Chapter 159 - Through the Looking Glass - Part 10
Stardate 48598.4 - August 7, 2371 - 09:59:02
The ring of the door chime dragged Raine back to the realms of the semiconscious. And she pulled her head out of the couch cushion she'd collapsed into to check the clock on the wall panel. “Two hours… Well, at least it's something.”
Queen Tendi’s virus and threat had put them in the unfortunate position of having to hand the Asari back to her people and then spend the entire following day with all shifts on deck scrambling to remove the virus and repair the damage it had done to various systems. The worst hit of course had been the station’s power systems, the virus having initiated a series of semi-targeted overloads in the EPS grid to burn out, among several other systems, the network of transporter inhibitors that kept people from just beaming things into or out of secure areas of the station.
While the rest of them had been working against the clock to get power systems back up to the minimal levels of operation necessary to keep life support and gravity going before auxiliary power systems had run out. Sisko and Kira had been working with the Kai and First Minister to try and counter the propaganda that had “mysteriously” popped up about the Federation handing a newly returned Orb over to unknown aliens as part of some peace agreement. An unfortunate story which was playing heavily to the already existing division of Bajoran opinions about Starfleet’s continued presence in their system.
The door chime rang again, and with a grumble she pulled herself up and began to smooth out her uniform so she would at least look minimally presentable for whoever was so insistent on meeting with her. “Come in!”
The door slid open, and Raine was left blinking in surprise at the young Ferengi standing in the doorway of her quarters. “Nog.”
“Miss Brooks,” Nog returned with an awkward smile.
“Saya and D'Vana should be in their room.” Raine told him. “But they're restricted to quarters for the rest of the day due to sneaking into one of the closed off portions of the station.”
D'Vana had been oddly happy about the punishment, which had really left the Asari wondering just how that sort of thing had been handled on Orion.
“I was actually kind of hoping to talk to you, not them.” Nog put forward.
Raine raised an eye ridge at that, not sure what the young Ferengi might want to discuss with her of all people. “You're not going to ask me out again. Are you? Because you're still way way too young for me.”
Cringing slightly, Nog shook his head. “No. I was just kind of hoping I could ask for your help with something?”
“Come on in then.” Raine said, waiting for the young Ferengi to fully enter and the door to swish shut behind him before continuing. “So what do you need help with? Dating advice? A business opportunity? A letter of reference so you can apply to Starfleet Academy?”
Nog's eyes widened in shock. “You know!?”
Raine nodded. “Your uncle contacted me about it a couple days ago. He was unsure of things and wanted a general breakdown of the rules and regulations around a Starfleet officer's ability to make profit.”
“Starfleet officers are actually allowed to do that?” Nog asked in honest surprise.
“Yes…” Raine confirmed slowly, nearly boggling at how the teen had missed that fact given all the business she did with his uncle. “What do you think I'm doing all the time with your uncle?”
“...That was something you were allowed to do?” Nog asked, looking completely gobsmacked.
Taking a moment to massage her temples, Raine let out a tired sigh before shooting a heavy lidded stare at the Ferengi. “Let me guess… You thought Quark was bribing me?”
“...Yes?” Nog ducked his head.
Raine rolled her eyes. “The Federation and Starfleet respect all cultures. That includes mercantile based ones like the Asari Republic that was my birth culture and the Ferengi Alliance that is yours.”
She let that sit for a moment before continuing. “Now of course that respect isn't universal, but so long as the cultural practice is not actively harmful and doesn't break any laws or regulations it's perfectly allowed. Hence I can have an investment portfolio and sell various holoimage rights with the only downside being the occasional frown of disapproval from my peers.”
An odd thought hit her at that moment and a small frown found its way onto the corner of her lips. “Is there some unwritten Ferengi rule about not researching the Federation? Because every single Ferengi I've talked to about the subject seems unaware that we have an actual economic system.”
Nog blinked, cocking his head in obvious confusion. “You do? But Jake always says the Federation moved beyond that sort of thing.”
“Jake is a dreamer.” Raine returned dryly, just barely holding herself back from calling him extraordinarily sheltered instead. “And only sixteen. Post scarcity economics meanwhile is a full university level course or an optional third and fourth year elective at the Academy.”
An elective which almost nobody who wasn't planning to go into the Operational Support Services actually took.
“The diplomacy courses I took actually touched on a bit of the subject too mind you. But that's mostly because you need to have at least a general idea of where the trade goods come from to negotiate trade agreements.”
