Chapter 11 – Epilogue
Year 63 from the time of the Awakening
The old leader looked out across the field by the Great River. The sun arched lazily across the sky and row after row of valley wheat waved in the afternoon breeze, ready for the harvest. It was eight days after the opposition of the sun and night sun during the cooling time of the year. The days were getting shorter and the nights were cold but still above freezing here in the high valley. Her son, the current leader of the United Clans since he took over eight seasons before, spoke to the workers preparing to enter the field and collect the ripened seeds. It would be their best year yet, and sorely needed to feed the blossoming populations of all the clans. Everywhere she looked there were children. It was a happy time, although dividing the bounty fairly was complicated… but those were worries for the young.
Her attention drifted, as it was apt to do when in view of the mountain that held the Great Mystery. She thought of times long ago, when she was just a girl becoming a woman and the adventure she had in this place. She felt her pilgrimage this year to the top of the mountain would be her last, and wondered, with her death, would she be reunited with her friends from Beyond? They had taught her and the People so much. Without their example, the clans might not have learned to create larger and larger gardens, to tame wild beasts for food production, to speak with sounds, and to write and record signs. She glanced down to her medicine bundle. She would soon be giving it to her son to save for his daughter when she became of age. Beside it was a similar package that held the writings that one of her friends had left behind. Sacred documents. With it, she and her husband had deciphered the meanings of the written signs and used them as a basis to create their own signs for the People. Now, their stories and history were recorded and remembered on pages such as these.
She nodded. It was appropriate for it to be with her now. She was taking it to the Great Mystery to place within the shelter she had constructed there when she first became leader of the combined Jungle and Mountain clans. Each year after that, she had charged pilgrims to bring items up to the shelter. At first, all the silver pieces her friends collected into their cave had been brought up. Now, other things of significance found their way to the shelter, or enhancements were made to the shelter itself. When she died, she would be buried there as well and join her father and her husband. Whether this tradition would continue beyond her death, she didn't know. Her son was more practical. More concerned with feeding the People and strengthening the bonds between all the clans.
The old leader wondered what her life would have been like if she and her husband had gone with her friends when they left in the flash of light. She always knew her friends wouldn't stay, but when the time came, it was so sudden. In that all too brief moment before they left, she was happy she was able to thank them for their help during the time they spent among the People. They had asked her to come with them. Her life might have been filled with things she couldn't even begin to imagine, and sometimes she felt regret. But not often, and ultimately she was content that she stayed and shared what she had learned with the People. And look at what they've accomplished.
"Soon," she whispered to herself. "I will see you both soon."
Her granddaughter came up and sat next to her. She was still too young to help in the fields, and the old leader looked out and saw the adults and older children moving out amongst the rows of wheat to commence the harvest. Her granddaughter motioned towards the mountains to the west. "Great Mother, tell me the story again."
Ah, it was good. Her granddaughter was so curious, like the old leader had been when she was her age. Her granddaughter would continue the traditions when she became leader even if the old leader's son did not. The old leader winked. "Of the Great Mystery?" she asked, speaking in both words and signs. "Of the Teachers from Beyond? Of the Awakening of the People?"
"Of all those things," her granddaughter responded, her eyes wide with anticipation.
#
Stardate 174556.2
Cadet Annika Hansen Hernandez glanced at her reflection in the mirror to make sure her uniform looked presentable. She was tall with brown skin and striking features accentuated by her red hair and the tattoo on her temple. She smiled and her reflection smiled back. The hair was the result of minor genetic tweaking, following the example of her grandmother and her aunts, and the tattoo was something she had done on her sixteenth birthday. At first it had been a lark or perhaps an act of rebellion, and she thought she would have it removed before too long. It was identical to her great-grandfather's, who apparently she shared an interest in history and anthropology with. Her parents had been unhappy with her at the time, but to her surprise didn't complain too much. Perhaps it was because her great-grandparents, one of whom she was named after, were legends of sorts within the family. The stories of their adventures together across the Galaxy before trans-warp or quantum-slipstream travel were a staple at family reunions. After a while, she discovered she was unwilling to give the tattoo up. Her gaze drifted over to a holoimage she kept of her great-grandparents above her desk. They were both casually dressed and sitting in what must be the mess of a small vessel. A young toddler, her grandmother, was standing between them and they were all laughing as if someone had said or done something humorous just before the image was captured. Her great-grandparents each had one arm about the other, and their happiness and affection for each other leaped from the image. The tattoo, her hair, her name… it all connected her to the past. It was her heritage and history and helped define who she was.
