The crew of the Addis-Ababa offered little distraction. They were mostly humans, and even the aliens were a dreary lot, more interested in discussing the technical specifications of the Alphans' Eagles or the primitive level of their medical knowledge. The only one with any spark of life was Ensign Flores, an eager teenager who served as the Addis-Ababa's helmswoman. Like Nog, she had been field promoted because Starfleet needed every officer it could get to fight the war. Tony reflected that the 24th century humans weren't so superior after all; there was nothing sophisticated about using children as canon fodder. He said as much to the Addis-Ababa's Captain Sorensen, making himself a new enemy in the process. (2)

But Tony lost all interest in Ensign Flores' simpering when the wardroom door opened and Maya stepped in. She noticed Tony immediately, and he watched in awe as she made her way towards him. Maya was wearing her Psychon dress, the one she had been wearing when her planet was destroyed, the only one that she said truly belonged to her... the one that Tony had completely forgotten to get from Garak.

The dress sparkled like the costume of a Las Vegas performer, but Maya somehow gave it a regal air, the feathers on the sleeves and hem further emphasising the grace of her movements, the transparent material at her throat highlighting the elegance of her sloping shoulders, the split in the skirt offering tantalising glimpses of her long legs. Tony felt his mouth go dry as he watched the movement of Maya's hips under the shiny tight garment. It would have been a great pity if the Dominion had killed them, because this was definitely a sight worth living for.

Tony let out a sigh of bliss as she reached him. "Hmm. You must be my birthday present. Nice wrapping. I hate to say this, though, but you're about a month early."

"We'll just have to make the present last longer," she responded.

Tony wasn't sure what to make of that, so he said nothing and kissed Maya's lips. He had no sooner done that than he remembered they were supposed to be playing it cool and not letting anyone know they were together again. Or that was what they had decided to do that morning, at any rate. It seemed a very trivial concern after their torture at the hands of the Dominion.

"I'm sorry I'm late," said Maya. She looked down at her dress and put on a contrite expression. "I had some difficulty remembering how to put the dress on. I'd forgotten how revealing it was, too. I'm rather wishing I hadn't worn it now."

"Why? I think it looks fantastic!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "It runs rings around anything anyone else is wearing."

Tony indicated the other guests with a sweep of his arm. The Starfleets were all wearing their dress uniform -- white jackets that made them look like a bunch of navy captains. By contrast, the Alphan men were in their usual uniforms, while the women were wearing evening dresses. Maya's costume was by far the most remarkable.

Having looked at the others, Maya turned to observe Tony critically. "As for you: you're looking very... ordinary. You should have worn that tuxedo you were wearing last night. It really suited you."

Tony was about to enquire about this sudden fetish people had for seeing him in a tuxedo when he remembered that the other person who had remarked on it was Nerys. He decided it was probably best not to bring up that topic.

"Well, you look beautiful. Absolutely beautiful." He paused for a moment, before adding, "Though I must admit I have this strange compulsion to sing 'Copacabana'." (3)

Maya rolled her eyes and pouted, pretending to be annoyed. "Oh, I know. The song about the showgirl with feathers. You've made that joke before. And the one about Las Vegas performers and the Icecapades," she added, before he had time to fall back on any of his other stock jokes.

Tony laughed; Maya was getting far too good at predicting his jokes these days. He was going to make some remark to that effect, but he noticed that John and Helena were approaching.

"Maya, you look lovely!" exclaimed Helena. "I thought you couldn't wear that dress anymore."

Maya smiled tenderly at Tony. "Someone gave it to the station's tailor to be repaired."

"And then forgot all about it," said Tony apologetically.

"Actually, it was just as well that you did," said Maya, casting a glance around her to check that no Starfleets were listening. "I had a fascinating discussion with Mr Garak. He is a very interesting person and he knows a great deal about Starfleet. In particular, how their access codes work..."

She let her voice trail off, allowing her colleagues to work out the rest by themselves. Garak must have given Maya some advice which would be useful for their plan the next day. They obviously couldn't discuss it right then, so the two couples split up and went to mingle with the other guests.

