Tony looked up as Maya and the female Founder came back in. Maya looked downright ill, her face nearly as pale as her jumper; the inhibitor had clearly remained activated the whole time. Letting his eyes drift off Maya's ashen features, Tony nearly did a double-take when he realised what kind of creature was following Plastilina. Bumpy eyebrows, brown streaks on his face, widow's peak: there could be no doubt the man was a Psychon. In spite of himself, Tony was pleased to find the creature was large and squat, with as much charm as the trader Taybor. He wouldn't have liked Maya to spend any length of time with a young, good-looking male of her species. (2)

The Jem'Hadar shoved Maya into the holding cell and reactivated the forcefield. She immediately came to sit beside Tony, brushing her fingers on his bruised jaw in silent concern. Looking up, Tony saw the Psychon man watching them with obvious disgust.

"You have been most cooperative, Maya," said the Founder in a calm voice that made Tony shiver. "The information you have given us will prove very useful. Professor, will you be needing her any more?"

"No, you may do with her as you see fit, Founder," said the Psychon, bowing respectfully. "The creature will be of no further use to my research."

"The 'creature'?" blurted out Tony angrily, springing to his feet. "You should show a bit more respect when you're talking about a lady!"

"Tony --" started Maya, placing a warning hand on his arm. He immediately fought to calm himself down.

The Psychon approached the forcefield and smiled cruelly. "A woman who indulges her basest desires with an animal from a lower order is no lady."

Tony would have gladly punched the fellow, but as he was currently handcuffed and locked behind a forcefield, there wasn't much to be done. Besides, Maya was right; this was hardly a good time to turn all chivalrous. He did have to wonder how Maya could have worked with this creep.

"I'm glad the information I gave you was useful, Founder," said Maya in a drowsy voice. "I kept my promise and gave you what you wanted. Now let us go. Please!"

The Founder motioned the Psychon away. Tony had a very bad feeling as the Shapeshifter observed them thoughtfully; her smooth face was too placid not to be preparing something. The moment she spoke, Tony's heart filled with dread.

"I never promised to let you go," said the Founder slyly, narrowing her eyes. "I only promised not to inflict further pain on your human friend here --"

She was interrupted as a Cardassian soldier came into the room. "Founder," he said. "A Starfleet vessel is heading for the border: it's the U.S.S. Defiant. Weyoun has contacted us and wants to know if he should send a fleet to intercept... or if this is some private matter you'd rather deal with personally."

The Founder's placid features revealed no emotion, but Tony could tell she was pondering the situation. "Tell Weyoun there is no need for a fleet. We will take care of the Defiant ourselves."

The Cardassian bowed with a modicum of respect and left. Plastilina turned to Tony and Maya.

"It seems you are fortunate, Alphans," she said. "I will return you to the Defiant, since your friends have been so kind as to come and get you. The Federation has been keeping Weyoun quite busy with their protests about abducting neutral refugees; letting you go should put an end to those discussions before our Vorta friend decides to say something stupid. Besides, I have a few things to say to him myself."

She nodded to the Jem'Hadar guard and the forcefield was deactivated. Tony cautiously stood up, observing the Founder suspiciously. He could hardly believe that the Founder was simply letting them go; there had to be a catch. At Plastilina's behest, Tony stepped out of the holding cell, Maya close behind.

"Before I let you go, however, I need to warn you," continued the Founder. Tony felt sure the catch was coming now. "I understand you are both from an alternate reality. I would advise you to return to it as soon as possible. If you are still in this universe by the end of the next day cycle on Deep Space Nine, we will hunt you down and kill you. I will handle the Weyoun problem today, but I will not run the risk that some other Vorta might enlist your cooperation, Maya. You should be grateful I'm giving you this chance instead of killing you right now."

"Believe me, we are grateful," said Tony sincerely.

