Chapter 65:
[Alliance Meeting 2073]
Pontax a Klingon started, "The agenda is genetic engineering.
The summary is that each set of parents can decide which of the available modifications for their species they want. Then the result is randomized to prevent weaknesses due to the monoculture effect.
Available choices include increasing aggression and also in decreasing it. Intelligence, strength, health can be increased. Magic can be chosen with a 40% chance of success. Within 10 years, we expect to reach 94% as an average for most species.
All, including Klingons have accepted the need for testing before introducing new genetic engineering. We expect to have our cranial ridges restored soon, but as a choice for parents. Most future Klingons will also choose an appearance similar to that seen in Star Trek The Next Generation.
Some prefer looking more like Humans. Those who have already been born without these ridges mostly do not use cosmetic alterations. Klingon culture does not approve of that."
Serer, a Vulcan added, "Species specific weaknesses can be corrected, as can individual flaws.
Logic and discipline can be increased or decreased.
The plan for these free choices is a well balanced generation. It is expected that most Klingons will choose warrior traits. Most Vulcans will choose intelligence and logic with reduced emotions . Exceptions will occur and are accepted."
Balram said, "Thank you. We will also inform parents of the careers and salaries that various traits are expected to lead towards. We also should find ways to encourage a diversity of choices, if most choose certain traits. The key word is encourage. The Alliance supports freedom of genetic engineering."
[Earth 2075]
The Klingon School of Warrior Training opened in Australia.
"Welcome to our first class of students! You will learn to go beyond your abilities! Your warrior training will encompass every aspect of your life and your education!
We bring teachers for all aspects of education. You will be fully qualified when you graduate here. You will also be qualified to be a Klingon Warrior.
You will also learn about the warrior backgrounds of your own ancestry, or perhaps one that calls to you. It might be Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Khan Singh, Cortes, George Washington. You will learn about these and others, Kahless and warriors from many different planets. There are important lessons to learn from each.
Your DNA has been analyzed. You will be tested for abilities and existing knowledge and your classes will be determined to maximize your learning. Adjustments will be made as we learn of your progress.
Your first Rite of Ascension will be when you are ready. For Klingons that is traditionally by age 13 stardates. It might be earlier or later for you. It represents your intnetion to become a warrior and will light the fire of a warrior burning in your heart.
Your second Rite of Ascension is within about 10 stardates of your first. Again based on your characteristics it might be less or more time than that.
Honor and courage will be absolute. You will be expected to fight to uphold both."
[Alliance Meeting 2077]
Serer, a Vulcan started, "The agenda will be a review of the integration of the former Klingon Empire into the Alliance of Civilizations.
The non-Klingons worlds formerly in the Klingon Empire have all joined the Alliance. Planetary development specialists have mostly completed upgrading their technology, introducing Alliance cultures, providing genetic engineering options, and many other Alliance attributes.
The newly freed parts of the former Klingon Empire tend to strive to be warriors, just as the Klingons do. They know from personal experience that few other goals can be achieved in the absence of successful defense of their freedom.
Next, the Klingons themselves. They were earlier worried that if they joined the Alliance some of them would strive to be artists. In fact, that has only occurred with small numbers of them, and of those about half focus on traditional arts such as Klingon opera.
Economically many Klingons have found a way to make a living based on their species reputation as being warriors. Many Klingons teach warrior ways to students both children and adults throughout the Alliance. Other Klingons have joined the prize fighting leagues.
Many Klingons make use of their freedom of movement and find places to settle in Alliance space. Some have formed businesses and talk about forming a new great house. Entrepreneurship wasn't a large part of Klingon Empire culture, but is very popular now. "
Serer then nodded at an Avian-Xindi who continued, "Next, the other Alliance species. There had been a fascination with the Klingons among many in the Alliance. That has continued with Klingon membership, especially among those who would strive to be warriors.
Even those who strive to be scientists include some who emulate Klingon ways. There is irony in knowing that the scientists and engineers were not treated with much respect in the Klingon Empire. It was common to threaten them to produce certain results by certain deadlines.
We can for simplicity divide the Alliance population as to which is their ideal, the Warrior, the Scientist, or the Artist.
While it is true that many people are food producers, manufacturers, in the service industries, or in administrative roles, those have become increasingly automated. Technology and magic have reached all corners of the Alliance, making former necessities of manual labor optional. Yes, optional. Many prefer those activities. In Canon we see Robert Picard and then Jean-Luc Picard tending their family's wine vineyard. We have seen similar actions among many of the Alliance, even among the logical Vulcans.
Among my own species, the Avian-Xindi, many of us prefer catching our own food instead of using replicators or the results of mass food production. Still we have learned to become sensitive to environmental limits. When we first joined the Alliance we perhaps went a little wild in our travels to other planets.
Returning to the three ideals. Genetic engineering tends to favor one of those, often the same ideals as the parents. Many favor more than one such ideal. Warrior poets are common, as are scientist artist combinations.
The earlier ideals of the Alliance Youth, with their emphasis on community would be today in the category of the Artist.
