Star Trek: Reign Of Terror

Chapter XIII: The City On The Edge Of Forever

Deep Space Nine, Promenade, Stardate 48252.6

Keiko O'Brien paused briefly near the edge of the Promenade as she noticed Karg, the Klingon restaurant owner, waving for her attention. The burly alien nodded upon successfully catching her eye and pointed toward one of the empty tables near a corner of his restaurant. He shrugged his shoulders and frowned at her, indicating that he didn't totally know how to handle whatever situation was developing. Moving closer toward the partially concealed table in question, Keiko was surprised to hear the sound of children's voices.

"What's going on?" inquired Chief O'Brien's wife suspiciously, dropping to one knee so that she could peer beneath the table surface. The faces of Jake, Nog, and her very own Molly looked back up at her expectantly. Her pretty Asian features crinkled into an expression of concern as she recognized the infamous trio. "Everyone has heard about these ongoing pranks of yours," she cautioned the children. "And I thought that we had all agreed that you would find something more productive to do with your time. Otherwise I can always restore a regular class schedule until this latest crisis has passed."

"We're not playing pranks this time, Ms. O'Brien," stated Jake firmly, putting one arm reassuringly around little Molly's shoulders.

Next to Sisko's son, Nog nodded his head in total agreement. "Honest, we're not," he insisted. "None of us felt safe in our quarters, so we all decided to come here and pass the time watching all the people."

Keiko crossed her arms. "You don't feel safe?" she repeated slowly, unsure yet as to whether the boys were pulling her leg or not. "Karg has been telling everyone stories that might indicate otherwise... it sounds like you enjoy playing jokes on him."

Jake briefly glanced down at the floor before responding. "We have played jokes," he admitted readily. "But not since we heard about the deadline. That alien creature is no longer after just random people," Sisko's son reminded her. "Everyone knows all about its plan to destroy Deep Space Nine, and it's going to try and do just that in less than an hour." He studied her expression with genuine fear in his own eyes. "Just sitting around waiting for it to happen was really scary... so the three of us decided to come here."

Abruptly Mrs. O'Brien realized that the three youngsters were not kidding her, and that they were indeed sincerely frightened. "You really feel safer under that table?" she asked them with growing interest. "You know, there are plenty of armed guards already on duty in the habitat ring..."

Nodding firmly, Nog smiled his crooked, pointy-toothed smile. "Watching the crowd takes our mind off of things and helps us to pass the time," he replied. "Otherwise we sit around imagining all of the terrible things that might happen."

Glancing briefly toward Karg, Keiko began to understand the situation much better. The Klingon chef smiled at her reassuringly to let her know that everything was okay. "Commander Sisko does not intend to let that creature destroy Deep Space Nine," she reassured them. "I certainly hope you all realize that."

"It's warm and safe in here Mommy," piped up young Molly. "Would you like to join us?"

"I don't think there's enough room under there," decided Keiko with a light laugh. For what seemed like the thousandth time, her thoughts drifted toward her husband's dedication to Starfleet and the dangers that regularly came along with it. "I suppose that if it helps you to feel safer, then it's okay to stay and watch. Just don't worry about this situation too much," she advised the three youngsters. "Starfleet is used to dealing with dangers very similar to this one... they'll know how to handle any attack." Deep down inside she wasn't completely convinced, even though she had little choice but to try and comfort them. Over the years she had simply seen too many different aliens with power and abilities that regularly put even highly trained, experienced people in danger.

"I know Ms. O'Brien," Jake declared. "We just want to have some cover if things start to fall."

Keiko shook her head at his reaction. "Okay Jake, but please make sure Molly makes it home for dinner... you and Nog can stop by too if you would like to join us."

"We'll be there Mommy!" declared young Molly enthusiastically.

Carefully Keiko O'Brien took a few minutes to speak with Karg before she headed back to her school room to continue her work reviewing homework assignments. The large Klingon promptly reassured her that he would do his best to keep an eye on the young people if an alien creature did indeed decide to attack the space station. After all, Keiko decided silently. Anything is possible where the Starfleet exploration of space is concerned.

From his position on the opposite end of the Promenade, Quark watched Keiko walk away while polishing one of his glass mugs with a clean towel. His disposition over the past day had darkened considerably, and he didn't see it lightening any time soon. Next to him, his brother Rom was busy kneeling behind the bar countertop and working diligently to replace empty ale barrels with full ones. "I'm telling you Rom, this isn't good," predicted the Ferengi bar owner moodily. "The lockdown was bad enough, but now we're going to be attacked. How come there always seems to be something dark and dangerous on the horizon whenever Starfleet's around?"

An empty, wooden ale barrel rolled past Quark's feet. "Yesterday you were praising the quarantine," Rom reminded him. "I believe you said that you liked the idea of a station full of permanent customers."

"That was then," snapped Quark sharply. "That was before a powerful alien creature threatened to destroy the entire station." He glared irritably at his brother. "That includes the two of us, you know. What good are record profits if we're not around to spend them?"

