Chapter 4

Captain Jonathon Archer was not a happy man, for many reasons. First of all there were at least seven guns being aimed at him and his senior staff. Second, he was in a room that only had one way out and even if they could somehow get through that door without getting shot the chances of them getting off this base were slim to none. Third, none of them had a clue where this base actually was. Fourth, his ship was the target of at least twelve ships. Fifth, he had a massive headache and sixth; he hadn�t a clue why any of this was happening. It had all been rather fast and his memory was extremely hazy. He remembered that they�d gone to investigate a strange spatial anomaly and that while they�d been taking scans and studying the anomaly it had suddenly started pulling them into it.

They�d tried desperately to free themselves of its pull but had been unsuccessful. They�d had a very bumpy ride after that and once they came through the other side everything had happened really fast. According to T�Pol a fleet of ships nearly matching the schematics for Enterprise had been waiting for them with shields up and weapons charged but they hadn�t fired. Instead they�d forced open a comm. channel and a high-pitched noise had emanated throughout the whole ship rendering them all unconscious, except for T�Pol and Phlox. T�Pol told him that once this had been done a dampening field had surrounded the ship, which had switched off most systems except life support and a few other basics, and then what had felt like a tractor beam had locked onto them. She hadn�t any equipment with which to be sure. Then over the comm. she was informed that as long as the rest of the crew wasn�t awakened then they�d be safe. She�d informed Phlox and then they�d had to wait.

After eight hours or thereabout they came to a stop and the ship was boarded. She and Phlox had been stripped of the weapons they�d retrieved and then the intruders had demanded that they identify the senior staff. Reluctantly they�d done so. The senior staff, including themselves, had been taken and beamed into this room where they were awakened with the mother of all hangovers. Now they were waiting for the apparent leader of this group. Archer studied their guard. He was surprised to note that there were Andorians, Vulcans, Tellerites and Orions all present. What in the name of God was going on? Archer decided to try to find out.

�Excuse me?� he called for the attention of one of the Vulcans, thinking he�d have the best chance of getting through to them over the others. �Hello?� The Vulcan was ignoring him. �Hey! I have a few questions!�

�Keep them to yourself Terran!� snapped the Tellerite in what sounded like a defensive tone, he was defending the Vulcan? And what was a Terran? He looked at his crew who all gave him bewildered looks. He tried again, addressing the Tellerite,

�I�d like to speak to someone in charge so that we can sort this out. There�s obviously been a misunderstanding.� One of the Andorians snickered and nudged the Orion beside him as if to say �Get a load of him!� The Orion nodded in agreement.

�Oh no Terran there has been no misunderstanding.� The Tellerite was clearly enjoying himself, �Now shut your foul mouth till our leader arrives.� Archer decided to comply, mostly because they all gripped their phasers a little tighter and even the Vulcans were giving them dirty looks. He hoped whoever this boss was would be a little more cooperative. Trip was pacing nearby and he seemed to be slowly loosing his temper, his arms were folded and his head was bowed, staring at the ground. Malcolm was shifting from foot to foot, standing near Hoshi, almost guarding her. He was taking in everything around him, examining all possible outcomes of escape attempts. Archer was glad his security officer was as vigilant as he�d ever been.

He spun around as the door opened. The door wasn�t like the ones on Enterprise sliding open, it opened like old doors, outwards by a handle. First in stepped a tall Vulcan, to Archer�s shock he was missing his ear points, then a familiar, albeit very skinny, Tellerite.

�Gral!� he exclaimed before he could contain himself. If Gral was the leader then he was probably alright. The Tellerite stopped short in surprise and stared at him as if he�d never seen him in his life. There was no glimmer of recognition in his eyes as he continued into the room and stood to the side. Finally an Andorian entered and Archer felt his heart jump a beat. He was so wonderfully familiar, but at the same time confusingly different. His forehead bore strange ridges that were reminiscent of Klingon ridges, and he carried himself differently, but there was no mistaking him. Archer couldn�t think of a time when he�d been happier to see him.

