It took Stuvor less than two hours to properly install a nanoprobe infuser in five of the selected bio-ships. Stuvor took painstaking steps to ensure that the nanoprobe containment would hold up under weapons fire. Stuvor didn't want to be responsible for killing any of his allies. Using his PADD and Alaric's assistance, Stuvor completed the installations. During the two hours of installation, Boothby had a small fleet massed to support the Alaric.
        Now on the sixth bio-ship, Stuvor looked through the tan haze of the organic fluid to look at the alien "captain" of this bio-ship, who watched Stuvor. The alien's bizarre eyes kept moving around, glancing at Stuvor and the infuser device. Stuvor smiled beneath his breathing mask. He began to speak but remembered that the aliens don't use vocal communications in fluidic space. That's why they were telepathic.
        Instead, Stuvor thought at the alien, "Would you relax? Don't be so nervous."
        A thought popped up unbidden in Stuvor's mind. "How do you know I am nervous?"
        "Your eyes keep moving around back and forth on me. Now, I don't know about you guys, but for my people, that's nervous behavior."
        "Interesting," the alien responded. "It is the same for my people. A strange thing to have in common, is it not?"
        "Agreed." Stuvor stepped back from the infuser device, and activated it. "Now, don't worry. I know what I'm doing, and I certainly don't plan to die here. For some reason, I feel I have a destiny, and I intend to stay alive to find out what it is." He turned his attention back to his installment. "All right Alaric," he spoke into the comlink in his breathing mask. "Insertion complete. Run diagnosis and system checks."
        Aboard the Alaric, the computer scanned the bio-ship and performed the checks Stuvor requested. Stuvor stepped down walking to one of the control stations on the bio-ship 'bridge.' "Excuse me," Stuvor politely remarked as he stepped past the alien standing nearby. The "captain" continued watching Stuvor.
        "System analysis checked. The nanoprobes are proceeding under normal conditions," Alaric replied to Stuvor, through his breathing mask.
        "All right," Stuvor said with satisfaction. "This is the last bio-ship I'll get to be in," he looked at the alien. "Let's take her out for a test run." The alien reached to the piloting controls, and touched the appropriate controls. The bio-ship detached from the secure airlock, moving away from the Alaric. "Okay.... Target buoy is just dead ahead," Stuvor thought at the alien. "You can ready phasers."
        "Firing," The alien said telepathically for Stuvor's benefit. Stuvor smiled as he felt the almost living ship humming with energy. The alien looked at Stuvor and told him, "Target destroyed. We have succeeded."
        "So we did," Stuvor smiled, patting what he thought was the shoulder of the alien. The alien twisted his head around, and looked at Stuvor's hand strangely.
        Stuvor paused and withdrew his hand. "Sorry," he thought. "It's a human gesture."
        The alien looked at Stuvor, and pride swelled in Stuvor's breast. It felt strange and disembodied, not part of Stuvor. He guessed it was the alien's telepathic pat on the back. "Thanks," Stuvor said. "And you can finally relax. Let's turn her around and dock back with the Alaric, so I can get off." He sighed, taking one last look at the interior of the bio-ship. He thought to himself sadly, "Damn... such fascinating technology...I wish I had more time to really study it."
        The alien looked back at Stuvor. He realized the alien picked up that private thought. Stuvor shrugged at the alien, smiling, even though it wasn't visible through his breathing mask. The alien tilted his head and turned back to his controls.

        After a quick sonic shower and change of clothes due to his excursion on the fluid filled bio-ships, Stuvor entered the bridge. He saw Annekta seated in the command chair, running her fingers over a side monitor. She was talking to Boothby, who was seated next to her in the lower chair. They heard Stuvor's arrival, and Annekta stood up, waiting on Stuvor expectantly.
        Stuvor stretched his arms out, rolling his head, loosening his stiff muscles. He smiled at them. "Everything is running perfectly. Your people should not have any problems with their enhanced bio-ships. In fact, Alaric and I have reduced the odds of an accidental leakage to nearly one percent. In other words, there's a 99% chance they will get through this conflict just fine."
        "That's wonderful. My government will be pleased to hear that," Boothby chuckled as Stuvor walked down the steps to the trio of chairs in the center of the bridge.
        Stuvor smiled patting the old man's shoulder, then took his seat in the command chair. "How much longer until your fleet is in position?"
        "A little over half of our forces are wounded from the front lines in sector 4B-9. They need time to regenerate. So we'll have to make do with a fraction of our remaining bio-ships. The rest will remain to protect our area of space. Unfortunately, my government is not ready to commit to full scale battle, otherwise we'd provide you with more bio-ships."
        "That's allright. How many bio-ships were you able to gather?"
        "One thousand and ninety-four bio-ships," Boothby said.
        Stuvor raised his eyes in surprise then chuckled. "Quite enough, old man. I'm impressed."
        "Don't be so sure, captain," Boothby sternly said. "The rebel fleet will outnumber us nearly two to one. I can't say I share your confidence with these odds."
        "Not to worry. My nanoprobe infusers will even the odds a little bit. And we don't need to win this battle. Just a quick in-and-out is all I need," Stuvor remarked, as he checked the side monitors on his seat. He looked at Boothby with determination on his face. "We'll get out of this alive, Mr. Boothby. We have to."
        Boothby nodded, his face softening in the face of Stuvor's confidence.                 "Allright," Stuvor said. He looked up, "Alaric, sound the alert to all ships. Let's head for our target."
        "Confirmed. Transmit code red alert sounded."
        "Annekta, activate stealth mode, warp one. Engage." Annekta nodded and went up to the helm station. She paused and turned back to look at Stuvor.
        "While you were working on the installations, Alaric and I modified the Alaric's propulsion systems so we would be able to fly in fluidic space. Due to the nature of the fluidic space, Alaric had to modify the warp core to mimic the propulsion systems of bio-ships, to be able to achieve their equivalent of warp." Annekta sighed. "However, since it is only an imitation, we can only go up as high as warp three."
        "Ahh, I had been thinking so much about weapons and shields that I forgot about propulsion," Stuvor slapped his forehead. "Good catch, Annekta. What of impulse?"
        "Impulse is essentially the same. However, we can only reach a maximum speed of three-quarters impulse at full impulse."
        "Yes, of course. The organic fluid creates resistance." Stuvor nodded, grasping the problem. "There's an easy way around that. Have several bio-ships fly ahead of us, and we can travel faster and easier in their wake." Annekta nodded in agreement.
        "Allright, that changes things a little," Stuvor remarked. "I'll think of a new approach as we travel to our target. Annekta, activate stealth... oh wait. Stealth is useless, since the rebels would detect us coming through the concussion waves in the organic fluid. Forget the stealth. Just warp one. Engage."
