TITLE: The Queen of The Lost Worlds AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: R CODE: T/7
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Same characters, different universe. Very different. And perhaps the characters are not all that similar either ...
NOTES: A very unexpected encounter throws the crew and passengers of the yuQmey chIl SoS'a' into a strange adventure.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.
Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.
Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.
Previously...
"I'm...I'm Annika."
"Yes I heard. Annika Hansen. Two ice-princesses. I'm sure the male crew are going to be delighted." The speaker's tone made it quite clear that she didn't share any pleasure in the thought of another Annika Hansen on board.
Annika flinched and tried not to sigh. Well at least one thing remained constant. B'Elanna Torres didn't like Annika Hansen in either universe.
==Part 6a==
Annika sat on a biobed swinging her feet and trying not to notice her 'comfy shoes' as she had come to think of them with withering hatred. The EMH was pottering around by one of the IC units that encased her companions.
Annika was thinking about her encounter with Voyager's B'Elanna Torres, brief though it had been. The Chief of Engineering had been business-like. She wanted some information on the Queen's computer systems. A glorified PADD she had called it. Annika had helped as much as she was able - the computer systems were the one part of the Queen's systems she did know something about - though Annika had not acquitted herself too well in the conversation as she spent most of the encounter looking at Voyager's B'Elanna Torres, trying to identify similarities and differences with her own B'Elanna Torres.
She felt depressed at that last thought - B'Elanna Torres was not hers in either universe. Anyway Annika had been unable to discern much difference in the physical appearance except Voyager's B'Elanna had longer hair and seemed older. Annika had asked her age of the EMH after the slightly exasperated Chief of Engineering had departed from sick-bay. She had been surprised to find that it was exactly the same as The Queen's B'Elanna.
Annika jumped when the EMH suddenly broke the silence.
"I am going to have a look at our Ms Torres now. You might like to avert your eyes. It won't be pretty."
"I thought you said they would be fully recovered."
"And so they will in a couple of hours. But we still have several layers of skin to regrow. I need to check their progress."
Annika did not look away as the upper half of the ICU lifted away. She resisted the urge to gag as what appeared to be a lump of raw meat was exposed.
"May Kahless' Sword protect them" she exclaimed.
"I fail to see what use a sword would be in these circumstances." The EMH was painting a thick goo on the exposed flesh as he talked. "Actually Ms Hansen I am curious..."
"Call me Annika."
"Annika," the doctor smiled. "As Lieutenant Torres said you do seem to be very Klingon."
"I don't think Captain Torres would agree with you." Annika shrugged, genuinely uncomprehending. "I speak Klingon well I suppose."
"Relations between humans and Klingons must be very different here. In our Alpha quadrant it is a very uneasy alliance or so I understand. I have no direct experience."
Annika shrugged again: "Human rights have advanced a lot in the last hundred years, though I suppose we still don't have much say in how the Empire is run. I guess it's much different where you come from. No human would be allowed to command a vessel like this."
The EMH snapped the lid of the ICU back to cover its occupant again and moved his other patient. "The Federation is greatly influenced by humans - some would say too much."
"You talk as though you are not a human" Annika noted.
"Human. I sincerely hope not!" The EMH sounded contemptuous. "I am the emergency medical hologram. I was activated when we were marooned in the delta quadrant."
"A hologram! I don't believe it. You're solid and much too intelligent to be artificial."
Annika was genuinely disbelieving - her parents were some of the most innovative scientists working on artificial intelligence in the Empire and Annika knew there was nothing even remotely advanced as the EMH appeared to be. Nothing as advanced had even been theorised, let alone built - it was the stuff of science fiction.
"Apart from the insult implicit in that statement I would thank you for the compliment."
"I didn't mean that there is anything inherently wrong or inferior in an artificial being - I'm just amazed by your technology... amazed by you." Annika smiled winningly at the EMH.
