"Mirror Image, Part 1" was a Star Trek Online short story by Christine Thompson, appearing in Star Trek Magazine #171 UK/#44 US US in March 2013. It was the fifth of 20 stories set in the STO continuity that were published in Star Trek Magazine between 2012 and 2016, the fifth of ten by Christine Thompson, and the fifth of 16 collected in Titan Magazines' STO omnibus: The Short Story Collection in 2022. This story focused on Captain Va'Kel Shon of the USS Enterprise-F. It was the first part of a two-part story.
Description
- Refugees from the Mirror Universe hold vital information when a planet experiences subspacial rifts.
Summary
Captain Shon, at his desk, aboard the Enterprise-F, receives a late-night priority one message from Fleet Admiral Jorel Quinn requesting Shon's personal assistance at Nukara Prime, a planet in conflict and experiencing Iconian-reminiscent subspatial rifts. Quinn explains that Starfleet has recovered and repatriated many crews from the Mirror universe which have been crossing over there and suggests some of them may have vital information; one, in particular, that they need Shon to talk to.
With most of the Enterprise-F's shuttles on a survey mission at Tau Dewa, Shon is reluctant to be joined by Counselor Phillipa Matthias aboard the captain's yacht Thelasa, after which Shon adds an express condition that there be no "counseling session". They set a course for Nukara Prime sharing complete silence for 9 hours. Aboard the Nova-class USS Morgan, a temporary housing ship for detainees awaiting transdimensional transport or passage to Earth, Shon meets his mirror duplicate Val Shon, in the Morgan's counselor's office. Cuffed for criminal raids on ships and settlements in both universes, including attacks in the Zibal and Cursa systems, and refusing to elaborate over answers he had been repeating to his Morgan crew captors, Val pushes Shon into cutting off the room's listening feeds and asking about his wife's mirror universe counterpart, Tress Shra. Val explains, historically, how Tress saved him from execution during their time together aboard the
and that they had lost touch since then. He reveals that because the Maximus was recently taken by Tholians, he crossed over and allowed himself to get captured in order to find her. Val then tells Shon he knows where Tress is, back in the mirror universe, but she doesn't have much time and that he needs Shon to come with him.
References
Characters
- Phillipa Matthias • Jorel Quinn • Va'Kel Shon • Val Shon • Jak Trem
- Referenced only
- James O'Brien • Sama • Tress Shra • Tress Shra (mirror) • Akira Sulu • T'Ker • Samuel Winters
Starships and vehicles
- USS Enterprise-F (Odyssey-class star cruiser) • USS Morgan (Nova-class science vessel) • (captain's yacht)
- Referenced only
- USS Belfast (Defiant-class escort) • USS Fletcher (Sovereign-class assault cruiser) • ISS Maximus•Selkirk• shuttlecraft • unnamed Odyssey-class starship (Odyssey-class Terran Empire dreadnought)
Locations
- Earth Spacedock • Nukara (Nukara Prime) • Tau Dewa sector block
- Referenced only
- Andoria (Northern Wastes) • Cursa • Earth • Deep Space 9 • mirror universe • Vega colony • Zibal
Races and cultures
States and organizations
- Federation • Klingon Empire • Starfleet • Starfleet Command • Starfleet Intelligence • Starfleet Medical • University of Alpha Centauri
Science and classification
- class Y planet • computer • demon world • environmental suit • force field • Iconian gateway • interspacial rift • PADD • phaser • phaser rifle • priority one • psychoanalysis • subspace communication
Occupations and titles
- admiral • captain • commander • counselor • criminal • ensign • ensign • first officer • officer • pilot • professor • science officer • second officer • security officer • trader
Other references
- antenna • away mission • brig • corridor • day • day • death • decade • dimension • emotion • glass • goatee • hour • humanoid • ice • Kelvin • launch bay • love • metal • mirror • money • observation lounge • outpost • raktajino • shackles • sickbay • snow • sofa • Starfleet uniform (2386-2409) • sulfur • thermonic radiation • Tholian silk • universe • warp factor (warp six) • year
Memorable quotes
There have been more crossovers in the past year than there were in the past decade.Jorel Quinn
I know where Tress is now, but she doesn't have much time.Val Shon
Appendices
Related media
- STO - Under Siege mission: "Tholian Incursion" – Details the Federation task force mission to destroy a captured Odyssey-class Terran Empire dreadnought on Nukara Prime and repel the Tholian invasion force, which occurred prior to this story.
Images
Connections
Timeline
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous story: The Gale, Part 2 |
STO short stories | Next story: Mirror Image, Part 2 |
| Previous story: The Gale, Part 2 |
Stories by: Christine Thompson |
Next story: Mirror Image, Part 2 |
Publication history
- 19 March 2013
- First printed in Star Trek Magazine #171 UK/#44 US. (Titan Magazines)
- 8 November 2022
- Reprinted in The Short Story Collection omnibus. (Titan Magazines)