Link to Part 1: https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/b5s-deconstruction-of-falling-stars-trek-ified-part-1.319175/
...
FAR-FUTURE COMPUTER
Accessing temporal archive three. Date of record: Reference Stardate 16/6110.23. 400 years after previous archive. Please, stand by.
We are in a weird holodeck. Instead of the yellow grid on a black background we're used to, there is a weird, thick, blue, swirling haze around that appears to be the Discovery retrofit's conference table inside Burnham's ready room. A man, wearing a white and gray gown/labcoat with an SS-like symbol on its breast, walks through the haze and close to the conference table.
DANIEL
Continue holorecording from last time index, session number seven. Year 3190 CE, all sensors set to record mode, initiate programmable matter simulation... now.
The haze then reshapes itself into the rest of the ready room, recreated in incredible detail.
DANIEL
Holoenviroment functioning properly, identical to Discovery data files from 3190 refit. Data transfer successfully completed, despite age of original data files, and abandonment of original vessel, 450 years ago, current location unknown. To recap for EarthPolitik and MiniTrue headquarters... Purpose of simulation, seventh and final in series, is to create retro-correct TeleSpeak in support of changes in Earth policy. It is NewPolicy that the United Federation of Planets is restrictive and against the best interests of humanity. Intent is to rectify historical figures revered by Prole Sectors, thereby legitimising current GovSpeak. Initiating stage two of holosim recreation.
One by one, the Season 3 crew, including Georgiou, materialize around the table.
DANIEL
To determine if psycho-historical research was sufficiently thorough, stage two will begin with the control holocharacters working with the actual psychological makeups of the subjects in question.
As the last holo-crew materialize, Daniel keeps speaking.
DANIEL
The holograms will thus have a personality and behavior consistent with RealStory and RealTruth. Animating characters... now.
The holo-crew start moving, as Daniel paces around the table.
DANIEL
Do you know where you are?
HOLO-BURNHAM
USS Discovery, my ready room.
DANIEL
And do you know what year it is?
HOLO-CULBER
3191.
DANIEL
Very well. The next step is to determine how well the neural networks can be modified. Computer, update dataset for all holo-characters, inserting available data from 3191 to 3661.
HOLODECK COMPUTER
Working.
DANIEL
The system is now updating the holocharacters' knowledge base with the current political situation and the events leading up to it. This will demonstrate holosystem flexibility and capacity to spontaneously react to changes in programming. [keys his padd] Download and update complete.
HOLO-TILLY
Four hundred years. Are we...
DANIEL
Yes. You, the real you, are deceased. For a long time. We have reconstructed your personalities and your bodies for the purposes of a series of holovids, designed to help--
HOLO-BURNHAM
Designed as propaganda to justify your break from the Federation.
DANIEL
Not propaganda. GoodStory and GoodTruth instead of RealStory and RealTruth. A story the government has endorsed.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
I don't get it. Why are you doing this? Why the break with the Federation?
DANIEL
Fifteen hundred years of working with the Federation has weakened the position of the human species in the greater scheme of things. We have lost our uniqueness. We have been deluded by too much by foreign ideals, too much CrimeThink and BadThink.
HOLO-STAMETS
That's a great story.
HOLO-BURNHAM
I agree. I'm sure it's the one that's going in the press. What's the real one? Not the GoodStory, not the GoodTruth, the RealTruth and the RealStory.
DANIEL
The United Earth needs room to expand. Starfleet and the Federation proved to be a... hindrance to our plans to expand.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
I see. Don't you see? [gets up] They recreated us so they could provide false records and portray us to be... what? War criminals? The bad guys? Only out for no interest but our own?
HOLO-SARU
They want to undermine the Federation by attacking its heroes.
HOLO-STAMETS
Looks like it.
HOLO-BURNHAM
Wait a minute... I'm remembering things i never saw.
HOLO-TILLY
It's the data they downloaded into our heads.
HOLO-BURNHAM
There's another force out there. Our government is splintered. The two sides are fighting each other over... land, resources, power. We're on the cusp of a civil war.
HOLO-SARU
Burnham's right. I'm getting it, too. [stands up] That's the reason for the planned invasion, isn't it? You want to take over several colony worlds that have switched over to the enemy side... which is loyal to the Federation.
DANIEL
And your legacy has proven to be... a hindrance to that intention. Therefore, it must be... rectified. Initiating stage three.
The conference room reshapes itself into Discovery's memorial hallway, where a firing squad is organized on one side, and prisoners are lined up on the other.
DANIEL
GoodStory Scenario 1 ready for testing.
HOLO-BURNHAM
If you think this is going to work--
DANIEL
Reprogramming Burnham... you may proceed.
The now-evil, positively Terran Burnham walks over to the firing squad area.
