Star Trek ANDROMEDA - Chapter 3: The Choices



Joanna was genuinely surprised to see the little boy running through the corridor, almost as if he wanted to bump into her. He stopped short of hitting her with his whole might and was now standing in front of her, gasping for air... "I... I..." he managed to whisper. "Calm down, honey, relax," she bent over the child. She had to remind herself that the creature was over three thousand years old. It was hard to believe it, when looking in the child's blue, innocent eyes. After a while, he eventually managed to compose himself and grinned and Joanna happily. "Captainanthony let me stay!" he exclaimed. "He said I could stay with you!" "What?" Joanna found it hard to believe. Yagla had demonstrated great powers and a potential to be dangerous. Even though he managed to repair the damage done to the poor Martikaans, Joanna thought it would be against Starfleet regulations to prolong the contact with such a being. Pierre? she immediately sought an explanation in the easiest available source. It's true, Joanna, Pierre confirmed immediately. Yagla has expressed a wish to learn and promised to behave and abide by our rules. I don't see why that would be against any regulations. But... he deceived us, he messed up with our brains and... He promised not to do this anymore. Besides, he hadn't been aware he was doing any harm. It's the common way to communicate among his people. I am surprised, Joanna, that you, of all the people, would have anything against Yagla. Joanna thought about it for a while. In fact, she didn't have anything against Yagla. She just couldn't bear the sight of Chris. He reminded her of a son she'd never have. She felt... hurt, betrayed... He never meant to hurt anyone, Joanna, Pierre responded reassuringly to her half-conscious thoughts. He really is a child; alone, without his parents. He needs to belong somewhere. Joanna looked down at the boy thoughtfully. He was waiting there, patiently, as if aware of the whole mental conversation going on. Perhaps he was aware of it, after all, he also possessed great telepathic abilities. But why me? she thought to Pierre. The captain decided you would make the best mother figure for him. Provided that you agree, of course. Besides, that's what he requested. He is only allowed to assume one shape while on board the ship. He chose to be Chris. If you think you can't handle this, I'll relay your objectives to the captain. No, wait, she thought quickly. I... I think I can do this. You're right, Pierre. He needs a mother. With this last thought, she reached her hand and stroked the boy's head. He jumped up and embraced her, pressing his little body to hers as if she was the only creature in the vast, menacing universe. She felt the tears in her eyes as she heard the boy whisper: "Mommy!" * * * Joanna was strolling through a lovely beach. The sounds and smells of the sea almost made her homesick. She was getting used to the life aboard a starship and she knew perfectly well that she could recreate all of this in a very advanced holodeck on the USS Explorer. Everything: the sky, the light, the touch of sand would be virtually indistinguishable from the real world. Yet, in some imperceptible way, it would be different. She really couldn't tell why. Perhaps just knowing it was all energy fields would spoil the fun. She had already walked quite a long distance from the others, so she decided it was time to go back. After all, it was an alien planet, even though all the detailed scans had showed no danger to the people. Most of them, apart from a skeleton crew left behind, were enjoying their shore leave on this paradise planet. Everything looked just perfect. Sea shore on a sunny summer day. Exactly like Earth. The only detail missing was the squeaking sound of birds. Seagulls, Joanna thought. I'd start crying if I heard them. She turned around and started walking back along the sea. She was deep in thoughts about her new life and the one she had almost recklessly left behind, when she saw someone. He was wearing the red, command uniform. Joanna was surprised. It had already been three months since she got here and she thought she knew everyone by now. Yet she was sure she had never seen that man before. She would certainly have remembered. He was tall and handsome, with dark blond hair and stunning eyes. Yes, his eyes... There was something strange about them. She took a closer look as the man was approaching. His pupils were white and shiny. She had never seen anything like that before. Could he be some species I'm unfamiliar with? she mused, involuntary slowing down her pace. I thought Pierre had already taught me all about them. Pierre? she called out in her thoughts but there was no response. It made her nervous. Over the last months she became so used to his continuous presence in her mind that she suddenly felt lost and threatened without him. Before she had time to panic, thinking about all the possible malfunctions, the strange man came even closer. "Hello, Sunshine," he said, smiling warmly at her, as if he knew her intimately. His voice sounded vaguely familiar but Joanna was just too busy thinking why she couldn't reach Pierre to recognize it. "Hello," she replied hastily and moved around him to join the rest of the crew. She noticed he still had this warm, knowing smile on his face when she walked past him. She hurried down the beach to join the others as if afraid the stranger would start chasing her. She was almost out of breath when she caught up with Liana. The Explorer's chief science officer was reclining on a blanket, chatting with Tanaki. They both still had their uniforms on, which looked almost out of place in the scenery. Joanna almost ran the last few steps and slumped down on the blanket, next to the two women. "What's wrong?" asked Liana, looking startled. "Who... who is that man?" Joanna managed to say, struggling for air. "Which one?" Liana looked around. There were a few male members of the crew scattered around the beach. Some of them sitting on the sand, some walking and there were also a few people swimming in the warm, crystal clear water. Not far away from them, Piete, the Gurlan helmsman, was digging a hole in the sand, laughing happily like a child. "That one, over there," Joanna pointed at the distant silhouette she'd left behind a few moments ago. The man was slowly walking back towards them, shuffling his feet in the sand. Liana burst out with laughter. "Oh, that's Pierre. Don't tell me you've never seen him before?" Joanna looked at her with disbelief. "Pierre? The computer?" This time it was Tanaki who laughed. This tiny Japanese woman had a very pleasant laugh. It was a shame she laughed so rarely. "He's an android, Joanna," she said. "Hasn't he ever told you?" "No, he hasn't. And... I never asked," she added, after a pause. It was true that Pierre was almost constantly in her thoughts. She thought she knew him as well as the rest of the crew did and yet she had never thought of asking him a personal question. She must have forgotten that, apart from serving as a computer, he was also an intelligent being. Suddenly she felt ashamed of herself. "Does he ever..." she paused to find the words., "Does he walk around the ship like that?" "Why don't you ask him yourself?" replied Liana playfully, nodding towards Pierre who was already just a few steps away. "Ladies," the android bowed slightly, stopping at the edge of their blanket. "I hope you're enjoying this beautiful afternoon as much as I do." His words were polite and absolutely serious, so Joanna was surprised when the two women started giggling uncontrollably. "Your... manners... are impeccable, Pierre," choked Liana. "Are you trying to impress us or is it all for our new friend's benefit?" Pierre shook his head with faked