The rich smell of fresh coffee filled the air as most of Voyager's senior staff settled into their customary positions around the briefing room table. Morning staff meetings might cut into normal work time, but they carried the added benefit of access to Captain Janeway's favourite blend without having to use one's own precious replicator rations.

Janeway took one last deep drink from her mug then called the meeting to order. "Alright, I know there's one big elephant in the room but let's get necessities out of the way first. Be'lanna, what's the status of the warp core?"

The younger woman replied. "Fine. Absolutely fine. All diagnostics have come back perfectly normal." Gesturing to the fan of pads on the table in front of her. "Whatever happened, I'm 99% sure it wasn't caused by our test because everything on our end is, again, fine. Actually, I recommend we resume testing immediately. Our readings up until everything went sideways were fantastic. The artificial dilithium wasn't as efficient as the real thing, but it was working."

The Captain spun her mug a bit. "Good to hear. Permission granted." She leaned back in her chair. "So, if the source of the fluctuations wasn't inside the ship, was it outside? Harry?" Everyone turned to their operations officer, but he was already shaking his head. "Not that I could find Captain. There were no anomalies, wormholes or any other phenomena I could detect in our vicinity that would even remotely result in what happened."

Chakotay spoke up with a thoughtful look. "If the cause wasn't on Voyager or around us, it must have been wherever our guest came from. Speaking of … Doctor?" intelligent dark eyes shifted focus to the wall display and the hologram that had stayed with his patient. "How is our guest? Have you learned anything from him?"

"A few things, for one, wherever he came from, it's not a very nice place. There's evidence of multiple serious injuries that were sustained over an extended period of time, likely many years." A display popped up next to the Doctor's face, highlighting his statements. "The patient shows signs of malnutrition in the form of weakened bones, gums and teeth. It really gets interesting though at the genetic level." The display switched to a DNA strand. "Our reptilian friend is half human."

That made everyone but Seven and Harry jolt in their seats. Tom piped up, "Human? So he's the child of a human and some unknown species?" The Doctor was already shaking his head. "No, his other parent species is known to the Federation. It is trachemys scripta elegans, or in layman's terms, the red eared slider; a common species of terran turtle." A picture of the little creature helpfully appeared next. The Doctor did love his slides.

Be'lanna looked disturbed. "Well, no matter how that happened, that's just all kinds of illegal."

"And creepy." Her boyfriend chimed in.

Even Tuvok shifted uneasily. "Indeed."

The Doctor plowed on, warming to his topic. "Obviously, some manner of genetic engineering was involved; but I haven't been able to find a sign of any form known to Federation science. And whomever made him was an absolute genius. It's difficult enough to successfully pair the DNA of two similar species; here we not only have a humanoid and non-humanoid species, but also one is reptilian and non-sentient. And in our friend the two seem to not only be in perfect balance but are far more robust than either parent species. It's quite remarkable."

"So," Janeway interrupted, "This man is the product of two species native to Earth and an unidentified method of genetic engineering. Do we have anything else that might tell us about where he's from? The prosthetic arm, his weapon?"

"His prosthetic was manufactured using pre-warp technology, though the design is efficient. I am currently repairing the overload damage." Seven contributed. "His sword is unremarkable aside from traces of an unidentified alien DNA on the blade."

"Unidentified?" Chakotay asked, angling his chair back to the blonde across from him. "Not even the Borg have a record of them?"

A terse "No." was his response. Seven never had cultivated a liking for mysteries.

Harry took mercy on her. "Since he's from Earth, but everything about him just isn't consistent with OUR Earth, Seven and I dug a little deeper and checked his quantum signature. It doesn't match us. He's from another universe."

Janeway blinked a few times. "Well, that would certainly explain some things, he may be entirely normal on his version of Earth." She said, gesturing toward the display of their new passenger. The brunette then stared into her coffee for a moment, thinking. "Alright. Seven, continue repairs to his prosthetic, I'm sure he'd like it back when he wakes up. Harry, look into ways to send him home, if possible. Chakotay, Tuvok, Doctor, could you remain a moment please? Everyone else, dismissed."

As most of the senior staff filed out, Katherine stood and walked to get a better look at what scant information they'd gathered on their mystery guest. For a moment, she pondered the way his animal markings had carried over. "Doctor, what is his current status and your plans for treatment?"

"Well, the neural trauma could have been from crossing the dimensional barrier, or from whatever caused his burns I'm not sure. That's really all that's keeping him under right now, but I believe he should wake up sometime today; full recovery from that may take a week or so yet. The burns we were able to address with the dermal regenerator. He also had lost a great deal of blood when he arrived, primarily from a large wound in his lower torso. Honestly, without his natural armour, I believe he would have been disembowelled." All three organics winced at the idea.

