Chapter XV

Captain's Log: Supplemental. After arriving at Cardassia Prime, our ship has entered a temporal anomaly of massive proportions. Several ships bear Federation signatures and two groups are from our war with the Dominion. Ambassador Lincoln has boarded a Klingon Bird of Prey against my will in order to negotiate with its Cardassian occupants. In the meantime, Lieutenant Commander Data and I have been returned to the safety of the Enterprise thanks to this exchange. However, I still feel that the answer lies within the mystery brought to our attention by Q. The anomaly and the effect it is having on all of the vessels surrounding the planet has shown no signs of collapse. Also, Commander Riker, Counselor Troi and Ambassador Worf have not been located. We can only hope that we can find a way out of the distortion before it is too late to save them and ourselves.

Entering the holodeck, the Captain took a moment to savor the fresh morning air that came off of the sea and then recalled what he needed to do. This is certainly no time for such antics, he decided.

"Computer, end program," Picard ordered. In a matter of the moments, the room was empty, except for the person who'd started the program. "Data, is there any particular reason you are here?" he asked. The android nodded and explained, "The program I have been running is the only one I could find on Cardassia Prime. According to our reports, the planet has been an abundant center of life and foliage ever since the Federation encountered them, sir. I find this to be in sharp contrast with the images we have in our systems which feature their cities. It is almost as if there were always two worlds, one serene and the other cruel."

Picard nodded and said, "So then, the planet that hangs below us is in fact not from this timeline either?" "Precisely, but my research has revealed that what is happening to Cardassia Prime would not occur under normal circumstances," Data answered. "What do you mean?" Picard wondered as they walked out of the room.

"Our archives seem to indicate that there are no weapons possessed by the Dominion which could be used to cause such a catastrophe without leaving a trace… which has led me a startling and yet logical conclusion. It is most likely that the planet we're seeing beneath us is from an alternate universe," the android explained.

"Temporal anomalies usually do not cause rifts in the space-time continuum, Data. But then again, nothing surrounding this distortion can be constituted as normal. I appreciate the fine job that you've done in this matter," Picard decided. "I took the liberty of checking all records in Starfleet surrounding encounters with alternative universes, Captain. As you already explained though, the means through which we have arrived here does not coincide with those findings. That is why I feel some force has moved us to this particular version of Cardassia Prime. I believe it could have brought the Orb of the Prophets that Commander Riker and his away team discovered," Data explained.

"Hold on; what sort of power are we talking about here, Data? Like Q?" Picard asked.

"That is difficult to say, Captain. As you well know, any efforts we could make to locate such an entity would be futile unless they allowed us to. For now, we are still in the dark," Data explained as they reached the turbolift. "And it is clear that Q is not interested in assisting us. I think that at this point it would be best for us to contact Captain Janeway; even if she is from another timeline. It will help if we have all the assistance that we can get," Picard decided.

"I would have to agree, sir. Although we know very little about whether or not Voyager is coming from an alternate reality, I believe it is safe to say that they will quickly assist us in this situation," Data replied.

As they arrived on the bridge, Picard commented, "I'm glad that we're thinking alike. Doctor, have we had any word from Ambassador Lincoln since she departed?" "Only confirmation that she has arrived onboard the Klingon Bird of Prey," Crusher replied, rising from the chair before adding, "Captain, have you heard spoken to Commander La Forge since you got back? Lieutenant Barclay has been trying to get in touch with him."

"I'm afraid not," Picard admitted. Data paused and said, "Computer, please locate Commander Geordi La Forge." "Commander La Forge is not on the Enterprise," the answer came. Picard shot a glance at his companion and asked, "The anomaly?"

"Undoubtedly, sir," Data replied. "I believe Barclay was trying to inform the Commander that the warp drive is offline and our dilithium crystals are on the verge of being utterly destroyed. Basically, we're sitting ducks," Beverly commented. "I seem to recall that we experienced similar effects when we first arrived at Cardassia, but not at such an alarming rate," he muttered.

"Jean-Luc… I can't help but feel that something else is at work here. While you were away, Q returned and expressed an extreme dislike for the Ambassador again. Do you suppose there is some connection between the two of them?" the doctor asked.