sorrow. "You'll never change, Li. I was simply being polite." That earned him even more giggles. Joanna was observing their short conversation with growing uneasiness. They apparently had a good rapport. They were exchanging jokes she wasn't privy to. For a moment, she felt rejected, left out. This unexpected feeling made her wonder for the hundredth time if the decision she had made to stay with these people was the right one. She was already beginning to find her place among them. She got used to her work in the sickbay, Darek was becoming more bearable once she learned how to concentrate on simple tasks without being distracted by her surroundings. She came to like Vort, in fact she was on the verge of calling her a friend. And there was Chris, of course. As soon as Joanna was able to spend a couple of days with him, she quickly forgot that he was in fact an immensely old alien being. His presence filled some empty corner in her heart, she had never even known to exist. Her Academy courses were an entirely different matter, though. She had 400 years worth of technological development and artistic creation of the mankind to catch up with. It wasn't easy, even if she was allowed to repeat her classes as many times as she wanted to. As a result, she spent almost all of her off duty time on holodeck, repeating and revising huge amounts of material. She was determined to make herself useful to the crew beyond sorting out containers and checking basic readings. It didn't help to have Kowalsky as her supervisor. For some reason the man seemed to hate her and nothing she accomplished ever pleased him. He was almost more demanding than Dr Darek. Among all this was Pierre. Always only a thought away. Discreet and helpful, he never let her down. No matter if she wanted a new dish replicated or another lecture on transwarp dynamics, he was always there for her. And now she was seeing him in person. Quite a handsome person, she had to admit. He smiled at her again. "Have I startled you, Joanna?" he asked. "I'm sorry, I thought you'd eventually recognize me. I wanted to surprise you." "Oh, you surprised me all right," she answered, getting up from the blanket. She wanted to talk to him in private, without the other women. For some reason, their presence at this moment made her uneasy. "Shall we have a walk, now that I know you're not some alien in disguise, trying to kidnap me?" "With pleasure, Madam," Pierre bowed again and, before Liana or Tanaki could react, he sent them a warning look. They only just managed to nod their heads in unison. However, when Joanna stood up and Pierre offered her an arm in a very gentlemanly way, they gave up and started laughing out loud. "Don't pay attention to them, Sunshine," said Pierre with dignity. "They are hopelessly jealous." He winked at her and led her away. * * * Joanna observed him discretely while they were walking. Oh yes, he was handsome... she paused, embarrassed, realizing he must have heard her thoughts. Strangely, though, he didn't react. "Couldn't you tell I never recognized you?" she asked. Pierre turned his head to look at her. "What do you mean?" "Well, you scared me a little," she admitted. "I called out to you but you never answered..." Pierre laughed softly. "You mean in your thoughts? I'm sorry, Sunshine, but I can't read your mind here." "Why?" "You see, my telepathic abilities are only tied to the ship. It's the circuits of the Explorer that enable me to maintain the link with the crew, sort of internal telepathic sensors. They are not contained within my android body..." Joanna felt a little relieved. At least he couldn't guess how much she admired this body. She couldn't help but steal a glance of him once in a while. He continued: "You, however, could have contacted the ship using your commbadge." That made her think. "Wait a second," she said. "If you're down here then who takes care of the ship's computer?" "Oh, that's a little difficult to explain. Let's just say that I am more complicated than you thought," he smiled again, putting his arm around her. "Shall we see what's out there, beyond these hills?" They have just come to the end of the beach. In front of them lay a line of small hills where a tropical forest began. "I think it's time we went back," Joanna replied. "I don't feel comfortable being too far away from the others." "Right," he answered. "It's your first alien planet, after all." "And I thought you said you couldn't read my mind..." Joanna smiled, finally relaxed. "I simply know you quite well by now..." They turned around and started walking back. The sunny afternoon slowly began turning into an early evening. The sun, not unlike that on Earth, hung heavily just above the line of the horizon and the color of the sea became deeper, almost dark green. Contrary to what she said a few moments ago, Joanna did feel completely safe, as they were walking hand in hand. Almost like a romantic date... she thought before she could stop herself. * * * And then, suddenly, something started to happen. At first she couldn't exactly pinpoint what has changed, but definitely something was wrong. Then she started noticing all the little details. First, she saw somebody in the sea just disappear. They were still quite far away but not that far; she saw it clearly. The person didn't walk out of the water, nor did he drown. He simply vanished. At first she thought she was hallucinating but then she noticed a small exotic bush right next to her vanish the same way. As if it simply melted into the thin air. She turned to Pierre, she wanted to warn him, but she never had the time. Suddenly he was gone too. And not only him but the entire beach as well. She was no longer on the seashore. In fact, she couldn't tell if she was anywhere at all. Everything around her just disappeared. She was left completely alone in the darkness. This rapid change made her dizzy because for a moment she couldn't even say whether she was laying or standing. She was paralyzed with fear. She wanted to scream but she couldn't hear her own voice. Then, she saw something. It reminded her of a... spider web: very thin, bright strings all around her, resembling traces of some tiny bolts of lightning. She looked around but that was it. She reached out with her hand and tried to touch one of the strings. It vanished before she could reach it. She was finally able to determine that she was standing, so she tried a few steps forward. It seemed as if she never moved. Nothing changed. Pierre? She tried the one, obvious way of calling for help. Still nothing. Pierre might have remained on the beach or might have beamed up, she wouldn't know. He was out of range. Next, she tried her commbadge: "Explorer? Come in, Explorer," she pleaded in vain. There was no response. * * * "So, wouldn't you like a swim?" Pierre pointed to the people apparently enjoying themselves in the water. "No, thank you," Joanna replied. "It's getting late. I think we should go back to the ship." Pierre looked at her, surprised. He knew Joanna had been working very hard and how much she had been looking forward to this shore leave. And now she wanted to go back to the ship? He could understand she had felt uncomfortable walking too far away from the rest of the crew but going back so soon? "Joanna," he tried. "I thought you and Chris were going to spend the night here, under the stars, with the rest of the crew. The climate is mild, there will be beautiful weather tonight..." "I don't think so. It is nothing but unreasonable to stay unprotected on an alien planet. Let's go back." "As you wish," Pierre sighed with disappointment and signaled the Explorer to beam her up. Apparently, most of the crew came to a similar conclusion, as the rest of the landing party started beaming up shortly afterwards. Nobody mentioned the