Odo stood in Captain Sisko’s office, waiting for the captain to finish looking over his report—again. He could tell the captain was having a hard time believing everything in it. Just then, Doctor Bashir interrupted through communications.
“Doctor Bashir to Captain Sisko.”
“Go ahead, Doctor.”
People who didn’t even know Julian could tell by his voice that he was quite pleased about something. “I’ve finished the Petrov Scans of Lt. Ellison, Captain. There is absolutely, no way, that he has been artificially altered or enhanced.”
“Are you telling me that these heightened senses of his are natural?”
“Completely, Sir. I ran the tests three times, much to the Lieutenant’s disgust. It’s all natural.”
“How do you explain that?”
“I don’t, Captain. At least not yet. I can’t find any medical reason why his senses would be so strong.”
“Are there any other tests you could run that might be more conclusive?”
“Well…perhaps. But Doctor Sandburg has made it perfectly clear that any tests would have to be cleared through him.”
“What?! Who put Blair Sandburg in charge? He’s not even Starfleet.”
“He says that a sentinel--that’s what he calls Lt. Ellison--would be invaluable here on the station once he learns to control his abilities. And Sandburg is going to be guiding him.”
“That kid?”
“Captain. That ‘kid’ has a doctorate in Xenopology from the Vulcan Academy. Do you know how hard it is for non-Vulcans to even get accepted to one of their educational facilities, let alone excel in one? He also has a minor in Human Psychology and a few other eclectic fields. He’s a genius…and the only known expert on sentinels in the universe.”
Odo took advantage of the captain’s thoughtful silence to add his own comment about Sandburg. “He also has ties to some very vocal troublemakers. DS9 has often been plagued by anti-Federation sentiment from Bajor. If the Uni-Spiritists take it upon themselves to protest here…”
“It could do irreparable harm to our relationship with Bajor. I know Kai Wynn would use any excuse to get the Federation off the station.” He stood up to pace his office, hands clasped angrily behind his back. “I don’t like blackmail, Constable.”
“Neither do I, Captain. But I think Doctor Sandburg is only trying to make sure the lieutenant doesn’t get turned into a laboratory subject. I understand his position.”
Captain Sisko looked at Odo. Yes, he would understand. The Constable had been turned into just such a specimen when the Cardassians first discovered him. “You want the lieutenant to stay in security, don’t you?”
“He was able to detect my presence on two occasions with his senses. Think how valuable that would be if the Founders tried to infiltrate the station. And best of all, he makes Quark very uncomfortable. I want him to stay exactly where he is.”
Captain Sisko smiled at that, but quickly sobered when he felt a strange shifting in the world around him. Everything suddenly had a hazy golden glow. Major Kira approached him—only it wasn’t her. The Wormhole Aliens. The Prophets. This was odd. They usually only came to him in his sleep or when he was traveling through the wormhole.
“The Sisko is troubled.”
A figure that looked like his son also came towards him. They always appeared in the forms of people he knew. “The Sisko does not understand. What he does not understand, he does not want to accept.”
A beautiful young woman stood face to face with him. This image always made him uncomfortable. It looked just like his deceased wife, Jennifer. “The Sisko only sees what he perceives as ‘now’. He does not see all that is. This concept is confusing to us. The Sisko is too linear.”
An Odo look-alike came forward. “The Sentinel is of Bajor.”
A Dax alien spoke. “The Guide is of Bajor.”
Captain Sisko was always exasperated by the vague way they talked. “I don’t understand. Are you telling me that they’re in the prophecies, too? Are they here to protect the planet? The station?”
“The Emissary is of Bajor. The Sentinel and Guide are of Bajor.”
In a golden flash, Captain Sisko was back in his office only a moment after he’d “gone”. Odo hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.
“What should I tell Lt. Ellison, Captain?”
Sisko sighed. DS9 was going to get very interesting. “Tell him, congratulations. And tell him if he starts having visions about aliens who talk in riddles, he should come see me.”
“And Dr. Sandburg?”
“Maybe I can get him observer status. That would give him an excuse to follow Lt. Ellison around.”
“You’re not going to tell Starfleet about the lieutenant?”
“No. I want to see how this plays out first. Besides those who already know, I want only the rest of the Heads of Staff to know about this—that would mean adding Chief O’Brien, Major Kira, and Commander Dax to the list. No one else.”
Odo snorted in that way he had that let a person know he was amused. “Of course. I wouldn’t want it to get back to Quark. Right now he’s convinced Ellison is a telepath. I can see him trying to think good thoughts every time Ellison comes near him.”
“Maybe there will be benefits to this after all.”
Vedic Theryl closed the case that housed the Orb of Balance, its glow fading from the shrine. No one knew he possessed this particular Bajoran holy relic—it had reportedly been destroyed nearly 800 years ago. But Theryl, and a secret sect of Vedics before him, knew better. He was only the latest in a line of Vedics charged to use it and protect it in secret. He went over to his desk, unlocked it, and took out a very old, very faded scroll. He studied it carefully as he had many times before. It contained very few words, but several interesting pictures. Vedic Theryl looked at the figure of a long-limbed Shavale elder. As he came to another picture he smiled—a Daknar shadow cat and a Bajoran prairie wolf, teeth bared, stood side by side as arrows flew at them from an unseen enemy. He needed to have a little talk with Jim and Blair. But not yet. They weren’t ready. He rolled up the scroll and locked it back in his desk drawer.