Title: Star Trek-Infinity: Stormfront [PG] (MISC)

Author: Charles Rando (trando@worldnet.att.net)

Series: MISC

Rating: [PG]

Part: NEW 2/2

Disclaimer: Paramount owns the characters in The Next Generation and Deep
Space Nine, and Peter David owns the Selelvian race (see his book, Strike
Zone). I'd like to think that the characters I've invented and the story
are mine. :-)

Summary: The court martial trial of the Infinity crew has begun, but who is
actually telling the truth? And why is the wormhole acting up again?

Author's note: This story is the third of a four parter... written in
basically what you could consider the season finale/season
premiere/cliffhanger style. Sorry it's so long, but it involves a lot of
changes, as you probably know by now!

Go to part one

Return to the home page

CHAPTER THREE

Captain Picard sat in his ready room reviewing the files of those officers
from the Infinity currently being court-martialed. Since many officers had
been transferred to the Infinity via the Enterprise , and since a few
officers had actually served previously on it, Starfleet had requested that
the Enterprise return to Earth and provide character witnesses. Picard had
experienced court-martial before when he had lost the Stargazer, his first
command, and the ordeal had given him an unique perspective on the process.
Sometimes Starfleet law didn't completely seem to fit what had actually
occurred. If this was the case for any of these officers, if even one did
not deserve to be court-martialed, he would find out. He refused to sit
back and do nothing.

"Data to Captain," came the voice of the android OPS officer. "There is a
priority message from Deep Space Nine coming through."

"Patch it through in here, Data," Picard ordered. His screen, which had
been showing the service record of Ensign Marit Kynten, a former officer on
the Enterprise although not one of Picard's favorite people, switched to
show the face of Chief Miles O'Brien, another former Enterprise officer.

"This is Deep Space Nine to any starship currently proceeding towards
Earth. The starship Infinity has been hijacked and is currently headed
towards Earth, and we have reason to believe there is an alien presence on
board the ship which is controlling it. There are still officers on board
the ship, including our first officer, Major Kira Nerys. We're not sure
what this alien presence is up to, but chances are it isn't good."

Picard deactivated the console and walked out onto the bridge. "Did you get
all of that, Commander?" he asked Data.

"Yes, Captain," Data replied. "I am currently scanning nearby sectors to
see if the Infinity is there. I have narrowed our search parameters to
those sectors between Deep Space Nine and Earth."

"Keep working, Data. Mr. Worf, open a channel to Deep Space Nine. I want to
see if we can get anything else from Mr. O'Brien," Picard ordered.

"Channel open, sir," the Klingon replied. "We are, however, out of visual
range of the station."

"I figured as much," Picard replied. "Chief O'Brien, this is Captain
Picard. We received your message about the Infinity . Can you tell us
anything else?"

O'Brien quickly ran down the confrontation with the Ferengi ship for
Picard. When he was finished, Picard asked, "So the Ferengi claim one of
the Bajoran 'Prophets' has taken control of the Infinity ?"

"Aye sir. Although I'm not all together sure I would believe them," O'Brien
answered.

"Very well then," Picard said, "we will continue our search for the
Infinity and try to get it back in one piece. It was good to hear from you,
Chief."

"It was good to hear you too, Captain," O'Brien replied. "DS9 out."

Picard turned to Data had situated himself at one of the science consoles
at the rear of the bridge. "Data, could you calculate where the Infinity
would be, assuming it left Deep Space Nine at maximum warp when O'Brien
said it had?"

"I have already attempted to do so, Captain," Data replied. "However, the
ship is not at the coordinates I calculate. I have tried more than once,
but with no results. I also have a steady scan directed at an area of space
they would have to pass through to get to Earth."

"Like a tripwire," Picard mused.

"Yes sir. Unfortunately, the Infinity should have tripped the wire over
fifteen seconds ago. I must say that I am confused by these readings," Data
said.

"Theories?" Picard asked.

"It is possible that the alien intelligence chose the heading towards Earth
to confuse and distract us," Data said. "Another possibility is that the
ship has been cloaked from our sensors."

"Sir," Worf spoke up. "We must find the Infinity . There is no telling what
damage it could do on Earth if it decided to attack!"

