25.5.98

Episode 10

Star Trek: Phoenix-X
"Pure Evil"

(The Prometheus-class Phoenix-X moves closer to a miniature energy anomaly, smaller than the ship. Bolts of lightning come out of it)

(On the Bridge)
Armond: The mini star seems to be disintegrating at a constant speed. I estimate it will disappear in 8.4 minutes.
Gotens: Take us within 200 kilometres of it.

(In the Captain's Ready Room, Daniel holds up a PADD with Cloud on its screen)
>Cloud: That's not possible.
Daniel: Maybe you haven't read this guy's record but, according to this, he's a psychopath.
>Cloud: Captian! He was granted a concluding chance. So long as he executes his duties like a Starfleet Officer, Doctor Lox remains!
(The screen cuts out)

(On the Bridge)
Gotens (handshake): Nice to meet you, Counselor. I'm sure you'll like it on the Phoenix-X.
Lucricia: Thank you, sir.
Gotens: The Captian's expecting you.
Armond (at sensors): Hmm. This mini-star looks familiar.
Red: Commander, we still cannot secure a satisfactory sensor reading.
Wallace: I don't recommend we go any closer than 100 kilometres of the occurrence.
Gotens: Take us a hundred kilometres closer, Red.
Red: Aye, sir.

(In the Ready Room. The doorbell rings)
Daniel: Come in!!
Lucricia (enters): Captian—
Daniel: I swear, I'm this close to resigning from Starfleet.
(Suddenly the star, outside the ship, bursts out a huge flash wave. A bolt of lightning grabs a hold of the Phoenix-X)
Mirror Daniel: That's it, Counselor. I resign!
#Mirror Armond: Armond to Captian. Commander Gotens is dead.

(On the Bridge)
Mirror Daniel (enters): What happened?
Mirror Armond: The control panel beside him exploded.
Mirror Ensign Dan: Awww, too bad. Now who will be the brains of the outfit?
(Daniel takes the phaser from a guard, ups the intensity and fires at Ensign Dan, vaporizing him)
Mirror Lucricia: Captian, what are you doing?
Mirror Daniel: I'm tired of Starfleet, I'm tired of this crew, and I was definitely tired of the two officers from the Xena!!
Mirror Red: Ha! Ha! Captain, I now have respect for you.
Mirror Daniel: Good. Red, you're now First in Command.
Mirror Armond: But, Captain. I'm supposed to be next—
(The Captain fires the phaser at Armond, vaporizing him as well)
Mirror Daniel: If you want to talk on my Bridge, you ask me for permission.
Mirror Kayl: Captian—
(Daniel points his phaser at Kayl)
Mirror Kayl: Uh, permission to speak?
Mirror Daniel: Granted.
Mirror Kayl: I'm detecting another ship on the other side of the star.
Mirror Daniel: What?
Mirror Kayl: It's registered as the U.S.S. Pheonix-X?

(On the other Prometheus-class ship. Bridge)
Daniel: What's going on?
Gotens: I dunno. The control panel over there exploded. Luckily, I moved away from it in time. The Phoenix-X was hit by a bolt from the star. We retracted back 300 kilometres away from it.
Daniel: Good work, Commander.
Armond: The star has disintegrated.
Daniel: Hail that ship.
(The screen goes on)
Daniel: I am Captian Daniel of the—
(He stops in shock, seeing the other Daniel with Red by his side)

(Later, both sides meet in the Conference Room of the Phoenix-X. The four ship leaders take a seat at the long table)
Daniel: This is an amazing phenomenon.
Mirror Daniel: I agree. Unfortunately, my Commander Gotens, Lieutenant Commander Armond and Ensign Dan were killed by explosions on the ship.
Gotens: That's terrible.
Mirror Daniel: Yes. It is.
Daniel: So, there are duplicates of everybody now?
Mirror Red: It would appear that way.
Mirror Daniel: Our warp nacelles aren't blue anymore. They are red. I wonder if your Chief Engineer could assist my Chief Engineer to figure out the problem?
Daniel: Sure. I'll send Kugo over.

