The Oracle paused in her physical examination of the hypermatter reactor. "Something's wrong," she said. Ben, she said in the Force. What's happening? Have you killed them?
Her brow knit in fury at the lack of reply. Yes, he was here, and conscious, but he'd changed. So, she thought bitterly, you've betrayed me.
You deceived me, Ben thought back. I'm just returning the favor.
"Mareth," the Oracle said. "You're closest to the firing room. Get up there and stop whatever Garak's doing. If Ben tries to stop you, kill him."
"Yes, master," the Romulan said.
The Oracle glared at the overloading reactor, but there were limits to even her power. If you steal my prize, Ben, you will learn what true suffering is.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The Alliance fleet dropped out of hyperspace over the Vong planet. As expected the probe droid's presence had caused the Vong to tighten their defenses, but not to withdraw from the world. Bioships swarmed before them, but it would all be moot. "Let me know when you have a firing solution, admiral," Sebastian said, watching the activity beyond the window. The Vong were already firing and the Alliance defending themselves, but hopefully this would all be over in a moment.
Sebastian didn't hesitate. After all this war had demanded of him, there was nothing to make him pause. If blowing up a planet was what was needed to end this, then it would be done, and there wasn't going to be any second-guessing. "Fire."
The green beam lanced from the front of the Enterprise and tore through the horde of bioships. It reached the planet and met the shields. The shields flickered, but the planet remained.
Sebastian ground his teeth as he stepped closer. Why am I not surprised? he thought. "How long is our recharge rate?" he asked.
While some were gaping in astonishment, Cirule was always on task. "Thirteen minutes, prefect. We're already recharging."
"Is the shield still up?"
"Yes, but it's very weak. Another blast and they'll be done for."
Sebastian nodded. "All right then, admiral, I'll leave you to your work." He limped a short way away while the admiral saw to the battle. Cirule was a good leader, so he'd prepared for this contingency even though it seemed there was no way the Vong could stop them. Taar would have been proud one of his student's took his Borg lecture to heart. "Thirteen minutes," Sebastian said in a low voice. "A lot can happen in thirteen minutes, Janet."
"Mr. Skywalker," Janet said, "remember that the Vong bioships managed to destroy an Eclipse before." She left the implication there for a moment. "Should I have your shuttle readied, prefect?"
"Evacuate? In our moment of triumph?" Sebastian gave her a wry grin. "I don't think it'll do much for moral if the prefect flees the battle."
"You're too important to lose, Mr. Skywalker," Janet said.
"Thanks, Janet, but if we can't win this thing with an Eclipse, then we just aren't winning it. We stick it out, and if the Enterprise goes down, then we go with it."
"Yes prefect."
Sebastian lifted her chin so she was looking into his eyes. "Don't be afraid," he said with a warm smile. "It'll all be all right."
Janet sniffed and rubbed her eye. "I know it will," she said, and managed to force a smile to her face."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Molly sprinted around the corner and bolted for the firing room. Ben must have shaken off whatever had happened, so perhaps they wouldn't have to report failure to the Oracle after all. She entered the room, however, and quickly skidded to a halt. This wasn't what she'd imagined. Ben was fighting Mareth while Calrissian was working the controls. "Molly!" Ben shouted. "Listen-"
"No, don't listen!" Mareth shouted over him. "He's betrayed us! Kill Calrissian while I keep him distracted."
"No Molly," Ben said. "We were wrong to help her. Let Calrissian finish this station off, before the Oracle uses it again!"
"Help me, Molly!" Mareth said. "Together we can kill him! Then you'll be the Oracle's second!"
"Molly, I've been there," Ben said. "You've seen what it's done to me. The Dark side doesn't have the answers any more, all it does is take until we don't have anything left!"
"He's weak!" Mareth said. "And you know what happens to the weak among the Sith."
Molly lit her lightsaber and ran up, stabbing Mareth between the shoulder blades. The Romulan screamed for a second before collapsing on the floor. She looked up at Ben, saturated with fear. "What's going on, Ben?" she asked, as if the universe suddenly turned itself inside out.
"I've been stupid," Ben said, "that's what. What have we been fighting for? Just to fulfill the dreams of the Oracle. There's no concern with what we want, just her. She's going to blow up your world just to help her in some headgame against Sebastian." He stopped; there was so much he had to say it seemed to be fighting to get out. "I have to stop her, Molly. Will you help me?"
"But everything you taught me-"
"Everything I taught you was wrong," Ben said. "Open your eyes and you'll see it too."
Molly took a deep breath. "Is this a test?"
"No!"
"Thank God! Ben, this has felt wrong for a long time. I was afraid- I-"
"Sorry to interrupt," Lando said, "but the reactor passed the point of no return. We don't have much time if we want to get off this station alive."
