An hour and thirteen minutes later the front door to the sick bay opened again. Malcolm was sitting on a stool, reading through the MACO list of possible majors. Looking up he sat still for a while before realizing he had seen the red headed doctor somewhere before. He put away the list.

"Victoria." He said with a doubtful inclination in his voice. The doctor looked up, finally seeing Malcolm. For a while they were each others stunned reflections. It was now no doubt that Malcolm knew her, but it had been such a long time he had forgotten…

"Malcolm." She answered. They looked at each other for yet some time before Malcolm finally took a deep breath and rose from the stool.

"Are you the new doctor?" He asked.

"Yes."

"I thought you said that you'd never work in space!"

"Is that why you're here?" She asked. "To be as far away from me as possible?"

"You ran away as I remember." He countered.

"It was an ordered retreat, I had other plans." Answered Victoria. "But that was ages ago; I am here because I make a fortune working here. My question is what you are doing here? In MY sickbay?" As an answer to that Malcolm pulled his shirt up. Victoria began laughing. "Are you hurt?" She asked.

"Indeed." He muttered. "Just do whatever you do quickly, I have work to do."

"I won't waste your precious time, don't worry." She said while walking over to him. "What did you do?" She asked while examining him. "Run into the warp engine?"

"It was an explosion. I was in coma for eighteen days."He said, looking at her curly red hair dancing all around as she examined him. She looked at his face to see if he was pulling her leg, but realized he was telling the truth. Finally she took out a scanner.

"It unusual to wake up after eighteen days of coma." She commented. "You were lucky."

"Luck would have been avoiding that explosion altogether." Commented Malcolm. Victoria eased away and retrieved a hypo.

"Painkillers… will last you until tomorrow, you come back here then." She pushed the hypo into his neck. The pain subdued in his head and abdomen.

"Doctor." He said.

"Commander." She returned. Malcolm adjusted his shirt and walked away. He did not look back.

After eating something that the chefs claimed was lunch he returned up on the bridge. It was refreshing not to feel any pain anymore. The sensation was easily forgotten when you were in constant pain. And when you were not, you could not remember how it hurt before. That was another one of humanity's quirks.

Looking around he found Hayes sitting at the tactical station. Mayweather was still gone. The others he knew by face but not by name.

"Officer on the deck." Called Hayes. Everyone rose, but Malcolm waved them down again. They quickly returned to their duty.

"Navigator, where exactly are we going?" He asked the person at the helm.

"Antikol Beta, sir. Our reinforcements should be waiting there." The man said. Malcolm went over to Hayes.

"What reinforcements?" He asked quietly.

"To make sure the admirals do not oppose themselves back on Earth when we return. If they do oppose us… "poff" … the Earth is back at the Stone Age."

"Does she think that they will?"

"No-one gives up their power without a struggle, Commander… At least in this universe… I believe that the admirals are assembling a fleet of their own."

"They won't last against this ship…"

"That is why we are here… to stop this madness..!" Explained Hayes. Malcolm nodded and turned around.

"Who is new to this bridge?" He asked out loud while taking his place in the Captain's chair. Two hands came up, one from the navigator he had just asked and one from the communications station. "Did you come aboard from Earth?"

"Yes, sir." They echoed. Malcolm overlooked them. The navigator was nothing special; at least that was his first impression. Probably just out of the Academy. He had short cut hair and blue eyes.

"What is your name?" Malcolm asked.

"Raymond McCall, sir." He responded. Nodding, Malcolm turned his gaze to the communicator. It was a tall woman with ivory black hair and an appealing chocolate brown skin. Her eyes were deep, dark and direct, focusing on Malcolm.

"And you?" He said.

"I am Alice Silverstone." She said. It was proud words, which surprised Malcolm. There were not many proud or optimistic officers in the Starfleet.

"Charming." He said. "Continue to do your work well and there will be a place for you here, if you do not… well it's out the airlock." He said with a small grin on his face. Then he retrieved his list and began going through it again. The crew settled into their work once again.

Going through the list, Malcolm realized that he did not have much choice. Most of the men he did not know or did not want, in the end there were four people left. It was two of his old men, Hayes and Mayweather. Hoshi would prefer Travis; Malcolm could not imagine having him as his second man. Hayes was new and untested. The other two were proved men, but their loyalty equalled zero. They had been under Paces' command and thus more loyal to him than to Malcolm. He continued to look at the list for a long time.