Mission Brief

Posted on Thu Jun 19th, 2025 @ 8:58am by Lieutenant JG James Phoenix & Captain Shran dh'Klar & Commander Jonathan Grayson & Commander Samantha Howard & Lieutenant Commander Callie Raven-Grayson & Lieutenant Ánderijá "Rija" Rautajärvi & Lieutenant Imik S'Niohun & Lieutenant JG Kate Kono
Edited on on Thu Jun 19th, 2025 @ 7:33pm

2,471 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Wounds From the Mirror
Location: Conference Room

Deanna was the first in the conference room, taking her normal seat opposite where Jon would be. She had done some basic intel gathering for the purposes of the meeting. Kathrine Parker captained the USS Saber, a Saber class vessel. It was one of the smaller vessels used by intelligence, and generally for the same purpose as what StarFleet generally used them for, guard duty. It was obvious to her that Kay had been sent to grab people without it looking suspicious. Something had obviously gone wrong. Kay was no raw cadet or inexperienced ensign. She had been a captain for years, worked for the admiral for half her career. She wouldn't be sloppy, so something had to have happened to bring them to the situation the captain was going to be briefing them on.

Phoenix walked swiftly into the briefing room. He was so engrossed in his thoughts about Ash that he nearly didn't see Deanna. "Commander," he greeted before taking his seat and setting a few PADDs down on the table.

Lieutenant Rautajärvi arrived a few moments later, nearly slipping in unnoticed. He gave a respectful nod to those already seated before taking an open chair near the end of the table. A data PADD rested in his hand, though he didn't glance at it--instead his storm-grey eyes were focused and attentive, already reading the mood of the room.

Deanna looked at the officers that had arrived thus far. Lt Rautajärvi was still rather knew and she hadn't had much contact with him as of yet, but Phoenix, he was an open book to her. She didn't have to be telepathic to know what was on his mind, it was all over his face. "Feeling alright Mr. Phoenix?" she asked.

Jon entered next and gave a nod of his head even as he greeted them all before sitting down in customary seat to the right of the captains at the head of the table.

James nodded a greeting to Jon before looking at Deanna. "I'm hanging in there ma'am" he sighed. "Just trying to keep myself together for the mission at hand."

Deanna nodded, content with Phoenix response. Looking over at Jon, "Hope you didn't have a tough time explaining things to Inara. Also, figured you'd have come in with Callie. Was she down talking with Sam?"

Rija offered a quiet, professional smile. "Lieutenant Rautajärvi," he said with a slight nod to both Deanna and James Phoenix. "It's finally good to put faces to names. Also, if you're tongue-tied with my family name, feel free to call me 'Rija'."

"I haven't told Inara yet," Jon admitted. "As for Callie, she was checking on the twins and then going by Sickbay to talk, collect Sam."

Deanna nodded. "Sounds good."

The doors opened again and Cmdr Smith walked in. "So, this is where the captain is hiding all the officers" he joked. He walked over at took a seat next to Deanna.

Sam trotted in shortly after, perpetually late but covering it well. There was always something happening in Sickbay that meant she was routinely a few minutes late for meetings. Slipping into her seat she took a breath and waited for the captain to speak.

Callie was next through the doors; she was supposed to have met up with Sam enroute but had missed her by mere moments. Walking over to her seat she sat down offering a polite smile to all present. She would apologize to Sam once the briefing was over.

Kate stepped through the door with her freshly cut hair, back in its original spiked up pixie cut. She didn't do her usual entertaining entrance anymore. She stopped at the pathway from the door and observed the room quietly before calmly pulling up a vacant chair without a word.

Entering, Imik noted that her usual chair had been taken. So now moved to a solo chair at the bottom of the table, "Blessings on the houses of those here gathered" she said as she bowed to the people gathered. In front of her she placed a small box and her PaDD. It was an anniversary, and so Imik in her way remembered a Marine who gave his life to save another.

