Commander Yilaan was seated in the gathering place Nine Starboard on the U.S.S. Bristol. The brown-haired, dark-eyed Betazoid was very glad to be back aboard her ship after her ordeal with Q and the Romulans in the Federation's distant past. Some of the crew had asked about the duplicates of themselves that Yilaan had encountered; Freeman wasn't one of them. The Bajoran helmsman Reiv was, however, since she had shown him hostility, and he had joined her in the half-full mess hall to hear about his other self.
"So when exactly did I betray you and your comrades again?" Reiv was asking, after Yilaan had given a brief overview of events. He rubbed his forehead with his right hand, clearly uncomfortable.
Yilaan smiled at him, "Reiv, it wasn't you, just someone that looked like you. If I had realized where I was right away when I came back to the ship, I would never have yelled at you the way I did." Reiv sighed and nodded, smiling weakly while she continued, "Your look-alike betrayed us shortly after commenting that he hoped that the Reiv in my time line was either my lover or husband. He seemed horribly disappointed that he wasn't." Yilaan laughed lightly while Reiv blushed furiously and looked away, embarrassed. She sort of felt sorry for the young Lieutenant, but she figured that since he did want to know after all, he should hear the truth.
The intercom beeped, "Lt. Reiv, this is Dr. Giovanni."
Reiv got up hastily, "I'm on my way Doctor."
"But you don't," Giovanni started to reply before Reiv cut her off.
"Are you in Sickbay, Doctor? I'll be there shortly," Reiv said quickly.
"Yes."
"Very good. Reiv out," Reiv replied, turning back to Yilaan. "Well Commander, duty calls and all that," he said, fumbling for words and clearly uncomfortable. "I'll see you later on the Bridge."
Yilaan started to reply, but Reiv was gone like a shot. She sighed instead, hoping she hadn't embarrassed the man too much. Yilaan began to consider that perhaps discussing people's alter egos might not be such a good idea. One part of the experience during her time travel did haunt her, however, and that was the emotions she'd felt from Captain Freeman; not Freeman the resistance fighter, but Freeman, her captain, the aging man, back when the whole thing first started. She didn't like the fact that she had detected something in the man, something he might not even actually feel in the here and now, and something he'd never mentioned to her in any event. She felt as though she'd invaded his privacy in a way, but at the same time wondered if what she'd detected was true. Yilaan was tempted to open her mind to the captain, but the thought of invading him again was repulsive to her. The truth would have to wait.
She stretched and ran her fingers through her short hair, before settling once again in her seat and sipping some coffee. A few moments later, an intercom chime disturbed her quiet moment. "All senior officers report to the Bridge. Yellow alert," Freeman's voice commanded. She made a face as she stood up, straightening her uniform, and ran out of Nine Starboard.
Yilaan was amongst the last to arrive on the Bridge. Freeman turned and nodded to her as she stepped out of the port-aft turbolift. "There's a ship in distress just inside the Federation border with the Klingons. We're moving to assist," he explained quickly as she took her seat. Freeman was standing, his attention returning to a distorted image on the viewscreen.
"Ivanovna, can you clean up the transmission from the other ship?" Freeman asked.
"Still trying," the Russian tactical officer responded. "Their engine damage is causing interference on their end. I can't clean up the signal."
"My anti-matter containment is failing Captain!" a voice from the man on the viewscreen shouted, though badly distorted.
"We're nearly there," Freeman shouted back. "Make all necessary plans for departure; we'll beam you out as soon as we're within range." The captain pressed his comm-badge. "Transporter Room One, this is the captain. Prepare to beam one from the damaged ship as soon as we're within range."
"Acknowledged, Captain," Chief McClellan replied.
"Time," Freeman inquired simply.
"Fifty seconds to transporter range at warp nine-point-eight," Ensign Gates replied.
"Begin countdown," the captain ordered.
"Forty seconds," Gates began. "Thirty seconds. Twenty."
"Captain, my engines are critical!" the man aboard the damaged ship warned.
"McClellan, get a lock on him; beam him aboard first chance you get," Freeman said.
"Aye," she responded.
"Ten seconds," Gates continued. "Five."
"Captain!" Reiv said abruptly, pointing. There was a small explosion, followed by two larger ones which engulfed the entire tiny craft on the viewscreen.
"Evasive action, Reiv. Slow to warp one once we're clear of the area. Transporter Room, did we get him?"
"Just barely sir," McClellan replied.
"Nice work Chief; have Security escort him to Sickbay. I'll meet him there," Freeman replied. "Yilaan, you have the Bridge." She nodded, and the captain exited the Bridge through the same turbolift she had used to enter.
The captain entered Sickbay just as the rescued man was being hoisted up onto an examining table. The man was being assisted by two aides, while Dr. Giovanni ran a few scans with her tricorder. "Broken left wrist, two broken ribs," she said aloud, "smoke inhalation. Otherwise stable." She took a hypospray from a nearby table, adjusted its settings, and injected her patient with the contents; he relaxed somewhat.
"How is he, Doctor?" Freeman asked.
She glanced at him, "He'll be fine sir; no permanent damage."
Captain Freeman looked down at the patient lying on the doctor's table. 'He seems familiar somehow,' the captain thought to himself. He rubbed his chin, 'Almost as though...,' he considered, catching himself. "Dr. Leighton?" he asked aloud.
"Yes?" the man said groggily. "Have we met, Captain?"
"We have, though I doubt you remember," Freeman replied. "My name is Mark Freeman. I took a survey course from you at Starfleet Academy many years ago." Freeman glanced at Giovanni who was eyeing him inquisitively. "Dr. Leighton is one of the foremost minds of our time in the field of archaeology," he told her. "I took a course with him as part of the Academy's breadth requirements, and it turned out to be one of the most interesting and enjoyable courses I ever had. I had never given the field much thought, but Dr. Leighton really opened my eyes." Giovanni nodded with interest.
"You're too kind, Captain," Leighton responded. "I was a poor lecturer however; there was no excitement for me in the classroom."
"Which is why you were only there two years," Freeman replied, nodding. "However, your excitement over the subject matter what was gained my interest, not your relative lecturing skills." Leighton smiled faintly in acknowledgement of the compliment. "So what brings you out in these parts? And what happened to your shuttle?"
Giovanni put a hand on Freeman's arm. "I think you should let him rest. His body has been through significant trauma. Can this wait?"
"It can," Freeman said simply as he turned to leave the Sickbay.
"Captain," Leighton called out to him, his eyes alight as he propped himself up a little on his right arm, "come back in a few hours. I have quite a tale to tell you."
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