Sitto Lan, Benton, Maruu, Lataro, and Wallace were in the captain's ready room.
"I think it's obvious we're dealing with an alternate reality here. The question is, which one?" Maruu brought the question to his officers hoping, but not expecting an answer.
"It isn't the same one I encountered, sir," said Benton. "From the small amount of information I got, mostly from Loran, they have had no dealings with the Kelvans since James T. Kirk first contacted them."
"Sitto," asked Lataro, "you served on DS9, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Did you have any dealings with the alternate reality that was common to affect those officers?"
"Actually, sir, no. Only one attempt from the other reality to infiltrate DS9 was made while I was there. But, from what I was briefed on, this is not in any way that reality."
"Well," said Maruu, "does anyone have any ideas?"
"About which reality it is?" asked the chief tactical officer.
"On anything. I hate to admit, but I don't have a single clue as to our next move."
"Well," Lan said, "the transporter modifications were based on what time our reality and their reality separated. The captain can get access to the plans and then we simply need to discover the time when the two realities split."
"Get some historians on that. We'll try and figure out which of the alternates can help us the most."
"Sir, I have a question," Lan said. "They all have the same ranks, except for Admiral Valdago. Do they serve about our vessel, if so, under which rank?"
"No, they cannot serve as officers. To do so would be a major risk of security. We don't know what values, if any, they have."
"Agreed," nodded the captain. "I think for now, until we can figure something better out, we need to keep a good watch on them and try to get as much info as possible. Benton, do you think that it's okay to release them from quarters?"
The Kelvan thought for a while. It was a tough choice. "No, not at all. They could be very dangerous." He paused. "But, I don't think that we can learn anything from keeping them locked up. Therefore, we have to let them out, even if it is a bad idea."
"Except," added Lan, "for Dana and Sandra."
Maruu was taken aback. He hadn't expected that.
"In fact," the young man offered, "I think we need to place them both in the brig as Admiral Valdago suggested."
Maruu blew up, a rare thing to happen. "MY WIFE WILL NOT SPEND..."
"He's right, Stephen." Maruu stopped as his First Officer and best friend Jonathan Lataro spoke up. "She's not your wife. She's Dana Nori. All we know is that she has been accused of stealing organs from living patients for sale on black markets. Now, true or not, that's a pretty big risk to run. Do you really think they'd let our Lieutenant Valdago run around in their world? They won't take chances and neither should we. As sad as it is to admit, we must consider guilty until proven innocent and we must fear what we don't know."
Maruu was silent. In his heart he knew Jon was right. He needed to protect his ship, not a carbon copy of his wife. "Agreed. Place the two in the brig. Minimum security should do. Make sure they're as comfortable as possible."
"Do you wish for me to question them?" asked Wallace.
"No, I need you to keep an eye on Garek Loran. Benton, you watch Chee; Lataro, you watch our friend the Admiral. I'll ask the questions.
Garek Loran was waiting in his quarters. Well, not his quarters, but some guest quarters that he was given. The door chimed.
"Come in."
Richard Wallace entered. "Excuse me, but the captain's decided that you can leave your quarters now."
"It's about time. Tell me, is the library here in the same place as it is on my Virgo?"
"I wouldn't know. I've never been there."
"Where, my Virgo or the library?" said Loran with a smile.
Wallace actually smiled a bit himself. "Well, neither. Why do you need to go there?"
"Well, I've been thinking, and if we can determine the time at which our two realities split, I may be able to get home."
Wallace was stunned. "Well, that sounds like a good idea." I may as well get started. He's willing to help, thought Wallace. The two of them headed for the library.
Jonathan Lataro walked down the corridor to Admiral Valdago's guest quarters. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of Valdago being an Admiral. He'd probably be Starfleet's Head of Partying.
He stood in front the door and waited for Valdago to answer, but there was no answer.
"Computer, open door." The door opened, and Lataro walked into the empty room. Next time an alternate version of somebody shows up, I'm locking the door. "Computer, locate Admiral Valdago."
<Admiral Valdago is in the Days End Lounge.>
Silly me, where else would Head of Partying go? Lataro made his way to the nearest turbolift.
Benton was following Chee down the corridor.
"Exactly why do you insist on following me?"
"Exactly why do you insist on wandering the halls with no apparent destination."
The two walked for another few minutes in silence. Chee walked up halls, down halls, in turbolifts, and everywhere.
"You know," said Benton, "I've noticed that you have really high collars in your reality. I wonder why that is?"
