Something Fishy This Way Comes - Part I
Posted on Saturday, 20 May 2023 - 7:46pm by Commander Soral & Lieutenant Alex Kingsley
Mission:
Operation: Lobes & Liberties
Location: Various - USS Standing Bear-A
Timeline: 2396
ON:
Soral tapped his fingers on the arm rest of the chair. He’d taken the graveyard shift on the bridge for a little peace and quiet. Checking the time again for the third time in the last hour he suppressed a sigh. It would not be much longer.
He took a few duty reports, skimmed them, signed them, and returned to brooding. The minutes ticked by and for the first time Soral felt he understood the phrase watching paint dry.
When the time finally came he left the bridge to a lieutenant on shift and headed for the ready room. He walked over to the replicator. “Coffee, strong, dark roast, Earth Blend Alpha one.”
Soral watched the replicator shimmer the coffee into existence and then picked up the mug. Taking a few swigs, he headed to the chair. “Computer open Secure Channel Delta one.”
“Command override code needed.”
He sighed. “Soral Beta, Delta one three seven.”
“Accepted. Channel Open.”
He typed in a few more directions and watched as the screen shifted to a Vulcan symbol, a re-route of sorts, and then a Bajoran seal. He waited trying hard not to tap his fingers.
The screen, after a few moments, shifted and he started at the face of Linn. “Hello Kai Linn.”
Linn smiled, “Not so much yet but with the help you provided shortly.”
“Indeed. I take it you are pleased?”
Linn chuckled darkly. “Who wouldn’t be? You, the scourge in multi-verses, handing me a prize.”
“Well,” Soral said. “I trust you kept your end of the bargain?”
Linn smiled, “Live and in person from the Mirror Verse.” He stepped aside and Soral watched as Soval, Severine, N’Vek, and his Three Knights were brought into view.
“Father!”
A shimmer entered Soral’s eyes. “Children. You have arrived.”
It was Severine who responded with a brilliant smile. “Safe, all of us.”
He sighed. “Good. Linn will help you into a shuttle where you will head to Betazed. There you will be met by my estate manager from Vulcan. The home on Betazed is where you will stay and I suggest you all take the opportunity to rest. I will joint you when I can. The Ferengi knows who you are and for now you will need to rest. I shall introduce you to…your counterparts here. They are younger than you and it will come as a shock to them meeting their…older selves. However, for now try to play nice on Betazed.”
Severine smiled. “Don’t we always?”
A smile touched his lips. “No. That is why I am…making it a directive.”
“For the glory of the emp…”
Soral’s eyes cut to N’vek. “You might want to lose that phrase. This is a new verse, a new start. Your mother and I wished you to have. Acclimate, read all you can and I shall join you a soon as I can.”
“Yes Father,” All the children said.
“Good.” He turned to Linn. “I trust they will get safely to Betazed?”
Linn gave a nod. “On my honor as Future Kai of Bajor.”
Soral raised an eyebrow. “Linn, neither in this verse or the mirror verse do you have honour.”
The man smiled. “Very well then on my title as soon to be Kai.”
Soral signed. “And with three Vulcan ships following to ensure your Bajorn ship is safe. They will be cloaked and ensure you are not bothered.”
Linn gave a nod. “I expected nothing less.”
“Hmmm,” was all he said. He said a final goodbye to his children and then shut the communication down.
Sitting back, he allowed himself to rest for the first time in days. They were safe. He’d kept his promise to Lexi. They would have a better life here.
Several decks below, Alex Kingsley was locked in a nightmare. A variation of the same nightmare which had plagued her for months, ever since her mirror self had entered her mind and the other Soral had first came into her life. And at that exact moment all she could feel was fear. The kind which paralysed rational thought as she traded blows with the veiled assassin who had already wounded her husband and had sights set upon the young children he was trying to shield.
There was a sound behind her and she spun, suddenly face to face with T’Paris just a millisecond before the blade plunged into her chest. Poison on the blade ensuring even this one strike would secure her rival victory. A look of triumph illuminated the Vulcan’s face as Alex fell to her knees, her vision blurring as she looked towards Soral and their children, her last breath urging them to run as another person stepped into view, a cold satisfied smile on her face as she aimed a weapon at the young boys and pressed the trigger.
“No!!!” Awaking with a scream, her heart pounding in her chest. In the dark, her hand grabbed at her chest, where the blade had struck home. Of course, there was nothing there. No blade, no blood, no murderous T’Paris or -
Soral sat back in contemplation. As his thoughts turned to equations and logic fear worked through him. Images he couldn't quite see but feelings left in their wake; feelings that were not his own. He sat up. His hand hovered over the button.
"Commander Soral to Lieutenant Kingsley."
There was a long pause before he heard a response. “Kingsley here…” could he tell, she wondered, that her hands were shaking as much as she was as she tugged a blanket around her and touched the control panel to raise the lights.
"Are you well?"
“Still deciding,” she admitted quietly, almost too quiet for him to even hear as she peered at the clock, “it’s the middle of the night… is something wrong? Are you… are the children alright?”
Why else would he call her in the dead of night? She groaned at her choice of phrasing. Even so, she couldn’t imagine why he would be calling in the middle of the night. The ship wasn’t at red alert so it wasn’t a life-or-death situation but there were many things that could happen aboard a ship which might warrant a wake-up call. Climbing out of bed she walked round, raising the lights as she went, taking some comfort in the familiar sites. No murderous Vulcans, no evil scientist, and no dying family to torment her.
"Lieutenant?" Soral sat up waiting for her response.
To Be Continued...