HOLO-BURNHAM
Welcome aboard. I understand you surrendered to our forces in the hopes of finding mercy. The United Federation of Planets is not here to be merciful to the weak! In all of the universe, there are only two kinds: The conquerors... and the conquered. With your blood, and the blood of your childrem, we will blaze a path across the galaxy! What we cannot take by force, we will win... by subversion. And in the end, we will bury you. Your lives are not the first and they will not be the last, If a billion must die to ensure the continuance of our Empire, so be it! You are only... a downpayment. Ready weapons!
The firing squad raises their phaser rifles.
HOLO-BURNHAM
Aim! FIRE!
The sound of phaser fire fills the air
HOLO-SARU
There must be something we can do.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
How? We're dead. We're not even here. Just our memories, our personalities.
HOLO-TILLY
What we are... It's not a matter of flesh, it's a matter of will.
HOLO-CULBER
We know their capabilities, we know what they're doing. Why don't we just--
DANIEL
Computer, reprogram Culber and place all others on stand-by.
The scene then shifts to Discovery's simulated sickbay. Children are strapped to all of the beds.
DANIEL
Begin simulation.
HOLO-CULBER
Chief Medical Officer's Log, stardate 865616.1. We have secured several test subjects for next batch of experiments. We will now continue with the use of mycelium spores, tardigrade DNA and alien organs inside human bodies in an attempt to create a new organism that will suit the needs of the Federation. [not noticing Georgiou was moving] Later today, we will get started with our experiments on human children. The problem with vivisection is that the younger children can only survive the initial removal of organs for a short period of time. We hope that, with the increase usage of stimulants, we can prolong their lifespan while we work.
DANIEL
Very good, very good. Computer, freeze program while i make notes on this for TeleDep.
He doesn't realize that Georgiou, with a mix of her terran and prime personalities, is moving until:
HOLO-GEORGIOU
So... it was Daniel, right? Uh.. Danny, can i call you Danny? Oh, right. Sorry, i forgot. I'm just a hologram and you're going to reprogram me. No point in talking to someone that doesn't really exist, right? You know, i was thinking, once you got your pieces in place, you're going to launch a preemptive strike against the enemy, right? Well, that's what i would do.
DANIEL
Computer, remove Georgiou. Computer!
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Just one moment. Before you do that, i have some useful information for you. See, the thing is, i was responsible for much of the Terran Empire's strategic thinking and planning. Now, a resource like that, you might not want to wipe it out just yet. I could help you out. Give you some tips to pass along to the big boys, and maybe get you a promotion.
DANIEL
Go on.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Now, before i can help you, i just need to ask a few small questions. Now, i know you're a RealTruth kind of man. You know what they're up to out there, dont you? C'mon, you can tell me. Am i right?
Daniel nods.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Ah, you boys are planning a first strike against the enemy, aren't they? That's why you're rushing like this, you're under the gun.
DANIEL
We will attack the off-world colonies, and the enemy areas here on Earth at the same time. Our strike fleet will be departing within the hour. Priority will be Alcor IV.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Good, good. That's very smart. Now, are you targeting military bases alone, or are civilian population centers included?
DANIEL
Civilian population centers are inlcuded. We... my superiors feel it will demoralize the enemy. Force a surrender.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Estimated dead and injured?
DANIEL
100 to 500 million casualties. Can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs!
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Absolutely.
DANIEL
Now, what... suggestions do you have?
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Well, i suggest... that you put your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye.
DANIEL
Thank you. Uhh... computer!
HOLO-GEORGIOU
The funny thing about being a holodeck character is that you don't really exist, except in patterns of light, shadow, information... and i happen to have a knack for breaking system codes. So while you were downloading the new world order into my holo-brain, i got to watch your system work its magic. Now i know where the data comes in, and i know where the data goes out. And i managed to send out our entire conversation, livestreamed the whole damn thing. So, as of right now, the enemy knows what you have in mind, Danny. Now, from your database, they are more willing to follow the Geneva Conventions than you are, so their only targets will likely be military bases and research facilities. Hell, their warheads are probably halfway here right now.
DANIEL
You're lying.
Then the alarms start blaring.
HOLODECK COMPUTER
Attack Warning. Attack Warning. Antimatter warheads inbound. All personnel, proceed to facility blast shelters immediately. This is not a drill.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Holograms don't lie, Danny boy.
DANIEL
Computer, freeze program. Computer, end program! Exit!
HOLODECK COMPUTER
Attack Warning. Attack Warning. Antimatter warheads inbound. All personnel, proceed to facility blast shelters immediately. This is not a drill.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Whoops! Looks like the computer is busy. Now, this holodeck we're in, this isn't by any chance, located in a military base, is it?
DANIEL
NOOO!!!
HOLODECK COMPUTER
Attack Warning. Attack Warning. Antimatter warheads inbound. All personnel, proceed to facility blast shelters immediately. This is not a drill.
