THINGS ON THE MENU
"I'll Go Down Swinging: Chapter II"
"Star Trek Episode Four, Part 1"
Greetings, fellow travelers, and welcome to the seventh-fourth posting of the Blog.
Last week, I began a new book. Last week, we saw someone leave their home behind, for what reason we don't know... yet. Five years ago, I left the land of my birth, Michigan, for a move to Tennessee, where my relatives live. I convinced myself that the change in scenery would be good. However, after some time, I pined for my homeland and refused to integrate myself with the natives. After two and a half years, I managed to return to Michigan, where I remain. I consider that time as a exile, as I felt marooned on an island, unable to escape. Serena now feels the same way, exiled from her home, unable to return.
Before we begin this week, let us look back at last week. We began with Serena giving herself some bedroom love. It then leads to a quick escape to avoid a mysterious stranger, which lead her to leave Chicago, to leave Illinois, pass Indiana, and on to the town of Buchanan, Michigan, where she met the kind Buck Owens Overton, who offered her a place to stay: his. There, we met his sister, who disapproves of Serena being there. The first night was basically a disaster, with Serena's vegan ways making her unable to eat dinner. The next day, Serena realized that her life is now at a standstill.
As we begin Chapter II of "I'll Go Down Swinging", Serena has come to that sad realization...
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Throughtout the day, she finds things to busy herself. One thing she does is look at her feet. Her tiny little feet. She does this by laying down on the couch and staring upwards at them. She admires them, how her lover would caress them and rub them. The toenails, unpainted. The toes themselves, small but sized just right. The reason for this strange activity, none at all.
Most of the time is spend watching the television. She flips her way through the channels, seeing that there is to see. The shows of old, the daytime talk, and the game shows. After hours of this, she just shuts off the set and stares up at the ceiling and does so until she hears the door open. Turns out, it's Susan, the time is 4:00 pm, and in her hands are ungraded papers.
"I see you're still here." Susan says to her as she walks across the room.
"I have no place to go." she replies.
"Why don't you stay at a hotel?" asks Susan as she enters the kitchen.
"Is there one in this town?" she replies.
"The closest one is in Niles, about a few miles away." says Susan.
"Is that so?" she asks.
"I'm sure Buck will convince you to stay here. I know him. He will." says Susan as she sits down at the small table in the kitchen.
"Then I will stay here. Save him the trouble." she says.
"I wish you wouldn't. Every time he thinks he's done something right, I have to convince him of the truth." says Susan as she starts grading papers.
"And what do you think the truth is here?" she asks.
"That this house does not need another person and that Buck needs to think of his family first." says Susan.
"I'm glad I asked that question." she says.
"Hopefully you can be on your way in a couple of days, if I can convince Buck." says Susan.
"Whatever you say." she says.
"I wish you could see my point but you're just like Buck." says Susan.
"Buck is a nice guy. She asked me to stay here out of the kindness of his heart. I didn't even ask him." she says.
"That's his problem. Always asking strangers when he shouldn't. One of these days, he's gonna learn a lesson the hard way." says Susan.
"I hope you don't mean that." she says.
"I do, because it is the truth, and I stand by it." says Susan.
Some time later, the door opens again and it is Buck. As he enters, he whistles a song stuck in his head. He continues to whistle as she walks over to the couch and stares down at Serena as she stares upwards now at him. Eventually, Buck stops whistling and speaks.
"What of interest is on my ceiling?" he asks her.
"Nothing. I'm just looking at it." she replies.
"That's good to know. Say, while I was at work, I decided to do something." he says.
"And what would that be?" she asks.
"I decided that, since you need something to eat while you're here, that I would look over my place of work and find something a vegan could eat." he replies.
"And what did you find?" she asks him.
"Well, I picked up every single item that I could look at between customers and managed not find one thing to eat." he says.
"Glad I asked that." she says sarcatically.
"However, I did stop by the store on the way home and gathered the ingredients for a salad, which I will make." he says, holding up the shopping bag in his hand.
"Thank you, because I have no idea how to cook." she says.
"Glad to be of service." he says as he then heads into the kitchen.
