Author's Note

Once again I'd like to thank Joe Lawyer for taking the time to beta and co-author for me. I was unhappy with this chapter until he added a lot of depth and tweaked quite a few things to make it so much more enjoyable to read.

Reviews

Maben00

I would like to devote more time to this story, but I can only write when I feel inspired to and I haven't much for this story.

Guest

"go space augment harem lord"

I so love that line

War Sage

You'll see how he does as a guerrilla fighter very soon

Kira and AG will become closer before the liberation of Bajor, but being an augment makes him a loner as they are social outcasts so, I don't see him settling down and say getting married. He can't have children legally, at least not within the Federation and he's very much a man out of his time. He's got no one to relate to and therefore no one to make ties with.

Grayiron

I'm glad you like it, and no I won't be time skipping, well not really. You'll see what I mean.

Bluesnowman & RoyalTwinFangs

Thank you.

ThedemonlordPingu

No, rather he will improve the ship he has.

Reader8916

Not sure what to say about your review. I can see where you're coming from, I just don't agree. I think going off to join Section 31 was exactly the right move to make and just because he's an augment doesn't mean that he isn't human anymore. He's going to make choices that other people wouldn't even make, including mistakes, and he wasn't born an augment so he won't think like they would.

Augment Gothic 11

Lonar Province, Bajor.

Kira narrowed her eyes, a smirk appearing upon her face. Then she looked up from the few cards she held in her hand and she met my eyes with her own.

"Got any threes?" she asked pointedly.

I shook my head.

"Go fish," I replied.

The young Bajoran woman delicately scratched the ridges on her nose, one of the most visible differences between a human and a Bajoran, as she uttered a few curses under her breath.

"How can you not have any threes?" she questioned before laying her cards face down on the table. "This game is stupid, Gothic," she whined now.

I grinned as I watched Kira take a new card out of the deck.

"You know, I figured you'd pick up this game pretty quick," I said, trying my hand at a little trash talk. "Guess I was wrong".

Any game that involved pure skill would be one that I'd win easily given my physical and mental enhancements, at least when facing a normal person, and assuming I had decent experience with the game, but all card games had an element of random chance to them so my victory was never truly assured. Still, there were things I'd much rather be doing with Kira right now, unfortunately we couldn't afford to get too distracted so I let her keep her clothes on. For now.

"Bajor to Gothic," said an annoyed sounding Kira. "It's your move".

I picked up a card and then smiled in triumph, before laying all my cards on the small table that was inside the tent that Kira and I were hiding out in while waiting for our next mission to begin. Like so many things in the military, even the life of a so called 'terrorist' was filled with a whole lot of 'hurry up and wait.'

"Read 'em and weep," I said.

I'd won yet again, and this greatly annoyed the Bajoran. Being annoyed seemed to be her default state, at least when I wasn't fucking her to within an inch of her life, then she was as pliable and submissive as a kitten in front of a lion.

"Stupid Terran game," she muttered. "There has to be something else we can do while waiting".

I smiled lecherously at her.

"Well, we don't want to get too distracted by amazing sex," I said to the Bajoran woman, "so it's either card games or counting the rocks around here".

There wasn't anything worth looking at on this part of the planet, hell, there weren't even any people about aside from the members of the local rebel cell, who were busy preparing an ambush some distance away. Yet we had to stay here in order to complete our very important mission.

"Fine," Kira replied petulantly. "You deal".

Which is just what I did.

(Line Break)

Gul Dukat, the illustrious Prefect of Bajor, was just as bored as a certain Bajoran woman he had no idea even existed. Sadly for him, he had to attend the meeting that they were travelling to in secret, as it was part of his duties.

He also had to give the woman he was travelling with his personal protection. It was the only way to keep the woman, who was probably the most important figure in Bajoran politics, alive long enough to get her somewhere safe.

The Bajorans were a highly religious people, primitive in that way, but there were some who considered the Kai a traitor to her people, and as such, a high value target for elimination. 'Collaborator' was the word that he had heard on more than one occasion used to describe her. That term was rather pragmatic in its own right; having it applied to a Bajoran meant the resistance would have absolutely no problem killing that person, regardless of species. The ruthless pragmatism behind it was almost Cardassian in application and thus something to be admired and respected.

Kai Opaka was a decent enough person who despised violence and was a rare example of Bajoran in her ability to see reason and thus practicality. If Dukat could convince her that one move over another would result in fewer deaths for her people, she would take it under serious consideration, then ultimately decide to agree on that course of action, as she was able to put her feelings aside when she needed to.

