Star Trek: Anachronisms, Chapter Three

STAR TREK: ANACRONISMS

By T'Layna MacMathain,

and Tigris Euphrates

This is a crossover story is based on the Star Trek universe created by Gene Roddenberry and the Gargoyles universe created by Greg Wiseman and Michael Reeves. All vessels and characters that have appeared in Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Star Trek Voyager and related movies are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures. Gargoyles and related characters are registered trademarks of Buena Vista Pictures and Walt Disney Studios. The stories and characters not described above are original creations of T'Layna MacMathain, Tigris Euphrates, Sapph Blackstone and Poison Thorns Productions. Copyright (c) 2000 All rights reserved.

Chapter Three

The Discovery

Dengali City is on a small outpost world known as Rockingham's Planet, commonly called "The Rock" by the residents and nearby spacefarers. Life was often interesting on The Rock. Located on the edge of Cardassian space sandwiched between the Federation and the neutral Orion-dominated area near the Mainstream Nebula. An odd mix of aliens lived on this world, mainly humans, a few Vulcan scientists and a considerable number of Bajorans. There was also a tiny minority of the secretive Orions. Cardassians, Romulan traders and an occasional Klingon vessel sometimes stopped by for provisions. Most vessels tended to avoid The Rock simply because of its out of the way location. Others avoided the area because of a combination of Orion smugglers and pirates. The Cardassians once contested the planet, and not too many people in this corner of the Alpha Quadrant were willing to pick fights with the Cardassians with one notable exception: The Maquis.

The Maquis operated from a number of secret bases in the border region of the Federation and the Cardassian Union. The Federation signed a treaty with the Cardassians and allowed them to have rights to these disputed territories. Unfortunately, the Cardassians proved to be more trouble than they were worth for the colonists on a number of worlds. In response, small groups of colonists and sympathizers within Starfleet formed a number of cells and fought the Cardassians in hit-and-run raids and with guerilla tactics on the ground. Needless to say, this prompted the Cardassians to demand protection from the Federation, which reluctantly agreed only because of treaty stipulations. The Maquis were outlawed and fought by both the Federation and the Cardassians as a result. It was in this volatile powder keg that Ensign Deenax found herself stationed at one of the four Vulcan science stations stationed on the Rock.

That all changed after the Dominion War. During the War, the Cardassians managed to destroy the major portion of the Maquis with a lot of help from the Jem'Hadar. The few surviving Maquis tended to hide out and move about from world to world. Many of them settled here on The Rock. The Rock's remote location made it ideal, and there were always shady characters here. Even the Cardassians didn't want The Rock any more. The Jem'Hadar had pretty much destroyed Cardassia Prime during the War in punishment for turning on the Dominion in the closing moments of the War's final battle.

She was a bit miffed at Starfleet for putting her here to fix computer systems that the Vulcans were probably better at than her. Karpov was now five years ago. The reassurance given her by her new symbiont was the only thing that kept her calm. It took some getting used to having two entities sharing a brain and body. She still had a difficult time accepting the two bands of the curlicue markings that appeared when a human and a Trill joined. Still, some of the men in Dengali City found them interesting and one man, Lars Olafson thought they were sexy.

Still, she had to admit that the Deenax symbiont was in no small way responsible for her early release from Karpov faster than anyone expected. I have to prove myself all over again. I wish I could have been stationed back on Voyager, but the Voyager disappeared in the Badlands more than five years ago. Now I am stuck on this rock. Look at the bright side, Makar's voice said inside, at least you got your Lieutenant pip back. Vulcans aren't exactly the party animals of the galaxy. At least she would go off duty in about an hour. Perhaps she could rent a hovercar and explore this rockball. She then returned to her work.

One of the things Jana loved to do was to go out into the woods back home and just spend some time enjoying nature and the surroundings. Oddly enough, this was the first world she actually got a chance to explore. She then noted it was the end of her duty shift and she looked forward to a nice sonic shower and a raktajino before she took off for the weekend on a camping trip with her roommate Ensign Didi Montgomery. It will be nice to get away from the rest of the motley society here in Dengali City.

