.

16

.

The first thing he came to recognize was a bright white light above him. In and of itself, that meant very little. However, he quickly equated it to the white light of a warp core about to overload.

Was he dead?

He tried to look about himself but everything seemed to be glowing the same way. Tom Paris had never believed in an afterlife, but part of his mind started wondering if he had been pulled into the Q Continuum. Which would only mean that that obnoxious Q would be around somewhere, ready to taunt him for eternity. Or as long as it took for Q to become bored of him, he corrected himself.

"He's awake!" a voice said right next to him.

That was a decidedly odd thing for Q to say, he realized. Except... Q wasn't a woman, and most certainly did not sound like B'Elanna... although he had been known to impersonate members of the crew in the past.

"Hey, get a nurse in here!" the voice that sounded like B'Elanna shouted.

Q... B'Elanna... and nurses? his brain protested.

Suddenly, he realized that he was in a hospital, and reached up and slapped his forehead with his palm. A heartbeat later, his head was in agonizing pain and he swore loudly.

"Tom!"

"B'Elanna?" he replied weakly.

He blinked as he felt a warm body press against his, and coughed as his chest suddenly came under pressure. "Hey, take it easy..."

"Sorry," B'Elanna replied. "You ass... I thought we lost you!"

He blinked again, trying to clear his blurred vision. "You're the one who sent me down there!"

"And three dozen of the crew owe their lives to you," she answered.

Tom tilted his head. "How did I survive, anyway? The last thing I remembered was seeing the core start to overload. I didn't even think that was possible."

"The transporter operator on the USS Hercules got you at the very last moment," B'Elanna replied. "I don't know how he did it. Starfleet Command gave him the Medal of Commendation for his actions."

"Already?" Tom asked in surprise. "How long have I been out?"

"Almost two weeks. You took a heavy dose of hard radiation when the core went critical, so the doctors wanted to make sure they regrew most of the damaged tissue before waking you up."

"Well, that explains the itching," Tom said, rubbing his arm. "What have I missed?"

"Actually, we will be handling that part, Mr. Paris," a strange, gruff voice said from the side opposite B'Elanna. Tom turned his head to see a man in a Starfleet Security uniform standing by the side of the biobed. "My instructions are to bring you in for debriefing as soon as the doctors feel you are capable."

Tom's expression went from calm to panic. "Relax," B'Elanna reassured him. "You didn't do anything wrong this time."

. . .

From space, Earth appeared as a tiny, mottled blue orb ringed with white wisps of clouds. It had been seen that way by human space travelers for hundreds of years, ever since an astronaut named William Anders took a photograph of the Earth rising over the lunar horizon in 1968.

To Jean-Luc Picard, watching from his quarters aboard the Enterprise, the normally reassuring sight was anything but. Not one ship of Task Force 11 had made it back without damage, and the list of casualties was longer than he cared to admit. Over three hundred people were aboard the Mateo.

For an entire week now, his sleep had been sporadic. Picard had never counted himself as a heavy sleeper, but lately he had been lucky to even get a whole hour of rest in without waking up. He paced back and forth several times before turning back to the view of Earth.

To think that we successfully fought off a Borg assault here barely two years ago, and yet we are nearly helpless in the face of the Dominion today. How long before their war fleets arrive here, at the very heart of the Federation?

The computer chimed, causing Picard to jump slightly in surprise. "Incoming call from Starfleet Command," it intoned in an all too pleasant voice.

"Put it on," Picard replied, before his eyebrows went up in response to the wiry Japanese face that appeared on the screen.

"Admiral Nakamura." Picard said by way of greeting. "What a surprise."

The Admiral wasted no time in response. "Captain, do you know the reason why I brought you back here?"

"I had assumed it was due to the battle damage we sustained at Benzar and Arcturus."

Nakamura shook his head. "The damage to Enterprise is relatively minor compared to some of the ships that have been coming into Utopia Planitia, such as Voyager. No, I brought you here for a different reason."

Picard's brow furrowed. "Wait. Did you say Voyager?"

"Still sharp as ever, I see," the Admiral replied. "Yes, Voyager. And that is the reason why I... we... why the Federation needs you here, Captain."

Picard's face blanched. "It's not the Borg, is it?"

Obviously noticing the look on his face, Nakamura smiled. "No. Good news, for a change. Voyager found a ship from another galaxy in the Delta Quadrant. They towed Voyager home and we are now in negotiations with them for a possible military alliance."

The captain mulled the sudden declaration over. "While I know that we need all the help we can get," Picard said, "what good will one ship be?"

