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Chapter 21
Sisko walked to the brig where Odo sat placidly in his humanoid form. He strode up to the softly humming force field and said, "You've turned her into a Founder."
Odo snapped his head up and looked inquisitively at Sisko. "I beg your pardon?"
"Kira is becoming a changeling. The goo you put in her is overwriting her DNA, somehow."
"That's impossible," Odo argued. "I simply gave her some of my substance so she could heal."
"Well that's not what is happening, Constable."
"Captain, I assure you that I had no intention of turning Kira into an outcast like myself."
"How can I know that that's true?"
Odo glared at the captain for a long moment, until Sisko started to realize what was going on.
"She's more to you than just a friend, isn't she?"
The changeling stood and waved off such a suggestion. "Don't be ridiculous." He turned and started pacing in the confines of the cell. "How could I love a solid?"
Sisko considered for a moment, then motioned for the security guard to turn off the force field. He stepped inside the cell and up to Odo. "You'd better be careful, Constable. Statements like that will get you in trouble. A 'solid' might take offense.
"You may not believe it, but your behavior right now is completely the same as any 'solid' in love. I know. I've been there."
Odo turned and stared at Sisko's face, trying to read what was there. He then looked at the cell's entrance, with the field still deactivated. He turned an inquisitive look at the captain, who gestured toward the entrance.
Odo nodded, "Very well."
They stepped out of the brig, and Sisko told the guard to stand down as they left.
Cardassia Prime…
Merlin had been present on Cardassia Prime since the talk with Oberoth. Che'Ryl had joined him, and they had maintained the illusion of being Cardassian to all but Sheppard, Teyla, Todd, and Jardis.
The appearance that they assumed was one of an old couple, living off of meager sustenance, so it would not be expected of them that they work for a living. In this way, they could easily do what they liked, without anyone being the wiser. An old man or woman hobbling through the marketplace would not attract any undue attention, especially if they were to appear to beg for alms. Merlin had sat on the ground in the same place for two weeks now, waiting. Oberoth had not returned, but then, he hadn't really expected him to. Several people had taken up the Asuran's cause, but Teyla had been able to outthink them in front of the crowd.
She finished making another young man look like a fool when he started calling for a crowd, and as she turned away, she gave Merlin a sly wink. He smiled broadly at her in return. He had thoroughly enjoyed the show. Suddenly, however, he received a mental communication from The First. He saw that Teyla had obviously sensed it too.
"It is time," was all that the message said.
Teyla paused, but to cover her actions, she turned and walked back to the old begger. She reached into her bag and pulled out a few coins and handed them to him. As she bent down, she quietly asked, "Did you hear it?"
"Thank you, young lady, for your generosity," Merlin told her, then quietly, "Yes, I did. I suspect that the others did as well. Meet at our home later. Bring us some stew as cover."
"I will do that," she agreed, then she straightened up and walked away.
Merlin begged for a couple more hours, then got up and hobbled in the same direction.
That evening, he and Che'Ryl were sitting at their table when a knock sounded at their door. Che'Ryl stood to answer it, but a hand brushed the worn blanket aside. In his assumed role, the old wizard could not afford a door for his run down shack, so he made due with what he had.
Sheppard and Teyla stepped into the dilapidated room. She was holding a tureen of aromatic stew. As she was setting it on the table, everyone jumped as another knock came.
This time, Che'Ryl drew aside the blanket and admitted Todd and Jardis.
Merlin waved a hand, and told everyone, "We are now invisible to all. It is as if we are not here." Indeed, it appeared as though some palace guards had followed one of the pairs, as two of them ran into the shack, directly through one wall as if it wasn't there, looked around, and then ran through the opposite wall. One of the guard's path took him directly through Sheppard, who exclaimed afterward, "Now that's just wrong!"
"Impressive," Todd said, looking at the place where the guards had gone through the wall. "I must point out, however, that all of us are quite capable of dealing with two palace guards."
"But why?" Che'Ryl asked, smiling.
Todd chuckled. "To show, Dear Lady, that we can."
Jardis gave her father a baleful look. "I don't think that's the point, Father."
"It is my point, Child." He turned to Merlin and asked, "What is it time for?"
"It is time to finish Oberoth," the wizard replied simply.
