Number One #2 -- TNG zine review

[amado1]

Here's the overall:

1) Less racist than the first one
2) But the stories, overall, are not as fun, but probably more sound, technically-speaking
3) And despite being less racist, it still has 11 more "n words" than I expected from a TNG zine

Okay, so let's review the stories.

1) The Road Not Taken

This is an excellent, short, introspective piece featuring the alternate universe Riker from Parallels. This Riker killed Picard at Wolf 359 and became captain of the Enterprise. In this universe, Troi married Worf and had children with him, and Geordi has just been killed.

So we find our Riker post-Parallels, alone in his office, grieving Geordi's death and staring at the stars. Troi finds him and realizes he's actually grieving something deeper -- his actions at Wolf 359. Because now he's met another version of himself who DIDN'T kill Picard, and in that universe, Picard is still alive and the universe is still safe. He can no longer offer himself the small comfort that he did the best he could do. Now he has to live with killing Picard -- and knowing that it wasn't necessary at all.

Ouch!

2) The Sexiest Man Alive

A great, hilarious novella where Riker, Troi, Beverly, and Barclay are all heading to Risa together. Deanna is trying DESPERATELY to convince Riker to hang out with Barclay once they arrive. It turns out she's already sort of promised Barclay that Riker would show him the ropes ... but mostly, she made that promise so Barclay wouldn't hang around with her and Bev XD

As they're arguing about it, their shuttle malfunctions. In the bathroom, Barclay is examining a bottle of green cologne he's wearing around his neck. When the shuttle lurches, he drops the cologne and spills a few drops on himself. This cologne comes from Mr. Mott's brother, Mr. Bott, who promised it would make Barclay irresistible to the ladies.

And it does.

This novella is really funny -- I kept stopping to read entire pages of dialogue aloud to my roommate. The characters are pitch-perfect, which certainly helps. Riker takes a serious beating in this fic, with an arm nearly torn off and crushed in the crash, a concussion, broken ribs, a broken collarbone -- but once they get a whiff of Barclay's cologne, Deanna and Beverly agree the medikit should be saved for Barclay's cuts and scrapes XD There's a fun but ludicrous interlude where the locals (a bear-like species called Ursanoids) go crazy for Barclay, and trample Riker trying to get to him; Riker is stung viciously by bees trying to un-stick Barclay from a tree ("They didn't sting me, Commander. I guess they must be female bees.") He loses his pants trying to save Barclay from rabidly horny Ursanoids, etc etc.

I think my favorite line of dialogue was this, though:

Riker: "How's it going? Any progress?"
Deanna, elbow deep in a broken conduit panel: "I'm a counselor, not an engineer."
Riker: "I'll grade you on a curve."

3) Trilogy

This features three interconnected stories which originally appeared in Eridani. IIRC all three of these are available to read online! They feature Riker and Baraash, the little lonely alien who pretends to be Riker's son.

In the first, Someplace Like Home, Riker and his son Jean-Luc go fishing at Curtis Creek. It's a fun, cute ficlet of Jean-Luc trying to catch the biggest fish he's ever seen -- but their moment is interrupted when Riker's combadge goes off. He's summoned to the bridge. Jean-Luc puts a brave face on it, but Riker can tell the kid is trying not to cry, and he's viciously reminded of all the times his dad got called away on missions. But he has no choice. He leaves and terminates the program ... and Jean-Luc disappears.

In the second, The Hollow Spot, Guinan and Riker have a short conversation about Baraash, and whether Riker's feelings of grief are valid. Guinan shares that she once lost a child too, and promises Riker it will get better in time ... but only he can decide if he's "allowed" to grieve for a son he never really had.

In the third, Full Circle, Riker finally breaks down and asks to speak to Troi, as a counselor instead of a friend. He asks her if she ever thinks of Ian, and of course, Troi does. They compare their memories, and the way their false children impacted them. Finally we learn that Baraash is still onboard the Enterprise, and Riker goes to the holodeck to find him. He enters without announcing himself and sees a surreal sight: himself, with Jean-Luc, walking toward him down the hall and talking about Curtis Creek. When Baraash sees the real Riker, he gets embarrassed and terminates the program, but Riker tells him it's okay -- he misses Baraash too. Baraash, not Jean-Luc. And then he takes Baraash's hand and they go to Curtis Creek together.

