I see that same desire in you Admiral."Janeway: "I don't believe you were touching me Ambassador, has you skills become that much improved that you can read minds without needing contact?"Spock: "Not at all Admiral, I have become...adept...at reading the emotions that Romulans, and Humans, wear on their faces. The expression on your face almost exactly matched Kirk's expression when the Enterprise was mentioned in his presence."Janeway: "I see. Perhaps you are right, but whether I like it or not my place is in the Admiralty."Ross stepped up onto the dias and spoke up: "May I have your attention please... Thank you. I would like to thank you all for coming today. We are here as representatives from the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Star Empire, the Ferengi Alliance, and the Bajoran people, to witness this ceremony, to formally induct the Bajoran people as full fledged members of the Federation. If I may say a few words before we begin...I don't think that anyone here would argue the impact that one man has had on this course. Captain Banjamin Sisko spent the last seven years of his career helping the Bajoran people recover from the atrocities that the Cardassion Union had inflicted upon them. He rose up and became a champion of Bajor in the Federation. Respected by all the Nations attending today, we know that this moment would not be possible without the actions of Captain Sisko. First Minister, I present to you the constitution of the United Federation of Planets."Shakaar stepped up onto the dias and accepted the paper copy of the constitution, he smiled as he looked over the assembled crowd: "Today marks the end of a long struggle. This struggle however, we have not shouldered alone, and we are eternally grateful not only to the Federation, but also to the Klingon and Romulan Empires, who without thier help, we would not be where we are today. On behalf of the people of Bajor, I..."Shakaar is interrupted by an hourglass shaped object that suddenly entered the room, it drifted over to the dias and hovered in front of Shakaar before moving off to the side of the room. A flash of light enveloped the room, as the light faded and people's vision returned a collective gasp was released... "Emissary!"End Act VIIACT VIIIScene: Voyager Sickbay. Crewman Chase lies dead on the main operating table, another security officer lies dead on a side bed, whilst a third is sleeping on the third bed. The Doctor is examining Crewman Chase. Chakotay Enters.Chakotay: "Report Doctor."Doctor: "I've finished my autopsy of crewman Chase, he died of third degree phaser burns. But thats not the most interesting result. Take a look at crewmen Sinclair. As you can see, the cause of death is pretty obvious, his neck was broken. More to the point, his head was almost ripped off his shoulders. Commander Tuvok said that Chase did this with his own two hands, which led me to believe that their was a possibility that he is not human."Chakotay: "Is he not human?"Doctor: "No, he is one-hundred percent human. I've also ruled out bionic implants and genetic engineering..."Chakotay: "Then what Doctor?!"The Doctor turned crewman Chase over onto his front: "Do you see that sticking out of his neck? That's a parasite, and not just any parasite. From its current position it has direct contact with Chase's Cerebal Cortex. It in effect, was controlling everything that he was doing. We have encountered this before."Chakotay: "We have?"Doctor: "Yes, seventeen years ago to be precise, they had inflitrated the highest levels of Starfleet Command, besides ultimately killing a few Admirals, Captains and destroying the Horatio, they had not done a lot of damage, but only because Picard and Riker managed to stop them before they could do serious damage. The rest of the incident is classified even higher than I can access, so I was hoping you could access the rest of it. If not, Commander LaForge had first hand experience with them, perhaps he could help you more."Chakotay: "I intend to ask him right now...thank you Doctor."Chakotay turns to leave but is interrupted by the comm system.Kim: "Bridge to Chakotay."Chakotay: "Go ahead Harry."Kim: "Sir, a vessel has just dropped out of warp directly ahead of us. Akira Class...Registry NCC-63531...USS Cartwright. Her sheilds are up and her weapons are armed."Chakotay: "Shields up, but maintain Yellow alert, I'm on my way."Chakotay enters the Bridge: "Status."Kim: "Unchanged, Cartwright is still closing on impulse power, weapons are armed."Chakotay: "Hail them."Tuvok: "No Response."Chakotay: "Tom, three-quarters impulse."Paris: "Aye, sir."Tuvok: "Incoming message, Audio only."Dodge: "This is Captain Dodge of the starship Cartwright. Captain Chakotay, you will stand down and place yourself under arrest, your brazen attack of an unarmed civilian transport will not go unpunished. If you do not stand down immediately, I have orders to destroy your ship."Tuvok: "They have closed the channel."Paris: "What is he talking about?"Chakotay: "I don't know, Tuvok, open a channel."Tuvok: "Channel opened."Chakotay: "This is Captain Chakotay, I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding, we have been en route to Earth ever since we picked up the..."Kim: "They're Firing!"Tuvok: "Foreward Shields are holding..."Chakotay: "Return fire! Tom, Evasive pattern alpha-seven!"Tuvok: "Direct hits...their shields are holding."Chakotay: "Tuvok, when you get their shields down, target their weapons systems, I don't want to hurt them any more than we have to."Tuvok: "Aye, sir."Chakotay glanced down at his terminal: "Tom, course 115 mark 21 2/3 impulse."Paris: "115 mark 21, slowing to 2/3 impulse."Voyager shuddered as more phaser fire washed over her port shields.Kim: "Port shields are holding."Chakotay: "Hard to port! Photon Torpedoes, full spread!"Kim: "Their port shields are buckling!"Tuvok: "Fireing Phasers."Kim: "Thier port shields have failed, Tuvok damaged one of their torpedo launchers."Voyager shuddered again.Tuvok: "Aft shields are buckleing, sir.Chakotay: "Tom, Evasive Pattern Delta-four. 3/4 impulse.Kim: "They're powering up their warp engines...they're coming about!"Voyager shook violently, the status board at the rear of the ship let out a shower of sparks.Kim: "Aft shields are down!"Tuvok: "Direct hits...their torpedo pod has been disabled."Kim: "Minor damage reported from deck 7 sir, force field in place and holding."Chakotay: "Tom, get them off our tail."Paris: "One shaken Akira, coming up."Tuvok: "Aft torpedoes firing, direct hits, their foreward shields are down to 30%."Voyager shuddered, the status board lit up a section of the ship near the aft torpedo launchers.Kim: "Starboard shields are down to 40%.Paris: "Hang on!"Voyager lurched sharply to Port, as she righted her self again, Tuvok pressed every blinking fire button on his console.Chakotay: "Tuvok, Hail them."Dodge: "You wont get away with this Chakotay, there will be more ships waiting to stop you. Surrender to me now, and your crew will get off light."Chakotay: "Captain Dodge, we haven't done anything wrong."Dodge: "You expect me to believe that?! We have the log recorder of a Civilian transport, the Lady Jane, its last entry showed Voyager Firing on it. How can you say that you've done nothing wrong, you killed 300 defenseless men, women and children, you bastard!"Chakotay: "If I had really done that Captain, then explain to me why I didn't just destroy your ship? Voyager has been at warp since we picked up Commander LaForge's Shuttlecraft from the Enterprise."Dodge: "Your story might have some merit Captain, if Commander LaForge wasn't dead!"Chakotay: "But he's not dead Captain, you can come over and talk to him yourself if you want to."Dodge: "Your own report said that he was dead, and now you say that he's alive? We should never have let you Maquis back into the Federation, you can't be trusted ever!"Chakotay made a cutting motion.Tuvok: "Channel Closed."Chakotay: "We're obviously not getting anywhere with him, Tuvok, target his Impulse engines and his port nacelle, disable them both. Tom, resume our previous course, warp 6."End Act VIIIACT IXScene: Deep Space Nine, Wardroom. Janeway, Ross, Riker, Kira, Worf, Martok, Dax and Bashir are gathered around Ben Sisko who is sitting at the head of the table.Ross: "Well Ben, that makes two admission ceremonies you've crashed, fortunately after every Bajoran in the room finished praying to you, Shakaar signed the document anyway."Bashir: "Amazing, his Bio-signs are exactly the same as they were during his last physical, only a few days before the Dominion War ended."Janeway: "So he hasn't aged a day since he left? Sounds like Ben has found the fountain of youth."Kira: "The Prophets wouldn't just take anyone, they took the Emissary because it was his time."Sisko: "It wasn't really my time, Kira, the Prophets just needed to make me understand something. Something I still don't understand. I guess that they feel that I will come to understand it soon enough."Dax: "Benjamin, are you all right?"Sisko: "A bit confused, Old man, but other than that, I feel fine."Martok: "Captain Sisko, It is good to see you again, old friend!"Sisko: "Chancellor, how are you?"Martok: "I will feel better after we toast your return to us, here, I have a barrell of my finest bloodwine to share on this glorious occasion!"Defiant Bridge, Vaughn and Tenmei sitting at their stations.Vaughn: "Prynn, Bill will most likely transfer me back to special ops now that Sisko is back, I had hoped to try to mend the fence with you one last time before I left."Tenmei: "Commander, you just don't get it, I dont want to mend anything with you! The only reason I remained here was because I didn't want to request a transfer. I have a job to do here, and I was not about to let you get in the way of that! So, if you asked me here because you wanted a heart-to-heart, I'm going to have to ask permission to be dismissed....Sir!"Vaughn: "You're going whether I give permission or not aren't you? Dismissed Ensign."Tenmei stormed out of the bridge, leaving it empty. Vaughn watched her go, then sighed to himself.Vaughn: "There's too much of her mother in her for it to be that easy Elias."Vaughn glanced around the bridge, laughing slightly to himself, before getting up and walking into the Ready Room.Vaughn: "Maybe I can convince Bill to get me one of these..."Deep Space Nine: Ops, Nog and ch'Thane at thier stations.ch'Thane: "I'm surprised that you weren't one of the first ones to go and greet Captain Sisko when he appeared."Nog: "Shar, you can't keep someone like Captain Sisko away from here long, besides, he needs to pick up his baseball before he leaves."ch"Thane: "Baseball?"Nog: "It's a Hew-mon game, nine players...ah...I'll show you it sometime, its a lot easier to explain if you can see it too."ch'Thane: "Whatever you say...uh...Nog...take a look at this."Nog: "Now what?"Nog walks over to the station.ch"Thane: "Why would the station computer be asking for Admiral Janeway?"Nog: "I don't know, I've never seen anything like it. But still...Ops to Admiral Janeway."Janeway: "Janeway here?"Nog: "Liuetenant Nog here, sorry to disturb you admiral, but the computer is asking for you. Whatever that means."Janeway: "Thank you Lieutenant, Janeway out."Nog: "Well, she at least knows what it is...I just wish I knew now..."Deep Space Nine: Unnocupied Quarters. Janeway walks in.Janeway: "Computer seal the room, access message encrypted Upsilon-56 authorization, Janeway, Pi-225.On the wall monitor Chakotay's face appeared.Janeway: "Chakotay?"Chakotay: "Kathryn, I know your not going to believe this, but Voyager was attacked by a Federation Starship a few hours ago."Janeway: "Attacked? By a Federation Starship?"Chakotay nodded: "The USS Cartwright, an Akira class vessel, came up to us and claimed that we had attacked and destroyed a civilian transport, and that if we did not surrender immediately that he had orders to destroy us."Janeway: "A civilian transport? I take it that since your talking to me, you declined him and returned fire?"Chakotay: "Yes, we disabled the ship and continued on our course for Earth, we're only a couple hours away now, but if that false report winds up on another Captain's desk, we could be fighting again as we enter the Terran system."Janeway: "I haven't heard any report of Voyager or any other Federation Starship attacking a civilian transport, and I dont think Admiral Ross has either. But this conspiracy seems to be growing beyond just a Starship's destruction and it's coverup.Chakotay: "There's more Kathryn, but first, you remember our first contact with the Malon?"Janeway: "What about it?"Chakotay: "Remember how you refused to leave the bridge until we had navigated through that section of space?"Janeway: "That's not how I remember it Chakotay, as I recall, I sequestered myself off into my quarters and refused to come out, and I didn't come out until we were attacked. What are you trying to do Captain?"Chakotay: "Good, Commander LaForge said that anyone who was infected would have a hard time remembering minute details about past experiences."Janeway: "Infected? By what Chakotay? Stop talking in riddles!"Chakotay: "Stardate 41775.5, several key personell in Starfleet Command are infected by alien Parasites that take over their bodies, one of the tell tale signs of infection are that they can't remember pieces of their own history. Picard and Riker killed the infected Admirals and the mother, but not before a message was sent out. They're back Kathryn."Janeway: "How do you know?"Chakotay: "One of our crewmen was infected by one of them, we killed him before he could do to us what they did to Enterprise. I have reason to believe that Starfleet Command has been infected once again. I'm taking a risk, but I'm going to see If I can contact Admiral Paris, determine whether he's been infected or not, after that, well, we need to rendezvous, they're not going to be as easy to beat this time."Janeway: "Is their anyway we can detect them without asking twenty questions?"Chakotay: "The Doctor thinks so, he's including a Tricorder setting in the transmission, It will be accessible under file Chase-35. Make sure you get it into a Tricorder, Kathryn, the Doctor has set it to erase itself after being acessed."Janeway: "Understood Chakotay, Rendezvous with the Titan, in the FoxTrot sector, that should give us some cover, from anyone looking for us."Chakotay: "Understood, what about the Romulans, thats right on their doorstep?"Janeway: "I know it is, if all goes well, we may have a Romulan joining us there. Janeway out."Janeway looked around the quarters: "Now where am I going to find a Tricorder? Computer, unseal the room."The Door opened up and Janeway jogged out of the room.Scene: Deep Space Nine Infirmary, Bashir is double-checking the scans he took of Captain Sisko, Admiral Janeway strolls in.Bashir: "Admiral, what can I do for you?"Janeway: "Tricorders?"Bashir points to cabinet: "Over there...Is something the matter?"Janeway dashed over to the cabinet, fished out a Tricorder: "Computer download program Chase-35 to this Tricorder, authorization: Janeway, Pi-225."Bashir: "Admiral...?"Compuiter: "Download complete."Janeway turned on Bashir and ran the Tricorder over him: "Stardate 41775.5, Doctor, what do you know about that date?"Bashir opened his mouth to answer, then noticed the Phaser strapped to Janeway's waist, or more specifically, the setting on said Phaser: "I was still in the Academy at that time Admiral, I don't recall anything out of the ordinary about that date. May I ask why your Phaser is set to kill Admiral?"Janeway grabbed another Tricorder, and began fiddling with both: "You're clean, I dont have much time to explain right now Doctor, Computer, access Starfleet Headquarters records for stardate 41775.5 and display for Doctor Bashir. Watch that file, take this Tricorder I'm about to give you, and start scanning personell on the station, you may want to take a Phaser with you after you see the file."Bashir accepted the Tricorder: "Anything in particular I will be looking for?"Janeway turned and dashed out of the room: "You'll know after you see the file."Bashir sighed and turned to watch the file.Janeway jogging out through the Promenade: "There's got to be more than three thousand on board, I'll never be able to scan them all...better start with Bill...then get to Ops."Janeway stopped at the information terminal, and punched in the request: "Good, two birds with one stone..."Deep Space Nine: Ops, Dax has joined Nog and ch'Thane, while Kira, Ross, Sisko and Riker are in the office.Nog: "It's good to have him back, isn't it Ezri?"Dax: "It sure is, Nog. I am a little concerned for him though, a lot has changed since he left, will Starfleet let him back in so quickly?"The turbolift came up to the Ops deck to admit Admiral Janeway, she jumped off the life before it was completely up and ran the Tricorder over a crewman off to the side.Dax: "Is there something I can help you with Admiral?"Janeway: "Stardate 41775.5."Ezri let out a gasp. Janeway looked right at her.Dax: "They're back, aren't they?"Janeway finished running the Tricorder over her: "Yes, Lieutenant, they are. How did you know?"Dax patted her stomach: "Curzon knew about the incident."Nog looked around very confused: "Incident? Who's back?! What is going on, Sir?"Dax turned to Nog, while Janeway ran the Tricorder over Shar: "Remember when you lost your leg, and I had to work you through the depression you had over it?"Nog: "You didn't help much Ezri, Vic ultimately was who got me over it."Janeway finshed up with Shar and looked over at Dax, wordlessly Dax nodded.Janeway bolted through the doors to the office, Ross turned and looked rather annoyed, while Riker and Kira merely grinned.Janeway ran the Tricorder over Ross: "Excuse the interruption Bill, but we have a crisis growing on us rather quickly."Ross: "What kind of crisis, Kathryn?"Sisko: "The Parasites..."Everyone in the room turned and stared directly at Sisko.Janeway: "How could you have known?"Sisko stood up and looked out the window: "It's why I have returned."End Act IXACT XScene: Voyager Bridge, at BattleStations.Paris: "Awfully quiet here."Chakotay: "Too quiet, any response from Admiral Paris yet?"Paris: "Yeah, hes been on Betazed the last couple of months, he only got back last night, If hes been infected, it will mean that they've been here a lot longer then we expect."Chakotay: "We'll get in and get out, Tuvok, Tactical?"Tuvok: "Detecting two Sabre Class Starships on patrol of Utopia Planitia, a Nova class in Orbit of Earth, and an Excelsior near Jupiter Station. If they deem us a sufficient threat, there are also two Starships at Utopia Planitia that are in the final phases of construction, and could be used against us."Kim: "As if the odds weren't already stacked against us."Chakotay: "Try not to attract thier attention, Tom, just a nice steady course, when we get the Admiral aboard, I want all the speed that you and your wife can give me."Kim: "Captain, I'm getting a transmission from Earth...It's Icheb."Chakotay: "On speakers."Icheb: "Captain Chakotay, I'm at Seven's apartment, she needs medical attention imediately."Chakotay: "Starfleet Medical is far better equipped to handle Seven than we are right now Icheb."Icheb: "Sir, I have reason to believe that Starfleet Medical is the reason she is ill. She is holding in her hand the box that a gift from Doctor Crusher gave her. I didn't trust Starfleet Medical, so I asked Chief O'Brien for advice, and he told me to contact a starship. When I noticed Voyager coming in, you became the logical choice."Chakotay: "Very well Icheb, when we get in range we will beam you and Seven aboard."Icheb: "Cheif O'Brien will be joining me at this apartment in the next few minutes, can you transport him as well?"Chakotay: "Why would O'Brien want to come aboard?"La Forge: "Its possible that Seven has been infected by a parasite and when Icheb reported the protusion to O'Brien he recognized it for what it is."Chakotay: "Icheb, we're 5 minutes out, can you describe Seven's symptoms? The Doctor is on the channel now."Icheb: "She's unconcious and unresponsive, she has what appears to be a tail of some kind sticking out of the back of her neck, and that tail is thrashing quite vigorously. Almost as if it's in pain."Doctor: "Her nanoprobes could be attempting to destroy the parasite."Chakotay: "Icheb, standby. Doctor, do you think thats likely?"Doctor: "It's possible, Seven of Nine's Nanoprobes are there primarily to supplement her human immune system. If the nanoprobes have detected the parasite and labeled it as a threat, is very possible that they could be attempting to either destroy it or assimilate it."Chakotay: "Could nanoprobes become an effective way to counter the parasites?"Doctor: "Unlikely, the number of nanoprobes needed to destroy a creature this size is more than we can replicate, even extracting them from Icheb and Seven as fast as they are produced, we would never have enough to treat everyone. Over time, it certainly is possible, but until then Icheb and Seven appear to be the only ones immune to infestation."Chakotay: "Assuming that the Parasites aren't resistant to the nanoprobes."Doctor: "Exactly."Tuvok: "Captain, The Nova is breaking orbit, she's moving behind Earth, the Ardenne is also breaking orbit and heading this way."Chakotay: "What about the Sabres?"Tuvok: "Curious...the Sabres have begun firing on each other..."Kim: "The Ardenne has gone to warp!"Chakotay: "Shields up!"Kim: "We can't transport with our shields up Captain."Chakotay: "I'm aware of that Harry."Tuvok: "The Ardenne is dropping out of warp...she is firing on the Nova."Chakotay: "What is going on?"Tuvok: "We're being hailed, Audio only."Comm: "Chakotay, Admirals Ross and Janeway send their regards."Kim: "Sir, the Galaxy-Class Jovian is powering up, she's cleared her moorings...the Yeager is disengaging from the battle and is heading our way."Tuvok: "The Jovian is firing, Quantum torpedoes..."Kim: "The Yeager has been hit, she's losing life-support...She's been destroyed sir!"Paris: "Coming up on Transporter range in 30 seconds..."Chakotay presses a button on his console: "Drop Shields, Admiral Paris, Icheb, prepare for transport."Kim: "The Jovian is trying to power up her warp engines, The Nova has been disabled, the Ardenne is forming up along side, Captain Rodgers is hailing."Rodgers: "Greetings Captain, I hope you're planning to get out of here quickly."Chakotay: "We have a quick exit planned, what about you?"Rodgers: "Lead the way."Chakotay: "Think you can keep up Charlie?"Rodgers: "I seem to remember that it was you who had trouble keeping up with me Chakotay."Kim: "Energizing Transporters. The Admiral and Icheb's party are aboard."Chakotay: "Foxtrot Charlie, and don't spare the horses."Rodgers: "We're right behind you."Paris: "Engaging Warp Engines."Tuvok: "The Jovian is not offering pursuit."Kim: "She couldn't get her Warp Core powered up enough to offer a reasonable pursuit."Paris: "Warp 3 and accelerating."Chakotay getting out of his chair: "Harry, make sure the Ardenne is keeping up, I'll be in Sickbay."Chakotay walks into the turbolift.Scene: Voyager Sickbay, Barclay is running a tricorder over Admiral Paris, while the Doctor is scanning Seven on the main Biobed. Icheb and the O'Briens are off to a corner awaiting scanning.Barclay: "Well, Admiral, I'm no doctor, but you have no trace of a parasite in you."OParis: "Thank you Mr. Barclay, but I think I should be going to see Captain Chakotay now."The door opened to admit ChakotayChakotay: "Admiral, Welcome aboard."OParis: "Thank you Captain, now can you please explain to me why you had my son get me aboard?"Chakotay handed Paris a PADD: "I think this will explain it better than I can Admiral."Admiral Paris takes the PADD and starts reading it: "I see... Do you have quarters prepared for me Captain?"Barclay scanning Molly O'Brien, hands the Tricorder to Chief O'Brien: "If you'll follow me Admiral, I...I'll take you there."Barclay leads Admiral Paris out of Sickbay, Cheif O'Brien finishes scanning his family, Chakotay walks up to the Doctor.Doctor: "The preliminary scan shows that Seven's nanoprobes are attempting to destroy the parasite, but the parasite is not going with out a fight. The Parasite seems to have been saturated with Omicron radiation, the Parasite is fine, but Seven's nanoprobes are being deactived before they can do any serious damage to the creature. I am preparing an adrenaline shot to counter the radiation."Chakotay: "Why adrenaline?"Doctor: "Adrenaline is basic enough that I am reasonably certain that the creature will not reject it. I'm also hoping to get the creature out alive, for study. There has to be a way to get the creature seperated from the victim with out killing the victim."Chakotay: "What happened to the one that was in Crewman Chase?"Doctor: "The Phaser burns affected the creature too, it died inside of Chase, unfortunately his injuries were too severe for him to survive as well. Computer, erect a level 3 containment field around the surgical bay."A forcefield springs into exsistance surrounding the bay, the Doctor walks through it and stops next to Chakotay.Doctor: "I'll let you know the moment there is a change, Captain."Chakotay: "Thank you Doctor."Icheb: "Captain, Thank you for picking us up."Chakotay: "You can thank me by helping B'Elanna out in Engineering, Ensign."Icheb: "Aye, Sir."Chakotay: "Chief, I think Commander LaForge wants to see you, he said he'd be in the mess hall."O'Brien: "Aye, Captain, Thank you, Sir."Chakotay watched the Chief and his family leave sickbay, then turned back to give Seven another look, before finally walking out himself.End Act X

