Chapter X
One moment, he had been languishing in his cell; idly wondering whether Cardassian prison food was any better than the Dominion's. The next, Bashir had found himself on the bridge of the Xhosa, with Odo and Garak at his side. "Where's the Captain?" he wondered aloud as he took his post. "Glinn Naprem assured me that she would make certain that he survived his capture," Garak replied. "You seem to have gotten her trust rather easily," Odo commented as he operated the tactical console.
"Not at all. In fact, it took several years for me to inveigle myself into her good graces," the Cardassian countered, a fact which puzzled him to no end. However, at the moment he was the ranking officer on this mission and it was clear to him that they'd utterly failed in their objectives. With no reasonable way to follow Dukat and their own safety in jeopardy, there was only one course for them to take. "Let's get out of here while we still can," Julian decided, taking the central chair; albeit reluctantly.
They had soon lifted from their berth, surprisingly without resistance; then began driving hard towards Deep Space Nine. "I don't think Starfleet Command is going to be particularly pleased with us when they learn that the Captain vanished during an unauthorized excursion into enemy territory," the Constable observed once they'd safely jumped to warp. So far, nobody seemed to be paying them any attention, a fact which also baffled him. "If anyone is to blame, it's the person who supplied us with this tip," the tailor noted. The doctor nodded, wondering if Sloan had known of the risk before delivering his enigmatic message.
What was more, Sisko had himself changed his mind about going along rather abruptly right before they had left. Bashir had never gotten a chance to determine why, although the point appeared to be moot now. "By the way, Glinn Naprem did happen to give me a parting gift," Garak put in, drawing a small object from his pocket and holding it up for them to see. "What is it? Some kind of pen?" he asked incredulously. "She was quite reticent about the subject, but I've read reports by the Obsidian Order regarding operatives who use similar devices. Apparently, they are part of an organization which spans the known galaxy; along with centuries of time. It is even rumored that they have the ability to know the future in advance," the Cardassian explained.
"I remember reading about someone like that who was encountered by Captain Kirk in the mid-twentieth century. Are you suggesting that Glinn Naprem was one of these operatives?" Julian inquired. "It is the only explanation for the facts which I can find. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to tell me how to use this device but insisted that whenever the time was right I would find it to be most useful," the tailor commented. "Sounds like she's been doing some judicious observation of the future herself," the changeling stated. "Which is why she was there to start with… but if that is so, she could have prevented the Captain's abduction! Unless… that was necessary to initiate other events which have yet to unfold," Bashir concluded.
"That would seem to be the case. I believe that your own history includes similar examples of individuals who had to take drastic action in order to ensure that the future unfolded in the proper fashion," Garak declared. He nodded, recalling quite vividly his own sojourn on Earth during the chaos of the Bell riots. Captain Sisko had been forced to take up the role of Gabriel Bell after the death of that historic figure, acting to ensure the proper things occurred; even at the risk of his own life. "It must be a terrible burden to bear," he noted.
"We can't allow ourselves to worry about that now. The best thing we can do is return home immediately," Odo advised. Julian nodded in agreement, sitting back and trying to relax as they sped away from danger. In the back of his mind, he was already composing the message that he would send; explaining the nature of their journey and what had happened to Captain Sisko. It was entirely possible that he would face court-martial for acting unilaterally against the Dominion without seeking the approval of his superiors. Of course, it would do no good for him to mention Sloan since technically the clandestine man didn't exist as a part of the Starfleet hierarchy. "We're getting some unusual readings, Doctor," the Constable reported, interrupting his thoughts.
"What do you mean?" he wondered. "I am detecting a rift in subspace directly across our path and extending as far as our sensors can reach in every direction. Nothing on the other side registers," the changeling told him. "Any idea what caused this?" Bashir wondered. "My analysis is incomplete. But from the quantum signature, I would guess that the source does not originate in our universe," Odo answered. Julian felt his head swim at the idea. Although he was a genetically modified genius, it was still difficult to grasp the idea of a disaster which could affect more than one reality.
"What will happen to us if we enter this region?" he inquired. "Since we don't know what it contains, that is impossible to say," the Constable explained. The Doctor nodded, then made his decision and commanded, "Maintain present course and speed." The Xhosa soon reached the edge of the disrupted sector and shuddered violently as they passed inside. "Strange… our situation is now reversed. We can no longer detect anything behind us," the changeling reported. "Has the transition caused any adverse effects?" Julian wondered.
"Not to us… I'm scanning the surrounding area now," Odo said. At that moment, there was a sharp chirping noise from and once Garak had opened a channel; a familiar voice called out, "Xhosa, do you read me?" "Major Kira, it's good to hear a familiar voice. What are you doing out here?" Bashir asked. "I'm not sure what you mean. But you should exercise caution during your approach. The area around us is pretty crowded right now," the Bajoran told him. "Doctor… we seem to have been thrown a great distance in a short period of time. I'm reading a large number of Dominion warships, along with what appears to be a Borg cube," the Constable informed him.
"That's not all. Where'd that red wormhole come from?" Garak wondered. He could see it now, filling one section of the sky with a lurid crimson light which silhouetted the bulk of the space station and the myriad vessels that surrounded it. "We need to get closer. They'll require our assistance," he decided, his worries about the Captain and the mysterious phenomenon which had brought them here pushed to the back of his mind as they dove towards the conflict which was evidently still unfolding. The Xhosa had almost reached transporter range when the doors behind him opened and the Doctor turned at the sound to gape as Sisko walked out.
"Mister Garak, I believe you have something you need to give me," Benjamin intoned, extending a palm. The Cardassian nodded and handed over the silver device he'd shown them earlier, which the Captain deftly manipulated. Julian watched in fascination as an eerie blue mist filled the air above the console, then resolved into the Orb they'd seen on Chin'toka. "What's going on? How'd you get here?" he blurted, unable to contain his confusion any longer. But Sisko didn't answer, instead reaching out to touch the surface of the crystalline artifact.
A bright light shot from it, piercing the hull and proceeded at what he intuitively guessed was near-infinite speed to the region of space off the bow of Deep Space Nine. At once, the cerulean mass of the familiar wormhole asserted itself; but far larger than Bashir had ever seen it before. What was more, it appeared to be growing. And from the course of its path, he abruptly knew what was about to happen. "That thing's going to swallow the space station," the Doctor exclaimed. "Fortunately, almost everyone has already been evacuated to avoid assault by the Borg," the Cardassian told him.
"The Defiant has successfully extracted Major Kira," Odo put in. "The Dominion vessels have evidently decided to go home," Garak added. Julian watched as the massive fleet descended into the blue wormhole, then asked, "What about the Borg?" "Drifting towards the red wormhole… Worf reports that they represent no further threat. However, during their attempt to use the cube as a defense against the Jem'Hadar; they witnessed a temporal incursion," Odo reported. Bashir faced the Captain, knowing that his superior was aware of what was going on. Benjamin caught his look and sighed before saying, "Let's just say that things are about to get a lot worse."