Author's Note: This is an AU Star Trek Universe with several of the following changes:
Star Trek: First Contact did not happen. That was the most fucked up story Berman ever tried to pass off. It violated several things established in the Original Series and just plain sucked. Instead, I'm using what was established in "Strangers From the Sky" as the first contact Earth had with the Vulcans.
I am drawing heavily from Diane Duane's Rihansu series and merging it with Star Trek: Nemesis. It's sort of rough, but will work.
I'm also borrowing heavily from The Vulcan Academy Murders, Spock's World, Final Frontier (the novel) as well as Star Trek Phase II.
The other stuff is based on an online game I ran with this story line. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
USS Enterprise NCC-1701E in orbit around Earth.
Captain Jean Luc Picard sat rather uneasily in his ready room as he was going over the files Admiral Shir' Khar had sent him. To be honest, he was floored by what they implied about the Federation in general and Earth in particular. There was a whole history of the Eugenics Wars that had been covered up by Earth's various governments, and then a great deal was lost to the coming World War III.
Only after the events of the Dominion War was this history coming to light, and frankly it was almost unbelievable. But believe he was forced to do, and not only believe; now he had the whole resolution to the mess dropped into his lap. He leaned back in his chair and looked over at the Admiral, and sighed. "Frankly Admiral, it's a lot to absorb. How did this information finally come to light?"
The red-haired woman fixed him with an emerald green stare and Picard suddenly felt like a school boy who'd just asked a naughty question. The sheer force of this woman's personality filled the room like a vibrating harp string. She was a legend in Starfleet and damn near responsible for the Grand Alliance having never happened. Her vulcanoid features gave her an aquiline appearance that only managed to enhance her natural beauty- even at well over a hundred and fifty years old.
She'd served with distinction throughout an almost hundred year career, that was legendary for its daring do. Unlike many captains who absorbed their ship's reputation, Shir' Khar carried hers with her from ship to ship- from the Constellation II, to the Krieger, to the eventually the dreadnaught Alliance, and finally to the Einstein. Not only was her commands highly sought after by crew and officers alike, but her crews had a reputation for not only snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, but for then beating defeat about the head and shoulders with it.
"Because the individuals involved in the situation did not want their existence known until now. I believe that had the Dominion not threatened Earth itself, that their history would not have come to light at this time," she told him. "Keep in mind, we are talking about beings that although not quite on the same evolutionary scale as the Metrons, and the Excalbians, they are still considerably higher than present day Federation races."
"And they left the Earth just before the Eugenics Wars?" Picard asked. He was a student of history, and even an amateur archeologist, but his interest tended to be more focused on ancient star-faring races who might have been responsible for seeding the galaxy. "Where did they get the technology?"
"We're unsure of that. The Vulcans had star drive hundreds of years before Earth; so did the Romulans," Shir' Khar told him. Again, Picard wondered about the mystery of her origins. She referred to the Vulcans in third person and of Earth almost as home. "But not on the level that would allow them to end up in the Gamma Quadrant."
"Exactly what brought these people to light?" Picard asked. "I mean what did they do to suddenly reveal their existence, and how did we find out about the governmental cover-up?"
Shir' Khar smiled and leaned back in her chair as she sipped the cup of coffee provided by the Enterprises' replicators. "When the Dominion was bearing down on Earth, it seemed that several of them transported aboard the Jem' hadar and Breen attack ships- through their shields- and brought their Vorta commanders back to Starbase 1 with them. Several of them took control of Dominion ships and turned them on the other members of their fleet. To be honest with you, had it not been for their interference, there is a good chance that Earth would have been occupied like Betazed. Their physical and psychic prowess was extremely impressive- like seen nothing I've seen since Excalbia. "
Picard listened to the Admiral's explanation as he absorbed it all. "How did the cover up come to light though?" he asked.
This time the woman actually chuckled and said, "A young graduate student at a small Appalachian University was digging through some recently discovered archives from the old Pentagon and MI-6 files and came across it in his research. The volume of data was immense and when the documents were authenticated, his doctorate was pretty much assured. "
"So, the Augments were really originally designed by the UN in an attempt to deal with these so-called Enhancers?" Picard asked.
"Exactly," she told him. "Evidently, the Eugenics war was originally meant to be round two of what was at the time called the Enhancer Wars. The information from that period of history is very sketchy, but what we are getting out of those archives is that the UN of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century was not a very nice organization. They had fallen under the control of an unholy alliance of a radical religious sect and several totalitarian regimes. They tried to seize control of the Enhancers and use them as some kind of super-army to pacify the rest of the world."