ACT XIExterior Scene: USS Titan at warpRiker: "Captain's Log, Supplemental: Deep Space Nine and the Titan have both been checked out, The station had almost twenty infected members on board. My Chief Engineer, Mr. Stafos has remained on the station to assist Lt. Nog with sweep of the station to determine if there has been any sabotage. In the Interim, Geordi will be taking over my Engineering department following our arrival at the Foxtrot sector to Rendezvous with the Starships Voyager and Ardenne. The Starship Thunderchild has taken Admiral Ross to Starbase 375, escorted by General Martok's flagship and the Starship Defiant under Captain Ben Sisko. The Valdore is escorting us, cloaked."Interior scene: Riker's Ready Room, Janeway and Riker sitting across the table from each other.Riker: "I Imagine you'll be eager to see your old command again Kathryn."Janeway: "I believe I will indeed Will, hopefully I wont have to chastize Captain Chakotay for mishandling her, while I was away.Riker looks up as the door chimes: "Come."Commander Donatra walks into the room: "I've just recieved word from Romulus. They are taking this parasite invasion seriously, and are sweeping Fleet Command and the Imperial Senate for any signs of the parasites. Getting the information out to the Warbirds, will be a problem however. The Valdore checked out with no infestations, but there has been very limited access to my ship in the last several months."Janeway: "How long do you expect a full sweep of the Romulan Starfleet to take?"Donatra: "As long as either the Captain or the Tal Shiar operative on the ships are uninfested, less than a day, but if the senior positions on a ship have been compromised, we will never hear from that ship again, or they will be reported back as fine, only to ambush a task force from within. I would say it will be weeks before Command believes that all ships are safely accounted for."Janeway: "Our fleet has a different problem, with much of the admiralty already infected, it doesn't take much to label those of us uninfected as traitors, so we will be fighting with ships that are uninfected, but they don't believe that there is an infection going around. And they know who's has been infected and who hasn't."Riker: "Add to the problem that only a small fraction of the crew of an infected Starship have even been infected. Chakotay got lucky with the ability to disable the Cartwright, we're not going to be that lucky throughout this crisis."Donatra: "The stance of my government on this is not yet decided, there are rumors that this will be viewed as an internal Federation matter if the Romulan fleet shows no sign of infestation. However, if infestations are found, the Senate may back your loyalist forces."Riker: "Nothing like a firm commitment from the Romulans..."Donatra: "Politics in the Empire make firm commitments difficult, however, I will give you this, the Valdore will fight by your side with or without Senate approval."Comm: "Bridge to Captain Riker, we're approaching the FoxTrot sector sir."Riker: "On our way."Riker and Janeway get up and follow Donatra onto the Bridge.Riker: "Any sign of Voyager or Ardenne?"Troi: "Nothing as yet, but the background interference is rather high in this sector."Sloane: "Our effective scan range is 2 Light Years, but we are still a parsec from the rendezvous point.Riker: "Keep Scanning, Lieutenant."Sloane: "Warbird Decloaking dead ahead...they're hailing."Riker: "Slow to Impulse, On screen."Sela: "Captain Riker, how good to see you again."Riker: "Commander Sela, what can I do for you?"Sela: "Strange as this may sound, Captain, but we're on the same side this time. I found a parasite infested crewman on my ship."Riker: "Did he do any damage?"Sela: "He tried to destablize our Singularity Drive, I vaporized him myself."Riker: "I see, have you seen two of our starships in the area?"Sela: "Voyager and Ardenne? Yes, my helmsmen is transmitting their coordinates now. Commander Donatra, will you return to the Valdore? We have a few things to discuss in private."Donatra: "Captain, If you'll excuse me."Riker nodded, and Donatra entered the side turbolift.Sela: "We will talk later Captain Riker, Sela out."Janeway: "You knew that woman Captain?"Riker: "She claims to be an old friend's daughter, only shes just about the same age as Tasha Yar would have been."Valdore Transporter Room, Commander Donatra materializes on the pad.Sub-Commander Lorren: "Commander, Commander Sela is on the Lepton band."Donatra: "Very well, I will take the transmission in my cabin."Lorren salutes and Donatra walks off down the corridor, stops outside her cabin door, and walks into the spartan room.Sela: "Donatra, how good to see you again."Donatra: "Sela, I trust you have a good reason for using the Lepton band this close to a Federation Starship?"Sela: "Riker will be suspicious, but he will not be overtly scanning us, the Lepton band is secure."Donatra: "I would not be so sure, be careful that we do not lose the advantages we get from this channel. Why could what you have to say not be presented in person?"Sela: "I wasn't going to inform Riker that we were having troubles with our transporter system as well. In any case, the parasites have been found, rather high up the Senate and the Fleet Command. The Senate has overwhelming approved a declaration of war on these parasites. Initially our aims and that of the Federation coincide, therefore your request to assist the Federation loyalist in their coming civil war has been approved, ultimately however, our aims are to eradicate the parasite's homeworld, something the Federation will certainly not condone, but we do not care, our purges will prevent us from being pulled into the civil war, and a limited involvement on our part will keep our casualties to a minimum, so the Federation, and the Klngons will not be able to stop us when we bomb their homeworld to rubble."Donatra: "We still need to find out where their homeworld is."Sela: "I've reviewed the Tal Shiar file on the first incident, they know the general direction of where it is. They trust you more than they trust me, I want you to get that information from them, and relay it to my command ship. I'll personally head up the task force that destroys their homeworld. You will take command of all Romulan Forces operating inside Federation Space."Donatra: "Understood Commander, Donatra out."Titan:Sloane: "Captain, picking up two Federation Starships, dead ahead, the Ardenne and Voyager."Riker: "Slow to Impulse, open a channel."Sloane: "Channel Open."Chakotay: "Welcome to the Foxtrot sector Captain Riker."Riker: "Welcome indeed, we dont have much time to waste, can you and Captain Rodgers transport aboard the Titam as soon as possible?"Chakotay: "We'll be over in ten minutes."Troi: "Will...Geordi...he's alive...on Voyager!"Riker: "You didn't believe Captain Chakotay?"Troi: "Chakotay, said he was dead."Riker: "No, the report was altered to say he was dead, possibly to cover up the Enterprise's destruction. Lieutenant, escort Captains Chakotay and Rodgers to the Conference Lounge when they get on board."Sloane: "Aye, sir."Riker heads for the Conference Lounge enterance, followed quickly by Troi.Riker, after the door opens: "Well Admiral, our little mutiny is about to get a little larger."Janeway: "I'd say its already quite large now isn't it? I intend to transfer my flag to Voyager after this conference, we have another Admiral with us right now, Admiral Paris is currently on Voyager."Riker: "Admiral Ross will be attempting to get us some more starships to aid us, but how many do you think he can get?"Janeway: "Bill is rather resourceful, I'd imagine he can get at least a third of the fleet with no problem."Riker: "This is strange, not knowing who to trust, even more so having someone like Commander Sela allied with us. She'll backstab us the first chance she gets."Janeway: "Only if its in her best interests, Will."Troi: "One thing is definate, this is not going to be easy."Janeway: "Were anything in life easy, it wouldn't be very exciting then would it?"Troi: "Touché, Admiral."Titan Transporter Room:Lieutenant Sloane activates the Transporter and 3 figures materialize on the pad.Sloane: "Admiral, Captains, welcome aboard. Captain Riker has asked me to escort you to the briefing room."Paris: "Just a minute, son. How do we know you haven't been infected?"Sloane: "Then you would never have made it over in one piece Admiral, but if you wish to scan me..."Paris pulls out his tricorder as Sloane spreads his arms wide, looking rather disgusted in the process.Sloane: "Satisfied?"Paris: "You wouldn't notice another reprimand for insubordination would you?"Sloane: "No."Paris: "We'll see about that..."Titan Briefing Room:Comm: "Bridge to Captain Riker. Sir, a transmission is coming in from Starbase 375, Admiral Ross.Riker: "Patch it through in here Ensign."Comm: "Aye Sir."Ross: "Captain, are we ready?"Riker: "Admiral Paris, Captains Chakotay and Rodgers just came aboard, they'll be here..."The Door to the corridor opens to admit the above three.Riker: "...right now sir."Ross: "Owen, how was your trip to Betazed?"Paris: "Would have been better if I didn't come back into the middle of a crisis."Ross: "I understand, I'll be brief people, Chancellor Martok says that he will support us in a Civil war, he and Ambassador Worf have been looking for a fight to give their people, and this seems to be the best one that is presenting itself. I've only made contact with about 50 or so starships that I can be reasonably certain are not infected. Captain Riker, Captain Rodgers, I hate to give this to you as your first mission, but the Soveriegn is one I can be sure is infected, and shes gathered a task force around her. Martok has sent attack squadron fourteen to rendezvous with you in sector 388. Intercept and deal with the Sovereign. Captain Chakotay, you will rendezvous with the Starships Defiant and Excalibur, and head to sector 201, where you will meet with the starship Dakota, determine whether she is friend or foe, we can't let that ship run loose if she's against us."Riker: "Admiral, if you have another assignment for Captain Rodgers, give it to him. I'll have a few Romulan ships helping us out here. In fact, why not have the Klingons meet up with Rodgers and get another ship?"Ross: "If you feel that you can trust the Romulans, then Captain Rodgers, you will rendezvous with attack squadron fourteen and recon the starship T'Kumbra. Any other comments? No...then good hunting, Ross out."Paris: "Romulans? I think I'll put my flag on the Ardennes then Riker."Janeway: "Commander Donatra seems to be an honest officer, as far as Romulans go anyway."Chakotay: "Commander LaForge came up with a way to detect the parasites with the main sensor dish and internal sensors. So theres no more need for manual scans with the Tricorders, and we can tell from a distance whether a ship has infected crew on board."Rodgers: "With the sensor modifications in place, we will still need to close to with in 50 kilometers to get a complete scan, which means we're going to be taking a lot of weapons fire if we make the scan."Riker: "What about a cloaked ship? Could they make the scan with out being detected?"Chakotay: "There's no reason why they would be detected any easier, so the two of you get the easy assignment, you can have the Romulan or Klingon ships scan your target, we have to get pummeled if that big Prometheus class ship is against us."Paris: "I thought the Defiant had a Cloaking Device?"Rodgers: "That's right, she does, the Romulans loaned us another cloak for the Defiant after the war."Janeway: "So these first few missions should be easier than we think."Troi: "Only if the ships are on our side, Admiral.End Act XIACT XIIExterior Scene: USS TitanRiker: "Captain's Log, Stardate: 58329.4. We are approaching Sector 338, Commander Donatra has sent out two of her smaller ships to lure away the Soveriegn's escorts. The Valdore is lying in wait by herself, once Donatra gives the signal that most of the Soveriegn's escorts have been pulled away, we are to jump to warp 9 and enter the fray, before the Valdore gets herself too badly battered. It's good to have Geordi back in Engineering, the ship seems to be running slightly better with him there.Riker: "I don't know what bothering me more Deanna, waiting here with nothing powered up, or preparing to fire on another Federation Starship."Troi: "I think that the answer to that question is more apparent to you than you are willing to admit."Riker: "Maybe, but waiting here isn't too far behind it."Troi: "If it weren't troubling you, I'd be wondering what happened to the Will Riker that I married. At the risk of offending our allies, it sounds almost Romulan that we would destroy an entire ship just because a few have been infected. But the Soveriegn would mever let us board her, you know that Will."Riker: "And most of the crew probably doesn't have a clue that their command staff has been infected. The Valdore's sensors show that only six members of the crew are affected. Six members, out of over eight hundred!LaForge (Comm): "Captain Riker, Commander Troi, can you report to the bridge please?"Riker: "Has the Valdore signaled yet?"LaForge: "No sir, but there's something that you should see."Deanna(giggling): "There's something that he is very very pleased with himself about."Riker glanced at her with a puzzled look, but said nothing as he left his ready room. Riker strode on to the bridge, looking first at the main viewscreen, with nothing out of the ordinary there, he looked back to the Engineering station, where Geordi was sitting there, facing foreward and smiling the broadest smile he could.Riker: "What's the big joke Geordi?"Data: "All ship systems are operating within normal parameters, Nothing to report from the Valdore and her ships as of yet Captain. The Soveriegn is holding station, apparently awaiting the arrival of another ship. Her escorts, the Norway class Saladin, the Miranda class Saratoga, and the Defiant class Glory are peforming a standard defensive patrol around her."Riker nodded, but continued to look at Geordi, when he suddenly turned and stared dumbfoundedly at Data sitting at the Ops station. Troi too was staring at Data, but her expression was a bit more reserved.Troi: "Data?"Data looks at Troi: "Yes, Counselor?"Troi: "Is it...really you?"Data: "This body was B4's, but thanks to Commander LaForge and Lieutenant Torres, they managed to replace much of my positronic matrix. My hardware is now capable of understanding the knowledge and experience that Commander Data passed on to me. In essence, yes I am Commander Data now."Riker still was staring at Data, but he finally closed his mouth, Troi on the other hand jumped on to Data and enveloped him in a huge hug. Data, surprised and not quite knowing what to do, set his hands above Troi's back, and hesitantly patted back.Riker: "Your Emotion Chip?"Data: "My Emotion Chip was not included in the replaced hardware, so in effect, I am back to...'Square One'."Riker: "I see...you still play poker?"Data: "My knowledge of the game has not changed, I may not be able to...bluff as well as I did while the chip was installed, but, yes I still do play poker."Riker: "Good, you and Geordi, be at my quarters at 2100 hours tonight. Lt. Sloane over there has a good deal of my money, it's time to get it back tonight."Lieutenant Slone waved from his position at Tactical: "I'd love to have more people to take money from, it just didn't seem right taking it from the Captain every time."Troi got herself off of Data: "Well, now theres someone who I can't tell if hes bluffing even if I wanted to."Sloane: "But...you said you'd never use your..."Troi: "And I don't Mr. Sloane, but if I ever did...no one but Data would be able to bluff."Data's console beeped, Data quickly accesed the data: "Sir... the Glory and the Saratoga are going to warp...the Soveriegn and the Saladin are holding position, but they have raised their shields."Riker: "Red Alert! All hands to Battlestations!"Gross: "Intercept course plotted and laid in sir..."Riker: "Engage!"Data: "The Valdore has decloaked and opened fire...all of her plasma torpedoes... the Saladin has been destroyed sir."Riker: "Mr. Sloane, ready Phasers and Photon Torpedoes."Sloane: "Ready sir."Gross: "Dropping out of Warp sir..."Riker: "Photon Torpedoes, dispersion pattern Omega...Fire!"Data: "Three Direct hits, their shields are holding."Riker: "Attack Pattern Picard Zeta, Mr. Gross."Sloane: "Firing Phasers."Data: "Foreward shields are holding, The Valdore is taking the brunt of the Soveriegn's fire, her shields are at 70%."Riker: "Try to draw their fire Mr. Sloane..."Sloane: "Aft Torpedoes lining up...Aft Torpedoes away."Gross: "Adjusting course to one-one-four mark two-seven increasing speed to three-quarters impulse."Data: "Aft shields are down to 80%. The Soveriegn is losing her Port Shields to the Valdore's disrupter barrage."Gross: "Attempting to enter the Soveriegn's port quarter."Riker tightened his grip on his chair as he noticed that Gross had set them on a collision course.Troi: "The Soveriegn is exposing her flank."Riker: "Mr. Sloane...Sloane: "Firing all Phasers..."Data: "Direct Hits, two of her Phaser banks have been disabled, she's venting plasma from her port Impulse Manifold...Foreward Shields are down to 45%."The Ops Station blared a warning followed quickly by two Quantum Torpedo impacts.Data: "The Glory has re-engaged, aft shields are down to 40%"Riker: "Defensive pattern Riker-Beta, get that Defiant off our back!"Gross: "Easier said than done sir!"Data: "Aft Shields are down, hull breaches on decks 32 and 33, emergency force fields are in place and holding."Sloane: "Aft Torpedoes away...damn...all misses!"Riker: "Where's the Valdore?"Troi: "Coming in behind the Glory, it looks like they don't even notice her..."Data: "The Glory is breaking off, her aft shields are failing."Sloane: "I bet they notice her now."Riker: "Never a good idea to ignore a Romulan Warbird. Status on the Soveriegn?"Data: "Her Impulse Engines and Quantum Torpedo launchers have been disabled, all of her starboard phaser banks are offline, and her hull integrity is down to 40%. The Valdore's shields are down to 15%, Commander Donatra is signaling that she may have to cloak shortly."Riker: "Make sure that she's covered if she does."Sloane: "Photon Torpedoes locked on target...got him!"Data: "The Glory's ablative armor has failed, her port nacelle is offline."Riker: "Return our attention to the Soveriegn, if we get her the Glory may surrender!"Gross: "Initiating Attack Pattern Delta-Nine."Data: "The Soveriegn has lost 80% of her Phaser banks, hull integrity is down to 20%."Troi: "Will! They're abandoning ship!"Sloane: "Message from Commander Donatra, her shields have failed, she's engaging her cloak before the Glory pounds her to pieces."Riker: "Signal the Glory, tell them to stand down immediately."Data: "The Glory is powering down her weapons."Sloane: "The Glory is hailing."Riker: "On Screen."Schneider: "We are powering down our systems Captain Riker. I hope its not asking too much of you traitors to treat us with honor."Riker: "Captain, no one here is a traitor, you will be treated as enemy POWs if you do not join us. I was hoping you and I could discuss that very subject."Schneider: "There's nothing to discuss Captain, my crew and I would never betray the Federation and ally ourselves with the Romulans the way you have."Riker: "The Romulans aren't our enemy Jacklyn, I'd like to fill you in on the whole story, please."Schneider: "This had better be good Riker."Troi looking over at Riker after the channel has been closed: "What are you going to tell her Will?"Riker: "The Truth..."Ready Room:Schneider: "You expect me to believe that?!!"Riker: "I'm not expecting you to believe anything just yet Jacklyn, but I'm asking you to consider the possibilty."Schneider: "The possibility that the entire Fleet Command is...what, Will? Infested by parasites?!"Riker: "You have to be aware of the incident almost sixteen years ago."Schneider: "Of course I am, everyone from Commander on up is aware of the incident. But after sixteen years?! They've had dozens of better opportunities in the last five years alone!"Riker: "Eleven years, Sixteen years, Thirty years, there could be any number of reasons why they chose now, but like it or not, they are here now."Schneider: "And our protocols that we put in place following that incident, were they worthless?!"Riker: "Apparently my initial report that killing the Queen, killed all of them was either incorrect, or they managed to slip in during the Dominion War. If I were to guess, I'd say that they have been inside command for a lot longer than we expect, and they were merely biding their time to get control of the people they needed."Schneider: "Assuming, for the moment, that you are correct, why did you fire on the Soveriegn, why not just do what you and Picard did sixteen years ago, and find the queen and kill her again?"Riker: "They learned from their mistakes last time, first Captain Picard and the Enterprise were destroyed, then when Voyager tried to enter the Terran system, she was fired upon, even though they knew she was coming. They clearly did not want to chance that history could be repeated."Schneider: "The report I got was that Voyager attacked and destroyed a civilian transport and then disabled an Akira Class Cruiser, they were trying to apprehend her."Riker: "There was no civilian transport! The entire incident was a set-up, it never even occured. The Cartwright was disabled, yes, but she fired first. As for the Soveriegn, we knew that she had infected personell on board."Schneider: "Where are they now Riker?"Riker: "Dead."Schneider: "How Convienent!"Riker: "We've picked up most of the escape pods from the Soveriegn, why don't you go down to sick bay and ask her crew? Certainly someone noticed things unusual about the senior staff."Schneider: "I'll do just that. But this is not over yet Riker."Schneider turned about sharply on her heel and walked out the door.Bridge:LaForge: "Damage control teams report to Deck 32 section 12, seal off the ruptured plasma conduit before proceeding to the hull breach."Sloane: "Internal scanners show no plasma rupture in that sector Mr. LaForge."LaForge: "It's there, or rather it will be there once the hull breach is repaired."Sloane: "How do you know?"LaForge: "I wrote the book on the Galaxy class Mr. Sloane, I know this ship like the back of my hand."Data: "The Soveriegn has life-support restored, Lt. Solor is requesting two EPS manifolds to get auxiliary power back on line.LaForge: "I think we can spare those, tell Solor that his manifolds are on their way over."The turbolift doors opened up to admit a visibly shaken Captain Jacklyn Schneider.Schneider: "I need to talk to Captain Riker..."Ready Room:Schneider: "So you were right all along. Damnit Will, things were so much easier when you were the traitors."Riker: "So what's your decision Jacklyn?"Schneider paused for a moment: "Get my ship repaired, we've got a pest problem to exterminate."End Act XIIACT XIIIScene: USS Defiant, at Warp.Bashir: "...so Commander Vaughn turns to me and says, 'Julian, you don't know Section 31 half as well as I do.' and to that I said to him, 'Then why don't you tell me what I'm doing wrong?' to which he replies, 'You're not doing anything wrong...yet.'"Sisko: "So what did you do?"Bashir: "Well, I did the only reasonable thing I could do, I had him come with me."Dax enters the mess hall: "You're telling that story again, Julian? I swear it changes everytime you tell it."Bashir: "Well, I do have to embellish a few parts of it to make it more enteraining..."Dax: "..and by the time you finish making it 'entertaining' it will be something completely different than what really happened."Sisko: "How long until our rendezvous with Excalibur and Voyager?"Dax: "Twenty-three minutes."Bashir: "Sickbay is all ready sir, but the