I would say that the percentage identifying as the Warrior has increased due to Klingon influence. They have been helping each Alliance species find warriors from their own history, and traditions to revive."
[Mongolia, Earth 2078]
Signs everywhere showed "Naadam 2078!"
134 million showed up for this festival. Mongolia is a big land, and with magic everyone was accommodated.
Among the events was a complete recreation of the battle of Temujin. Magic was used to prevent death or permanent injury.
People from my timeline could have seen what it looked like by searching for videos with "The Hu - Wolf Totem Mongol Empire". They could see what Naadam looked like in their timeline by searching for "The Hu - This is the Mongol (Naadam)"
Members of many Alliance warrior traditions attended and presented some of their own festival traditions.
Alliance President Balram Singh attended and led a group showing Hola Mohalla, a Sikh festival displaying martial skills and mock battles.
[Alliance Meeting 2079]
Serer, a Vulcan started, "This will be a review of genetic engineering. Since the new genetic policy of 2072 there has been a distribution of choices within the ranges we had been hoping for. The parents themselves have a variety of backgrounds, both in species and in attitudes.
There is a correlation of those who had been what was once called traditionals, favor warrior genes. Exceptions being planets that do not value that trait, such as Vulcan. Those who have values once called Alliance Youth, tend to favor agreeableness, spirituality, intelligence, and disfavor warrior traits. A substantial number in the Alliance do not have any genetic engineering except for the correction of defects."
[Alliance Meeting 2081]
Pontax a Klingon started, "Ship design and production is the agenda for this meeting.
With warp 8.27 and possible future increases, the design of the Original Series class is beginning to show its limitations. One option favored by many would be to refit those to the Enterprise A.
Another would be to refit the existing fleet to Enterprise A standards, but then build new ships of a different design.
I would ask my esteemed colleagues to consider the effect on a potential foe of the appearance of the ship. I would have liked us to consider a bird of prey, specifically, the Canon D7 Klingon design. However I understand the pull of Canon. The Alliance is a stand-in for the Federation which had starships with a certain look. Perhaps a small bird of prey can be added as the next generation small combat ship."
[Lucius Malfoy and Q 2083]
I had been mostly retired for a while, but still attended some Alliance meetings. At age 129 my health suddenly declined and then I found myself in a white space with Q, similar to the Next Generation episode Tapestry.
Q said, "This is where your time living in this timeline ends. Now I have some conundrums.
I said I would judge your success at this time, but this timeline's future is not yet set. Let us review.
I tasked you with bringing humanity on a path to becoming part of the Q. I also told you to ensure their survival and success to reach that time.
You have done admirably well in the survival part of the equation. The warrior ethos of the Alliance should result in good results to future challenges. The genetic diversity might even bring about some of the traits I was looking for. However, a warrior ethos is not a Q ethos.
Instead of securing humanities future from the threats of the Klingons, under your guidance, humanity partially became Klingon.
Even the fact that you died at 129 and not later shows this. Your timeline never focused on life extension. Instead it focused on genetic engineering to enhance abilities. That is also part of Klingon thinking.
In the other Ravenclaw timeline at the time of the end of the dimension traveler's natural life there was much more progress and the outcome was obvious. They hadn't met the Borg yet, but all possibilities showed the Federation defeating the Borg. Humans and the other species of the Federation were already part way to becoming like the Q. I sent the traveler back to his own timeline where he wrote a chronicle called "In Harry Potter world by way of Q".
You'll write the your fan fiction story, entitled, "Lucius SI", meaning self insert, not the word for yes in some languages. You'll remain as a spirit that can observe this timeline, so as to continue your fan fiction story past this time. You'll get visions mirroring my own observations of the timeline. When the outcome is obvious and the story is complete you'll resume your original timeline life."
[Q and Section 31, 2083]
Nicholas Malfoy, born in 2050 was in charge of Section 31. He was reading some reports using a holographic display. Q appeared in front of him reading from paper, and said, "Nicholas Malfoy, Section 31 Chief since the retirement of your grandfather. Your father doesn't have the attributes to be a Section 31 Chief.
Your great-great=grandfather Lucius reached the end of his time living in this timeline. I do not intervene. That is not the role of Q."
Nicholas answered, "I understand."
Q continued, "Let us review this timeline. I want future members of the Q from it. I want Slytherin attributes to guide this timeline."
Nicholas answered, "I attended Hogwarts as a Slytherin. I understand your likely criticism. Consider this, though. Our power is limited and momentum of trends are huge. We, that is Section 31, and the Alliance President, rule the Alliance without a mandate, without true power. It is a surprise that we have stayed in charge of it.
We can apply our influence at a few choice points. We need to get ahead of momentous trends, not try to defy them."
Q said, "You understand my complaints. The Klingon way is not the way to being the Q. In Canon do you know who represented a significant advance towards being the Q? Jean-Luc Picard. In Canon, Worf was a simpleton who followed his simple rules.
I did say that humanity needs to survive the Borg in order for any future to matter. You are on a path to doing that."
Nicholas said, "You likely see that while we will beat the Borg, what we will be after that will be a warrior society without room for growth. Perhaps you see that we will have sub-tribes of warriors, scientists, and artists, but that the warriors will rule the others."
