SB901, Our Reality
Katianna reached the bay where the Seth sat. Quickly she entered the ship she and Jovo had known so well... The ship that had brought them through many circumstances and to this universe... A smile crept across her face as she remember a time of a shared kiss... Of several shared kisses aboard this ship. She sighed as the uneasiness she felt returned instantly.
Whatever Jovo had worked on prior to leaving, he would have done here, she was sure of it. She didn't know why, but it was something she was positive of. As she sat down, she made herself comfortable.
"Computer, let me see the last file Jovan Kalimar was working on."
"That file is restricted," the computer replied.
"Computer, override that restriction. Command code - Gamma 869."
Finally with the override in place, the screen filled with information. As Katianna poured over it, she realized that her visions had been correct. Jovo had gone after her daughter. This research told exactly how to get back to her dimension. Suddenly, an idea began brewing under that head of auburn hair of hers. She realized that Jovo probably hadn't taken the Seth because he had not wanted to draw attention to his actions. Taking the Danube from the Albuquerque was more low profile than taking the Seth. However, she needed to find Jovo, she was certain of that fact, and she was certain she could use the Seth. It was time to utilize this research one more time and get to where he was. However, first she would have to tell Captain Mallory something. The question was what... She continued to look over the research as she let the back of her mind work on the other problem she faced.
"Yes, Captain, I realize that I just got here. But this is a very valuable retrieval mission," Katianna said.
For a moment Kitty was silent as she looked at her new Intel Officer with a scrutinizing glance, as she stood against the porthole in her office. "Is this mission for Section 31? Not that I expect you to really tell me if it were," Kitty replied, with a slightly frustrated look on her face.
"Captain, I promise you this has nothing to do with Section 31," Kat replied.
The sincere urgency struck Kitty and she felt it as well. Kat held no mental block up to hide her emotions from her fellow empath. Slowly she walked around the desk and sat down on it.
"Then can you tell me more about this mission? Perhaps if it's off the record?" Kitty ask, with more concern than anything else.
"Jovan went to get my daughter. It's just a hunch, but I think something's happened. I just want to get them back..."
Kitty sighed and nodded. She knew what that was like. She finally had her children back... And it wouldn't hurt them to be without Katianna's services for a bit. After all, they hadn't had an Intel Officer for a long time before she came along...
"All right, you have my permission to go... I'll simply say your on a classified mission and that I can't give out any details."
Katianna smiled and sighed with relief. "Thank you so much, Captain."
"You just get your daughter and Jovan back here safely," Kitty replied with a smile.
"I'll certainly try!"
Earthdate: November 28, 2384
Location: USS Luminance
The Luminance sped along as three T'rais warships trailed it. They fired two torpedoes. One of the two hit the Luminance.
"Sir! Shields are at 25%!" yelled Geoon.
Stephen moved forward. "Xorij, take us about, offensive pattern alpha pi!"
The Luminance tilted around and sped between two of the T'rais ships. It fired torpedo upon torpedo on each one, leaving them both floating. The Luminance then flipped about and sped away as one of the original T'rais ships followed it and four more joined the fight.
"Sir! We can't fight off five T'rais ships!" yelled Lazarus.
"We won't have to!" cried Stephen. "Fire three more torpedoes at the main vessel. Then, send a plasma pulse to our engines."
Geoon titled his head. "Sir?"
"Please, question me later!"
Three torpedoes shot out, destroying the main T'rais ship. Another ship fired a torpedo at the Luminance, knocking out the shields.
"Now!"
The pulse spread through the ship, leaving the Luminance dead in the water.
Geoon looked at Stephen. "Sir, you just knocked us out. We're dead!"
Stephen grabbed Geoon's shoulders tight. "Look. I know what I'm doing, and I need you to play along. Take this. You'll have one minute to read it." He quickly handed him a PADD. "Come back for me."
Suddenly, Stephen fizzled out.
Location: T'rais Warship
Krax hailed T'ran. Kosst appeared onscreen. "We have him, sir. Just as you asked."
Kosst smiled. [Good.]
"What do we do with the others?"
[I think you know.] Kosst shut off the connection.
Krax chuckled, then he nodded at his artillery officer.
Five torpedoes shot out of the warship. The USS Luminance burst into a ball of flame.
Krax faced his helmsman. "Take us back."
The warships turned and headed back to T'ran, leaving the wreckage of the Luminance behind them.
Earthdate: November 29, 2384
Location: SB901
Katianna spent the next three days getting the Seth ready to leave. She wasted no time with her preparations. Just getting the supplies on board took time in itself. Then there were all the calculations to program into the computer... Finally she ran down her check list for the second time and decided it was time to go.
