“Please don’t ask me to understand this. I’m still a little confused.”
Odo shrugged, tired. “It’s all right, Commander Shelby, I’m not surprised.”
They were in DS9’s Infirmary. Bareil and Nerys were being tended to-although Nerys had needed very little treatment. Bareil had been healed very quickly, despite extensive internal injuries. The rest of the Broniec‘s crew ( the Broniec was Captain Sisko’s ship in that universe) were crowded into the Infirmary too, causing Dr. Sarah Smith a huge headache.
Captain Sisko and Kasidy were sitting side by side on a biobed not too far from the one Bareil was resting on. Miles and Keiko O’Brien were talking to Keiko O’Brien (this was one of the things that confused Shelby most-she’d never had to deal with two of the same person before). Mr. Bashir kept trying to flirt with her, and though she found his advances flattering (he was very cute, after all) this wasn’t exactly the time for it.
“All right, now what exactly is going on he-oh.”
Shelby spun. Captain Dax, Mr.-Dr. Bashir, Miles O’Brien and an adolescent girl she didn’t recognize came into the Infirmary. Julian was the one who had been talking, but the sight of himself-his other self-wrapping his arm around Shelby must have stopped him.
“Captain, Doctor,” Shelby removed Mr. Bashir’s arm from her shoulders. “Nice to see you.”
“You too, Commander.” Dax smiled. “I-“
“Mother!”
Jatira tore her hand from Dax, who had been holding it comfortingly, and ran to Nerys.
“Jaty?!” Nerys clasped the girl to her. “Jaty! Prophets! What are you doing here?”
“Oh, Mother! I’m so glad you and Father are all right! I was so worried about you!” Jatira clung tightly to her mother, as if to make sure she would never disappear on her again. Nerys slowly rocked her daughter and stroked her hair.
“Commander,” continued Dax. “I see you’ve got your hands full.”
“You have no idea, Captain.”
“What do we do now?” asked Nerys.
(-|-)
He had never been a patient man, not when it came to regaining control. And today was no different.
He boarded his ship once again and set a visage of power and scorn on his face, ready to pummel his enemies.
Did they actually think they could hide in there? They would soon find out how wrong they had been.
The passageway was not a very large place. He would find them and gain control over the one he had lost.
(-|-)
“Ops to Shelby.”
“Shelby here. Go ahead.”
“Commander, we’re reading elevated levels of neutrinos again, but there still aren’t any ships scheduled to come through!”
“I’m on my way…Constable, Captain, would you care to join me?”
Odo nodded, as did Dax with a cordial smile on her face. And the three of them left, leaving some very confused people behind.
(-|-)
The light flashed brilliantly and then disappeared from before them, to be replaced by black space. Odoital sent a message to the station, reprimanding them for their faulty reports about the Broniec. He was in no mood for sitting idly by and planning any longer. He knew there could only be one place for Odo Ital to hide; and besides, he had been planning an attack on Bajor for almost three days now.
As the elite six ships of the third fleet streamed past the station, Odoital smiled in anticipation of the world he was about to conquer.
(-|-)
“Commander, receiving message from one of the ships that just emerged from the wormhole.”
“Put it on screen.”
“You fools! How many times have I told you to never underestimate your opponent?! Useless, I know.” The tone of the voice changed. “Have the Sweepers at Bajor in sixteen hours. I suspect the people will be more than ready to be placed into the camps. Overseer out.”
Ops was silent.
“Odo, that looked a lot like…like you,” commented Dax.
“Except for the Cardassian ridges, that would be a fair assessment, Captain. But, unfortunately, this mean we have a new problem.”
“Not another one,” commented Shelby quietly.
“If Odoital is intent on conquering Bajor, he will do it. That is, unless we stop him.”
“It looks like he’s only brought seven ships through. Hopefully, no one else will follow him. Starfleet can have their best at Bajor in less than four hours; the Galen can be there in two.”
“That may not be enough for Bajor.”
“Too true, Constable,” commented Commander Shelby, “but we’re going to do the best we can. I think I can convince Captain Worf to take the Defiant out of the cobwebs. She hasn’t really been used much as a convoy to the Klingon Empire since Starfleet and the Empire haven’t been speaking to each other for the past four months.” Shelby smiled. She knew sitting in dock had nearly driven Worf past the brink of insanity.
