Heartbreaking and Deadlock Breakers

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 23160

Andrea

"What can you tell us about what happened to our ship?" the fox who calls himself Scott Chen whispers hoarsely, suddenly kneeling down to be more at eye level with me.

I pause, licking my lips before continuing.

The truth....

The truth is, I could lie and tell him I do not know what had happened to his particular Voyager but instead I know what had happened to several versions of that ship instead. Could legitimately say that and should truthfully be able to say that, considering that there should be no sane way right now I could confirm which analogous version of that starship would be his!

However, I believe I am having what has now become jokingly (somewhat) known as a "Roland feeling". Meaning that I don't know how I know, but I just....know, as heartbreaking as it stands.

You see, by now I know about the rumors and the basic story of the Voyager, a ship that a young man named Scott Chen served upon....or should I say the basic stories of the good ships known as Voyager.

Basically, the brother of my husband's retelling of the tale sums it up rather nicely for two Voyagers which made it back safe and sound to what we now commonly just refer to the "Star Trekker" universe. The Voyager which my fellow demifox friend (and husband to my sister, Andrea 2a) Eric Solomon haled from was told to me many a time by Demifox Synizn (re: 6923 to 6959). Of course, only after (despite mighty efforts to keep it under wraps by both Federation and Military) the whole truth had finally come to light only a few years ago to the rest of the multi-verse (as it were). That had forced the Janeways of that particular Voyager into an early (and shamed) retirement from the Star Fleet Admiralty, so bad was the political flack it had drawn from the Federation public outrage. They might have been able to weather that storm if it hadn't also come to light that that Voyager was also what had become generally called a "Q clone" of the real Voyager (re: 19349 & 19349). Eric hadn't told anyone outside of his fellow adventurers from that day forward that he had discovered besides filing a report with some rather unresponsive and petty pretentious official within Star Fleet.

And what did he get for his doing of his duty, I ask you, as a Star Fleet officer? No, not praise or even a thank you! See, he had filed the report because....well....he never had been officially discharged or retired from Star Fleet despite having become a demifox and such until then and there. He'd rather been fed up with it all and as the saying goes, that broke the camel's back and such.

Eric hadn't even told his analogous brother, who'd been booted off that Voyager for that monkey business. Whatever the source of the leak lay it lay not at Eric's feet.....

Ah, but the point? It's simple enough, you see. There now was a serious question in the public eye on the legitimacy of the OTHER Voyager that made it back home, safe and sound. It too had a history that was a mirror image of the now disgraced Voyager (Voyager 2 for convenience). This Voyager (call her Voyager 1) had also visited Terra Prime, but much earlier in the scheme of things (re: 2117). Probe himself had waved it off from Terra Prime and thus perhaps avoided a much earlier political debacle than the other Voyager had. Voyager 1 was even, somehow, able to get back to Earth much sooner than its soon to be shamed counterpart. Voyager 2's captains (both the human Janeway and the furry Janeway) had become vital components of what was left of Star Fleet HQ after the Enemy had basically knocked the stuffing out of not only the Federation, but all of the star powers of that galaxy as well. (An admiral named Jellico had raised both of these Janeways - together with the other Janeways - to the peerage, as well as a few other Star Trekker officers.) Now, the problem. While I feel that Star Fleet and the Federation as a whole could do just fine without those rather pompous women left in the High Command known as Janeway, I feel that.....it might not necessarily be so..... Be it so that things might just....collapse?

Surely things aren't that desperate still, even after thirteen years of aid from the Military?

Something says YES, though.... Things, if I heard rumors correctly, were at some kind of critical juncture....some kind of ticklish political tango or some such within Star Fleet itself. Some murmurs I hear from some Military folk tell me of a growing, and dangerous move within Star Fleet towards a more militaristic theme. Less open. Less....a lot of things. Hear that whispered within some areas out in the Federation itself, actually. That would be....counterproductive. The Military, though sometimes still derisive about the Star Fleeters, still insist that through the Federation way, not only can things get better for the Star Trek universe, but also for them (the Military Protectorate that Probe hales from and the Alliance that Elrondir hales from).

If this Scott says the right (or perhaps I should say wrong) thing and it get out, showing beyond doubt that his Voyager (the one I fear which got ambushed).....

I know (as Roland has a tendency to know things with that "sixth sense" of his) that this humanoid fox before me can be none other than that the one of the crew members of that doomed Voyager that had been attacked and overwhelmed by the Enemy! I fear that the Dark Tower may be paying a small visit here, in a sense, in at least as far as my perceptions go. Now, this Scott's Voyager that could well be the source for Q's duplication, then that would mean that the other Admiral Janeways in Star Fleet HQ were duplicates as well.....and there was right now a rather unfortunate bias against....Q clones I am sad to say..... Those Janeways will find it impossible to still command and THEY shall have to retire as well!!

And rumor has it that they are perhaps the biggest obstacle to Star Fleet...the biggest leader of the faction which wishes to keep more to Star Fleet ideals and traditions....

Sometimes I so very much wish I still was that naive little teenage girl who'd gone off in search for romance back on my home world. Being more seasoned, politically wise and worldly has it's....drawbacks.

What will I have to do if he says HE is from the real Voyager and can prove it!? I smell a setup here with Infernal fingerprints upon it... And here I've stumbled RIGHT into the middle of it, d*mn it!

While that is still crawling through my gut, I tell Scott Chen and his wife (in English) what happened to his Voyager...and what had happened to his Federation whilst he was gone for so long. I know, somehow, that anything less than the truth will be seen through rather quickly.

