Star Trek: Phoenix-X
"Transgressables, Part III"
The Terran Prometheus-class I.S.S. Phoenix-X and the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance Vor'cha-class A.K.S. B'Chnah impulsed and weaved around a conglomerate of articulating green space tentacles while lancing phasers and disrupters at each other.
"Weigh anchor! Hoist the mizzen!" Mirror Seifer commanded amongst the chaos of the Mirror Bridge.
While RaeLuna fired and Dain piloted, his crew looked at him weird. "Sir, those aren’t even things we do."
"Ugh. I know. This is just me wishing myself out of Terran re-oppression," he conceded. "They're very redundant, mind you."
---
Suddenly, the passing B'Cnah seared disrupter beams through a portion of the Phoenix-X's weakening shields and blew into the Terran ship's starboard hull, sending them spinning off-axis until they were caught by a tentacle.
"We got them!" declared the Mirror Menchez from the Captain's seat. "That'll learn those uptights not to tell us to keep our opera down."
Ronin shrugged. "And it's not even like we have it that loud. They're just trying to douse our vibe, sir. Well, the Catullans understood us."
"If neither the Terrans nor this Fluidic space tentacle species are up to conditional danger, then we will manufacture peril ourselves," Red reassured, re-entering the Bridge. "We're going to interact with their interdimensional tear and phase-cloak ourselves into a one-ship technological marvel of achievement!"
Menchez perked. "Commander, am I to understand you have rekindled your drive for Mirror Klingoning?"
"After this fanciful, scholarly feat, we actually will have impetus for celebratoriness," Red bolstered. "Kortos, prepare the machinations! You know, the shooting-gravitons-out-of-our-deflector thing. That mostly unused light under our forward disruptor?"
The other Klingon snapped. "Oh, that!"
---
Meanwhile, a tortured and clothing-torn, exhausted Wayfar just barely band-transported himself onto the tentacle-arrested Phoenix-X, where a shocked crew were in the midst of reconciling their jeopardy.
"Ah! Don't you knock? Oh, right. Mirror Universe," Mirror Seifer pacified. "Also, we're here to save you, despite any hesitation on my part."
Wayfar nodded. "Because I usurped your success, six years ago, by reassembling this ship and curing your sickness, despite we agreeing on those very terms?"
"Indeed. What I hadn't counted on were my regressive feelings of emasculinity and resulting self-doubts," the Commander admitted. "Our subconscious governs our everyday actions, you know."
The Traveler nodded. "Asking for help is not a weakness, but a strength. Get yourselves one of those half-Betazoid counsellors. They will do wonders for inter-ship episodic drama and help against the pressures of Terran and/or Alliance marginalization— especially after torture."
"Oh, no," Kugo fretted. "Did they get information out of you that we would have done, happily, had we the opportunity?"
Wayfar sighed. "It's weird how everyone loves torture here. But, yes, they did attain my knowledge for enabling interphase cloaking, this time through the Fluidic tentacle species. Conceding, even partially, was involuntary but did give me relief enough to rekindle my space-time abilities to get back to this copycat, wannabe-original, fakie-fake fake ship."
"Phoenix-X, your unresponsive Mirror-compatriots appear to be finagling with the dimensional rift that we are currently spewing ourselves out through," came the hail from the gripping space-tentacles. "Succeeding in their goals will destabilize our link to it."
Seifer perked. "Hey! You know us from your friends? That means you’re a shared consciousness!"
"We're still connected to each other through Fluidic space, but we must also tell you that we are also genetically-bred subordinates of the Undine, who some call Species 8472, and that means we do not have the ability to re-seal a tear we lose connection to," the voice explained. "Translation, we're going to be in sooooo much trouble when our parents get back from the store."
"Then you've completed confrontation preparations for the Mirror Jem'Hadar," the Commander surmised.
The Sleri replied, "Alas, the qualification period has resulted in a greater existential contention of converging realms."
"We will assist as a gesture of alliance," Seifer realized as the tentacles released the Phoenix-X. "That's how the Klingons got together with the Cardassians and it is how the Terrans will escape their perpetual self-defeating inclinations. We'll become gods in terms of ethical conduct and, as alien outsiders, bring peace and goodwill toward all men!"
Kugo tapped her chin in shared inspiration. "And the women too."
"Done!" At that, the Phoenix-X redoubled its efforts and re-engaged the predisposed B'Cnah as it was in mid-graviton fire upon the interdimensional growth point of the Fluidic space tentacles.
However, the surge of destabilizing systems from Phoenix-X attacks fed an overload along the B'Cnah's beam and tore into the rift, more, opening it wider and spewing a slow consistent spread of Fluidic space out into the Mirror Universe.
"Thank you for the assistance, Phoenix-X," came the on-screen hail from Red aboard the B'Cnah as it phased out into its desired interphase cloak. "Doubt holds us for a time, but our low points are never as long as our lifespans, so we may as well fill that void with persistence."
Seifer nodded. "I guess? So, you're going to destroy the Terrans now?"
"It's technology-through-combat that we've come addicted to. We have no need for the Terrans anymore," Menchez admitted. Then, before cutting out, he added, "We Mirror Klingons are a complicated bunch."
Prime Wayfar gestured, regaining some of his strength. "It's weird how everyone here calls themselves that. Anyway, I wish there was something I could do about this mess, but the Laws of Physics of Fluidic space confound me. At least, here, I invert all my attempts. Do I need to lubricate them for Species 8472? It's confusing." He then transport-banded himself back to the Prime Universe.
"We messed up," Seifer admitted to the tentacles as he turned to the viewscreen that was showing the slow splurging green mucus of Fluidic space.
As it fed out, the various space tentacles fed out with it, growing and stuck to the fluid like living flora. "The Klingon was correct about persistence. We will also consider this our temporary low point and push on. Resilience comes from authenticity."
"In the meantime, let us track down your imitations by those Mirror Jem'Hadar for you. It's the least we could offer, considering you're all over the place right now. We'll come back with mops too," Seifer suggested to a then-drooping tentacle. "Is that a nod? I'll take that as a nod."
The Fluidic space mishmash then added, "You have successfully liberated yourselves of Mirror Universe convention and trope. The honor is ours."
"Huh. It kind of feels good. Is this the mindset those Prime Universians always have? A sense of justification for their own existence? Fascinating," James Seifer realized. "Also, I have an odd craving for prune juice."
The I.S.S. Phoenix-X then turned in Mirror space and jumped to warp, now on a strange but altruistic chase for conscience and integrity.
