Chapter Ten

By Candlelight Defiance

Professor Khali, somewhat irritated that he was relegated towards a less luxurious accommodation than what he was used to, stepped through the doorway and then passed the airlock while being forced to pull his suitcase along. That he was forced to do this himself re-enforced just how far he and Earth had fallen because of those aliens. Fear had made him run, his pride was forcing him to return to that station that was both his curse and sanctuary. Ten minutes later, he reached his destination. Stepping into the sealed hallway, he observed several small vessels located in bay area Four. Most of the ships were short-ranged, requiring jump gates to move from place to place however, there was one ship that stood out from the others. He'd heard about it and seen it on news videos but this was his first time seeing it. It really was here. The infamous saucer ship, the C-five-7-D itself. It was shaped like a wide-brimmed hat and, unlike Vree saucers, was featureless. Three landing struts helped kept the vessel from toppling over, but the huge main pylon extended underneath was clearly its main support structure. Passing through a secondary airlock to enter the bay, Khali walked around, studying the gun-metal grey ship. That was when he noticed that two of the struts were actually mobile stair units leading up into the saucer while the third appeared to be a conveyor belt ramp. Here was an interstellar space ship capable of moving across the stars without the need for outside support, jump gates, or capital ships to protect it.

But… It's so small!

Captain Adams saw the professor and joined him introducing himself as both men walked around the ship. Adams remained quiet watching the professor staring intently at his ship. He wouldn't stop the man from satisfying his curiosity about the ship's exterior. The locals were always fascinated with ships of this type and he couldn't help but smile with pride. When they reached the conveyor ramp, the captain had one of his crew members gently took the professor's suitcase and laid it on the ramp. It activated and took the suitcase up into the ship where a crewman would stash it in Khali's cabin.

"Proxima Colony is building a fleet of ships like this one, isn't it?" the professor asked in his usual academic and condescending manner. It hadn't even crossed Khali's mind to return the greetings.

A flicker of annoyance crossed Adams' face, but it was too quick for Khali to notice. "Yes, Professor. There are several in Earth system and a few at Babylon Five conducting negotiations with them and the Earth Alliance." He didn't mention that Proxima was building another thirty, both cruiser and the larger battleship class. "This however, is the original. But, I must point out that Proxima III is no longer a colony."

Ah, a challenge. "Did Humans evolve on Proxima III?" Khali arched an eyebrow.

Adams merely looked at the professor, giving no hint of his thoughts on his face.

Khali having no ability whatsoever understanding the concept of body language, took the captain's silence as an inability to face the truth and supplied the answer as he saw it. "Then it's not a home world," the academic supplied. "Earth is the home world of humanity. Proxima III is a rebel colony. When it broke away from Earth it promised to return to the Alliance when President Clark was removed from office. Clark's gone. The Proxima colonists broke their promise. They decided to consort with aliens."

Adams bristled. "Now look here, Professor. There are reasons for that—"

Khali held up a hand, stopping the captain. "I'm not here to praise or condemn those decisions. I'm not here to rehash recent history. I'm here to return back to Babylon Five. I intend to do just that that and you're my ride for which I thank you." He waved a hand vaguely at one of the stair struts. "Shall we?"

Adams nodded briskly and gestured for the professor to precede him up the steps. He wondered whether he should regret agreeing to bring Khali along for the ride.

On the main deck of the saucer, Khali looked around. The C-57-D was a treasure trove of technology never developed on Earth, his Earth, the real one. In actuality it was fascinating to see parallel evolution in such a direct manner happening I real time.

Crewmen, dressed in the same gray uniform that Adams wore milled around doing their various jobs, preparing the ship for flight. Most of them wore the cap sporting the ringed comet symbol. That spoke of a different mindset than that of Earth and its military force as most people didn't wear hats indoors. Of course Earthforce ships barely had artificial gravity installed on their ships. Khali fumed. Earth had to steal the technology in order to get it whereas the Federation people and this ship developed it on their own.

