"Mistaken Identity" Part 5

When last we saw our brave heroes, Captain Blanchard was unconscious in Sickbay, disabled by a weapon meant for another man, and the McAuliffe's doctor unable to reverse its effects. Not only that, but it appeared she was also about to come under attack from one of her own crew. In the meantime, Commander Rocky Jordan had taken the alien behind the energy weapon into custody, but has so far failed to get him to reveal any information on reversing its effects. Read on to see how our stalwart crew fares this week.

T’Ku’lhan’s shape changed once more, and she resumed her usual Vulcan appearance. “My mother was an El-Aurian. And, as you know, El-Aurians are a very long-lived race. About two hundred years ago, a very charming gentleman completely swept her off her feet. After they were married, he informed her that he was a member of a race called the Q Continuum. Have you heard of it?”

The captain retorted, “All starship captains have been fully briefed on the being known as Q and all of his ilk.”

“Then you know that those from the Continuum possess incredible powers. My father passed some of them on to me.” T’Ku’lhan smiled enigmatically.

“So, are you toying with me now?” A feeling of dread crept up on Blanchard. She had heard stories of how the being called Q had amused himself with other starships in the fleet, most notably the Enterprise.

The other woman chuckled softly. “Let’s just call it an experiment. You see, I’ve always been afraid to use my powers very much. The Continuum sought out my father and killed him when they found out about his marriage to my mother, an inferior life form. I’ve always been a bit cautious about them finding out about my existence and doing the same to me. So far, luckily, I’ve managed to keep them from discovering my existence.”

=/\=

Dr. Castle suddenly swore under her breath. “She’s slipping farther away. Whatever that Vulcan’s doing, she’d better hurry it up.” The readings on the computer terminal next to the captain’s bed were becoming more and more erratic.

=/\=

Suddenly the captain gasped and clutched her chest, reacting to a sharp and intense pain. Her heart felt as if a hand had grasped it and squeezed it very hard. Blue-green eyes blazed angrily in T’Ku’lhan’s direction. “What are you doing to me?”

“That’s not my doing, unfortunately. The energy blast that knocked you unconscious is slowly eating away at your bodily functions. You could say we’re running out of time.” The woman gave an eerie laugh, accompanied by a wink of the eye.

“If that’s the case, then what are you waiting for? If you are so sure you can get me out of here, then let’s go.” Blanchard sounded far from amused.

“Now, wait just one minute. I haven’t decided whether I want to help you or not. This may be sheer serendipity. I may have been given the opportunity to dispose of a nasty little problem.” T’Ku’lhan rubbed her hands together gleefully.

“What do you mean?” the captain asked. All of a sudden she felt like she was looking in a mirror. T’Ku’lhan had formed herself into an exact likeness of her, from head to toe. Then the surroundings changed, and the two women found themselves standing outside the McAuliffe, perched on top of the starboard warp nacelle.

“I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be in command,” T’Ku’lhan said thoughtfully, her head cocked slightly. “This little . . . situation . . . will give me the perfect chance to do just that. All I would have to do is to wave my hand and send you floating off into the great unknown.”

Blanchard’s eyes widened. She didn’t know whether to be terrified or furious.

Suddenly, the two women were standing in the empty corridor once more. T’Ku’lhan spoke, as if without interruption, “Of course, the supreme irony would be to make you remain on the ship. In a completely different capacity, of course, and nowhere near the top of the food chain.” Blanchard looked down at herself as her uniform changed color, from command red to the teal of the sciences department. It took only the briefest of moments to place a hand to her collar and feel the solitary pip there.

“I think this has gone quite far enough,” the captain growled as she took a step toward the other woman.

“Yes, I think you’re right. How delightful it would be to watch you go through life as a lowly ensign, forced to run mindless repetitive tests for the rest of your days, without the slightest chance of getting anywhere close to the bridge again.” This was followed by diabolical laughter.

“I demand that you stop this foolishness,” Blanchard ordered, her stance firm. “I refuse to bargain with you . . .”

“Oh, I don’t think you’re in any position to bargain, my dear Adele,” T’Ku’lhan smirked. “I, on the other hand, am in an excellent position to be very magnanimous, if I choose to do so.”

“Yes, I can see that you are indeed your father’s daughter,” the captain spat. But before she could continue, her legs buckled under her and she sat down hard on the deck. “What . . . what are you doing to me?”

“I said before that I wasn’t responsible for getting you into this predicament. An energy weapon from some race we have yet to identify hit you. However, if you are a good little girl, I may be able to get you out of this mess before any more of your bodily functions quit on you. As it is, the doctor has had to administer medicine to keep your heart beating, and it looks as if you just lost motor control.”