Tony introduced Maya to various people he had talked to before, and the two of them set about getting as much information from the crew of the Addis-Ababa as possible. They asked about the layout of the ship and what sort of equipment it had; surprisingly, the Starfleets didn't seem suspicious of their motives, and answered all the questions freely. They evidently thought the Alphans were just being curious. Tony was seriously beginning to wonder how these people thought they were going to win the war. They certainly didn't seem worried about Dominion spies.

Tony and Maya finally left the Starfleets and went to get some food. It wasn't until they had reached the table that Tony noticed Nerys helping herself to some of the delicacies on offer. She was dressed in a rather unbecoming purple tunic, evidently the dress uniform of the Bajoran militia. Tony was about to turn away, but by then, she had seen them and it was too late. Or at least, that's what Tony assumed Maya was thinking, since she continued toward the table; Tony himself would have had no qualms walking away.

"Good evening, Major," exclaimed Maya in a friendly voice. "Are these Bajoran dishes?"

Nerys looked at Maya and frowned. Then she glanced at Tony and lowered her eyes. "Yes. This one is hasperat."

"I tried it earlier," said Maya. "It's delicious. I wanted to thank you for your hospitality, Major. I wish we'd had time to learn more about your people."

"You're welcome." Nerys seemed uncertain what else she should say. Her plate was full; she glanced around, evidently wondering if she could make a quick escape now.

"It's a pity we didn't have more time to talk," continued Maya. "I'm sure we have a lot in common."

Nerys smiled politely and said something about needing to talk to Dax. Tony watched as the major walked off rapidly; he could understand her embarrassment.

"A lot in common?" he repeated as he turned to look at Maya. "That was about as subtle as a bull in a china shop!"

Maya clapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh dear. I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure she understood... Do you think she'll be terribly offended?"

Although he was embarrassed by the whole incident, Tony decided to take it lightly. He had promised Maya he wouldn't take the problem so seriously, after all. "Well, I'm sure she appreciated your peace offering... but I'd just let the topic drop until we leave here. Aside from anything else, it'd be my worst nightmare, you two comparing notes."

"Oh, is that what you're afraid of?" said Maya teasingly, looking around as if to find Nerys again. "You're right, maybe I should ask her for some tips."

Tony's mood immediately plummeted. "She wouldn't know that much," he said humourlessly. Glancing at Maya, he found that her expression had softened.

"Tony, stop punishing yourself. You know I don't blame you for what happened. If anything, I think it's amusing. You would really have to be a very cruel, uncaring man to do it again after what we've been through today, so I know I can trust you from now on. What you've done doesn't matter because I know what you're going to do."

"And what am I going to do?" asked Tony with a timid smile.

"Stay with me forever," declared Maya, as if it were obvious. "I'm going to make sure you never leave my side."

"Sounds good to me! When do we start?"

Maya looked down at the plate she was holding and then put it on the table. She took Tony's hand.

"How about right now?"

"Well, Ben. It looks as though there's a happy ending for someone," said Dax, indicating Verdeschi and Maya as they left the reception, arm in arm and clearly enjoying each other's company. "I doubt Odo and Kira will be so quick to make up. On the other hand, if Tony and Maya could do it, I'm sure they can also put all this adventure behind them..."

"Don't you ever get tired of match making, Old Man?" asked Sisko, smiling at her mischievous expression.

As the captain of the station, Sisko made a point of keeping some distance between himself and the private lives of his subordinates. But it didn't mean he didn't enjoy hearing about them from Dax -- as long as the news wasn't as bad as it had been that morning. Sisko had been shocked to hear of Kira's night with Verdeschi.

"Match-making is a sport I've enjoyed for seven lifetimes," said Dax brightly. "And I don't intend to give it up any time soon." Her expression became more serious. "Odo and Kira's relationship could really work once they're past these problems. I think Nerys now realises how lucky she is that Odo loves her."

"Are you suggesting the events of last night might be beneficial in the long run?" said Sisko dubiously. He knew Odo loved Kira and he hoped that the couple would make up. It would certainly make staff meetings a lot easier; Sisko knew from past experience that, barring exceptional circumstances, former lovers did not make good work colleagues.

"We-ell, that depends," admitted Dax. "It depends mainly on how willing Odo will be to trust Nerys after what happened. But I'll be sure to keep you posted on future developments," she added with a grin, before changing the subject. "Oh, Ben, I really wish we could do more for the Alphans. They've lost so much in this one week. And all for nothing, too. If we'd known earlier that the Moon would go into orbit... if we'd waited..."

