SPACE: THE FINAL FRONTIER. THESE ARE THE VOYAGES OF THE WWF TITANPRIZE. IT'S MISSION: TO EXPLORE AND ENTERTAIN NEW SOCIETIES AND NEW CIVILIZATIONS.  TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO WRESTLER HAS GONE BEFORE!

TITANPRIZE CREW:

Captain Vince McMahon
Chief Engineer, Commander Stephanie McMahon
Chief of Chiefs, Commander Linda McMahon
Chief of Security, Commander Kane
Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Taker
Diagnostics Officer, Lieutenant Commander Jericho
Tactical Officer, Lieutenant Commander Austin
Transporter Chief, Lieutenant Commander Debra McMichael
Communications Officer, Lieutenant Commander Rock
Counselor Al Snow (assisted by H.E.A.D.)
Morale Officer, Commissioner Mick Foley
... And many more!

WWF TITANPRIZE - COMMANDER SHANE McMAHON'S QUARTERS

    "First officer's log, stardate 040120.01. Pops is down on Planet Ai with Lt. Commander Jericho, and my sister Stephanie. It annoys me that the Y2J Unit and my sister are even breathing the same air, but right now, the Titanprize needs me. Pops is still trying to convince the crew and myself that Planet Ai is a paradise, and a great place to call home. To prove it, Brother, the leader of Planet Ai, has invited the crew down to join in a feast. Suffice it to say, no one is buying his bull,"

    Shane paused a moment, then smiled coldly, "Of course, if Pops still insists on staying there, I'd be more then happy to leave him... End log."

PLANET AI - SHIANA FACTORY (before dawn)

      Lt. Commander Jericho and Commander Stephanie hid around the side of the factory Lana had lead them to the previous evening. It had not yet opened for the day. "So how do we get in?" Stephanie asked.

     Jericho looked up, "There..." he said, pointing to the ventilation ducts above them.

    "You've got to be kidding me! No way am I crawling through that!"

    "No. We need someone light-weight and limber," he looked at Stephanie, "And you're NEITHER!"

    "Don't you start with me!" Stephanie warned, then sighed, "Who IS light-weight and limber then?" she asked.

    Jericho and Stephanie thought a moment, then the both turned to each other, coming to the same conclusion...

SHIANA FACTORY - Ten minutes later

    "This better be good! I was having a great dream about Lita!" Ensign Jeff Hardy replied as the glitter of the transporter beam faded away.

    "About things you'll never do with her, Jeff?" Stephanie asked.

    Jeff frowned at the remark, then handed Jericho and Stephanie the phasers they had requested, looking less then pleased, "What ELSE did you need me for?"

    "Jeffrey, you're pretty limber and light-weight, right...?" Stephanie began.

    "Get to the point, Steph..." Jeff said.

    "What princess is getting at," Jericho explained, shooting Stephanie an impatient look, "Is that we need someone to crawl through the air ducts and open the factory from inside,"

    "Awwww man...!" Jeff whined, "I gotta crawl through THAT?!" he looked up at the rusty,
dust-covered vent.

    "If you value your life onboard the Titanprize, you will," Jericho replied, "But if you'd rather SHARE yourself with some Aian women..." he let the sentence trail. Stephanie and Jericho had informed Jeff of the situation prior to his beaming down.

    "Ok ok..." Jeff replied, then sighed, "Give me a lift..."  Jericho grabbed Jeff around the waist and tossed him up, "DAAAAAMMMMMNNNNN!!" Jeff shouted as he flew through the air. He quickly landed on the roof, "Geez, Chris! Did you have to throw me so HIGH?!"

    "Sorry, Jeff..." Jericho replied, "Guess I don't know my own strength," but Jeff could see the smirk on the Y2J Unit's face.

    Jeff smiled and shook his head, "Psycho robot!"

    "Idiotic Aerialian!" Jericho retorted good-naturedly.

    "Ok, can we stop with the manly display of testosterone...?" Stephanie replied, "or..." she glanced at Jericho, "Simulated testosterone, whatever the case may be!" She looked up at Jeff, "Just get in there and open the doors!"

    "Alright, alright! Don't get your panties in a bunch..." Jeff replied, then lay on his stomach, hanging partway off the roof to remove the vent. He then gracefully flipped himself into the airduct and disappeared.

    "Keep your comm open, Hardly!" Stephanie called to him.

    "Gotcha..." he replied through the commbadge, "Ugh... I think something just crawled over my leg. It was really big too..."

    "Want us to beam you a can of Raid?" Stephanie replied sarcastically, growing impatient with Ensign Hardy's whinning.

