"Welcome to Starbase 901," said a crewman at the airlock connecting the station to the civilian transport that had just arrived. "Before we take you to the Promenade, we'd like to show you to your accommodations here on the starbase. Please accompany me."
The crewman turned and motioned for the tourists to follow her. As the rest of the tourists followed suit, five men in white robes walked into the corridor and walked off to the side unnoticed.
Kat sat in the Easy Inn with Toren Len as they talked. As bad as she felt lately, Kat was happy to have someone to talk to.
Len smiled again. "So, yeah, you need to meet Danni. She works at Kassia's shop, Kassia's Cave of Curiosities and Mystery."
Kat laughed. "That sounds like a place to visit."
"Definitely. You have to see Kassia some day soon, so you may as well go today when I go see Danni."
Kat nodded. "That's a plan."
Stephen and Jovani walked into the Easy Inn and met with Lazarus. They marveled at all the Christmas decorations. Jovani jumped onto a stool as Stephen sat next to him.
"Wow, Laz, you went all out!" exclaimed Jovani.
Stephen smiled. "I never took you for a Christmas buff."
Lazarus shook his head. "I didn't do any of it. It was here when I came in this morning."
Jovani looked at Stephen. "Do you suppose it could be the Santa everyone is talking about?"
Stephen motioned at Jovani's stab wound, a month old, but still not completely healed. "Weirder things have happened."
Lazarus rested his upper body on the bar. "So, did you write about this this place too? Because I love it here."
Jovani laughed. "No. That was Jarrett. He was the guy that wrote about Commodore Wallace. I like it too. I remember being against the idea at first, but it was well done."
Stephen raised a brow. "You're doing it again."
"What?"
"Talking about us like we don't exist." He smacked Jovani across the head gently. "You know that bugs me."
Jovani play-punched Stephen in the gut. "Sorry," he paused, "oh figment of my imagination."
Stephen raised his arms, "That's it!" He grabbed Jovani in a headlock.
"Hey!"
"Captain Maruu?!" yelled someone from one of the tables.
Stephen let go of Jovani's head and turned around. "Yes?"
"Jovani? Is that you?" asked Katianna sitting next to Toren Len.
Stephen and Jovani left Lazarus, who had begun attending another customer, and walked over to where Katianna was. Stephen greeted her with a hug. "Kat, how are you?" He noticed her belly. "Wow. I didn't realize it had been so long." He looked at Jovani.
Jovani raised his arms. "Don't look at me. Krys was the one with all the pregnant characters, and I don't remember reading about a pregnant Kat."
Kat shook her head and smiled. "It's good to see you both, and it's strange to see you out of uniform, Stephen."
Stephen nodded. "Well, I'm taking a break from the life of an officer. These days, I only pull rank when I have to. Recently, I've been playing house keeper to the working shopkeeper and the young man to my right who keeps talking about us like we were characters out of an email."
Jovani raised a finger, "Speaking of which," he pointed at Toren Len, "you remind me of that guy from Dark Angel. What's his name? Oh yeah! Eyes Only! Logan! Wow. That is so--"
Stephen raised his arms. "That's it! We're going home!" Stephen hugged Katianna. "It was good seeing you again." He shook Len's hand. "And meeting you, um..."
"Toren Len," Len said. "Good to meet you too."
Stephen and Jovani walked off as Jovani asked, "What did I do?"
Len looked at Kat questioningly. "Dark Angel? Eyes Only? Logan?"
Kat shook her head. "It's a long story. Some other time. Shall we visit Kassia's Cave of Wonders, then?"
"Cave of Curiosities and Mysteries. Don't you forget that."
Kat smiled. "I promise."
Kara Lac walked across the living room as the doors to the family's apartment swooshed open. Worried, she looked out the door and saw no one. She looked back in to find a Bajoran in a white robe in front of her. He quickly pinned her against a wall and covered her mouth.
The Bajoran's eyes were firm and unwavering. "Move and you will die."
Four other Bajoran men moved throughout the apartment. One of them walked out of Laurissa's room carrying the girl as she struggled. "I found the child, Coran."
The man who appeared to be Coran turned to Laurissa and held her chin, then he let her go. "Release her. The child is yet unborn. We must remove the mother and ensure that the child does live to do any harm." He began to walk out of the apartment.
The other Bajorans followed. The Bajoran holding Kara Lac released her and bowed. "I apologize. I intended no harm. Be with the Prophets." He followed the others, leaving Kara Lac and Laurissa huddled together in worry.
Katianna and Len walked into Kassia's Cave of Curiosities and Mysteries. Len motioned around. "Well, this is it."
Katianna looked around, amazed. "This place is amazing. I never knew Kassia was so into the occult."
"I am," said Kassia as she walked out of a room hidden by curtains. "These are just some trinkets I've collected over the years." She smiled. "I imagine you're here to ask about the baby."
Katianna didn't bother asking how she knew that. "Well?"
"I can't really tell you much. This has been a strange week so far. First Paul's problem, and now this. I can tell you that the child is special," she moved to touch her shoulder, "and I can tell that you are a loving mother."
Suddenly, Kassia was overcome with a flash. She winced back.
In a fog, a Bajoran in a white robe ran Len through with a scimitar. He moved to slash at a screaming Katianna.
Kassia was suddenly serious. "Commander, you are in da--"
Katianna's comm badge beeped. "Excuse me for one second. Commander Nadira here."
[Mrs. Nadira,] Kara Lac urged, [you are in da--]
Suddenly a Bajoran in a white robe with a scimitar burst through the window to Kassia's shop. He prepared to run Len through when Kassia jumped and pushed him out of the way. The man attacked Katianna as Katianna blocked the sword with an ancient Cardassian war shield. Katianna blocked another attack and countered my hitting the Bajoran across the head with the shield. He flipped and fell to the floor unconscious.
