Team - For Bajor - 4
Posted on Fri Nov 21st, 2025 @ 3:00pm by Commander Jenna Ramthorne & Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell & Remal Kajun & Patin & Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Commander Dean House & Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali & Lieutenant JG Micheal Stevens & Ensign Kitiuas Thenis ie-Jia'anKahr & Commander Jennifer Baldric
2,675 words; about a 13 minute read
Mission:
For Bajor!
Location: Bajor - Northern Province
Timeline: Current
Dane slipped through the wormhole during the calamity, silent and cowardly, leaving others to clean up his mess and most likely die for him. The portal flickered angrily, its teather to the mirror universe now tenuous and unstable. A myriad of colours flickered through its membrane like a bubble with detergent, angrily swirling, mixing and colliding.
Rhenora's shot followed as he stepped through, and she would never know if her aim was true. The pieces of the puzzle were shifting, MU Bonnie, MU Coy and MU Dean closing in on the Sunfire's team. The Captain took stock, analysing who the greatest threat now was. The odds were in the teams favour by way of numbers, but one could never underestimate a cornered beast.
With Remal by her side they advanced, Dean only a step behind. The mirror Dean carried a shield, an exact copy of the one Dean usually had bar the scorch marks. Patin had said keep the shield close, so MU Dean would be their first target.
Energy sliced the air in violent streaks, each bolt flashing against the snow like punctuation marks in a furious argument. Remal didn’t flinch; he wrenched Yitka’s shuttle door fully free, metal groaning as it surrendered. The locking arm fit awkwardly under his elbow but held firm enough to serve his purpose. A crude shield, but a shield nonetheless.
“Stay behind me,” he said, not as a command but as a simple truth carved from instinct. Rhenora, Savar, and Aurora fell into step somewhere behind him, shadows drawn to his forward momentum.
Remal angled the door toward the brightest flare of incoming fire and pushed forward, each step a deliberate advance toward the nests where Mirror Bonnie and Mirror Coy traded fire with lethal precision. He didn’t need to reach them. He only needed to close the distance enough that their advantage began to crumble, one meter at a time.
Savar with Aurora close to him, shielded Zio behind some dislodged shuttle seats, hiding her from view. Like Aurora he was having difficulty keeping track of the mirrors. He however could see Rhenora, Remal and Dean. he motioned silently to Aurora to follow him as they moved to flank the others and contribute to stopping the mirrors.
The ridge ahead shivered. Snow loosened. A figure stepped into view.
Mirror Bonnie glided rather than walked, shoulders loose, chin tipped in amusement, a knife flicking between her fingers like a bored cat’s tail. Steel flashed in the muted light. Her grin held affection twisted into sport.
MU Bonnie moved. A flick, a blur, a glint. The knife cut only wind. Remal lunged forward, shield-door raised in a clean arc. The second knife hit the metal with a clang so sharp it rang across the ice shelf like a bell summoning ghosts. Sparks skittered off its surface.
MU Bonnie chuckled, delighted. “You're learning.” Her third blade came in a backhand throw, faster, angled to compensate for the shield and the wind. A professional’s trick. A killer’s familiarity with physics.
The words Patin had spoken earlier made sense, move left when instinct screams right. It would mean moving from the protection of Remal and the makeshift shield, but it would give her a clearer shot, one with significantly increased risk though. Heading the words she move left as everyone else shifted to the right and brought her weapon up.
Her target had shifted right when every line of her body had promised left. MU Bonnie recognized the misread even as the thrown knife vanished into the roaring white. A tiny muscle in her cheek twitched; annoyance, nothing more. The shield carrier had exposed just enough of his precious captain for her to seize the moment. “Now!” she barked.
Coy answered with three brutal pulses of plasma, each shot cracking the air in Rhenora’s direction.
Confident she’d created her opening, MU Bonnie tapped the control on her wrist and dissolved into invisibility, a predator slipping beneath dark water.
Remal caught the storm. The first blast slammed into the shuttle door and drove him back a step. The second forced him down to one knee. The third shattered the makeshift shield entirely, spraying glowing fragments across the ice and leaving his palms stinging.
Behind Bonnie’s fading shimmer, Coy’s weapon whined, A cough of energy. A spark. A stubborn silence, then it snapped into a shower of sparks. She cursed under her breath, wrestling the jammed mechanism.
And in the sudden lull, Patin’s echo threaded through Rhenora’s mind like a whispered prophecy: She fires three shots. Then the gun jams. That’s your window.