    "Can you?!" Jeff replied.

    Stephanie rolled her eyes, "Just get your butt in there and open the doors!"

    "Better hurry, Jeff. I think Stephanie is PMSing," Jericho replied. Stephanie could hear Jeff snicker through the comm.

    "Oh SHUT UP!" Stephanie snapped, "It's amazing I get ANYTHING done in Engineering with you two IDIOTS goofing off and----" Suddenly, the Y2J Unit pulled Stephanie against him, burying his face against her neck. Stephanie gasped as a plesant tingling sensation went through her, "Chris---"

    "SHHHHHH," he whispered.

    "Oh my... we are sorry... we did not mean to disturb you," a female voice spoke up.

    Jericho lifted his head, feigning surprise, "Oh... we thought we were alone here..." Jericho said to the two Aians that had interrupted them, "Didn't we, sugarmuffin?"

    Stephanie ignored the disappointment she felt when she realized why Jericho had held her like that, and quickly played along, "Yes. Right. Alone," she then laughed nervously, feeling a flush come to her cheeks as Jericho put an arm around her, keeping up the charade, "How embarrassing,"

    The Aians smiled, "Well, our leader preaches love! You should not be embarrassed, nor ashamed, to be acting on such a beautiful emotion..." the male replied.

    Jericho smiled, "You're right. As you can tell, we're not from around here,"

    "Yes. You're from the ship, correct?" The female asked.

    Jericho furrowed his brow, "You know about the ship?"

    "Well, when ships arrive here, it is quite a big deal," the female explained, "So few come through the gateway," she smiled, "So yes... we know about it,"

    Stephanie stepped away from Jericho, interested now, "Gateway?" she asked, "What gateway?"

    The female seemed confused, "You did not come through Eros's Gateway?"

    Stephanie and Jericho exchanged looks, then turned back towards the Aians, "What, exactly,  is this gateway?" Jericho asked.

    "Well... it is a large hole which splits the sky, then disappears once again into the stars! It is quite beautiful to behold!" the male replied.

    Jericho nodded, "And you're saying other ships have come through it?"

    "Yes. But... if you did not come through the gateway, where DID you come from?" the female asked.

    Suddenly, Stephanie's commbadge beeped to life, "I'm in..." Jeff spoke.

    Stephanie jumped and quickly put a hand to the golden WrestleFleet logo, "Uh... that's my father... he... um... he needs me to come in... come HOME... I mean... back to the visitor's quarters,"

    "What my little lumpy-butt is trying to say is that we have to get on duty..." Jericho replied calmly, "If you'll excuse us, it was a pleasure meeting you," he shook hands with the Aians, and the two REAL lovers headed on their way. Jericho turned to Stephanie, "Smooth, Steph. May I suggest you never eeeeeeeeeeever play poker!"

    "I had to think fast, ok?" Stephanie hissed, then tapped her commbadge, "Hardly? What door are you at?"

    "South side," Jeff replied.

    "We'll be right there," Stephanie answered, and closed the commlink. She turned to Jericho, a scowl on her pretty face, "If you EVER call me your little lumpy-butt again, I will personally strip you of your rank and throw you in the brig!"

    "Steph Steph Steph... darling, honey, sweetiepie..." he put a hand on his chest, a pained expression on his face, "Don't you see how much your threats hurt my feelings?" he feigned sobs, "I just don't understand how you could be so cruel to me after everything we've been through!"

    Stephanie let out a frustrated shout, stomping her feet angrily as she quickly headed to the south side of the building, not bothering to check if the snickering Lt. Commander Jericho was following.

INSIDE THE FACTORY

    "Nice setup they have here..." Jeff replied as the three studied the complex machine before them. Jars of liquid were piled against one wall, barrels of shiana were piled against another. The machinery would clean and inject the liquid into the shiana.

    Jericho studied one of the small syringes sticking out of the machine, "According to this, it takes maybe a drop of chemical to produce the desired affect in the shiana. Powerful stuff." He went over to the stock of shiana and made note of the ones clearly labelled for shipment to Brother's WrestleFleet feast, "It's a shame our crew won't be able to try this, hmm?" he asked, and powered up his phaser.

      "Wait... Chris... this is someone else's property! What business is it of ours what they do to their fruit?" Jeff asked.

    "If their fruit wasn't affecting our Captain's mental facilites, I'd be inclined to agree with you, Jeff... but the only way to get our Captain back is to destroy the contaminated fruit. Don't worry, I'm not going to destroy the machine. They can do what they want with it. But I refuse to allow them to give this crap to our crew!" Jericho explained, "And since the diner is tomorrow, they won't have time to create a new batch. They'll have to use uncontaminated shiana. Freshly picked."

