Captain's Log, Stardate 48633.8,
Starships Farragut, Saratoga and Troper have arrived in the Veridian system to assist Bozeman and Enterprise-A with the rescue operations and evacuation of personnel off Enterprise-D for eventual transfer to Starbase 105 for mission debriefing and reassignment. In command of the force is Rear Admiral Gregory Quinn with his flag on Saratoga. I am pleased to note that he did recover fully from being inhabited by an alien neural parasite seven years ago while he was assigned to Starfleet Headquarters on Earth and I am looking most forward to seeing him again as he informed me he will be the reviewing officer concerning the incident over Veridian III.
Also joining us - this time from Haida's universe - is the United States Starship Arizona under Captain Thomas Kazanski. He, on Haida's accidental shift into our dimension, began organising rescue operations under the overall control of Director Hiromi Moroboshi's elder adopted sister, the Grandmaster Negako Moroboshi of the Moroboshi-Hana Saikō Jinseijutsu-ryū, their in-family school of stealth martial arts.
I have been warned of the grandmaster's many peculiarities - especially her aversion to being addressed by any title, much less her not addressing anyone short of her nation's own Emperor by rank or title - and Counsellor Troi has been advised to be careful around her given the grandmaster's Vulcan-like control over her emotions, which can be quite taxing on any unprepared empath at close range. I must also confess that Commander Worf is interested in making the grandmaster's acquaintance.
I am also looking forward to meeting Haida's own captain . . .

Enterprise, the captain's ready room . . .

"Welcome aboard, Captain Gamblin."

"It's a pleasure - though I will confess to being quite shocked at this - to be here, Captain Picard," Brian Gamblin said as he shook Jean-Luc Picard's hand. "I always knew there were parallel dimensions to our own - it's one of the first things military officers who plan to work in the Earth Defence Force learn - but to believe things I would normally look on as science fiction are real in those other dimensions . . . " A chuckle as Picard beckoned him to the guest chair. "How were your losses?"

"No one died. Thanks very much to both Director Moroboshi and Lieutenant Anderson," Picard said as he took his own chair. "We did have several severe injuries. Captain Kirk - he's under Doctor Cooper's supervision at this time as General Dujduy and High Councillor Heva move to literally create his own daughter - being the most severe of them all. But no one died, fortunately." He then picked up a dataPADD that Gamblin was quick to recognise as standard issue for the Earth Defence Force. "I've already written up an after-action report at Lieutenant Anderson's request so that your commanders back in your dimension can be briefed on what happened here. I've also added my personal commendation to her and several of your crew for their actions concerning our battle with Lursa and B'Etor, not to mention other things."

"Commander Data's daughter being one of them. Or so I've been told already by Chief Beaulieu," Gamblin said as he took the offered PADD and placed it aside. "I've got to take some time to review this whole mess before I decide what to do. I'm still in the process of making sure Padre Klein gets his Victoria Cross for the first incident we were involved with on Yaminokuni when we decided to deliver the Urusian Imperials and the Church of Lum a combined blow to keep them out of our system before we're ready to take them on with little risk of casualties or collateral damage."

"I read about that incident. Were he a Starfleet chaplain, I would have gladly put him in for our equivalent award, the Christopher Pike Medal of Valour."

"He deserved it even if he'll deny it to his last breath."

Both captains chuckled. "You're a submariner," Picard then said as he nodded to the submarine dolphins stitched on Gamblin's naval combat jacket.

"I commanded H.M.C.S. Ojibwa, an Oberon-class diesel patrol sub. Before that, I served on her as well as Okanagan and Onondaga, the other two O-boats we had at the time," Gamblin said with quiet pride. "Ojibwa's rusting away in Halifax right now while a military museum in Ontario tries to get funds to get her shifted to a static display. Okanagan is due to be scrapped and Onondaga's a museum ship in Rimouski. Took command of Ojibwa just right after I passed the Perisher . . . "

"'Perisher?'" Picard asked, and then he perked. "Ah, yes. The nickname for the Submarine Command Course; it was run by the Royal Navy of Great Britain in your time period."

"I was in the last one the Royal Navy ran before they went all-nuclear in 1995 and the Royal Netherlands Navy took over running the course for officers trained on diesel-electrics and AIPs." Gamblin then nodded towards the window, where Arizona was now hovering at the port side of the large formation of starships surrounding the remnants of Enterprise; Farragut had taken over the towing from Haida when she had arrived, thus allowing the Canadian starship to fall on the starboard side of the formation as they proceeded to Starbase 105 via an intercept course to the Nexus to allow Tolian Soran to finally achieve his dream and the other soul-fragments of the El-Aurian survivors of the Lakul to be extracted; Morokuzu Ryōko intended to assist with that situation. "For those navies back home who have carriers, their commanding officers have to be qualified pilots since they understand how to fight a combined air-sea war at long distances. In my eyes, now that we're in space, it's best to have submariners run the show on starships. We're always trained to work in three dimensions." A chuckle. "Tom disagrees, but it's like the question of the Northwest Passage being either internal Canadian waters or international waters as the Americans look upon it as." As Picard stared at him, he said, "We agree to disagree."

"It amazes me that you all came together so quickly."

"Well, we had a four-month lead-in time to start preparing before the Urusians and the Niphentaxians decided to be stupid. Preparations were well underway to get the core ship crews assigned when the Task Force was ordered out. The Avalonians helped out there; soon as they started settling down on Earth - especially in Canada and all the other Western nations - they flocked recruiting centres for all the services. Reserve forces everywhere are at full manning strength for a general war; we had a fully militia-only armoured brigade group with us when we went to Yaminokuni." He sighed. "It's an exciting time. For those of us who've served with old equipment, less advanced training and little funding over the years, it's a rather heady thing to experience. But we need to do it; the outside galaxy won't leave us alone. The Urusians showed us that last year as the Director and Lady Negako can explain to you."

