Her arms were empty as the gold faded to the sight of the transporter room. There was a single technician by the console, the doors shut and otherwise quiet; hearing distantly the bridge; the command as Saur called for them to jump into warp… but her focus shifted to the emperor.
She was lying on the transporter pad beside her, flat on her back, her eyes closed but Michael knew she was fully conscious, able to hear the world but now the venom had reached both heart and so she was entering the next stage of the transformation. Her hand ached and flared as she twitched, the whole room giving a jolt but she gasped out as she felt the shift in the air; the rattle that run through the metal, resonating even through her body; more so down her wrist….
'Black alert' the alarm ringing distantly.
Her hand clamped around her wrist, feeling the crack that still lingered but the ship's motion seemed to rock and shake so she kept herself low to the floor, digging her heels into the glass…. It didn't stop.
All around, Michael could hear the thumps and sounds as the crew reacted to the rough moves as the ship shook… being tossed around; finding an anchor in gripping what solid surface they could….
Then the jolt that lurched her forwards and the whole ship came to a stop; the feeling in the air vanished though it took a moment longer before the pain subsided. She clenched her hand, testily but she still had full movement of the limb, no lasting damage.
A relief.
"Is she okay?" The voice caught Michael off guard, jumping to her feet in an instant, a growl ready to rip before the moment caught up to see it was simply the transporter technician, his warm brown eyes flickering to the Terran Emperor's prone form that had slipped more towards the steps down from the pads.
Michael turned though she could hear the woman's rapid heartbeat and steady breathing to give him a nod. "She will be. Can you send word to prep one of the guest rooms with a bio monitor?" She'd need to keep her vitals on the monitor; a better way to keep track of the woman's changes to the point than rely on her scent or heartbeat.
Leaning down, Michael gently slipped her arms back under the human's body and gently lifted her back up into her arms though Philippa's head lolled back more as her head lifted off the surface though she suddenly realised that…this was not going to be easy to explain. Saru was going to be furious…
The door opened.
To her discomfort, it was Saru.
His face flashed through a few emotions as he saw both her and Philippa. Surprise, but instinct drew his threat ganglia out as usual. Surprise quickly turned to a second of disbelief before…
"Captain?"
Michael shook her head. "I'm sorry."
He stepped forwards though he seemed to understand; after all the amour was a dead giveaway to the woman's Terran world. He inhaled deeply, his hands rising to his threat ganglia and collecting himself quickly.
"Can she hear us?"
"She's entered the next stage but she'll remain conscious throughout. I've already requested a room for a monitor. I'll…need to stay with her once I've cleaned up." God knew who messy she looked.
Saru nodded softly, ganglia way and his hands dropped "Transport our…guest to the room. Burnham, you can set up the monitor fully once you're done with me. We may need you on the bridge."
Her eyes turned to the technician who nodded and tapped along the screen; gold light stealing Philippa way though some part of her was…annoyed; that they were taking her away from her but rationally, she knew it was temporary.
"Now, the presence of having a Terran defector is to be regarded as classified. Its utterance will carry a penalty of treason, do you understand?"
The technician nodded quickly with a wash of nerves. "Aye, Captain."
"Captain, your presence is requested in sickbay."
"Acknowledged." Saru nodded her away with him. "With me."
As they walked, Michael listened out briefly. The crew sounded active again and quickly, working to the ship's structures. Repairing damage if she wasn't mistaken…. She could hear Paul and Tilly in engineering, talking of repairs to the drive—the loss of their spores…
"I'm sorry I brought her with me, Sir." Michael spoke up, turning the corner with him. "I know I could offer up excuses but… I just didn't want her to die again… nor did I think I could just leave her lying there."
Saru sighed out but nodded again. "I know. Guilt comes in many forms. Though bringing a turning human, a terran no less, may not have been the smartest of impulses you've had. However, there are few that would have done what you did. We're home and you're safe."
She bobbed her head. "Any word of star fleet command?"
"We've received on our long range scanners of a few ships heading our way. They'll intercept in 3 hours. I'll need you on the bridge for that."
"Yes, sir."
They entered the turbo lift though a few questions popped up, a welt of concern following.
"What happened with Lieutenant Tyler?"
Saru inhaled deeply. "After we transported him back… he started to deteriorate mentally to a…aggressive, Klingon like manner. In this state he attacked Dr Culber but security stopped him from any permanent harm."
Michael's eyes flashed to Saru in concern. "Is he okay?"
"It was just a scrape. Dr Pollard is treating Tyler now. I think Stamets may have killed Tyler if Culber tried to treat him again…or go near him."
Michael pursed her lips but she understood. Culber was okay, no doubt shaken up but the instinct to protect him from Tyler would be too strong for Stamets if faced with a possibility.
"And Ash? I never got the full details."
