Inside Sickbay Valdago was strapped down to a biobed, waiting to have the Kullinari implanted in him.
"Now, I'd love to stay and watch Lataro put 97401 in you," stated Maruu, "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 soon." Lataro laughed. "It looks like it's all over for you, all the hatred and resentment will be gone. Hell, you'll probably love me. I'll be the one that will awaken you from your dormancy, well the Kullinari at least. Your brain will be inconsequential."
"You know Jon, I've been thinking."
"About what?"
"Well, you and I know that I'm a different person than the one that you wanted to take over. I'm taller and stronger."
"All the better, someone tougher for our side. And like I said, your mind will be gone, it's inconsequential."
"Well, I admit that. But there is one thing you never knew about me."
"What's that?"
"Look into these eyes." Lataro did. "There not normal eyes like yours, or even the other Valdago's."
"No? How's that?"
"These are phasers."
Lataro's eyes widened for just a second, after that, there was no Lataro. Valdago fired a burst of energy that reduced him, and the creature inside him, to ions. Then, more carefully and with less power, he worked to free himself from the straps. Luckily no one else was in sickbay. Valdago walked over to a giant storage facility that he didn't recognize from the Virgo. The door was sealed.
"Computer, give me access to this cabinet."
<That piece of equipment is not controlled by the Virgo's computer system.>
Okay, I'll do it the old fashioned way. Again, using his eyes, he fired a continuous burst of high energy at the cabinet. It got hotter and hotter until it actually was glowing. The ship's environmental controls couldn't keep up and the room began to get hotter.
<Warning, at 340 degrees Kelvin, the Human body will shut down.>
"I'm not Human."
<Warning, the room temperature is 325 degrees Kelvin.>
"Understood." The metal began to melt. Valdago stopped, but the metal was much hotter than the air and continued to heat the room.
<Warning, the room temperature is 330 degrees Kelvin.>
"Yes, I can tell." Valdago entire uniform was dripping with sweat. He ran to the replicator. "Computer, I need a bucket of water."
<Specify size and temperature.>
"One gallon, 274 degrees Kelvin, keep them coming!"
Instantly at bucket of almost freezing water appeared.
<Warning, the room temperature is 340 degrees Kelvin.>
"Blah blah blah! SHUT UP!" He threw the bucket of water on the metal. It practically boiled in the air. Valdago ran to get another bucket that was waiting for him. His brain started to get dizzy, and his vision was blurred with headaches and sweat. He ran to the cabinet and again threw a bucket of water on it. This time the water was able to splash on the metal and it warped. Almost.
He ran and got a third bucket, this time when it hit the metal, it cracked. He moved over to a nearby biobed and pushed it into the cabinet.
<Temperature decreasing. Now 320 degrees Kelvin.>
When the biobed hit the cabinet it all but shattered.
<Temperature within range. Now 300 degrees Kelvin.>
Valdago grabbed a few more buckets of water and threw them onto the cabinet until it stopped steaming. Then he moved the biobed and look inside.
What was inside was a giant cage, inside lay hundred of dead Kullinari. Obviously they couldn't take the hundreds of degrees it must have been inside the cabinet if Valdago barely stood up outside the cabinet.
Suddenly a viewscreen came on and showed Admiral Maruu. He was going to perform the execution live for the crew.
Valdago ran out of the room and headed for the shuttle bay that was being doubled as and execution hall.
"We have here two enemies of the Federation waiting for their death!"
The crew cheered as the end of their ten-year mission began.
"With these two dead, the Federation will gain control of such major systems as Risa, Betazed, Vulcan, and over half the the old Romulan territories!"
Again the crowd cheered.
"I have here, in my hands, the orders directly for Admiral Jellico himself. 'To Admirals Maruu and Valdago of the starship Virgo. I hereby grant you the authority to capture, dead or alive, the rebels Sandra Yosh, and Dana Nori. I also grant you the authority to dispose of them how you see fit.' Well, here's how I see fit!"
Dr. Richardson pushed a cart up to Maruu. Maruu picked up two hyposprays. "In one, a deadly poison that will kill a Human in one hour! In the other, the antidote. Open the doors."
"The doors to the shuttle bay began to open. A force field held in the warmth and environment that the Humans (and other races) on board Virgo desperately needed. Outside were two hyposprays, floating in space and also a giant cage made of transparent aluminum. It had five sides and the sixth, which faced the hyposprays, was a force field like the one in the shuttle bay. Inside were Dana and Sandra.
"We injected them with the poison 45 minutes ago. They now have fifteen minutes to live. But, being the fair and just man I am, I've given them a chance. The force field holding the environment in the cage can be deactivated. Also, they can transport to a spot, right here next to me. If the force field is gone, they may die of exposure. If they transport here, they'll die of poisoning. They have to drop the shield, manage not only to get the hypospray, but using only their bodies' natural propulsion (either blowing air out of their mouths or other orifices)..."
The crew laughed.
"...steer themselves back into the cage, and hit the transport button to safety bring them back to the oxygenated atmosphere.
"Now, crew of the Virgo, tell me, is that entertainment or what?!"
The crew cheered. Most of the crew in the shuttle bay were controlled by Kullinari, but a few had lost so much of their humanity that they may as well have been. As for the rest of the crew, they knew what was going on was wrong and didn't wish to watch, but they had lost they ability to care.
"Now, without further adieu, let the show commence!" Admiral Maruu walked over to a replica of his command chair and sat down to watch the show.
