"Riddles and Half-truths"

Commander Buford and Lieutenant McQueen returned to the main briefing room where the Founder Tinx and the two Vorta were now standing side-by-side. The Commander took his usual seat at the head of the table and Lieutenant McQueen sat to his left.

"Please sit." AJ suggested. "I am very interested in what you have to say."

The Founder nodded to the two Vorta who took seats at the far end of the table, whilst Tinx took a seat on the right hand side of the table.

"I guess we should start at the beginning." Tinx stated.

"It's probably a good place to start." Logan replied. The Commander shot him an annoyed glance.

"Soon after the end of the Dominion war, a small group of Jem'Hadar stole an advanced prototype vessel from a Dominion shipyard in the Alpha quadrant. They were led by a fanatical Vorta called Exis'Ta." The Founder began. "He was the first of a new breed of Vorta, like the Alpha Jem'Hadar created to supplement our forces during the war. And again like the Alpha Jem'Hadar, certain modifications were made to their DNA and conditioning to make them more loyal to the Dominion."

"Exactly how many of these Alpha Vorta were produced ?" Buford asked. "I have never read any documentation about them and the Treaty of Bajor specifically stated that the Dominion should share over all medical and scientific data about genetically created Dominion forces within the Alpha quadrant."

"There were seven Vorta clones developed." Tinx stated. "All but Exis'Ta were dead by the end of the war. Their loyalty to the Dominion turned them into fanatics who would rather die than be captured. They had proved too unstable to develop and the project was stopped, all records of it destroyed along with the cloning facility."

"So with all the records gone, you didn't see fit to tell us about them ?" AJ asked.

"We thought Exis'Ta was also dead until he surfaced during the stealing of the prototype." Tinx stated.

"This prototype vessel, exactly what was it ?" AJ enquired.

"Although the vessel was just over twice the size of a Jem'Hadar attackship, it was equipped with weapons systems equal in power to those of a warship. It also had a cloaking device given to the Cardassian Obsidian order by the Romulan Tal'Shiar. However, it was only useful for short periods of time due to an imbalance that was caused in the ships experimental power core when it was used." Tinx stated.

"That's some powerful ship." Logan exclaimed. "That much fire-power in such a small vessel."

"There were many problems in it's development, which meant that it never saw action and there were very few within the Dominion or our allies who even knew about it's existence."

"Something else you neglected to tell us about, against the Treaty of Bajor." Logan stated. "So how was it stolen ?"

"We believe that somehow Exis'Ta found out about it's existence and realising that with the Dominion forces defeated, he would need to take the vessel away so that it would not fall into the hands of the Federation." The Founder said. "He was able to persuade many of the Jem'Hadar protecting the prototype that he was doing the right thing, those that tried to stop him were cut down in their tracks."

"And you never though to go searching for them ?" AJ asked.

"The Dominion was in disarray, we had no time to go searching for one small vessel. Our primary aim was to keep and maintain order within the Dominion." Tinx announced. "Infact our intelligence stated that he was still in the Alpha quadrant until about six months ago."

"How do you know that ?" AJ enquired.

"That's about the time that Dominion outposts started to be attacked by unknown Jem Hadar forces." The Founder replied. "The first attack was close to the wormhole terminus in the Gamma quadrant and there was a vague pattern leading deeper into Dominion space. Several sensor logs taken at the time appear to be similar to the prototype vessel that was stolen."

"So you're saying that a group of Jem'Hadar have been hiding in Federation space for over ten years and never been seen or detected." AJ said. "They couldn't have survived for so long without Ketracel-white."

"Unfortunately there were many places within the Alpha quadrant where 'White' was stored." Tinx stated. "It is entirely possible that they could have survived that long. They may have returned to the Gamma quadrant because they were unable to obtain more."

"Yet another violation of the Treaty of Bajor." Logan stated.

"But why did they attack the base on Juno III ?" AJ asked. "And for what purpose did they kidnap two Federation scientists ?"

"That I am unsure of." Tinx replied. "As you may have already guessed, the vessel from which you rescued Vorta Sabá and our Elite guard was tracking the rogue vessel. Sabá has told me that she was aware to the Federation base on Juno III, but had no idea what the rogue vessel was going to do. You must convey my sadness at the attack on your base to your Federation."

Commander Buford was quiet for sometime as he thought things through.

"What do you think their aims are now ?" The Commander asked.

"We believe that Exis'Ta and his soldiers plan to reclaim and reinstate the old ways." The Founder stated. "After that they will turn their attentions back to the Alpha quadrant. The Dominion has come a long way since the end of the war in the Alpha quadrant and most of us would prefer to keep that status quo."

"But they are only a few Jem'Hadar, surely they can't possibly take over the entire Dominion." AJ exclaimed.

"But they are growing in numbers." The Founder replied. "Each raid they have made so far, some Jem'Hadar have left with them. We don't know why or how they are managing to persuade them to leave with them. We estimate that there are around two hundred Jem'Hadar and possibly three or four Vorta now within the group."

"So what now ?" AJ enquired. "I presume you would like us to release the Jem'Hadar and Sabá. Well they're not our prisoners and you can take them back with you at any time."

"Thank you Commander, but I have another suggestion." Tinx replied. "We would like to show our good faith and help you to find your missing scientists. We are willing to allow the Jem'Hadar and Sabá to remain onboard your vessel to assist in their recovery."

Logan felt a sort of rage welling up inside him at the Founder's suggestion. As far as he was concerned, the sooner the Jem'Hadar were off the ship the better. Now someone was suggesting that they remain onboard indefinitely.

"I would have to contact Starfleet about this." Commander Buford stated. "There are also the practical considerations to consider."

"We can have a supply of 'White' transferred across to your ship now, enough to keep the Jem'Hadar in line for at least six months." Tinx suggested. "You are dealing with fanatics that you know very little about. The Vorta and the Jem'Hadar you have aboard know far more about fighting their own than anyone, they could be an asset to you."

"As I said, I would like to consult my senior crew and Starfleet Command about this before I decide whether to take you up on your offer." AJ stated.

"Then I will await your answer." Tinx replied. "I will return to my vessel and wait. Sabá will remain onboard, she has asked to see the Jem'Hadar under her command, I believe she is worried about their health."

"We could do with a small supply of 'White'." AJ suggested. "We have been providing the Jem'Hadar soldiers with a substitute, but it is only effective for a short period."

"I will have two doses for each Jem'Hadar sent over immediately upon my return." Tinx stated.

The Founder and his Vorta escort followed the security detail back to the transporter room, along with the Commander whilst Logan escorted Sabá to the cargo bay.