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     Cmdr. J. Darek Smith |
THE GATEWAY Heartbeat. White light. Waiting. The Emissary. The Child. "They have passed this test." A pause. A moment. An eternity. "There will be others." Triumph. Victory. Of a sort. "They are now entering the Darkness." The Prophets. The Joined. Heartbeats. The endless Now. "They will emerge, Emissary. They are my friends. They are the Defenders. They are Coronado." A smile. Warmth. Approval. "Yes, Child, I believe that They will." =========== NOVEMBER 2402 USS PANACHE MEYER II "Sonuvabitch!" The entire bridge turned at the exclamation. "I was wondering when you were gonna pop back up, big brother. But I have to admit that you've managed to suprise even me this time." Rear Admiral Dev Wallace picked himself up off of the aft deck of the main bridge. He looked around in something slightly more than just mild confusion. Gathering his bearings, the admiral hoisted himself to his feet. "Admiral on the bridge," the captain said wryly. Wallace snortted. "I should throw you in the brig for insubordination, sis." Nearly fifty years of history between the two siblings consistently overshadowed - and often strengthened - their relationship as commander and subordinate. "But after what I've just been through, I'm almost inclined to head us back to Crystal Palace for shore leave." Captain Bethany Wallace frowned. She knew that her older brother had a tendency to wind up in strange situations. "Last we heard, Dev, you were still on Coro. How the hell did you wind up lying on my deck?" The admiral grunted again. The younger Wallace could tell instantly by his mood that she was going to have to pry the information from him forcefully. If he would part with it at all. "Things are different now." Wallace looked around the bridge, meeting the faces of experience and youth that Panache's staff represented. He held his silence for nearly a full minute. "Damned different." ================ NOVEMBER 2402 USS CORONADO LONGSHOT SYSTEM XANADU "Sonuvabitch!" The entire bridge turned at the exclamation. "I was wondering when you were gonna pop back up, Commander Smith." Commander Darek Smith stormed across the bridge, ignoring the needling of the holographic avatar so often used by Coronado's built-in Command Liasion Artificial Intelligence. "Savant, why is it that every one else has memories of this event, but I don't?" The hologram frowned. Smith rounded the Intelligence station and began pulling up logs and memos of what was already being dubbed the Xanadu Multiversal Crossover Event. His entire career, spent as an Intelligence officer, was not one which had prepared him to deal with such a severe gap in his own information. He had spent his life gathering and organizing information and delievering it to others. Now he was the one in the dark. "Sir," Savant replied carefully. "Sir, I'm not entirely certain that you want an answer to that." Smith looked up at the avatar with a mixture of impatient curiousity and cautious trepidation. "Savant - " He formed his words slowly, carefully. "Savant, I need you to tell me what you know about the Event and why I don't have any memories except that it happened. I need this. As much as I need food and water, I need THIS." The screen on Smith's console went dark. Words began to form. Text began to scroll, and Smith had to speed-read just to keep up. It was a skill he had perfected with time. The blood drained from his face, and his dark skin lost its usual sheen. The life slipped from his eyes. "Excuse me, Savant. I'll be in my quarters if I'm needed." With that, Coronado's executive officer left the bridge in no particular hurry - but with no particular desire to stay either. "Commander?" Savant glanced over at the voice of Ensign Maiko D'rall, Coronado's cheif flight operations officer, seated at her station at the front of the bridge. "Yes, Ensign?" Savant continued to beam with its normal radience, though D'rall thought she saw a hint of sadness in the avatar's sparkling eyes. "What can I do for you." "I was wondering, if I may be so bold as to ask - why DOESN'T the commander recall any of our adventure - you know, over there? I mean, I for one would be just as glad if didn't remember anything. I'd say he's pretty lucky." Savant took a moment to gather it's thoughts. Though programmed by some of the most brilliant minds in the Federation to provide a more friendly interface between the ship's computer and Coronado's human crew, Savant still found that it did not always enjoy its interactions. The avatar's smile slipped somewhat. "I am afraid, Ma'am, that it is a private matter for Commander Smith alone. But perhaps you are right. Not remembering this event would probably be a good thing for us all - that is, I too wish it had never happened. If not for my sake, then ceratinly for all of you." =============== JULY 2375 DANAV SYSTEM SECTION 31 TEMPORAL INCURSION COMPLEX "The time line is reasserting itself. I guess we underestimated him." Commander Todd Marshall merely grunted. Captain Brian Aldur knew that Marshall had suffered a greater loss on this mission than anyone else, though all of Coronado's former crew felt the loss of Dr. Lynn Dauber. Aldur also knew that Marshall probably was holding onto bitter resentment towards Major Wallace for the Section 31 officer's role in the doctor's death. Still, even Marshall had to admit that the mission would have failed had Wallace not cooperated. "Skip, the kid's dangerous. You know it. I know it." Silence hung pregnant in the air. Aldur nodded and motioned that Marshall should continue. "What're ya' gonna do about him, Boss?" Aldur stared up at the displays and watched the threads of time and space aligning themselves. Holes were pulled back together and patched. Tears were stitched. All that was before was once more - with perhaps only minor damge. "I don't know," Aldur answer with frank honesty. "I really - I don't know." The captain smirked at his chief helmsman and good friend. "I'll think of something. Come on, let's go." =========== THE GATEWAY Death. Life. Time. "They are all linear." Impatience. Eternal patience. "We do not understand. We understand all." The Emissary is tired. He has explained, and still They do not learn. He has kept silent, and They have known all. The Child has watched with amusment. The Child has tried to help. "Why is the Smith grieving? He lives. His companions live. All is as it should be." They cannot understand. It is too linear. "He has died. He is ignorant. His companions have suffered. Nothing is in order. It is not linear." "But it IS linear. It is part of being a linear, corporeal being! The Smith - the Smith is a perfect example! Every part of him suffers because a small part of him has died. It IS linear. It IS corporeal." They nod. Heartbeat. Death. Life. Light. Heartbeat. Understanding. Ignorance. All has become one. ============= OOC Notes: Special thanks to Farrell for being the only one to slap his stamp of approval on my use of his character. He was the only person I could reach at the time. My apologies to Jester, Fraser, and Savant if you feel I have inappropriately used your characters and/or situations. No apology is made to Avery Brooks of the writers of Deep Space Nine because I like how I used the Emissary. So there! ;) ======= Christian D. Clem '01, aka "Aggie" Cmdr. J. Darek Smith, Executive Officer U.S.S. Coronado NCC-97901 http://www.jestertrek.com/coro2400/ |