The universe, just for an instant, seemed to hold its breath. A thin slice of time carved for her by someone who understood chaos like choreography. Someone who had whispered warnings wrapped in irreverence. And somewhere unseen, watching with the smug satisfaction of a well-timed fuse, Patin would be smiling.
Rhenora put her utmost faith in Patin and took her opportunity, aiming for Coy as the gun jams, and squeezing her finger on the trigger. She had to defend her team now that their cover was blown to smithereens. If she kept the attention on herself, they would survive. She heard a curse in the snowstorm before her, Coy was falling. She didn't waste time on evaluating her enemy's injuries before lining MU Bonnie up in her crosshairs.
But the Mirror Bonnie variant was gone. Invisible in the snow.
Behind her, gun jammed, Mirror Coy barely had time to register the sputter of her weapon before Rhenora’s phaser found her. The blast caught her high in the chest, snapping her backward into the snow with a harsh, incredulous curse. She’d survived the crash, survived the smoke and fire and the bitter drag of adrenaline… but this was one blow too many.
The cold pressed in around her, numbing everything except the sharp sting of failure. Alone on the ice, breath fogging in uneven bursts, she let her head sink back. The world narrowed to a dim smear of gray sky and drifting snowflakes. A final breath slipped past her lips, half-snarl, half-laugh, and then she went still.
Dean just stopped dead where he was, the winds pushing around him, which pushed the snow flakes past him in the MU Dean's direction. Sliding the straight blade from the cane housing. He did keep hold of the sheath in his left hand.
MU Dean just grinned, letting Prime Dean do his little thing. "Isn't that cute." Continuing his menacing stalk towards the other man. Rolling his wrist to brandish the katana before he was right within striking distance.
The overhead downward strike was instantly blocked with an
with a cross horizontal of the thin more rapier style blade. The only difference is it had been reinforced. In any other circumstance the katana would have torn through it like tissue paper.
Sparks flew around them as the blades clashed. Lighting up the area, even through the haze of the snow storm. Dean glanced up at his double and smirked. "Did you really think I wouldn't be prepared, Dean?"
"I don't know nor care what you really think," Stark tilted his head backwards a little as he thrust a foot out kicking Dean in the chest. The force tumbling him head over heel. "It's Stark," running his katana across the side of the shield, sparks plummeting forth along the curve.
Dean skirted to a stop, in a crouch after the kick. He reached down to pick up the rapier. Standing up and squaring his shoulders. "There can be only one."
Stark grinned a little, "I absolutely agree, and once I kill you, I can infiltrate any Starfleet facility, lab, archives, even Starbases I want."
"What are you waiting for?" Dean didn't bother to wait for an answer. Literally throwing the rapier at Stark. Unfortunately, given there was the shield, the blade only skirted off of it. Cutting Stark's cheek.
Stark backlashed from being cut so soon. Reaching up to feel the red liquid from his cheek. "How dare you. You dare to muchless defy your will be," Stark didn't say would be for a reason, oh, these weak Prime Universe beings would bow to the Empire.
"Emperor. Or who knows," motioning the arm with the shield out. "One of these lovely concubines could take up as Empress. Though..." A sly smirk crossed his lips. "We all know who will really be running things now don't we. You've always had that anger, that darkside in you."
Dean could smirk back just as well, though for a different reason. Regaining his footing, he stopped up. The cane sheath in hand down at his side. His right foot shifting in the snow ever so slightly inward.
Stark smirked, "I'll drink one for you." He pushed off and sprinted half the distance in the blink of an eye. Pushing off of the ground and into the air. Coming down with the shield, not the sword.
Dean shifted again ever so slightly out of the way. Using the sheath as a weapon on it's own. And upswing as he moved, cutting Stark's chin. Unfortunately, in that move, it made him vulnerable. A hard swing from Stark's 'Captain Empire' shield hit him directly on the side of the face. Knocking him back a good 3 meters.
There was a shake of Dean's head, blinking a moment. Damn that bastard hits hard. Is that what I can do if I let go? Not enough time to run that theory over in his head because Stark was on him again. Stark kept thrusting the rim of the shield down at Dean's neck. That of which kept being blocked by the cane sheath he still had.
Dean finally got an opening on the next strike. Holding the shield there and then pushing it off to the side. Cocking the bottom tip of the sheath up into Starks chin again where the wound was already present.
Starks chin took the hit and it was definitely bleeding, it may have even been fractured, his jaw in the middle. It didn't matter. Just fuel the fire. Stark pulled his arm back and twisted the held shield just enough to fling Dean's sheath across the field.