�Shran! Thank God!� Shran regarded him very coldly and his joy dampened again. Shran studied each of them slowly, his eyes full of anger, wariness and hatred. They only changed when he regarded Phlox, whom he looked at with some sadness and regret and T�Pol, where his eyes softened slightly and warmed. He paced slowly around as he regarded them again, he got right in Archer�s face and gave him a passionately hating look. Archer wanted to say something but couldn�t think of anything to say. He was more than a little bewildered, granted he sometimes didn�t get along with the Andorian and they had come to blows more than once, but Archer considered him a friend and he�d believed that Shran felt the same. Shran moved from Archer to Trip who he regarded even more angrily, as if he had a more personal reason to despise him. Trip�s eyes were almost puppy like in their sad bewilderment; Archer knew Trip also considered Shran a friend. Finally Shran spoke but his voice was slightly mocking and laced with venom as he hissed to Trip

�Your face is improved.� Shran looked him up and down examining his uniform it seemed. �The uniform�s different.�

Gral grunted, �Looks more primitive, less military.�

Considering that their clothes were frayed and unimpressive Archer thought that was a bit rich. Suddenly Gral sneered, �Where�s your medals Commander? Did the Emperor take them away?� Archer realised he was the one being addressed and wondered who the hell the Emperor was and what medals the Tellerite was on about.

�He�s no Commander.� Shran stated coldly, pointing at Archer�s chest, �See there! The rank of a Captain. So�� he now addressed Archer, slinking up to him again, his antennas reaching forward suspiciously, �You are Captain Jonathon Archer of the U.S.S Enterprise.�

�U.S.S Enterprise?� the Vulcan repeated, sounding a little confused.

�Remember what I told you.� Shran told him calmly, never taking his eyes off Archer, �In their universe the Empire doesn�t exist and instead of I.S.S. it�s U.S.S. In their universe many things are different.�

�So they aren�t them?� Gral grunted. Shran turned away shaking his head. He now addressed the other people,

�No, Tucker�s face was badly damaged by radiation from the warp core, Phlox was killed before my eyes, they have a different uniform-�

�It�s certainly less revealing than the Empire�s on the females.� One of the gun wielding Orions chuckled, Shran nodded in agreement.

�Besides,� the Andorian continued, �I made sure no one could have gotten away, trust me, these people are all dead. With the exception of T�Pol of course.� He nodded to T�Pol as he spoke of her.

�What the hell are you talking about Shran?� Archer yelled

�He knows you!� laughed Gral, �The Terran speaks to you like any other would. We should kill them before they have a chance to send a message to others.�

�No!� Shran raised his hand commandingly, but as he spoke to the Tellerite his voice softened slightly, which was very strange, �We cannot, they don�t belong here, they must return to their own universe. They are-�

�Useless!� interrupted an Andorian as he stormed inside. �These Terrans are completely useless to us! I just checked their ships calendar; they are actually over two years behind us!� In a fit of fury he threw a padd at Shran who caught it as it hit his chest. As he read it the other Andorian paced angrily, his hands on his hips, shaking his head. He looked up and started at sight of T�Pol but quickly resumed his pacing. Shran dropped the hand holding the padd sighing. He then threw the padd to Gral who only just managed to catch it.

�Did you check its quantum signature?� Shran asked. The Andorian nodded irritably

�Yes, they are from the same universe as the Defiant.� Shran nodded muttering

�I thought so.�

�What now?� asked the Vulcan. Shran whirled around and stared at Archer again, seemingly trying to figure him out. Archer decided to try a more calm approach, obviously more was going on than he knew and he would love to know what Shran had been talking about.

�Shran.� He spoke calmly and Shran started in surprise, as if he�d never heard such a calm tone being used towards him. �Listen, I don�t understand what is going on, and I would really appreciate it if you could explain it to me.� Shran looked a little wrong footed, as did the others. They didn�t understand kindness Archer wondered. Shran pressed his lips together and then narrowed his eyes.

�Alright.� he said softly, �I�ll explain the situation to you, however, once I do I�m sure you�ll understand why I insist on keeping our guard.�

�Can�t ever be too careful with Terrans.� Gral grunted quietly

�By Terrans you mean us.� Trip commented. Shran�s face twisted into a kind of grimacing smirk.

