Disclaimer: see chapter one. Paramount/CBS own this I just play.
Double-Edged Sword
USS Enterprise - conference lounge:
The occupants of the Starfleet's Flag ship's meeting area were talking among themselves, when a call came through from the bridge duty officer.
"Captain, we've just received a signal call from Voyager, Sir."
"Acknowledged, Lieutenant. Put it through here," said Captain Picard, mildly and turned towards the main wall screen, his expression troubled. Especially as this type of call wasn't a normal communications call. The screen opened with a view of Voyager's Astrometrics lab, looking out from the main screen toward the area's double doors.
"I wondered when you'd finally turn up," Paris commented, his tone alerting the others.
"I wouldn't do anything stupid," holding his hostage close, a phaser pointed at the person's temple; possibly the same one that had blasted a fatal hole in Teero at the Starfleet Security Hub earlier.
"Him!?" Janeway breathed, surprised. "He was one of the trios of Vice Admirals that were trying to get me to endorse their plans for the former colonies in the DMZ, before the full evaluation survey had been completed," she softly informed them.
"So, what's he doing with a full Admiral's insignia?" noted Worf, gruffly.
"Maybe we'll discover that soon enough," Picard responded, understanding his security chief's indignation on the matter.
"Hold it together, Chakotay," Janeway whispered, having taken in the body language of the man in question. Although she could not see his face, she knew that her XO was angry and noted also how Paris stayed close to the Commander. She hoped that B'Elanna wouldn't do anything rash either.
Voyager's Astrometrics:
Chakotay heeded Tom's restraining hand on his arm, his anger growing as the male and his young hostage stood before them, their backs to the area's main double doors.
"I'm assuming it was you, who gave Teero access to Pathfinder and Sek's message to his father - Tuvok," Paris said, his voice even, giving his seated companion time to control his anger that he could feel building in the older male next to him.
"What of it? It failed, did it not?" he sneered.
"Yes and no," he responded calmly; silently signalling his wife to stay put and squeezing Chakotay's arm again to hold him still too. "There were very serious consequences from that insurrection, for all those involved. Leaving a 'Family' our 'Family' unsettled and uneasy," he added, softly. His tone revealed more than what was said, so only those who really knew him and what had taken place on Voyager that day understood.
USS Enterprise - conference lounge:
Janeway felt her breath hitch as she silently recalled what had happened in her Ready Room, at Tom's tone, about their family on that final day. 'Was it really only one day?' she asked herself, it had felt a lot longer. Beverly gently squeezed her arm in understanding. This was obviously a very personal attack on the Voyager crew - Family - the female Doctor silently corrected her thoughts. The two women smiled hesitantly at each other. Picard received a PADD handed to him by an Ensign from the Bridge, whilst silence prevailed over the proceedings on both ships. He nodded his acknowledgement of its contents and the Ensign left. Picard gave it another glance and added something to it before he handed it to Lt. Cmdr. Data. Who read it fully taking in what was written there, including the added information.
"A Double-edged Sword, indeed," he voiced quietly.
"Pass it round, Commander," Picard said.
Voyager's Astrometrics:
Seven quietly checked her board and noted that the signal call had been accepted by the Enterprise, so she knew that others were aware of what was happening here. She was so familiar with the Astrometric console that she didn't really need to physically look at it to know where all the relevant controls were and how they functioned. The older Janeway's face was still showing on the main screen, but Seven's enhanced vision could pick up the faint background visual of the Command crew of the Enterprise in the conference room. Tuvok quirked an eyebrow at her, yet said nothing. Bolstered by that silent endorsement, her manner changed, back straight she fully turned and faced their hostage taker.
"What do you plan to gain from all this?" she asked pointedly.
"Oh, I'm sure you have enough information, to work it out," his tone mocking.
"If I did, I wouldn't be asking," she responded. Making some of her crew mates wary, wondering where she was going with her line of questioning, but they all trusted her. Chakotay had caught her eye as she'd moved to face the Admiral male, her soft smile reassured him and Paris.
"There are so many different persons and tactics involved, it's hard to know which is the more dangerous and what angle these differing plans aim to take and even what the final outcome will be," pausing, hoping that the Admiral would respond. He just grinned amused. Seven stepped forward, allowing both Icheb and Tuvok to stand partly behind her and thus hide the main console from casual view. It revealed that the call signal was routed to two other places, besides the Enterprise.
