The Line Between Fire and Light

by Stolenalicorn

57 Where Nopony Has Gone Before

Kira Nerys was happy that the only dignitary visiting her today was James. His distaste for politics was matched by her impatience for the show of it. She did have to put up with his flirtation, but unlike others who openly propositioned her he stayed polite so all she really had to do was politely listening to his compliments.

“Colonel Kira.” Came a male voice over her comm badge. “The Einherriar is approaching, eta twelve minutes. For some reason they're traveling at half impulse.”

“Thanks, I'll get ready. When he sends his knock patch it through to me.” Kira said as she stood from her desk. “Computer, time.”

“The time is fourteen forty hours.” The computer responded.

“And twelve minutes out that means his knock will be eight minutes early so he can step on the station five minutes before scheduled.” Kira said to herself as she shook her head. James was almost always early, and would apologize for only being on time. But it was predictable enough that they could easily plan around it. Obviously his presence was going to stir up the other dignitaries, his trade was a highly sought after commodity. But he scheduled his arrival specifically to talk to her. She just wished he had informed her about the reason for his visit.

“Patching King James through Colonel.”

“Hello Nerys.” James said as Kira walked through the corridors to the docking bay he would be directed to.

“Early as usual James.” Kira said as she got to the airlock. His ship should finish docking in just a minute.

“Anything to make things more difficult for you.” He answered with a laugh.

“Make things as difficult as you like as long as you've got Tali and a few other Quarian engineers with you.” Kira joked.

“Sadly, Tali's working on redesigning the Eezo Warp engine interface. She's sure she can squeeze another warp factor out of it if she tinkers a bit more.” James said.

“You know Starfleet's still holding all of the Eezo you shipped to us for tests and experimentation.” Kira complained.

“Seriously?” James groaned. “I'll have to have a talk with them.”

“You know what they want.” Kira hated being the go between in this little conflict. “Just like I know why you can't give it to them. I'm guessing that you'll have another conference with Admiral Janeway sometime today.”

“Looking forward to it.” James deadpanned.

The large red cog door of the airlock rolled to the side and Kira found herself face to face with James, however he had drastically changed since the last time she had seen him. “Woah, what happened to you?” She asked, a hint of a smile pulling at her mouth.

James examined himself before giving her a quizzical look. “What do you mean what happened?” He asked, genuinely unaware of what she meant.

She really did smile as she examined him again. “You're not so fat anymore.”

“Well I started fighting again. But this was years ago, I know we've talked a few times since then.” James said. “I even came to DS9 to get some clothes tailored.”

“Talked, yes. But I haven't seen you in all that time.” Kira put her hand on his shoulder before she led him out to the promenade.

***

The two caught up on more personal matters over a raktajino but eventually they had to start talking business.

“This is a long way to go for a social call, even for you. So what are you here for?” Kira asked as the two walked to her office. Refreshing as it was to have the break, she would have preferred to have gotten right to the issue at hand.

“Well, there's a developing civilization that I'm uplifting …” James began to say.

“Wait, isn't that a violation of the Federation's Prime Directive?” Kira interrupted, shocked that he would do that.

“Remember, I'm not a member of the Federation and only bound by trade agreements.” James knew he would have to explain this and had prepared his case. “Even the Prime Directive makes allowances for some situations. This isn't like what happened to the Krogan. The species I'm dealing with is inherently cooperative and peaceful. Besides, this action was agreed on by several universes. Besides I'm not giving them anything, just helping them avoid the pitfalls as they develop.”

“I'm going to have to explain this to Bajor.” Kira sighed as she rubbed her forehead. “Why would you even be in contact with them?”

“My daughters.” His daughters were the impetus for the first contact meeting after all. “After that they contacted me and communication continued. Eventually trade began, trade Bajor particularly has come to enjoy. I can see that your earring itself has gems from their universe.”

Kira held her hand up to her earring, it had been broken over a year ago and the jeweler who repaired it had a collection rare crystals. He had told her that the gems seemed to hold a pagh and that they were becoming more common in the earrings, particularly engagement earrings. Had they really come from another universe? And a developing civilization at that. “I still have to tell Bajor about them. We're trying to join the Federation after all.”

“Still?” James asked.

“The cult of the Pagh-wraith is making things harder than they should be, and there are still some anti-Federation groups that felt we abandoned them to the Dominion.” Kira leaned back in her seat. While Starfleet would have plenty to say about the situation, Bajor didn't strictly have a Prime Directive clause with James until they joined. And she couldn't exactly unilaterally end the trade deal with James by telling her government when his intention was first dealing with the Federation.

She rubbed the ridges of her nose for a moment. It wasn't uncommon for James to find someway to make a total mess of her job but this was one of the bigger ones. Knowing James they'd find out eventually, so inevitably it would sort itself out. “Fine, I'll stay silent about this. To Bajor and Starfleet, just don't make me regret this.”

“You know, at first I thought I'd regret it too. Now? … Well, I'd probably try to be more patient.” James said as he reflected.

She gave him a moment to himself, but she still had work to do and he'd kept her busy enough. “Can I see some information about our coming guests so I can give security a heads up?” She asked, knowing that things would inevitably go wrong at some point.

He blinked as he came back to the present. “Of course, I've got dossiers on everyone coming by. While only one of them is a political figure the rest are her close friends and effectively advisers.” He eplained as he handed over the data chip.

Kira took the chip and placed it in the computer on her desk. “So are these code names or their actual names?” She asked as she saw the cutesy names on each file. She cocked an eyebrow as she looked to James.

Cautiously she checked the first file on the drive. The moment it opened she felt like she was on the receiving end of some elaborate joke. While she'd met quadrupedal species before, brightly colored ponies like these just seemed too ridiculous.

“Those are their actual names.” James confirmed. “They don't have any enemies here for me to worry about and they're under my protection, so code names aren't entirely necessary.”

She gave him a blank stare as she realized that he was completely serious. “What procedures do we need to to accommodate your security?” She asked as she regained her composure.

His military was a small but highly respected force. During the war with the Dominion, squadrons of single occupant New Guardian fighter ships devastated enemy bases and fleets. That wasn't even taking his stations main arsenal into account. The allied forces heavily criticized him for flatly refusing to use his main cannon until he demonstrated it's planet destroying potential. And Starfleet sensor data indicated it wasn't even at it's full potential during it's demonstration.

Next was the second, more awkward question. “Do they not wear clothes?”

James shook his head. “Not often, though Rarity might have a slew of outfits.”

“Is it a cultural thing?” Kira asked, more out of curiosity as to why one would have a wardrobe when the others wouldn't.

“Kind of.” James said. “Clothes are considered more of an accessory. Some never wear anything their whole life.”

“I will … keep that in mind.” Kira said as she continued perusing their files. “You should also give Doctor Bashier any important medical data, just in case something happens.” She did not want a repeat of the Turian incident.