�I see your accent hasn�t changed.� Trip visibly bristled but said nothing. This silence seemed to intrigue Shran as he raised an eyebrow slightly and cocked his head slightly. One corner of his lips curved upwards. �But your behaviour is much improved, on all of you.� He went and sat down on a chair that was standing beside a table. Gral, the other Andorian and the Vulcan sat in the other three. No one else got one. �I suppose I should begin by telling you that you are in a different universe Captain.� Since they�d already mentioned similar things in earlier comments the words shouldn�t have shocked Archer as much as they did. �A very different universe.� Shran continued, �In fact, one could almost say that our respective universes are� mirrors of each other.� He leaned back on his seat thoughtfully and said nothing for several moments, his eyes going thoughtful. Gral shook his head very slightly and the Vulcan twitched his eyebrow, while the other Andorian rolled his eyes. Shran then seemed to come back and continued, planting his feet on the ground and leaning forward slightly. �It would seem that this universe and yours are actually perfect mirrors. Same people, same space� but behaviour is very, very different� at least with the Terrans it is. Tell me what happened at your first contact Captain!� he suddenly commanded. Archer was taken by surprise by the sudden change in topic, but answered anyway,

�Zefram Cochrane achieved warp travel and this attracted the Vulcans attention and they landed on earth and we made a good first contact, to make a long story short.�

�And the two peoples have lived in harmony ever since?� wondered Gral with a large hint of sarcasm in his voice. The Vulcan beside him was silent, although he and Shran seemed to have a brief conversation without uttering a word.

�Well there have been some bumps in the road but essentially yes, our two people have been allies for about a hundred and fifty years. The Vulcans attempted to guide us in the matter of space travel.�

�In the interest of peace?� asked the Vulcan leaning back in his seat and resting his feet on the table crossed at the ankles. Archer was beginning to wonder if he was hallucinating since he�d never ever seen a Vulcan do that.

�Yes, of course. Why do you ask?� His eyes narrowed in nervousness.

�Because Archer,� Shran stood up and paced slowly as he spoke, �in our history Cochrane shot the first Vulcan to land on earth and he and the other Terrans boarded the ship taking it over.� Archer really wished he had a chair to sit down on, as his legs suddenly didn�t feel strong enough to support him. All of his staff were staring at the Andorian who was tracing his strange, almost mutated ridges slowly, a look of great remorse on his face. The other Andorian said darkly,

�It was a dark day for all species in this sector of space the day the Vulcans made contact with the Terrans.�

�We had no idea that they would do this.� The Vulcan sounded defensive.

�No, no you didn�t Sten, and we all know that.� Shran said softly, sadly. �Telev is right though. It was a dark day for all our species when Terrans realised that they were not alone.�

�Why?� asked Malcolm sounding apprehensive. Shran placed his hands on the table surface and leaned on it, his head bowing as if wearied. Archer realised that was the difference besides the ridges, Shran looked like the universe rested on his shoulders, and like he hadn�t had much rest. Finally Shran looked up, his eyes shining slightly, tears?

�The Terrans launched an attack on Vulcan and conquered it, enslaving the population. Then they moved on to Tellar Prime, Denobula, Orion, Andoria, planet after planet, system after system, species after species all becoming slaves to them, becoming part of the Terran Empire. All our worlds are under Terran rule, our people forced to bear their treatment without complaint.�

�What kind of treatment?�

�What kind of� Can�t you guess?� Shran�s eyes suddenly blazed with a fire and his voice turned very bitter and irate, �Do you think I wanted to have Klingon ridges to stand out? Do you think Sten had his ear tips cut off for the laugh? That Gral starved himself because he wanted to? That Telev was forced in and out of beds because he enjoyed it?� he spat at them with burning venom. All four at the table were glaring at them with the kind of hatred that none had ever experienced. �Those things happened to us because Terrans had that kind of power over us and for billions of other people it is still the case!� Shran slammed his fist on the table denting the metal. �But not for much longer! Soon they will all be free and Terrans will pay for their crimes!� he suddenly pushed himself away from the table and Archer saw he was shaking, his eyes were wide and full of sorrow. He looked shocked at his own rage, as did the others within the room. He spoke softer now, �Terrans have ruined countless lives, but we will not stand for it anymore. We will fight back and we will win.� The aliens all agreed with vicious nods or words. Archer instantly saw their fierce determination and anger. It chilled him to think that it was all directed at his own people, they couldn�t all be as Shran was describing� could they? Shran stared at him sternly and said harshly �Forget your own high and mighty opinion of your species and their supposed enlightenment, it means nothing here, whether it means much in your own universe is none of our concern. You yourself Captain were a fairly foul being before I ensured your death, along with the other Terrans present here.�

�You killed us?� asked Hoshi in bewilderment.

