NEW: VOY "Common Ground" 1/1 [PG-13] C, Tu (reboot universe)
Rocky
Author: Rocky
Contact: rocky...@gmail.com
Web page: http://www.angelfire.com/yt/rockyroad
Series: VOY
Part: New 1/1
Rating: PG-13
Codes: C, Tu, challenge
Date first posted: 1/5/10
Archive: ASC yes, all others please ask
Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all of its characters are the
property of Paramount/Viacom. JJ Abrams and co. are responsible for
the reboot version of the familiar Star Trek universe. No copyright
infringement is intended.
Summary: Chakotay evaluates a new recruit for the Maquis.
Author's note: An answer to Gabrielle's challenge of writing a VOY
story set in the reboot universe.
Warning: It should go without saying, but this story contains a major
spoiler for the movie.
Common Ground
By Rocky
Chakotay tried not to stare, but couldn't help himself. He had never
seen a Vulcan before.
Despite his best efforts, he found himself unabashedly scrutinizing
the man standing before him in the rundown shelter they'd designated
as their temporary headquarters on this godforsaken moon. Chakotay
noted the upward slant of the eyebrows, the elongated ears coming to a
delicate point--features clearly designating the man as an alien, The
Other. The dark brown skin, at least, was similar to that found among
many Terrans. And Vulcans appeared to lack the shallow but definite
forehead ridge common to their distant relatives, the Romulans.
The Romulans were the Vulcans' distant relatives, yes. And the
Romulans were also (at least, the individuals responsible belonged to
that particular species) the perpetrators of the near-total Vulcan
genocide a little more than a century ago.
Chakotay forced himself to focus once more on the matter at hand. The
man, member of an esoteric species or not, was a potential recruit,
and Chakotay needed to evaluate him to see if had any valuable skills
that would benefit the Maquis.
Normally, Chakotay had a whole litany of questions to ask in this
situation, designed to weed out any possible infiltrators. But now he
suddenly found himself at a loss for words. He fleetingly wondered if
it really mattered. The recruit—he'd said his name was Tuvok-- had
been brought in by Kurt Bendera, Chakotay's shrewd and intensely loyal
second-in-command. Kurt was difficult to fool; if he said someone was
on the level, that always turned out to be the case. Surprisingly,
even Seska, a Bajoran who had suffered first-hand under the Cardassian
occupation of her world and was much less trusting as a result, had
advocated accepting him, sight unseen. But Chakotay still had a job to
do.
Tuvok's credentials *were* impeccable, Chakotay thought as he scanned
the crumpled scrap of paper on the tabletop, which contained Kurt's
dossier on the Vulcan. Engineering background, educational instructor,
former member of Starfleet…Chakotay did a double-take at that last
item. He had never heard of a Vulcan serving in Starfleet. But there
were so few Vulcans living today that encountering one under any
circumstances was highly unusual. He grimaced. Basically, all his
knowledge of Vulcans could be summed up as follows: they were an
insular people, who rarely ventured forth from the colony world they'd
established after the destruction of their homeworld. And they were
said to have no emotions.
Tuvok had been waiting patiently all this time. Perhaps detecting a
shift in Chakotay's demeanor, the Vulcan broke the silence. "Is there
anything else you wish to know, sir? Anything I can do to alleviate
the doubts you may harbor about me."
Suspicion, warranted or not, was the single most important thing which
had kept Chakotay and the other members of his cell alive until now.
He had no intention of apologizing for his attitude, nor did he think
Tuvok expected him to. Instead, it was the "sir" that caught
Chakotay's attention, as it appeared to indicate the Vulcan's
military background.
"Starfleet?" Chakotay said.
"Yes," Tuvok said, and then clearly realized a fuller reply was
required. "I entered Starfleet Academy in 2289. Upon graduating four
years later, I was assigned to the USS Excelsior, under Captain Hikaru
Sulu. Upon the completion of our initial tour of duty, I resigned my
commission and returned home, to Nova."
The year 2289? Chakotay inhaled sharply as he did the math. "That was
89 years ago! You must be at least…" he stumbled to a halt.
"Vulcans," Tuvok said dryly, "are a long-lived species. Barring any
unforeseen circumstances, of course, which would result in a major
reduction of an individual's lifespan."
