Continuing my weekly fan fiction series, “Star Trek: The Clearer Path” was written in September 1998 as a sequel to my very first classic Star Trek story, “A Passion For Peace” (which I posted last week).
Click here to read Part One of “Star Trek: The Clearer Path.”
Through a gaping hole in one of the lowest tunnels of the New York City subway system emerges a horde of bloodthirsty reptilian creatures from another realm who begin terrorizing and slaughtering everyone from the city’s homeless “Mole People” to subway passengers and finally, the transit police and even the city’s Emergency Services Unit. In addition to the attacks, strange glyphs are carved into the stone and metal walls of the subway system seemingly by incredibly sharp blades… or possibly claws.
When a teenage graffiti artist manages to survive an attack in the tunnels and emerge bloodied and battered at one of the subway stations, his presence is sensed by young Polynesian empath, Malana Tai. Aided by her abilities, she is able to point two transit cops, Cole and Sand, in the right direction to intercept the ravaged teen and save his life. For Malana, however, the adventure doesn’t end there.
It isn’t long before news of these incidents reaches RC Hayes, head of the Orphic Crisis Logistical Task Force (O.C.L.T.). Unfamiliar with New York City’s labyrinthine subway system, Hayes reaches out to fastidious Columbia anthropology professor Hideyoshi Tidijin for assistance. After a briefing on the situation, Tidijin enters the subway tunnels with the police to analyze the symbols carved into the walls and the aftermath of the creatures in an attempt to gain measure on them.
Later, armed with photographs of the glyphs, Tidijin visits linguist Elizabeth Lapsey of the Natural Museum of History to consult with her—with Malana Tai furtively tracking his every move. No sooner does Tidijin arrive at the museum then Malana’s senses are overwhelmed by unfettered rage and anger from somewhere below the museum. Disrupting the meeting between Tidijin and Lapsey, Malana warns that another attack is imminent.
Moments later, the trio emerge in the subway station below the museum directly into a scene of carnage as the giant reptilian creatures impale and slash civilians and police alike until the unflappable Professor Tidijin pulls the fire alarm to evacuate the station—both of humans and creatures. The latter retreat in fear and pain from the flashing lights and strident screech of the alarm.
Lapsey and Malana decide to join Tidijin in a crusade to send these creatures back through the pit from whence they came. They are joined by O.C.L.T. member and Vatican soldier Isabella Ferrara, a tall, stunning blonde whose prowess in combat—as well as her experience with inhuman and otherworldly opponents—makes her eminently suitable to the task of eliminating the creatures.
Together, this eclectic crew of four disparate personalities bring their unique skills to bear as they fight to save New York City, despite the staggering odds against them.
Digging Deep is a thoroughly enjoyable adventure with distinct and endearing characters. Rosenberg’s detailed explanations of Malana Tai’s empathic impressions of those around her—human or otherwise—is especially remarkable, as are Tidijin’s perspicacious analysis of the behavior and culture of the unnamed creatures and Lapsey’s rapid ability to reconstruct their written language. I can only imagine the amount of research that went into crafting this story and Rosenberg masterfully weaves just enough of that information into the plot without stunting the story’s pace.
Earlier this year, I took the time to transfer my old fan fiction stories (aka “fan fic”) to Google Drive and, as expected, nostalgia inspired me to reread many of them and reminisce about what I consider my “training ground” as a writer. Are these stories perfect? Of course not. I was still getting my storytelling legs under me, but I recall how much fun and enthusiasm went into penning every one of them.
Beginning in the late 1980s and running through 2002, I wrote about 25 short stories set in the universes of Star Trek, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and others. Unfortunately, I only managed to save about 16 of those stories digitally. First on floppy disks, then a Zip disk, then a CD, and now on my laptop and Google Drive.
Inspired by writer pal and publisher, Steven H. Wilson—who recently began Fan Fiction Fridays on his blog—I thought I’d take this summer to share at least some of my fan fic, beginning with a contest entry I wrote in July 1995 called “Star Trek: A Passion For Peace.”
I hope to post a new story each week to be found under the Free Fiction! menu above. I hope you enjoy these stories.
