The Journey's Trek

By Michael Weyer

Thanks to those who pointed out some errors I was able to correct in previous chapters.

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"Harcourt?" Roslin was frowning at the man at the end of the table. "I thought your name was Socrates."

"No, madam," Bones sardonically said. "His name is definitely Mudd!"

Kirk was staring in disbelief at the man. "Harry Mudd…how the hell did you get here? The last time we saw you, you were being sentenced to a rehabilitation center after that love potion mess."

"Ah, now therein hangs a tale," Mudd said, stroking his mustache. "But I'm sure you have better things to do than listen to it so maybe I should just be…" He stood up but a guard nearby put a hand on his shoulder to shove him down. Mudd seemed to notice for the first time the ugly looks he was getting from the rest of the Colonials.

"You're…from this Federation?" Roslin snapped at him, her eyes narrowed behind her glasses.

"In the loosest sense of the term," Kirk sighed. "Harry Mudd is a noted criminal…"

"Never actually convicted of a high crime, Kirk," the man protested.

"Smuggler."

"Entrepreneur!"

"Con artist."

"Speculator."

"And all around scoundrel."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Mudd sniffed. "I've been keeping things clean here, Kirk, ask anyone!"

"You run the black market," Roslin coolly said.

Mudd winced at the glare Kirk threw at him. "Now let's not be judging just by labels now. I merely oversee a quite important service for this fleet, get people what they need at fair prices and stop some of the more…unsavory elements from abusing it."

"At no profit to yourself?" Kirk sardonically noted.

"Well, one must live, Captain," Mudd replied. "In case you haven't noticed, these people aren't exactly providing as easy a lifestyle as I'm used to."

"We can make it harder," Adama snapped in a harsh tone.

Mudd took in his glance and the mirroring one on Roslin's and swallowed. "Ah, Kirk, I think I might have overstayed my welcome here. Been too long since I saw some Federation planets, might be due for a vacation."

"Not going to happen, Harry," Kirk said.

Mudd licked his lips as he leaned in, his expression desperate. "Kirk…please, you don't know what these people are like! They'll beat me to within an inch of my life and then flush me out an airlock!"

"You're confusing them with me," Kirk dryly said. "Besides, Harry, you just said how important a job you're doing for this fleet. Who am I to take away such a strong asset?"

"Kirk, come on, after all we've been through together, how can you desert me like this?"

"I believe it's because of all we've been through together, Harry."

Mudd stammered before raising a hand. "As a Federation citizen, I request sanctuary and asylum and any other term for being able to hide!"

Kirk looked at him, then over at Spock with an almost pleading expression. "Spock, tell me I don't have to honor that."

"Regrettably, Captain," the Vulcan spoke from the side of the room. "I fear Mr. Mudd is entitled to said protections under Federation law."

Kirk sighed and rubbed his head. "Fine, fine. We'll take you back to the Enterprise."

Mudd grinned broadly. "Bless you, laddie, bless you!" He paused as he sat back. "Of course, I will need time to pack, say goodbye to a few lovelies, get my nest eggs together…"

One look at Kirk's face silenced him. "Or could just go now." He quickly rose and headed for the door, a red-garbed officer keeping a close eye on him. He paused at the doorway to face Roslin. "By the way, Madam President, I will be assembling an overall bill for my complete services here and…" The guard yanked him out of the room by his collar as Kirk made a mental note to put a commendation on the man's record.

"I'll go with to make sure he makes it on the shuttle, Captain," Scotty said, following the guard out.

Kirk sighed as he looked to Roslin. "My apologies, Madam President. Mudd has a habit of stirring up trouble wherever her goes."

"We'll discuss it later, Captain," Roslin said as she settled back. "For now, I believe it's time you addressed the Quorum on our options."

Kirk nodded as he faced the group and took a deep breath before beginning.

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After ensuring Harry Mudd was secured quite firmly in the shuttle, Scotty took the opportunity to look around the docking bay area. He was aware of a pair of Marines watching him closely but ignored them as he took in the fighters. There were mechanics working all around, some glancing at him with curiosity but most keeping to their tasks. Scotty moved closer to one of the Vipers, admiring its design.

