USS PYTHEAS - FRAGMENTS OF CONTROL

[BrotherBenny]

Nerys, I hope you're not the only one reading this, but if you are, thanks.

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Chapter Twenty-Two

USS Pytheas
In orbit of Rura Penthe
June 2, 2378 (Stardate 55417.6)

'I was going to ask you all to join forces with each other in a temporary truce to bolster your forces and destroy the Imperium fleet,' Captain Astar said once all parties were present in the observation lounge. 'But it would seem that is no longer necessary.'

'We are all here and we will fight,' Martok replied. 'What of the rebels?'

Astar had thought of the answer to this question many times and none sounded right to her ears but this was an honest gathering. 'The rebel leadership has been all but annihilated after the attack on Empok Nor. General Smiley O'Brien has a Prophet with him, another alien from the wormhole who will assist in ridding the galaxy of the Pah Wraith. I decided to send his ship to the wormhole while we hold off the fleet.'

'They are cowards!' Martok spat. 'I will do nothing to protect them.'

'Oralius guides us toward the light,' Macet added. 'The Celestial Temple will protect us from all evil, once it is cleansed.'

Astar stepped in before Damar could make a comment. 'The Prophets will allow safe passage through the wormhole and they will help us defeat the Pah Wraith, but O'Brien's guest must be protected. She must be allowed to reach the Bajoran system.'

'What is left of it,' Damar smirked.

'You agreed to give us weapons and defences,' Martok said, ignoring the Cardassians entirely.

'Commander Gonzales, please provide them with the modifications for their shields and weapons.'

'Aye sir,' the tactical officer replied, passing out padds to each person in the room. 'These modifications will allow you to withstand several hits from the Imperium's polaron beams and even get through their defences. It will not be an easy fight, and you will lose ships, but we need to hold them off as long as possible.'

'As it should be!' Martok said and left the room followed by his bodyguard and two Starfleet security officers.

Damar quickly followed on the Klingons heels, escorted by Gonzales, leaving Macet to stare after them as if they were singularly responsible for this entire situation.

'Legate, are you all right?'

'I understand one of your people was with my cousin when he died?'

'That's right, one of my security officers had been a prisoner on his ship.'

'Snowcroft?' the Cardassian asked.

'Yes,' Astar answered. 'How did you know?'

'She convinced me to come here. I am glad she did. The Cardassians now have a foothold in Klingon territory from which to launch our own attack against them. We have been second-class members in this alliance for far too long. The humans have an interesting outlook on life, they always have had, even when they controlled the destinies of billions.'

'The same is true of humans in our universe as well. I have learned never to underestimate them, and never to count them out of a fight even when the odds are against them.'

'They have been a thorn in the Alliance's side for years, even before Sisko and Smiley made the rebellion what it is today. There are some that said humanity should have been completely wiped out. I believe they should have been forced back into their own system and hemmed in.'

Astar smiled wryly. 'They would have found a way to get around that, they always do.'

'Captain Astar to the bridge. We're all being hailed by the Imperium flagship,' Gonzales called over the comm.

'I'm on my way,' she replied and looked at Macet again. 'You should return to your ship.'

'Indeed.'

They entered the bridge together and Macet headed for the turbolift, followed by a security officer. Astar moved to the centre chair and sat down. 'On screen.'

She was surprised to see a relatively familiar face, even it was not entirely unexpected. 'This host was called Tal'Aura, and it will serve my purpose for you to call me by that name. The Vorta have been exterminated under my authority. The Pah Wraith control the Imperium and the Jem'Hadar. You will hand over the false prophet or you will all die.'

'Thank you for doing part of our job for us. All we need to do now is kill you,' Astar replied. 'How long before they enter weapons range?'

'Eleven minutes,' Gonzales answered.

'Red alert, all hands to battle stations.'

'You will not survive this encounter.'

'Are you still here? End communication.'

Larson chuckled. 'That's gonna make her mad.'

'Ensign, mind your station. You're going to have some fancy flying to do.'

'Yes ma'am.'

Astar looked at the viewscreen as the Cardassians and Klingons moved into a formation that covered a lot of three dimensional distance while providing any ship help if necessary. It was an ingenious formation.

'Gonzales, record this formation and let's see how well it works.'

'Aye sir,' the Betazoid replied. 'The Imperium fleet will be in weapons range in six minutes.'

'Signal, the other ships to ready their own formations, but to stay out of each other's line of fire.'

'All ships have acknowledged,' Gonzales said, surprised. 'They seem to have accepted you as the leader of the fleet.'

'I hope they've been able to get the modifications made to their ships otherwise this is going to be a short battle.'

'Three minutes to weapons range.'

'Prepare a full volley of photon torpedoes. I don't want to use the quantum torpedoes unless absolutely. I'm doing enough damage to this universe as it is.'

'Aye sir, photons loaded, awaiting targets.'

'I want you to fire on the flagship as soon as they drop out of warp. Let the others take care of the rest of the fleet.'

'Incoming message from the flagship.'

'On screen.'

'You have wasted enough of my time,' the Pah Wraith told her. 'I know you sent the Prophet to the Celestial Temple, and that is where it will be destroyed. You, however, will die here, far from home. I will see to it personally.'