"They came through a wormhole from their galaxy to the Delta Quadrant. We are hoping to form an alliance with their government in that galaxy."

Picard considered the implications for a moment. "They use a transwarp drive, I presume?"

Nakamura shook his head. "Not exactly. They call it hyperdrive, and based on sensor logs we salvaged from Voyager, it appears to be completely different from anything we've seen. It only took two weeks for them to tow Voyager from Borg space to Earth."

The captain maintained his neutral expression. Two weeks was the time it usually took to reach Bajor from Earth at maximum warp. The ability to cross the galaxy in the same amount of time would be a game changer.

"Who else knows?" he asked.

"Starfleet Command, the President, and selected members of the Council," Nakamura replied. "We're trying to keep this as low-key as possible. If the Romulans find out at the wrong time, all the progress we made with them in the last year could be for nothing."

"Of course," Picard replied. "However, you still have not fully explained where I fit into all of this. I doubt that bouncing ideas off me was your intention in bringing me here."

Nakamura was silent for a moment, his face still stoic. "They call their government the Galactic Republic. In order for us to enter into an alliance with them, we must send an envoy to their capital to negotiate with their Senate on behalf of the Federation. We feel that you are the most qualified person in Starfleet for this job."

"Surely there are others," Picard replied, somewhat dumbfounded. "Such as Ambassador Spock."

"He will be on the diplomatic team with you. Captain, the fate of the Federation depends on your success. If we are unable to come to an agreement with the Republic, we will lose this war."

Picard mulled his thoughts over. "If they are a galaxy-wide Republic as you say, I am sure they have troubles of their own. What makes you so sure they will want to help us?"

"We are not," Nakamura admitted. "That is why we are sending you. The survival of the Federation is at stake here, and you are one of the few people that we can trust. I have already made arrangements for you and Ambassador Spock to meet with the Republic commanders. I have also prepared background information for you to review prior to the meeting. Be ready in the transporter room at 1800 hours."

"Certainly, Admiral," Picard replied.

.

Several hours later Picard found himself greeted by an ensign in yet another identical Starfleet transporter room.

"Welcome to Utopia Planitia, Captain."

Picard nodded. "Thank you, Ensign."

"If you would follow me?"

Straightening out his uniform as he walked, Picard followed the ensign out. After several minutes of walking, they entered one of the conference rooms where he found Admiral Nakamura, several other Starfleet admirals, and a mixed group of humans and unidentifiable aliens in strange uniforms waiting. A gleaming silver figure stood motionless at the rear of the room.

Nakamura walked Picard around the table and the group seated there rose to their feet. The first man who rose to greet him was tall, with a flowing gray beard. "Captain Picard, this is Jedi Master Jorus C'baoth of the Republic's Outbound Flight mission."

"My pleasure to meet you," Picard said.

"Likewise," C'baoth replied. "Admiral Nakamura spoke very highly of your skills as a negotiator. Before Outbound Flight departed our galaxy, I was involved in mediating a number of disputes on behalf of the Republic."

Picard inclined his head. The briefing hadn't explained much about the Jedi. "So is Jedi a title for a diplomat of sorts?"

"Diplomacy is one of the many skills that we are called upon to perform as members of the Jedi Order."

He looked C'baoth over again rapidly, noting the rough-styled robe. "Ah. You are a monastic, then?"

"Monasticism is another skill of the Jedi," C'baoth answered, "but to be a Jedi is more than being a simple monk. The Jedi are called to act on behalf of life in the universe. We are linked to life through an energy we call the Force. Through it, we are given insights and abilities not afforded to most beings."

Picard nodded. "In that case, I will be honored to work with you."

The introductions continued as they walked around the table, with Picard counting out three more Jedi and a handful of various specialists. Once he had finished, he took his seat next to Admiral Nakamura and Ambassador Spock.

A moment later Spock leaned forward. "Master C'baoth, you said you believe that the Force links all life in the universe. Does that mean that the Jedi are a ... religion of sorts, or do you possess concrete proof of the existence of this Force? As a Vulcan, we are aware of some extra-sensory aspects that certain races possess, some of which manifest as psychic or other paranormal powers. However, to call these powers proof of a universal life force seems as though it may be a stretch, to say the least."

C'baoth allowed a wan smile to cross his face. "Ambassador Spock, as a man of logic I am sure that you appreciate how difficult it is to quantify the inexplicable in terms of proofs and theorems. However, the incontrovertible fact is that approximately one out of every ten million sapient beings in our galaxy is born Force sensitive. Over time, we have developed a number of scientific tests for this sensitivity, which allow us to identify them within months of birth. However," C'baoth paused for effect, "without Jedi training most sensitives will not even realize the gift they have been granted."

