Star Trek: Anachronisms, Chapter Seven

STAR TREK: ANACRONISMS

By T'Layna MacMathain,

Tigris Euphrates,

and CMage

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, CMage, and Poison Thorns Productions. Copyright (c) 2000 All rights reserved.

Chapter Seven

Familiar Surroundings

"Captain's Log: Stardate 51003.6" Captain Kathryn Janeway spoke to her LCARS in her command chair, "The last several weeks have been remarkably quiet and uneventful. Though the efficiency of my crew is still well within my standards, I do realize that the crew is in need of some R&R. Perhaps we will find a suitable planet that's not too far off our course to allow my crew to get off the ship and just enjoy shore leave. My only concern is that there have been indications that a transwarp conduit passed near this area in recent weeks. I hope that the Borg is not too close to detecting us. As a precaution, I have asked Lieutenant Torres to reduce power just to be on the safe side."

The chronometer sounded the end of duty shift two and the third bridge watch was coming to their stations. One of these was Ensign Harry Kim. He also had a strip of flexible plastic in his hand. Sitting in the command chair was Captain Janeway and her First Officer; Commander Chakotay was seated next to her.

"Captain, are you familiar with bumper stickers?" Ensign Kim asked.

"No, but I have a feeling you are going to tell me," she responded with a smile.

"As you know, I am something of a buff of twentieth century history." 'Something of a buff' was very much an understatement when Harry Kim was involved. He approached his hobby with the dedication of a Talmudic scholar. "In the middle-to-late twentieth century, there was a fad that developed among automobile owners. It was called a bumper sticker. Basically, it was an adhesive strip of plastic that bore a simple message. The message was often something that reflected something about the personality of the vehicle's owner. The car owner stuck it on the bumper of their vehicle, thus the name bumper sticker. I have come up with one for this vessel, Captain." Beaming with pride, he unfurled the sticker he had made. It bore the message: Resistance is not as futile as the Collective would like you to believe. Next to the text was a depiction of a Borg cube with a red circle & slash superimposed over it.

"Better not let Seven see that, Ensign," the Captain replied with a broad smile. Captain Janeway and Chakotay both grinned widely. They both had the mental image of Voyager sporting the sticker on the fantail. That would either confuse or infuriate the Borg. Either way, it didn't matter. Unless you were the Kazon or Species 8472, the Borg was going to try to assimilate your species. So far, the Borg was batting zero with the Federation. Their amusement was broken when the proximity alarm went off.

"Captain, sensors have detected a large neutrino burst at 012 mark 11, range 0.002 light years. Could be a wormhole."

"Mr. Paris, set course to those coordinates, warp factor five. Yellow alert!" Captain Janeway crisply ordered. Ensign Paris tapped a few controls and the crew soon felt the slight change in momentum followed by the buzz of Yellow Alert klaxons. Soon the humming of the warp core rising to full power accompanied by the powerful low thrum of the nacelle positioning motors elevating the warp nacelles to warp configuration.

"Shields are up, Captain," reported Mr. Paris. "Warp engines are on line and ready."

"Engage!" The Voyager suddenly accelerated then vanished in a flash. She just hoped any Borg reconnaissance vessels nearby wouldn't detect the energy burst she expended. She was a long way from what appeared to be a very distant transwarp conduit. The Borg should not be able to detect her, but several encounters with the Borg taught Janeway that the Borg were never to be underestimated. Aside from the Q Continuum, Captain Janeway considered the Borg to be the most dangerous species in the galaxy. She commanded the most hunted ship in the Delta quadrant! She turned her mind to the immediate problem.

, , ,

"It worked!" Titan exclaimed. The Joker's Luck II emerged with virtually no power.

"Would someone please tell me what just happened?" Aria asked, looking around at her black, unlit consoles.

"Lassie, where do ye think we be now?" Greystone asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Jana replied. "This tin can is dead in space. We lost our power when we went through whatever it was that Selena created. I guess I should be grateful we are still alive."

A shrill alarm filled the cramped cabin. "Warning! Life support system is off line. Reserve air pressure at 1900 millibar and falling. Estimated time remaining for life support is thirty minutes." The computer replied.

"That puts us in a wee bit of trouble." Greystone commented.

"That's an understatement. I can't believe we survived that battle just to run out of air in the middle of nowhere!" Jana screeched in frustration. Dejectedly, she sat back down in the command chair and sighed. The short and spectacular life of Jana Deenax, the Gargoyle that caused a Federation civil war.

Aria was working to try to restore power, but was having no luck. Nobody aboard the Joker's Luck II needed any status reports. Aria's language steadily deteriorated, as she became increasingly frustrated. Before anyone could move or do anything about it, the Joker's Luck II began to fade in swirling blue light.

, , ,

As she got closer to the neutrino burst coordinates, she ordered Paris to reduce speed. When the Voyager came within a quarter of a million kilometers, the viewscreen came alive with a circular burst of multicolored light swirling with clouds and gas.

"Wormhole, Captain!" Lieutenant Faumuina exclaimed. Commander Chakotay tapped a few buttons on his screen and analyzed the data.

"Captain, this could be our ticket home."

"It could be Commander, but it could also put us right in the middle of the Dominion or worse, the Borg Collective." Janeway cautioned. "I'm not about to risk this vessel and crew on a wormhole that could put us farther away from home than we are now."

"Captain! Sensors have detected a ship!" Lieutenant Faumuina excitedly cried.

"Red Alert!" Janeway barked. The lights went red and the familiar shrill buzz of the klaxons filled the bridge with the beeping of controls and defenses being brought on line. Lieutenant Faumuina studied the science readouts.

"Captain, vessel is identified as a Federation vessel, the Joker's Luck II, It's a scout ship, but carries the markings of the Maquis!" Chakotay and Janeway looked at each other with surprise. The Maquis survived? "I am reading very little power. Their warp core is missing and life support is offline. Five life-signs aboard. Suggest emergency beam-out, Captain."

"Do it!" Janeway said. A shrill beep sounded from Lieutenant Faumuina's station. He bent over to study the readout screen.

"Captain, the wormhole is becoming unstable! These readings are very unusual. I have never seen anything like it. It's gone." Lieutenant Faumuina sadly declared, his voice laced with disappointment. It was like someone let the air out of the entire bridge crew.

, , ,

Transporter Specialist Second Class Leta Zeedak operated the transporter controls. The five figures she beamed in looked unlike anything she had ever seen before in her life. Five humanoids of different skin colors ranging in size from one-and-a-half to two meters tall, not counting the membranous wings and the claws. As Zeedak scanned the assembled group, she noticed one of them looked vaguely familiar. She also noticed what appeared to be a Starfleet halter-top on two of them. She also noticed the presence of Maquis insignia on the two in Starfleet halter-tops. The spotted one Lieutenant Commander, the other a Lieutenant. This is getting weird.

Aria also was studying the transporter operator. She noticed that her uniform was Starfleet, but the rank insignia on her collar was not the regular round pips that Starfleet used, but the banded oval preferred by the Maquis. Could this be a Maquis ship? When they emerged from the wormhole, they had no power to even detect the vessel. She also noticed Greystone was also eyeing Zeedak. Her reverie was broken when Greystone stepped off the transporter pad.

"NOW where are we?" Aria asked, rubbing her temples with one paw.

"Be this a Maquis vessel, young lass?" Greystone inquired.

"This is the USS Voyager. We're with the United Federation of Planets. I thought the Maquis was destroyed by the Cardassians years ago."

"Some of us are a wee bit harder to kill than most, lass," Greystone replied with a knowing smile.

"Federation?" Selena hissed as she unfurled her wings. Jana held up her hand to stop her.

"Voyager? As in Kathryn Janeway's ship? Well, I'll be a Ferengi's uncle!" Jana replied with surprise. Zeedak nodded affirmatively. As Zeedak studied the five, the spotted one attracted most of her attention. She looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite put a handle on it. She tapped her commbadge.

"Captain, this is Specialist 2 Zeedak in transporter room two. You need to get down here. Something weird just happened, and I mean really weird!" Zeedak couldn't help but notice the smug grin on Jana's face. Jana knew that she was about to freak out her old captain. It was no secret on Voyager's crew that Captain Janeway sent her to Beta Brahe. Five minutes later, Captain Janeway entered the transporter room.

"What the...?" Janeway said, the amazement evident in her voice. Jana and Aria both smiled that evil grin that people who were in on the joke would know. Aria loved making Starfleet officers freak especially ship captains. Janeway also noticed the two wearing Starfleet style halter-tops. She also noted the absence of insignia except the Maquis insignia. Chakotay might know these people. There was also the matter of their ship. It was clearly a Maquis vessel, but the Cardassians destroyed the Maquis long ago. Things are not adding up!

Janeway's brain was suddenly going through its catalog of old memories. The spotted one in the middle looked vaguely familiar. I know I have seen that face before! That spot pattern was consistent with the Trill, but the Trill homeworld is nowhere near here, and she knew all her Trill crew. Her memory started to make a connection. Click!

