Chapter 16
"Girl's night out"
A very reluctant Commander Susan Ivanova continued her journey towards the holographic chamber in Babylon Five. She was headed towardst was the teaching center, a large room temporally being rented by Captain Garrett. Susan wasn't in the mood for this and didn't want to be here, but here she was and it better be good she thought. There were suspicions as to what this meeting was about and her face soured. And being slightly defensive, she came in with an attitude. Another lecture was the last thing she needed and now that she had a few moments of time to herself, she didn't want to share it with yet another Captain berating her about her performance. The Commander had done enough of that to herself.
She saw Marcus coming out, smiling that almost outlandish smile of his, teeth and eyes glistening as he walked by. He eyed her intently.
"What's your problem?" she said glaring at him.
"Just enjoying the view, Susan." Quickly he continued on his way while Susan burned holes in his back.
When he was out of sight, she sighed. Why was it, she couldn't simply talk to the man like a civilized human being? She knew that she cared for him, but it was that he was so British-y weird. Was that even a word? Then she got mad again because that was exactly how he made her respond when he was around. It was so obvious. The man loved her, but she couldn't return that affection back to him. After all, she was Russian. Bad things happened when a Russian was happy. Entranced
The doors opened and she walked inside. Once inside the room, the entire scene changed. Speechless, Susan moved deeper into what her mind told her was an expanse. This couldn't be the teaching auditorium she thought. The mind knew better but the heart and eyes saw something else. She could have sworn that the room was now the surface of a planet, and she was near a beach judging from the sand and the bluish-green ocean water gently lapping at the shoreline. There was a wooden table filled with food near the edge of the shore. The ocean water lapped gently at the shore and the air temperature was perfect. The sky was a beautiful blue-green color. The air smelled of alien flowers and honeysuckle. The terrain looked like a cross between Tahiti and some alien star system with its two ringed moons hanging lazily in the sky. The air, the smells, even the slight change in gravity added to the effect. Despite her mood, this experience was spellbinding and she hated being affected like this when she was feeling depressed. Especially impressive were the five very good looking male waiters just waiting to be of service. A sound emanating from the sky caught her attention and looking up, in the far off distance, she swore she could see the outline a dragon flying at least a half-mile high. It dodged and weaved playfully within the clouds, chasing another dragon. No doubt about it, this was impressive.
"Welcome to Berengaria VII," Rachel said walking up beside her. "Here there be dragons." Once more there was the sound of the dragons bellowing its mating call in the distance.
Captain Garret greeted her warmly and behind her she saw Captain Clark, Captain Hiroshi, Ambassador Delenn, B'Elanna Torres and Doctor Troi were there. The scene was so captivating that her mind hadn't even registered the others being there. "This is 'girl's night out'. First names only, please," she said, hustling a more relaxed Susan into the holodeck.
Within moments, everyone was seated and Rachel began. "First of all, I want to thank all for you for coming at such notice. I wish to speak to those involved in some manner with the upcoming mission and I wanted us to do it in a relaxed atmosphere. Most of us know each other, with the exception of Captain Clark of EarthForce," she announced, looking directly at Charlotte as she spoke. "At this time, there is a sort of peace treaty with your people and I wish that it will remain that way. Since I've been here, our contacts have not gone as well as I would have liked."
Susan simply rolled her eyes at that comment. It would almost have been amusing if not for the fact that it involved the death of hundreds of men and women, the bitterness and distrust that has ensued, loss of equipment and the acute heartache, affecting an entire planet.
"Your name and relationship with the President does not inspire confidence in me," Rachel continued. "And since you've volunteered, I want to know a little bit more about you. Otherwise I will have to turn you and your offer down."
Charlotte bristled at the arrogance of the Federation Captain. "I don't recognize your authority in this Captain," she growled. "And I resent your tone. I have done nothing to merit this behavior other than baring the legit surname I was born with. Whether you agree or not, I can go," she said confidently. "And I don't believe you would fire on me if I chose to go along. I wouldn't recommend it, either."
