Season 16: Episode 1: Perfect Replicas

[Lorut Vila]

Station Lab
Clone Pod Lorut Vila

Her brain was still a little fuzzy but she quickly realized that whatever was happening was urgent, and without care or concern to her current appearance or physical state, stood up, a bit shaky on her feet.

"What is happening?" She asked aloud. She looked around. She had realized that the phantom her standing over her previously was a clone. But why?! She quickly reached for the dead...woman's (?) phaser, and then looked to Grippen. "Commander...wake the Captain. I will tend to the other Commander. Any idea where our clothes are?" She looked down at the gown she wore. At least this time she was covered.

She approached Rayek carefully. "Are you the real Commander  tr'Lhoell?" She asked. "Should I wake the Captain?" She asked. "We need to leave. If I can find a replicator, I can...find our uniforms. I can show you all how to blow this place up..." she said. Her mind's inability to connect the dots was irritating, and she was fighting her natural inclination to slip back into old habits of "shoot first and ask later" and her general malcontent.

"Lieutenant M'Nia, can you help me turn on the Replicators here?" She asked the Caitian. "If we can get those up, even for a moment, I may have enough power to figure out how to turn the pods off..." 

[Tekin Nevir]

rRayek tr'Lhoell
[Station - Operations Center]

rRayek was watching the clone Lieutenant Commander fire on the unactivated Bajoran, and waiting on the Vulcan's reply, when the Captain's call came in.  This time he didn't attempt to speak quietly.

"Just finished locking down the station personnel.  Had to send your other Lt Commander to deal with one of the unactivated clones, and my original. They'd gone and woke up the originals that Hrafn had secured in the lab holding cells.  We're going to have to destroy the entire station to keep the situation under wraps. But first, I need the ship's shield frequencies so that I can beam myself and the other activated clones to the Discovery.  From there we can help you gain control."

[UUS Discovery - Unknown Location?]

For the first time, Nevir grimaced.  This was supposed to be quick and painless.  Prophets he already told them that he wasn't going to hurt anyone.  Except for some, but they deserved it.  Even if he didn't personally experience the tortures and tests, he was programmed with that knowledge and what they did.

"Transmitting frequency now.  Discovery is locked out so there shouldn't be interference.  I have their Engineer in Engineering securing that section, and I think there is enough confusion to keep the senior officers occupied.  This ship has a lot of interesting perks.

He sighed though... he knew the station would have to be destroyed, but he didn't think they were going to kill the originals. "Rayek, killing the Starfleet officers wasn't part of the plan. The Intelligence torturers yes, and their precious station, but I thought we weren't trying to make an enemy of Starfleet."

Regardless of the answer, they still needed to get ready to finish off that prison.

"Tekin to Lek.  The situation on the station is deteriorating.  Intelligence can hang me later... I think its time we blew that husk into dust.  See if you can restore power to the weapon systems, I think I have the virus purged.  I'm going to get propulsion back online so we can try to get our people before we destroy it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Station - Cloning Lab]

The Captain's eyes slowly opened, and then fluttered as he regained consciousness.  His body still felt numb, but the familiar pins of needles told him that he was slowly regaining feeling.  He turned his head towards the source of noise, and was surprised to see... his first officer?  If he was here, who was in control of the ship?

"C-commander?"

[Lek]

[UUS Discovery - Unknown Location?]

For the first time, Nevir grimaced.  This was supposed to be quick and painless.  Prophets he already told them that he wasn't going to hurt anyone.  Except for some, but they deserved it.  Even if he didn't personally experience the tortures and tests, he was programmed with that knowledge and what they did.

"Transmitting frequency now.  Discovery is locked out so there shouldn't be interference.  I have their Engineer in Engineering securing that section, and I think there is enough confusion to keep the senior officers occupied.  This ship has a lot of interesting perks.

He sighed though... he knew the station would have to be destroyed, but he didn't think they were going to kill the originals. "Rayek, killing the Starfleet officers wasn't part of the plan. The Intelligence torturers yes, and their precious station, but I thought we weren't trying to make an enemy of Starfleet."

Regardless of the answer, they still needed to get ready to finish off that prison.

