Star Trek - First Conflict - TNG mirror Universe fanfic

[Mac Harm]

Part One
'We will not surrender.' Said the Trill. 'You will never take our world!' The Trill was in his thirties. Creases could be seen under his eyes, but the eyes were vibrant with courage and grim determination.

Another one of those, Captain Jean-Luc Picard thought.

Picard met the Trill's defiant glare. 'I never said we were going to take it.' He said, coldly.

Picard watched for a reaction. The Trill did not flicker. Definitely one of those, he concluded.

Picard paced across the bridge, his probing eyes locked with the Trill's.

Know thy enemy and know thyself, and victory shall always be yours. The words echoed through the Captain's mind.

'Your words are empty. Your statements meaningless.' Picard hissed.

'What are the orbital defence systems of Trill compared to the Imperial flagship? What are your glorious comrades to a firepower which could reduce this planet to a lifeless rock? There is no way you can succeed. There is no military victory to be won.' He continued.

Picard stopped, and his glare intensified. There was slight unease on the Trill's face now.

'You hope to die a martyr, don't you?'

Picard haughtily paused for a moment, like a man with an ace up his sleeve who is just waiting to use it.

'I can rob you of that as well.'

The Trill had no time to respond.

Picard's eyes locked with Daniels.

The button was pressed.

A burst of quantum torpedoes flew out from the I.S.S. Enterprise-E and smacked down with a bang on a pinpoint on the Trill homeworld.

Seconds later, the Trill materialised on the bridge. Once uneasy, he was now surprised � and dreading the consequences.

'What? How �'

'Lieutenant Daniels, take our guest down to the Interrogation Chamber.'

The Trill's hand went down to his pocket and found � nothing.

'You really think we'd beam that up too?' Picard said with a sneer.

The Lieutenant, who was Tactical Officer, Security Chief and Head of the Captain's Guard all in one grabbed a startled Trill by his arm and brought him off. The Trill struggled to get free, but Daniels held him in place.

'I'll never tell you anything! You'll have to kill me first!' The Trill screamed as he was pulled off the bridge.

Picard grinned wickedly. 'Tell that to Gunian.'

Picard turned back. 'Are the co-ordinates locked?' He asked, monotone.

'Yes sir.' Riker replied.

Data had located the precise location of the Trill leader during their conversation. Despite the Trill's attempts to block it, they couldn't beat an android like Data.

The shield system around his position had then been disabled and he was beamed up.

And now the Enterprise would reduce every single city on the Trill homeworld to rubble, one at a time.

'Good. You have the bridge, Number One.'

Picard left.

Another success. Another easy victory. Picard shook his head. Just how many acts of genocide did the Empire have to commit until the dissenters got the point?

[Mac Harm]

Chapter 2
An uppercut smacked Geordi full force. He collapsed breathless on the ground. 'You need a holiday.' One engineer said. 'A nice, long holiday...' He kicked him in the face. Another engineer kicked his leg. Another his chest. In moments they were all over him.

His blood spread out across the floor.

Geordi wheezed and turned over, back and forth, trying vainly to avoid the kicks. He had got optical implants so people would stop attacking him. It hadn't worked.

'What is this?' The voice was emotionless, but cut through the air like a knife. The Engineers looked around.

Advancing on them, methodically, was Data. The programmed killing machine swivelled his head this way and that, taking in the room.

'We need Geordi alive. He is a good engineer.'

But Data didn't add: He is a weak engineer with no ambition. He is a useful stop-gap.

He nodded down at Geordi, who was at present coughing up blood.

'You almost killed him. Be more careful next time.'

And he didn't say: Or you will suffer his fate.

Not that it mattered if he said it or not. They got his message well enough.

He turned on his heel and left the room.

CHAPTER 3
The Trill was thrown into the Interrogation Chamber. Aides strapped him into a semi-vertical desk in the middle of this almost totally dark room.

One light was on the ceiling, going directly at the Trill's face.

'Leave us.' A voice said from the shadows.

Lieutenant Daniels and the others departed.

And the owner of the voice appeared from the shadows.

'You may call me Gunian. I'm an El-Aurian. Some people call us a race of listeners. And I am very interested in what you have to say.'

