Chapter 85

Cracking The Shell

On board Socrates

April 2, 2378

Deanna Troi awoke early that morning, restless with the energy coursing through her body. The combination of the enhanced Borg implants and the enhanced telepathic gene had given her abilities far beyond what she had ever though possible. Whereas before she was only able to pick up feelings, now she could easily slip into someone's mind. However, she had to resist that temptation, as the natural telepaths had told her that she should be careful whom she "scans" with her abilities.

For the past few days since the completion of the procedure, she had undergone training for her newly enhanced telepathic abilities. At first, she seemed a bit frustrated because of the slow pace, but she soon understood why there was a reason for this: she had never been a full-blown telepath, and she soon was finding out the negative side of telepathy. She learned to create "mental walls" inside her mind so she could block out most of the "voices", thoughts that she could hear all around her. Soon, she was able to create walls thick enough to hold out all but the simple "buzz" of background noise.

She went to the commissary and met Beverley Crusher there. They got their food and sat at a table to eat. "How are you doing with your training, Bev," Troi asked.

"About as good as can be expected. They're being slow with me, just getting me to build mental walls and such. Who've thought being able to read someone's mind would be such a hassle," Crusher replied, with a laugh at the end.

"Well, from what I can tell of these human telepaths, they have good reason why. Back on Betazed, telepathy is a natural thing. We grew up in it, and me being half-Human was a bit of a hindrance. When I was a kid, the others would wonder why I wouldn't converse with them telepathically, and I had to tell them about my being only empathic.Let's just say I got my fair share of teasing."

"How are you holding up," asked Crusher.

Troi sighed and said, "Better than I thought I would, to be honest. I still feel like the universe has crashed down around me, what with Will gone and all."

"I know. I went through the same thing with Jack ages ago. It still tears me up from time to time when I least expect it."

"This may sound strange, but I'm sort of glad there's a war going on. Helps me to stay busy and not dwell on...well, you know."

Crusher nodded her head and said, "Believe me, I do! Where do you think I got the whole workaholic thing from?"

Deanna laughed at that comment, then said, "Who would have ever thought we'd wind up in a Borg cube, sharing a leisurely breakfast, in the middle of a war? I mean, the absurdity of it all!"

"Yeah, and all this talk of crossing universes and timelines and such! I've heard that Temporal Investigations is swamped with all of this, but what can they do? We're in the middle of a war, and Starfleet can't worry too much about timelines at present."

Inside an office overlooking the commissary, Picard, Elric, and Penelope observed the two newest persons in their group. "They're taking to all this better than I expected, Picard.," said Elric.

Picard replied, "I've known these two women for many years, and I had no doubts whatsoever. Even with Troi and the loss of her husband, I knew they would be able to cope with it. Of course, it won't be easy for them, but they're Starfleet officers, damned good ones in my book, and I knew that they could handle this."

Elric nodded and said, "Well, it's time we left them to their own devices. For now, we've a meeting to attend."

The first meeting of the newly expanded Circle began without much fanfare. The fifteen members assembled around a simple conference table, with the five original members seated at the head of the table. Elric had been confirmed as the leader of the group, albeit the title was unofficial. Blaylock, Herazade, Ing-Radi, and Alwyn composed the technomage side of the fifteen, while Picard, Anna Sheridan, Penelope,Ariadne, and Horatio comprised the Borg contingent. The telepaths had chosen Byron, Lyta Alexander, Bill Ramseur, Monica Darcelli, and Harriman Gray. Gray had been helpful in helping with the military aspects of the group, and his usual nervous nature had subsided as he gained confidence within the group.

Gray was recognized when the time came for a presentation about the progress of the war. "According to Starfleet, they are still unsure exactly what happened to the planet killer, or planet killers as the case may be, that escaped through their vortex generator. We seem to think that it may be a portable jumpgate from my universe of some kind, but we're not exactly sure about that."

Picard asked, "So they could theoretically just pop out anywhere?"

"Not exactly. The risks of just jumping out without an idea of where you were are considerable, so I think they have an idea of where they were going. As much as I wish I could report where they were headed, I can't. The Excalibur did a thorough scan of the abandoned portable gate, but they could not find any information to tell them of where they might have jumped to.," replied Gray.

Horatio spoke up, "It is important to note that the Breen were allies of the Dominion during the war, and no one has heard much from them since the war began. Also, the Tholians have been unusually quiet during all of this, and we all know that there is an uneasy peace between them and the Federation. With the Romulans and Klingons effectively gone from the power structure of the galaxy, they may see this war as a way to fill the vacuum and avoid complete domination by the Federation."

"True enough. But without evidence, they could be a convenient scapegoat for all we know. I suspect them, but I would not focus all my efforts on watching them.," Blaylock added.

"What I can tell you in my dealings with them is that they need allies just as much as the Legendora, and that they have lost three big ones in the defeat of the Comet Empire, the imminent defeat of the Drakh, and the liberation of Cardassia. Their number of possible allies grows smaller, but that doesn't mean that they are any less dangerous. In fact, they may be planning to strike in one last attempt to win the war.," said Anna Sheridan.

"That's what worries me. We've beaten them in pretty much every battle we've faced them in, but we're not sure just how much of a force they have left. And, we're not sure just how much of what's been going on in the universe where Yamato comes from since their Earth was destroyed and their version of Z'ha'dum was wiped out. We've been busy fighting battles in our universe that we've not been able to guard the other two as much as we should.," said Picard.

A distressful murmur went through the room at this thought. "It seems as if you have hit upon something quite troubling and altogether too realistic, Picard. Have you discussed this with Starfleet yet?"

"Not yet, but if you all want me to do so, I'll contact them as soon as possible. Starfleet is just now getting back on its feet after the destruction of San Francisco, so I'm sure they've not had the chance to catch their breath and see what we've been able to deduce."

"Contact them as soon as possible. They need to know about this. It may not be much, but at least it'll keep them on their toes. In this war, that may be the best kind of defense to have.," said Blaylock.

The meeting moved on to other affairs, but Elric was distracted by the thought that Picard had added to the discussion. Where had those ships gone, he thought, and what are they up to?