Mother, looking at me, tell me what do you see ?
Yes, I've lost my mind.

Home is where the heart is

Rakurai beamed down to Camineet at noon, heading to his adoptive parents' house. It was located in the eastern edge of town overlooking the ocean, that used to be where the floating city of Nesha was located. As he walked through the busy streets, he was amazed at how much of the city had been rebuilt. Almost like nothing had happened here.

No one was home, but he found an organizer containing an audio message in his room. He grabbed a knapsack and carefully chose a few belongings before playing the message.

He recognized her kind voice, "Dear One, sorry I am not there to say farewell. Just remember every storm has an end. Every night brings a new morning. What is important is to trust those you love and never give up. Laenia wants to meet with you before you leave. All my love, Suelo."

He flopped down on a chair, surveying the room. This might be the last time he ever steps foot in this room.

Rakurai was extremely tired when he laid down on a coach in her large apartment to wait for her. Laenia entered the living room. "Hi sistwerp." he greeted her.

"Hi fungus face. Move over." she told him.

"Not likely."

She sat on him. Unable to move, she had him pinned down on the sofa. "What happened to you ?" she asked innocently as he struggled underneath her.

"Five hours stuck in a shuttlecraft with Wiuen."

Laenia chuckled quietly, "You poor thing."

Wiuen yelled down the hallway, "I heard that!"

She scolded him, "Quiet Wiuen. Eiko is sleeping."

Rakurai stopped straggling. He looked at his closest friend, in many ways they even know what the other is thinking and going to do. "Laenia. Wiuen and I are going to be gone for a while."

"When will you be back ?" she asked.

He swallowed, "I am not sure. We are going to visit the homeworld of the species who defeated the Dominion."

Wiuen walked into the living room. He lowered his voice, "We have to get going."

Laenia hugged Rakurai, "Take care of yourself. Have your fun then come back home."

"I will." he said. Wiuen and Rakurai started to head for the door. Laenia whispered, "Stay safe Rakurai."

An hour before heading to the space port located at the Tor, Rakurai stopped at a medical facility to have his permanent neural implant and translator checked.

Rakurai waited in an examining room, Tilendi entered the room with his aide, an elderly Shokan woman dressed in long green and gold tunic, carrying a medic's bag. "Good day. I trust you are well." the doctor greeted.

"I am. Congratulations on your promotion."

He nodded. "Are you wearing a language implant or datapatch now?" His aide calibrated her scanner and began to examine Rakurai.

"Nano lauguage implant, audio and visual translator." he answered.

She put the scanner away. "I must replace the device." she said and withdrew from her bag an airhypo and tipped it with a bionode that enclosed a tiny wire coil. "The insertion site may sting a little. The old device will dissolve as this one takes over."

She held the airhypo against his neck for an instant. "There."

He thanked the two medics and met up with Wieun. As soon as they exited the building, they started walking toward the Tor.

Insomnia and Memories

She was having a really lousy day.

En Tiaro Dayla stepped on a camouflaged urchin while hiking in the Hydra Marshes at the foot of Baya Malay mountains. A friend rushed her to a hospital in Scion. The antidote administered was almost as bad as the poison. She was unable to sleep; the drugs caused hallucinations, strange dreams and vivid memories to surface.

Sitting in the shallow surf, under the midday sun, Dayla held him in her arms for the first time. The boy was born earlier in the day, just before sunrise. His name means 'protagonist' in the old lauguage, she thought. "NO. NO. Stop that," she softly scolded her baby cousin who was amusing himself by trying to grab her long white hair.

Successfully deterred, he put his tiny hands on her cheeks. "The two emotions most associated with your namesake, Rakurai, are hope and determination. You do not back down, and you never give up in the face of anything. Always remember that."

He smiled at her. "Hungry little one ?" Dayla asked him.

"Sai." he mumbled, a gas grin on his face.

"I will accept that as a yes. Let's go find your mother."

Dayla tossed and turned again in another attempt to go to sleep.

