RESURRECTED REVELATION
By Nathan Faver and Edward H Bart IV


        "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
        Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

                                        --Hamlet, William Shakespeare

        “I don’t understand any of this.”

                                        --Ginger P. Stuvor



        The sun shone down warmly on the laborers as they worked. It was a help, since the cold winds of fall had already arrived. Ginger Stuvor looked up at the sky, shading his eyes from the sunlight of Kadesh's sun. The sky was clear, but Stuvor could make out dark clouds on the far horizon. The way the winds were blowing, the clouds would arrive within the next few days.
        “What are you looking at, Stuvor?” Ernesto Pappagallo asked, drawing Stuvor's attention.
        “What? Oh, just looking at the clouds.”
        Pappagallo, a rotund genial man, glanced in the direction Stuvor was looking in. “Yeah, I see what you mean. Good thing the harvest is over.”
        “Yep,” Stuvor nodded.
        Pappagallo slapped Stuvor on his back. “Well, better get back to work if we're going to finish maintenance on this ground feeder before sundown.”
        “Yeah. I'm almost done with the diagnostics. So far, so good.”
        Pappagallo nodded. “You're a good worker, Stuvor. We're lucky to have a smart guy like you here.” He lowered his voice to an conspiratorial whisper. “Don't tell the others this- you do the work of others better and faster. You could take over when I retire.”
        Stuvor grinned. “Thanks, Ernie, but I'm not cut out for leading people. I prefer working in the guts of machines. I like getting my hands dirty.”
        “Ah well,” Pappagallo shrugged. “My son is quite capable of taking over though. But given the choice between you two, I'd go with you.”
        “I appreciate the thought,” Stuvor nodded. “But I know Peter would do a good job.”
        “I know too. Well, I better get going,” Pappagallo shrugged. “I've got work to do back at the house. Why don't you drop by for dinner tonight with my family?”
        “Maybe I'll do that,” Stuvor smiled. He watched as Pappagallo climbed down the scaffolding to the dusty ground. Pappagallo waved up to Stuvor and walked off into the direction of the farm's office.
        Stuvor leaned against the railing of the scaffolding, rubbing his hands together. The large ground feeder was an older model, bought fifty years ago from traders. It was a huge piece of machinery designed to cultivate acres of ground, preparing it for planting. It also could seed ground and harvest certain kinds of crops.
        This kind of machine lost effectiveness over time with each farming season. Only frequent and careful maintenance kept them from becoming useless. They were very expensive, and Pappagallo's family intended to keep the ones they had for at least another fifty years.
        That was Stuvor's job, to maintain the farm equipment for the Pappagallos. He enjoyed the job immensely, since it did give him something to do with his hands and his mind. Very often, Stuvor would find his mind wandering, thinking about how to improve the machinery. In some cases, he'd find himself thinking up new inventions. However, for the most part, Stuvor did his job and did it very well. He saved his energy and flights of fancy for his own personal private project.
        Stuvor brushed back his windblown black hair, and kneeled onto the deck of the scaffolding. His work overalls were dusty with the sand the fall winds blew in from the desert that laid beyond the farm and town. His lean face, normally pale, was tanned from a year of living on Kadesh.
        Stuvor pressed several panels, and a metal screen slid shut over an exposed computer screen. Stuvor stood up, and glanced at another computer monitor. He nodded, satisfied at the readings he was getting, and pressed a panel. Another screen slid shut over that computer monitor. Stuvor picked up a spanner and put it in his overall's pocket, and dusted his hands off. “That takes care of you, GF Two,” he said to the machine.
        He climbed down the ladder of the scaffolding, and pressed a panel on one of the metal struts. The scaffolding started folding in onto itself, lowering from a height of ten meters to just under a meter. Stuvor decided against pushing the scaffolding over to the next ground feeder. The sun was kissing the horizon now. “Close enough for quitting time,” Stuvor shrugged.

        Though Earth was a member of a large interplanetary confederation, one where all sorts of business was conducted at all times, nighttime was still nighttime. As such, most of the offices in Starfleet Headquarters were vacant, their occupants gone home for a good night's sleep. However, one office in particular was about to get a visitor.
        The darkened office was brightened by light spilling in by the opening of the entry door. The visitor stepped quickly in, making sure no one saw her. The door closed, throwing the office back into darkness. She made her way through the office with confidence, familiar with the layout of the furniture and doors. She also had the pale light from the starry sky that shone through the large window. The starlight glinted off a metallic cylinder, set within a glass display case.
        The visitor quickly made her way through the outer office and entered the inner office. She made her way to the large desk, which was imported from the forest planet of Ynagoham. She sat gingerly on the large chair behind the desk, and placed a gloved hand on the console of the desktop computer.
        The monitor brightened, showing the standard seal of the Federation, awaiting for further orders. Instead of relying on the standard voice mode, the visitor typed in several commands. The computer complied, the screen flickering in the near darkness as she read through several screens.
        After several moments, the visitor typed in another string of commands.
        “Warning, authorization code required from Admiral Patrick Grogan to access encrypted files,” the computer spoke, breaking the silence of the office. The visitor clenched her gloved hands into fists, pausing. She reached into her dark uniform, pulling out a small rectangular device. She activated it, and the device’s small display lit up.
        She placed the device on the computer console, and it beeped quietly. Lights flashed on and off on the small screen in time with the device's beeping.
        “Authorization code received. Encrypted files available for viewing.”
        The visitor nodded in triumph. She typed in an inquiry.
        “Most recent files are Horeb Observation and Megiddo Protocol,” the computer replied.
        The visitor tapped on the console, as the monitor showed the contents of the indicated files. She leaned on the desk, cupping her chin in her hand as she read the files.

        “Hello, Admiral,” the security officer nodded. “Forget something?”
        Grogan nodded, smiling sheepishly. “Yes, I left a PADD on my desk. Important secrets to safeguard. The fall of the Federation and all that, don't you know.”
        The officer nodded grinning. He waved the gray haired admiral through the security checkpoint. The security monitors showed that Grogan wasn't a changeling, a clone or a doppleganger from an alternate plane of reality. The security computer indicated that the human's DNA matched that of Patrick M. Grogan, Admiral in Starfleet.
        “Thank you, ensign,” Grogan nodded. The admiral walked down the corridor, heading for the row of turbolifts. He looked around the building's lobby. No one else was around, save for several security officers standing guard.
        He walked into the nearest turbolift, and leaned against the curved back. “Floor 35,” he spoke. The turbolift responded by setting into motion.
        Grogan was a middle-aged man of Celtic descent. His long gray hair curled slightly as it met his shoulders. His craggy face was clean shaven and bore wrinkles of time and experience. His steel-blue eyes glinted with intelligence and determination.
        The admiral straightened the sleeves of his dark Starfleet uniform. He glanced at the gold piping that encircled his cuffs and the gold rank pips set there. The turbolift stopped and the doors opened to let him out.

        The small device on the desktop computer's console beeped insistently. The visitor glanced at the small readout, and saw the alarm. She glanced up at the monitor and quickly typed several commands on the console. The monitor cycled through several screens, ultimately reverting back to the original screen of the Federation's seal.
        The visitor pressed a button on the device, and it beeped in confirmation. Then she took the device and secreted it back into her uniform. She quickly deactivated the computer, and stood up. She rushed out of the inner office and ran to the entry door. She tapped the door panel and it slid open to let her out.
        She glanced up and down the long hallway, checking for any people. She saw none and sighed. She peeled off her gloves and put them underneath her uniform coat. She started walking casually down the hallway.

        Grogan turned a corner and walked up the hallway to his office. He heard the footsteps of someone else. He narrowed his eyes and looked around for the person. He saw the source of footsteps. He smiled.
        “Good evening, Lieutenant Green.”
        Green smiled at the admiral. “Good evening, Admiral. What are you doing here, sir?”
        “Ah, I was just checking up on some things in my office,” Grogan replied. “And you?”
        “Just working on the reports you asked me to do,” Green said. “I wanted to get them out of the way before the weekend.”
        Grogan nodded. “I see. Uh, about that, I'd like you to come to my office tomorrow morning when you get in. I'd like to talk to you in private.”
        Green frowned. “Yes, sir. I'll do that.”
        “Have a good night, Annekta,” Grogan smiled.
        “Good night, sir.”
        Grogan watched as Green turned to walk to the turbolifts. He watched as she turned a corner and vanished from view. The admiral continued walking back to his office.

