Captain Sheridan began the meeting at 14.45 sharp. All races from the League were present, including the Minbari. Sheridan promised evidence that the Shadow threat was real and didn't need First Ones to defeat the Shadows. He showed them the recording of the battle with the Shadow scout. After it concluded, the questions began to flow.
Sheridan fought to maintain control of the meeting. "Order. I said order." After a few seconds, everyone quieted down. "All of your questions will be answered. Mollari, you first."
The Centauri ambassador stood up. "Captain, we assumed that these were new Earth Force ships. Is Earth committing its latest ships to your alliance?
Sheridan looked up at the clock. It was 15:00. Perfect timing, he thought. Before he could answer, three sparkling beams of light began coalescing, accompanied by the transporter's distinctive sound. After a few moments, three humans in unfamiliar uniforms appeared as the light dissipated.
The room became silent. Neroon, from the Minbari Warrior Caste, was the first to recover. "Sheridan, what is this? Is this some kind of human trick?"
Satisfied that the desired impact had been made, Sheridan proceeded with the meeting. "Allow me to introduce Admiral Picard and Captains Garrett and Maxwell of the United Federation of Planets. The ships in the video are theirs, not Earth Force."
"Captain, I'm sorry if we disrupted your proceedings. We made sure to arrive at the prescribed time," Picard said.
Neroon was still not satisfied. "Starkiller, I ask again. Who are these humans, and where did they come from?"
Sheridan and Picard exchanged glances. Then Picard nodded and asked Garrett to tell everyone about them and their origins. After she was finished, one of the ambassadors asked. "Do you have any proof to support your claims?"
Sheridan immediately replied. "I have seen their evidence, as has Ambassador Delenn. I have no doubts that their claims are true."
"Very well. Are you going to help us against the Shadows? Also, if so, when are you returning to your homeworld—or rather, universe?"
Picard decided to field the questions. "Yes, we have decided to join the alliance. Regarding your second question, we won't be returning for the foreseeable future. At this time, there's no known way for us to return."
Neroon still wasn't satisfied, so he decided to challenge Picard. "What makes you think that your help will make a difference against the Shadows? While impressive, you have only fought one of their ships. What will you do against a fleet?"
Picard smiled at Neroon. "I'm glad you asked." Picard touched his comm badge, and then an approximately 2-foot-tall cylinder materialized next to him. "This is a holographic projector. I wanted to give you an indication of what our capabilities are and how we might help win this war."
With a button press, the projector created a holographic version of the Enterprise bridge, placing everyone behind the tactical position.
"This is a holographic representation of the bridge of my flagship. The following is a recording from our final battle prior to our arrival here. This battle took place in the Archer system," Picard explained, setting up the video. "The Enterprise was a part of the Second Fleet, charged with defending the system from the enemy we've been fighting for 20 years: the Klingons. We were organized into 3 task forces, with my ship in the second task force. I want everyone to pay attention to how the enemy reveals itself."
Enterprise – The Battle of Archer (4 Month Ago, Klingon War Timeline)The mood on the bridge was tense. Starfleet intelligence had warned of a significant Klingon attack in this system. The exact timing had been unknown; therefore, Starfleet dispatched as many available ships as possible to the system. If the Klingons detected a significant fleet build-up, they might decide to call off the attack, at least that is what the thinking was at Starfleet Command.
The Enterprise had been executing a standard patrol course along with the rest of their task force when Data noticed an unusual sensor reading. "Captain, sensors detected an object near the moon of Archer 2 for 500 milliseconds before it disappeared."
Picard was intrigued. "Mr. Data, any theories of what the object might have been?"
"There is insufficient data to make an accurate determination, Captain. Whatever was there is no longer registering on sensors."
Picard heard what Data said, but he trusted his instincts more, which told him that a cloaked ship was there. "Mr. Data, open a channel to the Crazy Horse. I want to speak with Admiral Jellico."
Data immediately tapped the necessary buttons. "Channel opened, Sir."
The viewscreen changed; the stars were replaced with a view of the Crazy Horse bridge, with Rear Admiral Jellico front and center.
"Captain Picard. What can I do for you?" Jellico asked in his usual acerbic manner.
"Admiral, we have detected what I believe to be a cloaked vessel near the moon of Archer 2. I would like to investigate and engage."
Jellico was skeptical, but he knew Data's capabilities, and Picard's reputation was stellar. "Very well, Captain. We'll monitor your ship and provide support if you encounter any Klingons."
"Understood, Sir. Picard out."
Picard then stood from his chair and turned to Riker. "Commander Riker, sound general quarters; however, do not arm weapons and shields yet. I don't want to reveal our intentions by going in with weapons and shields at full power. Wait for my order."
Riker nodded. "Yes, Sir. Consider it done."
