A Universe of Change:
By Candlelight Defiance
Chapter Twenty
The Great Machine
The curator Chamber
"Yes, sir," Wesley Crusher answered quickly. "The interface is active and functioning properly, according to the machine." His holographic self turned to ace the others in the room as if looking at them for the last time. Then he turned back to the anxious senior Minbari who was eyeing him carefully. "Mister Draal, once you fully activate the interface, the machine will do the rest while it disengages from me."
"Excellent, young man," beamed Draal. "I look forward to speaking to you about our shared experiences in the flesh. But we must hasten before your mother decides to experiment on my person with several new drugs that have most interesting side effects I do not wish to experience."
"She wouldn't do that," a shocked Wesley insisted while looking at his mother. "Mom?"
"I want you back," she growled. The sound left no question as to the way she felt. "You need to recover from this, this experience."
"You've done more than enough, and performed your duties most excellently I might add," Draal boomed.
"I'll miss this," Wesley Crusher sighed. "We're…" He paused. "I mean, I'm ready."
Data raised his tricorder, scanning the implanted interface one last time before full activation. "The interface is functioning within expected parameters. I am increasing the signal and fully activating the interface. Subspace connection stable. Neural signal is strong. Subspace connection is fully operational." He paused for a moment as he studied the readings. "The Great Machine, Draal, and Ensign Crusher's wave functions are joined. They are communicating with each other."
Draal's eyes had gone blank, although his mouth was moving. No sound came from him. Wesley was silently mimicking his movements. While this was going on, everyone noticed a change in the continuous rumbling of the Great Machine. Behind them, both Zathras and Zathrậs looked worried but at the same time, fascinated at seeing what was happening.
"I can feel the connection," a euphoric Draal whispered. 'It's stronger…Wesely, goodbye. We will talk soon."
"Wesley's pattern is fading," Draal's neurological pattern is strengthening," Geordie announced to everyone. "Draal's base pattern is synchronized with the Great Machine in twenty seconds. Full synchronization will complete itself in five minutes, thirty-eight seconds."
Wesley slowly opened his eyes, seeing the world naturally for the first time in weeks. The conduits began to detach from his internal organs. The fluids inside the tubes attached to his body, began to drain. Wesley began breathing heavily, on his own for the first time in a month, as the Great Machine slowly released his body. The main tubes started to detach as the young man began to sink to the ground. His mother and Data caught him before he hit the floor.
"You're okay," Beverly told him. "We're going to transfer you to LaBerre in a few moments," she said while simultaneously hugging and scanning him again. His muscles were weak from non-use, and he would have to learn how to breathe on his own again. It would take at least a week before he would be allowed to leave the med bay.
Draal, can you hear me?" Doctor Regun asked as he performed his own medical scan on the old Minbari.
"I feel wonderful," he replied. His eyes glistened with the joy of being reconnected to the Great Machine. "His hologram appeared next to the startled doctor. "Wonderful. I can appear as a hologram at the same time as I am fully in control of my body. I never expected this! I can be in two or more places at once!" With his real eyes, he stared at his doctor. May I finally be released from this cruel wheelchair you've placed me in?"
The doctor smirked at him. "When I am satisfied that you are well enough in another week, I will consider it. You are still healing, and I wish you to be well before I release you, least you hurt yourself and ruin my excellent reputation among my patients and colleagues."
"Tyrant."
"That is my given middle name. Now relax and I will perform a full scan
to ensure your health is continuing to improve."
"Again?"
His doctor smiled. It wasn't quite cruel, but Draal could see a bit of
sadism behind that professional demeanor. "You are once again the
master of the Great Machine. We will make sure you remain so. The
Sinhindrea will not appreciate your contribution to our cause. We do not
wish a repeat of what happened to you, or Wesley before. When I am satisfied, I will release you from your prison chair and then I will prepare a regime of exercise, for your benefit of course. And you can continue paying for my services."
Draal let out a bemused growl. "Wesly is not fully detached from the
Great Machine. Please take care of the young man." Draal's smile was exuberant. With a thought, he began opening himself fully to the Great Machine. It was wondrous.
The young man's mother nodded at Draal and the others and forgot about them as she tapped her communicator. "Two to beam directly to ICU sickbay. Seconds later, she and her son disappeared in a swirl of energy and light.
Valen'tha
Satai Morann resisted the urge to move from his established place in the council chambers and began pacing the room. Summoning his strength, he remained in place with the other seven. The last member, and in his opinion, the greatest of them was on Minbar. As frightened as he was for her safety, he was proud of her strength and unwavering dedication to the people. She was still impulsive, but her maturity shown like a star among the heavens. The woman had destroyed and then rebuilt the Grey council, had married a Human to bridge a gap that caused the deaths of tens of millions, and led in the front line to help liberate her people. It was little wonder Dukhat chose her as his future successor. He, the greatest of them, knew what she was capable of. He also loved her. It was as plain as the nose on his face and if he had lived, he would be insane with fear at her current situation.