"I know. But there's nothing we can do about that now. I'm sure the Alphans will be able to return to their universe as soon as this war is over. When that time comes, it's even possible that Starfleet will give them a ship. They'll be better off than they were on the Moon."

Like Dax, Sisko wished he could have helped the Alphans achieve their goals. Had they arrived a couple of years earlier, Starfleet would have had no objections to giving the Alphans everything they needed to find a home. It was unfortunate that the Prophets had brought the Alphans into this universe just when the Federation was at war with the Dominion. Maya's revelations notwithstanding, Sisko knew that the Alphans would have a minimal impact on the war, so he still didn't understand why the Prophets had sent them to Deep Space Nine instead of letting them cross the wormhole in their own universe.

But there was nothing Sisko could do for them. He couldn't offer them a ship and there had been too little time for Dax to think of a simpler way to transport the 223 Alphans into their own universe.

"They were looking for a home and all we give them is exile," he said thoughtfully as his eyes fell on Koenig. "But I get the feeling they'll find their home in the end. Commander Koenig will settle for nothing less."

"I feel really stupid," she said softly, running her fingers through the silky strands of his thick dark hair. "We could have done this years ago."

"I could have told you that years ago," he said, his breath warm against her chest.

"I thought... when I felt that way, I really thought I was going to change into a monster."

"I know, you told me earlier." She could tell he was smiling even though she couldn't see his face. "Now, that would have been an interesting experience. Still I suppose it would have been a fun way of finding out if you're enjoying what I'm doing."

She laughed and ran her fingers further down, out of his hair and to his shoulder. "I doubt you would have been amused if it really happened."

"No, but I have to expect some surprises if I'm going to have a relationship with an alien," he said gently. He pressed his lips against her skin, making her shudder with the unexpected caress.

"Ah well, you're getting to be quite an expert on that subject, aren't you!"

She was joking, because she thought that was funny. But then she remembered he probably wouldn't appreciate the joke. He shifted his body so that he could rest his chin on her chest and look up at her.

"That's not funny," he said.

"Yes, it is," she told him. "You told me yourself: everything is funny if you look at it the right way."

"Well, I promise to laugh with you when I've finished feeling guilty." He smiled uncertainly. "So you're... um, you're glad you didn't change into a monster, then?"

"Ecstatic!" She laughed and tried to lean forward to kiss him. He pulled himself up the bed so that his face was level with hers.

"Ecstatic, eh?" He looked very pleased. She'd read somewhere that human men liked to be told they were wonderful lovers. She smiled and wondered why he'd need to be told.

While he was lying beside her, looking pleased, she ran her hand over his face, down his long nose, along his neck to the muscles on his chest and shoulders. He was so much stronger than she had imagined, so much more masculine now that he was out of his uniform, his silhouette freed of its artificial aesthetics. She let her fingers catch the curly dark hairs that grew on his chest and then traced their contour down to where they grew sparser on his stomach.

"Ah! That's ticklish!" he exclaimed, instinctively covering his stomach with his arms.

She moved her hand back to his chest. "You're beautiful," she said sincerely. "I don't know how I managed to resist you all this time."

"Oh I always wondered that as well," he said, though he didn't sound very confident.

She wondered if she should say something about his lack of self-confidence, but then decided to leave the serious talking for some other time. He really was beautiful, lying naked on the bed, his pale skin showcased by the shiny dark sheets. No doubt realising that she was admiring him, he smiled again.

"You could take a photograph, you know," he suggested. "You don't have to memorise me right now."

"No, you're right. I'm sure I will have plenty of opportunities to look at you from now on. In fact, I will make a point of observing you like this at least once a day."

There was that pleased grin again. He folded one arm behind his head, propping himself up to look at her. "Oh, I'm sure that can be arranged."

"I do wish you weren't leaving, Shermeen," said Jake plaintively, holding the young woman's hands.

"I know! I wish I was staying here," she responded sadly.

Standing in the doorway of the Turbolift that led from the Promenade to Upper Pylon 3, Nerys watched the young lovers for a moment longer before reluctantly deciding that she would have to separate them. The Addis-Ababa was due to leave in less than an hour; all the Alphans' equipment and belongings had been transferred to the ship, and Nerys was currently in the process of accompanying the last of the Alphans to their new temporary home.

