LOG ENTRY FIVE

        "Captain's Log. Supplemental. The mission is proceeding as planned. Thankfully things have been uneventful. At last check, we should reach the border of Romulan space within four hours, on the specially designed zig zag course Ironsides has plotted for the Sovereign. Just before we cross through the Neutral Zone into Romulan space, we will be rendezvousing with the U.S.S. Titan, where Major Ironsides will be picking up an additional team member, Corporal William Thane. Thane has been assigned to covert surveillance of the Romulan borders.
        "In fact, Corporal Thane was instrumental in establishing the location of this POW camp. I'm sure he'll be a valuable asset to the team. Speaking of the team, Ironsides has been drilling the team daily in the holodeck, running through the mission over and over again. Worf has joined the team in their drills. I think Commander Worf is forming a friendship with a man on the team, Sergeant Bogarde, despite a rocky introduction.
        "As for me, I just am enjoying the peace and quiet, although I know it might disappear at any moment. Lately, I've been reviewing all logs of recent confrontations with the Romulans, to prepare myself for any possible conflicts. While I'm sure the Sovereign is a match for any Romulan ship we might face, it's always advisable to know as much about your potential enemy as you can. All I've seen on the Romulans have made me think about how the Romulans could be excellent allies in our war against the Dominion. Hopefully, this covert mission won't destroy any chance of allying ourselves with them. End log entry."
        Sisko scratched at his goatee and glanced out the window in his readyroom. He sighed deeply, enjoying the view of the warp distorted stars streaking by. He wondered how things were going back on Deep Space Nine. He hoped Kira and Jellico were working well together.

DEEP SPACE NINE, JOINT BAJORAN-FEDERATION STATION
BAJOR SECTOR, FEDERATION TERRITORY
1330 HOURS SST

        "I'd like to break him in tiny little pieces!"
        Kira sat down, slamming her mug down. Jadzia smiled, sipping at her own raktajino. The replimat was crowded as usual, since it was lunchtime aboard the station. Starfleet personnel and Bajoran personnel filed in and out of the eating area. Dax set her mug back down on the table, and looked at the angry major seated across from her.
        "Same problems or new ones with the admiral?" Dax asked.
        "New," Kira sighed. "Admiral Jellico has requested all requisition forms from Bajoran personnel now be routed through his office. Do you realize how much wasted time that takes? How inefficient that is? Plus it concerns Bajoran matters, not Starfleet matters."
        "I understand."
        Kira rolled her eyes. "Why does he have to go and change things all around? Things were running along just fine the way Sisko and I had them."
        "You know," Dax remarked, "I think your problem with the admiral is that he doesn't offer you the same level of trust as Ben did."
        Kira chewed her lower lip, mulling over Dax's words. She shook her head, "Nah." Kira leaned forward. "He's just an assh--" she started to say before her combadge chimed.
        "Admiral Jellico to Major Kira. Please report to my office."
        "Speak of the devil," Dax smirked. Kira shot him a disgusted look, as she got up to leave. Dax sighed. She sympathized with Kira. She had worked with many demanding people over the course of her seven lives. She watched as the Bajoran stomped out of the replimat to Jellico's office.

        Kira walked through the sliding doors to Sisko's office. Actually, it was Jellico's office at the moment. Even though it was temporary, Jellico had all of Sisko's things put in a storage closet, even Sisko's baseball. Kira recalled the disdainful remarks Jellico made about Sisko's sentimental knickknacks. That was the moment Kira knew she wouldn't like Jellico at all.
        Jellico was seated behind Sisko's desk, reading a PADD. He glanced up to see Kira approach him. She stood at attention, waiting for him acknowledge her. Jellico put down the PADD on the desk.
        "Major," Jellico nodded. "You know, it constantly amazes me to see how much procedure has been disregarded in the daily operations of this station. I thought Deep Space Nine was a Starfleet station, so was it too much for me to expect things to be done the Starfleet way?"
        "Technically, DS Nine isn't a Starfleet station. It's a Bajoran station run by Starfleet personnel."
        Jellico waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Same difference. Personally, I never really liked how Starfleet Command handled the Deep Space Nine situation after the Cardassians left. Lord knows, I certainly wouldn't have given the wormhole to the Bajorans. I'd have claimed it for the Federation."
        "Thankfully, the Emissary doesn't think the way you do," Kira muttered under her breath. Jellico glanced at Kira suspiciously. He continued his tirade.
        "The only saving grace of this station is that it will be on the front lines of the Dominion War. There's glory to be captured here." Jellico glanced out the large oval window behind his desk. "You just have to go out and grab it."
        Jellico swung his seat back around to face Kira. "Major, I'd like files of all enemy fleet movements in this sector for the last two months."
        Kira stifled a sigh. "Yes, sir. May I ask why?"
        "No, you may not. I gave you an order. Just do it. Dismissed."
        "Yes, sir." Kira turned around and headed out of the office, muttering to herself.
        Kira strode out of the office quickly, walking down to the main operations table. The major set about to retrieve the information that Jellico had asked. She was going to have to slog through dozens of files, and through layers of classified security protocols.
        Kira was starting to feel less than an first officer and more like an secretary. Jellico's comment on the "glory of war" disturbed her. As a person who had grown up during constant warfare, during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, Kira knew there was no true glory in war. Sisko knew that too. That's why Kira respected the captain, and was glad Sisko was commanding DS Nine throughout this war.
        "Authorization code please," the computer asked Kira.
        "Kira Nerys, Major. Obi-Neah-Three," she told the computer.
        "Secondary code please."
        "Kira Nerys, Major. Kel-Seven-Poi."
        "Voice authorization, please."
        Kira sighed. "Kira Nerys, Major. First officer of Deep Space Nine."
        "Retina scan, please."
        Kira leaned down to let the computer optical scanner see her eye.
        "Handprint please."
        Kira slapped her hand onto the optical scanner and pressed it there until the computer completed its scan.
        "Authorization accepted. Identity verified. Information requested?" the computer finally asked. Kira rolled her eyes, and bent down to look at the file menus.
        Two hours later, Kira sighed. "Computer, bundle the files together and send to Admiral Jellico's personal database. Encrypt with standard sensitive information protocols," Kira smirked. Jellico would have to go through the same long identification procedure that Kira was subjected to.
        "Files sent," the computer stated. Kira picked up her mug, and started to take a drink from it. She realized it was empty and she went up to the replicator. Passing Jellico's office, she overheard the computer saying, "Secondary code, please." Suddenly, the major felt a little happier as she headed to the replicator.

USS CARPATHIA, FEDERATION STARSHIP
DEEP SPACE NINE, BAJOR SECTOR
1700 HOURS SST

        Dax shifted in her seat as she sat on the bridge of the Carpathia. It felt odd not to be sitting on the command chair of the Defiant. Both seats were essentially the same, but there were subtle differences. Perhaps it was only in her mind, Dax mused. She looked on the viewscreen which showed the aft section of the Ambassador class ship. A runabout was preparing to enter the lower shuttlebay. Jellico had ordered extra torpedoes stocked onto the Carpathia several days ago, and the order finally arrived at the station.
        Her combadge chimed, and she tapped it. "Dax here."
        "Report to my office as soon as you can," Jellico's voice asked.
        "Yes sir. On my way."
        "Jellico out."
        Dax stood up, and glanced over at Lieutenant Hompa, the first officer, who was manning the Ops console at the moment. "Lieutenant, you have the bridge."
        "Yes, sir." Hompa got out of her seat and moved to the command seat. Dax walked to the turbolift and headed for the transporter room.

