Strange New Worlds VIII

by Dean Wesley Smith

  “In searching for a cure, we came across the notes of a Denobulan physician from the earliest days of the diaspora. They showed promise, and eventually we devised a way to eradicate the creatures.

  “The Denobulan had been researching a cure for his captain—the captain of that first Enterprise. He’d been infected in the Expanse, a few months before Earth was lost. It gave us an idea.

  “For our first attempt at a temporal correction, we wanted to start with something small. Something minor, to let us monitor its effects and learn for our next attempt. So we decided on that Denobulan physician. He was brilliant, really. We just—nudged him—in the right direction. To replicate the cure we’d found.”

  Vargas continued his work. “The key to this was remaining aware of what we’d done. That is where this vessel comes in.

  “Don’t be ashamed that you couldn’t decipher it in a day. This ship, this—Genesis device—is adapted from captured technologies that won’t be invented for another three hundred years. Doctor Marcus and his Klingon team worked half their lives to build it. It is a temporal insulator of sorts—it allows me to weather the effects of our tampering without being affected myself. It lets me observe what we have done—and undo it if need be.”

  Realization dawned on Picard. “Shut off the beam,” he said. “Now.”

  “Captain?”

  “Do it.”

  Vargas smiled. “Thank you, Captain. I’m glad you understand.”

  “You took a tremendous risk.”

  “Yes, Captain. And it was incredible hubris on our part, I know. But look at what we have wrought.”

  “Captain,” Daniels said. “What is he talking about?”

  “You were right, Mister Daniels,” Vargas said. “The events that I’ve described . . . never happened. Now. And thanks to us.”

  “Us?”

  “Myself and many others who never were. The reality that you know, Mister Daniels, is not the reality that was. It is not the one that was meant to be. It is one that we have made. And that we must be allowed to finish.”

  “You can’t be serious. The eruptions—”

  “I am a product of that—first draft—of history,” Vargas said. “I am connected to it. My presence here—my very existence—is a paradox. It is anathema to Nature herself. I cannot be. And yet I am. That is why existence is reacting as it is, and why these eruptions are centered here.

  “We knew this could happen—and we knew I would have little time. But we had to know. If we had done something worthy, and deserving of life, or if we should direct our efforts elsewhere. I am, frankly—overwhelmed—by what I’ve found.”

  “Captain,” Geordi said. “There’s a tremendous buildup of energy over there . . . .”

  “Back us away.” The two ships began to part.

  “My presence, though necessary, has caused enough disruption here,” Vargas said. “Allowing you to take me to yet another time, Mister Daniels, would have been disastrous.”

  A sensor chimed on Worf’s board. “He’s building to some kind of overload.”

  “The reality you know is not what was,” Vargas said. “It is not what was meant to be. It is a gift. From us. Use it well. And—remember us.”

  His image disappeared from the screen. They watched in silence as his ship appeared to gather a tremendous energy and then silently collapsed in upon itself. There was a brilliant flash of light—and he was gone. The trembling in the deck that had become ever-present quietly subsided, and the storm itself faded from view.

  The bridge was silent. Picard finally spoke. “ ‘And he looked upon his works, and saw that they were good.’ ”

  Geordi came up to the rail behind them. “You mean—we owe our entire existence . . . what? To Khan?”

  “No,” Picard said quietly. “But perhaps to the man he might have been.” He gazed for a moment at the stars.

  “Helm—take us home.”

  About the Contributors

  Lorraine Anderson (“Hero”) lives in Three Rivers, Michigan, and works two jobs. Finding time to write is a challenge! She is ruled by her two cats, Cocoa and Zen (who is anything but peaceful). This is her first professional publication, and she is still in total shock. While she would love to name all her friends and family who have supported her, she would especially like to thank Sherry “Sherlock” Watson. Adventures, old friend!

  Derek Tyler Attico (“A & Ω” [Alpha and Omega]) is a native New Yorker actively pursuing writing. His other passions include feudal Japan, reading everything from Dante to Dumas, and photography; his work can be seen at DerekAttico.com. Since a story is written alone but never completed unaided, he’d like to thank Gene Roddenberry and the writers of Star Trek for creating and cultivating such a rich mythos, the WritersRoom for giving him a place of solitude to write, and Dean, Elisa, and Paula for allowing his voice to be heard here. This marks his first entry and appearance in SNW.