"Hiromi already did explain it to . . . " The doorbell chimed. "Come!"

The door swooped open, revealing Deanna Troi. "Captains."

"What news, Counsellor?"

The empath took a deep breath. "The body of Captain Kirk's daughter is physically complete now, sir. General Dujduy is commencing the programming at this time. Once it's all done, Ambassador Spock will help awaken her."

"What of the captain himself?" Gamblin asked as he gazed on the empath. "I understand there are some fears about helping him come out of his coma when the nerves in his body are fully regenerated and his physical wounds all healed up."

"Admiral McCoy is hopeful for his recovery, as are the others," Troi stated. "But it will take time to repair the physical damage. And the nervous regeneration treatment offered at the Vulcan Science Academy is quite advanced." She then sat down beside the Canadian captain. "Atop that, since the captain has mind-melded with Ambassador Spock on many occasions when they were serving together, Healer T'Mir believes he could be of great help to ensure the captain does recover in the end."

"Have you talked to the Lady Negako about this?"

Both turned to gaze on Gamblin. "What could she do?" Picard asked.

Gamblin chuckled. "She is much more than just a martial artist, Captain."

Haida, Sick Bay . . .

"WHAT IN TARNATION'S NAME ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?"

"Leonard."

Leonard McCoy jerked on hearing that ice-cold voice as a pair of almost black eyes swept over to glare into his own. "Be silent. I am busy," Negako said.

"'BUSY?'" the aged surgeon-general snapped. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, TOUCHING HIS SKIN LIKE THAT? AT LEAST STERILISE YOUR HANDS . . .!"

His voice caught in his throat as Negako held up a hand and allowed ki to channel through the pours of her skin, creating a halo effect around her digits as a minute bit of steam came from them thanks to the skin oils being burned away. As the people watching this all gaped at such a display, Negako stared at McCoy, her annoyance showing in the slight edge in her voice. "Is that satisfactory for your purposes?"

McCoy blinked several times. "Wh-wh-what the hell is th-th-that, anyway?"

"I believe it is addressed in Japanese as 'ki,' Leonard," Spock - who had become privately amused at the sight of the cantankerous native of Atlanta finding out that all his ranting and raving wasn't having any affect on the ninjutsu grandmaster who was applying her ancient knowledge of shiatsu and Terran Oriental medicine to help Kirk, who was still held in suspension with his most obvious wounds expertly dressed - stated as he gazed down at what Negako was doing. "The life energy that was long theorised - and, undoubtedly within Negako's universe, long proven - to exist in all living creatures. She is allowing her ki to help regenerate the damaged elements of Jim's nervous system. Given the extent of the damage, this process would be long, but I do believe it should assist Jim in making a full and complete recovery."

"It is simple country medicine, Leonard," Negako added as she gazed briefly on the former chief medical officer of the Enterprise before turning her attention back to the unconscious captain before her. "From Hokkaidō and Honshū, not from Georgia."

McCoy took that in, and then he harrumphed. "Well, why didn't you say so?"

"Leonard, if you do not wish to be treated as suffering from senility, I would suggest learning meditation and thinking before speaking out," Negako advised.

He gave her a sharp look, and then muttered, "Just as bad as an android!"

Negako shook her head as she continued to work while he headed out of the isolation room to join his friends out in the waiting area beyond the main doors to Sick Bay. A moment later, Nyota Uhura came in. "I'm sorry about that," she said.

"Do not apologise, Nyota," Negako said. "Leonard has always been set in his ways. Look at his aversion to making use of a materialiser, much less his continued effort to provoke Spock into effectively rejecting all the years he spent embracing the disciplines of his father's people just to emote." As Uhura giggled, she concentrated on one point on Kirk's neck as she forced a considerable amount of energy into that location. "He does possess a great heart and he will do all he can to save lives, even if he does not succeed, as was the case of Chancellor Gorkon before you were asked to decommission the Enterprise-A and James was forced out of Starfleet. But if he wishes to continue seeing himself as a viable doctor, he must learn his limitations."

"Agreed," Spock stated. In the short time he had come to know the grandmaster of Saikō Jinseijutsu-ryū, he found Negako to be so profoundly refreshing and practically rational, she was, in many ways, a fully-organic version of Data. Even more so, Negako did not seek to judge others according to others' morals. She simply stated fact and accepted all who came to her without judgement, save for when her own sensibilities or her chosen pursuit was being interrupted by useless frivolities. The purest essence of c'thia as Surak himself no doubt envisioned it when he began the Reformation two millennia ago. "Perhaps it was a good thing for Leonard that he did not choose to stay. Much that I do understand his desire to 'help' me, he might eventually gain the desire to 'help' you be more human even if you will be amongst us a very short time."

"How does one define the term 'human,'" Negako mused.

"How would you define that term?"

"Greetings, Data," the grandmaster stated as the android second officer stepped inside. "I would assume that all physical preparations towards Carol's awakening are complete and she is undergoing personality programming at this time."

He nodded. "You assume correctly." He then perked. "'Carol?'"

"Will that be her name?" Uhura asked.

"Indeed," Spock answered before he gazed on Negako. "I believe you are now actually 'hearing' Jim's thoughts as you are treating him, Negako. I did not realise your telepathic capabilities possessed such great sensitivity."