        Kira looked up to see Dax materialize onto the transporter pad in Ops. Dax smiled, and tilted her head at the office's doors. Kira nodded in understanding, and went back to work. Dax walked over to the office, and went inside. Jellico was reading on his computer monitor. He paused and looked at Dax.
        "Ah, Lieutenant. Have a seat," Jellico gestured. Dax sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Jellico tapped on his desktop computer, and Dax heard soft beeps. Jellico turned his eyes back to the Trill.
        "How have your patrols been?" Jellico asked.
        "They've been uneventful, for the most part. You have my patrol reports."
        "I know. But they're dry. I want to hear about the action out there," Jellico said.
        Dax raised her eyebrows, and blinked several times. "Um well.. the action, as you put it, isn't all that heavy. We haven't had too much trouble with the Cardassians or Jem'Hadar. When we do run into them, the new shield upgrades for the Carpathia has been invaluable. We've been able to hold our own."
        "That's good. I'm glad to hear that," Jellico nodded. "I've been thinking of changing the patrols from passive to aggressive patrols."
        "What do you mean, sir?" Dax asked.
        "I mean actively seeking out the enemy. Striking back at them. Punishing them for entering Federation space. Don't you get tired of just flying the Carpathia back and forth, watching and waiting for the enemy to show up?"
        "Uh, sir. It's not really my place to say. I just follow my orders."
        "That's very good to hear. I've changed your patrol schedules. I'm going to send you into the hotspots of the sector. We're going to send a message to the Dominion. They can't travel back and forth across our borders with impunity. I'm sending the updated patrol schedule and patterns to the Carpathia as we speak. Do you understand your orders?"
        Dax stood up. "Yes sir. I understand, sir."
        "Good," Jellico smiled. He waved his hand at her, and turned his attention back to the computer monitor in front of him. "Dismissed. Good luck and good hunting."
        "Uh, thank you sir," Dax turned on her heels and walked out of the office, puzzled with this shift in policy. Her former host, Curzon, appreciated the new plan. Despite being an ambassador, Curzon always was more aggressive, something that endeared him to the Klingons.
        However, the current host, Jadzia was here. Not Curzon. Jadzia was the one who was to command the Carpathia, and take the ship into potentially dangerous situations. Dax meant what she said earlier, that she would follow orders. She just hoped these new orders weren't foolhardy.
        Dax passed by the science station, and resisted the urge to check in on Ensign Mobaley, her replacement. She wasn't the science officer anymore. She was the captain of the Carpathia, Dax reminded herself. Instead, Dax walked down to Kira, who was seated on one of the stools at the main operations table.
        "Hi Nerys. How're you doing?" Dax asked.
        "I'm doing allright. The admiral's dumped more work on me to do, while he sits all day in his office, working on reports and making conference calls to Earth."
        "Well, he's doing double duty here. He's serving as the station commander as well as his regular job on the Federation Security Council."
        "That's true," Kira admitted grudgingly. She looked at her friend. "What'd he call you in for?"
        "Oh," Dax shrugged. "Just a change in patrol orders. We'll be patrolling in more hostile zones."
        "Ohh, so that's why Jellico wanted those reports," Kira murmured. Seeing Dax's quizzical expression, the major explained Jellico's orders. Dax nodded, agreeing with Kira's assessment.
        "It seems that Jellico is determined to make his mark here while Sisko's out on the mission," said Dax.
        Kira sighed, nodding.
        "I hope they're doing allright out there. Oh, after our lunch, I took a walk through the Promenade. I passed the Security Office, and I didn't see Odo there. Have you seen him?"
        Kira thought for a few seconds. "No I haven't. He must be on a stake out. He's told me of how he's been in surveillance mode for up to weeks at a time. Especially if it concerns Quark," Kira added with a chuckle.
        Dax smiled. "I was just wondering. I better get back to the Carpathia and review Jellico's new orders. I'll talk to you later."
        "Allright. See you." Dax walked up to the transporter pad, and beamed back to the Carpathia.

USS SOVEREIGN, FEDERATION STARSHIP
FEDERATION-ROMULAN BORDER, FEDERATION SIDE
1400 HOURS SST

        Sisko walked down the corridor, wondering why Ironsides left a him a strange message. First he was to meet the major in the readyroom but Ironsides left him another message to meet in Cargo Bay Two. Perhaps it had something to do with what Ironsides had been checking on earlier on the bridge, Sisko thought. Sisko walked through the large double doors into the cavernous cargo bay. The captain heard some muffled speaking on the far side of the bay, and he made his way through the supply crates.
        The captain cleared one last stack of crates, and saw Ironsides talking to a man dressed in a nondescript outfit. The major stopped talking and looked at Sisko. The man turned to look at Sisko. Sisko stepped back in shock as he saw the deep brow and pointed ears of a Romulan. He instinctively reached for a phaser at his hip, although he didn't have one on him at the moment.
        The Romulan smiled, and his features rippled. Sisko stared in confusion as the Romulan's heavy brows smoothed out, and his ears rounded out. The Romulan's face melted into another face, a non face- Odo's face.
        "What's going on?" Sisko asked.
        Ironsides smiled and said to Odo, "See, the captain agrees with me that your Romulan disguise is pretty good."
        Odo chuckled wryly. "I'm glad he didn't have a phaser."
        "I still would like to know what's going on. I wasn't informed that Odo would be joining us," Sisko said.
        "Well, I'm informing you now," Major Ironsides said. "Officially, no one has sanctioned Odo's presence, but like I told him, I think he would help us a lot."
        Sisko nodded. "I have to admit, I had considered that, but I knew my request would have been denied. But it seems that Odo has offered us his help."
        Odo said, "Yes, Captain. The major was most persuasive in his appeal for help. However, I'm not sure if I'll be able to fool a real Romulan as well as I fooled you."
        Ironsides shrugged dismissively. "All you need is some more practice. It'll still take a few days for us to reach the target."
        "Whoa, whoa," Sisko said. "You do realize that I need to report this to Starfleet Command?"
        Ironsides looked at Sisko. "I thought you were in with us. Or at the very least, that you'd delay the report."
        "Until after the mission, correct?" Sisko asked.
        "That's my thought," Ironsides said.
        "Mine too," Sisko agreed. "So what plans have you drawn up?"
        "It's all up in my head," Ironsides tapped a finger on his temple. "Best place to keep a secret."
        "Allright. Why don't you enlighten me?" Sisko asked.
        Ironsides shook his head. "I'd prefer to wait until we meet up with the Titan. I'd like the whole team present when I outline my plans."
        Sisko nodded. "That's fine. Hold on a moment." He tapped his combadge. "Sisko to bridge. What's the ETA for our rendezvous with the Titan?"
        "Bridge here. We should be at the rendezvous point in twenty-four minutes."
        "Thank you. Sisko out." Sisko looked at Odo and Ironsides. "Major, why don't we go to the bridge? Odo, naturally, you'll have to remain here."
        The changeling nodded. Ironsides and Sisko walked out of the cargo bay, leaving the shapeshifter behind to practice.

        Shortly, the captain and the major walked onto the bridge. Commander Tobias moved out of the command chair and sat down in her customary seat to the side. Sisko sat down in the command seat, and Ironsides sat in the other seat next to Sisko. Sisko glanced at the monitor by his seat, noting the ship's location.
        "Let's be on the alert, people. We're close to the Romulan border. Commander Tobias, any Dominion ships sighted?" Sisko turned to look at Tobias.
        "None sighted, sir," Tobias replied.
        "We've been pretty lucky so far," Sisko remarked. Tobias nodded her head in agreement. Sisko looked at the viewscreen. "Lieutenant boKal, ETA to the rendezvous point?"
        boKal turned checked his console. "Seventeen minutes, sir." Sisko nodded, acknowledging the helmsman.
        "Sir, I'm detecting weapons fire 279 kilometers away from the rendezvous point," Lt. Xioar called out, from the tactical station behind Tobias. Sisko looked at the Naist, concerned.
        "Is there a distress call being put out?" asked Sisko.
        "None, sir."
        Ironsides sat on the edge of his seat. "Is the Titan at the rendezvous point?"
        Xioar looked down at his station. "Scanning with long range sensors...no, I'm not detecting the ship there."
        Ironsides looked at Sisko. "It might be the Titan. They're under orders not to reveal their location at any cost."
        "So if they were attacked, they wouldn't put out a distress signal," Sisko finished Ironsides's thought. "Helm, set course to the site of weapons fire. Best speed. Red alert." The bridge flashed red with the alert lights going off, along with the audible signal.
        "Sir, I have a better reading. It is indeed the Titan," Xioar stated. "She's under attack by a Jem'Hadar scout ship. Coming into visual range in 25 seconds."
        "Put it up on the screen," Sisko commanded. The streaked stars on the viewscreen compressed into dots of light as the Sovereign dropped out of warp. The magnification was adjusted so that Sisko could now see the ships.
        The U.S.S. Titan, an Excelsior class variant ship, was being pounded on by a small beetle-like Jem'Hadar scout ship. The Titan was giving as good as she got, firing phasers back at the enemy ship. However, the Jem'Hadar's technologically advanced shields and weapons were more than a match for the Federation ship.
        "Target the scout ship, and fire," Sisko commanded. The Sovereign launched a spread of quantum torpedoes, which struck at the scout-ship, grabbing its attention. The Jem'Hadar ship fired its disruptors at the Sovereign. Sisko barely felt the weapons fire hit the larger Sovereign.
        "Shields holding. Minimal damage," Lt. Xioar reported.
        Sisko nodded. "Keep firing. Disable the scout ship." As the Sovereign neared the other ships, the ship fired her phasers at the scout ship. The Jem'Hadar ship broke off and sped away at impulse.
        "We can't let it get away. They've seen us and the Titan in this area. They'll know something's up. Plus the Titan's a covert ship. They can't know that we've been spying on the Romulans from this location," Ironsides said.
        "I'm well aware of that, Major," Sisko said, slightly annoyed at being told such an obvious thing. "Lieutenant boKal, after them. Don't let it get to warp."
        "Aye sir," boKal nodded. He set the Sovereign after the fleeing ship.
        "Fire!" Sisko shouted. The Sovereign opened fire with a combination of phaser and torpedo fire, which struck at the Jem'Hadar scout ship. The ship tumbled end over end before exploding in debris and plasma. The Sovereign swept through the cloud of debris with ease and returned back to the Titan.

