Date: Sun, 31 May 1998 05:15:38 -0500 (EST) From: Brian Davidson Subject: USS OBERON: Time Is of the Essence ... and the Essence is Time Owen looked around cautiously, his every sense tuned to its fullest, trying to determine where he was and what had happened to him. The last he remembered, he had been aboard the fish-ship, Jonah, with Lt. Keyotay. Now he was elsewhere. *Beyond.* The word came to him from nowhere, or so it seemed, and yet it fit in a way he could not define. He was Beyond. And so was the intruder. He knew this, in the same undefinable way: that the two of them had been sent here, together, to end it. And end it Owen would, if he could. The intruder was evil, hostile and implacable. It must be stopped before others came to harm. Given free rein, this entity could pose a threat to all of humanity. And that, he could not, would not, allow. He was humanity's protector in this, as in so many things before. It was his essence, the core of his programming, his one purpose in existing, as it had been for each of his predecessors over the millenia since the first unit had activated on Earth. He knew that the odds were high against him; one on one, the intruder was stronger, faster, more flexible than he. His best weapon was surprise, and even that was limited, as the being seemed to know so much about him and his capabilities. Even as he adjusted to his surroundings, the crystalline form was upon him. * * * "Uh oh..." Stae-faan heard Nabon's exclamation, and turned to see what had happened. Keegan also turned, and she gasped in surprise at the view before them. The holographic projection which had previously shown a view of the strange dimensional space that Jonah had been "swimming" through, now showed a rugged, rocky landscape. Two figures struggled in the center, neither able to gain more than a slight, temporary advantage. One of them was recognizable as Owen. The other was the crystalline intruder. The two struggled fiercely. Both showed signs of damage. The crystalline being was still missing half of its left armn, where Stae-faan's sword had taken it off, and a gash in its side. Owen's uniform tunic was ripped and scorched, as was the skin below it. There was a smoking hole through his right shoulder, though his arm still appeared to be at least partly functional. But what Nabon and Keegan had reacted to in such shock was not the combatants themselves, but what lay beyond them, in the background. It was a large, roughly circular slab of stone, with a similar , close to circular hole through it. Colors played across the surface of the stone in random, but oddly compelling patterns. They all recognized it, even those who had not actually been here before. It was the Guardian of Forever. They were in orbit around the planet Gateway, and Owen fought below, on its surface. "Captain," Iona said, quietly but urgently, "we must get down there. He needs us." Stae-faan nodded. "We'll have to use the shuttles' transporters to beam down. Flying would be too slow." Lieutenant Keyotay spoke for the first time since their arrival, his voice echoing with a deep resonance which seemed could not have come from a humanoid-sized voice box. "Jonah can help. Jonah can move you. Who goes?" Knowing that Key's mind was still linked to that of the massive ship-entity, the OBERON's Captain prepared to answer. Before the words came out, though, the communications link from the OBERON sounded with Yolanda Tabak's voice. "Tabak to LuCypher. Where are you?" "We're at Gateway, Commander," Stae-faan replied. "Get here as fast as you can. We've found Owen, but we need to act fast. Keep this channel open." "Aye, aye!" "Iona," the CO said, turning to her, "obviously you're going." She nodded. "Right. Nabon, you and I. Keegan, Keyotay, you two remain here." The CEO nodded. She knew she would not likely be of much use on the surface, and someone had to keep an eye on Keyotay, in case there were further problems resulting from the mind meld. The three designated officers moved off to one side together, and Key raised a hand. Their figures shimmered, as if obscured by heat waves, then they were gone. Turning to the holographic display, Lt. Dacey was relieved to see the trio appear off to one side. She turned back to the Vulcan. "Looks like it's just us now." "And Jonah," the FCO replied, his voice still oddly resonant. "Right," she sighed. "And Jonah." * * * Back on the OBERON, Sam Jackson sat bolt upright on the bed. He was hearing the ship again, only this time, it was not as intense, more manageable. He knew what it wanted, knew he had to act quickly, or Owen Christie would die, followed shortly by the Captain and Iona. He did not stop to wonder why the impression had not considered Ensign Nabon. "Doctor Crown! Adam!" * * * Owen fought with every resource at his command. He had never faced an opponent so strong, so fast, so deadly and determined. He knew that, unless he was exquisitely careful, and a bit lucky, he had little or no chance to win this battle, one-on-one. Even so, for a time, he held his own against the crystal foe. He had no projectile weapons or other devices, wo he knew his best chance was in a close-up, grappling style, which would nullify the foe's advantage in that respect. But as it was also stronger and faster, he knew he would need