"You misunderstand me," Rachel answered. "I wouldn't consider firing on your ship unless you gave me provocation to do so. Besides, it's not that much of a threat," she answered rising to the challenge. Her smile got larger as Charlotte once again bristled. "This is simply a getting to know you better party of sorts. Speaking of which, precisely how are you going to get to the star system?"
Charlotte said nothing for a moment as she thought of the implications of that question. "If you intend to sabotage my ship, it'll be considered an act of war," she said carefully. Centauri war or not, the entire EAS will come down on you!"
"Please, Captain. I merely asked a question. From here, it'll take you two months in hyperspace to get there, at full burn. But," she added, "not us. What I am doing now is simply laying ground rules for this upcoming little trek here."
"I agree with Captain Garrett," Delenn added. "You government has no idea of the danger you have in your possession. Even the smallest miscalculation of Shadow technology might well be enough to destroy you. The Drakh use similar technology, but not shadow tech itself, because it is too dangerous if not handled properly. But the question still remains-how are you going to get there?"
Clark had been at the very edge of changing her opinion concerning these people and now, they had ambushed her. Her cousin had ruined her life, marked her as the one to be suspicious of forever. "This is free space," the ESA Captain retorted. "You can't stop me from following if I chose to."
"True," Rachel conceded. "But-"
"I am not here to sabotage you or your mission, Ambassador, or you Captain Garrett, or you Captain Hiroshi," she stated. "First off, I came here because I was invited by a bunch of people who would gladly serve my head on a platter to my cousin. I wanted to get to know the people that I was about to put my life on the line for," Charlotte hissed. "You don't trust me? Fine," she said. "I certainly don't trust you, either." Quickly she did a fist evaluation of everyone in the room before continuing.
"You want to talk trust? Okay let's do it. "I'm surrounded by a military commander who turned her back on her own government," she said looking straight at Sandra. There was steel in her eyes where there was anger a moment before.
"Then, there is you, Ambassador Delenn. First contact went bad and the only thing you and your people could think of was to drench yourselves up to your eyeballs in the blood of a people who couldn't defend themselves against your power. Your people came within a hair's breath of killing every human man, woman and child less than fifteen years ago. Delenn you and your people committed crimes that still horrify every other species who hears of them. Frenzied butchers, killing in the name of revenge making it some kind of holy war-an excuse to kill without being hurt in return. And you did it because your so-called civilization enjoyed slaughtering a technologically inferior species. I've always wondered if we had been more technologically advanced would you have let the war continue so long with out even attempting to come to terms with us.
She then turned to face Rachael. "Let's not forget about you, Captain Garrett of the great, shiny little ships, able to reap havoc everywhere you go. EarthForces' threat evaluation has placed you on the scale with the Minbari…"
With those words, a truth was addressed, perhaps for the first time. There were no innocents in the room. There was simply a group of people trying to figure out their place in this universe. "Trust? From whom?"
"I know these people," Rachel answered. "I've become friends with them." Even with Delenn, she thought wryly. She was glad that she and her people hadn't had to fire upon the Minbari. "And as you have correctly implied, there are no innocents in this room." "But I have come to respect and depend on them. The question is will we be able to depend on you?"
"I can say the same thing," Charlotte retorted. "This is important to me. I'm not about to screw this up and get people killed. I can make a difference. But trust is a two y\way process."
Rachel said nothing and Charlotte watched as she seemed to confer with the dark haired woman with the large eyes. Delenn talked with her also.
For some reason the Federation Captain begin laughing. "I have to stay away from you," Charlotte caught her saying. "You could become a habit." Delenn was smiling also.
"You seem to have passed the test," Rachel told her.
"Thank you," she responded icily. "What is she?' she asked looking suspiciously at Deanna who returned her stare as if to say, so what? A telepath?"
"Actually she's a Betazoid."
The reply was sour. "What's the difference?"
"There's a universe of difference, Captain. She's not bound by your rules. She's not human but Betazoid, a separate species not subjected to human rules and regulations. But Deanna didn't tell me anything more than I already knew." She offered her a seat. "I will accept your offer Charlotte," Rachel announced. "We'll probably need all the help we can get. Now I asked twice how are you going to get to Z'ha'dum and there was a reason for that."
