The shuttle touched down on Titan in a secret base that Jim had never seen before. "Are you getting any readings?" he asked.

"Not a thing," Riley replied. She looked at Jim. "I agree with Spock. You can trust her."

Jim thought he needed more time to talk to all these people, but he had to trust them. "Good," he said.

The boarding ramp lowered and the woman whom they had spoken to on the ship was waiting for them. She also had others with her. She smiled as she saw Spock and they could see that she had tears in her eyes. "Spock, I thought I'd never see you again," she said and embraced him.

"I am pleased to see you as well," Spock replied.

Michael Burnham looked at Spock and smiled. "You've changed, Spock."

"I'd like you to meet my wife, Nyota Uhura."

Michael looked at Uhura. "It's very nice to meet you," she said.

"You as well," Uhura replied.

"You all have to come inside, and I'll introduce everyone."

"We need to know what's going on here," Jim said. "And we need to know how to get back to our own…time or universe or whatever it is."

"We'll get to that…Admiral?"

"Yes, it's Admiral now."

"Wow, a lot has changed since I left home."

"Very true," Spock said. "We have completed a five-year mission as well as many other…"

"…Blood curdling missions," Bones finished.

"You will have to excuse Doctor McCoy. He suffers from an overabundance of pessimism," Spock said.

Michael laughed in spite of herself, and she wondered if it was the first time she had laughed since she was lost. "You'll have to excuse Spock and all his friends," Uhura said. "They all suffer from an overabundance of dry humor."

Spock raised an eyebrow at that as his sister and wife laughed together. "Well, Spock, it looks like you're outnumbered," Bones remarked.

"Guys, can we be serious?" Jim asked.

"Oh come on, Jim, you might as well be sarcastic. What else can we do?"

"I just want to get out of here."

Bones frowned. He knew why Jim was so uptight. He did not like being in another time or universe either. "Don't worry. We always find a way."

"Are you really trying to be optimistic?" Jim asked.

"Well do you want me to be pessimistic, optimistic, or sarcastic? I can't just change by your moods."

"Never mind."

They went into what appeared to be a conference room that was simply a room with a table with chairs around it. It looked like everything else…just gray. Jim was impatient and he did not care who knew it. He was in no mood to chit chat. He stood at the end of the table and folded his arms as he watched people file in, but his mouth dropped open when he saw none other than Kane walk in…and Khan.

"Admiral!" Solan exclaimed.

"Wait, Solan," Spock said as Solan almost drew his blaster. "Remember, we are not in our own universe."

Jim was dumbfounded for a moment. "I can't do this," he said. "I can't."

"We must adjust, Jim," Spock said quietly.

"I'm going to try, Spock, but this is getting way too weird."

"Have a seat, everyone," Michael said.

Jim just stood there a moment not sure if he could sit at the same table and talk with Kane and Khan after what he had seen these two individuals do in the other universe. Bones stood beside him wondering what Jim would do. "Please, Admiral," Michael said. "There's a lot we have to discuss."

"I can listen standing up," Jim said. "But I'll sit for now."

Jim sat down at the end of the table, and Michael noticed that all his friends sat down after him, even her own brother. "You must be quite a leader to have such loyalty," she said.

"He is," Spock declared. "We realize we are in the mirror universe, but we are quite puzzled about what exactly is happening here. You must…"

Jim cleared his throat, and Spock stopped. "You have to realize that we're just a little disturbed about sitting at the table with some of your associates here because in our universe, they have committed unspeakable crimes," he said.

"And in our universe, you have committed unspeakable crimes," Michael replied. "So, as difficult as this is for you, remember it is just as difficult for the others."

"So, explain to me what's going on in this universe, and what we have to do to get back to our own."

"Well, in this universe, humans are known as Terrans, and the Terrans dominate. This universe exists on another dimensional plain, and everything is different, even the light. That's one thing to remember, the Terrans are sensitive to light. No one knows exactly how the Terran Empire got started, but it has existed since the nineteen hundreds, when the Terrans abolished any and all compassionate ideologies."