Dukat greatly appreciated reasonable minds like hers in the Bajorans. They were rare to come by and hers was more than worth protecting. In fact, she was more than worth the trouble of moving to the secret safe house where his people would be able to keep the Kai safe until the important meeting started.

The province they were in now was mostly an unused stretch of desolate landscape. Though there were some rumors of resistance activity in the area, it was nothing an armed convoy couldn't deal with should a local terrorist cell get any stupid ideas.

Travelling on these back roads in an unimportant looking transport was a security measure that Dukat himself had decided upon. Another convoy, one much more noticeable and even better guarded, was taking a quicker and more direct route to the safe house. It would prove a far more tempting target than this unassuming convoy.

Dukat would have very much liked to move the Kai to Terok Nor to avoid all this trouble. She would be much safer off the planet as the resistance was having a harder time gaining a foothold in the orbiting ore processing station. This was something Dukat saw as a result of his own good administration and counterintelligence efforts.

So far, he had been completely unsuccessful in convincing the woman to make the move, but he was a patient man. And the Kai was a reasonable woman, she would come around eventually.

Still, that didn't stop him from suggesting the move yet again as the convoy made its way down a dusty stretch of road. It'd be something to pass the time at least.

"My people need me here, Gul Dukat," Kai Opaka said. "Taking me up into space isn't going to help anyone. It will only cause more unrest on Bajor".

The Prefect didn't agree, and he argued his case.

"I am not sure how else to explain this to you, your holiness," Dukat said, trying to keep his frustration out of his of voice as best he could. "You will be far safer on Terok Nor then you will ever be here on Bajor".

It would not only be safer for her, it would mean that they could just use the station's transporters when they needed to get to important meetings such as the one that they were due at soon. Yet Kai Opaka insisted that she not leave Bajor's soil and wouldn't even let an orbiting ship move her from one place to another on the planet.

On the station she'd also be much closer to the Prefect should he have use for her. Not all of the rebels actually wanted the Kai dead, and most of the common people still admired her to some degree, so they were less likely to attack the station if she was onboard it. That served his purposes.

"I cannot leave Bajor," the Kai insisted in that infuriatingly kind and calm voice. "My people need me here. I am a symbol. You know this".

He did know that, it's exactly why he wanted her close, and it didn't change what he felt on the matter.

"A symbol that we keep underground and under heavy guard," Dukat debated. "I am not sure how you being here does any good for your people in the slightest".

He really didn't understand why she couldn't continue to be a symbol for her people while up in orbit and thus firmly under his control.

"You still do not understand," Kai Opaka said sadly, as she shook her head in a disappointed fashion. "My people would know that I had been taken off Bajor. They would feel it in their Pagh".

Dukat leaned back and decided to keep his mouth shut for a while. He could never have a proper talk with the woman when she brought up her people's religious practices.

(Line Break)

"There's a 'Mad Max' style caravan heading our way," I said to Kira.

We'd left the tent and we were now lying flat on our stomachs, surrounded by cover, in order to avoid being seen, as we watched the road our target was supposed to travel according to the Resistance's intelligence cell. According to them a high-level Cardassian officer was traveling this route to get to an important meeting. Beyond that they had no idea.

I'd been expecting a large convoy of military vehicles, but what I saw looked far rougher than that. So either the target wasn't what the Resistance intelligence agents had thought it was, or Gul Dukat was trying to be sneaky with the security he'd arranged for this officer. I supposed the convoy could be trying to seem unimportant as a disguise. 'Security through obscurity' as it were. It was an old tactic, even in my time, but if done right it was a clever one.

"Mad Max?" Kira replied, looking at me quizzically.

It would take way too long to explain. And who knew if the film had even survived to this time, so many other things hadn't.

"Not important," I said. "Come on, we've got work to do".

I gestured for Kira to follow, then I led us to where fighters from the local cell would be waiting for us. We still had a mission to complete and limited time to do it in.

(Line Break)

"Gul Dukat, the scouts are returning," a voice said over the comm system.

Dukat ignored the silent contemplation of the Kai and paid attention to the encrypted communication device he had strapped to his wrist.

"Understood," Dukat answered. "Estimated time until they arrive?"

"They should be here in..."

This was when the Prefect knew that something was wrong. His second in command was not one to fail to give a clear and complete report when ordered to.