    Jeff nodded, "Alright then... let's do it!"

    The three WrestleFleet officers aimed their phasers, and fired.

WWF TITANPRIZE - BRIDGE (that evening)

    Shane made himself comfortable in the Captain's chair, "Lt. Commander Rock, any word from the surface?"

    "The Rock will tell your roody poo candy ass if he hears anything, wonder boy!" Rocky replied.

    Shane stood up and glared at his communications officer, "Lt. Commander Rock, you WILL treat me with the respect I deserve. You may be able to get away with insulting my father, but one more insubordinate comment out of you, and I will throw you in the brig. Is that understood?!"

    Rocky scowled, "Yes... SIR..." he muttered angrily.

    "Did he hurt your feelings, you dumb bastard?" Lt. Commander Austin asked sarcastically.

    "Know your role and SHUT your mouth, Jabroni! " Rocky replied.

    "You better shut YOUR mouth, or I may just shut it FOR you!" Austin replied.

    Rocky stepped away from his communications console, "You wanna start something with The Rock? Just bring it!"

    "I'll bring you a huge can of whoop ass, son!"

    "ENOUGH!!" Shane yelled over Austin and Rocky's threatening catchphrases. He tapped his commbadge, "Bradshaw, Farrooq, get your asses on the bridge and throw Austin and The Rock in the brig! Let them cool off for a bit. They're disrupting my ship!"

    Rock and Austin both turned to Shane, "YOUR ship?" Rocky started, "Since when does your candy ass run this ship, mini-Vince?"

    "Since NOW. My father has expressed interest in staying on Ai... and if that happens, then this ship is MINE. Remember that, boys." Shane replied.

    A few seconds later, Bradshaw and Farooq appeared on the bridge and looked at Rocky and Austin, "You sure you want us to toss them in the brig?" Farooq asked.

    "Yes I'm sure!" Shane answered angrily, "Are you questioning my orders?"

    "Damn... someone's in a bad mood..." Bradshaw muttered, then turned to Austin and Rocky, "C'mon boys, let's go..."

    Austin and Rock continued to glare at each other, ignoring the two security Lieutenants, "Don't make us have to beat your asses into the brig, boys..." Farooq threatened.

    After a moment, Rock and Austin turned to Farooq and Bradshaw, and reluctantly followed, "When you and me are in the brig, Rocky, there ain't gonna be no way out!" Austin threatened the Rock.

    "Are you challenging the Rock to a 'hell in the brig' match?" Rocky asked.

    "Oh hell yeah I am!!" Austin replied.

    "Good. Fine," Shane began, "Sell tickets and we'll make a pay-per-view of it. NOW GET OFF MY BRIDGE!"

    With that, Bradshaw and Farooq escorted Austin and Rocky off the bridge. Once they were in the hallway, Shane could hear the four men start a brawl with one another. He didn't care, as long as they weren't disrupting the running of his ship.

    Shane made himself comfortable in the Captain's chair once again, "Ensign Christian... let's go exploring. Set coordinates at 33.22.66,"

    "Um... Shane-dude... that will take us, like, AWAY from the planet. Vince will be totally pissed!" Christian replied.

    "Excuse me, Ensign... but WHO is in command of this ship at the moment?" Shane asked.

    "Well, YOU are, man... but---"

    "THEN DO AS I SAY!" Shane shouted.

    Christian nearly jumped out of his seat at Shane's harsh tone, "Yes sir!" he replied quickly, then took a deep breath,  "Geez... power trip much?" he muttered to himself, but set the coordinates into the navigation console. The ship slowly began to head away from Planet Ai.

AI CITY HALL

    "Are yew sure all the shiana fruit for the feast was destroyed, Brother Virgil?" Brother asked his faithful Aian subordinate.

    "Yes, Brother..." a dark-haired male Aian replied, "All of it,"

    Brother didn't look very happy, "Do you know who may have destroyed it?" he asked.

    "A civilian couple reported seeing two Titanprize officers by the factory before dawn this morning..."

    "What were they doing?" Brother asked.

    "The report is that they were sharing their love, Brother..." Brother Virgil replied.

    "Hmmm..." Brother thought for a moment, "Why do I have the feeling that our hospitality has been taken advantage of?"

PLANET AI - VISITOR'S QUARTERS

    Ensign Jeff Hardy was slumming on Stephanie's hotel bed, casually flipping through channels on the TV. Stephanie sat beside him, painting her nails, "Crap. Crap. Crap," then his face brightened, "Ooooh... porn!"