"Where is he?" Teyla asked.
"He is in the gamma quadrant. I must go there."
"I'd like to go with you," Sheppard said, immediately.
"We would like to go with you," Teyla corrected.
"As the leader of my people," Todd exclaimed, "I demand the right to be present at Oberoth's execution."
"Who said anything about an execution, Todd?" Che'Ryl asked.
"Your husband promised that Oberoth would not live."
"My understanding is that the version of Oberoth in question didn't," Che'Ryl observed.
Defiant...
Sisko entered sickbay with Odo by his side. Kira was speaking to Bashir quietly.
"What do you remember?" he asked her.
"I was working under the warp drive power distribution console, adding some power to the phasers, when something happened. I felt a terrible pain in my left leg, like it was being ripped off, then I must have passed out." She reached down to her leg, and was grateful to find it present. "I feel fine now, Doctor. Why am I here?"
Bashir took a deep breath, then explained, "Major, you were hurt very badly when a torpedo hit the starboard nacelle." She didn't say anything, but rather held his gaze unfalteringly. "Your leg was ripped off, you had several pieces of shrapnel in your body." He stopped talking to swallow. "Brain damage was extensive."
Kira stared at him for a long moment, then smiled. "I feel fine, doctor."
"I know you do, but I couldn't save you. Somehow, Odo was able to disattach a portion of himself to repair your body. It is perfectly mimicking your leg and is repairing the connections in your brain that were damaged."
A few moments passed as she processed what she had been told. "So you're telling me that I'm now part changeling?" she asked slowly.
"In a manner of speaking, yes" Sisko answered gently from his place by the door.
"If it wasn't for Odo, you would have died," Bashir said, forging ahead. "What no one expected would happen, is that instead of just healing your wounds, the changeling DNA is somehow overwriting your own. At the current rate, you will fully be a changeling in just a few days."
"I don't want to become a changeling!" Kira protested. She stared at Odo, standing near the door. "Why did you do this?" she demanded.
"It was not my intention," he explained. I wished only to save your life. I attempted to lock the piece of myself that I fused to you into solid form. Obviously, I was unsuccessful."
"Why would you give up a part of yourself for me?" Kira wanted to know.
Sisko wondered if the changeling would be able to admit to Kira that he loved her, or if he would continue to hedge as he had earlier. Odo looked pained for a moment, then he seemed to steel himself. "I suppose asking for privacy would be too much," he said, and a glace at Sisko confirmed his speculation. "Over my years of association with you, I have grown..." he paused, trying to come up with the correct words. Finally, he looked away from her and said, "I have fallen in love with you."
He looked distinctly uncomfortable as he said it, but Kira knew him well enough to know that this was not because of her. It was who he was. Admitting to emotion was not something Odo did easily.
Kira frowned at him for a long moment, then said, "Everyone get out." Odo looked hopeful, and started to step forward, but Kira stopped him. "You too."
Odo followed the others to the door, and was about to step through when she said, "You have fundamentally changed my life, and I'm not happy about that, because I love my people. I'm no longer going to be one of them. No matter how hard they try to treat me as though nothing has changed, I'll know that it has, and so will they. I won't fit in with your people either. I wasn't born a changeling, and nothing can change that."
Odo turned to look at her, but she had turned her head away from the door. "You're still alive," he said quietly, then he stepped out of the room.
Control room of Colorado Springs…
O'Neill looked at the planet serenely floating below them. It was a Jem'Hadar planet, and functioned primarily as a training post for the genetically engineered race.
He had seen many Jaffa training facilities, including the one where young warriors were taught to fit into human military society. The Jem'Hadar post below, however, was something completely alien to him.
As he watched, Walter reported several launches. "I guess it's about that time," Jack commented to Sam.
"Looks like," she agreed.
"Raise shields. You're in charge here, Walter," Jack ordered as he and Sam left the control room.
"Alright, everyone," Walter ordered. "Keep on your toes."
In the chair room, Jack took his place while Sam stood off to one side. The chair leaned back and a holographic representation of the planet and ships appeared in the air surrounding them.
"Walter," Jack called, "have some jumpers launched for the fighters in orbit. I'm going to deal with the surface."
"Yes, Sir," Walter acknowledged.
