Sometimes I think I should start an entire group just for dreams, because I have a lot of complex, vivid dreams that I need to write down somewhere. I'm sure others do, too. But that's a question for another day. Here's last night's, before I forget it:

Adventures in Dreamland: Iron Man/Star Trek

A mystery, ancient Iron Man villain, face all in shadows (hint: It's the Controller) manages to survive until the 23rd Century, waiting. Waiting, waiting. The camera comes closer and closer to the shadow figure's face in staccato manner, with the repeated word "waiting." Waiting for what? We don't know yet, but a flashback tells us the why.

Back in the 21st Century, the Controller had used his mind control to attempt sabotage of a Tony Stark experiment with the Extremis tech -- he had tried to control Extremis remotely, and thereby Stark, but had instead created an artificial intelligence -- a machine mind -- that he could control, only it wasn't actually attached to anything and was impotent. So he kept that option in his pocket until such a time as some machine would come "in tune" with the machine mind. Due to his Controller tech, which sucks the vitality out of other people, he was able to extend his own life -- although he continued to age, and grow weaker and more hideous with each passing decade.

Then, after centuries of waiting, the machine mind abruptly comes "online"! An experiment by the famous Dr. Daystrom in the 23rd Century to remotely pilot starships brings an artificial intelligence to life that is almost compatible with the Controller's machine mind! (See: "The Ultimate Computer" on original "Star Trek".) The Controller finds he is unable to take over the A.I., but is able to influence it -- and when that A.I. dies, the Controller's machine mind is stored in Starfleet's computers ... a sleep virus, if you will.

And again, The Controller has to wait. The lives of thousands more people are sucked dry as he becomes more ancient, more immobile, more dependent on machinery. All he can do is wait. An evil spider, in his techno-web, biding his time.

Along comes the 24th Century (possibly the 25th), and there is again interest in Daystrom's idea. Again, an Enterprise is selected to be the guinea pig -- the Enterprise-D, long decommissioned and expendable. Captain Picard comes out of retirement, along with a specially trained skeleton crew of the best and brightest. Monitoring the experiment is Captain Riker, in his own starship, which dwarfs the Enterprise-D.

Such behemoths, with their enormous crews, are one of the reasons that the idea of crew-less starships is becoming attractive again. In fact, drone starships had been attempted, but they were ineffective. Human controllers a distance away were too slow and clumsy reacting to local circumstances, so they weren't very effective in combat. Still, the tech had been preserved ... (Hint: Gun on the mantlepiece!)

Meanwhile, at the experiment, two Klingon ships are also present, as observers for the Empire and for security. The experiment takes place near an M-class world with a Klingon colony, who are also monitoring.

The Daystrom tech is resuscitated, upgraded with 24th Century tech, with the original problem -- actual sentience and independence -- eliminated. However, no one knew about the Controller's mental presence, and THAT is uncorrected for. Confidently, the crew switches on the Daystrom II ...

... and immediately The Controller's machine mind takes control. With no actual intelligence there -- thanks, Starfleet techs -- it's easy! But it also sucks The Controller aboard. His body is so decrepit, it's almost a relief, as he allows it to die, and becomes one with the machine. The Controller is no more -- long live Deus Ex Machina!

And a bonus: Due to being based on Extremis tech, DEM is able to work in concert with the human minds aboard. And due to his own The Controller tech ... well, you can guess the rest.

Immediately, DEM takes control of the crew. As a test, he has them attack the colony from space, with phasers. Success! With no hesitation, the Enterprise-D strafes the little colony, reducing it to tiny bits! After overcoming their shock, the two Klingon warbirds leap to the attack, while Riker wrings his hands and hails Picard over and over. (He always was sort of useless.)

The Enterprise-D, despite being older tech, has no human-console interface to slow it down, and reacts much more nimbly than the warbirds. It disables one, knocking out it shields, and then lures the other too close. It grabs the disabled warbird with tractors, and slams it into the other. Things blow up real good.