"I am in no danger," Negako stated. "I may be physically 25 years old - that is the upper extent the Avalon bioroid factory can create a newborn bioroid - but my soul has been sentient for 202 years and the knowledge I possess was collected from the memories of a total of 494 ninjutsu jōnin and senior chūnin over a span of 697 years before my awakening in 1808. The self-discipline, to me, comes naturally, Spock. You need not be concerned."

The Vulcan nodded. "How is he?" Uhura asked.

"He is quite content, Nyota."

The intelligence officer blinked. "'Content?'"

"Yes. Spock did much to prepare him in case medical treatments failed and he could not be revived. He still was quite satisfied with what happened. Simon Tarses was spared from potential death, thus allowing him to continue his duties and save others." A light smile crossed Negako's face, which surprised Spock as she had told him earlier that she found expressing emotions without a practical reason a waste of energy. "He made a difference. What he was denied the chance to further do when Sean Finnegan effectively forced him out of the service in the wake of the Khitomer affair."

"Finnegan!" Uhura spat out as she remembered Jim Kirk's upperclassman at the Academy, both from the encounter with his synthetic replica on the "shore leave" planet in the Omicron Delta region of space discovered by the Enterprise in 2267 . . . and the times before and after Kirk's disappearance into the Nexus twenty-six years later.

Much to the horror of many senior officers at the time, political intrigue at Starfleet Command Headquarters in San Francisco in the wake of the Khitomer affair and the revelations of the conspiracy to kill Gorkon came to force Kirk to turn in his resignation. Sean Finnegan, who had replaced William Smillie as Commander-in-Chief of the Federation's military arm in the wake of Khitomer, had made it quite clear that Kirk's "cowboy diplomacy" had no place in the Starfleet of the future, a future that looked bright thanks to the growing peace with the Klingons and the need to set out new, more politically correct (for the time period) values for those in the service.

Fortunately - in Uhura's mind - Finnegan's tenure in Starfleet's top job was short; the accident on the Enterprise-B and Kirk's sacrifice to save the ship bounced back hard on the men who had forced him out of the one job he had truly loved.

Thinking on that, Uhura then smiled as she remembered how that point had been slammed home when a contrite John Harriman had taken responsibility for the death of Jim Kirk in a public statement, offering to resign from the post as captain of the Enterprise, "As I realise I am nowhere close to being properly qualified to command a ship if I am not able to effect a proper rescue of endangered civilians even with a ship that was woefully unprepared for any sort of space manoeuvres, especially given the drive to have her commissioned as soon as possible," he said in that release.

Those words actually saved Harriman's career; the public, already reeling bad at the loss of such a man as Kirk, unleashed an outpouring of support from all quarters for the younger captain at being forced to rush things by uncaring superiors who cared not for anything save public opinion polls. Finnegan and many of his cronies had been forced to resign themselves within the month, Kirk's former upperclassman replaced by Bill Smillie for a few years until Harriman's father, the famous Blackjack John Harriman of the Constitution, was deemed ready to get the grand admiral's baton from President Ra-ghoratreii in his last act as the Federation's head-of-state/government.

All the old veterans of the original Enterprise still alive kept in touch with the younger John Harriman, who now served as an admiral and acted as Command Liaison of the Starfleet Engineering Corps, to this very day. In fact, it had been Harriman - with Uhura's help - who had organised the refitting efforts on the Enterprise-A to bring her to modern specifications right after Montgomery Scott reactivated his commission two years ago, another "retired" officer who still had much to contribute.

And speaking of which . . .

"How's the captain?"

A slowly recovering Montgomery Scott was now looking into the room. "He is responding to the treatments, Montgomery. Please do not interrupt me," Negako advised.

He nodded, and then stepped back as Uhura came out to join him. "C'mon, Scotty. Let's leave Jim in good hands and get some coffee in the wardroom."

"Aye! Oh, Mister Data?"

Data looked over. "Yes, Mister Scott?"

"I'm glad you got your wee one back," Scott said. "She's a wonder, that one."

"Thank you, sir," the android said. "If you wish, as soon as I am finished here, I will take you to introduce you to Private Asai Mayumi. She is the one who truly deserves credit for Lal's restoral to proper function."

A smile. "I'll be in the wardroom, lad."

With that, both Scott and Uhura were off. "How are you feeling, Commander?" Spock then asked. "I am aware that your late father prepared an emotion chip for you before his untimely death four years ago. Are you adjusting well to your new abilities?"

"I am, Ambassador, thanks very much to Ayami and the introduction of a mesonium emotional dampening buffer crystal into my central processors," Data answered. "It allows me to control my emotional outbursts, thus ensuring I am not ruled by them or overwhelmed by output from my emotion chip. It is performing well."

"Excellent," the Vulcan stated, a touch of happiness for his android friend in his voice. "So you better understand the human condition?"

"A slow but steady progression in that form. In many ways, Lal is my superior in that matter." Data smiled. "Intriguing. Negako, do you believe that proper?"

"Elaborate, Data. In what matter?"

"I feel . . . pride that my daughter has greater capabilities and has progressed far in understanding emotions, both during her initial activation period before her cascade failure, and then in the wake of Mayumi's helping her return to proper function. And . . . " He paused as he considered it for a moment, and then he added, "I do not feel any sort of negative emotion like envy of jealousy at her."

She gazed at him. "Naturally, Data. She is your offspring. Constructed by you, programmed by you and brought to life by you. Even if you did create her at a time you did not possess Noonien's final gift to you, you did NOT - under any circumstance - view Lal's creation simply as a mere 'experiment.'" She then turned back to her forcing ki into Kirk's body. "In that way, you are my superior, Data."