The dominant color in this ship was gun-metal gray. How typical. They were so similar to real Earth humans, but were they really human? Khali wondered whether this particular crew or should he say the original crew and those of the Federation, should be categorized under xenopsychology considering their extra-dimensional origins. Or, were they simply humans from somewhere else? Again that was something he'd have to think about when he wrote his thesis. That was a project that he'd reserve for later because at this moment he had to admit that he was too interested in looking at the interior of the ship.

In the center of the deck was the command center. There was a round console around a large transparent globe containing a model of the saucer ship. Lines and dashes were marked on the globe, likely as aides for the vessel's navigation. The professor couldn't help but think that the ship's interior had a slightly retro appearance but he knew that was just a veneer. Just one saucer like this one, though comparatively tiny, could match two Omega-class destroyers, possibly even defeat them.

It was so small!

Past the astrogation station, Khali noticed small alcoves set into a wall behind a long table that had chairs around it. The alcoves appeared incongruous among everything here. The tiny alcove's frame was a dark metal and contained what appeared to be a touch screen with colored squares in it. A soft red glow diffused the interior of the alcove. Curious, Khali pointed at it.

"What's that?" he asked the captain.

Adams said, "It's called a replicator. The Klingons installed it for us." He smirked as he added, "A benefit of independence and being part of the United Planets. Even if it's not the home world of humanity," he added.

But I thought you had developed our own replicators like the Federation people." Khali said somewhat confused. That one device caused other Earth Alliance colonies to literally beg for it. The Earth corporations had seen the writing on the wall and hated the device with a passion, doing their best to ban it across the entire Earth Alliance territory. But after the attack on Earth, the people were using it freely and the genie in the bottle was unleashed for all to see. Of course, the corporations hadn't laid down and died but their stranglehold on the colonies was slowly loosening, especially since Earth was using the synth system freely and would be giving portable models to the Earth without cost.

"We have synthesizers which work just as well if a bit slower. But as I said this was a gift. Our synths can create everything the replicators can but the replicators are faster since they use their matter transporter technology to create materials. It takes just a moment. Ours can take up to a half hour to make a seven course meal. Terribly slow but we're getting faster," he mocked.

Khali had enough presence of mind to repress a sneer. "How long will the journey last?" Khali asked changing the subject. He'd get back to the replicators later.

"Once we're space-borne, it'll take about nine hours to reach Babylon Five," Adams answered. In less than three minutes, Khali had made another enemy. "My crewman will show you to your cabin. Please take your seat in there and make sure your seatbelt is on. You'll be free to move around once we enter hyperspace. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm needed at the control area."

"Yes, Captain. See to your duties," the man dismissed.

Adams paused as Khali walked away, catching the professor's last comment. He shook his head. "Civilian know-it-alls..."

The compartment was remarkably small, understandable since this was a small vessel. But it felt more like a closet and strangely that thought was one of the few things that made him smile. The cabin on the other ship he was on hadn't been comfortable and wasn't much larger, so this wasn't as bad as he'd imagined, and he was pleased that didn't have to share with two other passengers. He still had nightmares being stuffed with dirty, smelly people while fleeing B5.

Ten minutes later, the captain announced their departure and the ship accelerated away from its bay. There as a video screen showing both the space station and the planet quickly receding, becoming a small dot that disappeared from view. Again the captain was on the intercom, stating that they were about to enter hyperspace at the end of the warning bells. Within seconds, he heard a bell chiming coming from one of the speakers inside the room. There were ten beeps and a moment later he experienced the acceleration pushing him into his seat, but it was not as much as he expected. The entire ship vibrated as the acceleration increased. The ship seemed to groan as the speed reached the transition point. The crew seemed indifferent as they were used to it.

There was a slight disorientation and that's when the professor felt it, a timeless lack of time and space as if his body was being destroyed and reborn. He would have panicked except that the feeling had lasted only the merest instant although at the same time it felt as long as the universe was old. It was stunning because it made him feel as if he was one with everything and then it vanished, leaving him to wonder if he had really felt anything at all.