Jim absorbed that. "So they demanded that everyone see things their way." He folded his arms as he looked at Khan and Kane. "Sounds familiar, but so the Terrans won?"

"Yes, and they believe in only one thing and that is conquest. They think that is their only way of surviving in the universe is to conquer them before they conquer us. There is a resistance, however, and the Terrans search for them all, including us." Michael looked at Solan. "Your friend there, in this universe, he is a tiberium enhanced inquisitor, which is nothing more than an assassin and bounty hunter. He's been hired by the empire to assassinate anyone he finds who rebels against them."

"Enhanced with tiberium? What do you mean?"

"Given as a serum, the tiberium can make one stronger, smarter, and deadlier."

Jim looked at Solan thinking of how he could always manage to get out of situations and how he always had a hidden weapon. Jim shook his head. "Go on," he said. "How did you get here and how did you manage to keep away from them?"

"Well, when Captain Lorca tried to take over as emperor, he was transferred to our universe, and he managed to become captain of the Discovery. He used the spore drive to return here. When I tried to escape, the ship was unable to transport me, so Saru rescued me in a shuttle, and the Discovery was transferred back before we could reach it. We managed to evade them and met up with the resistance. It's only a matter of time before they discover us here. The only reason they haven't so far is because of the magnetic nature of Titan. They mostly avoid this area because they can't communicate when they're close to Saturn, so they fear being out of touch since conquest is their ultimate goal."

"That's a very interesting story, but how do we get out of here?" Jim asked.

"The only way we can get out of here and back to our own universe is by getting the tacitus."

"What is the tacitus?"

"It's a database that contains the tiberium knowledge as well as the sphere data. The sphere data will help us get out of this universe."

"So where is the tacitus?"

Michael leaned back in her chair. "In a very dangerous and impenetrable place."

"Which is?"

"The ISS Enterprise, guarded by your very own mirror."

Jim frowned. "So, you're saying I have to get aboard this ship, fight my evil counterpart and steal this tacitus?" he asked.

Bones shook his head. "Oh, is that all?" he asked. "Are you out of your mind?"

"No, I'm not," Michael replied. "Do you know why Kane wanted you stranded in the mycelial network?"

"Humor me," Jim said.

"Because you're too smart for him. He couldn't defeat you. Am I right?"

"I wouldn't say that. My team and I fought."

"Yes, well your counterpart is just as cunning, but in an evil way."

"Are you telling me that Kane led us into the network to trap us there?"

"How else would you have gotten here? Did you follow him in?"

"Yes, but the Jah Sepp disintegrated his ship."

"Did you see him or any of his crew afterward?"

Jim frowned. "No. What are you saying?"

"Kane most likely never left your universe. He used Cabal to lead you in there."

Jim stood up. "Are you telling me that he's still…"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you."

"How do you know this?"

"I've learned a lot of history in my time before it was all hidden. Your Admiral Marcus knew all of this. Before I was lost, I knew what they were researching in that facility that Khan blew up."

"Yeah, we know that."

"Admiral Kirk, that's where the tacitus was too," Michael said. "Was it ever found?"

"I don't know. All those things were kept a secret, and now we're here after learning only a small portion of the information."

"Is Cabal aboard your ship?" Michael asked.

"We think he is," Jim replied. "But Mac is working to contain him. So tell me what to do to get this thing, how to use it to get back to our universe, and how to prevent anything like this from happening again."

"Just as you have an evil Cabal aboard your ship, we have his counterpart here. He can help you get onto the ISS Enterprise to get that tacitus. He can find it."

"So, we have to trust a computer program that is an evil piece of technology in our universe?"

"He's not evil here." Michael gestured to Kane. "He can tell you."

Jim looked at Kane. "So tell us," he said.

"Admiral Kirk," Kane said. "Cabal is a computer program and he's just composed of the minds of everyone in the resistance, so to speak. He can't be corrupted or changed. He can detect the tacitus. If we let them find us, we can be taken aboard their ship and take a trojan horse with us."

