//------------------------------// // Entr'acte // Story: Starring Trixie // by metroid_freak //------------------------------// Acting captain's log, Stardate 'man, I miss calendars…I think. Never actually used one'. Still has to be easier than this Stardate nonsense. We've been at high warp for several days, heading straight for Earth, our second 'vacation'. Things have been…okay, I guess. While the events of three weeks ago still haunt our dreams, waking up beside each other has been therapeutic. We've become almost inseparable. I mean yeah, we're in a small starship, there are only so many places one can go but still, we've been practically joined at the hip.                 Not like that, you perverts.                 …maybe someday…                 Aaaaaaanyway, all this downtime has given us the chance to get a few odds and ends accomplished. For me, the Ranger keeps me busy regardless but seems to be in pretty good shape after DS9's maintenance crew finished with 'er. Other than making sure she doesn't spontaneously combust, I've been experimenting with a lot of different holodeck programs. See, the holodeck is a saving grace on a long voyage and although we have a lot of great programs, most of them are on the violent-action side, which doesn't exactly suit my companion at the moment.                 Speaking of Trixie…                 We received a communique from Captain Remy the other day asking if Trixie would be ready to deliver her speech at the Neo Valor memorial ceremony on Earth. Although he was quick to add that if she didn't feel up to it, she was under no obligation to speak, she assured him that she would be present to carry out what had been asked of her. I couldn't help but smile at her determination. Or stubbornness. Whatever.                 I'm just crossing my fingers, hoping that this is the last little adventure for the foreseeable future. Something tells me it won't be, not by a longshot, but hey, a guy can dream, can't he? As long the next one isn't time travel. I've read Admiral Janeway and Ambassador Picard's notes on the subject and if it's anything like what they've experienced…Screw. That. Noise. With my luck, I'd probably step on a blade of grass somewhere and blow up the entire universe or some other stupid thing. Nope, no temporal paradoxes for this guy. Nuh-uh. Not happening. (End recording) ***                 "For the last time, Trix, that was a legitimate call!" I exclaimed as we left the holodeck, still garbed in our hockey gear. "You can't expect to levitate two of the players and the goalie into the air and drop them into their bench and not get a five-minute major! You actually got off pretty easy!"                 "It worked, didn't it? Trixie scored, didn't she?" Came the expected rebuttal. I sighed.                 "Yes, except the ref waved it off, like, immediately. Goals scored after a penalty has been called, before play resumes, do not count!"                 "Well they should, especially if Trixie manages to stop half a team by herself! Hmmph!"                 "Well, determination and creativity aside, that's still no reason to hang him upside-down and threaten to fill his life with misery and woe." I pointed out as we reached the turbolift. "Still, we did better than usual, Trix. You're skating's really coming along and the way you handle the stick and puck with your magic is quite something."                 "We still lost, though…" she grumbled as we rode the turbolift.                 "Hey, don't beat yourself up over it," I replied with a smile, kneeling down to gently pet her head. She let out a soft coo as I scratched behind her ears. "The Great 8 was hands-down one of the single best hockey players to ever live. There weren't a lot of players who could keep up with him, so don't feel bad that they won. Hell, even on rookie difficulty, he's amazing so don't worry about it. We'll make another playoff run tomorrow."                 "Trixie supposes you're right…" the unicorn grumbled as we left the turbolift, heading for our quarters.                 "How's the speech coming, Trix?" I asked on our way.                 "It's…" Trixie sighed. "…much more difficult than Trixie thought."                 "How so?" I asked, prompting the mare to pause and take a deep breath.                 "Well…Trixie's…never had to do anything like this before," she admitted. "The whole experience was practically overwhelming, even before…it happened…" she finished in a near-whisper.                 "…and you're still trying to figure out how to deal with it…" I ventured hesitantly.                 "Even…even though everyone knew our chances were…were slim to none…even though we all knew how much danger we were in…no one gave up. Everyone just…kept doing their best, doing what they could to…to buy everyone else more time…" Trixie murmured, sitting down and leaning against my leg. I immediately took a knee and allowed her to lean up against me. She then looked up at me. "Cole…why didn't they give up? What…kept them going, even though they knew it was hopeless?" Now it was my turn to take a deep breath.                 "Well, Trix, because…because they believed in what they were doing, who they were protecting. By joining Starfleet, they took an oath, an oath to uphold the principles that the Federation stands for: peace and unity for the entire galaxy. I know it sounds like an impossible dream but it's something to strive for, which is what every crew member aboard that ship was willing to risk everything for.                 There was a lengthy pause as Trixie digested what I'd said.                 "…but I thought you knew that already…" I added hesitantly.                 "I think I did," the azure mare replied after another pause. "I just…needed to hear it again."                 "May I ask why?"                 "Because I had to ask myself that a lot after my parents died." Her poignant response surprised me, causing me to focus even more attention on my companion. "I…asked myself a lot of questions, actually. Finally, after I was done demanding answers and blaming everything in the universe for what happened…I asked myself one last question." She took another deep breath. "I asked myself what I could do about it." She then re-focused on me and continued. "What happened to my parents…that happens to a lot of people, right?"                 "Millions, Trix," I replied honestly. "The Borg are like…a constant storm. It's only been very recently that anyone's made any…um, progress against them." I gave her an enquiring look. "Why?"                 "Am I doing enough?" she asked pointedly.                 "Are you…are you doing enough?" I repeated, unsure about the meaning to her question.                 "I mean…all this time, I've been travelling around performing for refugees, war veterans, and children but what if that isn't enough? I…I could be doing so much more to help people. I mean…I can use magic!"                 "Yes, and you use it really well," I agreed, hoping to encourage her.                 "Thank you for stating the obvious but still…I sometimes feel that…I'm not doing enough. Like…putting on these shows is just meaningless in the end when so many others have to deal with what happened to me."                 Um…wow…                 I wasn't even sure how to respond. Trixie must have sensed my uncertainty because another bout of silence washed over us.                 "I'm sorry, Trix," I began. "I don't have all the answers for you. All I can offer you is this: remember the big show you did back at DS9, when you walked out to Sandstorm?" She nodded, prompting me to continue. "Well, answers or no answers, I can tell you, without a single doubt, that the smiles and happy people I saw at that show was more than enough to convince me that you, the Great and Powerful Trixie, have already made the galaxy a better place."                 "But…that was just a show," she replied quietly. "I do shows all the time."                 "Yes but you're overlooking the most important part," I gently rebutted. "Every time you perform, every time you make someone smile or laugh or gasp in shack and awe at what you do, you give them something really important." I paused as Trixie looked expectantly up at me.                 "Spirit, Trix! Your true talent is raising people's spirits. Whether it's by entertaining them, protecting them, or even occasionally challenging them…" I paused and hugged her against me. "…you make sure that even if something really bad's going on, people never lose their spirit. Remember the kids you protected from the Orion slavers? Or how about the time you shielded an entire Starbase for three days?" I smiled and gently ruffled her ears. "Or even those times you've had to pound some sense into me? That's your destiny, Trix."                 There was yet another pause as my words sunk in. "…that was pretty cheesy, even for Trixie…" my companion murmured, looking up at me with a small smile. "Thanks, though. That was…really sweet." "Hey, don't tell me the Great and Powerful Trixie's getting soft!" I teased. She grinned and smacked my shoulder. "You wish." ***                  "Sir, there's a Starfleet vessel moving to intercept us," a crewman reported. The armor-clad man seated on the captain's chair remained cool and emotionless, as if the news held no meaning.                 "It is of no concern," he replied as he stared ahead at the stars rushing by. "Maintain course. We will not miss our chance to set things right."                 "The Starfleet ship is hailing." another crewman reported.                 "Raise shields and take us out of warp just long enough to disable their vessel. Do not take any more time than is absolutely necessary."                 "At once, sir."                 