Amazing! He wanted to experience that again! His awakening to everything and nothing sparked so many possibilities within him. How could it be?

This was nothing like entering hyperspace through jump gates as far as he knew. The groaning and vibration in the ship's structure had immediately vanished at the transition point, and that was a big relief for Khali. There was no doubt they were in hyperspace now a belief that was confirmed a few moments later a crewman announced that they were free to remove their seatbelts. He sat there for a few moments, contemplating his experience and its significance before he willed himself to exit his room.

There were no windows on the ship so he couldn't see outside, which was just as well. He had no wish to look at the red swirl right now. Two people exited from their own cabins, surprising him since he assumed that he was the only passenger onboard. One of them was a severe–looking blond woman in her mid-forties and another man approximately the same age dressed in elegant attire. Both had that same look of wonder on their faces as he knew he had a few moments earlier. In a way that was comforting as it confirmed that it wasn't just his imagination playing tricks on him.

The dark-skinned, Hispanic woman saw Khali and smiled, or it was what Khali believed passed for a smile with this woman. She introduced herself as Councilor Vita Wilson of OriGov. Gregory Janoslov a tall man with classic Norwegian features was also a representative of the Orion government. Both of them were to join others already at Babylon Five discussing the situation on Earth as well as the expanding threat of the Sinhindrea and what could be done to stop it. Khali listened politely as they were his equals at least in status and would likely have a glimmer of understanding concerning his arguments about the future of Babylon Five as well as humanity in the foreseeable future.

If nothing else they could be used as a practice model as he prepared his arguments concerning the direction that humanity should be headed towards. It was obvious to everybody with two functioning brain cells that things were changing quickly and humanity had better get a handle on what was coming before it overtook everyone. But first he needed to tend to his duties and observe these 'other humans' which would help formulate his plans for the future of B5.

To his delight, unlike other vessels this small ship had an open bridge viewable to everyone. The crew walked around and performed their duties like a well-oiled machine. Most were the original crew that came from that other universe, however some were new recruits, formerly Earthforce spacers from Proxima. He was only moderately surprised that they got along relatively well with one another considering their differences.

His intentions were to silently observe everything around him, but overhearing Vita's conversation with the captain broke his concentration because she was discussing her experience of the transition.

"I can't describe that feeling," she was saying to Captain Adams.

"It is a unique feeling," Adams admitted. "It began happening when we made the upgrades to the ship so this is a somewhat new experience to us as well. The way we transition into hyperspace is more efficient and we get to our destinations much faster now. There was a time that a trip to Babylon Five would have taken almost a year in hyperspace. During those times, in order to safely transition into and from hyperspace, we had to enter those stasis tubes over there," he said pointing to the alcoves. "Those allowed us to survive the acceleration and deceleration phases without being crushed. Now, our journeys take a fraction of the time and there is no need for the AC-DC stations, although we still use the warning chimes when we enter and leave hyperspace. Plus, we keep them as functional backups just I case.

"But that, that sensation…!"

Adams nodded since he understood exactly what she was trying to do. "Our version of hyperspace isn't jump space," he began. "If we had windows on the ship and if you could look out them, you wouldn't see the red swirl of jump space, but what you'd see is a black nothingness. However, observers have noted that there is some type of soft diffuse glow that can just barely be seen in our peripheral vision. We believe that that is fourth dimensional imaging that the human brains are unequipped to define. In other words, our brains can't properly conceptualize what our eyes are seeing. But, the effect is visible through our viewers as blue streaks that the video and computer imaging can detect. We've been struggling to identify and quantify it for a while now, but we don't have the math to do so just yet. We think the sensation we feel is the ship interacting with the quantum foam structure of the universe. Hyperspace and jump space are two separate entities and the properties are completely different although still connected. A problem that we all share is that we've been using the names hyperspace and jump space and even subspace interchangeably and that's been causing confusion. Jump space is a dimension unto itself. Our faster-than-light method allows us to travel the layer that lays in-between hyperspace and normal space."

