- FOURTEEN -
Sowing the Seeds
- February 7th, 2157 -

It was almost as if everything was a dream. The haunting images of the battle, with his crew lying dead before him flashed through his mind for the umpteenth time, explosions and screams of people overwhelmed his senses and a cloud of smoke further fogged his mind. He yelled, waving his arms widely trying to escape this hell. He tried to run but none of his limbs seemed to respond properly, with every action in slow motion as his lungs grasped for air. The darkness seemed to finally consume him no matter how hard he fought; going under for the last time... when all of a sudden he jolted awake.

Jonathon Archer sat upright in the bed, gasping for air and soaked in his own sweat. He looked around trying to get his bearings but his eyes were murky and difficult to focus. A blinking red light flashed next to him as he tried to force his eyes to work, but to no avail. Less then a minute later someone walked into the room, although he couldn't identify him.

"Captain, I see you're finally awake." Archer squinted his eyes. "Just relax captain; you've been out for awhile. I'm Doctor Peterson, and you're in Starfleet Medical." He felt a bit more relieved. The doctor walked over and begun a thorough check.

"How long have I been out doc?" Archer managed to splutter out, although speaking wasn't easy either.

"About three weeks, you were in sort of a semi-coma." The doctor finished his check-up. "Everything seems to be normal; looks like you got lucky captain." Archer tried to move off the bed but was stopped by a shot of pain in his spine. "Take it easy. You'll need to give yourself a little time to re-adjust; we're going to have to put you in rehab for a few days." Archer groaned at the thought of that.

"Those are doctor's orders Jon and I expect you to follow them." Archer lifted his head at the new voice. Admiral Forrest stood in the doorway to the room but the most welcoming sight was of Porthos running towards him and jumping onto his bed. Archer smiled as he pet his old friend.

"Hey, hey buddy." He said as Porthos jumped up to lick his face.

"Welcome back Jon." Forrest said as he approached.

"What happened to my crew?" Archer didn't waste any time to address his primary concern.

"Don't worry, they all got out." Archer let out a sigh of relieve again. "The Enterprise didn't make it."

"I'm sorry." Archer apologized but the admiral quickly waved it off.

"No need Jon, it wasn't your fault. The important thing is that you got out in one piece, although you were real lucky in that department. A nearby ship was able to beam you out just as Enterprise fell apart." Archer hated the thought of losing his ship but there was nothing he could do now.

"How many survived?" It wasn't something he really wanted to know.

"Just over 80% casualties Jon." Forrest said with a sigh, "Only sixty ships made it out." Out of three-hundred and ten. Archer was silent. "Doc, how long before the captain can get back to work?" The admiral said, turning to the medical officer waiting patiently.

"A few days at least, probably a week or so." Forrest nodded.

"Alright Jon. I hate to do it but we have to put you back to work as soon as possible. We've got something coming up and we're going to need your help with it." Archer nodded but stayed silent. "Okay. I'll brief you when you're ready. Get better, and I'll see you in a few days."
- December 31st, 2380 -

The U.S.S. Enterprise-E quietly orbited a silent but beautiful greenish planet deep within Klingon space. Flanking her sides were a Vor'Cha cruiser and a pair of Birds-of-Preys on guard duty. Most of the Enterprise's systems were powered down, and have been for the last week or so both for the purpose of avoiding detection and to speed up repairs on the battered ship.

Captain Picard took a brief opportunity to catch up with Worf. The Klingon Starfleet officer has enjoyed his post as a Federation ambassador to the empire but made no hesitation when the chancellor asked him to aid his old captain. Worf is highly concerned about the situation and the impending war within the Federation but is not sure what he can do himself, and therefore will just have to be content with doing whatever he can for now, including protecting the Enterprise from the Armia Krajowa.

Unfortunately as a captain, there was not much Picard could do as his crew worked round the clock to get the ship back in shape again. While he has plenty of technical expertise, it was better left to the real experts in his crew to do the job while he oversees the repairs and ensure that everything gets done on a timely manner. So as a result, Picard sat alone in his quarters, reading through a stack of reports on the status of the various departments of his ship. He didn't exactly like the prospect of ushering in the New Year by reading reports and hiding in Klingon space, but he had no other choice and he was sure moral on the rest of the ship has taken a hit too.

"Bridge to Captain Picard." Lieutenant Kim Perry's voice jolted him back to reality.

"Picard here." He quickly said, reading all those reports had put him in a sort of trance.

"Sir, a Federation probe just de-cloaked off our starboard bow a few seconds ago." Picard thought for a second as this was something entirely unexpected, but he is getting used to it by this point. "It's transmitting a friendly signal... as well as Captain Riker's ID code." That definitely got his attention.

"Thank you Lieutenant, I'll be there in a minute." He said as he stood up and quickly walked out of his quarters. Two minutes later, the captain was exiting the lift and onto his bridge. Commander Madden emerged from the second turbo-lift almost at the exact same time as both made their way to their chairs located in the middle of the room.