Her reports of what was happening, was horrific enough to remain in his nightmares for the rest of his life. Thousands upon thousands of their people, the survivors in cities that were attacked, were pounced upon and consumed alive. Those who weren't fed on simply seemed in a daze as they were herded off to their doom by the monsters. None of those Minbari herded into those transports resisted in any way. It was Alyt Yumay who was the first to understand what was happening. The aliens were telepathic and controlled the population.
Like Shakiri.
The city of Lashah'la was overrun by the Sinhindrea after a furious battle. The warriors were pushed out. They saved as many as they could, but hundreds of thousands were abandoned as enemy armor overran defensive lines. Those who died suffered in ways that defied reason. The enemy weapons turned everyone they touched into formless masses of flesh. The fleet that went to Z'ha'dum was forced to release its after action report, and the weapons the Sinhindrea were revealed in sickening clarity. The enemy weapons destroyed the very bones of the Minbari and were effective no matter where they touched.
Shakiri should have told the warriors what they were facing, but hadn't. A very angry Coplann believed it was because he was embarrassed by the depth of his failure. These were weapons of terror, and he refused to dwell on the numbers of his people who had been subjected to such horror. Those who saw the reports wept for their people. The drone footage Delenn managed to send had driven most who saw it, mad. Others fell into a blood rage that even frightened others in the warrior castes. The warriors could be held back for only so long, and the council would have no inclination to try.
Surrounded by four Quillua class Sharlins two Shagotti, and ten honor guards Sharlins, and dozens of warships of various configurations, the Valen'tha was deemed the most secure ship in the fleet.
The Sinhindrea naturally saw the Grey council's ship as a prime target, but getting close to it would represent difficulty. The ship and those onboard. It wasn't important. The Sinhindrea Cloviens had tasted them. There was no place to flee to, when the Sins came for them.
The Sinhindrea were aware that as long as the Minbari-stain's world was under invasion, the leaders wouldn't go far. And if they did, they could only flee to that Human-stain station that defied destruction once. The station's existence would be corrected for, as would the Human-stain world, soon enough. That species was destined to burn.
Satai Coplann was uninterested in the fate of Earth. His world was dying in front of him and John Sheridan's time was up. He hadn't honored his promise and the Minbari would honor theirs. Coplann wouldn't stay the warrior's hand. They would kill him, just as the people on Minbari were dying.
The Minbari leader stepped into the center circle. It was time. "We cannot afford to wait any longer. We must begin the liberation of our world," he slowly told the others. "We can no longer remain here watching as our world dies. We will do everything in our power, make any sacrifice to remove this pestilence from our home. The Humans cannot be relied upon to help us. The Centauri are locked in battle against this enemy. The Vorlons abandoned us, after we discovered their betrayal. These creatures defeated the shadows. They will not defeat us."
He wanted to continue, to prepare all those who listened to his voice, to know what they were about to commit to. This day would determine the fate of his world.
"Satai!" a voice broke in. It was Alyt Kanyunn, in command of the Valen'tha. That he chose to interfere at this crucial moment indicated its importance. "We have a tight-beam communication. They wish to speak to the Grey Council," he said. "The signal is quite close."
"Is it from the Federation?" Coplan asked, all thoughts of his impending order temporarily evaporated from his mind. He believed it irrational, considering his earlier thoughts. "Where are they?"
"There is nothing on our sensors," responded Alyt Kanyunn. He was aware of Starfleet signals and this was similar, but definitely different from what he knew. Kanyunn's voice faltered for a moment. "It's the Klingon ship!" his voice betrayed his shock. Its sudden appearance, so close to the heart of his ship should have been impossible. Their stealth capability was magnificent and thoroughly intimidating, once more proving how advanced these aliens and the Federationists were. The Minbari needed to catch up after this war was over. He acknowledged that everyone needed to catch up, if any were to survive. "It has appeared next to us, les than five hundred meters on our port side!"
The Grey listened in shock. They were surrounded by the best ships and crews the Minbari had to offer, protecting them. And once again, the foreigners made a mockery of so-called Minbari superiority.
"Put them through."
A three-dimensional image of the Klingon captain greeted the Minbari leadership. The alien performed a quick bow of acknowledgement. Coplann returned the greeting.
So Sheridan kept his promise, after all.