        "Whoo!" Corporal Thane sat down in the readyroom, grinning. He ran a hand through his jet-black hair, brushing it back. Sisko sat down behind his desk and Ironsides sat next to Thane.
        "Thanks for saving our asses, Captain," Thane said. "We had no idea the Dominion would send ships this far out. We weren't prepared to confront them, only Romulan ships."
        "I was surprised to see the Jem'Hadar scout ship too," Sisko agreed.
        Ironsides cleared his throat. "Let's get straight to the point. Any sign that the Romulans noticed our little skirmish?"
        "No. After you took off after those Jem'Hadar bastards, we performed long range scans to see if any Romulan ships were within range to detect us. None were. We got lucky."
        "Good," Ironsides nodded. "Next thing, was any sensor information about our objective lost in the fight?"
        "No, sir. The Titan's computer went down a few times, but we made duplicate back up copies of all our scans, especially for the objective," Thane explained.
        "That's good to hear, Corporal," said Sisko. He tapped his combadge. "Commander Tobias, is the Titan in shape to travel back to their base?"
        "They will be, sir. We've just finished beaming over replacement parts for the Titan. Their captain says they'll be able to repair the damage in about an hour."
        "Will they be allright on their own for now?" Sisko asked.
        "They will."
        "Allright. Prepare to enter the Neutral Zone," Sisko said.
        "Aye, sir."
        Sisko glanced at Ironsides. "Well, Major. Since your team is now complete, when will your briefing be?"
        "I'll need to confer with Corporal Thane first. Let's say, a half hour?" Ironsides looked at Thane. Thane nodded.
        Sisko clapped and rubbed his hands together. "Very well. We'll meet in the conference room. I'll be on the bridge." He stood up. "Feel free to remain here to discuss whatever you need to." Sisko left the readyroom.
        Ironsides watched the captain leave, then turned back to Thane. He smiled at the young man. "So...corporal already. It's only been a year since you were only a grunt in my survival training course in the Marine Corps. That's got to be a record."
        Thane shrugged and smiled modestly. "Yeah. I got this certificate recognizing that I was the youngest to make it to the rank of corporal. It's not as big as a record like Kirk becoming the youngest captain or something like that, you know?"
        "Nevertheless," Ironsides leaned forward, "it's a great accomplishment. I've been keeping an eye on you. You've done very well for yourself. I'm proud of you, Billy."
        "Thanks, Max. Coming from you, that means a lot. I'm glad we were able to get together for this mission."
        Ironsides stood up. "You better gather your materials. Briefing will start soon. You're going to give everyone an update on the objective site. I'll introduce you to your teammates as well."
        Thane stood up too, nodding. "Yes, sir. Give me a few moments to get the proper data chips together."
        "Allright. Hey, do they still call you uh, 'Hot Hand' right?"
        Thane grinned, nodding affirmatively. "Yeah. I can still outdraw and outshoot anyone around."
        "We'll have to test that out sometime," Ironsides smiled. The major walked out of the readyroom, and crossed the bridge heading towards the conference room. Sisko saw him, and got out of his chair and followed the major into the conference room.
        Ironsides walked up to the wall computer panel, and activated a comm channel. "Pollux Squadron, report to the conference room now." The major turned around to look at Sisko. "Just putting the word out."
        "What about Odo?" Sisko wondered.
        Ironsides's combadge answered Sisko's question. "I can hear everything, Captain."
        "Ah, you have a comm channel open for him to listen to," Sisko nodded, as he sat down at the head of the table.
        Ironsides sat down next to him. "Actually, Odo is the combadge." Sisko stared at Ironsides in surprise, and looked at the combadge. Now that he thought about it, the badge wasn't quite properly colored, and slightly thicker than it should be. "My real combadge is in my pocket," Ironsides explained.
        The major chuckled. "I never knew how accustomed to having a combadge until I couldn't use mine. Although I've had a few lapses. Occasionally I'd tap Odo, then realize my mistake. Once I did it in front of an ensign, an engineer no less. He looked at me funny when it didn't chime. So I tapped it again."
        Odo spoke again, "I had to make...the beep. Certainly not a high point in my career."
        Sisko chuckled at the faux combadge. "I would imagine not."
        Ironsides continued, "I had a hell of a time convincing the ensign not to take the combadge and repair it." Sisko smiled and shook his head. The door to the conference room opened, and Sergeant Bogarde and Lieutenant Jannsen walked in. They sat down. Shortly afterwards, Dr. Bashir and Private Ruiz entered the room together. Sisko noted that the two of them seemed very familiar with each other now. Soon, all of Ironsides's men were seated at the table.
        Ironsides stood up, and put a hand on Thane's shoulder. "Everyone, this is Corporal William Thane. He's the one who found the objective, and the one who's going to tell us all about it." Ironsides walked to the next man seated at the table.
        "Corporal, this is Master Sergeant Ian MacAuley. Mac's our science officer, and doubles as our field medic. Over here is Lieutenant Kaley Jannsen, my right hand man. Woman. Second in command of this miserable bunch. One could argue that they're a miserable bunch because she's the first officer." The crew laughed, and Jannsen smirked.
        "Here we have Private Bryce Jacoby, our communications man. He knows how to lie in more languages than anyone else I know. Well, except that bartender on Rigel Seven... what was his name? Nathaniel? That's neither here nor there," Ironsides waved his hands. "And this pretty lady here is hell on impulse engines. Private Amanda Ruiz. If it can fly, Ruiz here can pilot it."
        Ironsides circled around to the other side of the table. "This is Doctor Julian Bashir, the CMO of Deep Space Nine. I don't know much about him but if Sisko says he's good, then that's good enough for me. He'll be helping out Mac with the POWs. This man is Corporal Malcolm Donahue, our demolitions expert. He goes both ways: sets bombs, or defuses them." Ironsides walked to behind Bogarde.
        "This big ol' boy here is Sergeant Leo 'The Lion' Bogarde, our weapons and security specialist. Next to him is Lieutenant Commander Worf, DS Nine's strategic operations officer. He's lending us his tactical expertise."
        Ironsides stopped at the tall white-haired man with faint Bajoran nose ridges. Unlike the others, he didn't wear a Starfleet uniform. Instead, he wore a loose tan Bajoran outfit with a long coat. A golden earring hung around his neck on a chain. His right ear was ragged. The lower part of his ear was gone, which stood as a mute answer as to why Raven wasn't wearing his traditional earring.
        "Of course, you remember Raven from Corps training school," Ironsides stated. Thane nodded, smiling at Raven. Raven gave a small smile back in acknowledgement. Ironsides circled back to his seat next to Sisko.
        "I already introduced Captain Sisko to you in the transporter room. There's one other team member who'll be joining us later on. I can't reveal the identity just yet." Ironsides interlaced his hands and leaned on the table, looking at Thane. "Now that introductions are over, let's get down to business. Corporal, I believe you have the floor."
        Thane nodded, and stood up, holding a case of isolinear chips. He inserted one in the receptacle in the wall computer unit. "As we all know, the objective is a prisoner of war camp located on the moon of the fourth planet in the Appianos system. The moon, for our purposes, has been code-named Pharos."
        Thane pressed the controls on the wall monitor. A three dimensional map of the Appianos system was shown on the screen. Thane pointed out the fourth planet. He pressed the fourth planet on the screen, causing the map to zoom in onto the planet. Thane pointed out the moon, which tumbled around in an erratic orbit around the planet. The corporal pressed onto the moon, enlarging the view. A facility could be seen on the surface of the moon, although it was slightly fuzzy.
        "I apologize about the quality of the images, but the great distance has hindered us from picking up detail. The Titan had to remain within range of the Neutral Zone as to maintain a plausible excuse if we were ever caught by the Romulans. From what we can tell, it's a standard Romulan base. So we'll substitute a generic base layout for the purposes of this briefing. Now as you can see here..."
        Corporal Thane spent the next half hour outlining all of the information he gathered on the base. The group discussed options, routes, and possible obstacles. Two hours later, Major Ironsides adjourned the briefing session. They would have one more final briefing session when they entered the boundary of the Appianos system, which would be in two days.
        The crew filed out of the room, leaving behind Sisko and Ironsides. Both remained in their seats. Ironsides looked over at Sisko as he sighed. Sisko tapped his fingers on the conference room table.
        "So," Ironsides ventured, "how do you think it went?"
        "It went well. I think we're ready. How about you?" Sisko asked the major.
        "I think we're ready," Ironsides declared. Sisko nodded approvingly. He looked out the windows into space.
        "You know, this is the first I've seen of Raven. He's always been inside of his quarters. And I noticed he wasn't wearing a Starfleet uniform. What's his story?" Sisko asked.
        Ironsides closed his eyes and sighed. He opened his eyes and smiled at Sisko, shrugging. "It's kind of complicated. Right now, Raven's unattached to any government."
        "His outfit is Bajoran, and he has the nose ridges of a Bajoran. They're pretty faint, so I would guess he's only half Bajoran."
        "You'd be right. He's half Bajoran and half Betazoid. And yes, before you ask, he is telepathic. But not to worry, he observes the same rules and customs other telepathic beings do. He won't scan you in secret. Besides, since he's only half Betazoid, it takes a little more effort for him to use his skills. He prefers to conserve his energy. Which is one reason why he's been in his quarters, so he doesn't have to deal with many minds around him."
        "Understandable," Sisko nodded. "That's got to be an interesting combination, being Bajoran and Betazoid."
        "Oh yeah," Ironsides smiled. "Raven once told me that he felt torn apart between the two cultures. His father was a Bajoran who was a scientist. He ended up on Betazed, doing research. He fell in love and married a woman there. She was from a high ranking house. I believe it's the Third House of Chazad. Very influential. Raven was born soon afterwards. His father taught him about Bajoran religion and culture, and his mother taught him about Betazoid customs and beliefs. His parents allowed him to choose whichever he wanted to follow, but his mother's family strongly pressed for him to embrace Betazoid culture.
        "Then the Cardassian Occupation came to Bajor. His father was stuck away from his family, and Raven grew up watching the Cardassians take over his other homeworld from a distance. Raven said that was sort of what pushed him to fully embrace Bajoran beliefs. He grew up training to be a warrior, and training his telepathic skills to use them offensively. When he was of age, he joined the Bajoran Underground Resistance. They welcomed him with open arms, and Raven gradually rose through the leadership ranks. Eventually he led three resistance cells."
        "You said Thane knew him from Corps training?"
        "Yes, Raven often teaches at Starfleet Academy and Marine Corps training school. He does it every so often, as a kind of karmic balance. Many times, he's had to kill other sentient beings. He told me that he makes up for it in a way, by teaching and nurturing new students, such as cadets in the Academy and recruits in Corps training. Every so often, he takes a student under his wing, and becomes a mentor. I think it stems from what happened with his ear. Thane might have been one of the people Raven took under his wing, except that Raven didn't have the time. He was called away to Bajor. Another protege I know of is Thomas Johnson, a captain out there somewhere."
        "I see," Sisko said. He gestured to his ear. "So what happened to his ear?"
        "Well, Raven wouldn't tell me," Ironsides said. "But I talked to his friends in his resistance cells. I pieced together what happened. It happened about a year or so after he first went to Bajor. It was at the end of the Siege of Mantal Cliffs. Several legions of Cardassians had found a hiding place of the rebels in Mantal Cliffs. The Cardassians decided to end the stand-off by pouring as many men as they could, hoping to overwhelm the Bajorans by sheer numbers.
        "Raven was on the front lines, and when it degenerated into hand-to-hand combat, Raven struggled with a Cardassian soldier. The Cardassian grabbed hold of his earring, and ripped it off. What happened next is not so clear to me. As near as I can tell, Raven went berserk. I think it may have been a combination of the shock of the pain, and of the fear of losing his pagh. Raven's a very devout believer in the power of the pagh, the Bajoran soul. Raven killed the Cardassian and used his sword to cut off the Cardassian's ears, nose, and tongue. He just hacked the soldier up. Then he screamed at the nearby Cardassians, then fainted. At least fifteen or twenty Cardassians fell to the ground.
        "Autopsies revealed that the Cardassians had exploded blood vessels in their brains. Apparently Raven overreached in his psychic skills causing the aneurysms, and he went into a coma. The Cardassians, frightened by this sudden batch of deaths, backed off. The resistance cell took him into the caves and contacted his father, who was still on Betazed. His parents pulled strings to have Raven transported to Starfleet Medical, to bring him out of his coma. That's where his connection to Starfleet began. So Raven would go back and forth on Bajor and Starfleet." Ironsides sighed as he finished. "There's still a lot about him that I don't know about."
        "Interesting man," Sisko commented.
        "To say the least," Ironsides concurred. Sisko stood up, and tugged at his uniform, smoothing it out. Ironsides followed suit, and the two officers walked out onto the bridge. Commander Tobias moved from the command chair, and into the first officer's seat.
        Sisko eased into his seat as Ironsides sat next to him. The captain looked on the viewscreen, which showed the blackness of space, nothing available to see.
        Well, there is one thing out there, Sisko thought. There's an invisible line drawn out there, in front of the Sovereign. That line marked the beginning of the buffer area between Federation and Romulan space, known as the Neutral Zone. Crossing into that area could very well be construed as an act of war. Actually entering Romulan space most definitely would been seen as an act of war to the Romulans. But only if they were caught, Sisko reminded himself.
        Sisko glanced at the major. "Well, Ironsides...it's your mission. Should we proceed or not?"
        The major regarded Sisko for a moment. Then with a slight nod, Ironsides said, "Let's go."
        Sisko drew a deep breath, and slowly nodded. "Helm. You heard the major. Set course to our objective in Romulan space. Best speed." Pausing for a moment to let the helmsman lay in the course, Sisko looked at his bridge crew.
        "Course plotted and laid in, sir."
        "Engage."