Shran entered and made his way to his seat at the head of the table. He looked around quickly before speaking, "Good, everyone is here. For some, the mission we are undertaking is simply a continuation of events from a few months back, but for some, it is something completely new to them. I value the input from all perspectives, hence why I have called each of you here. As many of you may recall, a few months ago we dealt with a Tal Shiar threat, made even more dangerous as they were being aided by an Andorian, specifically my counterpart from the Mirror Universe. While we manage to capture my counterpart, his incarceration was short lived as he managed to escape our brig with the assistance of another Mirror Universe accomplice."

Shran looked around to see the reactions of people at the recap he had given thus far. "Admiral Carroll never ceased his efforts to locate these fugitives, and it seems he managed to locate them. Not wanting to alert them, he tasked a former colleague of mine, Capt Katherine Parker to go after them. Capt Parker is quite the capable officer, but it seems she and her crew of the Saber were unable to complete the mission and are at the very least now being held captive. We have been tasked to capture the fugitives, rescue the hostages, and reclaim the Saber. As such, we are currently en route and shall arrive at our destination in just under 47 hours. Questions or comments?"

Imik stood up, "If we capture the mirror beings, how do we intend to retain them on this occasion? Or will I be able to employ more robust measures, which will inhibit their movements?"

James looked to Imik before turning to Shran. "We should also come up with measures to keep the mirror Shran and his associate differentiated from their prime counterparts. We can't afford any impersonations again" he said, referencing both the Captain and Ashlynn.

"Could we not use a biometric implant to ensure the difference Sinkahue? One that can be removed if needs be, but only by the correct people and method?"

"It would have to include some sort of algorithm or mechanical system that could detect the quantum differences" Phoenix added. "The similarities between counterparts could be enough to outweigh the differences without it."

Jon looked at Imik and James. "You have forty-six hours to come up with a plan that works in capturing and retaining the fugitives." He said bluntly.

"I am certain that Lt Rija can assist with creating a device, but it sounds like you are talking about some sort of device that would require a medical procedure to employ, and that falls under Sam's purview. Additionally, this also is dealing with the situation after capture, not what we are dealing with at this point. To use a human phrase, some of you seem to want to put the cart before the horse" Shran replied to James and Imik.

"The captain is right" Deanna noted. "While the aftermath is important, it isn't what we should be focusing on. We have to capture these people first. They may have hostages; they may even control a starship. I grant you that a Saber class ship is no match against us, but that doesn't mean significant damage couldn't be done to us."

"I would suggest we approach as stealthily as possible, send multiple boarding parties to secure the ship. Take that piece off the board" Smith suggested.

"Lt Rija, can our warp signature be masked in some way, or perhaps altered to look like something nonthreatening?" Shran questioned.

"Like a freighter." Jon added.

Rija leaned forward slightly, fingers steepled on the table. "Yes, Captain. With sufficient time, we could adjust our plasma flow harmonics and invert the subspace field modulation to mimic the signature of a standard long-range freighter--say, Antares-class or B'rel retrofit." He glanced toward the others, maintaining a steady tone. "It wouldn't hold up under close scrutiny, but from distance or a passive scan, we'd appear non-threatening. I'll need to coordinate with the Engineering team to ensure we don't compromise system stability at higher warp."

He felt his cheeks flushing with so many eyes on him. He swallowed, and added, "If deception is a priority, I could also try to rig a low-power distortion field around our deflector to scatter any long-range sensor pings. It's not a true cloak, but it might buy us a few minutes--maybe a bit more--if we're approaching a sensor net."

Phoenix had a muse. "If I remember correctly from my tactical history class at the Academy, there was an incident between the Lakota and the Defiant. I don't know what really happened, but it is my understanding that the Lakota held its own against the Defiant, which was unusual for an Excelsior. I think we should be ready for any sort of enhancements regardless if they were made by Starfleet Intelligence or our Terran adversaries."

James turned to Rija. "Would any of that affect tactical at all?"

"Possibly," Rija replied, meeting James' gaze. "If we reroute enough power to sustain the distortion field, it may temporarily reduce targeting efficiency. Maybe delay torpedo lock. But the effect would be minimal."

