Surprise had never truly come to Doctor Slyvexs until now. After nearly forty years in Starfleet, she had thought she’d seen everything. Today proved her wrong.
The Denobulan doctor had been called to sickbay ahead of her attending the morning breakfast with the Odyssey’s current guests. It had been mandatory for all senior officers to attend the event with their guests, so when she arrived in sickbay and was directed by one of her assistants to a private treatment room, she was surprised to find so many senior staff standing there, along with two cadets. Everyone looked a bit startled, and none of the men in the room seemed eager to speak first.
When Counsellor Horin spoke up to share what had happened, Slyvexs felt her jaw threaten to drop. Initially, she thought it was all a prank, but Slyvexs soon realised that was not the case. It only got worse when Commodore McCallister got called to attend after Commander Hunsen had been sent to get him and to substitute for him at the breakfast event. At the same time, Captain Duncan (who was apparently his son) remained seated on the bio bed beside his eldest son (who was actually Captain Duncan). She was already confused by the whole situation, so focusing on her work would hopefully help her navigate these muddy waters.
McCallister had asked the same question she had when he had entered. Allowing the others to explain the situation to him gave Slyvexs some time to analyse the first set of neurological scans she had conducted on both her patients. She knew that McCallister would want answers and fast. She shared his urgency, but experience told her she couldn’t offer a solution. Not yet, anyway. She needed to confirm that what had happened was legitimate and evidence-based and not some Ocampan telepathic magic.
“Is this some joke?” McCallister asked, his eyes darting between everyone in the room. “Because if it is, this isn’t the time. We’ve got a diplomatic event going on that most of us need to be at.”
The cadet, now carrying his father’s mind, turned to the flag officer. “Sir, if it helps, I can speak to you privately about a certain level-ten clearance directive that only captains and above know about that can supersede the prime directive.”
McCallister’s jaw now almost hit the floor. Slyvexs had no idea what the young cadet was referring to, but she assumed that Captain Duncan, now inhabiting his son’s body, knew what he was talking about, and so did McCallister. Obviously, it was something that captains and above were briefed on. She wasn’t keen to know or ask questions about that. However, it was enough to quiet McCallister for the moment and to take what was happening seriously.
“I can assure you, sir, this is no joke,” Horin said softly and assuredly. “Both Tremt and I can confirm that we can sense telepathically that Max and Jordan have somehow swapped minds.”
Slyvexs looked up from the console she had been working on and backed the Betazoid counsellor. “I can do the same as well.”
McCallister turned to her and asked for clarity. He was adamant that he wanted concrete proof that this had truly happened. What likely unsettled him most was hearing a third-year cadet display knowledge no cadet should possess.
In a second, she displayed two holographic scans before the group. “Last night, Captain Duncan came to me during the Prixin festivities, complaining about a headache.”
Jordan just nodded and recounted only what the Odyssey’s skipper would know. “That’s right, I asked you if we could spare a minute to get some pain relief. We came here to sickbay, you scanned me and then injected me with an analgesic. We then went back to the party.”
Slyvexs confirmed the account, even though it was weird hearing it from Jordan Duncan instead of Max Duncan. “That’s right. Well, here’s the quick neurological scan I did of you last night. You had the classic symptoms of a stress headache. You can see your brain waves here. Then, the scan below is the one I’ve just taken. Two different readings. They should match.”
McCallister crossed his arms. “Can you confirm the newer one is Jordan’s?”
Slyvexs was one step ahead of him. “I can,” she pressed a button and loaded up Jordan’s records. “This is the scan taken by Nurse Stellan when Jordan was affected by that Nacene technology on the Astra earlier this year. They match the mind currently inhabiting Captain Duncan’s body.”
“So we are certain that my husband and eldest son have swapped minds and are now inhabiting each other’s bodies?” Court asked with a sense of discomfort. “Amazing,” he added sarcastically.
“I think I may be sick,” Alfie remarked as his eyes almost bulged out of his face.
Slyvexs was briefly intrigued by Tobias’s and Alfie’s shared discomfort, until the implications of the morning’s discovery caught up with her and she suppressed a chuckle. She looked up at Court. “It would appear so, Commander. However, do not ask me what the solution here is. Without knowing the how, I couldn’t begin to fathom a treatment plan.”
Horin placed her hands on her hips. “We need to retrace your steps from last night and try to pinpoint when it all happened. Determine if any common factors affected only you two.”
McCallister rubbed his forehead. “This really couldn’t have come at a worse time.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Captain Duncan said through his son’s voice, the words formal, the tone uncanny. “The diplomatic mission must remain our priority.”
Slyvexs couldn’t get over how incredible all of this was and was fascinated now by how they proceeded. This would be one medical mystery for the books.
“Can I suggest we limit knowledge of what’s happened to just us for now?” Court proposed from where he stood, arms crossed. “I don’t think it will help letting our guests know that our commanding officer is actually inhabiting his son’s body and vice versa.”
“It wouldn’t help with crew performance either,” Captain Duncan said through his son’s tones. “I wouldn’t want this to confuse the crew during a crisis.”
McCallister agreed with the idea and looked at the two sitting on the bio bed. “For now, if anyone asks, then we say that you are just ill and are under Doctor Slyvexs’s care.”
“Louwanna’s idea of retracing their steps is the best place to start,” Slyvexs said, knowing they needed to get on top of this mystery. She picked up a PADD and started to write notes. “The change must have happened overnight, or I would have picked up something different in the scan I did during the party. Perhaps it took place while you were both asleep. Can you tell me what you did before you went to bed?”