Lift off

He stood in the poorly lit hanger bay, looking ahead. The long, sleek silver profile is unmistakable. Poor thing has been sitting here, unused for two years now, Rakurai thought.

The illusion of the perfect Predator. Graceful wings extend from its side, angling backwards with two more just above them pointing towards a tapering nose. From its underside, almost halfway up the sides and nose is gray coloured, while the rest is painted black. Four large impulse engines protruded from the aft section.

The vessel is a former police interceptor / corvette. Powerful enough to attack or defend against nearly any bandit vessel commonly used in this sector of space. Additional shields and weapons ensure decent odds in a battle against two or three Jem'Hadar strike cruisers.

"Ship, power up all systems." Rakurai said.

The hanger lit up in a white glow as the engines powered up. The deflector dish started glowing dim red while navigational lights activated around the sides. Prominently displayed across the sides and the bottom of the wings, lit up by additional lights was,

LANDALE 2

Wiuen and Rakurai entered the cockpit from the side door. Rakurai slipped into the pilot's seat to check pre-flight status and overall system reports. His suspicions were confirmed; the ship was in need of a lot of maintainance. Harmonic values a little too low, Synchronization rate: 81 . The secondary computer core, Phononmezer cannon is offline pending repairs. 1,518 kilograms of deuterium, more than enough for a long range trip, about sixty two days.

Wiuen programmed a flightplan into the nav console. Rakurai knew the wormhole was about twenty-two days away. How far is this planet Earth from the wormhole ?

As soon as the Landale exited the atmosphere, Rakurai activated impulse engines. A jolt passed through the ship. "What was that ?" Wiuen asked, his eyes wide as an alarm went off.

"Dammit. 12.8 energy loss from second impulse engine, compensating." Rakurai said.

"Are you sure the ship is space worthy ?" Wiuen inquired.

Rakurai shrugged, "Only one way to find out."

Wiuen was not taking the news well, much to Rakurai's amusement as he engaged the warp drive.

Alien spacestation

The tension in OPS was quite visible, especially on the junior officers. "The wormhole is opening. Something is coming through." Crewman Julintie announced.

The wormhole swirled and opened like the flower. A flower that might reveal an invading Dominion fleet. "Yellow alert."

Lieutenant Nog scanned the tiny vessel as the first readings returned, displayed on his console.

LENGTH: 46.3 METERS
WIDTH: 26.9 M
HEIGHT: 14.8 M
MASS: 480 TONS
WARNING! SCANS OF INTERIOR REFLECTED

The Andorian science officer seemed very excited. Like an engineer who just found a big toy. "Look at the energy signature on that thing!"

"Analysis." barked the station's commander.

"I am reading ... four, five, six cannons of unknown type on the vessel." Nog reported to his commanding officers.

"We are being hailed." the Andorian said.

The Landale landed on runabout pad D. The first thing Rakurai and Wiuen noticed getting out of their vessel was the gravity. It was much higher than what they are used to. Getting around was going to be very difficult.

Unfortunately, they are the first Edenians to visit the station and this Quadrant as they called it. They were greeted by three aliens, two males and a female. The woman introduced herself. "Welcome to Deep Space Nine. I am Colonel Kira Nerys."

Rakurai took a moment in answering, surveying the room. "I am recognized as Rakurai and my friend here is recognized as Wiuen."

The two Edenians was unsure on how to proceed, they were not expecting this and both was inexperienced at diplomatic matters. The bearded man spoke, "I am Commander Elias Vaughn. This is our Chief of Operations, Lieutenant Nog."

Rakurai was very uncomfortable, he was certainly not expecting this, "I do not mean to be rude, but Wiuen and I are nothing more than ordinary travellers. We are not diplomats."

"I can understand that," the human said. "This is standard procedure, and we thought you were here to make contact."

"No." Wiuen confirmed.

"However ..." Rakurai said, "We are new to this sector of space. I would appreciate any information you can give us."

"Maps and territories." Wiuen added.