    Stephanie quickly grabbed the remote from him with her non-painted hand, "CRAP!" she snapped, and changed the channel. She smiled at the TV, "Oooh... romance!"

    "CRAP!" Jeff replied, and tried to grab the remote from her. She pulled it away, and the two started a small tug of war for the control. Eventually, Stephanie gave up, and went to sit at the table across the room, more interested in finishing her nails then fighting with Jeff. Ensign Hardy smiled at his success.

    "Hey, check this out, " Lt. Commander Jericho replied as he read the padd in his hands, "Apparently Eros's Gateway is a wormhole that opens up very irregularly in this sector. As the Aian couple told us, ships DO come through it, but there's no record of them ever going back..." he looked at Jeff and Stephanie, "Which means the crewmen of these ships have tasted the forbidden shiana fruit and decided to stay and share with the Aians. No doubt they shared all their technology too!"

    "How many have come through?" Stephanie asked.

    Jericho checked the padd again, "Not many. At least, not that the Aians have kept track.  The gateway seems to open up every ten years,"

    "Evey ten years?" Jeff perked up, "And when was the last time it opened?"

    Jericho frowned as he read the padd, "Don't get your hopes up, Jeff. The last time it opened was a few days ago... which would explain why the Aians thought WE were the ones who came through it. Nothing did though. Not this time, at least,"

    "Well... what else does it say? Is there a way we can force it open?" Stephanie asked.

    "It's rare that you can change a force of nature," Jericho replied, "The wormhole WE came through was created by science, and a freak-accident caused by Russo's little toy. THIS wormhole is completely natural. You could no more force it to appear then you could force the Aurora Borealis to show up in the sky back on Earth..." he shrugged, "Let me see if Joe can find us any more classified information..."

    "Do we want to know HOW he gets it?" Jeff asked.

    "No. It's probably better we don't..." Jericho replied, then tapped his commbadge, "Lt. Commander Jericho to WWF Titanprize," He recieved nothing but static. He tried again, and still recieved the same response. He looked towards Jeff, who tapped his own commbadge in an attempt to hail someone, but recieved as much static as Jericho, "Well.. this is weird..." The Y2J Unit quickly pulled out a tricorder and scanned the room, but he could find no dampening field, nor anything else that would cause the interference. Jericho turned to Stephanie, who now had her other hand painted with sickeningly bright pink polish,  "Can you hail the Titanprize?" he asked.

    Stephanie held up the freshly-painted nails, "Not right now! They're still wet!"

     "Just tap your commbadge and try to hail the Titanprize..." Jericho began, then smirked, "Or I'll ask Jeff to do it for you..."

    "Oh... can I?" Jeff asked as he eyed the commbadge on Stephanie's chest.

    "Ugh... I'm surrounded by perverts!" She muttered.

    "No. You're just surrounded by two guys who enjoy having fun at your expense," Jeff replied.

    Stephanie rolled her eyes and carefully tapped her commbadge, trying not to ruin her nails in the process, "Commander Stephanie to WWF Titanprize..." She furrowed her brow as she recieved static as well. Stephanie tried a few more times, but continued to be unsuccessful, "This is impossible! There's nothing in the atmosphere that should be causing static interference,"

    "And there's nothing in or around this room either..." Jericho replied, "Unless..." he let the thought trail off. They wouldn't have... would they?

    "Unless... WHAT?" Stephanie asked, growing concerned now.

    Jeff quickly stood up, "Chris... you're not thinking they..." he shook his head, "They WOULDN'T do that!"

    "Remember who's running the ship in Vince's absence, Jeff!" Jericho replied.

    Realization crossed Jeff's face, "Damnit!" he muttered, "We're stranded...!"

    Suddenly, Brother's voice came through the hotel speakers, "Brother Jericho, Sister Stephanie. I want to call a meeting with you two and your Captain tomorrow morning..."

    Jericho pressed the response button on the night stand, no visual, lest Brother see Jeff, "About what, Brother?"

    "About tomorrow's feast. I just wanted to go over last minute details with the three of you, and... a few other things..."

    Stephanie and Jericho exhanged looks, "Sure, Brother," Stephanie replied. "Well see you at 09:00h tomorrow morning,"

    "Thank yew. I luv yew... Brother out..."

    Jericho waited a moment, then carefully checked to make sure the comm was off, "Ok... now back to our current situation -- the lack of a ship..."

