Johnny Chee was trying to get the knife that had been plunged in his back out. He couldn't, however, reach it. Soon his arm began to lose energy, it started to sting, then go numb. Finally, it reached a point where he couldn't do anything but lie there and lose consciousness.
Lieutenant, now Admiral, Valdago was walking down to the brig to break the news to Dana and Sandra when he heard something odd. It was a small murmuring which suddenly stopped. Valdago began running down the hall until he found the unconscious body of Johnny Chee.
"What the hell happened here?" He noticed that knife and made a move to remove but then remembered that it was better to leave it in.
"Transporter Room Two, I need a medkit at my coordinates right now, can you beam one over?"
[Hawkings here, I have a better idea, you're fairly near the brig, there is one located in the panel just behind the guard's desk.]
"Thanks, Hawkings, you're a life saver, literally I hope."
[No problem, sir. By the way, may I ask what happened...]
Valdago quickly cut him off. "Later."
Valdago ran to the brig and was surprised to see no one on duty. Of course, they needed to be away when the attack was made.
"Jonathan!" yelled Sandra from her cell. "I'm so glad to see you again. Get us out of here and I promise I'll never make a joke about your penis again!"
"I've got bigger problems on my hands right now." He ran to the panel and accessed the controls. "Computer, open the cells."
<Only required personnel have that access.>
"I'm the highest ranking officer on this vessel!"
<You do not have access.>
"Fine then, grant me access on my authority."
<Granted.>
"Now open the damn cells."
The two cells' force fields dissipated, and Dana and Sandra were free. Valdago grabbed the medkit, and when he turned around he was greeted by Sandra jumping on him and giving him a big kiss.
"You don't mind," Dana added, "if I just shake your hand."
"Right now I'd rather you save Johnny's life."
"What?"
"Come on!"
The trio ran down the corridor to Chee. Dana grabbed the tricorder and scanned him.
"He's still alive, barely. We're going to have to do surgery."
"Transporter Room..." Valdago started.
"NO!" yelled Dana, "you can't transport someone in his condition."
"...have a good day," Valdago finished.
Dana and Sandra began working on Chee. It took quite a while before they removed the knife, and when they did, a lot of blood poured from the wound. Dana was able to stop it, but closing the wound was difficult. Finally he was stabilized.
"Who would have done this?" asked Sandra.
"I don't know, but they'll probably try again," added Valdago.
"Well, I wonder if it was an attack on Johnny or whoever the Johnny that's on our ship is."
Valdago thought but couldn't figure it out. "I don't know, but I do know we need to hide him. From everyone on board. Actually it won't be long before that guard returns. Come on."
The two doctors followed Valdago who carried Johnny over his shoulders as easy as a bag of feathers. When they got back to the brig, the two women got back in their cells, and Valdago closed them in again.
"I'll find us a way out of here. Maybe Garek has already got a way. I've got to hide Johnny before anyone finds him."
"Johnathan!" Sandra said as Valdago began to walk out the door. He turned and looked at her. "Hurry." He nodded and headed off into the corridors.
Lataro was tapping his fingers on the desk in Maruu's office. The Admiral was taking too long. Finally he walked in the door.
"There you are, what took so long?"
"Shut up, you little wuss. If you're going to kill someone, you have to be careful. Can't be accused of murder, can I?"
"But you said..."
"Oh, get off it; you know how long it takes to kill someone, or don't you?" He started laughing, and as always, Lataro got defensive.
"That was not my fault. I didn't kill that woman. I didn't even transport off the ship. You transported me and drained the ship's power."
"Of course I did. You were too stupid to think about it. Just thank whatever God you worship that I saved your ass. I've regretted it fairly often, but you were such a promising Human back then, who'd have know you'd turn in the turd you are."
"But, I took the blame. I took the blame! I still see the hate in Valdago's eyes when he looks at me, and I don't like it."
"Shut up, that Valdago isn't here anymore and in a few more hours it won't matter. Is 97401 ready?"
"Yes, I've got the surgical team getting him ready to insert into Valdago's body at midnight tonight, same time as the execution."
"Splendid. Everyone will be there, and no one will have a chance to see Valdago's operation. By tomorrow, he'll be one of us."