  David DeLee (“Promises Made”) is a native New Yorker who now resides in central Ohio with his wonderful wife, Anne, his two terrific daughters, Grace and Sarah, and four cats (a prerequisite for writers, he’s been told). He’d like to thank his family for their support, even when they didn’t completely understand (“A writer? Where’d that come from?”); Dean, Elisa, and Paula for making it possible; the OCPFWW Class of ’03, for everything—and C.G. for critiques of his earlier work with a gentle but firm red pen. “Promises Made” is his first professional sale.

  M. C. DeMarco (“This Drone”) caught the Star Trek bug from her father, L. L. DeMarco, at an impressionable age. Today she works for a small software company in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2004, she attended the Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop; any adverbs that remain in her prose are entirely her own. This is her first professional sale.

  Dan C. Duval (“Trek”) marks his first professional sale in SNW8. After spending the last twenty-five years working in high tech, he, his cat, and his horses are taking a stab at the writing lifestyle, hoping to avoid the day job as long as possible. He lives in Oregon, between the volcanoes and the tsunamis. He thanks all the people who made this possible and they know who they are. So does the FBI.

  Alan James Garbers (“Shanghaied”) is a master electrician and Assistant Scoutmaster in BSA Troop 219. He lives on a small farm in central Indiana with his singer/songwriter wife, Dianna, his Eagle Scout son, Dustin, and his honor-roll daughter, Erica. “Shanghaied” is Alan’s third and last appearance in the SNW anthologies. Alan thanks Dean, John, Paula, and Elisa for the encouragement and opportunities. He also thanks his coworkers at Diamond Chain Company, and his friends in the Morgan County Writers group for their support. Alan hopes to continue a career in writing Star Trek novels.

  Kevin Andrew Hosey (“Demon”) is a forty-five-year-old marketing communications professional who lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, Terrelia, and two children, Christian and Kimberly. This is his second SNW story. His first, “Seven & Seven,” appeared in SNW VI. Besides the Trek stories, he’s had cartoons printed in several publications, including Starlog. He recently finished two movie scripts, one horror and one science fiction, and also plans to convert them to novels. When not locked in his home studio writing, he spends his days creating advertising, videos, websites, and more. Like writing, it’s hard work—but lots of fun.

  Paul J. Kaplan (“Dawn”) is an evil big-firm lawyer in Atlanta. Others know him as the slightly daft husband of a much smarter lawyer and doting dad of The Cutest Toddler Ever™. “Dawn” marks Paul’s third appearance in Strange New Worlds, and he is stunned to learn that this allegedly makes him a “professional” writer. That noise you just heard was the sound of every real author out there having a collective stroke. Heartfelt thanks to Dean, John, Elisa, and Paula for letting the fans contribute a few corny words to the near forty-year tapestry of Trek.

  A. Rhea King (“Insanity”) is a native Coloradoan. She currently attends Aims Community College studying TV Production and after graduation will attend UCLA to earn her
master’s. She has won awards and recognition for her one-hour drama scripts (all science-fiction-based, of course) and looks forward to a career as an episodic-TV writer and producer. “Insanity” is her first professional publication, but certainly not her last writing success!

  Kevin Lauderdale (“Assignment: One”) has been on the cutting edge of history all his life. He was born and raised in Los Angeles during Hollywood’s Silver Age, lived in Silicon Valley during the Internet boom, and moved to the Washington, D.C., area (specifically, northern Virginia) two weeks before 9/11. His story “A Test of Character” was in SNW VII.

  Muri McCage (“Always a Price”) is a full-time writer, currently working on several original fiction projects and a screenplay. This is her second SNW appearance. She has traveled the world and would love to travel the universe as well, if only technology would catch up with imagination. In the meantime, she is very happy to hitch a ride on the wagon train to the stars. She would like to thank her best friend, Cinnamon, who always gets it, and her mom, for always believing.

  Susan S. McCrackin (“Transfiguration”) is thrilled to once again be included in SNW after making her first appearance in SNW VII. Susan lives in northern Virginia (which seems to be a haven for SNW writers!) and is supported by wonderful friends who encourage her writing efforts. She is especially grateful to Judy (who helped me come up with the title for this story) and to Leslie (who has been her biggest fan and most fervent cheerleader and also has a great talent for creating titles) for all of their editing work. She is currently working on an SF novel with a universe that is totally under her control—well, as much control as her characters will allow her to have.

  Annie Reed (“Once Upon a Tribble”) lives in northern Nevada with her husband, her daughter, and several high-maintenance cats. In addition to science fiction, she writes mystery and mainstream fiction, and has recently sold stories to Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and the upcoming anthology Time After Time from Daw. “Once Upon a Tribble” marks her third and final appearance in Strange New Worlds. She wants to thank Dean, Paula, and Elisa for the opportunity; Dave and Katie for giving her time, space, and encouragement to write; the incredible Oregon Coast Writers, from whom she’s learned so much; and, last but certainly not least, the incomparable Melissa for keeping the faith even when she had none. Strange New Worlds has been a wonderful experience, and she will miss it.

