Star Trek: Reign Of Terror

Chapter V: That Which Survives

U.S.S. Yellowjacket, Azimuth City Spaceport

Sisko had been watching silently and with complete admiration for over ten minutes as Odo utilized his shapeshifting ability to carefully explore every nook and cranny of the Yellowjacket's interior. Reverting to his natural, orange-colored, semi-liquid state the extremely astonishing Changeling stretched himself as thin as he could so that he could thoroughly probe every crack and crevice. He explored the edges of the windshield that comprised the runabout's cockpit first and then the computer consoles to both port and starboard. A brief check of the ceiling and floor plating left him no closer to finding a way out. Even if the cabin hadn't been completely sealed against atmospheric leaks, Data had left everything locked down with emergency forcefields during his hasty departure.

Eventually Odo moved into the passenger compartment, relentlessly searching its interior as thoroughly as he had checked out the cockpit. The access hatchway to the engineering compartment was completely sealed and he found not even the slightest trace of a gap to exploit. Finally the pool of flowing orange fluid rippled upward and slowly began solidifying into a vaguely humanoid shape. The expression that finally appeared on Odo's mostly human features was one of complete and utter frustration. "I thought the hatches on space vessels were supposed to be equipped with explosive bolts so that a jammed door could be blown open in an emergency situation," he reminded Sisko. "Why don't we just do that?"

The Commander chuckled and shook his head. "All consoles remain dark and fully powered down. I have no access to any of the electronic functions on this ship... even the minor, secondary ones."

Odo refused to give up. "What about manual controls?" he asked next. "Isn't there a backup system that can be operated by hand? If all power is truly shut down, then we should still be able to use the manual interface to open an exit hatch ourselves."

"All access hatchways - including the main exit - have been electronically locked tight," pointed out Sisko. "That part of the system our android friend has left fully operational. We can work those hand-operated controls until we're exhausted, but none of them will open anything."

Silence prevailed momentarily as the shapeshifter's mind sorted through additional possibilities. "Computer... respond!" he shouted commandingly. Glancing irritably toward the ceiling and then to the dimly lit consoles in front of Sisko, Odo's anger continued to grow. "Computer!" he said forcefully, his tone insistent. Again he waited for a few seconds before finally glaring at the Commander. "Do something!" he suggested emphatically. "Don't just sit there with that... smile... on your face."

Sisko responded by picking up a tricorder and activating it. "If you insist Constable, I will run another scan." He waved the electronically chirping device casually around the cockpit area. "See?" he said finally, turning the device so that Odo could read its small screen. "You and I are stuck here until..."

Abruptly the cabin lights flashed suddenly back on and Sisko hesitated with the remainder of his response. Behind him the consoles all lit up simultaneously with all power fully restored; the Commander swiveled instantly in his seat and began checking the status indicators. In one hand the tricorder continued to whir with activity, still scanning the immediate vicinity. A low rumble resounded powerfully through the runabout's interior as its maneuvering thrusters powered up. Glancing out the forward cockpit, Sisko noticed that - completely automated and without any intervention on his part - the Yellowjacket was gracefully lifting off from its docking pad and suddenly accelerating forward through the darkened night sky of Denali Prime.

"What's going on?" asked Odo inquisitively, moving forward so that he too could look at the console displays. "How are you doing that with just a tricorder?"

The Commander looked down at the still active device in his right hand and studied its newly gathered data with interest. "I'm not doing anything," he admitted. "The computer still has me completely locked out. However, the tricorder detected an incoming signal less than thirty seconds ago... a transmission with a positronic signature."

The shapeshifter nodded. "Data has some sort of remote control access to this vessel."

"I think Data has some sort of neural interface that links him directly to this ship's main computer," Sisko corrected him, smiling grimly. "I seriously doubt he even needs a remote control."

"When he gets back here..." Odo trailed off, his stern-faced expression still filled with anger.

"Something tells me that he's not coming back," replied Sisko. "In fact, if I had to guess I would say that he is bringing us to him."

As though reading his mind, the Comm-station next to his left hand lit up, and a small violet indicator began blinking rapidly to indicate the reception of an incoming Starfleet encoded transmission. "Data to Commander Sisko... are you there Commander?"