For the next hour, Buck stands next to his sister as she makes the other dinner, the one the two will share. Meanwhile, Buck tries to turn the pile of vegetables into something that looks like a salad. The pile includes tomatoes, lettuce, red and green peppers, and crutons. Finally, after an hour, Buck present the completed meal to Serena as the three of them sit down for dinner.
"One complete salad, made by Buck Owens Overton." he tells her as he puts the mess in a bowl in front of her.
"Thanks. I'll... try to enjoy it." she tells him.
"I know it's not good-looking. I'm not used to cooking such a meal." he says as he takes a seat at the table.
"Or any meal." says Susan as she, too, takes a seat at the table.
"Just leave it, Sis. Serena needs to eat something or else." he says.
"She can eat the same foods as the rest of us. I think this vegan nonsence is silly and needs to stop." says Susan.
"You're right, Sis. Serena, tomorrow, you are gonna be served eggs and bacon and like it." he says to Susan, overflowing with sarcasm.
"Buck, do yourself a favor and put food in your mouth." says Susan.
"If you insist, Sis." he says.
"Why don't I just eat the salad?" says Serena as she puts a fork-full of the stuff in her mouth.
"How does it taste?" he asks as she chews.
"It tastes fine, for now." she replies, swallowing it.
"I know, it's not really good. I plan to get better over time." he says.
"Buck, you're implying that she's staying longer that I like." says Susan.
"Serena is staying here as long as she likes and you can't get me to sent her away to nowhere." he says.
"Buck, you need to think of others before you do stuff like this." says Susan.
"I did think of others. I thought of Serena, who told me she was going somewhere but no idea where. That told me to ask her to stay until she felt like leaving. Right now, Serena has no desire to leave." he says.
"I don't want her filling up our couch as that friend of yours did just recently." says Susan.
"Roger needed a place to live while he searched for a new apartment. Don't belittle my act of kindness by belittling another act of kindness." he says.
"Buck, if you want Serena under this roof, I want you to move her until the basement where you live. I don't want her up here." says Susan.
"If you insist. I'll move her in just as soon... " he says before Susan interrupts him, "No, I want her down there tonight!"
"I don't know if I want to... " says Serena.
"Relax, Serena. I think I can help you out with a place to lay your head downstairs." he says.
"How?" she asks him.
An hour after dinner, the question is answered. Serena, now removed from the couch, walks down the stairs to Buck's domain: the basement. As Serena turns at the bottom of the stairs to face the basement doorway, she sees a sign over said doorway. The sign reads "The Ponderosa". Serena then walks through the doorway into the basement itself.
She truly sees the beauty of the room. Besides that which was mentioned before, she sees the area at the far end from the doorway that has been turned into a makeshift study. Bookshelves covered in DVDs and the like. In a easy chair in one corner is Buck, watching television. After a minute, he notices Serena's presence in the room.
"Nice place, isn't it?" he asks her.
"Yes. Quite the place." she says as she walks over to Buck's wall, covered in pictures.
"I see you've noticed my picture wall." he says as he gets out of his chair.
"I have. Nice pictures." she says as he walks over to her.
"These are all the people, places, and things that inspire me. Right here is a picture of the Enterprise from Star Trek. Right here is a picture of the Nostalgia Critic, signed by him. Worked hard to get that." he says, pointing out the pictures.
"What's this one?" she asks, pointing to a picture of a red-headed woman in a gold frame, set apart from the other ones.
"This is a picture of the late actress Debralee Scott. This picture is to mark her place as the honorary founder of my little club." he says.
"What little club?" she asks him.
"Why, the Useless Things Society. A small group of people out to do things." he says.
"Thanks for telling me. Now, where do I sleep?" she says.
"Well, thanks to a search of the room behind this wall, a pump and 30 minutes of up and down motions, I was able to inflate this old air matress. Don't blame me, it was the best thing I could come up with." he says.
"I don't mind. Where is it?" she says.
"Right here." he says, pointing to the thing just off to her side.
"Thanks for the help." she says as she walks over to it.
"Glad to be of help. I'm always here for you, just ask." he says as he returns to his easy chair.
"I'll remember that." she says as she lays down on the air matress, which easily supports her small frame and weight.