Looking up at the Ops screen, Dax observed the U.S.S. Addis-Ababa, docked at one of the upper pylons, and found herself wondering if this was the shape of Starfleet vessels to come. Small and squat, it barely looked like a Starfleet vessel at all, or at best like a Galaxy-class that had been compressed so that its warp nacelles were alongside the main hull and the saucer section was squashed into an almost rectangular shape.

"So that's the Addis-Ababa," said Koenig neutrally, standing beside her in the pit and similarly fascinated by the screen.

Koenig had accompanied Verdeschi and Maya to the Infirmary when the Defiant brought them back half an hour earlier, but he was now back in Ops, his mood considerably improved by the safe return of his officers.

Dax nodded and turned to look at him. "Saber-class, 40 officers and crew, enough cargo space for ten of your Eagles and the rest of your equipment, enough emergency evacuation quarters for your people to live in until you reach Starbase 571. There's a gym and a recreation area. It should be a relatively pleasant trip." (3)

"Ah, but does it have a holosuite?" asked the commander with a twinkle in his eye.

"No holodeck, and no bar, either, I'm afraid. It's just a light cruiser, not as well equipped as an explorer vessel like the Galaxy or Intrepid classes..." she interrupted herself as she realised this wouldn't mean anything to Koenig. "You'll naturally find all the other amenities of Deep Space Nine on Starbase 571." (4)

A shadow of regret passed over Koenig's features. "That'll give us something to look forward to."

"I'm sorry we weren't able to send you back to your reality. I know how much you wanted to go; we were really hoping we could get you a ship."

"And now, we've got a ship, but it's just not heading in the right direction," said Koenig thoughtfully, looking up at the screen again. "Maybe later."

"You can be certain Starfleet will return you to your universe as soon as possible. In the meantime, you and your people can consider it a vacation," she said brightly.

"I think my people are already considering it a vacation. Judging from everything that happened last night, it's probably just as well the Addis-Ababa is such a sober ship." Koenig's expression darkened as he continued. "What kind of armament does it have? The Dominion might have returned Maya this time, but if they try to abduct her again, the ship might have to do some fighting."

Dax consulted the vessel's specifications on her console. "That shouldn't be a problem. The ship has as much weaponry as the Defiant -- four type-10 phaser emitters and two photon torpedo launchers -- that's a good match for the Jem'Hadar. Besides, once it clears the Bajoran system, it will be travelling entirely in Federation space, where it's unlikely to come under attack. You'll all be a lot safer than here on Deep Space Nine... well, you saw what can happen here."

"Yes, I did," said Koenig coldly. Dax felt some regret at the way that relations between the Alphans and the Starfleet officers had soured since the previous evening. Koenig looked beyond her and added, "Speaking of which, here's one of our victims right now."

Dax turned to see Tony Verdeschi coming down towards them. He had changed out of his casual clothing and was wearing a red and beige Alphan uniform with a navy blue jacket. Dax noticed that he was also carrying one of the Alphan's strangely shaped weapons, perhaps as a belated reaction to the fact he had been abducted in civilian clothes.

"Is that our ship?" he asked, peering up at the oval viewscreen. "Looks... big."

Although the 300-metre long ship was far from 'big' in her eyes, Dax simply nodded. "I've been telling Commander Koenig all about it. You'll be safer there than you were on the station. You won't have to worry about the Dominion anymore."

"Sounds good to me," said Verdeschi seriously.

Dax reflected that he looked and sounded a lot more subdued than usual; his recent experience with the Dominion had evidently affected him. Observing his pale, pinched features, Dax still found it difficult to believe that Kira had actually been attracted to the man to the point of cheating on Odo. But then, Kira's taste in men hadn't always coincided with her own.

"John," started Verdeschi, turning to his commander. "I was wondering if we could go and see how Alan is getting on with the Eagles. We're going to have to pick and choose which ones we're taking if we can only take ten. I think we should decide that as soon as possible."

Koenig seemed momentarily surprised by the suggestion, but after a quick glance at Dax, he nodded. "That's an excellent point, Tony. Commander, do you know what will happen to the remaining Eagles?"