bonfire they all had been planning in the evening. Soon, Pierre was the only one left on the beach. He didn't intend to go back just yet. Among all his duties as the ship's computer, it wasn't often that he had time for pleasure. He decided to make the most of it. He took off his uniform and jumped into the cold water, enjoying his first real swim in a very long time. * * * Joanna decided that she had to do something. Being suspended like this, in emptiness, wasn't exactly her idea of shore leave. By then, she had lost the track of time. She couldn't say if she had been there for a few minutes or a few hours anymore. She started walking ahead. At least that's what she hoped she did. There was no way for her to determine the direction. For all she knew, she could as well be walking around in circles. She tried, nevertheless. She was certain that Pierre raised an alarm the moment he saw her gone, yet she had no way to let him know where to look for her. It couldn't hurt to try and do something on her own even if this "something" was just walking around. * * * "Mommy, hello!" Chris jumped up, excited to see Joanna back. "Why did you come here? You were supposed to wait for me down there..." "Wait for you?" Joanna asked surprised. "Why would I do such a thing?" The boy looked hurt. "But... but you promised we would have a walk together? And then I could see the bonfire? After I have finished my homework, remember?" He almost had tears in his eyes. "Chris," she tried reasoning with the boy. "It's dangerous down there. It's no place for children like you..." Chris really was on the verge of crying. His "mommy" was very busy, he knew that. She was working very hard to learn things, she had explained it all to him. However, she would always find some time to play with him. And she would always keep her word. Chris could have made it all easy for her. In the blink of an eye, he could teach her all that she needed to know, and more. And then she would have all the time in the world - just for him. The temptation was strong but Chris remembered what he had promised to Captain Anthony. He knew that the most inconspicuous attempt to use his powers would make him unwelcome among these people. He was determined to keep his word, too. For the same reason now he didn't even try to sense Joanna's feelings even though he felt there was something different about her. He sighed as sadly, as only a disappointed child could and said: "Yes, Mom." * * * "Liana!" Tim was surprised to see his wife back so soon. He had been left behind while she beamed down with the first part of the crew for the long awaited shore leave. She was supposed to stay on the planet for the whole five days while he expected to join her after three And now she was back here in their quarters. "Is there something wrong?" Tim was concerned. He put the cup of tea he had been drinking and approached his wife. "Why?" Liana seemed genuinely surprised. "Why, you should be on the beach now, enjoying your holidays, honey. Am I to believe that you missed me so much?" His voice took a warmer tone as he closed to hug her. Liana, however, moved casually away from him, pretending that a plant on the table suddenly caught her attention. "It's dangerous down there. We shouldn't have been allowed to beam down at all," she said as if discussing a minor weather problem. That got Tim really worried. "Why?" he asked again. "Has something happened down there? Has the captain been informed?" "No need to engage the captain, Tim. The crew is reasonable enough to take care of themselves without being led by the hand..." Liana smiled reassuringly, finally turning to him. She sat on the couch and gestured for him to join her. Timothy Rex was a fine officer. He had been serving in Starfleet for fifteen years now, to the best of his abilities. He was more than well aware of all the protocols. And he also knew his wife. Her behavior left him speechless for a moment. She was being so unusually irrational. One could say many things about Liana Rex but she had never been irrational. Certainly, she would never jeopardize the crew's safety nor neglect her duty as a Starfleet officer. Tim was just about to contact Pierre and inform him of his wife's erratic behavior, when she started laughing wildly. She curled up on the couch and laughed so hard, she soon had tears in her eyes. "Oh, Tim!" she finally breathed. "You are so gullible!" "What do you mean?" Tim asked, even more puzzled. Liana got up from the couch and reached her arms to him. "Of course I missed you!" she said, embracing him tightly. He felt her cheek pressed closely to the very spot on his chest when his heart was beating. "How could I enjoy a shore leave without you? I'll stay with you here," she whispered, turning her face up to him, "until you're free to leave, is that all right?" Tim hugged and kissed his wife. They remained in each other's arms for a long while, happy to be together just as intensely as right after their wedding, five years ago. Later that evening, however, Tim caught himself glancing suspiciously at his beautiful and loving wife. He couldn't exactly put his finger on it but he had a strange feeling that something was different about her. The feeling didn't disappear in the morning, either. * * * Commander Jerry Kowalsky was on his way to the bridge. He, of course, had insisted on being left on duty while the first part of the crew was down on the planet. He felt that, as a first officer, his duty was to stay alert at all times. Anthony wanted to get rid of him, of course, hoping that some free time would eventually help the man loosen up a little, perhaps even socialize more. No such luck. Jerry wouldn't even hear about it and Captain Anthony was reluctant to giving him an order on this matter. Besides, he felt it might have just the opposite effect. So, with a heavy sigh, he accepted the duty roster and was determined to make the best of it. He himself intended to transport down for a few hours every two days, leaving Jerry in command. "Hello there!," the voice he heard was familiar but not entirely. Kowalsky turned around to see who was greeting him so flirtatiously rather than simply nod and walk away as usual. He was greatly surprised to see lieutenant Tanaki smiling at him. The woman was normally so shy, she wouldn't even raise her eyes when he spoke to her. Now she was… playful? "Lieutenant," he acknowledged coldly, intending to go on about his business. She, however, moved to stand in his path, swinging her body quite frivolously. "Are you busy right now, Commander?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes. Her words were perfectly appropriate but the whole aura about her was definitely not. Kowalsky was stunned. "Yes, Lieutenant, I am in fact," he almost stammered. "Is there something you want from me?" "A lot, I hope…" "What's that supposed to mean?" This was clearly a breech of protocol and Kowalsky was unwilling to let it go. Tanaki wasn't in the least discouraged by his rather menacing stance. "I simply thought you could use some time in the holodeck, Sir and I was going to offer my company. Since you're not going down the planet with the rest of the crew, I guessed you wouldn't mind some company here. I have a nice program…" This was so very unusual. The woman's behavior, almost bordering on insubordination or, at least, total lack of respect, was so uncharacteristic of her that Jerry honestly didn't know how to react. He looked at her, thinking furiously. Seconds ticked by, the situation became a little awkward. Finally, Tanaki smiled: "Well, what's it gonna be? You put me on the record or agree to have some fun?" Kowalsky shrugged: "Perhaps later, Lieutenant. Right now I suggest you go to sickbay and have Dr Darek run some psychological tests on you." This made Tanaki laugh out