That night, as Buck watches television silently, Serena lays on her matress, thinking of things. She can hear the jokes of the late-night talk-show host in his Scottish accent and the remarks of the gay robot skeleton. She can hear Buck's laughter at the host's antics. She manages to tune the whole thing out as she falls into her slumber. That night, her mind is stuck on the sexual imagery of last night.
This time, she is no state to act on those feelings. Not of concern for Buck, but because she doesn't feel like it. Those images are her only anchor to her old life. The next morning, she opens her eyes to see that Buck has already left the basement. However, as he returns, she sees that he is fully clothed.
"Good morning, Buck." she says as she gets off the matress.
"Same here to you. I was about to make me some breakfast before I remembered I have you around." he says.
"Say, what happened to your daily shower?" she asks him.
"What daily shower. I only shower once a week, on Monday morning." he says.
"What do you do that?" she asks him.
"So I can wash off the previous week and have a fresh start and build up a fresh layer of dirt. I find it that this is a good way to do things." he replies.
"I see. If you don't mind, I think I'll stick to a daily shower." she says as she heads towards the stairs.
"I'll wait until you get out and dressed before I make breakfast." he says as she reaches the doorway.
"If you insist." she says as she passes through it.
Serena soon makes it upstairs and to the bathroom. As she arrives at the bathroom, the door opens and out steps Susan, wearing her big white robe.
"Good morning, Susan." she says to Susan.
"What's it to you?" Susan replies.
"I just thought I would say good morning to you like any other person." she says.
"Then I say 'good morning' to you." says Susan.
"Now, if you excuse you, I will go take a shower." she says as she tries to walk past Susan.
"At least you remain clothed as you go do so. I'm tired of Buck and his weekly undressing from his room to the shower. It just looks weird." says Susan.
"If I hadn't only have this stuff, I'll follow his example." she says as she walks into the bathroom and closes the door.
The shower turns out to be a nice place to be alone as Serena turns on the water. The feelings from last night and the night before still in her head. This time, unlike yesterday, she decides to give into the urge. The water acts like a force, enflaming the feelings within. Eventually, she manages to reach orgasm, even through the soap, shampoo, and water.
Afterwards, she gets dressed and heads into the kitchen. There, she sees Buck leaning against a counter, upon which are two bowls, a box of cereal, and two different cartons of milk: one regular and one soy. Serena smiles as she sees the soy milk carton.
"When did you get that?" she asks him, walking into the room.
"Yesterday, when I got the makings of that salad. I thought ahead when I was shopping." he says.
"Thank you for doing so." she says.
"Did you have a nice time in the shower?" he asks as she reaches him.
"What do you mean?" she says as she gets a bowl and the soy milk.
"Well, I happen to come upstairs and decided to listen into the bathroom to see what you're doing. By the sound of it, it was yourself." he says with a wide grin.
"I couldn't help it. I just felt like... " she says as she pours cereal into her bowl.
"I understand. Once in a while in there, you must do it in order to feel good." he says as she pours in the milk.
"Mine is more beautiful. I just feel good when I do it." she says as she gets a spoon.
"Maybe next time, you can show me." he says, beginning the same process with the regular milk.
"I think such things are private, as you know." she says, taking a bite of cereal.
"We share a room now. I think that such private things are made okay when you share space." he says.
"I think I know what's going on in your head. However, I will try to think over your request." she says, chewing away.
"Thank you for indulging my dirty little mind." he says as he takes a bite of his own cereal.
After breakfast, after everyone went off to work, Serena repeated the same things as yesterday. However, instead of looking at her feet, she just stared at the ceiling and thought about the events that lead her to that couch she is laying on. As Susan made her way through the door, Serena didn't even noticed.
"You just are gonna lay on the couch?" Susan asks her.
"Yes. I have nothing else to do." she replies.
"Whatever you say." says Susan as she leaves the room.
Buck comes in some time later. He doesn't say a word. He just walks from the front door to the kitchen. Once there, Serena hears the sounds of cabinets being opens and things being removed. She then hears him head to the basement. An hour after Buck has returned, Serena hears a knock on the door.