"I agree, Mr. Worf," Picard said. "I'd like to proceed as if the Infinity
were heading towards Earth, just to be on the safe side. Data, can you
calculate a course and speed that would allow us to intercept where you
think the Infinity should be?"

Data cocked his head slightly, much like a computer would indicate it was
working. "I believe so, Captain. A course change of 35.2 degrees mark 78 at
warp eight would cause us to intercept my predicted course for the
Infinity. We would have to change our course and speed again once we
arrived at the intercept point, however."

"Make it so," Picard ordered the officer at CONN. The Enterprise rolled
slightly and then increased in speed tremendously, but the ship's inertial
dampeners prevented anyone aboard the ship from feeling a thing.

"We shall arrive at the intercept point in thirty minutes, Captain," Data
reported.

"How long will it take us to reach Earth after that, Data?" Picard asked.

"I doubt we would be able to maintain maximum warp for the entire journey,
and I would hypothesize the same for the Infinity ," Data said. "The
soonest we would arrive at the Terran system would be 37 hours."

"That gives us a little breathing room," Picard said. "I want you to come
up with a way to break that cloak, if they are indeed cloaked. Do whatever
you must, but find that ship!"

"Yes, Captain," the android replied and immediately set into work.

Picard realized he would have to put off his record reviewing for some
time.

******************************************************

"Ingrid, we've just received a priority message from Deep Space Nine," said
Miko as soon as he stepped into Daubar's assigned quarters. "Apparently the
Infinity has been hijacked and is heading this way."

"Then they're on their way," Daubar remarked. "It was only a matter of
time, I suppose. We have to be ready for them. How soon until the Infinity
gets here?"

"All attempts to track the ship have failed," Miko replied. "It's almost as
if the ship has been cloaked somehow. But if the ship travels at maximum
speed for the longest amount of time, they'll be here in 37 hours." He
paused. "Should we delay the opening of the court-martial?"

"Definitely not," Daubar said. "If anything, we should begin earlier. I
want everyone to be present in the courtroom at 0900 tomorrow."

"I must again express my concerns that you're pushing this too fast," Miko
said. "Most court-martials give more time for the advocates to prepare."

"You've read my report," Daubar responded. "You know what happened on that
ship. And now that ship is coming here, and there's only one possible
reason why. If I could, I'd start the court-martial tonight! The Federation
is facing a mortal threat, and that threat is on its way as we speak!"

"All right," Miko conceded. "We're on for 0900 tomorrow. If you need
anything else, just let me know."

"Thank you, Admiral. Good night," Daubar said.

CHAPTER FOUR

"The case of the United Federation of Planets versus the 126 officers from
the starship Infinity is now is session," opened Admiral Miko. He and two
other admirals, Admiral Gerald Mistretta and Admiral Roseanne Hardy, would
be hearing the case. "Admiral Ingrid Daubar, you will now present
Starfleet's case."

Daubar stood and walked in front of the prosecutor's table. She looked
quickly around the courtroom. It was larger than normal court-martial
courtrooms because of the number of the defendants, but there was no
audience present. The 126 officers from the Infinity were seated off to her
left, next to the defense table, contained in a forcefield. "I guess she
doesn't want them to go anywhere," Commander Sisko thought as he sat there,
waiting for Daubar to begin her opening statement so he could get to his.