The Commander placed his fingers onto the touchpad and acknowledged the hail. "Sisko here."

"I sincerely apologize for my abrupt departure," Data informed them, his voice crackling slightly with mild electronic distortion. "And I promise to explain everything once all of this is over. For now I ask that you trust my judgment... there is a lot happening here tonight and we must act quickly."

"Apology accepted... pending that explanation," Sisko responded with a hard edged tone to his voice. "You're on a very short leash Mr. Data. I would strongly recommend that you not test my patience any further. Odo and I are - as you might expect - a little bit angry with you right now."

"It is not my intention to cause trouble," the android reassured them. "In fact, I require your assistance. Full control of the Yellowjacket is being released back to you as we speak. If you maintain your present heading, the runabout will pass over my position in less than thirty seconds. As you do, I will initiate a site-to-site transport. My companions and I are tracking an alien life form that boarded the Ha'Husia and attacked Dr. Bashir. The thief has taken the Delacon-G, and if we can catch him I am fairly certain that the guilty party will be able to answer a lot of our questions. However, this alien has demonstrated an unexpected ability to fly and has therefore managed to elude us for the moment."

Sisko grabbed the steering controls and discovered instantly that Data was true to his word. He had full control of the speedy runabout and continued flying in a southerly direction. Glancing out the windows he noticed that the busy landing area was almost devoid of its normal bustling activity. Until the darkness of the night eased, everyone was either guarding the cargo in their ships or taking a rowdy tour of Azimuth City's infamous nightlife. The intermittent glow from an array of scattered street lights was the only indicator as to just how many vessels were parked beneath them.

Data had left the Yellowjacket's thrusters at a setting that was gradually decreasing their velocity, so Sisko made no changes as he took over the piloting duties. Seconds later four columns of brilliantly lit transporter energy temporarily filled the passenger compartment before solidifying into very familiar, recognizable humanoid forms. For the moment, only Chief O'Brien realized that Tom Paris had failed to materialize along with the rest of them.

Glancing over his shoulder Sisko immediately noticed Bashir and the cold pack that the Doctor continued to hold against the back of his head. "Are you all right Doctor?" he asked with genuine concern reflected in his eyes.

"Aye sir, I am," Bashir acknowledged with a wan smile, grateful for the concern. "However, our effort to lure our enemy out into the open was a successful one. Apparently someone wants our supply of perishable medications badly enough to risk boarding and robbing a fully staffed cargo ship."

Data moved into the cockpit and sat down in the empty chair to Sisko's left. "Chief O'Brien has also had a busy night... and an encounter with our unknown murderer," he informed the Commander briskly. "I believe the Chief was threatened as a diversionary tactic, so that the accompanying gravitational disturbance would draw attention away from the Ha'Husia's Sickbay." As he spoke, Data's eyes met Odo's. "I know you are angry, but badly need your assistance Constable." He handed Chief O'Brien's tricorder to the still agitated shapeshifter. "Please take this information and give it to Lieutenant Dax. I am also analyzing its data even as we speak, but you must assist her and Major Kira in a thorough investigation of your own so that we can more fully determine specifically what kind of alien appeared tonight in the Captain's quarters. I'm sure you will agree that the cargo ship's internal sensors are wholly inadequate for such a task."

Odo looked up at him with obvious dismay. "How am I supposed to assist Dax and Major Kira if I'm here and they..."

The Constable's words faded rapidly to nothing as a bright blue column of transporter energy seized him and beamed him back aboard the parked Ha'Husia below. Nodding confidently at Sisko, Data took over control of the Yellowjacket and once again angled their small ship due south, accelerating its thrusters quickly to a higher speed. The runabout roared across the night sky at a steadily increasing velocity, swiftly leaving behind the docking area and moving steadily outward as it rapidly left the spaceport in its wake. Below them a large sprawling urban area appeared... it was immediately obvious that the southern edge of the city limits was ringed with hundreds of expensive, private residential homes. A majority of the citizens on Denali Prime worked in the planet's trade industry and were therefore extremely wealthy as a direct result of those efforts.