Q said, "You understand better than I would have explained it.
You might also remember hearing about something I said long before you were born, that not all tactics need to be Slytherin, only the motivation behind using them needs to be. You might well be correct that Gryffindor methods must be used now in order not to be swept away. Use them with Slytherin purpose.
If you consider that momentum of warrior ways as a strong force that cannot be countered, then refer back to your martial arts training. You can slightly redirect a strong force and win a battle."
[Media 2084]
"This is Misa Skeeter of Milky Way Day by Day, bringing you the news you want to know.
Why are young adult magicals starting their own companies? We are going to find out.
We introduce Andrew Wine a 32 year old human magical from California who has started a company bringing in 40 thousand bars of gold pressed latinum last year. Andrew tell us about your company."
Andrew answered, "I provide a service for premium agricultural product production. For discerning tastes, replicated or duplicated products do not compare to the original. WineTech offers a way for producers to increase their yield and quality without duplication. We use botany, science, and magic. We know the genome of the plant. We use science to determine the exact conditions it needs. We use magic to make its conditions perfect."
Misa Skeeter asked, "How did you start this venture?"
Andrew answered, "My father's family was in the wine industry forever. My mother's family was in high tech. I being a magical GenMod was the first in my family with magic. I combined these three fields, got some investment funds, brought on board creative thinkers and doers, and there we are."
Misa Skeeter continued, "Next we will meet a group of Andorians, all in their early thirties who are buying old NX class starships and refitting them as cruise ships and yachts. Tell us about your enterprise."
The group took turns talking, "The NX class starships are all over 45 years old and obsolete, even as cargo ships. Refitting them to modern warp speeds is very expensive.
We found a way to make them very profitable. We specialize in transforming these ships while not adding expensive upgrades to their engines.
We are a full service operation, with magic and an idea. We transform them for our buyers wishes. Everything from luxury cruise ships, to exact duplicates of the NX-01 Enterprise from Canon. We even restore the bridge to its Canon location.
The NX-01 is very popular. We add the same viewscreen they used for what they called movie nights. Typically they want to see episodes of Enterprise and the entertainments they watched in Canon. There are 13 stardate 1900s films seen being watched in Enterprise.
Actually 14, in the episode Horizon they intended to show another film.
With so many wealthy entrepreneurs there are some with the latinum to indulge in our products. Other customers are tourist operations. Our cruise ships can travel around star systems and provide unique experiences. We only modify them to our buyers specifications.
Enterprise fans are my favorite, and the most profitable.
They want the full package. We get every detail to Canon and supply them with uniforms from the series. We even add personal items seen in crew quarters. We stock the galleys with foods seen on Enterprise.
Some also want the NX-02 from Enterprise. That is an interesting challenge with very little seen in Canon."
Misa Skeeter continued, "Next we are going to check in with a previously hidden people from the land of my origin, Britain on Earth. Nagnok is a 35 year old Goblin. Nagnok please explain what you do."
Nagnok answered, "Misa Skeeter first of all, we Goblins have always found your coverage to be fair and truthful, and we do not hold your grandmother Rita's reporting against you."
Misa continued, "Ok then. Let us continue with describing your enterprise."
Nagnok continued, "My venture is backed by, and therefore an operation of Gringotts. Our traditional business model included providing secure storage for valuable objects, in addition to banking.
My enterprise provides secure retrieval and sending of objects anywhere in secure space, meaning the Alliance and areas under treaty. Objects are place into a transporter buffer, cryptographically scrambled, then restored with the proper key. We do not guarantee the safe arrival of cargo, although we make every effort to accomplish that. What we guarantee is that the expected cargo is what is delivered. It might seem a small difference and therefore a small market, but the demand is higher than you would expect and profitable."
Misa asked, "Thank you Nagnok. Could you also fill us in as to how Gringotts Bank has adapted to the changes of the last 80 or so stardates?"
Nagnok answered, "Certainly. In the early days of the Technology Alliance and then the United Earth, Wizarding Britain still preferred the familiarity of Gringotts currency. Gringotts facilitated exchanges to the various currencies that became popular. When interstellar space travel became common, Gringotts pioneered the concept of value transfer over subspace radio communication. The Human Wizarding community were all familiar with Gringotts and trusted it to honestly handle their finances as they ventured light-years away.
With the Alliance, the popular currencies became the Credit, used for Alliance operations, and gold pressed latinum, the traditional currency of the region and the one used for commerce with the Orions. The popularity of both currencies has varied. For example among GenMod, gold pressed latinum has been preferred since it is not under the control of any government and so far has not been duplicatable except in short term or detectable ways.
Gringotts helps exchange currencies, deliver physical latinum, provide on-line accounts, handle monetary transfers. While most magicals today have no ancestry from those who knew and trusted Gringotts, we have that ancient reputation which leads to many customers choosing to trust Gringotts with their money, finances, and secure storage."
[On planet near Gorn space, 2087]
A group of Klingons established a colony on an uninhabited planet a little beyond the former borders of the Klingon Empire.