"Is it like the Federation's warp?"

"No, it's something completely different than subspace travel. They are in essence surfing on the borders of subspace and I used the word surf, because it's the best way to describe it. In layman's terms, the Federation warp drive creates a "bubble" of normal space-time that surrounds the spacecraft as it partially submerges into subspace." He waved his hands anticipating the next question. "No, subspace is not hyperspace or jump space. Let's see if we can think of it this way. Jump space places you in an entirely different dimension. It's more compact and allows you to get to your destination quicker than in normal space. Once you arrive at your coordinates, you tear your way into normal space. Warp allows you to surround yourself in a subspace bubble while in normal space which allows you to travel faster than light in normal space. Our scientists went in another direction and developed a higher-dimensional space. We use the quanto-gravitic drive to achieve faster than light. We use a fusion reactor to power the coils. Our spin drive allows us to phase into rather than tear into a higher realm or hyperspace. Our navigational computers allow us to calculate entry and exit points as well as duration and speed vectors which are based on our hyperspace star-charts, something that we have been working on since we arrived at Proxima III. Point to point star travel is possible and there are no currents or eddies to pull us off course."

"So you depend completely on the computers for navigation entering and exiting hyperspace?" asked Vita.

"That's right. But then, all ships do. Stellar navigation isn't an eyeball science."

"And you humans from this other universe developed this on your own without any help?" Khali asked, jumping into the conversation. "How did your world overcome the light barrier? I know that the Federation claim that they invented the warp drive and it bypassed the Einstein limit on FTL. We bought our jump-drive technology from the Centauri shortly after First Contact. What about your own world?"

Adams wondered whether he should tell this man, but mentally shrugged as it wouldn't do any harm. "Dr. Burkhard Heim in the 1950's attempted to mathematically reconcile quantum mechanics with general relativity. That didn't work out. At the end of the 22nd century, Dr. Devi Parvati used some of Dr. Heim's mathematics to come up with a theory that negated the Einsteinian belief that at or past the speed of light, mass must become infinite. The revolutionary Parvati Theory was as big a step from the Laws of Relativity as they were beyond Isaac Newton's Law of Gravity. Scientists like Gundarsen, Holli and Mussovski transmuted the theory into fact, creating the Quanto-gravitic drive, or the hyperdrive as we also call it." Adams spread his arms, indicating the ship's interior, not without pride. "And now, we have starships moving FTL with the Q-G Drive."

"All that on your own?" Khali couldn't quite keep the sound of being impressed and envious out of his voice.

"Yes, Dr. Khali. Earth had no contact with intelligent aliens yet. There was plenty of evidence but I guess we hadn't explore far enough yet for a real First Contact. The Q-G allowed us to begin to explore what was out there. For the recent upgrades, we did receive some help from Robby and both commander Datas since we've been here. Their refinements allow us to greatly increase our overall capabilities, such as speed and power efficiency and regulation. Our weapons are more effective and less energy intensive and we can accelerate and decelerate into and from hyperspace without entering deceleration tubes which kept us from being turned into organic paste. Our improved integrity fields allows less stress to be placed on the ship due to the intense speeds and decelerations we are able to achieve. Physically, we are faster in normal space than the Federation because of our drive system's propulsion. You'd be surprised at how slow the Enterprise is without its subspace emitters."

Khali knew who Robby the robot was. Everyone did. "Interesting, so your robot servant does your thinking for you?"

"He helped in the redesigning of some of our equipment," Adams said as his eyes narrowed at what he assumed was a poorly veiled insult. "He is more of an assistant in my opinion. Plus, his computing power makes him invaluable.

