Janeway regarded Nechayev's image on the viewscreen in her ready room, noting that there was a little static in the transmission from Earth, causing the image to resonate slightly. That was to be expected since it was being bounced through four communications relays and two different quadrants. She was suddenly reminded that it wasn't so long ago on Voyager that she would have given anything for even the most static filled communication from the Federation.

“You believe you have a way to remove the mother creatures?” Nechayev’s blonde Slavic features were very thoughtful.

“We have a way to kill them,” Janeway corrected. “Seven…Lt. Hansen…with assistance from Dr. Kahn, has come up with a way to calibrate the sensors to pinpoint their particular bioelectrical energy patterns, which differ from the drones. By targeting those patterns on the planet, we can transmit a plasma based signal that will disrupt their biomolecular fields and kill them instantly, unfortunately, killing their hosts as well. In turn, their colony of drones will be nullified, forcing them out of their respective hosts. But the question is not can we do it, Admiral, the question is, should we?”

“You have some philosophical objection?” Nechayev sounded unpleasantly surprised. “It’s not as if the hosts of the mother creatures are still…” She trailed off, searching for the appropriate word. “Viable once infested. These things grow, eating away at the body and mine until there’s nothing left. Only the drones seem able to live inside a humanoid without permanent harm.”

“Perhaps, but according to the findings of the away team I sent down to the planet, the hosts chosen by the mother creatures are people crucial in the planet’s governing body. Are we prepared to disrupt this society’s ruling structure and leave them to deal with the aftermath? That doesn’t sound like any Federation policy of which I’m aware.”

There was a pause and then Nechayev almost, but not quite, sighed. “No, it’s not. Very well, Captain, I’ll leave it in your capable hands. But be aware that we want to cement ties with the Confederacy. Take under careful consideration any assistance they may request.”

Janeway had no problem translating that one. If Jiidan requested that they use the method to wipe out the parasites, along with all the innocent hosts, leaving the planet below in chaos, Starfleet would prefer she do so, though they would stand by any decision she made.

Wearily, she leaned back against the cushions of her chair, staring at the viewscreen that now held the wreath and planet insignia of the Federation, indicating the transmission had ended. It seemed to her that it used to be easier to uphold the traditions and beliefs of Starfleet. Or maybe she was just getting too old for a job that required a young and fresh viewpoint.

She smiled suddenly. You’re only as old as you feel, Katie, she reminded herself, and she knew this burden would lighten, as had so many others. She simply had to trust her instincts and go with the decision she could live with. If that didn’t jibe with Starfleet Command, well, it wouldn’t be the first time.

Reaching up, she touched the comm badge. “Minister Jiidan, if I could see you in my ready room at your convenience?”

“Acknowledged, Captain. I’m on my way.”

As Janeway waited patiently for the Soularri representative to arrive, she stared thoughtfully at the bouquet of red roses that adorned her desk, wondering how he would react to the information she had to share with him regarding the away team’s findings. Kelly, Ro and Wildman had transmitted their latest report only that morning and the science labs were still going over the data. The chime interrupted her musing and she lifted her head.

“Come.”

Jiidan entered and immediately retrieved the cushion from near the desk, kept there for that specific purpose, and placed it on the chair, giving him some height with which to look the captain in the eye. “You have news for me, Captain Janeway?” he asked once he had settled.

“As you may or may not be aware, I’ve dispatched an away team to the surface of the planet to do some reconnaissance,” she explained pleasantly, passing over a padd with the relevant information. “We’ve been receiving regular reports of their findings and apparently, there aren’t as many parasites as we feared and even fewer of the mother creatures.”

He looked down at the data streaming across the padd he held, a frown furrowing his furry forehead. “What are you hoping to accomplish with all this, Captain?”

“I’m not sure what you mean?”

“You know they’re a threat. Your own Federation considers them so, and in fact, sent you out to discover their origins. Why bother to study them any further? We are wasting our time searching for some area of diplomacy with these beings. They do not negotiate their way onto other worlds. They steal in and take over the planet without the inhabitants even being aware. How will they choose to expand into worlds that know they exist? Consolidate their possessed planets and use the duped inhabitants as cannon fodder? We need to stop them here and now, just as you declared in your conference room and I know it’s possible. I am aware your science section has come up with a way to terminate them.”