        "Aye, sir. Warp one," Annekta replied.
        Now that the reality of the situation was sinking in, Stuvor became nervous. Sure, he had confidence in his fighting abilities and for some unfathomable reason, in the Alaric as well. Still, this was real fighting. He recalled one of the breathing exercises he learned long ago. He took a deep cleansing breath, and expelled the air out, projecting his nervousness out with the air.
        The viewscreen rippled, not due to the odd technology in the screen, but due to the organic fluid that shimmered around the Alaric as the ship sliced through fluidic space. The bio-ships gathered in formation and set out to follow the Alaric, easily flying through their native space. Several bio-ships formed up ahead of the bow of the Alaric, providing a wake for the larger starship to travel in.
        Stuvor leaned on the armrest of his chair, propping up his chin as he went deep into thought. Armed with a new set of factors, Stuvor began thinking of new combat approaches. For Stuvor, complex thought processes had always come easily and naturally to him.
        Even as a young boy, Stuvor learned that he could easily perform long mathematical calculations in his head, without the aid of computers. He had once described it to a childhood friend as simply seeing the numbers inside his heads, and manipulating them like clay. It was all so obvious to him. His friend had informed him that what Stuvor was telling him, was weird and different. As young kids were wont to do, his friend said it was "cool."
        However, as he got older, Stuvor learned that his different thought processes only served to isolate him from the rest of society. His classmates eyed him in either awe or jealousy. Not more than once, his high school classmates and Academy classmates accused him of being genetically engineered. Finally, the controversy came to a head, and administration officials finally relented to performing a second DNA test on Stuvor.
        The test was negative, and to Starfleet Academy, that was that. Listed in their personnel files for Stuvor was the line, "DNA tests: Negative results on indications of genetic therapy." Still, the suspicions remained for some. So Stuvor gave up on trying to fit in. He decided to just be himself. Stuvor smiled to himself. That was when he started creating his unique brand of engineering.
        He could have graduated at the top of his class in Engineering had he just stuck to what the Academy taught. But as it turned out, he received enough F's to warrant suspension. So to prevent a suspension, Stuvor petitioned to switch to command school. The Academy board granted his request, with reservations.
        Stuvor asked himself the same question that he had asked all those years ago. "How in the name of the Great Bird of the Galaxy, could the Academy have produced great engineering minds, like Montgomery Scott and Miles O'Brien to name a few, with such a close-minded approach in engineering?"
        Being in fluidic space didn't help Stuvor get an answer. At least he had tweaked the stodgy old professors good with the Kobyashi Maru simulation, Stuvor smiled inwardly. He sighed, and shifted in his seat. He continued his mental ruminations.
        A woman's voice started talking to him. At first Stuvor thought it was someone else, but it wasn't.
        "What is it, Annekta?" Stuvor asked.
        "I was just letting you know that we're almost there. We should be entering rebel territory in less than ten minutes," Annekta repeated.
        "Allright, thanks for the heads-up." Stuvor stretched his cramped muscles. He stood up and walked around the bridge, re-establishing some blood circulation. "I think I have a plan." He looked at the alien masquerading as Boothby.
        "Boothby, alert your people to stay behind five hundred kilometers from us. I'm going to use the torpedoes and all guns to knock out as many bio-ships in the first strike. You got that, Alaric?"
        "Affirmative," Alaric replied.
        "Good. As soon as we drop out of warp, hold position. Start out with all three of our high yield torpedoes first. Alaric, you choose the most effective trajectories based on your assessment of the enemy fleet position. Then fire all nanoprobe enhanced phasers and torpedoes. Set the torpedoes on wide dispersal. After the first strike, set torpedoes back on normal." Stuvor looked back at Boothby. "Your ships need to remain back at least five hundred kilometers otherwise they risk being infected by the nanoprobe cloud that will spread in the first torpedo barrage."
        Stuvor stepped back into the command chair. "When I give the mark, I want three of the enhanced bio-ships to join me in my second strike. These three bio-ships and the Alaric will proceed at full impulse into the gaps created by the first strike. All others must hold back their fire." He held up his hand when Boothby started to ask why.
        "I want to give the illusion that the bulk of our fleet has nanoprobe enhanced weapons. Put the fear of God in the rebel bio-ships. Perhaps some of them will turn and run."
        Boothby nodded. "That's quite easy. The bio-molecular warheads frightened us so badly in the first place, I don't think we've never really recovered. You have to understand that before the Voyager, we had thought we were supreme in this galaxy and all others. Nothing could hurt us. Until that day. In fact, that's one of the reasons the rebels wish to attack your space. They don't believe your people have the right to hold that power."
        "And here we are, wielding that power. Damned if I do, damned if I don't." Stuvor mused.
        Boothby cleared his throat. "You do have the full authorization of my government to use your bio-molecular weapons, in spite of what the treaty says... and in spite of the casualties they may produce."
        Stuvor shook his head. He didn't have the time to ponder the morality of his choices. He had a battle strategy to lay out.
        "Next, I want other three enhanced bio-ships with the non-enhanced bio-ships. I want the rebels to wonder which one is enhanced and which isn't. That'll provide a little diversion to them, as well as a little fear. I'm going to try and punch my way through to the organic planets. Have the first three bio-ships fly in front of us in a wedge formation. That'll allow us to fly faster."
        "A sound plan, Mr. Stuvor," Boothby said. He looked at the viewscreen, at the other bio-ships flying with them. "I have told them of your plan. We await your order."
        Annekta called out to them. "Sensors are picking up an armada of bio-ships dead ahead."
        "Alaric, lock the enemy as red targets. As for our side, non-enhanced as blue, and enhanced as green. Shields up to maximum, arm all weapons," Stuvor said.
        "Shields up. Weapons are standing by." Even Alaric's voice had an edge of urgency to it.
        "Stand by to drop out of warp. Stand by torpedo bays."
        "We are approaching the front lines," Annekta said getting ready to pilot the ship with her combat-honed reflexes.
        "Disengage warp. Fire!" Stuvor said firmly. As the Alaric emerged out of warp, three green torpedoes flew away into the fore torpedo launchers. They streaked out into three different directions, entering the midst of the rebel fleet. The torpedoes exploded in brilliant flares of green light, spreading nanoprobe death. All of the unfortunate bio-ships near the explosions crumbled away into dust, while the ones further out sustained crippling damage.
        Without giving the rebels time to react, the Alaric opened fire with all phaser banks and the remaining torpedo launchers. Beam after beam of green-tinged red phaser energy struck bio-ships, knocking them around. Exploding torpedo after exploding torpedo struck the enemy, infecting more and more of the bio-ships.
        "Alaric, damage assessment quickly!" Stuvor yelled.