AI CITY HALL (the next morning)

    "You wanted to see us, Brother?" McMahon asked as Brother requested an audience with the Captain, Jericho, and Stephanie in his office. The Aian leader was not currently aware of Ensign  Hardy's presence. Jericho had asked the Aerialian to remain in the visitor quarters and stay out of sight.

    "Yes. It seems some of our property was damaged the other morning..." Brother began, "Now our planet rarely has crime, and therefore this vandalism disturbs us greatly. We lost a lot of stock,"

    "We're sorry to hear that, Brother..." McMahon replied. He had yet to find out about his OWN loss, as Stephanie and Jericho had decided to keep the disappearance of the Titanprize to themselves until they were sure Vince was thinking like a Captain again.

    Brother nodded, then turned to Stephanie and Jericho, "Two of my people claimed you were at the scene..." he then smiled brightly, though for some reason, Stephanie got the impression his smile was as fake as the diamonds on his fingers, "I was just wondering if yew may have seen something,"

    Jericho and Stephanie exchanged looks, "Well... yes. We were out together..." Jericho began, then feigned embarrassment, "But the last thing on our minds was looking for vandals, Brother,"

    "Ahhhhhh... I see..." Brother replied, "But surely you need not sneak away to share your love,"

    Captain McMahon turned to Stephanie and Jericho, "WHAT were you sharing?" he asked, the protective father coming out finally. Stephanie also made note that her father was acting somewhat normal now. Perhaps he had run out of shiana. Or at least, the chemically altered shiana.

    "Now brother McMahon, surely you would know. Sister Stephanie is your daughter..." Brother replied.

    McMahon turned back to Brother, "Uh... yes. Yes she is... and... uh... yes, I do know about their little..." he almost gagged on the word, "trysts,"

    "I think it's more then that, brother McMahon. They are in love. Can't you see?" Brother replied, then smiled back at Jericho and Stephanie, "And because this planet preaches love, I have a surprise at the feast I planned for your crew," his smile grew wider, "I am having my people not only set up for the feast, but set up... for a WEDDING!  Sister Stephanie and Brother Jericho will be married right here on Ai!"

    "MARRIED?!" Stephanie screeched, then suddenly began to hyper-ventilate, "TO HIM? No no no... oh no no no... "

    "HONEY?" McMahon's voice was filled with concern as he put a hand on his daughter's back.

    Stephanie shook her head violently, "no no no no... no no no no..." she repeated.

    Jericho quickly jumped in, "Uh... she's overwhelmed... this is... such a wonderful... gift..." The Y2J Unit clenched his jaw tightly, the motor in his left eye malfunctioning into a continuous twitch at the thought of marrying Commander Stephanie McMahon, "Come, dear... let's... return to our hotel room and..." he could barely say it, "Celebrate,"

    Stephanie was still hyper-ventalating as Jericho lead her out of Brother's office. McMahon soon followed.

    Brother watched them leave, and smiled to himself, "Now the truth will come out, brothers and sisters..." he replied, "And punishment shall be handed down... with luv,"

WWF TITANPRIZE - BRIDGE

    "Commander McMahon..." Dr. Taker began as he invited himself onto the bridge, "I suggest you turn this ship around and head back to Ai before I break my boot in your stank ass!"

    Shane stood up and turned to Taker, "Are you threatening me, doctor?" he asked.

    "Yeah, I am, son...." Taker replied.

    "WHO is running this ship? WHO has the power to throw your medical ass into the brig with one word?" Shane asked.

    Dr. Taker glared at young Shane, "You try it, and you'll be a very dead man..."

    "Please... no violence..." Counsellor Snow began as he held H.E.A.D. against his chest tightly, "Let's talk about this rationally..." He looked at H.E.A.D. a moment, then turned back to Shane, "H.E.A.D. says that there is something on Ai that is worth going back for. Something found ONLY on Planet Ai,"

    "Oh? And what would that be?" Shane asked, not convinced.

    Snow waited a moment, conferring with H.E.A.D., then turned back to Shane, "A fruit that may prove useful ..." he replied. Neither Snow nor H.E.A.D. were aware that the said fruit had been chemically altered. "This fruit," Snow continued, "makes the one who eats it very agreeable and relaxed. It could be quite therapeutic when dealing with crewmen suffering from cabin-fever,"

    Shane was about to reply in the negative when he remembered what Lt. Benoit had said about the fruit. The behaviour-altering chemical that had been injected into the fruit could make anyone, with the right influence, do anything they were told. If Benoit could study the chemical in the fruit and figure out the formula, Shane could use it. Specifically, use it on Pops to hand over the ship, "Now that you mention it, counsellor," the Commander began, "Perhaps we WILL go back and check out this fruit,"

    Counsellor Snow smiled, then turned to Dr. Taker, "I knew I could appeal to his sense of reason,"

    "Shut your stank ass up, Al..." Taker replied, then headed off the bridge as the Titanprize made it's way back to Ai.

