Star Trek: Cosmere

[bartbug]

Byrt smiled, feeling the power of Dominion pound within his bones.

...

Five thousand men had died in order to give him the power that resided inside of him, the duality of Devotion and Dominion invested within his body. Of course, he had later found a way to tip the balance, making him the One Shard of Dominion.

My minions can destroy Aons, he thought, thinking of the Dakhor who served him inside the Fjordell. But I have a greater power.

I can stop Investitures!

Power ricocheted from the prow of the massive starship, slamming into the area main of the Elendel. Nearly all of the Investiture power systems shut down, leaving the Elendel nearly powerless, aimlessly drifting through space. It would take some time for the ship to regain it's power.

 

Grunting from the exertion, Byrt stumbled back into his chair. Their had been a price to his magnificent display of energy; all of the offensive capabilities of the Fjordell would be down until the Elendel began to regain power. Of course, that gave him an excellent excuse to back down from the bloody fray that was sure to ensue. And when it was all over...

 

Scadrial, and Harmony, will be defenseless, while I will be rid of one of my greatest rivals. Byrt smirked in satisfaction.

[Quiver]

Hmm, this has become quite the little role playing thread, hasn't it? I'd be proud, but it's mostly been thanks to you guys keeping this active. I'll update the roster ASAP. You might have noticed my being a little more active these days, which is a sign my sabbatical is,mostly, over. I'll just edit this post with a little RP, then get back in the fight.

---

The lights on the board were flashing. Penguin was smart, Quiver thought, looking up at it. He was coordinating the Elendel with the Inquisition. The Elendel was an exploratory ship; it didn't have the kind of firearms some of the other ships did. The sight of the small, blinking light sandwiched between the Inquisition on one end and the Catquisitors on the other alone Quiver reason to worry.

Then the Dominions arrived.

He had already left the ship by then, and wasn't aware of their arrival until he arrived... here. The planet had a name, probably, but he didn't know it. It was just a shattered old world drifting in space. The star charts designated it YOLEN.

He wasn't supposed to be there. But then, neither was the facility.

"Appreciating your work, Captain?"

Quiver didn't bother to look at the figure behind him. They would be in disguise, anyway. These Section 17 types really went in for that.

"Not my fault," he answered unenthusiastically. "The Borg-"

"Would have attacked eventually," the other finished. "Yes. When we were more prepared. Vice Admiral Chaos' reports were very insightful on them. We might have found a way to kill them. Eventually."

Quiver turned. The man behind him had a dark beard and eyes, with a smile playing on his lips. He didn't look like someone who should be in a secret base. He looked like a storyteller. "What did you have right now?" He asked.

The man grinned, and beckoned him down a hallway.

The path was strewn with artifacts and scientists, working on things Quiver didn't fully understand. Realmantics made his head spin. That was why he had a science officer.

Yes, he reminded himself. Had.. If theElendel survived, if the enemy was beaten back, if they somehow lived through this... he wasn't going to be in command anymore. All it was going to take was someone going to his quarters, finding him missing, for him to be declared a deserter. And maybe he was; he was falling this man down a hall, while they were fighting and dying on the frontlines.

A nearby object caught his attention. He was glad for the distraction.

"What's this?" He asked, approaching it. It was an old fashioned phase pistol, sitting on a pedestal. It was holstered- no. Taking a closer look, it was more than that. It was strapped into the holster.

"Type IV Awakened Object," his guide replied. "Someone obviously thought a sword wasn't uncivilised enough."

"You've got a magic gun?" Quiver lifted the weapon, and strapped it to his waist. "Where'd you purchase that?"

"Nalthis. What do you think you're doing?"

"The same thing I'm doing with everything else here. Requisitioning it."

The guide smiled again, and turned down the hall. Quiver waited a moment then, when it didn't seem a trap, followed.

"I have to say, I was surprised to see you, captain. I thought this wasn't your 'thing'."

"It isn't," Quiver answered. "Protecting the people I care about, the worlds safeguarded by Cosmerefleet... That's my thing."

"In that case, Quiver, I have to say, you have failed your world."

The words stung, because they were true. "I know," Quiver said, so soft it must have been a whisper. "But I'm going to put it right."

Somehow, the other man still heard him. "And how do you plan on doing that? You do have a plan don't you?"

"I'm not one for plans," Quiver confessed. "But I know things I need. I'll put together the rest on the way."

"You have a list?"

"A ship. Fast, stealthy. Enough firepower to cover the rest of the fleets retreat if it comes to it."

"We wanted to test the Highstorm anyway."

"A crew for it. Combat-ready. An experienced boarding party."

"You plan on getting up close, captain?"

"I do. And there's one more thing." The most important thing. The guide looked curious. "I want the Element."

A silence filled the room. "Which element do you want?" The guide finally said. "There 's a table full of them."

"Don't play dumb," Quiver said. His hand went to the hilt of his new gun. "The Element. Lerasium. I want it."

His guide cocked his head. Finally, slowly, he asked, "What world are you from, captain?"

"One like this," he answered. "An unimportant shardworld."

"I've never known anyone -anyplace- that was unimportant, captain."

A smile quirked Quiver's lips. "Neither have I. So I don't intend to lose it. Give me the lerasium."