'If you say so,' Astar replied. 'But remember this. As soon as the Prophet enters the Celestial Temple, you will be expelled from it for eternity.'

 

[kes7]

Nerys isn't the only one reading it. I have to run out right now, but I'll come back later with a few thoughts.

ETA ... okay, back now.

This story is really well-written and the individual scenes are very interesting. My only complaint is that at least for me, it's been a little hard to follow the overall storyline. I'm not sure why. It might be lack of context, as I never really got into DS9 and so the whole Pah Wraith/Celestial Temple thing is especially confusing to me.

At first, I thought Snowcroft was utterly unbelievable (like Wesley Crusher-level unbelievable), but now you've introduced this other mysterious side of her, so she's interesting again instead of annoying. I'm curious to find out what's giving her this enormous edge over everyone else.

I'm also really looking forward to reading about the battle that's about to begin.

Keep up the great work. Despite my minor criticism, I do like this story, and check it out every time it bounces back to the top of the board.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Hey, I've missed this story ever since the first time around...you'd better believe I wouldn't pass up reading it!

What's funny is how different my reactions are the second time around. The first time I remembered trusting Snowcroft a LOT more than I do this time. This time, I've got a wild thought about her parentage that is making it VERY hard to trust. Well, a couple theories, but both are bad.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Unless my plots are that predictable, I would say that both your guesses are probably wrong but that said, the reveal won't come for some time yet--three stories from this point to be exact--so you'll have to keep guessing.

I'd be interested in your thoughts so PM me with your ideas on who/what you think Snowcroft's other parent is.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Sent. And there are now three theories.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Twenty-Three

USS Pytheas
In orbit of Rura Penthe
June 2, 2378 (Stardate 55417.7)

Twenty-seven vessels of various sizes dropped out of warp less than one million kilometres from the combined Klingon, Cardassian and New Hebitian fleet. Most of them were the scorpion-like ships, with the others being larger cruisers resembling the beetle cruisers of the other universe. There were two dreadnoughts and the flagship. All three of which led wings of eight other ships against the combined fleet. The dreadnought-led wings went after the Klingons and Cardassians, and the flagship-led wing attacked the Pytheas and the New Hebitians. Ensign Larson immediately evaded the opening salvo from the flagship as Gonzales locked on and fired the photon torpedoes.

'Direct hit,' she crowed. 'The modified quantum signature works. Their shields are down to sixty percent.'

'Keep firing,' Astar ordered. 'What is the status of the other ships?'

'The Alliance ships are holding their own but Macet's fleet is being hammered. They haven't been upgraded in years.'

'Tell him to go after the smaller, less armed ships. Leave the big boys to us.'

'He acknowledges, and sends his regrets.'

'Larson, watch out for that cruiser!' Talen called out.

'I see it,' the helmsman replied as he tried to avoid the oncoming ship. 'Brace for impact.'

The Jem'Hadar cruiser scraped shields with the Pytheas before Gonzales fired continuous phasers at its engines and it exploded, the shockwave buffeting the ship.

'That was too close,' Talen muttered.

'The flagship is coming around for another pass. Martok's ship is venting atmosphere and the Klingons are making suicide runs at the Jem'Hadar. The New Hebitians are withdrawing to a safe distance. They have something planned.'

'Adjust our course to match the flagship and prepare for a strafing run, full impulse and ventral phasers.'

'Aye sir, course laid in,' Larson said.

'Phasers locked,' Gonzales added.

'Let's go, before they can lock that polaron beam on us.'

The Pytheas shot forward, outpacing the smaller cruisers attempting to pincer it, and Larson pushed the ship over the bow of the Imperium flagship before Gonzales let loose with a phaser volley. They swung around, ready to attack the flagship's ventral shields with their dorsal phaser array when Gonzales gasped.

'Captain, I'm picking up a huge subspace distortion. Whatever is coming in at warp is huge.'

'Details, Commander.'

Gonzales ran her hands over her panel and checked against all known references. 'If I didn't know any better, sir, I'd say there was a starbase coming in, at warp three.'

'Fall back, order all ships to rendezvous with the New Hebitians.'

'Aye sir, so ordered.'

Twenty seconds later, a blinding flash of light heralded the arrival of a new ally into the fray. Gonzales was right.

'I remember hearing rumours about that being possible, from Deep Space Nine, but I never thought to see it with my own eyes,' Astar said.

Now in a high orbit of Rura Penthe was a Nor-class space station tractored by a dozen Hideki-class ships.

'Captain, those ships belong to the New Hebitians. They all carry Macet's crest. We're all being hailed, sir.'

'Put it up.'

'This is Legate Macet of New Hebitia. Rura Penthe is now under our direct control and any attempt to wrest it from us will result in your destruction. Regent Martok, please leave this system immediately, you are no longer welcome. Pah Wraith, I suggest you fight elsewhere. There will be no further warning. Captain Astar, thank you for your assistance, but your presence is no longer required.'

'Legate, we're only here to stop the Pah Wraith.'

'As you can see, that is no longer necessary, Captain. I suggest you rejoin your companion vessel before it runs foul of these creatures.'