"Tekin to Lek.  The situation on the station is deteriorating.  Intelligence can hang me later... I think its time we blew that husk into dust.  See if you can restore power to the weapon systems, I think I have the virus purged.  I'm going to get propulsion back online so we can try to get our people before we destroy it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Station - Cloning Lab]

The Captain's eyes slowly opened, and then fluttered as he regained consciousness.  His body still felt numb, but the familiar pins of needles told him that he was slowly regaining feeling.  He turned his head towards the source of noise, and was surprised to see... his first officer?  If he was here, who was in control of the ship?

"C-commander?"

[Main Engineering - USS Discovery]

Lek wasn't a suspicious person. It took a while to earn his trust, but he didn't actively distrust people until they had given him reason. Being in Engineering, he rarely had a picture of what was going on outside his realm and especially off the ship, the message he just received from the captain confirmed his worst fears. Whatever was going on had compromised the captain. Tekin was a lot of things, but 'blow to dust' was not his way. It looked like the Doctor was right and it was time to take desperate steps. In reply he said.

"Understood Sir. I'm on it."

To the Engineering staff he said.

"Okay, here's how it is. Whatever it is this station was doing has infected the crew. First, We are not going to be working on weapons or unlocking the warp core. I do want teams three and five to set up power relays that mimic that those systems are working, but I want weapons disabled. Nothing permanent, just disconnect a couple power couplings, same with the warp coils. Second, start replicating breathing masks in case they try to flood this compartment with anesthezine gas. I will reroute environmental controls down here so they can't, but just in case think come up with a means to toss canisters of the stuff in here.

"I believe we are on our own. I can't set the self-destruct sequence, but I can set a phaser on overload next to the intermix chamber that will be just as good. I don't want to meet the Blessed Exchequer today, but I will not allow this ship to be taken. Now get to work."

[Malik Grippen]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Station -  Cloning lab-  outside the holding cells]

The sound of phaser fire as he glanced back towards his aggressor had the Romulan wincing.  However, the sound originated from Lachlyn not Malik.  He wanted to feel relieved but the fact that Malik inexplicably fired on both Vila and him, only led credence to his suspicion that these were Thinker programmed clones or replicants.  He could see that their were two Lachlyn's.  Which was the real one and which the clone?  What purpose did the clone serve, and importantly what would they be willing to do to achieve it?

Finally getting to his feet, Rayek completed his path to the downed Bajoran, though he angled himself to keep Tanner in his periphery.  He checked Vila or rather what he thought was Vila's clone for pulse, even as he addressed the waking away team members.

"Everyone... what is the last thing you remember?  I need you to answer one at time.  There's reason to believe the Away Team has been cloned by Thinker agents, as such, I hope you'll forgive me my intrusion."

Then as each spoke, Rayek would slip into the mind of each to read their surface thoughts, looking for anything that seemed off.

[Station, Science Lab]

"I remember us all being on the shuttle. The Discovery was providing cover for us as we approached the station. The captain, he communicated with the station and then I've woken up here. And there's another me lying on the floor right there."

He then got out of his pod, and went to the other pods. One of them contained the captain. He poked him awake. Another was Tanner. Which was awkward cause her clone was standing right there.

[M'Nia]

"Cl

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Station -  Cloning lab-  outside the holding cells]

The sound of phaser fire as he glanced back towards his aggressor had the Romulan wincing.  However, the sound originated from Lachlyn not Malik.  He wanted to feel relieved but the fact that Malik inexplicably fired on both Vila and him, only led credence to his suspicion that these were Thinker programmed clones or replicants.  He could see that their were two Lachlyn's.  Which was the real one and which the clone?  What purpose did the clone serve, and importantly what would they be willing to do to achieve it?

Finally getting to his feet, Rayek completed his path to the downed Bajoran, though he angled himself to keep Tanner in his periphery.  He checked Vila or rather what he thought was Vila's clone for pulse, even as he addressed the waking away team members.

"Everyone... what is the last thing you remember?  I need you to answer one at time.  There's reason to believe the Away Team has been cloned by Thinker agents, as such, I hope you'll forgive me my intrusion."

Then as each spoke, Rayek would slip into the mind of each to read their surface thoughts, looking for anything that seemed off.

