Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 07:16:44 -0500 (EST) From: Susan-chan Subject: USS OBERON: Who Says You Can't Go Back? *deedle-beep!* Dr. Adam crown pushed the stubborn lock of tawny hair, too short to stay in his pony tail, behind his ear as he looked up from his PADD. "Come." The door to his office *whooshed* open, and he looked down to see little Iona Zinoviev enter. Suddenly self-conscious, he stood up hastily. "Hi. I was just checking over your -- I mean your team's -- medical clearances," he said. "You've got my good to go." Iona lingered by the door, holding herself rigidly. "Yeah. I should be back in half an hour," she quipped. "You can always call on the Guardian to bring you back if you hit trouble, you know," he said quickly. "I can try to monitor--" She smiled and shook her head, silencing him. "We'll get back fine," she said. "I believe it." It was the same tone of voice she'd used to say that Owen would be all right, a tone that seemed to command others to believe as well. She drew closer, locking her eyes with his. The secretive smile still played on her lips. "It will be a half hour for you, but who knows how long for me? A minute? A year?" She chuckled softly, but with an intesity that belied her casual stance. "I'm already older than you are. Perhaps I'll come back to you an old woman." Adam opened his mouth to reassure. What could he say? It doesn't matter.... I'll always... what? "Don't," she said. "Don't say things you don't mean. I just came to say goodbye." He closed the distance between them. She fell into his arms, sliding hands under the blue medcoat to caress the muscles of his back, burying her head in the thick uniform tunic beneath his breastbone. She was so tiny. Adam could feel now that she was trembling. The urge to protect her rose up to constrict his throat. He lifted his hand and traced the line of her jaw with his fingers, drawing her face gently up to meet his gaze. "We'll work with what happens," he said, the words coming more husky than he'd intended. "No matter what that is. You believe it." The large, metallic-flecked eyes were wide. They seemed to drink him in. "I believe," she whispered. There was no attempt to be platonic this time. He leaned down, and their lips met in a rush of tension released. He felt her breath catch as their lips parted. Her fingers tangled in the fabric of his uniform, pulling him against her. "Aigh!" he groaned suddenly, pulling away. "Adam!" she gasped, clinging to his arm. "Are you all right?" Adam Crown stretched painfully, massaging his lower back. "You know," he said ruefully, "you're a lot shorter than I am. Maybe next time you could stand on a chair or something?" ********** [Less than an hour later] "What happened to you?" Adam Crown checked the readings on the biobeds that supported Lanni and Iona. After their return from the surface of Gateway, the two Humans of the party had been shuffled off to Sickbay immediately, and now they were Adam's problem. Their course-woven shifts had been replaced by blue medical gowns, but nothing seemed to make the two women *tame* again. There was a wildness in their hair and eyes that was both unnerving and alluring. Their skin was burnished gold from the sun. And their feet... Well, those would take days to clean. "It's a long story," Lanni said cheerfully. "We'll tell you all in the debriefing." Iona was turning a gold metal object over in her hands with a look of wonder. "Combadges. I remember combadges." Adam shuddered. "Did I hear you right when you said your mission took twelve *years*?" he asked, his voice cracking. "That's right," Lanni chirped. "I can't wait to get back to my makeup box. I just hope my colors will work! The outdoors can do such things to the complexion." Iona sat up and ran her fingers over the device that hung limp in one of his hands. "And tricorders! I can't believe I'm really touching one again." Adam leaned heavily on Lanni's biobed. "So if you've been gone for twelve years," he asked with dangerous calmness, "can you explain to me why you're both *ten years younger??