Khali realized his error. "Forgive me, Captain Adams," Khali said graciously. "I didn't mean to suggest that you and Proxima III were unable to develop such advances on your own. I merely meant to say that it is wonderful that you, as another group of Humanity were able to develop such advances without help from alien influence. It gives me hope for our people."

Gregory was rubbing his eyes and Khali knew that look. The man was misinterpreting his complement. It happened more often than not, so he ignored the subconscious slight. "I was merely trying to say that we humans need to work together if we are to survive against this new enemy that is trying to destroy us. It's good that we have the help of aliens, however we need to depend on ourselves as well. But it also begs a question that I've had some difficulty in answering," he found himself admitting, much to his surprise.

"Such as?" Adams prompted.

"What you've just told me indicates that there is yet another form of faster-than-light that has been discovered, invented, or developed entirely by humankind. The Federation has at least two methods, the universe you come from has developed one but we have jump space. The question I ponder is why is it that we humans of my universe have not developed or even theorized the possibility of these new forms? Oh, we have our own Dr. Burkhard Heim with his hyperspace theories and Dr. Miguel Alcubierre and his warp theories, but nothing came out of these. Jump space is practical and a good, if not a somewhat hazardous way of faster-than-light travel, but we would benefit from other forms as well. Your people and the Starfleet human never discovered jump space if indeed it even exists in your realities, but you pushed and invented what you required. Why haven't we, and by that I refer to the humans of this universe, not developed or even conceived of anything like hyperspace or warp drive?"

"Ambassador Guinan explained some of the reasons," Gregory answered. At Khali's blank look he decided to elaborate. "Didn't you see the interview she did just after the Vorlons and Shadows made their rather infamous appearance at Babylon Five?"

"No, I must confess that I missed it," he said altogether too quickly. "I was busy finalizing some important work for the university and didn't have time to indulge in trivial media entertainment," he lied. The truth was that he was uninterested in what that infernal woman, Guinan had to say. She was a foreigner, with no accredited university credentials whatsoever other than being an ad hoc ambassador (promoted from the duties of a bartender no less!). What could she have possibly said that could have interested him? Those were his original beliefs before he actually was forced to talk to her. Then there was that debate that turned into a debacle for him, or so people had stated. Personally, he had a far different opinion as to how that 'conversation' had gone.

Why hadn't he bothered to listen to that broadcast? What did she say that was so important? "What did she have to say," he sniffed trying to maintain an air of indifference.

Gregory smiled. The man looked indifferent but he was chomping at the bit trying to discover what he missed because of his persnickety attitude. "Apparently the Vorlons sabotaged potential projects that might have produced alternative forms of FTL as well as certain other science and technological breakthroughs. The Shadows may have done the same thing and not just to us but to races throughout known space. Specifically, by Vorlon reasoning, we apparently weren't following approved guidelines that they had planned for us. And they acted accordingly to push us back on the so-call correct path."

"How dare they?!" Professor Khali exclaimed in righteous indignation. "How dare aliens influence the destiny of mankind as if we were mere playthings?" He was enraged but also was ashamed that he hadn't listened to that answer for himself. "It's just as I said," he huffed trying to downplay his lack of attentiveness at the most critical time. "Human and alien interactions will most likely damage humanity's advancement as a sentient species into the future wherever it takes us."

"Well, Dr. Khali, I saw the interview and discussion between you and Ambassador Guinan on the state of the human condition and what it'll mean for humanity's interactions with aliens in the future," Gregory said covertly smirking and a now flushing professor. "It was quite a heated discussion."

It took everything Khali had not to roll his eyes. Heated wasn't the right definition, wasn't even close. That debacle had been seen everywhere and he was the subject of ridicule and perhaps scorn everywhere because none of his fellow intellectuals had taken the time to understand what he was advocating. Ambassador Guinan was a far more experienced debater than he had first assumed and her presentations against his suppositions were admittedly impressive for an individual with no papers. "Yes, she offered points that I found somewhat intriguing," he allowed.