"That's... umm... very..." stammered the EMH, clearly flustered. Annika was amused to realise that her charm seemed equally as effective with the hologram as any human male. He didn't finish his sentence and instead hunched over his patient mumbling about needing to examine the new grown sub-epidermis on Tom Paris' shoulders, carefully rotating the pilot's body in the ICU stasis field. The underlying muscle was clearly visible. Annika shuddered.
"It seems to be progressing as it should," said the Doctor.
The whoosh of the sickbay doors announced the admittance of Captain Janeway.
"Captain?" enquired the EMH. The captain was a rare visitor to sick-bay.
"How are your patients?" she asked. Janeway grimaced slightly when the Doctor gestured at the pink and red mass of flesh.
"Very satisfactory as you can see," he replied.
The captain cut off any further comment from the EMH saying, "Good to see you looking so well Ms Hansen."
The slight but somehow significant woman smiled at Annika. It was a friendly enough smile. Annika relaxed.
"All thanks to you and Voyager. Tom explained to me how you rescued us. This is an incredible ship. We're lucky you stumbled into our universe - no vessel from this Universe could have pulled off such a feat in time."
Janeway's face became thoughtful and there was something there that Annika couldn't quite get.
"Doesn't it seem odd to you that we should meet?" said the Captain slowly. "We fall into another universe and immediately bump into three people who have their doubles on this ship. That's odd isn't it? An entirely new and apparently very different universe and we meet you."
Distrust. It was obvious now though the captain had not raised her voice.
"Yes it is odd," Annika agreed carefully. She smiled wistfully. "I keep thinking that I must be dead or dying or dreaming and that you and this ship are my imagination. It's like a dream isn't it? Lots of people that I know but not where they should be."
"Coincidence maybe," suggested the Captain of Voyager but her expression and vocal inflection implied she did not believe her own suggestion.
"What are you trying to say Captain?" Annika asked carefully.
"Voyager has been subject to several 'experiments' by powerful beings who wanted to study us, use us, play with us. It has crossed my mind Ms Hansen that this is just such a 'game'."
Annika opened her mouth to make a smart reply and then closed it. She didn't think the small captain would appreciate a joke. "I'm not sure there is anything I can say to reassure you Captain. I too find it mystifying."
"This universe appears to be very different to our own. I have been studying the databases from your ship. I do not understand how you could even exist."
"What do you mean?" said Annika. Her nervous smile had faded and left her just nervous.
"Everyone is aware of the most common theories about parallel universes, infinitely branching possibilities from an infinity of points in time. We might expect to find that versions of some crew members existed in Universes that had branched from a point in time close to us but your universe seems to have parted company with our history hundreds of years ago. How is it possible that B'Elanna Torres, Tom Paris and Annika Hansen exist here, exact physical duplicates even though your political and family histories are so different? It stretches the boundaries of my credulity Ms Hansen."
"Perhaps your theories are incomplete or wrong," Annika snapped.
"Perhaps. Or perhaps you would like to tell me who you really are and what you want with us."
Annika stared at her helplessly. The cold grey stare proved too much and Annika had to look away towards where her companions lay in their chambers. The EMH was standing still, watching and listening to her exchange with captain. He too looked suspicious. A jolt of fear shook Annika's mind from its paralysis. These people might be unforgiving and vengeful towards their surprise guests; she knew suspected spies would get short shrift on an Imperial ship. She had to speak.
"I am Annika Hansen and they are Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres. You may not believe me but I cannot tell you anything else. You have every right to be suspicious but so do I Captain. This cuts both ways. For all I know you may be Romulan, Bajoran or Ferengi spies, sent to infiltrate the empire, genetically engineered to resemble real citizens of the empire. You'd have an interest in tracking us down. Or perhaps you have created duplicates based on us after we were captured."
Janeway folded her arms as Annika was speaking. The Captain was clearly losing patience. Annika speeded up.