"Yes…" There was an edge of hesitancy that lingered. "After running assessments, it seemed that… Lieutenant Tyler had been…integrated with a Klingon on a physiological level."
Her eyes widened. "He was a Klingon?"
"Not quite to that extreme. From what we know, Tyler was taken at the battle at the Binary stars, moved around to many prison ships before L'Rell saw him as an ideal candidate as a spy. From what we know, they graphed a Klingon's neurological identify into his brain then reactivated Tyler's original personality and memories on top."
"Dear god…" That sounded awful but that still left open a lot of questions. Clearly, Tyler was no doubt…Tyler again but it explained more to his behaviour. To why he thought he was both when he cut himself on the Shenzhou. The trauma behind it easily masked as torture.
"The Klingon you brought from the Sarcophagus happened to be L'Rell. I was able to convince her to… neuter the foreign identity from Tyler's neurological patterns." Saru carried on.
So that was their Klingon's guest… of all the Klingons she brought; she had to bring the one that did that to Tyler to start with. She must have started to activate the Klingon mind within him. L'Rell had to do it to not only avoid the Starfleet sanctioned medical rules, but to save him…
They carried on walking though the distinct familiar disinfectant smell of the sickbay flowed down the corridor though Ash's scent too; signalling an open bay door. As if she had some sixth sense or better hearing, Dr Pollard popped her head out around the corridor before the rest of her white, uniformed body followed her out.
"Captain, He's wake." She stated calmly, her brown eyes flickering to her before frowning deeply with a mild shift of discomfort.
Saru looked to her with a quick nod. "I was hoping, Burnham, that you could see him. A familiar face might encourage him to heal"
She felt his side glance though she nodded. Of course, he was still her friend. If he had tried to kill her, perhaps it was another story but she owed him that for her part in all of this. "Of course."
He nodded, a hint of relief in his shoulders before he looked to Dr Pollard. "How is he?"
Pollard sighed. "He's identifying as Ash Tyler again. We can't seem to find any traces of Klingon activity within his neurological activity nor any foreign changes to his body. There's no risk of this… Klingon being triggers now. But medically, I've had to completely discharge him from any ship service until we can determine the science behind it and potential effects." Her voice sounded grave but there was plentiful logic behind. The medic outranked the captain in that regard.
"Of course." Saru nodded.
Michael's nose picked up his scent getting heavier, impatient, she darted forwards ahead of them and stopped as she came to the door. A low sigh escaping her chest as she saw Ash sitting on the bio bed, dressed down in the sickbay medical gowns and looking like a somewhat kicked puppy.
It took a moment though she moved forwards at a human pace. "Ash?"
His head spun to look at her, blood flushing into his face and he almost seemed to jump up. "Michael." A note of relief in his voice. His shoulders relaxing. "I'm so sorry!"
Michael shook her head softly. "It's not your fault, Ash." She assured, though she stopped in front, allowing his face to take her in; blood and terran gear and all but he didn't seemed to be bothered, just pleased to see her.
"How are you feeling?"
Ash looked away, his excitement of seeing her dying quickly before his body slouched. "I don't know."
She understood. A whole new change was… discomforting. "But you'll be okay, Ash. Even if you're not now, you'll get there."
Ash snorted, a little bitterly. "I'm… I don't know. I thought I knew who I was… I thought the Klingons didn't break me. I guess I was wrong." His voice tightening as if restricted but she reached forwards and placed a cool hand onto his shoulder.
"You are Ash Tyler. A Starfleet Lieutenant that has been through a horrendous ordeal. What happened wasn't your fault, nor should it be held against you. I'm not angry or mad at you."
"I wanted to kill you…but I knew… god I even knew I couldn't do anything to kill you so—"
"No, he wanted to kill me or expose me. Not you." Michael corrected softly. "I suppose, if I was human, I may have a different approach but… I'm not. You just need time to heal. Mentally."
Ash inhaled deeply but nodded. "I know."
"May I ask, what…happened to the Klingon mind?"
Ash's lips pursed though didn't answer for a moment. "I…have his memories, but there's nothing more. It all feels like… a dream. Watching someone else's life a distance away."
"And… do you know what was done to you?"
He said nothing. Implication clear enough that he wasn't ready to talk to her about it.
Her ruby gaze lingered on his face for a moment though he closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment before he opened them, his lip curling up a little in amusement.
Her head tilted in curiosity. "What?"
"I know it's not funny, but you look like you've walked out of a horror movie."
Her finger prodded his arm but took it as good humour. "I do need to clean up."
"Can you visit me later?"
Michael hesitated, pursing her lips but she nodded.
Getting into a shower had been one of the few things Michael found herself enjoying, taking the time and plenty of hot water to scrub all the blood away; the water running red, then pink then clear. Her terran clothes, she kept in a small pile on the floor; debating to recycle them or wash— she'd see later— and her new Starfleet uniform was a relief to slip into. She felt more herself with it on.