"I'm going with them," Sam said to her husband.
"Okay," O'Neill said as he launched a drone. "Be careful."
Galactica...
Adama watched as his CAG, Starbuck, launched with his squadrons. The vipers quickly encircled the Dominion ships speeding toward the battlestar. It was always interesting to see the different styles of various pilots. Karl Thrace had always been a very confident pilot, but since his return, that confidence had skyrocketed. Perhaps, thought the commander, it had to do with the knowledge that one wasn't destined to die yet.
He, himself, knew that there was another version of both he and Laura in the sphere known as Iconia Prime, but when he commented to O'Neill that he couldn't die, as there was an older version of himself still living, the Q had said, "I hate to burst your bubble, Bill, but that's not the way it works. Yeah, if you were to die, it would leave a paradox with your older self still being alive, but not enough to really hurt the universe. If you were a Q, things would be different."
Bill had grinned at his friend. "Still got that puffed up view of your own importance, do you?"
Now, he watched his son-in-law as he directed his squadrons in their attacks. He supposed Karl wasn't being any more reckless than he had been in the past, but Adama had been snapped back to his own mortality by what O'Neill had said. He hoped that Starbuck kept in mind that he wasn't invincible, either.
Bill watched as Galactica sped by the battles being fought nearby. He had instituted very little change in the CIC of his ship, but one thing he had been very impressed by, was the holographic display in an ancient chair room. He had compromised somewhat, and told the computer of Galactica to project 3D views of the space surrounding the ship onto the walls and ceilings. The result was that it felt as though the CIC was in open space. he supposed it could be somewhat distracting for a crew not as seasoned as his own, but after a few moments of marvelling at the novelty, they were now completely immersed in their duties. He noticed Gaeta look up at the battles as they passed, but it was, in reality, no different than glancing at a screen that was focused on them. A moment later, the man's head was back in his job.
The battlestar was quickly coming into range, and Bill watched the planet as it grew. He turned to his executive officer, "Get me a firing solution on the cities."
"Solution programmed," the commander was informed a few moments later. Bill spared the planet a glance, then said, "Fire."
Pegasus…
Lee Adama stood in the command center of his battlestar. He had been impressed with the bridges of the Federation ships he had seen, and he modelled Pegasus' bridge after them. When they left the Iconian space dock, it was with a modified CIC. There was no captain's chair, as on a Federation ship, but instead, the center of the room held the chart table common on all battlestars.
As they drew nearer to the planet, tensions mounted. The crew assumed that there would be some point where they would be noticed, and ships would launch. What shocked them, was when several fighters, identical in size and shape to Iconian starfighters, intercepted them.
Charles Valerii looked at Lee in surprise. "What's going on here?"
"You're guess is as good as mine," the commander replied. He turned to the tactical officer. "Launch vipers."
As they watched their fighters take flight, a voice came over the standard Federation channel. "You are ordered to stand down, and prepare to be boarded."
"You've got to be kidding me," Valerii said.
Lee answered the order, "We will not comply. Please identify yourselves."
"You have trespassed into Dominion space. Surrender and prepare to be boarded."
"No," Lee said. "I suggest you withdraw before your ships are destroyed." He turned to his tactical officer. "Prepare the ZPM gun."
A moment later, he saw the weapons console show green. "Fire."
In response, the Dominion starfighters scattered and started shooting at the battlestar. Kara had divided her forces into five groups, and now, they swooped in from their different locations, and boxed the Dominion forces between themselves and Pegasus. As she got into position, she gave a whoop and held down her trigger.
"Serina, you're going to need to make another pass," her wingman said funereally.
"What!?" She had already noticed, however and was starting to pull a loop. As she turned fully one hundred eighty degrees she glanced at her console to the right and saw a light that she had only seen before in her pre-flight check. Friendly: Cannot Lock, the light read. "Pegasus!" she called. "What's going on? These ships are reading as friendly. Do we engage or not?"
"Serina, you have a go. They have announced themselves as Dominion fighters. Their shots are damaging our armor. Take them out."
"Pegasus," she announced, "If we turn off our ATLO, we can't guarantee that our shots won't damage you."
There was a pause and her husband's voice came over the radio. "Do it, Serina."
