USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

ON: <<USS Malinche, Beta Section, Day 15, 1200>>

“Looks like they are trying to break off and target us individually,” Pirlan reported. “We’ve got one target heading toward us, looks like they are diverting full power to the disruptors.”

“Pirlan ready a full barrage of torpedoes.” Jason looked at the viewscreen as the Vor’cha began to close on them. Seconds later the Klingon ship unloaded with a barrage of disruptor fire, rocking the sleek form of the Beta section. To Jake’s credit he didn’t even flinch as he rotated the ship up on her port nacelle, pulling away from the Vor’cha as Pirlan fired off several phaser volleys.

Any of Jake's worries had subsided and he was now quite comfortable behind the helm. The Klingons were much slower than his last adversaries making it easier to avoid a great deal of their fire; however they appeared to hit a little harder when they connected. His chair shook once again as Beta took another hit.

“Moderate damage to their shields,” Pirlan reported. “Looks like they are coming back around.”

“Good,” Jason nodded, gripping the arms of his chair as the Beta section took several more hits. Something exploded in the back ground, throwing off a shower of sparks. They swooped around the Vor’cha, exchanging fire as they went. The Klingon pilot was good but the crew of the Malinche was better, Jake pulled them away and then hard over so that they came racing down on top of the Vor’cha. “Torpedoes, now!”

The Vor’cha didn’t have a chance to avoid as the orbs smashed into her ventral shields, sending them lighting up like a star going nova. Several phaser blasts followed suit, punching through the aft ventral shielding and sending a small gout of flame and debris into space. The Beta section pulled away, taking several hits on her aft shields.

“Get those shields re-assembled,” Jason ordered.

Sparks continued to fly from different stations as the beta section took more hits. Jake knew Malinche couldn't take much more he would have to move quicker and mediate the damage. He brought Beta section straight on the Vor’cha and made a pass as Pirlan continued to pound the hull of the Vor’cha. The ship continued to get rocked but there was far fewer sparks flying.

Jake turned to Barrett. "Sir we can't keep this up very long; make it quick!"

"Don't need to remind me of that," Jason snapped.

"I'll do my best," Joey responded, he grabbed his station for support as the ship took another hard hit.

Jason made his way back to his command chair, watching the screen as the Vor’cha wheeled up on her port wing and came right back at her. Bolts of disruptor fire screamed across space followed by several torpedo shots. The incoming weapons fire pounded at the shields; causing power surges to sweep through the bridge, which in turn caused more sparks to erupt from stations. "Joey, the shields," Jason snapped, grabbing his chair as the ship shook again. "Mr. McCarty, attack pattern delta 7."

Jake turned the ship and it now rotated on the starboard nacelle. As he approached the vessel he made a sharp turn revealing as little of the port side of beta to the Klingons as possible.

"Working on it, I am aware we are getting shot at you know," Joey snapped back.

Another brace of torpedoes slammed into the hull after tearing through the aft shields. Luckily, the armor saved them from anything too major, although Jason knew that wouldn't be the case for long. They needed to find a way to disable their attacker and soon.

"Sir, the Alpha section is taking a pounding," Pirlan warned. "They could really use our help."

"We've got our own problems right now," Jason said. "Joey, status of our shields?"

"Aft shields are gone and I am having trouble putting them back together," Joey said, as the Beta section shook again, Jason felt, more then heard the phaser arrays return fire. "Forward, port, and starboard shields are holding at 60%."

"Status of the Vor’cha's shields?" Jason asked.

"Down to 20%," Pirlan reported. "One more good run at them and we should be able to punch right through, assuming they aren't working on reinforcing them."

"Joey, can you run a compression burst through the port phaser array, I know it will knock out the phaser generators for awhile but it might be enough to punch through their shields and hull and take out their weapons."

"Sure, not sure I like the idea of us losing a phaser array though," Joey grunted.

"Don't have a choice in the matter, Peters can hang me for it later, do it," Jason nodded. "Mr. McCarty, bring us around and keep us on his port side."

Jake snickered at Barrett's remarks. He was definitely enjoying his time under the XO's command. Jake slid his fingers along the console and brought the ship to the Vor'cha's port side.

"Steady as she goes," Jason ordered, realizing that the viewscreen was rapidly filling with the image of disruptor bolts as they streaked toward the Beta section. The impacts were felt, causing the ship to shake and shudder as she neared her target. He could only hope that Joey could hold the shields together long enough for them to pull this off. "Fire!"

The Beta section’s port phaser array screamed to life, unleashing a beam that was twice as large, twice as bright, and twice as powerful as a normal phaser beam. The strike hit home, slicing through the ships shields as if they weren't even there and then through the ship's hull a moment later. Small explosions worked their way across the hull of the Klingon ship and she began to slowly spin, her weapons going silent. On the bridge of the Beta section, Jason could almost feel the phaser generator groan in protest and then go offline. "Status?"

"Vor’cha's weapons are off-line, looks like we overloaded their EPS grid as well," Joey reported. "They are dead in the water sir."

"Good, Mr. McCarty, pursuit course for the Klingon ship attacking the Alpha section; let’s go give them a hand."

Jake let out a sigh of relief. "Aye Sir," he said as he maneuvered the Beta section towards the Klingon ship attacking Alpha section. From what he could see Roen was holding on but taking a lot of damage.

"Bring us in behind them; keep us on port side so that we can use the starboard array."

((Beta Section Engineering))

Peters covered his face with one arm and held on to a nearby column with the other as the Engineering bay turned into a raging inferno around him. Half-repaired consoles erupted in showers of flame and sparks with each hit the Malinche's middle section took.

The ship shook again, and then yet another console exploded, this time one that had managed to survive the previous round intact. A scream told Peters that someone had been injured by that one... he hoped not seriously. Looking towards the source of the cry, Peters saw that the Medic posted to Engineering for this engagement already working to help the fallen engineer.

As another console erupted in sparks, but stayed mostly intact an operation, Peters shook his head and muttered, "At this rate we're going to be using Tricorders to track systems status... if there's anything left to track."

<<Alpha Section>>

Trace's hands flew of his station, doing his best to keep all their guns pointing at the attacking vessel. He felt the ship twist and dive, trying to avoid getting blown apart by the now very angry attacking force. A quick look at the scans of the area showed him something that gave him some hope.

"Captain, looks like the Beta section managed to disable their attacker; the Vor’cha is dead in the water," Trace reported. "They are on their way toward us."

Isabel nodded, “Good…that should give us a good opportunity to recover the data from them. And we could certainly use their help.” It seemed that this time around their Mirror Universe attackers were even more intent on destroying them. She wasn’t surprised about that, but it didn’t help their current situation. “Keep firing.”

"Aye sir," Trace nodded, again, wishing that Aaron was the one behind the tactical station. So far he was doing an ok job but this just further illustrated his lack of confidence in that area. When they got done with this mission he made a mental note to spend some more time preparing for this sort of thing.

Anara smiled and sighed in relief. She had managed to keep the odds even, but having a wingman was reassuring as she led the offending ship past the assisting one. "Let ‘em have it." She said quietly.

((Beta Section))

Jason came out of his chair as the pilot of the Alpha section swung the attacking ship right past them. He didn't even have to give the order; seconds later phaser fire blazed to life, smashing at the attacking Bird of Prey's shields. The smaller Klingon vessel whirled around, unloading a barrage at near point blank range on the Beta section. The ship shook violently, sparks exploding from several stations. "Pursuit course, now!"

Jake swung Beta around and began pursuing the enemy ship equaling their speed and keeping only the points on Beta with the best shielding facing the attacking vessel.

"Damage report?" Jason asked, looking at Joey. During the last volley Joey must have taken a tumble, a cut had appeared above his right eye and was oozing blood; though it didn't appear to phase the operations officer.

"Forward shields are down to 34%," Joey reported. "Minor buckling on port nacelle. We aren't in for the worst of it sir, looks like the other Vor'cha is pounding on the Gamma section pretty bad."

"Let's give them another target then," Jason nodded, taking his seat.

[[Gamma Section]]

Sparks exploded from a few of the auxiliary consoles as another volley of intense disruptor fire pounded against the shields. Aaron gripped the arms of his chair firmly as the entire ship rocked around him, buffeted by the latest round of weapons fire from the Vor’cha cruiser they had engaged. “Report,” he called out over the din of alarms and voices.

“They’re right on top of us, sir,” Oscar said, gritting his teeth as the ship shook again, “I can’t shake them.” He gripped the edge of his console with one hand, trying to maintain control of their flight with the other. The shaking subsided a little and he returned both hands to the surface of his flight controls.

James had managed to hang on to his console when the ship lurched heavily. This didn't sit well with him. When his console overloaded, he got slightly ticked off. Now with his console back online and the ship being tossed around, nearly slamming James to the floor if it wasn't for his quick thinking to grab his console, he growled very deeply and regained his balance. "If that's how they want to play," James said to himself, but maybe a little too loudly, "Then I think we can play along with them. Let's see how they like a full power assault!"

With a head full of steam and a scowl that would scare little children and maybe even some adults, James rerouted a vast majority of power from the lighting in unoccupied areas of the ship and the holodecks straight to the weapons. After completing the reallocation, James slammed his right fist into his open left palm and said with a deep growl, "Game over." Hopefully, the amount of power he put into the ship's entire weapons system would end this once and for all. If his body language hadn't said enough, he was tired and very badly wanted to sleep.

“Remodulate the tractor emitters and lock a tractor beam on the cruiser,” Aaron ordered, “at least that will give us a little more room to work with.”

