Synopsis; Blakes 7 was obviously riding off the science-fiction craze that followed Star Wars in the late 70s but it was much more than that really, it was like the dark side of Dr Who (not that The Doctor couldn't be darned dark at times) with a group of resistance fighters struggling against impossible odds. It very obviously influenced Joss Whedon and his creation of Firefly/Serenity (Joss being at school in the UK at the time). The final episode left a 9 year old me in floods of tears although I always wondered was this really the end? So let's have a look...
Disclaimer; all belongs to the Terry Nation/the BBC and nothing to me. This is purely a fan fiction story for internet distribution, I make no money from it and make no claim to the title or characters therein.
Rating; PG
Timing; directly after the final ep.
Blake's 7; Endgame
Servalan
"Her ship is landing"
The Commander paced nervously. He shouldn't have been concerned. His command had killed the greatest single threat to the Federation in its' history. They would be heroes. They had, as ordered, captured his most infamous followers alive, to be paraded in a public trial to demonstrate their horrific crimes to the restless masses. To cap it all he was now in possession of Orac, a computer so advanced it would bring unprecedented order and efficiency to the worlds of the Federation, benefitting the lives of billions and proving once and for all to the deluded that the organisation was the ultimate force for good in the universe. These events were career making triumphs and under normal circumstances he would be ecstatic at the astonishing string of successes which had consecutively fallen into his lap.
Yet the news he had received shook him to his very core.
The hatch opened. A survivor of the intergalactic war he still thought of her as Servalan but the title had become too notorious to use. Commissioner Sleer, would do just as well, perhaps after this she would be able to use her original name once more? Or need to adopt another title altogether?
"You are most welcome Commissioner" he told her.
"Thank you Commander. May I see the prisoners now?" All business. But so was he.
"In a moment, I need to speak to you in private first". He opened the door of the ante-chamber and beckoned her inside. She followed him but with thunder in her eyes.
"Commander, I do not take lightly to being…"
"Commissioner are you aware of the situation that has developed on our inner planets?"
She paused for a moment. Was that a hint of fear in her eyes he wondered?
"My ship was in communications quarantine on the way here, a necessary security measure. I am aware that there have been some minor insurrections on a few Federation worlds…"
"Six. Six worlds Commissioner and they have been far from minor. There has been talk of suspending our offensive against the four planets which had allied against us and diverting our forces to quell the rebellion…"
"NO" she was resolute in her reply, "There must be no delay. Those planets were united in an alliance of their own totally opposed to the Federation in every form, it sets a dangerous precedent, one that cannot be allowed to recur"
"And they have the antidote to Pylene-50"
This time there was fear, real and palpable. "Commander that information is classified beyond top secret"
"No it is not. It is now common knowledge in every part of the galaxy. The rebellions began with terrorists inoculated against the drugs infiltrating Pylene-50 production plants and destroying them. Without their supply the mass of the population began to revolt"
"The security commanders on those worlds must be put on trial and punished for their ineptitude" Servalan decided. "Their incompetence is directly to blame for this debacle"
The Commander shook his head. "We have become overstretched. Too few troops and too reliant on Pylene-50 to quell resistance. A single underground lab is all it takes and the infection spreads like wildfire, more and more inoculated who set up more and more labs set up, a chain reaction. With the population pacified so easily we have neglected our propaganda and counter-insurgency capabilities. I understand you were in charge of the Pylene-50 programme Commissioner? And the operation which provided the terrorists with their manufacturing apparatus was your own?"
She didn't flicker. Her coolness was amazing. "I wish to see the prisoners now"
Avon
He wasn't surprised to see her. He didn't even bother to stand. Not that he was sure he'd have been able to anyway, the multiple stun blasts he'd received made his body ache all over. It was all he could do to prop himself up against his cell wall.
"I suppose you're wondering why you are still alive?"
"Anyone with a microscopic fraction of intelligence would know exactly why I am still alive"
She wasn't going to let him ruin her moment of triumph. "You and your cohorts are my prisoners. Your base is gone, your ship is gone. I have Orac. Blake is dead by your own hand and the Federation is more powerful than ever. All that you can look forwards to is a very public trial and execution. After you renounce to the people of the Federation everything you ever believed in and confess to your heinous crimes"
"And after you ask your question" Avon retorted "The only question on your mind and the real reason why your troopers fired on stun and we are all still alive. Who did we supply the antidote to Pylene-50 to?"
She smiled "I'm sure that would be a waste of time with you. But I'm sure the others will talk. His name is Vila isn't it?"
Avon shrugged. "You don't need to do that, I'll tell you what you want to know"
It was the first he'd ever seen her genuinely surprised. "Perhaps I have underestimated you?"
"Perhaps you did. The answer is very simple. We supplied it to everyone"
She was perplexed. "Everyone?"
"Everyone. Every dissident, pirate, smuggler, resistance fighter, every trader, every world you can name and many you cannot, Federation, neutral, rebel, you name it. Every organised crime figure, thief, swindler, every library and database in the galaxy, every media outlet, broadcaster, writer, poet, every government official and bureaucrat who ever had second thoughts about the righteousness of the regime they serve. Every pharmaceutical manufacturer, backstreet chemist, narcotics producer and black market drug lab. Zukan's world and all those opposed to the Federation. And they gave it to everyone else. Everyone who wanted to hear it and even everyone who didn't. In short my dear Servalan we gave the formula of the antidote to everyone. The genie is out of the bottle and it can never be put back in"
She walked out without saying another word. Suddenly Avon's wounds didn't seem to hurt so much anymore. In fact only when he smiled.