Sisko's anger finally exploded. "Now just one damned minute," he growled heatedly, glaring at the android. "I want an explanation right now, Mr. Data, before we go any farther with this. You don't just take over a situation like this with a superior officer sitting next to you. For starters it's not very..."

Data ignored Sisko and activated the subspace transceiver on the pilot's console. "Data to Commander Ducane, respond please," he said, continuing to track the fleeing alien life form as he spoke. "Commander, are you receiving this transmission?"

"Affirmative." From his position in the 29th century, Ducane had no way to determine who was currently with Data and was therefore extremely hesitant to say anything else... even during a simple voice communication.

"Please lock onto the bio-sign seated to my right and beam Commander Sisko into the future. Give him an immediate tour of the Relativity and run him through the exact same orientation process that you used with Chief O'Brien and Dr. Bashir. I am uploading details from the latest gravimetric disturbance during tonight's encounter aboard the Ha'Husia. Feel free to take the necessary time to review that information with the Commander as well."

"Acknowledged."

Sisko's expression transitioned instantaneously from anger to puzzlement at the sound of the new voice. "Who is that?" he asked curiously. "What in the hell is going on here Data?"

"You are about to receive that explanation I promised you," the android replied. Both O'Brien and Bashir watched with mild amusement as the bright blue transporter beam from the Relativity surrounded the Commander and promptly swept him forward into the 29th century.

Data smiled at the two of them and then fixed his gaze firmly on Captain Janeway. "I hope that he can find a way to forgive me," he stated with obvious sincerity. "I truly did not want the Commander involved in this matter... the situation is rapidly becoming extremely perilous for all of us and any wrong move on our part threatens to de-stabilize the entire timeline."

"My sincere belief is that he will understand, once Commander Ducane explains the situation to him," the Voyager Captain replied firmly. "I remember my first visit to the Relativity, and I can say with great sincerity that a tour of that Timeship of yours is truly an eye-opening experience."

"Where did Paris go?" asked O'Brien curiously. "He never transported up with us."

The android nodded in response. "We do not need him any longer, so I deactivated his holographic program and am in the process of uploading his matrix to the Relativity's main computer. If anyone else asks, our story will be that Tom Paris left us to go looking for work in the Azimuth City spaceports."

"This 'beaming through time' capability is an impressive technological achievement," decided the Chief, admiration obvious in his voice. "That is, the manner in which you can move people and information back and forth through time so easily. The tactical advantage it gives you is enormous."

Janeway watched the android Captain curiously, noticing that Data volunteered nothing about his decision to leave Odo behind. Accessing their shared thoughts, she realized with sudden clarity that the shapeshifter's presence was yet another example of how complicated matters had become. If Odo discovered anything significant about the visitors from the 29th century or the existence of the Preserver subspace network, the eventual links he would make with other members of his race threatened to give away critical information and directly impact the coming Federation war with the Dominion.

Data's mission to this century was intended to put a stop to the timeline tampering already in progress, not initiate additional actions that would have even darker consequences down the road when Odo inevitably joined his consciousness to the group link shared by his people. The shapeshifter cannot know... the words floated up from the depths of Data's positronic subconscious, instinctively warning him about the looming danger ahead. The shapeshifter must never know about any of this.

As though reading his mind, the Doctor spoke up regarding that very subject. "Odo isn't going to be very happy with you," pointed out Dr. Bashir. "He's already upset about the presence of Michael Eddington on Deep Space Nine. He doesn't think we trust him with security any longer, and your nasty habit of constantly beaming people back and forth without permission isn't likely to impress him much. I've seen the Constable upset before, and - trust me - he is very angry with you right now."

The android listened to the Doctor's words and shrugged indifferently. "We are not here to recruit everyone to our cause or nurture their hurt feelings. We are here to correct an unexplained temporal incursion that has the potential to alter the course of the future for much of the Alpha Quadrant." He returned his attention to the cockpit and its view of the darkened, rolling hills of prairie passing beneath them. "I have pinpointed our unknown alien life form," he continued, shrugging aside other matters as unimportant for the moment. "I say we catch our thief and interrogate him."

Flying high in the dark night sky surrounding them, the Yellowjacket continued its relentless, breakneck journey toward the south.