She was swinging through her loop now, and as she lined up for another attack run, she saw several pieces of Pegasus' armor floating free. In one spot on the dorsal surface, she saw gases escaping from a breach in the hull. She watched a starfighter line up to widen the hole.
"Oh no, you don't," she muttered as she flipped the switch to turn off her allied target lock out. When she squeezed her trigger this time, her guns fired, and she saw a satisfying blossom of fire as the fuel and oxygen tanks on the enemy erupted.
She was very careful with her aim, and only one of the shots went wide. She registered that it would miss the open hole into the battlestar, then she told her squadrons, "Get as close in to Pegasus as you can. We want to be firing away from home rather than towards it!"
The battlestar's computers were a bit more flexible than those on board the vipers, and they were able to reprogram for ship configuration as well as simple "friendly or not" settings. As soon as they realized that the dominion ships registered as friendly, they ordered the weapons lockouts changed. In a few moments, the barrage of point defense fire restarted, and this time, Dominion starfighters were hit.
Alpha quadrant...
Lwaxana Troi was waiting for word from the gamma quadrant. It had been two days since the attack force had gone through the wormhole, and she knew that it would take at least one more day's travel for them to make it to the Founder's homeworld, but still she waited. She entered the Klingon bar on the promenade, and idly ordered a raktajino. Her thoughts were focused on her husband and what he was doing, when Mr. Casey, the temporary CO of the station gently touched her arm. "Mrs. Troi?"
She started at the touch, and looked at the man, belatedly realizing he had been trying to get her attention for some time. "Yes?"
"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but there's been an attack at Betazed."
"What!?" The question was almost a shout, and several Klingons in the restaurant turned to look at them.
"Someone has attacked your home planet, Ma'am."
"Who?" She realized she wasn't being very articulate, but she was in shock.
"We're not sure."
"I need a ship! Is someone going to Betazed?"
"I don't think it would be safe for you to be travelling there right now, Madam Ambassador." Casey was hoping that her title would make her realize he was right.
Instead, the Klingon warrior at the next table spoke up. "You are Lwaxana Troi? Wife of Master Bra'tac?"
"Yes," she said, still trying to get her mind around the fact that her home had been attacked.
"I am Mek'tor, commanding the bird of prey, Ho' pach," the warrior announced. "Bra'tac is a formidable warrior, as is his puqloD, Teal'c. I and my crew, will assume the responsibility to safely transport his wife to Betazed."
Lwaxana thought for a moment, then looked at Casey. "Whether it is safe or not, Mr. Casey, I am going to Betazed. It is my home, and the inhabitants are my people." She turned to Mek'tor. "Thank you, Mr. Meckter. I accept your generous offer."
Casey considered refusing to grant the Ho' pach clearance to leave. He was sure he could come up with some reason why it shouldn't be granted, but in the end, he understood where Mrs. Troi was coming from. He would want to be on the first ship to home, if Sigma Iotia II had been attacked. He'd want to see firsthand, how his planet had been damaged.
"Very well, Mrs. Troi." He turned to the Klingon, "Mek'tor, I'm holding you responsible for the Ambassador. I'll grant Ho' pach status as a diplomatic transport. If something happens to endanger her, however, you are to get your ship out of the area, is that understood?"
Mek'tor smiled, showing just the tips of his teeth. "It is understood, Mr. Casey. A Klingon does not run from battle, but in the interest of diplomacy, I will avoid it on this trip. Is my position understood by you?"
The Iotian knew very well what the Klingon was saying. He would not start any conflict, but he would certainly end it if he were attacked. "Yes, Mek'tor, I understand perfectly. Do you understand what he is saying, Mrs. Troi?"
"Oh, please. Both of you are posturing so much, I can't help but understand. Can we just go?"
Enterprise...
Riker stared at the screen in his ready room. He had read the report four times, so far, and was preparing for a fifth, when there was a chime at his door. "Come," he said absently.
Deanna entered with an inquisitive look on her face. "Is something wrong, Will?" she asked.
He reached out and shut off his screen, but the motion appeared guilty to her, and she sat down across from him. No one else on the ship would presume to sit, uninvited, but as his wife, she got away with it.
He knew she would sit there until he answered her, and in fact, realized that her being alerted was his own fault. He never stopped her from reading him, but in this case, he had shielded his thoughts from her. That had alerted her to a problem, and she had immediately sought him out.