"Shermeen," she said; she couldn't remember the girl's last name. "I'm sorry, but we have to go."

The girl gave Jake one last, lingering kiss and entered the Turbolift. Nerys happened to look up as she turned to follow Shermeen. Odo was standing on the upper level of the Promenade, evidently watching her and the Alphans. When he realised Nerys had seen him, he turned and walked away.

On the way to the Upper Pylon, Nerys couldn't help thinking about Odo. Now that a couple of days had passed, her mind felt clearer and she finally knew what she wanted. She wanted Odo back. There was no future for her on her own, and she would never find anyone who was as good for her as he was. Her brief escapade with Tony had made her realise how futile it was to look anywhere else. She didn't need sex, she needed to be loved. If Odo took her back, then this time, she would make sure she kept him.

She shook herself out of her reverie as the Turbolift stopped at the top of the docking pylon. The small group of Alphans followed her down the corridor to the airlock, where she handed them over to the care of Maya. The Alphan science officer would lead her people to their designated quarters on the ship.

Now that all the lower ranking Alphans were on board, all that was left for Nerys to do was to wait for Captain Sisko and Doctor Bashir to arrive with the Koenigs. She went to look out of the window. Staring unseeingly at the stars and the contours of the station below, Nerys wondered if she could ever convince Odo to forgive her. She remembered she had forgiven him for linking with the Female Founder, even though he had nearly caused the death of Rom at the time. Maybe he would find it in his liquid insides to forgive her for her indiscretion.

"Oh, hi," she heard behind her. Turning, Nerys found Tony standing in the narrow passageway in front of the airlock. She lowered her eyes, unsure what to say to him; he seemed similarly afflicted, since neither of them spoke for a couple of minutes.

"See, I told you we wouldn't have anything to say to each other," he said finally. Looking up, Nerys found that he was smiling awkwardly.

"I..." She hesitated and then said, "I gather you've made up with Maya."

Tony's smile became more confident. "Oh yes. I never wanted anything else."

"I know," said Nerys with a nod. She let her eyes drift back to the window.

"I hope you'll do as well with Odo," he said. "Well, if that's what you want, of course. Otherwise, I wish you the best of luck in finding a kindred spirit."

Nerys didn't think she would ever find a kindred spirit. "Odo will do fine."

Tony nodded and stayed silent for a moment. "Well, the thing to do is go and talk to him," he said finally. "If you want to be together, there's no point making yourselves both miserable by sulking for ages. Life is too short to make yourself unhappy for no good reason."

That made Nerys smile. "Odo's people live for centuries."

"Oh, so he just has to be awkward," said Tony with a laugh. "But that doesn't mean he has to be miserable all the time. It certainly doesn't mean you should be." He paused and then laughed again. "Oh, listen to me: the expert on romance! You do whatever you want to do, just make sure you end up happy, okay?"

Nerys smiled at him and they both turned as Maya came to join them. Unselfconscious, the Psychon walked over to Tony and leaned against him; his entire attention was immediately focused on her, his brown eyes fixed on her large blue ones, both of them lost to the world as soon as they were together. Nerys envied them. She turned to look out of the window at the cold, unchanging stars.

Standing on the steps to the airlock, John cast one last glance around the Promenade. Deep Space Nine was a strange place, he reflected, a giant shopping mall in interstellar space, unlikely guardian to the gateway between two powerful empires. The station was all contradictions, an unsteady balance between the rigours of military necessity and the wealthy decadence of a society too used to being at peace to fully realise that it was at war.

John wondered how much longer Starfleet would hold out against the Dominion. Their only advantage as far as he could see was that the mighty Prophets were on their side and that the wormhole was therefore under Federation control. The Dominion appeared to have the advantage of ruthlessness and determination. But John was aware that he didn't know enough about the situation to judge Starfleet's chances. In any case, it was no longer his concern. The Alphans were leaving Deep Space Nine for good.

Tony and Maya were waiting at the docking pylon with Major Kira when the Koenigs arrived with Sisko and Bashir. The other DS9 officers had already bid farewell to the Koenigs that morning. Seeing Tony standing next to Kira made John even more relieved that the Alphans were leaving now, so soon after their disastrous night at Quark's. It was a good time for a clean break.