“But we're getting a bit off track,” She said as the realization hit that she was getting dangerously close to rambling. “You were hoping for a letter of reference, right?”
“Yes!” Nog rapidly nodded, only to visibly pull in on himself. “But ah… I didn't really come here to ask you to write it…” He cringed slightly. “I was more hoping you could help me convince Commander Sisko to do it.”
An odd feeling of disappointment hit Raine, only for her to narrow her eyes at the young Ferengi as a thought hit. “This isn't because I'm female shaped. Is it?”
Nog held up his hands and rapidly shook his head in clear panic. “No! No! It's nothing like that! It's just… He's the kind of Starfleet officer I want to be like.”
“Fair enough.” Raine nodded in complete understanding. “So you want me to have a word with him on your behalf?”
“Could you?” Nog asked hopefully.
“Sure.” Raine said, suspecting the Ferengi wasn't going to like what she was going to say next. “But it's not going to help. Sisko's a man of principle, the only way he's going to write you a letter of reference is if he truly believes you deserve one.”
“That's the same thing Chief O'Brien said.” Nog grumbled under his breath.
Raine's eye ridge inched upwards, the action enough to make Nog begin to fidget. “When did you actually ask Commander Sisko about this?”
“Three days ago,” Nog admitted. “He said he'd think about it. But he hasn't said anything about it since.”
Several seconds of silence passed as Raine processed that, and then bit back a sigh as she mentally reminded herself that Nog had only just turned eighteen.
“It's been a chaotically busy three days.” She finally said. “But tell you what, if the Commander doesn't get back to you in a week, come see me and I'll strategically remind him.”
“However,” She continued, her stare turning a tad bit harsher than she intended as she pulled herself tiredly to her feet. “I am currently running on two hours of sleep after a sextuple shift that was mostly spent crawling around the access tunnels helping to devirus the station's computers. So now that I've reassured you of things, you are going head out and spend the rest of the day accessing the Stations freely accessible Federation database to figure out just what you want to do if you actually get into Starfleet. And I am going to crawl into bed until it's time for dinner.”
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After several days spent watching over her Mirror Universe duplicate to make sure she didn’t try anything, Major Kira Nerys had come to realize the former Intendant was putting on a rather impressive face to cover just how much she had been affected by her attempted abuse of the Orb. Not that the Major would ever say that out loud as it was a sure way to make her counterpart go on the defensive, but it had made dealing with her a lot easier.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to try and arrange the disappearance of that Vedek Winn for you?” The former Intendant asked, the woman standing in the airlock of the other Sisko’s ship as the newly repaired vessel finished up the last of its preparations before setting out to Bajor. “I’ve caught some of the opinions she’s pushing. And it’s an honestly impressive bit of propaganda work that’s likely to cause you no end of problems in the long run.”
Nerys grimaced, hating herself just a bit for the fact she even momentarily considered saying yes to the other woman's offer. “I know, but that’s not how we do things here. As it is it’s only a matter of time until she slips up in a way we can get her for. And when that day comes I’m going to enjoy watching her be taken away.”
“Well,” the former Intendant grinned in obvious amusement. “I suppose I can’t really begrudge you the urge to gloat over your enemy's defeated form.”
“If there’s nothing else,” she continued after a moment. “I do have a newly purchased mountain side villa to begin moving into.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay until the baby is born?” Nerys grudgingly asked, her eyes flicking down to the other woman’s heavily pregnant belly. “Doctor Bashir is probably the best in the system for dealing with any unknown complications that might crop up from your pregnancy.”
The former Intendant gave an oddly genuine. “I do appreciate the offer, but I’d rather put some distance between me and the wormhole, and that charming First Minister of yours has already helped me secure what sounds to be a rather promising midwife.”
“That’s good to hear.” Nerys said, letting the silence hang between them for several seconds before grudgingly continuing. “If you want, I could probably be there for the birth.”
Seeming to seriously consider it, the former Intendant finally gave a slow shake of her head. “No, it’s probably for the best if you don’t. Not to say having another me there wouldn’t be relaxing. But I have the odd feeling your presence would be tempting fate just a tad too much and result in some overly disruptive insanity following along.”
Nerys wanted to protest that, unfortunately however the overly chaotic nature of her past three years since coming to Deep Space Nine had become a solid indicator that the Prophets had decided her life should be anything but normal.
“All right,” She offered a somewhat wan smile. “Then you are free to depart, just remember to stay within the pre-approved flight corridor until you reach Bajor orbit.”
