The preliminary number of dead was beyond comprehension. If the lack of communication was an indication of destruction, no less than sixty systems were gone... more than nine hundred billion dead within the course of two hours. According to the sensor data from the USS Aurora, the shockwave that destroyed the Betazed system occurred approximately eight minutes after the shockwave that destroyed the Sol system, meaning the attack occureed in at least two stages, since the shockwave that destroyed Alpha Centauri occurred at virtually the same time as Sol. Since then, Enterprise managed to discover the transwarp corridor in the Alpha Centauri system, but it could not discern the corridor's entrypoint. That would only be ascertained by opening the corridor and going through. Two science teams aboard the USS Glory and the USS Echelon had already begun working on the necessary tachyon frequency required to open the corridor. So far, they had been unsuccessful in opening the door.
Throughout the reunion process, Enterprise had attempted to sift through the various transmissions being projected to the different vessels as the crews struggled to come to some kind of mutual understanding and command chain. There were dozens of stories of tragedy and heroism. Humans, especially, had reprovem themselves as a resilient and resourceful species. It had been decided over an hour ago that the survivors of the Pluto facility be beamed aboard other starships and the facility released to preserve power to the Enterprise. Slowly, the Enterprise's power nodes were climbing back to normal. The one, outstanding question on everyone's mind, including Enterprise's, was 'Who'. The answer was on the other side of the transwarp conduit, but it would have to wait. If numbers from the other four refuge points and starbases were accurate, one million, one hundred-twenty thousand, eight hundred seventy-one people were still alive, with another twenty-six thousand, eighty-six still unaccounted for in ships still in-transit.
An image of the Admiral Greer filled Enterprise's communications system. He was an elderly, but tall and broad shouldered human male in his early seventies. A human in amazingly good shape, his stomach was tight and his chin angular. The expression in his dark blue eyes was directed and professional. Whatever emotions he was feeling, they were well hidden now... buried under a desire to restore order and figure out their next step. "Hello again, Enterprise," he said.
"It is good to see you here, Admiral," Enterprise replied genuinely.
"Before all this starts, I need to say something," his tone was definate, but remorseful. "I was initially quite opposed to the Pathfinder project when it started. I can see, now, that I was wrong. I'm glad to have you with us. I'm sorry I misjudged you and your counterparts."
Enterprise was sincerely touched. "Thank you, Admiral," it finally replied.
Greer nodded, then returned to his stalwart self. "Now, you were built for long-range communications, yes?"
"Yes, Admiral."
Greer nodded again. "What is your limit to virtual interface participants?"
"Two thousand, forty-eight with a fully interactive enviornment, Admiral," Enterprise replied quickly.
"Excellent. That will work perfectly. Has anyone determined the highest ranking Federation representative still living?" He asked, scratching his short-bearded chin with his hand.
"Yes, Admiral, Eladra Khent, the Director of the Bureau of Industrialization. She was en route to Kinbor in the Delta Quadrant when the attacks occurred. She is currently at the refuge point in the Telax system in the Delta Quadrant. Ambassador V'Dris of Vulcan was with her. She currently represents the highest ranking diplomat."
His expression seemed to send him, momentarily into the past. He nodded again absently. "V'Dris I know of... Khent, not so much." He looked back at the screen. "Okay, I'm going to have my communications officer vi us all into the meeting room of the Archimedes. I'll be starting the meeting in ten minutes. I want you to join me."
"As you wish, Admiral," Enterprise replied faithfully.
"I'll see you in five. Greer out." His image faded.
Five minutes later, as instructed, the Enterprise made contact with the Archimedes. It was sent into a virtual meeting room dominated by a small, oval table. Eladra Khent, a Denobulan, was already seated at the near seat to the viewscreen on the northern wall. The ridges on her face were semi-covered in wrinkles showing her apparent age. Admiral Greer was also in the room, but still standing. Moments later, a short, thin vulcan woman appeared. "Ambassador V'Dris, it's a pleasure to meet you."
She bowed. "It is most regretable that we must meet under such... disquieting... circumstances." She nodded to Khent, then sat down.
Although there was a third seat, Admiral Greer decided to remain standing. "Enterprise, are you here?" He asked up at the air.