...Although these three were available online, I had no real interest in reading them. I was more keen about the hurt/comfort novellas, which AREN'T available. But oh man! Actually reading these, they were fantastic. The third one damn near made me cry. (Even though I don't remember the episode well enough to know if Baraash was actually on the Enterprise, or if that's a retcon, or how much time has passed -- mild confusion over the logistics here).

4) Perceptual Reality

A ho-hum ficlet about Riker playing poker with his friends post-Frame of Mind. At the end, the POV lens zooms out and we see that Riker is actually a disheveled patient in Ward 47, and Dr. Syrus is watching him as he "plays poker" with the dirty spoons he's supposed to be cleaning. Syrus makes a sarcastic comment that Riker sends an awful lot of time playing cards for a supposed starship first officer, and then laments that with all his advanced medical technology, he still can't break a simple corporate accountant of this delusion.

5) The Mark of Cain

Now, this was my favorite piece of the bunch! I'd estimate it at about 10K words, and it follows Tom and Will Riker as they return to Nervala IV to retrieve data. Tom is roiling with anger at Will's attitude -- Will has only been to Nervala IV once, eight years ago, topside-only, and he acts like he knows these caverns. Tom has lived here alone for eight years! But Will's confidence serves him well, and he solves problems that Tom can't figure out.

As they cross a bridge, it rattles and falls out beneath Tom's feet. Will catches him, urges him to climb up. Panicked, Tom remembers when they were kids and a boy named Joey fell through the ice. The Rikers saved him. There was a huge write-up in the Valdez Gazette -- Joey's mother kissed them -- does Will even remember that? He's had eight years of real heroics to replace it, while Tom rotted here in the caves. Tom remembers how Joey panicked in the water and pulled his rescuers in, and he tells Will, "Let me go!"

There's a flash of disgust in Will's eyes. He's interpreted Tom's self-sacrifice as cowardice. Spurred on by this, Tom climbs up and gets to his feet. He gives Will a hand up, so Will won't lose his balance and fall into the pit.

But at the last second, without thinking, when Will is totally dependent on Tom's hand for balance, Tom lets go.

LOVE IT SO FAR.

Back on the Enterprise, Tom tearfully breaks the news. He says Will slipped; that it was an accident. Troi is devastated -- everyone is, really. They all go to view Will's funeral program. He hasn't recorded any last messages for them. He set up his funeral program to show them Curtis Creek, silent, beautiful, just the sound of crickets and the trickling of the stream. Tom is amazed; he remembers this place! Deanna tells him Will's been perfecting the program for years.

Seeking comfort in each other, Tom and Deanna go to bed. But back on Nervala IV, Will wakes up in tremendous pain, every bone in his body screaming out. He feels a cool draft from below, sees a dim light ahead, and realizes he must have hit a ledge as he fell. But he's too weak to sit up.

Sensing him, Troi wakes up screaming. She sobs, holding onto Tom, and swears she still feels Will -- but Tom gently tells her that what she's feeling is him. Her Imzadi.

A few days later, Worf and Geordi approach Picard. They've been secretly working on a plan to return to Nervala IV. Geordi has figured out how to break through the interference -- it'll give them a 15-20 minute window. Worf requests permission to form an away team and retrieve Riker's body. It's clear to Picard that neither man fully believes Tom's account of events, and initially, he refuses to give them permission -- Picard is already wracked with grief and guilt because he sent his best officer to this dangerous place, all for a useless data retrieval mission. Riker died retrieving data! Picard can't live with that, no matter how Beverly tries to assure him that Will knew the risks. But eventually he caves in and lets Worf and Geordi proceed in utter secrecy.

On Nervala IV, an away team consisting of Geordi, Worf, Picard, and Beverly, finds Will at once. They transport him to sickbay and, once he's stabilized, convene for discussion. Obviously, they decide, they can't tell Troi. If they tell Troi, Tom will know something's up. And they need to figure out what to do about Tom ASAP.

