Author:
LeatherGirl
Disclaimer:
Ultimate disclaimer in edition 3.7.
FNS
Regulars…wanna be one? http://www.oocities.org/fellipnectarstand/regulars.html
This
edition dedicated to all lives lost in the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01 as well
as the heroes consisting of firefighters, policemen, National Guard, Red Cross,
everyday civilians, etc. It is also
dedicated to every American…in the world.
*****
Setting:
The Fellip Nectar Stand
Characters:
John, D’Argo, Aeryn, Pilot, Rygel, Chiana, and Jool (guest appearances: Crais, Scorpius, several Scapers and aliens
of all races)
**
John: “Freedom is a beautiful thing.”
Rygel: “Three cycles of living with you is not
exactly what I call freedom.” [Snorts
and chows down on some fuzzy blue chunks of UT gunk.]
John: [Shakes head.] “Sparky…that is freedom.
You could leave whenever you wished to.
You still are free to go. It’s
beyond even Chiana why you stick with us.”
Chiana: “Hey, just because I can sense things,
doesn’t mean I can read minds. I’d
rather not think about what it is that squirms around in the green slug’s
little brain.” [Takes a sip from her
flask of Fellip Nectar and leans back in relaxation.]
Aeryn: [Stares off solemnly.] “I must admit if it hadn’t been for the
concept of freedom, I wouldn’t be here.”
[John
smiles and puts an arm around Aeryn.
She pretends not to care.]
D’Argo: “Why does your Earth wish to live by this
single idea? Does it not come with a
price?”
John: [Leans forward and folds his fingers into a
tight grasp.] “D’Argo…without freedom,
there would be no hope, no will, no happiness.
Freedom lives on in the hearts of honest, loving people and is carried
on in our everyday actions of living out our lives to the fullest. We believe that everyone has a right to
their own pot of gold if they work for it.
Everyone deserves an equal opportunity.
We fought for freedom and we always will. If it is not there for us to savor, it is in our hearts as we
fight to regain it.”
Jool: “So patriotic sounding. Makes me want to….”
Chiana: [Angrily interrupts.] “Maybe you should invest in some hairball
vexus so you don’t have to vomit hairballs in every corner on Moya.”
Jool: [Crosses arms.] “At least my hair is healthy and beautiful…yours is worse than
bull dren and smells it too.”
[Chiana
nearly stands up to challenge Jool when D’Argo throws an arm in front of her
and forces her to calm down. Jool
smugly smiles at her and returns to her flask.
Unfortunately, she finds a hair floating in the top of her drink and
curls her lips in disgust. Chiana
snickers.]
Pilot: “It is a beautiful idea, nonetheless. Moya and I both feel we should practice this
freedom at all times.”
John: “We already do, Pilot. We already do.”
Rygel: “Funny.
Your wormholes seem to have us trapped in dangerous situations all the
time with no escape.”
[Crais
and Scorpius step into the Stand, with a few PeaceKeeper officers standing
behind them. John and the others grow
fearful. But even as they try to duck
under the booth (as if no one could see them in the first place!), the newcomers
walk right past them and to the bar to order drinks. John looks to his shipmates with bewilderment when Jool gasps and
returns to ducking under the booth. The
others look to the doorway to see a group of Charrids enter the bar. And just as they step in, a group of Nebari
enters as well. The group at the booth
is barely peeking over the table now.
Rygel farts helium as the next group enters into the bar…Scarrans. The entire group of Moya-friendly aliens
duck under the booth and begin to try to work out an escape route. Aeryn reveals a holo-map of the FNS and
places it on the floor in the center of the group. The glowing blue holo-map glows onto each of their faces,
illuminating their urgency and tension.
But they are not panicked. They
are prepared to do what needed to be done.]
Aeryn: “Here.”
[Points to the Storage Facility.]
“We can access a shaft in the rear hull of the Storage Facility and
crawl through the tap line to an airlock.
We can contact Moya from there to pick us up in a transport pod.”
Pilot: “That tap line is only 10 denches wide! How do you suggest any of us fit
through? Not even my mivonks will fit
through that!”
John: “Ugh!
Pilot! We did NOT need to hear
that!”
Pilot: “I only speak the truth.”
D’Argo: “Rygel will go through the tap line and
contact both Moya and Talyn. Talyn can
create a diversion while the rest of us escape out the back door over
here.” [D’Argo points to the back door
all the way across from the bar, the dance floor, and the central solar system
shoot table, the 5 dren chambers and the giant view screen.]
Jool: [Shakes head, thrusting some of her curls
into Chiana’s opened mouth.] “We’ll
never make it!”
