September 4th 2404

USS Elizabeth NCC-80975

Deep space

Tucker looked out of the viewscreen, as the USS Cerberus went to warp. They were investigating reports that the Starfighter Corps had information on the Fen Domar. Meanwhile the Elizabeth had been assigned to investigate a spatial rift, believed to be a void between two universes.

"Space. Time. Universe. Exactly how many things this void distorts is incredible…" Tucker's voice trailed off as he read the reports.

"What do you believe resides within?" T'Pol asked. Succeeding Spock, T'Pol had been assigned as Ambassador to Vulcan and allowed to serve as diplomatic officer on the USS Elizabeth.

"Me or Starfleet?" Tucker asked for clarification.

"Both." T'Pol replied truthfully.

"Starfleet Security fears it's the Mirror Universe, but the temporal element throws that into question…I wouldn't wanna be out here and have a Terran Empire timeship emerge." Tucker laughed at the grim concept. "Me though? I'm unsure remember the Daedalus universe?" T'Pol nodded. "It took a while for me to click to that, the change in the message I wrote in the book given to Victor Brodesser, was the turning point. Subtle differences are so confusing." Tucker frowned.

"I remember. You saved all of us." T'Pol said, clearly acting to comfort Tucker.

"Admiral Tucker to the bridge." Came the voice of Tucker's XO Commander Forneus Nox over the com.

Tucker and T'Pol exited the ready room and stepped onto the bridge. Tucker sat in his chair, positioned in the exact centre of the bridge, T'Pol was to his left, Nox to his right.

"Report." Tucker ordered.

"We're holding position at the mouth of the distortion Sir." Ensign Shran said. Seated on Shran's left hand side was the ship's operations officer, a Betazoid, and a creepily silent one too.

The bridge design was based on that of a Sovereign class starship, although the configuration of the consoles themselves differed tremendously.

"Full scan Mister Zaran." Tucker ordered the Betazoid.

"Aye Sir." He replied in a soft yet deep voice.

"Admiral…" Lieutenant Commander Tim Danson, the ship's tactical officer said, from the station behind Commander Nox. "A ship's emerging, but if this is right then…"

"Admiral!" Shran cut off Commander Danson.

Through the viewscreen the sight of a Constitution class ship gripped everyone in silence.

"Identify." Tucker ordered.

Lieutenant Zaran punched in the appropriate controls, then paused. "NCC-1764, USS Defiant. Sir, she's from our universe."

"She must have got lost in another, see if you can…" A beeping stopped Tucker mid sentence.

"We are being hailed Sir." Commander Danson reported.

"On screen." Tucker nodded, before leaning back in his chair.

The screen was filled with the – at first frowning in anger but then frowning in confusion – face of Charles Tucker, the only difference was a disfiguring scar down the left side of his face.

He, like his crew were dressed in twenty-third century Starfleet uniforms. Tucker's was gold, and featured the captain rank wrist stripes. The only other NX-01 crew member that could be seen was Travis Mayweather, who sat at the tactical station, dressed in a red uniform, displaying the stripes of an officer at the rank of lieutenant commander.

"This is Captain Charles Tucker of the Terran Empire; you will surrender your technologies and yourselves to us by the authority of Empress Sato." The deformed CO barked.

"In case you haven't noticed, you're up against a ship one hundred and fifty years more advanced than yours, and a crew with training two hundred years more advanced than yours." Tucker was being as aggressive as his Mirror counterpart

"Surrender! Now!" Mirror Tucker growled. Admiral Tucker paused for a moment, he knew in the Mirror Universe's 2404, Intendent Charles Anthony Tucker III was CO of the ISS Cerberus. He looked down at the sensor link on his command chair and saw the USS Defiant had travelled from the Mirror-2161.

I can't kill him. Damn! Tucker thought to himself. Think fast Charles. He told himself. "So…Hoshi became Empress huh?"

"What?!" Mirror Tucker snapped. Partially out of surprise.

"Hoshi, you called her 'Empress Sato'?"

"I heard you."

"Then why'd you say what?"

"You're stalling!" Mirror Tucker accused.

No shit.

"Close the channel." Mirror Tucker ordered Mirror Mayweather.

"Orders Captain?" Mirror Mayweather asked.

"Load all torpedoes, ready fires, target their critical systems."

"Aye." He smiled. A few seconds later, "Captain Tucker, all weapons are ready."

