Okay people: I am calling this 'A matter of Conscious'. It is a separate story involving the Kobayashi Maru scenario. Many people have asked me concerning Susan Ivanova and her 'test' so I did this short story to give the readers an idea of how that little exercise went-with a twist. Please enjoy. I am calling this chapter 40 but it's really a background story. The main story will continue next chapter. Please enjoy.
AlbertG
Chapter 40-side story
"A Matter of Conscious"
Three days post Yedor:
Babylon Five:
'What a supreme pain in the butt'.
Those were the first thoughts of Commander Susan Ivanova as Alyt Shaka strolled towards her with his usual arrogant stride that she personally believed that was reserved for her eyes alone. His arrogance had been somewhat subdued by the news that Yedor, the capital city of Minbar had been all but destroyed by the extra-dimensional aliens called the Yonji Sinhindrea. And, it required an order from the Grey Council itself to keep him from returning directly to Minbar a distance of almost two weeks from the Babylon Five station. Susan understood the sentiment but there was really nothing that he could do at the time. The Sinhindrea had temporarily withdrawn and the entire Minbari fleet and their reserves were being mobilized in what was being nicknamed the 'War of Our Times'. In the thousand years since the last Great War, no Minbari world or protectorate had been successfully attacked. But within the last few months, death and destruction had visited them in the form of the Drakh, and now the Sinhindrea. The people of Minbar were in an uproar.
Simply put, they were afraid.
'Welcome to the club' Susan thought viciously. Everyone else was terrified these days, so why not them? The Vorlons had had their butts handed to them by the Shadows and in turn, the Shadows had been savaged by the Sinhindrea. Earth had fought against the Centauri and Drakh and the Sinhindrea. The Narns lost to the Centauri. The Centauri had been hit by Earth and the Sinhindrea. The list went on and on. This constant fighting was draining everyone's resources. Thank God, most of the people were now coming to their senses. By some miracle (with a bit of blackmail added for flavoring), Sheridan had managed to get the most bitter of enemies to sign an agreement to work together against a common enemy. And who knew? Maybe if they all survived this coalition would hold together even long than anyone suspected.
But not if she had to put up with this clown for too much longer. "I am glad you could make it, Alyt Shaka," she said politely as he stormed into her presence.
"I am only here to facilitate peace between our people," he sneered.
She smiled blandly at him. He was as polite as ever.
But the one next to him, Alyt Aalaan, was different. His demeanor, his attitude was a striking contrast to his comrade-in-arms. The Minbari Commander was tense, wanting to strike back against the enemy of his people, but he was smart enough to wait for the right time. Alyt Rannaonn followed the other two Alyts, smiling as if understanding a joke that only he'd heard.
'I'm glad you could make it on such short notice," she said respectfully. And, although it seemed to hurt Shaka to do so, in turn the three bowed to her. "Please follow me to our main holo-suite."
She led them to a set of large doors and the four of them walked into a strange room whose décor left something to be desired. The green colored room only redeeming factor was that it was decorated with yellow stripes-and nothing else.
"We'll be ready in a moment," Susan said. "I have to make some final preparations before we begin."
She left quickly, leaving the three Minbari on to themselves for a few moments.
The doors hadn't even closed before Shaka had turned his wrathful gaze at Alyt Rannaonn. "Your defeat by the Earther ship couldn't have come at a worse time," he bellowed. "The honor of our people lay in shreds because of your incompetence. Our people have suffered grievously and your recent humiliation hasn't helped one bit."
Alyt looked at the angry Commander with something akin to pity. "That, Alyt is not an Earth vessel, but a Federation starship," he corrected. "It is somewhat different."
"Semantics," the Alyt hissed. "Blood of Saints is a top of the line warship. You should have been able to destroy that vessel with ease."
"You weren't there," Rannaonn testily countered. "And if you were, you and your pompous attitude would have made our so-called humiliation even worse."
"I would have won. Or I would have destroyed us both to maintain our honor."
"You would have lost and most likely be dead right now. The Ambassador is stronger than our mightiest Sharlins," he admitted. Both Alyts looked at him, surprised at his admission. "I have learned so much in the last few days. For a thousand years we have allowed ourselves to believe that we were the best, the most powerful of the younger races. We were deluding ourselves," and with that statement he raised his hand to forestall the inevitable response. "We have become complacent, isolated and prideful. We have seen how the Drakh are our equals in knowledge and power, yet we refused to acknowledge that reality as such, lest our pride be hurt. We haven't made a significant technological advance in centuries. Instead of seeking way of improving what we have, we've become stagnant, Shaka."