"But there is one problem with going aboard their ship," Khan said. "It is enhanced with tiberium. It will be dangerous to you because you would breathe in the spores and they would either kill you or you would become a mindless slave."

Jim did not think he could be comfortable sitting there talking to Khan and Kane. "Why? How can they be enhanced with it and live with it if it will kill us?" he asked.

"They have been infused with it. It has become part of them and used for enhancement. Each one is enhanced for a different reason."

"Well, we have our electro-suits. We can use them."

"What's an electro-suit?"

"It can resist many things," Spock said. "Including electrical charges. It is generally a space suit, and would do quite well at resisting any sort of spores." Spock looked at Jim. "Admiral, speaking of electricity. If we meet our evil counterparts, what would our friends Ajah and Helek be like?"

Jim scowled at that. "Our suits would resist that."

"But if they are enhanced with tiberium…"

Jim looked at Michael. "What would tiberium enhancement do to someone who can shoot electricity from their fingers?" he asked.

"I know who you're talking about," Michael said. "They are a terror in this universe. They shoot an ion charge here enhanced by tiberium. Your suits better be very good. I don't know what sort of suits you have."

"We developed them when we needed a way to thwart attacks from Nausicaan weapons," Spock said. "The suits stop the electrical charges from their lances, plus they have had many improvements since then, and they are undetectable through sensors."

"That might work. You got any extras?"

"Of course."

Jim sat back down at the table. "This is going to take serious planning," he said. "First question: how do we find them?"

"That shouldn't be hard," Michael said. "Wherever there is chaos, you'll find Jim Kirk. He's the empire's number one mass murderer."

"Okay, so how do we know where something like that is happening?"

"There are ways. We'll find out where he is through the network. We have a secret communication network."

"Then, once we find them, how do we get on their ship?"

"Cabal can help. He can get aboard the ship and shut down their systems which would allow us to transport over to it."

"How can he get over there?"

"Legion can help him to travel over to their ship without their knowing. All he needs is an entrance point."

"An entrance point," Jim said thoughtfully. "Mac may be able to create that. I wish Artie was here."

"So do I," Solan declared. "You're really gonna trust Mac with something like this?"

"Solan, I don't want to have this argument with you. Mac is all we have. He and Scotty will work together to accomplish this if that is what we decide to do. It's not ironclad yet. We want to get back home."

"Sure."

Michael stood up then. "So would you like to see your evil counterparts?" she asked.

"Might as well," Jim replied.

Michael turned on a display and pressed a few buttons. A picture of a being appeared on the screen that looked a lot like Jim…but different. "This is Jim Kirk," Michael said. "As you can see, he doesn't look exactly like you. You can see the blue crystals embedded in his forehead, his enhanced muscles and glowing blue eyes."

"That's me?" Jim asked.

"You…but not you. He is a very formidable foe. He is intelligent and strong, and one of the most evil beings you will ever encounter."

The next picture came up. This one looked like Spock with green crystals around the crown of his head. "He's enhanced for more brain power," Michael said. "You can imagine why. While Kirk is evil and clever, Spock is intelligent and cunning."

Bones stared at the next one, which looked like him with a glowing green eye for precision. "This one is Leonard McCoy," Michael said. "He's an assassin, but he can also heal his own when he needs to."

"An assassin?" Bones said. "So, he's not a doctor…he's the opposite."

"Right, and I've already told you about your friend, Solan." Michael brought up the next picture. "He is enhanced with the yellow tiberium which gives him a more precise aim as an inquisitor. Uhura is enhanced with the red for more brain power so that she knows all languages so that no one can use another language to fool the empire. All the others are simply enhanced for strength and whatever their duties. These are the main ones on that ship. Ajah and Helek, they're enhanced with the white tiberium which is so rare, it's hardly known, but it gives them the ability to use their powers to create ion disruptions and to corrupt with tiberium."

"How are we supposed to defeat anything like this?" Jim asked.

"We just have to be more cunning than they are. They're not expecting their own mirror image to show up."