"But then, so did you," Gregory continued, shocking and pleasing Khali. "Like it or not, Proxima III is a test bed unlike anything we've ever seen. Yes, Earth and our other colonies have had some human – alien interactions but nothing like what's happening now on Proxima. People barely get along with each other and I am still wondering that if the Proxima union survives, then how long will it survive, and what might it become?"

With a shock the professor came to the realization that it was indeed more than a simple study. The man in front of him apparently had useful insight. "A test bed, as you say," the professor agreed, "one that will be studied for decades to come. I am not all that impressed with the Federation, but I can't deny their results. What I am concerned with their easy acceptance of breeding outside their own species because I fear for the future and the consequences to the human race. For an example, I refer to Ambassador Delenn. From all reports, she has willingly undergone a radical genetic rearrangement so that she could better understand humanity. A brave and honorable idea if I must say, but at what price? Is she a Minbari-like human or a human-like Minbari? Is there even such a thing and what of her children, if any? Will they be accepted or shunned? Or, will they be just the first of a new hybrid species, the shape of things to come? Will we become a mongrel race or something entirely new? This needs to be studied and studied most vigorously, now while we have the chance if we survive this war."

"I agree that this needs to be studied provided that we have a future," said a worried Vita. "We are effectively at war and we can't pretend that we can stay neutral. Proxima has a fleet," she said looking at the ship and its captain. "If we remained a part of Earth Alliance, then we're at the mercy of Earthforce. By EA law, we can have no defenses other than what Earthforce can supply. And let me repeat myself," she said viciously. "We can have no defenses of our own except for the orbital defense satellites they supply. When we ceded because of Clark, and let me be clear, the corporations that were bleeding us dry, we would have only had the rebel EF ships that stayed in the Orion System. We lost several of them when they rushed to help Earth so again we would have been defenseless. If those aliens had come we would all be dead. Hiring mercenaries and private defense firms like the Belt Alliance Protectorate is only a short-term solution and a bad one at that. We corrected that problem and are now standing on our own two feet."

That also makes us able to defend against pirates or anyone else that wants a piece of our colony. What happens if Earthforce abandons us like last time, or if they are wiped out defending against those things? Some of the smaller colonies were left completely on their own. Granted, I completely understand the necessity of the actions to protect Earth but under their authority that still would leave us defenseless. We're still under strength. If those creatures attack us without the support of our allies…"

For a moment, there was silence. Those words contained a truth that every colony in Earth Alliance acknowledged.

"We had to do something and there is strength in numbers when fighting for survival. If Earth wouldn't help or even find some sort of compromise then we had no choice. Then Captain Adams and Robby fell into our laps. Guess what? Earth Alliance and the corporations wanted them very badly. You know what happened, everyone knows.

"As bizarre as it is, Captain Adams, the Klingons and the Narn, and the Brakari are a godsend. Our defenses as well as our economy are growing rapidly without Earth Alliance interference. Remember, with growth comes exposure. That's why we're building a fleet to protect our interests, our colonies and our children. If we rejoin, I personally will demand we keep our fleet without Earth Alliance interference. Who knows what will happen in the long run? I don't. But I do know that it'll never be the same."

Khali nodded. That truth was frightening and he felt unbalanced by the woman's convictions. From a certain point of view a second fleet, not part of Earth Alliance but allied with it, would offer a balance that could well increase the security and welfare of both nations. Earth could learn from the United Planets' technology and thereby increase their own military capabilities widely acknowledged as being the weakest of the local major powers. But, let others worry about defense. That was their job. He went back to the subject at hand where he felt safe to tread.

"Captain Adams, as a human from another existence, have you encountered or suffered from any human-alien mating habits that overtook the Federation and threatens our universe?"

"No," John responded. "At the same time, we hadn't explored as much as the Federation. We've barely explored our local stars so our awareness of the galaxy was limited and we hadn't found any alien species similar enough to humanity for any of that to matter. What I can say is that it's very likely that humanity will remain genetically pure for the foreseeable future."