As she has seen both occupants of the house enter, she gets off the couch, curious as to who is at the door. She gets to the door and opens it, revealing a Hispanic man, age 25, with his brown-yellow complexion, his dark hair and eyes, and a nice smile. His outfit is a blue shirt and jeans. His eyes notice that he has never seen Serena as he steps into the house.
"Hello there." she says to the man as she closes the door.
"Hello to you. Who are you?" he asks her in a Hispanic accent.
"I'm... Serena Gibson." she replies.
"I'm Luis Alverez. Please to meet you." he says as he extends a hand.
"Same here. Say, what are you doing here?" she says.
"I'm here for the meeting." he tells her.
"Luis!" says Buck as he emerges from the kitchen.
"Buck! How are things?" says Luis as he walks towards Buck.
"Just fine. I see you met my new houseguest." says Buck.
"She's nice to look at." says Luis.
"Listen, Luis, I want to hold off introducing her to the others until they all get here." says Buck.
"Can you tell me what Luis is here for?" asks Serena.
"I told you, the Useless Things Society. Tuesday is our weekly meeting." replies Buck.
"I guess I should hide somewhere until you need me." she says.
"Go downstairs and wait for me and the rest of the gang." says Buck.
"I'll see you then." she says as she heads towards the basement.
Thirty minutes pass between her arriving in the basement and the arrival of the Useless Things Society. She sits and waits at the round dinner table located in the room near the doorway. After thirty minutes, she hears the footsteps of Buck and his friends on the stairs. She then stands up as the group enters the room. Her eyes quickly notice that beyond Buck and Luis, there are only two other people.
The first one is a tall black man, about 24, wearing a similar look to Buck. His youthful face and expression don't hint at the person within. The other is a 26-year-old white guy, with long hair and a beard. He, too, is wearing the same kind of outfit as Buck but with the addition of a leather jacket and a wise expression on his face. Those two soon notice Serena as the group enters the room.
"You weren't kidding, Buck." says the white one.
"I can't believe that this happened to you." says the black one.
"Guys, I want you to meet one Ms. Serena Gibson." says Buck, gesturing to her.
"Hello, guys. What are your names?" she says to them.
"I'm Roger Snow. I know, with a name like mine... " says the black one.
"And I'm Elliot Vance. I'm happy to meet someone like one." says the white one.
"It's certainly nice to know you." she tells them.
"Well, shall we get the meeting underway?" says Buck as he takes a seat at the table.
Serena then backs away from the table as the others sit down at the table and get to talking. Serena soon notices that each has brought a plate of food to eat. As they eat, they discuss things. The dinner topics vary wildly. One topic that they discuss is who was the better person to play Darrin Stephans, noted receiver of spells.
"I'm a fan of the second Darrin." says Buck.
"Why?" asks Roger.
"Because of the both of them, he's is the most calm and cool under pressure." says Buck.
"I don't see your point." says Elliot.
"Well, the first Darrin seemed to always close to a angry rage. I believe that was because Dick York was channeling his back pain into his performance." says Buck.
"That still doesn't explain things." says Luis.
"With all the pain he was feeling in his back, his performance carried excess amount of anger towards his in-laws. It's amazing he didn't go on a shooting spree." says Buck.
"Maybe you can explain what happened to cause Darrin One to turn into Darrin Two?" says Roger.
"I do, and it even includes what happened to Aunt Clara." says Buck.
"Go on." says Elliot.
"One day, Aunt Clara visits the Stephens' house, bringing a special coat for Darrin. When he put it on, it didn't fit, so Aunt Clara tried to alter the coat, and alter Darrin into his second form. This caused confusion for all. After confusion upon confusion, Aunt Clara simply casts her ultimate spell." says Buck.
"And what spell would that would be?" asks Roger.
"Her spell was that everyone, witch, warlock, and mortal alike, believe that Darrin always looked like that and even changed all pictures and whatnot of him to the second form." says Buck.
"And what happened to Aunt Clara?" asks Elliot.
"She took what was left of her magic and herself and intergrated into the house itself. That's why the house changes later on. It's Clara's leftover magic still working." says Buck.
"Buck, you should be a master of fan fic." says Luis.
"I should write it as a piece of fan fic. Maybe someone will publish it." says Buck.
