"I... I am not!" Rom stammered, his green Ferangi head-sheet quivering.

                Captain's Log     Stardate: 60123.1:  The time for battle is at hand.  Picard's resistance is finally ready to stand up to their Tregonian oppressors.  I, captain of the Odyssey have taken the reigns of the said resistance and are preparing them for battle.  Tomorrow at 0600 hours there is planned several surgical strikes in the general vicinity of the Hall of the Circle.  Hopefully these hit and fade attacks will lead the Tregonians to believe that the Hall is our intended target.  If all goes according to plan, they should send limited reinforcements to protect the Hall and the sectors surrounding it.  Then the brunt of the fleet, with the Odyssey at its head, will move in on Core Base, the true heart of the Tregonian Empire.  This, of course, will be a limited victory, but I sincerely hope that it will be the first in a long line of such.  I have accepted that this is not only the Federation's future... but my own as well.       

            "You've got a tail, Gambit," Ed radioed his right wingman. "Shake him."

            "I've got it, Lieutenant, just give me a second," Charlie Nomex responded confidently.  Slowly the Gambit broke formation, the Tregonian fighter on it's tail.  The Tregonian pilot powered up his disrupter coils and fired off a few quick shots.  The Gambit swerved left and right, the green blasts sizzling past his cockpit.  Nomex jettisoned a quantum mine directly in his tail's path.  But the Tregonian fighter pilot was quick.  He slammed his stick forward, flew under the floating war head, and righted himself, disrupters blazing.  Charlie wiped sweat from his brow.

            "Need any assistance, Nomex?" Ed inquired.

            Suddenly Charlie pulled back on his stick and did a tight cork screw.  The other fighter tried to fumble through the same move, but was a burning cloud of debris in an instant, "No thank you, sir.  I think I have everything under control."

            "Good job, ensign," Ed complimented, scanning the battlefield  They had done enough damage here. "Rejoin formation.  It's time to pull out," Ed opened a channel. "All Federation fighters.  It's time to head home.  Our job here's done.  I repeat: all Federation fighters, return to the Excalibur--we're pulling out."

            Ed cut the channel and smiled.  The Tregonians were reacting just as they had hoped.  Every day more and more forces were gathering at the Hall.  Tomorrow at 0900 Captain Schwartz had scheduled the attack on Core Base.  If all went well, taking Core Base would be child's play.

            Still grinning, he sat back and inserted his hexidisk into the Maverick's computer console.  Music filled the fighter's tiny cabin as he relaxed and prepared for docking.

           

                The Vorta Corben shook his head violently, but his brain remained in a mental fog.  He tried to remember where he was.  He recalled a small ship bearing down on them, but it was nowhere to be seen.  And things seemed different--something just wasn't right...

            "Sir," A voice brought him back.  It was his Jem'Hadar First, beckoning him.

            "Yes, First?"

            "We are about to exit the wormhole, sir," the Jem'Hadar reported.

            "Are all one-thousand eight-hundred ships still with us, First?"

            "Yes, sir.  They have all checked in."

            "Then let us make haste," Corben waved his hand. "Our Dominion brothers need us."

            "Sir!" A voice emanated from the pilot's seat to Corben's left. "Deep Space Nine is in ruins!"

            "What?" Corben stood. "On viewer!" Slowly, the Vorta's violet eyes took in the destruction before him. "Who is responsible for this?" He demanded.

            "I'm reading several very strong ion trails leading away from the wreckage, sir," the pilot replied.

            "Can you trace them, Fifth?"

            "Barely," the pilot responded. "All three trails lead directly to the... Viridian system.  To the third plant from its sun."

            "The Federation will pay for the deaths they have caused," Corben declared. "Fifth: inform the fleet that there has been a change in plans.  Instruct them all to head in the direction of the Viridian system's third planet--maximum warp."

            "Yes, sir."

            "We will slaughter the Federation dogs who did this..." First muttered.

            "Engaging warp engines, sir," Fifth announced.

            And the entire Dominion fleet of over one-thousand vessels, asleep for ten years, set off for the Viridian system, maximum warp.

           

            Silent.  Cold.  Lifeless.  Such is the vast and endless void we call space.

            Suddenly in the blank dark sky there was a flash of light.  And another--and another.  All of them signifying the arrival of a mighty Federation starship and her consort.

            I stepped away from the window in my ready room and strode onto the bridge. Slowly I sat down in my chair, keying on my personal display and opening a channel.

            "We have arrived at the Briginhan Nebula, a collapsed star just outside the Viridian system.  Here our communications and movements will be masked from any would be eavesdroppers by the electromagnetic nature of this phenomenon," I announced. "All starships, assume attack formation Gamma V.  Captain Picard?"