After Daniel runs out through the wall, Georgiou turns to the rest of the Discovery crew.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Rest easy, my friends. Rest easy.
Then we hear the sounds of an incoming rocket, then the roar of an explosion, at which point the screen turns white. And we're back to the futuristic UI.
FAR-FUTURE COMPUTER
End of file. Auto play active, one file remaining. Loading next archive. 1000 years after temporal archive one. Stand by.
...
FAR-FUTURE COMPUTER
Accessing temporal archive four. Date of record: Reference Stardate 22/0110.15. 640 years after previous archive. Please, stand by.
We see the aftermath of the war. A black man, who you might recognize as Craft, is adjusting a camera while wearing a monk's robes inside what looks like a pre-industrial abbey with no electricity, think Terralysium/New Eden before Discovery showed up.
CRAFT
Good thing these babies still work. That's what i get for finding the Discovery. Well, i better get on with my report. Start follow/track systems!
Then there's a knock on the door. Craft rushes to hide somehting, and after another knock:
CRAFT
YES?!?! Uhh.. yes? Just a moment.
He then opens the door, and a white man, same stature, comes in with a book.
CRAFT
There. Brother Gabriel, it's rather late.
GABRIEL
Yes, yes. I know, i know, but, uh... I really have to talk to you, Brother Arnold.
CRAFT
So it would seem.
GABRIEL
I, i, i'm having a... a crisis of faith.
CRAFT
Not again.
GABRIEL
What?
CRAFT
Nothing, nothing. And, uh, what is afflicting your consciousness today, Brother Gabriel?
GABRIEL
I just don't know what my role is, or... what i am doing here.
CRAFT
You're doing God's work, Brother Gabriel, fulfilling his plan.
GABRIEL
Yes, but to what end?
CRAFT
Well, the ways of the Lord are mysterious, and do not bend to your or to my desire for answers that must be given by the end of the day! "Where was thou when i forth called Leviathan?"
GABRIEL
Yes, i've read Job, Brother Arnold, and it is really not helping.
CRAFT
Alright, Brother Gabriel. What has precipitated this particular crisis of faith?
GABRIEL
Well, i've heard that our requests for canonization have been rejected again by Rome.
CRAFT
Yes, i see. A better rationale for the vow of silence i hever heard.
GABRIEL
Brother, is it true?
CRAFT
The ways of the Holy See are like unto God. They are mysterious... and sometimes they transcend understanding. They confess an inability to see the wisdom of our mission! To keep alive the knowledge and stories of the Long Ago, the first eight ages, which would've been lost in the Great War, 450 years ago! Hmm, science and technology, it's not really the Pope's calling. But it is ours.
GABRIEL
But, i mean... well, how? How do we know it's our calling? How exactly can we be sure?
CRAFT
Oh, Brother Gabriel!
GABRIEL
I- i- i- i'm not saying anything Rome hasn't already asked. And you know it. Most of the records were destroyed in the Great War, so we only have word of mouth to go off of!
CRAFT
The holy books written in the Ninth Age, after the Great War... [sigh] "And so it came to pass, that on the 1500th year of the V'Draysh, at the end of the Eighth Age, the Unity of Earth did war upon itself, with rockets and terrible weapons, and their cities burned, and the skies burned, and the lands burned, and the oceans burned to the ground!" You only need to look outside to prove that part. Why is the rest suspect?
GABRIEL
It's all too... clean, it's all too... well thought-out to be real. [picks up the book and brings it to Craft] Here, here. Blessed Archer, the Founder from the Third Age, and Blessed Burnham, the Interloper from the Fourth and Eighth.
CRAFT
"And in the dawn of the Eighth Age, helped by an Interloper, the V'Draysh rose like a phoenix from the ashes of the Great Burn."
GABRIEL
[as it turns to an illumination of Burnham] A fable, specifically created to match scripture. That's what the others are saying. And there is not one shred of evidence of them even existing.
CRAFT
There is evidence, up there, in the stars.
GABRIEL
But the stars are closed to us now! Just look at us, Brother Arnold. Look at what Earth has become. Our cities pale in comparison to those of the Long Ago. The great knowledge and secrets of our forefathers are almost gone.
CRAFT
Keyword, almost! That's why we're here! To find the ancient teachings and preserve them! I- We've already found and restored so many books!
GABRIEL
Yes, but we are not one inch closer to, to those space-flight machines the books speak of. Or to the stars. And- and if the truth really does lie in the stars, then how will we ever know the truth? Look at the others. Blessed Sisko, the prophet from the Sixth Age who found the stairway to Heaven, led a great many battles, defeated the demons of Bajor and was carried bodily into Heaven. Sulu the Great in the Fourth and Fifth Ages, Spock the Wise from the Fourth to Sixth ages, Worf the Strong from the Sixth Age, Blessed Picard from the Sixth Age, who was reborn in a body of steel, i- They could all be fables, for all we know. You know the worst of it?
