Chapter 10

"Foothold- Intruder assault"

Chi Draconis Solar System

"How many now?" Shai Alyt Kesaronce demanded. Warships were trickling in ones and twos. He wanted a flood.

"The count is thirty-six now additional ships."

Shai Alyt Kesaronce licked his lips, something that he'd never do in front of his crew but these were extraordinary circumstances. Kesaronce, a somewhat rotund commander and veteran of the Earth-Minbari war and the Drakh incursion was frightened as he had never been before. Those ships were more than he could have hoped for in this short a period of time, however, it wasn't enough of his fellow warriors to defend Minbar and he knew it. The enemy, the same ones that Satai Shakiri the Usurper (as he was beginning to think of him as lately) had been defeated by, was inside the system. A nightmare was about to happen he was in the unenviable position for being responsible for the protection of his planet against First Ones. The enemy was at the edge of the system near the planet Myona, forming their lines for the offensive strike. They were taking their time organizing their ships as they moved forward. At current speed they would be in weapon's range of the first lines of defense at the outer perimeter in an hour and a half, far too soon for his tastes. But at their current speed it would take two days before they could threaten Minbar itself. Fighting with their backs to the planet would be a fool's strategy, so he had to hastily establish a defensive wall and planned fight them all the way to Minbar. Other ships would come to their aid and help to maintain that line as along as possible, until the fleet could arrive, whenever that would be.

The Denova stood out in front, the vanguard of an ever increasing fleet preparing to meet the advancing enemy head on. By twos and threes, more Sharlins and Tinashi were appearing, moving in to their assigned positions. The majority of help however were hours, even days away. No one imagined that such a huge number of ships would be needed to defend the home world and preparations were being rushed into service as best they could.

Jump points were constantly being generated with the civilian ships being hurried out of the area and larger military warships moving in. The order to all civilian traffic to evacuate the area had been given, but the response had been sluggish as communications were being jammed. That didn't stop the application of common sense by those Captains who were more than aware that a major fight was brewing in the very heart of the Minbari Federation. And they had no intentions of being around when the shooting started.

Orbiting stations began secured systems and locking down, in anticipation of the fight. Dozens of shuttles began to evacuate to Minbar's surface and safety. Non military-based travel to and from them had been restricted. Hundreds of national defensive Nials were being hurried to the front. Fixed orbital defensive systems, not used in hundreds of years, but kept in pristine operational shape began powering up, preparing to support their fleet with as much firepower as possible.

"How could they have gotten this close without our detecting them?" he asked. "Those new sensors, the subspace scanners should have detected them."

"They were detected," someone answered. "But as these creatures apparently use some form of faster than light travel that we've never encountered before. No one knew whether it was real or an artifact of instrumentation. Federation warp drive is not comparable, neither is hyperspace travel. It has properties of warp but there were differences."

Kesaronce's fist slammed onto the console loud enough to be heard throughout the length of the bridge. He wanted to blame inferior equipment, or shoddy workmanship. But the equipment hadn't failed. "We didn't know what we were looking at?" he growled. It was inexperience that had caught them off-guard and now they were paying for it. Nothing could be done about that now. "Have communications been established to all ships?" he barked.

"Yes, Shai Alyt, the tight beam laser connection is still functional. All ships are reporting battle readiness. But we only have short–ranged communications. All civilian and much of our military communications are being jammed. Two of our vessels have departed to transmit our distress calls, however the jamming continues deep into hyperspace."

"Understood. See if the subspace communication is working."

"It's still under development. The prototypes are still being perfected and probably won't be operational for a few months."

"Contact them and tell them to try," the Shai Alyt retorted. "Can't we shunt communications through the new beacons?"

"No, Shai Alyt. The beacons in our system are specifically designed for guidance. We couldn't trust the Federationist to try to intercept our communications."

It was a logical and sensible precaution, one that was now biting them on the backside. "Allocate a number of Nials to be used as high speed carriers for our forces as the need arises. Send this message to Ground Base Command. We do not expect to hold them. Request all planetary and orbital defensive systems be activated, weapons free." Not bothering to look at his subordinate he asked, "Alyt Ruon, how many Liandras do we have?"

"Two dozen and another eight dozen from the surface now," the subordinate responded quickly.