"My ship is one of the fastest in Earth Force. Believe me; I will keep up, if that's what you are worried about." She was fuming at the sheer audacity of this woman. The Federation sense of superiority infuriated her.
"No, you can't," Rachel replied. "Not without our help. "White Star Three and my ship will be using a much faster form of FTL propulsion than you are capable of. And as such neither you, nor the Minbari cruiser will be able to keep up. This means we will have to tow you both. Your ship will be tractored to mine. Once that is done, my ship will have to generate a warp field large enough to pull you close to warp one in hyperspace. Using warp drive in hyperspace produces a much faster speed than either system could match alone. A two month journey will take four days."
"Four days!" Immediately, she chided herself for her response. It came out before she could stop it.
"Yes. But we will not be traveling at warp one but approximately warp point eight, because the much smaller White Star must generate the warp field for the Sharlin. So for safety's sake the trip will take six days going."
***
With undisguised interest, Delenn watched the humans as they played their little game of dominance. The EAS Captain's comments had cut her to the core. Truth did more than hurt, it tore and splintered, leaving terrible bruises and damaged spirits in its wake. Delenn's remorse-filled words started the jihad. She had so much innocent blood on her hands that she could never share that with John. Idly, she wondered how Neroon would respond to that blistering retort from a human? Not well, she imagined.
Rachel was intimidating the EAS Captain as much as possible. She planned to be the Alpha female, as the Humans understood such things. Sometimes humans seemed so perplexing and at other times, watching them was like looking at a mirror. They were so full of contradictions and pent up anger. But at the same time, in this room, all of them were coming together, despite their differences and suspicions. Was it blood calling to blood? She wasn't sure. B'Elanna, Deanna and as strange as it was to admit it, herself, were only partly 'blended' but the humans had reached out to the three of them like long-lost sisters. Humans were well known to build communities like Babylon Five easily accepting other species into their ranks. And from what she read of the humans from the other universe, they began the same thing with the Federation. They could have become a powerful empire, but they chose not to.
She had spoken to Susan and a few other Human females on occasion but had never, ever sat down and simply enjoyed their company in the fashion they were doing now. She didn't know what to talk about. She concluded that she would let them lead the conversation. B'Elanna was the youngest woman here and from the look of it, the most uncomfortable.
She sat down next to her and put on her most diplomatic smile. "This setting is most beautiful, don't you agree?" she asked. The young woman simply nodded nervously. "My world is so different," she continued. "Minbar is the seventh planet from their sun. The northern quarter is covered by a polar icecap and because of that our cities are cut from the crystal deposits. It is beautiful and now there is even more of a balance between the three classes. There is peace."
B'Elanna turned towards her. "I probably wouldn't like it there."
"Why not?"
"I'm part Klingon," she answered as though it summed up everything. "That part of myself pulls at me. I can barely suppress my anger, which wants to flare out at just about any given provocation. Don't get me wrong. I like being on the Ambassador and B5. I have felt a freedom here that I have never experience with the Klingons." Since being onboard the Ambassador, she had immersed herself in Human culture. She wasn't greatly loved by most of the crew, but they didn't harass her as much as she had expected. Some even seemed to accept. "But the more I'm here, away from the Klingons, the more I hate being around them, with the exception of Commander Worf. But I can't run from myself, my Klingon half."
"You can't run from yourself," agreed Delenn. "You should embrace your heritage. But you are still young and even if you hear this, you will not fully understand my words. That true understanding comes only with age. And when that time comes, you will understand who and what you are. And you will remember this talk," she said smiling warmly.
The young woman snorted. "I can't do that. You don't know what it's like to lose control and want to hurt those who have hurt you."
Softer than she should have: "yes, I do," she said to a shocked B'Elanna. "I have learned to control my anger or I could once more cause untold harm. There must be a balance. You believe your Klingon half is a hindrance, but it may well be a strength you are denying yourself."
"That's what Deanna told me."
"What she said to you is true. The universe constantly forces us to change, sometimes in surprising ways. The Klingons and the Narns have become something different that what they once were only a few months ago. Even you have changed. From what I've heard, you are becoming quite an engineer. And your friend Arthur Jensen…?"