  Robert Burke Richardson (“Egg Drop Soup”) has stories appearing in All-Star Zeppelin Adventure Stories, Magistria: Realm of the Sorcerer, and online at WouldThatItWere.com (Oct/Dec 2004). His nonfiction appears online at The Internet Review of Science Fiction and TrekNation.com. Where he’s from, the birds sing a pretty song and there’s always music in the air.

  Sarah A. Seaborne (“Passages of Deceit”) is a native Oregonian who quilts, walks marathons, and is a green belt in Tae Kwon Do. “Passages of Deceit” is her first professional sale, and she is currently writing a mystery novel and working on a story for the next SNW competition. She wishes to thank her friends (two-legged and four-legged) who have immeasurably enriched her life. And for this story, and for an indescribable year, a special thanks to Ian, friend, confidant, and the guy at the other end of the lifeline.

  Amy Sisson (“You May Kiss the Bride”) is an academic librarian in Houston, Texas, and a graduate of Clarion West (2000). This is Amy’s second appearance in SNW, following “The Law of Averages” in SNW VII. “You May Kiss the Bride” is dedicated to Paul Abell—husband, soulmate, and co-rescuer of cats—and is not based on Amy and Paul’s real-life wedding experiences. Thanks also to Dean Wesley Smith, Paula M. Block, and Elisa J. Kassin for helping to make writing dreams come true.

  J.B. (Jan) Stevens (“Coffee with a Friend”), a blood bank lab technologist and aspiring writer living in Oklahoma City, is humbled to be making her second appearance in the Strange New Worlds anthologies. Her first winning story, “Hidden,” appeared in Strange New Worlds VI. A lifetime fan of science fiction, JB has been hopelessly addicted to Star Trek ever since the original series first aired. She would like to dedicate this story to the memory of her father, Richard Burke. He left her a wonderful legacy of devotion to family, his example of never wanting to give up and quit, and the belief that despite other people’s opinions, being a stubborn, hardheaded Irishman isn’t such a bad thing after all.

  Kevin G. Summers (“Morning Bells Are Ringing”) is the author of the critically acclaimed short story “Isolation Ward 4” (SNW IV) as well as the story “Ha’mara” (Prophecy and Change). He resides in Leesburg, Virginia, with his beautiful wife, Rachel, and their daughter, Morwen.

  John Takis (“Final Flight”) appears in SNW for the last time, having previously published in volumes III and V. John writes, “This story is dedicated to the memory of Jerry Goldsmith, whose incomparable music shaped both Star Trek and my imagination.” John can be found at various Midwestern locales, working for his church and hacking away at assorted writing projects. He sends love to .

  Geoffrey Thorne (“Concurrence”) still lives in Los Angeles, still with his frighteningly prescient (and now occasionally bemused) wife, Susan. Deepest thanks to the Great Bird for starting all this. Equal thanks to Dean, Elisa, Paula, and the absent but never forgotten John Ordover, for letting me join in. IDIC.

  Paul C. Tseng (“Don’t Call Me Tiny”) holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Juilliard and a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. He is an IT professional and a musician. Paul has been a fan of Star Trek since he was in elementary school, when the original series aired every night. Writing stories since the first grade, he has written plays, scripts, short stories, and novels. His contribution to Strange New Worlds 8 marks his professional debut. It was at the suggestion of friends that he entered his stories into SNW to get his proverbial “foot in the door.” Paul acknowledges and thanks his wife, Katie, and two children, who put up with his Trek habit in southern California. He would also like to thank his accomplices Anthony Davis, Lori Graves, and Joseph DiLella for their encouragement, devoted feedback, and support from the very first chapter of Trek fiction he wrote. Paul dedicates this story to his father and recently departed mother for their love and unfailing belief in him.

  Amy Vincent (“Gumbo”) works in marketing in New York City. Although she has also worked as a journalist and continues to free-lance, this is her first published fiction. She would especially like to thank her friends Rocky and Seema for inspiring this story and encouraging her to enter it in Strange New Worlds, as well as her friends Rodney and Jesse, the best Trek-watching pals anybody ever had.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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  ISBN-10: 1-4165-0688-8

  ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-0688-1 (eBook)

  First Pocket Books trade paperback edition July 2005

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