Chasing Melodies and Memories - Part 2
With maybe more parts to come?
Greetings, lovely humans and robots!
Yes, we are continuing the story of Ensign Rowe Rivers today! And there’s more flash fiction to read — make sure you stick around to the end to read — or rather listen to — the flash fiction my podcast co-hosts and I recently wrote.
Before we get there, of course I need to continue to be the good little Indie Author and remind you to buy copies of my books (if you haven’t yet):
Links: Lunar Logic | Robot Galaxy Series | Final Orbit | Objective Reality
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It’s also the only way to get signed copies of my books outside of seeing me at a convention.
Already bought my book? Maybe you need a gift for a sci-fi loving friend…
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…and make sure to read to the end of this newsletter and check out other Indie writings!
In the interlude between part one of “Chasing Melodies and Memories” and today, I wrote about my time on the Star Trek cruise.
This prompted a few people to write in, telling me that they are interested in watching some Star Trek, but don’t know where to begin!
I agree… it can be quite intimidating to know where to start with such a large franchise.
Before you jump in, know that you do not need to like/love ALL Star Trek to be a fan or enjoy it. There are some people who only love the old stuff, like The Original Series (TOS). There are some people who can’t stand TOS and only love the newest Trek like Strange New Worlds (SNW). Just because you heard a particular episode from a particular series is a fan favorite, doesn’t mean you need to like it. You don’t have to like or love one particular character because someone does. You also don’t have to hate a character because many people do.
In other words… there is no “right way” to enjoy the franchise or be a fan.
My recommendation, for this franchise or any other, is to start at the real-world chronological beginning. That means, yes — I recommend that everyone watch at least some of TOS.
Why? Because this lays the foundation for everything that comes later. Because there are references you’ll get — and I think that makes watching anything later more enjoyable. (Of course, this is just my opinion!)
That said, our time is precious and there’s A LOT of Trek out there!
A couple of years ago, I created these blog posts meant to be a handy guide—a place to start:
I wrote these before Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (SNW) aired. Since they aired, I might go back and add a couple of notes like:
Re: “Balance of Terror” … now because of a certain SNW episode, this is more than simply watching the first time we encounter the Romulans. I can’t tell you the goosebumps I had when I saw the SNW Season 1 finale…
Re: “Arena”… the Gorn also come back in SNW!
Okay, so let’s move on to today’s story. When I started writing this Part 2, set in my Trek-like universe (but it’s not the Trek universe), I thought I would be writing the conclusion. Now, I’m not so sure. I guess that’s a spoiler alert… this might simply be the next scene and there’ll be a Part 3 in our future…
Read on and let me know what you think! (Either send me an email, or post a comment on Substack)
Chasing Melodies and Memories - Part 2
From that moment on, everything had moved so fast that Rowe barely blinked. Now he found himself in the small conference room facing Treana Nine, who had insisted that he was the only one she would negotiate with.
It wasn’t that Rowe felt physically unsafe. Treana had no weapons, there were two security guards outside, and all Rowe had to do was say a word and those guards would be called in.
“Do you remember meeting me?” Treana asked.
Rowe squinted at her, as if the act was a summoning mechanism—a signal to tell his brain to access long locked-away memories from his childhood.
“You were eight, the last time I saw you,” Treana said, sensing that Rowe was struggling to find something to connect her with. “Your parents were away, so Starry was stuck with you and—”
“Starry?”
“That’s what I always called her,” responded Treana, her voice softening. “You don’t remember that either.”
There was an uncomfortable silence, which Rowe finally broke.
“I remember our parents going away sometimes, and she had to watch me.”
That seemed to improve Treana’s disposition, as she smirked slightly. “She didn’t always hate it, you know.”
“I remember her yelling at me to get my own food.”
Treana laughed—a genuine belly laugh. “You were eight! And all you had to do was open the pantry!” She calmed down, adding, “But there was that one time she brought you with us to a rally… remember that?”
That triggered something inside Rowe. He remembered a large crowd of people and a sudden desire to find ice cream.
“I think I remember a parade of some sort?”
“That was no parade. That was the Self-Sovereignty Rally.”
Now that triggered Rowe’s memory. Self-sovereignty had dominated his childhood, yet was also something that resolved before he turned twelve and rarely thought about. His home settlement—originally territory on a lush, bio-diverse moon claimed by the sovereign government on Celesnia—wanted independence. It was the same story played out by human colonization since the beginning of time. A government tightening its grip, unwilling to lose control over the valuable resources its settlement provided.
“I remember,” Rowe said, struggling to recall the specifics. “Our parents warned her not to go.”
Treana nodded. “Only because your parents were part of the system that was benefiting the status quo. My family, on the other hand—”
“Wait a minute,” Rowe said and stood up to look out the window. He could see the Phantom’s Blade as it hung in space, off the Ecliptica’s port side. “My parents just wanted her to be safe. Like they always wanted me to be safe. They always had our best interests in mind.”
