Seated at the head of the table within the Conference Room of the Maverick, the senior staff and their guest Colonel Kira Nerys of Deep Space Nine were assembled and waiting for him to speak. Yet it was the absences that struck Chris Larabee the most as he began the briefing regarding the Reliant and the changeling who now commanded her.

The seat customarily occupied by Mary Travis was empty. At his request, Mary had remained on Earth to keep an eye on Adam during his Visitation Weekend to Starfleet Academy. It was a coward’s play and he knew it. If he were honest with himself, he simply did not want her here. At this moment, all he could see was Sarah and Adam, and as much as he loved Mary, he did not want her to see the man he would become in pursuit of justice, or rather vengeance. Chris no longer knew which was which. He just knew he wasn’t about to hurt her like he did at Fury 361.

Also absent at the conference table and bothering Vin Tanner just as much, was Alexandra Styles. Chris was accustomed to seeing the abrasive science officer next to Vin, while she, Buck and Ezra argued strategy. The meeting now felt incomplete without her. Vin’s eyes touched his across the heavy glass desk and Chris knew he felt the same way. At present, Alex was recovering from injuries both physical and mental, although truth be told, Chris knew if the Maverick entered combat, nothing would keep her away from her post.

“Alright,” he addressed his senior staff, once the introductions were made around the table. “As some of you might be aware, Commander Wilmington, Commander Standish and Lieutenant Dunne have been leading an investigation off the ship, in pursuit of my family’s killer. Commander,” he gestured at Buck to take over, having no desire to repeat what was related to him a short time ago. He still had trouble processing it without wanting to burst into a fit of rage.

“Thank you, Captain,” Buck nodded at Chris, understanding what was required of him and glad to spare the Captain this particular anguish. Turning to the others around the table, he gave them a full accounting of his and Ezra’s activities in Theta Cygni, ending with the revelation that Ella Gaines was dead, and a changeling had taken her place.

“My God,” Nathan exclaimed. “You mean all this time, the Captain of the Reliant has been a changeling?”

“We believe so,” Chris nodded. “Doctor Bashir confirmed it himself,” he glanced at Colonel Kira for her affirmation of this fact.

“Julian...” she started to say and then paused to correct herself, “I mean Doctor Bashir detected morphogenic residue on her skin during the autopsy. She was killed by a changeling.”

The shock in the others was obvious. They were no doubt sifting through their memories, trying to remember if they had met the woman in the last five years and if so, how could they have been fooled? Chris was having similar thoughts himself and wondered how he could not have seen through the facade to know the Founders had stolen Ella’s life.
“Where is the Reliant now?” Josiah inquired, watching Chris closely. In fact, the healer was keeping a close eye on both the Captain and the Officer of the Conn. The two men already had a strong connection to each other but now that bond was further strengthened by their mutual loss. Chris had lost his son to the manipulations of this changeling five years ago and Vin had suffered the same with the most recent attack on Alex and Ezra.

Chris took note of Josiah’s scrutiny and suspected the counsellor would be paying him a visit after this meeting. Under any circumstances, Chris would have been grateful for the consideration, but right now, he needed his hate to drive him. This changeling had proved its Machiavellian adeptness at deception, Chris would need to match its guile to get his justice, not just for Sarah and Adam, but for Vin’s unborn child too.

“According to Starfleet Command, the Reliant’s last known coordinates was along the borders of Alpha Onios, near Starbase 157. She has been assigned to safeguard the outer colonies along the former Romulan neutral zone.”

Since the destruction of the Romulan home world, Starfleet had been bolstering the Romulans’ line of defense along the former Neutral Zone to protect its vulnerable outer colonies. Once fiercely protected by the formidable Romulan Armada, the colonies had fallen prey to raiders, mostly from the Orion Syndicate, who were plundering the already depleted resources of the struggling communities.

“How did they take the news about Captain Gaines?” Buck inquired, unable to imagine Starfleet reacting with anything less than horror at learning one of their starship captains was, in fact, a changeling imposter who had been amongst them for the duration of the Dominion War.

“Not at all pleased,” Chris replied. “A priority signal has been dispatched across emergency channels notifying all starships and starbases, the Reliant is to be detained on sight. At this time, she is on silent running.”

“What I don’t understand is why?” Nathan asked from his seat. “The war’s over, it’s been over for almost two years. What does this changeling hope to gain by maintaining the lie?”

“Colonel,” Ezra turned to the Bajoran commander of Deep Space Nine. “The last report I read on Constable Odo, indicated he rejoined the Great Link of the Founders to help them co-exist with us, I assume he is still with them?”

“That is correct,” Kira Nerys nodded showing no sign to those present her relationship with Odo was anything but professional, even though Buck and Ezra were aware of it from their previous visits to Deep Space Nine during the war. “The terms of surrender required Odo to return to the Great Link so he could pass on Doctor Bashir’s cure to the disease created by Section 31.”

“Not our finest hour,” Nathan frowned, having been appalled when he heard the organization’s solution to ending the war. He was glad Julian was able to find a cure for the malaise. No matter the justification, the healer in him could not abide the use of biological warfare under any circumstances. It disgusted him any doctor would help Section 31 develop such a weapon, to begin with. It flew in the face of their oath to do no harm.

“Colonel,” Josiah who had been asked to join this meeting since he often provided behavioral insights that could be most useful when dealing with an unknown element. “Is it possible he didn’t convince them?”

Kira’s shoulder sagged a little at the possibility because she had been pondering the question ever since she learned changelings were involved in this conspiracy regarding the deaths of Captain Larabee’s wife and child. “It is possible,” she could not reject the suggestion outright, “but in the event of such a thing happening, Odo would find some way to make contact and let us know. Whatever he might have become because of the link, Odo cared about everyone on DS9. I can’t believe he wouldn’t have warned us.”

“Maybe it ain’t got nothing to do with the Great Link,” Vin spoke up for the first time.

Until now, Vin had been satisfied to listen to what was being said. As it was, he was furious to learn the same person who killed his unborn child was also responsible for Chris’s too. However, with everyone so focused on the idea the Founders might be behind everything, they’d ignored the obvious.

“What do you mean?” Chris asked the Vulcan.

“Well, we just ran into a bunch of Romulans who decided to go at it on their own,” Vin replied, reminding everyone at the table about the Vrihan, the rogue Romulan group led by Sub-Commander Lorral. With her warbirds, she had come damn close to destroying the Maverick. “Why are we thinking changelings won’t do the same thing?”

“Mr Tanner is correct,” Ezra caught on quickly. “There is no reason to assume Fowler, and let us for the sake of ease, call her Ella for the moment, are acting on the orders of the Founders or the Dominion.”

“You mean a rogue element?” JD who had remained silent until this point asked. “Is that possible? I mean I thought they were all interconnected like the Borg or something.”

“They are connected,” Kira spoke up quickly to correct the younger man, “but they still retain their own personalities. When Odo linked with them, they could tell immediately he was different and was not ready to join them. That being said, I believe the Lieutenant makes a good point, this may not be the Founders at all. “

Kira remembered the changeling named Laas who came on board DS9, searching for Odo during the war. He had no knowledge of his identity and had no desire to join the Great Link. Laas was only interested in finding the rest of his kind sent out by the Founders as infants.

“Odo and a hundred other changelings were sent through the wormhole almost two centuries ago to learn about the Alpha Quadrant. Not all of them have been accounted for.”

“Which means this changeling could be one of them,” Buck replied, not liking this idea at all. “In any case, what are they up to? Obviously, the one who took over Ella’s identity has gotten some kind of plan in mind. Why else would they hold on to the Reliant?”

“Whatever her situation,” Ezra offered, “there is a great deal of advantage maintaining her identity as Captain Gaines. Aside from having command of one of the Federations most powerful ships, she has access to Starfleet Command and all its intelligence. This is especially useful if Fowler was true to his word about fighting for a cause.”

“Unfortunately,” Chris sighed. “At this moment, we have no way of tracking the Reliant until she surfaces again. If the changeling knows we’re aware of the deception, she may try to make a run for the wormhole to return to Dominion space. Colonel Kira, I suggest you take your station to yellow alert and we’ll remain in the area for the time being. Until we figure out what her plan is, we need to be ready for anything.”

********

Rule 43: If something feels off, it usually is.

Lefler’s Rules to live by.

At the moment, Commander Robin Lefler, First Officer of the USS Reliant, felt something was wrong. She wasn’t certain what exactly, but she felt it. Throughout her career, ‘Lefler’s Rules to Live By’ had gotten her out of more sticky situations than she could count. From her very first posting as a junior officer of the USS Enterprise, all the way to her posting as the first officer of the Reliant. The Rules were the gospel according to Robin and she applied them often and made additions when needed.

Right now, Rule 43 was repeating itself in her head like a piece of music caught in a loop and its dogged refusal to stop, put her on edge, though she did not know why.

It started the minute Captain Ella Gaines made her announcement.

For the last three months, the Reliant had assigned to Alpha Onias, a system located behind what used to be the Romulan side of the Neutral zone. Since the destruction of Romulus and the decimation of the Romulan fleet, the colonies along that sector of space had been plagued by smugglers and raiders, mostly from the Orion Syndicate. It had been the Reliant’s assignment to ensure the Syndicate didn’t try to make life worse for the poor Rommies trying to survive in the wake of Romulus’s destruction.

Aside from protecting the colonies, the Reliant was also providing medical assistance and engineering support by repairing machinery and aiding with the reestablishment of infrastructure. It was the kind of work that made one proud to wear Starfleet colors and Robin was no exception. Under Captain Gaines’s direction, she was proud to oversee the relief efforts.

The announcement changed all of that.

“War games?” Lefler had asked from her seat on the bridge of the Reliant.

“That’s right,” Captain Gaines said unsmiling, appearing to be no happier about the situation than the rest of the senior staff. “Starfleet Command has ordered us to proceed directly to the Bajoran system. Apparently, there have been rumors Cardassian loyalists to the Founders may try to make a run for it, to reach the Dominion. Starfleet wants to run some simulated war games to see where our defenses might be vulnerable in the event the rumors are true.”

“Will it be just us Captain?” Lt Jenna D’Sora, the blond female officer of the Conn, inquired.

“No,” the Captain said from her command chair. “We will be supported by two other ships, although Starfleet has yet to tell us what they are. We’re supposed to give the starships and Bajorans vessels in the area a good fight and expose any vulnerabilities in our defenses. Starfleet doesn’t want us getting soft now that the war is over. There’s still a lot of threats out there, even if Cardassia and Romulus are no longer galactic powers.”

“There’s still the Borg,” Mendon, their Benzite science officer pointed out helpfully. “Not to mention the Vrihan of Romulus and of course there is no guarantee the Dominion will not stay on their side of the wormhole...”

“I believe we get the picture,” Robin spoke up, cutting off the chatty Benzite before he went off on a tangent. Experience told her that if they didn’t cut him off in a timely fashion, he could make meetings last a whole lot longer. “Has Starfleet given us any other instructions?”

“None, except that we are ordered to the Bajoran system where a task force, presumably comprised of starships and Bajoran cruisers will attempt to halt our progress through the wormhole. Our goal is to maintain a silent running throughout the exercise and if we make it through, rendezvous at the planet Empersa.”

“The Founder home world?” Robin exclaimed, unable to hide her surprise at that destination. There had been little interaction between the Federation and the Dominion since the end of the war, with the general understanding that both sides would leave each other alone. While the Dominion tolerated a commercial presence in the Gamma Quadrant from the other side of the wormhole, a military one was another thing entirely. It seemed unbelievable to Robin they would let a starship anywhere near the home world of the Founders.

“That’s correct,” the Captain nodded. “Part of the exercise will be to see if we can reach the Founder’s home world through the Jem’Hadar forces. Don’t’ worry, this is a joint operation with the Dominion. They don’t want any insurgents reaching their gods any more than we do. This operation is to shore up the security around the Founder’s home world too.”

The captain’s reassurance diffused the vein of tension running across the faces of her senior staff. After all, time and time again, Captain Gaines had delivered them through enough engagements to have earned their loyalty. While the orders might appear unusual, their faith in the Captain was not. Robin would brig the first person who questioned Ella Gaines in her presence.

But she still kept hearing Rule 48.

********

When the doors to the bridge slid open and Alexandra Styles stepped out of the turbo lift in full uniform, ready to take her place at the science station, Chris was not in the least bit surprised.

A sixth sense told him once the news of Ezra and Buck’s findings at Theta Cygni reached her, she would be prompted to return to active duty. Chris was glad. He knew from Vin she had been wrestling with personal guilt over her miscarriage and while the Vulcan was convinced, she was overcoming her grief, Chris also knew that for people like Alex and himself, the best way to overcome tragedy was to get back to work.

Vin, like the rest of the bridge, had followed the soft hiss of hydraulic gasses when the doors slid open and straightened up in surprise when she appeared before them. In retrospect, he supposed he should have expected Alex to return to work, particularly after telling her the subject of the senior staff’s meeting. Still, seeing her here was concerning

“Alex, what are you doing here?” Vin asked as he stared at her from his seat at the Conn. “You should be resting.”

“I’ve rested enough,” she said not just to Vin, but to everyone on the bridge.

Buck, bless him, wore that sympathetic look of understanding that told her without having to say a word, whatever she needed, he would back her up. JD simply looked glad she was on her feet and back with them, while Ezra wore a look of guilt that reached into her heart more than she cared to admit. Until then, she hadn’t realized how much he blamed himself, but the guilt was visible even through his normally impenetrable facade. Alex made a note to talk to him later, to give him absolution for a sin he had not committed.

“I’m fine really,” she assured them all, feeling a little self-conscious about the attention. Staring at Vin across the bridge, she hoped she conveyed silently what she needed him to hear.

I’m fine Cowboy, I need to be here. I need to think about something else other than the baby and I need to help take down the bitch who did this to us.

Vin let out a slight nod, understanding that much at least. After what he learned about the Captain of the Reliant and that it was her agent who came after Alex and Ezra, resulting in Alex’s miscarriage, nothing could keep him away from the bridge either.

Alright, Darlin’, whatever you need.

Grateful for his understanding, she fixed her gaze on the Captain. “Permission to take my post Captain?”

Chris left his command chair and made his way to her as she stood near the science station, waiting for permission to return to duty. He understood better than anyone why she needed to be here, because the need to do something, now they had an enemy to face, someone to blame for the injustices inflicted upon them would be overwhelming. In an uncharacteristic show of affection, one he didn’t normally show her as her captain but rather her friend, Chris took her hands in his.

“Are you sure you’re up for this Alex?” He asked kindly.

Alex nodded. “I need to be here Captain,” she spoke just as quietly. “I need to do something. I’ll go crazy if I sit around our quarters and keep mulling this over and over in my head. I need to be here. I promise if I can’t handle it, I’ll stand down myself.”

“Alright, Commander,” Chris said stepping back from her. “Take your station. The bridge doesn’t feel right without you anyway.”

“I concur,” Ezra added from his station and when Alex looked at him, flashed her a little smile of greeting.

Unfortunately, the opportunity to reply never came because no sooner than she moved to her science station and Chris had returned to his command chair, the calm was broken with the low whine of alert that suddenly filled the air of the bridge and captured their undivided attention. Ezra’s eyes immediately fixed on his console and Alex saw his eyes darkened as he read the data appearing on the display.

“Captain, we have a proximity alert. A ship with a Starfleet signature just dropped out of warp, approximately one thousand kilometers from the mouth of the wormhole.”

“It’s her,” Chris stated tautly without even needing Alex to scan the ship to know it was the Reliant out there. He could feel it in his gut. “Buck, take us to yellow alert, JD, notify DS9 the Reliant may be here. Standby for confirmation.”

“Aye Captain,” JD answered just as Buck’s voice boomed over the ship’s communications system on every deck throughout the Maverick.

“All hands, yellow alert. Repeat, all hands, we are at yellow alert.”

No sooner than Buck’s voice had faded, the klaxons made its shrill warning throughout the Maverick as alert panels flashed yellow, sending the civilians on board hurrying to their quarters, while crew reported to their stations. By now, Alex was at her post, scanning the approaching ship and bringing the viewscreen to life so they could see the new arrival for themselves.

When the ship appeared before them, no one was surprised by what they were seeing. It was indeed the Reliant. The Nebula-class starship was flying towards the Bajoran wormhole at full impulse.

“Vin put us on an intercept course,” Chris ordered from his command chair, the Larabee glare fixed intensely at the ship on screen, as if his will alone had the power to halt the Reliant in its tracks. At the moment, Chris Larabee did not look unlike an angry god about to rain down wrath on those who had earned his fury. “Ezra, the minute she’s in range, lock on with a tractor beam. That bitch is going nowhere.”

The tone of his voice dared anyone to disagree with him.

“With pleasure Sir,” Ezra replied, giving Alex a quick glance. More than anything, he wanted to see the changeling pay for her crimes, not just against his Captain but against his friend.

Stars rushed past the viewscreen with greater speed as the Maverick accelerated to narrow the distance between itself and the Reliant. The hijacked craft made no reaction to the approaching galaxy class ship, with had more than enough armaments to halt its progress towards the wormhole. As Chris watched the Reliant draw closer and closer, something began to tickle at the back of his mind, something that told him this was too easy. Suddenly the gut instinct that saved his life and his crew more times than he could count, began tugging at him with insistence.

“Something’s not right,” Chris spoke as he watched the Reliant continue along its trajectory at an almost languid pace. “She has to know the minute she entered Bajoran space, she would be detected. DS9 simply wouldn’t let her go through the wormhole without asking questions.”

“What are you thinking Chris?” Buck asked, not liking the look on Chris’s face because usually when the Captain wore this mask, something was about to hit the fan.

And he was right because no more than a second later, the space flanking the Reliant shimmered with a greenish shower of color, and when it stopped, the Reliant was no longer alone. Flanking her port and starboard bow, was two Klingon birds of prey.

In the seconds following the sudden appearance of the two birds of prey into the already critical situation, everyone on the bridge seemed frozen in time as they gaped in astonishment at the unexpected turn of events. As it was, they were already reeling from the shocking revelation that the deaths of Sarah and Adam Larabee was connected to a Founder imposter on a ship of the line.

Despite his personal involvement in the situation, it was Chris who snapped back to action first, proving why he was the master of the Maverick.

“All hands, battle stations!”

The order prompted time to start moving again and everything that was frozen suddenly came to life with urgent animation. With klaxons whining incessantly in the background and alert panels flashing red like the blinking of blood-filled eyes, the attention of the senior staff was singularly focused on the threat posed by the three ships within hair’s breadth of the wormhole.

“Shields up!” Buck’s voice boomed over the sounds of klaxons, warning the entire crew of the Maverick their situation had just escalated to condition red. Even without seeing it, he could imagine the controlled chaos taking place throughout the ship as everyone on board prepared for the fight. When living on a starship, it was a scenario they had all been trained for, even the civilians.

