Chapter 3 - Encounters Of Interest
Mei-Wan sat at a table covered with PADDs in the café Le Choix. Located in the restaurant district of Sylvanus, the small establishment had six tables and only two others were occupied. A petite waitress walked over to her table and poured more tea in a cup sitting among the report materials.
Mei-Wan looked up and smiled at the young woman. "Thank you."
"Working during shore leave isn't a good use of your time. You should try to enjoy the city while you're here," the waitress said.
Mei-Wan took a sip of her tea. "I wish I could. This has to be done by tomorrow."
The young woman grinned. "You should find yourself a young man and work at happiness instead."
Mei-Wan returned to her report.
The waitress walked back to the kitchen passing a dark haired man of thirty-two wearing a Starfleet uniform as he received a cup of steaming liquid at the front counter. The waitress smiled at him as she breezed past. He grinned at the young woman's smile and turned Mei-Wan's direction.
He glided over to her, but stopped a few feet away. "Hey, do you have to take up the whole place?" he asked.
Mei-Wan rolled her eyes, "I'm sorry, but there are other tables…" Her words trailed off as she looked up.
"I can't believe it. Kyle?"
Commander Kyle Hoffman chuckled. Mei-Wan stood as he walked over, and gave her a warm hug. "Mind if I join you?" He asked.
She pulled a group of PADDs off the table and placed them in a chair as Kyle set his cup down and took the seat across from her.
She sat back in her chair and stared at him. His eyes seemed more alive than she remembered. "Sorry about the mess," she said.
"Don't apologize. You're the most thorough researcher I ever trained," he replied.
"I should blame you for that," Mei-Wan said with a grin.
"Please do," he said, taking a sip from his steaming cup. "My pride grew to galactic proportions when I heard you'd been the one to discover the Ancient Progenitor site on Hel'yra. I was really happy for you."
"Thanks."
"It must have been incredible," he said.
"It was exciting to walk where no one else had for more than five billion years."
"Every archaeologist I know is jealous as hell. It's the discovery of a lifetime, Mei."
She lifted her cup of tea and took a drink from it. Kyle's eyes watched her every move. "I heard you had some trouble with the Science Officer and the CO," he said.
Mei-Wan frowned. "You know Duncan Zachary?"
"I think I met him once. Looks like he's been dead for a decade or two, right?" Kyle asked with a smile.
"That's him. He actually connected a Starfleet power pack to a panel at the site," Mei-Wan said.
Kyle's eyes widened. "He didn't damage anything did he?"
"No. Fortunately the Progenitors made their equipment idiot-proof." Mei-Wan smiled.
Kyle nodded and took a long drink from his cup. Finally his gaze settled on the ring on a finger of her left hand. "I can't believe you got married. I never would have thought you'd slow down long enough for any man to romance you."
Mei-Wan grinned and thought back to several years before when she was an ensign straight out of the Academy assigned to the Farragut and Kyle was her section commander. "I wasn't that bad, was I?"
He laughed. "I guess not, but it works great for excusing why I never had the courage to ask you to dinner or a weekend away," he said with a touch of regret in his voice.
"But you and Kelly…" Mei-Wan started.
"That wasn't serious. We were just friends--- had been since the Academy."
Mei-Wan's eyes widened as she looked down at the table lost in thought. She had been certain Kyle and Kelly had been very much involved aboard the Farragut.
"I could kick myself for never asking you out," Kyle said as he set his cup back on the table.
Mei-Wan fought to suppress the smile on her face, but it faded because of the regrets now filling her own mind. She thought back to those days aboard the Farragut and how well she and Kyle had seemed to work together and--- how much she enjoyed spending time with him. How could I have missed this? she thought.
"Anyway, I guess congratulations are in order," Kyle said.
"What about?"
"The Archaeological Council has named you to lead the expedition to Hel'yra."
"They've asked. I haven't accepted yet."
Kyle grinned. "You'll say yes. I know you. When you first came aboard the Farragut you had that hungry look in your eyes, the look every scientist should have. That's why I knew you were that special one in a million who was not going to let anything stand in your way when you demanded the Universe give up its secrets."
Mei-Wan shook her head. "I think you're confusing me with someone else."