“Yes, yes.” The former Intendant waved off her words. “Ben is well aware of where he can’t fly.” Her look turned suddenly impish. “At least, until he takes up that interesting little job your government gave him.”
A look of confusion flashed across Nerys’s face. “Job offer?”
“Something for you to look forward to.” The former Intendant giggled before slowly spinning around and offering an idle over the shoulder wave. “Ta-ta for now my dear.”
With that final word the other woman walked off into the ship, leaving Nerys to glare silently as the airlock door slid shut behind her.
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Location - Mirror Universe
If there was one thing Queen Tendi truly hated about being the ruler of the Hegemony it was the sheer number of ceremonial functions she was forced to take part in. The handover of the Orb to First Minister Winn and the following celebratory events as a good example had taken the better part of eighteen hours. And while she liked parties as much as the next Asari maiden, the Bajoran’s idea of a party was closer to a renaissance celebration then the high energy events she actually enjoyed.
Thankfully however the need for her participation in that was finally over, which meant she could trudge back to the “presidential” suite she was staying at and spend the next several hours relaxing in a hot bath cursing her wardrober for thinking traditional bajoran should lack any of the technologies or metamaterials that made such a manner of dress actually comfortable.
Smiling to the mostly ceremonial Orion security officers flanking the door to her suite, she waited a moment for them to open the door for her before walking in to see an instantly recognizable blonde lazily relaxing on her couch.
“The Order isn’t happy,” Annika offered without further preamble the moment the doors finished closing behind Raine.
If the Asari had ever been forced to honestly describe Annika Hansen it would have likely included the words artificial bombshell. 178 centimeters tall when not wearing her favored 8 centimeter heels, the woman's body shape, complexion, hair, and facial structure all had a slightly off sort of artificial perfection to it that was the unfortunate result of multiple Obsidian Order cosmetic alterations with no care given to preserving a record of her original human looks.
She had gone on to seize that look as her own badge of honor of course, though it wasn’t without its problems as it put her a bit into the uncanny valley with other humans. Though personally Raine considered it a bonus that made the spy all the more uniquely striking.
“About the loss of the Orb? Or the discovery of the wormhole?” She asked as she took a moment to pull off her high heels.
“The wormhole.” Annika said, her eyes following Raine's ass in a way that made the Asari put a little extra wiggle into things. “I suspect it's finally going to be enough to push them into ordering me to try and pull out the twins.”
Raine clenched her fist, only just keeping her biotics from flaring up at the thought Annika's words brought to mind. “And when they do?”
Annika raised an eyebrow. “I certainly won't be handing them over to the Order. But you realize that's going to burn me with them for good?”
“Which is going to cripple your ability to stay on top of things.” Raine grumbled, making her way over to the suite's small bar.
“Anything poisoned?” She asked, glancing over her shoulder at the still languidly poised blonde.
“Surprisingly, no. Winn is oddly earnest about her cooperation given you're basically annexing her world.”
“Her counterpart's a sociopathic snake.” Raine reminded the other woman as she began looking through the bottles for something they would both enjoy. “So our Winn being trustworthy really shouldn't be as unexpected as it is.”
Thankfully Annika was very much a wine woman, something the Asari verse of had always been rather fond of, so it wasn't too hard in this particular case given the Bajorans general preference towards that particular type of alcoholic drink.
“Ooh, looks like they have a sparkling white milaberry here.”
“Is that really such a good measure given your insistence that I'm nicer than my counterpart?” Annika asked in an innocently teasing tone.
Raine knelt down and grabbed a pair of long stemmed glasses in the cupboard under the bar. “You are the father of my children and have only tried to kill me once, meanwhile she is currently a Borg. There is absolutely no contest.”
Using a flick of her finger to biotic off the bottle topper, she filled the glasses before grabbing both and walking over to the couch.
“To finally being unemployed.” She grinned, offering one of the wine glasses to the other woman.
Accepting the glasses with a roll of her eyes, Annika took a sip and let out a pleased hum as Raine sat settled in next to her. “Not bad, it might make a good white for our wedding reception.”
Taking a sip of her own drink to try and hide the wince, Raine could tell from the slight narrowing of Annika's eyes that she hadn't managed to get away with it.
“You promised we could have it as soon as I broke away from the Order.”
Raine had, but the original timeline for that would have given her another four years to get things properly lined up. “And I plan to follow through with that promise. But there's a lot to set up with that.”
“Like your divorce.” Annika returned dryly.