Excalibur is going to have to handle any patients from the Dakota, our medical facilities and those of Voyager will only handle about a dozen or two patients together."Sisko: "Hopefully, we won't have to take in any of their patients. Dax, what do you know about Captain Calhoun?"Dax: "He's a bit of a maverick, very little respect for the chain of command, only people that have proven themselves in battle get anything more than recognition from him. He may like you, Benjamin, your record during the Dominion War will certainly raise you above the status of flying a desk. He may resent you a bit because of your involvement in the Dominion War, Captain Calhoun made his objections quite clear with command during the war about his posting in Sector 221-G."Sisko smiled: "Kind of like Kirk was, right old man?"Dax smiled back: "Some in the admiralty have called him Kirk reincarnate, one of the reasons he was stuck in sector 221-G during the war."Sisko: "How would you rate him as a Starship commander?"Dax: "The reports filed by his first officers, Captain Shelby, while he was on the Ambassador class Excalibur, and Commander Burgyone, while on the current ship, all rate him as an competant commander, but he is prone to breaking the rules whenever it suits him. Shelby once noted in her log that Calhoun had fired Torpedoes on a Civilian center, he destroyed the torpedoes before the reached their target, but Shelby was very close to relieving him. As it turned out, the incident was broadcast to the populace of the planet, and they were more upset with thier leaders than they were with him."Sisko: "So he gets away with throwing every rulebook in Starfleet out the window."Bashir: "Sir, if Starfleet believed he was a threat, they would have removed him from his position a long time ago."Dax: "Not really, Calhoun was chosen for his assignment in 221-G for a very specific reason, he is the only member of Starfleet that is from that region of space, so he knows it better than anyone else. Given the lawlessness in the region following the collapse of the Thallonian Empire, I believe that Starfleet is willing to look the other way when it comes to his antics."Sisko: "So your saying we should keep our eye on him, is that it?"Dax: "No, according to his psych profile, he wouldn't turn on allies unless it was staged. He likes deceptions, but can handle straight up fights as well."Sisko: "Admiral Janeway is aboard Voyager, and will be in command of our task group, and I hear that Chief O'Brien is aboard as well, I'll have him transfered over here as soon as we are in range."Bashir: "So that's why you left Nog back on DS9."Sisko: "That's correct, as much as I like what Nog can do, Nog was needed on the station, and Nog knows what hes done to DS9 better than anyone. The Defiant is still pretty much the way O'Brien left it. Also I think that..."Tenmei (Comm): "Bridge to Mess hall."Sisko: "Sisko here."Tenmei: "Captain, we have picked up Voyager on long range sensors, we'll be in visual range in five minutes."Sisko: "On our way."Voyager: Guest Quarters.KO'Brien: "Miles, where are we supposed to go while your on the Defiant? It's not like we have a station to be on while your away."MO'Brien: "Captain Chakotay has offered to let you stay here for as long as we need. Besides, it's likely that we will have to go back to Deep Space Nine to resupply on several occasions, you can get off and stay with Colonel...I mean, Commander Kira.KO'Brien: "I'm sure that Kira is going to be as busy as you are during this whole thing, Miles, the station has changed so much, I don't know if I'd feel at home there anymore."MO'Brien: "Nog and Jake are still on the station, and so's Quark."KO'Brien: "Nog will be as busy as Kira, and you know my feelings about Quark."MO'Brien: "What about Captain Yates? You got along with her all right, didn't you? Besides, its only temporary, once we get this Parasite problem under control, we can head back to Earth."KO'Brien: "I just hope this temporary problem doesn't turn into another Dominion War...You keep yourself in one piece Miles..."MO'Brien walking out the door: "I'll do my best love..."Voyager: Bridge.Paris: "Captain, we're approaching the Rendezvous coordinates."Janeway: "Slow to impulse, Tom. Harry, any sign of our co-conspirators?"Paris looked back surprised at seeing Janeway back in the Command chair.Kim: "Picking up the USS Defiant, closing at Warp 8, she'll be here in less than five minutes, no sign of the Excalibur as of yet."Chakotay: "Calhoun's running a bit late."Janeway: "Not surprising, I've heard that he loves to make an entrance. Is there anything that could hide a Galaxy Class ship from us in the region?"Kim: "A Galaxy class, no, but theres a distrubance about 200 million Kilometers out that could hide us..."Janeway turned to Chakotay with a wry smile on her face: "Tom, take us into that disturbance. Tuvok, have Sisko either follow us in or engage his cloak."Defiant: Bridge:Sisko: "She wants us to what?!"Dax, at the tactical station: "She apparently wants us to hide from Calhoun."Sisko: "But why?"Dax: "I guess we're going to find out."Sisko shrugs: "Engage Cloaking Device Ensign."Tenmei: "Engaging Cloak."The lights around the bridge dimmed as the ship transfers power to the cloaking device.Tenmei: "We're cloaked captain, all power signatures are operating within standard cloaking tolerances."Sisko: "Now just how long are we going to have to sit here?"Voyager: Bridge.Kim: "We're inside the distrubance Captain, our sensors are inoperable. We're relying on telemetry from the Defiant."The ship shuddered slighty.Tuvok: "A thermionic discharge, shields are holding."Chakotay: "Are these discharges any danger to us?"Tuvok: "As long as we do not linger here for any length of time, no."Paris: "How much time?"Tuvok: "We can remain here for approximetely seventeen minutes until our shields will begin to show signs of stress. It will be several hours before our shields will fail."Janeway: "Several?"Torres: "Two, three hours at the outside, Admiral, but I wouldn't count on much more than two."Defiant: Bridge.Dax: "I've lost contact with Voyager, but I'm still transmitting sensor telemetry to the cloud."Sisko: "How long can she stay in there?"Dax: "No Idea, sir."Sisko: "I know Calhoun is late, but this isn't something I expected from Janeway."Tenmei: "Commander Vaughn says that Calhoun likes to make an Entrance, so maybe she wants to make an entrance herself."Sisko: "Or is there something that we don't know about Calhoun that she wants us to comfirm...Dax, once the Excalibur enters range, I want you to scan the ship for parasites."Dax: "Aye sir."Voyager: Bridge.Kim: "Admiral, we've lost telemetry from the Defiant."Janeway: "What?"Kim: "It looks like they were shifting their sensors to search for parasites...and they needed to cut our feed."Chakotay: "Do they think that the Excalibur may be infected, or are they simply testing their sensors?"Torres: "The Defiant was designed as a warship, her sensor package had to get extensive modifications done to it to be able to detect the parasites, it may be something they want to make sure works, before they make their pass at the Dakota."Chakotay: "So how much longer do we wait?"Defiant:Dax: "Sensors have picked up the Excalibur, shes five minutes out and moving fast...Warp 9.7."Sisko: "Any sign she's being pursued?"Dax: "Negative."Bashir: "So what do we do now?"Sisko: "We wait for Janeway to make her move first."Dax: "Telemetry is still being transmitted, I've changed the transmission so that it wont be too easy to be detected by the Excalibur's sensor array."Sisko: "Good, once the Excalibur drops out of warp, take us to within scanning range, and then put us on her Aft-port quarter, range: two Kilometers, then when Voyager emerges from the cloud, drop our cloak."Bashir: "Let's hope that their tactical officer doesn't have Worf's quick trigger fingers..."Dax: "Their dropping out of warp..."Tenmei: "Beginning manuever."Dax: "Scanning...no sign of any parasites yet..."Tenmei: "Coming up on Aft-port quarter, we're now two kilometers away, adjusting Z-Axis by negative 20 meters."Dax: "Scan complete, no sign of any parasites."Sisko: "When is Janeway going to make her move?"Voyager:Janeway: "Has the Defiant's telemetry come back yet?"Kim: "Not yet, The Excalibur is now fifteen minutes late."Janeway: "Tuvok, hail the Defiant."Voyager shuddered, more violently than before.Tuvok: "Aft Shields have just registered a full phaser hit from a type eleven Phaser Bank."Janeway: "Damage?"Tuvok: "Aft Shields are down to 85%."Janeway: "Tom, take us out, Tuvok, Battlestations."Kim: "We're cleaing the distrubance, I've got sensors back. The Excalibur is right behind us, and shes got the Defiant in a tractor lock."Tuvok: "We're being hailed."Chakotay: "On Screen."Calhoun: "Admiral, you know its not nice to hide from your friends like that."Janeway: "Mac, why did you fire on us?"Calhoun grinned: "To get your attention."Janeway: "How did you find us?"Calhoun: "You were actually the easier one to find, I figured you'd be hiding in that cloud since we couldn't find you on sensors, Morgan found Sisko just after we shot you."Chakotay: "Morgan?"Calhoun: "Our ship's computer. Well Admiral, shall we get underway?"Janeway: "By all means..."Excalibur:Burgyone: "I can't believe you just did that Captain."Calhoun: "I just did it, so why don't you believe it?"Burgyone: "That's not what I meant, you fired on the Admiral's ship."Calhoun: "So?"Burgyone: "Someone could have been hurt."Kebron: "Not likely."Soleta: "Voyager had to have had her shields up to be in that cloud, the likelihood that one phaser burst would have caused damage to the ship was minimal."Calhoun: "No one was hurt, and that's the end of that."Burgyone: "But..."Calhoun: "That's the end of it, Burgy."Burgyone: "Aye sir."Lefler: "Captain, message from Defiant, she's cloaked and slightly ahead of us, she's found the Dakota."Calhoun: "Morgan, slow to Impulse. But be ready to jump to warp if neccessary."Morgan: "I always am."Defiant:Dax: "Dakota, dead ahead, no sign that she's spotted us yet."O'Brien: "That's one lean ship up there, If they spot us we're in big trouble."Sisko: "Then make sure we don't get spotted Chief. No games this time Ensign, get us in and out."Tenmei: "Course ready sir."Sisko: "Engage."The bridge crew collectively held their breaths as the Prometheus Class Dakota grew larger in the main viewscreen.Dax was the first to exhale: "Beginning Scan."O'Brien: "The Dakota is on Stand-by, shes not even actively scanning for anything at the moment."Sisko let out his breath: "Keep your eye on that Chief."Dax: "No sign of any parasites...in fact...there no sign of any life at all on board."Sisko: "What?! How did we miss that?"O'Brien: "Theres a low level dampening effect in the area, bloody hell, where did it come from?!"Sisko: "Dax? I need answers."Dax: "I don't have any for you Captain..."Sisko: "Signal Voyager..."Voyager: Conference Room.Tuvok: "There appears to have been a fire fight onboard Dakota, five members of the Dakota's crew were infected with parasites.Kebron: "Phasers weren't the only weapons used."Tuvok: "Lieutenant Kebron is correct, several blast marks on the ship are consistant with that of a type three disrupter."Soleta: "We have yet to find the source of the dampening field surrounding the Dakota. So far the best we can assume is that the Klingons, or Romulans aided one side or both in the fight to control the ship."Calhoun: "Given that the ship is still here, I would assume it to be the Klingons, the Romulans would have been happy to carry off the Dakota."Sisko: "Not necessarily, there are a number of sensor stations between here and the Romulan Nuetral Zone, they would not have been able to carry the Dakota away without attracting attention."Tuvok: "At this point we can only speculate which was involved, there are no bodies that do not belong to a Starfleet Officer on board.Chakotay: "The Klingons wouldn't have bothered putting up a dampening field, maybe the Romulans were responisble and needed another ship in order to haul the Dakota away."Janeway: "Until either one returns, we won't know the answer, I'm sending a report along to Admiral Ross informing him of the Dakota. Captain Calhoun, can the Excalibur tow the Dakota back to Starbase 375?"Calhoun: "It will take a couple of hours for the tractor beam to be set up to be stable enough to tow that large of a ship at warp. Why not just put a skeleton crew aboard to pilot it back on its own."Janeway: "The Prometheus class starship is a very different ship than any other, A skeleton crew would be unable to pilot the ship very well."Sisko: "It wouldn't have to pilot it well Admiral, it just has to point it in the right direction, and stop her when she gets to her destination."Janeway: "We would still have to escort it, gentlemen."Calhoun: "The longer we wait here the more likely that whoever is involved will be coming back for it while we are still here."Janeway: "And is that such a bad thing? I didn't think so, make preparations to take the Dakota in tow Captain, Dismissed."Excalibur:Burgyone: "The Tractor beam is ready, Captain."Calhoun: "So soon?"Burgyone: "I began the modifications after we found the Dakota."Calhoun: "Even though it makes more sense to put a crew on her?"Soleta: "The Dakota is a design that doesn't comform to many standard specs in Starfleet, an untrained crew would have extreme difficulties piloting the ship in a firefight. The Dakota would become a liability if we had to protect it, with the tractor beam, we can simply cut it loose and come back for it."Calhoun: "Very well, signal Janeway that were ready to get underway."End Act XIIIACT XIVExternal Scene: Excelsior Class Starship, pursuing a heavily damaged Nebula Class Starship, entering the scene trailing the Excelsior are a pair of Miranda Class Starships, one of them exploding a few seconds after entering the scene. A Vor'cha Class Attack Cruiser and a pair of Bird of Preys swoop around the debries.Martok: {Target the Second ship!}Worf: {The T'Kumbra's aft weapons array is offline, her hull integrity is down to 30%!}Martok grunted his acknowledgement. On screen, one of the Birds of Prey got too close the remaining Miranda, which punished it with a blistering aft torpedo salvo.Worf: {Fury's shields have failed, her captain is requesting permission to ram the Federation ship!}Martok: {No! Tell the Fury that she will be needed elsewhere later, there is no dishonor in withdrawing before a superior opponent!}Worf: {Fury is breaking off. Photon Torpedoes are locked on target.}Martok: {Fire Torpedoes, stand by all Disruptors!}Worf: {The Ardennes is dropping out of warp, fifty thousand kellicams directly ahead of the T'Kumbra, if she can make it to the Ardennes she will be clear!}On screen, eight Photon Torpedoes hit the remaining Miranda, her shields flashed a violent blue, a massive disruptor barrage slammed into her seconds later. Shields winking out of existance, she shuddered as the disruptors raked across her Impulse Engines and Aft Weapons pod. Meanwhile a Phaser and Torpedo salvo lanced out from the Excelsior, striking the T'Kumbra yet again.Worf: {Impulse engines and Aft Torpedo launchers are hit, they've lost their Aft Torpedoes completely, Impulse Engines are moderately damaged. T'Kumbra's hull integrity is down to 10%, and her Impulse Engines are failing! The Ardennes is closing on the T'Kumbra, range now 25 thousand Kellicams!}Martok: {Leave the destroyer for our escorts, get us closer to that cruiser!}Ardennes fired an extreme range Phaser shot at the closing Excelsior, but missed, the Excelsior returned fire on the now drifting T'Kumbra. The shots landed home and the T'Kumbra exploded in a brilliant flash of white. With the T'Kumbra now nothing more than space debries, the Excelsior and the Miranda both changed headings.Worf: {They are powering up their Warp Engines!}Martok: {Ha! The animals are scared of us! Plot a pursuit course! Target thier Engines!}The Excelsior catapaulted itself away from the battle, but the Miranda was caught with a Torpedo just before her warp field formed. The field quickly formed then collapsed, sending the small ship spiraling out of control. She was incinerated moments later by a Bird of Prey's strafing manuever.Worf: {We are being hailed.}Martok grunted and Captain Dodge appeared on the screenDodge: "Do we let that ship get away Chancellor?"Martok: "My Battle group will pursue and destroy that Cruiser, Captain. You will recover any survivors, and then regroup with us at location 15."Dodge: "Good Luck Chancellor."Martok: "Qa'pla Captain"Martok (after the channel closed): {Pursuit Course! Maximum Warp!}Ardennes:Dodge: "Commence scanner sweep, the T'Kumbra first, then we can scan the Prinz Eugen and the Renown."Diaz turned into the scanning station: "Beginning Scan."Dodge: "Engineering, Status on our Engines?"Skor (comm): "It will be a few more minutes until we have warp capability again Captain, I don't know what knocked us out yet."Dodge: "Keep working at it Commander, Dodge out."Diaz: "No survivors detected on the T'Kumbra, sir. The Prinz Eugen looks in a similar condition, the odds of survivors are not good, the Renown has the best chance."Dodge: "Lay in a course for the Renown, Ensign. Full Impulse. Are we searching for the proverbial needle Lius?Diaz: "Most likely, both the Prinz Eugen and the T'Kumbra were largely disintigrated, the Renown has a few places were survivors may be found."Dodge: "Any sign of parasites being on board the T'Kumbra?"Diaz: "None that we could tell, but the fact that there were being fired on by ships that are not allied with us, tells us that there wasn't. Entering scanner range, beginning sweep."IKV Subjugator:Martok: {Ready all foreward weapons, target their engines!}Worf: {We will be in weapons range in twenty seconds!}Martok: {Knock them out of warp, and then we will finish them quickly.}The escaping Excelsior grew larger on the screen, the ship shuddered as a salvo of torpedoes slammed into the Excelsior's shields, one torpedo penetrated and struck her port nacelle. Oblidgingly, the Excelsior dropped out of warp. All three Klingon ships swarmed around the stricken Federation Starship, Disrupters impacting against the shields, Phaser fire lancing back. The Fury got caught by another salvo of Photon Torpedoes, tearing the small escort apart.Worf: {Their Shield's are failing!}Martok: {Excellent! Destroy them! Make them pay for the Fury!}Worf hesitated breifly, then snarled as he stabbed at the console. After a few seconds of Disrupter fire, the Federation Starship ceased to exist.Martok: {Victory! Set a course for Location 15, Warp six! Engage Cloaking Device!}Ardennes Conference Room:Skor: "The Intake manifold for the port nacelle was rigged to explode as soon as we reached warp 9, we hit it just as we were entering the combat area. Fortunately we were able to contain the explosion and maintain some of our warp velocity."Dodge: "Not enough though, we were too late to save the T'Kumbra.Diaz: "The T'Kumbra was lost before we joined the battle, sir. The Charleston would have simply ignored us until the T'Kumbra was gone, this ship doesn't have the firepower to disable another Excelsior fast enough to have saved her."Dodge: "I don't want something like this to happen again Skor, check over every system on board, if something isn't regulation, replace it."Skor: "...Yes sir."Diaz: "Word from Martok is that the Charleston was completely destroyed sir, no survivors."Dodge: "Well that was a bloody sorty, not one survivor off any of the Federation Ships, what about Martok's Battlegroup?"Diaz: "One of their Birds was destroyed."Green (Comm): "Sir, we're approaching location 15."Dodge: "Slow to Impulse Mr. Green. On my way."Diaz after getting to his science station: "Martok's two ships are holding station five thousand Kilometers off our port bow, both are cloaked."Green: "Sir...Communication from Starbase 375...They've detected a large Federation Assault Group approaching them. Admiral Ross is requesting all available ships head there as fast as they can."Dodge: "Signal Martok that we need to get moving, lay in a course for Starbase 375, I want warp 9.6 or better."Green: "Course Laid in sir."Diaz: "Martok's ships have just went to warp sir."Dodge: "Engage!"IKV Subjugator:Worf: {All of Qo'nos is celebrating our victory over the Federation, fleet commanders along the border are requesting permission to engage.}Martok: {At least they are requesting, and not doing. What is the status of the Federation Fleet?}Worf: {The List of ships confirmed for one side or the other grows, most of them are siding against us, I have located a Task force along the Klingon border, which could be well suited for another glorius victory. The Assault group closing on Starbase 375 will reach there far sooner than we will, I do not think we can save that Starbase.}Martok: {Hmm...35 Starships, signal Squadrons 2, 6, 18, and 25 tell them to merge into Battle Group 15. Also Squadrons 4, 10, 32, and 40 have them merge into Battle Group 16. Those two battle groups will coordinate an assault on that Federation Task Force.}Worf lowering his voice and switching to English: "The Federation will be gutted after this."Martok: "I know that, but a Task Force that large hostile to the Empire must be dealt with!"Worf: "We may wind up fighting the Romulans to keep them from taking territory from the Federation after the war."Martok: "Civil wars are a bloody thing, we were fortunate that the Federation had no desire in taking our territory during or after ours. We can...return the favor by keeping the Romulans out of Federation Space."Worf: "One can hope that the Federation will not collapse as a result of this Civil War."Martok: "We will not let that happen, without the Federation, the Dominion will be in the Alpha Quadrant in a month."Worf: "Perhaps, we can launch an attack on the Parasite's homeworld."Martok: "Do we know where it is?!"Worf: "No, we only have a general direction."Martok: "Let me see!"Worf brought up a map of the Alpha Quadrant, A bold line was drawn from the center of the Federation out into the periphery, passing near the Klingon Empire, and out towards the edge of the galaxy.Worf: "Somewhere along this path, lies the Parasite's Homeworld, it could be just outside of Federation Space, or it could be along the edge of the Galaxy."Martok: "Signal Squadrons 1 and 12, have them follow that route, if they can come across the homeworld inside of a year, they are cleared to either destroy it, or signal for reinforcements."Worf nodded and turned back to the map.The camera closes on the map, then suddenly changes from Klingon Red, to Romulan Green, as the camera pulls out, Commander Sela enters the picture.Sela: "Obviously, if the Klingons were to know about this, they would have launched an attack already."Serilla: "So we will be the ones to destroy this vermin?"Sela regarded the young woman before responding: "Yes, I will be leading a Tal Shiar strike force through Federation Space, and on to find thier homeworld. Once we get there, we will bomb it to rubble."Serilla: "Just what can I do to help?"Sela: "Get me the fastest ships, and the best trained crews, I do not want this mission to be taking too much of our time. The Federation will only be vunerable for a short time after their civil war. They rebuilt very fast following the Dominion War."Serilla: "You intend to attack the Federation after this?"Sela: "Of course! After we destroy the Parasites homeworld, we will enter Federation Space as heros, when they invite us to their capital for their celebrations, I will land ten thousand Reman Shocktroopers in their major cities. The flag of the Romulan Star Empire will fly in front of their mighty Starfleet Headquarters before they even know what I did to them."Serilla raised a glass of Ale, smiling: "And a new era will dawn for the Romulan Empire!"Sela returned the salute: "A new era indeed."End Act XIV