LOG ENTRY SIX

DEEP SPACE NINE, JOINT BAJORAN-FEDERATION STATION
BAJOR SECTOR, FEDERATION TERRITORY
0745 HOURS SST

        "DS Nine to Kitty Hawk. You are clear to dock," Kira said into the comm unit. She looked on the oval viewscreen suspended high in Ops as an Ambassador class ship docked underneath one of the upper pylons.
        "Kitty Hawk to DS Nine. Permission acknowledged. Docking now."
        Kira watched as the docking process finished. The ship contacted her again. She put it on the viewscreen. The Kitty Hawk was replaced by a view of her captain.
        "This is Captain Thomas Johnson Jr. I appreciate you allowing us priority docking. We got into some nasty fights with a few Cardassians last week. We needed the break."
        Kira smiled. "That's allright, Captain. I understand. Fortunately, I was able to rearrange things around."
        Johnson smiled, and brushed back his brown hair. "My chief engineer tells me that it'll take a few days to replace some burnt out systems. I was wondering if it could be possible if I could give my crew some shore leave aboard the station?"
        "Well, if it were up to me, sure. But it's not. You'll have to ask the station commander, Admiral Jellico."
        "Jellico?" Johnson repeated. His face twisted in distaste, but quickly he smoothed his face out to a neutral expression. But Kira noticed it, and smiled inwardly, glad to see that Johnson didn't have a high opinion of Jellico.
        "If you want, I could put in a good word for you," Kira said.
        "Thank you. That'd be great. I'll send the admiral my request shortly."
        Kira nodded briskly. "Allright. DS Nine out." The viewscreen went off. Kira picked up a nearby PADD and made out a report on the Kitty Hawk, and walked into Jellico's office. As usual, Jellico was engrossed on something or another on his desktop monitor. He quickly closed the file and looked at Kira.
        "What is it, Major?" Jellico asked.
        "I just wanted to let you know that the Kitty Hawk has just docked onto Upper Docking Pylon One." Kira handed Jellico the PADD. "Their captain has requested shore leave aboard the station. I see no problems in granting their request. They're going to be here for two, three days for some repair work."
        Jellico read through the PADD, stroking his chin. "Very well. Tell them that I will grant their request. Dismissed."
        Kira walked out of the office and went back to her post at the main operations table. She contacted Captain Johnson. His face popped up on the viewscreen, waiting expectantly. "Yes, Major?"
        "Jellico has granted your shore leave request. You can start your shore leave rotations as soon as possible."
        Johnson smiled. "That's great. Thank you, I appreciate it. I owe you one. How about lunch, my treat?"
        Kira blinked in surprise. The Kitty Hawk's crew must have been very tired for Johnson to be so happy to get shore leave, Kira mused. She looked up at Johnson's visage as she demurred. "Um well, I'm very busy..."
        "Jellico running you ragged, huh?" Johnson asked.
        "Uh, yes as a matter of fact."
        "Come on. Take a break from him. I've never been here before. I've heard a lot about you guys. Who better to show me around than the first officer?"
        Kira smiled. "Allright. Fine, we'll have lunch tomorrow afternoon. I'll contact you."
        "Great. By the way, could you spare an engineer or two to come aboard and help my engineering crew out?"
        "I'll talk to Chief O'Brien about that. I'll see what you can do."
        Johnson nodded. "Anything you can do is greatly appreciated. That's all I have to ask for now."
        "Allright. DS Nine out." The viewscreen blinked off again. Kira smiled, bemused at Johnson. He looked cute, for a non-Bajoran, she thought. She shook the thought out of her head as she focused back onto her work.