He gazed at her. "How so?"

"I have no desire at this time to birth offspring of my own." She sighed. "I am afraid to do so, fearful of the fact that - given my abilities, which could unleash violent bouts of 'gunfighter syndrome' in other martial artists should they become more publicly known and wish to seek me out to let themselves believe they are the 'best' in the many martial arts - something might happen to threaten any child I possess."

Data considered that, and then he nodded in understanding. "I can understand such a fear, especially on your mentioning the phrase 'gunfighter syndrome.' In your universe, are there those who would seek to hurt you in such a manner?"

"There are, but I keep a vigilant eye on them."

"Do you believe their desires to challenge you in such a manner might decrease over time? That they might decide to seek a more convenient target of opportunity?"

"That is possible, but I am not precognitive, so I cannot say when."

"Perhaps proactive measures might be required."

"If I feel it necessary, I will do so. Allow me to make comment to both of you about something I - when I was in Ataru's mind - witnessed in the television episode 'Unification II' of Star Trek - The Next Generation, which depicted your time together on Romulus discovering the government's plot to invade Vulcan under the guise of a 'reunification' mission. Correct me if I am mistaken in quoting you both."

"Proceed," Spock bade.

"You, Spock, spoke on certain elements of Jean-Luc's behaviour as you were working together, which you compared to the standard Vulcans often strive to achieve as they master c'thia in their years of adolescence. Do you remember that conversation?" At the ambassador's nod, the grandmaster then added, "You, Data, then confessed that you viewed Jean-Luc as the model you wished to emulate in becoming more human." At the second officer's nod, Negako said, "Spock, you were surprised by that, were you not?"

"I was," Spock stated. "As I told the commander, he possessed an efficient intellect, superior physical skills and no emotional impediments." He gazed on Data. "And even now, those factors still dominate your existence, Commander. The inclusion of your father's emotion chip within your central processors, while potentially disruptive, was rendered - as you stated - totally at your control thanks to Miss Hakaru's prompt assistance when Enterprise made first contact with Haida."

"Yes, that is correct. And then you stated to me that there are members of the Vulcan race who strive all their lives to achieve what I was granted by design," Data stated. "I then commented on your parentage, then explained after you acknowledged your adherence to Vulcan social and cultural teachings that . . . "

"I had abandoned what you had sought all your life," Spock finished.

"Indeed."

"And then - after Spock was able to access Neral's personal files to learn what was happening - you, Data, then requested the right to ask a personal question," Negako stated. "After Spock acquiesced, you asked, 'As you examine your life, do you find you have missed your humanity?'" At Data's nod, the grandmaster then said, "Your response, Spock, was 'I have no regrets.' Data, you then repeated the phrase 'no regrets,' and then stated, 'That is a human expression.' Is that correct?"

"Indeed it is, Negako. The ambassador found that conclusion most fascinating."

"Indeed I did," Spock stated.

"And it was a limiting observation."

Both gazed on Negako. "How so?" Data asked.

"Because you, in saying that, tried to place limits around someone who cannot and should not be viewed by such limits," Negako stated. "Spock is more than just a part-Vulcan, part-Terran child of a diplomat named Sarek and a teacher and linguist named Amanda Grayson. Spock . . . is Spock." As Spock's eyebrow arched at that, Negako then turned to gaze on the android. "Just as you, Data . . . are Data."

"You disapprove of such descriptions," Spock noted.

"Indeed. Especially when they are used in the context of trying to view someone else in a potentially prejudiced or derogatory manner." Negako pushed through ki, and then pulled her hands back, reaching over to activate an exterior shield over the status bubble keeping Kirk alive to keep him protected. "You both, in your own ways, serve a remarkable organisation which is dedicated to the principle that all sentient beings - and that is the one term I would use to describe another, regardless of what they are or where they arose - are equal and deserve equal treatment without any form of social or emotional prejudice regardless of the difference of physical form. I would advise you to remember that words such as 'Vulcan,' 'human,' 'android' and the like should not have a place in the Federation of the future."

She moved to wash her hands in a nearby basin, using her ki to help cleanse them. "I will say no more at this time, but be warned of this: Your faith in what you serve will be sorely tested in the next several years by forces you cannot begin to truly comprehend. I therefore would advise you that your greatest strength will be to adhere to that core belief in the principles of what you call 'the United Federation of Planets.' That is what your future attackers will not be able to understand. And thus, never be able to take away from you regardless of the real-time situation." To Data. "Ensure Lal understands that, Data. You will do her no greater service than that as her father." To Spock. "And while James will be there to help Carol find her way in this existence, you must ensure that she also comprehends that, Spock." A sigh. "In the meantime, I am going to spend time with Mizuho understanding how connected she has become to the Staff of Gihan and how that might affect the revival of her male classmates and the other male victims of The Program. We will speak again."

And with that, she stepped out of the isolation room. Spock and Data watched her go, and then exchanged a look. "She is most intriguing," the android noted.

"Indeed, she is quite fascinating. In the meantime, let us inform Doctor Cooper of what has happened, then I must see to Carol," the Vulcan stated. "I will then also wish to meet this Private Asai who assisted in your daughter's restoral."

"I will take you there."

Both then stepped out of the isolation room . . .

The main observation lounge, a half-hour later . . .

"Oh, there you two are! It's about time!"