For the first few minutes nothing really happened. The two doctors were trying to figure out what to do.
Then, oddly, the two hyposprays disappeared. The crew began to murmur to themselves, wondering if it was a trick. Then the two doctors disappeared. Maruu stood up. "What the hell?"
[Hello, people, this is your Admiral speaking.] Everybody recognized the voice of Admiral Valdago; most knew that he was supposed to be a Kullinari by now.
[I'm preparing to dock in Shuttle Bay Two. Please clear for landing.]
All looked around at each other, realizing that they were in Shuttle Bay Two, but none could see any ship. That's when the Cochrane suddenly whipped around the top of the Virgo and began heading inside the shuttle bay at a speed that could never be stopped by anything but the wall.
The crew began running for the sides of the shuttle bay. Maruu tapped his com badge and was transported away. The Cochrane flew into the shuttle bay, taking about half the people in there to the wall. The other half began banging on the shuttle and trying to open the door.
[This is your Admiral speaking. I'm preparing to open the shuttle bay. Please, stick around.]
All the crew began to run for the doors, the ones that made it noticed that they were sealed. Then, the thin field of energy that covered the door disappeared. Most of the dead and all of the living were blown out into space. Some of the crew held to the sides of the door but didn't stay long as the door was then closed, also by Valdago.
Yosh was busy hugging and kissing Valdago as he attempted to get back to the transporter.
"Yes, yes, you're welcome. I'm taking it that the antidote worked?"
"No," said Dana, "it was just another dose of poison, but since I knew what the poison was I was able to use the medkit in the shuttle to get antidote for both of us."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," Sandra barely let Valdago stand up.
"Chee," he called to the back.
"Yeah?"
"Are you well enough to run the transporter?"
"Sure, were would you like to go?"
"Garek's room. We need to get out of here. Maruu may still have a hold on the Humans and who knows how many Kullinari are still on the ship."
"Excuse me?" said Dana, confused at the discussion.
"I'll tell you, Sandra, and Garek when we get to his room. Energize."
The four of them disappeared from sight.
Garek was in his quarters and had just discovered that the key moment in time was when the USS Stargazer was destroyed. But, now he needed for find the rest and adjust the transporter.
Suddenly he heard the hum of the transporter and four forms appeared.
"Speak of the devil..."
"Garek, do you know when we need to set the transporter to?"
"Yes I do. Why did you transport?"
Valdago looked at the others. "Let's just say that there will be a mutiny pretty soon."
The door chime went off.
"Computer seal door. Authorization Valdago Alpha Four Beta! Let's get out of here.
Garek ripped open a panel and rushed everyone inside. Then he entered and closed the panel, just before Maruu and some security entered the room.
"Computer," ordered Maruu, "locate Admiral Valdago."
<Admiral Valdago is in Jeffries tube 14.>
"Where does that lead?"
<Jeffries tube 14 connects to Holodeck Two.>
"Let's go." The search team ran out of the room.
At the door to the holodeck, the search team had to manually open the doors. Inside was a corridor of the Virgo.
"Computer, what is this program?"
<This is a replica of the USS Virgo.>
"Smart. Computer, end program."
<Cannot comply. Access denied.>
"Very smart. Lan, work on those controls end this program. Computer, locate Admiral Valdago."
<Admiral Valdago is in the Holodeck Two.>
"The Virgo's Holodeck Ywo, or the Holodeck Virgo's Holodeck?"
<Question not valid.>
"Damn it!" He began running for the holodeck, again. The four members of the search team followed, except Sitto Lan who kept working on the controls.
When the team got to the holodeck inside a holodeck, they again had to manually open the doors. Again, inside was a Virgo corridor. Maruu and the other three walked inside.
"I'm sick of this game. Arch."
Next to the search teamed appeared a control arch. Maruu picked up is phaser and blasted it. The image of the Virgo dissipated and the grid of the holodeck was all that was left.
"Where's Lan? Computer, arch."
Another arch appeared. Maruu shot that as well. Again the world around them dissipated into the grid of the holodeck, but this time Sitto Lan was standing by the door. In the corner Maruu saw five com badges.
"Damn them. Come on." The search team ran out of the holodeck.
Inside a crawlspace, the five crewmembers of the Virgo that didn't belong were heading for the transporter room. But, as they passed the intelligence office they overheard a conversation between Alysa Sinclair and Luther Sloan. Luther was explaining that he had received help from the alternate universe and that Valdago was suppose to never gain the support of the crew.
After the communication ended Valdago literally dropped in.
"What the..." Sinclair managed to get out before Valdago stunned her with his eyes. He picked up the mirror and the PADD and got back into the crawlspace.
"We're all ready, this thing will transport in exactly thirty seconds," Garek stated.
"I can't wait to get to my quarters and sleep for a week," noted Yosh.
"Yeah," added Valdago, "I can't wait to get to your quarters and sleep for a week either." Yosh smacked him on the arm and the five had their first real laugh since they beamed into this universe.
A banging began to be heard at the door. They started to pry open, but it was too late, the transport began and Dana Maruu, Sandra Yosh, Garek Loran, Major Chee, and Lt. Valdago were gone. Then Dana Nori, Sandra Yosh, Garek Loran, a dead Chee, and Captain Maruu appeared.
The search teams entered the room, luckily for the five Admiral Maruu was not one of them.
"Admiral?" Sitto Lan said, "you found them. But where's Admiral Valdago?"
Maruu stared at his new surroundings. "Oh boy."