Star Trek: A Rendezvous With Destiny--A Tale of Captain Ezri Dax

You TOTALLY got the elderly Spock's humor that won't admit to being humor! That was one thing I LOVED about Trek XI--you could really see that prime Spock was reconciled to his human half and had found a way to blend human and Vulcan ways. Did that Trek XI characterization influence you at all?

 

^Oh, HECK yeah!

In fact...I actually made it a point to characterize Spock in this tale as if it truly were a few years before his going back in time for Trek XI.

Thanks for noticing, Nerys!

 

You're very welcome! I know a lot of people didn't like Trek XI, but I did, and that was one reason why.

 

Alright. Now...they say first impressions are the most important. So...here's Spock's initial reflections on our girl.



Star Trek: Aventine
A Rendezvous With Destiny
Scene 5

Spock took in the tour with calm passivity. He was, nonetheless, intrigued by a great deal—particularly the experimental slipstream drive, which was, officially, classified material.

His greatest fascination, however, lay in observing Captain Ezri Dax. With her hands typically clasped behind her back, she explained all the information he desired to know, with the clear, logical efficiency of a scientist—yet she also demonstrated an undeniable passion, an innocent enthusiasm akin to that of a child.

The girl’s figure was rather petite—and thus, physically, had little of what most would consider “a commanding presence”. However, she carried herself with an elegance and confidence that more than compensated for this.

She walked with a swiftness that implied an immense supply of energy, but as she did so, she also tended to glance around her with a casual alertness—always with the faintest hint of a blissful smile.

She also had a very expressive face, often making it quite simple to discern what she was feeling—and her blue-grey eyes were no exception. There was…a certain sparkle within them, implying a typically positive outlook on life.

All this, of course, was relatively unsurprising. At twenty-six-point-five-seven years of age, Ezri Dax had the distinct prestige of being the youngest captain in Starfleet history—breaking the late Tryla Scott’s record by one-point-four-one years. Ezri’s youthful spirit, and the vigor with which it came, was to be expected.

Still…her vitality was clearly tempered with the wisdom of experience—also unsurprising, as the life-form within her, the Dax symbiont, was said to be over three centuries old, and to posses the memories and knowledge of a politician, a scholar, an artist, an ambassador, and so on.

But above all, Spock noted within this young woman an undeniable sense of idealism, and integrity.

Such, he noted with a hint of…grief …was indeed quite rare in the Federation of the present. And this assisted in the growth of Spock’s respect for the girl. For indeed, she was a woman of nobility. Logic could reach no other conclusion.

And yet…there was another element Spock noticed within the captain, whenever he looked her in the eye. It seemed as if there was also a suggestion of…sadness? It was barely perceptible—he doubted that she was even aware of it—but nonetheless, it was there.

It was more than the simple loneliness of command. No…it seemed to run far deeper—a kind of pain…which had clearly existed within the woman for some time. What could it be?

Unfortunately…Spock could discern no answer.

* * *​

(Note: Tryla Scott's general age, and Ezri's specific age, are conjectual. Tryla's age is based on Kirk setting the old record at 29, as per "Enterprise: The First Adventure".)

 

A nice presentation of one characters views on another, although perhaps slightly too much. Spock seems to be getting as obsessed with Ezri as you are, Rush!

Mind you, he would look at things in detail, and his calculations of age and time to two decimal places are very much in character.

 

^(nervous chuckle) Well...in my defense, Badger, there's a reason for his "fascination", as you will see later....

Thanks for commenting!

 

Star Trek: Aventine
A Rendezvous With Destiny
Scene 5

Bowers rose to his feet. “Captain on the bridge!”

The crew snapped to attention as Ezri led the ambassador out of the turbolift, for the end of the tour.

Ezri nodded to the crew. “As you were.” She turned to Spock. “This is the bridge, Ambassador.”

Spock raised an eyebrow at Bowers. “Obviously.”

Bowers cleared his throat. “Captain…awaiting orders as to when to go to warp.”

“Ah—of course. Helmsman, warp factor three, on my mark.”

“Warp three—aye, Captain!”

No sooner had the words left the helmsman’s lips, than Lieutenant Mirren spoke up from the ops console. “Captain…a transmission from Starfleet.”

Oh, great…. Ezri sighed. “Patch it through, Lieutenant.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Captain Dax?”

Ezri kept her composure. “Dax here.”

“Captain, we apologize for this short notice, but…the services of your ship are required in the Regulus System.”

