Twist of Faith

by S. D. Perry

  For me, it seems appropriate that this omnibus edition of post-DS9 fiction concludes with Horn and Ivory, a high point among a range of tall peaks. Here, Kira Nerys unexpectedly embarks on a major spiritual journey—an action-packed journey, but one nonetheless deeply spiritual. The story presents a fascinating portrait of this woman who grew up beneath the weight of oppressors, who fought even as a girl for the freedom of her people. Keith’s tale impresses as he uncovers and explores the complicated facets of Colonel Kira’s personality.

  I loved the Deep Space Nine television series, and I felt sorry when it came to an end. But Marco Palmieri and Paula Block and these writers have worked hard to craft a continuation of the saga worthy of the wellspring from which it flows, and for me, as a fan, they have succeeded far beyond my expectations. To this point, I have contributed two entries myself to the ongoing chronicles of DS9, including Twilight, the novel that immediately follows the pieces contained in this volume. As a writer, I could not have been provided with a better foundation upon which to build my own work, but that bears little on why I continue to read these additions to the ongoing Deep Space Nine opus as they are published. These tales engage me just as the show did, with strong stories and themes, with dynamic characters, with rousing action and unexpected twists and turns. I am unabashedly a fan, and I cannot recommend these works highly enough.

  So I’ve read all of the stories contained in this volume. For those of you who haven’t, I’m envious; I recall well how much I enjoyed becoming reacquainted with the DS9 characters and meeting the new ones, how much I loved rejoining this saga I’d once thought ended. For those readers coming back to these tales again, I know how you feel. In the course of penning this introduction, I returned to these works myself, taking pleasure once more in the vision of Marco Palmieri and the storytelling of S. D. Perry, David Weddle and Jeffrey Lang, and Keith R. A. DeCandido.

  So what are you waiting for? On the heels of his father’s disappearance after the end of the Dominion War, Jake Sisko has for weeks now been working at an archeological dig on Bajor, exhausting himself each day with his toils, allowing him to sleep deeply and peacefully each night.

  Except last night. For last night, Jake dreamed.

  Why don’t you join him?

  Historian’s Note

  These stories unfold over the month of April in the year 2376 (Old Calendar), beginning approximately three months after the events of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series finale, “What You Leave Behind.”

  Linear Time

  The Distant Past

  Over the course of ten thousand years, the people of Bajor discover nine mysterious artifacts that sometimes convey prophetic visions. Called “Tears of the Prophets” or “Orbs,” they are believed to have originated in the Celestial Temple, the legendary home of Bajor’s gods, the Prophets.

  2328

  The Cardassian Union conquers Bajor. Eight of the nine Orbs are confiscated for study. The ninth, the Orb of Prophecy and Change, is successfully hidden by Bajor’s spiritual leaders.

  2332

  On Earth, Benjamin Sisko is born, the child of Sarah and Joseph Sisko. Unknown to anyone at this time, Sarah is actually the host for a noncorporeal entity from the as-yet-undiscovered Bajoran wormhole, who has brought about the exact circumstances necessary for Benjamin Sisko to exist.

  2345

  A liquid life-form of unknown origin is discovered adrift in the Bajoran system’s Denorios Belt. It is later found to be a shape-shifting sentient being, and accepts the name Odo.

  2346

  The Cardassians complete space station Terok Nor in orbit of Bajor. It becomes the seat of the occupation under Gul S.G. Dukat.

  To ensure the survival of her husband and children, Kira Meru becomes the comfort woman of Dukat. She is never reunited with her family.

  2347

  On Bajor, seven-year-old Ro Laren witnesses the torture and murder of her father by the Cardassians.

  Richard and Amsha Bashir subject their six-year-old son Jules to illegal genetic enhancement. The boy later changes his name to Julian and keeps his enhancement secret for many years.

  2354

  Ensign Benjamin Sisko meets joined Trill Curzon Dax at Pelios Station. Their friendship continues through Dax’s next two hosts.

  2355

  On Bajor, twelve-year-old Kira Nerys, daughter of Meru, joins the Shakaar resistance cell to fight the Cardassian occupation.

  Jake Sisko is born to Benjamin and Jennifer Sisko.