"No. Something is wrong," the voice over the comm said.

"Explain yourself. Now, Damar!" the Gul demanded.

While looking out the reinforced glass all Dukat could see were rocks, rocks, and more rocks. Which gave him no clue as to what was happening. Inside the cab all there was to see was the Kai, who was now shifting worriedly in her seat.

"Only one of the scout transports is returning, sir!" came the reply.

This was not good news and Dukat was becoming worried. It was possible the Resistance had learned that this was the true convoy. Still, he knew what to do. The Gul switched to a channel that the entire convoy would hear.

"Shift to a defensive formation," he ordered, "and then come to a stop".

The vehicles all eased to a halt after moving into the right places. This formation was designed to keep the precious cargo, which was the Bajoran woman, defended at all costs. It would be an unmitigated disaster if the Kai was killed while supposedly under his personal protection. That he killed her himself would undoubtedly be the opinion of all of Bajor, no matter what he said, and the planet would quickly descend into chaos, the Resistance's recruitment efforts would become incredibly easy.

"Remain here," Dukat ordered the Kai.

Opaka seemed amused.

"Of course. Where else would I go?" she replied.

Dukat was sure that she knew something that he didn't, but he didn't have time to find out what that was as he had work to do. The business of survival was a full time job.

Once he left the safety of the transport Gul Dukat was soon flanked by two troopers who carried rifles, both scanning the nearby area for targets. He drew his own pistol in response, which was set to kill. At this point the Prefect could see one of the scout vehicles, which was now rapidly approaching the convoy, looking as if it had been repeatedly fired upon.

The vehicle came to a quick stop in front of them and a Cardassian soldier got out.

"We were attacked, Gul Dukat!" The scout explained once he was close enough for Dukat to hear. "Our comms were damaged in the fight!".

The scout looked Cardassian, but the Gul wasn't taking any chances.

"Codes!" Dukat shouted back. "Now!"

The scout gave the correct authentication codes and Dukat relaxed, but only slightly. If the man was acting under duress, he would have given a completely different set of codes to let the Gul know what had happened.

"Where is the rest of your squad?" Dukat continued to question.

The scout grimaced at this and pressed a button on his wrist communicator. From the back of his transport came four other Cardassian soldiers, along with two badly battered Bajoran prisoners, who had obviously been beaten while under their custody. The scout transports didn't normally carry that many soldiers so Dukat figured that the extra men were the survivors from the scout craft that had been too damaged to return.

"Approach!" Dukat ordered.

The group started towards the convoy at his order, each Bajoran prisoner having two guards with them as they limped and stumbled closer.

They stopped a few feet away from the convoy and Dukat and his entourage closed the distance. The two Bajorans were forced to their knees in front of the Gul.

Now that he was closer Dukat could see that they were both trembling with fear, the one on the right trying to keep a brave face while the other appeared to be about to burst into tears at any moment.

"Report," Dukat demanded from the scout, while not taking his eyes off the prisoners or his hand off his weapon.

His order was soon obeyed.

"We were moving to the north, scouting the path ahead for the convoy, when the second scout transport was hit without warning by some sort of heavy weapon I've never seen before. It was a directed energy weapon of great power, obviously designed to destroy or disable armored vehicles. Because the other vehicle was hit and blocking the road, we were forced to stop. Then we were hit from behind by these Bajoran terrorists with light arms, these two soldiers were the only ones that survived the initial assault," the scout explained.

The Prefect was rather concerned by this news.

"And who gave the order to take prisoners?" Dukat asked.

This was a delicate and secret mission. The last thing they needed were prisoners, as that greatly increased the chances of the rebels finding out what the convoy was actually transporting.

That was assuming that they didn't already know. The Bajoran resistance intelligence apparatus was getting better and better at their craft as time went on. Necessity was a harsh mistress, but she taught her lessons well and the rebels were learning fast.

"That would be me, sir," the scout replied, while looking confident and overly sure of himself. "I believed that they may have valuable information".

Dukat highly doubted that even if they did have information that they'd have time to properly extract it in the field, but he still looked back at the pair of Bajorans prisoners and focused on the Bajoran on the right. She was a female with short hair and rage filled eyes; he'd seen many of this world's people look at him with eyes like that. They were the eyes of a true fanatic, and one of the reasons why the Resistance was so very dangerous.

"Tell me," Dukat ordered. "Where did you get your hands on such an advanced weapon?"