“Required…?”

“…For an emergency relief effort. The Aventine is to proceed to Starbase 343 immediately, to collect the necessary supplies.”

Ezri frowned. “Sir…how long is this relief mission expected to take?”

“Concerning the seriousness of the situation…a week, at the very least.”

Quickly, Ezri ran the numbers through her head. If they headed for the starbase…and then Regulus…and then traveled around the space still claimed by the Romulan Star Empire, to reach Achernar Prime without any trouble….

No. Best case scenario…even at maximum warp, the Aventine would not be able to bring Spock to the conference in time. And she was under orders to keep the slipstream drive under wraps—so, no go there, either.

She turned to Spock, and shook her head. He nodded his understanding.

Ezri spoke up. “Starfleet…we’re already on a—”

“We know, Captain, and we regret that. However…you’re the closest ship capable of providing the resources required. And as time is of the essence…”

“Understood, sir.”

“Starfleet out.”

She let out another sigh. “Lieutenant…prepare a message for Empress Donatra, priority-signal. Inform her of the situation, and apologize for the inconvenience. Send it on my command.”

Oliana nodded. “Aye, Captain.”

Spock took a step forward. “Captain?”

“Yes, Ambassador?”

“May I join you in your ready room?”

Ezri nodded. “Of course.” She turned to Bowers. “You have the bridge, Commander.”

“Aye, sir.”

 

Uh-oh...these "two places at once" things never go well...

It's also funny to see people reacting to Spock's sense of humor...after all, unlike other Vulcans (aside from the v'tosh ka'tur variety, of course), this is probably the first time they have to suspect that a Vulcan is pulling their chain on purpose!

 

Wow! Just found this one - have been swamped at work. Of course a little wary - not all fanfic is created equal . . .

I very much enjoy the setup and too very much like Ezri Dax. I enjoyed Jadzia's character but don't think she was fleshed out well enough in retrospect. Loved Lives of Dax and find the whole concept fascinating.

Then there's Spock and it's all over. So far his characterization seems very faithful. As a a little bit of a Vulcanoidophile the Romulan element is the final hook. I very much look forward to your subsequent installations!

 

Welcome to the thread, oldstredshrtevr! Glad to have you onboard.

 

I'm still enjoying it, Rush. Good job .

 

^Thank you--one and all!

Now...let's see what Spock has to say, in the ready room....


Star Trek: Aventine
A Rendezvous With Destiny
Scene 6

In the ready room, Spock was the first to speak. “Captain…I request the use of a long-range shuttlecraft.”

Ezri frowned. “To…Achernar Prime?”

“Precisely.”

Ezri sighed, and sat down on the edge of her desk. Despite the ambassador’s legendary status, still, she wasn’t about to grant every request to come from his mouth, simply because it was him making the request.

Besides… “Mr. Ambassador—”

“Captain—perhaps it would be…preferable…for me to be addressed in private simply as ‘Spock’. Or rather…‘Mr. Spock’, if you prefer.”

Ezri glanced downward for a moment. “Um…okay. Well…Spock…you must understand my misgivings about sending you out there, in such close proximity to—”

“—the border of the Romulan Star Empire?” Spock raised an eyebrow, and once again, a smile seemed to play on his face. “Surely, Captain…you are aware of the many years I have spent within said borders. Illegally, I might add.”

“Nonetheless, I’m not about to put you in harm’s way like that. Now is there a…specific reason we can’t just reschedule the conference?”

“Captain…I can supply two reasons, which I believe will suffice in your eyes.”

Ezri crossed her arms. “Well…let’s hear them.”

Spock nodded respectfully. “First…I would imagine Empress Donatra to be quite…busy…in overseeing the affairs of her domain. Therefore, I would not intend to impose upon her schedule any further.”

Ezri nodded. “And the second reason…?”

Spock hesitated for a moment. “Captain…my reasons for holding an audience with the empress…demanded that I schedule the meeting as early as possible. She and I mutually agreed to the specified date after a great deal of discussion. Any delays could well have…unfortunate consequences for me.”

Ezri raised an eyebrow of her own. “Such as…?”

“…Such as…the failure of my intended mission.”

Why is he so tight lipped about this? What are you hiding from me, Spock…?

Apparently, the ambassador had an idea of what she was thinking. “I apologize, Captain, however…I cannot provide any further details at this time.”

The companel chirped. “Bridge to Captain.”

“Dax here.”

“Captain, the message is ready, and awaiting your order.”

