Chapter 92:

Despite the peaceful resolution of the dispute over use of technologies, the Federation was shaken by how close they came to fighting each other, and how deadly a fight it would have been. There was a renewed resolution to avoid these types of situations from coming up in the future.

There was also now little patience for areas outside the Federation deploying technology that could be a danger, or for putting other species into slavery. The Federation was willing to spend money for these goals. Giving economic assistance in exchange for following Federation rules seemed a good bargain to the Federation.

The Bynar were a people who didn't have warp drive and hadn't traveled to other star systems. However, they integrated artificial intelligence within their brains. They were seen in the Next Generation episode "11001001", when they upgraded the Enterprise computers. The Bynar had their parietal lobe of their brain removed at birth and replaced with a synaptic processor. Dealing with this civilization was not going to be simple.

We visited their planet and made contact. Then we gave extensive information about the future dangers we were trying to prevent and the rules we were enforcing. The Federation envoy said, "We will give almost any level of assistance to you, while also enforcing the rules to prevent bad outcomes of the type of technology you are developing."

After considerable negotiation it was agreed that all Bynar would be monitored to make sure that they do not contain artificial synthetic sentience. That future births on Bynar would not have their parietal lobe removed, instead some advanced Federation technologies would be used to integrate computation to their sensory and motor inputs and outputs, which themselves would be found in the parietal lobe.

In addition the Federation would provide help for building more computing power on Bynar, while also making sure that it does not reach sentience. After this, the Bynar became some of the best computing technology researchers in the Federation.

A fleet was sent to Cardassia. At this point in 2089 they were a small empire, but much smaller than they would be almost 300 years later in Star Trek canon. While they had some advanced technologies, something about the way their society was organized led the average Cardassian not having enough food or heat in cold climates. They were a spacefaring civilization, so excuses about lack of resources on their planet didn't make sense, only some sort of dysfunction in their society could explain it.

The Federation Alliance of stardate 2089 had little patience for the specific reasons the Cardassians might have wanted an empire. They showed up with a big show of force and non-destructively disabled the power sources of any warships and planetary defenses that powered on. They then beamed Basic Living tents to the entire planet, including food replicators and energy sources, and announced to them that they would no longer rule any other star systems or species.

The Cardassian leadership didn't even know how to respond. Having their defenses easily disabled made them assume they were about to be occupied. They prepared for guerrilla warfare. When assistance was beamed to the planet, they assumed it was some hidden way to control them and forbade anyone from handling the items. Enough Cardassians were impoverished to use the assistance anyway.

The Starfleet ships sent a clear message to the planet, "The Federation Alliance is now supervising this area of space. The principles of the Federation are to prevent slavery between species, to assist where we can, and to prevent certain dangerous advances from being implemented.

Beyond accepting our demands, you will have options as to how closely you want to be associated with the Federation Alliance. You can become full members if you accept certain aspects of sentient rights on your planet. You will receive assistance even if you do not."

Any non-Cardassians found on Cardassia were asked if they wanted to leave, using magic to help interrogate them, especially when they seemed too scared to answe. Most were then repatriated to whatever planet seemed to be their original home, except for those that truly wanted to remain there. A few Ferengi running an entertainment center chose to remain. They said that there will be great opportunity for profit now that Cardassia will be integrated within the Federation.

All planets under Cardassian control or influence were visited. They were given assistance, told that they were now independent and that the Federation will protect them. Those settled by Cardassians were told that they can decide to voluntarily combine with Cardassia. All were invited to join the Federation Alliance.

A fleet arrived at Bajor. It was not yet under Cardassian occupation, and they also did not know about their wormhole yet. They had a unique method of traveling a little faster than light, using tachyon eddies. Their actual means of propulsion were solar sails. Even though they didn't often use these ships, or often contact other worlds, it was still considered sufficient for them to be contacted.

Starfleet did a peaceful approach to Bajor and sent a message projected across the planet, "We are the Federation Alliance. We offer Bajor assistance, and we will protect it from other forces. We would request to meet with the Vedek's and your leader, or Kai, about the Celestial Temple and the Prophets, which we have some knowledge about."