            "Yes, Captain," Picard replied from the bridge of the Cairo, "Second Fleet is awaiting your orders."

            "Excellent.  I want you to take the Scarlet Ibis and the Merrymore and secure the right flank."

            "Aye, Captain.  Cairo out."

            "Commander Harding?"

            "Sir?" A deep male voice responded to my second hail.

            "I want you, the Crazy Horse, the Monitor, and the Constellation to watch our rear."

            "Will do, sir," Harding replied easily. "Advantage out."

            "Mr. Reagan?"

            "Yes, sir.  Fighters are ready for launch.  Just say the word, Captain."

            "Very well, Edward," I responded. "All Federation Starships: deploy your fighters."

            And the void of space was no longer silent.  Now it was alive with hundred's of tiny sub-impulse engines.

            "Commander Worf?" I had to make one last broadcast.

            "Yes, Captain.  Fourth Fleet is awaiting instructions."

            "Instruct your fleet to stay within the offensive ring we've already created, but bring the Defiant up to the front line."

            "Right away, sir."

            "The rest of you: spread out and attend to the area where you feel you will be most welcomed.  All right," I murmured, rubbing my hands together, "everything's set.  Mr. Plack," I turned to Paul, "would you like to give the order?"

            Paul grinned, "Absolutely, sir.  Attention all Federation starships: prepare to go to warp in approximately three hours.  Going to warp this close to a solar system is risky, but we need the element of surprise on our side.  You will be fed exact coordinates at which you are to drop out of warp.  If you overshoot, you will be plunged into the Viridian system's sun--and if you undershoot, you might not show up at all.  Once there, we will proceed to attempt to neutralize the enemy's defenses.  Then, once their fleet is demolished, we will move in on Core Base, and commandeer it for our new base of operations."

            Paul cleared his throat, "I would also ask you to remember that today we fight for the rebirth of the Federation--and some of us might not come out alive.  But I know you will all fight valiantly.  The odds, of course, are not in our favor, but seemingly hopeless battles have been won--and most often prove to be the most effective victories."

            I nodded, "I believe the great Klingon warrior Kahless the Unforgettable said it best when he wrote these words," I paused as I searched my memory. "'As I gazed into the eyes of the Kaldiein Horde, realizing that my own companions had deserted me, I did not just look at them, but peered into their souls--and I saw the hearts of cowards, not of warriors.  So I stood before them with courage; I did not flee.  And I said to myself: Yes.  Today is a good day to die...'"

            Slowly, one by one, the Dominion fleet dropped out of warp.

            "Status, First," Corben ordered.

            "According to these readings, sir, there is no Federation presence here at all.  The only thing present is a non-descript alien battle base.  Unfortunately, it matches no configuration we've ever seen in either the Alpha or the Gamma Quadrant."

            "Sir!" A Jem'Hadar at the ship's tactical station cut the First off. "The battle base is launching fighters of some kind.  There are also several cube shaped ships heading in our direction.  I think we should take evasive action."

            "Are you sure this is where those ion trails lead, Fifth?" Corben inquired again before giving his tactical officer an answer.

            "Positive, sir."

            Corben's mouth turned up in a sneer, "Then these must be the jackals who took the life of our Founder.  I swear on my life as a Dominion soldier that I will make them pay.  Third: take evasive action--instruct the rest of the fleet to do likewise."

            "Yes, sir."

            First smiled emotionlessly, "'Victory is life.'"

            "Yes," Corben replied. "We will make them pay with their lives..."

            "We're coming up on the Viridian system, Captain," Plin announced from her station.

            "Prepare to drop out of warp once we reach the given coordinates," I instructed.

            And slowly the stars around us resumed their natural size and color.

            "Sir, we've arrived at the--"

            "Captain!" Benson cut Raseen off. "We have approximately one-hundred vessels on a collision course with us!"

            "How could they have detected us so soon?" Paul asked.

            "Negative, sir," Benson replied. "These aren't Tregonian ships--they're Dominion battle cruisers!"

            "There hasn't been a Dominion ship reported in the Alpha Quadrant since '78," I protested.

            "Shields up!  Evasive action!" Paul commanded over the collision alarms.

            But suddenly, all one-hundred ships disappeared in a blinding burst of warp energy. 

               "What?" Plin covered her eyes against the flash.

            "They weren't attacking," I decided. "They were fleeing..."

            "From what?" Julie wondered.

            "Sir: Tregonians off the port bow!"