(Later, on the Bridge of the Phoenix-X)
Gotens: I've seen the face he made too many times in five lifetimes. He's lying.
Daniel: About what?
Gotens: I don't know. It's just a feeling. Did you see the way Red mocked you in there?
Daniel: Yeah, something's different about them.
Red: Excuse me?
Gotens: Oh, not you. The Red on their ship is First in Command.
Daniel: That Captain made some changes to his face. He looks like a Tholian on Drunk Ferengi Impressions Night. Commander, go talk to Kugo. Kayl, keep an eye on their ship.
Gotens: Yes, sir.
Kayl: Aye, sir.
Daniel: Ensign, we need to determine why the star made a duplicate of us.
Ensign Dan: Aye sir—
Armond: Captian, permission to assist the Science officer?
Daniel: Sure, if you think you can help.
(Armond and Ensign Dan walk to the science station)

(In main Engineering)
Gotens: ...And I want you to give me a full report. You're not only going there to assist your double with the warp nacelles, I want you to observe the crew. The people you know.
Kugo: That is illogical. What is the purpose of observing the crew if it is precisely the same as ours?
Gotens: I have reason to believe that their crew just might be a little different...

(On the Bridge, Daniel and Armond observe the science read-outs)
Armond: Luckily, we got some data before we withdrew from the star. The star seemed to be giving off negative and positive isolinium radiation. Sensors indicate were struck by a positive bolt.
Daniel: How is that possible? That still doesn't explain how we were duplicated?
Armond: Isolinium radiation is known for capturing an object and, in a way, bringing an exact negative duplicate of it into our Universe. As soon as I saw these readings, I knew there was something familiar about them.
Daniel: What are you getting at?
Armond: A party of Vulcan archeologists, back in 2354, stumbled into a cave where they found Vulcan iHorn bats. They claimed to have seen millions of them when, in fact, only half of what they saw had previously migrated to the cave. Later, it was found that the cave was engulfed with isolinium radiation from the type of rock.
Daniel: Are you saying the radiation caused doubles of the Vulcan iHorn bats to appear?
Armond: Yes. Our case is different. Instead of rock, that mini star was energized enough to bring a copy of us here.
Daniel: Could our engines have caused it energize?
Armond: It's possible. Our engines are a lot different than other ships'.
Daniel: The other Daniel was complaining that the warp plasma on their ship was red. Not blue.
Armond: That is curious.
Daniel: Good work, Lieutenant. I want you to keep analyzing this data and, when Kugo comes back, analyze hers.
Armond: Aye, sir.

(On the other Phoenix-X, in the Ready Room)
Mirror Red: I am having doubts about my honour. Having a double of oneself is a malformity of nature.
Mirror Daniel: That's not true. We are the originals. They are the duplicates!
Mirror Red: Yes, sir. About the other Daniel?
Mirror Daniel: I don't like him. After we find out what the problem is with the nacelles, we'll destroy them.
Mirror Red: Heh, heh. He wastes his time on speculations and other probabilities. Hahaha!
Mirror Daniel: That reminds me. I want changes made. Forge a program where we can initiate it at my command. Combadge frequencies are to be changed. I also want shield locality to be modified to block the other Phoenix-X's sensor readings. I want their Phoenix-X to be unable to read the interior of our ship. All passwords will be changed. Voice command will be transferred to me only. Okay? Red— well you don't even wear the uniforms that came with our ship— but send out a message to the crew. Uniforms aren't necessary anymore. Oh and, if anyone challenges your command, kill them. Do we have engines, the cloak and multi-vector separation?
Red: Yes, sir. All in perfect shape, except for them not working in this space.
Daniel: Good. I wonder if we should change our ship name? Like, with another random letter? How would Phoenix-V sound? Never mind. Red, you can go. Oh, and send Doctor Lox up.
Red: Yes, Captain.
(The Klingon leaves the Ready Room)
Daniel: Moohoohahahahahahahahaa...!!

(On the Phoenix-X, Bridge. Kugo enters, after her visit to the other ship, and hands over a data PADD)
Armond: Hmm. How can this be? Computer, get me all the files concerning the information recorded by Chief Engineer Kugo. Correlate this information to Starfleet's database dating back to a century. Extrapolate any anomaly concerning...

