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Worf sat back down in the command chair. Daniels reported a rise in the hull temperature as they entered the sun’s corona. He felt the heat pressing on his face. Sweat dripped off Rager’s chin onto the conn. A few officers had removed their uniform jackets, a breach in uniform protocol that Worf couldn’t bring himself to bother pointing out.

Without shields, and with the ablative armor all but gone, it wouldn’t be long before the ship itself was overwhelmed. He hoped Scott and Sisko would be able to trigger the breach before that happened, else their sacrifice would have no meaning.

He was looking forward to seeing K’Ehleyr in Sto-Vo-Kor. Not to mention his parents and his brother.

“Today is a good day to die,” he said as the heat grew almost unbearable, “and revenge is a dish best served hot.”

Epilogue

An Undisclosed Location Cardassian Union/The Dominion

The Founder stared in the mirror, the reflection of Skrain Dukat staring back.

Also reflected there was the other Founder still living in this quadrant, who had been disguised as General Talak.

“This is intolerable!” the other Founder said with Talak’s voice. “Changelings have been killed! Access to the Dominion has been cut off, and-”

The Founder held up Dukat’s hand. “Nothing has been 'cut off.’ We are still in the Dominion.”

“Bah.” The Talak Founder began to pace the small room. “Our forces have been halved thanks to what happened at Qo’noS. Our true nature has been exposed, we have no way to reach the Great Link-and worse, three of our number are dead!”

“You have,” the Dukat Founder said gently, feeling that the outburst was far more Talak than it was a member of the Great Link, “perhaps been in this form too long. Come, let us link.”

Talak’s face started to shimmer. “Yes! Yes, it has been far too long since I was able to share in the link.” Immediately, the other Founder approached, and their arms glowed and transformed and blended.

What shall we do now? We cannot yet create more Jem’Hadar, and our forces are weak.

So are the solids. True, our own losses are greater than expected, but they’re hardly crippling. The plan is as it ever was.

True. We can instruct the Vorta to have new ships built, ones that can traverse the galaxy at greater speeds. We can reach the Great Link eventually.

And this quadrant is ready to be taken. The Federation and Romulans are weak, the Cardassians are ours, and the Klingons are no longer a factor. Even with reduced forces, we will have this entire quadrant under our domain within a decade.

Yes, the Dominion will prevail. My apologies, I spent so much time in the form of that Klingon, I started to become a blustering fool, much as he is.

There is nothing to apologize for. It is why we take on new forms, to learn and to grow.

Still-I cannot recall the last time a Founder was killed.

Yes. The Jem’Hadar first who killed the renegade has been executed. But nothing will bring our other two fellows back.

It is a dark day.

True. But dark days eventually become the next day. The Dominion has lasted a thousand years because, while we suffer defeats, we are never defeated.

Yes. Solids are finite. We are infinite. We will triumph.

Indeed. Victory is life.

The link broke, and the Founder returned to the form of Dukat. The other Founder, however, took on a human visage. “I believe,” the Founder said in a voice that was still deep, but less raspy than that of the general, “that Talak should be considered a casualty of Qo’noS’s sun going nova. Our cause would be far better served if I were to replace this human.”

The Dukat Founder looked upon the face of Admiral William Ross and said, “I believe you are correct.”

Brave New World

Chris Roberson

On one of our first dates, I sat my future wife down and showed her an episode of Deep Space Nine, a series she’d not watched before. (It was “The Visitor,” for what it’s worth.) When it ended, I got up to eject the tape, thinking she’d been very indulgent to sit patiently through the whole thing, and would doubtless now want to watch something else. Instead,