'Sir, the Alliance ships are moving off, Klingons and Cardassians. Macet's vessels are taking up defensive positions around the planet and locking weapons on the Imperium fleet.'

'What are the Imperium vessels up to?'

'They're moving to attack the station.'

'Back us off, Ensign,' Astar ordered. 'Not a smart move on their part.'

A volley of photon torpedoes peppered the Imperium fleet, destroying half a dozen of the remaining scorpion ships, one of the dreadnoughts and severely weakening the overburdened flagship's shields still further.

'The Imperium fleet is moving off, Captain. They're heading for the Bajoran system at warp nine point two,' Gonzales added a moment later as they disappeared into warp.

Astar touched a control on the arm of her chair. 'Bridge to engineering.'

'Xeris here.'

'I need maximum warp for as long as you can give it to me.'

'Where are we going?'

'Bajor.'

'From here? That's a good three day journey at warp nine-point-nine-nine-five, Captain. I'll see what I can do.'

'Excellent, Astar out.'

'Course laid in,' Larson turned around. 'We should arrive approximately thirty minutes ahead of them if we can keep up our speed, Captain.'

'All right, Ensign. Maximum warp.'

Larson tapped the panel in front of the him and the Pytheas jumped into warp. Although the ship had a stable cruising velocity of warp 9.975, Xeris had pushed the maximum to 9.995, meaning that it was going to take them a third of the time it normally would to traverse the same distance. Larson enjoyed piloting the ship when it was travelling fast and had even designed a warp-capable shuttle capable of such speeds, but had no way to build it. He's submitted the design to the Advanced Starship Design Bureau, but they had rejected it citing several reasons, including the fact that there was little need in the current climate for a tactical shuttle capable of high warp.

Additionally, there were a couple of design flaws which he had not been able to work out, and hoped that they would be able to help. He felt that Starfleet had very few shuttles that were able to be used for a variety of missions, save for the type-11. If they'd had one of his shuttles today, they could have sent it ahead of the Defiant to take the Prophet to the wormhole. Larson looked at the chronometer and decided to seek out the chief engineer's help after shift to iron out the flaws in his design.

He had three days before they reached the Bajoran system.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Ha, typical Starfleet shortsightedness, turning down what could be a tactically significant system someday...never thinking about the battlefield until it's too late...

Ahem.

Anyway, I like the way Macet and company took control of the planet! I hope they're going to be more responsible than their kin in the Alliance--and more so than Dukat, for sure! But given this is the MU we're talking about here, it would take a lot for that to happen--that's for sure.

And is the Pytheas crew still on the mission to expel the Pah-Wraiths? To me it sounds like they are, but I'm not sure...

 

[CeJay]

Had some time today to catch up with this.

A lot of action going on here. And now its a race, seemingly for the survival of the mirror universe. Looks like Astar and Pytheas will make it to the wormhole first but will they be able to purge the pah wraiths from the Celestial Temple?

I'm gonng go with yes, on that one.

I'm really curious to find out how Command will look upon all this once Pytheas makes it back. The captain was in her right to scold Snowcroft but I bet Astar's superiors are going to have few choice words for her as well.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Twenty-Four

Starbase 535
Kursican system (Our universe)
Stardate 55424.1 (June 4, 2378)

Captain Lionel Logan sat in his office watching the monitor on his desk. Spatial rifts were forming across the Kursican sector as a fleet of over thirty vessels emerged from wherever and headed toward the same place. The ships would rendezvous just outside the Kursican system itself in approximately two days and then the battle would be joined. The Pytheas was still nowhere to be found and the allied ships were en route, though whether they would arrive in time was anybody's guess. His door chimed and he switched the monitor off, unwilling to watch as the region was infested.

'Come.'

'Captain,' Commander Madden entered with McNamara following.

'Are we going to have this conversation again?' Logan asked.

'Yes sir, but we have evidence this time.'

Logan sighed. 'All right, let's hear it.'

'According to all the readings we have been able to take and verify from Captain Drummond, he is transmitting data on a telepathic frequency.'

'Can you interrupt it?'

'No sir, we know the frequency but every time we have attempted to scramble it, the frequency changes. The computer can't keep up with the changes. Who knows how much data the Captain has given to them by now. Our entire defensive system could have been compromised.'

'I understand your frustration, gentlemen, but this is a Starfleet Captain we're talking about.'

'With all due respect, Captain,' McNamara interrupted, 'he stopped being a Starfleet Captain when the alien consciousness took hold of him.'

'Do we know where the data is being sent?'

'Yes sir, to the Cha'lav vessel already holding position outside the system.'

Logan drummed his fingers on the desk, trying to think of another solution but knowing that there really wasn't one available. 'In your opinions, there's no possibility that the information is being to an ally, rather than an enemy?'

Both men shook their heads. 'No sir.'

'You realise this could start the battle prematurely?'

'We're aware of that, sir, but we can't even simulate misinformation. It's a calculated risk. Besides, we know they're already of our attempts at preventing the transfer.'

'All right, pull the plug.'

'Thank you, sir.'

'Dismissed.'

Logan was left alone with his thoughts and reflected on the fact that this was the first time he had deliberately killed someone in cold blood, and even then, not by his own hands, but by proxy. It was a thought that did not sit well with him.