A soft hiss announced the arrival of her roomie. Didi Montgomery just arrived in Dengali City just three months ago, and the two women became instant friends. Didi just graduated from the Academy just six months ago and this was her first deep-space assignment. She was a nurse who wanted a deep-space assignment into a world that wasn't exactly equipped with the latest in medical technology. Starfleet obliged her by sending her to Dengali City's medical center to work with Dr. B'Rex. Jana admired Didi's patience to work in Starfleet Medical. Deenax's own experiences with Dr. Zimmerman back at Utopia Planitia were enough to last her a lifetime or perhaps two.

Didi Montgomery was blonde with sapphire eyes that many men fell prey to along with her intoxicating smile. At a statuesque 190-cm tall and an athletic 80 kg, Didi was a magnet for men and a number of women in Dengali City. Much to the frustration and disappointment of her many would-be suitors, Didi was happily married to a commander in Starfleet Security. One thing that Jana and Didi shared was a love for the outdoors and an explorer's curiosity. Both women were looking forward to the weekend adventure.

"Got everything packed, Jana?"

"Aye-aye, Cap'n boss lady!" Jana smiled with an evil grin.

"Knock it off, you clown! Let's see, survival packs, medikits, tents, holocam, clothing..."

"All here, Didi. The only things we are not packing are the Cardassians and the Vulcans." Both women laughed.

"Is your lover coming with us?"

"Lover? What lover?"

"Lars. He still has the hots for you." Didi giggled. Jana responding by throwing a cushion from the sofa in the room at Jana. The two women finished loading their packs and headed out of their quarters to the shuttle bay. Ten minutes and two bars of latinum later, both women loaded their gear into the lander and headed northward.

"You know, Didi, I wish I could take this thing out into deep space. I would love to see the Mainstream Nebula up close," she lamented, "I hate being groundbound."

"Good way to get your carcass blown out of space these days, Jana. If the Cardassians don't get you, the Maquis or Orions will. Remember that Bajoran freighter that got shot up in there? They were transporting medical supplies. No weapons or military stuff, only vaccines and antibiotics. Orion pirates attacked and killed three of the crew and put six more in the hospital. If it wasn't for the chance arrival of one of our own ships, I suspect the whole ship would have been destroyed."

"The Orions never attacked the Bajorans before. They are neutral and often go out of their way to avoid contact. What is going on with them?"

"Nobody knows, but I have heard stories about Orion smuggler cartels and pirates operating around the area of Starbase 13. Criminals are not noted for following the letter of anybody's law except their own. The starbase is very close to the Mainstream Nebula area."

"Sure is, dear. I was there on my way to Karpov when I picked up a hitch-hiker named Deenax along the way." She laughed lightly. She returned her attention to the rolling landscape just a few hundred meters below. Though the vegetation on the planet was sparse overall, the areas where vegetation occurred were rich and dense, particularly on the higher elevations. There was not the mountainous terrain like in the western Americas, but more like the rolling hills of the eastern side of San Francisco Bay. Didi saw the smile on Jana's face. This would be a memorable weekend.

The navicomp system beeped. They were arriving at their selected destination. Their game plan was to disembark from the lander and hike a few kilometers into the woodlands and make camp. The women managed to cover about three kilometers when they decided to make camp for the night. They were too exhausted from their duty to go any further. They engaged in a bit of small talk before retiring to their tents for the night.

After eight hours of sleep, the two women decided to break camp and go on a fifteen-kilometer hike. The two women spent most of the morning hiking and stopped briefly to enjoy a meal. As they finished their meal, the two women planned the next leg of their hike when they discovered trouble. The locator they used for directional guidance suddenly began to deliver erratic readings.