Worf is certain Tom lied to them -- he clearly tried to kill Will. Geordi's gut tells him the same thing, but he's not as certain. After all, he knew Will eight years ago, and that Will Riker would never murder someone. Beverly reminds him that Tom once WAS the Will Riker of eight years ago, but he's not STILL that man. He's had eight years of solitary confinement -- which qualifies as torture, and would crack anyone's brain.

Still Beverly is on Picard's side -- she doesn't believe Tom tried to murder Will. She thinks it was a genuine accident, and she's strongly against securing Tom in the brig. He's been through enough already. Picard decides that they'll wait till Will is awake, and then they'll decide what to do with Tom based on Will's testimony.

Meanwhile, Deanna wakes up, silent and holding her breath. She's sensed something. She checks Tom, but he's fast asleep.

"Imzadi?" she whispers.

And a voice in her head says, "Imzadi," right back.

Deanna sneaks out of bed and follows this strange sensation down the hall, to medbay. She manages to hit the access panel to Will's room before his guard detail even notices she's there. They gently steer her away, but before the doors close, Deanna gets a glimpse of a dark figure in a bio-bed, and she KNOWS Will is alive. Beverly confirms it; it would be cruel not to. So now their timeline has been sped up against their Will, and Deanna and Tom meet with Picard.

When Tom hears Will is back, he sinks into the chair. "That lucky son of a bitch!" he says with a shaky, relieved laugh. "He survived that fall? God. Of course he survived!" He's literally trembling with relief, and Deanna can tell it's genuine. Picard pushes, asking Tom to tell him again how Will fell. Tom is smart of course; he immediately realizes he's being questioned, and he's horrified, offended. He insists it was an accident, but he has trouble explaining exactly what happened. He stutters, gets confused -- "It was an accident. I just let go. I mean, I didn't mean to let go. He just slipped."

Deanna samples his emotions and informs Picard that Tom is being sincere. But both of them are uneasy and still want to question Will. When he wakes, they visit his bedside and ask him the same question -- "What happened?"

Will studies them, his face guarded. "What did Tom tell you?" he asks finally, neutrally.

Picard wants to hear it from Will. After a moment's thought, Will says it was pretty traumatic. He remembers falling; he remembers waking up on the ledge. But the actual incident is fuzzy. What did Tom say? Finally, they relent; they tell him Tom swears it was an accident. Will nods and agrees; he just slipped. No one's fault.

But Deanna can tell he's lying.

Agh! This whole fic rocked my world. Okay, so next, we skip forward a little to see Tom in full uniform, kissing Deanna goodbye. He's vibrating with excitement. Picard has found him an amazing spot on a prestigious ship called the Gandhi (Which BEKi routinely misspells, and it drives me nuts). Tom is thrilled about the new opportunity, but he shyly asks if Deanna will come with him. He knows she loves the Enterprise, and he's not asking her to choose right away. But maybe in six months, if he asks again...?

Deanna says maybe. As Tom heads to the transporter room, Will meets him. Will is still recovering from his injuries, wearing civvies, and he asks to speak in private. Tom is instantly tense, but he agrees. In private, however, Will doesn't confront him about Nervala IV. He merely offers Tom their trombone, saying it's as much Tom's as it is Will's. This is what breaks Tom. He asks Will what really happened and confesses that he thinks he let Will go on purpose. Will shrugs it off. He asks if Tom remembers when they were kids, and Joey fell into the ice? Of course, Tom does. Will recounts how Joey panicked and dragged Will and Tom into the water after they pulled Joey out. They fell in, couldn't get out by themselves, got trapped beneath the ice. Dad had to get them out with an ice pick, and then he made them pay for a new ice pick with their allowance because the pick got chipped! Will remembers, too, how the Gazette called them a "hero squared" and said this wasn't the first life they saved ... but neglected to mention that the other life was a neighbor girl's pet rat. A pet rat that Will and Tom gave mouth-to-mouth to ... after they drowned it, trying to show the girl's brothers how to do a proper swirly.

Tom is amazed that Will remembers all this. It shows that, despite the eight years of achievements, he and Will really aren't that different. He says goodbye feeling a little better.

For the finale: Will and Deanna debrief, and Deanna reveals to the reader that it wasn't Picard who got Tom a spot on the Gandhi. It was Will. Why the Gandhi? Will tries to deflect, saying it was the only good spot open. But Deanna knows for a fact there were three equally good ships with openings for Tom.