"Jana Matheson?" Captain Janeway asked gently. Jana responded with a huge smile.

"I'm Jana Deenax now. I joined with Deenax some time ago. The rest of this body is the result of an accident. May I introduce my friends? This is Titan, Aria, Selena and finally Greystone. We call ourselves Gargoyles."

, , ,

"My name is Kathryn Janeway, and I am the captain of this vessel," she pleasantly said to the Gargoyles. "I already know Jana from five years ago."

"By the way, Captain lass, where the blazes are we?" Greystone inquired.

"We're in the Delta Quadrant about 30,000 light-years from home."

"WHAT?!!" Aria exclaimed. "How the Hell did we get out that far? You mean we are stuck on this ship for... the next 30 years?"

"I'm afraid so," Janeway sadly recalled, "I gave the order that stranded us out here."

"You have my sympathy, Captain." Jana replied.

"She's a fine lass, Captain," Greystone said, "Thanks to her, we are now free."

"Jana is a true inspiration for all," Selena continued, "Jana's bravery and courage has kept our kind free from those who wish to use us for their own evil ends. She may have been born a human, but her heart and spirit is true Gargoyle." Captain Janeway was honestly impressed. Jana had come far indeed.

"I see you are bearing Maquis rank," commented Captain Janeway, "Is the Maquis still around?"

"Yes it is, Captain. I have been with the Maquis for some time," Jana said with discomfort, "The Cardassians didn't get all of us. I am in the Maquis for a different reason, Captain. I have no real grudge with the Cardassians. Although I am very uncomfortable around Starfleet these days, I still feel that you are a good and honest woman whom I have learned to respect and even admire."

"Half of my crew is Maquis. They have probably done worse things than you have, Commander."

"I have my doubts, Captain," sharply replied Titan.

"What is going on?" Janeway asked, her tone hardening.

"Well, I am in a spot, Captain. I put an Admiral in the hospital." She sweetly said with an evil grin. Captain Janeway was not amused.

"The Federation on the brink of civil war." Aria reported. "We appeared and asked to be treated as citizens of the Federation, which Jana and I are by birth. The Federation denied us those rights, choosing instead to order us locked away for study... and worse."

Janeway's expression was torn. "Civil war?"

"The Klingons have already broken away, Bajor has blocked trade through the Denorios wormhole, the Betazoids, Trill, and the Deltans have also seceded from the Federation. Individuals and vessels who believe in the true meaning of sentient rights are following the flag of the Maquis now."

Janeway slowly lowered herself into a chair, looking away from the table, saying nothing.

"Jana and Aria turned in their commissions with Starfleet when a Starfleet admiral murdered one of our kind to threaten obedience from us." Greystone added.

"We were on our way to meet a friend." Jana concluded. "We were attacked by a Federation ship without provocation, and it used isolytic subspace weapons to try and destroy us. We used our warp core to seal the first breach, but then a second one was opened. I don't know how we got here."

"Jana, I believe I can explain that." Selena spoke up. "When I was trained in magic, I learned the feel of a portal through space and time, and even learned that it was possible to cast such portals and walk through them, and be taken anywhere or any time. When the second tear opened in space, I wondered if I could use my magic to direct it to a place where there was a friendly ship that would help us, and I spoke the spell words."

"Magic?" Janeway inquired. "We detected neutrino burst, and saw your scout emerge from a wormhole fairly close to us."

"Magic is an advanced form of kinetically manipulated energy which the Gargoyles have learned to use. Selena's even taught us some." Jana elaborated for the captain's benefit.

"I simply took an open door in space, and made a portal from it, that would deposit us someplace safe." Selena explained. "Then we landed in your lap, good Captain."

Janeway looked pale, shaking her head in confusion. "And the Dominion?"

"After a costly battle, the combined armada of Federation, Klingon, and Romulan forces forced them to surrender. Losses were great. The Dominion hit Starfleet HQ, the Golden Gate Bridge, most of the people of Cardassia, a good third of the Starfleet, along with a sizable chunk of the Romulan and Klingon forces allied with us...." Jana reiterated. "...and as you can tell from Aria's modifications, the Borg have been making their presence felt."

"We're also being chased by the Borg. Their queen has it in for us, and me in particular. You aren't much safer here." Janeway pointed out.

"Safer than having every Federation ship in the sector hunting you down!" Aria protested.

"The Borg seem to be particularly interested in Gargoyles. We don't know why." Jana observed. "They went to a lot of trouble to attempt and assimilate Aria. They may have had the same idea some Starfleet admirals had in mind for us."

Janeway held her head in her hands. This was NOT what she or her crew needed to hear right now.

, , ,

"You should have seen them, Tom! There were five of them. Each one of them looked like a cross between a Terran bat and a humanoid. They call themselves Gargoyles if you can believe that. Three of them are female and two are male." Transporter Specialist Zeedak was in the mess hall enjoying herself. It was rare that she was the center of attention. "Two of the females were wearing Starfleet issue clothing and Maquis rank. The Maquis is not dead!"

"What was that, Zeedak?", Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres asked as she sat next to her, "Did I just hear you say the Maquis are still alive?"

"I sure did, Lieutenant. The one they called Greystone asked me if this was a Maquis ship. Some of our comrades are still out there! The Cardassians didn't destroy the Maquis," she excitedly said, "That's not all, Lieutenant. One of them I know from my days at Utopia Planitia. Her name was Jana Matheson, but she is called Jana Deenax. Captain Janeway packed her off to Karpov several years ago for demolishing a bar and one Tellarite engineer. She is now a joined Trill, and she is also one of those Gargoyles." A grin that could only be described as predatory spread across Lieutenant Torres' face. Wrecked a bar and a Tellarite engineer? Sounds like something I would have done a few years ago. Deenax sounded like her kind of girl.

"Speaking of the Devil," said Paris, "I think you're old pal is here." Zeedak turned her head and saw the five Gargoyles enter the mess hall. Paris and Kim seemed especially interested in the two females in what used to be Starfleet regalia. Neelix immediately greeted the five.

"Greetings, I am Neelix. I am the Morale Officer here and all-around chef!" he said with a warm smile. "May I get you anything to eat? By the way, what exactly do you eat?" Before anyone could move, Greystone saw a bowl of tasty looking green pods about five centimeters long and about two wide sitting on the counter. A broad smile spread across his face as he grabbed a couple of the green pods.

"Now what manner of tasty delicacy be ye now?" he asked nobody in particular as he chomped down on one of the green pods. Jana groaned inwardly. Greystone's about to learn a lesson about grabbing strange foods. About ten seconds later, Greystone's eyes opened widely and an alarmed expression spread across his scarred features. He instantly realized his mistake.

"JalapeƱos!" he yelled. "Agh!"

, , ,

Sitting at dinner in their assigned quarters for the moment, Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay sat on the sofa and chairs eating a meal courtesy of Neelix. Aria's egg was due any time now. Unfortunately she had no way of knowing exactly when it would be, because of Adam's death. Aria stumbled into the room with the trays of food as she delivered them, feeling extremely cumbersome with the weight she carried around with her everyplace she went.

"We are grateful to you, Captain for yer timely rescue - lassie Aria 'ere was quickly running low on words to cuss!" he laughed lightly, accepting a tray.

Chakotay smiled at the old warrior's sense of humor. The captain looked up at impending mother's face. "When was the last time you were examined, my dear?"

"A few days ago on DS9 before becoming trapped out here." she replied. "They did a full workup, but they couldn't predict when I was due since they knew so little about gargoyles."

Janeway nodded. "Our doctor has quite a bit of expertise..." she offered.

"Or at least a few good words of advise." Chakotay put in.

"I appreciate that, Captain..." Aria groaned, leaning back in a chair, taking several long, deep breaths, and moaning with her back pain.

"How is it, Ms. Deenax, that you say the Maquis live again?" Chakotay asked Jana.

"Goddess only knows." Jana laughed. "They found us, calling themselves the 'New Maquis'. From what I gathered, they were survivors of the cardassian massacre in federation space, on trade missions and whatnot. They banded together in angry protest on worlds protected from the cardassians. They claimed though they had lost their homes, they would someday get them back. After the decimation of the cardassian homeworld, they began to resettle on their world, and erect greater defenses. Without the Jem Hadar as their lackeys anymore, they stood a chance of building their homes anew."

Chakotay gave a whoop of triumph. Janeway waved him off. "Then this gargoyle rights thing began?"

"Yes, and needless to say we caused quite an uproar." Jana grinned, showing her long pointed canines in a vicious and frightening grin.

Titan humped. "And now?"

Jana leaned back. "I hope they continue without us, but I fear without us there may be nothing left to accomplish. Secret combinations and organizations within Starfleet win out, and gargoyle kind will never be safe in the Alpha Quadrant."

There was depressed silence. They tried to eat for a while, but no one seem hungry.

