Record keeping time: Short and sweet. The setup is just about done. In the next upcoming chapte (11) r, we will see Dr. Khali's life turned upside down and find out what is going on at Minbar and Centauri Prime.

Have foum and to everyone, please be well. Now on with the story. AG

Chapter 10

Babylon Five

"Thank you," Sheridan said gratefully. "We'll do everything within our power to strop this threat." Around him, everyone agreed. There was the look of absolute determination on everyone's faces.

The soul hunter bowed and turned to the Minbari. "I am also obliged to tell you that both Centauri Prime and especially Minbar have a shroud of death surrounding them, and it grows stronger every day. My Order says and I agree that the light of Minbar must not be snuffed out or the shroud will encompass everything."

The Minbari glared at him for several seconds. Then, ever so slowly, Draal nodded, then Shai Alyt Trevall followed suit. Finally, Shai Alyt Shaka acknowledged the warning given to them by the soul hunter.

Peterman glanced at Ambassador Levy, both of them looking pale. As with any war, the reality of conflict was far worse than simple broadcasts reports. Earth had been embroiled in interstellar war, but this was horrific by even the standards of the Earth-Minbari war. Everyone everywhere was being threatened and, as compared to some worlds, Earth's suffering was but one of thousands known and unknown, being threatened with total extinction. Some senators would balk at their decisions back home, but there was no choice, none at all.

"Earth Alliance will help," Levy said even as Peterman echoed her words. "We will have twenty-five thousand fully outfitted marines and support units at your disposal."

"As will we," the Narn delegate said. "If Minbar falls, what hope we have? We have ten thousand soldiers and enough equipment and materiel to supply them. Just tell us where to go."

"But again, this gets back to my other point. With Humans on Minbar, won't the Sinhindrea consider the world contaminated and therefore slated for destruction?"

"That's a chance that we will have to take," Draal answered. "Either way, Minbari's choices are limited. "If they win, then Minbar will be effectively destroyed. If they consider the world unusable, then Minbar will be destroyed. Since they have been unable and unwilling to communicate with us, it is my belief that we, as the Humans say, 'go for broke. We can't worry about what they might do, only that what they are doing and how they can be stopped before they can complete their objectives."

"And that brings us to our biggest concern," Peterman began. "How do we get there?"

Draal smiled. "That gentlebeings is my responsibility." He pulled out a small communications device. "Wesley, are you there?"

"Yes, Draal," the young man drawled. "I'm still kind of stuck here for the moment."

"A solution I intend to rectify as soon as possible," said the old Minbari.

Wesley was still attached to the Great Machine, had been for nearly two weeks now and that was enough. Draal's injuries were just about healed, he was rested and ready to return to his right position as the heart of the Great Machine, with a few modifications added courtesy of Wesley's genius, Data's and the crew of the Enterprise, and the Great Machine's capability. "I have no wish to be under your mother's persuasive and tender mercies again. Can you send the schematics to these coordinates?"

"Yes, sir."

"Ah, such respect from the young," Draal said, looking at the others in the room. "It inspires me with hope," he added in a voice that was rife with bemusement and dead seriousness.

On the large conference table, a three-dimensional image appeared and rotated around so that everyone could view it. It appeared to be a space station. It was huge, almost two kilometers in length, and about a third of a kilometer in width. The design appeared spartan, but there were weapons emplacements studded throughout the structure, and at the bottom was the unmistakable design of a warp nacelle.

"I call this the Storm Breaker," Draal intoned, watching everyone carefully as they stared at the rotating structure. "It is a traveling, mobile transport able to carry up to fifty thousand troops, supplies and materiel to a targeted area. Have no fear. I had no intentions of instituting an invasion. This is a defensive system. I have been designing and preparing fabrication for over a year now, but I never imagined that its first use would consist of helping defend my world. The Great Machine began constructing it several months ago and with ideas from the Federation and Wesley Crusher, I have incorporated some modifications. I have planned to use it as a troop carrier, able to travel through hyperspace to where it was needed. I had reservations about this project, however the universe has changed in the last year, and there is a need for such equipment. What has changed in design, however, is the mode of travel.:

He pointed to the hologram. "As you may have noticed, there is a warp engine that we have fabricated as a means of propulsion. And yes, captain," he droned on like a bored schoolmaster, "I have scanned your ships just as you've scanned the planet and pick up a few things. But it was my talks with commander Data of Voyager that allowed me to modify the project. The warp engine is not designed to travel through space as your ships do, but it can manipulate and reconfigure subspace, allowing portions of space to touch one another, allowing for near instantaneous travel from one point in space to another. Voyager's information and their Mr. Data were most helpful. So, one can leave here and arrive at Minbar in a matter of seconds."