PLANET AI - VISITOR'S QUARTERS

    "Well, this is a fine mess you've gotten us into, Jerkicho!!" Stephanie snapped angrily.

    "Wow... a wedding! Hey, can I be your best man?" Jeff asked Jericho with a smile.

    "NO!" Stephanie and Jericho shouted in sync. Jeff snickered.

    "You'd better not be planning on actually going through with this!" Stephanie said.

    "BELIEVE me," Jericho replied, "The last thing I want to do is be married to YOU!"

    Stephanie glared at Jericho, "Ugh... I wish I could have played this charade with a REAL man,"

    Jericho laughed harshly, "Someone like that pansy, Ensign Angle?" he asked.

    "Well at least he's HUMAN!" Stephanie snapped, "Flesh and blood! Not wires and microchips!"

    "Um... guys," Jeff began.

    "Not like you'd know the difference," Jericho replied, "Trip preferred his sledgehammer to YOU, and you've had so many Ensigns, it's routine now. You wouldn't know REAL if it bit you on the ass! "

    "Hey, guys!" Jeff repeated.

    "Listen, Jerkicho, Hunter is the ONLY man I've ever been wi---" she stopped, "Never mind! How DARE you even bring him into this!"

    "GUYS! SHUT UP ALREADY!!" Jeff shouted. Stephanie and Jericho turned to him, surprised by his outburst. He smiled sheepishly, "Sorry... but... um... Matt just hailed me. The Titanprize is back,"

AI BALLROOM - that night

    "Are you absolutely sure we destroyed all the chemically altered shiana?" Stephanie asked Jericho and Ensign Hardy as the three stood outside the ballroom before the faux wedding.  All three were dressed to the nines.

    "Yes," Jericho replied, "Actually, the shiana Lana was offering to me when we first arrived here was clean. The only altered shiana was shiana that had already been picked from the trees… though sheseemed to think the fruit she was offering was also altered,"

    Stephanie nodded, and put a hand on the phaser hidden in the folds of her dress.

    "You two ready?" Jericho asked as the music inside the ballroom struck up.  Stephanie nodded, relieved that the so-called wedding was to take place AFTER the feast… which was an odd tradition. Stephanie had quickly figured out the reason -- the crew of the Titanprize was to be given shiana during the meal. Jericho figured the Aian's hoped the crew would be easily influenced by the shiana AND the wedding, and therefore in the mood to join in The Sharing.

    "The crew knows what’s going on," Jeff said, "And they’re aware the Captain is still high on all the shiana he’s eaten in the last few days…" Jeff smiled slightly, "I think he’ll be really pissed to find out Shane took the Titanprize for a joyride though,"

    "No doubt…" Jericho replied. He would have said more, but not with a McMahon standing beside him. He nodded to the ballroom,  "Go in, Jeff."

    Jeff went through the doors and headed to his seat. Jericho and Stephanie stood outside, waiting for their cue. They were the ‘guests of honour’, and therefore would get their own entrance, "How am I going to fight in this?" Stephanie muttered as she stared at the train of her dress.

    "Very carefully?" Jericho replied. Stephanie made a face, "I doubt we’re going to fight much anyway. I don’t think the Aians even know HOW to fight."

    The music inside the ballroom started up, and the two WrestleFleet officers took their cues, and walked in. Quiet snickers from their fellow crewmates filled the room as the two took the seats of honour.

    Sitting calmly beside Lana, Brother smiled smugly, as if he knew the reason for their snickers. The red-faced man stood up and held a glass high, "Brother Jericho, sister Stephanie, we here on Ai wish you the best of luck in yer future endeavors. We know yew will have a long, happy marriage, and a wonderful life here on Ai…"

    In sync, Stephanie and Jericho pulled out their phasers and jumped to their feet, "No… we won’t!" Stephanie snapped.

    Captain McMahon’s eyes went wide, "What is the meaning of this?" he asked.

    "The meaning of this, Captain, is that your red-faced friend has brainwashed you, and attempted to brainwash US in an effort to get the crew of the Titanprize to stay on this planet and not only share our bodies, but share our TECHNOLOGY as well," Jericho turned to Brother, "Sorry, jerky, but that’s just not gonna happen!"

