Part 1,Part 2,Part 3,Part 4,Part 5,Part 6,Part 7,Part 8,Part 9,Part 10,Part 11,Part 12,,Part 13,Part 14
"Flag At the Edge of Space" page, Athena Home Page, Other Stories Home Page.
The Atlas was once more on a low-warp journey across the sprawling Rigel system to return to Rigel V, and Captain Hall really had no idea what he was going to do when he arrived at that planet. This time, he was not going to attempt to sleep for a couple of hours, since that hardly worked anyway. Later, on the long journey back to Earth, when they would be doing nothing more than making that journey, he could get all the sleep he wanted. Right now, he was in the mess hall, staring at what constituted supper. Somebody had come up with the notion of combining carrots and potatoes in a kind of mashed potato-carrot combination that came out orange. Surprisingly, it tasted not bad at all. That was accompanied by some kind of indescribable meat patty which had been stretched out too much with breadcrumbs and filler. He hated to believe that their supplies were running down that low. They had the return journey ahead of them.
Hall was trying to think when that return journey was going to start. Part of him wanted to return home. Just the thought of heading back to Earth brought thoughts of Natalie to the forefront. He missed her, badly, more so now than during those long missions during the war. He wished that she was here with him, like he had once promised. So many times he had gone off alone, on those military missions, that he once promised him that if he was on a starship that simply explored, she could come along. It never happened, of course, and not likely to unless he was retired and simply taking a cruise. Maybe it was time to retire.
Gerthe and Quirk headed towards the table usually occupied by the senior officers. Both were carrying trays containing the same food that Hall had on his. The captain overheard Quirk say, "Exactly what is this?"
"It's carrots and potatoes mashed together," the engineer replied.
"But why?"
"Well, the hydroponics tanks keep on producing carrots and potatoes, and I guess we're getting sick of eating sliced, diced or whole carrots, boiled or raw, along with boiled or baked or mashed potatoes. So, for something different, we combine them. It's actually not that bad. My mother used to make this when I was growing up."
"So you're to blame for this?"
"Just try it," Gerthe insisted. The two sat down across from the captain, and Weisser immediately took a large spoonful of the mixture and tried it. He had no immediate reaction. Gerthe tried a forkful, and replied, "So okay the galley staff aren't like mom. It's not that bad, not quite like how I remember it. Then again, we weren't eating hydroponically-grown vegetables back home. You never fully get the water and chemical taste out of these."
The three ate in silence for a few minutes, but Quirk kept looking up at Hall. He had stood there listening to the captain and the first officer talk with the Orion, and he tried to think of what he would do in this situation. He tried to figure out what was really going on, and found that it was not easy. He also thought about the possible mission to raid the dilithium facility on Rigel XII, and he wanted to know if that mission was going to go ahead. He had wished that the Orions were more like the stereotypical villain, easy to hate and loathe and with good and bad cut and dried. That was not the case, however, which meant that their next moves were not cut and dried either. Sometimes, in a situation like this, it was simply best to choose one alternative over the other and go with it, damn the consequences. Yet one more possibility came to mind.
"Captain," the security chief started, "I was wondering... what are we going to do next?"
"To be honest with you," Hall started, "I do not know. I hate to admit this, but I simply don't have enough information to make an easy decision. There's no easy answer to this problem. We don't know who's right or wrong in this situation, or even if you can put such absolute labels on each side. I wish this was more black and white, without all of this annoying gray--Orion skin tones notwithstanding. I wish that the Rigel system was more natural and uninhabited. Then, if we found the dilithium resources exhausted, we could've simply labelled the mission a failure and return to Earth. Nobody would have thought less of us had that happened. This is much more complicated."
"But I have some ideas."
Hall just looked at the man. He was always open to new ideas and new interpretations. "I was going over the data that Sachiko had gathered on her scans of the Orion planet. What I saw there was a chaotic society, a world that was clearly not unified and which may have broken down into subplanetary units or even clans, and are feuding. The same sort of thing was not seen at Rigel V. During the time we were sitting there while meeting with the two Orions, the sensors recorded surprisingly little activity in space around the planet. Its level of energy production and even broadcast of non-natural subetheromagnetic radiation is below what one would expect. I was thinking that perhaps the Orions' position on Rigel XII, the dilithium-producing planet, was limited. Maybe our next journey should be there."
"But wouldn't the Rigellians be aware of that?" Gerthe asked.
"Perhaps, but they might lack the resources to do anything about it."
Hall said, "That might be possible. You're recommending that we go ahead and help the Rigellians raid this planet?"
"I'm more inclined to believe the Rigellians. I don't know why. Perhaps that is my gut instinct."
