Jason Sparhawk sat with Christine Nycz in her office discussing the events of the dream that Sparhawk had had. It really wasn't the fact that the dream was so realistic, the disturbing part was that Sparhawk had witnessed his sister's death. That was the part that he wanted to talk about with Christine.

"Tell me about your sister." She asked.

"Well, my father died at the battle of Wolf three five nine. He served on the Yamaguchi. I had just been accepted to Starfleet academy when I heard the news. Two years later, my mom met a man whose wife died of a disease around the same time that my father died. That's when I met Karen. Like me she was an only child and we became close almost instantly. She entered the academy during my third year there. We saw each other when we could and then she became a member of Red Squad. We were so proud of her when she made Red Squad." Christine smiled as Jason spoke highly of his sister. Then her smile faded when his did. "The last I had talked to her was when she and the rest of Red Squad were assigned to the Valiant to circumnavigate the Federation. Then the Dominion War broke out and we lost contact with her. I tried to keep the family's hopes up during that time but that's hard to do when you start to think the worst." Christine nodded in acknowledgement. "I was on the Thunderchild when the casualty report was posted. I damn near dropped to my knees."

He looked out the window of Nycz's office into the Shinjitsu Nebula that they had just entered hours ago and because of its vastness, the ship would be in the nebula for a few days. This particular nebula was odd in color. It was purple and pink on one side and blue and green on the other. The two colors clashed in the middle and looked as if they were doing battle. It was a beauty to behold. It also allowed Jason to gather himself to finish his story. He turned his gaze back towards the counselor. "I later found out that the Valiant had one survivor: Dorian Collins. The first chance I got, I went to go see her and asked about my sister. She was still recovering from the battle at the time but she didn't mind talking about Karen."

"How does it make you feel," Christine asked. "Seeing and knowing the actual events that killed your sister?"

"Obviously saddened. I'm a little upset because they picked a fight they couldn't win and she was so young and had her whole life ahead of her. If they would've turned tail and ran, no one would've thought badly of them." He stopped talking to not only think about what he was going to say next but to also make sure he wasn't going to lose it now, especially after six years. However, his halfway healed wounds were opened again by this out of nowhere dream. Christine placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I don't feel as empty as I used to but I still miss her, probably even more so now than before."

Dustin Zofchak walked confusedly through a cavern and then into an opening. To his surprise he saw battle worn Starfleet officers. He didn't realize where he was immediately, until he saw Captain Sisko peering over a makeshift barricade with a type 3 phaser rifle resting on his shoulder. He knew he was on AR-558. He approached the barricade and noticed that no one bothered looking at him. He waved his hands in front of several officers to none of which reacted.

I'm obviously in the past. Did I time travel somehow? No, because if I did, they'd be able to see me. What the hell is going on, then?

As he was looking around he noticed an officer in a crouched position, with an attentive look on her face, ready to strike at a moments notice. It was Avery. He practically sprinted over to her.

"Avery, you're alive." He said as he hugged her.

The hug however wasn't returned. It was like hugging a statue. She didn't move at all, with the exception of looking down to make sure her phaser rifle was working. It appeared to Zofchak that he was in a strictly objective position. Knowing his sister wouldn't survive this battle, he decided to "spend time" with her and took a sitting position next to her. He noticed how ragged she looked. Her hair was messed up, her face was dirty. She had her uniform unzipped revealing her yellow division undershirt.

"So Avery, how's it going?"

Naturally she didn't respond but he wished she would. He didn't really find it odd that he was asking irrelevant questions to his dead sister in a dream. The times that he went to Avery's grave, he'd sit there and talk to her. Amanda would do the same thing whenever she'd go. He and Amanda have planned to go to Avery's grave every year for Avery's birthday but unfortunately due to Starfleet matters, they have only been able to go twice since her death. He felt ashamed for not being able to do so but knew that Avery would understand since she was a Starfleet officer.

At that moment, music came on through the comm. system. It sounded like song that would've been a hit back in the early twentieth century. Zofchak looked around the cavern and saw Bashir come out and crouch next to Ezri Dax.

This must be his handiwork.

He turned back to his sister and saw a tear escape her control and slid down her cheek. She quickly wiped its existence away and returned her attention to the front of her. He sat down next to her. He began his one sided conversation.

"Amanda and I are doing well. She is now aboard the Solent and I'm Chief Engineer of the Alexandria. Neither one of us are seeing anyone although there is a girl that I serve with that I want to ask out on a date. Her name is Hoshi…"

He was cut off by explosions going off in the distance. Avery readied herself and Dustin looked to the direction the explosions were coming from. He could see light flare up when an explosion went off. Then there was silence. Dustin's pulse quickened as if he was actually there. He watched Avery grip her phaser rifle and close her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. Then they all heard the sounds of war cries of the Jem'Hadar. Seconds later, they emerged.

"FIRE!" Sisko shouted.

The Starfleet officers began their attack. They all fired at will at the Jem'Hadar soldiers. One by one, the Jem'Hadar fell, but they still kept coming. They reached the barricade and broke through.

Avery stood up and continued to fire her rifle and kill the charging Jem'Hadar. A Jem'Hadar came up behind Avery and hit her at the base of the neck with its rifle butt. Avery dropped to the ground but wasn't out. She leaned to one side and kicked out with her foot, catching her enemy's knee and breaking it. The Jem'Hadar fell and Avery fired. Another rushed at her.

"AVERY, BEHIND YOU!" Dustin shouted futily.

She turned around as if she heard him and pulled the trigger to her rifle. Nothing happened. The Jem'Hadar pointed and was just about to pull the trigger when it felt the butt end of a federation phaser rifle slam into its face. More Jem'Hadar approached Avery and she swung her rifle around like a bat. She took out two more Jem'Hadar soldiers before one was able to hit her with its rifle and send her to the ground. She was still alive and attempted to fight back but three Jem'Hadar soldiers ganged up and brutally beat her to death.

"STOP IT! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" Dustin yelled. He hit one of the soldiers but it did nothing. He could feel the soldiers but his strikes weren't having any effect on them. Then out of no where phaser blasts struck the soldiers one by one. Dustin turned around to see Sisko firing.

Thank you, Captain.

Dustin turned back to his fallen sister. He knelt down next to her. He was sad but proud that she went out fighting.

"I'm sorry Avery, I'm sorry that I wasn't here for you." He bent further over and placed a kiss on Avery's bloodied for head. "Goodbye, Avery."

When he leaned up, he was at his desk in his quarters on the Alexandria. He looked around confused and disoriented.

Wow, that was too real. I gotta stop drinking so many ratkajinos.

He pressed a button on his LCARS screen and the Federation symbol appeared.

"Computer, connect me through to the USS Solent. Contact Lieutenant Amanda Zofchak."