While not lacking in fanaticism, the rebels barely had enough phasers to arm their fighters, and while they were known to use crude, but effective homemade explosives, that wasn't what the scout had reported them employing to destroy the first scout vehicle. He didn't know how even more advanced weapons were somehow making their way into the hands of the Resistance as late, and not knowing troubled him nearly as much as the rebels having such weapons and using them to kill his people.

"Tell me and I won't hand you over to be interrogated," Dukat mercifully offered.

The female Bajoran shifted slightly and muttered something under her breath. Dukat leaned in closer to listen better.

"I do not believe I heard that correctly," the Gul said.

The Bajoran looked up into Dukat's face and then spat in it.

"I said rot in hell, Cardie scum!'" the female shouted.

Dukat pulled himself up to his full height and sighed dramatically as he raised his pistol to the woman's head and shot her. The terrorist fell dead instantly.

"The only mercy I can afford to offer you is a quick death," the Gul said to the remaining Bajoran who was now having a full blown meltdown.

Then he lined up the weapon on the second Bajoran's head. The man only had a second left to live when a full power phaser blast hit one of the Cardassians near Dukat right in the chest, practically burning a foot wide hole straight through the man, killing him instantly.

Dukat and his men quickly moved to what little cover was available nearby while trying to locate the sniper, but even after a second phaser blast hit and killed another Cardassian they couldn't pinpoint the sniper's location.

That was when things went from bad to worse for the aliens. Rapid white colored energy blasts filled the air as a figure in black clothing appeared out of nowhere and started shooting everyone in sight, his body moving so quickly, fluidly, and gracefully that it looked as if he was dancing. Darting in and between his soldiers' positions, several of his men killed each other accidentally in their desperate firing, the rest were gunned down with ruthless precision and efficiency by the weapon in the man's left hand. Some were even beheaded or cut into two pieces with some kind of sword held in the man's right hand. All the while that damn sniper continued to kill his men who were tried to take cover or escape the situation.

Dukat fearfully ducked behind one of the transports as more and more of the men under his command were killed. Then he saw this monster clearly. At first, he thought it was a Bajoran, only it wasn't.

Far quicker than he could have imagined possible given the highly trained men with him, there was only terrible, terrible, silence.

When the figure acrobatically jumped to an impossible height and landed both gracefully and soundlessly on top of a transport, like it was the easiest thing in the world to do, he saw that this monster was a human, only he was far too fast to be someone from Earth and far, far too ruthless to be someone from Starfleet.

Starfleet Officers used phasers only, and very rarely were they set on anything other than stun. The Gul knew this as he had fought humans from the Federation a few times during various border skirmishes over the years.

Dukat wasn't a coward, but he certainly wasn't stupid either, he knew when it was time to run and save his own skin. Getting away from this monster as quickly as possible was the best way to do that. Unfortunately, he didn't get very far, as he was shot in the back before he got more than a few meters away.

(Line Break)

"Why didn't you kill him?" Kira asked when she came down from her sniper perch and caught up with me.

I had my reasons, though I couldn't exactly share most of them with her.

"This is Gul Dukat," I told her. "The Prefect of Bajor. If we kill him they'll just send someone else, someone who may want to prove themselves. Leaving him to be found surrounded by the dead bodies of his men will send a far more effective message".

We were, after all, just terrorists in their view and terrorists used fear as a weapon. I wanted Dukat to fear the rebels. To know in his black heart that he had been an inch from death and had been either spared purposefully or even simply on a whim. The possibility that his soldiers might think he'd sacrificed everyone else to save himself was also a good potential outcome.

Besides, the man would play a significant role in a lot of very important future events, so if I killed him those events would be different than what I was expecting, which didn't serve my interests, as knowing the future was a powerful advantage. I wasn't opposed to changing things up here and there, going 'off script' as it were, but the benefit had to be there and I just didn't see any here. Bajor would win its independence in a few short years anyway. A new Prefect with a chip on his shoulder and a need to prove himself might even delay the end of the Occupation.

"No, let's kill him," Kira said, while raising her rifle to finish the man off.

I stopped her and then pulled out my wicked looking combat knife.

"My people have a saying, 'better the devil you know, than the devil you don't,'" I said, hoping to convey that killing Dukat now would not be in Bajor's best interests. Dukat was, at least, a known quantity. "I have a better idea".

Merely scarring Gul Dukat would be pointless as they could remove scars using their medical technology; I was sure I remembered seeing a Cardassian do that in a DS9 episode. However, replacing an eye when the eye socket and optic nerves were messily destroyed was something else altogether.

