The Mirror's Mirror
From USSArcadia
This plot immediately follows The Void.
Contents |
Part I (Stardate 50712.05)
The bridge crew is informed by Lt. Daena that Captain Dacotah probably left the ship in with Baran Arvid, in accordance with Lt. Cmdr. Marx's theory of the event.
Ens. Servo's investigation of the previous explosion in Stellar Cartography reveals that it was probably known about by the Romulans, but he could not find an explosive nor a cause. He also implies that Baran may have known about or been involved in it.
Lt. Westler removes himself from sickbay and goes to the bridge.
Cmdr. Alces orders Arcadia out of the void. Propulsion systems go completely back on line.
Starbase 113 tells Arcadia that the nearest ship to help them is a week away. They also ask why Arcadia is off course from their diplomatic mission on Benoni and why Arcadia's emergency transponders and lifepods are activated.
Cmdr. Alces, unfamiliar with the existence of Benoni, let alone a mission there, or that their lifepods being active, orders Arcadia to go "dark".
Long range sensors indicate a heavily damaged Arcadia-like ship in orbit of a planet that does not exist on maps. Arcadia begins warping in its direction.
Cmdr. Lo'Ami, in restraint in sickbay, regains conciousness. The second brainwave pattern is low and very suppressed. He appears to be fearful of something and asks to speak to Captain Dacotah, whom he claims is in danger.
Part II (Stardate 50712.12)
Lo'Ami explains that the Romulans beat him and that a Romulan mind-melded with him, making him think that Captain Dacotah is in danger. When he finds out from the sickbay staff that the captain is missing, he assumes that he killed the captain. The sickbay staff gives him another dose of the drug to remove the second pattern, and sedates him.
Eagle and Westler identify the destroyed Arcadia-like ship's identifier code as Arcadia's. Only a small variance in the signal distinguishes it from Arcadia's own.
Daena tried to identify the spatial distortion from the captain's quarters, in an attempt to verify where she went.
Arcadia rushes to its own distress signal at high speed. They find the destroyed ship, and a planet that once had life with no lifesigns, and severely bombarded, its atmosphere filled with toxic radiation.
Arcadia downloads what could be retrieved of alternate-Arcadia's logs and navigational charts. It is found that the ship is grossly underpowered. Eagle and Marx surmise that they may not have expected an attack of this magnitude.
The scarring on the alternate-Arcadia is found to be consistent with Romulan weapons -- from Arcadia's native universe. Servo detects a warp signature leaving the system consistent with what might be left behind by a damaged, cloaked ship.
The bridge crew then thinks that the Romulans from our universe may be preying on this unprepared alternate universe. Now, they must decide whether to intervene, if they can at all.
Part III (Stardate 50712.19)
Lt. Marx assumes command of the bridge.
Arcadia's crew looks at the last recorded viewscreen logs of the alternate Arcadia; they find that it shows a Romulan warbird, nearly confirming that the Romulans had a role in its destruction.
A debate ensues on the bridge as to whether they should pursue a plasma trail that may have come from a damaged Romulan ship running away, or leave this universe to its own devices. Marx decides to pursue. They set course following the trail at warp 5.
Dr. Porter goes to the bridge to find out what they knew about what happened to Captain Dacotah. The current theory that she was taken by Baran is revealed. Cmdr. Lo'Ami is released from sickbay. A small device is placed under his ear to alert sickbay if his second brainwave reemerges.
Part IV (Stardate 50712.26)
Cmdr. Lo'Ami returns to the bridge. Security (Lt. Thoros) is ordered to do whatever sickbay tells them to, in case he goes into the Romulan program again. Meanwhile, sickbay monitors Lo'Ami's vitals, finding only an increased adrenaline level, but no second brainwave.
Arcadia approaches the small Romulan scout ship. Contradictory readings are found, some indicating a small ship, others a full warbird. When Arcadia gets close, something begins to power up, and the ship explodes in a large fireball. Rapid evasive maneuvers save Arcadia, but the explosion still takes down Arcadia's warp engines. Later, Lt. Eagle identifies the trap ship as the ship that was "painted" by Arcadia earlier.