Chee stopped, turned, and faced Benton for the first time. "Why are yours so damn short?"
The two stood and stared at each other for what seemed to Benton to be an eternity. Finally, Chee turned and started walking.
Benton asked, "Are we going to walk in circles forever?"
"Well, let's go past the bathrooms a few more times. Maybe we can stop and visit your mother."
Benton shook his head at the confusing comment and followed Chee.
Sinclair read the confidential reports that she didn't have access to.
"Computer, open channel to Officer 003, authorization Sinclair Alpha Two Omega."
<Authorized. Channel open.>
Luther Sloan appeared on the screen. "Hello, Alysa. Is it done?"
"Yes," Sinclair answered. "We have crewmembers from a different reality."
Sloan was silent.
"What should I do?"
"Nothing. Everything is going according to plan. Just sit back and enjoy the show."
Admiral Valdago was sitting in the Day's End Lounge. He was sipping, a loose term for a Russian, on a glass of Vodka. He was staring out the windows watching the stars fly by.
Jonathan Lataro entered from the other side. He noticed Valdago and began heading towards him. Before he got within fifteen feet he was started by the Admiral's voice.
"Is dere someting I can do for you, Mr. Lataro?" He didn't turn around.
"I was just coming to say hi."
"Then say it and be on your vay."
Lataro stood motionless for a few seconds. Valdago wouldn't even turn to look at him. And, he wasn't sure how he knew it was him. "Hi," was all he managed to get out. He turned and started to walk away.
"You know vut's wrong vith you, Lieutenant?" Valdago had turned around at the same time that Lataro did. Lataro turned back and looked into Valdago's deep eyes. Either Lataro didn't remember those eyes from before the accident, or the Johnathan Valdago he knew didn't have them. Either way, they frightened him, a little.
"In this reality, I'm a Commander."
Valdago looked at the man. Contempt was on his face. "I understand." He repeated, "Do you know vut's wrong vit you, Lieutenant?"
"What?"
"Your problem is dat you're less trust worthy dan a Romulan. At least you can count on a Romulan's honor."
Lataro now looked at the man with equal contempt. He wasn't insulted often. "Romulans have no honor."
Valdago laughed as he stood up. He took a large drag from a cigar that he had been smoking. Odd that a Starfleet man smokes in these days, thought Lataro.
"Exactly," said Valdago as he walked face to face with Jonathan. The scene had caught the attention of the entire room. "At least you know never to trust a Romulan, in dat vay day are trustvorthy. You always know vut to expect. But, vit you, you newer know ven a knife vill appear in your back." He took another very large drag form the cigar and blew the smoke directly in Lataro's face.
Lataro tried not to cough; he tried to keep his dignity. He was able to control his body and no one in the lounge saw the pain on his face, but Valdago could see Lataro beginning to gag. He waited until he could see the tears in Lataro's eyes. Then he walked out of the room, disposing of his cigar in a young ensign's drink.
Garek Loran and Richard Wallace entered the ship's library. After the short walk Wallace's gut told him to trust this man. He seemed very much like the Loran that he knew. Seconds after entering the library, they bumped into Franny.
"Hi Rich, hi Garek. Well, not Garek really. I'm mean your name is Garek but you're not Garek, you know."
"I think I understand. I've had the same feelings."
"What are you to doing here? Can I help with anything. I'm really in here quite a bit." It was obvious since her arms were full of pads.
"No thank you, Francesca," said Wallace. "We're fine."
"Actually," said Garek, "I'm looking for a good timeline. Could you help us?"
"Yes, you've certainly come to the right place. A timeline terminal is right over here." They began walking. "Tell me, you're an engineer, why do we have a library if we can access everything from any terminal?"
"Well, it's a simple matter of efficiency. The main computer could access everything all the time, but to be required to access all the material on this ship all the time would slow it down considerably. After all, it controls the gravity, the temperature, humidity, flies the ship, controls weapons and shields, sensors, keeps itself running, self diagnostics, analyzing data, controlling communications and makes sure the warp core stays stable. We don't need to give it any more to do if we don't need to."
"I guess that makes sense. Here we are." Franny sat down at the terminal, Garek pulled a chair nearby and Wallace continued to stand. "Where would you like to start?"
Garek looked over at Wallace with a blank look. "I'm not sure. We're looking for a specific event in time that I don't recall."
"How long ago?"
Garek again was quiet. Wallace spoke up. "It would probably be fairly recently. Our uniforms are generally the same, except the collars, and it doesn't seem that too much is different, accept for Johnathan Valdago. I guess we know to start before. When did Valdago become half-Kirusan?"
