Back in the Saddle
Posted on Mon Jul 13th, 2026 @ 10:27pm by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Jennifer Baldric & Lieutenant Sarah Wilson & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Commander Jenna Ramthorne & Commander Dean House & Lieutenant Commander Thriss Kla'ren & Lieutenant JG Jacob Rosen & Lieutenant JG T'Lar & Lieutenant JG Olivia Voight & Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell
1,993 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Pirates!
Location: Sector space
Timeline: Current
Captain Kaylen Rhenora sipped the fresh coffee as the Sunfire engaged her transwarp drive and sped towards the DS9 outpost. It was a fair haul but they were making good time, a desperate effort to retrieve one of their own before getting on with the mission of hunting down the ones who took her.
"We have an update from DS9. Upper Pylon 3 is available for us on arrival, they also report that Commander Baldric is stable but not responding to conventional treatment" ops reported.
"Convey that to sickbay, and advise DS9 of our ETA" Kaylen replied, her gut twisting just a little more at the news.
Outwardly Savar's expression never changed yet inwardly he was distressed to hear of Commander Baldric's condition. "I shall do that now Captain," He replied solemnly as he contacted Sickbay to convey the news of Commander Baldric's condition..
“Understood,” Olivia replied at the news. “I should have a complete report on the one we have in the brig for the Captain soon.”
"Appreciated Doctor, use any resources you need" The Captain replied promptly.
"I want the reports on Baldric's condition, all of them, sent to my console." Once they were, Dean was going to send them to a PADD so he could look them over.
Rhenora raised an eyebrow at the tone but said nothing, assigning Dean the access to the files so he could pull them up.
"Commander Savar, Please convene the senior staff for a briefing in 1 hour" The Captain ordered as she rose and headed to the Ready Room to go over the details that they knew already. It was a multi-layered mission, find the portal, close it down, and destroy and mirror vessels left in the Prime universe. Uncover any further officer duplications, then return back to Earth.
"Certainly captain. I shall attend to that right now." Savar assured Rhenora as he set about notifying the senior staff of said briefing in one hour.
An hour later the briefing room was set for the meeting. Hot beverages sat in vacuum sealed heat units on the table, a pitcher of cold water sat nearby. Light refreshments also sat on a platter in the centre. Rhenora arrived first, a stack of padds with her as she sat one in front of each chair. This was the official mission, then of course there was the unofficial part.
Savar arrived moments later and took his customary seat to the right of Rhenora. "Captain." he said in greeting. He noticed the PaDD but resisted opening it until Rhenora had briefed them on the mission particulars and what if any special role he might have.
Dean was present as well, sitting to Rhenora's left. Giving her his attention first and then looked towards the doors waiting for the others to arrive.
Jacob entered, his stride and demeanor light. "Good Afternoon Captain, Commanders." He said respectfully with a deferential nod in turn to each of his superiors before making his way to a seat, leaving spots for the higher ranked officers to sit closer to the Captain in order of precedence.
T'Lar entered the briefing room, greeting the Captain and commanders as she did so. Cognizant of the fact she was not the senior counselor on board she took a seat further down the line after Lieutenant Rosen, greeting him professionally as she sat down. She had been surprised to get the directive to attend the senior staff meeting, but that was a testament to the inclusive way the Captain ran her ship, and T'Lar was grateful to be considered "in the loop".
Bonnie arrived a few moments later, her cheerful expression still carrying the quiet contentment of a very good morning. She offered a warm "Good afternoon," around the table before slipping into the chair beside Dean, the seat she seemed to occupy as naturally as her bridge console. The familiar faces, the steady hum of the ship, and the promise of meaningful work settled comfortably around her.
Her eyes wandered briefly toward the neatly arranged coffee, tea, and water before returning to the PADD waiting at her place. After recent experience, she possessed a healthy respect for the universe's sense of timing. There would be plenty of opportunities to spill something later. Bonnie folded her hands atop the PADD instead, smiled quietly to herself, and waited for the Captain to begin.
Jenna entered the briefing room with an unhurried confidence that came from long familiarity rather than rank. Her uniform sat immaculate against her frame, every line crisp, her badge catching the overhead light as she stepped inside. She offered Captain Kaylen a respectful nod first, followed by Commander Savar, Commander House, and the other senior officers already assembled before quietly taking her favored seat. The PADD waiting before her remained untouched for the moment. Whatever it contained would still be there after the Captain spoke.
Settling forward in her chair, Jenna folded her hands lightly on the tabletop, her posture attentive and ready. The journey back to duty had ended the moment the recall arrived. This was the beginning of something else. Somewhere ahead waited Deep Space Nine, Commander Baldric, and a mission that promised more questions than answers. She met Rhenora's gaze with calm expectation, prepared to listen first, ask the important questions second, and fly wherever the Captain directed the ship.
The doors parted with their customary restraint, admitting Commodore S'thenosis Gorgox without announcement. She neither sought attention nor avoided it, yet conversation diminished almost imperceptibly as she crossed the threshold with her characteristic, measured glide. Rather than taking one of the prepared seats, she continued to the far corner of the briefing room where the entire table remained within her field of view. Her formal attire, immaculate as ever, contrasted with the duty uniforms gathered around the table, while the braided length of her hair rested neatly over one shoulder like another insignia of rank earned through years rather than commission.
