Author's Notes: A lack of reviews can drive a person to drink; if one was inclined to be so dramatical that is. I'll update with this new chapter and see what happens, but if I don't get any more reviews I don't think I'll be updating for a while, so if you LIKE this story and want to see it continue then by all means... READ & REVIEW. Oh yes; fair warning, this chapter starts off with a holodeck program... I think it'll be obvious where I got it from and I don't own it any more then I own Star Trek, which is to say not at all.
I stood inside the Holodeck with Jenny, Megan, Kes, Sam and Tom Paris; Ensigns' Kim and Bristow had been invited to join us, but unfortunately they had a duty shift and B'Elanna promised she'd come as soon as her shift ended in another twenty minutes or so. I was impatient to see my program in action, but Tom was going over some last minute checks to make sure nothing untoward occurred; he had more experience then me so I deferred to his wisdom in this case.
"What kind of program has us dressed like this?" Megan complained indicating the rather unflattering plain brown trousers she was wearing coupled with the blue top; the replicators had done a good job with the outfit I had pulled out of my memories.
"I don't know; mine is kind of nice." Jenny returned; she was wearing a stylized reddish maroon ensemble, which of course matched the other pattern I could recall. I figured they'd be best suited to play this dual role; they were twins after all.
"I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to be." Sam interjected; she was wearing a similar outfit to Jenny's, but hers wasn't as glamorous.
"A hand maiden to the queen, which is Jenny's' role; or Megan's' I forget." Tom explained from his position; I grinned at the outfit he'd made for himself, he was wearing plain brown pants with a matching lighter toned top, which was most likely beige. He was also wearing a long flowing rich brown cloak with hood; and had added a long braid to his hair.
"Jenny is the real queen; Megan's her twin decoy." I explained in turn; I was the odd one out in this guest ensemble, since I was wearing a completely black ensemble with a black cloak and matching hood, I'd gone so far as to have the Doctor modify my physical appearance cosmetically to match the character I would be playing. Kes eyed me curiously; she wasn't wearing the handmaiden attire, instead she'd been given a bulky flight suit in rich reds and maroons and a strange helmet-like cap.
"So what are we going to be doing anyway?" She asked me tugging uncomfortably at her uniform; it wasn't something she was used to and I grinned wickedly, the effects caused by my cosmetic surgery making me look sinister.
"That's a surprise; you get the full intro when the program starts up, I already know what to expect." I returned with a sly smile.
"Why don't I like the sound of that?" B'Elanna suddenly asked as she joined us; I was a little surprised she was early.
"You're early." Tom remarked echoing my thoughts.
"Privileges of being Chief Engineer." She returned. "So; what's this great program you wanted to share?" She asked pointedly looking between the two of us; I grinned obviously giving them a sense of unease with my new look, which was what I was going for. Tom however openly laughed; quietly of course and briefly, then he turned to the controls.
"Al here has devised a great program based on a science fiction franchise similar to the one he knows us from." He explained; by now pretty much everyone on the ship knew at least partially that I had watched a show called Star Trek Voyager and that's how I knew certain facts about the missions. It's how I got out of duty shifts during those missions; the Captain didn't want me invoking the temporal prime directive all the time, so she tried to keep me as far away during critical missions. "This one's very different; they don't use warp drive, instead it's Hyper drive and there's this group of crazy knights that believe in this all powerful energy field called the Force." He elaborated with a big grin on his face.
"Typical twentieth century science fiction; well typical of my Earth at any rate." I spoke up with a shrug. "We'll be picking up near the very end of one particular adventure; mostly because Tom wanted to, I would have preferred starting from the beginning." I added with a slight shrug and a small frown, which did not look the least bit frightening despite my new facial features. "This was always one of my favorites; and I wanted to share it with my friends, it'll be fun B'Elanna." I encouraged with an over exaggerated smile; she merely shook her head, she'd already gotten dressed up in an outfit similar to Kes's anyway.