"Qapla'!" D'Vhal rumbled as he worked to make the necessary adjustments. Normally a job like this would be done manually at the emitter's maintenance access, but they didn't have the time right now. He would have to be very careful not to overload the tractor emitter as he altered the way it would emit the energy fed to it. After a moment he was finished. "Tractor beam ready, sir!"

A beam of blue energy shot out behind the Gamma section and latched onto the forward section of the Vor’cha cruiser. The cruiser opened fire again, but a majority of the disruptor shots went wild, unable to find their targets due to the tractor beam’s influence.

“The accuracy of the cruiser’s weapons has been reduced by over fifty-percent,” Bak reported with a hint of surprise in his voice. He had not expected the tractor beam to be quite as effective as it was proving to be. Wasting little time, he opened fire with another salvo of torpedoes, taking advantage of the phaser arcs available to compliment the attack.

Aaron gave a wry smile at the apparent success of the tactic, but they were hardly out of the woods yet. The Alpha section was still engaged with the Bird of Prey and the Beta section had managed to disable the Vor’cha cruiser that they had been engaged with. Suddenly, the ship lurched heavily to the right. Aaron ducked at the sound of more consoles overloading behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see two crewmen fall to the deck. They needed to end this soon.

“Come to course one-seven-four-mark-three-four-eight,” Aaron ordered, “Lock all weapons on the section indicated by Commander Barrett and standby to fire on my command.”

((Beta Section))

Pirlan tossed a few more torpedoes toward the Bird of Prey, managing to take down the aft shields to an almost non-existent state. His main concern was the fact that the Gamma section seemed to be getting pounded on pretty badly; hopefully they could manage to disable the other Vor'cha with as much success.

"Take us in fast Jake, full impulse," Jason ordered. "Pirlan, do you have that target locked?"

"Aye sir."

"Good, punch it Jake!"

Jake brought the ship to full impulse and sped towards the Vor'Cha keeping the ship at a sleek profile to the enemy. When he neared the ship he suddenly turned the vessel on its port side riding along the Vor'cha's starboard side.

Taryn monitored the situation nervously wanting to point out McCarty's unorthodox and dangerous flight style but she would wait until later. She wanted Beta section left in one piece and did not wish to provide a distraction. For now she would have to sit helplessly and watch as McCarty "worked his magic"

There was no way that the Klingon ship could have missed the Beta section screaming toward them, unloading everything that she had. Several blasts sheared off the ship’s shields. Seconds later another barrage slammed into the already straining shields of the Klingon vessel as the Gamma section opened fire. The shields flared and then exploded, unable to keep the deadly energy at bay.

The Beta section raced down the starboard side or the Vor'cha; using her weapons to cut deep flaming wounds into the sides of the larger Klingon vessel. The ship attempted to return fire but they were trying to hit two targets now and by some miracle, Joey had the shields re-assembled.

<Alpha Section>

Trace grabbed his station as more disruptor fire raked across the shields. The Bird of Prey that was attacking them seemed intent on reducing them to nothing but dust. The ship banked to the side and the Bird of Prey overshot them, allowing a good solid look at the aft section of the ship. He took notice that the ships shields were nearly down and fired another burst if torpedoes. They stayed true, slamming through the shields on the second hit and sending parts of the Bird of Prey spinning off into space.

"They really don't want to give up," Trace said, looking at Kersare. "I'm not sure how much longer their hull can take this or ours."

Isabel nodded, “With some well aimed shots, we should be able to at least take out their weapons. That and some good piloting should allow us to outlast them.” At least, she certainly hoped so. Having the Malinche in MVAM would be considered by some a risky maneuver, but when facing multiple targets, she still believed it was better to give them multiple targets as well.

Sparks erupted from a few stations as the Bird of Prey made another strafing run. Trace knew that they needed to end this soon, before more people got hurt. He just wasn't sure that he was going to be able to disable the other ship. "Anara, can you get us behind him again...I think that I can hit his weapons systems and take him out of the fight...hopefully without blowing him up."

The Bajoran glanced over. "Working on it!" She said in a distracted tone. Flying the ship section in combat was a challenge, particularly when opposing a combat specified vessel.

She engaged a series of maneuvers that eventually resulted in a brief opportunity for a strike. "Here's your shot, make it count!" Anara stated over the rumble of the fight. She disliked having to depend on the tactical officer for shots. Oh for a trigger...

Trace unleashed a volley of phaser fire, stripping away what little shielding the Bird of Prey had left protecting her stern. The smaller vessel wheeled around, thundering the shields of the Alpha section with disruptor fire. He moved his targeting wheel again, this time sending spears of energy at one of the disruptor cannons. The shots hit home, ripping apart the cannon.

"I've manage to disable one of their disruptor cannons," Trace smiled.

While it wasn't his job to tap into the attacking ships' computer systems and look for important information, Aaron requested and received permission to help those who were spying on the enemy. His Intel training and knowledge of the Klingon and Cardassian languages was useful in this situation. Besides, the sooner they gathered and evaluated the information, the sooner they could end the fight to their advantage.

Aaron didn't have the skills necessary to tap into the computers so he focused on sifting through the information gleaned from the computers. Looking over the various files, at first Aaron was unable to make sense of what was written. Upon a closer look however, Aaron started to recognize a few root words. The language being used was primarily Klingon, or a variation thereof, with some words and phrases mixed in that appeared to be of Cardassian origin.

Considering the alliance that had been forged between the Cardassians and Klingons in the wake of the Terran Empire's collapse, it made sense that the dominant language would shift to a mixture of Klingon and Cardassian. As for the differences between the languages of the mirror & standard universes, it wasn't much of a surprise. Both languages were alive in the sense that they changed as the culture evolved. The differences in the two realities were enough to change the structure of otherwise identical languages.

After getting a handle on the changed languages, Aaron set to work looking for any useful Intel.

[[Gamma Section]]

The Gamma section swung completely about and raced headlong toward the Vor’cha cruiser. On the forward viewscreen, the Klingon vessel grew larger and larger with each passing second. Another volley of disruptor fire buffeted the shields, but they continued to press forward.

“Helm, minus five-hundred meters on the z-axis. Open fire,” Aaron barked out. Just when it seemed as if there would be no possible way to avoid a collision, the Gamma section dropped below the bow of the Vor’cha to run along the ventral axis. Brilliant beams of energy shot out from the phaser arrays to pummel the enemy’s shields while golden orbs streaked out of the aft torpedo launchers as she passed.

Moments later, a cloud of ionized plasma erupted from the cruiser’s port nacelle, encompassing both vessels. The Gamma section sailed out of the explosion, singed but still intact. Aaron watched on the main viewscreen as the cloud of superheated gasses quickly dissipated. They may have just struck a significant blow to their attackers, but the Vor’cha did not seem ready to give up the fight, even if she was down to only one functional nacelle.

((Beta Section))

"Good shooting," Jason smiled. "Mr. McCarty, let’s show Aaron how's it’s done, engage full impulse pattern delta 4. Pirlan, open fire with everything we have, continual fire to disable and not to destroy."

"Aye sir."

Jason smiled as the Beta section whirled around. Plasma was venting badly from the nacelle that the Gamma section had been pounding away on. No matter how sturdy the ship was, with both engines out of commission, that would severely limit her ability to fight and that was exactly what Jason was hoping for.

"Sir, I think I have something," Joey called from operations. Seconds later the ship shook as several disruptor blasts slammed into their shields. "I'm been trying to lock onto a com frequency...I think I can access their computer systems."

"Get to work, pull whatever information that you can," Jason ordered. "Pirlan target that nacelle and open fire."

The Beta section closed on the Vor'cha, which was still trying to turn to bring her forward weapons to bear; they were being hampered by the fact that the Gamma section kept pestering them with intermittent shots, not allowing the large ship to shift her shields or field of fire to one target. Pirlan tapped several keys, sending a deadly stream of energy at the Vor'cha's shields. The shots of energy slammed into them, punching through and raking across the hull.

"I'm in!" Joey explained, having to grab his station so that he wasn't thrown to the deck as they were hit again. "Damn, they're computers are slow...working on setting up a datastream now."

"Good work Joey," Jason stated, he tapped an icon on his command chair. "Barrett to Alpha and Gamma sections, Joey has managed to hack the computers we’re downloading their database now."

[[Gamma Section]]

The combined assault of both the Beta and Gamma sections had overwhelmed the Vor'cha's defenses. Aaron watched on the viewscreen as the enemy cruiser drifted away, several pockmarks across her hull and with both nacelles venting plasma. He turned his attention away to briefly survey the room around him. Smoke billowed from a ruptured conduit, sparks sputtered from several overloaded consoles, and alarms continued to blare while the entire scene remained bathed in the red glow of the alert klaxons.

"Lieutenant," Oscar called out, causing Aaron to turn his attention forward again.

As the bridge crew watched, the Vor'cha regained stability and began to bank toward the Beta section. She definitely wasn't going down without a fight.

"Helm, lay in an intercept course, full impulse," Aaron barked, "Davis, D'hval, I need you to hold us together a little while longer. Mister Bak, standby quantum torpedoes."

The Gamma section surged forward in pursuit of the Klingon cruiser now bearing down on the Beta section. Their orders had been to disable the enemy vessels if possible, but it didn't seem like the Vor'cha was going to give them much choice in the matter. Aaron knew that none of the Malinche's sections could take much more of this assault...they needed to end this now.

"Fire," Aaron ordered.

Blue-white orbs roared out of the Gamma section's launchers and hurtled across the closing distance between them and the Vor'cha cruiser. They slammed into the neck of the enemy vessel, erupting into a brilliant explosion with each successive impact. The hull began to buckle under the strain, torn apart by the force of the quantum torpedoes, and causing the two sections to break apart. Smaller explosions rippled through the aft section of the cruiser as systems overloaded.