Eventually, the topic soon turns to the fact that Serena has been sitting on the side of Buck's bed for 45 minutes just watching and listening to the group while having no food or anything to say to them. The point is brought up by Luis.
"You know, Serena has been just watching us eat. Why don't we invite her to the table?" he points out.
"For one thing, Luis, as I pointed out earlier, she's a vegan. I doubt we have any thing to give her to eat. Plus, there's no extra chair at the table." says Buck.
"If that's a problem, why don't we get a chair from upstairs?" says Elliot.
"I'll go get it." says Roger as he heads upstairs.
"Guys, I don't wanna be a problem here." she says to the group.
"Relax, Serena. We like you." says Elliot.
"But you barely know me." she says.
"That's why we're making room for you at the table, so we can know you." says Luis as Roger returns with a chair and a paper plate.
"Here, I brought a chair and I also brought a plate. I want you guys to look over your plate and figure out what Serena can eat." he says as he puts the chair between Luis and his own.
Serena, after a moment of thought, takes the seat at the table as she watches the group removes bits of vegatables from their plates onto the one for her. After a minute of this, she is given the plate and a folk. She then digs into the plate and chews a piece of broccoli from Elliot's plate.
"Thank you, guys, for your help." she says to them.
"No problem. That's one of the goals of the Useless Things Society: taking note of others and helping them when it's needed of you." says Buck.
"That's a good thing to do. I wish I had more people in my life like you. I mean, in my old life." she says.
"Let's talk about your old life." says Elliot.
"Yes, we would like to hear about it." says Roger.
"I don't know if you wanna hear about it." she says.
"I think it would be a nice thing to hear about." says Buck.
"Maybe we should just ask her questions." says Elliot.
"That's a good idea. Who'll go first?" says Roger.
"I will. Where are you from?" says Luis.
"I'm from Chicago." she says.
"Where in Chicago?" asks Elliot.
"Why do you ask that?" she asks back.
"Because I know Chicago has a lot of different areas and it would nice to know what area." he replies.
"If you must know, I come from the Lake View section of town." she tells them.
"Is it a nice section of town?" asks Roger.
"It is. I like it because it's where I found my girfriend." she says.
"Girlfriend? You mean you're a lesbian?" asks Luis.
"I knew it." she says.
"Knew what?" asks Luis.
"You don't like people like me." she replies.
"I don't hate people like you. I don't know people like you." he tells her.
"Serena, you must forgive me. I forgot to mention to the group here of your homosexuality." says Buck.
"Why did you?" she asks him.
"Because it didn't seem important to me to mention. I should say that, when it comes to gay people, they don't seem to exist around here. Yet, I see nothing different with you." he says.
"You said it yourself. You have never met someone like me. It would seem like you would mention that fact to your friends." she says.
"I should tell you that when I told these people about you, my sister was in earshot and I didn't want her to know." he says.
"We could have gone into the living room and had it whispered to us." says Luis.
"I didn't think about that. I guess I was too excited for you to meet the group that it slipped my mind." says Buck.
"I guess it's out in the open, so to speak. I'm gay, everybody." she says to them.
"Keep it down. I don't want my sister to find out. If she does, there's no way you're staying inside this house." says Buck.
"Don't worry, you can expect us to keep that fact to ourselves." says Elliot.
"Same here." says Roger.
"Me, three." says Luis.
"I guess we've agreed to keep the sexual orientation of Serena to ourselves for the time being." says Buck, banging his fist on the table like a gavel.
Five minutes later, as Buck and Elliot are in the midst of a discussion if a version of Star Wars can be made using elements of Star Trek, Susan comes into the room with a scowl on her face over the sight of the group.
"I was wondering what you were doing with that chair." she tells Buck.
"Oh, hello, Sis." he replies to her.
"I see you've let Serena here join your group." she says.
"Well, we felt that Serena was best used as a member of our group." he says.
"You mean, I'm now a member of your society?" asks Serena.
"You know, we hadn't thought about that." says Buck.
"Maybe we should vote into our club." says Luis.
"That's a great idea." says Elliot.
"Shall we vote on it?" asks Roger.
