Title: Star Trek-Infinity: Towards Truth and Salvation(MISC) 
Author: Charles Rando (trando@worldnet.att.net) 
Series: MISC 
Rating: [PG] 
Part: NEW 2/2 
Disclaimer: Paramount owns the characters in The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, and Peter David owns the Selelvian race (see his book, Strike Zone). I'd like to think that the characters I've invented and the story are mine. :-) 
Summary: Ensign Marit confronts her past and finishes her story, and Lieutenant Remley begins his tale: the possible rescue of an old friend. 
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"You're sure this information is correct?"
Quark regarded the tall man in front of him. Never had the Ferengi barkeep encountered a Trill that was so... suspicious. After a month on Deep Space Nine, the man still didn't take anything at face value. That was one of the reasons Quark liked him... that and the fact that he paid his bar tab on time. "You told me to keep my eye out for this ship of yours and let you know when it was coming here. I've heard that it'll be here by tomorrow... so in twenty-six hours, you'll know if I'm telling the truth or not."
The Trill nodded, lowered his empty glass to the bar along with a slip of gold press latinum, payment for that week's tab, and walked away without saying another word.
And somewhere, in the back of his head... in the tiny part of his mind that Quark would have labeled his "conscience," the Ferengi couldn't help but wonder why the Trill had wanted to know about that particular Federation starship. He seemed innocent enough... but at the same time, there was something... spooky about him.
These concerns faded away quickly as Quark remembered the slip of latinum on the bar and realized that he hadn't yet put it into the safe.
"A tall dark handsome stranger," Marit commented with a slight smile. "Evan, you do attract all types, don't you?"
"People have always been drawn to me, far as I can remember," the security chief said with a grin. "So while the Commander's birthday party was being organized, and as we were making our way to the Bajoran system, this man kept track of us... until the day that we actually arrived...."
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The tall Trill nodded, gave the Ferengi barkeep another slip of gold pressed latinum, and proceeded up to the upper level of the bar. He quickly found the person he was looking for... she had secured a table far away from the prying ears of the public. Inwardly, he congratulated himself. She had come a long way from when she had first approached him... back then she had been... well, very boisterous and energetic in her desire to achieve her goal. It had taken him a while to convince her that such energy was detrimental to their cause, and he hoped that she'd be able to stay under control when he told her the news.
"Quark was telling us the truth," the Trill said as he sat across from the woman. "The Infinity arrived about twenty minutes ago. The crew is standing down from active duty and getting ready to enjoy a few days of shoreleave before they head into the Gamma Quadrant. And apparently, there's going to be a get together on the Infinity at 2000 hours tonight... the senior staff from Deep Space Nine will be attending... it's the first officer's birthday."
The woman nodded, taking all of this information in. With her hand, she pushed her dark red hair behind her ear. "Happy Birthday, Commander Witherell," she said quietly to herself. "A strange connection...."
"I was thinking the same thing," the Trill replied, "which might mean that our chances of succeeding are good. Now, this is my plan... we wait until tomorrow, when the Infinity crew begins active shoreleave on the station. We find..." he paused, trying to remember a detail, "Lieutenants Remley and Johnson. And then we make them an offer they can't refuse."
The woman regarded him. "You don't think we should try to contact them sooner? Maybe at the party tonight?"
"We'd never be able to get in there," the Trill said, shaking his head. "It's for the crews of Deep Space Nine and the Infinity, and neither one of us qualify at the moment. Besides, this way we'll draw less suspicion... and that's what we want, right?"
The woman nodded. "You're right... we don't know who we can trust right now. We'll wait until tomorrow."
"A tall, dark, handsome stranger AND a lady in red... or with red hair, at least... this reminds me of one of those old mystery holonovels you like to play around in."
"It felt like it at first," Remley admitted. "Chris and I were totally unprepared for what was going to happen to us that day... I don't think we would have been ready even if we knew somehow what was going to happen... we were literally minding our own business...."
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"Seventeen brothers AND sisters?" Lieutenant Chris Johnson asked in amazement. Next to him, the big lumpy alien nodded silently. "Of course, after talking non-stop about his family for the last fifteen minutes, his voice probably would need a rest!" Johnson thought to himself.
The alien opened his mouth again, most likely to expand on the members of his immediate family who had been adopted as well, when Johnson felt a hand on his shoulder.
"It's always the quiet ones," the voice belonging to the hand said. "Leave them alone for a little while, and they head straight to the bar. Fancy seeing you in a place like Quark's."
"I'm only drinking Bajoran rakja juice, sir," Johnson answered, turning to face Lieutenant Evan Remley.
