Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.pas.earthlink.net!elnk-nf2-pas!newsfeed.earthlink.net!newshub.sdsu.edu!headwall.stanford.edu!newsfeed.stanford.edu!sn-xit-03!sn-xit-08!sn-post-02!sn-post-01!supernews.com!corp.supernews.com!not-for-mail From: billfl@hiwaay.net (Bill Livingston) Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: NEW ALL: "Five and a Half Things That Never Happened on Star Trek" (6/6) (PG) Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2005 06:12:26 GMT Organization: Almost None Message-ID: <41fdcbd1.367157@newstoo.hiwaay.net> X-Newsreader: Forte Free Agent 1.11/16.235 X-Complaints-To: abuse@supernews.com Lines: 135 Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative:162187 X-Received-Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2005 22:14:23 PST (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) Title: Behold... Series: Five and a Half Things That Never Happened on Star Trek Part: 1/1 (Story), 6/6 (Series) Author: Bill Livingston (billfl@hiwaay.net) Series: AD AU (Yet not) Rating: [PG] Codes: ? Summary: A monster, purported to be myth, is shown to be real. Note the first: As you may have guessed, this is inspired in part by Rocky's "5 Things That Never Happened to Kira Nerys". I asked her if I could borrow the premise, who was nice enough not only to say yes, but to point out that it's been used before. Thanks, Rocky. Note the second: There's going to be one of these for each series, plus one more (hence the "half"). Note the third: Long time readers of ASC will recognize that this is based on Rob Morris's epic AU storyline, "Behold the Ancient Destroyer". Rob gave me permission to post this story (and many thanks and offerings to ROb for that), so long as I made it clear that this is not an AU of his AU. Per Rob, this is officially classified as an Imaginary Story, not an AU. The nature of the AD Universe contains the primal paradox that it can have no AU's. Archive: OK anywhere, as long as title and authorship remain unchanged. Any MSTers welcome, just let me know. 8-] Disclaimer: "Star Trek" and all related characters and situations are trademarks of and © Desilu/Paramount/Viacom. All rights are reserved. Feedback in ASC and by email is welcome. If you liked it, please let me know. If not, please let me know. In either case, please let me know *why*. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- BEHOLD... By Bill Livingston "We've just received word, Captain. Qo'noS, the Klingon homeworld, has been destroyed." "Destroyed?!? How?!?" "There's a visual feed. What it shows is incredible - but apparently true!" The screen in the captain's ready room changed to show a fleet of Klingon battlecruisers, all apparent pressed into service as ersatz (if heavily armed) towships. Behind them, bound in a snare of tractor beams, was their cargo. The captain couldn't see what they were hauling - but whatever their prize was, it was truly immense. As they approached the orbital plane of the Klingon moon Praxis, the energy-swathed thing suddenly stirred. It struggled and writhed at first, causing the ships to jockey around in an attempt to keep it immobilized it with their tractors. Then it began to rotate. The Klingons tried their best, but it kept spinning, faster and faster, whipping the warship/tugboats in huge circles like toys on a string. Finally, one by one, centrifugal force tore the ships apart, deadly blooms of antimatter explosions heralding their ends. Now another wave of ships arrived, already firing on the deadly object their late comrades had brought to the homeworld - but it seemed not to even notice them. Freed from the tangle of tractor energy, it spewed flaming gouts of energy, incinerating the ships closest to it. Then, as the doomed Klingon fleet kept firing, the colossal thing dipped towards Praxis. The satellite shuddered as the prey-turned-predator smashed through the crust. In seconds, it tore straight through to the core, and Praxis disintegrated into fire and mountains of spinning rock before their eyes. The fleet never had a chance - those ships that didn't explode from overload were simply crushed by the shockwave and debris. Then, to the captain's horror, whatever it was kept going - straight for the heart of Qo'noS itself. Its descent created a plume of escaping gas as much of the upper atmosphere was propelled into space. It plunged toward the Great Southern Sea, and as it made contact, the entire ocean seemed to boil. An immense ring of superheated water spread out from point of impact, racing for the coastal cities, seemingly intent on boiling them alive. The scalding tsunamis never made it. After a moment of relative stillness, Qo'nos simply burst apart like an overripe melon. The captain winced as the Klingon homeworld followed its former satellite into oblivion. He held no love for the Empire, or for its brutal, imperialistic rulers - but he'd known many Klingons of great personal courage and honor. Qo'noS had been their home, along with billions of other innocents - and now it and they were gone. From the other side of the debris field, the thing that had effectively murdered the Klingon race emerged and slowly ceased its spin. Now, shock followed shock as the agent of planetary destruction was revealed as a reptilian beast, measuring over 1000 miles in diameter. With a final, soundless roar, the monster flew off, achieving warp speed in mere seconds. The captain turned to his two young guests in shock and apprehension. Mere months ago, he'd learned his beloved child, long thought dead, was not only alive and well, but bonded to a Vulcan mate. Days ago, the two of them had shown up here, on his ship. Hours ago, they came to his ready room with a story so fantastic, he'd been very afraid the strain of years of unspeakable tortures had driven his beloved child insane! But now, their story had proven true - and that frightened him even more. "My God - you were right! The Primal Eradicator - Gamera - he's real!" Feeling suddenly week in the knees - not something he was used to - he sat down heavily in a nearby chair. "It's okay, pop. It's a lot to swallow at once, I know." "Indeed. Though we have lived with this knowledge for years, confirmation of its reality is, to say the least, overwhelming." "There's worse news, though - this is just the beginning. The monster's heading towards ch'Rihan. The Romulans are next on Gamera's menu." "But - wait, how did - how could you *possibly* know all this?" he asked in confusion. His daughter's face turned fierce. "Believe me, I learned more than I ever wanted to know about the Primal Eradicator! Those Section 31 bastards did - things - to me over all those years!" At the thought of what Section 31 had done to both the body and mind of his only child, the captain again repressed a shudder of anger. "Thanks to them, I can feel the monster in my mind!" "And so, through her, can I as well." "But I also know for another reason." She reached and grasped her bondmate's hand. As they closed their eyes. Captain Sulu was surprised her Vulcan husband would allow such familiar personal contact in public. Then Demora and Tuvok re-opened their eyes and Sulu gasped in astonishment. Eyes glowing bright with power, they proclaimed, simultaneously, "We are The Rock." NewMessage: