Title: "Shipwide Conservation"
Author: Lieutenant Garek Loran
Stardate: 2460227
Earthdate: March 24, 2386
Location: USS Virgo

Needless to say, the last few days had been somewhat exciting, and strange at the same time. The *Virgo* still orbited the asteroid with the tridanium deposits, yet, after what had happened to the first away team sent there, Captain Maruu has been hesitant to send anyone back there. The only source of information, the original away team composing of Commander Lataro, Lieutenant Tomme, and Lieutenant Benton had turned up nothing. Mostly due to their memories having been erased by an unknown source.

Feelings were also running ramped on the ship. Garek was walking down a corridor towards the Mess Hall when a sudden sense of confusion passed over him. It was Jenara Tomme passing him fairly quickly. Garek
about faced, and hurried to catch up with her.

"Hello Jenara. You seem to be in a hurry."

"Garek, I can't talk right now. I'm busy." She quickened her pace, trying to escape the miniature interrogation by the Chief Engineer.

Garek stopped, not wanting to make her uncomfortable with questions. "Well, you're obviously confused and upset about something!" he called out after her.

She stopped, turned and walked back towards him. "How did you know that?"

"Well, besides the fact that you're face is slightly flush, and you're just giving off those emotions as if you were venting plasma from a nacelle." Garek smiled to attempt to calm her down. "I'm sorry if I'm prying, but when you're part Betazoid, you can just sense these things."

"If you must know," Jenara started, "I am upset about something. I'm sorry I was rude, but I just don't want to discuss it right now."

Garek through his hands up. "All right. I'm not here to interrogate or anything. However, you don't want to walk around always being upset. Believe me, it tears away at your insides, and you then begin to isolate yourself from the world. Talk to Lieutenant Zano or someone. It'll help you. Or, if you're really desperate, you can always come and talk to me." He offered another smile.

"Thank you, Garek." Jenara smiled and then turned, heading off on her original course.

*Well, hopefully that helped somewhat.*
_____________________________________________________

"Dweezle! What's the problem?" Garek entered the Mess Hall, seeing Dweezle picking at the replicator circuitry.

"Hi, Chief." Dweezle replied. He put down a piece of machinery and walked over to wash his hands in a sink behind the counter. "It's the replicator. I sent in a notice to a...Ensign Celchu?" Dweezle looked at Garek, hoping he got the Ensign's name right.

"Yes, that's right. Jacob Celchu."

"Well, anyway, I sent a notice into him asking if he could send an engineer to come and fix it. I didn't know he was going to send you."

Garek grinned. "Actually, I was on my way here to get something to eat, but since you're having a problem with it, I'll try to help out." He walked over to the broken terminal, and then picked up the piece of equipment Dweezle had yanked out of the wall. "I hope you know what you did."

"What did I do?" Dweezle asked. A small look of concern crossed his face, and Garek could start to sense anxiety coming from the alien. This was his chance.

"This is an emergency power relay. By removing this from the wall, it'll disrupt energy transfer throughout the whole ship, causing massive power failures. Helm, tactical, sensors, everything will go offline in a matter of seconds!"

"Oh my!!! Fix it, Chief! Fix it! Hurry!" Dweezle started to panic.

Garek couldn't help but start to chuckle. He then broke off into laughter.

"What? This isn't a time to be laughing!"

"Sorry Dweezle. I couldn't resist!" Garek wiped away a small tear of laughter from his face. It was funny to see him go hysterical. "It's just a replicator memory bank for this terminal. I'm sorry. You should've seen the look on your face."

Dweezle walked over and gave Garek a small hit on the back. "Don't EVER do that again." Dweezle began to smile too.

After gaining his composure again, Garek took a deep breath, and then began to figure out what was wrong. "Dweezle, what exactly happened when you tried to order something?"

"Well, there was a small whir, and then the whole terminal just went black. I'd have to reboot the terminal. Then, when you tried to order, the same thing would happen."

Garek thought for a moment. "It could possibly the power relay. However, the replication matrix could also be out of alignment. I think I know what it is. I'll have this thing running again in a few minutes."

"Thanks, Chief. You're a lifesaver. The next crowd of people is do in in twenty minutes." It was coming up on 1600 hours, and Alpha shift would be coming off duty soon, expecting to get a hot meal in the Mess Hall.

Garek nodded, smiling, and then reattached the library module back into it's rightful position. He then removed two more access panels and began to look over some circuitry. "Here's the problem. Low power feed. It doesn't help that we are only running off the fusion reactors. It's about time we start rigging the ship to be more energy
efficient. That, and I'll have to talk to the captain about getting more dilithium for the warp engines and tridanium for hull plating. However, since I'm here, I might as well start rigging the ship."

