This is an AU Tag to the episode listed below. Not sure that it really fits with the earlier part of the episode but I couldn't leave our favourite Captain unconscious on the floor of the missile room. As usual I don't own this show, I've just taken them out of the box to play with for a while.

Nightmare – Tag

By Kara H.

Lee stared as the figure of Jim Bentley metamorphosed into some hideous alien creature. There was an explosion and he was alone, exhaustion seeping into every limb he sank back onto the deck of the missile room.

Two figures shimmered into existence, a man and woman both with dark hair, the first took one look at the Captain and swore – at least Lee thought that they swore, Then one of them dropped to their knees beside him and began speaking, “I’m just going to treat your arm, everything’s going to be all right.”

He stared up into the deepest violet eyes he’d ever seen and fervently wished that he had the energy to respond. Half-opening his eyes he could see a bright spinning cylinder being moved up and down his torso and he heard a soft female voice talking, but he seemed not to be a part of it.

“Nasty shoulder wound....severe mental trauma, if you can capture the K’tov I’ll treat this Terran.”

A figure appeared over the other’s shoulder, “On my way, V’tani, he won’t get far.”

It turned and he thought he caught a laugh in the voice as it replied, “Not without the titanium he won’t. By the Stars of Andros-”

“Hah,” there was another word, probably a curse and Lee heard her – was it a her - laugh softly. The standing figure laid a hand on her shoulder, “The Terrans have a good word for the K’tov – Nithing.” Then they were alone and she was smiling down at him, “Are you feeling a bit better? I am V’tani, my colleague is Cr’ian.” She laid cool fingers on his wrist and said, “I think you’d be much better off in your vessel’s Sickbay-”

Lee managed to dredge a smile from somewhere and then suddenly he was lying on a gurney and the woman was standing next to him, her hand still encircling his wrist, “That was not fun,” she said, carefully laying it down on the blanket, “I dislike intra-ship transports, so much can go wrong.”

“Shouldn’t it be intra-boat?” he asked sleepily.

“Intra-boat?” she smiled down at him.

“Submarines are called ‘boats’ not ‘ships’,” he murmured, forcing his eyelids apart he muttered, “I’m sorry, I’m just so tired-”

“That’s all right, Captain,” V’tani replied, “go to sleep.”

“Will you stay?”

“For as long as I can,” she promised.

VTBOTS

Nelson stared at the scenario in front of him. Whatever mechanism Bentley had used to show the crew what was happening on the Seaview was still operating so they’d seen the arrival of the the two strangers, their treatment of Captain Crane and now he was looking at this alien in Sickbay. “Chief, Kowalski,” he said, “how’s the door coming?”

Ski looked up, “Still nothing sir, not even lasers work on it.”

“Sir,” Chip said quickly, “the screen’s fading-”

“Sir, the door’s coming unstuck.” Ski said, “we’ll be out of here in no time!”

Nelson nodded and then said, “Jamie get up to Sickbay and see if this alien is still there – take an armed escort if you need-“

“Not in my sickbay, Admiral,” Dr Jamieson said firmly, “anyone who heals is not a menace to society – and don’t you think it might create the wrong impression if we burst in there all guns blazing?”

“All right,” Nelson sighed, “but I want to speak with her.”

“I will ask her,” Jamieson replied, “under the Geneva Convention-“

“She’s not even human-“

“That doesn’t matter,” Jamie stood his ground.

“All right, all right,” Nelson waved him away, “ask her.”

The door to Sickbay opened and V’tani stood up, So this is how it was going to end. She thought, either death from one of their many weapons, or dissection at one of their laboratories. Swallowing the fear she felt she began to recite the old prayer in her head, Stars of Andros, protect me on the path I must take; guide my feet to take the right road, the straight road – ease my passage into Starlight; that I may sing your praises into the Heavens- and stopped as she came face to face with one man.

“I am Dr Jamieson,” the man said holding out a hand.

“V’tani,” she replied bemusedly, copying his gesture and being startled when he took it and shook it gently. “Now, how’s our Captain Crane.”

“I think he will be all right after a long sleep,” V’tani replied, she sat down on the hard chair next to the gurney and put her head in her hands, she was suddenly very tired. To her surprise, the man moved around the gurney and then he was kneeling in front of her, “Are you all right?” he asked gently.

She looked up and managed to smile, “Just tired. I’ll be all right.”

“Mmmm,” he cleared his throat, “I’m not very conversant with alien physiology, but I know when someone’s exhausted. I’ll find you a pair of pyjamas and then I want you to get into one of the racks.”