"Cloned? really? last thing I remember was beaming off the shuttle after we were attacked by defense buoys. Cloned? wow!" M'nia said a bit take back by all this.

[Dem Broadshire]

[Ensign Lilly Hansen - Sec/Tac Officer  - Engineering - USS Discovery]

Lilly nodded. "Yes Sir, I will head to Gamma bridge to make sure it has not been taken, then will begin the search, Wish we had those damn internal sensors" Lilly then moved with the two other Security officers and begin to make her way to Gamma bridge. Lilly was not liking how the Fake Cap was turning the real crew agsint them selves, Or at least thats what it felt like. Damn, This job is really starting to piss me off

[Engineering | USS Discovery]

"Mr Savyn will now demonstrate his technical knowledge and try to regain internal sensors." Betaika nonchalantly informed, before raising his voice to project towards the departing ensign. "be prepared to access internal sensors when you arrive."

[Rayek trLhoell]

rRayek tr'Lhoell
[Station - Operations Center]

[USS Discovery - Unknown Location?]

For the first time, Nevir grimaced.  This was supposed to be quick and painless.  Prophets he already told them that he wasn't going to hurt anyone.  Except for some, but they deserved it.  Even if he didn't personally experience the tortures and tests, he was programmed with that knowledge and what they did.

"Transmitting frequency now.  Discovery is locked out so there shouldn't be interference.  I have their Engineer in Engineering securing that section, and I think there is enough confusion to keep the senior officers occupied.  This ship has a lot of interesting perks.

He sighed though... he knew the station would have to be destroyed, but he didn't think they were going to kill the originals. "Rayek, killing the Starfleet officers wasn't part of the plan. The Intelligence torturers yes, and their precious station, but I thought we weren't trying to make an enemy of Starfleet."

Regardless of the answer, they still needed to get ready to finish off that prison.

At last, he had the frequency they needed!  He started on the transporter and self-destruct preparations.

The Tekin-clone's bid for leniency was a disappointment.

"Tekin,"   rRayek purposefully left out the Bajoran clone's rank, to highlight that in this, HE was the one in charge.  "Did you think that Starfleet upon hearing that we escaped with one of their vessels would just leave us to go on our merry way?  No.  The only way this works is if no one knows we aren't the originals. Which means getting rid of any and all those that know - here, and on the ship."
.
.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Station -  Cloning lab-  outside the holding cells]

[Station, Science Lab]

"I remember us all being on the shuttle. The Discovery was providing cover for us as we approached the station. The captain, he communicated with the station and then I've woken up here. And there's another me lying on the floor right there."

"Cloned? really? last thing I remember was beaming off the shuttle after we were attacked by defense buoys. Cloned? wow!" M'nia said a bit take back by all this.

Rayek was able to confirm both Malik's and M'Nia's words by briefly delving into their surface thoughts which called up the memory of that beam out as  they reflected back in their minds to answer his question.  To him it seemed like they were the originals.  "That's the current theory." he answered M'Nia, just before hospital-gown-wearing Lorut picked up the dropped weapon (Fvadt!) and decided she was in command and started issuing orders.

Station Lab
Clone Pod Lorut Vila

Her brain was still a little fuzzy but she quickly realized that whatever was happening was urgent, and without care or concern to her current appearance or physical state, stood up, a bit shaky on her feet.

"What is happening?" She asked aloud. She looked around. She had realized that the phantom her standing over her previously was a clone. But why?! She quickly reached for the dead...woman's (?) phaser, and then looked to Grippen. "Commander...wake the Captain. I will tend to the other Commander. Any idea where our clothes are?" She looked down at the gown she wore. At least this time she was covered.

She approached Rayek carefully. "Are you the real Commander  tr'Lhoell?" She asked. "Should I wake the Captain?"

While her taking over the situation seemed a very Lorut thing, he needed to be certain it was her, so turned his mind to reading hers.  At first 'glance' she seemed genuine in her attempts to help.

Rayek grimaced at Lorut when she approached him hesitantly and questioned his identity.  The worst part about it was that he couldn't answer that question to himself much less anyone else with any certainty.  "I hope so Lieutenant.  I hope so."

He finished binding the Risan with strips of cloth torn from the hem of his hospital gown.

