Chapter 76:

Not knowing what will happen next, Starfleet mobilized for war with the Romulans. Three Starships remained at MS, and help build system defenses, The other 6 from that fleet headed back to Devron. It was still not known how much stealth technology the Romulans had at this time, so they could possibly have a fleet near Devron. Starfleet stealth drones, not presently enabled as mines should detect them if they got too close.

Another reserve fleet was sent from Centauri to reinforce New Berlin. Every newly refitted ship was being directed to the Romulan front as soon as it was combat ready. Upgrades that would not effect combat readiness were delayed in order to deploy ships as fast as possible.

The fleet in the Orion area remained there, but pulled back to be close to Starbase Lorilla, and was considered a reserve fleet in case the Orions were to join in a Romulan attack.

Any shipyard that finished upgrading ships started building the small ship design to be combat ready as fast as possible, in large numbers. Those ships would be used mostly for defense. They had very small crews, with most operations automated, even defense against boarding parties.

Once enough of those were available for defense, all Enterprise-B class ships were sent to Devron to prepare for offensive operations.

War plans were being developed in case a conflict were to start. It was known from canon that the Romulans favored stealth mines. This tactic was also a favorite of Starfleet. It was assumed that it would not be an effective tactic against either side, but on both sides movement would be slowed by having to take measures against mines.

On the starship, there was an encoded conference over subspace with the Federation Alliance. There were subspace repeaters everywhere, so communication was in realtime. Before it started there was a brief consultation of the Picard family.

I said, "Devron was where Q tested Jean-Luc Picard in the last episode of Next Generation. The Devron situation is clear now for what Q said Renée will need to do, as Q said earlier to create something resembling Star Trek canon. However it is possible that we moved much faster than Q anticipated, and originally Renée in the year she would turn 28 would discover the Ions, and now she has another purpose."

Luna said, "Creating an actual war, followed by a cold war with the Romulans would be consistent with canon."

Cora said, "What is the source of the Devronians prophecy? Is it also Q? Maybe at this point Q wants us set the path to eventually becoming like the Organians. That would require expanding to include the Romulans, and eventually defeating the Borg, without becoming the Borg."

At the Federation Alliance meeting, an Earth leader asked, "What if the Romulans would ask for a neutrality arrangement, maybe with a neutral zone?"

"They would asking for a truce, even without a state of hostilities. I would expect they would only ask for a truce if they considered their position weak, but likely to become stronger later."

"They would try to make common cause with Orion, Klingons, and Xindi. Maybe Nausicaa and any other Federation Alliance members that they think they can convince. They would then plan to be able to take on the Federation."

"They have a good level of technology and technological development. However, they ignore a significant resource, the Remans. We think, from canon, that the Remans also have magical ability, while the Romulans, if so, considerable less than the Vulcans. We have not been wrong so far from guesses about who has magic from canon."

"How could the Romulans not have magic while the Vulcans have some?"

"Many of them also have slightly different forehead shapes. There must have been some selection process in the founding or later development of the Romulan people."

"My analysis of canon is that the Remans are Romulans. The miners and engineers, as well as the telepaths were sent to Remus. A native life form was used to genetically combine with the Romulans there, adapting them to the environment on that planet and forming the species of the Remans. It explains why the Remans have magic, but the Romulans do not."

"In canon, even working underground under Romulan occupation, the Remans development extremely advanced technology."

"A Federation with the Romulans and a free Reman people would have abilities that would make it foreseeable to take on the Borg without relying on luck."

"It might be with a free Reman people, perhaps without the Romulans would accomplish the same aims."

"Let us ask our timeline experts to describe possible futures."

Renée said, "Now is the nexus, for us, for the Devronians, for the Remans. Our timeline succeeds or fails based on what happens now."

I added, "Our optimistic sense of one potential foe after another joining us to be on the winning side, reaches its opposition with the Romulans. They can present a credible challenge and convince the Xindi, Klingons, and Orions to join them. They would offer each their sphere of rulership. What we offer is a collection of free peoples, not allowing them to have slaves or subject planets. Perhaps not to their liking.

A hostile peace with the Romulans is not a favorable outcome.

They will discover how to genetically engineer to have magic at some point. The Orions would be opportunistic provisional allies of the Romulans ready to join a war if it could be won. The Klingons would ally themselves with the Romulans, and so would the Xindi."

A Tellarite interrupted, "Perhaps since in canon, a Picard leads the Remans to leadership over the Romulans, maybe it would be fitting, if this is what a Picard shall do today."

