End of a Hunt and Hard Decisions (Part 3)

Zerm sighs and continues: "All with their own problems. Once the choice is made there shall be no going back. It would be quiet permanent, you see."

He goes onto explain that the root cause of the "instability" that is threatening all three females (the human woman and the two pixies) was the fact that something special had happened here (which the body swapping was just a symptom). The Oracle had done something that he knew would have eventually driven all parties concerned (the females) insane by proximity, as it were. See, the Oracle had been able to alter an unborn human child into one of the fey. Nothing, not even Zerm, could undo that! However, that's only part of the problem. See, because of lingering, deliberate mystical links between all three (and the unborn children within the mothers), insanity was almost guaranteed for all (the Oracle delighted in such cruel sport). If it wasn't Nyota Uhura who'd gone insane due to not being able to adapt to being of the fey (a certainty, since her religious belief would have interfered with such assimilation), then it would have been Fred the pixie (who's male ego wouldn't stand for being female, to be blunt about it). Oh, if this could have been caught earlier (nipped in the bud), then he supposed that an intervention like what had been done with Joan would have worked at least for Fred the pixie (and he thinks something could have been done with Uhura if that had happened). Too late now, though.

No matter what, the unborn fey child would remain a pixie, period. They could, however, advance Nyota's pregnancy to delivery. The child could then be given over to Titania and Oberon for them to place in a loving and kind home. The child would not want for love or anything. That done, the mage could then transform Nyota back to human and then the danger would pass.

The other thing was to allow yet another body swap between the mothers and the unborn and for Zerm to at a critical juncture break the mystical connection between all three. At that point, such would be possible, but it would leave one of the mothers forevermore a pixie woman! That person, alas, would be Uhura D'Honaire.

"Uh, Rule 179 contacted me and told me that this would be the last Lateral transfer allowed between the Seelie Court and Eternity Inc."

This is the last case which allows for it, Zerm adds to himself, All the other Oracle cases like this have been resolved in one fashion or another.

"I'll explain later," the Doctor says softly to the other non-Champions before they could voice their questions.

"Of course there is the third option," Zerm says, shaking his head a little, "Do nothing, but I can see that's not really an option."

"Well, I....do want to be human again....but...." Nyota begins, looking up at Uhura, "But I don't wish to...force this upon....."

The last part is almost too much for her to say, for her child was precious to her, but so was certain values she held dear to herself. She would not force this upon another like it had been forced upon her by the Oracle.... And her child would be cared for and loved (and his sanity spared). Maybe in time he could forgive her for....

Uhura laughed a little and shrugged. Oh, she knew how attached Nyota was to her unborn son. As much as she, you see!

Besides....one thing she'd found a bit.....chilling in some fashion about her new family was that they'd not age and she....would..... All of it, being a Champion....was calling to her.....

So.....

Back on Livingston IV

"Jim!" Spock shouts at the vanished gate, clearly aghast and too shocked to hide it.

Usually, a grinding/wheezing sound would have heralded their arrival, but this time it's Zerm who's supplying the means for the TARDISes travel.

Spock blinks when he sees who comes out. It turns out that the oddly dressed man named the "Professor" was complimenting the "Doctor" on his choice of interior TARDIS designs. Seems that he (the Professor) had been trying for centuries to get the right "feel" ever since getting his TARDIS in the first place. Always tinkering with the configuration and such, you see.... But of course the Doctor, wanting to keep the upper hand, didn't mention that it was seeing a picture shot of the 8th Doctor's TARDIS interior (thanks to Walker) that had done it.....

Now, however, a lot of questions are answered (and Kirk being beamed up to sickbay to eventually awaken later).....and introductions are made, finally!

That is, after Inquirer pries off her wedding band from her old left hand, that is! She lets the Enterprise folks keep the old, useless thing (thing had transmuted alchemically into it's current, rigid metallic form in way of decomposition and such). Wasn't like she needed it any more, naturally.

Later Spock will raise his eyebrow in surprise when he learns that Lt. Uhura, though back to human, isn't in her old body. Oh, it looks like it, but it really is the body made of the re- scrambled atoms of Uhura D'Honaire. She in turn took Nyota's rescrambled body.

Takes to flight like you wouldn't believe.

Yeah, that said, we also see that Fred the pixie was returned to normal and now is his old male self. That and Zerm was able to pull in a few favors from the Seelie court and get him a return ticket to his home reality!

Well, not exactly what they'd set out to do, but it works well enough, right?

They depart on a positive note. They even make Lt. Uhura's day by mentioning that the transwarp drive that the Military is so fond of nowaday was invented by none other that an analog named.....Lt. Uhura.

Boy, that made her day!!

So, after that (and a little side trip in time to make sure that a causality loop with Zerm will be closed), we go!

Anyway, like to say they all live happily ever after with no stress or strain....but then again that's what Champions thrive on. The stuff that makes them crave adventure, to put right what is wrong....

That and I must say that the shuttlecraft pilot who'd tampered with his warpdrive wasn't too thrilled about being booted out of Starfleet, but that's another (unimportant) story....

Now, we shall skip forward about three years. Inquirer and the Doctor have actually had their honeymoon night (delayed though it had been). The canals of Venice had been the last part and the most special part.

Today is a special day on several fronts. First, for the Doctor and Inquirer, today on August 27th was their wedding anniversary and they were happy. They were talking about taking this wedding in Xanth (a magical realm recently connected through trade and a magical gate where certain....results could come about in reproduction). See, in that land the mythical folks like centaurs and such were...er...the union that came about from a love spring and the wrong species drinking from it. In that land, such unions actually produced....children. According to research, the result of a Timelord/Golem matching would be meta-stable outside Xanth because of a special side-effect of that Gate between Terra Prime and Xanth... Oh, they might not get children immediately, but sometime in the future....wasn't such a harsh and forbidding idea, you see. Now, for the other angle, as it were.

When a Gunslinger apprentice named Cuthbert AllGood had met an exotic woman named Joan 2, he fell for her hard and followed her to Terra Prime. He finished up his apprenticeship under Roland's tutellage and became a full flegged Gunsliger (just last week), but his most nervous bit of business was coming upon him today. Today is the Terra Prime time equivalent (had been born on Midworld and thus had used to use that time system) of his 18th birthday. Now, he'd be asked the question of Championship (as it were). He could refuse and remain mortal. Or to accept the challenge and then live along with his love, Joan 2, after and after, always. Either way, he was to be wed also on this day (so he is a bit nervous for several reasons), natch....that is, if he doesn't take the challenge of Championship and fail. If he fails (i.e. his love for a Champion prove false), he gets utterly destroyed.

The gunslinger, in love, takes the challenge....and after a few moments comes out from....wherever the Rules and Agents took him with a dazed look on his face. He then hugs Joan 2 softly, mutters something about coordinates, a "Rite of Passage" quest to validate his Champion status, and then something about Daria?

So, quickly enough volunteers are going along (the new Champion needs at least one elder Champion to aid him in his quest). Turns out that a similar grouping of adventurers like in the last chapter of the Terra Prime book form up, except that it'll be Joan 2 vice the"original" Joan coming along.

As for the Doctor and Inquirer, they get distracted by this message from the Brig from Dr. What's universe. Something about a girl named "Ace" (an associate of "The Professor") who'd shown up (via some kind of time storm?) talking about something about a sword in a lake...and some trouble brewing up there around a lake in England?

1. So with the Terra Prime story....
2. So with the Doctor Who story....