"My point is that neither of us can prove our identities, so we might as well take our situation at face value until events prove otherwise. Okay you could kill us now to be on the safe side but if I were a very powerful being that would just piss me off Captain Janeway. And then if it turns out that we are who we say then you would have all the guilt and you'd have to explain it to my parents not to mention Lanna's parents who are Klingon. Tom's got a wife and child. They're Klingons too. You know about Klingon vengeance oaths - the entire family is obliged to fulfil the oath." Annika paused uncertainly. "Maybe you don't know about Klingon vengeance oaths. Actually that's another point: you're stuck here for a time, you'll need friends and guides. It doesn't make sense to start out in a new universe by killing people you hardly know. I guess in a way you do know us but as you said yourself we are very different...maybe we're not the same at all. Is it normal to attack strangers in your universe just in case they are all-powerful beings...and perhaps we are good all-powerful beings."
Janeway was starting to smile. "I could put you in the brig just to be safe."
"Well that's better than an airlock" Annika said eagerly, feeling she had plea-bargained her way down from a certain death sentence. "Our families probably wouldn't mind that too much."
"So I could expect to avoid the vengeance oath then," queried Janeway trying not to laugh.
"I'm certain I could promise that," Annika said seriously, then she noticed Janeway's broadening grin. She felt angry for just a moment until her sense of humour came to the rescue. "I don't always babble like this Captain - it's a little stressful for me right now." She smiled crookedly, "though I'm guessing you've lost faith in the all-powerful game-player theory."
Janeway laughed openly. "Let's say I am re-assessing it though you have to admit that it makes more sense than believing that this very different universe is coincidentally so similar to ours in certain respects."
"Why?" said a cool voice. Seven of Nine was standing in the door (looking fabulous Annika noted with pleasure) as the ex-Borg added, "infinitely many Universes would include one such as this Captain. Human minds struggle with infinity." Seven of Nine left the clear impression that she did not share such limitations.
Janeway smiled at the former Borg with real affection, Annika might almost have called the captain's expression adoring. The captain certainly did not seem put out by the slur on the mental capacity of humans.
"Seven," said Janeway warmly. "I'm glad you're here."
Somehow Annika felt that Captain Janeway didn't just mean she was pleased Seven had joined them in sick-bay.
"Any progress in understanding how we got here Seven? Assuming of course that our guests are not members of the Q-continuum." Janeway smiled at Annika. The smile was genuine, reaching all the way to her blue-grey eyes, the distrust had gone. Annika had convinced Captain Janeway that she was telling the truth. It occurred to Annika to wonder if the captain was predisposed to believe her because of her resemblance to Seven of Nine.
"There are some theoretical possibilities Captain," Seven replied. "I wish to borrow Ms Hansen for a while to discuss the options."
"Me," squeaked Annika. She cringed inside - for some reason she did not seem to be able to utter a word without losing her dignity - she felt very alone again - a silly young socialite having an adventure with the grown-ups she thought bitterly.
Seven of Nine arched the little piece of metal that stood in for her eyebrow. "You may have useful information. I have theorised that we may be able to return to our universe by recreating the end conditions of the anomaly at the exact moment in time that we arrived. You witnessed this event from your vessel did you not?"
Annika nodded.
"Then it would indeed be helpful to review your observations that is if the Doctor has no objections."
"By all means," said the EMH. "Take her if only to stop her asking after her friends' welfare every five minutes."
Annika grinned and hopped off the biobed. She suddenly felt less useless. Her counterpart did not give the impression that she thought Annika was either too stupid or too ignorant - Tom and the EMH had rather left her with the idea that her universe was so far behind theirs in scientific understanding that Annika could not hope to understand anything. Annika decided that she liked the other woman. She smiled conspiratorially at Seven. "He'll miss me when I've gone."
Seven arched her brow even higher and it was her turn to look confused.
Annika winked. "I'll tell you on the way. Where are we going?"
"Astrometrics."
"Could we get something to eat first? I'm starving."
"I do not require nutrition but I will accompany you to the mess-hall if you wish."