He signed and continued. "It is a prototype and, as with all first generation devices, there are some challenges to overcome. The stress factors using this form of drive were taken into account. We will be capable of initiating a maximum of three round trips before the stress renders the transport unusable for long-distance travel. The process is usable, but in its infancy, so caution is advised. There is a bridge that controls the entire station, and if you allow transporters to be added, then we can get materials and supplies to the surface in time to make a difference. That is how we will get supplies and materials to Minbar. However, once in orbit, we will have the Sinhindrea to deal with. They must be pushed away from the planet and the ones below isolated before operation can be successful. Once Storm Breaker arrives, the Sinhindrea will be most interested in turning it into so much scrap metal. The station cannot withstand a dedicated attack against weapons the First Ones can array against us."

"If we can introduce a few mines around Minbar, we can force the ships in orbit away from the planet," Picard said.

There was a breach of protocol here, as Wesley had mentioned to Picard and Garrett earlier. The warp drive was one of several closely guarded secrets of the small group of Starfleet personnel here, however Archer-era warp engine and its equally antiquated warp core was not being used for warp drive, but as a power system, and subspace distortion generator. The unit was theoretical to the displaced Feds. However, in another universe, the Enterprise-D was the subject of such an adventure. That experience was being put to use now. Draal could be trusted and none of the powers would get a good look at this device until the Feds were ready to show them. Now was not the time. Trust had to be established, even during these desperate times.

Everyone had to admit things were changing. The Klingons had given the Narns the technology, and he knew other races were working on it as well, so there was little he could do about that. There was also the fact that without interference, technology evolved of its own accord, and that evolution had been stifled by two of the elder species here. There was freedom now. The development of new technologies was inevitable.

"There's no way that we can get close enough to plant some of those mines, if the Minbari agree, that is," Archer said, "unless we have some kind of cloaking device that will keep the ship from being detected for a brief period. The Sinhindrea use telepathy to track ships and I do not think a cloaking device will keep the ship from detection. In my time, the Suliban had such a device that could render a ship effectively invisible to visual observation and sensors. We could use something like that, at least for a start."

"Yes," Worf affirmed. "We have something like that. Captain Picard, Captain Garrett. Since the accords are not effective here, will you place cloaking devices on your ships?"

Picard's response was immediate. "Yes, Commander Worf," he answered. "We can place cloaking devices on our ships. We hesitated to do so, but the Rantoul had one. Times have indeed changed, and we have to adjust to those changes if we are to survive."

"We have a ship that can place the mines in orbit without being detected," Worf affirmed. "We have the speed to get there."

Alyt Shaka added his comment into the mix. "Invisible or not, the creatures are in orbit around Minbar. I am informed that the main fleet is some distance away, waiting for our main fleet to engage them," he added. There was the look of desperation on him, mixed with intense anger. "They know we must do something soon and they will break us. Even with our whole fleet, they will break us."

"That is their intention," Worf growled. "But if we can get into orbit for a few seconds. We will deploy several mines, then. They will replicate and surround the planet, forcing the Sinhindrea away from planetary orbit. They will have no choice and once they move away from the planet, then the Storm Breaker can enter orbit. It will be safe long enough so that we deploy resources and personnel to the planet. As you have said, Captain Picard, they are afraid of the mines for now. They will develop a come up with a counter, but they have not, not yet."

General Denisov and Earth Alliance representatives there were deep in thought and conversing with one another in quiet, but intense conversation. Our GROPOS are on full alert. It will take us three days to get ready and another three to get to B5.

"Not if we use Strom Breaker," Draal said. "One trip to Earth, one to Narn, and then to Minbari when the time is right."