U.S.S. Relativity, Alpha Quadrant, in the 29th Century

Commander Sisko watched the brash, dark-haired Thomas Joseph Ducane curiously, doing his best to size the man up. The two of them were seated opposite each other in front of a large, oval-shaped table in the center of a small conference room. The table surface was ebony black with a shine that reflected the room's medium intensity lighting from above. Bright, shining stars drifted idly past the windows in the background while the two men remained silent for a moment, mentally reviewing the lengthy exchange that had just concluded.

Finally, Ducane smiled darkly and shrugged his shoulders. "Unfortunately that's about all we know at this point," he said with obvious frustration. "Someone is definitely altering our history, but there is absolutely no evidence of a temporal incursion. Until now, we haven't even had this much to go on." He pointed to the paused image on the room's central viewscreen - a recorded shot from O'Brien's tricorder of the looming, menacing cloaked presence that had somehow interrupted his slumber. Its flaming red eyes were brilliantly lit, peering out from within the hood that shrouded its unseen features from view.

Sisko placed his face in the palms of his hands and softly massaged his tired eyes. "I don't know what to tell you," he admitted. "And I don't know what to tell Captain Data, for that matter. I had no choice but to confront him, since his behavior was so obviously over the line. He left me no choice but to pull rank on him." Shaking his head, the Deep Space Nine Commander chuckled. "Now, if I had known that Data was actually the senior officer, then obviously events might have taken place much differently..." he trailed off and glanced with amusement at Ducane. "How do you people manage to keep all of this straight?" he asked with sincere curiosity. "If I understand you correctly, you recruited an older version of me a year ago in your own past to resolve an entirely different matter. So that's why you were reluctant to contact me again on this occasion?"

"One year ago, our target point was about three - possibly four - years in what will be your future," nodded Ducane. "We needed a link with Bajor's Prophets, and since you are a member of Starfleet as well as Emissary for the Bajorans, the decision made perfect sense. As a Starfleet veteran, you also possess a great deal of combat experience at that point, having helped lead the Federation through some very perilous times. Don't ask me to elaborate further, because I'm not permitted to give out specifics."

Sisko's frustration boiled over. "So who is doing it this time? Just who the hell can change Starfleet history without the use of time travel? How is that even possible?"

The words seemed to hang in the air, as if waiting for an immediate response. Ducane had already tried and failed to find an explanation, so he took a moment to pause and returned his thoughts once again to the possibilities he had already reviewed and rejected on multiple occasions. "I honestly don't know Commander Sisko," he replied tersely. "We have been able to confirm that the changes are occurring in direct synchronization with normal events taking place in what is currently your present. Alterations are being introduced, but so far each of them has occurred one after the other in a linear fashion that precisely matches the standard flow of time. This has been an advantage for our side and has allowed us to place Captain Data directly on site. Interacting with your crew in the past, he can learn far more than our scans of the timeline and historical records alone would ever reveal."

"What happens if one man is not enough?" wondered Sisko.

"We have all kinds of options available to us, which is why - on this occasion - we have chosen to utilize holograms of Captain Janeway and Tom Paris. If it becomes necessary, I can also order this entire ship into the past and observe events from the Relativity while it remains cloaked and out of phase with normal space/time. However, that is generally done only when we are conducting a detailed historical analysis of a specific event that requires the use of all of our resources. It is against the rules to get 'caught', and if we are visiting the past there is always the possibility that someone will detect our presence. Our temporal cloaking system is extremely sophisticated, but nothing is ever perfect." He chuckled with forced amusement. "Particularly with beings like the 'Q' running around."

"Explain to me one more time exactly what Data is doing 'on site'," Sisko requested.

Ducane smiled wryly. "As I stated, the timeline changes are occurring one after the other, in linear sequence." He looked Sisko directly in the eyes with a grim expression that conveyed the seriousness of the matter. "In one altered timeline, our records clearly show that Chief O'Brien and two members of your security team died during the airlock explosion near the Ha'Husia while it was docked at your station," he stated matter of factly. "Whoever boarded that ship and frightened its First Officer was not supposed to be there, and his presence - along with the gravimetric distortions it brings - led directly to the death of three people who should have lived. Our records of the original timeline clearly show that. If Data had not directly intervened during the incident there, you would have lost O'Brien and all of his abilities long before he was supposed to have died."