Shaka laughed heartily. "And I thought that the Star Riders were better than even the mighty Wind Swords."
"Have a care," Rannaonn whispered dangerously. "I have witnessed things that your feeble brain could barely understand. I have seen the lies of the Vorlons and have evidence of what they have done to our people. I have seen technology that rivals the best that we have to offer. I have talked a First One that has a sense of humor."
"What First One?" asked Shaka. Again, his response was more of a sneer, but his curiosity had been peeked by Rannaonn's comment.
"The one the Federation ship-"
"Them again? What First One in their right mind would associate with them?" he asked in genuine curiosity.
Rannaonn merely shook his head. Shaka's mind couldn't even fully wrap around the concept. "You would be surprise," he said finally. "And I will introduce you to him when this is over."
Aalaan had said nothing, content to let the two Alyts argue. It was fascinating how two people, who had never met before, could develop such an instant dislike for one another. But he too felt as sense of humiliation at one of Minbar's finest being defeated so completely and easily. However he had also been granted the opportunity to do a quick tour of the Voyager warship, an eye-opening to say the least. And he enjoyed every second of it, even talking to the multi-diverse crew was illuminating. But now, after all of that, here on Babylon Five, this room seemed somehow anti-climatic. He turned as the doors opened once more and Ivanova stepped in.
"I am sorry about the wait," she told them. "But I wanted make sure that all of the programming had been completed and I invited a friend of mine to assist me," she added, pointing to a one Marcus Cole. He bowed deeply and said greetings in Minbari. Pleased, the Minbari returned the salute. "We've done a fast upgrade to the programming," she continued, "and I wanted to confirm that it was finished before we tried it. This is called a holosuite. Normally we use the room as a restaurant, and also as conference center. Occasionally we used it for large-scale training which works very well for us. And now, with the presence of Voyager, we've been able to upgrade the specs quite a lot."
"Must be a new shade of green," mumbled Shaka. "I imagine using this décor as the dining area allows for rapid movement of patrons."
Susan smiled and almost said something, but held back. Instead, she said, "This is a tactical simulation in which we will encounter an unknown enemy. We will work together and try to survive. This program will give you insights on Federation technology and will give us some idea how well we can work with one another," she said blandly."
Aalaan and the other two Alyts looked at her, expecting to receive helmets and eyewear to enhance the experience.
"Computer, start pre-Kobayashi Maru scenario 2.0.
The room changed from a dull cube into the last thing he'd imagined seeing.
Aalaan reeled at what he was seeing. One moment he was in a checkered green and yellow room. The next instant he was standing on a detailed Sharlin bridge, filled with bridge crew and warriors. Alyts Shaka and Rannaonn were equally stunned turning quickly trying to determine if what they were seeing was to be believed. Rannaonn had had some experience with the holodecks, but this had surprised even him. The amount of detail was extremely disturbing because of what it implied- that the Federation ships were able to scan Minbari vessels.
Next to them, Susan stood smirking, or rather, trying not to. "Alyts," she announced. "You can each have your own vessel to command or you can share one ship. Take your time and decide. Once you make your decision then we will start the simulation."
"How?" Aalann stuttered. The people were simulations? But they looked so real!
"That's Federation technology for you. Their use of light and force fields is very good. You should see their waterfalls."
"We each want our own ships," Shaka said softly.
His voice, Aalann noticed was a lot less arrogant than it was a few moments ago.
"Okay," said the Human Commander. "Computer, we will command separate ships. Sharlins for the Minbari, and Whitestar One for myself."
"Specify threat perimeter," the computer said.
"Random choice, for a change." Susan ordered.
"Acknowledged."
The next moment all five of the participants found themselves in the vessels of their choice.
Aalaan sat in his chair, stunned that he could do so in the first place. You weren't supposed to be able to sit on a holographic chair! He opened a channel to Alyts Rannaonn and Shaka, almost praying that the buttons wouldn't work. They did.
When he looked at their faces, both Minbari warriors appeared to be as shocked as he was.
"In Valen's name, this is madness," whispered Shaka in complete awe. "How can they do this?"