CRAFT
What is it?
He flips the book over to a half-finished illumination of the Red Angel, with the incomplete caption "Rubrum Angelum au nomen est".
GABRIEL
You know the prophecies. The prophecies of the Third Red Angel... It said that the V'Draysh would come again, back to the Earth, in our greatest hour of need... and rebuild, what was once the cradle of the V'Draysh. But we have waited so, so long, brother Arnold. And they have never come. And, if that's a myth, then... everything else could be a myth. And all of my life... could be just a lie.
CRAFT
And if the V'Draysh do not come today, but they come tomorrow? Is your life a lie, then? I cannot help you, Brother Gabriel. That's what faith is for. Faith sustains us... in the hour that reason tells us we cannot continue... that the whole of our lives is without meaning.
GABRIEL
Then why were we born being able to reason if reason's useless?
CRAFT
Not useless! But it's also not enough. Faith and reason are the shoes on your feet. You can travel further with both than with just one. If you must have reason for an answer, consider this: If today, the V'Draysh came back to Earth from their place in the stars, you would not know about it. They would come in secret, and move around us, and help us, and we wouldn't even know they were here, because, the secrets that they bring are feared by the people, who still blame science for the Great War.
GABRIEL
And you think the V'Draysh... are here today?
CRAFT
No. But i believe they could be. And that's all that faith requires, that we surrender ourselves to the possibility of hope. And with that, i'm content. And i believe you will be as well. [pause] It's beautiful work. [closes the book and hands it back] Too lovely and significant for you to stop half-way! Finish your illumination, Brother Gabriel! You've gone this far, it's too late for you to lose your faith, or for me to lose my faith in you!
GABRIEL
If the, uh, truth really is in the stars, brother Arnold, i just once, once before i die, i really wish i could visit one of those stars.
CRAFT
If there is a way, Brother Gabriel, i pray that your wish comes true. [sees Gabriel off and closes the door] Oh dear. [moves towards one of the cameras] Your battery is almost down to nothing! I'm going to leave you in the sun tomorrow to recharge! [moves toward another camera; the one we are viewing from] Arnold Hedges, codenmane Craft, reporting in. Nothing major to report since my last update. Uhh... we believe we have gathered enough information from the Long Ago to create a working internal combustion engine. Obviously, there is no fuel around here, therefore, we ask the supply division if they could... arrange to have a sufficient supply of gasoline "found" in the vicinity of the abbey within the next few days. Only this time, for God's sake, please make it look like an old container. The last one could've been produced a hundred years ago! [he moves to a closet, and takes out his uniform] We will rebuild the Earth, even if it takes us a thousand years. But this time, we will build back better! [he puts it back and closes the closet] I'm attaching a conversation i just had with Brother Gabriel Maldonado, who i still think will make a worthy recruit, once he's grown a little. Give it a few years, and he'll be fine! Craft, Starfleet Command, Sector 001, end of report. From the stars, science.
And we go back one final time.
FAR-FUTURE COMPUTER
End of file. No further archives remaining.
HUMAN
Stand by.
...
FAR-FUTURE COMPUTER
Successfully finished processing and archiving all available temporal records for 5.5 billion years of the common era and 10000 prior. Awaiting instructions.
We are in a large room condaining a human, a pedestal with a console in front of it, and the large screen we've been staring at. The human is standing at the pedestal.
HUMAN
Our job has finished. Transmit archives to Federation Central. Terra Nova, Iconian system.
FAR-FUTURE COMPUTER
Confirmed.
HUMAN
Use enhanced subspace modulation to ensure arrival in time for the celebrations.
FAR-FUTURE COMPUTER
Confirmed. Alert: Solar emissions increasing in intensity. Sol is estimated to enter red giant phase within the next five hours. Recommend immediate evacuation.
HUMAN
Tell the others not to worry. I wouldn't miss this for anything. Now go on.
The computer turns into a ball of energy, and flies away.
HUMAN
So this is how the world ends. Swallowed in fire, but not in darkness. You will live on, the voice of all our ancestors, our mothers and fathers down to the final generation. We created the world you think you would've wished for us, and now we leave the cradle for the last time.
He leaves the pedestal and walks towards the door, morphing into a pure energy form similar to STO's Iconians. In orbit, a ship bearing the Starfleet Delta goes into a Gateway just as the sun explodes.
...
A few billion years prior, Burnham and Booker are in bed together.
BOOKER
You should sleep. We have business early tomorrow.
BURNHAM
Yeah i know. I was just thinking about it all. Everything we've accomplished... and what i said earlier. Andd i was wondering... if they will remember us a hundred years from now, or a thousand. Then i figured, probably not.
BOOKER
But it doesn't matter. We did what we did because it was right, not because we wanted to be remembered.
BURNHAM
Yeah. Let history tend to itself. It always does.