'Computer, begin recording log.'

'Recording started.'

'Captain's log, stardate 55424.2. New evidence has come to light that Captain Drummond has been inadvertently providing data to the enemy via a telepathic link while in a comatose state and being attacked by an unknown alien lifeform. It is for this reason alone that I have ordered life support to be cancelled immediately. I wish to note officially that I will take full responsibility for the death of Captain Drummond should a general court-martial be convened.

'Additionally, there is one Cha'lav vessel currently on station just outside the Kursican system and approximately thirty-five more will be arriving in two days. All Starfleet vessels currently assigned to the station are patrolling the system, except for the Pytheas which has not been heard from for eleven days. The Ditagh and the Gilded Talon have also agreed to aid us in the fight against the Cha'lav and the local allied force is sending as many ships as they can spare, though they may not reach us in time. End log.'

Logan stood up and headed into the operations centre to see Commander Madden standing by the Core, studying a number of readouts intently.

'Do you have something, Commander?'

'Yes sir, at least I think I do.'

'Well?'

'You asked me to look at all the data the Eeroth provided us about the last known location of the Pytheas. I've been doing that and something didn't make sense.

'Go on.'

'According to their last known position and heading, they were going to Deep Space Nine, instead of coming back here, there was some kind of unusual spatial disturbance along that route that disappeared as quickly as it appeared. I looked at all the data and found an unusual quantum variance.'

Logan walked over to look at the data himself. 'Did you cross-check the data with the Starfleet library?'

'I did.'

'And?'

'The quantum signature on the particles in the area where the Pytheas disappeared match precisely those readings taken by Doctor Bashir and then-Major Kira when they crossed into what has been termed the mirror universe.'

'I've heard of it, isn't it supposed to be classified?'

'Yes sir, it is, but I asked Colonel Jatarn of DS9 to confirm the readings. He just got back to me, sir.'

'So the Pytheas is trapped in the mirror universe?'

'It would appear so.'

'Then I hope they get out of there in time to help us. We need all the help we can get.'

'Yes sir.'

'Keep me informed of any further progress. Get me Captain Dhrex, I'll give him the bad news personally.'

'Aye sir,' Madden replied as Logan returned to his office.

Logan sat down and ordered a spiced tea from the replicator hoping to calm his nerves. He brought up Astar's personnel file on the monitor and skimmed it, reading in full only the part about her command abilities. He knew from reading that small section alone that she would be unable to keep out of the affairs of that universe if push came to shove. He hoped that her reports on whatever situations she was involved in would preclude the need for a court-martial but he couldn't see it happening that way.

His life was never that easy. After leaving the Enterprise after his tenure as chief engineer, he returned to the Academy to teach and one of his colleagues suggested he switch to command, which was where his real talent was. It took a long time, but he realised that was the truth, with all the burdens it represented.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Twenty-Five

USS Pytheas
Approaching Bajoran system
June 5, 2378 (Stardate 55427.3)

Captain Astar entered the bridge from her ready room as the ship slowed to impulse speeds and sat beside Gonzales on the raised central dais. 'Open a channel.'

'We don't know if he's here,' Gonzales replied. 'Sensors aren't showing any cloaked vessels in the area.'

'He's here.'

'Channel open,' Parker said from the tactical station.

'General O'Brien, I suggest that whatever you're planning on doing, you do quickly. The Imperium fleet is now under the direct control of the Pah Wraiths and they are less than two hours behind us.'

Their view of empty space changed to that of the Defiant's bridge. 'Thank you for the warning, Captain. We're almost ready to enter the wormhole. We just have one more task to complete,' Smiley replied.

'Which is?'

'Retrieving the Orb of the Emissary from the Temple of the Kai on Bajor.'

'I take it there is a problem with that?' Astar asked, feeling a knot forming in her stomach.

'The Temple was razed when the rest of Bajor was attacked by the Vorta. No non-Bajoran is allowed on the surface, and anyone else will be shot on sight.'

'You didn't think about this?' she asked, almost snarling.

'The Prophet wasn't exactly forthcoming with that particular information.'

She sighed. 'I don't have any Bajorans on board, but I can have someone surgically altered.'

'Captain, may I suggest an alternative?' Gonzales asked.

'Go ahead.'

'Contact whoever is in charge down there and let the Prophet do the talking.'

'The Prophet has no power. She must interact directly with the Orb of the Emissary in order to exorcise the Pah Wraith from the Celestial Temple.'

'Then we need to go down there and secure the Temple of the Kai while she goes in and does her thing.'

Smiley stepped back to allow Natima Lang into the frame. 'Can you guarantee that no Bajoran will be harmed?'

'All our weapons will be on stun. No Bajoran will be killed or severely injured, but there will be bruising. It is the best that I can offer under the circumstances,' Astar replied.

'Miss Lang, I know many Bajorans and once they understand that you carry the essence of a Prophet within you, they will gladly sacrifice themselves to make sure you are successful in retaking the Celestial Temple,' Gonzales added. 'Especially when they know that the Imperium will no longer be able to bother them.'

'This is not our way.'

'You must choose between what is right and what is easy,' Astar told Lang.