She activated the PADD in her hands with a quiet touch and remained standing in composed silence, neither participant nor observer alone, but something more exacting. Her expression revealed nothing beyond patient attentiveness, though every officer present understood that nothing spoken, decided, or omitted would escape her notice. She had not come to command the meeting. She had come to witness it, and the weight of presence settled over the room with the quiet gravity of an inspection no one could postpone.
"Thank you all for coming" Rhenora started, nodding towards the assembled officers and making eye contact with the Commodore standing in the corner to acknowledge her presence.
"Before I begin, you would have noticed Commander Baldric is missing. She was replaced by a mirror counterpart sometime before our shoreleave and was recovered by the Bristol about the mirror Sunfire in the Badlands. She's pretty messed up and we'll pick her up at DS9 on the way through." She Captain paused to let that sink in for a few moments before continuing.
"The official part of our mission is to take a small task force into the Badlands, and seal the portal the Mirror ships are using to gain access to our universe. The Bristol confirms it is somewhere in the Badlands, although they did not get eyes on it." She took a moment to gauge the reaction and take a sip of coffee.
"So we're looking for a ship sized hole in an area the size of roughly 84 parsecs. While avoiding spatial anomalies and plasma storms. Sure, should be easy enough." Jenna quipped sarcastically.
" We know the Mirror ships have enlisted the aid of the Nausicans already, and possibly other rouges. Command also hasn't confirmed the number of ships in our task force." Rhenora continued as she cast her gaze around the room. "This will by no means be easy, we have to also assume that the Mirror Sunfire attempted or potentially did extract critical intel from Commander Baldric. We cannot use our usual tactics or protocols."
Savar listened has Rhenora laid out the details of their upcoming mission as well as details concerning Commander Baldric and her mirror. When Rhenora finished he spoke, "I believe that Commander Baldric would not willingly give up any Intelligence however I believe for all our sakes and for this mission to succeed it is best to be safe than sorry and assume that she did."
"If we can get the sensor logs from the Bristol we should be able to pull the unique subspace frequency given off by ships communications equipment not from our universe. It will be different than any of the technologically advanced societies we're familiar with so from a data perspective it should be easy to distinguish." Jacob said, brows furrowing, working through the problem. "Then it's just a matter of coordinating the search pattern with the rest of the task force and figuring out a communications strategy to cut through the interference in the Badlands." He looked to Bonnie and Thriss, nodding with respect. "If you have the bandwidth, I'd love to collaborate with you on that task Commanders."
"I'll request the sensor logs urgently, hopefully we will have them before we hit the Badlands. As for Commander Baldric, whilst she would never willingly give up critical intel, the Mirror incursions have used brutal torture before, both physical and mental. The good news is the ship is in good shape, we're making good time." Rhenora looked around the table.
"Tactical, security and our marine detachment, you're priorities are clear. We need fresh strategics and tactical protocols. From weapons, shields, evasive maneuvers, the works. Work with Jenna on the installing the new maneuvers. Engineering, keep us in tip top shape, and I expect that the Mirror Baldric has hidden a few surprises for us. Make sure you fine them. "She nodded towards Thriss. "Medical, your priority is getting Jennifer back on her feet."
Bonnie's composure cracked before she could help it, "That bitch!" The words escaped into the briefing room with enough volume to draw every eye toward her. Heat immediately filling her cheeks. She cleared her throat and straightened in her chair, looking briefly toward the Captain.
"Sorry." She took a slow breath, then allowed the engineer to replace the offended daughter of the ship. "If our counterpart had unrestricted access to the computer core, I would assume she left something behind. Hidden routines. Dead-man protocols. Logic traps. I will endeavor to find every last one of them before they have the opportunity to surprise us."
Bonnie glanced across the table toward Jacob and offered a small, appreciative nod. "And absolutely, Lieutenant. I'd be happy to work with you. Once we have the Bristol's sensor logs, we'll build a filter. If Mirror communications really do leave a unique fingerprint, we can turn their own transmissions into beacons."
Jenna let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head as she glanced toward Bonnie. "I think that officially summarizes the engineering department's opinion of our counterparts." The smile lingered for only a moment before her expression settled back into business.
"I'll coordinate with Tactical and Security on a fresh flight doctrine. If they're expecting the Sunfire to fly the way she always has, they're about to be very disappointed. I'll have a new evasive maneuver package ready for review before we reach the Badlands."
Thriss looked to Bonnie after her reaction and then the Captain. "When we do find any of these 'gifts' Mirror Baldric left us, we'll be sure to find a fix as quickly as possible."
"Perhaps." Savar mused "It would even be possible to return these gifts to sender."
"Possibly, we're going to need any and all advantages if we are to take out the mirror ships and any fleet they have waiting for us" Rhenora said solemnly. It wasn't a suicide mission, but this would be tough to pull off. "I don't think I need to emphasize the risks to the quadrant should we fail in this endeavour"
TBC
RSS Feed