"Commander," said Sisko, reaching to shake John's hand. "It has been a pleasure meeting you and your people. I wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavours. I'm sure you'll find Starbase 571 a pleasant place to live while you wait to go back to your universe."

John smiled politely and nodded his agreement, though he exchanged a glance with Tony. Their plans were made, everyone knew what to do; all that remained was to let the Addis-Ababa leave the station, and then the Alphans would move into action.

"I'm grateful for all the help you and your staff gave us," said John. "I wish we had met under different circumstances, Captain. Despite the 400 years between us, I think we have a few things in common. Not least a passion for baseball."

Sisko laughed, a generous smile lighting up his normally serious face. "Oh, I definitely enjoyed meeting someone who knows baseball!"

"If we'd stayed longer, you two could have had a game in the holosuite," said Tony with a grin. "I'm not sure if it would have drawn the crowds the way the football match did, though."

"And I'm not sure that the result would have been the same, either," said Sisko slyly. "But I'm glad you had a pleasant stay."

"Oh, we're going to have some good memories," said Tony, slipping his arm around Maya. "But I don't think I'll ever forget the decor in your Infirmary."

"Yes," agreed Bashir. "I was beginning to wonder when you would move in!"

Helena laughed brightly. "Maybe we should dispense with quarters for you, Tony, and just set you up in the Addis-Ababa's Infirmary straight away."

"I promise I'd bring you flowers," said Maya by way of encouragement. Kira laughed.

"Oh very funny." Tony shrugged petulantly. "Just because I'm a little accident prone and have a knack for making people beat me up..."

John glanced at the airlock; one of the Addis-Ababa's crew was waiting there, perhaps to remind them that it was time to leave.

"Well, thank you all for everything," said John. He shook hands with Dr Bashir and Captain Sisko. "I think the Addis-Ababa is ready to go. Give our regards to your colleagues who aren't here."

"We'll be sure to do that," promised Sisko.

John accompanied Helena into the airlock; he was already halfway to the entrance of the Addis-Ababa when he heard Kira's voice calling after them.

"Have a good trip!"

"And you have a good life," Tony responded gently.

The Addis-Ababa had been gone for three hours. Sisko had watched the ship disappear as it went into warp, and had then returned to his office. He still felt regret that he and his colleagues hadn't made better use of the unique opportunity they had been given to meet people from another time and space. Playing soccer, dancing in the holosuites, the occasional brief discussion about baseball -- those were hardly activities designed to explore the uniqueness of the Alphans.

Upon reflection, though, Sisko decided it was probably just as well. The crew of DS9 had welcomed the Alphans as friends -- some perhaps a little too friendly -- and although things hadn't turned out the way their commander wanted, Sisko believed that most of the Alphans had enjoyed their stay. Starfleet would no doubt place them under a microscope as soon as they reached Starbase 571; it was just as well that DS9 had given them a vacation.

He was observing his baseball and wishing there had been time to take Koenig to a holosuite match when he was interrupted by the comm chime.

Captain! exclaimed Kira over the commlink. There's a vessel approaching... It's the Addis-Ababa!

Sisko was seized with sudden foreboding. There was no reason for the Addis-Ababa to return to Deep Space Nine without warning. The captain left his office and joined his crew in the Ops pit.

"They've just dropped out of warp," announced Dax, her eyes on her console.

"On screen," ordered Sisko. The viewscreen changed to a view of the squat Starfleet vessel. "Major, contact them and ask what they're doing."

Kira worked on her console for a couple of minutes and shook her head. "No response."

"It looks as though they're offloading three of the Alphans' Eagles," said O'Brien, peering up at the screen before checking his console again. "Yes. Sensors confirm that those are Eagles. There are about 10-15 people on each one."

"Three Eagles?" repeated Sisko. This was getting stranger by the minute. "What's the ship's status?"

O'Brien frowned uncomprehendingly as he read the information. "The ship is heading for the wormhole at full impulse. ETA is five minutes. Looks like they're expecting a fight, though. Their shields are up and the phaser banks are armed and ready. What the hell is going on?"

Sisko knew exactly what was going on. He didn't even need Kira's hushed exclamation -- "The Alphans!" -- to make it clear what had happened.

"They're hailing us," said Kira. Without waiting for Sisko's order, she switched the communication onto the screen.