"Jana, what do you make of these bizarre readings? I've never seen anything like this." Didi handed the locator to her friend. Jana's reaction was anything but reassuring.

"Damned if I know. I wished to one of us brought a tricorder. There are three things that I can theorize would cause these weird readings. Kelvanite, and forget that. There is none on this rock. That leaves some unknown mineral that can do what kelvanite does or there is some kind of power source here."

"Why didn't we detect this earlier?" Didi asked. Didi was starting to look a bit alarmed, Jana noted.

"My guess that the interference here is extremely localized and short range. We're probably sitting right on top of whatever is causing this phenomenon. We'd better call this in." Jana tapped her commbadge and got a burst of static in response. Seeing Jana's commbadge failed, Didi tried hers and got the same result. They were cut off from Starfleet and anyone else who could assist them. They were out on their own.

"Well, Jana, you wanted an adventure. Looks like you got one now. Got any ideas?" Didi's voice dripped with sarcasm. We could have done this in a holosuite back in Dengali City!

"Didi, you brought a medikit. The medical tricorder might be able to help us. I can rig it to either break through this interference to either find the lander of call base." Didi immediately dug out the medikit and retrieved the tricorder. As she opened it up, she noted with dismay the same interference that disabled the pointers and commbadges also disabled the medical tricorder as well. With disgust, she flipped the device to her roommate.

"Damn interference! Whatever we are on, the interference is at least three kilometers in any direction. Wait a minute! Head toward that cliff area over there. There is what appears to be a cave about two hundred meters from here. The interference seems to be emanating from that location. By the way, Didi, did you bring a phaser?"

"Why on Earth would I need a phaser? I'm a nurse!" She then noticed Jana digging into her pack and retrieving a standard phaser and holster. She also noted with dismay that Jana set the phaser on maximum stun. That setting can kill at close range! Still, Jana's probably a lot more prepared for this, but not by much. Computer specialists didn't strike her as the type of people who do away missions for a starship, and this is beginning to look a lot like an away mission. She then heard Jana call her and she reluctantly followed her roommate. I hope she knows what she's doing.

As she expected, there was a lot more interference at the cave they found. At least the wrist lights were not affected by the interference. Jana entered first with her hand edging closer to the phaser each meter she entered into the cave. The cave was quiet, much too quiet for Jana's tastes. Danger could be hiding anywhere. She signaled her now very much scared roommate to follow her.

"There's something funny about this cave. I don't know what it is, but somehow, something feels weird" Jana speculated. As she scanned the cave's interior with her wrist light, she noticed some marks on the cave floor. They appeared to be deep scratches, the kind of scratches caused by metal against stone. The scratches angled off to the right. Jana then waived her roommate to follow her in the new direction. The tunnel proceeded for about sixty meters, then came to a dead-end in front of a pile of meter-size boulders.

"Didi, look! Those scratches end right into that pile of rock."

"Probably caved in. Jana, let's get out of here."

"Let me take a close look at the rock pile. If there is nothing there, we will leave."

"Deal!"

Jana climbed the massive rocks, being careful to avoid dislodging any of them. She did move a few of the smaller rocks. As she dug deeper into the pile, she decided to push off one large rock that was almost a large as she was. With supreme effort, the heavy boulder finally gave way and rolled free. This opened up an area about 30 cm in diameter, but when Jana shined her light into the opening, her breath rushed into her lungs with a screech. She didn't see more boulders, but a seam. The seam was perfectly straight and also sported another seam perpendicular to the first.

"Didi, look in here. Tell me if I am seeing things" Didi scrambled up the rock pile and shined her light into the opening. A sharp intake of breath told Jana she was not hallucinating either. Didi's stomach began to churn a little bit. She was not feeling exactly at ease with the developing situation. Still, there was no denying what her eyes saw.

"It's a wall! This sure as hell isn't natural at all! Someone made this wall and buried it with rubble to hide it. Damn, Jana, you have a way of getting into some weird situations. Your Vulcan buddies are going to have a field day with this one."