"About time for what, Padre?" Brian Gamblin asked as he and Jean-Luc Picard walked up to join Vincent Klein and his wife Alice - along with Beverly Crusher, much to the surprise of the commanding officer of Enterprise - at the main entrance to the stairs that led up to the observation lounge a deck up. "What's going on?"

"Go see for yourself," Crusher said as she nodded updeck.

The two captains exchanged a look, and then turned to head upstairs . . .

. . . before stopping, their jaws dropping in shock.

"So you're not mad at me, Shūya-kun?"

"No, I'm not mad at you, Yūko-chan."

As the two captains took in the sight of the four young women from the universe of the Greater East Asia Republic - all of whom had been joined by the ghostly figures of twenty-one young MEN their age, all dressed in black boy's gakuran uniforms! - Sakaki Yūko gushed as she moved to hug the image of a lanky young man with spiky brown-hair, a very infectious smile and deep brown eyes. Realising that in that case, the images were quite solid enough to be touched, the Enterprise's captain then took a moment to glance around before he noticed a certain device being held by Inada Mizuho, the young would-be warrior-priestess now in some sort of meditative trance as she was watched over by quite a large fellow - in comparison to his classmates, who were rather average-sized for young Japanese men of that time period - possessing a very kindly face, dark brown eyes and wavy grey-brown hair. "Is she alright?" Picard asked.

"She is well, Jean-Luc," a familiar toneless voice declared as the conversation in the lounge mostly stopped, people turning to gaze his way. "Yoshio is keeping a close eye on Mizuho to ensure the strain of her allowing her male classmates to join us - even if only in semi-solid spirit form - does not overwhelm her."

"Yo, Boss! Sempai! Sugi!" a rather tough-looking man seated with a group of equally tough-looking fellows - Picard then remembered there was a "gang" of young men in the cast of Battle Royale who had been lead by the male antagonist of the story - then called out as he looked over to one part of the room. There, Moroboshi Hiromi was sitting with two fellows, one a slender man with very slicked-back grey-highlighted black hair and very cold blue eyes, the other a muscular fellow with long-flowing brown hair - much longer than what most of his classmates possessed - and blue eyes showing the profound wisdom of an experienced warrior. To Picard's surprise, Worf was also present; the security officer was currently off-watch. "The captains're here!"

Hiromi looked over. "Ah, Jean-Luc! Brian! Come join us!" she called out.

The two men came over as the conversations resumed. "How is this possible, Hiromi?" Picard asked as he moved to sit down beside the reborn emperor, Gamblin moving to sit to her other side. A quick glance to Mizuho later, he commented, "I thought the Staff needed time to replenish its energy before it could be used again."

"The ability to allow us to assume quasi-physical form is a very minute drain on the Staff's overall power, Captain," the young man with the cold eyes - Picard was then quick to realise this was Kiriyama Kazuo himself - stated in a voice that nearly matched Moroboshi Negako's with its lack of tone. "Besides, while I myself am somewhat fearful of returning to full physical form - despite all the others understanding why I chose to participate in The Program - my male classmates desire every chance they can get to 'get out and stretch their legs,' so to speak. Not to mention spend time with our female classmates. Especially people like Hiroki here and Kazuhiko seated close to Shinji and Negako-san." He nodded in the direction of a handsome young man almost as tall as Akamatsu Yoshio, who was conversing with a slender yet quite athletic fellow with slicked-back black hair - though not as long as Kazuo's - and earrings hooped on his lower lobes. Both of them were occupying the same table as Negako, though the ninjutsu grandmaster was not participating in their conversation; she, like Mizuho, appeared to be meditating.

Picard perked. "Ah, yes! Mister Sugimura and Mister Yamamoto." A nod to the fellow beside Kazuo, who nodded politely back. "I recall you both have girlfriends; while I haven't had the chance to read the full manga series, I did read the synopsis Tsukihana prepared for our perusal." He directly focused on Sugimura Hiroki. "And I must also say, Mister Sugimura, your actions during your participation in The Program were quite commendable. Even if your heart was locked on both Miss Kotohiki and Miss Chigusa, you also acted with great concern for all your classmates."

"It was not an honourable time for any of us, Captain," Hiroki noted.

"Still, you fought honourably, Hiroki," Worf advised. "Even if you were not 'rescued' by the fellow who possessed the Staff at the time your souls were brought into the Director's home dimension and your souls were allowed to enter Stovoqor, you would have been welcomed with honour. All of you," he added as he gazed on Kazuo. "What you were forced into is something not even the most passionate of MY race would condone."

"Still, it's kinda nice that we know the universe of Star Trek does exist."

Eyes turned as Mimura Shinji came up to join them. "Indeed, Shinji-san, it is quite wonderful that something as noble in deed and belief as the United Federation of Planets exists," Hiromi said as the basketball player sat down beside Hiroki. "Not like the 'federation of lies' that we are forced to be neighbours with back home."

"Because of what the Niphentaxians did to the Avalonians?" Picard asked.

"Among other things. There is a woman in my universe, Shogai Dakejinzō. A woman born of an unknown race that lived five million years ago. She was found frozen in a drifting ship over seventy years ago, then adopted by the current president of Fukunokami, Shigaten Benten's homeworld. And she is, in effect, our universe's direct counterpart to any one of the Questors in your own." A shake of the head. "She is fully accepted by all civilised races in our part of the galaxy as a sentient being . . . and she, unlike Master Data, did not have to go through some 'hearing' to have her sentience and full rights as a sentient being officially recognised as such." Hiromi then sighed. "Look at the Avalonians. They are fully organic and can mother the child of any compatible male natural-born organic, right from Vos to Yehisril and even all the way out to Dominos and Hustaros . . . and save for wise men such as Elder Ganzo, were seen by all Niphentaxians - and no doubt, those of other races that knew of the Avalonians - as mere machines." Another shake of the head. "Hypocrites."

