Before - Legends Crossroads of the Force (SW/ST crossover) Completed 6/1

awesome and fast thinking by tholme

 

obimom: Valdra is just figuring things out as she goes. As for using a phaser, well, if any of the four would do it, I'd suspect Quin or Tholme.

earlybird: Having the Jedi take Valdra out with a lightsaber seemed rather...normal. I wanted to try something different.

Jade_eyes: And that quick thinking is part of why he's a Master...

Mira_Jade: Glad you liked the maelstrom of battle. Believe me, it was fun to write. Question is, can I do better for the next round?


Okay, here comes the next post!



Chapter 9

Qui-Gon swiftly pulled off his belt, and used it to bind Valdra's hands behind her, as Tholme similarly bound her feet. "I presume you have some method of getting her out of here," Tholme said. "It's not as though we can just carry her out the front door."

"You're probably right about that," Qui-Gon said. He'd moved from binding Valdra to the door to the room in which the Dark Sider had imprisoned the Federation ambassador, as well as Captain Kirk. He withdrew his lightsaber, and sliced between the door and the frames, breaking the seal that Valdra had created. He then stepped back as the door flew open, a somewhat surprised Kirk emerging first. His eyes swept the scene, instantly taking in the glowing sword in Qui-Gon's hand, the phaser lying discared in the hall, and the bound woman.

"I don?t suppose you want to tell me how things got to this point," Kirk said.

"It's probably best if I didn't," Qui-Gon said, extinguishing the blade of his lightsaber. "I believe you mentioned something about avoiding interference in other cultures. I'd like to avoid interfering with your culture as much as possible."

"I suppose I understand," Kirk said. "But that doesn't mean that I have to like it."

"Either Quin's rubbing off on him, or the two are more alike than I think I want to admit," Tholme said softly from Qui-Gon's side. "Perhaps we ought to send the ambassador out to distract the crowd."

"I think the ambassador needs to stay out of sight," Kirk said.

"I must respectfully disagree with you, Captain," Yunis said, emerging from the room, his aide right behind him. "In fact, it's better if we all leave together, without any attempt at subterfuge."

"Mister Ambassador, if you walk out the front door, the police will arrest you. Or maybe they'll simply shoot you first, and save the president the trouble."

"Captain, they won't shoot us, just because they have to know there will be consequences. Even if they arrest us, both Sam and I have diplomatic immunity. I think we can use that as leverage should they attempt to arrest us."

"I must agree with the ambassador that he and his aide should depart publicly," Qui-Gon said. "But as Tholme pointed out, we should make sure to time our departure to coincide with his. That way, our exit is less likely to be noticed. I trust that you will be able to make contact with the Enterprise?"

"It shouldn't be a problem, assuming that Spock followed my orders," Kirk said. "And," he added with a sigh, "assuming that Starfleet didn't issue any contrary orders."

"Then I would suggest you try, Captain. Meanwhile, I will see what I can do to alter the government's stance. It would have been easier without the interference," Yunis said, casting a glance at the now-trussed Valdra, "but we take what we are given sometimes."

"She's starting to awaken," Tholme said. "Whatever we're going to do, we'd better get to it. There's no telling what she might be capable of once she wakens and finds that her pawns are no longer responding to her commands."

"You're thinking that desperate people commit desperate acts?" Kirk asked.

"Something along those lines," Qui-Gon said, not wanting to reveal that even given the effects of the stun, Valdra might try to reach out to the president before the ambassador could get through the political red tape. After all, Qui-Gon had seen enough of the political posturing that took place on Coruscant, and expected that things would be similar here. Obi-Wan, he thought, would probably

 

Yay! Back to the Enterprise. Hope they don't forget Obi-Wan and Quin along the way..

Wonder how they'll deal with Valdra now...

 

great back and forth about strategy -- looking forward to the enterprise scene

 

great new post and yes don't forget Obi-Wan and quin

 

obimom: I don't think you'll have to worry about the Masters forgetting their Padawans.

Jade_es: Glad you liked the back and forth.

earlybird: Thanks!


Okay, here comes the next post!



Uhura turned to Spock. "I think the Captain's trying to reach us."

"You think?" Spock asked, arching one eyebrow. Coming from a human, the comment might have been seen as a verbal slap in the face. Coming from Spock, it was something else entirely.

"I can't be sure," Uhura said. "The signal's very weak. I'm surprised we're picking anything up at all."