Suddenly, Jiidan no longer looked cute or cuddly, and Janeway decided that perhaps she was finally seeing the true face of the Soularri, one of immovable resolve and will. A stray thought filtered through her mind. Was this what Tazna Jade was talking about when she warned Seven not to trust them? She knew she couldn’t trust the outer appearance. After all, cute and cuddly didn’t get a species too far when surrounded by a dangerous universe.

So, there was a decision to be made after all. So much for the small hope she’d been secretly nursing since sending her team down to the planet.

“What are you suggesting, Minister?”

“I’m asking if you will authorize the use of the weapon your science section has developed. Indeed, I’m making a formal request as the representative of the Confederation of Species in accordance with our mutual defense pact as laid out by the Treaty of Hearthstone.”

Janeway felt that request like a poke in the stomach, the blow mediated only by the fact that she had suspected it was coming. “I understand, Minister Jiidan,” she said mildly. “And I will take your concerns under advisement.”

That did not satisfy him, she saw, but it was the best she was going to give him now. After a few more pleasantries that possessed an edge that had not previously existed between them, he left her. Janeway stared blankly at the doors to her ready room, feeling a muscle jump sporadically in her jaw. This was turning out to be one of those days, and it wasn’t even lunch yet. After thinking furiously for a few moments, she rose from her seat and slipped out of the ready room, glancing around the bridge. As fourth in command, B’Elanna held the command chair. Janeway exchanged a nod with her before putting out her hand to forestall her rising as she strode toward her.

“I need to speak with our guests,” she said in a low voice.

B’Elanna’s dark eyes narrowed. “With all due respect, Captain. Not alone.”

Janeway’s lips twitched, amused at the proprietary tone in her chief engineer’s voice. Obviously, with Ro on the planet, B’Elanna had decided to take her place as Janeway’s unofficial bodyguard, even though as engineer, it was hardly her job. “It might be dangerous.”

Dark brows lowered immediately. “When has that ever stopped me?” The tone was a mix of incredulity and confusion.

“Well, perhaps you might want to sit this out.” Janeway glanced down at her belly. “After all, you have larger concerns than the ship and myself.”

“Ma'am,” B'Elanna began and Janeway knew B'Elanna was angry indeed when she utilized that form of address. “When I can no longer do my job, I will. Let. You. Know. Captain!”

The last bit was bitten off and Janeway had to swallow back a laugh. She didn't really expect anything to happen with the delegates who had been perfectly cooperative during their time on Millennium, she was just provoking B'Elanna a little. Seven was right, it was fun, but from the reaction, it appeared she had found a rather touchy spot. Something to keep in mind.

“Then you may accompany me, Commander.” She said mildly and glanced over at the young Vulcan woman manning ops. “Lieutenant, you have the bridge.”

By this time, there was no slight widening of the eyes to indicate her controlled pleasure and surprise at being given the ship. T'Shanik had proven herself to be a competent, if quiet member of the bridge crew in her two years on Millennium. Gracefully, the slender Vulcan surrendered her post to her backup and took over the command chair as Janeway and B’Elanna exited the bridge.

In the turbolift, B’Elanna eyed the captain. “Do you really expect to get something new from them?”

“We’ve hardly had time to explore their culture, B’Elanna.”

“I’m not sure they have a culture…other than what they’ve stolen from their hosts.”

“Then perhaps that’s what we’ll find out with further discussion with them,” Janeway said dryly.

They stepped off the turbolift on deck six. Here the delegates were isolated in individual quarters so that they could not communicate with each other, particularly in the odd, screeching form they utilized that the science section had still not been able to decipher. At the second door, Janeway nodded briefly at the security guard in attendance and entered the cabin.

Inside, Trevarti looked up from the computer console where he was working and his genial features widened in a smile of welcome. Unlike the other delegates, he didn’t seem bothered by what had essentially become an imprisonment. Instead, he spent most of his time learning as much as he could about the Federation and the Confederacy. Though it bothered Janeway on a command level, making her careful about exactly what he could access, she completely understood it on another. Trevarti was a scientist first, and whatever else second. Even a parasite could not change that.

“Captain, so good to see you.”