"I just got word," he said gently, "that someone has attacked Betazed."
She stared at him, and he relaxed his mental shields a bit. She could now feel his concern and frustration over not being allowed to do anything about the attack. "The First is right, Will," she told him. "The Q can't fix everything in the universe."
"I know, but it's still frustrating, you know? When something happens and you're not there to stop it, but you know if you had been there, you could have done something."
She nodded, then asked, "Does Bra'tac know about the attack?"
"Not yet," he told her. "How do you think he'll react?"
"He will react well. He won't allow his emotions to rule him."
"What if this is Dominion inspired?"
She considered for a time. Will could read minds just as easy as she could now, but he often preferred to rely on her empathic skills and experience. "If you're worried about him rebelling against your authority, don't."
He raised his eyebrows and she went on. "Bra'tac trusts Merlin implicitly. He also knows that you served under Jean Luc Picard for many years, therefore, Merlin trained you."
"Go on," he said.
"He has great faith in your abilities."
He could feel a hedging in his wife, but he wasn't sure why. "Is there more?" he asked.
She took a deep breath, and said, "He has also fought in battle alongside a later version of you, one General Hippaforalkus. He admires your leadership skill, and your ability in hand to hand combat."
"My skill...?" He stopped and gave a slight smile. "That sounds like something to look forward to."
A few moments later, Riker and Deanna flashed to Bra'tac's Ha'tak. He had also been informed of the attack on his wife's homeworld, and while the Enterprise visitors were there, he received a communique from Lwaxana, informing him that she had accepted Mek'tor's offer of passage aboard the Ho' pach. They had many friends on the planet, and she intended to determine what had happened.
"Do we know how much damage has been done?" Deanna wanted to know.
"I have not been told," Bra'tac said gravely.
"I was told that Starfleet would let us know more as soon as they had information," Riker informed the other two.
As he finished speaking, his communicator beeped and he tapped it. "Riker here."
"This is Commander Cadman," came the voice of Worf's second in command. "I've got some intel from Starfleet, Sir," she said gravely.
"Go ahead," Riker ordered.
"Sixty nine percent of Betazed's surface has been glassed, Commodore. At least ninety percent of the population has been wiped out. The cities are either completely destroyed, or in flames."
Will's arm found his wife's shoulders, and he embraced her.
A moment later, Cadman's voice broke as she said, "That's all I have for now, Sir."
"Thank you," Riker managed.
"They shall be avenged," Bra'tac said.
"I agree, Master Bra'tac. We don't know if the Dominion is responsible," Riker said to the Jaffa, "but I'm sure as hell going to find out."
Betazed...
The Ho' pach entered orbit of his passenger's home. As they came over the capitol, a missile was launched at them. Mek'tor swore and ordered it shot down, then had his communications officer contact the government. "Why are you firing on us? I carry your Ambassador to the Federation, Lwaxana Troi!"
"How can we tell?" The voice was frightened. "We were attacked by a Federation and an Iconian vessel. How are we supposed to know who you are? How do we know you're telling the truth?"
Lwaxana was shocked. "You were attacked by a our own people?"
"Madam Ambassador!" The voice on the other end of the communication was not just scared. She was young. "Thank goodness you're here. I am the senior government official left alive, but you have seniority over me. Will you beam down and take charge?"
"I will take charge, but not beam down," Lwaxana said. She turned to Mek'tor. "I am declaring an emergency on behalf of Betazed, and as your ship is an ally in orbit, I declare it to be our house of government for the duration." She expected growling, grudging assent, and she wasn't disappointed. A Klingon would always bristle when someone commandeered his vessel, but she knew that he would also defend her with his dying breath.
The commander turned to his communication officer. "Announce our status on encrypted Federation channels."
A moment later, an encrypted communique was received. It announced that a trio of Romulan Birds of Prey had received the emergency signal from Betazed and were responding.
"On screen," Mek'tor ordered.
The Romulan who appeared on their view screen was ancient. His hair was silver, but he wore his age as a badge of authority. The Klingons recognized him immediately, as did the new head of Betazed. "Keras," she said, "it is an honor."
