“Colonel. I sincerely hope this has not reached you too late. But because I no longer know who you can trust, I felt compelled to send this as an encrypted recording, rather than try to speak with you live. I fear that the situation is more dire than any of us imagined. Listen carefully. We have verified that First Minister Shakaar was under the influence of an alien parasite, a member of a hostile and extremely dangerous species known to both Starfleet and Trill. This creature has been controlling Shakaar for months, using him to advance its kind’s hidden agenda, which somehow involved Bajor’s entry into the Federation. It was for this reason that Shakaar was murdered: to thwart whatever the parasites were trying to achieve. I know this news comes as a shock, but I assure you the evidence we have is incontrovertible. And more, we believe that another of these creatures has infiltratedGryphon.

“Ro was right about the assassin. We have captured Hiziki Gard here on Deep Space 9. There never was a cloaking signature leading toward Trill. We believe this was a ruse created by the creature aboard theGryphon in order to reach Trill and use the ship to attack the planet in retaliation. You cannot permit this, Colonel. The threat posed by this species is not just to Bajor, but to worlds throughout the Alpha Quadrant.

“Unfortunately, there is no way for us to know who the parasite has taken over aboardGryphon. However, there should be a classified security file in the ship’s computer, XENO-02884/1, that will tell you everything Starfleet knows about these creatures. You will need the following access code to decrypt the file: Akaar Kappa One One Seven Override Twelve.

“You must stop theGryphon from reaching Trill, Colonel, no matter what the cost.”

The recording ended, and for a moment Kira simply stared dumbstruck at the Federation emblem that filled her companel screen. Then her hands began to fly over the interface console, retrieving and decrypting Akaar’s top-secret file: a classified report from over a hundred years ago by one Fleet Captain Christopher Pike, detailing a disastrous first contact with a symbiont-like life-form inside a rogue comet. Three more reports from only twelve years ago by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Dr. Beverly Crusher, and Admiral Gregory Quinn, describing a horrific conspiracy that almost succeeded in taking over the United Federation of Planets.

Prophets…

She read the file a second time, her thoughts a maelstrom of denial and realization. Part of her simply couldn’t believe the insidious nature of the threat they were facing: creatures that subsumed identities, attacking not only their hosts, but entire civilizations from inside. And all that time I kept asking myself what was wrong with Shakaar, why he’d been acting so different, why he’d changed so much…. It wasn’t really him at all, but some monster inside controlling him.She found herself wondering whether any part of him had understood what had happened, if the real Shakaar had been trapped inside all that time, screaming to get out while that thingused his body, his voice, his position….

Now another monster is walking the decks aboardGryphon.

Montenegro’s words came back to her: “She’s become…distant of late…. I’m talking about a change in personality.”

And about Shakaar’s visit to the Gryphon: “He spent most of his time with Captain Mello.”

Mello.

Captain Elaine Mello, who had herself suggested pursuing the alleged energy reading to Trill after reporting its discovery to Akaar. Mello, who had made such a passionate effort to lower Kira’s guard when she came aboard. But those suspicions, Kira knew, weren’t enough to go on. She needed more proof, and she suspected she knew where to find it. But she was going to need help.

Kira dumped Akaar’s message and the file onto an isolinear chip and quickly dressed. Then she spoke. “Computer, locate Commander Montenegro.”

16

When the door chimed, Prynn was ready for it. “Come,” she said, knowing who it would be.

The door opened and Vaughn walked in, his expression grim. “You okay?”

She glared at him from her bunk. “You care?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do,” he said, his voice shaking.

Woah,Prynn thought. His voice never shakes.

Prynn sat up. “Dad, why are you doing this?” she asked. “Was that really Mom? It was her, wasn’t it?”

Vaughn just stood there, watching her.

“Dad…?”

“You can stop now, Prynn.”

“Stop what? Why won’t you—”

“Enough!” Vaughn snapped, then continued in a softer tone, “Enough. I just want to know one thing: How long have you been searching for her?”

“Searching?” Prynn said, her brow knotting. “Dad, I don’t understand.”

“How long,Prynn?”

She stared back at him blankly. “You can’t think that I planned this? My God, I don’t even believe we’re having this conversation. Mom’s alive and you’re chasing conspiracies? From me?Why are you doing this? Why won’t you let me see her?”

Vaughn’s eyes narrowed. He shook his head, smiling as if at some private joke being replayed in his mind. “Oh, you’re good,” he said quietly. “You’re very good. If it wasn’t for the present situation, I could almost believe you’re as innocent as you pretend.”

Prynn felt her jaw trembling. “If you don’t think I’m innocent, that must mean you’re convinced I’m guilty of something.”

“Not of anything that’ll land you in the brig,” Vaughn said. “But I thought—I hoped—we were beyond lying to each other.”

That’s when Prynn’s anger rose up, overcoming her measured expression of hurt before she could get it back under control. It all happened in less than a second, but the smug, satisfied look of victory in her father’s eyes confirmed that it didn’t escape his notice. The pretense was over. She let the anger through, let her eyes become hard as she met his gaze. “Who the hell do you think you are?” she whispered.

“I have a better question, Prynn,” Vaughn said. “Who are you?”

Prynn laughed. “Oh, you don’t want the answer to that.”

“Try me,” Vaughn suggested.

She spread her hands. “I’m the daughter of Elias Vaughn,” she said, as if it explained everything. “You want the truth? All right, fine. Yes, I’ve been searching for Mom since the day you came to the Academy and told me she was lost on a mission. You don’t grow up as the only child of two Starfleet spooks without learning a thing or two. And for four years, ever since I graduated, I’ve found ways at every posting I accepted to search for Mom. That was my‘secret mission.’What did I have to lose? Every ship I was on, every sensor array I came in contact with, I modified it to search for her unique transponder signal. You aren’t the only one who memorized it, Dad. I know yours, too. I admit it, I never really expected it to work. The odds were too remote. But I had to do something.She was my mother. Finding her in the Gamma Quadrant was beyond my wildest hopes, but I won’t apologize for never giving up on her, even though you did.”

Vaughn let the accusation slide. “You didn’t do it alone, you know.”