Opening another panel, Garek removed an engineering kit. One of many that were stored aboard the ship in different panels as an emergency repair kit that one can use while they were waiting for repair crews or engineering teams to arrive. Pulling out a fusion torch and a hydrospanner, Garek began a few modifications to the replicator. After a few minutes of tinkering, he stood up, and activated the counsel.

"Computer, display energy intake through this replicator terminal."

<Accessing.>

Garek stood, waiting for the information to come across the screen. Then, it popped up. "Oh my," Garek said, nearly not believe his eyes. "Computer, display previous energy intake." After a few seconds that information also came up. "Very interesting." Garek tapped his com badge. "Ensign Antilles?"

[Yes, Sir. What can I do for you?] Ensign Jennifer Antilles replied. The new leader of the Alpha Team had grown accustomed to her new job, not to mention the new workload as well.

"I want you to look at the information I am sending you now." Garek tapped a button, and the information that was on his screen was sent to her.

[Is this a simulation, Sir? Those numbers can't be right.]

"They're right, Ensign. I just did the adjustment to a replicator terminal, and those are the numbers I got. I want to know if this can be down with virtually all the systems on the ship."

There was a slight pause. Garek could here the comments from a few other people in Engineering. A small group had probably formed behind Antilles, and were looking over the information. [I think that it's an
assignment that Alpha Team can take care of.]

"Excellent. I will talk this over with the Captain. In the meantime, start preparing people to carry this task out. Loran out." Garek tapped his badge, closing the signal. "Dweezle, it's been fun, but I have to get going."

"Oh. Sorry you couldn't stay, Chief. Get back when you have time, huh?"

"Count on it." Garek replaced the engineering kit, transferred the information still on the replicator screen to his tricorder, and then shut the terminal off. Next stop, the Bridge.
_____________________________________________________

The lights in the turbolift flickered slightly. *Great. Another problem to look at. Hopefully this little adjustment should help.* The turbolift crawled to a halt, and the doors hissed open. Garek stepped onto the bridge to see the entire bridge crew at their stations minus K'Lara who was now on restricted duty and maternity leave.

"Garek. Good to see you come to the Bridge. Finally manage to crawl out of that hole of your called Engineering?" Valdago smiled, and waited for the reply of his friend.

"Very funny, Johnathan. I don't see you enjoying your position up here. Perhaps, you would like to make a turn to our side?" Garek grinned. "Is Captain Maruu in his ready room?"

"Yes. With Commander Lataro. Who knows what they're talking about in there." He then addressed a small beeping light that popped up on the counsel.

Garek took a look around. *I wonder what it's actually like in that chair.* As if he was creeping across the Bridge, Garek made his way to the captain's chair and sat down in it. The upholstery was soft to the touch. Much better then the chair he had down in his "office" in Engineering.

The door to the Ready Room opened suddenly, and Garek stood, as if there was a spring in the seat of the chair.

"Lieutenant Loran. I hope my chair is to your liking," Maruu said sarcastically.

"Oh. Uh..." Garek wasn't exactly sure how to answer the question.

Maruu gave a small laugh. "What brings you up to the Bridge, Lieutenant?"

"I was doing a few modifications to the replicators and came up with these numbers." Garek handed Maruu his tricorder, which was already set to display the appropriate figures.

Maruu stood there and looked over the information. "That is quite a waste of energy. Do you believe you could make the proper modifications to all ship's systems to conserve energy?"

"I believe so, Sir. However, it could take time. Not to mention the fact that we've been running off the fusion reactors for a long time, and they were meant to function with the help of a warp drive. Are we going to be pulling the dilithium crystals off this asteroid?"

"That question is still in debate right now. However, I'll be sure to keep you appraised of the situation. In the meantime, please make the modifications to the *Virgo*'s systems for the necessary power saving.

"Aye, Sir." Garek took back his tricorder from Maruu, and made his way back to the turbolift. Destination: Engineering. With the fact that he had gathered, Garek, with his engineering teams, would be able to reduce the access energy output by 85% and make the *Virgo* more energy efficient. This would allow the ship to function on only about 50% from each reactor, yet still be able to function within the normal parameters of acceptable energy levels, giving the ship twice as much energy to use.
 

Title: "Presto Change-o"
Author: Lieutenant Benton
Stardate: 2460227
Earthdate: March 24, 2383
Location: USS Virgo

Benton had returned to his cabin after being discharged from sickbay. At least his cabin was still where he expected it to be. Since his return to consciousness in sickbay, things had been slightly different. Details were changes around. Some of the things he had noticed were minor, while others were quite significant: Captain
Maruu, for example. Benton still hadn't gotten over the shock of seeing the Captain again! As far as Benton was aware, Stephen Maruu died fighting the Kirusans and Commander Lataro had succeeded him as the commanding officer of the *Virgo*.