"I say we vote on allowing Serena to become a member of our society." says Buck.
"I vote yes on that." says Roger.
"I also vote yes on that." says Luis.
"I, too, vote yes on that." says Elliot.
"And I make it unanimous. Welcome, Serena, to the Useless Things Society." says Buck.
"You guys." says Susan as she leaves the room.
And with, Serena has made her first link to her new life. The group of people around here had made her one of them. While her mind is still on her old life, she decides to explore this new life of hers. As she finishes the last piece of her makeshift plate, she smiles with the thought of what membership in the Useless Things Society will bring.
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What membership will bring, indeed. Next week, in Chapter III, the real plot of our story will begin. All of this is just to set-up what is about to happen. Next week, romance, fun, and the beginnings of a real life-changer. For whom? Find out as we go on. Now, in that installment, the group brought up something that actually happened to me.
Now, let me preface this next part by telling you that many changes were in store. I had planned on going to two chapters a week, meaning you would now see where things would go. However, on Monday morning, an idea srtuck me and struck me hard. The idea went like "What if "Star Trek" characters acted out "Star Wars Episode IV". I managed to complete Chapter II, but I tried to start Chapter III without success. You see, this idea has caused me to use up the story I had planned up to that point.
After some thoughts, I decided to go with the "Star Trek" characters acting out the story. This involved watching "Star Wars", writing down the dialogue and putting "Star Trek" ships and concepts into the story. Well, I hope you enjoy the first part of my idea. So, without further ago, here is "Star Trek Episode Four" Part 1...
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In the 23rd Century of the Second Galactic Era, a time of great darkness and strife has arisen. The once-mighty Galactic Federation has fallen and in its place, an evil Galactic Empire has risen. A group of people, calling itself the Rebel Alliance, fights the Empire for the restoration of the Federation. One day, the Rebels win a victory as they manage to steal the plans for the Empire's latest weapon, the Death Star, which has enough power to destroy an entire planet.
The Rebels entrusts one of their leaders, Princess Deanna Troi of Alderaan, with the plans. She quickly takes off on the Constitution-class vessel Exeter. Halfway to Alderaan, as it passes the planet Tatooine III, it is spotted by the Galaxy-class Imperial Starship Yamato, sent by the Empire to retreive the missing plans. As the ships enter orbit, they are engaged in tight battle.
Meanwhile, stolling down a hallway on board the Exeter. two droids are making their way to a safe place. One of them is the Soong-type protocol droid Data. His golden-white skin doesn't hint at the technology within. Next to him is the Borg-Droid Hugh, same skin color and technology but with tubes and a special arm extention attached to him. As a powerful phaser bolt hits the ship, Data realizes what has just happened.
"Did you hear that? They shut down the main reactor. We will be destroyed for sure. This is madness." Data remarks to Hugh.
"Mi ricevas la saman konkludon tie." says Hugh in his cold metallic voice.
Inside the Transporter Room, Captain Ron Tracey and Officer Firth are trying to keep the Yamato from overriding the transporter system so they can board the ship. Firth is quick to counter any move by the other ship. However, the failure of the main reactor stops him dead in his tracks and he watches the Yamato override the transporter system.
"Quick, all security to the Transporter Room! All security!" says Captain Tracey into the intercom system.
"We are doomed. There will be no escape for the Princess this time." says Data as he hears the announcement.
Data and Hugh watch as a mass of personnel, all wearing the red shirt of the ship's crew, run to the place in question, with Captain Tracey repeating his call every 15 seconds. Eventually, a large group has gathered outside the room as the Exeter is seized by a tractor beam and a party beamed aboard. The group watches as the transporter cycles and the boarding party finally arrive.
Quickly, Tracey and Firth leave the room. Once the door has closed, Tracey activates the manual lock, sealing the door. The security forces remains outside as they hear sounds from within. All watch the door in silence as the noise continues. Finally, with a big boom, an explosion goes off and the door is destroyed. The forces then wait for the stormtroopers to break through, which they do.
A fire fight breaks out right away. The yellow-color two-piece jumpsuit uniforms of the stormtroopers make them easy targets. However, the fire power of the troopers, with their Type-3 phasers guns, is more than the Exeter's crew's Type-2 phasers pistols. As each side fires shots, more red than yellow is taken out. Furthermore, the Yamato continues to beam over stormtroopers.