Trying to remain as neutral as possible, Commander Ivanova allowed the three males a few moments to absorb the impact of just what they were witnessing. Even Rannaonn, who had witnessed holodeck technology before, was somewhat surprised by the detail shown in the simulations. She had been taken back a little herself and she'd known what was coming. But the Commander could see the subtle difference between the earlier programming and this. The people on her Whitestar felt more real and were responding to her as if they were real. Enterprise's programming was extraordinary; the holographic magnificent. But there was a stiffness of the characters inherent of that same programming. The holo-waiters looked real but you could tell them from real people. Voyager's updated engineering and software turned the extraordinary into the real.
"Commander Ivanova," said Shaka. "I will admit that your holographic technology appears to be – adequate."
After a few more moments for her guests to become acquainted with their surroundings she spoke once more. "Gentlemen, we will start out with a little rescue mission. Reports are that a ship called the 'Kobayashi Maru is being attacked by pirates near Minbari space. Whitestar Three is closest vessel and is preparing to rescue the freighter. Your three Sharlins are four minutes away from assistance."
"Hardly a challenge," Shaka sniffed.
However, Rannaonn and Aalaan were glaring at her through hooded eyes each trying to divine what was going on in her mind. A simulation this detailed would anything 'but' simple. Both Alyts nodded to one another and there was a synergy that passed between the two of them that Shaka had completely missed.
In their respective bridges, each Alyt witnessed the battle between the Whitestar and the pirate ships. The small fighters had fired on a large, cumbersome Earther transport, whose name, Kobayashi Maru was boldly emblazoned on its hull. The ship had some damage as the pirates swooped passed, using primitive, but effective lasers to slice into the defenseless ship. Whitestar One's Commander demanded the pirate's surrender, which was ignored by the attackers. The Commander began firing her secondary weapons as soon as she got into range. Two of the twelve pirate ships burst into individual components as soon as the beams touched them.
As if obeying one voice, the other pirates attacked their tormentor. The small, fast moving fighters swarmed the WhiteStar, trying to score hits. However, to the surprise of the Minbari watching, the ship had defensive shields and shrugged off all attacks by missiles and energy beams with impunity. In a matter of moments, the ruined fighters were trying to get away as fast as their ships could take them, with the Whitestar following them, continuing to deplete their ranks. There was the characteristic flash of a jump point opening up and the pirate mother ship entered normal space firing on the Minbari/Vorlon hybrid vessel. It soon found itself in trouble as Susan's ship began carving into its armored hull.
Meanwhile, the Kobayashi Maru was fleeing away from the fighting heading towards the nearest jumpgate in the sector and was soon out of sight. The three Minbari jumped into normal space some twelve light seconds behind the Whitestar. Whitestar Three had run a bit of difficulty as suddenly two mother ships had trapped it in crossfire. Upon seeing three Sharlins, both pirate mother ships abandoned what was left of their fighter corps and fled. The first mother ship had lost his jump engines and soon surrendered as a Minbari beam crossed its bow. The other pirate was still running, engines out full. Alyt Shaka's ship moved ahead, and firing his main weapons, sliced the ship in half. There was no request for surrender, and no mercy. His satisfied smirk said it all.
"Thank you for the assist," Ivanova said with as much venom as she could muster. She did not like simple slaughter for its own sake. His approach of shoot first and watch the debris float away was not an approach she appreciated.
"Hardly worth the effort, Commander," Shaka responded. "This program although up to acceptable standards leaves something to be desired in its execution. Rather boring really. It lacks imagination."
Susan opened her mouth to through a scathing insult when the Captain of the Maru was online once more screaming.
"Help us!" he yelled. "Somebody help us!"
Susan answered immediately. "We're on our way. Identify the problem."
"It's s vessel of some kind. It's huge! It appeared out of nowhere and is headed straight for us! It's going to smash into us. We can't get away!"
Alyt Aalaan shuddered at the image on his screen. The ship, if it could be described as such, was massive. The Kobayashi Maru was attempting to get out of the way, but powerful scans from the ship had interfered with its already taxed systems. The ship was three minutes away from being smashed like a bug on a windshield. And the alien ship showed no signs of slowing down. Some sort of attractor beam had grabbed the Maru and slowly pulling the ship towards a mammoth opening as if to swallow the entire ship.
They had two minutes to decide what to do. Commander Ivanova was yelling into communications for the unidentified vessel to stop. Those requests were being ignored, but the response from the vessel chilled his soul. There was a face to go with the voice. It was a pallid gray humanoid face, emotionless, cold, calculating and utterly confident of its position. The laser pointer located next to the creature's eye only served to increase the instinctual dread he felt.
"Isn't that Captain Picard?" whispered Rannaonn, looking at the face before him. The more he stared at the image before him, the more he was convinced that it was Picard.
