Chapter 28


MIRROR

ISS Enterprise

Commander Deanna Troi tapped her fingernails on the armrest of the command chair. Ever the control freak, Picard forbade anyone from sitting in his chair even when he was off ship. But Troi was completely safe, as no one would dare to inform on her, at least no one currently on duty. She glanced around the bridge, satisfied with the lack of prying eyes. As soon as Picard and Riker had beamed over to the Contagion, she had ordered a roster change, replacing the captain's stooges with her own.

She'd long ago come to the terms with the fact that she would never inspire the natural loyalty that Picard did. But that didn't mean she couldn't manage to gain the loyalty of the crew by other, equally persuasive means. Fear was her most trusted friend, and all of Picard's egotistical rants would not save him from that fact. And time was on her side. Just because she and Riker had missed their first opportunity for an escape into the Lesser Universe did not mean another opportunity would not arise. The runabout had been Will's idea, but then of course that little twit Crusher had nabbed it. And as long as he lived he could expose her plans. She should have known better than to listen to Will. They needed to think bigger. For the kind of havoc they wanted to wreak in the Lesser Universe, they needed a starship. And to obtain one, all she had to do was lead Picard down the path of his own destruction.

She didn't flinch when Picard and Riker walked back on to the bridge. Of course she had known they were present as soon as they'd beamed back on board. And she still chose to remain in the chair.

"Get out of my damn chair," Picard barked, approaching from behind.

She rose gracefully, with a sideways glance at Riker, who as usual, was grinning widely. Unhurried, she returned her attention to Picard with a sly smile. "Captain, I trust you and Admiral Crusher came to a mutual understanding."

Picard smirked, dropping into his chair with a self-satisfied sigh. "You might say that. I would have preferred a lengthier conference, but..."

She leaned in. "And so there's no need for those decoys any longer? All safe and sound now, are we?"

His smile faded. "Can't you let me bask in the afterglow just a bit longer? Of course we're not safe and sound," he snapped. "She's determined to kill us all, and she has the means to do so. The plan stands."

Troi placed a seemingly gentle hand on his shoulder. "So glad to hear it is still one for all and all for one, as you so often say, Captain."


Elsewhere...on board the ISS Stargazer

"What happened to you?" It was a loaded question. Wesley knew his father had been banished from the Terran empire a decade before, so it was surprising that he was still alive. That he bore many scars from his ordeal was not a surprise.

Jack looked down at the thin scars lining his arms and hands. The ones on his face had not healed well due to his poor medical supplies, but this was just one of many hardships he had faced over these past years. "I was banished years ago, as your mother has no doubt reminded you over the years."

"She said you attempted something so stupid, she didn't think you were even worth killing."

"Wow. And now can't you see why I fell in love with that woman?"

"To be honest, no."

"Well, it was her and Jean-Luc who betrayed me and banished me to indentured servitude with the Ferengi."

"They sent you to serve the Ferengi? But the Ferengi are under Terran dominion. They serve us!"

Jack's lip curled with disdain. "Exactly. Your mother and Jean-Luc intended to humiliate me a hundred times over...and they succeeded. The indignities I suffered..."

Wesley sat down in the empty seat at helm. Come to think of it, the entire bridge was empty. His father must have completely lost his mind if he thought he was going to take on Captain Picard with this floating piece of garbage and no crew to speak of. "Picard told me you tried to kill them both, and that you got what you deserved," Wesley scoffed.

Jack sat back and put his hands behind his head. "Only because I knew what they had planned for me. I'll admit, I acted rashly, but then that's what happens when you're in love. Someday you'll understand."

Wesley shook his head. "Uh...no I don't think so. In fact, I think I've already learned that lesson just by looking at you."

Jack laughed. "Oh these scars? No, I did this to myself. Pretty recently actually."

Yep, he's crazy alright.

"You cut yourself? Let me guess...because you were in love," Wesley sneered.

"No, I did it for revenge. Because there had to be a way to show them that they didn't win. That it was possible for me to have the last laugh."

"And? I don't see you laughing. Look, I came here because I was hoping it was you...couldn't be sure of course, but I guessed it was you. And that's why I started supplying you with information, letting you mess with the Enterprise. I'd like to see Picard and my mother thrown off balance a bit. They've both grown so paranoid, I wouldn't mind seeing them have to actually worry about a real threat for once. But seeing you now, sitting here dear old Dad. Not impressed, not in the least."

"Well, I guess I can stop wondering if you turned out like your mother-"

"And it's a good thing I did!" Wesley gestured dismissively at Jack. "Look at you, you're pathetic."

Jack leaped to his feet, his rage suddenly bubbling over. "Pathetic people don't survive the humiliation of being a Ferengi slave, son. And pathetic people don't make the kinds of intergalactic deals that will change the face of the Terran Empire."

Wesley leaned against the helm and stared at his father, finally hearing something that interested him. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about making decisions that will put us where we want to be, son."

"Us? We?"

"Well you're here now. So you can help your old dad, can't you?"

"Help you do what?"

"Help me get my revenge."

"And so by cutting yourself...?"

"I used my own DNA to create a lure for Jean-Luc's counterpart in the Lesser Universe. The fact that Troi stole those ships only made the trap easier."

"So you made a clone of yourself," Wesley said. "I'll admit it's kind of cool."

"He's no clone. He's just a petty criminal who was willing to give up his identity in order for me to carry out my elaborate plans in exchange for a big payday."

"What are your plans?"

"I want the Enterprise from the Lesser Universe in my possession."

"That's it? You want his ship."

"For starters. Of course I want so much more."

