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STAR TREK:

THE GOD MACHINE

by Darrin Colbourne

Later that day Admiral Jellico and Ensign Colt were in Jellico's quarters working out the logistics requirements for his new squadron, which was now officially dubbed Deep Reconnaisance Group One. He was just about to go over the ships' itemized supply requests when his door chimed. Colt got up immediately to answer it. "Good Afternoon, Captain." She said, brightly as ever.

It was Christopher Pike. "Afternoon, Ensign. Could I see the Admiral?"

"Come on in, Chris." Jellico called from the couch. Colt stepped aside to let Pike into the sitting room. The Captain took off his cap and tucked it under his arm as Jellico stood to greet him, and the two men shook hands. "Good to see you again." Jellico said.

"Likewise, Sir." Pike said. "I was hoping we could talk…"

"Of course. Have a seat, Chris. Ensign, why don't you hit the commissary for some fresh coffee? Give us about ten minutes?"

"Yes, Sir." Colt said, then left the suite as Pike sat down in one of the soft chairs near the couch. When the front door closed, Jellico resumed his seat. Then the Admiral just looked at Pike for a moment. Then he smiled.

"I knew they'd send you." He said with a soft chuckle.

"Sorry, Sir?" Pike said.

"You and the other captains got together and decided that somebody needed to come and talk some sense into 'The Old Man,' and once you all came to that conclusion everybody else volunteered you. Is that about right?"

Now Pike chuckled. "Yes, Sir. That's pretty much how it happened."

"I knew it. You've just got that quality, Chris. Even your peers look to you for leadership. Well, okay. You've come all this way, so make your pitch."

"Sir, are you absolutely sure that our ships are the right ones for this job? I mean, I know the Connies are a little old, but they're still capable, front-line ships, and they shouldn't be relegated to this kind of duty…"

"Hold on, Captain! Nobody's 'relegated' to anything! First of all, Starfleet happens to agree with you about your ships, which is why, as stated in your orders, they've reserved the right to recall them in the event of an outbreak of hostilities, or any other emergency. Second of all, I agree with you, too, which is why I'm glad to have them. When I first started negotiating with Command I was worried that they'd try to pawn off some mothballed ships on me. Let me set your mind at ease, Chris. Your ships are here because they can do the job, and Starfleet's only letting me have them because the Klingons aren't storming across the Neutral Zone right now."

"Well, if that's true, Sir, why risk ruining the efficiency of our ships by tossing off our Ops people in favor of…scientists?"

"The ships have more than enough equipment to gather the necessary data, but no one with the training to analyze it from a purely scientific standpoint. The researchers have that training, and as long as you're on this mission you'll need them more than you'll need the Ops officers."

"But we'll need our Operations people in the event of any of the crises you mentioned. Why not just keep both officers?"

"You're going to be overmanned as it is when the research teams report aboard. Somebody has to go, and in this case the Ops people are the only ones that are redundant."

Pike frowned. "I don't think Matt Decker would think of himself as redundant."

"Commander Decker's a fine officer and a good Operations man, but your XO is just as capable in those respects. Let her handle those duties when the stuff hits the fan. Meanwhile, you have to take the best personnel for the mission, and that's your Science Officer and her team."

"'Her' team, Sir?"

"Yes, 'Her'. You'll be assigned Dr. Narain's protégé, Dr. Isabel Montoya. Hang on…" He reached over to the table to grab a datapad, tapped some controls, then handed the small computer to Pike. "Here's her file."

Pike took the pad and looked at the screen. When he saw the attached picture he knew his crappy day was complete. "Oh, jolly." He muttered. "It's Little Miss 'Ranks are tools of oppression'."

Jellico chuckled. "Don't take it personally. It was probably just the heat of the moment."

Pike remembered that first look she'd given him. "I don't think so, Sir."

"The researchers didn't know any more about our plans than you did. They were just as surprised. Things get said."

Pike looked at the Admiral, then took one last look at the pad. Then he put it back on the table and rested his cap near it. "May I speak freely, Sir?" He said.

Jellico sighed and braced himself. "Go ahead."