As Sisko had expected, the bridge of the Addis-Ababa was now manned exclusively by Alphans. Koenig was standing in front of the captain's chair; Verdeschi was at Tactical, Maya at the helm; Carter and Benes were also present, apparently studying the other consoles at the back of the bridge.

"Don't try to stop us, Captain," warned Koenig before Sisko could speak. "We know how to use this ship's weapons, if nothing else." Behind him, Verdeschi smiled confidently.

"Where are you going?" exclaimed Sisko. "To the Gamma Quadrant -- in a Starfleet vessel? The Dominion will have you destroyed in less than an hour!"

Koenig's stony expression didn't change. "We're not planning on staying there for any length of time. Our goal was always to return to our own universe, Captain. Now that we have the ship, that's exactly what we'll do."

"You're planning to modify the shield harmonics once you reach the Gamma Quadrant?" asked Dax. "But we're not sure that method will work. Besides, you'd need a Starfleet engineer. Even Maya won't be able to modify the shields before the Dominion comes after you. You'll never make it!"

"In that case, we'll die trying," said Koenig determinedly. "You should be pleased to see us go, Captain Sisko. You get what you want and we get what we want. You'll find the original crew of the Addis-Ababa in the three Eagles we just offloaded. Forty Starfleets against two hundred Alphans -- including one Metamorph -- just wasn't a fair match."

"ETA to wormhole two minutes, Commander," announced Maya.

"Goodbye, Captain Sisko," said Koenig. "And thank you for the hospitality."

"Now, that was worth it just for the look on their faces," exclaimed Tony as the screen went blank. "A rowdy rabble of primitive humans hijacking one of their precious Starfleet ships! I wonder if they'll ever live it down!"

"It was a job well done," agreed John, "but it's a bit early for congratulations. Sahn, can you give me ship-wide communications?"

"Um, actually, I'm the one with the communications console," said Tony with a chuckle. "It seems that the chief of security doubles as a receptionist on Starfleet vessels. Anyway, I think you have ship-wide communications now, Commander -- or should that be 'Captain'?"

John turned around to briefly smile at Tony before making his announcement. They had only been in charge of the ship for an hour and there were already numerous things that annoyed the Alphans. Something John had immediately noticed was that the science and tactical stations were on a platform behind the captain's chair. It wasn't that John didn't trust his officers, but he had grown accustomed to seeing all his staff at once when he looked towards the viewscreen. With this layout, he was going to get neck pains trying to see the people behind him. Still, this was not the time to be picky about the ship they had hijacked.

"Attention all Alphan personnel," he announced. "We will be entering the wormhole in less than two minutes. We are heading for the Gamma Quadrant, where we hope to modify this ship so that it can shift back into our own universe. Thanks to the technology on this vessel, we will have food and accommodation to last us years, as well as the ability to choose a planet to settle on. Our dream of finding a permanent home is at last close to being a reality." He watched the wormhole opening on the viewscreen and walked back to sit in the captain's chair. "Everyone brace yourselves -- you remember what a rough ride the wormhole is! I'll see you all on the other side. Koenig out."

The ship shook violently as it was sucked into the wormhole. Holding on to the armrests of his chair, John allowed himself a moment of doubt. Sisko was right. The Dominion would slaughter them as soon as they came out of the wormhole. And even if they didn't, would Maya really be able to implement Dax' plans at such short notice? They couldn't even be sure that Dax was thinking about this type of ship when she made her calculations. And what if the Alphans truly didn't want to return to their own universe? There had been no time to run a poll or take votes; John had made the decision and his officers had followed their orders. But it didn't mean they agreed with them. Tony had played an active part in the hijacking, even though John knew he didn't approve of this plan. Tony had obeyed because he trusted John to make a wise decision. Oh God, I do hope I made a wise decision, thought John desperately, as he stared at the blue filaments on the viewscreen.

All of a sudden, without warning, the whole bridge disappeared. John was encased in pure light; there was no substance around him, not even something under his feet. He raised his hand and could see the dark material of his jacket, but there was nothing else to look at but himself; no sounds but the beating of his own heart.

"The King is running away from his destiny," came a voice out of the light.

John turned and saw a figure approaching. It was a replica of Helena, dressed in her Alphan trouser uniform.

