Post to archives is encouraged as long as my name and title stay with the story.
Author's Note: Beware of spoilers. This story is set between the episodes "Redemption" and "Between Heaven & Hell." You should read my previous stories, "Hostage - Parts 1 through 4," "Ma'el: Thinker, Dreamer, Achiever," "If You Think You Know The Taelons . . . ," "Oh, Baby!," "Adventures in Taelon-Sitting," "Last Dance," "Girls' Night Out," "Say No More, Zo'or," "Tell It Like It Is," "More Adventures in Taelon-Sitting," "Bundle of Joy," "Paradise Lost," and "Maiya in Wonderland" before reading "To Avoid the Void."
Please feel free to use any of my characters for your own fanfictions, but keep their name and status quo as is in my other fanfictions, and please tell me so I can read your story.
Summary: As Liam comes to terms with his mother's death, he and Sandoval are recruited to locate the missing Taelon engineer, Sa'al, who is lost in inter-dimensional limbo due to a bizarre portal malfunction.
Special thanks goes to Tina Price for allowing me to use her character of Kha'rha in this story. Kha'rha can be found in more of Tina's stories. Please ask permission from Tina and other authors before using their characters in your stories.
All of my stories take place in an EFC universe that is basically similar
to that of the actual series, but with a lot of my own characters and ideas
blended into it. For this reason, please remember that my story arcs and
plots will not always be completely accurate with those of the other fanfiction
authors whose characters I sometimes use in my own fanfiction, or of the
actual series.
* * *
Liam's eyes gloomily followed his late mother's coffin as it was
lowered into the ground. The burial was nearing completion. Siobhan Beckett's
funeral had ironically fallen on a day marked by sunshine and lustrous
clouds in the deep blue sky. Yet, despite the favorable weather, sobs mournfully
resonated across the Irish moor and through the surrounding valleys.
Beckett's body was being buried in a rural countryside of Ireland
outside of Dublin, where Siobhan had spent countless summer days during
her youth. These had been Beckett's stomping grounds, where she often fled
to in order to be in solitude. The Companion agent often traveled back
there throughout her early adult life to relive her childhood memories:
exploring hidden niches in nearby forests, and spelunking in the various
caves that were entrenched throughout the area.
"I hardly knew her," Liam murmured to his Companion, Da'an, who
stood beside him. "We were worlds apart; yet, I always felt connected to
her."
"As you always will," finished off Da'an. The Taelon kindly linked
his hand with Liam's and simply held it.
Kha'rha, the Taelon whom Beckett had been protector to, joined
Da'an and Liam.
"She spoke of you," Kha'rha softly informed Liam. "Often. I believe
that Siobhan knew of your connection all along, on some inexplicit level."
Major Kincaid could only nod to acknowledge Kha'rha. His eyes welled
up with tears again.
Soon, bagpipe music began to play. Beckett's parents were holding
each other tearfully, distraught over the loss of their only daughter.
Lili Marquette verbally offered her condolences to them, and then came
to Liam's side.
"I'm sorry," Lili said. That was all she could say. Captain Marquette
had never gotten along with Agent Beckett; she hadn't really liked Siobhan
all that much. Still, Lili was filled with sympathy for Liam, given the
immense pain he must be experiencing after losing his only mother.
Liam didn't even hear Lili. He simply stared at the coffin, now
embedded in his mother's grave. The gravediggers were about to cover it
up with the final earth that would bury the coffin underground. His heart
thudded painstakingly.
He would carry on his mother's legacy and commitment to this planet,
and avenge her death.
* * *
"An inconsistency has been detected in the portal's frequency
reading," reported Lu'pem as the Taelon visually evaluated the readings
displayed on the portal control panel.
"It is crucial that we repair the damage immediately," Sa'al declared.
As the chief Companion in charge of engineering for the worldwide portal
system, Sa'al insisted that inter-dimensional travel run smoothly according
to the Synod's guidelines. Sa'al had worked closely with human engineers
at Portalspace to create a top-notch system of time-conserving ID travel.
Several human engineers assisted Sa'al as they began the repairs.
