Returning the Prisoners - Part III

Posted on Wed Dec 31st, 2025 @ 8:48am by Lieutenant Commander Damion Wolfe & Commodore Samantha York
Edited on on Wed Dec 31st, 2025 @ 10:10pm

1,287 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Broken Mirror
Location: Pridwen

[PREVIOUSLY]

"I'd love to be able to do that someday. Just fly into an unexplored area of space and just... explore." He chuckled slightly. "Discover new species. New life. Just a calming day to just learn something new and not have to worry about being attacked." He looked down slightly.

[CONTINUED]

Sam didn't reply, but she smiled, understanding how he felt. She was fortunate to live in a time of relative peace that allowed them to explore. Hopefully he’d get that chance some day.

The silence was broken by the voice of the Captain saying. "Come in." in a firm tone.

The doors slid apart to reveal the Captain's Ready Room. It had a few knickknacks like model ships and old Risian antiques, even a Horga'hn statuette that looked like it had seen better days. The Ready Room seemed very personal and lacked anything tying it to the Terran Empire. On the desk was the standard looking computer terminal and picture frame that was pointed away, so the picture in it wasn't visible, with an old fashion conductor's watch alongside it.

"Thank you for coming, Commodore." The voice came from the seat behind the desk, a seat that was facing away from them. "As I said, I know you have much to do and want to get out without causing ripples to alert others of your presence, so I'll make this brief." He said before finally turning his seat around and revealing his face. "Thayne Sheridan, Captain of the Pridwen." He slowly rose to his feet.

Damion's instinct was to go for his phaser, going as far as grabbing the handle of it, before remembering that it was deactivated. It was Kilgore. Thayne 'Blackbeard' Kilgore. One of the most wanted murders and pirates in their Universe. Of course, it looked like him, but it wasn't him. This one had a trimmed bread and shorter hair. He still had his Risian ornament on his forehead. Something, their Kilgore, had removed in order to blend in with humans. He was also going by his family name of 'Sheridan'. His clothes weren't shabby or put by bits and pieces, but appeared to be clean and form fitting. He obviously wasn't the same man, but Damion couldn't shake it.

Kilgore. For several heartbeats she said nothing, then her training reasserted itself. "Captain. Thank you for your assistance. I'm Samantha York, commander of the USS Calypso. This is my chief of security, Commander Damion Wolfe."

"Welcome aboard, Captain." He said as he walked around his desk. His eyes briefly locked with Damion as he gave him a nod. "Commander." As he came to a stop, he placed his hands behind his back, and gave them a nice smile. Unlike the Kilgore from their universe, this one's smile didn't seem to come with a warning or caution alert. It was different. It was genuine. "I would love to give you a tour, but you haven't the time. You've come a long way and I am sure you two are eager to get back." He gestured to the replicator against the wall. "May I offer you something to drink or eat while you are here, at least."

"Canela tea with sugar would be lovely. Thank you, Captain," Sam said. She could detect no subterfuge, no malice. But, as she, too, had a twin from another dimension, she couldn't hold Kilgore against this captain. "I'm grateful for your assistance."

"Nothing for me." Damion said, still a bit cautious, as he took a step back when the Captain approached.

As Thayne walked over to the replicator, he began to speak. "We were happy to help, Captain York. My crew and I are always at the ready to protect any friendly that needs assistance." He tapped the replicator wall console and continued. "Canela Tea with sugar and a cup of Jestral Tea. Light on the sugar and a small bowl of Uttaberries." When the replicator began the process, he continued. "When Alex and Alora approached me about your situation, I prepared the rest of the ship for the confrontation and ensured they were in the designated safety areas, so that no one was harmed during the battle."

"You prepared the rest of the ship? I would think a crew would be prepared for a fight?" Damion questioned.

"The crew, yes. The civilian population onboard, no." Thayne picked up the replicated tray and began to walk back to the group. "You see, Commander, this ship has a civilian population onboard. Some of them are refugees. Rescued aliens from the Terran Empire. Even families of the crew members. Before you tell me how much of a danger that is, please understand, many are here by choice. Others are waiting to be dropped off at a hidden base or colony. I've given them every opportunity to get off, telling them of the potential dangers we encounter, and they decided to stay. Many of them are grateful for our help and decide to stay onboard to help in some way. That's why we have procedures in place when we are going into a confrontation. To ensure their protection."

Captain Sheridan stopped in front of Sam and held the tray up to her. He gave her a smile as he did so. Thayne was doing all he could to show he wasn't like his twin and to ease their caution. There have been many reported interactions between the two universes, so situations like this were common, but he could tell the interaction with his twin may have been traumatic and left a bad impression on them. Now wasn't the time to ask, since they didn't have much time, but there was a curiosity about the subject he was tempted to dig into.

"As I'm sure the Knights have mentioned, your twin in our universe is not a kind man. He was a member of Starfleet, but now he is a pirate." Sam took her tea with a nod of thanks and took a sip.

"Interesting" He replied as he walked over to the desk. Sheridan placed his drink and bowl of Uttaberries on it, before walking back to the replicator. As he walked, he continued. "As a child, I always hated those stories and movies. Mainly, because I saw the pirates as the bad guys and always favored the good guys. Personally, I am partial to western stories. The mysterious gunslinger who rides into a town or a local, who saw a wrong and decided to make it right." He chuckled slightly as he placed the tray in the replicator and made his way back. "Of course, coming from a planet like Risa, the bad guys were everywhere. I saw the things my people were forced to do, what my mother was forced to do, that I naturally wanted to be her hero and gun down the bad guys to keep her safe." He picked up his tea and took a sip. "By the time I was brave enough to return, she was already gone, along with a large number of my people for standing up to the Terran Empire." As he turned around, he added firmly. "My desire to save others from the tyrants who enslaved my people, as well as, many others."

"I'm... uhh... sorry to hear that." Damion said softly, finally seeing the man in front of them as completely different from the one they encountered. "So... Risa is under Terran Empire control?"

(To be continued...)

Karrion Hart
First Officer
Pridwen

Commodore Samantha York
Commander
USS Calypso

Lieutenant Commander Damion Wolfe
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Calypso

Captain Thayne Sheridan
Commander
Pridwen

 

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