"They said something about a Burning Galaxy plan"
(Sighs) "Then that means we can't leave for at least a period of five years"
"What do you mean Sentinel Portland?"
"Easy the Burning Galaxy plan is and I quote 'If there is an enemy so powerful that even a Sentinel is afraid then as many refugees as possible are gathered and sent to the Republic and once there the Starfleet vessel that escorts them, or a vessel sent ahead alerts the Republic Senate of the fact that the Federation has fallen and we need a place to form a semblance of government that people had back home. While the refugees are setting up a form of government that people are familiar with in the Republic the Federation and more specifically Starfleet will do everything they can to slow the enemy down while files and records and anything that could damage the refugees is destroyed, and yes that would include the history of many planets if not for the fact that it's being preserved in Republic archives by their request. Normally once we receive word the Federation has fallen the Republic will send aid as quickly as possible but that's not how it will work this time, this time the Republic is to wait at least five years before attempting to defeat the enemy' end quote, the reason why is because there's a possibility of people being stuck behind enemy lines that will form a resistance and once a resistance is established we can use their bases and tactics to regain the Federation"
"Like the Rebellion of old"
"Exactly Chancellor, I presume that you've been told that we need a place to serve as base for a form of government familiar to Federation citizens?"
"Exactly Portland, we don't quite have a planet chosen but for now they can stay on Coruscant or Naboo seeing as how those are the safest planets we can think of"
"Portland, just why did the Federation activate this Burning Galaxy plan?"
"First off we got a report from a Sentinel mentioning a code Death Star and all Jedi understand the implications of that code, but for the Burning Galaxy plan to be activated that means all means of taking that location down failed"
"And for those of us not in the know just what does code Death Star mean?"
"Big enemy base, and the location doesn't matter just the size"
"And the second reason?"
"That's the thing I don't know why the Federation decided to activate the Burning Galaxy plan, but we were ordered to stay for two years before returning home just in case, did the ship acting as escort mention anything?"
"No but only because we didn't let them give us a full report yet, they looked like they could use some sleep and a chance to clean up"
The Captain breaks in just then
"If you want as Captain of the New Hope I can give a silent inquiry to the Captain of the arriving Starfleet vessel and hopefully get some answers including just how many more are on the way"
"No Captain, we'll let them rest and then ask for a reckoning tomorrow, though we would appreciate you being part of the meeting"
"Senate in session?"
"Yes, tomorrow after three should work"
"Fine by me"
The next day several Starfleet officers were seen in the Senate and they were giving a full report explaining what the Burning Galaxy plan was and just why it was activated and that's when Sentinel Portland spoke up
"Captain Anderson, just what was it that told Starfleet to activate the Burning Galaxy plan because I know it wasn't just a code Death Star"
"Do you know about the file that was hacked that not many people can access because it has a level 15 security lock using Republic security levels?"
"Yes, I was the one who put the lock on and was alerted to the fact that the lock had been broken"
"Well about two weeks ago second year Probation Sentinel Sara Koflen was on summer training when she got a sudden feeling in the Force and told the Captain of the ship she was on that she had to take care of something as a Sentinel not a Starfleet cadet so she was given permission to leave the ship with orders to keep in regular contact which she agreed to easily knowing it was for the best. She discovered that the group who hacked the level 15 security code and the people who caused a code Death Star to be activated had joined together into one group and are doing their best to start a war with the Republic, though that's slow going since all Starfleet officers a certain rank and higher were given information about that file so that they understood just why it was secured in the first place"
"And where is Probation Sentinel Sara Koflen now?"
"Dead, she died getting the information to a Romulan vessel that was nearby her location when she realized she wouldn't make it back to the ship she had been assigned to for the summer"
"I see, thank you for the report Captain, guess the Burning Galaxy plan is the only option left then, that is if Sentinel Koflen knew about that option being considered and said it herself to activate the plan"
"Actually she was aware of that plan and said that there was no other choice if we were to stop the two groups, the right people having the information of that file and understanding it is helping but there are planets that are not part of the Federation that could cause trouble"
"I know, for now though we need to find a suitable planet to start a Federation government system in the Republic since we're stuck here for at least five years"
"Portland, just where are we going to find a suitable planet?"
"That's something the Senate needs to figure out, for now though my mind is going wonky"
That's when Anderson actually looked at Portland and noticed just what was going on and pulled her aside to give her some privacy
"Portland when was the last time you actually slept for more than three hours?"
"Um... since shortly before I got bit, too many things just come up and I can't get any sleep, I was planning on having chamomile tea with poppy don't worry it'll be safe because it's not Force visions or memories keeping me up it's the whole Tanixi mess"
"Okay, but since it's been so long since you've had proper sleep I want you to have the tea in medical just in case"
"Works for me and I was planning on that anyways because you're right it's been a while and I haven't had sleep in so long there might be a problem"
"What sort of problems?"
"That's the thing I have no idea what can happen if I haven't had proper sleep for too long simply because I'm too busy. I could have the same symptoms as when I have a Force vision or memories or I could have different symptoms, for all we know I could have no symptoms except sleeping longer than normal I just don't know Captain"
"Okay, well get back to the ship and get to medical so that you can get some sleep"
"Right I'll have...medical alert you if there are any problems"
She goes back to the ship and then to medical where a doctor asks what they can do for her that day
"Just need to be monitored while I have the chamomile/poppy tea seeing as how I haven't had more than three hours a sleep a night since shortly before the Tanixi mission"
"Understood, shall we tell the Captain if there are any problems?"
