The Mirror & The Reflection

Posted on Wed Nov 27th, 2024 @ 10:05am by Captain Shran dh'Klar & Commander Jonathan Grayson & Commander Samantha Howard & Lieutenant Commander Callie Raven-Grayson & Lieutenant JG Kate Kono

Mission: The Gambit
Location: USS Washington - Brig

Deanna rode the turbolift with Jon and Callie as they made their way down to the brig. She had made light of the situation on the bridge, but that was for the benefit of the younger junior officers. She was grasping with the reality of what they were about to deal with. "Jon, do you think the doppelganger will remember us?"

Jon thought on Deanna's question. "Good question Deanna. it would be our luck that he does but that may be to our advantage if either you or Callie can pick up on those memories."

"You were spared that unpleasantness Callie. I'm sure Jon is grateful for that as much as I am" Deanna said nervously as she glanced towards Callie momentarily. "I think maybe we should have Sam and Kate meet us there as well, cover all the bases."

Jon nodded at Deanna's suggestion. " I am extremely grateful that Callie did not have to endure that nightmare." Jon replied and added, "Or Shon if Sam is busy. Kate will be good as will her insight. She may pick up something we miss."

=^=Deanna to Kono. Kate, meet us in the brig immediately. =^= Deanna then hit her comm badge a second time, =^= Deanna to Sam. Sam, we require a medical officer in the brig. If you aren't available Jon says to send Shon. =^=

"Now, hopefully we can get to the bottom of all this and get our captain back and send the doppelganger to Admiral Carroll for questioning."

Kate let out a sigh of relief as she stepped away from the chaos of the away team and into the relative calm of her role as Chief Intelligence Officer. Her weapons, usually her first line of defense, had been rendered useless by dampening fields - a horror she hoped to never experience again as the experience had a special place in her mind where they remained rent-free. As an intelligence officer, she was used to observing and strategizing rather than participating in the physical aspect of fighting "downstairs" on planet-side. But even in her element, Kate found herself nodding at the door to the brig as if silently agreeing with the room that the strange happenings beyond its threshold wouldn't faze her. After all, this was a mirror universe they were dealing with - everything was bound to be flipped on its head. The word "mirror" kept echoing in her mind, a reminder of the twisted reality they were facing.

In the grand scheme of things, this universe was far too small and insignificant for the likes of two powerful ‘Shrans’. The young woman, with her sleek Asian features and slender frame, adjusted her crisp uniform before confidently making her way into the brig. She didn't bother attaching a phaser to her bony hip; after all, there was no immediate danger thanks to the one responsible for chaos being safely trapped behind a force field. As she walked, she couldn't help but be grateful that she didn't have to carry the weight of a phaser attached to her form-fitting spandex attire that Starfleet thought was the best look for everyone, as it often left bruises from knocking against her already petite figure with each step she took.
Once she had passed through the heavily guarded security desk at the entrance, Kate found herself standing in an open space, roughly fourteen feet apart, between two 8×10 cells. Each cell was occupied by an identical Andorian, their light blue skin catching the warm glow of an invisible protective barrier. Their piercing blue eyes met hers with curiosity and caution as she approached.

Kate squinted her dark almond eyes and scratched her short spikey hair as she let out a quiet half-giggle. She couldn't help but find the absurdity of the situation amusing. She looked from Sharn to Shran, taking in their sharp features and unique antennae that twitched slightly with every movement. Behind her, she could hear only the bustling activity of Starfleet officers and crew members going about their duties at the main desk. Aside from the sounds of the security officers, there was still, silence.

"Starfleet said there'd be days like this!" Her smile widened as she addressed both Andorians, knowing that only one of them would appreciate the joke. The other was likely too preoccupied with their impending meeting with the Admiral.

Dr Samantha Howard arrived a few moments later, medical kit in hand and ready for just about anything. That anything didn't include two Captain Shrans.
"What the...." was quickly replaced with "I see we have quite the dilemma"

The Shrans' looked at Sam and Kate. The one on the right spoke first, "I see you haven't lost your humor Kate."

The one on the left spoke immediately after, "Remember Sam, it wasn't that long ago that that one was torturing you during your accidental trip to his universe."