Lang and Smiley conferred for a few minutes. 'We will need assistance in securing the Temple of the Kai.'

'We'll help you, but we must work quickly. The Imperium is closing fast.'

'We'll beam aboard momentarily, O'Brien out.'

'Parker, have a security team meet you in transporter room one and escort our guests to the observation lounge. Gonzales, return to your station and deploy the sensor probe array. I want a full scan of the system and the Denorios belt, and I want to see what we have on the Temple of the Kai.'

'Aye sir,' Parker replied and headed for the turbolift by the tactical station.

'I'm on it,' Gonzales jumped up and took Parker's place. 'Probes deployed, scan underway. I'm bringing up the Temple on the viewscreen now.'

'What can you tell me about it?'

'The Temple was built seven thousand years ago to house the Orbs of the Prophets and nine were placed there in deep vaults. That is where our universes differ. The Bajorans in our universe revered the Orbs as artefacts from the Celestial Temple and created a religion around them. The Bajorans in this universe treated them as articles of study for technological reasons. A tenth Orb, the Orb of the Emissary, was found and added to the collection in this universe. In ours, it was discovered by Captain Sisko on Tyree and he used it to remove the Pah Wraith from the Celestial Temple, returning the Prophets to their rightful place.'

'That is essentially the story,' Natima Lang said, emerging from the turbolift with Smiley, Parker and two security guards.

'You have more to add?' Astar asked as she and Gonzales walked toward the observation lounge.

'Not much,' she answered.

'What do you have to add?'

'The Bajorans in this universe never looked to us as gods or teachers or anything like that, but the Cardassians did, a long time ago.'

'The Oralian religion, from the Hebitian civilisation,' Gonzales said.

'Exactly.'

'The Prophets believed all corporeal beings in the multiverse acted the same, until they created the Emissary in this universe. Then they realised that every universe has a dynamic that works differently. The only constant in each universe is that the Pah Wraith take over the Celestial Temple and only the Emissary, using the Orb of the Emissary, can remove them. After Sisko's death in this universe, we decided that another Emissary must be chosen and Natima Lang was the one.'

'Because of her link to Oralius and her belief?'

'Yes and no,' Smiley added, 'and let's leave it at that.'

Astar wanted to push the point but they didn't have the time. 'Very well. I propose that my security people will secure the site and escort the three of us inside. We'll make our way to the Orb Vault, to the Orb of the Emissary and let things go as they may.'

'I find that acceptable. Your people have experience fighting the Jem'Hadar?' Lang asked.

'Too much. I know they'll lay ground troops to stop us and if that doesn't work they'll bombard the planet's surface. While we're down there, the Pytheas will remain in a low orbit of Bajor to provide cover should the bombardment begin. I hope it doesn't come down to that.'

'As do I, but I see little alternative. The Pah Wraiths will do everything in their power to prevent us reaching our goal.'

'Then we should leave immediately,' Gonzales said. 'Parker has four security teams on hot standby and four more on alert.'

'Talen to Astar, the Imperium fleet have just dropped out of warp. They'll be in orbit in eighteen minutes.'

'Acknowledged, Lieutenant. Inform Lieutenant Parker to have all standby security teams in the transporter rooms in five minutes; Astar out.'

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Ahh, so you see the Oralian Way as connected to the Prophets after all! (I chose not to go that route, but I can VERY much see why some of the Pocket Books novels would lead to that conclusion.)

And it's very interesting to see Natima Lang with a Prophet in her...I do notice, though, that this one seems to cope with the world outside the Wormhole a lot better than the Prophet that took control of Kira Nerys in "The Reckoning," though. I wonder why that is? Could it be that's what happens, the longer the connection goes on?

But you make me wonder--is Natima a willing host the way Kira was?

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Twenty-Six

Outside the Temple of the Kai
Ashalla, Bajor
June 6, 2378 (Stardate 55427.4)

Lieutenant Parker materialised on the hard-packed ground with her phaser in hand. Around her, twenty-three security officers and crewmen also had phasers or phaser rifles and fanned out across the entrance to the Temple which was currently clear of Bajorans. It was early morning and the sun was just creeping above the horizon. Once Parker was satisfied that there were no hostiles in the area, she tapped her combadge.

'All clear, Captain.'

Astar beamed down with Smiley and Lang, both of the latter holding Cardassian phasers. Astar had her phaser clipped to her waist, but held a tricorder in her hand.

'Lieutenant, keep the area secure. If you get surrounded and can't fight your way out, fall back into the Temple and use the entrance as a bottleneck, killing anything that comes through. There's a good chance that we'll lose communications when we go deep inside so don't let that be a factor.'

'Aye sir. I would again like to protest that you're not taking any security personnel with you.'

'Anjuna expressed a similar concern,' Smiley said. 'We don't to sacrifice too many people if this goes wrong.'

Parker nodded and strode toward the entrance. 'Alpha team, we're here. Bravo team, take the north, Charlie team take the east and Delta team, take south. No one gets through, unless they're one of us.'

Astar nodded at the formation and then took point, heading into the Temple entrance and Parker knelt on the ground waiting for the Jem'Hadar to materialise. She looked around at her own team and saw them checking their weapons again, just waiting.