"Not enough," he whispered. He moved quickly to the main holographic imager. "We will establish a secondary line here," he said. And fight them back to Minbar. The longer we hold out, the more ships will come to join us in battle. Time is on our side. Where is the Valen'tha?"

"In orbit guarded by two of Shakiri's loyalists. They are Sharlins-quillua class."

That made him shiver; the utter arrogance of it all. "Listen to me," he said carefully. "Tell Shai Alyt Tynois that I am giving a direct order to him and his squadron. Have his ship and two others free the Valen'tha. If Shakiri's people resist in any fashion, then blow them out of the skies. No mercy. Free the Council and move the ship out of the range of the fighting. The Grey Council won't want to leave, but we will not give them a choice. Order one of the Liandras that can detect the newer subspace beacons to jump as escort and head to Babylon Five to relay all available data to Satais Delenn and Neroon and continue there until they reach the station. Tell Tynois and his ships to go with them."

"Yes, Sir. But it will take hours to get out of jamming range. Even if the ships here left now, it would take two and a half weeks for them to get to the Babylon station. One of our own systems would be far closer and we can have ships waiting there to protect them."

"I am aware of that," he explained. "But I've read the battle notes given by the Federationists in their fight. Apparently the First Ones will track a target no matter where it travels to. They will go after the Valen'tha. I can feel it and I intend keep these creatures from killing our people for as long as possible. If these creatures are brave enough to attack us at home then the Grey Council needs to be elsewhere so that they can rally our warriors if we fail here. Contact the Centauri and let them know of our situation."

"You don't expect them to offer aid?" Alyt Ruon asked. He was somewhat surprised that Kesaronce would even suggest such a thing. The Minbari could take care of their own. They offered help to others, not received it. And this plan to send the Valen'tha to the Earther station reeked of cowardliness, even if the plan seemed logical.

"Theses creatures have destroyed worlds," he told them. They've resisted the Shadows and the Vorlons. There can be no surrender. I will not fall into the same trap as did Shakiri. This is home and I will not allow Minbari pride to destroy it."

The others listening intently on the bridge nodded in agreement, some doing so out of fear, but all of them with determination. Minbar had never been directly threatened and its people would resist to their dying breaths.

Babylon Five space

Sharlin- The Diamond of Drokhor

A shaken and wary Shakiri paced backed and forth inside of his private chambers, something he had been doing for the last hour. The emotions that warred within him alternated between extreme anger and complete humiliation.

"How could I have been so blind?" he continually asked himself.

He believed himself free of the Sinhindrea influence. The telepaths that had scanned his mind for hours had pronounced him clean. He felt clean. His supposed cleanliness was a lie, a deception planted into his brain as if he were some sort of lab experiment. They had marked him. His mind had been made filthy with the lies of an enemy that considered him lower than the dust beneath his feet.

Kosh had shown him all too clearly what was lurking within his mind just behind his subconscious. The enemy had seduced him by using what he desired most and magnified it, turning it into something maligned and vile. Yes, he wanted power. It was his right, after all he was worthy of that power -- but not at the expense of the destruction of his people! Even now, he could hardly believe what he had planned to do. His amplified ambition would have started a war with the Earthers and a civil war at home. And he could have welcomed it with opened arms regardless of the consequences.

His opinions of Kosh and Vorlons in general aside, he had been right. Forcing him to see the truth and admitting it had been a terrible, terrifying experience. It had been necessary in order to free him of the enemy's influence, although the full truth of his predicament felt worse with each passing minute. The Sinhindrea had tampered with his mind, magnifying his desires and that was something that Kosh and the other Vorlon could not correct.

"You must be on guard forever," Kosh had told him. The Vorlon's voice never wavered or changed but he got the distinct impression that t Kosh had sadistic pleasure in telling him those words.

His alteration had been permanent and there was nothing that the Vorlon could do to correct the changes. He would always have to second guess himself when attempting to acquire any sort of recognition for himself. A leader who second-guessed himself on everything was no leader at all. Humbled, but not defeated, he raged against the unfairness of it all. But the universe never claimed to be fair.

Mustering some considerable strength, he opened his communications channel and requested those who had come with him to the Starfleet station meet him. Fifteen minutes later, the six Minbari entered his quarters. Gathered around him, they respectfully bowed and he did the same in return.

"I have made an error," he sullenly announced to them. He shook his head dismissively and remained silent for almost a minute before he spoke again. "I have been manipulated by the enemy and almost caused a war between the Minbari. The enemy controlled – controls, me but there is no excuse."

