Micheal Burnham's Residence on Vulcan
Michael Burnham, retired Star Fleet officer, almost stumbled as she came down her stairs. It was too late at night or too early in the morning for someone to be ringing her doorbell. Mayett, her sehlot was at the door, a low rumbling growl in the back of his throat.
"It's OK." She said, as she stroked his back. "Probably just someone lost." Yet, in her pocket, her hand gripped the small phaser, just in case.
The door opened, a young, blond, human female, wearing a pair of old fashioned eye glasses, was there..
"Can I help you?" Michael asked.
"Aunt Michael," the woman smiled nervously, "it's me, Ahida."
Michael looked skeptical, but Mayett rubbed his neck against the young woman's thigh, a sign of recognition.
"Quick, come in we need to talk."
Once inside Ahida sat down on a sofa, took off the fake eye glasses and rubbed her face.
"Ahida," Michael ask, "you do realize that you are the most wanted criminal in the Federation?"
"That's why I came here Aunt Michael, I knew you'd state the obvious. Sorry." She looked as if she were about to cry.
"What happened to you?" Michael asked.
"It all started about four weeks ago..."
Guardian Base, four weeks earlier
Ahida rolled out of bed, who could be buzzing her door at this hour? The door opened.
"Hey sweety." It was Curzon Dax, with a Duffle bag slung over his shoulder. Sorry to wake ya. But two guys woke me a little while ago, told me Starfleet had a new assignment for me and I need to leave now."
"That was sudden." Ahida said.
"I know. I couln't leave without saying bye. Well, it's been interesting. See ya, some...time." He smiled and walked away.
"Curzon, wait." Ahida came out and kissed him on the cheek. "Take care of yourself."
"You too.". Curzon turned and walked away.
Ahida returned to her quarters and was about to slip back in bed, when there was another beep at her door. This time it was two Starfleet security officers, a male and a female. The female walked into her quarters and said, "Get dressed, you're coming with us."
She was escorted to a small conference room. Admiral Henrietta Ladd, the new chief of Section 31 was waiting.
"Have a seat Lieutenant Uhura." The Admiral said. "Years ago, when Captain Kirk discovered this place. The Guardian of Forever granted us quite liberal time travel privileges. Then nothing. For fifteen years, it never responded in any way to our requests. Then Captain Sulu brings you, a first year cadet, here, and it promptly allows you to go back in time to spend time with your dying pet sehlot. Touching."
"Mam, what's this about?"
"We sent you here, because we believed you had some sort of connection to that thing. That you and Dax, could convince it to help us once more. But what have you accomplished? You made contact with your double, supposedly from a mirror Universe. You went ahead in time and saved Harcor Fenton Mudd Jr. from those creatures on Taurus ll. He wouldn't have been much of a loss. But then you seem to have a connection to Mr. Mudd as well."
"Mudd may be a con man, he is a Federation citizen and I had a duty to save him and his nephew."
"Also, you went ahead in time to assist your father in saving Romulus. You could have used the Guardian to stop Nero, and allow the destruction of Romulus. In the future you could rid the galaxy of the Romulans threat."
"That would have been genocide! I couldn't let that happen."
"Then, when Admiral Georgio comes here to inform you of our decision to pull the plug on your little play ground here. She conveniently disappears. Days later, you submit a report claiming that you sent her back to her universe and she was killed immediately upon arrival. Do expect anyone to believe that? If you believe those rumors of her coming from another universe,. You're not fit to wear that uniform."
The Admiral stood up. "Lt. Ahida Uhura, I'm placing you under arrest for the murder of Admiral Phillipa Georgio."
"Admiral, please." Ahida pleaded.
"Guards, take her to the Hathaway, lock her in the brig."
"No,. Admiral. This isn't..."
"Mam, come with us." One of the guards said.
In shock, Ahida was led down the corridor to the base transporter room. The guards took positions on either side of Ahida.
"Wait." The female guard said. She stepped from the transporter pad, walked over and whispered to the transporter chief. Ahida's Vulcan hearing caught every word.
"Set her pad for wide field dispersement."
"Another accident?"
"Admiral Ladd's order. She's becoming too inconvenient." A voice in the back of Ahida's mind screamed: Oh no, I will not let you do this.
As the guard was about to step up onto the pad, Ahida's foot came up and kicked her in the face. At the same time, her right hand came up and smacked the male guard in his nose. Hr stumbled back.
The female, her face bloodied, fumbled for her phaser. Like a wild animal, Ahida leaped from the pad and came down on the guard, her hand found the base of her neck and squeezed. The guard slumped against Ahida's chest, leaving a streak of blood on her uniform.