“Already got that ready. I should mention that one does have a sub-dermal emergency transponder like mine. The rest will have their own emergency transponders, they'll just be wearing them.” James explained.

“That's no guarantee.” Kira said as she began to prepare a security briefing about the coming guests.

“Exactly, I'm just saying that there's a safety net there. Not that the transponders will handle everything. That's just information you should probably have.” James clarified.

Kira sighed as she considered what she had to do. As an official visit there were the standards, this was also a visit to meet with both the Federation and Bajor. She sent along a message to her government and the Federation, obviously a trip to Bajor would be involved. At least James gave her time to make arrangements. “Okay, so I'll get a welcome and a couple events ready. Obviously there'll be a welcome on Bajor as well. Will they all be attending?”

“On an official function, I expect them to. And before I forget, Twilight is going to want to learn about everything she can your culture. So if she asks, I have to insist on absolutely no orb experiences. I know that they're your gods but I don't trust those Prophets any more than I trust one of Garrik's stories.” James said, his tone turning more serious than usual.

This was what she had been worrying about. He completely misrepresented the Prophets, they were benevolent and caring. But he was the head of state for New Guardia, and they were too important a trading partner. With a nod she let the matter drop, she'd argued this with James over a dozen times and he still refused to have any trust in the Prophets. Or in any faith as far as she'd gathered.

James couldn't ignore the frustrated expression she wore. “Please Nerys, there's more to your culture than your religion.”

“But it's central to our culture.” She argued, clearly he wasn't going to let it rest. “That's the one thing we were able to hold onto while the Cardassians enslaved us!”

“Well, then you'll be talking religion to a species without a true concept of religion.” James was getting frustrated now. Having met literal god creatures in his travels, to him the Prophets were no better than Q. And that still put them above some of the god creatures he knew. Atheism worked just fine for him for faith. Either that or he'd place his faith in Washu and her sisters. “Where in you have to explain that without any proof you still believe that they have your best interests at heart and you make offerings to a species that has literally used yours and humans as pawns. Fundamentally altered personalities to suit their desires! And don't even understand what consequences their actions have!” He was venomous, he didn't mean to be but this happened anytime religion came up between them. And worse yet, he'd been the one to bring it up.

“Respectfully, sir. Get out of my office.” Kira growled.

James nodded and stood, stopping as he got to the door. He took a breath and somewhere in the back of his mind he could almost swear he heard Twilight. “I'm sorry, Nerys. But that's why I'm making sure that as I uplift this species they know I'm nothing more than a man. They deserve better than a false idol and so do you.” It was just as well that he was leaving, he still had dignitaries to meet with in addition to having a talk with the doctor. … Maybe he'd ask him for a sedative.

James left Kira alone in her office, he was very talented at making her angry but now she was confused on top of it. Never before, in any of their arguments about religion, had he ever apologized to her. Even partially. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened to bring this change in him.

She would forgive him, he had no guidance in his life and that had long made him bitter to faith. Not for the first time she wondered if he felt the same about her, that her “misguided” faith in the Prophets had blinded her. She rubbed the gem of her earring, there was a power to them she could feel that reminded her of happy memories with those she cared about. Even if James made her angry she needed to give these dignitaries a proper thank you for their contribution to her people.

Several members of Ops made it a point to look away as James came storming out, his haori flapping behind him as he briskly walked to the elevator. It was clearly not Kira he kept coming back to DS9 for as a solid third their conversations ended with them fighting for some reason or another.

***

“Is everything alright James?” Twilight asked as she approached him in his study. Clearly something had upset him, though what she had no idea. He was hunched over his desk rubbing his temples and quietly muttering to himself.

“It's fine. Just an ongoing fight I'm having with a friend.” James said as he sat upright and looked to the Alicorn who had barged into the room. The fight had been days ago, but he couldn't keep himself from dredging it up. For some reason he felt guilty, even though he knew they'd be fine as always when they met next.

“That's not fine.” Twilight said as she sat on the couch across from him. He seemed to have a lot of ongoing fights, mostly because neither side would back down from their position or apologize. She had to wonder if this was a common problem, or just an issue with him. Unfortunately she had a guess.

“No, it is. It's just that I had to bring up a topic that neither of us can even come close to agreeing on. We don't usually talk about it and get along just fine, it's just this time we fought and I'm still frustrated.” James explained as he began to rub his left temple again. “But the good news is that there's another universe lined up if you and the girls want to see it.

“Please, all friendships are important, not just those in Equestria.” Twilight said as she looked to James. “And if there's any way I can help with yours just let me know.”

James smiled at her and shook his head. “It takes a lot to lose me as a friend.” He said with a chuckle. “I've had friends I genuinely hated at times, but when push comes to shove I would come to their aid as fast as I could. You don't need to worry about me.”

“The table did call us to you for a friendship mission.” She reminded him. She'd have to ask him about what he meant by “had” friends.

“Because my actions were going to cost you a friend. I was the problem, not a conflict between myself and a friend.” James explained, offering her a weak smile. “And I'll try to be better.”

***

“You're working late today.” Ezri Dax said as she walked into the sickbay, her short brown hair dancing around the spots than ran from her hairline down the sides of her neck and under her blue and black Star Fleet uniform.

Julian Bashir was reading the medical files James had left for him earlier. His mousy hair tickled his forehead, he'd need a hair cut soon. “Yeah, we've got a delegation from a new universe coming to visit and I'm reviewing the profiles King James provided.”

That wasn't all he was doing, he was also planning a strategy to defend the Alamo with O'Brien for tomorrow. Coming up with a treatment plan for a crewman who was dealing with a disease he picked up on shore leave. As well as theorizing on ways to improve his console's processing power.

“Yeah, Ponies.” Ezri said with a smile. “Since Curzon was an ambassador and every Dax host has had some interaction with King James on some level, Starfleet wants me to help plan the official welcoming. Thankfully they're sending two admirals for the official duties.” She said as she walked behind Bashir and looked at the screen.

“Two admirals?” He asked. This wasn't exactly a high priority meeting so sending two admirals when a single captain would suffice was an extreme measure. “Why on earth would they do that?”

“Admiral Picard will handle the duties of greeting the Ponies for the Federation. Admiral Janeway will be there to work on King James.” Ezri explained.

“I see, they're doing this to flatter him. That's all it can be with Admiral Piccard's reputation for first contact. And he'll get this as one last feather in has cap before he retires.” Julian casually said, grinning until his screen blinked off. “Damn it!”

“What happened to the console?” Ezri asked as she looked at it. She could smell ozone coming from it and small streams of smoke rose from the seams. Was there some short? He'd have to get O'Brien in to fix it.

“Well I'm trying to read the Teraquads of extra data that came with each of the files. I had to overclock my console to get the processing power to read just some of it. That's just the data our systems could decipher.” Julian said as he opened the side of the console.

