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1995-08-20
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Path: tivoli.tivoli.com!geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!cs.utexas.edu!news.sprintlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!news.cac.psu.edu!psuvm!jrz3
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Thu, 25 May 1995 16:31:10 EDT
From: Macedon <JRZ3@psuvm.psu.edu>
Message-ID: <95145.163110JRZ3@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
Subject: Dancer II (VOY--Tuvok)
Lines: 138
Xref: tivoli.tivoli.com alt.startrek.creative:10985
This is a character study, not really a full-fledged story: an attempt
to do give Tuvok some flesh on his bones. Paramount owns the universe,
and I've borrowed a couple of ideas from various Pocketbook authors.
The story is mine.
DANCER
c1995, Macedon
Katheryn Janeway turned at the sound of Tuvok's voice, grinned. Wake him
up in the middle of the night and he still managed to arrive on the bridge
looking as if it was oh-eight-hundred, not oh-two-hundred. Chakotay had
been scrubbing sleep out of his eyes and Paris was still yawning.
"Mr. Tuvok," she said, and indicated the front viewscreen, but his attention
had already been caught by it. Vulcan curiosity. They loved a good puzzle.
Tuvok went to his station, ran some analyses and--she was sure--came up with
the same blank she had drawn. He frowned. He looked back at the screen.
"Report, captain?" he asked.
"Those"--she motioned to the viewscreen--"showed up on our port bow about
twenty minutes ago. They've been doing the same thing ever since they
arrived."
Three balls of energy, roughly two hundred feet in diameter each, were
bobbing and twirling and circling in some crazy pattern which continued
to elude her. "They've made no threatening moves," she added. "They
just keep doing...that."
Up went the eyebrow. "Intriguing." He crossed his arms over his chest
and studied the pattern a moment. "There are some creatures which, before
they attack, attempt to hypnotize their prey by a repetitive pattern of
movement."
"I thought of that," she said, "which is why I called you out of bed."
Abruptly, he shook his head. "This pattern is too complex, captain. Any
hypnotic effect would be lost." He bent again and looked at his readings.
"They are alive."
"Yes," she said. "They are. The Federation has met energy creatures before;
we're just not usually very adept at talking to them."
He did not reply. Instead he stepped out from behind his station and moved
down to join she and Chakotay on the central deck. "You know what they
remind me of, captain?" Chakotay said. "Dolphins--playing around the bow
of a ship."
"An interesting analogy, commander," Tuvok said, "but I believe the nature
of their...display...would rule that out. It indicates a complexity of
movement which would suggest"--he paused, finished softly--"choreography."
Janeway turned to gape. "You mean they're *dancing*."
"Yes, captain. I believe they are."
Half the bridge was staring at him. "What is this?" Paris asked. "Swan
Lake?"
Tuvok did not reply. Janeway eyed him a moment more. "Well, I suppose
you'd know." Then she grinned. "What do you think we should do?
They're following us."
"They want a bouquet and a brava," Paris muttered.
"Mr. Paris," Tuvok said, "despite the flippant phrasing, may have a point.
Perhaps if we gave them some...indication of appreciation...for their
performance, they would be satisfied and depart."
"Such as?" Janeway asked. She was skeptical, but the idea of a deepspace
ballet performance had a certain charm. "I'm not sure clapping would
work."
Tuvok straightened slightly. "Even among humanoids, captain, not all peoples
count applause as appropriate."
Janeway laughed, remembering a few performances she had been to in ShiKahr.
"Touche, Tuvok. So what would you suggest?"
"Well, as these are energy creatures, logic would dictate that perhaps a
nonthreatening energy display of our own would suffice. The ship's shields
have the capacity to run the spectrum of lightwaves...."
"We'll give them a rainbow!" she interrupted.
"Captain, I doubt their sensory intake is even remotely similar to our own;
a rainbow would...."
"I get the idea, Tuvok. Do it. The shields are already up."
"I noticed," he replied, and did as ordered. A rather spectacular show of
racing light fluttered over the viewscreen, intersperced with invisible
bands. (He was running a full spectrum and human eyes could only detect a
small portion of it.)
The dancing lights had stopped their dancing. This is it, she thought.
Either they get our message, or they think we're attacking them. She
held her breath. Then, to her delight, the three energy beings repeated
Tuvok's display back to him (taking a bow?), swirled around each other a
moment, then flashed away. On the upper deck, one of the ensigns clapped.
A few others joined her. They were grinning.
"Well, I'll be jigger-jaggered," Chakotay muttered.
She glanced at him. "Jigger-jaggered, commander?"
"Nevermind," he replied, rubbed at his eyes. "Permission to return to my
quarters, captain?"
She grinned. "Permission granted." She turned to the rest of the bridge.
"It looks like the performance is over, folks. As you were. Dayshift
is relieved." She caught one of the nightshift sigh and return to her
board, looking a little bored herself.
"Mr. Tuvok," Janeway said. Tuvok was halfway to the lift. "Meet me in
my readyroom. It'll just take a minute."
"Aye, captain." He turned smartly on his heel and disappeared through the
sidedoor.
Janeway walked over to the ensign and patted her on the shoulder. "Liked
the ballet, Kapainnen?"
The ensign smiled slightly but kept her eyes on her instruments. "It was
a nice change, Captain. Though it's kind of funny to think that energy
creatures have art. Or whatever that was."
"Ensign," Janeway said, "all sentient beings seem to share an appreciation
for beauty. Definitions of beauty may vary, but art is in some form is
a function of culture. And every performer I know likes a bit of applause."
The ensign grinned. Janeway patted her shoulder again and went into the
readyroom to talk to Tuvok about a bit of art.
==== End part II ====