2295 lines
66 KiB
Plaintext
2295 lines
66 KiB
Plaintext
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
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Path: tivoli.tivoli.com!geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!torn!nott!cunews!freenet.carleton.ca!FreeNet.Carleton.CA!ar153
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From: ar153@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Bonnie Holmyard)
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Subject: Incoming DOS.TXT - Deliver Us From Evil, Part I
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Message-ID: <CxwqGG.D6I@freenet.carleton.ca>
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Sender: news@freenet.carleton.ca (Usenet News Admin)
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Organization: The National Capital FreeNet, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Date: Wed, 19 Oct 1994 06:38:39 GMT
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Lines: 695
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Copyrighted 1991 by Bonnie Holmyard
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Deliver Us From Evil
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Part I
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QUOTE: "Death is, to a certain extent, an impossibility which
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suddenly becomes a reality." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
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*****
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The first jolt of prescience came suddenly, inexplicably, as
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such things were apt to do...
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Loud and boisterous laughter accompanied the two officers into
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Ten Forward. Intuitively, Guinan looked up from the drink she was
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preparing and did an abrupt double-take. Riker ACTUALLY had his arm
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around Picard's shoulder, and both were roaring with laughter.
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Fascinating!
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She studied the two. It was a rarity in itself to see the
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captain in Ten Forward unless he was there on business, but Guinan,
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and everyone else in the establishment, could tell that 'that' was
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not the case this evening. The two command officers were obviously
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enjoying themselves, immensely. They ignored the looks of curiosity
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their actions brought to those who watched and moved purposely to
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a secluded table. Once seated, their heads bent together in open
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conspiracy. Riker whispered something and laughter trumpeted forth
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again.
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Guinan couldn't help but smile. It was good to see the captain
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so at ease. His was a demanding job, as was the first officer's,
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but tonight they had evidently put their duties aside to revel in
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comradary, and a close comradary at that.
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It IS good, Guinan reaffirmed, nodded involuntarily and added
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the finishing touches to the drink she was making. Grabbing a
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napkin with the Ten Forward logo - a tall golden fluted beer glass
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on a reflective black background - imprinted boldly on its front,
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she glided down the length of the bar to her waiting customer.
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Tonight Guinan's garb complimented the Ten Forward logo. Tight
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black pants clung to her legs and was all but covered by her
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flowing black tent-of-a-top. The hem of the top, which ended just
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below her knees, as well as its high neckline, was piped in gold
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braid, as was the wide brim of the masterpiece she wore on her
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head. She was ever conscious of her appearance and made a point of
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wearing clothing that hid all but her face and hands. Her features
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never changed, and she would one day have to move on when that fact
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became questionable. But she needn't worry about that tonight.
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Placing first the napkin and then the potent libation in front
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of her expectant customer, Guinan announced, "Here you go,
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Lieutenant Jensen, one Antarian Stingray," then added, "two will
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put you under the table." The drink may be synthonol, but like an
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Antarian, it did pack an unexpected whallop.
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"Tonight I'm being adventurous," Jensen answered and took her
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first tentative sip. Immediately her eyes watered and the color
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rushed to her face. She smothered a cough and tried vainly to
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smile.
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Guinan returned the smile, knowingly, and then her eyes were
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back on Picard and Riker. The captain was still chortling,
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literally wiping the tears from his face, but Riker was staring
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pointedly in her direction. Guinan nodded and started their way.
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"You gentlemen are in fine spirits," she said when she came to
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a halt at their table. "What can I add to compliment your evening?"
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"What was that devilish concoction you made for me the night
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of O'Brien's wedding?" Riker asked.
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Guinan paused but a second. "A Rangy Romulan," she replied,
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her smile expanding into a grin.
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Riker mirrored the grin. "One for me, and one for the captain,
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if you please."
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Guinan glanced at Picard, who she noted, was still awash with
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hilarity. One of her non-existent eyebrows rose, questioningly.
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"What ARE you two celebrating?" she asked, but her only response
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was another bout of strident laughter. She rolled her eyes,
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exaggeratedly. "Forget I asked," she said, "and enjoy." And that's
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when it hit her. Something grabbed at her stomach, tightened
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treacherously and yanked unmercifully at her being.
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She almost collapsed. Somehow she grabbed onto the table for
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support and somehow she knew she had done so, but a blackness was
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inexplicably washing away her reality. Her fingers tightened their
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grasp. The table became her touchstone, her share of the material
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world, her portion earned, but it was useless. The memories were
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not to be denied. To her senses came...
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THE SEDUCTION OF THE POWER OFFERED ... THE YIELDING OF THAT
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POWER ... THE ABSOLUTE DOMINATION ... THE INSECURITIES RISEN,
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FACED, CONQUERED ... THE UNENDING CENTURIES OF FULFILMENT ...
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THE ULTIMATE DISILLUSIONMENT ... HER DECISION TO DEPART ...
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THE INEVITABLE ARGUMENTS ... THE EVENTUAL ACCEPTANCE ... HER
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SUCCESSOR ... HER SUCCESSOR ... HER SUCCESSOR CALLED!
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Guinan's past reached out to her, a long forgotten past, a past she
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had lived through and was now no more a part of, but for one brief
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moment, one uninhibited eternal moment, she relived that reality in
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its entirety. And then she heard a voice, an icy yet alluring
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voice, a voice she herself had once used.
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*We must commune*' it whispered through her soul.
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Strong arms held her. A soft breeze fanned her face. She
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opened her eyes. It was Riker's arms that held her; Picard's hand
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that fanned her face; and beyond, beyond stood a circle of
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concerned faces, pressed inward. Guinan took a deep breath.
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"Are you all right?" Picard asked, and at the same time she
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heard the first officer speak.
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"Riker to Sickbay," no pause, "Emergency in Ten Forward."
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"It's nothing," she managed to say, but Riker, she noted, did
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not rescind his order.
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She stood shakily, her eyes darting to those who surrounded
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her. "I'm okay," she said as shakily as she stood, and then
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insisted, "Truly, everything is all right."
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Slowly the circle of attentive faces dispersed, leaving the
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situation in the capable hands of their superiors. Picard and Riker
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would not be so easily dismissed. Guinan met the captain's worried
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gaze.
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"I had a flash from the past," she explained, once more in
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control of her thoughts and her surroundings. "If it proves worthy
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of additional comment, I will advise you."
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The captain did not look convinced, but then a new bustle
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entered the scene. Guinan looked up to see Doctor Crusher arriving,
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two medical attendants with an anti-grav-stretcher in tow.
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"One minute, twenty-three seconds," Guinan said and forced
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another smile. "Your response time is to be commended, Doctor."
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"What happened?" Crusher demanded.
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"Guinan fainted," Riker announced.
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"I did no such thing," Guinan said calmly, decisively. The
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doctor, she saw, shared the captain's expression of the
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unconvinced. "I merely suffered a ... ah ... time-lapse," she
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explained. "I'm fine now, really."
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Crusher paid no mind. She was running her tricorder up and
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over Guinan's person. The doctor's expression said much for her
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concern, and her confusion.
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"Your readings will tell you nothing, Doctor," Guinan stated,
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and Crusher's worried gaze moved to Picard. Guinan caught the
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mystification that shone in the doctor's eyes and thought fast. "I
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am usually more alert, more prepared," she said and paused as all
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three senior officers looked her way. "Believe me," she went on,
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"what has just happened to me is not a rarity." She was lying.
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Never had she been summoned in such a way. Never had she even
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suspected. She needed solitude; desperately, immediately. "I am
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sorry for the anxiety I have caused," she said, "but believe me,
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everything is now tolerable."
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Guinan was well aware of the mysticism that surrounded her. In
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fact, she encouraged it. The less people knew of her background,
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the better. At the thought, she turned her unyielding gaze to
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Picard. He, above all others, knew and appreciated her obsession
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for privacy.
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Picard met her glance and held it. She sensed his questions,
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could, if she wanted to, read his thoughts. Instead she satisfied
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herself with the knowledge that he would accept her words - if the
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incident proved worthy of additional comment she would advise him.