"SENIOR OFFICERS TO THE BRIDGE, PLEASE." came the PA system announcement to Janeway and Chakotay.

"Mind if we tag along, captain? Otherwise we're a crew sitting around bored." Jana observed, noting that no one seemed really interested in eating anymore.

"We'll find something for you to do. Finish eating - otherwise Neelix's feelings will be hurt." Janeway smiled.

The gargoyles sat there watching after her.

, , ,

"Give it to me, Mister Kim." Janeway snapped as the turbolift doors opened.

"Strange energy readings, unusual gravimetric readings, and an astrophysics phenomena like nothing we've ever seen before!" he reported, fingers dancing across the controls.

"Speculation?"

"Nothing yet, cap. We came upon it while in warp, and the sensors picked it up, and suggested it was worth investigating. We called you, took a look, and take a look at this!" Paris smiled with obvious anticipation. An image appeared on the screen of his command.

There were a series of planetoids in a binary star system on the main view screen, backlit by an incredible nebulae filled with young stars. The stars were so young, in fact, they were born within the last hundred million years or so, according to the sensor readout.

Kim began speaking. "This star system puts a whole new definition to the word weird." As he spoke, the image on the screen adjusted to a diagram of the various planetoid in their orbits around their twin suns. "It appears to be a system of moons without a planet, Captain. They move in orbits, but seemingly with no planet to orbit around. As you can see, the motion of these moons here is completely... completely..."

"Odd." Paris finished, smiling up at Kim. "There's gravity readings consistent with a moderately dense planetoid right in the middle."

Seven spoke, to try and clear up the issue for the captain instead of wasting time with this rhetorical nonsense. "The Borg know of this place. There is a planet cloaked in the midst of those moons, but all Borg ships which attempt to investigate are utterly decimated, yet the Borg continue to go after sources of information to penetrate their shield and assimilate their technology."

"Who lives there?" Chakotay put in.

"Only the queen knows that. The rest of the hive only knows this world is one of their most desired."

"Does it have a name?" Janeway inquired, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"No one has been assimilated into the collective who knew a designation for it other than planet 11409."

"I recommend caution, captain." Chakotay put in. "'Curiosity killed the cat.'"

"'Satisfaction brought him back.'" Seven replied with a 'Gotcha.' smile on her face.

Kim spoke. "We're being scanned. The power range of the scan is far beyond anything we use."

"What power range?" Janeway inquired.

"Fourth power energy beyond our own." Paris replied. "Recommend shields, Captain."

Janeway's memory suddenly took her back to the days of Captain Kirk and the twelfth-power energy field his ship encountered. "Take it easy, Mister Paris. Let's not provoke them. Don't raise shield or arm weapons until we know if we are dealing with friend or foe."

"Uhhhhhh... captain?" Kim stammered. "You aren't going to believe this..."

"Try me, Mister Kim."

"We're being hailed."

Janeway couldn't say she was honestly very surprised. "On screen." What appeared on her screen was far more of a shock.

"Earth vessel, this is the Matriarch of Wyvern. Please state your allegiance and intentions." spoke the voice of an elderly woman with white hair, lavender skin, small bumpy horns...

...and jet black wings.

A gargoyle.

"There's your answer..." Kim whispered to Seven. Who did not reply.

Captain Janeway found her voice. "My name is Captain Katherine Janeway. Our ship is the USS Voyager, and we are allied with the United Federation of Planets in the Alpha Quadrant. Our intentions are purely scientific curiosity."

"You are here for a reason, even if you do not yet know what it is." replied the Matriarch. "We have not seen earth vessels in this area for hundreds of years."

"Why have you been looking for earth vessels? Are you gargoyles?" Chakotay began to inquire.

The woman's tone became a little darker. "We are the second of three races that inhabited your world from it's first dawning. If it were not for our kind, mankind would never have survived it's infancy. Yet I see none of our kind among your crew."

Janeway defended her crew. "Gargoyles? They've been extinct since the third world war...?" she remembered from what Jana had explained to her earlier.

"You know of our kind, then?" The Matriarch deduced.

Janeway leaned over to her command console, and tapped a key. "Jana Deenax, could you and your company please report to the bridge? Immediately?"

The matriarch smiled with satisfaction as Jana and company appeared on the bridge of the USS Voyager. There was a long silence, in which Jana and the other members of the Starclan gasped with astonishment, Aria especially. "I know that face..." she whispered to Jana.

"Greetings Sisters. Greetings Brothers." said the Matriarch formally to the Starclan. "Welcome to Planet Wyvern." she then turned to Captain Janeway. "I sense your ship needs rest and relaxation."

Janeway blinked. "My crew hasn't had R&R in months. They deserve it, and it's been such a long trip home..." she struggled to explain.

"Then be our guests, and welcome, free to depart when you are ready." the Matriarch nodded, and the image on the viewscreen vanished.

"Captain, LOOK!" Kim exclaimed as an alarm began to sound on his console. "I'm getting energy fluxuations across the board! Massive energy readings!"

"Enough energy to hide a planet?" Chakotay inquired.

"Yes! And it's decloaking!"

Sure enough, on screen, the moons without a planet were displayed. The space between the moons began to shimmer and change as this strange world suddenly came into view.

"Analysis." Chakotay's voice clipped.

"Class M, but it wasn't always that way. Looks like the lifeforms here have only been implanted on the surface for about two hundred years or so, and are limited to basic plantlife. These beings did not evolve here, and I'm willing to be the plantlife didn't either. This planet was a primordial soup that could have become a lifebearing planet on it's own in a few million years, but got hurried along." That raised a few eyebrows. "The source of the tremendous energy readings is on the surface in a network of generators crisscrossing the landscape."

Selena turned to face the captain. "They invited you to land. You should accept their invitation - that would be the honorable thing to do."

"Agreed." Seven added curtly. "I doubt offending them would be wise."

Janeway nodded. "Mister Paris, go to Code Blue - prepare the ship for landing sequence. Inform section supervisors to tell their personnel they have shore leave, but to be cautious and respectful to the planet's natives."

"With pleasure, Captain!" Paris practically spun in his chair, as the signal klaxons sounded.

"Just think." Kim told Seven. "You are going where no Borg has ever gone before."

"Think of it lasses..." Greystone breathed in wonder. "A planet of gargoyles..."

"May it not be the last." Jana prayed aloud.

, , ,

The ship settled through the atmosphere like a gracefully descending kite, resting softer than a kitten on the ground and without disturbing the land. They were on smooth section of stone ground adjacent a large grass field. The stone was deep strata, supporting the ship perfectly.

Captain Janeway, her officers, and her gargoyle companions beamed to the surface first to make the initial contact. If everything was safe, she'd let her crew beam down. It was night on this part of the world. They were several miles outside the largest population center, and in the distance a great glass and crystal palace could be seen, radiating light from within.

Likewise, a delegation of gargoyles winged their way over, and touched down nearby. They first shook hands with Captain Janeway as introductions were made, then turning to the Starclan. Here, these gargoyles used the old scottish arm-clasp like the scottish natives Selena, Greystone, and Titan were used to. Some of the welcome committee were male, others female, with a plethora of different styles of wings, body types, and colors.

"You are Jana of the Starclan?" one of them asked Jana. He was a large green male with twin forward-facing horns.

"Yes, I am. How did you know I had a name?"

"All will become clear to you shortly. You are Aria of the Maza line?"

Aria blinked. "I am."

"Many bright blessings to you and your child." He nodded to he and her engorged belly.

Similarly, he greeted each of the starclan, before turning to the entire Starfleet assembly. "COME! The Matriarch wishes to meet you."

, , ,

The Matriarch's chamber was grand - a network of small metal flying buttresses and covered in sheets of some kind of transparent crystal sheets. As a result the bright twin suns cast brilliant, dancing colors across the floor so that it was difficult to tell what the true color of the soft material the floor was coated in really was.

Seated on the dais was a very old lavender female in a flowing robe, with an ornate silver crown and greying hair. The Matriarch. She looked at the other Starfleet types for a moment, and motioned the others to sit down in the circle of armchairs spread in a circle before the dais. They were two chairs short, so Jana and Aria spread their wings out under them, and sat on the floor. She spread her arms and wings wide, and began to chant something. Aria did not have a chance to listen to the words, as the world suddenly changed around them, and the vision came...

The radioactive fog was hanging like a dark cloud over the Manhattan sky. There was no longer night or day, just an endless red sky over a ruined waste of a city. Inside the bunker, a low light illuminated the group from the battered lantern hanging over the table. Six Gargoyles and one human were sitting around a large table in the center. They all knew why they were here. No one dared to speak, until Goliath stood up to address the group.

"There once was a time when I dreamed of Gargoyles across the world thriving. However, we no longer have the luxury of dreaming. Humans by the millions are being swallowed in nuclear fire. Humans will no doubt survive this Great War, but we must think about the survival of Gargoyles."

The other Gargoyles muttered their solemn agreement.