Rom contemplated Quark's comments for a moment. "Can I have my share now?" he asked while pondering the matter further. "I also have a week of vacation time coming and if you have no objections I would like to use it all now... right now."

"No," Quark growled with growing frustration. Another empty ale drum rolled past his legs and crashed into the first one. He finished shining the mug he was holding and set it down, picking up the next one in a long line of them arranged elegantly along the countertop. "How come it's always Starfleet that runs into these unknown alien creatures?" he wondered out loud. "How come we never hear stories about 'strange and unknown entities' being encountered by the Cardassians... or the Klingons for that matter?"

Rom hesitated only a few seconds before replying. "Perhaps because the other races aren't smart enough to figure out a way to survive those encounters?" he speculated without looking up.

The theory caught Quark completely off guard. Over the years he had been close on many occasions to simply writing his brother off as a complete idiot. And yet, every once in a while Rom would say something truly intelligent or extremely insightful, proving that deep down inside his brother's skull there wasn't a complete dolt lurking beneath. It didn't happen often, but Rom definitely had his moments. "This isn't good," the Ferengi bartender repeated darkly. "It's not good at all Rom..."

U.S.S. Enterprise, Approaching Deep Space Station Nine, Stardate 48252.7

Frustrated, Captain Jean-Luc Picard sat in his command chair and waited. "Time," he demanded briskly for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Thirty-two minutes, twenty-one seconds," replied Lt. Commander Data from his navigation station. "Unfortunately, we will not arrive at Deep Space Nine before the alien's deadline expires."

"We're lucky we're going to be there at all," Riker frowned moodily. He was in his usual seat next to Picard, resting his chin on his closed, right fist. "If Captain Sanders and the Malinche hadn't arrived early, we'd have had no alternative except to remain in the Denali system and continue overseeing the evacuation of all those refugees."

"We'll get there," promised Picard softly. He glanced toward his First Officer. "Take us to yellow alert Number One. We'll elevate to red alert the moment we drop out of warp and enter the Bajoran system."

"Acknowledged," Riker responded. He triggered the yellow alert klaxon and stood up, preparing to make the necessary preparations for an all out call to battle stations. Behind them and standing in his usual position at the peak of the bridge horseshoe, Worf nodded confidently as he too prepared the starship's weapons systems for combat. As he did so, Riker activated the starship's all-call. "All hands, the ship is now at yellow alert. Prepare for battle stations... this is not a drill."

The starshine continued to fly past the edges of the viewscreen much faster than usual. "How much longer can we maintain maximum warp?" inquired Picard, shifting his penetrating gaze to Lt. Commander Geordi LaForge.

"Long enough to get where we're going Captain," LaForge replied firmly. "I'm certain of that."

An electronic chime unexpectedly sounded on Worf's panel, an incoming signal that he promptly checked up on. "Captain, I am detecting a nearby distress signal," the large Klingon stated tersely, studying the incoming readouts carefully. "The transmission has a Starfleet signature... it is most probably an escape pod."

Picard's intense gaze could have bored holes into the back of Data's head at the announcement. "Data, confirm that," he ordered sharply.

It took only a moment for the Enterprise android to do so. "Confirmed sir," he acknowledged. "We are closing rapidly on a small vessel containing two humanoid life forms. Its distress beacon is definitely utilizing a Starfleet signature."

"Are there other vessels in the area? Any obvious debris fields of any kind?"

Data continued his review of the sensor telemetry. "Negative Captain."

The look of frustration on Riker's face echoed Picard's feelings, although the Captain didn't allow his own personal emotion to show. "Ensign Rager, take the Enterprise out of warp and set an intercept course with the escape pod," the First Officer ordered.

"Aye sir," the talented, dark-haired, dark-skinned helmsman responded curtly, working swiftly to carry out his command. "Rendezvous coordinates set."

Worf adjusted the viewscreen magnification to focus on the small craft. "It looks too large for a shuttle pod," he pointed out. "Schematics on file indicate that the object is almost certainly an emergency lifeboat from one of smaller Starfleet's smaller vessels... not from a larger starship."

"Lock onto it Mr. Worf, and beam that object directly to cargo bay one," Picard instructed him. He rose from his seat to stand next to Riker. "Ensign Rager, have Dr. Crusher meet us in the cargo bay. Take the Enterprise back to warp as soon as that escape pod is safely on board." Flanked by Riker, Data and his Klingon tactical officer, Picard entered the turbolift on his way to the cargo bay. He was quite eager, after all, to sate his growing curiosity.

Upon arriving in the cargo bay, the first thing noticeable was that the slender, cylindrical escape pod lacked any specific ship identification - there were no markings of any kind on its surface. Worf carefully scanned the outer hull with his tricorder, but the metallic surface appeared completely smooth and showed no signs of any obvious damage. "There are indeed two life forms on board," he noted quickly. "Both are human. No signs of anything dangerous... it should be safe enough to open." Nevertheless he nodded toward Data and the two of them deliberately stepped in front of Picard and Riker. As Picard bristled, the pair deliberately made certain that they were the first to approach and then access the outer hatch.