loud. "Why would I do that, Commander?" "The fact that you haven't noticed anything unusual about yourself, strongly indicates there might, in fact, be something wrong." "What is wrong with having fun, Commander? she instsited. "Nothing, I suppose. The problem is that you have never been the first one to admit that." "With all due respect, Sir, neither have you. Don't you think it's high time to change it? See you in the holodeck!" With that, she bowed jokingly and walked away, leaving Kowalsky in the middle of the corridor. After a while he shrugged his shoulders again and resumed his walking to the bridge. * * * Joanna had no idea how much time had passed since she found herself in this strange, empty place. She kept on walking, hopefully straight ahead. It was impossible to tell, though, since she could see nothing around her. Even the ground she was walking on was nothing but blackness. The strange glitters of lightning kept on appearing randomly all around her. She was beginning to feel tired when finally she thought she saw some shape in the distance. "Hello!" she cried out as loud as she could. She never heard her own voice. Giving up to the sense of panic she suddenly felt, she began running in the direction of the shape, now invisible again. She had this feeling one sometimes has in dreams; she was running as fast as she could and seemingly, she wasn't moving at all. It lasted a long while. Long enough for her to regain some composure. There is no need for running, she thought, trying to calm down. I should be preserving my strength. She stopped running and now she was just walking. Finally, as if a reward for her sensible thinking, she saw the shape again. And now she could tell she was coming closer. The shape began to look like… human. As she got even closer, she was able to recognize a Starfleet uniform. Blue shoulders. Science department. She was so relieved that she forgot for a moment where she was and shouted again: "Hello! Can you hear me?" The distant figure turned around and waved at her. She began running again. Finally, almost out of breath, she reached the other officer. "Yoko! How long have you been here?" Lieutenant Tanaki didn't answer immediately. She was staring at some point in the distance, where normally there would be a horizon line. Joanna looked there, too, but she so nothing but black void. "What is it?" she asked. "I thought I saw someone else over there," Tanaki said softly. "I'm not sure anymore." "It was the same with me when I saw you. You disappeared and when I started running, I couldn't reach you," replied Joanna, grateful that finally something was beginning to happen. "Let's walk in that direction." She was right. After only a brief walk, they met another member of their crew. "I'm so happy to see you, ladies!" Liana Rex greeted them. "I know it's selfish but I'd rather have you here with me than be alone one minute longer." Joanna was happy too and for a while the three women just stood in the middle of nowhere, embracing each other, making sure they were real. It was Liana, who composed herself first. "Now, tell me how long each of you have been here. We need to establish all the known facts." * * * Captain Anthony was sitting at the desk in his ready room, staring through the window, when he heard the door chime. "Come in," he spoke automatically. The door opened and, in an instant, he saw Vort virtually looming over his head. Anthony was one of a very few humanoids aboard the Explorer who never quivered in the presence of a Scythiaan. The Scythiaans, until recently known only as species 8472 were still very rare among Starfleet personnel. Most people were even now a little apprehensive towards them. "What can I do for you, Lieutenant?" Anthony asked, smiling politely. "There's something terribly wrong here, Captain," Vort didn't appreciate wasting time for pleasantries. Anthony immediately got serious as well. "What do you mean?" "You remember I am a telepath, Sir?" Anthony nodded. "Well," she continued hastily. "Most of the crewmembers coming back from the planet read differently." "How differently, Lieutenant?" Anthony asked. "As if they were altered in any specific way?" "I wish I could tell you," Vort hissed and Anthony could swear he heard an undertone of irritation in her voice. "It's them all right. It's just that there is something else in their minds. Some…" she hesitated. "Curiosity, some kind of observational mode that hadn't been there before." Pierre? Anthony probed in his mind. This is the automated script, Pierre III, sir. Please state your request, he heard the flat voice answering in his thoughts. He forgot that the original Pierre had beamed down as well for his shore leave. Oh, no! he thought to himself. What if this – whatever it is Vort is talking about – has affected him, too? "Anthony to Pierre, report!" he tapped his commbadge. There was no response. "Pierre, this is the captain, please acknowledge!" he repeated, looking at Vort with growing impatience. Finally, after another pause, the reply came: "Pierre here, Captain. Is something wrong?" Anthony almost sighed out loud with relief. "Beam up immediately," he said. "Report to my ready room before you take control of the ship, Commander." "Aye, Sir." Pierre, still wet after his swim, got dressed in his uniform as quickly as he could. Being an android meant that he could do it really fast. In a few moments he entered the captain's ready room. He nodded at Vort, standing motionlessly at the desk, and approached the captain. "You wanted to see me, Sir," he reported. Anthony didn't reply immediately. Instead, he looked questioningly at Vort. "He's all right," she announced. Pierre, at the moment being confined to his android body, wasn't able to read minds. Compelled by the captain's order, he hadn't established the link with the ships sensors. He just stood there, confused, looking from Vort to the captain. "Sir?" he asked finally. Anthony gestured for Vort to fill him in: "Some of the crew members returning from the planet surface have their thought patterns slightly altered, Commander," Vort explained. "I have been unable to pinpoint exactly what is wrong with them but they are different somehow." Pierre thought for a second. "If you let me establish the link now, Sir, I might be able to help. However, my telepathic abilities are not as strong as lieutenant Vort's. I doubt I can do much more." Anthony nodded: "Proceed." Pierre's eyes shone brightly for a brief moment. It was the sign that he was taking over the ship's computer. He was able to do that and, simultaneously, control the android body with no measurable effort. After a short pause, while he was processing all the available information and running some routine diagnostics, he said with disappointment: "I am sorry, Captain. I cannot confirm any unusual readings in the crew's minds." Anthony thought of his options for a while. He was just getting ready to give his next order, when the door chimed again. "Enter!" he snapped impatiently. It was Chris. The boy peered in shyly, before entering the room. Something told him that the captain's ready room was off limits for children but he had something very important to tell to Captainanthony and it couldn't wait. Anthony's first reaction was to tell him to go away when he remembered that Chris was in fact Yagla and he also possessed considerable telepathic abilities. "What is it, Chris?" he asked. The boy smiled bashfully and came closer. "It's about my Mommy, Sir," he started quietly. "She is being… different. I can't explain it. You forbid me to use my skills, so I can't tell you more, but you must believe me. Something is wrong with her." Anthony looked at the boy, troubled. It wasn't easy. On one level, he was dealing with an unimaginably powerful and old entity. After all, Yagla was