Picard continued to give orders. "Lt. Yar, when I give the order, I want a full spread of torpedoes launched from both forward launchers. Fire 4 torpedoes at the last known location of the unknown object. The remaining torpedoes will be set to a wide dispersal pattern, proximity charge."
"Yes, Sir," Yar replied, her voice full of excitement as they prepared for another battle.
"Belay my last. Lt. Yar, prepare the torpedoes. Mr. Data will fire just after engaging the warp drive. I need absolute precision for this to work, and he's faster than all of us," Picard clarified. "Mr. Crusher set a course for the moon of Archer 2. I want to exit warp 50,000 km from where the object was detected. Once we have confirmed contact, come about and engage at half impulse. Lt. Yar, you will then fire another full spread from both rear launchers."
There was a chorus of "aye sirs" from the respective officers.
Picard then settled back into his seat. He knew better than to second guess himself now. That was the quickest way to get yourself killed, and dying wasn't on the agenda for today. As he pointed to the main viewer, he gave the order. "Mr. Data, engage. Red Alert!"
This maneuver was a reprise of what was known as the "Picard Maneuver." The hologram shifted to an exterior view, where the Enterprise appeared to be in two places at once for just a second. That was all the time the photon torpedoes needed, dropping out of warp alongside the Enterprise. The effects were devastating. The Enterprise's sensors had indeed detected a cloaked ship, one that was instantly obliterated by the torpedo salvo. An engineer on the ship the Enterprise destroyed had made a minor but fatal error while maintaining the cloaking device. It was small enough to be missed by almost everyone in the system… except the android that never missed anything.
"Multiple targets hit, Captain. One ship destroyed, several damaged," Yar reported.
Crusher reported next. "The ship is in position."
"Lt. Yar, fire torpedoes! Ensign Crusher, come to course 314 mark 210, half impulse," Picard ordered as he watched secondary explosions ravaged the Klingon ships on the screen.
"Captain, ships are decloaking all over the system. Sensors detect at least 240 ships," Data reported, his hands flying across his console.
Picard nodded. "Acknowledged. How many ships were destroyed?"
"7, Sir," Yar reported.
"Sir, the taskforce has arrived. Admiral Jellico signals that all ships are to begin their attack runs," Data announced.
" , fire at will!" Picard shouted.
Babylon 5 – Advisory CouncilEveryone in the room was quite impressed by what they had seen. First, the transporter and then the holographic projector were both a demonstration of very advanced technology. Even the Minbari, who used similar holographic technology on their ships, were impressed, though Neroon would never admit it. They watched the battle unfold for the next 20 minutes, and no one uttered a word, though everyone noticed how the enemy ships simply vanished and reappeared moments later. Neroon had read old texts describing the first Shadow War, where Shadow ships would also disappear and reappear during combat, making the fight much more difficult. It was good that Picard and his people had experience fighting such an enemy. Perhaps this human could be valuable, after all.
Garret had fought a few battles during her career, but they had all been defensive and rarely resulted in her adversary's destruction. However, after seeing that recording, she finally understood what Picard and the others had experienced during the last 20 years. Garrett had never experienced a battle as ruthless and intense, never mind a full fleet battle. She was trying to put herself in Picard's position as he made his tactical decisions, a surprisingly stressful task, and this was just a replay of the battle. Garrett didn't feel qualified to fight in a battle on this scale. If the war against the Shadows was fought at a similar scale, then she would need help. Having both Sisko and Yar on her ship would give them a fighting chance, given her inexperience. She would continue to stress and practice diplomacy whenever possible, but she needed to find and embrace her inner warrior if they were to survive in this universe.
John Sheridan had spent a lot of time with Picard over the last few days. He thought that he understood Picard's ability to command a combat fleet. He realized that he had underestimated Picard, though this demonstration only confirmed his rationale for asking Picard to lead the fleet in the first place. In the final minutes of the recording, Picard assumed command of his task force and destroyed the enemy flagship and its escorts, although not without suffering some losses of his own. His fleet had defeated a significantly larger force with the element of surprise, and Sheridan was quite pleased with the demonstration. He felt confident that there would be no further resistance to joining the allied fleet or Picard's command position.
Once the recording stopped, Sheridan walked into the center of the room and asked what he hoped would be the final time. "Admiral Picard has offered to join the alliance fleet. Can I also count on all of you to join as well? With his experience and technology at his disposal, we can win this war!" Sheridan's face was grave and intense, his voice full of emotion.
Neroon surprised everyone by standing up. "Sheridan, everyone knows how I feel about humans, you included. Now, I feel that I speak for everyone in this room when I say that we will contribute ships to this alliance on one condition. Admiral Picard must command. He is a warrior, and the Warrior Caste respects warriors above all others. He has the experience, knowledge, and firepower to lead us to victory."