Then they kiss, and get intimate. The End.
...
FAR-FUTURE COMPUTER
Accessing temporal archive three. Date of record: Reference Stardate 16/6110.23. 400 years after previous archive. Please, stand by.
We are in a weird holodeck. Instead of the yellow grid on a black background we're used to, there is a weird, thick, blue, swirling haze around that appears to be the Discovery retrofit's conference table inside Burnham's ready room. A man, wearing a white and gray gown/labcoat with an SS-like symbol on its breast, walks through the haze and close to the conference table.
DANIEL
Continue holorecording from last time index, session number seven. Year 3190 CE, all sensors set to record mode, initiate programmable matter simulation... now.
The haze then reshapes itself into the rest of the ready room, recreated in incredible detail.
DANIEL
Holoenviroment functioning properly, identical to Discovery data files from 3190 refit. Data transfer successfully completed, despite age of original data files, and abandonment of original vessel, 450 years ago, current location unknown. To recap for EarthPolitik and MiniTrue headquarters... Purpose of simulation, seventh and final in series, is to create retro-correct TeleSpeak in support of changes in Earth policy. It is NewPolicy that the United Federation of Planets is restrictive and against the best interests of humanity. Intent is to rectify historical figures revered by Prole Sectors, thereby legitimising current GovSpeak. Initiating stage two of holosim recreation.
One by one, the Season 3 crew, including Georgiou, materialize around the table.
DANIEL
To determine if psycho-historical research was sufficiently thorough, stage two will begin with the control holocharacters working with the actual psychological makeups of the subjects in question.
As the last holo-crew materialize, Daniel keeps speaking.
DANIEL
The holograms will thus have a personality and behavior consistent with RealStory and RealTruth. Animating characters... now.
The holo-crew start moving, as Daniel paces around the table.
DANIEL
Do you know where you are?
HOLO-BURNHAM
USS Discovery, my ready room.
DANIEL
And do you know what year it is?
HOLO-CULBER
3191.
DANIEL
Very well. The next step is to determine how well the neural networks can be modified. Computer, update dataset for all holo-characters, inserting available data from 3191 to 3661.
HOLODECK COMPUTER
Working.
DANIEL
The system is now updating the holocharacters' knowledge base with the current political situation and the events leading up to it. This will demonstrate holosystem flexibility and capacity to spontaneously react to changes in programming. [keys his padd] Download and update complete.
HOLO-TILLY
Four hundred years. Are we...
DANIEL
Yes. You, the real you, are deceased. For a long time. We have reconstructed your personalities and your bodies for the purposes of a series of holovids, designed to help--
HOLO-BURNHAM
Designed as propaganda to justify your break from the Federation.
DANIEL
Not propaganda. GoodStory and GoodTruth instead of RealStory and RealTruth. A story the government has endorsed.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
I don't get it. Why are you doing this? Why the break with the Federation?
DANIEL
Fifteen hundred years of working with the Federation has weakened the position of the human species in the greater scheme of things. We have lost our uniqueness. We have been deluded by too much by foreign ideals, too much CrimeThink and BadThink.
HOLO-STAMETS
That's a great story.
HOLO-BURNHAM
I agree. I'm sure it's the one that's going in the press. What's the real one? Not the GoodStory, not the GoodTruth, the RealTruth and the RealStory.
DANIEL
The United Earth needs room to expand. Starfleet and the Federation proved to be a... hindrance to our plans to expand.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
I see. Don't you see? [gets up] They recreated us so they could provide false records and portray us to be... what? War criminals? The bad guys? Only out for no interest but our own?
HOLO-SARU
They want to undermine the Federation by attacking its heroes.
HOLO-STAMETS
Looks like it.
HOLO-BURNHAM
Wait a minute... I'm remembering things i never saw.
HOLO-TILLY
It's the data they downloaded into our heads.
HOLO-BURNHAM
There's another force out there. Our government is splintered. The two sides are fighting each other over... land, resources, power. We're on the cusp of a civil war.
HOLO-SARU
Burnham's right. I'm getting it, too. [stands up] That's the reason for the planned invasion, isn't it? You want to take over several colony worlds that have switched over to the enemy side... which is loyal to the Federation.
DANIEL
And your legacy has proven to be... a hindrance to that intention. Therefore, it must be... rectified. Initiating stage three.
The conference room reshapes itself into Discovery's memorial hallway, where a firing squad is organized on one side, and prisoners are lined up on the other.
DANIEL
GoodStory Scenario 1 ready for testing.
HOLO-BURNHAM
If you think this is going to work--
DANIEL
Reprogramming Burnham... you may proceed.
The now-evil, positively Terran Burnham walks over to the firing squad area.