<IKV Rakatel>

The crew of the Rakatel looked on as they pulled around in time to see the much larger ship's explosion. Glinn Roen tapped his fist on the armrest of his seat and licked his lower lip in thought.

"Tactical, report." He commanded.

"Shields minimal; weapons operational. Hull integrity is questionable."

"About what I figured." He sighed. "The others?"

"One Vor'cha dead in the water, one...SIR?!!" The officer shouted as the consoles went black. "The command computer has been overridden!"

"Prophets!" Roen exclaimed, standing suddenly. "Well don't just stand there! Get that core back online, backup systems. Something!" He paced his officer's consoles as they worked frantically. Normally he liked his outdated D12 class ship but now it was its undoing.

((Beta Section))

"How's it going Joey?" Jason asked, glancing over at the operations station. At the moment, Joey was grinning from ear to ear as his hands flew over his station. Jason was very glad that he was on their side and that he had managed to outsmart the MU computer lockouts.

"I've got about 70% of the data," Joey reported. "I'm basically just going through and grabbing everything that I can, we can sort it out later."

"Sounds like a good plan," Jason said, turning back toward the viewscreen. The burning wreck of both halves of the Vor'cha slowly spun in space, out of the fight. Jason was resisting the urge to venture closer to begin rescue operations just in case, by some miracle, they had a trap waiting.

"Uh oh," Joey said, hands flying across his station. "We've got a problem."

"More ships on the way?" Jason asked.

"No...I don't believe it; someone else is tapping into their computers too!"

"From where?" Jason snapped.

"I can't tell," Joey said. "Looks like they are going right for all the tactical and research files."

"Lock them out," Jason ordered. "Pirlan full sensor sweep, we need to find out if someone else is hiding out there."

"I can't," Joey snapped in frustration. His hands were a blur moving all over the station, attempting to isolate the source of the transmission. He wasn't being very successful moments later the other signal began to attempt to lock them out.

"They're trying to lock us out now," Joey said, turning around and tapping some icons on the station behind him before turning back around. "I've got about 85% of the data...damn they're good."

"You're better," Jason said, joining Joey at his station. "Rotate the signal frequency and try increase the bandwidth, we might be able to pull the data faster then."

"On it," Joey said, seconds later this display started blinking. "What the hell...it’s gone...the other signal...weird."

"You get everything?"

"Yes sir, all the data has been downloaded," Joey smiled. "Damn, I am good."

((Beta Section Engineering))

"Get me status reports on all systems while we're not being knocked around," Peters called out to his crew. "Altin, see if you can't bring a few of these consoles back online. I know we'll need to fix them properly later, but we're going to need to be able to see what needs fixed before we can do our jobs."

[[Gamma Section]]

Aaron watched as the debris cloud surrounding the enemy cruiser continued to grow. The plan had been to disable, not to destroy their attackers. As cliche as it may have sounded, the old Earth phrase "Dead men tell no tales" seemed grimly appropriate in this situation. They were not going to learn much from the crew of this Vor'cha now...no explanation as to how they had gotten here or what their purpose might have been. Aaron had to remind himself that, regardless of his orders or the outcome he had hoped to achieve, the enemy had left them little choice.

"Status report," he croaked, realizing that his throat was rather dry from inhaling the acrid smoke that had flooded the bridge during the battle.

"Primary systems operational," D'Vhal reported, still elated by the victory, even if it wasn't quite as planned. "Secondary systems fluctuating. We're still able to fight if needed."

"Another vessel," Aaron asked, looking over toward the operations officer. They had just managed to gain the upper hand over their attackers, but that could all change if enemy reinforcements were arriving. There was no way of knowing for sure just how many vessels were in the area.

<Alpha section bridge>

The sudden ceasefire of the Rakatel caught the Alpha section by surprise. Anara rotated the ship around to scan the idle bird of prey suspiciously. "This is too weird for my liking. Orders?" She said over her shoulder to the captain.

Isabel’s eyes regarded the viewscreen silently for a few moments before she replied, “Hold position, Chief. Whatever this is, I doubt it’s good…” Considering the circumstances, she thought it best to hold off and see what the other ship did first.

<Rakatel bridge>

"Get those computers running, already!" Roen huffed impatiently as the Malinche section drifted by. He was getting increasingly concerned since the larger cruiser had been destroyed and they were only survived at this point by one cruiser and some non-existent reinforcements. Every moment that went by decreased his hope of victory or the chance of escape.

The idea of surrender was beginning to come to his thought process instead of facing the chance of his crew being killed outright.

Then an image flashed on the viewscreen of the aged ship. It ticked a timer, one set to destruct.

"Those Cardassian targs! We have been..."

<Alpha Section Bridge>

The longer the Mirror Universe ship simply sat there, the more Isabel was left to wonder. Were the two ships coordinating? Were they discussing surrender, considering what had happened to the other vessel? Isabel could feel the tensions on the bridge rise; could feel her own tension rising. Something, though, told her to wait. Her instinct. And so, she remained silent, eyes glued to the screen.

<Ikv Rakatel bridge>

The crew of the ship disappeared in a transporter beam but Amer remained. "...Burned!" Standing alone in his bridge, he looked around and at the timer. He hit a button for the emergency call subspace transmitter. Hopefully the Terran ship was going to be as forgiving as they were reputed to be. Without controls or life support and a self destruct activated, he decided there was no other way to go.

"Terran vessel. This is Glinn Roen of the IKV Rakatel. I...Surrender. Only myself. As soon as possible, please."

<Alpha Section Bridge>

Isabel raised an eyebrow at the request. Quickly tapping at her side console, she ran a scan of the other vessel. Only one life sign was aboard. She still wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but it seemed the Glinn had been left behind – apparently to die. Regardless of what had happened, Isabel also knew that StarFleet would want to talk to the Glinn. She nodded slowly, “Beam him directly to the Brig.”

OFF:

JP brought to you by:

Warrant Officer Second Class D’Vhal
Engineering Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
Played by: Lt Cmdr Peters

and

Ensign Trace Vosh
Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Ensign James Davis
Assistant Chief Operations Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant JG Jake McCarty
Assistant Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant JG Aaron Masterson
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
(also played Gamma section NPCs not already listed)

and

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Roen Anara (PNPC)
Shuttlebay Manager
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
Played by: Ens N’rass

and

Glinn Roen Amer (PNPC)
Commanding Officer
IKV Rakatel (Mirror)
Played by: Ens N’rass

and

Lieutenant Aaron Steele
Chief Science Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant Commander Todd Peters
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant Commander Jason Barrett
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
(also played Beta section NPCs not already listed)

and

OFF: This is a backpost

ON:
<<USS Malinche, Alpha Section Quarantine, Day 14, 2200>>

Sirak (NPC) watched silently from outside quarantine as the LMH and Setak worked, trying to find a cure for her crewmate. Based on what the other Vulcan had said - both verbally and non-verbally, she felt it logical that he was indeed from the Mirror Universe. The pair had been coming up with ideas and testing theories for a cure for hours now, at least, yet they worked on. Sirak had been sent down to keep an eye on things by Captain Kersare, which was a wise choice given the circumstances.

Stepping back, Maria (NPC) took a look at their latest round of calculations. Despite her exhaustive search through her memory banks, she had not been able to find anything close enough to this particular strain to be of much use. Even for the hologram it was getting frustrating and she knew that each minute that passed was one less that the crew member had.

Setak sighed heavily and threw his hands in the air as the computer finished its latest round of simulated treatment tests with failure, "For the love of... It seems that we designed the pathogen too well; it's mutating too quickly for anything we use to counter it to work. I'm afraid that taking a conventional approach will not work, what else might we try Hologram? We need something that can keep up with the virus as it evolves..."

"It seems to me the cure will also have to have the ability to evolve... We'll have to introduce something into the antibodies and potentially Mr. Morris' white blood cells to adjust their reaction to the pathogen. I do have some information regarding filament-coupled antibodies which may be helpful in this case," Maria replied. They had not yet tried something quite like it and at this point they were running out of options.

Setak nodded as he considered Maria's response but he had become distracted; his eyes locked with those of the Vulcan observer standing on the far side of the quarantine screen. It had been decades since he had been in the presence of a member of his own species let alone a woman, he couldn't help but to be enthralled.

"You are a member of this crew?" Setak asked as he approached the screen.

Raising a single eyebrow, Sirak nodded, "Yes, I am part of the crew, Mr. Setak. I am a member of the Security Department." The Vulcan was not surprised that he was curious about her, only slightly surprised that it had taken him this long to say anything. She kept her gaze steady as he approached her.

"I see," Setak murmured as he looked Sirak up and down, a hint of a grin on his lips. "Would I be incorrect in assuming that you are not the only Vulcan in the Terrans' service?"

Sirak raised her eyebrow, "Many Vulcans are part of the Federation, Doctor. However, we are not in the Terrans' service in the manner in which you are implying." She could only conclude that the situation was one that he was used to observing in the universe from which he came.

"Part of..." Setak nodded. "Equals."

The notion was foreign to the outsider but one that any slave would have trouble ignoring. It was a notion that at any other time Setak would have dismissed as wishful thinking and yet the evidence for its validity in the foreign 'verse stood before him. A part of him wanted to be a part of such a reality, to be free but how could he be a part of it? By his very nature he was light years apart.

"Tell me cousin," Setak began cautiously. "If I succeed in healing your crew mate, how might I be repaid for the service? You see, I suspect that I will be incarcerated by your security forces despite my efforts, if only for caution's sake. Tell me, what do you think the odds are that I will ever be released?"