"When the Enhancers of the Anglo-Israeli Alliance managed to finally defeat the UN's strike-forces and beat them back to the Re-Education Camps in Riyadh, the UN turned to genetic augmentations in an attempt to regain power. Evidently the Enhancers were unwilling to escalate the fight to the point that the planet was threatened, so they gathered their forces, and their technology and left. Their last transmission before they warped out of the system said that they would meet our children in the stars."
"And since nature abhors a vacuum, the Augments seized control and set off the Eugenics War," Picard finished the recap.
"But why are we just only finding out about it?" Picard asked.
"Because, evidently they left on the eve of Eugenics War and when they did, they set off some kind of computer bomb designed to infiltrate the databases of every network on the planet and purge it of any data on them. What little information survived the Eugenics War and the subsequent World War III, was ordered sealed by Earth's first Global president, President Stryker."
Picard leaned back and considered what he'd heard. That sounded like the kind of thing Stryker would do in order to protect the fledgling government. He was the man who'd met with Colonel Green and managed to turn the madman's own tactics against him. Before the negotiations were over Stryker had killed Green in personal combat, and finally brought peace to the war-torn planet. Not long after that, the UNS Amity had rescued a damaged Vulcan scout ship out near the Kyper Belt and Earth's first steps toward forging the Federation had been taken.
"And now we think we have identified where these Enhancers went?" it was as much of a question as a statement. Picard now understood why the Enterprise had been moved up in its refit with the new transwarp engines. "You want Enterprise to go to the Gamma Quadrant and find them?"
"Actually Starfleet Intelligence think they've found them already. They call themselves the Transentient Empire and they've been at war with the Dominion for almost two hundred years. We want you to make first contact with them. We want you to see if we can reach a mutually beneficial treaty with them."
It was Picard's turn to be surprised, "A government than can remain on a war footing with the Dominion for two centuries would be a formidable force in the galaxy."
Shir' Khar nodded, "Exactly." She leaned forward and said, "To be honest with you Captain, the Federation can't afford any more enemies. We need friends and allies. Starfleet is having to restructure itself to something more akin to what it was a hundred years ago. We can't afford the kinder, gentler, exploratory force that has prevailed for the last fifty years or so. We need captains who can not only be diplomats, and explorers, but military commanders as well. I think you're one of those Captain Picard, and that's why I have given you this mission."
Picard nodded. He had been expecting this for years, and somehow he knew that he'd eventually be eating his words to Ambassador Spock. The galactic situation had deteriorated over the past few decades, to where "cowboy diplomacy" had once again become not only acceptable, but necessary at times. He got the feeling that he would eventually be borrowing heavily from that era's Enterprise's tactics before his career was over. "What do we know about this Transentient Empire?" he asked. He was uncomfortable with the concept of an empire, especially one with its roots in Earth history.
"We know that they have been at war with the Dominion for almost two centuries, we know that they are willing to talk to us albeit somewhat reluctantly, we know that they were recently attacked by a huge Dominion force at their Saexa System." She leaned forward and put her cup down. "We also know that they've had observers on Earth since they left waiting for us to come to them. There is some concern that they may have infiltrated Starfleet Intelligence, but we can't be sure, so much of the intel I can give you may be compromised."
"Reluctantly?"
"According to our sources, the Empire is concerned over several Federation policies, but we are unclear as to which ones. That is something we need you to find out about."
Picard mulled over what he'd heard. There were some gaping holes in the information and that concerned him a great deal. If he was going to take his ship deep into the Gamma Quadrant, he wanted to have as much information as he possibly could. Although the new engines, shields, and sensors had been rigorously tested and had come through the two month shake-down cruise with flying colors, their application was still a whole new area of contemplation. Add to this, making contact with a race that was at a higher technological and evolutionary stage to the Federation was always difficult and dangerous.
"What about my missing crew?" he asked. The shake-down cruise had been conducted without the benefit of a first officer, and a ship's counselor. "When will I be getting my new Number 1, and ship's counselor?"
Shir' Khar nodded to him. "You will be picking both of them up at DS-9 before you jump off into the Gamma Quadrant, as well as your new Chief of Security, Commander Tuvok."
"Might I inquire as to the identities of my new first officer and counselor?" he asked. Starfleet had been uncharacteristically closed-mouthed about at least two of his new crew members. Every inquiry had been met with a stonewall of silence. He was under the impression that some kind of political game was being played, and he wasn't sure that he liked that.