"Hi there." Scotty turned to see a heavyset man in an orange uniform looking at him. Behind him was a pretty young woman with black hair in a matching uniform, holding a large welding tool. "Galen Tyrol, I'm the Chief around here. This is Cally." The woman waved.

"Montgomery Scott," Scotty introduced himself. He nodded at the Vipers. "A nice piece of work here."

"Classic Colonial Viper," the Chief said with some pride. "She's an old bird but still able to handle things well."

Scotty looked around. "If you don't mind me saying so, your ship looks a bit rough around the edges."

Tyrol nodded. "She was made during the first Cylon War. She was actually about to be turned into a museum when the attacks happened, only reason she survived. We've been doing our best to keep her going."

"It's pretty much a full-time job," Cally said with a sigh. "We don't have the supplies we used to and with all the jumps…"

"Aye, I've been meaning to ask about that," Scotty said, crossing his arms. "How do ye do that, anyway? We use what's called a warp drive, powered by an matter/antimatter chamber."

Cally and Tyrol exchanged amazed glances. "Antimatter?" Tyrol exclaimed. "You're kidding me, right? You…can control that?"

"Aye," Scotty confirmed. "What do you use?"

"We call it the FTL drive," Tyrol explained. "Uses tylium ore." He saw Scott's blank expression. "Maybe you have a different name for it. Anyway, it basically allows us to fold space around, creating an instant gateway to another place."

Scotty raised his eyebrows. "Really? We've experimented with that ourselves but never could figure how a crew can survive the reversion process."

"It's not as hard as it sounds," Cally threw in. "Really, it…"

"Excuse me." The two turned to see Apollo standing before them, his face hard. "I think you two have more important things to do than relate our technology secrets." At his expression, the two blanched and quickly moved off.

Lee turned to Scotty. "Sorry but Commander's orders."

"Understood," Scotty noted. "I was just naturally curious about your travel methods. Engineer and all."

Lee's face softened. "I understand that. Sorry but things have been so tense around here…" He sighed. "If we're on edge, I'm sorry. The fact is, we're still dealing with the end of everything we knew. This search for Earth has been the only thing pushing us on. I hope we can make it work but…We've been disappointed before."

Scotty smiled. "Ah, you're in good hands with Captain Kirk, lad, trust me on that."

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First contact missions were always the most difficult for Starfleet cadets to master. Handling a culture that had no idea of life beyond their own world was fraught with land mines that could detonate into a full-scale crisis. Kirk had handled a few before but kept himself calm, reminding himself that this was a society who had already seen their own downfall and hated the idea of losing themselves more.

He had spent the last twenty minutes outlining the Federation's borders and some of its customs as well as what the Colonials could expect in the way of aid. His audience were open with the odd question here and there but mostly listening. But Kirk knew the talking was about to start once he finished this next part.

"Now as for your entrance into the Federation as citizens, there are some issues we have to deal with. The foremost among them is your colonial status."

"What do you mean?" Zarek asked.

"Normally, the Federation will accept worlds where the people have a common government. From what I gather, your colonies each have separate laws and cultural affairs. That makes the issue of your placement rather…tricky."

"In what way?" Alisander Asiel, the representative of Aerilon spoke up.

Kirk looked over the table then to Roslin. "Madam President, I'm sure the subject has been broached of how your people will be distributed should you reach Earth or some other inhabitable planet."

Roslin nodded. "We have."

"And are your people staying together or basically separating into different places?"

Roslin frowned. "Well, the discussion has been leaning toward separation. We felt it best to keep as much of our various cultures intact as we can."

Kirk nodded. "Therein lies a problem, Madam President. The Federation will not see your people as Sagittarians or Capricans or Gemenonese. They will see all of you as, for lack of a better term, Kobolians. Any placement decisions they make will effect your entire fleet as a whole and that may well include placing you all on the same area together."

As he expected, that caused a murmur along the table, with several people getting hard looks on their faces. Baltar in particular seemed concerned as he raised a hand for attention. "Captain Kirk, while we are more than grateful for any aid you can give us, this is a rather difficult proposition. I know you aren't aware of our history but the fact is, we colonies have had…severe differences."