Tuvok might have been alive at the time his planet was destroyed,
Chakotay realized, or else been born shortly afterward. He might even
have memories of what it was like to have been a member of the most
important world in the Federation--after Terra, of course--instead of
one among a mere handful of survivors. Survivors who now numbered in
the thousands, whereas before there had been billions.
Chakotay cleared his throat. "Yes. So you returned to Nova. You became
a teacher?"
"An instructor in basic engineering principles, yes," Tuvok said. "As
our population slowly increases, it is vital to insure the proper
education of our young."
"Why did you return to Nova? Quit Starfleet?"
"I had not yet fulfilled First Duty."
"First Duty?" Chakotay said, puzzled.
"The First Duty of every Vulcan who survived the cataclysm is to
propagate the race," Tuvok intoned, as if he was quoting something.
They really didn't have emotions, Chakotay thought in surprise. Tuvok
had not indicated by word or expression how he had felt about the near-
destruction of his people, or the loss of their original world.
Personal detachment was considered an asset among the Maquis. It was a
detriment to feel too much; the sheer horror of loss, of the injustice
they were fighting against, the feelings of desperation—they could
overwhelm you if you allowed yourself to think about them too much.
That was the way to madness; Chakotay unwillingly recalled what
happened to Gerron, a previous recruit who had turned out to be too
sensitive for his own good. But Chakotay was still unnerved at being
confronted with evidence of such complete and total separation from
all feeling.
"Why do you want to join the Maquis?" Chakotay said, more harshly than
he intended. "To be blunt, it's not your fight."
"That is correct," Tuvok said. "It is not my fight. For nearly a
century, Vulcans have been withdrawn from nearly all galactic
affairs."
"So why do you want to get involved? You initially approached Bendera,
not the other way around."
"The Cardassians are aggressors who threaten the welfare of the entire
Alpha Quadrant."
"But Starfleet signed a peace treaty, to ensure that the hostilities
with the Cardassians *don't* expand into a full-fledged war," Chakotay
said, sarcastically parroting the Federation party line that had so
infuriated him and the rest of the Maquis—and ultimately that
misguided thinking had resulted in the decimation of the major
population centers on his and so many other 'border' worlds. "Is it
logical to try to undermine such a 'noble' undertaking by guerilla
tactics?"
"It is not a noble undertaking. The treaty was misguided. The
Federation negotiators were blinded by their own desire for peace.
They were incapable of understanding, let alone detecting, the
Cardassian subterfuge in signing such a treaty."
Chakotay raised an eyebrow, and nodded, indicating that Tuvok should
continue.
"The Federation has not encountered any real resistance, let alone
aggression, during the past century," Tuvok said. "The destruction of
the Vulcan homeworld, as you may recall, also coincided with the near-
total loss of the entire Klingon fleet. Any territorial ambitions on
their part were quenched; the Klingons retreated and retrenched,
seeking to build up their military potential, as well as overcoming
the severe economic recession which developed in its wake. By the time
an acceptable level of prosperity had been reached once more, there
was a long-standing tradition of cooperation with the Federation. The
Klingon threat had been greatly, perhaps permanently, diminished."
"What of the Romulans?" Chakotay said. "They were, after all, the ones
who wreaked such destruction in the first place."
"The Romulan Empire," Tuvok said, his expression still wooden,
"disavowed all knowledge of the 'rogue' individuals who caused the
attacks. In an effort to prove themselves, perhaps, they have been
consistently eager to embark on joint ventures with the Federation, in
the areas of exploration, technology development and other peaceful
endeavors."
"In other words, you're saying that when faced with a real enemy—the
Cardassians--for the first time in decades, the Federation lost its
nerve."
"Perhaps," said Tuvok. "I cannot judge their motivations. I can only
draw conclusions based upon what I see has since transpired. The
Federation made peace, and yet, how many of your civilians have been
killed?"
"Touche," muttered Chakotay. Aloud, he went on, "You certainly don't
have to convince me of the justice of our cause. But what I still
don't understand is, why are *you* interested? Why get involved?"
"Why not simply hide my head in the sands of Nova, like the majority
of my fellow Vulcans?" For the first time, there was a faint tone of
passion underlying Tuvok's words. "I should simply stand aside and
watch as more and more worlds are taken over, more and more innocents
are slaughtered? I should stand by like the rest of the galaxy did
when Vulcan was destroyed?"
"They didn't just stand by," Chakotay objected. "Starfleet sent a
number of ships to aid Vulcan. All but one of them were destroyed by
the same enemy."