"I just wish we didn't have to lose Hudson, Broadway, and Bronx to decide this." Brooklyn added morosely.

"We must make sure their deaths are not forgotten or in vain." Goliath sighed. "We can only do so much to help the humans now."

"You'd be far wiser to think of your own kind, laddie." Macbeth observed from a darkened corner of the table. "I've performed the rite three time, and each time I've seen the same result. No Gargoyle will be left alive on this planet by the time the war comes to a close."

"No!" Demona protested hotly from the other end of the room, her red eyes flashing as she glared angrily at Macbeth. "We MUST survive! If Earth is not safe for our kind, then we must travel beyond it!"

Brooklyn snorted. "What will you do, huh? Cast a spell to take us all to Mars?" Goliath raised his hand to silence his protĆØgĆØ.

"As much as I don't like, much less trust Demona, she the right idea." Lex chimed in as he shot Demona a wary glance, "Khan Noonian Singh plans on conquering space for his 'supermen'. His engineers are building a lot of DY-100 class sleeper ships in what used to be China. We could always borrow one." Lex replied with a wide, impish grin.

"I like it," Demona replied with a predator's smile, "It's agreed then - let General Greene and the humans blow each other up with their atom bombs and war machines - Gargoyles will find a new world to live on in deep space."

"What about Avalon?" Angela proposed.

"Oberon is denying access of Avalon to anyone but you and I - he wants his island isolated from the conflict, and not a refuge." Goliath sighed. "No, we will divide our remaining forces into two groups. One will attempt to depose General Greene and Anton Sevarius once and for all - that should also reduce Singh's power greatly. The other will obtain a DY-100, and then gather rations and seeds from the Guatemalan clan to take with you. I'll command the first party. The other will be led by my mate."

All eyes now turned to the newest Gargoyle at the table. She was dressed in a spandex top that emphasized her Gargoyle muscles and firm but feminine breasts, and denim shorts that showed off her legs. Her hornless face was framed by ebony hair, as she leveled a very serious gaze at her lover. "I can handle it," replied the former detective, Elisa Maza.

"I'm going with you!" Demona told Goliath. Elisa scowled at Demona, growling a little.

"No, Demona." Goliath instructed her. "Now is NOT the time. You are the best one to help Elisa steal the DY-100, because no bullet or laser can kill you." He instructed her. "Likewise, I will work with Macbeth for the same reason."

Demona snarled in protest, but she also realized Goliath's logic was ironclad in its simplicity. These were not the times to argue the point. Survival of Gargoyle kind came first.

After most of the Gargoyles had dispersed, Elisa Maza remained in her seat, morosely studying a pencil in her left paw, and slowly shaving off wood chips from it with her talon. Macbeth pulled up the chair opposite her, and studied her.

"Will we survive this?" Elisa Maza asked in a hushed tone. "Humans, I mean."

"I've already seen a better society that will grow from the ashes of all of this, one that travels the stars, a society of peace." Macbeth reflected on his scryings. "And someday Goliath's dream will come true - Gargoyle hatchlings will play with and go to school with human children."

"I hope so, Macbeth," Elisa sighed, "My cop instinct tells me that this will be a very costly mission for all of us."

"Aye, lass! That it will," Macbeth replied with a weary sadness in his eyes.

, , ,

Khan Singh was angry. The war was not going quite the way he had hoped. The Allied nations had been making life difficult for his plans. He was just handed another stack of reports from a young blond male of about twenty-five. The expression on his face told Khan that the news was not going to get any better.

"Allied forces just sacked our base just outside Damascus. Four hundred troops lost."

"The breeding facility? Our children?" Khan asked with more concern than he normally would show.

"Our breeding facility was totally destroyed. Two hundred lost, sir. It will take months to replace it."

"What about our secret bases in Kansas and in upstate New York?"

"The Kansas base is still under repair from the damage caused by that new group of terrorists called the Jayhawkers. The base wasn't destroyed, but the damage was considerable. We were betrayed, sir. No question about it. The attack was too well planned and led. Though the weapons depot was the primary target, our genetic research facility there also took considerable damage. Although the nursery was not on line yet, therefore we lost no children, but our timetable will be delayed by three months at a minimum."

"What of New York?"

"Destroyed sir. Some kind of new mutant force of winged beings. They are not anything like we encountered before from the Allied forces. They attacked at night. There were three of them. We managed to drive them off, but not before they planted a powerful bomb. We still haven't ascertained exactly what their objective was. They flew off into the night sky. They don't look like anything Sevarius has made before. In fact, they were purely biological. There was no evidence of genetic engineering whatsoever. We couldn't get much on them, but we did manage to get one of them on a security video before it escaped."

Khan then tapped a button on the console on his ornate desk. The lights in the office dimmed as the video began rolling. Three winged creatures flew across the sky, silhouetted by the moonlight. Each one was man sized, and one was particularly large. The largest one turned and attacked a group of ground troops shooting at the other two creatures. In an impressive display of physical strength, the creature picked up a large piece of debris and threw it at the attackers.The camera caught a glimpse of the creature's face. Khan recognized the creature.

"Aha, the game is afoot, General Greene." Khan commented as a viper's smile crossed his chiseled features, "That is not an Alliance mutate, but a Gargoyle. I remember hearing of them from Anton. That blue one is named Goliath, the brown one is named Brooklyn, and the female is unknown. It appears that we have a new player in the game. I wonder what Goliath has in mind?"

, , ,

The next three weeks were spent in furious preparation for the exodus. Brooklyn and Elisa had made several runs to Guatemala for procurement of supplies while Goliath and Angela had made a special trip to Avalon to visit Oberon. Although Oberon himself refused to become involved in what he deemed was a planet-wide display of human stupidity, Goliath and Angela's plight moved the Gargoyles of Avalon. As a result, sixteen more Gargoyle adults of varying ages and a rookery of forty eggs were to be taken back to earth for the great venture to save Gargoyle kind.

Demona and Lexington teamed together to gather intelligence about the DY-100 base in China. Lexington used his considerable computer savvy to penetrate various computer systems while Demona flew reconnaissance missions with a video camera carefully recording every square millimeter of Khan's spaceport. Although Demona and Lexington had no reason to trust each other, Demona was far more concerned with species survival than her animosity toward Lex. Perhaps if we can get away from these corrupting humans, she reasoned, we could once again become a clan again as it were before the humans ruined everything. Her one and only regret is that she knew that she would never see Goliath alive again, and that thought brought a rarely seen tear to her eyes.

Lexington had plenty of his own reasons to distrust and hate Demona, yet he also knew that Demona's considerable skills would be needed. It pained him to have to remain behind, for every fiber of his being screamed for him to go with the Hyperion, the ship that they had agreed was the best one suited for the mission. Still, he had to remain behind to help Goliath. Goliath desperately needed Lexington's computer savvy for intelligence. Lex was worried about possible sabotage from Demona.

Lex wished Macbeth was going with the Hyperion instead of Demona. He simply didn't trust her, and he also felt Elisa was in great danger from the treacherous Gargoyle. Lex hoped that one day Demona could eventually get over her hate and rejoin the clan, but something deep inside him told him that she was probably too far gone for that.

, , ,

The sky didn't look very different than the way it had looked during much of the war. The sickly reddish glow was less intense than it was during the day, but it was still morbid. Elisa, Demona and a gigantic male Gargoyle from Avalon named Duncan gathered on a hilltop about ten kilometers from Kahn's spaceport. A tough-looking human in battle armor by the name of Major Ellington came up to the assembled Gargoyles.

"Everything's ready," Major Ellington declared, his Aussie accent evident, "My forces are in place and we can create all the diversion you need to steal the Hyperion."

"Excellent!" Elisa exclaimed, "The attack begins at 23:00. Lay down some heavy cover fire. Make Kahn's forces think the armory is the target. Hopefully, you can raise enough ruckus to draw away most of the forces garrisoned at the spaceport."

"We can make them believe we are invaders from outer space if necessary," replied the major. He then smartly saluted and left to rejoin his troops.

"Do you think we can trust this human?" Demona snorted derisively at Elisa.

"Goliath does," Elisa remarked, "Dingo said he was very reliable."

"Dingo?" Demona replied with surprise, "I am surprised you actually trust him after what he did when he was with the Pack. You are too naive and forgiving, even for a human."

"I am not exactly human anymore Demona!" Elisa shot back angrily, her eyes glowing an ominous red color, "No more than you are a Gargoyle any more, Dominique!"

"Why you..." Demona hissed as her eyes glowed bright red as she crouched in preparation for pouncing. If there was one thing Demona could not stand was her shared existence as a human being instead of stone. One day she vowed to get her revenge on the Puck for his cruelty.

"Cease fire!" Duncan roared as he spread his massive forest-green wings to their full six and one half meter span. The two females glared at him angrily, but backed down in the actinic glare of his glowing eyes. Duncan was easily Goliath's size and just as powerful. "We will never survive if you two keep fighting! I am ready to take the eggs and my friends back to Avalon and tell Oberon that he is right to let this planet die! Either way, we as a species lose! Oberon limits our numbers now, and we too, need to explore and colonize suitable uninhabited worlds for Gargoyle kind."