"I am," it answered. "My apologies for not have a physical appearance to confirm this."
"No need to apologize," Greer countered, raising his hands.
"Please forgive the question," Director Khent started, "I do not understand why the Enterprise is with us."
"Well," Greer began cautiously, "my desires for our next couple of steps involve it."
She nodded. "Well, I'm glad to hear someone has a 'next step.'
"Indeed," V'Driss added, "the Vulcan race has been reduced to fifty-one thousand people."
"We're all going to have to deal with the losses of our respective peoples however necessary. This kind of thing... well... no one even dreams of in their worst nightmares." The weight of his statement forced him to sit down. Obviously, his mind was drifting again. Shaking his head, he returned his look to the other two in the room. "Anyway, there will be time for us to grieve later. Right now, we're the highest ranking people in our respective groups."
Eladra looked at Admiral Greer with desperate eyes. "So I've been told. I don't mind admitting to everyone here, this is a position I'm uncomfortable being in."
"Comfort or discomfort aside," V'Driss countered, "this is a position you knew you could be faced with when you took office. You accepted that responsiblity when you were sworn in."
Eladra didn't appreciate the callousness being pressed upon her. "I understand that, Ambassador, but a vague notion that a possibility may or may not come to pass versus actually being thrust into that position are two entirely different things."
"Ladies," Greer urged, "let's stay on focus here. Ambassador, the position you're in isn't one you'd ask for, correct?"
"Certainly not," she answered quickly.
"Okay, me, neither. This whole situation stinks, but we can't change it. Like it or not, we're going to be responsible for maintaining what's left of the Federation."
Eladra rested her head in her hands and rubbed her temples. "That scares me more than anything."
Ignoring Director Khent's last comment, V'Driss turned to the admiral. "Our first step, logically, should be re-establishing contact with whoever is left of the Federation and finding a new home for refugees."
Greer nodded. "I believe Enterprise and its team has already been working on that, right?" He asked the air.
"We have," Enterprise answered. "We have successfully made contact with eight starbases or outposts and twelve Federation member worlds."
"Well, at least they didn't get everyone," Eladra commented sorrowfully.
"Yes, well... we have a bit of a complication with them," Greer added grimly. The other two looked at him questioningly. "Well, they're a little jittery, and recent members. They're afraid of a reprisal if they harbor Federation refugees. Without knowning who did this, they don't want to risk their planet's populations until they know everything is okay. Four of the worlds have agreed to 'discuss' the matter once they've done an extensive scan of their own system and confirmed there isn't a transwarp conduit present. Unfortunately, we're talking about a LOT of space to cover, so it could be months before we can find a home there."
"That is most discouraging," V'Driss offered, pursing her lips.
"I guess you can't really blame them," Eladra added. "So, does that leave us flying around in starships for months waiting for someone to say yes?"
"Of a graver concern, our enemy may yet be out there. With our numbers this low, a superior force could easily vanquish the remnant." V'Driss added.
Greer nodded. "That's one reason why Enterprise is here. It's the 'oldest' of the Pathfinder fleet, so I've designated it as their commander. We know of ten Pathfinders that have survived. They have taken positions as interdictors for the five refuge locations. Intrepid is the other Pathfinder with us."
V'Driss raised an eyebrow. "I fail to see how two vessels, even vessels with their extensive capabilities, could fend off a significant fleet of enemies."
"They're capable of more than you think Ambassador," Greer replied grimly. "We've kept this quiet, but the Pathfinder Mark II series has been equipped with subatomic neural degeneration emitters."
"By the gods," Eladra said, her eyes bulging wide.
V'Driss raised her eyebrow again. "I was under the impression Starfleet had banned that weapon due to its potential. Putting it under the control of an automated starship would seem doubly problematic."
Greer waved his hands defensively. "I know... and as I said, it was the mark II's that received them as weapons of last resort. The weapon was devastating to the Borg."
"Devastating isn't the word I would use, Admiral," Khent countered. "By its very nature, shields are incapable of stopping the emissions."
"True, but... if you'll recall, there hasn't been a single incident throughout the mark II's twelve year history," Greer countered himself.
"Thank the gods," she said with exasperation, "that weapon could render an entire planet lifeless in a matter of minutes."