ACT XVExterior scene: Open space. The stars shift towards the top of the screen, a body floats by. As the body exits the top of the screen a debries field enters in from the bottom, at the far edge of the debries field in the distance is a Galaxy Class Starship moving into the field.Riker: "Captain's log, Stardate, 58332.6: USS Titan arriving at what used to be Starbase 375, in response to the distress signal they put out. The Base was completely destroyed, along with one of her two defense craft. The second ship is missing, it could have been completely destroyed, or it could have pursued or joined the people that did this..."Data: "Counting the number of bodies we have detected floating in space, and those that we can confirm inside the wreckage, I have accounted for 90% of the crew for Starbase 375. I am also detecting several escape pods that show signs of weapons damage." Troi: "They shot at the people the were abandoning the station?!"Sloane: "Looks like it, not detecting any life on any of the escape pods."Riker: "Any ideas as to where they were heading?"Data: "Subspace Eddy currents indicate that they may be heading for Deep Space Nine."Riker: "Time to DS9 at Maximum Warp?"Data: "12 hours, 17 Minutes, 27 Seconds."Sloane: "Message from Deep Space Nine...Commander Kira has scrambled the Bajoran fleet. She also mentions that a couple of Cardassian Cruisers and a Ferengi Marauder have volunteered to help defend the station."Riker: "Will it be enough?"Data: "We cannot determine the size of the fleet, the distress call from Admiral Ross did not mention how many ships, only that they were Federation Starships."Riker: "Set a course for Deep Space Nine, Maximum Warp. Geordi, I'm going to need everything to can give me, and more."La Forge: "Understood, I'll be in Engineering."Voyager:Paris: "We're five minutes from Starbase 375, the Titan has just gone to warp, heading for Deep Space Nine."Chakotay: "Do we alter course?"Janeway: "Yes. Signal Calhoun and Sisko to do the same."Paris: "Yes, Ma'am..."Janeway: "Captain, may I use your ready room?"Chakotay: "Of course."Janeway gets up and walks slowly in the the ready room.Janeway, as she enters the ready room: "Computer, access FedCommNet."Computer: "Accessed."Janeway, sitting down at the desk: "Open a broadband channel."Computer: "Channel Opened."Janeway: "This is Admiral Kathryn Janeway, many of you have seen and heard the reports labeling myself and my collegues traitors. Despite this..."Computer: "Channel Closed."Janeway: "Computer, re-open channel."Computer: "Unable to comply, access to Federation Communications Network has been restricted."Janeway: "One step ahead..."She stands up and walks back onto the bridge.Tuvok: "...Unlikely that they will destroy Deep Space Nine. As critical as Starbase 375 was to Federation Defenses, Deep Space Nine is even more critical, its position at the Alpha Quadrant end of the Wormhole means that if it is destroyed, the Dominion have free access to the Bajoran and Cardassians Frontiers."Janeway: "It's up to us to make sure that Deep Space Nine is never in any danger of falling. We've just been cut off from FedCommNet."Chakotay: "Not surprising, they did the same thing to us when we started the Maquis."Janeway: "Is there anyway to override it?"Torres: "Our best computer specialist couldn't do it, and we tried for years. We'll have to find someone who isn't restricted to get the word out. I don't think its going to be that easy anymore."Janeway: "Do your best, I'll be in Sickbay."Defiant:Dax: "You all right Benjamin."Sisko: "Ross is dead, old man."Dax: "You don't know that."Sisko: "No, I don't. But the odds are not in his favor."Dax: "How many times were the odds in our favor during the Dominion War?"Sisko: "Not often enough."Dax: "But we're still here. Don't sell Admiral Ross short, he'll have found a way to survive."O'Brien: "Sir...Commander Kira is hailing."Sisko: "On Screen."Kira: "Captain, I'll try not to take too much of your time, but all civilian personnel have been evacuated to Bajor, except for a few monks and one very stubborn Federation Journalist."Sisko: "Jake?"Kira: "...refuses to leave the station while theres a story going on. It doesn't seem to matter to him that his access to the FedCommNet has been terminated."Sisko: "I suppose I can't order him to leave, what's the status of the Station's defenses?"Kira: "Nog thinks that whoever comes to fight this station isn't going to be leaving in one piece, between the weapons upgrades, the fifteen Bajoran Cruisers, two Cardassian Galor Class Ships and a Ferengi Marauder. He says that we could fight off a Borg Cube."Sisko: "I wouldn't go that far. Every Ship is at their maximum warp and more. Voyager will arrive first, in a little under ten hours, the slowest ships are the Titan and the Ardennes, they will both arrive in eleven and a half. The Excalibur is towing a Prometheus Class Starship, Calhoun will cut it loose at the edge of the Bajoran system, and will arrive about fifteen minutes later."Kira: "What's your ETA?"Sisko: "Ten hours, twenty-one minutes. Glory, another Defiant class ship, will be arriving a few minutes ahead of us."Kira: "Then we'll see you in ten hours Captain, Good luck, Kira out."Voyager Sickbay:Janeway: "Doctor? How is Seven?"Doctor: "Very little change I'm afraid. The parasite is starting to react negatively to the nanoprobes. They seem to be killing the creature instead of assimilating it, treating it like an infection rather than a sentient life form."Janeway: "Doctor, right now we're all treating it like an infection."Doctor: "Unfortunately every treatment I've tried seems to do nothing to either Seven or the creature. Seven's nanoprobes are gradually winning, but only because Icheb is letting Seven use his portable regenerator."Janeway: "How is Icheb?"Doctor: "He is beginning to show the strain of his lack of regeneration, but he can more readily adapt to a simple nights sleep than Seven could. In fact, if he goes much longer without regeneration, he may no longer be dependant on it."Janeway: "Is that good for him?"Doctor: "Well, I may have spoke to soon, he will always be somewhat dependant on regeneration, as a matter of fact, hes sleeping in sickbay tonight so he can regenerate."Janeway: "Let me know if theres any change Doctor."Doctor: "Not so fast...When's the last time you slept Admiral?"Janeway: I don't know...thirty-six...fourty hours ago."Doctor: "Don't you think you should get a good nights sleep?"Janeway: "Doctor, I don't have time to sleep."Doctor pulled up a starchart: "As a matter of fact, you have plenty of time for a good eight hours of sleep, since we're not going to be at Deep Space Nine for another nine hours, forty-five minutes. Please Admiral, eight hours, and if anything should happen, wake up and go to the bridge. Just get some sleep."Janeway: "You know a good eight hours...:yawn: doesn't sound so bad after all...Good night Doctor."Doctor: "Good night Admiral." After the door closes: "They seem to get more reasonable as they move up in rank..."End Act XVACT XVIExterior: Empty Space, Phaser Blast slicing through it, camera pans to bring a Cardassian Cruiser into the scene. The Cruiser is being harrassed by a pair of Miranda Class Starships. A Phaser blast hits one of the Mirandas forcing it to pull off. Following the Phaser back to its source, Deep Space Nine floats majestically in space. It's shields crackling under the intense barrage coming from two Akiras and a Nebula. Off to the side, a pair of Runabouts and a Ferengi Marauder are sniping away at a Galaxy Class Starship, her shields out, she is moving away.Ops: A shower of sparks rain down from behind the engineering station.Nog: "We're losing Shield Generator Number 4!"Dax: "We need to concentrate on the three starships that are hitting us!"Kira: "Dax, target the Sutherland, full torpedo spread!"Dax: "The Sutherland's shields are still holding!"Nog: "Number 4 Shield is down! Detecting Transporter Activity...Promenade, section 12!"Kira: "Kira to Ro, We're being boarded, Promenade, Section 12."Ro (comm): "Already on it."Promenade:A Phaser beam passes near Ro's head, she hides behind the directory, leans back out and returns fire. Her shot hit the Starfleet Marine dead center, and he tumbles to the promenade floor. Above, three Starfleet Marines run across the catwalk, laying down Phaser Rifle fire, covering each other. A security officer is hit and uncermoniously crumples to the ground.Ro: "This is going to get confusing... real fast."Another Phaser bolt strikes the directory above her head, she whirls about in time to see one of her deputies hit the Starfleet woman with Phaser beam.Ro, tapping her comm badge: "Ro to all teams, clear the Invaders off the upper level, and if you dont know who to shoot at...take off your jackets!"Ro looked around for another target, but her attention was grabbed by the Starfleet woman that was just shot...her mouth was opening wide. Out of her mouth crawled a pink creature. The creature looked up at Ro, and after a moment, lept up into the air at her. Ro's Phaser shot missed low, but the creature suddenly bounced away as if it hit something...It spasmed as if it lost control of itself. Taran'atar deshrouded in front of her, with the creature impaled on his blade.Ro: "Thanks."Taran'atar nodded and fired a shot at the upper level, one marine was hit and flew backwards, over the rail and down to the lower level. Ro fired her own Phaser up into the swarm of Marines that were materializing up above them, one fell to the ground just as the protection of the transporter beam left him.Ro: "Ro to Ops, were getting overwhelmed down here, any chance the shields will be back up any time soon?"Kira (Comm): We're making them pay everytime they drop their shields for transport, they'll get the message soon enough. As for our shields, Nog's working on them."Taran'atar shrouded himself and moved off, apparently towards the stairs to the Promenade's upper level.Ro trained her sights on another Starfleet Marine that had just finished jumping off the stairs, but before she could fire, a green beam sizzled out of Quark's, striking the marine in the back.Ro sighed: "Ro to all teams, shed your jackets now, thats an order, apparently Quark is getting involved in this fight. I don't want him shooting any of you. I don't think Ferengi disrupters come with a stun setting."Ro glanced above, then ran across the promenade and dove into Quark's.Quark: "Now you throw yourself at my feet. Something I've been wanting for you to do for months, and you choose the middle of a fire-fight to do it."Ro: "Shouldn't you be on Bajor?"Quark: "If you think I'm gonna let the Starfleet oafs rob me blind while I'm down there...never mind..."Ro fired a Phaser out the door: "Your forgetting something Quark, I'm a Starfleet oaf now."Quark fired his own shot out: "No you're not Starfleet, unless you've finally decided to stay."Ro: "I think I have finally."Quark: "Oh well, we could have had a beautiful future together."Ro: "You're not staying?"Quark: "Maybe I am, but now isn't the time to talk about it."Ro: "Just don't shoot any of my deputies."A loud clang interrupted Quark's response, they both turned around to see three parasites crawling towards them.Quark: "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"Ro: "Don't just sit there, shoot them!"Quark began firing rapidly, and wildly, not one shot hit. Ro's two Phaser shots hit putting two of them down, but the third jumped at Quark. Ro grabbed the chair next to them and swatted the creature away, she stood up and smashed her heel down on the parasite.Quark: "You...You...saved me...Laren I knew you cared!"Ro: "Come off it Quark, and start shooting back at them."Voyager:Torres: "Admiral, I can't give you much more much longer..."Paris: "We're 90 seconds out."Tuvok: "Deep Space Nine has lost two of her shield generators, picking up two dozen Federation Starships, 4 Bajoran Cruisers, one Cardassian Cruiser, 2 Runabouts and a Ferengi Marauder."Janeway: "Stand by all weapons, target the biggest threat to DS9."Tuvok: "Target locked."Kim: "Two smaller vessels are moving to intercept us, a Saber and a Miranda!"Chakotay (Comm): "Chakotay to Bridge, the Flyer is prepped and ready for launch, Icheb and I are ready to go as soon as we drop out of warp."Janeway: "Theres a Saber and a Miranda closing on us Chakotay, get the Saber, Tuvok will fire a few torpedoes to assist you."Paris: "Dropping out of warp."Kim: "Opening the shuttlebay doors."Tuvok: "Raising shields."Torres: "Diverting power to Phasers."Janeway: "Attack pattern Beta-six, full impulse."Paris: "Full Impulse."Tuvok: "Firing aft torpedoes"Kim: "Direct hits, the Saber's shields are down to 20%"Janeway: "Voyager to Flyer, she's all yours Captain."Chakotay (Comm): "Acknowledged...I want my ship back in one piece Kathryn."Janeway smirked, then looked back at Tuvok: "Lock Phasers and Fire."Voyager flies closer to Deep Space Nine, Phasers firing, striking an Ambassador Class ship. The Ambassador fired once again on the station, Phaser fired washed over another one of the Station's shields. Voyager, trying to get the Ambassador's attention, volleyed a full spread of Photon Torpedoes. When the Torpedoes impacted against the bare hull of the Ambassador, she turned to face her antagonist. The Miranda trailing behind Voyager was hit by a torpedo volley from the Cardassian ship, she pulled off and moved to engage the Cardassian. The Saber, continued to ignore the Delta Flyer, and put as much Phaser fire into Voyager as she could. The Saber paid for that when her shields failed and the Flyer put half a dozen Photonic Missiles into her rear hull. Several of the Federation Starships suddenly turned tail and fled, followed quickly by the rest of the Federation fleet.DS9: Ops:Kira: "Where are they going?"Dax: "Detecting three Romulan Vessels decloaking off docking port three. And 40 Klingon warships decloaking in the midst of the fleet."Nog: "They suddenly decided that carrying on the fight wasn't worth it."Dax: "The Klingons and the Romulans are persuing, hopefully they plan on firing on the Federation ships more than each other."Kira: "Stand down BattleStations...Kira to Ro, What's your status down there?"Ro (Comm): "...Getting things wrapped up down here Commander, most of the Starfleeters surrendered once they heard their ships had left them. We're screening them now for parasites...fortunately it wont be too hard to convince these people that they are here."Kira: "What do you mean by that?"Ro: "We've got a couple sterling examples of Parasites, and a couple not so intact."End Act XVIACT XVIIScene: Quark's, Quark behind the bar, Ro Laren at the bar, a few extras in Starfleet Uniforms gathered around the Dabo Table. Nog Enters with several yellow jacketed Starfleeters.Nog: "Uncle! I promised my Engineering crew a round of drinks for finishing up so early."Quark (looking disgusted): "What do they want?"Nog: "Synthale, all around."Quark: "I'll put it on your tab."Quark starts filling the mugs with ale, when he hears a voice.Kim (off screen): "...you really think that the Doctor will enjoy this holo-program?"Quark (raising his voice as Kim enters the bar): "Well, Well, Well, If it isn't Mr. 