Shai Alyt Kursan was the first to speak. "The fault is not yours, Shakiri," he respectfully announced. "We believe in you and your ideals. Minbar needs us; it needs our strength if it is to survive these troubling times. What was said during the talks is true. The Starfleeters are young that immaturity could pose a significant danger to themselves and others young ones. Earth Alliance needs our help if they are to grow in the right direction."

"I find myself agreeing with our plans but not necessarily with our methods," Shakiri said. "We must earn our right to rule if we are to be successful."

"We've earned the right to lead our people," Yunmay said at a moment's thought. 'We've earn that right by the sacrifice of our blood. We have freely offered our lives for Minbar for generations."

"Have we earned that right?" Shakiri questioned. "I wonder if we haven't completely destroyed our plans. I find myself believing that I must start over without the taint of our enemies overshadowing my mind."

"It would be better to follow the present course of action and take corrective measure as the need arises," answered Yunmay. "We will support you whatever your decision."

Shakiri smiled, pleased by their loyalty, despite what they'd witnessed. "Then there is something I must do." He sighed, not even wanting to contemplate what had to be done. "I need to speak to Delenn."

"You wish to give her one more opportunity to reconsider her decision to oppose you?"

"No," he said. "But Delenn's response will determine the direction of Minbar."

Chi Draconis Star System

"Valen preserve us all!" someone had whispered.

Kesaronce had no idea who said it and it didn't mater, but it was an apt description of what was happening. A short while ago, space in front of the Minbari defensive line decided to explode. Nials, Liandras, and Tinashis had engaged the first wave of enemy fighters and gunboats vectoring in on them. During this time of crisis, Kesaronce had turned into a rock, a stone-faced creature indifferent to the death that surrounded him. He had to be. The others were looking to him for guidance, direction, and strength. The tachyon jamming had become worse than ever as the First Ones cut off all but the most dedicated communications. He couldn't contact the majority of his forces; they were for the most part on their own which meant no coordination in battle.

Sinhindrea vessels- -the smaller ones at least - were organic in nature, resembling some sort of aquatic abomination designed for space travel. Other than differences in size, they looked identical to one another but all of them used a singular weapon, a type of plasma energy weapon, simplistic but devastating in its effectiveness. Waves of Nials fearlessly threw themselves at their Sinhindrea counterparts, weaving, and dodging using their slightly superior maneuverability to stay alive. The stealth systems weren't working as the first few pilots discovered as they died. Despite their lack of communications, the Nials formed into small groups usually supported by a Liandra or a Tinashi.

It required four to six shots to destroy one of the enemy fighters. The Sinhindrea's combat strategy was simplistic, relying on the energy shields to keep them alive while they butchered their opponents. Those shield's ability to keep the enemy from being damaged before they could destroy their enemies, would be the deciding factor, Kesaronce knew.

Despite being equal in numbers, the Nials were being pushed back. He grimaced as a Tinashi opened up with everything it had as it battled two of the larger squid ships. The captain of the vessel had targeted one of the ships and fired a sustained shot as his ship backed away. The Sinhindrea's shields glowed brightly as the neutron cannons unrelenting racked raked it. It took three seconds before the shields collapsed, the ship followed suit immediately after. But in that time it fired no less that seven plasma pulses at point blank range. The bow of the Minbari ship broke apart as foreword weapons emplacements cooked off, and crystalline armor melted. The ship tumbled and fell away, as the second Sinhindrea engaged another group of Minbari ships.

"Shai Alyt!"

He turned quickly, viewed the scanner, and suppressed a smile. Four very fast-moving ships had just exited hyperspace, Whitestars. Working as a group, they immediately engaged and began destroying several of the smaller fighters. Large gunboat-sized fighters turned towards them and began firing. One Whitestar was hit, seriously damaged, but continued its attack finally destroying the enemy gunboat with its main beam weapon. However the enemy had done his job. The Minbari ship slowly started to tumble as internal explosions crippled the ship. The other two Whitestars unable to do anything arced away, assisting a group of Tinashis and Liandras fighting for their lives on the rapidly crumbling front line.