Lt Sema'J is injured when the ship is buffeted, and is brought to sickbay, with help from Lt Daena. When Sema'J slips into unconciousness, Daena decides to keep him awake by biting him.
Starbase 113 sends out a cut-off distress signal. After the warp engines are brought back online, Arcadia sets course for the starbase.
Acting Ensign Swan schedules the first part of her medical exams.
Part V (Stardate 50801.02)
Dr Porter and Swan begin treatment on Lt Sema'J. Porter and Swan also discuss the theory that Cmdr Lo'Ami's second brainwave originated from the Romulans.
Arcadia arrives at Starbase 113 and find it in orbit around a different planet from the one it would have been in the native universe, and destroyed, with radiation levels similar to those found on Benoni. Arcadia prepares, raising its shields and going to yellow condition.
Some lifesigns are scanned on the starbase. Fearing a trap, Lts Daena and Servo are sent (wearing blast suits) to the station, because Daena had previously shown the ability to hear an otherwise inaudible hum from the Romulans' exploding androids.
Daena and Servo arrive on the station, finding some real, seriously injured officers in the station's operations center. Daena hears the hum, but Arcadia can't lock on early enough. An android explodes.
An alternate-universe native Federation starship, USS TripleA is scanned approaching the station.
Part VI (Stardate 50801.09)
Arcadia recalls its away team, beaming them directly to sickbay.
Arcadia is hailed by USS TripleA. Captain Bhuster informs them that the TripleA scanned what looked like an energy transfer gone-bad from Starbase 113, but that the damage looks like the energy beams were aimed -- he had figure out that the destruction was willful. Cmdr Lo'Ami tried to convince them not to send over an away team, knowing that there are booby traps there, but unwilling to let them in on the booby trap technology.
Lt Westler identifies the explosive used in the booby traps. Arcadia beams the survivors from the starbase to TripleA, filtering the transports for the explosive identified in the exploding androids.
Alces and Lt Eagle spar over how much information should be given to TripleA, and whether Arcadia should allow limited transfers of technology to them in order to save them from the Romulans native to Arcadia's universe.
Cmdr Alces points out that the TripleA crew is getting suspicious of Arcadia.
Part VII (Stardate 50801.16)
Daena fights for her life in sickbay.
Arcadia fails to raise shields in time to block TripleA's scans. The suspicious TripleA hails Arcadia, telling them they're transporting the wounded to a starbase medical facility. Instead, they head for Benoni.
Cmdr Alces suggests drawing the Romulan warships by heading for mirror-Romulan space. Lt Eagle suggests technology transfers to mirror-Starfleet to help them defend themselves. Lo'Ami suggests finding a way to permanently close the Void, and drawing the Romulans back to their native universe before it's closed.
Tactical and engineering begin simulations to see if they could find a way to destabilize the opening of the void. Eagle suggests a warp core explosion or other disturbance in subspace. Lo'Ami goes back to the tactical console and brings up the specs of the graviton bomb.
Part VIII (Stardate 50801.23)
Lt Eagle and Lt Sema'J complete simulations of a graviton bomb explosion on both sides of the Void. Eagle recommends dropping the bomb shortly after entering the Void, obscuring it from scanners on the outside by an asteroid.
On Cmdr Alces' suggestion, Ens Doug T sends a message meant to be heard by the Romulans, feigning that information about the duplicate Romulus will be sent across the Void to the Federation. Arcadia opens and closes the Void's entrance to make it look like they figured out how to send information across it. The Romulans respond by bringing their warbirds toward the Void.
When the warbirds arrive, Arcadia enters the Void and drops the bomb, and the Romulans follow. The bomb explodes, closing the exit on the mirror side.
USS TripleA witnesses Arcadia and the Romulans entering the Void.
The map of the Void's nonlinear space is used to navigate through a winding path toward the other side. It takes 4 days to get through.
Both the Romulans and Arcadia safely make it through the Void. The Romulans return to their space.
Daena completes her recovery in sickbay.
