I started this story about two years ago, and never finished it. I just found it today, and want to some more work on it, so I figured I would post it here to encourage me to do so. I know that there have been other "continuation" type stories that follow these crew members, but this is how I wanted things to turn out.

Here it goes:

PROLOGUE

The Dominion War ended ten years ago. The Federation, once on the brink of destruction, has regained its tenuous hold on the Alpha Quadrant and reemerged once again as a Galactic super-power. Relations with the Klingons have stabilized, and a formal friendship treaty has been established with the Romulans. Though the Neutral Zone between the Federation and the Romulans still exists, joint operations between the two races take place frequently within the space, and even the Klingons have taken part in them.

The Cardassians continue to rebuild, but many of the old hatreds have faded. Due to the tireless work of Gul Renkol, the young Cardassian leader, the Breen are now trading partners with the Ferengi, and through that agreement, have opened their borders to Federation ships for the first time.

Six months ago, the Dominion sent a request for formal peace talks with the members of the Alpha Quadrant. A treaty was signed, called the Bajor Six Accords (named for the 6 races involved) establishing trading routes, and calling for the building of a station on the Gamma Quadrant side of the Bajor wormhole.

The Federation has taken the responsibility of constructing the station. Bajor's unique placement has made the planet, and it's station Deep Space Nine, a critical hub for construction of this new facility. General Kira, formerly the commander of DS9, has been appointed the head of the new joint station. Her job is to make a staff consisting of all 6 races of the Bajor Six Accords, and to head up exploration of the Gamma Quadrant for the Federation. A small section of space, called the Bajor Corridor, has been set up to allow passage of ships from Romulan, Cardassian, Klingon, Federation, and Ferengi space through the wormhole and into the Gamma Quadrant.

As a show of solidarity, the Federation has recently announced the following combination of Starfleet, Klingon, Romulan, and Cardassian military officers as the command structure of this unprecedented venture. In an extremely rare decision that shows how sensitive this operation is, Starfleet has allowed the Station's CO and XO to hand-pick officers for their crew.

General Kira – Commander of the Station and the U.S.S. Phoenix. General Kira was the first officer of Deep Space 9 for almost 8 years. Following the death of Captain Sisko at the end of the Dominion War, she took over as station commander and has held that post ever since. Kira is the official representative of the Federation in the Gamma Quadrant.

Captain Chakotay – Second in command of the Station, and First Officer of the U.S.S. Phoenix, a Titan-class vessel. Chakotay was a maquis officer until his ship and the U.S.S. Voyager were lost in the Delta Quadrant. During the return of that ship to Federation space, he was second-in-command under the late Admiral Janeway. Upon its return, Chakotay was cleared of all charges and appointed Captain of Voyager until her recent destruction at the hands of the Borg. Chakotay was one of 23 officers to escape the ship's destruction. Due to the fact that all of the officers who survived were Department Heads (including the entire Bridge Crew), a long and arduous court martial was undertaken to investigate the ship's demise. Chakotay and the rest of the Voyager 23, as they were called, were vindicated completely. Admiral Janeway, who was onboard as mission consultant, was lost and is believed assimilated.

Commander Tuvok – Head of Security for the Station and the Phoenix. Tuvok served as Second officer of the Voyager, and her Head of Security. Under Captain Chakotay, Tuvok served as First Officer of Voyager.

Commander Geordi LaForge – Formerly Chief Engineer on both the Enterprise D and E, LaForge has left that post to be Chief on the Station. He turned down command of the Galaxy-class U.S.S. Challenger to serve in his new position. He is one of the most respected and commended officers to ever hold the position of Chief Engineer in Starfleet history.

Lieutenant Commander B'Elanna Paris – Paris was the Chief Engineer on the Voyager under both Captains. She now serves in that post on the Phoenix.

Doctor Julian Bashir – Chief Medical Officer of the Station and the U.S.S. Phoenix. Formerly Chief Medical Officer on Deep Space 9, Bashir is acting in only his second posting in a long, storied career. Outed almost 15 years ago as a genetically-enhanced human, Bashir is one of the brightest and best medical minds in the Federation, and has been called “The only Doctor I trust,” by the Federation's Surgeon General Beverly Crusher.