Ezri stared at Spock. He was watching her intently…almost as if he were…pleading.

“All right, Lieutenant. I’ll be right there. Dax out.”

She stood up, facing Spock. “Ambassador…you must understand that I am responsible for your safety. As such…I am not about to send you out in a shuttlecraft…”

She studied his reaction. He held her gaze, his face blank.

Ezri finished her sentence. “…alone.”

Spock’s eyebrow shot up.

And Ezri let the smile she’d been suppressing appear in full force.

* * *​

 

Another couple of well written scenes. I did groan slightly at the old 'you are the only ship in the sector' trope, as it is such a hackneyed plot device, but given the amount of times it's been used in Trek itself I'll let you off this time!

The interaction between Ezri and Spock remains utterly convincing. Somehow, I think I know who will be accompanying Spock...

 

I know. I kinda flinched when I wrote it, too.

But...for this tale, I relied heavily on Star Charts, and I knew I had to pick a location close enough to Starbase 24 (which I also discovered, via the charts, to be the most logical place to pick up Spock) to believably use that device--to keep the groan as slight as possble.

Regulus fit the bill...I guess.

(snicker) Yuppers.

 

All right folks--the "transition scene".

Happy Thanksgiving, BTW--and, coincidently, Black Friday!

Star Trek: Aventine
A Rendezvous With Destiny
Scene 7

Captain Dax rushed onto the bridge, Ambassador Spock close behind. “Lieutenant Mirren, delete the message to Empress Donatra, and write a new one. Inform her of the situation, but also let her know…that the ambassador will be arriving on schedule, via runabout.”

Sam Bowers looked at his captain in shock. “Captain…?”

Ezri turned to him, and smiled. “And also tell her…that I will be arriving as well, and that I look forward to meeting her again.”

Mirren nodded. “Aye, Captain.”

“Sir…” Bowers frowned, and lowered his voice so that the crew wouldn’t hear, “I don’t have to tell you that—”

“Come on, Sam. Surely you can handle that relief mission on your own.”

“Of course, sir, but as first officer, let me remind you—”

“And besides, I look forward to this. A chance of a lifetime, as they say.”

“Nonetheless, Captain,” Ambassador Spock replied, stepping forward, matching their hushed tones, “Your first officer is correct. Starfleet Code, Section 12, Paragraph 4—”

“…is more of a…guideline…than a rule,” Ezri said, a playful glint in her eye.

Bowers frowned. “Well, in that case, Captain…I’ll have Security—”

“No need. We can take care of ourselves out there, Sam. Besides…it wouldn’t do to crowd the shuttle, now would it?”

“But…if something should happen…”

“Then I trust you’ll put me on report.”

The ambassador raised an eyebrow. “Indeed.”

Sam shook his head. Why do I even bother?

“Message ready, Captain,” Mirren announced.

“Very good, Lieutenant. Send it over.”

“Aye, sir.”

“The ship is yours, Commander,” Ezri announced as she headed for the turbolift, Spock following close behind. “Take good care of her.”

“I will, Captain.”

As the doors closed, Bowers let out a sigh. Sometimes, Ezri, I just can’t figure you out….

* * *​

 

Ha...I love this. The "logical" Vulcan is totally aiding and abetting here... :lmao:

 

And now...the beginning of their journey. Enjoy!


Star Trek: Aventine
A Rendezvous With Destiny
Scene 8

The doors of the main shuttlebay opened to reveal the stars beyond. Ezri pressed the proper controls, and the runabout lifted off, flying through the force field…into the vacuum of space.

She hit the companel. “Dax to Aventine: We have successfully lifted off. You may proceed to Starbase 343.”

Sam’s voice responded, “Acknowledged. And Captain?”

“Yes, Commander?”

A pause, then: “Godspeed…and good luck.”

Ezri nodded. “To both of us. Dax out.”

Looking out the window, she saw the Aventine turn away—and jump to warp, leaving the runabout alone among the stars.

She turned to Spock. “Ready?”

Spock nodded, pressing the controls on the navigation panel. “Course now set for Achernar Prime.”

Ezri turned to her own console. “Going to warp.”

As the warp field took hold, the ship gave a slight lurch forward.

Ezri clutched the handlebar on the edge of the console for a few seconds, to steady herself. Please…not after all these years….

Fortunately, the brief feeling of queasiness disappeared. She leaned back with relief. “The inertial dampeners must be a little off.”