"Where's the nearest escape pod?" Ben asked.
"What escape pod?"
"Terrific," Ben ran his fingers through his hair as he thought. "The Oracle's got the main docking bay covered, but there's only a token guard at Garak's back-up shuttle. We can get out that way."
"Are you sure, Ben?" Molly asked. "I mean- you weren't able to defeat Mareth without my help." She looked into his face expecting to see that look of fury, but all there was was a little twinkle in his eye. "You were holding back? Why?"
"Because I know you're a good person, Molly O'Brien," Ben said. "I just wanted to make sure you realized it. Let's go."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Alema Rar straightened as she heard her master's voice in her mind. "Yes?"
We're leaving, the Oracle said. Ready the ship for launch.
"Yes, my master." She rushed to do what she was told, never bothering to ask why. She felt a disturbance in the Force, and if the Oracle felt it enough to justify leaving, there was no point in trying to find out the details at the moment.
Minutes later, the Oracle came up the ramp along with the two Mystrl. "Take off," she ordered. Again, Alema never asked about their companions. If the Oracle wished to leave them behind, it wasn't her concern. The shuttle lifted off and slipped off into space. “Fortunately, we still have Seven,” she mused aloud. “It’s time she started being an asset instead of a liability.”
--------------------------------------------------------------
Seven bioships were concentrating their fire, and the tactical cube finally yielded under the combined fire. It exploded, the shrapnel escaping with such ferocity that the debris shredded two nearby Romulan warbirds. A star destroyer moved through the debris field, blasting the bioships to pieces in retaliation.
"Prefect," Admiral Cirule called. Sebastian quickly limped over. "Our sensors indicate the Vong shield is back up to full strength."
"Already?"
"I'm afraid so."
Sebastian looked away, unable to believe things were turning out this badly. "When we hit them, the shields did drop, at least for a moment. What if we concentrated fire on the shield during that time, try to damage the ground installations."
"That may be our only option, prefect," Cirule said. "I'll alert our commands." He went off to ready for the next attack.
"We're so close, Janet!" he said under his breath. "I don't understand it! This thing’s power output..." He thumped the floor with his cane.
"But the Vong do have the combined energy of all those worlds they've stripped," Janet pointed out. "I guess they must have known we'd try something like this eventually."
"No wonder they didn't move," Sebastian said. "They've dug in here. But maybe that'll be their downfall... maybe we can hit them harder than they think."
A star destroyer outside the window flared, then exploded. "I hope so, Mr. Skywalker," she said in a meek voice.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Garak was hiding in the shadows near the secondary docking bay. The Oracle figured out his plan, of course, but if Lando was successful these two would be on their own shuttle and making for hyperspace before long, leaving him free to make his own exit. It was a pity Calrissian would have to die, but you couldn't expect to play galactic politics without having to make a few sacrifices.
The two Sith lit their lightsabers and for a moment Garak wondered if they'd spotted him, but then he saw Molly and, surprisingly, Ben Skywalker engaging them. He wasn't sure how long the distraction would last, but he wasn't going to let the opportunity pass. He broke from his cover and made for the ship.
"Not another step, Garak."
Old instincts that had let him be old enough to have them told Garak there was a weapon trained on his back. He slowly raised his hands and turned around. "Well, this is a most fortunate turn. But, tell me, why exactly are you pointing that blaster at me, Calrissian? In case you can't tell, time is rather a factor here."
"We're going," Lando said. "But not as colleagues. Our partnership's over Garak."
"I see," Garak said. "And what will you do with me, Mr. Calrissian?"
"I'll take you to the Alliance, let them decide what to do with you."
"The Alliance?" Garak grinned. "I'm the head of state of the Cardassian Empire, Mr. Calrissian. You can't turn me over to them like I'm some criminal. Besides, your hands are just as bloody as mine."
"I know," Lando said. "But I'm tired of this, Garak. I'm tired of living with this. If they decide to hold me accountable for everything, then I'll accept that."
"They will hold you accountable," Garak said. "Because no matter what you'd like to pretend, you are a murder, Calrissian. You're no different than I am... just a cold-blooded killer."
Lando swallowed, then nodded. "You're right," he admitted, "I am." Then he pulled the trigger. He kept firing into Garak's chest until the body lay twitching on the floor. Molly pulled the gun from his limp grip. "I am," he said.
"Come on," Molly said. Over her shoulder Lando could see Ben finish off the remaining Sith guard. "This ship is our only chance-"
"No," Lando said, twisting from her grip. "No, I'm staying."
Ben and Molly looked at one another. They'd committed their own share of horrors... "We need to stop the Oracle," Ben said finally.