“Maintain course Vin,” Chris ordered the Officer of the Conn, trusting his first officer to issue the necessary orders to the crew for the red alert. Ahead of them, the view screen revealed the shrinking distance between the Maverick and the Reliant as both ships continued towards the wormhole. Despite the unexpected presence of the Klingon ships, the Maverick was closing in on the Reliant, not lagging behind. “Those birds of prey are just here to distract us so she can get to the wormhole.”

In stark contrast to the rest of his comrades on the bridge at present, Vin Tanner carried out his duty wearing his typical expression of unflappable calm which was oddly comforting at times like this, Chris thought. Without looking up, Vin’s hands moved across the controls of the Maverick like he was a pianist conducting a royal performance while answering Chris with his usual drawl. “I’m on her Captain, she’s not gonna shake me off that easily.”

“I never doubted you for a moment,” Chris could help but smirk a little despite the situation. No matter what crazy thing he demanded of Vin Tanner, Chris Larabee had this oddest feeling, the Vulcan would always come through for him.

“Captain,” Ezra spoke up from tactical, an edge to his voice indicating trouble. “The Klingon ships are charging weapons.”

Well no surprise there, Chris thought. The second they decloaked, that was a foregone conclusion. Klingons were blunt instruments and when used as a distraction, very effective. However, Chris was no amateur either. He was not about to blink just because the Klingons were rattling sabers. Ignoring Ezra for the moment, Chris instead tapped the controls on his armrest. “Engineering reinforce our shields strength from auxiliary power. We’re about to take a hit.”

Down in engineering, Julia Pemberton who had been monitoring the situation the instant the alert sounded, was poised to act at the Captain’s call. A veteran of several battles since Chris Larabee had become her commander, she was already fast at work at her station, barking orders to her engineering team to reinforce the systems most likely taxed by the battle, ensuring their shield strength was sufficiently strengthened before the inevitable assault.

“Already on it, Captain,” she answered smoothly. “Although it would be nice if you could you know, move out of the way when they shoot at us.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Chris looked over his shoulder and shared a little smile with Ezra at the woman’s usual quirk. Ezra shrugged at the verbal game the Captain usually played with the engineer during combat situations. Both men knew when it came to the Maverick, Julia was as protective of the ship as they were to its crew.

The moment didn’t last long, however, because Ezra was soon making the inevitable announcement that came with any battle. “Captain, the Klingon ships are firing!”

The Maverick shuddered violently at the jolt less than a second after the words were uttered. As the ship heaved in protest at the barrage, everyone on the bridge was quickly bracing themselves against their seats and workstations to avoid losing their balance or be sent sprawling across the floor. The impact of twin disruptor blasts against the shields reverberated throughout the ship from the hull, and across the numerous decks, ensuring everyone on the Maverick felt it.

“Damage report,” Buck demanded automatically, even though experience told him it would be minimal. Still, overconfidence was never wise.

“Our shields are holding,” Ezra stated with relief. “We sustained no damage.”

“Good,” Chris declared, confident that a galaxy class starship would have little difficulty fending off two birds of prey. Besides, he was not going to be distracted by the Klingons, when it was the Reliant, they were after. “Ezra, return fire but I want us to remain on course. They’re trying to provoke us into a fight but we’re not taking the bait and letting the Reliant slip through. Vin, stay on her, she’s not going to get through that wormhole.”

“Gotcha Captain,” Vin returned and true enough, even as Ezra announced the enemy was firing again, the Reliant was growing larger and larger in the Maverick’s viewscreen. Vin was ensuring the Reliant did not gain one inch of space as it made its run towards the gateway towards the Gamma Quadrant.

At the same time, Ezra was dealing with the assault by the enemy ships. “Returning fire!”

The viewer shifted briefly away from the scene of the Reliant and revealed the barrage of phaser fire hurtling through space in beams of deep amber. Both enemy ships banked hard, to avoid the shots, their smaller sized making them more maneuverable than the Maverick, however, Ezra’s expertise ensured at least one of the Klingon ships was struck. A section of wing was sheared off as its hull came alive in angry red colors. As sparks and pieces of hull disappeared into the vacuum of space, the wounded ship was nowhere crippled. She managed to fly, adjusting her trajectory despite her damaged condition.

Nevertheless, the barrage of phaser fire did appear to have the effect of making the Klingons rethink their strategy and suddenly they were widening the distance between themselves and the Maverick.

“Captain, they’re breaking off!” Ezra exclaimed, his expression grave. Erratic behavior was something he could not abide and suspected the Klingons were about to get creative. Indeed, even as Ezra made the statement, the bridge of the Maverick could see the Klingon ships veering away from their pursuit of the galaxy class ship, realizing they were outmatched.

“Are they retreating?” JD asked, knowing Klingons would never surrender or withdraw unless they had something else up their sleeve. Especially since they did not appear to be attempting to rejoin the Reliant or raise its cloak. Instead, they altered their trajectory and headed away from the wormhole.

“Where the hell are they going?” Buck asked exasperated the delay caused by the Klingon had succeeded in preventing them from snagging the Reliant with a tractor beam.

“Oh my God,” Alex exclaimed. “They’re heading towards DS9!”

“They’re going to attack the station,” Chris guessing the enemy’s intention almost immediately. “They’re trying to lure us away from the Reliant. JD, notify DS9 they’ve got incoming. Let them know we’re on standby to assist if needed.”

He had no doubt Colonel Kira was already monitoring the situation from Ops and was fairly confident DS9 was more than capable of defending itself. When the threat of the Dominion was revealed, the station known as Terak Nor was refitted with formidable defences, enough to repel an attack by a Klingon fleet. Fitted with no less than five thousand photon torpedoes and a formidable weapons array, DS9 had teeth the Klingons were going to be feeling against their throat very shortly.

“Chris if we’re going to take the Reliant, we need to engage our tractor beam now or never,” Buck advised.

“Do it, Ezra,” Chris said without hesitation. “Let’s reel her in.”

Before Ezra could carry out those orders, however, the science officer looked up at Chris with an expression on her face that immediately put him on guard. “Captain, I’ve scanned the birds of prey. There are no Klingons on board at all.”

“No Klingons?” Buck exclaimed with astonishment “How can that be? Who are flying those things?”

Alex was still staring at her console as if she were running over the data, trying to determine how she could be wrong. I’m not reading any Klingons on board, in fact, I’m reading...” she paused, unable to believe what she was looking at. “Captain, they’re Breen.”

“The Breen?”

As Buck exclaimed his shock, Chris’s mind was whirling.

The Breen had joined the Dominion War when the non-aggression pact with the Romulans and the Dominion had collapsed, with Romulus siding with the Federation and the Klingons to defend the Alpha Quadrant. Realizing their weakened position, the Dominion reached out to the Breen, who saw the opportunity to gain territory, immediately accepted the offer and remained allies until the end of the war. Since then, little had been heard from the Breen who considered the Dominion weak for withdrawing from the war. Why would they be involved now, unless...

“Jesus Christ.”

It unfolded in Chris’s mind like Japanese origami and the full measure of what they were facing revealed itself to him in a sudden burst of clarity. All the unanswered questions arisen since the revelation of a changeling’s involvement in the deaths of Sarah and Adam were finally answered. The picture it formed rocked him to the core. Once again, he understood why Q had not simply told him the truth. No one would have believed it. This was a place he needed to reach himself.

Despite his horror at the situation, Chris had to give the changeling credit for the plan it set in motion. It was Machiavellian in its intricacy and would destroy any lasting peace in the Alpha Quadrant if they didn’t put a stop to it right now.

“What is it, Chris?” Buck saw the color drain from his captain’s face that was more than just Alex’s startling revelation. There was fear in Chris Larabee’s eyes and anything that frightened the Captain of the Maverick, was something they had all better sit up and pay attention to.

“JD, I need to speak to Colonel Kira now!”

The near panic in Chris’s voice prompted Ezra into activating the tractor beam to carry out Chris’s order before the Reliant made good its escape to the Gamma Quadrant and Dominion territory. “Engaging the tractor beam...”

However, no sooner than he attempted to lock on to the Reliant, Alex’s voice sang out across the bridge. “Captain’s she’s venting plasma!”

The view screen confirmed the cloud of green plasma escaping the rear of the Reliant, heading directly towards them.

“Aw hell,” Buck cursed, “Vin back us off!”

It was too late.

Even as Vin quickly halted their advance and reversed thrusters, the Reliant fired its weapons, igniting the cloud of plasma into an expanding ball of fire that soon surged towards the Maverick. The explosion was so intense and blinding, they had to shield their eyes and turn away from the viewer lest they are blinded by the powerful detonation. New warnings screamed across the ship as the energy wave did its worst.

Around them, the Maverick shook violently and this time, systems all over the ship were affected by the power surge. The lights flickered for three seconds before the bridge returned to some semblance of normalcy. Yet even as it did, Chris knew the Reliant would have made good use of the time to escape. Even as the explosion diminished and their view of space returned to the screen before them, Chris knew the Reliant had succeeded in eluding them.

The wormhole or the Celestial Temple as it was called by the Bajorans, bloomed like a flower in space. The breathtaking sight of iridescent color and light was nothing that could be appreciated right now because all Chris could think about what the Reliant’s escape would mean to the Alpha Quadrant. The nebula class ship sailed towards the aperture at full impulse, taking advantage of the momentary respite it had given itself by its attack, before disappearing into the eye and vanishing.

“Goddamnit!” Chris swore as the wormhole collapsed into nothingness after the Reliant blinked out of view.

“Damage report!” Buck demanded. This time, the damage would be significant in comparison to what they sustained when the Klingon ships had attacked them earlier.

“The plasma blast has overloaded our shields and fried our sensor array,” Alex explained, a frown crossing over her face as she tried to coax some information from the operational sections of the array. “Engineering is affecting repairs as we speak.”

“They were trying to delay us, and it worked,” Chris growled. “Julia, I need those shields up fast! We need to go after that ship right now.”

“What is it, Chris?” Buck turned back to him, remembering the urgency in his Captain’s voice before the enemy had blindsided them.

“Captain,” JD spoke up. “Colonel Kira on the line.”

Chris didn’t answer Buck, instead, he waited for the commander of DS9 to appear. It would save time. A second later, the lady was staring at him through the viewer. Even as she stood with the backdrop of DS9’s operation center behind her, Chris could see her crew reacting to the Klingon ships attacking the station. He had no doubt DS9 would manage to fend off the attack without sustaining any damage, however, right now, they had bigger problems.

“Captain Larabee,” Kira spoke up. “If you’re calling to check on our status, we’re fine. Our shields are holding, and our security chief is about to deal with those Klingons.”

“They’re not Klingons,” Chris said quickly. “They’re Breen.”

“Breen?” Kira’s eyes widened in shock. “In Klingon ships?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Colonel, is there any way to contact the Founder home world from here?”

Her face revealed her confusion. “Not without crossing into the wormhole.”

“Damn it,” Chris cursed under his breath. “Colonel, I don’t think the Reliant is on its way to the Founder home world so the changeling can rejoin them. I think she’s going there to destroy them.”

The shock that spread across Kira Nerys’s face was reflected in both the crew of the Maverick and Deep Space Nine Operations.

“What? Why?” Kira stared at him in astonishment.

“So, she can start a war,” Chris declared, revealing what he had deduced the instant he learned the Klingon ships were occupied by a Breen crew. “Think of it, if she heads through the wormhole, on a Federation starship, posing as a Starfleet captain, and destroys the Founders and the Great Link. The Dominion will consider that an act of war and come after us in a holy crusade for murdering their gods.”

“By the Prophets...” Kira gasped. As part of a deeply spiritual people, she was all too familiar with what acts of violence people could be driven to in the name of their religion. Furthermore, she knew how the Jem’Hadar and the Vorta felt about their Founders. To them, the Founders were nothing less than living gods. If Dominion believed the Federation responsible for the Founder’s destruction, there was no telling how many would die in their bloody rampage of vengeance.

‘It’s perfect,” Chris continued. “By wiping out all the Founders on the home world, she and her accomplices, if she has any, will be the only changelings left standing. She’ll either destroy the Reliant herself or the Jem’Hadar will do it for her after the attack on Empersa. In any case, no one will be left alive, to tell the truth. I guarantee you, she’ll be off-ship before it happens and will lay claim to being the only Founder alive, putting her in charge of the entire Dominion Empire.”

“And it will work,” Ezra added his voice to support his Captain’s theory once Chris had made that ominous deduction. “The Vorta and Jem’Hadar will believe that lie, especially when there are no longer any other Founders to refute it. It is why they chose Klingon ships as support to lend weight to the Federation’s complicity. The Breen were never pleased by the Dominion’s surrender but were unable to fight without the Jem’Hadar support. By doing this, they will be aiding the start of a new war, this time with the Dominion forces fully committed to a holy crusade.”

“And they could win,” Chris said, admitting the worst part of it. “This time, it's just us and the Klingons. The Romulans are in no condition to join us as they did before.”

“But Captain,” Kira spoke up. “The crew of the Reliant can’t be going along with all this? They must know something is up by just what took place.”

“Not necessarily,” Chris replied, trying to crack that particular riddle himself. “The truth is, the support a Captain gains from his crew is quite considerable,” he glanced at the faces on the bridge including the titian-haired tornado presently in engineering, trying to restore their shields and repair their sensor array. “If they feel the same kind of loyalty to her as my crew does to me, they may follow her if she provided them with a reasonable explanation for what is going on.”

“For all they know, it could be war games,” Buck added. “Especially with the Breen involved. It’s the only thing I can think of that would make them disregard the last ten minutes.”

“Colonel, I’m taking the Maverick through the wormhole after her,” Chris said to Kira. “Once we’re on the other side, we’ll transmit to the Dominion and tell them that a rogue changeling is after their Founders.”

“Captain, they may not believe you,” Kira said grimly. “Changelings do not kill each other, they barely believed it when it happened once. You tell them this and they might believe you’re trying to deflect blame from a rogue starship captain.”

“I know,” Chris nodded. “But it’s the best chance we’ve got.”

Kira felt silent for a moment, appearing to consider his words before she looked up again and replied. “As soon as we’re done here, I’ll take the Defiant through the wormhole and I’ll send a message to Odo myself. The Dominion may have trouble believing you but Odo won’t.”

“Agreed,” Chris answered, taking her word on that. He was aware of the relationship between the changeling Odo and Kira and made no further comment beyond that simple acknowledgement. “We’ll head through the wormhole.”

Kira nodded. “Good luck.”

With that, the channel between the two commanders was terminated, leaving Chris with the fervent hope that luck would be enough. Because if it wasn’t, there would be war.

All his life, Chris Larabee had only ever wanted to be a starship captain. He never imagined he could ever want to be anything else, until the day Adam was born.

Even now, a decade after the event, Chris could remember every minute detail of the experience, right down to the beads of sweat soaking Sarah’s forehead, the exhaustion in her face after the ten-hour ordeal of labor, how her screams had made him curse himself for being a man, because he was unable to bear it for her.  The sting of her fingers digging into his hands. Her whimpers when her stamina threatened to give out and she wanted only for it to be over. People tended to think of childbirth as a wonderful experience after the event. They seldom wanted to speak of the pain during, other than in quaint homilies passed down to avid listeners.

Still, she had borne the pain, forced herself to continue when the exhaustion threatened to break her.   Chris’s outdated belief about women being the weaker sex was rewritten that day. When it came to endurance, men simply did not know what agony was.  With her skin damp, her glorious brown hair hanging off her head in ropey tangles and her body a tense muscle about to snap, she brought Adam into his world and Chris never loved her more for it.  When she collapsed in exhaustion after that final push, Chris remembered the absurd but terrifyingly plausible fear that ran through him that the birth had killed her.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine it.

Yet when they both heard Adam’s first cry, suddenly the hours of agony transformed from something to be endured into a new kind of wonderful. They had looked into each other’s eyes and Chris knew exactly what she was thinking because he was thinking it too. This was what they had seen in each other when they first met on that sidewalk facing the teahouse so many years ago. This was the journey they would be taking together.

“It’s a boy!”

Sarah hadn’t wanted to know the sex of the baby, claiming the surprise would be worth it.  She wasn’t wrong. Even as he heard Doctor Gupta make the announcement, Chris knew he would have loved a girl as much as a boy, he had to confess to feeling a primitive masculine pride at knowing he was father to a son. When the doctor handed him the baby, the small, bundle of pink skin who revealed he was a Larabee by the irritation on his face, Chris knew the moisture on his own wasn’t sweat but tears.

In his entire life, no achievement was as sweet as looking into his infant’s son face for the first time.

Chris remembered how Sarah looked at him, her radiant smile of pleasure as she basked in his happiness, knowing she was able to give this to him.  His heart almost burst from the love for her, not because she delivered his son but because for Sarah, all the agony she endured was worth it to give him this piece of immortality.  When he finally handed Adam to Sarah and saw them together, Chris realized they were no longer two soulmates who found each other, with Adam they were now a family. He also knew then, though he never told her and would bitterly regret it for the rest of his life, that being Captain would never mean as much to him as being her husband and Adam’s father. He simply could not imagine his world without them.

In the end, it didn’t matter since the choice was taken from him anyway. 

********

Passing through the wormhole, there was no sign of the Reliant. No doubt, the instant they cleared the threshold, they would have kicked into high warp.  Not that it mattered, the Maverick knew exactly where the Reliant would be headed. Laying a course for intercept, it would not take them long to catch up with their hijacked sister ship. In the meantime, deciding what was to be done when they caught up to the Reliant, became the subject of the briefing that saw the senior staff assembled in the Conference Room.

Chris sat at the head of the table, staring into the stars of the clear walls, lost in thought.

Would his life had been different if he had simply chosen to remain on board the Rutherford as its first officer instead of indulging the idea of becoming the Reliant’s commander? Would Sarah and Adam be still alive? His enemy was a faceless changeling to whom their lives meant nothing.  It had carved out an irreplaceable part of his soul, Chris would never fully recover from, simply because it wanted to be Captain of the Reliant. If Chris had known the price, he would have given up the idea without a second thought.

He wanted vengeance so badly he could taste it, but even if he got his pound of flesh, it would heal nothing. The gaping wound inside his heart would still be there.  Even though there was some measure of peace now, with both Mary’s Travis, her son Billy and the teenaged version of Adam from a different universe in his life, Chris knew there would always be a part of him that wished for the family he began with Sarah.  Knowing this left Chris disillusioned and defeated at the same time.

“Captain?” Buck interrupted his thoughts.

Chris snapped back to the present, blinking away his personal ruminations as quickly as the number of stars rushing past them.  “Any response to our hails?”

“No,” Buck shook his head, “no response from the Dominion yet.  They’re either ignoring us or trying to figure out if we’re crazy.”

“If Mary was here, she’d be reminding us we’re violating their territory without explanation,” he said quietly. “They’ll be along soon enough with a demand to know why.”

“Will they believe us?” JD inquired, wondering if the Dominion would accept their good intentions by this incursion. The war was still too fresh in everyone’s minds for relations between the Dominion and the Alpha Quadrant to be cordial.


