The screams of agony, the waves of mental abuse, and losing focus. It all happened so quickly when the procedure was performed on Sazra. The symbiont was now in her and made an immediate connection to her state of mind. Slowly opening her eyes, Sazra noticed that she was in a large dark area. She could see herself, yet her movements were like she moved so quickly she could see her movement being slowed down, trying to catch up. Her head moved up, looking into the darkness. “Where am I?” She mutters while slowly standing up on her feet. “Anyone here?”

A voice echoed next to her ear, “I am here,” making Sazra look at her side into the void. But when she looked back, an elderly woman in traditional Trill clothing stood before her “Sazra. You got quite a troubling mind. A history of struggle, pain, and grief. Yet you are a fighter, protecting those you care for and those you go that extra step” The elderly woman smiled at her.

“Who are you? Where am I? The last thing I remembered is that we traveled back to Alpha Quadrant and…” Sazra grabbed her head with one hand while trying to get the memories. “Everything went blank until now”

The smile faded slowly away as the elderly woman looked over her shoulder briefly, then back. “My name is Donam Kobahl. I am one of the memories stored and treasured in a symbiont. Your mother believed this was the only way to get you back, and I am glad the guardians agreed. Because she is right, I see a lot of potential in you. A future yet to be shaped that could benefit yourself and the Federation”

“A symbiont?” The eye pupils grew larger, realizing what was happening right now. “I am being joined…” Sazra was confused. It was the very thing that she objected against being fused with the memories of others and forced to follow Trill’s traditions. It was the reason she left Trill, to escape her own culture.

“I know,” The voice came from Donam, seeing Sazra looking back at her. “I know you are against this joining process, but let me make clear the predicament you are currently in” She waved her hands as various flashback memories appeared around Sazra. It showed the Blood Dilithium mission and the choices she made. The bombing at Avalon Fleet Yards, the arrest, the testifying, the argument with her mother.

Sazra looked back at Donam. “How? I don’t remember anything of this” 

Donam looked back over her shoulder as she turned around. “That is the reason…” In the direction of where she was looking in the black void red cracks appeared, slowly spreading. The sound was recognizable as if an enormous force had cracked the ice slowly. Suddenly it broke and collapsed as a red glow entered the area. In the middle, a man walked in with a smirk.

“That was quite the offensive power you got there, old lady” The man looked in the direction of Sazra. “Ahh, Captain Praugol, I have enjoyed my time in your body. I must apologize for the rude entrance and for taking you over like that. But you got to understand it is nothing personal, pure business. Your body is my means to get rid of the Imperium’s grasp of my people” 

Looking at the man, “Brenari…” Sazra stated when seeing the man standing there in full color and looking at her side, she saw the memory of being exposed to a large amount of Blood Dilithium radiation. “You took my body over when my mental state was the weakest. When you knew the course, you took over the wheel and cast me into the void” 

The man shrugged and raised his shoulders. “You give me an opportunity, and who am I not to take it. Though it was only moments that I was in your body, I realized that my own body was gone. A large amount of killing that the Imperium has done is somehow connected to this galactic event” He smiled. “Which I don’t mind as it gave me a second chance to save my people” 

Looking back at the Brenari, Sazra took a step before Donam. “Get the hell out of my head. You have no idea what damage you have done” She felt the rage building up. “To force yourself upon the Federation, you act with no regard for my achievement, my work, and my life” Sazra was furious that the man had used her for his benefit. 

Shaking his head at her, “Sadly, but no can do. The mission I have planned is taking longer than you think, and I need all the powers of the Federation to save my people. Screw policy, screw that all! I require the strength, and you are in my way” He raised his hand, and a blast of wind pushed against Sazra’s face making her step back. “Now, be a good girl and get back into your box” 

But a hand was placed on Sazra’s shoulder. As she looked at the hand, seeing Donam standing there with a smile. Donam looked at the Brenari. “But that is where you are wrong. She is not alone anymore. She has the strength of generations for her” Suddenly, and more people appear behind her. Five became ten, ten became thirty, and it kept growing. “We Trill stands behind her” 

The gust of wind started to shift back at the Brenari, and he felt it made him step back. “What, no…impossible what is this for-fault trick is this!” The Brenari placed his hands before him to cover his face from the building’s strong wind as he screamed, getting pushed out. 

Sazra looked back at Donam and noticed the others were already gone. “What just happened?”

Taking her hand on Sazra’s shoulder, Donam turned her attention to Sazra and placed her hands before her. “The being that occupied your body is now driven out. The procedure has succeeded. Now it is only fair to give you the choice you deserve, which you didn’t get from this man.” She reaches out her right hand, “Choose to remain as you are and not join with me, or” reaching out her left hand. “Be joined with me. Share all the knowledge and wisdom I can offer you from many generations. So you can develop yourself to become better and more resistant to these kinds of attacks” 

Taking a deep breath as she thought about it, she reached out her hand as everything started to fade away around her.

Temple – Ritual area

“Sir, we have responses. She is coming back”

“Get those restraints off her, Captain Praugol….take it easy”

Sazra opened her eyes and looked slowly around, seeing a force field above her head with a red mist in it “Is….is it contained?” She slowly sits up, watching it move around, trying to find a weakness in the force field. 

“It is Captain Praugol” Miki spoke, looking at her.

Taking a deep breath and looked at the people around her. Letting her feet touch the cold floor “It is now Captain Kobahl, Lieutenant” She looked at the guardian and bowed “I have accepted the bounding of Donam Kobahl, and we are now one” 

The guardian looked at her and gave the same respected bow back. “Then this ritual is complete” He nodded to the other guardians to move out. Her mother moved to her “Sazra?” She looked a bit emotional “I am….”

Sazra looked back at her “You did what you think was right mom. Donam explained that she agreed with your plan and offered me the choice to reject her after we cast out the Brenari. I choose to stick with her as we both got things to learn from each other” Sazra looked at the direction of Silina and smiled softly “It is good to see you with us Commander”

Giving a soft smile at her “It is good to have you back with us. We have to get this out of here, or the guardians will be on my neck within no time. The Damascus can beam it most likely over” She pointed at the red fog that was still trying to get out. 

“Be careful with it. While the intention may be hostile, it was only doing what was right in his perspective, and that was to save his people from harm” Sazra took a deep breath and looked at Miki. “You stopped me at the yard. I think I would need a skilled person like yourself on my ship. It is, of course, an offer, so think about it” Sazra smiled at him as he gave her a nod. Standing up on her feet made her loose balance as Silina quickly grabbed her side “Thank you….let us get out of here”