Gerthe commented, "Maybe because they look like Vulcans, we think they should act like Vulcans, while the Orions throw around such terms as ‘Second Empire' and how they overthrew the race that created them, if that piece of mythology is in fact true."
"But we try to avoid thinking that way. We can't pass on the qualities of one race to another just because they look similar."
Quirk added, "We can simply help the Rigellians or go home empty-handed, since the Orions want nothing to do with us, and two years of our lives will have been squandered on nothing."
"I wouldn't say that."
"Information, knowledge, newly-contacted races aren't going to power our future starships, aren't going to help us travel in space and all of that. We're still extremely limited."
"But the damage that you might be causing if our gut instincts are wrong?"
"Would be manageable or even non-existent," Quirk started, between mouthfuls of the mashed potatoes and carrots, which he had to increasingly admit was not all that bad. "Sometimes in space, we have to take chances, and take risks. We have to take sides without knowing absolutely everything about both sides, and we have to cultivate relationships out here in space. The alternative is to simply stay at home, and not worry about space and exploration and making a difference."
"I understand your sentiment," Hall said, after some thought. "I'd disagree with your first statement, though. Who's to say that the Orions might not give us trouble in the future?"
"Of course, if we don't get the dilithium, then we'll be ignored simply because we'd be a nobody. At best, we'd manage a handful of ships. We'd never get to where we want to be."
Hall said little more while he finished his meal. He had a decision to make, and he started to think about it constantly. He was worried about failure, and worried about not getting the one resource that he and his people really needed to establish a presence in space. Ultimately, the Federation would not hold him personally accountable for the inability to get dilithium at Rigel, since his superior officers had told him of that eventuality, but he was worried that in his mind, he would feel he was responsible. He would have had the chance to do something dramatic and influential, and he failed. Starfleet might not say anything directly, but he would wonder how much longer he would command the Atlas if he returned home with the mission a failure.
An alternative was possible. He could act as the diplomat, to do what was necessary to bring an understanding between the Rigellians and the Orions. He could help them deal with their difficulties and settle the long-standing and festering problems, problems that might be trivial but nobody had ever dealt with them before. He could learn more about both cultures and bring them together, and eventually get them to see the light and sign a treaty pledging mutual respect and recognition, and joint administration of resources in this rich system. Hall imagined that great honour and recognition could come to him if he pulled that off, but he had the feeling it would take a career to bridge these two cultures. He could not keep the Atlas in the system for any length of time, because they were running out of resources. The hydroponics bay could not provide all of their needs, so the ship could not stay here forever. Hall needed a solution that he could complete before the starship was forced to begin its return journey. He had to admit that he was no diplomat. He was not trained as a diplomat. He was trained as a military officer, and he cut his teeth in the Romulan War. Those were the kinds of solutions that he had sought out. Nobody thought about negotiating with the Romulans, at least not until the war reached a stalemate and an intensity neither side could maintain. At the time, Hall thought it was much better to have completed a military solution, since he feared that the ceasefire would only give the Romulans time to rearm and strengthen--which of course was exactly what his people were doing.
In blunt terms, Hall thought that there was an easy approach with a decent chance for success, and a hard approach that likely would not work except in the long term, but which could be more satisfying from an historical point of view. With his military background, Hall went with the first approach.
With the Atlas just a few minutes from Rigel V, Hall returned to the bridge. The commander's chair was unoccupied, with Abuna seated at her usual spot behind the sensor and science console. Looking in the direction of the first officer, Hall said simply, "Commander, I'd like a word with you in the ready room."
"Of course, sir," Abuna said, as she stood up and followed the captain to the small room in front of the bridge. The window there looked ahead, and as the Atlas dropped out of warp, Rigel V became visible at about half phase. "What is this about?" she said, once the door closed behind her.
Hall did not sit down. He stood in the middle of the room, and turned to face the first officer. "Mary, I've made the decision."
"Oh," she sighed. She just had this feeling that it was not news that she wanted to hear.
"We will help the Rigellians."
Abuna hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Captain, permission to speak freely."
"It's why I want to talk to you in here."
"Captain, I believe that you are making a big mistake."
"Why? What do you believe are the consequences of this decision?"
Abuna did not speak immediately. She had a confusing array of thoughts push forward at once, all demanding attention. She could think of many consequences of the decision the captain was making, but she simply could not articulate them clearly. One thought started to dominate, so she went with that. "I'm worried about the reputation that we're leaving behind. We're not just representing Earth, and ourselves. We're also representing the Federation, and what the Federation represents. It does not represent entering a star system occupied by another race and simply taking what we want."
"It's more complicated than that," Hall started, "and you know it."
"Okay, so we'd be helping another race conduct a raid for its own interests."