"Go ahead Tom; I'm rather curious." She admitted with a small smile of her own; Tom grinned and quickly punched in the commands to activate the proper chapter. The world swam into being around us and I became separated from the group per the parameters of the program; I grinned as I shrugged out of the heavy cloak.
"A Long Time Ago; In A Galaxy Far, Far Away…" Tom's unmistakable voice could be heard; I tuned out the introduction and awaited the proper commencement of this chapter, I rolled my shoulders and tested the weight of the holographic dual-saber I'd received once the program started.
The large doors before me suddenly opened slowly; I smirked playfully and looked up from the lightsaber deftly secreting it away so I wouldn't upset the flow of the story, Tom stood next to a man who looked remarkably like Liam Neeson.
"We'll deal with this." He stated inclining his head towards the Delaney's and Samantha who were accompanied by a host of guards and Captain Panaka. "Find another way." He added before igniting his lightsaber; Tom followed suit and I grinned wickedly as I produced my twin bladed saber, the thrumming accompanied by its activation filled me with a giddy thrill. The battle began with Qui-Gon Jinn; Tom followed after and the doors closed behind us, fighting with this sort of weapon was a tad more challenging compared to my own broadsword.
The program had been designed with protocols to allow the users playing as force sensitive characters their same abilities; so when I leapt out into the bank of giant pillars I actually traveled a greater distance then I ever possibly could normally, it was actually quite fun. A pity I'd selected this character instead of someone who could tag along with the others, but I always did have a penchant for villains.
"This way your highness." Panaka urged Jenny as their group traveled stealthily through the large Palace of Theed; Jenny wasn't used to so much action, when you're stationed in stellar cartography there isn't much call for physical upkeep. Fortunately she and Megan practiced a healthy exercise regimen, but this was still most difficult; the rooms were so big and the stairs went on for miles. Hadn't anyone heard of turbo lifts?
Just then a host of gangly looking Battle Droids charged around the corner; blasters fired and Jenny squeaked in fright as she dove for cover, that's when the larger Destroyer droids or Droideka showed up at the opposite end of the corridor.
Most of the guards offered protection; Panaka looked around for some avenue of escape, Megan noticed that they were close to the large ornately crafted windows.
"Outside." She suggested taking aim and blowing one of the windows across the hallway out; unwittingly she'd picked up on the same plan from the film, the other guards followed suit and as some followed Panaka, Megan and Jenny outside the others remained to guard their flanks.
"I hope Sam's ok." Jenny mumbled as she followed Panaka's lead and attached a small grappling device to the end of her largest blaster.
"Sabe will be fine your highness." He returned; as one the group fired their lines and ascended, Jenny wouldn't admit this to just anybody, but she was actually having a lot of fun.
B'Elanna hollered with glee as she blasted Droid fighters out of the air; she was really enjoying this role Tom suggested, the pilot aspect was something she normally wouldn't have chosen for herself. However in these tiny fighters and with that little astromech droid behind her to guide her actions she was thrilled.
"Ensign Desrochers certainly knows how to entertain." Kes remarked over a secure channel, so as not to disrupt the flow of the story.
"I can say this for him; he's got good taste." She returned. "I'd love to study this hyper drive technology and see if it can't be adapted some way for our own use." She admitted with a small shrug as she clutched the yolk tighter and moved the fighter into a controlled spin designed to disrupt the targeting lock Arfive was warning her about.
"I don't see why I'm in this violent simulation though." Kes admitted. "It's not really my style." She added; B'Elanna chuckled as her pursuers were neutralized by larger gun ship fire, and she pulled back into formation with the Ocampa.
"Just go with it Kes; they're only artificial life forms, and pretty basic ones at that." She encouraged; she could see Kes shrug from this distance and the Ocampa pulled hard on her yolk, she looped around a group of Droids tagging her and fired destroying them instantly.