        Annekta Green adjusted the clip in her long brown hair, and smoothed down her uniform. The turbolift doors opened, and she made her way through the crowd of people. She walked down the hallway to Grogan's office, nodding to her co-workers as she passed them.
        She stepped into Grogan's office and smiled at Grogan's secretary. “Hi, Harry,” she said to him.
        “Hi. Go right in, the admiral's expecting you,” Lieutenant Weiss said from his seat. He went back to his work on his computer.
        Green walked into Grogan's office, to see him seated behind his desk. His hands were clasped together, his fingers interlaced. He looked at her solemnly for several seconds.
        “You wanted to see me, sir?” Green said, breaking the silence.
        “Yes, I did,” Grogan replied. “Have a seat.”
        Green sat down in one of the black chairs set before the admiral's desk.
        “I hate to do this,” Grogan began. “This is one of the things I don't like about my job.”
        “What's that, sir?” Green asked. The hairs on the back of her neck bristled in a silent warning. Outwardly, she kept a composed mask of obliviousness.
        Grogan sighed heavily. “I'm sorry.”
        “For what?”
        “For ruining your weekend,” Grogan said. “I need to send you on location for a survey this afternoon.”
        Green sighed, apprehension flowing out of her body. “Oh. Okay.”
        “What's wrong?” Grogan looked at Green. “Were you expecting something else?”
        “No, sir,” Green shook her head. “Well actually, just a little disappointed I'll have to cancel my plans.”
        “Ah. Again, I'm sorry. If I could avoid this, I would. This is too important however.”
        “Yes sir. What's the assignment?”
        Grogan picked up a PADD and handed it to Green over his desk. “You'll accompany a planetary survey team aboard the U.S.S. Samaritan to survey the Wadi Quon system.”
        “Wadi Quon system?” Green asked, glancing at the PADD. “I'm not familiar with that.”
        Grogan shrugged. “I'm not surprised. It's...for the lack of a better word, a backwaters system. It's in a non-vital sector of space, and hasn't been explored since the first colonists have settled there over a hundred years ago.”
        “Then why the interest?” Green looked up at the admiral.
        “Well, as you know, the Dominion War is a drain on our resources. We need to look elsewhere for new sources of supplies. That's one of the reasons why the U.S.S. Courageous is in the Borderlands now. In any case, Starfleet Command has ordered my department to assist in surveys. We think the Wadi Quon system could be a good place to start mass farms. One planet, Kadesh, already has been colonized by a small group of people. Pretty much everything you need to know is on that PADD.”
        “I see,” Green nodded, glancing back to the PADD.
        “Well, that's it. You're dismissed. You better pack up to make the departure time for the Samaritan.”
        “Yes, sir. I'll do that now. Have a good day, admiral.” Green smiled and stood up.
        “You too, Annekta.”
        Green tapped the PADD against her palm and left the office.

        Green tossed several small cases into her large satchel. Her clothes were already folded and put away. She pressed the cases down and checked the zipper on the satchel. It was able to zip closed, allaying her concerns that she had over packed. She glanced at the chronometer on her nightstand. She would be able to make the Samaritan's shuttle with time to spare.
        She picked up Grogan's PADD and put her other hand on the satchel shoulder strap. She hefted the bag onto her shoulder and walked out of her small apartment. She went down the turbolift and exited onto the sidewalk. She walked down the streets of San Francisco, headed for the public transporter platform several blocks away.
        Midway between her walk, she turned down an alley, and set her bag down. She tapped her combadge once. It beeped once. She tapped it twice again. It beeped twice. She began talking. “Addendum to my report from last night. I'm on my way to the spaceport, to board the U.S.S. Samaritan. I think we're going to find out what the admiral intends to do about the Wadi Quon system. As soon as I board the Samaritan, I'll try to secure a com channel to upload you the files the admiral has given me.
        “Off the point, for a moment there, I thought the admiral suspected me. It turned out not to be the case. I don't think he suspects a thing. I'll make my next report from Kadesh, my first stop.”
        Green tapped her combadge three times. It beeped once, and she picked up her satchel and resumed walking.

        Ginger Stuvor laid in his bed, his right arm underneath his pillow. His left arm laid across his bare chest. A light sheet laid rumpled over his legs. His eyes were open and fixed on a singular point on the ceiling above him. He drew in a deep frustrated sigh.
        Stuvor rolled over on his side to glance at the chronometer on the wooden stand next to his bed. The bright numerals told him that it was very late. Stuvor sighed once again. It was the dead of the night, and he still was awake.
        He kicked off his bed sheet angrily and swung his legs over to the side of the bed, sitting up. He ran his hands through his unruly dark brown hair. He stretched his arms and twisted around, and stood up. He walked over to the small bathroom unit that the hotel unit afforded.
        He leaned over his sink, activating the cold water. He ran cold water across his hands and splashed it onto his face. He looked at himself in the mirror. Dark bags hung beneath his eyes from many sleepless nights. Ever since he ended up on Kadesh with no memory of his past, the feeling of loose ends nagged at Stuvor. Perhaps these sleepless nights were an extension of his ever present feelings of anticipation, Stuvor thought to himself. But for what? his mind asked.
        Stuvor sighed and walked back into the one room unit, and walked over to the single window. He leaned against the tempered window, glancing out in the darkness.
        Horeb was a small town on a small agricultural planet within the territory of the Federation. The planet, Kadesh, had once been a desert planet. A hundred years ago, colonists sought to terraform a portion of the surface to create farmlands. They succeeded in creating a small farm basin. Mostly the agricultural produce was used towards the colonists' needs, but sometimes they had a surplus to export to other places.
        Horeb's only other claim to fame was an interesting looking fluke of terraforming. In creating wells, the terraformers had discovered a large underground water river beneath a rocky incline. They drew the water out, and it spilled out through various fissures in a giant boulder. It looked as if the rock itself was producing water.
        Occasionally tourists would visit to see the water-producing rock, but during this time of war, none came by anymore. Horeb grew smaller and less important. The colonists and their descendants liked it that way. So did Stuvor. He enjoyed the anonymity and isolation this planet afforded him.
        Now, if only he could remember how he ended up here. His last clear memory waking up in the desert was of being shot by a madwoman, Zandria. And his chest being disintegrated. His next memory was of waking up in the non-terraformed portion of Kadesh, in the desert just outside of Horeb.
        He walked into town, initially unaware of who he was and where he was. Slowly, he remembered his own identity, but not what had happened to him. The town folk had taken him in, and he found a job as a maintenance man for one of the many pieces of agricultural devices employed in Horeb.
        However, as Stuvor remembered more about his past, he came to realize something was odd. When he had been shot, he had just celebrated his 25th birthday. However, according to the town doctor who examined him when he was found, he was declared to be an healthy 32 year old man. That meant seven years of his own biological life had gone by with him unaware.
        Where had these seven years gone? What happened during that period?
        His personal project had been the only thing that kept him focused. Stuvor sighed, looking at the night lights of the street below. It wasn't as if someone would show up and fill in all the gaps for him, he told himself.
        A slight gust of wind behind him made the hairs on Stuvor's neck stand on end. His ears detected the soft sound of a foot stepping forward. Stuvor slowly turned around to see a man in the shadows of his room.
        “What are you doing in here?” Stuvor was sure he had locked his door before retiring for the night. “Who are you?” he prodded.
        The intruder said nothing. He merely stepped forward once again. In the dim light from the window, Stuvor could see him better. The man was tall and broad shoulder, similar in physique as Stuvor. He was athletic and muscular. The intruder had dark blonde hair that was swept back. It reached down to brush over the top of his shoulders. He was also very handsome, one of the better looking men Stuvor had ever seen.
        Stuvor also noticed that the man was dressed exactly as he was, in a pair of loose pajama pants, and barefooted. “Who are you?” Stuvor asked again, more than just annoyed.
        The man still did not respond. He only had a blank expression on his face, though his eyes seemed to speak volumes.
        Already frustrated from his lack of sleep, and his emotions worked up from his thoughts of his past's mystery, Stuvor leapt forward at the intruding figure.
        He landed upon the man, knocking him to the ground. They rolled around on the bare floor, wrestling with each other. Stuvor pushed him against the nightstand, knocking it over. The chronometer and lamp fell to the ground. The lamp broke into several pieces. The man kicked at Stuvor's shins, and scrambled on top of Stuvor, grappling for Stuvor's wrists.
        Stuvor bucked up, knocking the man off him, and grabbed hold of one of the man's wrists. He twisted around, leaping on top of the man. Stuvor noticed that the man's expression had not changed at all. It remained eerily placid.
        “Who are you?” Stuvor roared, pinning the intruder to the ground. The man beat his free hand against Stuvor's chest, trying to dislodge him. Stuvor grabbed the man's other wrist and pinned it to the ground. He brought his face down close to the intruder, staring angrily into the man's eyes. “Answer me! Who are you?”
        Finally the silent intruder spoke. “You know who I am...you just don't want to accept it.”
        “What?” Stuvor said in utter confusion.
        Faster than the eye could see, the man twisted a wrist out of Stuvor's grip, and reached down to Stuvor's waist. He pressed his hand on Stuvor's hip. Suddenly, searing pain rippled outwards from his hip socket. Stuvor yelled and found himself falling to the ground.
        The intruder calmly sat up, and brought himself up to his feet. He walked over to where Stuvor was curled up, nursing his injured hip. He knelt down and placed a hand on Stuvor's forehead, as if he were a priest blessing a sick man.
        The moment the intruder's hand came in touch to Stuvor's sweaty forehead, a blinding flash of light struck Stuvor. He saw Earth hanging in space before his own eyes. The view shimmered and warped around Stuvor. He felt nauseous, and his environment refocused around him. Now he was watching a Catholic priest prying open a metallic scroll within a dim cavern. The priest’s mouth was moving but Stuvor heard nothing, then suddenly, the priests’s voice echoed into Stuvor’s ears, as if heard from a great distance. “Unto the Sons of Light, are given tools to aid them,” the priest’s voice had said.
        The scene faded and Stuvor found himself floating in nothingness. He gasped, shocked at the lack of ground beneath his feet. He looked around, and saw that it wasn't truly nothingness. He could see pinpoints of stars around. He was floating in space somehow. He saw an explosion of light and color nearby. He twisted around in the seemingly weightless environment to see what it was. He was greeted by the sight of what appeared to be a particle fountain.
        It wasn't as big as some of the other more famous particle fountains that dotted the space of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. It was still an impressive sight nevertheless. It was big enough to engulf several Galaxy-class starships. It rippled and undulated as it spewed forth subatomic particles, like a giant geyser in space. Different shades of green, blue, purple and white filled up the space before Stuvor's eyes. A flash of light attracted his eye. He thought it might be an electromagnetic discharge. However, it was flashing too repeatedly and too uniformly. It seemed like a beacon on a starship, Stuvor thought.
        Stuvor squinted, trying to see more clearly through the atomic haze, but his environment changed again. Now he stood behind a woman, seated in front of a large wooden desk. There was a faint familiarity about the woman Stuvor was standing behind. However, there was none for the person at the desk. Behind the wooden desk was an alien, dressed in an admiral’s uniform from Starfleet. The alien was like nothing Stuvor had ever seen. It had a gaping maw, slitted black eyes, and pockmarked skin. It looked almost horrific.
        The gruesome sight had thrown Stuvor off, and now he realized the alien was talking, in English no less.
        “You'll accompany a planetary survey team aboard the U.S.S. Samaritan to survey the Wadi Quon system,” the alien admiral said.
        “Wadi Quon system?” the woman asked, echoing Stuvor’s own internal question.
        That’s the system I’m in, Stuvor thought to himself.