Lieutenant Nog – The first, and still only, Ferengi in Starfleet. Nog was attached to Deep Space Nine and served as a helmsman and engineer on the U.S.S. Defiant. Nog lost a leg during the Dominion War, and the purple heart he received was one of 8 commendations he was given during that conflict. Nog serves as Operations Officer on the U.S.S. Phoenix.

Lieutenant Commander Tom Paris – Helmsman and Second Officer on the U.S.S. Phoenix. Paris was the helmsman of the Voyager under both Captains. A former convict, many in the Starfleet brass see the Captain's chair in Paris' future.

Lieutenant Commander Harry Kim – Operations officer on the Station. Kim was the Operations officer on the U.S.S. Voyager under both Captains. He is considered one of the bright young minds coming up the pipe.

Lieutenant Ezri Dax – Counselor of the Station and the U.S.S. Phoenix. Ezri was Counselor on DS9. She is the host of the Dax symbiant who has now lived over 9 lifetimes. The former host, Jadzia, was second officer on DS9 and a close friend of Captain Sisko. Ezri is the only person outside of Sisko's immediate family, besides General Kira, who believes the Captain is not dead.

Others have also been appointed by the Federation to serve on the Station. These include:

Ambassador Worf – The first Klingon in Stafleet, Worf's career is another that seems almost legendary. After serving as Chief of Security/Tactical on the Enterprise D, Worf was appointed to command the U.S.S. Defiant when it was attached to DS9. After the War, he was the official ambassador between the Federation and Klingon Empire and was one of the main reasons that relationship has been rebuilt. Worf is the official representative of the Klingon empire in the Gamma Quadrant.

Gul Renkor – The leader of the Cardassian Union has an office on the Station. Renkor was an officer under the command of Gul Dukat during the War. Renkor, a sympathizer of the rebellion, was one of very few survivors of the eradication of Reinyal City during the final days of Dominon rule. Renkor has risen swiftly through the ranks, and is seen as just and fair, but sometimes overly rigid. Renkor is the official representative of the Cardassian Union in the Gamma Quadrant.

Ambassador Quark – Brother of the Grand Nagus, Quark still owns his old bar on-board DS9. His new bar, still called Quarks, is under construction on the station. Quark is also Nog's Uncle. Quark is the official representative of the Ferengi Alliance in the Gamma Quadrant.

Commander Nemyet – Nemyet is the youngest Romulan Commander in the history of the Empire. At the tender age of 44 (approximately 29 in human years), Nemyet took command of her ship, the Rissikal, when the Bridge Crew was killed in a warp core malfunction. She proved herself time and time again during the War, and is seen as legendary to the Romulans as Picard is to the Federation. Nemyet is the official representative of the Romulan Empire on the Station.

Odo – Formerly the Constable of DS9, Odo now serves as the head of the Founders. Odo's presence on the Station is important to both the Dominion and the Federation as he is a link between the two that cannot be broken. Odo is the official Representative of the Dominon on the Station.

This group of individuals has been brought together to explore a new frontier together. Their trials, their tribulations, and they will determine the future of trillions. Together, they are on the brink of new discoveries, and new dangers. This is the story of the station they built together.

This is Gamma Station.

CHAPTER TWO

Chakotay ran his fingers through his thinning hair again, and straightened non-existent wrinkles from his tunic. In truth, he had only met the General twice, once when he came aboard, and once yesterday, in Cargo Bay 13. Both meetings were short, packed full of information, and left him with a sense that this woman was someone who acted with complete conviction and a strong sense of self-purpose.

It made him miss Kathryn.

His last memory of her was only her voice, garbled by interference, coming through his commbadge. He and the rest of the crew had been ordered to the escape pods by the Admiral, while she attempted a last-ditch effort to once again save them from the clutches of the Collective.

It was the only time Chakotay could remember that Kathryn failed her crew.

The memory, that memory, haunted him. He could hear her voice, cracking with anger and desperation, calling his name. He long thought she was trying to give him one last order, one last chance to save Voyager. But it was too late. All he had now was the memory.

