Stardate 52051.3

     Etely was looking up at the Doctor.  He had just finished a major 
operation on her to replace her heart.  The Doctor was glancing at his computer
and going over the readings after the operation.  Suddenly he yelled, "Uh-oh,
I think I made a slight mistake in the operation!"
     Etely sat bolt right up from where she was laying, "What are you talking
about!?  I feel fine!  Tell me your readings are wrong!", Etely screamed.
     "Well, according to the readings I replaced your heart with a baked 
potato.  I suppose when I replicated a new heart for you I accidentally 
requested a potato instead.  A minor miscalculation of my speech program.  As 
a result you will die in a few seconds," the Doctor said glancing at his 
notepad.
     "A MINOR MISCALCULATION!?  Are you nuts!?  Save me quick!", Etely yelled
desperately.
     "That would be a waste of time and resources.  Computer, turn off the 
EMH," the Doctor said.
     Etely watched the EMH disappear and reached out her hand, "Where the heck
do you think you're going?  I'm... uh...."  Etely then slowly drifted away into
a slumber of eternity.

     Etely woke up in her room with sweat pouring down her face.  "It was just
a dream," Etely said, wiping sweat from her brow.
     She remembered back to all the times she had been hurt or endured any 
number of traumatic events.  Her parents being killed, being taken apart and 
put back together by a Changeling, her arm being cut off, Mason saying how he
didn't like her, her other arm being cut off, being told that several different
copies of her where killed, and now this dream, it was all too much for Etely 
to bear.  All that time she had been slowly going insane from being continually
hurt and mangled, not only physically but also emotionally.  It had all added 
to this moment and the dream she had just had.
     Just then the computer chimed in and the doctor called to Etely, "Ensign 
Etely Bruder.  It is time for your daily checkup."
     "Noooooooo!  You just want to take me apart and kill me!  You won't put 
a potato in me!  Everybody wants to get me!  I'm getting out of here!", she 
screamed as she ran out of her quarters.
     The Doctor said, "Well I suppose we could reschedule." 
     Etely ran to the turbo lift and told the computer to take her to the
shuttlebay.  After reaching the shuttlebay she quickly jumped in the nearest 
shuttle and immediately took off.  On the bridge, the computer gave off warning
signals.
     "Captain someone has taken out a shuttlecraft without authorization," 
Mull said.
     "What?  Who is it?", Mason asked.
     "It looks like Ensign Etely Bruder.  She appears to be flying very
erratically," Mull replied.
     "I thought she was on strict medical leave and surveillance," Mason said.
     "Well, apparently she has finally flipped her lid," Elea said from the 
conn.
     "Never mind that.  Chief Beeg, initiate a tractor beam and bring her back
in," Mason commanded.
     "Aye, Captain," Beeg said from Tactical as he turned on the tractor beam.
It whipped out from the ship and hit Etely's shuttlecraft, but it was deflected
by her shields.  "It won't work Captain.  Her shields are raised.  Captain, she
is firing at us," Beeg said.
     Back on the shuttlecraft, Etely was powering weapons, "I knew it!  They 
are using the tractor beam so they can get me back and torture me some more!  
I won't let them.  Computer, fire all phasers!"
     The shuttlecraft fired a volley of phaser blasts, some missing and some 
hitting the Equinox.
     "Minor damage, Captain.  Shall I return fire?", Beeg asked.
     "No, Chief.  We can't fire on another officer even if she fired on us.  
She is obviously suffering some mental instability.  Enoz, options?", Mason 
asked.
     Beeg's eyes had turned red from the excitement, "But Captain, she is
trying to destroy us.  If we don't take her out now we could all be dead.  It 
isn't logical to sacrifice many lives just for one Ensign!"
     "Beeg don't you think you are being a bit melodramatic?  She hasn't even 
given us any major damage.  I think you are still a little worked up from that
holodeck program," Mason said.
     Beeg stifled himself, but his blood had already begun to boil.  Suddenly,
a tachyon beamcame from the shuttlecraft, creating a hole in the shields.
     "Captain, there is a breach in the shields," Enoz yelled.
     "What?  How did she do that?"
     "She probably knew the shield harmonic setting and sent out a tachyon beam
to disrupt it at one spot," Enoz said.
     "I knew it, I was right!  Firing a spread of photon torpedoes!", Beeg said
with aggression. 
     "No, Beeg!  Stand down!  I didn't order you to fire!", Mason yelled.
     It was too late.  Four photon torpedoes flew towards the shuttlecraft and
Etely was too out of it to dodge.  The first two hit, taking down her shields, 
and the next two collided with her ship, causing it to explode in a shower of 
sparks and shuttlecraft pieces.
     "The shuttlecraft has been destroyed, Captain.  Zero life readings," Mull
said.
     Mason shot a glance up at Beeg and said, "In my ready room now, Beeg!"
Mason walked into his ready room followed by Beeg.  Mason sat down and stared 
at Beeg for a second before he started, "What were you thinking?  You killed a
fellow officer, destroyed one of our shuttlecraft, and disobeyed orders, all 
because of your hostility and temper."
     "But, Captain, I had a good reason," Beeg protested.
     "What was that reason?  She was going to destroy us?  After the tachyon 
surge you should have looked and saw that Enoz rotated shield harmonics and 
used power reserves to close up the breach.  You jumped the gun in this 
situation.  I would hate to see what you would do in a real emergency," Mason 
said.
     Beeg looked at Mason with complete surprise.
     "I am sorry that I have to do this but I have no choice but to give you a
formal reprimand in your record and to relieve you of duty for a week.  Do you
think you could get your emotions under control by then or should I make it 
two?", Mason said.
     "No, sir.  One will be fine.  Permission to speak freely," Beeg asked.
     "Granted." 
     "I see your point but you need to look at it from my perspective.  I had
to make a quick judgment based on my training.  The crew was in danger and 
whether or not it was a great danger didn't matter.  My first duty is to the 
ship and sacrificing one life to save many didn't seem like a bad choice.  I 
stand by what I did, but in the future I will keep my emotions in check," Beeg
said.
     "I understand where you are coming from, Beeg, but sometimes being quick 
to act can have its faults.  Regardless of what could have happened, you should
have been more observant.  Dismissed," Mason finally said.
     With that Beeg left the ready room and went to his quarters.

     Back in Reman's barber shop, he had been listening in on the conversation
with a Ferengi eavesdropping device, "Well, well, well.  Since Beeg is no 
longer in charge of security it looks like I can make some real profit.  
Anybody else they put in charge won't have a chance of catching me.  It will 
be almost like Carter is back.  And now that I have my little friend to 
manipulate I can do almost anything!"
     Reman held up a metal box with glass windows.  Inside was Lyinn fitted
with some sort of crown.
     "The Cardassian mind control device on its head will render this creature
under my complete and unthinking control.  It robs it of all conscious thought
and gives me the ability to tell it to do whatever I want.  Just think of the 
possibilities," Reman said as he put the box in a hidden location.