For as long as he could remember, young Thorby had been a slave—until he lands on Jubbal, one of the Nine Worlds of the Sargon Empire, and is purchased by a beggar named Baslim. It is not long before Thorby realizes that Baslim is no simple mendicant, but a spy and one who despises the slave trade. Once Baslim educates Thorby in reading, writing, mathematics, and even a bit of espionage, he frees Thorby from slavery and adopts him as his son.
In the event of his death, Baslim commands Thorby to carry a special message to the captain of the first Free Trader vessel that landed on Jubbal. Baslim uses hypnosis to allow Thorby to memorize the message in an unfamiliar language.
After Baslim is finally arrested and executed by Sargon police, Thorby makes his way to the spaceport where he approaches Captain Krausa of the Sisu and delivers the message. As it turns out, the Free Traders owe a special debt to Baslim and as such, Krausa follows the old man’s instructions and adopts Thorby into his family. Thorby becomes a crewman aboard the Sisu—but only temporarily, for Baslim also wished to have the Free Trader captain turn over Thorby to a Hegemonic military vessel where he would have the opportunity to discover his true lineage. Baslim suspected that Thorby had been abducted from a Terran family.
When Thorby is finally reunited with his family on Earth, he learns that he is heir to a fortune… but not everyone has his best interests at heart. Worse, the company once owned by his parents might now be indirectly involved in the same detestable institution from which Baslim had liberated him.
Citizen of the Galaxy is one of Heinlein’s juvenile SF adventure novels, what we would today categorize as young adult. It is a delightful “rags to riches” tale that allows the reader to experience a wide range of lifestyles and family structures through Thorby’s eyes as he evolves from slave to adopted family member of Free Traders to an enlisted man aboard a military vessel and finally, the head of one of the wealthiest corporations on Earth.
An Illinois farm boy with a photographic memory, Max Jones runs away from home after his widowed mother marries the town loser, whose only goal is to sell the Jones farm for quick cash.
Max decides to head for Earthport on the hope that his late Uncle Chet, a career astrogator, had nominated Max as a future member of the Astrogator’s Guild as he had promised before his death. Along the way, Max encounters a congenial homeless man named Sam who ends up stealing Max’s government ID card and a set of astrogation books given to him by his uncle.
At Earthport, Max is further disappointed to learn that Uncle Chet never registered him for membership in the Guild. Shortly after, Max meets Sam in the street just outside the Guild Hall. After a brief confrontation, Sam decides to take Max under his wing and together, they stow away aboard the space cruiser Asgard using forged identifications.
Aboard the Asgard, Max finds himself in familiar territory. As Steward’s Mate, he is assigned to the care and feeding of pets and livestock being transported from Earth to an off world colony. It isn’t long before Max befriends a precocious and brash young lady named Ellie and her talking spider puppy, Mr. Chips.
During the voyage, a series of circumstances permits Max to be promoted to an Apprentice Chartsman and then to Astrogation, where his photographic memory allows him to make computations with inhuman speed based on charts and tables he long ago memorized from his uncle’s books. However, Max’s rapid rise through the ranks pits him against a resentful senior officer who makes his life difficult at every opportunity.
After an astrogation mishap sends the Asgard leaping to a completely unfamiliar part of space, the captain orders the ship to set down on a serene Earth-like world that the passengers eventually christen “Charity”—a compliment that turns out to be a deadly misnomer. Will Max and the bridge crew calculate the proper path back to known space or will they and the passengers be doomed to wander this strange area of the galaxy in search of a new home?
Published in 1953, Starman Jones is counted among Robert A. Heinlein’s twelve “juvenile” SF novels—what is known today as “young adult.” I haven’t read a Heinlein juvenile novel yet that failed to entertain. They’re an absolute trove of fun and imaginative space adventures. Character development, pacing, and plot are all masterfully crafted. As renowned SF anthologist Groff Conklin once said, “Nobody but nobody can beat Heinlein in the writing of teen-age science fiction.”
I completely agree.
Spent another fantastic day at the semi-annual, star-studded Chiller Theatre in Parsippany, NJ. This time, I was honored to meet actors Ed Begley, Jr., Nicholas Lea, Steven Weber, Raj Singh, and John Schuck. Good times!