Dean knew what was coming next, so he instantly brought his arms up to cover his face. Stark proceeded to use a combination of his fist and the shield. Dean at this point, regardless of trying to cover himself, getting bloodied. Even with covering himself, the blows still impacted through his own arms, hands.
Dean stopped, but didn't stop. He kept his arms, hands up to keep trying to protect himself. Everything slowed down. Looking to where his crew mates were. His family..Bonnie, of course first and foremost. Kit, Aurora, Savar; cheeky Mister Vulcan bastard. Of course, in the nicest way.
All of them family, and then Jennifer. The best thing that finally came into his life after all of the anger, the angst, the hiding things..save from his bestie..to a point. Hit after hit, he was just looking at them or their last known position.
After enough of his face being pounded on and bloodied, a hand shot up and stopped the shield. Deans head turning back to look at Stark. Pressing a knee up between them and shoving hard. At the same time he'd pulled the shield off. Slowly standing up and wiping blood from the various wounds to his face.
Taking a breath, Dean threw the shield to the side. "You'll never win. I can do this all day." His eyes shifted to where the sheath was for a brief moment.
Stark just gave a little bit of a grunt as he was shoved off. Also dismissing the fact he lost the shield. It was of no consequence. He didn't need that to kill this imposter, this fake. Some pussy child that couldn't take what is right in front of him. The Empire was his. So would be this universe.
"Go ahead, go get it," Stark sneared a little. Just waiting. The moment Dean went for the sheath, Stark struck. Thankfully, Dean was ready for it and rolled under the katana swing. Pushing into the roll, he slid the extra distance because of the iced over tundra.
This time when Stark came down with a swing stroke, it was yet again blocked by the sheath. A sharp pain to the shoulder, as Stark anticipated and slid his blade along the side of the sheath and quickly twisted it under. Piercing Dean's left shoulder.
"Why won't you die!" Stark pushed the blade even farther until it came though Dean's back. Dean wanted to scream from the pain. Scream the sound of harpies wailing streams of pain, however, he held vigilant. Grabbing the blade he was impaled on with both hands.
Stark continued to push harder, almost pushing the blade into the frosted over dirt beneath Dean. "She never loved you, you know. She wasn't even from your universe. She was a plant. Just to fish you out. She was never pregnant...well not with your child anyway." Stark twisted the blade instead of pushing down.
Dean had to yell out in pain, he could only hold it in for so long. Trying to push up on the blade and pull it out of his shoulder, but Stark had to much leverage in the current position. "Liar! I'm not falling for that. I am going to fraking kill you!" Struggling against Stark and the blade.
Stark leaned down face to face, twisting the blade yet again, "Just give up. You've lost everything. Your friends are dead, you are about to die. Long live the Empire. My Empire."
There was a pause and Dean relaxed a bit, it almost looked like he passed out or died. That wasn't the case. His eyes opened and then slammed his forehead against Starks. Staggering him back a few feet, his nose broken and bleeding. Dean looked to the sword through his shoulder, reaching to pull it out. Ignoring the spirt of blood that accompanied it. Dean tossed the blade at Starks feet. Turning around to get the sheath. Twisting a few of the jewel placements. Once done with the sequence it shifted into what, if anyone knew their history in swords, Masamune.
Tossing the sheath aside. "Your Empire? That will never happen." Dean smirked dropping his stance slightly. Weight on his back foot, rather than his front. Stark was furious at this point. Charging straight in. The first running strike, was easily blocked. Dean turning to follow with another block from a backwards stab.
"Oh yes, it will. Just not here yet." Stark slipped just a little at the come back. Taken aback, just enough for Dean to take another opening. Dean flicked the sword and cut Starks cheek, and then the other side. "One for principle, one for endangering my family."
"Isn't that so sweet. You'll never learn. Sacrifices will be made, are being made. You are but a flea." Stark snapped back and lunged. There initiated and flurry of blows. Each up strike, down strike, cross swing, left or right; For whatever reason, there were sparks of electricity with each blow against the two blades. It wasn't just the blades, there were physical blows when they could be gotten in.
While all of the blows were going against the two Dean's, those off in the distance and fighting for their own lives, could still see the flashes, the electrical sparks with the clashes. Perhaps it was just particles in the air doing it. Either way, it was something to be seen.
All of a sudden the light show stopped. Whether anyone was watching or not. The subtle sound of a whoomph in the snow could only be heard by those within a few meters. The wind picking up and pushing the snow storm farther from any visibility at the battle area.
TBC
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