Samantha Hyland (MU)

Samantha Hyland graduated Imperial Starfleet Academy in 2396 AD and was assigned as a Political Officer aboard Starbase 72 and was instrumental in Admiral Janeway’s purges to root out and execute those that had led the empire into the dark age of capitulation and weakness that left her people open to subjugation and slavery at the hands of the Klingon – Cardassian Alliance.

Aware that she too, would eventually be caught up in the same purges that she perpetuated, such was the level of paranoia and score settling of the tie, Samantha decided that she would be comparatively safer with an assignment aboard one of the vessels assigned to the Imperial Fleet.

Initially assigned to the California – class Utility Cruiser, ISS Sacramento – Lt Hyland took part in the subjugation and eradication of the people of the Primarion System – seizing the opportunity to betray her father and sacrifice him to the mysterious crystal entity. However, her failure to destroy the elder alien saw her cashiered and imprisoned back on Starbase 72.

With the advent of the intercrural galactic event of The Labyrinth, with both Cardassian and Klingon rebels seizing on the resultant confusion to strike back at the Terran Empire, Sam was surprised to be given brevet command of the venerable New Orleans – class frigate, ISS Savannah. She seized the opportunity to nearly destroy the remnants of the Cardassian High Command, but her old enemy – Gul Yomat Ghallir managed to elude her once more – disappearing back into the former demilitarized zone with his True Way terrorists.

For her tenacity and zealousness, Hyland was promoted to the rank of Commander – posted aboard the ISS Albion, a powerful Inquiry – class Interdictor – Cruiser under the veteran Captain Robert Carrington. Biding her time and learning all she could from Carrington, Samantha fabricated a trail of damning evidence that was sufficient to unseat Carrington, and she had the satisfaction of breaking the arrogant old man in the Agonizer, extending his suffering for weeks until his proud mind broke and she took his skull as a trophy.

Dispatched to root out and destroy the New Marquis ‘Resistance’ under the Cardassian Gul Yomat Ghallir, the ISS Albion encountered and crippled the United Federation of Planets Starfleet vessel USS Valley Forge, which had entered Imperial space via a portal torn between the ‘Prime’ & ‘Mirror’ Universes. Taking the Starfleet vessel unawares, Hyland kidnapped her Captain and several of her bridge crew and was surprised to see herself face-to-face with a perfect doppelganger of herself!

Executing the hostages one by one, Hyland set to torturing this other Sam Hyland and discovered a crystal lattice growing in her leg that served to amplify the gruesome effects of the Agonizer. Learning of the Prime Universe, Hyland sought to take the experimental test – vessel, Hull 3185, that her twin had inadvertently arrived upon and use its revolutionary ‘Stutter-Warp’ drive to escape the oppression of the Terran Empire and apply her ruthless ambition to subvert & dominate the weaker Federation.

During a battle with the New Marquis forces, Hyland betrayed and abandoned the crew of the ISS Albion, leaving them to be assimilated by the Hive – Collective (a Mirror – Universe insectile – amalgam of The Borg) and beamed aboard the fleeing Hull – 3185 to do battle with her escaped doppelganger.

As the pair fought the USS Valley Forge swept in and performed and emergency transport, moments before the Stutterwarp Drive was scuttled, closing the rift between parallel universes.

Hyland awoke, the new master of the Valley Forge, whilst her Prime Universe counterpart awoke as a captive aboard the Hive Tet, to face the horror of assimilation….