        Stuvor blinked again and saw that he was back in his own bed. Sunlight streamed through the window just beyond the foot of his bed. Stuvor turned his head to look around the room. The chronometer sat right by his bed, as did the lamp.
        Stuvor furrowed his brow. Wasn't the lamp supposed to be broken? he thought to himself. What happened? Was it just a dream? Stuvor sat up, and immediately regretted doing so. He groaned loudly as a sharp pain radiated outwards from his hip...the very same hip that the intruder had touched.
        Slowly, he moved out of bed and limped over to the bathroom. He stepped into the sonic shower and turned it on. As he cleaned himself up, he thought about the dream. It couldn't have been just a dream. His hip still hurt. And that intruder...there was something familiar about him. And finally, he could remember every detail clearly, unlike all his other dreams.
        Stuvor finished his shower and dressed in a pair of black pants and a grey buttoned shirt. He slipped his feet into his black work boots and walked over to the door. He picked up his black long coat off the hook on the wall. It was the winter season, and the cold winds were coming.
        Oddly, Stuvor felt that he had finally received some answers the night before. That sense of incompleteness was not as pronounced. Stuvor stepped outside of the hotel room, and went to the single flight of stairs. He slowly limped downstairs to the front lobby. When he reached the first floor, the pain was subsiding. His limp became less pronounced.
        “Slept late on your day off huh?” a woman called out. “Will wonders never cease?”
        Stuvor smiled and turned to look at Mrs. Piers, the owner and proprietor of the only hotel in Horeb. “Didn't plan to do that. Besides, it’s my day off, after all.”
        “Where are you off to, Ginger?”
        “I...don't know,” Stuvor sighed. “I think I'm just going to enjoy my day off. Maybe I’ll camp out tonight.”
        “Ah, at your favorite mystery campsite. Well, good for you, honey. Lord knows, you need to relax,” Mrs. Piers said. “Will you be coming back later today?”
        “No, I don't believe so. I've got everything I need on me.” Stuvor gestured to his clothes and coat. “Just don't rent out my room while I'm gone,” he chuckled.
        “I wouldn't dream of it,” Mrs. Piers said. “You're my only permanent customer, and my favorite one. You always pay your rent on time, and you're so nice to help out around here. You're such an angel.”
        Stuvor smiled embarrassedly. He put on his coat and started to walk out the doors. He paused and turned to look at Mrs. Piers. “Uh, one thing- did anyone come in here last night? Around 2 or 3? A tall man, like me, but blond haired?”
        “No, I don't believe so,” Mrs. Piers shook her head. “No one came in at all last night. Otherwise the remote sensors would have woke me up.”
        “I thought so. Just wondering. Have a good afternoon, Mrs. Piers. I'll see you when I get back.”
        “Have fun! Be safe,” Mrs. Piers waved.
        Stuvor walked out onto the main street. The town reminded him of the town he had lived in on Earth, in the 19th century. That old saw was true, Stuvor thought to himself. The more things change, the more things remain the same. His limp was all but gone, and Stuvor was able to walk normally.
        
        Stuvor walked out into the desert. He had his coat slung over his shoulder, and his sunglasses on. In spite of the cold winds, the sun still held it's fiery power. No clouds were around in the blue sky to provide shade. It was also humid as well. Stuvor knew from that fact that storm clouds would be rolling in soon. Just as well, he thought.
        He made his way on a trail that he had secretly marked for himself. Subtle markers such as specially shaped rocks and planted brush indicated the direction he should walk in. Soon, he came upon his final destination, a long ridge of rocks. Stuvor had first discovered this ridge of rocks when he first awoke two years ago in the desert. It was on the way to town. The ridge had always remained in his memory, and Stuvor had gone out often to explore it.
        He walked into to the small cavern he had discovered years ago. The dark tunnel was lit by a row of small lanterns. Stuvor could have made his way through without the lanterns; he had been through here many times before.
        Stuvor stood straight up, no longer crouching from the tunnel’s low overhead. He was now in the main chamber which housed his secret workshop, several meters underground. The chamber was shaped in an irregular circle. Stuvor had shored up the chamber so it wouldn’t collapse onto him unexpectedly. His experience in Starfleet Engineering Corps had served him well.
        Stuvor walked over to his desk. Like most of the furniture on Kadesh, the desk was made out of Cacti wood, one of the native plants on this desert planet. It had a rustic and roughhewn appearance, but was sturdy and durable. Atop the desk was a computer terminal. Stuvor had traded for it with a passing merchant ship in his first year on the planet.
        Stuvor sat in his chair, and glanced around the chamber. Half-finished engineering projects and inventions lay around the workshop. At the far end sat his most recently completed project, the Scarab. It lay beneath a large protective tarp.
        Stuvor reached out and activated his desktop terminal. “Open Personal Journal,” he said to the waiting computer. His time with Starfleet had ingrained him with the habit of keeping a journal. It also helped him make sure he could hang onto his memories, given that he apparently lost a chunk out of his life.
        Stuvor paused for a moment, recalling the vivid dreams and the stranger from the night before. He relayed as much as he could remember to the computer, all the sensations and sights he had.
        As he spoke to the computer, the strangeness of the situation hit him. It became harder for him to believe that what happened was real. He shook his head. “Maybe it all was just one hell of a dream, or nightmare,” he concluded. “End journal entry.”
        Stuvor drummed his fingers on the desktop. “What to do... what to do...” he murmured to himself. “Computer, initiate uplink to Pilfire satellite.”
        Stuvor looked at the sensor readouts from the lone satellite that orbited Kadesh. “Yep, gonna rain tomorrow night,” he said to himself, confirming his hunch. “Any ships in the system?” Stuvor asked the computer.
        “One ship detected.”
        “Oh really?” Stuvor leaned forward. A ship passing through the Wadi Quon system was a rare occurrence. It was either a merchant ship passing through, or a ship that had lost its way. “Hope it’s a trader, I sure could use a new catalytic converter,” Stuvor said aloud. “Identify ship.”
        “Starfleet registry, Nova class, NCC-72357. Transponder identifies it as U.S.S. Samaritan.”
        “Okay, that’s just freaky,” Stuvor declared. “Nova class, huh? Must be new, after I went back in time. Can you get a visual?”
        “Negative. Out of range of satellite optics,” the computer replied.
        “Well let me know if it gets in range,” Stuvor asked. He leaned back in his seat. It couldn’t be coincidence, could it? he asked himself. The computer chimed.
        “Ship within visual range.”
        “Show it to me,” Stuvor said. On the terminal’s display screen, he saw a small ship with a sharply geometric forward section, and outthrusting warp nacelles. “Probable trajectory?”
        “It is on approach to this planet.”
        “Curiouser and curiouser,” Stuvor said. He immediately groaned at his hackneyed phrase. “Shut down,” he told the computer. He leapt from his chair, grabbing his coat. He put it on as he rushed out of the cavern.

        He entered Horeb, jogging at a brisk pace. He slowed up and walked to the municipal building. If anyone knew why a starship was approaching the planet, it would be the town’s ‘mayor,’ Josephine Smythe. As the Horeb Town Council leader, she usually dealt with all offworlders.
        He walked into the two story office building, nodding to the others who were in there. He made his way to Smythe’s office. He approached the door, and when it didn’t open immediately, Stuvor paused and knocked on the door.
        “Who is it?” the intercom, which was set next to the door, asked.
        “It’s Ginger Stuvor,” he replied.
        “Oh okay. Come in.” With Smythe’s voice authorization, the door opened for Stuvor.
        He walked into the office, finding Smythe at her desk, hard at work on her desktop terminal. She paused momentarily to give Stuvor a smile. Middle age had not taken away the luster of her kind smile, although life on Kadesh did have an effect on her appearance. Her short hair, which had been dark brown, had light highlights from Kadesh’s sun.
        Her intense face concentrated on the computer’s screen, as her smile faded into a thoughtful frown. Her tan skin, made a shade darker through constant exposure to the elements, showed signs of worry lines. Those were emphasized by her frown.
        “Have a seat,” Smythe said, her eyes on the screen. Stuvor was used to her ‘multi-tasking,’ sitting down, and watching her work. “So what brings you by, on your day off?” she asked.
        The fact that she knew it was his day off didn’t throw Stuvor off. It was a small town, after all. Stuvor crossed his legs and placed his hands in his lap. “I was just wondering if any ships were coming by the planet anytime soon?”
        “Don’t beat around the bush, Ginger,” Smythe said, still looking at the screen. “You know, don’t you?”
        Stuvor gave a chagrined smile. “Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do.”
        “You know you’re not supposed to access the satellite. Only the town council has access,” Smythe remarked.
        “I know.”
        Smythe paused her typing and looked at Stuvor. She nodded. “Yes, I know. Actually, I just found out about the planetary survey a few hours ago. Starfleet’s ship entered the system about a hour ago.”
        “Planetary survey?” Stuvor echoed.
        “Yeah, how about that?” Smythe nodded. “The admiral in charge explained that Starfleet was looking for new planets to set up farming installations. Alternative sources for food during the war, you know?”
        “Oh,” Stuvor nodded. “This admiral, what was his name?”
        Smythe took a moment to recall the name. “I think it was Admiral Gogan. No, Grogan.”
        “He’s coming here?”
        “Oh, no. One of his people is coming, in charge of the survey. “A Lieutenant Green.”
        “Oh. The name sounds familiar.”
        Smythe shrugged. “It’s a color.”
        “Yes, but I used to know someone named Green.”
        “Someone named their child Green? Talk about a lack of imagination,” Smythe shook her head.
        Stuvor smiled. “No, that was her family name. Her first name was Annekta.”
        “Really? Now isn’t that a small galaxy? I think that’s her coming.”
        “What?” Stuvor blurted out. “Really?”
        “Mmhmm,” she nodded.
        “You talked with her?”
        “Yes, she contacted me when they entered the system.”
        “Uh, can I see the communication record? I’d like to see if it’s her or someone else with the same name.”
        “Sure.” Smythe tapped a series of commands on her terminal, then twisted the screen around to face Stuvor. “Just let me fast forward to the part. The first part of my file is my conversation with Admiral Grogan.”
        Stuvor looked at the screen, seeing a middle-aged man with bristly grey hair. “That’s him?”
        “Yes.”
        The screen blacked out, then began playing another file record.
        “Madame Smythe, this is Lieutenant Annekta Green, aboard the U.S.S. Samaritan,” the woman on the screen began. She continued on to talk about her mission, but Stuvor didn’t listen to the words. Instead, he concentrated on the woman displayed in the record. This wasn’t lost on Smythe.
        “It’s her, isn’t it?”
        “Yes.”
        Smythe smiled and propped her chin on the table. “This isn’t someone you just used to know, is it?”
        Stuvor broke away from the screen, looking at a corner of the room. He grinned sheepishly. “Well, not really.”
        “Old girlfriend?”
        Stuvor chuckled. “I wish.”
        “Ahhh,” Smythe nodded knowingly. “Old crush, then.”
        “Yeah.”
        “She know?”
        “No. At least, not as far as I know.”
        “Never told her? Tsk.” Smythe shook her head. She leaned over to turn the screen back towards her. She resumed her work. “Perhaps you’ve been given a second chance.”
        “Maybe,” Stuvor nodded thoughtfully. “When are they due?”
        “1100 hours, or 11 o’clock for those of us who aren’t in Starfleet,” she said. “I’ll see you then,” she said with faint smile.
        “Yeah,” Stuvor nodded. “See you then.” He rose out of his seat and walked out of the office.

