Mirror Universe Political Powers

[mactavish]

I am interested in the Krenim Imperium of the Mirror Universe.

For those of you who aren't familliar with the Krenim, they are a Delta Quadrant race with advanced knowledge of temporal science. They once controlled vast swathes of their quadrant using ships armed with chroniton torpedoes and powerful disruptors. The race was devastated when their most brilliant scientist, Annorax, designed and constructed the temporal weapon ship.

This vessel housed a temporal exclusion cannon, allowing him to repeatedly rewrite history. Annorax tried to defeat a centuries-old enemy by erasing them from history, but the result was the near-extermination of his own race as well.

Anyway, what about these guys from the Mirror Universe? With their understanding of time (and presumably alternate timelines), perhaps they could shift the balance of power in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, either by rewriting the history of the Terran Empire or by erasing one or more of the major players (i.e. humans, Klingons, Cardassians, Vulcans, etc.).

Perhaps it was the actions of Annorax that led to the creation of the Mirror Universe as an alternate reality in the first place! Maybe his alterations of the path of a comet resulted in a completely different outcome for the peoples of 21st century Earth, leading to a new and independent reality where humanity was evil and utterly irredeemable.

How might the introduction of the Krenim in the Mirror Universe affect the status quo? I can imagine dozens of scenarios, including the capture of the temporal exclusion device by the Resistance, or the Alliance, or even by the Tholians (yikes!).

mactavish out.

[mactavish]

Assuming that mankind and its erstwhile allies are capable of defeating the Alliance and restoring themselves to power, what form do you think their regime would take?

Would humanity resume its imperial tendencies? Would it create a neo-fascist regime? A democratic republic? What?

I can't imagine that - given the failures of their previous empire - that mankind would be too eager to jump back into that same mode once again. I was thinking that - particularly with an Alliance-Dominion war in the Mirror Universe - that humanity and its allies might use that opportunity to gather some measure of power: ships, weapons, worlds opposed to the Alliance, and so forth.

Consolidating their gains, this renewed Terran Hegemony would most probably become opportunistic raiders, preying on Alliance and Dominion ships and convoys indiscriminately. Likely they would use cloaked vessels to jump lone ships or poorly armed convoys, taking what they could in terms of resources, ships, and so on, and beaming the crews into space (or perhaps selling them as slaves to the Orions or the Breen).

In my mind I imagine a force, small at first, composed primarily of humans and Vulcans, plotting from behind the scenes. Gathering what they could, perhaps getting letters of marque from either side (or both) and "legally" beating down their transports for supplies, the humans and their allies would likely gather more and more firepower. I can also imagine them making an arrangement with the Son'a to secure the secret of Ketracel White production, or perhaps stealing it in a daring raid (or something).

Since they are not of the same high-minded principles as their "real" counterparts, they would most likely use their less-than-savory methods to take advantage of all parties involved, assassinating leaders on both sides, stealing secrets and selling them, and so on.

But who would mankind rally behind? Would they end up being led by Jean-Luc Picard, Chakotay, Tuvok, or someone less likely? I can't imagine Wesley Crusher leading mankind to victory over two titanic foes, but maybe a brutal Riker and his minions could make a go of it. Maybe, despite his misgivings, Spock would resurface, acting as the supreme terran strategist... or maybe he'd hand the whole operation over to the exterminators on both sides!

Please comment, guys. I'm really fired up about the Mirror Universe and the fate of mankind, and I've come to find that a great many of you have some pretty decent ideas yourselves.

mactavish out.

[RaconteurX]

In the Enterprise-era Mirror Universe storyline I and one of my fellow players were developing for our now-defunct Artemis campaign, the real bastards were the Centaurans. They ruled the Empire (founded it, actually, by conquering the Tellarites, the Andorians, the Vulcans and the Humans) for centuries before the Humans rebelled and overthrew them. In order to defeat the Centaurans, however, the Humans had to become just like them. Thus were born the vicious bastards we all know and love.

[Dan Gurden]

Well Mac.

I am mostly in agreement with you on the form that the Terran Hedgemony would take. Although thanks to the cultural contamination from both kirk and Co, and Sisko's crew it would be slightly different.

Sure, the vast majority of veteran Terran ships would be Raiders and Pirates, and that their less evolved attitudes would enable them to take a far less moral road than the Standard Starfleet would.

But with Spock and Smiley O'Brien as the senior leaders, they would have similar lofty ideals. They would simply be willing to take a faster path to them.

I agree that Riker would probably be a brutal and vicious Commander, and that Picard is likely to be equally cunning and Treacherous. the two would know each other, but would be poles apart. It would be most amusing if they actually couoldn't stand each other and were rivals...