*" Lanni smiled. "Oh, that was all Prism's doing." "Prism? So you found him?" "Yes," Iona said, looking up from Adam's equipment, "and it was a good thing too, or we'd have never had Owen." "If Prism hadn't... I think I need a breath of air. I'll be right back." Adam put down his tricorder and headed to his office. Iona sighed, looking contentedly at Lanni, who was also smiling. "It's good to be back," Lanni said. "Yes," Iona replied, watching the door to the CMO's office intently. "I had forgotten how badly I missed... home." ********** [Right after our heros are captured in the past.] "I think," said Owen, "that is a space ship." Iona looked with growing dread at the black shape on the mountainside. "The UFO conspiracists were right," she breathed. The sphere mounted a foothill, and suddenly the small mountain valley spread out before them. Iona looked down and gaped. "Um, I think we're in trouble." "Were you ever in doubt?" Lanni demanded. Beneath them was a small alien settlement. Scattered around the gleaming crystalline structures were native wildlife in various stages of dismemberment. "I don't think we want to stay in this thing," Owen said gravely. "I'm with you," Lanni agreed. "Right up to the point where you tell us the plan." Iona gasped. "I have an idea," she said. "I don't think we're expected to be conscious. Nobody planned for 24th century training for prehistoric Earth. I think we just need the right kind of force." She reached behind her head and drew out her hair comb, holding it aloft. The sharp titanium prongs gleamed in the sunlight. "Have I mentioned that I love you, Lanni?" Yolanda grinned. "I only style with the very best." Iona let out a martial arts cry and stabbed the side of the sphere. *pop* There was that moment of weightless feeling that occurs before the body realizes it's plummeting toward the earth, then they were a pile of limbs, elbows, and feet on the ground. "That worked like a charm," Lanni puffed. "Iona, could you get your foot out of my face?" "As soon as Owen gets off my... Oof... Thanks. Much better." They struggled apart and looked around. "It could have been worse," Iona said. "We could have landed in that tree." "As it is, we might consider using the vegetation to hide us. We need to get closer to see what is going on here." Iona took a breath. "I'm going to regret this, but if you need a scout, I'm your man. I'm the least likely to attract attention." Owen nodded. "Please be careful." Owen and Lanni staked out shelter from the stunted trees while Iona crept through the tall dry grass toward the alien encampment, staying as low to the ground as she could. Above her head, the strange crystalline spires reached silently toward the sky. "He was *supposed* to say I was too valuble to risk..." she grumbled to herself. Back at the trees, her companions waited anxiously. Time passed. "Five more minutes and we go after her," Owen announced, checking his chronometer for the eightieth time, which was amusing because his internal chronometer was twice as accurate. "Wait," Lanni hissed, "I think I see something." Iona crept out of the grass and stumbled toward them. Owen hurried forward to grab her. "Are you all right?" he demanded. "Were you seen?" "No," she breathed. "I think if I'd been seen I wouldn't be here." She took Owen's arm and looked into his eyes. "Prism is back there. That's what you expected, wasn't it?" "I'm not sure what to expect," Owen admitted. "Coming back was an educated guess." "Well, he's there," she repeated, "and he's taken some living prisoners. They're Human. I watched him setting up some sort of device to fire at them. For all we know, they'll end up just like the rest of the creatures here." Owen nodded solemnly. "Then it sounds obvious what our next task is. Can you get us there relatively unobserved?" "I think so. And since I know the area best, I should distract Prism while you--" "I'll do the distracting," Owen interjected with a wry smile. "You Humans are too easily damaged." "But we heal, and we have nothing to repair you here!" Owen lay his hand on her shoulder. "This is my fight," he said quietly. "Let me do the stupid stuff this time." Iona put her little hand over his. "Just be careful." Iona lead them through the rocky land and sparse, dry vegetation into the heart of Prism's strange settlement. They picked through the remains of several dissected animals which seemed to be treated to keep them from decaying or smelling. "This looks just like my xenobiology classes in college," Iona whispered. "He must be trying to learn *something* from all this." It was deathly quiet, no pun intended. After a few minutes, however, they began to hear soft electronic noises. Owen motioned them to silence, and they crept close enough to see Prism. It was disturbing to see a being you saw die walking again, though there was something so subtly different... The crystalline android was assembling a device on a tripod-like stand. The device was aimed at a containment sphere like theirs. This one contained about twelve cowering Humans. Owen tapped Iona's shoulder. "I hope you still have your comb," he said almost inaudibly. "Dang it, I *knew* I should've worn my heels!" Lanni lammented. "You'll know the signal when it comes," Owen said. "It'll take me that long to figure out what it is." "Good luck," Iona murmurred. He nodded to her and headed off alone. She watched him till he moved out of sight. Iona and Yolanda scoped out