Despite the circumstances, Janeway smiled. He was so earnest and sincere and really, the only one she enjoyed speaking with. Heirra, once the deception had been stripped away, maintained an aloof, cold manner. The others took their cue from her, but Trevarti continued to be warm and inquisitive. If it weren’t for the breathing tubule at the back of his neck, it would be difficult to believe he possessed a parasite at all.

As B’Elanna took up a position next to the door, crossing her arms over her chest and assuming her most Klingon demeanor, Janeway sat in the chair next to Trevarti. “I would like to ask you a question, and I’m wondering if I will get a response that is without para…your creature’s influence.”

Trevarti assumed a serious expression. “Captain, I want to assure you, my thoughts are my own. Over the years, my associate and I have reached a true accommodation with each other. While I admit that others had more difficulty with their merging, I embraced it, and as a result, my thoughts are truly my own.”

Janeway regarded him gravely. “You realize I have only your word for that. Or rather, your ‘associate’s’ word for it.”

Trevarti laughed merrily, and that, more than anything else, gave credence to his words. The others didn’t laugh. They barely smiled. “I understand, Captain. It really is a matter of what you believe at the end of the day.”

Janeway smiled faintly and dipped her head. “I guess that’s what it always comes down to.”

“What is it you wished to ask, Captain?”

“I need to know if given an opportunity, would the Wakardi want to be free of their invaders?”

He lifted a brow, obviously surprised at being asked the question, but he appeared to give it every consideration. “Most do not know of their presence, of course,” he admitted after a moment. “I would be lying if I said that the consensus would not be one of horror and fear if they did find out. But Captain, it would be a response borne of ignorance.” He looked at Janeway’s expression and smiled. “I know that would be what you’d expect me to say, but honestly, you need only look at our history to see how much better off we are now. My father and grandfather lived in the times before, and I remember stories my father told when I was young, of being unable to do something as simple as go to the market without being shot at by the warring factions in his village. Women and children were routinely brutalized as various tribal organizations struggled for power. Our planet was at the mercy of our savage nature, socially, economically and environmentally and it is very possible we would have destroyed ourselves. In that, Heirra did not lie.”

“But wouldn’t it be better to bring about change from within rather than it being enforced from an outside agency?”

“In an ideal universe, yes, but Wikira Prime was far from being an ideal world, Captain. We might not have survived long enough to enact positive change. Surely, you have assisted other worlds in their development during your exploration of space?”

“Our guidelines for doing so are very strict, Trevarti. In fact, we have a directive the prohibits the interference with a developing culture.”

Trevarti smiled sadly. “And how many worlds and peoples in the Federation were lost from that lack of inaction.”

Janeway thought of Bajor, and the years it was forced to labor under the occupation of the Cardassians, of the border worlds along the Romulan Neutral Zone and other planets where Starfleet had been forced to step back from the situation rather than offer aid when empathy would have deemed it a necessity. She believed in the Prime Directive, but she couldn’t deny that, occasionally, its opponents had a point when saying such a policy cost dearly in the suffering of innocents.

“I will think about what you said, Delegate, but I must also pay heed to the protection of others who are in no need of such interference. Your ‘associates’ do not always honor that.”

“Every species survives as it must, Captain. You may not like what form that survival takes, but if you honor a strict policy of non-interference, as you say you do, then by rights, you cannot oppose what has already happened.”

Janeway had no doubt that was, indeed, the parasite talking rather than the host, but she merely dipped her head respectfully and rose from her chair. Outside the quarters, she looked at B’Elanna who eyed her sardonically. “Do you really believe that plasma residue?”

“I believe that he believes it, both host and parasite.”

“Well, that’s the key, isn’t it? It’s not a symbiont it’s a parasite and I doubt he was really talking at all.”

“He seems to have reached a true merging with it.” B’Elanna didn’t respond, but her expression spoke volumes. Janeway smiled and nodded up the corridor to the other quarters housing the delegates. “I want to speak with Heirra, again. I don’t think I’ll need you with me this time.”

“Nonetheless, Captain, I’ll hang around out here until you’re finished with her.”

Janeway resisted the urge to sigh at her overly developed protective nature, but decided it would waste more time arguing than she wanted to spend at the moment.