Just as she left the bay and entered space, she wondered if she would make it back. She just had a bad feeling about this trip. She wasn't sure why, but there was something foreboding about going "home". But she couldn't wait to get Laurissa and hold her in her arms again. However, she knew from her visions that Laurissa wasn't where she was suppose to be. That scared her. She didn't know why she was being given vision. She certainly wasn't a psychic. But these were real and she was sure of it. First thing she would do was find Jovo.
Finally she reached the area that was the nexus for these jumps and started the sequence. Within moments, the universe vanished from around her...
Earthdate: March 21, 2384
Location: Eoriah III, Alternate Universe "Beta"
Blood sprayed the floor of the alley with the next punch. "I swear I don't know! It was just there!"
Jovo laughed and punched the young man in the face again while holding him down by the jacket. "You don't know where you got fairy dust, huh? Do you take me for an idiot?"
"Look! It was a friend! I got it from a friend, all right?!"
Jovo thrust him against a wall. "Now we're getting somewhere. Name?"
"What?"
Jovo punched him in the gut. "Your friend's name!"
"I don't even know the guy!"
"Now you're pissing me off." Jovo raised his fist again.
"Stop!" a voice yelled from behind him. Jovo looked around to see several robed men. "The Kalimar must be destroyed."
"Great." Jovo rolled his eyes. "More people that want to kill me. What's this about? Are you Syndicate too?"
The robed man in the middle stepped forward. "We know not of this Syndicate. We know only the Light."
Jovo picked up the young man and threw him to the side. "I'll deal with you later." The young man hit the wall and fell to the floor. "All right. You want some of this?"
The robed men pulled out what looked like scimitars.
Jovo smiled and fired an energy blast from his hand. The man in front raised his sword and blocked the blast. The sword appeared to glow white for a second, then dim down again. "Nice. Got to get me one of those."
The men attacked. One slashed twice, but Jovo moved to each side, and the sword missed each time. The man tried to run him through, but Jovo moved out of the way, grabbed the handle, elbowed the man's upper back, and grabbed the sword as the man fell to the floor, unconscious.
The two other robed men ran up and began to fight him with their swords at the same time. Jovo traded blows with them for a while, then he kicked one man and jumped back, forcing the other to follow him. He flipped over him and landed between the two and the first man was getting back up. Jovo head butt the man who was trying to get back up and moved behind him, fighting the other man with both swords, his robed friend as a shield. Jovo tired of the game and took the second sword. He quickly put his hands up, twisted the man's head, and threw him aside. Jovo sword fought the remaining man for a few seconds before blocking the man's sword with one of his, and slashing his belly with the other.
Jovo threw the swords down and walked over to the young man he was beating before. "All right, now where..." Jovo lifted him to find that he was limp. The youth broke his neck when Jovo threw him against the wall.
Jovo searched him and found two strips of latinum and a piece of paper. It had a comm. number on it.
"This'll do." Jovo discarded the body and walked away.
Earthdate: November 30, 2384
Location: T'ran, Our Reality
Dana laid sprawled on the floor. Shaking in pain as she awoke. She had been through several days of torture and was not well at all. Her lips were dried and peeling from the heat. She was sweaty and dirty.
Suddenly, Kosst appeared in front of her.
Dana looked at the altar next to her. There lay a dagger. She was free. And she was willing. This was the chance she had been waiting for.
Without hesitation, Dana took the dagger and ran at Kosst, screaming "Die!!!" She stabbed him in the gut and fell down from the weakness in her legs.
Kosst stumbled backwards. He put his hand to his wound. It was covered in blood. Kosst slumped over.
Dana laughed. "Good riddance, you son of a bitch!"
Suddenly, the room seemed to change. Kosst was replaced by a familiar figure. Dana put her bloodied hand to her mouth. "Oh no. Jovani!" She dragged herself forward and turned Jovani over. He was not dead, but he was very weak and losing a lot of blood.
Clapping came from across the room behind her. "Good show, Dana." Kosst stepped forward. "I want to thank you for your excellent work."
Alysa moved towards Kosst and put her arms around him. "It took a few days, but we got you there."
Kosst leaned forward and whispered, "I knew you had it in you."
Immediately, Dana began to convulse. She felt a blinding, burning pain throughout her body. Then, quiet. Dana opened her eyes and saw...
... herself.
Kosst let Alysa go and moved to meet the new Dana. "Mrs. Kosst. Good to have you with us, my Queen." He bowed and met her lips with his.