  2358

  Ro, after growing up in Bajoran resettlement camps, attends Starfleet Academy.

  2360

  Quark opens a bar on Terok Nor after spending eight years as a cook on a Ferengi freighter. Among his staff is his brother Rom, and Rom’s young son, Nog.

  2364

  While serving aboard the U.S.S. Wellington, Ensign Ro disobeys orders during a mission on Garon II, resulting in the deaths of eight members of her away team. She is court-martialed and sentenced to the Starfleet stockade on Jaros II.

  2365

  Odo comes to Terok Nor and begins arbitrating disputes among Bajorans, leading Dukat to recruit him for a murder investigation. In the process, Odo meets Kira, with whom he will eventually fall in love, though he keeps that secret from her for many years.

  Dukat makes Odo the station’s chief of security, replacing a Cardassian named Thrax.

  2367

  The Battle of Wolf 359 between a Borg cube and forty Federation starships claims 11,000 lives—including Jennifer Sisko. U.S.S. Saratoga first officer Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Sisko and his son Jake both survive. Sisko is subsequently assigned to the Utopia Planitia Shipyards on Mars, where he becomes part of the Defiant-class Development Project, the goal of which is a starship designed specifically to fight and defeat the Borg.

  Curzon, seventh host of the Dax symbiont, dies. The symbiont is transferred to Jadzia.

  2368

  Ro is freed from prison in order to carry out an illegal covert mission for Starfleet Admiral Kennelly aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. Instead, she exposes Kennelly’s duplicity. At the request of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, her rank is restored and she is assigned to the Enterprise.

  2369

  The Cardassian Union withdraws from Bajor and abandons Terok Nor. As Bajor regains its independence, a provisional government and an armed militia are formed. Bajor applies for Federation membership, and invites Starfleet to administrate the station as a Federation starbase with an integrated Starfleet and Bajoran crew. Terok Nor is renamed Deep Space 9.

  Cardassian exile Elim Garak, former intelligence agent of the Obsidian Order, is left behind on the station during the withdrawal. He remains an enigmatic station resident, living as a tailor.

  Commander Sisko is made commanding officer of DS9, with Major Kira reluctantly serving as his first officer and liaison with Bajor. Lieutenant Jadzia Dax is assigned as science officer. Lieutenant ( j.g.) Dr. Julian Bashir becomes chief medical officer. Former Enterprise transporter chief Miles O’Brien is made chief of operations. Odo stays on as chief of station security.

  Sisko meets Bajor’s spiritual leader, Kai Opaka, who tells him he is the Emissary long foretold in Bajoran prophecy, the one who will open the gates to the Celestial Temple.

  After experiencing the Orb of Prophecy and Change, Sisko and Dax discover a stable wormhole in the Denorios Belt, linking the Alpha Quadrant to the Gamma Quadrant. The wormhole is also found to be the home of noncorporeal entities who exist outside of linear time. DS9 is moved to a position proximate to the wormhole, and becomes a major center of commerce and the launch point for the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant.

  The Bajoran faithful come to believe the wormhole is the Celestial Temple, and that its inhabitants are the Prophets. Sisko is recognized as the Emissary, a role with which he is never completely comfortable.

  Opaka is killed on a planet in the Gamma Quadrant. Nanomachines previously introduced into the planet’s biosphere revive h
er, but also make it impossible for her to leave.

  Ro leaves the Enterprise to receive Starfleet advanced tactical training.

  2370

  Minister Jaro Essa and Vedek Winn Adami conspire to seize power on Bajor and oust the Federation. The coup fails, and Jaro is disgraced, but Winn emerges unscathed.

  Kira and Vedek Bareil Antos become romantically involved.

  Ferengi trade expeditions to the Gamma Quadrant first encounter rumors of a powerful civilization known as the Dominion.

  The Federation and the Cardassian Union sign an historic peace treaty, leading to the creation of a “Demilitarized Zone” between the two powers. As a result, several Federation colony worlds are ceded to the Cardassians, but many of the colonists refuse to be evacuated.