        "And here we are, back at the Replimat. Now you've seen the station from top to bottom. What do you think?" Kira asked Captain Johnson.
        They walked up to a wall, moving out of the way of the Promenade traffic. Johnson looked around the Promenade, nodding. "It's pretty ugly. But then, it's the Cardassian design that puts me off."
        "That's pretty honest," Kira chuckled. "To tell you the truth, sometimes when I just stand and look around, I mean, really look around, the station gives me the creeps. I can feel the Cardassian presence. But fortunately, or unfortunately, I never have the time to do that," Kira smiled.
        "Understood. Where should we have lunch?" Johnson asked.
        "Here's fine. The replimat menu is pretty good."
        "I've never had Bajoran cuisine. Will you recommend something for me?"
        "Why don't you get us a table and I'll get the lunch?" Kira said. Johnson nodded, and hunted for an empty table. Kira got into the line for the replicator. After a while, Kira carried a tray with two plates of steaming stew and a loaf of bread with drinks.
        Johnson took some tentative bites of the stew, and smiled. "Mmm, this vegetable stew is good. What do you call this?"
        "Vegetable stew," Kira replied, matter-of-factly, with a slight smile. "All of the vegetable and spices are indigenous to Bajor. I'm glad you like it." Kira tore a piece of bread off the loaf, and dipped it in her plate. Johnson did the same, imitating her.
        After they finished their meals, Johnson wiped his mouth with a napkin. He drank down the rest of his iced raktajino. He cleared his throat. "This morning Chief O'Brien came aboard the Kitty Hawk with two of his crew. I wasn't expecting O'Brien himself, but thanks for relaying my request to him."
        "No problem," Kira told him.
        "That man is amazing," Johnson remarked. "O'Brien detected and fixed two or three problems before my own Chief Engineer saw them. Of course, that's not a knock against her, she has been working for several days straight, you understand."
        Kira nodded briskly. "We're lucky to have Chief O'Brien here on DS Nine," Kira remarked. "He's a very good man and skilled at his job."
        "The only bad thing about O'Brien is that thanks to his assistance, the Kitty Hawk will be shipshape sooner than expected," Johnson added. "We just got new orders to ship out tomorrow for patrol duty. We're to be teamed up with another ship, the U.S.S. Ranger. Do you know that ship?" Johnson cocked his head, looking at the major.
        Kira's mouth tightened as she thought back. Finally she gave a slight shrug. "I'm sorry. That ship never docked here. I think it may be one of the new Defiant class ships. The name sounds familiar."
        "Defiant class?" Johnson raised his eyebrow. "About time they started producing more. You can't have all the glory," he told Kira, smiling. Johnson paused for a moment, thinking. "Say, could you provide me with operating information on the Defiant? I'd like to know more about Defiant class ships."
        Kira nodded. "I can do that. You're a captain, so your clearance is high enough. I'll send you the information before you go."
        "Thanks. Once again, I appreciate your help."
        "No problem at all. Thank you for lunch," Kira said. "I really needed the break."
        Johnson nodded sagely. "You looked like needed it. And a friend."
        "You're absolutely right," Kira agreed. Johnson's combadge chimed. The captain tapped it.
        "Captain, Lieutenant Fonda needs to talk with you."
        "Allright. I'm on my way." Looking at Kira, he shrugged. "Sorry. Duty calls. I'll talk to you later."
        "See you," Kira said, as he got up and left the replimat. Kira sipped at her iced raktajino, finishing it. She smiled, and headed back for Ops, feeling refreshed.

USS CARPATHIA, FEDERATION STARSHIP
SANDBURG SYSTEM, FEDERATION SPACE
1100 HOURS SST

        Dax, on the other hand, wasn't feeling as refreshed. "Damage report!" she shouted. Her first officer, Lieutenant Hompa glanced at her screen. "Casualties reported on decks 5 and 11. Mostly minor."
        "Return fire!" Dax called out to the tactical officer, Ensign Goldberg. The Carpathia fired her phasers at the Cardassian ship in front of them. The Cardassians fired torpedoes at the Carpathia, causing the bridge to shake.
        Dax brushed several strands of hair away from her eyes. "Goldberg, the status of their shields?"
        Goldberg answered back, "Their shields are at 23% strength, but ours are only at 37% strength."
        "Well, keep firing!" Dax commanded. The ensign obeyed, firing repeatedly at the Cardassian warship. Soon, the Cardassians broke off, and went into warp.
        "Heading?" Dax asked.
        "Back into Cardassian space," Ensign Goldberg reported.
        "Good," Dax sighed. Suddenly, she felt as old as her symbiont. "Best possible speed back to Deep Space Nine."
        Lieutenant Hompa leaned over to Dax, "That's one Cardassian crew who's going to think twice before coming into Federation space. Jellico had the right idea to send us to stay on top of the Cardies and the Dominion."
        Dax smiled tiredly. "Yeah, I suppose." Inwardly she thought she'd be happier on normal patrol duty, rather than picking fights. She sighed, and pulled her hair back into a tighter ponytail. She looked at the nearby computer panel, reviewing the battle damage, shaking her head. Two people died this time around. She wondered how many more people would die on later patrols.

DEEP SPACE NINE, JOINT BAJORAN-FEDERATION STATION
BAJOR SECTOR, FEDERATION TERRITORY
1500 HOURS SST

        Dax walked into Jellico's office. Jellico gestured for her to sit. He smiled at her, and leaned forward in his seat, resting his arms on the desk. "I just finished reading your patrol report. Very good job with that Cardassian ship," Jellico said.
        "Thank you, sir," Dax replied. She shifted in her seat. "I wonder if you've noticed the casualty report, as well, sir."
        Jellico sniffed, and nodded. "I've seen it. These things happen during war, naturally."
        Dax nodded, "I'm aware of that. However, I've noticed that casualties have gone up 51% with the new patrol patterns you've given us."
        "And I'm sure Cardassian casualties are up too, with the punishment you're giving them."
        Dax nodded at that, conceding Jellico that point. She sighed. "Still, more people are getting hurt and dying than before. I was just wondering if perhaps we may be taking unnecessary risks."
        "Lieutenant Commander, I'm the one who makes that determination. Do you know the quote, 'Ours is not to reason, but to do and die,' hmm?"
        "I'm aware of that, sir," Dax said.
        "Good. That's all I have to say on this matter. These deaths, while regrettable, are an unavoidable part of war. But their sacrifice is not in vain. They'll be remembered for their sacrifices. That will be noted in my condolence letters to their families." Jellico shifted in his seat. "A commander has to make these tough decisions, if he wants to contribute to the war effort." Jellico looked at Dax. "I believe we're done here. Dismissed."
        Dax stood up and left, sighing. She hoped Jellico would have seen her point, but he obviously didn't. She couldn't very well complain about Jellico's new orders, he was well within his rights to do so. It was true, that in war, people died.
        Perhaps it was just because this concerned her new crew on the Carpathia. She headed back to her quarters on the Carpathia, hoping to get some sleep.

USS SOVEREIGN, FEDERATION STARSHIP
ROMULAN SPACE
1900 HOURS SST

        Worf climbed over the rocky ridge, hauling his body over the edge. He turned around, and looked down the ravine. Another man was heading up towards him. Worf reached down to offer an helping hand. Bogarde looked up, and waved the proffered hand away. The sergeant set his feet into the narrow crevices, muscling his boot tips into toeholds, and shoved himself upwards. After another moment, Bogarde made it over the edge to the top.
        Worf stood up and brushed the dust and soil off his climbing outfit. Bogarde sat there, catching his breath. He wiped the sweat off his shaved head, then grunted as he stood up. "Been a while since I had to climb without antigrav boots. That was a little interesting, but not that much, because of the holodeck safety protocols."
        Worf nodded, "Yes. I agree. Unfortunately, neither Captain Sisko nor Major Ironsides would approve deactivating the protocols. We are not expendable, yet."
        Bogarde shrugged. "Yeah, oh well. What did you call this place?"
        "The Fire Plains of Goth-mOR," Worf answered.
        "It's pretty hot. Not as hot as Jamaica in July, but hot allright."
        Worf looked at the other man. "Jamaica?"
        Bogarde smiled a broad grin. "It's an island nation in the Western Hemisphere of Earth. My family's home for generations."
        "Ah. I have never been to that part of the planet, except San Francisco for the Academy. I spent most of my life in the Russian republics. My adopted parents live there."
        Bogarde looked at Worf up and down. "Russian, huh? I never took you for a Russian, but now that I think about it, it makes sense. Russians are a hardy sort, and the same could be said of Klingons."
        Worf nodded sagely. "You are correct. When I first started to embrace my Klingon heritage, my Russian upbringing helped me make the transition better." He looked at Bogarde. "You said that Jamaica has been your family's home for generations. Do you have a large family?"
        Bogarde chuckled. "You better believe it. I have two brothers, three sisters, six aunts, four uncles, and I don't know how many cousins." Bogarde started ticking names off with his fingers, "There's Claude, Pierre, Jean, Emma, Annabelle.... really the list goes on. Also, a son. Leonard." He sighed. "Just turned two years old last week."
        "Ah. You are married?"
        Bogarde shook his head. "Divorced. Last year. His mother couldn't handle me being away all the time. I understand her point. I missed Little Leo's birth, and his first birthday. And now this one. Also, ever since Little Leo was born, she couldn't handle the thought of one day, receiving a notice from Starfleet Marines informing her that her husband and Leonard's father has been killed in action, and the circumstances are classified."
        "I too, have a son. Alexander. I have missed most of his life. He should be in Jak'tahla now. Becoming a male. He is living with my adopted parents."
        "We're a couple of good fathers, huh?" Bogarde looked at Worf in silence. The silence lasted a long time, as the two of them thought about their lives. Bogarde broke the silence, "So, what's next on this holoprogram of yours?"
        "Ah yes," Worf nodded, grateful for the change of subject. "Now we continue across this plateau, to the garrison of Warlord Mek'Hata." Worf pointed out towards the horizon. Bogarde could make out torchlights twinkling in the twilight.
        "I see it. And then what?"
        Worf grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. "And then we fight."
        "Sounds good to me." Bogarde unslung the bat'leth off his back, and hefted it. Worf did the same. The two warriors started off in a jog towards the garrison.