"I will speak to my captain, and we will leave immediately. Once we deploy the mines, then that will give us all some breathing room."

"If we can do this, then Earthforce will start ferrying equipment and supplies immediately. As we all keep saying, we don't have much time."

Picard nodded. "If this is going to work, we need the corporation of the Minbari."

This time, Sheridan nodded. "I will contact the Grey Council as soon as we formalize our plans here." The Minbari were already aware of the basic plan, which being the only reason why they weren't attacking the Sinhindrea in force attempting to liberate their world. The fear of having their planet sacrificed by the other worlds, thereby keeping the Sinhindrea from gaining a foothold, kept the hot-headed warrior clans from acting before the Grey Council arrived. "Coplann is waiting, and he is delaying their assault until he hears from me. He is waiting for my call."

"We will devise a diversion to keep the Sinhindrea busy when the time is right. We have been analyzing the shield harmonics of the enemy ship and we may have something that will turn their attention towards our diversion," he added.

"I don't have to say that what is spoken of here cannot leave this room," Picard added. "It is likely that the Sinhindrea do not have spies. Nevertheless, they have influenced some of the people and we are unfamiliar with the type of telepathic connection those people may have with them. They might well be compromised. Satai Shakiri seems to be currently free of their, but it is possible that he may be somehow linked. There are others as well, so I suggest that we maintain privacy until we are ready to act."

"Then we should get to work, ladies and gentlemen."

It was time. Draal felt more excited than he had been in weeks. Something was in the wind and he and the rest were the points of the spear. "Thank you, Wesley. I will see you soon."

He closed the communicator and prepared to get down to specifics. Now, if only his sadistic physician would release him from this demonic wheelchair, everything would improve dramatically.

Star station Laberre

"Coffee, black." Captain Archer sat in the Conference Room Three waiting for everyone to arrive. Next to him, T'Pol and Trip sat next to each other, drinking the beverage of their choice. Sato was seated near T'Pol, looking somewhat nervous.

"Captain," she questioned. "Are you sure about this?"

"I think so," Jonathan assured her. "We've been with them for little more than a week and we've all gotten a feel for these people." He sighed. "Besides, I don't believe we have much choice. They've asked me and I am accepting the position."

"But, why you?" Trip asked. The engineer wasn't overly fond of the change in the captain's status.

"I think it's the right thing to do. We don't have the garbage Starfleet had since they arrived. Earth, the Centauri, the Drakh, the Vorlons… think about it. By their mere presence, they've managed to aggravate just about everybody. We're Starfleet, but we're different. I believe I can become a bridge that both sides can accept with a lesser amount of stress."

"But the captain of this space station?" Trip insisted. "It's a big responsibility being placed in charge of in the middle of a war."

"And that's the reason why I'm going to accept. We're in the middle of a war, not by choice, by necessity. We're small in numbers against a ruthless and deadly enemy, not to mention the political enemies. It's obvious Picard and the others don't trust EarthGov or the Minbari, but they are trying to find commonality here and we should do no less. We all remember our missions, the time we spent getting here. I know that not all Klingons are bad. And although the Klingons here were deadly enemies to the Federation. But both sides here have come together." The man waved his hand, indicating the totality of the station.

"Look at this station. It's a magnificent structure, but the Federation here is stagnant. They haven't completed a proper command structure. Picard, Garrett, Sisko, and the rest are Starfleet. Who is in overall command? Is it Captain Picard, or Captain Garrett? The command structure needs to be changed and they haven't done it yet because they've been too busy trying to survive this place."

"Perhaps they haven't done it because they have a subconscious belief that they will return home," T'Pol suggested. "The Vulcans onboard are aware of this problem but have not said anything, choosing to be patient and allow the command structure to make the decisions."

"Well, it's about time they do something," Archer said. "I will discuss it with them. We need a solid, established command structure. Picard should be promoted to Admiral with Garrett as Vice-Admiral. There are lots of qualified people that can be placed in positions that they are qualified for. We may not be large, but we're large enough and growing. Those things should be put in place. You've seen what's happening out there. It's not like the Xindi conflict. This is the beginning of a galactic war. Everybody's being effective and so far, everybody's fighting on their own. We need to come together and if we can compromise, then I'm all for it. But we need to talk to them first and let them know."