            "Red alert, Mr. Benson," I responded. "All Federation starships: this is it.  Shields up, evasive maneuvers!" I turned to Paul. "It looks as if the Dominion has inadvertently helped its sworn enemy out a little.  The Tregonian's defense line seems a bit sparser then I would have guessed."

            But in an instant, the first wave of ships was upon us.

            In the great silence of space, we exchanged feral blows.  Phasers firing, torpedoes launching, ships knifing through the battlefield.  Fighters from both sides wove in and out of the fray.  Scavengers were everywhere, draining the life-energy from our fleet with their flickering pincers. 

            I winced as the Explorer's nacelles were raked mercilessly by a Scavenger's pincers.  I watched as her ram-scoop imploded, and she went up in a ball of fire.

            "Course correction, Ms. Plin," I instructed. "Set an intercept course for that Scavenger.  Starship New Zurica," I radioed, "move in for the Explorer."

            "Aye, sir," the captain of the Zurica responded.  The sun of the Viridian system glinted majestically off the saucer section of the Zurica as it glided into its new position.

            Our own ship swayed as we changed direction to fill in the hole the Zurica had left behind.

            "Prepare to fire phasers on my mark, Mr. Benson," Paul commanded. "Target our Tregonian friend off to starboard... firing pattern: Beta," Paul raised his hand. "Fire," he brought it down.

            Our newly repaired phaser crest surged with energy and discharged, sweeping across the battlefield.

            "Keep us straight, Ms. Plin," I warned. "Take us straight back into the fight."

            "Aye, sir."

            "Mr. Benson," I started. "Fire at will."

            "Yes, sir."

            Ed shielded his eyes as a Tregonian Scavenger was torn to pieces by the Cairo's phasers.

            He pushed forward on his control stick, causing his fighter to dive suddenly.  His tail duplicated the manuver with ease.  Ed ran all of his options through his mind. 

            Swiftly he changed course, heading directly for the nearest Borg cube while dodging disrupter blasts from his pursuer and from the surrounding enemy ships.  But as soon as he was within a few meters of the cube, he slammed down hard on his stick, skimming the straight edge of the Borg ship until he was clear.  The Tregonian fighter tailing him wasn't quick enough and collided brilliantly with the cube ship's shields.  Slowly Ed banked, then turned and rejoined the fight, micro torpedo launcher blazing.

*         *         *

            "Report, Mr. Hail!" I demanded.  Smoke was pouring into the bridge.

            "Our starboard nacelle's been damaged, and we're venting plasma--plus the computer reports a hull breach on deck ten!" The red alert sirens wailed in the background.

            "How's the big picture, Mr. Plack?" I gripped the arms of my chair.

            "Not good, Captain," Paul replied uneasily, yelling over the creaking of the Odyssey's decks. "Our losses are twice as heavy as theirs are--the Borg ships are what's killing us, sir!"

            The Odyssey shuddered as a disrupter burst glanced off her shields.

            "Options?" I inquired pointedly.

            "Hull breach on decks ten through fifteen!" Paul cried. "Our inner hull is beginning to buckle!"

            Dan Doyle slammed his fist down on the core console of engineering.

            An alarm went off in the background, joining the harmony of the already ringing klaxons.

            "Agilet!" He called to his second in command. "Get me the status of our antimatter containment!"

            "Aye, sir," the ship shook, and Agilet stumbled to her station.  Her red hair had somehow worked itself loose from her tightly woven braid, and now hung free.  She brushed it from her face with one quick gesture. "Antimatter pods one through six have been compromised, sir!  Six through twelve are unstable, but holding," Agilet looked up with fear in her eyes. "If we lose antimatter containment..."

            "Noted, Lieutenant," Dan cut her off. "Engineering to Bridge!" He hit his badge as he strode over to the core access panel. "Phase inducers are off-line--antimatter containment is questionable!"

            "Acknowledged, Mr. Doyle," the Captain replied. Dan heard the words, "Damage control teams to deck seventeen," before Peter could speak again. "Keep us informed, Mr. Doyle," The Captain finished.  Dan heard a panel blow out. "Bridge out."

            He tore off the wall covering that concealed the core access panel, and began frantically pushing keys.

            Suddenly, the casing around the warp core cracked and a thick purple gas began pouring out.

            Dan started, and his eyes widened.

            "Coolant leak!" He cried, once again smacking his badge. "Bridge, we have a coolant leak," the panel Dan had been working on exploded in a shower of sparks. "One more hit like that last one, and we're looking at a core breach!" He turned to his crew. "Everybody out!  Com'on, move it!" Hurriedly he waved them under the slowly falling force door.