"This is fun." She agreed a large smile spreading across her features. "But don't ever tell Neelix about it; he'd never understand." She added in a conspiratorial whisper; the two women shared a good laugh and returned to the game.
It was only Tom and me fighting now; Qui-Gon was mortally wounded, just like in the movie and I was having the time of my life. Even though I really shouldn't have been what with being the villain and all, but I couldn't help it.
"Curious that you'd pick this part." I remarked during a slight lull in battle.
"I enjoy the role of the hero." He returned with a slight shrug. "These lightsabers are something else; I wonder if we could replicate them?" He mused.
"What for?" I retorted. "They're weapons and I hardly think the Captain would approve of us replicating deadly laser swords just for holodeck sessions." I pointed out.
"It was just a thought." Tom shot back with a slight shrug; and then we returned to the matter at hand, good versus evil. I knocked his weapon from his hand and sent him falling part way into the pit; per the programs protocols Tom managed to snag the knob protruding from the wall and held on, it was obvious he'd done his homework concerning this role.
Qui-Gon's lightsaber began to slightly rattle from its perch on the floor; choosing to play along I eyed Obi-Wan confusedly, suddenly Tom leapt out of the pit and palmed the flying blade. He activated it and landed in one fluid motion slicing the holographic blade straight through my midsection; it passed harmlessly through, but I went along with the game. My dual-bladed saber fell down the pit before me and then I toppled in; knowing that to Tom it would look like he'd sliced me in half. After the big victory celebration the program ended and I found myself lying on the floor looking up at a grinning Tom; I accepted his hand and he pulled me back up.
"Next time I want to try being Maul." He stated.
"I thought you preferred being the hero?" I shot back with a small knowing smile.
"Yes, but Maul is the only one with a dual-bladed saber and I want to try that out." He returned sounding like a kid who'd just discovered a new and powerful secret about his favorite toy.
"That was pretty good Al." B'Elanna spoke up as she led the group off the holodeck. "I'd like to try it from beginning to end actually." She added thoughtfully.
"Me too; I'm curious to know everything that happened to these people before this point, the intro kind of glossed over that." Jenny spoke up; I smiled and shot a friendly wink.
"I'm certain that can be arranged; and I'll bet Tom has already started working on the sequel." I added with a small smirk; the others shot me strange looks as we headed to the mess hall for dinner, but I ignored them.
"It was different." Sam suddenly announced. "But I liked it." She added shooting me a smile of her own.
"I'll have to share it with Neelix." Kes agreed. "I bet the Doctor might like it too."
"Hey; most of the people on this crew might get a kick out of it." I countered loudly. "There's nothing we humans like better then good clean wholesome fun; especially when it hits' close to home like that program does." I added thoughtfully; the others offered their silent agreement, and I smiled again at the thought that I could have just been responsible for creating the universes' first Star Wars fan club in the Star Trek universe, the thought was quite humorous considering the rabid reactions of both fan bases hard core members.
Kes' Personal Log; Supplemental: Today was a most interesting day; Ensign Desrochers invited us to the holodeck to try out that program he and Tom collaborated on. It was quite engrossing; and I had a wonderful time, though I really don't want to tell Neelix just how wonderful it is. He'll only get jealous and think less of me for reveling in the destruction of those Droid things; Al offered to let me study up on this program, he's got tons of information stored on data pads for Tom's reference, but I told him I'd just play through the holo-novel if I wanted to learn more about it.
He's really grown on me since first meeting him; I can't get the image of his face out of my mind that time I let Jenny and Megan know just how I met him, it was so much fun to tease him a little about that. Of course aside from the Doctor and Mister Paris being the only person on the ship who's seen his entire body does seem to offer up a world of blackmail opportunities… Oh why is itso hard to stop myself from pursuing these strange thoughts in private? Perhaps it's because of my lessons with Tuvok; or maybe it has something to do with my age, I wish there were other Ocampa I could ask about this. Sometimes it's so confusing.
