The Devil Inside

A transporter accident creates a duplicate of the captain, who causes havoc aboard ship.

Teaser
An away team including Captain Danielson gathers ore samples from an underground cave, when they are called by the USS Nylonia. Danielson answers and reports they have gathered the samples they need and are ready to beam up. As the transport begins, a small cloud of dust blows into Danielson’s beam. The other three beam in successfully, but the transporter experiences issues reforming Danielson. Another crew member assists and finally brings her in. She steps off the transporter pad and escorts the ore samples to a science lab for study. A moment after the transporter room is vacated, another figure, a duplicate of Captain Danielson, materializes.

Act One
The duplicate Captain Danielson walks onto the bridge, lets her hair down loose, and sits casually in her chair. She gives the order to break orbit and set course for Starbase 62. Shortly after the ship has begun its trip, Danielson looks around at each of the crew members on the bridge with a playful look on her face. As time goes on, she exhibits strange behavior, such as ignoring reports from the crew, and encouraging them to lighten up and relax a bit. After announcing to the crew that she is ordering a change to the uniforms to be sheer body stockings and boots, the bridge receives a call from a woman claiming to be the real Captain Danielson demanding to know who’s playing a practical joke by posing as her. The duplicate responds by saying she’s the real captain. But as the bridge crew questions her orders, she grabs a phaser from one of the security guards, and retreats from the bridge after shooting the guard.

Act Two
In Engineering, Captain Danielson turns to Lieutenant Commander Angela Turner with a questioning look on her face. She wonders who would be posing as her and asks Turner to accompany her to the bridge. As the two reach the turbolift, it opens, and the other Danielson exits. The Danielson inside the turbolift car fires at them and escapes. Danielson orders Turner to determine how her doppelganger got on board, while she searches for her. The imposter is located by Danielson, and the two fight in the corridor until the imposter is defeated.

Act Three
After the other is delivered to the brig, Danielson studies the duplicate’s behavior with Doctor Avid, noting her acting more rash and emotional. She pauses and thinks back to her actions as being more controlled and subdued. Avid states after a medical exam from outside the brig that the imposter’s bodily functions are failing, and informed Danielson that she isn’t looking well, either. Turner calls the captain and reports the imposter was traced back to the transporter, specifically ore dust that interfered with the transporter beam caused a shift in the beaming resolution and split Danielson into two separate individuals. Avid concludes that both versions of the captain are slowly dying and suggests reintegrating the two of them together again. After Turner implements some adjustments to the transporter, the two Danielsons beam into the transporter’s buffer and beam back integrated into one person.

Log Entries

 * “Captain’s log, stardate 52173.5. We have obtained the ore samples from the only planet orbiting HK523168 and prepare to transport them to Starbase 62. From what I’ve seen of them, they look promising for future metallurgical developments.”

Story

 * The plot for this story was inspired by the TOS episode "The Enemy Within".

Sets

 * The first part of the mission took place at the ground level of the Second Life sim, Nylonia.