Quark tosses the naquada coin into the tip jar with a clang as he snickers at the thought of being bribed by a human. His brother Rom sat down on the stool with a smile on his face and looks at the coin that Quark put in the tip jar.
"What you glaring at?" Quark ask his brother.
"That's that brother." Rom ask with excitement.
"What are you talking about, Rom? That's just a coin." Quark says, noticing his brother's excitement. "Shouldn't you be with Lita?"
"Oh, she's with Ziyal at Garak shop to pick out her wedding gown." Rom says with a sigh and a smile, showing his sharp teeth.
"Rom, I don't know what Lita see's in you." Quark says, as he begins to wipe down the counter. "You're like the dumbest Ferengi I know that doesn't have the lobes for business."
Rom is still fixated on the coin and didn't hear what his brother is saying. He turns his head slowly toward Quark and gives him a toothy grin. "Can I have this coin?"
"Sure, the coin is worthless. Never heard of naquada." Quark said as he picks up the coin and toss it to his brother's hand. "Do what you want with it, I don't care." Quark let out a hint frustration after bargaining with the Federation.
"Thanks, brother." Rom grinned as he studied the coin.
"Considered it as your wedding gift." Quark said with a sly grin. "Have you seen the new 4 human?"
"Yes brother," Rom said. "They just arrive from another universe in a ship."
"Really? Why did they come here?" Quark asked, curious.
Rom shrugged. "I don't know brother. Chief O'Brien told me their ships is not like Starfleet vessels." Rom says and pause notice that he told his brother the information that he's not supposed to divulge. "Oops. I said too much."
Quark smirked. "Tell me more." He leaned in closer, his ears perked. "Did they say anything about why they're here?" He glanced around the bar, making sure no one was listening in. "And what makes their ship different from Starfleet vessels?"
"I can't brother, I already said too much." Rom apologized.
Quark took out his datapad and open the banking app. "How about 100 strips of gold press latinum sound?"
"That's okay brother, I don't need the money." Rom smiled, showing his sharp teeth.
"How about a meal on the house." Quark said with a wink. "My treat, Rom. Just tell me what you know about these four humans and their ship." Quark's eyes gleamed with curiosity and excitement, a far cry from his usual predatory gaze in the bar.
Rom hesitated for a moment, clearly torn between his loyalty to his brother and his desire to share the information. "I can't, I told Chief O'Brien to keep quiet. No amount of gold pressed latinum..."
Quark raised an eyebrow. "Alright, how about 1 bar?"
Rom paused, considering the offer. "Well..."
"2 bars and that's my final offer."
"that's okay brother," Rom replied with a smile, "You can keep it." Rom leans in closer and whispers in Quark's ear. "They're here to stop a war from happening in this universe."
"Are you alright Commander?" Benjamin asks Commander Sheppard who seemed to be zoned out for a couple of minutes.
"Yes, Captain." David snapped out of his thoughts, "I'm sorry, I was thinking about my wife."
"I understand, Commander." Sisko nodded sympathetically. "Let's continue with the briefing." He turned to Rodney when someone in Ops interrupted them.
"Captain Sisko sir."
Benjamin taps his commbadge. "Go ahead."
"Sir, we got subspace communication from Cardassia Prime sir."
"Very well, Lieutenant. Put it through." Benjamin says.
A man with black hair, with salt and pepper beard appeared on screen. "Captain Sisko," He said with an Australian accent. "You may not know me, being new to this universe."
"You must be Ba'al." Sisko says with a stoic face. His eyes not leaving the monitor.
Ba'al let out a snicker. "It seems that the Tau'ri found a way to this universe."
"It wasn't easy!" Rodney Mckay interjected. "We had to be stored in a Wraith materializer."
"Isn't it Dr. Rodney Mckay." Ba'al said with a smirk in his face. "I would have thought you died of old age by now."
"Actually it's Petty Officer Rodney Mckay the 3rd with astrophysics doctorate." Rodney pauses for a moment to catch his breath. "Rodney Mckay is my great great grandpa."
"Oh, that' right, it's been 300 years." Ba'al says with a sly smile. "Well, I guess all my nemesis are long gone."
"Who would that be Ba'al?" Sisko ask with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, General Jack O'Neill, President Samantha Carter, President John Sheppard, President Teyla Emmagan Sheppard and General Torren Sheppard."