HOLO-BURNHAM
Welcome aboard. I understand you surrendered to our forces in the hopes of finding mercy. The United Federation of Planets is not here to be merciful to the weak! In all of the universe, there are only two kinds: The conquerors... and the conquered. With your blood, and the blood of your childrem, we will blaze a path across the galaxy! What we cannot take by force, we will win... by subversion. And in the end, we will bury you. Your lives are not the first and they will not be the last, If a billion must die to ensure the continuance of our Empire, so be it! You are only... a downpayment. Ready weapons!
The firing squad raises their phaser rifles.
HOLO-BURNHAM
Aim! FIRE!
The sound of phaser fire fills the air
HOLO-SARU
There must be something we can do.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
How? We're dead. We're not even here. Just our memories, our personalities.
HOLO-TILLY
What we are... It's not a matter of flesh, it's a matter of will.
HOLO-CULBER
We know their capabilities, we know what they're doing. Why don't we just--
DANIEL
Computer, reprogram Culber and place all others on stand-by.
The scene then shifts to Discovery's simulated sickbay. Children are strapped to all of the beds.
DANIEL
Begin simulation.
HOLO-CULBER
Chief Medical Officer's Log, stardate 865616.1. We have secured several test subjects for next batch of experiments. We will now continue with the use of mycelium spores, tardigrade DNA and alien organs inside human bodies in an attempt to create a new organism that will suit the needs of the Federation. [not noticing Georgiou was moving] Later today, we will get started with our experiments on human children. The problem with vivisection is that the younger children can only survive the initial removal of organs for a short period of time. We hope that, with the increase usage of stimulants, we can prolong their lifespan while we work.
DANIEL
Very good, very good. Computer, freeze program while i make notes on this for TeleDep.
He doesn't realize that Georgiou, with a mix of her terran and prime personalities, is moving until:
HOLO-GEORGIOU
So... it was Daniel, right? Uh.. Danny, can i call you Danny? Oh, right. Sorry, i forgot. I'm just a hologram and you're going to reprogram me. No point in talking to someone that doesn't really exist, right? You know, i was thinking, once you got your pieces in place, you're going to launch a preemptive strike against the enemy, right? Well, that's what i would do.
DANIEL
Computer, remove Georgiou. Computer!
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Just one moment. Before you do that, i have some useful information for you. See, the thing is, i was responsible for much of the Terran Empire's strategic thinking and planning. Now, a resource like that, you might not want to wipe it out just yet. I could help you out. Give you some tips to pass along to the big boys, and maybe get you a promotion.
DANIEL
Go on.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Now, before i can help you, i just need to ask a few small questions. Now, i know you're a RealTruth kind of man. You know what they're up to out there, dont you? C'mon, you can tell me. Am i right?
Daniel nods.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Ah, you boys are planning a first strike against the enemy, aren't they? That's why you're rushing like this, you're under the gun.
DANIEL
We will attack the off-world colonies, and the enemy areas here on Earth at the same time. Our strike fleet will be departing within the hour. Priority will be Alcor IV.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Good, good. That's very smart. Now, are you targeting military bases alone, or are civilian population centers included?
DANIEL
Civilian population centers are inlcuded. We... my superiors feel it will demoralize the enemy. Force a surrender.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Estimated dead and injured?
DANIEL
100 to 500 million casualties. Can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs!
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Absolutely.
DANIEL
Now, what... suggestions do you have?
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Well, i suggest... that you put your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye.
DANIEL
Thank you. Uhh... computer!
HOLO-GEORGIOU
The funny thing about being a holodeck character is that you don't really exist, except in patterns of light, shadow, information... and i happen to have a knack for breaking system codes. So while you were downloading the new world order into my holo-brain, i got to watch your system work its magic. Now i know where the data comes in, and i know where the data goes out. And i managed to send out our entire conversation, livestreamed the whole damn thing. So, as of right now, the enemy knows what you have in mind, Danny. Now, from your database, they are more willing to follow the Geneva Conventions than you are, so their only targets will likely be military bases and research facilities. Hell, their warheads are probably halfway here right now.
DANIEL
You're lying.
Then the alarms start blaring.
HOLODECK COMPUTER
Attack Warning. Attack Warning. Antimatter warheads inbound. All personnel, proceed to facility blast shelters immediately. This is not a drill.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Holograms don't lie, Danny boy.
DANIEL
Computer, freeze program. Computer, end program! Exit!
HOLODECK COMPUTER
Attack Warning. Attack Warning. Antimatter warheads inbound. All personnel, proceed to facility blast shelters immediately. This is not a drill.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Whoops! Looks like the computer is busy. Now, this holodeck we're in, this isn't by any chance, located in a military base, is it?
DANIEL
NOOO!!!
HOLODECK COMPUTER
Attack Warning. Attack Warning. Antimatter warheads inbound. All personnel, proceed to facility blast shelters immediately. This is not a drill.
After Daniel runs out through the wall, Georgiou turns to the rest of the Discovery crew.