"Nonetheless, my world was also destroyed. The sole remaining
Starfleet vessel managed to rescue a mere handful of individuals. The
Vulcans existent today are primarily those who were off-world at the
time of destruction, or else their descendants."
"All right." Chakotay leaned forward, his hands flat, palm down, on
the rickety table in front of him. "You still haven't answered my
question. You've suffered, your whole people have suffered greatly.
So why do you want to get involved in our fight?"
"Because," Tuvok said, "it is the logical thing to do."
"Logical?"
"For those who do not wish to see a repeat of what happened to Vulcan,
yes, it is the logical thing to do."
Chakotay paused for a long moment, as he weighed what he had heard.
His eyes met Tuvok's. Even as he watched, there was a flicker of
emotion in their dark depths. And all at once Chakotay was convinced
of the Vulcan's sincerity. *What happened to me, to my people, cannot
be allowed to happen once more. Never again.*
Chakotay extended his hand. "Well, Tuvok, welcome to the Maquis. In
exchange for your services and technical expertise, we'll provide you
with room and board—such as they are—and in the event of your death,
funeral expenses as well." He smiled sardonically. "Unless, of course,
such matters are already taken care of by the Cardassians—or
Starfleet, as the case may be."
Tuvok's grip was surprisingly strong. "That is acceptable. I will,
however, endeavor not to require a funeral."
Chakotay glanced down at Tuvok's hand, still in the grasp of his own,
and a look of understanding passed between the two men.
FINIS
Philippe de la Matraque
Vulcan. Thanks!
Gabrielle
"Rocky" <rocky...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:026c5806-4435-4d83...@c34g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
Rocky
<pdelamatra...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Interesting look at the historical/political impact of the destruction of
> Vulcan. Thanks!
>
> Gabrielle
Thanks, Gabrielle. I'd been toying with the idea behind this time for
quite some time; your challenge is what spurred me to actually write
it.
-Rocky
Gojirob
So good, it almost makes me wonder if Tuvok wasn't legit in this case.
Great job, Rocky!
Rocky
> So good, it almost makes me wonder if Tuvok wasn't legit in this case.
> Great job, Rocky!
Yes, I am thinking of a sequel...
Thanks for the feedback, Rob.
-Rocky
Alara Rogers
I was wondering the same thing. Living in a universe where you are an
extreme minority would have a profound impact on most people's
personalities - Tuvok might be a very different person. Still
interested in justice and protecting others, but his perception of
what justice is and who needs protection might be different.
Rocky
> I was wondering the same thing. Living in a universe where you are an
> extreme minority would have a profound impact on most people's
> personalities - Tuvok might be a very different person. Still
> interested in justice and protecting others, but his perception of
> what justice is and who needs protection might be different.
Indeed. The possibilities are quite interesting!
Thanks for the feedback, Alara.
-Rocky
Dr. Jekyl
I really enjoyed this, and it gave me a fair bit to think about. One
of the things I did wonder about, following the movie, was what would
happen to Tuvok - if he'd even be born and I'm glad he still exists
in your AOS. I also liked the decision to tell the story from
Chakotay's perspective. It left me wondering, along with him, as to
what Tuvok's real motives for joining the Maquis and if they were the
same as his motive in the Prime timeline; it's keeping, in a clever
way, with the idea of the AOS timeline trying to right itself.
Thanks!
Rocky
> Late to the party (as usual)...
Feedback is welcome any time!
> I really enjoyed this, and it gave me a fair bit to think about. One
> of the things I did wonder about, following the movie, was what would
> happen to Tuvok - if he'd even be born and I'm glad he still exists
> in your AOS.
The destruction of Vulcan is such a game-changer that it's really hard
to try and figure out how the later time periods i.e. TNG/DS9/VOY eras
would be affected. So it made sense to start with a Vulcan character
and extrapolate how his life would be impacted (and first of all to
figure out if he would have even been born yet when the destruction
occurred).
I also liked the decision to tell the story from
> Chakotay's perspective. It left me wondering, along with him, as to
> what Tuvok's real motives for joining the Maquis and if they were the
> same as his motive in the Prime timeline; it's keeping, in a clever
> way, with the idea of the AOS timeline trying to right itself.
Oh, yes, there is a lot of ambiguity there! I am in the midst of
writing a sequel now (though RL is really impinging on getting it
finished...)
Thanks again for your thoughtful comments.
-Rocky