Orbital Communications Center

Minbar

There was a growing sense of horror as Donaan understood that the Shai Alyt in command had finally committed the Sharlins into the battle against the smaller attack ships. Those enemy vessels, which should have been days away, had used some sort of short faster than light hop to engage the Minbari forces far, far sooner that they should have. It was a vicious battle and the enemy hadn't even yet committed their behemoths into the battle. He saw another one of the Whitestars had been cut to pieces on the viewer before he was distracted by frantic calls from one of his subordinates becoming him to follow.

"The Valen'tha has entered jump space and is headed under escort to safety," Tryn-Rii Cren'tia quickly told his superior.

"Do we know where?" As he thought about it he didn't want to know. "Ignore that question."

"Communications are still jammed. Systems are on automatic and lockdown. Everyone's been evacuated, Rii-nan'shok. It is time for us to leave."

Donaan allowed himself one last look at the screen. The entire front line, sixty thousand kilometers long, was engaged against the smaller aquatic ships. The Minbari were losing. Minbari stealth was all but useless and if the analysis about these creatures was true, then the commanders were wise to inactivate the systems and use every bit of extra power for weapons. One of the Sharlins went star bright as was holed by one of the plasma weapons. Three more Sharlins fired in unison with their heavy weapons and several enemy ships were removed from this universe.

Then the bottom fell out. "No!"

Cren'tia's eyes bulged as he moved away from the screen. "We must go!"

Donaan couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene being played out in front of him. The enemy capital ships were engaging now. When their huge pulse weapons hit, Minbar's most powerful ships, those ships glowed briefly while it completely disintegrated. Near misses ruptured armor, causing it to vaporize and run like liquid in the vacuum of space. One of the Sinhindrea capital ships, under assault by four Minbari Sharlins lost containment after six seconds of continuous bombardment. When it blew, everything not shielded was immediately incinerated. Two of the Minbari ships were torn apart; the other two were blackened beyond recognition.

-And the jumpgate-

Epsilon Eridani

The holographic Draal stood in front of himself, something he did fairly often, while he talked to himself. He did so to remind himself that for every touch of euphoria, there was an equal part of somberness. The holographic image that represented him now was the one he favored, somewhat youthful, full of vitality, and projecting that aura of self confidence he'd always had as a teacher. His real body was somewhat different. Machines now kept it - him – his very frail body – alive. The great machine provided him with complete life support and would continue to do so for the next few hundred years. But it was not fully adapted for Minbari physiology and his body was very, very slowly breaking down. Yet, it couldn't let him taste food from home. His body was implanted in a machine while his mind roamed the stars. He would remain while friend grew old and died. And once more, there was that fleeting thought if it was worth it. So much power but he couldn't chew his food. The Starfleeter technology no integrated into his systems couldn't quite replicate taste for his holographic body but he admitted that it came rather close. However it wasn't the same. The body didn't care, but his mind did.

Aright now, however he felt the need to talk to himself some more.

"I always wondered why the universe had such a wicked sense of humor," he said to his unconscious body. "Now, I understand. It is because it is populated by beings that could drive it insane. Humor is the only thing that keeps it from collapsing in on itself and starting all over," he explained to himself. "How Sheridan does it I will never understand. It is a gift. I would have destroyed them all, which I guess, I why I am not the universe!" he finished. Then he laughed. "Yes, laughter is how the universe continues.

He had been there when Kosh told Shakiri was poisoned, which was indeed a shame as he did have several acceptable attributes. However, Shakiri was compromised by darkness and was filled with an unhealthy amount of pride. Yes, Shakiri was full of it and he came close to starting a civil war. And more than once, Draal had been tempted to end Shakiri's life and end this mess. He shook his head and laughed once more. The universe could take care of itself and Shakiri time would come; he wasn't responsible for correcting every little thing...unless it got out of hand of course. Then he 'would' deal with it.

Shaking his head, he regretted that impulse immediately. Again he was tempted to do the same thing as Shakiri. Power was such a seductive gift. "No, wouldn't remove him, maybe just hurt him a bit," the hologram said. "Besides, some of the PsiCorps Earthers needed just as much concerning humility as did Shakiri and some of the more hardcore warrior castes clans."

And I thought controlling the Great Machine was the hardest thing I had to do," he mused. "Running a city filled with aliens who at the very least distrust each other makes me wish for the good old days when all I had to worry about was the Great Machine and how not to fire off weaponry when I was angry."