"You really think that will be enough distraction?"

"It might give us the time we need to get Cabal aboard."

"If that's the only way to get back home, then we're going to do it," Jim said.

"So, how do we get their attention?" Solan asked. "Where do they go?"

"I know exactly how we can get their attention," Michael replied.

"This isn't going to put any one person in danger, right?" Jim asked.

"Not completely, but if we have something they want, they will come."

"And what is it that they want?"

"Me."

"You? And just why are they so interested in you?"

Michael smiled. "Well, I've caused quite a lot of havoc for them," she said. "And they don't like wrenches in their works."

"I have a feeling you're quite a wrench."

"I try to be."

"So how are we doing this? Who are you going to say has you?"

"Not everyone is happy with the empire." Michael looked at Saru. "Bring him in here."

Jim folded his arms. "I have a feeling that Starfleet doesn't know what they missed not having you around," he said.

"Why thank you, Admiral."

Saru soon returned with someone who looked quite familiar. Michael smiled slightly as she could see Jim Kirk knew who the guest was. Solan shook his head but he did not say anything. "I should have known," Jim said. "Mac, or is that your name here?"

"It is," Mac replied, although he looked a little different than the one from Jim's universe. He still had the long curly, blondish brown hair and the large stature, but he looked like he had been enhanced with tiberium as well.

"Mac is a bounty hunter," Michael said. "He found his way to the resistance and now he can help us."

"How do you know you can trust him?" Solan asked, unable to contain his frustration any longer. "If he's anything like the Mac from our universe, he could be baiting you and really turn you over to them!"

Mac scowled at that. "Turn her over to them?" he asked.

"I had not told him anything yet, Solan," Michael said.

"You want me to pretend to have you in custody? I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"You just do what you've been doing and we'll do the rest."

"How?"

"You shouldn't know the whole plan so that if you're questioned, you won't know anything."

"I most likely will be. Kirk likes to have a drink of chech'tluth after he's accomplished something."

Jim almost shivered at that revelation. That was definitely his opposite. "So, you'll be distracting him that way?" he asked feeling a bit of déjà vu.

"Trust me, he's always distracted when we drink together and I usually always take a case of it with me."

"A case?"

"Yeah, after all, it's not only him and me."

"At least we won't be on a planet where it never stops raining."

Mac scowled at that. "No, but you'll be on a ship full of tiberium. It's enhanced by it as much as the beings aboard."

"Brutes?"

"They have some of those, so you better be prepared for that."

"The trouble is, our sensors don't work here. We can't track you or anything."

"Ah, that's a piece of cake. You just adjust the sensors."

"Right."

"So, let's get busy on our plan," Michael said.

"Before we take you and your entourage on our ship, I want to know that none of them are spies or anything," Jim said.

"They're not. They're hiding just like we are."

"I guess I'll have to take your word for that."

"I'd like to spend some time with my brother. We have a lot of catching up to do."

After they had talked over their plan, Jim and his team went back to the Enterprise. "Jim, I just don't think we can go onto a ship like this and get out of it without dying," Bones declared.

"Bones, let's talk about the dire consequences later," Jim replied. He opened his communicator. "Scotty."

"Yes Sir," Scotty answered.

"Have you guys found Cabal yet?"

"We found him but we didn't catch him yet. He's been trying to mess up some of the systems but we've been able to stop him. He doesn't seem quite like his old self."

Jim scowled at that. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"He seems to be, I don't know, like he's not quite all there. He can't control systems quite like he did before."

"Just find him."

Jim thought about that as he ended that transmission. He thought maybe Michael could shed some light on this. He went to the Bridge. "Uhura, hail them," he said.

"Sir, if we do that, there's a chance that the signal could overshoot Titan and be detected because of the magnetic field," Uhura said.

"I need to know what she knows about Cabal. Maybe she can help us find him in our ship."

"That's a good idea. I'll figure out how to get the message to them without it being detected."

"Good."

Spock came onto the Bridge. "Admiral, I believe our suits will be sufficient for our mission," he said.