'Gonzales to Parker, the flagship just entered orbit. The Jem'Hadar are on their way.'

'Acknowledged, Parker out,' she tapped her combadge. 'Stand ready!'

Less than a minute later, the air was thick with fighting. The Jem'Hadar had almost beamed into their midst, swinging their kar'takins and brandishing their rifles like clubs. The Starfleet teams were well trained and cut them down but they were only twenty four and the flagship held hundreds. A score of Jem'Hadar headed her way and she hefted her rifle, thumbing it to its highest setting and then set it on wide beam, which would reduce the effectiveness but take out enough to give her people some room. The wide beam countered the rifle's highest kill setting leaving the total effect a rather useful low kill setting that took out seven Jem'Hadar in one hit, and using up a third of the power cell.

Switching to standard tactics, Parker fired beam after beam at the approaching Jem'Hadar and they fell. She risked a single glance at the other teams and noted that a couple of her people had gone down but far more of the shock troops were hitting the dirt. This lasted for another few minutes after which another wave of Jem'Hadar beamed down.

'Parker to Pytheas, we need some help down here.'

'I'm beaming the rest of your teams into position,' Gonzales replied. 'The flagship is moving into bombardment position.'

'You know what to do, Parker out.'

She continued to fire until the power cell was empty and then pulled from the pouch concealed in the small of her back, an ushaan-tor. Shouting an Andorian battle cry she leapt at the nearest Jem'Hadar and sliced his neck in two, severing the ketracel white tube in the process. He fell and she moved on to the next one, noting that a number of her comrades were doing the same, utilising their own combat knives or fallen kar'takins.

'Don't let them enter the Temple!' she yelled as a trio of Jem'Hadar broke through the now crumbling Starfleet defence perimeter.

The remainder of her ground-trained security force beamed in with fresh weapons and cut down the new Jem'Hadar arrivals swiftly. Within moments the odds were evened out again. She suddenly had a bad feeling about the battle and was proved right as a squadron of Jem'Hadar unshrouded almost on top of her. She slashed with the ushaan-tor and backpedalled to gain some room to manoeuvre but it wasn't enough. She hit the ground hard as she tripped over a fallen Jem'Hadar and managed to avoid a killing stroke by the one chasing her. She pulled him towards her and took first one arm and then the other off before letting him drop to the dirt, gurgling as his white tube faltered.

Taking advantage of a lull, she tapped her combadge. 'Their white is running out, aim for the tubes.'

'We don't need the white,' a Jem'Hadar said as he loomed over her. 'You will know the name of your killer. I am First Halan'atan,' he said as he aimed his rifle at her.

'I'm K'Tyra Parker,' she replied as she jammed his comrade's kar'takin through his chest.

He fell on her, his rifle piercing her shoulder and she let out a scream of pain, throwing the soldier out of the way and pulling the rifle free in one movement. Looking at the gaping hole in her shoulder, she saw it was the wrong thing to do as blood began pouring freely from the wound. She didn't have enough energy left to call for help and was content to wait for death, angry only that she had not found and killed her blood-sister first.

She felt her consciousness start to go before the tingle of a transporter took her. She materialised in sickbay and Doctor Maxx immediately set to work on her, dressed in surgical scrubs.

'Don't sedate me, please.'

'This is going to hurt,' he said. 'There is no shame or dishonour in sedation.'

'Don't sedate me!' she pleaded. 'I want to know what is happening down there.'

'Your teams have almost completely wiped out the Jem'Hadar on the surface. Gonzales is trying to prevent the flagship from bombarding the surface,' Maxx told her as the ship shuddered violently.

'So they're hitting us instead,' Parker hissed through gritted teeth as Maxx sealed the ruptured blood vessels.

'Yes,' he muttered. 'You're lucky you inherited your redundant organs or you'd be dead by now.'

'Gonzales needs to give the Captain enough time to get the Prophet to the Orb,' she said and passed out.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Temple of the Kai
Ashalla, Bajor
June 6, 2378 (Stardate 55427.5)

Natima Lang sensed rather than felt the change in the atmosphere. Until now, they had been walking down several tunnels, each of which bore ancient inscriptions which she alone of the trio could read. They'd been walking for well over two hours and all sounds of the battle above had faded. The only sounds in the tunnels beneath the Temple were their own footsteps and a faint buzzing which was getting louder by the minute.

'We're getting close,' she told the others.

Astar pulled out her phaser. 'Wait here, I'll scout ahead.'

'Is that a good idea?' Smiley asked.

'Probably not, but I'll take my chances.'

They stood in silence for several minutes but Astar returned. 'The main chamber is just ahead, but the Bajorans are all dead and have been for some time. It looks like they committed suicide.'

'What makes you say that?' Lang asked as they resumed walking, this time at a faster pace.

'They're still holding ceremonial blades,' Astar replied. 'You'll see the rest in a moment.'

Lang gasped as she turned the corner. Inside the vault there were a dozen skeletons in various places on the ground, but the walls held her interest. There were ten niches, each holding an Orb, but of the ten, only nine were open and they were all dark. She recognised the inscriptions on the Orb cases and saw that all the Orbs sent to the Bajorans by the Prophets were there.

