Admiral Maruu and Lieutenant Lataro were alone in the observation lounge. Lataro was standing, Maruu was sitting in his chair looking out the window, sipping on a drink.
"It's over. We're screwed. We have to abort, now!"
Maruu didn't move. He didn't speak.
"Hello, did you hear me?!" yelled Lataro.
"I heard you, I just wasn't listening."
"I said that we're screwed. It's all over. Without Valdago the plan may as well not exist."
"We still have Valdago, he's just..."
"A FREAK! The crew will never trust him now!"
"The crew will do what I tell them to. Half of us know the truth, the other have are inferior. And we only need to convince them for a few more hours, then he'll do the rest. We've got our finest set up for this. He's as good as you are worthless, which is almost infinite."
"Let's just push it up. We can do it right now. Why wait, why did we wait this long? It's crazy, let's just..."
Before he finished Maruu spun his chair around. With his right hand he threw his scalding hot drink into Lataro's face. As the lieutenant put his hands up to cover his burning face, Maruu threw the cup into his chest shattering the glass. Then as Lataro's hands moved again Maruu jumped the table and using his left hand picked up Lataro underneath the chin.
In a calm voice he began talking. "Now it's time for you to shut up. We will proceed as planned. And, for your pitiful memory's sake, we needed Valdago to capture Nori. After tonight he's going to loose some of that information. So, you go to the sickbay, get set up, and we'll see you at 2300 hours. I've got my own work to do. Do you understand?"
Lataro's face was turning deep purple, he tried to talk but had no air.
"Oh, I'm sorry, trouble speaking?" Maruu threw the man to the ground. "Get going, and don't let me see you until tonight."
Gasping for air, Lataro acknowledged and left the room.
"It's always something with that man."
Down in the brig, Dana Maruu was crying. Lieutenant Yosh was holding her head.
"I can't believe this. Why are we down here? I don't get it."
"Calm down, it'll be fine. I'm sure they'll learn about the mistake and let us out."
Dana just wept. She was still weeping when Admiral Maruu walked in. Yosh shrugged Dana's head up and she immediately cheered up when she saw the alternate version of her husband. He dismissed the guard and pulled a chair up to the force field.
"So, I understand you wanted to see me?" he said to the doctors.
Dana let out a sigh of relief. She could finally get free. Surely her Stephen would let her go.
"Yes, please, there's been some kind of mistake. We aren't the people you were looking for."
"But you certainly look like Dana Nori and Sandra Yosh. I believe that a DNA or retina scan would find the same." He voice hinted at condescension, Dana couldn't tell if he sincerely wasn't sure of the situation of if he was toying with them.
"We may in fact be Sandra Yosh and Dana Ma... Nori, but not the same ones you're looking for. I think there's been some sort of crossover between our world and yours."
"Geez! You think?" Now Dana knew it was condescension. "Well that would certainly explain the FREAK UP IN THE ADMIRAL'S QUARTERS, WOULDN'T IT?!?!?!"
Dana and Yosh were so surprised they actually stepped back.
"You know, I don't lose my cool very often but you two are just pathetic. The two doctors I know would have tried to kill me by now, you two probably couldn't kill and amoeba. Still follow the Hippocritic Oath?"
"Hippocratic," Yosh protested.
"Oh yes, sorry. But the point is that you two look like Dana Nori, sound like Sandra Yosh, and that's all I care about. This is all for the show. It's about theater, not punishment. I could care less if you two, sorry," he paused as he corrected himself, "your alternates stole an organ from some Rigilian diplomat. It really doesn't matter to me."
"Excuse me, this is the first I've heard of this."
"Well we weren't planning on informing you of what we knew you obviously knew. Of course, you two wouldn't. You see, you've been involved in a mafia so to speak. You threaten to steal organs from diplomats and high ranking officials, they in turn see to it that you get all the power and latinum you want. A good little scam, most of it's legit now. Nori and Yosh control entire solar systems. They make enough money to do just about anything. Starfleet isn't even charging you for organ theft, it's so minor a crime from you two that they don't care. We're getting you on tax evasion. You two owe us big time."
