Meanwhile, In a Mirror Universe

Posted on Sun 20th Aug, 2023 @ 1:00pm by Lieutenant Xelphia Arrackis
Edited on on Mon 28th Aug, 2023 @ 8:51pm

2,354 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Neither Yours Nor Mine
Location: Mirror Universe
Timeline: Current

Xel’s view was littered with light and not the good kind. It certainly was not damaging to look upon but each flash or streak of light meant a ship being fired upon, being torn open, someone dying, or about to die. Pushing, pulling, and even tilting the stick pointed the Peregrine Class attack fighter in various directions but there was never anything to see except explosions, phaser fire, torpedoes, and debris. There was also a planet, Bajor being battered and evacuated.

The Dominion War had escalated. The Klingons and Romulans formed an alliance and joined with the Dominion for an attempt to secure the Bajoran Wormhole. So far, their objective was being accomplished. The Imperial Federation’s objective to seal the wormhole suddenly became top priority. They would have to deal with what of the Dominion made it through but they hoped to trap the remaining Dominion on their side of the galaxy.

Many Federation ships were dispatched to Bajor to oversee the destruction of the wormhole. As soon as Deep Space 9 and its remaining crew were ruled expendable, it was destroyed. The station and the subspace torpedo used to destroy it should have sent gravimetric distortions in all directions, thus causing the wormhole to close or jump at random. Unfortunately, neither happened, though it did show signs of instability for a few seconds.

As orders were being spat back and forth and arguments were ensuing over what to do to close the Bajoran wormhole, Xel piloted over a Klingon bird of prey after strafing it and lowering what shield percentage it had left. The Peregrine class fighter was being pursued by two fighters, one being Klingon, the other, Romulan. With a bit of luck as it turned out, the two were arguing over who would get this kill. The Klingons and Romulans were still getting used to being allies and that gave Xel, just the opportunity to roll, loop back, punch the throttle, and end up behind them to dispatch the could-have-been dispatchers.

The Federation had its allies as well. The Vulcans were formidable and violent as always but were never desiring of the measures the Federation was about to take. The history of the universe unfolded as it was intended to and they simply sat back and dealt with what the tide brought their way. Only Federation ships and personnel were allowed into their space and that was only because of the alliance. The Vulcans knew their enemies were becoming too numerous to fend off forever, thus leading them to their befriendment of the Federation. The Vulcans however decided to sit this battle out, because they had a feeling what the Federation was going to have to resort to and they wanted nothing of it.

To the advantage of the Federation, the single element that kept this border dispute within the confines of Cold War, was their Borg alliance. Decades ago, the race that befriended no one and assimilated all was eventually overtaken by individuality. The collective was broken and the race returned to their natural ways. For the first time ever, natural born Borg were seen and were befriended by the one force that brought on such a revolution in the Borg, the Imperial Federation of Planets.

The mighty Federation along with the Borg helped keep hostilities at bay. Once diplomacy failed, harsh tongue lashings ensued and the Cold War became hot.

It was uncertain if natural Borg would make formidable warriors, pilots, and service personnel. More than a millennium of assimilating other races reduced their natural evolutionary advances. Some have however risen to the occasion to prove themselves both loyal and able.

Xel was one of them. Born on the Borg homeworld, enrolled in Starfleet, was later assigned to various vessels then answering the call for pilots to take on the invading enemy at the Battle of Bajor.

Home was pretty much on the bridge, but piloting was something that just came natural as did fighting in hand-to-hand combat, projectile weapons, and blunts and blades. Xel had weaknesses and worked hard to overcome them or cover them up.

Xel flew her Peregrine Class fighter over the I.S.S. George Lazenby, opening a channel to her captain.

“Gordon, tell me that is you.”

“I’m here,” said Gordon.

“How are you doing ‘Old Fella’?” she asked.

“About the same as you ‘Old Girl’.”

Xel darted to the side to avoid a suddenly streak of phaser fire.

“I am still looking young enough,” she said.

“Just make sure you don’t look like a splatter on my hull.”

“Copy that Old Fella. I’ll see you after this battle.”

But that was only if this battle would actually end. Once the destruction of DS9 failed to seal the wormhole the DKR decided the Federation would attempt anything to accomplish their mission and threw the battle into all kinds of confusion. They broke formation, attacked at will and turned the space above Bajor into a massive blob of chaos. Xel heard Gordon’s voice off and on over the channel. The DKR was trying to spread the battle in all directions and jam all transmissions.

One of the things Xel did pick up on was the Lazenby being beaten pretty badly and having to go into low orbit of Bajor, away from the main battle, attempt repairs and continue firing at any enemy vessel that came close enough.

Xel did go back over and ordered Gordon to hurry up with repairs, though that channel was open only to the Lazenby as she did not want any other upper ranked Imperialist to hear a lowly ensign give a captain an order.

The Federation had something planned and secret somethings were always big and dreadful. Captain Francis had grown accustomed to Xel and was sometimes in the mood for being ordered around. But Xel barely finished that order when all transmission from Captain Francis and the Lazenby was cut off. Xel quickly hoped that the DKR did manage to jam transmissions though it would have meant a full retreat, but that hope was crushed as voices were still heard. A moment later, a chunk of metal with a charred “LAZ” with half of the following “E” went floating by.

Xel had no way of determining if the Lazenby was actually destroyed, but anger ensued anyway. She was going to get revenge on the next big ship that showed itself. Any enemy fighter that got in the way was met with a spread of phaser fire. She did note care if the next ship was DKR or if it was Federation.