But now Captain *Maruu* was back, and was talking to *Commander* Lataro on how to proceed regarding a nearby asteroid.

But now, Benton's attention was drawn back to his cabin. Its contents were a little unexpected. Benton looked around the room in shock. "Oh, for crying out loud. I was only gone for a day. Where's all my furniture?!?" he exclaimed.

All that was here was a bunk, a night stand, and a desk and chair. The desktop held only a computer terminal and a holopicture of a barren, Arctic landscape. But most curiously, there was a small cage sitting on the bed. Intrigued, Benton walked over to it and peered inside. It was empty. "And who's been leaving their animal cages in my room?" he wondered.

He walked over to the desk, pulled out the chair, sat and pondered for a moment. "This is not right," he said to no one. "Something must have happened while we were on the asteroid." Benton wrinkled his brow in
concentration. "If only I could remember."

Suddenly, Benton was struck by a powerful flashback! It rocked him with such force he was actually knocked from his chair. As he lay on his back on the floor, he fought to grasp the fleeting memory, to keep it from slipping away again. He caught faint glimpses of dark laboratories, strange alien beings, experiments, and... and...
something else. The memory faded; the last image was gone. He had almost had it.

Disappointed, Benton picked himself up off the floor. Something had happened in a dark lab that had started this confusion.

Maybe if he talked to Commander Lataro of Lieutenant Tomme, the other two members of the ill-fated landing party, he would be able to piece together what had happened. Maybe they remembered something.

He reseated himself at the desk and activated the computer terminal. "Computer, where is Commander Lataro?" he asked the machine.

<Commander Lataro is in the Captain's ready room.>

*He's still talking to the Captain,* thought Benton. "Locate Lieutenant Tomme."

<Lieutenant Tomme is in her quarters.>

*Good. I'll go talk to her.* Benton snapped off the terminal and headed for Lt. Tomme's quarters.
________________________________________________

As Benton negotiated the ship's corridors towards Tomme's cabin, he happened to pass Lt. Loran. As they approached each other, Garek smiled. Benton smiled back and said, "Garek! How are things in engineering? Please say hello to Ek'Ra and Galen for me."

Loran froze in his tracks with his eyes wide and his mouth hung open in shock and horror. Anything he was about to say got stuck in his throat. But Benton didn't see the reaction or even comprehend the ghoulish inappropriateness of it, he was already past Loran and still headed single-mindedly to Tomme's cabin.

When he reached it, he pushed the buzzer and waited. There was no answer. He pressed the buzzer again. This time there was a bumping-around noise from inside. After a moment, a voice came back, "Who is it?"

"Lieutenant Tomme. It's Lt. Benton. Can I talk to you?"

"Now is not a good time, Benton," came the reply. Tomme's voice sounded stressed.

"It'll only take a minute," called Benton.

"Go away! Please!" implored Tomme.

Benton turned away from the door. What could he do now? None of the other landing party members were available. He thought about it for a second, then decided. He headed for the security section.
________________________________________________

To Benton's relief, there was a familiar face manning the security office. He said, "Sitto, I need access to the items the landing party returned from the mission."

Lan looked up from the report he was writing. "Sure, Benny. That thing you brought back was pretty weird, so we have it locked up in the science section."

At the mention of the "thing", Benton again was overcome by a powerful wave of psionic energy: his memory trying to force its way back into his conscious mind. He staggered hard to the right and slammed into Lan.

Sitto grabbed Benton by the shoulders and steadied him. "Are you okay?"

Benton's mind was overloaded with sudden images. Again, he saw the dark lab, the aliens, and the "thing"! It was about the size of a PADD and he had found it in the alien lab. That must be the focal point of his dilemma! But then he was returned to reality by Sitto shaking him.

Benton regained his balance and said, "Yes, I'm fine."

Lan let go of him and headed for the exit. "Come on. Franny'll let us in."

At the mention of Ensign Milano's name, Benton suppressed an involuntary shudder, but he followed Sitto Lan nonetheless.
________________________________________________

When Benton and Lan arrived in the science lab, they found it deserted. Sitto called, "Hello! Hey, Franny! You have customers!" There was no answer. Sitto snorted. "Humph. Typical. C'mon, Benny, the gizmo's in the secure lab."

Sitto led the way back through the science section to the secure lab. He opened the door. There was Ensign Milano standing next to a work table, holding the alien mirror, admiring her reflection!

"Franny!!!" shouted Sitto. "That thing could be dangerous!"

Startled, Francesca looked at the two new arrivals, then back at the mirror she was holding. She gasped, "Wha...?" and dropped the device on the tabletop and backed away from it until she was against the wall.

As the mirror hit the tabletop, all three cringed as if expecting it to blow up or something. It clattered to a rest on the table's surface, but it didn't explode.