"I can set you up with a computer terminal with direct access the Starfleet Office of Public Information." the human offered.

The stress of the high gravity was starting to show on Rakurai's face. "I would like to request a quick meeting with you later on, not formal, any time you choose, if that if acceptable." the human said.

"I would like that Captain." Wiuen said. The Bajoran woman spoke, "Chief, please show them to their quarters."

Wiuen and Rakurai walked down a corridor of the habitat ring when the Ferengi interrupted them. "Sirs. Requesting permission to take a look inside your ship ?"

"No." Rakurai said immediatly. "Standard operating procedure prohibits access by others, not withstanding an emergency."

Nog looked very disappointed. He'd have to settle for second price now, "What kind of propulsion system does your ship employ ?"

"Advanced Artifical singlarity powered Warp drive."

Nog looked stunned upon hearing this, as he stopped at a set of doors. "This is your quarters Sir."

"Thank you." Wiuen replied.

Inquiries

Rakurai went straight to the computer and pulled up information about the United Federation of Planets. For the next three hours he looked through the data and eventually searched for information on Earth. He stopped as a dozen options was displayed on the monitor. "Computer, what is Starfleet Academy ?"

"Starfleet Academy the educational branch of Starfleet for citizens wishing to serve in Starfleet. Do you wish to see more information ?"

Rakurai prompted the computer to continue.

The computer played a video file with a pleasant voice narrating, "Set on a pristine area of land, 80383 square metres in size, the Main Earth Campus is set between the Pacific and Lake Merced. Starfleet Academy is located a short distance from the city centre of San Francisco. The campus is one of great beauty and high technology. Classic red-brick halls blend with sleek modern structures, surrounded by sweeping views of the ocean. Modern though the design is, it remains faithful to the traditional collegiate idea with interlinked courts and staircases on which students' and Fellows' rooms intermingle. In this self-contained world, you can go quickly from your dorm to class, from the gym to the ball field, or from the wardroom to the waterfront.

"Starfleet Academy facilities include some of the most sophisticated labs in the world like the Starship Training Simulators. The Lynn Johnson Center is one of the finest, well-equipped athletic centers in North America."

Rakurai selected the more information option on the workstation monitor. The computer continued, "San Francisco campus is split into 9 sectors: First year training, Command, Engineering, Science, Piloting, Medical, Security, residence, and courtyard/beach. A total of four libraries, seven residences, five student centres can be found on the Academy grounds. A large courtyard is located on the north-western corner. Each residence has a Student Lounge.

"Please note that the first year compulsory curriculum at Starfleet Academy includes survival classes. These facilities are located in Brazil, Canada, Spain and India. Most Security and Tactical training facilities are located Australia, South Africa and Namibia while the small craft flightrange is in New Zealand. Second and third year Starbase administration is taught in France, Belgium and for their final year onboard Starbase One."

Rakurai inquired about entry requirements. The voice returned along with more video, "Aptitude tests are used in the education system in order to aid the student in selecting the academic areas in which they show a natural talent or aptitude. Physical and mental records are examined. The student is then told, based on the tests and records, the areas in which the candidate has shown an aptitude. The student is then advised of the areas in which they would probably excel and thus enjoy. Mathematics is compulsory and thus the screening would show if the student requires further assistance.

"The absence of a general knowledge test helps to avoid cultural bias and keeps the tests multinational and avoids the aptitude tests being used as I.Q. tests and labelling the student. If a subject is not on the list of aptitudes, it merely means the student does not have an aptitude in that subject but, with further assistance, may perform that subject. The tests never prevent or restrict the students range of choices. If the student is ill at the time of the testing, unhappy with the results, or performs poorly then they can automatically resit the tests."

Wiuen returned from the kitchenette where he'd been experimenting so-called Alpha Quadrant food from the replicator (with some messy results with a Vulcan soup which had Rakurai rush him to the Infirmary), "Where are you looking at now ?" he asked.

"An idea." Rakurai said. "But I need you along for the ride."