Remley laughed. "Juice?! Not even a synthehale? You never cease to amaze me, Chris! So, did I interrupt anything?"
The young chief of operations shook his head, ignoring Remley's comments about his drinking habits. They both were very aware of what had happened the last time they were in a bar together. "I was just talking to Morn here about our families...." His voice trailed off. The lumpy alien had moved to one of the gambling tables. "Or I guess I should say, he was talking to me about his family. I couldn't get him to shut up!"
"I found that out the hard way about a half hour ago. When I saw you over here talking to him, I figured you needed a rescue," Remley smiled. "Well, are you enjoying Deep Space Nine, Chris? Besides talking to Morn, I mean."
"Well, the Ferengi barkeep tried to sell me some low-buy crystals, but I told him I could buy them on any planet in this sector for much less than what he was selling them for," Johnson said. "Besides that, it's been rather quite boring."
"How about a game of darts?" Remley asked, indicating a dart board hanging on the wall a few yards away.
"I haven't played in years," Johnson said. "I may be a bit rusty."
"Then we definitely have to have a game!" Remley exclaimed, hauling the young man up. He stopped suddenly. "You don't happen to have any darts, do you?" he asked.
"Back in my quarters," Johnson said with a sly grin, making Remley wonder for a second just exactly how long it'd been since Johnson had last played. "Let's go."
The Trill and his companion entered Quarks through one entrance while Remley and Johnson exited through another. The Trill put his hand on the woman's shoulder, stopping her from chasing after the pair.
"They'll be back soon," he assured her. "I doubt they'll be able to resist the allure of this place for very long. And we don't want to look like we're chasing after them." He led her over to a table and they sat. "Just sit back, relax, and see what happens. I'm willing to bet they'll be back very soon."
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"Ten minutes! We were gone for ten minutes!"
Johnson placed the box of darts down on the bar and shrugged. "We could always ask them if we could join in," he suggested.
"From the look of it, Bashir and O'Brien have been at it since we left. We can't interrupt their game."
"So what do we do now?" Johnson asked.
Remley flashed him a grin. "We could always partake in a holosuite...."
"Excuse me," a voice said from behind them. Both officers turned to see a tall, dark haired Trill. "Evan Remley and Chris Johnson?"
"Who wants to know?" Remley asked, always the security chief.
"My name is Reynd. I have an offer for you, gentlemen."
"An offer we can't refuse?" Remley inquired.
"That's the hope," the Trill replied.
"No thanks." Remley turned back to the bar. Johnson, taking his lead, followed.
The man spoke again, even though both officers had their backs to him. "Oh well, I guess we'll just have to find someone else to help us."
And then Remley and Johnson heard a voice that made them jump off their stools. It said, "Are you sure? Maybe if you ask nicely?"
Remley was the first one to reply. "Rebecca?"
Marit swore under her breath in shock... the story had taken a definite twist! Even though Marit had to admit she hadn't known Rebecca as well as she could have, she knew of the woman's story and pain... everyone on the ship did....
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Former Lieutenant Rebecca Bayreuther nodded and smiled. "It's good to see you again, Evan."
Remley and Johnson continued to stare in shock at the tiny ex-chief botanist of the Infinity. The woman who had left Starfleet to devote her time to rescuing the man she loved, Ensign Jeff Libby. Finally, Remley came to his senses and hugged the woman, his arms burying her in his chest. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
Rebecca said only one thing, and she said it very softly. "Air."
"What?"
"Need... air," she gasped, and Remley let her out of the bear hug.
"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "But it's so good to see you again! What are you doing here?"
"Actually," Rebecca said, "I'm here to see you and Chris. I think I may have figured out a way to find Jeff, and I need your help."
"So she told us her plan," Remley said. "Chris and I agreed that it could work, and we contacted the Captain. If we were going to try anything, we'd need his permission first."
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"Ms. Bayreuther," Captain Rando greeted, and then looked at the man beside her. "It seems our former botanists have a way of falling in with the strangest crowds... no offense."
"None taken," replied Reynd. "There are people who have called me worse. In the scientific community, some of my ideas are considered well outside the realm of extreme possibility."
"So," Rando continued, offering them all seats in the conference lounge. Remley and Johnson were there as well, as they had been the ones who had brought Rebecca to Rando in the first place. "Evan tells me that you have a plan for locating Jeff?"
"Yes sir," Rebecca said, nodding. "We've been trying everything for the last few months... psychic emanations, transporter signatures... nothing worked... until I noticed something interesting in one of your logs. Well, Reynd noticed it, not me. Things like that have a way of somehow finding there way across his desk."
