Through A Mirror, Strictly (Part Three)

It's no fun in this joyless universe.

Since I went through a mirror on Gaius IV, I emerged into a parallel universe where everything is a lot harsher. I have to keep saluting everyone. No fraternisation is allowed, so Bev has been very different.

I've even been told that the human race is only grown in laboratories. We have to keep our bodies well covered to prevent any illicit thoughts.

I can only imagine what my counterpart in my universe must be thinking. He's probably locked all the women in the brig by now!

-------------

I know the answer is in that mirror on Gaius IV, so I will beam down and get through. It could be a problem right now. Riker is viewing me suspiciously. Beverly must have told him what happened in SickBay when I pecked her on the cheek. If I'm not careful, I could end up imprisoned for not following procedure.



"Doctor Crusher tells me there was an altercation between you and her in SickBay" he comments coldly to me in the corrider, "And that you assaulted her."

"Purely a misunderstanding, Commander Riker" I reply in the formal manner they are used to here, "I assure you it will not happen again."

"Nevertheless" he continues, "I must make my report to Starfleet. I may get orders to put you in the brig and assume command of the Enterprise."

That's just what I didn't want!

"Err..look, Commander." I ask, "Can't we just let this slip by. I wasn't feeling too well at the time after that visit to Gaius IV."

Riker thinks about this for a while.

"Very well, Captain" he concedes, "If you make an apology to Doctor Crusher, and she agrees, I shall let this matter drop. Do not do this again."

"Of course not." I say in a grovelling manner, "By the way, what have you ever thought of Deanna Troi?"



Riker thinks again.

"She is an adequate enough counselor." he tells me with a sniff.

"Have you ever thought her attractive?" I ask in a hinting manner, "Or maybe that she likes you?"

"Of course not!" he replies firmly, "Such thoughts are forbidden!"

"That's true." I say, "But it might be interesting to ask her, and to find the reply."

I walk away and notice that Riker is thinking about the question...and about Deanna.

I arrive back at SickBay. Beverly is hostile, but I apologise and decide to tell her everythingabout who I really am.

-----------

Afterwards she asks me a few questions.

"You mean in your universe people kiss and are not grown in laboratories?"

"That's right" I reply, "There, you and I are very close."

"Are we?" she asks curiously, with interest in her voice.

I approach and kiss her gently. This time, Bev does not slap me on the cheek, but kisses me back with a passion.

"I shall have to go back to my universe, Beverly" I tell her, "I'm sure you will be able to eventually get my counterpart to warm to you."

"I'm sure I will, Jean-Luc" she says with a smile.

------------------

I beam down the surface of Gaius IV, and find the mirror. Looking at the marker, it is still set at twelve. My reflection is in the mirror, but in it, Beverly and Riker are in the background. I walk through.

The marker there is set at seven, so I'm in the right dimension.

-------------

I tell them about the harshness of the universe I was in, leaving out the kiss with Beverly, of course!

"However." I continue, just as we are about to beam up, "I have the feeling that there might be one or two changes in the place I've come from."

Through A Mirror, Strictly (Part Two)

Guest Poster: Beverly Crusher

After, Jean-Luc's visit to Gaius IV, I am treating the injured Ro Laren, who has had concussion, due to a rockfall. I get a swift message on my comm from Will Riker that the Captain is acting strangely, and to be careful.

I don't have time to ask him to elaborate as Jean-Luc walks in, looking annoyed.

"Doctor Crusher!" he booms, "Why is no one saluting me on this ship? Have they lost all sense of duty?"

"Jean-Luc?" I ask, "You know people don't ever salute here."

"You are being perilously over-familiar with me, Doctor." he commands, "You will address me as Captain Picard or sir."

"Very well, sir" I say with a touch of sarcasm, and a mock salute.

"One other thing, Doctor." he continues, "Why are you not in your regulation Starfleet medical outfit. That brown dress is not suitable."

"I had put it one for our date tonight at The Sands holographic nightclub." I tell him.

Jean-Luc looks shocked.

"Fraternisation?" he says, "That is banned throughout the entire Federation. Men and women are not allowed to consort in case....certain things happen."

"How are species supposed to exist then?" I ask angily.

"They are raised in laboratories, of course, Doctor." he reminds me, "You of all people should know that. The women in this vessel are showing too much flesh. It is distracting for male crew."
Deanna comes in and asks what the fuss is all about.



Jean-Luc looks as if he is going to faint.