(Meanwhile, Daniel is in his ready room awaiting Kugo. She rings and enters)
Kugo: Returning from, well, from you know. That other ship.
Daniel: Understood. What did you find?
Kugo: Well, all their instruments are standard according to Starfleet. Although, there was something I had overtake.
Daniel: Yes?
Kugo: With all my instruments, I had to reverse the polarity. Otherwise, everything was the same.
Daniel: What do you mean reverse?
Kugo: It's like a magnet. I'm trying to attach this magnet to their systems, but the only way to do it was to turn the magnet the retracting way.
Daniel: I see.
Armond (enters): I've got it!

(On the Mirror Phoenix-X, in the Captain's Ready Room)
Mirror Daniel: Kugo, does Kugo suspect anything?
Mirror Kugo: I don't think so.

(On the Prime Phoenix-X)
Armond: I suspect that there is nothing wrong with their propulsion system.

(On the Mirror Phoenix-X)
Red: How are we going rebuild the warp system without them knowing?

(On the Prime Phoenix-X)
Daniel: What do you mean?
Armond: They are lying. From the readings that Kugo got, everything is in working order. It's just that the energy is reversed. They are capable of doing everything we can, of course, but not in this space.
Daniel: This space?
Armond: This space is for this Phoenix-X. We are able to create warp bubbles in this space allowing us to go faster than light. They can do that same thing with their energy, but it works on different terms.
Daniel: So they are copies of us right?
Armond: Right.
Kugo: But their entire molecular flow is reversed.
Armond: Yeah, you can say that.
Daniel: Okay, that means we have a copy-Phoenix-X and crew. But their molecular flow is the inverse of ours. Would their attitudes be reversed as well?
Armond: I suppose so. But the radiation affects differently to the different species.
Daniel: So we have a renegade Phoenix-X. They are sitting ducks where they stand. If it was me, I would get my ship back online. Then I would finish off the only threat to my existence.
Kugo: Then the only way is to have them rebuild their energy coils to the flow of energy opposite to what they have now?
Armond: And once that is done, they would annihilate us.
Daniel: I couldn't say it better than myself. Now, we have to do something about this.

(Later, in the Conference Room)
Daniel: Options?
Red (slams fist): We have to destroy them. Now! We cannot have doubles of us roaming the galaxy and impersonating us.
Gotens: No way. They're people too. Whether you like it or not, we have to respect them like they were one of us.
Kayl: They know everything about us. Our fears, our past, everything!
Ensign Dan: Don't be such a baby. Oh, wait.  We could use that to our advantage and scare the other Kayl! Maybe she'll accidentally blow up the ship.
Gotens: Well, Kugo? You went to the other Phoenix-X. What did you see?
Ensign Dan: Yeah. Am I just as good-looking?
Kugo: You were nowhere to be found, except for a vapour-ash Ensign Dan-shape on the floor of the Bridge. But I did notice personality differences between the other crew to ours. For example, Ensign Gewdeque is usually loud and annoying. I found that on their ship, she was most quiet and shy.
Gotens: I'll be sure to add that to my log.
Kugo: Everyone had stopped wearing their Starfleet uniforms, and the lighting was really bad.
Ensign Dan: Hey, can we have a non-uniform day too?

(On the Mirror Phoenix-X, in the Captian's Ready Room)
Mirror Daniel: I have full confidence in you.
Mirror Lox: Thank you.
Mirror Daniel: Shut up, you petaQ and just do it or I will replace you with the EMH.
Mirror Lox (nervous): Right. I guess I'll be going. Heh.
Mirror Daniel: Not just yet. Guards, give Doctor Lox my thank you.
Mirror GoyCho: Hello.
(GoyCho knees Lox in the stomach)
Mirror Lox (falls): Uughh!
(GoyCho starts punching)

(On the Phoenix-X, turbolift)
Daniel: Is there any way we can use our knowledge of the radiation to our advantage?
Armond: Not really, since knowledge and advantages aren't mutually exclusive.
#Tong: Captian, I'm detecting another ship.
Kayl: Oh my God! A third Phoenix-X! When will this hell end??
(Everyone exits to the Bridge)
Daniel: Report.
Tong: It's on its way here, Warp 2, Mark 3, 7. We have not come into their sensor range yet.
Gotens: What kind of ship is it?
Tong: It is a Trill medical ship.
Gotens: Trill?
Daniel: Hail the medical ship.