        Stuvor glanced at his wrist chronometer, seeing that he had just about forty-five minutes to kill until the Samaritan arrived to the planet. He glanced up at the sky. It was still clear, although the storm clouds remained at the horizon, looming closer. The satellite data indicated that the storm would be moving in within the next day.
        “Annekta,” Stuvor murmured wonderingly to himself. He shook his head, trying to remember how long it’d had been. Since the Academy, he thought to himself. Just around fifteen years ago, at least biologically. Stuvor’s inadvertent time traveling along with his mysterious extra seven years altered his age. Stuvor’s mind hurt when he tried to figure out the exact chronological progression of his life.
        He shook his head, dismissing the trivial question, instead reminiscing about his Academy days. He walked onto the main dirt road that ran through the town.
        Smythe was indeed correct, that it had been a crush. Stuvor had admired Annekta Green, a fellow classmate in the Academy, although it was from afar.
        He had never actually been friends with her. At best, they were only acquaintances. Near the end of her first year as an Engineering Cadet, she transferred out of Engineering School, opting for Command. He had tried to keep apprised of her progress through school, but not very hard. It was a infatuation, and once she was out of sight, she was out of his mind.
        Now, she was going to be back in sight. His fond memories and feelings started resurfacing.
        “Ah, what are you doing?” Stuvor asked himself. “She probably might not even remember you at all.” He kicked at a clod of dirt, breaking it into smaller nuggets of dirt and sand. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t had anything to eat since he awoke.
        He decided to head back to Mrs. Piers’s inn for lunch. It was a short walk back to the Inn.
        “Oh, hi, Ginger!” Mrs. Piers said, looking up in surprise at Stuvor’s entrance. “I didn’t expect to see you until tomorrow.”
        “Something came up,” Stuvor shrugged. He stepped up to the counter. “Thought I’d have some lunch here.”
        “Okay. What’ll it be?”
        “Uh, Ham sandwich on rye, with mayo. Just water to drink. And of course some of your cherry cobbler, if you made some?”
        “I sure did make some last night. It’s in the refrigeration unit now.”
        “Great. I’ll get it myself after my sandwich,” Stuvor said. He followed Mrs. Piers into the kitchen and sat at the large kitchen table. After a moment, Mrs. Piers brought over a freshly replicated sandwich with a side of potato chips, setting it down in front of Stuvor. His glass of water came next.
        
        Stuvor pushed his dish away, tossing his napkin onto the crumbly remains of cherry cobbler on the dish. He swallowed the water left in his glass, and checked his wrist chrono. He gathered his plates and glass and shoved them into the replicator cubicle, recycling them. He picked up his coat, putting it on as he walked out of the kitchen. He glanced over at Mrs. Piers, seated at her post at the lobby counter.
        “Mrs. Piers, you make a mean cherry cobbler. Thanks a lot.”
        “Anytime,” Mrs. Piers replied.

        Stuvor headed back to the municipal building to meet up with Smythe. She was already standing in of the building. With her was her aide, Rodger Adelman. “You’re just on time,” Smythe said. “They’ll be landing a shuttle outside the town limits.”
        “Not beaming down?” Stuvor asked.
        Smythe shook her head. “The shuttle will be doing a preliminary survey of the planet afterwards.”
        The three of them walked down the street. Stuvor looked up and could already see the flare of a shuttle entering the planet’s atmosphere. It was hard to make out with the sun almost directly overhead.
         By the time the Horeb welcome party arrived at the shuttle’s landing site, the Samaritan newcomers were already disembarking.
        Stuvor’s heart caught up slightly when he first caught a glimpse of the brunette that he had seen on the computer terminal a mere hour ago. He became slightly flustered, momentarily flashing back to his youth. Old insecurities rose to the surface. Will she remember me? I wonder if she’s involved. Why are you thinking that, what, you think she’ll want to go out on a date with you after all these years?
        Stuvor pushed those thoughts away, trying to focus on the here and now. Smythe was already approaching Lieutenant Green.
        “Good afternoon, Lieutenant Green” Smythe said by way of greeting.
        “Good afternoon, Councillor Smythe,” Annekta replied. “I hope you don’t mind, but we need to clear the area. The shuttle crew’s due to begin their orbital survey once I’m off.”
        “Sure, this way,” Smythe gestured back to the town. She began walking, leading them back into town.
        As Annekta fell into step with Smythe, the town leader started the introductions. “This young man next to me is my aide, Rodger Adelman. He does all the things I don’t have time to do. He’ll most likely be liaising between my office and the ship for the duration of your planetary survey.”
        Annekta nodded to Adelman in greeting.
        “And this other gentleman with us is Ginger-”
        “Postman,” Stuvor replied. “Ginger Postman.”
        Smythe gave Stuvor a quizzical glance, but regained her composure in short time.
        “Charmed, I’m sure,” Annekta said as she shook Stuvor’s hand. “What’s your job position?”
        “He’s pretty much our Jack-Of-All-Trades,” Smythe replied. “He works for the main farming facility here on the planet.”
        “I’m also pretty familiar with the local geography,” Stuvor offered. “I’ve made some maps in my spare time. Your survey crew might find them useful in determining new adjacent farm sites.”
        Annekta nodded. “That sounds reasonable.”
        
        They arrived back at the Municipal Building, and Smythe ushered them into her office. Smythe looked at Adelman. “Why don’t you help Lieutenant Green with our computer system, so she can search our records on weather patterns, farm crops and et cetera?”
        “Yes, ma’am,” Adelman nodded.
        Smythe turned to Stuvor and took him aside. “Could you come with me into the other room?”
        “Sure.”
        They walked into another room, leaving Annekta behind with Adelman.
        Once the door closed, Smythe looked at Stuvor through narrowed eyes. “Mind telling me what the name game was all about?”
        Stuvor shrugged and and gave her a sheepish grin. “Well... I kind of neglected to tell you that I was dead.”
        “Hell of a mortician you have,” Smythe said. “Mind if you clarify that for me?”
        Stuvor raised his eyebrows. “To be more exact, I’m supposed to be dead.”
        Smythe nodded gravely. “Let me rephrase my question,” she said. After a brief pause, she looked at him and said, “Huh?”
        Stuvor chuckled slightly. “It’s a long story, but as you’ve figured, I used to be in Starfleet. I was on a Research and Development starbase, and it got attacked by the Dominion. It blew up, opened up a time-space fissure. I got sucked into it. Yada yada yada, I got shot by a crazy woman trying to blow up Earth’s sun, and died. I think.”
        Smythe regarded Stuvor for a moment. “Fine, if you don’t want to tell me the truth, that’s okay.”
        Stuvor groaned and rolled his eyes. “Look, the bottom line is: Starfleet thinks I’m dead. I’m not inclined to follow into the footsteps of Lazarus, not just yet.”
        “As far as I know,” Smythe said, “you don’t have a criminal record. When you remembered your name, I had Rodger do a background check on you, and nothing turned up on you. That was a little odd, but if you had a criminal record, it wouldn’t be hidden. Now, if you are dead, that’d explain the lack of recent records.”
        “I assure you, I don’t have a criminal record.”
        “I just said that, didn’t I?” Smythe snapped. “I’ll accept your little subterfuge for now. However, if I find out something untoward about your past, I’ll be the first to turn you in to the proper authorities.”
        “I wouldn’t expect anything otherwise from you,” Stuvor nodded. “I trust you.”
        “And I trust you,” Smythe replied. “For now,” She added, with the merest hint of a smile. “Now, let’s rejoin our guest.”