A vivid blush swept across Captain Duncan’s features, a reaction far more in line with the young man currently inhabiting his mind, before his gaze flicked guiltily toward Alfie, who had turned equally crimson. Slyvexs suspected she now knew far more than she ever wanted to, and wasn’t going to press them for any information sharing yet.
Max, wearing Jordan’s face, cleared his throat and forced himself to focus on the question rather than the mortifying realisation that Doctor Slyvexs had just put several pieces together on her own in regards to what his son had done last night. He obviously knew way too much and wasn’t going to share any of that. Slyvexs, once again, had to hide her smirk by placing her hand over her mouth as she listened to the captain in his son’s body.
“I remember returning from the party with Tobias,” Max said, his voice still Jordan’s but carrying a steadiness that belonged very much to a seasoned captain. “We stayed up for a while. Talked about how well the evening went. We spent most of our time talking about our time with Ambassador Kellra. She was eager to hear our perspective on the Rakosan’s involvement in recent regional matters. We then went on discussing how the rest of the evening went, how everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves…” He paused, then winced slightly. “And spoke about how we all drank far too much Talaxian champagne.”
Court let out a quiet, humourless huff. “That part is unfortunately accurate. We then went to bed straight after that. Max was out of it before his head hit the pillow. He was his normal snoring self by the time I fell asleep.”
Before Slyvexs could follow up, Alfie shifted on his feet, clearly unable to let the story remain half-told. “Jordan and I left the party early,” he admitted. “We may have liberated a few bottles of the champagne on the way out.”
“A few?” Court echoed dryly.
Alfie ignored his godfather and knew he had to tell the truth or face more trouble later. “We went back to my room. Drank them. All of them. And then we passed out.”
There was a brief, fragile silence.
Then Jordan, still in Captain Duncan’s body, opened his mouth again. “We also made love.”
Alfie spun on him instantly, eyes wide with horror. “No, Jord, no. That’s gross. Don’t say that!”
McCallister made a strangled noise and clapped both hands over his ears. “Absolutely not,” the flag officer declared. “I did not need to know that my son was intimate with his boyfriend, and I especially did not need to hear it coming out of Max’s voice.” He lowered his hands just long enough to glare at the ceiling, then turned sharply toward Slyvexs and Horin. “Doctor, Counsellor, I am going back to the breakfast event before I lose what little grip I still have on reality. This—” he gestured vaguely at the entire room, “—is now firmly in your professional hands to find a treatment for. Just keep me posted.”
McCallister stepped toward the door, then hesitated. Turning back, he offered Alfie a brief but reassuring fatherly smile, followed by a slow shake of his head, equal parts disbelief and fond resignation, before exiting the room at speed.
The doors slid shut behind him.
Court exhaled. “Could the champagne have caused this?”
Slyvexs shook her head without hesitation. “If it had, Commander, we would be treating half the crew by now. ” Her gaze returned to the two men on the bio beds. “Did anything unusual happen during the party itself?”
Max and Jordan, each wearing the other’s face, looked at one another. Understanding dawned almost simultaneously.
“The Ocampan blessing,” Max said quietly.
Jordan straightened. “Yes, the one that Elder Keritis performed!”
“Elder Keritis? Wasn’t she the old lady who had a fascination with that chocolate-looking cake?” Horin inquired. Slyvexs could see that the counsellor recalled that guest, only because it involved one of her favourite dishes from the evening. Slyvexs couldn’t blame Horin either. The Betazoid sweet tooth for chocolate was renowned, especially on the Odyssey, where the first officer and chief counsellor were concerned.
Both Jordan and Max nodded at Horin.
“She used some kind of talisman,” Jordan added. “I think we were telepathically linked to her and each other briefly.”
Horin frowned in thought. “I don’t know enough about Ocampan telepathic abilities to be certain, but that could be the cause of this.”
“Starfleet records on Ocampan abilities aren’t detailed,” Slyvexs remarked with a huffing noise. “Actually, that’s being generous; nevertheless, if a device was involved, it’s possible it acted as a catalyst rather than the cause.”
Horin crossed her arms and expressed confidence in knowing where she wanted to go next with their investigation. “Computer, is Elder Keritis still aboard the Odyssey?”
“Negative. Elder Keritis is no longer aboard the Odyssey,” the computer replied.
Alfie stepped forward. “She must have left last night with the last Talaxian shuttle back to the colony. She’s Ambassador Elaren’s mother. She spent a lot of time with Jordan and me on Talveya after our shuttle crash. She invited us to join her for meditation sessions and long hikes. I think our time with her was one of the factors that made them like us so much. She’s pretty wise. She may know something about this.”
Horin considered that, then nodded. “I’ll speak to Ambassador Elaren. See if he can help us track her down and the talisman.”
“I’ll come with you,” Court said immediately.
“So will I,” Alfie added, already moving.
Slyvexs inclined her head. She knew that both of them were probably finding it hard to comprehend what had happened here and needed the space to process it all themselves.
“I’ll begin a set of deeper neurological scans. If there’s anything to be found, I’ll find it.”
Horin placed a reassuring hand on Alfie’s shoulder before heading for the door with Court. “We’ll be back.
Hopefully, with a solution to this whole mind-body swapping mess!”
Once they were gone, Slyvexs gestured toward an adjacent diagnostic room. “You two should move in there. More space. More beds. And less foot traffic.”
As Max and Jordan carefully got to their feet, she added, dry as ever, “I’ll keep this entirely confidential.”
They’d barely taken a step when she paused, studying them with a thoughtful expression. “Well,” she said lightly, “at least you’ll get some quality father–son time out of all this.”
Jordan groaned.
Max groaned.
And for the first time since waking up, Slyvexs allowed a small smile to creep further along her face without hiding it. This was undoubtedly going to be one for the record books.