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She mentally reinforced the sentiment. It took a moment, but Picard
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finally moved his eyes from hers to Crusher's.
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"Thank you, Doctor," he said politely, "but if Guinan says
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everything is okay, then we shall respect her wishes."
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Immediately, Guinan turned her gaze on the doctor. *If needed
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I will call on you* she mentally projected and Crusher's solicitous
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expression vanished. The doctor nodded, motioned for her attendants
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to follow and without another word turned and left the lounge.
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"Sit, Guinan," Picard said, holding out a chair for her. "I
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insist," he added when she did not immediately do as he requested.
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"Captain," she began but he ignored her, purposely sat, and
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stared pointedly at the waiting chair. Reluctantly, Guinan did as
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instructed.
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"Explain," the captain ordered, and it WAS an order.
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"I have said all I can," she stated resignedly, "and, if you
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have no objections," her hand fluttered to her brow, "I would like
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to retire to my quarters."
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Picard stared at her, long and hard. Again she projected.
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*There is nothing you can do to help.* Gradually acceptance entered
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the captain's gaze.
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"There is nothing I can do to help?" he questioned.
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"Nothing."
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"Then allow me to escort you to your quarters." He rose from
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his seat.
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"That will not be necessary, Jean-Luc," she declined,
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purposely slipping from propriety to informality as served her
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purpose, "but thank you." She rose gracefully from her chair before
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he could speak again and drifted from the lounge.
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*****
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"Reveal yourself," Guinan commanded as soon as she entered her
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quarters.
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The transmutation began. From out of nothing a mist appeared
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and altered, became the more tangible essence of fog, dull yet at
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the same time brilliantly white. And still it compressed, expanded,
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coerced, enlarged. The power it emitted filled the room, bathing
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Guinan's face in alternate waves of hot and cold, blazing and
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frigid, fiery and frosty.
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Slowly, infinitely slow, it acquired a physique. For one
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fleeting moment she saw the face, nothing more than a skull of
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bones; empty black eye sockets, piercing and pierced, vital yet
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extinguished; dark hollows for the nose, breathing and
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unbreathable, animated yet inert; the gleam of the skull, infinite
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and finite, dead yet alive. Then an absolute blackness wrapped its
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inky wings around the shocking whiteness, became a hooded cape,
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shrouded the hideous features, flowed to the floor. All that was
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visible were the hands, like the face, only skeletal.
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The being bowed deeply, in reverence, and spoke, his voice
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saturated in an icy heat. "Your Divinity," he said humbly.
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Guinan accepted the tribute, as was her right, although it had
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been eons since she'd last heard it. He rose and she returned the
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honour.
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"You reign now," she said, bowing just as deeply as he, "your
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Eminence."
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They stared at each other, an infinite moment in time, and
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then he offered her his hands. She did not hesitate. His bony
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fingers were hard yet supple, cold yet warm. The bond was forged.
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She felt his anxiety, his unease, his trepidation; yet still a
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barrier remained. He was denying her the full strength of his
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emotions.
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"You are far from your realm, Supreme One," she said. "Your
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need must be great."
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"It is," came the answer.
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"Then sit," Guinan offered. "We shall talk."
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His hands fell from hers and he moved; agilely, pliantly,
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lithely. He seemed hardly to move at all. One moment he stood
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before her, the next he was seated on the couch. Guinan smiled. She
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still continued to make use of the walk of her immortal self.
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Rarely, however, did she get to see someone else move so
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gracefully. She glided to his side and sat, as poised and composed
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as he. Then, uncontrollably, she started to laugh.
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"You would scare the living daylights out of anyone on board
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this ship if they were to see you," she offered in way of
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explanation.
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"No one sees Death before his time."
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Guinan nodded, at once somber. It was so. "You come in the
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form of Death. There is a reason."
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"I am Death. I am Life. I am the essence of my People, all
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people, any people who believe in the powers of Good and Evil. My
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powers expand beyond the sphere of understanding."
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Again Guinan nodded. Again, it was so. "But why Death, now?"
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she questioned.
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"It is the cloak I wear most at this time."
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"What has happened?"
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"Evil dominates my world. I am incapable of stopping Him. I
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ask that you return. I plead with you. You never once bowed to His
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power. You alone can put Him in His place."
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Guinan's eyes fell shut. She had turned her back on all of
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that, what? two hundred years ago? She'd sought out the harmony of
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what had been considered the unknown universe, and had found it.
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She did not want to leave. But this request ...
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"Yes," Death uttered. "This request is made by me: your
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apprentice, your successor, your heir. You cannot refuse."
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"I cannot," Guinan agreed.
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"Then we must leave now," he stressed. "Time may be on the
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side of what is Good and right, but Time also bows to Evil."
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"There are arrangements to be made," Guinan said, her mind
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racing. "I cannot simply disappear."
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A moment, then, "I understand. If you had simply disappeared
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from our lives without warning, chaos would have reigned." He waved
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his arm. "Epoch intervenes," he announced, "on our behalf."
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"You were so confident I would return?"
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"You have no choice," Death answered, and she knew he was
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right.
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*****
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"Come," Picard called out and the doors to his quarters
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opened.
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Guinan floated inside. How DID she move so fluidly? he
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wondered as he attempted to hide his surprise at her unexpected
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appearance. Picard could count on one hand the number of times
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Guinan had sought out his counsel and still have more fingers
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remaining than used. Something, he mused, must have come of her -
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what had she called it? - her flash from the past. She'd said she
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would advise him if the incident proved worthy of additional
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comment.
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"Have a seat, Guinan," he offered as he put down the book he'd
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been trying to read and rose respectfully from his seat. "How are
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you feeling, now?"
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Guinan sat. "I am as always," she answered, "but I have a
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request."
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Picard's thoughts gyrated. A request! This WAS a first, but
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then again firsts dominated this evening. First she had fainted,
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for lack of a better word. Then she had tried to suppress his
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concern, and that was a first. At least he believed it to be a
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first. She must have been desperate to have acted so; to purposely
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control his thoughts, his actions; but now that he'd experienced a
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touch of her omnipotent powers, he would be forever forewarned.
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"Why did you attempt to quell my consideration earlier?" he
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demanded, in no way hiding his offense.
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"It was necessary," she answered, not in the least intimidated
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by his question, his attitude, or the fact that she had done
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exactly as he'd stated. Picard realized he would receive no further
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apology. "I needed privacy," she went on, "and it was not within my
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power to answer your questions at that time."
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"And now?"
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"Now I must leave the ship."
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"What about my questions?"
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"They will have to wait."
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"But you WILL answer them, eventually?"
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"If I return."
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"If?!"
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"If," she said, and nothing more.
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Picard was not satisfied, with any of it: her cryptic
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behavior, her evasive answers, or her request. But what was he to
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do? She was the one person aboard Enterprise who was not
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answerable, directly or indirectly, to him. She was not a member of
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Starfleet, nor as far as he knew, were her people affiliated with
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the Federation. She was a friend, yes, but he realized suddenly and
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with far-reaching clarity, that the terms of their relationship
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were dictated by her.
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"I assume you will not explain your request either," he
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stated.
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"Perhaps 'request' was the wrong word," she answered as she
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rose to her feet. "I am leaving the Enterprise, Jean-Luc,
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immediately."
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"What?! Now?! How?"
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"There is no more time," she said by way of answer and started
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for the door, "and I have my ways, my friend." The doors slid open.
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"May we one day meet again," she added and was gone, the doors
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closing soundlessly behind her.
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"She leaves as mysteriously as she came," Picard said aloud
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and wondered if they WOULD ever meet again.
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*****
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"I am ready," Guinan said as soon as the doors to Picard's
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quarters closed.
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"Take my hand," Death directed.
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Guinan did so and immediately vanished to all but her
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undefinable companion. Together they walked, back through the walls
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of Picard's quarters, onward through the hull of the starship and
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into the black vacuum of space. Guinan watched Enterprise disappear
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in a streak of warp propulsion and then looked down. They were
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suspended in deep space. The stars shone all around them with
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preternatural clarity. She did not question the logic or illogic of
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what was happening. She simply accepted.