Orac
She activated the switch. It took a few moments for Orac to spring to life but his systems were soon operating at full capacity once more.
"Orac, can you hear me?" Servalan asked.
"Affirmative" replied Orac in his clipped, screeching tone.
"Are you functioning correctly?"
"All systems are functioning correctly and at nominal standards"
She turned to the Commander and his guards. "Leave us"
"But Commissioner don't you think we should remain in case…"
"LEAVE US!"
They reluctantly filed from the room. Servalan checked for monitoring devices then asked the question that had preoccupied her since her conversation with Avon.
"Orac, what is the extent of the spread of the Pylene-50 antidote?"
"Knowledge of the Pylene-50 antidote has already spread to 30% of inhabited worlds and 11% of Federation territory. It will increase expotentially with an estimated 100% coverage of Federation populace within 8 months"
She blanched, relieved there was no one to see her reaction.
"Can we stop the spread?"
"All countermeasures will be ineffective. They have already been factored into the estimate of Pylene-50 distribution"
Servalan's mind reeled. "What will become of us?"
"Break-up of Federation inevitable. Resulting chaos will result in the decimation of galactic population through war and famine for the next millennium. Andromeda galaxy will use opportunity to re-invade with 23% possibility of extinction of mankind"
Her fear was rapidly turning to panic. There was only one inevitable question to ask "What can we do to avert this catastrophe?"
Despite the momentous revelations of the previous few minutes Orac's reply was the most astonishing thing she had heard yet.
The 7
"Blake?" Vila asked simply.
Avon shook his head.
Vila closed his eyes for a second of quiet mourning. The others stood around, unwilling to break the silence.
"So why are we still alive?" Vila asked at last.
"Anyone with a microscopic fraction of intelligence" Avon murmured to himself.
"What?" Vila asked before the door of the holding room opened to reveal Servalan with Orac in her hands. The group retreated instinctively at her presence with the exception of Avon who remained steadfast. She walked past him without a word and placed Orac on the table in front of them.
"Let's talk" she told them.
Avon smiled again.
The Federation
The council chamber grew silent as he walked to the podium, the rancorous arguments between former political prisoners so recently released and the masters of their former gaolers. Avon marvelled that this one man could wield such unspoken influence. But then that was the entire point of this exercise.
He took to the podium and spoke earnestly to the delegates. "We stand at the crossroads of history. The Federation as we know it is at an end. The populations kept subjugated by drugs, fear and propaganda are now free. But if the past has taught us anything it is that the collapse of any empire inevitably results in chaos, civil wars, the settling of past scores long since buried by shared hatred against a joint enemy. I say that we need not repeat history's mistakes, that we can maintain the order and unity which the Federation gave us but to enhance our freedom and protection against invaders who would seek to exploit our disarray. I propose the New Federation, a force for good in the galaxy for the benefit of all worlds!"
The chamber erupted in what could only be described as a verbal riot. He gave up trying to calm them down as a whole and simply started moving from one quarrelling group of delegates to another, speaking to them directly in measured tones. Amazingly peace slowly began to return to the room.
It was hardly surprising. Kasabi, Avalon, Sarkoff, Ro and so many others all owed him them their lives and their freedom even before Servalan's mass prisoner releases. Plus Orac had turned up some very interesting information on many more.
His eyes locked with Servalan, sitting to the right of the podium surveying the scene with obvious amusement. The sight of her sickened him but all sides would have to accept some painful compromises.
He turned to walk away.
"You're not staying?" Rashel asked.
He shook his head. "Politics and diplomacy were never my strongpoint. I'll leave that to you and the new messiah"
He pointed to Blake, still making his way through the throng. "He needs your help. He always will"
He left them to it.
Blake
Gauda Prime hadn't improved much. Avon let Tarrant and Vila do the digging, marvelling for once that the latter was not complaining about having to do physical labour. They buried him deep, too deep for any animal to ever unearth. But left no marker.
"We can't give him…I don't know, a cross or something?" Vila wondered.
"No" Avon declared, "Someone might wonder who is buried here and dig him up. Blake always wanted to be a martyr so we should let him have a martyrs grave, unmarked, unheralded. His legacy will be the New Federation"
"So he spends all his life fighting the Federation and then becomes its' leader? Or at least his clone does?" Dayna observed.
"Different Federation" Avon replied.
"We hope" remarked Vila.
"And Servalan gets away free and clear" observed a bitter Dayna.
"One life for billions, With Blake's clone in charge the New Federation couldn't fail to be an improvement. Besides he has Orac on his side. People's first instinct is for their own self-interest, Blake's empire can offer them many benefits"
"Never took you for an optimist" Soolin teased.
"More a cynical realist" Avon corrected her, "Keep the advantages of the Federation and lose the tyranny, come together for the common good".
"Well we took care of the galaxy, what do WE do now?" Tarrant wondered.
Avon didn't bat an eyelid "Blake could use some troubleshooters. I was thinking we could drop in on The System"
Vila looked at him in amazement but then grinned as he read Avon's mind.
"What the hell is The System?" asked a baffled Soolin.
"A place where they make the most excellent spaceships…"
The End