"You two can do that without me," Lando said. "Go on, and good luck... you're going to need it against that witch." Molly and Ben raced up the ramp. Lando took a seat on some crates and watched the ramp close, and the ship lift off. When it had left the docking bay, he got up, walked over to Garak's corpse, and pulled it back, propping it up next to him. He pinched the bridge of his nose; the exhaustion and stress had given him a nasty headache. "I'm sorry, Garak," Lando said eventually. "You're right... I'm just a petty little businessman who let his pride blind him. At least you wanted a better life for your people... as evil as your acts were, your motives were always better than mine." The station trembled as support beams began failing. "I'm just trying to atone for as much of the evil I've supported as possible... that includes this station as much as it does you." There was another severe jolt. "You know, it's refreshing to talk to you like this, without your condescension and double-talk and bottomless lies. I probably would have gotten on better with you if we'd done this years ago." He laughed, and the docking bay was engulfed in a fireball.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Expanding energy met shields and metal, and energy won out. The Death Star was consumed from the inside out until it reached the surface, and the fireball expanded until it was spent, sending vapor and shrapnel flying off at tremendous speeds, but not fast enough to catch the fleeing ships.
Ben reached out with all his senses, and caught the unmistakable presence. "There," he said, pointing towards a dot and pushing the ship to its limits. "The Oracle's on that shuttle."
"I'm not sure we can shoot it down, Ben," Molly said. "Not with this lot."
Ben nodded, because he'd reached the same conclusion. "We just need to get their shields down." He moved in. "Then you can beam me over there."
"Ben," Molly said, realizing what he meant, "you can't defeat the Oracle, you can't! She's just too powerful."
"I know that," Ben said, and despite the change to his nature, admitting that was still hard. "But I can sabotage the reactor from the inside... blow up the ship. Even she can't survive that."
"Neither will you!"
Ben hesitated. "I manipulated you into joining with me... with the Force. I played with your mind." He could see Molly turn and stare at him out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry."
She seethed. "You mean-"
"You're a good person, Molly; I'm sorry I tried turning you into a bad one." He took a deep, steadying breath. "Sisko said I'd die for my crimes... it's about time that happened. If I can take the Oracle down at the same time, so much the better."
Ben could sense Molly was torn by this. "I'm not sure what to say."
"There's nothing to say," Ben said. "Just help me get on board that shuttle. Help me finish this."
Molly took a few deep breaths, then kissed him. "I forgive you, Ben," she said quietly, and returned to her panel. "I'll get you on that bloody ship one way or another, Ben," she said. "You just make sure you kill that old witch."
"I'll do my best," Ben said.
The weapons of the shuttle struck the shields of the escaping ship. It wasn't much, but it was enough to knock them down briefly. The cockpit vanished and Ben found himself on the opposing shuttle - but he wasn't alone.
"I was expecting you to try this," the Oracle said with a voice like ice on steel. "You're such a pathetic failure Ben. You could have had it all, but you were weak... weak and stupid."
Ben gave a lopsided grin and chuckled. "After all the lies you've fed me, I'm not going to listen to anything you say." His arm moved in a flash, bringing his lightsaber up and igniting it to catch the Force lightning.
"I should have known better than to turn to some angry child for aid," the Oracle said. More lightning came, and it actually forced Ben back.
"Your mistake in picking me," Ben said, holding the lightsaber with both hands to hold the lightning back, "was in thinking... you could beat..." the lightning finally gave out, and he grinned, "...a Skywalker!"
There was a sound like the tearing of the firmament, and the Sith sword appeared in the Oracle's hand. "You couldn't beat me in the darkness," she said. "You have no hope to do so in the light."
Ben licked his lips as he readied himself. "We'll see."
The dark side meant aggression, so the Oracle struck first. Ben caught the furious strikes, still amazed at how the huge sword could move as if it had no weight to it, yet strike like the blows of a sledgehammer. He caught an upward swing and skidded his sword up the blade; the Oracle had to swing her head back to avoid losing it. She responded with a pirouette, and even though Ben caught the blow on the end, it still managed to knock him sideways, leaving him backing off to avoid the strikes that followed.
Ben tried a brief offensive strike at her legs, but she caught the blow and knocked him briefly off balance. The Oracle swung hard, pushing Ben's blade aside, so he pivoted and drove his shoulder into her face. She snarled at him and blasted at him with Force lightning; with his lightsaber locked with her he was forced to duck, and the lightning struck the wall behind him. Panels burst free, exposing whirling blades and bars that could rend flesh like a food processor. Power conduits were now open and sparking with deadly energies. Pipes radiated scathing heat or frosted over at superlow temperates. But still, Ben and the Oracle battled on, ignoring the environmental threats for the far more deadly one that stood before them. Ben gave a Force strike to her face again, and she responded by nearly stabbing him through the stomach; he escaped by centimeters by diving and rolling to his left.