Reynd nodded. "A short while ago, three of the officers on this ship exchanged places with three people from an alternate reality... you were one of them, weren't you, Captain?"
"Yes I was," Rando replied. "Sonja, the ship's hostess and I suddenly found ourselves on a planet that was very similar to Earth, while our counterparts found themselves on the Infinity. Eventually, though, we were able to get everyone back where they should be." He paused. "You think the same idea might work to find Jeff?"
Reynd nodded. "The work your science officer did with quantum resonance gave us the idea to look for other instances when quantum resonance has been used, and that in turn opened up a new door for our research... a door that, I believe, will bring us to the alternate universe that Jeff was lost in... and if we're lucky, we'll be able to bring him back through that door as well."
Rando looked confused. "But in our situation, Lieutenant Williams was able to lock onto the alternate universe we were in by scanning our counterparts and determining their quantum resonance. In this situation, Jeff didn't leave behind a counterpart."
"But he did, sir," Bayreuther interjected. "And once we scan him and get the information we need, we'll be able to lock on to the other universe, use the Bajoran wormhole to deliver us there... and with a little help from you, we'll be able to rescue Jeff."
"A little help from us?" Rando replied, arching an eyebrow. "What help do you need exactly? The Infinity could be ready to go in a day...."
Bayreuther shook her head. "The Infinity would be easily noticed in the other universe," she said. "We need something smaller... we need the shuttle that Kevin, Sonja and Jeff used to infiltrate the other ship. Or at least we need a modified shuttle that could be hidden from their sensors as well as that one could."
"That can be easily arranged," Rando replied. "I wish we could do more, though. We've been waiting for an opportunity to rescue Jeff for a year now."
"There is one other thing, Captain," Lieutenant Remley said. Rando looked at the security chief and he continued, "Let Chris and me go with them."
Rando opened his mouth to speak, but Remley cut him off. "They'll need manpower, sir. They'll need someone who can fight, and someone who can repair the shuttle, if necessary. And to be honest... I think it's our duty to go along. I promised Jeff I would bring him back... and Chris did too."
Rando raised a hand, effectively silencing the big security officer. "Be careful," was all he said.
"Thank you, sir," Remley said. His expression was serious, but there was no doubt he was celebrating on the inside.
"There is one thing I want to know, though... one piece of the puzzle that I still don't have," Rando said. "HOW are you going to determine the quantum resonance of that universe? Who's your counterpart?"
When Rando heard the answer, he almost slapped himself on the forehead for forgetting. Reynd, Bayreuther, Remley and Johnson looked to each other to see who would give the response. Finally, it was Remley who said, "Paul McCue." 
"Paul McCue," Marit repeated. "I can't remember the last time I saw him."
"After all this time, Starfleet doesn't feel one hundred percent comfortable about letting him take on any specific responsibilities. He spends most of his time in Lieutenant Monty's quarters, reading up on the history of this universe, seeing how things are different here then they are back home. I think he hopes he'll be able to return one day and try to make things better. And when he's not doing that, he's busy romancing Ms. Monty... in fact, that's how we found him...."
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For a man who'd been born in an alternate universe, Paul McCue was feeling pretty comfortable right now. Freshly showered after a nice long hike in the holodeck, he shrugged on his robe and entered the bedroom that he and Lieutenant Trina Monty shared. She sat in front of the dresser mirror, brushing the tangles out of her long dirty blonde hair. And yet again, he couldn't help but glory at her beauty. He moved behind her and kissed her on her head.
"Almost ready?" he asked.
"Just a few more minutes," Monty replied, smiling at him. Her life had changed so much in the last year as well. Meeting a man who was so similar to her deceased fianc�... reliving feelings she had thought were ten years past and falling in love again. She hadn't remembered being this happy in a long long time.
Ten minutes later, they left their quarters again for the holodeck, but not for anything as... active as hiking. Instead, they ran a program of a restaurant in Paris overlooking the Seine. There was a table for two prepared for them, set aside from the rest of the patrons. There they had their meal in peace, a romantic evening for just the two of them... and then McCue popped the question.
And five seconds later, Trina Monty was engaged to be married to a Paul McCue for the second time in her life.
They celebrated the engagement with a dance, and then a stroll through the moonlit streets of Paris. An hour later, they called for the exit... and that's when they were met by Lieutenant Remley.
"Paul... if you're not too busy, we could use your help right now," Remley said. Next to him stood a woman that McCue had never met before, despite the connection they shared. It was Rebecca Bayreuther, who's lover had been left behind in the same mirror universe that McCue had come from.