"Of course."

"But ... we need a recommendation from a command level officer. Proberly that human guy. The Edenian Federation of Worlds could soon make contact with these people inanyways, and usually exchanges a few officers. A sure-fire way to a quick promotion in the Guardian Collective."

The Interview

Commander Elias Vaughn was left deep in thought when Rakurai and Wiuen approached him about getting a sponsor to enter Starfleet Academy. He talked to them for half an hour each, then sent them to Ezri in order to get a psychological record of them. She returned two hours ago to his office. "What do you think of the tall one ?" he asked Ezri.

"He's an engineering genius. But he likes to joke around a little too much for my liking."

"And the other one ?"

"Rakurai doesn't like to talk to strangers, perhaps he's overwhelmed, being so far from home. His demeanor is very guarded."

"Think they will pass the entrance exam ?"

"Rakurai, proberly. Wiuen, for sure."

"Thank you Dax."

Hatred

Two days later, Wiuen and Rakurai got up early to explore their new surroundings.

Rakurai thought the interior architecture and colour scheme was dull. Wiuen found it a little depressing to look at. They approached the cultural center of the civilian population, when Rakurai saw the one thing he hoped to never see again.

A single Jem'Hadar was sitting at a table observing people moving into and out of the Promenade. Fueled by rage, he ran forward.

Seconds later, he was on top of the Jem'Hadar, punching its face into a bloody mess. He cannot remember the next few minutes with perfect clarity. A number of security officers surrounded him and tried to talk to him, told him to cease his attack. When he refused, the Bajoran woman shot him.

He paced back and forth across the holding cell like a caged beast for an hour before two women arrived. He recognized the first one, the same woman who shot him, Ro Laren. The second woman was a little shorter, a trail of spots running along her hairline. He remembered her, the shy one, Ezri Dax. Ro glared at him. "Why did you attack Taran'Atar ?"

"Who ?" he asked, confused.

"The Jem'Hadar you assaulted."

"I have never heard of a Jem'Hadar with a name before."

"You have a history with the Jem'Hadar ?" Ezri asked.

Rakurai turned and started pacing again, "That is putting it mildly."

"You just attacked him for no reason." Ro said.

"I am not in the habit of striking without provocation. Seeing one of them again provoked a deep personal anger in me. I doubt you can understand."

"I understand." Ro admitted in a lowered voice. This certainly was news to Ezri, but she hid it well, Rakurai saw the flash of emotion. Rakurai looked at Ro, slightly confused but intrigued as well.

Ezri whispered something to Ro, he could not hear it above the hum of the forcefield generators. This thing sounds damaged, I might be able to break through.

Rakurai looked at them, hatred in his voice, and a great sadness, "Most of my friends were murdered by Jem'Hadar."

Ro looked apologetic for a second, then she pressed a button on the wall to disable the forcefield. "Kira ordered you be escorted to your ship and to leave immediately."

He nodded.

Scarlet Demon

Rakurai dozed off in the sleeping quarters. The Landale's mighty S2 starstep engine softly pulsating like an organic heartbeat in the background.

Rakurai woke with a start, sitting up straight, deeply disturbed about the twisted nightmare. He was tempted to let out a scream of anger at the universe when he found a small trail of blood running down the left side of his face, originating from his mouth.

He wiped it off. Wiuen came from the cockpit to check on him. "Hey, pal. The computer ..." Wiuen trailed off, looking at him. "Are you well ?"

He nodded, but Wiuen persisted, "Perhaps we should get you run a med-scan on you, - "

"No." The response was firm, a tone not to be argued with. His expression was grim. "No need of that. I am well."

"I am having trouble with navigation. The computer keeps referring to a missing instruction set, block 4118."

"The secondary core is unplugged, the ship is trying to access something from it." Rakurai said as he got up. Wiuen followed him to the cockpit where he opened the maintance closet.