'We were warned about Ferengi in the Academy'. Only a Lieutenant I see, how long has it been? Nine years? My nephew over there is a Lieutenant as well, and hes only been out of the academy four years. I guess its what you hew-mons get for spouting such lies about my people."Paris: "We'd Like to rent a Holo-suite, Quark."Quark: "For the two of you? Lets see what I have for you..."Paris: "Vic Fontaine, my wife would kill me if I ran anything else of yours."Quark: "Oh...him...he's already running, Suite two."Paris and Kim walk to the stairs and wait.Ro: "What was that all about?"Quark: "Nine years ago, that hew-mon comes in here, and I try to sell him some trinkets, you know souvineers for his family of his first Deep Space assignment. And he tells me 'We were warned about the Ferengi at the Academy'! To think that such an institution would defame an entire race, its supposed to be an education."Ro: "I seem to remember that in the academy Quark, we were told that Ferengi were cut-throat businessmen that were never looking out for your best interests, only thiers."Quark: "That's it?"Ro: "That about sums it up."Quark: "And he considered that as a warning...my my my...these cadets are more naive than I thought...maybe a shop on Earth would be a better place..."Ro: "They'd throw you in jail inside a month Quark."Quark: "Maybe, but think of all the profit I'd make in the meantime...."Paris: "Doc, over here."Doctor: "There you are, now what is this holosuite program you want me to see?"Kim: "You'll see when we get there."The door opens to Vic Fontaine's Lounge, Vic walks up to the three of them as they enter.Fontaine: "Hey Pallies! I haven't seen any of you folks around here before, what brings you boys to Deep Space Nine?"Paris: "You know where we're at?"Fontaine: "Of course, just because I'm a hologram doesn't mean I don't know north from south."Doctor: "You know you're a Hologram?"Fontaine: "Yep, Felix is a great guy ya know, he programed me to be adaptive, to get to know the customers ya know?"Doctor: "Please...Tell me more about Felix...Vic."Kim: "I think we should leave them be."Paris: "Right...there's Admiral Janeway and my Dad over there."Kim: "And Commander Data just joined them."Data: "You wanted to see me Admirals?"Janeway: "Yes Commander, I was wondering, how good are you and breaking encryption codes?"Data: "I do not understand the purpose of this question Admiral. Am I being accused of something?"OParis: "Not at all Commander. You see, our access to the FedCommNet has been cut off by the parasites. We were simply wondering if you would be able to circumvent that restriction for us."Data: "I see, you wish for me to bypass the lockout that has been placed on all of our access to the FedCommNet in accordance with Starfleet Protocol 112 Section 14 Paragragh 7 subsection 3."Janeway: "Yes, that pretty much sums it up."Data: "I see. I shall attempt to do so immediately."OParis: "Good Luck Commander."Data: "I do not believe in luck sir."Fontaine: "So you sing eh? What's your name? Maybe you can get up on stage and do an act or two?Doctor: "I don't have a name."Fontaine: "You don't have a name?! What, you kidding with me...every Joe on the street has a name. And a few schmucks have more than one."Doctor: "A name wasn't neccessary, Doctor was all I needed."Fontaine: "Well I'm telling you pallie, you need a name, Doctor just doesn't cut it here. I can't get up there in front of all these people and say 'Here's Doctor'. Ya know what I'm saying?"Doctor: "Well what would you suggest?"Fontaine: "Ah, I can't suggest anything, a name has to mean something to the person who wears it."Doctor: "...Joe, my name is Joe."Fontaine: "There, ya see pallie, it wasn't so hard. Now, lets go introduce you to the rest of these folks."Vic walks up onto the stage, everyone who noticed stopped their conversation, those who didn't stopped a few seconds later.Fontaine: "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, before we begin our show tonight, we have a bit of a warm-up act. So without further ado, Here's Joey!"Janeway, Paris, Kim (all at once): "Joey?!"Promenade:Kira: "Nog's teams did good work, they got most of the damage cleaned up in the first twenty-six hours after the attack, the rest they just finished an hour ago. I hear Nog bought them all a round of drinks for finishing so quickly."Sisko: "Nog certainly has turned out quite well. I can still remember he and Jake causing a lot of mischief for Constable Odo."Kira: "I think Nog's greatest fear, besides Taran'atar, was dissapointing you."Sisko: "He certainly hasn't dissapointed me in anyway. I hear that Tarana'tar is a Jem Hadar. What's he like?"Kira: "Well, see for yourself, Captain, there he is."Sisko: "Tarana'tar, I am Captain Benjamin Sisko."Taran'atar: "The Founder said you were dead."Sisko: "I'm afraid the Founder was mistaken."Taran'atar: "Indeed. The Founder said you may surprise even him at times."Sisko: "Did he?"Yates: "Ben!"Sisko: "Kassie!"Yates: "It's really you."Sisko: "It's really me."Yates: "I'm sorry it took so long for me to get here, finding someone to watch your new son wasn't easy, even being the wife of the Emissary."Sisko: "New son...I have missed a lot haven't I?"Yates smiled: "Yes, you have. Joesph is doing just fine. I hope you'll have time to drop in and see him. Bringing an infant into a battle zone wasn't something that I was looking foreward to."Sisko: "I'll make the time."Yates looked around: "Where did that Jem Hadar go?"Kira: "He's not very social, he'll make his point in a conversation and then just leave."Sisko: "Just like a typical Jem Hadar."End Act XVIIACT XVIIIExterior Scene: Starfleet Medical, EarthAdmiral Nechyev, Admiral Jellico, and Dr. Crusher standing in front of a medical monitor. On the monitor is a Human man's bioscan.Nechyev: "Is he healthy enough to receive the symbiont?"Crusher: "Not yet, if we were to introduce the symbiont now, it could kill him and the symbiont."Jellico: "That would not do, he may be a mere vessel, but the unblended have great respect for him, especially the rebels."Nechyev: "How soon?"Crusher: "I'll know more in twenty-four hours, until then, all we can do is keep him in the stasis pod."Jellico: "We can't wait much longer, we may have to take the risk if it can't be done safely tomorrow."An aide walks into the room: "Admiral, the Starship Exeter is arriving, they have the other on board, and he is alive."Nechyev: "Excellent, soon Admiral Ross will be joining us, and we can crush the resistance once and for all."Aide: "Begging your pardon ma'am, but there is more. Two Klingon task forces have crossed into Federation Space and are shooting up any ship they find with us on board. It seems apparent that the Klingons, and likely the resistance, has a method for detecting us inside the hosts."Crusher: "Once Ross tells us what he knows, I can devise a way to mask us from their sensors."Jellico: "Good, Lieutenant, make sure the Exeter gets priority clearance to enter orbit."Nechyev: "Any news on the Borg?"Crusher shook her head: "We traced one of Voyager's transporter signals to her apartment, they transported six people from her apartment, Seven and Icheb were apparently two of them, the other four we have yet to identify. Professor O'Brien and Admiral Paris are both missing. Paris was due for blending later that day, O'Brien was not a high priority, although in hindsight, he should have been. He was on the Enterprise when we tried this the first time. We have not heard from Seven since, we can assume that the medication to the symbiont is either ineffective, or that they are still fighting over her body."Jellico: "Besides Riker, La Forge, Troi and Worf, is there anyone else we have to be concerned with having knowledge of us from our first attempt?"Crusher: "No any of the Enterprise crew that knew first hand of the encounter have been taken care of."Nechyev: "Riker will no doubt attempt to pick La Forge up as his Chief Engineer, I think we need to prepare a little ambush for the Titan."Jellico: "I have just the idea..."Starship Quixote, Ready Room.Wilson: "This is some kind of joke, right Bren?"Bren: "I assure you Captain it is not a joke."Wilson: "And this came directly from Starfleet Command?"Bren: "Admiral Jellico himself."Wilson: "So this whole rumor of the Parasites returning is true, and Jellico sent us this list of infected ships. The question remains, why would he have broadcast that, even if he isn't infected, those that are are going to find him quickly."Bren: "There is a possibility that he may be attempting to deceive us."Wilson: "But if he's not we need to do something about this. Send a message to DS9. Inform them we need a spare warp coil, before we can join the fray on their side."Bren: "Then one of their ships will be routed to deliver the warp coil, and we give them the information."Wilson: "Right...then we can..."Comm: "Bridge to Captain Wilson."Wilson: "Go Ahead."Comm: "Sir...I..I think you better listen to this."Comm: "...peat...This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise, if anyone can hear me, please respond. My pod is losing..."Comm: "We've lost the signal, sir."Wilson: "Append that broadcast to the message, Bren... Bridge, set a course for the source of that signal...Maximum Warp."Deep Space Nine: OpsDax: "The message was rather cryptic, sir. It mentions that they have information from Starfleet that they did not want to transmit on subspace, and then...there's this."Picard: "This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise. My ship has been destroyed by an unknown force, I managed to get into a escape pod just prior to the explosion. My Comm system was damaged, and I have apparently been thrown far off from my original position. My pod is losing power, I have only three days of life-support remaining, anyone within hailing range, please respond. I repeat...This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise, if anyone can hear me, please respond. My pod is losing..."La Forge: "I'm sorry sir, there's just no way it could be him, Picard was on the bridge when the explosion happened, we never saw an escape pod launch from anywhere on the Enterprise."Chakotay: "I'm inclined to agree, we did an intensive sweep of the area, there wasn't much left of the Enterprise, and we certainly would have found an escape pod."Riker: "Could his pod have rode the explosion away from the area?"Dax: "The possibilities are remote at best, besides, the location the Quixote has traced the signal to, is twenty-seven light-years away."Riker: "Q?"Chakotay: "As much as Q loved to play around with you, I don't think he would have spent the time to save Picard's life and move him that far away. Besides, if it was Q, Picard would have shown up right beside you by now."La Forge: "Apparently Q didn't play with you as much as he did with us."Riker: "Even if its not really Jean-Luc, we need to go see what the Quixote has for us. Admiral, the Titan is ready to go as soon as the spare Warp Coil is aboard."Janeway: "Good luck Will."Starship Quixote: BridgeBaker: "Sir, we are approaching the source of the signal."Wilson: "Slow to impulse, Lieutenant."Baker: "Aye, sir."Bren: "A rather odd place for an escape pod to be, this asteroid field is the densest field in the quadrant."Wilson: "Any sign of the pod?"Bren: "Not yet Captain."Wilson: "Jeannie, can you plot a course through this?"Baker, smiling: "With my eyes closed sir."Wilson: "You can leave them open if you don't mind, Jeannie."A light shrill sounded on the bridge, before turning into Star Wars' Imperial March.Wilson glanced over towards Bren: "Must you?"Bren: "I thought it would set the appropriate mood."Wilson: "Thanks a heap...now I'm going to see a Star Destroyer around every asteroid."Bren: "Would that be such a bad thing?"Wilson shook his head instead of answering, turning his attention back to the main viewscreen.Bren: "Not reading any power signatures inside the field, however there appears to be some background interference that was not here when the field was last charted two years ago."Wilson: "Interference caused by what?"Bren: "Unknown, however the interference is limiting our effective scan radius to only five hundred thousand kilometers."The ship shuddered.Wilson: "Jeannie?"Baker: "Sorry sir, it was either that one or the one that would have torn a hole in our port nacelle."Wilson: "Are we going to get any room to maneuver? I got a bad feeling about this..."Bren: "We have just passed through the locally most-dense part of the field, approximately six million kilometers dead ahead is a break in the field, only a few large asteroids in that immediate vicinity."Wilson: "Jeannie...if someone or something starts shooting, head straight for that break. Red Alert."The alert klaxon sounded around the bridge.Bren: "I am still picking up nothing, but you are correct, this is an ideal place for an ambush, and given the disappearance of two dozen Starfleet vessels in the last week...It is best to be prepared."Starship Titan: BridgeData: "At our present velocity, we will arrive at the rendezvous coordinates in approximately fifteen minutes."Riker: "A rendezvous in the middle of the densest asteroid field in Federation space...what was Captain Wilson thinking?"La Forge: "He probably expected the Defiant to come to rendezvous, not the Titan."Data: "The largest vessel known to have navigated this field was the USS Bozeman NCC-1941, Captain Bateson reported in his log that his survey of the field was cut short when an asteroid impacted his ship, and compromised it's structural integrity, he later added that no ship larger than an Oberth class science vessel should be assigned to charting this Field, a recommendation that Starfleet has followed ever since. It should be noted, that this was the last mission the Bozeman was reported to have completed before her disappearance near the Typhon Expanse."Riker: "How do we get to the rendezvous point?"Data: "Captain Bateson did notice that there was room for a larger ship, in certain areas of the field. I believe I can plot a course linking those areas. While using a modified Phaser burst to cut through asteroids that are in our way."Riker: "How soon until you can have the modifications done?"Data, pressing a few buttons: "They are done now, Captain."Riker: "Take us in Mr. Data."Beauty shot of the Titan moving into the asteroid field, occasionally firing a phaser blast at a large chunk of rock in her way. The rock being hit disintigrates upon impact. Smaller rocks pulverize themselves constantly on the Titan's foreward shields, creating a shimmering effect in front of her. All in all, I picture this to be a beautiful sight... (makes me wish I had any kind of talent in CGI)Data: "Captain, we are approaching the Rendezvous coordinates, I am picking up the Quixote, bearing 114 mark 218. She appears to be holding station near a large asteroid."Riker: "Hail them."Sloane: "No response sir."Riker: "Any chance they are damaged?"Data: "Not that sensors can detect...curious...I am detecting a large jamming field inside the asteroids, sensors and communications are extremely hampered."Sloane: "Reading six...no seven contacts...closing rapidly on us."Riker: "Battlestations!"Data: "I have no Identification on the incoming contacts, there appears to be no record of these ships in the Starfleet database."Riker: "Get us some room to Maneuver, target the closest vessel and prepare to fire..."End Act XVIIIACT XIXChabot Class- USS ExeterCommander Rivers: "Admiral, we have cleared orbit and have laid in a course for Starbase Deep Space Nine."Ross: "Very good, as soone as we have cleared the system engage at maximum warp."Crusher: "Our passenger is stable, and he has shown no sign of rejecting the symbiont as of yet."Ross: "Excellent, when he regains conciousness, send him to the ready room."Crusher: "Aye sir."TitanData: "Enemy Ships are closing to phaser range, still no difinitative Identification."Riker: "Mr. Sloane, target the closest ship, and prepare to fire."Sloane: "Aye, Sir."Data: "Sensor readings becoming more reliable. Ships are biological in nature, they do however have mechanical components, such as a Warp Drive..."The ship shuddersData: "...and two Type IV Disrupter cannons."Riker: "Mr. Sloane...Fire."A Phaser Beam lances out from the Titan's dorsal Phaser emitter, striking a pink ship behind what looks to be its head. Red liquid briefly spills out from the Phaser wound before it congeals over the wound, forming a scab.Troi: "Was that...bleeding?"Data: "Apparently so. The blood appears to be a natural energy conductor, transfering power from its internal warp drive to its Disrupter cannons ."Sloane: "Our Phaser fire appears to have very little effectiveness against them."Riker: "Then ready the Photon Torpedoes."The ship shuddered again.Data: "Aft shields are holding."Sloane: "Torpedoes ready, locked on target."Riker: "Fire."Two Photon Torpedoes blazed out of the Titan's aft torpedo launcher, one strikes another pink ship head on, while the other impacts more towrds the aft of the ship. The ship in engulfed in a photon explosion. The explosion clears, and the ship is still there although its color has changed from pink to red.Data: "We appear to have disabled its Disrupter cannons, but other than that, I am reading no significant damage."Troi looks to Riker, worry on her face."Riker: "Mr. Sloane...ready Quantum Torpedoes."Sloane: "Locked and ready."A bracket of four Quantum Torpedoes lept from the Titan's fore torpedo launcher. One torpedo sailed beyond the target, detontating on a small asteroid just beyond, the asteroid was incinerated by the explosion, the other three strafed the ship from front to back. The ship is engulfed by the explosions, when the dust settles, the ship is floating there, intact, but its blood is gushing out of multiple wounds.Data: "The creature appears to be bleeding Captain, the wounds on the creature do not appear to be closing, I believe it is dying sir."Geordi: "I am modifying the Phaser emitters to emit a quantum resonance burst, with any luck, that's what is keeping the wounds from closing."Riker: "How much time do you need?"Geordi: "Two minutes."The ship shuddered, a console in the back of the bridge exploded in a shower of sparks.Data: "Aft Shields are down to sixty percent."Gross: "They're attempting to cut us off from the clearing!"Riker: "David, do what you can with the Quantums!"Sloane: "Fireing Torpedoes."Two Quantum Torpedoes spiraled out from the aft launcher, both struck a persuing bio-ship, the bio-ship came out of the explosion red all over, but not hurt bad enough that it couldn't return fire.Data: "Apparently the quantum resonance burst the torpedoes emit are not what is hurting the bio-ships."Sloane: "Did we just get lucky on that one...or do they have a threshold before they completely fail?"Riker: "Let's hope its a threshold...Geordi, I need those phasers back."Data: "Sir...vessel decloaking astern...it is the Defiant."The Defiant appeared directly behind one of the red bio-ships, and pummeled that ship with its pulse phasers. The bio-ship broke apart and its two pieces scattered deep into the asteroid field. The Defiant's port manuevering thrusters flared to life as she changed her heading slightly, before letting loose a bracket of quantum torpedoes. The bio-ship exploded.Data: "Direct hit on the bio-ship's warp core."Riker: "That evens the odds quite nicely...any activity from the Quixote?"Data: "None Captain."QuixoteWilson: "You still have no idea what happened?"Bren: "As near as I can tell...at least before the sensors overloaded, was that we were hit by a stream of energy..I'm still having the data analyzed, but it may explain the sensor jamming field."Wilson: "How soon until the sensors are back up?"Bren: "Ten minutes."Wilson: "I'll be in my ready room then."Baker: "Sir...Navigational sensors are online...but I can't see anything through this soup."Wilson: "Keep trying Jeannie."DefiantO'Brien: "Sir...I'm picking up eight more bioships, at least I was...they were behind the asteroid that the Quixote is hovering near...but I don't see them anymore...there's another low level dampening field in place, similar to the one that was on the Dakota."Sisko: "Let's deal with the ones attacking the