"Why are you showing all this flesh!" he shouts, "I'll have you put in the brig for inciting thoughts into people."

"I was in my evening dress, for the date with Will tonight at The Sands." she explains.

Jean-Luc isn't listening. Instead, he gets a medical blanket, throws it over Deanna and carries her out of SickBay in the direction of the brig. All the time, Deanna is wailing away.

Riker rushes in.

"What's going on, Beverly?" he asks.

"We've got a problem" I tell him, "The Captain Picard we have here isn't the one who went down to Gaius IV. I managed to take a reading as he left with Deanna. He has a different universal signature."

"We need to go back down there and find out what happened." he replies, "The Captain we have here won't be too popular."

To be continued...

Through A Mirror, Strictly (Part One)

Gaius IV is a world Starfleet haven't explored before. As we are in the vicinity, we have been sent to take a look at it.

Sensors show it is deserted, but there are a few old buildings around.

Data, Geordi, Worf, Ro and myself are in the Away Team beaming down. I like to be in the group that visit. After all, I'm the Captain!

The trouble is, those in Away Teams to get eliminated; it's a high risk strategy.

When we appear on the planet, see see a lot of ruined buildings, ancient columns and walls that have long since collapsed due to age.

"All right" I say to the team, "Data and Geordi, you look over there to the north; Worf and Ro, you search that cluster of buildings over to the south. As for me, I'll look right here in these chambers."



"Are you sure you will be alright, Captain?" warns Worf, "You have no one with you. Perhaps you ought to come with Ensign Ro and myself?"

"Don't worry, Mr Worf." I reply, "I know how to look after myself."

I should listen to others, of course; things never run smoothly. We must me the most incident-prone ship in Starfleet.

As the others explore, I go into the ancient rooms that still remain standing; eventually, I come across something rather odd.

A giant mirror.

On the frame are a set of numbers. The marker is set to 'seven'. I take a closer look.

Why do I do it? New New Years Resolution ought to be 'Don't be so curious'.

When I touch the mirror, I find my hand goes through it, and in a moment of extreme silliness, as I must have left my brain on the Enterprise, I step through.

Everything is exactly how it was, nothing has altered. I do notice that the marker is at 'twelve', though.

"Captain!" calls out Worf, "Ensign Ro is injured. Some debris fell on her."

I run out, thinking nothing more about the mirror incident, and go to where Data, Geordi and Worf are, with Ro lying down.

The three turn round and salute quickly; Ro, dazed she is, looks and manages a weak little salute. I notice that her bare arms are covered and the Bajoran jewelry she always wears is missing.

"I'm sorry I can't stand up, Captain Picard." she says, "I think I have concussion."

In surprise, I salute back.

"That's alright, Ensign." I tell her, "Let's beam back and get you to SickBay."

---------------

In the transport room, I am greeted by a barrage of salutes; everyone looks as if they daren't put a foot wrong. I try to keep remembering to salute as I greet everyone.

What's going on? Has there been a new Starfleet directive? I could believe that!

Going to SickBay, I am greeted by Beverly, who is treating Ro.



Bev stops and salutes me.

"Ensign Ro Laren will be able to resume duties in two hours, sir." she informs me.

"That's good to know." I reply. Then I ask Beverly to quietly speak to me.

"What's with all the salutes, Bev?" I ask her, "You are behaving very officiously today, as is everybody else. What about our date tonight? I hope you're not going to be officious then!"

I reach forward and kiss her on the cheek.

Beverly looks shocked.

"Unhand me, Captain!" she shouts, slapping my cheek, "You know that Starfleet employees are not allowed to fraternise! Male and female contact is strictly forbidden in this galaxy, with the body covered with clothes at all times."

My mind recalls the incident with the mirror on Gaius IV.

This may not be the universe I belong to. I wonder what is going on in my universe?

To be continued...

TWQ: Albums Played Only Once

We all remember most of the music albums we buy, but some of them are just so bad or disappointing, we never play them again, so they just gather dust. Today, TWQ (The Weekend Question) asks about those.

Which music albums have you found to be very disappointing when you played them, so that you never played them again, or very rarely?

My answers are:

Clock Without Hands by Nanci Griffith: The title track was rather good, but apart from that the rest of the album is below Nanci's usual standard. As I have been to 3 concerts and have other albums, this fell short of the usual.

Love Scenes by Beverley Craven: After a promising first album, I was looking forward to this, only to find it consisted of Beverley singing a few tinkling songs of no distinction or quality.

Now it's over to you...

