Chapter Four: Explanations
George continued to make progress with his recovery. In the days that followed, he was allowed to get out of bed and walk around the ward. Getting his legs under him felt good. He was given some workout clothing to wear during the day. He hated the hospital gown he woke up in. He continued to walk and do light exercise within the ward, which was usually empty of any other patients. The food improved, the portions getting larger as well as his appetite.
Now he was getting restless. He wanted to get out of the ward and see the outside world again. He had no idea of the real truth, yet.
About four days after waking up the first time in the ward, Deanna came to see him.
"Good morning George! How are you feeling today"?
George was sitting on the edge of his bed. He nodded once at Deanna as she strolled up to stand beside him. He was looking bored and ready for a fight. She and Beverly had agreed earlier that today was the day to let the cat out of the bag. She realized now how perfect their timing had been.
"They won't let me have anything to read" George spoke sternly. "There isn't any TV or internet access here. No news media updates, nothing. Not that I would expect much to be available after the war has ended now. I'm growing very tired of this. Why are you all trying so hard to keep me in the dark"?
Deanna was apprehensive about starting this, but it had to be now. She cautiously placed her hands on Georges wrists and gave him a gentle squeeze. "George… I brought some people here to see you today. They very much want to talk with you, and…" she paused to take a breath and consider her words "they can help you with your questions".
She looked into his eyes. He looked back without expression.
"Is that alright?" she asked.
George shook his head slowly in the affirmative. "Alright. Let's do it"! (It's about time!)
Deanna released Georges wrists and walked half way to the ward door before motioning to someone hidden on the other side of the doorway.
Captain Picard came strolling into the ward along with Commander Riker, Data and Dr Crusher in tow.
George's mouth hung open in surprise. He knew two of these men from a recurring dream he had been having. But maybe it wasn't a dream after all?
Jean-Luc strolled right up to George and offered his hand. "Major Pierce".
George stood up and they shook hands while Jean-Luc continued to speak.
"I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard".
"Captain…" George responded with a nod meant to show respect for a ranking officer.
Jean-Luc indicated the next man beside him "And this is my executive officer Commander Will Riker".
George and Will shook hands and again he nodded in respect "Commander…"
"Major…" Will nodded in return.
Jean-Luc indicated the next man "And this is Lt Commander Data, one of my senior staff officers".
Data stood a safe distance away with his hands behind his back. He smiled and nodded at George.
There's something odd about this fellow, George thought to himself. "How are you?" George said, then nodded in return.
"I am well." Data responded with a smile. Data's response caused a short pause while everyone stared at him.
"And of course" Jean-Luc suddenly waved his hand toward Beverly, "you already know Dr Crusher, our chief physician".
"Yes, of course" George smiled at the doctor.
Jean-Luc smiled broadly at George, crossed and uncrossed his arms before laughing lightly "I am not really sure how to begin this"!
George took a deep breath and jumped right in. "So, this is a Navy Hospital? And you Captain, are the head of administration"?
"No" Jean-Luc shook his head. Time to plunge right in Jean-Luc thought to himself.
"In fact this isn't a hospital at all. This…"Jean-Luc pointed at the floor "is only the sickbay compartment of a vessel in which I am the commanding officer".
George silently took this in. He shifted his gaze to the doctor and blinked his eyes in question at her. She smiled and nodded back in the affirmative.
"It must be a big ship," George said carefully "because I've never once felt if rock or move on the waves".
Will Riker smiled and his eyes twinkled "Oh yes" he said, "she's a very big ship".
"But we are not on the water" Data said with a straight face.
"Dry dock?" George asked. He felt this game of 20-Questions was getting old fast.
"No" Jean-Luc shook his head. "In fact, we are not on the Earth at all".
Another pause. George stared blankly at the captain. He shifted his stare to Deanna.
"I'm not sure I like where this is going" George said flatly.
"We are presently traveling in what you might refer to as outer space" Data said while shaking his head slightly up and down.
"Right…" George said, stretching it out for effect. "And you're all aliens, and I've been abducted for human experimentation". George was getting tired. "With all due respect Captain…"
"No!" Jean-Luc shook his head and held up his right hand in the stop motion. "Its nothing like that at all".
"Actually" Riker chimed in, "I was born and raised in Alaska". He smiled.
"And I'm from France, if that helps". Jean-Luc offered.
George looked to the doctor. Beverly choked on a laugh and shrugged her shoulders "Well…"
"Never mind" George said. He looked to Deanna.
She grinned and offered "Well, I am half terran, and I did attend the academy on Earth".
"This is unreal" George said deflatedly, not believing any of this nonsense. He looked at Data "So I suppose you're an alien too"?
"Actually" Data eagerly answered "I am a positronic artificial life-form".
"Oh brother…" George shook his head and sat back down on his bed. In his thoughts, he was thinking this was all a setup by Khan or Greene. They're trying to drive me crazy. It's the only explanation.
Jean-Luc reach over and grasped George by the shoulder and urge him back up to his feet. "Come, lets go for a short walk".
"Out of the ward"?
"Yes".
And so they all made their way out of the ward, through the main sickbay compartment and out into a corridor. George was rubber-necking every moment. Amazing he thought of everything he saw.
They stopped in the corridor where there was a blank panel mounted on the wall. Jean-Luc motioned for George's attention there. He then moved his hand over a control that George didn't see and the panel suddenly rolled up and disappeared.
George was amazed at what he saw. The stars whizzed by. It all looked so real.
"Is it…" George tried to ask.