That reminded her. She moved over to her desk and opened the top drawer and picked up the ear-loop placed carefully on a felt pad within. She couldn't forget her mother's side of the family. The black and white ornament was an heirloom passed down to eldest daughters for many generations now. Supposedly it was originally purchased as a gift on Old Bajor. It was somewhat ornate, and so Annika wore it only on special occasions. And today was such an occasion. She was fourth generation Star Fleet. Her first semester was nearly completed, and she would soon be joining her parents and younger siblings at a reception after the cadet parade.
There was a knock at the door and she stood up straight with a start. Who could that be?
"Enter," Annika said, hoping it wasn't an upper class cadet or officer. When the door opened, she was relieved to see her father standing there smiling back. He was in his Star Fleet dress uniform and looked so sharp and handsome. He gestured his typical greeting, but instead of gesturing back, Annika leaped forward and wrapped her arms around him. "Papa! How did you get in here?"
Her father laughed. "It is good to see you too Anna. I know I'm retired, but rank still has its privileges."
Annika peered out into the hallway, but her father was alone. "Where is Mama and the others?"
"They're getting ready for your parade. You'll see them at the reception. I couldn't wait, however to see you first." He stepped back and held her at arm's length. "It is remarkable. You look so much like your grandmother. You have blossomed into an amazing young woman Anna. I'm very proud of you." He reached and touched the ear loop that she had just put on. "Ah. Did you know your mother was wearing this when I first met her? We were both young cadets as you are now."
"I remember the story. You were apparently sitting in her seat at the library and she told you to move."
Her father chuckled at the memory. "It was love at first sight," he said wistfully.
Annika stepped forward and hugged her father again. It was so good to see him, and she couldn't wait to see the rest of the family. She was quite pleased with her performance in her classes and looked forward to sharing it all with them.
#
Stardate 217332.1
"Fame is irrelevant," Chakotay Singh said aloud. It had become his mantra. He was sitting in his quarters aboard the Tellerian merchant vessel Valkor. He was trading his services as an engineering assistant to make his way across the Delta Quadrant and suddenly was inspired to look up the reference once more. The old quantum slipstream drive on the Valkor had been causing some problems in recent days. In addition to having to concoct some interesting work-arounds, for he was more knowledgeable about the drive than even the chief engineer, he was reminded of the quote and why he was out there on the fringes of Federation space in the first place.
He called up the article from a hundred years before on his PADD. It was in his personal files, for the article was obscure enough that it wouldn't typically even be included in a ship's database. There was an image of an older man and woman sitting on a boulder in front of a mountain lake surrounded by others who must be their children and grandchildren. The caption simply read 'Hansen Family at Dream Lake'. He always assumed it was on Earth, although the narrative of the article it was associated with was unclear. If he ever made it to Earth, he intended to go and look it up. There were tall pines in the background across the lake, and beyond them snow covered peaks of a mountain range close by. His mother had been obsessed with the story of the Federation ship Voyager which spent twelve years in the Delta Quadrant before returning home. It was before the Federation obtained trans-warp or quantum slipstream technology. He was raised on all those stories – the Kazon, the Vidiians, the Borg, the Ventu. In fact, she had even named him after Voyager's First Officer, the older gentleman in the image if he recalled correctly. Interestingly, the article itself was mostly about the origins of the Federation's quantum slipstream drive, of which Voyager apparently took an often overlooked part. In particular, the contributions of the older woman in the photo. A liberated Borg drone who was born Annika Hansen but chose to keep her Borg designation of Seven of Nine.
