Cultrek IV: A New Hope

by ACE Albert

What happens if the United Federation of Planets can realize its true potential? How would other galaxies and organizations be affected? Find out in CULTREK IV: A NEW HOPE, starring the United Culture of People!

1. Chapter 1

CULTREK IV: A NEW HOPE

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

INTRODUCTION

AUTHORS: ACE Albert and andrewjameswilliams

Historical Note

Most historians agree that the constituent members of the former United Federation of Planets could not have survived the last eighty years if it were not for the galactic agreement of twenty two ninety four that dissolved the space-faring governments of the Milky Way Galaxy and established the United Culture of People in its stead. By the twenty third century we were well aware of just how pitifully inadequate Starfleet was - in spite of the best efforts of the Federation and of courageous Captains such as the publicly renowned James Tiberius Kirk - in defending us against both known and then-unknown aggressors in the Milky Way Galaxy. However despite our best efforts we were unable to achieve a feasible method of rendering Starfleet capable of defending the Federation acceptably. So we like the Romulan Star Empire and the Klingon Imperial Empire instead chose to believe that if we did not provoke these aggressive races, they would not choose to precipitate hostile actions against us; we reasoned that there would be many other species in the galaxy, besides us, that these aggressors would have more cause to war against. We sank into complacency, safe in our own ignorance and delusions.

Little did we realize just how wrong we were. We later realized that even at that time, preparations were being made by powerful hostile races including the parasitic Ciona Imperixe and the mindless Borg Collective to force the Federation into a fate worse than death: assimilation. And the Dominion also was preparing to act decisively to neutralize the Federation, and the rest of the ABQ governments, before we would become too powerful for them to handle.

It has only been by an extreme stroke of luck that we have not only survived the last eighty years, but indeed are now part of an organization much greater than anything we could have ever imagined. However with the initiation of efforts to explore and colonize different galaxies and realities I cannot help but feel that we are once again in the position the former United Federation of Planets was in in the twenty third century, and that once we start exploring in the greater multiverse we will encounter aggressors that will threaten our very existence. However we cannot count on ignorance and delusions to reassure ourselves as we mistakenly did in the twenty third century - nor can we count on the belief that all sufficiently advanced species will be mature enough to shun aggressive actions and warfare, a belief which was proven wrong in the twenty second century when we thought 'sufficiently advanced' meant interstellar-capable species; I fear that we will find this belief wrong yet again when we re-define 'sufficiently advanced' as meaning intergalactic or interdimensional-capable species - our luck was the only reason we survived then and I for one am not about to count on that extraordinary luck again. I realize that the only way we can be even slightly safer, is to explore aggressively so we can find and prepare for potential threats before they notice and destroy us first. Indeed there might well be no way to adequately prepare for what is out there but we however are resolute and we will try.
Picard - Captain, Galactic Patrol, LRE Enterprise
Year-2376

CONFIDENTIAL
From: Galactic Patrol Command
To: Captain Jean-Luc Picard, LRE Enterprise
Technical Data and Mission 001 Information for Exploratory Fleet to Grand Unified Timespace (GUT) J-25/001/00101
(Galaxy J-25, Universe 001, TimeGrid 00101)

NOTICE: UT (Universe/TimeGrid) Dislocation Prohibited Except Under Level Omega-One Conditions

Task Force

LRE (2)
VAS (2)
VFP (10)
VLR (100)
DD (50,000)

No contact with other GP forces except in cases of extreme emergencies, for 5 years

LRE CLASS ENHANCED DETERRENCE EXPLORER

Class:
Long-Range Explorer

Type:
Self-Sustaining Long-Range Exploration and Science Vessel

Hull Life:
1000 years

Refit Minor:
5 years

Refit Major:
50 years

Propulsion:
FTL: GUT (grand unified timespace drive), QSD (quantum slipstream drive)
STL: Five Multitranspulse Engines

Sensors:
Multidimensional

Ground Forces:
10,000 Defensive Drones

Specific Weapons (in addition to standard VFP specs):
20 Remote Forced Quantum Singularity Projectors
2 Extra-Dimensional Energy Impellers

Additional Defense (in addition to standard VFP specs):
2 Dimensional Cloak Generators