"Just like the Greater East Asia Republic's leadership," Kazuo then said.

"What do you mean?" Gamblin asked.

"I am from a wealthy family, Captain," the young gang leader reported. "Unlike most of my peers, I did have considerable access to outside news reports. The Program has been negatively commented on by our neighbours and other nations on many occasions since it first began to be televised and outside intelligence agencies discovered the truth of what was happening. Time and time again, the Republic's leadership has stated that all those made to participate in The Program VOLUNTEERED to put their lives on the line to prove their strength to serve in the military when they became mature enough to do so. Try as international agencies such as the United Nations and the International Red Cross could to make them see reason, nothing succeeded. Save for the odd time that there have been other escape attempts by previous groups which have managed to get to Korea and were rescued by their armed forces once they got past Tsu-shima. If things had gone differently for our particular program, we might . . . "

"Yo, Boss! Cut it out, huh?" Numai Mitsuru said as he and the others of Kazuo's gang - the short and blond Sasagawa Ryūhei, the effeminate Tsukioka Shō and the overweight and bespectacled Kuronaga Hiroshi - looked over. "What happened happened, Boss! You couldn't decide which way to go; the accident that killed your mom turned off your emotions, remember? Don't worry about the 'what could have beens,' alright?"

A faint trace of a smile then appeared on Kazuo's face. "I have you all to keep reminding me of that, Mitsuru," he stated before gazing at Picard.

"Your friends are remarkably loyal to you, Mister Kiriyama," the Enterprise's captain noted.

"They are." A touch of hoarseness appeared briefly in the younger man's voice, and then he perked as Hiroki reached over to squeeze his shoulder in reassurance.

"So what were you talking about with them?" Gamblin then asked as he gazed on Hiromi. "I would assume, Director, you want some sort of military action by us when we penetrate into the kids' birth universe to go look in on their friends."

"Nothing too overt or too destructive, my good captain," the reborn emperor promised. "There are many - Shinji-san's aunt being one - in the Greater East Asia Republic that fight to put a full stop to The Program once and for all. Still, I am only in the beginning stages of such planning. I was learning of the general situation in our guests' birth-universe when you came in. Kazuo-san, please continue," she then bade the would-have-been winner of Shiroiwa Junior High School Class 3-B's episode of The Program. "What exactly is the state of the so-called 'Greater East Asia Republic' . . . " - Hiroki and Shinji smirked on hearing the tone of disgust and derision in her voice on saying those words - " . . . at this time?"

"Actually, quite precarious. Can the table's holographic imaging system project a map of the Pacific Ocean basin, from Siberia down to Australia, west of the International Date Line?"

Hiromi tapped controls to bring up a 2D map of the region in question. "Now, highlight the following areas," Kazuo bade. "The Japanese home islands, including Tsu-shima. Karafuto. The Chishima-rettō. The Ryūkyū-shotō. The Kazan-rettō, Ogasawara-guntō and Izu-shotō. Formosa and the Pescadore Islands. The Mariana Islands, including Guam. The Caroline Islands. The Marshall Islands. The Gilbert Islands. And the Philippines and the Palau Islands, though most of those areas were under open rebellion at the time we were forced into The Program in mid-2000; only Luzon north of a line from the northern end of Manila Bay to Dingalan Bay was firmly under Tōkyō's control, though that was receding thanks to the Philippine Liberation Front."

Hiromi hummed. "Save for what we would call Indonesia and Malaysia - not to mention New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and what were once French Indochina as well as Thailand and Burma, plus the eastern parts of China and Korea - this is what Imperial Japan had under its control around the time of the Battle of Midway in the middle of 1942."

"What went differently?" Gamblin asked.

"From what we and the girls overheard other Avalonians speak of aboard the factory about the history of your Earth - not to mention what we could tap into from both the Freedom and the factory into the Internet - I believe the point of divergence was the attack on Pearl Harbour," Kazuo stated. "In your history, Nagumo-chūjō stopped the attack after the second wave. In ours, he pressed a third attack which destroyed or badly damaged the port facilities, especially the oil storage yards, the ammunition depots, the repair yards and other support elements of the base. Atop that, they found the carriers Enterprise and Lexington close to the Hawai'ian Islands, both then being attacked and sunk before they could mount a serious challenge to the Imperial forces. By doing that, Nagumo-chūjō virtually shut down Pearl as an active military base for over a year as well as stripped America of a third of its active carrier fleet; only Saratoga, Yorktown, Hornet and Wasp remained. This forced the Americans to withdraw to their western coast to regroup and rebuild while the Imperial forces virtually ran rampant over the western Pacific basin. The battles of the Coral Sea and Midway effectively finished off what active forces the Americans could deploy in the region for over two years, especially their remaining carriers."

"That would have delayed it for a couple of years, but not fully tilted it to Japan's favour," the Canadian captain warned. "What else happened?"

"Biological warfare," Hiroki stated. "You know of Unit 731, don't you?"

Hiromi scowled. "I do. I assumed this was used in combination with the balloon bombs that were launched as part of Operation Fūgo."