"Doctor," Maria interrupted, "While I understand your curiosity as far as what will happen to you, we have precious little time left to cure Mr. Morris. If he doesn't live, I imagine the consequences could be far worse than being incarcerated by the Malinche's Security Department."

The Vulcan security officer's gaze shifted to the holographic doctor, giving her a brief nod, before turning her attention back to Setak. "I believe Doctor Del Amico is correct. You should concentrate on your patient for now. Based on past situations, I would conclude you have a good chance at being freed if the young man lives. Captain Kersare is a rather understanding commanding officer and her word does have some weight with the admiralty."

"Forgive me for having doubts but I've never encountered a militaristic faction that merits trust," Setak spoke plainly, his gaze leveled at Sirak. As he returned to the diagnostic console he realized that he truly wanted to believe the Vulcan female but he had learned many years prior that hope was illusory. He would find a way to stop the virus, it would buy him time, but in the end he would be left with only one thing to rely on. Himself.

OFF: JP brought to you by:

(Provisional Lieutenant) Setak
(Chief Medical Officer)
(USS Malinche NCC-38997-A)

and

Ensign Sirak (NPC)
Security Investigations Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
played by Capt Kersare

and

Doctor Mario Del Amico (NPC)
LMH
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
played by:

OFF: this is a backpost

ON: <<USS Malinche, Guest Quarters, Day 15 1700hrs>>

Within the confines of a spartanly furnished room Setak paced with his hands clasped behind his back and pondered the morning's events. It had taken him nearly twenty four hours to finally cure the crewman who had contracted the weaponized virus and, after confirming the results, the Malinche's commander had Setak confined to quarters. While the room was small and without an external view the Vulcan was appreciative of the accommodations, in truth the room had far more comfort than anything he had anticipated. Why, he wondered? For all things there is a purpose, what was the use of pampering a prisoner with such plush trappings? Did the Terran commander think that he would be more pliable after resting comfortably and taking his fill from the marvelous replicator?

"What do you expect to gain from this?" Setak questioned absently.

Isabel made her way to the quarters currently assigned to Setak, Sirak (NPC) at her side. She would have preferred to make the visit alone, but doubted that Aaron would approve and thought that the presence of another Vulcan might be beneficial. Nodding to the guards outside the door - briefly reminding her of the time not so long ago when the same was true for her own husband - Isabel rang the doorchime.

Pausing mid stride Setak turned to face the rooms' door with a long sigh, his gut gnawed at him demanding action and yet a part of him insisted on calm. He could surprise whoever it was that wanted entrance and perhaps have a chance of escaping, he could at least go down with a fight. Swallowing hard he allowed his cooler portion to prevail and steadied himself, he would give the Terrans a chance, would wait to see their true nature.

"Enter," he spoke calmly.

Sirak stepped forward first, allowing the door to swish open as she moved into the room and off to the side so that the Captain could come in as well. Her eyes moved to Setak as she clasped her hands behind her back; mostly she was here to ensure the safety of the Captain, not to interfere.

With one of her crew members, Isabel would likely have smiled upon entering their quarters, but that seemed inappropriate considering the circumstances. Instead giving him a brief nod, she said, "Good evening, Mr. Setak. I realize these are not ideal circumstances, but I hope the accommodations are alright. Has anyone updated you on Mr. Morris' status?"

Mr. Morris? Setak repeated to himself. The crewman would survive, what use was bringing him up?

"I understand that the treatment has worked and that he is resting," Setak spoke knowingly, his eyes shifting between the officers. "Your hologram's records are not classified in your databases... But that is not why you have come."

Isabel raised her eyebrow slightly, but didn't comment on his first statement. "Are you also aware of what happened to the vessels from the Mirror Universe? One of the Commanding Officers has surrendered and is currently in our brig; his ship was set to self destruct. Another ship we destroyed, and the third retreated. Which leaves me with the question of what to do with you." She paused then, allowing him a chance to speak up.

Setak narrowed his eyes at the Captain, revealing that she had captured an Alliance officer only served to complicate any interrogation process. If she was keeping her prisoners separated intentionally it would have been better to omit the information, either she lacked the cunning for subterfuge or he had grossly misjudged her intentions.

"Captain," Setak started respectfully, his tone suggesting bewilderment. "I must admit that I am at a loss; your actions seem strange and illogical to me. I expected to be interrogated after treating your subordinate, instead I was provided with comforts and rest... So I wondered if perhaps you weren't just trying to lure me into a false sense of comfort before returning to take a softer approach at gleaning information. Now, you have tipped your hand by providing me with information that you could have kept to yourself and used against me. Help me to understand your intentions, if I am not a prisoner then what am I?"

"That would be the question, Mr. Setak," Isabel said with a slight smile. "I saw no reason to withhold the information. You were, essentially, left to die on one of the Mirror Universe vessels, much like the Glinn was. So, perhaps the two of you have more in common than one might initially suspect. In addition, you did provide us with information and saved the life of one of my crewmembers. Obviously I don't know you very well, but I do know that you could have refused to help and let him die. In my opinion, that says something about you..."

"It says that I know something about self preservation," Setak conceded. "Little more."

The Vulcan turned from the commander and slowly paced away, considering his options. There would be no way for him to return to his home universe and even if there was where would he go there? He knew nothing of the universe he had entered, its peoples or technologies, how could he operate in an existence that seemed so foreign? Even his own people seemed alien to him. Yet, it seemed that fate had given him an out, a way to escape the familiar existence he loathed even if into a strange alternative.

"I cannot go back," Setak spoke distantly as he turned to face the officers. "I was a prisoner there. I do not know what I would do here, in your universe but if I were to ask you for protection until I find a path to follow would you grant it?"

Although not surprised by Setak's request, Isabel knew it was a bit more complicated. "I'm afraid I don't have the power to grant you permanent asylum - that would be up to the Admiralty. However, under the circumstances, I can give you temporary asylum. Your case can be heard once we reach a starbase." So long as he behaved and if she had the chance to get to know him better, she might even put in a good word for him. Actually, the Malinche was technically in need of medical personnel as well. For now, though, Isabel wasn't going to mention those ideas.

"I see," Setak nodded. "And how long before we reach your Starbase? I'm not sure I'll be in a mental state capable of pleading my case if I am stuck in this room for any length of time."

"We'll be going to Starbase 422, which will likely take us about twelve days, considering the extent of the damage we've taken," Isabel explained. She took a few moments to consider his latter statement. Thus far, he had not injured any of her crew - at least not intentionally. He hadn't tried to escape or cause problems. Her eyes moved to Sirak, giving the Vulcan a questioning gaze. Upon seeing a slight nod from her, Isabel turned back to Setak, "You may leave these quarters, so long as Sirak or another Security officer is with you. There are some areas of the ship that will be off limits, of course. Is there anything else you need?"

Setak's brows raised momentarily, he had not actually expected to be given roaming privileges, "No... Captain. Thank you."

Isabel nodded, "If you think of anything, tell one of the Security officers and they'll let me know." As she turned to leave, she paused and turned back, "I'm not going to require it, but since you mentioned being unsure of what you'll do...you could speak with our Counselor, Lieutenant Zeral, if you think it would help." Honestly, Isabel wasn't sure how Nora would feel about that, but Nora had always been willing to help in the past and she didn't think it would be any different now.

"It might," Setak admitted with a feint smile as he followed the security officer as far as the door way and watched the ships commanding officer departed. The encounter had gone far differently than the Vulcan had anticipated, the Terrans of the alternate universe were unlike any race he had encountered. By granting the freedoms that she had, the Captain had placed Setak in an uncomfortable position, being confined to quarters would have been far easier for the outsider.

"Sirak my dear," Setak began with a smirk. "It would seem that we're stuck with each other for a while, the question now, is where to begin..."

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Ensign Sirak (NPC)
Security Investigations Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
played by Capt Kersare

and

ON: <<USS Malinche, Lounge, Day 17 0700>>

Setak sat alone at a window table and poured over the PADD that had been issued to him as he had been since the night prior. He had not slept or for that matter left the seat that he occupied for nearly twelve hours, his attention was intently focused on the information scrolling up the PADD's display, a chronology of what he found to be a most curious institution; the United Federation of Planets.

Formed over two hundred years prior by none other than his own people, the Vulcans along with a handful of other lesser species, the Federation had grown to include over one hundred civilizations, united towards common goals. Never in his life had Setak believed that such a thing was possible, for so many races to be united in peace and work willing together. The idea excited him and repulsed him simultaneously but for all his cynicism he had become completely fascinated by the Federations history and deeds.

Isabel walked into the Lounge and paused just inside. Upon checking her messages, she had found one from the Security department, informing her that Setak had been in the Lounge for an extended period of time. In theory there was nothing wrong with it - she had told him he could look around - but Isabel was still curious as to why he was spending so much time there. As her eyes moved about the room, she spotted him and started making her way over.

Setak didn't notice the captain approaching until she was but a few feet away, it didn't much matter anyway as he was still too enthralled to address her properly. "Starfleet," Setak muttered just loud enough for Isabel to hear before glancing up at her. "The 'peacekeeping' and 'humanitarian' armada of the Federation; I suppose that would be you..."

"You could say that," Isabel said, chuckling slightly. Pointing to one of the chairs, she asked, "May I?"

Setak straightened himself and nodded to the Terran woman, he had never been one for idle chit chat but there was something about Kersare that he found alluring. He would never admit such a thing but he could humor her.

Sitting in the chair opposite Setak, Isabel folded her hands in front of her on the table. "I understand you've been in the Lounge here for quite some time..." Rather than asking a specific question, she decided to leave it more open-ended. A couple tables over she spotted the security guards currently keeping watch on the mirror universe Vulcan.