"Um, let me check." Francessca began working with the terminal. "Stardate 59622."
"All right, start 50 years before that." Francesca again began to work with the terminal. The three of them began looking.
The captain entered the brig. He noticed the two doctors in their separate cells. He then excused the security guard.
"Computer, open communications with cell one. Close communications with cell two unless emergency is detected."
<Acknowledged.>
Maruu walked up to the cell where a woman with the same features, looks, and DNA of his wife sat. But her name was still Dana Nori. Obviously they weren't married wherever she was from.
"So..."
"So what?" she replied.
"I'm not exactly sure why you're in the brig. I just know that Lieutenant, I mean, Admiral Valdago stated that it was necessary."
"He's probably right. Can I get some replicater control? I just want a cigarette."
"A what?" Maruu wasn't familiar with the term.
Dana just stared at him. "Obviously this Starfleet is a bigger bore than mine. Computer, can you make a me a cigarette?"
<Please specify.>
"Terran. Tobacco. Smokable stick filled with tar and nicotine."
<Nicotine and tar are carcinogenic compounds. Smoking may cause irritability, coughing, dry throat, cancer of the lungs, lips, fingers, gums, throat, cheeks...>
"I've heard the lecture. Now please, give me one cigarette and one lighter. You do know what a lighter is don't you?"
<Waiting for confirmation from officer.>
She gave the captain a look that said, "I don't know you, I don't care about you, just give me what I want." He was so shocked that he allowed the replication without hardly thinking. After hearing the description he realized it was much like a cigar, but upon seeing it noted that it was much smaller.
"You know, the replicator can make something like that which won't give you the physical side effects."
"What would be the point?" she said as she lit it. Maruu noticed the smoke and turned the detectors in her cell off.
"I just thought that as a doctor," he thought for a moment. "You are a doctor, right?" She nodded in agreement. "Then you know about the side effects?"
"I also know that cancer isn't exactly incurable. I'll live. Don't I get a counselor or some sort of legal representation or something like that?" She laughed at the thought which to her was hilariously impossible. Maruu thought otherwise.
"If you wish I can swear in my first officer. He's the best I can do this far from the Alpha Quadrant."
"I knew there was a reason I worked out this far. No lawyers."
That was the lead in Stephen was waiting for. "Exactly what line of work are you in?"
She laughed and then looked at his quizzical face. "Oh yeah, you don't know." She was quiet for a moment as she thought about the implications of a confessions and then realized a tight ass like this guy would send her straight to Starfleet for a trial which might actually be fair in this universe. Those were better odds than Valdago was going to offer.
"I sell organs on the black market."
The surprise on his face was easy to see. The thought of his wife doing something crooked was odd. "Where do you get them?" he asked, knowing the most likely answer.
"Where do you think? People."
"Dead?"
"Do you know how hard it is to find a healthy organ matching the one you need in a dead body that's not taken? Of course we take them from living bodies." Then she got a little carried away. "We have this great system, we find a ruler or someone, blackmail them for their own organs and then threaten to take them unless they give us some power on a major scale. It started out in this one little town where the leader gave us the rights to do whatever we wanted, but after we got the idea in our head... Did you know that we own the entire Risa system?"
That's when she noticed his face. It wasn't the surprise that he had before but a little awe and a little anger.
"So you own an entire solar system and you still do all the work yourself?"
"Well, I've got a team of people that run my various businesses and latinum laundering schemes, in fact, if they're loyal, they're working on closing some of the more risky ventures and getting some bounty hunters to find me. With all the money coming in I hardly have to do any work. I only make rounds reminding my customers that I'm still there and making special trips now and again. I just got control of Governor Throgg. He controls the entire Throgg system. That's about a dozen systems. To tell you the truth, it's been almost a year since I've actually sold any organs. I've taken a few to keep people in line, but I don't get enough money for my troubles."
Maruu was looking even angrier. But, in his mind he was going over how one woman could turn into the wife he knew, and the same woman, under different circumstances, could turn into this. "So, Starfleet is trying to take down the mob. And, they've finally caught up to you. Well, I guess when, and if you get back, that will all be gone."
"What are you talking about? Starfleet isn't arresting me for blackmail, laundering, bribery, or even organ theft."
The captain was surprised again. He had thought he figured it out.
"They're arresting me because I'm not paying my taxes on the money I make from blackmail, laundering, bribery, and organ theft."