Sisko waited for a moment as Ducane paused. "And?" he said finally, prompting the Commander.

The Relativity Commander frowned noticeably before continuing. "Data's mission has two primary objectives, the first of which is to identify specifically how history is being altered. His second goal is to show up at key points that we feed to him from our position here in the future. When we detect a change that radically alters the future, I transmit the information to the Captain and he makes certain to intervene. Saving O'Brien's life is just one example of how Data's presence and actions in your time are undoing much of the damage as it takes place."

"What about the related murders on Bajor, and in the DMZ?"

"Other Timeships in our fleet are on stand by in case we need to place additional agents in your timeframe," Ducane told him. "Thus far events at Deep Space Nine have had the biggest impact on history, so my colleagues on other vessels have not been nearly as busy as we have."

"You've been lucky." Sisko's words sounded like an accusation, not at all what he had intended.

Again silence temporarily filled the room as the two men paused briefly. "Now that you know the entire story, I could really use your help Commander," admitted Ducane.

"That's exactly what Captain Data told me." Sisko's expression remained impassive and unreadable for a moment. "What do you want me to do?" he asked finally.

Ducane nodded, already smiling with gratitude as he tapped the Comm-badge on his chest lightly. "We're ready Lieutenant," he said with obvious relief.

The door behind him snapped open and a short, attractive blonde woman entered the room. In one hand she held what looked like two Comm-badges, the first of which was identical to Sisko's. The second one matched the shape and design of Commander Ducane's communicator. The Lieutenant carefully placed both devices on the table and handed Ducane what looked like one of Sisko's collar pips. "We're ready whenever you are sir," she told him confidently.

"Commander Benjamin Sisko, this is my colleague... Lt. Jessica Ingram," said Ducane, waving a hand in acknowledgement at her. "She is the undeniably the best temporal scientist we could hope to have on our side in a situation like this."

"The Commander is being extremely gracious," responded Ingram with light sarcasm in her tone. "Which usually means he wants something... another double shift out of me perhaps?"

"Not this time... not if you've done your usual efficient job," Ducane responded. He carefully inspected the collar pip, making certain that everything looked undamaged. When he was satisfied that it was indeed intact and functional, he tossed it into the air. The small device flashed several times, reflecting the room's lighting as it whirled through the air. It arced over the table and - as soon as it descended back to the height of the table surface - the image of Tom Paris flickered instantly into existence. Tom was holding the mobile emitter in his left hand and promptly attached the newly activated mechanism to the collar of his civilian tunic.

"Data has no further need for me, but he wants the Commander and the Ha'Husia to return to Deep Space Nine as soon as possible," Paris informed them, shifting his gaze directly to Sisko. "That way, Captain Data will be able to continue his investigation in the demilitarized zone without us having to place another agent in the past."

"What can I possibly do?" asked Sisko curiously. "Other than pretend everything is normal, that is?"

"Returning immediately to Deep Space Nine will deny our opponent his cargo, and will allow you and Odo an opportunity to lock down the entire station," continued Paris. "The enemy wants and apparently needs gravitons in order to function, so all cargo vessels currently carrying gravitational generators should be held indefinitely and not permitted to leave."

"That's likely to bring our opponent roaring back to confront us," observed Sisko. "Based on everything we've seen thus far, he is likely to be very angry and that will be dangerous to everyone aboard DS9. There are a lot of extra people under my command lately, most of which are Starfleet engineering teams working on our weapons upgrades."

Ducane nodded at Ingram and she smiled in reply before carefully handing Sisko the Comm-badge identical to the one that he currently wore. "Replace your normal communicator with this one until this crisis has been resolved," she told him. "It has an extra feature that will connect you directly to our Comm-system here in the 29th century. As we have done with Captain Data, we can contact and alert you whenever anything significant is about to happen. Changes in your century ripple forward very quickly to ours, at which point our main computer immediately feeds us the updated telemetry. Whenever a crisis is about to occur, we will warn you and place you in position well before it happens."

Sisko nodded. "That will be very helpful," he agreed, accepting the device.