"Your honors, on stardate 48023.9, Captain Charles Rando took command of
the starship Infinity per Starfleet's orders. The next day, the Infinity
departed for station Deep Space Nine to pick up the rest of its senior
crew. I accompanied the Infinity on this journey because Captain Rando was
a friend of mine from the academy and because the Infinity was the first
Nova class ship I've seen and I was, I must admit, extremely interested in
the new starship. Before we arrived at Deep Space Nine, the Dominion came
through the Bajoran wormhole and attacked Deep Space Nine without
provocation. The combined efforts of the Infinity and Deep Space Nine were
enough to push the Dominion back, and as a result of this attack, Starfleet
changed the mission of the Infinity. The Infinity, which had been ordered
to negotiate a peace on Bavarius IV, was now to travel to the Founders'
homeworld with a simple message: any further aggressive actions would be
seen as an act of war. This mission, unfortunately, was not successful.
First, the ship was forcibly halted in the Bajoran wormhole by the wormhole
aliens, and one of them was transferred to the ship against our will. The
Infinity continued on its course after being released by the wormhole
aliens, and arrived shortly thereafter to deliver its message to the
Founders. Suddenly, the Infinity was surrounded by Jem'Hadar ships, but we
were able to escape them and get back to the wormhole. After passing
through the wormhole, however, it became obvious that the alien we had been
forced to take along with us was controlling the ship and had sent us back
in time. We spent over forty days in the past and future before we were
able to return to our own time. All of this is supported by the mission
logs of those on the Infinity . However, as you will soon discover, the
truth of what happened after that has been hidden until now. Before the
Infinity was able to escape from the Jem'Hadar attack, it was disabled.
During that time, the Founders came onboard. They transported 126 officers
from the Infinity , including the senior crew, and took their places. That
is why the defendants are currently enclosed in a force field. They are not
the officers of the Infinity. They are changelings! And I will prove it!"

A gasp went through the officers on trial. Of all the reasons they could
have been brought on trial, this was not one of them.

"That's a very serious charge, Admiral. Can you back it up?" Mistretta
asked.

"Yes I can, your honor. I was able to capture one changeling who hinted at
such a take-over. Not only that, but I believe that 'Captain Rando' was so
unwilling to fight back against this wormhole alien because he was hoping
to give the Dominion a chance to control our present by conquering our
past! Can you imagine what would have happened if word of the Bajoran
wormhole's existence had reached the Founders centuries ago? We wouldn't
have stood a chance. It was a very insidious plan, as I will soon show you,
and why these 'officers' must be brought to justice."

"Very well then. Commander Sisko, you will now open for the defense," Miko
ordered.

Sisko had been as shocked by Daubar's accusations as the crew of the
Infinity , mostly because he had heard another version of what had happened
that did not include so many changeling infiltrators. Could it be possible
that he had been lied to? "Your honors," he said, improvising now that his
original statement was useless, "I intend to prove to you that these
officers are not changelings, and therefore should not be on trial. But
before that happens, I ask for a recess so I can organize my thoughts. This
accusation from Admiral Daubar was... unexpected."

"If you are unprepared for this case, Commander, we will find someone to
take your place who is not," Miko said. "Due to the pressures of time, I'm
afraid the request for recess is denied. As you know, the starship Infinity
has been commandeered and is currently on it's way to Earth. Please
continue with your opening statement."

Sisko bristled under Miko's glare. With every passing second, he became
more and more suspicious that this case was being railroaded to a quick
decision. "I have nothing else to say at this time, your honor."

Miko nodded. "Very well. You may present your case, Admiral."

"Thank you, your honor. I would first like to call...." Sisko's attention
drifted away as Daubar began to talk. He had read through the logs of all
the Infinity 's officers, although because of time restraints he had
focused mostly on the officers being charged. He had also read through
Admiral Daubar's logs and had found no indication that she thought the ship
had been taken over by changelings... and it hit him. He hadn't read
through the Admiral's personal logs. Of course she wouldn't put her
suspicions out in the open for anyone to read!

Sisko woke from his reverie to find Dax on the stand. Daubar was grilling
her about the make-up of changelings, and Dax's answers were exactly what
Daubar wanted. When a changeling took a shape, it gave off all the
qualities of that shape, even to a tricorder. There was no way to tell if
these people were shapeshifters, unless they suddenly displayed these
abilities or unless Daubar presented a solid case. Sisko hoped that neither
of those would come to pass.

******************************************************

Commander Sisko barreled through the doors of Dax's quarters. After the
first day of the Infinity court-martial, he found himself very confused.

"We need to have a talk, old man," Sisko said.

"I would assume so," Dax replied calmly. "You're not usually one to barge
in without ringing. What's on your mind, Benjamin?"

Sisko was about to spill out everything he had been thinking about,
including Dax's communication with V'gel, when he remembered there was a
good chance that this room was being monitored as well. He quickly changed
the subject to fit the situation.

"Have you seen my black suit jacket?" he asked.

