TUVIX'S REVENGE - A Story in Two Endings
We begin our story today reliving one of Voyager's most stomach-churning moments: the Tuvix Death March. A hard-faced Captain Janeway is leading the way down Voyager's corridor, with Tuvix and two silent and equally hard-faced security officers walking along in her wake. They reach sickbay, where they find Harry Kim and the EMH, with the latter facing away from them. As she enters, he turns to face her.
EMH: "I'm sorry, captain, but I cannot perform the surgical separation. I am a physician, and a physician must do no harm. I will not take Mr. Tuvix's life against his will."
JANEWAY: "Very well, Doctor. Please step aside." (to Kim) "I assume this is the radioisotope?" (to Tuvix) "Please sit down on the biobed."
We know what happened next, of course... but what if things had unfolded... differently?
ENDING 1 - "Incarceration"
Tuvix sits. Janeway looks right in his eyes and injects him.
JANEWAY: "[A bunch of technobabble]. Energizing."
Tuvix vanishes. Tuvok and Neelix appear in his place.
KES: "Neelix!"
NEELIX: "Hello, sweeting." (they kiss)
JANEWAY: "Mr. Tuvok, Mr. Neelix. It's good to have you back."
TUVOK: "Thank you, captain. Unfortunately, in my capacity as chief of security, I must now relieve you of command."
JANEWAY: "What?!"
TUVOK: "As a Starfleet officer, you swore an oath to respect new life in all of its forms, as unconventional as they might be. Your recent actions were a flagrant violation of that promise. While I am grateful to be restored to my original form, logic dictates that I must do my duty and place you under arrest for the murder of Lieutenant Tuvix."
Janeway looks around the room, very much in the same way that Tuvix did on the bridge, mere minutes earlier. Just like him, she finds no allies.
EMH: "I'm sorry, captain, but Mr. Tuvok's actions are entirely within the indicated protocol for a Starfleet chief of security."
KIM: "He's right, captain. You've always made it clear that this is a Starfleet ship, governed by Starfleet principles. That means we have to follow Starfleet regulations."
JANEWAY: "But... I... I didn't mean..."
TUVOK (to the guards): "Please escort Captain Janeway to the brig. And Ensign Kim, please proceed to the bridge and inform Commander Chakotay that for the forseeable future, he is in command of Voyager."
KIM: "Aye, sir."
ENDING 2 - "Escape"
Tuvix looks like he's about to sit... but then...
TUVIX (rapidly): "Computer, execute program Tuvix Alpha One!"
The ship rocks. The lights in Sickbay flicker. A few panels short out in showers of sparks. And Tuvix dematerializes.
KIM: "What happened?"
JANEWAY: "He must have set up a site-to-site transport. Computer, beam myself and the security team to Mr. Tuvix's location."
COMPUTER: "Unable to comply. A transporter lockout has been initiated."
CHAKOTAY (from bridge): "Captain, what's going on? The warp drive and several other systems just went offline, and we're registering an active power signature in Shuttlebay Three."
JANEWAY: "Neelix's ship. Computer, secure all shuttlebays."
COMPUTER: "Shuttlebays One, Two, and Four have been secured. Shuttlebay Three doors have been reconfigured for on-site manual control." (a pause) "Warning: Shuttlebay Three doors are opening."
A slight jolt as Neelix's ship exits Voyager.
JANEWAY: "Computer, capture the ship leaving Shuttlebay Three with a tractor beam."
COMPUTER: "Unable to comply. Tractor beam emitters have been locked in a diagnostic cycle."
Cut to the bridge. Janeway comes charging out of the turbolift.
JANEWAY: "Report!"
CHAKOTAY: "Neelix's ship went to warp two minutes ago. One lifesign aboard."
JANEWAY: "Can we track it?"
CHAKOTAY: "I already tried. Long-range sensors are offline."
JANEWAY: "Use short-range sensors. Run a trace on its warp signature; see if you can extrapolate his course."
CHAKOTAY: "I already tried that as well, but it's no use. Masking warp signatures is the first thing we teach new Maquis recruits. Tuvok was very adept at it."
JANEWAY: "Janeway to Engineering. Lieutenant Torres, how long before we have warp engines?"
TORRES (voice): "He's instituted multiple security lockouts. It's going to take at least an hour to bypass them all."
JANEWAY (grimly): "So, he has an hour's head start, we don't know which direction he's headed in, and he has all of Neelix's knowledge of the Delta Quadrant."
CHAKOTAY: "Not to mention Tuvok's vast tactical knowledge, including all of the Maquis's best tricks."
A long silence as they digest this unfortunate truth, then Paris states the obvious.
PARIS: "We're not going to catch him, are we?"
He and Chakotay excahnge glances. Chakotay was never wild about Tuvok, and Tom was never wild about Neelix's cooking. And they both have enough Maquis lawlessness left to take a perverse delight in seeing Starfleet get outwitted.
JANEWAY (sighs): "Once we have engines back, resume our previous course, Mr. Paris, warp six. We'll have to resolve the matter of Mr. Tuvix at a later time."
PARIS: "Aye, captain."
JANEWAY: "And Mr. Paris... wipe that smirk off your face."
PARIS (does so... mostly): "Yes, ma'am."