When she asked about waking the Captain, the Romulan chuckled to himself.  She'd already ordered Grippen to do so... asking after the fact was kind of useless.. but it did lessened her offense a smidge.  It was clear she wasn't trying to take over, she just had a dominant and action-oriented personality.  Ideal in this type of situation as long as she could still accept orders.

"I think that would be wise." he acknowledged the question and nodded towards Grippen to do so.

Then let Lorut take a look at his injured shoulder.  Without a med kit there wasn't much likely she could do, except maybe bandage the charred flesh to keep the wound relatively clean.

He then got out of his cell, and went to the other cells. One of them contained the captain. He poked him awake.

[Station - Cloning Lab]

The Captain's eyes slowly opened, and then fluttered as he regained consciousness.  His body still felt numb, but the familiar pins of needles told him that he was slowly regaining feeling.  He turned his head towards the source of noise, and was surprised to see... his first officer?  If he was here, who was in control of the ship?

"C-commander?"

Rayek watched as the Captain awoke, and as like the others, he skimmed over the Bajoran's surface thoughts for any evidence of Thinker deception.  That the Captain's first question centered on the welfare of his ship, had Rayek pulling back his mind.  Yeah that was Tekin alright.

"Sorry Captain, this may be difficult to accept but I believe the ship to be in the control of a Thinker-programmed clone of yourself.  Aided by a clone of your wife and myself.  I don't know if you were ever privy to Katra's reports but several senior officers, including Lt Falleg and myself were taken captive and cloned without our knowledge.  We managed to stop them from sabotaging the station and we believed them to be killed during their escape attempt.  Starfleet Intelligence did the clean up to keep the incident quiet.  I believe it was then that they managed to find survivors or grow them back from samples... I don't know, but I believe this entire station is dedicated to studying that Thinker-clone technology - and likely attempting to replicate it."

She asked. "We need to leave. If I can find a replicator, I can...find our uniforms. I can show you all how to blow this place up..." she said. Her mind's inability to connect the dots was irritating, and she was fighting her natural inclination to slip back into old habits of "shoot first and ask later" and her general malcontent.

"Lieutenant M'Nia, can you help me turn on the Replicators here?" She asked the Caitian. "If we can get those up, even for a moment, I may have enough power to figure out how to turn the pods off..."

Rayek looked over to Lorut as she made her feelings known.  While he agreed they needed to leave... blowing up a station seemed a bit of an overreaction.  First they needed a plan.  His gut urged him to arm himself and return to the Station Ops to deal with his double, but the decision wasn't his.

Clothes however did sound appealing, though he had one recommendation.

"I would suggest not replicating our usual uniforms.. to prevent confusion if we encounter more clones" Saying this reminded him they did have a clone in their midst currently.  Lieutenant Lachlyn.

Another was Tanner. Which was awkward cause her clone was standing right there.

When Malik approached the cell that held Tanner, Rayek quick glanced towards the one who had stunned the Malik clone.  Would she interfere? Would she turn on them like Malik-clone had?

"Lieutenant Lachlyn." he tried to draw her attention to him and not Malik waking her double. "What are your intentions?" he demanded to know, delving into her mind glean the information from her thoughts even if she didn't speak it aloud.

[Vadok Alvarez]

[Station Operations Center-Clone Vadok]

Vadok remained composed as he observed the tense exchange between Nevir and rRayek, his thoughts focused on adapting to the unfolding situation. While the Romulan and his counterpart deliberated on their next course of action, Vadok recalibrated his role within the mission, acknowledging the setbacks encountered with the shield frequency.

As Nevir expressed concern about deviating from the plan, Vadok maintained a calm demeanor, the gravity of their mission resonated with him, underscoring the need for precision and strategic thinking in their actions.

"I understand the necessity of our objectives," Vadok interjected calmly, his voice measured. "Even without the shield frequency, we must proceed with caution and adapt to the circumstances."
=========

[Station -  Cloning lab]

In the subdued lighting of the cloning lab, the pod containing the real Vadok Alvarez began to show signs of activity. The clear cover of the pod hissed as it released, sliding back to reveal the genuine Starfleet officer inside.