The Klingon on the screen looked dangerous and excited. He was young and still learning how to school his emotions when in communication with other leaders. It was as Menroi had said. The warriors, the once-enemies of the Federation, were still learning. He also noticed that the uniform he remembered seeing on those aliens was different. It was still a warrior's garb, but it had some traits of the Narn military and, if he wasn't mistaken, a hint of Drazi as well. Interesting, but he didn't have time for that now. he and the council wanted to hear what he had to say.
"To victory," the Klingon said, trying to keep from screaming the words. "Assistance will come. Starfleet, Earth Alliance, the Narn, and Drazi warriors will be here within six hours. We will help liberate your home from these creatures," he spat.
Satai Hedrann, couldn't contain himself. "How many ships are coming? Can you defeat their shields? If not, then it is an honorable but wasted effort. The enemy controls the skies of our home!"
"Not for much longer," Koral rumbled. He hated being interrupted. The Klingon captain proceeded to explain the plan.
"They are telepathic. The details and orders cannot be passed through your communications, or read by those who can tell others. The Sinhindrea are focused on your people. The instructions must be passed by the old-fashioned media called paper. The instructions are contained, in sealed envelopes to be opened only when they reach their destination. From ship to ship. Your fighter craft must pass this information to your captains. They must make the necessary adjustments in secret. The enemies can read our thoughts, but without the gate to amplify their ability, most are limited."
Another one of the Grey Council member's smile was ruthless. "We understand security. The information will be passed on." The Grey Council member looked hesitant. "The Sinhindrea will not easily abandon their prize. Their attempt to destroy us failed twice, but they will return. We know the Shadows poisoned Humanity and their ultimate purpose failed. We know the Sinhindrea consider Humans to be poisoned flesh and will kill any Human they come across. If the Humans step foot on Minbar, will not the Sinhindrea consider my world a poisoned planet?"
Coplann thought about that for a moment and agreed. "The Humans cured themselves of the plague. But I believe the enemy will not take any chances. The question becomes, do we allow Humans to set foot on our world and doom it? Or will we allow them to feed on our people and all living things on Minbar?"
The Grey Council as one took one step forward. Coplann nodded. "We will fight. The Humans cured themselves and fought back. They continue to fight back in spite of their obvious weakness and primitive technologies. They are an example. Can we do any less for the liberation and protection of our own world?"
Koral felt the waves of commitment and determination through the main screen. He approved. His people would do no less. He expected no less from them.
"I have a gift for you Satai Coplann, from Captain Sheridan."
A small tablet appeared in the center of the Chamber. Those in the chamber, were angered and intimidated by the famed and notorious transporter device. The breach of security was frightening, but they resolved to produce countermeasures later. And, to create their own version of this infamous technology. If the Humans could do it, then they could do it as well, and improve upon it. Coplann picked up the tab to read it.
He smiled viciously.
"What does it say?" another member of the Grey Council asked.
"It is a countdown." He smiled once more. "We must pass on the instructions now."
"It will take two hours to complete," Satai," said a warrior standing outside of the circle. "The orders will need to be sent by Nial, to as many of our heavy warships as we can, in?" he paused, waiting for the time frame.
"Six hours," supplied Coplann."
That will be difficult to execute with the allotted time. We need the others to delay their arrival."
"It can be done," Koral who was still in communication, said. "The countdown will be adjusted." Then he added, "war has a glorious fluidity that can never be dishonored without consequence."
"Then we must push ourselves as befitting Minbari," Coplann said. He was pushing the time limit. His people were not known for their patience. Some of the lesser warrior clans were not willing to wait much longer. The decimation and loss of the Blood knives warrior clan, was a lesson not learned amongst several of the more rabid clan members of the warrior caste. "Once the operations begins, the enemy will come after us. We have to be ready."
"The Star Riders will be ready," Alyt Menroi said without hesitation.
"As will the wind Swords."
The present members of the Grey Council bowed to those in the chamber who now rushed to obey the orders given them. Orders were given not to tell Shakiri, the once leader of the Star Riders, anything. He was compromised. Telling him anything about what was coming could well doom the entire operation. Alyt Yumay and several others loyal to him, fumed at the order and the insult implied behind it. But they also understood the reasons why. When this war was over, and Shakiri was no longer in danger of being influenced by those monsters, there would be a reckoning.
Starbase LaBerre
This place was insidious.
Those were the thoughts of General William Pickett as he awaited his scheduled meeting with the new commander of the station, Captain Jonathan Archer. Before the meeting, he had taken the time to take a very detailed look at the entire station, as much as he was allowed to. There were certain restrictions of course, but with so much going on he barely noticed. He had taken a special interest in the educational department, a cause of never-ending envy, jealousy, and concern of Earth Dome. Education was key and in it lay the keys of the future of Humanity.
Not wasting the opportunity, he took time to visit a couple of the high school classes and one of the class he chose in session at the time, was subspace physics taught by one of the telepathic Betazoids.