But before I go...

Today is the 99th TWQ in the series. Make sure you visit next week for the special 100th!

Data Comes To Dinner (Part Three)

Guest Poster: Data

The dinner seems to be going well in Ten Forward.

My girlfriend Jennifer Baxter and I are entertaining her parents George and Miriam. They have never met me before, and are a little doubtful about my suitability for Jennifer.

However, I believe I am starting to win them over.

--------------------

We are seated at one of the best tables. Guinan has bought over the menu.

"Would any of you people like you to see the menu?" she asks.

"Aye, I would." replies Mr Baxter.

When it comes, he scans the pages and looks disappointed.

"Haven't you got any tripe?" he asks, "I could just do with some of that!"

Guinan smiles.

"Well, it's an unusual request, sir, "But we can get some if you wish."

"Aye, that would suit me fine."

"George!" whispers Mrs Baxter, "I thought we were going to have more modern dishes. After all, this is the 24th Century,"

"There's nothing like good, honest, Yorkshire tripe." George Baxter states proudly, "I'll have none of that Klingon food."

"There's a lot of tripe around in Yorkshire, Daddy." says Jennifer with a giggle. She and her mother both laugh. Her father looks disgusted.

Perhaps I should have had my emotion chip turned on?

As we wait for our meals, we start to talk. Mr Baxter turns to me.

"Now then, young man" he starts, "I want to know what your intentions are towards my daughter?"

"I am sorry, Mr Baxter, I do not understand."

"I mean are you going to make an honest woman of her?"

Jennifer starts to blush.




"Oh, Daddy!" she exclaims, "You're embarassing me and Data."

"Never mind that!" he continues, "What's your answer?"

My positrinic brain processes the question until I understand it's meaning.

"Are you asking if I wish to marry your daughter, sir?" I say.

"Aye, Data, that I am."

"Well, sir." I say carefully, "Jennifer and I have not discussed that in depth, but she is a wonderful woman."

"Oh Data!" sighs Jennifer, and kisses me on the cheek and holds my hand."

"Hey lass, be careful what you're doing there!" warns Mr Baxter.

"Oh, George!" says his wife, "They are only young. We used to do that once,"

"Aye." he replies, "But I wasn't a robot that needed oiling every week!"

"George!" continues his wife, "Give the couple a chance. Think of your daughter's happiness. She has a handsome Lieutenant Commander who loves her. Not many young girls could say that."

"Aye, you're right." he admits, "Very well Mr Data, you and Jennifer have our blessing to continue your relationship. However, you must try some of the tripe I get served."

"Very well, sir" I reply.

"Remember, Data." he says, "Call me George."

Behind him, Guinan is hovering, ready to serve our meals. She smiles and winks at me.

"Give Data some of my tripe!" Mr Baxter orders. It is placed in front of me and Jennifer laughs while I look confused.

I really should have bought my emotion chip with me.

------------------
Author's note: This is an additional part to the story. It was meant to be a two-part one, but when many comments said they were looking forward to Part Three, I decided to expand it. I'm glad that I did.

Data Comes To Dinner (Part Two)

Guest Poster: Jennifer Baxter

I always knew this day would come sooner or later. My parents want to meet my boyfriend Data. They both dislike technology, yet I've never told them that Data is an android.

Mommy and Daddy are very English, and like the old ways. How they will manage to beam up to the Enterprise is a feat in itself. Eager to see me and my Lieutenant Commander boyfriend, I suppose.

---------------

Data and I are waiting in the Transporter Room as my parents beam aboard. We hold hands. I hope Data doesn't notice how nervous I am.

Daddy smiles at me, as does Mommy. They rush forward to greet me.

"I'm really glad to see you, Jen." says Daddy. Mommy gives me a peck on the cheek.

"How are you, darling." she asks me, "It must be awful being on this spaceship. I know it took a lot of persuading to get your father to beam up. He hated having his atoms taking apart. I'm sure he'll be counting them as soon as he can."

Then my parents turn to look at Data.



"Well I'll go to the foot of our stairs." exclaims Daddy.

"Hello, Mr and Mrs Baxter." states Data, "I am Lieutenant Commander Data, and am very pleased to meet you."

"Data, honey." I say, "This is my father, George Baxter, and my mother, Miriam."

"It is my pleasure." Data tells them with a smile.

Daddy is starting to look a little purple, as if he is being strangled with a tie.

"Err...Miriam, lass" he says to Mommy, "You have a word with Mr Data, I need to have a very urgent chat with our Jenny."

