Part 0
Synopsis: With the Sap/TP conflict resolved, and the Alliance fleet left to watch over the Earth's future, John and Stephen consider what they should do next.
The Kindred Spirits universe is dedicated to the late Philip Gilbert.
This is the fifteenth story in the Kindred Spirits sequence and the first of Catharsis - a sequence of stories set in the Kindred Spirits universe and exploring the after effects of the Great Emergence on the lives of those who fought for it. Recommended reading order is:
Kindred Spirits - Two Aims, One Destination
Kindred Spirits - Double Bluff
Kindred Spirits - Slipping the Net
Kindred Spirits - Consumed by Fire
Kindred Spirits - The Stair
Kindred Spirits - Stara Majka
Kindred Spirits - ZD28-FV6
Kindred Spirits - Darkness and Lust
Kindred Spirits - Abandoned
Kindred Spirits - The Path Ahead
Kindred Spirits - Serpent's Tooth
Kindred Spirits - Grand Central Station
Kindred Spirits - Luna Yuletide
Kindred Spirits - Resolutions
Kindred Spirits - Catharsis - The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
Previous stories can be found in the TPFICT archive or on our websites at http://www.oocities.org/tiylaya/KS/ or http://www.effdee.demon.co.uk/tp/Stories/stories.htm
Disclaimer:
This story is based on the television series 'The Tomorrow People', created by Roger Price and owned by Thames Television/Freemantle Media. It also features original characters and situations created by, and the intellectual property of, Jackie Clark and Elizabeth Stanway, October 2003. The title of this story derives from the Douglas Adams' novel of the same name, but the content is unrelated.
Many thanks to Ana for her comments and also to Anyta for beta reading every story in the Kindred Spirits series. Your guidance and commitment to excellence was invaluable to making this universe come to life.
E-mail Address: Jackie@the-tomorrow-people.co.uk
"Okay, where to?" asked John as he checked TIM's new biotronic circuits. "We've given our best for nearly fifty years, and it's high time we moved on! There are good people looking after the Earth now. After all that's happened, I think it's time we looked after ourselves."
Stephen glanced up from the sofa, where he sat playing absent-mindedly with his jaunting belt. "Why can't we just hitch a lift on the next Kalinar leaving the Trig and see where it takes us? After all, we've got the rest of our lives, and the Galaxy is an awfully big place!"
"True," replied John cryptically, "but you're forgetting that I've still got this." He held out his hand, palm upwards, to reveal a small conical device.
Leaning forward, Stephen eyed the object suspiciously. "Is that what I think it is?"
John nodded, then looked down at the crystal-covered box, that was TIM's new home. "Do you have any suggestions, TIM?"
(I believe that the apparatus you are holding is a space-time disrupter circuit. I can only surmise that it is the device loaned to you by the Eternal Order of Time Guardians.)
"Indeed it is, TIM. How else would I have been able to travel across the peaceful Federated worlds - and some not so peaceful - putting together the Alliance fleet? It took me ten years to do that job, ten gruelling years." His voice trailed off as sadness passed across his thoughts. "I only hope it was worth it."
Stephen stood and patted his old friend on the shoulder. "It was necessary, John. The Federation had pushed us too far. They pushed other planets too far, too." He chuckled at his poor choice of words. "And, now that the reforms have begun, I don't fancy sticking around here to be bored to death." He laughed again. "Quite literally!"
While the two men were talking, TIM ran through a quick self-diagnostic. Relieved that the transference of his consciousness into the portable device had been completed, he tested his new sensors. Hmmm, he thought to himself; not as good as I'm used to, but quite adequate to keep these two in their place for the next few years. He coughed to gain their attention. (My sensors detect that the device is still generating a temporal field. When the Time Guardians loaned this to you, John, did they mention a date by which you should return it?)
John suddenly found himself laughing as he recalled Zenon's words. "Past present and future are immaterial to a Time Guardian. I guess they'll come for it when they want it."
"Wow!" Stephen reached out and took the smooth black device from John's hand. "So we've not just got the Galaxy to explore, but all of time as well! In the wrong hands this thing could become quite dangerous. I'm surprised they trusted you enough to let you use it unsupervised."
John crossed his arms and began to pace up and down, a mannerism that Stephen instinctively knew meant he was deep in thought. Stopping abruptly, John looked from Stephen to TIM and back again. "I hardly think that the Time Guardians would allow me to keep such a device indefinitely, unless they believed that it still served some purpose."
Stephen winced and shook his head. "Not another mission. Can't we ever escape from having to save the world?"
(May I make a suggestion?)
The two friends smiled down at TIM. "Of course," said John respectfully. "We always value your opinions."
(I agree, John, that the Guardians of Time would not have allowed you to keep this unless it served a purpose. But I also believe that they know you have served the Federation, and indeed the Earth, well over the years. Perhaps a journey in time will serve some personal purpose; it does not necessarily mean that there is a mission to complete.) The biotronic intelligence paused to allow his words to sink in. (Perhaps if we activate the device it will decide for itself where to take us, and we can just 'go with the flow', as Mike would say.)
"Brilliant idea!" Stephen looked up hopefully into John's eyes. "When do we leave?"
"It's not as simple as that, Stephen. This device isn't like a time disc. It cannot transport us anywhere. We still need to find transport first. All it does is generate a field around a vessel. It allows you to step outside of time while you make a long journey. I've not used it for any other purpose than that, I'm afraid."
"In that case we'd better get started straight away," began Stephen. "We're not getting any younger, you know. And I don't intend to be stuck halfway across the Galaxy when arthritis, and God-only-knows what else, kicks into my aged bones." He smiled warmly. "Okay, then, where do we go to hitch a free ride on a transport?"
John's mind ran through a million different possibilities. If TIM was right and Zenon did have some scheme of his own in mind then perhaps Stephen's suggestion was a possibility. They should just hitch a lift to anywhere, activate the device once aboard and see where it took them. That is, if the crew of the ship could be persuaded to go along with the hare-brained scheme. "This plan is fraught with dangers, you know," he mumbled to no one in particular.
"Isn't it always?"
John looked at Stephen earnestly. "It would hardly be fair of us to hijack the unsuspecting crew of an alien vessel and expect them to embark on a journey through time and space."
Stephen nodded. "I guess not, but I suspect there are a lot of enterprising people willing to take the risks in the hope of making something out of it."
"Stephen! Are you suggesting we encourage these people to risk altering time in the name of profit?"
(I believe that there is an Earth story called the 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy'.)
The two men looked at TIM in surprise. "What has that got to do with anything?" asked Stephen. "This is real life, not some fairly tale."
Ignoring Stephen's irritated tone, TIM continued. (On the cover of that fictitious book it says 'Don't Panic!' I believe that if we are going to spend our retirement hitchhiking around all of known time and space, then it is a very good motto to live by.)
John picked up TIM's box and strode across the room with Stephen following a few paces behind. "You know something, TIM? I think that the new you has developed quite a sense of humour." He paused as the door slid open. "In all my days I've never been one to act on a hunch or to take a gamble, and it looks like now I'm going against a lifetime's instincts and doing just that!"
Pushing John through the doorway, Stephen smiled. (Well, now is as good a time as any to start, and there are no two friends I'd rather take those chances with than the two of you!)
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