�Well your counterparts in this universe anyway.� Shran shrugged casually, as if killing people were an everyday occurrence. Considering everything else that Shran had said, maybe it was. �You were a fairly nasty lot anyway, we didn�t need you around causing anymore trouble for us. Considering the trouble you�d already caused�� again the Andorian shrugged.

�So we didn�t get on?� Archer asked sarcastically.

�Well considering the first time we met you first called me a freak and complained about my skin tone, then you threatened to have my sister killed if you got a whisper of my questioning your orders, and then� oh yes you broke three of my ribs just to make sure we were clear� no we didn�t get on really.� At least Shran�s sarcasm was a constant Archer thought to himself. Still to think that he�d been like that, treated his friend like that was not a pleasant thought.

�Captain Archer would never do that!� Travis exclaimed.

�Maybe your Archer wouldn�t, but the Archer from this universe would have without a second thought.�

�Tormenting non-Terrans is a hobby of Terrans.� the other Andorian, Telev, said softly.

�You were all like that and so is every other Terran.� Gral said. The Vulcan, Sten spoke up,

�Perhaps it would be easier to show them, the Defiant�s data included the ship recordings.� Shran nodded.

�Good idea. Telev, go and retrieve that data, that data only!� Telev nodded and hurried out. Shran studied the padd again and shook his head muttering �Useless. Now we have to waste resources sending them home.�

�Why?� barked Gral, �Why not just kill them, less Terrans to worry about.�

�Because Gral!� Shran sighed tiredly, �If we kill this lot or just don�t send them home then the Defiant will never be made so it can�t enter our universe and then the Resistance will never have its advantages.�

�How does that work?� Sten asked bluntly, cocking his head to the side.

�For a Vulcan you can be extremely dense Sten!� Shran growled frustrated. He then gestured at the Enterprise crew sharply,

�Think about it! They are critical to their universe�s development. Without them the Federa-� Shran froze and looked at the Enterprise crew then said shortly �I�ll tell you later.�

�Why not now?� asked Sten

�Because explaining it risks contaminating their timeline and, in answer to your inevitable next question, we can�t risk it because then we may never get the Defiant because it may never be built!�

�Ah now I believe I understand what you mean..� Sten nodded, �Most wise Thy'lek.� Shran nodded sharply and irritably.

�Spirits I hate temporal mechanics! Especially when they become mixed with alternate universes!� he ran a hand through his hair. Archer noted that it was longer than it usually was and he was surprised to find that Shran had curly hair. He�d always assumed the Andorian had straight hair. Why he�d assumed that was beyond him. The door opened again and Telev re-entered. He held up a data chip and passed it into Shran�s waiting hand. The older Andorian stared at it and then said lowly, �You may want to brace yourselves. This isn�t pretty.� He walked over to a consol and inserted the data chip, bringing up a list of number sequences. He chose one about half way down. �These are ship recordings from the U.S.S. Defiant, a ship from one hundred years into the future in your universe.� Archer�s eye widened in surprise. �Please don�t ask Captain, it�s too risky. Timelines and things like that.� Shran pressed another button. The screen showed a room and sitting in a seat in the room was Archer. Dressed in a gold shirt with flared pants, he threw back some kind of drink. Then a chime went off and he grinned maliciously, standing up. Shran sighed and looked away as the scene unfolded.

�Enter!� The door slid open and the alien nearly stumbled into the room. He managed to straighten up and stay like that but he was obviously still ill. His antennas were drooping farther than Archer had ever seen them. His blue skin was pale and on his forehead, along with faint Klingon ridges on top of his already existing ones, were blotchy brown spots all over. He managed to give a proper salute to him. �You can go.� Archer told Mayweather who looked disappointed but obeyed. He looked back at the Andorian and looked him over. �You look more of a freak than ever.� he spat, �And they couldn�t even improve that ridiculous skin tone of yours!� He saw the Andorian stiffen slightly but he said nothing, �What�s your name?�

�Lieutenant Shran sir.� The Andorian�s voice was strong despite his ragged appearance.