Though she knew her duty called as she strode to the emperor's room. Her scent hit her the moment she stepped in. Her eyes found the woman; clear evidence that the technician hadn't aimed correctly in getting her on the bed.
Philippa was lying on her back in the middle of the room, her legs tucked more under her, the amour looking to dig in and glinted in the passing light; none of the lamps where on…
Michael sighed heavily, darting forwards and carefully picked her up and carefully lowered the emperor down to the soft, double bed's covers. Pulling her head to rest on the pillows and her legs straight, she moved the woman's wrists to her stomach.
"I know you can hear me. You're still 27 hours away until the transformation is over. I'm plugging your vitals into a monitor. I'll stay for as long as possible but we're… back in my universe now. I am sorry for… well, kidnapping you." Michael started, glad to see at least the equipment had been transported too and started to set it up. "Starfleet is on its way. What happens with you is going to be determined by them, given you're a turning vampire and from another universe."
She had vaguely heard something of a facility for vampires given the insistence of the admirals after she had bitten Cornwell, instead of having the admiral on Discovery for it. She never had the chance to look into it.
Michael took a seat at the end of the bed, taking the unused PADD from the side though she took the time to start writing up her reports.
Michael remained undisturbed for about 45 minutes before she heard the chime. Her eyes narrowed, sparing a glance to the still woman beside her and rose to her feet, tucking the PADD away.
"Come."
Michael blinked in pleasant surprise as she saw Paul enter. His ruby eyes taking her in then flickering passed her. His skin and face was still lined with deep cracks, the smaller ones near gone by comparison but it was clear to anyone that it was still healing. It reminded her of how she had been after Mudd had shattered her. Her wrist though gave a twinge; like Paul, it'd take time for that to heal up again. Fully. Damn Lorca and his toys.
Though she was ever thankful that the worst of it was gone but she didn't want it to permanently scar her skin for eternity. Paul's bite mark was bad enough.
"It's good to see you in one piece, Stamets." She remarked.
His lip twitched though he stepped in further until he was a meter in but made no attempt to get any closer. Which felt right. "I came to see how you are."
"I feel I should be asking you that."
Paul smiled then nodded, his hand coming to his face. "I was able to resolve the issues with the jumps so I shouldn't shatter again."
"I heard you took a mind-trip."
"It was…informative. " His eyes flickered passed her but didn't elaborate for that reason.
Michael looked to Philippa and nodded. "As long as we're not scraping you off engineering's floor again…"
Paul's smile dimmed but he looked more serious. "How are you feeling about… the deaths involved?"
Michael's moon died a little, she knew it shone in her face before she masked it quickly. "I know I should feel bad on it."
"Is it because they're Terrans?" Paul inquired, his arms folding over his chest though he looked more curious than anything else, "or because they're bad people?"
"No."
Again, he didn't look surprised. "I know what you mean."
"You've never killed any humans, Stamets." All his blood came from a replicator. He didn't have the body count she did.
"Technically, no." He mused, "But technically, yes."
Michael eyed him. "Technically?" She would have heard if he had killed someone.
"We were trapped in the time loop, Burnham."
"Excuse me?"
"Mudd's time loops." Paul took a step forwards, "I remember of course, you do not."
Her head spun with this new information but… of course. There was clearly a lot to the time loops she had missed nor caught up on… Mudd would have figured out that they drank blood… and he'd use that if the implication was hung right…
"What happened?"
"On a few loops, my thirst was tested and broken by spilt blood." He looked away ashamed. "I… I killed a lot of our crew …I even got you to join in. We killed everyone. A few times."
Michael's breath caught, her stomach tightening.
"My self-control… that's where it was forged from. I had to stop… I couldn't take killing my friends…" He shook his head. "Now, this timeline. All my friends, the crew lived in blissful ignorance."
"No one would have blamed you, Stamets. You were new to this life." His self-control had surprised her; that he had claimed it so quickly. She hadn't bothered to ask him about the loops; the damage that could have done to him.
"Not my point, Burnham."
She stayed quiet.
"My point is, I know the enjoyment of killing for food. It's… in our nature as a vampire but that's…not us. I can look at each member of my crew like Tilly or Nilsson and recall the taste of their blood, the feel of their bones cracking under by hands…but I feel the guilt of their deaths that I caused. Over and over again. It's enough for me. A perspective on who I am and what I am not trying to be."
"You went through a lot of shit." Michael huffed out, "I didn't want to attack the Terrans…I just…couldn't help myself." That, she could feel the guilt for. The amount of terrans she had killed without mercy; loss of control and feral. The things she didn't want to be.
"It's a relief that the Terran world hadn't changed you."