Both female Gargoyles knew that he would, and neither of them wanted to face the prospect of having to explain the mission failure to Goliath. Both women knew it would destroy him, and they both loved him too much to risk that.

"Demona, Major Ellington also has a good reason to hate Khan," Elisa explained, eyes now a dull red color, "Khan killed the Major's wife three years ago. Revenge is something I am sure you understand quite well, Demona!"

"Very well then," Demona replied as she nodded in agreement. At least her daughter was safe. Angela was at the debarkation area in Australia deep in the outback. She then returned her attention to the gathered Gargoyles as they finalized their preparations.

, , ,

The raid went easier than anyone had expected. Duncan led the attack with a heavy laser and peppered the spaceport defenses with well directed and effective fire. Confusion soon reigned within the spaceport compound as the garrison there quickly mobilized to help their brethren under attack at the armory. Demona and Elisa quickly overpowered the few guards that remained at their posts. Elisa and Demona then powered up the Hyperion and picked up Duncan when Major Ellington's forces withdrew. They then flew at a low altitude to evade Coalition defenses toward the Australian Outback to pick up the rest of the Gargoyles. Much to their surprise, Goliath, Lexington, and Brooklyn were there as well. Macbeth was also there, along with the Xanatos family. It was the final goodbye, and everyone knew it. Three hours later, the Hyperion blasted into space under the cover of darkness.

"The eggs and the rest of the Avalon Gargoyles are safely in the stasis chambers." Demona reported to Elisa.

"Demona, I know in the past we have fought, particularly over Goliath's love. I am willing to let all the pain and hurt of the past go. Like it or not, we both lost Goliath."

"True. He was my first love," Demona sighed. "I was angry when he chose you over me. Why do you still want to make peace with me?"

"We have a common bond, Demona, and that is Angela, " Elisa explained, "Before I left, Goliath asked me to protect her when you could not. She is all I have left of Goliath as well as she is all you have left of him. Granted I was not born a Gargoyle no more than you were born human, but I find myself becoming different somehow. Remember when you were caught in that crossfire from those two plasma laser turrets?"

"Yes. I was surprised to see you come to my aid," Demona reluctantly admitted, "I could have survived. I am immortal."

"What if it had been Macbeth had been in a similar attack? You could have both have been killed simultaneously."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I have changed, Demona," Elisa sighed, "I could have easily left you behind. Most humans would say I should have left you behind for what you have done to me in the past, yet I found it impossible. Granted, I am not forgiving you for the past, yet something is different now. Something inside me said it was wrong for me to leave you to the wolves, and that I must save you. For that brief moment, you were family to me, and I had to save you." Demona was surprised to see a tear in the corner of her archrival's eye.

Demona was also confused as well. She was indeed surprised to be rescued by her archenemy. Oddly enough, her rivalry with Elisa didn't matter as much now. Her life was now filled with a deeper sense of purpose; the purpose of defending their new rookery and clan, as any Gargoyle would. As much as Demona didn't want to, she had to admit that Elisa had indeed become a Gargoyle in spirit as well as body.

"Where do you think we should point the ship?" Elisa asked her rival.

"Duncan gave me these coordinates he brought with him from Avalon" Demona replied as she handed Elisa a paper with a series of numbers written on it. "It is an earthlike world with no people, but abundant animal and plant life. It should be ideal for our rookery." Demona entered the coordinates into the computer and engaged the engines. She returned her gaze to the view screen and watched as the sunlight began to emerge from the edge of the earth. Elisa turned sharply as Demona screamed, severe pain contorting Demona's face. Demona saw Elisa's shocked expression as she tried to rise from the command chair. A crackling noise filled the cabin as Elisa's body was filled with pleasant warmth, her ears filled with the pain-racked screams of Demona. Five seconds later, Elisa Maza had turned to stone.

"What...is happening...to us..." was all that Dominique Destine was able to squeak out weakly before she collapsed in agony, her dreams of a new beginning shattering in her mind's eye.

, , ,

Aria and Jana found themselves blinking and looking at one another as the spell came to an end. That was when the Matriarch sat and began to speak. Seven of Nine pulled out her tricorder, and began taking readings, curious.

"We arrived on this world a hundred years ago. Many of our kind at the time were also born humans like you, Jana and Aria, who were changed by magic, or Sevarius's genetic formulas. You, Aria Maza, are a relative of one of the greatest humans-turned-Gargoyles who ever lived. Four hundred years ago one of your maternal grandmothers was a woman named Beth Maza. Her sister, Elisa Maza, was the mate of Goliath. He gave his life during the war, and Elisa - turned a Gargoyle - took seeds and frozen samples of plants that originated in the Amazon rain forests and transplanted to Avalon for safe keeping, with them on their journey. Except for Demona and Elisa - your relative - all the Gargoyles were put in cryogenic sleep. The ship was secretly launched, computed guided to find an inhabitable world for us. Once it reached the edge of the shadow of the earth, everyone on board turned to stone, save Demona.

"According to the ship's computers, it traveled in deep space for many years before being caught by a freak, naturally occurring wormhole. The ship was thrown about violently, and while the Gargoyles in stasis were protected, Elisa, trapped in sleep, was shattered." The Matriarch paused for a moment, hanging her head and letting a tear fall from her eye. "Upon emerging from the wormhole, the ship had no power, and drifted for many more years, before crashing on this world. Once night fell, we were awakened. Some of our people did not survive the crash, but most did. Although not an ideally hospitable world, we were trapped here, and made do. We planted our seeds and plant cuttings, and discovered that they grew here - thriving plentifully. Our world slowly became a beautiful place."

"You were Angela, weren't you?" Aria asked. "You are colored the same as Jana and I."

The Matriarch smiled, and nodded wordlessly. She went on with her story. "We made this a planet of Gargoyles and began to teach our children the ways of Gargoyles in the past. Our rookeries are once again filled with eggs, and though there was some fighting at first, we were determined to be better than the humans, though we longed to hear from our brethren back home. Using magic we have followed the paths of the others who were left behind. When Adam's parents died, we thought all hope was lost. But then, one of our sages spoke a prophesy, that one day Adam would mate with another, and though Adam himself would later die, his mate, and her child, would be the cause of the reuniting of Gargoyles and humans in peace - once and for all."

Aria's mouth hung open a little, blushing.

"'Tis a grand destiny, lass!" Greystone lauded Aria. "I think we all have had some part in that as well."

"True." Spoke The Matriarch. "The prophesy also spoke of a second female who was part human, part alien, and part Gargoyle combined. She would be the leader of the new clan, and the mother Gargoyle would be her second. It also said you would both be colored like Goliath."

"Guilty as charged." Jana laughed a little. "I guess that's a pretty good description of me."

The Matriarch bowed her head a little to them. "How can we help?"

Seven leaned over to the Captain, whispering. "She has what appears to be Iverson's disease, but it has not progressed, nor is there any evidence of symptoms. The doctor would be amazed." she reported.

Aria and Jana were startled - unsure what to make of all this - and couldn't think of a thing to say.

"Pardon me, Matriarch." Chakotay spoke. "But why did you grant us permission to land?"

The Matriarch nodded. "So long as there remains peace between Gargoyles and humans on Wyvern, then you may stay. I would ask though, Captain, for your ship's computer to provide us with as much information about what has happened with our home planet and fellow humans since our departure. In exchange, we will give you as much information about us as we can."

"Thank you, Matriarch. I look forward to reading about Gargoyles and your history." Janeway inquired. "Do you still have the Hyperion and it's technology?"

"Yes - and more. We built these great cities, did we not?" The Matriarch explained, motioning to the great glass hall around them. We can even travel the stars if we choose, but the Borg began to attack us a few years ago, and we could not defend ourselves against them, in space."

"You have warp drive?" Inquired Chakotay.

"Yes." The Matriarch nodded. "And many techniques of healing which will change human medicine."

"Can you help us fix our ship?" Seven inquired in a mechanical manner.

"Our technology is inclusive of so much magic. It would take years to teach you to use it all."

"How have you held off the Borg?" Jana asked.

"Our technology is a blend of science and sorcery. Our knowledge is greater than the Borg's, and they want it badly."

"THAT'S why they attacked me!" Aria said, touching a paw to her Borg implants.

"They hoped you knew the secret to getting past our cloaking shield and weapons." The Matriarch explained. "We shall also show you the skills of our healers. Come, young Aria Maza." The elderly Gargoyle woman stepped down from her dais, and motioned for them to follow. "We will help silence the Borg voices from your mind."

Aria and Jana leapt to their feet and followed, followed by the Scottish Gargoyles. Janeway motioned to her crew.

"Let them go. Let's return to the ship and tell the crew they have leave, and the kind of people who granted them leave." Janeway suggested. "I'll bet Jana and the others are going to be busy for quite a while."

