Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Tue, 6 Jan 2004 04:05:42 -0500 (EST) In: alt.startrek.creative From: brightfame66@webtv.net (Robert E. Morris) Title : Ascendancy Author : Rob Morris Contact : brightfame66(at)webteevee(dot)net Archive : www.southroad.com/brightfame Series : The TOS-based AU, The Ancient Destroyer Cycle Type : Origin story (Admiral Brock Cartwright) Characters : Cartwright and family, members of The Order Part : 5/5 Rating : PG13, for sinister implications Summary : Monsters, as they sometimes say, are not born. They are made. ---------------------------------------------- Ascendancy by Rob Morris 2284 - Planet X, somewhere between Pluto and the Wolf Express Route, Sector 001 On his knees on the floor of a lab on the mythical tenth planet of Sol, Grand Admiral Brock Cartwright, Master Of The Terran Order Of The Ancient Destroyer, and Ghidorah's Fourth Head, to hear him tell it, was dying of wounds so hideous, his life would end quite literally with his next breath. The life he was about to lose moved apace before his eyes. It was a life spent in denial. He mused how his father hadn't chosen Starfleet over his family, and then an unclean Alpha Centauran over Brock's own mother. How his mother hadn't gone further into insanity as a result, using Brock as a physical as well as a mental companion. He smiled inwardly, for surely an uppity cadet named James Kirk had never challenged him, and inspired loyal Order-member Finnegan to leave their circle? Yes, he was doing fine. He had no wounds, surely. And just as surely, that second Kirk in Starfleet failed to rise in rank, just like his father? And hadn't all the filthy alien-lovers failed to prevent Brock's own accession to Grand Admiral? Wasn't it true that Peter Kirk had never escaped captivity, leading a campaign against Admiralty Hall? Yes, surely the brat was still in cryo, which meant no one had just blown up the Hall, forcing Brock to flee to Planet Ten? Hadn't he kept the stain of the alien from overruning UFP culture? Surely, everyone saw that. But now came that last breath. Peter Kirk grimly commented as a Cartwright multi-furcating into literal ribbons of flesh, sinew and bone-mass. The champion behind Cartwright felt no joy at all this. "As you ascend, Admiral--treat people on your way up with courtesy, dignity and kindness." The Rock Of Prophecy used his power to erase the viscera from existence. "For these will be the same people you meet again--on your way down." This concludes the tale of the rise and fall of Brock Cartwright, a man, who, for all his supposed power, died alone and largely unmourned. His crime was perhaps the ultimate one. For God had shown him the wonders of creation, and instead of being awed, Brock Cartwright had sought to 'cleanse' it all. For one can never, without aid, ascend above the unclean things that dwell in our own hearts. -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Stories Only Forwarding In the Pattern Buffer at: http//trekiverse.crosswinds.net/feed/ Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. From ???@??? Wed Jan 07 23:31:22 2004 Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n38.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.106]) by cockatoo (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aErvs6fU3NZFkl0 for ; Wed, 7 Jan 2004 20:10:50 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-12827-1073535019-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.