"Oh yes," Jean-Luc answered for him. "It's very real". Putting his hand back on Georges shoulder "Let's go sit in my office and talk. Maybe we'll have a drink. Because there's more. Much more".
In the Captains Ready Room, George sat on the edge of the sofa and stared down at his hands. "That would be like, around 300 years…"?
"About" Will Riker confirmed.
"Tell me Major Pierce" Jean-Luc sat behind his desk, "what is the last thing you remember, before you materialized in our transporter"?
George was silent for more than a few moments. Thinking. Considering.
"St. Louis" he finally said. "I was commander of a light infantry battalion. We were running a delaying action against the enemy advance. The main elements of two our Army divisions still needed time to get across the river. To make a long story short, we got nuked".
"The Battle of St. Louis" Will Riker mused. "The last great war battle fought on Earth, and so little is known about what happened there".
"People died" George replied quietly. "A lot of people died". Snapping out of his melancholy, he looked up in the room and asked Jean-Luc, "Last battle? So… who won the war"?
"Nobody" Jean-Luc answered quick and straight faced.
"Nobody!" George nearly exploded. "Nearly a billion people died worldwide in those three years! Millions more were pressed into slavery! Hideous slavery! I'm not talking about picking cotton slavery either"! George was nearly out of breath and shaking from his outburst.
"And so you're telling me it all happened for nothing. All those people died for nothing. Lives ruined in narcotic induced slavery for nothing. Almost all the great nations of the world destroyed or reduced to anarchy… for nothing. National treasures lost, looted or destroyed… for nothing. The worldwide environment wreaked… for what? Nothing"?
The others in the room stirred uncomfortably while George ranted. They struggled to find an explanation for him.
Data, standing close to an opposite wall, spoke up "Historical commentators who study that time period would suggest that the perceived success or failure of that conflict's outcome depends solely on ones point of view, relative to the years that followed, and up to the present time".
George stared at Data in disbelieving astonishment. "Excuse me? Point of view"?
Jean-Luc held his hand up to stop all talk, so that he could speak. "Commander Data's explanation is very well spoken actually. It has been 300 years since the war ended, and from our point of view, looking back, there has been an incredible amount of change. Almost all for the better". He took a breath and continued, searching for his words carefully "For example, Commander Riker pointed out correctly that St. Louis was the last great war battle fought on Earth. Don't you see Major Pierce, we have had 300 years of relative peace since then. 300 years that have seen incredible progress towards improving the human condition, worldwide". He smiled, "And now we are exploring the stars, partners in a galaxy-wide federation of similar and dissimilar beings".
George pondered these words. But some old passions are difficult to let go.
"So how did it end? What happened"?
"Not very long after the battle of St. Louis" Will Riker started, "Khan and almost all of his cadre vanished. It was a mystery for almost 200 years, what happened to him."
"The massive armies" Data picked it up "that Khan and his Generals had amassed lacked any leadership authority. Also lacking a supply of the narcotic drugs to maintain their discipline, their ranks quickly disintegrated and Khan's army and new world vision fell into disarray".
"Chaos ensued on both sides". Will took over, "There was no effective government anywhere and so the world settled into a short period of lawless anarchy, warlords establishing fiefdoms and the like. That only lasted about 20 years. Then… something amazing happened".
"We call it First Contact" Jean-Luc broke in, "but you can read all about it later, in the ships library. There are extensive historical volumes available for you to study. Mr. Data can assist you".
"Thank you Captain, I will". George nodded his head in appreciation to the Captain, and then to Data.
"Now…", Jean-Luc quickly moved to change the subject "there is another issue that I'd like to discuss with you." The tone of his voice and manner changed to the all business style.
"What would that be Captain"?
Jean-Luc choose his words carefully. "Do you know an individual named Gary Seven"? He paused "Or have any contact with an organization that he is part of"? Everyone was watching him.
George thought it an odd question, but pondered the name for a long moment. Then, slowly shaking his head negatively "No sir… I don't know that name. And I'm not aware of any organization related to that name".
The captain pursed his lips and considered George's answer. He then reach over to the computer terminal screen on his desk and quickly moved his fingers across the screen. Satisfied, he turned the screen around so George could see it. "Do you know or recognize the man in these images"?
George stood up and approached the captain's desk. Looking at the screen, he saw four different still photos of a tall middle aged man with dark hair and sharp chiseled features. He was wearing a dark business suit that looked a little out of date. "Is that fashion back in style again"?
"No, actually. The photos are quite old" Jean-Luc spoke briskly. "Do you know him"?
"Well…" George started slowly "the man I'm thinking about is… was, quite a bit older. White hair, wrinkled skin…" But those eyes George thought to himself. Those stern looking eyes! "Yeah. I bumped into him. Briefly". He looked at the captain. "That's Gary Seven"?
"It is".
"Hmmm… I didn't notice any cat". George was looking at the screen again.
Jean-Luc swung the screen around so he could see the image George was indicating. "Duly noted" the captain said.
George then went on to recount the story about his encounter with Khan, Greene and the mysterious Gary Seven. The murder of his Sgt Major. All of it.
The others were stunned as they listened to the story.
Will Riker was shaking his head in mock disbelief. "You were actually holding a gun to Khan Noonien Singh, this close" Will made a gesture with his hands indicating a short distance "and pulled the trigger, when instead you ended up in our transporter room? That's amazing!" He finished with a grin.
"I thought I had killed him" George said while staring at the floor, "then died myself". After straightening up and shrugging his shoulders, he smirked "Imagine my confusion".
End of Part 2
War Relic Part 3, will be coming soon!