"Very well," Spock said, realizing that he'd be breaking Kirk's orders by accepting the transmission. "This is the Enterprise."

"I thought I ordered you not break radio silence," Kirk said.

"I believe your exact instructions were to do all we could to avoid a confrontation with the Vegans, even if it meant ignoring call from the surface," the first officer replied. "But seeing as you have already made your presence on the surface known by hailing us, it serves no useful purpose to ignore you."

"Trapped by logic again, I see," Kirk said. "One of these days, you're going to have to tell me how you do that."

"To think the way I do would require you to retrain your mind," Spock said, "something that would doubtless ruin your capacity to, as you say, 'think outside the box.' I do not want to deny Starfleet the opportunity to benefit from your skills."

"Thanks?I think," Kirk said. "Listen, the situation down here will hopefully be changing shortly, assuming that Ambassador Yunis is able to calm down President Jaraana."

"I thought it was his failure to do so that led to the lockdown of Vega," Spock said.

"Turns out that Jaraana was under the influence of a Vegan sensitive to the Jedi Force," Kirk said. "The Jedi have subdued her, but we think it's perhaps best that she be taken off planet, since Master Jinn isn't sure just how much she might be able to still influence the president."

"Captain, wouldn't bringing her aboard the Enterprise put her in a position to do far greater damage? If she is as dangerous as you say?"

"Masters Tholme and Jinn will be returning as well. They should be able to ensure that she causes no trouble."

"And their apprentices?" Spock asked.

"They'll be staying down here and assisting Bones," Kirk replied. "Seems that there was a mass exodus from the hotel in which the ambassador was holed up, and several people were wounded. The ambassador feels that continued attention from Bones may aid him in his negotiations with Jaraana."

"And no doubt, Doctor McCoy feels that it is his medical duty to assist."

"I don't think he'd listen to me if I ordered him to beam back to the Enterprise."

"Very well. I presume that one of you has donated a communicator to the Jedi?"

"I'll be giving mine to Master Jinn as soon as we finish," Kirk said. "Scotty should be able to lock in on the signal."

"You realize that this will pose a threat to the ship if the Vegans open fire."

"It's a chance we'll have to take. I trust the Jedi that leaving this Force-user here is more dangerous than the threat posed to the ship by the Vegan military."

"Very well," Spock said. "Good luck, Captain."

"I didn't think you believed in luck," Kirk said, and cut the communication before Spock could argue. Spock turned his attention to Sulu.

"Avoiding the Vegans may require some interesting flying."

"I'm ready if you are, sir. Besides, after taking the ship through Saturn's rings, this should be a piece of cake."



That's all I've got for now. More to come soon!


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Love the banter between Spock and Kirk and will we see Obi and Quin helping Bones?

 

Loved this chapter..you wrote Spock perfectly. I would love to see Spock and the Jedi have a conversation...that would be so ..as Spock would say...fascinating..

 

dreamy dreamy sigh. Kirk and Sppock engaging in mission-talk is a droolicious experience for me. Their skills and reasonings balance each other so wonderfully!!!!!!!

 

earlybird: Glad you liked the banter between Spock and Kirk. As for Bones and the Padawans, read on!

obimom: I took my time writing Spock, because he's just so complex that you almost have to slow down to write him right.

Jade_eyes: Yup, Kirk and Spock do balance each other, but for true balance, you need Bones as well.

Okay, here comes a short little post!



"My god, has nobody here ever seen a hospital?" McCoy asked, as more and more people were brought to him for care. There didn't seem to be, at least to McCoy's way of thinking, any concept of triage. "Look," he said, to Quin and Obi-Wan, "if you want to do something useful, talk to these people and find out just how badly they're hurt."

"And then?" Quin asked.

"Do what you can to make them comfortable until I can get to them," McCoy said, as another Vegan approached him, her arm clearly not in its proper place.

"Doctor, we aren't exactly what you'd call trained healers," Obi-Wan said.

"We're about as far from that as it's possible to be," Quin added.

"Look, you can either help, or you can just get out of my way," McCoy said, not intending to have the words come out as sharply as they did. "Look, I'm not asking either of you to perform neurosurgery. But from what you Masters said, your Force can have some calming effects, right?"

"Given the proper circumstances, yes," Obi-Wan said, cautious. After all, he didn't want to commit to anything specific. Qui-Gon had made it clear that they were to reveal as little as necessary about the nature of the Force.

