Chapter Six
Deaf Ears
Hoshi Sato sat in her quarters reviewing her files from Daniels' records. She, like the rest of Alpha Shift, had been given private time to study the staggering, sometimes shocking material presented to them about their 'alternate lives'.
The duty logs were dry as dust; she always kept her official logs to a bald statement of facts, leaving opinions and theory to others. Even so, they were interesting, sometimes because they were quite different from logs she remembered recording, sometimes because they were not.
There was in the record, however, a sub-directory which was locked. When she used her personal password however, it unlocked. This she found mildly interesting and vastly annoying, as this contained her personal logs, in total, for the past nine months.
She could not say she was happy that her personal logs were part of these 'Protected Archives', and resolved to 'discuss' it with Daniels the next time she laid hands on him.
In the meantime, the vast material presented to her made absolutely fascinating reading. It seemed that she, Elizabeth Cutler and this 'Tia Anlor' were virtually inseparable friends. She'd taught the alien girl how to speak English when she refused to depend upon the UT; indoctrinated her - with Liz's help - into the vast maze of human custom and behavior and learned a great deal as well of Auran manners and mores.
She was particularly glad to read that Liz Cutler had indeed not transferred off Enterprise as she remembered. Rather, their friendship had remained secure right up to the present, as testified by the last log entries.
She found the concept of 'Daasii' to be absolutely fascinating and something Earth really should adopt; the interference of the UESPA typically in character for those high-handed bureaucrats; the 'dasreer' something she would not wish on her worst enemy, especially as a recurring torment(!); the 'Luuru' stunning and she was sorry to have 'missed' this thoroughly amazing event; the 'show' Seamus O'Cathain (at least she was still with him in both realities.) conspired to present on the long trip to Caldis III a great deal of fun and the entire recitation of history to be considerably more interesting, or at least less hazardous, than the reality she remembered.
She decided she would speak to the Captain about going along with Daniels' request, if only to keep Liz 'safe' aboard Enterprise. She could not bear the thought of her friend dying, especially in so horrendous a manner; and if this would keep her alive, to say nothing of happy and pregnant (still a shock.), then that was what Hoshi would do.
Thereafter, she would throttle Daniels!
xxxxx
After passing through the huge outer room surrounding the reception area, the multitude of desks within seeming to go on forever, she went out a door in the back and had to get through several corridors and two more rooms before she found herself in the presence of the leader of her homeland. She thought she was somewhere in the middle of the building; certainly it felt like she had walked that far, but finally she had arrived. The woman in the outer office had been expecting her and opened the door, admitting her into the presence of their Chief Executive.
This was still easier than she imagined it would be; certainly more so than accomplishing the same feat on Earth. Here there were not the 'fifty levels of bureaucracy' Charles was wont to rail against, comparing it to his race's 'nine levels of hell'. Here, if an adult needed to see someone in the government, even up to the Relatu himself, and it was possible to arrange some time, they would be seen.
Tia thanked Aura that this tradition had not yet fallen.
x
As the door closed behind her, she found herself in a room with the country's chief executive, and for an instant her nerve failed her. The room was not designed to intimidate visitors, but intimidation was just what she felt. She had never even met the Relatu of her home city; now to be in the presence of the nation's leader was overwhelming. She tried to keep focused on her mission, even while taking in the impressive surroundings.
The room was white marble, as indeed all had been, but it was no more monochrome than any other room had been. The thick carpet was a soothing light brown, the upholstered chairs were asrikro wood trimmed in pale green. In the far left corner stood a banner; the multihued insignia of the Losban nation.
Several portraits of past notable Relatui decorated the walls. She recognized the first Relatu, Donaill (Do-nah'-ill), the famous woman's portrait being prominently displayed. She had been the first Relatu of the then infant nation, and had served a staggering fourteen terms, her entire adult life, and only death at the extreme age of 104 had cut off an 'Election by Acclamation' to a fifteenth five palyis term.
The man seated behind the large asrikro desk waiting for her was perhaps fifty palyis old. He was tall, thin but in very good health indeed, something that did not count against him in the last election; at least not with the women's vote. He was, she recalled from history, a capable and confident leader, intelligent and strong willed, but fair and thoughtful.
She had not believed, did not believe, the almost universal contempt and distain in which his memory was held. It is true that, under his Administration, First Contact had been established; that in this time it became known to a race on the first steps of the exploration of space that there was definitely life beyond this sphere; and that in this room the 'Treaty of Friendship' had been signed.
Was it his fault that the 'Treaty of Friendship' had evolved into a yoke of Slavery that had bourn down and killed so many of her race, and reduced the population of a world to decades of torment, misery and death? She did not know.