He smiled wide. "You know I'm right. This site will answer all the questions we've ever had about ourselves and the Galaxy. No one with the love of discovery that you have could say no to that."
She smiled at him as he leaned back in his seat.
"Of course, you'd have to get used to me being your commanding officer again," Kyle stated.
"What?" she asked as her smile faded.
"My ship, the Ravenscroft, has just been named to the expedition," Kyle said proudly.
"I'd heard you had been given a ship. A science vessel?"
"One like you've not seen before. It's completely refitted with advanced sensor platforms and four decks of science labs most of which are dedicated to archaeology."
Mei-Wan stared at her report, thinking. "We always used to dream of a ship like that."
"I've done more than dream," Kyle started. "After the war I submitted a proposal to Starfleet for a ship with the primary mission of an archaeological survey vessel. I got several people from the Archaeological Council to put their names to it and six months later they gave me the Ravenscroft."
"I can't believe you got Starfleet Command to agree," she said.
"I've been at it for more than a year now." He leaned forward in his seat. "You'd love it, Mei. I've got a crew of mostly archaeologists. For the last five months we've been excavating an Iconian world discovered last year. We found things you wouldn’t believe about their empire. It was the best experience of my career."
Mei-Wan smiled. "It sounds wonderful."
"It'll be wonderful when you come aboard to lead the Hel'yra expedition."
"I don't know yet. I'm still not sure."
"What is there to be sure about, Mei? What could possibly be more important to you than this?" he asked.
She stared at a PADD in front of her on the table. "It would mean a lot of changes for my life right now, Kyle."
He watched her as she refused to make eye contact with him. "Tell you what, how about I give you a tour of my ship and let you meet my senior officers. The ones that don't know you are already dying to meet you."
A quick smile came to her face and she looked up at him. "Really?"
"Yeah. Martin Baylor, Todd, Vicky, and LeAnn are all part of the crew and all they can talk about is you coming aboard. Jean, Susan, and Sedak from the old Farragut section are due in tomorrow. They just got transferred."
"LeAnn and Susan?" Mei-Wan asked. LeAnn Goodwin and Susan Tanega had been on the same floor at the Academy as Mei-Wan and her roommate Robin Nelson. They had all been assigned together to the Farragut what seemed like a lifetime ago. The four of them had been inseparable.
Kyle took the final drink from his cup. "How about you come up for the New Year's party we'll be having Tuesday? It'd be a great way to welcome in 2378."
Mei-Wan smiled. "Okay."
Kyle returned her smile and stood. "Great. The party starts at 2100 Tuesday. I'll send an ensign down with a shuttle to bring you up to the ship."
"That sounds fine," she said.
Kyle nodded and looked at her for several seconds. "Its good to see you again, Mei."
"You too."
He turned and walked away leaving the café.
Seeing Kyle Hoffman again brought back memories of feelings and old dreams Mei-Wan thought had died quietly years ago. Wistful thoughts last known to her in passing daydreams struggled to life once again. They had not died, but slept hidden in the darkness of unfulfilled desires Mei-Wan. It had taken only the slightest chance of realization to rouse them from their slumber.
They whispered things in the softest of voices--- things Mei-Wan had always assumed she was impervious to. They worked their way through her mind telling her how her life had been taken from her by the whims of a Glazyalan commander named Abolas. Those twisted whims and Fate itself had chosen the life she now lived and finally she had the chance to make her life her own again. The unhappiness and pain would finally end.
Fate had chosen Jack McCall for her. Now Fate had given her an opportunity to make her own choices.
***
In an elevator inside Starfleet's Headquarters on Gamala, Jack McCall stood looking at Commander Celeste Purcell.
"Is there some reason you want me to check on the procedures for that particular ship, Captain?" Purcell asked.
Jack hesitated a moment, unsure how much he could trust her. "Just curiosity, Commander-- nothing more."
Purcell nodded slowly. "I'll get right on it, sir."
Jack watched how she responded to him. His first reaction when they were introduced was to like her. She was physically quite attractive, but it was more than that. He sensed a deep certainty of purpose from her. The question that concerned him was what that purpose was.
"Commander, how do you see this assignment?"
Purcell's eyes narrowed. "Sir?"
"In your mind, what are your responsibilities?"