A plume of smoke wafted out of it and quickly dissipated as he waved his hand around and pulled out two medical tricorders he had hardline connected to it. “And I wasted two perfectly good tricorders too.”

“Didn't you get everything you needed from the files James provided?” Ezri asked as she watched him examine the now useless electronics.

“Yeah, but that much data has to be something. It makes no sense to just include a bunch of junk information with each file just to take up space.” Bashir said, hoping that there might be some data still on the drives of the tricorders he could salvage.

“Quark's holosuites have more powerful processors than a console and two tricorders.” Ezri commented.

“Yes, but you know Quark. He'll charge an arm and a leg just to use them.” Bashir said, shooting down the idea.

“Not if we don't tell him it's for data processing.” She said with a grin.

“How would we do that?” Bashir asked sarcastically. “Hi Quark, can I rent a holosuite with a console for just a bit of fun? You know how us genetically enhanced humans are.”

Ezri shook her head as she hugged the man from behind. “I'll just tell Quark that we have our own program to run once we're inside the holosuite. Give him a slip of latnum discretely and he'll have no problems with the arrangement.”

“Think it'll work?” He asked, smiling from her hug.

“Of course it will. Quark's a much nicer guy than he wants everyone to think he is.” Ezri said confidently.

***

Quark could easily hear the voices of his patrons as they talked about everything going on. It was pretty easy to know what was going on on DS9 if you just listened. James had been by and had another fight with the Major. Most likely over religion again. He didn't like the Prophets either, but he also had the sense to not mention it to any Bajoran, particularly Kira Nerys.

The particulars of their meeting weren't common knowledge yet, but he was piecing it together. From what he gathered James had come to arrange a meeting. Not uncommon as DS9 worked as a neutral meeting ground for negotiations. One of the few reasons he was happy to still have his bar; James's good business was his good business.

Of course this also meant he would have to bring his better stock out front and keep several holosuites available. Delegates would need to relax and what better way than with some liqueur, games, and fantasies.

“Hello Quark.” Came a friendly voice from nearby.

“Nice to see you Ezri.” He happily said. She was good to have around, friendly company. Not fun like Jadzia, but with her memories (and money) she was welcome all the same.

“Say, could Julian and I use one of your holosuites for a while. We've got a program we want to try out.” Ezri happily said, her voice lilting just a bit.

“What's the program.” Quark asked. While he could trust them to not ruin the Holosuites, if it was a program he could make money on he wanted to know.

“Just a personal program.” She hesitated slightly as she spoke.

“Come on. You know I can't just let you in with whatever program you like. I have to make sure the holosuites can handle it. With Rom … gone if one of them goes down I have to wait for O'Brien to fix them and that could take weeks.” Quark said, hopefully she would break soon, he eavesdropping to do.

“It's completely safe.” She said. Her tone shifted just an iota.

“You have no idea what this program could do.” Quark said as he put it all together. She was clearly lying about the program from her tone and hesitation.

She was caught. She could see it in his eyes, he could read her tone as easily as she could read his body language. “Alright Quark. It's medical information Julian needs to go through but we need a stronger processor like your holosuites have. We just need to use one to test out ways of reading it. There's two strips of latnum in it for you if you let us in now.”

“Four strips.” He bargained. He would cave for three since she started at two, but no less. She was a friend, he didn't want to take advantage of that … too much.

“Two, Quark.” She insisted. Quark could hear that she wasn't budging, but he hadn't even begun yet.

“I'm sorry but if you want it now, and using a program that I don't know, I have to cover my potential losses. Four and not a strip less, and that's because I like you.” It was already at a discount but he'd still go down by one strip, but for now he was holding firm at four.

“One.” Ezri started with a smile, drawing a questioning look from Quark. “And that debt note you gave me for five strips from our game a week ago.” She had never intended to actually give him two, but she needed to get him in the mood to bargain. Easy enough, and the low ball figure she gave him guaranteed that he would be willing to accept an overdue debt note. Also with him not outright laughing at two strips told her she could get away with this.

Of course Quark was never going to pay off that debt note, but she had a few and one less to hold over his head was still a win. He pulled out a datapad he kept underneath the bar and tapped out a few quick notes and authorized the transaction. “Would you look at that. Holosiute four is available right now. You and the doctor enjoy yourselves.” This was ultimately a net gain, so it was good business.

Ezri started to walk away when Quark spoke up. “Oh, and I happened to hear that James came by today to talk to Kira. He wouldn't happen to be arranging another negotiation, would he?”

“If he had I couldn't talk about it.” Ezri said.

“Come on. If we're going to be getting visitors from another universe I need to know. What if I serve something that could be fatal to them? Like anything I serve and the Turians. I need to know that all my potential customers are safe.” Quark knew this would get her. She cared about pretty much everyone so showing concern and rational precaution was a good way to get in on the latest news from her.

Ezri didn't like to admit it, but he was right. The Turian incident was a fiasco that James had to smooth over because they hadn't shared information with Quark. If there was the potential for disaster she had to let him know for the sake of diplomatic relations. “Alright Quark. Yes, King James does intend to bring over some dignitaries. If they have any issues with your menu Julian will be sure to let you know this time.”

“Good to know.” Quark said as he waved Ezri off. As she walked away Quark went back to listening to his customers, there was a lot of gossip to catch up on.

***

Bashir took a moment to connect his new tricorder to the holosuite so he could use that to migrate the program over since they couldn't trust Quark to not make copies. It was an easy process and soon they were standing in a replica of their own sickbay only larger with eight examination beds.

“Just looking for something comfortable Julian?” Ezri asked as she looked at their surroundings.

“I didn't request this, it's part of the file James gave me.” Bashir replied, curious about how James had known they'd try using the holosuite.

“Do you think all his files include holosuite programs?” She asked.

“We can find out later, but I have to admit this may just be more useful than a typical medical rundown.” He said as he checked each instrument. Each one appeared to function as their real counterparts.

“Well Doctor …” She said. “Who's first?”

“Alphabetical.” He suggested with a shrug. “Computer, activate Applejack. Ignore all unreadable data.”

The computer beeped once as an orange pony with a long blond mane and tail appeared sitting on one of the examination tables.

Ezri looked to the simulation staring blankly ahead. “You know, Major Kira told me that according to James it's a culture of nudists.” She commented idly.

“Their world must be quite temperate.” He commented as he began examining her, closely investigating the three apples on her flank. “Any idea what the cultural significance of a tattoo like this could be?” He asked examining it closely.

“Three apples on both hips … I don't have any cultural data to go on, but perhaps identification. Like a family coat of arms.” She theorized, before rejecting the idea. “Or maybe fashion, like I said I don't know anything about their culture.”

“Unless it's part of the data that the computer can't process I have to say that it's quite well done. There's no apparent scaring around the area and all the fine hair appears to be growing normally.” He noted as he stroked Applejack's flank.