"Yes well, I've spent much time in isolation." Setak studied Isabel, was it her silent authority that made her stand out? She seemed powerful even if unintentionally. "I've been reading about this reality, about your history... At times I find much of it hard to believe yet... Here we are."

Isabel nodded slowly, "I can understand how it would be difficult to believe considering the universe you came from. I've no doubt things are radically different there. But, as you said, here we are. It's a lot to take in...and you may have some big decisions ahead of you if you're granted asylum."

"I don't belong here," Setak growled as a surge of anger pulsed through him, drawing the attention of the security officers nearby. "I mean to say that I have no place here, no idea where I would begin. Yet I cannot go back, I will not."

"You don't have a specific place just yet, but for one thing you do have medical knowledge. That's certainly a start," Isabel offered quietly, raising her hand slightly to indicate to the security officers that it was alright.

Setak's eyes fell to the PADD in his hand as he remembered his initial line of research from the previous night. After sighing deeply and steadying himself the Vulcan slid the device across the table to the Captain.

Glancing over at Setak first, Isabel's fingertips guided the PADD closer. The information Setak had been looking into was about the Setak of her own universe. The Prime Setak was born in 2315, but died in 2319 of an incurable infection. Only four years old... Part of her wondered what he would have been like if he'd had the chance to grow up. Probably not like the Setak before her now.

"Ironic isn't it?" Setak smirked wryly and gazed out at the stars.

Isabel nodded, "You became a doctor, but the Setak from this universe died of an incurable infection before really have a chance to live his life. You're being given a second chance at life - a chance this universe's Setak didn't get. Maybe this is a sign...a message...that you should make this second chance mean something."

When the Vulcan had originally discovered the fate of his alternate self the night before he had laughed bitterly at what he perceived as a grim humor in the situation. Since he had been captured by Isabel's forces and brought aboard the Malinche he had considered himself a prisoner; he hadn't opened his mind to any other possibility. The Captain was right after all, in forty eight hours he had experienced more liberty than he had since his early days on Trill, arguably more so, and that was as an outsider. What might he accomplish, he wondered, after being incorporated into the changed reality?

"I appreciate your wisdom Captain," Setak began, his voice carrying the first hint of sincerity since he had arrived. "Perhaps I could find a way to use my skills productively here."

"You already have once, Doctor. I don't know if we would have been able to save Ensign Morris without your help," she pointed out. Isabel looked over at him, "I still don't know you very well, Mr. Setak, but I would think that if you put your mind to it, it would certainly be possible for you to use your skills here. That's something you'll have to decide for yourself, but I'm willing to listen or give advice should you wish."

Setak nodded slowly as he considered Isabel's words then rose from his seat and glanced at the guards, "I'll give it more serious thought Captain. I should rest, if you will excuse me."

OFF:
A JP brought to you by:

Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

ON: <<USS Malinche, Brig, Day 15, 1230>

"So..." Amer said with a little bit of a pause. "I guess you are wondering why I was left to die?"

Isabel stood silently, watching the Bajoran prisoner. Thus far she hadn't said anything and for the time being, she decided to just let the Glinn say what he would. Part of her wondered what kind of connection, if any, there was between Setak and Amer.

He paced in the cell with an annoyed tone. "I think it was decided that the operation was a failure. In all honesty your ship was decidedly more formidable than any Terrans I have come against. I wish I could tell you if there will be a reprisal but the computer was shut down and wiped when they extracted the crew. Did the self destruct detonate? I am uncertain if it was operational."

"Yes, the self destruct detonated shortly after we beamed you aboard. Thus far there's been no sign of any other mirror universe vessels, but it's not been that long," Isabel replied, breaking her silence. "Why leave you but take the entire rest of the crew?"

He sighed. "That... is a long and complicated story."

Isabel was certainly curious as to the explanation....Not only had Amer been left behind, but Setak had been left behind previously. The two incidences might be related, or they might not. "I have time; I'd like to hear it."

"Because they found out who I really was." He said flatly. "I was once known as Roen Amer of the Maquis in this 'universe' but when the Cardassians captured me, it was concentration camps or become a guinea pig. I was chosen to bridge into the Mirror in a covert reconnaissance operation but defected to the authority on that side when the chance arose. Better to fight on the winning side in another war than fight against your comrades."

Raising an eyebrow, Isabel listened quietly. "How long ago were you sent into the Mirror Universe? Were others with you as well? And how did you get there?" Even more questions were circling through her mind, but she had to keep her thoughts in check so that Amer would have a chance to respond.

He sighed and paced the cell. "To be honest I really forget what date it was. The remainder of the four of us either blended into the other universe's society or were killed in battle. We decided that contact was detrimental to our well beings." He turned as he paused, then made brief eye contact with the captain. "Fate would have it that the ship I commanded would get sent on a covert operation to the badlands rift along with the others. The details were kept secret even from the captains of the senior ship until we were almost on target."

Isabel considered what Amer was telling her. It was quite a story; that was for sure. "How do you think they found out who you really are? Do you have any way to verify your story?" It all seemed rather incredible to her...

"I understand if you do not trust this explanation, but I would appreciate if you did. I have little to lose at this point by coming clean."

Frowning slightly, she watched Amer. Perhaps he didn't have much reason to lie to her, but she still wasn't convinced she could trust him. Especially when he failed to answer some of her questions. "I'm sure you can understand why I would be skeptical... Besides, you're avoiding some of my questions, which doesn't exactly help your case."

"I can also offer as a token of favor a few secrets about the Mirror fleet ships that may help you in exchange for some leniency."

"Ultimately, the amount of leniency you do or do not receive will be up to StarFleet Admiralty, not me. I can pass on whatever information you have to them before we arrive at Starbase 422 so that they're aware of your cooperation," Isabel offered. "However, until we arrive you'll have to remain in the Brig. I can't simply ignore the fact that you were in command of one of the Mirror Universe ships and that you fired upon my own vessel."

He nodded, then paced to the back of the cell. "An understandable response." Their conversation was interrupted by a comm badge beep.

"Roen to Captain Kersare." The shuttle bay manager had a nagging feeling in her mind.

Isabel tapped her comm badge, glancing over at Amer. "This is Kersare, go ahead." She was curious as to what Anara needed and was wondering what was going through Amer's mind as well.

The captive Bajoran raised an eyebrow at the sound of a Roen. He crossed his arms in curiosity.

"Captain, if I may be so bold..." Anara said as she stood outside the closed brig door. It was her militia training that held her back from entering without clearance. "I think I have some helpful knowledge on this situation."

Although Anara hadn't exactly specified what she meant - it could deal with any number of things - Isabel was fairly certain that the Shuttlebay Manager was referring to Amer. However, two thoughts crossed her mind. One was that she didn't want to make assumptions and the other was that Anara's presence would affect the conversation she was having with Amer - for good or bad she wasn't sure. "Meet me in my ready room in fifteen minutes, Ms. Roen; we can discuss it further then."

"Another Roen?" Amer smirked. "A rare name by my experience, rare indeed. I would venture she is from Kendra."

Isabel looked over at Amer, "If you'll excuse me, Mr. Roen..." For now she saw no reason to confirm or deny anything - better to let him sit and think it over while she was gone. It might even make him more open to sharing if he was really that interested in finding out more. Regardless, Isabel needed to hear what Anara had to say.

He nodded with a calm smile. "I will be here when you want to talk some more, Captain."

"I suppose that will partly depend on how much more you're willing to share," Isabel replied. That and what she found out from Anara. "If you think of something important, let the Brig officer on duty know and they'll inform me." She gave him a final nod before heading out the door.

A Jp by

Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Roen Amer/Roen Anara played by

<USS Malinche, Engineering, Day 15, 1000 hrs>

"L'Randil, did you get those calibrations?" The engineering officer asked as he approached the caitian. The ensign turned to face him, lowering her hand to her Padd.

"Yes, Sir." She replied, taking it out. "The dorsal couplings are now within limits. I had to adjust a couple aspects for them to lock properly though."

"But that system has been finished for a week. Why the adjustments now?" The senior said in surprise.

"Permission to speak freely, Sir."

"Always."

"Because I know the previous job was not as good as it could be. That bothers me. I have standards, why do these other engineers not?"

"We are working on that, L'Randil. Just keep doing what you do so well and something more might develop. That is an unofficial hint."

"Understood" She replied with a smirk. "I think. The shuttle calibrations should be checked soon."

"Sounds good. Get to it then." He said with a slight nod. The caitian nodded back and turned to the door. A couple weeks prior, the ensign wouldn't have imagined her duties to be this closely tied to the major ship operations. It was beginning to get her attention though.

As a shuttle tech she had received recognition numerous times in her short career, but breaking out to the larger world of the ship's operation was easier than she expected. In reality it was not so much a leap as an extension of her determination and skills. Dealing with people was perhaps the largest point of learning as the young engineer could be more blunt than most officers.

Stepping into the shuttle bay was in some ways like going home, but she was increasingly feeling the small size of it the longer she stayed out. Since L'Randil was the senior shuttle tech, she still maintained duty as the crew chief on inspections and repairs. A couple of her colleagues were still on duty and waved when she walked in. Apparently Chief Roen was not in, A fact that surprised everyone. Not necessarily a negative one.

"Mertz, How is the sensor array coming..."

ON: <<Ready Room, Day 15, 1310>>

After leaving the Brig, Isabel had purposefully taken a longer route back to her Ready Room. She had the meeting scheduled with Anara, but wanted to give herself a chance to digest what Amer had told her. Isabel had already felt a bit cooped up in her ready room, which was partly why she'd gone to the brig to see Amer in the first place, so the additional walking time was all the more appreciated. Now, having reached her Ready Room, Isabel was about to sit when she heard the door chime. "Enter."