        “Rodger has been helpful,” Annekta told Smythe. “I’ve established an uplink with the Samaritan.”
        “Good. We’re always happy to help out where we can. Although, I can’t really imagine why you’d be interested in our little community. I’m sure there’d be better places to set up mass agricultural camps. That is what your intentions are, right?”
        “Yes,” Annekta nodded. “Remember, this is just one of many planets we’re going to be surveying in the coming months. We may not necessarily set up facilities here.”
        “Well, I hope you do. My family’s been here since the first colony ship. My parents saw a lot of potential in this planet, given the resources. And I’m sure the Chamber of Commerce would appreciate the boost in the economy. We don’t get too much visitors around here.”
        “Aren’t you the head of the Chamber of Commerce?” Annekta asked.
        “Yes,” Smythe nodded. “Small town,” she explained.
        Annekta nodded. “Actually, because you don’t get much visitors makes this planet an attractive site. You’re situated quite a ways from any battle lines.”
        “Thank goodness for that,” Smythe said. “Well, when do you think you’ll be completed with your preliminary surveys?”
        Annekta thought for a moment. “We should have the reports done by tomorrow morning.”
        “Would they be available to us?” Smythe asked. “I know of a few people who’d be interested in reading them.”
        “I don’t see any reason why not,” Annekta said. “There should nothing of a sensitive nature in them.”
        “Good,” Smythe nodded. “We try to know as much about our home, but we have nowhere near the kind of technology and resources that you have.”
        “Starfleet’s always interested in the spirit of cooperation,” Annekta smiled. She looked at Stuvor. “Uh, Mister Postman... the maps you mentioned- they weren’t on the database. Perhaps I overlooked the files somewhere?”
        Stuvor blinked silently for a moment, then snapped to. “Oh, uh, sorry, my mind was wandering for a minute there. My maps aren’t on the town database. I have a computer system of my own.”
        “Oh?” Annekta murmured.
        “Yeah. I, I’m a tinkerer of sorts. I run experiments, I cobble together things. I bought an old shuttle computer core off a passing Tzenkthi trader, and refurbished it. It provides me with more computer space than I’d get on my town allotment. Here, let me patch this computer through to it.”
        He stepped up next to Annekta, leaning over the desk. She moved her chair to the side so he could stand at the keyboard. He brushed her arm and fancied that he felt an electrical charge. He wondered what she was thinking as he worked.
        He thought she’ll have to report back to her supervisor on the ship. Probably have to leave soon.
        He stepped aside to let her look at the screen. “Okay, thank you,” she said, looking up at him. She read over the screen. “Mmhmm, these look quite useful. I’ll be sure to mention this to the captain. I have to leave in a few minutes, I’m due to report back to him.”
        “Oh?” Stuvor raised his eyebrow. “Okay, sure, that’s fine. Wait. Are you coming back?”
        “Yes, I’ll be back later this afternoon.”
        “Do you, would you like me to show you around the town?”
        Annekta considered it for a moment. “That’d be fine, provided I have the time.”
        “Okay great.”

        After Annekta dissolved into nothingness, Stuvor glanced up into the sky. Man, she’s back. Can’t believe it. Who would have thought it- the one girl I liked the most at the Academy, back in my life after all these years? Stuvor shook his head and buttoned up his jacket. He put his sunglasses on and headed out into the desert back to his hideout.
        After the short hike to his laboratory, Stuvor plopped down behind his desk then started looking through his computer files. Hm, when’s that storm front moving in? he wondered. He tapped on his computer terminal, connecting him to the orbiting satellite.
        “Computer, show current satellite telemetry,” he requested. The computer displayed the information on the screen. Stuvor peered at the meteorological information scrolling across the screen.
        “Hey, what’s that?” he said aloud, as he noticed something else displayed.
        He tapped the screen, shifting the information graphs around so he could take a closer look at the unusual readings. “Computer, best hypothesis as to what this reading is?” Stuvor asked of the computer.
        “Possible subspace transmission,” the computer stated.
        “Really?” Stuvor peered at the screen. “Lemme take a crack at this...”
        Stuvor typed on the terminal keyboard, dredging up encryption codes from his memory. As he typed, he spoke to the computer, “Run this information through standard filters, and show the results after each pass.”
        The wave graph, which represented the anomalous signal, changed shape on the monitor as the computer worked on it.
        “Wait! That looks like a voice transmission with visual!” Stuvor exclaimed. “I think I can extract the voice. Stop, and playback with voice.”
        A loud squeal of static emitted from the computer’s speakers, causing Stuvor to clap his ears in protection. The squeal faded off and he could barely make out a voice. “--are correct, the planet is of minimal value.”
        Stuvor thought he heard something familiar in the inflection of the voice. He kept listening as a different voice came on.
        “Understood, but stay at your post and continue gathering information. Keep in mind the target.”
        “Yes, sir.”
        “There is a wing of Jem’Hadar fighters near the system. You should expect them.”
        “Of course, sir.”
        The nagging familiarity in the back of Stuvor’s head suddenly became clarified. “That’s Annekta’s voice!”
        Annekta concluded the transmission, “I will continue my work here, and report back to you at the appointed hour. Over and out.”
        The wave graph stopped rippling, transforming into a straight line.
        “What the hell was that all about?” Stuvor muttered. “Computer, store the transmission for future reference.”
        “File saved.”
        Stuvor leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up onto the edge of the desk. He scratched his head as he pondered on what he had just heard. He felt suddenly tired of the day’s events. He yawned and stretched his arms. He glanced at his wrist chrono, seeing that it was just past two in the afternoon.
        He’d been up for a long time, ever since waking from his dreams. He sighed and crossed his arms across his chest. Without warning, his eyes closed and he dropped off to sleep.

        “Yes, Nachawls,” Grogan spoke at the computer screen. “Continue on to the planet Kadesh. Be wary, even though they do not expect you, Starfleet will be watching the skies always.”
        The face on the screen was that of a pale alien, one with long serrated ears, hidden underneath a dark mound of hair. His soft blue eyes stared placidly back at Grogan. He bowed in his customary deferential manner, the manner of the Vorta.
        “Yes, sir. We will do as you command.”
        “You will encounter little difficulties. Keep in mind the objective. Beyond that, let the Jem’Hadar do as they please.”
        “Yes.”
        “I shall contact you afterwards, when I arrive at Starbase 312.” Grogan promptly closed the connection.