“They won’t take the risk,” Josiah added his voice to the mix. While he had nothing to contribute to this meeting in terms of strategy and warfare, he was still capable of making astute behavioral insights. Meanwhile, the Counsellor was keeping a close eye on Chris, perfectly aware of what personal demons his captain was wrestling with at this time. “In the end, their devotion to their gods is going to win out over their skepticism.”

“That still leaves us with the problem of the Reliant,” Chris said after drawing in his breath and regaining his focus. “We outgun her but she’s still a Nebula-class starship. If she’s convinced we’re the enemy, she can put up a hell of a fight and we may not have a choice in pulling our punches. I would rather a solution where we don’t have to fire on one of our own. It’s not the Reliant’s fault, they’re being manipulated. We’ve got to get through to them and let them know they have a changeling on board.”

“We’ve tried hailing them,” JD spoke up. “They’re not answering.”

“There are three possible reasons for that,” Ezra answered. “One, they believe this is as Commander Wilmington theorized, war games, and are on silent running.  Two, there may be another changeling on board intercepting our hails and last but not least, is that their bridge crew is compromised.”

“You mean they’re all changelings?” Nathan exclaimed, not liking that one damn bit. For changelings to carry out a deception on that scale, it would mean a corresponding number of dead bodies. Nathan hated to think their remains would be left out there in the wilderness, with no one ever knowing they were dead and their families, left wondering for all time.

“Yes,” Chris nodded grimly. “However, let’s proceed with the assumption the Reliant’s crew are unaware of what’s going on. I don’t want to write them off unless we have to.”

“So that gets us back to convincing them they’ve got a changeling posing as their captain,” Buck commented.

“How are we going to do that?” Vin asked. “If someone threw an accusation like that about our Captain, we’re gonna have a tough time believing it, especially if we’ve been serving together for five years. It’s gonna have to be a blood test or nothing at all.”

It was a valid point and everyone in the room agreed with the Vulcan’s statement. If someone levelled an accusation like that at Chris Larabee, they’d call it preposterous. How could they except the Reliant’s crew to simply accept the reality their Captain was a changeling for the last five years?

“Chris,” Buck spoke up after a moment. “If we can penetrate their shields while we’re engaging them, we might be able to beam a boarding party to the bridge.”

“That’s risky Buck,” Chris frowned, not liking the odds of them making the attempt when so much about the changeling was still an unknown. “Like Ezra said, there could be more than one of them on the bridge.”

“Right,” Vin added. “Colonel Kira did say there were a hundred changelings sent through to the Alpha Quadrant at the same time as this Odo fella.  If she’s managed to consolidate them into a rogue group, the away team will be beaming into a trap.”

“Then I suggest we transport to the Reliant with our phasers modified for a phaser sweep and scan the entire bridge. If there is a changeling on board, the sweep will expose any being with morphogenic characteristics immediately,” Ezra said firmly. “I believe you are capable of making this adjustment are you not, Julia?”

“Easily,” Julia said with typical confidence.” Just tell me how many phasers to modify and my team and I will get on it.”

“Which doesn’t solve our problem of getting through their shields,” JD spoke, growing more vocal in these meetings since he had been promoted. “We still got to reach them on the Reliant. We can pound them with our phasers but if we’re trying not to hurt anybody, that’s going to make it real hard.”

JD was right, Chris thought silently. Unless they could breach the shields of the Reliant, the hope of keeping down the body count was problematic. “I don’t want any lives lost if we can avoid it. This changeling is very good at what it does, its managed to maintain the illusion for five years and earn the crew’s loyalty. It's not their fault they were lied to, from the very beginning.  They don’t deserve to die because of it.”

Yet even as he said those words, that uncomfortable reality hung over them like a meteor about to fall. The changeling could not be allowed to reach the Founder’s home world to carry out its plans. The destruction of the Founders would almost certainly result in all-out war between the Dominion and the Alpha Quadrant, with the potential loss of lives in the billions.  In the face of such a conflict, Chris was duty bound to do whatever extreme measures were necessary to keep it from happening.

Even if it meant sacrificing the crew of the Reliant.

It was at this point, Alexandra Styles chose to speak. Chris had assumed she was remaining silent until she had something to say, a trait he recognized from her first few months on board. In that, she was very much like Vin.  However, when she did speak, it was usually worth the hearing.

“I say we modify one of our phaser arrays into a proton-based particle beam, with a narrow beam focus to punch a hole through the shield.”

“Holy shit,” Buck stared at her in shock. Proton-based weapons tended to destabilize more than just energy shields.  They often caused a cascade effect in subatomic particles, leading to complete deconstruction of matter and energy on the quantum level. It was the reason such weapons when built, were used only in extreme circumstances. “You wouldn’t just punch a hole through the shields, you could penetrate their hull if you’re not careful.”

“Penetrate the hull?” Julia sat up and added her voice to the discussion, similarly shocked by the suggestion. “You can’t be serious. It wouldn't just put a hole through the hull, it would destabilize the integrity of the matter surrounding it. You could create fluxes all over the place and cause explosive decompression.”

“But it will get us through,” Alex said coldly and then turned to Chris.  “Captain, you said you wanted a way through the shields, this is what we’ve got. We all know the changeling can’t be allowed to succeed in its plans to destroy the Founders. Yes, there is a possibility the people in the affected sections of the ship may get hurt, but we all know the risks when we signed on.  We can’t take the risk of the changeling succeeding in its plan. If it succeeds in destroying the Founders, the Dominion will come after us with everything it’s got. We’re still rebuilding the fleet after the war, we can’t stand up to them and the Breen without the Romulans on our side. If we’re going to this, we may have to sacrifice the Reliant.”

While the thought of such a thing left the others disturbed, Alex’s expression was so mercurial even Vin who was sitting next to her, flinched at her unspoken rage.  Thanks to the Cardassians, she had learned to be ruthless. Vin reached for her hand under the table, aware this was affecting her on a personal level. Maybe it had been wrong for her to return to duty so soon and the helmsman only had to look across the table at Josiah to know the Counsellor was thinking the very same thing.  

“She’s right,” Chris said after a long moment and for that instant at least, he saw the anger behind her eyes as clear as day.  Whatever her past might have been, she had wanted the child she created with Vin and the loss of it was affecting her profoundly, just as Adam’s death weighed on him. In any case, she had reminded them of some home truths they could not deny. This came down to numbers. They would try to save the Reliant’s crew if they could, but if it came to a choice between one starship and the fate of the entire Alpha Quadrant, Chris knew what his course would be.

“Julia, can you make the modifications to our phaser array?” Chris asked, cementing where he stood on this point.

“Yes,” she nodded, not liking it but realizing they were in a corner and had little choice in the matter. “I can do it with Commander Styles’s help.”  Julia flashed Alex a look of apology for her earlier disparagement.

“It’s yours,” Alex said giving Julia a little smile, grateful for the acknowledgement.

“We’re going to use this weapon as a measure of last resort,” Chris said firmly. “The particle beam will only be deployed after we’ve exhausted all other avenues of reaching the Reliant.”

“Chris, I’ll lead the boarding party to the Reliant,” Buck volunteered. “With the Chief's permission of course.”

“I think it might be beneficial if you were present Commander,” Ezra replied, not at all offended by the offer. Besides, if the Reliant was going to hear from someone their Captain was a changeling it was best if it came from the First Officer of the Maverick, if not the Captain himself. “If it were possible, I would even recommend...”

“I would like to join the boarding party,” Alex spoke up.

“Absolutely not,” Nathan spoke before even Chris could deny the request. “You’re nowhere fully recovered, and I signed off on you returning to bridge duty, not going onboard another ship.”

“But...” Alex started to protest when Chris spoke.

“No Commander,” he gave her a sharp look, indicating firmly they were crossing the line between friendship and duty. Right now, he was speaking to her as her captain and he expected to be obeyed.  “I need you at tactical while Ezra is over there.”

Alex knew better than to argue with Chris and truth be told, he was probably right, she admitted begrudgingly. Accepting the order quietly, she saw the relief in Vin’s eyes and knew he was worried about her returning to duty too soon, but she couldn’t sit on the sidelines. Not after what this changeling had taken from them.

Suddenly, the voice of Drew Katovit, Ezra’s assistant Security Chief spoke up across the Conference Room’s com system. The man had been manning the bridge while the senior staff were at the briefing. “A Jem’Hadar warship has just dropped out of warp.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Chris said tautly and then looked at his senior staff. “Here we go.”

********

Emerging onto the bridge, the first thing that captured their attention was the sight of the Jem’Hadar warship surrounded by the vastness of space on the view screen.  It had been almost a year and a half since they last encountered a Jem’Hadar ship, during the battle of Cardassia Prime, in the last engagement of the war, before the guns fell silent and the Founders surrendered.  As everyone took their stations and Chris lowered himself into his command chair, he wondered how the Dominion was going to react to this news.

“Captain,” JD spoke up in concert with the chirp from his station, “They’re hailing us.”

“Let’s hear what they got to say,” Chris replied, sitting up straight and restoring his mask of cool deliberation once more.

“Bet it won’t be anything nice,” Vin muttered from the Conn.

“I shall take that bet Lieutenant Tanner,” Ezra spoke from tactical.

The image of the warship disappeared to reveal the bridge of the Dominion craft. The face staring back at them, made everyone except Chris do a doubletake.  Whatever the surprise, Chris Larabee never showed it when facing down an enemy. Instead, he leaned back into his chair and broke into a little smile of amusement at the tricks the universe felt fit to play on them at any given moment.

“Fanaian,” Chris stared down the Vorta. “How nice to see you again. How have you been keeping?”

“Captain Larabee,” the Vorta bowed slightly with similar civility. “When I heard the Maverick had entered our space, I simply had to pay my respects, particularly after your rather unusual message.”

The last time they had seen the Vorta, Fanaian had led a Dominion task force into the frontier with the sole intention of taking the Maverick as their prize. Only an incredible defense put up by his crew had prevented the ship from being taken with Fanaian forced to retreat to Dominion space with his tail between his legs.

“Nothing unusual about it Fanaian,” Chris returned smoothly. “We have reason to believe a changeling posing as the Captain of the Reliant, has tricked the crew into embarking on a mission to destroy the Founders at Empersa. We’re on our way to intercept them.”

“How dare you!” Fanaian snapped in outrage while behind him his Jem’Hadar crew appeared similarly affronted. “Our gods do not murder each other!”

“Fanaian,” Chris fought to keep the impatience from his face. “We don’t have a lot of time. This changeling may be a rogue, from the same batch Odo came from. If so, they don’t understand the Founder’s rules against harming each other. Furthermore, this particular changeling and possibly others like it, have been responsible for several deaths since the treaty was signed.  We need to get to the Reliant and intercept her before she reaches the Founder home world.”

He omitted Sarah and Adam from the discussion because it would only lead the Vorta to believe he had a personal stake in all this. While it was true to a degree, Chris was not about to put his family’s murder above his crew and the Alpha Quadrant. He’d learned that lesson the hard way once already. Furthermore, Sarah believed there was always an alternative to combat, even though she married a soldier. He would not dishonor her memory by taking the path of least resistance when there was a chance of resolving this peacefully, at least in the current situation.

“I believe,” Fanaian glared at him through the viewscreen, “one of your starship captains has gone mad and is seeking to harm our gods.  This story about a changeling is merely a fiction to lessen your culpability in this matter!”

“Fine,” Chris said coldly, however, his hands lowered beyond Fanaian’s view. “You can stay here and argue into a vacuum for all I care. We’re going after the Reliant.”

“Oh, rest assured Captain Larabee,” the Vorta sneered. “We will deal with the Reliant ourselves. We will turn it into solar dust before it ever reaches the Founders.”

Chris had been afraid of this. He hoped the Dominion might be reasonable and help them capture the Reliant with the minimum of loss of lives, but it was clear, they would simply destroy the ship, caring nothing for the innocent crew on board who had no idea how they were manipulated. While Chris knew this might be the only outcome if there was no other way to avoid a war, he refused to give up hope on the Reliant’s crew. Not when there was a chance to save them.

Using hand signals off screen that only participants of the Magnificent Seven holo-program recognized, Chris made the gesture that immediately had Vin poised to act.

“In that case Fanaian,” Chris said to the Vorta as the Maverick prepared to accelerate to maximum warp. “Catch us if you can.”

Was he always going to find himself being chased by this son of a bitch?

As the Maverick found itself accelerating to Warp 9 under Vin’s capable hands, Chris was struck with a sense of deja vu as he stared at the view screen in front of him and saw the Jem’Hadar battleship falling into pursuit.  Almost a year and a half ago, the Maverick had been forced to flee from Fanaian and a task force of no less than ten ships determined to take his ship from him.  In that instance, a heroic effort from his crew and the timely arrival of reinforcements saved the Maverick from disaster. Chris hoped this time; the situation would not be so dire.

The closer they approached Empersa, the Founder home world, the more ships would fall into pursuit. Whether or not the Dominion believed their story about a changeling taking over the Reliant, they would never allow the Founders to be endangered. Without even being present to hear it, Chris knew Fanaian was at this moment, alerting every ship in the area to the Maverick’s presence and the imminent threat to the Founders. When those ships reached the Reliant, they would blow the ship out of the sky with little thought to the innocents on board.

No matter what, the Maverick had to get to the Reliant first.

“Jem’Hadar ship is in pursuit,” Ezra announced from tactical, surprising no one with that statement.

“Hell, we expected that,” Buck remarked.

“Ezra, you know what to do. If they’re not firing at us yet, they soon will be. Fanaian knows they can’t match us for speed so the only way they’ll slow us down is to shoot us down or board us. We’re not going through that again.”

“Making the preparations now,” Ezra met Chris’s gaze, his hands already flying over the display of his tactical controls as he performed the action decided upon during their briefing earlier.

“Engineering,” Chris tapped his combadge to open a channel to Julia Pemberton’s fiefdom on the Maverick.  

“Pemberton here,” Julia’s voice answered in its sing-song tone from engineering.

Chris often wondered how the woman could manage to sound so upbeat when all hell was breaking loose around her. “Julia, I need to pour as much power as you can give me into propulsion. Whatever happens, helm needs to maintain maximum acceleration if we’re going to reach the Reliant before the Dominion.”

“We can do that Captain, but that might become problematic if we get into a fight and need to raise shields,” Julia declared in turn, feeling it her duty to bring up the possibility if they came under fire.

“Acknowledged,” Chris nodded in understanding, aware of what she was eluding to. “That isn’t going to be a problem.”

“It isn’t?” Julia said quizzically.

“Trust me,” Chris assured her. He had a card to play and short of firing on Fanaian, which he was reluctant to do unless the enemy fired first, he was going to have to use it. Until necessary, Chris had no intention of provoking the Dominion any more than they already were.

“I’ll hold you to that Captain,” Julia returned and then added, “Lt. Chanu is also continuing our modifications to the phaser array. We should have the particle beam operational before we engaged the Reliant.”

“Very good Lieutenant. Larabee out. “

No sooner than he was done with Julia, Chris stood up from his command chair and went to Vin’s station at the helm. “Vin, you’ve got all the power you need to keep us at Warp 9.9. Whatever happens, we’ve got to stay ahead of them.”

“It’ll get done Captain,” Vin lifted his eyes to Chris, just enough to tell his friend and his commander, it was not so much as an order obeyed as a promise given. The helmsman was perfectly aware of what it took to keep the Maverick ahead of the enemy. Since becoming the officer of the Conn, Vin had wrung every last ounce of speed from the ship’s engines during their battles and knew what the Maverick could do in a tight spot.

“Thanks, Vin,” Chris squeezed his shoulder in gratitude, a gesture of thanks for his friendship and loyalty.

From his own seat, Buck waited for Chris to return to the command chair, having escalated the ship’s status from yellow to red, once again bathing the bridge in a reddish hue as the Maverick returned to battle stations.  Josiah and Nathan had returned below decks. The Counsellor would no doubt be offering comfort to the civilians on board while Nathan would prepare for the inevitable arrival of the injured once the real battle started.

“They’re going to be calling for reinforcements Chris,” Buck said grimly. “You about to do what I think you’re going to?” His oldest friend asked with a little smirk. During their last encounter with Fanaian, the Maverick was still bound by the treaty of Algeron with the Romulan Empire. Since its collapse, that treaty was no longer in effect, which meant the gloves had been taken off Chris’s hands.

“What’s our distance from Fanaian?” Chris asked.

“We’re pulling ahead Captain,” JD answered automatically.

“They’re at maximum acceleration,” Alex offered. “Those battleships have too much amour to match our speed.  Our margin to stay ahead is slim but enough to avoid phaser bombardment.”

“Good,” Chris said wearing the expression of cool deliberation his crew had come to expect. “Ezra, drop our shields and deploy our cloak.”

Ezra broke into a dimpled grin. “Captain, I thought you would never ask.”

“Fanaian’s going to be plenty mad,” Buck gave his captain a wry smile.

“Shame to have all this fancy hardware and not use any of it,” Chris said lowering himself into his command chair once again.  “Vin, once the cloak is deployed, go to evasive pattern delta. The minute we vanish, they’re going to unleash holy hell hoping they’ll get lucky with a stray shot.”

“I’ll shake them off,” Vin assured his Captain.

“Captain, I am raising the cloak.”

Chris did not speak, his ice colored eyes fixed on the warship in front of him.  He knew the instant they had become invisible to the Vorta. No sooner than Ezra had performed that bit of stealth, Vin was banking hard and moving the great ship into an evasive pattern that coincided with the Jem’Hadar firing all weapons. Everyone on the bridge braced themselves for the sharp maneuver, with Alex and Ezra holding onto their stations, while his fingers dug into his armrests in concert with Buck’s. 

Before them, space became bright with the amber glow of multiple phaser blasts as the Jem’Hadar tried desperately to force them into the open once more. Chris had no intention of staying around to deal with Fanaian or the other Jem’Hadar ships he knew would be coming.  As expected, Vin’s excellent piloting skills took them out of range of the enemy fire and very soon, the Jem’Hadar ship became distant on the view screen.

“The cloak is stable,” Ezra announced dutifully.

“The Jem’Hadar ship is not in pursuit,” Alex added.  

“Don’t matter anyway,” Buck shrugged. “They know where we’re headed. They’ll most likely converge on Empersa to intercept us when we get there.”

“Which is why we’ve got to get to the Reliant first,” Chris said firmly.  “This just became a race.”

********

It was only after the Captain of the Reliant had left the bridge that Lieutenant Christi Henshaw approached First Officer Robin Lefler.  The two women had been friends since their first assignment out of the Academy was a posting to the USS Enterprise D under the command of the legendary Jean-Luc Picard.  Picard and his senior staff had always valued open communication between themselves and their junior officers and made it a teaching point for any new cadet. It was why Christi now felt comfortable about approaching Robin about what was bothering her.

“Commander, can I get a moment?”  Christi asked and her question brought Robin who seemed somewhat distracted herself, back to the present.

“Sure Lieutenant,” Robin said getting to her feet and moving to an unoccupied section of the bridge, guessing by Christi’s expression, she wished for privacy. Once they were at the corner near an unused station, she regarded Christi again. “What’s up?”