Chiana: [Spits hair out in disgust.] “Not if you come along.”
John: “Hey, girls, concentrate here, will ya? If we work together, we will get out of here
and we will be free from all the bad guys for at least one night.”
Rygel: “Why’s that?”
John: “It’s free flask night.”
Aeryn: “Although I am all for escaping, I have to
ask. Why should we be the ones who
should leave? This is our bar, is it
not? Why can’t we simply drink in peace
with all our enemies?”
[All
stop their bickering or chattering and turn to gape at Aeryn in
astonishment. She tries to ignore them,
realizing she was completely out of character.
Unfortunately, they won’t allow her to.]
D’Argo: “She has a point.”
John: “I’m amazed. Damn I love this woman!”
Rygel: “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Chiana: “I thought I saw this coming.”
Jool: “Can we do something now? My knees are getting sore and there’s a
green glowing fuzz beginning to make its way towards us from underneath that
chair.”
Aeryn: “There has to be some way, some thing we can
do or say to make them realize we’re all here freely on our own time. Just to have a good time.”
John: “I have an idea.”
[Group
moans…quietly though, as a large Scarran stomps past their booth. Several microns later, Rygel appears on the
stage near the giant view screen in the center of the stand and clears his
throat. All aliens do not notice nor
hear him at first. John lets out a loud
whistle and all turn their attention to Rygel.
He nervously holds a fart and laughs.]
Rygel: “I once came upon a Budong who was ill and
depressed. I asked him what his problem
was. You know what he said? He couldn’t find anything to eat. I looked around at all the asteroids and
asked him what the frell he was talking about.
The Budong said ‘I don’t eat asteroids I eat other Budongs. I was surprised. Why, I asked, do you eat your own? You know what he said? He
wanted to save all other forms of life from his fellow Budong comrades. He knew that eating every one of his
comrades until there was none left was the only solution. And now he was dying. I still didn’t understand why he was
sacrificing his own life for so many others.
Then he made it perfectly clear.
Well, actually, he died. But you
see, he understood what life was really all about. Being free. And paying
the ultimate price to keep that concept alive.”
Angry
drunk alien: “What the frell is your
point?”
Rygel: [Crosses hands and lets out a long
breath.] “We are all of different
races, heritages, and legendary food preparers. This is just so there is variety, so there is always something
new to discover about one another. To
enjoy what we all have to offer. Have
you every even tasted a Hynerian Mojule?
If not, I suggest you do…if there’s any left, of course. My point to you is that we are all one and
the same because we all wish to simply be free to do as we wish. Let us drink tonight as a united
people. Discover what other species are
all about and maybe gain some new friends.
Please. Enjoy the free Fellip
Nectar and the free time to be with so many incredible species.”
[Bar
becomes quiet as aliens contemplate this idea.
The FS crew hiding in the darkened corner behind the view screen look on
in amazement, unable to believe these words came out of the inconsiderate
little snurcher they had all come to know and, well…try to love. And just as they began to believe Rygel’s
words had gotten through, the mass majority of the aliens began to pile out of
the bar, even with the free alcohol being served that evening. John’s plan worked. Speaking peacefully and really frelling nice
had gotten rid of the worst of their problems.
Even Scorpius had snarled and decided to leave. Crais stayed behind and continued to drink
at the bar. John and the rest of the
crew came out of their hiding places and John patted Rygel on the back, nearly
knocking him off his throne.]
John: “Good work Rygel! You even made me want to cry.”
D’Argo: “Actually, I think it was the rotten food
cubes back there.”
Jool: “Ugh, enough of this sentimental dren, let’s
drink! The taps are full and we’re
practically the only ones here!”
Chiana: “Frell.”
Aeryn: “Don’t tell me.”
Pilot: “What is it?”
Chiana: “I think all the aliens that left just
realized they forgot it was free flask night…even if we were here to spoil it
for them. They’re all coming back.”
John: “And they probably won’t even bother
us. Bartender! Get out the vats! The cavalry is headed our way!”
Rygel: “Please…before I do or say anything else
that’s too nice!”
[Aliens
begin to pour back into the bar and barely care to look at John and the rest of
the crew. The Scarrans even push past
them to get to the bar. Scorpius steps
up to John and his friends grow instantly still and fear for his life. Scorpius
looks to John, then to the bar, and then back to John. He then heads to the bar and orders himself
a drink. John lets out a huge breath
and his friends head back to the booth with him close behind.]
Aeryn: “That was too close.”
John: “Yeah. But you know what? They all got what they wanted. A free flask. They didn’t have to fight they simply had to show up and enjoy
themselves. And that’s what it’s all
about. Freedom.”
*****