"Likewise." He turned his head slightly to the commander. "I offer my protection, Commander."
"You think I need it?" Mek'tor growled.
"Come now," Keras said calmly. "Such a small ship? You know full well that you are no match for either of the ships that attacked here. Accept my offer in the spirit of camaraderie in which it was intended."
Grudgingly, the Klingon acquiesced, and then dropped his shields long enough to beam up the young woman who had spoken to them earlier.
In the Ho'pach's mess hall, the girl, Michal, explained what had happened.
"We were expecting two ships here for our protection. They were past due, and we were grateful when they arrived. We're not on the direct line between Bajor and Earth, but every Federation planet was to receive at least one ship for defense.
"They maintained silence, but the registry they sent out was correct, so we didn't suspect much until our viewscreens lit up and a man told us he was going to destroy us all." She looked uncomfortably at Lwaxana. "He said he had a score to settle with you."
"Who was he?" Mrs. Troi asked.
"I don't know. He never gave a name."
"Well, can you describe him?"
"He had long silver hair. He and his crew were dressed in similar clothing. I was the chief communications officer on duty. I may be able to retrieve a copy of the signal, but I'll need to hurry."
She stepped to the communication station, which at a nod from Mek'tor was vacated for her. She manipulated some controls, then smiled. "As I thought. I am picking up a faint echo of the signal. I'll have to amplify it several times, but you'll be able to see and hear it."
A moment later, a staticy picture of a Starfleet bridge appeared on the screen. The crew, however, was definitely not Starfleet. The man in the center chair was powerful looking, with chiseled features. He was wearing some sort of a brown shirt, with a collar open almost to his navel. It showed his muscles flexing with every movement. He spoke with a cultivated accent, and was completely polite, both to his crew, and those he was threatening.
The bridge crew consisted of several similarly, strangely dressed people. They almost appeared to be wearing whatever they could find to cover themselves with, and appeared as physically fit as their leader.
"Greetings," the man said, almost smiling out of the screen. "I am in command of the USS Saratoga, and the Iconian Vessel, Kim Anderson. I would like you to prepare to be destroyed."
There was a pause during which Michal apologized. "I'm sorry, Lwaxana. I'm only picking up his side of the conversation."
"I'm impressed that you were able to get that," was the reply.
"No, you misunderstand me," the man suddenly said. "There is nothing political in this. I am simply going to deprive you of your lives because I have a score to settle."
Another pause, and then, "Lwaxana Troi and I have unfinished business."
"I've never seen him before in my life," Lwaxana said defensively as she watched.
He waited while someone on the other end spoke, presumably, telling him that Lwaxana wasn't even on planet. "I am very much aware that she is not here. Your deaths will serve my purpose in another way. They will hurt her, and that pleases me."
The signal ended abruptly, and Michal said, "That's all we received. The next thing we knew, he had targeted and attacked the surface."
Keras had been watching quietly from his bridge, but he suddenly announced, "I must contact The Commander. If my suspicions are confirmed, you may soon know more." Then his picture blanked as well.
Starfleet Command…
Jim Kirk, The Commander, was seated in his office, holding a meeting with the Klingon General, Kang, when the call from Keras came through.
"Keras," he said in surprise when he saw his friend on the viewer.
"You need to see something, Kirk." Keras said without preamble. The expression on his face warned The Commander that something dire was up.
"I will leave," Kang said, starting to rise.
"No, Kang. You can stay," Kirk said. The Klingon was the head of the battle section of Starfleet, answering directly to Kirk, so if something serious was up, it was best if Kirk didn't have to repeat the information to the Klingon.
Keras nodded his approval and said, "I'm sending you a video signal. It is one sided. The Commander of the Saratoga and Kim Anderson, just before he wiped out Betazed."
Kirk and Kang watched the video. As it played, Kirk's face grew more and more angry. He certainly recognized the commander of Saratoga.
"How did you get this, Keras?" he asked in a monotone when the short clip had ended.
"I am on station with three of my ships at Betazed, Jim. I have offered my assistance to the commander of Betazed One."
Kirk looked questioningly at his friend. "Betazed One? What's that?"
"The Klingon Bird of Prey, Ho 'pach, commanded by one, Mek'tor. He transported Lwaxana Troi to the planet. She is the highest ranking government official surviving, and she has commandeered the Ho 'pach as her flagship."
