Epic.

Thanks - I've been trying to come up with a way to top it for a sequel for years now, but it really can't be done.

It's a long time since I read this story. I never liked DS9 and so I read it only with mild interest the first time. I hadn't thought that it had made much of an impression on me. Re-reading it now, however, I realise that it probably sunk into my subconscious and was the inspiration behind the idea of the Key, influenced by the 'camouflage the Key' imperative in the monks' spell, creating an actual physical world of Toril in 'Tabula Avatar'.

I'm sure I wasn't the first to use this idea - in fact there's something a little like it in Stupid Portal, although the answer turns out to be manipulation of both time lines by an interested party. Whatever, you're entirely welcome.

This was very good, and you're right, you needed the Epilogue. We are so used to time travel in Star Trek and thinking of it as a good, fun thing, not thinking through the implications. Thanks for making me think!

I've been trying to come up with a sequel that solves Voyager's problems for ages, but it just doesn't work - there are so many time paradoxes wrapped around that one, especially the finale, that there is no way for Dawn to interfere without makning things worse.

This story was just as good as the last time I read it.


#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#
A story should have a beginning,
a middle, and an end... but not
necessarily in that order.
- Jean-Luc Godard
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Thanks - sooner or later I'll try to write another in the series.

love this story

Many thanks - there's a sequel, Playing Cupid, but it's only a bit of fun, I hope to write something a bit more substantial sooner or later.

Good Story. I stumbled upon your story by searching the recommendations of people who recommended an Author who has written several stories I like.

Thanks - out of interest, has it been recced somewhere? THis is the second review in 2 or 3 days and it's a pretty old story.

Disturbing and powerful. I'm impressed. I didn't think it was weak without the epilogue, but I did like the epilogue, because it tied back into that short comment about Oz earlier, and I always like it when stories turn back on themselves that way. Full circle and all that. I have no problem with Sisco's choice, incidently. Transporters essentially kill people and then create perfect clones, memories and all, so I can see why he'd be okay with that. (e=mc2, but I can't help believing that becoming energy is the very definition of death.) Of course, I'm of the opinion that the only problem with being dead is the people you leave behind; as a corpse, you don't care anymore, regardless of whether you go to heaven, become everything, reincarnate, or simply cease to exist. By that logic, since eveyone was only killed temporarilly, the only one Dawn hurt was herself. (Even I have problems with that argument, but I definately don't equate it with mass murderer.)
Anyhow, thanks for writing and sharing.

It's one of those weird arguments you can take a lot of different ways - this was my best take on it at the time, but if I was writing it now I might have a different answer.

interesting

Loved this one, Marcus.

I happen to agree with the fully functional Universe theory, for the most part. See, I don't see fossils and the other stuff as proof of the Theory of Evolution. It just goes to show that sometimes, man just gets it wrong...

James, who would love to see another story, besides Cupid.

Sorry, I think this is one where we'll just have to agree to differ. Glad you liked the story anyway.

This was really good, and the only one of it's kind that I'VE ever read. I found it on the tth awards and boy am I glad I did! The ending was rather bittersweet, though the next story in the series helped add to the 'sweet' quite a bit.

Danke

One of these years I may add another sequel, but it won't be soon.

Scary :)

IMHO, it's Benjamin Sisko's wife who's now in charge of DS9 :D

Nice way to build up the eeriness of the situation. Good point, the Key being guarded by monks for centuries would likely be out of touch with reality...

Nice writing of Glinda, she has been one to hold strong opinions.


Scary... And very well written too ;)

This story blew me away the first time I read it. I hadn't associated it with you, Marcus until I reread it just now. Kudos.

Thanks - every now and again I think about writing more in this universe, but there really isn't anywhere else to go with it without getting really silly.

Interesting concept. You had the characters down well. I'm not a Dawn fan, but at least she wasn't whining. I like your work as a whole. It's coherent, and you actually can write, spell, and think. Not all that common a skill these days.

It may just be my interpretation of the character, but I've always seen her as being brighter than any of the other characters including possibly Willow.

Hrm. SHE? Did one of those unknown possible changes be that Cpt Sisko is now a woman? Weird. So can't picture that....So, far this has been way better than I thought it would be. Not a fan of Buffy, but this and all of the theories and what not so work well in this. Great job.

Glad you enjoyed it - watch out for the sequel, Playing Cupid. It's short and fluffy, like a tribble...

I do not know if I buy the claims of Glenda at the end, and here is why: According to some theories in quantum mechanics, anything that COULD happen, HAS happened. If you go back in time and do something that changes the future, the original future does not just vanish. It still exists, along with the new future, and every other future that could possibly exist. All you have done is shifted yourself from one universe to another. Even correcting what caused the change wouldn't just cause the alternate future to disappear. It would still exist, because a universe where you never corrected the changes would still exist, simply by the fact that you corrected the changes to begin with.

I'll put it more simply. You sit down to breakfast, and have to choose between having Fruit Loops or having Cap'n Crunch. You choose to have the Cap'n Crunch. In making that choice, an alternate universe is created where you instead have the Fruit Loops.

Similarly, if you go back in time and make a decision that changes the future, as a consequence a universe is created where you do NOT make that decision. Furthermore, by choosing to correct the changes, a universe is created where the changes are not corrected. Therefore, three different futures (Original Future, Alternate Future, Corrected Alternate Future) exist simultaneously. None of them are wiped out, but continue to exist simply because of choices you make.

Ow. i just wrote that, and it gave even me a headache *wanders off to find some aspirin*

Normally I agree with that version - but this is pretty much God (or someone with godlike powers) making the rules. Dawn knows exactly what she did, and wouldn't have bothered if it left the original universe unchanged.