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"There is nothing but time!" cried the Empress. "You asked for help in defeating your enemies. How can we do so if we are crushed and broken?"

Lhiau had no answer. He found himself, like a careless spider, impossibly snared in the lies of his own making.

"Excellency," interrupted Stahl.

"I dismissed you, did I not?" she replied.

"Yes, but there is another problem. The ships are suffering from structural breakdowns of some sort Systems are shorting out and even some of the crew have reported feeling ill or displaying inappropriate emotions."

"The normal glitches and tensions of a fleet before battle," said Lhiau quickly.

"I would like to take this opportunity to investigate further," Stahl barreled on, ignoring Lhiau. '1 do not wish to raise false fears, but the problems we are seeing are similar to those that happened to the ships we sent after Voyager."

"I thought it was the wormholes that damaged the ships," said the Empress slowly, turning to regard Lhiau thoughtfully. "That's what you said-that something R'Mor had done was responsible. Something mat you assured me you had corrected."

'It is the dark-matter cloaks which are causing the problems," came a male voice.

The Empress and Lhiau whirled at the same moment. Lhiau stiffened, horrified. Standing before him were the four people he wished least in this or any universe to see: Jekri Kaleh, Verrak, Telek R'Mor, and his nemesis, Tialin.

In silence, thousands of light-years away and twenty years into the future, the crew of Voyager stared at the viewscreen. Janeway's fists were clenched so hard her hands began to ache, but she couldn't seem to relax. The fate of all the universes was at stake. Voyager's efforts had bought the time for this final scene to be played out. She desperately hoped it would be sufficient.

The Empress quickly recovered from her shock. "How did you get in here?" she demanded.

"I brought them," Tialin said simply, as if that would answer everything. "I am Tialin, of the Shepherds. You have been duped, Your Excellency. Duped by a master of deception, the renegade Lhiau. Listen to these people, Empress. Standing before you are no traitors, but quite possibly the most loyal servants you have ever had."

The Empress narrowed her eyes. "Once, I would have believed you, stranger, but they have since turned on me."

"How?" asked Jekri, stepping forward. "Before Lhiau came, you trusted all of us implicitly. Think, Empress! Remove the cloud Lhiau has placed over your mind!"

"He asked for help in destroying his enemies, but never told you who they were," said Telek urgently. "He gave you technology, but would not permit you to analyze it. When disaster occurred, suddenly it was someone else's fault-mine, or Jekri's. Never his. We have taken his word for everything, and all we have to show for it are destroyed warbirds and dead Romulans!"

"Don't listen to the traitors!" Lhiau rushed toward the Empress. If he could touch her, he might be able to penetrate the wall that anger and logic were beginning

to erect around her thoughts. But she stepped away from him. He could see doubt forming in her face.

"We, the Shepherds who have been guardians of a delicate balance, are the enemies he would have you destroy-by destroying yourselves. By destroying your entire universe," said Tialin.

The Empress blinked. "It-it does not make sense-"

"It would if he had a little hole into which he could crawl when this was done," said Jekri. "Empress, the Shepherds won't be affected. They don't live in any universe we understand. It doesn't matter to Lhiau what happens outside of that hole. He knows that it will just begin again-without any of us."

"Madness!" Lhiau implored the Empress. "They are speaking madness to you. Send the ships now, Empress. Now, before they try to stop you!"

"They are doing nothing save talking," the Empress observed. "You are the one pushing me to impulsive action. Why is that, Lhiau?"

He stared,