The always attractive, red-haired Dr. Crusher was busily waving the life signs detector from her medical tricorder toward the pod's doorway as it snapped suddenly open. "Both of the people in there are showing very low respiratory rates," she observed, continuing to study the data. "Normally I'd be tempted to say that they were injured, but tricorder readings are indicating possible tranquilization." Her tricorder continued whirring and beeping until she finally nodded with satisfaction. "Confirmed... both life forms have a strong sedative in their system."

"Who are they?" asked Riker, stepping forward with obvious unrestrained interest. He glanced inside the open hatchway and abruptly sucked in his breath.

"O'Brien," Worf noted brusquely, turning toward Riker and Picard with a startled expression on his dark, Klingon features. "Chief O'Brien is in there, along with one other Starfleet officer."

"The second man is Doctor Julian Bashir," noted Data, studying the contours of Bashir's face. "I met him briefly during one of the Enterprise's prior stops at Deep Space Nine. He assisted me with the modification of my dream process, and that has allowed me to continue dreaming periodically in order to stimulate my imagination."

"You have an imagination?" asked Worf somewhat incredulously.

"Probably a much larger, more active one than yours," Crusher noted with a smirk, deliberately ignoring the dark stare Worf cast her way. She removed a hypospray and a vial of medication from her med-kit and snapped them together. Leaning into the pod so she could get a better view of the two men, she administered enough of a stimulant to each of them to safely counteract the effects of the strong sedative they had been given. O'Brien's eyes snapped open almost immediately, but Bashir continued to lay idle for a moment longer before stirring.

"Commander Sisko specifically mentioned that he left behind a team of investigators in the vicinity of Denali," Riker reminded his Captain. "It appears as though we've found them."

"Yes, but what happened to their ship?" mused Picard thoughtfully. "Remember, there was no sign of any debris where we found them."

"I have a suggestion," stated Beverly Crusher, pointing toward a still groggy but fully conscious Miles Edward O'Brien. "Why don't we simply ask the Chief what happened?"

The Chief had recovered enough to recognize her voice and he glanced upward at all of the familiar faces from his semi-prone position within the pod. "Dr. Crusher... Commander Riker... Worf," he said, a grateful smile lighting his features at the unexpected appearance of all of them. He glanced around at the familiar sight of the cargo bay, finally settling his gaze on Picard and Riker. "Captain Picard... am I on board the Enterprise?"

"You are indeed aboard the Enterprise Mr. O'Brien," Picard replied cordially. "Welcome back Chief."

Next to him, Julian Bashir opened his eyes and began moaning softly. "Oh Chief," the Doctor said miserably, holding up one hand as he tried to shield his eyes from the strong cargo bay lighting. "I don't know about you, but I have got one whale of a headache!"

"What happened to you two?" Riker asked curiously. "Commander Sisko told us that he had a couple of people stationed in this region, but we had no idea that it would be you."

O'Brien rubbed his forehead with one hand, trying to clear his thoughts. "What happened?" he repeated slowly, and then focused his thoughts more clearly on the specifics of the question. A puzzled look crossed his features as he found himself unable to come up with an immediate answer. "I don't remember what happened," he said, sounding somewhat incredulous at the discovery. "I don't remember anything that took place after leaving Deep Space Nine aboard the Ha'Husia." The blank expressions on everyone else's face clued him in to the fact that they had no idea what he was talking about. "The Ha'Husia is a Bajoran cargo ship," he explained in more detail. "We were using it to try and lure whoever or whatever has been smuggling equipment and killing people out into the open." The Chief looked curiously toward Julian Bashir, unsure of what else to say.

The Doctor simply shrugged his shoulders, equally perplexed. "I don't remember anything either," he admitted rather sheepishly. "I mean, I do remember getting hit very hard on the head aboard the cargo ship, but after that..."

Dr. Crusher had continued scanning the pair as they talked, and she nodded in agreement. "Both men are showing clear signs of memory tampering," she informed everyone. "Specifically, their short term and recent memories have been erased - approximately five days' worth."

"Are you certain?" inquired Picard. "How do you know that the memory loss is deliberate?"

"Because the technique used is the medical procedure that I invented," Crusher informed him. "If anyone should be able to recognize its aftereffects, it would be me."

Deep Space Nine, Commander's Office, Stardate 48252.7

Sitting in his office calmly sipping a mug of raktajino, Benjamin Sisko watched the chronometer on his computer screen slowly count down from seventeen minutes and change. The time left to them had dwindled away almost to nothing - only minutes remained now and relentlessly the seconds continued to tick away. All of the EVA work crews had been recalled and ordered back inside the station, and both the habitat and docking rings were totally locked down and carefully guarded by armed security officers. According to Major Kira, all of the new weapons systems had been installed. Only seventy percent of their new equipment was completely operational as of yet, but hopefully that would be sufficient to aid them in adequately defending the station.