James scratched his chin. "I see" he trailed off. Whoever would be manning tactical would likely have to remain vigilant and spot on each time.

Kate tapped away at her PADD and read up on the Lakota incident. "It doesn't give specifics; however, it seems the Defiant was going easy on the Lakota at the beginning if the fight and it was only when the Lakota was causing serious damage that the Defiant began dealing devastating damage during the conflict." Kate tapped some more and shook her head in frustration. "... but that's all I got. Whoever wrote this report was an idiot. They didn't load any pertinent details about the incident pertaining to what the incident was about."

Sam watched the discussion bounce around the table and couldn't help but smile. These were the best of the best, doing what they did best. She waited as the engineering and tactical issues were ironed out before putting her few cents in. "I can easily fabricate and implant a small subcutaneous device that would allow us to tell our prime people from their counterparts."

“Do we know just what mirror counterparts are currently here in our universe?” Callie gazed at Shran curiously. “What likelihood is there that there could be more counterparts, especially of our crew, hiding out here somewhere? Likelihood is if they got hold of this ship that no one would be any the wiser until it was too late.”

"Lt Rija, I want those modifications you described. Work with Lt Imik to keep tactical advised of any power delays that might impact their effectiveness" Shran ordered. He looked to Sam, "If you are alright with all of this Sam, then make you preparations so that we are ready when the time comes."

It was obvious Shran didn't want to be the one to answer Callie's question. Deanna understood his reasoning. She decided she'd answer this for him. "We know that we will be dealing with the Mirror Universe counterpart to the captain for certain, as well as the counterpart of Lt Phoenix's comrade Ashlynn who helped the Shran doppelganger escape our custody. We should note that our universe's Ashlynn will also be present, as she was a member of the Saber crew as an Intelligence agent. Beyond that, we cannot say if we will run into any additional people from the Mirror Universe."

Shran nodded in approval at Deanna. He was grateful for her handling that particular inquiry, cognizant of what his Mirror counterpart had done to several members of the crew in the past. He was a skilled interrogator, a true sadist. Shran looked around, "Anything else?"

An aspect of Callie's inquiry spurred Cmdr Smith to consider something from a tactical perspective, "We should lock down this ship. Nobody on or off without us having the ability to know who they really are, especially when we send away teams anywhere. Those medical identifiers might be a good idea to input into anyone going anywhere to provide a security measure."

Shran looked to Jon to see what he thought on regarding all that had been said.

Jon caught Shran's look and after a few seconds he spoke. "I think Callie brings up an interesting and a troubling question. We don't know how many duplicates there are in our universe, and we may never know. I don't think we have any duplicates here on the ship, but it doesn't hurt to check everyone out and check their authenticity. I would rather be safe than sorry on this score."

Rija listened to the rest of the senior staff, but an unwelcome thought surfaced: What if my duplicate is here? The idea unsettled him--facing not only his own mirror, but those of his colleagues, was a possibility he couldn’t ignore. He drew a slow breath and turned his focus back to the proposed modifications, deliberately shelving the fear before it could gain traction.

"Would they be searching for a way to bring other members of this mirror universe into ours, or are we primarily concerned with the happenings pertaining to the people we know for sure are here?" Kate asked. "Is it possible they found a way to bring other mirror copies of other crew members here? Or do the energy requirements and technological knowhow make it entirely too unlikely?" Kate looked between Shran and Deanna, knowing that they would likely have the answer to that question.

"The means to transfer into that universe are known and kept classified. It was originally thought to only be possible through an accident, but multiple incursions on DS9 have shown us that a device has been created on that side to make any transporter capable to transferring from one universe to another" Deanna answered.

"Despite the relative ease those from that universe seem to have coming over here, we have been relatively lucky that they don't come more often. Those that are aware of the different universes seem to put up rules and other barriers just as we do, though they obviously are laxer than how we are" Shran added.

"Relatively Speaking," Kate added matter-of-factly.

"Very well. Many of you have tasks to perform. Jon will be liaison as usual regarding these tasks being completed. Dismissed." Shran stood and made his way out as others did as well.

 

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