Moonlight Sonata

Star Traks: Waystation
Episode name	Moonlight Sonata
Season
Episode number
Writer(s)	Alan Decker
Year	2377
Stardate	Unknown
Chronology
Previous in series	A Bridge Way Too Far
Next in series	Prime Of Your Life
Previous in timeline	There's Something About J'hana [VEX]
Next in timeline	Of Two Minds [VEX]

Waystation's command crew is exhausted and practically falling down on the job. Is Starfleet really working them that hard? Or is there another reason for their constant sleepy state?

Summary

Returning to Waystation after a three-week training mission with the Federation Marines, Stephanie Hodges finds that the station's command crew all seem to be exhausted despite the fact that they all claim to have been in bed by 2300 hours. Hodges goes to see Colonel Martin Lazlo about the situation. He doesn't see that there's any problem, so Hodges decides she will investigate on her own. That night, she stakes out Commander Walter Morales' quarters. At 2300 hours, he gets into bed, then climbs right back out again, puts on his uniform and heads out into the corridor. Just as Hodges starts to follow Morales, Lazlo shows up. Originally he was going to taunt her, but since Morales is actually going somewhere, Lazlo tags along with her.

They track Morales down to Deck 97, where he heads to what seems to be a blank section of wall and just stands there waiting. Soon Captain Lisa Beck joins him, and they touch a hidden switch on the wall panel, which causes it to open. The step into the brightly lit area beyond. Hodges and Lazlo follow, finding the switch and then entering through the secret door into a narrow concourse, lined in both directions with glaring lighted signs and doorways advertising gambling, mind-altering drinks, and erotic dancing. They find the members of the Waystation command crew all working various jobs in this seedy area, obviously all under some kind of mind control. Without knowing who is behind this secret area and what kind of control they have over the command crew, Hodges and Lazlo cannot take immediate action. They need to do more investigating, not that Lazlo minds. He's reveling in this.

Lazlo spends the next four nights in the casino, and is recognized by the establishment's owners, a brother and sister team. They have him grabbed off of the casino floor. The next morning, Hodges gets concerned when Lazlo does not show up. The Colonel is being brain-washed by the sister, Angela. By trade she is an optometrist, but she has developed a device to take control of the minds of the people she examines. Lazlo is soon under their control.

With Lazlo gone, Hodges goes to Beck and tells her what has been happening. Since the command crew has been compromised, Hodges insists that she and the marines handle things. Beck agrees, and Hodges prepares a rescue operation. That night at 2230 hours, the marines beam into the secret section, set up transport scramblers to prevent anyone from escaping, and battle the casino guards, finding a hypnotized Lazlo dancing in drag in a strip club in the process. Hodges ends up in a stand-off with Angela and her brother, Garry, which is ended by a stun blast from Beck, who just couldn't stay away.

Five months earlier, Garry had set up the illicit operation in an unused section of Deck 97. It catered to scum and low-lifes passing through the station on freighters and such. Most people had no idea that it even existed. That may have remained the case if it wasn't for Angela. Deciding that she wanted a more lucrative career than optometry, Angela went to her brother with an idea to increase his profits. People would flock to Garry's operation for the chance to order around the Waystation command crew. She offered the command officers free eye exams, during which time she used a device built from Ktarian technology to take control of their minds. Now that Garry and Angela have been caught, Bradley Dillon decides to take over the entire facility to remake into a classy casino and entertainment complex.

Featuring

• Captain Lisa Beck
• Commander Walter Morales
• Lieutenant Commander Craig Porter
• Lieutenant Sean Russell
• Yeoman Tina Jones
• Colonel Martin Lazlo
• Dr. Amedon Nelson
• Bradley Dillon

Also Featuring

• Stephanie Hodges
• Lieutenant Colonel Daniel O'Neal

Links

Moonlight Sonata