It was unusually dim inside the quarters housing the Wakardi diplomat and Janeway faltered just inside the entrance as the door hissed shut behind her. It took a few seconds to understand what she was actually looking at. The remains of what could only be Speaker Heirra were now splattered over an area encircling a chair in the middle of the room. It appeared as if she had sat down and simply exploded, with blood and tissue spread over the nearby table. Hand trembling, Janeway reached for her comm badge to alert security. At the same time, she felt a tickle on her ankle. Glancing down, she started abruptly as she saw movement skittering rapidly up her leg.

In the next second, the parasite was leaping toward her as she saw the walls and ceiling come alive around her with thousands more.

“They’re dying.”

Seven glanced at Lenara, then turned her attention to the container containing the parasites that had been confiscated from the Wakardi delegation. Three had already been removed. Of the four remaining, three were staggering about and one was upside down, legs twitching feebly in the air.

“Have you determined a cause?”

Lenara, using a silver probe, gingerly prodded the one lying on its back. “I believe that if they haven’t found a host within a certain amount of time after being spawned by the queen, then they die from starvation. I know that we’ve been unable to find anything they’ll eat and most parasites can only process food from a host to begin with.”

Seven regarded the creatures dispassionately. They were approximately ninety millimeters in length and about fifty millimeters wide with a flexible exoskeleton that compressed when entering the body. Dual horns or mandibles sprouted from their mouthparts, supposedly to widen their passage into the host, while six legs denoted them as insectoid in nature.

“Have you discussed this with the Wakardi scientist? Perhaps he would have a suggestion on how to feed them outside a host. Trill symbionts can ingest—”

“These are not symbionts.”

Surprised, Seven lifted her head. There had been real anger in Lenara’s tone, and actual revulsion as well. Of all people, she had expected Lenara to be more accepting of the creature’s nature, though perhaps that was a bad assumption on her part. Lenara met Seven’s level look for a long moment before looking away, appearing somewhat discomforted.

“Parasites give nothing back to the host,” she added in a quieter tone. “That’s what defines them as parasites. They only take.”

Seven lifted a brow. “According to the delegation, these creatures actually stabilized their planet and prevented them from destroying themselves.”

“It’s not as if they’d say anything different, is it?” Lenara ceased poking the creature and moved over to her desk, a dissatisfied expression tightening the corners of her mouth. Intrigued at this display of uncharacteristic emotion from the Trill, Seven promptly followed, taking a seat next to her at the console. Lenara offered an annoyed look. “What?”

“Their existence troubles you,” Seven said with Borg certainty. “Why?”

Lenara frowned mightily at her, which bothered Seven not in the least, and punched savagely at the console controls. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“If it were, I would not ask the question.”

“These are everything that the Trill are not.”

Seven considered the statement, and more importantly, the tone in which it was uttered. “Yet, it is everything that was initially feared about the Trill,” she said slowly, drawing on the information that she had assimilated on her trip to that planet some years earlier. “Creatures that take over the host, influencing them to the extent that there is nothing left of the original being. Even when a successful joining occurred, there was still the suspicion by many of the Trill colonists that the host was merely a mindless drone controlled solely by the symbiont.”

From the expression on Lenara’s face, Seven believed she had pinpointed precisely what was troubling her friend. Yet, even as she studied her, she began to suspect there was more. Seven maintained her level stare, until finally Lenara let out her breath in an exasperated huff.

“You’re saying that I’m judging these things the way people initially judged the Trill.” She arched an eyebrow. “I’ll point out that the Trill never tried to infiltrate the Federation Council or Starfleet Headquarters.”

“Perhaps because the Trill do not reproduce so quickly? There are never enough symbionts for available hosts, after all.”

Lenara stared at her and Seven belatedly realized that piece of information was not public knowledge, not even to the larger percentage of the Trill homeworld. It was a piece of data that she had acquired during her time with the Borg, undoubtedly assimilated from some high-ranking Trill government official at Wolf 359 or elsewhere during a Borg excursion to the Federation. From her expression, Lenara somehow knew about it as well, but there was no question that she didn’t think Seven should.

“How did you—” she began, then stopped, stymied. “It doesn’t matter. This isn’t the same thing at all.”

“Excuse me, Lt. Hansen?”