"We are Locutus of Borg," thousands of voices said as if they were a single will projecting through the voice of one being speaking to them. "You will disarm your weapons and surrender your ships. You will the escort us to the homeworld of the Minbari Federation. WE will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Life as it has been is over. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."
'Ah, a credible threat,' Aalaan thought. 'These must be the threats that the Federation faces in their sectors of space. This should be an interesting test of our abilities'. "I am Alyt Aalaan of the Minbari Federation. You will release the Earther ship and remove yourself from this area of space or we will fire on your ship."
Locutus responded as coldly as if he were the mechanical device he resembled. "Your demands are irrelevant. You will comply." Then he repeated, "Resistance is futile, Alyt Aalaan."
"We shall see."
By Valen name, he loved every moment of this! This simulation was so real he felt himself being lost to the moment. He turned to his Second who gave the order to advance. "All Nials launch. All weapons to full power, stealth field at maximum."
The Three Sharlins and forty-five Nials began their advance.
Commander Ivanova had never seen anything remotely like this vessel. The simulation that Garret had originally introduced to her always used either the Romulans or Klingons as the principle instigators. And the Maru usually turned out to be a fake distress call or the ship had been destroyed already. Winning had nothing to do with the success or failure of the test. How one responded to the crisis was what was important here. After the second try, she understood that this was designed to test one's character. What was more important, her crew or the people she was trying to save?
That was one of the main challenges of this exercise. How far would one go to endanger one's crew or save strangers knowing that it may be a trap? There was very little that her small ship could do against such a monster, but she could save the people onboard. Next to her Marcus, acting as her First Officer, turned to her, awaiting her orders.
"Just how big is that thing?"
Marcus took a look at the data feed and blanched. "Length, width and height are the same - three thousand three hundred, six meters. No weapons ports that we can detect. But we do know that it has high-energy tractor beams like the Federation. I imagine that the armor is quite thick." His eyebrows rose slightly at the understatement.
Susan didn't even bother responding. The man could be so irritating some times. But that irritation, among other traits had a way of touching her soul, therefore she didn't complain. They were going out tonight anyway and since he was paying, she didn't want to aggravate him. Marcus seemed nervous when Susan ordered the pilot to make a dash for the cube. Whitestar Three accelerated towards the cubical ship, shields at full.
"Don't fire unless they shoot first," Susan ordered. "If we can keep from being shot at, so much the better. Ready transporters. I want to do this nice and quick. Then we run as fast as we can away from this monstrosity."
Whitestar Three arced gracefully into transporter range and began transport. However to Susan's dismay, they were able to transport only two from the freighter."
"Transporter is being blocked," Marcus said. "I don't know how they're doing it. Oh, oh. They're firing!"
The spacecraft shook violently as energy beams of unknown type hammered the shield. The cube lashed out with a tractor beam that stopped the Whitestar movement cold as it proceeded to drain the shields. The Maru was hit with a white-hot laser which proceeded to carve the Maru into pieces. Those pieces were then taken into the ship by another tractor beam.
Susan and Marcus were horrified. The cube was consuming the Maru as if it were a steak dinner. "Return fire!" ordered an enraged Ivanova. "Fire everything we've got!"
The Whitestar fired secondary and main weapons at the origins of the tractor beams. White-hot energy poured over the cube's emitters with no effect. And as the cube continued to consume the Kobayashi Maru, it turned slightly as if focusing more power onto the Whitestar that was trying its best to break free. It was as if I were saying, 'hold on a minute, I'll be right with you…"
"Shields are failing," a simulated Minbari female member in charge of navigation screamed. The panic in her voice and the looks in her eyes were so real that both Marcus and Susan forgot that this was simply a simulation.
"We're in range," Alyt Rannaonn announced. "Fire at the source of the beam."
His ship struck the cube first. Fusion beams accurately hit the emitter and a second later so did Shaka's weapons. Combined with the Whitestar's continuing fire the emitter was overwhelmed and blew spectacularly. Commander Ivanova's ship was free but the Earth freighter was still hooked and being reeled in.
"I've got transporter lock!" Rannaonn heard over communications. "Seventeen people. Transporting now!"
Alyt Aalaan's Sharlin fired its main weapons. All eighteen fusion and neutron cannons stuck the cube and it staggered slightly from the sheer firepower he brought to bear against it. He wasted no time and followed suit adding his own ship's weapons, striking with everything he had. Pieces of Borg ship flew off of the vessel.