The man's expression never wavered, not even as both slips dropped out of warp, not even as they engaged, not even when the other, much larger ship was forced to its knees, plasma leaking from both nacelles. Nothing fazed him; they simply continued on. *** Deep Space…                 Captain Kor'Tach was in many ways, a typical and very capable Klingon officer, having served with the same ship and majority of its crew since its construction six years prior. Battle-hardened and open-minded, he was a mix of Klingon old-guard and the new-age thinking that had become so much more prevalent due to their strong alliance with the United Federation.                 It was for those reason that he and his ship, the battlecruiser Va'Kor, found themselves sitting still in the middle of what was supposed to be a joint operations deep-space tactical exercise with the Federation.                 They were late. Very late. Kor'Tach and his crew had been waiting for 14 hours, far longer than the mere three hours assured by their Federation counterparts. Tensions were high and the crew was bored. It was a well-known fact that boredom, tension, and Klingons was a poor combination, a fact the captain was well-aware of. Hoping, the Federation tactical team would arrive soon, if only to relieve the tension and the boredom.                  "Captain, you're needed on the bridge!" Stirred from his own growing boredom, Kor'Tach wasted no time replying.                 "What is it? Has the Federation detachment finally decided to show up?" he asked with typical Klingon undertones of general impatience.                 "I don't know what it is, sir. It just…appeared!"                 That was new. Given their affinity for cloaking, it was typical for a Klingon ship to simply appear from out of nowhere, especially before a startled (and often doomed) enemy, but for a Klingon to be taken so unawares…it was a rare day indeed.                 "On my way," Kor'Tach replied, heading from his captain's quarters to the turbolift. Moments later, he appeared on the bridge. "What's going on?" he half-asked, half-demanded.                 "Sir…look!" the same crewman stated, pointing at the viewscreen. Following the gazes of his bewildered crew, his own gaze soon joined theirs, as did his expression.                 It was some kind of vortex, dark-blue and circular, acting much like a whirlpool in space. The main and easily most noticeable difference was the vortex' absolutely immense size.                 "Get a reading on that anomaly! I want to know exactly what we're dealing with!" Kor'Tach barked as his crew worked quickly to provide answers.                 "Sir, it appears to be a large gravity well, much like a collapsed star," his science officer reported. "It's…it's almost 5000 kellicams in diameter!" the officer added after studying the data more closely.                 "Get us out of here, maximum warp!" Kor'Tach ordered. Rarely did a Klingon retreat but he was a wise captain and as such, respected the power of interstellar phenomena, and few were more dangerous than the emergence of gravity wells, even small ones.                 "Sir, there's something happening at the mouth of the vortex!" another cried, obliging the captain to once again focus on the viewscreen.                 In a fit of brutal irony, what he and everyone else on the Va'Kor saw was, in fact, a mouth. A massive one. A titanic one. A teeth-lined maw so large it might have once feasted on a planetary system, consuming each one in a few gigantic bites before moving on to the next. Before anyone could react to the surreal spectacle before them, the beast let out a roar.                 They knew because they heard it. Even in the vacuum of space, through some devilry, the entire ship's complement was brought to its knees by the reverberating booms that enveloped the ship. Kor'Tach writhed in pain, barely able to remain standing as he held his ridged cranium, the horrible sound eclipsing all else, making his head feel like it was about to implode. After several agonizing seconds, the pain lifted and the crew slowly began to regain their bearings. By then, the monster's head had emerged from within the vortex, laughably dwarfing the battlecruiser.                 "Maximum warp! Now!" Kor'Tach bellowed, knowing that fighting was no option. As much as it pained him to retreat, there was no honor in senseless loss of life, especially of such a valuable crew.                 "Sir, whatever that pulse was, it knocked out our warp drive! There's no escape, Captain!" another crewman frantically reported. So, a fight it is, then, Kor'Tach thought as he faced down the impossible. May we rest forever in Sto-vo-kor for our deeds today.                 "Ha! If the beast wants a fight, then we will give it! Maximum power to weapons and shields! Maintain maximum combat distance!" Kor'Tach ordered, determined to allow himself and his ship to go down with honor. The disruptor beams and cannons of the Va'Kor rained down on the monster's head as the ship weaved and strafed to the best of its abilities but to no avail. Despite the best efforts of the decorated Klingon captain and her valiant crew, they were simply and unmercifully swallowed up by the monstrous maw before it too disappeared back into oblivion. ***                 Trixie's personal log, Stardate…Cole's right, this dating system is weird. Anyway, we're almost at Earth. I don't need to consult a star chart or ask the computer to figure that out. It seems like the closer we get, the more excited Cole gets. It's understandable given that he hasn't been there for many years but something feels…off about it. Maybe I'm just not looking forward to it as much as he is or…at all. It's not the fact that I have to speak at a memorial that bothers me. Heck, Trixie even has her speech ready! Well, mostly, anyway. It's that…Earth is very, very different from Equis and they have certain…'feelings' about beings who are…quadrupedal.                 