Did everyone know her business? She and Security officer Jensen had become a little more than just friends. For some reason the red-haired, freckle-faced man really cared for her. That a human man could have feelings for her was more than a bit frightening.
Feeling uncomfortable discussing her personal life, she changed the subject. "As a teacher, Lieutenant Commander Facar is excellent teacher, even if he is Vulcan," which to her meant boring.
"Sometimes, things worth learning are necessarily boring."
***
Twenty minutes later, they were all eating. Susan felt Rachel staring at her and she flushed slightly. She knew. There was a saying on B5- rumors moved faster than BAB-COM communications-and it had proved itself true once more. Now the woman was about to give a toast. Oh joy. She did not want to be here. Even if it was breathtaking; maybe she could excuse herself early she thought. But the eight different types of chocolate kept pulling her back to her seat.
"There was a time," Rachel began, "when I was told that I would receive the Federation Starship Ent…Ambassador as my new command, I couldn't decide whether to jump up and down and kiss retired Admiral Sulu or politely turn it down and head for the hills. It was a big responsibility. The flagship of the Federation was given to me and deep down I wasn't sure I was worthy. But that self-doubt lasted all of three seconds, when I got my first look at her. It was mine and I was proud. The crew was young and eager as was their Captain. I was surprised that they offered me the Ambassador considering how well I preformed with my previous assignment during the time of the Cardassian incursions. Two of their warships invaded Federation space and I just happened to be in the neighborhood and the closest ship available. The Everest was a smaller ship and essentially no match for the heavy Cardassian vessels, but I boldly went to the fore and engaged two ships twice my size and twice my power." Ruefully, she shook her head against the memory. "My ship was drilled several times by Cardi disruptors. I lost life support and twenty-five good crewmen, including my Chief Medical officer. The only good thing that happened that day was that I was responsible for preventing a raid on one of our major colonies in that sector. When I limped into Starbase 106, I was soundly blasted by everybody from the Admiral in charge, all the way down to two senior Captains for placing my ship in the line of fire. My mother even said a few choice words. It wasn't what I did, but the way I did it. I allowed my emotions get in the way of my duty."
"Years later, I ran into another incident at the Klingon colony of Narendra III. They were attacked by four Romulan warbirds and had called for help. You can imagine what I was thinking. I was placed in the exact same situation, but this time there was only my ship, no outside help. I could do one of two things; stay and help, or simply leave. There's something called the Kobiyashi Maru, which I won't get into now, but it's essentially a test of character. This time, there were no options. And there was no choice. It was a suicide mission, an attempt to save a group of helpless colonists who would not have care less about us. I did it, not because I hated the Romulans but because it was the correct thing to do. Guess what? I lost."
Despite herself, Susan was captivated by the story. This Kobiyashi Maru test seemed interesting. She had seen the Ambassador's database and had briefly read some of what Rachel was talking about, but there had been gaps. She wanted desperately to know what happened, but Rachel was purposely avoiding looking in her direction.
"We should have all died, that day but fate, or something," Rachel, amused by the irony suppressed her smile, "intervened. We were brought here. I want all of you to know and understand. You, Sandra, Ambassador Delenn, and you Charlotte. We'll be out there on our own with no one to rely on except ourselves. I will support you with everything I have and I expect no less from you."
She was looking at all of them, but Susan knew that this was directed towards the EAS Captain, B'Elanna -and her. Essentially, Rachel was telling her to learn from her mistakes. She'd get another chance.
"To life," Rachel said.
"To life!" all of them repeated.
***
USS Enterprise:
"Back in the cage again," Bester was singing. It wasn't the same cell as he had been in previously but the conditions were the same, even the guards. The force field blocking his freedom was again in opaque mode, but he could feel the tension increasing. Picard was coming. His hunch was confirmed when the shield became transparent and he found himself face to face with a very harsh looking Picard. So nice to see you again he thought harshly.
Sandwiched between two rather large aliens known as Vulcans, Picard's aura seemed to be growing colder by the second. "Mr. Bester," he started. "You endangered my ship and this crew."
For a moment Alfred was startled. He hadn't done anything to this crew since he'd return with the refugees. "I don't know what you're talking about, Captain. I have done nothing to interfere with you or your crew, as much as I would have like to, I admit."