Lu'pem worked directly under Sa'al as second-in-command in regard to Taelon
engineering procedures. Sa'al entered the correct codes into the portal
control memorybank and programmed a theoretical correction into the database.
"Are we going to test it, sir?" asked one of the human engineers.
"Precisely," Sa'al replied. The Taelon engineer made his way toward
the portal.
"Sa'al, you don't intend to test the portal yourself?" protested
Lu'pem.
"I do."
"But we do not know if it is working properly once again."
Sa'al shot Lu'pem a nettled look which Lu'pem interpreted effectively.
Lu'pem realized Sa'al was concerned that the portal malfunction might not
be renovated and may transport any of the human engineers to one of the
Taelons' intergalactic stations, namely on the moonbase. To prevent the
human from going public with such a discovery, they would need to either
kill him or implant him with a CVI to re-program the human's mind. But
if Sa'al accompanied any of the humans during this test run, he could deter
a potential catastrophe by giving them a logical excuse.
"Kevin and Von," Sa'al addressed two of the engineers, "you will
escort me to the portal station in Detroit, to see if such a trial run
operates competently."
Von and Kevin, two similar-looking engineers both tall with blond,
spiky hair, followed Sa'al's orders. Lu'pem got behind the portal controls
as Sa'al, Kevin, and Von stepped onto the portal ramp.
"Initiating countdown," announced Lu'pem, his scratchy alien vocals
quavering. Once the countdown was complete, the oval-headed, penurious-lipped
Taelon activated the portal.
Whoosh!
Sa'al, Von, and Kevin were each zapped from their respective spot
on the portal ramp, presumably transported to their destination - - Detroit.
After a few moments, Lu'pem opened the link on his global to speak
with the portal station in Detroit.
"Go!" signaled the Taelon engineer from the opposite end of Lu'pem's
global transmission.
"Have Sa'al and his crew arrived in the Detroit station?"
"Not as of yet."
"We shall wait a few more minutes. It could merely be a slight
delay."
After additional minutes had passed . . .
"Have they arrived?" asked Lu'pem.
"No."
Soon, it had been an hour and there was still no sign of Kevin,
Von, or Sa'al in either the Detroit or Washington D.C. portal stations.
Lu'pem heaved a distressed sigh and blushed blue. "It is time to
alert the Synod," he spoke through his global.
* * *
"What is the problem?" asked Sandoval, marching into Da'an's
audience chamber and bowing respectfully to the Companion.
Da'an closed his eyes and concentrated, as though he was communing
telepathically with others. "Sa'al, our foremost Taelon engineer, is in
grave danger," the alien explained. His mysterious extraterrestrial face
was a pale white, as he glanced meekly at both Liam and Sandoval in turn.
"How so?" asked Major Liam Kincaid, who was standing next to Agent
Sandoval.
"We are unsure," Da'an replied. "But through the Commonality, Sa'al
has abstractly indicated to us that he and some others are in a state of
peril."
"Where was Sa'al's last point of location?" Sandoval inquired.
"The portal station in Washington D.C.," Da'an disclosed, "is where
Sa'al and his fellow travelers were last seen. They were due to arrive
in Detroit via the portals . . . but they never reached their destination."
"How are we supposed to detect where they ended up?" Liam requested,
sensing what his and Sandoval's impending assignment would be.
"Our engineers are presently attempting to trace Sa'al's energy
pattern, and pinpoint his coordinates."
"So he could be in any one of the sixteen dimensions?" Sandoval
concluded.
"Theoretically." Da'an's chin quivered slightly, Liam noticed,
as though the Companion might be holding something back. "Go to the portal
station at once and offer your assistance. Liam, since Captain Marquette
has the day off, please aid Sandoval on this mission. That is all." The
North American Companion ended his statement on a rather cold note.
As Sandoval and Liam headed for the shuttle bay, Sandoval said,
"Kincaid, prepare the shuttle. I need a minute to speak with Zo'or."
Liam couldn't have wished for a better opportunity. Sandoval's
absence would give him the perfect opportunity to confer with Augur.