An entire minute ticked away, until Sisko finally gave in to his need for information and double-tapped his Comm-badge. "Sisko to Ducane."

"Ducane here," the Relativity Commander responded almost instantly. "We're ready."

"Are you certain that your Timeship will remain cloaked and undetectable?" asked Sisko, moving out from behind his desk. He walked over to the door and glanced through the thin windows, his gaze drifting downward toward Jadzia Dax, Kira Nerys and the rest of the on duty Ops personnel.

"Absolutely. We're parked between you and Bajor, ready to provide all needed assistance."

"Then I suggest that you relocate immediately," the Commander decided. "After reviewing the logs of the Overseer's attacks on us, it is clear that he has carefully been manipulating subspace in and around the station. Those alterations have made each additional attempt to interfere with activities here easier and easier for him. I am therefore adding the possibility of moving Deep Space Nine back to Bajor as one of my options." Folding the fingers of both hands together he sighed deeply. "The move would only be a temporary one of course - until all hostilities have ceased..."

"Will your shields and hull hold up under that kind of unusual, abrupt momentum?"

"Now that is the question of the hour Thomas Joseph Ducane," admitted Sisko honestly. "As with weapons, Deep Space Nine's shields have been significantly enhanced since Starfleet initially took over the station. Things change rapidly during combat situations, especially with a large object like this station. We're used to it being stationary, and there are plenty of Starfleet engineers on board who could help me compensate. However, I simply don't know any of them well enough to trust them with the safety of everyone on board. No one can adjust parameters on the fly during a hostile situation with the same accuracy that Chief O'Brien can... and he is the person who has done it before. I sincerely wish that both he and Dr. Bashir were here. Nonetheless, I am prepared to make the attempt myself."

"They'll be back soon. Captain Data checked in an hour ago and informed us that the Yellowjacket is already on its way back. He expects to arrive before the Overseer shows up, but mentioned that he still has quite a bit of information to review. In the meantime, we here aboard the Relativity can support you by supplementing your shields and inertial dampeners if you do decide to move the station."

"You can supplement our shields?" Sisko was intrigued. "By how much?"

Ducane trailed off for a few seconds while Lt. Ingram first checked and then handed him a data padd with updated statistics. "We can covertly provide as much protection as you need Commander. I strongly suggest, however, that you prioritize moving the entire station at the bottom of your list - as your last option," he continued. "Bajor's gravity is significant enough to attract the Overseer's attention... he might just decide to set up shop there instead of here. We also don't need a planet full of witnesses watching while additional temporal incursions are in progress."

"Acknowledged." Sisko smiled grimly, continuing to watch the Ops personnel outside of his office. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," stated Ducane crisply. "On the back of your Comm-badge is a small, detachable ear receiver similar to the one that Lt. Ingram wears. If you put it on before taking your position in Ops, you'll be able to hear me throughout the confrontation with the Overseer. I'll let you know what we're doing, when we're doing it, and what to expect. No one else will be able to hear."

"Then I will make certain to wear the receiver," Sisko replied curtly.

From his position on the upper walkway of the Relativity bridge, Commander Ducane handed the data padd back to Jessica Ingram. "You'd better get going," he told the bright-eyed, intelligent blonde Lieutenant who had steadily developed a reputation over the years for backing both him and Captain Data at every turn. "We've only got a few minutes to undo Michael Eddington's sabotage and restore full power to Deep Space Nine's anti-graviton generators."

Ingram gave him a dry smile. "Puh-lease," she replied with a shake of her head. "It will only take me two minutes to undo his sabotage. The man is a rank amateur... and I ought to know since I was watching him during the entire affair."

"There are at least two crewmen on duty in that deflector station at any given time," Ducane reminded her. "You'll have to deal with them too."

"Not a problem," Ingram called back at him over her shoulder as she headed for the turbolift.

"Jess." She paused in the lift doorway at the soft but insistent tone in his voice. "Be careful. As soon as Eddington discovers that someone has repaired the damage he caused, he's going to come running. Perhaps I should send a couple of armed security officers with you... just in case."

Jessica's lips curled upward in another amused smile. "We temporal agents have to keep a low profile... remember? Trust me Commander, I can take care of myself. After all, I've already reviewed the history of this battle and I'm ninety percent certain that Sisko's going to end up moving that station. Which means you'll be busy helping to keep it intact."

Watching the lift doors snap closed in front of her, Commander Ducane nodded with satisfaction. "Good luck Lieutenant," he called after her needlessly, knowing full well that she would be smart enough to call for assistance if she needed it.

Deep Space Nine, Main Operations, Stardate 48252.7

Sisko was patiently waiting for the deadline to expire, standing behind Lt. Dax and Major Kira when Michael Eddington arrived. The Starfleet security officer was flanked by two of his guards, and all three of them carried phaser rifles. The Commander glanced up at them and motioned toward the three guards already present in Ops. "Be careful Mr. Eddington," he said in warning. "We don't want too much firepower in here, especially after what happened the last time."

