Date: Sun, 4 Jul 93 01:12:07 MDT
From: tperreau@banshee.vla.nrao.edu (Tonster)
Message-Id: <9307040712.AA08789@banshee.vla.nrao.edu>
To: alt-ql-creative@cisco.com
Subject: Once A King -- Part 1

				Once A King...

				   Part I

Sam leaped, welcoming the icy fingers that ran up his spine.  He hoped,
no, prayed that he would forget certain things that he had seen and been
through.  His vision cleared and Sam blinked his eyes rapidly.  It had 
been night when he had leaped, now it was day.  A brilliant sun shone in
the cloudless blue sky.  He continued to blink, eyes watering.  He was 
aware of bars in front of his face.

Oh no, not jail again, he though.  But that didn't make sense.  And he
felt so heavy.  He felt like he was walking around with several heavy
suits on all over his body -- like heavy ski mobile suits.  There was
something heavy on his head, as well as in his right hand and on his left
arm.  He lifted up his arms and dropped his mouth.

"Lay On!"  A voice shouted.  Sam glanced up in time to see a very thick
looking stick covered with duct tape arc down onto his head with a resounding
THUNK! that rang Sam's ears.  He dropped to his knees, then momentum
carried him onwards down flat on the dirt.  He raised a little cloud of
dust when he hit with a muffled crash.

"Victory to Duke Coris!  Death to Lord Cedric of Wessex!."  The voice
announced.  Sam blinked again as he caught his breath.

"Oh, boy..."

***

"Well?  Where is he?"  Major Meagan O'Connor stood next to the monitor
console.  She had the grey notepad handlink gripped tightly in her hand, arms
crossed on her chest.  Gooshie looked up from the console, amber lights
tinting his hair yellow.

"Southwest of Phoenix in the year 1987, Major."  Gooshie called up a 
screen.  "Specifically, Estrella park."

Meagan frowned.  "Never heard of it."  She looked over at the intern who
was doubling as their doctor until one could be assigned.  "And who is the
subject?"

"His name is Ron Stevenson, Major.  But he also goes by...uh..."

Meagan frowned.  "Spit it out, lieutenent."

"Lord Cedric of Wessex, Major."  The intern shuffled his feet.  Meagan's
patented glare had broken stronger men than him.  "He is a member of
the SCA."

"SCA?"

"Oh, they're a history recreation group," Tina looked up from her console.
"You know, knights in armor, damsels in distress, Ren Faires, that sort
of thing."

Meagan arched an eyebrow critically at Tina.  "No, I don't know 'that sort
of thing'."  She sighed and looked up at the sphere of twirling lights.
"Well, Ziggy, I guess I'm left with you to have a reasonably intelligent
converation with.  What is Dr. Beckett's status?"

"He is well, Major.  That's as far as I can tell.  I'm just happy that
he's back."

"Yes, well..." Meagan looked around.  "Gooshie, activate the imaging room."

"Don't you think we should wait for..."

"For whom?  I am the Observer now, not Admiral Calavicci," she straightened
her petite 5'3" frame, green eyes flashing behind stylish glasses.
"Understood?"

Gooshie just shook his head and did as he was told.  He touched a screen and
activated the imaging chamber.  "Radium ring is up to speed, Major.  You can
enter when ready."

"Thank you," Meagan walked off to the doorway, activating the handlink.
The doors slid shut on the petite redhead.

"Bitch," Ziggy fairly spat.  "I should program the chamber for a drop
from Victoria Falls."

"Ziggy," Gooshie soothed in a warning voice.  "It's not nice to call ladies
that word."

"She ain't no lady," Tina snapped her bubble gum as she watched the power
levels.  Everything was functioning normally.  "Unless you count the Dragon
Lady."

"Not you, too."  Gooshie placed his head in his hands.  "I just wonder how
Dr. Beckett is going to take this..."

***

Sam felt helping hands lift him up off the ground.  "What happened, Cedric?
You looked like you didn't know what was going on?"

"Uh," Sam shook his head.  "Sun in my eyes."

The other man smiled through his helmet.  "Nice death, though.  Probably the
easiest one I'll get this weekend."  He walked off.  Sam noticed that he
was armored with studded leather and metal shoulder and elbow cups.  Sam
wondered if that was what he looked like, and if so, that would explain why
he felt so heavy.

Sam walked off the field, head bowed, shield and sword dragging.  He looked
about at over a hundred differently shaped tents of all colors.  People,
dressed in everything from Elizabethean costumes to a very barbaric psudeo-
Viking, and everything in between, walked about.  The noise was loud, but
not deafening.  Sam looked about, hoping to see Al.

***

The imaging room recreated the scene of where Sam was at.  Meagan was looking
directly into the rear end of a horse.  She narrowed her eyes and stabbed
at the handlink.

"Very funny, Ziggy.  Please center me on Dr. Beckett."  The scene shifted.
Meagan saw that there was a man standing off a little from everyone else,
looking about.  She straightened her uniform and walked over to him.
"Dr. Beckett?"

Sam looked down.  He saw a pretty looking woman who was dressed totally out
of place.  She was wearing a uniform, deep blue.  Sam squinted at the rank
insigna.  "Major?  Or is that colonel?"

"Major, Dr. Beckett.  I am Meagan O'Connor, Major, United States Aerospace
Force.  I am your Observer."