(On the Mirror Phoenix-X)
Mirror Kayl: The other Phoenix-X is hailing them.
Mirror Red: Initiate.

(On the Phoenix-X)
>Speng: Captian, we have everything you asked for. But, if I may ask, isn't this against Federation regulations?
Daniel: What are you talking about? I never—
(An alert beep goes off, prompting the screen to go out)

(On the medical ship Mehlow)
Hinto: Connection lost, sir.
Speng: See? I told you he was rude. These Federations.
Maggie: I see.

(The Phoenix-X suddenly cloaks)
Daniel: Why did you initiate the cloaking device?
Kayl: I didn't. According to the system, our shields are still up and our cloaking device has not been activated.
Armond: Captian, the other Phoenix-X's cloaking device is activated. But it is our ship that is cloaked. Not theirs?
Daniel: Hail the Phoenix-X.
Armond: They're not responding.
Daniel: Hail the medical ship.
Armond: Our communications are being jammed.
Gotens: Can you unjam it?
Armond: I think so, but it will take me a couple hours. I've seen these jamming sequences before, I bet it was my double that did this.
Ensign Dan: Your double was killed and so was mine. So we're lucky.
Gotens: How can they just turn on us like this?
#Kugo: Kugo to Captian Daniel.
Daniel: Yes, Lieutenant Commander?
#Kugo: Sir, I cannot access the transwarp drive. Propulsion systems are inaccessible.
Kayl: They've got us in a hold. All they have to do is push a button and initiate the self-destruct sequence.
Daniel: Self-destruct? Darn. I forgot. You have the Bridge, Number One.
 (He goes into his Ready Room)
Gotens: Armond, rotate the shield frequencies.
Armond: Aye, sir.

(The Mehlow rendezvous' with the Mirror Phoenix-X)

(On the Mirror Phoenix-X, Bridge)
Mirror Red: Do you have the tachyon coil spanner we requested?
>Speng: Right here, Mister Klingon.
Mirror Red: Hmm. Mister Klingon. I like the sound of that.
Mirror Kayl: Uh, Commander?
Mirror Red: Oh, yeah. You may transport.
>Speng: Alrighty. I will just need a little time to assemble the medical team.
Mirror Red: No! No medical team, please.
>Speng: But—
Mirror Red: Only transport one person!!
(Speng glances at Maggie, concerned)

(On the Prime Phoenix-X, Bridge)
Daniel: What's our status?
Gotens: Other than losing control of the ship? I do have this cramp on the left side of my back, just up near my shoulder.
Elly (rubs): Oh, let me get that for you.
Daniel: Arghh. Can we please stay concentrated here? You are supposed to be Starfleet officers!
Kayl: So that's why we wear these uniforms. Neato.
Gotens: A little to the left.
Daniel: Arrghh.
Armond: It's not that we don't want to concentrate. It's just that it has been two hours and all we've been doing is watching a medical ship transport one person and some supplies over to our duplicated counterparts.
Gotens: Yeah. What are they doing over there?
Red: Getting their ship back online, unlike us.
Armond: I've almost severed the jamming signal, just a few more algorithms. So, hold on to your wrinkled Klingon forehead.
Daniel (sits): I've got to recruit.
Red: Sir, I've detected a Federation destress beacon. It's from the Delta Quadrant, from a Federation vessel called the U.S.S. Voyager
Daniel: Not now!
(They see the Mirror Phoenix-X suddenly fire a photon torpedo onto the beacon, exploding it. At the same time, Armond perks up)
Armond: There. I've got it! We can now communicate! By text only. I'll get back to you illiterate people.
Gotens: Why is there a Trill medical ship helping them with engine problems?

