The Cerritos deviate to the infamous Starbase 80 to fix their navigational system or spend the next 700 years on impulse getting home. Captain Freeman is troubled knowing that her alternate dimension doppelganger was reassigned to their Starbase 80 as punishment for some failure of leadership. It inspires her to make sure this trip goes well. Unfortunately, the crew, including Boimler, gets infected by a mysterious disease. Mariner believes it was caused by "the curse of Starbase 80."