"Great," Bones said. "Then use it help calm some of these people down. Their agitation isn't making my job any easier. And if you can try and find out from them at least what might be wrong, it might make me a little more efficient, and get them back to their lives a little more quickly." He turned, to be confronted by a woman carrying her child. The child moaned, and winced as she did so. Her arm was also hanging at an awkward angle.

"We'll leave you to your work, Doctor," Obi-Wan said, grabbing Quin's elbow.

"Obi-Wan, what are you doing?" Quin asked.

"I'm getting us out of here, before the doctor loses his temper," Obi-Wan said. "And even though we aren't trained healers, we should be able to something to help these people."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Obi-Wan," Quin said.

"So do I," Obi-Wan said.

***

That's all for now. More to come soon!

Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Nice to see a post with Obi in it.

Hope he and Quin can calm those people down...but I wonder if the one they should be calming down is McCoy?..

 

nice with Mc Coy arguing with the two padawans and what are they up to?

 

Nice post -- and I love the last line.

 

obimom: Bones is under stress, which brings out his cantankerous side. He sees wasted time, and it frustrates him. And as a doctor, he can't take it out on the patients, so he takes it out on Quin & Obi-Wan instead.

earlybird: Besides making themselves useful?

Jade_eyes: Glad you liked it!


Okay, sorry that this post has taken a while, but I wanted it to be right, and that took getting everything in order in my head first of all.


The glittering haze faded from Qui-Gon's vision, revealing the Enterprise's transporter room. "Welcome back, Master Jinn," Spock said, his gaze falling on Valdra, who had been rendered unconscious to make her transport to the starship easier. "I presume this is the young lady who has caused this trouble?"

"You presume correctly, Commander Spock," Qui-Gon said, his gaze shifting to the security detail standing by. "I would suggest that you keep any contact between this woman and your crew to a minimum. She has shown a certain talent for influencing minds."

"Influencing minds?" Spock asked. "How so?"

"The Force can be used to exert one's will upon the mind of another," Qui-Gon said. "Where we come from, this is usually possible only with the weak-minded, but given time, it seems that she has learned to bend even those capable of running a planet to her way of thinking."

"Then perhaps it would be best if either you or Master Tholme accompany the security detail," Spock said, as the red-shirted officers moved to take custody of Valdra. "That way, should she attempt anything, you would be on hand to put a stop to it."

"Seems to me like an appropriate precaution," Thole said. "I'll take the first watch. Perhaps it would be best to recall the padawans, as well."

"I think we ought to see if we can reason with her one more time," Qui-Gon said.

"There are also certain delicate affairs regarding her legal status. The captain did mention she had requested asylum of the ambassador."

"She did so for the express purpose of influencing the ambassador and his staff," Qui-Gon said as Tholme left with Valdra and the security detail. But that isn't why you asked the question, is it, Commander?"

"I must confess a certain scientific curiosity about your Force," Spock said. "You say that it is created by life?"

"You might say that," Qui-Gon replied. "To be honest, I don?t know if anybody truly knows whether life exists because of the Force, or the Force because of life. We believe that it is created by all living things, that it surrounds us, that it is the stuff that binds the galaxy together."

"So it is less hard science than philosophy," Spock said.

"I suppose so," Qui-Gon said. "But don't all things start with a question?"

"It does seem logical," Spock said. "And with every query, or answers become more defined. Perhaps some day, we will learn exactly what it is that creates the Force in some, but not in others."

"That creates the ability to manipulate the Force in some," Qui-Gon corrected. "With the exception of machines, I have never met any being with the ability to reason who was not touched in some way by the Force. Even here, far from my own people, I can still feel it. I felt it in Valdra, in your captain, and yes, Mr. Spock, even in you." Qui-Gon laughed softly. "Had you the ability to manipulate the Force, I would have believed you a fellow Jedi. Your emotions are held very tightly in check."

"It is the way of my people," Spock said. "We learned long ago that if we allowed our passions to control us, it would only lead us to disaster. In fact, we nearly wiped ourselves out before we learned to control our emotions."

"You had some among you who felt the pull of the Dark Side," Qui-Gon said, "and who succumbed to that swifter method of achieving their desires. While anger, aggression, and a lust for power will get some things, they are far too costly in what they demand."

"You suggest that emotions are connected to the Force?"

"To certain sides of it. My old Master's former Master, who is now the Grand Mast

 

Yay! A conversation between Spock and Qui-Gon!! Loved it !

 

And a very nice discussion between them about the Force.