        "Tactical sensors indicate at least 87 bio-ships crippled or destroyed."
        Stuvor heard Boothby gasp. Stuvor was also surprised. He didn't expect such a devastating first strike. Still, he had to press on. He mentally counted the seconds until the nanoprobe cloud dispersed enough. "Second strike! Mark!"
        Three bio-ships formed up beside the Alaric. They opened fire with greenish-orange jagged energy beams, striking rebel ships. The enemy armada recovered from the stunning first strike and began firing at the Alaric and the others. "Ahead full impulse!" Stuvor yelled.
        The enhanced ships lurched forward, heading into a gap in the rebel fleet made by one of Stuvor's high yield enhanced torpedoes. The Alaric shuddered under the enemy fire. "Third strike! Everyone move in now!" Stuvor commanded. He watched as the part of the viewscreen showed a small tactical screen, showing the warring fleets. He smiled grimly as the blue symbols began moving in, with three green symbols interspersed throughout the blue fleet.
        Stuvor grabbed onto the armrest of his command chair as a particularly violent shudder ripped through the ship. "We lost one of our modified ships!" Annekta called out. "It took on too many hits. Wait, it's drifting away from us, heading for more enemy bio-ships..." She looked on the screen as it showed the crippled ship drifting in the middle of rebel bio-ships. "It's leaking nanoprobes!"
        "That's impossible," Stuvor said, "I personally installed it! Unless..." Stuvor glanced down at Boothby.
        Boothby nodded somberly. "They contacted me. They deliberately damaged the infuser device so they would leak nanoprobes."
        Stuvor looked up on the viewscreen, seeing greenish fluid leak out of the bio-ship. The surrounding bio-ships slowly hardened up, metal growing on their exterior hulls. Stuvor smiled sadly at the self-sacrificing tactic. He turned his attention back to the tactical display. Another enhanced bio-ship was near them.
        "Boothby, can you contact that ship, tell it replace the one we lost?"
        Boothby nodded and closed his eyes. The green symbol moved quickly and aligned itself with the Alaric. "Ok! We're doing good! Keep on pushing through!"
        Finally the objective came into sight. The Alaric and the accompanying bio-ships made it through the rebels' defensive perimeters. Annekta called out, "Organic planets within visual range."
        "On screen. Scan in the southwestern hemisphere for anything unusual," Stuvor commanded.
        Alaric's voice spoke out. "Metallic signature detected."
        "That's what I'm looking for, I guess. Annekta, bring us in close," Stuvor said. Another strike from weapons fire rocked the Alaric.
        "Warning, hull breach. Deck Five is flooding now."
        Stuvor paused for a half-second to let the bizarre statement register in his mind. If they weren't in the middle of a raging battle, he might have found it absurdly funny. "Uh, Alaric, erect emergency forcefields, and redirect shield power to that quadrant of the ship."
        "Already in progress."
        "Oh, okay."
        Annekta announced, "We're within range of the organic planet. Do you want me to..." Annekta paused, momentarily at a loss of words. She shrugged. "Do you want me to enter ‘orbit?'"
        "Yes, do the best you can," Stuvor nodded. He rushed back to the turbolift. "I'm heading for the shuttlebay. I'm going to take the Scarab down to the surface and see what I find."
        
        The small black, nearly tick-like shuttlecraft flew out of the Alaric's primary shuttlebay. It zipped underneath the ship, heading down to the surface. Stuvor handled the controls, while Boothby stood awkwardly in the rear.
        "I'm sorry, I didn't design this for your species," Stuvor said.
        Boothby picked up Stuvor's thought and telepathically answered back. "It is of no concern."
        Stuvor was slightly uncomfortable as well. He was in a standard extravehicular activity suit. He had adjusted the pilot's seat to accommodate the bulk of the EVA suit. He had designed the Scarab with different scenarios in mind. Piloting in an EVA suit was one of them, although he didn't expect to be piloting it in a vast ocean of organic fluid.
        Stuvor looked at his sensors and nodded. "The battle is going well," he told his guest. "I'm reading a great disparity between enemy bio-ships and allied bio-ships. Now we're nearly outnumbering them. I think my torpedoes and infuser devices helped shift the tide."
        "My assessment as well," Boothby agreed.
        Stuvor looked out the thin slitted viewports on the front of the specially designed shuttlecraft. Organic fluid and debris rushed by the windows. The organic planet loomed closer. Stuvor could make out structures. From this distance, they reminded him of adobe housing, made by the ancient Native Americans in the western part of North America.
        Stuvor corrected his thoughts. There was no stone on that planet. Only organic material. The rebels must have either carved these buildings out of the planet's surface, or grown them. Once again, Stuvor found himself wishing circumstances would allow him time to examine this whole new culture of technology. He shook his head and increased the speed of the craft.
        "Hey, there are some bio-ships joining us," Stuvor noted in surprise.
        "I know," Boothby said. "I asked them to come as well. Surely the rebels must have defenses set up."
        Stuvor couldn't argue with that. Especially not when a huge beam of tan energy lanced up near the shuttle. The beam was so close that he thought he felt the heat through his EVA suit. "Damn! Looks like ground based phaser batteries, or whatever it is you guys have!"
        Boothby only stared at Stuvor with his alien eyes, giving no response. Stuvor quickly set the shuttle in evasive maneuvers, which was made more difficult in a fluidic environment. More beams of organic phasers flew upwards at the oncoming bio-ships and Stuvor's shuttle. He went for his weapons controls but realized the shuttle wasn't equipped with bio-molecular weapons.
        Then Stuvor noticed several bio-ships moving in front of the shuttle, their organic phasers blazing. Stuvor recognized the green tone of one bio-ship's phasers. They were clearing the way for Stuvor. He increased the speed of the shuttle, coasting through the wake of the bio-ships ahead. Mentally, he thought, "Thanks, Boothby."
        "You're welcome," came the response.
        Now that the shuttle was nearer the surface, Stuvor could see the effects of the enhanced bio-ship's weapons. Sides of the buildings petrified in greenish metal, crumbling after constant fire. Stuvor could see the nanoprobes spreading across the organic surface. Quickly, Stuvor started mentally calculating how big a bio-molecular torpedo's yield would have to be to completely destroy an organic planet.
        Stuvor stopped his mental ruminations. Some things just weren't meant to be made, he told himself. Soon, the shuttle came to a harsh landing. Several of the accompanying bio-ships landed; the others remained above, performing strafing runs. Good, Stuvor nodded to himself. The more chaos and confusion there was, the easier it would be to infiltrate the place and find whatever the hell he had to find.