"Yes, and make records as well so that we know for future reference with the other Sentinel's that they too either can't do it or need to be tested to see if their species can handle the mix after being exhausted and unable to get proper sleep in so long"
"Got it, just how have you been functioning though...you haven't used the forbidden meditation technique have you?"
"No, just a lot of caffeine and if I'm lucky a few catnaps every now and then but not many"
"How did no one notice the catnaps?"
"No clue, now then the tea?"
"Right, we'll let you sleep until you wake up naturally unless there's a problem and then once that's sorted out we'll sedate you so that you can get sleep"
"Got it...good night"
She finishes her tea and goes to sleep soon after. While she was being monitored in her sleep the Senate worked on finding a place for the Federation to set up operations while they were stuck in the Republic, they also made sure that there would be enough room for Starfleet to continue the education of their cadets if any managed to get there and making sure after all cadets graduated it would still be able to teach people from the Republic about the Federation for when it was time to fight back. Refugees were being given emergency housing in the meantime in locations that weren't too expensive but also not too cheap so that they didn't have to worry about being robbed of what they had left if any, basically not too much security but not too little either
"What exactly is needed so that we can handle the refugees coming in here now and over the period of the next year or so?"
"Well we're actually going to need at least one completely uninhabited planet and then again we might need more room we just don't know, we'll also need a means of getting food that we eat that you might not have available"
"You mean growing the food"
"Exactly, though the meat will not be the same and we can't replicate that"
"Exactly, though since you eat replicated food a lot maybe all you need is replicators?"
"Won't work in the Republic quite the same way"
"Why not?"
"Not enough power in most places"
"Oh that actually makes sense"
"Sentinel Portland will have a say in where the refugees stay because she understands things better than we do"
"What about us from Starfleet?"
"Do you understand the intricacies of environment's of both the Federation and the Republic like Portland does Captain?"
That made everyone pause because that's when they truly realized that only Republic Sentinel's could truly work out where refugees from either side could stay because only they had experienced both galaxies weather patterns on multiple planets
"Okay you guys win, that is until we get more Sentinel's that started out in the Republic"
"Works for us but since Portland should be up soon enough we might not need them and not all refugees will make it I deem"
"And some won't be given the chance to escape, plus part of the plan is that some Starfleet officers go underground until the time is right"
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
(Sighs) "I'm afraid that a change in the Burning Galaxy plan was made without Portland's knowledge, mainly because the change just recently happened when we realized that two different groups were teaming up to cause problems. When I say that some Starfleet officers will go underground as part of the plan I mean that they will be thought dead and go to places that Starfleet officers are not normally found and they will be part of the resistance that will help us in five years, slowly gathering supplies and intel while they wait for the right moment to reveal themselves"
"So there won't be as many Starfleet officers as you think because they'll either be dead or in hiding waiting for the moment to strike back at their oppressors"
"Exactly, this plan modification was made by the Admiralty when they realized what was going on and there's a chance that there will be Starfleet officers following the modified Burning Galaxy plan without the knowledge of the Admiralty because while some ships are being ordered to partake in that modification there might be others forced to do so to stay alive. All ships will have knowledge of the Burning Galaxy plan by now and some might volunteer to stay behind without orders while others are ordered to stay behind, but hopefully we'll still have enough ships for escort to the Republic"
"I think this is something that Portland will need to know once she wakes up"
"Speaking of which, just why did you send her to the ship for sleep anyways Captain Anderson?"
"Easy, she's only been getting three hours of sleep a night since shortly before Tanixi, I know for a fact that she's caught a few catnaps here and there but it's not enough for her to be truly functioning and she needs the sleep, but it's being done in sickbay so that they can keep an eye on her"
"Why would they do that?"
"Remember the report that chamomile, almonds, and poppy affect Sentinel's a lot more than regular Starfleet officers? I found out that they can't have those items if they've been having Force visions or memories keeping them up frequently, too dangerous but I don't know if not having lots of sleep lately due to being busy will affect them like the other two options so I have to have her monitored just in case the same effect happens"
"Oh makes sense, but why not just sedate her then?"
"Natural sedative isn't as dangerous as synthetic and might let her sleep more naturally and deeply"
"Fine, when will she wake up?"
"That's something we don't know yet, normally between twelve to sixteen hours but due to the fact that she hasn't slept in a long time..."
"How long will you wait until it's decided that it's just too dangerous?"
"As soon as issues pop up, and then if she's out for longer than forty-eight hours after the combination stops working we'll know that it isn't viable when a Sentinel hasn't properly slept in several weeks due to being pulled every which way"
"Why's that?"
A Jedi Master speaks up at that
"Because if a Jedi is out for longer than forty-eight hours after medical intervention and is just being monitored for side effects then something has gone seriously wrong, unless it's because of the Force, but even then there would be readings Starfleet would see to alert them to the fact that it's the Force keeping the Sentinel under"
"Not to mention Soketh would also know if it was the Force keeping Portland asleep"
"How long before you try to forcibly wake her up?"
"Ninety-six hours, she has four days after the natural sedatives stop working to wake up on her own, after that we'll wake her up with drugs and if that doesn't work...we'll do tests to see what's wrong and then take measures to keep her alive if need be"
Just then Anderson received a call that he was hoping he never received