Double Trouble

Posted on Mon Mar 8th, 2021 @ 4:51am by Lieutenant T'Ango & Major Ashley Rogers

2,282 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Chapter III: The Hunt is On
Location: Main Bar, Drozana
Timeline: 238702.05

Ash and T'Ango arrived at the bar ahead of Raven and her scheduled rendezvous with her mysterious contact. She looked at her Dosadi friend before checking out the area, "Do you think her contact is already here?"

T'Ango's eyes slid around the room. No one stood out, but that didn't mean anything. "If it were me, I'd be watching from somewhere concealed - maybe a back room or adjacent shop using a microfeed camera or one of those little flying..." her lips twitched slightly at the pun, "...bugs Ferrari was so fond of."

Ash chuckled, "Those things were pretty cool. But Raven wants us within sight..." She looked at T'Ango, "I know... when the hell did I start following orders.... I wonder that myself these days. How's that table over there? I'm actually hungry, so we could kill two birds with one stone and actually get something to eat too."

"Normally it would be better practice to split up, watch and be ready to response from different angles," T'Ango noted though she knew Rogers had the training to know that as well. Of course, she also knew she was recognizable as Raven's crew, but insisted on being here anyway. "But I suppose if we look like we're having a negotiation over lunch, you won't look as suspicious."

Ash nodded, "Agreed, but there's no crime against two people having lunch... besides, ever since I've been avoiding Renee, I've been eating rations in my quarters. After dinner last night, it made me realize that I actually like real food, even if it means Drozana bar food..."

T'Ango snorted a short laugh. "Bar food does not compare to Renee's food. At all. What is up with avoiding her?" She tipped her head inquiringly though one ear was up, continuing to listen to the bar in general for anything suspicious. "This might not be the place for it, but you two seemed... so well mated when last we saw you."

Ash sighed, "Because I'm an idiot..." She continued to scan the bar for anything suspicious. "Things were going great. Until I got into my own head after Mars. The Section asked for my help and... I told them to go screw themselves. I had something good... I wasn't going to throw it all away for them. Not again. But... maybe I should have listened. Maybe I could have done something about it. And that doubt has been eating at me ever since. And I don't want to look at Renee and blame her for me and my bullshit. She deserves better. And clearly the universe hates me because she's here now. And she's sleeping with our comms officer and I'm eating emergency rations in my quarters," she rattled out without taking a breath. "Saying that out loud makes me sound like even more of an asshole...."

"I understand getting in your own head," T'Ango said sympathetically. Ash knew at least something of how much she had done the same. "I nearly destroyed myself with it. If not for Arnason and Divash and you and Renee... I might have found a way to 'suicide my combat'." Her mouth tightened a little. "After my ...little jaunt with you... Arnason is a little afraid I'm still not over it, so you're not the only jerk - though he'd never call either of us that. In fact, I think he'd say you sound like someone who still loves her - someone who doesn't want to let her go. And maybe the universe doesn't hate you - maybe it agrees with you," she suggested with a cat's smile.

Ash looked at her old friend and couldn't help but smile, "I literally disappeared after that. Just fell off the radar. I couldn't look myself in the eye, but less look at Renee or any of you. When I saw Nancy again, I knew I couldn't hide anymore. And now seeing you and Gunnar... and add Mila and Miles to the mix... my self imposed exile to wallow alone has been a pretty epic failure." She sighed wistfully, "I'm glad you're here... I didn't really realize how much I needed my family until I saw all of you again. And it's really made me realize how much more work I have to do... maybe saving Romulans from a supernova can help me deal with my guilt. And that goes for you and Gunnar too, I'm more than willing to tell him this is all my fault and you don't have a death wish... you just have an idiot as a friend."

"Family is important. It took me too long to learn that wallowing ...isn't constructive... Not that I'm all fixed now - sometimes I think helping to save Romulans is just another way of dealing with survivor's guilt. But at least it's a constructive one," she said, making a selection on the automated menu. "Don't worry about me and Arnason. I don't need to tell him my friend is an idiot." She grinned teasingly. "He already knows that."

"Glad to know my idiocy is common knowledge," Ash laughed as she also picked out a meal as well. She then looked T'Ango in the eye, "Survivor's guilt is real, my friend. And it'll be something I'll probably deal with for the rest of my life. Guess it's not surprising to find you out here trying to save the Romulans and deal with whatever aftermath will happen afterwards. And you're right, wallowing isn't useful... and apparently neither is running away. Seems like I like to learn my lessons too late though..."

"This side of the grave it's never too late, Rogers," T'Ango assured firmly. "And if our survival means other people get to survive, then maybe the guilt isn't totally counterproductive." Her ears swiveled, eyes following. "It looks like your Colonel has arrived. I don't see anyone moving toward her yet."

"I see her, I don't see anyone approaching either. Although, I am very jealous of that sabre thing she has..." Ash started before she noticed someone in what looked like a Starfleet uniform, "Wait, I see someone. I can't get a good look at her face. A Starfleet officer? Can you see who it is?"

"Blonde female... human... seems familiar somehow..." T'Ango squinted, head tipping one side to another. "... the way she caries herself..." Her eyes went wide. "You. It's you. ...or some you."

Ash shifted her position to try to get a better angle, she's never really looked at the back of her own head before, and whoever this was definitely knew how to work the sight lines in the bar... "Shit," she said. "I think you're right... It might be Mirror Me..." Ash instantly got tense. "They seem to be having a cordial conversation... I look relatively relaxed... I really don't trust myself...."