Kirk almost laughed when he thought of the spirited wife of Bra'tac giving orders to a Klingon ship and his commander, but other things prevented it.
"The man who ordered the destruction is an old enemy, as you surmised, Keras," he confirmed.
"As I suspected," Keras said nodding.
"Why would Khan destroy Betazed, and what is his score to settle with Lwaxana Troi?" Kang wondered aloud.
"I don't know," Kirk admitted. "He's always had a score to settle with me, but Lwaxana Troi? It doesn't make sense."
"Maybe that's the idea," Kang suggested. "Maybe he's trying to keep you off guard."
"I am not certain that even Khan would destroy an entire world just to keep Kirk off guard," Keras objected. "There would be little gain in it."
"He just destroyed an entire world to hurt someone," the Klingon pointed out.
"I'm not sure I believe that that was his only reason," Kirk said. "It's not his style."
"So what was his reasoning?"
"I don't know."
Later…
It was night, and Kirk stepped onto the bridge of the A. He did it frequently, when he needed to think. He sat in the command chair and looked around the familiar setting. He wished he had been at Betazed with Enterprise. Although it was irrational, he instinctively knew he could have prevented the destruction of the planet.
He felt a thought being projected to him. I'm coming in. It was McCoy, of course. Anyone else would have asked if they could enter. Normally, McCoy wouldn't even have projected the warning, but when Kirk was mulling things over on Enterprise, the doctor knew it was serious, and he respected his friend's privacy - to a point.
The door slid aside, and McCoy entered. "What are you doing up so late?" he asked.
"You have to ask?" The Commander waved a hand, and a small table appeared beside the command chair. There was a bottle of Saurian Brandy and two glasses on it.
"I'll never get used to you doing that, but I can't say I mind the result," the doctor said, picking up the bottle and pouring.
"Why would Khan destroy a world?" Kirk asked his friend.
"I don't know, Jim," was the reply, "but I do know you can't blame yourself."
"I'm not blaming myself."
"Then why are you here, sitting in the dark?"
"I'm thinking."
"Uh huh." McCoy turned the helm chair around so it faced his friend, then sat down.
After a few moments of the doctor staring at him, Kirk started to fidget. "What do you want, Bones?"
"I want you to tell me why you're sitting in the dark."
"He destroyed a world, and blamed it on Lwaxana Troi. Why?"
"I'm guessing he has a grudge against her."
"I've been in touch with her. She's never even heard of him."
"You're sure?"
"I scanned her mind, Bones. I'm sure."
McCoy took a drink of the brandy then said, "She doesn't know him. He knows her. We don't know how, or why, but that shouldn't matter. Can't you use that somehow? Predict where he'll strike next?"
Kirk took another drink, then what McCoy had said hit him. "The wormhole," he realized.
"What?"
Kirk was already on his feet. "The wormhole. Bra'tac will be coming back through the wormhole when he's done in the gamma quadrant."
The Founder's homeworld...
The planet was strange. Even from orbit, O'Neill could tell that. It appeared to be largely desert, but scans showed that the amber colored surface was made up of a sea of changelings. There was little landmass uncovered.
O'Neill stood in front of the stargate, waiting. There were no plans to utilize the gate to get to the planet's surface. Instead, it was tempting to land the city in the goo. However, it was far from certain what the changelings would do to the city in that case, so he waited for Merlin to arrive.
There was a flash, and several Q stood before him, as well as Sheppard, Teyla, Todd, and Jardis. Merlin stepped forward, and O'Neill welcomed him.
"I must deal with the Founders alone," Merlin informed the others.
"Why?"
"I bear the responsibility for them," he said, cryptically.
O'Neill wasn't easy to put off, however. "How are you responsible?"
Janus had flashed in with his parents. "If the information you received from Oberoth was accurate, then you are not to blame."
"I think I am, Janus. However, if you wish to flash down with me, you are welcome to. But I must be allowed to have a free hand in my actions."
"Very well, Merlin," the First said, "but I will decide once there if you are responsible, will that suffice?"
Merlin inclined his head, then the six Q and four Iconians flashed to the planet.