She was only there to make sure that it never happened.
x
"::Yes? What may I you for do?::"
Tia approached the large desk, trying her best to pretend she was confident, but inside her everything was shaking. "::I you must of a great danger tell. You may believe not, but I you ask to me heed.::"
"::What danger?::"
She knew that in this day the Auran Space Program was in its infancy. Under Silurian occupation it never did develop, but today there was no proof that life existed outside the sphere. Auran ships had never done more than circle Sabaoth and study the massive gas giant. To reach another planet was years off; and she had to warn this man that living beings from another planet were going to visit Aura, make 'friends' with them and then betray their entire race.
She knew of only one way – that which Charles had expressed over all others – and that was to tell the truth. Offering a quick prayer and plea to Aura and Sabaoth, she began to tell him the truth.
"::You contacted by an alien race soon will be; the Silurians. They from another world are, and they say 'friends' they wish to be. They lie will. They to gather gold from us will want. They will friendship offer, among other things. But they to take all our gold will want, and soon enslave us will, to us mine it make. Soon, when what can be reached is gone, it they from our bodies they will demand to take, and into slaves us in our homes will make.::"
The Relatu stared up at her from his seat and said nothing. His expression, however, made his inner thoughts crystal clear.
'Well, Shar-les,' she thought bleakly, 'as say you would; 'so much for the truth'.'
xxxxx
"You wanted to see me, Captain?" Daniels asked from before Archer's desk, startling him. One moment Archer was alone, reviewing his options, the next the Temporal Agent was standing in front of him.
"I want you to knock next time." He replied irritably.
"I'm sorry, Captain."
"What is this? Do you know from your history books the time I'm going to want to talk to you and just pop over to those temporal coordinates?"
"Yes."
Archer could not help but smile at the simple and honest answer. "All right. Then you probably know what I'm going to say."
"Not really. Those things are so variable they cannot be pinned down in the future of any time line. Only when it becomes the past do I know what you are going to say, not before. In fact, that's why I didn't know you were going to cold-cock me last time we met."
"I don't remember that." He had no memory of having done it; but the 'last time' they had met, according to Daniels' history, had been during the incident of the Eminiar system, something he did not remember at all, as to him it had not happened.
"I'll never forget."
"I'll bet." He pushed back from his desk, looking up at the Temporal Agent. "I need more."
"What more?"
He looked at the information spread out on the various monitors in the room. "I need to know the consequences of what will happen if I do what you want. You've told me some of what has been undone; I know what has been done in its stead. I need more."
"Again, what more?"
"I need the future. As much as I now know about the past and the present, the 'what was' and the 'what is', I need to know the 'what will be'."
Daniels hesitated, torn between a desire to tell and a need to conceal. "Have you any idea how classified that is?"
"No. I only know that you will give it to me."
xx
"He's provided a staggering list of wonders and advances, and I'm not insensible to that." Archer told his Command Crew around the Situation Monitor in the rear of the Bridge an hour later. "But we're talking about nearly nine months. Not only does he want to affect things that happened on this ship, but events that affect entire worlds. In some cases they will be improved – hell, three planets whose populations have presently been annihilated will be restored. We're talking tens of billions of people, and God knows how many generations to come. Just on that alone, I would be inclined to say 'let's do it'." He paused, looking at each of his officers in turn, gauging their reactions to all they had learned, and all they had yet to learn.
"He's also offering three other planets which will be strongly affected by what we do. We'll gain a two generation treaty with Beta Aragon, and access to a tremendous supply of dilithium, which will help our warp research dramatically. If I'm right, our ships might actually cruise at warp six for virtually unlimited times, and reach warp nine. And we'll be affecting Cygnet XIV's, or Bravina's, colonization of Caldis III; a fait accompli that we had no hand in this time around, but which we will gain tremendous scientific clues and technology in the 'other' time line. But is it for the better or the worse? I don't know.
"Also, one of my crew we can keep on board and not watch die two years from now. The name Daniels mentioned; we have a crewmember in Security with that same last name. Apparently Elizabeth Cutler Cein lives a long life, and I can hope a full and happy one. She has a son and grandchildren; who knows what else? We did learn her son has a key role to play in a treaty with the Tholians."
The men and women standing before him kept their silence, but he could see the depth of his words upon them.
x
"But then I have to look at the other side of the coin. Over the past nine months we've spent out here, we've done a lot. How many things will be changed, and to what effect? If we were out of position to do good in the Time Line he would have us restore, what good have we done here and now that will be undone by us being 'elsewhere' at a 'key moment'?"
"I wish we could know that, but is it really possible?" Malcolm asked.
"Daniels has given us files and logs, and quite frankly the differences between some of them scare the hell out of me! Some things I do remember as described. Others I've never heard of, but I checked the dates and found some things that don't match. I wish I could say we were just exploring on the dates when tremendous things allegedly happened, but while that did sometimes happen, that's not always the way it is. There are going to be changes."