“I wish that the program was interactive so I could talk to them.” She said, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“Her.” Bashir calmly corrected. “And that's probably in the data the computer can't understand.”

“I guess you already read what you could while you were in sickbay burning out your console.” Ezri said with a grin.

“Yeah, there were a couple simple documents and from what I read she's known for exemplifying honesty.” He said as he opened her mouth and began examining. “Look at this.” He said gesturing for Ezri to join him.

“What am I looking for?” She asked as Julian was pointing it out.

“This.” He commented. “She has canine teeth, albeit mostly flat canines. I guess their diet isn't exclusively vegetation.”

“Major Kira told me that they were vegetarians. Included on James's list of acceptable foods were eggs and milk. Their agriculture must include animal rearing.” Ezri said as she recalled what she had to familiarize herself with earlier.

“She also has metal horseshoes like you'd find on earth. They aren't nailed on, but I can understand why not.” He was genuinely curious about this. Was it a fashion trend or was there a practical reason they had gone with this instead of something more comfortable.

“Why would they develop metal horseshoes? Especially for themselves.” Esri puzzled. It just didn't make sense for them to make these instead of soft soled shoes that they might wear similar to sandals. Even the centaurs from New Guardia had abandoned the horseshoe for sneakers they had designed for themselves.

She was examining Applejack's face while Bashir was looking through the provided charts about musculature and bone structure. “You have to admit, the wide eyes, large head, and flatter face make them much more expressive then Terran ponies. Even a little more human I'd say.” She said as she looked Applejack in the eye.

“Yeah, in fact their facial muscles are much more human that equine. I bet they could exhibit the full range of human facial expressions and then some. They're possibly even more expressive.” He commented.

“I really look forward to talking to them. Learning about their psychology will be quite interesting.” Ezri pulled Applejack's face into a smile before she smiled back then walked away. “I wonder what the males are like.” She said, partially to herself.

“Not as common, the document spelled that out clearly. There are approximately five females to every male.” He said as Applejack vanished.

“I guess that rules out monogamous relationships, otherwise they would be dying out with numbers like that.” She said as she looked to Bashir who was making his own notes.

“Not necessarily.” He said, not looking up from his tablet. “As long as the females outnumber the males and the male population doesn't drop they could, in fact, thrive. Or they could be evolving along a similar path as the Asari, developing into an entirely female species. Computer, activate Fluttershy, bed two.”

A yellow, winged pony with an extremely long pink mane and tail appeared on the examination bed next to Applejack , blankly staring forward as Applejack was.

“Is that a pegasus like in ancient Earth myth?” Ezri asked, astonished.

“Yes she is. That's not all, there are unicorns too.” Bashir said with a smile.

“If these are the Princess' advisers I guess they must have gotten past racial differences.” Ezri commented, thinking about how many species have gone to war amongst themselves simply because they looked slightly different. But here they were, three races with physiological differences and they had to be past those problems to have them as royal advisers.

“Perhaps, but the head of state is different from the rest. Computer, activate Twilight Sparkle, bed three.” As he spoke a purple, winged unicorn with a violet mane and tail that had a stripe of pink and purple appeared on another examination table, blankly staring forward like Fluttershy and Applejack.

“You just told me that there are unicorns.” She said, not understanding the crucial difference.

“Unicorns don't have wings. Here. Computer, activate Rarity, bed four.” As he finished a white unicorn with a meticulously quaffed purple mane and tail appeared on the next bed over from Twilight, the same blank expression on her face.

“So what is she then?” Ezri asked as she looked between the two.

“I don't know, that was in data I didn't get to before my console fried.” Bashir said as he pulled out Fluttershy's wing and examined it.

“You know, even though I can't talk to them I can tell a few things about them just from their holographs.” Ezri commented as she walked between the three.

“Really, what?” Bashir asked, looking away from Fluttershy for a moment.

“Look at the care taken by these two. Here's the Princess, but in contrast her adviser is clearly more carefully groomed. She may be vain, or the head of state isn't as concerned with appearances. Both options say something about them.” She was bending over and more carefully examining each of them for more clues about their personalities.

“And look, her hooves are polished to a near mirror finish. The Princess isn't going that far. Most women only get finishes like that on their nails at a salon.” She walked back to Applejack and examined her hooves for a moment. “Ah-ha. And her hooves are worn, and chipped in a couple places. She's no stranger to hard work. … Julian, could you activate the others? I want to examine what I can since I can't talk to them.”

“Of course.” With a quick instruction he activated the remaining ponies and continued his own examination while Ezri did hers.

She was learning as much as she could from visual clues of their personal maintenance while Bashir began running allergy and toxin simulations. While he was curious about Ezri's examination, and could probably provide medical clues that could give her new answers, his job was to find out everything they needed to be careful of.

***

Over the next few days scuttlebutt got around of James bringing a new species around. Most met the news with mild interest that was quickly forgotten, but there were some to whom that this news was more than welcome.

A young amber haired human woman came rushing onto the deck of the old Bird of Prey that sat out by the the wormhole. In this position they could stay cloaked and hide their emissions with the energy the wormhole spewed out to observe DS9 with little risk.

“Channok.” She said as she approached the commander of this particular vessel, a tall half vulcan man with black hair cut in the manner one could expect from a Vulcan officer regardless of gender. “I just confirmed the message. King James is bringing dignitaries from another universe onto DS9.”

“Good. What's their event planning, and will they be kind enough to offer a tour of the space station?” Channok asked, a smile pulling at the edge of his lips. He hadn't been raised like a vulcan and had grown up embracing his emotions. As a wide eyed youth he enlisted in Starfleet hoping to see the universe, and much to his distaste he did. The war against the Dominion was the final straw, he saw just how easily captains sacrificed those under their command, and worse he saw how James had refused to help them.

James had been an ally of the Federation since there was a Federation, yet when he had the firepower to easily end the war in their favor he held back. Because of him Channok's family died in a Cardassian attack on their colony world. The war wasn't even over when Channok joined the Maquis, taking as many arms and munitions as he could load into a shuttle when he left his ship floating in the vast emptiness where his captain's last stand had been.

Personal vendettas aside, James had something they wanted: advanced technology.

For his many faults James has proven that he will do whatever it takes for his family, his people, and those under his protection. This would just be a standard ransom situation where he gives them a couple advanced weapons in exchange for the dignitary’s life. A small price to pay, and not obvious like demanding the schematics. What remained of the Maquis could then have their engineers study the weapons and begin building their own versions. The concept was simple, but he was going to have to really work out the minutia for execution.

The message had told him it was a few weeks off yet, enough time to get some operatives in on the ground floor of the event. From there it was choosing the target and location for the exchange. Empak-Nor wasn't an option anymore as James had converted it into a New Guardian station after the Dominion war. And every attempt made on it by any aggressor had proven futile, and often fatal.