The Doctor swivelled in his chair a bit. "The malnutrition should be easy enough to resolve with time and a good nutrition plan. I've already addressed the resulting dental issues and cleaned up his shell a bit. Some physiotherapy would also likely benefit his weakened bones. All in all, I don't see any reason why he couldn't make a complete physical recovery."

"And he's not some derivative of the eugenics augments?"

He shook his head again. "No Captain, there's no signs of the old earth genetic augmentation techniques."

"Thank you, Doctor. Let me know when he wakes up. Janeway out." She turned back to her remaining officers, hands on hips. "Well gentlemen, thoughts?"

Chakotay spoke first, "Given that he should recover, obviously it would be easiest for us if Harry found a way to send him home and he chose to go back. But with the condition he was in when he arrived, he might not want to."

"And that may not be an option in the end after all, in which case his only options become stay on Voyager, or disembark at some point." Tuvok added. "If he proves to be, unsuitable, to remain on board, we may need to make that decision for him. In any case, I would not recommend returning his weapon until we are sure he can be trusted."

"I'm not sure that'd be a good idea." The larger man replied, "I saw the hilt, there were a couple of eye masks, like his but of different colours, woven into the grip." He turned to Janeway, "It's likely a memorial of some kind. In the maquis, we'd take tokens from fallen friends to carry on us. Maybe we could put a locking sheath on the blade, and explain that we'll remove the lock once we know he's not a security threat?"

"So instead of a sword, he will be armed with a club?" Tuvok raised a sceptical eyebrow.

Janeway smirked with a little huff. "True. Still, Chakotay has a point, if the sword does have a memorial to lost loved ones built into it, keeping it from him is a sure way to generate animosity; and showing him some consideration, while taking reasonable measures, is a good way to build his trust in us." She sat back down at the table. "We'll implement the locking sheath, but we'll also keep a guard on him for awhile. Chakotay, let's give Icheb a project in astrometrics. Have him look for Class M worlds, preferably inhabited, where our guest can disembark if we need to part ways with him. Thank you." She nodded in dismissal, but only Tuvok got up and left the room.

The woman quirked an eyebrow at Chakotay while drinking her coffee. "Yes?"

He smiled back at her. "Another stray?"

"We do have a habit of picking those up, don't we?" She replied, swirling her remaining coffee around a little. "If he does decide to stay, the crew isn't at full strength so we have resources, and the room, especially since people have started pairing off." They shared a grin. "All we can do right now though, is wait and see."

The subtle soothing vibration of Voyager's engines was a gentle background thrum as Janeway did her best to plow through another status report on ship's stores, consumption rates and estimated dates they would need to be replenished. A report on potential worlds ahead to stock up was waiting for her next. I wonder if I could get Be'lanna to install a massage function in my chair …. And how disappointed her look would be if I asked.

"Sickbay to Bridge."

The two commanding officers exchanged a glance. "Go ahead Doctor."

"Captain, our guest is waking up."

She rose and headed for the turbolift. "Understood. Chakotay, you have the Bridge. Tuvok, with me." Katherine turned and faced the closing doors. Show time.

It didn't take long to make the all-too familiar journey to Sickbay. The doors swished open to the Doctor looking up from where he was leaning over their restless reptile. His red-striped eyes were screwed up while soft pants escaped from his slightly open mouth.

Janeway left Tuvok behind to consult with the young bajoran security guard and walked to where the stranger would be able to see her easily once he fully surfaced.

Minutes passed. He continued to fight against the lingering neural pain and eventually won. Deep blue eyes, like the edge of sunlight in the ocean, blinked rapidly, slowly adjusting to the Sickbay lights. The moment he locked onto her face, deep confusion spread across his features. She did her best to present a kind, welcoming smile.

"My name is Captain Katherine Janeway. You're onboard the Federation Starship, Voyager. Do you understand me?"

Bewildered eyes widened but he gave her a tiny nod. Janeway placed a hand next to his shoulder on the bed. "You appeared in our Engine Room with a flash of light during an engine test. You were badly injured, so we brought you to our Sickbay for treatment. Your prosthetic is currently being repaired, and your sword," she gestured to the weapon leaning against the wall in its new sheath, "is right here." Catching his eye again, she asked, "Can you tell me your name?"

He licked his lips, and after a false start when his voice caught, replied, "Leonardo Hamato."

Katherine gave Leonardo another encouraging smile. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr Hamato. As I said, you're onboard our ship, Voyager. Our Doctor believes that, with time, you'll fully recover from your injuries." Once she saw that information had sunk in, the brunette continued, "In our investigation, we determined that the flash of light in Engineering was you crossing a dimensional barrier between your universe and ours. Do you know how that might have happened? It could help us get you back home."

"Another universe?" he seemed to understand the possibility, if be a little incredulous at it actually happening. "Have you ever heard of the Krang?" Leonardo asked her hoarsely.