"Be very careful until we discover who or what we're up against," said Ducane sharply. "We have not yet determined whether or not our opponent knows about us. If he can see through time and observe us here in the 29th century, the method of attack may change."

"That's what will be most difficult for me," admitted Sisko. "I am not a temporal agent like Captain Data. So how the hell am I supposed to know what to look for. And if I feel the need to contact you, how do I know what questions are important and which are not?" He held up the new Comm-badge and examined its gold plating carefully. "Do I call you every time I'm tempted to hesitate... each time I'm unsure what to do? Or do I simply react as I normally would during any other crisis?" He focused his gaze directly on Ducane. "You've given me an overview of who you are and what you do, but very little specifics. So you'll forgive me if I'm a little bit skeptical about all of this."

Ducane nodded. "That's why I'm giving you this too," he declared, shoving the second, 29th century Comm-badge slowly across the table. "This looks like one of our communicators, but it is actually a mobile emitter similar to the one Tom Paris is wearing. If you need to talk to somebody, we have created a hologram for you to consult... someone who has worked with us before and who has the good judgment needed to act as your ally in all of this. Other than O'Brien and Bashir, you must not speak with anyone else in your timeline about any of these events. To do so would risk altering the future."

"We'll make certain you have advance notice if something major is in the works," Lt. Ingram reassured him. "But if you need to talk to someone... anyone... then this hologram should help you out. The personality matrix is a 99.99945% match with the original human." She smiled dryly. "Unfortunately, there is only so much information we are legally allowed to share with you, particularly since you will be recruited again. The next time you are transported aboard the Relativity, I strongly recommend that you feign ignorance and pretend you've never met us before."

"Which - from our point of view - was approximately one year ago," Ducane sighed heavily. "I know how bizarre and complicated this all sounds... how stupid it must seem..."

"Wonderful." Sisko glanced closely at the horizontal alignment of the badge's logo, a design similar to but very different than the traditional look he was used to. "I strongly suggest that Data start behaving more like a second officer from the Enterprise if he expects to 'blend in'. His actions so far have been much more controlling and Captain-like than he realizes."

"Tell him that," suggested Ducane. "We're sending you directly back to the Yellowjacket."

Sisko rose from his seat and glanced briefly at the Paris hologram. "Up until recently, I was convinced we were dealing with the usual smugglers and simple revenge killings," he informed them. "I never in my wildest dreams envisioned a scenario like this one."

U.S.S. Yellowjacket, On the surface of Denali Prime

Commander Ducane swiftly followed through on his promise to return Benjamin Sisko to the Yellowjacket. As Sisko materialized in a small area behind the cockpit, the first thing he noticed was that the runabout had landed. The second thing that caught his attention was the prisoner confined inside a fully powered forcefield... an alien life form apparently captured during his absence. Relieved to be back in the 24th century, he moved back into the passenger cabin to examine the alien more closely.

"It's okay Mr. Data," Sisko reassured the android. "Your Commander Ducane was quite thorough." The android Captain nodded respectfully back at him. The two of them, along with Janeway, O'Brien and Bashir, promptly returned their attention to their new prisoner.

The alien was extremely skinny and very tall - quite obviously an insectoid life form of some sort. Its body - fully extended - stretched nearly two and a half meters in length. Within the confining interior of the runabout, it had been forced to hunch over. The creature stood awkwardly on its lower two legs while the other four arm-like appendages probed constantly along the edges of the forcefield as it meticulously searched for a method of escape. The smaller, upper portion of its body was bright blue with black stripes and - although its longer tail was similarly colored with blue - the longer portion of its body contained a scattering of dark black spots. Periodically the life form would pause briefly to examine each of them with the large, dark compound eyes located on either side of its head. Even though there was no discernible facial expression, the intense gaze coming from so large of a creature was somewhat intimidating to the humans. Along its back were two pairs of retracted, translucent wings... obviously the method it had used to fly and initially elude them.

Flashes of emerald light briefly lit up the cabin, accompanied by an electronic buzz each time the creature touched the powerful force field holding it prisoner. "What is it?" asked O'Brien carefully, keeping his distance even though the alien was so obviously confined. "What is that thing?"