"Great. I could eat an Altarian steak with all the trimmings. Lead the way Seven of Nine. I'll be back soon Doc to see Lanna and Tom."
She followed Seven out the door and Janeway and the EMH could hear her chattering to Seven.
"Do you see these shoes they've given me? Could they be any uglier? Why are your shoes not available? You look fabulous by the way..."
The door slid shut behind them and Janeway started laughing. "I believe Seven has found a friend. I don't think anyone has ever attempted to discuss fashion with Seven."
"Very touching Captain," commented the EMH drily. "Now if you don't mind I think our new friends here need a little more basting."
==Part 6b==
Annika's mouth fell open as she entered Astrometrics. She stood gaping at the huge view-screen with what she recognised as beautiful graphical representations of the Hovtay' HoH'egh overlaid with navigation schematics. She had never seen anything like this room on any bird of prey or ITEC vessel.
Seven had already taken up position at a console and was entering data at some speed.
"I am attempting to model the conditions at the moment we left our Universe and entered yours."
The view-screen split in two. There were two images.
"The left-hand image is our universe, the right is yours. We actually entered the alpha quadrant in our universe 0.02 milliseconds before crossing into this one. Enough time for the sensors to have taken this image. As you can see we are physically in the same location."
"It is not exactly the same," Annika observed.
"You are correct," said Seven elevating her eyepiece a small distance. "How did you know?"
"There are variations in these two sections." Annika pointed at two small areas on the viewscreen. Seven's faux eyebrow lifted a little more.
"Impressive."
"Party trick," Annika said dismissively. "I have a photographic memory and I can simply lay one image over the other."
"You have a perfect memory?"
"Pretty nearly."
"My memory is also perfect. I had assumed that it was a Borg enhancement."
"No. It runs in the family. Mom's side anyway. Dad can't remember where he left his hat, or his gloves, or his pen or his dog or his child. You get the idea."
"Your father's memory is deficient."
"Rather he's an absent-minded genius and it's beneath him to have think about mundane things. He takes his role as genius very seriously. He doesn't forget anything he cares about: math, physics, chemistry, biology, several languages...sorry I'm rambling. What are you trying to do again?"
"I need to accurately map the exact location of Voyager before and after the instant of transition so we can find the point of intersection between the two universes."
"Intersection between universes? I haven't heard of such a thing."
"Each universe occupies its own space and time. They are not next to each other or above or below or in front or behind but, like lines and planes in our three dimensional space, space-time continuums can intersect. I have hypothesised that Voyager was diverted at just such a point of intersection when it entered the alpha quadrant in my universe: a singularity in the wall of the universe that we fell into. It may have been opened or activated by the sub-space energy beam that was carrying Voyager from the Delta Quadrant."
"Energy beam?" repeated Annika stupidly. Seven did not appear to think her stupid however.
"We met a being in the Delta quadrant, similar to the one who originally abducted the ship, who agreed to transport us back. As we understood it the method was not dissimilar to our transporter technology but requiring vastly more energy."
"And how exactly can I help?"
"You were on the bridge of your vessel as Voyager entered this Universe. I wish to reconstruct the sensor readings at that moment. I have tried to obtain this information from your ship's data-banks but the sensor systems were badly damaged and much key data appears lost. You may be able to assist me in retrieving this data."
Annika nodded her understanding. This was something she could do. "Do you have something I could write with?"
"Write?" Seven appeared at a loss.
"You know - a pen, pencil, paper, touchpad, data-entry system."
"I have this."
Seven offered her a hand-held padd. Annika took it and stared at it. There did not appear to be any method for entering data.
"How does it work?"
"Each point in the touch sensitive area is equivalent to a standard Federation symbol. There are two thousand symbols allowing the entry of data in any of the Federation's five million official languages..."
Annika grinned weakly, "I don't think I have time to learn five million languages. Can I have one of the touch-pads from the 'Queen' or pen and paper will do?"
"I do not understand what you intend to do."
