The unthinkable has happened. A Changeling has perpetrated a terrorist bombing on Earth. As the Starfleet officer with the most experience with the Dominion, Sisko is recalled to Earth and promoted. Moreover, his new position brings him back to his captain from his last assignment, now Admiral Leighton. Sisko attempts the impossible balancing act of protecting Earth from the unique threat the Dominion presents without trampling the freedoms that Earth has spent centuries building.