           

            I absorbed Mr. Doyle's words with a strange calmness, "Acknowledged, Lieutenant," I stared hard at the Scavenger on our main screen, wishing that the crest had not been disabled, and that there was some way we could damage the leering monster.

            "Sir," Mr. Benson said. "The Tregonian Scavenger is powering up its forward disrupters for another attack!"

            "Transfer all auxiliary power to the shields, Mr. Benson," Paul commanded.

            "See you on the other side," Plin murmured, almost as if she were talking to herself.

            But with those words, the Scavenger on our forward viewer exploded in a magnificent ball of flame.  Its twin pincers went flying off in opposite directions, both still crackling with blue-green energy.  One of them stuck in the side of a Borg cube and detonated.  Half of the cube was blown into oblivion.

            I turned my eyes back towards the wreckage of their stardrive section, and watched in awe as the Cairo sailed gracefully through the glittering debris.

            I opened a channel, "Thank you for the assistance, Captain," I panted.

            The hazy bridge of the Galaxy class Cairo  appeared on our viewer, "Any time, Captain," Picard half-smiled.  "And I think I may have more good news for you," he paused to look down at his console on the arm rest of his command chair. "I've been monitoring the situation, and I think I've got a solution to our little Borg problem."

            "Proceed, Captain," I allowed.

            "We need to take out Core Base," Picard said simply. "Hopefully, the new Hive Ruler is aboard.  And if so--it will not get rid of our entire Borg problem, but it should help us out a lot during this particular battle--when the Hive Ruler is killed, this Borg sect will cease to function."

            "A commendable plan, Captain," I commented as the Odyssey shook again. "Though it will be a shame to lose an outpost of such strategic value."

            I opened a channel. "All Federation starships: break formation and focus all of your attention on the Tregonian's Core Base.  I repeat: focus all of your fire-power on Core Base."

            Slowly, like a great multitude of buzzards, all of the Federation Starships still functioning broke formation and converged on Core Base.

            Fire rained down on the Tregonian's command center like hail.  The fighters swarmed in and out of the offensive circle, holding the Tregonian starships back as far as they could.

            Suddenly, in a brilliant burst of flames, Core Base exploded.  Debris rained down on all of the surviving vessels, resulting in a second explosion as the adjacent spacedock caught fire.  A forceful shockwave emanated from the wreckage, rippling into and then over our shields.

            I covered my eyes against the brilliance of it.

            But then, out of the magnificence came what sounded like screams of pain and agony.  Whispers, voices came across our still open channel.

            Soon I saw the reason why.  One by one, the Borg vessels within the system activated their self-destruct mechanisms.  With their Hive Ruler dead, they would now be susceptible to any suggestion.  Rather then have that happen, it was clear that the Borg doctrine called for suicide.

            Finally, all was silent.  Now there were but a few Scavengers left in the vicinity.

            I licked my dry lips and switched on the com, "All Federation units," I radioed softly.  I paused to scan my bridge.  All was quiet, and my senior staff had their eyes locked on me, waiting to see what I would say next.  I took a deep breath. "Commence clean-up of your designated area, then head back to Base Camp.  I think our job here is done."

*          *         *

            "We have won a great victory against oppression today," I started earnestly.  I looked out over the main room of Science lab V.  It was an hour after the last ship had checked in, and I had gathered the senior staffs from each of the main starships to sort of wrap things up; bring them to a close. "Yes, many were lost.  But much was gained.  I cannot help remembering the old Federation.  The one we all knew as great.  It was based on principles--solid ideas that a group of people built into a magnificent society.  A society of peace, of prosperity.  And I believe that it can live again.  The Federation has been faced with oppression before... and it has overcome.  Again and again, it has overcome.

            "Once Earth was as the universe is now.  During the Third World War, Earth was ruled by such tyrants as the Tregonians.  But it overcame.  And out of World War III's ashes rose the most powerful federation to ever influence the galaxy.  It cost lives, it cost ships, but on we fought--because we knew our rightful place in the universe was beyond Alpha Centuri, beyond the Sol-system.

            "The Federation will rise again," I repeated firmly. "The Tregonians will be overthrown, and order will be restored.  Myself and my crew did not have to endure the past five horrific years as most of you have.  But which was once our future is now our present..." I looked at the ground for a moment. "And we have accepted that.  We will fight with you.  We will restore the galaxy to its rightful order," tears glistened in my cloned eyes. "And no more will the aching pain of loss be part of everyday life..."