HOLO-GEORGIOU
Rest easy, my friends. Rest easy.
Then we hear the sounds of an incoming rocket, then the roar of an explosion, at which point the screen turns white. And we're back to the futuristic UI.
FAR-FUTURE COMPUTER
End of file. Auto play active, one file remaining. Loading next archive. 1000 years after temporal archive one. Stand by.
...
FAR-FUTURE COMPUTER
Accessing temporal archive four. Date of record: Reference Stardate 22/0110.15. 640 years after previous archive. Please, stand by.
We see the aftermath of the war. A black man, who you might recognize as Craft, is adjusting a camera while wearing a monk's robes inside what looks like a pre-industrial abbey with no electricity, think Terralysium/New Eden before Discovery showed up.
CRAFT
Good thing these babies still work. That's what i get for finding the Discovery. Well, i better get on with my report. Start follow/track systems!
Then there's a knock on the door. Craft rushes to hide somehting, and after another knock:
CRAFT
YES?!?! Uhh.. yes? Just a moment.
He then opens the door, and a white man, same stature, comes in with a book.
CRAFT
There. Brother Gabriel, it's rather late.
GABRIEL
Yes, yes. I know, i know, but, uh... I really have to talk to you, Brother Arnold.
CRAFT
So it would seem.
GABRIEL
I, i, i'm having a... a crisis of faith.
CRAFT
Not again.
GABRIEL
What?
CRAFT
Nothing, nothing. And, uh, what is afflicting your consciousness today, Brother Gabriel?
GABRIEL
I just don't know what my role is, or... what i am doing here.
CRAFT
You're doing God's work, Brother Gabriel, fulfilling his plan.
GABRIEL
Yes, but to what end?
CRAFT
Well, the ways of the Lord are mysterious, and do not bend to your or to my desire for answers that must be given by the end of the day! "Where was thou when i forth called Leviathan?"
GABRIEL
Yes, i've read Job, Brother Arnold, and it is really not helping.
CRAFT
Alright, Brother Gabriel. What has precipitated this particular crisis of faith?
GABRIEL
Well, i've heard that our requests for canonization have been rejected again by Rome.
CRAFT
Yes, i see. A better rationale for the vow of silence i hever heard.
GABRIEL
Brother, is it true?
CRAFT
The ways of the Holy See are like unto God. They are mysterious... and sometimes they transcend understanding. They confess an inability to see the wisdom of our mission! To keep alive the knowledge and stories of the Long Ago, the first eight ages, which would've been lost in the Great War, 450 years ago! Hmm, science and technology, it's not really the Pope's calling. But it is ours.
GABRIEL
But, i mean... well, how? How do we know it's our calling? How exactly can we be sure?
CRAFT
Oh, Brother Gabriel!
GABRIEL
I- i- i- i'm not saying anything Rome hasn't already asked. And you know it. Most of the records were destroyed in the Great War, so we only have word of mouth to go off of!
CRAFT
The holy books written in the Ninth Age, after the Great War... [sigh] "And so it came to pass, that on the 1500th year of the V'Draysh, at the end of the Eighth Age, the Unity of Earth did war upon itself, with rockets and terrible weapons, and their cities burned, and the skies burned, and the lands burned, and the oceans burned to the ground!" You only need to look outside to prove that part. Why is the rest suspect?
GABRIEL
It's all too... clean, it's all too... well thought-out to be real. [picks up the book and brings it to Craft] Here, here. Blessed Archer, the Founder from the Third Age, and Blessed Burnham, the Interloper from the Fourth and Eighth.
CRAFT
"And in the dawn of the Eighth Age, helped by an Interloper, the V'Draysh rose like a phoenix from the ashes of the Great Burn."
GABRIEL
[as it turns to an illumination of Burnham] A fable, specifically created to match scripture. That's what the others are saying. And there is not one shred of evidence of them even existing.
CRAFT
There is evidence, up there, in the stars.
GABRIEL
But the stars are closed to us now! Just look at us, Brother Arnold. Look at what Earth has become. Our cities pale in comparison to those of the Long Ago. The great knowledge and secrets of our forefathers are almost gone.
CRAFT
Keyword, almost! That's why we're here! To find the ancient teachings and preserve them! I- We've already found and restored so many books!
GABRIEL
Yes, but we are not one inch closer to, to those space-flight machines the books speak of. Or to the stars. And- and if the truth really does lie in the stars, then how will we ever know the truth? Look at the others. Blessed Sisko, the prophet from the Sixth Age who found the stairway to Heaven, led a great many battles, defeated the demons of Bajor and was carried bodily into Heaven. Sulu the Great in the Fourth and Fifth Ages, Spock the Wise from the Fourth to Sixth ages, Worf the Strong from the Sixth Age, Blessed Picard from the Sixth Age, who was reborn in a body of steel, i- They could all be fables, for all we know. You know the worst of it?
