Err, do I have to write the disclaimer every time? I don't want to if I don't have to.
Flesh and Steel: Chapter 2
Harry stumbled into sickbay, his muscles weakened from the walk and his exposure to the Theta radiation that plagued the Jefferies tube he crawled out of. In dimmed light of sickbay he called out automatically, "Computer, activate the EMH."
"The Emergency Medical Hologram is missing from the database."
"Damn it!" He hoped that the doctor was merely off line, not missing like the rest of the crew. He had basic medical knowledge, but he didn't know what was needed to cure the radiation. "Computer, what is the prescribed treatment for Theta Radiation poisoning?"
"The treatment for Theta Radiation poisoning is 20 cubic centimeters of hyronalin."
Harry's muscles ached as he made his way over to the replicator and created said amount in a hypospray. After injecting the contents into his jugular vein, he flopped onto the biobed, taking a breather to think and rest his body.
Alone, on Voyager? How the hell could this happen? What happened? The last thing he remembered was trying to fix the EPS conduit... when Voyager came under attack... and then he got hit with an overload and came to with everybody gone. Ok, first things first. Apparently, people have gone missing in the middle of a Red Alert. Better make sure the ship's not going to blow up. "Computer, what is Voyager's status?"
"Shields are down. Hull breaches on deck 3, 9 and 14, with forcefields holding. Life support off line on deck 8."
Harry sat up, his strength returning. "And the warp core?"
"Online and stable."
He breathed a sigh of relief. Now, to find out what happened. As ops officer, he knew that there were monitoring devices placed throughout Voyager all that remains is accessing them and finding out what happened to the rest of the crew. "What is the status of Voyagers internal sensors and monitoring systems?"
"Functional."
"Compile all interior and visual readings as of –"he looked at the cronometer that was on his tricorder. Damn, did twelve hours really pass? "- Twelve hours ago and send all information to holodeck three."
"Affirmative."
Harry left the empty sickbay, determined to put this mystery to an end once and for all.
----
The moment that Harry entered the holodeck, all uncertainties bled away. The method of solving this mystery involved his career and his pastime: sensor readings and holodeck simulations. With those two subjects being his top two fields, there was no way that he could fail, especially when the crew was on the line.
He folded his hands behind his back while deciding where to start. "All right, show schematic of Voyager with damage reports, along with readings from ship's external sensors, as of 12 hours ago, and playback recording."
Voyager's model, reduced to the length span of his arm, materialized in front of him. For a moment, all was still, then the ship model canted to the side as an energy blast struck the port nacelle and a crimson splotch blossomed on the ship model as a damage report.
Harry frowned in confusion. "Computer, freeze playback. Why is the source of the energy blast not indicated in the scan?"
"Primary external sensors were offline. Auxiliary systems were online for recording."
Harry mentally kicked himself. Of course he was working on the main sensors at the time, and the auxiliaries are not nearly as powerful as their counterparts. "Continue playback."
He studied the image intently as the sturdy ship shuddered under additional impacts, but took an involuntary step forward as three ships similar to shuttles entered within the sensor range. They danced around Voyager's phaser blasts, closed in while accelerating at an alarming rate and breached the hull!
"Freeze playback." Harry paced the floor, thinking. He had seen this type of attack before; when Kazon tried to take the ship for themselves, they developed a type of rammer shuttle that could pierce the hull and spill out attackers, effectively neutralizing a whole deck and gaining control of the ship themselves. But if the ship was what the invaders wanted, then why wasn't the whole ship full of them?
"Computer, set playback of internal recording here." At "here," he touched the blossom of red at deck 9, where one of the ramming shuttles was centered. It was closest to Engineering; perhaps he could see the fate of the Engineers.
The wounded ship disappeared, and the familiar but dim corridors of Voyager surrounded him. People appeared, frozen in time, either flying back or crumpling from the shock of the violation. But what took him aback was that in front of him where there should be twisted metal, a shuttle wreck, and alien attackers there was a gap in the hall with exposed holographic arrays.
"Computer, why is there a discrepancy in the simulation?"
"There was a malfunction in the sensor grid at the point indicated."
Harry squelched impatience rising inside him. Errors, malfunctions, power outages, all of it seemed bent on favoring this unknown enemy. "Improvise. Fill in the gap."