Years ago, when he was working with the team of engineers and scientists on developing the next generation quantum slipstream drive, he stumbled across this particular article. A curious intersection of his mother's passion and his own career. As the author had been a hundred years before, Chakotay was surprised to learn of Seven of Nine's key contributions to the development of the drive on Voyager in the Delta Quadrant. In fact, even then, the impact of Voyager's crew on the initial development of quantum slipstream technology in the Federation was downplayed. Now, if you were to look up the early history of its development, you would only find references to the initial scientific papers written out of Utopia Planitia with little or no mention of Seven of Nine or Voyager. In his previous career, this would have infuriated Chakotay. Publishing and making a name for yourself in the field was what you strived for. When asked about this omission by the author of the article, however, Seven of Nine's response was 'fame is irrelevant'.
Chakotay looked again at the image. The author gave no explanation as to why she chose this particular image of Seven of Nine and her family to accompany the article, but Chakotay had developed his own reasoning. What was obviously relevant to Seven of Nine was family and not fame. Sure, she undoubtedly derived pleasure out of contributing to the bank of sentient knowledge and developing the quantum slipstream for the Federation, but that wasn't the most important thing in her life. She and her husband and all their children and grandchildren were smiling and happy in the image. Could fame replace that? Could fame really replace the experiences and adventures they had shared together?
Chakotay closed the article and placed down the PADD. A week after he had originally read that article, he resigned from his position on the next generation quantum slipstream project and headed out into the Galaxy. He decided to make his way to the Delta Quadrant and find some of the places Voyager had been and live his own adventures. Along the way, he would probably learn more about the quantum slipstream drive than he could in his previous career. And besides, he was doing what he loved. He wanted to live and experience life while he had the chance and didn't need the approval of others.
A thought suddenly occurred to him and he made a decision. He tapped his comm badge and said "Chakotay to T'Lara."
T'Lara was the ship's doctor. The other day he had burned himself in engineering on a faulty plasma relay and required her services. She was half-Vulcan and half-Romulan, although from her demeanor, she apparently embraced only her Vulcan half. During his brief visit to sickbay, they discussed a wide variety of topics including the possible whereabouts of the Voth, who supposedly once inhabited the region of space they now traversed, and the aftermath of the Borg War. Throughout the conversation, he discovered he wanted to get to know her better. Now was as good a time as any.
"Go ahead," T'Lara said.
"I'm heading to the mess for the evening meal and wanted to know if you'd like to join me."
There was an excruciatingly long delay as she must have been considering her response. Chakotay was about to conclude the answer must be no, when she finally responded, "I will meet you there in two and a half minutes."
"Very good. Chakotay out."
Chakotay smiled to himself. The next adventure awaited.
#
Year 1774 from the time of the Awakening
Clerskys consulted his chronometer. It was almost time to close the museum and the remaining visitors were just leaving. As the door opened to let the last family out, however, a young woman entered right after and hurried into the exhibits. Clerskys looked again at the chronometer. She wouldn't have time to see much of anything. He frowned and started moving over to where she now stood near the reconstruction of the spacecraft of the Teachers.
"We'll be closing in just a short time," he said when she turned at his approach.
The young woman sighed. "It took much longer to get up here than I expected," she explained and with signs added, "I'll try to take in as much as I can."
Clerskys noticed she had a pad of paper, and when she turned back to the spacecraft, she began to write down notes quickly. "You have an interest in the Teachers?" he asked. "Perhaps I could answer some of your questions before we close." The woman stopped taking notes and turned back with a shy smile. He noticed she wore a necklace of a professional society, but couldn't quite see which one. "Are you a historian or archeologist?" Clerskys asked.
The woman's cheeks reddened and she shook her head. "Oh no, not at all," she confessed. "I'm an agricultural engineer from the Northern Continent here visiting."
"Ah," Clerskys responded. "You must be interested then in researching the beginnings of our agriculture during the Age of Awakening."
"Not exactly," she said hesitantly. "I'm… interested in the Teachers themselves. Who they were. Where they came from, and of course, where they went when they left."
"Very little is known about that," Clerskys replied. "It is speculated that the ship you see in front of you is what they arrived in." The craft itself was a patchwork of various sized parts fit together like a puzzle. The main body was wedge shaped with a cylindrical extension on either side.