Meanwhile the rebuilding Terran Hedgemony is seeming to ape the primary universe, and is a little more accepting of their allies this time, which may or may not include the Romulans, but in the new Hedgemony there would be 2 kinds of citizens, the loyal friends and the conquered people.

I can see them trying to conduct missions of peace, and perhaps even managing diplomacy in seeking new members of the Hedgemony. And not always reverting to violence to conquer new species. But I would imagine they would be far less forgiving in relation to their former oprossors and brutally subjugating them again, with a liberal minority trying to point out the irony and potential for history repeating itself...

Just a few ideas.

[mactavish]

I was rereading Steve Kenson's unpublished LUG materials, and it seems to me that a rejuvenated human-led society might very well take a form similar to that of the pre-Dominion War Cardassian Union. Starfleet (sic) vessels cruising the galaxy, offering "membership" in the new Terran Hegemony to those they meet that have something to offer, conquering the weak and less technically advanced, and allying themselves with those who might be capable of mounting a lasting resistance.

Certainly a military-dominated society (thanks to the need for a military solution to their subjugation), this hegemony would almost certainly be very Spartan in its views, using oppression and terror to frighten their enemies, their "junior members," and even their erstwhile allies. I think that they would probably incorporate many of the ideas and hard-learned lessons from the Klingons and Cardassians (as well as the Dominion, Romulans, and so on). I just keep imagining a human-dominated stellar society led by the likes of Admiral Erik Pressman and Section 31's Sloan... men willing to do whatever it takes to ensure the survival and the dominance of mankind.

With the Betazoids working against their former human masters, I can see the detonation of a fusion propagator in their atmosphere; the annihilation of their treacherous regime gone forever. Likewise, I picture Qo'nos and Cardassia Prime in ruins, perhaps from Dominion attacks, terran treachery, or both. I find it very likely that the Mirror Universe humans would kick their enemies while they are down, possibly unleashing biological weapons (either of their own making or purchased from the Sheliak Corporate), cannibal nanites, or some equally sinister and brutal weapon.

Klingon and Cardassian slaves - each fitted with cranial explosives (or the like) - shipped throughout terran space to labor under miserably toxic conditions would be likely. The remnants of their once great civilizations would crumble to nothingness, and the humans, Vulcans, and their other allies would probably relish this irony greatly (and thus miss the greater irony that Dan suggested regarding the repitition of history!).

I cannot, however, justify an Alliance defeat of the Dominion and the subsequent ascendance of mankind... unless the humans and their friends ally with the Breen! Breen electromag cannons, Romulan cloaking devices, Vulcan technology and cunning, and human brutality could certainly beat down a decimated Alliance, but what about a conquering Dominion? I can't see them just packing up and leaving!

Unless the terrans manage to concoct a plan that goes something like this:

1. When the Dominion attacks, make a non-aggression agreement with them.

2. Work to rebuild a human military machine with sufficient power and reach.

3. Find allies and conquer lesser races for inclusion in the new order.

4. When the Dominion has finally beaten the Alliance (and they will), unleash the Borg on them! (How to do this is still a question of some debate, but once it's done, then the Dominion will have to go home and face the Collective.)

5. Collapse the Bajoran Wormhole so that the Collective can't come through that way.

This means that - one way or the other - one of the two largest powers in the galaxy will fall. It also means that they will take years to return to the Alpha and Beta Quadrants (if they ever do), allowing time to build up a more potent resistance. Of course, as I've said before, it is likely that a Borg-Dominion conflict woould be the end of both, so a newly-reformed terran society may end up on top after all.

mactavish out.

[Aitrus Colso]

Well, what about this concerning the Mirror Dominion:

We all know about the potential to use the Wormhole to cross the barrier between universes, correct? It was in a report made back to Starfleet, as per all activities by any Starfleet officer. Well, the Dominion has had Founders in place on Earth for quite some time, even before the war, and I'm betting they still do.

Well, eventually, one of them will come across this report and discover the potential of crossing over. Our Dominion could either a) invade and conquer the Mirror Alpha Quadrant, or b) ally with the Mirror Dominion and have an invasion from both of them together. Either way, the Dominion(s) would be virtually unstoppable, no matter which universe they attacked.

Of course, this assumes that there's still a Dominion in the Mirror Universe left to contact.

[Admiral Tim]

I think that the last post is a great idea. Maybe it is possible that if you give the Dominion enough time it could come up with a sollution for easy travel between universes. It might be a nice adventure to use in your campaign: the players have to stop the dominion from building some kind of artificial wormhole before it becomes operationel. Maybe Starfleet even has to ally itself with the terran resistance
Imagine brutal humans trying to work together with peacefull Starfleet personal
Hope you like it