Doctor Plumley sat in the guest quarters aboard the Thunderchild. She was sitting at the computer terminal talking with Keith Allensworth.

"So you think that my immune system can help save my son's life?" He asked.

"Yes, sir, we do. All of our simulations say that it will work. With no danger to you or him."

"I'll do anything to help my son." Keith said.

"We'll be doing the procedure at Starfleet Medical, we'll arrive at Earth in about four days." Plumley said.

"I'll be waiting." Keith said before disconnecting the transmission from his end.

Plumley leaned back in her chair and let out a sigh of relief. All they needed to do now was hope that the captain didn't take a turn for the worse.

Arekkusu walked into the room of Commander Paris once again later that week as had every day before, bringing in another tray of breakfast. Paris was in his Imperial uniform staring out the window. He turned around at the sound of the tray touching the desk. Paris walked over and eyed the Katarian eggs and the meat from some animal found on this planet. There were some sort of fruit on a separate plate. He picked one up and bit into it. Arekkusu could tell that Paris enjoyed the taste.

"Good as always, Arekkusu." Paris said. "I think I'll have B'Elanna try this and maybe she won't kill as many of your people today."

Arekkusu smiled and nodded his head. Paris sat down and propped his feet on the desk.

"I think I'm going to write about my experiences here as well as the war itself. That is after we win this war. The Federation can't withstand us. They aren't as smart as us. They're too compassionate. The Empire thrives because of terror. We have no equal."

Arekkusu didn't say anything. He just let Paris talk. He didn't want to give the commander an excuse to kill him.

"Tell me, Arekkusu, do you write much?"

"Actually, Master, I was a writer before you came."

"Really? Tell me about one of them."

"I couldn't possible interest you in one of my measly stories, sir."

"No, go on. I need something to entertain me. It's been awhile since I've heard a good story."

"As you wish, sir."

Before he could start the story, Paris's communicator beeped. He tapped it to open the channel.

"What is it?" He demanded.

"We have lost contact with the ship." Illaria reported. "We are attempting to isolate the reason."

Paris's smile faded. Communications did lapse every now and again. Paris could do nothing about it but hope and wait that they could get back into contact with Voyager. Paris's voice became more demanding and almost terrifying.

"Isolate the cause soon, or I'll put someone in charge who can." He tapped his comm. badge again to close communications without waiting for a response. His attention returned to Arekkusu. "Now, continue with your story."

Arekkusu didn't begin immediately. He strolled over to the window and gazed out it. "I wrote a story about someone like me but I'll refer to the character as me to give you a basis on him. Anyway, I wasn't a servant like I am now but a man of power." He turned around and looked at Paris. "Your equal, if you will."

Paris laughed. "My equal, you?"

Arekkusu had a look of embarrassment on his face. "Obviously not, sir. But in my story, I wasn't from Cestus Three. I was from another planet just like you and the rest of the Terran Empire."

Paris grinned. He was beginning to enjoy the story. "Then where was your ship, Arekkusu? Hidden? And what did you look like. A Gorn? A Cardassian?"

"My ship was away. It had dropped me off. I wasn't any different than what I look like now."

"So you weren't from this planet but you looked like someone who was."

Arekkusu thought for a moment. "I didn't look like someone from the planet originally. I was altered to look like them."

Paris was getting a feeling that this wasn't part of the story but something that he was making up as he went along. Paris played along with it.

"It's true that people on other worlds can arrange to surgically alter their appearances, but why would someone from a world wish to become someone from that world?"

Again, Arekkusu paused, as if trying to come up with a plausible answer. "It was my duty to observe without being noticed. That's why I was altered to look like them."

"Interesting. That's Federation thinking. If you were part of the Empire, the planet would've been conquered. Anyway, go on. Were you able to carry out your mission?"

"I did." Arekkusu said. "I got all the information I needed, until a group of people appeared on the planet and my study was interrupted."

"Was that the end of your story? The arrival of the invaders."

"No, sir. In fact the story was just beginning."

Paris took his feet off the desk and leaned forward, really intrigued.

"I had retained the instruments I needed to send a message to my people, my true people. I contacted them and told them what the invaders were doing to the planet."

Paris felt his smile fading a bit. It was a really strange dream. "What were the invaders doing?"

"They were setting up a depot here to serve the war effort. It was their only foothold in their enemy's territory. Seeing this, I obtained operational data on the shield generator the invaders set up. Then I sent it to my people."

Paris was getting real eager for his servant to finish his story. He clasped his hands in front of his face, no longer touching his food.

"It was my hope with such information, my people could pierce the invader's shield. Then I studied the invader's duty schedules, and recommended the best times for my people to attack."

Paris felt a chill crawling up his spine. He suddenly had the urge to get in touch with Illaria. Tapping his communicator, he called out to her. There was no response. Only a series of loud sounds that sounded like phaser fire.

Paris's mouth was dry. He eyed Arekkusu, wondering what in the name of the Empress was going on. He got up out of his chair and went to the window where Arekkusu was standing wanting to fling the curtains open to see what was going on outside.

"Sorry, sir but I must finish."

"What is happening, Arekkusu? What is this about?"

Arekkusu seemed very calm in front of the frantic Commander Paris. Arekkusu could hear a certain tone in Paris's voice. It sounded like fear.

"Finally, my people did attack. The first thing they did was destroy the few ships that were in orbit."

Paris's mouth went completely dry. "That was why the Imperialists on the surface had lost contact with the ships in orbit. They had been attacked. However, the person in charge didn't respond to that news because he was to eager to hear the rest…"

"Wait, did you say Imperialists? What is going on?"

"The Imperialists are obliged to follow the orders of their commander, who was too busy to give them any. My real people went after the depot and the shield generator was of no help."

"Who are you?" Paris demanded.

"The same person who I've always been, sir, your humble little servant."

At that moment, Arekkusu pulled something from his pocket, of all things, a Starfleet insignia. He placed it on his chest and tapped it. "Merriell to Riker. What's our situation, Captain."

"A successful one." Riker replied. "We've disabled the shield generator and secured the depot. How about you, Alex?"

As Alex was talking to Captain Riker, he pulled out a phaser and had it trained on Paris.

"Everything is fine down here, sir." Alex said smiling.

Paris hung his head, multiple things raced through his head. He'd surely be executed if he got back to the Empire. He flung himself at Merriell, hoping to get control of the phaser.

On the bridge of the Titan, Captain Riker could hear the sounds of a scuffle and then all sounds on the other end stopped after there was the whine of a phaser beam.

"Alex?" He said. There was nothing. "Commander Merriell, report."

Riker glanced at his wife in her seat, who returned the worried look. Then a voice did come through.

"Sorry to worry you, sir. I'm fine but I had to take out Commander Paris."

"Understood. Stand by for transport. Riker out."

Commander Merriell stood up straight as he was whisked away by the Titan's transporter beam.