"And the pieces were brought here and reassembled?"
"Assembled as you see it now only recently. It is a very complicated piece of machinery and about ten percent still remains missing. It is presumed to have been destroyed when the Teachers encountered the energy barrier that protected our ancestors." Clerskys gestured towards the door. "The building that produced the barrier is up a short trail just outside. It stays open after the museum closes if you are interested."
"The so-called 'Great Mystery'."
Clerskys chuckled. Did he detect some cynicism in her voice? "Well, although we now know its function, it is still a mystery as to who erected it to protect our ancestors."
"Not the Teachers or their race?"
Clerskys shrugged and signed uncertainty. "The early records indicate they were stuck here as well," he added.
"And then they vanished in a flash of light," the woman finished pensively. She paused and seemed to be thinking of something, and then finally asked, "Have you read the 'Beyond' stories?"
Clerskys frowned again. He had heard of them and knew they were quite popular. "Are those the stories that claim our First Leader and her husband left with the Teachers in the beginning before returning to lead the People?"
"It is just speculative fiction," the woman corrected. "I don't think anybody really thinks it happened that way."
"You'd be surprised. I've also heard that they have the First Leader romantically involved with Broweb, with the two having a son together."
"That is not true. Some have written stories about that nonsense based on the Beyond descriptions, but not many follow those narratives. Anyway, the Beyond stories are used as a means to describe what might await us out there, amongst the stars, and who the Teachers might be. For instance, the skeletons we've discovered with the machines inside about the destroyed Ledosian cities. Could they be related to the silver scars described on one of the Teachers?"
"Is that what the Beyond stories speculate?"
The woman nodded.
"That is unlikely," Clerskys replied. "It has been proposed that the skeletons are from the invaders who conquered the Ledosians. Perhaps even the ones who destroyed their cities. How could these invaders be related to the Teachers?"
"The original 'Beyond' narrative speculates that Silvereye was a renegade amongst those invaders. Those machines tried to control her, but she defeated them with the help of our First Leader."
"There is no evidence of this."
"I know. But the stories are a way for us to imagine what is out there and try to conceive of ways to explain gaps in our knowledge. Not just to understand our place in the universe, but to use the characters in the stories to understand ourselves."
"And so are you a writer of these stories as well?"
The woman blushed again. "In a small way," she confessed. "I write stories for my friends. Particularly about the Teachers and their relationship. The early records make it clear how they loved and cared for each other, but there are no details. How are they similar to us, and how are they different?" She shrugged and made signs of embarrassment. "It's a hobby of mine… a guilty pleasure."
Clerskys had never paid much attention to those stories. There was so much else to learn. It had only been two generations since the barrier was taken down, and when their ancestors emerged, they found a world filled with wonders. The vast cities of the Ledosians were gone, as if scooped up and taken away, and the remaining Ledosians had no memory of the cataclysm that had befallen them. Enough remained, however, to show them what was possible. The two species now worked together to try and reclaim the rest of the planet. There was much to learn, and much to do.
The woman seemed to understand his line of thought. "At some point, we will venture to the stars. Some of the lights we see in the sky might be space ships such as this, waiting for us. The descendants of the Teachers themselves may very well be up there. Our destiny is to one day venture there and seek them out. These stories, in a small way, are doing the same while we wait for that day to come."
Clerskys glanced at his chronometer. It was now well past the time the museum should have closed. He was finding it very pleasant, however, to speak with this young woman. "I have to close up the museum now," he said reluctantly. "Perhaps, if you'd like, we can take a walk up to the Great Mystery building and speak more about the Teachers. Maybe we can find an interesting angle for your next story…"
#
THE END
Author's note: The story is called Legacy after all, and so I wanted to show obvious and the subtle influences that Seven, Chakotay, and Star had on each other, their descendants, and others. Was it what you were expecting? Anywho, I hope you enjoyed. I do appreciate all the favorites/follows/reviews on previous chapters (the most I've ever received for a story) and would love to hear what you think now that it is complete.