Christi swallowed thickly, finding it exceedingly uncomfortable to bring up the subject now the moment was at hand. “I know we’re supposed to be on silent running,” she said quietly. “But there was a lot of chatter before we got to the wormhole and a lot since we passed through it.”

“What kind of chatter?” Robin had to ask.

“It was hard to say.  I couldn’t listen in as per captain’s orders, but this level of activity happens during planetary catastrophes when distress signals are being sent across all channels. Last time I saw something like this was when we thought the Borg was turning up at Sector 001.”

“And it hasn’t stopped since we crossed over?” Robin asked. If there was indeed a disaster, the signals would have ceased the instant they entered the Gamma Quadrant. After all, they just crossed 70’000 light years to another section of the galaxy. Whatever disaster that affected the Alpha Quadrant should have restricted itself there.

“No,” she shook her head. “Now it's different. They’re definitely Dominion transmissions, I recognize the pattern from the war, but they’re just as frenzied. They’re overlapping and being sent at extremely short intervals. I can’t understand what’s going on.”

Robin took a deep breath. “Captain’s orders say we’re at silent running, complete communication blackout but I don’t think she would have factored in a disaster. I’ll let her know.”

“Thank you, Robin,” Christi said gratefully, pleased to know she wasn’t overreacting.

********

“How may I be of assistance?”  

Chief Engineer Stovak stood ramrod straight at the appearance of the Captain within the confines of Engineering Room 3 overlooking the warp core. Despite appearing mercurially composed as was the way with most Vulcans, Stovak bristled inwardly at the woman’s arrival, since there was much work to be done and he wished to get on with it. He had no time for the unnecessary chatter that was a product of human interactions. His logical mind chided him immediately for the thought since it was more than likely the Captain’s personal appearance in Engineering meant the conversation wasn’t trivial and as Captain, Ella Gaines could come down to see him personally any time she liked.

“I would like you to create a remote relay to the magnetic containment field.”

Stovak stared at her, matching her expressionless facade even though he was rather stunned by the request. “May I inquire why Captain? It is a highly unusual request. For what purpose?”

Even as he asked the question, he knew the answer already. The Captain wishing direct access to the containment field around the anti-matter chamber could only be for the purpose of initiating a self-destruct.

“For the war games of course. If we can’t avoid the ships converging on us, we can still win by taking them with us. As we are simulating a terrorist situation, it is highly likely the Cardassians may resort to this method if they’re cornered. So, please build the relay, giving me direct control.”

“You wish a simulated representation of a remote relay, am I correct?” Stovak confirmed, his Vulcan intellect accepting the explanation as plausible.

“No,” the captain stated. “For the authenticity of this exercise, I wish you to build one.”

“You wish me to build an actual self-destruct relay on the bridge?” Stovak stared at her, once again trying to do his best to conceal his shock at the request.  

Yet even as his logical Vulcan mind moved to suppress the errant emotion, Stovak saw something flash in her eyes that drew a sharp response of discomfort. Instinct was not something a fully-matured and trained Vulcan like himself relied upon. Like all his people, he found such an emotion unreliable. Instincts could be wrong, facts were inviolate. Yet as he looked at his captain, a woman he had served with for years, there was something in her manner that made him uneasy.

“It is illogical to construct such a device simply for show,” Stovak countered. “If you require how much time it would take to construct the relay, I can provide you with accurate data.”

“Do I need to make this an order?” the Captain eyed him coldly.

“Of course not,” he replied, once again taken back by her draconian tone.  Over the last five years, she had never given him an order with so little room for discussion. While as a Vulcan, he would follow the chain of command without question, something about this felt... wrong.   “I will do as you request. Shall I provide permissions for yourself and Commander Lefler?”

“I should be the only person who has access to the relay.”

“Captain, that is against regulations....”

Stovak never got the chance to finish his sentence because no sooner than the words left his mouth, something impaled him through the throat with such speed, it was the shock more than the severed vocal cords and jugular that made him speechless.  As pain overtook his body and warm blood spilt down his uniform, he realized it was the Captain’s arm, shaped like a thick blade, protruding from his flesh.

The last thing his mind registered before the blackness overtook him, was Captain Ella Gaines’s face changing into his own.

********

“Two more Jem’Hadar ships have appeared at extreme long-range Captain,” Alex announced from her station.

While Chris showed no reaction to this from his command chair, Buck was a stark contrast to his Captain’s glacial demeanor. The First Officer stiffened involuntarily, glancing at the captain to see if Chris would make comment. Around them, the bridge radiated with the glow of amber light, a result of the ship’s yellow alert status.  They had stood down from red alert upon raising the cloak, making good their escape from Fanaian for the moment, prompting the Vorta to call in reinforcements to take up the pursuit.

“Heading?” Buck asked.

“They’re on route to the Founder home world,” Alex answered.

“How long till we get to Empersa?” Chris directed his question at the helm.

“At current speed, we’ll be there in four hours,” Vin replied without turning around from his station. “We’re currently at Warp 9.9.”

“How many ships is that already?” Buck asked Alex because this was not the first Jem’Hadar ship they had sighted after escaping Fanaian.

“Five,” Ezra said grimly. “They appear to be heavy cruisers.”

“Make sense,” Chris said unsurprised by the reaction. “They may not believe us when we say that it’s one of theirs who is responsible but they’re sure as hell going to take any threat to the Founders seriously.”

“What about the Founder home world?” Vin asked. “Can’t we contact them directly. Maybe talk to this Odo fella? You know him don’t you Ezra?” The helmsman glanced quickly over his shoulder at the security chief.

Ezra was keeping a close eye on the Jem’Hadar ships on the same trajectory towards the Founder’s home world. At present, the ships were more focused on reaching their gods, than they were finding the Maverick. Ezra strongly suspected the only one who might be determined to come after them might be Fanaian, however, if they could reach the Founders and the Reliant first, they might be able to diffuse the situation somewhat.

“I did,” he answered Vin’s question, lifting his eyes from the display at tactical.  “I encountered him on numerous occasions when I frequented Deep Space Nine and in particular the establishment run by the Ferengi, Quark. I met him before the truth of his origins was revealed of course and found him to be quite impressive. He was able to use his shapeshifting abilities to ensure nothing too illegal ever took place on DS9.”

“With Quark’s reputation, he had to,” Alex added, having known Odo a little during her time on the station. “That damn Ferengi had his fingers in everything but back then, DS9 was just coming off the end of the Occupation. Odo had been station security before the Cardies left and the Bajorans were somewhat undecided about him.”

“Undecided?” JD looked at her puzzled. “In what way?”

Alex shrugged, recalling when she was an ensign how Odo had almost been lynched by an angry mob because he was suspected of murder. It brought to light the prejudices that the shapeshifter encountered on a daily basis. “Well, you have to remember, he was appointed by Gul Dukat during the Occupation.  Even though it was on the official record law and order was carried out fairly while he oversaw station security, there were just as many Bajorans who believed he was working for Dukat to root out the Resistance.”

“Constable Odo has no interest in politics,” Ezra snorted, respecting the man as a colleague and an investigator. “If it were the case, he would have joined his people when the hostilities broke out, instead of remaining at the side of his friends.”

“Then he’s the one we’ve got to reach,” Chris stated, adding his own voice to the conversation after listening to both Alex and Ezra.  After hearing the number of ships amassing to greet the Maverick and the Reliant, ships manned by Jem’Hadar warriors and their Vorta commanders who considered the idea of a rogue changeling an affront to their gods, regaining control of the Reliant might not be enough. “We need to catch this changeling alive or they won’t believe us, even if we manage to retake the Reliant.”

“Then someone’s going to have to go down there,” Buck suggested.

“To the Great Link?” Ezra’s eyes widened. If they thought the Reliant’s presence around the Founder’s home world was incendiary now, it was nothing in comparison to the response they would receive if they tried to contact with the Founders on the planet. “Captain, we have to be extremely careful about such an incursion.”

“I know, I know,” Chris nodded. “If Mary were here, she’d be the first to point out just how badly this could go wrong.”

It was at this point, Chris realized why his bridge didn’t feel complete. At the mention of Mary Travis, Chris stared at the empty seat she normally occupied and felt a pang of regret at her not being here. When he first asked her to stay behind on Earth with Adam, he was motivated by fear his determination to get justice for his wife and son might lead him to alienate her. Now he was realizing, always belatedly when it came to Mary, she was part of his healing and should have been here with him.

“But it’s got to be done,” the Captain sighed. “It may be the only way to avert a war.”

Whenever you've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

Robin Lefler sat next to Captain Gaines and stared at the image on the viewscreen, trying to decide if the doubts in her mind were the result of her own nerves or the fact what was being displayed for the entire bridge crew to see, was making her sweat bullets for good reason. While the Captain and Security Chief Reese showed no signs of anxiety, everyone else, Christi Henshaw, Jena D’Sorra and even normally unreadable Mendon, whose facial expressions were hard to discern at the best of times, appeared terrified by what he was seeing.

And there was good reason to fear.

As per the conditions of the war games as explained by the Captain, the Reliant had arrived at the Founder’s home world and was presently in orbit around Empersa. On first sight, it was difficult to imagine the dull, mustard colored planet was the heart of the Dominion Empire and the home to the shapeshifting race of aliens who ruled the vast armies of Jem’Hadar troops and almost brought the Federation to its knees. However, seeing what lay in geosynchronous orbit above the planet, it was all too clear why the Founders had ruled the Dominion for almost two thousand years.

The orbital platforms standing guard above the planet looked as fearsome as the power readings emanating from their sensor scans. Each one possessed the firepower of a starbase and each one could reduce the Reliant to ash.

Robin remembered seeing similar platforms orbiting Cardassia Prime during the last battle of the war. The things were armed with at least a thousand plasma torpedoes and heavy disruptors, possessing a regenerative forcefield that was damn near unbreachable. Even though this was only a war game, staring at it even from this distance, made Robin grateful a ceasefire had been called before those formidable weapons were used against the already wounded Federation Alliance fleet.

“Captain, are we supposed to get through that?” She asked, having no wish to pit the Reliant against the platforms, even in a simulation.

“Of course not,” the Captain answered as if it were obvious. “We would never penetrate those defences, but the war games aren’t about that.”

“I don’t understand,” Robin stared at her commander with whom she served these five years loyally and once again, felt the uneasiness that stemmed from a few hours ago when she brought up Christi Henshaw’s concerns with the Captain. Until now, Ella Gaines had never dismissed anyone’s opinions out of hand. It was one of the reasons why she commanded the loyalty she had. Yet when Robin told her about the communications traffic their operations officer detected, the Captain had almost disregarded it and when pressed, insisted it was merely part of the exercise they were engaged in. Worse yet, she insisted radio silence be maintained even after they’d received a transmission from another Starfleet vessel.

“We’re playing the part of Cardassian terrorists and they would never attempt to breach these kinds of defences. After what Section 31 attempted to do to them, the Founders took steps to ensure a direct attack on the planet was impossible. These orbital platforms were put installed after the treaty was signed and are virtually invulnerable to any form of attack.”

“Then how are we going to reach the Founders if we can’t get through their defences?” Robin asked skeptically.

“If we can’t go through them Commander,” the Captain smiled enigmatically. “We’ll just have to go around them.”

********

“Goddamn,” Buck whistled after taking in the sight of the orbitals spread across the sky above the planet, displayed so starkly on the Maverick’s viewscreen thanks to their long-range sensors. Like the Reliant’s bridge crew, the Maverick’s senior staff was staring at the platforms in fearful awe. During the battle of Cardassia Prime, they had encountered the orbitals and everyone fighting in the Federation Alliance had breathed a sigh of relief when hostilities ceased before they had to engage those weapons.

“That’s no moon, that’s a space station....” JD whispered echoing the line from one of the Captain’s favorite films.

“What?” Buck gave him a look.

“Nothing,” JD shook off the comment and continued to stare at the things.

“We’ll never get through those,” Alex stated, telling them nothing they didn’t already know. “If my scans are correct, those are an upgrade from what we faced over Cardassia Prime.”

“I detest overachievers,” Ezra frowned, his mind trying to wrap his mind around the power readings appearing on his tactical display. The last time he had seen anything this formidable was when they faced the C’Kaia. These platforms may even be capable of giving the Borg ship some stiff resistance even if that was a battle Ezra had no desire to see for himself. In either case, he knew a poor gamble when he saw one and any confrontation with the weapons array would end badly for the Maverick.

“This makes no sense Chris,” Buck turned to his captain. “How the hell did this changeling expect to kill all the Founders? Just one of those things would blow the Reliant out of the sky before she could even finish charging weapons. She certainly couldn’t transport down there. The other changelings would be able to stop her, and for sure they’ve got to have Jem’Hadar troops on the ground. After the warning we just gave the Dominion, she’d never get close.”

Chris Larabee didn’t speak. He was staring at the platforms, trying to understand what was going on. This changeling had been playing a long game that spanned years, surely, she could not have been so short-sighted to have missed the presence of these platforms above the planet. Why bring the Reliant here at all, when there was virtually no chance the ship would be able to fire their weapons more than once, let alone destroy the Founders on the surface?

“Captain,” JD spoke up, “I’m picking up Fanaian’s ship on extreme sensor range. He’s with the five other Jem’Hadar ships.”

Chris wasn’t listening, he was still thinking hard, trying to unravel the mystery around the changeling's actions. The Reliant might be able to fire one shot before the platform obliterated her out of the sky but that was it. Crashing the ship into the surface was not an option either, she’d have to incapacitate the crew, and there was no way 400 people couldn’t overcome one changeling. Besides, even if the crew were incapacitated, the weapons of the orbitals would shoot her down long before she reached the surface.

Think Larabee, think!

“Hell, what do they think they’re gonna to, drop a house on the place?” Vin remarked to no one in particular.

The association was flimsy, but the path it set Chris down made the Captain sit up straight, his eyes widening with the same lightning bolt of inspiration that allowed him to guess the changeling’s plan back in the Alpha Quadrant. Jesus Christ, Chris thought as the changeling’s plan unfolded in his mind and the pieces of this terrible mosaic finally gave him a theory he could believe.

Jumping to his feet, Chris barked at JD. “JD, open a channel to Fanaian’s ship right now!”

“What?” Buck exclaimed first, while everyone else on the bridge turned to the Captain in shock, trying to decide if the man had lost his mind, considering what that order would do to their covert approach to Empersa.

“Captain?” JD asked, wondering if he heard wrong.

“You heard me,” Chris repeated sharply. “Do it.”

There was no time for explanations because if he was right, then they had run out of time, especially with the Reliant hovering over the Founder’s home world.

“Captain, if we contact Fanaian, they will be able to pinpoint our location,” Ezra spoke up immediately, unable to believe Chris Larabee would forget that rather important point, but was compelled to give him a reminder, nevertheless.

“I know,” Chris met his gaze, showing the Chief he was perfectly aware of what he was doing. “But we don’t have a choice, I need to speak to him right now.”

Alex exchanged a look with Ezra and though she said nothing, she was able to convey the order to stand down. Since serving with Chris Larabee, Alex had come to realize the man’s ability to make brilliant deductive leaps of logic was without peer. It was part of the reason why he was such an able strategist. Since the battle with the Dominion task force, Chris had earned the reputation as a Starfleet captain with Romulan ruthlessness. If he thought contacting Fanaian was the best course of action, then Alex fully supported it.

“I have Fanaian on the line, Sir,” JD announced, even though he was still wearing an expression of confusion.

“Good,” Chris was aware he owed his senior staff an explanation, but all would be clear to them when he spoke to Fanaian.

When the Vorta’s face appeared before him, Chris could see Fanaian was both troubled and intrigued by Chris’s communication, knowing the action placed the Maverick in a vulnerable position. Even though the Maverick remained cloak, the open channel between the two ships allowed Fanaian’s ship to pinpoint the starships location and no doubt Fanaian was attempting to discern what his intention was since Chris would never give up his advantage when outnumbered five to one.

“Captain Larabee,” Fanaian spoke in that sickly, sweet voice that did nothing but piss off anyone with ears. “What a surprise. I did not expect to hear from you after our last exchange. Are you calling to surrender to us before we blow you out of the sky for your outlandish tales about the Founders or your violation of their sacred home?”

“No,” Chris rolled his eyes. “I’m here to let you know that I figured out what this changeling has got planned and if you don’t shut up and listen to me, your Founders are going to be dead in a matter of minutes.”

The magnitude of the statement was reflected in Fanaian’s shocked expression. Chris didn’t have to look over his shoulder to know the Jem’Hadar bridge crew was similarly stunned by the claim.

“What are you talking about?” Fanaian demanded. “If this is a threat...”

“Fanaian, shut up and listen,” Chris said curtly not about to waste time with the man’s posturing, not with what was at stake. “Your rogue is not bringing the Reliant here to attack the Founders. She knows those weapons will obliterate the Reliant before she can even finish charging weapons.”

“Let’s say I believe you that it is a misguided Founder responsible for this,” Fanaian said skeptically, still unable to believe one of the gods would have such malicious intent. “How then is she attempting to harm the Founders?”

“By ejecting the warp core and detonating it above the Great Link.”

“Oh my God,” Chris heard Alex exclaim behind him.

The Vorta’s face turned white.

“You can’t be sure of this...” Fanaian said aghast but even as he stuttered the words, Chris could tell the Vorta believed him.

This time, using a conciliatory tone, Chris continued. “Think about it Fanaian. The warp core is too small to be targeted by the orbitals and if it’s hit, you might set off an even more incendiary blast and take half the planet’s surface with you. None of your ships will get to the Reliant in time to stop her from ejecting the core and as powerful as your orbitals are, they’ll still have to exhaust the Reliant’s shields first. During that delay, the rogue will be able to carry out her plans. You may destroy the Reliant but not before she takes out the Founders first.”

“By the Gods,” the Vorta exclaimed. “Your Federation will pay for this!”

“For the last time Fanaian! We didn’t do this! Do you think I’d be here if the Federation is responsible? In any case, we don’t have time to argue. We have one chance to stop this, but you’re going to have to trust me.”

Fanaian stared at him incredulously. “You must be joking.”

“Yeah, I’m joking, so I’ll take my ship out of the blast zone and let the Founders burn up when the changeling goes through with her plan. If there are any Founders left after the Reliant is destroyed, I’m sure you can explain to your fellow Vorta commanders and the Jem’Hadar how you sat back and let the Federation incinerate your gods.”

The words had the desired effect because Chris saw Fanaian cringing at the thought, not to mention the critical way the Jem’Hadar on the bridge of his ship was eyeing him after that statement. Realizing he had no choice, Fanaian responded in a more sedate tone.

“What do you have in mind?”

Letting out a loud exhale of relief, Chris replied quickly. “We’ve devised a way to penetrate the Reliant’s shield so we can transport a security team on board and take control of the bridge. We can’t do that if the orbital platform or your ships are targeting us. Keep your people off our backs and let us handle this.”

The Vorta’s indecision showed but, in the end, it was his devotion to the Founders that made him capitulate to Chris’s proposal. As much as Fanaian detested to admit it, Chris Larabee had proven once before how capable he was of beating the odds and right now if it meant saving the Founders, Fanaian was willing to accept the man’s help.