***

“No.” Kira groaned. “Earth vegetarian. So while eggs are fine, they can't be … ready to hatch!” She had to swallow her revulsion as she looked on the sample meals the chef had brought in. “And I know the soup doesn't have meat in it, but you used meat to make the broth, that means it's not vegetarian. The rest … well it looks alright. Unless you need anything meat to prepare it … including fat.” The chef nodded quickly as he left her office revising the menu for the evening.

“It's not a hard concept.” Kira said to herself as she slumped into her chair. She rubbed the ridge of her nose as she thought about the upcoming meeting. “The meeting's still a week away. Everything will be fine as long as they remember what vegetarian means. I'd say Vulcan but we want to make a good impression.”

***

The chef grumbled to himself as he walked away from her office. He liked that soup, he was good at making it. And the list clearly said that eggs were acceptable, until they hatched that's all they were. He shook his head as he entered the turbo lift. He just had to find another soup to use, and possibly switch all the salad dressing with vinaigrette … Did milk fat count? He was looking forward to finishing this assignment and getting back to his own kitchen where he could cook the way he liked and talk with the people who appreciated it.

***

Bashir almost had it sorted out. He had been spending hours with these simulations each day since Dax had helped him find out that they were holosuite programs. Though their programming was very unusual and as a result were little more than amazingly high resolution scans. But there was still that extra data.

“Thought I'd find you in here Julian.” O'Brien said as the door opened. “Still trying to puzzle out that file?”

“Did I miss Gettysburg?” Bashir asked as he realized just how long he had been in here for.

“Yeah. Union still won though, so no harm done.” O'Brien joked. “How's about letting an engineer take a look, huh?” He said as he approached the console.

“What's the harm. A new set of eyes could prove useful.” Bashir said as he stretched and stood up.

“Oh, I wasn't talking about me.” O'Brien said as he shook his head. “You want someone who can go through the software and take a look. Guy I knew back on the Enterprise knew this stuff inside and out. Barkley, he can help you. I think he came along to test out that new Long Term medical hologram based off Voyager’s EMH.”

“Do you think Barkley's still on board?” Bashir asked, looking to the data still projected on the console.

“Only one way to find out.” O'Brien said optimistically.

***

There was still plenty of light in Twilight's office as they met after their classes for the day ended. Even with the excitement of visiting a new world there were small frustrations that needed to be addressed.

“Really?” Rainbow Dash asked disappointed. “We've got to dress up for these things?”

“I don't see the problem with it.” Rarity said with a smile.

“Of course you wouldn't. You like wearing all that stuff.” Rainbow Dash commented.

“Rainbow Dash.” Twilight calmly said. “As much as this is about taking us to other worlds and broadening our horizons this is also a diplomatic function. Even James will be dressing up. And since we're going to their world we should be willing to accept their customs.”

“Yeah yeah, I know. It just sounds like a hassle. I guess I've got something I can wear. I doubt my jacket would cut it though.” Rainbow Dash complained.

“Yeah, we're going to need to look our best.” Starlight said with a nod.

“I've got all of three dresses. Think that'll be enough?” Applejack said.

“Well you don't have to just wear dresses.” Starlight added, trying to smooth things over. “Just something formal for the events. If it's more your style a suit would work. I have one myself I've kind of wanted to wear out for a while now.”

“Uhhh. I think I'll just ask Rarity for something. I don't want to waste time on it and she knows what she's doing.” Rainbow Dash said plainly.

“We've still got a week to prepare. Now James did give me the itinerary for our scheduled time while we're there. Starting with a banquet in our honor.” Twilight said as she pulled out a long parchment list.

“Did you say “banquet”?” Pinkie Pie asked happily.

Twilight smiled and nodded before she continued. “We're going to be welcomed by at least two cultures and they want to show us that they're friendly and welcoming. So there's a formal banquet we're attending then later a tour of the space station where we're staying for our trip.”

“Wait, so it's another Space Station?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yeah. But there's another function on the nearby planet called Bajor.” Starlight said.

“Tali's mentioned before that gettin' sick on other worlds can be dangerous. I don't want to bring back anythin' dangerous.” Applejack said.

“I understand completely.” Twilight agreed. “And if we could get more ponies to volunteer for James's Equestrian Medical Database he'll be able to get everything set up in case anypony does get sick.”

“I'll get all the Wonderbolts to help out.” Rainbow Dash offered.

“The Apple's'd be happy to join in.” Applejack said.

“Oh, I think I still have last years spring gown that would fit in wonderfully at evening on the fourth day.” Rarity commented out loud, not realizing the conversation had moved on.

***

“Well, it certainly has holodeck functionality.” Barkley said as he looked over the code for the files James had given Bashir. “But here, right here it get's strange. This is what programs the personality of a character file. Whatever it is it's sophisticated … almost …”

“Almost what?” Bashir asked as he leaned over and looked at the code displayed on the monitor.

“I think this might almost be artificial intelligence.” Barkley hypothesized. “You said you got this from New Guardia, right?”

“Yeah, from King James himself actually.” Bashir answered, not knowing where Barkley was going with this.

“It doesn't matter who … Did you say King James?” Barkley stared a moment, not knowing if this meant it was classified or not.

“Yeah, he gave me their medical files, took me a while to find out that there was holodeck programming imbedded in them.” Bashir confirmed.

“Oh … Well, New Guardia's technology is-is different than ours. While we're beginning to incorporate new designs and ideas, theirs was developed around many of those designs. So the p-programming is different. I found this out when I got a program from them and and it didn't work.” Barkley began to ramble. “At first I tried what you did and brute force it through and burn out processors to get only a little. But by taking a look at the code logic I-I found that I just needed to program an an emulator to run the program through and it worked just fine … then. This should be just as easy, while the information is much more … sophisticated it looks like it runs through all the same protocols. Our computers can decipher enough to get the visuals because New Guardia uses a lot of Federation principals in-in it's holodeck operation. But beyond that it's basically asking it to read Klingon without the translation software. All I …”

“Mr. Barkley.” Bashir interrupted. While he was appreciative of Barkley's help he didn't have all day. “Can you get me the emulator? I need to review these files.”

“Um. Y-yes. I can.” Barkley was a little uncomfortable as he realized he'd been talking too much, but he was also nervous. Bashir was genetically enhanced after all. “I keep a copy of it on me so I can analyze many of their holographic interface principles. Y-y-you can use our holodeck if you need.”

Bashir shrugged. “Beats paying for Quark's holosuite. … Alright Barkley, but I still want a copy of that emulator. I have some other files from him I have to review another time.”

“Yes doctor.” Barkley said as Bashir began to walk off. “Oh sir.” He said as he quickly turned to face the doctor. “Holodeck three is ready, I've got it running now.”

“Thank you, Barkley.” Bashir said as he turned the corner.

***

Ezri Dax finally found the Holodeck on the Enterprise E where Bashir had asked her to join him. Though why the program would work on a Galaxy Class Starship and not in Quark's holosuites she couldn't guess. Unless Quark's cost saving measures really cut down on performance.