"Mr. Vice-President, I more than understand," Kirk assured him. "Earth was much the same only a few centuries ago. Hundreds of nations, many of which had conflicts going back longer than anyone could remember. There were several global wars, including the Eugenics Wars which nearly wiped out human life on our world. In the aftermath, we were able to rebuild and realize it was better to accept what we had in common rather than focus on our differences."

"That's all well and good," Robin Wenutu of Canceron said. "But we haven't come all this way just to see what's left of our culture homogenized. Our people will want to keep to their ways."

"I don't know," Zarek mused. "I think some consolidation might be better for us."

Marshall Bagot of Virgon sniffed. "Not like you to play well with others, Zarek."

The former prisoner glared at him. "Let's just say my people aren't exactly thrilled at the idea of going back to being the punching bag for the rest of the Colonies."

Asiel rolled his eyes. "Oh here we go. I can't believe you're using this old chestnut still, Zarek."

"Don't deny it, Asiel," the man spat, a fire in his eyes. "We all know the history here. Even before the first war, my people were put in the back and marginalized by the rest of you."

"And that gave you an excuse for blowing up a federal building?" That got some interested looks from Spock and Kirk.

"While I don't agree with his methods," Perah Enyeto spoke up. "I do think Zarek raises a good point. I know there are a lot of my own people who would appreciate a better start."

Miksa Burian sniffed. "Figures a Tauron would stick up for a terrorist."

Roslin coughed. "If we can move away from that debate for now…"

"Excuse me," Sarah Porter of Gemenon spoke up. "But I have some issues I believe need to be addressed regarding the Federation's…policies."

From the way she spoke, Kirk instantly realized this was going to be a tricky question. The woman was leaning in to stare at him. "Is it true that the Federation does not believe in the Gods?"

Kirk mentally winced, hating being right. "The Federation is made up of hundreds of different cultures, Ms. Porter," he carefully answered. "They all have their own beliefs and the laws of the Federation give them the freedom to worship as they wish."

"You have not answered my question," Porter continued. "Do you believe in the Gods or not? Because I can tell you right now, Captain, my people are not going to be forced to give up their religious beliefs simply to settle on some strange world."

"That's not the only concern," Elrad Hunt stated. He fixed Kirk with as hard a glare as Porter. "Captain…given that your technology appears rather more advanced than ours…I feel it's only fair to ask point blank if your Federation also has AI."

Kirk realized even Roslin and Adama were fixing him with looks of interest and realized he was on even more treacherous ground. "I am not at liberty to discuss any possible Federation scientific works, ladies and gentlemen. I am fully aware of the issues you have regarding AI technology but we are a long way off from developing anything like these Cylons."

"But you are leaning in that direction," Porter snapped. "Just as you refuse to acknowledge the Gods, you are planning the creation of artificial life. We paid for that sin in the most horrible way, Captain."

"Ms. Porter, again, the issue of the Federation's technology is not a key one here." Kirk glanced at Spock before going on. "One issue that I must address is the Cylons and how they keep following you."

Roslin narrowed her eyes. "I was under the impression that as part of our refugee status, you would be entitled to protect us."

"True," Kirk allowed. "However, there is still a lot about these Cylons we don't know. If their technology is roughly the same as yours, a single ship may not pose a threat. But in great numbers, they may cause damage to some worlds. As much as I respect the safety of your fleet, I am under oath to put the Federation first and I cannot allow a hostile force to invade our space."

"There is also the concern of the Cylons coming too close to the Romulan or Klingon Empires," Spock spoke up. "They are each highly territorial and would not take well to any intrusions by the Cylons."

Kirk hid a smile. "In his usual understated fashion, Mr. Spock is saying that should the Cylons somehow blunder into either of those areas, it could set off a full-scale war. One that the Federation would be hard pressed to stay out of."

The Quorum members murmured among themselves at that before Roslin stood up. "Captain, you've given us a lot to consider. Perhaps you can excuse us so we can have time to process and debate it."