Benton approached the mirror and looked at it. Memories were fighting to resurface; he was so close. He knew this single small object was the key to all his problems. He picked it up and examined it.

The back of the object was just featureless granite. There didn't appear to be any controls or access ports or a power supply. He turned it right-side-up again. The mirror on its front reflected his face perfectly, although there was a slight quasi-shimmer if he looked at its surface out of the corner of his eye. Behind the reflection of his
own face, he could see Francesca watching him.

But then, the quasi-shimmer grew more distinct. What looked like a blue electrical wave washed across the surface of the mirror from lower right to upper left like a miniature wave across a miniature ocean. When it had passed, Benton was astonished to find that his reflection was gone! He could still see the reflection of Francesca, but he couldn't see himself. It was as if he were a ghost and the mirror was looking right through him! He knew he had seen this phenomenon before and he was instantly on his guard.

Somehow, Benton knew what he had to do. He looked at Sitto and Francesca one last time. Sitto looked like he was ready for anything. Francesca had a strange look in her eyes. He reached his free hand up to touch the mirror surface. As his fingertips touched the smooth, glass-like surface an enormous electrical shock shot up his arm and coursed through his body.

His muscles were locked in place by the bolt, so he couldn't withdraw his fingers or even drop the mirror. He tried to cry out, but those muscles were locked too. The scene before his eyes flashed momentarily brilliant white, then black as pitch, then it was all over.
________________________________________________

Benton found himself lying on his back, sprawled on what looked like the deck of one of the *Virgo's* science labs. As his vision swam back into focus, the first thing he saw was the worried, familiar face of Francesca Milano. Sitto Lan stood close behind her.

Benton struggled prop himself up on an elbow. Francesca put an arm under his shoulder to help him. The ride the "mirror" had taken him on had not been as gentle this time. He had spasmodic aches all over, but he managed to grimace, "Ow."

After a second he managed to grimace a little more, "Where am I?"

Francesca answered, "The science labs, Benton."

Benton shook his head, momentarily unable to speak because of the twitching spasms. Finally, he managed to grind out, "What... ship...?"

Francesca looked at Sitto in confusion. She looked back at Benton and said plainly, "The *Virgo*!"

Benton nodded. The pain was subsiding. He tried to sit up a little straighter. "Then I made it back," he said with considerable relief.

He looked at Sitto, and said in his usual strong voice, "Get Captain Maruu. We have a really big problem."
 

Title: "Debriefing"
Author: Lieutenant Benton
Stardate: 2460227
Earthdate: March 24, 2383
Location: USS Virgo

Benton sat in his place at the long table in the briefing room along with Captain Maruu and Commander Lataro. He had just finished a very long session with them explaining what had happened to him after he had touched the alien "mirror" in the alien lab.

The captain and first officer were having a hard time believing the story. To them it seemed much more likely that the entire experience was some sort of hallucination that Benton was suffering under due to certain traumatic experiences while on an away mission.

Maruu was saying, "Let me get this straight, Lieutenant." The captain paused to gather his thoughts. "When you touched this alleged 'mirror' in the alien lab you and the rest of the landing party were supposedly beamed to, you were transported somehow into a universe parallel to our own."

"Yes, sir."

"And that the 'Benton' we've been living with since then was your double from the parallel universe who had been transported here at the same time as you were transported there."

"Yes, sir."

"I see." Another pause on the captain's part. "And you returned to this universe from the parallel universe when your double once again activated the 'mirror' device which returned him to the parallel universe you were in." The captain looked to Benton for confirmation.

"That is correct, sir," said Benton.

Maruu looked towards Lataro. The Commander shrugged. Maruu rubbed his temples. He said, "Benton, you are a fine officer."

"Thank you, sir."

"Can you explain why there is no alien mirror device in the secure science lab?"

"No, sir."

"Or why there is no record of such a device ever being brought aboard from the last away mission?"

"No, sir," Benton had to admit.

The captain looked pained. "Then how can you realistically expect me to believe that in this *parallel universe* of yours, the entire Federation has been overrun by Kelvans all the way from the Andromeda galaxy! And that the same thing is about to happen in this universe?!"

Benton didn't know how to make them understand. Of course his story sounded insane! The mirror had somehow disappeared. There was no hard evidence. All they had was his word, and that wasn't proving to be
enough."

Benton clasped his hands before him on the tabletop and looked at Lataro and Maruu in turn. He sighed contemplatively, and said, "I was there, sir. I saw it. It was horrible." Benton squinted his eyes in remembrance. "The Benton from the parallel universe was only here less than a day, but I spent more than fours *years* in the alternate reality! The Federation was beaten; the Klingon and Romulan Empires too. There was nothing left of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. Everything was in ruins. I can only imagine what the Gamma and Delta
Quadrants looked like." Benton trailed off, lost in his nightmare memories.

