Will the Real Birkoff Please Step Forward "
By: Garrett Birkoff , Chief Science Officer , [NPC]
Melissa Jarvis, Chief Security Officer, [RNPC]

Stardate: 58206.19 1200

Melissa entered the interrogation room and sat down at a table across from Birkoff, "Good morning," she began, "Why don't you tell me about the USS Wolverine."

Birkoff turned ghostly white. It was about the Wolverine *after all*. They *were* blaming him.

"It-It wasn't my fault." He stammered.

"Stop blathering Mr. Birkoff," demanded Melissa, "Tell me what happened."

Birkhoff composed himself. "We left shipdock on Stardate 58204.25. We were immediately dispatched to a distress call. When we arrived at the location we discovered a freighters adrift, life supports nominal, no crew." He paused.

"I beamed over to the ship with an away team, when suddenly something that looked like a worm hole opened up. There were suddenly power fluctuations, they beamed the away team back one at a time. I, I never got beamed back. I went to the bridge of the freighter and watched as the Wolverine got sucked in. The anomaly seemed to explode and there was debris everywhere."

Birkoff lowered his head and discreetly wiped tears away from his eyes.

"And then what happened," asked Melissa trying to figure out how this whimp ever managed to take over the Zion. He was either a good actor or not the same person.

Birkoff drew in a deep breath. "I managed to get the freighter's warp engines online, but after flying a day the injector relays fused. I'm not a good engineer. I was adrift for several weeks when I was picked by a klingon ship. They tortured and beat me regularly for about a week.

Now I'm here and I've been told you are going to execute me and I swear I have done wrong."

"You do not look very beat up," suggested Melissa, "You aren't telling me lies are you? It is important for you that you do not tell me lies." Melissa did not believe he was tortured by Klingons, they usually just preferred to kill their enemy rather than torturing them.

He stood up and took his shirt off. His back had several deep bruises. "They beat me up" he insisted.

Melissa arched her eyebrow, "Put your shirt on Birkoff. I have had worse beatings in bar room fights." Melissa was not impressed.

She picked up her PADD and looked at the crew manifest for the Wolverine. She stopped at the name Garrett Birkoff, "It says here that your name is Gordon Birkoff." Now it was her turn to lie, "Is that true?"

"The Name is Garrett ma'am." he replied smoothing the wrinkles from his shirt.

"Interesting," she said as she pushed a button on the table. A small console popped up and she called up a photo of the Birkoff who had once had control of this ship. The picture was from, his interrogation prior to the Zion take over. She turned the screen around so he could see it, "Recognize him? He looks an awful lot like you, Garrett Birkoff."

Garrett stared at the screen. His jaw gaped, "Th-that's..." he stammered slightly, "..not me," he said gazing away.

"It's not," she said, "It sure looks like you. Tell me, how is this not you Mr. Birchwood."

"The name is Birkhoff," said Garrett staring at the monitor. He chewed the bottom of his lip nervously. "Where did you get this image?"

"Yeah, I know," she said, "You told me the same thing the last time I interviewed you." She paused to look directly at Birkoff, "Just before you told me you were going to kill me."

Birkoff looked genuinely dumbfounded. "I-I've never met you before in my life." he shifted in his chair, "I never took that other woman's phaser pistol, I've never been on this ship, I, I.."

His voice trailed off, he leaned back and rubbed his hand across his eyes, "That's... not... me."

Melissa pointed to the screen, "That is Gordon Birkoff," Melissa shifted her icy gaze to Birkoff and pointed a solid finger at him, "You are Gordon Birkoff," she thundered at him.

"No," replied Birkoff defensively. "I'm not."

"Stop wasting my time with lies mister Birkoff, if this is not you then who is it," she demanded, slamming the console into the closed position.

Birkoff swallowed hard, sagged and slightly bowed his head. "Gordon is... my brother," he confessed shamefully.

Melissa silently recorded her small victory, but continued on as if she had not even heard him, "So, let's go back to your ship," she said picking up her PADD. "Who was in command of the Wolverine?"

"Shelly Hawk," said Birkoff impulsively.

Melissa scanned the PADD and noted that the original XO has not reported for duty when the WOlverine left and had been replaced, "And the XO," she read on, "A Dan Jackson. I suppose he died on the Wolverine with Captain Hawk too."

"No Ma'am. He never reported for duty."

"You expect me to believe that a Commander in the Maquis just failed to show up," she said. "That does not seem very likely to me."

"All I know is Captain was in a rant about him going AWOL."

Melissa stood up, "I've heard enough," she said. "Someone will return you to your cell." Melissa turned to leave the room.

"But..." said Birkoff standing, "I'm entitled to counsel. When do I get council?" he protested.

"When we reach QulTuq," she said, and left the room.

Birkoff slumped back down into the chair in exasperation.

***

Melissa sat down at her disk, "Computer access interrogation file stardate 58204.20, Gordon Birkoff"

The computer beeped in reply and began replaying her previous interview with Brikoff, "Advance to time index fourteen point four five," said Melissa

"The name's Birkoff..."

"Computer pause playback. Do a complete voice analysis on both samples," she instructed.

The console in front of her began to display a graphs on the voices in the interview. Even before the computer announced the results Melissa could see they did not match.

"Samples do not match."

Melissa would wait for the results of Doctor Dane's test but she was already convinced. This man was not Gordon Birkoff.

"Pause Playback," said Melissa.

"Computer access interrogation stadate 58206.19, Garrett Birkoff.

The computer beeped again and began playing the interview she has just done. "Advance to time index twelve point one four."

"The name is Birkoff ma'am