“Racks?” she frowned at him and he smiled, gesturing to the beds that lined sickbay he said, “We call these ‘racks’.”

“Oh,” she said, and then managed a wry grin, “another submarine joke?”

“Submarine joke?” he raised an eyebrow.

“You call them boats, not ships,” she replied.

“Yes,” the Doctor smiled, “you promise to stay here?”

“You have my parole,” she replied. The Doctor stood up and walked to the door, opening it he spoke quickly and quietly to someone and then returned to her, “It shouldn’t be too long,” he said gently, “how are you feeling?”

“Like a wrung out Shar’toth,” she replied absent-mindedly, and smiled wearily at the Doctor, “I am sorry, Healer, sometimes I use archaic phrases.”

There was a soft knocking on the door and the Doctor went to the door returning with a pair of clean white pyjamas. “Here, go change in my office while I examine my Captain.”

When she emerged from the office Doctor Jamieson smiled at her, “Come along, Miss V’tani. We’ll talk later.”

She remembered him pulling the sheets back and as she snuggled down into bed, she felt him pull the bedrail up behind her and then felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, “Go to sleep,” he said.

Is that an order? She thought drowsily and suddenly she was asleep.

“Jamie?” a familiar voice rasped, and Will turned away from the sleeping woman to gently lay a hand on his Captain’s arm, “It’s all right, Lee, you’re safe.”

“B-Bentley,” he whispered.

“I think he’s been taken care of,” Jamie replied, “are you thirsty?”

Lee nodded and Will held a straw to his lips, he sucked gratefully, and then looked around, “What about V’tani?”

Will stepped back so that Lee could see the figure in one of the racks, “Asleep. And you should be too.”

Lee managed a half-smile and then closing his eyes dropped back into slumber. Then after leaving one of the corpsmen on duty he went up to make his report to the Admiral. “They’re both fine – well Lee’s fine – the young lady, I’m just trying gentle treatment at the moment and letting her sleep. When she wakes up and she’s had a coffee, then I’ll bring her up to see you.”

Nelson grimaced and then nodding, waved him away. Captain Crane had been moved to one of the other racks and was deeply asleep. The woman meanwhile was just stirring, she rolled onto her back and stared up at the bottom of one of the other bunks. Slowly she eased herself up into a sitting position, “How do you feel, Miss V’tani?” Jamie asked gently.

“Much better, thank you,” she replied, “how’s your Captain?”

“He’ll be fine in a day or two,” Jamie replied, “my thanks for treating his arm.”

“My pleasure,” V’tani replied, “now you’d better get someone down here to put irons on me and take me down to the brig.”

“But you gave me your parole before I fetched the pyjamas for you,” Dr Jamieson said “So I’m assuming that you’ll stay put while I find you some clothes.”

V’tani managed a faint smile and said, “You’re very kind.”

“Hmmm,” Dr Jamieson said, “Sit with the Captain, I’ll be back soon.”

She was sitting beside Captain Crane when a familiar voice said softly, “V’tani?”

“Captain,” she turned to look down into familiar amber eyes, “how do you feel?”

“A lot better now,” he smiled, “I owe you.”

“Not really,” V’tani sighed, “we should have been able to stop him. He could have destroyed you all-”

“But why the Seaview for God’s sake?”

“Ah, now that we can explain,” V’tani replied, “it’s to do with the titanium hull. We use titanium as fuel – the creature you knew as Jim Bentley was going to blow up the world and after your submarine had been destroyed, use it as fuel for his vessel.”

“What about the crew?”

“You would have all been killed,” V’tani said, “I don’t know how. He probably intended to vaporize every one of you.”

Lee swallowed, “I did stop him didn’t I?”

“Yes,” V’tani assured him, her hand cool on his arm, “and when you destroyed that missile it alerted us to the K’tov’s whereabouts – you helped us capture him.”

“I could ask ‘Why me?’” he muttered, “but I doubt I’d get an answer.”

“Not one you’d like,” V’tani replied, she managed a rueful smile.

He managed a wry smile and then said, “I thought you’d have left by now?”

“I think your Admiral will want explanations,” she replied, “I would not worry, Captain, I am in no danger.”

She looked up as Dr Jamieson stepped into the room, “Miss V’tani, I’ve some clothes for you if you’d like to get dressed in my office – and then the Admiral would like a word.”

“Not without me!” Lee sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bunk.

Jamie sighed, “Will you let me examine you, Captain, while Miss V’tani changes in my office.”

“Actually,” she replied, trying to suppress a grin, “It’s Commander V’tani.”

“Commander?” Lee queried.