a distraction to defeat it. The distraction came when his three shipmates appeared, only a few meters away. Prism turned his head to face them, and roared in frustration. "You! Puny fleshlings! How did you get here?" It was all the time Owen needed. He drew back his fist, andthen rammed it home with all the force he could muster, right into the gash on his rival's side. Sparks flew as his fist penetrated the gap, ripping itself to shreds in the process. Owen knew this would not defeat the enemy, not of itself. But it should serve to slow him sufficiently so that the speed advantage was neutralized. The crystalline beast shrieked, the sound tearing at the very air. Iona, Stae-faan and Nabon clutched at their ears, falling to their knees. In a flash, the answer came to him. Sound! Vibration! The one fatal flaw in any crstalline structure was its susceptibility to vibration. He turned his head toward the three fallen forms, to shout to them. As he did, Prism stopped screaming. Stae-faan looked up at him, and Owen drew breath to shout. "Captain! Sound! It will sha-" His voice was cut off, with a jolt. His vision began to lose acuity, but he saw the young Operation officer, Nabon, running toward him. He wanted to warn him to stop, but could not move. His head dropped, no longer able to support itself, and he saw the stump of Prism's left arm emerging from his chest. He had been wrong. The enemy was still too fast, too strong. He struggled to speak, but could not. The system failures became catastrophic, and he knew no more. As Nabon came running, not having made a conscious decision to do so, the crystalline creature threw out its right arm, almost casually, and fired a volley of flechettes at the young man. His body was ripped by the impacts, torn and shredded. By the time he hit the ground, no one who knew him would have recognized him. Many would have even had trouble placing the remains as human. Iona screamed. * * * Adam Crown saw Sam rise from the bed, and started to get up, to go to him as the Science officer called his name. "I'm here, Sam, what is it?" "Jonah! The ship! It needs you! Open your mind!" Remembering what had happened the last time he had tried to communicate telepathically with the fish-ship, Adam recoiled, but when he saw the look in Sam's eyes, he knew he had to make a decision. He chose. *I am here, Jonah.* *PROTECTOR!* came the now familiar thought, but nowehere hear as intensely as before. Perhaps Jonah had learned. *PROTECTOR, KEEP HER SAFE!* *Keep who safe? How* *IONA! GUARD HER! SHE CANNOT PROTECT HERSELF!* *Iona?* Even as he was about to ask where, he knew. At Gateway. Before the Guardian of Forever. She screamed... * * * Jonah knew what had to be done. He heard the scream of his friend, knew her pain. He called out to the Protector to help her. Then he reached out, took the sound of the scream, and added his own keening wail. * * * Stae-faan tried to make sense of what Owen had tried to say. Sound? Of course, sound was vibration, and vibration shattered crystal. That was what he had been trying to say. "It will shatter." Even as Nabon fell, his body shredded by the deadly flechettes, he reached for the music. And it came. And Iona screamed. * * * A scream, magnified by millions. Jonah concentrated the sound, multiplied it, fed it back upon itself, and returned it, focusing it on the object of his hatred, the one who had killed his crew. A wave of sound washed over the crystalline form, buffeting it. * * * "The sound!" Adam cried out. "My God, it'll kill her!" He was not worried about Stae-faan. Sound could not harm one who -was- sound, was music. The maerel would protect him. But Iona had no such defense. Her bones would be jellied by the sonic force, every organ in her body ruptured... He focused. And he was there. He could not stop time, not here and now. Stopping the flow of time would stop the vibration which was to destroy the enemy. But maybe he could prevent it from reaching them... He reached out with his mind, feeling for the molecules of air which surrounded them, drawing them together, into a barrier before them. Beside him, Stae-faan LuCypher, Stormlord, stood erect, the music rising from him. And Iona still screamed. * * * A scream, a wail, a symphony. They rose together. Jonah took Iona's screamm, and amplified it. Stae-faan took the amplified sound, and the maerel modulated it, changed it, and amplified it yet again. But it all began with the scream. Adam built a wall of air before them, stopping the passage of time, not for the whole area, but only for those several million molecules. It would be enough, he prayed. It would have to be. * * * Prism writhed in agony as the sound struck him. Pain! He had never felt such pain before, never in thousands of years! He flung the now-inanimate body of Owen Christie aside and raised his one good arm to point toward the source of the scream. The body landed next to the bloody wreck that had been Ensign Nabon. There was an ear-splitting *CR-RACK!