He pulls me aside quickly.

"Gordon Bennett! What do you think you're trying to do, Jenny?" he asks me desperately.

"What do you mean, Daddy."

"You know full well" he tells me, going even more purple, "Are you trying to tell me your boyfriend is a robot?"

"Of course he's not a robot, Daddy." I reply, "He's a highly advanced android with a positonic brain. Data is just an alternative life form who I happen to love. He's really charming, especially when he has his emotion switch turned on."

Daddy has to sit down on hearing this.

"Don't give me that, Jen!" he says while shaking his head, "Do you have to carry a key to wind him up every few minutes?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Daddy." I reply, "He's not clockwork. You'll get to like him after a while. Data is warm, kind, generous and..."

"It'll take a lot to convince me, Jen." he says with a sigh, "What will the neighbours say? I'll be ostracised from the local cricket club."

"Why worry about what others think, Daddy." I tell tim, "Doesn't your daughter's happiness count?"

"Aye, lass." he admits, "But he is not what we expected. He looks pleasant enough. Come on, let's get back to your mother. Your boyfriend might need winding up again."

We approach Mommy and Data.

"Oh, George!" exclaims Mommy, "Mr Data here has been making me laugh. He's been telling me some funny stories about his adventures in space."

"Oh, aye?" Daddy says grumpily.

"Yes, George." she continues, "He also tells me how much Jennifer has meant to him since she joined the Enterprise."

"Well, she's a special lass." Daddy concedes.

"Indeed she is, Mr Baxter." Data tells him, "The two of us mean a lot to each other. Shall we go to Ten Forward, where we can have dinner?"

"Aye, let's do that." says Daddy, "You can call me George, though", and he slaps Data on the back.

As we leave, Data and I exchange smiles and hold hands.

I think Data may have won his toughest battle.

Data Comes To Dinner (Part One)

Guest Poster: Data

Since I had my relationship with Ensign Jennifer Baxter, I have never met her parents.

Though I have asked her when I may do this, she has said "Sure we'll do it sometime, honey." and accepted it as such.

However, she is looking troubled just now. I hold her hand gently.

"Jennifer." I ask, "You look like you have a problem; tell me what it is."

After a slight hesitation, she speaks up.

"It's my parents." she haltingly confesses, "They want to meet you when the Enterprise returns to Earth soon, and go to dinner."

"That should be no problem, Jennifer." I reply, "I have wanted to meet them also." Though I suspect she may not have told them something.

"The trouble is, honey." Jennifer says with a half smile, "I told them you were a Lieutenant Commander on the Enterprise, which impressed them, but I didn't mention you were an....errr....android."

"I see why you were distressed." I reply, "You are concerned your parents may not approve of me."

"You can say that again." Jennifer comments, "My mother had a bad experience with a sonic shower, and my father disapproves of all sorts of technology."

"That could make our relationship somewhat awkward." I say.

"That's right, Data" she sniffs, with a tear in her eye, "My father would think I might as well have a toaster as a boyfriend."

"A toaster does not have so many circuits or a positronic brain, Jennifer, besides.."

"That's not the point, Data." she says with a sigh, "We'll have to hope your personality wins them over."

"That may somewhat of a problem, Jennifer."

-------------

I taslk to my friend Geordi.

"Now look, Data." he tells me, "You've got to make Jennifer's parents see you as a suitable boyfriend, and not as an android."

"But I AM an android." I reply.

"That's not the point." Geordi stresses, "You've got to get them to see that you're a good boyfriend for their daughter, and that being an android is irrelevant."

I understand, Geordi. Thank you for your advice."

-------------------

A little later, we are at the transporter room. Jennifer is all dressed in an evening gown, ready for the four of us to go out.




"All set, Data honey?" she asks me.


"I think so, Jennifer." I tell her with hesitation, as two figures beam on board.


To be continued...

TWQ: Superheroes

With superhero movies always coming out, TWQ (The Weekend Question) this week looks at the comic book genre.



Which superhero(es) did you always like? What name would you choose if you were a superhero, and what powers would you have?



My answers are:



I always liked the DC Comics, so Superman & Batman were my favourites. Around 1968-1974, there were lots of titles that featured them, and I bought every one of them.



My superhero would be The Night Stalker. In an all-black outfit and cape, he would root out wrongdoers. I would have the telepathic ability to sense evil and have telekinetic energy to move people against a wall if they attacked or keep them still



Now it's over to you...