Shaka moved forward hitting the cube with his weapons which included him firing his missiles at the vessel. What was left of the Maru, caught in the explosions, ceased to exist.
And Aalaan was enraged.
"You killed the very people we were trying to save," Rannaonn heard Aalaan yell.
"We couldn't save them," Shaka retorted. "They were better off dead. Neutralizing this Borg ship is the greater threat."
Commander Ivanova heard the callous response. "If they had been Minbari, would you have been so indifferent?"
Shaka, to Rannaonn's and Aalaan's shame chose not to answer. Instead: "We must destroy that-"
The next words were lost as the Nials joined the attack. The Borg ship chose to ignore them in favor of the Whitestar. Susan was running trying to get breathing room. Aalaan tried to intercept.
Shaka saw Aalaan vectoring his Sharlin to intercept the Borg ship. That alien vessel was impressive, however with as much firepower that was directed against it, it was only a matter of time before he and others could destroy the cube. So it came as a very rude surprise as a Borg energy beam blew Alyt Aalaan's ship from existence. The pulse beam simply tore apart the Sharlin as if it were nothing.
His mouth dropped open. That should have been was impossible and what was more terrifying was that the Borg ship could be seen repairing itself as it fought. And his weapons-all of them were becoming ineffective. Belatedly, he realized that the Borg cube had shields as well.
For Shaka, time froze in that instant. That enemy ship, this entire simulation explained perfectly the reasons why the Federation ships required so much power. They had to be powerful in order to fight enemies like this. It dawned on him that maybe there was more to learn from these Humans than he had first assumed.
These Borg had said that they wanted to assimilate his homeworld. He didn't know what that meant, but he instinctively knew that he didn't want to find out either. Rannaonn's Sharlin had been badly hit, two of the stabilizers were damaged and he saw several decks onboard had undergone explosive decompression. Shaka's blood now ran cold as he saw what Rannaonn was about to do.
"No!" he screamed as Rannaonn's Sharlin accelerated as much as it could and smashed into the cube which did not try to avoid this final attack. Shaka screamed once more as he saw that the explosive sacrifice had done nothing to damage the now fully repaired cube. The Whitestar had managed to fire one last time and for its effort it was blown apart. His Sharlin was all alone. The cube didn't even slow down as it now raced for his ship at a speed faster than anything he'd ever seen.
"Open a jump point! Now!"
"We can't!" his Second-in-Command replied angrily. "Something is interfering with the formation of the hyperspace window."
A Borg beam hit his ship, rocking the whole vessel and he expected to die. His weapons were completely ineffectual and now, the singularity engines were damaged and non-functioning. His entire bridge was plunged into darkness as power died. A moment later, to his joy, the emergency lighting kicked in. There was smoke, real smoke, on the bridge. Some of the holographic crewmen were bleeding from various wounds. Then a new sound, something that he'd only heard in Minbari simulations, cut through the silence. That sound paralyzed him for an instant.
It was blare of the intruder alert signal.
"We've been invaded," once of the crewmembers yelled.
"Repel invaders," Shaka yelled out. There was a grim sense of satisfaction as the crew did their duties. As one they were preparing their own personal weapons. They were performing well and he felt an irrational sense of pride as they armed themselves and tried to get the ship's weapons online. The holograms acted just like a real crew.
Then his heart fluttered.
"They're coming through the walls!" someone had screamed.
Over all communication channels, there were the sounds of fighting and screaming. Shaka turned, and whipped out his staff as a flickering silhouette appeared on the bridge. The crew attacked instantly, killing the intruders that strangely had offered very little resistance. There were more shimmers as more Borg transported onto the bridge. This time the PPG and weapons fire were blocked by what Shaka assumed were personal shields generated by the invaders. Minbari warriors were thrown everywhere as the Borg attacked. After resistance was removed, the mechanical creatures began jabbing the subdued crew with hypodermic type extensions from their wrists. His violated people screamed in agony as their skin color began to change into a pasty dull gray. Then small metallic protrusions erupted from their skin-
Shaka didn't wait to see what else occurred to those unfortunate people. Instead, he was running for an escape pod. Nothing was worth becoming what the crew were being changed into. His mind understood perfectly that this was only a trick of light and energy, a holographic simulation, but his heart shrieked 'run, this is real!' The heart's passion won over the mind's logic and he fled.