* and Prism stared in shock as his right arm fractured at the shoulder. The severed member tumbled to the ground, striking a rocky protrusion. It exploded into fragments. * * * Adam shuddered with the effort of maintaining the wall of no-time. It was not something he had known he could do. He had simply done it, when it was needed. Another new ability, one of many which he hadn't had time yet to study. Time. He nearly laughed at the incongruity of it. He, the Protector of Forever, appointed by the Guardian, didn't have enough time. The irony was almost palpable. He watched through sweat-stung eyes as the crystal figue shook. He heard the crack and watched as its arm fell of an shattered. Glancing to the side again, he saw his friend and Captain standing, locked in concentration. Stae-faan was, right now, in the truest sense of the word, an instrument. The instrument of his music, his maerel. He shuddered again with effort. His strength was fading rapidly; it was too soon after his recovery from Jonah's inadvertant mental assault. He didn't have the energy... but if he failed, he and Iona would die. He would not allow it. Summoning the last of his reserves, he threw everything he had into the barrier. * * * Prism could feel the vibrations coursing through him. He knew his phycal integrity was weakening. His crystalline matrix could not withstand this for much longer. Destruction did not bother him, in and of itself. He had accomplished his task, had his revenge. Owen Christie had died knowing that he had failed to honor his charge. Prism laughed. And shattered. * * * As Stae-faan saw the figure disintegrate into spraking dust, he began to pull the maerel back in. The music withdrew. Jonah saw, and heard, and let go. He stopped his own wail of anger, frustration, and grief. He was satisfied. His crew had been avenged. He stopped the amplification. Adam released his will, gasping in exhaustion. His knees gave out, and he fell backward, landing hard on his rear on the sand behind him. He crossed his arms over his knees and rested his head on them. And Iona stopped screaming. * * * "Adam?" Sam looked around, but the CMO was nowhere to be found. "Doctor Crown?" And then he heard the voice in his head again. *HE IS WELL. THEY ARE SAFE, NOW, EXCEPT FOR THE ONE CALLED OWEN.* *What happened to Owen?* Sam asked, knowing, dreading what he would hear. He had liked the Security Chief, the one man whose thoughts never intruded on his own. *HE IS NO MORE. JONAH GRIEVES.* *As do I, Jonah,* he sent. *I will tell Commander Tabak.* *IT IS WELL THAT YOU DO.* * * * Iona, seeing that the crystal creature was gone, ran to the two fallen men. She saw right away that Nabon was beyond help. She turned to the other body. "Owen?" she called out, plaintively. There was no response. "Owen!" she shouted, shaking him with her tiny hands. He didn't move. His eyes were dark, all spark of life gone. And Iona cried. * * * About three hours later, they were all back aboard Jonah, including Owen's lifeless body. Nabon's had been too badly shredded, so they had buried him there, next to the Guardian. "An android, eh?" Keegan Dacey asked, looking at the remains. "That would explain a few things. But it's not any type I've ever seen, or even heard of." "Can you do anything for him?" Stae-faan asked. He glanced to the side where Iona and Adam sat, side by side. The Doctor cradled the tiny woman in his arms, trying to comfort her. She had not spoken since they had returned. "I doubt it, Sir, but I'll try." LuCypher nodded. He had known it was probably futile, but they had to try. It was the least they could do. He turned away, moving to where Lt. Keyotay stood, next to the holographic display. "How are you doing, Lieutenant?" he asked. "Better now, Sir," Key replied. His voice was back to normal, albeit a bit weak. "But please don't ask me to mind-meld with anyone, or anything, any time soon." Stae-faan allowed a small smile to his lips. They had lost much this day, but it could have been much worse. "What the -" He whirled at Dacey's exclamation. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw Owen rising to a seated position, next to where the CEO kneeled. "Owen!" he called out, "are you all right?" The android looked at him, then spoke. Even before the voice came out, Stae-faan knew something was dreadfully wrong. "I'm all right, Captain, but I'm not Owen." Anathema! "I'm Nabon." * * * On the surface of the planet Gateway, a pile of crystalline powder stirred, when no wind blew. -Lt. Owen Christie (sort of) NRPG: Bet I got you guys there, huh? Thought I'd broken rule #1, didn't you? Come on, you know I wouldn't kill Allen's character without checking with him first, right? The rule doesn't apply to your own, though... Jason, not a lot for you to do, really, but feel free to chip in whatever you like. Maybe now would be a good time for Wyeth to show up? Matt, I needed Adam to be there, so I hope you don't mind my "borrowing" him off of the OBERON. Interesting new ability he's manifested. Allen, thanks again for going along with me on this. Have fun with what we discussed. Greg, sorry I didn't have much of anything for you, but I hope you enjoyed the ride. Lynette, now that Keegan knows, what's she going to do about it? And Dianne, what happened with Kee and Key after everyone else left? Is the Vulcan really okay? Kurt, Susan, thank you and your characters for destroying Prism. ...or did you? Now that that's over, I'm emotionally exhausted. But we've only just begun. Now comes the *real* fun. Oh, and Owen's only *mostly* dead. Allen's going to help me out with that, I hope.