Titan first. Tenmei, attack pattern Sulu-seven."Tenmei: "Aye, sir."O'Brien: "The Titan is losing shields. She wont hold up much longer."A phaser beam lanced out from the Titan's ventral emitter, striking another bio-ship. A scab formed over the wound, and the bioship returned fire, tearing a hole in the Titan's secondary hull. The Defiant swooped underneath the Titan, firing her pulse phasers, the pulse phasers striking the same ship the Titan hit. Blood begins to pour out of the phaser wounds, but they are slowly scabbed over, until another phaser beam from the Titan's saucer emitter re-opens the wounds, this time the wounds don't close and the ship appears to die right there. A bracket of Quantum Torpedoes fly out of the Titan's foreward launcher, all four hit their target, and the bio-ship is completely incinerated. The Defiant fires a pair of Quantum Torpedoes at an already damaged bio-ship, it breaks up into three parts on impact. The remaining Bio-ship, still missing it's disrupters, turns into the asteroid field and flees.TitanSloane: "Sir, the Defiant is hailing."Riker: "On Screen"Sisko: "Sorry we're late, Will."Riker: "Considering I wasn't expecting you at all, Ben, I'm just glad you showed up, another couple of minutes and we would have been dead."Sisko: "You might still be dead. Before our sensors were jammed, we were picking up eight Bio-ships behind the asteroid the Quixote is holding station at."Riker: "You think that this was a trap?"Sisko: "Looking more and more likely as the time passes Will. Which was why Janeway sent us along...she didn't like the idea of the Titan going off on her own without some kind of support."Sloane: "Do we abort sir? We can't take much of a pounding."Riker: "We can't leave until the shields are back online anyway."Sisko: "We'll do a recon run of the Quixote, see if you can't stand off and cover us while we do so."Riker: "We'll do our best."QuixoteBren standing at his station, looking over the sensor data. His antennae stand straight up as he slaps his combadge: "Bridge to Captain. The Energy Stream was not natural, it was a massive Type IV disrupter barrage!"Wilson runs out onto the bridge: "Did I hear you right?"Bren: "Sensors coming online now sir. Picking up eight unidentified contacts, closing on...the Starship Defiant, the Defiant is on an attack run...its target is us sir!"Wilson: "Hail them...tell them we surrender!"Bren: "If they fire on us...we're dead."Wilson: "Engineering...Status on the Shields?!"Bren: "They're firing...but not on us!"On the view screen one of the eight bioships took four Quantum Torpedoes and disintigrated, the other seven returned fire.Bren: "The Defiant's foreward shields are failing, but her armor is holding."Four more Quantum Torpedoes struck another bioship from seemingly out of nowhere, it exploded.Wilson: "What the..."Bren: "I have the Starship Titan on long range scanners...she appears to be in the same shape we are in..."TitanData: "Three enemy contacts destroyed, The Quixote is clear of parasites sir."Riker: "Signal the Defiant and the Quixote...lets get the hell out of here."Sloane: "The Defiant has lost her shields...and her armor has been breached."Riker: "Ben...time to cloak...we'll make a run for it."Sisko (Comm): "Understood...see you at Deep Space Nine."Gross: "Coming about...engaging Impulse Engines."Geordi: "Foreward shields are only at twenty percent, so try not to run in to anything too big."Data: "The Quixote is accelerating to full impulse...she apparantly is going to follow us out. The Defiant is still engaged with the five remaining bioships.Riker: "He's giving the Quixote a chance to get away."Slone: "Fireing aft torpedoes..."Data: "The Quixote is nearing the edge of the bioships effective fireing range...the bioships are not offering pursuit."Sloane: "Two direct hits...the bioship is damaged...Sisko finished it off."Data: "The Defiant is cloaking...the bioships are turning to pursue us."Gross: "Increasing speed to two-thirds impulse."Riker: "Time til we clear the field?"Gross: "One minute, thirty five seconds."Data: "They will enter weapons range fifteen seconds before that."Riker: "Geordi, anything you can put into our aft shields will be greatly appreciated."Geordi: "There's nothing to put into the aft shields...every circuit is either fused or fried..."Riker: "Go to three-quarters impulse...divert all available power...even from life-support...to the navigational deflector."Exeter: Ready RoomBack shot of a man sitting in the captain's chair behind the desk. As the camera moves in, a view of the back of the man's neck is given, the pink appendage sticking out of the neck, twitching ever so slightly. The shot comes around to reveal the man as Admiral Ross. A blank expression on his face until the door chime rings, then a slight smile appears on his lips.Ross: "Come."Off screen the door opens, foot steps are head as the man walks up to the desk, the camera never leaves Ross' face.Ross: "Are you liking that new body? We went through a lot of trouble to make sure it was healthy enough for you."The camera angle changes to bring Captain Jean-Luc Picard's expressionless face into the picture.End Act XIX ACT XXRomulan Task Force Zeta:RIS Praetor's PrideBridgeSela: "How long until we leave Federation Space?"Helm: "Two hours, twenty four minutes."Sela, Gesturing to a PADD: "Are you sure this information is accurate."Serilla: "Yes, The Klingons launched a task force to perform the same mission we're on right now."Sela: "Then we'll have to make sure that we beat the Klingons there, and that they never return."Serilla: "Is that wise? We may need their help."Sela: "We have a fleet of seventy Warbirds, are you suggesting that we can't handle these Bio-ships?"Serilla: "They may be the smallest type of Bio-ship the parasites deploy, and eight of them nearly wrecked the Titan."Sela: "Only because Riker had no idea what he was facing. Riker isn't a fool, but he can be taken by surprise, and since he was, we will not be."Serilla: "I hope you are correct."Deep Space Nine:OpsKira: "Will, you really got the stuffing beat out of you didn't you?"Riker: "The Titan looks bad, but she's a tough ship, Geordi will have her combat ready again in twenty four hours."Janeway: "Hopefully we won't be needing you for that long. God I'm glad I sent Banjamin after you."Riker: "And no one is more grateful for the help than I am. Admiral."Nog: "Admiral, the Quixote is combat capable again, she's already taken a position patrolling the Outer Perimeter."Janeway: "What about Deep Space Nine?"Nog: "We'll be ready for another attack in two hours."Dax: "Admiral, our relay in the Gamma Quadrant is picking up an unusual amount of traffic near the wormhole."Janeway: "What kind of Traffic?"Dax: "I can't tell, but they are heading straight for the Wormhole, they'll be here in twenty minutes.Janeway: "Where's the Defiant now?"Kira: "I've signaled for them and the Quixote to close on the station, but with the Titan laid up, and Voyager in Cardassian Space, the only other ships here are the Excalibur and the Ardennes."Janeway: "What about getting a crew on the Dakota?"Nog: "No way Admiral, we would need at least another day to familiarize ourselves with the controls. Why they didn't make them standard is anyone's guess."Janeway: "From the reports I've read, it was to keep a Changeling from simply taking control of one."Kira: "Seem's to me there's a better way to do it than that."Janeway: "Sometimes the simplest way is the way that is often overlooked."Taran'atar (entering Ops): "Taran'atar, reporting as requested."Kira: "Take a look at these sensor signatures Taran'atar."Taran'atar: "Seven Heavy Cruisers, forty-three attack craft, and two Battlecruisers."Nog: "That's more than enough to overwhelm this station!"Taran'atar: "It is unlikely that they are an attack force, this is only a small percentage of the Dominion Fleet. Even the fleet that you fought during the Quadrant War was only one-fifth of our total fleet."Kira: "What are you suggesting?"Taran'atar: "This fleet will not attack this station, If they come through the wormhole at all, they will not fire unless fired upon. If they intended to attack, the size of this force would be increased twenty-fold."Riker: "I would agree, it doesn't seem likely that they would come through with such a small force to attack us. If we weren't having these problems with the parasites right now, we could have two fleets here in time to save the station...unless..."Taran'atar: "I have made the Founders aware of the parasite plague. They have not informed me what they intend to do to combat it. It is most likely that they will be setting up a station on the other side of the wormhole, similar in function to this station here."Kira: "And this fleet is going to protect it while they construct it?"Taran'atar: "The Dominion can build battle stations very quickly, they will be the force assigned to defend it."Janeway: "How do we know that they won't be using the base as a launching point?"Taran'atar: "If this was intended to be an invasion force, you would not have detected their approach."Dax: "The fleet is dropping out of Warp, they are holding position outside of weapons range of our relay station, three attack craft are breaking off and heading towards the wormhole.Dominion Attack Craft 115832BridgeWeyoun: "We are approaching the wormhole now. Begging the Founder's pardon, but are we sure Starfleet's battle station will not fire upon us as soon as we exit?"Odo: "Quite sure Weyoun. Enter the Wormhole."Weyoun: "As the Founder commands. First, take us in."The Three Dominion ships entered the wormhole and were swallowed up.Weyoun: "Ever since the seventh fleet was lost in here, I have dreaded moving through this wormhole."Odo, snickering: "Afraid you'd be swallowed by the boogey-man Weyoun?"Weyoun: "I am afraid of no boogey-man, Odo. But the Bajoran Gods simply wiped a whole fleet out of existance, they rival your power Founder."First: "Exiting the wormhole in fifteen cycles."Odo: "Prepare to open a hailing frequency."Second: "By your command."Third: "Wormhole exited, I am picking up the Federation Battle Station. Also detecting a Frigate, War Destroyer, Cruiser, and a Dreadnought in a defensive position between us and the station. I am also detecting a Damaged Dreadnought and an undamaged Heavy Battlecruiser docked with the station. Reading only Federation Starships in the immediate vicinity. All active vessels have acquired weapon locks on us."Second: "Channel opened."Kira (voice): "This is Commander Kira of the Federation Starbase Deep Space Nine, to unauthorized Dominion Vessels, you have entered restricted space, state your purpose here immediately or we will open fire."Odo: "It's good to see you again Nerys."Kira: "Odo? Is it really you?"Odo: "Indeed it is, permission to come aboard?"Kira: "Upper Pylon two is open, Odo. Welcome home."CardassiaGarak: "I assure you Captain, the Cardassian Union does not wish to see the Federation fall from within. But these are suspicious times, how can I be sure that you are not the rebels, as the Federation Council claims. After all, you have betrayed the Federation once before."Chakotay: "Then let me be blunt with you Legate. These parasites are consuming Starfleet Command, once they are done with the Federation, they will come for you, and the rest of the powers of the Alpha Quadrant."Garak: "You can't know that for sure. It is possible that they will simply stop with the Federation, after all, Cardassia will be impossible to take from with in.Chakotay: "With the Federation under their control, they won't need to work from within anymore, they tried with the Romulans and the Klingons, they failed miserably with the Klingons, they didn't get far enough with the Romulans to do any damage...Garak: "And they haven't tried at all with us Captain."Chakotay: "That doesn't mean they won't."Garak: "In any case, the Cardassian Union cannot spend the resources to assist you, we can barely support ourselves as it is. Once the seventh order has completed their repairs, they will return to Deep Space Nine, with the orders to defend her. But that is the extent of the support that we can spare at this time Captain. Now...I must bid you good day, I have several pressing issues to attend to."Chakotay: Very well Legate, Good day. Chakotay to Voyager, one to beam up."VoyagerBridge Paris: "Any Luck Captain?"Chakotay: "Nothing more than we already had, Tom."Tuvok: "Sir, a Message from Deep Space Nine, A large Dominion force was detected closing on the Wormhole, three attack craft from the force broke off and entered the wormhole, the rest stayed on the Gamma Quadrant side."Chakotay: "Do we need to race to Deep Space Nine?"Kim: "The ships stationed there are more than enough for three attack craft."Doctor: "Sickbay to Bridge, Captain, I think you'll want to come down here."Chakotay, entering the Turbolift: "Tom, set course for Deep Space Nine, warp eight. I'm on my way Doctor....Deck Five."Chakotay strode out of the Turbolift when it came to a stop on deck five, and quickly entered sickbay. A containment field was in place over the small work station in main sickbay, inside, a parasite was frantically trying to get out.Chakotay: "Doctor?"Vic: "He'll be right along in just a second pallie. Said he needed to get some doo-hickey in the Biology lab. Sometimes this stuff just blows my mind. It's still amazing, he let me borrow his portable thinga-ma-jig and I got to see some strange stuff, what's that Astro Metrics thing? Is it French?"Chakotay: "It's where we measure distances to stellar phenomina Vic."Vic: "You mean like Black holes and such stuff like that?"Chakotay: "Something like that."The Doctor enters Sickbay, carrying a large device: "Captain, I've succesfully managed to extract the Parasite from Seven's body."Chakotay walks over to the primary bed, where Seven has been lying for the last week: "Is she ok?"Doctor, setting the device near the parasite, and activating it: "She should be regaining conciousness any minute now."Chakotay: "What about the parasite?"Doctor: "It seems to be in good shape, the Nanoprobes did some damage to it, but the creatures regenerative properties are incredible, its almost like it wasn't even hurt.Chakotay leaned over to get a closer look at the Parasite, as he did, the Parasite jumped at him and bounced off the force field, Chakotay jumped back.Doctor: "I don't believe that it can escape the Force Field. You shouldn't worry yourself Captain."Chakotay: "I don't want to take any chances, if theres even a slight chance that thing can get out, I want a guard in here anytime theres a person in here. And you better arm yourself Doctor."Doctor: "The parasite can't possibly affect Vic or myself, theres no need to arm myself."Chakotay: "I don't want it getting out into the corridor Doctor."Doctor: "True, have Tuvok send a security officer and an extra phaser down here please, Captain."Vic: "Hey Joe, Sleeping Beauty over here is waking up."Deep Space Nine:Docking Pylon Two:Odo and Weyoun are stepping into Deep Space Nine, Kira, Taran'atar, Sisko and Quark are waiting on the other side.Kira: "Odo, welcome back."Odo: "Nerys, thank you."Weyoun: "Commander Kira, it is so good to see you again."Kira: "I wish I could return the sentiment Weyoun. I thought you were dead."Weyoun: "Ah you are refering to the Weyoun that was shot dead on Cardassia, yes, that was the last Weyoun in the Alpha Quadrant, there were several more in the Gamma Quadrant, I am the first one to be revived since the war."Quark: "Odo, I can't say it's good to see you again, but...I've missed you."Odo: "Quark...I've...not missed your constant schemes and antics."Quark: "Ah HA! But you have missed me...I can see it in your face!"Odo groaning: "Oh all right Quark, maybe I have missed you a LITTLE bit."Taran'atar: "I serve the Founder, in all things."Odo: "I thank you for your service Taran'atar, but I am not here to retrieve you just yet."Sisko: "Odo, how have things been in the Gamma Quadrant?"Odo: "Captain, things have been better, we got word that the Federation is in Chaos."Sisko: "Maybe we should talk in the ward room."Ward Room:Odo: "I see, it is a very disturbing turn of events Admiral. There are some in the Link that are advocating another offensive against the Federation. They feel that these Parasites would influence the Federation to attack the Dominion. Dominion policy has always been pre-emptive strikes."Janeway: "So is that what your task force is for Founder?"Weyoun: "The Founder convinced the Link that a war with the Federation is not the way to handle this crisis, so the Link determined, in its wisdom, that a foreward Battle Station on our side of the Wormhole is warranted, in case the Federation were to suddenly become belligerent, your fleets could be halfway to our core-worlds before we knew about it."Odo: "In the interests of peace between our governments, we would allow you to establish a relay station on our station, as long as you permit us to do the same aboard Deep Space Nine."Janeway: "Your request sounds reasonable, we can communicate with each other much easier this way."Odo: "Also, we request that any ship entering the wormhole from your side be signaled to our station ahead of time, we will do the same for you."Kira: "Agreed."Odo: "Then my mission here is done, I am sorry I cannot spend more time with you Nerys, but I must return to the Link. Perhaps once our station is completed, I will see you more often. Weyoun."Weyoun touched a device on his wrist: "Until we meet again."Weyoun and Odo dissapeared in a Dominion Transporter.Dax: "Dax to Ward room, the Dominion ship just disengaged its docking clamps, and is heading for the Wormhole."Sisko: "Let it go Dax."End Act XX