        As Bogarde withdrew the point of his bat'leth out of the chest of a Klingon soldier, he looked over at Worf. Worf was twisting and turning with feral grace, holding two Klingons guards at bay, having just decapitated a third soldier. Bogarde turned around, scanning the dark chamber. He stepped over the dead Klingon gingerly, being sure not to slip on the bloodsoaked stone floor.
        It seemed to Bogarde that everyone else was dead except for the two remaining Klingons trying to kill Worf. His Klingon ally seemed to be doing fine, so Bogarde decided to watch Worf at work. A hand grabbed at Bogarde's ankle.
        He looked down and saw a dying Klingon trying to pull him down. Bogarde swung the bat'leth, slicing the Klingon's hand off. To the Klingon's credit, he didn't even cry out. "Man, you Klingons have a high pain tolerance," Bogarde remarked. He shook his foot, trying to loosen the separated hand. It dropped off, and spasmed. Bogarde looked back up to Worf.
        Worf was backing away from the two Klingons. Bogarde saw that he was obviously luring them into a trap of sorts. Suddenly, Worf's boot hit a outstretched arm, and he toppled slightly. He might have regained his balance had it not been for the ocean of dark purple on the floor. Worf's foot shot straight out from underneath him, and he pinwheeled backward, landing on his rump. He lost his grip on the bat'leth, and it clattered on the floor, spinning away from him. The two advancing Klingons looked at each other, and grinned evilly. They looked back at Worf on the floor.
        That doesn't look like part of a plan, Bogarde thought to himself. He looked down at the Klingon corpses littered around the floor. Spying what he wanted, Bogarde reached down, and pulled a knife, a d'k tahg they called it, out from a dead soldier's sheath. Bogarde flipped the handle over so that now he gripped the blade. He took aim, and hurled.
        The knife embedded itself into the back of one of the Klingon's skull. The victim gave a small surprised grunt, and dropped down, landing on another body. The other Klingon looked over to his comrade for a second. That was all the opening Worf needed.
        Worf pushed against a pile of bodies, and slid himself over the bloody floor so that he ended up lying beneath the remaining Klingon. The guard looked down at Worf, and raised his bat'leth for a killing blow. Worf kicked his legs out from underneath him, his boot heels smashing into the guard's shins, letting the slippery blood do its work. The guard went down hard, and Worf was immediately on top of the guard, his hands squeezing hard against the soldier's throat.
        The soldier thrashed his arms around, trying to knock Worf away, attempting to loosen his grip. Worf withstood the blows, continuing to squeeze tightly. After a moment, the guard stopped moving. Worf released the guard's neck, and kneeled straight up. He reached over to pick up a dagger, and held it out, the blade pointing down over the dead guard. He looked over at Bogarde.
        "What are you doin--?" Bogarde began to ask, when the supposedly dead soldier lurched up, trying to attack Worf. Instead, he impaled his neck on the dagger Worf was holding downwards. The guard choked on the dagger's blade, coughing up purplish blood. He fell backwards, now truly dying.
        Worf stood up; his outfit soaked in blood. He stepped over the last dying Klingon, towards Bogarde. "You were asking?"
        "Oh, nothing. Never mind." Bogarde narrowed his eyes at Worf. "You've run this program before, huh? That's how you knew the soldier was only faking it, right?"
        "I have used this program before, but I did not know the soldier would do that. However, it is a common tactic among Klingons of this era."
        "I see. Thanks for the quickie history lesson." Bogarde sighed and tossed away his bat'leth. It landed in the back of another corpse. He shook his head, surveying the carnage. "I haven't seen this many bodies since...well I'm not allowed to say."
        Worf nodded, understanding Bogarde's restraint. Bogarde shrugged. "So, what happens next?"
        "Now the armies of General Tah'Ragon can pass through the Fire Plains to attack the castle of Emperor Nogal. We have destroyed Nogal's early alert outpost. This garrison could have pinned the armies down in the ravines below."
        "Ah." Bogarde wiped his bloody hands on the front of his outfit. "I'm getting tired of this."
        Worf looked over at his comrade. "Tired of what?"
        "All this. Secret missions, always being gone, off somewhere. My family never knowing where I am, or if I'm still alive. Do you know something, Worf? I have never held my son. All I see of him are holo-pictures and vids." They walked outside of the garrison, stepping over dead bodies. "Lately I've been thinking maybe I should leave the Corps. My tour of duty runs out in just under two years. Maybe get a job in the private sector."
        Worf grunted, nodding as he listened to Bogarde. Bogarde sighed. "I don't know. I'll miss the action, but at least I wouldn't be shrouded in secrecy. I mean, I've been thinking a lot about my family. About my son. I think he has a right to know what his father's doing, don't you think? Or am I just wimping out on this business?"
        Worf drew in a deep breath. "I think...that family is a very noble and honorable reason to take in consideration. To Klingons, family is very important. What you are telling me, your concerns...they are not trivial. They are not weak. You have important matters to think about."
        Bogarde nodded. "Thanks, Worf. I appreciate it." The two of them walked out onto the rocky plateau.
        Worf called out, "Computer, end program." The dark night disappeared into a black square chamber, lined with wiring and holo-emitters. The the dark purple stains disappeared from Worf and Bogarde's outfit, since it was only holographic blood. The two of them walked out of the doorway, into the corridors of the Sovereign.
        Worf looked over at Bogarde. "If I may make a suggestion..."
        Bogarde looked at Worf, "Yeah?"
        "When your tour of duty ends, you could request a lateral promotion, shifting from the Marine Corps to regular Starfleet. I know it is rarely asked for, but I believe Starfleet Command may grant your request based on your exemplary service record. Take it from me, there is no shortage of 'action' in Starfleet. And you will have guaranteed leaves where you may return home to visit your son. And he shall be able to follow your career, and know where you are, and what you are doing."
        Bogarde smiled. "Thanks, Worf. I'll have to remember that option."
        "You are welcome," Worf rumbled. Bogarde patted Worf's back, grinning.
        "Hey. Next time, we do one of my programs, ok?" Bogarde said. "I have a good one picked out. It's called 'The Guns of Navarrone.' It's almost similar to what we were doing in your program. You see, there are these huge gun emplacements set in the cliffs overlooking a water passageway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, preventing travel between the regions. So a small team has to go in..."
        Worf nodded, listening to Bogarde. He thought he saw Dr. Bashir walk quickly down a nearby corridor. Worf was unable to get the man's attention, so he just continued to listen to Bogarde describe his program.

        Dr. Bashir walked down the corridor heading for the turbolift. He flexed his fingers in and out, trying to relax. He had just spent the last several hours double checking his field medical equipment. POWs usually suffered from a wide range of medical ailments, ranging from malnutrition to exotic infections. Bashir wanted to be sure he could handle anything he might find.
        The doctor was deep in thought, running a mental checklist when he ran into another crewmember. That crewmember shoved Bashir against the wall. "Hey! Why don't you--"
        After being flummoxed, Bashir saw it was Ruiz. She saw who it was at the same time. She let go of his uniform front. "Oh, I'm sorry, Doctor. I didn't realize who it was."
        "That's allright, it was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going," Bashir told her. She smiled at him, shrugging off the apology. She narrowed her eyes at him, looking into the doctor's eyes.
        "You look tired and very stressed out," Ruiz said, with concern.
        Bashir shrugged now, rubbing his forehead. "I've just been very busy preparing for tomorrow. I just want to do my best. I can't help but get nervous."
        "I understand," Ruiz nodded. "I go through the same thing before going out on a mission. We all do. But the major always orders us to do the same thing everytime."
        "Oh really? What's that?" Bashir asked, intrigued.
        Ruiz smiled at him, her eyes crinkling with amusement. "He orders us to relax. And while I know you totally outrank me, I'm going to order you to do the same thing. Come on." She took his hand, and tugged him down the corridor.
        "Wha-?" Bashir muttered in surprise and confusion.
        "We're going to the holodeck. I'll show you how I relax."
        "Uh, allright," Bashir surrendered to Ruiz. He followed her to the holodeck.