"I am going to write down the sensor readings as I remember them and I need to get on with it quickly as I won't remember them perfectly forever. They are fresh at the moment so I should be accurate for a few hours. You need to give me the correct time parameters as there are about a thousand readings per second."
"You can remember a thousand items of data per second?"
Annika shook her head. "I can visualise the screens of data in exactly the same way that I could visualise your chart. And there is great deal more data on that chart than on any sensor screen 'The Queen' can produce." Annika felt slightly embarrassed, Seven was scrutinising her with obvious wonder. "It's just a good party trick Seven - I was studying those screens hard, trying to pick up ion waves. If there was any data collected that might help you then I would have seen it and it's in here." She tapped the side of her head. "It will be down to you to say whether any of it is of any use."
"I will have your data entry devices brought here."
"Why don't we go do this on 'The Queen'? I think it will help me if I am in a familiar environment. Is that possible?"
"I believe so. Lieutenant Torres has restored life-support."
For the next two hours, Seven and Annika worked aboard the Queen. Annika transferred her memories and Seven analysed them for useful data. There was one glitch when it became apparent that the Klingon script that Annika was using to record the data was not known to the Starfleet systems. Seven consulted B'Elanna Torres and the two Voyager crew overcame the problem with great ingenuity although it was clear that nothing less was expected of them. Annika knew this because several other Voyager crew including Captain Janeway commented on the minor miracle so carelessly - such achievements were obviously commonplace on the Federation vessel. The relationship between Seven of Nine and the chief engineer of Voyager interested Annika because of her own situation. On the whole she felt that it wasn't encouraging as Seven and Lieutenant Torres clearly disliked each other though they worked very efficiently. Lieutenant Torres completely ignored Annika except to ask her to keep out of the way. She seemed much harsher than this universe's B'Elanna Torres. There was one other noticeable difference - Annika did not feel any physical attraction to Lieutenant Torres let alone the overwhelming lust that had been distracting her for the last two days on 'The Queen'.
Annika found it harder and harder to concentrate as the time crawled towards the appointed time when the EMH would wake up her B'Elanna Torres. Annika knew the Doctor seemed very confident about his patients but she still could not believe that the raw slabs of meat she had seen earlier could become B'Elanna and Tom. The Doctor had welcomed her insistence that she be there when they recovered consciousness given the unexpectedness of their surroundings and the circumstances. So Annika leapt to her feet when at last Seven said "It is time to return to sickbay."
"Oh thank Kahless. I thought I was going to explode."
"You have been restless," said Seven understating the sighing and fidgeting that had been distracting her for the last twenty minutes. Annika smiled apologetically.
Seven didn't exactly smile in return, Annika had quickly realised that the tall woman did not emote quite as freely as anyone else, but there was warmth in the matching blue eyes that met hers and amusement was evident in the slightly quirked eyebrow.
"Would you mind if I accompany you?" Seven asked politely. "I am curious about your crewmates."
"Sure!" Annika responded eagerly. "They'll love you."
Seven regarded her strangely.
"They will have only just met me. Love seems improbable."
"In Tom's case it will be instant," Annika giggled. "I mean you're female and beautiful. B'Elanna might take a little longer. She's more reticent but once she realises that you're not an idiot like me then you'll be fine. I really did not hit it off with her at our first meeting or the second or third for that matter."
"You are friends now?" Seven asked curiously.
"I think so though she treats me like a younger stupider sister." Annika shrugged and smiled rather unconvincingly as a small lash of sadness cut into her. Seven did not notice or was too polite to say anything.
"Lieutenant Torres and I have never succeeded in becoming friends. She does not trust me."
I'm sorry..."
"Unnecessary. I do not like her either. She is irrational and pointlessly antagonistic."
Annika could see and hear the anger in the ex-drone's calm statement. She felt suddenly concerned that Seven and her B'Elanna might not get on either.
"Maybe it's Lieutenant Torres manner. My B'Elanna Torres often talks to me as though I am half-witted. She's very Klingon."