, , ,

Aria dreamt. She saw the Post-Atomic Horror of 2079 in her dreams, when human beings were ruled by fear and greed. Soldiers for individual groups roamed about occasionally, armored in brown suits, and snorting crack. But slowly... slowly the image faded. She saw a dead world, and it's new inhabitants slowly culturing the water from the mountains and rivers, releasing oxygen into the atmosphere, cooling it slightly, and turning it slowly into a wonderfully lush world filled with plantlife. The lifeforms adapted and began to flourish under the new conditions, living in coexistence with the new winged inhabitants of the world.

She felt for the first time that she was truly one of them. Aria felt like she had been accepted by a small family that truly valued her and her child. A place that loved her for who she was, both as a person and as a gargoyle. For the first time, she felt like she truly belonged.

Jana paced the room nervously. She could feel the distinct feeling that magic was taking place inside the crystalline glass doors. Selena and another Wyvernian gargoyle emerged after about three hours of Jana's anxious waiting. The Wyvernian was a female of about Aria's age, apparently one of the assistants to the Matriarch. She was a light apple-green color with large wings, with single fingers at their apex.

"She'll be fine, sister. They're all done, and cleaning up. Aria will be awake in a few minutes, and they say you can come see her than." Selena explained with tones of comfort.

The Wyvernian woman smiled too, motioning for Jana and Selena to have a seat on the crystal-edged couches. "What's on your mind, sister?" she asked Jana.

Jana rubbed her paws together. "I'm curious. I read the material you gave me, but I still don't understand a few things."

"Ask. Perhaps I can explain." she replied.

Jana knew this gargoyle woman did not have a name, but if she had Jana would have called her by it. "Well... eh, sister... as you know, I am a... unnatural gargoyle, you might say. How do your people look on me?"

She shook her head, laughing. "Many of us are descended from those gargoyles raised from birth in the bodies of human beings - many of them are our greatest heros and leaders. The Maza Family is the most notorious, of which your sister Aria is one of them. Though more distantly related is nonetheless their kin. You are of our blood, and your actions have been hailed by your sister and brothers. Using scrying we have seen your actions from afar, and know of sacrifices you will yet make to see to the rights and protection of gargoyle kind, not only here in the Delta Quadrant, but in the Alpha Quadrant as well."

"Heros?" Jana shook her head, having difficulty swallowing that word.

"Would Heroine suit you better?" she smiled, giggling. Jana gathered this was a joke, and chuckled along with her.

Jana's gaze drifted to the great glass and tripolymer halls they were in. "I've noticed you are mostly an agrarian society, but you build large halls like these. Why?"

"The Goddess gives us all things, and charges us to waste nothing. When She gives us technology and the wisdom to use it, we build what we need and nothing more. There is a water purification plant, power generators, and surface-to-space weapons for defending our world and hiding it from unwelcome outsiders like The Borg and the Kazon. This hall is for the council of Wyvern to meet, in that wing is the hospital. Sometimes the village healers can only do so much, and that is only one of many reason the Goddess gave us access and knowledge of how to heal - both with sorcery and technology. That is why we have made the arcane and the scientific one and the same."

Jana whistled. "I guess that makes sense. Where do you get so many different colors of crystals? Do you grow them?"

She laughed. "Nay - no need!! They grow here in plenty! There are thousands of kilometers of caves in which we can hide if the worst occurs, in which the crystals grow."

"The same with the gems?" Jana nodded, referring to the jeweled throne of the Matriarch back in the council chamber.

She nodded, just as a ringing noise was heard. "Ah, sisters come along now. Aria is awake."

Aria was smiling peacefully, looking up at the ceiling when the others arrives. She saw Jana, and reached out for her. Jana embraced her tightly as Aria lay in the bed. "I had dreams..." Aria informed them.

"That's normal." Said the head Wyvernian doctor, an old grey skinned woman with wings similar to Aria and Jana's, except colored inside with black. "We were doing a lot of magic with your mind to protect and shield it while we carefully remove the Borg infestations. The chemical welding they did into your cerebrum was only possible if the brain were capable of healing while the magic is being applied to remove the welds."

"I saw the earth in the 21st century, after World War III..." Aria recalled. "And the foundation of Planet Wyvern..."

"Those were things your mind linked onto to express what was happening to it. The painful part came first, then the healing." the doctor observed.

Jana touched Aria's cheek, filled with relief. The implants and devices on the side of her head were gone without any trace that they had ever been there in the first place. Jana was so relieved she could almost cry. For some reason she felt so close to Aria... and the rest of her Starclan... she could hardly bear the thought of loosing one, for all her fierce exterior.

The doctor looked up as though he'd forgotten something. "Oh, by the way, Ms. Maza. I'd recommend come in for a check-in with us daily."

Aria nodded. "To check up on the healing process?"

"No..." the doctor smiled. "In anticipation of your delivery. We expect you are only a matter of days away."

Aria groaned and collapsed back on the bed. "I get no peace." Jana and the others all laughed.

, , ,

Night fell, bringing Jana and Aria to explore as much of the hot and humid planet as they could. For nights they met as many of their kind on this world as they possibly could, getting to know their fellow Gargoyles, and learning about them - even learning a little about themselves in the process. No one pointed to the sky and called them "Monsters", "Demons" or "Creatures". Every person they met accepted them. It didn't matter that they were strangers; they were considered one of their own. Selena and the others were a little stigmatized - but not in a bad way. They were looked up to and respected because of their being straight out of Scottish history as a portion of the Wyvernians were.

The emphasis of their exploring changed after a few days. They started laughing a lot more, and talked about home and Starfleet a lot less. Aria couldn't remember when it was, but at one point Jana reached out and took Aria's paw, pointed to a statue on the ground, they talked about it, and Jana kept holding onto Aria's paw. Perhaps it was the fact that Aria was too busy thinking about how much she loved gliding and feeling the wind under her wings. The wind blowing through her air and caressing her face. This was her first vacation in the nine months since her graduation from the academy, or just the friendly acceptance they received in this place, Aria was too distracted to care.

It was the second day before their scheduled departure, and Jana suggested a picnic. Aria was game for the idea - she hadn't been on a picnic since she and Jack had been seeing each other. They packed some Wyvernian food, and a few jalapeƱos (Aria wondered why she was craving the bloody things!), and found a spot on the grass not far from the Voyager's landing site, where they could be alone. The four Wyvernian moons were hanging in the night sky over them. They laughed a little at themselves and how much they had learned about being Gargoyles since their individual transformations. Once again Jana was holding Aria's paw. Aria assumed that it must have been Jana's former male personality asserting itself and said nothing for a while. However, Aria's curiosity finally got the better of herself.

"Jana..." she began slowly. "Why are we holding hands?"

Jana seemed to go white, and she immediately pulled her hands away. Aria pulled them back. Jana blinked in confusion, and began to try and explain.

"Aria... I..."

"Jana, I think I understand. Aren't we both going through a period of... adjustment?"

Jana started to reach out for Aria's face, but stopped herself. "May I?"

Aria nodded she could. Jana gently caressed Aria's cheek.

"Have you ever touched another woman before?" she asked. Aria shook her head. "Neither have I."

Moving gently, Jana pulled Aria's chin closer to her own, and their lips met. Jana wrapped her wings around her friend, and to caress her hair. One of Jana's paws strayed to Aria's tortuously stretched abdomen, caressing it's surface tenderly, as Aria's paws gently searched all over Jana's body...

It was about that time in which Captain Janeway decided that she could no longer thoughtfully watch from a distance. She smiled a little to herself. So this is what Jana had been up to while they were gone. She thought.

, , ,

The Captain of the USS Voyager found Kim and Paris at the post on shift. The blue lights were on, and many of the consoles were inactive. Kim and Paris were seated, and Janeway only caught a few seconds of their conversation.

"I like Deenax, she's got a great body and I love that fiery red hair." Tom was saying, turned backwards in his chair, sitting with his legs crossed at the ankles propped up against the hand rail. "She's also wild. I like a girl with a little excitement."

"Excitement?" Harry blurted as he rolled his eyes upward, "You don't know the half of Deenax's story. She makes B'Elanna Torres look like Kes! You're going to get a lot more than you bargained for with her." Harry cautioned lightheartedly.

"Really? Last night she told me she wrecked a bar in San Francisco."

"It's true, Tom. I remember that incident." Harry replied with glee, "She got loaded one night and nearly destroyed the Starway Lounge single-handedly and clobbered a Tellarite. Took four cops to subdue her. Captain Janeway sent me to the SFPD lockup to bring her back to the Voyager." Paris laughed. "I was honestly afraid of her then. She is way too wild for me now."

"She even claims to have put an admiral in the hospital. I just hope the admiral she clobbered wasn't my father." Paris said with a huge smile.