"Liam, my man, how can I be of service?" chirped Augur, once Liam
had connected to Augur's global.
Major Kincaid explained Sa'al's predicament. "Augur, can you download
for me your blueprint of the sixteen dimensions - - you know, the one you
created after we returned from Maiya's homeworld."
"Sure thing." Augur turned to his holographic computer babe. "Holo-Lili,
upload my dimensional maps from the memorybank, so I can download them
into Liam's global."
"Aw, sir!!" Holo-Lili pouted. She wore a pink, silky nightgown
while cuddling a giant teddy bear and sucking her thumb. "I need my beauty
sleep."
"Don't complain, my sweet," cooed Augur. "Do as I say, and you
may return to your slumber."
While Holo-Lili performed the upload, Liam could hear the voice
of Jonathan Doors saying, "Augur, what are you doing?" Liam then knew that
Augur and Holo-Lili were stationed in the Resistance headquarters at the
moment.
"Well, Sa'al is in kind of a sticky situation, trapped in some
weird dimension. So I'm sending Liam some information to help Team Taelon
retrieve Sa'al," Augur grinned.
"I don't think so!" growled Doors. He snatched up Augur's global
and spoke into it. "Kincaid, the Liberation will NOT help any Taelon! Do
you understand?! Kincaid! Are you listening to me?!"
"Sorry, Jonathan Doors," giggled Holo-Lili. "But the download is
already complete. Major Kincaid now has the data he needs."
"What?!"
"Did you receive it, Liam?" called Augur, grabbing back his global
from Doors.
"Sure did! Thanks, Augur. Later, Doors!" smirked Liam, cutting
the link, leaving Doors behind steaming.
* * *
Sa'al hovered in place, surrounded by a translucent funnel-like
abyss of radiant blue-green energy. The oval-headed Taelon had reverted
to his true form, trembling in despair.
Von and Kevin were both no longer breathing. The dimensional plane
they were on lacked necessary oxygen for the human engineers to breathe.
Kevin had already disappeared into the thick, colorful oblivion. Von was
drifting further and further away from Sa'al, just moments from suffering
the same final fate as Kevin.
Sa'al now came to the realization that Kevin and Von were both
dead. The Taelon engineer frantically studied his environment, hoping for
some way to contact the Commonality. He reached out . . . nothing. Sa'al
tried again . . . he suddenly made a connection with Lu'pem, his fellow
Companion engineer with whom he'd worked so closely for so long.
Communing with Lu'pem's faint, lingering presence, Sa'al noticed
a mass of brightly-lit creatures moving swiftly toward him through the
dimensional abyss. He immediately recognized them as the glow-bugs that
had invaded Earth via the portals only weeks earlier. Sa'al knew what he
had to do.
Before the glow-bugs could reach him, Sa'al shut his eyes and dove
into the state of Saamhaad. This near-death sensation would sustain his
life while preventing the glow-bugs from detecting his energy matrix. Since
the glow-bugs fed on energy, including Taelon energy, this was Sa'al's
only option for staying alive.
* * *
"Enjoying your steak, Lili?" Joshua Doors gazed across the
table at his dinner companion.
"Yes . . . um . . . very meaty," Lili awkwardly babbled. She speared
another piece of steak with her fork and shoved it in her mouth, so she
wouldn't have to bother with making conversation.
"Lili, is something wrong?"
Captain Marquette hastily pointed to her jaw moving up-and-down,
indicating that she was still busy chewing.
"Sor-ry!" sneered Joshua, annoyed.
Lili swallowed. She poised her fork to stab into another piece
of steak, so she could jam it into her mouth.
Joshua quickly covered Lili's fork-bearing hand with his own. "What's
with you tonight, Marquette?!"
Captain Marquette's eyes shifted across the room. No one familiar
seemed to be in the Flat Planet that night. Lili had hoped she'd see a
friend or acquaintance of hers so she could ignore Joshua and distract
herself.
"Joshua, I don't think we should see each other anymore!" Lili
spat out.
"What?! Why not?!" Joshua demanded.
Lili took that moment to shove another forkful of steak into her
mouth.