Seven frowned. "Then she has poor judgement as you are far from half-witted."
Annika beamed. Regardless of what anyone else thought she did love Seven already.
"We should go. The Doctor is not known for his patience."
Annika followed Seven out the door. The ex-drone had an extremely beautiful body. Annika was suddenly acutely aware of her new appreciation of the female form and more than slightly disturbed at finding her double physically attractive at least in some degree. She shrugged off the feeling as just one more uncomfortable aspect of this side-trip from hell.
The EMH was looking particularly self-satisfied when they entered sickbay.
"You're here at last. I thought they might get over-cooked."
"Proceed Doctor," Seven ordered.
"The Captain asked me to wait...ah here she is and Mr Paris and Lieutenant Torres too. A full house."
Captain Janeway, Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres had appeared in the doorway.
The EMH eyed them dubiously. "I think it would be best if we kept the shock to the minimum. I would suggest that Mr Paris and Lieutenant Torres stay back until our guests have had a chance to acclimatise to the idea of meeting their long lost twins."
"Agreed," said Janeway briskly. "Tom. B'Elanna. Could you wait outside?"
"Yes Captain," said B'Elanna Torres looking slightly relieved. Tom Paris was more reluctant but he followed his spouse out of sick bay without protest.
Annika could barely contain herself. If she had possessed a Batleth she would have had it pressed against the preening Doctor's throat by this time.
The Doctor, unaware of the murderous thoughts directed at him, was circling the bio-bed containing B'Elanna Torres and proclaiming at his own ingenuity and skill in the face of difficulties that were outside the comprehension of non-medical mortals. Annika noticed Captain Janeway's fists clenching. Clearly Annika was not the only one on edge.
At last the EMH punched a few buttons and the lid of the bio-bed raised itself revealing the prone person inside. Annika slowly opened her eyes wide. She had closed them nearly shut fearing what she might see but she relaxed as she observed the normal coffee-coloured skin of B'Elanna Torres's back. The EMH moved in and turned B'Elanna on her back. Annika gasped and bit her lip. The still unconscious freighter captain was stark naked and she was every bit as beautiful as Annika's fevered imagination had promised. The EMH seemed unaffected by the perfection of the body he was examining carefully.
"Perfect," he muttered. "Probably better than before. She will have lost any scars that she may have had before the incident. I'll bring her around."
"Clothing," Annika sputtered. "She should be covered."
"She has nothing that I haven't seen before but if you think it is important." The EMH threw a sheet over the sleeping half-Klingon. He plunged a hypo into her neck. The figure under the sheet shuddered.
There was silence in the room as all those present waited.
"Ow!" said the body. "I feel as though I have been spit-roasted."
Annika pushed forward.
"B'Elanna! Are you alright?"
"Ani! Where am I? I can't see!"
Annika grabbed the EMH by the shoulder.
"Her sight will take a few more seconds," he reassured.
"It's okay. The doctor says your sight will come back soon." Annika grasped B'Elanna's hand and squeezed hard.
"Ow!" said B'Elanna Torres again.
"Sorry. I've been so frightened."
"Where are we?" asked B'Elanna.
"You are aboard the Federation Starship Voyager," said Captain Janeway.
"What in Kahless's name is the Federation Starship Voyager and who by Feklir's beard are you?"
"I am Captain Janeway."
"Janeway? I know that name and I know that voice. Aren't you some sort of politician?"
"I believe that my counterpart in this universe is a politician but I think Annika had better explain this situation to you."
"Ani what is going on...actually I think I can see something now...where are we again?"
B'Elanna tried to push herself up to look around and as she did so, the sheet slid down her body, revealing her breasts. The EMH who was standing on the far side of the bed made an unwise grab for the material and missed, instead pinching B'Elanna's left nipple. She retaliated instantly and the EMH found himself flying across the bio-bed and rolling onto the floor.