"Fascinating," Spock remarked. "If what you are saying is correct, there are potentially hundreds of Force sensitive beings in the Federation alone."

"Yes," C'baoth replied. "One of the goals of Outbound Flight is to determine if Force sensitivity was solely a trait common to our galaxy, or a more universal constant."
"And what have you found?" Spock asked.

C'baoth shook his head. "We have not had the chance to conduct any tests yet."

"In that case, I will speak to the Vulcan Science Academy," he replied. "This is a topic that is sure to interest them."

When the discussions around the table had died down, Nakamura glanced at the assembled figures and cleared his throat. "I now call this meeting to order," he said. "Our first topic of discussion is the matter of the ten thousand Republican colonists aboard Outbound Flight. Master C'baoth, if you would begin?"

C'baoth cleared his throat. "As has already been stated, our ship has been carrying colonists with the intention of setting up a Republic colony in our destination galaxy. When our ship entered the hyperspace anomaly, it transported us into your galaxy instead. Accepting that as a change in our mission, we therefore request the permission of the Federation to establish a Republic colony world here."

Nakamura nodded. "The Federation Council has already been briefed on your request. Due to your unique position, they have offered the use of one of our former colony worlds under certain conditions. I have a draft of the conditions here, which I will read aloud with your permission." He passed out several PADDs to the assembled diplomats.

"Please proceed," C'baoth responded after glancing over the document.

"The first condition is that the colony, as a neutral and sovereign state, must sign a treaty of non-aggression with the Federation."

"I find no issue with that request," C'baoth replied.

"The second condition is that due to close proximity to Federation worlds and assets, all military operations must be conducted under the direct supervision of Starfleet. Planetary peacekeeping forces are considered exempt from this clause."

A flicker of emotion passed across C'baoth's face, but it did not show in his tone of voice. "Continue."

"The third and final condition is that Federation peacekeeping forces will be allowed unrestricted access to the colony at all times. Furthermore, the Federation reserves the right to extradite suspects involved in criminal investigations."

C'baoth took his time to respond, squaring his shoulders and leaning forward to look Nakamura straight in the eyes. "I see. Does the Federation usually treat its guests with such suspicion?"

"My apologies, Master C'baoth, but this is a rather unprecedented situation. I'm sure the Council only wanted to be proactive."

"Proactive or not, those are very strong demands," C'baoth retorted. "I'm afraid I cannot agree to the conditions presented in this document. How much authority do you have to alter the terms?"

"I can make temporary changes but the final agreement must be approved by the Council," Nakamura replied.

"Very well. Here is what I am prepared to offer: Per the first clause of the original agreement, the colonial government will sign a non-aggression pact with the Federation."

Nakamura nodded, making notes on his PADD as C'baoth continued.

"In light of the current instability in the Alpha Quadrant, however, we insist on maintaining military forces for our own protection. We would be open to participating in a crew exchange program with Starfleet. As an initial part of that program, Starfleet observers would be allowed aboard our ships during training exercises.

"Finally," C'baoth took a sip of water, "as a sovereign state the colony will conduct its own judicial affairs without interference. Access to Federation peacekeeping personnel will be granted on an individual basis. Furthermore, any requests for extradition must be reviewed and approved by the colonial administration."

As the Federation delegates considered the terms, Captain Picard cleared his throat. "Master C'baoth, you mentioned maintaining military forces for the protection of the colony. Could you please explain exactly what that would entail?"

"Gladly," C'baoth replied. "As you know, Outbound Flight consists of six Dreadnaught-class cruisers. We plan on restoring four to their full capabilities and using them as the core of our colony's naval forces."

"What about the rest?" Picard asked.

"Dreadnaught D-3 will be decommissioned and used for spares. Dreadnaught D-6 will be used for our return mission to the Republic."

"Do you have any plans to build new vessels?" Nakamura interjected.

C'baoth shook his head. "We don't have the capabilities. While Outbound Flight was designed to set up multiple self-sustaining colonies, it would take at least fifteen years for us to build a new shipyard."

Picard and Nakamura exchanged glances. "In that case," Picard replied, "I believe that will work to your favor in the Council's decision."

"Agreed," Nakamura added. "I will present your feedback to the Council tomorrow and we will meet immediately afterward. With any luck, we should have this matter concluded by next week."

"That would be appreciated," C'baoth said.