Riker's Temporary Replacement (Part Three)

Guest Poster: Beverly Crusher

As I drag Jean-Luc out of Ten Forward, he falls unconsious. I have him beamed to Sick Bay so I can check how he is.

When Riker & Deanna went on vacation for the week, the over-ambitious Commander Elizabeth Paula Shelby was put in Riker's place.

Since then, she has been trying to take over more and more, even edging in on my relationship with Jean-Luc. I soon cut her off there!

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After a brief examination, I see there is small traces of hytropoxin in the Captain's system. This will knock anyone out for several hours. Someone...and I think I know who...must have deposited it in the Ktarian Brandy.

Things are beginning to make sense. That woman is power mad.

With Jean-Luc incapacitated, Shelby is now acting Captain of the Enterprise!

I go up to the Bridge, and tell her I want to talk to her.

"Certainly, Doctor." Shelby answers, when I get there all fuming, "Come into my Ready Room."

'MY' Ready Room she says! How does she have the nerve?

"You drugged the Captain, Commander Shelby." I say accusingly, "All so you could take control of the ship. You didn't want to seduce him, as I first thought, but you put the hytopoxin in to get him out of the way for a long time."



"You've deduced that well, Doctor." Shelby smugly says, "However, you have no proof. Now remember to call me Captain Shelby from now on, otherwise I'll have the holographic doctor taking over your duties and you doing the bedpans!"

Incensed, I stride out, and Shelby resumes her place in the Captain's Chair, wearing that smug look that she likes to have.

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A few hours later, we are told to go on an Away Mission on the planet Hvara. Some invaders are attacking a settlement and we have to go down. Shelby takes Worf and the security staff down for back up, while I take a medical group to help the survivors.

I also pack in a little hytopoxin. It might come in handy!



Shelby and Worf go looking for some of the invaders. I get my aides helping along. Now if I can get Shelby alone...

"How are things going, Doctor" asks Shelby, "It seems all the invaders have left the planet."

"Things are fine." I reply, "All the survivors are being beamed back to the ship."

As she turns around, I leap up with my hypospray and inject her with hytopoxin.

Almost immediately, Shelby starts staggering around as if she has has two bottles of Klingon bloodwine. Then she falls flat on the floor.

"What has happened to Captain Shelby?" Worf asks when he returns.

"I've no idea, Worf." I reply innocently, "I'll get her up to the ship."

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Everybody seems to accept the story that Shelby just had a dizzy spell, and I keep he out of the way and drugged up in SickBay, saying the stress of Command must have been too much for her.

In the meantime, Jean-Luc has recovered, although he seems to have a throbbing headache. I tell him the truth about what happened.

"Ordinarily, I wouldn't tolerate such a thing you did, Beverly." he says, "But Shelby did try to get me out of the way so that she could command a starship. In that case, it's only right to do what you did. Anyway, Riker and Deanna will be back tomorrow."

"We'll send her on with a splitting headache, Jean-Luc." I smile, "She'll find that it isn't easy being at the top!"