They appeared on a rock island in the middle of a sea of goo. Merlin stepped to the edge of the sea and called, "Oberoth! Are you here?"
He waited for a time, then a pseudopod reached out from the sea, and started to take form in front of them. It took on a human shape, and soon, they were facing the same person they had been on Cardassia Prime. "Welcome, Merlin," he said. "I see you brought your backup again."
"Hello, Oberoth. I cannot say it is a pleasure to see you again."
"No. I don't suppose it is."
Sheppard stepped to Merlin's side and asked, "Is he saying he was there on Cardassia?"
"You don't understand, do you, Sheppard?" Oberoth mocked. "We can't expect understanding from someone like Todd, but I was hoping for something more from you.
"Yes, I was there on Cardassia Prime. I'm the same person who programmed Elizabeth Weir to rebuild me in the event you destroyed me. She carried in her an exact copy of my mind, and when she remade me, I remade my people.
"Eventually, we became able to design a biological Asuran. When that was done, we transferred our consciousness into them. Now, it only remains to destroy you, and I will ascend."
"Wait a minute," Sheppard exclaimed. "I'm not sure I understand why you would need to destroy us."
"You once felt compelled to destroy all Asurans," Oberoth explained. "I am returning the favor."
"No, Oberoth," Merlin corrected, "I will not allow that."
The changeling reached out and attempted to surround Sheppard and Teyla in himself. "How do you expect to stop me?"
Merlin gave a small wave of his hand. Oberoth froze, his eyes riveted on the sea, or rather, the lack thereof.
"What have you done?" he asked, shocked.
"Oberoth," Merlin said, his voice filled with resolve, "I see that you will continue refusing to end this, so I will do it for you. I have removed all the Founders from existence. I will bring them back if you end this war. If you refuse, you may join them. The choice is yours."
The First stepped up to Merlin's side and said, "This is not our way."
"No, however, I approved the construction of the Asurans, therefore they are my responsibility.
"But Wesley designed and made them," Che'Ryl pointed out.
"If I had not given Wesley the impression that he did not have my approval, he might not have felt compelled to create them."
"Father," Janus said, "the Wraith would still have needed to be destroyed." He saw Todd flinch, but he continued. "Blaming yourself for the creation of the Asurans is wrong."
"Considering your logic, Lantean," Todd said to Janus, "the Asurans are my fault."
"How do you figure, Todd?" Sheppard wondered.
"Janus makes a valid point," Jardis explained. "If Wesley had not created the Asurans, someone would have come up with another, perhaps more dangerous, method of exterminating us.
"The key, however, is that they would be looking for a method of extermination, not necessarily something like the Asurans."
Todd nodded in agreement, then turned to Merlin. "Ultimately, the blame for the Asurans must lie on the shoulders of the Wraith."
"Just as someone would have found another weapon against the wraith, Todd, Wesley would have found some other way to prove himself to me. Therefore, your argument is null."
Todd shook his head. "My point, Merlin, is that there is blame to go around here. You do not need to accept it all."
"Regardless of who ultimately bears the responsibility," Merlin reasoned, "Oberoth will not change his nature."
"It is indeed rare for anyone to change their nature," The First commented, "however someone's nature is not reason to commit genocide."
"Is it genocide to terminate a science experiment gone wrong?" Merlin challenged.
Che'Ryl stepped to her husband's side. "Remember Wesley's nanites on Enterprise?"
"That was a misunderstanding," Merlin argued.
"Or what about the silicon based computer mind on Valara III?" Janus asked.
Merlin considered for several moments, then turned a rueful gaze on his son. "Ugly bags of mostly water. I remember it well." He turned his head and stared at the Fonder. He considered apologizing, but couldn't muster it. Instead, "I will warn you not to cross Iconia again, Oberoth." With that, he moved his hand slightly, and the sea was present again.
The First moved to place himself face to face with the Founder. "Do you know who I am, Oberoth?"
"Of course."
The Vulcan drew himself up to his tallest. "As The First of the Q, I warn you that I cannot stay the hand of vengeance forever."
"What would you have me do, First? I cannot undo what has been done."
"That is obvious, however, I would caution against activities which would further develop the rift between our peoples." With that statement, the Vulcan waved a hand and the Q and Iconians found themselves in the control room of Colorado Springs.