Anara entered the room nervously yet calm on the outside. Even though she conveyed a generally rough and blunt demeanor, the Warrant was becoming less sure of herself through the recent developments. She stood at attention with her hands behind her back and said a simple "Captain."

"Good afternoon. Please have a seat," Isabel said, motioning to the chairs in front of her as she took a seat as well. "I believe you wanted to speak with me?"

Anara looked at the captain and paused before taking the seat. "I understand that we have the Glinn Roen in custody."

Isabel nodded, "He was transported aboard the Malinche before his ship was self-destructed. He's been in the Brig since then." She watched her Shuttlebay Manager closely; obviously this was, at least on some levels, a rather personal matter. Either he was Anara's brother or he was the Mirror Universe equivalent of her brother.

"I am sure you expect my desire to see him in person, though it is not entirely for personal reasons."

"No?" Isabel raised an eyebrow slightly. To an extent she suspected there could be other reasons, though she couldn't speculate on what exactly those might be. For now though, she wasn't entirely sure it'd be a good idea to have the two meet... At the least, Isabel wanted to discuss it with Nora and perhaps make sure that she could be present.

"The Prophets gave me those visions for the reasons of aiding our tactical position, that I am sure." She paused. "I think that may have been the last degree that made it possible to succeed."

Isabel paused to consider what Anara said before answering. "That could be. Could the Prophets also have some insight into Glinn Roen?" At this point, she wasn't going to discount any potential help they might receive in figuring things out.

"Perhaps," Anara replied."But I have not been getting the same clarity of answer when it comes to his identity. The longer I go the more it nags me."

"Understandable. It is an important question that will need to be answered. We might be able to run some tests to help verify who he is. We're somewhat limited in what we can do; StarFleet may need to investigate further once we arrive at Starbase 422," Isabel explained. Honestly, she would rather know sooner than later, but considering the condition of the ship and everything else going on, she wasn't sure if it would be possible.

After a brief pause to try to interpret the appropriateness of it, the Bajoran asked. "Have we had any more contacts with the Mirror ships?" She hoped the answer was no, but she was not in the tactical crew to know right away.

Isabel shook her head, "No, we haven't picked up a trace of any additional Mirror Universe vessels since our last encounter." For the Malinche's sake, as well as the crew, she certainly hoped that would continue to be the case. The Malinche was a tough ship, but being stuck in three fairly damaged pieces wasn't exactly promising.

The Warrant maintained eye contact throughout what the Captain said, but then her thoughts were distracted heavily. She wanted to have the answers to why her visions were leaving her at a loss as of late. For the hardened soldier it was a stretch to embrace the Prophet's help and an honor at the same time. Roen wondered if it was something she did or didn't do or if it was just the next stage of the process.

A few moments passed after Isabel's words with no response from Anara. Frowning ever so slightly, she wondered what was going through the Bajoran's mind. "Is there anything you'd like to talk about? Any questions or concerns? Something I can help with?" Isabel wondered if it might be a good idea to have Nora stop down and have a chat with Anara...the Shuttlebay Manager was certainly having to deal with quite a lot.

Anara stared for a moment at an object on the desk before she realized the captain was waiting for a response. "Oh..." She stammered, "My...I'm...Sorry, Ma'am. I guess so." The bajoran was lost as to what to say but hoped that was the appropriate answer.

"You guess so?" Isabel queried, looking at the Bajoran before her with concern. While she didn't expect anyone to be in top form considering what they'd been through, this sort of behavior was troubling. Particularly when Isabel had never seen Anara in the state she was now in. "Are you alright?"

She nodded silently with a worried expression. "I think I need a counselor...or a Kai." To admit to a counselor was even more of a stretch than simply opening up to her superior.

Taking a quiet, yet deep breath, Isabel nodded as well, "There aren't any Kai on board, but I'm sure Lieutenant Zeral or any other member of the counseling department would be glad to speak with you. Perhaps you should contact her, Ms. Roen."

Anara sighed. Her mental focus was still hovering between the captain in the room and the thoughts the Prophets were conveying. She shook her head, then stood up, blinking slowly. "Captain, I should excuse myself. I...feel like they are telling me something I can't handle. Is Counselor Zeral on duty?"

Isabel nodded, standing as she kept an eye on Anara, "Yes, she should be in the Counseling Suite. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help in whatever ways she can. I could let her know you're on your way as well."

"Please do. I would appreciate it." Anara said, straightening to attention.

"Of course," Isabel replied, lightly placing the fingertips of one hand on the edge of her desk. "If there's anything else I can do, or you find out more, please let me know."

"I am sorry to have taken your time for this confusion." The Bajoran said with a disappointed tension, slowly turning to leave the room.

With a gentle smile, Isabel shook her head slightly, "No need to apologize, Ms. Roen. It's what I'm here for." She stood silently, watching as her Shuttlebay Manager left the room. Sighing slightly as a concerned frown crossed her face, Isabel tapped her comm badge to contact Nora.

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Roen Anara
Shuttlebay Manager
played by: Ens N'rass

and

ON:
<<Counselors office, Day 15, 1440>>

Anara walked through the corridor with an almost glazed over expression as she mulled over what was in her mind a highly embarrassing moment with the captain. Perhaps it was not in reality but it was how she saw it in her rigid perspective.

The confusion she was experiencing was getting to be too much to handle, so she was glad the captain made the call to Nora for her. Arriving at the counselor's door, she hit the door chime and waited for a response with one hand on the door frame, resting her head on the wall next to it.

Alone in her office, Nora was absorbed in reading a PADD when the door chime sounded. It had been unusually quiet in Counseling the last day or so, but she had been informed of Anara's arrival in advance by Captain Kersare and so was ready for her. “Come in,” she called, leaving her chair to greet her visitor.

The bajoran came into the room with a blank yet sullen expression. After a moment, she brought her gaze up to make eye contact.

"I have a feeling the Prophets are telling me something deeper than I can handle. Am I crazy?" Anara paced slowly with some corresponding hand motions. "We always talk about the Prophet's will and prompting, but why is this so hard and confusing?"

Furrowing her brow, Nora watched the Bajoran as she paced for a moment. She could easily sense her disquiet and frustration. “No, I don’t think you’re crazy,” she said sincerely. Although one could never tell when a religious or spiritual experience was brought into question, for they were often both hard and confusing, as Anara had said, there was absolutely no reason to be skeptical when addressing the matter.

“Please, have a seat, Anara.” Nora returned to her chair as well, eager to learn more about what she was experiencing. “Why don’t you start at the beginning? You said that you think the Prophets are trying to tell you something?”

Anara nodded as she sat down and sighed. "That is a long story." She paused while she thought of how to start. "I have always considered myself to be religious and devoted to living a Prophet pleasing life. That said, I have never really "heard" from them directly in the sense of visions and speech until recently."

Nora carefully folded her hands in her lap, considering the Bajoran’s words. “Do you remember when exactly this contact began?”

"The visions and contacts started right before we made the first contact with the Mirror Universe vessels in the form of a third party view of their bridge. I was prepared to dismiss it until it was proven true shortly thereafter. Then they began coming sequentially, each being confirmed by an event afterward."

“I see,” Nora murmured, fascinated by Roen’s account. Isabel had given her an abbreviated version of the events Anara was describing, but hearing them from a first person account was all the more intriguing. It was also, admittedly, all the more puzzling. “Have you had the opportunity to contact a Kai to tell them about your visions?” While Nora was familiar with Bajoran religious beliefs and spirituality, she felt that a Kai might be able to better make sense of what Anara was experiencing.

Roen shook her head. "I thought at one point I could use a holographic temple simulation for a sounding board. I did not program a Veddic or a Kai into it and yet when I meditated on it I found a Kai appearing to me in the flesh."

Nora raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise. It sounded like what she had experienced was a profound religious experience indeed. “Can you tell me what this Kai told you, or how they advised you?”

The bajoran thought for a moment. "She was not there for very long but she did say that this was for my growth as well as protection. This seems to be holding true, but the growth is something I have yet to fully understand."

The counselor nodded in understanding. “Aspects of personal growth aren’t always easy to understand, at least in my experience. It often takes time to gain a little clarity, at any rate.” Nora was a little concerned at the Kai’s assurance that the visions were for Roen’s protection. She couldn’t help but wonder what the Bajoran needed protection from.

"The most recent vision was a little disturbing. For the most part they have been events related to the ship but this time it was a scene that looked like a Cardassian mining facility."

That didn't sound like a very pleasant setting at all. Frowning, Nora queried, “What did you see in that particular vision?”

"The scene has my brother, Amer Roen confronted by a person who looks almost identical but in a different uniform. They talk a while about something but I can't hear, then the one shoots the other with a disruptor." She paused with a tense emotion to try to regain control. "What I don't know is if this is a premonition or a glimpse into the past."

Anara was right; it was, in Nora’s opinion, a very disturbing vision indeed. And since one of their guests from the Mirror Universe was claiming to be Roen’s brother, as Nora understood it, it made the situation all the more difficult. “When was the last time you saw your brother, before you started experiencing these visions?”

"Actually I never have in person." Anara rolled her eyes slightly. "He was declared MIA or dead in the Bajor/Cardassia war in an internment camp. All I know of him is from pictures and videos."

“I see,” Nora said, idly drumming her fingers on the armrests of her chair. “That does complicate matters.” The matter was complicated to begin with, but it would have been slightly less convoluted if Roen knew something of her real brother.