As Ben pulled himself back to his feet she was already on top of him, sword moving impossibly fast. He had to continually move to stay ahead of her. His shirt got caught in a spinning blade, but he managed to tear it free before either it or the Oracle finished him off. He brought his saber up and she caught it, and the two pressed off for some time. Sweat was running down Ben's face. One thing was true: she had beaten him before, and it didn't look like it was a fluke. At the end of the day, light or dark, she was the stronger one.
Ben shoved her back. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to go down fighting. He panted a little as she righted herself and stared at him like an offensive insect. His mother used to look at him just like that, but of course, things were different now-
Ben smirked, just a little. Then he tossed the damaged panels at the Oracle, who easily battered them away as she approached. He swung, but defensively, giving ground as she pushed him until his back was literally against the wall. He was quick, and young, and powerful, but against a master, that just wasn't enough. There was the opening, and she brought her sword around and up, towards Ben's heart. Escape would be impossible, even for a Sith... or a Jedi. But instead of fear, there was a small smile on Ben's face, and one last word passed through his mind.
Sucker!
As sword pierced flesh Ben's hand was thrust into the open power conduit. Energy poured into both Jedi and Sith and discharged off into the walls, floor and ceiling. Smoke filled the room and the two screamed as one until the energy proved too much and the conduit exploded. Afterwards, there was nothing at all but silence.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The star destroyer Enterprise hung before the Vong planet as the Alliance ships tried valiantly to hold back the tide of bioships. Time... just a little more time...
Admiral Cirule looked up from the console. "In range."
Sebastian nodded. "You may fire when ready."
Cirule turned back. "Commence primary ignition." The bridge crew went about their tasks in silence as the switches were flipped, buttons were pushed, levers pulled, and dials adjusted. Sebastian watched impassively, both hands on the head of his cane. The words "stand by" were heard several times. Janet's knuckles turned white as she gripped her datapad. "Stand by."
The superlaser blasted out, and again the Vong shield flickered and fell for a brief time. The Alliance ships blasted during the window before the shield was up, but- "It's still too strong for our weapons to penetrate, sir," the admiral said, the disappointment evident in his voice.
"Are the Vong regenerating the damage to their shield network?"
"Yes, prefect. The Borg are projecting that it will be optimal in less than eight minutes."
Sebastian thumped his cane on the deck in frustration. Minutes! That's all that separated an end to this war from defeat. "Alert all commands," Sebastian said. "Fall back."
Cirule looked ready to protest, but just for a second. "Yes, prefect," he said.
Sebastian started towards the turbolift. "Janet," he said sharply, "contact the Borg. I want them to be looking over everything, and I mean everything. We did not come so close only to stumble on the finish line. We have the greatest minds at our disposal, I want them tapped to find a way through that shield and finish the Vong off for good!"
"Yes, Mr. Skywalker," Janet said.
"And I want my shuttle prepped so that we can depart as soon as we rendezvous with Cube Prime," Sebastian said. "We've lost the element of surprise, we don't have the luxury of wasting any time."
Though there were a few protests, the fleet recognized that the attack had failed, and together they turned and vanished into hyperspace. Despite what they had allowed themselves to believe, this war wasn't over, and there was a question of when it would ever end.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The Oracle opened her eyes, though it took great effort. Her limbs trembled, and getting up was difficult. The discharge had been incredible, turning her Sith sword into a pool of cooling metal; but it had saved her life. She could remake it, but it would cost her. She would have to put some of her own power into it to forge it properly, but she would need such a weapon to stand against the Jedi and anyone else who opposed her. Lost power could be reclaimed in time, and as the master of time that presented no problems.
She put a hand to her head. The next move... the Jedi would... she was having trouble remembering. The discharge caused damage to her nervous system, so she may have suffered some brain damage. A small concern in the end; she had the techniques to repair even that. None of this was anything more than a setback. She wouldn't die... couldn't die... not with so much left to do.
The Oracle looked down at Ben's remains. He'd taken the brunt of it; his body reduced to a charred lump. He'd died as most of her enemies had, for nothing. She shook her head, trying to clear it. She kicked the corpse, and it broke into pieces. "Did you... did you actually think... that after all I've done... I would possibly let it end here?"
DAMMIT SHE'S STILL ALIVE... oh well, I'm sure you have a something nice plan. That was a good battle though, especially for his redemption. As always, riviting chapter.
Please, please, please, let the bitch have taken brain damage to the portion of her mind that remembers the security codes for her base, so she gets taken out by her own defenses.
Well let's see, who out of the original series back in the day is still alive(or at least active)?