Will admits that the Gandhi's CO is an old friend of his from the Academy. That friend told Will that the Gandhi's ship counselor is retiring in February. Meaning: there will be an opening for Deanna, if she wants to go -- and it was important to Will to secure that chance for her, so she can be happy. Even if it's with Tom instead of him.

T___T

6) My Chadich

This is a short, funny oneshot where Worf needs a "chadich" -- a right-hand man to guard his back in a Klingon ceremony. First he chooses Riker, who loves the idea. But Riker suggests brushing up on Klingon combat in the holodeck, and a few minutes later, he's strapped to a bio-bed in sickbay with Beverly demanding to know how Worf managed to disembowl him.

Riker suggests Data as an alternative -- after all, Data can't get disembowled! So Worf reluctantly agrees, but Data wants to try out the holodeck combat program too, and a few minutes later, Data is in engineering with his head on one side of the room and his body on the other, and Geordi has to figure out how to put him together again.

Finally, Worf asks Picard. Picard is honored.

"Maybe we should hit the holodeck," he suggests, "brush up on--"

"No," Worf says.

7) The Captain's Son

The final novella of the zine, but not the final story.

This is based on a fic called "Legacy" which I've never read -- apparently, in that fic, Captain Riker visits Malcor III again, and discovers that the nurse Lanel (who offered to help him escape if he had sex with her) has a 12-year-old half-human son.

In this sequel, 12-year-old Reevus Riker (yes hello I hate that name) has been on the Enterprise for four months, and his behavior is. Terrible. He requested surgery to turn his fins into fin-gers, thinking it would ease the tension between him and his classmates, but it didn't. Reevus feels constant pressure to be a good example as the captain's son. But he's USED to being Crazy Lanel's son, an outcast, and he's developed a defensive mechanism where he acts like a shitheel to everyone he meets, so he gets to reject them first.

Riker has a fun crew, btw. He's captain; Troi is counselor, and she's also nine months pregnant with their first child; Geordi is his first officer; Wesley is, I think, his science officer; an OC named Tracer is on tactical. Tracer, like Tasha Yar, grew up in a violent war zone, and she's blunt, with zero social grace or tact. Riker adores her; she's very Worf-like.

Well, Riker and Reevus have nonstop tension and fights, and one day Reevus lashes out at Geordi and Wesley, calling Geordi the "N word" over and over again -- not because it pisses off Geordi, but because it pisses off Wesley. Then he turns on Wes, viciously calls him a "honkey" ... and is horrified and humiliated when Geordi and Wes burst into laughter. Reevus runs off and trashes his family's quarters, destroying everything Riker owns and tossing his own belongings into the disintegration chute. He flees into the Jeffries Tubes, then, shocked by what he's done and certain he's gone too far.

Riker finds the destruction and is deeply saddened, not pissed. He tells Deanna to stay home -- he doesn't want her water to break while searching for Reevus -- and goes off to find his son. He and Reevus have a tentative reunification in the Jeffries Tubes, when Riker rescues Reevus and tells him it's going to be okay, but things go south BAD when they emerge. Deanna HAS gone looking for Reevus, and her water HAS broken, and Riker immediately leaves Reevus' side to help Deanna to medbay. He distractedly tells Reevus to go back home, and Reevus isn't even around the corner when he hears this exchange:

Deanna: "What about Reevus?"

Riker: "I don't give a shit about Reevus! The only important thing right now is you and this baby."

Crushed, Reevus vacillates between suicide and running away. In shuttle bay, Tracer sees Reevus lurking "inconspicuously" near a shuttle. When he "accidentally" bumps into a security guard and steals the guard's phaser, Tracer shouts at him and sprints forward with her partner. Panicked, Reevus shoots the partner and tries to shoot Tracer too. But he misses, and he hits a shuttle instead.

The shuttle explodes.