"Elaborate."
Under his breath, Harry swore that he'd have B'elanna reprogram the computer to understand colloquialisms once he found her. "Compensate for discrepancy by overlapping readouts from neighboring points on the internal sensor grid. Use this method for future discrepancies during the playback."
Gradually, the hallway connected again, then the malignant shuttle materialized, and finally the invaders appeared, pouring out of the shuttle's side. Harry jogged toward the shuttle, eager to see the face of this adversary.
The invaders were bipedal to be sure, resembling wolves on earth. But the aliens' fearsome appearance made wolves look like tribbles in comparison. Each invader had a repulsive snarl etched onto their mouths, war paint darkening their savage features even more. They stood 6 feet tall, muscles frozen but still visible through a thick layer of grey fur. In fact, fur was their only covering, aside from a belt tucked neatly around the waist.
Harry shuddered as he circled the first "wolf," which was already on the ground ahead of the pack and frozen in mid-run. Clearly, this was a race that was evolved for war of the very savage type.
Though he suspected he didn't want to see what happened, he needed to find out what became of the crew and these fearsome creatures. Thus emboldened by his urgent curiosity, he licked his dry lips before calling, "Begin playback."
As soon as the word left his lips, everything went into motion. The "wolf" right next to Harry which was a statue frozen in time became a flying blur, a missile homing straight towards the first unwary crewman, throwing him into the wall with a single backhand swipe to the head. The rest of the invading force attacked with blinding speed, knocking unconscious every crewman from the shuttle to the turbolift before the intruder alert was sounded. Afterwords, the "pack" (as Harry was beginning to think of them) paused, looking over their handiwork and the situation. Starfleet translators quickly interpreted their conversation, as Harry walked among them.
One wolf picked up an insensate body by the collar and examined and sniffed the officer nose – to – nose. He tossed the unconscious form aside in disgust and turned to his fellow wolves. "This is too easy. These prey aren't even worth attacking!"
Another wolf spoke up. "Perhaps not earlier, but they must be aware of our presence by now on the ship. Maybe they'll be more of an entertainment now."
When they discovered that the turbolift doors wouldn't open for them, the wolves literally sniffed around for another exit. Unfortunately for the Voyager crew, they found the Jeffries tubes entryway. One after another, they slid in. When Harry followed in, he noticed something: in every Jefferies Tube he entered after them, all the power had winked out. Deck 9 was dim because the shuttle cut into some of the electrical systems, but the Jefferies tubes had a separate electrical system. One possibility was that the power cut out when the ship was hit, but there were no additional attacks after the shuttles crashed. What was going on?
Harry's pondering was interrupted as he was following the pack down the ladder. One of the wolves said in a weak voice, "Grashyyk... I'm not feeling so well..."
The one named Grasshyk snarled back, "What is it? Not feeling weak on the dawn of your fiftieth battle now, are you, Nyman?"
"No... I think there's radiation on this deck..." Then there were guttural sounds and a horrid stench as Nyman apparently threw up what he had for breakfast. There was a growl of frustration, then Grasshyk commanded, "Don't bother climbing down, drop!"
All of the wolves immediately followed the command, letting go of the ladder just before they reached the radioactive Jefferies tube and grabbing onto it again after they passed it, guaranteeing very little exposure to the radiation. Harry, being more prudent and also invulnerable to the holographic radiation, climbed slowly down. When he had reached the juncture with the radioactive tube, his mouth went dry as he recognized the place. Half an hour ago this was where he would be climbing to if a wall of debris wasn't blocking his way.
12 hours ago, bloodthirsty wolves brushed across his path, as he lay unconscious.
After letting that realization sink in, he hurriedly climbed down to catch up with the team that he was following.
The pack hit deck 11 with all the gentleness and civility of a raging hurricane. Though the crew there was better prepared for the assault, it didn't help them any. Even power seemed to take a walloping from the wolves' presence; at every section they came to, the lights went out and consoles went dead. Harry was beginning to suspect that the wolves were more than they seemed.