Alysa raised her voice. "What?! I'm supposed to be--"
Kosst smoothly bent over and removed the bloodied dagger from the floor beside Dana Maruu. "My dear. You have been great, really."
Alysa continued, "But you and I--"
Kosst put his fingers to Alysa's lips. "Shhh." He kissed her. "Alysa..." Kosst stabbed her in the gut. "I think we should see other people."
Alysa looked deeply into Kosst's eyes as she fell to the floor and died.
Kosst dropped the dagger beside her. "Well, that went well." He held out his hand. Dana Kosst took it. "Dana, please don't feel bad. We'll make sure your Jovani stays alive as long as we need him. I wouldn't want either of you to miss the fireworks to come."
The two Kossts walked out of the room as three T'rais walked in to remove Alysa's body, and to drag Dana and Jovani to a new location.
Earthdate: March 21, 2384
Location: Eoriah III, Alternate Universe "Beta"
Kat transported to the alley where her scans of Jovo's biosignature had led her. He had been here not a few hours before. She looked around to see death all around her.
Except for one.
Kat turned over a robed body that seemed to be alive still. She took off his hood. It was a Bajoran with a silver symbol on his forehead. He was awake. "Who did this?"
She knew the answer before she asked the question, but she would not believe it.
"It is too late. The Kalimar has turned to the Dark once more. All we can do now is pray." The Bajoran passed out.
Kat tapped her comm. badge. "Seth, two to beam up."
Location: USS Seth
The Bajoran's eyes slowly opened. Kat smiled worriedly. "Welcome back." She scanned him with a tricorder. "How are you feeling?"
The Bajoran tried to get up but winced in pain. Kat helped him back down as he asked, "What is this place?"
"You're in the USS Seth. This is an experimental Federation vessel. You're safe. Now, who are you?"
"I am Dinu Coran. You are Katianna Nadira. The Guardian of the Kalimar."
Kat hesitated. "Um... I guess. What's going on? What happened down there?"
"You know. The Light has spoken to you."
"The Light?"
"The power which guides us. The true Spirit which flows through all life. You have the Light within you even now. It has spoken to you. That is why you are here. In this time and place. You have followed the Light."
Kat became impatient. "Wonderful. Now what's wrong with Jovo?"
"The Kalimar is losing his connection with the Light. He uses the Orb more than himself. He is allowing the Kalimar to take over."
"I don't get it. Wasn't Kalimar supposed to be a Prophet who sacrificed himself to trap the Kosst Amojen in the Fire Caves forever?"
The Bajoran became grim. "The Kalimar was not a Prophet. He was a Pah-wraith."
Kat almost fell back. "A... what?!"
"Kalimar is the modern translation for Kalim'harr. It means King of Hell. He was the master of the Pah-wraiths and lover of the Kosst Amojen. The Kosst Amojen, however, turned against him. When the Kosst Amojen did so, Kalimar turned to the Prophets for asylum. He had a child with a Prophet. This child was named Kalmar. During the Great Battle, Kalmar's life came to danger. The Kalimar sacrificed himself to save his son. The love of a Pah-wraith is what trapped the Kosst Amojen in the Fire Caves."
Kat asked, "So if Kalimar is a good Pah-wraith, why is Jovo killing people senselessly."
"The Pah-wraiths are naturally attuned to the Dark. The consciousness of Kalimar is dead. Only his power and affinity exist. That is why we did what we did. The stripped and dying Q would come. We were to send him in search of the Orb of Kalimar. The powers of evil were to be used for good on the day that the powers of good were to be used for evil. The day Luther Sloan took the Orb of Creation. We failed to foresee that the power within would be so appealing that he would become slave to it. We should have warned you.
Kat was visibly furious. "Yes, you should have!" She tried to calm herself. "How do we save him?"
"There is no way to remove the Orb. He is one with it now. We were sent to destroy the Kalimar once and for--"
"You were going to kill him?!" Kat was desperately trying to restrain herself.
Coran looked at the floor. "I am sorry." He paused and looked up. "There is a way. Love. The Kalimar overcame his evil nature through love. He can do so again."
Kat nodded. "I can work that."
"And we must hurry. We don't have much time."
Kat became worried again. "What's happening? Is Jovo in danger? Laurissa?"
"No. But there is another war being waged in the world you came from. The child of the Kosst Amojen and Kalimar threatens to destroy the Light and bring Chaos to the cosmos."
"The child? Who is the child?"
"His name is Pharox."