McCue glanced at Monty and then back at Remley. "Is this about what I think it is?" he asked.
Remley nodded. "We might have a way to bring him back," he said. With that, McCue turned to Monty, who gave him a nod and a smile, which was all McCue needed to follow Remley and Bayreuther away from the holodeck.
"We did the scan of McCue... and there it was. It had been waiting for us all this time." Remley shook his head. "I knew there was something about McCue... I knew that somehow he'd lead us to finding Jeff. Just like how I knew D'vis would help me with my investigation," he added in a low voice.
"Found anything new yet?" Marit asked, her voice hushed as well. There were only a few people on the ship who knew about the Klingon chips someone was using to sabotage the Infinity's shuttles, and Starfleet wanted it to stay that way.
"D'vis found two more chips last week," Remley told her. "So we know our boy... or girl is still here. But we haven't been able to track him yet... he covers up after himself really well. But I will find him... at least he can't do any more damage to the shuttles. And luckily, he doesn't seem to be messing with anything else." He sat up in his chair. "But anyway, we did our scan of McCue and found the quantum resonance we needed. We could sneak into McCue's universe and get Jeff back. But it wasn't going to be easy... in fact, we reached our first snag right after we'd completed the scan. Everyone else had left...."
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"I want to go with you."
Remley stared at the man named Paul McCue. "This isn't a trip to Risa, Paulie-boy."
"I know that," McCue assured him. "And I know more about that universe than all of you put together. I should, it was my home for over thirty years." He paused, as if trying to figure out what to say next. "I won't go so far as saying you need me on this mission. But I have knowledge that you don't... and I'm a trained security officer. I think I could be useful to you."
Remley shook his head. "Starfleet won't like this... they don't trust you, you know."
"I've noticed," McCue said with a sigh. "But this isn't about me or them... it's about getting your man back."
"I doubt the Captain will like this much either. Sending a civilian into a dangerous situation."
"He's already allowing two to go, Mr. Remley. And I'm sure you'd be able to convince him to let me go if you wanted to," McCue pointed out.
"And I bet Trina would have some qualms as well."
"That's something I'd have to deal with myself," McCue said. His eyes had never left Remley's.
Remley stared at him, his face expressionless. "You make some pretty good arguments, 'Captain.'"
McCue shrugged. "You made some pretty poor ones, Lieutenant."
Remley broke out into a grin. "Not my fault their weren't any good arguments on the other side," he said. "I'll tell the Captain I want you along, and he'll agree to it. I have a good feeling about you, Paul." He checked the nearest chronometer. "We'll be leaving at 0600 hours... that's when the shuttle will be ready to go. Shuttlebay one, Mr. McCue. I'll see you there."
"Thank you," McCue said with a nod. And then he turned and left as well.
"We followed Reynd's instructions to a tee," Remley said. "We weren't entirely sure HOW he had come across information about using the Bajoran wormhole to cross into other dimensions... Starfleet likes keeping that a secret. But it didn't really matter... we had a mission to accomplish, and I don't think Reynd would ever distribute that information to anyone."
"That's high praise coming from you," Marit remarked. "He must have had an effect on you."
"At first, I thought he was only interested in his own reputation... proving all of those people that naysayed his work wrong. But I know now that all he wanted to do was help Rebecca get Jeff back." He paused, as if wondering if he should say something now or wait until later. Finally, he continued, "So we made the crossover in the wormhole... and then something we didn't expect happened. There was a bright flash of light and...."
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"They search for the one like them," the alien-Rando said. The group of humanoids were huddled in a small pack while the beings who had created the Bajoran wormhole, the Prophets, spoke to them.
"That one is in terrible danger," the alien-Quark added.
Bayreuther turned... and found herself looking at herself.
"You are the only one who can save him," the alien that looked like her said. "Only you can help him."
"But you must be careful... the one you seek is not the one you seek," the alien Rando told them.
"You must save the one you seek... that is the only way to save everything," Quark said. "You must save the one you seek."
And then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, the wormhole aliens were gone, and everyone was back on the shuttle.
"That... was an experience," Reynd commented. "I never imagined I'd ever be abducted by the wormhole aliens."
"Second time for me," Remley said, laughing. "They just won't leave me alone!" He noticed Bayreuther sitting in her chair, staring off into space. "Rebecca? You with us?"
The red head snapped to attention. "Sorry, Evan... I was... I was just thinking about what the aliens said to me... that only I could save Jeff. And that he was in horrible danger... and that he wasn't 'the one we seek.' What does that mean?"
"From what Captain McCue tells us of this universe, I can only imagine what these people have done to Jeff," Remley told her. 