"Maza is a real looker, Gargoyle or not - it seems like a genetic characteristic of every female of their race. Selena's hot also, but I like talking to Aria - she's a lot of fun." Harry replied. "She is more down to earth than Jana. Jana and Selena are just too wild for me."

Janeway began to chuckle, leaning on the security console as she regarded them. "You're both hopeless."

The two men looked at their captain with puzzlement - a little embarrassed at being caught at their "guy talk".

"Tom, it looks like you got the Harry Kim Syndrome," Captain Janeway chuckled. It was no secret aboard the Voyager that Ensign Harry Kim had a long track record of falling in love with impossible women. Tal, Seven of Nine, a computer image, just to name a few. "Tom, Harry - off the record, you're both insane. Can I talk to you about something, and it not get around the ship?"

"Sure, Cap." Tom nodded.

"Not only are those two the wrong species for both of you," Janeway sighed. "But those two are lesbians. You'd have better luck trying to ask a rock out on a date."

The two men paled, staring at each other. "Damn!" Tom cursed. The look on their faces was precious. The captain closed herself in her office.

An alarm sounded on Tom's console, cause him to twirl, and bring a sensor display up. "OH SHIT - CAPTAIN TO THE BRIDGE!!!" he shouted in alarm.

Harry Kim ran to a different console, and looked at the displays. Captain Janeway came back out of her office. "I can't even get a cup off.... what's wrong?"

"Borg transwarp conduit just appeared above the planet." Kim reported. "Borg ship now entering orbit."

"Open up a channel to the Matriarch." Janeway snapped the order almost mechanically.

Paris had the Wyvernian on screen in less than a second. "We see them, Captain." replied a male gargoyle in his prime, speaking in a doleful tone. "This is our prime advantage - just sit back and watch the show."

Then they were gone, and the viewscreen returned to the image of the Borg vessel looming in orbit overhead. Janeway shook her head. "Harry, put systems on automatic if necessary, but I want full power as soon as you can give it to me. If anyone is on the ship, tell them to report to stations immediately. Give me a tone, Mister Paris."

"Aye, cap." Tom nodded, and the Red Alert Klaxons blared.

, , ,

Aria and Jana lay atop the hilltop for many hours in each others arms, with their wings wrapped around one another, kissing and touching one another.

After a while they took a rest, looking up at the stars. "For all the stellar cartography and astrophysics, the stars... really are beautiful, aren't they?"

Aria nodded, nuzzling her companion delicately like a newborn child resting it's head on her mother's breast. "All the new constellations. There's an old style phaser there, and a PADD..."

"Look at that nebulae over there. I wonder what the name of it is. That one over there looks like a Borg ship." Jana laughed.

Aria's smiled twisted to worry as she looked at the latter. "That IS a Borg ship!" she exclaimed with worry.

Jana squinted at it. "I think you're..."

"AAAAAAUGH!!!" Aria suddenly blurted out, clutching her middle.

"Aria!" Jana gasped, in horror. "What's the matter!"

"My... my..." Aria sputtered. "NNNNNNGGGGGAAARRRGGGGH!!!" she growled, her eyes flaming amber colored.

"What is it?!!!" Jana exclaimed with worry, taking Aria's face in her paws - all thoughts of the Borg ship in orbit forgotten.

"Please... take me to the citadel..." Aria panted, a sweat breaking out on her brow. "My water... just broke..."

, , ,

As Captain Janeway struggled to get a sleeping ship up and running, the crew that were nearby heard the sound of the air-raid alarm sounding, and gargoyles racing to various destinations. Piercing beams of light shot up from The Citadel in the darkness of the moonless night, flooding the landscape with a yellow and red light. The borg ship had already lost no time, according to the sensors on the USS Voyager. Firing a beam in the Voyager's direction, but being intercepted by the field that surrounded and protected the planet.

Janeway and her two remaining bridge crew witnessed the shots fired from the surface intersecting the attacking cube and it's electromagnetic shield. They watched the readouts with stunned fascination as the beams literally overpowered their shield and every single shield generator location on the cube, sparking and exploding into a cascade of flames aboard the cube. Now that the shield was down, it was less than a nanosecond before the surface-to-air energy weapon moved on from the overpowered shield, and onto the structure of the cube itself, burning it's way through until it emerged - unobstructed on the other side, leaving a trail of burning Borg and destruction in it's wake.

The beam stopped firing, pausing, waiting to see if the Borg would react. Their beam attempting to pierce the Wyvernian's planetary shield continued unabated, per the Borg ship's decentralized design. Harry Kim reported, "The Borg are still attacking, even though every part of their ship is on fire."

"They want this planet pretty badly to send a full sized ship. They must have reacted when they lost contact with Aria's consciousness signal." Janeway theorized. "How soon can you have main power online?"

"Ten minutes!" Tom reported.

"We don't HAVE ten minutes!" Kim nearly shouted in alarm. "Who knows how long that shield will last, even if it is that powerful?"

"How do they see us if we're cloaked with the planet?" Tom inquired.

"Followed our ion trail."

"In other words, we led them here?"

"Options?"

Paris looked at her. "Recommend we use auxiliary power to fire a phaser blast from our current position."

"What about the shield?" Kim replied.

"It's worth a shot. Fire a shot - if it doesn't work, don't waste auxiliary power." Janeway commanded.

"Now we can honestly say when we get home that we fought the Borg in just about every way possible." Kim muttered.

A wicked red lance traced it's way out from the hull of the peacefully landed starship, intersecting with the Borg vessel - oblivious to the planetary shield. "Looks like we can shoot through it." Paris noted.

"Good. See if you can help break up the pieces."

Another yellow-orange beam from the Wyvernians lanced at the remaining chunk of Borg ship, and between the two beams, the remaining core of Borg exploded into a ball of fire that went into space of impacted harmlessly on the planetary shield. Janeway, Kim, and Paris saw it all on the viewscreen. The shield undulated like a skin of water for a moment as it absorbed the last of the blast, and then the night sky was dark once more except for the twinkling of the stars.

"Voyager, this is Wyvern control."

"Nice job control."

"It was a good show, but your help was quite unnecessary. We didn't even activate more than one beam."

"Just earning our keep, Wyvern control." Janeway smiled, shrugging.

"Truly you humans are creatures of honor - much more evolved than your ancestors." The gargoyle on the viewscreen smiled approvingly, and the signal ended.

, , ,

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAARGH!!!!!" Aria screamed with fury, eyes blazing angrily, as her paws gripping the arm wrists on the special chair she had been placed in with white knuckles. Thankfully, it was strong titanium mesh. The chair was upright, allowing Aria to stand without putting pressure on her legs, while she stood with her legs spread wide apart. Her clothes had been removed, and her wings and tail were beating painfully behind her.

"Try to calm down, Aria." Selena soothed her, massaging her genitals gently, trying to relax the muscles in the right places.

"HOW CAN I RELAX WHEN IT FUCKING HURTS?!!!" Aria shouted back, quite unnecessarily.

"Do you want something for the pain?" One of the Wyvernian midwives inquired.

"NO!" Aria answered quickly. "I just scream and rant to... EEEEERNNNNNNNNNGHHH!!! ...make it hurt less..."

Selena smiled. "That is our Aria."

It seemed gargoyles liked to use midwifery, as opposed to the style traditionally used by the Federation. Jana was not present - too nervous. Honestly, Aria could not think of a better place to have her baby... er... egg? Here was a place filled with gargoyle experts and friends - other gargoyles. They had the technology of medicine, and the magic power gargoyles seemed to master. Perhaps fate hate brought them here after all, because Aria did not believe in dumb luck. She even wondered what her mother would think if she were there right now?

However, right now she could only think of the pain in her body. She felt like someone was slicing a hot knife through her insides. Did I do this to my mother when she was born? "GODDAMNIT ADAM!!!" she shouted to the air. "I love you but look what you FUCKING DID TO ME?!!! I HOPE YOU CAN FEEL IT TOO!"

She would REGRET that, later.

Selena just shook her head, turning to the midwives. "She's a first-time mother, so try to explain what your doing..."

"You're doing wonderfully, Aria - just hang in there." One of the midwives, an elderly lady with an athletic frame and a delicate, wiry move to her body, knelt before Aria and used a small instrument to her vagina. "Cervix is fully dilated, and I can see the egg, it's already starting to work it's way through the cervix."

"Is that bad?" Aria asked, panting.

"Breath like I showed you, dear. It's good - it means you're already half done."

"NNNNNNNAAARRRRRRGH!!!!" Aria snarled. "Thank the Goddess for small favors... OOOOWWWWAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRNNNNNGH!"

A small hint of white appeared, to Aria's perspective, somewhere down there as she peered down between her breasts. "Keep it up, you're doing great..."

The midwife applied a small plant-based salve to the edges of Aria's vagina to allow it to stretch and prevent it from cracking or bleeding - one of the wonders of the plantlife transplanted here from the long dead rainforests of ancient earth. "OOOOOOOOaaaAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!" Aria roared again, eyes flashing with vivid agony, wrapping her tail around her leg, loosening, wrapping it around the other leg, and starting over again. She struggled to breathe correctly... "NNNNNNNAAARRRRRRGH!!!!"