“I guess you got something Julian.” She said as she walked into a holographic representation of the Enterprise's sick bay.

“Yes, Miles suggested I talk to Mr. Barkley who recognized our problem and already had a solution. And frankly it's better to run it here than pay Quark to look at my files.” Bashir explained as he continued to observe the room before him. “I know you wanted to talk to them, though as they'll remind you they're a virtual intelligence so take what you can with a grain of salt.”

This time the characters were significantly more animated as Twilight was busily moving between beds, tucking in Applejack and Rarity while Rainbow Dash had her wing pressed against Fluttershy's forehead. And Starlight was carefully feeding soup to Pinkie.

“So what have you been finding out since starting the program?” Ezri asked as she looked into the examination area to see what was going on. Twilight had just turned away from Applejack and looked very worried.

“Like James said, they're innately cooperative and show high levels of empathy.” Bashir explained. “Fluttershy always seems to be the first to take care of anyone when they're feeling sick. Unfortunately that often leads to her getting sick as well.”

“How do you know that?” Ezri asked.

“I've been running high speed simulations on the VIs for a while and seven times out of ten she contracted whatever disease the others had because she was too busy taking care of them to tend to herself. She will actively discourage others relieving her so she can continue to tend to them.” Bashir said. “Though if she's the one who's sick as many as are available tend to her. They take shifts and take care of themselves as well.”

“So have you finished their medical work ups?” Ezri said.

“Of course, but it helps to know how disease would spread among the group. If any of them get sick while they're here we should keep Fluttershy away from the rest, or at least make sure she's inoculated before she sees them.” Bashir ended the simulation and the holographic ponies returned to their initial positions.

Ezri walked into the examination room. The ponies appeared idle though no longer blank. She casually walked up the the representation of Twilight, she had a few questions that these holograms would hopefully be able to answer.

“Hello, can you please tell me about those tattoos you have?” Ezri asked.

“Tattoos?” Twilight's representation asked before laughing a little. “I don't have tattoos.”

Ezri had to consider that the term “tattoo” might not be the one they used, so less specific phrasing might work better. “Let me rephrase that. What are those symbols on your hips?”

“Oh, you mean my cutie mark.” The hologram happily said. “Well, everypony gets one eventually as discover their …”

***

“How are the preparations coming along? Is everyone in place?” Chanok asked. The Einherriar was well known to always be early and he needed everyone ready for this mission. They couldn't mess this up.

He wouldn't be going himself, he had read the lists of casualties during the war and found himself listed among them. A perfect cover to not be looked for, but that also meant he couldn't do anything that might identify him, and everyone involved in diplomatic events like this had to be identified.

His crew members that had been able to get in were posed as civilian contractors. They all had legitimate jobs within the Federation and had never been suspected as Maquis. While this could potentially change that, if it worked they would have what they needed to reform and once their numbers were back they could declare themselves independent.

He admired his crew, they were composed of mostly civilians and while they lacked the decorum of trained officers they worked together as effectively as any crew he had ever been part of. He shared their conviction for freedom from the Federation. The Federation's new found relationship with their long time enemies, the Romulans, only proved to him that he had made the right choice in defecting.

Weapons weren't going to be enough for this mission anymore. As he considered the needs of the new Maquis his demands had risen to include a New Guardian shuttle. If they got their hands on the power system and shield technology they could improve any ships they were able to get their hands on and turn the balance of power early on. But they still had to be careful, because if they asked for to much they risked a New Guardian rescue mission.

As tactically advantageous as the Bird of Prey was, it was also laughably obsolete and didn't stand a chance in a real fight. His had been one of several barely functional cloaking ships used for intimidation tactics and infiltration. He'd never had to fire a shot from this vessel to win a fight, but if he tried to engage in a fight, even with a surplus ship, he would lose. Their resources and forces had been completely decimated by the Jem'Hadar and only a handful of Maquis were left, and many of them turned themselves over to the Federation, especially when Voyager came back. But the few that remained, numbering in the hundreds now, were true to their goals.

***

Applejack yawned as they walked through the doorway to James's castle. She had stayed awake all night to help herself adjust to the New Guardian schedule. She would be more than happy to get to a bed soon and get some much needed sleep.

Twilight on the other hand was too excited to even feel tired. They were truly going to another world now. Starting off on a space station but moving on to another planet! Twilight pranced as she went through the doorway into New Guardia. Rainbow Dash, though happy, seemed strangely subdued as she crossed into her friend's home.

“Hey Rarity,” Pinkie said as she walked on through the doorway. “I was certain you'd pack a ton of stuff.”

“Oh Pinkie, darling.” Rarity said with a casual chuckle. “James came by earlier and collected my luggage and our dresses so we wouldn't have to drag it all through Twilight's castle.”

“Of course he did.” Rainbow Dash muttered, though not in the sarcastic way that they expected. She sounded more resigned, almost reflective.

“Is everything okay Rainbow Dash?” Starlight asked. “Normally you'd be the one excited most about this.”

“I'm just tired.” Rainbow Dash mumbled. She needed to get herself together, this was no different from any other time she'd visited James. The two or three times she'd visited in the last couple months …

James, Lucca, and their daughters waited for the ponies in the foyer of the castle. “Morning girls.” James said with a smile. “We'll be on our way in just a minute … Though it looks like the sooner we get Applejack into a bed the better.”

Applejack glared at James a moment before grinning. “Yeah, I'm a bit tired.” She admitted.

“Well, you're still lovely. All of you.” James said. “And if there's anything you want, just ask.”

Twilight wasn't going to wait any longer with that invitation. “Is there anything I can read about them before we get there?” She asked excitedly.

“Yeah, on the ship you'll have full access to species profiles associated with the ST universe.” Lucca said calmly as she adjusted her glasses.

“Well, I'm ready to get to the ship and get some sleep.” Starlight said with a grin.

“Right. Let's get going then.” Tali said as she brought out her omnitool. “Einherriar; twelve to teleport over.” She calmly said moments before they violently melted away.

***

As Tali went right for the bridge, James and Lucca spent some time not only showing the ponies where their quarters were but also instructing them how the ship's system to help them in case they get lost anywhere. Rainbow Dash broke away shortly after with Sara and Amber to go to the holodeck and play some buckball.

Twilight continued happily along with Lucca and James to the bridge, looking around wide eyed as the doors to the turbolift opened. “This is so amazing!” Twilight announced as she walked onto the bridge. Lucca took the seat on the far right as Tali gestured for Twilight to sit in the chair on the her left.

“Last time we were here we just spent the whole time in the lounge.” Twilight said as she sat down and gave a wide smile to Tali.

“It gets to feel normal eventually.” James calmly said as he stood to Twilight's left before looking over to the ops position.

Tali chuckled as she nodded to Twilight. “Miss Bridgestone, please make the announcement.”

