Star Trek: Before Destruction - Chapter 18
*** EIGHTEEN ***
Earth: UFP Headquarters, Supreme Assembly Hall.
Stardate: 5857.4
Ambassadors from a multitude of worlds were present in the largest room of the stadium sized building. Alien races, both rare and familiar, filled their delegated seats of Federation member representation. They waited in silence as the President of the Assembly entered the stage and walked purposefully to his podium. The expression on his face betrayed the gravity of the circumstances which the Federation was about to face. His eyes looked heavy, and all knew that with the intense effort in preparation for this meeting, sleeplessness was one thing they all had in common. The President of the Assembly came to a stop behind the dais with the presidential emblem on it. He faced his audience with grace, as if addressing old friends.
"Welcome, all races of the Federation," greeted the President, "to this, the most critical hour of our time. We have been forced into a position which could bring either galactic peace or unparalleled chaos to all worlds represented here."
He looked upon the multitude of faces, seeing old friends and acquaintances, beings to whom his respect had been given and some of whom his respect had been strained. Sarek of Vulcan was seated in the front row. It gave great comfort to the President, seeing his friend, knowing the Ambassador would promote stability in all decision making.
"Unfortunately, there is not much time for a formal deliberation of all factors concerned in this matter. Neither is there time to determine what consequences our decision here today will result in. The future ramifications of this day cannot be foretold, and I find myself feeling that we are caught between the hammer and the anvil, by our own directives."
"Though I am aware of the danger of hasty judgements, I do not believe that we have the ability to hold off this vote of admittance to the Federation. We must bear that in mind as the Royal Emperor of the Klingon Realm speaks. I therefore admonish you all, hear his words, remember who he is and what he represents. Weigh everything you know about him with all he says and decide within yourselves the answer to the question; do we allow the Klingon people admittance into the Federation? Yes or no?"
A bright blue light on the podium flashed, indicating that the Emperor was preparing to transport. "This is perhaps the most important vote that will ever be held in this Assembly. I do not have any advice to offer as to the direction that your vote should go, I merely ask you this; We desire peace for all worlds, with all worlds, but what price are we willing to pay for it? We hold friendship with all civilized races in the highest esteem, but are there races that, by their own actions, demonstrate that they are not yet worthy of our trust?" He looked out over the silent crowd. They respected the man who spoke these historic words. The President was certain that they would do what was not merely in their various world's best interest, but equitable to all.
The President pressed the yellow button next to the flashing blue button on his podium's console. "It is now my honor to introduce and also greet for the first time in history, the Emperor of the Klingon Empire." Behind him and to the left, a transporter wave began to shimmer and hum. It took the form of the man who all believed was the Klingon Emperor. With him were Admiral Sorr and his Imperial Guard. "I present to the Supreme Assembly Delegates, His Highness, Emperor Mocdar Jek Tromok, of The Klingon Empire."
The President turned to the Emperor and bowed low, with his hand extended towards the dais, indicating to His Highness that he may now address the Assembly. After the President erected himself he indicated that the Assembly may now stand and salute their guest in the fashion of their own home worlds. This caused much clamor as the delegates rose to salute, or bow, or spit, or honk, or wheeze or whatever salutation was called for from their planet.
The President saw the Emperor smile upon the crowd indicating friendliness, or was it one of mockery? He was uncertain, never having met this Monarch before. His intellect told him Tromok was being cordial. His gut feeling, however, was to brace himself for attack. In the end he wrote it off as a hormonal reaction to another rival male, one which had physical, intellectual and legislative power that was at least equal to himself.
The Emperor offered a Klingon salute to the Assembly, then turned towards the President and saluted him as well. He stepped over to the podium, flanked on both sides by the Ramjep Avwi and trailed by Sorr. The eyes were Tromok's, but it was Garth who looked at the vast number of beings facing him. The tribute they paid the Emperor was nothing to Garth, nothing but a taste of what he would soon receive when it was Lord Garth they saluted. He took the last step to the dais and rested his large hands on each side, gripping it, and feeling the firmness of it.
"Fellow beings of the known Galaxy," The Emperor's powerful voice echoed throughout the room, "I come to you, not in mere friendship, but as one of you who now understands the true meaning of what you stand for. I speak as one who sees the wisdom and honor of this galactic brotherhood you collectively have forged and now share." He suppressed the smile of the wolf, and expressed the false face of an earnest man.
"We, as a people, are guilty of many things. Things that may not be easy to forgive. But it is in the spirit of forgiveness that I address you today. And it is forgiveness that I am compelled to request from you and extend to you in return." Garth allowed the Emperor to eat his crow before all to see. It was the most difficult obstacle he had foreseen himself facing, but he consoled himself with the knowledge that all actors must sometime play the fool. It did not alter who he was; it did not lessen him.
"We have been holding fast to traditions that have spanned several millennia. Traditions that had purposes of self- preservation, self-reliance and, unfortunately, self-righteousness. But this is all we knew. This was all we were given by our progenitors. Pride unparalleled in ourselves, and a dim view at best, towards all others," he said, making allowances for the Klingons that he both ruled and hated.