Ahida grabbed the guards phaser. She spun around, the male had recovered and was raising his weapon. Ahida was faster, he fell stunned on the pad. She turned her attention to the transporter chief. Unarmed, the man raised his hands and backed away.
"Ahida, please. I was just following orders."
She bared her teeth, turned and ran out the door and into Admiral Ladd. The two women pivoted around each other, Ahida keeping the phaser on the Admiral.
"Lieutenant, give me the weapon." Ahida let out the hiss of an angry sehlot. For a moment considered vaporizing the Admiral, but sprinted down the corridor, across the base compound towards the guard station and the entrance to the Guardians secure area.
When she entered the security checkpoint, the guards were stunned, literally, to see her as she burst in, she came in with phaser blasting. She snatched up the guards badges, opened the inner door and ran for the Guardian.
"Guardian, I need your help." There was a long pause before the Guardian spoke.
"I will no longer grant time travel. The things your people are asking of me, could cause irreparable damage to the shape of time."
"They tried to kill me." She heard people running up the path from the guard station.
"There is an alternative that does not require time travel." A blue shimmering light filled the Guardians portal. She ran towards it, as she jumped she heard.
"Security, freeze."
"How the hell did you get here?" Harcor Fenton Mudd screamed as he backed away with his hands raised. "I'm not doing anything illegal."
Ahida was on a darkened street, her eyes darted around. Judging from the signs and their language, a seedy part of a large city.
"Where am I? Is this Andor?"
"It's perfectly legal for me to be here here." Ahida took a breath and let her Vulcan calm take over. She put her stolen phaser away.
"Muddy, put your hands down. Why is it that every time I see you, the first thing you do is profess your innocence?"
"I am, usually." He noticed the blood stained uniform and the still wild look in her eyes."What's happened to you."
"They tried to kill me."
"Who?"
"Starfleet, Section 31 to be precise."
"That doesn't sound like Starfleet. What, exactly have you done?"
"By my calculations, I've assaulted four Starfleet personnel, threatened an Admiral, stole a phaser, evaded arrest and I'm accused of killing an Admiral."
"Wow!" Mudd smiled. "I think that's why I've always liked you. I've known, under those logical pointed ears, beats the heart of a rascal like me."
"Ugh." She rolled her eyes. "Wait, you owe me a favor."
"No I don't, were square."
"You left me on Taurus ll with those creatures. I nearly had my head smashed in."
"You said, 'dont worry about me."
"I didn't mean leave me behind. What about Gary?"
"Who?"
"Your nephew. I saved him too. He owes me a favor."
"He's a child."
"Then do it in his behalf."
Michael Burnham's residence Vulcan
"It took a while, but I convinced him to help me." Ahida said. "He took me to a young Andorian medical student. Except, he wasn't really a medical student. His father was a back street surgeon, specialized in surgical alterations, for criminals and people who just want to disappear. He was experimenting with a new procedure called DNA restructuring. Because I was his first patient, he did it for free. After three days of pain, this is what I look like."
"Muddy gave me the stolen identity of an archeology student named Jennifer Smith. I spent the last few weeks hitching rides on various freighters, trying to get to Vulcan. Now that I'm here, I don't even know why I came."
Ahida began sobbing, "Aunt Michael, All I wanted was to be a science officer. I end up working for Section 31. How can someone get into so much trouble?"
Michael sat down next to her and put an arm around her niece. "You came to the right place. I know a little bit about getting into a lot of trouble. We'll figure something out."
Ahida spent the next two days in her Aunt's guest room. That afternoon Michael came in.
"I've been speaking to a...friend. He's returning from a deep space mission. I'm going to take a private shuttle out to meet him. It would not be a good idea for you to stay here. I know some people at the Vulcan Science Academy. They are putting together a joint expedition with an Andorian college. They've recently taken over an archeological dig from a Federation survey team on Toshina Four. I've arranged for you to go. How's your Andorian?"
"Tfdds. Pretty good. I enjoy speaking that language."
"Good. You'll need it. We'll swing by in a few weeks. Hopefully we'll have a solution to your problem."
"Aunt Michael, who is your...friend?"
"I'd rather not say just yet. He has no love for Section 31, or Admiral Ladd. Ladd was second to Georgio at Section 31. Georgio assimilated, somewhat well to our ways here. Ironically, she's the one who kept Ladd in check. If she's in charge of that unaccountable agency. Then I fear for the future of the Federation."
Toshina Four
This has got to be some kind of sick joke, Ahida AKA Jennifer Smith thought as she walked down the ramp of the Vulcan Science Academy shuttle. Toshina Four was the Guardian Planet. Barely one hundred meters away sat the Guardian of Forever. The guard station, the protective shielding, the entire base was gone. Only a few huts and Andorian style tents sat, where only a few weeks ago, there was a bustling Federation base.