The Trill glared at Gunian, silent.

Gunian grinned. 'One of those, eh? I liked a challenge.'

And then she began.

[Voy_Girl]

I'm waiting for additional chapters!

[Mac Harm]

Chapter 4
Emotions. On a ship were 'trust' was a word used by dead men, they were always carefully hidden.
That is, hidden to everyone but Deanna Troi, the ship's Intelligence and Loyalty officer. No emotions were hidden to her.
And so she was a valuable asset and a dangerous foe.
She stepped into the Ready Room.
Picard looked up.
'Your report?' He said, concisely.
'Not much variables from last time, sir, but some significant developments.
Ensigns Calloway and Gilbert feel the most negative in your presence.'
'Not surprising.' Picard said, disinterested.
'They've tried to add arsenic to my Earl Grey. They're already in the Agony Booth for the maximum duration.'
The maximum duration meant death � but not a quick death, oh no. A long, painful, unbearable, agonizing death.
'Anything else?' Picard prompted.
'Ensign Hathaway feels very vehement when in your presence, sir, but nothing else to report.'
'I'll have her executed immediately.' Picard said. 'Thank you, Deanna. Where would I be without you?'
Troi wondered the same as she left.
Chapter 5
Doctor Crusher sat in Sickbay and began to heal Geordi's wounds. She was the quiet type. She didn't say much, and she didn't venture out of Sickbay.
But rumour had it that Lynch, the Enterprise's last Chief Engineer, had once attacked her.
And that when he was suffering from a wound to the chest he could have been saved...
She was not someone you would want to hold a grudge against you, regardless.
Riker entered the room. He was a forceful, burly man, used to getting his own way and killing those who thought otherwise.
He motioned to Geordi's twisted body.
'Will he live?'
'He may.' Crusher said, not looking up.
'He better.' Riker said, with an undercurrent of threat.
'Why?' Crusher asked, turning around and up from her work.
'I wouldn't want the best engineer to be permanently out of commission. It would affect the efficiency of the ship.'
So he said. But he meant he wouldn't have a weakling to pick on anymore..
'Be sure he survives, Doctor. I hold you accountable.'
With that, Riker left.
Dead men can't hold people accountable...
Chapter 6
The screen bleeped in the Ready Room. It was a message from the Imperial High Command.
Picard was not on very good terms with the High Command. He was looked at as a kind of a hero by Imperial Propaganda and had good standing publicly.
That was part of the problem. Heroes wield influence. And such influence would not be in the best interests of the Admirals on-high.
Picard had asked to be promoted several times and had been turned down. Various reasons were given, but Picard knew the truth. He was too powerful already and the Admirals wouldn't let him become more powerful.
After a deliberate pause, which the Captain relished in every second of, Picard responded to the hail.
Admiral Hayes's face appeared on the screen.
'Yes, Admiral?' Picard asked drearily. He never did care much for higher authorities, even if they weren't blocking him. He'd obey them but do no more then that.
'We've detected a subspace anomaly just beyond Imperial space. Long range scans indicate it's a wormhole of some kind. We want you to investigate.'
'The Enterprise? Admiral, any spacecraft could do that �'
'It is beyond Imperial territory. If it's a threat, we need the best there.' Hayes made no effort to hide his sarcasm. 'Be sure to drop off the Trill insurgence leader at Deep Space Five for further interrogation. Admiral Hayes out.'
'Merde.' Picard muttered bitterly. They were going to pointedly take away his glory of exterminating the Trill rebellion single-handed by having themselves perform the interrogation. After all, Starbase interrogations received news coverage and would downplay his importance greatly.
And not only would they do that, but they'd also send him to an insignificant anomaly while doing so.
They'd tried to curb his power for a long time, but they'd never gone this far.
He cursed again.
He'd make them pay...