"Get back, Didi!" Didi saw Jana draw her phaser and change the power setting. Knowing what Jana had in mind, Didi immediately took cover behind a large outcropping. Ten seconds later, she saw a bright flash followed by an explosion. Most of the larger rocks were reduced to small stones and a three-meter area of the wall was exposed. Jana took position and fired again, this time burning a two-meter wide hole in the wall itself. Cautiously both women entered the new doorway Jana made in the wall.

There was a lot of scattered rubble and what appeared to be broken pottery. There were also numerous piles of rock scattered about in semi-neat piles. Jana picked up a piece of shattered stone.

"Didi, look at this! This stone was carved into statues or sculptures of some sort. Sadness came over her as she realized the piles of stones were really shattered statuary strewn about the chamber. She grew angry as she heaped curses reserved for those that desecrate and defile art. So much could have been learned from whatever race or species that created these works. Perhaps they can be restored. One thing was for sure, the xenohistorians will have a lot of new research to do. As the two women searched the chamber, they soon came across what appeared to be two large ovoid pieces of spotted pottery half buried in rubble about half a meter in diameter.

"Damn damn damn! Horta eggs!" Didi exclaimed. "We're in trouble...most of these eggs are destroyed! The mother Horta's gonna kill both of us!" Jana grabbed her friend and shook the beginnings of panic from Didi.

"Didi! Get a hold of yourself. Horta eggs are only fifteen to twenty centimeters in diameter and spherical. These things are three times that size and ovoid in shape. It's probably only pottery." Jana explained. As Didi turned to light up another section of the chamber, Jana saw the glint of metal. Curious, she approached the shiny object. It was some type of machine, and as she brushed off the layer of dust and rock, she saw the device was still on line.

"Didi, look at this!" Jana nearly yelled in excitement.

"What ever it is, it's still operational. I wonder how old it is?"

"Beats me. We'll let the Vulcans figure it out." As Jana rose, she didn't expect Didi to be right behind her and she lost her balance as she accidentally hit her friend upon rising. As she awkwardly tried to regain her balance, her left foot came down on a rock and her ankle twisted. She fell sideways, cracking her head on the alien machine and shorting it.

Didi could only look in horror as the machine poured energy into her roommate. Thinking quickly, she grabbed one of the large fragments of the ovoid pottery and tossed it at the machine, hoping to shove her friend loose or deactivate the machine. As she pressed the ovoid fragment into the wildly coalescing energy that was crackling inside the chamber, she managed to push Jana free. However, the energy currents soon enveloped her and she screamed weakly as the last ergs of life energy was taken from her. Jana saw with horror as her friend heroically died to save her. Mercifully, she lapsed into unconsciousness.

, , ,

"We're free!" screamed a powerful voice in a rich baritone. As his eyes came to life, he saw two more of his species were present as well. "Were free again!" As he began to stretch the stiffness out of his long, powerful limbs, he noticed the prone form of Jana Deenax on the chamber floor. He also saw the horribly burned body of Didi Montgomery. Sadness at the tragic scene triggered a tear unseen by his companions. So much pain and death in this chamber, he sadly reflected.

"Who do you think she is?" a feminine voice asked from the shadows.

"Unknown. She looks a lot like us, but is somehow different. The strange spots on either side of her head. She is so pale. She is certainly unlike any of our people." Replied another voice that sounded like an old-fashioned opera gruff. "Where did she come from? She looks hurt. Perhaps we can help her. We cannot just leave her here and suffer."

"Agreed." Replied the feminine voice. "She is not like the Outsiders or the evil ones. She is of a different race or clan for all we know."

"Different or not, she is more like one of us more than she is not. We always care for our own." The baritone-voice replied. Baritone-voice carefully and gently picked Jana up with his massive limbs and turned to his companions and said, "Come, we will take her from this place."