"Since they're legally your property, they'll be sent to Starbase 571 as soon we find another ship to make the journey. I know the Daystrom Institute would like to study one of them. Since they never existed in this universe, they'll be of interest to the Federation's scientific community."

"I'm sure they will," said Verdeschi neutrally. "When will your people start moving the stuff onto the Addis-Ababa?"

"They'll transfer the Eagles and all your equipment overnight, then you can supervise the transfer of your personal effects tomorrow morning," explained Dax. "If all goes to plan, we'll have you all ready to leave by noon."

Koenig smiled. "We'll be sorry to go. Well, let's see about those Eagles."

Dax watched as Verdeschi unsmilingly led the way out of Ops. She felt sorry for the Alphans after everything they had been through. Still, they could look forward to a peaceful trip to Starbase 571.

Maya's delayed meeting with Odo took place almost as soon as she was back on Deep Space Nine. Doctor Bashir had examined her upon arrival and found her to be fit now that the Dominion inhibitor was no longer affecting her, so Maya had reluctantly left Tony in the Infirmary and accompanied Odo to the Security Office.

She decided to be candid, as she was too tired to think up any lies; besides, Commander Koenig had already told the Starfleets everything she had told him -- enough to allow them to piece together the puzzle of her involvement with the Dominion. The only thing she omitted to tell Odo was that she had to leave this universe on pain of death -- she wanted to give Tony time to discuss this with John first.

As she prepared to leave the Security Office, having told Odo everything she knew, Maya remembered the previous evening and turned back. She had already apologised to Dax and Worf while she was on the Defiant, and she felt she owed Odo an apology as well.

"Odo, I'm sorry about last night, what I said..." she started. Odo nodded in mute acceptance of her apology. "I wish things had turned out better... I really enjoyed comparing our metamorphic skills. I'd never met a creature like you; I wish we'd had more time to talk."

"Yes, so do I," agreed Odo. "I take it you'll be leaving with your colleagues after all."

Maya smiled. "I'll go wherever Tony goes," she said, though she knew it was more a case of Tony going wherever she went; he wasn't under a death threat from the Dominion, after all.

"And what will you do if he betrays you again?" asked Odo sternly.

Surprised by this sudden reminder of the previous night's misadventures, Maya shook her head. "Betrays me? You mean if he sleeps with someone else again?" She shrugged her shoulders. "I know his soul belongs to me. What he does with his body is irrelevant..." She smiled confidently. "But I know it won't happen again."

Odo lowered his eyes and Maya felt a pang of sorrow. She wished she could reassure Odo somehow and tell him that he could forgive Kira the way she had forgiven Tony and everything would be well. But Maya didn't know Kira; she had no idea if the woman was sorry for what she did, or if she was simply the sort to do this all the time.

"I hope we'll speak again before I leave the station," she said finally, deciding to say nothing about Kira at all. "But anyway, I wanted to thank you."

As she walked along the Promenade after leaving Odo's office, Maya peered through the windows, trying to catch a glimpse of the Addis-Ababa. She had seen it very briefly when the Defiant returned to DS9 and although she probably wouldn't be leaving with the ship the next day, Maya was curious to know what it looked like. She finally caught sight of something that looked like a large space ship docked at one of the upper pylons, but the window wasn't pointing in the right direction, so she could only see part of the ship.

"I take it that's to be your home for the next three weeks," said a voice behind her.

Startled, Maya turned to face her interlocutor. She recognised him as a Cardassian, like some of the crew on the Founder's ship. Maya seemed to recall someone mentioning a Cardassian tailor, but she hadn't met him before.

"I didn't mean to frighten you, my dear," he said, bowing slightly and peering at her with wide blue eyes. "My name is Garak, I'm the station's resident tailor. I noticed you standing here and as this is your last night on the station, I thought I should seize this opportunity to mention a certain item which was left in my care, but apparently forgotten..."

"Forgotten?"