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"We go," Death uttered, and they did so.
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They did not move, as such. Guinan still stood unmoving at
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Death's side, still held his hand, while the universe churned
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around them. Individual stars seemed to wax and wane, some becoming
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brighter, some dimmer, all moving with a speed that was impossible.
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And, of course, it WAS impossible, except for the immortal; and
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she, like Death, had been touched by immorality. Many times had she
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travelled as such through the naked universe, both forward and
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backward in time. Many times had she come just to watch the majesty
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that was the expanding universe.
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But today she travelled back to her destiny, toward a battle
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with Evil. She should prepare, she thought, but one could never
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correctly anticipate what guise Evil would next assume. Still, she
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strove to attain the inner peace she knew she would need as she
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watched the stars, the galaxies, the very universe flash
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phenomenally and silently by.
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Then she saw it, instantly recognized it, the galaxy she had
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once called home. A ribbon of stars, its galactic center glowing
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brightly, sprayed out in the distance like a welcome mat. She felt
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her pride swell. This was not the galaxy of her homeworld, yet she
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felt a bond with this cluster of stars that went beyond what one
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felt for one's birthplace. This was a galaxy untouched by outside
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forces, a galaxy ruled as much by magic as by science, a galaxy she
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once had dominated.
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One star eclipsed all others. It glowed the strongest, shone
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the brightest, and was the pivotal essence of thirteen planets.
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Their destination: the central and seventh planet, Regulus. It was
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the heart of this galaxy, the soul of this galaxy, the master of
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this galaxy. No sooner had she thought it, then she saw it. They
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had arrived.
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TO BE CONTINUED ...
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Holmyard out
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Stardate: 9107.31
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TSAO!
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####
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--
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"It's a matter of intelligence so your opinion is irrelevant." Q
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ar153@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Bonnie Q Holmyard)
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Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
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Path: tivoli.tivoli.com!geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!cs.utexas.edu!utnut!nott!cunews!freenet.carleton.ca!FreeNet.Carleton.CA!ar153
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From: ar153@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Bonnie Holmyard)
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Subject: Deliver Us From Evil - Part II
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Message-ID: <Cy14q6.Ir1@freenet.carleton.ca>
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Sender: news@freenet.carleton.ca (Usenet News Admin)
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Organization: The National Capital FreeNet, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Date: Fri, 21 Oct 1994 15:37:17 GMT
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Lines: 852
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Copyrighted 1991 by Bonnie Holmyard
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Deliver Us From Evil
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Part II
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QUOTE: "Don't let us make imaginary Evils when we know we have
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so many real ones to encounter." Oliver Goldsmith, The
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Good-Natured Man.
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*****
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His angelic smile unveiled the instant He knew of her arrival,
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and He DID know instantly. He had sensed the power of her presence
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the moment she'd entered the galaxy. Somehow He restrained Himself.
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He fought the need to reach out to her, to caress her, to grasp
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tightly to that which had once been His, and, He was not one known
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for suppressing His desires. Still, for her He could wait. Time was
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but an illusion, and He, He was the Master of Lies and Illusions.
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He laughed at the certainty of that thought and by so doing
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set free a blasphemous maelstrom, fiendish and unnerving. It echoed
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through the lonely abyss of His lair, sent shudders of revulsion
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throughout His kingdom and reached outward and upward to those
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innocents beyond. All intuitively shrank at His touch,
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unconsciously accepting His presence while consciously purging all
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thought of Him from their minds. He was more than just aware of the
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reaction. He thrived on it. His smile returned, now diabolically
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angelic.
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Oh yes, He could wait. She had come, just as He knew she
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would, and this time she would NOT be leaving. Now all He needed He
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could take from her mind. And with one blink of His dark and
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destitute eyes, He did so, unerringly.
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*****
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"And you say she just disappeared?"
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"Yes and no, Number One." Picard and his first officer sat
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side by side in their respective seats in the command well of
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Enterprise's bridge. The captain turned slightly to include the
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counselor in the conversation before continuing. "She did advise me
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she was leaving, and she's no longer on board, but she didn't use
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any of the ship's facilities to depart."
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"So how did she leave?" Troi asked.
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"She DOES have her ways."
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Riker was not satisfied. "Are you purposely being evasive,
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Captain, or is it that you yourself do not know?"
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Before Picard could answer Worf's deep voice intruded.
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"Incoming transmission, sir," the Klingon announced from his
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station. "Captain Saetik of the USS Bonaventure standing by."
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"I thought Bonaventure was still under construction," Riker
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commented aloud.
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"She's obviously been launched," Picard said. "Open a channel,
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Lieutenant."
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In seconds the main viewing screen was filled with a scene not
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unlike the one surrounding Picard. Bonaventure was another Galaxy
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class starship, one of the first to be commissioned since the Borg
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disaster. However, seated in the command well on the screen was the
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only officer to be seen on Bonaventure's bridge. Captain Saetik was
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surrounding by Starfleet cadets.
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Riker's eyebrows shot up like twin exclamation marks. Picard
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caught the movement from the corner of his eye as he tried to hide
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his own astonishment. What was Bonaventure doing this deep in space
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with a bridge full of cadets? Cadet training runs were, by
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regulation, performed in a space-seasoned vessel, never this far
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from Starfleet Command, and never without experienced officers
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aboard. "Captain," he began but Saetik cut him off.
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"Picard," he said abruptly. "You will bring Enterprise out of
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warp and have your transporter chief stand by."
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"On whose order?"
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Saetik's gaze shifted nervously off screen. When he next
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acknowledged Picard it was to speak only two words, "Commander
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Starfleet."
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Picard hesitated the briefest of moments. To say this
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situation was unorthodox was a definite understatement, but...
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"Make it so," he commanded. Instantly his orders were heeded.
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Saetik was again looking off screen. Then he was expelling a
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sigh of relief that could almost be felt on Enterprise's bridge.
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His eyes fastened back on Picard. "Excuse my bluntness, Captain,"
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he said, "but the admiral is already on his way to our transporter
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room and I'd advise you to be in yours when he arrives."
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"What's this all about, Saetik?" Picard questioned.
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"You are wasting precious time, Picard," Saetik snapped and
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the transmission was ended.
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"Well!" Riker exclaimed.
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"Sir," Troi interjected, "he's suffering from excessive
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stress, and, I would surmise he has just transferred the source of
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his anxiety into your capable hands."
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*****
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"He is gone," Guinan stated assuredly. She and Death were, for
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lack of a better word, 'orbiting' Regulus. Over half the planet was
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cloaked in darkness, and not the natural darkness of a planet's
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nightside. Night's terminus was obliterated by an inky blackness
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that radiated the putrid corruption of Evil's malodorous presence.
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"How can you say He is gone when such evidence of His
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proximity screams at you?" Death demanded.
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"I do not deny He has been here," Guinan contended, "but He is
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|
now gone."
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"Where?"
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She met the tenebrous emptiness of Death's gaze without
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grimace. "This I do not know," she admitted, "and it troubles me."
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Death stared at her. Nothing in his skeletal expression moved
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as he spoke. "You once told me it was senseless to worry about
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things beyond one's control," he said pithy. "I have acted on that
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advice time and time again, and, in this instance, find it worthy
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of recall. I suggest we take advantage of His absence to eradicate
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His contamination of Regulus."
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Guinan smiled. "Wisdom becomes you, my son," she said. "Shall
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we begin?"
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It could be said that a skeleton cannot smile, but there was
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no denying the smile that stamped itself on Death's features at
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Guinan's words of praise. "We begin," he answered and together they
|
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directed the cleansing power of their immortality at the planet.
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*****
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"Admiral Blasberg," Picard said as soon as the Commander
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Starfleet materialized. "Welcome aboard the Enterprise."
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Blasberg stepped down from the transporter platform. "Under
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Article 47 of the Federation Articles," he began without preamble,
|
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"I hereby commission the Enterprise as the designated residence of
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a Military Staff Committee."