        Stuvor pulled out his phaser, putting it on a heavy stun setting. He picked up a small charge pack that he had specially modified to fire nanoprobes, and inserted it in a cache on his suit. He went to the rear of the shuttle, and slapped the open control for the rear door. "Here goes nothing," he muttered, activating the door mechanism.
        The door pivoted open, letting organic fluid spill into the shuttle. Stuvor grimaced, imaging the hours he'd have to spend to clean it out. Stuvor pulled a tricorder out of another pocket on his EVA suit, raising it to his faceplate.
        Stuvor manipulated the controls, and found the location of the metallic signature Alaric had detected. It was stronger now that he was on the surface. "This way," Stuvor told Boothby. They both ran out of the shuttle, heading towards an unscathed organic building. All around them the organic fluid flashed brightly with organic phaser beams, aimed upwards at the strafing bio-ships and the government fleet that was moving towards the organic planet.
        Several aliens emerged from the doorway that Stuvor was planning to enter through. They opened fire with strange organic weapons. Stuvor restrained his analytic instinct long enough to dive for cover. He brought his weapon to bear, and fired off several pulsed shots. The lead alien staggered under the assault. Stuvor fired again, and the alien finally went down.
        Boothby zigged and zagged, finally leaping onto another alien, engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Stuvor laid down cover fire for Boothby, struggling to keep track of which one Boothby was. In the end, Boothby was bloodied, but victorious. He picked up the dead rebel's organic weapon, and waited for Stuvor to join him. They both cautiously entered the building.

        Annekta watched as the black shuttle flew down to the organic planet. She looked at the tactical display set on the side of the viewscreen. She smiled at what she saw. More red symbols were blipping out of existence than blue symbols. Suddenly, the Alaric rocked hard. At first Annekta thought they had somehow moved back in the middle of the fighting, but a quick glance at the viewscreen told her that wasn't the case.
        Jagged streaks of tan organic phaser energy flew up into the sky at the nearby bio-ships. One had already struck the Alaric, and another one slammed into the underbelly of the ship.
        Annekta set the ship into evasive maneuvers, hoping that Stuvor would make it down to the surface in one piece. But she couldn't worry too much about it, because she had to keep the Alaric in one piece herself. She narrowly avoided another streak of phaser fire, as she backed away from the organic planet.
        "Ma'am," Alaric spoke calmly to Annekta. "I am detecting a substantial force of bio-ships arriving from the nearby planet. Sixty-seven bio-ships to be exact."
        "Any chance they're friendlies?" Annekta asked, half-jokingly. The computer paused for a moment.
        "No."        
        Annekta sighed in exasperation, as she watched a small force of bio-ships arriving to intercept the Alaric. "Do we have anymore of those high-yield bio-molecular torpedoes?"
        "No. We used up all three in the initial strike," Alaric answered Annekta.
        "Well then, what do you suggest?"
        "Relinquish helm control to me."
        Annekta weighed the options quickly. On one hand, she would need to retreat back to the fleet battle. On the other hand, she could try and take on a much smaller group of bio-ships.
        She drew a deep breath. "Allright." She ended her evasive maneuvers and let Alaric take control. She watched on the viewscreen as the ship launched several green torpedoes ahead. They exploded directly ahead of the ship.
        Annekta narrowed her eyes in puzzlement. The torpedoes were exploding prematurely, too far away to hurt the enemy bio-ships. As the Alaric rushed through the greenish cloud of nanoprobes, Annekta realized that Alaric was coating itself with nanoprobes. That could only mean...Annekta opened her eyes wide in shock and horror as the Alaric plowed through the oncoming bio-ships, ramming them. The side phaser banks opened fire, cutting through the nearby bio-ships with pinpoint accuracy.
        "Alaric! Stop! Are you nuts? What are you doing?! You're ramming the bio-ships! The ship can't take this!" Annekta yelled at the computer.
        "Ma'am, you forget who I am and what I am here to do. I am perfectly aware of what the ship can or cannot withstand. I am the ship," Alaric spoke reassuringly. "Have faith."
        Annekta breathed raggedly, as she felt impact after impact rock the Alaric. The computer dutifully announced damage status reports. "Primary hull weakened."
        "Minor damage to secondary hull. Repairs are underway."
        "Hull breach on Deck Six. Deck Six is flooding. Emergency forcefields in place."
        The damage litany continued, and Annekta couldn't do anything but listen and watch. She watched as the bio-ships rushed by the Alaric, scraping against the nanoprobe coated front hull. Computer guided phaser beams struck at bio-ships around the Alaric. The rear torpedo launchers fired bio-molecular torpedoes at the bio-ships that survived the ramming run. Gradually, the impacts lessened and the weapons fire slowed.
        "All sixty-seven bio-ships either destroyed or crippled," Alaric finally declared.
        Annekta gave a sigh of relief. She looked on the viewscreen, seeing that they were closer to the other organic planet. She noticed movement around the planet.
        "Alaric, magnify on the movement," she asked.
        The viewscreen rippled as it zoomed in onto the planet. She saw that it was a mass evacuation. She smiled grimly. Now that the tide of battle had turned, the rebels were pulling up their stakes and running. She smiled in victory.
        Annekta turned to look at the wall monitors lining the bridge. She noticed all the flashing red damage spots on the schematic of the Alaric. Her smile faded. Almost as if in response to her thoughts, Alaric spoke again.
        "I shall need your assistance in damage control efforts."
        "Allright. Tell me what to do."
        "Very well. I need you to go to Engineering."
        Annekta left her station and rushed to the turbolift. She entered the turbolift, and said "Engineering."
        Alaric's voice answered her. "First you shall need a breathing mask."
        "Why?" Annekta asked.
        "Because Engineering is completely flooded with organic fluid. I shall need you to shunt the fluid to the cargo bays, where I can expel them back out."
        Annekta sighed. "Allright." She bit her lower lip, wondering how Stuvor would react to find the ship filled with organic fluid, from the large amounts of hull damage.

        Stuvor and Boothby continued barging their way further into the building. Guards and various others stood in their way, but Boothby and Stuvor always managed to put them out of commission. The fighting became so bad, that they had to fight their way from floor to floor.
        "How much further?" Boothby telepathically asked Stuvor.
        Stuvor glanced at his tricorder, and got the sensation of someone looking over his shoulder. He turned and saw nobody there.
        "It's me," Boothby told Stuvor.
        "Oh, okay," Stuvor said aloud, even though it was unnecessary. He looked at the tricorder readout. "There seems to be a large opening, a chamber of some kind. I'm having a hard time reading the signature now. It keeps slipping off my tricorder sensors. I'm also reading a number of 8472 in the area."
        "We feel them," Boothby replied. "Be careful."