LOL...ah Janeway, survivng still regardless of the laid plans of others...I swear she'll be alive at the end of it all, still trying to do something that will never succeed.
Molly's development is interesting and I enjoyed that 'Bastion's plan didn't go perfectly but he grasps healing and regrouping. A nice hallmark of a good writer and story of only producing bull headed people who are bull headed.
MM /CF/WG/BOTM/JL/Original Warsie/ACPATHNTDWATGODW FOREVER!!
Sometimes we can choose the path we follow. Sometimes our choices are made for us. And sometimes we have no choice at all
CERC wrote:DAMMIT SHE'S STILL ALIVE... oh well, I'm sure you have a something nice plan. That was a good battle though, especially for his redemption. As always, riviting chapter.
Thanks! I was afraid I was going to have a riot on my hands when Janeway got back on her feet.
consequences wrote:Please, please, please, let the bitch have taken brain damage to the portion of her mind that remembers the security codes for her base, so she gets taken out by her own defenses.
Well let's see, who out of the original series back in the day is still alive(or at least active)?
Han Solo.
Janeway(Grrrrrrrrr )
Ben Sisko(Dead, but active)
Luke(ditto)
Seven of Nine
Molly O'Brien
Hell, is that it?
Two characters that have been out of direct influence for a while will be coming back in the next chapter to help deal with this mess. We'll see what fate has in store for them.
Crazedwraith wrote:hey, what happened to Neelix in the end?
Off camera, he was stepped on by an AT-AT in the conquest of Earth.
Crazedwraith wrote:
And since you're upto your usual 40 chapters can you tell us how many part there are to the story? Or is this just a very open end?
The series will end with DOF Part L, aka Unity chapter 250.
Ghost Rider wrote:LOL...ah Janeway, survivng still regardless of the laid plans of others...I swear she'll be alive at the end of it all, still trying to do something that will never succeed.
She is alive, but Ben has delivered more of a setback than she wants to admit. Much like Sebastian, Ben may not mortally wound, but he still wounds mind and body substantially. His sacrifice hasn't won the day, but he has hindered her, which means that maybe someone else can finish what he started.
Maybe.
Ghost Rider wrote:
Molly's development is interesting and I enjoyed that 'Bastion's plan didn't go perfectly but he grasps healing and regrouping. A nice hallmark of a good writer and story of only producing bull headed people who are bull headed.
Thank you, but I do admit to a little self-indulgence with Bastian unwittingly quoting Tarkin.
Thank you for the nice surprise. I was kind of suprised that you would end this before finishing the revised reversion of WWE, but I guess this answers that. I thought it looked kind of short compared to most your other chapter XLs too. I liked it a lot. I really liked how Janeway was hurt but not killed by Ben too. I just didn't think it would fit for him to be able to kill her right there.
Star Empire wrote:Thank you for the nice surprise. I was kind of suprised that you would end this before finishing the revised reversion of WWE, but I guess this answers that. I thought it looked kind of short compared to most your other chapter XLs too. I liked it a lot. I really liked how Janeway was hurt but not killed by Ben too. I just didn't think it would fit for him to be able to kill her right there.
The story isn't over yet
Chuck, that was quite a shock. Yet another two members of the old crew meet their destiny
To Absent Friends
Dalton | Admin Smash | Knight of the Order of SDN
"y = mx + bro" - Surlethe
"You try THAT shit again, kid, and I will mod you. I will
mod you so hard, you'll wish I were Dalton." - Lagmonster
Star Empire wrote:Thank you for the nice surprise. I was kind of suprised that you would end this before finishing the revised reversion of WWE, but I guess this answers that. I thought it looked kind of short compared to most your other chapter XLs too. I liked it a lot. I really liked how Janeway was hurt but not killed by Ben too. I just didn't think it would fit for him to be able to kill her right there.
Thanks. Like I said, Ben may not be able to kill her, but he has weakened her. Given how powerful she had been before that, that's a boon for the heroes.
Dalton wrote:
Chuck, that was quite a shock. Yet another two members of the old crew meet their destiny
Commander Greis, XO of the Imperator-class star destroyer Visage, stepped into the captain's office. "Report on our final scans of Sector 1195A," he said, presenting the datapad.
"Thank you." The captain didn't bother looking up. "Do we have an ETA on the arrival of the Emperor's Hand?"
"Imminent, captain," Greis said.
"I want to be informed right away." That usual tone which left no tolerance for error was present.
"Of course, captain," Greis said with a nod, and left. Soon after he left the datapad was picked up, the data analyzed, and then set aside. As expected, nothing of any real note, but duty was duty, and it couldn't be compromised.
"Captain," came a voice over the comm, "the Emperor's Hand has arrived."