"I'm not running away from anything. I want to return my people to our universe," explained John, though his only thought was that he had no time for the Prophets' games.

"The King's destiny is on Bajor," said the Prophet calmly. "He will find a new life in peace. The peace he has left behind will become the peace of his people."

John frowned, trying to make sense of the Prophet's riddles. "The peace we left behind? You were going on about peace before; does this mean that your plan did work in the end, even though the Moon was destroyed?"

Another Prophet appeared, this time disguised as Maya. "Bajor will know peace thanks to the King's people," she said with a smile unusual for a Prophet. "And the King's people will have a home thanks to Bajor. In time, everyone will have what they wanted. The Sisko will have peace, the King will have land. Everything will be in its place and as should be."

"In its place..." repeated John. "Does this mean you can send us back to our universe?"

There was no answer. The light disappeared, and John found himself back in the captain's chair on the bridge of the Addis-Ababa. He blinked in the relative darkness of the Starfleet vessel, but once his eyes grew accustomed to the change in luminosity, he realised all his Alphan subordinates were exactly where he had last seen them, evidently unaware of his encounter with the Prophets. John rubbed his eyes and prayed that he had understood the Prophets correctly.

"John, are you all right?"

The commander started as he heard Tony's voice. "Yes. Yes, I'm fine. The Prophets spoke to me..."

Tony was on his knees on the upper part of the bridge, watching John anxiously under the railing. "What did they say?" he asked.

Maya interrupted them before John could explain. "Commander, we're exiting the wormhole," she said. On screen, the blue filaments gave way to the darkness of space.

"This can't be right!" exclaimed Maya, staring at the viewscreen. "The configuration of these planets looks exactly the same as those in the Bajoran system. But no Deep Space Nine." She looked down at her console, evidently trying to make sense of the Starfleet readouts. "I can't tell for sure... Oh, I know -- Computer, identify that system in front of us. And is it inhabited?"

John automatically looked up at the ceiling as the computer responded to Maya's request. The Psychon had earlier used her metamorphic skills to convince the computer she was Captain Sorensen, and had then transferred all its access rights to the Alphans. Given its vocal interface and good grasp of spoken English, John could tell the computer of the Addis-Ababa was going to be their most precious aid in handling the unfamiliar ship.

*Star system is known as the Bajoran System. One M-class planet, Bajor. Plant and animal life. No intelligent life-forms.*

Maya frowned. "Well, we're clearly back in the Alpha Quadrant. But there was more than one habitable planet in the system the last time we were there."

"Hey, maybe the Prophets have sent us back to our own universe," exclaimed Tony. "They're the ones who kicked us into the Starfleet one in the first place; maybe they decided to send us back. And as luck would have it, there's the Bajoran system, completely uninhabited and ripe for the taking. Just the right place for a bunch of space hijackers to settle down!"

"I think that's exactly what's happened," agreed John. "The Prophets spoke to me while we were in the wormhole and said that everything would be 'in its place'. It looks as though we're home at last!"

Standing on the platform behind Tony, Sandra was so delighted she wrapped her arms around Alan. "Alan! We have made it! We can have a home!"

"Okay, okay," said the pilot, though he looked as pleased as she was. "No need to strangle me!"

John felt as euphoric as his colleagues. Six years of wandering and they finally had somewhere to go. Even if Bajor proved unsuitable, the Addis-Ababa could take them to another planet; the Federation computer they had on board probably contained information about thousands of star systems. John smiled sadly as his mind returned to the early days of the Moon's wandering, when David Kano had enthusiastically announced that the Moon was likely to pass by three thousand Earth-like planets, provided they were ready to wait two thousand years. Thanks to the Addis-Ababa, they wouldn't have to wait that long. (4)

Casting his memories aside, John let himself be recaptured by the enthusiasm of the moment. "Maya, get the computer to give you any information it can about this Bajor. Any threats, any problems, let me know."

He unhooked his commlock, hoping that the system would still work. He was grinning ear to ear when Helena's puzzled face appeared on the tiny screen.

"Helena, how are things in sickbay?"

Helena laughed. "Well, a hologram just appeared and demanded to know the nature of the medical emergency, but now we've turned him off, everything seems to be fine. You look very pleased with yourself, too. What's going on?"

"What's going on, Helena, is that we've finally found a home!"