Vadok's eyes blinked open slowly, adjusting to the ambient light of the room. His mind felt groggy and disoriented, but as awareness returned, he realized he was in an unfamiliar setting. Memories of being aboard the Discovery before the mission assault flooded back, followed by the unsettling realization that he had no idea how much time had passed.

Taking a deep breath, Vadok pushed himself up within the pod, his movements cautious and deliberate. His gaze swept the room, quickly identifying familiar faces—Commander Rayek, Lieutenant Lorut Vila, and others—standing nearby, their expressions a mix of concern and urgency.

"Commander," Vadok addressed Rayek, his voice slightly hoarse from disuse. "What's happening? How long was I...?"

Before he could finish his question, Vadok's attention was drawn to the conversation unfolding around him. It didn't take long for him to piece together the situation—a station dedicated to cloning and replicating crew members, likely under the control of rogue elements seeking to exploit this technology.

Instinctively, Vadok's training kicked in, and he began to assess the situation with a calm demeanor despite the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions within him. His priority was clear—reestablish communication with the Discovery, ensure the safety of the crew, and devise a plan to escape this clandestine facility.

Turning to the group, Vadok's gaze met theirs, his expression resolute. "We need to coordinate our efforts and find a way out of here. Is there any indication of where they've taken the rest of the crew? And what's the status of our ship?" he inquired, his mind already formulating strategies to navigate this precarious situation.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Station -  Cloning lab-  outside the holding cells]

[Station -  Cloning lab]

"Commander," Vadok addressed Rayek, his voice slightly hoarse from disuse. "What's happening? How long was I...?"

Before he could finish his question, Vadok's attention was drawn to the conversation unfolding around him. It didn't take long for him to piece together the situation—a station dedicated to cloning and replicating crew members, likely under the control of rogue elements seeking to exploit this technology.

Turning to the group, Vadok's gaze met theirs, his expression resolute. "We need to coordinate our efforts and find a way out of here. Is there any indication of where they've taken the rest of the crew? And what's the status of our ship?" he inquired, his mind already formulating strategies to navigate this precarious situation.

Rayek looked over to the recently woken Alvarez, unsurprised by the man's logical statement.    "Agreed; we need to coordinate.  Ensign Hansen called me earlier on my ear comm informing me that the Captain was 'acting strangely' before I could get details Lieutenant Broadshire cut her call short and seemed to be suspicious of contact by the away team.  Earlier was monitoring all comms when I was last at Ops but had to give up that position to my double.  As things are now, I wouldn't trust any unsecure calls, as my replicant could likely trace the signal to our location."

Then it struck him.  The clone-Malik had been transported in to the holding cell area to attack...  so their location was already compromised!  He glanced about until he spotted the security camera.  Fvadt!  "Lorut, Lachlyn... fry that security camera!"  pointing it out to the only two who had weapons on them at the moment.

He then looked to the others. "As odd as this will sound,  neither I nor the Captain can be the ones to make the decisions now.  Our clones knows how we think and what our priorities will be and they'll likely put obstacles in our path to stop us."  Rayek looked to Malik.  "I need you to take over lead of the away team."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
rRayek tr'Lhoell
[Station - Operations Center]

[Station Operations Center-Clone Vadok]

Vadok remained composed as he observed the tense exchange between Nevir and rRayek, his thoughts focused on adapting to the unfolding situation. While the Romulan and his counterpart deliberated on their next course of action, Vadok recalibrated his role within the mission, acknowledging the setbacks encountered with the shield frequency.

As Nevir expressed concern about deviating from the plan, Vadok maintained a calm demeanor, the gravity of their mission resonated with him, underscoring the need for precision and strategic thinking in their actions.

"I understand the necessity of our objectives," Vadok interjected calmly, his voice measured. "Even without the shield frequency, we must proceed with caution and adapt to the circumstances."

A glance back to the security footage showed that the Lieutenant Commander,  had only been partially successful.  The Bajoran-clone was dead and the original Romulan injured but again of their own had not activated properly and had stunned the clone-officer.  The others were waking and were beginning to ask questions.

rRayek looked to the Vulcan.  "See if you can override the lab door and lock it, then dump whatever remains of the anesthezine gas into the room."  Most of those there were in hospital garb so shouldn't have any rebreathers to keep from being affected by the gas.