Pike leaned forward in his seat and looked Jellico in the eye. "Admiral, I've paid my dues. I got into the Academy and graduated top of my class. I aced the course at Space Combat School. I did my time in the Reunification War, I worked my way up to Command, and the ship I was given was the Big E - your ship, the workhorse of the Fleet throughout the conflict. I can't speak for the others in this case, but I sure as Hell didn't think all of that was leading up to five years of counting gas clouds."

"It's not 'counting gas clouds'. We're sharing an orbit right now with several satellites that are more than capable of doing that. You're embarking on a project that those satellites can't do."

"A research project. Enterprise is a warship."

"And I thought we established earlier that there's no war on right now, Captain. It may be a while before your ship is needed to fight again, but it's needed right now for this mission."

"Well, why not use dedicated research ships?"

"Weren't you listening at the briefing? We don't have any."

Pike just looked at Jellico for a moment, then looked away. After staring into space for a moment, he turned back and said: "Can I ask you a personal question, Sir?"

"No guarantee I'll answer it." Jellico said.

"Why are you here? I understand I'm here because you wanted me and Starfleet complied, but what about you? What could possibly motivate an old warhorse like you to want to take part in something like this?"

Now it was Jellico's turn to look away. He thought for a moment, sighed, then turned back. "Well, I could tell you why Dr. Narain wants to do this. She seems to think that if we find this 'Common Ancestor' of hers, she can hold it up to all the races around here staring at each other across Neutral Zones and the like and say 'See? We're all One People! There's no reason to shoot at each other any more!' And, you're right, Captain. I am old, and maybe I'm a little tired of the shooting and waiting for the shooting myself, so maybe I'm doing this in the hope that she's right. Or, maybe I'm the type of hardass who thinks she should learn how naïve she's being the hard way, so I'm setting her up for a big fall. Or, I dunno, maybe I just think she's kinda hot, and I figure helping her out is the best way to get into her lab coat."

That last one made Pike's mouth twist up. Jellico shook his head and chuckled when he saw this.

"My point here, Chris, is that knowing my motivation for doing this isn't really going to help you deal with your participation, is it?"

Pike smiled. "No, Sir. I guess not."

"Then you'll just have to settle for the facts: You're here because Starfleet seconded your ship to Dr. Narain and Dr. Narain put me in charge of managing Project: Away, which means you work for me, so you will embark on this mission the way I've laid it out because I Said So. Is that clear, Captain?"

Pike straightened up immediately. "Yes, Sir. As crystal, Sir."

"Then you can pass that message on to the rest of the squadron. Now, is there anything else we need discuss?"

"No, Sir."

"Then you have a ship to prepare. Dismissed."

Pike stood, retrieved his cap and came to attention in one fluid motion, then he saluted Jellico, turned on his heel and left the suite.

Jellico smiled again after the door closed. Sometimes a reputation as an "Old Bulldog" had its benefits. He didn't expect any more trouble from his senior commanders.

The Admiral's rep was a leadership tool that other people sometimes envied. Dr. Usma Narain was one of them. Unknown to Jellico and Pike, while they were talking, a similar discussion was taking place in another VIP suite between Dr. Narain and Dr. Isabel Montoya. The young researcher had been holding court in Narain's sitting room for about five minutes, pacing back and forth and ranting about the indignities she suffered at the briefing, and the UESPA Director wished she could simply bark something with authority and make her stop, but she'd never worked that way at the Daedalus Center and her researchers were used to being able to talk freely. So Narain had no choice but to let Montoya get it all out of her system and wait for the opportunity to get a word in.

It finally came when Montoya stopped pacing and turned to plead with her. "Is there anything I can say that will get you to change your mind about this?"

Narain shook her head. "You can say whatever you'd like, Isabel, but there's nothing I can do. If we're going to start both investigations at once we need Starfleet's ships."

"Why? What about all those ships we used at the Center?"

"Most of those 'ships' were merely pleasure craft we converted for research. The Daedalus Center only has two dedicated research vessels and they've refused to lend us even one of them. Besides, nothing we've ever used before is as capable as these Starfleet ships. They're designed for extended deployments. They have incredible range, speed, endurance…"

"Because they're designed to kill people, Usma!" Montoya said. "They're built to kill people flying similar ships!" This started her pacing again.

"That is true," Narain said, "but that fact does not make them any less useful for our purposes. Really, Isabel, we're lucky to have them."

Montoya stopped pacing again. "But we don't need them! Why can't we just postpone the Away project until our own ships are built?"

"We may not have the opportunity in five years! Anything can happen! Strictly speaking, the Reunification War never ended. There's merely a cease-fire between the Vulcans and Romulans, and their satellites - including Earth - are just barely restraining themselves. Conflict could break out at any time, and if that happens civilian space travel will be severely restricted. If we're going to launch an investigation of uncharted space it must be done now, while we're in a relative state of peace, and if Starfleet is willing to help us do it, all the better."

Montoya huffed. "They didn't seem very willing in the briefing room."

"The starship captains were just taken by surprise. Admiral Jellico assures me that even if they resist at first, they will do everything they can to help us accomplish our goals."

"Of course, because Heaven forbid they fail to do the bidding of the Great and Powerful Lord Jellico."

"That's unfair, Isabel. Edward has been a great help to me. I shudder to think what I might have done if I hadn't had him working on my behalf within the Government and Starfleet Command. I might still be wishing I could start the Common Man Project today instead of actually seeing it get underway. Look, we both know that the fact that Starfleet is involved isn't really your problem. The service has assisted in several research efforts in the past, so what is it?"

Montoya looked away and crossed her arms. Narain waited patiently while her protégé weighed whether or not to tell her. Finally the young woman turned back and said: "Must we wear uniforms?"

Narain smiled. "That really bothers you so much? Isabel, they're just clothes."

"No they're not." Montoya said as she started to pace again. "They're symbols. They say that you're no longer an individual. You're just part of some kind of massive Humanoid machine and you just have to perform your function, say 'Yes, Sir' and 'No, Sir' and never have another original thought."

Now Narain sighed. "It was part of our agreement with Starfleet. They weren't willing to take the legal risk of keeping groups of civilians aboard their ships for so long in uncharted space. With all of you accepting Starfleet ranks, that risk is eliminated."

"With the added bonus that the ships' commanders can order us around like slaves."

"Isabel, I'm surprised that you, of all my researchers, has failed to realize the practical benefits of your temporary rank, most notably the fact that you can give orders as well."

Montoya stopped pacing. "Why is that a benefit?"

"At some point during the mission you may find that you need to give orders to members of the regular Starfleet crew. As long as you're a civilian, they might refuse to follow those orders. You might be in a position where you'd have to confirm every decision with the captain. But you'll have a commission - as a Lieutenant Commander, I believe - and your status as a senior officer will afford you more autonomy than you might think. The research team will be yours to run as you see fit, and as the mission you're on will be dictated by the Project agenda, it's likely that the Captain will often have to defer to your judgement."

Montoya turned away to think about it. "Maybe you're right," she said, "but then that means uniforms aren't 'just clothes', are they?"

Narain smiled. "I suppose not, but in this case they are necessary. Call them a 'necessary evil', if you must…but, Isabel, it is important for you to understand: I want you to take part in this, and I know you want to be part of it, but for us to get what we want, it must be done this way." She had to lay it out this way. Unlike Jellico, she couldn't guarantee the cooperation of her people. Though Montoya was the first to come talk to her, she expected several others to follow, and she was sure there'd be a few resignations. Better to settle such matters before the teams were expected to board the ships. At least she had been smart enough to take Jellico's advice and keep some candidates in reserve.

Montoya was still thinking. Narain was right about how a temporary rank would let her interact with the crew and, that being the case, working on one of the Starfleet ships couldn't be that much different from being on one of the Center's research ships. And she did want to be in on the launch of the Project. Ultimately, she sighed and turned to her mentor. "Fine." She said. "I'll wear the uniform."

Narain grinned. "That's my girl."

