Stalking Doctor Irlina across the winding country path toward the settlement imprinted on Cambil’s heart was a haunting experience. The familiar scent of wild herbs and fresh earth carried on the wind as she neared the village—her father’s village. She had once known every stone, every tree, every face here when she had visited as a youngster. The streets were the same paths she had run through as a child, her laughter echoing against the stone walls as she played under Bajor’s warm sun. But this was different. Now, she wasn’t here for joy but to save everything she held dear.

As the outline of the village came into view, Cambil slowed her pace, her heart heavy with memories she hadn’t revisited in years. Samris, her counsellor, broke the silence. “Do we have a plan to stop her?” he asked, his voice low as they approached the edge of the settlement.

The village lay before them, bathed in the soft light of the late afternoon. Bajoran homes, their roofs glistening from recent rain, dotted the landscape, while a narrow river cut through the centre, its gentle flow adding to the serene atmosphere. Given the urgency of their mission, the peaceful scene felt like a cruel joke. The marketplace bustled with life—traders bartering for fresh vegetables, cloths, and handcrafted goods. Children ran their carefree voices, a stark contrast to the looming danger.

Forbes, eyes glued to his tricorder, grimly reported, “The temporal device is poisoning her with chroniton radiation. It’s only a matter of time before it kills her.”

“Two to three hours, maximum,” added T’Rani in her usual calm, though she seemed more focused than usual, knowing the stakes.

Lenjir’s jaw tightened. “That’s too long. There’s no stopping her if she reaches the captain’s family.”

Cambil’s mind raced. Her family—her grandparents and her father, who was just an infant at this time—were in the heart of the village. If Irlina succeeded in killing them, Cambil herself would cease to exist. The life she had built and the family she had created with Napreem. Leeyum and Edon would not be born. That thought was enough to give her the energy she needed to stop Irlina. 

“We need to stop her before she does any damage,” Cambil said, her voice firm despite the storm brewing inside her.

“Anyon particles,” T’Rani blurted out.

“Anyon particles?” Samris echoed, his sense of confusion evident in his tone. 

T’Rani nodded. “After considering what Commanders Abbej and Perez are doing in orbit with anti-chronitons, something we cannot do with the resources we have, the next logical solution is to find another particle that would cancel chronitons. Anyon particles.”

“And how do we do that?” Forbes asked.

“We could modify our phasers to emit anyon particles,” T’Rani suggested, her mind already working out the details. “They can disrupt chronitons, which should destabilise Irlina’s device.”

“Let’s make it happen,” Cambil ordered, her tone leaving no room for hesitation. She looked toward the temple at the centre of the village, its elegant spires reaching toward the sky, an ancient and sacred place. She had prayed there as a child, alongside her family, but now she would need to use it for something much more tactical. Her Starfleet training was starting to kick in, and her days as a former security officer would help her here. Though her plan might sound simple in her mind, she knew that Irlina would not know what would hit her when Cambil and her team made it happen. 

“We need a distraction to clear the other Bajorans to safety,” Cambil muttered, half to herself, then turned to Samris with a sudden thought. “Looks like we’re going undercover, Samris. You’re about to have a career change, counsellor. Fancy becoming a Vedek?”

Samris blinked, surprised. “Me? I don’t—”

Cambil cut him off, smirking. “Don’t worry, Samris, just think Prophets, Celestial Temple and Orbs.” She gestured to the rest of the team. “Modify the phasers and rendezvous with us once it’s done. We’ll need them fast.”

Moments later, Cambil and Samris stood on the temple’s stone steps, dressed in traditional Vedek robes. Thankfully, no one was around when they entered via a small rear entrance, entered a small bedroom, and stole the clothing they would need. 

The intricate designs on the crimson and gold garments shimmered in the sunlight as Cambil adjusted the heavy hood over her head. She glanced at the village below—her past, her future, all wrapped up in the people who lived here, unaware of the fate that awaited them in mere decades. The Cardassians would come, and with them, suffering unimaginable to those who now lived in peace. However, more suffering would take place in the here and now if she didn’t stop Irlina. 

As they descended from the temple, Cambil called out in a commanding voice, adopting the role of a religious leader. She had experienced many of them over the years. She only hoped she sounded like one that others would take note of. “Pagh t’em far, B’tanay! A Borhya walks among you, sent by the Kosst Amojan!” Her voice echoed across the village square, the effect immediate. 