In the melee, Data and Hugh make for safety. As they cross the hallway outside the Transporter Room, the two get separated. Data doesn't notice this until a minute later. Quickly, trying to avoid the battle, he begins a search for his friend. Meanwhile, the battle has quickly been won by the stormtroopers as their leader beams aboard the ship to begin his own search.
His cold eyes tell of his unique yet mysterious background. His skin is a dark brown color, with muscles abounding on his person. His gaze is quick and methodical. His uniform is an all-black uniforn, with a white line goes around its middle. A white piece of cloth seals the uniform to his body. In total, the apperance of Darth Khan, the Emperor's right hand man, and one of the most powerful people in the galaxy.
"Hugh, where are you?" asks Data as he enters a section of the ship.
He turns to his left and sees the sight of the Princess place something into Hugh's person, check his mechanics, and then depart, all without saying a word. Data tries to understand the sight for a moment but decides it's not worth it. He then gets to the task of completing his search.
"At last! Where have you been? They are heading in this direction. We are sure to be sent to the spice mines of Kessel, smashed into who knows what!?!" says Data to his friend.
"Venu kun mi. Mi havas ion gravan por fari." says Hugh as he takes off quickly.
"Where are you going?" asks Data as he follows behind.
Meanwhile, the stormtroopers have rounded every crew member and every droid on board. Outside the Transporter Room, Khan is busy holding the neck of Captain Tracey, his feet off the floor, as he attempts to gain the information of where the plans are.
"The Death Star plans are not in the main computer." says one of the stormtroopers at one point.
"Where are those transmissions you intercepted? WHAT have you DONE with those plans?" asks Khan.
"We intercepted no transmission... this is a consular ship... we're on a... diplomatic mission." says Captain Tracey between gasps of breath.
"If this is a consular ship, then where is the ambassador?" asks Khan as he crushes Tracey's neck, killing him, then throwing him into the wall, followed by him saying, "Commander, tear this ship apart and find those plans, and bring me the passengers, I want them alive!"
In another section of the ship, an patrol of stormtroopers are doing a search. Princess Deanna hides from their sight. However, she is quickly spotted as she tries to duck from their sight.
"There's one, set for stun." says the leader of the patrol.
Quickly, she tries to run, firing off a shot as she does so, getting one of the troopers. However, the leader manages to stun her right away.
"She'll be all right. Inform Lord Khan we have a prisoner." says the leader to one of his underlings.
In the ship's shuttle bay, Hugh is busy trying to get onto one of the many small two-person shuttlecraft that serve as the ship's escape pods. Data, meanwhile, is trying to stop him.
"Yeah, you are not permitted in there! It is restricted! You are to be deactivated for sure." says Data as Hugh board the shuttle.
"Ĉesu esti senhonta filozofo, Datumoj!" says Hugh.
"Do not call me a mindless philsopher, you overweight glop of grease. Now, get out before someone sees you." says Data.
"Mi havas por kompletigi mian sekretan mision kun tiuj planoj." says Hugh as he activates the shuttle.
"Secret mission? What plans? What are you talking about?" asks Data as suddenly, a phaser shot hits the bunkhead and Data decides to boarn the shuttle, not without some worry, "I am going to regret this."
The shuttle then makes its leave. Quickly, it manages to elude the tractor beam of the other ship, which then takes notice of the launch.
"There goes another one!" says one of the officers.
"Hold your fire. It probably short-circuited." says his commander, thinking the launch as nothing.
"The damage does not look so bad from here." notes Data in the shuttle as he uses its sensors to scan the Exeter, then saying to Hugh, "Are you sure this is safe?"
Back on board the ship, Princess Deanna is being hauled off to be beamed on board the Yamato. As she does, she sees Darth Khan talking to Captain Garth. Khan orders the troopers escorting her to stop.
"Darth Khan. Only you could be so bold. The Imperial Senate will not sit still for this. Once they hear you've attacked a diplomatic... " says Deanna.