“Alright Captain Larabee,” he agreed finally. “It appears I have no choice but to take your lead in this matter.”

“Thank you,” Chris said gratefully, supposing it was just as difficult for the Vorta to trust him as it was for Chris to take his word the Jem’Hadar wouldn’t blow the Maverick out of the sky. However, their mutual need made for a necessary detente.

“But know this,” Fanaian hissed, unable to resist a parting shot. “if this is a trick, we will reduce your ships to ash.”

Unsurprised, Chris retorted in kind. “You can try.”

********

The instant Fanaian’s face vanished from the viewscreen, Chris turned back to his Senior Staff who had been silent throughout his discussions with the Vorta, even though he could feel their eyes burning through his back with questions of their own even if their course of action seemed evident by his exchange with Fanaian.

“Chris,” Buck asked. “You really think this changeling is going to eject the Reliant’s core at the Founders?”

“It’s the only play that makes sense,” Chris said quickly, having considered all other possibilities and knew with a gut instinct he couldn’t explain, this was the right call.

“As the Captain said,” Ezra chimed in, supporting Chris’s position. “The orbitals would have great difficulty shooting it out of the sky once it was ejected. It would be like attempting to strike a fly with a bat.”

“Exactly,” Chris answered promptly. “Alex, I’m going to need you at tactical.”

“Aye Captain,” she answered, giving Ezra a look of acknowledgement.

“Good,” Chris turned to Buck and Ezra, “You two prepare your boarding party. As soon as we penetrate the shields, transport in and put an end to this.”

“Aye Captain,” Buck nodded and led the way to the turbo lift with Ezra following.

Once they were gone, Chris turned to JD. “Hail the Reliant. Use the Code One channel. If that doesn’t get through to them, nothing will.”

********

“Captain,” Christi Henshaw turned to Ella from her seat. “I’m receiving a Priority transmission through the Code One channel.”

“From where?” Robin asked before the Captain could. While they had detected the presence of the five Jem’Hadar ships approaching them on extreme edge of their long-range sensors, there had been no other ship in the immediate vicinity, let alone one capable of sending a signal on a Code One channel. Only a Starfleet vessel could access the channel, used only in cases of planetary emergency. Anyone using it to communicate with them was desperately trying to get their attention.

“If I read this correctly,” Mendon spoke from his station. “It is coming from directly ahead of us, within five thousand kilometers.”

“Five thousand kilometers,” Robin declared, scanning the view screen in front of them and seeing nothing in the darkness beyond but stars. “How can that be?”

“A cloaked ship,” the Captain stated as if unsurprised by the possibility.

“Using a Code One signal?” Christi exclaimed. “But we don’t have cloaked ships! I thought the Treaty of Algeron prohibits Starfleet from developing cloaking technology.”

“The Romulans relaxed those restrictions during the war,” Ella returned smoothly.

“Captain,” Robin exchanged a glance with Christi. Across the bridge, she could see the concern on the faces of the senior staff except for Reese. Then again, he always kept counsel to himself and rarely allowed his true feelings to show. On the other hand, D’Sorra and Mendon, were open books and at present, their expressions showed their uneasiness with the situation. “If they’re transmitting on Code One frequency, we should hear what they have to say.”

“Negative,” Ella shot her a look so sharp it almost drew blood. “According to the conditions of the war games, we are to maintain radio silence no matter what the circumstances. “

While Reese did not react, Mendon, Jena and Christi flinched visibly at the decision. Everyone on the bridge knew Code One transmissions could not be ignored under any circumstances. Despite her instincts telling her everything about this situation felt wrong, Robin’s loyalty to Ella Gaines had kept her from challenging the Captain’s authority throughout this entire mission. However, too many things were starting to feel wrong and Robin could no longer ignore them.

“Captain,” she said quietly unable to believe she was driven to this. “I would like to see you in your Ready Room.”

“For what purpose?” The Captain demanded, her eyes narrowing in calculation.

“Captain, I would like to see these orders from Starfleet.”

Even as she said it, she could not believe the words were coming out of her mouth. What she was doing at the very least was insubordination, at its worst, mutiny. By her question, she was accusing the Captain of falsifying orders. However, considering where they were, poised over the Founder home world, about to be set upon by five Jem’Hadar warships, to say nothing about the orbitals standing guard over the planet, one of which had enough firepower to reduce them to solar dust, Robin had no choice.

“You are out of line Commander,” Ella snapped.

“Captain you may censure me if our orders are exactly as you say, but right now, I need verification of their existence.” Robin stood her ground, thinking about the four hundred lives on board the Reliant who would be lost if this situation went badly.

Time suddenly stopped or slowed to a crawl because no sooner than the words had left her lips, Reese emerged from behind his station, revealing the phaser she had no idea he was concealing within his uniform. As Robin jumped to her feet, the Security Chief was moving just as quickly away from his station. He fired the phaser and Robin could only watch as he put down, Christi, Mendon and Jena in quick succession. As they collapsed to the ground, Robin had no idea whether Reese had used the stun setting or had he fired to kill. In the end, it didn’t matter, Christi was thrown from her chair, landing hard against her side, while Mendon slumped over his station unmoving. Jena had made it off her chair but managed no more than two steps before Reese dropped her.

“What are you doing?” Robin tried to move but before she could get any further, something hard was suddenly pressed against the skin of her throat. Turning slowly, her jaw dropped open in stupefied shock when she saw the Captain standing in front of her, her arm no longer an arm but a sharp pike, ready to spear Robin through the throat if she made a wrong move.

“I don’t want to kill you Robin,” Ella said coldly, “but I will.”

“Oh my God,” Robin stared at her. “You’re a changeling? What have you done with Captain Gaines?”

Ella simply sighed. “She was dead long before you ever came aboard the Reliant Robin, I’ve always been the Captain of this ship.”

Robin’s mind whirled, unable to comprehend how she could have been fooled and realized her Rules to Live By would need serious amendment after this. If she was alive to make the changes. Suddenly everything Christi brought to light made perfect sense. No wonder Starfleet channels were alive with chatter. They were probably reporting the presence of a rogue starship. Her ship.

“Reese,” Ella turned to the security chief. “Target the source of that Code One transmission and fire torpedoes.”

“You can’t!” Robin burst out in horror. “Under cloak, her shields are down! A torpedo will destroy her.”

“Yes,” Ella nodded with a little smile. “It’s time I sent Captain Larabee to his wife.”

“Captain, the Reliant is charging weapons!”

“Son of a bitch!” Chris swore under his breath at Alex’s announcement. He supposed he should have expected it. The changeling impersonating Ella Gaines had proven herself to be singularly ruthless by everything they knew about her thus far. “Shields up! Go to Red Alert! Vin, evasive maneuvers!”

Across the bridge, the remaining members of the senior staff leapt into action at orders hurled at them like artillery fire. Alex had begun raising shields in anticipation of the Captain’s order, knowing as well as he did, if they were to sustain a direct hit from a torpedo without them, the Maverick would not survive the blast. However, raising their shields would mean the loss of their cloak, allowing the Reliant its first glimpse of the galaxy class starship hunting it, as well as a visible target.

“All hands,” JD Dunne’s voice echoed across the Maverick’s communication system as per the captain’s orders. “We are at Red Alert. Repeat, we are at Red Alert. All hands report to your stations, all civilians remain in your quarters. Repeat we are at Condition Red.”

The new lieutenant’s hands flew across his controls, activating alert systems throughout the ship. As he did so, alert panels formerly amber began flashing across the starship, informing the crew at their change of situation. Over the sound of his voice and the hum of the engines, klaxons whined in unison with his announcement, providing him with the additional persuasion needed to drive home the urgency of their current circumstances.

“She’s firing!” Alex shouted excitedly.

“All hands, brace for impact! We are under fire!” JD announced to the crew before Chris could give him the order.

“Vin!” Chris called to the Officer of the Conn, even though he was certain he didn’t need to tell Vin how vulnerable they were. The amount of time until the shields was fully deployed, and they were struck by the torpedoes was too narrow for comfort.

Vin did not answer and in retrospect, Chris should not have been surprised by what happened next. After eighteen months serving with Vin Tanner, Chris had decided Vin was the best helmsman in the fleet and moments like this proved it. If there was an impossible maneuver to be attempted, especially with a ship of this size, Chris could count on Vin to try it. Like now.

“Everyone, hold on!” Vin warned.

The Maverick banked hard as the volley of photon torpedoes flew towards them, every inch of their advance revealed on the view screen with Chris gripping the armrest of his command chair as they approached. He could only watch in a mixture of awe and worry as the Maverick performed a tight corkscrew maneuver that seemed to have it weaving around the trio of torpedoes instead of outrunning them.

Anything that wasn’t bolted down on the bridge went flying through the air. Coffee mugs and data pads became flying projectiles as the Maverick made its 360-degree rotation. A meeting between Buck’s mug and one of the displays on an empty workstation resulted in a loud crash as both shattered. Chris caught sight of JD ducking as a data pad flew over his head while Alex dove under the tactical station when one of the compartments flew open, releasing its payload of instruments in her direction

“First Officer to the Bridge!” Buck who was in Transporter Room 1 waiting for their opening to reach the Reliant, demanded through Chris’s combadge over the chaos.

“We’re fine Buck,” Chris told him quickly. “Stay where you are. We’ve got it handled up here.”

“Yes Captain,” Buck answered, but his voice reflected his reluctance to leave while the ship was in battle.

“Our shields are up!” Alex stated with relief once she managed to get to her feet and study the readings at the tactical station once more. “That was their last free shot, Sir.”

“Damn straight,” Chris growled. “We’re ending this now. Vin bring us about. JD, tell Buck to standby for transport.”

“Aye Sir,” JD replied and glanced at the viewer long enough to take note of the Maverick’s change of direction, bringing it face to face with the Reliant.

“Alex, get the particle beam ready.” Chris eyed the nebula class starship in front of him. It struck him at that moment, if the changeling had not murdered Sarah and Adam, this would have been his ship. The irony of the situation was not lost on him and he focused his mind on the battle once more. She was two-thirds the size of the Maverick, but she was still a formidable ship and nothing to take lightly. Chris had hoped to negotiate, to avoid firing on her but he supposed it had always been a pipe dream. This was going to end the way it had begun. With force. “Prepare to fire at my mark.”

“Arming the particle beam now,” she nodded, anticipating the order as soon as the shields were raised.

Chris stood up from his command chair and walked towards the helm, pausing as he stood next to the Officer of the Conn. “Vin, I need you to get the Maverick as close as you can to the Reliant. I want as to narrow a dispersal area for the beam as possible. There are still 400 innocent people who have no idea what’s going on, I want to minimize the risk to them as much as possible. If we end up piercing their hull because of this, I want the loss of life to be minimal.”

Of course, even one was going to be too much but being Captain meant being able to make such decisions and living with them.

“I hear ya,” Vin answered in his usual stoic way, hiding his pride to serve with this man, not just because Chris Larabee was his best friend but because despite what the changeling had taken from him, Chris was not about to risk the lives of the innocents on board the Reliant on blind vengeance.

As the Maverick flew towards the Reliant with its fully deployed deflector shields, the two ships resembled warring titans in space. They were about to wage a battle where there would be no victors except the solar winds sweeping the debris away when it was all said and done. As the two ships continued their destructive course, it appeared both commanders were similarly matched because neither was flinching in this ancient test of wills.

Chris watched the Reliant loom closer and closer in his view screen and had to give the changeling credit for possessing the fortitude to hold steady in her course, giving not an inch as they headed towards each other. If neither of them blinked and a collision did take place, it would be the Reliant that took the worst of the impact.

“Just say when Chris,” Vin spoke up, knowing perfectly well what Chris intended and hoping for all their sakes the Reliant’s captain was nowhere as stubborn.

“You’ll know it when the time comes.”

“WARNING,” the computer spoke up, thinking it prudent to remind its occupants at the narrowing distance between the two ships. “COLLISION IMMINENT.”

“Stay on this course,” Chris ordered, ignoring the computer’s calls for caution.

The pigeon egg color of the Reliant’s hull came into view, the registration prefix emblazoned across the saucer section sharpening enough to be read now. The Reliant released another volley of torpedoes in the hopes of chasing the Maverick out of its path, but this time the galaxy class ship was ready for the blasts. As they detonated against the shields, the Maverick shuddered but took no damage, continuing its juggernaut course towards the Reliant. When the Reliant finally relented an attempted to veer away, Vin adjusted the Maverick’s trajectory accordingly to ensure they were still heading for the smaller ship head-on.

“Reliant, five thousand meters and closing...” JD advised, taking over Alex’s usual role, aware her concentration would be focused on deploying the particle beam accurately now they were within reach of the other starship.

The Reliant continued to bank hard, trying to shake off the Maverick but Vin was not about to disappoint Chris and ensured they maintained their course towards each other.

“Three thousand meters!”

Suddenly, the Reliant desperate to escape, tipped forward at a sharp angle, just as the Maverick was about to reach her, attempting to pass beneath the larger ship. It was the opening Chris needed.

“That’s it! FIRE!”

The bluish particle beam streaked out of the Maverick’s array the instant the Reliant’s hull came into range and stayed fixed in that position for the few seconds its saucer section stayed in view. The beam pierced through the Reliant’s shield, destabilizing the protons on a quantum level, producing enough instability to create micro-fissures in its integrity.

“Captain it’s working!” Alex announced, maintaining the same calm employed by their absent security chief. “There are micro fluctuations in the shield large enough for transport.”

“Transporter Room, energize!” Chris ordered.

There was no need for Buck Wilmington to respond as the Maverick sailed over the Reliant. The two ships came within a hair’s breadth of each other for less than five seconds, but Chris Larabee knew how to make those seconds count. Even as he barked the order, Rain was activating the transporter beam and sending the boarding party through the weakened shields. Both ships passed each other and continued in separate directions for a short distance before Chris was ordering Vin to come about again.

“Transporter Room! Did it work?”

“Yes Captain,” Transporter Chief Rain answered promptly. “I managed to get them on board but I’m not sure where. The micro fluctuations made it difficult to pinpoint the exact location, but I got them as close to the bridge as I could.”

“Good enough,” Chris replied, grateful it worked without getting picky. Raising his eyes to the viewscreen, the Reliant was making its way towards the atmosphere of Empersa. Returning to his chair, he took a deep breath and stared at the ship doing its best to start a war and thought silently to himself.

Get it done Buck, get it done.

********

True to Transporter Chief Rain’s word to the Captain, the boarding party from the Maverick was unable to transport directly to the bridge but it was close enough. There had been so little time to refine their transport coordinates when the two ships were passing each other, any location that didn’t result in them materializing inside a bulkhead or the warp core was a plus as far as Buck Wilmington was concerned.

Instead, they appeared, all four of them, Buck, Ezra and two security officers, Lt. Gage Lawless and Ensign Jesse Bolander, on Deck 2 just beyond the doors to the turbo lift that would take them to the bridge. Their sudden appearance on the Reliant was met with the shock of the crewmen who happened to be in the corridor at the time. Understandably their presence was met with some concern as the Reliant’s personnel tried to determine if they were friend or foe.

“You,” Buck grabbed the nearest officer to them, a rather anxious ensign in the sciences. The young Tellerite stared at him in surprise, trying to discern how a boarding party was able to beam onto the Reliant through their shield. “I’m Commander Buck Wilmington of the USS Maverick. Your ship has been hijacked and we’re presently about to be blown to hell by an armada of Dominion ships. I want you to get security to meet us on the bridge. Whose your Chief of Security?”

“Lieutenant Reese,” the Tellerite stammered, trying to process the information dump he had just received. “But he’s already on the bridge...with the Captain.”

Buck shot Ezra a knowing look before he returned his attention to the ensign once more. “We’re going to the bridge, get security to meet us up there as soon as possible. Tell them there are changelings on board.”

The Tellarite’s eyes widened in shock at the revelation, aware of just how much danger they were in if it were true.

“That’s an order Ensign, get to it!” Buck snapped. He had no wish to be so harsh but right now he didn’t have time to convince this kid and frankly if the Security Chief was on the bridge already, he might be compromised or worse yet, a changeling.

The sharpness of Buck’s voice had the desired effect and the Tellerite hurried away to carry out the order just as the turbo lift Ezra summoned, arrived with its doors sliding open awaiting their entry.

“Take cover the minute the doors open,” Ezra instructed his officers as they stepped inside the lift. “We may be dealing with two or more of them now.”

“Well we’re still in motion,” Buck stated, “so while that’s happening, we’ve got a chance to stop her from ejecting the warp core.”

“It is going to be difficult,” Ezra returned. “She possesses Captain’s override, she could conceivably lock us out of the main computer and ship’s functions if we do not reach her in time. Phaser set on maximum,” he continued to issue orders to his subordinates. “A changeling can take several direct hits before succumbing. Be on your guard, their ability to shift is considerable.”

However, when the doors to the bridge slid open, what they found was not the start of a firefight, but a near unmanned bridge, save for one person at an empty station. Judging by her uniform and appearance, she was not Captain Gaines. The dark-haired woman ranked commander was the only one standing. Everyone else was unconscious across the floor and lying against one workstation was Lt. Reese. The spread of black across the front of his uniform revealed the evidence of the phaser blast that killed him. He was the only one who appeared struck fatally with a phaser, the other bodies sprawled across the bridge were devoid of similar burns.

“Don’t just stand there!” The commander snapped at the sight of them. “I need your help here! I’m trying to disable the Captain’s override. She’s locked us out!”

“Where’s Captain Gaines?” Buck demanded, stepping out of the lift cautiously, even though there were no weapons aimed at their direction and the situation seemed safe.

“She’s gone! She took off as soon as she detected the transporter beam penetrating the shields. I’m Commander Robin Lefler, First Officer. “

“Check the bodies,” Ezra told his team as Buck approached Commander Lefler. The security chief had expected more resistance when they entered the bridge and as the situation revealed itself to be somewhat anti-climactic, Ezra’s instincts were nowhere as appeased. Something didn’t feel right, he thought as he went to examine his counterpart on the Reliant, the dead Lieutenant Reese.

Meanwhile, Commander Lefler was shouting at Buck. “Tell your ship to stop chasing us! “I’ve managed to access the shields and am powering down the engines.”

Like Ezra, Buck felt uneasy about the situation but could not say why. This was too easy.

“What happened?” Buck asked, trying to hide the suspicion from his voice as he tapped his combadge and opened a channel to the Maverick.

“We’ve been told we were engaged in war games,” she explained, her fingers moving over the console. On the screen, the stars began to slow, and Buck realized she was bringing the ship to a halt. “However, the minute we arrived at Empersa, I began to have doubts. When your ship contacted ours through a Code One channel, the Captain ignored it. That’s when I insisted on seeing the orders...”

“Buck, what’s your status?” Chris Larabee’s voice demanded, interrupting her report.

“We’ve got control of the bridge and have powered down the engines. Commander Lefler, the First Officer is attempting to lower the shields.”

“What about Captain Gaines? Do you have her?”

