by Rob Morris
THE BALLAD OF KEL NE, 200 YEARS AFTER THE APPEARANCE OF SKY-SHIPHe That Kel Ne, Champion Called The Stone, Did Face Down That Mover Of The Firmament Who Was Called Sky Drah, The Old Shatterer.
"You Hear Me, O Shatterer! For I Have Negated Thy Fierce Power, And You Are Mortal Before Me. You Shall Not Survive."
It Was Then That The Flame Hair Appeared, The Evil She Seen In Visions Of Fools And Madmen. It Was Said That Even Her Most Loyal Servitors Feared This One, And This Was Known To Be True.
"You Kel Ne! You Think That Our Fierce Power Is No More, But I Fear That You Are Wrong. And E'en Twere So, Behold, Now, My Fearsome, Fearsome Brothers!"
And That SkyShip, That Thing Of Evil, That Old Shatterer, Was Joined By Three More Sky-Ships. First Came A Snub-Nosed Ship, As Thin As The Old Shatterer Was Fat And Long. The Flame Hair Was Joined By One Whose Voice Ran As Deep As All Time. His Dark Head Knew No Hair At All.
"You Kel Ne. For I Am The Messenger Of Death, To Tell You Your Struggle Has Failed, And Your World Is Done. We Shall Bring You Order, And The Peace That Is Final."
Then Came A Sky-Ship With A Head That, It Was Said, Could Roam Free Of Its Body, And This Was Known To Be True. The One Who Came Forth Knew More Hair Than His Brother, But He Was Gaunt, And Hungered For All The Knowledge Stored In Kel Ne's Brains. His Skin Was Gray, And Sickly, And His Voice Sounded Misplaced.
"You Stone, You Champion. Your Freedom Is Done, For I Am The Consul Of Famine, Devourer Of Light. Your World, All Its Works, And All Its People Shall Be Made To Service Us. You May Not Resist. We Judge You To Be A Savage And Barbaric Race."
Last Came The Most Dread. Despoiler Of Women. Scoffer At The Laws Of Gods And Of Men Also. It Was Said That When He Was Killed, And His Servants With Him, That The Gates Of Life's End Were But A Trifle To He And His. The Gods Themselves Oft Prayed That This One Would Not Enter Into Song, So Fetid And Foul Was His Voice. He Had No Visible Ship, For He And That Ship Were One, And This Was Known To Be True.
"KELLLLLNEEEEE!!! WE---HAVE--HAD-- ENOUGH----OF----YOU!!!! We Are The King Of Pestilence, And With Our Sister Queen Of War, We Shall Most Assuredly Break You! You Cannot Expect To Defy Our Will And Serve With Living
Armies."But Kel Ne, That Stone, Was Steadfast Against The Ride Of The Four Sky-Ships.
"If You Say That You Shall Break Me, Then I Say Let Me Take Your Best Now! For I Shall Not Merely Best All Of You, But Show Your Slavish Followers, Held In Your Thrall For Thirty Years, That They Should Have Repurchased Their Lives!"
And When That Fierce Battle Was Done, Kel Ne The Victor Took Flame Hair's Head And Cast It Into The Heavens, Where It Became The Sun.
Would You Know More?
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1650 YEARS AFTER THE APPEARANCE OF SKY-SHIP
(A child sits down in front of a television)
"Its On! Its On!"
(On screen, Five vaguely anime' looking kids run out through a sunlit
field, smiling as they go. A cartooned Voyager is above them. A bouncy,
vaguely jazzed up song begins)SONG : Star Of Day; Star Of Night ; Keep Us Safe With Your Powerful Light; Help Us Know The Mysteries; Of Our World That You Will Free; From The Clouds To The Waterfalls; Help Us Find The Sky-ShipBalls; Star Of Night; Star Of Day; With You We Will Find--The Waaayyyyy!!!
THE SKYSHIP SEEKERS
Announcer : Brought to you by 'Skyship Seeker Icons'--the hottest trading collectibles ever! Trade And Win--this week's prize : A rare SkyLady In Grey Uniform Figure!
(Adult to child watching)
Adult : Don't even dream, young man. You broke your Emperor Skelmraseid figure--remember?