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN:

With Project: Away set to begin in a few weeks, it was up to the nascent Science Officers to pick their research teams. They returned to Earth the day after the mission briefing and over the next few days set about sorting through and selecting eligible candidates. Isabel Montoya already knew who her first choices would be. The first was Gwendolyn Flores, her best friend and a Ph. D. in the rapidly growing field of Exobiology, the study of non-terrestrial life. The other was Benjamin Goren, another good friend and an Engineer, who'd left a mid-level position at a large government contractor to join the Daedalus Center. Three days after the briefing Isabel had invited them to her flat in Stockholm to inform them of the status of the project and formally ask them to join her team. When she was done with her proposal, Benjamin looked visibly stunned.

"I'll be damned." He said. "I'm back in Starfleet."

"Ben, it's totally voluntary." Isabel said. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"Yeah, that's what my parents told me before I joined up the first time." Benjamin said. "If there hadn't been a cease-fire in the Reunification War I'd've never gotten out."

"I thought you told us you never saw any action." Gwendolyn said.

"I never left Earth orbit." Benjamin said with a shrug. "I was stationed in one of the older maintenance facilities. That didn't mean it was a fun experience."

"Well, you might enjoy it more this time." Isabel said. "You'd get to be an officer."

"That just means I have to take orders from even bigger weenies. I walked out of Basic a Crewman Third Class and four years later I walked out of Starfleet a Crewman Second Class without any regrets. If I wanted to be an officer I'd never have left."

"Well, as I said, it's entirely up to you. You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"But that's the problem: I do want to come, but you said the catch is I gotta be back in Starfleet."

"That's the catch. For the record, I'm not much happier about it than you are."

"I believe it, but the point is I want to go, and I have to be back in Starfleet to go, so…I'm back in Starfleet. Damn." The women laughed as he shook his head.

When she recovered, Isabel said: "Well, if it makes you feel any better, Ben, one of those 'bigger weenies' you'll have to take orders from will be me."

"And good for you, By The Way." Gwendolyn said. "Big Time Team Leader and everything. Nice to see all that time being Narain's pet wasn't wasted."

"Ha, ha." Isabel said.

"I'm just kidding, Belle." Gwendolyn said. "I, for one, will be more than happy to go with you on the big Starfleet ship and back you up on the Project."

"Thank you, Wendy."

"Besides…I can't wait to see how gorgeous I'll look in one of those uniforms."

"Oh, believe me," Benjamin said, "after a couple of weeks wearing the same thing over and over again, the novelty wears off."

Isabel suddenly jumped up. "Oh! That reminds me!" She said. "Wendy, could you give me a hand?"

Gwendolyn got up and followed Isabel into the bedroom. Benjamin stood as the women did out of habit and remained standing while he waited for them to come back. It wasn't long before they came back into the living room. Each of them was laden down with several plain-looking clothes boxes, which they spread out on the couch.

"One of the reasons I'm glad you're coming is because you've been through this before." Isabel said to Benjamin. "I know nothing about the military, and before I spend five years on a ship full of career Starfleeters I want to have someone with experience on my side to keep me from walking into a minefield."

"I'll do what I can to help." Benjamin said. Isabel smiled at him then looked at the clothes boxes.

"When we accepted the assignment, Dr. Narain had us all go to the big store on the base…what did they call it again?"

"Base Exchange." Benjamin prompted. Isabel nodded and continued.

"We were all sent there to have our measurements taken. Yesterday morning these arrived by messenger."

"They gotta be your uniforms."

"They are."

"Can we see them?" Gwendolyn asked.

"Sure." Isabel said and all three descended on the boxes. They'd already been opened, but Isabel hadn't wanted to take anything out until she'd seen Benjamin. When they were done, the box tops were resting on other chairs in the room while the three researchers gazed at the garments.

"So," Isabel said, "my first question is…how do I know which one to wear?"

Benjamin looked at her. "Didn't they give you any instructions?"

"They told me they would be in here." Isabel said as she reached for a datapad on the table. She handed it to Benjamin, who read the title page being displayed.

It said: "United Earth Starfleet Rules and Regulations."

"Oh, nice." Benjamin said. "You realize this thing is about five hundred pages long, right?"