"You mean, you charged in here, all upset, because you can't find your
jacket?" Dax laughed. "I can...."

Sisko cut her off before she could finish, pointing towards the ceiling. He
then pointed at his ear, and she acknowledged the message with a nod.

"I can see how that would upset you, Benjamin," she finished.

"I thought I had packed everything," Sisko said. "That was my lucky jacket.
I got it here in San Francisco after I graduated from the Academy."

"Well, if it's that's important to you, we could have Deep Space Nine send
it to you," Dax said.

"I don't think that will be necessary," Sisko replied. "It's actually
getting a bit small for me. Why don't we go shopping for a new jacket. The
shop I got the first one at is still open."

"Maybe I can pick up a few things myself," agreed Dax. She smiled and said,
"Ever since I became a female again, I've had this tremendous urge to shop.
But I warn you, Benjamin, we might be gone for hours!"

"Well, the trial doesn't resume until tomorrow, so let's get it out of the
way," Sisko said, smiling. One thing Dax still knew how to do was play
along.

"I'm ready," Dax replied. "Let's go."

A half hour later, the two officers from Deep Space Nine walked through the
streets of San Francisco. When they were certain they weren't being
followed or watched, Dax asked, "So what was really on your mind,
Benjamin?"

"I must say, I'm very confused, Dax," Sisko said. "After hearing Admiral
Daubar's account of what happened on the Infinity, I don't know what to
believe."

"What do you mean?" Dax hadn't been in the courtroom during Daubar's
opening remarks, so Sisko had to fill her in.

"According to Daubar, the Infinity was disabled and boarded by the
Founders."

"Shapeshifters?" Dax asked.

"Apparently," Sisko replied. "The changelings took the places of those
officers that had the most access to key systems of the ship. They were
basically planning an invasion of the Alpha Quadrant. They took everyone
who was on duty at the time, just to be safe, but Admiral Daubar was
unconscious in her quarters and they missed her. When she awoke, she had no
idea what was going on, and neither did anyone else. It wasn't until she
caught a changeling infiltrator that she began to suspect that something
had happened while she was unconscious, but she couldn't really fight back
until the ship was returned to its proper timeline. As soon as they had
returned to Deep Space Nine, she hailed us and ordered a command crew to
take over the ship."

"You mean that all the officers who are being court-martialed are
Founders?" Dax asked. "That's why she kept asking me about changelings! I
was wondering what she was getting at."

"That's what Daubar says," Sisko answered. "I'm not sure if I believe it,
though."

"Benjamin, when I beamed onto the Infinity with the command team, I saw no
indication that the Founders were on the ship," Dax said. "And besides the
Infinity 's senior crew, the only person on the bridge was Admiral Daubar.
I doubt she could have subdued and covered all of them. If she was
attempting to get help from us, don't you think they would have tried to
stop her?"

"And why didn't the changelings 'replace' Admiral Daubar? They took over
the rest of the senior crew. Why not her?" Sisko wondered.

"If the changelings did replace the entire senior crew, I wouldn't have
been able to communicate with Lieutenant V'gel. There wouldn't have been
anything for me to talk to."

"I've been wondering about that myself, and that brings me to three
conclusions. The first is that you are a changeling and are in league with
the rest of them. The second is that the Dominion has the technology to
communicate telepathically, which could explain how your link to V'gel was
established... the first link between two symbiants outside the Trill
bathes. The last conclusion is that this is all a lie," Sisko said.

"Well I can assure you that your first conclusion is definitely wrong. And
I'm willing to do whatever it takes to prove it," Dax said.

"I figured you'd say that," Sisko replied, "and I'm not sure how to prove
or disprove the second one, which brings us back to the third conclusion:
this is all a lie. Of course, if that's true, it has huge ramifications.
Why would Admiral Daubar do all of this if it's untrue?"

"I don't know, Benjamin," Dax answered. "From what V'gel told me, there
seems to be no reason for her to come up with this elaborate lie. You said
she was knocked unconscious. Maybe she's suffering from some kind of mental
trauma that the Infinity 's medical staff missed."