�You're the Chief Engineer of the Avenger, correct?�

�Yes, sir.�

�Tell me why this experiment was performed on you.�

�It was a punishment, sir.�

�Why were you punished?� Archer barked

�I questioned the orders of Admiral Black, sir.�

�So I heard.� Archer paced around him slowly, then with out warning he reached out and grabbed the antenna and pulled them back. The Andorian yelled in pain and his knees gave out and he fell to the ground on them. Archer pulled him back by the two antenna, and hissed

�I�ve heard that the antennas are the most painful thing to lose for your kind. I�ve never had a chance to cut one off before. Maybe I should now to make sure you never question my orders.� The Andorian�s mutated face scrunched up in pain

�No, please, I won�t question your orders sir, I swear it!� Archer threw him back so he fell over onto his back. Archer walked over to his desk and picked up a padd and walked back to him. He put his booted foot on the Andorians chest to hold him, putting enough pressure on it so he had difficulty breathing. He held out the padd in front of his face, he watched with enjoyment as the Andorian�s eyes widened and fear entered them. It wasn�t easy to scare an Andorian, so this was delightful.

�I�m sure you recognise your own sister.� The eyes moved from the picture to Archer�s face. �If I get a single whisper that suggests you're questioning my orders, I will have her killed, understood?� The eyes moved from him to the picture, and back. He nodded

�I understand sir.� Archer lifted his foot, and kicked him hard in the side, listening to the satisfying crack of at least one rib.

�Get down to engineering and assist Mr. Tucker in repairs of the Avenger and Defiant.� The Andorian scrambled to his feet and gave him the Terran Empire salute and nearly ran out of the captain�s ready room, one hand pressed to his side. Archer tossed down the padd and smiled at the other occupant of the room as they snaked their arms around him.

�That was fun to watch.� Hoshi purred, �I like it when you put a slave in his place.�

�We both do.� Archer answered before kissing her.

�Oh my god.� Archer muttered as he watched himself kissing Hoshi. He glanced at her and saw that she was staring at the screen with bright red cheeks and an open mouth. �I can't believe I acted that way.�

�It wasn�t really you. I mean in a way it was, but it wasn�t at the same time.� Shran said shortly, crossing his arms and leaning against the table. The next scene opened. It was in a corridor, and Travis and Hoshi were kissing heavily. Hoshi hid her face in her hands and Travis looked up at the ceiling.

�If the captain finds out.� Travis whispered,

�He won�t at least until we�re ready.�

�Ready?�

Hoshi smiled sensuously, and ran her fingers along his neck,

�How would you like to be the most powerful man in the Empire?� Travis raised an eyebrow in interest. �I can make it happen. But you have to do as I say.�

�What?�

�Just be ready. I�m going to kill Archer and assume control of the Defiant, and I need to know that I can count on you.�

�How will that make me-� she silenced him by pressing her fingers to his lips.

�I will use the Defiant to become Empress, and you will be my man. You�ll have more power than you ever dreamed of.� Travis smiled behind her fingertips and pressed a kiss to them.

Hoshi couldn�t believe how cruel this woman was, she felt sick to her stomach as her mercifully dead counterpart slinked away from Travis� counterpart after a parting kiss.

Travis shivered at the eager and cruel look in his counterpart�s eyes. He blushed at the way the other�s hands were all over the other Hoshi and couldn�t look at the Hoshi that stood beside him, feeling so embarrassed, while he was fairly sure Malcolm was shooting him a glare.

�Hand me a magnetic probe.� Shran passed the tool to Tucker. He couldn�t believe it! He was a Chief Engineer, non-terran or not, he could be doing much better things with his time than playing assistant to Tucker. He knew better than to believe the fact that Tucker had wanted him to stay on bored because he only trusted another Chief Engineer, because Tucker wouldn�t trust a non-terran over a terran any day of the terran year. Nope, Tucker just enjoyed making snide comments at him and watching him fight to retort or, much more tempting, punch the man�s lights out. So far he was able to quell the urges but he doubted he would be for much longer.

�So you feel special being able to prance around with those new ridges?� Tucker�s voice was taunting. Shran gritted his teeth, he did not prance! He never had and he never would.

�Not particularly sir.� He managed to keep his tone calm and bored as if he wasn�t bothered by Tucker and his remarks.

�Good because you look more like a freak than your kind usually do.�

�I know that sir.� Still the calm voice.