Michael growled out her answer, though it echoed to hint playful annoyance than aggression though she felt some relief that… there was his understanding. Even if his murder streaks had been done on a new plane of time and wiped away, he was cursed to remember it all as if it really happened.
"I appreciate you checking up on me. Stamets."
Paul nodded. "I didn't come here without motive…"
Her eyebrow raised, questioning him to continue.
"The Starfleet vessels have picked up speed. Intercept in a few minutes. You're needed on the bridge."
Getting to the bridge didn't take too long, departing from Paul, she slinked onto the bridge and took relieved the officer from the science station. Saru wasn't there but she allowed the time to go over her station, finding relief in its normality. She missed this….
"You look happy." Detmer's voice remarked.
Michael looked up, supressing a smile though she couldn't help but also feel the appreciation to the woman's implants; dividing her easily from her recent experience with Detmer's mirror counterpart. Her brown eye held warmth that the other her did not.
"Call it relief to be where I should." She replied back.
Detmer chuckled though turned back to her station.
Her head turned as she heard the familiar sound of the turbo lift though she could see screens around her flicker, her own too as the sensors picked up the ships—so close now…
Then the doors pinged open.
"Sir, Vessels approaching. Federation signature." Rhys informed brightly
"Hail them at once."
"Aye Captain." Bryce nodded, slipping back into his seat.
Alarms flickered up, warning alarms that suddenly set her on edge. Her hands gripped the side of her station, feeling the old indentations in it but all her senses went onto high alert
"Captain, It-it's shields are up; phasers are charged and targeting!" Owosekun called out in alarm.
"Shield's up!"
"I'm picking up an incoming transporter signature. We're being boarded."
Then gold suddenly washing around the bridge; taking humanoid shapes of human, andorian and tellerites but her focus was to the closets shape with a growl but she felt a wave of surprise to see… the face of Ellen Landry.
Unlike before, her face was paler and smooth in texture, teeth were bared easily with very prominent shapes of fangs but the dark red of her eyes was the easy give away that…the woman had turned…. There was no heart beat but her scent too was different to what she remembered, the soft hint of another lingering in it's under stones but the presence of another vampire shot a warning through her instincts; that this one shouldn't be here. Not on this ship.
Landry growled back. "Stay put, Burnham." Black fully seeping into her irises.
All around her, her crew were forcedly made still and away from their stations; guns set to kill though that was forcing her to stay still more than Landry. Another vampire complicated the situation; she could easily get the guns from them but Landry would stop or slow her now they were the same.
"I demand an explanation for this intuition!"
"We ask the questions." The andorian called out. "Clear for transport!"
Her eyes didn't break from Landry but she could see the gold; the scent of both a Vulcan and another vampire appearing.
"Admiral…"
"Where's Captain Lorca?!"
The new voice caught her attention her dark eyes flicking passed Landry to see Admiral Cornwell, phaser in hand though she looked otherwise defensive. Her face had only slightly changed, like Landry, through her transformation. Skin was smoothly pale and dark hair was down, once blue eyes were near black; the tips of sharpened teeth only seen as she spoke.
"Sarek!" Though she hadn't seen her father face-to-face since her transformation, he didn't look otherwise changed but held out a hand, as if to keep her in place.
Cornwell's own growl called her attention once again but her phaser still remained to Saru—knowing too well that it was useless on her.
"Computer, initiate command-level override. Authorisation Admiral Katrina Cornwell, pi beta six."
At once, all around then, the electronics powered down with a low groan, the power seeped away throughout the ship; startled sounds echoing but she knew the override wouldn't stop the repair teams. The bridge was taken, not the rest of the ship.
"Override confirmed."
A low silence hung in the air but it satisfied the lead vampire enough to lower her weapon, nodding for Sarek to Saur.
"Start with him."
Immediately though, a protective urge ran through her body, stiffening up with a silent growl as Sarek moved forwards, a warning hiss echoed from Landry.
"Ambassador, what are you doing?" Saur fell back, tripping a little into the captain's chair as Sarek advanced on the Kelpien. Sarek's fingers coming to his face.
"What the times requires."
Michael's fingers tightened though her focus was split, between, Sarek and Saur, Landry and Cornwell… Saru's heartbeat was fast, no doubt at the mental intrusion but Sarek remained focused, his eyes closed though after a minute, they snapped open, a subtle change washing over his face though his eyes washed around, coming to her with a slight indentation to his brow.
"Commander Saru is who appears to be." He started, even his tone changed to something softer. "The Discovery has been through a...Inconceivable ordeal." The hint of…knowing in his voice but it felt assuring, enough for Michael to close her mouth and straighten up and away from Landry.
"Then where the hell is her commanding officer?"
Slowly, Sarek turned, inhaling deeply but they all knew…
"Captain Lorca is dead."