"It would seem to imply that unless something happened that we really don't know about, he was killed in that scene. The problem is that the body was never accounted for, so it could be at any point in time."

“What I’m curious to know is how the mirror versions of your brother came into contact with one another,” the Betazoid sighed. “What are your impressions of the Roen Amer that is currently aboard the Malinche?”

Anara Sighed. "Disappointed." She said dejectedly. "He had the same tactics and tenacity that my brother had, but his demeanor and ethics seem different. It..." She paused.

At Anara’s hesitancy, Nora gave an encouraging smile. “Yes? Whatever other impressions you have, I’d like to hear them. I suspect that you, of all people, will have the best insight into our guest. And with these visions you’ve been experiencing, you might understand more about him than you think.”

She nodded intently. "It's almost as if this was shown to confirm to me that this Amer is not my brother!" The bajoran said in a moment of realization. "I knew it wasn't him but I have to make sure the captain knows that too. If he is cunning enough to have mastered the Amer of this universe's tactics, he may be able to pose as him as well."

Nora’s smile grew. It was clear that Anara had made a breakthrough, and she trusted the Bajoran’s instincts. “I might be able to help confirm your suspicions if I meet Amer in person at some point. You may be right about his cunning, but I could try to use my telepathic abilities to confirm whether he’s lying or not.”

"That would be good, I suppose." Anara said as she attempted to think of ways that he could be distinguished from the counterfeit. "I would assume if there was an intent to impersonate he would have copied the tattoos the Cardies would have given to identify Maquis pilots that had been captured."

“I think that would likely be the case,” Nora agreed. Whatever his reasons were for doing so, she was sure that the imposter Amer would have been quite thorough in his attempt to assume his counterpart’s life and identity.

Then Roen had a thought. "Kilare." She blurted. "I our family farm outside Kendra before the war. It was destroyed at the outset of the conflict before I was born. They never rebuilt. If he has either no knowledge of it or he claims it is still there, he is lying because he was eighteen at the time."

“Excellent, Anara,” the counselor said, nodding. That piece of information could very well be used to catch the man in his own web of lies, if he was indeed an imposter. "Anything else that you can think of?"

Anara placed her head on a hand in thought for a while. The scenario of defining the differences of imposters was a real mind bender to say the least. "Perhaps...yes... what about hypnosis? If he is the Maquis Amer he would come clean and if he wasn't he would come right out with it. I remember that was an interrogation tactic they would sometimes use in his unit."

"That’s another possibility, if nothing else works.” Nora was not particularly familiar with hypnosis herself, but she knew that it was a proven technique in certain scenarios. “I imagine that Captain Kersare would like to be apprised of all of this before any more action is taken regarding Amer," she said thoughtfully. "Would you like to contact her, or would you prefer that I do?"

"As much as I would like to see this myself, you should probably be the one to do it."

“Very well then, I’ll speak with her right away,” Nora promised, rising from her chair. “Thank you for coming to speak with me, Anara. I hope that I’ve been helpful in some way.”

Roen nodded. The counsellor did not say much but she must have been enough for it to help. "You have. This has been a... an experience to say the least." She stood up and straightened her uniform sharply. "We may have to do this a little more regularly if this continues."

“That can certainly be arranged,” Nora readily agreed. “Once this…unpleasant business is over, I hope that you won’t have any more disturbing visions.” Escorting Anara to the door, Nora bid her farewell, promising to keep her informed on how the situation with Amer unfolded. After the Bajoran had left, the counselor immediately tapped her comm badge. “Zeral to Kersare. Do you have a moment?”

OFF: Tag Kersare!

This has been a JP by:

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Roen Anara
Shuttlebay Manager
played by: Ens N'rass

and

OFF: First section is from JP between N'rass & Zeral.

ON:

After the Bajoran had left, the counselor immediately tapped her comm badge. “Zeral to Kersare. Do you have a moment?”

<<USS Malinche, Bridge, Day 15, 1530>>

Isabel paused near the back of the bridge and tapped her comm badge, "Absolutely, Lieutenant, I'll stop over now. Kersare out." She couldn't be entirely sure, but perhaps Nora had spoken with Anara and wanted to update her on what had happened. At the very least Anara had gone down. Nodding to the senior officer on the bridge, indicating he should take over, Isabel started off towards the Counseling Suite.

<Counseling Suite>

Shortly thereafter, Isabel walked through the doors to the Counseling Suite and saw Nora waiting for her. She stepped forward, allowing the doors to close and said, "You wanted to see me? Is this about Ms. Roen?"

“It is,” Nora affirmed, and invited Isabel to follow her into her office. Once they were settled there, she began to fill Isabel in on parts of her session with Anara, including their discussion of the Bajoran’s visions and her new realizations about the man claiming to be her brother. “So it would seem that Anara is now almost positive that our guest from the Mirror Universe is not her real brother. She also had a few ideas as to how we can find out for sure, such as asking him certain questions that only the Amer Roen from this universe would know the answer to.”

Nodding slowly, Isabel replied, "That should certainly help us determine which Amer it is. I'm sure he's quite practiced at lying, but if he isn't from our Universe, he shouldn't have the proper information to go on, unless he's somehow able to guess it. Do you think that's possible, or are the questions sufficient enough that the probability of that is low?" However unlikely it might seem, she had seen and heard of stranger things.

Nora had been wondering the same thing herself. It was difficult for her to tell, considering she hadn't met Amer in person. However, after speaking both with Isabel and Anara, she was beginning to form a fair picture of the sort of person they were dealing with. “It's very likely that he's well prepared for most of the questions we'd have for him, in my opinion. However, I think that if we're careful enough, Anara's suggested questions might be sufficient enough to give us a fair chance at beating him at his own game, if he really isn’t who he says he is.

"And if it would be possible," Nora continued, "I was wondering if you might allow me to speak with him myself, or at least accompany you when you speak with him again. My senses might be able to help determine the veracity of his story.” The Betazoids’ Code of Sentience forbade her from reading his thoughts outright, but she had often found that her empathic senses could uncover a great deal about a person and their intent. Her ability was not as black and white as some people believed; there were many who were skilled at cloaking their emotions. Still, Nora thought that it might be worth a try.

"I absolutely want you there," Isabel confirmed quickly. "Perhaps between the questions and your abilities we'll be able to sort through this mess as quickly and painlessly as possible. I want to be able to tell StarFleet which Amer this is when we arrive at the Starbase. Is there anything I can do to help?"

“I hope that by interviewing him together we’ll be able to uncover the truth,” Nora said by way of an answer. “The idea of someone from the Mirror Universe trying to pass themselves off as a native of our own universe is unsettling, to say the least. I imagine that he’s hoping to be treated more leniently, but I can’t help but fear that he might have something more, I don’t know, sinister in mind.”

Isabel nodded, "Unsettling is one word for it... And if he is from the Mirror Universe, I certainly wouldn't put it past him to have some plot formed in his head or perhaps even some kind of 'mission' to complete for the Alliance. I think the best case scenario is that he's simply hoping to be treated leniently, but I seriously doubt that's the case. When would you like to go talk to him?"

“Whenever you’re ready, Captain,” Nora replied determinedly. She was eager to see the mystery solved as soon as possible. “I took a moment to refresh myself on the Kendra province and the events at the onset of the war there before you arrived. My hope is that if he is lying, he will falter in his story when we talk about his life on Bajor. Unless he has somehow gained a more thorough knowledge about his counterpart’s early life and home than we suspect, Anara felt that that would be the best place to start. For my part, I'm inclined to agree.”

"Good," Isabel responded, glancing off to the side as she gathered her thoughts. "Let's go talk to him now, then. I'd rather find out sooner rather than later, and it'll give him less time to concoct a story...though I'm sure he already has something thought up." Standing, she paused to wait for her friend.

“That's a good idea,” Nora agreed, rising as well. She was as ready as she would ever be, even though there had not been much time to prepare. Isabel was right—they didn’t want to give the man any more time to come up with a falsified story. “With a little skill and luck, I hope we’ll have this resolved soon,” she said with a small sigh as she reached Isabel’s side. “Lead on, Captain.”

OFF:

A JP by:

Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and 

<USS Malinche Brig, Day 15, 1520>

Amer (PNPC) paced the cell slowly as he waited for the Captain or whatever person she would send to test his mettle. Part of the bajoran wanted the challenge and part was apprehensive. He knew the captain's level of trust was low, as it well should be.

In order for him to gain the favor and trust of the ship's leader and eventually Starfleet intelligence he knew it would take a lot of work. There was a lot at stake if he failed but he also figured there wasn't much to come back to for the Mirror fleet if the cruiser was still around.

Eventually the silence was broken by Isabel and Nora entering the room. When he saw them he walked up to the aperture of the cell with a smirk. "I suppose this ship is operated by a woman crew? I have yet to see a man in a command role." His sarcasm was evident, even though part in jest. "I see you brought a Betazoid along, Captain. An equally attractive one at that."

"How charming," Nora said under her breath, for Isabel's ears only. It would be interesting to see how he responded to having a Betazoid in his presence. Betazoids were few and far between in the Mirror Universe, and, as far as she understood, not readily trusted there. With a calm and neutral expression, she stepped forward to introduce herself to the Bajoran. "Glinn Roen, I'm Lieutenant Nora Zeral, the Malinche's Chief Counselor. As you've probably already guessed, I was hoping to ask you a few questions, just to see if I can help sort some of this out."

Not particularly impressed with Amer's greeting, Isabel briefly met Nora's eyes at her whispered comment. She stayed where she was, letting Nora take the lead. At her last encounter with Amer she'd heard his claims, now it was time for her Counselor to see what she could make of them.

He raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly. His smirk was subtle but he made little attempt to hide it. "I gather, then that you feel you can perceive truth? I assure you that the truth is often not as clear as we would like it to be." Amer crossed his arms in front of him and maintained a calm eye contact with Nora.

Glinn Roen was certainly confident, Nora noted. “The truth is ultimately what we are looking for,” she said calmly, sidestepping the topic of her empathy. She decided that she would rather avoid the topic altogether, if possible. Her telepathic abilities were not the only possible advantages she had in this situation, not after her meeting with Anara. “I understand that you claim to be from our universe originally. Is that correct?”

He nodded. "Indeed. It has been a long time but yes I am native to this one." His direct eye contact, he hoped would unnerve the betazoid slightly. His attempts to keep his thoughts focused and clear were mostly successful, though he was not sure if she could perceive his thought process.

Nora could well sense his focus and control. He was incredibly disciplined, keeping his emotions in check and revealing little to her that indicated whether he was being truthful or not. She would not give up her empathic vigil, however. The more they interacted, the more she hoped to be able to discern, particularly if his control slipped. “That’s quite fascinating. How long ago did you cross over, if you can remember?” She met his keen gaze steadily, determined not to be intimidated by the man.

He smirked. "Time is such a relative term when you factor in prison camps and covert operations. It is so hard to pin a span to the crossover. It felt like an eternity in the camp before they forced me into the role of being one of the test subjects. Damned if you do or don't. Stay and be a mule for the enemy or go and at least try something outside the Cardies. Seemed easy enough to decide." He paced a slow lap of the cell with an occasional hand motion. "What they did not warn us about was that this was a 'Mirror' universe in every sense. The worst outcome was to run into one's own counterpart."

Isabel watched the interaction between Nora and Amer closely. Both were focusing quite intently on the conversation, as far as she could tell. Of course, there was a lot at stake. Listening closely, she frowned ever so slightly at Amer's explanation. It seemed odd to her that he and the other Maquis wouldn't have at least attempted some form of escape before resorting to being sent to the Mirror Universe.

Nora nodded slowly. “I would imagine that would be a very problematic situation,” she said diplomatically. One of the visions Anara had described came to mind. In it, the Bajoran had seen two versions of her brother, with one of them killing the other. She had an idea of how that could have come about, but she wanted to hear from Amer if and how such a scenario might have unfolded. “And did you ever come into contact with your counterpart?”

Amer sighed. "I tried to avoid contact with my alter self but it didn't work so well. Unfortunately my unit of Maquis pilots was found by my mirror self. If I didn't act he would have put us in prison or executed us over there." He began to smile inwardly as his crafted and adapted story rolled out. "What's worse than being in a Cardie camp? Being in a Cardie camp nobody can get to."

"How did you try to avoid contact with your supposed alter self? Were you given information previously that would have indicated a way to do so?" Isabel glanced over at Nora before focusing her attention solely on Amer. She still wasn't buying his story, but perhaps if he kept talking, it would give them more insight. And they still had the questions to ask.

This was the point where it would start getting creative. "Actually no." He replied. "We were given very little information as little was known at that point. Alliances, federations and other such governmental structures were all undiscovered until we got there. We had to look over our shoulders very closely for a long time."

Instinctively, Nora did not trust him. He spoke smoothly, and he seemed adept at telling a believable story, but she could sense that something was not quite right. There was still the chance that he was who he said he was and was only trying to hide something else from them, but the Betazoid was becoming more and more convinced that he was weaving a complex lie concerning his identity.

"We made it a few months before our unit was identified and pursued by the authorities. I was able to overcome my counterpart when he separated from his crew and assumed his identity." He sighed as he paused. "Part of me regrets having to kill him, but we do what we have to in order to survive. My unit mates were not so lucky. As I rose in ranks to the level of clearance to find what happened to them I found little information on them. It was likely a coverup by intelligence."

"So you were separated from the others with you? They weren't close enough that you could have taken them into custody in your assumed identity?" Isabel frowned slighty as she watched the Bajoran. His story just didn't add up to her.

"I presume the Alliance interrogated them as hard as they could have to get the technical information of the mission. Needless to say when the mission to come back here came up I took it. Risky or not." Amer's heart rate was elevated a little as he said it, but story telling was a bit of a talent to the Bajoran.

All during Isabel and Amer’s interaction, Nora continued to carefully evaluate Amer empathically. Amer was growing nervous, that much was clear to her. He was careful to hide it, and it seemed that every time the Betazoid thought she had picked up on something tangible, it was immediately gone again. Careful or not, however, she felt confident that he was beginning to slip.

Isabel studied Amer a few moments before saying, "I find this all very hard to believe. First off, I don't see why the Cardassians would've trusted you and the other Maquis enough to send you to the Mirror Universe...expecting you to do exactly what they wanted and then return - assuming you could. I also find it odd that you wouldn't have tried to escape before resorting to complying. And besides all that, there is absolutely no one that can verify your story. So, in my mind, we still have some things to clear up." Time to ask him the questions... she looked over at Nora, "Lieutenant?"

Amer studied the pair for cues of how to tailor the line of thought. Eventually he continued. "I couldn't have done anything to save them without blowing my cover. But yes, we had little intent on doing the bidding of the Cardassians. Our controller was easily dealt with, so yes you are right Captain. Ask away." He stood back with arms crossed and scanned the pair to see who would ask first, barely blinking at all.

Taking Isabel’s cue, Nora remained calm and collected as she addressed Amer again, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly. “I’m interested to hear something of your life before you crossed over to the Mirror Universe, Glinn Roen. I presume that you were born on Bajor?”

He smirked and relaxed a little. The topic was getting back into the memorized portion. "Yes. Kendra province as most of the Roens are. It was a quiet place before the war. I often wish to go back there in it's peaceful days. Cardassia in this universe or the Alliance in the other, both have removed that from it."

“That’s very sad,” Nora said sincerely. Now that Amer was once again feeling more relaxed, as she perceived, it was possible that any overconfidence on his part would lead him to take a misstep. The counselor was almost counting on it. “You must have missed your home very much. Did you live there for long before the war?”

"Until I joined the resistance." He replied. "It hurt me to leave it, but duty is what it is. Someday perhaps I will get to visit there again." The details at this point had progressed toward imagination, so he hoped they would not be as informed.

Nora showed no reaction to his statement except for a soft, understanding smile that she hoped would only put him at ease. If she wasn’t certain before, she was certain now—this was not their universe’s Amer Roen. If some of the impressions she’d been receiving hadn’t been enough, he’d all but given himself away by suggesting that he might visit his home again. Anara had informed her beforehand that their family’s farm had been destroyed at the onset of the war when her brother had only been eighteen. If he were truly her long-lost brother, he would have known that he had no home to go home to.

“You’re lucky to have a home to go home to.” Nora said, perpetuating the ruse a moment longer to see if he faltered any further. “Not all Bajorans were so fortunate after the war.” She glanced momentarily at Isabel, wondering if she had also come to the same firm conclusion that their guest was not who he had claimed to be.

"Indeed." He replied. "That is a period of history few would like to remember." The glances from the two women gave him a slightly subtle cue that they were not on board with it. Committed to the end, he paused and placed a hand on his chin with an arm crossed under it. He tried his best to limit his thoughts about it to focus only on what they would ask. "Do you interrogate all prisoners this way? Sure beats an Alliance cell." He joked.

Isabel gave Nora a nod, seemingly to agree with her, but really acknowledging that she understood before turning back to Amer, "Not all prisoners are interrogated this way, I assure you. Some of my former Chief Intelligence Officers had...interesting methods of interrogation. I didn't usually get to witness those, of course, but they certainly got results." Looking back over at Nora, Isabel asked, "Do you have some more questions for Mr. Roen?" Though they seemingly had the answers they wanted, it would likely be good to keep up the ruse just a bit longer to make him feel a bit more comfortable about his position.

“I am curious about one thing,” Nora replied, turning her attention back on Roen. She thought that it was time to introduce a question or two about Anara into the mix. “Do you intend to reestablish ties with your sister? You have been away for a very long time, and that will surely have affected your relationship. What are your intentions there?”

He raised an eyebrow slightly. In the course of coercing information out of his counterpart he never encountered anything about a sister. "If I have a sister it would be a pleasant revelation. Nevertheless I feel you know more of me than I do of you." He paused in thought, then rerouted to the tactical story. "I need you to realize I am attempting to rejoin my native side of this conflict."


Nora nodded. “If you are the Amer Roen of our universe, you do have a sister. And depending on the outcome of your meeting with the Admiralty, I could perhaps arrange for the two of you to meet.” She wasn’t sure if Anara would wish to meet him, brother or not, but she was willing to make the effort on her behalf all the same. “I think that’s all that I have for now, Glinn Roen. Thank you for answering my questions.”

He nodded with a hint of sarcastic candor. The meeting had not fared as easily as he had hoped. The Terrans impressed him for being informed and shrewd, far more than he originally gave them credit. Anara's existence was intriguing and alarming at the same time. Both his Mirror side and his Prime cover were interested in finding more. His mind began to mull the prospects of how such an encounter could influence his situation. Knowing about his background decades later could only have been from her.

Noting Amer's silence, Isabel added, "If we have anything else, we'll stop back. Otherwise, we'll be at the Starbase soon and I imagine StarFleet will have some other questions for you there." She paused slightly before heading for the door. Somehow Isabel got the feeling that the visit had given the Bajoran much to think about.

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Glinn Roen Amer
played by: Ensign N'rass

and

Lieutenant Commander Nora Zeral
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and