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Picard did nothing to conceal his astonishment. "There is a
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crisis?"
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Blasberg ignored the question. "You, Captain, shall escort me
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to my quarters where I shall brief you. Commander Riker," his hazel
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eyes captured the blue of the first officer's, "Yellow Alert status
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will be maintained throughout my stay aboard this flagship, and, no
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outside communications will be established without my prior
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consent." His eyes flickered back to Picard. "That IS a command
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order, understood gentlemen?"
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Picard nodded. Riker answered promptly. "Aye, sir."
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"Then, Number One," Blasberg asserted, "I suggest you return
|
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to the bridge and set course for Epsilon Eridani IV. Once there you
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will establish standard orbit and contact me before opening
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communications with Vulcan Space Control."
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"Aye, sir," Riker again acknowledged. He met Picard's
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bewildered gaze before turning to the honour guard who stood at
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|
attention. "Honour guard, dismissed," he stated. The six security
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guards responded instantly and Riker matched his step to theirs as
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they marched from the transporter room.
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Blasberg's disquiet gaze moved swiftly to Picard. "I'm
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|
waiting, Captain," he announced impatiently.
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Picard's composure did not slip further. "This way, Admiral,"
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he said and led the Commander Starfleet out of the transporter room
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and toward the ship's visiting officer quarters.
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*****
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"Epoch," Guinan acknowledged the timeless being who bowed
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before her. "I thank you for interceding on our behalf."
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Epoch rose to tower over Guinan. Tall, thin and gaunt, Epoch
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was the embodiment of time. "Time serves no master," the mystical
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being responded. "However, I am glad my services benefited your
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|
purposes."
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|
Guinan smiled, nodded and turned to the immortal who
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|
supervised the advancement of science. "You have been outwitted
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again, Sciolist," she said not unkindly.
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|
Sciolist bowed. In direct contrast to Epoch, Sciolist was
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short, plump and fleshy. "Evil is unstoppable, your Eminence," he
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said as he rose. "This cannot be denied."
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The beauty of the trio stepped forward. Medium height, petite
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|
in build and curved in all the right places, the Sorceress was the
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|
enchanted being responsible for the development of magic within
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|
Regulus's galaxy. "I foresaw this happening," she announced as she
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|
too bowed, "and warned your heir." She tossed the long golden hair
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|
from her eyes and stared at the immortal in question. "You see how
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he has not yet changed," she spoke the words no other had dared to
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|
utter. "He still wears the cloak of Death! If you had truly
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eradicated Evil's presence from Regulus he should reflect that
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cleansing. He should now be the Supreme One, the incarnate of
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Life!" Her eyes shifted back to Guinan. "You may have momentarily
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eradicated His presence, but I predict we have yet to face His
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greatest hour. And, your heir's appearance only confirms that
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|
fact."
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"You speak the truth," Guinan acceded. "He wanted me to
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return, but left when I arrived. Can you foresee why, where He has
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|
gone?"
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The governing body of Regulus had gathered on Mount Peerless
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upon Guinan's arrival. All had thrilled at hers and her heir's
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|
elimination of Evil's presence on Regulus, that is until they saw
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the Supreme One was still cloaked in Death.
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"I see only what He wants me to see," Sorceress admitted
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sadly. "He has grown in strength since your departure, Your
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Eminence. Like Sciolist says, He is now unstoppable."
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"That I cannot believe," Guinan asserted, "nor should you
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|
allow yourselves to believe it. Your faith in His powers only adds
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to His power. Your faith should unquestionably lie with the Supreme
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One."
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All looked toward the mystical apparition who was
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|
simultaneously Death and Life in their galaxy, the Supreme One. If
|
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Guinan could sense the council's scepticism, what could he sense?
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No wonder he had sought her out. She directed her boundless faith
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and unending love at him and for an instant saw the beauty beneath
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his mask of bone.
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"Focus on him," she commanded the others. "Bathe him in the
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|
love and devotion that is his due, and see the change." She felt
|
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|
the energy of their purpose and smiled at the results. The black of
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his robe was slowly turning grey. "Concentrate," she whispered and
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his skeletal features wavered. "His is the power." Piercing blue
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eyes now shone from the empty sockets. "He is goodness, virtue,
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purity." Dark skin unfolded, moulded to his features, his hands,
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his feet. "He is splendour." Black hair adorned his scalp. "See his
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|
beauty." His gown now glowed a brilliant white. "Feel his
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|
radiance." His smile was even more radiant than his clothing. "He
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IS the Supreme One." And he was Death no longer. Life stood before
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them, radiating vitality. Guinan bowed deeply and the assembly
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followed suit.
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"Half the battle is won," he spoke, and the icy heat was gone
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from his voice. Now it was music, the most wonderful music Guinan
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had ever heard.
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*****
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|
Picard stared at the man before him not even trying to conceal
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his dissatisfaction. "With all due respect, Admiral, one could
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hardly define what you have just related as a 'briefing'. It
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amounts to nothing more than an itinerary of rendezvous points, and
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the order in which you demand Enterprise arrive at those points is
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far from expedient."
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|
"Are you questioning my orders, Captain?"
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"No, sir. I merely point out that a more efficient course
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plotting does exist."
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"I am well aware of the map of the galaxy, Picard, and you ARE
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questioning my orders," pause, "Captain."
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Picard recognized the unspoken reprimand and felt what little
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|
hair he had on his head bristle at the condescension of the
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admiral's tone. He did not like, appreciate nor feel deserving of
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|
such treatment. "But what of the crisis?" he forced himself to ask.
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"You have said nothing of the emergency that has brought you aboard
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Enterprise."
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"And I won't until I'm ready," Blasberg all but snarled. "For
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now I suggest you trot off to your bridge and instigate the course
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I have ordered."
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|
Fearing that if spoke now he would be accused, and rightly so,
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|
of open insubordination, Picard merely nodded and turned to leave.
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Before he was out the door the admiral spoke again.
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"And Picard, I am NOT to be disturbed for any reason until we
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arrive at Eri IV. Understood?"
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"Understood, sir."
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*****
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|
Guinan slept, a restless sleep haunted by images of Him. Why
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|
had He provoked the havoc she had witnessed upon her arrival? She
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knew it was His immortal duty to propagate Evil in this galaxy. He
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WAS Evil. But the vestiges of His presence she and the Supreme One
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|
had aborted had been just that, vestiges of Evil. If He had wanted
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|
He could have permanently stamped Regulus in Evil, but He had not.
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|
He had halted His onslaught at a point where her successor could
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|
not reverse the situation on his own. Why? Because He wanted her to
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|
return. And she, she had done exactly as He wanted.
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|
That His powers had strengthened with the passage of time was
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|
irrefutable. So why hadn't her successor's powers grown
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|
proportionately? Instantly she knew why, because he had been forced
|
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|
to take the position before his time. And that was her doing. She
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|
should not have left when she did. And that was Evil's doing. He
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WAS unstoppable. So why had He left upon her arrival, and more
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|
importantly, where was He now?
|
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"I am with you always, My Beloved."
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Guinan moaned in her sleep as He appeared in her dream. He was
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as handsome as ever, more so. His dark features were perfection.
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The deep glitter of His cold black eyes, hypnotic. The steady
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vitality of His essence, irresistible. The smile that lit his face
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animated His flawless features into the angelic.
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"I am an angel," He said in response to her thoughts, "a dark
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angel, your angel." He laughed as He closed the distance between
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them, a laugh that sent shivers of passion through Guinan's being.
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Then He was standing before her, drawing her into the heat of His
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embrace. Guinan melted in His arms, turned her lips to His and He
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did not deny her. The desire His kiss ignited was as potent as it
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was repugnant, but Guinan could not deny the enchantment of His
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touch. He was her one true mate.
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"Yes," His alluring voice murmured in her mind as the
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seduction of His kiss continued. "I am yours and you are Mine, for
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time eternal." Guinan fought for control. "No," He breathed through
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her soul. "Do not fight the desire. Allow it to consume Us both.
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You have denied Me far too long."
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And Guinan surrendered.