“Standby Captain, we’re still trying to figure out what’s going on here,” Buck replied and looked up at his counterpart on the Reliant when she raised her eyes to him.

“I’ve lowered the shields,” she announced. On the viewer, they could see the ship coming to an all stop.

“Captain, can you confirm?” Buck asked, aware Chris would have heard the woman’s statement.

There was a pause before the Captain answered. “Yeah, the shields are down.”

Her fingers were still moving across the glass display, her face fixed in concentration and Buck wondered what she was doing now and was about to ask the question when suddenly, the urgent voice of the ship’s computer spoke shrilly over the air.

“WARNING. WARP REACTOR FAILURE IN FIVE MINUTES. REPEAT WARP CORE FAILURE. COMMENCE IMMEDIATE EVACUATION.”

“What the hell?” Buck looked up in shock at the sudden announcement and closed in on Commander Lefler at her station when suddenly, she began to change shape. He could only stare as the features of Robin Lefler gave way for the familiar appearance of Captain Ella Gaines.

“Fooled you,” she smiled before her arm lashed out at him and swatted him across the floor like a rag doll. The phaser flew out of his hand as Buck slammed against the nearby wall.

********

Ezra hated it when he was right.

As he saw Buck go flying across the bridge, Ezra raised his weapon to fire at Captain Gaines when Lt. Reese whom he had been examining, came abruptly back to life. The changeling pounced on him with surprising speed, tackling him to the floor in the blink of an eye. Even as he hit the deck, Ezra could feel the form of the Reliant’s security officer beginning to shift, no doubt to transform into something more formidable. Not about to allow him that advantage, Ezra reacted with just as much speed.

Taking advantage of Reese’s distraction in mid-transformation, Ezra put his enhanced combat training to good use and flipped the changeling over his shoulder with all the strength he could muster. Reese was thrown over his head, landing on the floor behind him as Ezra rolled onto his hands and knees. As the Reliant’s security chief stood up to face him, Ezra saw the changeling was discarding its humanoid shape for its natural state.

Meanwhile Lieutenant Lawless and Ensign Boland were about to split up and assist both the senior officers respectively when suddenly, the floor they had been standing on began to change shape, toppling them both of their feet before either had a chance to determine what was happening. Rising off the deck, the amber blob that had disguised itself as a section of floor shifted into the form of a large alligator, complete with a powerful tail and snapping jaws. Before either of them could fire, it whipped its formidable body around, swiping Lawless off his feet with its tail, while its wide jaws snapped menacingly at Boland.

With the computer continuing to bellow its warning of an imminent core breach, Ezra pulled the trigger on his phaser before Reese was able to shift entirely, conscious of their dwindling time to act. His body resembled a wax figure melting under the heat and appeared rather grotesque when the phaser blast struck him dead center. Reese uttered a shriek of pain as the force of the beam sent him staggering. His cry of pain drove the alligator into a frenzy, and it whipped around towards Ezra, preparing to defend its comrade as it scrambled forward. As it came towards him, Ezra saw Boland getting to her feet and taking aim at the thing.

“Chief watch out!”

Lawless voice burst out just before he shoved Ezra out of the way and for an instant, Ezra wondered why when alligator’s attention had returned to Boland assaulting it with phaser fire. Forced out of the way, he watched in horror to see Reese had recovered and lashed out, turning his limbs into spikes the way Fowler’s own had done on Theta Cygni.

“GAGE!” Ezra screamed in fury as he saw Lawless take the blow meant for him. However, it was too late, and Ezra knew it.

The spike impaled the security officer through the chest and out of his back as blood spurted from the mortal wound, splattering across the floor and walls in a grisly moment of time that seemed to slow for effect. Even as Gage’s cry of agony faded from his lips, Ezra knew he was gone. The younger man’s head lolled back, and his body went limp as the spike receded, leaving him to crumple to the floor in a puddle of his own blood.

The changeling that was Reese wasted no time resuming his effort to kill Ezra.

His eyes narrowed with calculation as he prepared for a similar assault on the Maverick’s chief of security. This time, Ezra was ready for him as the gambler retreated to the rear of the bridge, away from Boland who was too busy dealing with the alligator to help him. To her credit, she was doing well, using the gymnastic skills he had seen in her service record to keep out the creature’s reach, taking shots at it where possible.

“Come on you shapeshifting son of a bitch,” Ezra goaded the changeling using language that was unusually course for him but he only had to look at Gage’s dead body to feel justified. “Let us see how good you really are when you are faced with an opponent of worth.”

“That’s not you, solid.” Reese hissed, the word sounding like a slur.

“Try me,” Ezra said firing at him. The changeling sidestepped the blast easily, but Ezra made no effort to move, holding position, his back against the wall.

The changeling flung the same deadly spike in his direction again, but this time before he could finish Ezra off the way he had done Gage Lawless, the security chief dropped to his haunches, allowing the appendage to fly over his head and pierced the display panel above him. Glass cracked as the changeling’s appendage was driven into the power conduits concealed by it, destroying them in his attempt to impale Ezra. The ruptured conduits sent energy coursing through the morphogenic appendage in spidery webs of blue.

Ezra watched Reese convulsing in agony as several thousand volts of energy ran through him. This time when his body disintegrated, it did not turn into some half-made wax figure, it became black like ash. As the changeling burned, his shrieks filled the air and when Reese fell silent, the charred figure he became maintained its shape for only a second before crumbling completely. Ezra had little time to savor his victory because he had no intention of losing another one of his officers.

“Jesse!” He shouted. “Take my lead!”

She nodded as she rolled across the floor, leaping over the alligator’s whip-like tail. Standing up on one knee, she saw Ezra firing at the creature at point blank range and did the same. Their phasers converged on the enemy forcing the changeling caught in the crossfire to cry out in pain as it was bombarded by the deadly barrage. Ezra would have liked to have offered it a chance at surrender but after what had happened to Gage, he was all out of compassion.

Unable to withstand the united assault, this changeling soon gave up its animal form and returned briefly to its amber shape before the mortal wounds it was sustaining turned its morphogenic flesh into ash. It uttered a final cry of defeat before it became frozen in place like a statue in the middle of the bridge. However, they were not done yet.

There was still one more changeling left.

And it was wearing Ella Gaines’s face.

This bitch was pissing him off.

It wasn’t the kind of language Buck Wilmington normally used when referring to a lady because as a rule, he thought all women had some redeeming qualities, even the ones who were plain outright crazy (but damn were they great in the sack), except this one, wasn’t really a lady was she? Or maybe she was. It was really hard to say with changelings. They could be one or the other, depending on preferences. In the end, it didn’t matter.

This one was still a bitch.

Getting to his feet after she had sent him into a wall, albeit with less drastic effect than what Ezra did with the changeling Reese, he got to his feet and rushed her, determined to wrestle the woman away from the station she was presently operating, no doubt creating more havoc across the ship. Overhead, the computer’s warning about the imminent core breach grew more frantic as the countdown to critical mass continued to tick down.

Unfortunately, the changeling had ideas of her own and met Buck head on, despite being a head shorter than him in her guise as Ella Gaines. With agility that could only come from being a shapeshifter, she managed to lock her fingers around his throat, her nails becoming as hard as steel as they dug into his neck. Throwing a punch into her gut to force her to relinquish her hole on him, Ella staggered backwards, and Buck threw a forward kick into the center of her chest, sending her sprawling.

She flipped onto her hands and knees as he sought out the phaser ripped from his grip and looked up long enough to see Ezra and the security team having troubles of their own as two additional changelings made their appearance and were on the offensive. His attention returned to Ella when he heard something growling in front of him and faced front long enough to glimpse what looked like a Klingon Targ, charging at him.

Buck jumped out of the snorting beast’s path like a rolling dervish before getting to his feet and hearing Ezra’s furious scream. The security chief expression was one of anguish and Buck uttered a similar curse at the sight of Lt. Lawless hitting the deck, bleeding from what was almost certainly a fatal wound. As the targ passed him, it turned back into its humanoid shape again ready to attack but this time Buck was ready.

Drawing from the skills he acquired playing those damn baseball games with JD and Chris, Buck skidded to the floor as the changeling lashed out at him, this time turning her arms into whips so she could coil them around his neck. They passed over his head as he reached her and kicked out his long legs, to sweep her off her feet. The changeling taken by surprise, uttered a cry of indignation as she went down. As she tumbled to the floor, Buck made a scramble for his phaser, lost when she’d struck him earlier.

Grabbing it, he swung around to fire when he saw she was already on her feet. Eyeing him with almost triumphant glee she shouted out loud. “Computer eject the warp core, authorization Captain Gaines, Ella Caroline. Verification Chimaera!”

“AUTHORISATION CONFIRMED,” the computer said in a tone Buck almost considered traitorous. “EJECTING WARP CORE!”

“DAMN IT!” Buck swore ready to incinerate her for that action alone, but the changeling was already ahead of him. She was making her way to her command chair for a purpose he knew couldn’t be good. Giving her no warning, he pulled the trigger, intending to put her down once and for all but the woman changed shape again, hollowed her torso like a doughnut that would have been funny if the situation was not so urgent. She landed heavily on her command chair and tapped the controls on the armrest.

“Initiate pre-programmed transport,” she said hastily as Buck aimed at her again. “Authorization Captain Gaines.”

“NO!” Buck shouted in frustration, hoping to end her when he fired again but she slid out of the chair in an amber glob just as the beam of energy struck the chair, burning a hole through the upholstery. Taking on humanoid shape once she was out of its path, she stood before him as Ella Gaines, ready for the transport she initiated to spirit her away.

With a smile of triumph, she stared at Buck as the glitter of gold appeared around her and made her parting shot. “If the Jem’Hadar doesn’t kill all of you first, tell Captain Larabee I’ll be waiting for him on the surface.”

With that, she vanished off the bridge of the Reliant, leaving Buck to clean up the mess.

********

From the bridge of the Maverick, Chris did not need to see for himself the unfolding drama on the bridge of the Reliant to know it had gone poorly. The instant the warp core made its appearance on the viewer, he knew the changeling had managed to get its way, despite all their efforts to prevent it. As it tumbled through the darkness, moving swiftly towards Empersa, bringing with it the doom of the Founders, the reactor left a luminescent trail of blue as it made its journey. For a moment, Chris thought absurdly of the marine life in the depths of the ocean, except they weren’t the instrument of genocide.

There was no time to debate what was taking place on the Reliant, or how the Jem’Hadar was going to react to this because the changeling’s endgame was in play and if there was any chance of averting war, he would have to act, and he would have to do it now. The closer the reactor tumbled towards Empersa, the greater the blast radius was going to be, as it was even if they manage to destroy it, its current position could do significant harm to the planet’s surface, to say nothing about the Founders who lived there.

“How long till it blows?” Chris demanded, his eyes averting from the view screen to his science officer. Judging by the concentration on her face as she studied her console, he guessed she had anticipated his question well before hearing it. When her jaw dropped slightly open and her eyes widened, he knew her report would not be good.

“Ninety seconds.”

Ninety seconds. It felt like a gut to the punch, but he’d taken a few of those in his time and recovered quickly. Ninety seconds was barely enough time to do anything, but Chris had worked with those odds before and knew there was a chance to avert the countdown to war that began the instant the Reliant had gone on its rogue mission.

“Alex, grab it with a tractor beam,” he ordered, the tone of his voice indicating he was to be obeyed with the minimum of argument.

“Aye Captain,” Alex nodded, knowing this was the only course left to them but in Buck’s absence, she was compelled to speak. “Captain, I’m activating the beam but even when we snag it, I don’t know if we can get it far away enough from the planet in the time we have.”

Chris had expected that.

“Vin, the minute we have it, I want you to hit maximum warp. Take her to 9.9.”

The order made Vin look over his shoulder, his brow arching in the way only a Vulcan’s could. Like Alex, Vin would obey unconditionally but it was his duty as a Starfleet officer to speak up when his captain made a risky demand like this. “Chris, we won’t be able to hold the reactor for long if we hit high warp.”

“I know,” Chris answered, ready for that possibility. “We won’t be in warp for more than ten seconds. Ten seconds will be long enough to get us to minimum safe distance from Empersa. JD, contact the Reliant, tell Buck what we’re doing.”

“Yes Captain,” JD answered, grateful for the opportunity to talk to the First Officer because the ejection of the warp core made him fear the worst for his mentor and what might have taken place on the bridge of the Reliant.

“Captain, tractor beam has been engaged! I’ve got it.” Alex announced and as she did, the view screen revealed the bubble of energy surrounding the warp reactor, holding it in place like a fly in amber.

“Punch it Vin!”

Chris’s order to Vin coincided with the Maverick lurching forward as the helmsman, poised for that announcement engaged the warp drive and sent the starship surging forward. The stars in the viewscreen rushed by the ship, moving so fast they stretched like filaments of light across the black canvas. The sudden acceleration made Chris stagger on his feet and it took him a second to regain his balance as the rear view afforded by the screen in front of him revealed Empersa growing smaller and smaller in the distance.

The warp reactor remained in the grip of the tractor beam although he could see its grasp begin to erode the further and further away from the planet they got. In the background, he heard JD’s voice helpfully counting down how many seconds they were in warp so Vin would know when to slow down.

“Six...seven...eight...”

Empersa continued to shrink in the viewer and when the planet and the orbitals guarding it were little more than specks in the distance, Chris knew it was time to relinquish hold of their burden.

“Nine....ten!”

“Vin, take us out of warp.” If the reactor was released while the Maverick was still at warp, it would be obliterated the instant it penetrated the warp field and most likely take the Maverick with it. As the stars slowed to a crawl once again, indicating their return to normal space, Chris had only to look at Alex for her to know what came next.

“Releasing the reactor now. Thirty seconds until it reaches critical!”

The bubble of energy surrounding the warp core vanished immediately following Alex’s announcement. Freed of the tractor beam keeping it restrained, the reactor tumbled aimlessly through the black, now that it was no longer compelled by the gravitational field of the planet. They had towed it clear of Empersa and it is surrounding moons and the only thing threatened by it reaching critical was them.

“Vin get us out of here!” Vin barked, even though Chris was convinced Vin was doing that anyway. The helmsman always seemed to know what was in his mind and this occasion was no different because the Maverick surge forward before he even had a chance to finish his sentence. The sudden burst of acceleration made Chris stagger slightly before he returned to his command chair. As the ship continued to speed away from the reactor, its bright glow blinked out of existence for a second.

In space, there was no sound but everyone on the bridge knew when the reactor reached critical mass. The space behind them turned bright as if an infant sun had been born. Not one corner of the view screen was spared from the brilliant flare of bluish-white light until they were flinching from the glare of it.

“All hands brace for impact!” JD warned the crew as every alert sensor on the ship came alive in warning of the wave of energy about to sweep over them.

“Emergency evasive maneuvers!” Chris barked.

When the wave struck, the Maverick was hurled forward, until the deck below was tilted at a 45-degree angle. Chris gripped the armrests of his chair to avoid being thrown out of it and through the whine of klaxons and the powerful shuddering of the ship, he saw Vin and JD gripping the corners of their stations to keep from being unseated themselves. The helmsman had a harder time of it, attempting to ride the wave instead of letting the Maverick be swept away by it, which might result in damage to the ship.

For a few seconds, the Maverick shuddered violently as it was propelled forward by the force of the blast from the reactor breach. Watching through the viewer, Chris felt his teeth chatter in his head as the ship was flung through space, with Vin doing his level best to ensure the Maverick rode the currents instead of being ripped apart by them.

After what seemed like an eternity, the shuddering dissipated and the klaxons no longer screamed in outrage at the rough handling, choosing to complain in less ear-splitting whines. Chris let out a sigh of relief, seeing the wave disperse the further and further away from the blast they were. Running his gaze over his bridge, the Captain of the Maverick flashed them all a wry smile of pride.

“Damage report.” He tapped his com.

“We’re a little singed Captain,” Julia answered from engineering amid issuing orders to her engineering crew to repair the damage relays and fried sensors resulting from the energy overload across their hull. “But we’re alright. We sustained minimal damage. The shields protected us from the worst of it.”

“Good,” Chris nodded in approval, once again feeling pride in his ship and his crew at handling this latest crisis. “Get back to work and put my ship together.”

“Your ship?” Julia’s voice asked playfully before her voice sobered. “Aye Captain.”

“Alright,” he said facing front again once Julia returned to work. “Vin get us back to the Reliant. We’ve got some unfinished business with Captain Gaines.”

********

Understandably the reaction from Kugat, the Rigellian Assistant Chief of Security, upon being told his Captain and Chief Reese were changelings, one of skepticism.

Not that Ezra could blame the seven-foot saurian, with his reptilian features and armored skin, for his disbelief. Ezra supposed if someone had told Drew Katovit a similar story about Chris Larabee and himself, the man would have a similar reaction. Unfortunately, the truth was all too evident in the remains of the dead changelings left behind on the bridge. At least the bridge crew of the Reliant was coming out of their unconscious state after being heavily stunned by Chief Reese.

“That is impossible,” the Rigellian stuttered, his dark eyes staring at Jesse who was helping a disorientated Benzite to his feet. “I have served with both for almost three years, there’s no way they could have been changelings.”

“I understand your feelings Lieutenant,” Ezra said with sympathy. “We were no less shocked when we uncovered the truth. The body of Captain Gaines has been recovered in the Bajoran system, it appears she has been dead for a long time.”

“Great Zon,” Kugat shook his head in astonishment. “We were told we were engaged in war games employing a scenario involving Cardassian terrorists who wanted revenge against the Founders for what they did on Cardassia Prime.”

“A plausible explanation,” Ezra replied, admitting begrudgingly the changeling falsifying the records had a believable ruse to use against her crew. “Unfortunately, ever since we learned the truth, every ship in the fleet has been hunting the Reliant. We were uncertain how many changelings were on board so I suggest you instruct your personnel to run phase scans of every deck, coupled with blood tests to ferret out any others that might be still on board.”

While he doubted there were any others, Ezra wanted to make sure. After what happened to Gage, Ezra would risk no one else by taking anything for granted.

Meanwhile, Buck was wrestling with the main computer at an unoccupied station, discovering ‘the Captain’ had locked out the mainframe before she had transported off the bridge. If this were the Maverick, the lack of the Captain’s presence on board would allow the First Officer to gain control of the ship. Even though the Dominion had made no threatening moves towards them, especially after the Maverick spirited away the discarded warp reactor from Empersa, they were in a precarious state. The impulse engines still generated power, but without the warp drive, the Reliant was crippled. The journey to the wormhole and the Alpha Quadrant, previously taking only hours to traverse would now span weeks at sub-light speed.

“Ezra, I need your help here,” Buck growled giving up in frustration. “We need to get into the main computer. She’s locked us out of all systems.”

Hopefully, Ezra with his Class 1- Advance programming skills might have better luck.