Molten metal sprays everywhere. The explosion causes a chain reaction. Cargo boxes carrying a deadly toxin burst open and green gas filled the air, setting off more miniature explosions. All around Reevus, people are dropping to the ground, dead or unconscious, and when another explosion wracks the shuttle bay, Reevus is knocked out. Security doors start closing, locking the wounded in with the toxic gas, and Tracer gets one wounded man to safety before going back for Reevus. She doesn't make it back out again; she and Reevus are trapped, and all she can do is haul the kid to a damaged shuttle and seal them both inside.

Riker gets the news just as the baby is crowning. When he learns that the two living humans left in the shuttlebay are his protege and his son, he's shattered. Soon he finds out that Tracer has ingested the toxic gas and doesn't have long to live; Reevus is apparently immune thanks to his Malcorian blood. Unfortunately, the gas causes interference, so the transporter can't beam Tracer and Reevus out. So Riker has to make some tough decisions.

1) He waits 72 hours while Geordi painstakingly sanitizes the gas build-up inside the shuttle bay. This method poses no risk to Reevus, but Tracer will 100% die before it happens. And there's a strong possibility that the unstable gases in the shuttle bay could explode, damaging the ship and killing everyone aboard. Reevus, in his shuttle, would be the only survivor, as he'd most likely be vented into space.

2) He detaches the shuttle bay, which will certainly implode it. Reevus and Tracer will both die, but there will be no risk to his ship, his baby, or his wife.

3) He manufactures a series of gas explosions, guiding the shuttle toward the bay doors. If Tracer can steer the shuttle, she and Reevus could propel themselves via these explosions into empty space, where the gas interference would dissipate. Riker could beam them both out. They would BOTH live. But if Tracer can't control the shuttle, she might drive it straight into the Enterprise's hull, again, killing everyone onboard.

It's a difficult decision. Geordi and Wes feel that if it were anyone else in there, Riker would risk it all to save them. But because it's his son and his protege, he's holding back -- he doubts his own decisions, worries that he's showing favoritism. Finally Riker gives them the go-ahead for Option 3, with one issue: the poisoning has turned Tracer blind. Reevus has to fly the shuttle.

Gently, Riker walks him through the steps and assures Reevus that he can do it. I mean, I'm not gonna recreate it all -- Reevus does it, it all turns out fine. The real meat and potatoes here is a conversation Reevus has with Tracer, which goes something like this.

Reevus: Do you like me?
Tracer: Sure.
Reevus: No, you don't. Nobody likes me. They all think I'm a bastard.
Tracer: Maybe that's because you act like a little bastard to everyone.
Reevus: (shocked Pikachu face)
Tracer: Well, you do, dude. You're a serious little shit. Nobody likes little shits except me. But if you stop acting like a dickhead all the time, people will like you.
Reevus, testing her: Even my dad hates me. He's probably gonna let me die in here.
Tracer: He'll let YOU die. He needs ME to run the ship.
Reevus: ...
Reevus: You're my best friend.

It ends with Reevus holding his baby sister, named in true Harry Potter-style, Lwaxana Marie Yvette Riker (Marie after Riker's mom; Yvette after Tracer's first name).

8) The Last Goodbye

This very short ficlet had the potential to be really fun -- it's just too short to do the concept justice!

Set in DS9, Deanna is given a chance to say goodbye to Tom Riker before he's sent to a Cardassian labor camp. Deanna is distraught, indicating that she still feels passionate, romantic love for Tom. Tom doesn't have much time, but he makes an odd comment before he disconnects: "Say goodbye to Jean-Luc for me, and tell Wes I can't wait to see what he does next."

As she wipes her tears, Deanna is greeted by Will, and snaps at him when he calls her Imzadi. "You know what that word means. I know we use it like it just means friend, but it doesn't. It means beloved. Don't use that word with me. Not now."

This is when "Will" reveals that he is actually Tom. The mission to steal the Defiant, he says, was actually a top-secret mission handed down by Starfleet. It was offered to Tom initially, but it was dangerous, and Will didn't want Tom to risk being captured. Will offered to go in his place. He made a tactical error, got caught, and now Starfleet can't afford to rescue him or tell the truth about the mission.

Deanna, rather than being upset, is thrilled. This means she and Tom can be together for real.

...That's all! Man, I would love a full-length story about this. Maybe I'll just have to write one. I hate that there are so few fics about Tom Riker, and the books that feature him never do him justice (looking at you Peter David).