"That's good to know," Jim replied. "I think this may be the most dangerous mission we've ever been on."

"How many times have we said that?" Bones asked.

"I don't know but this is unlike anything we've ever faced."

"Well, that sounds familiar too."

"I believe the doctor is trying to have optimism that we will prevail," Spock said.

"This is no time for jokes," Bones declared.

"There never seems to be a time."

"Yeah, cause we're always running for our lives in terror."

Jim was quiet a moment. "We best get into our electro-suits," he said. "They also won't be able to detect any of us on the ship if we're wearing them."

"And what do we do once they have taken the bait?" Spock asked.

"We should know where we're going on their ship if it's just like this one. We'll take it over if we can. We have to get that tacitus. It may be our only way home."

"So while Michael is a decoy, we will use Cabal to find the tacitus."

"Exactly."

"I do not want to lose my sister again, Admiral."

"Don't worry, Spock. I'm not known for leaving anyone behind."

"Yes, Admiral."

"Does anyone know what a tacitus looks like?" Jim asked.

"No, but I'm sure Michael may be able to shed some light on that."

"Good. We need to know what we're looking for."

They all got into the electro-suits, and Spock made one for Michael as well as the others with her. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Jim asked. "We're going right onto their ship. What if we can't get off it?"

"This coming from someone who went onto Admiral Marcus's ship with a murderous maniac?" Bones asked.

"Okay, Bones. This is just a little bit different."

"Well, we won't have the murderous maniac with us…except his counterpart."

"Do you mind?"

"Their ship is the same design as this one," Michael said. "You should know how to get around in it. By the time they realize something is wrong, hopefully you'll have the tacitus."

"What will they do with you? We have to know how to get you out of there."

"I'll most likely be imprisoned in the agony booth."

"The what?" Bones asked.

"The agony booth."

Bones looked at Jim. "Let's try to avoid that."

"Bones," Jim said. "What is an agony booth?"

"It's a chamber that they torment enemies and those who turn against them," Michael said. "I trust you to rescue me. It's like your brig."

"Is there anything else we need to know before we go over to this ship?"

"No. As long as you don't get caught, we should be able to get out."

"We're gonna do our best. It'll be like the time we got onto the Monstrosity."

"The what?"

"Never mind. Maybe we'll tell you about it when we have time."

Later, Mac and Michael stood in the shuttle bay where they had brought Mac's ship aboard. "We won't activate our suits until we're ready to escape," she said.

"Are you sure you want to be captured by them?" Jim asked. "What if we can't get to you quickly?"

"There is no other way to get the tacitus. We have to get aboard the ship and this is the only way…to trick them."

"Alright. We'll make sure our suits are working so they won't detect us aboard the ship…the same way we got aboard the Monstrosity."

"I have to hear that story when we're out of here."

"You will."

Michael and Mac boarded Mac's ship, along with Jim, Spock, Bones, Solan, Anakin, Ajah, and Helek, and they carried the current universe's version of Cabal. Jim opened his communicator. "Mister Sulu, make sure you keep up with us," he said.

"We will, Sir," Sulu replied. "Riley is piloting. We'll find you. Good luck, Sir."

"Thank you. Be careful. Kirk out."

Jim and his team activated their suits and stayed in the galley. Mac took his ship away from the Enterprise and went to warp. He came back to the galley. "I'll send out a message to their Enterprise to let them know I have her," he said. "Maybe I can get him on the screen so you can see who you're up against. This won't be easy."

"I believe you," Jim replied. "But we have to try so we can get back home."

"I'm going with you."

"Why?"

"Because there's nothing in this universe but death. I don't want to stay here."

"But if no one stays here to fight for what's right, it'll never change."

"You don't know how few there are. It's very difficult to resist them. It might never be done in my lifetime."

"Well, we'll talk about that later when we get through this."

"I'll go send the message."

Mac went back to the front of the ship. "I don't think you should be sitting in the co-pilot's seat when they see me," he said.

"Cuff me," Michael replied. "We need to make this look real."