ACT XXI

USS Exeter- Entering Bajoran System

Ross: "Time to snuff out the rebellion once and for all. Once Deep Space Nine falls, the resistance will lose any cohesiveness they had.

Picard: "With our Bio-signatures suppressed, they will have no idea who we really are."

Ross: "Exactly."

Deep Space Nine - Ops

Nog: "Captain, a Federation Starship is entering the system, Chabot Class."

Sisko: "Is it one of ours Lieutenant?"

Nog: "I'm not detecting any parasites on board sir."

Dax: "They're hailing us."

Sisko: "On Screen."

Admiral Ross appears on the screen. Sisko looks relieved to see him alive.

Ross: "Ben, sorry for the scare. I didn't mean to make it look like I died, but I didn't want them to know I was coming.

Sisko: "Coming for what admiral?"

Picard: "Benjamin Sisko...I see you've managed to come back from the dead as it were."

Sisko: "So have you apparently. How?"

Ross: "I found that the parasites had beamed Picard off the ship before it blew up. But apparently he was too injured to immediately take a symbiont, I commandeered the Exeter and went to Starfleet Medical where they were holding him."

Kira: "That's good news, I'm sure that Will will be pleased to hear that."

Picard: "Yes, I imagine he would. Commander, we request permission to dock."

Kira glancing over to Nog: "Upper Pylon 3."

Dax: "Sir! Another Federation Starship is entering the system, its Voyager, and they are not reducing speed!"

Sisko: "Hail them."

Nog: "They're firing on the Exeter!"

Kira: "What's Chakotay doing?!"

Dax: "Text message coming in...three words..Exeter is infested."

Sisko: "What? I thought our scans came back negative?"

Nog: "They did sir."

USS Voyager

Chakotay: "Attack Pattern Sigma."

Paris: "Aye sir, but they're a lot bigger than us."

Tuvok: "The station is hailing us again."

Kim: "Foreward shields are down to seventy percent!"

Chakotay: "Put it up."

Janeway appears on the screen, looking slightly confused.

Janeway: "Chakotay, what are you doing?"

Chakotay: "We got a tip from one of the crewmembers, former Maquis, she noticed that the senior officers weren't the same as they were earlier, she sent me a coded message."

Janeway: "But our sensors are showing them parasite free."

Kim: "Aft shields are down to forty percent!"

Chakotay: "Ross knew about the sensor modifications, they know how to stop our bio-scans. Kathryn...Voyager is going to look worse than it did after that Kazon encounter with Seska if you don't do something!"

The screen goes black.

Kim: "Direct hit, our Comm Transceiver is down. Shields are down to thirty five percent."

Tuvok: "The station has opened fire."

Kim: "Exeter is breaking off its attack, turning to run. Her shields are failing."

Chakotay: "Tuvok, target a Nacelle, don't let them get away!"

Two Photon Torpedoes leapt from Voyager's Forward launcher. The Exeter's warp nacelles flashed blue, began to expand around the ship, when both torpedoes hit the Exeter's starboard nacelle. The warp field collapsed, but not after the Exeter began her jump to warp. She spins on her damaged nacelle like a top before coming to a rest a few billion kilometers from the station.

Kim: "The Excalibur is releasing her docking clamps, heading out toward the Exeter. Excalibur is firing on the Exeter, her phasers have been disabled."

Tuvok: "The Excalibur has engaged a Tractor beam on the Exeter and is pulling the ship closer to the station."

Chakotay: "Tom, dock us with the station, I think we're going to have some explaining to do."

Ward Room

OParis: "Captain, I am very much rethinking my decision to let you have Voyager after this."

Chakotay: "I had information that stated that Ross and Picard we're both infected."

Janeway: "And who is your informant?"

Ross, entering the room with Bashir, Picard and several security officers: "Dead."

Bashir: "They are infected all right Admiral. And from what I've seen from the ship, had they docked with us, most of us would be as well."

Ross: "Your Maquis agent was good, she got off a quick coded message before we stopped her. We had thought we had stopped her."

Chakotay: "That's the beauty of the Maquis codes, short and simple."

Picard: "Why do you resist us? We only want to improve the quality of life, for both of our species."

OParis: "Because we like our freedom of choice, you would take that away from us."

Ross: "Your feeble intelligences are no match for ours, your simple lives would be much improved by our intellects."

Sisko: "I've heard enough, Lieutenant, take them to a holding cell, until we can figure out how to separate them."

Picard: "Sisko, you cannot remove us with out killing the host, these bodies are ours now, and we will not let you have them back."

Janeway: "And make sure they can't hurt themselves."