One of the attributes that was bequeathed Draal when he became one with his machine was the ability to receive communications from just about anywhere in the galaxy. Millions of transmissions were being received and it was a challenge to separate the endless dribble from the truly significant. Minbar of course was one of his interests so when he received the one transmission he never expected it came as somewhat of a shock.

"Yash'Val? What does that mean??" he asked himself, having never heard the term before. He understood the word. Yash was derived from Yashshana, which meant to violate one's person. Val was of course short for Valen. He had a horrible suspicion but he wasn't sure. Normally he would never even consider violating Minbari security but the fear drove him to scan the stored data banks of the machine. It took a few seconds for the machine to send him the answer and although only a hologram, his mind shivered. "Invasion of the homeworld!"

All other thoughts and actions were forgotten as he began to focus his and therefore the Great Machine's concentration on Minbar. The image of Babylon Five fell away and in his mind he was flying in space. He flew through nebulas and stars propelled by mental stellar winds which the machine conjured up for him. The holographic improvements served only to enhance the experience now as he flew directly into and out of a miniature dust cloud. In seconds, the tachyon boosted sensors had brought him to the edge of home.

Draal screamed in frustration as his body s slammed into a psychic/ static wall that kept him from penetrating further. Angered, Draal's emotions translated into raw power, as the Great Machine fed more and more energy into the sensors trying to burn through the interference. With a final shove, he broke through the wall.

Sensors fed information into his brain and one word roared into his conscious.

"Sinhindrea."

Orbital Communications Center –Minbar

"Rii-nan'shok!"

Donaan stared at him in a state of shock, not fully understanding. Witnessing Rasuna station crumbling and falling into the atmosphere had paralyzed him. Cren'tia grabbed the stunned male and physically pulled him towards the shuttle bay. The last of the other remaining crewmembers followed closely behind. Several minutes later, they reached the bay. The large shuttle was already powered up as dozens of the last evacuees crammed into the ship. Donaan moved inside, sparing one last look at the place he'd called home for the last five years.

Everyone strapped in as the shuttle quickly lifted off and gracefully exited the launch bay into open space. Beautiful Minbar lay in front of them and the ship threw itself into the atmosphere and fifteen minutes later, they were on the surface. It was already dark and the stars shine as usual, punctuated by bright flashes. The Rii-nan'shok wasted no time, heading for the main communications center. He had to know what was going on. Breathless he ran into main communications a half hour later.

Rii-nan'shok Marcarea barely spared him a glance. "It's good that you've survived."

"How bad is it?"

"Tachyon scanners are inoperative but visual…" She stopped, aware that the others were listening in. "The last reports were that we lost sixty percent of our defenses! One of their capital ships was destroyed. Our front line is fractured and will collapse at any moment."

"But those images are at light speed…"

"Yes," the short but very attractive female counterpart soberly agreed. "It may well be over." She was frightened. "It's happening too fast. Our planetary forces are only just beginning to prepare. The people are in a panic."

Donaan was of the Worker caste, not warrior, but he understood what had to be going on across the planet. The warriors were preparing for an invasion. The people were preparing for flight to the crystalline mountains of Delachea. The planetary defenses would be hit first. And then, the cities would be blown apart next. Would they have time to flee the coming storm?

One look at Marcarea and he knew his answer. The people had never imagined such a thing, had never prepared for such a possibility. "I offer my services in whatever capacity that you may require."

"Thank you," she responded. "I need you to go to Dravanlpore. The facility is where the subspace transceiver is being built. I require that you help them to finish as quickly as possible."

"What about the Workers there? They are in charge."

"Winiann's ability is not to be taken lightly, but he is too meticulous." She was moving quickly throughout the control room issuing orders. Donaan found himself running to keep up with her. "He's grounded in the old ways and he has, as the Humans say, been dragging his feet. If it isn't of Minbari origin, he is somewhat hesitant to use it. His team has been developing a subspace transmitter for months, back-engineering the one originally given to us so that he could create one that fit Minbari standards. There have been complaints, but he's ignored them. He's been most hostile to any of the new technologies we've been examining. Even the jump space beacons were viewed with a lot of suspicion despite their usefulness."

"Is he that intractable that he would not rush the project even under our current threat?"

"He is one of our best. But he is inflexible even under these circumstances and although he is gifted, he is weak when it comes to things outside of his primary interests. I need you to deal with him and make him understand worker to worker."