"Commander," Hall started, "the Federation might have ideals that you're referring to, but consider this one. We help other people. We have developed a system that respects freedom, the right for a race to develop and prosper, free of unwanted outside interference. The Rigellians are being constrained by the Orions, who have visions of their ‘Second Empire,' and they want to keep the client races down."
"You have no proof of that," Abuna replied.
"No, I don't. You don't have any proof of your views of the Orions either. Lets just take things at face value. Lets assume things are exactly as we have seen them. The Orions are not ‘hunters' and oppressors, but merely genetically-created warrior slaves that freed themselves. The Rigellians are a technologically-advanced people who can't use the technology because they don't have access to power catalyzed through dilithium. As a result, their planet and their population is suffering. Why could the Orions not allow the Rigellians access to dilithium? If we were in the position that the Orions are in, would we allow the Rigellians to acquire dilithium?"
"It depends on what the Rigellians really are. Perhaps the Orions are afraid that the Rigellians will attack with their superior technology, and they use their control of dilithium to keep a kind of cold peace."
"But how did this situation develop? That almost implies that the Rigellians were once on top."
"I don't know," Abuna finally said. She did not know why she had this desperation feeling about her as she tried to get her point across to the captain. She glanced out of the forward window, and saw that Rigel V was looming much larger now. "However, think of this. Assume we stage this raid and pull it off. You don't expect the Orions to sit back, do you? They could make a strike at the Rigellians. We could make it look like it was our idea and that the Rigellians were just along for the ride, but that would bring the Orions after us. Whereas a tense peace existed when we arrived, we could leave this place in a hot war."
"I don't believe that the Orions would cause a problem for us. All signs indicate that they're a society that is on its way down, and they might have trouble sustaining operations over seven hundred light years."
"That still doesn't make it right."
"But our alternatives are few."
"We could attempt to bridge the gap between these two societies, to help them negotiate."
"The Orions already told us basically not to bother," Hall pointed out.
"Diplomacy takes time."
"And we don't have time. We're a long way from home, and our supplies are not inexhaustible. We'd never be able to remain here long enough to see the task through."
"So we just take some dilithium and go back home?"
"And help the Rigellians."
"And upset the balance of power in this system," Abuna pointed out.
"There's no balance of power here."
"If there's no balance of power, then why don't the Orions just finish off the Rigellians?"
"Because that's not their aim. They don't want to annihilate races, but they do want to make sure that the Rigellians can never challenge them."
"That's a pretty big assumption there."
"We're all making assumptions."
"Tell me about it," Abuna blurted out. "We're basing very serious actions on assumptions. The best thing we can do is to simply continue past Rigel V and head back home. I'm disappointed in that we failed in our mission, but we still gained something. Surely, that sense of disappointment cannot be weighing on you. That can't be the reason you want to go ahead with this attack plan, is it?"
"Not directly," Hall admitted, but he realized that his answer did not sound entirely truthful.
"Are you sure? I mean, during the war, your continued missions and assignments were based on the fact you carried out the last one to completion. In wartime, I can understand that. You either succeed, or you could be captured, injured or killed. But this is not wartime. If we return home empty-handed, command will understand. When we set out for Rigel, there were no guarantees. It's not the end of the universe, sir."
"But we will have lost something," Hall started, as he too glanced at Rigel V. The Atlas was almost in orbit. "We lost the opportunity to make a friend, to form an alliance. The Federation cannot remain just a group of the founding five races. It should expand. Others that share our beliefs should be allowed to join. The Rigellians might be possible future candidates."
"What about the Orions?"
"They're a fading empire, used to ruling and not sharing their rule. They'd likely never agree to Federation membership."
"You're sure of that?"
"As sure as you are about your beliefs on the Orions and the Rigellians."
Abuna once more glanced at Rigel V, which now dominated the view through the window. About half the planet was in darkness, but even from here, they could see the blazing lights of the extensive cities built along the narrow bands of livable land. "I'm going to lose this one, aren't I?"
"Don't think of it as losing. Your objections are understandable and appreciated. I need the contrary view just to keep me sharp and focused. There are still too many unknowns about this mission. We don't know if the Rigellians can help, or are willing. We don't know the situation at Rigel XII. For all we know, the Orion presence might be too strong, and we could never pull this off. The journey to the twelfth planet might just be a reconnaissance mission."
"I am disappointed."
"Commander, I think that you will find that a team of diplomats spending their careers on this problem might just be able to get results. One starship captain with a history of military campaigns and increasing worries about supplies running out would never accomplish it. We've picked a side, and now we have to hope it is the right side."
"I see."
"Commander, I want to make sure that I can trust you, that when orders are given, you'll carry them out."