        Stuvor set off down the jagged tunnelway, following his tricorder readout. The other 8472 followed him, loping along on their three legs. The building shook violently, both as a result of the aerial bombardment, and as a result of the nanoprobes infecting the surface of the organic planet. The small group finally made it to a large room with a curved ceiling in a shape of a dome. Pillars grew up from the floor to the ceiling.
        "This place kind of looks like an combination of caves and Greek architecture from back on Earth," Stuvor mused out loud. Before them, several dozen aliens stood ready to attack them. There was only one that looked different from the others. Stuvor stepped forward, readying for combat. Boothby placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.
        The row of 8472 aliens parted to let the odd looking alien pass. "So we meet again, Beltbii," the alien telepathically projected to the others. "Your invasion was pointless." Stuvor recognized the feeling behind the name. It was Boothby's true name. He had gotten used to thinking of the alien beside him as the groundskeeper at Starfleet Academy, even though Boothby looked nothing like a wizened old human. "Stay back," he broadcast to the entire room. "This matter is mine alone to take care of. Do not insult me by offering assistance! Beltbii, speak."
        The other aliens stepped back, giving the apparent leader room.
        Boothby stepped forward looking around the chamber. Then he looked down at Stuvor. "We stand here as proof that Federation has no quarrels against us. This man next to me has helped us to try and end this civil war. Too many of our people are dying each day. It is great sadness upon us all. Let us stop this madness. The Federation of the Alpha Quadrant wish for peace as we do. We must change for peace. The choice is yours. Because after today, we will mourn the loss of those that have died and continue to move on in peace. Fighting is not our answer."
        "Yes...change is the answer," the alien retorted. "We must change back to what we once were. For eons, we have been supreme. After a handful of encounters with these... airbreathers, you want to change, embracing the weak with the strong! Our ancestors would not, will not, and should not allow such foolish change!" The alien paced around Boothby. "Yes, we must change. Right now, we shall change leaders!"
         The alien advanced at Boothby, leaping with his arms outstretched for a heavy blow. But Stuvor had instinctively stepped in front of Boothby, grabbing the rebel leader's arms. Stuvor now realized that the alien he was grappling with was Trelth, the man he had talked with upon his entrance to fluidic space. Trelth swiveled his large head to stare into Stuvor's eyes. "You fool. You are weak."
        Suddenly, the alien's face changed into a grotesque expression. Jarred, Stuvor released his grip on Trelth's arm and staggered backwards. The fierce jagged face of the alien stared back at him. Stuvor had seen this kind of face before.
        This was the face of the alien that tried to destroy Earth not too long ago, under the guise of Admiral Grogan. This was the face of his enemy.
        Trelth, or whoever it was, stepped backwards, eyeing Stuvor quizzically, as if he was assessing Stuvor's reaction. The demonic entity seemed to be wondering if Stuvor had seen through his disguise or not.
        "Stay back, Mr. Boothby, or Beltbii, whatever," Stuvor thought out. "I think this is my fight." Focusing his thoughts at the alien before him, Stuvor thought, "I know what you are."
        Trelth's posture shifted somewhat. "Do you really? I think I know what you are now too. Perhaps better than you know your own self."
        "Sorry, but that trick's been tried before," Stuvor replied. "I ain't buying what you're selling."
        Trelth walked sidelong, circling around Stuvor. "I am not ‘selling' anything. I offer you one thing freely." Suddenly, Trelth lunged forward, taking a hard swipe at Stuvor. "I offer death!" His claw slammed into Stuvor's EVA suit. Stuvor flew back, passing his allies and hitting the wall. The organic wall behind him bent under the force of the impact.
        Stuvor quickly felt his chest. Three gouges lined the suit, and exposed circuitry sparkled in the murky fluid. Stuvor heard several ringing sounds, and he thought he must have slammed his head a little bit too hard, before realizing they were assorted warning alarms sounding out inside his helmet. Stuvor sniffed, recognizing the smell of the organic fluid seeping into his EVA suit.
        Trelth didn't let Stuvor assess his situation much longer. The alien, still in the form of Species 8472, leaped and sliced through the fluid, bounding towards him.
        Stuvor snapped up his enhanced phaser and fired, hitting Trelth squarely in the chest. The alien jerked forward in mid-jump, and tumbled to the ground. The nanoprobes should start taking care of him, Stuvor thought to himself. He dragged himself up to his feet, leaning back against the wall.
        He trained his phaser on Trelth's form and stepped forward to look at him. He glanced up at the other 8472, and they all seemed to be hanging back. It seemed they were still respecting Trelth's command to restrain themselves. "Thank goodness for small favors," Stuvor muttered to himself.
        As he stepped closer to Trelth's prone form, the alien grabbed Stuvor by his left boot. He twisted and tossed Stuvor across the chamber. Stuvor ended up slamming into one of the organic columns, feeling a rib or two crack. He slid down to the ground. Stuvor tried to stand but Trelth had wrenched his leg badly, so he had to favor his right leg.
        Trelth slowly got to his three feet and advanced at Stuvor. The phaser blast had no effect at all. Stuvor couldn't even see signs of a phaser strike. He heard a soft whisper that seemed to be coming from right by his ear.
        "You said you knew what I was. How quickly it seems you have forgotten. I am not one of these aliens. I am not what you think I am. I am... legion."
        Stuvor fired off several more phaser blasts, but they seemed to splash off Trelth. The alien, still maintaining his disguise, grabbed Stuvor by his wrist and wrenched the phaser out of his hand. He tossed the phaser aside and drew Stuvor up off the ground, holding him up with both hands.
        Stuvor tried slamming his free hand into the sinewy cords of Trelth's neck, but to no avail.
        "I don't know how an ignorant, self-deluded fool like you could have beaten Gog," Trelth whispered into Stuvor's mind. "But your crusade ends here on this drowned world."
        Stuvor blinked at Trelth's words. "Oh. Thanks for the reminder." He twisted around, reaching for controls on his suit. With trained reflexes, Stuvor uncoupled the arm on his suit and wriggled his arm out of Trelth's grip, leaving the suit sleeve in Trelth's hand. With both of his hands free, Stuvor quickly tugged on the emergency controls on his suit, sliding out of the EVA suit.
        This is insane, this is insane, this is insane. Stuvor's mind kept repeating the mantra over and over as he landed on his bare feet while Trelth tossed away Stuvor's abandoned EVA suit.
         The sheer bizarreness of Stuvor's act seemed to stun Trelth, giving Stuvor few scant seconds to use as a headstart. Clad only in his dark grey undertunic, Stuvor felt like he was moving faster compared to moving in the bulky suit. He kicked, swimming through the organic fluid after a fashion. The water slightly stung his eyes, but his vision was otherwise clear.