"I was hoping your friend Verdeschi might pass by here, but unfortunately, I must have missed him. I'm afraid I'll have to spoil his surprise for him, as I wouldn't like you to leave without seeing the fruit of my efforts. If you would care to accompany me back to my shop, I will show you the item in question."

Thoroughly puzzled, but equally intrigued by the Cardassian's enigmatic speech, Maya followed him to his boutique. She had never been in a tailor's shop before and she couldn't help staring at all the colourful garments on display. Maya wondered briefly if she could use some of the Alphans' tiranium to buy herself some of these cheerful clothes, instead of having to search through the myriad replicator catalogues before she found something she liked. Most of the garments she had worn on Alpha had been cast-offs from her colleagues or the clothes of women who had died. Maya didn't have any clothes of her own. Except her Psychon dress, of course, and that was...

...Lying on the tailor's worktable? Maya approached the green and silver dress cautiously; she was certain she had left it in one of the boxes in her quarters. Not that she could wear it anymore, since the fine, web-like material on the bodice had begun to disintegrate. This dress, on the other hand, appeared to be intact.

"It is your dress, is it not?" asked Garak. "Your friend Mr Verdeschi brought it to me two days ago, saying he wanted to surprise you by having it repaired. He was supposed to come and get it yesterday afternoon, after his sporting feat, but I haven't seen him since."

"He probably forgot," said Maya vaguely as she picked up the dress. It had been beautifully repaired, its material now as fine and shiny as when her father first gave it to her. For the second time that day, she thought of Psychon. When she had been working with the Dominion's Psychon professor, all she could think about was the insanity and the ruthlessness which her people were capable of. Even her father and the murderous poet Dorzak had shown those traits in her own universe. But with the dress in her hands, she remembered that her people were also capable of creating beauty.

Then, suddenly, in the midst of her fond recollections of Psychon, Maya had a vision of Tony greeting her one evening -- perhaps the time the trader Taybor had dinner with them -- and declaring 'Ah, here comes Miss Icecapades!'. She smiled as she remembered she had sworn to kill Tony when someone finally explained that the Icecapades were a glitzy ice-skating show.

Still smiling, Maya turned to Garak. "You've done a wonderful job," she said, stroking the soft tserin feathers on the sleeves. It suddenly occurred to her that this tailor's work probably wasn't covered by Starfleet's expenses. "How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing, my dear. The delight in your eyes as you picked up the garment was thanks enough," he said graciously.

Maya hesitated and then took a step towards the door. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Garak turned as she passed him. "Although... I would be interested to hear about your dealings with the Dominion. They do control my homeland, after all. Perhaps you could tell me about your adventures while I pack the dress in something more easy to carry..."

John remained silent as the Turbolift he was standing in with Tony shot towards the Docking Ring, the outer circle of Deep Space Nine. He knew Tony wanted to brief him about his adventures on the Dominion ship; John had not had a chance to talk to either of his officers after they returned. Maya had been almost instantly whisked away to be interrogated by Odo, and Tony was kept in the Infirmary while Doctor Bashir repaired some injuries the Jem'Hadar had inflicted on him. John reflected that the Alphans were having a very painful time in this universe; it seemed that not one single day had passed without at least one of them being in the Infirmary. Usually Tony.

They left the Turbolift and headed for the shuttle hangars where the Eagles were kept. The white vessels looked strangely out of place in the cramped confines of the shuttle bays, their superstructures giving them a complex, unfinished air compared to the small, smooth Starfleet shuttles. Alan and one of his assistants, Pete Garforth, were already checking the Eagles; they waved as Tony and John approached Eagle One. The commander could smell the familiar odour of the Eagles' propulsion fuels and it made him think of home. The Eagles were all that was left of Moonbase Alpha.

Tony opened the hatch to Eagle One and released the access staircase. The two men climbed into the Eagle, closing the door behind them.

"What's with the sudden Eagle inspection, Tony?" asked John.