"That's a very interesting way to phrase that, Captain," Vita said. "Can I take it that you don't approve of the Federation's culture of unrestricted intermingling among the species?"

"Frankly, no. I don't."

Amir Rajiv Khali nodded. "I understand it's a very disturbing concept. I'm not sure how long you've been in space, but Earth Alliance has seen dalliances by humans with aliens of several species. The Centauri comes to mind, but they are far from human anatomically speaking. There are even rumors that there are places…"

"You mean interstellar brothels?" Gregory asked. He remembered seeing porn titles like 'Snow White and the Seven Narns,' not to mention the rumors about one of IPX's past CEO's, Claudia Hartung, who got very friendly with several Centauri diplomats. They could do surprising things with those tentacles of theirs, apparently. Then there was the Narn Centauri thing and how that occurred no one knows except G'Kar of the Narn regime. And these days he's not all over the news boasting about his accomplishments with Centauri females.

"Er, yes, those places that caters to such interests," blushed the professor. "I confess that I don't fully understand the desires of humans trying to mate with Narns, or Centauri. I think it would inadvisable at the very least or painful at worst. But humans are a somewhat depraved species, so why not the others as well? However, our freedoms do give rise to unexpected consequences."

"Unexpected consequences," Adams muttered slowly warming to the subject. "Professor, you're an expert in xenopsychology, so maybe you can understand. The United Planets cultural history differs significantly from both the Federation and your universe. In what was once known as the Confederate States of America, the Confederacy won the Secession War, or the War of Northern Aggression as it's sometimes called. Unlike here, General Lee was able to defeat his rivals. That's where my world's history begins to differ. It was Jefferson Davis, not Abraham Lincoln that is acknowledged as one of our great Presidents of that past era. So arriving here and seeing all of this, it was somewhat of a shock."

"I think I understand," interrupted Gregory. "Slavery wasn't abolished, very likely for a while in the US, sorry the CSA…?"

"Essentially, yes."

"The CSA eventually become the most powerful country in the world, influenced how many of the other countries' viewed racial relations. In our world, Social Darwinism and eugenics were popular for a while in the 19th century and early 20th century. But in your world, they dominated, didn't they?"

"We didn't have the problems that I saw in the Federation history of Earth. There was no genetic manipulation, but, yes," Adams confirmed. "And that is the problem. Slavery was completely abolished within thirty years after the war. However, racial mixing of any sort was strongly discouraged, eventually becoming the norm for most of the world. The world finally discovered and accepted that different races were not inferior but just different, so after the Third Great War, racial prejudice became a thing of the past. But we never really interacted with each other unless it was necessary. The Confederated States really kind of led the way and a lot of other countries, though not all, more of less copied."

"So, everyone was segregated," Vita confirmed.

"Not everyone, but more often than not people stayed with their own."

Vita looked somewhat disgusted at the idea but her years in the Orion government kept her from passing quick judgment. "How did that work out?"

"It worked out well," Adams answered. "Our colonies were not integrated and there weren't any problems," which was an honest answer as far as he knew. "The UP Space Corps patrolled all of the different colonies. But the makeup of each ship was race specific so as to not cause any difficulties. But it's different here, and the fourteen survivors of my crew, have had to make adjustments."

"Earth Alliance and the Federation moved past those adjustments as you call them a long time ago," Vita replied.

"Ma'am, we are what we are. I am not making any excuses for my world any more that you are making excuses for Clark's war. We are a product of our culture."

"Then, I hope you don't have a problem with me being on your ship."

"No, Ma'am, no problem," Adams answered honestly. "We've gotten used to a lot things since coming to this place." He looked somewhat exasperated. "Look, being here hasn't been a cakewalk. This isn't our universe and it's been difficult for us as it is, having everybody staring at us as if we're aliens from another planet and I admit it, we are. We didn't ask to come here and the things we've seen here have been, to say a shock, is putting it mildly. And I'm not saying that it's better or worse, just different. I will say you've had some problems we've never encountered on my Earth. You people had an interplanetary civil war, something that never happened on our world!"