"I read through the Admiral's personal logs right before I came to see
you," Sisko told her. "They back-up her story one hundred percent, although
I'm not sure what that means. If she's lying now, it's more than likely
that those logs are lies as well."

"We have until tomorrow when the trial resumes," Dax said. "We should be
able to come up with something."

"I want to get in contact with Odo," Sisko said. "If there's anyway to
prove that these people aren't changelings, he'll know."

"I agree. That's the first thing we should take care of when we get back,"
Dax said.

"But before we do that, I need a new dress jacket," Sisko said. "And
there's the shop I got my last one in. Come on, I'll introduce you to
Gre�an. He owns the place."

Dax smiled. "I'm with you, Benjamin. I just hope they have something in my
size."

CHAPTER FIVE

"I do not understand this, Captain," Data stated. "We have been running
extensive sensor sweeps for the past twenty hours with the Charleston and
the McDonald . We have found nothing so far."

"Do we have enough resources to create a tachyon detection field, Data?"
Picard asked. "It helped us detected the cloaked Romulan vessels that were
assisting the rebel Klingons during their civil war."

"No sir, we do not. Even if we had enough ships to create the field, we
would not be able to set it up in time," Data replied.

"Well then what do you suggest, Mr. Data? It sounds as if we're out of
options," Picard replied. "I dislike not having options."

"Unfortunately, Captain, it would appear that we are out of options at the
present time. The only viable course of action we have is to continue to
Earth and hope to arrive before the Infinity does. We may have a better
chance at stopping them once they decloak, which they mostly likely do once
they arrive at Earth," Data said.

"That's cutting it somewhat close, isn't it?" Picard asked.

"Unfortunately, it is the only option we have, Captain. I have been
pondering this situation for the last twenty hours, and I have explored all
courses of action."

"Very well, tell Mr. LaForge we need maximum warp immediately, and pass
that message onto Captain Tito and Captain Grahame," Picard ordered.

"Aye sir."

******************************************************

"Odo, please give me something that will come in handy," Sisko said.

The shapeshifter on the viewscreen grimaced. "Commander, I'm not sure what
to tell you. What Dax said is true... when one of my people has assumed a
shape, they appear to be that shape in all ways. There is no way to scan
for a changeling," Odo replied.

"Why have none of them reverted to their liquid form, then?" Sisko asked.
"You can only go for about sixteen hours before you have to rest."

"Commander, there is a great deal I don't know about my people. The amount
of time they can hold a shape is one of them. It is possible that they are
able to hold a shape for days at a time."

"Is there anything we could give them... any drugs that would affect only
changelings?"

"I haven't found anything in my experience, Commander."

"Well what have you found, Constable?" Sisko asked. He was beginning to get
exasperated. Not at Odo, but at the severe lack of options they currently
had.

"The main thing that separates me from humanoids is my rough appearance.
Try as I might, I can't get all the details of your bodies right,
especially your faces. I would have to assume that my people have much
better shifting abilities, so that wouldn't be a problem for them. Besides
that, the only time I've been revealed to be a changeling without doing it
myself is when part of me leaves my body."

"What was that, Constable?" Sisko asked. "That could be something."

"When something leaves a humanoid body, such as blood, it remains blood.
But if anything ever came off of me, it would return to its liquid state,"
Odo answered.

"That's it, Constable! A simple blood test will prove whether or not these
officers are shapeshifters!" Sisko felt a huge weight lifted off his
shoulders. "Thank you, Constable, you were a great help."

Odo acknowledged Sisko's thanks with a nod and cut the connection. Sisko
sat back in his chair. He finally had something to work with. It would
either make or break his case; he hoped it would make it.

******************************************************

"That's all I have to say, your honors. The prosecution rests," Daubar said
early the next morning. Her case had taken a long time, but it was good and
solid. Suspicious behavior, insubordination... the only way Daubar could
have presented her case any better would have been if the entire 126
officers on trial had decided to do a shapeshifting show.

"Very well, Admiral. Commander, you may begin your defense," Miko said.

"Thank you, Admiral," Sisko replied. "Your honor, I have a written
statement that I would like to add to the record. It's from my chief of
security on Deep Space Nine, Odo, who happens to be a changeling."

"Any objections?" Miko asked, the question aimed at Daubar.

