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The Future of an Illusion
The following is an incomplete story outline for a 'Star Trek: The Ship of Fools' adventure. You can help finish and revise it!
VOICE OVER: "Councilor's log, Dr. Sigmund Freud, stardate (******): The EMH seems to have activated on it's own and promptly developed a Messiah Complex. But for all I know, these things may be considered normal here, my experience with Holograms being somewhat limited. And the Captain's death wish is also very much cultural. He frightens me as much as his loyal and unbalanced Security Chief excites me sexually. I must confess that I do find it all quite Oedipal! Is the Chimera near? In my dreams I am still back in Germany during the war years. and we are at peace. But how can this be? I am afraid to find out. Perhaps I am only still unsettled by the loss of a colleague, Dr. Selar. At least I never saw her suffer. But then, I never saw her feeling much of anything. And I've treated Vulcanian patients, and I can generally see through their accustomed reserve. "
Diotima, having undertaken to undergo Psychoanalysis after having come into Freud's care previously (in 'My Name is Mudd'), first expresses to Freud insecure jealousy because of the effect that Lycia has on Sam, as, indeed Deltans are extremely arousing to all Humanoids in their presence. But, as she explains to Freud, because heightened neuro-sympathetic connection of sex with a Deltan is dangerous for other "sexually immature" Humanoid species, Deltans serving in Starfleet go on record with the Deltan Oath of Celibacy. Culturally, there is no irony for Diotima, to which she is quite oblivious, as there is for Freud, that Lycia, for all her Deltan genius and dangerous proficiency in in neuro-sympathetically enhanced Aikido (to intuit the entirely different holds to use on different species), nevertheless a fifteen year old, is the one held to accountability and constant pressure as a potential Statutory Rapist! The Ancient Greeks, after all, upon whom the Platonians emulate, encouraged the sexualization of mentorship of the elder to the younger. Diotima has also been puzzling about what Spock's enigmatic remarks just prior to his departure, to the effect that Lycia and Darius have had jealous enemies even before they ever met. So, how does this figure into the treacherous attack at the Great Barrier, from which they all barely escaped with their lives? Naturally, Diotima is concerned by the string of violent deaths within Starfleet in this space sector. But Lycia has discovered reason to believe that the slain personnel where infiltrators and saboteurs for the traitorous conspiracy that attacked the expedition at the Great Barrier at the edge of the Milky Way. No sooner had the session ended, and Diotima departed, then, suddenly, the EMH activated. And in the form of Jesus! "I must say that I was more comfortable with you as Asclepius." grumbled Freud. "Who programs this stuff? Is the Chimera near?" "I merely choose persona for your milieu." protested the EMH. "And I only come to raise a question, as your Rabbi." "My Rabbi? If you insist!" "I see that you minister to the Gentiles, something that, myself, never cared for. And a woman at that, and in private." "Oh, so today we are historically accurate! So much for my milieu." "Indeed! Your milieu takes it's roots in mine. Doctor, in who's name do you forgive. Are you divine like Asclepius?" "Why am I accused of hubris today? And how does that constitute a medical emergency?" "Your first tribulation of conscience lies still ahead of you, this very hour." foretold the EMH, and blinked out. Meanwhile, Lycia finds the first such corpse to turn up on USS Anfortas. And for Lycia there still persists the lack of any explanation of the very existence let alone the presence of Ship's Councilor Dr. Sigmund Freud onboard Federation Starship USS Anfortas. Freud, with his sealed transfer orders, like Darius, seemingly had been hustled onto USS Anfortas and out of the Galaxy by Ambassador Spock himself. Darius is convinced that he recognizes the Sigmund Freud serving aboard USS Anfortas as the famous actor he once saw on the stage, recreating the rôle in a one man show. Darius' speculation about the actor leads Lilith to an investigation to support the alarming allegation, a telepathic impression from Kollos, that Freud is a therapeutically successful guilt ridden killer and delusional lunatic, a la Colonel Kane in William Peter Blatty's 'The Ninth Configuration' a.k.a. 'Twinkle Twinkle Killer Kane'! Lilith discovers that the itinerary of the actor to which Darius alludes, and his one man show, his recreation of Sigmund Freud, coincide with a string of accidental deaths of likely enemy agents. Clearly, the work of Section 31. No travel plans are filed for the actor himself. But Lycia works out how he could have done it using routine Federation transports. Able Kane, the actor famous for his Freud recreation, and perhaps secretly a Section 31 assassin, could have booked travel under different cover identities that way. In fact, it appears that he often did so as Ship's Councilor, to help stay in character for his stage shows. But on one assignment, he seems to have slipped up and killed an innocent. After that, the assassinations seem to have stopped. And Starfleet Medical began to track an uncertified Ship's Councilor, apparently a lunatic himself, who they resolved not to interfere with, because he was achieving success with hither to hopeless patients, traumatized in the course of Starfleet duty, who came to trust him as an obvious fellow lunatic, apparently delusional believing himself to be Sigmund Freud! Lilith submits her findings to Security Chief Lycia. Under infuriating, condescending, pouting and cock teasing interrogation by super genius Lolita Security Chief Lycia, Freud's professional detachment is pressed passed it's limits. Lycia mounts a scathing and exacting prosecution upon Freud for abandoning the Seduction Theory in favor of the Fantasy Theory, and all the harm this has done to patients, until Freud blurts out, defensively, that the Seduction and Fantasy Theories each imply the other. What is real also figures in fantasy, and what is fantasy can be acted out. It ought to be obvious! So! concludes Lycia. Freud hoped that the world would see through his lie. Freud protests that had no choice! Freud capitulated to pressure. Or else his enemies would have suppressed Psychoanalysis entirely! Lycia laughs, claps excitedly, and praises