"Oh Prophets!" Kira shouted out, looking like she was about vomit as I did my gruesome work.

Watching me cut out one of the Gul's eyes and digging around enough to destroy the nerves shocked her greatly. For a terrorist, she had a good heart. She was a skilled sniper and had killed many Cardassians today while I did my thing, but she didn't delight in causing pain or making it as bloody as she could. That was good, she'd be able to transition far easier to peacetime after the Occupation ended than those I'd seen in the Resistance who'd given in fully to their bloodlust and need for vengeance.

"Come on we have to go," I said once I was done remodeling Dukat's face, though I was mightily tempted to do something like carving a swastika in his forehead or something. "Someone might have gotten a distress signal off".

Without argument, which made for a nice change, Kira and I, along with the rebel that we'd managed to save from near execution, raced off towards the hills, but not before we quickly filled up two empty duffel bags with the dead soldiers' phaser rifles, pistols, communicators, pocket latinum, and just about anything else that could be carried and looked semi-useful.

Re-appropriating Cardassian weapons and material was the bread and butter of a resource scarce Terrorist movement after all. Waste not, want not.

(Line Break)

Temple. Bajor.

Mere weeks after joining the Bajoran rebels one of the holy orders had asked for me by name and had requested that I come and visit them. This had been quite a surprise since Shaakar, the leader of the cell I'd joined, had wanted to hide my involvement with the rebels. Obviously that wasn't exactly going to plan for him. In the short-term this made things more dangerous for me, especially since I'd allowed Dukat to live after seeing some of my skills and the Cardassians were now likely all aware of me, but in the long-term it'd pay huge dividends, of that I was sure.

Now I was in a temple being guided by a Bajoran Vedak into a secret room, one that was kept safe behind a force field and a very high quality holographic illusion.

The Vedak had already explained why the force field and hologram were in place, so there was no need to inquire about that. However, there was something I wanted to ask.

"Why are you trying to keep the existence of the Orb secret?" I wondered.

As soon as the words had left my mouth I realized what a silly question that was. The Cardassians were plundering this world for all it was worth, of course they'd take every cultural treasure they could find as well. Sometimes I think they took shit just to spite the Bajorans. That was the kind of vindictive shit the Cardassians routinely pulled.

"Because not everybody finds ancient Bajoran artifacts as intriguing as I do," answered the holy man, whose name I had forgotten to ask for. "There are those who would see it as a symbol of everything they both hate and do not understand about us, the Bajorans and their fictitious Prophets, and may even try to destroy it out of spite, simply to deprive the Bajoran people of it for all time".

I assumed he meant the Cardassians, as it sounded exactly like something they'd do.

"It seems well hidden," I complimented.

Although nothing was ever completely secure.

"I'd rather not take any chances," the holy man said. "That is why I may soon request that you take the Orb far away from Bajor".

Upon hearing that I stopped in my tracks, completely shocked.

"You want me to take the Orb away?" I questioned incredulously.

I could do it, of course, at least get it off the planet more easily than just about anyone else, but I had no idea where I would take the thing to keep it safe. I could hand it over to Section 31 for safekeeping, it'd certainly be safe with them, but I wasn't sure if they'd ever give it back. That was a very distinct and likely possibility, especially once the Prophets were proven to be very real in a few short years' time.

"Perhaps," the Bajoran Vedak replied, "we shall see what the Prophets have planned".

Then I saw it, a golden triangular box that was sitting at head-height on top of a decorative stand. It looked normal enough, but I oddly felt drawn to it.

"An Orb of the Prophets," I whispered, in awe at the sight of something I knew from the shows to be incredibly powerful and mysterious. Life sure was strange.

The Bajoran Vedak went and stood by the object.

"Open it," he urged gently.

Reaching forward I lifted the catch and opened the two doors of the box outward. Inside was a beautiful, shimmering structure, shooting out arcs of light randomly. It was shaped a little like a floating, rotating hourglass, but much bigger. It gave off a greenish-white light which was almost mesmerizing in the way it shimmered, drawing your eyes in gently.

"It's so beautiful," I said.

That was when the greenish-white light filled my vision, and I felt myself being taken away.

(Line Break)

Deep Space Nine. Bajor System.

The next thing I knew I was walking down Deep Space Nine's Promenade along with a group of people. I had to stop and look around before I realized just where I was.