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry, I haven't."

He huffed a disbelieving little laugh. "Definitely another universe." The reptile took a minute to collect his thoughts. "The Krang came to our Earth about twenty years ago and started just …. consuming, everything. There were only three of them to begin with, and this big ship of theirs, but whatever they didn't kill they would make like them."

Janeway restrained herself from mentioning the Borg and listened carefully as he took a breath to continue.

"Yokai, mutant, human; it didn't matter. They gradually whittled us all down to nothing. We fought back, but the resistance eventually fell. My brother, Mikey, made a time portal, ….. I guarded it while Casey went through to the past." As her face erupted in alarm he hastened, "I know. Messing with time, major no-no, but…" His nearly black eyes begged her to understand, "There was nothing left Captain. Nothing but Krang. We had nothing left to lose. Casey went back to stop the invasion before it began." His hand locked onto her arm. "Nearly nine billion lives Captain. Isn't that worth the risk?"

"Well, considering I've risked it for less.." he laughed a little at her sardonic reply. This time she actually put her hand on his shoulder. "What happened next? While you were standing guard?"

A full body shudder ran through the man. "The Krang attacked. I was already wounded, Mikey was ….. gone and Casey was on his way. I fought off a couple hounds, then I felt a Krang weapon firing on me. They're like some kinda super laser thing." An energy weapon. That would explain the burns. "I heard the portal closing behind me then, nothing."

"Maybe the combination of the portal and the weapon is what sent you through?"

"Maybe." He let go of her and settled back into the biobed. "Maybe."

She looked around to meet Tuvok's grim expression, then returned to their passenger. "You said there was nothing left, is there any point in us continuing to look for a way to send you home?"

Leonardo shook his head regretfully, "There isn't anything to go back to, except a planet full of Krang zombies." He hitched himself up a bit. "I appreciate your help. I don't want to be in the way so…." Nerves raced across his face. "If you could just drop me off somewhere safe, I'm sure I can figure something out."

Now her hand was on his chest to push him back down. "There's no rush Mr Hamato. Nothing needs to be decided until you're well again. If you wish to disembark, we can certainly do that. For now, just rest and recover. Then we can explain some things about this universe so that you can make an informed decision. In the meantime, I'd just like to apologize for the lock on your sword and the guard." She gestured to the woman watching carefully from the doors. "Please understand, we don't know anything about you and need to take ship's security into account."

After his eyes finished following her hand, he nodded in assent. "Makes sense. Hope I can earn your trust soon. And Leo will do Captain."

She smiled again. "Well then. I'll leave to the Doctor. Welcome aboard Voyager, Leo." Janeway stepped back, collected Tuvok and left. Once back in the hall she turned to her oldest friend. "Thoughts?"

Tuvok pondered for a moment. "He seems sincere, but such a brief conversation is hardly enough to make a proper evaluation."

"You're right, but if he is telling the truth," she sighed and looked to the ceiling, "I can't even imagine what he's been through."

Leo dragged his eyes from the doors where the Captain had just left to the bald man approaching on his right. "I'm guessing you're the Doctor?" The man smiled.

"Indeed I am. Pleased to finally meet you Mr Hamato."

The slider wrinkled his snout. "I never really went by Mister. Leo is fine, Doctor….?" He trailed off, fishing for the man's name.

"Just Doctor for now. I haven't picked a name yet."

That drew Leo up short for a moment, blinking through his headache. "Picked a name? Is that a thing in this universe?"

The Doctor smirked while waving a small whirring piece of metal over Leonardo, staring at the thing in his hand. "In some cultures, yes. But in my case it's a matter of being an artificial lifeform that only recently became sapient, so I can pick my own name. I'm just having trouble finding one that "fits"."

And I thought my head hurt before. "Artificial lifeform?"

That garnered a little wink. "Yes. I started out as an emergency medical hologram. A highly advanced stand in Doctor if you will. But after being online for an unusual amount of time, my experiences and interaction with the crew had the unexpected effect of expanding my program to the point that I began to develop my own, thoughts and feelings on matters." A final read of the thing in his hand and the Doctor folded it closed to focus more on their conversation. "I have now been originally recognized as an artificial lifeform. A full Federation citizen with all the rights thereof, and in my capacity as Chief Medical Officer of this Starfleet vessel, I am happy to inform you that you're condition is improving even faster than expected."

Leo twirled a finger in the air. "Yay. My head hurts …. and everything else too."

"That would be the residual neural trauma. Would you like an analgesic?"

Three fingered hand picking at the bed underneath him, "Yes please. Will it make me sleep?"

The Doctor paused in selecting a drug from the table next to him. "I can give you a non-drowsy medication if you would prefer."

"No," Leo replied, "all I really want right now is to sleep."

"I can certainly help you with that."