It sounds dumb but I did my research. Most of the species within the Federation are humanoid. Even though I'm just as sapient as they are, they might see me as a talking Earth equine and nothing more.                 What if Cole looks at them and me and thinks the same thing? What if he notices the resemblance and decided he doesn't want to pursue a relationship with Trixie? What if he's so repulsed by it all that he…never…wants to hug or hold Trixie ever again? …                 Hopefully, I'm just being paranoid.                 Hopefully… (End recording) ***                 As we neared Earth, my mind raced with what we could do. As a Starfleet…employee? Is that the right word? I wasn't enlisted so I wasn't really sure what my 'official' title was. Meh, courier worked just fine. People would get the idea. Anyway, I had taken every opportunity I could to look into interesting places to go and sights to see…basically, any place I thought Trixie might have some fun. She looked like she needed it.                 It was during those planning episodes that another thought often visited the forefront of my mind: the next step. Trixie and I had become very close over the span of our relationship, yet we seemed to still be on the very cusp of it. While I was more than happy with where we were emotionally, I was curious (and yes, eager) to explore our relationship more physically as well. Having (for the most part) gotten over my hang-ups about her physicality, I found myself more and more willing to take things further.                 Or maybe I was just horny and eager to get back in the saddle, so to speak. Either way, it had led to some interesting thoughts as of late, thoughts that weren't likely to go away any time soon. I often wondered what Trixie though of that and if she ever did.                 Heh, heh, back in the saddle.                 "Cole?" Well, speak of the adorable devil.                 "Yes?" I replied, getting up from my chair as she entered the bridge.                 "Are you...coming to bed soon?" Trixie asked with a yawn, undoubtedly tired from her studies of Earth customs and history. Although she understandably found some of it revolting, her resolve had left me impressed once again. She could be a studious mare when she wanted to.                      "Sure, Trix." I replied, yawning as well and stretching my stiff limbs. "I could use a break from the holodeck." I added with a smile, one she returned as I walked over and began scratching her behind the ears.                 "Wait…" she suddenly stated, moving her head away from my hands. I looked down at her in confusion; ear scratches were one of her favorites, an act she never said 'no' to.                 "What is it, Trix? Did I…hurt you somehow?" I asked, doubting if that was it but concerned nonetheless.                 "No, not at all, it's just…I was hoping you could…massage Trixie's shoulders?" she asked, her tone returning to its usual confidence as she made her request.                 "Um sure, Trix, whatever you like," I assured her.                 "Thanks, Cole," she replied with a smile before suddenly standing up on her hind legs, propping her front ones on the console in front of me, taking great care not to step on the panel itself.                 "Um…Trix?" I asked, my face reddening slightly at the display in front of me. Although I'd seen her on her hind legs before, the current context made it more…intimate than in previous examples. She looked over her shoulder with tired, partially lidded eyes.                 "Yes? What is it?"                 "Nothing!" I answered a little too quickly. "Just…getting ready, y'know? To…give you a massage…that's right…" Smooth.                 "Oh…okay." Thankfully, she didn't question my red face or slightly sweaty palms. Or the fact that I had snuck a few glances at her backside, nearly mesmerized by the slow swishing of her tail. The way she had looked over her shoulder, that expression on her face…it was all accelerating those interesting thoughts just a wee bit.                 I shook my head; now wasn't the time or place. The subject was still too new for us to broach and I sure as Hell wasn't going to do it until Trixie somehow assured me she was ready to take that step. We were, after all, different species; as such, brevity was necessary.                 Of course, that didn't mean I couldn't give her an awesome shoulder massage.