While doing that I saw both Federation Officers and Bajorans in the familiar militia uniform from the show. There were no Cardassians in sight, no ghetto, no fences, no Bajoran slave labor, just people from many different races calmly going about their daily business.

Then I saw myself in a reflective surface, and I was completely shocked by what I saw, but damn if I didn't look fucking amazing! I was in some kind of advanced skintight body armor from my neck to my toes, but much more sophisticated than anything I'd ever seen before, including my current armor. The surface of the armor almost appeared fluidic in the way it was slightly changing color, though I doubt anyone without enhanced sight would have noticed. Was this some kind of adaptive camouflage? Where did that come from?! There also appeared to be an unusual bulge in the neck piece, in a complete circle around my head. Had I finally figured out how to build in a retractable head piece? An integrated head piece could protect me from getting spaced or gassed, something my shield couldn't deal with. If this thing had an independent air supply and recycler, then I wouldn't have to worry about either. I also seemed to have rank insignia on the collar, though I had no idea what rank it was since I'd never seen it on the show.

Looking at my arms, I saw that I had badass looking vambraces covering my forearms, with some kind of technology built in, near the left wrist. Grieves and armored boots were worn, with again, some kind of technology that I had no idea the function of. Maybe a jump assist thruster or something for fast movement? I had never even considered something like that before! On my right hip was a magnetically attached quick draw holster with an energy pistol I'd never seen the like of before. On my left hip was a wicked looking and longish combat knife, but with some kind of button on the grip. Had I finally figured out how to make a knife with a plasma edge in the future? It wasn't a light saber, but I bet it would cut through most anything.

I felt a weight on my back, so I turned to the side slightly and saw that I had a badass looking X-shaped magnetic harness, obviously custom made, containing two weapons. Closest to my back was a really deadly looking sword, its grip reaching up and over my right shoulder for a quick draw. The sword, like the combat knife, had an actuator of some sort built in. The other weapon in the harness was a bad-ass looking energy rifle that I'd never seen the like before. There were some more gizmos on my person, some built into my armor, but I had no idea what they did. One of them was probably my personal shield, I think, but radically redesigned to better integrate into the armor systems.

Actually, I had a few suspicions as to what some of these gizmos were, but they were things that were only vague ideas at the moment, stuff that I had been toying with in my head for a while, but was nowhere near ready to actually build. There was a whole lot of holographic design, tweaking and kinks to work through before even thinking about producing what I suspected I now carried. Getting an industrial replicator and holo tech for my ship would make it possible though. I'd have to keep an eye out and see if I could appropriate such things from the Cardassians or maybe just ask for those things to be added to my compensation for this mission next time I spoke with someone from Section 31.

"I wish you'd given me a little more warning," Kira said quietly to me.

She was walking beside me, her eyes constantly scanning the crowd around her. She didn't look directly at me as she spoke, and her voice was pitched low, as if she was worried about being overheard.

Also, she looked older, in the sense that she'd finished growing up and looked damn good in my opinion. Her hair was longer than before and she wore rank pins that told me she was a Major in the Bajoran militia. I remembered her hair being short in the early seasons of DS9 so I had to wonder why it wasn't short. I didn't like short hair on women so perhaps she'd grown it out just for me. That was a nice thought

"The Kai is already here. I swear she knew that you were coming before even I did. No one from the Provisional government could be called up from Bajor at such short notice," Kira told me.

For some reason we were attracting a hell of a lot of attention, but they weren't looking directly at me. That was when I realized that I was holding an Orb, judging by the casing. In fact, I was almost certain that it was the very same one that I'd looked at just before this whacked out vision had started.

"This is so freaking cool!" I said with a huge smile. It was just like the show!

Kira gave me an annoyed look, apparently she was going to keep doing that even in the future.

"You could have called me, you know," she grumbled. "Showing up at the station a day early, with an Orb of all things?"

The Bajoran security officers led us on through the Promenade and into the station's Bajoran shrine.

"Kai Opaca," greeted Kira warmly as we entered. "Thank you for coming at such short notice".

At least it wasn't that horrible Kai Wynn woman yet, the one that started worshipping the Pah Wraiths, or whatever it was they were called.

Then I realized that if Kai Opaca was still here than that meant my presence had changed the timeline a bit. Didn't she go and never return from that mission with Sisko during Season 1? Eh, whatever, I'd figure it out.

"It was no problem at all, my child," the Kai replied. "This is far more important than yet another meeting with the Vedek Assembly".