She leaned back again and said, "I'm sorry about the silence you've been receiving on the subject. I was as unhappy about it as you are. Fleet Admiral Hayes at Starbase 1 has been rather adamant about who you get as an XO, and she's been keeping things stirred up. Your new ship's counselor is Dr. Brendet Jarn from Betazed. He's a psychiatrist as well as a rather talented telepath, about the best that Betazed has to offer."
"And my first?" Picard asked.
"Commander Robin Greenbough," she told him.
"The XO at Starbase 1?" he asked. The man was a genuine war hero. He'd single handedly led the defensive force into combat against the invading Jem' hadar when they tried to board Starbase 1. He'd managed to infiltrate behind their lines and kill several Vorta, Breen, and Jem' hadar commanders before the war was finally won.
"The same," she told him. "Hayes wants to fast track him toward a captaincy."
"I take it you disagree," Picard asked.
Shir' Khar nodded. "Not only do I disagree, but the man himself disagrees. But Hayes feels that Starfleet owes him, and won't take no for an answer."
"Starfleet owes him?" Jean Luc asked.
"Look at his service file. He was a casualty of Sevrin's, attempt to discover the planet Eden. The Aurora belonged to his family, and when it was destroyed he lost his parents and his twin brother. The only reason he survived was that his father had over-clocked the escape pod and shoved him into it."
"That was over a hundred years ago, Admiral," Jean Luc protested. He'd have to be well past the age to serve.
"That pod spent almost that much time a high velocity sub-light speed before it was discovered by the USS Entente and he was rescued. What was ninety-four years to us were only several weeks to him. He's had quite a bit of adapting to do, not the least of which was Earth's government seizing his family's assets in the Equal Resources Act of 2335," Shir' Khar told him.
Jean Luc considered that. This was a man who was born into to one century and literally transported to the next by an unfortunate series of events. "And Commander Greenbough does not agree with the posting?"
"He doesn't agree with the reasons for the posting. He doesn't want to leap-frog over other more deserving officers, but he really has no choice in the matter." She sipped her coffee, and then continued, "He really is a good man, just one out of place, and caught in difficult circumstances. I would appreciate it if you tried not to hold it against him."
Jean Luc nodded and smiled. He understood what it was like when the brass upstairs started playing politics with your career. The whole mess with offering him the Commandant of Starfleet Command was a first-hand example of that. "I understand, Admiral. Maybe together we can find a way around the situation for him."
"I also put in for a flight control officer," Picard asked. "Please tell me that one's not going to be difficult."
"Depends on your definition of difficult, Captain," she told him. "She's a recent graduate of the Academy and has top marks."
"There was an unspoken, however, in that sentence, Admiral," Picard told her.
"One of her parent's is an Admiral and the other an Ambassador of your acquaintance," she replied.
"I don't understand," Jean Luc said.
"Her name is Ensign T'Lear. Her mother is Admiral Saavik. Her father is Ambassador Spock."
"I see," Picard replied, "and her great grandfather was Ambassador Sarek. I really don't see that as being too much of a difficulty. Her family has a certain reputation for honesty and integrity. I don't think it will be any problem."
"You are braver than some. Many captains don't like having the offspring of flag officers on their ships. They think it creates political difficulties," she told him. "I've been there, and have experienced it. However, at the same time, I've found that usually the difficulties are exaggerated."
Picard chuckled, "As have I Admiral." He smiled and offered to refill her cup.
She shook her head, and held up a hand. "No thanks."
"Are there any more miracles you want me to pull off while out in the Gamma Quadrant?"
Shir' Khar leaned back and nodded, "We are interested in any intelligence you can gather on the Dominion's actual strength over there. We know we have dealt them a serious blow, they wouldn't have agreed to let the Alpha Quadrant powers explore that area under any other circumstances. We would like to know just how much of a threat they still are."
Jean Luc smiled and added, "And if we can pull off an alliance with this Transentient Empire, then so much the better."
"Exactly," she said. "Oh, and one other thing."
"Yes?" Picard asked warily.
"I'd like to leave Dr. Seizemore on your ship for the duration. She's requested it, and I thought it might be a good idea. She is after all the developer of the transwarp engines and if there is a problem, she'd be the most likely to help. It's up to you however. She'd mainly be a technical advisor on imperial technology."
Jean Luc considered the request. It was logical, and in reality, Lt. Commander La Forge could use the extra help in monitoring the new engines, and the possible applications of the new technology was still being explored. On a personal level, the woman was somewhat eccentric, but was a very good engineer and got along well with the crew. "I would be glad to have her Admiral," he told his commanding officer. "I think I will need all the extra eyes and ears I can get in the Gamma Quadrant."