the area from their hiding places while they waited. Prism was surrounded by more of the same crystalline spires of varying sizes. Some of them glowed pastelle colors at apparently random intervals. Iona saw a couple more containment spheres. One held what looked like a sabre-tooth tiger cub, the other two small horse-like foals. He was probably picking the young because they were weaker. There was one thing Iona could do to help. She settled down to concentrate. Near Prism's tripod weapon was a chute-like device of the same crystalline substance. It extended up the mountain out of sight in the direction of the ship. As they watched, Prism barked something incomphehensible, and the chute shimmered. Prism picked up a component from the chute's outlet and placed it on the weapon he was assembling. The whole thing gave Iona a very nervous feeling. "Where is he?" she hissed to Lanni. Yolanda opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off be a thunderous sound. "I'm back!" Owen's voice echoed through the valley. "Try to get rid of me!" A piece of the mountainside near the spaceship lit up in an explosion of colored sparks. Prism shouted something in a quick melodic language and dropped what he was doing. He took a few steps in the direction of the mountain. Iona thought clearly. As she and Lanni rushed toward the imprisoned Humans, the cub sank its kitten claws into the sphere hard. It dashed over and pounced on the sphere holding the little colts. The air was filled with growls and screeching pseudo-equine whinnies as the creatures dashed around the encampment, overturning whatever they could. "Here!" Lanni called over the cacophony. Iona sank her comb into the Humans prison. With a *pop*, they were a Human tangle on the ground. "Now you're free!" Iona cried. "Let's get out of here!" "Ungellah narfume netnet lee!" one of the natives cried. They cowered together, staring at the strangers with huge, uncomprehending brown eyes. "Come on," Lanni said, giving them a smile that lit up the valley. "I know you don't understand, but I'm going to keep talking until you calm down. Why don't you come here away from the man-sized alien gun that could easily break us down into our component molecules? That's right. One foot, then the other." While Iona watched nervously for a sign of Owen or Prism, Lanni worked he Human relations magic. The native Humans grunted at her and began to follow her into the cover of vegetation. Then she turned her eye toward Prism's weapon. "The gun!" she screamed. "It's tracking them!" Sure enough, the weapon turret was swiveling to follow the departing natives. Lanni paused, then cried, "Run!" and demonstrated what she meant. The natives took the hint, shouting confusion in their primitive language. Lanni and Iona herded them away, placing themselves between the fearsome weapon and the innocent natives. Iona felt, rather than heard, the gun fire. Bright orange light caught the edge of her vision. The world seemed to slow as the light enveloped her. There was something grabbing her, pulling her down. She staggered, running through molasses, then collapsed in a tangle of... her uniform? Suddenly, she felt strong arms lifting her, carrying her away. She looked up to see the faces of the natives grunting urgently at her. she thought sluggishly. Then a heavy weight seemed to close her eyes, and she slept. "Aiee!" The sound jolted her out of her slumber. She was lying in a bed of odd-smelling skins. The orange light of Prism's weapon still seemed to burn in negative on the backs of her eyelids. "Do you know how long I worked to grow *out* of this stage of my life??" Iona blinked groggily. Then stared in astonishment. Standing before her was a teenage child, a gangly female youth with frizzing black hair, a flat chest, and... acne. A lot of it. It was also dressed in an oversized Starfleet uniform. Iona opened her mouth, and it worked silently for a while before she found her voice. "Erg... 'Lanni? Is that you?" The teenage XO gave Iona a withering glare. "Don't find a pond to look at yourself in," she said caustically. "If you think I'm bad, you haven't made it to puberty yet." Respectfully Submitted, Susan Rati Iona Zinoviev, ages 32, 22, and 10 USS OBERON and Prehistoric Earth NRPG: And all of the changes in Iona haven't been discovered yet... ;) I imagine a few more side-effects of her recovered youth will make it into gameplay ;). Lots of loose ends on the time plot. I promise to attack our modern plot the next time I write. Susan Rati (echo@indy.net) http://www.indy.net/~echo | Raising Creator, DragonLands http://www.dragonlands.home.dhs.org | overcommitment George, InConJunction ** http://www.indy.net/~incon | to an MIB #1110 (Secret Rep SJGames) http://www.sjgames.com | art form.