Bashir was scanning the alien thoroughly with a medical tricorder. "It's not a thing," he said a bit irritably, correcting the Chief. "It's admittedly not a traditional, bipedal humanoid life form but this is definitely a highly evolved, sentient being."

"The life form is a Zygopterran insectoid," said Data calmly after accessing the needed information from his internal memory. His mind was still linked with the Preserver network, giving him access to substantially more information, but so far he had not required anything additional to what was already available to him. "It is more commonly known as a Zygot. Fossil records obtained by Starfleet probes visiting its home world in the Gamma Quadrant have all indicated that this creature has supposedly been extinct for hundreds of centuries. It is very similar to Earth's damsel fly, but on a much larger scale. I never expected to see a live one; so far Starfleet scientists have had to content themselves with the study of fossil records in order to learn anything useful about this life form."

The Chief snorted with mild amusement. "What the hell is this one doing on Denali Prime?" he asked suspiciously.

Watching the creature carefully, Sisko could see that it was obviously frightened. Its four arm-like appendages continued to stab repeatedly at the force field barrier surrounding it, lighting up the runabout's interior with intermittent flashes of soft green light. "That's a very good question," he commented as his eyes drifted to the briefcase of Delacon-G still tightly strapped to the shoulder of one of the Zygot's upper arms. "Apparently at least one of its goals has been to steal medication from the Ha'Husia's pharmacy, and it didn't mind assaulting our Doctor to get what it wanted."

Chittering nervously, the Zygot continued to struggle frantically within the force field barrier as its agitation continued to escalate. Bright flares of green energy lit up the rectangular walls of its small prison, frustrating the alien even more. "It is definitely a Zygopterran," acknowledged Bashir, snapping the whirring tricorder closed with a snap. "And that steady clicking noise that it makes is undoubtedly some sort of intelligent, insectoid language."

"I wonder what it's saying..." O'Brien smiled dryly. "'Let me out of here', perhaps?"

"I am trying to determine that now... please stand by." Utilizing his neural link, Data activated the Yellowjacket's universal translator... a device much more sophisticated than the simple database built into standard, 24th century communicators. He also used his neural link to tie directly into the language database concealed within the Preserver network, and without telling the others quickly downloaded the information needed to translate the Zygot's speech patterns. Within seconds the runabout's main computer received the information needed to decipher the strange, odd clicks of the alien language.

"Please...you must release me immediately..." The strange, odd chattering of the alien suddenly transitioned into a strange, shrill-like voice that appeared to have no gender. "The longer I stay here... the more dangerous it becomes for my people. The Overseer will be angry."

Chief O'Brien snorted loudly. "Overseer? Is your Overseer the thing that woke me up earlier?"

Light laughter came from Janeway's direction. "Again with the 'thing' reference Chief," she said, shaking her head at his obvious emotional state.

Momentarily baffled by the situation, Ben Sisko placed his hands on his hips and simply stared at the alien creature. "Your people... are extinct," he told the Zygot emphatically, watching its tall, spindly body slowly hunch farther down toward the floor as it abandoned its attempts to escape. Its wings fluttered briefly and started to emerge from their inert position along its back, buzzing loudly before once again slowing to a stop and retracting. "You have stolen from us," the Commander continued. "You have taken medication that requires constant refrigeration. If you don't return it to us immediately, its potency will decay much more quickly and it will no longer be usable."

"My people... need... this medication... they are dying..."

His unflappable inquisitive nature also awakened by what he saw, Captain Data stepped forward with a busy tricorder electronically whirring in his right hand. "Where exactly are your people dying?" he asked curiously. "According to our records they no longer exist. We have never before encountered your species." He studied the data closely, instantly processing the new information as he spoke.

"Please... My people... need... this medication... do not take it away."

"Where were you taking the medication?" Data persisted. "Where are your people?"

"I have a ship nearby... and will take you to them. You can follow me, but only if you promise to help." The Zygot continued to speak, but its remaining words were perceptible only as the familiar clicks and chirps that it had made during its initial attempt to converse.

O'Brien chuckled at the sudden flood of indecipherable noise. "What does that nonsense mean?" he asked, his brow furrowing with puzzlement.

"The Zygot is giving me coordinates that match the location of its home world in the Gamma Quadrant," replied Data, shifting his gaze back to Sisko.