(On screen, announcer begins)
Announcer : On our last episode, the brave SkyShip Seekers lost their powers--because they stopped believing in SkyShip. With SkyLady unable to speak to them, can they survive this worst ever plot of Skelmraseid's?
EPISODE 337 : NO NEED FOR DOUBTS
Torakak Uokog : Darn it all! How could Sky-Ship desert us, when we needed it most?
Aneres Noom : Sky-Ship didn't give up on us. It was us who gave up on Sky-Ship.
Muhctek Sha : But how was Skelmraseid able to steal all our icons, if Sky-Ship was protecting us?
Recar Deepsog : Goshmaybewemight neverhaveourpowerseveragain.
Amnar Yoblrig : I could go either way on this--but I say -- FlyHigh, SkyShip!
(They all rise up in one motion, Fists raised)
All : Yeah! FlyHigh, SkyShip!
(SkyShip appears to them, and they begin to glow)
Torakak : Wow! I must be stronger than ever! It must have been the strain of losing my belief in sky-ship that made my heart stronger, now that I believe again.
Aneres : By the power of the SkyShip, nothing can stand against us—and that means you, Skelmraseid!
Muhctek : My icons were here all along! I should have known Sky-Ship wouldn't fail us. I'm going to continue learn and earn more icons!
Recar : Andmyvelocityhasincreased beyondwayout!
Amnar : I feel like twice the person I was!
Voice Of SkyShip Lady : You must only believe, my young friends. Remember, SkyShip is always above you!
(The villainous Skelmaraseid appears)
Skelmaraseid : You little fools are too late. I will soon assemble all 180 SkyShip Balls!
(They stand defiantly)
Announcer : What can The SkyShip Seekers do against this newest dire threat?
Child : Daddy! Will the SkyShip Seekers prevail?!
(We see that 'Daddy' is in fact The EMH)
Doctor : Somehow, Jason--I have a hunch they will.
Jason : ( Wanders off, singing bouncy theme ) Star Of Day--Star Of Night--Keep Us Safe With Your Powerful Light--
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100 YEARS AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF SKYSHIP
(Vid-Screen shows Gotena Retz.)
Announcer : My name is Gotena Retz--or at least it used to be. As a young man, I fulfilled what was the Ultimate Dream of our race. I boarded SkyShip, to learn all of its mysteries. I first learned that my partner, Tureena, had died. I next learned that SkyShip was a place--called Voyager. What I found in my decades there may only now be revealed.
(Screen disclaimer)
Discl : The following is a fictionalized account of the life and times of public figure Gotana Retz, made without the cooperation of his estate.
THE VOYAGE OF RETZ--the number one rated vid-series, here on Wolf Net.
(Story starts; We see Janeway, who is a shadowy figure)
Retz : Where is my partner?!
Janeway : She--made poor use of her time. She wanted to know the truth about the living ship we call Voyager. But this we could not allow. She was not worthy.
Retz : And I am?
(Janeway vanishes suddenly)
Janeway : We'll see.
(Seven appears--voice is badly modulated)
Seven : Go through this door, Eight.
Retz : Stop calling me that.
Seven : Accept your designation.
(He goes through door)
Seska : Join our mutiny!
Retz : Chakotay? But you're loyal to Janeway!
Chakotay : Am I? Perhaps that was a lie - or perhaps this is some kind of illusion. Choose, Retz--or your voyage ends here.
Retz-Announcer : Some people might call it madness. But I simply came to call that unceasing chaos my life. The Voyage Of Retz had only just begun.
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1000 YEARS AFTER DEPARTURE
IN THE NEWS TODAY, CONTACT WITH PLANET EARTH WAS ACHIEVED. FEDERATION PRESIDENT KALEN PARIS, WHO IS A DISTANT DESCENDANT OF ALMOST THE ENTIRE CREW OF VOYAGER, PRESENTED OUR AMBASSADOR WITH AN ACTUAL FRAGMENT OF WHAT WE ONCE ONLY KNEW AS SKYSHIP. THE FRAGMENT IS ALREADY BEING REVERED AS THOUGH IT WERE A RELIGIOUS ICON.......