approximately 3 thousand Earth years old. He was also able to alter matter, energy and time as he pleased. On the other hand, he actually was exactly as he appeared to be: a young child, emotionally drawn to Joanna and honestly regarding her as his mother. Both Vort and Pierre had confirmed it before Anthony made his decision to let him stay aboard. Now, he had an idea. Unfortunately, it required him to contradict his own orders. "Chris," he began slowly. "I know I ordered you to refrain from using your powers. And you've been a good boy, haven't you?" The child nodded, slightly encouraged. "Now I need you to help us," prodded Anthony. "Listen to me carefully. This is an extraordinary situation. Our crew may be in danger. Do you understand?" Chris nodded again. "You want me to use my powers just this once, is that right, Captain?" he asked. "Yes, Chris," Anthony confirmed. "But be careful. Do not do anything. All I want from you is to access some minds telepathically and tell me what you sense. Can you do that?" "Yes, Captain." Anthony pointed to one of the chairs and when the boy sat down, his tiny body almost lost in the big seat, he continued: "Concentrate on Llieutenant Vort now. She will explain the situation to you." Chris looked at the Scythiaan with his blue eyes, even though it wasn't at all necessary for them to communicate, and almost immediately an expression of understanding came onto his face. "I see…" he muttered. Then he looked back at the captain. "Can I access my Mom's mind now?" he asked. Anthony confirmed. Chris closed his eyes. The captain observed the boy's reactions closely. Chris stayed relaxed for a while. Then, he began to concentrate with visible effort; his whole body became tense, his little fists clenched. Suddenly, he opened his eyes. They were wide with terror. "Captain!" he exclaimed. "There is an alien presence in my Mommy's mind! There are aliens all over the ship!" Before Anthony could react, the boy added: "And they're trying to communicate with me…" * * * "We call ourselves the Noabi." Half an hour later, Chris was still sitting in Anthony's room. There were only the two of them and Pierre, now only present through the telepathic link. Chris was also telepathically connected to the aliens who had apparently managed to get aboard the Explorer and were now trying to establish contact. The boy was curled up in the big chair. It looked like he was asleep and dreaming – his eyelids moved, he kept on tossing and turning. His words were slow and distorted as if he was talking in sleep. "What do you want from us?" Anthony had no choice but to interrogate the aliens through Chris. He felt uncomfortable with this because it was clear it cost the child a lot of energy. Still, there was no other way of communication for now. "We… want to… know you. We… want… to investigate. We want… to learn," Chris stuttered. "And you are trying to achieve this by abusing us? By invading our minds? We have learnt about your presence among us because we have a few telepaths among us. Had it been not for them, would you have been willing to reveal yourselves? When? How?" Anthony felt he had thousands of questions that demanded to be asked and answered immediately. Even his consideration for Chris's health, growing with every moment, couldn't stop the flow of this interrogation. The lives of all of his crew depended on it. At least that's what Anthony thought, until he heard the next answer: "We are not invading anyone's minds. Your crewmembers are perfectly safe, they will be returned to you." "What exactly does that mean?" "It means what it means. We haven't abused your bodies. We have created replicas exclusively for the purpose of contacting your species." "What replicas?! What are you talking about?" Anthony had a sudden, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew he would hate the alien's explanation, whatever it would be. "We have generated the exact copies of all 64 members of your crew, including you." Chris mechanically repeated the words delivered to his mind. The stutter stopped, as if he got used to his role as a medium. He kept laying still now, only his eyelids fluttered as he continued: "We believe you would call this cloning. You have some of the clones already aboard, the rest are waiting to be activated. Currently the clones are co-inhabited by our people. This will change and the clones will be given to you, as a gift from us. We want to thank you for all your knowledge you have given us. Do not worry, the rest of your crew will be returned to you as well, unharmed." "Unharmed?!" Despite his near – Vulcan heritage, Anthony was now really outraged. "You have cloned us without our knowledge or consent, you have read our minds and you're saying we're 'unharmed'?!" The answer was delivered in Chris' unnaturally calm voice: "We only learnt about your particular attitude towards privacy of both the mind and the body when it was too late. We apologize. Among us, it is regarded as standard research practice on lesser species. Do not worry. We have programmed all the clones to disintegrate after one Earth's month. You will not have to carry them along with you. We are going now, there is nothing here left for us to know. We wish you safe journey." "Wait! You can't just leave us like that!" Anthony tried but to no effect. Chris opened his eyes and looked at the captain with tears in his eyes. "I am sorry, Sir," he whispered. "They are gone," and with these words, the child, absolutely exhausted, fell asleep. This time for real. * * * "What do you mean if we cure them, Sir? What kind of question is that?" Lieutenant Commander Liana Rex, always an idealist, refused to acknowledge the seriousness of their problem. "Doctor," she added, turning around to face the Vulcan. "You're saying the medical procedure would be fairly simple, right?" Yes," nodded Darek calmly. "It's a minor defect in their DNA structure. It can easily be corrected by a medical technician." "They are living, breathing beings," Liana continued in a slightly raised voice. "Identical to us in every aspect now that the aliens are gone. They deserve the right to live just as much as any of us!" Anthony sighed heavily. "No one's denying it. It's not that simple, however. The key word here is 'survival'. "Ladies and gentlemen," he continued, turning to his senior officers gathered in the small conference room. "Curing the clones means doubling the crew compliment. The Explorer is capable of carrying only that many people. We're not talking about a drain on our resources here, we're talking about exceeding them far beyond any limits. Raw materials and fuel can be re-supplied, judging from what we have seen here so far. However, life support system will start failing almost as soon as we beam everybody up. We simply don't have the means to support a crew of 128 for any period of time. We can, of course, follow whatever our hearts dictate us. The results, though, will be disastrous both to the clones and to us. No one will survive." There was a long pause. Nobody said anything, nobody even looked at each other. They were just sitting there, deep in their thoughts, trying to find a solution to the hopeless situation. Since the missing crewmembers were safely returned, the problem of clones has been on everybody's minds. Finally, Aleyah, the ship's counselor offered: "How about putting them in stasis? We have been discussing this alternative while dealing with Miss Kruk's arrival. The system requirements would be minimal. We can handle it." This time it was Tim, who answered: "Now wait a second. Once we've agreed that the clones are living beings, it means they have the same rights as we do. We did reject the idea of putting Joanna in stasis, because she disagreed. What if they don't agree?" Captain Anthony looked around at