Sheridan, and especially Delenn, couldn't believe what they just heard. They expected Neroon to be their biggest adversary, not their strongest advocate. Now, there was only one thing left to do.
Sheridan turned to Picard and asked, "Admiral, will you lead the fleet against the Shadows?"
Picard looked at every face in the room, noticing something in their eyes that he hadn't seen in a very long time: hope. They now thought that they had a chance to defeat the enemy with him in command. This war wouldn't be about fighting for an increasingly lost cause, the survival of the Federation. Yet, somehow, this was felt larger, with higher stakes. Lose this war, and everyone in the entire galaxy dies. Not even the Klingons were that ruthless. No, this was a war that he had every intention of winning by any means necessary.
Picard simply said, "I accept."
Sheridan walked over to Picard and shook his hand. "Thank you, Admiral. Where do we go from here?"
"We will begin tactical planning at 0900 tomorrow morning. I would like to have recommendations for task force commanders and squadron leaders as soon as possible," Picard replied.
Sheridan then turned around and addressed the audience. "Let's win this war! Until tomorrow!"
There was an energy in the room that Sheridan had never experienced before, probably nervous energy with a little excitement thrown in. Sheridan and Delenn were about to engage Picard and his team in a conversation when Neroon came over.
"Admiral, I've never had respect for any human. Don't make me regret my decision," Neroon said defiantly.
Picard leveled a very intense stare at Neroon, the glare that he gave anyone who questioned him. He used it as a means of intimidation, and it worked on everyone, including Neroon. "Sir, I know nothing about your previous encounters with humans. However, I can assure you that I don't appreciate my competence being questioned. I don't care whether you respect me or not. But know this, I will win this war. Your respect is not required."
Neroon was not happy with Picard's words. "Admiral, I will have you know that I have killed humans for less."
Picard took a step closer to Neroon and said, "You are welcome to try. Know that you will fail badly."
Neroon took a step back and said, "Good day, Admiral," and left the room.
Picard turned to Sheridan and asked, "Who was that?"
Delenn answered instead. "His name is Neroon, and he's the leader of the Minbari Warrior Caste. Rest assured, I will give you a briefing on him and the intricacies of Minbari culture."
"I would appreciate that. Also, I would appreciate a briefing on any relevant information before the meeting tomorrow," Picard replied.
"That won't be a problem. If you have time, we can get started right now," Sheridan interjected.
Picard nodded. "Lead the way."
Enterprise – 10 ForwardRachel Garrett walked into 10 Forward. It was later in the evening, and she wasn't sure if the person she wanted to see was even here. The new décor was much better than the first time she visited this ship. They had recently finished the Destiny updates, and thanks to Guinan's input, it resulted in a much more comfortable environment.
As she walked over to the bar, she noticed the person that she came to visit.
"Captain, Rachael, it's good to see you. What can I do for you?"
"Hi, Guinan. I'll take some coffee and a few minutes of your time if you don't mind."
Guinan returned a minute later with the coffee and one of her 'special recipes' for herself.
"So, what's on your mind?"
"I've had a lot of time to think since our last conversation. I've also had conversations with several Ambassadors on Babylon 5, especially Delenn. I wanted to say that you were right, and I was wrong. I didn't understand at the time, but I do now. Commander Sisko said it best. It's fine to follow the rulebook for the game you're playing. However, if the game changes, then that rulebook is now useless. New game, new rules. Being here, it's a new game. New rules."
Guinan gave Garrett a subtle nod to continue.
"There's an opportunity here to build something special. It may not be the Federation that I know, but many of those same ideas can be made a reality here. They only need help to get there, and I think that I am the most qualified to help them."
"You may be the most qualified, but is that truly want to do, or do you see it as some sort of obligation?"
"It's both. As I said, I've given this a lot of thought. Never have I dreamed that such an opportunity would present itself, certainly not in my lifetime. The mere prospect scared me, to be honest. I tried to hide behind rules and regulations, but you and Admiral Picard wouldn't let me. Once I began to interact with the others, I realized that I now have a greater purpose. It's not just about protecting my ship and crew, not anymore. There is an entire galaxy, with billions of lives, that deserves the opportunity to live and grow, and I can help them do that."
"Are you sure? Do you have any remaining reservations?"
"Well, I'm not ready to through away the old rulebook. Let's just say that I won't be following it quite as closely as before. It's time to create new rules that will be inspired by the old. I'm OK with that. I'm ready to embrace this new challenge. We all have a role to play, and I intend to play my part to the best of my ability."
"That's all any of us can do. I'm glad that you have made peace with yourself and reached a decision that you can live with."
"Absolutely."
"I'm almost finished here; if you could give me a few minutes, we could continue our conversation."
"Sure, I'd like that. I'll go find a table."