“So there’s absolutely no physical difference between the two of you?” asked Barrett as he sat his drink down onto the table.

Xifer looked over at his twin brother and allowed a sly grin to spread across his face. “Well. I say there’s one difference but I’d only be willing to show Hailie what it is.” he said as he teasingly winked in her direction.

“Don’t listen to him, Hailie.” retorted Xifel when he saw the young nurse blush. “He knows were completely identical.”

All the ensigns shared a laugh and ordered a new round of drinks. They were just coming off of some very long shifts that they had gotten thrown into when all the senior officers had suddenly disappeared from the ship. The whole ordeal had lasted a total of three days before everyone was back home safely. The stand in department heads had called all hands on deck until they had figured out what had happened and how to reverse it. 

The Science division had wanted to get closer to the anomaly to get more scans but Lieutenant Burns, the Acting Commanding Officer, had denied the request due to the uncertainty of the anomaly’s involvement. They had worked around the clock. They ran every diagnostic they could possibly think of do check for any equipment malfunction, which they didn’t think was the issue to begin with. They poured over all the data they had already collected before anyone vanished. They were getting absolutely no where when the senior officers began reappearing just as suddenly as they had disappeared.

The next round of drinks came and Hailie raised hers in a toast. “Well here’s to having everyone back and not having to continue the round the clock shifts. And to everyone seemingly no worse for the wear. We managed to get everyone in and conducted their physicals and no one seemed to have gotten any injuries or illnesses. But man. Some of the stories I heard while they were in Sickbay. Unbelievable.” she said.

A chorus of cheers followed as they clinked their glasses and all took drinks.

“I heard the Doctor and the XO came across some huge Gorn looking creatures. I can’t even imagine that one.” said Xifel. “They’re deadly enough as they are.”

“I agree.” added his twin brother.

Barrett took another drink before he spoke up. “The Captain told me he went to a Circus and that Lieutenant Evens had to explain to him what it was. Only difference was that instead of it being a family adventure thing, everyone there was getting killed in horrendous ways.”

“Do you think we’ll ever discovered what caused them to be taken? And why was it just the Senior officers? None of us lower deckers were effected.” asked Hailie. 

“That was why I had began thinking it may have been a Q thing. It seemed targeted. Just the higher ranks and no one else.” replied Barrett.

“You’re just a conspiracy nut.” joked Hailie as she nudged him teasingly with her elbow. 

“But you have to admit that it’s a legitimate theory.” said the young security officer.

“Q would be almost as bad as the oversized Gorns.” said both Bolians at the same time. “Jinx” they called out again at the same time having picked up an old Earth hijinks.

The two humans looked over at the twins and laughed. 

“I can’t believe you guys still do that.” giggled Hailie. 

“Ever since you taught it to us in the Academy.” responded Xifel. “Only Xifer never pays hat he owes me. I think he owes me like the next eighty rounds of drinks.” he said as he wiggled his empty glass at his brother.

Xifer simply stuck out his tongue and left the table to get the next round.

“You’re gonna turn them human if you aren’t careful.” Barrett said to Hailie with a smile.

“Nah. They’ll always be them.” she said as the next round came and they made another toast and moved on to the next topic.