The doors to the brig opened and Deanna entered with Jon and Callie. "It appears you two beat us here and are already conversing with our guests." She walked over to Sa and whispered, "Sorry I didn't give you any indication about this. I was afraid it might bring up certain memories, like it has for the rest of us."

Kate's lips stretched into a genuine smile as the Shran praised her use of humor. She couldn't help but take in every detail of his physical appearance - from his distinctive antennae to his sturdy feet and deep, piercing eyes that seemed to hold a glimmer of mischief. It was a bold move if this Shran were someone who knew nothing about this version of Kate. If he truly was Shran, he wouldn't be staring at her so intently, trying to gauge her reaction to his comment or creating distance between them in an attempt to maintain his cover. Without breaking eye contact, Kate discreetly checked the position of his feet, noting if they were facing her directly or angled away in a defensive posture.

She glanced over to the other cell where another version of him sat, looking for any tells that would indicate if he was avoiding a real connection with her. As an Intelligence Officer, it wasn't just about what was being said - it was about how their bodies reacted and the subtle cues they gave off during verbal exchanges. The information itself meant nothing unless it came from the right Shran and was sincere. Now that she had someone to converse with, she was determined to gather any clues that would help confirm her suspicions about who the real Shran was.

The atmosphere in the room was tense as Kate, an Intelligence Officer, made a playful joke. She watched carefully for any subtle reactions from the two Shran members in front of her. As an expert in reading body language, she knew that their nonverbal cues would reveal more than their words ever could. In the corner of her eye, she saw Deanna enter the room and gave her a nod.

"I apologize for not waiting for you, I thought you beat me in here," Kate said with a sly smile. "I've already learned quite a bit in my first few seconds here." She made sure to address both Shrans with her comment, her glee evident and a wink directed at each of them. Her facade of playfulness was just that - a cover for her sharp deduction skills while they conversed. "But now that you're both here..." Kate laughed at Deanna's arrival and offered a genuine smile, "ready to get down to business."

Jon was silent the entire time Kate spoke. He was doing his own observation of the two Shrans. Like Kate he was looking for telltale clues to determine the real Shran. His eyes sweeping from one to the other and picking up subtle clues. But they needed more than clues, they needed proof. He was hoping Callie or Deanna could provide it.

Deanna was silent, knowing that this wasn't going to be the fun time that Kate expected it to be. But she didn't have the experiences with both, good and bad, that Deanna and the others had. She looked back at Callie, "You ready for this?"

Callie nodded as she looked at Deanna. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Jon continued his silent observation even as Deanna spoke to Callie. Long buried memories of their time in the mirror universe had found their way back into his conscious thoughts. Memories of his torture at the hands of the mirror Shran flared again as he was forced to remember the pain he had been put through, along with the pain the others had suffered, Sam, Essie. Deanna. He took a deep breath; it was time to begin.

"Only one of you knows exactly what happened with the mirror Shran, the other knows the edited version" Sam put her hands on her hips and refused to be intimidated.

Callie stood observing both Shrans looking for any subtle clue as to who was who. She hadn’t met the mirror Shran before, so she had no prior reference to go by.

Jon watched Callie and knew she was observing the dual Shrans just as he and Deanna, Sam and Kate were. All of them looking to find their captain, their friend.

Deanna was almost afraid to start peeking into their minds. She felt the same dread as the others that had been to the Mirror Universe felt. The torture they had endured had been bad enough, but for Deanna the real trauma was the fact that it was someone she had known, respected, even known intimately, that was what was so traumatic about it. And now she was going to have to look into two minds, one that would be closed off, disciplined, but she'd find memories of happiness, joy, things she remembered as well, and in the other, she expected to see only horrors, psychopathy, sociopathic tendencies. But this was something she had to do.

The Shran to the right knew what was coming, as did the one on the left. The one on the left spoke first, "Go ahead Deanna, peek around." The one on the right quickly followed, "Callie, focus on his emotions. He can't hide who he is from both you and Deanna."

"Go ahead Deanna, Callie. Have a look." Jon said quietly as he kept his emotions and feelings tightly wrapped and controlled as he continued to watch the twin Shrans.

