Chapter 3

Alpha Quadrant

The Bajoran Sector

Station Deep Space Nine

Colonel Kira Nerys sat at her desk in her office on Deep Space Nine. She peered out the porthole to see the Bajoran Wormhole, an intergalactic tunnel from the Alpha Quadrant to the Gamma Quadrant, open up. A small object came through. The wormhole closed back up not long later. It was believed by the Bajorans to be the Celestial Temple of the Prophets, their gods. To others, they were omnipotent aliens who resided within it. Either way, her friend, the former Starfleet captain, commander of DS9, Bajoran Emissary to the Prophets, and Dominion War hero Benjamin Sisko, had become one a few years ago, fulfilling a millennial prophecy. Kira had been left in charge.

After years in war, life seemed…unusual. War had become her way of life. Wondering if she'd still be alive the next morning had become something she accepted. Now she worried about what Quark was illegally trading and what came out of her end of the wormhole.

Kira has spaced out, and noticed someone at her door. "Enter."

Lieutenant Rolawski walked in, padd in hand.

"A transmission was received from the Defiant through the wormhole, ma'am." Kira took the padd. "It's a Priority One message."

Kira looked up, very surprised. "Dismissed." As Rolawski left, Kira entered her access code. Priority One messages were extremely rare, used only when there was a threat to the Federation.

The message read:

To: Colonel Kira Nerys, Commander, Deep Space Nine

From: Erin Archer, Captain, U.S.S. Defiant

Sent: 58463.6

Received: 58463.7

PRIORITY ONE

Hello, Colonel Kira. Captain Archer here with, frankly, disturbing news.

I must keep this short, but in summary, the Dominion ambassador has informed me that there has been, of all things, possible Borg activity along their borders. I ask you to forward this to Starfleet Command. The Dominion is setting up heavy defenses around the wormhole, and they ask Starfleet to do the same. Send me their reply for the ambassador as soon as you can. Archer out.

END TRANSMISSION

Kira now wished she could keep her current life.

The away team materialized on the planet surface. It consisted of Woskosky, Cache, Kel, and two security guards, each armed with phaser rifles. They were in a large, grassy field of cerulean blue.

"Commander," Cache said, tricorder in hand. "This way." They all walked in the direction that cache had pointed, eventually finding the crater. It was a perfect circle.

Kel scanned the crater with her tricorder. "It's Borg, alright. A tractor beam of some sort."

Cache added to that. "The last time this happened, in 2365 on Jouret IV, the first attack on Earth by the Borg happened soon after."

"But why would they need a sample of our technology again?" asked Woskosky.

"Well," said Cache, "I first would like to know how the Borg are still in operation. It is believed that when Unimatrix One was destroyed, the Borg Collective no longer existed. Assuming they have some sort of a "backup", so to speak, perhaps they have forgotten some of their knowledge."

"We should return to the ship to alert Starfleet." Woskosky said. He tapped his commbadge. "Woskosky to Preserver. Five to beam up."

"Wait," said Kel. He belayed the order. "I'm detecting a lifesign up ahead, but it's faint." Kel ran along the edge of the crater with the rest of the away team behind. Kel stopped and kneeled down to find a small Andorian child, face down. Cache scanned him with his tricorder.

"He's alive," reported Cache. "But barely."

"Woskosky to Preserver. Six to beam directly to sickbay." The away team dispersed into energy.

Less than a second later, they appeared in Sickbay, with a medical team already awaiting them. They carefully lifted him up and placed him on the primary biobed and went to work on him.

"Will he be alright?" asked Woskosky.

"I don't know," said Hemmingway, running from one end of Sickbay to the other, tricorder in one hand, hypospray in the other. "But I must ask all of you to leave, you're in the way."

Though ruffled by the doctor's apparent lack of bedside manner, Woskosky and the away team filed out of Sickbay.

Kel had filled her report to the captain, and decided to check on the man she helped in the holodeck and the child from the colony.

I know I've seen him somewhere before, she thought. I hope he's ok.

It was 0128, but she figured she'd do this before meditation and sleep. As she entered Sickbay, her eyes had to adjust for the dim light. She turned toward the biobeds and saw him and the child. She read the display:

Norwood, Mark. Lieutenant.

I knew I'd seen him before. He's the Ops officer. Kel went to look for Commander Hemmingway. Kel thought of how sullen she seemed to be whenever she saw her.

She didn't see her anywhere around Sickbay. "Computer, locate Dr. Hemmingway."

"Doctor Hemmingway is in Sickbay," replied the computer.

She decided to check the office. Kel found Hemmingway there. Crying.

Kel rushed to her, holding her. "What's wrong?"

It took a while for her to respond. Finally, she took a deep breath, and calmed down. "I…" she started. "It's just…memories."

How can I help this woman? I'm not exactly a counselor…may as well try…

"What kind of memories?"

"My family…they were all killed at Wolf 359...I saw the file of their ship destroyed by the Cube…"

Now Kel understood. The recent Borg activity. "I'm so sorry…"

No wonder she's so sullen…but haven't most people gotten over that?

"That's why you stumbled on the bridge?"

Hemmingway nodded. "It was pure shock…after reading the report of how Admiral Janeway destroyed Unimatrix One, and the collective collapsing, I was so relieved…no longer would anyone have to go through anything that I did, you know? It was my parent's birthday a week ago, actually…"

Kel wanted to help the doctor more, but she had no idea what to do, or even of what to say.

"I was so embarrassed on the bridge…I don't want to show such strong emotion in front of the crew...'physician, heal thy self', you know?"

"I know the feeling…"

Hemmingway looked up, her jet black hair ruffled and her jade green eyes reddened by tears. "How so?"

"I'm both Bajoran and Vulcan. Living on Vulcan as a child was...not easy for me…"

"Of course…I'm sorry…"

"You don't have to apologize."

Kel figured it out. Strong emotions…well...

"Doctor Hemmingway…I think I know a way to help you deal with your feelings…"

"You mean how to get rid of them?"

"No. To control them. I've learned that pretending that your feelings aren't there only hurts more."

"Yes, yes…well, I suppose…"

"Great! Meet me tomorrow, 2100 hours if you can."

"I'll try…"

"You'll be there?"

"Yes."

"See you there." Kel walked away.

"Oh, Lieutenant Kel?"

"Yes?"

"Lieutenant Norwood will be fine soon. He suffered a small concussion."

Kel had forgotten about that all together. "Oh, thank you doctor. How did you know...?"

"I'm a Betazoid."

"Oh..." Kel blinked. "Well, good night."

Seems as if I'm doing double duty, she thought. Tactical officer and counselor.