"Which, according to Starfleet records, is deserted," the Commander added.

"The Dominion nearly destroyed my people... they did not succeed... we have survived..."

"Our records seem to indicate otherwise," countered Janeway.

"This is a most curious development that we find ourselves faced with." Data continued scanning the creature thoroughly, even though Doctor Bashir seemed content for the moment to simply watch it.

Sisko also studied the strange, odd alien life form. Its arms and legs had now gone still while it waited for a reply. "Could this entity have somehow been displaced here... transported to this point in time from somewhere in our past?" he wondered.

Data activated his Comm-badge. "Data to Commander Ducane, respond please."

"Affirmative... this is Ducane."

"Commander, has the Relativity detected recent temporal incursions of any kind in this sector?"

There was a pause as Data's First Officer took a moment to double-check with someone on his end of the transmission. "We keep scanning sir, but so far there is nothing detectable... nothing since the incursion created by your initial arrival."

"Acknowledged." Data terminated the transmission and returned his attention to Sisko. "Did the Paris hologram relay my message to you regarding the quarantine of Deep Space Nine?"

The Commander nodded. "Paris indicated that you want me to take the Ha'Husia back to the station and quarantine every ship with gravity-related equipment on board. That could be very dangerous for my crew... most of whom will not know the full story behind what is happening."

"Unfortunately, we do not have many alternatives available to us," countered Data. He studied the Zygot curiously for a moment. "I intend to free the alien and follow him back to his planet," he informed Sisko. "I would appreciate it if you could return and control the situation at Deep Space Nine. I would also be extremely grateful if you would allow Chief O'Brien and Doctor Bashir to accompany me."

The Commander raised an eyebrow as both O'Brien and Bashir turned toward Data in shock and simultaneously said, "What?"

"All right," Sisko decided. "Dax, Odo, the Major and I will take the Ha'Husia back to Deep Space Nine and look into the sales history of gravimetric generators in this sector. We'll do our best to stop the flow of them into the DMZ and buy you some time."

Immediately the Zygot resumed its clicking and chirping. "The Overseer will be very angry when it does not get its equipment... you are unwise to anger it."

"We will follow this life form to his planet and see if there is anything interesting to be found there," said Data, choosing to ignore their prisoner's commentary for the moment.

"Ducane's briefing included a preliminary analysis of what happened to Chief O'Brien earlier tonight," said Sisko. "This Overseer apparently has the ability to appear at any location it chooses. There will likely be danger where you are going too, especially if you manage to turn up anything useful."

"An investigation is the only way to determine specifically what is going on," pointed out Janeway. "I'd like to ride along too... I'm less vulnerable to injury than your two colleagues here." She waved a hand casually toward Chief O'Brien and Dr. Bashir.

Sisko examined Data's tricorder, noticing the coordinates of the Zygopterran home world displayed on its small screen. "The Dominion will likely attack anything that enters the Gamma Quadrant," he observed cautiously.

"I can cloak the Yellowjacket so that even Jem'Hadar sensors will not detect it," responded the android.

"We can't cross time and space as quickly as you can," protested Sisko. "We rely on the wormhole and good old fashioned warp drive, so if you end up needing assistance it will take us quite some time to reach you in the Defiant."

"If we need help, I will summon Commander Ducane and have him bring the Relativity back to this timeframe," promised Data. "Like your small, over-powered starship, my vessel also has significant firepower."

"Keep in touch, regardless of what happens." Sisko requested, jerking a thumb in the direction of O'Brien and Bashir. "I rely pretty heavily on those two, even if I occasionally give them a rough time."

"I will do everything in my power to keep them safe," Data promised, turning back to the Zygot. The creature watched him carefully with its large, unblinking compound eyes. "We have decided to let you go. In exchange, you will allow us to follow you to your home world and assist us in gathering additional information about you and your people."

"Yes... yes, I agree... I must return with the medication."

The android nodded. "Matters are settled then."

"I wish I could explain all of this to Keiko and Molly," mused O'Brien. "It would be a great story and they'd love to hear it." He took careful note of the bland expression on Data's face and his complete lack of reaction, smiling reassuringly. "I won't of course, but it would be nice if I could."