'The Orb of Contemplation, of Destiny, of Memory, of Prophecy and Change, the Orb of Souls, of Time, of Truth, of Unity...'

'And this one?' Smiley asked.

It was the only one that was closed.

'The Orb of the Emissary,' a voice echoed in the cavern. 'I warned you not to interfere.'

'You belong here even less than we do,' Smiley said and fired his phaser.

'I think not,' the Pah Wraith replied and the phaser beam seemed to bend back on itself.

The general went flying into the wall, hitting it with a crack. Lang went over to him and touched his neck, feeling for a pulse.

'He's dead.'

'He was warned, as I am warning you. Do not open the Orb of the Emissary.'

'I'll open it then.'

'Stop!' Lang ordered. 'Only the Emissary can open the case. It may kill you.'

'I will kill you before you make it across the room,' the Pah Wraith said and raised her arms.

'Try your best,' Lang replied and strode toward the Orb.

Astar backed away as red-tinged electrical impulses flowed from what used to be Tal'Aura toward Lang. The Cardassian turned at the last moment and let loose with a stream of blue-tinged energy. The Pah Wraith kept moving forward, forcing Lang backward. They both stepped on and over skeletons in their quest to reach the Orb first. Lang realised that she was not going to get there in time and forced a stronger stream of energy against the Romulan.

The Pah Wraith stumbled for just a moment and cried out in anger as the cavern began to collapse. The strength of their combined energy too much for the ancient structure. Astar shot one look at Lang before she ran for the tunnel, hoping that her security officers were still alive and hoping that the Cardassian could finish what she started.

Lang reached the Orb case and held it as the Pah Wraith stepped closer.

'Don't move,' she commanded the Pah Wraith. 'Your time on this corporeal plane of existence ends now!'

The Pah Wraith glared with red eyes as Lang opened the Orb of the Emissary. A blinding beam light shot through the roof of the tunnel and into space, forcing open the wormhole which had been closed for so long. The Pah Wraith bellowed in fury and lunged at the Cardassian as the other nine Orbs suddenly came to life, flooding the chamber.

Both of them were instantly transported to the Celestial Temple and Lang saw only indistinct faces.

'You were right to take on corporeal form,' the voices said as one.

'The Celestial Temple belongs to the True Prophets. You will never win this battle,' the Pah Wraith countered.

'We have already won this battle, and the war,' the Prophets replied. 'Millennia ago, the Kosst Amojan was destroyed in the Fire Caves along with your brethren. You few are the last of the Pah Wraith.'

'We few are stronger.'

'The Emissary has the strength to banish you from this plane of existence. You will no longer trouble the corporeal beings under our protection and you will no longer exist to cause pain.'

'If the Celestial Temple cannot be ours, it will never be yours!' the Pah Wraith responded with fury and lashed out, drawing the Temple's powerful energies toward them. 'This will be our final resting place, and yours, for eternity.'

All of a sudden another figure appeared, this one neither Prophet nor Pah Wraith.

'You can see all universes from this place. See who wins in all battles and all wars.'

'Who are you?' The Pah Wraith asked.

The Prophets replied with just two words that explained nothing and everything. 'The Sisko.'

'It is of no consequence. The gates to the Celestial Temple will forever be closed.'

'They will remain open and you will leave,' The Sisko informed them and opened his arms wide.

The Pah Wraith found themselves drifting where there was nothing but energy. No matter for them to manipulate. 'We will recover our strength and bide our time. We will attack when they are not expecting it.'

The Sisko turned to the Prophets. 'This universe needs your help. The Federation ship will be returning to my universe, but its crew will have left behind the greatest gift known to corporeal life.'

'What gift is this?'

'Hope.'

'What is hope?'

'Hope is the very essence of the Game. In this universe you have many worlds to watch over, many worlds to teach your ways to.'

'This universe will take much of our time.'

'Yes, it will,' The Sisko smiled and disappeared.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Epilogue

USS Pytheas
In orbit of Bajor
June 6, 2378 (Stardate 55428.1)

Captain Astar watched the viewscreen as the Imperium ships headed back to the wormhole. The Defiant had already left with the Alliance fleet hot on its heels. She reflected on the fact that very little had changed in this universe since her arrival, except for the fact that there were many more dead than there had been before. Lieutenant Parker was recovering in sickbay and a third of the ship's security force were dead or seriously injured. She had dutifully entered every action into the ship's log and fully expected a court-martial upon her return to Federation space.

But now was not the time for recriminations. She had spoken to Commander Wright and the other humans and aliens from her own universe who had somehow ended up in this one and their stories were equally as innocuous as Wright's was at first glance, but taken together, it showed a plan as devious in the making as in the execution, but none of them knew who or what had instigated it. Astar turned her attention to more mundane things. In the last five hours, since her return from the surface, her crew had seen to the repairs and the ship was as ready as it was going to be to get back home.

'Lieutenant Malling, have you reconfigured the deflector to recreate Mister Wright's spatial rift?'

'Yes ma'am, all stations report ready.'

'Have you taken into account our position?'

'Yes ma'am. Like Wright did, I've calculated the rift to open exactly where we want to be.'

'Which is where?'