As he ordered this, he heard his original order the security camera to be disabled.  'So he finally caught on.  Took him long enough.'

[M'Nia]

M'nia pondered all this. "Ok that makes sense. Malik, looks like you're in charge. So any ideas on how to get back on the ship and take care of our clones?"

[Lilly Hansen]

[Ensign Lilly Hansen - Sec/Tac Officer  - Gamma Bridge - USS Discovery]

After a long wait, she finally arrived at her destination. As she entered the room, she became aware of the potential danger that surrounded her and quickly stationed officers at each door to ensure her safety. Once the area was secured, she contacted the people she needed to carry out her mission.

Over the communication device, she said,  "Hansen to Dr. We are in Gamma Bridge, standing by for sensor readings. We will begin the search for the Clone Captain."

As she stood there waiting for the scanners to power up, she couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. The Tri orders had only done so much, and she knew that the success of her mission relied heavily on the information that the scanners would provide.

[Vadok Alvarez]

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Station -  Cloning lab-  outside the holding cells]

Rayek looked over to the recently woken Alvarez, unsurprised by the man's logical statement.    "Agreed; we need to coordinate.  Ensign Hansen called me earlier on my ear comm informing me that the Captain was 'acting strangely' before I could get details Lieutenant Broadshire cut her call short and seemed to be suspicious of contact by the away team.  Earlier was monitoring all comms when I was last at Ops but had to give up that position to my double.  As things are now, I wouldn't trust any unsecure calls, as my replicant could likely trace the signal to our location."

Then it struck him.  The clone-Malik had been transported in to the holding cell area to attack...  so their location was already compromised!  He glanced about until he spotted the security camera.  Fvadt!  "Lorut, Lachlyn... fry that security camera!"  pointing it out to the only two who had weapons on them at the moment.

He then looked to the others. "As odd as this will sound,  neither I nor the Captain can be the ones to make the decisions now.  Our clones knows how we think and what our priorities will be and they'll likely put obstacles in our path to stop us."  Rayek looked to Malik.  "I need you to take over lead of the away team."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
rRayek tr'Lhoell
[Station - Operations Center]

A glance back to the security footage showed that the Lieutenant Commander,  had only been partially successful.  The Bajoran-clone was dead and the original Romulan injured but again of their own had not activated properly and had stunned the clone-officer.  The others were waking and were beginning to ask questions.

rRayek looked to the Vulcan.  "See if you can override the lab door and lock it, then dump whatever remains of the anesthezine gas into the room."  Most of those there were in hospital garb so shouldn't have any rebreathers to keep from being affected by the gas.

As he ordered this, he heard his original order the security camera to be disabled.  'So he finally caught on.  Took him long enough.'

[Station-Operations Center]

Clone Vadok maintained his composed facade, processing the evolving dynamics within the Operations Center. Despite the setbacks and unforeseen complications, he remained focused on the mission's objective.

"As you command," Clone Vadok responded with precision, his tone reflecting a steadfast commitment to executing the Romulan's directives. With a swift nod, he pivoted towards the console, his fingers swiftly navigating the interface to initiate the necessary overrides.

The prospect of disabling the lab door and administering the anesthezine gas posed a logistical challenge, but Clone Vadok approached the task with calculated efficiency.

"It is done."

==============

[Station-Cloning Lab]

Vadok absorbed Rayek's instructions, his mind swiftly processing the gravity of their situation. As he listened to the unfolding events and considered their predicament, a sense of urgency fueled his resolve to devise a strategy for their escape.

"Understood, Commander," Vadok responded with a decisive nod, his voice steady despite the tumultuous circumstances. "We must remain vigilant and coordinate our efforts meticulously. If our clones possess intimate knowledge of our tactics and priorities, then we should be....unconventional in our approach."

[Tekin Nevir]

rRayek tr'Lhoell
[Station - Operations Center]

At last, he had the frequency they needed!  He started on the transporter and self-destruct preparations.

The Tekin-clone's bid for leniency was a disappointment.