  In response to Cardassian hostilities against Federation colonists still living in the DMZ, and believing they have been abandoned by the Federation, some of the colonists organize an armed resistance and become known as the Maquis. They consider themselves freedom fighters, but are generally regarded as terrorists.

  Winn is elected kai of the Bajoran faith. Lieutenant Ro returns to the Enterprise and is assigned to infiltrate the Maquis. Finding herself sympathizing with their cause, she turns against Starfleet and joins them. Over time, many other Starfleet officers do the same.

  The Dominion makes first contact with the Federation when Sisko is detained by Jem’Hadar soldiers in the Gamma Quadrant. At the same time, a Jem’Hadar strikeforce destroys the Gamma Quadrant colony of New Bajor and the U.S.S. Odyssey.

  2371

  To meet the Dominion threat, Starfleet assigns the prototype U.S.S. Defiant to DS9. To assist in the defense of the Alpha Quadrant, the Romulan Star Empire equips the Defiant with a cloaking device.

  The Federation attempts unsuccessfully to open relations with the Dominion. The Founders’ homeworld is discovered, and Odo learns that the Founders are his own kind, a species of changelings.

  Bashir learns that the Jem’Hadar are a genetically engineered species dependent for their survival upon a crucial isogenic enzyme that their physiology cannot produce naturally. The enzyme can only be obtained through the intravenous delivery of the chemical compound ketracel-white, which is created and rationed by the Dominion to maintain its control over the Jem’Hadar.

  The Cardassian Union and Bajor sign an historic peace treaty, negotiated by Bareil, who dies during the final stages of the negotiations.

  With Sisko’s sponsorship, Nog becomes the first Ferengi to apply to Starfleet Academy.

  Grand Nagus Zek of the Ferengi Alliance obtains the Orb of Wisdom from the Cardassians and returns it to Bajor.

  The Cardassian Obsidian Order and the Romulan Tal’Shiar intelligence agencies hatch a covert plan to destroy the Founders’ homeworld. The Founders learn of it and annihilate the combined attack fleet.

  While hunting sabre bear on Kang’s Summit, Klingon General Martok is abducted and replaced by a Founder.

  Jake Sisko introduces his father to Kasidy Yates, a civilian freighter captain. Sisko and Yates later become romantically involved. Former resistance fighter Shakaar Edon is elected First Minister of Bajor.

  Sisko is promoted to captain.

  To save the Defiant and prevent the outbreak of a new war with the Tzenkethi, Odo kills a Founder impersonating a Federation ambassador. It is the first time that one changeling has killed another.

  Dax and Bashir are promoted to lieutenant commander and full lieutenant, respectively.

  On Cardassia, the civilian Detapa Council seizes power from the Central Command and what’s left of the Obsidian Order.

  2372

  At the instigation of the Founder impersonating Martok, the Klingon Empire invades Cardassia. The Federation objects, and in response the Klingons withdraw from the Khitomer Accords, ending their alliance with the Federation. Hostilities between the Klingons and the Cardassians, and between the Klingons and the Federation, continue for over a year.

  Lieutenant Commander Worf, former security chief of the Enterprise, is assigned to DS9 as strategic operations officer and commander of the Defiant.

  Bashir discovers that it is possible (though exceedingly rare) for a Jem’Hadar to be born without a dependency upon ketracel-white.

  Nog leaves DS9 to attend Starfleet Academy.

  Fear of changeling infiltration leads Admiral Leyton to attempt a Starfleet coup d’etat. It is thwarted by Sisko.

  While on Earth, Odo is surreptitiously infected by the autonomous covert organization Section 31 with a virus intended to wipe out the Founders.

  Kira and Shakaar become romantically involved.

  Yates is arrested for smuggling supplies to the Maquis. She is convicted and sentenced to six months in a Federation prison.

  A pregnant Keiko O’Brien is seriously injured. Bashir is able to save the unborn child, but only by implanting it in the body of Kira, who volunteers to carry the child to term.

  Odo is found guilty of murder by the Founders and, as punishment, is made a “solid.” In the process, he unknowingly infects the Founders’ Great Link with the genocidal virus created by Section 31.

  2373

  The Founder impersonating Martok is exposed and killed on Ty’Gokor.

  Worf and Dax become romantically involved.