Ensign Bristow stopped by sickbay this afternoon with a torn ligament; it was fun getting to talk with him again, working for the Doctor allows me to meet many of the crew on some small personal levels and I do enjoy making new friendships. Ensign Bristow is actually trying to get up the nerve to ask Ensign Caplain out on a date, but he's not sure what her reaction will be; I told him just to go for it because love is one thing you don't want to miss out on.
I wish my relationship with Neelix could have gone better, but unfortunately things just weren't working out for us; especially after my possession.
Oh that reminds me I promised to show some of the crewmen what I've been doing in hydroponics, computer end recording…
Tom sat by himself going over the data pad featuring the Star Wars holo-novel; Al and most of the others had long been gone off to their duty shifts or quarters for a good nights sleep. He was still tinkering with the program to see if there was anything more he could do to augment it.
That was how B'Elanna found him; she approached rather quietly for her and managed to take him by complete surprise as she sat down next to him.
"Tom; I've been thinking about those hyper drives in the holo-novel, if you've got a minute maybe we could go over them together and see if there's any way to practically use them." She whispered; Tom eyed her curiously.
"Why?" He wondered.
"Because they might be the difference between getting home sooner." She shot back as if it should be obvious. "I've been studying the technical data supplied by the programs parameters; it's not really that complete, something tells me Ensign Desrochers doesn't have a very good grasp on all the technical info, but even so it might be something worth looking into." She stated in a low tone; careful to keep from growing further enraged at the young man; Tom shrugged and put his data pad down turning to face the chief engineer.
"If you say so B'Elanna, but I don't think we'll be able to get anything more out of them; unless Al has some kind of epiphany and fills in all the blanks." He quipped; B'Elanna snorted and decided against saying anything for fear of coming off as snappy, she and Tom didn't always agree on everything, but she could at least tolerate the man.
"Great, meet me in holodeck two; I've just got to get something." She requested before taking her leave; Tom sighed and retrieved his data pad before leaving, it was going to be a long night.
Q silently observed Shadok the lord Emperor of Dracos and smiled; his first pawn was acting much as to be expected, there was little to say about the Draconians as a whole. They had long since fallen from the radar of any of the current species governing the Delta Quadrant; in point of fact their prophecy had actually been created by himself during his earlier days of mischief making, so why not use their fears and goad them into fulfilling their own prophecy of doom.
Sure it meant he was using the young man who had fallen under his personal care for his own amusement, but he had grown tired of following the guidelines set forth by the continuum and reverting back to his old ways just this once wasn't such a bad thing.
Especially if it rid this universe of those annoying creatures; they served no useful purpose anymore, and sometimes sacrifices did have to be made for the sake of maintaining the great cosmic balance.
Ah yes; speaking of things that required his tending, he should really have a word with those Gods who had messed around earlier with certain things; he was in charge now… Then again he'd already had a word with them, or at least a future version of himself had; paradoxes weren't very confusing to the Q, but they could still prove bothersome. Now he had to see to it that, that event actually took place; it was rather inconvenient at this junction, especially with Voyager drawing ever closer to Borg space.
Don't provoke the Borg was one of the only rules the continuum made that he could appreciate; however in this instance he was certain they would not notice, after all if his young charge was going to succeed in his planned destiny then he was going to need an edge that could only be provided here. Unfortunately Q couldn't just activate anything; he had to go through the proper channels, which could result in untoward countless numbers of side-effects, but it was a chance he was willing to take.
First however there was that little matter of ensuring the paradox took place; what a great inconvenience for one of his talents as he had already mentioned…
To Be Continued: So what did you think? Good or bad? In the next exciting chapter I'm afraid not much is going to happen per-se, as I may have mentioned before this story doesn't have a massive killer ending like other later chapters; we're only getting started here. But things are definately going to heat up; and you just know the Borg are going to get heavily involved at some point, especially since Seven of Nine of is soon to join our happy crew.
And whatever Q is planning is definately going to have ramifications; for the forseeable future if not more so.
