Indecision

At Wayne's recommendation, Skye ordered the cloak.  Surprise: It didn't work.

They were going to be detected.

"Options.  We need options," Skye said, knowing how asthenic it sounded.  The bridge wasn't in chaos, but the feeling was there: desperate, helpless, urgent.  How did this happen?  What was it, exactly?  Did it still affect the Earth environs back where they came from?  Did that reality even exist anymore?  How would they get back?  Why had so many systems fallen inoperative?

He leaned on one arm in the command chair, breathing tight, getting chills, rubbing at his temple.  He was suddenly having a hard time thinking straight.  A conversation he didn't remember having with Joseph Carton kept pulling at his mind.  He looked around and actually had to focus to remind himself what was going on.  He'd been in sickbay not long ago for amnesia.  Now he felt like he was losing his sense of identity.  He had to remind himself who he was.

He was in no shape for command.

"Sir, what are your orders?" Obeck asked.  Looking around, he didn't see Commander Wayne.  Someone said they saw him on the couch in his office taking a nap.

Skye lowered his arm quickly, realizing the Arrubian was standing before him.  He stood up, tugged at his uniform jacket, and cracked his neck.  He was going to conquer this.  He would.

"We need to... to..."  What was the word... Think, Tristan, think!  Clandestine... no.  What was... Damn it.  "Hide.  Hide!  We need to hide!"  If it wasn't already too late.

Obeck's eyes narrowed as he tilted his head sideways, regarding Skye uncertainly.  "Uh... yes, sir.  Where are we supposed to do that?"

"There's, uh..."  Skye raised his hand, pointing, but then it fell.  "We could go there, but... I think... no, wait, I'm not sure..."  He trailed off, staring at the viewscreen.  "Bloody hell, that can't be me...."

Obeck turned his head to follow Skye's gaze.  Someone had changed the channel.  And there, on the screen, in full view of the bridge crew... was Skye.  In drag.  A dress, makeup, wig, the works.  He looked lovely in pearls.

Skye stepped forward and barked, "Turn that damnable thing off!"

Obeck stabbed the appropriate button on the arm of the command chair and the screen blanked.  Then he looked back at Skye.  This didn't look good: a captain who couldn't make command decisions.

Automatically his mind went to the next available candidate: April.

Except rumor had flown around the ship that April no longer wanted command, that April was no longer even fit to be Starfleet material.  Jallez was tied up in Engineering.  And Wayne was off napping.

It looked like Obeck had to make a command decision, right then & there, about whom to alert, that they needed to step up.

"Computer.  Are you working?"