Like a stone statue (except for his furiously thrashing fox tail) Scott Chen takes it all in. His wife looks....terrible but sadly resigned about her Voyager having been killed to almost a man.

His daughter is bawling, of course. Poor child.

The Voyager was something like an extended family for her...

Now, however, the only other survivor besides themselves had been that one human Eric Solomon from that Voyager, alive only to the fact that a Military patrol ship had tracked down and intercepted the Enemy craft. Not soon enough to prevent him from having a hand eaten off raw, mind you! But still alive.....

He, the fox, takes it all in and then gives me a look....that I can't read.

"Well," he says softly, "I'd like to at least meet the real Admiral Janeway sometime....if only to say goodbye to my captain, en passant. IF these Celestrials of yours allow it."

Again, however, my gut feeling is that such an....alien influence as these Star Fleeters and such won't be allowed to stay here for ever and ever after we leave.....

Meanwhile, Scott's wife looks at him strangely and opens her mouth as if to protest, but seems to read something in Scott's eyes and instead nods in agreement when she seems to realize the same thing Scott has somehow realized.

.....

I don't believe it. He KNOWS....that he's the voice and not the echo but yet...

Tell you one thing, I think that THIS Scott Chen, fox or not, is rather smart....because he seems to have figured out from reading between the lines what is what back home....

Good thing, because if he hadn't....

What would I have to do in order to prevent this house of cards the Federation still is from falling?

I then see Mirage looking at us....as if having been able to follow some of what we'd said....and she seems to be taking a cue from Scott as well and not explaining in full detail (bending the truth) around what had been said before her. Putting it not only in safe, non world view threatening terms for the "locals" like Karen...but leaving out the more damning observations as well.

I'm going to be old before my time if things like this keep happening.....

Well, that....ticklish subject avoided, Scott then tells me that he can safely say that the actual source for the massive transformations was NOT another massive surge of chaos energy but rather the work of one lone entity he calls....Jasmine.

Aladdin and...? Was there a cartoon that....?

Oh....nevermind.

Only watched very little "Saturday morning cartoons" whilst visiting with Fre's family. Jack, thank goodness, outgrew that mindless entertainment rather quickly....especially after he lost all respect for "The Superfriends" (and eventually all other Saturday morning cartoons soon afterwards) in that one TV episode I remember as "The Space Circus" or something where two idiotic junior Superfriends had somehow gotten a hold of a mutation ray and had the villains (cardboard cutouts the lot of them) covered, only to in the end transform themselves into a treant and centaur with only animal intelligence! Happened because the fools held the mutation ray (it's operations obvious to anyone else because of it's rifle-like configuration) was held....BACKWARDS by them!!

Would have applauded the show if they had STAYED transformed forevermore, frankly. Worst show I ever endured!

At least Earth's Hollywood (the one I patronize online at least) gives off good action films!

....

Well, that is something less than a worry, anyway. Whilst the chaos energy has appeared to have done a rather powerful teleportation (with one teleportee rather VERY powerful, mind you) that in itself alone was small beans next to entire populations transmuted.....

Lets me feel that an imminent collapse of this world into Game 3 isn't in the offing....yet.

Yes, the Contest said it wouldn't happen until (and only if) Rebecca should come to harm, but still....

This business can make a body nervous!

Good grief, if this keeps up will nobody on this world be untouched, untransformed in some matter after we leave?


Later, Samuel is smiling a defiant smile, knowing that he has his opponents over a log. Oh, it's a small one, but maybe enough to just keep alive.....

He'd hinted that if he should die, then Eric's actual disposition would remain unknown. Oh, he might be dead....but he might be ALIVE?

Though the card game called "poker" never has graced this world, Samuel would have made a fine poker player indeed.

Indeed, he was astute. Astute enough to detect the hesitation amongst these freaks (the "demifox" mages) upon trying to crack the wards upon him....knowing that to do so blindly would be to send up a clear signal to his pet mage....and perhaps call down some magical troubles these....things and women wouldn't like?

Oh, Samuel knew well indeed that "his" pet mage wouldn't shed a tear with his death, but wouldn't dare appear to NOT do his upmost to try to lend aid. See, he had cohorts back within the mage's organization that wouldn't be pleased at all with laxness....

Not at all.

He is still smiling when yet ANOTHER freak walks up. This one dressed in pajamas. Then his smile contracts a little, when....

"How's the smile?" the fox asks him, tilting his head a little, as if to dare him.

THIS freak had knocked a tooth out from his mouth! However, he dare not redress such an insult. Too many with weapons around and all that, but his eyes promised repayment in full for the insult!

The freak then pulls out something with a red cross on it and some other kind of arcane device.

"May I offer my assistence," he says softly to Jarlath in English. "Being official Federation officials on a mission, I'm obliged to lend aid in such a dire situation."

Oh, it was complete and utter balderdash, later, when he said this was all for furthering the goals of these Champions on their Quest. All able- bodied Star Fleet officials finding themselves in any way able to further a Champion's Quest (without harm to the Prime Directive, of course) would do so to their upmost because otherwise.....

Well, it was all alright by regs, anyway, the "truth serum" he used and passed off as some kind of magic potion of truth telling. It kept within regs. Didn't violate the Prime Directive, he'll argue. That and it did wonders in going around magical barriers, being based upon super science....

But forget about that malarkey about it only being Scott doing what he felt was his duty. Remember, Scott had taken an instant dislike to Samuel, after all.

  1. And boy did Samuel tell tales, despite having struggled against getting injected....

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MSG

12/31/2002 7:17:26 AM

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