Seven, about to respond, started slightly and glanced over to see Ensign Cole approaching. An inquisitive scientist, he was also an unrepentant pursuer of gossip and rumor on the ship. After years of working closely with B’Elanna, Seven had learned the value of such behavior, so while she did not encourage it in the astrophysicist, she didn’t exactly discourage him either whenever he shared his information. Sometimes it was the only way she knew what was going on when her spouse was being particularly reticent on ship’s business. Lenara’s expression, troubled from their discussion, abruptly cleared when she saw his expression. She'd been around long enough to know when he was coming to Seven with a scientific problem, and when he was in the possession of a particularly juicy tidbit of information regarding the workings of the ship.

“What is it, Ensign?” She gave no sign of her irritation over having her conversation with Lenara interrupted.

“I happened to overhear a security transmission,” he said in a hesitant manner that made Seven frown, disturbed to discover that was how he kept up on current events. Commander Ro would be most displeased if she discovered that he was monitoring the security channels. She wondered what could be so significant that he would disclose such a resource now.

“Yes?”

“The Captain just sent out a call to security. She sounded as if she was being attacked.”

Seven was on her way out the door before the words had finished echoing in her ears. “Computer, locate Captain Janeway!” she demanded as she pounded down the corridor toward the turbolift.

“Captain Janeway is on deck twelve, section five.”

Where the guest quarters were located. The captain had undoubtedly initiated an encounter with the alien delegation. But what had they done to her?

She snapped out her destination as soon as she slammed into the turbolift, adding a special command code to grant it priority. The longer she was on Millennium, the more efficient she became at moving around the ship quickly and without hindrance. Even then, it seemed to take forever to descend, and her fists clenched at her sides as she forced herself to wait. There was a brief hesitation in its passage and a small sound escaped her lips. Her pilfered command code made the turbolift travel at a greater speed than normal, but it still had to give way to the security team making their way to the same destination. Two capsules could not exist in the same tube at the same time and hers naturally slowed to grant the security lift priority.

Frantic by the time the turbolift stopped, she squeezed out between the doors before they had finished hissing open and sprinted down the corridor. As she rounded the curve she came upon complete chaos. Things were skittering over the ceiling and walls, temporarily contained by a force field on either end of the hall. In the center of the cordoned off area, four security guards were firing their phasers at the parasites pouring out of the open door of a room but Seven only had eyes only for the two figures in the middle.

B’Elanna was bent over a huddled form, ripping away the multitude of creatures that were swarming over the compact body. Another sound, a small whimper of horror, issued from Seven and a thought to her cortical node altered her biofield, enabling her to plunge through the forcefield, though the shock made her stagger slightly. Assessing the situation swiftly, she pushed B’Elanna aside with carefully calculated force onto the deck, where she immediately let out a string of oaths that let Seven know she had not been unduly harmed. Reaching down with her left hand through the creatures to Janeway’s shoulder, she transmitted an electric pulse through the mesh implant.

Janeway spasmed, jerking convulsively as the creatures, shocked into immobility, fell from her. Seven kicked away the shocked creatures and regarded Janeway, still shuddering violently, not only from the electric jolt she had received, but also from the reaction of being covered by the parasites. Her eyes and mouth were squeezed tightly shut and her hands had been covering her ears. Unfortunately, Seven knew there were other orifices in the human body that could be penetrated and she drew out her tricorder, running a complete scan on the captain. She released her breath in a silent sigh of relief when the results revealed no creature had managed to enter.

The arrival of more security officers helped contain the outbreak and force the creatures steadily back into the guest quarters. Seven helped Janeway to her feet, supporting her with an arm around her shoulders as she tottered unsteadily on trembling legs.

“What happened?”

It was B’Elanna who responded first. “Heirra exploded. When the captain called for help, I opened the door and dragged her out by the scruff of the neck.”

“You could have let them escape.” Seven knew it was fear as much as anger that sharpened Janeway’s tone. “Worse, you exposed others to infiltration.”

B’Elanna started to answer, hesitated, and then shrugged minutely. “Yes, Captain.”

“You did what I would have done,” Seven said, squeezing Janeway with subtle reproof so that the others would not see. “What any of us would have done to rescue the captain.”

Janeway’s eyes shot daggers at her, but in the next second, they softened as she looked back at her engineer. “Thank you, B’Elanna. Are you injured?”

“I’m fine. I need to get back to engineering.” B’Elanna offered a smile and started to back away.

“Wait.” Propping Janeway up against the bulkhead, Seven took a step toward B’Elanna, tricorder extended as she scanned her.