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*****
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"This is damn irregular!" Riker said hotly as he paced back
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and forth in front of Picard. "He arrives here alone, no entourage,
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via a newly commissioned starship manned by cadets, and starts
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issuing orders, with no explanation..."
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"He IS Commander Starfleet," Picard interrupted, "newly
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promoted or no. We may not appreciate his methods, but it is his
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right and his duty to evoke Federation Article 47, or any other, in
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any way he chooses."
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"The appointment of a Military Staff Committee," Riker quoted
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the Article in question, "whose purpose is to advise and assist the
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Federation Council on all matters relating to the military
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requirements for maintaining interplanetary peace and security.
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What crisis has precipitated such an appointment?"
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"That I cannot answer, Will, as he did not give me an answer.
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We must be content to follow orders." Picard's gaze shifted toward
|
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the Ops station. "Mister Data, what is our scheduled arrival time
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at Vulcan?"
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"Six hours at present speed, sir."
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"Maybe we'll learn more then," Riker speculated.
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"I sincerely hope so, Will," Picard said, yet for all his
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aspirations he knew he would be briefed as to the crisis details
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when the Commander Starfleet saw fit, and not before.
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*****
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Satisfaction... was there ever a more inept description of the
|
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sensations that bombarded Guinan's essence? She had forgotten the
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ecstasy, the absolute delirium of His touch.
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|
"We are connected in touch, united in mind," He whispered as
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He stretched luxuriously at her side, "and each is stronger because
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|
of the union. You will stay."
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|
"I cannot."
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His dark eyes flashed. "But you WILL. You are My mate and I
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demand it of you."
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Guinan felt her rapture dissolve. "I left before because of
|
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|
your endless demands."
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|
"Don't force Me to use the malignancy of My touch on you, My
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Beloved," He cautioned.
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"You forget, my Evil One, we are equals. Your powers do not
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|
exceed my own."
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|
In one quick movement He was on His feet, and in that instant
|
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He was magically transformed. He stood before her in a flowing gown
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of ebony. Guinan responded in like manner, her gown the opposite of
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His. Forever opposites.
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"Opposites attract, my Devout One," he taunted, "and it's you
|
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|
who forget. You no longer reign. Our son now holds that position,
|
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|
and the ultimate power. I do and CAN overpower you."
|
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|
The calm before the storm had ended. The battle had begun.
|
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|
"Our son sides with me," Guinan stated righteously. "Together
|
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|
we can and WILL overpower you."
|
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|
His eyes glittered as He glared at her. A snarl marred His
|
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|
perfect mouth. "But he's not here now, my Pious One, and I am in
|
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|
two places at once." His snarl became a smile and this time there
|
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|
|
was nothing angelic about it. He pointed to the bed they had just
|
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|
|
arisen from. "Turn and behold," he commanded.
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|
Guinan did not. She could not now bow to His authority.
|
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|
"Look!" he roared. "You are there, asleep. I am in your mind,
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|
|
in your dreams. I already control you."
|
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|
NO! But even as she silently screamed her denial she knew what
|
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|
He said was true. She HAD been asleep when He came to her. Her head
|
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|
|
turned slowly, her eyes on His until the last possible moment, and
|
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|
when she saw what He wanted her to see, she was defeated. Instantly
|
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|
|
she was back in her sleeping body, but He was still with her. His
|
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|
ethereal laughter washed over her.
|
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|
"You WILL stay," He repeated maliciously. "You will sleep the
|
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|
|
sleep of the immortal, forever at My mercy. You are Mine."
|
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|
|
Guinan fought the panic that struck at her being. Panicking
|
|
|
|
would serve nothing but Him. But He had said something... what?
|
|
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|
Remember! Concentrate! Meanwhile His taunting went on.
|
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|
"You knew when you returned it was to face your destiny. I am
|
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|
that destiny. Even We immortals follow a path that is, and always
|
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|
|
has been, marked out for Us. Your path and My path is, and always
|
|
|
|
has been, the same path. You knew that the moment We met, eons ago.
|
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|
|
You did not just consent to be My mate, you wanted Me. You still
|
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|
|
want Me. I have just proven that and you cannot deny it. There is
|
|
|
|
nowhere you can hide from Me."
|
|
|
|
'I am in two places at once'! That was it! That's what He'd
|
|
|
|
said. And, if He were in two places at once His power would be
|
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|
|
divided. She could fight Him.
|
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|
|
His laughter again. "Fight me! Aren't you the least bit
|
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|
|
interested in where else I am?" Without warning a maze opened in
|
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|
Guinan's mind, a labyrinth of mirrors. Every which way she looked
|
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|
she saw her own sleeping image. "Behold," Evil chanted, "space, the
|
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|
final frontier." The mirrors now magically reflected such a space,
|
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|
billions of stars, galaxies unending, universe on top of universe,
|
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|
|
countless dimensions. "But what have we here?" Through the
|
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|
starscape glided the Enterprise.
|
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|
NO! she again silently screamed and this time the shriek was
|
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|
bounced off the walls of the maze and echoed back at her.
|
|
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|
"And what have we here?"
|
|
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|
The derision of His tone was infuriating but the power that
|
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|
|
was His was reality itself. A tunnel vision started, cut through
|
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|
|
the hull of the starship and went careening down the ship's
|
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|
|
corridors. Through areas she once had walked in peace she was now
|
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|
|
unmercifully yanked. Then came the nauseating halt - visiting
|
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|
officers' quarters.
|
|
|
|
"Come in, Guinan."
|
|
|
|
It was Evil's voice that sounded from within. Evil's voice
|
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|
|
that called the name she used in that other life. Evil's voice that
|
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|
|
prompted the doors to open and Evil's power that dragged her
|
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|
|
inside. The doors closed behind her as in front of her a chair
|
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|
|
swivelled to face her. And in that chair sat a Starfleet admiral,
|
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|
|
an admiral lost in the inescapable grip of Evil's perverted grasp.
|
|
|
|
It was His eyes that glittered at her from within that admiral's
|
|
|
|
face. His laughter that emitted from that admiral's lips. His voice
|
|
|
|
that spoke.
|
|
|
|
"Meet Admiral Daniel Christopher Blasberg Junior, my Righteous
|
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|
One," the admiral's mouth moved. "Shake hands with the new
|
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|
|
Commander Starfleet."
|
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|
*NO!* she silently screamed, now mindless of the ear-piercing
|
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|
|
reverberations. *You will leave him!*
|
|
|
|
"Not until I'm ready," Evil jeered in her mind as again the
|
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|
|
admiral voiced the words. The effect was grotesque, unnatural,
|
|
|
|
eerie. Guinan shuddered in revulsion. The taunting went on. "There
|
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|
|
is no need for Me to tell you I control this pitiful creature, just
|
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|
|
as there is no need for me to tell you he controls this ship and
|
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|
|
all ships like it. But I do tell you this, My Beloved. I tell you
|
|
|
|
to stress My point, My power. Still, he is not your weakness."
|
|
|
|
And again Guinan was entangled in the labyrinth of her mind.
|
|
|
|
"This one is your weakness," Evil's voice cut through her
|
|
|
|
consciousness, "this one!" And abruptly the mirrors reflected the
|
|
|
|
image of Picard. Now it was the captain's eyes that glittered with
|
|
|
|
Evil's presence, his mouth that spoke in Evil's haunting voice.
|
|
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|
"You have given Me My greatest weapon against you, my Precious
|
|
|
|
One, and I WILL use it. I will destroy this one and all like him if
|
|
|
|
you do not stay with Me."
|
|
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|
*NO!* She felt the tears that stung her eyes and could not
|
|
|
|
speak for the tightness of her throat, but she needed no voice to
|
|
|
|
be heard. *If You destroy them You destroy Your power over me,* she
|
|
|
|
challenged.