Spock frowned. “Will it be a problem?”

“Not really, Spock. But…” Ezri gave him a nervous smile, “I might throw up on you.”

“Indeed. You are…spacesick, I gather?”

“You could say that. Torias Dax was involved in a shuttle accident that claimed his life. As a result, for much of my first year as a host to the symbiont…well, I sometimes got queasy during rough rides in small ships.”

“I…assume from your use of the past tense that you have overcome this problem.”

Ezri shrugged. “For the most part. But, still…there are times when…if the ride is especially rough…”

Spock nodded. “I see. I shall thus endeavor to…maintain a safe distance in such situations.”

Ezri chuckled. “That’s probably a good idea.”

Spock looked off for a moment. “I recall…an associate of mine had a similar problem—but it, too, was quickly overcome.”

“Really?”

Spock nodded, and a small smile hinted on his face. “He…managed to replace it with a most…illogical phobia of transporters.”

“Ah…” Ezri nodded. “Dr. Leonard McCoy, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“You know…I met him once, when he was a student.”

Spock frowned at her in confusion—and Ezri realized her mistake.

“Or at least…Emony Dax met him.”

“Ah. Of course.”

Ezri leaned back again, smiling. “I remember…even then, she could tell he was going to be a wonderful doctor.”

“Oh?”

“He…had the hands of a surgeon….”

Spock stared at her.

Ezri’s smile grew.

Spock finally found his voice. “Fascinating….”

Ezri laughed. “Yes, it was….”

She straightened up, and pressed a few more controls on the helm console. “That should keep us going smoothly until we reach our destination…” as she turned her seat to face him, “…so let’s talk some more.”

“Of course. Is…there anything in particular you wish to discuss?”

Ezri frowned. “Well…I was wondering…what’s your meeting with Donatra going to be about—out of curiosity?”

Spock paused. “I…made it a point not to discuss it on your ship…for the reason that I would prefer not to risk such information being…‘spread around’.”

“Well…it’s just the two of us here, Spock. I don’t think there’s any risk of that now.”

Spock hesitated once again, but finally relented. “Captain…you are aware of my…personal mission within the Romulan Star Empire for the past thirteen years?”

Ezri nodded. “You’re…working to help the Romulan people become more open to Vulcan ideas…in the hopes that one day, Romulans and Vulcans can make peace…and maybe even reunify.”

“Precisely, Captain.”

Ezri shook her head. “I’d guess the Typhon Pact didn’t help matters any, did it?”

“That…is an understatement. The new alliance has…resulted in an increase in the already considerable distrust towards the Federation—and therefore, the unification movement is suffering…a great deal of hostility.”

Ezri had a feeling she knew the answer to her next question—but she wanted to confirm it. “So…what does this have to do with Donatra?”

“The Empress is…unique. I have heard a great deal of her. As I recall, her rebellion, and her forming of the Imperial Romulan State, was due in part to her contempt for Praetor Tal’Aura, and those who follow her. And of course…she is a strong advocate for a lasting peace with the Federation and its allies.”

Ezri nodded. “That’s why she joined the Khitomer Alliance.”

“Of course. Therefore…I believe I can convince her to grant asylum to the members of the movement. Perhaps we can…continue our work among her worlds, without fear of hindrance from the government.”

“And…you were desperate to meet her as early as possible, because…?”

Spock looked off…and actually sighed. “I do not wish to…allow time lost to result in…an unfortunate loss of life, for those members of the movement currently still within the borders of the Empire.”

Ezri stared at him, stunned, as the implications came to her. My… Tal’Aura’s actually going to… “Spock…is it really that bad?”

“It is…only a matter of time.”

Ezri looked down for a moment. “If…if there’s anything I can do to help…”

Spock turned to her. “You have already assisted me a great deal, Captain. I do not wish to impose upon your duties any further.”

Ezri looked up. “I’m already here, Ambassador. I might as well assist you in any way I can.”

“As you wish, but…respectfully, I fail to see how you can possibly assist…”

Ezri smiled, as a thought came to her. “Well…I think we can come up with something….”

* * *​

 

I'm looking forward to seeing what Ezri can come up with!

I've already mentioned how true the character dialogue is, and how I can hear Ezri and Spock speaking. I'm also finding I can visualise it too. Just to help me with this, Rush, is the runabout assigned to the Aventine a Danube class like in DS9? And does it have a name?

 

^Well, let's see....

I used a runabout because KRAD's A Singular Destiny established that Aventine had them.

