From: Anton_Sanderfoot@qms1.life.uiuc.edu (Anton Sanderfoot)
Subject: STORY: Wisdom of the Ancients 10
Followup-To: alt.startrek.creative
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 14:14:27 GMT

Here is the conclusion to the story. Thus far, there have been no requests
for missing parts, so I don't think it will be necessary to repost the
story. Enjoy the conclusion:

__________________________________________
Wisdom of the Ancients, part 10

Open on board the Zenrabi vessel. Malqi has just sprung his trap for Qiti.
He and Wesley are marched into a large chamber and are placed in the middle
and guarded. Both have been striped of their weapons. The ship occasionally
shakes as the Gregarious continues to pound the vessel.

Malqi: [to Zenrabi around him] How long until this pest is swatted! Get
that vessel!

Qiti: Is this the power of an Emperor?

Malqi: It is only a matter of time... Be certain that they have no weapons.
We will deal with them once we have destroyed the Gregarious. The human may
continue to wear his helmet, or he will die before I have the chance to
kill him.

Malqi turns away to concentrate his attention on the Gregarious.

Qiti: [whispering to Wesley] Could you pilot this vessel?

Wesley: [whispering] It seems simple enough. Yes, I could.

Qiti: Can you still communicate with the other crew?

Wesley: Yes. Reports are still coming in. Resistance has gotten quite
strong.

Qiti: Inform them to prepare for immediate transport. Your going to pilot
this ship into Pulchara 13's moon. The collision should destroy this
vessel.

Wesley: That's a wonderful plan. But how do you expect to get me to the
controls?

Qiti: Send your message. In a minute, all hell is going to break loose. Get
to the helm. Send this thing into the moon at the best speed you can get.
Destroy the station then transport off.

Wesley: And what about you?

Qiti: That's not your concern.

Wesley begins to send his message. While sending it, he looks over at Qiti.
His eyes have again turned a deep orange and his body appears very tensed.

Qiti: [in a low grainy voice] It's time.

Wesley prepares to move. Just as he is about to, "all hell breaks loose."
Panels all over the room explode. A phaser being held by a Zenrabi suddenly
flies into Qiti's hand as he begins blasting his way to Malqi. Wesley moves
over to a panel which has been cleared by Qiti's phaser fire. After a few
seconds, he manages to decipher the panel and maneuvers the vessel onto a
collision course with the moon of Pulchara 13. Out of the corner of his eye
he notices a Zenrabi rushing at him. It's electronic blast skims his helmet
and destroys the panel he was working on. Rolling out of the way, he comes
to a stand.

Wesley: [noticing the destroyed panel] Thanks, I was just about to do that.
Gregarious, get me out of here.

Wesley looks over to see Qiti be hit several times by Zenrabi bolts, yet he
continues to rush at Malqi. Just as he begins to dematerialize, he sees
Qiti smash into Malqi crushing him up against a wall. Cut to the Gregarious
Transporter Room. Wesley materializes on the pad. Already in the room are
Worf and Rild. Guinan is just entering from the hall.

Wesley: [running off the pad] Can you lock onto Qiti?

Transporter Chief: No, I can't get his signal.

Wesley: But, he was only 20 m away from my last position!

Transporter Chief: The interference is too great! The force of the
collision with the moon is blocking the sensors.

Riker: [vo] Good work, teams. The Zenrabi vessel has just been destroyed in
the collision.

Wesley: Dammit! We lost him.

Worf: He died in battle. A most honorable death.

Wesley: Somehow, that doesn't make me feel any better.

Guinan: There's nothing you could have done.

Wesley begins to file out behind Worf and Rild. Meanwhile, the transporter
panel begins to light up.

Transporter Chief: What?! The transporters are activating!

Wesley: What's going on.

Transporter Chief: A being is transporting from the location of the
vessel's debris field on the moon to the remote desert area of Pulchara 13.
I don't know what's going on, they're running themselves!

Worf: What is the pattern of the being.

Transporter Chief: [punching keys on his panel] It matches the trace of
Qiti.

Wesley: He made it?! How! Chief, put me down at those coordinates.

Guinan: No, he didn't beam back to the ship for a reason. Let him be, for
now. You need to make a report for Riker on what happened.

Worf: Store those coordinates, and monitor activity at that location.

Cut to the bridge. Time has past. Riker is briefing Admiral duJour on the
mission.

duJour: I congratulate you on a successful mission; yet, this was not the
mission we discussed. The Federation Council has requested that you return
to Earth to explain your decisions to the full council. Being so far out, I
wouldn't expect you to arrive for, say, two weeks. Though, I would expect
you to travel with all due haste.

Riker: Mr. Mirok, what is the most direct path back to Earth?

Mirok: The most direct path will take us through the Supra Expanse.

Riker: That is unexplored space.

duJour: [clearing his throat] In which case, I'm sure the damage sustained
to your warp engines will prevent you from arriving at Earth until perhaps,
two months. After all, travelling through the Supra Expanse, who knows what
one might find there, if one were looking.... Returning in two months, you
would be just in time to rendezvous with the Enterprise returning from the
Cardassian boarder. Picard expects treaty negotiations to last that long.
Again, well done, Captain Riker. Just remember, Riker, proceed with all due
haste. duJour out.

Guinan: What damage to the warp engines?

Riker: He's stalling for us. He obviously feels the furor from this will
have died down in two months. He's probably right.

Rild: Shall I set course for the Supra Expanse?

Riker: Not yet. First, I need to pay a visit to a friend. Guinan, Mr.
Crusher, would you care to join me.

Later. Fade to the desert surface of Pulchara 13 at twilight. Three forms
materialize near a small camp site. Qiti is laying flat with eyes closed
near a small fire.

Qiti: [with eyes still closed] Oh, Damn! You're here already.

Riker: Were you expecting us?

Qiti: I was hoping you would think I was dead. But, I knew better. You've
been parked overhead for 3 hours.

Wesley: Why didn't you come back to the ship?

Qiti opens his eyes and leans into the light of the fire to reveal their
deep orange color. A closer look at his face reveals small cracks, and the
skin of his hands is pealing off.

Qiti: I don't quite fit the part of human anymore.

Guinan: That's not important. There are many non-humans in Star Fleet.

Qiti: It's no use Guinan. I don't belong up there. My presence is
disruptive to your development. Your Prime Directive forbids you to
influence other cultures. I am simply applying your rules to myself. Leave
me to exist in isolation.

Wesley: But what if we need you again in the future.

Qiti: Exactly my point. You can't be counting on me to solve all your
problems. You must seek your own solutions... and failures. That is the
purpose of evolution.

Riker: [pausing] Our records will be appended to show that you died in the
crash of the Zenrabi vessel. I leave it to you how you will care for
yourself. You will have our thanks, and our respect, forever.

Guinan: May I have a moment alone.

Riker and Wesley transport away, leaving Guinan and Qiti standing alone
facing each other.

Guinan: Will they be coming back for you?

Qiti: They?

Guinan: The visitor from sickbay. It sounds like they gave you a bit of a
hand up there.

Qiti: [smiling] Yes, I suppose they did. [pause] No. I asked them not to
come get me. I don't belong with them anymore than I belong with you.

Guinan: Where do you belong?

Qiti: I belong on a planet 3 galaxies away and many millennia ago. [pause]
I am now, truly, the last of a long extinct race. Let my people pass
gently. It is the way we would choose...

Qiti turns his back to look out onto the desert. Guinan watches him for a
moment, then signals the Gregarious to transport her away. Pull back into
orbit to see the star of the Pulchara system set behind the planet as the
Gregarious warps away.

THE END
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