When Section 31 disappears, they really disappear, she thought.
"Am I going to have to speak standard?" Shaunral, the Andorian Chief scientist asked. Ahida had not been paying attention, fixated on the Guardian as she was.
Shaunral had been greeting the Vulcan group as they came off the shuttle.
"Tta." Ahida said. "I speak Andorian quite well. I was wondering what that round thing is over there?" The words were spoken perfectly.
"Impressive." Shaunral said. "Most Pinkskins struggle to say hello."
"When are Andorrans going to illuminate racial slurs from their language, as most civilized beings have?"
"As well as you speak our language, you should know it is built on honesty. You are one of the pinkest Pinkskins I've seen. No offense intended. As for that round thing, we don't know. It's carved out of local rock. And the city is built around it. We're trying to determine its significance. Now, if everyone will follow me, I will show you to your tents."
Three days later, Ahida hadn't been this dirty in a long time. Despite modern technology, archeology was still done the old fashioned way. Slowly, with tiny shovels and brushes. She mostly went through the motions. Other than an introductory course at the academy, she really knew little about the science.
"Miss Smith," it was Professor Shaunral, he was looking down into the pit Ahida was working in. The tone of voice he used, made Ahida think, he's figured out I'm not really an archeology student.
"Yeah?" She said, trying to sound like a flippant human college student.
"Are you familiar with Captain Hikaru Sulu of the Excelsior."
Her heart jumped at the sound of the name. She couldn't lie, but she couldn't let out too much information.
"Yeah, gave a lecture about deep space exploration at my school. I even got to talk to him some."
"Well, you must have made an impression on him. The Excelsior has just entered orbit and he requests that you beam up. He would like to speak with you."
Ahida almost jumped out of the pit. Could this be her rescue?
"Mustn't keep the capn waiting." She said.
"Miss Smith," Shaunral said. "Whatever you did to impress Captain Sulu, it surely was not your skills as an archaeologist.",,
She smiled and shrugged as the walked past him.
The first thing Ahida saw when she materialized on Excelsior's transporter pad, was Lt. Tuvok.
"Miss Smith." He said. "The Captain requested that I escort you to his Ready Room. Follow me."
"Sure." Either he doesn't know who I am, or he's not letting on.
As they rode the turbo lift, Ahida was starting to get nervous. Tuvok was his usual irritating self. Could this be Sulu's way of arresting me, without making a scene?
When the Ready Room doors opened, she was expecting to see a dozen phaser rifles pointing at her. Instead it was just Sulu and Aunt Michael.
She breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Boy, am I glad to see you guys."
"I've never seen you before in my life." Sulu said. He got up, walked around his desk and looked Ahida in the eye. He smiled. "I liked you the way you were. This new look, just isn't you."
"Thanks. I still cringe when I see myself."
Sulu leaned back on his desk. "Michael and I have been discussing your predicament for the last few days. We are returning from a first contact mission. A new, highly advanced civilization is interested in joining the Federation. They have gifted us some... very interesting technology. It may be just what you need."
Sulu pressed the intercom on his desk.
"Sulu to bridge."
"Bridge."
"Lay in a course for Earth, warp five."
"Warp five, aye."
Earth two weeks later
Most of the Excelsior crew was on shore leave. Only Sulu, two of his oldest and most trusted crew, Michael Burnham and Ahida remained aboard.
While Sulu and everyone prepared a surprise for Admiral Ladd. Ahida used her consideral hacking skills to hack Starfleets data base. Eventually, she found a way into the very computers of Section 31. Then into the personal files and logs of the late Admiral Georgio.
Michael was looking over her shoulder, intensely studying the information.
"Aunt Michael," Ahida said, "there are so many variables. So much can go wrong. I don't think this is going to work."
"The only alternative is to turn yourself in."
"And risk an accident? No way." She looked up at the ceiling. "Guardian, can't you just give me five minutes?"
Headquarters Section 31, deep under London England
Admiral Ladd was reading the latest Ahida sighting. Two in the last few hours, light years apart. If that girl still had access to the Guardian, she could be anywhere, any when.
"I could cease to exist at any moment." She mumbled to herself. A cloud of paranoia hanging over her. She shut off her computer and hit the intercom.
"Matsumi?"
"Yes mam?" Her personal body guard, standing outside her door replied.
"I'm going to take lunch in my office, see to it I'm not disturbed."
"Yes mam."
She got up and walked over to her replicator, but never got there.
Instead, she found herself in a strange room, face to face with Ahida, her normal appearance restored. Fresh blood smeared across the front of her uniform.