She took a breath. "To keep you informed of the situation of your command, to supervise administrative duties aboard the Chamberlain, and organize the staff, sir."
Jack grinned. "That's a good textbook answer, Commander."
Purcell smiled. "Thank you, sir."
Jack laughed. "I guess my question wasn't clear enough."
Purcell's eyebrow raised. "I think it was about as clear as you could make it without being accusatory, Captain."
Jack's eyes widened. "What?"
"The real question you wanted answered was about where my loyalties lie--- with you or Admiral Simmons?"
"That obvious?"
Purcell chuckled. "You don't think I took this assignment without checking out your relationship with the Admiralty, did you sir?"
Jack smiled again.
Purcell looked at the display above the elevator door. "I'm aware that Admiral Hancock, who has been very supportive of your career, and Admiral Simmons don't agree on much and would argue about the time of day if clocks hadn't been invented."
"That's probably accurate."
"I'm also aware that Admiral Simmons has submitted plans to Starfleet Command for the mothballing of the entire Oceana class. He is on record as having been against the very idea of the class."
"And do you agree with his assessment?" Jack asked.
"May I speak freely, sir?"
"Always."
Purcell took a short breath. "I think construction of starships like the Oceanas, which are obviously battleships, is a huge mistake for the Federation and puts a military emphasis on Starfleet that it has resisted for the last seventy-five years. However, my personal opinion of the Chamberlain and its purpose are irrelevant to my assignment."
"How can you separate the two?" he asked.
"Quite easily, Captain. I'm a Starfleet Officer who has been ordered to serve as your Chief Staff Officer, not as the Chamberlain's. My duty is to the ship's captain and I intend to fulfill that duty to the very best of my abilities."
"I see," Jack replied.
The elevator door opened and Purcell stepped out and turned to face Jack. "And in answer to the question you were reluctant to ask--- My duty is not to Admiral Simmons, but to you, Captain McCall."
Jack nodded. "Very well, Commander. Contact me at 2100 this evening and we'll set up a time tomorrow we can go over the rest of the staff assignments."
"Aye, sir," Purcell said. She turned and walked down the hallway of the ninth floor and the elevator door closed.
Jack hoped she was as straightforward as she appeared. He could learn to enjoy the break from the endless administrative tasks he'd been drowning in the last three months.
The elevator stopped as the number seven illuminated over the door. A moment later the door slid open and Jack walked forward.
He stopped. He was not on the seventh floor of Starfleet HQ on Gamala. Instead Jack McCall stood in a completely white twenty by twenty foot cube. Light illuminated the room, but didn't seem to come from any source. He turned completely around, but the elevator door closed and a moment later faded away.
"Great," He said. He waited for the disembodied voice he and his Executive Officer, Lak Negev, had heard two months before when they found themselves in the same room.
To Jack's right he noticed a figure walking towards him through the whiteness. Perhaps he'd actually get to meet the mysterious beings who had sent him and the Chamberlain to the planet Hel'yra. After several moments the figure became clearer and he frowned.
"Hello, Jack."
"Admiral Hancock?"
"Afraid so," Christopher Hancock said with a wide smile.
Jack noticed the admiral's hair and beard seemed a bit whiter than they had the last time he met with his fifty-seven year old mentor. "What the hell is going on, Admiral?"
Hancock pointed at the interior of the twenty by twenty cube with his right hand which held a PADD. "I take it you don't like the accommodations?"
"I didn't like it much the last time I was here--- assuming the word 'here' has any real meaning," Jack said.
Hancock smiled and waved Jack toward him. "Let's go somewhere a bit more pleasant."
The Admiral walked over to a wall and hesitated a moment before walking straight through it and disappearing.
"Just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse…" Jack said.
He closed his eyes and walked through the wall Hancock had disappeared through moments before.
Jack found himself in a grassy glade surrounded by tall trees. He heard a bubbling creek in the distance and felt the brush of an agreeable breeze. After taking a deep breath he turned to face Hancock.
"This better?" the Admiral asked.
Jack took another deep breath. Something wasn't right. He smiled as it finally registered. A place with this much vegetation should be assaulting his nose by now, but he couldn't smell a thing. "Is any of it real?"
Hancock shook his head. "I've asked, but they won't tell me."
