| abstract | - The story is told from the perspective of Travis Mayweather (mirror), while on the USS Defiant. On May 7 2161, Mayweather is first officer on the Defiant, but not due to any leadership acumen on his part. He is also attending to Empress Hoshi Sato, as she is pregnant with his child. Travis is informed by Doctor Cyril Morgan, the successor to Phlox (mirror), that the fetus has a hole in his heart. This will require intrauterine surgery. However, the doctor gives Travis a choice - let the fetus (who Hoshi wishes to name Izo) live, or allow Hoshi to die on the operating table, thereby assassinating a tyrant. Mayweather is tempted with the prospect of becoming Emperor, but he realizes what a burden it would be, and that he would be in fear for his life all the time. He further begins to understand that he would rather become a father, and so he consents to the surgery to repair the fetus's heart and allow them both a chance at survival.
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