, , ,

"Ouch!" Jana moaned. I must be alive she thought. Dead people don't hurt like this. She gingerly touched her forehead and discovered that was a big mistake. I have to learn to quit using my head as a hand sledge! As she collected her thoughts, she found herself lying on a makeshift bed and covered by a Starfleet-issue emergency blanket from her pack. She also noticed a small fire burning nearby. She soon discovered other parts of her body were coming back online and flooding her already sore head with more reports of pain. Moving anything seemed to hurt worse. She decided that the least painful course right now was to relax and rest. Where am I?

"I wonder how long have I been out?" Jana asked wearily to herself.

"I don't know, lass." A gruff voice replied. "We only found you few minutes ago. A panicked Jana reached toward her phaser only to find it missing. How do I manage to get myself into these situations? The next question was where is she and just who else is here. Whoever they were, they are in the shadows. Jana checked her chronometer. She had been out for nearly three days.

"Three days? I've been out for three days!" she screeched in alarm. Damn! Commander Harrington is going to toss me in the brig for being AWOL! She then remembered Didi. "Didi! Didi!"

"I am afraid your companion was killed." the baritone-voice replied.

"NO!" Jana wailed. She buried her face in her hands and began sobbing. "She was only here three months!"

"Grieve now for the loss of your fallen sister, but feel not the sorrow of her life being wasted." a female voice spoke, deep with understanding. Jana then noticed the soft glow of two red eyes in the flickering light. The source of the voice emerged from the shadows and Jana stared in rapt fascination as a humanoid female figure with azure skin and jet-black hair arranged in a long pair of braids. She walked on legs that ended in three claws. She also had fetlocks rather than human feet. She also noticed spurs on her elbows and knees. As her eyes traveled upward, she also noted the humanoid sported a tail almost two meters long and a pair of wings that resembled those of bats back on Earth. The membranous part of the wings was deep purple in color in contrast the azure of the structural portions. Each wing had a three-digit, hand like claw at the apex joint. The woman-bat's face was also strikingly beautiful even with the two horn-like projections that gave her a demonic, yet somehow very sexy appearance. She also had large, Vulcanoid ears, each one with a pair of hoops pierced in each ear. The wings made her overall height approaching two meters easily. With the gracefulness of lifelong practice, the woman-bat wrapped her wings around her like a cloak and held it closed by interlocking the wing digits. As she approached a fearful Jana, she reached out with her hand and placed it on her shoulder as a sister. "She not only saved your life, but your sister's magnificent sacrifice also freed us. For that, we will forever be grateful."

"Who are you? I am Lieutenant Jana Deenax of Earth. Earth is a member of the United Federation of Planets. I am in their Starfleet as you can tell from my uniform. I come in peace and mean you no harm."

"Earth? We are all of Earth," said the baritone voice. Jana saw two more of the bat-humanoids emerge from the shadows. One was a male well over two meters tall and had to weigh at least one hundred fifty kilos. Unlike the woman, he was a pale green color. His hair was a deep auburn color cut into a Mohawk-like strip cut ending midway down his back. Two rows of rounded cranial ridges flanked the Mohawk. Like his female companion, he too also had the large Vulcanoid ears. To Jana, the cranial ridges were not unlike those of the Klingons. Jana also noticed he has only a single digit at the wing joint.

The last bat-humanoid was more of a gray color and considerably smaller that the other male. He was only a few centimeters taller than Jana, but had an ample belly. His pate was bald, and revealed three rows of cranial ridges. Unlike his larger companion, these ridges were sharper and more like horns than bumps. Unlike the other two, he appeared to be older and sported a number of scars. His ears also had what appeared to be a cut in one ear, and two in the other along with a larger ring of silvery metal in his left ear. He also sported rich, gray, beard with two black stripes. Jana wondered how many battles this old warrior had seen in his lifetime.