Jack frowned. "Who are 'they', Admiral?"
Hancock leaned against a tall tree. "Ever hear of the Vedala?"
"Aren't they just a legend?"
"No, in fact a century ago Starfleet had regular contact with them." Hancock replied.
"The stories I heard say they're the oldest known spacefaring species and they wander among the stars."
The Admiral nodded. "In the early part of this century they suggested to the Federation that it would be in our best interests to stage an attack against the Romulans. Of course, the Federation Council rejected that idea out of hand. After that the Vedala refused to respond to any attempt to contact them."
"Encouraging a war sounds out of character for the Vedala that I've heard about."
"That's what most everyone thought at the time as well. When the Borg attacked at Wolf 359 we sought the Vedala out again, but there was still no response. No matter what threat we faced, there was never a response.
"Finally about five years ago I was sent to try to contact them again." Hancock smiled. "This time they actually responded. They indicated their disappointment with the progress of the Federation and didn't see much point in contact with us."
"So, what changed their minds?"
"They're not big on explaining themselves."
"But they're the ones who wanted Hel'yra checked out?" Jack asked.
"Yes. About ten months ago they asked us to investigate that planet."
"But why not just go there themselves?"
At the moment Hancock started to answer a strange five and a half foot tall fur covered creature walked toward them with an odd stride that did not seem to fit the structure of its body. It wore a nondescript sort of uniform that covered most of its torso. The Vedala stopped a short distance away from Jack and Hancock and observed them for several moments.
Jack scrutinized the being in front of him and couldn't decide if it looked more like a cat or one of several small arboreal primates he'd seen before on Earth. Everything about the Vedala's body didn't make sense, even its bluish-white fur appeared out of place. He wondered if this was its true form. Its piercing eyes, however, grabbed Jack's attention and did not let go.
"Captain McCall, we cannot go to the world Hel'yra," the creature stated with an unemotional yet lyrical voice.
Jack couldn't decide if the creature was male or female from either its appearance or its voice. Suddenly, as if a switch had been activated, he felt completely at ease around the being. "But with your level of technology you should easily be able to go to Hel'yra."
"It is not a matter of technology. The few Vedala who have entered the nebula have gone completely insane."
"A member of my crew had his mind altered by something on that planet," Jack said. "He killed himself to escape it. We discovered it only affected us when we slept. Our doctor found a way to finally block the effect."
"We have no such defense," the Vedala stated.
"I don't understand," Jack said.
The creature paused and almost seemed to smile. "The forces on Hel'yra operate in ways and on levels your minds cannot comprehend. The Vedala also operate on those levels of existence, thus making us susceptible in ways you are not."
"Which is why you had us check the planet out for you," Jack said.
The Vedala nodded.
"What's inside the subspace field on Hel'yra?" Jack asked.
Hancock motioned for Jack to be quiet when he saw the Vedala's eyes widen.
"Why does it concern you, human?" the Vedala asked.
"The Federation is sending a full scale archaeological expedition to the planet. I think we need to know," Jack stated.
"As long as nothing happens to disturb the mechanism there should be no harm done."
"What about harm to those who go there? Are they in any danger?" Jack pleaded.
"That depends on factors outside of our control," the Vedala stated coldly.
"Damn it! Will whatever's in that subspace field kill them? Is it dangerous?"
The being looked directly into Jack's eyes. He felt as if it were looking into his very soul.
"It is dangerous beyond your ability to comprehend."
The Vedala turned and took several steps away from Jack. "However, as long as the star remains stable the danger should remain within your meager means to deal with it."
Jack frowned. "I'm getting a little sick and tired of so called advanced species like yourself and the Q never giving a direct answer to a direct question."
The Vedala turned back to him. "The Q are irrelevant."
Jack grinned. "Really? They seem to see themselves as important."
"They will never be a major factor in Galactic events."
Jack glanced at Hancock who still held the PADD in his right hand, but seemed quite nervous. "So, why not answer my questions?" Jack asked.
"Beware human. Once knowledge is known it cannot be unknown," the Vedala stated.
Jack crossed his arms across his chest as Hancock walked up next to him. "Jack, the Vedala have been quite helpful to us. Now is not the time to be demanding anything from them."