"Is this wise?" T'Pol asked.

"You're worried," Charles 'Trip' Tucker III said of his wife.

She glared at him with eyes devoid of emotion. "Trip, I do not worry. I am incapable of that emotion," she lied. "I am concerned." Trip just smirked at her. She turned to her captain. "Captain, are we mature enough to do this?"

Archer looked at her. "I don't know, but I'm going to trust my instincts. Look, we've all seen it." the people in the room nodded, knowing what he was referring to. "The history of the Federation and its ideals is something we can be proud of. Picard's, Garrett's, Sisko's, and dozens of others, we've seen it. This, plus our interactions with them, gives us a solid base on which to place our trust."

"But the danger of having that much power at our fingertips. If we're not careful, we could destabilize everything," Sato said.

"Hoshi, look at it this way. If we say no, we will probably lose, and everything dies. If we wait too long, debating the morality of what we're about to do, everyone will die. My decision will undoubtedly affect everyone, but it is a chance that I am willing to take if it means saving lives and we're talking billions of lives here. You've seen the history of the Sinhindrea in our universe, the devastation they caused before they were put down. Even the Borg had to help."

Trip blew a long breath. Years ago, when he, Hoshi, Malcolm, and Travis had learned of the thirty-first century computer, the same argument presented then was as important then as it was now. The historical documentation alone was sufficient to suggest destroying the device. It was decided that it would be kept. It was kept under security lock until that fateful day when Picard's people had contacted them. Since then, it had been an invaluable resource for information concerning Picard and the others. The information about the war was troubling. Archer had Hoshi search for anything concerning the Yonji Sinhindrea and she discovered a fountain of information. The Galactic Federation-Sinhindrea wars were the stuff of nightmares.

"This is a tough decision, but I agree. I can't stand by and do nothing. One look at Babylon Five made my mind up. How many refugee ships are out there right now and how many tried and didn't make it?"

"I have my reservations," said T'Pol. "But I will agree to this." She looked at Archer. "Obviously, my time among you Humans has contaminated me."

"A joke?" asked an amused Jon.

"An observation. Vulcans do not joke."

"Yeah, right," Trip countered. "Tell that to the Vulcans at the cafeteria."

"Are you implying that Vulcans have a sense of humor?" she asked. One of her eyebrows had lifted slightly, which told him all he needed to know.

"It ain't logical," Trip answered, all the while trying desperately not to smile.

"I find that Humans have no concept of real humor," T'Pol deadpanned.

"Have we been insulted-again?" the engineer asked his captain.

"Probably," Archer answered. "But then, humor is such a difficult concept."

Starbase Laberre

Several minutes later, after everyone left the conference room at B5, the captains and officers transported to their station and waited as Archer reconfigured the holographic r suite for Archer's meeting.

Computer. Security protocol Laberra Alpha Tango one–six-zero was implemented before the meeting began. Archer had specifically asked for the Captains, commanders, and engineers to attend much to Garrett's surprise and concern.

"Fellow Captains, officers and crew present here," Captain Archer began. "This meeting is classified. Nothing spoken here can leave this room until we reach a consensus. As a United Earth officer and then a Starfleet officer, I understand the consequences of what I am about to tell you. I've thought about it long and hard, and I am more than a bit worried about the decision that will be the consequences of our actions when we leave this room. I have watched you, Captain Picard, Garrett, and Sisko. I've observed the crew and studied the logs available, as I'm sure you've done with my own. I've listened to the opinions of my own crew and know that I have not come to this decision lightly."

"We've all been under stress since arriving here, Captain," Picard said heavily. "The responsibilities and our actions have weighed heavily on us. If we were in our own universal and temporal realities, our decisions would undoubtedly be different."

"Everyone, that's the point," Archer countered. "We're here now and there's no going back. Frankly, we're too small. We're growing as a people, but we're too small. We have the technology to fight the Sinhindrea, but they will overrun us if they have a three to one advantage as we have postulated. Even with our upgrades, even with every race helping fight against them, at this point we will lose."

"You seem certain of this," Garrett said, watching him carefully. "Do you have information that might be critical to this war?"