Riker must make a decision. Can he fire on his old captain? He tries hailing frequencies again.

Then, out of nowhere come two more starships. Considerably smaller and faster than the norm, they also don't answer hails and attack the Enterprise-D. Outclassed, Picard's ship loses shields in a grueling combat and attempts to use the sun's corona to hide. This has been done before (I forget which episode), but it doesn't now -- the other two starships seem to have no fear and plunge in with the Enterprise-D. Worse, they slap on tractor beams and begin to tow Picard's ship into the sun -- committing suicide to destroy the Enterprise-D!

Amazed, Riker orders sensors boosted to push through the other starships' shields, and discovers no life forms! These are the aforementioned drone ships!

Choosing between life and no life is easy, so Riker cuts between the three ships and the sun. His Super-Dreadnought -- or whatever it is -- easily dispatches the small drone starships. And he uses his own tractors to help pull the Enterprise-D free of the sun's gravity.

Briefly. Picard's ship restores shields -- the Daystrom II is fully capable of self-repair -- and breaks loose. And it's a good thing, because FOUR drone starships suddenly appear. They immediately engage, and while Riker's ship is much more powerful, he is quite outnumbered. (Plus, he's a tool.) Picard's ship must use its edge in maneuverability and speed -- all reactions are instantaneous -- to avoid getting boxed in as before. The Daystrom II learns, as does the Controller! A mad dogfight ensues. Just as the USS Defiant II -- a manned starship -- appears on outer sensor range, demanding surrender of all parties and cessation of hostilities. DEM plunges his ship into the M-Class planet's atmosphere.

And what should he discover on the far side, hidden in the atmosphere, but a ginormous STARSHIP CARRIER. A gigantic manufacturing, assembly and launch facility that is able to travel through space -- and, on thrusters, in atmosphere! And what is it manufacturing, assembling and launching? Why, those drone starships, of course!

Two of the drone starships try to position themselves between DEM and the Carrier, but it is too fast and maneuverable. It slips by them, and begins a strafing run across the mouths of two bays that launch the drone starships. The Carrier has shields, of course, but like a starship launching a shuttle, it cannot have them up while launching drones. Which, luckily, is exactly what's happening at that moment. Two drones surge into view in the bays, ready to launch. But, with shields down and not quite powered up, they are simply targets. DEM switches from phasers to a full spread of photon torpedoes across the mouth of the bays, while simultaneously beaming torpedoes into the heart of the Carrier's engine room ...

Things blow up real good! The drones wheel into the sides of the bay, and further explosions inside indicate a mortal blow. The Carrier shudders deep in its bowels, once, twice, a third time ... and then begins to topple, slowing turning on its side with a teeth-vibrating groan of tortured metal. The crash into the planet's surface takes what seems like an eternity, so large is this beast, and makes one's bones vibrate.

Riker watches in horror. The drone ships were unmanned, but the Carrier had thousands of crew members. And it is unlikely any could have survived. Feeling he has no choice ... he surrenders to the Defiant II. That is his only option, he believes, because he never struck me as very bright.

Now the Enterprise-D is alone, PIcard and its crew under the sway of the disembodied Controller, but believed to be traitors, the Klingons are on a war footing ...

And then ... my wife woke me up. Sorry.

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  • Hahaha! Sorry, everyone!

    What an exciting an elaborate dream! I especially liked the snarky asides about Riker, because he was a real tool, afterall. And isn't it typical that he surrendered his starship! Didn't that happen every other episode of STNG?

    I think an adventures in dreamland group is a great idea. I know I want to read more about story-telling dreams like this. There has to be some stipulation that people only write about especially interesting or funny dreams. The old standby, "I went to school to take a test and found out I was in my PJ's" is not worthy of inclusion!
  • With all due affection and respect, Cap, I'd like to offer Tracy's standard response to my "Adventures in Dreamland": "Obviously, you're insane."
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