His suspicions were realized when a security contingent armed with type 3 phaser rifles fired at a charging wolf. Instead of impacting upon his chest, the energy blasts dissipated in an arc, as if the alien had a personal energy shield surrounding him. Then the wolves were upon the hapless team, battering them unconscious. For all their self-defense skills, the team lasted only a few seconds longer than the helpless ensign that the invaders first met on deck 9.
Pausing to only look upon Voyager's best defense with distain, the predators swiftly made their way down to Engineering. Harry struggled to follow behind them.
After five vicious incursions down the hall, the doors to engineering lay undefended. When they wouldn't open automatically, the wolf in front dug his claws in the crack and rent them open like tissue paper. Harry noticed a brief flicker in the doorway. It seemed that the engineers tried to erect a forcefield around Engineering, but even those weren't immune to the wolves' technology. After the lead one penetrated the forcefield, several dozen phasers took careful aim at the alien; the engineers were loath to damage their own equipment. But the numerous blasts failed to penetrate, and engineering was awash with flickering consoles, struggling combatants and futile phaser blasts.
Harry saw Seven collapse as a wolf approached her. Carey went down as a wolf wrestled him to the ground. The doctor dematerialized when a wolf came near him, and then his attacker picked up the mobile emitter and stuck it to his fur like it was some kind of medal. When the dust cleared, the last federation crewmember left standing – barely – was B'elanna, who was fighting the good fight with all her klingon strength and human resolution. Encircled by 5 wolves, she elbowed the one behind her, managed a snap-kick to the one in front her and threw a backhand punch to her left before the remaining two wolves grabbed her arms. She still struggled weakly, though she had no chance against the two burly guards by her sides. One grey wolf, larger than the others and just finishing up his melee with a valiant engineer, regarded the wriggling Klingon with admiration. "You," he said, "are worthy enough for the Consumption."
Then with a press of his belt, he radioed his comrades. "Grashyyk to Mel'gor. Our assault on the engine room was a success. Trae'nor commented that these prey weren't even worth attacking. I'm starting to agree with that assumption." Grashyyk then eyed B'elanna. "Only one was strong enough to put up a decent fight worthy for the Consumption."
A gravelly, disembodied voice echoed in the Cavernous engineering. "Excellent. Our attack on the command center was successful as well. We have captured their leader." His voice twisted with loathing. "The leader was female, even weaker than the others. These aliens make no sense. Why choose a leader who's not strong enough to hold her own?"
"No matter," Grashyyk said, his mouth curling upward in what seemed to be a grin. "All who don't put up an entertaining fight are delegated to slave work, right? They will not befoul our bellies. But you," Grasshyk said, fondling B'ellanna's face, "You will become part of us soon enough, fierce one." He turned and addressed the still standing wolves. "Let's haul these weaklings onto the docking ships."
Harry had seen enough. "Computer, discontinue program," he called out, and then he collapsed to the floor when the sterile, comforting walls of the holodeck reappeared. So the crew was abducted, taken in for slave labor. B'elanna was going to be initiated into "the consumption," a term that Harry didn't know but could hazard a guess. This wasn't one of Tom's tricks; he WAS really alone. What was he going to do? How weas he going to find and rescue the crew? Then suddenly, a sense of peace overwhelmed the panic that was setting in, and a calm, comforting voice said in his head:
I'll find a way. I always do.
----
26 years ago
George Chang held Harry on his lap in the courtyard on a sunlit day. His son was going to be a fine young man one of these days, he was certain of that. Strong, bright, inquisitive; his son had all those qualities and more. Already, Harry was asking the right questions, his eyes glittering with curiosity. Harry's question was, "Fu qin, what does it take to be a man?"
George struggled to cap his pride as he thought of an answer for his son. George was quite a bit older when he asked a question as deep as the one Harry asked, and that was when his father decided to start passing down the rich heritage of the Chinese family.
Sure, you can look in a museum and educate yourself on the traditions and values of Chinese culture, sterilized and impersonalized so as to be politically correct. But only a lucky few preserved the ancient history and culture of a race for personal use. Thus, the Chang family, George, his father before him, and his ancestors, considered it of grave importance to pass on such knowledge down to future generations, and now was of good a time as any.
"A man, you say? What makes you so curious in such a subject?" George smiled
"'Cause I want to become a man just like you." Harry gurgled.