“Alright, what do you want?” Blanchard sighed.

“First of all, you must never reveal to anyone what I have just told you. If the Continuum were made aware of my existence, they would most certainly hunt me down and destroy me. And they might not be too careful about who or what they eliminate along the way.” T’Ku’lhan winked knowingly at the woman below her.

“Agreed,” the captain grimaced reluctantly. “But I have a feeling that’s not all.”

“I want you to get me off the bridge,” the other woman said evenly. “If I’m not so visible, then I’ll stand a better chance of not catching the eye of anyone from the Continuum who might come snooping around.”

Blanchard told herself that she didn’t want this woman anywhere close to the bridge, but she wasn’t about to reveal that openly. So she decided to play along for the time being. “I can see that.”

“So you’ll do as I say in this?”

“I think you can count on me to do what I can.” The captain’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked away from T’Ku’lhan briefly.

The other woman held out her hand, a challenging look in her eyes. Blanchard took that hand and clasped it tightly, her own expression just as bold. It was at that moment that things started to go dark.

As if out of a fog, the captain saw moments from her past flash in front of her eyes, as if she was watching from afar. She saw herself sitting at the helm of a Galax-class starship traveling at warp speed, thinking that nothing she had ever experienced at the Academy had prepared her for this. She saw herself in the arms of the first man she had ever loved. And, as a deep sadness suddenly washed over her, she saw herself standing at her father’s grave.

And then these, and many more, images vanished as Blanchard became aware of a bright light all around her. She struggled to open her eyes.

=/\=

Jordan was the first to see the captain’s eyelids start to flicker. “Doctor!” she called out as she took a step forward.

Castle looked away from the computer and quickly pulled out her scanner, running it over the prone body on the bed. “All of her vital signs are returning to normal. That Vulcan must have done something after all.”

Just then, that very Vulcan staggered back from Blanchard’s bed, her hands still out in front of her, a pained expression on her face. Keeping her attention focused on the captain, Castle motioned to one of her nurses to help T’Ku’lhan.

As she did this, the first officer kept her eyes carefully fastened on the captain. Just as she was the first to notice the signs of her awakening, she was the first to see Blanchard’s mouth move ever so slightly. Jordan leaned closer, her ear a fraction of an inch from the captain’s face, and even then barely managed to make out her words. “Ship . . . safe?”

Jordan nodded, smiling as she patted the other woman’s arm. “Yes, Captain. The ship is out of danger. Now, just lay back here and let the good doctor do her work.”

Standing up straight and looking toward T’Ku’lhan, the first officer forced her voice to sound respectful. “The ship owes you a debt of gratitude, Commander. I don’t know what you did, but you’ve saved the captain’s life.” Inwardly, she felt her stomach wrench with the knowledge that she herself had not been able to protect her captain, as she should have been able to do.

Jordan’s eyes widened in surprise, however, at the feel of a hand grasping her wrist so sharply that it threatened to break bone. She looked down to see Blanchard staring at her, blue-green eyes large and blazing. She bent down once more to hear the other woman’s still-weak whisper. At first she thought that the captain must be in shock or dazed, because she asked, “Captain, are you sure?” But when the first officer saw Blanchard begin to become agitated, she nodded. “Yes, sir. Right away.”

Jordan stood up and stared at T’Ku’lhan as she slapped her comm. badge. “Security to Sick-bay, immediately.”

It was only seconds before Ghegau and two of her guards came jogging into Sickbay. The security chief spied Jordan and moved quickly in her direction. “The captain?”

“Safe and recovering,” the first officer nodded. “I called you down here to take Commander T’Ku’lhan into custody.”

That woman hardly had time to react with surprise before Ghegau had motioned to her two guards, who came to stand on either side of her. “What is the meaning of this?” T’Ku’lhan demanded.

“Captain’s orders,” Jordan responded calmly. “Take her to the brig for now.”

“Is this how I am repaid?” The other woman raised her voice, uncharacteristically. “I believe that I am responsible for returning her to consciousness. How can you have me arrested?”

Jordan crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m sure that when Captain Blanchard recovers more fully, she will give us all the answers we need.” With that, she turned and walked briskly out of Sickbayb. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the security detail holding T’Ku’lhan firmly by both arms. The woman accompanied them without a struggle, although her head was held high in defiance.

So, we find Captain Blanchard finally free of the effects of the energy weapon. But how will she deal with both T'Ku'lhan and Lord Waryn of the Zingaro? Are her troubles over, or is there more to come? Return next week to find out.