The readings on the small screen registered with Seven at the exact same time B’Elanna’s eyes narrowed and she lunged between two security guards, tossing them aside. Seven regretfully dropped the tricorder onto the deck, having no time to secure it, and sprang after her, seizing her by the arm. Immediately, B’Elanna turned, lips drawn back in a fury, and Seven found she suddenly had her hands full. She knew the creatures somehow boosted the strength of their hosts and B’Elanna’s Klingon heritage already made her considerably stronger than most. In the background, she could hear Janeway shouting orders and, from the corner of her eye, saw the security guards jockeying into position around them in an effort to get a clear shot with their phasers. Her full attention was on B’Elanna’s attack, keenly aware that she could not utilize her own Borg-enhanced prowess as freely as she would normally. There was not only B’Elanna’s wellbeing to take into consideration, but also that of the fetus developing within her abdomen.

“Seven, try to subdue her.”

“I am endeavoring to do so, Captain.” Irritation made her tone sharp and if she could have spared a glance at Janeway as she grappled with B’Elanna, it would have been one of sheer exasperation.

Finally, she had the opening she was looking for. A lunge, an abrupt feint, and then she used her greater weight to take B’Elanna to the deck, arm caught behind her, face pressing down against the low carpet. B'Elanna's head was forced to the right, allowing her long, dark hair to fall to the side, revealing the back of her neck. A small tubule quivered through the olive skin and Seven, crouched above her as she pinned her down, frowned at how quickly the creatures could invade and take over the host.

“Take her to sickbay.”

Carefully, Seven released her friend into the custody of M’Reek and his security team who escorted her to the medical center where, hopefully, they would be able to remove the creature using the method developed by the science department. The corridor was unnaturally quiet after everyone had dispersed to their assignments, including a doubled guard on the surviving delegates.

Seven looked the captain over, assessing her body language. “Are you undamaged, Kathryn?”

Janeway’s brow had been furrowed, her jaw set as she undoubtedly thought about what this new development meant. She started slightly at Seven’s question and lifted her gaze to meet her eyes, managing a small smile. “Other than being electrocuted, I’m fine. I admit it was a bit sticky for a moment there, but B’Elanna didn’t waste any time in hauling me out, even if it allowed the others to escape. Fortunately, she activated the force fields in the corridor first. It was quick thinking on her part.”

“B’Elanna is competent, if impetuous. In any event, if she had not acted so quickly, you would have been the one infested.”

A slight shudder rippled through her and Seven took a step closer, concerned. Janeway held up a hand, indicating she was all right. “It just…I think I’d prefer to be assimilated to that.”

Seven lifted a brow, suspecting that Janeway was exaggerating. Neither was particularly pleasant. “What now?”

“Now I have some decisions to make, and I’m not sure how much this event is going to influence them.” She shook her head fretfully and touched her comm badge. “Lt. T'Shanik, contact the away team. I want them back on the ship now!”

“Are you sure about this?”

Ro glanced at her, a thin smile edging her lips. “You worried?”

Keira took a long, slow breath. ‘Worried’ didn’t begin to convey her state of mind. When Ro came up with the plan to infiltrate the government buildings in the largest city on the planet, Keira allowed it was a good idea, but now that they were implementing it, she was having a few second thoughts.

“Just being pragmatic.”

Ro laughed quietly. “Pragmatism doesn’t work well in this kind of procedure. In fact, if you had any kind of common sense at all, you wouldn’t be doing it in the first place.”

“Thanks for reminding me.” She made a face. “I guess I just don’t like being out of contact with the ship.”

“It’s not as if we can afford to have Millennium contact us in the middle of an operation. It’s outbound communications only. Lt. Wildman will be waiting for our call when we’re clear.”

“Assuming we get clear,” Kiera mumbled.

“Are you always such an optimist?”

“Not at all. Expecting the worst is what kept me alive during the war.”

“Fair enough.”

The pair was standing in an alcove across the street from the main building of the governmental complex. There didn’t seem to be much in the way of patrolling guards nor were there any indications of a sophisticated security system. That didn’t mean they could just walk in, though that was essentially Ro’s plan. The security chief expected that the artificial tubule in the back of her neck would get her through anything dicey. Keira didn’t know if she had a lot of faith in that assumption, but she didn’t say anything as she followed Ro across the thoroughfare and up the stairs to the large cement building.