Love the new update

 

into bucket over this update

Dreamy rapturous sigh.

Yes, this fangirl has no -- difficulty believing Spock can touch the Force --

As in Ny's observation: "You like it when I call you Master."


Erm, back on topic--when fear and anger and unbalanced possessiveness dominate the emotions -- it is quite easy to see how that would warp and twist someone emotionally and mentally and if you add a lust for power on top of that

 

obimom: Glad you liked it!

earlybird: It was coming, but I had to get it just right.

Jade_eyes: So, I managed to get the fangirl going with that post, did I? While I don;t think Spock is touching the Force, he does seem to be able to think outside the box enough to understand it.


And continuing our discussion of the nature of the Force, though maybe in a bit more of an applicable way...



"What can we expect out of her?" one of the security men asked Tholme as the Jedi Master accompanied them to the Enterprise's brig.

"You can expect the unexpected," Tholme said. "You can also expect her to try and play to your emotions, to try and use you to achieve her goals."

"She wouldn't be foolish enough to try that here, would she?"

"She uses the Dark Side of the Force," Tholme said. "I believe she would be foolish enough to try just about anything."

"Are you telling us to ignore our senses?"

"No," Tholme said. "But I am asking that you pay attention to your duty. That will hopefully be enough to keep you from falling under her control. And if you doubt yourselves, look to me."

"And if she should turn you to her will?" the guard asked.

"If she's strong enough to do that, then we're in far greater danger than anybody could imagine," Tholme said.

"It's hard to believe," the guard said. "To look at her, you'd think she was just any other girl."

"Sometimes appearances can be deceptive," Tholme said. "One of the greatest Jedi Masters, perhaps the greatest Jedi Master ever, stands little taller than your knee. Yet if he wished, he could orbit around you, or make you orbit him, without much effort on his part at all. The Force can open new windows, but you have to be willing to see things in a new way." He paused for a moment. "You knew you would face new challenges when you joined Starfleet, didn't you?"

"Hell, that's why most of us joined the fleet. We couldn't sit still and watch the world go by."

"And since joining, you have had your preconceived notions of the world changed?"

"Ye-es," the redshirt said, hesitating.

"Then think of the Force as being able to see with a new set of eyes. Not only would you see everything you've ever known differently, but you'd see things you couldn't imagine. That is why I insist that one of us remain with this prisoner. She can make you see not what is real, but what she wishes to make real."

"And those delusions make her dangerous."

"You see the danger," Tholme replied. "Don't let her make you forget it."



That's all for now. More to come when it's written!

Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Very nice descripton of the force to those who never heard of it. I hope the guard listens to Tholme.

 

Yes nice description and Red shirts

Nice update

 

obimom: I'd agree that the guard should listen to Tholme. Man knows what he's talking about, after all.

earlybird: I presume the face is due to the fact that the redshirts seem as lucky as stormtroopers or battle droids?

Okay, now that we've checked in on the Jedi, how about we check in on dear Valdra?



Valdra sat in the cell aboard the starship, whose power she could feel coursing through the deck beneath her feet. Her hands were free, but she had no illusions about what would happen if she tried to leave the cell. The energy field that kept her confined would have to be disabled before she could leave.

And that wasn't going to happen, at least, not as long as one of those light-infused men kept watch outside the cell. She'd dueled with one of them, pushing him to his limits, or so she thought. It would be fun to try again, to test some of the things she'd learned during that initial duel. She considered the weapons that they'd used. Based on swords, they weren't exactly what she would have thought of as a high-tech weapon. But the way they were handled, there was a certain precision, a certain focus necessary that was missing in modern weapons. Whatever else she might think about them, these two men were well trained in their arts.

She considered the almost suffocating nature of their presence. She couldn't quite reach for her power while they were both around, but when it was just one of them, as it was most of the time, she could almost feel the tendrils that she'd need to manipulate. She could meditate, and feed her power with her rage and frustration, but she couldn't make it work for her the way she was used to.

Valdra turned towards the current guard, the tall, broad-shouldered one with the longer hair. He would have been a catch for her, had he not been so thoroughly immersed in light, and old enough to be her father. That thought only made her recall her first step towards power, when she destroyed her professor to curry favor with the government. Every move she'd made from then on had been her choice, her timing. Now, all of that had been taken from her. She was reacting, she realized, and it had to stop. She had to get control of the situation back, had to begin calling the shots again.

"You think I'm evil, don't you?" she asked.

