Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Sun, 04 Apr 2004 00:48:41 GMT In: alt.startrek.creative From: "Jay P Hailey" Title: Star Trek: Outwardly Mobile Author: Jay P Hailey (JayPHailey@hotmail.com) Series: OCC Codes: None Part: 52/342(?) Rating:[PG] Archive: Fine with me, just tell me where. Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Star Trek. I claim Original Characters and Situations for me. Webpage HTTP://jayphailey.8m.com ZTA-1 by Jay P. Hailey And Dennnis Washburn The next day, the door bell to my office rang again. I considered having it disconnected, but instead I said "Enter." Two of the Youn Marines came in. They were wearing the gray fatigues that were standard issue for recruits in boot camp. They were dirty and disheveled. I noticed that one of them was the especially whiny Marine from my earlier encounter. He had scratches on the side of his face. I thought that it looked like the live fire phaser exercise. The live fire phaser exercise had one crawling beneath barbed wire while the Sergeant fired phaser beams over your head. The recruits were told that it was set on disintegrate, but I doubted that. That is, until I got into the trench. Then I believed with all of my heart. I knew that the training was working. They came to attention and saluted me. I returned the salute and said "Yes, gentlemen?" "Sir, we have to report that Sgt. Major Kendricks is dangerously insane, Sir." Somehow I managed to keep a straight face. "Really?" They were frightened about half out of their minds. "Oh, yes. He took us into the Holodeck and started to torture us. We barely escaped. He might kill the other guys when he finds that we're gone." The other one chimed in. "Please don't let him get us!" "He made Sergeant Yung do push ups until he passed out!" The young man was horrified. "Hmmm." I said, thinking furiously. "Please do something!" "These are very serious charges." I began. "Are you sure that you want to press the issue?" They looked at each other. "I mean, it's been quite some time since we've had a trial by ordeal in Starfleet. I'm certain we could find the equipment to perform trial or at least replicate it. But I don't know if I remember the invocations correctly." The two gulped almost in unison. The leader of the two spoke. "Trial by ordeal, Sir?" "Well, yes, in cases of challenges to a superior officer's sanity, we invoke the gods and put the two sides through trial by ordeal. The gods favor the side of righteousness, you see." "The Gods?" He squeaked. The other one was just looking at me with big eyes. "Well, yes. It's the only really fair option. The counselor has known Sergeant-Major Kendricks for the entire trip. Do you want to trust him for an impartial judgment?" "Uh...uh..." "Fortunately such challenges are very rare in the modern Starfleet. We rarely even flog people anymore." "Flog?" "Well, that's only if the Sergeant finds out that you've come directly to me. We place great weight on the chain of command, in Starfleet. But don't worry. If you press the challenge, the we go straight to the trial by ordeal. No floggings." "Ah... ah.." "We've got to go!" The other Marine grabbed his friend and started to drag him out of my office. "Er, yeah! Sorry to bother you, Sir." I was amazed when they both stopped and saluted me on the way out of my office. -*- The day after that, The delegate from the Tabooists came to me. "Captain, may I speak with you?" "Certainly, Sir." We went to my office, where I offered the Delegate a beverage from my replicator. "It has come to my attention that we have entered the Taboo Zone." I bit the bullet. "Yes, Sir, that is correct." "My government has asked me to express our disapproval in the strongest possible terms. We request with utmost sincerity that you turn your ship about and exit the Taboo Zone." "I'm sorry, Sir, I have made an agreement with the Poong to continue this course." "That is regrettable. I am authorized to make any possible argument to convince you that this is an imprudent course of action. Knowing what I know of your trip and your actions I will save time by using my most persuasive argument, the truth." "Do you mind if I record this?" "Not at all. My respected brothers have met in council and have decided that the knowledge of our sacred trust will be made available to all." I set the computer to record. "Our most ancient mission is to guard this region of space. We do not guard secrets from the unworthy. We guard the unprepared against those secrets. Approximately eighty thousand years ago there lived an advanced race called the Rishans. Their race was ancient and their powers dwarf the understanding of mortals." "In time they grew so advanced and so powerful that their motivations were no longer such that we could grasp them. Shortly after this, as such things are measured, they moved on. We know not where." "They raised up our race as children, and gave us our mission to guard the area of the Taboo Zone. Primitive people such as your Federation, the Zantree Alliance or ourselves are in terrible danger when trespassing in the area once inhabited by the Rishans. In their haste to move on, they were untidy. They left their ancient wonders behind. These things are simply beyond the understanding of our races. Yet they may endanger us. They can change us. Individuals among the Tabooists sometimes break the taboo, and enter the zone on a quest to understand our progenitor race. Few return. Many have been quite mad. Some have had the powers of the Rishans, uncontrolled except by their primitive minds. Even amongst us, the faithful, the results have been tragic and bloody. The results among your Federation worlds or our own Zantree Alliance will be worse for you have little or no knowledge of what you're dealing with." "Uh-huh.? I said. "Will you please reconsider?" "I certainly would, if it would do us any good. However, we have reached the furthest point inside the Taboo Zone. It is just as far to keep going forward as it is to go backwards." "Oh." "Yeah." --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.648 / Virus Database: 415 - Release Date: 3/31/2004 -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Awards Tech Support http://www.trekiverse.us/ASCAwards/commenting/ No Tribbles were harmed in the running of these Awards ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! 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