In recognition of the need for long-range exploration vessels capable of operating alone for extended periods of time, Galactic Patrol and the United Culture of People commissioned the class of Long Range Explorer vessels to supplement the existing class of Very Long Range (VLR) explorers. Where the VLR class was basically a hulk with GUT engines, with a weak hull and basically nonexistent offense and defense capabilities, GP Command recognized that in exploration of unknown territories, unexpected situations may occur which would require a GP vessel to be able to defend itself, often in numerically disadvantageous situations. The LRE class addressed this need in terms of having powerful offensive and defensive systems to allow it to, if/when necessary, hold off, alone, possible deadly and numerically superior enemies. Although it is categorized as an exploration vessel the LRE class is one of the most powerful starships in the Galactic Patrol, with only dedicated warships being more powerful. Also the LRE class was designed with a much stronger hull and was made to be self-sustaining for at least 5 years and at most 50 years, allowing its use in many additional situations which the VLR class was incapable of handling.

Prologue

Although the basic technology had been used for quite a few centuries by one of the (now) senior members of United Culture of People, it had only been in the past few decades that the final perfections had been made to make grand unified timespace drive a viable tool for the rest of the UCP and the Galactic Patrol fleet. GUT basically offered the ability to take a ship to velocities capable of rapid inter-galactic travel. This was besides its ability to allow interdimensional and temporal travel at will, but the use of either of these had been restricted to exceptional circumstances only by the UCP Council until further notice, so that the Galactic Patrol could focus on exploring, studying, and mapping their own Universe and TimeGrid first. Of course although the theory behind GUT drive was well understood and indeed more primitive versions had been used by the People for centuries before the formation of the UCP, theories were one thing and reality another hence why it had taken so long to enable modern GUT technology to be fitted to Patrol starships. Now it was, and the possibilities were enormous. The UCP was on the brink of a revolution, one that would fundamentally change many things and perhaps even push civilizations to whole new levels. Picard and the others selected for the upcoming mission to Grand Unified Timespace J-25/001/00101 - one of the first missions of the Galactic Patrol beyond the borders of the Milky Way Galaxy and its companion dwarf galaxies - would be at the forefront of the revolution, taking the UCP's first steps where no people had trod before.

For years, the Culture had planned a mission to space beyond the visible universe. The trip had been a certainty ever since it was known that GUT drive was nearing completion. And now the time had come to see the dream come true. Picard's small fleet of explorers would proceed to the J-25 galaxy, a galaxy beyond the visible light barrier and whose existence previously had only been theoretical; they would travel millions of light years in mere seconds. Once there, the ships would design and implement, based on the shape, size, and other properties of Galaxy J-25, a designated course and begin to systematically map the galaxy.

Picard sincerely hoped that the space-faring civilizations in J-25 turned out to be more mature and friendly than the civilizations in the Milky Way eighty years ago were. The Council hoped so too, but Picard was glad that they were taking no chances. A second fleet consisting of 5 LRE's, 10 VLR's, 100 GSV's, and 50 ROU's would be accompanying them to the outskirts of J-25; the stated mission of this second fleet was to map the local intergalactic space between J-25 and the galaxies near it, but both Picard and the Council knew that the true reason for the presence and composition of this second fleet was to provide emergency back-up in case one of his ships ran into a hostile and powerful threat that they couldn't handle alone and yet which needed to be handled. Picard shuddered at the thought; the United Culture of Planets was just as an organization taking its first steps beyond the Milky Way and its satellite galaxies, and the last thing he or anyone else in the Galactic Patrol wanted was a confrontation with an advanced, hostile species in a galaxy beyond the visible universe. Still, he felt better that the person leading the second fleet was Special Section Agent Maxwell, one of his best and most trusted friends.

Special Section, Picard mused. There was an interesting organization. In the days of the now-defunct United Federation of Planets, there had existed a curious semi-independent organization within the UFP known as "Section 31," which was a ruthless, immoral surveillance and spying organization that would do anything to ensure the survival of the UFP. It was a good idea, Picard mused, but somewhere down the line since S31 was founded, the implementation had become a bit lacking. When the Galactic Accords were signed, however, Section 31, and their counterparts in other agencies such as the Tal'Shiar and the Obsidian Order, to name two, had been united with other spying and special circumstances outfits across the Milky Way Galaxy and forged into a moral, altruistic, dedicated, and highly trained special-forces unit called the Special Section that was optimized to handle new, unexpected, or previously unencountered/un-planned for situations. Picard shuddered again at the thought of Section 31 and some of the tactics it had used. He sure was glad for the existence of the Special Section in its stead these days. One of the long list of things he had to thank the UCP for, he silently decided.