A halfling sitting at ops turned to her console and pressed a button before calmly making an announcement. “Full compliment confirmed, acting Commander is Tali'Zora. Prepare for universal shift in ten minutes.”

“So are all these trips so short?” Twilight asked as she looked to the view screen.

“No.” Tali commented. “Actually our travel time to DS9 is going to be about six days I tried getting it down to five or even four but I'm still having trouble with some of the systems.”

“She's already shaved a week off the time with her customized engines. Honestly the Federation desperately wants her designs.” James boasted for her.

“The Federation.” Twilight eagerly said, she had looked at the itinerary and knew they were meeting with them. “If I remember the note you gave me. (And obviously I do.)” Twilight scoffed with a smile before she went on. “It's a collection of hundreds of alien civilizations all working together.”

“Yes it is.” James confirmed. “And they're quite interested in meeting you too.” James said. “Actually, you and I should talk in private.” He would have preferred to stay on the bridge where he was, but this was something best discussed without the bridge crew listening in. “If you'll follow me, we'll talk in the ready room.” He gestured to the door on the far side of the bridge and led her off.

The room was simply furnished with a comfortable looking couch on either wall and two chairs in front of the desk. There was a carefully sculpted coniferous tree in the corner and the walls were adorned with models of several ships in James's fleet. He would like to one day be able to add a model of a ship designed and built in New Guardia itself, but no such ship yet existed.

There were small models of single occupant fighters of various makes, all purchased or build from blueprints obtained honestly or not. A Battlestar sat next to the Constitution Class both placed near the Firefly. There was a mockup of the Hinako made from wood to accurately depict it's materials. The Einherrier's model was actually on the desk itself.

“Sit wherever you'd like.” James calmly offered as the door closed behind them.

Twilight casually walked over to a couch and climbed up, not knowing what James might have in store for her. He was in a good mood right now so it must not be something terrible. “What did you want to talk about?” She asked as James turned one of the chairs in front of the desk to face her and sat.

“I do need to say that while there's no official trade between Equestria and the races of the universe we're traveling to, I have been taking advantage of the surplus of gems available. Particularly in Ponyville.” James admitted.

He had never even mentioned that he was selling them to other universes, and as Bajor was one of the worlds particularly enjoying the trade he had to tell her. It would not be an easy explanation if it came out during the welcoming banquet. “I've tried to not be greedy about it, as they paid more I made sure to pay more as well. It's your people doing the work so they deserve the larger share.”

“Really? We're already trading with other worlds?” Twilight asked. This was exciting news, and the fact that James had set everything up was wonderful.

“Not exactly, but that's close enough. Technically I'm buying from your world and reselling to them. But they know that they're from a place called Equestria. The Bajorans particularly enjoy the deal, and their world is the closest so you'll be meeting a lot of them.” He explained, a little surprised that she was so enthused by the idea.

“But it's not just your economy benefiting from the arrangement.” Twilight said with a smile. “You said it yourself, you've been paying more for the gems as their price went up. You're helping us out too. … Probably also why you insist that whatever you'd be paid from the school be invested back into the school now that I think about it.”

“Oh no.” James grinned. “I just think that it would be better used in your school than sitting in one of my accounts.”

“You know, you could have told me out there. It's not like this was going to be a problem.” She said, giving him a patient smile.

“Oh, I wasn't worried about that.” James said with a grin. “I just don't need the crew hearing I followed the adage that it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission.”

***

As they traveled Twilight took the time to study what she could of the species she would likely encounter. Tali handled the command duties as minor as they were at the moment and spent her time along with James and Lucca talking to Twilight.

The first indication that something had gone wrong was the ship lurching as an explosion forced it to sub-light speeds.

“Ensign Akranara, report.” Tali demanded, snapping to attention and examining her miniature readout built into the command chair.

An Arachne examined his console before turning to Tali. “Ma'am, it seems that we collided with a mine of some sort. The way ahead appears clear.” He reported moments before an alert came in.

“I think you may want to check that.” Tali said dryly.

“Klingon Bird of Prey decloaking off our port bow.” A Turian woman at tactical reported.

“Shields up, yellow alert.” Tali instructed. “Ren'lo, find out what ship that is.”

The halfling woman at communication examined her console. “Ma'am, the bird of prey is hailing us.”

“Route it through my omnitool, and mirror on the main screen.” Tali instructed. Opening the communication was their biggest mistake. Klingons, particularly those in this era, had no cyber warfare suite, they would feel that an attack like that was cowardly and beneath them. Tali didn't have those hangups. “Alright Tachika, have some fun.” She said as the halfling typed out a quick series of commands on her console to comply with her orders.

An angry looking Klingon appeared on the screen, his head taking up most of the scene. He had two ridge piercings and a mouth full of crooked and jagged teeth which appeared to be terribly stained as he gave them a confident and wicked smile. “I am Commander Kaldro. Lower your shields and prepare to be boarded. There is a cloaked minefield directly in front of you and two more ships behind you. Do this and we may let most of you live.”

“Tali tapped out a quick command on her omnitool before replying. “And I am Tali'Zora Vos New Guardia. Commander of the Einherriar. Decloak your mines and let us pass and we won't have to destroy you.”

James grinned as he listened to the statement making Lucca roll her eyes before chuckling.

“I thought the Klingons were your friends.” Twilight whispered.

“These are pirates. Nobody's friends.” James said out of the corner of his mouth.

The Klingon laughed heartily at the woman standing up to him. She had confidence if nothing else and he liked that. She would be given an honorable death if they fought. “You would be wise to do as I ask, for your crew if not yourself.” He said, his stained teeth commanding most of their attention.

Tali finished transmitting as he spoke and soon his image became blurry and his words garbled before the message died completely. “Ms. Nensk, please give me a tactical update.”

The Turian woman stood at the head of tactical behind the command station and examined their readings. “From the scanners … only their com system is down.” She answered before another blast rocked the ship. “Shields holding at ninety five percent.”

“Those Boshtets must keep their com isolated from the rest of their systems. Tachika can't go anywhere.” Tali grumbled before another blast shook the ship.

“Ma'am, it appears as though the "mines" have limited mobility and they can control them remotely to slam them into us.” Nensk said as her station indicated that the Bird of Prey hadn't yet fired.

“Can you figure out their frequency?” Tali asked. “I'd rather not have them pecking away at us with them.”

“Working on it, but that could take a while.” Nensk said as she began scanning for transmissions.

Tali sat back in her chair as another explosion rocked the ship. She was irritated that this wasn't over yet, but she had to respond to the attack somehow. “Modulate the phasers and reduce their power. We want to bring their shields down, not destroy them. We can't have Worf vanishing on us now.”

“What's going on?” Rainbow Dash asked as the turbolift opened with her, Sara, and Amber hurrying inside.

“Pirates.” Tali simply said.