"We'll be careful," Eddington promised in reply. "Our analysis has helped us select a lower phaser setting that should continue to disrupt the graviton cords without seriously damaging electronics."

"If the graviton levels remain at historical levels," Kira observed. "Since this thing has threatened to destroy the entire station, I think we're going to see more from it this time than just a few of those hooded creatures."

"That's what the new weapons systems are for," rumbled Sisko ominously, putting a hand on Dax's shoulder. "What is their status Old Man?"

"All phaser cannons are on-line and operational," Dax responded with a confident nod. "However, only the odd-numbered photon launchers are reading green. Even so, I would suggest holding off on firing them initially... using phasers only we should still have sufficient firepower at our disposal to make this creature think twice about attacking us."

"Avoid using the photons at all unless we have no other alternative," suggested Major Kira. "Until Starfleet dispatches a starship or two to reinforce our position here, we have no way to replace them once we deplete our inventory."

"Agreed Major," stated Sisko firmly, watching the chronometer next to his right hand tick slowly down to a scant two minutes. "Dax, what is our shield status?"

"Fully operational," she informed him. "We've had everything up and running ever since the alien delivered his threat, just in case he decides to show up early. Anti-graviton dispersal status reads at one hundred percent and ready for action." Her console flickered for just an instant, causing the Lieutenant to run a brief systems check. Seconds later the readings returned to normal and she shrugged the matter off as just one more problem in a long line of them - dealing with the frustrating outages had become commonplace ever since the upgrade project began.

They stood there for the final hundred seconds, watching as the chronometer dedicated to monitoring the alien's deadline slowly ticked down to zero. Once the remainder of the time had expired, it didn't take the Overseer very long at all to begin reveal his presence. Outside Deep Space Nine, massive pockets of space suddenly turned completely black, rippling with distortion as light from the stars shining behind them was completely obstructed. A swift analysis revealed that they were holes in subspace, first opening and then growing steadily larger. From inside each of them large clusters of glowing green gravimetric tendrils emerged, waving back and forth briefly before moving directly toward the space station. Like bony, long-fingered claws the large concentrations of glittering fibers slowly extended themselves farther and reached outward, closing in rapidly from all angles.

"There are huge subspace ruptures opening all around the station," Kira noted, watching the sensor display carefully. "They're above and below us too... really big ones Commander. At least twenty of them, each one over a thousand meters across." She focused the oval viewscreen's image on the closest one, and they could see at least three dozen massive, graviton tendrils reaching out of the disturbance. "Shields are fully powered and our anti-graviton shield grid is also reading green."

"Plot the location of each disturbance and show me their positions," requested Sisko. "Quickly Major."

The station shook violently as the cluster of graviton filaments suddenly slapped hard around the station's bubble shielding. All of them shimmered brightly in an astonishing display of power for several seconds, their eerie green light easily matched by the crackling blue discharge from Deep Space Nine's deflector shielding. Finally the Overseer's tendrils dissipated and faded away completely as the concentrations of focused gravitons comprising them were swiftly nullified. It didn't take long before a second batch of the tendrils viciously attacked the shielding, followed almost immediately by a third set of them. Again everything shook ominously for almost a minute, but once again the damage proved to be reassuringly minimal.

"Graviton displacement fields are holding at ninety-one percent," noted Dax, working simultaneously to chart the subspace ruptures surrounding the station and create the requested three dimensional diagram to more clearly show their positions. She put it up on her screen even though it was partially complete so that both she and Sisko could examine it. Behind her, Michael Eddington watched the proceedings with a puzzled look on his face, having expected the battle to be over already. His anxiety level began to rise steadily as the attack progressed and Deep Space Nine somehow remained fully protected.

"Order all commanders in the defensive sails to open fire with phasers," snapped Sisko as he studied Dax's sensor diagram while it was still being assembled. "Primary targets should be the heaviest concentrations of gravitons, followed by the center of those disturbances. Let's see if we can disrupt their origin points and collapse those subspace pockets."

Kira passed along the new orders to the firing stations while studying Sisko's expression thoughtfully. "What about photons? They could do it much more quickly..."

"Not yet," the Commander decided, holding up a cautious hand for emphasis. He watched as outgoing phaser fire began to selectively single out and dissipate some of the tendrils. The remaining clusters of graviton filaments attacked with renewed vigor, immediately sensing Deep Space Nine's ferocious reply. New bunches of them formed almost as quickly as the initial ones vanished.

"We're running out of time," Sisko growled with barely contained frustration, watching the number and size of the rifts continue to grow. "In addition to its graviton attack, the alien is also working to surround us with chaotic areas of subspace - it will no doubt use those disturbances in addition to its graviton cords and persistently chip away our shields. If we continue to sit back and simply allow this to continue, we will be unable to sustain our resistance for any reasonable length of time." Sighing heavily, the Commander resigned himself to the inevitable tough choice left to him and sat down in an empty chair next to Jadzia Dax.

"What are you doing?" asked Kira, watching his fingers dance across a rarely used console. Its controls lit up almost immediately in response to his touch as the Commander continued entering a long series of commands for the main computer to carry out.