"Quite a lot, I imagine." Trip agreed emphatically.
"But then I have to consider the point in terms of lives. How many are going to die that didn't, if I am going to undo the destruction of three planets? And is it necessarily for the good?
"And there's more.
"Daniels tells me that this 'Tia Anlor' went back in time to try to stop a race known as the Silurians from enslaving her planet. Obviously, she failed. Instead of making them slaves, the Silurians killed every one of them.
Now, the question here is a moral one. Do they 'stay' dead, or do how many millions spend how many generations as slaves? Or worse; what if ten years from now the Silurians decide to kill everyone anyway? What benefit will I have given to them?"
He looked at Trip, but the man had nothing to say. Jonathan was sorry for this, for it was from his friend that he would gain the decisive insight. But for now, he forged ahead.
"I made him give me some more information in order to make my decision. Eminiar VII and VIII are at war, have been at war for over 400 years, and I understand have another 100 to go before they make peace. Thousands upon thousands not yet born are going to die in this war. Yet, in another 100 years, they are going to have peace. So do I look at the short picture of these potential victims or take the long view that eventually they'll stop fighting?
"He refused to tell me what Aura's ultimate fate will be, other than that the Silurians are so firmly entrenched there after more than half a century that they cannot be removed by and military means Starfleet has at its disposal.
"Also, what other things have happened in nine months? I'm not talking now about the gross changes affecting planetary populations or fates. I'm talking about the little things involving smaller populations. Maybe even one or two. If we are going to be responsible for the millions, we have to be responsible for the one or two as well."
No one had a definitive answer to offer. Dealing with gross details was one thing, to deal with the personal fates of one or more individuals was almost impossible to resolve.
xxxxx
It was a very long moment before the Relatu answered Tia's declaration and her long and (she hoped) compelling argument. But it was with a sinking heart that she found her apprehensions confirmed. When he had told her that if these supposed 'Silurians' wanted their worthless gold, they may take all they wish; she knew she was lost.
Gold was worthless. There was so much of it that Aurans valued it the way Charles and his people would value iron. Less, in fact; for iron could be used for building and the soft metal was useless even for that. It made pretty decorations, both personal and public, but other than that it was worthless. Even the jewel of office the Relatu wore, a lozenge shaped emblem in the center of which was a blue, multifaceted gemstone of the same shape, the golden 'backing' was only there to hold the stone in place. 'Radiating' from this large gem were eight smaller ones reaching from the stone to the other edge of the gold, four on each side, but the gold was only a setting, nothing more.
It was only with the advent of the Silurians that the Auran race was exposed to the concept of the abundant material having any value at all. They were, sadly, exposed to it as something that someone would be willing to struggle, enslave and kill for.
But today, that concept was still beyond anyone's imagination. Gold was so common that it was in everything, the ground, the plants, the blood; it was in every living thing. It and klinasy combined to carry oxygen to every cell of every living being, be it animal or sapient. It was one of the basic 'building blocks' of life, as Phlox would say. To these people it represented no value, and the desire for it represented no danger.
"::Relatu, you me believe must! The Silurians come will, and great danger they are!::"
"::Misala Anlor, I sorry am. Listened I to you have, but provide proof you do not. I your story of 'aliens' do unfounded find; though interesting it is. I to it shall all due consideration give, but until proof you offer, act upon it I can not.::"
"::But -.::"
"Dampris musila." He concluded, wishing her a 'good afternoon' with a finality she could not remember anyone on the Enterprise ever using to her.
She wished she had Wrenaouq Archer's experience. She was sure that the human never had the uncertainties she did, nor did so poor a job dealing with anyone.
"Dampris musila, Relatu." She repeated dejectedly. She had pressed her twenty piwu up to nearly an ascla, finally as time ran out again nearly begging the man to believe, to act upon her warning. But though she had a vast store of information she could prove absolutely none of it. She had told him how she knew, that she had come from years ahead, from an occupied and enslaved Aura, had escaped in a stolen Silurian warship with twenty of her fellows, and had been living for most of a year aboard a starship of the planet Earth.
She could even pinpoint the very moment when he had stopped believing her.
She had considered showing the only two pieces of physical evidence she had on her person, the chronotran and the phase pistol. But the only way to prove their use was to vanish into the time stream or shoot something; neither course likely to help her case.
She turned, crossing the room to the door, but just as she started to open it she turned. "::But come the Silurians will. And I here be will.::"
"::Until then.::" The man granted.
He would not have her thrown out of the building; the Pryndonitan was traditionally completely accessible to anyone. She was not behaving in a threatening manner. Indeed, he could sense she truly believed she wanted to help – even though she was utterly mad.