B'Elanna meanwhile was yelling in Klingon and struggling to get out of the bed but her efforts were short-lived as Seven stepped into the melee between the freighter captain and the bed-sheet, grasping her wrists and without too much effort pinned the half-Klingon back on the bio-bed, leaning over her to prevent a comeback.
"Do not struggle B'Elanna Torres. You are not yet physically fully recovered and may injure yourself."
The EMH had hauled himself off the floor. "Huh! And I thought that Lieutenant Torres was ill-behaved. It would appear that as usual my patient is not grateful for my life-saving skills."
B'Elanna had ceased to struggle after several impotent seconds. She was staring up at the face only inches from her own.
"Ani?"
"I am not Annika Hansen. My designation is Seven of Nine."
"But..."
"She is telling the truth B'Elanna," said Annika who was still standing next to the bio-bed.
B'Elanna turned her head towards the voice and then looked quickly back at the woman holding her down.
"Wha.."
"I can explain. They are from an alternate universe. They got here by accident and saved our lives."
"What the fuck are you talking about. Who are these people?"
B'Elanna started to struggle again but in vain as Seven held her still.
"You're not human," B'Elanna yelled at her, convulsing helplessly as she tried to throw Seven off. "You're some kind of copy or robot."
"Captain Torres stop struggling. Your efforts are futile and will only result in injury. Annika Hansen has explained the situation to you and we mean you no harm. We are from an alternate universe to this one. My designation is Seven of Nine."
"Where's my ship and Tom?" B'Elanna yelled still trying to get free.
"Your ship is safe and your companion is safe too although he is receiving treatment for his burn injuries."
B'Elanna looked at her own arms suddenly and then at Annika. She fell back against her bed. "Ani. I remember I was on fire… my skin was melting… how long have we been here?"
Annika shrugged helplessly at the disbelief on B'Elanna's face. "You have been here less than half a day - B'Elanna they have technology like nothing I have ever seen. The doctor has treated your burns…Tom was slightly worse but he should be awake soon too."
Seven released Captain Torres and stepped back. She neatly drew the dislodged sheet back over the semi-naked woman. B'Elanna gaped at her.
"You must be extremely disorientated," said Seven politely. "I apologise if I have hurt you."
The freighter captain stared at the tall blonde and there were several seconds of silence before she lifted her hand and gazed again on completely unmarked skin, turning it to examine the front and the back.
"I don't understand any of this but if you have saved us then I must thank you and swear blood loyalty but if this is a Romulan or Bajoran plot then we will not co-operate in any way."
"I really don't think they are lying B'ELanna," Annika interjected. "The Romulans and the Bajorans have nothing like this ship or this medical technology. If they did the Empire would be in ruins already. They can dematerialise objects and then transport and re-materialise them somewhere else. That's how they saved us. Even Arkoo."
"Make my day, Ani. I was hoping that pest had got his," B'Elanna grumbled but her expression had lightened. "Can I see Tom now? Jeri will kill me if anything has happened to him, worthless as he is."
The EMH was feeling neglected as he immediately hustled back into the centre of the action. "Your Mr Paris, of whom you are obviously nearly as fond as I am of ours, is about ready. I think we should give him another few minutes and someone else can have the pleasure of being within smacking distance when he wakes. Perhaps I should give our Mr Paris that privilege."
"Your Mr Paris, our Mr Paris?" parroted B'Elanna sounding exactly like the unloved Arkoo. "Don't tell me.."
Janeway intervened.
"Captain Torres let me introduce myself again now that you are fully conscious. I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager. I am sorry that this has been so traumatic and I'm afraid there are some additional surprises. As your companion has tried to explain, we are from another universe and somewhat improbably we appear to have a number of crewmen including Seven and myself whom you already know from this Universe. I'm afraid that includes yourself and Mr Paris."
"That is ridiculous." B'Elanna scoffed.
"I quite agree," said Janeway drily. "Ms Hansen found it quite difficult to persuade me that you were not mischievous or malevolent aliens. However stranger things have happened although not many in my experience…" She shrugged and tapped a little badge on her chest. "B'Elanna, Tom, can you join us now?"