Katianna managed to grab the scimitar as three other Bajorans ran into the shop to confront her. Katianna fought the three of them off for a few moments until she forced one man's lunge into the gut of his friend. The Bajoran who had been forced to kill his friend prepared to join the fight again when Len turned him around and punched him across the jaw, knocking him out. The third Bajoran responded to a false move by Katianna and was surprised by a blow from her handle to his face. He, too, fell to the floor, unconscious.
Katianna dropped her weapon, believing the attack to be over, when a fifth Bajoran with a silver tattoo on his forehead ran at Katianna. There was a flash of phaser fire, and he fell to the floor, unconscious. Behind him stood two Federation officers dressed in command uniforms.
Kassia was amazed as she saw the tattoo. "That's the ancient Bajoran symbol for 'light.'"
Katianna looked at the man on the floor. "That's Coran. He must work for the Order of the Light in this dimension too." Katianna looked to the two men standing ominously at the doorway to the shop. "Who are you?"
One man looked at the other, then at Katianna. "I am Lieutenant Novik. This is Lieutenant Reuter. We need to speak to you... in private."
Katianna and the two lieutenants sat in the brig waiting for Coran to wake up.
Lt. Reuter spoke. "We are with the Agency, Commander."
Katianna sighed. "Great."
Lt. Novik added, "We are under orders to bring you to Starfleet Command. The Agency values your work and would hate to see you or your family fall in harm's way."
"Really?" asked Katianna, suspiciously.
"Yes, ma'am."
Coran awoke. Katianna signaled for the men to wait for her outside. This was more for Coran's security than for her own since there was no doubt in her mind that they would be listening in on her conversation.
Katianna walked towards Coran. "Coran?"
Coran was aghast. "How is it that you know my name?"
"I met you already, in my alternate reality." She was getting nowhere. "Why were you trying to kill me?"
"I am doing my sacred duty to protect the Light and its divine purpose. Our prophecy states that in the final years of the middle century in the third millennium after the birth of the Vessel of the Light on Earth, an unconscionable evil would be born to bring Darkness to the Quadrant. My brothers and I are here to ensure that this evil is not born. You cannot allow this child you carry to live. It will be the bane of all life!"
Katianna was shocked. "You can't know that. There's no--"
"The prophecy is clear. Its words are set in stone. You must understand."
"I cannot allow you or anyone to touch this child." Katianna had an idea. "Where do you get all these prophecies from? Is there a book?"
"The Book of Light holds the truth as it has been passed down to us from the beginning of time."
Katianna smiled, then she scowled. "You're going to rot in prison for attacking a Federation officer." She yelled, "Lieutenants!"
As expected, the two Section 31 officers entered the brig.
"Take me to Starfleet Command. I'm not safe here anymore."
Lt. Novik nodded. "Would you like to take your family with you?"
"No. They are better off away from me. I just need to contact a friend." She tapped her comm badge. "Commander Nadira to Toren Len."
[Toren Len here. What's wrong, Katianna? We've been worr--]
"I'm going to be gone for a few days. I need you to take care of my family. Take special care of them."
A pause. [I understand. Safe trip, Commander.]
Katianna faced the two officers. "Let's go."
Katianna and the two lieutenants escorted Coran to the USS Hermes, a slipstream-capable ship that would take its four passengers to Earth. The two lieutenants walked behind Katianna as they opened the door and motioned for her to enter.
Katianna nodded. "Before we go, I have a message I want you to give to someone."
The two lieutenants looked at each other questioningly.
Katianna looked down for a moment, then back up. "Tell Charlie to shove it."
She immediately jumped up and delivered a double kick to both men's genitalia. Both men fell to the ground in pain.
Katianna grabbed a hold of Coran. "Seth! Two to beam aboard."
Location: USS Seth....
Katianna and Coran appeared on the Seth. Katianna sat Coran down and decloaked the Seth to reveal its position in orbit around Starbase 901.
Katianna looked at Coran menacingly. "Now, you're going to tell me where your precious Book of Light is."
The Seth shone with a white light and seemed to crumple up into nothingness.
Location: Bajor....
Katianna and a bound Coran beamed to the Temple of Light hidden deep in the mountains of Bajor's southern hemisphere. As soon as she appeared, she used her phaser rifle to stun everyone she could see around her. Before long, a slew of Bajoran men in white robes lay on the cold, marble floor, unconscious.
Katianna leveled her weapon at Coran. "How, Coran, where is the book?"
Coran shook his head. "I cannot allow you to use the Book of Light in the service of Darkness."
Kat sighed. Then, she noticed Coran glancing in the direction of a limestone wall.
Kat smiled and tossed Coran aside. "So what is it? A code? Do I have to push a button?" Then she noticed a hole in the ceiling overhead. She grabbed Coran and injected him with a drug that would make him more cooperative. Then she maneuvered his hands into positions parallel to each other on the wall and forced him to face upwards.
Before long, a light shone from the hole in the ceiling and scanned the silver tattoo on Coran's head. The light disappeared, and the wall seemed to disappear to reveal a staircase.
Katianna and Coran walked down the stairs. A Bajoran monk walking up the stairs met phaser fire from Katianna's rifle and fell back down the stairs. Soon, Katianna and Coran reached an empty chamber. A large book lay on an altar in the far back of the chamber.
Katianna tossed Coran, now weak from the drug, down on the ground. She took the book into her hands. "Thanks for everything. You've been great."
She started to walk out when Coran yelled, "We will not rest."
Katianna stopped.
"If it takes a hundred men, if it takes a thousand men, if it takes a hundred thousand, we will neither sleep nor eat until you and your spawn have tasted the sword."
Katianna did not turn around. "Bring it on." She walked out of the chamber.