�What did they call this piece?� Tucker pointed out a particular piece and Shran looked at it and, thankfully, was able to answer, Tucker kept trying to catch him out and make him look stupid.

�A baffle plate sir, I wouldn�t recommend you remove it, I think you�ve been exposed to enough radiation in your lifetime.� Tucker switched off the magnetic probe and looked at him in a dangerous way.

�Meaning?� he growled

�Simply that I would have thought you wouldn�t want to suffer any more exposure the you already have and if you remove it you will either cause irreparable damage to yourself or blow up the ship.� Shran held his gaze steadily. He�d kept his tone polite and conversational, so Tucker couldn�t accuse him of mocking him. He smoothly commented, �I wonder who invented this duotronic computer system, it�s very clever.�

�Most likely a Terran.� smirked Tucker. Shran was distracted by a sudden beeping from a consol. �What is it?� demanded Tucker. Shran quickly walked over to the consol and answered

�The warp field�s fluctuating. It�s a power drain� the primary EPS relays.� Shran looked at him, �Will I alert the captain?�

�No. It�s probably just a micro-fracture in the conduit. Do you really want to bother the captain with that?�

�Will I go take care of it? I know how to do it.� Tucker seemed to be deeply debating it. On the one hand if he let Shran repair the micro fracture which required some skill, he�d be acknowledging that Shran did have some talent. Then again if he himself went and did it he�d need to leave Shran in charge, he was the highest ranking officer second to him. No way in hell would he let a blue skinned freak with Klingon ridges run his engine for even a nano-second!

�Go.� he grumbled. Shran nodded then grabbed a case of tools.

Trip fought nausea as he saw his own face mutilated and beyond repair. Then he felt fury rise in his chest as he listened to his counterpart make fun of Shran, deliberately trying to get a rise out of him. He�d actually felt glad when Shran managed to get a stab in about his face. No wonder Shran was so angry with him. If the roles were reversed, he�d probably feel the same.

Phlox cried out as he hit the ground again. Shran tried not to wince at it. He was in the Captain�s ready room with Archer, Sato, Mayweather, Tucker(who looked very sour), Reed, Phlox and T�Pol, who had given him the iciest look he ever received when he�d entered with the still woozy Phlox, who had sported a lovely bruise on his temple. Archer was furious, and he was showing it by beating Phlox to death.

�I thought you were loyal to me!� Archer shouted.

�I am loyal to the Emperor, and at the moment you are not him.� Phlox answered shakily. He got another punch for that. Shran tried to stay hidden. He felt miserable; he�d completely betrayed his comrades, his own species and his friends. T�Pol would throw him another icy look every now and then. Sato stood beside her enjoying Phlox�s suffering but clearly itching to kill the Vulcan woman. Once they were done with Phlox they would. Shran felt like he was rooted to the spot where he stood. He hated himself for this, but he hadn�t been given a choice. He loved his sister far too much to let her be killed because of him. Archer�s voice broke through his train of thought.

�At least there was one non-terran who actually means it when he swears his loyalty to me, instead of following the crowd.� Shran wished Archer would just vaporise him with that phaser he was gripping. Both Phlox and T�Pol were now glaring at him� at least as much as a Vulcan could glare. He kept his head up but his eyes fell to the ground.

�Take them and throw them out the nearest airlock!� Archer snarled suddenly and Shran jumped. No! He needed to stop this; he couldn�t let them be killed!

�Captain!� he exclaimed without thinking. Archer whirled around and he glared at him threateningly, daring him to question his orders. He thought incredibly fast and he even managed to throw in some convincing acting as he said �They�re obviously members of the rebellion! They probably know where their main bases are!� Phlox and T�Pol were now looking at him as if he�d sprouted another head. Shran lowered his voice conspiratorially �If we can get them to tell us where they are then we can attack them and put down the rebellion before you become Emperor, every commander will be so in awe of your victory that they�ll follow you without question.� He saw Archer was now listening carefully, so Shran moved in for the kill. �You and I both know that Vulcans can suppress pain. But I think I have a way to make her more talkative.� Now Archer actually had a hungry look on his face,

�How?� he asked eagerly, Shran prayed Tucker would believe him as well, he�d be the only one who might pick up on the technicalities.