(On the Mirror Phoenix-X, Sickbay)
Mirror Lox (bruised): I've finally, successfully finished a surgery! Wohoo!
Mirror EMH: Hey, I helped!
Mirror Lox: Huh? Well, I can't give credit to a hologram. What would the medical community say?
Half-Mirror James Gotens (sits up): You are such a psycho.
Mirror Lox: Shh! Not in public! I moved our Mirror Gotens symbiont from the Mirror Night host into the Prime James host, successfully. 
Half-Mirror James Gotens: Why would you call yourself the mirror version?
Mirror Lox: Might as well, since we're the odd ones out in this Universe. Oh, and if you feel a little queasy when you sit, it's just the Tarkeesion candy I dropped in your stomach. Don't worry, in about twelve years it will dissolve.
Half-Mirror James Gotens: What are you going to do with the Mirror Night body?
Mirror Lox: I don't know. Burn him, maybe. He's dead, after all. I'm sure he won't mind.
Half-Mirror James Gotens (stands): Well, I'm not a crew member anymore. I think I'll go steal a shuttle and hook up with an Orion slave girl.
Mirror Lox: Hohoho, ha! Ha! Computer, erect a level one force field around the Mirror Night body and put the temperature up to 500 degrees! Heh, heh.
(The Computer complies and Night gets cremated in the middle of the room)
 
(On the Mirror Phoenix-X, Ready Room)
#Mirror Kugo: There! Captian! I've reversed the tachyon polarities!
 Mirror Daniel (stands): Then I think it is about time to shake our booty.
#Computer: Please request dance music title.
(He shakes his head and then exits to the Bridge)
Mirror Daniel: I think the first issue at hand is to get rid of our help. After all, it's not like we'll need their services anymore.
Mirror Red: I understand. Fi—
Mirror Daniel: —Get ready to fire photons at their engines.
Mirror Red: Like I was saying, fire on their engines.
(The Mirror Phoenix-X fires upon the Trill vessel. It explodes and everyone on the ship dies)

(On the Prime Phoenix-X, Bridge)
Elly: Our sister ship has just opened fire on the trill vessel. It is destroyed. No survivors.
Daniel: What?
Elly: Our sister shi—
Daniel: I heard you the first time. I'm just kidding with you bud. (Where did that come from?)
Armond: One more algorithm left, sir.
Daniel: I was just going to ask that.
Armond: Done.
Daniel: Great. Restart systems from the start.
Red: Captain, we are getting a message from the other ship.
Daniel: On screen.
>Mirror Daniel: Well, it seems that you have severed our link.
Daniel: It appears so.
>Mirror Daniel: Let me guess. You are planning to restart your systems and destroy us.
Daniel: Perhaps.
>Mirror Daniel: Then I guess we aren't as alike as you think. Because, once you initiate your tactical systems, I will destroy your vessels with a pair of torpedoes.
(He then motions for the signal to be cut)

(On the Mirror Phoenix-X)
Mirror Daniel: I think that should convince them that we're not joking.
Mirror Red: After all, we're going to kill them anyways.

(On the Prime Phoenix-X)
Daniel: Kugo and Armond, is that possible? Can they really destroy us that easily?
Kugo: Yeah.
Armond: Their sensors would be able to read our systems powering up and they can act faster than our systems powering up.
Daniel: We need to destroy them. Any suggestions?
Gotens: I have one.
Daniel: Okay.
Gotens: How about if we reroute main power through the auxilliary power distributors. From there they would never suspect our systems.
Kugo: But our weapons they can detect.
Gotens: Well, let me finish. I didn't say that we would power up weapons.
Daniel: What exactly are you saying?
Gotens: We'll use that power to make a warp jump. We'll lose them for a few seconds, expecting pursuit. We can power up weapons and counterattack.
Daniel: Sounds good. Make it so.

(On the Mirror Phoenix-X)
Mirror Daniel: Everything is going as planned. They are like putty in my hands. Get ready to fire on them. Lock on torpedoes 3 and 4. Fire on my mark.

(On the Prime Phoenix-X)
Gotens: Power rerouted.
Daniel: Good. Warp jump on my mark.

(On the Mirror Phoenix-X)
Mirror Daniel: Fire!

(On the Prime Phoenix-X)
Daniel: Engage!

(The Prime Phoenix-X warps out. The torpedoes explode in the space they previously were. The Mirror Phoenix-X catches the dodge)
Mirror Red: Sir, their ship has jumped to warp before we nailed them. Shall we pursue?
Mirror Daniel: Definitely. Make it so.

(On the Prime Phoenix-X)
Daniel: All stop and bring us about. Power weapons and lock. Fire!
(When the Mirror Phoenix-X drops warps, the Prime Phoenix-X fires photon torpedoes and hits them)

(On the Mirror Phoenix-X)
Daniel: Oh, shi—
(But the Mirror Phoenix-X is destroyed with a big BOOM!)

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