Ro: "We'll have to restrain them."

OParis: "Whatever it takes."

Sisko: "Chakotay...Thank you."

Voyager - Sickbay

Doctor: "I'm giving you a clean bill of health Seven. You should talk with Captain Chakotay, I'm sure you have some things to catch up on."

Seven glances over to the parasite leaping at the forcefield: "Are you sure that thing cannot escape?"

Doctor: "Even if it can, once you are out of here, there's no one here it can infest."

Seven: "Still, I would be, uneasy around it. Good day Doctor, and thank you."

Doctor: "Seven, Vic and I are going to be performing for some of the stations crew tonight at 2200 hours, would you care to join us?"

Seven: "Watching or Performing?"

Vic: "Either one works for me doll."

Seven: "Another time perhaps."

Doctor: "If you change your mind, you know where to get a hold of me."

Seven leaves Sickbay.

Vic: "She can sing, and she looks like that...wow, if she doesn't pack the joint, I don't know who could, I hope she reconsiders."

Doctor: "That's the problem though Vic, once she makes up her mind, its hard to change it."

Vic: "Well, then, looks like its just the two of us tonight."

Voyager - Bridge

Kim: "Our comm system is back on line, shields are at eighty percent."

Chakotay: "I want those shields back within the hour B'Elanna

Torres: "Not a problem Captain, I could probably have them back in twenty minutes, but Starfleet procedure slows me down somewhat."

Seven, entering the Bridge: "Captain, I am here to request an assignment."

Kim: "Seven, good to see you on your feet."

Chakotay: "Seven. Unless B'Elanna needs your help, I'd like for you to help Lieutenant Wildman in figuring out a way to stop these parasites. And you might also want to say hello to Naomi, I'm sure she'll be glad to see you."

Torres: "I'm fine over here Captain."

Paris: "You can say that again."

Torres: "If you want to keep up those remarks Flyboy, you'll be watching after Miral tonight, by yourself."

Paris: "She's been a bit ornery lately, I don't know if I can handle it by myself."

Torres: "Then do something constructive."

Paris: "Yes, ma'am."

Seven and Chakotay share a glance, before Seven steps into the turbolift.

RIS Praetor's Pride

Sub-Lieutenant: "Commander, one of our picket ships is picking up three Klingon warships, bearing three-two-nine, mark twelve."

Sela: "Do they have a better course than we do?"

Sub-Lieutenant: "No Commander, they appear to be paralleling our course."

Serilla: "Do we destroy them?"

Sela: "Not just yet, but move Squadron three to surround them."

Serilla: "How long do we let them live?"

Sela: "Not long at all..but first...Sub-Lieutenant, as soon as squadron three is in position, jam their communications."

Sub-Lieutenant: "Yes Commander."

Serilla: "Commander, It is strange that these three ships would not be cloaked."

Sela: "I agree, dispatch squadron seven to assist, watch especially for cloaked ships."

Sub-Lieutenant: "Commander, Squadron Three is in position."

Sela: "Jam their Communications, prepare to de-cloak."

End Act XXI

ACT XXII

RIS Praetor's Pride

Sub-Lieutenant: "De-cloaking now Commander, the Klingons have spotted us, they are raising their...Commander, Multiple Klingon Warships decloaking."

Sela: "Where?"

The Sub-Lieutenant hesitated for a moment: "Everywhere Commander. Reading over sixty ships, they have us surrounded."

Serilla: "They are hailing us."

Sela: "Fools...they have the advantage, and they waste it by talking...by all means, put them on screen."

chatI: "Romulan P'taq! We know where your ships are...decloak them now or we will turn your ship into a cinder!"

Sela: "Fleet Captain chatI, your reputation precedes you. We are here for the same purpose you are."

chatI: "I have no time for your games Commander Sela, decloak your ships."

Sela: "What makes you think we have any more ships?"

chatI turns to an unseen person:

A disruptor bank from the lead Vor'cha class attack cruiser fires a single burst, striking a cloaked Romulan ship squarely between the nacelles, the ship appears in a violent explosion before disappearing again.

chatI turns back to the screen, a smug look on his face.

Sela: "How did you know our ships are here Captain?"

chatI: "You should already know, Intelligence officer to Intelligence officer, that we do not give away secrets that easily Commander. You have sixty seconds to decloak your fleet and move off."

Sela: "I would have thought that you would have been more grateful for our assistance, afterall, we are fighting the same war."

chatI: "For the moment Commander, I would agree with you, but the Tal Shiar is doing more than just fighting the war with us. You now have forty five seconds."

Sela: "How can you say that, we are allies now, we are both allied with the Federation against the Parasites, who deserve nothing less than to be eradicated."

chatI: "I can say that because I know better Commander. Thirty Seconds."

Sela: "Very well, chatI. You win this time."

Sela pushes a button on her command chair: "Have all ships target his command ship as soon as their Fire Control systems come online."

Serilla raising a disruptor pistol: "Commander, I am afraid I cannot allow you to do that."

Sela jumped out of her seat in rage, on screen chatI's look of puzzlement quickly blossoms into amusement.

Sela: "What do you think you are doing Sub-Commander?!"

Serilla: "I am relieving you of duty Commander."

Sela: "Or so you think."

Sela nodded at one of the guards, who pulled out his disruptor pistol, and trained it first on Serilla, then shifted it to point at Sela.

Serilla: "The Praetor believes that you no longer have any use to us."

Sela: "Your Praetor has gone soft, in the old days, I would have been dead shortly after you exposed my faults to the entire crew. We have fallen too far."

Serilla: "Perhaps we have not fallen as far as you would like to think Commander."

Serilla discharged the disruptor, Sela crumples to the ground. The guard grabs her twitching body and hauls it off the bridge.

Serilla sits down in the command chair, presses a button: "I am sorry about the delay Fleet Captain, but certain problems needed to be taken care of over here. Have the rest of the fleet decloak, and power down their weapons."

chatI: "Am I supposed to trust the woman who just murdered her commanding officer?"

Serilla: "She is not dead, although she will wish she were when the Praetor gets his hands on her. We request permission to join your task force Fleet Captain, or at the least share information about what we encounter along the way."

chatI: "And why should we let you see our intelligence?"

Serilla: "Logically, we are on the same mission, we should be sharing relevant information so as to maximize our probability for success."

chatI: "I never thought I would be hearing a Romulan talk like that!"

Serilla: "I am half-Vulcan."

Deep Space Nine- Infirmary

Bashir: "I have no clue about where to start."

Wildman: "Perhaps we should start with what we do know and work from there."

Dax: "It can't be as hard as you think it is."

Doctor: "It's much harder."

Janeway: "I'm inclined to agree."

Quark(entering): "Here it is...where do you want it?"

Bashir: "Put it on the bio-bed over there Quark."

Quark: "Now...about the method of payment..."

Kira: "Later Quark."

Quark(leaving): "All right, maybe I'll just take it out of my lease..."

Icheb: "Now what do we do?"

Chakotay(entering): "I know it's not quite Neelix's cooking Seven, but..."

Seven: "A cake?"

Janeway: "Welcome back Seven."

Seven: "I was under the impression that we were coming to Deep Space Nine to study the parasites that had infested Admiral Ross and Loc..Captain Picard."

Doctor: "We are, but you haven't had anything in the way of solid food for the last three weeks, and while a cake isn't the healthiest thing for you to eat, it is appropriate, since it is a sort of family reunion."

USS Titan

Riker: "How goes the repairs Geordi?"

La Forge: "Very quickly sir, at the rate we're going, we should be combat capable again in two days."

Riker: "Good, I don't like sitting around here with my hands tied."

Troi: "Will, have you gone to see him?"

Riker: "The man in that holding cell is not the man I once admired Deanna. Unless they have a way to pull that thing out of him right now, I don't want to go see him."

Troi: "Will, he's fighting it, he has to be. Remember what he said in the ward room. It was the exact same thing he said when he was Locutus fourteen years ago."

Riker: "That doesn't prove anything Deanna."

La Forge: "Actually Captain, if we remember the original report correctly, the parasites couldn't access certain parts of the their victims memory, its quite possible that he is fighting it."

Data: "Captain, I have just broken the encryption of the FedComNet. It appears that fourty-five Federation Starships have been destroyed in the last three weeks and have been blamed on the rebellion. We appear to have been responsible for fourteen of the attacks, including the Quixote, whose destruction was greatly exaggerated."

Riker: "News of my death... Mr. Clemens, Data?"

Data: "Yes sir...the report conjured up the similarities between..."

Riker waved him off: "Inform Admiral Janeway."

Deep Space Nine - Ward Room

Sisko: "We've been on the defensive for too long Admiral."

OParis: "And how do we go on the Offensive? We can't just indiscriminately destroy every Federation Installation between here and Starfleet Headquarters!"

Calhoun: "Why not?"

Rodgers: "We need a way to nuetralize the parasites with out killing the hosts, we have no idea just how much of Command, and the fleet is infected."

Wilson: "First we need to be able to detect them again."

Riker (entering the room): "Admiral, "I've made contact with a couple of Starships, they'll be here in a couple of hours."

OParis: "How do we know we can trust them Riker?"

Riker: "Let's just say the Captains of those ships don't believe anything the FedComNet has been saying about us, and I know both of them rather well."

Sisko: "Who?"

Riker: "Captain Bateson of the Bozeman."

Calhoun: "Who else?"

Riker breaks into a grin: "Your wife, Mac."

Deep Space

Captain Shelby (Voice Over): "Captain's Personal Log, Stardate: 58341.4. I knew Mac and Riker weren't responsible for the attacks that have been attributed to them over the last three weeks. All I needed was a message from one of them to tell me where to meet them. That pained look in Riker's eyes, I remember seeing that before, the first time he saw Captain Picard on the screen, telling us that Borg crap..."

A Galaxy class starship enters the screen from the left, oriented so the top faces the camera, the camera moves closer rapidly and pulls in to the Captain's Ready room, Shelby sitting at her computer idlely plucking items off the screen.

Shelby: "..Riker tells me that Mac is already there. I wonder just how Mac got himself involved without telling me first."

Mueller (Comm): "Bridge to Captain Shelby. Captain, we're approaching the Bajoran System."

Shelby: "I'm on my way, Kat."

Arex: "Captain, a Klingon flotilla has just decloaked in front of us, they're demanding to know our business in the Bajoran system."

Shelby: "Tell Worf, that the Trident is here to kick some parastical exoskeleton."

The view screen changed to show Worf, in full Klingon battlearmor staring back with an amused look on his face.

Worf: "Captain Shelby, Welcome to Bajor."

Shelby: "Thank you General Worf."

Praetor's Pride:

Serilla: "Ship's Log, Federation Stardate: 58341.4. For the remainder of this mission, we will be using Federation standard time units, while encoding our time stamp into the file itself, this will make it easier for the Federation to know exactly what will be happening, and when it happened on this mission. Normally we would not be allowing our ship's logs to fall into what some would consider enemy hands, but we must show the Federation that we can be trusted to work together for common goals, the Dominion before, the Parasites now, and the Borg or something even more dangerous later. While chatI appears to be a man of honor, something about him disturbs me. Perhaps it is my predjudice towards him as a Klingon, but still... Klingons normally abhore the work of intelligence, which means he can put aside his honor for the work, or else he is very good at what he does. Niether of those possibilties are favorable. I do not intend to fire the first shot, but I will not allow our ships to be used as sacrificial lambs for Klingon glory.

End Act XXII

ACT XXIII

IKV Bortas: Some where beyond charted space.

chatI's Quarters, Serilla and chatI present

Serilla: "I still do not understand why you are disinclined to trust me Captain."

chatI: "We are both Intelligence officers Commander, drop the pretense, you are always hiding something, same as I."

Serilla: "I'm not asking you to give away vital secrets of the Empire. I'm asking for coordination and cooperation in a hunt for a most insidious species."

chatI: "And I am not sure that putting my trust in a Romulan would not get myself killed."

Serilla: "I noticed that you do not feel the same way about putting your trust in the Federation."

chatI: "The difference is that the Federation has honor, they have proven themselves trustworthy!"

Serilla: "The Romulan Star Empire values honor...more so..."

chatI: "The Star Empire only values honor to themselves, a non-Romulan is not considered worthy!"

Serilla: "If that is your opinion, then I will be on my way, do not come crawling for help, for you will not find any from us."

chatI: "Commander..."

Serilla: "Yes, Captain?"

chatI: "Good hunting."

Serilla: "And you, Captain."

RIS Praetor's Pride:

Sela: "What did you learn?"

Serilla: "Enough that your suspicions were correct, that Klingon Cruiser has been heavily refitted with Federation Technology. Scanners, sheilds, and Engines at the least."

Sela: "Well then, we will just have to make sure we give the Klingons a wide berth."

Serilla: "Captain chatI was not very accomidating, he seemed more worried about being the victim of an elaborate deception than recieving the help that we offered."

Sela: "Someone should tell Captain chatI, that paranoia will get him killed one day..."

Serilla: "Indeed it will.

Sela: "Helm, new course, two-five-seven, mark four-four. Warp eight, maximum stealth flight."

IKV Bortas:

Gos'Iek: "The Romulan flagship has gone to warp, and engaged its cloaking device."

Vashar: "The taJ is reporting that they have acquired their target and are tracking. If I may, sir, why did you reject Commander Serilla's offer?"

chatI: "An old earth saying Lieutenant...'Just because you are paranoid, does not mean that they are not out to get you.' Besides, when was the last time you have seen a Romulan Disruptor with a 'Stun'

setting?"

Vashar: "They are not normally issued to Romulan Officers, Tal Shiar or otherwise."

chatI: "That is correct, that whole takeover was staged, Commander Sela is still in charge over there. This whole thing has her scent all over it."

Gos'lek: "Captain! picking up seventeen contacts on long range scanners, they appear to be of the same design that ambushed the Titan!"

chatI:

RIS Praetor's Pride: Twenty minutes later.

Serilla: "Impressive, chatI's fleet destroyed sixteen of the seventeen ships, while only loosing a pair of aging Bird of Preys."

Sela: "What is more impressive is that he let the other one go, and is actually not attempting to overtake it. The Accipitor is reporting that the slowest ship in his fleet, an even older D-7W, is only at 75% of it's maximum speed."

Serilla: "By letting the ship go, he hopes that it will lead them to the Parasite's homeworld."

Sela: "We will see if that is the case."

Serilla: "We have received a message from Eagle Squadron, they found something they thought that you should see immediately."

Sela: "Alter course to rendezvous with Eagle Squadron. Any word on what this something is?"

Serilla: "It appears to be a Federation class Six shuttlecraft."

Sela: "Class Six? Those have not been assigned to starships for twenty years."

IKV Bortas:

Gos'lek: "Apparently, the shuttlecraft was assigned to the USS Ferdinand Magellan, Starfleet registry NCC-21357, a Venture class long range exploration cruiser. According to our database, the ship was lost until 2362, when it returned seemingly oblivious to the passage of time."

chatI: "It does not seem likely that such a vessel could have operated in this region of space for as long as it did, without encountering these parasites."

Vashar: "It is likely that the Magellan brought the parasites into Federation Space during the first encounter, it is also likely that, unlike the Magellan herself, the shuttle may have more detail on what occured during her extended mission."

chatI: "hmmph...score one for the Romulans then."

Gos'lek: "Not neccesarily...I can access the shuttlecraft's computer by remote, hopefully, without the Romulans realizing what is happening."

chatI: "Qa'pla!"

RIS Praetor's Pride:

Serilla: "Unfortunately, it appears that the shuttle's computer has been wiped clean."

Sela: "When? How?"

Serilla: "There is no indication as to when it was wiped, but it appears that the computer was wiped by remote. I have the science section going over the ship's computer to find out when or who wiped it clean."

Sela: "The Klingons...chatI...he's responsible somehow.

Serilla: "You believe that chatI would have deliberately wiped the shuttle's computer to prevent us from getting it? How would he have had to time to get in and do this, with out us detecting him?"

Sela: "I do not think he did it deliberately, I think his incompetant science officer tried to access the computer, and wiped it while accessing it."

Serilla: "A most...Commander...twenty-eight Bio ships are approaching at high warp, one of them is bigger than any encountered before!"

Sela: "Battle Stations. Sub-Commander, please report to the Pheonix, as her new CO."

Serilla: "New CO? What am I to do with the current one?"

Sela: "Kill him, he failed to prevent the shuttle from falling into Klingon hands, the Tal Shiar does not tolerate failure."

Serilla: "By your command."

Sela: "Good Hunting Commander."

IKV Bortas:

chatI: "Hmm...what do you make of the larger bio-ship?"

Gos'lek: "It appears to be a dreadnought of some type, the ships are dropping out of warp."

chatI: "Transfer the sensors from the taJ to the main screen."

Gos'lek: "One moment Captain...It appears the larger ship is not a dreadnought at all...It is a Carrier, over 500 smaller bioships are launching from it."

chatI: "Hmm... Warriors, It appears we have a choice, we can leave the Romulans to their own devices, and continue persuit of this smaller VeQ, or we save the Romulan's worthless hides in glorious battle."

Vashar: "I believe I speak for all of us here when I say, today is a good day to die."

chatI: "Indeed it is, Battle Alert! Best Speed for the Romulan Fleet!"

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