Lataro sat for a minute. Maruu could tell he had a question and waited to see how long it took for him to ask.
"Why did you do it?"
"What?" Maruu questioned back.
"Kill his wife, what did she do?"
"She held him back. He may never have had the drive to be Admiral if it hadn't been for her death. He should thank me."
The chimed went off and Lataro jumped. Maruu gave him an evil look. "Enter."
Speak of the devil, thought Admiral Maruu as Valdago entered the room.
"You get right on that and don't be late, okay?" Lataro nodded and stammered out of the room. "What can I do for you?"
"I just needed to inform you that Johnny Chee was attacked and killed today."
Maruu had to keep his smile to himself. "Oh my God, no? Do you know who did it?"
"No, not at all; they covered their tracks pretty good."
"We will have to have a full service for him."
Time to see if those poker skills can pay off in real life, Valdago thought. "Done, sir. In my world a body is disposed of in an orderly fashion. No time for funerals with the body. We simply have a short ceremony in remembrance."
"Very well, I shall be at that ceremony if you wish to plan it."
"I would, now if you excuse me, I'm going to sit alone in my quarters. Johnny was a good friend of mine."
"Of course." Valdago left. "All you'll be planning is how to take over the Alpha Quadrant."
Garek was continuing to work when he noticed that in this world the Borg had never shown up. In fact, there was no mention of Q either. Those were some pretty major events and people and Garek knew they had something in common.
Jacobsen snuck into the transporter room. He opened up a panel near the controls and began to crawl inside. Once there he opened an access panels to the control wiring. Inside was a mirror-like object that was attached to the transporter controls. He carefully removed the device and replaced all the paneling. He got out of the crawlspace and returned its door.
He left the transporter room and headed back to the intelligence office.
Valdago was sitting in his quarters watching Johnny Chee and making sure that he was okay. His readings were improving quickly. That's right, Johnny, you'll make it.
That's when he was transported to sickbay.
Maruu stood over the table that Valdago was strapped into.
"So glad to see you again. I suppose you're wondering what you're doing here at 2200 hours, hmm? Well, this is..." Maruu began to cough a bit, and his throat began to pulsate. He opened his mouth and a giant beetle creature began to crawl out into Stephen's hand. "This is 97401. Just a number now, but in two hours he will control what you feel, think, see, and say."
Maruu was delighted by the confusion the the monster version of Valdago's eyes.
"Well, it's quite simple, he'll crawl into your body and burrow directly into your spine, then he simply controls all the messages that leave and arrive at your brain. Aren't we great creatures? I've been saving 97401 just for you. 95232... sorry... Lataro has been working with it, teaching it all your idiosyncrasies so that no one will even know that it isn't you, unless they take your collar down, see?" Maruu pulled his odd huge collar down and showed a little gill protruding from his neck.
"That's how we breath. You'll breath that way too soon. It'll be grand."
"Why me?"
"Isn't that the big question? Really? Well, I'll tell you. When we tried to slowly take over the Federation years ago we were almost successful, but some goody-goodies noticed that our ideals were changing a bit, so soon two factions began to start up. In other words, me versus you. Well, a war came about and the Federation was all but destroyed, but the goodies won. So, I waited. I found my big war hero, someone that everybody would trust, that's you. I've been working with you, getting you high in the ranks and getting you higher in popularity so that I could do this. Granted, you were unexpected, but that's okay; I only need your name.
"Now, I'd love to stay and watch Lataro put 97401 in you, but I have an execution to attend to. Those two poor innocent women. And they would have made such lovely concubines. Too bad. It's for the good of us all. Goodbye. Have a good time having your mind and personality erased."
Maruu left sickbay but his face was replaced with that of Lataro, although Valdago doubted that it was actually him inside.
"I would suggest getting used to the idea of losing your mind, because I'm going to take it very soon." Lataro laughed.
"That's it! Picard. Jean Luc Picard was involved with Q, who introduced him to the Borg. My God, that's the link. Computer, what is Jean Luc Picard doing now?"
"Captain Jean Luc Picard is deceased."
"Shit. That would do it, wouldn't it?"