Villagers turned to look at her, eyes wide in shock. The term Borhya was enough to send a ripple of fear through the people—an unholy spirit, a dark force of destruction. The Bajoran faith was deeply rooted in prophecy, and the will of the Prophets was not to be trifled with. And here, a Vedek stood, proclaiming that danger had arrived in their midst. 

She pointed directly at Irlina. As Irlina approached the centre of the village, many Bajorans looked upon her with disdain. They were weary of this stranger entering their settlement. She did not wear anything that resembled something from their understanding, and her non-Bajoran features were evident. Along with the dirt smeared across her face, her dishevelled hair, and her ruined Krenim uniform, her appearance was not welcoming.

Irlina, still weakened by her device’s strain, paused. Before she could work out what either of those phrases meant, the other clergy ran straight through her, shouted the word Borhya one more time, and pointed at her as he moved away. It was enough to make the crowds nearby scream in panic.

She scanned the crowd, her eyes narrowing as she realised what was happening. She spotted Cambil in a new disguise, standing beside her counsellor. Both had changed and were dressed in sacred robes. The crowd around her had begun to retreat, parents pulling their children close, traders abandoning their stalls. Fear spread quickly. People scattered in all directions, seeking refuge in their homes, while others rushed to the river, hoping to flee to safety across the bridges that sat over it.

Irlina growled, her grip tightening on her weapon. “You won’t stop me, captain!” she shouted, but her voice was strained. The device around her waist sparked, sending a jolt through her body. 

Time was running out for her.

Cambil stepped forward, her face hidden beneath the deep hood of the Vedek’s robe. “You misunderstand, doctor. I don’t need to stop you. You’ve already failed.” She motioned subtly with her hand, signalling to her team. The phasers were ready.

“Your work here will change nothing,” Cambil continued, her tone colder now. “My people will live. I will live.”

Irlina’s eyes darted around, seeing Cambil’s team begin to encircle her, their phasers drawn but hidden under their robes. “You don’t understand,” Irlina spat, her voice desperate now. “If I don’t succeed, the Krenim—”

“The Krenim will face their fate just like every other civilisation,” Cambil interrupted. “Just as you will now.”

In an instant, she and her team fired their modified phasers at her. The wide beam of anyon particles surged forward, shimmering through the air. The field surrounding Irlina shimmered, the temporal distortion flickering out of existence. Her device, overworked and overwhelmed, failed catastrophically, sending her crashing to the ground in unconsciousness. Cambil approached cautiously, pulling back her hood and motioning for Forbes to check Irlina’s vitals.

Forbes knelt beside the fallen scientist, scanning her quickly. “She’s alive,” he confirmed, administering a hypospray to stabilise her condition. “Barely.”

As they prepared to move Irlina, a voice rang out from one of the bridges—a young man holding an infant in his arms, concern etched into his features. “Vedek! Have you stopped the Borhya?”

Cambil’s breath caught in her throat as she recognised him—her grandfather. And the child in his arms, instantly she knew it was her father, barely a year old. She felt the weight of the moment press down on her, the knowledge of what was to come, the invasion, the suffering that would soon sweep across their lives. But she couldn’t tell them. She couldn’t warn them.

Instead, she forced herself to smile softly and nodded. “Yes, we’ve dealt with the threat. The Prophets watch over you and your son.”

The man smiled back, relief washing over him as he looked down at his child. “Hear that, Holem? The Prophets protect us. We are safe.”

Cambil clenched her jaw, trying to control her emotions. She looked toward T’Rani, whose calm gaze met hers, silently offering reassurance. The Vulcan’s unspoken message was clear: You have made the right choice. Cambil knew it was logical, but the burden weighed on her heart.

They couldn’t know. Not about the Cardassian invasion. Not about the occupation that would tear their world apart. Cambil’s grandfather would live through horrors she could never describe, and her father, that innocent child, would grow up under a shadow of fear and loss. The urge to warn them, to give them some chance to prepare, gnawed at her. But the Temporal Prime Directive was absolute. Interference would destroy everything.

Biting her lip, she turned to her team. “Let’s move out of here. Quickly, Cline, pick her up and let’s use the temple as shelter.”

With ease, Lenjir lifted Irlina’s unconscious body, and the entire team began to make their way back toward the temple. The wooden doors creaked open, and as Cambil glanced one last time at her grandfather, she offered him a quiet smile—a farewell to the family she loved but couldn’t save from the future they would soon face. 

With a heavy heart, Cambil led her team inside the temple, shutting the doors behind them as the sun descended below the Bajoran horizon.