Joshua glared at Lili. "You got some kind of problem, you know
that?!"
The shuttle pilot swallowed again. "I just don't think we're a
good match. It's as simple as that."
"Come on, Marquette. You think I'm gonna buy that flimsy excuse?"
At that moment, Kwai Ling stopped by their table with a pitcher
of iced tea. "Want a refill of tonight's special house drink?" she asked
them.
"Buzz off, Kwai Ling!" snapped Joshua Doors. "I'm trying to have
a private conversation here."
"Fine!" Kwai Ling pouted. As she positioned herself to walk away,
Kwai Ling suddenly dumped the half-full pitcher of iced tea on Joshua's
head, drenching the young man with her tangy beverage.
"Augh!! What the hell are you doing?!" growled Joshua, sopping
wet in iced tea.
"Don't worry, Joshua, that one is on the house," Kwai Ling winked,
as she sauntered away.
Lili let out an amused snort.
"This isn't funny!" Joshua yelled. "I'm a customer, and isn't the
customer always right?!"
"Apparently not," quipped Lili.
"What gives, Marquette? We've been dating for over two months now,
and you all of a sudden have this attitude problem."
"No, you can't handle rejection," Lili told him. "It's over, Joshua.
I'm outta here." The captain briskly got up from her seat and headed for
the exit.
"Fine, leave! Coward!" Joshua called after her. "You'll never be
able to keep a decent relationship at the rate you're going! Is this how
you treated your father? I'm not surprised he didn't want to have anything
to do with you!"
Lili abruptly swiveled around and marched back over to Joshua.
"Don't you DARE bring my father into this!" she glared, and angrily slapped
Joshua squarely across the face.
Joshua cringed as his cheek stung with pain. Lili high-tailed it
out of the Flat Planet.
"Looks like she stuck you with the bill too, Romeo," remarked Kwai
Ling, dryly. The Asian bartender/waitress folded her arms as she stood
intimidatingly in front of Joshua. "Will that be cash, check, or credit
card?"
Steaming in humiliation, Joshua Doors begrudgingly dug into his
wallet.
* * *
"Liam, how much do you love me?!"
"That depends. What did you discover?"
Augur grinned back at Liam through his global. "I connected to
the mainframe of the D.C. portal station. After cross-referencing their
transmission with the photon trail left behind by Sa'al's departure into
inter-dimensional, I was able to trace Sa'al's location." The techno-wiz
downloaded the computerized blueprint indicating Sa'al's present location.
"He's in the eighth dimension."
"That can't be good," Liam lamented. "Isn't the eighth dimension
the home of those energy-consuming glow-bugs whom we made the acquaintance
of way back when?"
"Yes . . ." Augur concentrated for a moment, thinking. "But if
the Commonality can still feel Sa'al's presence, he's probably alive."
"How? He'd more than likely be eaten for lunch by the glow-bugs."
"Not necessarily. If Sa'al is indeed trapped in the eighth dimension,
he may have gone into the Saamhaad to stay alive. There's a chance that
a faint spark of energy may be linking him by a thread to the Commonality."
"Sandoval and I will check it out. Thanks, Augur. And please, thank
Holo-Lili for me."
"She's sleeping right now."
"Sleeping?! Augur, she's a hologram! Oh, never mind . . . !" Liam
cut the link and headed to the D.C. portal to inform Lu'pem of the hopeful
news. "Lu'pem, I downloaded the energy readings that we picked up from
Sa'al's photon trail. My global seems to have pinpointed his potential
current coordinates."
"How can that be?" interjected Sandoval. "The portal station's
mainframe can't even detect it. What makes you think your global is any
superior?"
Lu'pem held up his finger. "It is not completely improbable," countered
the Companion engineer. "There could be an undetected malfunction in our
mainframe. If Major Kincaid downloaded identical data to ours, assuming
his global is properly operating he may have yielded more accurate results
than we were able to."
Sandoval sighed. "It's a long shot . . . but Zo'or does want Sa'al
retrieved intact. After all, Sa'al is the best and most important Taelon
engineer on the planet."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Liam rhetorically asked. "Let's
go. Lu'pem, send us to the eighth dimension."