Freud for staying so deep in character. She then admits that the assassin is doing everyone a favor. In fact, the one he just bumped off onboard USS Anfortas almost finished assembling a bomb near the Warp Core! Good riddens and viva Section 31! Irritated, Freud dismisses the allegations as stuff and nonsense! He is not the assassin. He is a man of peace! But Lycia smugly reminds him of his patriotic declarations at the inception of the First World War. And then Khakhor enters, most sardonically amused by this revelation, cracking his knuckles with a toothy smile. Freud gulps! But Khakhor cuts Freud loose. Freud flashes back to his family's escape from Nazi Germany. But then another fragment of memory surfaces, of Germany at peace during the war years! But how can this be? Later on, privately, Freud explains away the allegation to Lilith as a projection of Kollos' own self image among Humanoids for so long, as a useful but dangerous entity. Freud is intrigued! The Psychoanalysis of any non Humanoid would be challenging enough. But the chance to delve into a non corporal pure psyche such as Kollos, is a rare opportunity. One from which Freud vows that he will brook no more distraction! Freud just wants to be out from under suspicion, so that he can get back to work. Freud, after all, has a full patient schedule, plus many activities and studies he enjoys onboard, and even travels on his own by shuttle craft, in service to Starfleet and the Federation. But to Freud's irritation, this is not the end of it. Genetic confirmation of Freud's identity by Dr. Gogol, leads Captain Khakhor to the conclusion that Freud may be an historical recreation, a memory implanted clone, not unlike unto the Klingon figurehead Emperor Kahless. And a perfect figure head for self-involved Humans, at that! Which has, to Khakhor's mind, Section 31 written all over it! Upon further analysis by Dr. Gogol, however, anomalies in Freud's make up lead Lycia to the suspicion that Freud is an alien imposter, perhaps from Fluidic Space. Or perhaps that Freud is the Changeling! Even more preposterous, in Psychoanalysis Diotima begins to suspect Freud of being 'Q'!!! This is, to a degree, an obvious transference fantasy on her part. But also just perhaps based upon some ineffable vibe she gets from Freud, of something more akin to her own Psychokinesis than to ordinary tangible substance. But, back in their quarters, Diotima's lover Sam berating her for such unscientific silliness. Diotima responds by accusing Sam of insecurity, and of being a lousy listener! -No minor affront to Sam, who is part El Auran. Soon after, Sam barges into Freud's office in Sickbay to confront him with accusations of "putting ideas into her head"! But Sam, soon defensive about his insecurity, quickly shifts ground and demands of Freud, honestly, -how scientific is all this mumbo jumbo of Diotima's, about Freud's supposed Psychokinetic insubstantiality? This is actually quite important, because the level bearing of a starship may in no small degree depend upon the level headedness of the Helmsman. And thus Freud finds himself in a quandary, forced into a dillema of either, in sheer credulity, impugning upon Diotima's rational competence, or else putatively lending credence to her outlandish ideations that Freud is actually 'Q'! Meanwhile, Security Chief Lycia finally cracks Freud's sealed transfer orders, the contents of which she keeps private except to the extent that they do not answer the riddle of Freud's identity and presence on board USS Anfortas. They do, however, provide bio-data by which to confirm that the Sigmund Freud among them, whoever and whatever he is, is the same person as was assigned to USS Anfortas. But then Dr. Gogol determines that on a sub molecular level, Freud is still somehow subtly different, physically, from a normal Human. Lycia comes to suspect that Freud must be an immortal, like Flint. Not quite, responds Gotts, finally beginning to accept his own nascent suspicions that Sigmund Freud is a time traveler. Freud finally comes forward with what he knows: He did, indeed masquerade as an actor playing himself in a one man stage show. It was the perfect way to tour the Federation and interact with the audience. Unbeknownst to Freud, however, his booking agent with who he became intimate, seems to have been the assassin. Naively, perhaps, Freud never realized that she had been booking their transportation under a variety of false identities! She was particularly distraught, one day, by the local accidental death of a child. After that, she disappeared. With no booking agent, Freud saw this as a time to wrap up the stage show. And with sufficient exposure to the people's of the 24th century, Freud felt the calling to return to practice full time. Then, out of the blue, Freud received an offer to sign on to Starfleet in a civilian capacity as Ship's Councilor. Most rewarding of all, he found himself regularly transferred to treat some of the most challenging patients. Then, as he began to become a source of gossip within Starfleet, Freud was transferred, yet again, this time to the USS Anfortas. Freud then plays for Lycia a greeting message he has just received from his former lover and booking agent. She is here under cover moving through out the sector! So she is the assassin. Not Freud. But Lycia remains skeptical. And Khakhor summarily reads Freud the proverbial riot act about withholding vital information. Freud admonishes Khakhor, next time before accusing me, at least get me a lawyer! Captain Khokhor, nodding, logs the appointment of Lilith Cytock to that duty, for future reference. For, as a Klingon, Khakhor feels bound to accept as for granted, all honorable requirements of adversariality. Later, Freud confides to Lilith that all the questioning of his identity, existence and presence, has lead Freud to probe within his own psyche resurfacing memories that won't fit in. Neither with his own life, nor with recorded history. Freud is actually becoming filled with dread that in this strange new world he may have become involved something bizarre and terrible, and repressed it from conscious memory.
End of 'The Future of an Illusion'
The previous was an incomplete story outline for a 'Star Trek: The Ship of Fools' adventure. You can help develop, improve and flesh it out!
Copyright 2000-2005 by Aaron Agassi Standard disclaimer: This work violates Paramount copyrights and trademarks, but it's not for profit. Blah, blah, blah...
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