        The bartender in 11-Forward wiped down the countertop. The lounge was empty except for one or two crewmembers. The bartender, experienced in his years of service aboard starships, knew this portended the start of a dangerous mission. The bartender sighed. He felt a little lonely, having given the waiters the evening off. The double doors opened to reveal two newcomers, Dr. Bashir and Private Ruiz. They chuckled to themselves.
        "So you're supposed to deploy landing gear at 400 feet, otherwise you're going to miss your mark and crash into the aircraft carrier."
        "Ohhh 400 FEET? That was my mistake, I was thinking in terms of metric!" Bashir laughed. "I forgot that back then in the old United States, they didn't convert to the metric system until early on into the 21st century."
        Ruiz laughed harder. "So that's why you didn't start to pull out until you were 200 feet! No wonder you crashed and burned so bad...you completely wiped out the Enterprise!"
        Bashir covered his face in mock shame. Then he smirked at Ruiz, drawing himself up to his full height. "At least I'm in famous company. James T. Kirk also destroyed the Enterprise."
        Ruiz rolled her eyes at him. "Completely different things. For one thing, Kirk did it on purpose, and you did it in a spectacular accident. And for another thing, Kirk destroyed the STARSHIP Enterprise, and you destroyed the AIRCRAFT CARRIER Enterprise."
        "Same difference," Bashir muttered, as they found a booth, and sat down. The bartender stepped up to them. "What would you to like to eat or drink?"
        Ruiz ordered first, "Just give us a big Fiesta platter of nachos. Don't skimp on the jalapenos. And bring a pitcher of beer too." The bartender nodded and went back to the replicator to fill out the order.
        Bashir blinked in slight surprise. "Well, I guess I'll have what you're having," he said.
        "Sorry about that. I always order this before fighting. I guess you could say, it's tradition for me."
        "That's allright. About that program, could you give me a copy of that? What was it called? Top Gun Academy? I think O'Brien would like to try it out."
        "No problem. I'll make an copy for you," Ruiz said. The bartender brought a large platter of tortilla chips smothered in melted cheddar, pepperjack and colby cheeses, and various spicy vegetables and meat. He set down a pitcher of golden beer and two glasses for them to use. Pulling a wad of napkins out of his apron, the bartender set it down on the table.
        "Will there be anything else?" he asked the two of them.
        Bashir looked over the platter. "What's on this?" he asked Ruiz. She started pointing to each item.
        "That's a green pepper, that's red pepper, that's beef, that's refried beans, and that's a jalapeno pepper."
        "Oh? The jalapenos you were telling him about? I've heard of them, but never had them."
        "I'll bring some water," the bartender said.
        Ruiz nodded at him. "Please do."
        Bashir pulled a chip up to his mouth, biting into the toppings. He chewed thoughtfully on the new food, and swallowed. A split second later, his face twisted in a grimace. He spat out air, moaning and panting. "Hot! Hot! Hot!"
        Ruiz, who had been holding in her laughter until now, burst out. Bashir quickly poured beer into his glass and gulped at it, trying to douse the fire in his mouth. It didn't help. He smacked his mouth, and when the bartender set down a glass of water, Bashir grabbed it and drank greedily. The bartender smirked, shaking his head. He went back to his post at the bar.
        After finishing the water, Bashir wiped his eyes, staring accusingly at Ruiz. She affected an innocent, 'who me?' pose. She delicately picked up a chip, and bit into it, chewing without apparent negative effects. After finishing the chip, she remarked, "You have to get used to it. I grew up with all kinds of peppers. If you want, you can pick them off the cheese."
        "I'll do that," Bashir said. He set about moving the dangerous peppers off the chips nearest to him on the platter.
        "It's allright. My baby cousins do the same thing too," Ruiz said, offhandedly.
        Bashir stopped, and shot a glance at Ruiz. Ruiz smiled sweetly at him. Bashir went back to defusing his nachos.
        About an hour later, the platter was empty, and they were on their third pitcher of beer. Bashir leaned on his elbow on the table, holding his chin in his hand. He smiled at Ruiz. "So, if you love flying so much, why didn't you apply to Starfleet Academy?"
        Ruiz was sitting with her back against the booth's side, lying alongside the bench. Her feet were crossed over each other, and she rested her arms across her chest. "Who said I didn't apply?"
        "Oh. I just assumed since you were a Marine, you didn't apply to the Academy..."
        "You shouldn't make assumptions like that." Ruiz scratched at her nose. "I did apply to the Academy. Twice, in fact. I didn't want to wait any longer for the next testing slot."
        "Why not? Lots of famous people have had to apply more than once to get into the Academy. Captain Picard of the Enterprise for one," Bashir pointed out.
        "Well I didn't have the luxury of time," she said. "My father was pressuring me to become a freighter pilot like him. And I'd rather die before I had to do that. So, my testing advisor at the Academy recommended that I apply to the Marines. They trained pilots too. Their entrance exam is slightly different, so I was able to pass. So, here I am."
        Bashir looked at Ruiz silently. "Do you regret it? I mean, not being in Starfleet? Regular Starfleet, that is?"
        Ruiz chewed on her lower lip, thinking over her answer. Finally she shook her head. "No. Not really. While this job wasn't what I was dreaming of as a little girl, I can't say it doesn't have its moments. And I still serve the same people you do. The citizens of the Federation." Ruiz sighed, gazing out the large bay windows of the lounge, at the stars going by. "I can't say that I haven't wondered 'What if?' Wondered what it'd be like to be at the helm of a large starship, exploring new space."
        Bashir raised his eyebrows. "You know you could always reapply to Starfleet Academy again."
        Ruiz chuckled dryly. "What? And start all over again? No. I've settled into this career. I've accepted that this is my life. Besides I'd have to start studying for the exam again, and I don't want to risk another rejection."
        Bashir narrowed his eyes at the woman sitting across the table. "While we haven't spent a lot of time together, I do know this. You strike me as a very determined person, one who won't take no for an answer. I have a feeling that if you set that as your goal, you'd succeed."
        Ruiz moved her feet off the bench, and set them on the floor and she faced the doctor. She reached out her hand to him. "Thank you, Julian. I appreciate it."
        Bashir put his hand on hers, and squeezed it. "I mean it, Amanda."
        "I know."
        "Hey! You two! The lounge's closing up now. I gotta get some sleep, you know." The bartender looked at the two pointedly. Bashir and Ruiz looked at each other and sighed.
        "Come on, I'll walk you back to your quarters," Bashir said. He got to his feet uneasily, his head lightly buzzing from the beer. Ruiz, on the other hand, was more surefooted. She slid her hand around Bashir's arm and they walked out of the lounge.
        After a short trip on the turbolift, the two of them arrived at the door of Ruiz's quarters. Bashir paused for a moment, hitting the awkward moment of the evening; should he kiss her or not?
        Bashir sighed deeply, and leaned forward, kissing Ruiz on her warm lips.
        Ruiz backed away, smiling. She put a hand on his chest, pressing him backwards.
        "Wha-?" Bashir said. "I thought we had something going..."
        Ruiz nodded, "Yeah, we did. I like you. A lot. But... you're not just my type."
        "Oh yeah?" Bashir put on his most charming smile. "What more could you ask, I'm handsome, charming, debonair, and a fairly good holo-pilot... plus I'm smart."
        Ruiz nodded again. "Yeah, you're all that. Wait, didn't any of the others tell you?"
        "Tell me what?" Bashir asked, as he looked into Ruiz's dark eyes.
        Ruiz rolled her eyes. "Of course, it figures." She looked at him. "Julian... I don't date guys."
        "Oh, that's understandable, in your line of business...," Bashir shrugged.
        "No, that's not it. I don't date males."
        Bashir blinked for a moment. "Oh. Oh! I see. Uh..."
        "I don't swing both ways either," Ruiz sighed.
        "Uh, I didn't say anything," Bashir said, slightly defensive.
        "You were wondering that, I'm sure. That's usually the next question out of their mouths after they find out," Ruiz looked up at him. "Go back to your quarters before you embarrass yourself more," she told him with a patient smile.
        Bashir nodded slowly. "I uh, sorry about the kiss. I, I uh, I best be getting back to my quarters. Big day tomorrow, you know?"
        "Yeah. Good night."
        "Good, uh, good night."
        Ruiz smiled at him one last time, before retreating into her quarters. He shrugged and sniffed. "No big deal, Julian. Not the first time it happened, after all." He set off down the empty corridor.