"Escort her to my office," the captain said, getting back to filling out the report. Soon the door opened, and she strode in. "Mara," the captain said with a smile, getting up and coming around the table, embracing the grinning redhead. "It's been too long."
"Yes it has," Mara said. "You've got to stop these pointless long-range survey missions."
"Someone has to do them."
"Yes, someone," Mara said with a shake of her head. "I fail to see why this minutia has to be in your hands. There are better uses for your talents."
"I'm an explorer, Mara," the captain said. "No matter how much the galaxies change, that never will."
Mara laughed. "Yes. Planets can explode and governments can fall, but we can always count on you remaining..." she shook her head, "...Seven of Nine."
--------------------------------------------------------------
On Cube Prime, Sebastian Skywalker entered the main corridor, a wide towering hall sometimes used in official functions. There were hundreds gathered there - diplomats, staff, reporters, and other of the various denizens of the mobile center of the Alliance. The room became hushed, and the mood was tangibly somber as all those faces turned to him. He stared back. "Is something wrong?" he asked, sounding slightly confused.
There were a few clearing of throats. "We heard about the battle," the El-Aurian ambassador commented.
"Yes," Sebastian said, "our enemy remains resourceful even as the sun sets upon them." He looked at them. "Do you think this was a Vong victory?" he said with disbelief. "It was a stalemate, that's all... our enemy, with the full power of the center of all their forces was able to hold back one attack force from us. But they didn't win... all they did was delay the end of the war for a short while." He limped up the hall, looking at them with excitement. "Don't you see?! Time is on our side! We have the strength of two galaxies to call upon! Each day we grow stronger; stronger in arms, stronger in spirit, stronger in our unity!" He turned and approached a group. "You saw a Vong shield resist our weapons? I saw Klingons and Romulans and Imperials and Borg putting aside their differences and standing shoulder to shoulder against evil!" He turned to another group. "I saw that the end of this war on the horizon, and over that horizon I saw the new galaxies, where our unity will let us forget those differences altogether." He continued up the hall. "Do you think I'm a human?" he asked. "That I'm a Borg? No! I'm a child of your galaxy," he said, pointing to a Bolian. "And yours," he pointed to an Ithorian. "What does anything else matter? The children of our galaxies have come together against these monsters who thought us easy prey, and we sent them reeling!" He shook his head with a knowing smile on his face. "We told them today that we're not hiding under our beds any more. Today we made them hide under their own... so called 'proud warriors' who hid under a shield as a last desperate attempt to stay away from us. The end of this war is near, my brothers and sisters, my cousins of all species who see that our common bonds make us stronger than any enemy that can dare to challenge us. We have forged an alloy that no beam can pierce, that no weapon can shatter. Forget your sorrows, friends, because I promise you that the first rays of sunlight are on the horizon, and a grand new day will soon be here for us all, and as one people, we children will watch the sunrise."
Those in attendance applauded in appreciation of the sentiment, and Sebastian offered a smile and nod of support. He limped into his office, Janet close behind. The door closed and sealed, and he seemed to transform at the sound. He looked three times his age, the way he hunched there, the way he sighed so wearily, the way he limped to his desk and dropped into the chair as if he’d just buried his best friend. He lifted his cane up and set it down softly on the desk, then collapsed back into the chair and stared at it. “Prefect,” Janet finally said, “do you need anything?”
“Yes... go get me a blaster, please, so I can shoot myself.” He rubbed his forehead. “Something in a green, it goes with my outfit.” The sad part was that there wasn’t even enough strength in his voice for the normally sardonic tone that would accompany such remarks. Janet walked over to him; he was still staring at the cane, but it was clear it was just to have something to stare at. “I’m... sorry... you have to see me like this,” he said finally. “The curse of being my assistant is that you get the unfiltered look at the Prefect.” He offered her a humorless smile. “Not very pretty is it.”
Janet kissed him. After a few seconds she could feel him pulling her closer... then eventually he pushed her away; not hard, but firmly and without room for argument. "What you did out there, for them, was so wonderful," she said. “But you don’t have to carry this burden alone,” she pleaded.
“I do,” he said, as quiet as the breeze.
“You are destroying yourself!” Janet said. “You’re not going to be able to keep doing this, Bastian! Let me help you!”
“You do help me, Janet,” Sebastian said, as kindly as he could under the circumstances. “More than you probably realize. You are indispensable... but at the end of the day, you’re not my lover, and you’re not my soulmate.”
Janet walked over and took his hand in both of her own; he didn’t resist. “But I can be,” she offered.
He reached up and took her arm and gently pulled her down, then kissed her cheek. He reached up and touched it with a hand that wasn't real. “I could love you,” he admitted with a whisper. “You have no idea how hard it is to say no to you... how much I want to have you in every possible way.” He pulled her close. “But you’d be living in another woman’s shadow, Janet... I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is. Right now, all you’d be is the woman who replaced my wife, and nothing more.”