Admiral Greer nodded with a smile. "It could also render an enemy fleet lifeless in a matter of seconds, too. The Pathfinders have proven to be nothing short of benevolent and heroic without exception for almost twenty years. The weapon has been strategically placed, well cared for, and completely under control... as history demonstrates, ladies."
V'Driss nodded, looking at Khent. "There is another time and place to discuss the moral and ethical ramifications for the presence of this technology. For now, it may be necessary." She took another breath, then looked back to Admiral Greer. "Assuming this is sufficient to protect our fleets for the time being, our next step should be to find a place for civilians and refugees. From what Enterprise reports, seeking refuge on other Federation worlds may be a futile undertaking. Do we have any alternatives?"
Greer nodded again. "As a matter of fact, I believe we do. We'll know for certain in a couple of days. If I'm right, the Vega system should be sufficient for our humanoid refugees who require a class M planet." He tapped his fingers together. A moment later, a three dimensional representation of Vega IX appeared floating above the table. It appeared as a planet roughly the same size as Earth, but with numerous dark clouds where white clouds would normally float. A number of planetary statistics began rotating around the planet.
"And why are you choosing this as a possibility?" Eladra asked, inquisitively studying the statistics as they passed by.
"It was one of Earth's first terraforming projects. It's a class M planet, but just barely. It's atomosphere is dominated by powerful storms. The original colony was a complete disaster, but Earth rebuilt it and fixed most of its problems. It actually served as a starship contruction facility for hundreds of years before it was finally abandoned."
"What happened to the original colony, Admiral?" V'Driss asked, her head cocked.
"During their initial digging, they disturbed some half-meter long bugs... heavily armored, carnivorous, and can eat through just about everything. The entire colony was wiped out in a matter of days."
"That hardly sounds like a preferrable spot to deposit refugees, Admiral." V'Driss quipped.
"Well, I think we need to throw out 'preferrable' and go with 'what will do.'" Greer countered. "It's been deserted for over two hundred years now. There's a starship maintenance hangar in orbit, but it's in pretty bad shape. That's why I'm thinking it'll be intact. No one's used it for quite some time. The actual base runs several stories underground. We can replicate temporary shelters for as many people as possible. I've dispatched the Bellerophon and the Hood to scan the Vega system for a conduit."
"What about those bugs?" Eladra asked uncomfortably.
"Enterprise and its fleet can remove that infestation pretty quickly. In times of war, the Pathfinders shouldn't have a problem with the order to use the neural emitters, right Enterprise?"
"In extreme cases or times of war, our priorities can be renumerated to ensure the survival of Federation personnel above all else."
"So, the bugs can be cleared out, shelters can be built, repair supplies can be fabricated... eventually, we can re-terraform Vega IX to be more Earthlike. We DO have seven hundred years of technological advances over the first group."
"Assuming there is no transwarp conduit in the Vega system, it would seem you have things well in control. Why did you summon us?" V'Driss asked.
"Like I said before, we represent the only remaining senior leadership for the Federation. It's important we present a united front right now. I need you two to be okay with this."
"The bugs aren't sentient, are they?" Khent asked.
Greer shook his head. "No... just bugs... not thinking bugs."
She shrugged. "I guess I'm okay with it... as long as whoever did this can't do it again."
"Well, that's the thing with transwarp corridors. I don't know how our enemy did it. In order to establish one, you have to have start and end coordinates. If there isn't one already there, someone would have to come to the Vega system and send back the coordinates of the Vega sun. We'll definately have to put some kind of defensive measures around the sun to protect it."
"For lack of a better alternative, this one sounds remote, but logical. I agree to it as well." V'Driss confirmed.
Greer nodded. "Okay, I'll connect the three of us and broadcast to everyone who's left what our plans are as soon as we get the green light for Vega." He looked back up to the air. "Enterprise, assuming we get a 'go' from the Bellerophon and the Hood, we'll need your team to do some housecleaning for us, alright?"
"Understood, Admiral," Enterprise confirmed.
"You mentioned the Pathfinders would factor in more than one 'step' of your plan. If you don't mind my asking, how else will you be using them?"
"Well, I'm using them as escorts for now, and for global-wide bug killers soon... eventually, once we figure out how to open that transwarp conduit, they're going to go through and find out who did this.