"Fire at will Major."

The Constitution class ship flew over the dorsal section of the USS Elizabeth and opened fire on its dorsal nacelle. The Defiant's phasers could not penetrate the Elizabeth's shields.

"They're coming about." Lieutenant Commander Danson reported. There was no point in him asking the admiral whether or not to deploy the armour, considering the enemy vessel couldn't even break through the shields.

Making another pass, the Defiant's phasers proved ineffective. When dead ahead of the Elizabeth, photon torpedoes were fired from the aft launcher.

"Still no effect Captain." Major Mayweather reported.

Captain Tucker sighed a sigh of frustration and stood behind his XO at the tactical station. Subtly – and proud to have managed to overcome MACO training – Captain Tucker rammed a blade through Major Mayweather's neck.

"It was that or the Agony Booth." He whispered evilly as Mayweather slowly bled to death. In all honesty, he did just want to kill the MACO scum, he only needed an excuse. "Move!" Captain Tucker barked, taking over the helm.

"What the hell's he doing?" Admiral Tucker exclaimed, it was a rhetorical question, not directed at anyone. Through the viewscreen, the old Defiant could be seen increasing to its maximum impulse, on a collision course with the USS Elizabeth. Now or never Charles. "Fire." Tucker ordered.

The Elizabeth opened fire with its forward phaser array, obliterating a large chunk of the Defiant's secondary hull. Crippled the vessel span helplessly. Tucker had miscalculated there.

The saucer section of the Constitution class ship collided with the Elizabeth's saucer section.

Archer class starships were similar in design to the Sovereign class, with the exception of the third warp nacelle and the secondary deflector dish, retrofitted to the front of the saucer section, almost resembling a gun. This secondary deflector made impacts less dramatic, a feature that Tucker was more than grateful for at this time.

Although the impact had caused some damage, and claimed the life of Tucker's XO Commander Forneus Nox. Nox had taken over in January when Carmichael was promoted to Captain. It was then; the truth came out about Carmichael's heritage.

Tucker knew he could be angry about the death of his first officer of nine months, later.

"Bridge to engineering." Tucker tapped the communications link on his chair.

"Lieutenant White here Sir." The voice of his young chief engineer was unmistakeable.

"I want nacelle power control."

"May I ask why?"

"You'll find out if my plan works."

There was a pause. "Transferring now Admiral."

"Shran."

"Admiral?" The Andorian ensign turned to face his CO.

"I need you to be precise."

The Constitution class ship came round for another pass. The Elizabeth engaged its impulse engines and flew past the side of the Defiant. Close.

Then, the warp engines of the Elizabeth engaged, not so the ship could proceed to warp speed, but to create a burst of warp energy. The timing and piloting were perfect.

Its hull crackling with energy, the adrift Defiant floated aimlessly in space, as the Elizabeth turned to face it.

"Well done Ensign." Tucker smiled, most of the crew on the bridge were panting as during the manoeuvre, they'd held their breath.

"Thank you Sir." Ensign Shran was no exception.

"What do we do now Admiral?" Lt Commander Danson asked.

"Ready quantum torpedoes, full spread." Tucker said regrettably.

"Ready Sir." Danson reported after punching in the appropriate commands on his console.

"Fire." Tucker said softly.

Six quantum torpedoes were fired directly at the Defiant, smashing its grey hull, tearing the piece of history apart. Two torpedoes hit a nacelle causing a chain reaction that resulted in the ship's explosion.

Before Tucker could breathe a sigh of relief, Lieutenant Zaran spoke up. "Sir. One ship remains, a shuttle." He reported.

"Who's on board?" Tucker asked quickly, remembering Intendent Tucker from the Mirror Universe's 2404.

"Their Tucker Admiral." Zaran reported.

As the shuttle closed in on the rift, it hit him. Tucker knew that a carefully modified pulse into the temporal rift could be enough to duplicate their Tuckedr and send him to a different timeline.

There's a chance it could go wrong. Tucker thought.

No there isn't. Logic dictates that this is a predestination paradox. T'Pol replied in his mind. H turned to face her, and smiled warmly.

"Charge the shield grid with antiprotons and fire a beta tachyon pulse through the main phaser array." Tucker ordered Danson.

"Aye Sir." Danson replied looking down at his station.

From the ventral phaser bank the beam fired, slamming into the rift. Once the shuttle entered it, a large flash of light removed them both from vision.

It was done.