�I recently had the idea of how to make Vulcan rebels more compliant by using a neuro-synaptic field to lower their emotional threshold. That would crush them in no time, you know how emotions are loathed by Vulcans.� Archer gave him a suspicious look and then he turned to Phlox,

�Answer this question and I�ll spare you the air-lock. Could that work?� Phlox looked from him to Shran to T�Pol. Then he nodded

�Yes it should work, it would probably break even the most disciplined of Vulcans.�

�Mr. Tucker?�

�Sounds possible.� grunted Tucker irritably.

�Alright. Put T�Pol in the brig. And as for you doctor�� Archer whirled around and shot him with the phaser! Phlox screamed in agony as he disintegrated. Shran flinched. T�Pol froze. She then looked at Shran, her eyes screaming betrayal and he looked away. As she was pulled out of the Ready Room Archer turned to him

�How long will it take you to build?�

�About 25 hours if I don�t take a break.�

�You have 20.�

�Understood sir.�

Phlox couldn�t help but flinch as the other him was killed, and he shared a look with Archer, silently telling him it was alright, he didn�t hold it against him in the slightest. Archer wanted to be sick looking at the face on the other him when Shran, doing some Oscar-deserving acting, told him about a way to break T�Pol, and then to just brutally murder Phlox� he shuddered in disgust. Glancing to his left he saw Shran was sitting a chair and had covered his face with his hands, his antennas drooping. Archer didn�t know why the Andorian was so upset, but he knew it wasn�t what they had seen. The way Gral stood beside him and squeezed his shoulder wasn�t lost on him. It was very strange to see the two obviously being close compared to the way they were with each other in his universe. While they respected each other and even liked each other, even if they would never ever admit it, they were not as close as these two were. He regarded this Shran and compared him to the Shran he usually dealt with. This Shran seemed much more thoughtful, and he seemed to see a very big picture. He was less impulsive than Archer�s Shran, and despite his outbursts earlier seemed much more centred and calm. Yet there was a great sadness over him and bone weariness too. Archer felt great sympathy well up within his heart for the Andorian and he wasn�t even sure why. Suddenly Telev said softly to Shran, and Archer only just picked it up,

�Soval no doubt understood why you did what you did my friend.� Shran dropped his hands,

�But I�ll never know.� he whispered, Archer was straining to hear him, �He� best friend� ever.� was all he caught but he could guess the whole sentence.

�Alright we are officially in an alternate universe if that�s true.�

Shran stood up and said stiffly

�We will return you to your ship now, and will assist you however we can� but I hope you understand that you are not our first priority. This Resistance is.�

�Of course. We�ll try not to be a burden. Also some of our systems were damaged by the anomaly, we�ll need to repair them.�

�We�ll be constantly monitoring you, and will continue to dampen your long range communications. Can�t risk you contacting other Terrans.� Telev smirked at him coldly. He had such an odd, yet appealing face, it made Archer nervous.

�You have our word that we will not contact any� Terrans.�

�A Terran�s word has very little value with us.� Sten said softly, raising an eyebrow.

�I already downloaded the data from your main computer about the anomaly, we have the Defiant�s recording of its experience, with both we may be able to figure out how to send you home.� Telev said his voice was almost haughty.

�I�ll give a copy to T�Pol.� said Shran, he smiled fondly suddenly, �She�s going stir crazy with nothing to do.�

�I�ll bet she is.� Gral laughed. Sten explain patiently to T�Pol

�We are speaking of our T�Pol, the one from our universe.�

�Of course.� T�Pol said in understanding.

�Sir?� called a young Orion male, �Isn't it going to get a little confusing with two T�Pols around? How will people know which you are talking about?�

�A good question.� Shran grinned, the first time Archer had seen him do so, �We�ll have to figure out some way.�

�What if we call our T�Pol T�Pol A and their T�Pol T�Pol B?� Telev chuckled

�They�re not lab experiments Telev.� Shran scolded. Telev raised his hands in peace. �I�m sure we�ll come up with something. Now Meneiat, you and your team are to escort our� guests to the transport pad and go with them onto their ship.�

�I�m not very comfortable with the idea of having armed people on my ship.� Archer took in the large phaser rifles in their hands, the smaller spare attached to their thighs and the dagger at the hip that absolutely every single one of these Resistance fighters carried. Shran and the other four leaders didn�t have the large rifles but they could no doubt wield the dagger and small phaser with devastating effect. Archer was beginning to get that you needed to be able, or you�d die fairly quickly. Shran shrugged his shoulders carelessly,

�That�s not our problem, we have a guard that outnumbers your crew assigned to your ship, it isn�t everyday we let Terrans live. We generally dispose of the crew and take the ship.�

�Dispose of them how?� asked Hoshi nervously

�Simple, we use the transporter to beam all Terrans into space and then if the non-Terrans refuse to join us then they join the floating Terrans.�

�Well in my professional opinion that�s completely barbaric!� Phlox exclaimed in horror.