Janet took a deep breath. “That’s enough for me,” she said.
“To make the springs squeak with Alexander?”
“More than that!” Janet said in frustration. “I can help you shoulder this burden! Let me help you find the strength!”
Sebastian answered only with silence. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said finally.
“That’s not true!”
“Computer,” he said after a moment’s pause, “display all member systems within the Alliance, stellar and list form.” And the room filled with planets, and names appeared, and the computer read them all. It was an overlapping affair of sound and lights, and Sebastian took his cane and got to his feet. “And all of them,” he said to Janet as he limped to the center of the projections, “are held together by the words of this Alexander.” He turned to her, the computer still rattling them all off, thousands a second, and it wasn’t even making a dent in the list. “They pull in a million different directions,” he said. “They hate each other. They fought the Empire tooth and nail, but for now they’re united against the Vong threat because of my promises, Janet. What’s going to happen when the last of our enemies fall?”
“You can do this,” Janet said firmly. “You can keep them united.”
“Can I?” He laughed, a low chuckle that had nothing to do with humor. “Without an enemy to unite them? Maybe I’ll just weep, Janet... because there are no more worlds to conquer.”
“You brought them together,” she said adamantly.
“And they can fall apart like that,” Sebastian said as he snapped his fingers. “I am Ozymandias, king of kings.” He gestured at the flashing planets, and when he spoke it was with the bitterest tones. “Look on my works, ye mighty.... and despair.”
--------------------------------------------------------------
Captain of Nine poured Mara Jade Skywalker a drink; she didn't drink herself due to her sensitivity, so she just took a seat. "Anything changed?" Seven asked. "Have either of you changed?"
"Being apart is hard," Mara admitted. "But Luke and I knew that was part of the life we chose to live, and frankly neither of us seem the type to settle down somewhere."
"I know exactly what you mean," Seven said with a nod.
"It's very hard," Mara said seriously. "But we make up for lost time whenever we can."
"Good," Seven said. "Because he's a hell of a catch, Mara. You don't watch it someone else is gonna scoop him up," she said with a laugh.
"Well, fortunately there aren't too many humans in the delta quadrant to catch his eye," Mara said.
"I don't know, I hear those Taresians are pretty fetching." Seven settled back in her chair. "So what's the mission? The Emperor doesn't call me to play taxi driver for his Hand unless he wants me there as well; I've figured that much out by now."
Mara set the glass aside. "There's a temporal anomaly," she said. "Luke didn't give us the details, but he says there's something about it that is disrupting the Force. We need to understand if this is a threat, and obviously that calls for an expert."
"Well," Seven said, "you're in luck. I just happen to be an expert." That special Borg smile spread across her face.
"Yeah, well, I'll just have to take your word for it," Mara said. "I can't understand any of those papers you've written; frankly, I think you're just making them up to get more funds for your little projects."
"You doubt?"
Mara crossed her legs and smirked. "Yes, I doubt."
Seven of Nine shook her head. "This mission is urgent, yes?"
"Absolutely; highest priority."
Seven got up and hit a button on her desk; one of the lieutenants soon entered. "We've received a high priority assignment from the Emperor," she said. "Tell the commander we're to proceed to the wormhole, maximum possible speed."
"Yes captain," he said with a nod, then stepped out. As soon as the door closed Seven sat down on the corner of her desk.
"What are you doing?" Mara asked.
"Take a seat," Seven said, gesturing with her head to the other end of the desk. Mara looked at her dubiously. "Just do it, Mara."
Mara sighed, then complied. "I feel ridiculous."
"You're about to look it," Seven said. "You never read my paper on Resonant Effects Of High-Velocity Hyperspatial Phenomenon?"
"Seven, I don't even know what some of those words mean, so I jus- holy kriff!"
"Do you still doubt?" Seven asked.
Mara's mouth hung open and her eyes closed. "Oh, I repent, high priestess of speed. I do repent."
"That's better." Seven sighed. “God, I love having my own star destroyer. Every girl should have one.”
Mara's eyes fluttered. "Seven, have I told you you're my best friend in the universe?"
"Not lately."
"You're my best friend in the universe."
Seven pulled her hat off and wiped her brow. "If you're very good, I'll show you what the reactor can do."
"Oh, teach me! Teach me to be like you!"
"You couldn't handle it."
"Let me try. I'm not afraid."
"Oh, you will be... you will be..."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Janet opened the door. There he was, out on the catwalk again, watching the drones go about their tasks. Music played, as always... quiet, melancholy, an acoustic guitar from the sound of it. She walked out as he absentmindedly twirled his cane with one hand, the other resting his chin on the rail. A man sang; in the massive space it was chillingly panged.