When Ba'al mention John Sheppard, Commander David Sheppard stood up from his chair and confront the man on the monitor. "You bastard!" He shouted.
"My, I didn't mean to hit a nerve." Ba'al's voice dripped with sarcasm. "I didn't expect the Tau'ri Federation send a Seal team to this universe." Ba'al pauses for a moment. "How is your wife Amanda Clark?"
"How would you know that?" Commander Sheppard's face turned red with anger.
"I'm a god." Ba'al said. "I'm all knowing."
Everyone in the room rolls their eyes when Ba'al proclaimed that he is a god, a deity.
"Oh please," Rodney said sarcastically. "You're no god. You're just a power-hungry bastard who thinks the universe revolves around you. But guess what? The universe doesn't give a damn about you, so why should we?"
"What do you want Ba'al?" Captain Sisko asked calmly, not giving into anger.
"Your total surrender, not your surrender." Ba'al eyes glows for a moment and his voice modulated deep. "I want the Federation surrender to me."
"If we don't surrender?" Captain Sisko asked.
"I heard Betazed is nice this time of the year." Ba'al said with amusement. "But you are wondering how I end up in this universe?"
"I thought about it." Sisko said. "Then there's more questions than answers."
Before Ba'al could reply, Sif; the artificial intelligence shimmers and appears on top of the table. Her huge black oval eyes as stare at Commander Sheppard.
"Excuse me Commander Sheppard, Captain Sisko." SIf said in a feminine yet mechanical voice.
"Yes Sif?" Both said in unison.
Captain Sisko turn to the monitor. "Sorry Ba'al." He said as he turns off communication with Ba'al.
"The anchor is at 100 percent." Sif reported. She is referring to the anchor to pinpoint the exact location of the universe they are in for the Alternate Reality Drive lock onto.
"I don't understand?" Captain Sisko said.
"I do," Commander Sheppard said. "The fleet will be here any minute now."
Outside of the station, the space around it begins to change as a bright flash of light engulfs the Bajoran space. A few kilometers away from the Cardassian turned Starfleet's outpost.
Outside of the station, the space around it begins to change as a bright flash of light fills the star system. A single ship appears, it's 1600 meters long, 825 meters in height and 985 meters in width. The arrow shape ship with it's gray metallic hull with a name USS Nathan James emblazoned across it's bow. Hanger bays on it's port and starboard open revealing over a dozen ships berth inside.
Inside the bridge of the Nathan James, Admiral Tom Chandler stands at the holographic plotter alongside Admiral Slattery, Captain Kara Green watches as the shift to alternate universe is complete. The holographic plotter begins to show real time data of the current universe they are in including the map of the galaxy, then an image of space station that looks somewhat familiar.
"Sir, the alternate reality drive is offline." Commander Granderson reported.
Captain Kara Green nodded and approached the two admiral who are intrigued by the sight of the space station they are seeing on the holographic plotter. "Sir, all are green."
"That station looks familiar." Admiral Chandler says as he crosses his arms.
"Yeah," Slattery says as took a bite of the cigar. "like deja vu?"
"No," Tom Chandler says. "like a classic science fiction show on television."
Slattery squints his eyes and glance at his friend and let out a snicker. "We're living in one. What show?"
"I think he meant Star Trek." Commander Granderson said as the holographic plotter shows the movement of oldly looking green ships protecting the space station.
"Hail the station Lt. Roshanak " Captain Green ordered the 30 something Iranian officer.
"Yes ma'am." Lieutenant Roshanak replied. She nodded and started working on the hail.
"This is the USS Nathan James of the Tau'ri Federation."
The viewscreen flicker to life as a bald, middle-aged black man with a black goatee appeared. In the background, they could see Commander David Sheppard, Petty Officer/Doctor Rodney Mckay, Lt. Green and Lt Chen.
"This is Captain Benjamin Sisko of the United Federation of planets. We've been expecting you."
Captain Sisko nods. "Permission granted. Don't worry, the Klingons won't bite." He says with a hint of humor before the screen flickers off.
Admiral Chandler turns back to the bridge crew, a smile on his face. "Well, it looks like we're not the only ones who got the memo. Let's get our fleet deployed and see what we can do about this problem."