Inside, it was cool and dim, their boots echoing slightly on the hard, polished floor. Several individuals passed them but no one seemed to take note of the two purposefully striding women and, gradually, Keira started to relax. The easiest way to infiltrate anywhere was to look as if one totally belonged, particularly in a bureaucratic society and she supposed that was holding true in this case. Her tentative confidence faltered, however, when she saw the checkpoint at the far end of the hall. Ro didn’t alter stride. She merely continued her path and Keira had no choice but to keep up.

The guards watched them approach but didn't seem unduly apprehensive. They were dressed in the black uniforms edged in gold trim of the government law enforcement agency. Ro paused and regarded them expectantly. “Yes?”

“Your purpose?” The larger one frowned slightly, but both maintained reasonably pleasant expressions. Perhaps because they didn’t know with whom they were dealing and weren’t quite ready to commit to something that could get them in trouble later.

Ro tilted her head forward, making the back of her neck visible. “I have an appointment,” she said in an inflection that mixed boredom and slight irritation.

It was exactly the right tone to take and at the sight of the tubule, the guards both straightened and fixed their stares straight ahead. Obviously, they were aware of what the tubules signified. Keira couldn’t begin to guess how Ro would know they would, but after a slight hesitation, she scurried after Ro as she strode regally past the guards and into the inner chambers of the government building.

It was quieter here with fewer people visible, which would only serve to make them more noticeable. It made Kelly nervous though she could only hope she was hiding it, not only for her own protection, but because she didn’t want to seem so green to Ro. It did occur to her that she had nurtured the fond belief that she was good at these kinds of things. In fact, she thought she had been good at a lot of things before she had boarded Millennium. Now she was discovering just how much she had to learn which, she supposed, was why Nechayev had posted her to the ship in the first place.

The knowledge still didn’t make the whole situation go down any easier, but it did make it less difficult to do her job at this point, unlike her first few months on the ship.

They passed one final clerk in the corridor, then Ro drifted over to a dark stained wooden door. On the plaque beside it was the name of one of the more important government officials on the planet. Fortunately, both women knew exactly where she was now...on board Millennium and thus, they were unlikely to be interrupted. After glancing both ways to make sure the coast was clear, Ro fumbled at the latch. Except she wasn’t fumbling, Kelly realized. There was a device in her hand and, in the next second, the door clicked open. Ro eased through it into Heirra's empty office with Kelly on her heels. Shutting it firmly behind her, she secured it with the same device.

“Didn’t realize you were so adept at B&E,” Kelly remarked.

Ro flashed a smile, a glint of white in the dim illumination. “You’d be amazed at what one picks up in a Bajoran refugee camp.”

While Kelly contemplated that, Ro moved swiftly to a desk in the corner where a viewscreen sat. Unlike those on Millennium, this one was not voice activated. Ro had to sit down and manipulate some kind of manual control panel full of little buttons. Taking up a position behind her, Kelly watched over her left shoulder as Ro swiftly brought up file after file.

“This would be quicker if we had Lt. Hansen here,” she remarked.

“Not with this,” Ro corrected in an absent tone as she typed. She inclined her head at a rectangular box tucked under the desk. “There’s no interface available for her to utilize her tubules. The storage device is far too primitive for her to access.” Then, after a second, she frowned and lifted her head. “I was unaware that you knew about Seven’s abilities in that area.”

Kelly shrugged slightly. “I’ve been going over the files from Millennium’s first year. It’s been…informative.”

“I bet it has.” Ro intensified her focus on the screen, her expression settling into professional impassiveness, but Kelly could hear the smile in her tone. The smile was completely gone with her next words. “Prophets!”

“What is it?” Kelly leaned closer but was unable to figure out what Ro was seeing before she began explaining it all to her.

“Over the past twenty years, they’ve channeled most of the planet's resources into building interstellar vessels.”

“We know that,” Kelly said. “That’s why we were able to contact them. Otherwise the Prime Directive would have forbidden it.”

“No, I'm saying that they’ve been building a lot of them. They’re hidden in the mountain ranges outside the city and according to this, ready to launch at a moment's notice.” Ro paused, rapidly reading the text on the screen. “This can only mean one thing. They’re about to swarm. Millennium’s arrival just meant an opportunity to spread further faster if they were able to take our ship to add to their armada.”