Sisko glanced over at her grimly. "I'm firing the station's RCS thrusters while we still have the time to use them," he replied. "I'm getting us the hell out of here... if I don't act now there won't be enough room left for us to safely maneuver between those subspace disturbances."

The Major remained her usual, unflustered self but paused with her response long enough for him to clearly notice her concern. Nonetheless Kira turned back to her sensor console and continued to monitor the battle. "All phasers are targeting graviton tendrils and maintaining fire," she reported. "So far, the alien has been unable to breach our shields. Our weapons are destabilizing at least some of its tendrils and thereby limiting its ability to sustain a prolonged attack." She studied the data further and then shifted her gaze directly toward him. "I hate to bring this up again Commander, but high yield photons would no doubt be able to destabilize those subspace disturbances entirely. That would give us additional time..."

"Negative," the Commander decided firmly. "Do not fire torpedoes... we're leaving this area behind as fast as I can get us underway." Again the walls shuddered and groaned from the strain of the constant attacks. Three more clusters of tendrils wrapped themselves around the station's defensive shielding, and each of them immediately began to shrivel up and vanish as the anti-graviton field within the shield grid persistently continued to dissipate the alien's power source exactly as predicted. More creaks and groans from the stressed hull plating resounded through Ops, this time caused by the sudden build up of momentum generated as soon as Sisko successfully fired the station's maneuvering thrusters.

Eddington had continued to watch them work, his brow noticeably soaked in sweat as the battle against the Overseer progressed. "Commander Sisko," he began slowly. "If you're satisfied the security arrangements in Ops are adequate, I should check in with Odo and help him make certain the rest of the station's internal areas are equally protected from the alien's attack."

"By all means Mr. Eddington," said Sisko without looking up. "Matters are under control here."

The Commander had chosen to wear the 29th century receiver device as requested by Ducane, so he wasn't surprised to hear the Relativity officer's voice suddenly crackle in his right ear. "I can see where you're headed with this," Ducane told him privately. "Feel free to proceed Commander Sisko... we're augmenting your shield grid with power from our own systems and stabilizing your structural integrity."

"It is a bad plan that cannot be changed," Sisko mumbled, primarily to himself. He couldn't remember exactly where he had heard the quote, but it seemed rather appropriate for the situation suddenly facing the valiant station crew.

Around them the hull continued to shake and rumble ominously while Deep Space Nine's thrusters continued to steadily accelerate the station away from its former position. One of the consoles near Kira exploded in a shower of sparks and gray smoke, but a Bajoran crewman working nearby promptly handed her a small fire extinguisher with a grim look of determination. He smiled at her with bold confidence and Kira returned the favor.

Keeping careful watch on the sensor map of their defensive phaser attack, Kira accepted the small device from her fellow Bajoran and proceeded to put out the sputtering fire.

The Yellowjacket dropped out of warp in time to enter the Bajoran system and conduct a detailed scan of Deep Space Nine only minutes prior to the attack. Captain Data was at the helm in the cockpit with the Kathryn Janeway hologram seated next to him.

The android deeply regretted having had no choice but to jettison both Chief O'Brien and Dr. Bashir in the runabout's small escape pod. However, the circumstances of the Overseer's latest determined attempt to manipulate events in their time and space had left him with very few alternatives. His need for the two Starfleet officers was at an end, so he had taken a few minutes to blank their short term memories and then drop them off in front of the Enterprise on his way back to DS9. At least they would be rescued by familiar faces and the Chief would have a chance to say hello to his old friends.

"There is definitely a fight breaking out," Janeway informed him as the Yellowjacket continued to close rapidly on the site of the unexpected, sudden appearance of the subspace disturbances. "But the Commander isn't just sitting around. It looks as though Deep Space Nine is in motion... the entire space station is beginning to slowly move away from the Overseer's point of attack." She double checked the readings to be certain, raising an eyebrow. "Now that they're moving the station is actually accelerating, and for now their structural integrity seems to be holding up quite well."

"Captain Janeway, I need your to take over here for me here," Data informed her calmly, analyzing the situation almost instantaneously and coming up with his decision. "As soon as we reach the location that Deep Space Nine just vacated, I'm going to beam myself out into space. At that time, I will need you to take control of the Yellowjacket. Keep it cloaked and remain hidden in this vicinity until I return."

"You're going out... there?" asked an astonished Janeway.

"Yes," Data responded. "I most certainly am." He tapped the Comm-system with one finger. "Data to Ducane," he continued. "Come in please."

"This is Ducane."

"I need a status report Commander," requested Data briskly. "What are your plans?"

"The situation appears to be well in hand. The Overseer has no idea what's going on, and we've used power from the Relativity's temporal core to enhance Deep Space Nine's shields. Commander Sisko has decided to vacate the area of subspace most vulnerable to manipulation by the Overseer. We are also temporarily supplementing their structural integrity. Since the Overseer can no longer easily attack the station, its plans are temporarily thwarted. He's lashing out rather randomly now."