“Well our word is T’lek’na,” V’tani replied, “it translates roughly as ‘Commander’. Since I am to face your Admiral I should like to do so with my rank.”

“You won’t face him alone,” Lee said firmly.

“I told you, Captain,” V’tani smiled, “I am in no danger whatsoever, you have no need to protect me.”

“But I should like to hear your story,” Lee said firmly.

“And I’m damn sure I want to hear it,” a new voice said and they both looked up to see Commander Morton leaning against the bulkhead.

“You have an audience Commander V’tani,” Dr Jamieson said, “now go and change. We’ll still be here.”

She gave them both a grin and then retreated to the doctor’s office. When she emerged, Lee was buttoning up his own shirt, “Are we both ready?” Chip asked and when they nodded smiled, “Right, Commander V’tani, if you will accompany me, Admiral Nelson would like to speak with you.”

V’tani nodded and was surprised when he fell into step beside her, “I never had the chance to thank you for saving Captain Crane’s life,” he said.

“Actually, it should be us that apologise to you,” V’tani explained, “if we had been faster then he wouldn’t have been able to escape us and gain access to your submarine.”

“You’ve stopped him, right?” Lee asked quickly.

“We’ve stopped him,” V’tani confirmed.

“If you’ll come through here, Commander,” Chip said, “there’s a flight of stairs down to the Control Room, I’ll go down first-“

V’tani nodded, suddenly nervous, she took the stair rail, feeling it slide beneath her damp palms, and slowly began to walk down the stairs. To her surprise he was waiting for her at the bottom, “All right?” he asked as she stepped off the bottom stair.

“Better,” she replied, turning to look back up the stairs to where Captain Crane was coming down, “I don’t like spiral staircases much. Fell down one when I was a Sta’ka.”

“Huh?” the blond looked bemused.

“Oh,” she looked thoughtful for a moment or two, “The equivalent rank would be Ensign.”

Commander Morton nodded and said, “Follow me.”

As V’tani walked around the corner she stopped, staring at the window, “By the Stars of Andros!” she murmured. “What a view!” She was staring out of the herculite windows at a deep blue ocean, thousands of tiny glittering fish swam past, not even seeming to notice the submarine.

“A lot of visitors say that,” another voice said, and V’tani looked up at another man, her mouth suddenly went dry and she realised that this was an extraordinarily powerful individual, “I’m Admiral Nelson,” he said slowly.

V’tani swallowed again and then she bowed and with the first two fingers of her right hand touched her forehead, her lips and her heart. Then she straightened up and violet eyes met bright blue ones.

Aware that something had happened, Admiral Nelson managed a taut smile, “Please, Miss V’tani, sit down. I asked to speak with you.”

“I understand that, Admiral,” V’tani replied, “which is why I volunteered to stay behind.”

“So your people know that you’re here?”

“Certainly,” V’tani said softly. “As I told your Captain twice,” she smile at Lee Crane, “I am in no danger.”

“Tell me why this ‘Jim Bentley’ wanted our submarine,” Nelson said slowly.

“It’s the titanium hull,” V’tani replied, “our ships use titanium as fuel – ‘Bentley’ stole a ship and escaped to earth. As far as we can ascertain he planned to fire a missile which would alert other ships to the Seaview’s position, the Seaview would be fired upon – he hoped destroyed and her crew killed. Then he would return to his own craft, stationed nearby and use the destroyed submarine to fuel his own vessel.”

“And what about you?” Nelson asked.

“We call ourselves Enlev’Na,” another voice said and Nelson turned to see another dark-haired figure materialize next to the periscope island. V’tani’s face lit up, “Cr’ian! I was fine-”

“Captain D’aruth is becoming impatient.” Cr’ian replied, he looked hard at Nelson and the others. “Did they harm you?”

“Far from it,” V’tani said, standing up and looking around at all the men, “I was treated with the utmost courtesy and civility. Perhaps they do have merit after all.”

“They’ve a long way to go, Kelest’na.”

“Yes, but there is hope.” V’tani said.

“My compliments, Admiral, Captain, Commander,” Cr’ian bowed to them, “You have my gratitude and respect.”

“Goodbye, Captain. It’s been a real pleasure.” V’tani smiled, and then with Cr’ian vanished in a shower of golden sparkles.

Admiral Nelson sighed and laid his pen down on the desk, “Well that seems to be that. You’d better get us under way, Captain. Back home to Santa Barbara.”

“Aye, aye sir,” Crane said as he turned away.

“There’s just one thing,” Nelson said, waving his pencil at Morton.

“Sir?” Morton asked.

“What the hell are we going to write in the log?”