Deanna looked back at Jon and nodded with determination. She looked at them both, "Either of you want to comment on Sam's statement?"

"How detailed do you want the answer?" questioned the Shran on the right. "You were DS9, or rather I was. You were returning from the former DMZ where Sam was checking a colony to see what supplies were needed when a transporter accident coming to the station sent you over" the Shran on the left said. "All of that is on the record. Memorizing reports is meaningless" the Shran on the right said.

"Deanna." Jon said quietly motioning her to him. When she drew close, he brought her closer and whispered into her ear. "The mirror Shran will know what our Shran knows. Ask them what his cover was. Ask them telepathically so the mirror can't copy our Shran."

While Deanna was speaking with one Shran, Kate walked over to the Shran on the left. She truly didn’t know who the current universe Andorian was; she knew and loved in a familial platonic way, but she nevertheless eyed Shran as if she knew this was the guy she’d known for a year. She looked him up and down and leaned up next to the wall just on the other side of the forcefield.

“Aren’t you going to be glad when this is all over, sir…” Kate whispered to Shran while Deanna grilled the other Shran. “Can’t wait to spend some more quality time with you, if you know what I mean…” Kate relaxed and sighed. “When Deanna gets over here to question you, don’t think about our special stolen moment’s okay? I never thought we would be in this situation where the crew could potentially find us out.” Kate shook her head. “I’m more worried about that than anything…”

Kate wished she had him attached to a polygraph at this moment, but a lie would do. Kate knew the others would ask the real questions while she blasted fictional scenarios just to see if he would catch her on it, and then she’d act all hurt and heartbroken over the denial. “It’s important you keep this from Deanna. "It's crucial that we keep this between us. I know in my heart that you're the real one." Kate pleaded with genuine emotion in her voice. "Please, don't let anyone find out about us. They'll try to transfer me...don't let them do it."

Putting the fake Shran in a situation where simply acknowledging this fake relationship would get him found out was an old-world espionage tactic that withstood the test of centuries. The real Shran would probably crack jokes about the facade instantly. Just thinking about that made her want to smile but she kept the mask of a worried, secret lover. She even made sure to pretend to angle her hips toward the forcefield and reach out toward the invisible barrier as if she secretly wanted to hold his hand. Only the real Shran would know that she never showed any sexual interest in him whatsoever, but it would be dangerous for an imposter to take a lucky guess at a secret love affair. Starfleet Intelligence was full of dirty little tricks for just such an occasion and Kate was armed with the menu of selections.

Callie was keeping her distance simply letting her senses dwell on each Shran in turn, it was difficult to tell who was who, but there would come a moment of clarity and all she needed to do was pick on it when it happened.

Jon glanced at Callie and could she was concentrating on detecting the imposter and all she needed was one slip up to do it.

"Any numpy with a PaDD could have looked that up" Sam retorted as she placed the medkit on the floor. "What are the details?"

The Shran on the left looked at Kate with mild disdain. "You're new at this. Pro tip, accusing a commanding officer of having an illicit relationship with a subordinate, particular a junior officer, isn't much of a ploy. I have children that are your age."

Deanna meanwhile was working the Shran on the right. Jon had asked her to find things out telepathically, and it made sense. She sent him the message, You were undercover. What was your cover?

The Andorian's antennae stood straight and focused his mind. He responded telepathically, You and Jon are having too much fun with this. You know my cover, Deanna. I was a mercenary who dabbles as a trader.

Deanna delved a bit deeper into his mind for a moment, see memories of friends, family, and intimate moments. She knew all she needed. She looked back at Jon and sent him a telepathic message, This is our captain, but I'll scan the other for good measure and certainty's sake.

Meanwhile the two Shrans looked at Sam tried to answer her question. The Shran on the right spoke first, "Sam, you've not wanted to talk much about this. You were tortured while over there, and things went to dark places that rival even what we saw in the war. You and I have been having dinners periodically since then trying to talk things out, being support for each other regarding our various traumas."

The Shran on the left furrowed his brow. "That sounded like an evasion to me. You were strapped to a table and various blades were used to open you up and cause you pain. Not just you though, Jon as well, and his wife, Essie. She cried so hard when she broke. She was the only one that couldn't handle being interrogated."