Three seconds later the doors of the sickbay whooshed open and two people entered.
Captain B'Elanna Torres peered at her counterpart who stared back with an equal lack of trust or belief.
"Kahless, it's true," said Captain Torres. "Though she is not a particularly good copy of me. She's smaller and weedier."
Lieutenant Torres glared at her. "I'm quite large enough thank you."
"Actually you are identical in height though the Captain is a little heftier," piped up the EMH.
"Fatter, " suggested Voyager's Torres.
"Stronger," countered the other immediately.
"Equally competitive however and I think you should all leave now before Mr Paris is roused and to give our new guest some breathing space. This is a sickbay and not a circus freak show," grumbled the EMH as two fierce Klingon brows beetled identically and exactly similar angry glares bore down on him.
"I agree with the doctor. Everybody out," ordered Janeway. "Though I expect Miss Hansen will want to stay with her friends and try and reassure them that they are in no danger from us. Everyone else I want an update on Voyager and our situation in ten minutes."
Annika nodded happily. "Can Seven stay? She can back me up with the scientific explanation."
"As you wish but I want Seven's report soon as she is able. I too would be quite grateful for a scientific explanation and a plan." Captain Janeway smiled at Seven and Annika could again see the obvious affection.
The EMH nodded. "And I need her to back me up if Miss Torres gets a little too feisty."
Janeway ignored him. "I expect to see our guests for dinner. If you need anything just let the EMH know." Captain Janeway left sick bay but Tom Paris hung back despite his wife trying to usher him out.
"Miss Torres," he said. "I'm Tom Paris. But I guess you know that."
"Captain Torres," B'Elanna corrected him.
Voyager's Torres snorted loudly. "Does that space pod actually need a captain?"
Annika and Seven just managed to get a hold of Captain Torres. "You miserable little landlubber," exclaimed Captain Torres, still trying to get out of the bio-bed. Those were the last words that any of the Voyager crew understood for twenty seconds as B'ELanna launched into very idiomatic Klingon.
Lieutenant Torres just sneered "Typical Klingon but it's wasted on me - I never learnt more than a dozen phrases. It's a crude language. Come on Tom I have to get back to engineering."
Tom shrugged and mouthed 'sorry' as his wife towed him out.
"In Kahless name, what a p'taq! She has the manners of a Romulan farmer." B'Elanna shook off Annika and Seven as they relaxed their grip on her shoulder.
"Notoriously rude to guests and lacks style and courage," Annika explained to Seven who had raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"Lieutenant Torres does not lack courage but she is unwelcoming," Seven acknowledged.
Captain Torres turned her full attention to Seven of Nine.
"You understand what has happened here?"
"I have developed a theory with Annika's help which accounts for the known facts. But it is only a hypothesis at this stage."
"You know that I still do not believe a word of this. You could easily be spies tricking us into revealing information."
"I'm just glad they came along when they did or we would all be dead by now," Annika explained.
"Perhaps not. The wave you encountered was generated by the rift between the two universes. If we had not arrived then you would probably not have experienced such adverse conditions and not been in any danger." Seven said candidly. Annika bit her lip and waited. She had hoped that B'Elanna would like Seven as much as she did.
"Huh!" B'Elanna exclaimed but she did not launch into a tirade as Annika feared.
The EMH bustled over.
"Mr Paris is ready. Shall I do the deed?"
B'Elanna scowled at him. "Let's get it over with."
The IC unit lid was removed by the EMH and he injected the stimulant into Tom's neck. There was a groan followed by a couple of mild expletives and then a querulous voice asking.
"Where the hell am I?"
"Here we go again," said Annika. "Wish me luck, though explaining everything to Tom can't be worse than it was with B'Elanna."
"Hey" protested B'Elanna.
Annika just grinned and turned her attention to Tom Paris as a groggy pair of blue eyes tried to focus on her.