Data's response to the news was immediate. "Are you in contact with Sisko?"

"Affirmative. He's using the ear implant from his Comm-badge."

Through the windows in front of them, flashes of orange phaser fire continued to light up the star-studded darkness, with the intermittent bursts growing larger as the runabout relentlessly closed the remaining distance between them. There were also quite a few lengthy, glowing green clusters of energized tentacles reaching out of the newly opened pockets of subspace. Like long, slender fingers of energy they fished around in frantic attempts to reach the unexpectedly mobile space station. Some of them periodically connected with DS9's shields, but the anti-graviton enhancement continually dispersed a majority of those impacts almost immediately. And as the station continued to move steadily away from the original point of attack, less and less of the Overseer's claw-like tendrils were finding their mark. The enemy attack suddenly appeared weak, confused and more than a little desperate.

"Please request that Commander Sisko order his weapons officers to cease fire," Data requested almost eagerly. "I'm going to put up a detailed, isomorphic projection of Deep Space Nine in the location just vacated by the original, which will hopefully be realistic enough to attract the Overseer's attention. If he is curious enough to investigate and chooses to meet me there, I can attempt to communicate with him and possibly negotiate a way out of this rather unpleasant situation."

"Acknowledged. Anything else?"

"Not at this time." Using the Yellowjacket's enhanced sensors, Data watched the cloaked Deep Space Nine continue on its straight line course away from its previous position. The former Cardassian space station was cruising directly toward the wormhole entrance that connected Bajoran space to the Gamma Quadrant. "Continue to transfer power from the Relativity's engine core and assist Commander Sisko in moving the station safely into the Gamma Quadrant. I must admit, his decision to make use of the Relativity's resources in order to do so is indeed an excellent idea."

Both he and Janeway watched as the wormhole exploded suddenly into existence, prodded out of its invisible slumber by the pair of moving objects touching its outer event horizon. Its core glowed brightly with intermittent flashes of bright white bursts while huge clouds of sapphire energy whirled fiercely around its center. Seconds later, all of Deep Space Nine vanished inside. The coruscating energy vortex continued to spin colorfully and bright while the invisible Relativity proceeded to follow the space station inside the outer event horizon. Then the wormhole closed as swiftly as it had appeared, leaving behind the angry, still clutching claw-like tendrils of the Overseer. All of the glittering green energy strands slowed noticeably and paused in their movement as the alien entity controlling them struggled to determine specifically just what had happened to its former target.

Data flashed a confident android smile at Janeway. "I will be back soon Captain," he promised.

"Good luck Data," Janeway said with her usual enthusiasm. She transferred all helm controls to her station and promptly took over control of the runabout.

Data nodded in reply while his body dissipated and then vanished in a blaze of bright green transporter energy.

Eddington arrived at the main deflector control station to find both Ensigns - Paulson and Reynolds - lying unconscious on the floor. Eyes flicking back and forth while searching for any additional signs of hostile activity, he entered the room with his phaser rifle at the ready. He noticed almost immediately that the service hatchway he had utilized only a day earlier was hanging wide open. Angrily he knelt down and swiftly checked the components comprising the anti-graviton computer system. Obviously, based on the progress of the battle, its function had been fully restored and yet his instinctive fear drove him to check the arrangement of the isolinear rods inside anyway.

"Drop the rifle Eddington." The female voice caught him by surprise and he whirled at the sound of it. His own weapon stayed down and that was the only reason he remained conscious. Lt. Jessica Ingram was clearly not pleased to see him. "I won't tell you again," she cautioned him. "Drop it... now."

"Who are you?" the edgy Lt. Commander asked curiously. He studied her curiously as he reluctantly complied with her request and cautiously placed his rifle on the floor. The woman was human and wearing the familiar gold-topped uniform common to Starfleet security. She had expertly concealed herself in a small corner of the room and he had completely missed her in his haste to get to the equipment. "You're not part of my security force," he challenged her. "I recently reviewed all of the personnel files on crewmen and women assigned to Deep Space Nine, and you're not listed anywhere."

"Does it really matter who I am?" asked Ingram dryly. "The first thing you checked upon arriving here was the status of your sabotage, even though you already knew - based on the progress of the battle - that it had already been fixed." Her eyes flicked upward toward the ceiling. "The surveillance monitors are still on, so you're going to be very busy later using your high level clearance to delete them again - along with all evidence of my own presence here." Her lip curled upward in a confident smile. "That is, you had better delete it if you don't want Paulson and Reynolds here to discover that you haven't even bothered to check whether or not they're still alive."

"Sabotage?" asked Eddington rather clumsily. His gaze shifted uneasily from the bodies of the two prone crewmen back toward the visual recorders built into the ceiling. Although his attitude and expression continued to project boldness, rivulets of sweat ran down his forehead and his growing nervousness with the unexpected confrontation was blatantly obvious. "I am in command of all Starfleet security on board this station," he declared forcefully. "Why would I sabotage anything?"