"I hate to break the news to you, but you are a long way from Earth. We're about four hundred light-years from home," Jana spoke. She moaned as she tried to ignore the pain as she tried to sit up.

"Light-years? What kind of calendar is that, lassie? What is the date?" the bearded one asked.

"It is star date 41025." Jana replied.

"Star date?" asked the tall one.

"We just returned from the battle of Falkirk," the bearded one spoke with excitement, "The clans are in great danger! We couldn't fight during the day. We saw only the dead in the evening light"

"Falkirk? As in Falkirk, Scotland?" Jana said, "The Battle of Falkirk was fought over 1,300 years ago."

"You know of Falkirk?" green skin asked, as he eyed her with suspicion, "What clan be ye, lass?"

"Sure do. My family is of Scottish descent, Clan Matheson of Lochalsh, to be exact. I studied Scottish history in my spare time at the Academy.

"I know of Clan Matheson of Lochalsh, and I nae seen one of ye with those spots!" retorted gray-skin with increasing suspicion, "What devil's sorcery is that that made you, lass?"

"It is not sorcery. I am what we call a joined Trill," Jana explained, "My birth name is Jana Matheson, and I was born in San Francisco back on Earth. I became Jana Deenax when the Trill joined with me. Let me explain: inside my body is another living being named Deenax, which we call a symbiont. I am called the host. It is customary to use the host's first name and the symbiont's last name when a Trill is joined. Trill symbionts can live for centuries. We share the same body, but our minds and memories work together and we share all experiences. My symbiont is young, but his experiences in his last host are shared with me. When a host dies, the symbiont will either have to find a new host quickly or die. The symbiont's original host, who was named Makar, was mortally wounded in a mine accident. I was asked to join with the Deenax symbiont to save his life. I accepted. When we join with a Trill symbiont, the spots appear just a few days later."

"A fantastic story, lass," gray-skin commented.

"What of the English?" the female asked, returning to the subject of Falkirk.

"It was the beginning of the end for Sir William Wallace of Elerslie. He was later betrayed and murdered in 1305. The English won and King Edward I took the Stone of Destiny from the Scottish throne and it remained in England for over 700 years." Jana saw their expressions darken as they heard of the outrage committed so long ago.

"As we were betrayed." Gray skin replied with sadness. The others bowed their heads in silence.

"We have since learned to unite and live as one in peace with other people not only on Earth, but other worlds among the stars. Now that I have told you a bit about me, now it is my turn. Who are you?"

"We were once called Gargoyles by your kind, but we have no names." Green skin replied, "Only our leader has a name, and he was among us. He is dead now. The stone rubble in the chamber was our kin. During the day we sleep as stone, and are vulnerable. At night, we return to life. A corrupt prince betrayed our clan. The chamber you found was our rookery. During that Devil's day, the Prince and his minions destroyed our kin while we were stone. An evil wizard cast a spell on us that would turn any surviving eggs into stone along with any of us that survived. I saw the contrivance that killed your sister. It is not of our own fashioning. A devil's toy it is."

"We have names for all of us. I don't think you would like me to call you green skin or whatever."

"Do you have any ideas?" the woman-bat asked.

"For you, Selena. It means 'of the moon'. For the big fellow, I think Titan is appropriate, Titans were mighty beings from ancient myths and he looks like he could demolish a Galaxy-class starship single-handedly. As for the other, I like Greystone. You are obviously the most experienced, and for some reason, you strike me to be a rock-solid pillar of strength." The assembled trio of Gargoyles discussed this briefly, but agreed to her suggestions.

Jana then heard the beeping sound of a commbadge. With extreme reluctance, she tapped it online.

"Deenax here."

"This is Lieutenant Narys. Lieutenant Deenax, we lost your signals. Are you all right?"

"Yes, just a bit banged up. I'm heading back...why don't you beam me back?

"I wish I could, Lieutenant. The same goes for sending a shuttle or another lander. Renegade Orions attacked us last night! You've got one of the only two operational landers. Transporters are off line for at least two days."