"Sir, the probe is hailing us." Perry reported and Picard gave her the go-ahead. Riker's face appeared on the view screen.

"Jean-Luc, sorry if I startled you. But the admiral managed to scrounge something up that you should know, and I didn't dare send it over subspace. Everything you need to know is stored in the probe, Geordi will know what to do. Sorry I couldn't be out there myself, but the situation's really grown worst and we think the Armia Krajowa may attack any day now so the admiral's kept as many ships as she can around Earth. Oh, and I know what you're thinking, don't ask about the cloak. Jean-Luc, good luck... we're both going to need it." Riker's face disappeared again.

"That was a recording." Perry stated. Picard thought for a few seconds again before acting.

"Mr. Munroe, please tractor in the probe and contact Commander LaForge to start working on it immediately. Set everything else aside, this is our top priority now." Alex Munroe acknowledged and set to work. Will, whatever you've got for me, I hope its damned good.
- February 16th, 2157 -

Captain Jonathan Archer found himself back in a familiar setting once again, sitting besides Admiral Forrest in the main senate chamber of the World Government. The only difference was that there was a much larger contingent of Starfleet officers accompanying them this time. He had spent just a day shy of a week recovering at the hospital before he demanded to be put back to work although he now regrets that decision somewhat.

The last couple of days were spent with Admiral Forrest plus several other high-profile Starfleet officers being briefed on their plan to save Earth and humanity. At first their idea shocked him and he was adamantly opposed to such a ridiculous proposition. But over a period of several days they were able to convince him enough to accept it although he still didn't like it too much. After garnering his support, albeit reluctantly, the admiral called for an emergency session with the World Government.

"The senate is now in session." The President started, causing a hush to fall over the crowded room. "Admiral Forrest of Starfleet has called this emergency session." He said as he turned to face the group of Starfleet officers on one side, "Admiral, the floor is yours." Forrest cleared his throat and rose from his seat to address the mass of politicians.

"Ladies and gentlemen." He begins, "As you are all aware, we suffered a considerable setback in the Vega Sector a month ago." He paused as he braced to deliver the real bad news. "As a result, our intelligence estimates that Romulans will be walking on this planet in three months." This got the senators to start mumbling amongst themselves, and Forrest had to wait for them to quiet back down before continuing. "The situation is growing desperate and everyday we're loosing more ground to our enemy. This is partly due to the fact that they have more powerful ships then we do, and partly due to the inadequacies of our chain-of-command."

"Are you saying we're going to loose this war?!" A senator yelled out. Forrest did not reply, only stopping briefly as the President hammered his gravel to re-establish authority.

"The Romulans were fully prepared for a conflict, we were not." Forrest said boldly, again garnering some unwanted comments. "The fact of the matter is this; our system is too muddled by politics and bureaucracy. While our enemy plots their next move, we're left sitting here bickering amongst ourselves and being stuck in indecision." A few did not appreciate the truth.

"Just what are you saying Admiral?" One senator yelled tauntingly as others jeered.

"I'm saying," He shot back, "That this government is too inefficient and ineffective to defend humanity from a cold-hearted opponent like the Romulans." The entire senate immediately threw itself into an uproar.

"Who on earth put such a pessimist in charge?!" Was among one of the insults that was hurled at the admiral. Regardless Forrest stood his ground and deflected the personal attacks.

"We must establish a new authority, one who can arrive at a decision without hesitation! One who can response quickly to new threats and adapt rapidly to new situations! One who is not lethargic and bogged down by politics and personal egos!" Forrest had decided to throw all caution out the window as the senators turned to squabble between themselves, proving the admiral's point for all to see. The President desperately tried to re- establish order which was more then difficult.

"Admiral Forrest, just exactly what are you proposing?" The President asked when things finally quieted down to a level in which he could be heard. Forrest and Archer exchanged glances briefly before the admiral took a deep breath to speak again, somewhat hesitantly.

"Mr. President. Today I stand before you and the senate, and ask the World Government to hand over all power and authority... to us."
- January 1st, 2381 -

"Report." Jehovah ordered the holographic image in the center of the room to speak.

"Sir, the Enterprise received a data pod from Captain William Riker yesterday." The figure replied.

"Do you know what it contains?" Jehovah prodded further.

"I am sorry sir but I do not, other then that it's some sort of data. However, they are in the process of deciphering it and that should be completed in a few hours time." There was a silent pause as another slab turned to address the one in charge.

"Jehovah, this could be it." The voice emphasised, "Picard must not be allowed to get his hands on that information. We must act now!"

"Calm yourself Peter." Jehovah returned its attention to the hologram. "You know what to do next agent, you must ensure that Picard does not get his hands on that data. Go to it." The holographic figure nodded and disappeared as Jehovah turned to face another of the twelve. "Philip, contact the Amethyst... and signal the attack."

To Be Continued...