"Don't act so surprised, your highness. You weren't on any mercy mission this time. Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you." says Khan.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan... " says Deanna.
"You are part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor! Take her away!" says Khan as she is hauled off to the Transporter Room.
"Holding her is dangerous. If word of this gets out, it could generate sympathy for the Rebellion in the Senate." says Captain Garth as the two begin a patrol of the ship.
"I have traced the rebel spies to her. Now, she is my only link to finding their secret base." says Khan.
"She'll die before she tells you anything." says Captain Garth.
"Leave that to me. Send out a distress signal and then inform the Senate that all on board were killed." says Khan.
"Lord Khan, the battlestation plans are not in the computer and no transmissions were made. An escape pod was jettisoned during the fighting. No life forms were aboard." says Commander Mako as he walks up to them.
"She must have hidden the plans in the escape pod. Send a detachment down to retreive them. They will no one to stop us this time!" says Khan as he continues his patrol.
Down on the planet, the shuttle has crashed into a sand dune. Fortunately, the droids survived the impact and have started walking away from the craft. As they do, the realization of what has happened hits them.
"How did we get into this mess? I really do not know how. We seem to be made to suffer. It is our lot in life." says Data.
"Tiaj aferoj estas kiel ni vivas, Datumoj. Ni ne havas elekton en la afero." says Hugh, agreeing with him.
"I have got to rest before I fall apart. My joints are almost frozen." says Data.
"Vi povus uzi ĝin." says Hugh.
"What a desolate place this is!" says Data, scanning the place.
"Ke ĝi estas. Nun, venu kun mi, ni ne havas tempon por perdi." says Hugh as he heads off to the west.
"Where do you think you are going? Well, I am not going that way. It is much too rocky. This way is much easier. What makes you think there are settlements over there?" says Data, first gesturing towards the east and then towards the west.
"Fidu min, ne estas." says Hugh.
"Do not get technical with me." says Data.
"Ni devas bati por la misio?" asks Hugh.
"What mission? What are you talking about?" asks Data, confused.
"La misio ke ni estas sur. La misio kiu estas grava por ni." says Hugh.
"I have just about had enough of you. Go that way! You will be malfunctioning within a day, your nearsighted scrap pile," says Data, kicking Hugh, followed by him saying, "And do not let me catch you following me, begging me for help, because you wll not get it."
"Sed la mision ... Ĉu vi vere ne volas iri kun mi? Venu, sekvu min. Mi promesas ne trukojn. Nur sekvu min!" says Hugh, pleading as Data walks off to the east.
"No more adventures. I am not going that way." says Data, stopping for a moment and then resuming his course.
"Tio Datumoj! Li estas nenio pli ol mekanika muta azeno de droide. Al mekanika muta azeno." says Hugh as he heads off towards the west.
Some time later, Data is still making his way east. However, as he continues, he sees no sign of civilization. Instead, he sees the beached bones of mysterious creatures long since conquered by the desert. He soon begins to wonder to himself if his was the right course of action.
"That malfunctioning little twerp. This is all his fault! He tricked me into going this way but he will do no better," says Data, who then spots something on the horizon to the north, "Wait! What is that? A transport. I am saved! Over here! Help! Please help!"
Some time later, around sunset, far west, Hugh wonders down a small canyon. As he does, he continues to insult Data and his choices. Suddenly, he hears a noise, which stops him. He looks around but sees nothing. Nervous, he continues on his course. Unknown to him, strange creatures are about.
A group of these creatures hide out in a small cave, waiting for Hugh. Sure enough, Hugh comes in the direction of the cave. Hugh is still nervous but continuing on despite the danger. As he gets close to the cave, one of the creatures leaps up and shoots him. A powerful energy surge overwhelms him and in seconds, Hugh is on the ground, turned off.
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If you know "Star Wars", you knows what's next. How will be put into "Trek" terms? That's the cliffhanger part. You've seen how I put the opening scenes in "Trek" terms. Only time will tell if my effort will gain notice. That's up to you. For now, just think about "Star Trek" and see if this will be a good way to tell the story.
That concludes the Blog until next week.
This has been another slice of life this side of the Galaxy... and I do mean the Milky Way!
Yours truly, John Maxwell.