"When it rains...I'm about ten kilometers from my lander. It will take me at least a day to get back!"

"Get here as fast as you can! Starfleet out."

"Damn! My home has been attacked and I am a day's hike from my transportation!" Jana fumed.

"Why are ye panicking so, lass?" Greystone spoke, "Ye have wings, as do we all."

"Wings?!" As Jana stood up for the first time, she almost fell. Something was seriously wrong with her feet. She looked down at her feet and saw that her boots were gone and only fetlocks and three-toed feet remained. She also noticed that she had grown elbow and knee spurs. "Oh no!" she screamed. Jana reached into her pack and pulled out mirror and saw the bat wings showing above her shoulders, complete with three digits. "What in the name of stars?" She then remembered the accident. Somehow she had been altered into a Gargoyle! With more information flooding her brain than her brain was willing to process at one time, she sighed and collapsed into a faint.

"Now what do ye suppose brought that on?" commented a very confused Titan.

, , ,

Jana woke up thinking she had just had a nightmare. As she regained her thoughts, she saw the three Gargoyles standing there, the concern etched in the faces of all three. So much for the nightmare theory. She again looked at her three new acquaintances. Titan offered his massive hand to assist their newest sister. As she stood awkwardly on her new feet, she again checked for the wings she saw in the mirror. The wings were there. She also noticed that she was able to control them without much more conscious thought than using an arm or leg.

"Way to go, Jana!" she whispered to nobody in particular, "One more time, you step in it. ARGH."

"Are ye hurting lass?" Greystone asked.

"I'm all right, but I know that this is going to sound crazy. I was not born a Gargoyle. I was born human."

"Human?" Selena said with disbelief.

"Yes, human. When I entered the chamber, I found an alien machine. I tripped and smashed my head against the control panel. That triggered the energy release that killed Didi and somehow woke you up. Somewhere in that process, I became a Gargoyle. It is the only explanation that fits the facts."

The three Gargoyles looked at each other. A small debate ensued between the three in a dialect that Jana couldn't follow. A minute or two later, Greystone came to Jana. "We will help ye in any way we can."

"I need to get back to my post. My commanding officer's probably mad enough to chew rocks.", Jana spoke with dread. "Uh, I am going to need some flying lessons if these new wings are going to be of any use to me. I'm late enough as it is."

The foursome walked out of the cave into the midday sun of The Rock. The Gargoyles were dumbfounded as they realized that they no longer turned into stone during the daylight hours as they did in the past. Instead, they still remained in their night form. Selena immediately realized the implications and she launched herself into the rising air currents. As she flew with the acrobatic grace of a bird-of-prey, she unleashed an unearthly screech that made Jana's blood run cold.

"Apparently we have another gift from you, Jana." Greystone speculated, "It seems that the sorcery you worked not only made you a Gargoyle, but also freed us from the vulnerability of sleeping as stone. Normally, during the day, we would be stone. This characteristic has allowed the evil ones to destroy most of our clan."

Jana flexed her new wings a couple of times then unfolded them to their full span of nearly four meters. As Titan explained it, all she merely had to do was jump off and the air currents would do the rest. Titan also explained that Gargoyles don't fly, but glide. Titan also explained that if you were not high enough to glide just climb up a building or other tall object and simply launch yourself from a sufficient height to allow your wings to catch enough air to glide. He demonstrated a few times how to launch and simple maneuvers. Jana wasn't too keen on the idea of jumping off a cliff. She again noticed it was about eighty meters straight down from where she was currently perched. Without warning, Titan picked her up and threw her over the side of the cliff at least ten meters. Jana let loose a roar like sounded like a cross between a panther and an eagle. Instinctively, she unfolded her wings and soon found herself in flight. As she leveled off, Titan effortlessly glided alongside Jana explaining how to glide and turn. She soon found herself flying alongside Greystone and Selena. Jana loved the sensation of the wind through her hair. As a little girl, she often dreamed of flying like a bird. Now it was a beautiful reality.