"Peace was nothing but an outdated religion to us and for good reason; we had no living example of peace, apart from merciless domination to obtain it. Peace at the point of a sword, not by reciprocal accordance." He looked up at the ceiling, and closed his eyes, pretending that the admission of his guilt had personally effected him.
He opened his eyes once more and again regarded the audience. "We have seen the example of peace in your Federation for some time now. We had thought that we could eventually dominate you," he stated with fraudulent regret at the notion, "or that through this 'peace', you would become weak and that the Federation would crumble out from beneath you. My father had said as much. I myself have been known to speak the saying... But not so!"
He spoke more boldly now, and with not just a hint of conviction expressed for his listener's benefit. "It is a breach in custom that I and my people should come to you this glorious day. But if a custom is all that hinders peace, it is a custom far too long observed! My fellow beings, I am not my father, who was a great and noble man, but a man who would not see farther than the bounds of tradition. The relationship between our peoples must change, in the name of peace! And I have seen that it must start with us! I do not petition you to join my Empire. I, as First Ruler of all Klinzhai, request to be joined with you. To establish a New Age of Peace, a New United Federation of Planets!"
Most of the crowd was astounded at what they saw and heard. They had not thought it possible that the Klingon monarch could even speak these words, and certainly not with such conviction. Many were completely beguiled by his apparent sincerity, deeply moved by his personal realization of the shortcomings that his people's traditional view held. Most were stirred by his vision of joining, of uniting the galaxy as one brotherhood under the flag of the Federation. Sarek of Vulcan, was not one of them.
Sarek was among a minority of men who could not be swayed by lofty words that spoke almost solely to the emotions of men. On the other hand, he could not discount the Emperor's efforts towards peace either. He merely would not be swayed into voting for the admission of the Klingon Empire based upon one man's speech or by a crowd that most probably would. The President was of a similar mind.
"I will not lie to you," The Emperor continued. "We had the inclination to declare war on you when we found that you had created a weapon of incredible destructive power. We had first thought that you were testing it on an outpost bordering the Federation Neutral Zone. But when the ship crossed over and we encountered it, it became apparent that this was a rogue ship with intentions of its own. We disposed of this ship, but not without casualties of our own." Garth was pridefully, masterfully maneuvering his audience into believing that the Federation should be indebted to the Empire, not only for destroying an enemy to both governments and paying for it in Klingon blood, but for giving the Federation the benefit of the doubt, assuming, that the Federation was innocent of the aggression, while allowing them to feel the guilt within themselves for their suspicion of the Empire.
"I do not believe that I am able to demonstrate the sincerity of my words in any greater fashion than to offer to you the people of my Empire as members of the Federation. It is my hope that you are in agreement to this, but if you are not... we shall keep to ourselves, and not continue to be a burden to you any further in galactic matters. My Empire will expand! But if it is not hand-in-hand with you, it will be away from you, and certainly either away from, or against the Romulan Empire! I will await your decision from my ship. I thank you!"
A cheer arose from all corners of the auditorium, swelling to nearly deafening levels. The Emperor turned to a somewhat bewildered President, and extended his large hand in a gesture of friendship.
The President took his hand in his and shook it, feeling the strength of it and hearing the cheers become even louder. The President cocked his head, ever so slightly. He looked into the eyes of the Klingon and saw something disturbing. He was not sure what he saw that moment, but it worried him. Then his attention was drawn away from the Emperor to the Assembly delegates. He was able to hear, deep within the cheering masses, many angry cries of dissension. 'Regardless of the direction that the decision made today takes, the vote may split the Federation,' he thought to himself as he watched the Emperor step over to his beam-down location and disappear with the rest of his entourage.
"Gentle beings," the President said, trying to regain order in the great hall, "gentle beings!" He put both hands in the air in order to quell the commotion. He walked over to the podium, where he could be more easily seen and heard. "We must not let the emotion of the moment force us to rush headlong into a vote without careful consideration. The Emperor's speech is now being sent to each delegate's terminal, for your further review. In addition, all preliminary information and data which should be taken into account is included in the transmission. Please review this documentation carefully over the next two hours. Deliberation will commence at 1300 hours. The vote will be held at 1200 hours two days hence, after all members have taken advantage of their 10 minute floor time. Until then, I thank you."
The President's confidence in the delegates was greatly shaken by their uproarious outburst of a moment ago. Sensibility seemed to be driven from them by the Emperor's speech, coupled with the tremendous fear of invasion from the Romulan Empire, fear that could cause much of the Federation members to gladly make a bargain with the Devil, completely disregarding the price of such a bargain. The President also detected the evidence of a 'willing blindness' to rationale as the Emperor offered them a hope, and an answer, to their fears of war. The confusion of the past few days was maddening. It was as if a dark tide was moving the Federation purposefully towards the center of a whirlpool, to be drawn down into an abyss.
Star Trek: "BEFORE DESTRUCTION!"
A NOVEL BY MICHAEL D. ROSSI
*Star Trek is a Registered Trademark of Paramount Pictures
Copyright 1991, by Michael Rossi