        Stuvor jogged into the inn to see Annekta talking with Mrs. Piers. “Sorry about that,” Stuvor said. “I was sleeping at my laboratory when you contacted me.”
        “That’s allright. Mrs. Piers has been keeping me company,” Annekta smiled.
        “So, what did you want to talk with me about?”
        “Oh, it turns out that I do have the time for a tour of Horeb.”
        “Oh. Well, that’s good,” Stuvor remarked. “I guess we can get started now.” He looked at Mrs. Piers. “Thanks for keeping her company.”
        “No problem at all. Annekta here is quite a nice gal,” the innkeeper said. “Have a good time!”
        “Thanks,” Stuvor said, as he led Annekta out of the inn.
        As they walked out onto the dusty road, Annekta turned to Stuvor. “So, what first?”
        “Well, why don’t we... why don’t I show you the main agricultural facility here? I work for them, so I can get us in.”
        “Lead the way,” Annekta gestured with her hands.
        The way was fairly easy, one only had to follow the main road until it forked in several directions. A helpful sign was posted at the fork. One arrow pointed to the Pappagallo Farms, with the number of meters the walk would be. Another arrow indicated the direction to the terraforming building, with the distance marked. At the bottom of the signpost was an arrow pointing to Earth.
        “Long walk,” Annekta murmured upon seeing the distance, in meters, to Earth. The numbers wrapped around the pole, spiraling all the way down to the base.
        “Yep. And the thing is- that’s the wrong calculation,” Stuvor said. “Whoever made this signpost didn’t double check his numbers.”
        “I don’t think it was meant to be taken seriously,” Annekta said.
        “True enough.”
        “So you work at Pappagallo Farms? How long?”
        “This month makes it just about 23 months?”
        “That’s a while. How long have you lived here?”
        “A little over two years.”
        “I see,” Annekta nodded as they walked down the trail towards the Pappagallo complex. “Where did you come from, before here?”
        “When did this tour become about me?” Stuvor asked with a grin.
        “Just making conversation,” Annekta said as she glanced around the landscape. “What do you grow here?”
        “Basically fortified wheat and hybridized soybeans.”
        “What kind of hybrids?”
        “Well, it’s a little bit of Earth Soybeans, mixed in with similar legumes from other planets, Vulcan for one. In spite of our little space of terraformed farmland, it’s still a harsh climate. The soil temperature can rise to well above that of normal Earth farm soil. But after some trial and error, the early Horeb colonizers came up with a suitable selection of crops to grow here.”
        “I see. I’m sure all of that will have to be taken into account. I’ll be sure to note this in my report. I recall reading about the early settlers. One thing we’ll have to do is update all our information about Horeb and the planet in our records.”
        Annekta regarded the large fields of crops that stretched out for acres. Nearest to her and Stuvor were a group of sizable hexagonal buildings. They approached the largest one.
        Stuvor keyed in his ID code on the keypad, next to the huge double doors. With a rumble, the doors slid open slowly, kicking up dust from the ground.
        “Mind the door tracks,” Stuvor said, as he stepped over the grooves in which the sliding doors were set in.
        Annekta watched her feet as she crossed over into the building. “So where are we?” she asked, looking up.
        A series of skylights set in a circle on the ceiling of the building let sunlight filter down into the cavernous room. Large machines thrummed in a row against one half of the building. Various sized pieces of mobile machinery were parked on the other side. The dust specks danced in the large shafts of sunlight.
        “This is the main equipment storage shed, where I spend most of my time working. I maintain the equipment here for Mr. Pappagallo’s business. I also do repairs and make improvements where I can,” Stuvor replied.
        “I see,” Annekta nodded. “These look outdated.”
        “Well, some of the original agricultural machines brought over by the Pappagallos are still in use. Mind you, the outsides may look old, but the insides are completely modernized, thanks to me. And also to Mr. Pappagallo’s finagling skills with the traders that stop here occasionally.”
        “How often?”
        “How often what?” Stuvor glanced back at Annekta.
        “How often do traders stop by?”
        Stuvor frowned and hummed as he thought. “Probably two or three times a year. Four max.”
        “And other visitors?”
        “Well this year, we’ve only had one visitor. That’s you guys.”
        “It’s a pretty remote area of space then?”
        “Yep. Probably a minus, since there aren’t any conveniently located starbases for ships to resupply, or regular Starfleet routes to support a base here.”
        Annekta looked at Stuvor in the faint sunlight. “You sound familiar with Starfleet practices.”
        “I’ve picked up a lot in my travels. I’ve always said, ‘The day you stop learning, is the day you die.’ ”
        “I think I’ve heard that somewhere before.”
        “I’m sure I’m not the first one to coin that phrase,” Stuvor shrugged.
        “So where is everyone else?” Annekta scoured the interior and saw no one else around.
        “This time of the day,” Stuvor glanced at his wrist chrono, “probably on the other side of town at the other farm complex.”
        “How many are there?”
        “Three. We try to grow like crops near each other, and secondary crops elsewhere in case of disease or something else. Basically, three different baskets for our eggs.”
        Annekta frowned. “You raise chickens here too?”
        Stuvor chuckled. “No, it’s an old adage, ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.’ If something happens to one basket, then you lose everything you’ve got.”
        “I understand now. It’s also an old tactical idea. Goes all the way back to Sun Tzu, beyond even.”
        “Sun who?”
        “Tzu. A warlord in ancient Earth times. Ah, never mind.” Annekta waved her hand, dismissing the topic.
        Stuvor crossed his arms and sighed. “Any questions about here?”
        Annekta shrugged. “Well, I’m not really a technical person, so anything you could tell me about all this would probably be wasted on me.”
        “Ah well. I am a technical person, so I guess whatever I had to say would be no good here,” Stuvor grinned.
        “So, where next?” Annekta tossed her hands up in the air.
        “No idea.”
        “You’re not a good tour guide.”
        “Well, we don’t do a lot of tours around here.”
        “Isn’t there anything else remotely interesting to see here? Beyond plants and machines?”
        “Uhhh... oh yeah, of course. The Rock.” Stuvor slapped his forehead.
        “The what?”
        “The Rock. It’s pretty much the only distinctive feature this planet has. It’s just a short walk out from here. Come on.” Stuvor gestured back outside the building.
        After closing the doors, Stuvor led Annekta on a trail that cut between two large fields of grain plants. They reached the outer fence that marked the boundary of the Pappagallo complex and the furthest outskirts of the town of Horeb.
        Stuvor clambered over the thin plasticine fence, and Annekta vaulted over the chest-high fence with ease.
        The two of them followed a rocky trail towards a large outcropping of stone.
        “Is it always this hot?” Annekta asked.
        “Hot? It’s not really hot. It’s pretty cool.”
        Annekta blinked in slight surprise. “Really?”
        “Yeah. Winter season is setting in pretty soon.”
        “Winter?” Annekta smirked. “Snow much here?”
        Stuvor shook his head. “Not really. Sure, further out into the desert, there are some areas where it ices up overnight. But our localized weather control field here in Horeb prevents extremes of weather. It’s nothing as sophisticated or as powerful as the ones you find on Risa or Wrigley’s Planet, of course.”
        “I knew all that. I was just kidding.”
        “Oh. Sorry. I did tell you I was pretty technical.”
        “Note taken.”
        They approached the base of the enormous rock outcropping. Annekta’s eyes were drawn to a huge boulder set within a large stone basin. Cracks were spider-webbed across the face of the stone. Thin rivulets of water streamed out between the cracks, dripping down into the stone basin.
        “There it is, the Rock,” Stuvor gestured.
        “Oh yes. I read all about this in the files,” Annekta smiled, looking at the fountain of sorts.
        “Want to try the water? Go ahead, it’s completely potable.”
        “Is it?” Annekta kneeled in front of the basin, and used a hand to scoop up water to her mouth. “Tastes a little metallic.”
        “High mineral count. It’s coming out of a rock after all,” Stuvor shrugged. “So, there it is, the Rock.” Stuvor sniffed the air. “Can you smell it?”
        “Smell what?”
        “Well you know about the underground river right? Well, there’s also a small vein of gas. It seeps out through the cracks just the same as the water. It’s how the water keeps coming up.”
        “Oh.” Annekta sniffed the air. “Yeah, I can smell it.”
        “This is where the town of Horeb got its name,” Stuvor remarked. “Came out of the Jewish Old Testament, Book of Exodus, something or another. I don’t remember what part, but in there, a guy named Abraham, or was it Moses? Anyway, he hit a rock in the desert and water started coming out of it.”
        Annekta stood up, dusting off her pants. “I take back what I said earlier. You’re really not good at giving a tour guide.”
        “Well, I was hired for my machine skills, not my people skills. And, we don’t get all that many visitors, especially not ones as great looking as you.”
        A faint wrinkle of distaste ran over Annekta’s face. It did not go unnoticed by Stuvor. She smiled politely. “Well, uh, thanks. I wasn’t really looking for--”
        “Oh, I’m sorry,” Stuvor interrupted. “I didn’t mean to offend you. That was an inappropriate comment.”
        “Apology accepted,” Annekta inclined her head. She smiled again. “Was this basin here?” she asked, looking back down at the pool of water.
        “Oh, no. It’s man-made,” Stuvor explained of the large stone sink. “It gathers the water that comes out and recycles it, since this well isn’t really well suited for irrigation purposes. We have another tap downriver, though.”
        “Ah.”
        “Well, I guess that’s it. I suppose we ought to head back into town.”
        “Allright. I’d like to see more of the town itself.”
        “Sure.”
        They walked back towards the fence at Pappagallo’s complex. Once again, they climbed over the fence, cutting through the fields. A faint breeze accompanied them on their walk. The storm front was nearly upon the town now. The sun was no longer shining directly onto them. Large bright grey clouds filtered the solar rays down to them.
        Stuvor looked up at the sky. “About time.”
        Annekta looked up at the sky. “For what?”
        “Rain,” Stuvor answered. “It’s been hanging around on the edges of the town for a day or two.”
        “Are you going to stop it?” Annekta asked.
        “Nah. We need the rain today.” Stuvor looked at Annekta. “After all, farms live and die by the rain.”
        “I’d suppose so,” Annekta replied, still looking at the sky. “Wait, what’s that?”
        “Hmm?” Stuvor looked up into the sky. He saw several shadows move through the overcast sky. “Expecting any shuttles to come down?”
        “None are scheduled today,” Annekta replied.
        The source of the shadows became clear when three dark purple beetle-like fighter crafts shot down out of the clouds, strafing the ground with bright streams of energy weaponsfire.
        The weapons cut through the heart of the town, and the municipal building, the tallest in town, erupted into flames.
        “Oh no,” Annekta murmured.
        Stuvor didn’t waste time talking. He began running towards town.
        Annekta started running as well, running alongside Stuvor. She tapped her combadge repeatedly, but no signal chirp came through. “Damn it, they must be jamming,” she declared.
        Stuvor looked at the Jem’Hadar fighters, which was what he recognized the enemy craft to be. They were circling back around for another strafing run. He watched as one of the three broke off and headed seemingly straight at them. It opened fire, and Stuvor grabbed Annekta, pulling her off the trail.