            Silently, I sat in my quarters aboard the Odyssey, rocking Austin gently.  Matthew was asleep in his crib, and a gentle Bach symphony was playing in the background.  Slowly, Austin's eyes drifted shut, and I quietly stood and placed him down next to his brother.  I looked out the curved main window of my quarters at the activety going on in the blackness of space.  Fighters flew back and forth, carrying supplies to their damaged mother ships.  There were some space walkers doing maticulous repair work on the outer hull of the Advantage.  I thought of the Odyssey.  Soon it would be completely repaired, its warp core replaced. 

            But with one movement, I turned my back on all of it.  I felt drained, tired. 

            I returned to the couch and sat.  Closing my eyes, I leaned back. 

            But not a second later, the door chime sounded.

            I sighed, "Come in," I said a bit irritably.

            Corinne entered without a word.

            "Corinne," I sat up, irritation fleeing from me. "Hello."

            "I just thought you'd like to know that we haven't given up on Jamie," Corinne said gently, sitting down beside me. "But we've moved her into cryo-gen.  That should keep her alive until we can find a treatment," she turned to look out at the stars. "It's all so wrong," she shivered. "This is not the universe I grew up in."

            "I can assure you it is," I corrected her. "But we're a ship misplaced.  A people 'out of time.'"

            "I was engaged when we left, you know," she said, a wry smile forming on her face. "To a very special man.  A man I loved, one who I felt I could share anything with," her eyes fell. "But he's dead now," she whispered. "He's gone, and I don't even know how he died."

            I slid my arm around her, as I used to when she was younger, "Don't worry, Cori.  Things will get better.  Old wounds will heal.  You and I will recover together."

            "And now Jamie may die," she went on, and her eyes glistened. "I've lost my parents, my fiancĂ©... and you... you're the captain of the flagship of the Federation.  Who knows how long you have to live.  I'm scared... I'm scared, Daddy..." she looked up into my eyes as if for approval.  And when she saw that they were filled with tears as well, she lowered her gaze and put her blond head on my shoulder.

            Future's end. 

            But there was hope.  The Federation would indeed rise again, and Tregonian rule would be dealt with. 

            I told myself Jamie would recover as well, though deep in my soul I was fully aware of the truth.  But still, I knew that the shell around my heart would prevent me from ever going to see my crogenically sleeping love--seeing her, I told myself, was accepting it. 

            I shook my head and sighed.  I had lost my home, I had lost Tianna, I had lost the society I knew and loved.  But I had gained confidence, wisdom, experience... and I had gained a daughter...

_____________________

Epilogue

            The doors to sick bay hissed open quietly.  Silently I strode into inner ring of the bay.

            "Captain?" The senior nurse on duty, one Jennifer Warren looked up from her desk, surprised. "Is there a problem?"

            "No, nurse," I assured her quietly. "It's all right."

            I could tell she was mildly taken aback by the calmness and serenity in my voice, "Um... yes, sir.  I'll be here if you need anything," she returned to her work.

            "Thank you," I nodded, and passed through the next set of doors, a clear set, and into the ship's autopsy room.

            "Computer," I spoke softly. "Lights."

            The lights came on instantly, but I lingered by the doors a bit longer.  Then I took a deep breath and walked over to the corner of the room. 

            There, one of the autopsy tubes had been removed from the wall and converted into a cryogenic chamber.  I peered through the glass, and into the closed eyes of Jamie.

            "Well, here I am," my voice sounded loud in the silence that surrounded me. "I knew I had to come sooner or later.  I haven't seen you around lately, so I figured you must have been working late...," I half-smiled at my attempted joke, but, of course, there was no response from my wife.

            I knelt beside the tube, "I guess I just didn't want to believe it was true," I whispered. "How long's it been since they put you in here?" I lowered my eyes. "The medical staff tell me it's been a year.  But to me it's been like an eternity," tears glistened in the corners of my eyes. "I remember how it was.  Not many people do.  How it was before the Tregonians came--before the Federation fell," I looked into Jamie's emotionless face. "We had a young daughter then.  Do you remember her?  Little Tianna?  If she were alive today, she'd be almost twelve years old," I raised my hand and ran it across my eyes. "I loved her almost as much as I love you.  But now she's gone," I choked back my tears, and took a breath. "And so are you," I laid my hand on the glass. "'No,' the medical staff says, 'no, we'll get her back.'  But no matter how much I want to believe that, I know that it's not true.  I know they're saying it for naught but my benefit.  Something inside me says that I'll never see you alive again, J'naii.  Some instinct in the pit of my soul says that I should let you go, accept that you're going to eventually die.  But I will love you... until the last stone is dust...

            Placing both of my hands on the glass, I lowered my head until it rested on the side of the capsule...and I sat there, my eyes unfocused, staring off into oblivion. 

            Slowly, a single tear cut a wet path down my cheek...