—- Sickbay —-

For dealing with a millions of years old would be conquerer the solution did seem quite slapstick to Captain Adriana Cruz. It required her engineering department to build a device that looked in no small part like a twenty-first century hand held vacuum attached to a glass bottle and her Assistant Chief Medical Officer to prepare a toxic cocktail that would temporarily kill her Chief Counselor. She then had to make up a Starfleet penal justice code that gave her the right, however fictitious, to put the woman to death.

”By my right as captain of the USS Seattle I hereby sentence you to death effective immediately,” Cruz said after the body of Lieutenant Kolem was marched into the sickbay which had been surrounded by a force field meant to block telepathic energies. Doctor Va’Tok had been banished being a empath himself and only the non-empathic Doctor T’Rala a Romulan and the empathic ’bait’ Lieutenant Commander Tashai were allowed in. A few other security guards who were armed with weapons set to stun were allowed in including Lieutenant Junior Grade Flores and Lieutenant Jara. 

The trial was, of course, a sham, to convince an invader who had been alive millions of years before humanity, or the Federation, that such a thing would be used to deal with a rebellious second officer. But upon the completion of the mock trial Doctor T’Rala pressed a hypospray against Kolem’s neck, as if she were administering a toxin that would kill the woman. Truthfully it would just stop the heart, and put her into a coma-like state for long enough to convince the ‘spirit’ or whatever they were calling her other worldly inhibitor to leave the body. Kolem tensed, her muscles tightening as if in the grips of death, and she shook violently in a very unpleasant sight. As she collapsed Flores and Jara moved her to a biobed where her vitals were monitored, and then suddenly a purple energy-ish gas form emitted from her mouth. 

It made a beeline for Lieutenant Commander Tashai, the El-Alurian being the most likely secondary home for the being. Having drawn out the creature Captain Cruz hit Tashai with a stun phaser blast, knocking her out so at least for the moment her mind was not empathically open to possession. 

”Use the device,” Cruz ordered and T’Rala pulled out the hand held vacuum device, and attempted to suck it up, which worked better than it should have. Once in a containment field, they were able to restart Kolem’s heart and awaken Tashai. 

“Now assuming Doctor Va’Tok’s plan worked we will be able to restore Lieutenant Kolem via the necklace,” Tashai said, rubbing her head as she recovered from the phaser blast. They placed the necklace around the Chief Counselor and waited as her life signs steadied and her brain wave patterns returned to normal.

After a moment Kolem sat up, “Where am I? Last thing I remember I was on the Nirvana.”

Captain Cruz smiled, “It’s a long story, welcome back.”

Tashai interjected, “I imagine Lieutenant Junior Grade Hume and Commander Sánchez are better now too, as their situation, was derived from Kolem’s.”

Cruz nodded, “I suppose I should go to the security office and confirm they can be let out. Kolem just rest, I’ll talk to you soon.”

—- Ready Room, Next Day —-

“Feeling better?” Cruz asked her brother, and First Officer.

”Much, I am sorry for the role I played,” Sánchez said.

”This is why we don’t try to impress women with pretty things bought from arms merchants,” Cruz teased.

”You would have done the same,” Andrés Sánchez said.

”Maybe, but I don’t actually have any money,” Cruz said.

”You do, I have it in a non-Federation account for you,“ Sánchez said, “Also I am quitting. I handed in my resignation, when we get back to Starbase 72 I will be returning to Earth.”

”We all get possessed by ancient beings once and awhile,” Cruz said, “Don’t let that stop you.”

”I made the decision before then, with father dead someone needs to run the winery, and it should be me,” Sánchez said.

”I could run a winery,” Cruz said.

”No you couldn’t. You know nothing of wineries and barely anything of wine,” Sánchez said, “Besides you are meant to be here, you are a good Captain. I am an okay First Officer. I do however have a gift for you.”

He had entered the Ready Room with a duffle bag and searched around for it pulling out a bottle of wine. Cruz did not see the difference between it and the family’s previous wines at first until she noticed the label said Sánchez-Cruz Vineyards. It was a sweet, if ultimately pointless gesture.

”You had a fake label printed?” she asked.

”No this is out newest batch. You are half owner, the winery’s name should reflect that. As much as you feel otherwise we are family,” Sánchez said, “Father would have been proud of you.“

”Thank you, I don’t really know what to give you in return,” Cruz said.

”You saved my life, saved Kolem, that is enough,” he said.

”Well it looks bad on my record if I kill too many First Officers,” Cruz smiled, “You were a good XO, but you need to do what makes you happy. I think this will be the thing that makes you happy. Now I need to pick a new XO.”

”Well hopefully the next one won’t own a winery,” Sánchez joked.

”Or hopefully they do and I get more wine. You’ll need to keep me supplied, even from Earth,” Cruz smiled.

”Yes ma’am,” her half-brother said.