Jack's eyes narrowed as he turned to Hancock. He had never seen the Admiral like this before. He actually appeared terrified. Sweat covered his forehead despite the cool breeze blowing through the trees.
"Admiral Hancock, I believe you requested assistance with the power distribution systems of one of your vessels," the Vedala said.
Hancock slowly crept toward the Vedala with small steps. "Uh, yes. The Oceana class has had some problems."
The creature raised its hand and a flash of light filled the area and then struck the PADD in the admiral's hand.
"That should solve the problem," the Vedala said.
Hancock held the PADD up and reviewed the data on it. He smiled wide. "Yes, oh yes. I think that will definitely solve the problem."
Jack took several steps toward the Vedala. "So, we do as we're told and then we get our reward?"
The Vedala's reaction surprised Jack. Instead of getting agitated, the creature actually seemed sad.
"It is time for you both to return," it said.
"What is in that sub-space field on Hel'yra?" Jack insisted.
The Vedala hesitated for several moments. Jack thought he saw it actually slump its oddly structured shoulders.
"Something that should never have been," the Vedala said softly.
"The Ancient Progenitors?" Jack asked.
The Vedala walked toward a small hill and Jack followed it. They left Hancock behind as he continued looking at the data on the PADD.
"No," the Vedala started. "The ones you call the Ancient Progenitors, we knew as the Beota. They had a vision of the Galaxy at peace and unified--- working for the betterment of all. Their sacrifice prevented darkness and destruction from ruling this Galaxy. But the price…"
The Vedala seemed lost in thoughts old and painful. "So terrible. Only now has the Galaxy begun to recover from those times."
Jack waited until he thought the Vedala had nothing more to say. "The Ancient Progenitors, or Beota as you called them, they were our ancestors?"
The Vedala turned to Jack with a brightness in its eyes he had not seen before. "Yes, you and all those like you are the legacy of the Beota."
The Vedala's eyes narrowed. "However, you must get past your rather limited ways of relating to the universe before you can hope to build upon their achievements."
"Perhaps we're not as limited as you might think."
"You are as limited in your thinking as the Borg are in theirs."
"That's not true."
"The Borg believe their crusade is proven right by the size and power of their vessels--- shouting 'resistance is futile' more to convince themselves than whoever they happen to be attacking. Your Federation builds the ship you now command to prove to the Galaxy that they truly did win the war against the Dominion. Their pride cannot allow them to accept that it was the Founders who ended the hostilities," the Vedala said. "The Beota would be disappointed in both of you."
The next moment the Vedala was gone. Jack turned about looking for the strange creature, but found himself alone on the hill. He looked out at a green valley a short distance away.
Admiral Hancock walked up to him and handed the PADD to Jack. "Here. You'll need to get this to your Chief Engineer, Jack."
Jack took the PADD. "Don't you want to check this out first, Admiral?"
Hancock smiled. "No. I think the Vedala would want you to have it anyway. I think they like you, Jack."
"Lucky me."
"No, lucky us. This is the most talkative I've ever seen one of them," Hancock said.
"So do we just stand around here? How do we get back?"
"Well, I'll return back to Earth where I was before this started." The admiral looked about the area. "I usually just pick a direction and start walking. I always end up back where I was before."
Hancock walked away toward a group of trees and suddenly vanished. Jack looked at the pristine land around him and decided he would wait a while before going anywhere. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths of the strange odorless air.
"Sorry, sir," said a young female ensign as she bumped into Jack McCall in the hallway of the Starfleet Offices on Gamala. Jack opened his eyes and frowned. The next time he wouldn't close his eyes.
He checked his hand and found the PADD still there. He decided it was probably best to get the information to his Chief Engineer, Kristen Bishop. He hoped it would help with the repairs on his ship.
Jack turned a corner and found himself in the lobby on the ground floor of the building.
He stopped and looked up at a clock in the lobby. Mei-Wan would be expecting him soon, but he needed to get the information on the PADD up to Bishop. He'd need to have some story to send along with it so that Bishop didn't ask too many questions about who the information had come from.
Jack looked down at the floor and wondered where his wife was at that moment. He wished the Vedala could take them both to that forest he had just walked through. He wouldn't have minded spending several weeks in that place with Mei-Wan.