George chuckled. "I may not be so great a man as you think I am, Harry. But I know what it means to be one. You'd like to know what it means to be a man?"
Harry nodded eagerly, eyes now glistening with anticipation.
George looked up at the sky, as if trying to draw inspiration from the sun itself. "To be a man is complicated, but it boils down to 3 things, the values that I hope you remember all your lifetime.
"Tradition. Tradition is important to keep, because it's all the knowledge that your family has gained over the years. When you have a tough problem you can't solve, little Harry, you turn to tradition for help.
"Honor. Honor is the guide to do what's right in the world, to make sure that you have a clean conscience throughout your life."
"But what's right, fu qin?"
George smiled down at his son. "Hmm.... It's really hard to understand at your age. Perhaps tomorrow we'll talk about it."
Harry frowned, but said nothing. He was always like that; gentle, compliant. George wondered if he was going to grow up to be the man that he wanted him to be. Hopefully, all that will come with time.
"Family," George continued. "Family is the most important thing to a man, beyond tradition and honor. Always protect your family, son. Even at the cost of your life, because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Family makes up who you are. Even if you die, you will remain immortal through their memory."
"What if you lose your family?" Harry asked.
After chuckling at the boy's cleverness, George said with an air of certainty, "You won't lose your family, son. If I know what kind of man you'll turn out to be, you'll always find a way to bring them back."
Recovered from his despair, Harry exited the holodeck and started walking down the hallway. Despite his calm, he knew he had no idea how to find his crewmates, or how to beat an army of warmongering pack animals.
But he knew where he had to start.
To be continued...
----
Author's note: well, how do you find it so far? Is it good? Is it bad? How so? I especially would like feedback on the flashback scene. I think of a story as a blunt sword; only through sharpening and honing in the furnace can make it quality workmanship. And you, my loyal readers and critics, are my furnace. Only though your comments can this be made into a work of art that I desire it to be.
The fact that George Chang is Harry's father is not a discrepancy; that will be addressed later on. And the values to "be a man," I'm going to have edited by a couple of people who know family values. But so far, I think I'm heading in the right direction. Hopefully, I'll be able to submit a chapter a week, so you'll be seeing frequent posts.
See you around.
Flesh and Steel: Chapter 2
Harry stumbled into sickbay, his muscles weakened from the walk and his exposure to the Theta radiation that plagued the Jefferies tube he crawled out of. In dimmed light of sickbay he called out automatically, "Computer, activate the EMH."
"The Emergency Medical Hologram is missing from the database."
"Damn it!" He hoped that the doctor was merely off line, not missing like the rest of the crew. He had basic medical knowledge, but he didn't know what was needed to cure the radiation. "Computer, what is the prescribed treatment for Theta Radiation poisoning?"
"The treatment for Theta Radiation poisoning is 20 cubic centimeters of hyronalin."
Harry's muscles ached as he made his way over to the replicator and created said amount in a hypospray. After injecting the contents into his jugular vein, he flopped onto the biobed, taking a breather to think and rest his body.
Alone, on Voyager? How the hell could this happen? What happened? The last thing he remembered was trying to fix the EPS conduit... when Voyager came under attack... and then he got hit with an overload and came to with everybody gone. Ok, first things first. Apparently, people have gone missing in the middle of a Red Alert. Better make sure the ship's not going to blow up. "Computer, what is Voyager's status?"
"Shields are down. Hull breaches on deck 3, 9 and 14, with forcefields holding. Life support off line on deck 8."
Harry sat up, his strength returning. "And the warp core?"
"Online and stable."
He breathed a sigh of relief. Now, to find out what happened. As ops officer, he knew that there were monitoring devices placed throughout Voyager all that remains is accessing them and finding out what happened to the rest of the crew. "What is the status of Voyagers internal sensors and monitoring systems?"
"Functional."
"Compile all interior and visual readings as of –"he looked at the cronometer that was on his tricorder. Damn, did twelve hours really pass? "- Twelve hours ago and send all information to holodeck three."
"Affirmative."
Harry left the empty sickbay, determined to put this mystery to an end once and for all.
----
The moment that Harry entered the holodeck, all uncertainties bled away. The method of solving this mystery involved his career and his pastime: sensor readings and holodeck simulations. With those two subjects being his top two fields, there was no way that he could fail, especially when the crew was on the line.