“They wanted your lifestyle to be safe,” Treana countered. She stayed seated, with her palms in non-threatening pose on the table.
“Our lifestyle?”
“There are always people who are doing better or worse. Starry wanted to help those who were worse off. Like she helped me.”
Rowe turned back to look at this woman.
“I don’t understand why you wanted to talk with me. I’m just an ensign…”
“Everyone else sees your sister, sees us, as pirates. I’m hoping you’ll be able to see us for what and who we really are.”
“What are you?”
“Simple rogues. Although the people we’ve helped might call us heroes.”
Rowe couldn’t help but be slightly intrigued. He had heard the pirate narrative for so long, and it had never made complete sense. He paced back and forth, the words from Treana rattling in his mind. The idea that the people he’d always been taught to view as criminals—even though they were family—might actually be helping those in need seemed absurd. And yet, something about the way she spoke made Rowe doubt what he’d been told.
“Heroes?” Rowe finally asked, his voice barely a whisper, still unsure whether he believed what he was hearing. “You’re calling yourselves heroes?”
Treana’s gaze softened, and she leaned forward. “Not all heroes wear uniforms, Rowe. Some, like your sister, wear the scars of battles fought for something bigger than themselves.” She let out a breath, almost as if the weight of her own words had taken a toll. “We’re not out here robbing people for treasure or power, or something ridiculous like that. We’re out here taking back what was stolen. From people who have nothing left but their lives.”
Rowe stood frozen, processing Treana’s words. His mind screamed that pirates were criminals, plain and simple, but here in this small room, Treana’s words were shaking his certainty.
“You really believe that?” Rowe asked, his voice a mix of confusion and disbelief. “That you’re fighting for something bigger?”
Treana nodded, her eyes intense. “Yes, Rowe. Governments have never acted in the best interests of the people, only in the interests of those who control the government. My crew, we do what we can to stop it.”
Rowe turned back to the window, staring at the Phantom’s Blade. It was no longer simply a pirate ship, but a symbol of rebellion, something he had always been taught to fear.
“I can’t believe this is real,” Rowe whispered.
Treana stood up and moved closer, her voice softening. “I didn’t come here to convince you to join us, Rowe. I’m simply asking you to see the truth. For your sister’s sake. Don’t believe the lies they’ve fed you and everyone else all these years. See who we really are. Take that back to your captain.”
Silence hung in the air as Rowe looked back at her. For the first time in years, he wanted to see his sister. He wanted to talk to her, to ask all these newly surfaced questions.
“I’ll think about it,” Rowe said, taking a step towards the door.
The door swished open, but before he left, Treana called out, “Remember Starry’s favorite song?”
Rowe had to dig deep into his memory, but a thread was there.
“It was called ‘Rise Up’?”
Treana nodded and smiled. “‘No turning back, we’ve come too far’” she sung.
Rowe joined in with the next line that he remembered, “‘We’re chasing the truth like a shooting star.’”
Rowe then left the conference room, his steps heavier than they had ever felt before.
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About my podcast, The BIG Sci-Fi podcast:
When we first started, we made the decision to break it into “Seasons.” This was solely so my co-hosts and I had built-in breaks so we didn’t get burned out. As much as we love doing this, we have the rest of our lives to live and it’s REALLY hard to do something EVERY WEEK without a break!
That said, we still wanted to release something every week. We came up with the idea of producing content for “in-between” the seasons — and this is content we usually record all in one session, and then release over the 4-week break.
A few seasons ago, we tried our hand at flash fiction. And if you’ve been with my newsletter for a while, you remember that that’s what kicked off my flash fiction here, starting with “Alien in Amsterdam: Candy Crisis.” (Anyone miss my alien, Kim, BTW?)
Well, we’re at it again! We’re currently in-between Seasons 7 and 8 and have some flash fiction to share. Start with this one, “The Octopus Story,” by my co-host Cristian Fox:
…and unlike the regular seasons of our podcast, which are audio only, our in-between season content is video!
What’s next?
I continued to work more and more work on that Lunar Logic sequel!
But I have a few other things going on as well. Y’all know I’m a speaker, right? I’m quite comfortable on stage. I figured I’d combine my love of speaking and my love of writing (with attempts to be humorous at both) and try doing stand-up comedy! (It’s been a bucket-list item since I was 17.)
Well, this past Tuesday I did it and here I am:
(And yup — I’m wearing my BIG Sci-Fi Podcast T-shirt!)
All always, thanks for reading all of my ramblings, and staring at my art. I hope you’re enjoying it all! Remember you can reply anytime with questions/comments/feedback!
Until next time… be kind, be well!
-Adeena
This is NOT done yet. ;) Also, one small typo. Search for Stary where you meant Starry. ;)
Ooooooo.... the plot thickens! Classic hero dilemma, and it's being well-played by Treana! I'm interested to see this continue -- this story has a full refinery's worth of gas left in it!