InsaneJournal

Christopher was exhausted after a long day of medical exams, tests, and physio, but duty came first. And he knew to trust his crew… even for broad definitions of crew that included starfleet personnel from alternate timelines. If Jadzia had a concern, he would definitely make time for her. He'd showered and eaten after coming home late from medical. By the time the door chimed at 2100H, he was dressed in jeans and a button down shirt, hoping Jadzia didn't mind that he was out of uniform.

"Come in," he said as the door opened. "Can I get you a refreshment? Tea or something stronger?"

“Tea will be fine, thank you.” Jadzia smiled at him, not minding in the slightest that he was out of uniform. Since they weren’t at HQ, she’d opted for a simple tunic and pants herself. Choosing to talk about it here had been a deliberate choice. What she wanted to talk about was sensitive, in the manner of something that affected the timeline. Who knew who might be listening there.

Christopher went to the replicator and came back to the couch with two cups of tea, indicating for Jadzia to have a seat in the living room. The suite he'd been assigned had a good view of the bay and it was one of the perks that came with his rank. He settled onto the couch, raising an eyebrow at her. "What's on your mind?"

Choosing to take a moment to sit and savor the tea, Jadzia waited for them both to be settled before bringing up what she’d planned to bring up. “What’s on my mind is probably a loaded question, but I’ll stick to what I’d planned to talk about.”

Leaning back in the chair and warming her hands with the cup, she continued, “In my timeline, Cardassia occupied a little planet called Bajor for fifty years. It was every bit as bad as you can imagine. The Bajorans eventually overthrew them, and invited the Federation in to help them transition back to their own rule. We took over a mining station in orbit. But within a few days of our arrival, we discovered the existence of a stable wormhole to another quadrant of the galaxy.”

There was a slight arch of an eyebrow to that and Chris made a note to check with her later and offer an ear if necessary. He wasn't quite as bogged down with paperwork as he had been before, so anyway he would help the crew would be useful.

"I'm assuming you think that wormhole might be relevant to our situation somehow?"

"I've compared the readings from the Enterprise to my memory of the Wormhole, and they're different, so I don't think they're related beyond being cosmic phenomenon."

It had been a good thought though, and Jadzia wondered what would happen if they could make a stable passageway through the rifts.

"I'm more talking about what's on the other side of the Wormhole. It's filled with rich worlds and a variety of new species willing to trade and exchange information, but the dominant government is called the Dominion. Led by changelings who bred an entire species to be an unswayingly loyal army who view them as gods, they offer two choices. Join them, or die. They declared war on the entire Alpha Quadrant and it was still raging when I was brought here. My station was basically the front line."

While there were nuances with the Dominion and particularly the relationship with "lesser" species, the Changelings had never wavered in their goals for the Alpha Quadrant.

"It may be decades before contact in this timeline, but some preparation wouldn't be amiss. Particularly in Changeling detection and general defenses. The Jem'hadar, their army, cut through Starfleet, Romulan, Klingon and Cardassian ships like they were made of butter. They got as far as invading Betazed during the war, just a few parsecs short of Vulcan, took out Earth's power supply, and for a time manipulated the Federation and the Klingon Empire back into war with each other."

Pike nodded, taking in all this information and wondering not for the first time if Starfleet really was shooting itself in the foot with the prime directive. There were times it needed to be ignored though, he was well aware of that. "Were you thinking of military preparations in general or something more specific? Anything fleet wide would require an extensive report - are you willing to work on that?"

"I can provide some general improvements to shielding technology. I think an awareness of the possible threat would allow Starfleet to be prepared for an eventuality."

She nodded at him. "I can make a more detailed report. There are some things that probably should be kept vague, and there's the potential to completely alter the development of both Cardassia and Bajor."

With how brutal the occupation was, Jadzia had to fight the inclination to prevent it. "The more specific preparations are ways to detect Changelings. Originally it required drawing blood, as the fluid reverted to a Changeling's natural form, but we eventually developed energy fields that forced them to drop their shape. Infiltration was how they disrupted Earth's power supply. They even replaced the chief advisor the the Klingon Chancellor in order to spark that war with us."

"General improvements to shielding technology would certainly be welcome, regardless of the threat," Pike said as he sipped his tea. "Vague is fine. This is tricky territory, but this is new territory - preparing for threats that we have aren't even certain of. But ruptures in time and space might be our new normal, so we need to be prepared.

"Whatever we can do to minimize the effect on the development f Cardassia and Bajor would be best, but sometimes things cannot be avoided."

He studied her. "The prospect of changelings is rather alarming. That sort of infiltration…" Pike shuddered to think what would be possible with that type of ability.

“I can provide some formulas, as well as anything I can remember about Jem’hadar weaponry,” Jadzia promised. It really was tricky territory but with this new normal a lot of the old rules didn’t apply.

“They replaced one of my best friends for weeks without any of us knowing. For all that we could tell it was him. And he had enough knowledge of who that person was to fool most of us.”

"But the method you talked about - disrupting their energy fields - can you share how to do that? Because the potential of imposters… well, it's essential to have a way to tell, especially since this phenomenon isn't limited by timelines and death." Pike knew he was mostly thinking aloud and got to his feet, pacing in front of the window that overlooked San Francisco.

"Lieutenant Commander, I want you to know that I appreciate you bringing this information to me. It's difficult to know what to share and what not to share, but I believe that we've only seen the tip of what could come through that nebula… And I'd prefer we be prepared for whatever we can."

“It’s a lot easier than making everyone draw blood,” Jadzia confirmed. For all she knew, the Changelings had infiltrators even now. She wouldn’t put it past them. “The Changelings like to send out… well children, for lack of a better term. One was found by Bajoran scientists. He was the security chief on the station and instrumental in the war against the Dominion. A very noble person, with a strict sense of justice. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were others out there like that, that we haven’t found.”

If nothing else, she wanted to give Odo that same chance to be a friend and ally in this timeline. “The Vulcans have it right. IDIC. Even when it comes to the multiverse.”

Pike nodded. "Do the individuals know they are changelings?" He'd encountered shape shifters in his travels, but this seemed like something more than that. And if they were already among them. "I'll see if I can arrange a meeting with Command for you to brief them while we're here on earth if that would be all right with you?"

IDIC. Infinite diversity in infinite combinations. He'd heard it often enough from the Vulcans and was familiar with the concept. "Probably a better guiding principle than the prime directive at times."

“They do. The children have basic instincts but lack the cultural memory. The actual infiltrators know who and what they are.” Jadzia picked up her tea and made the liquid slosh around. “The Changelings engage in what they call the great link. Imagine an ocean. But instead of water it’s millions of Changelings in liquid form. They share all experience and knowledge.”

She nodded, “I’m willing to brief them.”

"Well, that answers my question of whether or not I could be one without knowing." His own existence in this world troubled him more than he admitted at times and it was good to know he at least wasn't one of these changelings. "I appreciate that. I'll try and schedule something before we rejoin the Enterprise. That would hopefully give us the go ahead to get working on preparations aboard ship."

“Just give me a time and I’ll be there with bells on,” Jadzia assured him. She’d have time to do a proper presentation.

“I think you’d like Odo. He’s a bit of a curmudgeon but there are few people I’d want at my back more. A very good example of being exposed to one’s enemies making them less likely to be enemies.”

Christopher smiled at the comment. A bit of humor was sometimes called fall. "I'll give you as much warning as I can. And perhaps I will get a chance to meet him in this timeline."

“You never know,” Jadzia agreed. “At this point, anything can happen.”