His guide paused for a moment, then extracted something from his pockets. It was a small bead. He handled it irreverently, but softly, as though it were delicate, pressing it into Quiver's hands. "I hope you know what you are doing, captain," he said. "The battle that rages above us is just one part of a greater conflict. This element was to have a role in that. Don't waste it."

"I won't," Quiver promised, pocketing the gem. He met his guides dark eyes steadily, and after a moment, the latter grinned and stepped away.

"I'll have the Highstorm prepared. I'll try and round up a crew too, but no guarantees. Few people want to be involved in war."

Quiver nodded, and his guide turned to leave. Before he passed the doors, though, the Captain called. "Wait. I have to ask something."

He swallowed. "After you... approached me before... I looked you up. I looked Section 17 up. In every database I could find."

The man in black was silent.

"I found nothing. Anywhere. Section 17 doesn't exist."

The guides lips twitched. "That's why they call it a secret, captain."

"No, that's what they call impossible," he insisted. "I looked everywhere. And there was nothing."

"Does this have a point, captain?"

"My world... had legends. Stories. About people who could travel between worlds, without a starship. And others who could travel through time itself. And there were whispers about one person in particular. He had different faces, and different names, and no one knew who he was,nor what he was really doing. But my world, we thought he was a hero. We called him the Storyteller. Other people said he was called Hoid. That he was someone with so many things that the entire universe was a playground for him to run in."

His guide frowned. "You asking if I'm this... Storyteller of yours captain? Because of all the things I have here."

Quiver hesitated, then nodded. The man in black grinned.

"Captain, if I was Hoid, do you think I'd stay in a place like this?"

"You're right. I'd expect Hoid to have more class."

The other man's eyes sparkled. "Ah," he said, "but maybe that's what I want you to think? Take a seat and work that one out captain- I'll get your ship ready. You have a long road ahead."

Edited February 7, 2014 by Quiver

[Kurkistan]

[Nice.

 

I'm trying to figure out all the references: So obviously a TNG reference after Picard first encountered the Borg, then I think that might be a ME2 reference, then Dr. Who... Any others I should have got?]

[Quiver]

Seeing as how this is the internet, and is thus powered by a perpetual engine running off of references and memes, I figured I'd go the extra step and list all of the ones I could find in this thread to date. If I missed any, message me and I'll correct it.

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/5609-star-trek-cosmere/?p=89078

Opening quote is a parody of the captains oath, with a bit of Zeffran Cochrane describing NX-01 mixed in (because I'm an Enterprise fan)

'Conflux of magic' is a reference to Brandon using those words to describe a book of different systems interacting.

Quinn T Quiver is a reference to James Tiberius Kirk.

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/5609-star-trek-cosmere/?p=89274

Vindicator is a reference to the gun in Alloy of a law, and to Kurks comments in the FTL thread.

Scadrian independence is a reference to the Maquis.

The Catquiditors are a reference to Kurkistans picture, the Borg, and the Catquidition joke on 17th Shard.

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/5609-star-trek-cosmere/?p=89307

Resistance is futile is the Borg catchphrase.

Intercepting transmissions happens in Star Trek. A lot.

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/5609-star-trek-cosmere/?p=89894

Meat bags is a futurama line, and general robot slur for humans.

Kurkistans has an interest in temporal magics. Time bubbles is also be a reference to Borg time travel capabilities in First Contact

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/5609-star-trek-cosmere/?p=89894

Way of Kings ideal.

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/5609-star-trek-cosmere/?p=90818

Star Trek ships, and captains, will start self-destruct at the drop of a hat.

WoB is a reference to Word of Brandon.

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/5609-star-trek-cosmere/?p=93321

The logo and name are adapted from Star Treks Star Fleet.

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/5609-star-trek-cosmere/?p=93605

Deep Space Kredik Shaw is the cosmere equivalent of Deep Space 9

DS9 was formerly the site of a brutal planetary occupation by an evil empire. Naming the cosmere equivalent Kredik Shaw is appropriate.

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/5609-star-trek-cosmere/?p=93608

Chaos' spikes is a reference to Picard being temporarily assimilated by the Borg.

Chaos speech and the model of his ship breaking are a reference to First Contact

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/5609-star-trek-cosmere/?p=94035

Fjordell, and Dominion, are a reference to Elantris.

Possible second meaning- much of DS9's later seasons involved a war against a foreign empire, called the Dominion.

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/5609-star-trek-cosmere/?p=94244

Captain Kurk=Captain Kirk

http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/5609-star-trek-cosmere/?p=94874

In the Star Trek universe, there is a secret branch of Starfleet known as Section 31, which prepares for future conflicts, spy work, etc. The cosmere equivalent is a mix of that an the 17th Shard.

"A sword wasn't uncivilised enough" is a reverse of Obi-Wan Kenobi's opinion on blasters in Star Wars

The magic gun is a reference to internet critic Lewis Lovehaug. The lyrics of his theme song contain the words "He has a magic gun- where'd he purchase that?"

In Arrow, the main character accuses criminals that "You have failed this city." Replacing city with worlds is a reference to that.

The Highstorm is the name of the airship in some Final Fantasy games.

The Storyteller is a reference to Doctor Who.

Edited February 9, 2014 by Quiver

[bartbug]

@Quiver:

Wait, really? That's really cool, considering I know almost nothing of Star Trek.