"You're doing GREAT, Aria Maza. You do your family proud." the midwife comforted her.

Aria took a breath between contractions. "NNNghhh... I'm sure Elisa Maza never passed a FUCKING STARSHIP between her legs!! RRRRnnnnngh....!!!"

Aria couldn't help think about her mother, on earth, going through this same thing with Aria, now a daughter of the stone and wing...

"Almost there, keep it up, just one more..."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANGH!" Aria screamed in protest.

"You're doing great, Aria."

Aria screamed loud enough to shatter the glass building, when she suddenly felt a sudden freeing of tension in her body, as the egg slipped free, falling a short distance into a bed of soft leaves and reed-down that had been prepared in advance. An attendant came in, and began to apply a thin coat of a watery substance to the white surface of the egg.

"Witness to the Goddess, thus another Gargoyle is born into the world." One of them chanted in a religious tone.

Aria's eyes drifted closed, as she leaned forward in the cradle, and the waiting midwife caught her as she fainted.

Selena sighed for Aria's benefit. "The first time is always rough."

, , ,

The twin Wyvernian stars shone brightly down overhead as the gargoyles slept. That is, all but the Starclan. As the crew of the USS Voyager prepared to go on about it's Voyage across the Delta Quadrant. Jana piloted the Joker's Luck II from the recesses of the Voyager's shuttle bay, landing it near the Voyager's The Citadel. The Voyager was planning on departing tonight after that had bade sufficient farewell to their guests.

The starclan, for whatever reason, had been asked by the Matriarch to remain there. While Aria was still in recovery, she had fared very well in her delivery it appeared. Ah, the wonders of Midwifery. The girl was very weak from having had a very long and stressful past week, and she was sleeping the old fashioned way - just to be safe. As night fell, the gargoyles all bid farewell to the Voyager beneath the great graceful shadows cast by the large duranium-alloy construction in the light of Wyvern's four small moons. Some inside windows on the craft were lit once more, and there was a bright red glow being cast by the buzzard collectors, indicating that the ship's main power was now online and ready to continue on their journey.

"Jana... there's just one thing I don't understand." Captain Janeway asked, as she shook the paw of the familiar gargoyle-trill before her. "Why are you staying?"

Jana sighed. "The Matriarch asked us to, saying that our paths lay across different destinies."

"I wonder if she knows if we'll ever get home."

"I can tell you right now that she knows you will." Jana smiled, comfortingly. "But knowing that will affect the result, so swear to me you will do your very best and keep trying because she never even told me HOW you would get back."

Janeway sighed, nodding. "Of all the places we've visited, this might be one place that I will miss the most. No dark secrets, no mysteries, open and honest people, and not afraid to defend themselves. Yet there is peace here."

Jana, in a moment of emotion, reached out to her former captain and embraced her. Captain Janeway was a little startled at first, but heard the choking sob in Jana's breathing, and realized that there was a lot of emotion at stake for her former ensign. If this had been a formal situation she might have minded, but as a friend...? Katherine Janeway put aside her rank for a moment, as she was so wonderfully good at doing, and returned the hug. "I want to see you again, Jana Deenax."

"I swear it. Even if I have to go to the alpha quadrant in our own starship, someday... I want to see my family again too."

Katherine thought of her husband who had since remarried, and felt that same pang of hot emotion in her heart. She did not reply... she could think of nothing to say.

They broke, and Jana waved as Selena's hand slipped onto her shoulder. She gently touched Jana's face, wiping away the tear that had been birthed there. "What are you feeling?" Selena inquired.

"She... I dunno... was like a great teacher to me."

Selena squeezed Jana's arm gently. "Say no more."

The gargoyles were all waving in their own manner - ever the Wyvernian natives. Their mode of waving was a paw raised in the air above their heads, palm facing the Voyager, and talons spread in the air. The scottish gargoyles did likewise of their own accord. Jana and the Starclan followed the example of the others. As the last groups were selectively beamed aboard, Tom leaned over to Harry one last time, looking at Deenax and Maza as he did. "Too bad they're lesbians..."

"I AM NOT!!!" Jana protested, but that was when the transporter cycle began. At least... not exclusively...

The bright blue glow of the plasma injectors within the warp nacelle manifolds heralded the activation of the warp engines a hot breeze began to fill the night air, but only enough to stir Aria's hair a bit, as the ship lifted into the air. The red impulse ion cells fired a short burst, and like a rocket, the large ship began to accelerate through the atmosphere. Upon reaching the outer limits to the atmosphere, the ship glided unimpeded through the outer planetary shield as though it were made of a skin of water, closing again behind them before so much as a transporter beam could sneak through. To the Voyager's point of the view the planet simply vanished behind them. The vessel crossed the four moons, raised the engines to running position, and vanished in a flash, towards the direction of home.

, , ,

Jana waited in the antechamber for Aria as she was examined. Aria was dubbed perfectly healthy, having recovered unusually quickly for someone who didn't turn to stone like they did. Jana couldn't help but smile. There was a wide smile on Aria's face as she emerged from the examination. Jana instinctively reached out and took Aria into her arms. Aria responded with a warm squeeze and a sigh. "What's the matter?"

"I'm just not sure we made the right decision. I think we should have gone with Voyager."

"We have to trust that the seers and the Matriarch know something we don't."

"True." Jana's lips met Aria's. Aria felt like her knees would buckle, swimming in her new sister's touch. "There's a lot we can learn from them.

Aria gasped a little as they broke, reaching for air. "Come - they'll be expecting us in the throne room."

"Answer me one thing." Jana asked as they walked down the corridor, tails occasionally intertwining, and holding hands the entire distance. "Would you stay here?"

"Definitely." Aria nodded.

"What about your career? Starfleet? Sentience rights?"

"All those things are in capable hands, but my child must now be my first priority. This is the type of world I want my child to be raised on." she added firmly.

Jana sighed. "Wherever you go, I'll follow you. I swear it." She added in a serious tone. Aria nuzzled her sister closely.

"AH! There be the two lasses now!" Came Greystone's familiar scottish baroque as they entered the throne room. "Ye two have become mighty familiar with each other in the last week, ain't ye?"

Jana and Aria glanced at each other and back at Greystone. Aria smiled. "Aye."

The Matriarch seemed unsurprised, but pleased - smiling as she motioned for the Starclan to sit before her. "The time has come for you to return home with your ship."

This caught the others off guard. "Return... home?" Jana stammered. "I thought..."

"They starship Voyager has it's own destiny to face, but that is not the path for you. Now that Aria's egg is safely lain, you must return or else gargoyles will never be accepted by humanity. This is a critical moment, and there is still much work left to do."

Jana began to laugh. "I hope you have a wormhole handy, because thirty-thousand light years..."

The Matriarch raised a hand to Jana, and Jana fell silent. "We have the power to travel there, but only in small amounts. We have more sorcerers trained now than ever before, and we shall endeavor to send you within your ship back home. Such a task could never have been possible with a ship so big as the Voyager. It is everything we could do to give them supplies, trade information, and send them on their way." she explained.

The others nodded.

"How long?" Selena inquired undiplomatically.

"Now. You are to gather your things, and go at once to your ship. The enchanters are already assembling."

True to the Matriarch's word, a group of Shamans had gathered around their small runabout by the time they arrived.

"What do we do now?" Jana protested, a little worried.

"Click your heels together three times and repeat 'There's no place like home'?" Aria suggested. This comment was lost on the three scottish gargoyles who just blinked their eyes in confusion.

"Go aboard." The Matriarch instructed.

"Wait!" Aria exclaimed before they left. "Will we ever see you again, Angela?"

The Matriarch smiled at Aria's use of her given name, and smiled in a youthful manner like she used to frequently, four hundred years before. "I guarantee it."

There were many anxious minutes as the others waited in their restored and operational Joker's Luck II. A magic/science reactor core had been installed by the Wyvernians, one capable of producing the same fourth-power energy levels should they need it. Right now, it was just a dim light inside a reactor chamber, as it ran on low power consumption. Jana had repaired her and Aria's new Tetrion Pulse Launcher banks and the phase compression emitter they had built into the deflector array.

All at once a light began to build around the outside of the shuttle, and the scenery outside changed. Jana blinked with surprise. "Scanning." she reported. Aria activated the copilot display. "According to these readings, we're in the alpha quadrant." The others looked at each other, smiling. "Well I'll be a monkey's uncle..." Jana couldn't help but smile as well.

"Well? What are you WAITING for, lassies? We've got work to be done!" Greystone exclaimed.

Jana and Aria nodded. Jana entered the coordinates. "Reactor up to 20% power." Aria reported.

"Engaging warp engines." Jana nodded in reply.

With that, the shuttle was nothing more than a streaking ball of light that echoed only a burst of light as it entered warp drive.