"I think you're misguided, that you never had someone to properly show you how to use your power. That makes you someone to be cared for, and I still believe that you can be shown the error of your ways."

"And if I don't embrace the chance you offer?"

"Then there is little that I can do for you," Qui-Gon said. "I don't wish to see you destroyed, but I will take that step rather than allow you to continue your previous activities."

"Then you don't feel that I'm compelled to use my power for evil?"

"I don?t think of you the way I think of?" He stopped, as though he'd been on the verge of mentioning something that he considered her shouldn't. "I think your fate is in the hands of your government, now that the president has been freed from your control. We will abide by their decision."

***


That's all for now, hope to have more ready soon!


Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

short but good. If she thinks she can manipulate Qui-Gon she has another think coming, doesn't she?

 

Valdra shouldn't mess with Qui-Gon (Jedi help and stick together)

And not at all with red-shirts (the clone-trooper equivalents in Star Wars) There are lots of Red shirts on the Enterprise and with Jedi helping

 

obimom: Does she ever!!!

earlybird: Indeed she shouldn't.


Sorry for the delay in posting, but this next part needed a little extra care. Hope you'll enjoy it!



"Personally, I wouldn't mind of the Jedi simply took her with them," Kirk said as he sat with Spock, and Scotty. "They certainly seem better qualified to judge her."

"And they may be," Spock said. "That does not, however, mean that they should be allowed to remove her against her will."

"A little late for that, isn't it?" Scotty asked. "I mean, if she'd been allowed to do as she pleased, the ambassador would be pushing to have her take over Jaraana's duties as president."

"Obviously, that was something that we couldn't allow to happen," Kirk said. "Her influence on Jaraana was akin to some kind of mind control."

"Not exactly," Spock corrected. "Remember that Jaraana seemed stable as long as Valdra remained with him. It was when she chose to leave that the president's mental stability began to deteriorate."

"All right, some kind of drug," Scotty said. "He became as addicted to her presence as a barfly is addicted to liquor."

"It seems to me that you have been spending much time with Doctor McCoy," Spock commented.

"It's not that," Scott said. "It's more of a personal experience. When I was first dispatched to Delta Vega, I went of a bit of a bender. I mean, I was all alone. Except for Keenser, who didn't really count much as far as company."

"Keenser would perhaps take offense to that, Scotty," Kirk said. "Nonetheless, we have to figure out what we're going to do with Valdra. As Spock as pointed out, we can't simply let the Jedi taker her, or we'd appear to be violating the Vegans' due process laws. I don't think we can count on a fair trial on Vega either, since Valdra would not doubt use her abilities to affect her release."

"Couldna the Jedi tell us if she was using her control abilities?" Scott asked. "I'm no expert in security, but I would think that if they're able to keep her from escaping, they'd be able to keep her from influencing whoever winds up deciding her fate."

"That could be done," Spock said, "but it would open up grounds for an appeal. That process could drag on for weeks, and Starfleet could decide in the interim that our presence is no longer necessary. Furthermore, Master Jinn has made it clear that he wishes to tamper as little as possible in the development of our galaxy."

"That's the problem. She can't be tried by the Jedi, but they can't be used as agents to keep her from manipulating the court," Kirk said.

"There is one option that has yet to be explored," Spock said. "Under Federation law, her trial could be moved to another location if a fair hearing could not be obtained on Vega. Given her relationship with the President, I believe such a case could be made here."

"Except you then open up a whole new arena for her to work in," Kirk said.

"Not if it were moved to the new Vulcan colony," Spock said. "We already know from the ambassador's report that she had little influence over the Vulcan aide, Sovek."

"As I recall, he wound up dead," Kirk said.

"Because she was unable to manipulate him," Spock replied. "It is possible that the training Vulcan's receive to control their emotions might also be preventing Ms. Valdra from exercising her abilities with the Force."

"And if she's tried by Vulcans, the Jedi presence wouldn't be necessary."

"Of course, for this to happen, the Vegan judge would need to be aware of the fact that she would not be able to receive a fair trial in his jurisdiction," Spock said. "She would also need to be represented by either a Vulcan, or an accepted member of the Federation judiciary."

"Would a Starfleet JAG be considered acceptable?" Kirk asked.

"You know of one who would be willing to take her case?" Scotty asked.

"I'd wager Admiral Pike does," Kirk said.

***


That's all for now. I hope to have more for you by the weekend.

Force be with you,

Tych_sel