CRAFT
What is it?
He flips the book over to a half-finished illumination of the Red Angel, with the incomplete caption "Rubrum Angelum au nomen est".
GABRIEL
You know the prophecies. The prophecies of the Third Red Angel... It said that the V'Draysh would come again, back to the Earth, in our greatest hour of need... and rebuild, what was once the cradle of the V'Draysh. But we have waited so, so long, brother Arnold. And they have never come. And, if that's a myth, then... everything else could be a myth. And all of my life... could be just a lie.
CRAFT
And if the V'Draysh do not come today, but they come tomorrow? Is your life a lie, then? I cannot help you, Brother Gabriel. That's what faith is for. Faith sustains us... in the hour that reason tells us we cannot continue... that the whole of our lives is without meaning.
GABRIEL
Then why were we born being able to reason if reason's useless?
CRAFT
Not useless! But it's also not enough. Faith and reason are the shoes on your feet. You can travel further with both than with just one. If you must have reason for an answer, consider this: If today, the V'Draysh came back to Earth from their place in the stars, you would not know about it. They would come in secret, and move around us, and help us, and we wouldn't even know they were here, because, the secrets that they bring are feared by the people, who still blame science for the Great War.
GABRIEL
And you think the V'Draysh... are here today?
CRAFT
No. But i believe they could be. And that's all that faith requires, that we surrender ourselves to the possibility of hope. And with that, i'm content. And i believe you will be as well. [pause] It's beautiful work. [closes the book and hands it back] Too lovely and significant for you to stop half-way! Finish your illumination, Brother Gabriel! You've gone this far, it's too late for you to lose your faith, or for me to lose my faith in you!
GABRIEL
If the, uh, truth really is in the stars, brother Arnold, i just once, once before i die, i really wish i could visit one of those stars.
CRAFT
If there is a way, Brother Gabriel, i pray that your wish comes true. [sees Gabriel off and closes the door] Oh dear. [moves towards one of the cameras] Your battery is almost down to nothing! I'm going to leave you in the sun tomorrow to recharge! [moves toward another camera; the one we are viewing from] Arnold Hedges, codenmane Craft, reporting in. Nothing major to report since my last update. Uhh... we believe we have gathered enough information from the Long Ago to create a working internal combustion engine. Obviously, there is no fuel around here, therefore, we ask the supply division if they could... arrange to have a sufficient supply of gasoline "found" in the vicinity of the abbey within the next few days. Only this time, for God's sake, please make it look like an old container. The last one could've been produced a hundred years ago! [he moves to a closet, and takes out his uniform] We will rebuild the Earth, even if it takes us a thousand years. But this time, we will build back better! [he puts it back and closes the closet] I'm attaching a conversation i just had with Brother Gabriel Maldonado, who i still think will make a worthy recruit, once he's grown a little. Give it a few years, and he'll be fine! Craft, Starfleet Command, Sector 001, end of report. From the stars, science.
And we go back one final time.
FAR-FUTURE COMPUTER
End of file. No further archives remaining.
HUMAN
Stand by.
...
FAR-FUTURE COMPUTER
Successfully finished processing and archiving all available temporal records for 5.5 billion years of the common era and 10000 prior. Awaiting instructions.
We are in a large room condaining a human, a pedestal with a console in front of it, and the large screen we've been staring at. The human is standing at the pedestal.
HUMAN
Our job has finished. Transmit archives to Federation Central. Terra Nova, Iconian system.
FAR-FUTURE COMPUTER
Confirmed.
HUMAN
Use enhanced subspace modulation to ensure arrival in time for the celebrations.
FAR-FUTURE COMPUTER
Confirmed. Alert: Solar emissions increasing in intensity. Sol is estimated to enter red giant phase within the next five hours. Recommend immediate evacuation.
HUMAN
Tell the others not to worry. I wouldn't miss this for anything. Now go on.
The computer turns into a ball of energy, and flies away.
HUMAN
So this is how the world ends. Swallowed in fire, but not in darkness. You will live on, the voice of all our ancestors, our mothers and fathers down to the final generation. We created the world you think you would've wished for us, and now we leave the cradle for the last time.
He leaves the pedestal and walks towards the door, morphing into a pure energy form similar to STO's Iconians. In orbit, a ship bearing the Starfleet Delta goes into a Gateway just as the sun explodes.
...
A few billion years prior, Burnham and Booker are in bed together.
BOOKER
You should sleep. We have business early tomorrow.
BURNHAM
Yeah i know. I was just thinking about it all. Everything we've accomplished... and what i said earlier. Andd i was wondering... if they will remember us a hundred years from now, or a thousand. Then i figured, probably not.
BOOKER
But it doesn't matter. We did what we did because it was right, not because we wanted to be remembered.
BURNHAM
Yeah. Let history tend to itself. It always does.
Then they kiss, and get intimate. The End.