"I will go," he said. "But why hasn't this been addressed earlier?"

She stopped and shrugged. "Many have tried. He's too obstinate to listen and too gifted to remove."

He bowed. "I will do what I can. I will apply incentive."

"Valen bless you," she said as he walked out of the room. It would be the last time he'd ever see her or those under her authority again.

USS Ambassador

Captain Garrett, sitting in her favorite chair across from Picard and Sisko savored her coffee. Picard had tea and Sisko had also chosen coffee. "I've never seen such a completely hostile apology in my life. Shakiri was polite but you could see the anger beneath the surface. The Earth Alliance didn't make it easy for him either. Delenn's acceptance was as politely cold as his. Go to love politics."

"The political repercussions of this meeting will reverberate for months, if not years," Picard pronounced with utter certainty.

"You're stating the obvious, Jean-Luc," Rachel said, making him feel somewhat embarrassed. "Honestly, I have no idea what to do. Until the Minbari clean up their act, there's no way we can forge an agreement with them under these circumstances."

"Agreed. However we can still keep the unofficial lines open. We have a lot of Minbari still working with us despite Shakiri's pronouncements. We'll see how that develops." He took a sip and placed his cup down and changed the subject for now. "The ex-leaders of Psi-Corps were less than pleased by the conditions of their parole on Draal's world. Earth Alliance has little desire to have them back, but I'm inclined to return them with, or without their consent. That is after all part of the treaty agreement."

"Have Guinan talk to them. Their families shouldn't be punished with exile for their actions. Clark is dead. It is time for them to start healing. Besides a lot of them want to return home, not all of them, but a lot."

"Do we have any information on the state of affairs with telepaths that are on Earth at this time?"

"Not too much," Sisko said, speaking for the first time. "But I agree that the families should be returned to Earth. They came here as refugees, so now that the crisis has passed, I don't see why they have to remain here. This does not, of course, include the leadership."

"You're not still holding their actions against them are you?" asked Garrett.

"No, it isn't that. But their safety is a concern. Many of the other telepaths might not like the fact that they were abandoned by the PsiCorps leadership during the times of the purge. And the new leadership might be threatened by the return of Barnett and the others. They no longer have their telepathic senses, but they do know where the skeletons are buried and that is leverage they may be able to successfully use."

"That, Captain Sisko is their problem," Picard said.

"How's EarthForce's rebuilding coming along?" Sisko asked, changing the subject.

"They're rebuilding very quickly," said Garrett. "They have a lot of the Olympus Corvettes on line in the system with the improvements they stole from us." She smirked a bit when she said that. "They've also offered a very nice price for as much tritanium as we can provide them. And they've just about finished three working prototypes of an Omega X they've nicknamed Warlock. It's a monster. I'm sure that it'll start replacing their older ships. The specks will be downloaded by the time you get back to your ships."

"I take it that they still haven't detected the stealth probes we have in their system," Picard stated.

Those probes had been present in Earth's system since the Starfleet ships had arrived and by mutual agreement they had never been retrieved. "I think they suspect but they have no proof," Garrett continued. "And for now, I don't see any reason why we should remove them. They're doing the same thing to us, or tying to."

"True," Sisko stated. "Speaking of new ships, the Defiant will be ready for test runs within the week, the Reliant four days later. They're rugged little ships. If they perform to specifications, and I have no doubt that they will, then we will build two more, and then two of the Intrepid class vessels. They'll have heavier weaponry than the original design specs but those two ships will be designed for deep space exploration as well as combat. With our manufacturing capabilities as it stands now, we are talking four months.

"Good," Rachel said. "If we are going to continue having separate exploratory/ diplomatic, and military divisions for the time being, then it would be nice to have a clear division lines along the ships."

"I am still not comfortable with this so-called division," Picard said. "But for the time being I see its necessity."

"It's not written in stone, Jean-Luc," responded an exasperated Garrett. "Besides it doesn't matter for now. No one's saying anything, but everybody's gearing up for war. The Sinhindrea have been quiet in our part of space but that could change any moment."

"But each minute they wait gives us the opportunity to strengthen ourselves. Even Draal is building up. His planetary shield is operational now. Additional weapons emplacements are active."