        He oriented himself in the direction of a small recess beyond the columns that ringed the chamber. He wished he still had his tricorder to double-check his direction but he had no other choice but to commit to his current, however insane, course of action.
        "This thing better be worth it," he thought to himself as he kicked his feet, wincing at the pain of his injured leg.
        Trelth laughed, and the sound rattled around in Stuvor's mind. "There is no where for you to run. You shall suffocate here, be it by my own hand or by your own."
        Stuvor reached the far side of the chamber and grabbed at the edges of the recess. He pulled himself into the dark tunnel-like corridor, dragging himself further in and pushing with his toes.
        He felt a swirl of motion on his soles and looked back to see Trelth reaching for him. Stuvor tucked his legs in and kicked off the walls, diving further in as he spun around, facing up. He looked down past his feet and saw that Trelth was too wide for the recess. Stuvor was now out of reach of Trelth's considerably long arms.
        Stuvor's chest was tightening as his body asked for more air. His fingers crashed into a smooth surface, and Stuvor found himself at the end of the tunnel. He spread his hands out, feeling the surface since he couldn't make anything out in the dim fluid. He found a hole that his finger slid into easily. He moved his hand around, finding four other holes.
        Instinctively, he spread his fingers out and found that he could slide all of his fingers and thumb into the holes. It felt suited to his human hand. He took a firm grip then twisted and tugged. He felt something give, and he twisted more. Air bubbles seeped out of somewhere, and Stuvor reached with his free hand, feeling the dead end. He found a seam, and kept pulling.
        He turned to see Trelth's outstretched ‘hand' clawing for him. Stuvor wasn't sure if it was his vision being distorted by the fluidic space or if Trelth was indeed contorting his body to fit into the recess. Stuvor turned and pulled with greater urgency. More air bubbles flowed out as the wall moved with his hand. He pressed his body against the side of the tunnel and slipped through the opening. He felt what seemed like a crossbar, and used it to pull the wall shut. He felt a mechanism slide, and the door remained firmly shut.
        He felt an odd coolness, and realized his hand was in an air bubble. He moved his body so that his head entered the airbubble. He gulped in the air, not caring whether it was oxygen or not. His survival instinct overrode his caution.
        As Stuvor blinked, he realized a faint light was flashing in the small enclosure. He took a second to look around. The enclosure was a little over two meters high- enough to contain a man his size with room to spare. He turned his attention to the light.
        It was coming from further into the enclosure. He drew in a deep breath and dived back into the murk. He waded through the fluid. The light scattered, casting a ghostly red light in the enclosure.
        His outstretched hands hit cold metal. He slid his fingertips, feeling for the edges of the metal. He found a joint, and slid his fingers over it, feeling a smaller, shaped piece of metal. The light intensified and now Stuvor could see what he was touching.
        He was looking at some kind of EVA suit, only much more sleeker and streamlined than the one he had just discarded. It seemed almost wholly metallic, shaped out of grey plates. It had more in common with a knight's suit of armor than with a space suit. Small light emitters blinked in a small console on the suit, providing him with light. Stuvor felt an embossed arrowhead in the center of the breastplate. He recognized it as a stylized A, like the symbol that recurred aboard the Alaric.
        "And down the rabbit hole we go," Stuvor thought to himself.
        The helmet had a triangular faceplate with the apex pointing downwards. It was much rounder than the rectangular helmet that most Federation EVA suits sported. The sides of the helmet tapered off, ending in short antennae.
        A moment after the light intensified, the suit split into segments. The helmet detached itself from the collar of the torso. The torso detached from the legs. Stuvor didn't waste time accepting the implicit invitation. He pulled the legs out so he could slide his own legs into the armored suit. Then he lifted the torso up over his head and arms. It seemed lighter than it should be, he thought, as he slide it down over his upper body. His hands slid into armored gauntlets, which seemed almost perfectly tailored for him. The suit's coupling mechanism seemed intuitive to him as he attached the legs to the torso. He noted how nimbly he could manipulate things in spite of his armored hands.
        His lungs were straining again, and his heart was beating in sympathetic protest, so Stuvor grabbed the helmet, sliding it over his head. He easily found the coupling gear and locked the helmet in place. His eardrums suddenly compressed as he felt the pressure inside the suit change. The fluid level began falling and his face was exposed to cool air. He gulped in the fresh smelling air, and became aware of a voice as fluid poured out of his ears.
        "Fluid vented and air pressure equalized," a soft feminine voice said to him. "Attachment and sealing now complete. Avia Suit now fully activated and functional."
        "Hello?" Stuvor ventured.
        "Voice recognition, Stuvor, Ginger P.," the same voice replied. "Orders?"
        "Who are you?"
        "I am Avia, the onboard computer that controls the Avia Suit."
        "What's your purpose?"
        "I protect you and enhance your strength and abilities. A hostile lifeform is less than two meters away from you. Orders?"
        "Trelth... do you have any sensors?"
        "Yes."
        Stuvor felt a whir of movement on his left arm. He raised his arm up and saw a segment of greyish metal slide back, revealing a sleek console that reminded him a lot of a typical tricorder set up. He saw the lifesigns of a Species 8472 directly ahead of him.
        "Do you wish to activate HUD display?"
        "Sure, why not?"
        The same information that appeared on his left forearm now was floating before his eyes. Stuvor recognized it as some sort of holographic projection. It didn't impede his vision, and it eliminated the need for him to hold his arm up to glance at the tricorder console.
        That didn't change the fact that his enemy, whoever or whatever it was, remained at the other side of the enclosure. Stuvor flexed his fingers and arms. "Enhanced strength, huh? Let's see how that works out."
        He leaned forward, grabbing the crossbar. He pulled the wall inwards. Trelth fell forward, not expecting the wall to give away. Stuvor balled his hands up into fists and leapt forward, tackling Trelth. Remarkably, he no longer felt the resistance of the fluidic space. It was as if he was moving through empty space.
        Trelth was clearly unprepared for the assault Stuvor put on, and he tumbled to the side as Stuvor fell forward out into the tunnel of the recess. Stuvor was able to find purchase with his gloved hands and boots, and jumped forward out of the tunnel.
        Trelth followed him quickly, swiping with his outstretched hands. He landed a blow on Stuvor's midsection. Stuvor staggered backwards and felt for the damage. All he found were three light grooves.
        Trelth reared back in surprise. "It burns!"
        "What do you know," Stuvor said to himself. "My armor held. All right..." he sighed. "Looks like someone needs some sense beaten into him."
         Stuvor ran and jumped high, his feet outstretched in front of him. His armored boots slammed into Trelth's face, causing him to stagger back several paces. Trelth's rebels advanced to fire on Stuvor, but Boothby mentally commanded them to hold back. Boothby's allies raised their weapons to back up Boothby's command. Stuvor walked forward to the dazed Trelth, swinging his armored fists, pounding the sides of Trelth's head. The alien snapped his head back and forth from the blow, stepping back from Stuvor.