Maruu looked at Lataro again, somewhat at a loss. Lataro said, "Even assuming you *did* go to a parallel universe and what you've described is accurate, Benton, why would the same thing have to happen in this
universe? What makes you think we're in danger? There's been no communication with the Kelvan Empire since their first arrival here two hundred years ago!"

"But don't you see, Commander, everything else in the two universes is the same! Agreed, there are small differences..."

"Such as the fact that I'm dead in this parallel universe," interrupted Maruu wryly.

"Yes, sir," said Benton. "That is one example. But all the big things were the same."

"Then why isn't the Federation under attack right now, in *this* universe?" asked Lataro.

"Well, as near as we can figure, time flows differently in the two universes. Sometimes, one day here is equal to one *year* there, and sometimes one whole year here means only one *day* there," said Benton. "The Kelvan attack could come at any time."

Lataro sighed and sat back in his chair. There were still too many unanswered questions for his liking, and there was the puzzle of this alleged "missing mirror". He looked at the Captain, and could tell the Captain felt the same.

Captain Maruu ended the debriefing session with, "Thank you, Lieutenant. We'll take your information under advisement. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir," said Benton. He stood and left the briefing room.
____________________________________________

Benton returned to his quarters. Everything was as he had left it, more or less. The chair was not in quite the same spot, and the bed sheets looked like someone had been sitting on them. He looked into Spot's cage and saw exactly what he was expecting: no Spot.

"He'll be back when he gets hungry," said Benton, his mind was on bigger issues.
 

Title: "Overheard Conversations"
Author: Lieutenant Benton
Stardate: 2460241
Earthdate: March 29, 2383
Location: USS Virgo

Benton walked with Sitto up to the bar in the *Virgo's* forward mess hall. Lazarus Kox came up to them from behind the counter as they sat down. He slung a bar towel over his shoulder as he said, "what'll it be, gentlemen?"

"Hasperat salad," answered Sitto. "And a root beer," he amended.

"Water," said Benton.

"Lieutenant, I'm glad there's only one of you," said Kox with a wry smile. He disappeared back in the kitchen area for just a few seconds, then emerged with a tray carrying a plate and two glasses. He set the tray in front of the security men. "Enjoy, gentlemen," he said.

Sitto picked up the tray and said, "Thanks, Laz." He headed for a vacant table near the windows of the mess hall. Benton followed him.

The two yellow-clad men sat. Sitto said, "Did I ever tell you it's nice to have you back? Even though you were never really gone?

"No, Sitto," said Benton.

"Well, it is," said Sitto. He dug into his plate of hasperat salad, while Benton quashed his hunger with one of his little blue nutrition pills and his glass of water.

"Did I ever tell you about the case of the sealbird smugglers?" asked Benton.

"No," said Sitto, reluctantly. He knew a painful story would follow.

Benton started, "We were having problems with poachers who were smuggling baby white sealbird fur. The poachers would club the defenseless baby sealbirds repeatedly until they were dead, and then sell the white fur on the interstellar fur market.

He paused long enough to take another sip of water, then with a bit more pride in his voice, continued, "In the end I finally managed to insinuate myself into one of the poachers' hunting parties."

"So what happened?" asked Sitto.

"Well, I was clubbed repeatedly, Sitto."

"Oh." Sitto rolled his eyes.

Just then, Benton felt something bump against his leg under the table. Whatever it was was nudging his knee. Benton smiled at Sitto. *Strange. Some form of humanoid social interaction I have not encountered yet?* But Sitto didn't seem to be paying attention. He had just stuffed his last forkful of salad into his mouth. Slowly Benton
bent down to look what it was that was brushing against him under the table.

"Spot!" Benton plucked his pet tribble Spot from under the tabletop, where Spot had been sticking like a wad of old chewing gum. He placed Spot in the center of the table between himself and Sitto.

"I was wondering when you were going to turn up again," chided Benton. "Why is it I only see you when you are unable to find junk food on your own?"

Spot chirped a reply. He trolleyed over to Sitto's plate, but hasperat salad leftovers were not to his liking, much too spicy. Spot trundled over to the edge of the table and chirped for attention.

"What?" said Benton. "Oh. Here you go." He picked Spot up and placed him on the deck. "Now, don't get into any trouble. Try the bar!" called Benton after the retreating Spot.
______________________________________________

Spot headed across the deck towards the rear of the mess hall. He maneuvered between walking feet and sliding chairs. There was no reasonable explanation as to how Spot had avoided being squashed underfoot long ago. Maybe it was because he was half-glommer and could take care of himself better than a normal tribble could.

Spot scootched his way past a table where two young woman officers were sitting and talking.