"Tekin,"   rRayek purposefully left out the Bajoran clone's rank, to highlight that in this, HE was the one in charge.  "Did you think that Starfleet upon hearing that we escaped with one of their vessels would just leave us to go on our merry way?  No.  The only way this works is if no one knows we aren't the originals. Which means getting rid of any and all those that know - here, and on the ship."

[USS Discovery - Unknown Location]
["Captain Tekin Nevir"]

The Bajoran sighed.  "Its a shame... this captain cares for his crew, cares for Starfleet, but has serious mistrust and almost disgust for our captors. It's so close to how we were programmed that I got confused.  I almost feel like we would have been able to get this crew on our side, or at least their captain.  Hmm... looks like the senior staff is on the move.  Going for one of the bridges.  Transport when you can, I have functions on standby to begin clearing out the ship. I instructed their Engineer to power up propulsion and weapons.  The question though is whether he will ultimately side with us, or with the Bridge crew.  I hope I sewed enough distrust among the crew.  But we're definitely running out of time.  Are we planning on getting any more of the crew cloned?"

[Ensign Lilly Hansen - Sec/Tac Officer  - Gamma Bridge - USS Discovery]

After a long wait, she finally arrived at her destination. As she entered the room, she became aware of the potential danger that surrounded her and quickly stationed officers at each door to ensure her safety. Once the area was secured, she contacted the people she needed to carry out her mission.

Over the communication device, she said,  "Hansen to Dr. We are in Gamma Bridge, standing by for sensor readings. We will begin the search for the Clone Captain."

As she stood there waiting for the scanners to power up, she couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. The Tri orders had only done so much, and she knew that the success of her mission relied heavily on the information that the scanners would provide.

"Miss Hansen, I see where you are.  But before you continue to blindly follow orders, let me ask you something.  You've read Starfleet regulations.  The CMO can relieve the Captain or First officer, but where does it say that he can assume command of the ship?  The chain of command puts Mr. Broadshire as the next commanding officer, so why is the Doctor trying to take control of the ship?  Who's to say there aren't more clones trying to control the ship?" he said over the comms, while playing with the sensor controls.  He gave a small smile as he released the lock on the internal sensors.

Now there were dozens of signatures all over the ship with the same bio-signs as the Bajoran. And duplicates of many of the senior officers.

Commander Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Station -  Cloning lab-  outside the holding cells]

Rayek looked over to the recently woken Alvarez, unsurprised by the man's logical statement.    "Agreed; we need to coordinate.  Ensign Hansen called me earlier on my ear comm informing me that the Captain was 'acting strangely' before I could get details Lieutenant Broadshire cut her call short and seemed to be suspicious of contact by the away team.  Earlier was monitoring all comms when I was last at Ops but had to give up that position to my double.  As things are now, I wouldn't trust any unsecure calls, as my replicant could likely trace the signal to our location."

Then it struck him.  The clone-Malik had been transported in to the holding cell area to attack...  so their location was already compromised!  He glanced about until he spotted the security camera.  Fvadt!  "Lorut, Lachlyn... fry that security camera!"  pointing it out to the only two who had weapons on them at the moment.

He then looked to the others. "As odd as this will sound,  neither I nor the Captain can be the ones to make the decisions now.  Our clones knows how we think and what our priorities will be and they'll likely put obstacles in our path to stop us."  Rayek looked to Malik.  "I need you to take over lead of the away team."

[Station - Cloning Labs]
[Captain Tekin Nevir]

He looked at Rayek in alarm, and exhaled.  "Prophets.  That's why Hrafn was on the station.  I read the file.  They said they had a higher purpose? Which means you were brought here to keep you out of the way of your clone.  Which means I'm probably already back aboard Discovery.  This isn't good... if my clone has my personality and memories, we need to get out of here.  The only thing that holds me from destroying this station is my duty.  My clone won't have those kinds of restrictions." he said, suddenly getting himself up.

He looked at the spot where one clone stood, and the other clone that was taken care of, before looking up at the camera they then shot.

"This is probably not a good time to inform you, Commander, than there is a protocol known only to the Captains of each starship.  The Pegasus protocol.  And for a ship with as much automation as Discovery, I can very easily compromise it and bring it under my own control.  Mr. Grippen, assume that the ship is not only lost, but a very real threat.  I'm not even sure there is a way for me to cancel the protocol unless that clone is taken out."