        Finally Trelth found himself pinned against a wall. Stuvor swung his right fist at Trelth, but the alien quickly snared Stuvor's hand, holding it in place.
        "Who are you, to come in here? Who are you, to tell us what to do? Who are you, to interfere with our affairs? You meddling fool! You may have brought your armor with you but it cannot protect you from this!" Trelth roared mentally. He snapped his head forward, pressing his face against Stuvor's faceplate. Trelth's alien eyes shifted from the yellow pupils of an 8472 to a red maelstrom of fury, peering into Stuvor's eyes.
        Suddenly, horrific images filled Stuvor's mind. Images of death, images of destruction, images of being crushed. Breathing became harder for Stuvor, as Trelth unleashed a barrage of telepathic knives into his mind. A trickle of blood started flowing out of Stuvor's nose. Spots started floating before his eyes.
        Amid the telepathic assault, Stuvor heard Trelth laughing mentally. "Your skills are so weak, your strength- nonexistent! How do you expect to ever defeat us?"
        Through clenched teeth, Stuvor struggled to speak. "A... Avia?"
        "Hmm?" Trelth gloated, pressing Stuvor down against the floor, pinning the human with his large arms. Now Stuvor was being strangled, both mentally and physically. He drew in as much air as he could.
        "Neural blocks in place," Avia's voice sounded out in Stuvor's helmet.
        Suddenly, Stuvor's mind could make the commands to breathe. The oppressive mental assault disappeared. The hairs on Stuvor's head and neck tingled as some kind of neuroelectrical field surrounded his head, protecting him from telepathic invasion.
        Trelth, momentarily confused at the sudden mental cut-off, eased up on Stuvor's neck. That was all he needed. Stuvor kicked up with his legs, pushing Trelth off him. The alien rolled onto the floor, and Stuvor quickly leapt onto him, gripping Trelth's corded neck with his armored hands.
        Trelth writhed in Stuvor's grip. Stuvor grimaced as he saw the cords of Trelth's neck withering from the contact with his segmented fingers. Trelth continued spasming, apparent pain shooting through his body. Finally, Trelth stopped moving, his eyes open but unfocused.
        Stuvor released his grip, surprised at the sudden death throes of his enemy. He glanced at his hands, not quite sure what to make of them. Trelth's body bucked, and Stuvor hopped to the side in surprise. A dark oily mist swirled out of Trelth's eyes and spiraled upwards, fading into nothingness.
        It was almost a repeat of what happened with Grogan, or Gog.
        Another 8472 stepped forward to him. Stuvor jumped, expecting another fight. However, this alien didn't make any threatening moves. It made several gestures.
        "Oh, right," Stuvor said. "Avia, deactivate the, uh... neural blocks?"
        "Neural blocks deactivated."
        The faint tingling faded, and Stuvor started ‘hearing' the alien, who turned out to be Boothby.
        "I don't know how you managed it or what you discovered, but you have beaten the leader of the rebel faction. They are traditionalists, so they are shaken by your display of superiority."
        "Well, I'm not feeling too sure about it either," Stuvor said. "Now what?"
        "Now we talk," Boothby replied. "They have lost many bio-ships and many people. So have we. The fact that we have been killing each other is the most horrific thing arising out of this civil war. For a long time we were unified, eliminating others not like us. When we, ourselves, became the enemy..." Boothby didn't finish his thought, but Stuvor felt the emotion behind it.
        Stuvor got up off the floor, standing up. He sensed the telepathic call for surrender ringing out across the organic planet.
        The other 8472 started filing out of the chamber. Boothby alone remained. He turned to look at Stuvor. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
        "Apparently so."
        "Good." Boothby looked at Trelth's body then walked out.

        Stuvor piloted the Scarab up to the Alaric. He glided the black shuttle up to to the rear of the larger multihued starship, back to the shuttlebay doors. The Alaric had not responded to his initial docking request.
        Stuvor sat at the helm controls, tapping his fingers on the console.
        "Alaric, this is the Scarab requesting docking clearance, again!"
        No reply came. Stuvor sighed and shifted in his seat. His underclothes sloshed from the soaked up fluid. He was getting frustrated. He glanced at the comm line and saw that it was open and the ship should be receiving him. He shook his head then yelled into the comm.
        "Alaric, open the shuttlebay!"
        The comm crackled slightly. Stuvor jumped and leaned forward at the sound of a connection finally being made. He shouted into the comm.
        "Open the bay doors, Al!"
        "I'm sorry, I can't do that," the reply came.
        Stuvor stared at the red light blinking on the comm console, and frowned.
        "What are you talking about? Open the bay doors now!"
        "I cannot do that."
        Stuvor sputtered in exasperation. "Well, why not?"
        "Annekta Green is rerouting power, so the bay doors are inoperable at the moment."
        "Oh. Why didn't you say so earlier?"
        "Communications were inoperable."
        "I sustained some mild damage."

        Stuvor walked through the corridor, feeling the floor slosh beneath his boots. "More ‘mild' damage?" Stuvor asked Annekta as she walked alongside him.
        "Yeah, the kind that happens when you run into a couple dozen bio-ships," Annekta said.
        "I wonder if the Alaric is sentient enough to be suicidal," Stuvor mused. They entered a turbolift and moments later, emerged onto the Bridge.
        The Alaric spoke, "Sir, if you direct your attention to the port side of the Bridge, you will find a space suitable for storing the Avia Suit. You will find it is designated the Avia Chamber."
        Stuvor looked at the helmet he was holding under his arm. "Somehow I thought you'd know where I could put this thing away. Who made this thing? It's an incredible piece of engineering."
        "The same one who created me, created the Avia Suit," the Alaric said.
        "And if I recall correctly, you said that you had always been here. So if you were always here, then who made you? Hah, now I've run rings around you logically," Stuvor said.
        "There is a transmission coming in from the being designated as Boothby," the computer said.
        "Just a minute," Stuvor sighed, as he walked to the open chamber that the computer had referred to. He saw molded contours that matched the outline of the suit. He stepped backwards and felt the walls grip him. He detached the coupling rings and the suit pieces remained in place, gripped by attachments in the wall. He looked up and saw an arm lower out of the ceiling. Judging from the distance from top of the torso, Stuvor figured it held the helmet. He raised the helmet up and the end of the arm gripped the helmet.
        He stepped out of the Avia Chamber and a door slid shut behind him. He turned and saw the seams were virtually invisible. Stuvor took a step back to the door to see what would happen. Nothing happened. He shrugged and walked around the railing and down past the helm station to the command seat. He plopped his weary body down. Annekta smiled sadly, and headed to her now customary station at the helm.