"Lieutenant," Ladd said, "adding kidnapping to your list of charges?"
"No mam, I brought you here to prove my innocence. Turn around."
Slowly Ladd turned, and gasped.
"Georgio?"
"I thought I would never see your face again. Especially in my universe. I am your emperor here, you will bow to me." Ahida bowed, and Ladd said.
"Not hardly."
Georgio motioned for her guards. "Perhaps an hour in an Agonizer Booth will change your mind."
"Admiral," Ahida whispered, "please, this is her world."
Reluctantly Ladd bowed slightly.
"That's better.". Georgio motioned for an aid. A young woman came up beside her. "Record our conversation." The aid took out a small recording device and switched it on.
"As you can see, I am alive and well. Lt. Uhura assisted me in returning here so I could take my place as the rightful emperor of the Terran Empire. Now she comes to me and tells me you have charged her with my murder. An error on your part, that you should rectify immediately upon your return to your universe."
"Of course." Ladd said. "But, her report stated you were killed immediately upon your arrival here."
"A lie. I thought it best I be dead in your universe. To prevent anyone from trying to follow me here."
Georgio took the recorder from her aid, switched it off and offered it to Ladd. Then pulled it back.
"After you have cleared Uhura's name, you will resign your commission as a Starfleet officer."
"You have no right to force that on me."
"Perhaps, Uhura now has access to all my personal logs and files. Henrietta, there is enough dirt there to put you under a Federation prison for the rest of your life. Save yourself and your precious Starfleet a lot of trouble and embarrassment. Resign."
"Maybe it is time I retire and go back to my lake side cottage in Michigan."
"You always told me, Wisconsin."
"Right." Georgio handed her the recorder and nodded at Ahida.
"Wait," Ladd said, "my counterpart here, where is she?"
There was a swish and the Admiral winced as she felt the point of Georgio's dagger under her chin.
"I had her killed, a long, long time ago. And I would enjoy doing it myself this time. But..." she looked at Ahida. "Get her out of my universe."
Ahida looked up. "Guardian, send the Admiral back.". A moment later, Ladd was gone.
The door to Georgio's office opened, Sulu, Burnham and "Jennifer" walked in. Georgio's body guards spun around and leveled their weapons on them.
"Computer, freeze program." Sulu said.
Michael stared Georgio in the eyes. "Chilling. This could have fooled me."
"Yes, but it takes a lot of power. Computer end program." Everything vanished leaving the trio standing in an empty storage bay. Holo emitters mounted on the wall.
"Did she fall for it?" Ahida asked.
"Seemed like it." Sulu said.
"Better play Jennifer for a while longer till learn the Admiral's intentions."
"Sure thing. I'm starting to get used to being her."
Starfleet Medical several days later
"Ahida, can you hear me." The voice was familiar, the accent, southern U.S.
"Bones?" Ahida whispered.
"Yep." Dr. McCoy said. "How do you feel?"
"Like a bunch of people have been beating on me with clubs."
"Was afraid of that. What that Andorian "doctor" did to you, should be illegal. But, the good news, you look like the Ahida we all know and love. The bad news, you've got your daddy's ears. But they look better on you than him."
"Ha...ow. Don't joke, that hurt."
Ahida felt a hypo hiss against her arm. "There that'll help. Now get some rest."
"Do you always wake your patients up and tell them to get some rest? That's illogical."
"I'm a doctor, that's what we do. Now, don't worry about a thing. Good 'ol doc McCoy is taking care of you."
The next day she was able to sit up. She was speaking with Michael.
"Now that my name has been cleared, I hope Starfleet has a good assignment. I was tired of being stuck on a base."
"Unfortunately, an officer your age will most likely be assigned to a starbase."
"Oh, I hope not."
Sulu came in the room.
"Hey kid. Been meaning to check in. But, I've been busy getting the Excelsior ready. Long assignment. Out past the Gorn Hegemony. Long range probe indicated hundreds of stars. Possibly dozens of civilizations, just waiting for contact. Three, four years maybe."
"Sounds like fun."
"Well, gotta go.". Sulu took a couple of steps. "Oh, by the way, I have an opening for a science officer. Do know anyone available?"
"Yeah, me." Ahida said. "Umm, sir."
Sulu took out a data pad. "Well, isn't this a coincidence. I just happen to have orders with your name on them."
He handed her the pad. "When McCoy clears you for duty, take three weeks leave and report for duty. We leave in five weeks. See you there."
For several minutes she read the orders over and over. Finally she would be out among stars, exploring. Seeing things no one had had seen before.
She remembered something Captain James T. Kirk had told her when she was little.
"Wherever you go, what ever you chose to do, be someone who makes a difference."
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