“I’m sure that Captain Sisko will want to lend a hand. From what I can tell, his crew has been missing the chance to actually fight for something worth fighting for,” said Odo.
“At this rate, we may not even need Starfleet.”
“I highly doubt that, Captain.”
Dax shrugged. One never knew…
The three of them each contacted their appropriate ships, and set the protection of Bajor into motion.
(-|-)
Odoital looked down at the weak planet below him, waiting for his troops to finalize their preparations for the takeover. There was less than thirteen hours before the Sweepers would arrive, and he needed to be sure they could proceed easily.
The lights phased in and out. Odoital sighed calmly. The fleet was maintaining a position above Bajor’s northern magnetic pole to avoid sensors. They would never know what hit them.
Wild eyes blazed with victory out into the cold darkness of space.
(-|-)
The Broniec, the Galen, the Defiant, the Trafalgar, and various other smaller class ships moved into position around Bajor. If the space around the planet could have held its breath, the anticipation would have been suffocating.
(-|-)
“Any signs of Odoital’s fleet yet?”
“No, sir. We’re trying a low magnetron pulse right now.”
“Good thinking, Mr. Terell,” said Dax from the Captain’s chair. “They’re most likely hiding from whoever they think is after them…and if we have any luck, they won’t be looking for us.”
(-|-)
Dr. Julian Bashir paced the bridge of the Defiant anticipating the casualties. It was not something he was looking forward to, especially since Mr. Bashir was down in Sickbay… getting tips from the nurse.
“Bashir to Bashir,” he called, lifting his head toward the ceiling.
<<Bashir here. Go ahead.>>
“Julian, how’s the training going?”
<<Well, Julian, I don't know how much of this I'm going to remember.>>
“That’s okay, Julian. With any luck we won’t need you.”
<<Thanks for the vote of confidence.>>
“I try. Bashir out.”
Julian Bashir shook his head, trying to dispel the remnants of the conversation he had just had with someone who in almost everyone’s eyes would be himself. Almost.
He sighed as he considered his life as a champion tennis player instead of a doctor…and gratefully thanked the heavens that he hadn’t won that last game.
(-|-)
“I just don’t see why I had to stay on board the station. I’m not proving any useful purpose here.”
“Calm down, Constable. I know Captain Dax explained this all out to you.”
“Yes, yes; Dax told me all about the interdimensional balance.”
“That’s right. And your alternate has the pull of an entire universe upon him because of you. If you were to be killed, it would be very easy for Odoital to stay in our universe.”
“I realize that, Commander, but it still doesn’t make me feel very important.” Especially now that I don’t have anything to do but wait.
(-|-)
They were waiting.
Odoital had made no move, hostile or otherwise.
Crewmembers tried to busy themselves, keep their mind off the battle that was almost certain to ensue. And when a voice broke through the silence, everyone almost sighed.
“Captain, reading landing teams appearing on Bajor. Phaser fire is abundant.”
“Hail Odoital on all band frequencies, Lieutenant. I want to make sure he can hear us.”
“Aye, sir. Channel open.”
“This is Captain Data of the Federation Starship Trafalgar. I would request that you remove all of your people from the surface of the planet we both orbit. The Federation is sworn to protect this planet and will do so with all necessary force.”
“I don’t care about you simple-minded Federation. By the time you get reinforcements, I’ll already have conquered this pitiful planet and moved on to the next.”
“Am I to assume you are the one known as Odoital?”
“Foolish imbecile! I’m surprised you ever made it to captain. I’ve course I’m Odoital…but soon you may call me the Overseer.”
“I am afraid I will be forced to attack if you do not remove your people from the planet.”
“You’ll have to find me first.”
“The channel has been cut, sir.”
“Very well, Lieutenant. Jackins, lock onto the lead ship and reconfigure phasers for twenty percent.”
“Aye, sir. Locked on and ready.”
“Fire.”
(-|-)
Odoital knocked around slightly as his ship was tapped by the phaser blast from the Trafalgar.
So, he wants to play games. Very well.
“Dispatch the fleet!”
(-|-)
The ships that were to be the protection of Bajor all signaled a red alert as five ships emerged from above the planet, like vultures sweeping down on its prey.
The massive attackers stopped short, just as the Galen and company were ready to attack. Enormous cavities opened in the ships and out of each came twenty heavily armored Jem’Hadar warships, each baring their teeth.
The first shots rang out within seconds of sighting them.
The battle had begun.
(-|-)