The one with short, dark brown hair was saying to the one with long, curly auburn hair, "I know what it is. I'm an idiot. I meet this guy, he's like no one I've ever met before..." At this she paused and sighed wistfully.

Auburn-hair nodded knowingly and sighed as well. They both looked into their drinks.

Brown-hair continued, "You know what I mean? Warm, caring, sensitive, the kind that really rips your guts out. And right there... RIGHT THERE... I should have known. There should have been this big anti-proton sign flashing in ten-lightyear-high letters, 'Francesca, you're about to make a complete fool of yourself!' I mean, just who
the heck does he think he is? Coming around here with that dopey looking grin, saying things like, 'Good morning, Francesca,' 'How are you today, Francesca?' 'Thank you kindly, Francesca.' Like I'm supposed to just take that? And the minute you let him get to you, you can't sleep, your skin starts to break out, and the next thing you know you're wandering around the decks in the middle of the night singing show tunes at the top of your lungs!"

Brown-hair stopped short, having realized she was becoming seriously unglued. She looked quickly around to see if anybody was staring, and tried to compose herself. "Do you have any idea what that feels like?"

Auburn-hair nodded knowingly and sighed again.

Spot moved on.
______________________________________________

He finally made his way to the bar along the back wall. He started making his way up the vertical side of the bar when he suddenly started levitating! He floated up a few feet, then over a foot and finally downward to settle gently on the surface of the bar counter.

There was a humanoid face looking down on him and smiling. Spot looked back at the humanoid.

The humanoid continued his scrutiny for a few more seconds, then stood back a little and scratched his head. After another few seconds he said, "I wonder if you taste as good as live cats?"

Spot was appalled! He reared back and hissed and screeched. He tried to make his way back to the edge of the bar as fast as he could. He suddenly wished he had more glommer blood in him. If he had, he would
already be out the door in the nearest turbolift headed for the furthest part of the ship. But as it was, he was condemned to the snail's-pace crawl that normal tribbles traveled at. He was doomed!!!

Just then, a second humanoid being replaced the first. His hand came down on Spot. Spot cringed at the touch. This was it! The giant hand lifted him off the bar top, through the air and down into some sort of pink box.

But wait! Spot smelled something familiar, something he craved above all other things in the universe!

*JELLY DOUGHNUTS!*

"Eat up, little friend," said Dweezle. Dweezle smiled a friendly smile.

So did Spot.
 

Title: "To Hell and Back"
Author: Captain Stephen Maruu
Stardate: 2460249
Earthdate: April 1, 2383
Location: USS Virgo/Kelvan Conqueror

Valdago was first to spot the massive bleep on sensors. The tactical station was empty. It had been so for some time. Javier's death had caused a deep feeling of sadness in the crew. He was still missed. Tara was still sitting in a nourishing biosynthetic solution Nori had concocted for the disembodied symbiote.

Now, back to the bleep. Before Valdago had been able to announce it, K'Lara had also seen it. "Captain, we have a problem."

Valdago continued for her. "The object is approximately two kilometers high and 1.5 kilometers wide. I'm detecting Human life signs inside. I'm also detecting about 800 alien life signs." He observed more carefully. "Captain, they're Kelvan.

Benton looked at the Captain. Maruu looked back. Both remembered the recent debriefing in the briefing room. It looked like the Kelvans indeed were here, as in Benton's predictions.

Lataro took over. "The ship is drifting. It's completely powered down. We can send in a team..."

Maruu interrupted. "Valdago and Benton, you're with me."

Benton nodded. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

As Maruu began to stand up, Lataro grabbed his arm. "Captain."

"Now, Commander, you have had enough fun for quite some time. Allow me to get some of the adventure too. Besides, I need you, Garek, and Dana to follow us in. We may need some help is caring for the wounded."

Lataro smiled and released him. "All right."

Maruu, Benton, and Valdago left the bridge.
_______________________________________________

Three figures transported onto the Kelvan bridge. All but Benton were shocked to see immense creatures with hundreds of tentacles attached to their bodies. They appeared to be unconscious. The bridge was huge. Of course, it had to be to fit its crew.

Maruu and Valdago were awed at the site of these creatures. Even Benton was impressed. "This is a Kelvan Conqueror. It is used for long range patrol and for taking over alien territory. Before Captain James T. Kirk, the Kelvan Empire had planned to send thousands of Conquerors to this galaxy. The plan was postponed by the ancestor of my grandfather, Admiral Rojan. He proposed to come to the Milky Way in a single scout ship first and examine the area."

Valdago nodded in approval. "So, do you know the guy in the central pedestal?"

"Yes. I recognize him from old Kelvan data tapes. He is Senator Dernom. He was one of the most opposed to the postponing of the conquest of this galaxy. It looks like he was given a military commission though. He appears to be a Captain now."