Ezra left Lt. Kugat to his devices and crossed the floor to join Buck, empathizing with Buck’s chagrin at their present circumstances. The sight of those weapons platforms made Ezra uneasy to say nothing of the fact they were now in a ship incapable of escaping should Fanaian’s Jem’Hadar battleship choose to attack. At least, the Maverick’s removal of the warp reactor, preventing the destruction of the Founders, had earned them some goodwill, enough Ezra hoped to prevent any hostilities until the Maverick could tow them back to the wormhole.

“I will do what I can Commander,” Ezra stated on approach. “However, even with my considerable skills, breaking through will not be easy.”

“We have to try,” Buck insisted. “We’ve got to get this ship out of here and more importantly, figure out where that bitch went.”

“I thought you said she was transporting to the surface of Empersa,” Ezra remarked.

“I did,” Buck nodded. “But sure, as hell when Chris gets back here, he’s going to want to know exactly where she went.”

Suddenly the door to the Ready Room slide open and both Ezra and Buck went for their phasers at the same time. After the surprise attack by the changeling disguised as a floor no less, neither were taking any chances. The same reaction was garnered by the Reliant’s own security team, as all eyes were fixed on the doors parting.

Robin Lefler stumbled out, clutching her bleeding forehead and stopping at the sight of all the weapons trained in her direction.

“What the hell?” She demanded, her dark eyes sweeping across the bridge in question at all the new faces she didn’t recognize, in particular, Buck’s and Ezra’s. As First Officer of the Reliant, she knew everyone on board, and she knew in an instant to the two men in front of her were not of the Reliant.

“Commander Lefler I presume?” Ezra asked and glanced at the security personnel present to stand down.

“Yes,” she nodded, wincing slightly at the pain radiating from the rather nasty bruise on her forehead. “Where is...” she paused, uncertain how to refer to the changeling calling itself Ella Gaines. “The Captain...changeling, whatever it is.”

“She’s gone,” Buck said eyeing the bruise on her head swollen enough to split and bleed. “She’s locked us out of the main computer just after she ejected the warp core.”

“Oh my God,” Robin gasped wasting no time, striding towards them. “We’ve lost warp?”

“Afraid so,” Buck answered, stepping aside to give her access to the station. “We’re from the Maverick. This here is our Chief Security Officer Ezra Standish and I’m Commander Buck Wilmington, First officer. We manage to get the warp reactor away from the planet before she could destroy the Founders.”

“Thank God,” Robin sighed with relief. “When your ship sent the Code One transmission, I insisted on seeing the orders for the war games she insisted we were conducting. That’s when she launched torpedoes at your ship. When you deployed your particle beam and penetrated our shields, she knocked me out.”

“We guessed as much,” Ezra nodded. “I’m gratified she did not choose to kill you as she had been doing to most of the people she’s impersonated.”

“Like the real Ella Gaines,” Robin said bitterly, unable to believe the friendship she shared with the woman these past five years was a lie. It was Ella who recommended her for the position of First Officer when Commander Valerian was promoted to the captaincy of the Sakharov. “Computer unlock mainframe, authorization Lefler, Robin, Commander. Verification Crusher.”

The computer detecting the absence of the Captain immediately ceded to the authority of its First Officer. “Authorisation granted to Commander Lefler.”

With that, the ‘Access Denied’ lettering stubbornly splayed across the display vanished and the blinking cursor on the screen revealed the computer’s readiness to accept new instructions.

“It’s done, we’re in,” Robin announced to the two men.

“Good,” Buck said with relief. “She performed a pre-programmed transport so she could get away. We need the coordinates of where she went.”

“We’re going after her?” Robin asked, more than ready to participate in that particular duty after being duped so completely.

“Not us,” Buck said as he saw the Maverick sailing back into view of the monitor screen. “There’s a certain Captain who's been waiting a long time to do that himself.”

“All set?”

“Yeah,” Sarah smiled at him through the display of the computer in his quarters on board the Rutherford. Behind her, the setting sun of the Martian landscape could be seen through the window and Chris knew she had just gotten back from work at the local school. “I said goodbye to my class. They made me this.”

She held up to the screen the drawing made for her so he could see it. Chris broke into a grin at the artwork, complete with luminescent colored crayons, glitter and bright stickers of stars sparkling across the paper. Featured prominently was a figure with dark hair, sitting on a spaceship with the word emblazoned ‘Mrs. Captain’ above them. It was the kind of thing that could only be produced by a group of seven-year-olds, the age where Santa was still real, and magic ruled their imaginations.

“Mrs. Captain,” Chris laughed. “I like the sound of that.”

“I don’t,” she made a face, “I had my heart set on being Mrs. Admiral.”

Being reminded of her favorite nickname for him sent a flood of affection through Chris’s soul and he was reminded again of how much he missed her absence in his life. While the Rutherford had been a great assignment, the ship was not made for families and the hardest thing he had been forced to do when accepting the promotion was doing so realizing Sarah and Adam couldn’t come with him. As a result, the family settled on Mars where she taught second graders with Chris taking every opportunity to get back to Earth to see them.

“Where’s Adam?” Chris asked, peering over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of his son.

“Hannah’s bringing him back from the park,” she replied, referring to the teenage sitter who picked him up from school and took care of him before Sarah got home from work. “One of his classmates is having a birthday party there.”

“How’s he taking the news of the move?” Chris still felt a little guilty about displacing them from the life they had built these last two years since he was assigned to the Rutherford.

“He’s just happy he’s going to see his daddy again,” Sarah assured him, aware he was still feeling some guilt about having to spirit them away to a new ship and ultimately, a new life.

“Me too,” Chris replied unafraid to admit it. He never thought being a family man could agree with him so much and part of the reason he was able to make the tough calls was knowing he had the love and support of Sarah and Adam behind him. It was rather sobering to realize how much he missed them during the two years of their separation but soon they were going to be together again, and Chris couldn’t be happier.

Basking in the sight of Sarah, Chris longed to touch her and ached at the reality there were several dozen light years between them. “Sarah, are you okay with all this? I hate to think I’m taking you away from your class, especially when you love them so much. I mean I don’t have to take the promotion, I could stay on the Rutherford.”

“Chris,” she gave him that look that implied nothing but impatience. “You’ve worked all your life for this chance. You said it yourself, a year from now, you’ll be Captain. It's what you’ve always wanted.”

“That’s not all I want Sarah,” he met her eyes and even though they were so far apart, he knew she could read him. “It stopped being the only thing when I met you and you gave us Adam. I won’t sacrifice one for the other.”

Sarah placed her hand on the screen and Chris did the same, their palms meeting each other and for a second, the cold glass gave way to the illusion of flesh. “Chris Larabee, you are not sacrificing anything. I didn’t put up with you for the last decade so I would stay a First Officer’s wife, I want the brass ring. I want to walk around a starship and have people throw garlands at my feet for being the Captain’s wife. I fully expect to have my ass kissed by all those junior officers’ wives trying to score points with the Captain.” She winked at him playfully.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Chris laughed at her sense of humor. God, he loved this woman. “They only do that when you’re an Admiral.”

“Well that’s it then,” she retreated her hand. “I’m not going. I’m leaving you to wait for an Admiral to sweep me off my feet.”

“Alright, alright,” he threw his hands up in surrender. “I’ll take the promotion on the Reliant and conquer the Gamma Quadrant in the name of the Federation so I can become an Admiral. The things I have to do for you.”

“Damn straight,” she smiled at him and then replied in a gentler tone. “I love you Chris. I don’t care where I am, just as long as I’m with you.”

Chris felt his heart swell again; the way it had the first time he saw her at that tea house. “I love you too Sarah.” Glancing at the time display at the corner of the screen, Chris sighed knowing it was time for him to go on duty. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you in two days on Earth.”

“We’ll be waiting,” she smiled. “See you, Admiral.”

“See you, Mrs. Admiral.”

But they wouldn’t be waiting because in two days, she and Adam would be dead, and part of Chris Larabee would die with them.

********

Alex should have seen this coming.

The instant the changeling’s transport coordinates were relayed to the Maverick, she should have guessed how Chris Larabee was going to react. While Buck remained on the Reliant to debrief its crew on the situation with its captain, Alex had assumed the Captain would be dealing with Fanaian who was standing by with his small armada of Jem’Hadar ships. However, the instant the main computer on the Reliant was unlocked and the revelation of the changeling’s destination had been made, the Captain had only one thought in his mind.

“Captain, you can’t go down there on your own!” Alex declared hotly. With Buck off the ship, she was acting First Officer and when Chris Larabee voiced his intention to beam to Empersa alone, it took no clairvoyance to know why.

“This isn’t a democracy Commander,” he eyed her menacingly as he strode towards the turbo lift intending to leave the bridge. “I’m going.”

Alex tossed a quick look at Vin whose expression revealed his concern and his readiness to speak up. Before he could, she shook her head slightly, just enough to let him know he needed to let her handle this. For the sake of his friendship with Chris Larabee and their functioning on the bridge, there were lines between the two men that could not be crossed, and this was one of them.

The Captain was a juggernaut of vengeance now, revealing a side of himself, not seen since he first learned his family was murdered, not the victims of an accident. If Buck was here, Alex would have happily allowed him to deal with the Captain, but he was not, and she was acting First Officer in his stead.

Vin wanted to protest but he knew Alex was right. He and Chris had become the friends they had because Vin knew when to pull back and to never blur the lines between friendship and duty. When Chris was like this, he was liable to use the full weight of his Captaincy to get his way and the junior officer who dared to speak up in protest would be crushed under it. As much as Vin hated it, this was Alex’s battle to fight.

When the doors slid open, Alex was dogging Chris’s heels and she stepped into the narrow confines with him. Chris’s face showed his annoyance and Alex could not help but flinch when pinned by the infamous Larabee glare. On most occasions, she could be fearless but the Captain who had both her respect and admiration was one of the few people who could intimidate her. However, he had once saved her from despair and as much as he didn’t wish to accept her help now, she was going to do her best to return the favor.

“At least let Lt. Katovit assign a security detail to you,” she insisted.

“I’ll be fine Commander,” he said tautly, clutching the phase rifle he had liberated from the weapons locker on the bridge.

“Captain,” Alex said exasperated and then sucked in her breath. “Computer halt lift.”

Chris shot her a look of pure ice when the lift came to a stop, giving her clear indication his patience on her interference was just about exhausted. He was going down there to face the killer of his wife and child, nothing was going to stop him from doing that. “Commander, you are on a fast track to insubordination.”

“I don’t care about that,” she said sharply and met his fierce glare with a look of sympathy because meeting him will for will was not going to make him see sense. “Chris, I care about you. You’re not just my Captain, you’re my friend. If Buck was here, I’d let him talk to you but I’m all you’ve got right now. You need to stop and think about this. You can’t just kill her.”

“Watch me,” Chris hissed.

Alex blinked, thinking how reminiscent this was to a conversation they had almost a year and a half ago, when Gul Lemar had come aboard the Maverick and she was ready to kill the bastard for what he had done to her. Chris talked her off that ledge, reaching her when no one else could, not even Vin. He hadn’t just saved her life that day, he’d earned her undying loyalty. This was a Captain she would serve until death, whose side she would always be on, not because he was her husband’s best friend, but because he was her Captain and always would be.

“Chris, I know how you feel.”

He opened his mouth to object and then thought better of it because she was right. This changeling had taken a child from her too and the memory of her pain kept him silent.

“I know you want vengeance and you have every right to it but do this the right way,” she met his eyes. “You stopped me from doing something that would have ruined my life and I don’t want the same thing to happen to you. You have people who care about you, who love you, who would walk through fire for you. Don’t throw that way because of vengeance. It’s not worth it and it will haunt you forever, even if you don't’ think it matters now.”

Chris blinked, wanting to say something harsh but he couldn’t. No matter how enraged he was, he could not ignore the truth that pain was something she was more than familiar with and yes, he had made the same arguments to her.

“I don’t feel them any more Alex,” Chris looked up at her finally. “I miss her, and I miss the life we had together, but I can’t feel her. When she was alive, no matter where she was, I could always feel her. She was like this angel on my shoulder, always there even when she wasn’t. When I was on Earth, I went to the places we’d been because missing her was like a knife in my heart but when I got down to it, I just couldn’t remember how it feels to touch her hair, to hear her laugh at me. I’m losing her Alex, I’m losing her for good. Not just her, but Adam too.”

It was true, with Mary and the older Adam in his life, the memories were eroding even faster. Sarah and Adam were becoming pictures in a book he had closed in his mind, no longer looked at, because it would only lead to pain. He didn’t want to lose Sarah or Adam, but the truth was, it was happening whether he liked it. Perhaps killing the changeling and letting the act of vengeance haunt him forever was the only way to keep them with him.

Alex took a step forward, slid her hand around his neck and drew him close. Chris didn’t resist as he felt her forehead touch his. For a moment, neither were Starfleet officers, or friends, or even man or woman, they were just two people who knew pain, who understood the wreckage it could wreak through the heart.

“Chris, you know better than me, you’ll never lose them. Everything you are, everything that makes you Chris Larabee, is because of what they left behind in your heart. I don’t know what your Sarah was like but from what Buck tells me, she was amazing. Consider what she would think about all this, about what you’re going to do. I can’t stop you from going down to that planet, but I want you to you think about the woman you’re going to avenge and decide if this is how she would want you to honor her. “

Chris pushed away from her at that moment, his eyes almost moist as he looked at Alex. “I am still going down there Alex,” he said quietly, “but I’ll promise I’ll try to do that.”

Alex nodded, deciding she had done all she could. What would happen, would simply happen and she hoped Chris Larabee could live with it after.

********

When he materialized on Empersa, Chris wasn’t certain what he was expecting.

Since the day he was told by Q, Sarah and Adam had died at someone’s hand, Chris had been chasing this moment. He chased it through is dreams, through his life and almost to the brink of his command. Facing the unknown enemy had driven him this last year and now that the moment was upon him, he knew one way or another, justice would be done today.

The coordinates had him appearing in a scab of rock in the middle of what appeared to be a vast ocean, except it was unlike any ocean he had ever seen. There were no tides and though he saw ripples on the surface, he knew it was not water. It resembled honey and the gold that glimmered under the reddish-hued sky made the place look unreal. Suddenly, he realized where he was. This was the Great Link. He was surrounded by Founders.

“Glorious isn’t it?”

Chris spun around, raising the phaser rifle in his hands in readiness to fire. What he saw made him drop the weapon to his side instantly. Standing in front of him was Sarah.

She was wearing the same dress she wore the day they had met, the one that made him think she had stepped out of a fairy tale. Her dark hair swayed a little in the breeze and seeing her almost broke him in half. For a moment, he wanted so much for it to be her, he would have accepted the lie. What did it matter if he could touch her again or hear her laugh? But it wasn’t true, and he knew it. The changeling was using it because it knew, seeing Sarah was the only thing keeping him from reducing it to ash.

“Take my wife’s face off, you bitch.” He almost snarled the words.

“Oh, come now Chris,” the changeling gloated triumphantly, knowing exactly just how deep she was cutting him with this action. “This wasn’t meant to be cruel. I thought before you died, you should get to see her again.”

Chris raised the rifle; this time outrage had wiped away the pain of seeing Sarah’s image being used against him.

“I SAID NOW!” He pulled the trigger and a bolt of energy impacted the rock next to her, causing it to explode spectacularly, sending broken fragments and dust in all directions.

The changeling sighed as she was dealing with an impertinent child. “Fine, if you’re going to be all disagreeable about it.” She shifted form again, this time becoming Captain Ella Gaines. Once she wore the mask, she had been using to deceive everyone for the last five years, she regarded Chris. “You know it was not like I intentionally set out to kill them?”

The casual way she spoke made Chris want to shoot her down dead, but Alex’s words had stuck, (damn her), and he controlled his temper, which was fast reaching boiling point. “I know,” he said bitterly, “collateral damage, wasn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so,” she said a matter-of-factly, she stood before him almost relaxed as she revealed with an almost casual air, how she had ruined his world and taken from him the love of his life. “If it wasn’t for the Reliant, I would have hardly cared. When I was instructed to infiltrate the ship, I considered what would be the best way to serve and then I heard you were up for the captaincy, it was just perfect.”

“Perfect?” Chris was barely able to speak from the sheer audacity of it. “You took everything that mattered to me! You could have gone on board as anyone, but you decided the best way was murdering a mother and child? And not just my family, but you almost killed one of my officers and made her lose hers!”

She looked at him completely unrepentant. “We do what we must in war Chris. You’re a soldier, you understand that, don’t you?”

“We’re not at war,” Chris hissed. “No matter how much you tried to make it happen. The Dominion lost, get over it.”

“Never!” She glared at him, showing the first signs of anger. “You won because the Founders are cowards. They don’t have the will to fight. I do! When I take charge, we will bring the Alpha Quadrant to their knees, like we should have done in the first place.”

“You’re going to do nothing,” Chris raised his gun, realizing he might not kill her out of vengeance but if she made any attempt to start a war, he’d put her down for the sake of two quadrants, not just the Federation.

“How do you propose to stop me?” She challenged. “You’re going to kill me?”

Chris fell silent for a moment and the answer came to him even before he realized he had reached it. “No.”

Ella’s gaze showed her contempt, but it was soon replaced by calculation. “You Starfleet types are so predictable, so bound by your rules of fairness and justice. Don’t you know the universe doesn’t work that way? Where were these high-minded sensibilities when I was alone and lost in your Alpha Quadrant? Where was your tolerance when they tried to cage us and enslave us? You couldn’t even win fairly, you had to poison the Founders to force our surrender. We shapeshifters have been oppressed long enough, always being used or feared. I will change all that.”

“You’re changing nothing,” Chris said coldly. “I’m not killing you because I can’t pull the trigger. I’m not killing you because the woman whose face you’re wearing hated violence and the worst thing I could do is to kill someone in her name.”

“Your weakness is why I’ll win.”

“You’ve got nothing,” Chris glared at her, but inwardly, he was concerned by what he saw in her eyes. There something beneath the surface, something she was hiding, despite her willingness to talk. “I may not be able to kill you, but your little plan to kill the Founders is over. The Reliant is intact, I’ve told the Dominion exactly what has happened. They’re aware of your rogue cell and they know the Federation had nothing to do with it. The warp reactor was detonated nowhere near Empersa. You failed. Five years of playing the part of Ella, and you still managed to screw it up.”

“I never fail,” she sneered. “You think I didn’t have a contingency plan? I always had a Plan B, Chris.”

Chris did not like the sound of this. “Really, do tell.”

“How about I show you?” Holding out her hand, lifting from beneath the skin to sit comfortably on her open palm was a vial and in it's a darkish substance that looked as ominous as it was no doubt deadly to someone. “This is the morphogenic virus created by Section 31, newly improved, of course, so Odo has no defense against it. All I have to do is infect the Great Link and they’ll all die.”

“Put it down!” Chris warned, ready to fire again. This time, he wasn’t going to hesitate to make the kill shot.

Giving him a sly smile, she shifted again and just when he thought turning into Sarah was the cruelest thing she could do, she changed into a five-year-old boy with his eyes and Sarah’s smile. “You won’t shoot me will you Daddy?”