"But I can tell just by looking at you, that things haven't gone exactly the way you expected. You're worried."

Jack looked down at the deck. "After you fed me the information about Beverly's plans to kill Jean-Luc, I began to worry he might try and use his counterpart as a decoy, and attempt to escape her. If he escapes her, he escapes me. Which I cannot allow. I tried to order my operative to kill the other Jean-Luc, but something's happened. I lost the ability to control my look-alike, and he may even be dead. Without him I'll have to find another way to attract the Lesser Picard and his ship into our universe."

Something occurred then to Wesley. "So all of this means that in their universe Jack Crusher doesn't exist."

Jack suddenly looked crafty again. "He doesn't-at least not anymore. In fact I witnessed his death about twelve years ago."

Wesley crossed his arms. "So if you have this all figured out, why do you look like you're almost desperate for my help? You're not just working on your own, are you? You owe someone something...possibly your life."

"For now, I'll admit I have other...allies. Powerful ones too." Jack's eyes glittered in the dim light of the bridge. "But I still need my son, Wes. And I have good information that you know the Emperor well."

Wesley laughed, sort of surprised by the shift in subject matter. "Data? Maybe. At least, I used to."

"I do need your help, Wesley. I need you to help me remove and retrieve the Emperor's head."


PRIME

"Forgive me, T'Pel, but that makes no sense. Why would the archives on Vulcan have information about our missing ships?" Picard sat at the conference room table with most of his senior officers while T'Pel explained her story. Beverly was back on duty in sickbay after a brief retreat to her quarters. She had requested to be excused from this meeting, which he had allowed. Meanwhile, the man he had finally allowed himself to believe was his old friend Jack Crusher was currently sitting in a detention cell under arrest for attempting to murder him. The man's true identity was still unknown. The whole thing was so surreal, he was glad to return to work. Unfortunately, the task at hand was hardly a mundane one.

T'pel put her hand on the large sandstone box in the center of the table which had recently been transported from her guest quarters. She pulled a small object out of her sleeve and stood up, placing it against the side of the box, resulting in a low cracking noise. Slowly, a hiss of air released a puff of sand into the air, as all sides of the box separated and pushed downward until they were flat on the table.

Troi coughed, waving her hand through the sandy haze that now permeated the room.

"Our sensors detected the box was empty, Captain," offered Data.

"There are in fact thousands of pieces of information stored inside," said T'Pel. "It is sophisticated cloaking technology which keeps the contents quite well disguised as though they are merely air."

"But cloaking technology is illegal on Vulcan and everywhere else in the Federation," said LaForge.

"That is correct," she allowed. "But this is not Federation technology."

Picard leaned forward, growing somewhat irritated at being kept in suspense. Where had she been all of these years, and what was she doing with this bizarre contraption? "Please go on."

"Several years ago, I achieved the Kolinahr."

Picard raised his eyebrows. A Kolinahr Master. It seemed his friend had achieved what very few Vulcans had; the ultimate triumph of logic over emotion, and an immense philosophical and personal accomplishment. "I see."

"During my earlier studies, I was required to read and memorize many historical texts. On one such occasion, I was asked to examine the contents of this box, because of my special training as a Starfleet officer. What I discovered was quite remarkable." She held up the tiny device she had previously used to open the box, and a tiny star map materialized above the now flattened container. As she magnified the map, they could see various blue dots in the midst of otherwise familiar star systems.

"What are we looking at?" Riker questioned.

"These spheres represent constructions called Ion Stations. We encountered one in 2354 the night that Jack died, although we did not know it at the time. There are at least 30 of these stations currently in existence."

"Who built them, and for what purpose?"

"T'pel turned to Worf as he asked the question. "Individuals from the mirror universe built them roughly fifty Earth years ago. They are in effect bridges between this alternate universe and our own."

"And is this what we encountered just hours ago, which drew us into the mirror universe for a short period."

"That is highly likely, Captain," she said.

"Captain," Data said, pointing to one of the blue dots. "One of these stations is located at the approximate coordinates where we entered the mirror universe."

"And let me guess...our missing ships were taken by one of these thirty ion stations," said Riker, squinting into the floating star field.

"That is also highly likely, Commander," answered T'Pel.

"Yes, but if this is all true," interjected Troi. "It still does not explain how the Vulcans came into possession of this object, or the knowledge it contains."

Picard looked pointedly at his old friend, who remained impassive. "The architect of these ion stations was a Vulcan," said T'Pel. "Certainly you are familiar with Spock. In fact, the Spock of the mirror universe was just as prominent as is his counterpart in this universe."

Picard sat back in his chair. "Amazing," he whispered. "Spock."

"This box represents a time capsule of sorts, left by Spock on one of his final journeys from the mirror universe into our own. According to his historical records he rose to prominence as Emperor of the Terran Empire in 2278 despite his status as one of the so-called lower species. He was revered for his logic, and his ability to terrorize with minimal violence. One of his greatest achievements was the invention of the ion station, the first of which he built himself. After encountering the crew of the Enterprise from our universe in 2267, he conceived a way to traverse the two universes. Eventually once he became Emperor, Spock's attempts at reforms proved too revolutionary for the Terrans, and attempts on his life became so frequent that he escaped for a time into our own universe, leaving a very detailed record of his life, after which he disappeared."

Picard got up slowly. "If everything you've said is true, T'Pel, someone on the other side of that mirror has been trying to lure us there. To bring us to the other side." He glanced at the stoic Vulcan. "If there's a way to find our people, we are going to find one of these ion stations, and we're going to travel into the mirror. And this time we won't fail."