“We need to tell the captain.”

Kelly made a step toward the door when, suddenly, it flew open to reveal two, very powerful looking Wakardi males dressed in city guard uniforms. Black, metallic and thoroughly dangerous looking weapons were hefted in their direction and the sight of muzzles yawning before her made Kelly pause. Fortunately, Ro didn’t. She picked up the viewscreen and heaved it at them, ducking behind the desk in the next second. The viewscreen, connected by cables to the box, made a parabolic arch and crashed to the floor well short of the doorway, but it was enough to make them flinch. That extra second allowed Kelly to dive behind the couch. Aware that once committed to an action, no hesitation could be allowed, both women then rose with phasers in hand and stunned the two men.

The shriek of an alarm system went off and shouts from down the hall indicated they were well and truly discovered.

“Come on,” Ro ordered, picking up the chair she’d been using and tossing it through the nearest window which shattered with a satisfying smash. Kelly used her cloak to sweep away the remaining pieces of glass and stepped through it, straddling the frame. She glanced back in time to see Ro reset her phaser and fire at the desk. It immediately exploded into flames, sending embers of shrapnel around the room where more fires started to smolder.

“Cover,” Ro explained shortly as she joined Kelly at the window. She glanced out. “Damn.”

They were four stories up, and what seemed like an army of guards were racing across the square toward their position. Projectiles began to strike the façade of the building around them, gouging out large divots of concrete. Hastily, Kelly ducked back into the room that was rapidly filling with smoke.

“How do we get out? The door’s blocked by the guards and more are on the way.” She was proud that her voice was cool and composed, indicating none of the panic that was running around in circles in her head, gibbering loudly.

“Quit thinking two dimensionally,” Ro instructed, just as if they were in some Academy class.

She adjusted her phaser once more and pointed at her feet. A fine, golden line of power cut into the carpet and she ran the beam like a fine stylus around her, cutting a circle into the flooring. The circular chunk of concrete and wood dropped down to the floor beneath with a loud clatter as Ro followed it lithely down through the small opening. Hoping there was no one waiting below, Kelly followed suit, discovering belatedly that the security chief hadn't quite made the hole big enough.

“Damnit, not everyone's a stick like you, Ro.”

Jammed around the chest, Kelly cursed as she wiggled and squirmed, kicking wildly. Finally, aided by a judicious yank from beneath, she managed to squeeze through and dropped to the floor where she absorbed the shock of her fall on bent knees.

“Took you long enough,” Ro said waspishly. “Why didn't you cut your own hole?”

Kelly gritted her teeth. “Where to, now?” she demanded, rather than say what she wanted. Glancing around at the shining tiles and fixtures, she realized they were in a restroom of some sort.

Ro whipped off her cloak. “Get rid of these.”

Kelly obeyed, stuffing the material in a waste disposal unit in the corner, turning around in time to see Ro pull the artificial tubule from the back of her neck before she moved over to the door where she glanced out cautiously. There were a significant amount of people rushing through the corridor, obviously being evacuated from the building. As unobtrusively as possible, the two women joined them. Fire alarms were clanging loudly in addition to the initial intruder alarm and the noise of people crying out in confusion and dismay added greatly to the din.

Kelly didn’t breathe any easier when they were outside in the plaza. People milled around without direction and the women had to work their way through the throng, trying not to rush and draw any attention from the various, dark clad officers searching the crowd. Finally, they broke free into an alleyway bordering the plaza.

“We were lucky,” Ro murmured as they trotted along the walkway bordered by high windowless buildings. “They’re not used to crime on this planet and even less inclined to expect anyone to break into the parasites' part of the building. Their security methods are designed to add more to the confusion, rather than work efficiently.”

“There were enough guards around,” Kelly reminded her, still a little shaky, “with really big guns.”

“Too used to civilian service,” Ro said disdainfully. “They should have shot us the second they came through the door instead of trying to take us prisoner. We were clearly intruding in a very sensitive area. Amateurs.”

Kelly wasn’t sure why Ro seemed disdainful of not being shot to death but she accepted that her professional attitude had been offended. In any event, it didn’t require a return comment and she picked up her pace as they headed back to the hotel where Lt. Wildman was waiting for them.