        Sisko kept his eyes on the viewscreen, every nerve in his body poised for action. The U.S.S. Sovereign had finally entered the Appianos system. Sisko ordered the Stealth Mode to be used as they dropped out of warp. On the other side of the solar system was their objective, Pharos.
        The morning crew shift filed into the bridge, and the Sovereign changed hands quickly and smoothly. Only Sisko remained from the night crew. He woke up only a few hours ago, and had been unable to get back to sleep since. So he came onto the bridge, and oversaw the last leg of the journey.
        Ironsides stepped onto the bridge. Surprised to see Sisko already there, Ironsides stepped over to his usual chair. "Good morning, Captain. I see we're in the Appianos system now."
        "Yes. We just went into Stealth less than two minutes ago," Sisko replied.
        "Ah. Not as effective as cloaking technology, but good enough," Ironsides thought aloud. Sisko merely nodded in response.
        "Xioar, are the probes ready to be launched?" Sisko asked the tactical officer, referring to the intelligence probes that would gather clearer and newer information about the POW base.
        The tattooed man glanced at his controls for a second or two, then looked back up at the captain. "Aye sir. Torpedo Room One reports them loaded and ready."
        "Allright," Sisko drew a breath. "Let's play some dom-jot." Xioar and Ironsides smiled at the captain's comment. It wasn't the non-sequitur it seemed. The day before, they had a small briefing held to discuss the intelligence gathering portion of the mission. Xioar was called in, since he would be operating the probes.
        The problem facing the crew was in order to get the probes close enough for a successful scan, the Sovereign would have to be near the moon. And that would defeat the purpose of the intelligence mission, which was to leave the Sovereign an out if the mission was too difficult to undertake. If they were detected, they would have to fight their way out, and knowledge of Starfleet actions within Romulan space would be out in the open. After an heated brainstorming session, Sisko was the one to come up with a viable solution. Using his knowledge of historical space exploration, Sisko suggested using old-style satellite trajectory launch patterns from the old Earth exploration agency termed NASA.
        Xioar and Thane calculated a trajectory which would allow the probes to be fired from the outermost edges of the solar system, and using the gravitational pulls of the various outer planets and the star, the probes would be maneuvered into place nearby the moon Pharos. When they presented the plan to Sisko and Ironsides, Sisko had immediately said, "That's one hell of a dom-jot shot."
        The group laughed when they recognized what Sisko meant. The pattern was almost like a shot out of a game of dom-jot, which was an advanced form of billiards. The game eschewed a flat surface, instead playing in different planes with the billiard balls being affected by gravitational pockets. Sisko and his son had played the game many times.
        And here they were, about to hit the balls, or rather, the probes, into the corner pocket. Sisko sighed and looked at the helmsman. "Are we in place?"
        "Aye sir," Lieutenant boKal nodded.
        Sisko looked over at Xioar. "Launch the primary probe."
        The Naist nodded, and pressed the fire commands. The first probe streaked out into space. The viewscreen showed it shooting out from underneath the saucer section, curving as it passed the eighth planet of the Appianos system. As it disappeared out of range, Sisko nodded once again. "Launch the secondary."
        Xioar pressed the controls once again. Another blue star streaked out from underneath the Sovereign towards Pharos. Sisko realized that he was holding his breath. He forced himself to inhale. The trajectory patterns were dicey, which was why they launched two probes instead of only one.
        "Xioar, how long until we begin receiving telemetry from the probes?" Sisko asked.
        Xioar looked down at his controls. "The onboard computers activate in 3.7 minutes, once they pass the Appianos star. We begin receiving in 3.9 minutes."
        Sisko spoke into his chair's comm system. "Sisko to Thane."
        The corporal was supposed to be in the stellar cartography lab, waiting to receive and analyze the data the probes sent out. "Thane here, sir."
        "We've launched the probes. Be ready to receive data in about three minutes."
        "Aye, sir."
        Sisko toggled the comlink closed. He watched the solar system rotate lazily on the viewscreen. His mind drifted to Deep Space Nine. Ever since they went into the Neutral Zone, they had to maintain subspace silence. So he was cut off from any news back home. Yes, home, he thought. Deep Space Nine had become more than just another posting for Sisko. It had become his home. He figured someday, when he left Starfleet, he'd settle on Bajor.
        "Sir, I'm receiving a signal from the primary probe," Xioar told Sisko.
        "Telemetry data?"
        "No. Damage signal," Xioar corrected the captain. "The probe was off course by .39 degrees and headed into a patch of micro-meteorites. The onboard computer lost most sensors."
        Sisko groaned disgustedly. He shook his head. Now it was up to the secondary probe to deliver the goods. "Very well. Is the probe still capable of receiving a self-destruct signal?"
        "Yes, sir."
        "Then send the destruct signal. We can't leave Federation evidence behind."
        "Aye sir. Sending the signal now." Some where in the middle of the Appianos system, the probe's onboard computers superheated and fried itself. Then a small palmsized canister of antimatter opened up, destroying the probe itself.
        "How long until the secondary is in range?" Sisko asked.
        "Less than a minute," Xioar answered. "Ah, it's sending a signal. It's the data."
        Sisko smiled, and nodded. "Good. Route a second feed to the stellar cartography lab."
        "Aye sir."
        Sisko turned to Ironsides. "Let's go and see what Thane's getting."
        "Allright," Ironsides nodded. He went to the turbolift. Sisko stood up and looked over at Tobias.
        "Commander, you have the bridge," he told her. "Hold position, and contact me if anything happens." She nodded. Sisko joined Ironsides and they went into the turbolift.

        Sisko and Ironsides walked into the Stellar Cartography lab. Thane and one other technician were already there, hard at work on the computer. The cartography lab was essentially a spherical holodeck, with a one-ended walkway suspended in the middle of the chamber. The first time Sisko had been in the lab, he was struck with a wave of vertigo because the holo-emitters were displaying a starfield. He felt as if he was suspended in space, without an EVA suit.
        This time, however, Sisko was more accustomed to the experience. The room was dark, with a view of Pharos rotating slowly to the left of Thane. What they were seeing was what the probe was seeing .2 minutes ago, due to the delayed subspace connection. The moon drifted by Thane and went past Ironsides and Sisko, before receding into the distance. The probe was flying away from the moon, as to prevent detection.
        "That's good. That's good," Thane was telling the technician. "Beautiful." The corporal looked up to Sisko and Ironsides, smiling. "We've got good data." He looked at the small image of Pharos behind Sisko.
        Sisko turned to look at it as it drifted further away, then turned back to Thane.
        "Captain, you can give the destruct signal. We've got all we need from the probe," Thane said.
        Sisko nodded and tapped his combadge, "Sisko to bridge."
        Tobias answered. "Bridge here, sir."
        "Tell Xioar to transmit the destruct signal to the secondary."
        "Aye sir."
        "Sisko out."
        "Well, corporal, what do you think?" Ironsides asked.
        "Well, I only have the raw data right now. But I can say that nothing seems to have changed from our last scans of Pharos. Nothing new."
        "Good," Ironsides nodded.
        "But I'll need at least an hour and half to analyze this data fully," Thane added.
        "You have an hour, then we'll have a briefing here," Ironsides stated.
        "Yes, sir," Thane responded. He went back to the computers. The black space around them flickered and dissolved, revealing the arrays of holo-emitters set into the curved walls. The probe was destroyed now.
        Ironsides caught Sisko's attention. "Captain, I'll tell the rest to meet here in an hour." Sisko nodded, and Ironsides left the lab.

        An hour later, the covert operations crew were seated in portable chairs in the Stellar Cartography room. Thane was standing at the rounded end of the walkway, nicknamed the observation point, near the center of the chamber. All around them, Pharos loomed large, the reddish brown moon rotating slowly.
        "There. From this distance, we can clearly see signs of a base," Thane said. He gestured with his arm, pointing upwards at some small lights visible on the surface. Speaking to the technician, Thane said, "Enhance grid Epsilon 2-1."
        The view zoomed down closer to the lights, revealing a large base. The view was better than in the initial briefing Thane had given at the start of the mission. The group was essentially now hovering above the base, thanks to the holographic technology.
        "Now with this data, we can ascertain the specifications of the base, instead of relying on a standard base schematic. First thing that hit me was that it's larger than we thought it was." Thane shrugged. "That shouldn't affect our preliminary plans though. We do know from biological scans that large numbers of humans and other Federation species are located in this base. So we know that POWs are there."
        MacAuley raised his hand. "Excuse me. I was wondering, what's this base for anyway?"
        Thane shrugged, "That's a good question. It could be anything from a mining operation to the beginnings of a shipyard."
        Ironsides stepped forward, "Actually, we suspect the base is an advanced Research and Development base. If that turns out to be the case, then our secondary mission will be to destroy, or cripple the lab's operations. Right now, focus on the POWs."
        Thane nodded. "Allright. I've located a good drop point. Here," Thane pointed to the left of the base. "There's a forest where we can come in for a landing in our shuttle. From there, it's only a few klicks to this location. I think it's some kind of barracks."
        The team murmured their agreement as they looked at the area Thane pointed out. "Once in this courtyard, we can find an entrance to the lower levels of this base. From there, data is a little sketchy. We'll have to play it by ear then." Thane looked over to Ironsides, who stood by himself, his arms crossed.
        After a long pause, Ironsides slowly nodded. "It's as good as a plan we can get." The major looked at Sisko. "We're gonna go," he said, setting the second phase of the mission into motion.
        Ironsides looked over his men. "Allright. Before we start preparing, I want to introduce you to a new team member." Ironsides's combadge shimmered and slid down his uniform, puddling around the major's boots. Then a figure flowed up from the puddle. Sisko expected it, but still was awed at the sight of Odo's shapeshifting's abilities.
        The team was much more surprised. "Gentlemen, and ladies, meet Odo. He's DS Nine's resident changeling. He's decided to help us infiltrate the base. He'll be our point man. Or rather, point Romulan," Ironsides said.
        Odo morphed into a standard Romulan, complete with a silvery, angular Romulan uniform and a sneer on his false Romulan face. Ironsides smiled at the faux Romulan. "Your practice really paid off," he told Odo. The major turned back to his team, staring at them.
        "What are you grunts waiting around for? We go in two hours, get ready!"
        The team shouted "Aye, Sir" in unison and filed out of the room, leaving Sisko, Ironsides, Odo, and Thane behind.
        Odo's Romulan guise melted away. "I'll be in the cargo bay, practicing some more," the shapeshifter told Ironsides. The major nodded. Odo morphed into a young human dressed in a Starfleet uniform, and walked out of the lab.
        Sisko hefted his PADD in his hand, which contained the probe data. He pursed his lips, and walked up to Thane. "I noticed that there were some anomalous readings near the planet," Sisko said.
        Thane nodded, "I know, I saw them too."
        "Any idea what they might be?" the captain asked.
        Thane shrugged. "Could be just glitches in the probe's sensors. The primary one had sensor damage done to it, who's to say the secondary one got off easy?" Thane sighed. "Really, it could be anything. Maybe even a cloaked ship. We are in Romulan space, after all. The readings indicate whatever it is, it's beyond the range of the moon, so it shouldn't interfere with our mission."
        "Allright," Sisko said. "I just wanted to tie up any loose ends. Carry on, Corporal." He looked over at Ironsides. "Major, I'll be on the bridge." Ironsides gave him a quick nod, and Sisko left the lab.

SECTION ONE | SECTION TWO | SECTION THREE | SECTION FOUR


RETURN TO ARCHIVES

 MISSIONS | PERSONNEL | SHIP SPECS | COMMENTS | CREDITS | MAIN