"That started much earlier than what happened in your universe, Sempai," Hiroki explained. "The commanders of Unit 731 convinced the army leaders that it would be both tactically smart and strategically sound to use biological agents to spread plague over the western areas of North America as a way of disrupting the war effort. Our version of Operation Fūgo started right after Midway." As the reborn emperor nodded - in her own universe, that operation hadn't been launched until November 1944, long after the invasion of the Philippines and the effective destruction of most of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Battle of Leyte Gulf - the young martial artist added, "Several balloons got VERY lucky. One hit Los Alamos in New Mexico."

"The heart of the Manhattan Engineering District," Picard stated. "Where the Americans - with British and Canadian help - were developing nuclear weapons."

"Hai," Hiroki affirmed with a nod. "However, learning about the use of bio-warfare caused a rather strange reaction in Germany at the time. Adolf Hitler - who had experienced chemical warfare in the First World War - wouldn't condone an ally using similar weapons against defenceless civilians. Winston Churchill got wind of the Führer's change of heart, then convinced Franklin Roosevelt and Josef Stalin to drop the 'unconditional surrender' demand they had made on the Axis to convince Hitler and Benito Mussolini to switch sides. Or, at least, allow a temporary European cease-fire so that more resources could be poured into the Pacific. Crazy as this sounds - especially when you keep in mind what ELSE was happening in Europe at the time! - it actually worked. And since the Soviets had spies in the Manhattan Project, their own atom bomb makers teamed up with the Germans working on their own project to detonate a test bomb in what today is Kazakhstan in 1944. But they didn't realise one thing."

"Japan's own atomic weapons program," Gamblin stated.

"Yes," Kazuo stated. "With the puppet government in Manchukuo - not to mention local governments in most of the occupied territories - the Imperial government convinced local leaders throughout the western Pacific to support them in their drive to achieve nuclear weapons capability. The first Imperial test bomb was detonated in the Marshall Islands - ironically, at Pikinni Atoll; you know it as Bikini Atoll - within a week of the Soviet's first test in Kazakhstan."

"A nuclear stand-off," Picard stated.

"The Cuban Missile Crisis, this time eighteen years earlier," Gamblin added.

"You got it," Shinji answered. "The Greater East Asia War might have ended in mutual destruction hadn't the Imperial government revealed what they knew about the Holocaust the Nazis were unleashing in Europe, putting the news out everywhere, especially in those places where support for 'Uncle Adolf' had started to pick up because he didn't like bio-bombs or chemical warfare. That made the Allies turn on Hitler - with Mussolini staying neutral since he never really cared for that - and take the heat off Japan. But before they got pitched off their thrones in Berlin by their own army to stop the war, the Nazis decided to nail us 'Japs' real hard."

"How?" Hiromi asked.

"Two V-2s launched from sea platforms towed there by U-boats. Thirty-kiloton load each," Shinji stated. "Tōkyō and Kyōto both glowed in the dark."

Silence.

"The Imperial Family was murdered en masse," Hiromi then concluded.

"And with no clear immediate relative to take the place of the Shōwa Emperor, a 'republic' - in effect, a virtual copy of how the Nazis constructed their 'thousand year Reich' without the racism - was formed in his memory, with support from across the western Pacific due to the mass civilian deaths and the radiation sickness cases that followed the V-2 attacks," Kazuo finished. "The Greater East Asia Republic. And they made sure that their own nuclear designs were spread to Korea, China, Indochina, Thailand, Burma and Indonesia - as a 'gift' to entice them to continue to support their former conquerors when they were granted independence as part of the late Shōwa Emperor's 'heartfelt desire for total freedom from Western enslavement' - to make sure the European powers, to say anything of America or Russia, couldn't rush back in."

"And it's been a standoff ever since," Shinji added.

Silence fell as Hiromi considered that, and then she sighed. "Shinji-san, how well-developed are the modern strategic defences of the Republic and their allies?"

"Air-launched missiles and gravity bombs, intercontinental ballistic missiles from land silos and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The Republic really likes the last type, especially given what happened in early 1945," Shinji stated. "Even though our 'allies' don't care at all for The Program - and the Republic doesn't press them on it whenever people escape to China or Korea since they eventually decide to move on to America or Russia like Shūya and Noriko-chan did after our episode - they don't like the West. Period."

The director of the Earth Defence Force nodded, and then she gazed on the captain of Haida. "Well, my dear captain, you and your crew may get to live the dream of every Canadian sailor, soldier and air serviceman who swore the oath to the Crown and put on the uniform from 1945 to 1991 within the next while."

Gamblin blinked. "How so?"

"When we get there, you may be needed to use the ship's weapons to totally strip the entire Pacific basin - INCLUDING China, Korea and all mainland allies of the Republic but EXCLUDING America and Russia - of their weapons of mass destruction. ALL of them."

The Canadian captain blinked as he took that in while Kazuo, Hiroki and Shinji were nodding in agreement and a worried look crossed Jean-Luc Picard's face . . .

Meanwhile, in Hiromi's guest quarters . . .

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?"

The other tōshi school leaders who had come with Arizona to look for Haida ducked at the horrified shout from Koro Sonami, and then Mago Tsueko shrugged. "It's true, Ryūbi-chan. Kirk-taisa was hurt when he saved some of the people on the Enterprise after those dork Klingons blew up the starboard impulse drive!"

Behind the leader of Seito, Seki Haneko, Haru Asumi and Koeru Kumomi all winced as they gave the leader of Nan'yō weary looks; much that they themselves were quite upset that Jim Kirk had been so badly hurt - especially Asumi - they knew that their leader had quite the warm and caring heart and wouldn't take such news with the proper level of stoicism that it deserved. Before they could say anything, Sonami then turned to glare at them. "Why was I not told about this?" she then snarled out, making them all wince.