'One million kilometres from Starbase 535.'

'No temporal aspect?'

'No ma'am.'

'Let's hope we don't jump right into the middle of a battle then,' Gonzales muttered darkly.

'Let's hope,' Astar agreed. 'Mister Larson, prepare for impulse. Take us out of orbit.'

'Aye sir, moving us to a position proximate to the rift entrance.'

She nodded and toggled the ship-wide comm. 'This is Captain Astar. We will shortly be attempting to recreate the rift that brought us here in the hope that it can take us home to our loved ones. You have all proven yourselves in difficult circumstances and I have entered in my log that you all be commended for your efforts. That is all.'

'Stirring, sir,' Gonzales replied.

'We're in position,' Larson said.

'Malling?'

'Deflector charged and ready.'

'Let's go home.'

The invisible energy beam tore through the subspace strata and the visible rift rippled into existence. Torrents of violent energy swirled around the vortex and Malling adjusted the beam until it was as stable as she could make it.

'That looks nothing like Wright's rift,' Larson said.

'I've done the best I can. The computer has confirmed all the readings,' Malling shot back.

'Gonzales, give me a quantum reading.'

'It is our universe, I can tell you that much.'

'Anything else?' the captain asked.

'I'm reading such unusual energy signatures on the other side.'

'Malling?'

'We have to go through, now!' she cried out. 'They're trying to close the rift. They must think we're the Cha'lav.'

'Larson, punch it!' Astar ordered.

'Aye, Captain,' the helmsman replied and the ship surged ahead.

The Pytheas dived headlong into the swirling energy vortex and the crew were thrown from their stations to the deck as all power failed. Inertial dampers were the first to go and the shields failed second. Life support and lights were the last and ship was in complete darkness when it stopped moving. Larson was the first one back to his chair and he was able to halt their forward momentum by the time the lights came on and main power was restored.

'What the hell happened?' Gonzales asked, cursing.

'I don't know,' Malling answered, groaning in pain.

'Where are we?' Astar asked.

'We're being hailed,' Talen said.

'On screen.'

'Captain, I'm so glad you could join us,' Captain Logan said, the hustle and bustle of activity behind him. 'Mind telling me where you've been?'

'It's all in my reports and logs,' she rejoined. 'Transmitting now.'

'Your ship looks a little beat up.'

'Nothing a good weld and polish won't fix.'

'I want to see you in my office on the double, Captain; Logan out.'

Astar sighed. 'Welcome home, everyone.'




The crew of the Pytheas will return in...The Art of War.

-----------------------------------------------------

I hope you enjoyed reading this. I'll start posting The Art of War tomorrow.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Well, it'll be interesting to see what happens if/when Astar and Snowcroft face the music for the things that they've done on the other side of the rift.

Seeing Sisko's presence in the Celestial Temple makes me wonder--is his permanent presence there why the Prophet and Pah-Wraith seemed better able to speak to corporeal beings and to live in their environment than did the ones that took over Kira and Jake in "The Reckoning"? With Lang, I don't think I've ever seen a Prophet be as straightforward and comprehensible as that. Could it be that Sisko taught the Prophets how to interact with humanoids and that the Prophet within her benefitted from that lesson? (Might that have also made the possession easier on Lang?)

And perhaps the most interesting thing of all: now that you have so much attention from the Prophets--who may well have these additional lessons on how to interact with people--upon the Mirror Universe, it seems like things might actually have a chance to start getting better for once, after what seems to have been millennia of horror. And that's something really amazing.

Good work, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts and comments!

 

[BrotherBenny]

We have only seen Prophets take over a corporeal form twice. Once in "The Reckoning" and once with Sarah Sisko. Both were for major events several decades apart. And once they had The Sisko it was easy for me to see how he might have helped them interact with corporeal life, but then Sarah was an unwilling host and she interacted just fine. Lang was a willing host because the Hebitian gods and the Prophets are one and the same.

It is my hope to revisit my MU sometime in the future.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

It would certainly be very interesting to see how it's changed under the guiding hand of the Prophets...

One other thing I'm curious about. Were Lang and Tal'Aura taken permanently into the Celestial Temple the way Sisko was, or will they be returned to their home universe?

 

[BrotherBenny]

It would certainly be very interesting to see how it's changed under the guiding hand of the Prophets...

One other thing I'm curious about. Were Lang and Tal'Aura taken permanently into the Celestial Temple the way Sisko was, or will they be returned to their home universe?

Tal'Aura is dead. Her consciousness was destroyed by the Pah Wraith. What do the Prophets do there?

As for Lang, she will have been returned to the mortal plane and gone back to New Hebitia, or stayed on the weapons platform above Rura Penthe. The Prophets have no more need for a corporeal body.

 

[Mistral]

That was a heck of a read. I, too, want to see more of the results of the Prophets "attention" in the MU. I suspect the next tale will be "The Courtmartial of Captain Astar" though. That would be the next logical step.

 

[CeJay]

Nice surprise appearence by 'The Sisko'. Looks like Astar saved the mirror universe. She already paid a price for it, considering all the people she has lost. But I look more favorably on her actions now ... Starfleet Command probably won't.

Cool, action-packed story you put togther here.