As Lu'pem programmed the portal for launch, Sandoval and Liam stepped
onto separate spots atop the ramp. Countdown was initiated, and with a
blurry flash of energy they were zapped into ID space.
On the other end of the portal, Sandoval and Liam found themselves
floating through a vast, infinite sea of greenish-blue energy. They spotted
Sa'al also hovering in mid-air, his eyes closed peacefully. He looked almost
as though he was meditating.
"He's in the Saamhaad!" concluded Sandoval, his shout echoing across
the abyss.
"Sandoval . . ." Liam stopped short, seeing no visible portal gateway
for transportation back to their home coordinates. "How are we supposed
to get back to Earth?"
Well, technically they were still on Earth. An alternate Earth.
Agent Sandoval did not reply.
Then, Major Kincaid heart a soft, rhythmic vibration chime through
his ears. It got louder and more repetitive, almost like a drumbeat. Liam
followed the sound as it gained momentum in his head.
"Major, what are you doing?" Sandoval suddenly coughed in a gaspy
choke. He was beginning to lose oxygen.
"There's a dimensional gateway here somewhere!" Liam shouted out.
"I can feel it!" His Kimera instincts were calling to him, acting as a
detector to find a way out of the dimension.
"A gateway? Where?" gasped Sandoval, between coughs. "I don't see
anything except for . . . desolate space!"
"It's here," proclaimed Liam, knowingly. He could hear Ha'gel's
voice calling to him, as though the spirit of the Ha'gel from that dimension
knew who Liam was and knew that Liam was there in need of his help. "There!"
Liam pointed to a space that looked quite ordinary. "Sandoval, blast your
skrill in that direction!"
"Major . . ."
"Just do it!!"
Unable to breathe, Sandoval salvaged all the energy he had and
fired his skrill in the direction Liam had indicated. Suddenly, an opening
of what looked like a wormhole appeared. It contained sparkly streaks of
Taelon blue, as well as a glittery green swirl that circulated in a swift,
clockwise rotation.
"Go! Go!" Liam reached out and pushed Sandoval through the wormhole.
Sandoval disappeared into the opening.
Gathering all his remaining strength, Major Liam Kincaid picked
up Sa'al with his arms and carried him through the wormhole.
"Thank you, Ha'gel," Liam whispered as the wormhole closed shut.
Sandoval, Liam, and Sa'al were now positioned safely back on the
portal ramp of the Washington D.C. portal station. Sa'al was sprawled out
on the floor of the ramp, unconscious.
* * *
A dimpled female doctor with long, reddish-brown hair and
a thick white laboratory jacket surveyed the blue tank in front of her.
Rather than containing liquid as the human regeneration tanks did, this
tank held sparkly blue particles of subatomic energy. Submerged within
the center of the energy-filled blue tank was Sa'al.
Dr. Joyce Belman studied the vial of DNA that she had by her own
unsolicited discretion collected from Sa'al. Since he was in stasis, Sa'al
could not object to Joyce's extraction of his DNA.
"Joyce!" Dr. Julianne Belman, Joyce's mother, had come up behind
her daughter and startled her.
"Mother, don't scare me like that," frowned Joyce.
"What did you do, Joyce?" glared Julianne.
"I extracted a sample of Taelon DNA from Sa'al for use in our evolution
project."
"Without his consent?"
"He's not using it right now," Joyce shrugged.
"I thought I'd taught you better ethics than this!" The elder Dr.
Belman put her hands on her hips.
"I used my own judgment, mom."
"Well you have lousy judgment, Joyce!"
"You just don't understand! You never have!" Joyce looked on the
verge of tears, and quickly exited the laboratory taking the vial with
her.
Julianne sighed.
* * *
FIN
Copyright 1999 by Earthboy
Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict
is property of Tribune Entertainment Company
and is produced by Roddenberry/Kirschner Productions. No monetary profit
is bein gmade from this work. No infringement is intended. If you sue me,
I will send you to the eighth dimension.