McCue nodded. Although he had never met the Jeff Libby from this universe, he had had his own. Ensign Libby was a good man. "He might be different when we find him, but it'll still be Jeff... at least a part of him. And once we get him home, we'll be able to focus on finding the other parts."
Bayreuther smiled. "You're right... it just sounded like the wormhole aliens were almost... worried. And I don't want to know what could worry them."
"I think it's a safe bet that we won't find out sitting in the wormhole," Reynd said. "Besides, we need to see if we're in the right universe or not."
"Right-oh," Remley replied and took the pilot's chair. "Coming about and out of the wormhole."
Seconds later, the shuttle found itself in open space again, but there had been no effect of the wormhole opening as they left it. They were just suddenly back outside with no big fanfare. Johnson commented on it.
"Yeah, that's a little strange," Reynd replied. "Almost like the wormhole aliens didn't want anyone to know we're here... like they were looking out for us."
"Are we where we're supposed to be, though?" Remley asked.
The Trill waited a few seconds before answering. "It looks like it. The quantum resonance of the few atoms I've been able to pick up matches what we were looking for."
"We're definitely not in our universe," Johnson added. "Deep Space Nine isn't near the wormhole... in fact, I can't pick up any sign of Deep Space Nine at all."
Remley nodded. "Somehow I doubt the Starfleet in this universe ever gave the Cardassians the opportunity to build it."
"The Cardassian Occupation began some forty years ago when we first encountered them," McCue said. "We appropriated Bajor from them then... the poor people thought they were being saved. All they found was that one enemy had been replaced by one that was even more powerful."
"There is a large space structure orbiting Bajor, but I can't get a clear scan of it without giving away our location," Johnson said. "We're going to have to get closer."
"Any ships?" Remley asked.
"I'm picking up some warp cores, but like I said, I can't say exactly what they are until we get closer."
"All right, then," the security chief said, "We get closer. Setting course for Bajor, full impulse. Keep alert people, it'll take a few hours for us to get there... we don't want to be caught unprepared."
Everyone nodded and turned with rapt attention to their consoles. They'd come this far... they weren't about to let something go wrong now.
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"We're entering sensor range of Bajor," Lieutenant Johnson announced. "I'm getting readings on the space station and the starships orbiting the planet... it's there! The Infinity's there!"
Bayreuther was instantly out of her chair and looking over Johnson's shoulder. "You're sure that's it?"
"I can scan the hull for a name if you want," Johnson replied with a grin. 
"That's my old ship, without a doubt," McCue concluded. "It's here... just like your Infinity is here in the other universe."
Remley shook his head. "I don't like it," he said, and everyone turned to look at him.
"Nothing's happened yet," Reynd pointed out. "Don't be so pessimistic."
"It doesn't feel right, though," Remley continued. "Yes, there are similarities between this universe and ours... but there are some major differences too. And what are the chances that their Infinity is in the same sector that our Infinity is in?"
"The odds are in our favor," Bayreuther told him. "At least that's what Reynd calculated. I mean, the first time we ran into this Infinity, we were both in the same sector, weren't we?"
"But they were tracking us," the security chief pointed out. "Waiting for the right moment to suck us in. I don't like it."
The look of hope on Bayreuther's face disintegrated into one of despair, and she moved to the back of the shuttlecraft. Reynd came up right behind Remley. "Look," he said harshly. "We were expecting that their ship would be here. Otherwise, what would be the purpose of our coming at all? All you're doing is upsetting Rebecca. She's been waiting almost a year for this... I suggest you stop being so negative." And with that, he turned back around and went to comfort Bayreuther.
"I don't care what he says," Remley told Johnson and McCue. "There's something wrong here... I can feel it in my bones. Something isn't right, but I can't put my finger on it yet."
Johnson shrugged. "Well, if I know you, Evan, you will soon enough," he said. He checked his instruments. "We're approaching Bajor."
"I'm going to position us right over the planet's North pole... the magnetic field should help shield us from their sensors completely," Remley said. "We'll be able to see them, but they won't see us."
"I'm starting a scan for your Mr. Libby," McCue announced. "With any luck, he'll still be on the Infinity somewhere. After all, just because it's here, doesn't mean that he is." His console started beeping, indicating a match. "Well... that was quick."
"A little TOO quick," Remley replied. "And somehow I have a feeling I'm going to be saying things like that the entire time we're here." He sighed. "We'd better tell Rebecca and Reynd that we've found him." Another alarm went off... a soft, gentle chirp, but one that Remley had hoped not to hear.
Johnson confirmed his fears. "We're being hailed, Evan."