"That's why I wanted to talk to you first." Isabel said.

"And you call yourself a Research Scientist." Gwendolyn quipped. Isabel nudged her with an elbow.

"The officers I was in the briefing with were wearing this one." Isabel said, pointing to the deep black jacket with white buttons and black pants in an elongated box.

"Dress Black Utility." Benjamin said.

"I think most of the people I saw on the base were wearing uniforms like this. How did they know?"

"Well, since it's Jefferies Base we're talking about, it's probably just the Uniform of The Day."

"They wear a different uniform every day?" Gwendolyn said.

"No. 'Uniform of the Day' just means that, with some exceptions, that's what people who work at the base are expected to wear on a daily basis. This will change in the event of the outbreak of war, or during special ceremonies. The officers you saw at the briefing probably found out from the base what they needed to wear."

"Okay, what about the white one?" Gwendolyn said, pointing to the all-white jacket and pants in the other elongated box. "That's for ceremonies, right?"

"Well, you can use Dress Black or White, depending on the ceremony."

"Okay," Isabel said, "What about this one?" She pulled a dark blue mock-neck turtleneck shirt out of one of the smaller boxes and showed it to Benjamin. The name "Montoya" was stitched in white block caps on the left side of the neck, and their were three small white stripes on the right, a skinny one flanked by two fat ones. "They sent me three of these shirts, along with pairs of black pants with lots of pockets."

Benjamin smirked. "Work Colors. That'll be UD on the ship most of the time. You wear the shirt with the black work slacks."

"What are the spots?" Gwendolyn said. There were large gray spots on each shoulder and a smaller one over the left breast.

"That's where the service patches go." Benjamin said. "Right shoulder is Rank Patch - that displays your rank, naturally - Left is Unit Patch - that'll show the ship's insignia. That'll be a neat little emblem thing - and Left breast is for the Branch Patch. That's usually the Starfleet Emblem or the Starfleet Landing Force Emblem. Are we going to go whole hog and use the Starfleet Emblem or has Dr. Narain got something else in mind for the science teams?"

"I'll have to talk to her about that." Isabel said.

"Everybody wears these on the ship?" Gwendolyn said.

"Not the same color." Benjamin said. "Most of the crew, including the Captain, will wear Gold. They're all former smallcraft pilots, or large ship pilots, or maintainers of same. They tend to think of themselves as hotshots, whether they are or not. Engineers wear Red. They do the real work keeping the ships from flying apart."

Isabel and Gwendolyn shared a smirk. Benjamin had been an Engineer's Mate.

"Let's see…" He continued, "Landing Force grunts wear Dark Green - they're the ones you want to call if something on the ground or on the ship needs to get beat up real good - and the smallcraft pilots wear Black - Work Black, naturally."

"It's like street gangs." Gwendolyn said. "Everybody in colors."

"It never gets that bad…well, almost never. Everybody can get pretty territorial, though."

"Why do we get Blue?" Isabel said as she put the shirt down.

"They must have attached us to the Medical Corps." Benjamin said. "That's the color of the Chief Medical Officer and his department."

"So continuing with Wendy's 'street gang' theory, if there's ever a turf war…"

"We're part of the only gang that won't want to hurt anybody."

"There's a comforting thought." Gwendolyn said with a chuckle.

"So when we go to the ship," Isabel said, "we wear the Work Colors?"

"Definitely," Benjamin said, "because work is likely all we'll do from the moment we step aboard."

"I see. Thank you, Ben. I think this is going to work out well."

"I aim to please. So…do you know which ship we're assigned to?"

"Dr. Narain told me it was the Enterprise."

Benjamin was stunned again. "Wait…THE Enterprise? Jellico's Enterprise? That's the ship we're going to?"

"Dr. Narain said it was Admiral Jellico's ship once." Isabel said.

"Is it special?" Gwendolyn said.

"Is it special?" Benjamin said with a chuckle. "You're kidding!" When he realized she wasn't, he said: "Have a seat."

They cleared off the couch and sat down, and then Benjamin began regaling his companions with tales of the exploits of the United Space Ship Enterprise.