He folded his hands behind his back while deciding where to start. "All right, show schematic of Voyager with damage reports, along with readings from ship's external sensors, as of 12 hours ago, and playback recording."
Voyager's model, reduced to the length span of his arm, materialized in front of him. For a moment, all was still, then the ship model canted to the side as an energy blast struck the port nacelle and a crimson splotch blossomed on the ship model as a damage report.
Harry frowned in confusion. "Computer, freeze playback. Why is the source of the energy blast not indicated in the scan?"
"Primary external sensors were offline. Auxiliary systems were online for recording."
Harry mentally kicked himself. Of course he was working on the main sensors at the time, and the auxiliaries are not nearly as powerful as their counterparts. "Continue playback."
He studied the image intently as the sturdy ship shuddered under additional impacts, but took an involuntary step forward as three ships similar to shuttles entered within the sensor range. They danced around Voyager's phaser blasts, closed in while accelerating at an alarming rate and breached the hull!
"Freeze playback." Harry paced the floor, thinking. He had seen this type of attack before; when Kazon tried to take the ship for themselves, they developed a type of rammer shuttle that could pierce the hull and spill out attackers, effectively neutralizing a whole deck and gaining control of the ship themselves. But if the ship was what the invaders wanted, then why wasn't the whole ship full of them?
"Computer, set playback of internal recording here." At "here," he touched the blossom of red at deck 9, where one of the ramming shuttles was centered. It was closest to Engineering; perhaps he could see the fate of the Engineers.
The wounded ship disappeared, and the familiar but dim corridors of Voyager surrounded him. People appeared, frozen in time, either flying back or crumpling from the shock of the violation. But what took him aback was that in front of him where there should be twisted metal, a shuttle wreck, and alien attackers there was a gap in the hall with exposed holographic arrays.
"Computer, why is there a discrepancy in the simulation?"
"There was a malfunction in the sensor grid at the point indicated."
Harry squelched impatience rising inside him. Errors, malfunctions, power outages, all of it seemed bent on favoring this unknown enemy. "Improvise. Fill in the gap."
"Elaborate."
Under his breath, Harry swore that he'd have B'elanna reprogram the computer to understand colloquialisms once he found her. "Compensate for discrepancy by overlapping readouts from neighboring points on the internal sensor grid. Use this method for future discrepancies during the playback."
Gradually, the hallway connected again, then the malignant shuttle materialized, and finally the invaders appeared, pouring out of the shuttle's side. Harry jogged toward the shuttle, eager to see the face of this adversary.
The invaders were bipedal to be sure, resembling wolves on earth. But the aliens' fearsome appearance made wolves look like tribbles in comparison. Each invader had a repulsive snarl etched onto their mouths, war paint darkening their savage features even more. They stood 6 feet tall, muscles frozen but still visible through a thick layer of grey fur. In fact, fur was their only covering, aside from a belt tucked neatly around the waist.
Harry shuddered as he circled the first "wolf," which was already on the ground ahead of the pack and frozen in mid-run. Clearly, this was a race that was evolved for war of the very savage type.
Though he suspected he didn't want to see what happened, he needed to find out what became of the crew and these fearsome creatures. Thus emboldened by his urgent curiosity, he licked his dry lips before calling, "Begin playback."
As soon as the word left his lips, everything went into motion. The "wolf" right next to Harry which was a statue frozen in time became a flying blur, a missile homing straight towards the first unwary crewman, throwing him into the wall with a single backhand swipe to the head. The rest of the invading force attacked with blinding speed, knocking unconscious every crewman from the shuttle to the turbolift before the intruder alert was sounded. Afterwords, the "pack" (as Harry was beginning to think of them) paused, looking over their handiwork and the situation. Starfleet translators quickly interpreted their conversation, as Harry walked among them.
One wolf picked up an insensate body by the collar and examined and sniffed the officer nose – to – nose. He tossed the unconscious form aside in disgust and turned to his fellow wolves. "This is too easy. These prey aren't even worth attacking!"
Another wolf spoke up. "Perhaps not earlier, but they must be aware of our presence by now on the ship. Maybe they'll be more of an entertainment now."