The holy woman then turned to me.

"Welcome back to Bajor, General," she greeted.

I subtly looked around while wondering who she was talking to, but I soon figured out that she was talking to me! I must have been given the rank for my work aiding the rebels. It also explained why my armor had rank insignia.

"Thank you," I replied.

The Kai looked me in the eyes for a moment and then smiled as if in realization. For a second I wondered if she knew that I wasn't the Gothic who was supposed to be here. But this was just a vision, right? I wasn't actually here. Or was I? This was so freaking confusing.

"Is this the Orb?" she asked.

I lifted the box.

"Yes," I answered plainly.

I then placed the gold, three-sided container on the table and stepped back to allow the Kai, and the two Vedeks with her, access to the Orb. One of the Vedeks brought out some sort of Bajoran scanner and waved it around the gold box several times.

"It is genuine," the man said after a minute of scanning.

This I knew for certain, having used it to get here. Whether that was physically or in spirit was still up for debate.

"Did you think he'd bring you a fake Orb?" Kira asked indignantly.

She was offended. Very much so in fact. Our relationship must still be pretty damn good in the future for her to be defending me like that from a Vedek of all people. That was nice to hear. The question was was I still boning her to within an inch of her life? Maybe at the same time as Dax? Man, that would be awesome!

"We determine the authenticity of all recovered artifacts, regardless of whether they are Orbs or not, or whom they came from," the Vedek explained calmly.

I wondered how, so I decided to find out.

"I'm curious," I said. "How do you determine the authenticity of an Orb?"

Well, I knew of one way.

"The Orbs are sent to us by the Prophets themselves. As such they show traces of radiation only found in the Celestial Temple," the Kai told me.

I knew that that was the Bajoran name for the wormhole, where the aliens known as the Prophets lived. It was in a place where the laws of physics, as we mere mortals knew them, did not apply. Time was not linear for the Prophets either, which made them very hard to understand by those species limited to linear time.

"Long ago we learned of ways to detect that radiation," the Kai explained, "and thus determine whether an item had truly been sent to us by the Prophets".

I was impressed to find a religious group willing to use such scientific methods to determine what was and was not holy. Normally people just had to take it on faith, and therefore could be fooled.

"So which Orb is this?" Kira asked, her intense curiosity getting the better of her. She was probably incredibly excited to be allowed near an orb like this.

I saw her eyes lingering on the golden box with equal parts longing and wariness. Did she want to open it, to find out what wisdom the Prophets might choose to offer her? It seemed that she did. I could understand that. To so directly interact with your Gods would have to be a transformative experience.

"This is the Orb of Guidance," the Vedak with the hood on said.

I'd not realized this until he'd spoken, but the second Vedak was the same man who had shown me the Orb in the first place. I'd met him for the first time mere moments ago in my view so I instantly recognized his voice.

"The Orb will stay where it can be kept safe, until we can return it to Bajor," the Kai then said.

With those words the two Vedaks took the Orb into the next room, one that was dimly lit by lights sitting behind wall panels which were adorned with ancient Bajoran insignia. Thick, scented candles were flickering happily to one side of a shrine adorned with an ornate gong. Maybe it was my imagination but they seemed to burn a little brighter now, as if they were welcoming the Orb into their presence. The golden box was placed into the shrine, where it sat as if it had lived there always, a powerful force field springing up moments later.

"Stay with the general," the Kai said to the hooded Vedek. "I will give you a few moments of privacy".

I was then left alone with the holy man. As soon as everyone else was gone he lowered his hood, which confirmed that he was the same man who had shown me the orb back in the past. Oddly enough, his presence here didn't even surprise me.

"You have questions about your Orb experience?" the man asked me.

Indeed I did.

"How do you know that I'm having an Orb experience right now?" I asked.

If he knew who I was then that it might mean this wasn't just a vision of the future. It meant I was actually IN the future, and my mind was in my future self's body. It was trippy, and super cool. I suppose that explained why some things I'd seen in my reflection earlier, like the technology on my boots or the adaptive camouflage of my armor, were things I'd never even considered before. What I saw there wasn't dependent on ideas I'd already had.

"I wouldn't be a very good Vedak if I couldn't spot a man who's been touched in some way by the Prophets. It's in your eyes," he said. "I've seen that look before, in the eyes of men and women who've come to me for interpretation of their Orb visions and in my own mirror".

So he'd had gone through this as well. Things were starting to make sense now. Not very much, but I could see a pattern coming together.