        The weaponsfire hit one of the hexagonal sheds, causing it to explode furiously into a giant fireball. Stuvor could feel the shockwave and the blast of the heat as it swept across the fields.
        “Thanks,” Annekta said, as she got to her feet.
        Stuvor was already out of the field and running towards the town again. The Jem’Hadar craft were still raining down fire and destruction upon Horeb. Flames rose high in the sky, topped off by heavy billowing plumes of black smoke rising through the air.
        Stuvor’s breath came in ragged gasps as he ran hard towards the town. Annekta suddenly appeared at his side. “No! Don’t go into town, that seems to be their primary target! You can’t do anything in there.”
        “But I’ve got to try!”
        “No, the best thing for us to do is wait it out. The Samaritan is up there, she can help out, and I’m sure the captain called for assistance five minutes ago.”
        Annekta tugged on Stuvor’s arm. “Come on. Let’s go back and hide in the fields. If there are any survivors, they’ll need our help after the attack.”
        “Allright,” Stuvor shouted. “Fine.” He followed Annekta back into the farm complex.
        They watched the sky, tracking the Jem’Hadar fighters as they continued firing on the town, in a seemingly random pattern. Explosions sounded out across the fields as buildings crumpled and burst aflame.
        Stuvor and Annekta kneeled in the dirt, shrouded by tall stalks of wheat. Stuvor turned to Annekta. “I know who you are,” he hissed.
        “What?”
        “I know you’re working with them. You knew this was coming.” He grabbed her arm. “You helped them!”
        Annekta struggled to find words to say. “Yes. And I know who you really are.”
        “Oh yeah?”
        “You thought a name change could hide your real identity. Stuvor. You’re working for them,” she glanced up at the sky.
        “What?” Stuvor asked, wrinkling his brow in confusion.
        “Next time you pick someone to shapeshift into, try picking someone who’s still alive, and get his age right!” Suddenly, a phaser appeared in Annekta’s hand. The firing tip was aimed squarely at Stuvor’s chest. “Don’t try anything.”
        Stuvor gave a strangled chuckle. “No, you’re the Dominion agent, not me.”
        “What the hell are you talking about?”
        “I caught your secret transmission. You were talking to your boss, the alien-- the fake admiral. He told you the Jem’Hadar were coming.” Stuvor frowned angrily. “Why attack us?”
        “You’ve got it ass-backwards,” Annekta said. “No...you’re just trying to confuse me. It’s not going to work. I’m part of a secret taskforce in Starfleet Intelligence. We’ve been tracking Dominion infiltration on Earth, so we know how you work. Misdirection and disinformation. Tell me, what’s so important about Kadesh? Why are your forces attacking us?”
        “They’re not my forces!” Stuvor shouted. An explosion blossomed out nearby them, rocking the ground. Debris from another ruined shed rained down on them. They both tucked to the ground, covering up their heads.
        Stuvor sat up, checking for more flying shrapnel. Annekta looked up cautiously. She raised her phaser and trained it onto Stuvor again.
        “Okay,” Stuvor sighed.
        Annekta noticed a shard of jagged metal. She grabbed it and lunged at Stuvor. He raised his hands in alarm, warding off Annekta’s sudden move. The sharp metal sliced across Stuvor’s forearm.
        “Ow! Motherf- What the hell did you do that for?” Stuvor screamed at Annekta. She dropped the shard, and reached at Stuvor’s bleeding arm. She swiped her fingers across the blood and brought her red fingertips to her mouth, tasting the blood.
        “Okay. It’s real. You’re not a shapeshifter,” she concluded.
        “Yeah, that’s what I’m telling you. I’m just as human as you are. That is, if you’re not a shapeshifter.”
        Annekta picked up the shard and ran it across her forearm, drawing blood out, her face showing only the slightest of grimaces. She offered the forearm to Stuvor.
        “Okay, that’s good enough,” he waved off her arm. “No need for a taste test.”
        “Sorry if that bothers you,” Annekta said. “No tricorder, so I had to improvise.”
        “Okay. Now can we both assume we’re both telling the truth?”
        “Fine. I’ll assume you are, but with reservations. Mind telling me how come you’re not dead? And how come you’re eight years older than you’re supposed to be?”
        “I’d like to know myself,” Stuvor shrugged. “What do you know?”
        “All I know is that the U.S.S. Courageous reported you dead after they returned to the present. You were killed by Zandria Soran, your body vaporized by her tachyon-based disruptor.”
        “Oh, so that’s what it was,” Stuvor remarked.
        “According to the Courageous’s logs, you were approximately 25 years old when they found you. But according to the town’s records, you’re 34 years old. I can account for two years of your life here from Horeb’s town database. So there’s seven years left to account for.” Annekta sighed. “You died 25 years old. You showed up here 32 years old. Where have you been for seven years?”
        “Damned if I know. The last thing I remember was the disruptor had ripped open my chest, and I fell off the cliff. I guessed I passed out. Then when I came to, I was somewhere out here in the desert. My wounds were completely healed. I found out that I aged seven years from Doctor Bendis’s medical examination.”
        “You don’t remember anything else?”
        “No. I swear. I’ve been racking my brains trying to figure out what could have happened.”
        Annekta frowned, still holding her phaser. However, it wasn’t aimed at Stuvor. She looked back at him. “What made you think I was a Dominion agent?”
        “Well, I picked up an encrypted voice transmission from the Samaritan earlier today, when you went back up there. I figured it was you talking to the alien.”
        “Alien?” Annekta frowned. “What are you talking about?”
        “Okay, there’s more that I haven’t quite revealed yet. Ever since I ended up here, I’ve had odd dreams. They’re like someone else’s thoughts, ideas from out of nowhere. Last night.. my god, was it only last night? Well, last night I had the weirdest dream of all. In it, I saw...” Stuvor stared at Annekta. He nodded. “Yeah, it was you. Same hair color, and same hairstyle. That’s even the same hairclip you had on.”
        Annekta involuntarily touched the clip that held her hair together. “What...?”
        “In my dream, I saw you talking with an alien, I guess one of the admirals in Starfleet. He was the strangest looking alien I’ve ever seen.”
        “The only one I talked to was...,” Annekta said to herself. “Tell me, what did he look like?”
        “He had pale grey skin, almost human colored but not quite. It seemed wet and scaly, kind of like a snake’s skin? On the edges of his face, he had...spines? Short tentacles? But the two things I remember most are the dark black eyes, and the huge toothy mouth. What species is he?”
        “I’ve never talked to an alien that looked like that. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
        Stuvor shook his head in frustration. “Fine. I’m just telling you what I saw in my dream. It seemed to come true, with the Samaritan coming, like the alien said in the dream. And you.”
        “Okay, I don’t know how you could’ve known about my meeting with Admiral Grogan, but...”
        “Grogan?”
        “Yes, Admiral Patrick Grogan. To be honest, I’m assigned to watch him. S.I. is suspicious of him. We suspect he has ties with the Dominion. What you overheard was me reporting back to my section head. He was warning me of Dominion patrols being in the area.”
        “Why did he say to expect them?” Stuvor prompted.
        Annekta smiled bitterly. “We’re trained to expect everything. And with good reason.” She looked out at the ruined town of Horeb.
        They saw that the Jem’Hadar craft were gone. Stuvor looked through the clouds for signs of other aircraft.
        Annekta’s combadge chimed, surprising the both of them.
        “This is the U.S.S. Chimera. Please respond.”
        Stuvor looked at Annekta.
        She tapped her combadge, “Lieutenant Green to U.S.S. Chimera.”
        “Lieutenant Green, this is Captain Henlr. The admiral thought you might have been on the Samaritan.”
        “The admiral?”
        “Yes, Admiral Grogan. We were taking him to Starbase 312 when we received the distress signal from the Samaritan.”
        Annekta glanced at Stuvor. He only raised his eyebrow at her.
        “What’s the status of the Samaritan?”
        There was a slight pause. “She’s gone. It was destroyed by the Jem’Hadar attack force.”
        “Oh.”
        “We’re going to beam down some security details to sweep for survivors and possible enemy troops,” Henlr said. “Admiral Grogan has said he’d like to meet with you.”
        Stuvor leaned in to Annekta. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
        “Yeah, me too. It’s too coincidental that he happens to be on the nearest ship in this sector,” Annekta shook her head. “Tell him I’ll meet him in the largest warehouse building outside of town. You can’t miss it, it’s huge and dark blue. Pentagonal.”
        “Hexagonal,” Stuvor corrected.
        “Hexagonal,” she repeated into the combadge.
        “Acknowledged. Chimera out.”
        Stuvor looked at Annekta, who began walking out to the storage sheds. He hurried after her. “Why do you want to meet him in there?”
        “There’s a lot of room to hide in. Am I right?”
        “Well, yeah. I suppose you could hide in one of the empty grain harvesters or the air ducts.”
        “No air ducts. That’s strictly amateur work. That’d be one of the first places a security officer would check.”
        “Okay.”
        They reached the biggest building, which hadn’t been destroyed. Three out of five large sheds were still standing, although one was partially collapsed.
        Stuvor opened the door, and Annekta walked in, holding her phaser. “Show me a good hiding spot.”
        “Sure,” Stuvor nodded. He led her up a metal stairway that led to a metal platform that ran across half of the shed. Their footsteps clanged on the grating beneath their feet. Stuvor paused in front of a large wedge shaped machine. “Here, this is a grain harvester. It’s empty, and deactivated. So we won’t get chopped up into bits by accident.”
        “Good. Where do we get in?”
        “Hang on.” Stuvor stepped over the metal railing that enclosed the walkway, and hung over the side. He kicked out with his foot at the side of the harvester, snagging a long metal plank affixed to the side. He tugged at the plank, and it levered down, providing a walkway from the metal platform to the side of the harvester. He stepped on the plank, and gestured for Annekta to do the same.
        Stuvor kneeled at the end of the plank. A large hatchway was inset in the smooth side of the harvester. He popped the hatch open, and crawled inside the harvester’s side. Annekta got on her knees and followed Stuvor in.
        “I can’t see anything,” Annekta said.
        “Just follow my feet. I know the insides of this thing. I was supposed to fix it tomorrow, but ah well.” Stuvor led Annekta on a circular path, following the hull of the harvester.
        “Is there anyplace we can see outside?”
        “I know what you’re thinking. I’m taking us to the air intake vents. We can see out of the harvester.”
        “Okay. Can tricorders penetrate this thing?”
        “I’m hoping not. The outer hull is a thick alloy, so at the very least, it’ll impede readings, if not block them totally. Here we are.”
        Stuvor moved out of the way, revealing thin vents in the metal wall. Annekta crawled up and looked out. “I can see the door. No one’s out there yet. I can’t see much further outside the shed.”
        “Let me see.” Annekta moved aside to allow Stuvor room to look out.
        “So, tell me more about your dream. Was there anything else?” Annekta asked.
        “Oh, I don’t know... you’re going to think I’m crazy.”
        “This situation doesn’t exactly been normal or rational.”
        “Yeah.” Stuvor took a deep breath. “Okay, here goes.” He began describing the night and the stranger that appeared in his room. The words came tumbling out of Stuvor’s mouth in a torrential stream. Annekta kneeled there, listening intently, pausing to glance out the vent slits.