"And we need to go over our plans once more," Picard told them. "When Captain Riker finishes his patrol, we need to review our combat status. I want all of our Commanders to attend that briefing. We can include our liaisons from EarthForce and the Centauri."

"I'm sure Colonel Griffin will like that," Sisko mused. "He's gotten quite comfortable with us. I would however recommend you keep his holodeck privileges restricted."

Even Picard allowed himself to smile. "I can understand his enthusiasm. He really is Kirk's counterpart in this universe."

"It is rather disturbing," admitted Rachel. "Elizabeth Levy is my doppelganger right down to the scar. Genetically, we're identical, even if she is older. It's quite disturbing, although not unexpected. But she's not me."

"And Colonel Griffin is not James T. Kirk."

"No he isn't, but he acts like him. Even his intonations are identical. Have you seen how the other EarthForce personnel act around him?" asked Sisko. "It's going to be very interesting, if he gets command of a ship."

"All the more reason why we shouldn't encourage him by allowing him access to Kirk's exploits."

"It's already too late for that," Garrett countered. The more she thought about it the more wondered if they were approaching this wrong. "Maybe we should encourage him instead of stifling him," she said. "Maybe we should let nature, whatever that nature is, take its course."

"I don't agree, Captain."

"Picard, you never agree with anything that's not your idea," she countered. "You know the history of this entire sector. These people have had thousands of years of paranoia and isolation. None of the races trust one another. There's been no cooperation between them until we came. Whether we have effected this change, or if it was inevitable is not important, at this point."

"It's not important?" Picard's eyes darkened. "Oh, Rachel, I disagree with that assessment. Our mere presence has affected this universe in ways we haven't even begun to measure. We…"

"You see, that's where you are wrong," she interrupted. "This is our universe now. We're no longer outsiders. We're in the middle of this, right here and right now. For better or worse, we are examples of what could be. Don't you see, this is the point in this universe where Captain Archer tried his best to bring the different races together? Sheridan, Delenn, G'Kar, the Klingons, UP, the Centauri, even the Minbari are at a flash point. They could come together right now, in this time of need."

"It isn't our responsibility to change the course of destiny, Captain."

"God, Jean-Luc, you sound like Janeway." The Admiral had given them the technology, but that lecture about not interfering with the destiny of this universe had driven her up the wall. It seemed like Janeway was speaking trying to convince herself. "We create our own destiny, Captain. That began the instant we stepped into this universe."

Picard slowly lost some of his anger. "You've been listening to Guinan too much, I see."

"That's why I'm strongly considering working with Griffin," she murmured softly.

"In what way?" Picard asked. Suddenly he was afraid of the answer. He'd seen that gleam in her eyes before.

"He's our liaison," she said. "Why don't we ask EarthForce for him on a longer term basis? They did sign the treaty after all. I can't think of a better person than Commander Castillo to take command of the Defiant so what about Griffin as First officer in training?"

Picard hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. "I imagine that Earth Alliance would give him to us on a silver platter. And although I am loath to lose Lieutenant Commander Data, it is my belief he would make a fine Commander of the Reliant."

"Are you sure about that?" Garrett asked.

"Data, our Data," he corrected, "has for a lack of a better word, matured significantly since he was in contact with his counterpart. The exchange of information between the two Datas has changed him from a young and growing individual into a very competent officer."

"I'm still surprised that you allowed a direct transfer between the two of them."

"It was done under strict supervision and I am convinced that we got the better deal. He has shown no signs of instability and his efficiency has improved significantly as well as his understanding of the Human condition. I have no intentions of stifling him simply because he is inorganic. No, he is more than that."

"Which brings up another point," Sisko said. "As we add crews to the new vessels we're depleting our ranks. What are we going to do about this?"

"I have an idea," Picard said. "There are people in 'down below' that might be somewhat interested in an exciting career in Starfleet. If we ask them and provide for their families, we may see a significant number of them wishing to apply. There are others even among the Minbari that may jump at the chance.."

"Let's not go there, not yet," Sisko replied. "But having said that, there are a couple of Minbari who might well be interested," he revised.

"Agreed."

"And what about the telepaths hiding on B5 that we're not supposed to know about?"

"We can plan for a recruitment drive following Starfleet guidelines in the near future. We can also ask EarthForce and the Centauri, an equal number of each to keep them from screaming at each other too much. Now I guess I will make the call to EarthForce ask if they are interested in an exchange program."