The admiral in charge of all Federation forces came in over all channels. =^=”All ships, this is Admiral Kantaris of the Heracles, focus all fire on the lead Dominion ship.”=^=

Xel did not care for orders right then. All that mattered was to bring destruction, indiscriminate destruction. After all that had happened and all that Captain Francis had tried to do, the ship, the captain, and all that Xel considered friends and shipmates were potentially dead.

Xel’s name was being called over and over again as the Peregrine fighter was the only one not responding to orders. Xel had not turned to intercept the lead Dominion ship. The promise was still there that her vengeance would be fired upon the next ship to cross her path.

The announcement came through that Bajor was finally evacuated. Everything of value was off or leaving, though an estimated hundred thousand people were still on the surface. They were all ruled casualties of war and the Federation decided to play its card of doom.

An immediate bombardment of Bajor with anti-matter bombs was ordered. All ships were to fully dispense their load upon the planet. The DKR had theorized this move and was the reason why they attacked so brutally and chaotically. But their efforts proved futile as bomb after bomb reached Bajor’s atmosphere and continued on toward the surface. Flash after flash was visible from space and it took only minutes before the entire surface was laid to waste and changing color. Energy readings went off the scale, spiked, then plummeted, only to spike again, then there was a bright flash. Xel only looked out to see Bajor fly apart. That much rocky debris was certainly going to take out many of the ships in the space that was considered above Bajor.

If only sound could travel through space, Xel could have heard and felt the tremendous price the Federation decided it could pay. It never brought on any excitement or pleasure to see others die or to see homes destroyed. Xel only wanted to get a glimpse of what it was like to destroy something so big and important. Afterall, it was what the Borg had done for so long. And now the Federation seemed no different.

Their objective was achieved however. The Bajoran wormhole, effected by the distortions sent from the destruction of the planet, flashed once and was gone. It closed only to reopen elsewhere. A ship disappeared, then it was gone again. Xel watched the ship’s gauges, looking for any gravimetric distortions while avoiding continued phaser fire and torpedoes.

All that was thought on though was what Captain Francis tried to achieve. Peace could have been attained, Bajor could have been saved, and trade between the two quadrants of space could have continued had it not been for the Federation and its deaf ears.

Finally, a ship did appear before Xel’s craft. It was the Heracles. Xel just darted around and the ship was there. A finger hovered above the launch trigger. It hesitated, then flexed and instantly, a subspace torpedo was fired from one of the launch tubes on the fighter.

=^=”Xel, what the hell are you doing?”=^=

=^=”Ensign Arrackis. Come in.”=^=

=^=”We’ve won.”=^=

=^=”Damn Borg.”=^=

=^=”All ships target and destroy the Peregrine class fighter of Ensign Xelphia Arrackis.”=^=

Nothing else mattered. The recent discoveries on board the Lazenby was already known to several and that information would surely leak out and Xel’s name would certainly surface. It was all or nothing time and it was all Xel could do to not launch the remaining subspace torpedoes at the Heracles.

All ships that were not being pummeled by chunks of Bajor were falling back and the DKR commenced a full retreat. What they wanted was no longer there. Several fighters formed on Xel’s six. The lead fighter was following orders to dispatch the ship that had fired on the Heracles, locked on, but was itself fired upon by another craft. Apparently Xel’s dissent, defection, whatever they were going to call it, was immediately spreading.

Looking at the console, Xel saw one craft disappear as an explosion was registered from behind. Death was suddenly desirable and the Peregrine fighter continued a straight line toward the Heracles. Anyone that fired would have had to try hard to miss, but the sudden skirmish from behind caused even more confusion and chaos. All that was drowned out though from Bajor’s core finally becoming exposed to the vacuum of space. That and the standing anti-matter that remained behind caused another explosion, a bright flash from behind and, mysteriously, one from the front.

Xel maintained eye contact with that torpedo as it slowly sped away and toward the Heracles, but the Heracles disappeared behind that flash of light from ahead. There was only a split second to say, ”Oh ssshhhhh,” and recognize the event taking place. It was a wormhole but gauges indicated that it ceased to exist just inside. Xel was certainly going to find out where it went because there was no time to slow down or dart in any direction.

Almost as soon as it appeared, it sucked in Xel’s ship and was gone.

There was nothing else but a beautiful tunnel of water. Not like flying through a glass tube underwater. It was as if the water’s surface was all around. It waved and folded, bent and curved this way and that. Xel simply released the stick of her fighter and those hands hovered above the console. Mistakes were not desirable when traveling through a wormhole, especially on one’s first time through. Looking ahead, Xel made out the small dot of the subspace torpedo that was meant for the Heracles. It was not getting any further away or getting any closer. It was just there and keeping itself in the center of the watery tunnel. That or the tunnel held it in the center, like it held Xel’s ship. It turned on its own to compensate for the turning and folding of the wormhole.

The console was of no use. Readings were jumping back and forth from all extremes, then they started overloading and, bit by bit, the ship started shutting down. Xel did not want anything to change, propulsion for one since traveling through such a thing was still a mystery.

But the ship did power completely down, though manual polarization of the hull would be possible, taken that there was any danger. It would stop a few direct hits from phaser fire and possibly protect against a torpedo. It would certainly hinder anyone scanning the ship. Manual polarization was probably possible while still traversing a wormhole, but Xel decided to wait until the ride had ceased. Let nature takes its course and hope and pray you are there at the end to tell the tale.

The watery tunnel flashed before her and Xel squinted at both the blinding flash and in an attempt to study what she was looking at, seeing as how her systems were still unresponsive. The watery tunnel of the wormhole looked no different save for what appeared to be a blockage that she was speeding toward. That, and the fired subspace torpedo was visibly absent. This was certainly going to be the end of the line, but Xel could only imagine what that would mean.

The end of her ride before being spat back out into normal space?

Or the end of her life?

 

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