A Living Legend Gets A New Start
A different ending for Star Trek Voyager season 6 episode 12 "Blink of an Eye" but it makes a lot of sense if you think about it. At least it does for me. :)
At the end of the episode, ships launched from the planet used tractor beams to pull Voyager out of the orbit it was in so they wouldn't cause the seismic activity anymore and they could continue on their journey home. I don't know Voyager's distance from the planet now, but for this story the ship is still in transporter range. The reason I think this is because when Gotana-Retz appeared on the bridge, Janeway said they could make first contact the proper way. Did she mean someone from the ship would go down to the planet? Makes a lot more sense than someone coming up from the planet and she must not have been thinking straight if she thought they had already invented transporter technology though a temporal compensator was pretty impressive. This short story starts right after Gotana-Retz's image disappears at the end of the episode.
Captain Janeway felt a little sad after Gotana-Retz disappeared but her thoughts were spinning about a temporal compensator. They didn't even have one but they hadn't required one and everyone knows invention progresses faster with need. She took a couple of steps toward her ready room before saying, "Mr Tuvok, please keep me informed about the status of the warp drive."
"Yes, Captain," he replied and watched as Chakotay got up to follow her as she disappeared from the bridge..
Everyone was concentrating on their jobs, everyone except Harry and Tom who glanced at each other, wondering when it would be a good time to talk to the captain. It needed to be soon because everyone knew that B'Elanna and her engineering team worked fast. They and others had discussed things about the planet at meal time and now that the ship was no longer in danger, it was time to approach someone with their ideas. Trouble was they didn't want it to be Tuvok, who was dead set against further contact with the people on the planet. Commander Chakotay had been open to it before the astronauts showed up so he was a better choice. Now that many people on the planet were aware of the crew aboard Voyager, the Captain had been ready for official first contact.
It was five minutes before Chakotay returned to the bridge and Tom took the lead.
"Commander, may I speak to you away from the bridge for a few minutes?" He could have said 'away from Tuvok' but he didn't want to start an argument on the bridge.
Chakotay looked surprised but the ship was stable and the warp drive wasn't repaired yet. The Captain had fresh coffee and was working on reports so he didn't see any harm.
"Sure, Tom," he told him and motioned for a replacement to cover Tom's station. They went out the door into the empty corridor but were still close in case something happened and they needed to return quickly. "What's on your mind?"
Tom didn't hesitate to state their case. "Harry and I and several others have been talking and we don't want to leave this planet yet. We have ideas for staying a little longer. A day on the planet is about one second for us here. A year on the planet is just over six minutes for us."
Chakotay was intrigued and even if they didn't stay longer than necessary, he wanted to know what the crew was thinking. "Do you and Harry have a presentation prepared?"
"No, not yet." ThenTom smiled. "Wait, yes we do but it will be without visual aids."
"Come on, get Harry," Chakotay replied. "I'll give you five minutes to get ready but keep in mind that I might decide to let you guys tell me AND the captain your ideas."
"Yes, sir," Tom replied and returned to the bridge to get Harry. Tuvok informed them that the transporter was now functional as Chakotay went to see the Captain again.
Four minutes later, Tom, Harry and Joe Carey were in the captain's ready room pleading their case. The captain and commander were listening, not asking a single question until the three men were finished.
A while later they were in the mess hall with Chell, the Delaney sisters, Icheb, Dorton and a few others including a couple of former Equinox crew members. They were waiting for the captain to make some kind of decision about the plan: approving some of it, approving all of it or approving none of it. B'Elanna, Ayala, Vorik, Samantha Wildman and others were still on duty but they were there with them in spirit.
Harry, who was starting to get cold feet about going down to the planet, asked the others, "Does everybody still want to beam down, no matter the risks?"
"I can't speak for everyone but B'Elanna and I want to go. Of course it's on the condition that we go together in case we end up stranded."
Megan Delaney spoke up before her twin sister could. "We want to go too, but only together."
Jenny laughed. "Absolutely only together. And if we have to stay that's okay. We've been wondering if they have identical twins on the planet. I'm sure the doctor must know since he studied them for three years. We've also wondered if their DNA is compatible with humans."
"Gotana Retz was pretty cute," Megan gushed.
Joe Carey was next to reply to Harry's question. "I think I want to go. I may never see my wife and sons again but at least I can do my part helping the crew while we're out here. The time differential could benefit us in lots of ways."
Chell chimed in with, "Nobody has ever visited their planet before and I want to see the looks on their faces when they see me, a Bolian, for the first time." Everyone chuckled a little, revealing a little of their own reactions when they saw one for the first time.
Neelix, who was passing by and heard Chell, chortled, "What about me? Do you think my spots and hair will scare or amuse them?"
"Does that mean you'd like to visit this planet? What if you can't leave?" Harry wondered if Neelix remembered what he had said about regretting not seeing other Talaxians if they made it back to the alpha quadrant. On this planet he'd be the only one that"s different from humans.
"Maybe," Neelix admitted. "I know I'm fascinated about it and I'd like to know more." Perhaps there was something to being different. Neelix asked Tom, "You and B'Elanna aren't concerned about her being part Klingon, looking so different? About how they might react to her, especially if you have to stay?"
"Of course it's a concern, but worried? No, not really. If most of the people are tolerant like Gotanna-Retz, we'll be fine." He smiled. "B'Elanna is more concerned with getting used to seeing the round circular shape thingy on their foreheads."