The shame that he felt right at this moment was conclusive proof of Ivanova's treachery and that she had intended from the start to kill the three of them in order to achieve some misplaced revenge against the Minbari. Then she would claim that there was some type of mistake. When this was over, if he lived, he would extract his revenge on that Human female. How dare she try to murder members of the warrior elite with a game?
The escape pod was less than a meter away when he found he could not move any further. Something like a vise had gripped his entire being. He felt a tingling. Everything blurred, and suddenly he was somewhere other than his doomed ship.
He found himself in the center of an immense chamber filled with hundreds of other Minbari prisoners. And now his scream joined the others as he witnessed a sight that nearly drove him mad. His people were being processed like meat. There were limbs being sawed off without anesthesia, eyes being removed and being replaced with monstrous prosthetics. And the smell, the terrible smell inside this place was overpowering his senses. A hand grabbed his shoulder and callously twisted him around. Two of the Borg creatures stood in front of him. A third moved towards him. The creature was dressed in a black uniform that almost reminded him of the warrior's caste armor. Its skin was a pallid gray like the others of its kind.
"We are Locutus of Borg," the creature said slowly. "Your life as you have known it - is over."
From behind him, in the darkness, another figure moved into view. It appeared female, from what little he could see it. And her smile frightened him in a way he'd never believed possible.
"I am the Borg," she whispered in his trembling ear. "You have been chosen to represent your people to aid us in the assimilation process."
Surprisingly he found his voice as the abomination drew closer to him. "I'd rather die," Shaka snarled defiantly. "The Minbari people will never surrender."
"Death is irreverent," she said. "The Minbari will comply. You will comply."
Shaka stare mutely as her head and spine detached, connecting itself to cables and carried somewhere else, leaving the body to stand where it was. The one called Locutus moved closer and extended tubules from his wrist. Shaka felt those tubules strike him as if they were serpents and he screamed for the last time.
"Kobayashi Maru scenario 2.0 completed. Full protection protocols restored."
Shaka willed his body to stop trembling.
The pain was gone.
The Borg creatures and their malevolent vessel had ceased to exist.
The ugly green and yellow rectangle room was back. It was the most beautiful room that he'd ever seen. Shaken to his core, he flopped noisily onto the floor.
Behind him, the previously 'dead' participants stared at him, equally stunned. No one was speaking. Even Ivanova seemed shaken and sickened by the experience.
"Computer," she demanded. She had been frightened and surprised by this unexpected turn of events. "What was that simulation and who is this Locutus character that attacked us? Who are the Borg?"
"The Kobayashi Maru scenario applying random program generator as requested," the computer said. Its voice contained a mixture of warmth and indifference which irritated Susan the more she heard it. Captain Jean- Luc Picard was assimilated and designated Locutus by the Borg collective in the year twenty-three sixty-six. The crew of the USS NCC 1701 Enterprise-D rescued Captain Picard and removed the Borg implants during the attack of Sector zero-zero one."
"Can you show us the battle?" Ivanova asked the computer.
"Negative. There is a file of the aftermath of Wolf 359 that can be accessed."
"Show it."
A holographic image of the Enterprise-D appeared above them. They saw the vessel slowly moving through a debris field of ruined Federation and Klingon warships that was enough to sober everyone watching. Marcus stared at the images, saying nothing. Wolf 359 was an EarthAlliance name for a specific star system, yet the computer used the exact same designation. That was more than interesting he thought and he wondered if the Minbari had caught the reference. By the way Aalaan's eyes had flared, then narrowed, he had recognized that reference as well. But like him, the Alyt had said nothing.
"The Borg is a civilization of enhanced humanoids. The Borg exhibits a high degree of intelligence and drones are connected via subspace communications network forming a collective," the computer said, sounding more like someone's pre-prepared speech rather than a computer analysis. That was what it was. "Any race or technology that possesses attributes that the Borg believes will enhance their own biological and technological development they will assimilate. Their ability to adapt to any offensive and defensive strategic attack makes them formidable adversaries. The Federation considers them a major threat to the galaxy…"
The participants listened closely as the computer continued its exposition on the cybernetic organisms. When the computer's description was completed, Susan was simply shook her head.
"You've made you point, Human," Shaka said to Susan. "But it is not the one that you believe it to be."
Marcus interrupted for Susan could respond. "What do you think that the purpose of this simulation was for, Alyt Shaka?"
"Your little program cheated," he announced, looking at Susan. "No Minbari war ship could be so easily destroyed by one of those badly designed, cumbersome vessel. Its capabilities were exaggerated to make sure that we could never win under such conditions. It was designed to demonstrate weakness in Minbari military might. But your little entertainment failed, Commander."