"Of course, sir. By coming on board the Atlas, I became bound by your orders. I'll follow them to the best of my ability, even if I disagree with them, and I will not disagree with you in front of the others. I'm thankful that you at least take the time to listen to my views and to respect them. I hope that everything will turn out right in the end, since the last thing I ever want to say is ‘I told you so.'"
"I wish for the same thing, commander."
The intercom unit on the desk sounded, so Hall walked over and tapped the receive button. Yuniki's face appeared on the small screen, as she was looking down at the video pickup on her console. "Sir," she said, speaking quickly, "we're approaching and entering standard orbit. The Rigellians, Xykør Ngamboq I believe, is hailing us."
"I'm on my way."
Seconds later, the captain and the first officer returned to the bridge and took up their customary positions. As he sat down, Hall said, "Put the transmission on screen."
"Aye, sir," Yuniki replied, as she entered some instructions into her console. The small portion of the brown-and-blue world of Rigel V gave way to the same background that he had seen earlier. The face in the foreground was equally familiar.
"Xykør," Hall started.
"Captain Hall," the Rigellian official started, raising her voice just a little, "I take it that your visit to the Orions' planet did not go well."
"They offered the dilithium, but they would not give us a price," the captain explained.
"They wanted you to name the price?"
"Yes."
"And no matter what price you name, it would not be enough for them. It's just the principle of the matter."
Abuna felt free to speak up, saying, "While near their planet, we noticed that their environment is in poor shape, highly polluted, and the planet itself is overpopulated."
"Many refugee groups from outlying colonies, and a lot of them moved there a generation or two ago when the Vegans were still a presence."
"What I can't understand is why your people and the Orions can't come to some kind of agreement. You have the technology to improve lives, and the Orions have access to the dilithium that could help power this technology. It would be for your mutual benefit."
"There's one thing wrong with that idea," Ngamboq started. "The Orions have pride. They were once an empire, ruling over subject peoples and controlling many planets. Like all empires, theirs eventually started to unravel, until all that is basically left is their planet in this system, and some outlying colonies and outposts. Like other empires in decline, they won't admit that the fault is at least partly their own. They insist on blaming enemies, seen and unseen. They are perfectly willing to take and exploit our technology, but are not so willing to share it. It's just their mindset."
"And have there been any attempts at negotiations?"
Ngamboq hesitated with the answer, which made Abuna very suspicious. Like the other officers, she watched Ngamboq, who looked very Vulcan-like and even had the voice and the poise of the Vulcans, and she often thought she was a Vulcan, with logical, well-thought out answers at the tips of her tongue. Hearing Ngamboq raise her voice or pause or hesitate or simply show emotion was almost startling to Abuna and the others. Finally, she said, "The Orions know that we are always open to negotiations and discussions. They know that their diplomatic ships can approach our planet safely, and we are always open to talk."
"But if your diplomats head to their planet?"
"Usually within a month or a year, we have to clandestinely buy them back from Orion slave traders."
"Oh," sighed the first officer.
"Captain, if your people have any future dealings with the Orions, you should be prepared for some of that. They will capture your people, and turn them into slaves. You can buy them back, although it could take time and give a lot of anxiety and grief to the relatives and friends of the captured people."
"I'll keep that in mind."
With those final words--even if the Atlas officers were not fully sure on their truthfulness--Ngamboq asked the question that was foremost on her mind. "Have you made your decision? Do you wish to help us?"
Hall looked briefly around the room, and saw that several of the officers were looking at him, but Abuna was, pointedly, not. This was the moment when Hall had to make his decision known, and he had the sudden feeling that he might be on the edge of changing the course of history. "Xykør, before I make my decision known, I should point out to you that we, as a race, are not characterized as a warlike species. We do not make war, or partake in anything like war, readily or even willingly. Therefore, operations like the one you propose are not normal for us, and we should never be expected to partake in them on a regular basis. On the other hand, we will defend ourselves, and we will fight for causes that we believe are right. We will do that with all of our strength and determination. With that said, I am informing you that we will assist you to our fullest ability in the mission that you have proposed."
"Captain Hall," Ngamboq replied, "you have made a wise decision. You have helped us to take the first step in reclaiming our society. I believe that this is the first day of a good and solid relationship between your people and mine."
"I hope that is the outcome."
Under her breath, Abuna said, "And I fear it." She said those words, wondering if the sensitive Vulcanoid ears on Ngamboq could hear her even through the communications system.
Part 1,Part 2,Part 3,Part 4,Part 5,Part 6,Part 7,Part 8,Part 9,Part 10,Part 11,Part 12,Part 13,Part 14
"Flag At the Edge of Space" page, Athena Home Page, Other Stories Home Page.