his officers. He looked each and every one of them deep in the eyes until he saw this one, small sparkle of understanding. All of them, except for Jerry, returned the stare. Then, he spoke: "I can see that you all understand the graveness of our situation. As, I am sure, each of you would be willing to consent, given the adverse conditions, I am also convinced that the clones would be equally compliant. Anyway, that might prove to be the ultimate test of their humanity. However, there is still the problem of space. Nowhere aboard the ship can we put so many stasis units. Cargo bay can only host twenty. Even if we permanently got rid of the shuttle, the docking bay could hold twenty more. That leaves us with 24 more units. Where do we put them? In individual quarters? On the bridge? The ship is simply not designed to handle so many people." There was another moment of silence as they all realized how actually complicated this was. Finally, Aleyah spoke again: "We will have to find an M-class planet, as far away from any inhabited systems as possible and leave them there. We'll send the message to Starfleet and they will dispatch another ship to bring them back to Earth. The clones will be in stasis so time won't be an issue here, they will be able to wait another 30 years for the rescue mission without any harm." "What are you talking about?!" Everyone turned to look at Kowalsky. He had been unusually silent since the beginning of their meeting. Now he almost yelled: "No harm? How about us? We spend another 10 years in this God-forbidden galaxy, making all possible discoveries and playing heroes and when we finally get back home we find what? All our places taken! Our families, our careers, all already given away to these disgusting replicas! Are you all mad?! We've got to destroy them now! Without even waiting for that promised self disintegration…" Kowalsky was evidently prepared to continue but Anthony snapped at him: "That's enough, Commander!" Everybody now stared at the captain. He, however, remained perfectly composed, if somewhat cold. "I suggest we have a short recess and let us all think about the solution. We'll reconvene in two hours and I will be expecting your final opinions. One way or another, I will have to make a decision and in this case, I want it agreed upon. Dismissed." There was a brief rush as everybody got up and moved out of the small conference room. Only Anthony and Kowalsky remained sitting. The latter knew he would have been stopped anyway. Besides, he really hoped to make his point clear to the captain. Anthony had to take his opinion into serious consideration. He was the second in command on this ship, after all. When they were left alone, Jerry started: "Captain…" but he was immediately interrupted. "Commander, I don't know what got into you and I even don't want to know. Your behavior was totally uncalled for." "Captain!" Jerry tried again, in a raised voice. Anthony nodded for him to continue, albeit reluctantly. He considered it his duty as the captain, to listen to each member of his crew. Even if their attitudes were so totally… outrageous in his opinion. "We already have a similar example in our history. The first officer of the Enterprise-D, William Riker, has been unintentionally cloned. Well, not exactly cloned, as far as I remember, he was materialized twice due to some transporter malfunction. Anyway, the result was similar. Do you remember what happened to Timothy Riker? Upon realizing he was, in fact, a replica, he strayed away from Starfleet and ended up as a Maquis. Are you sure you have considered every possible outcome?" Anthony hid his face in his hands for a moment. It was difficult for him. It would be difficult for any captain, not to have that special kind of rapport and understanding with his first officer. He had no choice, however, but to deal with this man as well as he could. The only alternative would be to put him in the brig for the rest of the journey. It was not an option, considering, there was no one aboard the Explorer who could replace Jerry at the moment. Anthony swore to himself he would never again let any admiral decide on his own personnel. Right now, he managed to compose himself to deal with Kowalsky one more time. "Jerry," he began softly. "These are not some kind of monsters we're talking about here. They are, as Liana pointed out, living beings. In fact, they're people just like us. Identical to us. It's neither their, nor our fault that they have been created. The Noabi had no idea they were committing a crime, either. We can't punish them and we most certainly have no right to kill these people." Kowalsky wanted to say something, but the captain only waved his hand and continued: "Imagine it was you. You wake up one day, feeling completely normal and suddenly someone tells you that you're not the original Jerry Kowalsky. That's how they feel now, down there on the planet. They have exactly the same memories as you, I, and the rest of the crew. For all practical purposes, they are, in fact, us. Don't you understand it? Do you really feel capable of committing a mass murder on these people? Kill me, Liana, Tim, Aleyah and… Jerry? Can you seriously consider that course of action? Or just stand by and watch them die out in a month, one by one? Is it possible you are so blinded, so driven by your own urges and ambitions?" He paused, looking into Kowalsky's face. The man remained silent. Anthony shook his head and continued: "I refuse to believe it, Jerry. I can understand your momentary lapse of reason. I guess we all felt this brief moment of apprehension, but we got over it. We accepted the reality of our situation and I suggest you do the same. If you can't, I don't think you're worthy of the uniform you're wearing. Now you're dismissed. Go and think about it. Talk to the others, talk to the clones themselves, do… whatever. Just grow up and face the truth, Jerry. You're a Starfleet officer. It requires certain moral standards." He looked Kowalsky straight in the eyes again. The first officer didn't find it in himself to look back. He got up and dashed out of the room, without another word. Anthony remained motionless for a long while after the man was gone. * * * "May I have a word with you?" This startled Kowalsky. Not because it was so sudden but because the voice was so familiar. It was his voice. He forced himself to look. Standing over him at the table in the officers' lounge was… Jerry Kowalsky. He fought the sudden wave of nausea as he looked into his own face and simply nodded. The clone sat down cautiously. "What do you want?" Kowalsky asked, sharply. "I've been talking to the other clones. We have reached a decision. Even as I am speaking to you, the… clone of Anthony is speaking to the captain." It was obvious that he had some problems with pronouncing the word "clone" but he overcame it. Kowalsky looked at him incredulously. "You? You have reached a decision?" he sniggered. "And what kind of decision is that if you don't mind me asking?" The other Kowalsky looked hurt. The ironic stress of the sentence wasn't lost on him. He chose to ignore it, though, and went on to explaining in a calm tone of voice. "You see," he began. "It was a shock when we realized we had been cloned. Our memories are identical to yours. I, for instance, could swear I was only asleep for the last couple of days. Before that, I remember everything. And I mean, everything," he added. "Including that Klingon woman." Jerry, the 'real' Jerry, looked as if he wanted to say something but he let it pass and simply glared at the other man as he spoke: "After I've given it some thought, I realized what your position would be. There's no place for us aboard the Explorer. You simply will be unable to cram so many people onto the ship. Another option would