"I"

[Joe Manning 0]

"I am perfectly aware that Humans are dying out there," Admiral Sawyer said. He was looking out his office window at the view of San Francisco Bay. "I read every casualty report that is placed across my desk. The fleet commanders send my people to their deaths against one another ... and I am the one who has to inform the families. I have been carrying out this solemn duty for my fifty-five years of service as a command officer in this fleet. Yet now I often find myself at a loss for words. What do I say to the families, about their sons and daughters and husbands and wives and mothers and fathers who died fighting a war I so strongly oppose?"

 

"You have the power to end it, Admiral."

 

The view was so peaceful. The damage that the Beholders inflicted on the city twenty years ago had been completely repaired, even if the emotional scars of that terrible day remained. Below, people carried on with their lives as if nothing were wrong, as if the Federation weren't falling apart all around them. Many people left the city, the planet, when the fighting started, fearing that Earth would be dragged into the terrible conflict. They fled for the colonies on the outskirts of Federation space, denying themselves Starfleet's protection, but also its growing madness. Those who remained behind in this beautiful city, on this beautiful world, that Admiral Sawyer had grown up in did so confident that the troubles of the rest of the galaxy would not reach their doorsteps. And why?

 

Because they knew men behind the windows above would keep those troubles away.

 

"We will not drag Earth into this war," Sawyer turned to face Commander McKinnick. She was leaning on her fists against the other end of his desk, with a face of mixed determination and desperation. Ambassador Lockhart was seated in an armchair beside the desk. His saddened eyes glanced between the pair of officers.

 

"Earth is Humanity, Admiral," McKinnick protested. "It is our people."

 

"If the officers under my command choose to take a side in this war, there is nothing I can do for them, Commander. The commanding officers of their ships no longer recognize my authority. They follow Admiral Geron now, or the Commodore. I have ordered a stop to this madness on repeated occasions, and my orders have been ignored by the Fleet officers on both sides ... including you and your Commodore." Sawyer took his seat and raised his hands to his temples as Commander McKinnick began pacing in front of his desk. "The only Captains that recognize my authority now are the Captains of the ships defending Earth and the colonies which have been abandoned by the warring forces."

 

"We haven't abandoned anyone, Admiral!" McKinnick snapped. "We are fighting for those colonies, for their future!"

 

"Our vision of the future differs from yours, Commander," Lockhart said. "We are commiting what forces are loyal to us to Earth's defense because it is here that the seat of Federation jurisdiction lies. It is here that we believe a peaceful resolution to this conflict can be reached."

 

"There is not going to be a peaceful resolution, Ambassador," McKinnick replied, her tone almost pleading. "We are losing the war ... badly. I'm sure you've seen the reports -- Admiral Geron's fleet is going to reach the Zencar system soon. He has been absolutely ruthless in the recent months, making his final push to put an end to the war. We've been fortunate that most of the last eight years have seen little open combat, with only a few spikes. But this last spike has been terrible. The Commodore thinks someone from our side has turned and is feeding Geron intelligence on our fleet. Whatever he's got in his favor now, his fleet is mauling us. All of our support bases and listening stations are being targeted. Colonies that have been secretly aiding us for years are being occupied. We've been hearing reports of defenseless colonies being bombarded or ransacked by Geron's officers, merely because they supported the Commodore."

 

Admiral Sawyer rubbed his face and looked at Lockhart, concern etched on both their faces. The Commander stopped her pacing and continued, turning her gaze to the Admiral, "There is not going to be peace if you do not intervene. Either our side or theirs is going to emerge victorious. All of our supporters have gathered in the Zencar system, including Ambassador Ri'nok. They're saying that if Zencar is captured and Ri'nok is taken into custody, they'll make him stand for treason. He has been the Council's loudest voice of reason, and he will be removed from his Council seat. And the Andorians will -not- accept one of his supporters as a replacement on the Council. They'll find a Vulcan who agrees with their ways to take Ri'nok's seat. The Council will be under their control. There will be no more Federation. The Prime Directive will be as good as finished and everything we have worked for for three hundred years will fall apart!"

 

"You are being overly dramatic, Commander," Lockhart said. "But, believe me, I am as troubled as you are by what is happening out there. Tell me, what does the Commodore plan to do about this?"

 

"He plans to defend Zencar IV," McKinnick answered. "Understand, both of you, that while I agree completely with Commodore DiAngelo's cause ... in the last few years, he has demonstrated a fanatacism to that cause that has started to alarm me and some of the others. He steadfastly refuses to back down to Geron. He believes that the Admiral's fleet can be overcome, that we'll have 'righteousness' on our side because the defense of Zencar IV will be our last defense against the ideals we have been protecting."

 

"No matter what comes of this, there will always be people fighting for those ideals, Commander," Lockhart argued.

 

"And many of them may be slaughtered within the next few months," McKinnick said to him. "We don't have a chance against Geron's fleet. It's practically the entire Andorian Guard, plus the Starfleet ships that are supporting him. The Commodore believes that this can be overcome, because he believes that he has Earth on his side. He believes he will have your support before the end."

 

"This war is not between Earth and Andoria, Commander," Admiral Sawyer chided, his voice raised. "And I will not make it so."

 

"You don't understand what I am asking," McKinnick walked up to his desk and leaned over it, staring straight into the Admiral's eyes. "The Commodore will not be talked out of fighting. And Geron will fight because his forces outnumber ours; he will expect a quick surrender. But I do -not- think Geron would fight if a substantial fleet were arrayed against him. He wants a quick resolution, not a bloodbath. You have ... what ... 25 ... 30 ships still under your command? Your fleet could balance the scales, Admiral. Send those ships in when Geron's fleet arrives in the Zencar system and we can stay his hand. -Then- you can force a dialogue," she looked toward the Ambassador. "-Then- you can try to get your peaceful resolution. This war has been waiting on Earth's decision for eight years. Admiral Geron is through waiting.

 

"Please, Ambassador ... Admiral ... save the Federation."