Dana looked at Yosh. They couldn't tell which was more surprising, the crimes that their alternated committed, or the one they were being tried for.
"Like I said, it really doesn't matter to me. I'm in it for the show. All of the little 'Save-the-Federationers' will love to see your execution. They'll love to see that the Federation is getting back to the good ol' days."
"I hardly call public execution 'good ol' days'," Yosh said.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Maruu questioned insincerely. He pulled out a control and with it lowered the field around the cell, then pulled out his phaser, shot Lietenant Yosh, and as quickly as he opened the cell, closed it. "Oops, wrong button."
"You're a sick man. You're nothing like the man I know."
"Do I give a shit? Sorry, I shouldn't use profanity in front of a woman like yourself. How would a doctor put it? 'Do I give a piece of fecal matter molded into a cylindrical shape by my anus?' Much better." He stood up. "Now wake that pathetic woman up. You two are going to face your death at midnight tonight. I'll see you in eleven hours." He walked out of the room.
Dana looked and saw that Yosh was going to be fine, she didn't hit her head and was only stunned. Instead of seeing to her well being, she immediately worked on an escape plan. A headache will be the least of her fears if we don't find a way out of here.
Lieutenant Valdago was sitting in the chambers of his Admiral counterpart. He saw uniforms with four pips. Something he never thought he'd see himself in. Of course, none would fit, after being partially assimilated into a Kirusan, he was a good eight inches taller and seventy pounds heavier.
He walked over to a table which had a picture viewer. He scrolled through pictures of himself. It had been a long time since he had seen the face that once belonged to him. I wonder how my family will react. It was the first time he had really pondered how he would be treated once he returned home. At one point, there were pictures of him and another woman. As the number of pictures increased, he began to get curious.
"Computer, who is the woman in these pictures?"
<Ensign Betriata Kox-Valdago, Trill. 2355 to 2378.>
Valdago was surprised not only to find out that he had been married, and that she had died five years earlier, but that it was the same symbiote of his friend Lazarus Kox. I guess this universe has some differences that aren't so obvious. Won't Lazarus be surprised about this when I return. If I return.
"Computer, explain cause of death."
<Shuttlecraft crash onto the planet Setra IV.>
"Details."
<The craft began to lose antimatter containment. Ensign Kox Valdago and Lt. Commander Lataro were onboard. Commander Lataro initiated transport to USS Virgo using emergency power. The antimatter containment field was fixed by Ensign Kox-Valdago, but there was insufficient power to keep orbit. The shuttlecraft incinerated in the atmosphere.>
"Was any action taken against Lataro?"
<He was demoted and then pardoned from a court martial.>
"By whom?"
<That information is classified.>
"I'm an Admiral!"
<That information is classified.>
Valdago was about to argue with the computer some more when his door chime alerted him that someone was at the door.
"Enter."
Admiral Maruu entered. "Good day, I see you've relaxed in your quarters."
"Let's not exchange false pleasantries. What's going on here?"
"I'm as stumped as you are. I've got my top science teams working on it, but it seems that you've been sent here from another universe. I'm sure the Valdago I know is busy in your world."
"I'm sure."
"But, you're right, let's skip the bull and cut to the chase. I'm here to offer you the position of Admiral."
"But I'm not an Admiral. I'm not even the same person. Don't you think your crew might notice?"
Maruu put his hands up to his face and exhaled. "Johnathan, I may call you Jonathan?" Valdago nodded. "Can we sit down?" The two walked over to a nearby couch. Valdago sat in the couch and Maruu pulled up a chair.
"I'm sure you've experienced deep space missions. I'm sure you know how importance moral is." Valdago agreed by nodding. "Then you understand that if we were to lose our commanding officer that a ship on the brink of mutiny may go crazy."
"Mutiny? Commanding officer?"
