Meeting the Sister

Posted on Thu Oct 22nd, 2020 @ 4:14am by Miran Lalor [Lalor] HRH & Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar

Mission: SEASON 4: Episode 1: Know Thy Self!
Location: 2XO's Office - USS Elysium
Timeline: MD6- After docking at Deep Space 16
647 words - 1.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Arrianna waited for Mirian on the subspace comms. She had the unfortunate duty of informing the next of kin, in that case Mirian, of what happened to Phoenix. Arrianna looked different. The calm stolcism was there, but now so was passion and even a look like she had suffered.

Miran had been immersed in her tour of the museums in Europe while her sister had departed for the Elysium's next mission. So Arri's call came as a surprise. She hit the yes button and sat at the desk. "Hi Arri!" she said brightly.

"Hello Miran.." Arrianna noted. It looked like Arrianna struggled with what she was about to say.

"Arri?" Miran asked curiously. "What's wrong?" It was not like Arri to be like this.

"Miran, what I'm about to say... Is the hardest thing I've ever done." Arri noted. "Almost twelve days ago, Phoenix was taken." She mentioned.

"Taken? Arri, I spoke with her. I saw her off, not 7 days ago. She left the house, told me to lock it down, stay safe and to call Harmony if I needed anything. She was here twelve days ago."

"That was an impostor, from an alternate universe Starfleet calls the 'Mirror Universe.' Inside this universe are exact duplicates of all of us, but they do not behave like us. In fact, they are opposites of us in every way. What you saw was an alternate Penelope Lalor." Arrianna noted. "We learned this not long after we left Earth, and Phoenix was taken into this alternate universe and brutally tortured for eleven days." Arri had to wipe her eye. "There is no Federation in this alternate realm, it had been replaced by a cruel, bloodthirsty empire built upon slaughter and slavery."

Miran just sat there. "okay..." she said softly. "Explains a small bit... Is.. is she alive?"

"We attempted to parlay for Phoenix's life by surrendering, that was a mistake. They took the ship and began enslaving the crew. Some of the crew fought back thought, it was bloody." Arri noted. "As Commander Vaii would say, we've paid the price of freedom. We've lost one-third of the crew taking the ship back. Miran, Phoenix needs her sister. She shows strength and resolve in front of the crew, but I know the way she suffers on the inside. She's going to be suffering for the rest of her life." Arri noted. "I know Phoenix. She'll hide her weaknesses, and the moments her weaknesses do come out... that is when we need to truly help her."

Miran nodded. "I'll call Harmony, see if she can get me to the Ely. Where are you?"

"Deep Space sixteen." Arrianna noted. "One more thing, Miran. Be discrete, and tell no one who does not need to know where you're going. I have long suspected agents of your estranged family attempting to monitor both you and Phoenix." Arrianna smiled. "At this time, I think only those who have not harmed Phoenix in any way should be involved in her recovery from such trauma. That includes you and the crew of the Elysium." Arrianna noted. "Simply put, I do not want Morian or Pallas showing up to upset her further. We're all very protective of our Captain right now." Arrianna grabbed her head. She hadn't been right for days.

"understood." came the reply "Arri... you don't seem like yourself"

"I was driven to rage, Miran.. Complete, blinding rage... I entered my alternates mind, and I tore it to pieces. When she possessed me and made me torture a crewmember." Arri noted. "Miran, one week ago I used to think that the Borg were pure evil. Now... It's more simple... Evil is inside all of us. and they tried to make all of us just like them."

"Yeah well I know you are not like them. I shall see you in a couple of days." Miran said.