"Nonsense," Rannaonn countered. "While these 'Borg' aliens are formidable, that was not the purpose of the simulation."
"I agree," Aalaan said. "Every Minbari who has taken the test has never spoken of it other than to say that this was a test of character."
Shaka was surprised by that. "None of them spoke of this test?" He looked perplexed. "But why? This is an insult to every Minbari warrior. Didn't they understand this?"
Aalaan turned to Susan and Marcus. "And what do you think of this test?"
"I am just thankful that those-things aren't here. We have enough trouble without bringing them into our little part of space."
"Spoken like a true Anla'shok," Rannaonn said.
"I hate no-win scenarios," Susan growled. Every time I take this stupid test, I wind of getting myself or the people I'm trying to rescue killed. I know it can be beaten, it's just a matter of finding out how."
"But it changes to insure your failure," said Shaka. "It does not give a reward for victory."
"Sometimes, there can be no reward for victory," Aalaan murmured. "Sometimes, the victory is in the way we handle ourselves."
"We should be ashamed," Rannaonn announced. "We, Shai Alyts, failed in every way possible."
"The-test-cheated," exclaimed Shaka. "There was no way to WIN!"
"Shaka, my friend," whispered Aalaan. "We weren't supposed to win."
"Then, what was the point?"
"Listen to me, Shaka," Aalaan said. "The simulation, or test, is designed to show us ourselves, how we think, how we respond to critical situations. We responded to the Kobayashi Maru's distress call and we failed to rescue that ship. We were partially responsible for destroying it and killing the survivors."
"That was a Human vessel," Shaka sniffed. "It was already doomed. Those survivors should have been thankful that they were killed so quickly. You saw what those Borg creatures were doing to my crew!"
Alyt Shaka," Marcus said. "You fired on that Borg ship without any disregard to the Maru, or to us for that matter."
"You shouldn't have been in the way."
"Are you that dense?" screamed Susan who obviously had had enough of this, this hardheaded individual. "Is this how you're going treat your allies in the war? If it is, then I can assure you that no one is going to watch your back. You and your poor crew will be on your own in the middle of a firefight."
"No Minbari is ever is alone. The Wind Swords take care of themselves. Anyone not of Minbari blood is unimportant, especially Humans and their inferior technology." Shaka smiled while his companions looked ashamed to be near him. "I admit that Federation technology is more advanced, maybe even close to Minbari sciences; but, in the final analysis, we will be the ones who will be called upon to save this galaxy. The Vorlons, whatever their reasons, chose us, gave us the technology to be the defenders of space and we will continue to do so. The Sinhindrea will be crushed by our might. With the power of the Vorlons and the Shadows combined we can't fail. The other races are invited to join in the hunt, but they should stay out of our way when we go against our mutual enemy."
"I hate to tell you this, Alyt Shaka," Susan began, "but the Vorlons got their butts kicked by the Sinhindrea once before and the Shadows just got their hides handed to them recently. They both were ready to run away."
"But they didn't have us as allies at that time," Shaka stubbornly added. "And mark my words, all of you," he hissed. "The presence of this Human-based Federation will end in tragedy. If those Borg creatures are real, and if their power is anything like that simulation, then we will come under their scrutiny. It will be their fault for bring those things here." He turned to Rannaonn and continued.
"You were right. We need some of the technologies, specifically the shields and knowledge of their use of lights and force fields. If you had won the challenge, we would have it now and the security of Minbar would be assured. But instead, you, a Star Rider, failed when you were needed the most and became a slave to a Human! When this is over, I will personally make sure that the Human Federation does not hand their technology over to EarthAlliance. That cannot be allowed. Their threat is too great and if the Grey Council can't see this, then perhaps they should resign and allow those who do, lead."
And with that, he stalked out of the room.
Aalaan turned to Commander Ivanova, Shai Alyt Rannaonn, and Anla'shok Marcus Cole. "He does not understand," he said. "But I do. We could have never saved those people on the Earther ship. But we also did not work as a group. We attacked as individuals and were the worst for it. We allowed our own self-interests and prejudices to doom us. One of us should have been able to warn Minbar to the danger of the Borg. You have made your point, Commander. We must come together if we are to survive the Sinhindrea. I would like to practice with your EarthForce fighters and crews. Perhaps by our example, others may follow our lead."