"I wonder what will happen when the Borg come here?" Icheb was concerned for the inhabitants and figured it was only a matter of time before the collective showed up looking for another species to assimilate.
"Maybe they're evolving so quickly that they'll easily defend themselves," Harry volunteered.
Icheb liked that sentiment but quickly offered a sobering thought. "Perhaps, but it's more likely the Borg Collective will advance while on the planet and then wreak even greater havoc on the Delta Quadrant and the rest of the galaxy."
Their leader had made her decision and now that the people on the planet knew about the time differential it was easy to send a message. Six months passed on the planet before Voyager got a response and it was another six months before they said they were ready for visitors. The doctor was skeptical about sending someone but information about human physiology had been sent down for their medical personnel and he would be ready in sickbay for when they returned.
The Captain wasn't thrilled with letting key people transport down but she had sent the doctor and that was a risk. From a lengthy list of volunteers, former Equinox ensign Marla Gilmore was selected to be first to transport down and be the doctor's time differential test subject. Gilmore had been quietly performing her basic crew duties on Voyager, hoping to get back some privileges and earn a little bit of trust from the captain, officers and crew.
She took with her items for cultural exchange and information about the closest planets. Voyager also provided as much information as they could about other races in the Delta Quadrant, especially the Borg, but also the Hirogen, Vidiians and Kazon. Also in her possession, unknown to her, were engineering and mechanical drawings and manuals for weapons and ships. And a universal translator.
Communication with the planet indicated Gilmore was well and the acceleration hadn't caused any problems for her.
"Not yet," the doctor had mumbled while he waited for her to return.
On the surface, Gilmore, Gotana-Retz and scientists collaborated and discovered the additional items that violated the prime directive. They swore to keep it secret and In the three years she was on the planet they'd successfully designed and built a number of things that would have taken many more centuries and most of it involved defense against the Borg and faster than light travel. Also during that time, they'd experimented with food products that could possibly survive the transition to Voyager's time.
Marla enjoyed her stay on the planet and said her farewells, knowing she might not survive the return. After the doctor stabilized her, which took quite a while, she was subjected to a battery of tests and the food transported was analyzed and taste tested. The slow down didn't seem to matter to plants or fruits and the planet had perfected food preservation for themselves so the crew ended up with fresh food to last about 60 days and seeds to grow more. They also had hundreds of pounds of dried, canned and packaged foods and exchanged manufacturing and engineering information with the people helping them. Marla had written a detailed account of her activities on the planet and submitted it before she was released from sickbay, happy to have had the opportunity.
Gatana Retz had lost everyone he knew by the time he returned to the planet and didn't marry or have children. After Gilmore returned to Voyager, he asked his government for permission to visit the ship again and he told them why.
The Captain was on the bridge when they received word that someone would be there soon and it wasn't a second later that his image was right there in front of her. He didn't waste time with pleasantries because for every 1.03 seconds on Voyager a day went by on the planet.
"It's good to see you," he told her, and everyone else on the bridge.
"You too," she smiled. "What's on your mind?"
He hesitated but then found his nerve and told her straight out, "I'd like to come with you, if you'll have me."
She and everyone else looked puzzled at first but the Captain made a quick recovery.
"You're sure and you've cleared it with whoever you needed to?"
"Yes, and the only obstacle is your permission and if the doctor thinks I'll be okay. I don't have anyone who will miss me, Captain. These past years I've been nothing except a sky ship expert telling and retelling my story to whoever booked an appointment. A living legend... out of time."
Chakotay asked, "You were a pilot. They didn't let you fly again?"
He shook his head, his eyes pleading with the Captain. "It was wonderful when Marla was here and they let me work with the food and nutrition research and I was able to see some of my dream projects come to life." He was careful to leave out that much of his knowledge had been jump started by the information she'd brought with her, information his planet was never meant to have.
With her decision made, Janeway lifted an eyebrow at Chakotay and received an answer.
"If the doctor gives approval for you to attempt the transition again, we'll beam you up shortly."
"Thank you, Captain," and he disappeared with a huge smile on his face.
He survived the transition and was declared in good health and physically fit by the doctor. Voyager, with a new crew member and pilot, departed an hour later.
His living quarters were much smaller than he was used to but he hadn't brought much with him and was grateful. The crew welcomed him with a meal in the mess hall and it didn't take long for him to be interested in many areas of the ship. His accelerated education had prepared him well and he was able to contribute a lot. He never once regretted his choice to join the crew of Voyager and travel to the Alpha Quadrant.
After Voyager returned to the Alpha Quadrant, Gotana-Retz continued his pursuit of engineering and mechanical knowledge, becoming a designer, and eventually he became a project leader in many of Starfleet's major pursuits. He was highly respected and following his death in a shuttle accident, a Gagarin-class starship named the USS Gotana-Retz (NCC-97951) was put into service.
End
*** In the season 6 episode 16 Collective, a being that looks like Gotana-Retz's species is seen assimilated by the Borg. Hopefully the person was taken from a ship and if the Borg tried to take people from the planet, effective defenses kept them from doing so.
*** The Gotana-Retz participated in Frontier Day celebrations near Sol Station in 2401. It was seized by the Borg Collective after its younger crew was assimilated by a signal transmitted via Jack Crusher. Lots of other ships were taken over too. Picard season 3 episode 9 Vox