When they discovered that the turbolift doors wouldn't open for them, the wolves literally sniffed around for another exit. Unfortunately for the Voyager crew, they found the Jeffries tubes entryway. One after another, they slid in. When Harry followed in, he noticed something: in every Jefferies Tube he entered after them, all the power had winked out. Deck 9 was dim because the shuttle cut into some of the electrical systems, but the Jefferies tubes had a separate electrical system. One possibility was that the power cut out when the ship was hit, but there were no additional attacks after the shuttles crashed. What was going on?
Harry's pondering was interrupted as he was following the pack down the ladder. One of the wolves said in a weak voice, "Grashyyk... I'm not feeling so well..."
The one named Grasshyk snarled back, "What is it? Not feeling weak on the dawn of your fiftieth battle now, are you, Nyman?"
"No... I think there's radiation on this deck..." Then there were guttural sounds and a horrid stench as Nyman apparently threw up what he had for breakfast. There was a growl of frustration, then Grasshyk commanded, "Don't bother climbing down, drop!"
All of the wolves immediately followed the command, letting go of the ladder just before they reached the radioactive Jefferies tube and grabbing onto it again after they passed it, guaranteeing very little exposure to the radiation. Harry, being more prudent and also invulnerable to the holographic radiation, climbed slowly down. When he had reached the juncture with the radioactive tube, his mouth went dry as he recognized the place. Half an hour ago this was where he would be climbing to if a wall of debris wasn't blocking his way.
12 hours ago, bloodthirsty wolves brushed across his path, as he lay unconscious.
After letting that realization sink in, he hurriedly climbed down to catch up with the team that he was following.
The pack hit deck 11 with all the gentleness and civility of a raging hurricane. Though the crew there was better prepared for the assault, it didn't help them any. Even power seemed to take a walloping from the wolves' presence; at every section they came to, the lights went out and consoles went dead. Harry was beginning to suspect that the wolves were more than they seemed.
His suspicions were realized when a security contingent armed with type 3 phaser rifles fired at a charging wolf. Instead of impacting upon his chest, the energy blasts dissipated in an arc, as if the alien had a personal energy shield surrounding him. Then the wolves were upon the hapless team, battering them unconscious. For all their self-defense skills, the team lasted only a few seconds longer than the helpless ensign that the invaders first met on deck 9.
Pausing to only look upon Voyager's best defense with distain, the predators swiftly made their way down to Engineering. Harry struggled to follow behind them.
After five vicious incursions down the hall, the doors to engineering lay undefended. When they wouldn't open automatically, the wolf in front dug his claws in the crack and rent them open like tissue paper. Harry noticed a brief flicker in the doorway. It seemed that the engineers tried to erect a forcefield around Engineering, but even those weren't immune to the wolves' technology. After the lead one penetrated the forcefield, several dozen phasers took careful aim at the alien; the engineers were loath to damage their own equipment. But the numerous blasts failed to penetrate, and engineering was awash with flickering consoles, struggling combatants and futile phaser blasts.
Harry saw Seven collapse as a wolf approached her. Carey went down as a wolf wrestled him to the ground. The doctor dematerialized when a wolf came near him, and then his attacker picked up the mobile emitter and stuck it to his fur like it was some kind of medal. When the dust cleared, the last federation crewmember left standing – barely – was B'elanna, who was fighting the good fight with all her klingon strength and human resolution. Encircled by 5 wolves, she elbowed the one behind her, managed a snap-kick to the one in front her and threw a backhand punch to her left before the remaining two wolves grabbed her arms. She still struggled weakly, though she had no chance against the two burly guards by her sides. One grey wolf, larger than the others and just finishing up his melee with a valiant engineer, regarded the wriggling Klingon with admiration. "You," he said, "are worthy enough for the Consumption."
Then with a press of his belt, he radioed his comrades. "Grashyyk to Mel'gor. Our assault on the engine room was a success. Trae'nor commented that these prey weren't even worth attacking. I'm starting to agree with that assumption." Grashyyk then eyed B'elanna. "Only one was strong enough to put up a decent fight worthy for the Consumption."
A gravelly, disembodied voice echoed in the Cavernous engineering. "Excellent. Our attack on the command center was successful as well. We have captured their leader." His voice twisted with loathing. "The leader was female, even weaker than the others. These aliens make no sense. Why choose a leader who's not strong enough to hold her own?"