"Well, I guess we have a megalomaniac on our hands," said Maruu. "And a very old one too."

Benton nodded. "Kelvans have a maximum life span of 800 years."

Maruu slowly moved his attention away from Dernom. Well, crew, let's find our humanoid brethren."

Valdago and Benton smiled as they followed Maruu, who was waving a tricorder in front of him. Valdago suddenly turned to the side. "Hey, Captain, I think I found them. They're just on the other side of this hatch. It looks like a research lab from the
scans."

Benton pressed a button on a panel beside the door. He looked in. "Definitely a research lab. I should have access to the computer logs from this room."

"Good. Get to it, Benton," Maruu replied. "John, help me find the Humans." Valdago and Maruu continued to search the room while Benton accessed the computer logs.

Before long, Benton found something interesting. "Okay, look at this. This ship was pulled into something the Kelvan Empire recently discovered called a tesseract. Apparently, this was in late February. After going through the tesseract, they immediately set the brain wave neutralizer. It should have kept them in stasis for only an hour but it must have been damaged in the tesseract." Benton read on. "They were in conflict with a Federation ship called the *USS Ilion*." He turned around quickly. "The transwarp prototype! Oh dear."

Maruu said, "Well, it's just coincidence after coincidence. I want to know what happened to the *Ilion*." He paused. "And I think I know who to ask." He looked at the source of the Human life signs. A small mound of 32 three-dimensional shapes laid on a table. They were all labeled with alien symbols. "Now, Benton, what is this?"

Benton smiled. "They have been dehydrated. Pass me that small black device on that table will you?"

Valdago proceeded to throw him the device.

Benton began to reset its firing modules.

Valdago asked, "Benton, why did we need to come to the research lab to access the computer logs? Couldn't we have done that from the bridge?"

As Benton continued his repair work, he said, "Yes, I could have. However, the brain wave neutralizer has a failsafe device that cancels its function if anyone attempts to access main ship functions from the ship." He smiled triumphantly as he finished resetting the weapon. "Trust me, Lieutenant, you do not want to see a Kelvan wake up in an bad mood." He fired the modified weapon at a shape.

It began to transform into Human form. A man in a tactical officer's clothing fell to the floor. He looked up and sighed in relief at seeing Federation uniforms. "Where am I?"

Maruu approached the officer. "I am Captain Stephen Maruu of the Federation Starship *Virgo*."

"The *Virgo*? So I'm in the Gamma Quadrant? Great. How's the Dominion doing?"

"They are doing well. Please identify yourself."

"I am Ensign Richard Wallace of the Federation Starship *Ilion*. The shapes you see before you are security and tactical officers from my ship."

Benton fired at another shape. It transformed into a member of the Starfleet Marine Corps. His uniform showed the rank of second lieutenant. "Where...? Ensign Wallace. Where are we?"

Wallace looked at the Marine. "We are in the Gamma Quadrant. These people are from the *USS Virgo*."

The marine then address the *Virgo* crewmember with the highest rank. "Captain Stephen Maruu I presume. I am Second Lieutenant Johnny Chee of the *USS Ilion*."

Valdago threw his hands in the air. "Great! Another John! That makes three!"

Chee examined Valdago. "I'm sorry. You are..."

Valdago chuckled. "Human/Kirusan hybrid. I was mutated. What can I say?"

Maruu asked, "What were marines doing on the *Ilion*?

Chee smiled. "We were there as a safety measure in case the prisoners on the *Peacock* managed to escape."

Maruu placed his hand on Wallace's shoulder. "Well, I guess I should welcome you to the family."

"Are we far from the Federation?" asked Wallace.

"Suffice it to say, we're not in Kansas anymore," answered Benton.
_______________________________________________

Lataro, Nori, and Loran beamed onto the Kelvan bridge. "All right, people. I want to know what happened here. Garek, access the computer logs," ordered Lataro. He tapped his badge. "Captain, you here?"

[Maruu here. We're in the research lab. We found our friends. Jon, whatever you do, don't touch the bridge consoles. They will...]

Suddenly, a klaxon began to sound.

[...wake the Kelvans.]

"Damn it. Everyone back to the *Virgo*!" The entire team beamed back to the *Virgo*.
_______________________________________________

Maruu looked around him and saw the 32 *Ilion* crewmembers come back to life. He tapped his com badge again. "*Virgo*! Thirty-five to beam up!"

[Captain?]

"Just do it!"

The roomful of people beamed to the *Virgo*.
_______________________________________________

Some minutes later, Maruu, Lataro, Benton, Valdago, Wallace, and Chee arrived on the bridge. K'Lara was glad to see them. "Captain, we're being hailed."

"On screen."

Captain Dernom appeared on the screen. He was large and in charge. [*USS Ilion*. This time we have...] He paused. [Wait a second. You are not Captain Neil.]