"The Orb of Guidance," the priest Vedek explained, "is a little different than the other Orbs. All of them, in their own specific ways, provide guidance to adherents, but the Orb of Guidance tends to be a little more specific. It teaches of events which may yet come to pass, or which will come to pass, in an attempt to guide you along the right path."

He had more to say.

"We Bajorans believe that the Prophets, unconstrained by time as we know it, have the power to see into the future as easily as we recall the past, and therefore they know the correct course of action to be taken in any situation. We believe that they know better than we do and work for our long-term betterment," he said. "Whether you believe that, of course, is something else entirely. You can ignore the visions given to you by the Prophets, but there may be repercussions".

That sounded bad.

"But why would the Prophets have plans for me?" I asked. "I'm not a Bajoran. I don't even believe in them in a truly religious or spiritual way".

Although the same could be said for Sisko, but he was a very special case given his very existence had been engineered by the Prophets' machinations.

"They're just very advanced and fundamentally different aliens," I said.

That was when I realized that I'd been at least partially tainted by Federation thinking, something which I'd long vowed to both recognize and reject in the way I lived in this time, yet those freaking insidious bastards had managed to worm their way into my head. I'd have to be more careful from here on out.

I'd foolishly forgotten Clarke's third law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. The Prophets were gods in every way that mattered, they were supernatural beings (given that they lived outside of linear time they couldn't exactly be called natural from our perspective) who were worshipped by millions of beings, and they had great power to affect the galaxy. They'd made, or possibly would make, an entire Dominion battle fleet simply vanish into the ether, that was the work of gods.

Sure, the Prophets might have used some super advanced technology to make their wormhole. However, it could also be magic, or both. I simply didn't know and since I didn't know it was foolish to label the Prophets simply as 'advanced aliens.'

"I don't know why the Prophets choose whom they do. Only the Prophets know that," the Vedak was now saying, "but I believe that you have a role to play, one that involves protecting this Orb and returning it to Bajor at the proper time".

Well, I was okay with that. If they wanted this Orb off Bajor for a while then I was a good choice for the job. Besides, I was hardly going to say no to a group of beings who could make their own wormholes and move me through time and space. Being in the good graces of beings like that seemed like a pretty good idea. If I was owed a favor by them, even better!

"I myself went through what you are experiencing right now some fifty years ago," the Vedak told me. "My vision showed me that I would have to save the Orb by ensuring that it went beyond the reach of those who would destroy it, or take it for themselves".

If this was so then I was an important part of a plan decades in the making. That made me feel a little giddy, though thinking 'decades in the making' was, of course, a linear construction, so not exactly applicable, but it was hard to think any other way.

"I had to be sure that you were the one," the man explained. "So I decided then, when the time finally came, that I would show you the Orb, and that the Prophets would grant you a vision if you were the one".

Which he had, in the past, so the man in front of me would remember himself meeting me before and giving me the Orb to take away. Only to me that hadn't happened yet, although it actually had, since I was now here returning the orb. This was trippy and oh so confusing.

"Hold on," I said. "If you saw yourself giving me the Orb in your vision, shouldn't you have known immediately that I was the one as soon as you saw me".

Time travel made things confusing, but I was sure I'd found a flaw in this man's story.

"I was only a boy when I had my Orb experience," the priest told me. "The Prophets may be timeless, but I am not. It was fifty years ago, memory fades, and besides, I would not hand over the Orb unless I was absolutely certain that it was the will of the Prophets. Now I know that I was right to be careful, and that the Prophets knew I would test you when the time came".

That did make sense, as much as any of this weirdness could.

"When this vision ends you will tell me of it, and I will give you the Orb," the Vedak said, "then you must take it away and protect it, so that you can return it in the fullness of time. Do you understand?"

Amazingly, I did, it wasn't that complex…well…mostly…

"Is there anything else you can tell me?" I asked the holy man, hoping for some hints about the future.

He smiled at me.

"Yes, I was to tell you something," he said, "something you yourself told me to pass on".

I was very curious now. What message from the future might I be sending to myself? Maybe it was a warning? Maybe it was the lottery numbers or this time's equivalent?

"You told me to tell you: 'No spoilers,'" the Vedak relayed, with a small smirk.

I was such a freaking jerk.

"Now you must go," urged the Vedak. "You have many things yet to do".

The greenish-white light appeared again, and once more I felt myself being transported away from this time and place.