    Brother smiled nervously, "Brother Jericho, sister Stephanie… I am an unarmed man. We are a peaceful people. Please, let us not come to violence,"

    "For almost making me marry Jerkicho, you’re lucky I don’t shoot you right here!" Stephanie replied.

    "Then you’ve left us no choice…" Brother said, and snapped his fingers. Ten Aians stood up, pulling out their own weapons and training them on Jericho and Stephanie. The crew of the Titanprize quickly jumped to their feet, each member in a ready position, holding out their phasers.

    The Aians were at a loss. They were obviously out numbered... and it looked like most of them had never even HELD a weapon before, let alone USED one. The technology had been shared,  but apparently the USE of the technology had NOT.

     "I suggest you tell your people to put down their weapons…" Lt. Commander Jericho said.

    Brother’s face grew redder, if that was possible, "I was suspicious that you were the ones who destroyed our shiana stock. Now I know!"

    "And you’re going to do… what, exactly?" Stephanie asked.

    Brother scowled. In a face that was usually smiling, it was a disturbing sight, "Yew shouldn’t have found out in the first place!"

     "Well, I was a little suspicious when Lana over there insisted I try some shiana. Now while the shiana she was offering me wasn’t altered, I could tell the bowls of fruit in the hotel rooms were,"

     "How could yew know? The chemical is tasteless!"

    "I took a bite of the shiana, and my internal sensors informed me of the chemical altering!" Jericho replied.

    Brother looked confused, "Internal sensors?"

    "Lt. Commander Jericho is a robot!" Stephanie explained.

    Jericho glared at Stephanie, "I’m an Artificial Intelligence!" he snapped.

    "Like there’s a difference!" Stephanie replied.

    "There IS a difference!" Jericho then smirked, "I could show you, Stephie..."

    Before Stephanie could retort, Captain McMahon spoke up, "Brother, you have disappointed me. Here, I thought I had made a new ally, only to find that you have used me and my crew!"

    Brother steepled his fingers under his chin, "Well then…" he started, "It seems this alliance should end,"

    "Yes. It should." McMahon replied.

    Brother looked defeated, "Very well. Yew and your crew are free to return to your ship and leave orbit. I wish no hard feelings between us. We here on Ai still share only love for your people. It’s a shame we have to end it like this…"

    "Yeah, a real shame…" Stephanie muttered.

    McMahon turned to his crew, "We are to beam back to our ship immediately, and get the HELL out of here!"

    The crew muttered in agreement, and within moments, they had transported back to the Titanprize.

WWF TITANPRIZE - CAPTAIN'S READY ROOM (the next night)

    Captain McMahon stared at the log book before him. How was he going to write up his experiences on Planet Ai? He barely remembered them. His memories were a fog, thanks to the shiana.

    McMahon tapped his comm badge, "Captain McMahon to Commander Stephanie,"

    "Yes daddy?" Stephanie replied.

    "Could you write me a full report on the events on Planet Ai?" he asked. "I'm.... unable.... to remember clearly,"

    "Like I have time," Stephanie muttered, "Ask Jerkicho. He'll give you a really long, detailed, and super-boring account, I'm sure..." she replied.

    McMahon sighed, a little annoyed at Stephanie's flippant dismissal of his request. He tapped his commbadge again, "Captain McMahon to Lt. Commander Jericho... I want a full account of the incidents on Planet Ai on my desk by tomorrow morning at 09:00h..."

    "Will do, Junior..." Jericho replied, then cut the comm.

    McMahon fumed, "Rude, insubordinate little..." before he could finish his rant, the ship jerked forward. The lights dimmed, and the red alert klaxons sounded.

    Captain McMahon quickly ran out onto his bridge.

BRIDGE

    "What the hell was that?!" McMahon demanded, "Report!"

    "Dude... we got some seriously pissed off Aians shooting at us!" Ensign Edge explained.

    McMahon looked to his tactical officer, who had recently been released from his stay in the brig with Lt. Commander Rock, "Austin?" he asked.

    "Those silly bastards can actually hurt us!" Austin replied as he studied the display on his monitor, "Don't know who they got 'em from, but their weapons are damn powerful. One well-placed shot might knock our shields out but good!"

    He turned to his communications officer, "Hail them, Lt. Commander Rock,"

    Rocky did so, "Hey, jabronies! The Rock's captain wants to talk to your candy asses!"

    Brother's red face appeared onscreen. The bridge crew of the Titanprize had to shield their eyes from his smile, "Yikes, Edge... his teeth are almost as bright as yours!" Ensign Christian muttered.

