Ruby woke to find her room filled with her family, concerned looks on their faces. She felt so weak, yet was happy. "I've healed him." Ebony sat next to her on the bed. "Why did you do it? I doubt Joshua would have let you do that." "That's why I had to do it. He would never ask for help. Eventually, he would have ended up killing the one he loves or himself." "So he'll be fine then?" her father asked from across the room. Ruby nodded, tears running down her cheeks. "What he's been through was horrendous. It happened back in his home galaxy, during the war with this Dominion." Peenk shook her head. "Please, don't tell us. It's too much like invading his thoughts." "No. You must know." The girl took a deep breath and told them of Joshua Kirk's nightmare. "He was leading fourteen other commandos on a mission deep in enemy space when most of them were captured. But it was no accidental meeting, it was a trap. These Jem Hadar knew to expect them. They were taken to a base near the front lines. There he was interrogated. But he would not reveal anything. So that's when they began to torture his men to death in front of him. The first was his mother's brother. He wanted to tell them everything, but they all, to a man, begged him not to. Finally, there was no one left but himself and one woman. And that's when they started on him. For some reason, the torturer would not touch this woman." Ruby wiped tears from her eyes with shaking hands. "For three long months they tortured him. He told them nothing, as he'd promised his men. But they made a mistake and let down their guard. He managed to sneak out to a nearby ship and programmed it to fly to the nearest Federation base. They gave chase, convinced that's where he was going. He then spent three days setting up their own explosives throughout the base. When he was ready, he went for the one who had betrayed him and his men to the Jem Hadar. The same traitor who had tortured them for months. His twin brother Mackenzie." "He went after his brother. At first he was going to try and take him back for trial. But when he finally stood face to face with him, he just took out his knife and cut his throat." "He then freed the woman. They then left for a ship he'd hidden nearby, setting off the eplosives. But he made one mistake. The reactor that powered the base went off before he got inside. He almost died that day. He managed to drag her inside the ship where he'd left their baby and lifted off. He was back in safe territory in a day, welcomed as one of the heroes who had killed fifty thousand Jem Hadar. You see, he lied to his superiors and told them that they died destroying the base. He felt that he had to honor them." Melee poked Zell in the ribs with her elbow. "Our big brother is tough, right?" Zell and Ano nodded. Ruby looked over at Peenk. "Aunt Peenk? He's going to wake up in a few minutes. Your's should be the face he sees when he does. He does love you very much." The next two days will be spent on Mars. That's right kids, we're going on a field trip to the Federation!