Asumi sighed. "Look, Gentoku! It ain't fatal even if it is bad! McCoy-sensei says that all they have to do is get Kirk-taisa over to Vulcan where they can regenerate up his spine, then fix up the rest of the mess! He'll be back on his feet in two weeks!"

"And with a daughter as well," Kumomi added.

Sonami jolted. "Eh?"

"One of those Questors we've heard so much about recently," Haneko explained.

The leader of Seito considered that, and then she seemed to deflate on herself. "But still . . . " she breathed out, and then she perked. "Wait! What about the DNA recombinant therapy Kyech-san brought with her to Yaminokuni to help Suguta-san?" She pointed to Tadasu Suguta in emphasis. "We can give that to him!"

"There are no supplies of it on either Haida or Arizona," Asumi said.

"Can't it be synthesized?"

"Of course it can, Gentoku!" Haneko stated. "But don't forget, if WE synthesize it, we'll be using materials from OUR dimension! Especially the meson that goes into the drug! If we inject THAT into Kirk-taisa, in a year's time . . . "

"Every one of the poor man's cells will be badly disrupted as the meson that originated in our dimension phases back," Kumomi finished. "If that doesn't kill the captain right off, he'll be badly weakened, perhaps permanently. Practically like he is now."

"What about using the meson synthesized on Enterprise?" Sonami snapped with an annoyed tone, surprised that no one had considered that.

"It's a mess over there!" Haneko stated. "Atop their having to put the labs back together again - as well as losing the labs that were in the secondary hull when the warp core went - they have to dredge up all the computer data as well! And the first priority is the other El-Aurians still in the Nexus! Did you forget them?"

Sonami jerked, and then she slumped. "He can't die . . . "

A hand landed on her shoulder. "Of course he can't, Ryūbi," Sebone Mimōko stated. "We all know - even those of us who didn't pay as much attention to Deep Space Nine and Voyager as you did - what's coming for the Federation."

"Another Borg attack on Earth in two years," Tsukasa Torusuke stated. "Atop that, the Dominion War is going to get started in earnest around the same time. It'll last two years, nearly breaking up the alliance between the Federation and the Klingons along the way." A sigh. "And there's the whole thing with all the Delta Quadrant races as Voyager herself is trying to get home throughout that whole time."

"They'll need all the experienced captains they can get their hands on," Mimōko stated. "And Kirk-taisa is certainly that." She then hummed. "Atop that . . . "

"What, Mō-chan?" Tsueko asked.

"What happens if or when the Founders find out about us, Sonsaku?"

People blinked, and then moans escaped many of the tōshi there. "That's a good point," Haneko mused. "This whole contact between us and Enterprise is going to be public Starfleet record soon enough, if it already hasn't become that."

"And given the certain technological advantages we possess - plus the ease by which Arizona was able to breach the dimensional barriers to come after Haida - what is to stop the Founders from trying to seek battle with us, even if it just to prevent us from trying to assist the Federation?" Kumomi added. "Section 31 is unknown to them at this time. Coming to our universe and viewing the specific television episodes of Deep Space Nine will forewarn them of the group's attempts to use a virus to attack the Founders directly." A shake of the head. "We must ensure that doesn't happen."

"There are two things we must do, then."

Eyes locked on Morokuzu Ryōko. "What's that?" Torusuke asked.

"One: We must pass on copies of every episode of Deep Space Nine and Voyager to General Dujduy and High Councillor Heva," the young strategist from Seito advised. "They have a friend who is the true leader of Section 31, who ALSO has a friend who is highly connected in the Obsidian Order; we could ask Master Spock to deliver them to Section 31 if we have to. If they are ALL forewarned of what is coming, they could not only prevent the high civilian casualties - especially on Cardassia Prime itself - they could also seek out whichever Founders might have infiltrated their governments to eliminate them before they cause any real trouble." A sigh. "The second is something we must do, even if we are reluctant to do it."

"Get Hiromi to let go of her hatred of the Sagussans to get them on board."

Eyes locked on the leader of Kyoshō. "Why, Sō-chin?" Tsueko asked; she had altered her nickname for her counterpart from Kanagawa shortly after they had met.

The handsome senior smirked. "Has anyone ever heard of the Eliminator?" At the others shook their heads in response, he sighed. "It's the Gatherer's sistership. As we all know by now, the Gatherer is the ship that has been seeding Sagussa over the last ten millennia with reborn and fully-regenerated women to serve as the Daishi'cha, the first generation of mothers of the new 'fifth race' to populate that world. As we also know, the Gatherer took Hiromi's brother to Sagussa when he was six, just before her soul and Negako's soul got fired into his head and fractured his own soul to eventually allow Tariko to live as a separate person." As people nodded, he added, "Bunjaku told me of this ship. He - the controlling computer has a male personality - is a ten-kilometre long version of Haida and her sisterships, save for the addition of a twin-barrel anti-proton cannon system similar to what the planet-killer in 'The Doomsday Machine' had."

"Oh, you mean that big ship that looks like a silver ice cream cone?" Tsueko asked.

"The one that wrecked the Constellation," he affirmed with a nod. "Now, the Gatherer's central computer is rather quite nice and friendly. HOWEVER, he also has a sistership. The Eliminator. And that ship - the same size and same capabilities - was programmed as a pure war machine." As the others gaped at him, the leader of Kyoshō smirked. "Could you imagine what could happen if the Founder's homeworld was threatened by a ship that could blast it into rubble . . . with one shot?"

The other tōshi blinked as they took that in . . .

To be continued . . .