Ripples (The Wish Upon A Star Remix)
by Kathryn A
| Universe: | Blake's 7 |
| Words: | 1030 |
| Category: | AU |
Being a remix of Ripples by AstroGirl
"What do you wish?"
He said nothing. He would say nothing to her interrogators, no matter how kindly the question. But he knew the answer in his mind. I wish I could go back and fix it.
"Is it him?"
"It's him."
"He sold us, Avon. All of us. Even you."
"Is it true?" but you know it isn't.
"Avon, it's me, Blake."
"That's not an answer, Blake."
"Tarrant doesn't understand!"
"Then explain yourself!" But you know what is coming, you know...
"I set all this up! Avon, I was waiting for YOU."
"To betray us?"
"Of course not!"
"Blake! They've found us! The base is under attack!"
You all die.
The voice was female; unusual in an interrogator. Maybe Servalan thought he'd be more open with a woman. "What do you wish?"
She wasn't going to trick him that easily. I wish I could go back and fix it.
The wedding is sickeningly beautiful. There are flowers everywhere; the air is heavy with their scent. They are entwined in the bride's two-tone hair, their whiteness a contrast with the black mourning band on her arm. Others in the crowd wear mourning bands also. But nothing can outshine the smile of the groom.
You wish them well. You always preferred being the power behind the throne anyway, and the news of Servalan's treachery and heinous murder of their leader brought the Betafarlians into the fold quite nicely. The alliance grows.
One day, you wrest Gauda Prime from the hands of the Federation.
And you can't even find Blake's grave.
The drugs were giving him hallucinations. For a moment, the interrogator didn't look quite human. "What do you wish?"
He said nothing. I wish I could go back and fix it.
"Travis is dead," Blake says. "But the aliens managed to shut down part of the defence zone. There must be a fleet out there."
"We must get back to the ship," Cally says.
"But the charges, Cally!" Blake says. "We cannot blow this place up. Not now! We might be able to reset the minefield, but we can't do it if this place is destroyed."
"All the charges are set, Blake," Cally says. "They'll blow in ten minutes. We can't stop them now they're primed, it's too late."
"Well, get them out on the surface," Blake says.
"In ten minutes?" you say. There is something not right. Something even more not right than being on a base about to blow up and an alien fleet in the skies above. Something odd about Blake. How did he manage to...
"Try, Cally. Help her, Lurena," Blake orders. "Avon can help me here."
The women leave. You frown at Blake.
"What's the matter, Blake?"
"Why should something be the matter?"
"I would have thought you would have wanted to be all gung ho and fight the aliens directly."
"That would not be logical," Blake says.
You draw your gun, snarling, "Since when have you been logical, Blake? You aren't Blake, are you? I know what those aliens can do --"
"Blake" sighs. "I knew you would be too intelligent to fool for long. Which is why I sent Lurena with Cally."
"No!" You shoot the Andromedan, but it is too late.
The galaxy is overrun.
"What do you wish?"
He clamped his mouth shut. It was getting harder to stay silent. But he could imagine, couldn't he? I wish I could go back and fix it.
Del's sister approaches you, smiles. You frown instead, knowing what you know. They suspected, even back then. You abandon your plans, cut all ties with Grant, stick to your dead-end job.
You are safe. You are miserable.
You look at the empty, narrow life you live: eat, sleep, work, walk the pastel corridors, listen to the public announcements, see innovations smothered by the leaden weight of bureaucracy, the grinding cogwheels of the Federation machine.
There is nothing. Nothing to want. Nothing that you can have.
You watch your blood spurting into the warm water. It doesn't hurt as much as you thought it would.
"What do you wish?"
"I --" He stopped himself.
"Come on," the interrogator purred. "You're nearly there. What do you really think?"
"Blake was right," he spat. "The Federation should be unmade."
"And what do you wish for?"
"I wish I could go back and fix it."
The interrogator's face changed, becoming all wrinkles and veins. She smiled a ghastly smile. "Done. Wish granted."
History changed.
Extract From "Legends of the Atomic Wars"
by Janet L. Kirk,
University of San Francisco, Earth, United Federation of PlanetsOne of the more mysterious figures of the post-war era was sometimes known as the Gardener, harking back to the even earlier legends of Johnny Appleseed. Some places still celebrate Gardener's Day, where the adults give each other plants, and the children are given pill-shaped candies representing the anti-radiation pills that this legendary figure is supposed to have given out.
Reclaiming the surface of the poisoned Earth was a massive and back-breaking effort. It is understandable that people of that time would have made up stories about a near-magical hero who would give them aid in their efforts. Many of his exploits are clearly impossible; the sabotage of the Fascist regime of London Dome which is attributed to him would have required skills and technology at least a century ahead of his time, if it had been done by one man. The fact that the dome cities were never viable is more easily explained by the difficulty of maintaining a sustainable infrastructure for such a confined population. Once the surface became more livable, the dome cities collapsed under their own weight, as people deserted the cities to live free under the open sky.
While the name "Avon" appears to be a given name, digging further into its meaning reveals that it is simply another epithet or title, meaning "River", a suitable name for a wanderer, especially one who is associated with the bringing of life. Another interesting etymological fact is that "Avon" was also used for a guild of travelling purveyors of remedies and face paints for the purpose of increasing beauty -- yet another fitting association for this legendary wanderer.
Thanks to Nicola Mody for beta-reading.
The alert among you would have noticed that this is really a crossover with both Buffy (the wish-granting) and Star Trek (The United Federation of Planets). But it's such a mild crossoveryness that I thought it better to just say "Blake's 7".