be for us to stay on some deserted planet. However, that would only be prolonging the inevitable. We're too small a group to constitute a colony, eventually we'll die out. We can also be put in stasis and wait for some other starship to bring us to Earth." He paused, waiting for Jerry to reply. The first officer again remained silent. The cloned sighed and continued: "I know you must have been discussing this. I realize… we all realize how difficult this decision is. We have agreed to make it easy for you. We don't want to be cured. None of us. Let us live for that one month we had been "programmed" to live and bury us here." Kowalsky was speechless. He opened his mouth and closed them. And again, and again. Finally, he managed: "What? Why?" His cloned smiled sadly. "I know what you have been thinking." "You do?" "I have your memories and your personality, remember? You're afraid we get back to Earth before you and take everything away from you. Your career, your command, your place in life." Thinking that way was one thing, but hearing it spoken out so bluntly, was something different. Jerry didn't know what to say. He just kept on staring at his own face in front of him. "I don't think this would be the case," the clone spoke again. "Considering the distance and the necessary resources, no other ship could arrive here sooner than in six years. Assuming your mission goes as planned, you will also be heading home in approximately the same time. It means we'd be getting to Earth almost simultaneously. It's actually we, the clones, who would be left in a hopeless position, Jerry. Our Anthony didn't want to pressure any of us, he let us all decide for ourselves. I don't need to tell you how hard it was but eventually, we all came to the same conclusion. We don't want our lives like that. For once we all seemed to be thinking alike: the Vulcans, the Klingons, the Jem'Hadar… each of us for our separate reasons but we all decided likewise. We will die with honor and dignity." The clone stood up and looked at Kowalsky one last time. "You shouldn't feel guilty, Jerry," he added in a knowing tone of voice. "I would have been thinking the same thing had the situation been reverse." * * * "Captain, is that true?!" "What is true, Ensign?" Anthony had learnt certain amount of tolerance towards his Gurlan officer. He appreciated the effort Piete put to constrain his emotions and adhere to Starfleet protocols under normal circumstances. The Gurlans, due to their behavioral patterns, were rarely admitted into the service. Those who have, were the most disciplined individuals. Anthony felt that Piete deserved some lenience now, after months of impeccable conduct. Especially now, when the situation was so extraordinary, rushing like that into the captain's office could be forgiven. Anthony had some idea what this was going to be about. He was right. "The clones, Sir!" exclaimed Piete, almost out of breath from excitement. "They're going to be executed?!" "Not executed, Piete. They're all going to die within a month because they had been genetically "programmed" to do so and, more importantly, because they expressed the wish to die." "But Captain…" Piete tried to protest. Anthony raised his hand to stop him. "I know, Ensign," he continued warmly. "It's difficult for all of us. However, that is exactly what the clones wish to do. And believe me, I spoke with each and every one of them. I was trying to convince them there are other options. To no avail. They wouldn't listen. They are so absolutely positive that they want to be left alone. Believe me, Piete," he added. "I did everything in my power to stop them. I even had Dr Darek examine their psychological profiles. They are, unfortunately, in the best of health both physically and mentally. They have the right to choose their own fate. We must respect that right." "I don't believe it, Captain!" the Gurlan was pacing the room nervously. Now he stood in front of Anthony's desk and looked straight into his eyes. "You are really going to allow this madness? Sixty four people will die before our very eyes and we do nothing to help them?!" Anthony looked at Piete sadly. He understood and, partially, even shared his feelings. "Talk to them, Piete," he said finally. "Talk to your counterpart and to as many of them as you can. Perhaps you will manage to convince them. You have my full support, although I don't believe…" He never finished the sentence because the quick: "Thank you, Sir!" interrupted him. Before he knew it, Piete was gone. Anthony shook his head with a strange mixture of sorrow and bemusement. He wished his emotional helmsman all the luck in his efforts, yet he had no hope. The clones, all of them, had made things absolutely clear. They didn't want to function as replicas for the rest of their lives. Anthony sighed heavily and returned to reading his reports. If only he could find a way to contact these Noabi, who had been responsible for this whole tragedy… * * * The next couple of weeks were difficult for everyone. The clones mostly stayed on the planet's surface, while the 'original' people kept on moving back and forth between the ship and the temporary settlement on the beach, each time trying to find new arguments to persuade the clones. Back aboard the ship, they were discussing the situation over and over again. "It is perfectly logical under the circumstances." Vort briskly turned around to face Dr Darek. The group of officers were sitting around a table in the lounge, trying to think of some new ways to resolve the problem. "Logical for a Vulcan, maybe," she hissed, holding her yellow eyes on him. "You're forgetting they're not all Vulcans." "We've been talking to Liana and Tim," said Timothy Rex after a pause. "We thought things were different for them. You see," he continued as everybody looked at him with renewed hope. "Most of the crew have left their families behind. They are in this together, just as we are. They could share their lives with no complications. You know what Tim told me? "Every time I look at Liana, I realize she is not the real Liana. That she's just a clone. Then it dawns on me that I am a replica myself. We don't want to live someone else's lives!" I think that's what they all have in common. No matter the species, they just don't want to repeat our lives. They see no alternatives for themselves. So far, we have all been unable to convince them that they can, in fact, live on their own." * * * Joanna was sitting at her favorite table in the small lounge aboard the USS Explorer. She was sipping at her coffee, rather absentmindedly. She was still thinking about the weird experience of meeting her own clone a few weeks ago. The lounge was almost empty; only Piete was sitting a few tables away, apparently paying all his attention to some kind of game on his padd. Joanna sighed. She still could not come to terms with the short life and death of her alter-ego. Since then, she has been thinking about her own life even more seriously. A lot has changed aboard the Explorer since that time. The crew has witnessed their own deaths in a way. What's even more important, it was a voluntary death. It wasn't only Joanna who couldn't stop wondering what she would have done, had the situation been reverse. Would she be equally willing to give up her life for some other, presumably original version of herself? Right now, she was unable to answer that question. She propped her chin on her hand and looked through one of the windows. "Mind if I join you?" she heard. She looked up and saw Pierre. His eyes were as bright and shiny as ever and he had a smile in them. She gestured for him to take a seat. "Something is bothering you," he said simply. "Why don't you share it with me, Sunshine?" Joanna laughed softly: "Oh, so now you're a counselor, too?" Pierre