Chapter 29

The conversation over subspace which had begun with Admiral Nechayev testily asking "What is it now?" had not improved significantly by the end of the first minute. Thirty minutes into it, things were not much better. The concern for Data was not that Admiral Nechayev interrupted Data when he was relaying recent events, but that she said almost nothing until he was finished telling her everything.

Data, who was accustomed to frequent interruptions, and prompts from the Captain such as: "Data, please get to the point", and "Data, I think we understand now", or "Thank you, that will be all Mr. Data." There was even the five second stare Captain Picard often employed which had the effect of making Data stop talking abruptly. Data knew that 32 percent of the time, Captain Picard would use Data's pause to change the subject, and 15 percent of the time he would end the meeting. But with Nechayev, Data had no such cues to guide him.

Finally when he had finished recounting everything of significance from the last 24 hours, the Admiral spoke. "So Commander, let me get this straight…Captain Picard is missing and his whereabouts are unknown; Commander Riker is in the intensive care unit, and Counselor Troi is now in a coma…."

Data nodded. "Correct."

"And further," continued the Admiral, "Chief Engineer LaForge is stuck on a malfunctioning holodeck with a renegade Klingon with a price on his head and a hostile Romulan officer…"

"Yes," Data agreed.

"…while the Romulans are making vague threats only Captain Picard could possibly explain, which of course he can't because he is missing, and the Klingons are demanding to board the Enterprise in order to hunt down the renegade Klingon."

"Yes, Admiral," Data admitted.

"Meanwhile, a being from an alternate universe appears to be attempting to control the minds of your crew."

"That is a fairly accurate description of our current status Admiral," said Data. "Do you have any orders sir?"

Nechayev's severe glare did not falter, but her tone was reasonable. "To be honest, Mr. Data, with much of your crew compromised I can think of no one more appropriate to be in command at this moment. It appears that you have your hands full. Abandon the negotiations on Kronos, at least temporarily until you are able to get things under control on board that ship. At the same time Data…the Federation-Klingon Alliance must not fail over some hurt feelings on the part of Chancellor K'mpec. Fix the situation."

"Aye sir."


Picard backed slowly away from the hulking warrior in front of him. They stood inside the Old King's fortress, just outside of the inner chamber of the fortress, where presumably the Old King sat. Minutes earlier he had openly rejected the directive that he kill the Old King. It seemed strange to him that suddenly the spell seemed to have been broken, after days of being obsessed with achieving whatever the Other had wanted of him, namely killing and more killing of the enemies in this world.

Now, he saw things clearly again. He knew that at least in part, this was because his mind was unwilling to let go of the things and people in the world he was from; the people that he loved. His love for Beverly had helped to overcome his desire to obey the Other. Had she given up on him, he doubted that he would have been able to come back from the brink of madness. And there was something else. He now had some insight into the Other's motives. Guinan had been right; the Other was concerned only with fulfilling his lust for death and destruction, something Picard had ultimately refused to indulge him in any longer.

And the Other it seemed, no longer needed him, having cleaved the cruelest and inhuman pieces of Picard's personality, and forged them into a fearsome being he named Doulos. Picard recalled from his studies as a child that doulos was the word for "slave" in classic Greek. Indeed, the Other had found a more reliable servant in Doulos. But a slave was not a willing servant. Perhaps he could convince Doulos to turn away from the Other.

But unfortunately for him, he was trapped inside an alternate world, and one in which the Other had declared he would not return from. Doulos appeared ready to ensure that the Other's prediction would come true; that Picard would die a gruesome death. He realized he was in a compromising position, and considered fleeing. But he realized that this would not work. After all, where would he go? But more importantly, the Other's words echoed in his head: Doulos will enter your world to rule as overlord….

The thought of Doulos entering his universe and creating chaos and destruction at the direction of the Other was utterly unthinkable. The fact was, he could not run, he had to stop Doulos if it killed him. If this being was created from a part of him, would it be possible to reason with it…him? He stared up at Doulos, who had so far not uttered a word. Picard wondered if he had the advantage of superior intelligence. He certainly did not want to assume so, as this could literally be the death of him.


When Ensign Wesley Crusher finally polarized the cells inside the holodeck control panel a tiny but satisfying bluish-white energy beam blinked on, confirming his success. He laughed, and backed out of the utility compartment, bumping the back of his head. "Ouch," he said, as just a little bit of the confidence he had just earned ebbed away.

He stood up and looked around at the other techs, his face flushed with excitement. They didn't exactly look pleased. Wesley brushed off their jealousy. He wiped his sweaty hands on the front of his uniform. "Should be all set now," he said, trying to sound as authoritative as possible.

Ensign Blake, one of the technicians stepped forward and punched a code into the control panel. "Computer end program," said the young man. The holodeck doors slid open halfway, which was certainly good enough. The tech turned to grin at them and then stepped into the holodeck. "Holy shit!" they heard him cry out. Almost immediately, he backed and nearly stumbled out of the holodeck with his hands in the air. Wesley and another tech grabbed phasers and ran forward, but froze as a Romulan woman stepped out of the holodeck, immediately followed by a black and silver clad arm gripping a disruptor.

Commander Korok kicked Sub-Commander Saris in the back, sending her tumbling forward. She caught her balance and turned back to face him, shooting a Starfleet tech a nasty warning look as he attempted to help her. Korok emerged with the disruptor, holding his other arm around Geordi LaForge's neck. He pointed the disruptor at Ensign Blake.

Commander Korok pointed the disruptor at Geordi's head. LaForge was barely conscious, and appeared to have sustained a head wound. He stood unsteadily on his feet.

"Geordi, are you okay?" Wesley cried out.

Laforge lifted his head. "Stay back, Wes," he said groggily.

Angrily, Korok slammed the butt of the gun into the side of Geordi's head, causing the engineer to go limp again.

"If you persist with that behavior you will kill him," said Saris.

"What do you care? Whoever heard of a Romulan with a soft spot?" snarled Korok. "Now," he said, keeping the disruptor at Geordi's temple and looking around at the stunned engineers and Wesley. "Who is in charge here?"

Ensign Blake looked at Wesley. Wesley's eyes widened. Yes, he had been put in charge of the tech team to fix the holodeck malfunction but… "I am," Wesley said, surprising even himself, stepping forward and trying to display a confidence he did not really possess.

Korok began to laugh derisively. "Very well," he said. "Then you will meet my terms, or this man dies."

Wesley swallowed nervously. "Look, please let my friend go. He didn't do anything to you."

"Your negotiation skills are unimpressive. I want a ship with warp capability," insisted Korok. "Will you give it to me? Choose your answer wisely, as your friend's life depends on it."

"This child has no authority, you fool," shouted Saris. She turned to Wesley sharply. "You would be wise not to say another word, young human. He will kill your friend."

"I will kill him if he does not speak," Korok retorted gruffly.

Wesley tapped his communicator. "Ensign Crusher to Commander Data. Sir, Chief Engineer LaForge has been taken hostage, by uh…uh large Klingon, sir."

Data's calm voice came on the channel. "Wesley do not engage with Commander Korok any further. Stand by," he said.