"Possibly… having been around the galaxy for so long, Q has a way of making enemies," he said with a smirk. "Captain, I have a suggestion about our current situation," Data stated. "Anything would be useful at this time," Picard replied.

"Perhaps we should seek the assistance of our captive, Mister Daniels. It seems clear that his involvement in all of this is just as important as Q's," Data explained. Picard nodded in agreement and stated, "I suppose I can handle that. As soon as the Ambassador returns, open a channel to Voyager. I want to get as much input about what is happening on the other ships before I make a move."

Leaving the bridge, the Captain waited patiently as the turbo-lift took him to the holding cells. Once there, he was not surprised to see that Daniels was sleeping and Picard signaled to the guard to deactivate the forcefield before he stepped in. The man awoke with a start at the sound, then smiled broadly before commenting, "I suppose you're here to ask for forgiveness?"

"What is your purpose here?" Picard wondered. "I've already told you I cannot explain that," the man answered.

"Well, if you fail to; you'll just sit in this cell for the remainder of this voyage. Is that what you want?" he asked irritably. Daniels smiled and said, "Is there something troubling you, Captain? If you honestly need my help, I'll be more than happy to assist you in any way possible." "I understand your concern for the Temporal Prime Directive. But now is not the time for this… we could be stuck in this anomaly for quite a while," Picard stated.

"Where is Ambassador Lincoln?" Daniels asked as he rose.

"She is currently handling negotiations with Gul Dukat. I suppose that you've heard of him?" the Captain commented.

Daniels eyes widened in disbelief as he asked, "Are the shields up?" "We have little power for that sort of thing right now," Picard replied, then asked, "Why? What is going to happen? Is this ship in danger?"

"I had hoped you'd done your research Captain. Roberta Lincoln is not as great a threat as you think she is. Gul Dukat, on the other hand…" Daniels paused, smiling softly and showing a hint of worry in his eyes before explaining, "Well, let's just say I hope your engineers are working as quickly as they can to restore power."

"Perhaps you will assist us, then?" Picard asked. The man nodded slightly, then warned, "Captain, I can't say I didn't tell you that this would happen. There is no stopping it now." Jean-Luc was tempted to ask him what he meant, but then realized he would probably not get a satisfactory answer anyways. Turning to face the officer outside, he motioned for him to let them out before saying, "Computer, establish monitoring of the man in this cell to be disabled only on my orders using alternative code set delta."

The machine replied, "Program created… define parameters."

"If this individual is more than two meters away from a security officer, he shall be immediately transported to the brig and held until orders are given by me to the contrary. He is not to interact directly with any terminal on this ship, nor to carry any tool or object other than what he is now wearing. If an attempt to interfere with this directive is suspected, he will be held in the transporter's pattern buffer until I command otherwise. This shall be effective immediately," Picard directed.

"I must say that it appears you do not trust me," Daniels remarked as he walked with him and the guard who had been watching over the cell to the nearest turbolift. "You have the knowledge and experience of several centuries yet to come, so it isn't hard to imagine that there might be ways around our systems we haven't thought of yet. This is just to let you know that if you betray me, there won't be a second chance," he warned.

The transport opened onto main engineering, where Barclay was valiantly attempting to breath some life into the dilithium crystals. "Before I let you get started, there is one question to which I need as accurate an answer as you can give me," Jean-Luc proclaimed. "If I can do so, I will," the man stated. "A short time ago, Data postulated that there might be another entity like Q mixed up in this. If he's right, then I need to know what I'm dealing with. A being of such power could easily destroy us without thinking twice and I would like to be ready to face that possibility," the Captain went on.

"I wish that I could give you an answer, sir. If such a creature exists, I wasn't told about it before I came here. But you would have to assume there might be something this being might want or do in order to accomplish its goals. Given the highly unstable situation we find ourselves in, I'd wouldn't rule it out," the prisoner answered.

"Very well… but that still doesn't tell me why you're here. Without knowing your motives, I find it hard to trust you," Picard noted. "Captain, I have only intervened when it was necessary. I made mistakes, but they were corrected. If that happens now, there'll be no second chances," Daniels proclaimed.