�Barbaric!� exclaimed Telev his antennas rearing back, �How? It�s quick, nearly painless and far kinder than anything they�ve ever done for us! Yes it�s not exactly pleasant, but in this universe nothing is pleasant my dear doctor. Kindness is� alien to all of us you could say.� His jaw and lips twitched in a slight grimace, his eyes narrowed. Archer looked at Shran who shrugged his shoulders again in a kind of helpless way. The Andorian who was clearly the main leader of the Resistance looked as if he�d been trapped when it came to that tactic. He didn�t agree with it but he couldn�t deny the results. �In fact considering how low opinion of Terrans is around here you lot are being treated like royalty in the large scheme of things.� Telev looked like he had more to say but a hand on his shoulder from Shran stopped him. He threw one more glare at them and then stormed out. Shran looked after him and his antennas drooped again slightly.

�He is young, impulsive-�

�And perfectly honest and straight.� Shran finished for Sten, giving the Vulcan a look then moving his gaze to Archer and then walking out. Gral grunted to himself and followed. Sten lingered for a second and his fingertips traced the top of his ear, where points should have been, a thoughtful look on his face, then he said

�Meneiat take them to their ship so they can make repairs and begin to figure out a way to send themselves home. Our T�Pol may join you in a few days, or she may not, it depends on if she�s up to seeing you, she did have the most contact with your counterparts and I believe is still severely effected by it.� Sten�s face changed slightly and Archer knew that the Vulcan wished he hadn�t said that. He sighed, another thing Archer had never seen a Vulcan do and walked out. The young Orion stepped forward and said

�Hands where we can see them.� At once they raised their hands, all silently agreeing to be complacent now that they knew why the aliens were so paranoid about them. Several of the others put black bags over their heads and they were pushed out of the room. When the bags were removed they were on Enterprise, and even more guards were posted around them. Archer fought his rising anger, they had a right to mistrust them, he kept repeating this to himself as he made his way to the bridge.

�Your crew is in your cargo bay.� Meneiat, the Orion youth told him. �We moved them all there so we could keep an eye on them.�

�Oh, ok.� Archer changed direction and went to the cargo bay where his very confused and nervous crew were huddled together. A couple looked like they�d taken several punches to the face. They looked noticeably relieved when he and the senior staff came in. �Ok, I know you're all a little confused.� �Understatement of the century Jon!� a voice in his head sneered, Archer forcefully ignored it. He calmly explained the situation and asked his crew to contain themselves, as he put it, the Resistance had every reason to mistrust them. �But!� he said turning to Meneiat, �Why are some of my crew injured?� One of the Andorians spoke up,

�They tried to fight their way out of here. We didn�t just punch them because we wanted to. We�re not like Terrans.�

�Besides,� added a nearby woman, who looked for all the world like a human with dark eyes and hair, �Shran gave us orders not to harm your crew unless we were provoked. He�s quite firm in his rules of prisoner treatment.�

�You look human.� Trip commented thoughtfully. She scowled.

�I am a Betazoid from the planet Betazed. We may be similar physiologically to humans but we are nothing like you!�

�We are not like the Terrans you know.� Malcolm said in an assuring tone.

�Forgive me if I�d rather wait and see than believe you straight away.� she sneered.

�Alright. That�s more than fair.� Archer said before anyone else spoke up, �Now we need to figure out how to get home to our universe, so let�s get to work people.� He encouraged his crew to move and they did although they all kept nervous eyes on the guns. Archer scowled, he didn�t like his crew being threatened at all. �They have cause, they have cause, they have cause!� he repeated the mantra in his head, determined to prove that humans were capable of being polite and calm and friendly. What he didn�t count on was that the nicer his crew was the more nervous and agitated the Resistance fighters became.

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