Ingram shook her head with complete disdain. "Now there is a heavy load of complete drivel," she told him heatedly. In her right hand was a phaser, but her left held a suddenly whirring tricorder. "Your RNA has a distinct and measurable flux pattern Eddington," she pointed out. "So I already know that you were transferred here from a mirror universe to replace our Michael Eddington, and that you're probably taking orders directly for the Overseer."

"Who the hell are you?" snarled Eddington, his anxiety level skyrocketing in response to her statement.

"Remember to delete the security logs in this room if you want to protect your hidden identity," Jessica Ingram advised him. "And if I were you, I wouldn't recommend attempting additional sabotage. I'll be watching you, after all, and it doesn't take a whole heck of a lot to make a man like Odo suspicious. In fact, I suggest that you look for an entirely new career Eddington. I predict that the days remaining for you in Starfleet are numbered, regardless of what you choose to do. This isn't, after all, your real home."

The mere appearance of this woman - who somehow knew so many secret things about him - sent waves of terror through Michael Eddington's nervous system. "Who are you lady?" he demanded to know angrily, moving impulsively toward her in an aggressive charge that stopped as soon as the stunning force from her weapon's bright orange phaser beam struck his chest. Caught between shock and surprise, he felt his entire body go numb and crumpled limply to the metal deck plating. His body landed between the pair of still unconscious Ensigns.

Jessica smiled down at Eddington's motionless body with more than a little satisfaction as she double-tapped her Comm-badge. "Ingram to Ducane... I'm ready to return."

"Stand by Lieutenant."

Seconds later, she dematerialized in a shower of swirling emerald energy particles.

As soon as Jake and Nog overheard the first few comments from passers by - about Deep Space Nine 'entering the wormhole' - their curiosity naturally got the better of them. The two young men peered out from beneath the table they had been using as their security blanket, eyes drifting up toward the windows on the upper level. Anyone who had ever actually traveled through the Bajoran wormhole could tell instantly that the speculation was true. The bright, familiar patterns of energy and colorful clouds of coruscating particle drift easily confirmed it. The Promenade was still shaking unpredictably from the turbulence of their passage through, but not nearly as badly as it had been earlier during the Overseer's all-out attack.

"It's true Nog," gasped Jake with growing awe as he emerged from beneath the table and stood up. "We're in the wormhole!"

Next to him, his Ferengi friend chuckled nervously. "It is a bold tactical move," grinned Nog. "Will the alien creature be able to follow us through? If not, then we're home free."

"At least until the Dominion sees us," Jake noted wryly, causing his friend to suck in his breath sharply.

Jake leaned down long enough to help Molly crawl out. Her long dark hair had fallen forward over her face and she shook it out of her eyes as she smiled and stood up. Together the three of them moved to the closest spiral stairwell and began to climb toward the upper level. Once again the station shook violently around them, and they could hear metal wall supports groaning in protest at the constant stress being placed upon them. However, the rumbling leveled off quickly as the shields continued to provide enough protection to keep everything reasonably stabilized.

Even so, Jake held onto Molly's hand tightly. "I'm okay," she reassured him.

"We promised your Mom we would look after you," Jake told her. "And I'm not sure all the shaking and rattling is over yet. So hold on tight to me, Molly!"

Once the three of them successfully ascended the stairs, they moved immediately to the windows and stood there, simply enthralled. It was one thing to travel through the wormhole in a space vessel, but this was all of Deep Space Nine. There was a thrill of excitement in Jake's gut that had never been there before. For a moment they just stood there while watching the brilliant display of twirling energy particles and the dazzling, shifting patterns of light.

"How far into the Gamma Quadrant does the wormhole reach?" asked Nog curiously.

Jake gave his friend a stern look of disapproval. "Ms. O'Brien taught us that already," he pointed out.

"Oh yes," nodded Nog, remembering. "Seventy thousand light years. Is that far?"

This time the younger Sisko simply rolled his eyes in response.

In front of them the opposite end of the wormhole blossomed into existence as Deep Space Nine moved out of the lengthy energy conduit and emerged in the Gamma Quadrant. The starlit window view quickly returned to normal as the space station continued rumbling forward. Leaning closer, Jake peered intently out the window with his interest clearly piqued.

On the curving walkway surrounding them, others had also climbed the stairwells and moved in front of the windows to look out at the new, unexpected view of the Gamma Quadrant. Even Quark had temporarily left his bar untended long enough to come up and take a brief, doubtful look outside.

Still holding Jake's hand, Molly smiled up at him with her usual youthful enthusiasm and vigor. "That was soooo beautiful," she declared firmly, grinning from ear to ear. "Can we do it again?"

"I would think so," grinned Jake enthusiastically. "Sooner or later, it makes sense that we will need to go home."

Karg had also ascended to the upper level and was standing next to the three of them. "Truly a valiant battle has been fought on this day, with the brave Commander Sisko defending so many innocent civilians," the Klingon said proudly. "My people will sing songs about this day, I tell you! They will sing many songs about this great city in space that is now hanging on the distant edge of forever!"