        Finally, after a while, Stuvor finished his narrative. “There you have it.”
        “You’re right, it sounds unbelievable... fantastic even. And you’ve been having these kinds of dreams before?”
        “Yes, similar, but nothing as strange as last night.”
        “And you say this has been happening ever since you regained consciousness two years ago?”
        “That’s about the size of it.”
        Annekta pursed her lips. “Maybe you’re having some kind of-”
        “Wait, someone’s coming.” Stuvor peered out of the vents.
        Annekta nodded. “I see it.”
        The two of them watched as a small group of yellow uniformed Starfleet security officers entered the shed, all armed with phasers or rifles. A few had tricorders as well.
        Stuvor watched as the mass of Starfleet security officers swarmed through the place. Among them was the mysterious alien admiral that Stuvor had seen in his dream. Stuvor turned to Annekta. “See! That’s the alien that I was talking about!” Stuvor hissed as he pointed.
        Annekta looked at the person Stuvor pointed at. “What are you talking about? That’s Admiral Grogan. He’s not alien, he’s human!”
        Stuvor looked at the admiral’s dry reptilian skin and grotesque scowl. “You call that human? Don’t you see it?”
        The admiral dismissed three security officers, and was now alone. He cocked his head to the side, and turned around. Now he faced Stuvor and Annekta’s hiding place. His mouth bared rows of jagged teeth in a grin. He walked up the flight of metal stairs up to the second tier. He walked slowly and deliberately towards the grating that Stuvor was peering through.
        Stuvor couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed Annekta’s phaser and glanced at its settings. He crawled to the hatchway and kicked it open, leveling his phaser at the admiral. “That’s far enough.”
        Annekta stepped out of the shaft, standing behind Stuvor, remaining quiet.
        The admiral paused, and lifted his taloned hands in the air, assuming what seemed to be a non-threatening pose. “Calm down. There’s no need to point your weapon at me.” He looked at Annekta behind Stuvor. “And there you are, Lieutenant Green. I’ve been looking for you. I was afraid you were hurt.”
        She gave no response.
        Stuvor turned to her, still training his phaser at the admiral. “It’s right in front of you. Don’t you see it?”
        She shook her head.
        “It?” the admiral shook his head. “It has a name- I have a name. My name’s Patrick Grogan, Admiral Grogan, if you please.”
        Stuvor shook his head. “Nuh-huh. I’ve seen Admiral Grogan’s personnel file, and you look nothing like Grogan.”
        The admiral paused. His misshapen mouth seemed to grin even more. “I see...” he nodded slowly.
        “Who are you? What are you?”
        The admiral let his hands drop. “My name..., well, let’s say it’s Patrick Grogan for now. As for what I am... nobody has told you what I am?”
        “No,” Stuvor shook his head. “I saw you first in a dream, and I can’t figure out what alien species you are.”
        “I see. And what would you say if I were a demon?”
        Stuvor gave a wry chuckle. “A demon?”
        “Yes. A hobgoblin, a creature of the night, a spawn of Hell,” Grogan said. “A devil.”
        “Yeah right,” Stuvor cocked his head. “I don’t believe that. You’re just feeding me a line of bull. You’re a shapeshifter or something. We’ve had aliens trying to infiltrate Starfleet Command before, laying groundwork for invasion. You’re just an undercover agent of some kind.”
        The admiral clasped his hands behind his back. “So you don’t believe me? You really don’t believe that I am what I purport to be?”
        “Not for a second,” Stuvor said, fixing his mouth in a firm line.
        “Look at me,” Grogan said.
        Stuvor looked at the alien. His skin seemed to be rippling, distorting his features. “You don’t believe that I’m a demon, born out of the darkness?”
        “No,” Stuvor shook his head, but his voice was less determined than before.
        The alien’s face continued blurring. Stuvor blinked his eyes, finding it hard to focus on the admiral. “Stop it. What are you doing?”
        Grogan chuckled. “I’m doing absolutely nothing at all.”
        “Stop it!” Stuvor shouted.
        “He’s not doing anything,” Annekta said. “Really.”
        Stuvor looked back at her. “His face, it’s twisting around. It’s all blurry now. He must be trying to cloak his features somehow.”
        “He hasn’t looked any different throughout the entire conversation,” Annekta replied.
        Stuvor sighed. “I don’t believe it! You just can’t see it! Look harder!” He snapped around to look at Grogan.
        What he saw stunned him. Gone was the malformed alien. In his place was an aged human with bristly greyish white hair. It was a spitting image of the picture Stuvor had seen before.
        Grogan was smiling genially at Stuvor. “Is there a problem?”
        “Damn straight. Don’t think now that you look totally human doesn’t mean I’m going to think you’re not dangerous. I still don’t believe that you’re human. I still know what you are.”
        “Do you really?”
        “Yeah.”
        “If that’s what you want to believe...” Grogan smiled maliciously. “As for you, Lieutenant,” he addressed Annekta, “you’ve outlived your usefulness.” He tapped his combadge. “Admiral Grogan to all security teams, they’re in the first Maintenance Building!”
        “You piece of-” Stuvor hissed. He fired his phaser, sending an orange stream of energy into Grogan’s chest. He staggered backwards, hitting the metal railing.
        “No!” Annekta shouted. “Don’t!” She rushed to grab Stuvor’s arm.
        The admiral tumbled over the railing and fell down to the ground floor, with a thud.
        “Come on, they’ll be right on us!” Annekta said. “Give me that before you do more damage!” She nimbly twisted the phaser out of Stuvor’s grip.
        Stuvor leaned over the railing to see Grogan, but Annekta dragged him away, back towards the rear of the building.
        “Is there a back way out?” Annekta asked, glancing around.
        “Yeah, this way!”
        Stuvor ran to a smaller sized doorway. He quickly keyed in his code so the door unlocked. He twisted the knob and shoved the door open just as a stream of phaser energy struck the doorjamb.
        Annekta whirled around and fired in the direction of the shooter. She was rewarded with the sound of a grunt and a thud. She turned and shoved Stuvor out of the building, throwing looks left and right. “Okay, do you have a shuttle somewhere?”
        “Yeah something like that,” Stuvor nodded. “It’s in my hideout.”
        “The lab you talked about earlier?”
        “Yeah. It’s a ways out in the desert, only I know the trail to it.”
        “Great, let’s go!”
        “Only thing is, it’s in the other direction. We have to go back through town.”
        “Damn,” Annekta sighed. “Wait here.”
        Stuvor looked at Annekta. “Where are you going?”
        “I’m reasonably sure there was only one man inside, and I took care of him. You need a weapon. Stay put.” She turned and ran back inside the building. A short moment later, she reappeared, holding another phaser. She handed it to Stuvor. “You know how to use one of these?”
        “It’s like riding a hover-cycle,” Stuvor replied with a grin.
        Annekta didn’t return the smile. “Where to?”
        “This way.” Stuvor ran around the building, hefting his phaser. Annekta followed closely behind. They kept close to the angling sides of the building. In the distance, Stuvor saw that the town was still burning from the attack. He thought he saw some people milling about in the main street, but he wasn’t sure if it was Grogan’s men or not.
        “We better take the back ways,” Stuvor declared. He ran in a straight line towards town, cutting across a field. Once they hit the fence that enclosed the complex, Stuvor and Annekta jumped over.
        They resumed running towards town. Now that they were close enough, the smell of burning wood and plasticine alloys hit Stuvor hard. Also, the smell of burning flesh was there as well. Stuvor could hear cries of people trapped inside buildings.
        “We’ve got to help them,” Stuvor said.
        “We can’t help them. Either the Chimera is really here to help them, or they’re here to finish the job off. We alone can’t do something. Now keep going.”
        Stuvor sighed and started running. The air was thick with heat and smoke. It was a dismal sight. He reached a narrow alleyway between two still intact buildings. “Careful so you don’t make a wrong turn,” he warned Annekta.
        “Don’t worry about me, just go.”
        “Okay,” Stuvor said as he started jogging down the alleyway. He led Annekta through several twists and turns. The light in the alleyways was dim, both because the buildings blocked the sun, and because of the smoke hanging overhead.
        “Hey!” a shout rang out in the alleyways.
        “Duck!” Annekta shouted.
        Stuvor complied quickly, and Annekta was able to level her phaser over his hunched shoulders. He saw a security officer running towards them. Annekta fired, and the guard went down immediately.
        “Did you kill him?”
        “No, I just stunned him. Until I know who’s who, and what’s what, I’m not going to kill any Starfleet personnel. I’m just gonna stun them all and let God sort them out.”
        “Uh, okay.”
        “Get going,” Annekta prodded Stuvor. He stood up and began running, stepping over the prone security officer.
        Annekta paused long enough to grab another phaser, tucking it into her utility pocket. The two of them ran though the alleyway, emerging into faded sunlight. Stuvor checked one side, while Annekta checked the other side.
        “Clear,” Annekta announced.
        Stuvor ran across a street. He stopped short to see that Mrs. Piers’s Inn was utterly demolished. Another building was toppled over into the smoking crater that used to be the Inn.
        “What is it?”
        “Mrs. Piers...”
        “I’m sorry,” Annekta said softly. “We need to go.”
        Stuvor heaved a sigh. “Yeah.” He turned sadly away from the ruins and started running down the street, with Annekta on his heels.

        They made it out of the town without being detected by anyone else. Stuvor paused to get his bearings in the featureless desert. “This way,” he nodded grimly, and started slogging through the rocky sand.
        “Wait!”
        Stuvor turned to look at Annekta. “What?”
        “Take off your coat,” she said.
        “Why?”
        “This is sandy terrain. Easy tracking,” Annekta gestured to Stuvor’s newly made footprints.
        “Oh, yeah,” Stuvor slapped his forehead. “I’m glad White Wolf isn’t here.”
        “Who’s White Wolf?”
        “A friend I made ages ago,” Stuvor said, handing Annekta his long black coat. “Just tie it around your waist. It’ll reach down below your feet.”
        Annekta tied the arms of the coat around her waist. The coat dragged behind her, obscuring her footprints. She followed behind Stuvor as they jogged in single file.
        The sky was completely grey, a mixture of storm clouds and smoke from Horeb. Dusk was coming, and then the night.
        Shortly, they arrived at the ridge where the cavern was tucked under. Stuvor gestured for her to enter. He followed her in.

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