Is it Danube class? Well...I don't know of another kind, therefore, that's what I was visualizing. So...until the books establish otherwise, yes.

The name? I didn't put in a name, for the simple reason that I don't want to contradict any established roster to come.

Still, in the grand tradition of naming runabouts after Earth rivers, my conjectural name for it is Susquehanna, for the river that goes throughout central Pennsylvania.

It's where Three Mile Island is. Harrisburg's built on the river, as well. And apparently, it's very dear to the hearts of the Mormons.

I grew up pretty close to it, too.

Thanks for the comments!

 

All righty. This sequence refers to a previous exchange in KRAD's Singular Destiny. (BTW, before I forget, special thanks to Keith for providing, therefore, an invaluable resource for this tale. )

If you haven't read the book yet, suffice it to say that Ezri gave Empress Donatra a tour of the Aventine. The Empress was duly impressed, and the two ladies are portrayed as having a great deal of respect for each other.

Hence...


Star Trek: Aventine
A Rendezvous With Destiny
Scene 9

“Captain Dax! I am delighted to be able speak to you again.”

Ezri smiled at the small viewscreen. “The honor is mine, Empress.”

On the screen, Empress Donatra of the Imperial Romulan State nodded her acceptance. “I received your message an hour ago. I take it you are escorting the good ambassador personally?”

“I am. Would you like to speak to him?”

“Oh…no need for that, Captain. I believe he will agree that…logic…suggests that our words would best be saved for the conference.”

Ezri turned to Spock, who nodded in agreement.

She turned back to the screen. “Well, Empress, I actually called to request your help in this trip.”

The empress spread out her hands. “I would be happy to offer any assistance I can provide.”

“Well you see…in order to arrive at your location without delay, we’ll have to go near the Praetor’s space.”

Donatra nodded. “I’ll have the fleet patrol the border in the necessary locations. But…it would help if I knew where you will approach her border.”

Ezri returned the nod. “I’ll transmit our route to you, immediately.”

“Thank you. But…Captain?”

“Empress?”

“While I can certainly guarantee your protection from any force outside the border…nonetheless, I must warn you that I’m not entirely certain that I can keep you completely safe.”

Ezri frowned. “What…do you mean?”

Donatra hesitated, and leaned closer to the screen. “Captain…what I am about to tell you is not common knowledge, because…as you know, Romulans are a proud people, and thus we would rather not involve other nations in our internal affairs.”

“I understand.”

“To put the matter simply, Captain…we have a pirate problem. A small band of marauders have decided to cause trouble on many of our more vulnerable worlds. We’re using all the resources we can to deal with this without leaving our borders vulnerable, but…understand, should you encounter them…it may be some time before we can render assistance. As it were, that’s why I haven’t sent you an escort of my own—as of now, our resources are stretched quite thin.”

Ezri nodded again. “We’ll be on our guard.”

“I didn’t expect otherwise,” The empress replied with a smirk. “Will that be all, then?”

“I suppose. Thank you for the warning, Empress.”

“Of course, Captain. Donatra out.”

Ezri tapped a few controls, to send the information on their route to the empress. Then, she leaned back. “All right…that should make our lives a little easier!”

“Perhaps,” Spock replied. “However, it would be prudent for us to be on our guard as soon as we traverse the border.”

“Oh—of course. But…that won’t be for a couple days, Spock.” She stood up, and walked to Spock’s console, pointing to a location on his screen. “We’ll be passing by…Station Epsilon 10 tomorrow afternoon, provided there’ll be no delays. At that rate, we’ll reach Imperial space by…the evening of the following day.”

“Indeed. Therefore, we will reach Achernar Prime…?”

Ezri looked off for a bit, consulting her inner calculator—which was contained fully in the memories of Tobin Dax, mathematical genius and social incompetent. “About…eight days from now.”

“Eight-point-two-six, to be precise.”

“Uh…yeah, sure.”

Spock frowned, and looked up to meet her gaze. “As humans are fond of saying in these scenarios…that leaves little time to spare.”

Ezri chuckled. “Well…it’s the best we can do, I suppose.”

The ambassador nodded. “Perhaps….”

* * *​

[LEFT](note: Now...here, I actually stopped in the middle of a scene. The reason for this is that the scene undergoes an important mood change in the second half--one which will strongly affect the rest of the story. As such, I'd like to see comments on this portion beforehand--comments which won't be affected by what comes later. )[/LEFT]