Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, or any of the terms with which it is associated. I am responsible only for my own ideas. Although, I suppose even they are likely to have been influenced by other things I've read or seen. Therefore, chances are none of this is completely mine anyway, so if it sucks, I blame someone else. )

Captain's log:

I don't think about my first day in Star Fleet very often. I suppose I was just never cut-out for life in the vacuum of space. My father certainly had tried to convince me I was. The first memory I have is of him in the uniform which I so admired, about to leave on another one of his dangerous missions to some other quadrant or galaxy. I could never bring myself to care, really. I would never be the military man he was, and he never missed a chance to remind me of that.

I remember my first glimpse at what was to be my new home. The Enterprise had to have been one of the most incredible sights I had ever seen. But somehow, I knew it wasn't where I belonged. My calling was at home, in its little black case, where it wouldn't disturb the strict lifestyle that would have to be upheld aboard a military vessel. I had been a musician, but that would have to change now. My oboe would be of no use to me on a starship. I would have to forget that dream.

They kept reassigning me from place to place, just as ignorant of where I belonged as I was. This was as it should be. I was never one for just standing still. Things simply aren't meant to last forever. After countless jobs at an infinite number of posts, I landed an employment back where I started. I was stationed aboard the Enterprise. I returned as their new captain, replacing the one who had commanded the ship in my time. She had been killed in a tragic accident. Tragic accidents are common in the United Federation of Planets.

Like I said, things just aren't meant to last forever, and the Federation is no different. Entire planets were kept in a peaceful alliance for hundreds of years, but they didn't stay that way. What was once a powerful brotherhood of hundreds of planets is now a deadly war zone, held together by fear of what the others might do to them if they were to break-off. Since the Klingon Empire declared war on the Federation, those worlds which weren't destroyed, or devastated, simply left. An alliance between hundreds of planets was simply no longer feasible after the advent of time travel technology, but on it went, if only as a shadow of its former magnificence. The Empire finally surrendered. But not before stopping half the federation worlds from ever having existed. They were not able to match the power of Star Fleet combined with a united force of all the Federation planets. Their time travel equipment was taken and studied by earth authorities. There was much controversy over this. People thought that no civilization, no matter how advanced should be allowed to possess these kinds of abilities. But the protests fell on deaf ears, and now we are left with the consequences. The United Federation of Planets: a handful of worlds connected only a council on which they each have 5 representatives. Every planet is suspicious of the others, and each is corrupt in its own way. Thieves and terrorists are common, and blame is dealt quickly. The president has no power anymore. He has been pushed aside to allow the planetary governments to make their own decisions.

The explorer class ship which I captain was named "The Enterprise" to satisfy nostalgia. They hoped that the new ship would bring back old hopes for a peaceful society. What they ended up with was another machine built for exploration, but finally used for what humans do best: brutally destroying each other, and everyone else.

I'm not even sure if I believe in history anymore. I think of all the other captains who lead their own "Enterprises" on bold missions to "go where no man has gone before." Picard, Kirk, Archer; did they even exist? Sometimes I'm convinced that none of it ever happened. Sometimes, I'm sure the stories are just myths that the Feds feed us to make us believe in their philosophies. Then I drink until I'm drunk enough to be sure it's all true.

I have to accept the stories. They are all that keep me from suicide. They show me what we could be. It doesn't even matter if they actually happened anymore. I need to believe them.

Right now, I would give anything to have my oboe back. My only way of expressing myself is long gone. I sold it, years ago, for almost nothing. Musical instruments have little value now, in a time where any computer could play a piece much better than any human ever could. Not that I needed pieces. Written music is a waste of time. It is simply a crude photograph of the beautiful landscape that once existed in someone's mind. I never learned to read the notes properly. I simply played what I felt. Thousands of my fathers well earned dollars wasted, as he always told me.

It's eerie out here. I look out my window and all I see is endless black. I told you this wasn't the life for me. I told you I wanted to be a musician. I told you I wanted to travel around earth. I said I wanted to play. You woke me up. You showed me what the world really is. I suppose I should thank you. You destroyed my dreams but allowed me to live my life as it really is. I want to appreciate it; I really do. But the only feeling I can find in myself is hate. I hate you for what you did to me. I loved my dream world. I wanted to stay there. What would have been the harm in that?

I've just received a message telling me that you died. I never got a chance to forgive you. I wasn't ever able to say goodbye. Now you're gone, and there isn't anything I can do about it. It's because of you that I am stuck in this universe. It's your fault I'm stuck here on the Enterprise, in life that I can't stand.

I hate you, dad.

These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise, its continuing mission: To destroy the enemies of Earth, to annihilate potential threats to the Federation, and to find fault and deception among the other members, in an attempt to destroy entire civilizations for the sake of peace.

End Log.