  The Cardassians return the Orb of Time to the Bajorans.

  Bashir is abducted by the Dominion and replaced by a Founder.

  Cadet Nog returns to DS9 as part of his academy training.

  Yates completes her prison sentence and returns to DS9.

  After suffering a neural shock, Sisko experiences visions that lead him to unearth the Bajoran city of B’hala, lost for millennia. At the same time, premonitions of disaster compel him to persuade Bajor to delay its imminent entry into the Federation.

  Kira gives birth to the son of Miles and Keiko O’Brien, who name the child Kirayoshi.

  Odo finds an infant changeling, but it dies of radiation poisoning. Upon its death, its remains are absorbed into Odo’s body, turning him back into a changeling.

  The Cardassian Union joins the Dominion after months of secret negotiation between the Dominion and Dukat. A massive Dominion fleet enters the Alpha Quadrant to assume direct control of Cardassia. The Klingon Empire and the Federation renew their alliance. An attempt to destroy Bajor’s sun by the Founder impersonating Bashir is thwarted.

  Worf and Garak rescue the real Martok and Bashir from a Dominion prison in the Gamma Quadrant. Martok becomes the Klingon Empire’s official representative on DS9.

  Bashir’s genetic enhancement is exposed, but he is allowed to retain his status in exchange for his father’s voluntary imprisonment.

  Kira and Shakaar end their romance.

  Working together, the Cardassians and the Jem’Hadar exterminate the Maquis, leaving few survivors.

  Open war with the Dominion breaks out. At Sisko’s urging, Bajor signs a non-aggression pact with the Dominion. As Dominion forces take DS9, all Starfleet personnel withdraw from the region. The station is renamed Terok Nor and put under the joint command of the Vorta Weyoun and Dukat, with Kira, Odo, and the rest of the Bajoran staff still intact.

  2374

  With the aid of a resistance group led by Kira, Starfleet forces retake DS9. Dukat is captured. At Sisko’s insistence, the Prophets prevent Dominion reinforcements from coming through the wormhole, but the entities warn Sisko that their intervention carries a price. Dukat’s former aide-de-camp Damar is promoted to legate and made the new leader of Cardassia under the Dominion.

  Nog earns a battlefield commission of ensign.

  Martok is made Supreme Commander of the Ninth Fleet.

  Worf and Dax marry.

  Dukat escapes Starfleet custody.

  Section 31 attempts to recruit Bashir. Although he refuses to join, the organization will continue to consider him an operative.

  Betazed falls to the Dominion.

  With the aid of Garak, Sisko manipulates the R
omulans into allying with the Federation and the Klingons against the Dominion.

  Kira and Odo become romantically involved.

  Dukat makes a pact with the Pah-wraiths, the enemies of the wormhole entities. Using Dukat as their instrument, they seal the wormhole, killing Jadzia in the process. The Dax symbiont survives.

  En route to Trill aboard the U.S.S. Destiny, the Dax symbiont takes a turn for the worse, necessitating an emergency implantation into Ensign Ezri Tigan, a Trill who never intended to be joined, but reluctantly becomes Dax’s ninth host.

  Kira is promoted to colonel.

  2375

  On the planet Tyree, Sisko discovers the Orb of the Emissary and learns that the wormhole entities were responsible for his very existence. This previously unknown tenth orb also reopens the wormhole.

  Ezri Dax is promoted to lieutenant ( j.g.) and is assigned to DS9 as a counselor.

  The disease created by Section 31 starts to manifest among the Founders.

  Ensign Nog loses a leg in battle on AR-558. The limb is subsequently replaced by a biosynthetic leg.

  Dukat has himself surgically altered to pass as a Bajoran in order to turn Winn against the Prophets, and to use her to unleash the Pah-wraiths.

  Sisko and Yates marry. Shortly thereafter, they conceive a child.

  The Breen ally with the Dominion. Fearing for Cardassia, Legate Damar rebels against the Dominion and forms a Cardassian resistance.

  Sisko sends Kira, Odo, and Garak to the aid of Damar’s resistance. To help Kira gain the Cardassians’ acceptance, Sisko grants her a Starfleet commission with the rank of commander.