[Lilly Hansen]

[USS Discovery - Unknown Location]
["Captain Tekin Nevir"]

The Bajoran sighed.  "Its a shame... this captain cares for his crew, cares for Starfleet, but has serious mistrust and almost disgust for our captors. It's so close to how we were programmed that I got confused.  I almost feel like we would have been able to get this crew on our side, or at least their captain.  Hmm... looks like the senior staff is on the move.  Going for one of the bridges.  Transport when you can, I have functions on standby to begin clearing out the ship. I instructed their Engineer to power up propulsion and weapons.  The question though is whether he will ultimately side with us, or with the Bridge crew.  I hope I sewed enough distrust among the crew.  But we're definitely running out of time.  Are we planning on getting any more of the crew cloned?"

"Miss Hansen, I see where you are.  But before you continue to blindly follow orders, let me ask you something.  You've read Starfleet regulations.  The CMO can relieve the Captain or First officer, but where does it say that he can assume command of the ship?  The chain of command puts Mr. Broadshire as the next commanding officer, so why is the Doctor trying to take control of the ship?  Who's to say there aren't more clones trying to control the ship?" he said over the comms, while playing with the sensor controls.  He gave a small smile as he released the lock on the internal sensors.

Now there were dozens of signatures all over the ship with the same bio-signs as the Bajoran. And duplicates of many of the senior officers.

[Ensign Lilly Hansen -  Gamma Bridge]

"Miss Hansen, I see where you are.  But before you continue to blindly follow orders, let me ask you something.  You've read Starfleet regulations.  The CMO can relieve the Captain or First officer, but where does it say that he can assume command of the ship?  The chain of command puts Mr. Broadshire as the next commanding officer, so why is the Doctor trying to take control of the ship?  Who's to say there aren't more clones trying to control the ship?"

Lilly came to a halt, considering his point, but then raised her head with determination. "Listen up," she ordered, turning to the three others with her. "Two of you stay here. Ensign, you're with me." As two lieutenants remained on the Gamma bridge, Lilly and the other Ensign left.

"Hansen to Broadshire. We are on our way to the bridge. Stay put," she commanded sternly before striding purposefully towards the exit.

[Lorut Vila]

{unnamed outpost, science}
Vila had realized that she had overstepped her position, "ordering" Grippen to wake the Captain, though she'd meant it as merely a suggestion. She waited for Rayek's reply.

I hope so Lieutenant. I hope so...

So did she; even though she had done a lot of work to fix things, she still had a part of her that was the guerrilla, and while that would never die, she also didn't savor the idea of having to put a phaser hole through anyone's brain.

I think that would be wise.

Vila nodded, and moved out of the way so Grippen could find the others.

"When I was with the Resistance, they taught us some first aid," she said. "Plus what I learned at the Academy," she said. She removed a strip of the cloth from her own medical gown, and placed it on the man's flesh wound. "I need more tools," she said. "I don't like the feeling that we're sitting ducks," she said. She was placing her faith in this Rayek...with the knowledge that she may live (hopefully) to regret it.

Vila moved along then, to M'Nia and the still-sleeping Lachlyn.

I would suggest not replicating our usual uniforms.. to prevent confusion if we encounter more clones...

Vila raised an eyebrow in questioning, but soon realized what he meant. She nodded. "Good idea, sir. We can figure something out, I am sure." Something that would be easy to move in with plenty of pockets for picking up discarded weapons, tools, and etc along the way. "Are you ready?" She asked the Caitian, indicating a bank of Replicators in a nearby storage room-likely where hyposprays and such were replicated. She'd figure something out-she always did.

So any ideas on how to get back on the ship and take care of our clones?

Though the question had been posited to Malik, Lorut took the opportunity to respond. "We fight our way out," she said, simply. "We get up to the Transporters by any means necessary, and you all ship back. I blow the damn station up," she said. This time, she was going to do it ANYWAY, even if she had, up to now, been trying to do better. 

She looked up at Rayek, who was trying to reason with Clone Tanner. "Sir..." she said, tossing Clone Vila's phaser in his direction. "If she turns, give 'er the Cardassian treatment. Come on, Catgirl," she said.