looked hurt for a moment, then he laughed, too. "For you? Always. Now, spill it out," he added after a pause and it sounded like an order. Joanna took a deep breath and said: "It's about the clones. About Joanna in particular." "I see," Pierre immediately got serious. " You're not the only one struggling with this problem. We have done all we could." Joanna took a sip from her mug. "I know," she said quietly. "I only don't understand why. Why were they so stubborn? Why did they have to end their existence so quickly?" "That we may never find out," said Pierre sadly. Even though he hadn't been cloned, watching the crew and, to some extent, sharing their emotions was hard on him, too. "The only thing left for us to do now is to remember them as they were and move on." "You know," Joanna continued as if she had never heard his last words. "I keep on thinking about what she told me. I wouldn't sacrifice myself like that. Not for her, not for anybody." Pierre took her hand in his and said: "You don't know that, Joanna. You won't know that until you actually are in that situation. Nobody knows that about themselves." She looked at him thoughtfully. He caressed her hand lightly and added: "If that may be of any help for you, I'll tell you what I suspect, though." She only nodded, so he continued: "All of the clones agreed on that. Think about it. The Vulcans, the Romulans, Vort… everyone. Doesn't that strike you as a bit odd?" "What do you mean?" "I don't know. I am only saying that perhaps they were 'programmed' for that as well? Kind of failsafe mechanism their creators put into their minds after they'd learned enough about us? They said they discovered our apprehension towards being clones and therefore they added that DNA 'defect' supposed to kill the clones within a month? What if they had also predicted our tendency for compassion, our urge to remove that constraint and acted to prevent it?" Joanna thought about it for a long while. Pierre just sat there, as close to her as he could be in his android body, which meant he couldn't read her mind at the moment. "That would mean they weren't our exact replicas. Their minds might have been tampered with…" she paused. "But wouldn't Darek or Vort discover it?" Pierre smiled at her, reassuringly. "Not if the modification was subtle enough. That is conceivable." "Yes, I suppose it is…" Joanna was so deep in her thoughts that she never even noticed Pierre stood up and silently left the lounge. He never believed in what he had just said. It was possible but he only told her so because he knew how upset she was about the death of the cloned Joanna. And now I am beginning to develop the ability to lie, he thought to himself, returning to his quarters to regain the link with the computer systems. I wonder what else I am capable of… for her? * * * "The date of the Battle at Wolf 359?" "2366!" "What's the basic operational principle of a navigational deflector?" "Um... The navigational deflector uses graviton polarity source generator to feed a subspace field distortion amplifier in order to project a force beam ahead of the ship. This is sufficient to deflect most material out of the path of the vessel well before impact would occur." The string of quick questions and almost equally quick answers went on and on. Joanna had considerable problems with the technical part of her exam, but she was doing pretty well. She could tell, by watching the expression on Liana Rex's face. Captain Anthony was just sitting there, apparently disinterested. Joanna knew it wasn't true but his poker face revealed nothing. The other two members of her examination board, Tanaki and Tim, kept on smiling reassuringly, no matter what she said. So, she was concentrating on Liana, whose eyes gave her a clue whenever she missed a point. Commander Kowalsky just kept asking one question after another and seemingly didn't pay much attention to her answers. Everything was being recorded, though, so she had no doubt her performance would be judged fairly. "What does TCS stand for?" "Telepathic Computer System!" That one was easy, she thought. "What are the characteristic features of the Gurlans?" the questions kept on occurring intermittently, leaving no time for her to even think of an answer. "The Gurlans are an extremely long living race. They also mature slowly. They reach an equivalent of humanoid twenty-year-old mental development around the age of hundred. And they are extremely emotional throughout their lives." Joanna saw appreciation in Liana's eyes. She knew she was doing OK. Finally, the theoretical part of her exam was over. Before that, she had already passed the preliminary tests in advanced math, warp drive mechanics and first contact issues and took a holodeck test in interracial negotiation skills. This was the last piece of her assessment before she could be officially admitted to the Academy first year courses. It was also the one she had feared the most, knowing that it was Kowalsky who would be personally asking her questions. For some reason the man still hadn't accepted her. Now, two months after their encounter with the Noabi and their clones, the crew finally seemed to have shaken off the shock of facing their counterparts as well as watching them all die. The clones remained adamant to end their existence the way it had been designed, none of them allowed to be helped. They spent approximately a month together on Noabia, as they decided to call the planet. Each and every one of them had their unique experience with their clones. Joanna was dazed to realize that her clone had been just as unwilling to return to her own world as she was. They spent hours talking and getting to know each other, or perhaps themselves? After the cloned Joanna died, the 'original' had her motives clearer than ever before. She wanted to stay and continue her journey aboard the Explorer. She had left nothing of real value behind, her life was still ahead of her. Now, she was finally ready to become the real member of this crew and this exam was the final stage of preparation for her. "Thank you, Mrs. Kruk," she finally heard. "Would you please wait outside?" She got up, briefly came to attention in front of her examinators and left the conference room. She was surprised to find someone already waiting outside. "Pierre? What are you doing here?" The android was leaning casually on the wall with a devilish smile on his lips. "Waiting for you, Sunshine. How did the exam go?" Joanna couldn't help but laugh out loud. "You were listening in all the time, why do you ask?" Pierre had a hurt expression on his face. "Of course I was listening, Joanna. I have no choice but to listen to everything that's said aboard the ship. It still doesn't mean I was eavesdropping. And I thought it was important for humans to be given support in such moments." Joanna felt embarrassed for a moment before she realized he was just teasing her. She smiled gratefully and accepted his outstretched hands. "Thank you," she said softly. "It was tough." Pierre laughed: "Of course it was. It's supposed to be…" he wanted to add something else but then the door opened and Joanna was asked in again. Turning around, she caught the sight of Pierre, winking at her. "Miss Kruk, we are pleased to inform you that you have been officially accepted into the Starfleet Academy. As of now, you are a first year cadet," Anthony's words were formal but she could tell he was pleased. Just as the rest of the board. While she was accepting congratulations, Kowalsky came up to her and offered his hand: "I must admit I never thought you'd manage so well," he said. She noticed something different about the man. "Thank you, sir," she replied, accepting his hand. She was even more surprised to see a faint smile on his face when he said: "Welcome aboard, Cadet Kruk."