[Mac Harm]

Chapter 7
Riker entered Astrometrics. The Astrometrics officer was present, tapping away
at the console.
The 3-D screen showed the layout of a section of corridors on the Enterprise.
'Commander.' The officer acknowledged as he typed at his controls. Riker strolled
up towards the ensign and looked over his shoulder.
'What are you doing, ensign?'
The Ensign looked up. 'Well sir, I noticed an anomaly with one of the security
cameras. It seems someone has inserted footage at the one facing the replicator
in Calloway's private quarters, during the time it shows him and Gilbert attempting
to modify the replicators. There's a slight disturbance here, sir �'
'There is no disturbance.' Riker said, bluntly.
'Sir?' The ensign said, looking up, surprised. The disturbance shown would
be obvious to a first-year cadet.
'Can't you see, the disturbance is right her �'
The last thing the ensign felt was a phaser pressed towards his back.
And then he dissolved.
Poor guy, Riker could already see himself saying. Didn't take his
recent break-up with Ensign Peterson well, and decided life wasn't worth living.
You know how it is.
Riker then deleted the evidence, and left the room.

Chapter 8
Crusher, wearily, slumped into her bed and hoped the Captain didn't call. A
day of saving the near dead, terminating the living and fabricating evidence
and symptoms can be quite exhausting, and she didn't need Picard's attentions
right now.
She wasn't the Captain's Woman per se, but this was because Picard preferred
it that way. The informality seemed to have an attraction to him.
But it made no difference. To resist his advances would mean execution. Officially,
that could not be done, but people like Picard were very good at fabricating
evidence...
She sighed and opened a book.
She couldn't stand him. She never could. Not after what he did.
She had kept a low profile during the clashes on the ship. She'd reasoned you
live longer that way � sure seemed so.
Chapter 9
'Captain on the bridge.' Riker said, matter-of-factly, as Picard entered and
the ship dropped out of warp.
Picard sat down in his chair, and looked out at the swirling mass ahead.
'Data?'
'Long-range scans appear to be correct sir. The anomaly is a wormhole, but
it seems to be a very small one.'
'Is it stable?' Picard continued.
'Yes sir.' Data replied. 'Further scans would be necessary, but it seems that
the wormhole is held by verterons and is stable, at least at this end.'
'At least at this end?' Troi asked.
'The Barzan Wormhole was stable on the Alpha Quadrant side but not the other
side, for example. Further study would determine whether or not the other side
is stable. But it seems not to be able to let anything larger then a shuttlecraft
enter it, given its size.'
Picard snorted. He hated this type of mission. Genocide may be routine, but
at least that was interesting.
'Data, prepare a shuttlecra-'
The wormhole collapsed. Or more accurately, it faded.
'Data? What's happening?'
'I ... don't know, sir.' Data replied. 'It is as if the wormhole was never
there.'
Suddenly, Data's panel beeped.
'Sir, I'm detecting something else.'
'What is it?'
'An Imperial shuttle. At least, it looks like an Imperial shuttle. I'm getting
some very strange readings from it. It's headed our way.'
It was visible now, on the screen. A shuttle with wavy lines rippling over
it as if it was some kind of jelly.
Picard, analysed its appearance visually.
'Whatever it is, its not one of ours.' Picard decided.
He turned to the Tactical Officer.
'Mr. Daniels, open fire. Aim to disable. It could be useful.'
'Yes sir.' Daniels said. A volley of torpedoes ripped out from underneath the
Enterprise and hit the shuttle full-force. They exploded on the surface, but
the appearance of the shuttle did not change a notch.
'The shuttle-like object is slowing down. I cannot be certain, but it seems
to be disabled. Some kind of shield seems to have been let down, for I can read
one lifeform.' Data observed.
'What kind of lifeform?' Picard asked.
'Presumably humanoid, but of an unknown species.' Data replied.
'Beam it directly to the cell.' Picard snapped.

Chapter 10
The cell doors parted. Row upon row, column upon column, of prisoners where
there.
Picard, accompanied by Daniels and another member of his personal guard walked
past the starving political prisoners and other unfortunates without a glance.
'Where is it?' Picard snapped to the head of the security team already stationed
in the room.
'There, sir.' And he pointed towards a cell in the corner.
Picard strode up to the being.
It was asleep � or looked like it was asleep. It looked humanoid.
As he approached, the thing's eyes opened. It seemed a tad weary, and a bit
curious, but no more.
It came upright on the slab in the cell qualifying as a bed, and then stood
upright.
It walked towards the forcefield.
'You must be the captain. I'm sure you have many questions to ask me.' said
Kes.