"You I trust." T'Ango's eyes locked onto the other Ash with the kind of long unblinking stare one might expect from a lion watching a competing predator from her perch in the tall grass. A hand dropped into her lap, near the weapons belt beneath the table. "Your doppelganger ...not so much."

"I'm glad you're here," Ash said, keeping her eyes locked on the other her, "You've fought me before. And if things go south,, I can't say I've ever thought of killing myself..." at least not like this...

Ash nearly jumped when there was a separate fight at the Dabo table, "Keep your eyes peeled, T'Ango... I'm capable of anything. I tend to use subterfuge and distractions... she's leaning into Raven..." Her hand reached to her sidearm, but relaxed slightly when Raven and the other Ash went back to a more cordial posture. "Can I just shoot myself to get it over with?"

"Stun maybe," T'Ango chuckled despite the tension, or maybe because of it. "We don't want her dead until we have answers. ...But you might want to leave that to me... I think you might go too far given the opportunity to torture yourself."

Ash turned to T'Ango, "You sure jumped on the chance to shoot me pretty quick!" and playfully punched her arm. "Torturing myself might be weird.... right? That'd be really weird...." Ash furrowed her brow deep in contemplation of the implications. "Now I can't stop thinking about that...."

"Heh. I'm sure you'd offer to shoot mirror me too." T'Ango grinned at her. Then thought moment about what her own mirror self might be like. "...which would probably be a good idea. Mirror me probably wouldn't care about honor."

Ash paused, "What do you think Mirror Me is like? I'm not exactly a model citizen. She might actually be a better version than me...."

T'Ango sucked her cheeks in, assessing the other Ash. "She's only a Commander, not an Admiral ...or Empress... so maybe she isn't..." her whiskers twitched in a small smile, "...on your level. Or maybe she also rebelled against her superiors when they tried to manipulated her..."

"What if we are going about this wrong? What if she's not a threat what so ever? Maybe she's a scientist or something and we are both being completely paranoid and unjustly talking about shooting this woman?" Ash asked before giving T'Ango a look. "Empress? Don't they wear a cape or something tacky like that? Or a ridiculous crown? Count me out, I wouldn't be caught dead in something like that. But if she's lasted this long as a Terran, she's got to be respected... great, now I'm feeling insecure about myself... because of myself."

"Hey, I was only talking about stunning her," T'Ango objected. "And I'm pretty sure if you were in that universe you'd be respected too ...not Empress, because, yeah, the gold 'Look at me!' isn't your thing, but maybe Chief Assassin? Oh, better still, the ultimate power, Chief of Staff ...of course those might be the same there... In any case, this one doesn't strike me as a scientist."

"I bet you lunch that she's a scientist of some sort.." Ash said as their meals were delivered to them. "If I specialize in killing people... she has to not... right? Isn't that what the Mirror Universe is supposed to be? And she and Raven seem to enjoying their conversation. Not that I'm going to drop my guard any time soon. Like I said, I really don't trust me. Or maybe I should trust me? This stuff always gives me a headache..."

"You're on," T'Ango agreed, keeping an eye on the other Rogers as she took her meal. "I don't think it works that way. Never ran into anyone from the mirrorverse itself, but ...I've seen other crossovers. There was an Arnason who thought he was my mate and carried a disruptor," she smiled a little, "so not the same, but not complete opposites - more within the realm of high variable possibility."

Ash chuckled. "I can't imagine any Gunnar carrying a disruptor on his own accord. Mirror Me over there isn't even visibly carrying a side arm. I look more armed than she is. And Raven's weapon is more than intimidating. I think I'm winning this bet," she said smugly. "Raven just smirked... she has the upper hand in whatever they're talking about... that's a positive sign."

"I guess I shouldn't tell you about the one with a bat'leth ...who set it aside to help deliver a baby," she chuckled. "Like I said, not opposites. The nature is the same even if the nurture makes some big modifications. So I doubt that Rogers is a helpless scientist. And I'm not so sure about anyone having the upper hand." To T'Ango a smirk was as likely to be theatrics, or overconfidence. Overconfidence was something she wouldn't suspect of the other Rogers though. She's spent too much time around operators to think lack of obvious weapons meant unarmed, or to view even a large specialty weapon as intimidating. "However, if she is you, that there's no blood yet is positive."

"Now I'd pay money to see Gunnar wielding a bat'leth... " Ash said with a smile. "And all of your pragmatic observations about Mirror Me is really putting a wet blanket over my wishful thinking... Okay. Hold on . They're both done with their drinks..." Her hand goes back to hovering over her sidearm. Wishful thinking or not, it's better safe than sorry.

"That one had been living with Klingons, but not as a prisoner. But he was still a medic." T'Ango explained. "Just like I think mirror you is still ultimately some sort of intel or security. Care to double the bet to include dessert on that?"

"She's wearing command red... so that could mean anything. But deal, if she's some kind of intel or security, you get dessert too. If the universe doesn't hate me, Mirror Me would be a senior officer on a science ship... that's my wishful thinking," Ash said. "But I am also very well aware that the universe does hate me... and at some point we will probably have to shoot her. And I will buy you lunch and dessert."

"Maybe we'll only have to stun her, and then tied her down very securely..." But before T'Ango could say more, Rogers' comm chirped.

"Hey Ash, get yourself over here. Send T'Ango to keep an eye on those idiots at the Dabo table."

An ear flipped at the assumption she was under Ash's, or Raven's command, but T'Ango understood the concern that the Dabo table fracas might be a diversion. "I guess I won't be meeting 'you'," she said, getting up. "I trust you to be honest on our bet. For the record, I'm partial to prime rib and cheesecake."

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