    "Nothing will EVER reek of as much brightness as MY teeth, brother!" Ensign Edge replied.

    "Captain," Brother began, ignoring the blonde Kanatians' exchange, "If you will not share your technology with us, we will take it by force..."

    McMahon paused a moment, "Brother, have you run a complete weapons scan on our ship?"

    "Well..." Brother was hesitant, "That is one of the techonological advances we will take from you!"

    McMahon raised an eyebrow, "So... you're telling me with all these weapons, you still don't have simple scanning technology? You have no idea how much fire power we carry then, hmm?" McMahon asked.

    "I did not say that..." Brother began.

    "You pretty much did, Brother. Haven't been in a lot of battles, have you? It's a BIG mistake telling your enemies that you are not aware of their firepower!"

    "What is your point, Captain? Nothing can match our weapons. They were shared with us by the PTC!"

    "Ewwww.... so, the Aian women shared with the PTC? Total nastiness! I mean, they're automatans and stuff!" Edge said.

    "Well, they did not indulge in THAT part of the sharing!" Brother replied, "It went against their morals, though they did agree with our preaching of love, and this is why they shared their weapons with us!"

    "Regardless," McMahon broke in, "You are still unaware of our weapon strength..." he smiled confidently, "Now would I be here standing and speaking to you if I thought you out-gunned us in any way?"

    Brother studied McMahon through the view screen, "How do I know you're not bluffing..."

    "Try me..." McMahon replied smugly, "If we can create an artificial intelligence like Lt. Commander Jericho, then just imagine what weapons advancements we've created!"

    Brother frowned, "Very well, Brother McMahon.... we will leave you for now... but you are NOT to cross our path again!" his frown quickly, almost disturbingly, turned into a smile, "And remember, we luv yew..."

WWF TITANPRIZE – COMMANDER SHANE McMAHON’S QUARTERS

    "Commander Shane’s personal log, stardate 040220.01. Jericho, Stephanie, and Jeff Hardy destroyed the fruit that had been contaminated with the behaviour-altering chemical, and I was unable to get a sample. Yet another reason to hate that damned robot!  Nonetheless, I will not be dissuaded. I have been thinking of gathering the Nytrons and offering them a …" he paused, trying to find the right word, "A… PUSH… on board the WWF Titanprize. A Titanprize that will soon be under MY command. End log."

CAPTAIN'S READY ROOM (the next morning 09:00h)

      "Captain’s log, stardate 033120.01. I have been informed by a few of my crewmen that my son, Shane, borrowed the Titanprize while I was preoccupied on Planet Ai. As to why he did it, I don’t know. Either way, he returned the ship undamaged. When I asked him about it, my son claimed he was merely scouting the surrounding sector…" McMahon paused. Even to his own ears that sounded like a poor excuse, "End log."

  The chimes on Captain McMahon’s door rang, "Come…" he commanded.

   Lt. Commander Jericho entered, "Here’s my report, junior… right on time!" he replied as he placed a padd on the Captain’s desk.

    "You are to refer to me as CAPTAIN, do you understand Commander?" McMahon replied.

    "Riiiight..." Jericho replied, then waited, "Am I dismissed, sir?"

    "Yes! Leave!" Jericho turned to leave. "Actually..." Captain McMahon began.

    The Y2J Unit turned back to the Captain, "Sir?"

    McMahon took a deep breath, "I need to ask you something…" The Captain seemed hesitant.

    Jericho sighed, "No, Captain. NOTHING happened between your skanky daughter and I down on the LUUUUV planet, so you don't need to worry about her being contaminated with android cooties, ok?"

    McMahon opened his mouth, then closed it again. That wasn't what he was going to ask, though he had to admit the question was on his mind, "Yes... well... that's EXTREMELY comforting to know, because if I find out you so much as TOUCHED my daughter, I would deactivate you, and use your body for spare parts! Understood?"

    Jericho shrugged nonchalantly, hearing all this before, "Yeah, Shane said almost the same thing... except he added a 'reprogramming' threat to it..."

    McMahon found the segway he was looking for, "Speaking of my son... I need to ask you something else, and I want an honest answer, Lt. Commander!" Jericho nodded, waiting. McMahon continued, "Do you think..." He paused, not wanting to even put into words his suspicions about Shane.

    "Think what?" Jericho asked.

    Captain McMahon finally spoke, "Do you think he would ever try to take over my ship?"

    Jericho was silent for a moment, "And you want an HONEST answer, right?" McMahon nodded. Jericho's voice grew serious as he responded with the last thing McMahon wanted to hear,  "Then yes, Captain. He definitely would..."