Chris grit his teeth, for a moment, unable to speak. Even though he had a teenage version of Adam in his life, Chris still remembered the little baby who changed his entire view of the world the first time Chris looked into his small, pink face. He blinked away the memory of Adam running into his arms whenever he walked into their quarters or watching Adam take his first steps. There were so many little gems about Adam he remembered, things he kept close to his heart, and yet it was always followed by the anguish of knowing there would be no more, not for that little boy he loved so much.

“You bitch,” he whispered, watching her take Adam’s tiny steps to the shore, where she intended to poison her race. Once again, he squeezed the trigger and the blast impacted impotently at the ground near her feet. “You think wearing my son’s face is going to keep me from killing you? Don’t you know? I’m not seeing Adam! I’m seeing the thing that killed him.”

“You ought to thank me,” she spoke in Adam’s voice. “If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be the captain you are. I made you strong Chris. You’re a great Captain, possibly one of the best in the fleet, but you wouldn’t have got there with your precious family holding you back. I freed you.”

Chris pulled the trigger.

The beam struck the tiny figure in the chest, driving the form of Adam to his knees. The child stared at him in betrayal and Chris wanted to die right there and then before he reminded himself, he hadn’t shot Adam. The phaser rifles whose power was a great deal more intense than a phaser, wounded the changeling enough for her to discard her shape and Chris was grateful for that small comfort because now she had reverted to the form of Ella Gaines.

“You’re not going to kill me,” she stated, beginning to realize now she might have miscalculated his response to her use of his wife and son as props in this confrontation. “I was a Starfleet Captain just like you. No matter what, you won’t betray Federation ethics to murder me.” She continued toward the shore.

Chris fired again.

This time the beam struck her in the torso and she doubled over, her uniform revealing the burn from the phaser. The uncertainty showed on her face but also the defiance. Just looking at her told Chris what she was going to do next. He adjusted the settings on the phase rifle accordingly and gave her his last warning. This time, he was speaking to her, not as a grieving father and husband, but as the Captain of the Maverick.

“Stand down Captain,” he afforded her that much mostly because he had no idea what else to call her. “I won’t tell you again.”

She straightened up, staring at him defiantly, aware now she was up against the movable force of nature that was Chris Larabee’s will. With a gleam in her eyes that told him in no uncertain terms what she was going to do, she lunged towards the amber sea in front of her.

The shot from the phase rifle caught her in mid torso once again, except this time he had not lied when he gave her his last warning. She uttered a shriek of agony and indignation as she and the vial she carried disintegrated in a brief glow of fiery gold, before flickering out for good. He watched what she was, dissipate into nothingness, taking with her, the last vestiges of his control.

For a few seconds, he could do nothing but stand there, staring into the Great Link but seeing only the wife and son he lost, the life he imagined with her on that sidewalk in San Francisco. He thought bringing their killer to justice would finally fill the hole inside of him, but it did not. He felt oddly empty. Amid his pain, however, he suddenly wished Mary was here.

“Are you alright?”

Chris spun around in shock, thinking he was alone and finding himself standing in front of a changeling. Unlike Ella who looked entirely human, this one was clearly not, even though he wore humanoid shape and had slicked back gold hair. His face was unformed, like a clay sculpture yet to be shaped.

“Constable Odo?” Chris managed to say once his surprise subsided.

“Yes,” Odo nodded and then repeated himself. “Are you alright, Captain Larabee?”

“Yeah,” Chris nodded, a little dazed, his emotions still raw and exposed. “I’m fine or rather I will be.”

The Constable nodded and said nothing, waiting for the Captain of the Maverick to compose himself.

“You were watching?” Chris asked, trying not to sound angry, but he could have done without that confrontation, considering how dirty the Ella changeling had been willing to play. He was going to need a stiff drink with Josiah to purge the image of shooting Adam out of his mind.

“Yes, we were,” Odo answered, guessing what was on Chris’s mind. “I told the others to hold back, to see what would happen?”

“What would happen?” Chris raised his voice. “I was just forced to shoot a changeling who looked like my dead five-year-old son! The same changeling who orchestrated his and his mother’s murder!” He glared at the former security chief of Deep Space Nine. It was an experience I would have preferred to live without.”

“I know and I’m sorry, but it served a purpose,” Odo explained kindly, understanding the man’s rage. In that way, he was not unlike another Captain he had known, one who was just as passionate about family as Chris Larabee. “My people needed to see you fighting for them. I have been trying to convince them not all solids are dangerous. You were willing to take her in alive, even after what she did to your family. It was only the threat to us that forced your hand. I know it doesn’t mean much to you after what just happened, but it does to us. It makes it possible for the Founders to see the solids as future friends, not cold war enemies on the other side of the wormhole.”

“I believe in the peace,” Chris admitted quietly, his anger fading somewhat considering that explanation. In truth, nothing was ever going to spare him from suffering some anguish. “If what you just saw helps us maintain it, then I can accept it.”

“Thank you,” Odo replied. “I have notified Fanaian and the rest of the Dominion ships above us, the Reliant and the Maverick are to be given safe passage through to the wormhole, with the Founders thanks.”

Bet Fanaian would have loved that, Chris thought allowing himself a sliver of satisfaction.

“Thank you,” Chris said graciously before another thought struck him. “There were a hundred of you sent through the wormhole two centuries ago. I think you better start taking a head count of where they all are. Ella wasn’t alone, she had at least four other accomplices. There’s no telling how many others are out there.”

“That’s true,” Odo nodded and the displeasure in his voice harkened back to the security officer he had once been. “Rest assured, we’ll be attending to the matter ourselves.”

“Good,” Chris nodded and tapped his combadge. “Until the next time Constable.”

“Likewise, Captain Larabee. “

With that, Chris tapped his combadge. It was time to get the hell out of Empersa and back to his ship.

“Security Chief’s Log - Stardate 2378.254.

Following our boarding of the Reliant to enlighten its crew at the perilous situation they were in thanks to the deception carried out by the changeling, we returned to the Maverick, leaving the ship in the capable hands of its First Officer, Commander Robin Lefler. Understandably, the crew is suffering a serious blow to morale after learning their Captain, many of whom served with the lady for years, was an imposter. Fortunately, Commander Lefler, whose indomitable spirit and refusal to allow the situation to best her, is determined to help her crewmates through this crisis.

Captain Larabee’s confrontation with the imposter, resulting in the changeling’s demise while attempting to assassinate the Founders, has placed us in good stead with the Dominion who are rather pleased with our efforts to save their deities. While I am still unhappy the Captain chose to transport to the surface alone, he resolved the matter with typical effectiveness, though I suspect the emotional toll has been significant. It was telling when he left the bridge to the First Officer and chose to take some time alone in his quarters. He has kept many of the detail regarding his final meeting with the imposter silent, but I have no doubt that it has played havoc with his emotions.

Fortunately, the Captain’s success in thwarting an assassination attempt on the Founders has been met with considerable goodwill from the Dominion. While the Maverick was forced to tow the Reliant back to the wormhole and the Alpha Quadrant due to her lack of warp drive, the task force led by Fanaian was ordered to provide escort. Upon our emergence through the wormhole, we learned Deep Space Nine successfully fended off the attack by the two Klingon ships and the Bajoran government has issued a formal censure to the Breen for their participation in this matter. In contrast, Starfleet was most pleased with the Maverick’s involvement in averting a new war with the Dominion and the Captain has decided we should spend a few days at DS9 for shore leave.”

********

Ezra Standish lowered his cup of Pekoe tea and eased back into his chair, taking a sip and savouring the flavour in his mouth when the chirp at his door told him he had visitors, making him sit up straighter. It was by ship’s time, in the evening and he had intended on finishing his log entry before joining Julia in her quarters for dinner.

“Come in.” He called out, confident the computer would interpret that appropriately and act accordingly.

It did. The doors parted and Ezra saw Alexandra Styles stepping into the room. She was not usually a visitor to these walls and as she entered, he noted how she took in the place with her usual deep scrutiny. While being puzzled by her presence, he was not unhappy to see her. There had been little opportunity to talk since she returned to limited duty, a fact Nathan had been quick to remind her during briefings, much to the woman’s chagrin.

“Alexandra,” Ezra rose to his feet behind his desk, a dimpled smile cracking his face in half as he stepped out to greet her. “What a surprise. What can I do for you?”

She paused in the middle of the room, waiting to be invited to sit, noticing the feline on one of the chairs who was eyeing Alex with suspicion and giving Ezra a look, demanding to know the identity of this usurper in her kingdom.

“Hello Ezra,” Alex smiled warmly. “I wanted to drop in and say hi.”

As a woman who still had difficulty socializing, Ezra thought, she was not one who simply dropped in without reason. However, Ezra kept this observation to himself. “I am always pleased to see you. Do sit.” He gestured to the sofa.

“Thanks,” she flashed him a radiant smile, one Ezra suspected snared Vin Tanner from the very first as they both settled down to talk.

“So,” he looked at her. “To what do I owe this visit?”

Alex took a deep breath and gave him a look of affection which Ezra found warming, even if it was somewhat confusing. “I wanted to tell you that I don’t blame you for anything that happened on Utopia Planitia. I was talking to Buck and I noticed by the way you had trouble meeting my eyes in the briefing, you might have this misguided idea what happened to me was your fault.”

As always, Ezra maintained his poker face but was willing to admit there was more than a little truth to her words. “If I had not asked for your help, you would be looking forward to a happy day in nine months.”

“Ezra,” she gave him a look of impatience before she reached for his hand. “Don’t be a dumb ass.”

“Charmingly put,” he stated but squeezed her hand back.

“Ezra, I wanted to do it,” Alex reiterated. “For the Captain, I would have done anything, just as you would do anything for him. We both wanted to help Chris find out the truth and we did. I don’t regret that. Am I hurting because I lost....” she paused a moment, revealing she had not quite overcome the anguish of that hurt yet, even if she was learning to live with it? “Yes, I am, but not for one moment do I hold you responsible. I don’t want you to think this is your fault under any circumstances. You’re my friend and one of the best men I know. I could never hold you accountable for anything.”

Ezra shifted his gaze away from her, touched by her speech and wishing to hide the emotion sneaking into his face despite his best efforts to hide it. He was not a man who exposed his feelings to anyone, not with the card’s life had dealt him but it not mean he did not appreciate those who inspired it.

“Thank you, Alexandra,” he said after a moment, “I appreciate that.”

“Come on,” she said getting to her feet. “Let’s go get a drink at Quark’s. I want you to make that Ferengi cry.”

Ezra chuckled softly, confident he could manage that and then some, however, he had plans with Julia. “May I take a rain check on that for now? I have another engagement to attend.”

“Sure,” Alex nodded but leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You’re a hell of a friend to have in one’s corner Ezra, don’t you ever forget it.”

Ezra said nothing and remained silent even as she left.

********

As it turned out, Alex was not the only caller he had that day.

When Chris Larabee appeared at his door, Ezra was frankly rather surprised. He assumed Chris would be taking a sabbatical in his private quarters after leaving Buck the bridge for a few days, no doubt to overcome the emotional turmoil he suffered down there on Empersa, one Ezra was certain only Josiah might be privy to. Nevertheless, Ezra was glad to see the man was up and about and not in seclusion as he had been after Q dropped his bombshell on the Captain so many months ago.

“Captain, what a surprise. What can I do for you?”

“I don’t want to hold you up,” Chris said quietly, not intending to stay for long but in his ruminations of the last few days, there were a few things he found outstanding in this affair needing resolution. “I just thought I could have a few minutes of your time.”

“Certainly,” Ezra gestured to the seat.

“It’s okay, it won’t take that long,” Chris said graciously and turned his cool gaze on his chief of security.

“I am intrigued,” he admitted.

“You shouldn’t be,” Chris smiled faintly but there was no amusement in it, just sadness. “Ezra, I want to thank you for what you did.”

“Captain....” Ezra started to say, wanting to stop him from going further, aware now of what Chris intended and he wanted to spare his captain that discomfort. The pain in the man’s eyes was plain to see even if the Captain was attempting to project a glacial facade. He wondered once again, what Chris had gone through down there on the surface.

Chris was not about to be deterred. “Ezra, let me finish.”

“Of course, Chris,” Ezra nodded, deciding if this was what the Captain wished, he would respect it.

“I want to thank you for helping me find out the truth. You didn’t just solve Sarah and Adam’s murder, you averted a war. Don’t sell yourself short on just how big a deal this is, not just to me personally but the Federation.”

“I did my job Captain,” Ezra managed to say. “As an investigator, I could do no less.”

“You did more than that Ezra, you found out who killed them and gave me answers I sorely needed to move on. Thank you, Ezra, I’ll never forget it.”

“Has its Sir?” Ezra asked, studying him closely. “Has it really helped you move on?”

“Not quite,” Chris was willing to admit. “But I’m getting there.”

********

Less than a day later, Chris found himself outside one of the docking stations of Deep Space Nine waiting for Mary, Adam and Billy to arrive from Earth. After everything that had taken place on Empersa, Chris found himself missing them both badly, having come to the realization how much they filled the crater-sized void in his heart, left by Sarah and Adam. For once, he accepted Josiah’s help willingly and he spent a few hours away from the bridge, talking in length to the Counsellor, purging himself of the residual feelings of anger and torment after his encounter with their killer.

After having to pull the trigger on a five-year-old Adam and verbally jousting with Sarah, Chris was uncertain how he would react to seeing Mary and the teenage boy he had accepted as his own. Despite his assurances to Josiah he was fine now, Chris still felt raw inside as he waited for them to arrive, watching the flow of people moving through the station to other destinations. He supposed he could have simply authorized their immediate transport to the Maverick, but the truth was, Chris needed a bit of time away from his ship. He needed to shake the persona of Captain Larabee for a while.

As always, it was her golden hair Chris saw through the crowd first.

Sighting Mary through the spaces between the bodies moving towards the rest of the station from the docking bays, an involuntary sigh of pleasure escaped his lips at the sight of her. She wore her golden hair loose, allowing it to flow around her shoulders like a shimmering cascade. As always, she wore one of her figure-hugging dresses that easily made her one of the most stunning women present. It dawned on him then, that he had reacted to Mary the way he reacted to seeing Sarah the first time. Something inside of him simply knew they were meant to be.

As he watched her laughing and smiling, holding Billy’s hand in hers while engaged in conversation with Adam, he realized for all he had lost because of the changeling’s machinations, he also gained. Yes, he lost his family, but fate had seen fit to repay him for that emptiness with a new family, he should cherish just as much. Mary, Billy and now Adam filled the void left behind by the Magellan’s destruction. None of it was more evident than when they realized he was standing there, and their faces lit up at his presence.

“Chris!” Mary exclaimed, that glorious smile of hers lighting up her face as her blue-grey eyes rested on him. “What are you doing here?”

It was evident despite the surprise, she was terribly pleased to see him and once again, Chris felt ashamed for asking her to remain on Earth. Throughout all this, Mary had been completely supportive of his efforts to get justice for Sarah and Adam, even when he was pushing her away. She stood by him, tolerated his indifference and comforted him when things invariably went wrong. With Billy, she had made him a better man, perhaps even a better Captain and it was time, Chris started seeing the future with her, instead of being trapped in the past with Sarah.

“I thought I’d surprise all of you,” he said with a genuine smile of pleasure as he ran his gaze over the three faces in front of him. “How was your trip?”

“It was very good,” Billy beamed and turned an adoring eye at Adam. “Adam took me into town when we were at Vin’s ranch and we made a lot of new friends, Arisia, Zoey, Amanda and Tolina.”

Despite himself, Chris couldn’t help but smile at this. Somehow, through the quirks of fate, he had been given a second chance to be a father, not just to this Adam but to Billy too, though he respected Syan of Vulcan too much to ever take that man’s place in the little boy’s heart. Glancing at the older of the two, he saw a smirk on Adam’s face and realized it was the same one Sarah often gave him when she thought she knew better than him, which she almost always did.

This was his family now, he thought and despite the emotional rollercoaster he had been on the last few days, it was the truth. He was never alone as he thought he was.

Without saying another word, he gave Billy a hug and felt his heart leap a little when the boy’s small arms wrapped around him and reciprocated.

“Are you okay now Chris?” Billy asked in a small voice.

Chris stared at him, thinking of the little Vulcan child who had come on his bridge, so terrified of him at first. He thought of how this child had applied salve to the wounds in his heart and filled the void left by his child.

“Yeah,” he tried to keep the emotion out of his voice. “I think I’m going to be.”

“Hey, Billy,” the teen-aged version of Adam looked down at the little boy and then back at his father. “Why don’t we go take a look around the place. We’ll go see the wormhole.”

Adam held his gaze and Chris knew the younger man was giving him a chance to catch up with Mary privately, seeing the emotional state his father was in. Adam understood there was a family his father still mourned, a mirror version of Sarah and himself, who was cruelly taken from him, just as his own mother was murdered and his father, lost before he’d was even born. Together, they had healed each other, but what Chris Larabee lacked, was closure and Adam who knew all about grief, understood how important it was to have to go on.

From the instant Chris had seen this boy, Adam had become his son, and never did he feel that connection more than right now. Leaning forward, he pulled Adam’s head towards him and pressed their foreheads together.

“I love you, Adam,” he said quietly. “You’re my son. Don’t ever think anything else.”

“I know,” Adam raised his eyes to the Captain of the Maverick and flashed him that smile, the same heart-stopping one that made Chris fall in love with Sarah so many years ago. The one that would still grace his life because of this boy in front of him.

“Alright,’ Chris pulled back because as it was with men, it was never comfortable to linger on the emotional for too long. Ruffling Adam’s hair, Chris gave him a knowing look. “Don’t lose Billy chasing Dabo girls.”

“What? Me?” Adam scoffed and gave Mary a look of complete innocence. “Never happen.”

“See that it doesn’t,” Mary gave him a hard stare which indicated she would not appreciate her young son near anything unsavory.

Adam simply laughed and the two boys headed away from them, disappearing into the Promenade before Mary turned back to Chris.

“Are you alright?” She asked tenderly, her hand reaching for his cheek.

“Yeah, I am actually,” Chris covered her hand with his palm and leaned forward to kiss her. As their lips touched and Chris took in the scent of her perfume in his lungs, the soft silk of her skin against his, he felt blessed that he was lucky enough to meet two extraordinary women in his life. He would love Sarah all the days of his life, but he was also damned glad Mary would share those days with him. “I’m sorry I made you stay back on Earth, you should have been here.”

“I think,” Mary said with understanding, “that it was best I wasn’t. You needed to go through this without worrying about me Chris and I’m glad you did. I’m glad you got your answers.”

“I did,” Chris nodded. “But not just to Sarah and Adam’s death, but the rest of my life. They’re gone and I’ll always love them but us,” he looked at her and then glanced in the direction the two boys had gone, “you, Billy and Adam, you’re my family now. I need you in my life as much as I needed to let my past go.”

“We’re here Chris,” Mary smiled. “Always.”

Nothing was forever, Sarah and Adam’s death had taught Chris Larabee this much, but he was the captain of a starship, with friends who cared for him, a woman who loved him and sons who looked to him for guidance. Even if it was fleeting. It was enough.

THE END

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