If you enjoyed the format of this story, check out my previous effort: https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/wheres-my-box-a-short-story-with-5-endings.305612/
We begin our story today reliving one of Voyager's most stomach-churning moments: the Tuvix Death March. A hard-faced Captain Janeway is leading the way down Voyager's corridor, with Tuvix and two silent and equally hard-faced security officers walking along in her wake. They reach sickbay, where they find Harry Kim and the EMH, with the latter facing away from them. As she enters, he turns to face her.
EMH: "I'm sorry, captain, but I cannot perform the surgical separation. I am a physician, and a physician must do no harm. I will not take Mr. Tuvix's life against his will."
JANEWAY: "Very well, Doctor. Please step aside." (to Kim) "I assume this is the radioisotope?" (to Tuvix) "Please sit down on the biobed."
We know what happened next, of course... but what if things had unfolded... differently?
ENDING 1 - "Incarceration"
Tuvix sits. Janeway looks right in his eyes and injects him.
JANEWAY: "[A bunch of technobabble]. Energizing."
Tuvix vanishes. Tuvok and Neelix appear in his place.
KES: "Neelix!"
NEELIX: "Hello, sweeting." (they kiss)
JANEWAY: "Mr. Tuvok, Mr. Neelix. It's good to have you back."
TUVOK: "Thank you, captain. Unfortunately, in my capacity as chief of security, I must now relieve you of command."
JANEWAY: "What?!"
TUVOK: "As a Starfleet officer, you swore an oath to respect new life in all of its forms, as unconventional as they might be. Your recent actions were a flagrant violation of that promise. While I am grateful to be restored to my original form, logic dictates that I must do my duty and place you under arrest for the murder of Lieutenant Tuvix."
Janeway looks around the room, very much in the same way that Tuvix did on the bridge, mere minutes earlier. Just like him, she finds no allies.
EMH: "I'm sorry, captain, but Mr. Tuvok's actions are entirely within the indicated protocol for a Starfleet chief of security."
KIM: "He's right, captain. You've always made it clear that this is a Starfleet ship, governed by Starfleet principles. That means we have to follow Starfleet regulations."
JANEWAY: "But... I... I didn't mean..."
TUVOK (to the guards): "Please escort Captain Janeway to the brig. And Ensign Kim, please proceed to the bridge and inform Commander Chakotay that for the forseeable future, he is in command of Voyager."
KIM: "Aye, sir."
ENDING 2 - "Escape"
Tuvix looks like he's about to sit... but then...
TUVIX (rapidly): "Computer, execute program Tuvix Alpha One!"
The ship rocks. The lights in Sickbay flicker. A few panels short out in showers of sparks. And Tuvix dematerializes.
KIM: "What happened?"
JANEWAY: "He must have set up a site-to-site transport. Computer, beam myself and the security team to Mr. Tuvix's location."
COMPUTER: "Unable to comply. A transporter lockout has been initiated."
CHAKOTAY (from bridge): "Captain, what's going on? The warp drive and several other systems just went offline, and we're registering an active power signature in Shuttlebay Three."
JANEWAY: "Neelix's ship. Computer, secure all shuttlebays."
COMPUTER: "Shuttlebays One, Two, and Four have been secured. Shuttlebay Three doors have been reconfigured for on-site manual control." (a pause) "Warning: Shuttlebay Three doors are opening."
A slight jolt as Neelix's ship exits Voyager.
JANEWAY: "Computer, capture the ship leaving Shuttlebay Three with a tractor beam."
COMPUTER: "Unable to comply. Tractor beam emitters have been locked in a diagnostic cycle."
Cut to the bridge. Janeway comes charging out of the turbolift.
JANEWAY: "Report!"
CHAKOTAY: "Neelix's ship went to warp two minutes ago. One lifesign aboard."
JANEWAY: "Can we track it?"
CHAKOTAY: "I already tried. Long-range sensors are offline."
JANEWAY: "Use short-range sensors. Run a trace on its warp signature; see if you can extrapolate his course."
CHAKOTAY: "I already tried that as well, but it's no use. Masking warp signatures is the first thing we teach new Maquis recruits. Tuvok was very adept at it."
JANEWAY: "Janeway to Engineering. Lieutenant Torres, how long before we have warp engines?"
TORRES (voice): "He's instituted multiple security lockouts. It's going to take at least an hour to bypass them all."
JANEWAY (grimly): "So, he has an hour's head start, we don't know which direction he's headed in, and he has all of Neelix's knowledge of the Delta Quadrant."
CHAKOTAY: "Not to mention Tuvok's vast tactical knowledge, including all of the Maquis's best tricks."
A long silence as they digest this unfortunate truth, then Paris states the obvious.
PARIS: "We're not going to catch him, are we?"
He and Chakotay excahnge glances. Chakotay was never wild about Tuvok, and Tom was never wild about Neelix's cooking. And they both have enough Maquis lawlessness left to take a perverse delight in seeing Starfleet get outwitted.
JANEWAY (sighs): "Once we have engines back, resume our previous course, Mr. Paris, warp six. We'll have to resolve the matter of Mr. Tuvix at a later time."
PARIS: "Aye, captain."
JANEWAY: "And Mr. Paris... wipe that smirk off your face."
PARIS (does so... mostly): "Yes, ma'am."
If you enjoyed the format of this story, check out my previous effort: https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/wheres-my-box-a-short-story-with-5-endings.305612/