"I have to talk to Captain Sheridan, but I think he would be honored. It would certainly help our alliance," she added. "Personally I don't trust the Shadows. I think they are going to try to stick a knife in our backs the first opportunity they get."
"The Vorlons as well," Rannaonn added. "Your people humiliated them in front of all of the younger races. They will not take that lightly. When 'Blood of Saints' is fully repaired, I will join in the exercises.
"I do have one question," Aalaan said.
"Go ahead," Susan said. "Ask."
"Computer," he said. "Where is sector zero-zero-one?" He smiled at a shocked Susan. She opened her mouth to speak but was too late the computer was already responding.
"Sector zero-zero-one is designated as the Sol system. Earth."
Aalaan smiled humorously at both humans and Alyt Rannaonn. "Earth- as in another reality." Now he was laughing. "I've heard the rumors and that was the only thing that fit all of the facts. The Sinhindrea are from another universe. Federation technology is different from anything known in our space. The Locutus-Picard connection was a mystery to me until the computer mentioned that this conflict happened more than ten years ago. Humans age quickly, but Picard looks the same. It could have been a computer error, but everything else I've seen was too precise. However, the other Humans in the small Vree-like ship are known to be from another universe."
Rannaonn stared at him as though he had lost his mind. "Computer, Chair."
He flopped onto the chair appeared before he hit the floor.
"What? Rannaonn? All of this time and you didn't even suspect?" Aalaan's laughter increased. "That is sad. All of the clues were in plain sight, just waiting to be found."
"Shai Alyt Aalaan…" Susan started.
"Don't worry," he assured her. "Your secret is safe. I saw how the Vorlons and Shadows acted against the Federation and I saw and heard what they've done to our people-all of us. I'll never reveal what I know until I am given permission."
"Thank you," she managed to say.
"There is a condition," he added. "I demand to have dinner with Captain Garrett, Captain Picard, Captain Sisko, Admiral Janeway and Delenn and Neroon. You all are invited, of course. I think we need to talk, here on Babylon Five of course." He laughed once more. "After all isn't that what this station built for?"
"I'll see if they can manage to come."
Minbar, Earth and Centauri Prime have been attacked, its people slaughtered," Aalaan snapped. "Shaka was correct in one thing. The Minbari people are going to be at the forefront of this war. But we will have allies that are our equals. From the weakest race to the strongest, we will stand together. We have an agreement, but I intend to help make that agreement something that we can be proud of. The Sinhindrea are building up their strength. When they're ready, we better be as well. We do need the shields; the other races do need our armor and weapons technologies. We need what the Soul Hunters offer. We need everything if we're to survive this. We may not like one another, but this is our territory and no one is going to take it away from us. Speaking of which…" he turned away.
"Alyt Aalaan?"
"I must go to Shaka."
Rannaonn snorted. "He is going to be a liability."
"Shaka's head is forged in iron," Aalaan said, smiling at his joke. "What he has learned when he was young is now trapped there and nothing else can get in. There is nothing that we can do about that. But, he is a part of us and I have counted him to be my friend. I will not abandon him to himself."
"Good luck," snorted Marcus.
Valen's luck," Aalaan said. "I will need it."
A moment later, three people stared at one another. Susan smirked slightly.
"Anyone curious about the some of the other enemies of the Federation?" she almost laughed at how by Rannaonn and Marcus glared at her.
"I'll take that as a yes," she said quickly. "Computer, show us an enemy that the Federation is currently fighting."
An image of a nine-foot robotic figure with dual red-revolving eyes appeared in the middle of the room. It carried an energy rifle the size of a small cannon casually and a huge, wicked looking sword in the other. Two other seven-foot silver cyclopean warriors stood by its side. That there was another-one wearing robe-like clothing. It was only six and one half feet tall, but it appeared even more sinister than the others and that was quite an achievement.
All three people backed away from the unmoving figures.
"These are representatives of the Cylon Empire, a cybernetic race presently located in the Alpha quadrant," the computer said matter-of-factly. "Their ultimate objective is to exterminate the life form known as Man. That mandate has been extended to include all sentient organic life forms in the galaxy." The gold-colored warrior-elite holding the cannon robot turned slowly and faced the three people who were now very uncomfortable being in the same room as this killing machine. All of them began to back away.
"Are you Man?" it asked in dangerously, in a slow mechanical voice."
Commander Susan Ivanova could think of only one thing to say which summed up the situation quite nicely.
"Oh, sh..."
Next: back to the main story. Please not that there have been some corrections-editing and such. AG