|
|
|
|
"But I now know of their existence, My Beloved." His voice
|
|
|
|
came from everywhere, vibrating in her mind. "I now know all there
|
|
|
|
is to know about their puny quadrant of the universe." His eerie
|
|
|
|
laughter rolled over her again. "I like that word 'quadrant'." His
|
|
|
|
mirth was undeniable. "Just the thought of all the quadrants that
|
|
|
|
have never felt My presence, the thought of the Evil I can visit
|
|
|
|
upon each and every mortal of each and every one of those
|
|
|
|
quadrants, is enough to fill My life with purpose for eons to
|
|
|
|
come."
|
|
|
|
Guinan was horror-struck. She needed no magical mirrors to
|
|
|
|
show her the devastation he spoke of, she could see it all in
|
|
|
|
perfect, horrific detail in her mind. But the mirrors did reveal
|
|
|
|
all that her mind depicted. The upheaval besieged her from within
|
|
|
|
and without, and through it all Evil spoke.
|
|
|
|
"And you have given Me this, My Beloved. You have placed all
|
|
|
|
this within My grasp." His laughter again. "I have learned much. Do
|
|
|
|
not doubt Me in that. And do not doubt Me when I say I can reveal
|
|
|
|
to all mortals Evils the likes of which they have never dreamed of
|
|
|
|
in their worst nightmares. Because I AM their worst nightmare, My
|
|
|
|
Beloved. I am Evil, and I am unstoppable."
|
|
|
|
*I WILL stop you!*
|
|
|
|
His laughter became riotous. "You?! You think you can match or
|
|
|
|
overpower Me! Think again, My imprisoned one!"
|
|
|
|
And yet again the image in Guinan's mind changed. Now the maze
|
|
|
|
reflected space again, and the starship. "Three," Evil called out,
|
|
|
|
"... two ... one!"
|
|
|
|
Enterprise exploded.
|
|
|
|
TO BE CONTINUED
|
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|
|
Stardate 9112.24
|
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|
Ho! Ho! Ho! And Merry Christmas!
|
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|
|
Holmyard out.
|
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|
TSAO!
|
|
--
|
|
"It's a matter of intelligence so your opinion is irrelevant." Q
|
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|
|
ar153@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Bonnie Q Holmyard)
|
|
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
|
|
Path: tivoli.tivoli.com!geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!cs.utexas.edu!utnut!nott!cunews!freenet.carleton.ca!FreeNet.Carleton.CA!ar153
|
|
From: ar153@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Bonnie Holmyard)
|
|
Subject: Deliver Us From Evil - Part III (end)
|
|
Message-ID: <Cy14uA.Iwt@freenet.carleton.ca>
|
|
Sender: news@freenet.carleton.ca (Usenet News Admin)
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|
Organization: The National Capital FreeNet, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Date: Fri, 21 Oct 1994 15:39:46 GMT
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Lines: 716
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Copyrighted 1992 by Bonnie Holmyard
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Deliver Us From Evil
|
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Part III
|
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|
|
QUOTE: "Immorality lies not in the things you leave behind, but
|
|
|
|
in the people that your life has touched." Author Unknown
|
|
|
|
*****
|
|
|
|
"Bridge to Admiral Blasberg."
|
|
|
|
The Commander Starfleet fought a battle he could not win. In
|
|
|
|
spite of that knowledge, or rather because of it, he fought on. One
|
|
|
|
minute he'd been heading home after a long but productive day at
|
|
|
|
the office, and the next... the next he'd found himself sitting at
|
|
|
|
the controls of a shuttlecraft!
|
|
|
|
First had come disorientation. What was he doing here? How had
|
|
|
|
he come to be here? Why was he here? Was he losing his mind? Then
|
|
|
|
had come the terror, an emotion Blasberg had never truly felt
|
|
|
|
before, still, he recognized the sensation immediately. Something
|
|
|
|
alien was forging through his brain. He could feel its malignant
|
|
|
|
touch, like rusty pinpoints, pricking here, piercing there,
|
|
|
|
stealing information it had no right to know. He wasn't losing his
|
|
|
|
mind. Something was taking it!
|
|
|
|
Like on in a nightmare Blasberg watched himself move - from
|
|
|
|
Earth to starbase to Bonaventure to Enterprise; issue orders - from
|
|
|
|
all but commandeering Bonaventure to the outright expropriation of
|
|
|
|
Enterprise; taking steps toward - he knew not what but through it
|
|
|
|
all he fought the intrusion, tried desperately to make someone out
|
|
|
|
there realize it was not the Commander-in-Chief they were
|
|
|
|
responding to. Nothing worked.
|
|
|
|
"Blasberg here."
|
|
|
|
"We have arrived at Eri IV, sir," Picard's voice informed him,
|
|
|
|
"and are being hailed by Vulcan Space Control."
|
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|
|
"Transfer the communication to my quarters and stand by."
|
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|
"Yes, sir."
|
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|
Blasberg heard the animosity in Picard's voice and felt his
|
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|
|
lips curl into a sadistic smirk. What do you want of us? he
|
|
|
|
demanded again, but as usual he received no reply.
|
|
|
|
*****
|
|
|
|
"Are you watching? Do you feel his terror?"
|
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|
|
Guinan shuddered. She saw. She felt.
|
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|
|
"Will you stay?"
|
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|
"No!"
|
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|
"Then watch this!"
|
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|
|
*****
|
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|
The hair on the back of Worf's neck suddenly stood on end.
|
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|
Someone was behind him. Someone who shouldn't be there. He swirled,
|
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|
|
innately on the defensive, to find... nothing, no one! His dark
|
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|
|
eyes scanned the bridge. Nothing seemed out of place but he HAD
|
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|
sensed something and Worf did NOT scoff at Klingon instincts.
|
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|
"Captain," he began but in that instant the counsellor was on
|
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|
her feet, her hands clutching her head, and she shrieking.
|
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|
Depravity had its toxic claws clapped deep within her mind.
|
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|
|
Data responded with the speed of an android, faster than the
|
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|
|
Human eye could discern. *NOTHING IS AMISS!* The words were slammed
|
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|
|
into his positronic brain with irrefutable force. With calm
|
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|
|
detachment he turned and once again manned his station.
|
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|
Through the inhibiting shriek of terror that attacked her,
|
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|
Troi saw Riker leap to her aid but at the movement he transformed.
|
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|
He became some serpentine alien, his skin exfoliating into green
|
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|
|
flaky scales, his tongue, now long and forked, flickered outward,
|
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|
ominously, toward her.
|
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|
Worf felt a hand land on his shoulder, tighten into an
|
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|
|
excruciating grip and spin him around to face... himself! Instantly
|
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|
the image ploughed him in the face.
|
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|
|
Troi screamed all the more at the Riker-creature's rapid
|
|
|
|
advance. She tried frantically to back away from him/it, but the
|
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|
|
talons of its hands captured her, pulled her close. The slimy
|
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|
|
tongue made contact and a flare of poisonous venom sliced through
|
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|
|
her sensibility.
|
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|
"CAPTAIN!" Riker roared just as Worf roared. The Klingon's
|
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|
yowl nullified all other sound as he sprang to his feet and charged
|
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|
|
himself. His every move was anticipated and countered.
|
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|
"CAPTAIN!" Riker yelled again.
|
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|
Picard turned slowly. Riker almost dropped Troi as the
|
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|
|
captain's eyes met his own. Contempt rushed from the unnatural
|
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|
redness of Picard's gaze to cut deep into the first officer's soul.
|
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|
*You WORTHLESS creature!*
|
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|
|
Stunned, Riker could only stare in disbelief as Picard
|
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|
|
snarled, his top lip almost reaching his nose in its obscenity.
|
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|
|
Then his deviant gaze moved upward, to Worf, and a surge of relief
|
|
|
|
surged through Riker. Somehow he found the strength to fight for
|
|
|
|
control. He knew not what was happening, but something was invading
|
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|
|
the bridge, something that had control over the captain, something
|
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|
|
that was right now focusing on Worf.
|
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|
|
"Data!" Riker yelled.
|
|
|
|
No response.
|
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|
|
"Laren!"
|
|
|
|
No response. No help. The rest of the bridge crew were
|
|
|
|
oblivious to the invasion. All manned their stations as if nothing
|
|
|
|
out of the normal was happening.