Jon listened as the Shran on the left spoke his face a mask as he mentioned the torture they had all endured, but he caught a mistake when he mentioned Essie as his wife. They were never married. He kept the slip up to himself and watched Deanna and Callie.

Sam shuddered as the memories resurfaced but she noted the inflections and body language of both as they answered her question. It was about what each knew, and also, more importantly didn't know. Their Shran had been spared the gruesome detail, yet the Mirror Shran was actually there.

Jon gave a subtle nod to Deanna's telepathic message and knew she would indeed dive deeper into his brain to make sure he was their captain and friend.

Deanna took a few steps over towards the Shran on the left. After being in one Shran's mind, she already believed that the one on the left was the Mirror Universe one that had caused them all so much pain. That seemed to be further confirmed by his misinformation about Essie, something she had caught and figured Jon noticed as well, and perhaps Sam too. But she needed to be certain, and that meant doing a dive telepathically. How did you find yourself helping Lovok? she questioned telepathically, waiting to see what half-truth he might cling to.

Shran looked at Deanna calmly, his antennae standing up as he began to communicate with her telepathically. I have known him only briefly. I happened upon him in my mercenary work, and he had use for my skills. I hold no loyalty to him, and if you kill him, it is of no concern to me.

Deanna smiled and looked at Jon and Callie. She gave a confident nod and could see that Callie and Jon both were aware of the obvious now. "I don't think we need to question anyone further."

Shran on the right stood in his cell with his arms folded and an annoyed look on his face. "So let me out already" he grumbled.

Jon looked from Shran to Deanna and Callie. "Seems someone is in a hurry to get out of that cell. You would think he thought he was the captain." Jon said seriously but Deanna could read his mind and know he was joking. "What do you two think? Should we take a chance on this one?"

Shran on the right continued to grumble. "Keep it up. People going to be scrubbing plasma conduits for weeks."

The Shran on the left realized he had been found out and that perhaps he and his Romulan allies had been duped by his doppelganger. "You are StarFleet" he seethed as he stared daggers at his counterpart.

Deanna offered a soft chuckle. "I'm not scrubbing conduits. I've got people to check in on, as does Sam." She offered a supportive smile to her friend. "Callie, I think Sam and I will both need to schedule some time with you. But I think you'll need to tend to Jon first, assuming he doesn't let the captain out of that cell rather quickly."

Jon smiled at Deanna's statement. "Oh, Callie will need to tend to me, don't worry Deanna but first...." He walked over to the cell holding their Shran and lowered the forcefield. "Welcome back Captain." He said with a smile.

Shran exited the cell. "Need to have maintenance come down here and dust more often." Looking at Jon, "I do hope my ship is still in one piece. And... thanks for doing exactly what Command wouldn't want you to do and come looking for me."

"Ship is still in one piece, though the paint may be scratched a bit" Jon confirmed with a smile and added, "You're the captain but you are also our friend and there was no way we were just going to sit around and do nothing."

"Much appreciated Jon" Shran replied.

Kate shook her head at the Shran on the left, still in his cell. With a worried look on her face she leaned in closer.

"I thought you were the one! I can't believe I admitted this to you. You better not tell --- ANYONE about Shran and I's secret. Or I'll come back!" Kate stepped halfway to the door before stopping and walking back over to mirror-Shran. "... Wait, you mean in your timeline, we're not a couple?" Kate feigned the deepest expression of regret she could muster as she lowered her gaze to the floor as tears dropped out of her eyes. She followed real Shran out of the room with the rest of her crew. When the door shut behind them, her sorrowful facade turned to laughter as she smiled and wiped the tears away. She sniffled between vengeful giggles and hugged the real Shran. "Sorry, had to get in character to sell fakie all the bullcrap. HEY!!!!" Kate hugged Shran. Then she playfully punched him in the arm. "... stop doing that! You meanie... We missed you!" Kate went back to hugging him.

Shran looked at Kate. "Striking a superior officer is a major infraction lieutenant. And we are just outside the brig." He waited as the look of fearful surprise came over her. "It is nice to be back and tormenting the junior officers again" he said with a smile. "It is good to be back" he said with a wry smile.