She soon found a suitable thermal and rose to an altitude of about four hundred meters. Checking her now operational pointer, she turned towards the lander, the other Gargoyles following her lead. A few minutes later, they were over the lander. Jana then watched Greystone change his wing pitch and glide down gently and land just three meters from the lander. Jana followed his lead and landed with all the grace off a lead parakeet. Alarmed, Titan landed beside her and checked on her. She jumped up suddenly and roared at Titan.

"The next time you toss me off a cliff without my permission, I will shred you into confetti!" Jana screamed. Titan and the other Gargoyles saw the blazing red glow in her eyes.

"Calm down, sister" Selena counseled, "Titan meant no harm. It is often how we are taught to use our wings." Jana just glared at her, then relaxed. She had a valid point. Jana was not going to jump. Titan simply forced the issue. Jana walked up to the lander and found it still locked. She said the code and the lander opened up. Jana folded her new wings in the manner she saw Selena do at the cave earlier. The other Gargoyles followed her into the vehicle.

"Sit in whatever way is comfortable. Damn Starfleet engineers never figured these things might have to seat someone with a tail," Jana dryly remarked as she squirmed into the pilot's seat. The trio of Gargoyles seated themselves in the three vacant seats in the lander. Jana then gave them a safety briefing before she headed back to base. As the lander approached Dengali City, she saw the damage done by the Orion raid. When she landed, Commander Harrington was there, waiting for her. Here we go again.

"About damned time you got back here, Lieutenant," Commander Harrington screamed, "What's with the crazy cloaks and masks? Go get your self back in uniform! This isn't a costume party. Who authorized this freak show? Where's Ensign Montgomery?"

"She's dead, sir. She was trying to free me from an energy discharge."

"Dead?!" he roared, "You've gone too far this time, Deenax! I am going to have your hide, then I am going to toss you in the brig, you incompetent..." He never finished the sentence. Selena spread her wings and unleashed a blood-curling screech, eyes aglow with an angry red. The other Gargoyles also repeated Selena's wingspread. Greystone emitted a low growl like a tiger and Titan roared like a lion. The male Gargoyles eyes glowed with an unearthly white light. Commander Harrington stood paralyzed by fear. He immediately realized he had made a huge mistake, and quite possibly his last.

"Commander, take it easy." Jana warned as she raised her hand to stop the Gargoyles, "Though they are a peaceful species, they are protective of me. It is the nature of Gargoyles to protect. I found them in a hidden cave. They have been in some kind of stasis for more than thirteen centuries. Thanks to my clumsiness, I managed to free them. Unfortunately, I was mutated as well." To prove her point, Jana also spread her wings, then folded them back into cloak form.

"Unbelievable!" muttered Commander Harrington. This will add considerably to my migraine collection. First, I am stuck out here on a planet that's a reject from Hell's recycler, then my base gets hammered by the Orions and worst of all, I'm stuck with a rebellious lieutenant that has turned into a bat! Why me?

Jana and her three companions walked out of the landing bay and headed for Jana's quarters. Jana just had an uneasy feeling that Commander Harrington was fixing to cause some serious complications to her already complex life.

, , ,

Admiral Falcone stared in disbelief at the report from Commander Harrington. More Gargoyles had been found on Rockingham's Planet! The Admiral smiled. This could be a good thing. The report also indicated that there were two more females. As he read the report, he also noticed that there was one Gargoyle that was a Starfleet officer. This could be the answer to the complications that Adam and Ensign Maza are causing. As he continued to read the reports that were turned in, his smile turned into a frown when he saw the name of Lieutenant Jana Deenax. There was something about that name that seemed awfully familiar. He ordered the computer to play back Deenax's service record. As he read her file, his stomach soured.

Damn! Why in the Hell did it have to be Jana Deenax?