|
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|
|
Riker lowered Troi to her seat, vaulted the arc and started to
|
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|
|
race up the ramp. At least that had been his intention. One step
|
|
|
|
and his feet just wouldn't move further. And the sluggishness was
|
|
|
|
seeping up his legs, grasping at his stomach, tightening painfully,
|
|
|
|
onward to his upper torso, his neck, head and finally the explosion
|
|
|
|
into his brain. Numbness swept through his body. Still he felt the
|
|
|
|
heaviness in his hand, was able to look down, saw the phaser, saw
|
|
|
|
its setting: 'kill', saw the phaser aim, saw his thumb depress, saw
|
|
|
|
phaser fire dance over the identical Klingons, saw them both
|
|
|
|
promptly disintegrate.
|
|
|
|
*Commander William Thomas Riker,* a voice boomed from
|
|
|
|
everywhere, *for your treacherous actions in taking the life of a
|
|
|
|
fellow Starfleet officer you are hereby stripped of your rank,
|
|
|
|
summarily and dishonorably discharged from Starfleet, your name and
|
|
|
|
record to be irrevocably wiped from all Federation records.*
|
|
|
|
Riker turned the phaser on himself.
|
|
|
|
"Scalpel," Crusher ordered and a laser scalpel was slapped
|
|
|
|
into her open palm. A flick of the switch and the instrument hummed
|
|
|
|
to life. The hum increased, and increased more, its vibration
|
|
|
|
causing her hand to shake. A part of her screamed at herself to
|
|
|
|
stop but the scalpel moved steadily yet shakily into position,
|
|
|
|
directly over her patient's heart.
|
|
|
|
"MOM!"
|
|
|
|
Crusher's eyes flew to that patient. "Wesley?" she questioned
|
|
|
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just as he began to shriek. Her eyes shot back to her hand. The
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laser was burning its way through her son's chest, his heart and
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onward through the table he lay upon. Her wail of terror drowned
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out the last gurgling breath of young Wesley Crusher.
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O'Brien watched Keiko mount the transporter platform with the
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precious bundle of their infant daughter in her arms. "I'll join
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you soon," he said and Keiko smiled.
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"We'll be waiting."
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O'Brien spread his fingers wide, expertly running them down
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over the transporter controls. Simultaneously he watched as the
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beam took his wife and child away. Then, and only then, did he
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check the setting. The coordinates were set for deep space!
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|
To LaForge's ears came the ominous sound of an uncalled-for
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increase in the ship's throbbing engines.
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"Engineering to bridge," he shouted, but if an answer came he
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did not hear it. The engines were now reverberating at a deafening
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speed, screaming in torture with destructive vibrations. His VISOR-
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covered eyes watched in disbelief as a crack tore its way through
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the protective forcefield that shielded engineering, and the rest
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of the ship, from the deadly radioactive combination of matter and
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anti-matter. This cannot be happening, was LaForge's last thought
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as he was hit by a blast that fried his sensitive skin instantly.
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"Three... two... one!"
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Enterprise exploded.
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The mirror maze of Guinan's mind played each image over and
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over and over and over again. She saw each personal crisis, felt
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each blast of terror, lived each devastating destruction. And
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through it all she heard Evil's malefic laughter.
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*****
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"He controls her," the Sorceress said resignedly, "has taken
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her thoughts, her memories and uses them to keep her captive."
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The governing body of Regulus were gathered solemnly around
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the bed upon which their previous ruler slept. Each of them had
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felt Evil's return. Each had immediately sought out the other. All
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had been drawn to Guinan's bedchamber. All now turned to the
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Supreme One for guidance.
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"Join hands," he said as he took one of Guinan's. "We journey
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to that realm that lies between reality and fantasy."
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"He can find us there," the Sorceress cautioned.
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"But it will take Him time," the Supreme One said, his gaze
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moving purposely from hers to Epoch's, "time we shall not allow
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Him." The timeless one nodded and the Supreme One looked back at
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his mother. "And she is there," he said with conviction. "It is the
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one true domain that has always been hers to control. She will
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resist His advent."
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His logic was irrefutable. In silence the circle was formed,
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hand to hand to hand. The bond was forged. "Close your eyes," the
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Supreme One commanded, "and experience."
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|
*****
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The hair on the back of Worf's neck suddenly stood on end.
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Someone was behind him. Someone who shouldn't be there. He swirled,
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innately on the defensive, and for one split second saw five
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shimmering beings.
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"Cap..."
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"He is here and not here," the Supreme One asserted and
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|
pointed. "That one contains His essence but His vessel is
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elsewhere."
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"Seven levels below us," the Sorceress confirmed.
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"Take him," the Supreme One ordered.
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The split second ended. Another one started.
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"...tain!"
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|
Picard was no longer present.
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|
The immortals shimmered onto the material plane with one
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|
unresisting Human in tow. "That one is the vessel," the Supreme One
|
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|
said, indicating another Human, this one apparently catatonic.
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"Circle him."
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It was done.
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"Epoch, time must stand still."
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"He will know."
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"We have no choice," Sciolist argued. "If we break the circle
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in this realm our bond is lost."
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|
Epoch nodded and time became the illusion it was. Only the
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|
immortal could move, think or function.
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|
"He knows," the Sorceress announced, but in the time it took
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her to utter the words, hands were released, others captured. Once
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more the circle was endless.
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"We go," the Supreme One uttered, and they do so.
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|
The split second ended. Another one started.
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|
The counsellor was on her feet, her hands clutching her head,
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|
and she shrieking. Depravity had its toxic claws clapped deep
|
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within her mind.
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|
Data responded with the speed of an android, faster than the
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|
Human eye could discern. The orbs that were his optical units
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|
glowed with a pagan redness.
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|
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" He bellowed.
|
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|
*****
|
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|
A pristine effusion swept through Blasberg's being... a
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|
bountiful purity... a savoured propensity... a welcomed awakening.
|
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|
He was himself once more. Then disorientation attacked, again!
|
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|
Where was he this time? Who were these people? Had he truly
|
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|
experienced all that he recalled?
|
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|
Simultaneously, the same pristine effusion swept through
|
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|
|
Picard... purity... propensity... awakening. He was himself once
|
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|
more, and when disorientation stuck, his eyes were focused on
|
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|
Guinan, a known if anonymous ally.
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|
"DO NOT release the hands that hold you!"
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|
Picard's grip tightened instinctively, his gaze moving from
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|
the unconscious Guinan to the one who had issued the order. "What's
|
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|
going on?" he demanded.
|
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|
"I am the son of the one you know as Guinan," the being
|
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|
answered. "It was I who called her away."
|
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|
"What's wrong with her?"
|
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|
|
"Evil controls her."
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|
Blasberg shuddered. A name, no matter how archaic, how absurd,
|
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|
|
how unthinkable, had been given his attacker. He needed no further
|
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|
|
exegesis. But Picard, Picard experienced a sharp return to a memory
|
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|
|
he cared not to recall - the gut retching terror, the forced
|
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|
|
acquisition, and worse still, the total indifference - and
|
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|
|
shuddered.
|
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|
"Your newfound enemy is our ancient foe," the Supreme One went
|
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|
|
on, not oblivious to the Humans' reaction. He had, in fact, counted
|
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|
|
on it. It explained far better than words just who the enemy was.
|
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|
"We cannot destroy Him, nothing can, but He can be defeated."
|
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|
"What does He want of us?" Blasberg asked.
|
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|
The Supreme One's gaze turned tenderly to his mother. "His
|
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|
|
mate."
|
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|
"You mean Guinan?!" Picard asked in utter astonishment.
|
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|
"We have no time for a history lesson, gentlemen," the Supreme
|
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|
One said. "Evil knows we have taken you. He will fight us for your
|
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|
|
return."
|
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|
|
"Why?" Blasberg demanded.
|
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|
|
"You sir, were/are Evil's vessel in your realm," the Supreme
|
|
|
|
One explained, "and you sir," he turned to Picard, "were/are His
|
|
|
|
enforcer. Can you offer any explanation for His choice."