"No matter," Grashyyk said, his mouth curling upward in what seemed to be a grin. "All who don't put up an entertaining fight are delegated to slave work, right? They will not befoul our bellies. But you," Grasshyk said, fondling B'ellanna's face, "You will become part of us soon enough, fierce one." He turned and addressed the still standing wolves. "Let's haul these weaklings onto the docking ships."
Harry had seen enough. "Computer, discontinue program," he called out, and then he collapsed to the floor when the sterile, comforting walls of the holodeck reappeared. So the crew was abducted, taken in for slave labor. B'elanna was going to be initiated into "the consumption," a term that Harry didn't know but could hazard a guess. This wasn't one of Tom's tricks; he WAS really alone. What was he going to do? How weas he going to find and rescue the crew? Then suddenly, a sense of peace overwhelmed the panic that was setting in, and a calm, comforting voice said in his head:
I'll find a way. I always do.
----
26 years ago
George Chang held Harry on his lap in the courtyard on a sunlit day. His son was going to be a fine young man one of these days, he was certain of that. Strong, bright, inquisitive; his son had all those qualities and more. Already, Harry was asking the right questions, his eyes glittering with curiosity. Harry's question was, "Fu qin, what does it take to be a man?"
George struggled to cap his pride as he thought of an answer for his son. George was quite a bit older when he asked a question as deep as the one Harry asked, and that was when his father decided to start passing down the rich heritage of the Chinese family.
Sure, you can look in a museum and educate yourself on the traditions and values of Chinese culture, sterilized and impersonalized so as to be politically correct. But only a lucky few preserved the ancient history and culture of a race for personal use. Thus, the Chang family, George, his father before him, and his ancestors, considered it of grave importance to pass on such knowledge down to future generations, and now was of good a time as any.
"A man, you say? What makes you so curious in such a subject?" George smiled
"'Cause I want to become a man just like you." Harry gurgled.
George chuckled. "I may not be so great a man as you think I am, Harry. But I know what it means to be one. You'd like to know what it means to be a man?"
Harry nodded eagerly, eyes now glistening with anticipation.
George looked up at the sky, as if trying to draw inspiration from the sun itself. "To be a man is complicated, but it boils down to 3 things, the values that I hope you remember all your lifetime.
"Tradition. Tradition is important to keep, because it's all the knowledge that your family has gained over the years. When you have a tough problem you can't solve, little Harry, you turn to tradition for help.
"Honor. Honor is the guide to do what's right in the world, to make sure that you have a clean conscience throughout your life."
"But what's right, fu qin?"
George smiled down at his son. "Hmm.... It's really hard to understand at your age. Perhaps tomorrow we'll talk about it."
Harry frowned, but said nothing. He was always like that; gentle, compliant. George wondered if he was going to grow up to be the man that he wanted him to be. Hopefully, all that will come with time.
"Family," George continued. "Family is the most important thing to a man, beyond tradition and honor. Always protect your family, son. Even at the cost of your life, because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Family makes up who you are. Even if you die, you will remain immortal through their memory."
"What if you lose your family?" Harry asked.
After chuckling at the boy's cleverness, George said with an air of certainty, "You won't lose your family, son. If I know what kind of man you'll turn out to be, you'll always find a way to bring them back."
Recovered from his despair, Harry exited the holodeck and started walking down the hallway. Despite his calm, he knew he had no idea how to find his crewmates, or how to beat an army of warmongering pack animals.
But he knew where he had to start.
To be continued...
----
Author's note: well, how do you find it so far? Is it good? Is it bad? How so? I especially would like feedback on the flashback scene. I think of a story as a blunt sword; only through sharpening and honing in the furnace can make it quality workmanship. And you, my loyal readers and critics, are my furnace. Only though your comments can this be made into a work of art that I desire it to be.
The fact that George Chang is Harry's father is not a discrepancy; that will be addressed later on. And the values to "be a man," I'm going to have edited by a couple of people who know family values. But so far, I think I'm heading in the right direction. Hopefully, I'll be able to submit a chapter a week, so you'll be seeing frequent posts.
See you around.