Kirk nodded. "As you wish, Madam President. I have to return to the Enterprise in order to prepare our report for Starfleet." He, Bones and Spock rose to their feet as the red-shirted guard with them moved to attention.

Adama stepped forward. "Captain Kirk, if I may make a request?"

Kirk stopped. "Yes, Commander?"

Adama kept his face calm as he spoke. "Since you have seen our ship and been exposed to our technology…I feel it's only right that a representative of ours be able to tour your vessel."

That got some surprised looks all around. Spock frowned at Adama. "The Prime Directive precludes…"

Kirk held up a hand. "Mr. Spock is correct in our laws, Commander." He paused. "However, in the interest of promoting some trust between us, I believe an exchange may be beneficial."

"I can stay here for a bit," Bones spoke up. "I want to check into what medical needs the people in this fleet have."

Kirk nodded. "All right." He turned to Adama. "Have your people meet us in the shuttle bay and we can take them to the Enterprise." He nodded as he, Spock and their guard were led by a Marine out of the room.

Spock leaned in to quietly speak to Kirk. "Captain, this action…"

"They're on edge, Mr. Spock," the Captain replied. "This can go a long way toward easing their fears about us."

Spock shook his head. "I do not agree with it, Captain."

"Your objection is noted, Mr. Spock. But I like to think these people will recognize this effort and be open to this."

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"We can't do this," Porter declared. "We cannot allow our people to be brought into such a…sacrilegious society!"

"All we have left of our histories is on our ships and our people," Burian added. "If we're integrated into this Federation as one, we'll lose all that. Our children won't remember their true heritage."

"And if we don't accept," Baltar spoke up. "We may not have any children to leave anything to. The brutal truth, ladies and gentlemen, is that we are low on supplies and the birth rate isn't going up. Even without the Cylons, the chances of us living past two more generations are close to nil."

"For once, I have to agree with Baltar," Zarek stated. "We've spent all this time searching for Earth and in effect, we've found it. Maybe it's not what we wanted but it's there and it's a chance to keep us going. It won't be easy but we've already been through a lot of changes and showed how we can work together. I think for the opportunity to finally settle on some planet and rebuild, our people can continue that."

Despite her distaste for the man personally, Roslin had to once again admire Zarek's skills as an orator. His words appeared to weigh on the rest of the Quorum. Seeing this, Adama felt like stepping in. "Perhaps we should wait a bit for our report on their ship to come in. We'd have a better feel for them and what they can give us afterward."

Roslin nodded. "A good idea, Commander. I assume you have a selection of people in mind?"

"One or two," Adama said. "One of which might be…problematic with some of you."

When he mentioned the name, the Quorum instantly did what they did best, which was argue among themselves as Roslin made a note to see what Doctor McCoy had to offer for a headache.

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"Ah, now this I missed!" Mudd said with a grin as he settled back into his shuttle seat. "The nice feel of good old Federation craftsmanship! I hope the food replicators on your ship are still up to snuff, Kirk. Been far too long since I had a nice full course meal and…"

"Ensign," Kirk spoke to the red-shirted guard next to him. "If Mr. Mudd utters one more word, gag him."

"Gladly, sir," the man replied. For once, Mudd took the obvious hint and quieted down.

Nearby, Felix Gaeta was looking around the ship with a sense of wonder. "It's so quiet," he muttered. "No roar of engines at all."

"I noticed that," Billy Keikeya said. He was a bit more nervous, adjusting his tie as he rummaged through notes on what to ask once they got on the other ship. "Makes you wonder how else they've improved over us."

Kirk smiled at them. "We'll give you as much of the tour as we can." He glanced at the third guest seated at the rear of the shuttle. "I hope you understand we will be exercising some discretion."

"Oh, don't worry, Captain," Deanna Biers said with a sly smile on her face. "I'm sure I'll get more than what I need on this trip."

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For those wondering, the incident Kirk refers to is from an episode of the Star Trek animated series, "Mudd's Passion" with the late, great Roger C. Carmel voicing the character once more. Thanks for all the comments, feel free to add more.