“Ma'am.” Nensk spoke up. “Two more Birds of Prey decloaking. Seems he wasn't bluffing. Shields are down to eighty percent. Shoring them up with excess phaser power.”

“Pirates?!” Rainbow Dash excitedly asked.

“These aren't the swashbucklers you know Rainbow Dash. Most pirates are thieves and murderers. It's not a glamorous life.” James said as another blast rocked the ship.

“After this is done, maybe you should tell her about your life as a pirate.” Lucca said with a grin.

“You say that like it's over.” James said smiling back. He liked to argue that it never ended, simply calmed down and got a legitimate side. He knew the truth, but his story was funner.

“Shields of the first Bird of Prey are down, targeting the next closest.” Nensk said as she continued to trace the ships.

“But pirates are awesome.” Rainbow Dash argued.

“Some, not most.” James quickly answered as the ship rocked some more.

“Activate hull armor and polarize!” Tali commanded. “I don't want us exposed for a moment if they get through the energy shield.”

“They couldn't even begin to harm Hinako's shields.” Lucca commented as they watched the fight on the view screen. She wasn't worried, the hull plating was more than a match for any weapon to be found in this universe, even in the future. She'd put it to the test herself with the help of Starfleet. And the war against the Dominion gave her more than enough data from it's installation on all of their fighters.

“Don't you have that frequency yet?” Tali demanded. “It shouldn't be too hard, they're using those mines against us!”

“I thought so too.” Nensk said. “But we were looking for the origin signal from the wrong ship. You scrambled their com so it couldn't be the lead ship. I've got the source triangulated and I'm getting the last information now.” She was hurriedly moving between two screens on her console to continue the attack and get the information that Tali needed, but it would be done soon.

“Feed it directly to my omnitool when you have it!” Tali ordered. “In the meantime: continue bombardment. Disable only.” She didn't dare give any orders to helm, if they were controlling the mines it made the best tactical sense to surround the ship and cripple their movement by ensuring damage in any direction.

“Sending the information now.” Nensk said as she input the last few commands. The parcel delivered she stood ready for any additional orders.

“Alright Tachika. We've got work to do.” Tali said as she sent out her program to commandeer the mines.

The view screen began to fill with specks as the decloaking mines materialized and the size of the minefield actually began to register. “Keelah.” Tali breathlessly said. She knew that the Einherriar itself could handle pushing through that, but the crew certainly couldn't. The pounding the ship would take would concuss everyone inside from the ships movements alone. And she had been right, they were completely surrounded. The hail was likely a diversion for closing their trap.

“Holy …” James whispered as he looked at the expanse of explosives.

Tali's next move was something none of them saw coming. The crew got uncomfortable as the mines approached and finished engulfing the ship until a nearly solid bubble of high yield explosives surrounded them.

“Tali …” Lucca cautiously said. “What are you doing?” She knew that Tali was smart enough to realize that if all of them went off at once even the ship might not make it.

“I've disarmed them.” Tali calmly said. “As for what I'm doing. Mr. Akranara, please bring the ship up at quarter impulse.” She tapped her omnitool a couple more times and the bubble of mines appeared to vanish. “I extended their cloaking fields to connect to each other, hiding us inside the bubble. We can see outside since we're beyond the field's range of effect on the interior. Now, Ms. Nansk, please activate our cloaking device, they may not be able to see us but they may still be able to detect us.” She kept her hand on her omnitool the entire time as she guided the mines around them.

“Mr. Akranara, on my command halt then put in a course back towards our destination, continuing at quarter impulse. We're going to spend some time collecting those mines they were gracious enough to give us.” Tail explained slowly as she concentrated on controlling the mines. Her heart wasn't alone in it's pause as there was a thunk on the hull. After a slow calming breath Tali spoke. “Keelah Salaigh. I was worried that their disarm might be faulty.”

“I got your information Ma'am.” A Quarian man said. “The ships we encountered do have historical significance. … I can provide you with a report if you like, thought it may be a bit late.”

“That's alright Ren'lo.” Tali said, not taking her eyes from her omnitool for a moment. “I don't need to know now that we're clear of the problem. Thank you for your effort. I know the records can be difficult to sort through in the middle of a fight.”

“Lieutenant Ren'lo, would you please give me an idea about how far behind we are?” James asked as he watched the Birds of Prey turn away and cloak, possibly to reset their trap as best they could.

The Quarian tapped out a quick calculation on his omnitool before looking back to James. “I can't say for certain until we begin collecting the mines, but I'm estimating that it will change our ETA by about four hours.”

“Thanks, I'll go adjust the schedule to accommodate.” James said as he stood up and walked to the turbo lifts.

“Are we going to be late?” Rainbow Dash asked as she hurried and followed James towards the lift. She knew James hated being late, so he might not be in a great mood.

“Nah.” James said with a grin. “Just that to be on time we're going to have to extend our trip by a day. Deck ten.” The turbolift doors closed as Rainbow Dash flew in after him.

“Wait. We're running late, so to not be late we're going to be even later?” Rainbow Dash was trying to understand what James was thinking. She knew he had a time machine but wouldn't that mean never being late?

“The time machine doesn't have fine control to the hour. We were going to the future already so as long as we get the time of day right we don't have to worry about the exact day.” James explained.

“So both times we go to a new place with you it's been the future and a space station.” Rainbow Dash said as she landed when the turbo lift began to move. She looked up at James briefly before turning away as he began to turn his head to look at her.

“Yeah, but this time you'll be going to a new planet as well.” James said. “Perhaps the next world we visit should be Thessia, the home of the Asari.” He was glad she was here, there was something important he wanted to talk to her privately about and once they were on DS9 opportunity wouldn't come along often.

The turbo lift doors opened and they both walked out into the corridor. No sooner had they left then they ran into the other Ponies.

“What in tarnation was that?” Applejack asked the moment she saw James.

“Guys, we were just attacked by pirates!” Rainbow Dash said just a bit too enthusiastically.

“Seriously, that's not a good thing.” James grumbled, more frustrated that he wouldn't get to talk to Rainbow Dash alone now. But they still had a few days, he could probably get another chance soon.

“Really?!” Pinkie Pie asked just as excited as Rainbow Dash. “Ooh, how did it go?”

“Well, we're alive so it went well.” James answered. “You have to realize, what you know as pirates are swashbuckling adventurers. What everyone else knows as pirates are thieves at their best.” He wondered if it would ever get through to them, especially after their encounter with the swashbucklers of their world.

“So, where's Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash asked as she looked around the group.

“I don't know.” Starlight said as she finally started to pay attention. She had just joined the group when she saw them, she didn't even think about who was there and who wasn't. Now that she did look she could see that Fluttershy and Twilight were the only ones missing.

“Let's check her quarters.” James suggested. “She may be a bit shaken up.”

Author's Note:

Time to take a dip in interuniversal travel. Why not start with group that emphasizes cooperation and understanding.