"Yes," Jon answered. He opened a small suitcase and pulled out a small device. He placed it on the table, and it seemed to expand to five times its size. "This is a computer, for lack of a better word, from the 31st century. It was left behind by a crew member of mine involved in a temporal cold war in our reality. It contains every bit of information from the late 19th to 31st century. It contains schematics of starships, star bases, different species' historical data, engineering concepts, temporal realities, and alternate quantum possibilities. In short, it has enough data to change everything that we know and understand about the universe. It also contains the history of Sinhindrea and their history in our universe. The computer automatically began collecting data of this universe the moment we transitioned to this universe. It's still collecting data even when it appears inactive. I suspect that it has a temporal component or two that we're not aware of. With Daniels gone, the computer keyed itself to me and I can use it. There's technology here that I can barely conceive of. New drive systems, innovative designs, new medical techniques, new weapons."

Geordie let out a low whistle even as Captain Picard let out the breath he was holding. "The possibilities are making my head swim."

"Fascinating, but how did it key itself to you?" Data asked.

"The computer was still on when Daniels left. I added my name and password and became a new user," Archer told them. "However, it had less to do with my computer abilities than the computer itself, allowing me to do it. Maybe it's because I have a temporal echo or maybe Daniels created some sort of failsafe allowing me to use it. Maybe it's because it's outside our universe–I don't know. I keyed T'Pol into the system. She can use it as well." He looked at her.

"As you are aware, our translocation into this universe wasn't by accident," T'Pol began. "Certain higher-level entities conspired to place us here. There are other beings who were not pleased that we came here and tried to circumvent the actions that have so far transpired here. An entity named Iblis attempted to compromise you, Captain Picard." At this, Picard's eyes narrowed. "To sew discord, the entity attempted to corrupt you by forcing your 'base, human emotions to run wild. However, you were protected by another.

"The entity called Q," Picard surmised.

"That is correct, Captain. Although you are not the 'Picard' that he's dealt with, it's likely he still felt it his interest to protect you, if only to antagonize Iblis. It is likely that it was he that allowed us to access this computer system. It is one such possibility.

"As we've traveled here, I've had an ample amount of time studying the history and technical data at length." The Vulcan woman paused for a moment as she considered what she was about to say. Her eyes glanced towards Jon, who nodded in turn. "There is a device that may prove very useful if we can get it to work."

"What is it?" asked Geordie.

"The replicators you've developed would be the closest analogy. The technology is called particle synthesis. The technology is from the 26th century and is a variant of the technology developed by Species 8472 and others. I believe that we can create that technology. If we can, then we can 'build' a completed ship the size of the Intrepid class in two months. It would require the programing of the schematics into the PS matrix."

"It's taken us four months to build the Challenger and it won't be completed for another two, and that's been resource intensive," engineer Sonya Gomez said. "What you're talking about is nothing short of an engineer's dream. But do we have the right to use this technology and use it wisely?"

"Things change," Sisko announced. "We are in the wild, wild west here, but we also have decades of experience and memories to help us learn from our mistakes. We have more than a century and a half of knowledge that we can fall back on and, realistically, I don't see us having a choice here. Billions of lives have been lost here as well as on planets we don't know about yet. Tens of thousands of lives are being lost right at this moment. The escaping refuges are still coming. It's only a trickle now, and of those who have made it, we have no idea how many were lost in their attempt to get here. I will not in good conscience be the one who stands here and debates the morality of whether we should or should not use what we've been given because of the possibility that we somehow affect the natural course of this universe. Can any one of us say what the natural course of the universe should be?" He nodded slowly, as all of them had a right to be concerned.