Calchas, Pythia's husband, beamed down alone to meet with the Vedeks. He was chosen for this mission since he was the only one of the Section 31 seers who had not had contact with Q. Q and the Prophets seemed to stay out of each other's way. "I will show you memories of a different timeline, about the Prophets, the Celestial Temple, which we call a wormhole, about the Sisko, who was born in the future of a different timeline, and about a very dangerous assemblage of sentients, called the Dominion, on the other side of that wormhole."

After showing several hours of video to the Bajorans, Calchas continued, "We will not try to contact the Prophets. They will seek contact when they want. In another timeline they engineered the arrival of Sisko.

We will block access to the wormhole so that no ships can appear from it. If the prophets ask for anyone to visit the Celestial Temple, we will allow access, but ask you not to continue beyond it to the other end of the wormhole."

There was much discussion with them and the Bajorans were quite suspicious. They accepted receiving aid, and said they will try to find out more from the Orbs, as to what the Prophets want them to do.

In the interest of full disclosure they were told that the considerable aid we can give them would tend to end caste systems such as they have. In canon their caste system only ended during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor.

We wondered if the Prophets would talk to us directly, but even Sisko himself who was essentially created by the Prophets had an almost violent reception when he visited them for the first time. Since, we really did not want the wormhole in operation, as we were not ready for contact with the Dominion, we made no attempt to visit the Celestial Temple.

Later that day the Kai told Starfleet that the Prophets spoke and want to speak to Calchas through the Orb of Prophecy and Change. Calchas went to a monastery on Bajor that housed the Orb and opened the Orb. He was in a vision.

The prophets spoke through different people he knew, each sentence changing who was speaking to him, "You live in linear time, yet you also understand other realities."

Calchas said, "It is true, that our existence is one moment followed by another. However at least two entities are beyond it, and we have the knowledge from them. One is Q, the other is yourselves. We have knowledge from you, based on your future actions of another timeline."

The prophets said, "Yes, your grandfather-in-law has been in different realities, similar to the Sisko. We will speak to Tom Picard."

While en-route, I reviewed the Deep Space Nine episode "Far Beyond the Stars" where Benjamin Sisko is also a science fiction write in the 1950's called Benny Russell, describing the world of Deep Space Nine in great detail. Was it a dream of Sisko, or was someone in the 1950's viewing Star Trek canon? No record of a Benny Russel was found, nor the publication called Incredible Tales.

I arrived quickly at Bajor, traveling on a ship at top speed, and went directly to the monastery.

The prophets said, "You are the dream and dreamer. Sisko is the dream and the dreamer."

I answered "Q brought me to this timeline, and within it, you bring Sisko to it."

The prophets said, "A different name, Benny Russell writes a story. Sees it from the linear time of the now, as the Sisko. You write in your reality of origin."

I asked, "Which is real?"

The prophets answered, "Real? I do not understand this concept.

The Sisko explains the linear time, but you do not live in linear time."

I answered, "We are the exception and have some information beyond the line of time. Those in our time are restricted from looping, but not from foreknowledge. You and Q are both not part of the time, but have a greater role with it."

The prophets said, "We are of Bajor."

I answered, "I assume that means your interests are not as universal as Q's is. I want you to know that the Federation will protect Bajor, just as it would other civilizations.

The prophets said, "You have a request to make of us."

I answered, "We, those of us of this time and place, need time to prepare from what is on the other side of that wormhole. We protect Bajor and the Bajorans, but might not be able to if the Dominion from the other side arrives here too soon. We ask you to wait until the right time before allowing transit through it."

The prophets said, "Sisko will open it. The time of Sisko has not yet begun."

I said, "Thank you."

The fact that the Prophets spoke to us, made the Bajorans agreeable to the Federation presence in their system. I made it clear to them the neither myself nor Calchas were the emissaries of the Prophets, and that a future human, not yet born, would have that role.