"Hold me now, girl I don't know when
When we will ever meet again.
That was then. Baby this is now.
Time won't get over you."
And then a feminine voice took up the piece, with just as much ache.
"Losing you... things will never be the same.
Can you hear me call you name?
If we change it back again
Things will never be the same."
Janet cleared her throat. "Prefect."
"Pause," Sebastian said, and the music stopped. "I said I didn't want to be disturbed." He wasn't angry; his voice instead sounded hollow, as if there was no person inside that shell.
"I'm terribly sorry, Prefect," Janet said, "but it's General Corbin. He's been abusive to our diplomats and says that unless you speak to him directly he will take it as an act of war."
"Oh for- Fine," Sebastian said, limping double-time through the corridors of Cube Prime to his office. He dropped into the chair behind his desk and activated the holoprojector; Corbin appeared. “General,” Sebastian said. “I’m told you have something that cannot possibly wait.”
“You’ve been avoiding me,” Corbin said sharply. “Your underlings have been giving me the run around. Now I want my ship back.”
“Ship?” Sebastian said with a puzzled expression. “What ship?”
“You know perfectly well,” Corbin said, practically through his teeth. “The Eclipse you stole.”
“Ohhhhh,” Sebastian said. “You mean the one that defected.”
“Was coerced!” Corbin said. “With despicable threats against the captain’s family!”
“Really?” Sebastian said. “I never heard about this.”
“I have evidence,” Corbin said.
“Well I’ll be very interested in that,” Sebastian said. “Unfortunately, my resources are devoted to other projects at the moment. We’re fighting a genocidal race called the Vong - ever heard of them?”
“You’ve committed an act of war,” Corbin said. “And I do not look kindly on your mockery.”
“No, this is just sarcasm, when I get to the mockery I’ll be sure to let you know.”
“You will return that ship to me immediately,” Corbin demanded. “Along with the equivalent of ten million credits worth of equipment or ten sectors of your space. Failure to comply will be grounds for open warfare.”
“I’m sorry, could you speak up? It’s hard to hear you over the sound of my own apathy.”
“You’re an idiot if you think we can be ignored,” Corbin growled. “The majority of your fleet is far inferior to my own, all your numbers will do is serve as target practice.”
“Oh, but I don’t have to beat your fleet, general,” Sebastian said, “I just have to beat you.”
“What will you do? Hit me with your cane?”
“Ah, you’re funny,” Sebastian said. “’Scuse me, there’s a problem with the transmission.” He switched the projector off. “There, it’s better.”
Janet opened her mouth as she tried to think of what to say. “Well, we’ve certainly made our position clear,” she finally offered.
Sebastian tapped the desk with his cane. “That was stupid of me,” he said. “He’s an asshole, but I was practically daring him to fight us. I kriffed things up good that time, Janet.”
“A war with Corbin is inevitable,” Janet said as Sebastian got to his feet and limped in her direction. “He’ll always be a threat to the Alliance, and the systems under him want to join us. If we-“ She was cut off as Sebastian grabbed her and pulled her close, kissing her passionately.
Sebastian finally broke the kiss. “I assume your offer is still on the table?”
Janet’s chest rose and fell as she realized what was happening. “Actually, I’d prefer the couch to the table,” she finally said with a smirk.
“I think Alexander can do better than office furniture,” Sebastian said, taking her hand and leading her into his quarters.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The shuttle docked in the Visage's docking bay. There was a token honor guard for Luke Skywalker, given his honored place in the Emperor's government. Mara and Seven stood at parade rest as he came down the ramp, then left and walked up to him. "Luke," Mara said, giving him a kiss in passing.
"Mara," he said. He turned to Seven. "Good to see you again, captain," he said extending a hand.
Seven took it. "Likewise," she said, then pulled, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him like she hadn't seen him in a century. She broke it off and looked into his face, which mostly reflected confusion although he obviously seemed to have enjoyed the affection at least a little.
"Um, guess you missed me," Luke said finally.
Seven stepped back, growing almost crimson as she realized what she'd done. She could practically feel the confused and amused stares of her crew. She and Luke were ancient history; what on Earth had possessed her to do that? She cleared her throat. "Welcome aboard, Mr. Skywalker," she said, knowing there was no way to salvage this situation. “I’m... just... going to go throw myself out the airlock.”
consequences wrote:Item the first: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Over.
I like to push the envelope, preferably right off the desk.
consequences wrote:
Item the Second: “I’m sorry, could you speak up? It’s hard to hear you over the sound of my own apathy.” That line was absolutely priceless.
It's fun to practice bad diplomacy.
consequences wrote:
Item the Third: First Post? *Previews* First Post, Huzzah!
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