Mac nodded. He put a pair of cuffs on her and then he turned to the communications array and sent a signal. "Now we just wait," he said.

Jim hid in the passage behind the cockpit so he could see the screen. He did not have to wait long because his counterpart answered in only a few minutes. He looked like Jim Kirk, but he was just like Michael had described him, enhanced with blue tiberium crystals and glowing blue eyes. He was wearing a sleeveless black leather vest that looked like it was enhanced with crystals as well and he had insignia on it as well. He was also wearing blue jeans, or that's what Jim thought it looked like.

"You say you have Michael Burnham?" the evil Jim Kirk asked. "Let me see her."

Mac jerked Michael over into the view. "You question me?" he asked. "Why would I say I had her if I did not? You think I don't know the punishment?"

"So you have her. Bring her to me. I'm on Caleb Four."

"I thought we'd meet in space away from populations."

"Why? No one here will challenge us."

"Fine. I have my usual cargo…if you're interested."

The evil Jim laughed a not so pleasant laugh. "Of course! We should celebrate the day we removed this blight from our existence! Kirk out!"

The transmission ended and Mac frowned. He looked at Michael. "Well, now what do we do?" he asked. "I have to meet him on the space station."

They looked back at Jim who was standing in the door of the cockpit now. "We'll just improvise," he said. "This may make it easier. We know Caleb Four too."

"But on the space station, you'll be noticed with your suits on."

"Maybe not. There must be all sorts of beings on there. We'll just remove the helmet when we get there. Besides, they won't know we came with you."

"But the tacitus is on the ship, most likely," Michael said. "How can they get on the ship if you're on the space station?"

"We'll figure that out," Jim said. "If nothing else, I'll impersonate him."

"You wouldn't be able to do that. You're not enhanced with tiberium."

"Oh yeah. I keep forgetting that. We'll figure out something. Let's just go along with the plan. We know we can get around on Caleb Four."

"You best be careful on this Caleb Four," Mac warned. "It's lawless for the most part. You look at someone the wrong way and you can end up in a fight to the death."

"Oh great," Bones said as he heard that. "Sounds like Magus Three." He scowled at that thought. "What is Magus Three like?"

"It is a peaceful world, full of beauty," Michael said. "The only reason the Empire has not destroyed it or taken it over is because there's nothing there to further their agenda."

"It'll take us about two days to get to Caleb Four," Mac said. "In that length of time, we should be able to make a plan for the station."

"I agree."

Two days later, Jim stood looking out the viewport at Caleb Four. It mostly looked like the regular one except…

"Is it enhanced with tiberium too?" Jim asked.

"Of course it is," Michael replied. "Everything is."

"Then how are you going to keep from being infected with the tiberium?"

"There are some people who are immune to it. I happen to be one of those people."

"You've already been exposed to it?"

"Many times."

"But you can't infect anyone else?"

"No. It's not a virus. I don't have any tiberium on me. It's one reason they want rid of me, other than that I cause them so much trouble. Of course, I cause them trouble because their tiberium can't kill me."

"And how would anyone know if they aren't one who can be affected by it?"

"The only way I know is to be exposed to it."

"Oh. Well, good luck, and we'll find you as soon as possible. We'll use our knowledge of Caleb Four so if he has you in the brig there, we'll be able to find you."

"Just remember, once you break into the brig, they're going to know, so make sure you have the tacitus first."

"Right. We'll work fast."

Jim and the others went to the back of the ship to the storage compartments and hid, activating their suits. Mac guided the ship to Caleb Four and landed in a shuttle bay. He saw the evil Jim Kirk come into the bay to wait for him. "Well, here we go," he said.

"Make it look as real as possible," Michael replied.

"Right. Maybe he won't have Spock with him."

They walked toward the back of the ship, passing by the area where Jim and the others hid. "Let's hope this works," Mac said. "We have to look confident." He picked up two bottles of the chech'tluth. "Good luck."

Jim watched them leave the ship. They were risking their lives to help them. He had to make sure this plan worked…