At first, he felt uncomfortable having a telepath teaching the class. He knew that all of the Betazoids, who looked Human but weren't, were telepathic, but he hadn't been convinced that it was a good thing having teeps freely moving around in the same room as normals without rules and supervision. He wasn't even convinced initially that they weren't some Human offshoot, claiming to be different. Old habits died hard.
His opinion changed when he got a quick look at the anatomy of the telepathic aliens.
They really were aliens! But so close to Human! Stunning!
Pickett was still wary of the situation when he entered the classroom, filled with labor union kids and a few aliens. Ten minutes later, he had forgotten that the instructor was even a teep. Point, in fact, he was completely, totally, absolutely lost, listening to the very active discussion going on in front of him. He always loved physics, but he was lost, and trying to desperately understand what was going on.
These Human teenagers were future doctors, engineers, and scientists; the castoffs of Earth alliance. They were the same ones stranded on Babylon Five, with no real hope of academic advancement on the station once called a death trap. Few teachers wanted to be stuck on the station. The irony didn't escape him.
And the Feds were getting them all. That had to change. Earth Alliance needed some serious enticements as well as inducements to get some of these children into the alliance community. Plus, they needed more young people from Earth to come and learn all of–this. If earth Alliance was going to change, and it seemed that it was going to change whether kicking and screaming or not, then earth's children needed to participate in these classes and opportunities. It was no wonder IPX was still screaming to participate in these classes, which they finally were. Not the advanced ones, not yet. But the basic ones, the introductory ones, to get their feet wet. The future advances for Humanity were beyond obvious. The possibilities of future technology would no doubt push Humanity to new heights.
The android, Data was beyond remarkable. How the Feds created such a wonder made him envious on a level he hadn't deemed possible. He felt the same with the Robby robot. They were so different from each other, but he would have been more than happy with either one of them being studied at home by the best of the best.
This lack of access aggravated him on a visceral level. The Human Feds should have gravitated to Earth Alliance, but they hadn't, and he didn't understand why. Clark was long gone, and things had changed. They should have joined the EA. They should have joined the Human family no matter where they came from.
Pickett knew that General Fontaine was just as impressed. His wife and son had suffered on Earth, not only from the Shadow plague but the radiation resulting from the plasma strike from the Sinhindrea. His wife was still being treated. The radiation poisoning was being slowly reversed, curtesy of the B5-Fed anti-radiation drug regimen and its new derivative anti-cancer drugs pioneered by their scientists developed a year earlier. And it was being done for free for both his wife and son. The eye damage was already corrected for and the cancer spreading throughout his wife's body was already under control and being eliminated. All for free. It was almost too much.
General Pickett waited patiently for his sixteen hundred appointment with the new addition, Captain Jonathan Archer. The man was one of the crew of the new ship recently arrived. Earth Alliance spy agencies didn't have much data on this new group, but they were definitely Feds, and Picard's people had accepted them easily enough so that the captain had become the commander of this admittedly magnificent station.
The general felt another stab of envy. He didn't understand how Colonel Griffin could have so easily accepted these people. And that was another problem rearing its ugly head. So many good officers and crews were dead that they needed men like Griffin. He was on the fast track to becoming a general in Earthforce, but he was still on loan as unofficial liaison to the Feds. There was a huge fight happening at home whether to order the man back to Earth to accept the promotion or remain here and learn as much as he could about these people in the officer's exchange program.
Another point of concern focused on the number of Feds keeping their Starfleet alive. There were only ten thousand of them, both Human and aliens. Eventually, they would die out and a new generation would take their places. The question was, who or what would this new generation be? It should be Humanity, but he doubted that. There were too many aliens interested in joining. Humanity would have to compete with them to get what was rightfully theirs.
At least, that was his opinion. He was old school and didn't like the way he saw the future going. Neither did the politicians, so they were planting seeds for the future, which they hope would sway the Feds towards the EA, agreements, and treaties notwithstanding. Earth Alliance intended to be a major player if they survived the year. The Sinhindrea made survival questionable, and that issue was everyone's first priority.
General Picket was ushered into the huge office precisely at four o'clock. The office was as impressive as the President's private office. Archer warmly greeted the general and his two aides as they shook hands. Archer was dressed in a uniform similar to Captain Garretts people. his uniform was darker, and he sported four pips on his left shoulder and the traditional Starfleet pin, Picket knew to be more than just a simple decoration.
Everyone sat down and got comfortable. There were fresh fruits and desserts placed discretely on the tables next to them. Teas, coffees, and chocolates almost made him lose his focus. His wife would have loved this if she had accompanied him to the station. Not completely ignoring everything, he resolved to sample things later.