"Just making sure we're somewhere we can't be overheard," said Tony, sitting down at the lab table. "Seems the Starfleet eavesdropping devices don't work too well through tiranium. Besides, you will have to pick and choose your Eagles, won't you? Can't take them all with you." He smiled wryly. "Seems the longer we stay here, the more we lose."

John nodded and took another seat. "What happened on the Dominion ship?"

"Did Maya tell you about the code for engineering the Vorta?" asked Tony. John indicated she had. "Yeah, she gave me a nice long briefing about all that while we were on the Defiant. She felt there was no point keeping me in the dark anymore since she was going to tell the Starfleets all about it anyway. Well, that's what it was all about. The Head Founder kidnapped us so she could get Maya to tell her the code. Maya did, and the Founder let us go. But only if we get the hell out of this universe within the next twenty-four hours. If we're still around tomorrow evening, Maya is a goner. You've seen how powerful the Dominion is: if they want to assassinate Maya, they can do it any time. We're only lucky the Founder had other plans for us this afternoon. Maya reckons she let us go so she could put some kind of pressure on Weyoun... Anyway, the point is that we have to leave this universe after all."

"That means we need to go back to our universe or at least put plenty of distance between you and the Dominion," said John thoughtfully, taking stock of what Tony had just told him. "I don't care what Dax says about the Addis-Ababa's armament; I still don't believe Starfleet can protect us. We need to go back to our reality."

"John, Maya and I are the only ones who need to leave," said Tony. "I wanted to discuss it with you first, but then I thought we could ask O'Brien or Dax about that modified transporter they have, the one that allows them to go to another universe. That would be enough to beam Maya and me into another reality... hopefully our own."

John shook his head. "I have no intention of letting the Alphans be split up like this. If you have to leave, then we all leave with you."

"You mean you're planning to wrench 200 people away from a universe they're perfectly happy in just because Maya happens to be on the Dominion's most wanted list?" The Italian's tone made it clear what he thought of this plan.

"Tony, we're not supposed to be here," said John patiently. "We were brought here by the whim of some aliens who probably read Maya's mind and thought her connection to the Dominion might help in the war. But we weren't saved from that black hole all those years ago just to serve in the half-baked plans of the Prophets. Our purpose is to repopulate humanity in our universe, where it needs us most, not here where our species governs an empire of hundreds of billions of people."

"With all due respect, John, I don't think there's any greater purpose at play here," said Tony. He thoughtfully fingered a device on the table. "I agree that we were brought here by the Prophets, but I don't see why we shouldn't stay. The Federation looks like a nice place to live; it's a jolly sight better than the conditions we were living in on the Moon."

"But we can find a planet in our own universe, one that we can colonise," argued John. "We can build our own life there, rebuild our civilisation on a new basis. Wouldn't that be better than being refugees in the Federation?"

"I know. I know what you mean, John," said Tony with a sigh. "The pioneer life, a rural community. But two hundred people with an average age of 40; that's not much of a basis for a colony... And I know most of them would rather stay here. You ask Kate or Shermeen: they're having a good time here. If I had a choice, I'd stay here myself. Live in peace, knowing that no one is going burst in and kill me in my bed, knowing that I'm free to worry about trivial things like kids and relationships." He shook his head and spread his hands helplessly.

John smiled. "You can worry about that sort of thing just as well in our universe. Since you and Maya have to go back anyway, we might as well all go together. Kate and Shermeen are enjoying holiday romances; they already know we're leaving DS9 tomorrow. Whether we go back to our universe or to the other end of the Federation, the result will be exactly the same as far as they're concerned."

Tony still looked unconvinced. He shook his head and tackled the problem from a different angle. "But that just brings us back to the same old problem anyway: how do we get 200 people back to our universe? It's a lot easier to send the two of us back."

"I still have the schematics Dax drew up at the beginning of the week," suggested John as an idea came to mind. "About modifying a ship's shield generators. She was sure that method would work."

"Didn't she say those plans would only work with a Starfleet vessel?" protested Tony.

"Who said we didn't have a Starfleet vessel at our disposal?" said John with a sly smile.