Maruu looked at Dernom unwaveringly. "No, I am Captain Stephen Maruu of the Federation Starship *Virgo*, and you are no longer in your Empire."

Dernom replied, [No matter. We will take your vessel and imprison your crew.]

Wallace retorted. "It won't be that easy. You're in our playing field now."

[We'll see.] The Kelvan Conqueror attached itself to the *Virgo* with a tractor beam.

Wallace moved to tactical. "He's using a tractor beam. He did this to the *Ilion* too. This time, though, this ship is working."

Benton smiled. "I have an idea. Kelvan ships run with enhanced warp drives able to travel twice as fast as Federation vessels. They are powered by a refined form of dylithium. It is called quadilithium. If I can send a photon burst through the beam, we will be able to break free and disable their ship at the same time."

Maruu nodded approvingly. "Do it!"

The *Virgo* flashed a light blue as a yellow burst was released from the ship. It reached the Kelvan vessel in its bottom midsection and caused an explosion that shook the Kevlan ship.

Dernom quickly reactivated the com link. [This is only the beginning, Captain Maruu. We will rule your galaxy soon enough.]

Maruu only smiled. "We'll meet again, Senator."

Dernom clenched his teeth and disconnected the link. His ship activated their thrusters and zoomed forward in a flash of blue light.
_______________________________________________

Richard Wallace and Johnny Chee entered the briefing room. Lataro was sitting in Maruu's chair. "The captain asked me to welcome you two and your teams to the *Virgo*. The security officers will be placed in Benton's command. As for the tactical officers, well, we're looking for someone to lead them. I've already read their reports of your bravery on the *Ilion*. Thus, Captain Maruu and I agreed to make you our new Chief Tactical Officer."

Wallace couldn't help smiling. "Thank you, sir!"

Lataro stopped him. "Wait! I'm not done. With your new responsibility comes another. You must carry the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade with honor and dignity." He handed the new pips to Wallace.

"Sir. I don't know what to say."

"Just take your station and do your best to keep us all out of harm's way."

"Will do, Commander."

Lataro looked at Chee. "And you, Johnny, I'm looking forward to having you on our senior staff."

Chee didn't understand. "Excuse me?"

"You are hereby promoted to First Lieutenant and Commanding Marine on this vessel. You will command the marines you served with on the *Ilion*.

"Dismissed." Lataro sat there watching as Wallace and Chee happily left to their stations. He could only wonder what Maruu was doing that was more important than attending the promotions of two new members of the crew.
_______________________________________________

Maruu walked into the Intelligence Officer's office. "Lt. Sinclair. It's been a while."

"Way too long. Please sit down."

Maruu sat down reluctantly. "How is the *USS Ilion*?"

"How should I know? We haven't been in contact with the Federation since we crossed the border to the Gamma Quadrant."

"Liar. You've always kept an open com link. That's how you manage to get new orders all the time. That's also how you managed to convince the computer that Zultok signed your appointment to Starfleet Intelligence. It was forged. By an expert. I was in the Bajoran Resistance. You can't fool me too easily."

"And still you play along."

"Let's just say I like to guess what your next scheme will be. You're not the only one with an hidden agenda you know."

"You and I are very much alike, Captain."

Maruu stood up. "I asked you a question, Lieutenant."

Sinclair laughed. Then, the smile left her face. "The *Ilion* exploded after returning to the Alpha Quadrant in February of this year. Its crew have been given a one year leave and will be reassigned to the *USS Knight* under Commodore Jeffrey Pike."

"Jeffrey Pike. We served together on the *USS Sentinel*. Fine officer." He paused. "Thank you." Maruu began to leave. "Sleep well."

"You too."

Maruu left the room.

Immediately, Sinclair tapped a button on her computer. Luther Sloan appeared on screen. "Well?"

Sinclair smiled. "You were right. He is very perceptive. Shall I deal with him?"

"No. Complete your mission. Then, make sure none of them return."

Sloan was about to hang up when Sinclair stopped him. "An additional matter. The transconnection technology the Klingons obtained on the *J'Rigagh* was incomplete. They weren't done yet when they were surprised by the Kirusan kamikaze pilots."

Sloan only stared, expecting a continuation to Sinclair's report.

"Well, our latest encounter with an advanced alien race has revealed an advanced form of our own project to Lt. Benton. I was able to get my hands on the transconnection device which has allowed me to complete the information I need. I've 'appropriated' the device and deleted any reference to it in the ship's data banks. I'm ready to proceed with my mission at your command."

"Good. Have Ensign Marcus Jacobsen assist you. He is a promising young agent. He will perform well." Sloan cut off the com link.

Sinclair sat back in her chair with a PADD in her hand. It contained the modifications for a transporter with the ability to transconnect alternate realities.