Chapter 17
Misery had permeated the senior staff Christmas dinner.
Sat around the VIP function room's long table in their civilian clothes, everyone seemed to have their own private angst. Some, like Patel, Mamao'lani, Vaughn, and even T'Ling had tried to start up pleasant conversations, but the gloom had proven insoluble.
The meal itself had been exquisite, in North's opinion. The hardworking KP staff would have to be commended. To start: Duck pate with crackers and a smoked salmon salad. The main course had been roast turkey with a choice of mashed or roast potatoes, and side dishes of parsnips, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and pigs-in-blankets. They had finished this triumphantly with a large Christmas pudding with pouring cream. There were also additional vegetarian options for the resident Vulcans (and anyone else who desired them) throughout.
Alas, even this magnificent feast had failed to lift spirits. Everyone continued to brood or, in the case of Kostopoulos and McQueen, quietly seethe.
Now, they all sipped their teas, coffees or glasses of wine in deafening silence, probably counting down until it was socially acceptable to leave. North sympathised; he was usually the same way in such gatherings, but he had been hoping that the dinner would help take his mind off recent events.
Vaughn, sat on North's right, cleared his throat. "Um, sir? The Prime Minster's speech will be starting soon. Do you want to watch it in here?"
North, preoccupied with his woes, had completely forgotten about the speech. "Ah, yes, put it on."
Vaughn got up and made his way over to the wall monitor.
North turned to Thorpe, at his left. "Captain, if you'd rather go watch the Alpha Centauri governors deliver their speeches, I'd understand."
Thorpe shrugged with resignation. "Eh, one politician'll be easier to listen to than four."
"Very well," said North. He understood Thorpe's reluctance - the Centauri government was led by a panel consisting of a governor from each of the system's four colonies, rather than a single figurehead, which could often make political events more drawn-out than usual.
He looked down the table at the two Vulcans. "Doctor, Lieutenant, you are similarly excused to watch First Minister T'Pau's broadcast if you wish."
"The time at which I view the address will not alter its message," Dr. T'Ling replied. "I will defer it until later."
Sylor looked somewhat uncomfortable but clearly didn't want to be the odd-one-out. "I shall also remain," he said.
North nodded. No one wanted to be first to leave, it seemed.
Vaughn retook his seat, turning it to better view the monitor, along with the others on that side of the table. He had set it to Newstime's live feed, where slim redhead Gannet Brooks was hosting and filling time until the speech.
"...any moment now," Brooks was saying. There was a pause before her image was replaced by that of the United Earth seal - a globe half-circled by an olive leaf.
This was then replaced by Prime Minister Nathan Samuels, sat at his desk, fingers interlocked before him, wearing a blue suit and gold tie - the UE colours. He had gotten old, North thought, despite only being the politician's junior by five years. His avuncular features were worn with lines, and his once-dark blond hair had thinned and faded. He looked tired. Presiding over a nation at war had taken his toll on him, and North wondered if he was indeed about to announce his retirement.
He was smiling; that was a good sign, at least.
"People of Earth and beyond," Samuels began in a warm tone. "I speak to you now at a time of year when many of us celebrate togetherness and generosity. Two things very important to humanity.
"We've had our dark times, certainly, but we always emerge stronger and wiser for it.
"After our First World War, the various nation states of Earth came together to form the League of Nations - the first organisation of its kind in our history.
"A few decades later came the Second World War, but this, too, led to unity with the creation of the United Nations - a more solid, more resilient body.
"After just over a hundred years, we endured the Third, and final, World War. The most devastating conflict we'd ever known and still it did not deter our spirit of cooperation. Soon the New United Nations began, learning from its predecessors' successes and failures alike.
"We had a shameful war with the Martian colonists at the start of the current century, but even this led to the formation of the first two planet-wide governments for our species: The Confederated Martian Colonies… and United Earth. No longer would we allow our differences to divide us.
"Even just six years ago, after the resolution of the Xindi Crisis, we entered into our first alliance with alien cultures by creating the Coalition of Planets, which has greatly enriched interspecies understanding and cooperation."
There were a few shared glances around the dining table as everyone pondered what the Prime Minister was building to.
"Now, we find ourselves in the shadow of another war," Samuels continued more solemnly. He was, of course, talking about the Romulan War, which ended with Earth's victory just five months prior. "But, as with all those past conflicts, we strive towards the light.
"Since the conclusion of the war, I have been in talks with my counterparts in the other Coalition governments - the Confederacy of Vulcan, the Andorian Empire, the United Planets of Tellar, and the Alpha Centauri Concordium. We have decided to extend our alliance into something bigger.
"By the end of the coming year, we will have combined our five interstellar states into a single, unified government - the first such multi-species, multi-system state in galactic history.
"The United Federation of Planets."
Samuels paused to let this sink in. Everyone was dumbstruck. North stroked his chin in contemplation.
"This Federation will be one great, cosmic nation," the Prime Minister continued, "but it will not eclipse the individual cultures of each member. In fact, it will celebrate them. Our diversity, our differences are what make us who we are. We cannot forget that, nor can we allow our pride to promote one group over the other.
"There has been animosity among our allies, it is true, as well as within each of our individual races. These will not be forgotten or excused, but neither can we allow them to hold us back from peace and prosperity.
"We must go forward together, with equality, humility, and respect.
"I do not pretend that there won't be dark times ahead as well. Struggles and setbacks. Such is life. But we no longer have to face them alone.
"There's sure to be a lot of questions over the coming months as we build towards the Federation, and my cabinet - as well as those of the other founding member states - will do our best to answer them. We will also be listening to your concerns and your suggestions. Remember though: This is all new for us too." Samuels smiled, and suddenly seemed young again.
"For now, I wish you all happy holidays… and a bright future."
The United Earth logo returned, swiftly replaced by a speechless Gannet Brooks. As she started to summarise the Prime Minister's message, Vaughn walked over to the monitor and deactivated it.
Everyone sat in stunned silence.
Then, animated discussions erupted all around the table.
"Is United Earth still going to exist?"
"When will this 'Federation' start?"
"Who's going to lead it?"
"What does this mean for Starfleet?"
"What currency will we use? What language?"
"Where will the capital be?"
"How will they control such a big government?"
There were reasonable points raised, but overall the tone in the room was optimistically curious.
North looked down the table at everyone. Samuels' talk of putting aside differences and conflicts, emerging from adversity, and hope for tomorrow had touched everyone, including North himself.
The gloom had lifted. The misery, in the past. Now there was only talk of what was to come.
North felt a smile growing on his face.