|
|
|
|
Blasberg answered immediately. "I am the Commander-in-Chief of
|
|
|
|
Starfleet, which I assure you is a position of considerable power."
|
|
|
|
"And I command Starfleet's flagship, the vessel your mother
|
|
|
|
now calls home."
|
|
|
|
"You are her friend?"
|
|
|
|
"I am."
|
|
|
|
The Supreme One nodded. "Then you are her weakness," he turned
|
|
|
|
back to Blasberg, "and you are His power. He attacks you, uses you,
|
|
|
|
to make her bend to His will, but she resists. Right now he
|
|
|
|
controls her through illusions but He can just as easily make those
|
|
|
|
illusions reality."
|
|
|
|
"His illusions are already too real for my liking," Picard
|
|
|
|
felt compelled to say.
|
|
|
|
"Amen to that," Blasberg agreed. "So what are we to do?"
|
|
|
|
"You must put your faith, your very lives, in my hands," the
|
|
|
|
Supreme One stated. "Can you do that?"
|
|
|
|
"At least you asked," Blasberg said tightly. "That's a
|
|
|
|
consideration Evil did not employ."
|
|
|
|
"Time reaches the point of no return," Epoch announced.
|
|
|
|
"Are we agreed then?" the Supreme One appealed.
|
|
|
|
Blasberg and Picard met eyes. "We are," they said as one.
|
|
|
|
"Each of you must once more bend to His control." Blasberg
|
|
|
|
couldn't help but shudder at the immortal's words, as did Picard.
|
|
|
|
"This time, however, we shall be with you. This He must not learn
|
|
|
|
so fight His approach, otherwise..."
|
|
|
|
"Now!" Epoch said and time, space and reality wavered.
|
|
|
|
A Galaxy class, Enterprise, deck seven, visiting officers'
|
|
|
|
quarters. Blasberg took immediate note of his new surroundings.
|
|
|
|
Then his eyes captured the equanimity of the captain's steady gaze.
|
|
|
|
Picard took a deep breath. Outwardly he may look calm, it was
|
|
|
|
an expression he'd had many years to cultivate, but inwardly... HOW
|
|
|
|
did one fight Evil?!
|
|
|
|
"I am His power," Blasberg said. "It will be me He must first
|
|
|
|
attack to gain back that power. Try to..."
|
|
|
|
A blast of depraved debauchery exploded into the room,
|
|
|
|
efficiently halting the admiral's instructions. Furnishings went
|
|
|
|
flying. Human emotions were enslaved. Superiority had arrived.
|
|
|
|
*YOU ARE MINE!* a voice bellowed out of nowhere, everywhere!
|
|
|
|
"No more!" Blasberg shouted in return.
|
|
|
|
Nihilistic laughter flogged the two Starfleet officers, terror
|
|
|
|
its intimidating creator. *YOU WORTHLESS CREATURES!*
|
|
|
|
Picard collapsed. He was the weakness, Blasberg thought, I am
|
|
|
|
the power. I am the power. I am the power. The words became a
|
|
|
|
litany, playing over and over again in his mind as his eyes
|
|
|
|
searched, here, there, everywhere. There was no corporeal entity to
|
|
|
|
contest. "I am apparently worthy enough for you presence!" he
|
|
|
|
shouted.
|
|
|
|
Without warning he was slammed into a wall, his invisible
|
|
|
|
assailant flushing the air from his lungs.
|
|
|
|
*I am the last breath you shall ever breathe!*
|
|
|
|
The tightness in Blasberg's chest was suddenly released. Evil
|
|
|
|
gushed into His vessel and was swiftly snatched away.
|
|
|
|
*****
|
|
|
|
Guinan opened her eyes. He was coming, and swiftly. She could
|
|
|
|
sense his anger and just had enough time to sit up, swing her legs
|
|
|
|
over the edge of the bed before Evil blasted into existence, fury
|
|
|
|
written all over His flawless features. The blackness of His eyes
|
|
|
|
were all but obliterated by the angry red sparks that spoke of His
|
|
|
|
desperation.
|
|
|
|
She returned His glare, evenly, determined to show no
|
|
|
|
weakness, and was succeeding, until the steady vitality of His
|
|
|
|
essence reached out to stroke her in places she had forgotten He
|
|
|
|
could reach. She felt the power He had over her, would always have
|
|
|
|
over her, and understanding dawned.
|
|
|
|
She looked at Him then, as if seeing Him for the first time.
|
|
|
|
Oh yes, He was the embodiment of Evil, would be for time eternal,
|
|
|
|
but He was much more than just that. He was her destiny, and she
|
|
|
|
His. She had condemned Him to an eternity without His one true mate
|
|
|
|
and He'd become driven, by love, to ensure the return of His love.
|
|
|
|
No wonder He'd become so powerful. He'd been compelled by the one
|
|
|
|
force in the universe that could not be denied, not even by Evil.
|
|
|
|
And suddenly, with mind expanding clarity, Guinan's
|
|
|
|
understanding deepened. Desperate He might have been, desperate for
|
|
|
|
her, but not so desperate as to kill all chance of her returning to
|
|
|
|
Him. He had known she would fight Him and had taken from her mind
|
|
|
|
the knowledge He needed to win the battle. He'd flaunted that
|
|
|
|
knowledge, bartered with that knowledge, and finally been forced to
|
|
|
|
use that knowledge, but He had not acted without mercy. Yes, He'd
|
|
|
|
instilled terror in those she sought to protect, but He'd done so
|
|
|
|
as the Master of Lies and Illusions. He could just as easily have
|
|
|
|
altered reality permanently. Still could.
|
|
|
|
He smiled at her then, His angelic smile, a smile that said He
|
|
|
|
knew her thoughts. His eyes glittered hypnotically as He held out
|
|
|
|
His arms to her, and once again Guinan did not hesitate. She rose
|
|
|
|
to her feet and floated into His exotic embrace.
|
|
|
|
"You are right," she said as she rested her head against His
|
|
|
|
chest. "I have denied You far too long?"
|
|
|
|
"You will stay?"
|
|
|
|
"I have another life, my love, one I simply cannot leave," she
|
|
|
|
felt him stiffen, "but I will come to You any time You want me."
|
|
|
|
"I want you forever."
|
|
|
|
"Then forever it shall be."
|
|
|
|
*****
|
|
|
|
"Come," Picard called out and the doors to his quarters
|
|
|
|
opened.
|
|
|
|
Guinan floated inside. How DID she move so fluidly? he
|
|
|
|
wondered as he attempted to hide his surprise at her unexpected
|
|
|
|
appearance. Picard could count on one hand the number of times
|
|
|
|
Guinan had sought out his counsel and still have more fingers
|
|
|
|
remaining than used. Something, he mused, must have come of her -
|
|
|
|
what had she called it? - her flash from the past. She'd said she
|
|
|
|
would advise him if the incident proved worthy of additional
|
|
|
|
comment.
|
|
|
|
"Have a seat, Guinan," he offered as he put down the book he'd
|
|
|
|
been trying to read and rose respectfully from his seat. "How are
|
|
|
|
you feeling, now?"
|
|
|
|
Guinan sat. "I am as always," she answered, "but we must
|
|
|
|
talk." She met and held the equanimity of his gaze. "It's time we
|
|
|
|
spoke of Evil."
|
|
|
|
A jolt of prescience streaked suddenly, violently, through
|
|
|
|
Picard's soul. Image after image bombarded his awareness. As much
|
|
|
|
as he knew he HAD lived the experiences, another part argued it had
|
|
|
|
never, COULD never have happened!
|
|
|
|
"You understand yet do not understand," Guinan said and
|
|
|
|
offered her his hand. "Allow me to enlighten you."
|
|
|
|
The End
|
|
|
|
Holmyard out.
|
|
|
|
Stardate -1/9201.20
|
|
|
|
and Happy Birthday to me!
|
|
|
|
Please direct all screeching feedback via e-mail.
|
|
--
|
|
"It's a matter of intelligence so your opinion is irrelevant." Q
|
|
|
|
ar153@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Bonnie Q Holmyard)
|