Renée said, "It was a Picard clone, but close enough. I'm not ruling it out, and I would be the one to do it."

An Andorian added, "Divide and conquer. That is what you Picards have constantly warned us about, and even warned about that on your own planet, before Starfleet existed. Why not actually use that technique?"

A Human answered, "How would we get to Remus, the planet of the Remans, and other planets ruled by the Romulans? Assuming that they would be interested in rebelling against the Romulans, they'd probably only do so if they thought that they would win, and most wouldn't want to be the first to talk to the Federation. Their intelligence service, called the Tal Shiar is considered to be very effective and brutal."

Cora added, "The knowledge that the Romulan homeworld would be destroyed by a supernova in stardate 2387 would not necessarily help. They might redouble their effort to build an empire to move to, rather than rely on help to either prevent the supernova or to relocate them.

There were many times and places that our first contact with the Romulans could have occurred. The Devronians engineered this one due to a prophecy. This means that there is a successful outcome possible, and it somehow requires the future actions of both Renée Picard and Rojor."

An Andorian asked, "Perhaps the only effect of the Devronian intervention is that Devron becomes part of the Federation instead of being in a Neutral Zone. That might solve their problems, but not the dangers to the Federation."

Renée said, "We are guided by prophesies. While it could be thought that the Devronian prophecy could just be about Devron being in the Federation, that would not be consistent with their insistence that Rojor and myself are both central to this nexus of the timeline.

From the unique Picard connection to the universe, it was predicted years before my birth, that I would during the Earth year in which I turn 28, which is this year, do something that would be critical to the future of the timeline. So far, my role has been to receive communication from the Devronians, which does not seem to be a unique role.

Therefore, there are actions to follow both by myself and by Rojor that are needed, and before the end of this stardate."

The Vulcan High Council leader Shanak said, "Let us look logically at the different alternatives, while stipulating acceptance of both the Devronian and Picard prophecies.

We could avoid meeting the Romulans now, That would not remove their knowledge of us, nor would it prevent a meeting of ships in the near future. I think we can set aside this alternative, as delaying the next steps without purpose.

We can meet the Romulans and try to negotiate with them. The level of cooperation with them that we could offer would be limited due to their enslavement of the Remans and other planets. We acknowledge that is Vulcan that has pushed this policy onto the Federation Alliance. The Romulans believe that expansion and empire are the path to follow. I doubt that anything we can say to them would change that.

Neither Vulcan nor Romulus are ready for unification. At best each planet could find some who might prefer the culture of the other, but I do not see any unifying culture that would be acceptable to all.

We can also engage in direct action without diplomacy if that would be a logical action. With the Romulans being an offshoot of Vulcans, to attack them could become imperative to prevent them from building strength to attack us, if that course were to be inevitable."

An Andorian said, "I am surprised to hear that from a Vulcan. I am gratified that your planet did not come to similar conclusions when my people were considered a threat to Vulcans.

From what we know of Romulan society in canon, it can be overthrown."

Renée said, "Indeed. Rojor might have connections, that while not in charge of the Romulans now, could be helped to prevail. I'll try to sound him out about that ability or his willingness.

If an application of force might be needed, an overthrow of their rule over Remus might be possible with our advantages that we have today, but will not have many years from now with expected Romulan gains in technology and magic."

Starfleet Marines Director, Harry Potter said, "If a takeover of Remus were to occur, this would be the plan I'd be leaning towards. A stealth approach to the planet Remus, checking for stealth mines using drones. Then a blockade of the planet and neutralization of orbital anti-ship assets. I'd be interested to hear if Starfleet believes that its invasion fleet could hold off the home fleet of the Romulans.

After establishing the blockade, we would then land marines in large numbers, mixed in with diplomatic experts to encourage a Reman succession. The marines would attack Romulans, but try to only stun and capture Remans. Nausicaan shock troops would try to overwhelm Romulan bases, and if it were to be needed, in counter-insurgency operations.

However, I must caution that the Remans might not join with the Federation. I point to the 1775 invasion of Montréal by the Continental Army as a relevant example. The invasion fully captured the city, without needing a siege, and fully expected the locals to join them, and oppose the British who occupied the city 15 years before. However, the locals, mostly of French background, found that the British were not bad rulers to them, while being afraid that the Continentals would be far worse.

The Remans have probably been exposed to many centuries of propaganda against the Vulcans and might be more suspicious of what Federation rule would entail, than the existing Romulan rule. Furthermore it is expected that there will be heavy fighting on Remus, which would tend to cause negative attitudes against the Federation which would be the cause of that fighting."