"I can imagine the difficulties you've faced being here," Khali answered. "This isn't your time or place, but you're stranded here, perhaps forever, away from people who care about you and away from familiar places. But you could have chosen to go to Earth or even to those displaced Starfleet beings. We would have welcomed you with open arms."

"Travel to Earth Alliance during those times with President Clark in office? Not on your life," he responded looking offended at the very idea that he would place his people and his ship under that man's authority. "But getting back to your point; because we were displaced, you think that we have more in common with the Feds than we have on Proxima?"

"It would seem logical," Khali answered.

"No. In many ways they're even more alien than Earth Alliance was to us. I confess that our first encounter with them didn't go to well."

"May I ask what happened?" asked Gregory.

The doctor was curious as well since he had no idea that there had been any initial friction between the two groups.

"Well," and he was somewhat embarrassed to admit what he was going to tell them but truth was truth and Adams was nothing if not honest. "Apparently the Rantoul a Federation starship was able to track us in hyperspace. That technology was unknown to us at the time. An unknown ship with superior technology with a crew of apparent Americans of African descent tracking and communicating with us was considered a threat. I almost gave the order to fire on them."

"Why would you have done that? Vita asked. "I don't understand."

"I'm not sure that I do, either," Khali seconded. "Did they threaten you in any way that would have caused a need for you to defend yourselves?"

"In our reality, they wouldn't have such an advanced ship. The UP Star Command wouldn't have allowed such a thing to happen. Then there was the presence of Dr. Troy on the same vessel. That would have never happened under normal circumstances, unless it was some sort of hijacked prototype. Given the situation, I expected the worst. I've been trained in First Contact protocols, but I never expected to run into something like that. I didn't feel comfortable with the Feds. Captain Sisko and I don't get along although one day we'll have to sit down and talk but I had to make a judgment call that was in the best interest of my crew and my wife, so I chose Proxima III. We chose it because of what happened there. There was also the fact that they had no serious ties with Earth Alliance at the time because of the civil war. The Centauri killed a lot of the population, thousands of people were flocking to the world from other colonies because of the civil war and what was happening and in spite of the Centauri attack. We were needed there."

"So you were forced to adjust to racial mixing and to alien interaction at the same time," Vita said.

"We found our own path," Adams answered. "Hasn't been easy, of course. But we helped Proxima III to stand on its own and we made the adjustment fairly well. Between our synthesizers and Klingon, Narn and Brakari technology we're helping to turn the colony into an independent nation. The standard of living has gone through the roof and we're protecting ourselves with our own navy. Other colonies are looking at us for support and protection as well as food. The corporations' stranglehold is being lifted and people are starting to be able to live not just exist. It's a whole new world and yes, we're flexible enough to handle it."

"So freely mixing in and around other people, isn't as bothersome as it once was?" Vita asked.

"People aren't as different as I thought they'd be, given my experience."

"Which as you say, was little to none at all," Khali said flatly. "Captain, I do hope that you've kept a diary or log of some sort," he said. "I would like to read it and maybe include some of your observations in my papers that I'm writing. You represent a unique experience that I would like to explore and analyze for future history, after the war," he hastily added, "and with your permission, of course."

"I see. I'll talk to my wife and we'll see."

"Excellent. Now I have two questions. The first is, how does this replicator machine work compared to your syth machine, and the second is how does human racial separation compare to species separation as related to your experience and your home culture that you came from and how has that cultural upbringing been modified since you've arrive here if at all?"

Adams and the others shook their heads in unison.

"You really ask the simple questions, don't you?"

"It's a fair question," the professor insisted to which Adams and the others rolled their eyes at him.

"Well…"

This trip was turning out to be far more stimulating than he could have anticipated. These people listened to him and in turn gave him valuable input. He might even dare to say that he liked these people even if their education was somewhat lacking.