"Yes, your alternate was my superior officer, just by a few hours. And, yes, mutiny is the rumor that is spreading. You see, we've been searching for the renegades Sandra Yosh and Dana Nori for some time now. The crew is tired and wants to return. Now that we have them they are satisfied that they will return, but they need a leader to get them there."
"You do realize that the women you have that you think is Dana Nori is actually Dana Maruu, your alternate's wife?"
"Yes, I've spoken with her. And I know were you're going, but please, don't worry. We will take them back to Earth where they will be pardoned, seeing as they aren't who we know them as. But, our crew must not face that reality until we reach the Alpha Quadrant. Can I be honest?" Again, Valdago agreed with only a nod. "The crew isn't very fond of me. I'm a bit hard-handed and relentless. They believe in you. They trust you. If you were to be lost, I truly fear that the crew would mutiny. I need you, I need the Admiral, to get us home. Can you help?"
Valdago thought for a moment. The logic was there, but he wasn't sure about the protocol. "Isn't that against a few regulations?"
Maruu stood up and knocked the chair over. "Damn regulations! You taught me that sometimes regulations made by men at women sitting in the safety of Earth's Eden-esk atmosphere know nothing about running a starship, and you were right!" He moved over and took a seat next to Valdago. "I need this. We need this. Starfleet needs this! Please, you're an officer, you know the importance. Help us get home."
Valdago's forced logic won. He knew that it might be a bit irregular, but the though of command for a year was very overwhelming. Who knows, maybe I'll do such a good job that Starfleet will keep me Admiral and give me a ship, maybe the Enterprise! "I'll do it."
"Grand!" Maruu stood up.
"But, how do we explain this?" Valdago stated as he stood up and looked down at Maruu.
"I've already covered that. We will explain that Dana used some sort of genetic weapon that made you change. Then we'll report that the CMO managed to stabilize your condition. I'm sure you can explain to Dana what's happening and she'll agree."
Valdago thought about the women. "I'm afraid that she won't like me being an Admiral and her being a prisoner."
"Oh, don't worry about that, we'll just transport her home."
"From the Gamma Quadrant!"
"Sure, we've got the technology to send someone through relay stations. It's done only in extreme emergencies and must be ordered by top brass, but I'm sure they'll understand the importance, then she and Yosh will be on Earth and can start a new life for themselves."
That's the first time it really hit Valdago that he might be stuck here. He had relished in the idea of being and Admiral but had forgotten that this wasn't really his home, as much as it seemed like it. He knew that Dana and Yosh probably had known that since they stepped onboard.
"Okay, but I still want to try and find a way home."
"Of course, I wouldn't want anything but that to happen. Nothing personal, but I'm beginning to miss the old Russian. Now, feel free to order some clothes that will fit and put those pips on. Remember, you're an Admiral now." Maruu walked out of the room. Valdago walked over to the uniforms and took the pips off the collar.
"Computer," he said as he moved to the replicater, "Vodka, double." Immediately a shot glass appeared.
"Here's to getting what you wish for."
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. "Is it done?" He was not one to make small talk.
"Yes," Sinclair answered. "We have crewmembers from a different reality." Sloan was silent. "What should I do?"
"Nothing. You will do nothing."
Garek Loran was sitting in the quarters that belonged to his counterpart. They were, for the most part, the same as his at home. He was sitting in front of his computer console going over the history files. He knew that he should be doing this in the library, but he wanted to stay away from the crew as much as possible.
After a few hours of getting the database set up, he found that up until 50 years ago, everything seemed to be exactly the same. He had limited knowledge though since he wasn't a history buff and had to rely on the information on Betazed's history which wasn't too extensive in the earlier years. But, when he got to modern Starfleet history he began to notice the difference.
The first thing he noticed was just a small little difference between his universe and this one.
In this universe, the Federation barely existed. Most of it was destroyed during a civil war fifteen years earlier.
Johnny Chee was heading down to see Dana Nori and Sandra Yosh. He knew that they were being held in the brig for some reason but wanted more information.
He had almost reached his destination when he fell to the floor, he reached around to his back and tried desperately to pull out a knife, but passed out before he could reach it.