"Each group had their own agenda, and plans of how to implement them, but I think the main objective was yours, to eliminate your enemies," she began standing in her usual pose, hands tucked behind her. "At Black Rock compound, the Commandant forced myself and my companions to put together a weapon that had a very specific mandate. To seek out a certain type of DNA, not to eliminate it, but to remove all other DNA if it was not found." Her words fell into silence a moment during which Paris frowned at the male and child.
"The child isn't real," Tom whispered in Chakotay's ear. The two males shared puzzled looks.
"The weapon is," Chakotay quietly added.
Seven's voice continued. "Using some of the ancient satellites in orbit of Earth, we discovered that this special DNA is not on Earth or anywhere in Federation Space," she added. "I believe you knew that, but did not enlighten your co-conspirators," she informed.
"That's genocide," said Torres, appalled at the idea.
"Too much for your honour bound culture?!" the Admiral sneered at her, moving a little to one side of the double doors, so he could keep them in front of him.
"B'Elanna!" a male voice commanded, as she took a step towards the Admiral, fists balled.
"At least she has honour. Something you obviously do not," quipped a young male voice.
"Icheb, quiet," Seven said, not looking at him, yet her tone matched that of Cmdr. Chakotay's.
USS Enterprise - conference lounge:
Worf growled his own fists, balling in much the same manner as Torres' had. Everyone at the table was stunned into shocked silence.
"So that's what the President and the Fleet Admiral are keeping under wraps," noted Will Riker, his tone almost echoing the Klingon's growl.
"The question is, why?" asked Beverly, her voice strangled with her shock, not just as a human, but as a medical Doctor and adherent of the Hippocratic oath. Janeway said nothing, still trying to reign in her shock.
"There's something strange about that, Admiral," said La Forge, staring at the male. "He or it is shifting."
As they watched, the 'Admiral' did indeed shift, rising up to the ceiling elongating its humanoid shape and absorbing the child, but the weapon stayed close and very solid. It was as if the creature was stretching to its full limits, before taking on different features, yet still humanoid.
"A Changeling!" stated Data and Tuvok at the same time.
"Kathryn! Is this why and who the Temporal Division wanted you to expose, that they allowed you to assist Voyager in getting home earlier?"
"Yes, and also no, Chakotay," she answered sadly. "I wanted to prevent some deaths from occurring within the crew - Family - and for my old friend to get the medical treatment he required. You could say my motives were purely selfish, to start with."
"Much like yours!" Icheb said, directing his words at the Changeling, who stood looking awkward as a mix of full Bajoran and Founder, the weapon held tightly in his hand.
"What changed, Kathryn?"
"Everything, Chakotay. Everything," her voice filled with tears, yet her eyes were dry.
Voyager's Astrometrics:
"Can you explain?" the Changeling asked, in a voice both Chakotay and B'Elanna recognised, one they'd both heard when in the Maquis on contacting Tevlik's Moonbase.
"You - Arak Katal," said the older Janeway, confirming to the two former Maquis who this person/changeling was, and that it possibly also explained in part who had betrayed their former comrades in arms in the DMZ.
"Have made the same mistake that every nation, individual and society have made in the past, in trying to wipe out their enemies and consolidate their own positions among their people, or so they believe. Be it by weapons of mass destruction, biogenic, chemicals, pathogens, assassinations of prominent persons in power, biological, overuse of destructive elements that caused a build-up of pollution, misuse of planetary resources and the like, you name it most humanoids have tried to eliminant others by any means at their disposal. But the end is always the same, they damage the very things they're trying to protect."
"A double-edged sword!"
"What does that mean?" Arak asked, puzzled, turning to the owner who'd spoken from the area's now open double doors.
"It means that it cuts both ways; to the good and the bad," the EMH said. Standing just behind him was Troi and the two children. The Counsellor kept a tight hold of the two children as on seeing Chakotay, they wanted to join him. The man in question silently signalled them to stay where they were and wait. Eying the male with the very real weapon.
"That doesn't explain why you came back in time," Arak said.
"Although things appeared to be fine in Federation space and the galaxy as a whole," she paused, breathing deep, as if steeling herself for what she said next. Yet it wasn't her voice that spoke:
"Everything was dying."
"Yes, Chakotay. Everything, all life from the microscopic to the largest living plants, on land, sea, air and space."
"Because the main component that was attacked and is fundamental for all life, is…." noted Seven, softly.
"WATER," they all voiced together.
"Including you, Arak Katal." Janeway said. The voice belonged to the younger female of that name as she along with the Enterprise command crew appeared on the screen, the face of the older version disappeared from view.
=/\=
Author notes: This has been a very emotionally traumatic chapter to write.