"I understand the dangers of what we have and the dangers of using it, but I am also aware of the Federation's gift," and here he almost snarled the words, "of sitting on its behind while everything falls apart around us. We lost the Klingon war because we didn't have the resources or training in the beginning to properly prosecute the war. Too many of our officers and politicians stood by doing nothing but talk until we lost Betazed. We sat on our hands while the Klingons advanced. Our weapons technology focused on defense rather than offense. Our ships were designed to be less a warship and more exploratory in purpose. How many ships did we lose in the first months of the war? How many people were killed because of our inability to defend them? How many planets were lost to the Klingons because we stuffed our heads in the sand, pretending that our morality would somehow pull us through?" He glanced around, staring at the people he was speaking to. Garrett was watching him closely, analyzing every word he said, but hadn't yet interrupted him. "There is danger in everything we do or don't do. But I don't want to try sleeping at night knowing that I didn't do everything I could to save people from what's coming because I might error. The possibility of making a mistake is always present. I'd rather err because I tried to stand on my morality and failed, rather than do nothing because of what might happen. We are Starfleet. That counts for a lot, but it also means we can take a stand. We can take the next step without fearing that we might trip."

Picard folded his hands as he starred at the Captain. "I am aware of difficulties Starfleet had towards the end of the war. The truth is, we would have lost the war." At this, Archer and his crew grimaced. It was something they didn't want to think about. Their own experiences gave them an excellent idea of what subjugation under Klingon rule would have been like. "The Federation was within months of asking for conditions of surrender. Starfleet couldn't protect the Federation because we were not prepared to engage in the war that we fought. But that is the past. The information that we possess right now could very well start wars or give us a fighting chance at survival. I've spoken to Guinan…"

"Sir," asked Archer, "exactly who is Guinan? What is she?"

"She is a wise woman," he answered cryptically. "Her talks with Ambassador Kosh have revealed that the Sinhindrea forces we've seen are only scouting forces. They represent only a small portion of their resources. They have weapons we've not seen, technologies we may not be defended against. Most of their forces have been allocated to securing and consolidating Shadow territories. Soon they will be ready to advance in force. Minbar, Earth, and Centauri Prime are being targeted simply to pave the way for the real invasion. Their pattern is to hit the strongest opposition first, removing them to make their overall operation easier. The Shadows are defeated and have fled. The Vorlons fought them before and instead of aiding us in our time of need, they have chosen to flee without lifting a finger. At this point, there are only us and the local powers here standing between the Sinhindrea and extinction. The Centauri, Minbari, Earth Alliance, the Vree, the Proxima Alliance — all of us must come together and use all of our resources."

"But if we can access these technologies, we can't allow anyone else to acquire it," Captain Garrett said. "I'm just as concerned as everyone else in this room about the genie we're about to release, but the alternative is even more horrifying."

"In a way, the genie's already been released, Captain," LaForge said. "They know about warp, subspace, and phased energy weapons. Earthforce has the knowledge that it exists, and they have worked on polarized plating. The Minbari has some of the technology. The Proximans have Klingon technology as well as the knowledge from the C57-D, which is a fairly close analog to ours. That means the Brakiri, and Drazi have it. That can't be undone."

"Yes, but what we have in our possession here is another level entirely, and we must be careful if we use it. Our security is going to have to go to another level."

"I agree," Picard announced. "The last thing we need is for the local governments to find out exactly what we have in our possession. It will be a disaster in the best of times. Despite improvements in our relationships with Earth alliance and the Minbari, and even the Centauri. With this data, we have to tread carefully. And there is also the fact that we may not be able to utilize this technology properly." He smiled gently. No offense, Geordi, but we may not be technologically advanced enough to use what we've been given."

Geordi rubbed his forehead in frustration. "You may be correct, Captain," said the engineer. "We have to have a look at different schematics to see if we can use any of it. I would like to take a look at this particle synthesis device."

Archer nodded and activated the program containing the particular technology.

Within moments, the people in the room were engrossed.

Geordie whistled. "I think we can do this," Geordie said. "The engineering staff will have to star learning the new physics involved and it will take time, but we can develop a working model fairly quickly. What do you think, Data?"

"I believe we can make a working model to test it," Data confirmed. "I believe we can program our industrial replicator to make up the device."

Garrett nodded, as did Archer and Sisko.

"I do not have to say that this new technology will be developed responsibly. I want suitable safeguards in place. If there are any problems involved in this research or operation, work is to cease until the issues are identified and resolved. "Make it so…"

Jonathan Archer took a long moment before he continued. "There are reasons why your Federation lost the war. It wasn't just that you were unprepared, but the reason you were unprepared. You had outside forces, as you suspected, interfering with the federation. Those forces wanted both sides to fail. I'll explain."

TBC