“That's not exactly simple, you know.” Raine grimaced, fully aware that Jellaa's continued existence was a bit of a sore spot with the other woman. “But having her killed would just play into the Matriarch’s hands.”
Annika scowled. “Then stop putting it off and change the laws. Because I will not be second wife to that absolute waste of a woman.”
“I'm barely holding onto the traditionalists support as it is.” Raine tried to counter. “They fully believe I'm planning to replace their people with aliens.”
“Which you are.” Annika drawled.
“Yes,” Raine grudgingly admitted. “But it's going to take at least two years to weed out all the ones who aren't up to the task and train the rest up to even minimal standards of general competency.”
Which was a lot more difficult than it realistically should be due in no small part to the sheer amount of ennui that seemed to have taken hold amongst various planetary populations since the collapse of the Terran Empire.
Setting her glass down, Annika began to pull up her hair into its more customary French twist. A sure enough sign that the Asari wasn't going to be getting any tonight, and possibly for the foreseeable future, unless she worked quickly to turn things around.
“All right,” she sighed. “I'll start the process when we get back to Orion.”
Annika paused, and a small smile graced the corner of her lips as she finally let her hair fall back down. “I suppose that will do.” She grabbed her glass and took another drink. “Now what's this I hear about you needing to be rescued?”
Raine's look turned sour, and she downed the rest of her wine in a single gulp. “Its not my fault.” She grumbled. “How the fuck was I supposed to know that Odo was pretending to be that security guard, knew the Vulcan neck pinch, and had the ability to pass through biotic barriers.”
Once more setting her glass down, Annika leaned over to whisper breathily into Raine's ear ridge.“By doing your research before jumping heel first into whatever new bit of chaos has caught your attention.”
“I had O’Brien grab everything he could from the station's database before going over there.” Raine pouted, doing her best to ignore the purposefully teasing brushes of the other woman’s breasts on her arm. “It should have been a quick in and out after my diplomatic attempt fell apart.”
Annika reached up with a single finger and booped Raine gently on the nose. “Which is why you should never send an engineer to do a spy’s job.”
“You were supposed to be on Cardassia.” Raine whined, fully aware that Annika was playing up the teasing to punish her for earlier but nonetheless unable to help the building desire the blonde’s actions were provoking. “If I had sent you a message, who knows where Nerys might have taken the Orb to in the time it took you to get back here.”
“And your other spies?” Annika asked, pulling back slightly to raise an eyebrow.
“Are about as subtle as an Orion in a strip club,” Raine groused. “As you well know, given the Order's continued disparaging of my agents.” She leaned forward to stare directly into Annika’s eyes. “If you want to take over though, the offer’s still open.”
An overly theatrical shudder ran down Annika’s form. “Maybe in a decade or two, till then though you’ll have to just make due with your interplanetary woman of mystery.”
Pouting slightly, Raine let out an overly dramatic sigh. “I knew I was going to regret telling you about that.”
“All teasing aside,” Annika’s tone suddenly turned serious. “You let your impatience get ahead of you again. Winn’s control of things here wasn’t going to fall apart with just a day or two’s delay.”
The sudden flip sent Raine reeling a bit, something that was almost surely intentional on Annika’s part given just how good the woman was at getting people to lower emotional barriers.
“I couldn’t risk it,” she grudgingly confessed as she tried to recover from the sudden emotional whiplash. “What if they had moved the Orb to the Defiant? Or moved the station? Or any of a dozen other things they might have been able to think up to stop us if I actually gave them the time to stop and think about everything.”
“And you wanted to show off in front of your counterpart.” Annika said, reading between the lines of Raine’s words with her usual level skill.
“And I wanted to show off in front of my counterpart.” She grumbled, crossing her arms and sliding down pettily into the sofa’s cushions. “She got a promotion, you know. Lieutenant Commander. Another year or two to hit Commander, a few more after that for Captain, then she’ll be flying around in her own starship exploring strange new worlds and seeking out new life and new civilizations.”
“All the things you can’t do because you have to run the Hegemony.” Annika followed along as she moved to cuddle up against Raine’s side. “Do you want to hear about how I snuck through the Bajoran security to wait for you here?”
An unusual feeling of contentment rippled through Raine, and she let her arms uncross to snake one around the blonde in a thankful hug. “You know what, that would be great.”
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Author’s Notes: Due to input I did some pretty big rewrites of this chapter that effectivly added an extra 700 words on top of all the other changes to the original chapter. Which also is resulting in a slight change for Monday's release to a special Interlude chapter I'm calling "Captain's Fate".