When he returned to HQ, and sat through months of probing questions at his 3 courts martial, he honestly couldn't explain why the Borg had let him go. For some reason, they had picked up many of the escape pods, but left his and those containing the bridge crew alone. Tom had said it was Kathryn, that somehow she had used her infinite strength to turn the mind of the Collective away from them, just for a moment. She couldn't save her ship, but she had saved her friends.

Seven was still convinced she could save Kathryn. She and the Doctor were apparently working on some sort of rescue mission. The two had grown close after the incident, probably due to the fact that Seven stored his program in her cortical node prior to leaving the ship. It had taken them 3 months of working together to  extract his matrix from her implants. They had grown closer, while Chakotay had grown apart. From what he last heard, they were planning on proposing their mission to HQ sometime in the next few months. He wasn't sure whether or not he looked forward to reading it.

The doors to the Captain's Mess swooshed open, and for a moment Chakotay wondered how he'd even made it there, as lost in thought as he was. The General was already seated, and tried to cover her annoyance as she turned to look at him.

“Did you get lost?”

He felt his mouth twist into a lop-sided grin, “No, General, I apologize for making you wait.”

She opened her mouth, then smiled back, “I'm sorry, Captain, I didn't sleep very well, and I didn't want to start eating without you.”

He rose a hand as if to shield himself from her apologies, “It's quite all right.”

“Please, come in.”

He stepped through the doorway and took a look around. The room was almost as big as his quarters, and capable of seating at least 35. Probably in the case the General wanted to entertain some dignitaries, or the like. She seemed like a woman of action, not diplomacy, though. He wondered how many of such dinners she could suffer through.

He pulled out his chair and sat, a sesame seed bagel and some cream cheese already set out for him.

“This looks delicious.”

Kira smiled at him, and it suddenly struck him how beautiful a smile it was.

“Here, try some dali bread. It's sweet.”

She pulled off a piece of what was on her plate, a yellow-colored moist bread topped with a thick sugar glaze. Chakotay picked it up and took a bite.

“Mmm..reminds me of a pastry.”

Kira smiled softly, “The Captain used to say the same thing.”

Chakotay chewed thoughtfully, “Captain Sisko?”

She nodded, smiling, “He fought me everyday for a year before he would finally try it. I bet he had a piece of dali bread every single morning for the seven years after that. Up until the day he...disappeared.”

The smile slipped off her face, and she looked away through one of the viewpoints, eating slowly through the silence.

Chakotay took a drink of water to wash the sugar from his mouth, then went to slicing his bagel in two.

“You don't believe he's dead?”

The General turned and seemed to consider him for a moment, “No, I don't. The Prophets told us that the Emissary would not leave us without naming a successor, and since he was never able to do that, there's no way he can be dead.”

“Even gods can be wrong.”

“The Prophets are much more than gods, they are our keepers. They have never lied to us.”

Chakotay looked up at her, putting down his butter knife, “I'm not accusing them of lying. But things change, maybe they didn't foresee his disappearance on Bajor.”

She shook her head, “No, you don't understand, they are of Bajor. Nothing can happen there that they don't know about.”

“I'm not disputing that, General, I'm just saying that it's possible the Prophets got it wrong. No one knows the future, not even the gods.”

She felt the heat rising up her neck, and took a breath trying to control herself, “Captain, I'm sure you are a very wise man, but don't, under any circumstances think you can tell me how my religion works.”

Chakotay looked up from his bagel, and saw the look in her eyes, “Oh, please, forgive me, I didn't mean to-”

Her commbadge chirped, and she looked down, slapping at her chest a little too hard, “Kira.”

“General, the Challenger has just dropped out of warp. They'll be docking in ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes? I thought they weren't supposed to be here for a few more hours.”

"They have altered their schedule, General. I don't know why."

"Understood. I'm on my way."

She stood, Chakotay with her, dropping his uneaten bagel on his plate.

“Finish eating, Captain. I need to head down to the airlock.”

“General, I'm sorry if I-”

“We'll finish this later, Captain. I'll see you in Ops.”

She turned and swept from the room. Chakotay sat back down, and looked at his bagel. The first two meetings had been short, and in the third one he'd told her how wrong her religion was.

“This is going to be a long day.”