Just then, Picard's reverie was interrupted by a chime at his ready room door, to which he automatically stated "Come." His first officer, Commander Quinn, entered. "The fleet is ready to depart for GUT J-25/001/00101, Captain," he stated. Picard smiled and followed his First Officer back out to the bridge. "Signal the other ships and establish a communications channel," he ordered. Taking a deep breath, Picard prepared to deliver an inspirational speech to his fleet and give the command to boldly go forth and make history...

Alpha Quadrant Representative Sosko was feeling better than he had felt in a long time. The erstwhile Klingon was proud to be part of a Council with honor, a Council that was willing to fight. In the old days the Klingon Imperial Empire had been growing soft, Sosko reminisced, they had been influenced slowly but surely by their neighbors the United Federation of Planets. In the old days Sosko had been a Klingon that respected and indeed lauded most of the ideals of the UFP, but the Federationers' extreme aversion to combat, and more importantly their self-propagated delusions of peace and goodwill with the rest of the galaxy, had often irritated him to no end. Kirk was an exception, a figure widely respected even among Klingons of that time, but most Federationers of that era were not like Kirk, especially not the Federation Council. The Klingons too had changed since the time of the Klingon Imperial Empire, Sosko remembered. At that time the Klingons considered that the highest honor a Klingon could display was to go forth and die in glorious battle, so as to go to Sto'Vo'Kor. They were, fortunately, enlightened by Culture, which showed them that the best way of achieving glory was not to expire in battle, but to live, as long as one wished, so that even more glory could be sought and obtained. They also realized that seeking battle just for the sake of seeking battle or glory was no honor, but fighting battles that needed to be fought was one of the most honorable and glorious acts - along with going boldly forth into the unknown, seeking knowledge and adventure - a Klingon could perform. Sosko shuddered rather elaborately. He could not even comprehend how the Klingons as a race had survived in those dark ages that had lasted centuries, when all they had wanted and aspired to do was to go forth and die in a blaze of "glorious" battle, as soon as possible. Sosko was indeed most grateful for the Enlightenment, as it was generally known, of the Klingons.

Thinking further, Sosko started laughing and he laughed long and hard. Who would have ever thought that a Klingon like Sosko would have ever chosen a Romulan as his mate?

Delta Quadrant Representative Neelix was rather shocked when the channel opened and he beheld the visage of his old friend Sosko, laughing uncontrollably and nearly doubled over with laughter.

"What?!" demanded Neelix with mock severity, raising an eyebrow in a very Vulcan gesture. "Is there something I should be aware of?!"

Sosko chuckled. "Just thinking about the old times, Neelix," he replied.

"Ah," said Neelix with feeling. "Those were the times, weren't they," he said, chuckling as his own memories from the past rose up.

"Yes, indeed," rumbled Sosko.

"But," said Sosko, "I presume there is more reason to your call then to check up with an old friend?"

"Yes, indeed, there is," said Neelix, getting his own laughter under control. "The Second Fleet to Galaxy J-25 is just getting ready to depart," he continued. "You and I are to arrive at -" here he uploaded coordinates to Sosko's screen - "to see them off and wish them an enjoyable and adventurous journey."

"Indeed," rumbled the Klingon, "I have been awaiting that for quite some time. Just imagine, a whole new galaxy full of glory and wonder just waiting to be uncovered!"

"Absolutely," stated Neelix with feeling. "With the perfected GUT drive, the whole universe is now right at our fingertips!"

"Today is a good day to live!" roared Sosko passionately.

"Today is a great time to be alive!" replied Neelix with equal fervor. "I will see you at the send-off in 2 hours," he concluded.

"Until then," said Sosko, saluting his long-time friend and closing the channel. 2 hours, he mused. It was just enough time to prepare a speech properly befitting such a glorious quest.

TBC… in CHAPTER 1: The Stage is Set