Inside was a red metal box with a handle on its curved lid. He opened it, revealing the molded foam interior that would protect the computer core against damage while in transit. He went to another console into which a round socket was set. He then put one end of the computer core into the slot and pressed a button.

A screen flickered to life before him, ACCESS REQUESTED TO ENGINEERING MASTER SYSTEM. SCANNING INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR. SECURITY MODE 9 ACTIVATED. PASSWORD REQUIRED as a keyboard slid out. He typed in the code slowly. Melodies of life

AUDIO PASSWORD REQUIRED

"Deep water black."

The terminal beeped acknowledgement. ACCESS GRANTED. NO DOMINION AGENTS FOUND

But nothing happened. "Hmm... everything else looks fine to me," he said as the diagnostic completed its cycle and displayed the results. Rakurai placed the component back into its platform and began to secure it and place the wires back into it.

An extra wire and an extra socket in the component was left over. Shrugging, he placed the wire into its socket and was rewarded by a shower of sparks and a high voltage jolt.

Wiuen helped him get back on his feet as a row of tiny yellow lights blinked on the core's control panel. "ALMOST BLOODY TIME !" a voice yelled. It came from everywhere and nowhere. Wiuen looked around wide-eyed. "THAT IS THE LAST TIME YOU WILL UNPLUG ME !" the voice threatened.

A hologram materialized in front of Wieun. The figure was tall and lean with an icy, penetrating stare emanating from her blue eyes. Her peachy skin was a stark contrast against her bright red hair, amplifying her long, pointed, black-rimmed ears. A single, gold earring protruding the dark tip of her left ear. She was clad in black metallic armor and a flowing, pale blue cape. A tri-blade emblem adored her stomach armor plate plus a rather large disruptor pistol occupied a holster that hung off each hip.

"Hi Siren." Rakurai greeted the new arrival.

"Hey Dumb Dumb," she said, the AI's favourite nickname was Rakurai, "there is a cloaked ship following us and it is trying to scan me. Permission to have a little fun ?" Siren asked with the mischievous grin.

"What cloaked ship ?" Wiuen and Rakurai demanded.

"A large shuttle type vessel, light Duranium Tritanium single hull. Starfleet design. One pilot, no passengers. Scanning for weaponry and defensive strength." she scowled, her eyes narrowed in the direction of the cloaked runabout. "Threat analysis, laughable."

"They seem a little nervous with us heading directly to Earth. The only reason to send a cloaked ship after us, is to spy on us. I wonder why they are so spooked." Wiuen said.

"They figure we cannot detect cloaked ships, so be it." Rakurai said. "Siren, maintain surveillance mode. Remodulate the sensor reflecting shell as necessary. And otherwise, behave yourself."

"You are no fun." she sulked.

Alien homeworld

Wiuen and Rakurai arrived on Earth nine days later. After passing their entrance exams, they decided to get to know the people better by spending time on each continent.

Wiuen disappeared while they were visiting Thailand, chasing after an Orion woman, not to be seen or heard from again. Pretty normal behaviour for him, so Rakurai decided to tour the planet's largest cities and sites by himself.

Impressive sights he seen included the peace Obelisk of Ireland, Great wall of China, and the huge Millennium Tower at Victoria Falls. He dived at Elphinstone reef, Egypt. The soft corals and orange anthias reminded him of home.

He then visited the planet's moon and the two terraformed planets in the system. When he was not traveling, he researched the histories of several Federation worlds and the citizens that made up the colourful tapestry of the United Federation of Planets. All in all, he discovered this Federation is very identical to the Edenian Federation of Worlds.

Next Chapter
The subspace Café

Back to fiction

Author's notes
Slicers: A projectile weapon with three blades, similar to a boomerrang. A slicer can be folded up to be used as a makeshift knife.
Millennium Tower, see reference: Episode guide Season 1 07 'Ceremony'
Jem'Hadar strike cruisers. The small 'fighters', usually attacks in groups of 3. A single 'hunter-pack' of strike cruisers are a significant threat to Excelsior and even to Ambassador and Intrepid class ships.