"I have no objections at this time, Admiral," Daubar replied. Sisko
realized she was very sure of herself.

Sisko quickly read the statement from Odo into the court record, which
basically stated the fact that if any part of a changeling left it,
whatever had left would return to a liquid state. Once Sisko had finished
reading the statement, he motioned with his hand and a young medical
technician stepped over to him. "Your honors, I request that the defendants
undergo blood screening. If they are changelings, the blood will return to
a liquid state. If they are not changelings and are indeed humanoid, it
will remain blood."

"Your honor, it would be very risky to let any of these 'defendants' out of
the forcefield," Daubar protested. Sisko looked at her and saw something in
her face. Fear? He supposed that living for a month with creatures you
thought were shapeshifters could do that do a person... but it seemed like
more than that. "One little crack would be enough to allow a changeling to
escape," she said.

"Well then, perhaps you wouldn't mind if I performed the blood screen on
you, Admiral. Just so we can verify your story," Sisko said.

Daubar blinked. "I don't see any point in that, Commander, except to waste
the court's time."

"If you have nothing to hide, you'll have nothing to worry about," Sisko
responded.

"Order! Order in the court!" shouted Miko. "Commander Sisko, do you realize
what you're accusing Admiral Daubar of?"

"Yes I do, your honor. And it's no different from what she's accusing my
defendants of. With all due respect, I request that this blood screening
takes place. It won't take more than a few seconds," Sisko said.

The three admirals conferred with each other for a short while, and then
Miko responded, "Go ahead, Commander. But make it quick."

Before the medical officer could move towards Daubar, she spoke again.
"Your honor, two days ago one of the 'defendants' escaped from her cell,
Cadet Robyn Blanchard. As of yet, she has not been found, and I think I now
know why. If I'm not mistaken, it's right there," she said, pointing at
Sisko.

"You think I'm a changeling?" Sisko accused her.

"If the shoe fits, Commander," Daubar replied. The medical technician could
only look back and forth at both officers, not sure what to do.

"This is getting us nowhere!" Miko exploded. He stood and walked over to
the technician. "Give me the extractor." Once he had the extractor in his
hand, he turned to Sisko. "If you would hold out your arm, Commander? I
have some knowledge in medicine."

Sisko nodded and allowed Miko to draw blood from his arm. The blood flowed
into the vial below the extractor, and long after Miko had removed it from
Sisko's arm, it remained blood.

"That proves nothing," Daubar began. "The test might be faulty! He could
very well be the missing changeling...."

"Now Admiral, this shouldn't hurt a bit," Miko interrupted. He jabbed the
tool into Daubar's shoulder and withdrew blood into the tube. He removed
the tool from Daubar's shoulder, and watched in shock as the blood morphed
into a silvery liquid.

Daubar's shape suddenly expanded, knocking over Miko and the table she had
been sitting at. The vial flew through the air and broke on the ground, the
liquid inside it quickly flowing back to Daubar. Once she was whole again,
Daubar morphed completely into her liquid state, leapt upwards, and flowed
into a air vent in the ceiling. Within seconds, she was gone.

Commander Sisko had leapt into action the moment the blood in the vial
changed, as he knew it would. He was able to pull Miko out of her reach
before she could take him as a hostage. "Are you all right, Admiral?" he
asked.

"Just a little shaken, Commander, but I'll be fine," Miko replied slowly.
With Sisko's help, he got back on his feet. "I want bloodtests done on all
the defendants," he said. "If they check out, they're free to go. If not,
throw them in the brig. I have a feeling, however, that all of them will
pass with flying colors." Miko's security officers and the medical
technician scrambled to execute his commands.

"How did you know, Commander?" asked Mistretta as he came over to them.
"How did you know Daubar was a changeling?"

"I'll fill you in later," Sisko told him. "Right now we have a changeling
loose in Starfleet Command. We've got to find it, and stop it."

"Uh sir, we seem to have another problem besides that," said a young
Lieutenant, one of Miko's men. "A ship has just decloaked in orbit. It's
the Infinity ."

"Then you're right," Sisko replied. "We now have two problems to deal
with."

TO BE CONCLUDED....

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