        "Okay, Alaric, on screen," Stuvor sighed.
        The viewscreen showed Boothby in his human guise. "Stuvor. Once again, I wanted to thank you for changing the course of this civil war. My people and my government will not forget this. You have proved the worth and mercy of the Federation to all of my people."
        "Mmhmm," Stuvor nodded.
        Boothby smiled softly. "Let us hope that the next meeting is in happier circumstances."
        Stuvor returned the smile. "Let us hope."
        "We owe you our lives. Thank you."
        "Just rebuild your government and people," Stuvor smiled. "That's all you owe me."
        "There are still remnants of the rebel fleet on the run. The civil war won't truly be ended until resistance ends. But with your technological help, the end is in sight. Once again, thank you."
        "You're welcome," Stuvor said. Boothby's face rippled into the fluidic space on the viewscreen. Stuvor looked tiredly at Annekta. "Annekta, set a course back to our entry point into fluidic space. Once there, open a quantum singularity. Then take us back into our stars."
        Annekta smiled. "Aye aye, sir. Setting course, warp one."
        "Engage," Stuvor said.
        Moments later, an interdimensional vortex appeared before the Alaric and the ship glided into it.
        Stuvor leaned back in his seat. He noticed that the bruising from the beating he had received from Trelth had all but disappeared.
        Stuvor looked up to mention his observation to Annekta when a man suddenly appeared at the front of the bridge.
        He recognized the other man as Makh'l. The fair-haired man looked at Annekta, who seemed nonplussed at his sudden intrusion aboard the ship's bridge.
        "Annekta Green, we must talk," Makh'l said.
        Annekta nodded and suddenly they both vanished, as if they had never been on the bridge at all.
        "Alaric?" Stuvor called out after sitting motionlessly for a minute.
        "Yes?"
        "Where did Annekta go?"

        A bright light, white but tinged with yellow, suffused Annekta's entire being. It remained the same whether her eyes were closed or not. It was like standing underneath the noonday sun under a clear sky on Earth, Annekta thought to herself. If not for the utter coldness at accompanied the light. No, it wasn't cold. It was simply the absence of heat, Annekta thought. There was no warmth that one would expect from being enveloped in this light.
        Now, the long dark that Annekta began entering... she shivered involuntarily at the recollection.
        "Tell us your observations," the voices sounded out around her. "Tell us of the Ascendant."
        "He's completed his first task," Annekta said. "He found his suit and destroyed the Daeva."
        "A new war has been prevented," Annekta heard a distinct voice over the chorus of voices. She recognized it as Makh'l's voice. She wasn't sure if she recognized it because she had heard him privately or because he sought to make his voice distinct from the others for her benefit. "The mortals on these Lower Planes have been saved from further destruction. The tide of chaos and entropy have been held back from pouring out over the Lower Planes before their ordained time."
        "What of the Ascendant?" the invisible chorus asked. "Does he remember more?"
        "You know," Annekta began, "you brought me back to watch him and make sure he didn't completely lose his grasp on the humanity he learned. I don't see any danger of that happening. He's still very much human. So far I haven't seen him exhibit any abilities out of the ordinary."
        "He shall. He must," came the reply.
        "Annekta Green," Makh'l said, "you have but a small picture of the forces arrayed against your peoples. Everything that has a beginning also has an ending. The Daeva know the secret order of things and can upset it, bringing about what they most desire--the end of all things."
        "I know, I know," Annekta said. "You explained the domino thing to me, and I know how to explain it to him, once he's ready to understand it. Right now he's still processing this new layer of reality."
        "Perhaps it is time for him to see the full import of things," Makh'l said. "Heed to our words."

        "I'm back," Annekta said, now standing at the rear of the bridge.
        Stuvor whirled around in his seat. "Where did you go? What happened?"
        Annekta ignored him and stood on the top step of the short stairway that led down to the command deck. "Put on the viewscreen, Alaric."
        The holographic display swirled into view, showing the blackness of space.
        "Look, Stuvor."
        Stuvor stood up and took several steps forward, looking at the viewscreen. At first he saw nothing but the normal black void of space, punctuated with a smattering of stars. Upon looking closer, he noticed motion, the kind of motion one can only notice while looking indirectly at it.
        Stuvor voiced his first instinct, "A cloaked ship?" He already knew it wasn't a cloaked ship. The rippling motion was too constant to be a cloaked starship. It was like an oily river wending its way through space.
        "Alaric, can you magnify the view?"
        As the viewscreen zoomed in closer, and Stuvor started discerning more details.
        It was a massive horde of alien beings flowing together through space. Every so often, Stuvor caught sight of what appeared to be faces of the aliens. These were the demonic entities Stuvor had encountered twice before.
        "There's so many," said Stuvor. "It looks like an army."
        "That's what it is," Annekta replied, matter of factly. "They are called the Daeva."
        Stuvor hopped up a level to the helm station in front of him and tapped on the console. "Looks like they're headed into the heart of the Alpha Quadrant. We've got to warn the Federation!"
        Annekta walked down the aft steps down to the command seat. "They have no idea of this threat, and you wouldn't be able to prove it. They already have an enemy to deal with, the Dominion."
        "We've got to do something! Shouldn't we just attack them now?"
        "We aren't ready. As I said, this is an army. We're only one ship, with a crew of three."
        "Two," Stuvor corrected her.
        "I beg your pardon," Alaric said.
        "Oh, right," Stuvor said. The sensor readout on the helm station caught his eye. "Wait a minute, this isn't right." Stuvor tapped several commands. "The time is wrong. According to this, it's six months after we went into fluidic space."
        "The time is correct," Annekta said. "Time passed by differently in fluidic space. We spent more time in their dimension than the Voyager did, so we experienced more of a time dilation."
        "That makes sense," Stuvor nodded, "but how did you know?"
        "I was told," Annekta replied. "The point remains- we are running out of time. You need to continue with your tasks, set forth by the silver scroll. You have already found that which you bind to yourself." Annekta looked over at the Avia Chamber.
        The verses rose unbidden to Stuvor's mind. "One to him, he shall bind./One to him, he shall wield," he said. "Well, now I have a snazzy new suit of armor. What next? Pulling a sword out of a stone?"
        Annekta allowed a small smile to play out on her lips. "Your words may contain some truth to them."
        She walked up to the helm station and sat down. Stuvor stood by and watched as she laid in a course.
        "Where are we going?" he asked.
        "You'll remember," Annekta replied. "At least, that is the hope."
        The Alaric set off into warp, leaving behind the undulating mass of Daeva to their march.

PREVIOUS

RETURN TO MAIN

NEXT