"You seem to have a selected memory, Mister Bester. I told you once that I could have you shot for what you did. Against my better judgment, I returned you unharmed to your government with a warning. It was my hope that you would have conducted yourself with a measure of decorum, but apparently I was mistaken."
A chill ran down Bester's spine. Somehow Picard knew about his giving of the shield frequencies to EarthForce; he was sure of it. He cocked his head. "That was during a time in which we were at war with you, Captain. It was my sworn duty to help my government in any way against the forces that threatened to destroy it. I did what I was supposed to do. But," he continued. "For my actions, the Psi-Corps was nearly destroyed, innocent people were killed and only a few of us were able to escape with our lives, and it's all your fault. You deliberately attempted to subvert Earth unity for your own purposes. You talk about me, but it's you who are the real invaders. And it's my duty to protect my people from the likes of you."
To his chagrin, Picard broke into a wide smile. "Your actions had nothing to with the protection of your people as much as it was for your petty intrigues. I have read Deanna's report in detail."
"That was the imaginations of a hyperactive mind, Captain. Even a telepath couldn't have found out that much information, even if true in such a short period of time. And it was my words against her thoughts. The thoughts of an alien I might add. It is illegal in a court of law."
Picard agreed with him. "However, whether it was legal or not, your President Clark believed it and that is why you have found yourself in this present situation. But the fact is you passed on military information of a confidential nature to Earth Force during a time of war. And that makes you a spy."
Bester involuntarily gulped. "An undeclared war," he protested. "I performed my duty as a Psi-Cop and as a member of the Psi-Corps to the best of my ability, I am proud to have done so."
"You cover the truth with lies and legalities, Bester," Picard said. He paused for a moment, waiting. Bester said nothing so again he heard Picard use the word 'lies'.
"Lies, Mr. Bester. You gave EarthForce the information out a need for petty revenge. I will admit that you may have passed along what you learned out of a secondary concern for the welfare of your planet. But your primary motivation was to get back at those who resisted you manipulations. And that is the reason why you are here, Mister Bester." Picard's voice was barely above a whisper and all the more terrifying for it.
Bester felt like a trapped animal, having no idea what fate was in store for him.
"Captain Sisko has expressed a rather fervent desire to handle your case, however, I felt better qualified to deal with you."
"Anything that you do to me will have serious repercussions in the future." He was trying to remain calm but he knew he was faltering. And those Vulcans, with their alien minds were somehow keeping him from striking out against Picard and the others near him. He felt like a trapped animal.
"Equal and opposite reactions," Picard mused. He touched his com-badge. "Dr. Crusher to the brig," he casually ordered.
A few minutes later, the formally red-haired doctor entered carrying something that looked like a high-tech syringe. To his shock, four more Psi-Corps members, including Janice, appeared in the same cell. They were alive, but unconscious.
"I am responsible for my people here," Picard reiterated. "You and your leaders who sanctioned your actions are being held responsible for those actions. This ship is Federation territory and subjected to the rules and regulations of the Federation. I could have you executed. But I will be lenient once more," he added. "This particular medication, Doctor Crusher is holding will permanently erase your telepathic abilities. In low doses it causes temporary memory lose among non-telepaths and a temporary blockage of telepathic abilities in Betazoids. In higher doses, the effects are severe and permanent as it selectively disconnects the synapses that produces telepathy in humans. You and the others are not immune to the effects. We choose not to do this the first time because lower doses may not have been as effective to one of your-stature. However, events have changed. Your actions have allowed me to choose this option."
"You can't do this!" Bester blanched. He couldn't imagine being a Mundane, didn't want to imagine this. He was terrified. He'd rather be dead. Panicked, he viciously slammed himself against the energy barrier, in a bid for freedom. He wanted to be anywhere than here, even if it meant his death.
The resultant feedback knocked him semi-unconscious. The last words he heard was Picard saying to his security guard was to make sure that they were stunned, then ordered that the force field be lowered to allow Doctor Crusher entry. A guard pointing a weapon fired. He felt a shock and terrifyingly, everything went black.
***