Thursday, September 07, 2006

Obeying The Lore (Part Three)

I was pleased we caught the killer in Starbase 6 so quickly; sometimes we can wrap up our missions very fast!

Now we are conducting a shipwide search for Jennifer Baxter, who seems to have disappeared. Her Com badge was destroyed.

Also, we are going to observe the Kraka Rift. It is a dimensional distortion in space that has developed, and tends to open up every so often. It leads to an unknown area.

It's too dangerous to get very near to, so we have to view it from a distance. A very long distance.

I must say, the Enterprise does seem to getting a little close to the Rift for my liking.

"Mr La Forge" I say, "We are too near the Rift, reverse course."

"The Enterprise has been set on a programmed course towards the Rift!" says Georgi in his best panic-stricken voice, "There is no way to change it!"

"There must be!" I tell him, in my best calm-but-actually-terrified tone.

"I can't change the law of physics" he shouts.

Now who said that before?

Deanna looks at me.

"I sense increasing concern throughout the ship" she says.

I sense it in me as well. Data gets up and goes towards the door.

"Mr Data" I tell him, "We need you at your post."

"I can't do that, Captain" he replies, "I've got a shuttle to catch. I don't want to be in that Rift, after all. I've got a life to lead once you are out of the way."

Contractions.

"Lore?" asks Riker.

"That's right, Riker." he replies, "He's smart, Picard; you were wise to get him as a Commander."

On that, he disappears from the Bridge; despite all our efforts, we can't stop the route he is taking as Lore has programmed a forcefield corridor right towards his shuttle.

Why does this always happen? We had these things built in to help us, not so that villains could get away without us doing anything. That's something I'll have to write to Starfleet about.

Now I must be going crazy; here I am, thinking of writing a letter of complaint to Starfleet, while the Enterprise is on an irreversible course towards the Kraka Rift!

Lore is seen going off to safety in a shuttle; he leaves at Warp 9.

"How long do we have?" I ask.

"About 10 minutes." replies Riker.

"Where do you think Data is?" I say, "He would be able to solve this."

"He must still be on Starbase 6" answers Beverly.

"Absolutely; if we can find him, he might get us out of it all"

Five minutes later, after a call, Data is located in a crate bound for Nowheresville Warehouse. He is snapped together. It was fortunate that the Starbase had an Easy-To-Assemble plan that Dr Soong had bequested to the Federation.

With thirty seconds to go, the Enterprise about to go in the Rift, Data's face appears on our videoscreen; he suggests a probable sequence that might work.

The program is disabled, and the Enterprise turns round with two seconds to spare.

It's odd that these incidents are never carried out with lots of minutes remaining; there are always single seconds.

--------------------

Later on, we pick up Data from Starbase 6 and find Jennifer Baxter tied up and gagged in a Jeffries Tube.

"Lore is still on the loose, sir" says Data.

"That's true" I reply, "He's not the sort to retire to a quiet life with pipe and slippers. I'm sure he will turn up sometime"

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope they are very groovy slippers and pipe, and I'm very worried about Jennifer in that Jeffries tube, I thought she was going to be resuced today, poor thing...

The Curmudgeon said...

This is the best yet.

"Why does this always happen? We had these things built in to help us, not so that villains could get away without us doing anything. That's something I'll have to write to Starfleet about."

Of course, I am wondering how the good folks at Starbase 6 knew to look for crates bound for the Nowheresville Warehouse....

Lahdeedah said...

Am I the only one that thinks Lore is kinda, I don't know, hot, in a morally reprehensible, 'evil destroy the universe if i could for shits and giggles' way? Maybe it's his charisma?

Jon the Intergalactic Gladiator said...

And you're just going to let Lore get away? You gotta go find him.

Professor Xavier said...

Sounds like Lore has an emotion chip implanted. An evil emotion chip, that is.

dragonflyfilly said...

oh lahdeedah, you're NOT one of those women who fall for the "bad boys" are you? - it will only end in tears you know, and before you say you would rather have a broken heart than be "bored" to tears, just think about the last time, o.k.?....

anyway, i don't think i am going to be able to sleep until they catch him!

Osquer said...

I love this description "in my best calm-but-actually-terrified tone!"

Renee said...

You've got to get tracking devices put in those shuttles, Captain! Then you could easliy track these villians!

Karen said...

Um, is it OK if I wish you a Happy 40th Star Trek anniversary Captain, or am I in the wrong galaxy?

Well, nevertheless, hope you're having a great day. Michele sent me!

Susan said...

It's a pity Noonian Soong did not put a tracking chip in Data and Lore, or perhaps one of those chips that you get your cat tagged with. One sweep of the sensor would have told the Enterprise that they'd got the wrong android. :)

PS Happy Anniversary Jean-Luc

pilgrimchick said...

Oh, this was fantastic. The obvious "Deanna" lines are way too much. This was a great series. Poor Picard--I wonder how well Starfleet will take his letter of complaint--that leads me to wonder what form letters like that would take in the 24th century. Maybe without needing to worry about providing for ourselves, we may be nicer upon composing them.

Meow (aka Connie) said...

That's pretty cool !!!
Just dropping by to wish you a great weekend.
Take care, Meow

emi said...

Going through the rift might have been very interesting! You might have even found yourself in the same quadrant with Captain Janeway. Although, it would have been just desserts if Lore had gotten his shuttlecraft sucked in, small and underpowered as they are.

Happy anniversary!

dragonflyfilly said...

By the way, Lore has just been reported sighted in another dimension: that is, on a Domestic Flight from Seattle to Boston, - he was posing as a physicist named Albert, and chatting up a skinny pale dark haired woman named Lillith!

Midori said...

Hi from Michele`s! I haven`t watched Star Trek for years so I am very confused!! LOL!

Jean-Luc Picard said...

Lore is definately a bad guy!

Secret Squirrel, having tracking devices is another suggestion I'll put in my letter of complaint to Starfeet.

Siskenyon, Deanna does have a Degree in Stating The Obvious.

Dragonflyfilly, Lilith Crane is one of my favourite tv characters!

Midori, I'm confused all the time.

Florence Forrest said...

Like Data, contractions do not..I mean, don't come easily when I write. I'm constantly editing to add them in so I do not..er, don't sound to staccato...hmm, I mean Dataish.

Data and kin stories are always much appreciated.

xx

carmilevy said...

If only we COULD change the laws of physics.

I love your writing.

Anonymous said...

Hello, Michele sent me to applaud your happy ending. :)

All's well that ends well.

But your letter to the federation officials about those forcefields should be sternly worded.